The Weapon That Was Never Registered

[Location: Nova Academy – Technical Training Hangar]

The day began with a loud noise. Not a massive explosion shaking the floor, but a sharp, mechanical thud—sudden and alarming. One of the simulation weapons being tested suddenly went out of control and exploded. Thin smoke curled up from the barrel's end, followed by small sparks flaring from the charred control panel. The local alarm activated automatically, and instructors rushed to the scene.

Several cadets within the firing zone were immediately asked to move away. A holographic yellow line appeared, separating the danger zone. I stood on the far edge, half-hiding my face behind a training tablet, but my eyes kept tracking the shattered pieces of that device from a distance.

There was something strange about the way it exploded. It didn't look like a malfunction or a damaged system. It felt more like... a deliberate overload. As if a hidden trigger had been activated at a very specific time.

Ryn approached, his voice low but firm. "Did you see that?"

I nodded, still staring at the remnants of the explosion. "That's not academy-issued equipment. At least... not from the official catalog."

Kael arrived quickly, his expression serious for the first time since I'd met him. In his hand was a technical scan tablet with live data.

"I tried scanning it using full-spectrum mode. And you won't believe this," he said, enlarging the display.

On the screen appeared the internal circuit layout of the damaged weapon. I squinted. The lines, nodes, and logic paths... were too familiar.

"This... is one of your old blueprints, Der," Kael said, concern in his voice.

My body tensed instantly. "Which one?"

Kael tapped a section of the circuit, highlighting the core layer in red. It was the split-energy system—a failed experiment of mine that I abandoned because it was too unstable.

I sighed. "That one was supposed to be destroyed. I never saved it. Never shared it with anyone."

[Location: Instructor Tessan's Office]

Tessan stared at the damage report on his transparent screen. The technical data came with everything—explosion temperature, pressure patterns, and lingering energy traces. But one detail stood out.

The device's configuration file... was encrypted. And the system recognized the encryption pattern.

A digital signature from an old code. The kind that had only shown up once—years ago, in one of the black-market technology smuggling cases.

"This weapon... was never registered with the academy," Tessan murmured, zooming in on the circuit layout. "But it made it into an official exam?"

He typed rapidly, accessing archived files restricted to senior staff. Names began to appear. But one name was linked to similar circuit patterns more than twice: Deren Arkwright.

[Cutaway – Location: Planet Hyra, Sanctum Faction Headquarters]

Rhaen Yllira, head of the tech analytics and digital security division, stood before a long table surrounded by active projections. Reports from the underground network revealed several unauthorized transactions in recent months.

One of her assistants approached, carrying a specialized tablet with full encryption clearance.

"The prototype used in the recent Nova exam... matches 82% of the underworld design we seized last year from the black market. The similarity is too high to be a coincidence."

Rhaen narrowed her eyes. "Who last accessed that blueprint?"

"The data origin is obscure. But the programming pattern, module structure, and bypass channels... all match old records. The name that shows up... is Deren."

Rhaen said nothing. But her hand moved swiftly, scanning files and opening a communication line to one of their infiltration agents.

"Activate investigation priority. Nova Academy is now a Tier-2 surveillance target."

[Back at Nova Academy – Nighttime]

I returned to my room, head filled with numbers and anxiety. The lights were still dim, and the smell of solder from my old experiment rack still lingered. I sat in my work chair, staring at the storage cabinet.

Some of the old components I had already dismantled, even deliberately damaged so they couldn't be used again. But... if something that flawed made its way into an official exam, there were only two possibilities: someone leaked it, or someone dug it up from the remains of the underworld.

I opened my comm device, fingers moving fast, sending a direct message to Clarice.

"Someone's using one of my old designs. I never registered that anywhere."

The reply came quickly.

[Clarice]: "I suspected as much. I'll track the source. But you need to be ready. This isn't internal anymore. Outside factions are starting to catch the scent."

I stared at the device for a while, then leaned my head back against the chair. My thoughts ran in every direction.

And of course... I wasn't ready.Because all I ever wanted—was just a nap.Not to be the center of an interplanetary investigation.