The jet dipped lower, engines humming as it broke through the cloud cover. Gasps rippled through the cabin as the view at last unveiled itself:
Prestigeon Academy.
A city-sized monument of spiraling towers, vast bridges hanging on nothing but light, gardens shimmering with veins of energy that pulsed like living rivers.
The Academy stretched across a crystalline lake, its reflection making it seem as though it floated between worlds. Even the most confident students fell into hushed awe.
But the silence inside the cabin was not only for the view.
All eyes had shifted between two boys — one lounging arrogantly, the other calm and steady — two faces so alike it was uncanny. Whispers sparked, spreading row to row.
"Wait… do they look… the same?"
"Like brothers."
"No, more like twins—"
The words pressed closer, louder, until the question rang clear from the back of the cabin:
"Are they twins?"
Jayden's smirk snapped back into place, sharp as a blade. He leaned forward, voice cutting across the cabin like steel.
"Twins? Don't insult me." His amber-grey eyes flicked toward Jordan with disdain. "I don't know this boy. I've never seen him before in my life. The idea that this—" he gestured carelessly toward Jordan, "—shares anything with me is laughable."
Gasps and mutters spread. A few students recoiled at his sharpness, others stared at Jordan to see if he'd rise to the bait.
Jordan said nothing. He only pulled his gaze back to the view outside, letting the Academy's grandeur fill the space that arrogance had left behind.
The jet tilted, engines shifting as it lined up with the landing platform. The announcement chimed once more, instructing them to remain seated until docking was complete.
Excitement drowned out the whispers as the first-years pressed their faces to the windows, desperate for a glimpse of the place that would shape their futures.
But for some, the silence lingered — not at the sight of the Academy, but at the two mirrored faces sitting only an aisle apart.