Kael's new quarters were in Dorm Sector 13, located at the edge of Regis Institute's sprawling training campus. The building itself was older than the rest—less polished, with flickering hallway lights and barely functional security panels.
The dorm was quiet. Not because it was empty, but because everyone here knew better than to draw attention to themselves.
Class 13-Z was where Regis dumped its anomalies: Unranked cadets, unstable power users, or genetic irregularities no one could explain.
Kael's room was a simple rectangular unit—steel walls, a narrow cot, a storage locker, and a small desk with a flickering touchscreen.
He dropped his canvas pouch on the bed, sat down slowly, and pulled the cracked pendant from his pocket.
He stared at it.
The last thing from his past. The only thing.
The surface was engraved with a crest—three overlapping crescents, surrounding a vertical sword. None of the school's databases recognized the symbol. Lira had once mentioned it looked military, but too old to belong to any known house.
His fingers traced its edge, and again, it pulsed faintly against his skin. Like it was responding to something. Or… someone.
He rose and crossed to the locker, pulling out the wooden box Sister Mae had given him before he left.
Old. Worn. Locked with a pressure seal that required a genetic scan.
He touched the front panel.
Click.
It opened.
Inside lay only a few items:
A sealed microchip data card.
A faded letter, folded twice.
And a small photo.
Kael picked up the photo first.
It was frayed and scratched, but he could still make out two adults—a man and a woman—standing in front of what looked like a ruined city skyline. The man had dark hair, a scar on his jaw, and eyes that looked exactly like Kael's. The woman was smiling, holding a baby swaddled in a black blanket.
He turned the photo over. Written on the back, smudged but legible:
To our son. When the time comes, remember who you are.— Ka…
The rest had been scorched away.
Kael stared at the signature. A name. His mother's? Burned out, like someone had tried to erase it.
He unfolded the letter next. The handwriting was uneven—scrawled quickly, as if written under pressure.
Kael,
If you're reading this, we didn't make it. We had to leave you behind to protect you from them. Your ability… it's different. Dangerous to the system. They'll do anything to suppress it.
Never trust the rankings. They're not what they seem.
You are more than a number.
If you ever make it to Regis, trust no one until you know their true face.
— V.
That was it.
No explanation of what his power was. No detailed warnings. Just vague words and too many questions.
He picked up the data card and slotted it into the desk console. A corrupted loading screen appeared. Static buzzed, followed by a fragmented video feed.
A man's voice—heavily distorted—spoke:
—containment breach… Vire line has been compromised. Terminate all—
The feed cut.
Kael sat in silence.
Vire. The name on the photo. On the letter. His real surname. Not just Kael—Kael Vire.
The data card had all but confirmed it: someone didn't want that name remembered.
He clenched the pendant in his fist. His parents hadn't abandoned him—they'd hidden him.
Not from poverty.
From something else.
Outside his room, the hall was quiet, but Kael felt a presence approach. A knock followed.
He opened the door.
Standing there was Lira Kess, arms folded, expression as unreadable as always.
"I figured you'd be unpacking your dark secrets," she said.
Kael blinked. "You were listening?"
"Thin walls." She leaned casually on the doorframe. "I came to tell you something. Orientation starts tomorrow. But people are already placing bets on who'll drop out of 13-Z first."
"And they think it'll be me," Kael said.
Lira shrugged. "Most of them."
Kael stepped aside. "Want to see something weird?"
She raised an eyebrow, but followed him inside.
He handed her the pendant. "Ever seen that crest before?"
Lira studied it. "Not officially. But it matches something I came across while data-mining restricted UGA archives last year. Blacklisted house. Code name: VIRE."
Kael froze.
Lira looked up at him. "That's your name, isn't it?"
He nodded slowly.
"Then you might want to keep that pendant out of sight," she said, handing it back. "If Regis knows who you really are, things could get complicated."
Kael pocketed it. "They already are."
She smirked slightly. "Good. I hate boring stories."
Then she turned and left, leaving Kael alone with fragments of a past that no longer seemed lost—just buried.