The sun above Sector 7 didn't rise like a normal sun.
It shimmered — refracted through the transparent geodome of Grimstone Academy, scattering streaks of gold and sapphire across the steel towers below.
For Kai Zore, it was the first dawn of a world he actually belonged in.
He stretched as the morning light filtered through the dorm window, blinking sleep from his eyes. His muscles still ached faintly — phantom pain from the virtual test — but the smell of actual breakfast wafting through the hall was far more distracting.
Someone was already making a racket in the common room.
By someone, he meant Oliver.
"SELENA! PUT DOWN THE WRENCH!" Oliver's voice boomed. "It's breakfast time, not lab time!"
"Breakfast is lab time," Selena called back. "I'm recalibrating the toaster!"
Kai groaned, dragging himself upright. "Why are we yelling before 8 a.m.?"
Valerie's muffled voice came from across the room. "Because they're alive and think it's a good idea."
Kai stepped out, rubbing his face — only to freeze as he saw sparks flying across the kitchen counter.
Selena stood there, goggles on, mid-operation, a disassembled toaster glowing faintly blue under her tools. Oliver hovered nearby, holding a frying pan like a riot shield.
Kai blinked. "Selena, why does the toaster have a power core?"
"Because it didn't before," she said matter-of-factly.
"Because it shouldn't!" Valerie snapped, emerging with a datapad. "You can't give a kitchen appliance a reactor!"
Selena adjusted her goggles. "It's not a reactor. It's an energy optimization circuit."
The toaster hummed.
Kai stared at it. "It's glowing."
"That's optimization," Selena insisted.
Oliver pointed his pan at it nervously. "It's humming in a tone I don't like."
There was a beat of silence. The hum grew louder.
Then— BZZZZZZZT—KRRACK!
A bolt of blue light shot out, incinerating a slice of bread mid-air and embedding it — perfectly toasted — into the far wall.
Everyone froze.
Selena grinned. "See? Perfect browning."
Kai pinched the bridge of his nose. "We're all going to die."
Valerie sighed. "I'm filing a safety report."
"On me?" Selena asked.
"On the toaster."
Oliver stared at the wall. "Can I eat it?"
Kai nodded solemnly. "You earned it."
Dorm Chaos
Breakfast at Grimstone wasn't so much a meal as it was a spectacle.
Hundreds of students crammed into the sprawling cafeteria — a half-mechanical, half-organic structure where robotic arms served trays while holographic menus hovered overhead. Each table was alive with chatter, arguments, and laughter.
Kai's group found a table near the window, overlooking the sprawling campus below. Towering training arenas shimmered in the distance, surrounded by floating transit rings. Beyond that, enormous hangars housed prototype mechs and Cultech suits — silhouettes of ambition made steel.
"This place is insane," Oliver said around a mouthful of synth-eggs. "We've got flight arenas, plasma labs, and gravity chambers. My old school didn't even have working chairs."
Valerie sipped her drink. "Grimstone's famous for its open lab policy. If you can dream it, and you don't blow up the district, they'll let you build it."
Selena smirked. "If you don't blow up the district."
Kai chuckled. "Guess that's our cue to be careful."
Selena gave him a flat look. "You literally overclocked a reactor last week."
"That was a sim," Kai said defensively.
"You screamed, 'I regret nothing,'" Valerie added helpfully.
Oliver grinned. "And we all almost exploded. Good times."
Kai threw a piece of bread at him. Oliver caught it and ate it.
Ranking Revealed
Halfway through breakfast, the hall lights dimmed slightly — signaling an announcement.
Holograms flickered to life above each table, displaying the latest student ranking updates.
Kai's table froze as their names appeared again.
They hadn't just passed — their test performance had gone viral.
Featured Team of the Week: GR-17 (The Divergent Flow Initiative)
For ingenuity, teamwork, and creative chaos.
Oliver blinked. "We're famous again."
Selena groaned. "We're going to have to talk to people, aren't we?"
Valerie's eyes sparkled mischievously. "Public relations is part of leadership training."
Kai sighed. "Can't we just quietly exist?"
"Not with you in charge," Oliver said, patting his shoulder.
Sure enough, a few curious students from nearby tables started drifting over.
A girl with silver hair leaned in, eyes wide. "Are you the team that reversed a containment field with a junked console?"
Kai hesitated. "Uh… yes?"
"That's insane!" she laughed. "I tried that once. Blew up half the sim."
"Half's better than all," Kai said dryly.
More joined in — a boy from engineering, two girls from combat tech — and soon their table became a small social storm. Questions, jokes, even mock applause followed.
For Kai — who'd spent years as the outcast tinkerer of the Rust Belt — the attention felt… surreal.
Uncomfortable, but not unwelcome.
He caught Valerie watching him, a soft smile tugging at her lips.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing," she said, eyes warm. "You just… belong here. That's all."
Kai blinked — caught off-guard — then smiled back. "Guess I do."
The Orientation
After breakfast, the crowd filtered toward the Orientation Hall, where dozens of projection screens displayed the academy's structure. A holographic model unfolded above them — the full map of Grimstone — a floating city of metal, energy, and ambition.
A robotic voice narrated as icons lit up across the map:
"Grimstone Academy consists of Five Major Divisions:
Combat Mechanics
Energy Systems
Strategic Engineering
Field Operations
Apex Development Labs"
Kai's eyes locked on the last one — the Apex Development Labs. That was their destination.
The heart of innovation. The place where impossible designs became real.
The voice continued:
"Each student team will be assigned to one Division. You will compete, collaborate, and contribute to academy-wide projects. Rankings will determine your access level, resources, and mentorship."
Selena muttered, "So, same rules as life — you climb, you earn."
Oliver stretched. "Sounds fair."
Valerie added, "And dangerous."
Kai grinned. "Perfect."
The announcement concluded with a dramatic flourish:
"Remember: You are Grimstone. You are the forge."
Students erupted in applause — some ironic, some genuine. The sound rolled through the chamber like thunder.
Meeting Other Teams
As orientation ended, small groups formed in the hallway. Rivalries sparked instantly — subtle glances, competitive smirks.
A tall student with sharp features approached Kai's group. His badge gleamed Tier One, Rank 21.
"You're Zore, right?" he said curtly. "I saw your Divergent Flow mod in the archive. Impressive — for a scrap coder."
Selena's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"
He smirked. "Don't. It was a compliment. Half the instructors think you shouldn't have survived that sequence."
Kai tilted his head. "And yet, here I am."
The boy's smirk faltered. "Hmph. Let's see if you last through the next trial."
As he walked away, Oliver muttered, "Friendly guy."
Valerie grinned. "Welcome to Tier One politics."
Selena leaned toward Kai. "You okay?"
He nodded, eyes thoughtful. "He's not wrong. We did the impossible… but we barely made it. We'll need more than luck next time."
Oliver crossed his arms. "Then we train."
Valerie clapped her hands. "After lunch."
Selena pointed. "And after I fix the toaster."
"No," Kai said instantly.
End-of-Day
By evening, the chaos had mellowed into something almost peaceful. Students lounged in the open gardens or tinkered in workshop pods. Music played faintly from someone's comm. Laughter echoed down the halls.
Kai sat on the balcony outside their dorm, gazing at the city lights below. Grimstone shimmered — a labyrinth of innovation suspended above the clouds.
Selena joined him quietly, holding two mugs of steaming synth-coffee.
She passed him one. "You know… this doesn't feel real."
Kai took it, smiling. "Yeah. Feels like another simulation."
Selena smirked. "If it is, at least the view's nice."
They sat in silence a while, watching drones drift between towers. Down below, you could hear music — a spontaneous celebration from some other team.
"You ever think we'd end up here?" she asked.
Kai shook his head. "Never. But I'm glad we did."
She glanced sideways. "You're going to change things here, Kai."
He looked back at the horizon — the stars reflected in the glass dome.
"No," he said softly. "We're going to."
Behind them, a crash echoed. Oliver shouted, "VALERIE! THAT WAS MY TOOLBOX!"
Valerie yelled back, "It was in my way!"
Kai exhaled, smiling. "Yeah… definitely real."