The results had been out for less than an hour, and already Orion felt no fist-pumping euphoria. Just silence. The kind that followed him, even with the whole Confederacy buzzing about his performance. Across the screens and across the stars, they called him the prodigy.
But all Orion could think about was what came next.
He stood by the massive viewport in his temporary dorm, overlooking the sprawl of the city below. The tournament grounds were already being cleared.
Behind him, a digital message flickered on the holoscreen. A list of rewards. Invitations. Scholarships. And at the top—a personal offer from the Academy Council: access to rare genetic booster protocols, the kind only awarded to top rank.
Orion didn't even blink at it.
He raised his hand, opened a direct channel to his mother.
It took two seconds for Valeria Zey'ran Reyes to answer.
Her voice came through crisp and calm. "I can't say I didn't expect this call. Congrats on your amazing performance, little star," she said with a faint, knowing smile.
Orion didn't waste time. "Thanks, Mom," he said, voice measured. "Are the boosters really worth it?"
Valeria didn't respond at first. Her image blinked into full projection—shoulders draped in an embroidered shawl, her dark hair shimmered under the ambient glow of the twin suns.
"You don't seem thrilled," she observed, her smile gentle but searching.
Orion shrugged. "Everyone else wanted those injections," he said, voice even. "I'm just… not comfortable giving them access to your research."
Valeria tilted her head slightly. "For most candidates, those boosters could mean surviving the next Trials. For you…" she said, pausing as her tone softened, "they're practically inert. Your physiology's already beyond baseline."
Orion arched a brow. "Because of the Pythea system?" he asked, suspicion curling under the calm.
Valeria nodded. "You've already absorbed and locked in traits from at least three xenotypes," she said, her voice calm and edged with quiet confidence.
She leaned back in her chair. "To put it bluntly, Orion, there's not much those boosters can do that your body hasn't already begun doing better," she said, her tone flat but assured.
He exhaled through his nose, turning back to the window. "So I was right to ignore them."
Valeria's voice softened, "They're not useless. But they're not essential to you. You didn't get first place to win them. You got first place because you didn't want to waste your potential."
He was silent for a moment, fingers brushing the edge of the window.
"Not just that," he said, eyes fixed on the distance. "I want to give them away."
That actually gave her pause. She leaned back slightly, arms crossing as she studied him through the projection.
"To whom?" Valeria asked, her gaze narrowing just slightly.
"I haven't decided. I thought maybe Ingrid. She earned more than they gave her, and you know how hard she works. But there's this other kid, too, he fought through hell to make top 100." Orion said, his voice calm but tinged with frustration.
Valeria's expression tightened. She studied him in silence, a trace of caution behind her measured tone. "That's a generous move. Risky, too."
"I didn't win for the boosters," Orion said, his tone steady but distant. "And I don't need them."
"Correct," she said, watching his reaction. "You've already integrated xeno-traits. You're evolving in ways the academy barely understands. The boosters would be redundant." Her voice lowered slightly. "But to someone else, they might be everything."
Valeria nodded. "Ingrid could use it. But so could that commoner. It depends what you're trying to cultivate—loyalty or potential," she said evenly, weighing each word.
He glanced away from the holoscreen, thinking.
Valeria's eyes softened. "Then make the choice for yourself," she said, her voice low.
Orion gave a short nod, folding his arms as he turned back to the viewport.
"I'm going to train in Varakh," he said finally, his voice steady but laced with quiet resolve. "For the next two years."
That made her pause.
"You're going to your father's homeland?" she asked, her voice calm but with a flicker of unease.
Orion nodded. "Yeah. It's isolated. Full of alien beasts." He paused, eyes narrowing. "Some of the rarest xeno-species cross over through the cracks in that territory." His voice lowered. "Better to have every edge I can get."
She gave a nod of approval, her expression unreadable. "You're your father's son in more ways than one."
Orion chuckled, though there was a strain in it. "Yeah, well. I also plan to spend time with the family."
"I'm glad," Valeria said, her voice dipping as if easing into something vulnerable. "You deserve to let yourself rest."
Orion's eyes lingered on the lights below.
The call ended with a pulse of light.
Orion stood there for a while longer.
A moment later, Varun appeared in the holofeed—half silhouetted in some quiet chamber, arms folded, his face unreadable as always.
"When are we leaving?" Orion asked, cutting straight to the point.
Varun's voice shifted subtly. "Did something happen?"
Orion crossed his arms, his gaze sharpening with a familiar intensity—the kind Varun had seen countless times during their training sessions. "I ran into someone after the match."
"Oh?" Varun replied, his tone measured but curious.
"Aren Zoltan."
Varun blinked. "Zoltan? The Vice Director?"
"The one and only." Orion let the name linger, studying how it settled on Varun's features. "He cornered me. Said he hadn't seen spear work like mine since Yonatan."
Varun frowned slightly. "That old man doesn't throw around compliments like that without meaning them."
"So what did he want from you?" Varun pressed, leaning forward.
Orion exhaled slowly, masking his unease with practiced calm. "Said he'd been waiting for someone like me for years. Talked about how the spear chooses its wielder—blah blah, all that poetic nonsense old men love spouting."
Varun leaned back slightly, suspicion creeping into his expression. "Don't tell me you blew him off."
"I did," Orion said flatly.
Varun's eyes widened. "You _what_ ?"
The holo shimmered as Varun sat up abruptly. "Orion—are you completely out of your mind?"
Orion smirked faintly. "You should've seen his reaction. He didn't even bat an eye."
"Of course he didn't," Varun muttered, still incredulous. "He probably said you sounded just like Yonatan—and respected that arrogance of yours."
"I figured if he was serious, he could afford to wait a year while I finish what I started here."
Varun stared at him for a long moment before exhaling sharply through his nose. "So... you agreed."
"I did." Orion's voice dipped slightly, carrying a hint of resolve. "But I made it clear I already have a master."
Varun sank back into his seat, visibly taken aback. For once, his usual composure cracked. "You really don't lack for nerve, do you?"
Orion shrugged casually. "Hey, wasn't it you who taught me to think for myself? Don't act surprised when I actually do."
Varun shook his head, letting out a weary chuckle. "Remind me to knock some sense into you the second you land."
Orion's grin softened. "Looking forward to it."
A brief silence stretched between them before Orion added, "I'll be heading to Varakh. Thought I'd spend the next year training there."
Varun's gaze sharpened, approval flickering across his face. "Good choice. It'll break what's weak in you and refine what survives."