Astra Academy loomed like a courthouse for the dead.
Black spires. No banners. No glass. Just walls that swallowed sound and halls too tall for the people who walked them.
Jace approached the front steps slowly. Other bodies moved past him—some nervous, some eager, all young. None looked older than twenty-five.
A screen buzzed near the entrance. Digital. Flickering.
WELCOME TO ASTRA ACADEMYAll conscripted civilians must complete Entry Audit within 48 hours.
Please present your Manifestation Code.
Jace stared at the screen. He had nothing.
Behind him, someone bumped his shoulder.
Kid (mutters):"Get out of the way."
Jace stepped aside. The kid pressed his palm to the screen. It beeped. A blue seal appeared. He walked through the gate.
Jace stood still.
ROOK (from behind):"Show's already started, and you're still checking your pockets for a ticket."
Jace turned. Rook was leaning against the outer wall, arms crossed, same dead smile.
ROOK:"Welcome back, by the way. Sorry about the exit wound. But hey—you made it."
Jace looked back at the screen.
Still blank.
He placed his hand against it.
Static burst. The screen glitched. Buzzed red. Then:
ERROR: CURSE DETECTEDMODIFIER: UNLUCKY [x2]AUDIT DELAYED — STAFF ALERTED
The terminal died.
A siren went off—not loud. Just one short note.
Jace lowered his hand.
ROOK (grinning):"Subtle."
Holding Zone A — 12 Minutes Later
The room was white. Blank. No windows. Six chairs. One table. Two guards with masks stood at the door. No weapons. Just presence.
Jace sat alone.
He stared at the table. Someone had scratched something into the metal:
"WE'RE NOT STUDENTS. WE'RE STOCK."
The door creaked.
A woman entered. Older. Lab coat. Clipboard. No smile.
WOMAN:"Jace Marrow."
He didn't nod.
She sat.
WOMAN:"You weren't born here."
No response.
WOMAN:"Your file is… incomplete."
Still nothing.
WOMAN:"You have no Manifestation. No signature. No record of Ether compatibility. But you're breathing, which means you got pulled in."
Jace waited.
WOMAN:"You triggered an audit delay. The system flagged you. Do you know why?"
JACE:"I have a curse."
WOMAN:"Everyone has a curse."
JACE:"Mine hates me more."
She tapped her pen.
WOMAN:"Fine. You're enrolled by anomaly clause. That means you're Academy-bound whether you like it or not."
JACE:"What's the clause?"
WOMAN:"If the system can't understand you, it wants to keep an eye on you."
She handed him a bracelet. Black. Cold.
WOMAN:"Tracking band. You lose it, you lose your legs with it."
Jace slipped it on.
It tightened. Locked.
The door opened again.
GUARD:"Next."
Academy Courtyard — One Hour Later
Jace walked alone across stone paths between buildings that looked stitched together by war.
Students trained in the fields below. Some used swords. Others cast things from their hands that made the sky distort.
None of it surprised him.
What surprised him was the way they all looked at him—like they could sense something was off. Some glanced and looked away. Some stared too long.
A bird flying above dropped dead mid-flight.
Right onto Jace's shoulder.
He didn't react.
He flicked it off.
ROOK (beside him):"You might be the first person cursed hard enough to make gravity give up."
Dormitory Assignment Hall
A bored girl behind a desk flipped through files.
GIRL:"Name?"
JACE:"Jace."
GIRL (scrolling):"...No unit. No affinity. No records."
She paused.
GIRL:"You got flagged with a Tier-6 Misfortune Curse."
Jace waited.
GIRL:"We don't even have a Tier-6. It only goes to five."
She handed him a room key.
GIRL:"Top floor. Room with the busted light. No neighbors. Figures."
Jace climbed the stairs.
Every bulb flickered as he passed.
The door to his room groaned open.
No bed. No sheets. One mattress on the floor. One chair in the corner.
Rook was already in it.
Rocking slowly.
Smiling.
ROOK (calm):"You made it. Again."
Jace sat down on the mattress.
Didn't speak.
Just stared out the cracked window.
Somewhere far below, a duel started. Energy lit up the sky. Cheers rose like waves.
Jace blinked once.
Then closed his eyes.