Chapter 18: Year One Student Rankings

Top 10 Ranked Students – Year One:

1. Vincent Valenciari – SSS Rank – Dorm A-01

2. Arlen D'Argento – SS+ Rank – Dorm A-02

3. Ezra Cain – S Rank – Dorm A-04

4. Yulia Drex – S Rank – Dorm A-06

5. Kai Solborne – A+ Rank – Dorm B-01

6. Nina Vex – A Rank – Dorm B-03

7. Clara Moretti – A Rank – Dorm B-05

8. Ryker Jian – A Rank – Dorm B-07

9. Tessa Elwright – A Rank – Dorm B-09

10. Noel Stroud – A Rank – Dorm B-10

The rankings sparked immediate murmurs across the courtyard. Names carried weight, but none more than the one at the very top.

The crowd buzzed as names and dorms flashed across the massive floating board. Gasps and whispers followed the first name on the list—Vincent Valenciari—a name few had heard, yet everyone now knew.

Vincent Valenciari.

He didn't pause to bask in the attention. One look at the board, and he turned, hands buried in his coat pockets as he calmly walked toward his dorm.

> So… Arlen's number two. Expected. But I'll need to keep my distance… or close it, depending on how fast he grows.

Faces flashed in his mind—Ezra's mechanical calm, Yulia's rumored unpredictability, Clara's surprising instincts. Each one a possible ally… or threat.

Dorm A-01 stood waiting.

It opened with a near-silent click, scanning him instantly. The room inside was luxurious, outfitted with training modules, personal defense scanners, and a desk filled with Ardent's advanced curriculum. Vincent didn't even flinch.

He shrugged off his coat, sat on the edge of the bed.

And then his phone buzzed.

> Incoming Secure Line: Luciano Valenciari

Vincent accepted.

"Padre."

The smooth, commanding voice on the other end was unmistakable.

> "So. My son makes an entrance grand enough to echo through the old halls of Ardent. Isabel Stroud, of all people…"

"I knew how she'd respond."

> "Of course you did. You were always the reader. And now? You've stepped onto the page."

A pause.

> "You said it, didn't you? The motto."

Vincent smiled faintly. "I did."

> "'For the family, only guns speak.'" Luciano repeated it like a hymn. "Spoken like a Valenciari. Let the world remember it. Let the cowards tremble."

"Let them," Vincent replied softly.

> "The council's watching. Let them watch. You're not here to be average. You're here to reclaim the legacy."

"I'll make them understand the name they ranked SSS."

> "Good. Because the world doesn't remember silence—it remembers gunfire."

The call ended.

Outside, Ardent's skies burned with the color of dusk—deep reds fading into violet as the academy's towers cast long, regal shadows across the courtyard.

Inside Dorm A-01, Vincent leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, his gaze fixed on nothing in particular.

> Reclaim the legacy, his father had said.

Vincent's fingers brushed against the crest carved subtly into his coat's cuff—the Valenciari sigil, almost invisible to unknowing eyes. But here… eyes would start to open.

> SSS Rank. The top dorm. Arlen just beneath me. And Clara… A Rank. That's already a divergence from the novel.

He stood and walked over to the tall window, pulling aside the velvet curtain with a quiet flick.

From here, he could see most of the academy grounds. The dorm wings were separated by class and rank, with the elite residing in the upper plateau.

He spotted movement. Arlen D'Argento, golden-haired and sharp-eyed, exiting his own dorm—A-02. The silver trim on his coat shimmered with quiet arrogance. Their gazes met for a fleeting second.

Neither flinched.

> So it begins.

Vincent let the curtain fall back into place.

Then came a knock.

He turned, cautious but composed.

A small envelope slid under the door.

He walked over and picked it up.

The seal bore the official Ardent Academy emblem, but the handwriting on the front was elegant, sharp… and familiar.

He opened it.

> "To the top-ranked heir, from the instructor who survived your introduction.

Don't keep your guard down, Mr. Valenciari.

And remember—guns may speak… but eyes always watch."

—Isabel Stroud.

Vincent stared at the letter.

Then laughed.

Just once.

He folded it neatly, tucked it into the inside pocket of his coat, and turned back to the window.

This academy had no idea what it had invited in.

But they would learn.

Oh, they would learn.

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TO BE CONTINUED…