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### **AFTERSHOCK ACADEMY**
**Chapter 3 – "Tension Between Sparks"**
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#### **Scene 1: First Bell Madness**
The day began with chaos—usual business at Aftershock Academy.
Luke Salvator walked through the academy gates with his hands in his pockets, his maroon uniform tie undone, that calm, heavy aura trailing behind him like fog. Students gave him space without realizing it—like he was some kind of walking wildfire.
Wah strutted beside him, messing with his gauntlet watch. "Bro, I'm telling you—today's the day I hit A-Rank. Magneto who?"
Boy zipped up with a gust of wind and a donut in hand. "Y'all sleepin'. I'm about to break the sound barrier and the rankings."
Giant, walking silently behind them, pushed up his glasses. "You're all forgetting one thing."
They turned.
"What?"
Giant pointed to the towering screen above the courtyard:
**RANKING CEREMONY – 10:00 AM**
**ALL STUDENTS REQUIRED**
"Oh damn," Wah muttered. "That's *today*?"
***
#### **Scene 2: Power Proficiency Test**
The arena was packed. Hundreds of students lined up in their year groups as faculty and exam drones hovered overhead. Each student would step onto a **Linzite Core Pad**, have their **energy scanned**, their **combat skill evaluated**, and then…
Their **initial power rank** would be displayed for all to see.
E to S. Rumors said there was something **above S**, but no one had ever seen it.
Luke rolled his neck as his name was called.
He stepped onto the glowing circle, hands in his pockets. The arena lights dimmed slightly as the core flared to life beneath his feet. Blue lines spread out like veins across the platform.
A holographic voice echoed:
**"Lwarh Salvator. Power level… analyzing…"**
The screen above the stadium flickered. Drones short-circuited. One even exploded.
**"Rank: S — Provisional."**
The arena gasped.
Even the teachers looked stunned.
Wah's jaw dropped. "Ain't no way—S already?"
Boy shook his head, grinning. "Man skipped ranks like it was a playlist."
Luke stepped off calmly. "Guess they like me."
Wah was next. When he stepped onto the pad, magnetic fields warped slightly around him. His score flashed:
**"Rank: B+"**
"Yo let's gooo!" he shouted, throwing up a fist.
Boy followed, wind sparking under his shoes.
**"Rank: B"**
"Easy. Light work," he smirked.
Giant stepped on, the aura around him quiet but dense. The Linzite glowed bright white.
**"Rank: A"**
The crowd murmured again.
But then… came the transfers.
***
#### **Scene 3: Transfer Shock**
Three students stepped forward at once.
**Zero** — the pale, silver-haired boy with red lenses, stepped onto the pad with no expression. The platform didn't just light up—it cracked.
**"Rank: S — Silent Designation."**
"What the hell does that mean?" Wah asked.
Giant answered without looking up. "It means his full profile is classified. He's not here to *learn*. He's here to *watch*."
Next, **Noxie**. Neon-streaked hair, casual as ever. She stepped onto the pad like she was bored.
The scanner hesitated. Then blinked.
**"Rank: A++"**
Wah choked. "What kinda Mario Kart rank is that?!"
Last was **Cael**—the chill, dancing dude with the bladed earrings. He slid onto the pad with a smirk.
**"Rank: A"**
But the energy output seemed… wrong. Too calm for that level of power.
"Something's off," Luke muttered. "They're hiding something."
Giant whispered, "Or someone's hiding it *for* them."
***
#### **Scene 4: Whispers Beneath**
That night in **Echo Ruins**, the four boys sat around a newly opened sub-level chamber. Ancient lights flickered across the stone as they reviewed the day's footage.
"I don't trust those three," Wah said. "They're too chill for people who just flexed on the whole academy."
Boy nodded. "They didn't react to anything. It's like they already knew what everyone would get."
Luke stood quietly in the center, staring at a glowing wall. Engraved into the stone was something new—a **seven-circle symbol**, with four glowing softly.
Only Giant dared say it aloud. "There's seven of them."
"Seven what?" Wah asked.
"Seven high-level power holders. Maybe even above S."
Luke stared at the circles. One was glowing in the exact pattern his aura flared with when he fought.
A shadow flickered across the ruins.
***
#### **Scene 5: A Message Unseen**
Meanwhile, deep within the academy's faculty building, three shadows met in silence.
Noxie leaned against the wall, spinning a tiny blade in her fingers. Cael sat upside down on a couch, headphones in. Zero stood still, facing the wall.
A voice crackled from a hidden comm inside the floorboards.
"Phase One: Complete. Salvator is ranked. The others are confident. Maintain closeness. Await trigger."
Noxie chuckled. "And if he suspects us?"
The voice paused. "He already does."
***
**\[TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 4 – "Marked and Masked"]**