The dorm still smelled faintly of burned metal and oil from the simulation, it had stuck to Kael's clothes and followed him back. He sat on the edge of his bunk with his boots still on, his elbows were resting on his knees. The System kept flashing updates in his vision, but he dismissed most of them. He already knew the important part, he had leveled up, and Umbramancy was now locked in his ability slots.
He flexed his fingers. The shadows moved a little, just enough to prove they were there. It was Lyra's power, but now it was his too. That thought made his stomach twist.
Across the room, Jace had passed out instantly, snoring with one leg hanging off his bunk. Lyra wasn't asleep though. She sat cross-legged on her bed, arms resting on her knees, silver braid slipping over one shoulder. She hadn't said much since the simulation ended, and Kael wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
"You copied it," she said suddenly, not looking at him.
Kael froze. "What?"
"Don't play dumb," Lyra replied, her eyes lifting to meet his. "The way the shadows moved. That wasn't me."
Kael's throat felt dry. He could lie. He could say he didn't know what she was talking about, that maybe she was imagining things. But the System window flickered again, almost taunting him with confirmation.
"…Yeah," he admitted.
Lyra didn't react right away. She just studied him, her face calm but unreadable. Finally, she leaned back against the wall. "So that's your ability. Copying."
Kael clenched his jaw. "Not exactly. I only have three slots. Once they're filled, that's it."
Lyra tilted her head slightly. "And you used one of them on my power."
He didn't answer, but the silence was enough.
Her gaze hardened for a moment before softening again. "You realize what that means, right? If people find out you can steal, no, copy abilities, they won't leave you alive. Not the instructors. Not the other recruits. Definitely not the people who built those labs."
Kael looked down at his hands. His pulse was steady, but his chest felt tight. "I didn't exactly get to choose what I am."
For a while neither of them spoke. The hum of the ventilation system filled the room, steady and cold. Jace shifted in his sleep, muttering something incoherent, then settled again.
Lyra finally broke the silence. "Just… don't use it when everyone's watching. Not unless you want a target on your back."
Kael nodded. "Got it."
But deep down, he knew hiding it forever wasn't going to be an option.
....
The next morning came fast. The intercom blasted recruits out of bed before sunrise, the same flat voice barking orders about mandatory conditioning drills. Kael barely felt like he'd slept at all.
By the time he and Jace hit the courtyard, half the squads were already running laps. The sky above the facility dome flickered with its false daylight, bright but not real.
Jace groaned mid-sprint, clutching his side. "Who the hell wakes people up at five just to run in circles?"
"The people who own us," Kael muttered back, sweat dripping down his neck.
Lyra was a few steps ahead, steady, controlled, as if exhaustion didn't exist in her vocabulary. Her braid swung behind her with each stride, never slowing. She didn't look at Kael once, and he wasn't sure if that was intentional or not.
When the run finally ended, the recruits collapsed into stretches on the concrete floor. Kael's lungs burned. Jace looked like he might puke. While Lyra barely broke a sweat.
The instructors didn't give them long to recover. One, a tall man with half his face scarred, barked over the group. "Simulation cleared yesterday. Good. That was the easy part. Next, you'll be placed in rotating squads for live drills. No second chances. Fail, and you're out."
A murmur rippled through the recruits. Kael kept his expression flat, but the words hit hard. Live drills. That usually meant injuries. Maybe worse.
The System pinged in Kael's vision.
[Quest Alert: Team Cohesion.]
Objective: Survive live drills with squad.
Reward: +300 XP | Stat bonus if all teammates survive.
Kael dismissed it.
The squads were assigned quickly. Kael ended up with Jace, Lyra, and two others he barely knew—one girl with short brown hair and a sharp grin, and a tall boy who looked like he belonged in a weightlifting ad.
Jace leaned close as they waited to be sent in. "Looks like we've got muscle and speed on our side. We might actually win this one."
"Or get killed faster," Kael muttered.
The boy frowned. "What?"
"Nothing."
The gate screeched open, and they were shoved into a wide chamber. It wasn't a simulated ruin this time. Instead, the floor shifted under their boots, panels sliding apart to reveal jagged terrain—spires of metal, walls that rearranged themselves, and automated turrets mounted in the corners. The air buzzed with tension.
A red light flared overhead.
[Live Drill Start.]
The first turret spun toward them with a mechanical whine.
"Move!" Kael shouted.
Jace threw up a gust of wind, deflecting the opening barrage, while Lyra's shadows surged out, swallowing the ground and creating cover. The other two recruits broke into a sprint, the girl darting for higher ground and the tall boy bracing to tank incoming fire.
Kael raised his pulse pistol, firing into the turret's sensors. Sparks flew, but it wasn't enough to disable it. He slid into cover, heart pounding.
The System chimed again.
[Warning: Squad coordination low.]
[Tip: Leadership required.]
Kael gritted his teeth. He wasn't a leader. He wasn't built for that. But as he peeked around the corner and saw the turret lock onto the tall boy, ready to shred him apart, Kael knew hesitation wasn't an option.
"Jace, push left! Lyra, cut the ground under it! You two, draw its fire!" he barked.
For a second, no one moved. Then they listened.
Wind whipped through the chamber as Jace launched another gust. Lyra's shadows writhed forward, yanking at the turret's base. The tall boy braced himself, shielding the squad with a burst of raw strength. Kael sprinted in, sliding low and blasting the exposed sensor with three clean shots.
The turret exploded, shards of metal raining down.
The squad froze, breathing hard.
[Target eliminated. Time elapsed: 1 minute, 32 seconds.]
[Squad Efficiency: Above Average.]
Kael's vision flickered. He felt the shadows curling at his boots again, answering him without needing to be called. Lyra's eyes found him from across the chamber. She didn't say anything, but the look she gave him wasn't neutral. It was sharp. Watchful.
Jace slapped Kael on the back, grinning like he'd just won the lottery. "That's what I'm talking about! You're a natural, man."
Kael didn't smile. He could still feel Lyra's gaze on him.
This wasn't over yet. Not even close.