Leon's acceptance letter showed up at six through a drone drop.
He waited by the front gate way too soon, gripping a tablet so tight his palms were damp, hoping he didn't seem like a guy hiding something that could bend time itself.
Other kids started showing up. Badges split by level, different shades meant different standing. Top ones had gold or silver shimmer. Middle group got bronze tones. His tag? Dull gray. Temporary gray. Meaning one slip, that's it, you're out
"Provisional admissions report to Admin Building C," a bored security guard told him without looking up. "That's the ugly one in the back."
Yeah, that's how it had to be.
Inside, flickering overhead lights hummed like broken appliances. Building C seemed like an architect's last minute idea, just plain concrete, no style. A glowing map showed him where to go instead of room numbers. He headed toward a door marked 107.
Classroom 9.
Leon shoved open the door then stumbled inside.
Twenty-something students slumped in their seats, looking half defeated. Each had a badge - bronze or gray on display. Either D-Rank or F-Rank tagged beside them. Bottom rung at the school, plain and clear. These were the ones folks figured wouldn't make it through.
One more." A voice grumbled from behind. "Lovely
Leon grabbed a spot by the window. Row three just right, neither rushing nor ducking out. The table showed marks from old carvings. Names like T.R. left behind. Someone scratched: this setup's fixed. Rankings? Forget 'em.
The last one seemed right.
"Attention."
A figure popped up ahead, middle-aged, streaks of gray in her hair, face showing zero interest in being here. Her tag read C-Rank. Name: Ellis.
"Welcome to Class 9. I won't sugarcoat it; you're here because nobody else wants you. Your test scores were marginal, your cores are weak, and statistically, most of you will wash out before second semester." She paused. "Questions?"
Nobody put up a hand. So what could they possibly wonder?
"Good. Your schedule is on your datapads. Classes start tomorrow. First week is orientation, campus tour, core theory, survival basics. Try not to die. Dismissed."
That's all there was. Just half a minute. That's how they greeted you at the Federal Vanguard Academy.
Students left without a word. Meanwhile, Leon stayed behind, checking his timetable
MONDAY: Core Theory / Combat Basics
TUESDAY: Monster Classification / Fitness Training
WEDNESDAY: Eclipse Zone Studies / Meditation
THURSDAY: Practical Combat / Team Drills
FRIDAY: Dungeon Preparation / Free Study
Meditation. Leon nearly chuckled, quiet sitting fixing an Empty Core? That thing held a reality-warping setup inside. Quiet moments wouldn't cut it.
"You're Leon Vale, right?"
A girl lingered by the doorway slim frame, dark hair pulled back tight into a braid, a dull bronze pin marking her as D-Rank. Her gaze stayed guarded, like she'd seen promises crumble before.
"Yeah."
"Elara Vance." She adjusted her bag strap. "I saw your match. Against Marcus Trent. That was... unexpected."
Leon tensed right away. "Just happened to work out."
"Right. Luck." Her expression suggested she didn't buy it but wasn't going to push. "Anyway, cafeteria's in Building H if you're hungry. Fair warning the food's terrible and the elite kids act like we're contaminated."
"Sounds great."
She almost smiled. "Welcome to Class 9."
______________________________________________________
The campus library filled a whole building, five levels packed with knowledge people gathered after the Awakening.
Leon stumbled on it at noon, guided by gut feeling or perhaps the system pull. Lately, he couldn't say where he stopped and it started.
Head to Monster Biology. It's on the third level.
He grabbed volumes about Eclipse Zones, stuff on the Crimson Moon, tales of shadowy clans. In the records, the Evernight Alliance took up just three chunks; mentions of bloodsuckers, fur-clad hunters, odd things lurking after dusk. Dangers from far away. Locked out past the frontier lines.
All bullshit, probably.
[ANALYSIS SKILL ACTIVATING]
[CROSS-REFERENCING LIBRARY DATA...]
[BUILDING INTERNAL BESTIARY...]
The system sucked up data quicker than Leon could keep up. Words zipped past his eyes, sorting themselves into chunks in his head; vampire chains of command, how lycan groups stick together, the way Eclipse Zones take shape.
"Interesting reading material."
Leon's heart froze. Then he spun around.
Commander Rostova hovered nearby, just three feet off quiet as a shadow. Who knows how long she'd already been standing there?
"Just curious about the Crimson Moon incident," Leon said carefully. "Thought I should learn more about what happened."
"Mmm." She picked up one of his books, Eclipse Phenomena and Spatial Distortions. "Advanced material for someone who just awakened. Most new students stick to basic core theory."
"I'm a fast learner. You said that yourself."
"I said a lot of things." She set the book down. "Walk with me, Mr. Vale."
That wasn't up for discussion.
They moved slowly. Along hallways filled with glass displays, old pictures showing graduates who beat terrible beasts, shut down dark rifts.
Rostova paused by a window facing the practice field. Some top-tier kids were fighting down there instead. She just stood watching since nobody noticed her move closer toward the glass slowly.
"You don't belong here," she said finally.
Leon's gut sank. "Miss…?"
"I don't mean the academy. I mean Class 9." She turned, eyes sharp. "That match against Trent. You moved like someone with years of training. Analysis, timing, energy management those aren't things you learn watching your father."
"Perhaps. Or perhaps you're hiding something." She let that hang. "I'm offering you a deal, Mr. Vale. I need someone for... special assignments. High-risk situations that require discretion."
"Like what?"
"Eclipse Zone survey. Monster tracking. Things that fall outside normal curriculum." Her expression was unreadable. "In exchange, I provide resources. Private training facility. High-grade energy crystals. And I keep certain questions to myself."
Leon's thoughts spun fast. It had to be a setup, no doubt. She wasn't just talking; she was checking how far down his lies ran.
Yet she gave him just what he lacked; tools to get tougher, details on dangers he couldn't grasp - on top of shielding him from unwanted attention.
"What makes you think I'm qualified for high-risk missions?"
"Call it intuition. I've trained hundreds of awakeners. Most telegraph their limits immediately. You?" She smiled, thin and sharp. "You feel like something pretending to be weak."
"I need to think about it."
"Fair. But Vale?" She started walking again. "Whatever secret you're carrying, whatever that system in your head is, it won't stay hidden forever. Better to have allies when the truth comes out."
______________________________________________________
Leon showed up for the afternoon class, still feeling foggy. Rostova's voice kept playing in his head, like it had stirred some fake kind of softness inside him. Could that describe him these days? Acting harmless while being anything but?
"Hey." Elara slid into the seat next to him. "You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Just tired."
"First day exhaustion. Gets everyone." She pulled out her datapad. "Fair warning about tomorrow Combat Basics is taught by Instructor Kovacs. Remember him from the entrance exam? Yeah, he holds grudges."
Okay. That dude Leon made look bad because of his fast run through the course.
"Also," Elara continued, lowering her voice. "The elite classes sometimes visit our training sessions. To watch us struggle. It's basically sanctioned bullying."
"It's the academy's way of maintaining social hierarchy. Can't have the low-ranks forgetting their place." Bitterness edged her voice. "I'm D-Rank Plant-type. Support class. Know what they call me in the elite dorms? 'Weed Girl.'"
"Plant abilities are underrated," he said. "Combat's not just about damage output. Control, healing, battlefield manipulation, those win fights."
She blinked. "You actually believe that?"
"I've seen enough fights to know the person who survives isn't always the strongest. Usually it's the smartest."
Her look changed a bit - not full belief, yet softer than earlier.
"Where were you during the Crimson Moon incident?" she asked suddenly.
Leon tensed. "Lower Seven. With my family. Why?"
"Just asking. I was near the eastern barrier when it broke. Saw some weird stuff." She frowned. "People moving too fast. Shadows doing things shadows shouldn't do. The Defense Force blamed it on Crimson Moon radiation, but..."
Right when Leon was about to answer, his datapad vibrated. A note popped up - sender wasn't recognized
Private training spot, Building K, down on basement floor. Hit it at 8 sharp. Show up solo, no one else. - CR
Rostova.
She didn't let him pause. Clever move. With tight space, choices had to come fast.
Leon glanced at Elara, then shifted to the rest of Class 9 kids murmuring, jittery over what's coming next. They should've been his crew, the overlooked ones, the misfits. Still, he felt himself drifting away, tugged by some shadowed pull.
That evening, Leon waited by his family's place before leaving for college housing. His siblings jumped at him, wrapping their arms tight. The mom had stuffed containers full of meals like he was going off to war. The old man took him away from the group for a word.
"Stay smart. Stay hidden." His mechanical hand gripped Leon's shoulder. "But if you're ever in real danger forget the secret. Survival first."
Leon gave a small nod, his throat feeling clenched.
It was 7:55 when he got to the basement door of Building K. No sign, just a blank surface. Seemed shut tight yet as he stepped close, it made a clicking sound then swung loose.
It was pitch black inside.
[EYES OF THE NIGHT: INACTIVE]
[ABILITY BLOCKED. NOT ENOUGH DARK ENERGY.]
Hold on. Since when was that thing around?
Lights burst on.
Commander Rostova stood right in the middle of a space way bigger than his place. The floor had padding for fights, walls held weapons lined up neat. Cameras watched from the corners, silent but always on.
Welcome to your fresh start, Mr. Vale." She threw it at him - an elite power stone, about fist-sized, worth way more than his folks earned in twelve months. Now watch how you handle this
Leon grabbed the shiny rock.
Felt his body jolt to life.
Hungry.