Chapter 70| Name Reveal? Is This Sick?

Chapter 70: Chapter 70| Name Reveal? Is This Sick?

"Uhmmm."

Zane opened his eyes to a dark room.

The only light was from the television. Blue-white. Flickering. The specific glow of a screen that had been running for a while in a room where everything else had gone dark.

He lay there for a moment trying to process what he was hearing.

Moaning.

From the television.

He tried to open his eyes properly. The eye bags were doing significant justice to his vision. Everything slightly blurred, the room existing at half resolution.

He blinked.

There was a bottle of oil on the counter.

Dex was in the chair. Facing the television. In his clothes. With some kind of movement happening under the fabric that Zane’s half-asleep brain was taking longer than it should to categorise.

’What the...’ Zane thought.

He squinted.

’Is that what I think it is,’ he thought.

He checked his communicator.

2:45 AM.

He stared at the ceiling for a moment.

’Maybe I’m dreaming,’ he thought.

He closed his eyes.

Thirty seconds.

Opened them again.

Dex was still in the chair. The television was still running. The bottle of oil was still on the counter.

’I’m not dreaming,’ Zane thought.

"Dex," he said.

There was an immediate movement.

The television went off. Dex was in his bed in under two seconds. A movement that would have been impressive in any other context. Covers pulled up, facing the ceiling with the complete serenity of someone who had absolutely not just been doing what Zane had absolutely just seen him doing.

"Hm," Dex said. Casually. "Zane. You’re awake. Unusual for you at this time. What’s up."

Zane looked at him.

"So it wasn’t a dream," Zane said. "I think I just saw you rubbing one off to what looked like a TV commercial or something."

"Pfft," Dex said. "Not me bro. What do you mean. The almighty Dex stooping that low."

Zane stared at the ceiling.

Then laughed.

Short. Genuine. The specific laugh of someone who had woken up at 2:45 AM to something they couldn’t unknow.

"I don’t think it’s a matter of ego," Zane said. "We rub one off once in a while. Just lying though." He laughed again. "Hahaha."

"Shush Zane," Dex said.

Gerald wheezed.

The room was quiet for a moment.

Then Zane looked at the ceiling and thought about something that had been sitting at the back of his head since the dormitory gate yesterday. The girl who had emerged in casual wear. The specific build. Maren’s red face. The boyfriend question that had gone unanswered.

"By the way," Zane said. "Something just came to mind."

"Hm," Dex replied.

"If I wanted to get in with a girl," Zane said. "You know we don’t have privacy in the dorms. First year movements are restricted. How would you even..." He paused. "How would you do it."

A beat of silence.

Then Dex laughed.

Not the short quiet version. A proper laugh. The specific delight of someone who had been waiting for this conversation and was genuinely pleased it had arrived.

"Seems someone just got himself a girlfriend," Dex said. "How cute. My boy Zane growing up. I see you."

"I didn’t say girlfriend," Zane replied.

"You didn’t have to," Dex said. "Skill issues at 2:45 AM. Classic."

Zane looked at the ceiling.

"So," Dex said, settling back in his bed with the energy of someone about to dispense wisdom they had personally field-tested. "You have options. The clinic — nobody questions why two students are there late. The toilet — not glamorous but functional. Guest room on the third floor — it exists, most first years don’t know about it. Gym room after hours — equipment and space, no questions." He paused. "Although — I’m genuinely sorry for you. First years can’t get exit passes so leaving campus is out unless under certain conditions ."

Zane absorbed this information.

"I just wanted privacy," Zane said." School can’t be this bad, at this point it’s a prison".

"That’s what they all say," Dex said." But don’t worry you’ll scale through.

"I’m being serious," Zane said.

"So am I," Dex said. "The guest room is your best bet. Third floor. East wing. Nobody uses it. Just saying."

Zane stared at the ceiling.

’The guest room,’ he thought. ’Third floor. East wing.’

He filed that under information received.

"Talking about privacy," Zane said. "Didn’t expect much practical advice from you."

Dex laughed again.

"Shush," Dex said. "Go back to sleep."

Gerald wheezed.

The television stayed off.

The bottle of oil remained on the counter making no comment about itself.

Zane closed his eyes.

’Guest room,’ he thought. ’Third floor. East wing.’

The timer ticked in the corner of his vision.

『 BOUND TARGET QUEST — Time Remaining: 6 days 22 hours 15 minutes 』

’Six days,’ he thought.

He fell back asleep before Gerald’s next wheeze.

_ _

The Aldren Academy official blog updated at 9:00 AM.

Zane was in the middle of his Impact Breaker reps when his communicator buzzed.

He had to do training alone today because Maren have filed up for some stomach upset. Her message coming through at 5:50 AM before he’d even left the dorm. He’d read it, filed it, and headed to the training grounds alone for the first time in weeks.

The corner was quieter without her.

He pressed his palm flat against the wall. Impact Breaker at 65%. The shockwave rolling through the composite surface the same way it always did — clean, controlled, 0.79 seconds.

Except there was no pad behind him. No burst sequences running. No water break at twenty reps where he’d sit slightly closer than usual.

Just the wall and the reps and the imaginary Gerald’s wheeze still somehow audible in his head from muscle memory.

Zane checked his communicator between reps.

ALDREN ACADEMY — FIRST YEAR HERO NAME SUBMISSIONS

Class 1-A and 1-B submissions now published. Congratulations to all students on completing this milestone.

He scrolled through the list.

Names he recognised. Names he didn’t. The full first year intake mapped onto hero identities for the first time.

Maren Cass — Stellar Blitz.

He almost smiled.

’There it is,’ he thought. ’Published. Official.’

He kept scrolling.

Then stopped.

Zane Calloway —

He stared at it.

Code Zero.

On the official academy blog. Published. His name beside it. The thing that had been sitting in his notebook for ten days now existing in the world outside the notebook for the first time.

He looked at it for a long moment.

Then put the communicator in his pocket and pressed his palm flat against the reinforced wall.

’Code Zero,’ he thought.

He charged Impact Breaker at 65% output.

The shockwave rolled through the wall.

He started his reps.

The blog post had moved through the building by 10:00 AM.

By the time Zane arrived at Classroom 1-A the social weather had already shifted. Students who’d seen the list were doing the specific thing students did when a piece of information landed in a room before the subject of it arrived. Conversations that stopped just slightly too quickly, the particular attention of people pretending not to have attention.

He sat down.

Ryan Castellan was two rows to his left.

He looked over.

Ryan looked at his communicator. Then at Zane. The expression of someone who had read the name and was deciding what to do with it.

Then the corner of his mouth pulled slightly.

"Code Zero," Ryan said quietly. Not loud enough for the room. Just enough. "So you managed to pull something out of those dumb four words."

Zane looked at him.

"At least it’s a hell of a lot better than yours," Zane said.

Ryan frowned.

"That’s not for you to decide Calloway," he replied.

"Can’t take what you give ah," Zane said.

Ryan stared at him for one second.

"Shut up," Ryan said. Turned and faced front.

Zane faced front too.

The corner of his mouth pulled slightly.