BEEEEP! BEEEEP!
At exactly 7:45 a.m., a piercing alarm ripped through every dorm in the academy.
Liam shot upright with a yelp and nearly toppled off his bed. His hair stuck up in every direction like he'd been electrocuted. He blinked fast, eyes wide, scanning the room like he expected someone to be standing over him.
"Wha—?!"
Felix made a strangled groan and shoved his face deeper into his pillow. "Too early," he mumbled. "Way too early."
Beatrix was already up.
She moved like this wasn't even a surprise. Like she'd done it a thousand mornings in a row. Uniform straight, buttons aligned, collar perfect. Calm hands. Calm face.
"Class starts at nine," she said evenly.
Raze sat up and rubbed his eyes. His body felt heavy for a second like sleep was still sitting on his shoulders then it faded.
A faint smirk tugged at his mouth.
'This half-ling body really needs less sleep.'
Outside the dorm, soldiers were already shouting. The voices echoed down the hallways, sharp and impatient, like they'd been waiting for the moment the alarm hit.
The alarm didn't stop until everyone was clearly moving.
Felix stumbled around half-dressed, hopping on one foot while trying to force his pants up.
He nearly tripped doing it. "Why do they need alarms this loud in a military school?" he muttered, voice muffled by exhaustion. "Like we get it. We're awake."
He almost collided with Liam, who was frantically buttoning his shirt with shaking hands.
"C-couldn't they give us five more minutes?" Liam muttered, yanking on his boots. He tried smoothing his hair down, but it sprang right back up. The harder he tried, the worse it looked.
Only Raze and Beatrix stayed calm.
Beatrix was already brushing her teeth. "You're moving too slow," she said flatly. "If we're late, they won't care why."
Raze splashed cold water on his face. The last of the sleep vanished instantly.
'This place doesn't tolerate weakness.'
Felix shoved his toothbrush into his mouth next, mumbling curses through the foam. "First day and it's already torture."
Minutes later, they stepped outside.
"Move it!" a soldier barked.
"Five minutes to the canteen!"
The crowd surged forward like a wave. Boots thudded. Bags swung. People bumped shoulders and didn't even apologize.
Everyone moved like the hallways themselves were pushing them.
Inside the canteen, the smell of fresh food hit them immediately—eggs, toast, something hot, something sweet. Long tables stretched across the room. Lines were already packed. Trays clattered. Voices bounced off the walls.
Felix sat down the second he got his tray, eyes lighting up like he'd found treasure. "Now this is what I'm talking about."
He tore into the food like he'd been starving for days.
Liam ate slower, glancing around. Soldiers lined the walls, arms crossed, eyes tracking everything. "They're watching us like hawks…"
"Discipline," Beatrix said calmly. "If they relax even a little, chaos follows."
Raze nodded, but he wasn't fully listening.
He ate.
And when he finished, his brow tightened.
Normally, that would've been enough.
Now, it barely registered.
His stomach still felt… empty.
'That's strange. Is it my body? Or the system?'
He didn't say it out loud. He just leaned back slightly, keeping his face neutral.
Felix wiped his mouth, satisfied. "Best breakfast I've had in years."
"I can't even focus," Liam admitted, still picking at his food. "My stomach's tied in knots."
"You'll need the energy," Beatrix replied.
An alarm suddenly blared through the canteen.
"Classes begin in five minutes!" a soldier shouted. "Your homeroom teachers will be stationed outside your classrooms!"
Chairs scraped. Trays were shoved aside. Students rushed to their feet like the floor was on fire.
Raze stood, sliding his tray away as Felix and Liam rose with him. Beatrix was already moving.
Felix grinned, "Well then. Time to see what kind of hell they've prepared for us."
The hallways flooded with movement.
Soldiers shouted directions. Drones hovered overhead, scanning students as they passed beneath. Massive screens played footage of soldiers tearing through simulations—blood, speed, impact, bodies slamming into walls, instructors barking orders.
Felix whistled. "I swear this place could swallow a city."
Beatrix memorized everything without speaking.
Liam stayed close, gripping his bag straps like they were keeping him steady.
Raze tracked the turns and landmarks silently.
They stopped at a wide steel door.
Aria Veyne stood beside it, clipboard in hand, posture straight like she'd been waiting for them specifically.
"Group Four," she said. "You're with me."
The door slid open.
The classroom inside was sleek and cold. Metallic desks. Glowing consoles. Wide screens displaying planetary maps, troop movements, battle formations—lines and symbols shifting with quiet precision.
Raze headed for the back row. Felix dropped into the seat beside him immediately, like it was already decided.
"Best view in the room," Felix whispered.
Liam slid into the chair near Raze, shoulders tense. Beatrix walked straight to the front and sat down, posture rigid, eyes locked forward.
Aria entered last. The door sealed shut behind her.
The class went silent.
"Good," Aria said. "At least some of you understand basic awareness."
Her gaze swept the room like a blade.
"This classroom will not tolerate arrogance, laziness, or excuses," she said. "If you believe this academy exists to make you special, you're already wrong."
No one moved.
"Before training begins," she continued, "you need to understand why you're here."
She tapped her tablet.
The main screen lit up.
Grainy footage. Xin tearing through cities. Twisted bodies. Inhuman movement.
Screams swallowed by static. Buildings collapsing. People running and getting caught anyway.
Several students stiffened. Liam's grip tightened around his tray without him realizing. Even Felix went quiet.
"One hundred years ago," Aria said, voice flat and controlled, "humanity was prey. We survived because people awakened. Power changed the balance."
The footage shifted—humanity fighting back. Fire. Energy. Steel. Soldiers charging. Awakenings lighting up the battlefield.
"Some families kept that power within bloodlines," she continued. "Original Bloodlines. Refined. Inherited."
Her eyes paused on Felix briefly then Beatrix.
"For everyone else, Awakening Books were created," Aria said. "Level one to seven. Most of you will never touch anything above level two. Higher levels are fought over like weapons."
The screens went dark.
"You are here because the war never truly ended," Aria said. "Enemies still exist. And not all of them come from beyond the stars."
Her gaze sharpened.
"Some of you will rise. Some of you will fail. And some of you will learn that effort alone isn't enough."
Silence pressed down on the room.
Raze leaned back slightly, eyes forward.
'So this is the foundation. Bloodlines. Books. Power.'
Felix looked entertained again, like the threat just made it more interesting.
Beatrix stayed unreadable.
Liam looked like he wanted to disappear.
Raze didn't look away.
Whatever this academy was meant to create…
He already knew one thing.
He didn't belong on the same path as everyone else.