The hum of the void stone filled the chamber, its bright glow bathing the room in soft light. Noah stood in the center of the platform, his expression calm, betraying none of the turmoil swirling in his mind. Above him, the crystalline structure shimred faintly, alive with energy yet offering no sensation—no warmth, no pressure, not even the faintest tingle.
"Hold your position, Eclipse," the lead technician instructed curtly, his attention locked on the tablet in his hands. The other technician at the console glanced nervously at Commander Albright, who stood rigid at the edge of the room, arms crossed and jaw tight.
Noah remained still, his body relaxed but his thoughts racing. He couldn't shake the bitterness from being dragged here under suspicion of concealing his abilities—a cri treated as betrayal of the highest order in the military. Albright had ordered his arrest and subsequent retest personally, citing "irregularities" from a month ago.
As the lead technician adjusted the equipnt, Noah's system blinked to life.
[External energy disturbance detected.]
Noah's heart skipped a beat, but he kept his composure.
[Analyzing interference... Void system engaged. Neutralizing anomaly. Adjusting paraters to maintain baseline output.]
The ssage was clear: the system was stepping in, protecting him from being exposed.
"Energy analysis comncing," the technician announced, his voice steady despite the tension in the air.
The void stone pulsed softly, its glow intensifying. On the wall-mounted display, colors began to swirl, the readings slowly stabilizing. The technicians leaned in, their eyes widening as the result appeared:
First Generation – Level 5.
A stunned silence fell over the room. The lead technician blinked at the result, tapping furiously at his tablet. "That... that's identical to his previous evaluation. There's no change."
Commander Albright's brow furrowed, his sharp eyes darting between the display and Noah. "Run it again," he ordered, his voice carrying the weight of authority.
"Sir, I've already verified the readings," the technician stamred. "The system is functioning perfectly. The result is accurate."
For a long mont, Albright said nothing. He stared at Noah, who remained impassive, his gaze unwavering. Finally, the commander exhaled, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly.
"Eclipse," Albright said, his tone softer now but no less firm. "It seems we've made an error."
Noah didn't respond, simply waiting for the inevitable.
Albright stepped forward, his hands clasped behind his back. "I owe you an apology. Acting on faulty intelligence, I assud you were hiding sothing—sothing that could have endangered the chain of command and the integrity of our unit. This I know you understand. However, clearly, I was wrong."
The commander's words hung heavily in the air, the technicians glancing awkwardly at each other.
"This retest should never have happened," Albright continued. "You've been put under unnecessary scrutiny, and for that, I take full responsibility."
Noah inclined his head slightly, acknowledging the apology without a word.
Albright straightened, his voice regaining its usual authority. "You're dismissed. Return to your duties, Eclipse."
"Yes, sir," Noah replied, stepping off the platform. He didn't look back as he exited the room, the heavy doors sliding shut behind him.
Once he was alone in the corridor, Noah exhaled slowly, a small, bitter smile tugging at his lips. The system had protected him again, but he couldn't ignore the truth. Albright's apology might have cleared his na for now, but trust in the military was fragile—and easily shattered.
'They'll be watching more closely now,' Noah thought, his jaw tightening. 'I need to stay one step ahead.'
Noah's boots scraped against the sterile floors of the testing facility as he left the chamber, Albright's hurried apologies still ringing in his ears. His face remained expressionless, but inside, a storm was brewing.
Albright's apology should've left him feeling vindicated, maybe even relieved. But instead, it festered like a splinter under his skin.
Soone had ratted him out.
'The question is... who?' Noah's thoughts churned as he walked. He replayed the events on Cannadah, the chaos of the Harbinger ambush, and the aftermath. Almost everyone from year one had been there—so had fought, so had fled, and others... well, they hadn't made it back at all.
'It couldn't have been the first-years,' he reasoned. 'Most of them were too scared to even process what was happening, let alone stick around long enough to see in action.'
The fight with the Harbingers had been brutal. It wasn't just the strength of the enemy that had made it so—it was the sheer terror of it all. For a group of green recruits, it had been a waking nightmare. Noah didn't bla the ones who had run.
'But that doesn't an one of them didn't talk,' he conceded reluctantly. 'Maybe soone overheard sothing afterward. But even if they did, would they really go straight to Albright with it?'
He frowned. No, it didn't add up. The first-years were scared, disorganized. The idea that any of them would have the guts—or the audacity—to report him felt far-fetched.
'Lucas?' The thought flitted through his mind briefly, but he dismissed it almost as quickly.
Lucas Grey, the top-ranked third-year, had been by his side when they took down the Harbingers. The two of them had fought tooth and nail, covering for each other in the thick of the battle. Lucas was arrogant, sure, but he wasn't a backstabber. If anything, he'd been impressed by Noah's performance.
'No,' Noah decided. 'It wasn't him.'
That left only one possibility.
Micah Reed.
The na left a bitter taste in his mouth.
'Micah, the fifth ranked student,' Noah thought, his lips pressing into a thin line. 'Micah, the coward who turned tail and ran the mont things got tough. Micah, who ca crawling back to afterward, begging for forgiveness like a pathetic worm.'
Noah could still see the desperation in Micah's eyes during that pathetic apology. He'd stamred out excuse after excuse, trying to justify his cowardice. Noah hadn't said much back. But the look on his face alone had ripped into Micah, tearing down every flimsy argunt until Micah was left with nothing but sha.
'Did you do this, Micah?' Noah wondered, his fists clenching at his sides. 'Did you report out of spite? Because you couldn't handle the truth I threw in your face?'
It made sense. Micah had the motive. He had the ans. And, as a third-year, he had the connections to get Albright's attention.
'But do you have the guts?' Noah sneered internally. 'You couldn't even face the Harbingers. Did you really find the spine to pull this off?'
The more he thought about it, the more the pieces seed to fall into place. Micah's sha, his resentnt, his cowardice—it all pointed to him.
'You're pathetic, Micah,' Noah thought, his anger simring beneath the surface. 'You couldn't handle the fight. You couldn't handle the truth. So instead, you tried to take down. Is that it?'
He exhaled sharply, forcing himself to calm down.
'I'll find out for sure soon enough,' he thought grimly. 'And when I do...'
He didn't finish the thought. He didn't need to.
The storm inside him settled into a cold, focused resolve. Whoever had done this—whether it was Micah or soone else—they'd made a mistake. And Noah wasn't going to let it slide.
Noah rounded a corner of the academy courtyard, his thoughts still heavy with suspicion about Micah, when a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Noah Eclipse! You absolute madman!" Kelvin's voice rang out, full of mock indignation. "What in the world did you do this ti? Rob the school's vault again? Or did you finally blow up the core lab? Tell it's sothing good!"
Noah groaned quietly, turning to see Kelvin jogging toward him, his mop of unkempt hair bouncing as he moved. Kelvin was grinning, his tablet tucked under one arm and a stylus twirling between his fingers.
"Kelvin," Noah said flatly, "why aren't you in class?"
Kelvin skidded to a stop in front of him, looking positively thrilled to have an excuse to skip whatever lecture he'd just abandoned.
"Oh, don't you dare try to turn this on ," Kelvin said, pointing his stylus at him accusingly. "You were dragged out of class this morning by military officers, Noah. Officers. You know how boring life has been for the last couple of days? Do you have any idea the chaos you caused?"
Noah sighed, grabbing Kelvin by the arm and steering him toward a quieter part of the courtyard. "You're rambling. Start making sense."
Kelvin allowed himself to be dragged but continued talking a mile a minute. "Everyone was losing it! Miss Brooks stord out of the classroom like soone had personally insulted her. Lila and Cora looked like they'd seen a ghost—they were whispering to each other the whole ti. The rest of us were just sitting there like, 'What the hell did Noah do now?' I an, you're the Noah Eclipse. If anyone's capable of pulling off so high-level cri, it's you."
"Kelvin," Noah interrupted, his tone sharp. "Why. Aren't. You. In. Class?"
Kelvin blinked at him, as if the question didn't even register. "Because you were arrested, Noah. I had to know what happened! So, spill. What was it this ti? Did you get caught hacking into the academy's archives? Oh wait, that's sothing I'd do. Oh! Did you try to steal a beast gear?! Please tell it was sothing insane."
Noah stopped walking and turned to face Kelvin, his expression calm but firm. "It was nothing," he said simply. "Just a misunderstanding. It's been sorted out."
Kelvin narrowed his eyes, his grin fading slightly. "You're lying."
"I'm not lying," Noah said, though the words felt hollow even to himself. "It's over. Let it go."
Kelvin crossed his arms, clearly unconvinced. "Noah, co on. I know you. You don't get dragged out of class by officers for 'nothing.' What's going on?"
'Why does he have to be so damn nosy?' Noah thought, resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose.
"It's none of your business, Kelvin," he said instead, his tone final. "I'm fine. That's all you need to know."
Kelvin huffed, clearly frustrated. "You're seriously not going to tell ? You're my best friend, Noah. I've covered for you more tis than I can count. I think I've earned the right to know what's going on here."
'You don't get it,' Noah thought, his jaw tightening. 'This isn't just so stupid prank or minor infraction. If anyone finds out about my system, about my reawakening... it's over for . Hell, it's over for both of us.'
"I appreciate it, Kelvin," Noah said carefully. "But this isn't sothing I can talk about. Not yet."
Kelvin stared at him for a long mont, his expression a mixture of hurt and suspicion. "Fine," he said at last, though his tone suggested anything but acceptance. "Have it your way. But don't think I'm dropping this. I'll figure it out eventually."
Noah sighed as Kelvin walked away, muttering sothing about "ungrateful daredevils."
'He's not wrong,' Noah thought bitterly. 'This isn't over. Not by a long shot.'
Even if he wanted to confess, what would he even say? That he'd reawakened as an alpha class but couldn't prove it because his abilities were still evolving? That his system had tampered with the void stone to protect him?
'Yeah, because that would go over well,' he thought sarcastically. 'They'd think I was either insane or desperate for attention. Either way, it wouldn't end well.'
Noah shook his head, forcing himself to focus. For now, the truth had to stay buried. He'd figure out how to handle it later. But first, he had to find Micah. If anyone knew how this ss started, it was him.
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