The F-Class dorms were quiet. It was 11:00 PM.

  Amari lay on his thin mattress, staring at the ceiling. His body was vibrating with a low, constant hum. It was the Steel Bones. He could feel the density of his own skeleton pressing against the mattress. He felt heavy, anchored, and dangerous.

  He checked his status one last time.

  [Status Window] [System Ping: Monitoring Active...]

  Name: Amari Malik Age: 18 Rank: F (Pending Review) Physique: Void Body (Stage 2: Steel Bones) Mana: 0 / 0 Title: Apex Predator (+10% Dmg to Beasts)

  "Zero," Amari whispered. "Perfect."

  He closed the window. He needed sleep, but his mind wouldn't shut down. He kept replaying Bronson’s advice about the Golem’s thermal blind spot. Two feet. Directly behind the exhaust vent.

  It was a suicide zone. If he slipped, the Golem would crush him. If he succeeded, he would humiliate the Dean.

  Needing fresh air, Amari grabbed a hoodie and climbed out the window, scaling the drainpipe to the flat roof of the dormitory.

  The night air was cool. From here, he could see the glittering lights of the Hero Class villas across the campus—golden towers where Caelum and his friends were likely sleeping in silk sheets.

  Amari wasn't alone on the roof.

  Sitting on the edge, her legs dangling over the side, was Elara.

  She was wearing her new Salamander Weave Vest over her pajamas, as if she was trying to get used to the weight of it. She was hugging her knees, staring at the massive stadium in the distance.

  Amari walked over quietly. His footsteps made no sound.

  "You should be sleeping," Amari said.

  Elara jumped, nearly falling off the edge. She scrambled back, clutching her chest.

  "Amari!" she gasped. "Don't sneak up on me like that. My heart rate is already at 120."

  Amari sat down next to her, keeping a respectful distance. "Nervous?"

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  "Terrified," Elara corrected. She looked at the stadium, which was illuminated by floodlights for the final preparations. "I looked up Miller's file. He's a Water Mage. He's ranked 50 spots lower than me, but... what if I freeze? What if I forget the 'Heat Wave'?"

  "You won't," Amari said. "Muscle memory is stronger than fear. You practiced the expansion technique for three hours yesterday. Your body knows what to do."

  Elara looked at him. In the moonlight, the bruises on his face from the boiler room training looked stark. His knuckles were scabbing over.

  "How do you do it?" she asked softly.

  "Do what?"

  "Turn it off," Elara said. "The fear. You're fighting a Titan, Amari. It's a machine designed to kill things ten times stronger than you. And you're sitting here like... like you're waiting for a bus."

  Amari leaned back on his hands, looking up at the bruised purple sky.

  "I don't turn it off," Amari said. "Fear is data. It tells you what can hurt you. If you ignore it, you die. If you let it drive, you crash."

  "So you are scared?"

  "No," Amari said. "I'm hungry."

  Elara let out a short, incredulous laugh. "Hungry. Of course."

  She went quiet for a moment, tracing the zipper of her tactical vest.

  "Amari," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Why do you fight so hard? You could have just... coasted. You could have stayed in the back of F-Class and been safe. Why pick a fight with the Dean? Why fight the whole world?"

  Amari looked at her. He saw the admiration in her eyes, the way she leaned slightly toward him. He knew what she was asking. She wanted an emotional answer. She wanted him to say he was fighting for justice, or for her.

  But Amari didn't have room for romance. Not yet.

  "Because the enemy won't stop," Amari said, his voice flat and hard. "The monsters in the dungeon? The Dean? The Mana God? They don't care if we're safe. They only care if we're weak."

  He stood up, brushing gravel from his pants.

  "I fight because I refuse to be livestock."

  He looked down at her. "Get some sleep, Elara. Tomorrow, you aren't a student. You're a soldier."

  He turned and walked back to the drainpipe.

  Elara watched him go. She pulled the vest tighter around herself, feeling the warmth of the enchantment. It wasn't the answer she wanted, but it was the answer she needed.

  "A soldier," she whispered to herself.

  The Next Morning

  The sun rose blood-red over the Vanguard Academy.

  Horns blared across the campus.

  [ATTENTION CADETS] [THE TOURNAMENT OF HOUSES HAS BEGUN]

  Amari stood in front of the mirror in his room. He wasn't wearing armor. He was wearing a simple black tank top and loose grey combat trousers. He taped his wrists. He taped his ankles.

  He looked at his reflection. The 18-year-old face stared back with 38-year-old eyes.

  "Time to go to work," Amari said.

  He opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

  The Glitch was online.