The rankings were announced without ceremony.
No drumbeats.No rising platforms.No heroic framing.
Just numbers.
They appeared across crystal panels in the Grand Hall—clean, precise, impossible to argue with on the surface.
That was the point.
OFFICIAL EVALUATION RESULTS
(Council Publication)
Tier Alpha (Immediate Deployment Potential)
Aquelis Delegate — Water
Gaiath Delegate — Earth
Murmurs rippled through the hall.
Balanced.Acceptable.Safe.
Tier Beta (Conditional Frontline Assignment)3. Pyraen Delegate — Fire4. Zephra Delegate — Wind
Fire clenched his jaw.Wind laughed softly, unconcerned.
Still visible.Still valuable.Still controllable.
Tier Gamma (Special Review)5. Vaelrion Delegate — Lightning
The room stilled.
No number beyond five.
No percentile.
Just a line beneath the name:
STATUS: UNCLASSIFIED
Whispers exploded instantly.
"What does that mean?""Did he fail?""Why isn't he higher?""Why isn't he lower?"
The panel offered no explanation.
The Immediate Reaction
"This makes no sense," a foreign envoy muttered."He won cleanly.""Without damage," another added.
Akihiko's voice cut in sharply.
"Rankings reflect overall utility, not spectacle."
Utility.
Masako didn't turn when she spoke.
"Then say what you mean," she said calmly."You couldn't place him without admitting the system bent."
Akihiko's jaw tightened.
"We placed him exactly where he belongs."
"Outside your expectations," Masako corrected.
Behind the Numbers
In a sealed chamber beyond public hearing, the real rankings hovered—hidden layers beneath the published list.
Valen read them aloud, voice quiet.
"Lightning delegate shows—• highest decision efficiency• lowest energy expenditure• zero panic markers• zero obedience drift"
A pause.
"And zero compliance projection."
Silence followed.
"That's why he's Tier Gamma," Akihiko said flatly."He can't be ordered. He can't be predicted."
Masako folded her hands.
"He can't be reduced," she said."And you hate that."
Among the Participants
Fire read the rankings twice.
Then once more.
He exhaled slowly.
"I lost," he muttered. "And still moved up."
Earth nodded. "You learned."
Wind smirked. "I showed enough."
Water said nothing.
He understood exactly why he was first.
Kurogane did not attend the announcement.
He stood alone on the outer walkway as the rankings spread through the academy.
Tier Gamma.
Unclassified.
He felt neither insult nor relief.
Only confirmation.
"They couldn't put me anywhere," he said quietly.
Raishin appeared beside him.
"That's because anywhere you fit," Raishin replied,"becomes smaller."
Below them, voices rose—anger, confusion, celebration.
Politics reclaimed the Evaluation immediately.
Foreign delegates argued placement rights.Academy directors negotiated assignments.Council members drafted revisions.
Already rewriting the test.
Final Notice
A secondary projection flared to life.
ALL SELECTED PARTICIPANTS ARE HEREBY ASSIGNED TO PROVISIONAL ROLES
DEPLOYMENT ORDERS PENDING
NON-COMPLIANCE WILL BE RECORDED
Masako read it once.
Then looked toward the balcony.
"The war clock just started ticking," she murmured.
Kurogane watched the crowd below.
"I won't move," he said softly.
Raishin didn't ask where.
Above the Grand Hall, beyond sealed authority and measured outcomes, something ancient marked the moment.
The system had named its pieces.
But not all of them agreed to be moved.