The morning announcements came through academy bracelets at precisely 0600 hours.
Twenty students received the same message: Report to Conference Hall C by 0800. Foreign exchange program briefing. Attendance mandatory.
Silas read the notification twice, his expression unchanging.
So it was official.
He felt… nothing. Not excitement, not apprehension, not even mild curiosity. Just the cold calculation that had become his default state over the past months.
Ashmar or Solhaven. Didn't matter which. Different rules, different power structures, different opportunities to exploit. The specifics would reveal themselves during the briefing.
He was part of the so called squad with bright and the others—technically. But not really.
He shared meals with them sometimes. Trained alongside them occasionally. Participated in their strategic discussions when it seemed advantageous. But he didn't belong to them the way Duncan or Mara or even Adam did.
