I pulled on my training clothes.
Apparently, this woman had no concept of basic decency—she watched me without blinking as I stripped out of my pajamas and changed.
"You won't need that," she said when I reached for my windbreaker.
"It's freezing."
"I speak—you obey. That's the first rule."
"…There more of those?" I grimaced, hanging the jacket back.
"No questions."
"How am I supposed to learn anything if I can't ask—"
"Second rule, boy. Are you deaf?"
I shut up.
Followed her outside, cursing everything under my breath.
Should've just picked taekwondo.
Would've saved me from this psychopath.
We headed toward the open clearing—the same direction Andrew and I had come from on my first day.
She stopped.
Turned.
I was already shaking.
Cold biting straight through the thin fabric.
"Stand straight. Close your eyes. Don't move. Focus. Listen."
I did.
Barely.
My teeth were already chattering.
December.
Light pants.
T-shirt.
No jacket.
And I had to stand still.
Perfect.
"How long—" I started through clenched teeth.
"Second rule," she cut in. "You're not listening. I told you to focus on your surroundings. Not your body. Once you stop reacting to the cold, it will stop affecting you."
Yeah.
Sure.
I clenched my jaw harder and stayed still.
Time dragged.
Minutes stretched.
Then—
nothing.
I couldn't feel my hands.
My feet.
Anything.
I was pretty sure I was about to get frostbite.
"Enough."
Her voice snapped me out of it.
"Go run."
That was it.
She turned and walked away.
Just like that.
I stared after her.
Then forced my body to move.
Every step felt wrong.
Numb.
Heavy.
I ran to the stadium.
Andrew had me at four laps now.
Today I did six.
Just to feel something again.
As expected—
I still couldn't leave the academy.
Didn't even feel surprised anymore.
The rules clearly said students who had mastered defense could go outside.
I'd done that within a month.
It had been over two months since then.
Still no pass.
Everyone else came and went freely.
Everyone—
except me.
"Sorry, kid," they told me again. "Your name's not on the list. Probably a paperwork issue. Give it a week."
Same words.
Every time.
When I brought it up with Andrew, he dodged it. Something about workload. Delays. Happens sometimes.
Except—
it didn't.
Not to anyone else.
Silius didn't even bother pretending.
"You've got nothing to do out there anyway. Go when it's sorted."
After standing in the cold for an hour and a half and running six laps, I stood under the shower, letting hot water burn against my skin.
Trying to calm down.
Trying to think.
Robert, Alma, the twins, Matthew—even Koni and Miguel—
all out there.
Free.
And me?
Stuck.
Didn't feel like going outside.
Didn't feel like training.
And for once—
Clyde hadn't sent for me.
No errands.
No tasks.
Nothing.
I was free.
Completely.
And that's when it hit me—
I had no idea what to do with it.
I stopped right in the middle of the main hall.
"…Alan?"
I turned.
Nick Volkin.
Still felt weird around him.
After that confession.
But I didn't show it.
Didn't want to remind him.
Or myself.
Over the past couple months, he'd gotten into the habit of stopping me—talking, giving advice, warning me about people planning to challenge me.
Thanks to him—
I'd avoided every duel so far.
"Hey, Nick. Why aren't you out in the city?"
"Heading to breakfast?"
"Yeah."
"Mind if I join?"
"Sure. Everyone else ditched me without a second thought," I snorted.
"Yeah… I heard about your situation." He hesitated. "I think I might know how to fix it."
That got my attention.
"Seriously? You know how I can get a pass?"
"Yeah. I heard all the paperwork goes through the chairman's office. You could just go there and ask them to process it."
"…Right." My excitement dropped instantly. "Yeah, I'm not walking up to the chairman and asking for favors."
Theodore would be there.
And after last time—
no thanks.
"I could do it for you," Nick said, lowering his eyes.
That brought the excitement right back.
"Really? I'd owe you big time."
"Then let's eat first. I'll go to the council after. If it works—you'll be able to leave today."
I didn't really believe it.
But I hoped.
I waited outside the office.
"Went fine," Nick said when he came back. "Just need to wait—they'll process it."
"You're serious?" I grinned. "Thank you—seriously!"
Before I could stop myself, I threw my arms around him.
Then immediately stepped back.
"Sorry," I muttered.
He didn't meet my eyes.
A few minutes later, a third-year elite walked out.
Nick nodded toward the door.
"Hello," I said to the woman inside.
"Holivan. Again," she sighed. "But you're lucky this time. Your documents just came in."
She dug through her desk, pulled out a plastic card, wrote something, ran it through a device—
and handed it to me.
"Thank you!"
I almost bounced on the spot.
My name.
My photo.
And in bold green letters—
Exit Pass.
"Nick, you're incredible. I thought I'd never get out of here. How do I thank you?"
He hesitated.
Then—
"Go out with me?" he asked quietly.
I smiled.
"Of course. I don't know anything about the city anyway. Or maybe I did once… but I don't remember."