Sebastian didn't push. Instead he ordered pizza and they sat on his couch eating in silence while some basketball game played on the TV. Carter barely tasted the food. His mind was still in the lobby, replaying the fight, the humiliation, the way everyone had looked at him like he was garbage. Finally, Sebastian spoke. "You're different." Carter froze with pizza halfway to his mouth. "What do you mean?" "You're just... different. I can't explain it. The way you talk, the way you move, even the way you eat." Sebastian studied him with an intensity that made Carter want to look away. "It's like you're wearing your own skin wrong." The Protocol flashed a warning across Carter's vision but he ignored it. "I told you, I went through some stuff. People change." "Not like this." Sebastian set down his pizza and turned to face Carter fully. "I've known you since we were twelve, Owen. We've been through everything together. Summer camps, family vacations, every major moment of our lives.

The Unity Collective had a small studio space in one of the campus buildings. Nothing fancy, but functional. Ring lights stood on tripods in each corner, cameras mounted on stands, a green screen hung against one wall, and editing equipment cluttered a desk shoved against the window. Clara explained that they pooled their resources to rent it while adjusting a camera angle. "It's expensive but worth it. We can control everything here. Lighting, sound, background. Makes our content look more professional than filming in dorm rooms." They spent the afternoon filming. Each person created content featuring Carter in some way and the atmosphere was surprisingly relaxed. Amaya filmed a cooking video where Carter attempted to help make some complicated pasta dish and failed spectacularly. Flour ended up everywhere. He burned the sauce. The noodles stuck together in a clump. But Amaya laughed the whole time and turned his failures into comedy, making it feel less like humiliation and more l

After the incident and the laughter died down, the group started to relax. The tension that had filled the courtyard during the Unity Drink challenge dissolved into something lighter. Rex pulled out a bluetooth speaker from his backpack and connected his phone. Music started playing, something with a heavy bass line that made the air vibrate. Milo started dancing badly on purpose and making exaggerated moves that had Clara cracking up while filming him. More students drifted over, drawn by the music and the energy. Someone brought out a frisbee and started tossing it around. Juno sat on the edge of the fountain with his laptop, editing footage but bobbing his head to the beat. The whole scene felt weirdly normal, like a regular college hangout instead of the content obsessed pressure cooker that Star Academy usually was. Carter stood off to the side, still feeling the awful taste in his mouth and the heavy weight of the drink sitting in his stomach. He watched the others laugh and j

The Evaluation Hall was massive, designed to hold the entire student body of Star Academy. Stadium seating rose up in curved tiers around a central stage where Professor Kane and the evaluation committee sat behind a long table. The Beacon's rankings were projected on enormous screens all around the room, numbers constantly shifting and updating as students entered and found their seats. Carter walked in and the noise level dropped. Just for a second. Then it rose again, louder than before. Laughter rippled through the crowd. Whispers spread like wildfire. Phones came out everywhere, hundreds of them, all pointed at him. He found a seat in the back corner, as far from the stage as possible. Sebastian sat next to him without being asked, his jaw set tight. He glared at anyone who looked their way too long or pointed their phone in Carter's direction. The Unity Collective was in the front row, all sitting together. Amaya glanced back over her shoulder, caught Carter's eye, and waved.

Carter woke in the medical center alone. The antiseptic smell was still there but Dr. Mora was gone. On the small table beside his bed sat discharge papers and a handwritten note on expensive stationery. "Three months. Don't waste them." Carter folded the note and shoved it in his pocket. His body still ached but the medication had worn off enough that he could think clearly. The IV was out, leaving just a small bandage on his arm. The Protocol booted up. Not the glitchy, stuttering version from before. This was smooth, responsive, like it had been rebuilt from the ground up. A notification appeared immediately. SYSTEM REBOOT COMPLETE. ALL FUNCTIONS RESTORED. POWER POINT SELECTION PENDING. The four options appeared in his vision, each one with detailed descriptions he hadn't seen before. NEURO SURGE: Enhanced cognitive processing and tactical analysis. Allows rapid evaluation of complex social situations and identification of optimal strategies. Duration: 5 minutes. Cooldown: 2