"You were the girl who was the first to submit her End Project Assignment."

Nova recalled in surprise.

When the Instructor created the End Project assignment, they were given a range of days to submit it, but someone completed it and submitted it on the very first day.

Even Nova herself had yet to truly begin the research, yet a student was already done!

She didn’t forget that name: Zisel Errona.

Zisel didn’t reply after, simply turning her neck back, looking through the clouds that the jet wheezed by.

"How’s Morgaine?"

White asked, breaking the awkwardness.

"Just over there. I’ll see you back in school."

She said to him before stepping away, behind him.

’Huuuuuu,’

White exhaled in unconscious relief, but he had yet to fully finish that when,

BEEEP!

The sound of a beeping echoed out, and there was a notification on his runic watch. It was a message, actually, from someone White wasn’t really expecting.

[Instructor Iritis.]

{Message: You’re in trouble, White.}

It said, and White’s heartbeat rapidly increased before settling.

Instructor Iritis wasn’t the joking type.

If he said there was trouble, then there was trouble, and when White thought of anything that could have gotten him in trouble, he knew perfectly well what it was.

_________

There were no hiccups of any sort getting back to the academy as the jet descended into the hangar, where a teleporter was already waiting.

They got down and took it, and right after, White found himself back in the familiar gathering hall.

Their Outerschool Mission was really over now, but he found Instructors at the door exits, preventing them from leaving.

They were told to wait, under the academy’s command.

He remained, and after about thirty minutes, they stepped in.

It wasn’t just Vice Rohan like at the start. There were a total of four people stepping in, including the Vice himself.

There were three men in full black formal attire, standing behind him like guards.

"Good day, Xybers."

Vice Rohan said.

"First, I would like to congratulate you all on the successful Outerschool Mission. The expected average points the Academy set was 500, and yet, from the accumulation of stats, we got an average of 1,500, exceeding that amount by three times."

"This is a result beyond good, and for that reason, Xtremcyber has decided to reward every single student that partook in the mission."

He said, and in that moment,

BEEEEP!

White heard the sound of beeping, noticing that many of the students got a notification from their runic watches.

"500 Cyberpoints!?"

"That’s insane."

"Everyone got it, too."

He could hear the murmurs, but he knew one thing that most didn’t:

He didn’t get the points.

Though his expression didn’t change much at all, settling neutrally.

"Of course, these 500 Cyberpoints are a general reward the academy gave for the exceptional performance. The special rewards that will be given to the top three, as promised, will remain."

He said as the hall fell silent.

"Well, except for one person."

He added, before his narrowed eyes locked onto White.

"White Deadclaw."

He called out.

"Step forward."

He said, and White stood, walking up to him.

When he reached Vice Rohan’s side, the three guards moved, two holding White by the shoulders and surrounding him.

The change was instantly caught by the students, pressure descending onto the room.

"White Deadclaw is number 1 on the ranking with over 7,000 points, which is more than thrice the points of the second in the ranking."

"He should have been rewarded excellently by us, and we did plan for it, but I’ll be making the announcement."

Vice Rohan said, his voice taking a firm and cold tone.

"White Deadclaw’s reward for being number 1 has been revoked by the academy."

He said, and pin-drop silence followed.

"As for the numbers two and three, they will get their rewards as promised."

"And why isn’t he getting his, when the top two and three are?"

The voice echoed out from none other than Nova, and Vice Rohan replied simply,

"The reason will be sent to every one of your devices in just a couple of minutes."

He said, before he snapped his fingers, and the students watched as the ground beneath them was instantly replaced by a giant vortex.

"You all can return now."

He said, and in seconds, all of the students disappeared into the vortex, which shut closed back.

It left just White, Vice Rohan, and the three other guards.

"Judging by your silence and lack of shock, I guess I can take that as you knowing what your crime is."

Vice Rohan said, bending down a bit until their eyes levelled.

"You won’t be getting out of this easily, White. Not like how you got out of killing a Punisher."

He said, before he snapped his fingers once more, and a massive vortex opened up behind them.

He stepped into it, and the guards followed, bringing White along with them.

__________

It was a massive hall of purple, in the shape of a courtroom, except there was no seat for the audience.

Just one person was sitting down at that high-rising purple desk, and it was none other than White, who found himself standing at the center of the room, beneath him a runic platform.

There were purple chains from the platform that bound his legs tightly to it.

White knew what the runes were this time. They were suppression runes that should have kept him from using Essence energy.

Unfortunately, they did next to nothing, as he wasn’t exactly an Essence Energy cultivator anymore.

Still, he didn’t reveal that, pretending to struggle twice and failing, before turning up.

There, in a hemispheric formation around him, were a total of twelve people.

White recognized just four of them.

"Vice Mimura. Vice Amora and Vice Rohan."

The fourth person he recognized was the one who was next to the person sitting at the head of the table.

A woman with golden hair and eyes.

’The Prison Warden.’

White thought quietly.

[Seems like they’re really taking this seriously, after all.]