Dorm D-17 was dimly lit and modest. The walls hummed faintly from old rune lines that powered the school's lower-tier dorms. Alexander stepped inside, surveying the room where he'd be staying—four beds, four desks, no luxury. Just function.
Three pairs of eyes met his.
Jace stood first. Wiry and alert, his expression was hard to read. "New guy, huh? Hope you don't snore."
Milo, already surrounded by open books and system scrolls, offered a nod. "You're the one who put Ryder on the floor today."
The last boy, Zeke, leaned against the wall with arms crossed, quiet. His eyes lingered on Alexander for a moment, then turned away, uninterested.
No one asked questions. No one offered a handshake. That was how it worked here.
Elaris Academy didn't care who you were before—only who you could defeat now.
---
The days passed, and the structure of the academy became clear. Students were divided into tiers, not just by power level, but by influence. The upper echelons—Scion-ranked students—were heirs of legacy families, born into elemental lineages or beast-bound bloodlines. They controlled portals, resources, and territories both inside and outside the school.
Those like Alexander? Unranked. Barely acknowledged unless challenged.
The instructors reinforced the hierarchy. Weakness wasn't tolerated—it was ridiculed. Training sessions were brutal. Combat drills rarely stopped until someone bled or yielded.
"Fall behind," Instructor Vale said during one session, "and you'll be left behind in the real world. Power is your only protection."
That mantra echoed in every hallway.
---
By the end of the week, tension was already building.
Rumors of Alexander's duel spread like wildfire, igniting curiosity—and resentment. The idea that a "low-tier nobody" had humiliated Charles and Ryder didn't sit well with many.
Students began watching him more closely. Some out of interest. Others, out of fear.
Even in Dorm D-17, the atmosphere changed. Jace was more respectful. Milo began asking him questions about his abilities. Zeke... remained unreadable, but he no longer kept his back turned.
It wasn't friendship. Not yet. But it was a start.
---
Back in the main campus, the upper-tier factions had begun expanding their influence. They were forming groups, staking claims on minor portals linked to external zones.
Some of them tried to recruit Alexander, intrigued by his potential.
He declined every offer.
Let them build their empires.
He had a hidden base, a system of his own, and a plan that didn't require permission from anyone.
And the whispers continued.
There was talk of an upcoming school-wide challenge—Faction Trials—where students would officially battle for rift control. A chance for status, territory, and power.
Alexander had no intention of being overlooked when that moment arrived.