The jet's hiss of pressure release filled the cabin, and the doors unfolded like the wings of some great bird. A rush of cool, perfumed air swept inside, carrying the scent of blooming gardens and the faint thrum of energy lines that pulsed through the Academy's spires.
Students surged to their feet, voices colliding in nervous chatter.
"Look at those gates!"
"Are those… floating lanterns?"
"Feels like walking into a legend."
De'Oliver elbowed Jordan lightly, eyes wide as they stepped forward in the tide of bodies. "This is it, man. Prestigeon. Smell that? Smells like destiny."
Jordan gave a half-smile, though his chest was tight. The gates towered ahead, etched with constellations that seemed to shift under the moons' light. He couldn't shake the weight of Jayden's stare behind him — sharp, knowing, mocking.
A line of robed figures awaited at the gates, their garments stitched with shimmering threads of gold and silver. At their head stood a tall woman with hair the color of midnight and eyes like molten steel. She raised her staff, and her voice rang clear, amplified across the courtyard.
"Welcome, initiates, to Prestigeon Academy. I am Professor Selora, Keeper of the Assembly. Today, you step into a legacy far greater than yourselves. You were chosen not by chance, but by design. You stand at the threshold of change."
The crowd hushed, every student hanging on her words.
She lowered the staff, expression unyielding.
"Beyond these gates lies your beginning. Trials will test you. Knowledge will shape you. And the Neural Chip will awaken you. But remember — greatness is not given. It is earned."
Jayden's voice cut through the silence, low but edged with arrogance. "Then I suppose some of us are already ahead."
A few chuckles rippled through the crowd, but Selora's eyes snapped toward him, steel meeting fire. "Be careful, boy. Pride burns brightest just before it consumes."
De'Oliver leaned close to Jordan, whispering, "Ooooh, she shut him down. Guess even kings get crowned with humility here."
Jordan exhaled slowly, eyes drawn to the colossal gates as they began to open with a groan like thunder.
The Academy awaited.