I barely managed to store the completed mech in my spatial nexus ring before I opened the lab door and collapsed.
When I woke up, two days had passed. Master Cyra was sitting by my bed. She saw I was awake and gently tapped my forehead. “I thought I was
obsessed. I didn’t expect to get an apprentice who’s even crazier than I am.”
“Get up,” she said, smiling. “Eat something, and then we’re going to the academy. Everyone is waiting for you to stun the world.”
I was the last student to submit my graduation project. Even Seraphina, who had been released after a few days in custody, had already submitt- ed hers. The highest–ranked mech so far was a Level 9 mid–grade, built by Kira. Seraphina, likely affected by the recent events, had only managed a Level 8 mid–grade despite using top–tier materials. Her score didn’t even place her in the top one hundred. When I saw her, she had an air of utter
defeat. The feed was nowhere to be seen.
Most of the student body was there, waiting to see my mech’s data. They had been waiting at the academy since early morning. Even though I
was used to the attention, I felt a flutter of nerves.
I took a quiet breath as my mech was wheeled into the testing apparatus. I closed my eyes and counted. One, two, three…
I opened my eyes. Huh? Nothing was happening.
The technician blinked, rebooted the system, but the machine still showed no reading. The testers never malfunctioned. Could there be a problem
with my mech? That was impossible. I had triple–checked every step.
Just as panic began to set in, Master Cyra and Master Valerius spoke in unison.
“Bring in a higher–range tester.”
Chapter 2
“Bring in a higher–range tester.”
My eyes, and the eyes of every student in the room, went wide. Someone gasped.
“Could it be… a Level 10 mech? That’s a level only a Grandmaster can build!*
“It’s possible! The standard testers only go up to Level 9 high–grade.”
21 16
“It’s more than possible! Remember, Luna built a Level 8 mid–grade in her second year. Of course she’s improved since then! And she found some
incredible materials during the trial.”
“Master Valerius was twenty when he built his first Level 10 mech. Luna isn’t even eighteen…”
Under the chful eyes of the entire academy, my mech was moved to the new machine. In the pin–drop silence, three seconds passed. A single
beep echoed through the hall, and a set of numbers lit up the display.
The room was silent for a full thirty seconds. Then, someone started screaming. Maybe it was me.
“Aaaah! Level 10 mid–grade! It’s a Level 10 mid–grade mech!”
“Am I dreaming? Did I just witness the birth of a new Grandmaster? And she’s my classmate?”
“I… I… I sat next to a Grandmaster!”
Level 10. Mid–grade. At my age, it was unprecedented.
Tears streamed down my face. I’d never been so emotional in my life. I was babbling. “Master, I did it.”
“Mom, Dad, Leo, did you see? Level 10.”
“I’m a Grandmaster Artificer.”
Cyra pulled me into a fierce hug. “Yes, you did it.”
My mother ran over and hugged me too. “My baby is the best!”
My father was crying harder than I was, grabbing the arm of the person next to him and shaking it. “Level 10! Mid–grade! My daughter! My daugh-
ter did it! Did you see?”
My brother grinned from ear to ear. “I should have studied mech engineering. Maybe I’d be the famous one today.”
The joyful atmosphere was shattered by an arrival.
It was Julian Pierce. Stripped of his inheritance, expelled from his teaching position by a petition signed by the entire student body, he had just been released from custody.
He held a bouquet of flowers. He walked through the crowd and stopped in front of me. He offered me the flowers, his eyes holding a tenderness!
had never seen before.
“Luna, congratulations on becoming a Grandmaster.”
“If you ever have any professional questions,” he said, his voice soft, “you’re always welcome to discuss them with me.”
I took two steps back, away from the flowers. I smoothed the emotion from my face and offered him a smile that was all ice and distance.
“I have my own master to answer my questions, but thank you for the offer. Perhaps you should use this time to comfort your dear Sera. She’s
over there, crying.”
His smile froze. He opened his mouth to say something else, but he was swamped by a tide of students rushing toward me.
“Grandmaster, let me touch you for good luck!”
“Master, are you taking apprentices?”
“Master, do you need someone to sweep your workshop?”
Surrounded by them, I laughed, my heart full and light.
