The Triangle did not celebrate Dreyden's evaluation.
That silence mattered more than applause ever could.
There were no public announcements. No congratulations. No sudden spike in attention from lower-ranked students. The academy absorbed the results the way a machine absorbed data—quietly, efficiently, without emotion.
Which meant it was processing.
And when the Triangle processed, it optimized.
Dreyden felt the shift the next morning.
Not in training.
Not in class.
In the rules.
The first sign came during rankings.
He wasn't challenged.
That alone was unnatural.
For students within his bracket, challenging up or down was routine—a way to probe strength, siphon merits, or simply test reputation. Dreyden had expected at least a handful of opportunistic fights after the evaluation.
None came.
Instead, he received something else.
A formal notice.
Not mandatory.
Not optional.
ADVANCED TRACK OFFER — PROVISIONAL
