The notice arrived before sunset.
A thin crystal slate hovered in front of Rafe's door, glowing with official Academy sigils. The moment he touched it, the text unfolded in sharp, impersonal lines.
UNASSIGNED RESTRICTION UPDATE– Regulation prohibited during academic sessions– Mandatory monitoring increase– Psychological stability assessment scheduled
Rafe stared at the words longer than necessary.
"So that's how it starts," he murmured.
The door behind him opened.
Selene stepped inside, eyes already hard.
"They overreached," she said flatly. "Halren filed it as a disciplinary infraction."
Rafe closed the slate.
"He wasn't wrong," he said. "I broke a rule."
Selene stopped in front of him.
"You prevented injury."
"And showed I can't always wait for permission," Rafe replied.
Silence stretched between them.
Selene exhaled slowly.
"That's what scares them."
The assessment room was colder than the others.
Not in temperature—in intent.
Three instructors sat behind a semi-transparent barrier. Elyra stood to the side, arms crossed, expression carefully neutral.
Instructor Halren spoke first.
"Unassigned Rafe," he said. "Do you believe you acted correctly today?"
Rafe didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
A murmur passed through the observers.
"And if your action had destabilized the class?" Halren pressed.
"Then I would accept responsibility," Rafe replied. "But inaction would've harmed someone."
Halren narrowed his eyes.
"So you prioritize outcome over protocol."
"I prioritize people," Rafe said.
The room went still.
Elyra's gaze flicked to him—sharp, warning.
Halren leaned back.
"That attitude creates variables."
Rafe met his gaze calmly.
"I am one."
The barrier hummed faintly as data flowed.
Then it happened.
A pressure stirred inside Rafe's chest.
Unprompted.
The anchor tightened.
Rafe stiffened.
No. Not now.
The Unassigned state pushed forward—not fully, not consciously. Just a flicker. A reflexive response to scrutiny.
The lights in the room dimmed slightly.
Elyra's eyes widened.
"Rafe—don't—"
Too late.
For half a second, Rafe's presence thinned.
Not regulation.
Instinctive compression.
The observers gasped as their scans faltered, readings dropping into noise.
Halren slammed his palm against the barrier.
"Containment!"
Rafe forced a breath—Inhale.Hold.Exhale.
He released the pressure carefully.
The room snapped back into focus.
Rafe staggered, catching himself on the table.
Pain lanced through his skull.
Elyra was beside him instantly.
"That wasn't intentional," she said sharply to the panel. "You provoked a reflex response."
Halren's face was pale now.
"He reacted to observation," one of the instructors whispered. "Not threat."
Selene stepped forward, voice cold.
"You're turning scrutiny into a trigger."
Silence followed.
Halren clenched his jaw.
"…Noted."
The assessment ended abruptly.
Later, alone in his room, Rafe sat on the edge of the bed, hands shaking slightly.
That had scared him.
Not the pain.
The lack of choice.
He hadn't decided to compress.
His body had done it for him.
The door knocked softly.
Elyra entered without waiting for permission.
"You felt it," she said.
Rafe nodded.
"It reacted on its own."
"Yes," Elyra said quietly. "Because you're being shaped by pressure faster than your mind can adapt."
Rafe looked up.
"So what happens when it reacts again?"
Elyra met his gaze.
"Then the Academy won't be able to pretend you're in control."
She paused.
"And neither will you."
Rafe leaned back, staring at the ceiling.
The Unassigned state lay just beneath his awareness—no longer just a tool or technique.
But a defense mechanism.
One that didn't ask permission.
And somewhere deep within the Academy's systems, a new warning flag appeared:
VARIABLE RESPONSE: AUTONOMOUS TENDENCY DETECTED
The game was changing.