Grey’s usual relaxed expression had disappeared. Instead, he looked unusually serious. "Someone from Shadowridge High has awakened this year."

  As the words left his mouth, a murmur spread through the classroom. It wasn’t unheard of for some students to try awakening on the official awakening day when there would be equipment to assist them, but those who could awaken earlier on their own were undeniably special. Genius, even.

  Brookhaven High, though considered the best in Dune, had never had a student awaken early.

  Of course, there were those who couldn’t awaken on the official day but eventually did so after months or years of training. However, these were typically students past their prime, with limited potential. It was a rule that had been established over many years.

  "The school is under a lot of pressure because of this, so they’re offering a huge reward," Grey continued, pausing for effect. "Anyone who awakens on the official awakening day will be given a cash prize of one million!"

  The room erupted into whispers. For most of the students, whose parents worked regular jobs and earned only six or seven thousand a month, a million dollars was an astronomical amount. With that kind of money, you could move to a safer city or buy all the training resources you needed—it was more than enough to change your life.

  "I guess I won’t be getting that," Drayke groaned, speaking for most of the class. "Storm, Cassia, you two have the chance."

  Cassia twirled a pen between her fingers, seemingly uninterested, while Storm sat rigidly, his eyes fixed ahead, radiating an aura, "don’t talk to me."

  Axel couldn’t hide the slight quickening of his breath. He had scored in the low seventies on his last test, and while he was envious of the opportunity, his goal was simple: to increase his Force just enough to get into a good university.

  "Alright, let’s head to the test," Grey said, snapping everyone back to attention.

  The hallway buzzed with noise as the students made their way to the playground. With graduation fast approaching, everyone’s nerves were on edge. A crowd had already gathered outside, and each class had a designated teacher for the test. Grey led the way as Axel and the others followed.

  "Congrats, Wraith, looks like your class has three standouts!"

  A loud, booming laugh came from nearby, and Axel turned to see a middle-aged man with slicked-back hair and a layer of powdery makeup beaming with pride. He was speaking to the dean of teaching, a dark-skinned, no-nonsense figure.

  "Haha, I'm just lucky," Wraith said with a smirk, though his face already gleamed with satisfaction.

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  There were twelve classes in the grade, and typically only two students per class could score above 90 on the test. So far, Wraith’s class had managed to surpass the average, and he was clearly enjoying the attention.

  "Hmph, what a sycophant," Grey muttered as he led the class past the exchange.

  Grey seemed to sense the murmurs and turned sharply, his voice cutting through the chatter. "Enough! What are you all mumbling about? Get in line and start the test. Drayke, if you talk nonsense again, I’ll make you run laps!"

  Drayke feigned innocence, holding his hands up in protest. "Teacher, I’m not the one talking!" he said, earning a few eye rolls and glares from the others around him.

  The testing machine was simple—a square box with a sensor. All they had to do was stretch their arms over it, and after ten seconds or so, the result would be displayed. Whenever someone scored over 90 Force, they'd be called over to register individually.

  "Tsk, tsk, I’m so envious. Look at that group," Drayke said, gesturing toward a dozen or so students standing off to the side.

  There was an obvious difference in the way they carried themselves—confident, full of energy.

  "Those are the prospects for the special training class. Cassia and Storm from our class will definitely make it in. The awakened ones will personally train them—it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that a lot of people dream of," Drayke sighed, his voice filled with a touch of longing.

  Cassia shot him a sharp glare. "What’s so special about the training class? Most people of them also don’t even manage to awaken. Keep your head up, maybe you’ll surprise everyone and make huge progress after graduation. There are plenty of people who’ve done it."

  It seemed like Wraith heard him, but when he caught sight of Grey, the smile on his face turned into a faint disdain, and he walked off to chat with some of the other teachers, clearly ignoring him.

  "Grey and Wraith still don’t get along." Axel overheard some of his classmates gossiping as they walked to the test station.

  "Yeah, Grey was supposed to be selected as a city-level advanced teacher," Drayke said, his voice filled with mock seriousness. "But you all know how he is…"

  "Too arrogant!" one of the other students added.

  "Exactly. Even though that honor should’ve been his, he didn’t bother with the gifts and favors to leaders…" Drayke continued, his tone full of gossip.

  "But Wraith? He gave a really generous gift, and rumor has it, that’s what sealed the deal for him," Drayke said, lowering his voice.

  "Besides, Grey went straight to the media with it, exposing the whole thing, which pretty much killed his chances for any future evaluations."

  As the students continued to chatter, they glanced over at Grey, who stood alone in front, wiping his eyes as the wind blew through. He wore an old shirt, his thinning hair fluttering slightly in the breeze. On the other side, Wraith and the other teachers were laughing and chatting, oblivious to Grey’s presence.

  It was a little uncomfortable to watch, and the students couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for their teacher.

  The students took their turns, stepping up to the testing machine one by one. It had only been a month since the last test, so most weren’t expecting huge improvements. Still, there was a glimmer of hope in everyone’s eyes.

  "Drayke, last time you were at 73, now you’re at 75."

  "Storm, last time 93, this time 97."

  The tester looked up at Storm, who didn’t seem particularly surprised. He had the same cool, distant expression as always.

  "Storm, please head over there. We’ll register you in a moment."

  People from surrounding classes glanced at Storm, their eyes filled with envy. 97 Force! So close to the threshold of awakening. Even if he didn’t awaken, with that kind of power, he'd easily get into one of the top schools within the city walls.