The report came in a sealed black envelope.
Black meant classified.
It was waiting on my bed when I returned.
I closed the door, locked it, checked the corners, checked the ceiling, checked the runes in the walls. No observers. Probably.
I tore it open.
Inside was a single line:
You are required for an additional evaluation. Sector Delta. 0500 hours. Alone.
No explanation.
No category.
Just "additional evaluation."
I exhaled slowly.
They noticed. They always notice.
I couldn't skip it. Not attending would be suspicious. Attending might be worse.
The Academy wasn't just testing strength.
It was sorting people.
And people like me didn't fit neatly into their categories.
At 0450 hours, I stood outside Sector Delta. The building was half-buried, reinforced with heavy plating, no windows. It wasn't on the public map.
The door slid open with a hiss.
Inside, a chamber glowed with pale blue light. Runes carved into every surface.
A single person waited—an older man with tired eyes, a long coat, and a datapad filled with swirling Rift energy diagrams.
He didn't speak at first.
He just studied me.
Then:
"You felt the Rift during the scan."
Not a question.
I didn't answer.
He approached. Not threatening, but… curious.
"We monitor everyone exposed to the Rift," he said. "Most show residue. A few show resistance."
He lowered the datapad.
"But you… reacted. The Rift recognized you."
A cold weight pressed into my spine.
"I see," I said flatly, because anything else would give too much away.
He stepped closer.
"Aren Vale… what exactly happened when you entered the Rift?"
Memories clawed at the edges of my mind—darkness, pressure, a presence watching from beyond comprehension.
I pushed them down.
"Nothing unusual," I lied.
He stared at me long enough that I wondered if he could see the lie.
Then he nodded.
"Very well. The Academy will be… observing your progression closely."
I expected that.
What I didn't expect was the final line he spoke before dismissing me:
"And for your own sake… do not let the Rift answer you again."
The lights dimmed.
The chamber doors opened.
And I walked out with one realization crystalizing in my mind:
The exams weren't measuring my potential.
They were checking if I was dangerous.
And apparently?
I might be.