The summons didn't come via a polite email. It came via two "Enforcer Droids"—brutal, chrome-plated machines with glowing red visors that marched into the Refectory, their hydraulic joints hissing.
"Ren Thorne," the lead droid's synthesized voice boomed. "Headmaster Sterling requests your immediate presence in the Sanctum. Do not resist."
The cafeteria, which had been buzzing with the fallout of Ren's confrontation with Julian, went deathly quiet. A summons to the Sanctum was usually the end of the road. It was where students were "De-registered"—a polite term for having their Social Credit wiped and being tossed into the street.
Julian, still trembling from Ren's earlier threat, found a spark of his old arrogance. "Looks like your 'glitch' caught up to you, trash. Sterling doesn't like anomalies. Enjoy the Recycling Center."
Ren stood up, calmly wiping his mouth with a silk napkin. He didn't look at Julian. He looked at the droids. Through the Eye of Avarice, even the machines had threads—loops of code and logic gates. But beyond them, through the walls of the school, he saw a massive, pulsing vein of dark purple light emanating from the top floor.
"Lead the way," Ren said.
The Sanctum was an office that felt more like a courtroom. Headmaster Sterling sat behind a desk of ancient oak—a rare, expensive material in a world of plastic and steel. Sterling was a man of sixty, with hair like silver wire and eyes that had seen the rise and fall of three corporate wars. Above his head, his Social Credit score sat at a staggering 9.95.
He was one of the "Archons" of Aetheria.
"Sit," Sterling commanded. He didn't look up from a physical paper file—another display of extreme wealth. "I've been looking at your file, Ren. A 1.2 for three years. Then, suddenly, at 12:14 PM today, you accessed the premium buffet with a 5.0 clearance. My security team tells me it's a system error. My gut tells me you've found a backdoor."
Ren sat, but he didn't slouch. He leaned back, crossing one leg over the other. The Aura of the Forbidden was being suppressed by the room's "Neutralization Field," but the System in Ren's mind was already compensating.
[System: Analyzing Neutralization Field...] [Counter-Measure Active: The Sovereign's Silence.] [Note: The Headmaster is shielded by a High-Tier 'Mental Firewall'. Proceed with caution.]
"The system isn't glitching, Headmaster," Ren said. "It's finally correcting itself."
Sterling looked up, his eyes cold and sharp. "Arrogance is a luxury for those with a 9.0, boy. For a 1.2, it's a suicide note. Tell me who gave you the spoofing code, and I might let you leave this room with your biometric chip intact."
Ren didn't blink. "Let's talk about the 'Blackwood Bridge' accident, Headmaster. Not the version in the news. The version where your daughter, Clara, wasn't just a victim. The version where she was the one behind the wheel, high on 'Aether-dust,' and Julian Vane took the fall to protect your reputation."
The pen in Sterling's hand snapped. The wood splinters bit into his palm, but he didn't seem to feel it. The 9.95 above his head flickered violently, dropping to a 9.2 for a split second before stabilizing.
Ren saw it. The Eye of Avarice pierced the "Firewall."
[Target: Headmaster Sterling] [Secret Debt: 'The Blood Exchange'.] [Detail: Sterling sacrificed three 'Zero-Credit' students' lives to harvest organs for his daughter's illegal reconstructive surgery. The bodies are buried beneath the Academy's West Wing.]
Ren felt a wave of genuine nausea. He had expected greed, maybe some light corruption. He hadn't expected a graveyard under the school.
"You think you're a god because you sit in this chair," Ren said, his voice dropping to a terrifyingly calm register. "But you're just a scavenger, Sterling. You've been feeding on the students you're supposed to protect."
Sterling stood up, his face flushed with a dark, mottled rage. "You have no proof. You are a ghost. A whisper. I can have you erased before you hit the bottom floor."
"I don't need proof to start a riot," Ren countered. "I just need to broadcast the coordinates of the West Wing basement to every 'Zero' in the city. How long do you think this school lasts when the masses find out you're using them as a spare parts bin?"
Sterling's hand hovered over a red button on his desk. He was calculating. He was a predator, but he was a predator who understood "Return on Investment."
"What do you want?" Sterling hissed.
"I want the 'Archon's Key'," Ren said. "I want full, unrestricted access to the Academy's server. And I want Julian Vane expelled by the end of the week."
[Ding!] [High-Tier Debt Negotiated.] [Reward: +10.0 Social Credit (Permanent Buffer).] [New Skill: 'The Architect's Influence' (Ability to manipulate local credit scores).]
Sterling slumped back into his chair. He looked older now. The "Ice Queen" Seraphina had broken easily, but Sterling was a different kind of victory. This was the first brick in Ren's empire.
"The Key will be sent to your device," Sterling said, his voice hollow. "But know this, Ren Thorne. You've entered a game much larger than this school. There are people above me who won't be so easy to threaten."
"Good," Ren said, standing up. "I was starting to get bored."
As Ren walked out, the droids outside bowed their heads. They weren't programmed to do that. The System was already rewriting the school's reality around its new Sovereign.