The next morning, Rey woke up with an unsettling feeling lingering in his chest. It wasn't fear, exactly, but something close to it, an awareness that things were shifting around him in ways he couldn't yet understand. It was a strange weight, pressing down on him, making the air feel heavier, his thoughts more chaotic.
After his fight with Aya, after Riel's warning, he knew he was no longer just another student trying to survive at Titanium Academy. His name had been whispered across the halls, his reputation had begun to take shape, and whether he wanted it or not, eyes, many unseen and many unknown, were watching him.
He had become a chess piece on the board already, whether he wanted to be or not.
The academy was alive with murmurs. Rey could hear them as he made his way through the towering corridors lined with gleaming silver arches. The rustling voices of students discussing him, analyzing his fight, speculating on what came next. He caught snippets as he passed.
"Did you see the fight yesterday? He activated something."
"His ability seem... weird"
"Yeah, but Aya still had control the entire time. He just got lucky."
"Still, no one expected him to last that long against her. No one."
Some looked intrigued, others wary, and a few, especially those in the higher ranks, looked openly displeased. Displeased that someone like him, an underdog, an unknown, had shaken the system even slightly, he's trying to break the hierarchy. A ripple had been made in still waters, and ripples had the potential to turn into waves. Waves that could break things apart.
Rey ignored them. He had bigger things to worry about.
His first class of the day was Advanced Combat Theory, a lecture-based course meant to help students analyze battle strategies and refine their abilities through knowledge rather than brute force. It was one of the academy's most essential courses, especially for those who aimed to climb the ranks.
The classroom was an enormous, dome-shaped space, with tiered seating that curved around a central platform where the instructor stood. A massive holographic display hovered above, cycling through various battle scenarios from past academy fights. The atmosphere buzzed with an electric anticipation, students eager to absorb what they could to sharpen their edges.
At the moment, the instructor was Varis, one of the academy's most well-respected battle analysts.
Varis was a tall, broad-shouldered man with dark eyes that missed nothing. He had the bearing of a warrior, though it was said he rarely fought anymore. His presence alone commanded attention, and the moment he spoke, the room fell silent.
"Combat isn't just about strength," Varis said, pacing across the platform with an effortless authority. "Nor is it purely about skill. It is about understanding, understanding your opponent, your environment, and most importantly, yourself. The greatest warriors don't fight battles. They win them before they even begin."
Rey listened, but his mind was elsewhere. He could still feel the weight of Aya's gaze from their last encounter, still hear Riel's warning about the unseen forces in the academy. He didn't want to admit it, but he was starting to realize just how much he didn't know and how much effect it's having on him.
And that made him vulnerable.
"Some of you think that raw power will carry you through this academy," Varis continued. "It won't. Power without knowledge is chaos. And chaos gets you killed."
His words struck something deep in Rey.
Unshackled Ascension. The power he had accessed against Aya… it had felt limitless, but at the same time, it had felt wild. He had acted on instinct, on desperation. If he had been up against someone more ruthless, would he have survived? He needed control.
"To demonstrate," Varis said suddenly, snapping Rey out of his thoughts, "we'll analyze a real fight scenario."
A large screen flickered to life at the front of the room, displaying footage from a past match in the academy's arena. The moment the screen cleared, Rey's breath caught in his throat.
It was his fight.
The entire class turned toward him.
"So," Varis said, glancing at Rey with sharp eyes. "Let's break this down, shall we?"
For the next forty minutes, Varis dissected every moment of Rey's battle with Aya. Every move, every counter, every decision Rey had made was laid bare for the entire class to see.
Some of it was insightful.
Most of it was brutal.
"You fought with instinct, but no strategy," Varis said at one point, pausing the footage right before Rey had landed his hit on Aya. "You found an opening, but you didn't create it. You reacted. That kind of fighting won't work against an opponent who doesn't give you an opening."
Rey felt his stomach tighten. He wanted to argue, to say that he had done what he had to, but Varis was right. The moment had been pure luck, not skill. And luck wouldn't always be on his side.
When the class finally ended, Rey left in a daze. He barely noticed the other students watching him as he stepped into the hallway. He needed air, space to think.
"Rey."
He turned. Aya stood against the wall, arms crossed, watching him with an unreadable expression.
"You have a habit of showing up at strange times in strange places," he muttered, rubbing his temples.
"You looked like you were about to start punching walls," she said simply.
Rey exhaled. "Was it that obvious?"
Aya shrugged. "You learned something today, didn't you?"
Rey hesitated. Then, reluctantly, he nodded. "Yeah. I fight like an idiot."
Aya smirked. "That's one way to put it."
He gave her a look, but there was no malice in her tone. If anything, she seemed almost… amused.
"You're reckless," Aya continued. "But you're also dangerous. People are starting to notice. Not just the students. The instructors, too."
Rey frowned. "You mean Varis?"
"Not just him." She stepped closer, lowering her voice. "There are other eyes on you now. People who don't like unpredictable elements in their perfect little system."
Rey felt a cold chill creep down his spine. "You're talking about the factions, aren't you?"
Aya nodded. "There are groups in this academy that operate behind the scenes. They control the flow of power. The rankings. Even some of the instructors. If you're not with them, you're against them."
Rey clenched his jaw. "And what about you? Where do you stand in all of this?"
Aya studied him for a long moment. Then, quietly, she said, "I stand where I choose to stand."
Something about the way she said it sent a shiver through Rey. There was something deeper going on here, something he wasn't seeing yet. But one thing was clear, Aya wasn't just a strong opponent. She was aware. She knew more about this academy's secrets than she was letting on.
"Be careful, Rey," she said, turning to leave. "The real battles in this place don't happen in the arena."
And then she was gone.
Rey stood there for a long time, replaying her words in his mind.
This wasn't just about fighting.
This was about power.
And power, in Titanium Academy, wasn't just something you earned.
It was something you took.