"Understanding how the world works is the first step to controlling it."
---
After the high from the chessboard game, the students filed out of the dome-shaped hall still buzzing with whispers about Lucian's victory. But there was no time to bask in praise—the next class loomed ahead.
They followed the crimson-carpeted halls toward the eastern wing of the academy, where the more intellectual and analytical subjects were housed.
Lucian, Nyra, and Kael made their way up a wide staircase into a lecture theater unlike anything Lucian had seen before.
Instead of desks and blackboards, the room was structured like an arena—steep, circular tiers surrounding a transparent floor that looked down into what seemed like a holographic lab.
A tall, lean professor with sharp glasses and pale skin stood at the center of the room, waiting with hands clasped behind his back. His lab coat was embroidered with silvery threads, the insignia of House E on his shoulder.
"Welcome to The Anatomy of Power," he announced with a voice like steel. "I am Professor Halden Crane. In this class, you will learn how systems—biological, political, societal—are constructed, manipulated, and ultimately… controlled."
He raised a hand, and a glowing, lifelike hologram flickered to life on the glass floor beneath them. It was a layered model of the human brain, surrounded by floating data streams and interconnected systems.
"Power isn't always force," Crane said. "Often, it's hidden in structure—subtle, invisible… insidious. Today's lesson: the mechanics of influence. We will deconstruct persuasion, authority, and manipulation."
Lucian leaned forward, intrigued.
"To understand control," Professor Crane continued, "you must understand the levers. Let us begin with a practical simulation."
The Simulation:
Each group was given a case study—an AI simulation of a fictional nation's political crisis. The students had access to news outlets, intelligence reports, social media, and hidden files. Their task: steer the country into a stable future… or seize control themselves.
Lucian's group was assigned a fractured nation with rising unrest. Riots in the streets, divided leadership, and conflicting media narratives.
Nyra immediately went for influence—altering headlines, crafting subtle misinformation to discredit opposition figures.
Kael took a more direct route, appealing to military factions in the simulation, trying to use force to establish control.
Lucian, however, did something different. He traced the source of the nation's unrest to economic disparity and systemic corruption embedded in the lower echelons of leadership.
He enacted quiet reforms. Placed his own simulated agents into media and educational roles. Instead of a coup or public declaration, he slowly reshaped public opinion, built a narrative of change, and turned the most vocal critics into allies through hidden incentives.
By the end of the simulation, while other groups had chaos or dictatorships, Lucian's nation had transitioned into a new era—under his quiet rule. Most people didn't even realize they'd been manipulated.
Professor Crane's Feedback:
Crane watched in silence, then spoke:
"Mr. Vale. You didn't take power. You made them give it to you. That… is mastery."
The students stared at Lucian again—this time with a mix of awe and wariness.
Kael grinned. "You're terrifying, you know that?"
Nyra glanced sideways. "He didn't beat the game. He rewrote the rules."
Lucian just smirked faintly.
---
The sun dipped beneath the spires of Academia Noctis, casting the sky in violet hues. Long shadows snaked across the towering stone buildings, and the glowing lamps lining the courtyard flickered to life, bathing the marble paths in a warm, eerie glow.
Lucian stood at the window of his dorm, watching the shadows lengthen like fingers. Today had been… revealing. A battle of minds, a brutal chess match, and a strange feeling that he was being measured—not just by students, but by something far deeper. More ancient.
A knock pulled him from his thoughts.
Nyra stepped in without waiting for a response, holding two wrapped pastries. "Looked like you missed dinner."
Lucian took the one tossed his way and sat on the edge of his desk. "You're going to make this a habit?"
She smirked. "Depends. You planning to keep being the most interesting mystery in this place?"
They shared a quiet moment, the tension between them more palpable now. She studied him like she was still trying to decode something.
"You know the Obsidian Court noticed you today, right?" she said. "People are already whispering."
"Let them."
Nyra tilted her head. "You're not like the rest of us."
"I never said I was."
Something about the way he said it made her pause—but she didn't press.
As she left, Lucian returned to his desk. He flipped open his notebook—one of the few things he brought with him. The page still held the crescent moon symbol and the name: Selene Vale.
He was about to close it when a sudden flicker drew his eye to his terminal—a soft blue glow pulsed on the screen.
He hadn't touched it.
The screen blinked on by itself.
Then words appeared:
"Project Lunaris: Active."
"Protocol VEIL unlocked."
Lucian's heart skipped a beat. That phrase—Lunaris—he hadn't seen it since… since his mother vanished.
The terminal blinked again, this time revealing an encrypted file, marked: "Subject: Dr. S. Vale. Location: Redacted."
Lucian leaned in, fingers hovering over the keyboard. Before he could act, the screen glitched and went black.
Gone.
He stared at the reflection of his face on the screen, heart pounding.
Someone had accessed the terminal remotely. Someone knew he was here. And someone had just shown him that his mother's work—her disappearance—was connected to Academia Noctis.
The pieces were starting to move.
And he was being watched.