2026-04-24 17:42:55“Is that something that should matter in an academy that has a bold mandate of ‘Equality is our priority?” Riley inquired pointed at the text that was boldly written on the walls but it only made the face of Jackson to deepen even more.
“Equality is only met for people that classify as human and not people that were spat out by the slum.”
“Again, I will ask you, who are you?”
“I'm simply Riley, and if you must know, I'm on a special recommendation by Sir. Edward.”
The man's hand stopped moving.
He looked up slowly, his eyes doing that familiar sweep from head to toe.
Riley knew that look. The kind that decided your worth in two seconds and found you lacking.
"Sir Harmon," the man repeated, his lips pulling into a cold smile. "Right. And I suppose you also had breakfast with the Champion Council this morning?"
A few students passing behind snickered.
“He really claimed to know Sir. Edward.”
“Definitely another sick dude that is trying to fit in!” They snickered as they slowly walked past him without heightened disdain.
"I'm Jason," the man continued, leaning forward on his desk. "Front desk administrator for the elite division. And I can smell trash from a mile away."
Riley's brows twitched slightly. "Can you now?"
"People like you make me sick," Jason's voice dropped into something darker. "Crawling out of whatever waste link you came from, throwing around names that are way above your worthless head.”
“People that you couldn't even dare to sniff around!”
“If you need some recommendations of somewhere that could fit in, I have a few on the list.”
“Wasteland, slum hub, whatever name that has trash or dustbin in it!”
“And to make matters worse, you don't even have an essence core to display magic!” The desk officer almost spat out of irritation.
“The audacity makes me sick!” He growled further.
His fingers started moving again. A faint red glow appeared around his palm, swirling into a tight formation circle.
"This academy is for the elite," Jason continued, his eyes turning shady and cold. "Not for diseased rats who think they can force their way into high society."
The spell was growing stronger. Riley could feel the heat from where he stood.
"I'm going to turn you into a rocky-breathing corpse right here," Jason smiled, his tone turning deadly. "Then drag what's left of you back to whatever hole you crawled out of."
Riley looked at the spinning formation. Then at Jason's neck.
A short laugh slipped out of his mouth.
Really brain. This is certainly the best time for one of those random lessons, isn't it?'
He could see the exact pulse point. One quick step, slight touch and he could snap this arrogant fool's neck before the spell even left his palm.
Riley's hand moved slightly toward his bag. His eyes settled on Jason with something cold and with a death intention that made him stiffen instantly.
He could move, he couldn't react and he was barely using his whole strength to breath.
The aura he felt was suffocating and the only one around him was Riley.
Confusion carved into his senses in an instant, and his feet turned into jelly.
He tried to sense an aura, for the source of the fear that made the powerful officer of the Arcane Academy frozen in his steps.
But even with his trained senses, it got nothing, causing his heart to drop to the bottom of his feet.
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183
Riley had barely finished documenting the latest notification when another message arrived from Commander Voss.REPORT TO BRIEFING ROOM. 09:30.He checked the time.9:12.The monitoring technician had left less than fifteen minutes earlier, and the Guild was already requesting another meeting. Whatever they were doing with the new event, they were moving faster than before.Riley put his notebook away and left his room.Miles and Jessica were waiting near the elevator.“Another emergency?” Miles asked.“Meeting at half past nine.”“I'm starting to think the Guild has forgotten how to communicate through anything other than meetings.”Jessica glanced at Riley. “Did they explain why?”“No.”“Then let's hear what they've found.”The three entered the administrative wing together.Inside the briefing room, Helena Voss was examining a document on the main screen. Commander Voss stood beside her, while the archive technician sat at the far end of the table.The display showed the latest not
182
Riley woke to the sound of his terminal vibrating.He reached across the bedside table and checked the screen. A message from the archive division had arrived at 7:03 a.m.ARCHIVE REVIEW UPDATESUBJECT: HISTORICAL IDENTIFICATION EVENTSREQUEST: ATTENDANCE REQUIREDHe read the message again.The Guild had already reviewed his latest notification the previous evening. There had been no unusual external transmission, no measurable energy activity, and no evidence that his interface had communicated with the archive.Why another meeting?Riley got dressed and left his room.Miles was waiting outside, holding two cups of coffee. He handed one to Riley.“Jessica said we have another meeting.”“How does she know before I do?”“She checked the residential schedule. Apparently, our names are on the attendance list.”Riley accepted the cup.“Did they give a reason?”“Something about an unscheduled review.”They found Jessica near the elevator. She looked up as they approached.“Did either of yo
181
The following morning, Riley found a message waiting on his terminal.It had arrived at 6:10 a.m., before he woke.COMMANDER VOSS — ATTEND ARCHIVE REVIEW AT 08:00.There was no explanation attached.He read it once, got dressed, and left his room.Miles was already in the corridor, leaning against the wall with his arms folded. Jessica stood beside him, scrolling through something on her tablet.“Another meeting?” Miles asked.“Eight o'clock.”“Wonderful. I was beginning to think we'd have a peaceful day.”Jessica looked up. “Did they say what it's about?”“No.”“Then let's find out.”They walked together toward the administrative wing. Riley had spent much of the previous night thinking about the latest notification. The words identity unresolved had stayed with him long after the display vanished.He had recorded everything and reported it, just as instructed.He hadn't asked Jade a single question.That restraint was becoming harder than he expected.When they entered the briefing
181
Riley had barely finished breakfast when Commander Voss summoned him again.This time, the message included a request for Miles and Jessica to accompany him.That was unusual.The Guild had generally kept the investigation discussions between Riley and the senior personnel, allowing his friends to attend only when their presence was directly relevant. Their inclusion suggested something had changed.Miles seemed to reach the same conclusion.“If this is another meeting about a missing document, I'm leaving.”“You said that yesterday,” Jessica reminded him.“And I meant it yesterday.”Riley followed them toward the administrative wing.The briefing room was already occupied when they arrived. Commander Voss stood beside the main display, while Helena sat at the table with several printed sheets in front of her. The technician from the previous meeting was also present.“Sit down,” the commander said.Riley took the nearest chair. Jessica sat beside him, and Miles dropped into the seat
179
The Guild responded to Riley's report eleven minutes after he submitted it.He was still sitting at his desk when the acknowledgment appeared on the small terminal beside his bed. The message contained no explanation, only a request to attend a supervised review in the administrative wing.He read it twice before standing.The latest event had given him nothing he could act on. Historical identification. Partial reference match. No confirmed retrieval. The same collection of uncertainties, arranged in a slightly different order.Yet the Guild wanted to review it immediately.That alone made him uneasy.When Riley arrived, Jessica and Miles were already waiting outside the briefing room. Miles held a breakfast sandwich in one hand and looked deeply offended by the fact that someone had interrupted his meal.“Please tell me they found something useful,” he said.“They called me eleven minutes after I reported the event.”“So they found something useless very quickly.”Jessica ignored hi
178
Riley woke to three knocks on his door.He opened his eyes but didn't move immediately. The room was dim, the curtains still drawn, and the clock beside his bed showed 6:42 a.m. He had slept badly, waking several times to check the event log he had copied into his notes before going to bed.Nothing new had appeared during the night.That should have been reassuring.Instead, it left him wondering whether the silence meant the unidentified process had stopped or simply had no reason to announce itself.The knocks came again.“Riley?” Adrian called from the corridor. “Commander Voss wants you in the briefing room.”“Is something wrong?”“I don't know. I was only told to bring you.”Riley dressed, checked that his notes were still in his pocket, and stepped outside.Miles emerged from the room across the corridor, rubbing sleep from his eyes. Jessica appeared a moment later, already dressed and carrying a small notebook.“You too?” Miles asked.“Apparently,” Riley said.Jessica glanced a
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