The corridor was quiet when Aston returned to the dormitory. The moon filtered faintly through the arched windows, casting pale stripes across the floorboards. He walked with silent steps, shoulders light, eyes steady.

As he reached his room, the door clicked open.

Ren stood inside, leaning against the far bunk, arms folded loosely. He didn't look surprised.

"You're back."

Aston didn't break stride. "Didn't realize you were keeping count."

"I wasn't," Ren replied. "Just figured you'd come back when people stopped guessing."

Aston set his satchel down and removed his boots with practiced precision. "And what are people guessing now?"

Ren's gaze flicked to the closed window. "Some say you failed your reawakening and got sent home in shame. Others think you've been recruited into one of the empire's quiet branches."

Aston arched a brow. "What do you think?"

"I think you're still wearing shoes that don't match the scuff pattern of a dorm rat," Ren said mildly. "And that you came back cleaner than you left."

Aston offered a faint smile. "I was off-campus."

Ren raised an eyebrow, but didn't push further. He only nodded once, turned, and said, "Just so you know, some of the second-years have been watching your schedule."

"Let them."

"Mm." Ren was halfway to the door when he added, "Glad you're back, though. For what it's worth."

And with that, he disappeared into the hall.

Aston didn't reply. He only looked out the narrow window, toward the rising mist curling through the lantern-lit garden below.

His trial was over—but the real consequences were just beginning.

—

The next morning arrived with frost in the air.

Aston stepped into the Foundational Lecture Hall a few minutes before the bell. He took his seat like normal, posture relaxed, attention forward. But the shift was immediate.

Heads turned. Voices lowered.

"…he just reappeared like that?"

"…I heard he was gone because the reawakening failed."

"…no, my cousin's roommate swears he saw him getting off a field tram near the western gate."

"Why hasn't the faculty said anything?"

Aston ignored it all.

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Gray, curled beneath his desk, let out a soft exhale—half sigh, half growl.

Mirage perched near the upper rafter, wings folded, presence half-cloaked in haze.

Instructor Cael Windermere entered a few moments later, coat flaring behind him, eyes as cold and sharp as ever.

"Open your notes. Page sixty-three," he said without preamble. "Spirit energy compression theory. If you can't explain why denser isn't always stronger, you've misunderstood everything about core flow."

As the lesson began, the whispers dulled, but never died.

Even Seria, seated two rows away, cast Aston a quiet glance from behind her notes. Not suspicion. Not even curiosity.

Something closer to concern.

Aston gave a faint shake of his head. Not now.

Not yet.

—

Classes blurred.

Foundational lecture passed into Essence Channeling. Then came History. Then Battle Tactics.

Instructors didn't mention his absence.

But every hallway echoed with it.

During lunch, Rowan sidled beside him and whispered, "You really know how to make an entrance."

Aston didn't smile.

By the time dusk colored the edges of the sky, the tension had grown taut.

Then, as he was leaving his final class of the day, his device buzzed.

[Message incoming – Registrar Notice]

He opened it.

—

[Notice: Reawakening Schedule Finalized]

Student: Aston Rhyner ID: 812-ZL Division: Foundational Core Track

Subject: Re-awakening Request by IAB

By request of the Imperial Assessment Bureau and authorized through the Halcyon Crest Evaluation Relay, your reawakening has been scheduled for the following date:

Tomorrow, 09:00 — Registrar Hall, Chamber D

You are to report directly to the registrar with your academy ID and spirit-bond verification token. A licensed observer from the Empire has been assigned to oversee the assessment.

Failure to appear will be noted and reported.

End of Notice.

—

Aston lowered the screen.

So it was happening.

He knew—of course he knew—that this wasn't a real reawakening. Not for him. It was a verification mission. A controlled glimpse.

And someone would be watching very closely.

He pocketed the device, gaze steady.

Tomorrow, he would be tested again.

—

That night, he ate with Seria, Rowan, and Kai in quiet company.

But near the end, Seria said softly, "If anything feels off tomorrow… don't force it."

Aston looked up. "You think it'll be rigged?"

"I think you've been keeping a lot in," she replied. "And the more people watching… the harder it is to choose how much you show."

Kai nodded. "I mean, hey—maybe this is your moment to shock everyone."

Rowan grinned. "Or just give them a new rumor to choke on."

Aston finally smiled, faint but real.

"Maybe I'll just remind them I'm still here."

They clinked cups—spirit cider, weak but warm.

And after they left for the night, Aston stood for a long time outside the dorms, looking up at the starlit sky.

He whispered one word.

"Tomorrow."

And then turned to prepare.

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