The Academy cafeteria was a chaos of colliding sounds—clattering utensils, overlapping voices, and occasional laughter. Brando hesitated at the threshold before entering, feeling strangely out of place. It was the first time he had set foot in this environment since the Pit incident.

  The infirmary for low-ranks had kept him isolated for a couple of nights. He wasn't seriously injured and hadn't suffered permanent damage, but the KryoPill that Giordano had given him had severely forced his body's natural healing properties. The doctors had insisted on keeping him under observation to ensure his Cold Veins wouldn't collapse after the regenerative effort.

  Brando moved between the tables, feeling the whispers that followed him like ghosts. Voices lowered as he passed, heads turned, and various eyes stared. He was no longer simply "the Zeta," the low-ranking anomaly to be mocked. Now he was "the survivor." The [Violet One] who had descended into a Pit and returned to tell the tale.

  "Hey, look who's back from beyond the grave!"

  Giordano's familiar voice broke the tension. He was sitting at a table in the remotest corner of the cafeteria with a full tray in front of him. A light scarf circled his neck, covering the still-visible marks of Bianca-Glacial's fingers. His smile was the same as always, but his eyes had something different about them, a caution that wasn't there before.

  "They finally gave you permission to mingle with us mere mortals?" Giordano continued as Brando sat down heavily in the chair across from him.

  On Giordano's tray, next to a steaming cup of coffee, was a crumpled sheet with the Academy letterhead. He had gotten something for Brando to eat too: a still-warm sfogliatella riccia, a cream-filled croissant, and a sugar-dusted doughnut, an authentic taste of Neapolitan culinary tradition.

  Brando helped himself without saying anything. After all, Giordano could order whatever he wanted. Being an Omega, even if a bastard, still gave him privileges that a Zeta could only dream of.

  "I didn't know what you'd be in the mood for," Giordano said. "But I figured anything would be better than that shit soup they give to you plebeians."

  "Thanks," Brando murmured, stuffing the sfogliatella into his mouth and ignoring being called a plebeian. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until the first bite made his stomach growl like an awakened beast. "That's damn good," he thought.

  "So you've been in the low-ranks infirmary all this time," Giordano muttered, casting a wary glance at nearby tables. His eyes briefly paused on a group of students who were staring at them without making any effort to hide it. "I was discharged yesterday. What did they do to you?"

  "Tests, mostly," Brando replied in a low voice. "I was discharged last night too and ate all my meals there. They wanted to make sure there wasn't any kind of damage."

  "Or maybe they wanted to make sure you hadn't seen too much," Giordano lowered his voice even further, leaning toward Brando. "Things have changed, Brando. In two days, they've completely rewritten reality."

  "What do you mean?"

  Giordano looked around once more, then pushed the sheet he had toward Brando. "Read."

  Following the incident of September 15, 2095, cadet Giordano Volpe is ordered to maintain absolute confidentiality regarding all observed events. Disclosure of unauthorized information will be considered a serious violation of the Vesuvius Academy Code of Conduct, punishable by immediate expulsion and potential legal action. This order has immediate effect and indefinite duration.

  "You've missed quite a few updates," Giordano said, leaning forward and lowering his voice. "Esposito and Michelotti have been relieved of duty. Boom, gone, swept away in one fell swoop. The official reason? 'Gross negligence for leading students into an unauthorized zone.' They've basically made them the scapegoats for this whole mess. The official version mentions a level two uncatalogued Glacial. No mention of Deviants, secret laboratories, or Bianca transforming into a monster."

  Brando nodded slowly, breaking off a piece of sfogliatella. "Do they already have a replacement for Esposito?"

  "Yes, a certain Captain Ferretti," Giordano replied, pointing to the signature on the silence order. "A really strange woman in her forties. You know, she had a container of ice cubes next to her, and all she did was crunch on them endlessly. She seemed to really enjoy it—while she talked she went crunchy crunchy."

  "Crunchy crunchy?" Brando couldn't help but smile.

  "Yeah, like she was eating chips," Giordano shook his head. "Anyway, I was summoned early this morning, and they'll probably call you too. If it got out that there was a Deviant among the students, a witch hunt would break out," Giordano continued, lowering his voice even further. "Imagine the paranoia: 'What if there were others? What if my roommate was a monster in disguise?' Better to keep our mouths shut."

  Under the table, Rusty raised his head—he was there too. The puppy had grown larger in the last week. Now he was the size of a medium dog, more lively and robust.

  Brando pulled out his KryoWatch and showed Giordano the data it had collected:

  [Sync Ice - Level 2]

  [Ability: Creates temporary neural connections with Pseudo-Glacial beings]

  [Effectiveness: Increased with organisms of lesser mass]

  [Warning: Prolonged use not recommended. Risk of psychic fusion]

  Giordano's eyes widened as he read. "Psychic fusion? What the hell does that mean?"

  The day before, just after being discharged from the low-ranks infirmary, Brando had gone to the southeast enclosure. He had needed to take Rusty for his check-up for a few days already, but hadn't had the chance yet.

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  As they approached the enclosure, Rusty began to bounce excitedly. His third eye glowed intensely, and the puppy made those metallic sounds that Brando had learned to interpret as signs of joy.

  The attendant who greeted them was the same as last time.

  "Ah, here's our special case," the man said with a smile, observing Rusty with interest. "He's grown quite a bit since last time."

  Brando nodded. "I wanted to get him checked and... maybe let him socialize a bit with others like him? He's always been with me, he's never had the chance to interact with other Pseudo-Glacials."

  The attendant rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "We usually don't allow visitors into enclosure one, but..." he studied Rusty, who was staring at him with all three eyes, his tail wagging frantically. "I suppose we could make an exception. His mutation seems perfectly stable now."

  Ten minutes later, Brando found himself inside enclosure one, a large area surrounded by fifteen-foot barriers of permanent ice. The ground was a mix of volcanic rock and icy zones, with some genetically modified trees designed to resist low temperatures.

  It was like being in a strange zoo. Creatures of every shape and size moved freely. There were those that looked like dogs, but with forked tails. Cats with fur that changed color depending on the refraction. Even a snake with crystal scales that slithered along a rock.

  "They're all low-level Pseudo-Glacials," the attendant explained. "Essentially animals that aren't completely transformed, but not exactly normal either."

  Rusty immediately launched into exploration, curiously sniffing every creature he encountered. Most seemed to accept him without issue, some even played with him.

  A larger Pseudo-Glacial, a kind of blue wolf with a lion-like crest, approached. It was imposing, at least three times Rusty's size, with white pupil-less eyes and fangs that sparkled in the light.

  "That's Frost," the attendant said. "He's been here for three years. A bit territorial. Let's see how he reacts to your puppy."

  The wolf stopped a few steps from Rusty, studying him. The puppy showed no signs of fear; on the contrary, he almost seemed to challenge him with his third eye pulsing intensely. It was then that an idea occurred to Brando.

  Why not see what Sync Ice consists of? No one's watching me anyway.

  The attendant had moved away to check on another Pseudo-Glacial that seemed agitated. Brando took advantage to concentrate, feeling the cold flow through his Cold Veins in a different way, almost electric. A sphere of ice materialized in his palm, but it wasn't the usual violet ice or Rust Ice. This one was laced with brilliant blue veins that pulsed like electric circuits.

  "Rusty," he called softly.

  The puppy turned immediately, responding to his master's voice. When he saw the sphere of Sync Ice, all three of his eyes fixed on it with an almost hypnotic intensity.

  Brando cautiously offered it to him. "Want to try?"

  The puppy swallowed it without hesitation, as he always did with Rust Ice. For a moment, nothing happened. Then Rusty's third eye began to glow intensely, and Brando felt... something else in his mind.

  It was like looking through multiple windows simultaneously. He saw through Rusty's eyes, perceived the smells that he perceived. The world appeared different: colors were less vivid, but contours more defined. Smells were a complex symphony of information that Brando's human mind struggled to interpret.

  Rusty slowly approached the blue wolf. The larger animal lowered its muzzle, sniffing the puppy with curiosity. It was then that Brando's experience expanded further.

  Like a bridge forming between them, Brando's perception extended to the wolf's body. It was more of a gentle guidance than control, like suggesting instead of commanding. For a few minutes, Brando was able to "suggest" movements to the larger creature, making it turn, sit, even emit a particular sound.

  When the connection ceased, Brando found himself on his knees, as exhausted as after a marathon. The KryoWatch on his wrist vibrated, informing him of a sharp increase in Sync Ice experience.

  The attendant returned, finding Brando panting slightly.

  "Everything okay?" he asked, concerned. "You look a bit pale."

  "Yes, just... a bit tired," Brando replied, standing with difficulty. "It was interesting to see Rusty interact with the others."

  The attendant nodded, but his gaze had become more attentive, more scrutinizing. "You know, it's curious. For a moment, Frost behaved very strangely. Almost as if someone were guiding him."

  Brando kept his expression as neutral as possible. "Really? I didn't notice."

  "An animal controller ability?" Giordano whistled softly after hearing Brando's account. "So now you're a monster tamer?"

  "It's limited by my current level," Brando explained, lowering his voice. "A real Glacial would be too powerful for me. Even if I managed to establish a connection, I don't think I could maintain it for more than a second."

  Giordano looked at Rusty wagging his tail under the table. "Not even if you tried with a low-level Glacial?"

  "I don't know, the ability only mentions Pseudo-Glacials. But that's not the only thing I discovered."

  Brando hesitated, feeling the weight of what he was about to reveal. Then he decided to completely empty the bag.

  "The technician showed me the results of Rusty's blood tests. There were traces of an artificial substance in his system when I found him."

  "What do you mean?" Giordano frowned.

  "Someone had given Rusty a compound that accelerates Glacial mutation. That's what was driving him crazy the night Ripa attacked me."

  Giordano's eyes widened to become two perfect discs. "Are you saying someone deliberately sabotaged Rusty to make you go out after curfew? To get you beaten up by Ripa?"

  Brando nodded slowly. "The technician identified the compound. It's an experimental stimulant developed by Esposito's department."

  The revelation fell between them like a blade. Esposito, the Lieutenant who hated Brando, had orchestrated the entire situation to get him in trouble. And now Esposito had been relieved of duty, not for this manipulation, but for not properly handling the situation with Bianca.

  "That bastard," Giordano hissed, clenching his fist until his knuckles turned white. "He could have killed you. If Ripa had hit a little harder, or if you had hit your head in the wrong place..."

  "Let's forget it," Brando said. "Speaking of Bianca..."

  Brando stared at the now-empty plate, feeling a knot form in his throat. Should I tell him or not? The doubt tormented him, but after everything they had been through together, he felt he had to do it. "Bianca told me not to trust you."

  Giordano stiffened as if struck by an electric shock. "What?"

  "In the Daedalus. When she gave me the pass, she warned me to be careful who I trusted. She specifically mentioned you."

  A tense silence formed between them. Giordano looked hurt, confused, then suspicious. His expression changed rapidly, as if he couldn't decide what reaction to have.

  "Why are you telling me this, then?" he finally asked, with a controlled voice. "If she told you not to trust me?"

  "Because after what happened in the Pit, I'm no longer sure who the untrustworthy one is." Brando looked his friend in the eyes. "You saved my life down there. Esposito tried to kill me. And Bianca... I no longer know who or what Bianca is."

  Giordano pressed his lips together, reflecting. "I'm not perfect, Brando. I'm a Volpe bastard, I carry a name I shouldn't have, and sometimes I act like an asshole just because it's easier than admitting how much it hurts to be a disappointment to those around me."

  He paused, shifting his gaze to the other students who were still watching them from afar. "But I would never betray you. Not after all this."

  Brando felt something loosen in his chest. A knot he didn't even know he had was slowly untying.

  "I know," he said simply. "That's why I told you."

  Then suddenly the sound of the Academy's loudspeakers filled the environment. A metallic voice, cold and impersonal, announced:

  "Attention to all students and staff. An extraordinary meeting is convened in the Main Auditorium at 09:00. Attendance is mandatory. I repeat, attendance is mandatory."