Morning came late to Iron Resolve.
Not because the sun was slow to rise—but because no one in the barracks had truly slept.
Kael lay on his back, staring at the cracked stone ceiling, every breath sending a dull ache through his ribs. The healer's bandages were tight, glowing faintly with restorative Aether, but they could only do so much. His body had been pushed past its limits, and it remembered.
Around him, the room was quiet in the way only exhaustion creates.
Joren sat on the floor, back against the wall, polishing his weapon for the third time without realizing it. Mira leaned near the window, arms crossed, eyes distant. Lyra sat on her bed, hands clenched in her lap, staring at Kael like she was trying to carve his image into memory.
Iron Resolve had won.
And somehow, that victory felt heavier than any loss they had suffered before.
A sharp knock broke the silence.
Three knocks. Precise. Official.
Everyone tensed.
Kael pushed himself up despite the pain. "I've got it."
Lyra stood immediately. "You don't."
She moved before he could argue, opening the door to reveal a tall academy officer clad in silver-trimmed armor. Behind him stood two attendants and a floating crystal tablet—recording.
"Team Iron Resolve," the officer said, voice emotionless. "By order of the High Council, you are summoned."
Joren muttered, "That was fast."
The officer's eyes flicked to him. "You will present yourselves in the Evaluation Hall. Immediately."
No congratulations. No praise.
Just summons.
---
The Evaluation Hall loomed like a judgment chamber.
Wide marble floors. Towering pillars etched with ancient Aether runes. At the far end, elevated seats held figures Kael had only ever seen from a distance—instructors, strategists, and council members whose words shaped the academy's future.
And standing among them…
Rion Valeris.
Pristine uniform. Calm expression. Gold star insignia lining his chest.
His eyes met Kael's for a brief second.
No hatred.
Just calculation.
Iron Resolve was led to the center of the hall. A circle of light flared beneath their feet, measuring Aether output automatically.
The crystal flickered.
Then… stalled.
Murmurs rippled through the hall.
"Impossible."
"No Aether fluctuation?"
"That's the boy?"
Kael felt every gaze bore into him like pressure.
A councilwoman leaned forward. "Kael Draven. Step forward."
He did.
"You possess no measurable Aether," she said flatly. "Yet you led a team to victory against a threat ranked far above your classification."
Kael swallowed. "Yes, ma'am."
"How?"
He didn't hesitate.
"Preparation. Trust. And refusing to quit."
Silence followed.
Then a man seated beside her spoke. "That is not an answer."
Kael raised his head. "It's the only honest one."
Lyra's breath caught.
The man's eyes sharpened—but before he could respond, another voice cut in.
"Enough."
The team leader who had recruited Kael stepped forward—Captain Thorne, leader of Iron Resolve. His presence alone shifted the room.
"This team followed orders," Thorne said. "They completed their mission. They survived. And they protected academy interests."
A pause.
"If that is now a crime," he added, "then perhaps the problem isn't the team."
The council murmured again—this time louder.
Finally, the councilwoman spoke. "Iron Resolve will retain their gold star."
A ripple of surprise.
"But," she continued, "from this moment onward, your team will be placed under Special Observation."
The crystal flashed.
STATUS UPDATED: WATCHLIST — ACTIVE
Kael felt it like a brand.
---
Later, as they exited the hall, tension hung heavy.
"So that's it," Mira said. "We're officially inconvenient."
Joren laughed quietly. "I kinda like it."
Lyra slowed beside Kael. "You okay?"
He nodded, though his body protested. "They didn't punish us."
"They didn't praise you either," she said softly.
Kael looked ahead. "That comes later."
She studied him for a moment—really studied him—and for the first time, she understood.
Kael wasn't trying to prove he belonged.
He was trying to change what belonging meant.
---
Far away, beneath the academy grounds, a figure watched through a fractured mirror of dark Aether.
Malrik Noctis smiled.
"So," he murmured, "the powerless one has begun to gather weight."
His followers knelt behind him.
"Prepare the next phase," Malrik said calmly. "If the academy is watching him…"
His eyes glowed faintly.
"…then it's time the world does too."
---
Above ground, Kael stood with his team beneath the rising sun.
Iron Resolve no longer wore black stars.
But gold, Kael knew, was heavy.
And leadership?
Even heavier.
Yet as he clenched his fist, ignoring the pain, one truth burned clear in his chest:
If the world was finally watching—
He would not look away.