The door clicked shut behind her, and Val stood in the middle of her room, still catching her breath.
She'd walked in expecting the same four walls she'd left that morning. Instead, she found herself staring at a space that felt almost too large for one person.
A proper bed with clean sheets, a desk by the window, and a small sofa pushed against the far wall. And through a door she hadn't noticed before—a bathroom. Her own bathroom. Toilet, sink, even a shower with hot water. She hadn't noticed these things yesterday; she hadn't even cared until now. She had been expecting just another crappy place to crash until she was done with this academy stuff.
She ran her fingers over the sofa's fabric. It was soft. She sat down, then lay back, staring at the ceiling. She'd never owned a sofa. She'd never owned anything that wasn't stolen or salvaged.
The academy had given her clothes, too. A uniform—dark jacket, grey trousers, sturdy boots. They'd been folded on the desk when she arrived. She'd put them on without thinking, and now she looked like the other students. Almost. She looked over and saw a wardrobe. Though there wasn't much inside, it was still too much for Val; she hadn't seen that many clothes stored in one place in her entire life, especially not in her room—or whatever passed for one over the years.
The nobles—the Aethel and Koinos students—had rooms in the main building. She'd heard the other Anómalos talking about it. Some of the nobles were already complaining. What was there even to complain about? Well, they were used to marble floors, private gardens, and servants. She didn't really care. She only knew this room was already more than she'd ever dreamed of.
She lay there for a long time, letting the silence settle around her. Then her gauntlet chimed.
She lifted her wrist.
```
System Notification:
Your Experience points have reached a threshold.
Your Rank has been updated.
New Rank: C
```
She stared at the words. Rank C. She'd been Rank D since she awakened two years ago, and now she had jumped to C. A spark of elation flared in her chest.
She sat up, pulling up her full system screen.
```
User: Valerie
Status: Awakened
Rank: C
Sign: Aries
Stage: Awakened
Aspect: — (pending)
Element: Fire
Special Powers: Wildfire, Ember Step, Flame Cloak
Mauri: 43/100
Experience: 0/300
Memory: —
Echo: —
Flaw: —
```
Rank C. Her Experience points had reset to zero, and the cap had been raised to three hundred. She was stronger now. Not by much, but it was enough to matter.
She dismissed the screen and lay back down. Rank C. This was a sign that things were going to get better. She'd been running, hiding, stealing, and surviving—and now she was something else. Something with a future that didn't end in an alley with a knife in her ribs.
She thought about Corin. About his tall, lanky frame standing in the doorway, promising that he would come back. She'd waited. For years, she'd waited. And now she was here, in a place he would never have even dreamed of, and she didn't know if he was alive or dead.
Her throat tightened. She swallowed the feeling down.
"You don't need him," she told herself. "You never needed anyone."
But she thought about Cale and Ethan. The way they'd fought beside her. There was a look of recognition in their faces, and she wondered if they would still look at her that way if they knew what she had done just to survive. They hadn't asked questions, hadn't judged, and hadn't expected anything. Though they were strangers and owed her nothing, when she thought of them, she felt safe.
She closed her eyes. She didn't know what to do with that.
She slept.
Morning came grey and cold. Val dressed in her new uniform—the dark jacket, grey trousers, and boots that actually fit. She pulled her hair back. She caught her reflection in the window and almost didn't recognize herself. She looked like someone worth looking at.
She walked out into the corridor, following the flow of students toward the main building. Someone had said there was a general class—something about academy routine, schedules, and expectations. Everyone was expected to attend.
The hallway was crowded. Students pushed past her, their voices loud, their gauntlets flashing in her eyes. She kept to herself, watching and learning.
That's when she saw something. Something that actually looked interesting in this boring box of a school.
A knot of students had formed near the entrance to the lecture hall, blocking the way. Val slipped through the crowd, her elbows clearing a path. She saw Cale standing in the middle of the corridor, facing a tall boy she recognized from the rankings board.
Vorian Ashkar. The one at the top of the list. He had an easy smile and sharp eyes.
He had his hand on Cale's shoulder, gripping it like they were old friends. But his smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Come on," Vorian said, his voice light, almost teasing. "It's been years. You can't even say hello?"
Cale didn't answer. His face was blank, his hands at his sides.
But Val could see the tension in his shoulders and the way his jaw was set.
Cale leaned in, his mouth near Vorian's ear, and whispered something Val couldn't hear.
Vorian's smile widened. He stepped back, spreading his arms as if welcoming an old friend.
"I can't do it for nothing," he said, loud enough for the crowd to hear. "Let's see… duel me. First blood. I need some action. Let's see if you're as good as the old days."
The crowd murmured. Students pushed closer, eager for a spectacle. Cale's eyes met Vorian's. For a long moment, neither of them moved.
Then Cale nodded. "Fine."
The crowd erupted.
Val pushed through to the front, her heart beating faster. Ethan was already there, standing at the edge of the ring of students, his arms crossed and his expression grim.
"What's happening?" she asked.
Ethan didn't look at her. "Vorian's been circling him all morning. Wanted to know his abilities, his rank. Cale wouldn't say. So now they're going to fight."
"First blood?"
"Yeah. First blood."
Val looked at Cale. He was standing in the center of the corridor now, a sword in his hand, his face unreadable. Vorian had summoned a memory of his; it was a blade longer than Cale's, and was gleaming in the morning light.
"Who is he?" Val asked.
"Vorian Ashkar. From House Ashkar. His sign is Aries. He's been at the top of the rankings since the first day." Ethan's voice was flat. "They say he's already close to Stargazer."
Val's stomach tightened. Cale was Rank E. She'd seen him fight, and though he was better than his rank suggested, Vorian was faster, stronger, and trained since childhood. Cale was going to be brutalized.
Around them, the crowd was already taking sides. Most were for Vorian. A few, the ones from the Anómalos faction, just stood silent, watching.
"He's going to get destroyed," someone said behind her. "Look at him. Probably a commoner. He probably doesn't even have a strong special ability."
"Vorian's going to wipe the floor with him," another voice added, laughing.
Val's hands curled into fists.
She watched Cale take his stance. He didn't look nervous. He didn't look like anything. He just stood there, his sword steady, his eyes on Vorian. His face was expressionless.
The crowd fell silent.
Vorian smiled, raised his blade, and moved.
Val held her breath.
She didn't know who would win. She didn't know if Cale had a chance. But as the first clash of steel rang out across the corridor, she found herself leaning forward, her heart pounding, her eyes fixed on the boy who'd just fought a Cyclops alongside her and never once looked back.
"Well," she thought, her lips curving into a sharp smile. It seems like things are getting interesting after all.