Thresholds

The last of the Gauntlet's light faded behind them, replaced by the steady glow of Academy tower beacons lining the Sector-1 transition halls.

Emric walked beneath glass arches still flickering with residual nethra current. A notification pulsed across his sync band:

[Gauntlet Complete – AR Overlay Disengaged]

[Time Elapsed: 12:03:47]

[Vital Sync Stable – Minor Fatigue Detected]

He glanced down at the pulse-scored combat rig still hugging his frame. The heat and grit of the Gauntlet lingered in the fabric, but it felt distant now. Like smoke after the fire had gone out.

The Sector-1 Arrival Bay was already filling with survivors.

Medical drones floated through the crowd, scanning and administering micro-patches. High-clearance officials stood at a distance, speaking quietly with clipboard-bearing instructors.

Then—

"Emric!"

He turned—just in time to catch Karya barreling toward him, still flushed from exertion, jacket tied around her waist, wild strands of hair clinging to her forehead.

He turned—just as Karya collided into him, arms flung around his shoulders without warning. The impact was solid, but it felt surreal , and he instinctively caught her as she wrapped him in a hug.

He froze.

Not from pain but from the heat of her body.

It felt like she had returned home from the way she just… fit there. Or was it him that found a home?

For a moment, the world shrank to her breath against his shoulder, her pulse beating fast like a hummingbird's wing.

Then she pulled back, eyes bright and voice somewhere between a laugh and a breathless scold. "You reckless idiot. I saw your fights, it was a marvel to watch but it was scary at the same time. Didn't know you had the tendency for crazy."

He blinked. "You were watching?"

"Of course I was watching." She punched his shoulder lightly. "How else was I supposed to scream at your reckless choices in real time?"

He laughed, rubbing the spot. "In my defense, I made it out."

"I saw," she said, more softly now. "You finished seventeenth, Emric."

He looked down, suddenly shy.

"I didn't expect it," she added. "Not because you're not brilliant but because… you didn't even awaken until what? Phase One?"

He nodded slowly.

"I'm proud of you," she said.

That should've been the end of it.

But then she grinned in that particular way that made him nervous.

"…Though I did notice how close you got with Virell Suna," she said, elbowing him. "And don't think I missed the synced proximity readouts from Kestrel Varn during the final five minutes."

Emric's ears burned. "It wasn't like that."

"Mhm. Of course not. You just attract high-risk girls by accident."

He groaned. "Karya"

She gave him the most infuriatingly smug look. "You're lucky I'm too tired to properly interrogate you right now."

It was only then that Emric realized how many nearby students were eyeing them. And how long the hug had lasted. He stepped half a pace back, clearing his throat.

Karya blinked as if coming out of a fog, then glanced around.

Her expression faltered for the barest second. "Right. Uh…"

"Well, well," came a familiar voice. "You two finally hug it out and the world doesn't explode. Color me shocked."

Lio strode over, his smile razor-edged as usual, but this time there was genuine amusement behind it. "What's next? Holding hands during orientation?"

"Lio," Emric groaned.

"Don't worry, I'm thrilled for you. Honestly, it was getting painful to watch."

Karya rolled her eyes. "He's exaggerating."

"I'm really not," Lio said, smirking. "We've had bets."

Emric narrowed his eyes. "You what?"

Lio winked. "Ask Vessa Dray. She started the pool."

Karya covered her face. "Oh my god."

They all burst out laughing—loud, tired, and unfiltered.

The tension broke like a shell cracking open.

The teasing finally eased, though the grin still hadn't left Lio's face.

Emric shook his head, but the warmth lingered. Karya hadn't let go of the moment completely either—her eyes still flicked toward him now and then with a softness she rarely let show.

A sharp whistle cut through the crowd behind them.

"Vale!"

Emric turned, just as Roan jogged up from the west archway, a half-unwrapped protein bar in one hand and a scarred baton strapped to his thigh. Behind him came Brin, already joking with someone out of earshot, and Tammel, slouched with the look of someone who'd only stayed awake by sheer spite. Kestrel brought up the rear, hair damp from a hasty rinse, rail launcher now replaced with a standard compact on her back.

"There he is," Roan said, clapping Emric on the shoulder. "You disappear the moment we touch down? Was worried you got kidnapped by some hot girls after watching you pull off those amazing stunts."

"Looks like I was right." He said glancing at Karya with a knowing look.

"I got ambushed," Emric said, nodding toward Karya and Lio. "Emotionally."

"Hi," Karya said smoothly, studying the group with open curiosity. "So you're the maniacs who dragged him into fighting that peak Tier-D?"

Brin saluted. "Proudly."

Kestrel smirked, eyes already sizing Karya up with a subtle glance. "You really are beautiful."

"Thanks?" Karya tilted her head to hide the obvious embarrassment. It was totally unexpected.

"Emric did talk about you a bit." Tammel said, yawning.

Emric coughed violently. "I—what?"

Kestrel raised an eyebrow. "Relax. It was cute."

Karya turned toward him, victorious glint in her eye. "Really now?"

Emric mumbled something under his breath.

Roan grinned. "Anyway. We were heading toward the quartering announcement zone. Pretty sure Skynet's about to drop the housing assignments."

"Yeah, we figured," Lio said, folding his arms. "All major screens are syncing to the master feed. Dorm allocation are supposed to be based on rank."

"I heard they're grouping by combat tier this cycle," Brin said. "Some kind of new structure for streamlining squad formations."

"Based on sync score and performance variance," Kestrel added. "Skynet flagged some of us for potential specialization. Tammel's hoping to sleep through his."

"Hey," Tammel protested. "If snoring was a talent, I'd be Apex-tier."

The group shared a laugh as they merged with the flow of Initiates heading toward the main plaza beneath the Academy's Phase-Two Archive Tower. Overhead, massive transparent panels began flashing updated data feeds.

Emric walked between them all—his old world on one side, his new on the other. He kept catching Karya's gaze in the corner of his eye, then catching Kestrel catching that. Brin and Lio had already started arguing about phase two leaderboard ranking, and Roan was sharing combat logs with Tammel on one screen and a conspiracy theory about the Gauntlet's compressive design on another— and why there was no mention of the third phase of the gauntlet.

For the first time since awakening, Emric felt… surrounded.

Not just by people, but by possibilities.

Kestrel nudged him lightly as they neared the plaza steps. "You good, hero?"

He glanced back at Karya, who was smiling like she'd already heard that nickname a thousand times.

"I'm… figuring it out," he said.

Kestrel grinned. "Well, good. Because we'll all have to depend on each other going forward."