The first thing Aiden noticed was the silence.
Not the quiet of a room—
the kind of silence where something refuses to speak.
The System didn't update.
Didn't warn.
Didn't assist.
It simply watched.
The three enforcers shifted their stance. They felt it too.
Something was wrong.
Aiden rolled his shoulders, ribs screaming in protest. His breath burned, but his eyes were steady now.
"You done standing around?" he asked hoarsely.
The nearest enforcer snarled and charged.
Bad move.
Aiden stepped into the attack again—short, brutal distance—his fist slamming into the man's throat.
No skill.
No system boost.
Just timing.
The enforcer collapsed, choking.
The second attacker hesitated.
That fraction of a second was enough.
Aiden grabbed the man's wrist, twisted, and drove his elbow down.
Crack.
The scream was cut short as the third attacker slammed into Aiden's back, sending him skidding across the floor.
Pain flared white.
Aiden coughed blood.
The System flickered at last:
[ERROR… ERROR…]
[COMBAT OUTCOME: UNDEFINED]
The Evaluators stared.
"This shouldn't be possible," the man muttered. "He has no combat assistance."
The woman's eyes narrowed.
"He's not using the System."
The final enforcer advanced cautiously now.
Aiden pushed himself upright, wiping blood from his mouth with his sleeve.
"You should quit," Aiden said. "Before it gets worse."
The enforcer laughed nervously.
"You're a Zero."
Aiden tilted his head.
"So stop underestimating me."
The enforcer rushed.
Aiden didn't dodge.
He endured.
The punch landed—hard—rocking his skull.
Aiden grabbed the man's arm and held on.
The System screamed in red:
[HOST DAMAGE CRITICAL]
[INTERVENTION ADVISED]
Aiden whispered, "No."
The word wasn't loud.
But the System froze.
[COMMAND REJECTED]
Aiden slammed his forehead forward.
The enforcer dropped.
Silence.
The simulation dissolved.
All three enforcers lay unconscious.
Aiden remained standing.
Barely.
The Evaluators didn't speak.
They couldn't.
Finally, the woman broke the silence.
"…He denied the System."
Kade exhaled slowly.
"That's why you're scared."
The man straightened, voice cold.
"This changes his classification."
Aiden swayed.
"What… am I now?"
The System hesitated longer than it ever had.
[CLASSIFICATION UPDATE PENDING]
[ERROR STATUS: ESCALATED]
[ACCESS LEVEL: RESTRICTED]
The lights dimmed.
A new message appeared—one Aiden had never seen before.
[YOU ARE NOT CLEARED TO SEE THIS NOTICE]
Aiden laughed weakly.
"Figures."
Kade stepped forward, gripping Aiden's shoulder to keep him upright.
"They're going to move against you now," he said quietly. "Officially."
The woman nodded once.
"You've crossed the threshold," she said. "From anomaly… to threat."
Aiden closed his eyes for a second.
Then opened them.
"…Good."
The System pulsed—unsettled.
And somewhere far above the academy,
something ancient took notice.