The alarms shattered the academy's silence at 03:17 standard time.
Ibukun woke to the sound of armored boots storming through the dormitory halls. The System's alert pulsed before his eyes even fully opened:
**>> INTRUDER ALERT: CELESTIAL LEAGUE COMPLIANCE TEAM
>> OBJECTIVE: NEURAL SCAN VERIFICATION
>> THREAT LEVEL: CRITICAL <<**
He was out of bed and halfway into his training gear when the door exploded inward.
---
### **The Inspection**
Three League enforcers in white tactical armor filled the doorway, their visors glowing with scanning arrays. The lead officer's voice boomed through his helmet's modulator:
**"Ibukun Oluwaseyi. By order of Director Veymar, you will submit to immediate neural verification."**
Behind them, Coach Drayven stood with his arms crossed, his cybernetic eye whirring dangerously. **"This is a violation of Academy sovereignty."**
**"Article 14 of the Celestial Charter overrides academy privilege,"** the enforcer countered, producing a holo-warrant that shimmered with Veymar's personal sigil. **"We have reports of illegal cognitive enhancements."**
The System calculated options:
**>> EVASION PROBABILITY: 2.3%
>> COMBAT SUCCESS RATE: 0.8%
>> COMPLIANCE STRATEGY: ALTERED NEURAL READINGS REQUIRED <<**
Ibukun extended his arm. **"Scan away."**
---
### **The Deception**
The neural scanner's cold prongs bit into his temples. The enforcer's console lit up with streaming data—every synapse, every neural pathway laid bare.
**>> SYSTEM COUNTERMEASURE ACTIVATED: "GHOST DANCE" PROTOCOL
>> FALSE NEURAL PATTERNS GENERATED
>> SCAN RESULTS:
>> - 0% FOREIGN IMPLANTS DETECTED
>> - ELEVATED QI LEVELS ATTRIBUTED TO OBSIDIAN THRONE TRAINING
>> - ABNORMAL ANTICIPATION SKILLS FLAGGED AS "GENETIC ANOMALY" <<**
The lead enforcer scowled at the readout. **"Clean. But these reaction times..."**
Coach Drayven snatched the scanner away. **"I recruit the best. Now get out of my academy."**
As the enforcers retreated, the coach's mechanical eye locked onto Ibukun with unsettling intensity.
**"My office. Now."**
---
### **The Truth in the Files**
Drayven's office walls were lined with trophies and holos of past teams. But the file he pulled up wasn't for show—it was classified League footage from twenty years prior.
The playback showed a younger Drayven moving with the same uncanny anticipation Ibukun possessed.
**"They called it 'The Foresight Gene,'"** the coach growled. **"One in ten million have it. The League hunts us like rare animals."**
Ibukun's breath caught. **"Us?"**
Drayven tapped his cybernetic eye. **"This isn't an enhancement. It's a replacement. They took the original when I refused their 'offer.'"**
The System's alert blinked:
**>> COACH DRAVEN'S CLAIM:
>> - 78% VERACITY
>> - 22% OMISSIONS
>> WARNING: DO NOT REVEAL SYSTEM EXISTENCE <<**
---
### **Nyx's Bargain**
She was waiting in the shadows outside the academy gates.
**"Veymar won't stop,"** Nyx said, pressing a vial of shimmering silver liquid into his palm. **"This will fool any scanner for 48 hours. But it's not free."**
Ibukun studied the vial. **"What do you want?"**
**"Protection. Krazith knows I helped you."** Her gold eyes gleamed in the moonlight. **"I need sanctuary."**
**>> SUBSTANCE ANALYSIS:
>> - NEURAL CLOAKING AGENT (TEMPORARY)
>> - NO KNOWN SIDE EFFECTS
>> NYX'S MOTIVES:
>> - 55% SELF-PRESERVATION
>> - 45% HIDDEN AGENDA <<**
He pocketed the vial. **"Stay close. But cross me once..."**
Nyx smiled. **"I know how this ends."**
---
### **The Cost of Power**
That night, the System's toll hit harder than ever.
**>> NEURAL DEGRADATION: 71%
>> SYMPTOMS:
>> - VISUAL SNOW (INCREASING)
>> - PHANTOM SMELLS (BURNING WIRE)
>> - RIGHT HAND TREMORS (NEW)
>> CRITICAL WARNING: EXCEEDING BIOLOGICAL LIMITS <<**
Jay-Jay's hologram flickered weakly at the foot of the cryo-pod.
*"Kid... you're burning out..."*
Ibukun sealed the pod, letting the freezing mist swallow him whole.
---