"Good morning, students."
The loudspeaker crackled to life, the principal's voice echoing through every hallway and classroom.
"As you know, today is the day you'll be partaking in the Rank Designation as third years."
The fluorescent lights of the auditorium buzzed and flickered overhead, casting a sterile glow over the sea of students packed into rows of metal folding chairs. Whispers filled the air—some excited, others nervous.
Wondering what Rank Designation is?
It's a tradition, a trial… and a humiliation.
All third years are tested and sorted into six ranks: S, A, B, C, D… and if you're like me, **Null**.
The one rank that means you're not even worth measuring.
Your rank decides everything—your guild prospects, your future assignments, even where you're allowed to live.
I shifted in my seat, trying not to look as anxious as I felt. Everyone else buzzed with anticipation. I just wanted to get through the day without being reminded I didn't belong.
"Hey, Ty!" Mike's voice cut through the noise, nearly making me jump.
He plopped down beside me, wide-eyed and grinning. "You ready for the test, man? I can't wait to find out my rank. You know it's been rough keeping up with the seniors, especially the Big Three."
I gave him a dry look. "Let's just get this over with."
He blinked. "Right, sorry. Just… trying to stay positive."
Then he leaned closer. "By the way—I read your text. Why was the President at your house?"
I didn't answer. I just closed my eyes—and remembered.
---
### **FLASHBACK**
I sat stiffly on the living room couch. My parents flanked me, tense and silent. Across from us stood the President of Earth's Unified States, calm and too collected.
"Hi, Tyrone," he said, offering that polished political smile. "How have you been?"
"Mom? Dad?" I asked. "Why is the President in our house?"
The room felt colder.
I'd heard the rumors—how normal humans had gone extinct, how superhumans now ran the systems of Earth and beyond. Mars and Europa had already replaced their militaries with augmented squads. Earth was lagging behind.
"We've been monitoring your development," the President said, his tone shifting, more clinical now. "Your DNA is... unusual. It contains both human and superhuman properties. You're the first of your kind."
My heart dropped.
"We believe you could be the key. A bridge between what humanity was… and what it must become."
I didn't know what to say. My thoughts scrambled for answers.
What did this mean for my future?
Was I an experiment? A weapon? A mistake?
Then he mentioned a place.
**Io.**
Jupiter's moon.
A research colony buried beneath its frozen crust.
A place filled with secrets, with things not meant to exist.
And somehow, I was connected to it.
---
### **Back to the Present**
Mike jogged beside me as we left the auditorium, the sunlight hitting like a spotlight—too bright, too cheerful for the weight in my chest.
"Sounds like you had a crazy night," he said, nudging me.
"Yeah. We'll talk about it later," I muttered. "Right now, we've got a test to survive."
But as we crossed the campus lawn, one word echoed in my mind:
**Io.**
A frozen moon.
A buried secret.
And maybe—just maybe—the key to unlocking what was buried inside me.