She made a strangled noise but obeyed.
Atrius faced Soren again. "This is the important part. At dawn, they'll test three things: your discipline, your temperament, and whether you can be bent."
Soren's voice was flat. "I won't bend."
Atrius's eyes sharpened. "Good. But don't show defiance unless they demand it. Feldren respects quiet steel more than loud fire."
Mira muttered, "I hate their entire House."
Atrius ignored her.
He continued, "They will provoke you. Subtle insults. Small commands. A mispronunciation of your name, maybe. A comment about your origin. Anything to see if you react."
Valenna whispered coolly,
Let them test. You are not theirs to shape.
Soren nodded once.
Atrius stepped forward and clasped his shoulder.
"Coren," he said softly, "whatever they offer you—power, recognition, status—remember something."
Soren waited.
"You are Academy first."
Valenna flared inside him at that, a ripple of sharp disagreement, but she didn't speak. She let him choose.
