The holographic screens above the arena flickered and died. The underground generators spun down into silence. Down on the sand, the smell of acid and blood sank into the dirt.

  ?Up in the observation deck, the air was suffocating. The faculty murmured, processing the butchery they had just evaluated.

  ?Cornelius did not speak.

  ?The Headmaster remained seated. He stared at the dark tunnel where the Higan girl had vanished. His usual warmth was gone. His jaw set.

  ?He stood.

  ?Leather creaked. The quiet sound cut through the whispers. Silence rippled outward. Dozens of senior instructors turned toward the center of the room.

  ?Garo exhaled a rough breath and crossed his arms. "Wave Two is over, Headmaster. Vicious batch. The survival rate is acceptable."

  ?Cornelius ignored the Chief Examiner. He kept his eyes on the empty sand.

  ?"Lock the doors."

  ?He didn't shout. The quiet command dropped the room's temperature.

  ?"Cut the feeds," Cornelius turned to face the faculty. "Sever all communication crystals."

  ?Professor Elwyn stiffened. He clutched his leather satchel until his knuckles turned white. Silas frowned, exchanging a tense look with the combat staff.

  ?An instructor stepped forward. "Headmaster? You heard about the documents?"

  ?"I did." Cornelius clasped his hands behind his back. "My apologies, ladies and gentlemen. Student evaluations are no longer our priority."

  ?He swept his gaze across the room. People stopped breathing.

  ?"Emergency faculty meeting," Cornelius declared. The weight of his office anchored the words. "Right here. Right now. Nobody leaves until we discuss the Subterranean Archive."

  ?Pressure clamped down on the deck.

  ?"The Archive?" an examiner broke the quiet. "Could a student have wandered down there during the simulation?"

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  ?Professor Thorne scoffed. She leaned against the glass. "Don't be naive. That layout isn't on any blueprint. Only the people in this room know it exists."

  ?Silas shifted his weight. His hand drifted to the wand holstered at his hip.

  ?"If the students don't know..." Silas said slowly, "and the wards didn't trigger... are you suggesting one of us opened that door?"

  ?The implication hung like a drawn blade.

  ?Professors subtly distanced themselves from their neighbors. Eyes darted. Trust shattered in a heartbeat.

  ?Cornelius watched the paranoia spread. He let out a tired breath.

  ?"Lower your hand, Silas," Cornelius ordered smoothly. "It wasn't any of you."

  ?He met their panicked stares.

  ?"I know my staff. Nobody here betrayed the Academy. And a student didn't just stumble down there by accident."

  ?He let the silence pull their attention tight.

  ?"My hypothesis..." The Headmaster narrowed his eyes. "Someone slipped a pawn into our first-year class."

  ?The room ignited.

  ?Whispers hissed. Sharp intakes of breath. Several professors scowled, muttering grimly. A spy passing their rigorous evaluations meant a catastrophic security failure.

  ?Cornelius raised a hand, smothering the panic.

  ?"Do not jump at shadows," he stated. "Continue your grading. But increase your surveillance. Scrutinize their behavior. Track their ether signatures."

  ?He turned back toward his chair.

  ?"And relax. The stolen Eternus file was merely a supplementary record." A faint, unreadable smile touched his lips. "The core text they actually want... remains sealed in my personal office."

  ?Shoulders dropped. The suffocating tension broke.

  ?Cornelius gave them a final look. "This meeting is classified. Dismissed."

  ?The buzzer sounded. The waiting hall filled with noise as Wave Two concluded.

  ?Ethan hit the bench. It echoed. He groaned, violently rubbing his head.

  ?"My brain hurts," the giant grumbled. "Those freaks blowing a gasket, and that ghost girl grabbing bare steel... We gotta learn with these psychos? Man, I'm starving."

  ?"You're always hungry..." Roy mumbled. He buried his face in his arms on the table. "Too loud. Wake me if they pass out bread..."

  ?"Wake up, lazy!" Ethan slapped the table.

  ?Roy flinched.

  ?Vanessa ignored them. She adjusted her glasses, analyzing the data scrolling across her terminal. "Damage metrics exceeded projections. Statistically, the administration must overhaul the next evaluation framework to prevent fatalities."

  ?Marcus leaned against the concrete wall.

  ?He didn't speak. His slum instincts screamed. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

  ?He looked past the crowd, scanning the mezzanine balconies. Instructors in dark coats stood at various vantage points.

  ?Their posture had changed.

  ?They weren't lounging. They stared down at the recruits. It wasn't an examiner grading a test. It was a mechanic looking for a hairline fracture in a rigged engine.

  ?They were hunting for faults.

  ?"Marcus?" Vanessa noticed his silence. "Is something wrong?"

  ??Marcus shoved his hands into his pockets, clenching his fists tightly. He pulled his eyes away from the balcony.

  ?"We need to be careful," Marcus kept his voice low. His eyes darted between his friends. "The people upstairs... they aren't just watching us anymore."

  ?Ethan raised an eyebrow. "What's that mean?"

  ?Marcus checked the security cameras in the corners. He stepped closer to the group.

  ?"It means from right now..." Marcus whispered, "nobody breaks the mold. They're hunting someone."