"Not yet," Storm replied, his voice steady.

  After a brief pause, the examiner gave a rare nod of acknowledgment. "Congratulations." A staff member jotted down his details before giving him a small smile. "You’re good to go."

  As Storm stepped away, a wave of envious murmurs rippled through the students.

  Force 101. It was almost guaranteed—Storm was going to the War Academy. Last year’s minimum acceptance score had been 95. This year, it would likely rise by a point or two, but for Storm? It didn’t matter.

  Everyone knew what the War Academy really was. The official stance painted it as just another university—but in reality, it was the epicenter of Krythos’ military power.

  The city had been penned in by walls for too long, constantly under siege by the mutant beast kings that ruled the wastelands beyond. The government wanted to push outward, reclaim lost territory—and the War Academy was where they bred the soldiers to do it.

  The academy wasn’t just about survival. It was power. Most of the leaders of Dune? Awakeners, who are all War Academy graduates.

  The tests pressed on. Brookhaven High had just produced its first student with a Force above 100, yet Principal Mason felt no relief.

  He had the elite class memorized. He knew Storm was already in the top ten—this wasn’t a surprise. The real problem? Axel.

  "Pull up the current scores," the Education Bureau Director said, his expression unreadable. The screen in front of him flashed with fresh data. The assistant quickly summarized:

  "So far, 32 students have scored above 95. Brookhaven High: 6. Shadowridge High: 9."

  The director barely glanced at Mason before snorting in disapproval. "Keep watching."

  Mason clenched his fists under the table. He knew the director wasn’t happy.

  Axel was one of the most promising students he had ever seen, yet Mason had overlooked him for far too long. Now, after the incident, Mason couldn’t shake the guilt that weighed on his chest.

  He had asked Kieran to look out for Axel. But what good had that done? Nothing.

  The test continued. More than half of the students had been evaluated, and the director remained focused on one thing—how many had surpassed 95 Force.

  Around them, students with disappointing scores shuffled off the field, some with tears in their eyes, others outright sobbing.

  Mason exhaled, knowing he couldn’t stay silent any longer.

  "Director, I need to discuss something with you."

  The director barely looked up from the data screen. "Oh? What is it?" His voice was neutral, betraying no emotion.

  "We have a student—Axel. He’s incredibly talented, one of our best. In our final training sessions, he ranked in the top three."

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  The director's expression didn’t change.

  Mason pressed on. "You’re aware of the incident at the Crown Hotel with Wolfe, right? Axel was injured. I’m afraid his test results today will suffer because of it."

  The director nodded slightly. He had heard about the Crown Hotel incident, but as far as he was concerned, Axel was just one of many involved.

  "Alright. And?"

  Seeing the director was still more focused on the live test results, Mason clenched his teeth. "This kid isn’t just talented—he’s an orphan, raising his younger sister on his own. If it weren’t for his injuries, I’m certain he’d break 100 Force today."

  Mason steeled himself before making his request. "I’d like to ask that you allow Axel a retest—when he’s fully recovered."

  The air in the observation area went deathly silent. The other principals turned to Mason, some of them raising their eyebrows.

  The director finally looked up, genuinely surprised. A retest?

  He could approve it, but that would set a precedent. If Axel got extra time to recover, what would stop every other student from demanding the same?

  "How much Force did he score in his last test?" the director asked. "Was it over 100?"

  Mason hesitated. "No… but—"

  Before he could finish, the director raised a hand and turned to another man. "What do you think, Theodore?"

  Theodore, the principal of Shadowridge High, didn’t hesitate. He already knew exactly what the director wanted him to say.

  "A true genius wouldn’t let something like this affect them," Theodore said smoothly. "There have been rare exceptions in the past, but only for students of exceptional value. If we start making too many allowances, we’ll compromise the integrity of the test."

  Murmurs of agreement spread through the room.

  "Theodore is right."

  "Standards have to be upheld."

  The director didn’t respond—he didn’t need to. The decision was already made.

  Mason exhaled sharply, nodded, and returned to his seat without another word. His gaze drifted to Axel, standing in the crowd. His expression was complicated.

  The test continued. While Shadowridge High had some strong contenders, Brookhaven High still held its ground as the top school. Seventeen students had broken 95 Force.

  Cassia had hit 115. Theo had scored 119—and, more importantly, had awakened. Cassia’s eyes flicked toward him, her expression unreadable. So, he’s awakened.

  Since the start of school, she and Theo had been locked in constant competition—always fighting for the top spot. Rumors painted them as rivals with bad blood, but in reality? They just weren’t close.

  Before she could dwell on it, an announcement silenced the crowd.

  "Shadowridge High—Alexander, your turn."

  Instantly, the entire test site fell quiet. Even students who had already finished their tests stopped talking, turning toward the field. All eyes were on Alexander.

  Alexander stepped forward. His hair was a mess, his expression cold and detached, as if this was just another meaningless task.

  "You may begin," the examiner said.

  The machine whirred to life. Seconds ticked by. Then— The examiner froze. Her colleagues had to nudge her before she found her voice.

  "143." The words echoed through the field. A collective intake of breath. Even the examiner had to double-check. "Awakened?"

  "Yes." The moment Alexander confirmed it, Shadowridge High’s students exploded.

  "Holy shit!"

  "That’s insane!"

  Cassia and Theo, despite knowing Alexander’s reputation, were stunned. 143.

  Theo clenched his fists. That’s over 20 points higher than me… Cassia’s lips parted slightly. So this is the gap…

  At the observation deck, Shadowridge High’s principal, Theodore, smirked. "This kid just keeps getting stronger."

  For the first time that day, the director looked genuinely pleased. Each city’s War Academy admission numbers were a crucial benchmark. But even more important? How many students could qualify for the top four War Academies. Alexander had just sealed his spot.

  The buzz from Alexander’s test took minutes to die down. But the test pressed on.

  Axel’s attention flicked to the examiner’s procedure. They don’t make awakened students demonstrate their abilities on-site… just a check.

  A thought surfaced. If I activate my ability during the test… would they count me as awakened?

  After reaching 100 Force, awakening could happen at any time. It was a process where the body transformed itself, often accompanied by a surge in Force levels. Axel knew he wasn’t quite there yet. Then, he heard it.

  "Next—Axel."

  His head snapped up. The line had already reached him. It was finally his turn.