Chapter 11:The Performance Ends

"We wear masks, and the time comes when we cannot remove them without removing some of our own skin."

— André Berthiaume

The halls of Vatra Prime Academy were a marvel of modern engineering and ancient knowledge, blending seamlessly into the celestial landscape of Vatra itself. Towering structures of obsidian and glass stretched towards the sky, their surfaces shifting between transparency and opaqueness depending on the cycle of the artificial day. Energy fields pulsed in rhythmic waves, forming invisible barriers and pathways that guided the students through the academy's vast campus.

Zane had seen it a thousand times, yet the sight never grew old. The academy was alive, a thriving organism of ambition, knowledge, and unrelenting pressure.

Today, however, he wasn't paying attention to the scenery. His thoughts were occupied by the strange file in his hands, the restricted clearance report given to him by his uncle.

It wasn't unusual for the academy to admit powerful students, the best and brightest from across the system. But never had someone been added to the roster after the admission period. It simply didn't happen.

And yet, someone had forced an exception.

Zane skimmed the file again as he walked, searching for something—anything—that would explain why the academy had bent its rules for one person.

Lily.

No last name. No planet of origin. No recorded affiliations.

Her entry into the academy was marked only by a single directive from the Higher-Ups.

The Higher-Ups.

That phrase alone had been enough to silence his uncle.

Zane wasn't stupid. There were layers to power, and beyond the academy's board, beyond the elite families and planetary rulers, there were forces that even the academy dared not challenge. If they had decided Lily belonged here, then no one—not even the Headmaster himself—could refuse.

Which meant that whoever she was, she wasn't just another student.

And that made Zane curious.

---

He spotted her immediately.

She was standing near the registration terminal, her gaze fixed ahead, but not on anything specific.

Even among the varied student body—some human, some post-human, and others entirely alien—Lily stood out.

She wasn't doing anything. Not fidgeting, not interacting, not even pretending to check her holopad like most new students would. She just stood there, silent and still, as if she had been placed in that spot rather than having walked there herself.

Her uniform was pristine, untouched by the day's activities. Her hair, a deep shade of black, had an almost unnatural stillness, despite the faint artificial breeze created by the academy's atmospheric regulators. Her expression was unreadable—not blank, but calculating.

She was watching, but not engaging.

Zane adjusted his posture, shifting into his usual easy-going demeanor. If there was one thing he was good at, it was making people open up.

"Welcome to Vatra Prime Academy, home of overachievers, future warlords, and unnecessarily complex entrance exams." He grinned, extending a hand. "I'm Zane. You must be the mysterious late admission."

Lily's eyes flicked to his outstretched hand. Slowly, almost curiously, she lifted her own—but instead of shaking his hand, she barely touched his palm, then withdrew.

Zane blinked. That was...different.

"That was almost a handshake," he remarked, keeping his tone light.

Lily didn't respond.

Undeterred, he launched into the usual tour.

"This is the Central Atrium, where we pretend to study but mostly gossip."

"Over there? The Zero-Gravity Training Wing. Unless you enjoy vertigo, avoid it."

"And this? The Sky Bridge. The best place to watch people dramatically storm off after a duel."

She followed, silent. Observing.

He expected her to ask something—most students did. Even the stoic ones would at least comment on the academy's facilities. But Lily just absorbed everything.

Zane studied her in return.

She didn't seem nervous. Nor did she look lost. In fact, she seemed perfectly fine being out of place.

That was what unsettled him.

---

They had been walking for nearly fifteen minutes when Zane finally sighed, stopping in his tracks.

"Okay, seriously—what is your problem?"

Lily paused, tilting her head slightly. "Problem?"

"Yes! Problem!" He gestured wildly. "I've met quiet people, shy people, even weird people, but you? You're just—" He searched for the word. "Empty."

She blinked, then answered in a tone that was completely devoid of sarcasm.

"I thought you were performing."

Zane frowned. "Performing?"

"I didn't want to disrupt your performance."

His irritation gave way to confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"People act when they are performing," she stated simply. "You were acting, so I assumed it would be rude to interrupt."

For the first time in years, Zane felt something unfamiliar settle in his chest.

Discomfort.

He had never been read like that before.

His entire life, people had bought into his charm, his easy confidence. It was effortless. It was natural. It was him.

Wasn't it?

"...What makes you think I was acting?" he asked carefully.

Lily regarded him with the same detached curiosity she had shown since the beginning.

"The way your smile holds tension—it doesn't reach your eyes. The slight hesitation before you respond, as if calibrating reactions. The way your voice carries undertones of strain, suggesting it is not your natural tone."

Zane stared.

His ever-present grin flickered. For a fraction of a second, it was gone.

Lily didn't react to his silence. Instead, she added, almost absentmindedly:

"You are also curious. There is something you want to know, but you do not show it."

Zane felt a cold sensation creep down his spine.

He had always prided himself on reading people, on understanding them before they understood him. Yet now, in the span of a few minutes, this strange girl had stripped away layers of himself that he hadn't even realized were visible.

His smile faltered completely, then reappeared just as quickly.

Lily watched his face.

Then, as if confirming something, she nodded.

"...Seems the performance is over."

And with that, she turned and walked away, leaving Zane standing there, his confidence shaken for the first time in years.