The school transport arrived soundlessly—an elongated capsule with translucent walls and soft blue interior light. It floated half a meter off the magnetized path, humming with quiet energy. As the doors hissed open, Emric stepped in behind Lio and Karya, the cabin auto-adjusting to accommodate them. The interior display blinked once:
[Route: Sector-5 → Vanta Core High Final Entry Gate][Passenger Identity: Verified | Clearance: Graduate]
A soft chime followed, accompanied by a soothing voice. "Congratulations on reaching the culmination of your academic journey. Please enjoy your final ride to Vanta Core High."
"I swear this voice is always judging us," Lio muttered, sliding into a side seat.
Emric dropped beside him. "You think everything's judging you."
"Everything is judging me," Lio said. "Especially my exosuit instructor. That man wakes up each day praying I misfire a drone blade into my leg."
Karya remained standing, gazing at the skyline.
The ride gave them a spectacular view of the tier's curvature—the massive transparent domes far above, like distant ceilings, diffusing soft artificial daylight. One could almost forget the true sun was barely visible behind Earth's decaying orbital shell, and had been for decades.
The school came into view—a sprawling arcology of seamless alloy and dark-angled glass, anchored along a platform that wrapped around the outer edge of the spire-tier. Vanta Core High was more than just a school—it was a final checkpoint before elite enrollment into the Academy, and a gleaming badge for Sector-5's top families.
As they disembarked, the walkway lit beneath their steps in pale white strips, reading their presence.
[Welcome, Graduate Candidates.][Final Announcements & Induction Schedules Await Inside.]
Students crowded the main entrance, dressed in a spectrum of school uniform customizations. Some wore lev-suspended cloaks, others modified their shoes with kinetic cushions or luminous soles. Everywhere, bands pulsed with status colors—green for unawakened, blue for sync-active, and violet for today's induced awakening candidates.
Emric's own sync-band remained a quiet gray.
Lio bumped shoulders with him. "You do realize everyone's gonna be watching today?"
"I'm used to it."
"No, not because of the grades. Because you're the top-ranked unawakened in the city. You're a walking contradiction."
"That's encouraging," Emric deadpanned.
"Look, I'm just saying," Lio said, gesturing with his chin toward a nearby group. "You've got people like her—"
A girl from another class stood with a smug expression, her sync-band glowing a flashy azure-blue. She was laughing with others, eyes flicking toward Emric's wrist.
"Unawakened genius. Doesn't quite match the propaganda," Lio muttered. "They act like you cheated the system."
"He didn't," Karya cut in, stepping between them. "He is the system. Half the curriculum was redesigned based on papers he submitted."
Emric blinked. "You actually read those?"
"I skimmed. Don't get a big head."
The chime of the main entrance interrupted them.
A massive vertical screen above the doors flickered to life. Principal Davor's image appeared—stoic, silver-haired, his face made entirely of angles. The real man stood just inside the atrium, flanked by faculty in dark coats, each with glowing emblems stitched into the collars.
"Attention graduates," Davor's voice carried through the sound-field. "Today marks not only the conclusion of your schooling, but the threshold into the future. Your scores, discipline, and awakening profiles will determine your placement within the Academy. For some… that begins today."
Several heads turned toward the students wearing violet bands.
Karya's eyes didn't waver.
"Those undergoing induced awakening will report to the Integration Chambers following the final address. Others will receive placement orientation or transition notices. Be advised: synchronization monitoring remains active. Any disruption will be noted on your records."
Emric felt a soft buzz at his wrist. A private message.
[From: System | Subject: Status Update][Status: Unawakened | Natural Initiation Pending | Auto-Assignment Delay: None]
He closed it quickly.
They entered the school, hallways pulsing with energy. Conversations filled the air—last-minute teasing, speculative bets, and hushed anxiety.
Inside Room 9A, their usual classroom, Emric slid into his spot near the window. The skyline stretched endlessly beyond the reinforced glass—a panoramic view of the tier's border. Students filed in. Karya sat beside him, setting down her bag in a smooth motion. Her uniform shimmered slightly under the filtered lighting—woven nano-fabric, custom-coded with adaptive hues.
She didn't speak at first.
Then: "What happens if I awaken into something… different?"
"Define different," Emric said, watching the incoming crowd.
"Elite-class. Or worse. Something political. Something that pulls me out of this tier. Out of the Academy. Away from you."
The air caught between them.
"You think a class type would change how we talk?" he asked.
"No. But it might change what I'm expected to become."
He didn't answer.
Their instructor, Ms. Rale, entered—short, composed, augmented eyes set to a soft lavender glow. "Everyone settled? Good. You've got one hour of freedom left before the world starts trying to own you."
Laughter scattered. But her face remained serious.
"We'll go through announcements, then break for the ceremony. Results will be visible through your personal sync bands shortly. No questions until after the readings."
One by one, names flashed across the classroom holo-display. High scores, placements, academy acceptances.
Then:[EMRIC VELLON – Top Rank – Theoretical Sciences | Academy Track: Confirmed]
No awakening class listed.
Emric lowered his gaze.
Whispers drifted from the side rows.
"No class again?""Still unawakened?""He topped everything without a class?"
Ms. Rale clapped once, ending the murmurs. "You are not your awakening. Don't let that myth box your mind. Some of the greatest minds in post-Dissolution history awakened late. Some never did."
Lio leaned back in his chair, feet up. "Preach it, Rale."
"Put your feet down, Lio."
He did.
Later that day, as students spilled into the courtyard for final goodbyes and scheduled ceremonies, Emric stood at the railing, half-lost in thought. His sync band had dimmed to power-saving mode.
The sky-bridge garden was filled with laughter and flickering neon from message drones.
Karya approached.
She held something behind her back.
"A thank-you," she said, stepping close. "For being the only person who didn't treat me like a project these past six years."
Emric blinked. "What did I do?"
"You saw me. Not just the potential me."
She handed him a small synth-quartz chip—an old voice file chip. His favorite kind of relic.
"It has a recorded memory. From one of the last pre-Dissolution broadcasts. I thought you'd want it."
He accepted it carefully, stunned.
"I also got my ceremony time. In an hour."
"Then you should celebrate."
Karya hesitated.
"…Are you going to the graduation party tonight?"
Emric nodded. "Yeah."
"Going with anyone?"
He glanced down at the chip. Then at her.
"Want to come with me?"
A pause.
"I'd like that," she said, and smiled—not the polished kind she wore at school. A real one.
But nothing more was said.
And he still didn't tell her how he felt.