Three days vanished like smoke when fear takes hold. How fast it goes, that stretch of waiting turning thin. Not even a breath between now and then. Empty hours fill up quick with worry. Time bends where nerves fray. What feels long collapses under pressure. Moments fold into each other until they disappear.
A hush fell across the halls when the bell sounded - deep, hollow, impossible to ignore. That single note marked the start, vibrating through walls, beneath floorboards, into thoughts. There was no parade of flags. No leader stepping forward to speak. Silence returned after the tone, then a voice filled each room at once
"Trial One: Silent Auction. Individual bids only. No alliances. No discussion. Violations result in immediate double deduction. Commence."
Every screen glowed with identical layouts: shadowed grids holding unseen choices. Thirty squares sat blank, each hiding something. To reveal it, a person had to spend points. Here's where it turned sharp - once placed, the bid stuck. Withdrawals vanished like smoke. Winners weren't guaranteed victory just by spending more. Victory sometimes slipped sideways.
Few things stood out as clear mistakes waiting to happen.
Few carried danger beneath a soft touch.
Kairos perched on the mattress, legs folded beneath him, screen resting against his leg while shadows clung to the walls. The night had slipped away without rest. Rest came later for those who noticed patterns before they formed.
His finger pressed into the opening on the left.
Anonymous Tip Reveals Class A Debate Tactics
Starting bid: 800
Current high: 2,100
The screen showed digits rising, moment by moment. Not long after, hunger took hold. But panic got there first.
He entered: 2,500
A sudden hush followed when the number climbed to two thousand five hundred. It just stopped there. Nobody said a word.
A soft beep echoed through the room. It meant things were moving forward now.
Out of nowhere, a note landed in his messages - scrambled words set to vanish by minute's end.
"Class A opens with misdirection on cross-examination. Voss will sacrifice her second speaker to bait overconfidence. Counter with silence on the third round. They fold under pressure they can't read."
The moment Kairos acted, the message vanished - seconds left on the clock. Just a flicker of delay would've kept it alive. Instead, silence took its place.
Fingers hovered above the board. A quiet breath marked his stillness each time the opening move landed true.
Somewhere past the doorway, noise dragged Jax awake - his tablet shrieking like it was under attack. One unmarked transfer sat in his balance now, dropped out of nowhere during the night: one thousand eight hundred units. That number meant air. Meant movement. Meant he could fight instead of fade. Danger stirred back into his bones by morning light.
Fingers tight on the screen, he watched the digits like they might move. The grip turned his hands pale, fixed on that single figure glowing back.
He murmured those words under his breath. Quiet, not mad, yet not at peace either. A feeling halfway there - piercing, uneasy, as if someone long gone held a claim on him.
Faster than usual, he pulled on his clothes. The mark near his eye hadn't faded yet. Before time ran out, Kairos had to be found.
Now the marble floor held thirty see-through stands, every one of them showing a lone black cube. Above, glowing numerals rose steadily as offers flooded in. Pacing slowly around them were students - some tense, others hunting chances, nearly all faking stillness though drops of sweat gathered on their skin.
Frozen calm settled across Elara Voss's face as she held still at the rim of the ring, elbows locked. A hush came before Thorne shifted close - his fingers tight, shadow heavy on her back. Just behind, Liora balanced a pace away, screen gripped in both hands, gaze darting from stand to person without pause.
Frozen in place, Elara stared at Item 7.
Faculty Override Key Single Use
Starting bid: 5,000
Current high: 12,400
A twist shaped her mouth. Not joy. An oath.Bid came through - fifteen thousand marked clear. Numbers stood firm on the line she drew. Water shivered through the open hall. Voices dropped to hushes, then vanished like breath on glass.
Crick went the neck of Thorne. Nobody will beat that, he said
Liora's eyes stayed narrow. Someone always shows up
Beyond the open space, tucked near a column, Kairos stayed still while observing the scene unfold - though he gave no sign of looking. His offer for Lot 7 was already placed before that moment: fourteen thousand nine hundred credits sent at precisely the right time
Fingers loosened as she reached for the object. It shifted into her grip without a word.
She was meant to know peace around him.
When safety arrived, caution slipped away.
A shove sent one boy stumbling as Jax carved forward. Not waiting for excuses, he crossed the space between them in half a breath. Kairos stood still - then the gap snapped shut.
Jax narrowed his eyes, words slipping out like smoke. You. The bank job. All you. His jaw stayed tight, the air between them suddenly heavy
Kairos stayed facing away. Show me, he said
"Don't play games. I'm not asking for charity. I'm asking why."
Kairos turned his gaze now. Expressionless. Still. Not a flicker moved across his face. "Staying breathing serves me better."
Fists clenched, Jax narrowed his eyes. What kind of purpose could that even serve?
"For when they come for me. And they will."
Fresh sounds echoed across the open hall.
Personal Trauma File Class D Student Redacted Name
Starting bid: 3,000
Right now, it's at three thousand. Bidding has not started. The number stands without any offers
A flash came from the cube, red. Then stillness.
A hush dropped sharp as steel.
Blood left Jax's face. That number - he recognized it right away. All Class D students did. The school kept files on every one: medical history, mental tests, dirty family secrets, things from childhood. Locked up mostly. But sometimes the board sold a few - for their own amusement.
Or pressure.
Shaking started in Jax's fingers the moment the tablet lit up. Locked shut - his trauma record - but secrecy meant nothing now. People already understood which name sat behind that barrier.
His.
A countdown clicked forward - thirty seconds left on the clock.
*~~~~~~~~~~*
A lone offer appeared suddenly.
3,500 – Anonymous
A sharp breath pushed out of Jax's nostrils. He did not talk nor speak, just let the air break loose like that.
another bid four thousand anonymous
Then 6,000 - Anonymous
Upward they went, just like a heartbeat racing through veins.
A shift in her gaze - something caught Elara's attention. Not a bidder so far, yet suspicion tightened her stare.
Kairos entered: 8,200
Stillness settled into the cube. It stopped moving.
Ten seconds.
Nine.
Eight.
Bid landed hard at ten grand - that was E. Voss closing it
The system chimed.
Last call brought it to E. Voss - ten thousand tallied cleanly on the board
Spinning with care, Elara swept her eyes across the faces. Not once did she pause at Kairos. It was Jax who caught her stare. Quietly, he held it.
She smiled.
Jax locked onto her gaze. Not a flicker of movement broke the stillness. His stare stayed fixed, unshaken.
Forward moved Thorne, knuckles popping once more.
"Looks like we own your secrets now, street rat."
Jax's fists clenched.
Kairos touched Jax's shoulder, just barely, like it meant nothing at all.
"Don't."
Jax shrugged it off. "They're going to read it. In front of everyone. You know how this works."
"I know."
"Then do something."
Out of nowhere, Kairos spoke so softly that just Jax caught it.
"I already did."
A shape that was sitting on platform number twelve melted away. From its place, a glowing display stretched upward - wide and tall so everyone in the open hall could watch.
The file opened.
Subject: Harlan, Jax
14 Years Old During Incident
Manila Subgrid Lower District Sector 7 Incident Site
That night left a mark. A fight broke out between him and his dad. The damage showed fast - bone around one eye cracked, three ribs split open, blood pooling inside where it should not be. He stayed in the hospital nearly two weeks. Police stepped in, filing serious charges against the father. Then someone changed their story under oath. Charges vanished like smoke. Right after, he froze up at loud noises, jumped when doors slammed. Doctors saw it but said nothing more was needed.
Silence dropped into the atrium like a stone.
A laugh came. From a girl, one of those polished types. Quick. Cutting the air. Shaky at the edges.
Still as stone, Jax held his ground. Air barely moved in his chest. Fixed on the letters hanging above the floor. The silence pressed close around him.
A hush fell as Elara moved toward the pedestal. Her voice rose, clear, filling the space like breath.
"Interesting reading. No wonder you punch first. Daddy taught you well."
Thorne chuckled low.
Liora studied Jax like someone peering through a microscope at something lifeless on a slide.
Jax moved ahead by a single pace.
Kairos broke the silence. His voice carried weight without effort. It settled like dust after a storm.
"Enough."
Jax froze.
A sudden blink came from the holographic screen. After that, a jagged skip appeared. Code raced sideways - wild, uneven. Shapes bent, snapped, then stitched themselves into words again.
New words appeared.
Addendum – Information Removed by Admin Authority
Now labeled an act of self-protection. The person involved bears no blame. Records locked away forever.
The lights on the display faded out. Darkness took over the monitor slowly.
The cube reformed - empty.
A second chime.
Backward came ten thousand points to E. Voss. The bid no longer stands.
Shouts broke out among the onlookers.
Elara's smile vanished.
She spun toward Liora. "What the hell was that?"
Liora's fingers flew across her tablet. "System error. Or… someone with higher clearance."
Thorne growled. "Find them."
Again, Elara looked across the atrium. This moment, her gaze moved like water - careful, low. Hunting without sound.
That moment, his back faced me.
A long sigh slipped out of Jax, as if his lungs had waited forever to release it.
"You…?"
Kairos stayed silent. Off he moved, heading straight for the door.
The challenges kept coming. Not a pause in sight.
This time around, just one piece showed up.
Once variables appeared, their numbers grew quickly - spreading through equations like sparks across dry grass.
When dusk came, the atrium stood empty. Most pupils drifted away, some sore, others tallying scores. Live updates flickered on screen - Class A led, yet wobbled at edges. Here, a Class B name rose. There, Class D stayed unchanged.
Barely.
Alone again, Kairos stepped into his room. The door clicked shut behind him.
Fingers brushed the wood grain before resting still. The drawer slid open without a sound that time.
A light appeared where none had been before.
Access granted at faculty tier - pulled through temporary override. Eighteen thousand points covered it, drawn quietly across three Class A pools using a rerouted channel.
His eyes locked onto the subtraction.
Folded the book shut after finishing.
A gentle tap sounded on the wood. Then silence waited.
He didn't move.
Still, the latch gave way.
Frozen in place, Jax looked less gray now, his chest rising slower. Then came a breath - deeper, steadier than before.
"You hacked the system."
Kairos leaned back. "I didn't hack anything."
"Bullshit. You rewrote the file. You refunded her points. You made it look like a glitch."
Kairos said nothing.
Inside, Jax went. The door shut behind.
"Why?"
"Because public humiliation is a weapon. And I don't let amateurs wield it against my pieces."
Jax laughed - short, bitter. "I'm a piece now?"
"You always were. The difference is, now you're a piece I protect."
Silence stretched.
Jax rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know whether to thank you or punch you."
"Pick one. I'll survive either."
For a stretch of silence, Jax watched his face.
Then: "You're not normal, Vale. You never were."
"I know."
Jax started walking away. Then stopped right by the doorway.
"One more thing."
Kairos waited.
"Elara's looking for you now. Really looking. She knows someone pulled strings. And she's patient."
Quiet came Kairos's words. Not quite a whisper, yet nearly tender.
"Good."
The door closed.
A shadow held Kairos still. Night pressed close.
Far off, the glow of streetlamps still flickered awake.
Forty-eight hours now instead of seventy-two.
The Trials continued.
Between what people noticed and the hidden truths they missed, that quiet space is where Kairos started sketching the following mark.