Ironwood's expression remained tense as he stared at the scroll before him, the image of Ben Grey illuminated on the screen. The young man sat quietly on the bullhead, oblivious to the attention he had drawn. His fingers moved across the surface of his scroll, occasionally muttering to himself, seemingly lost in thought. It was a stark contrast to the profile pulled up beside the live feed—one that painted an enigmatic picture.

The title "Lord Ben Grey" stood out, underlined in the report. It seemed more like a fantasy than a legitimate claim, especially here in Atlas, where nobility and the recognition of such titles were taken very seriously. Ironwood's brow furrowed as he considered the information. A town in the frigid wilderness, unrecognized by the Kingdom and still supposedly self-sufficient? It was too convenient, too clean, and too suspicious.

"Winter," Ironwood began, his voice low and commanding, "I need your honest assessment."

Winter Schnee, standing at attention nearby, took a step forward, her eyes already analyzing the information. "Sir," she began, glancing at the live feed of Ben and back to the data. "If this 'Lord' title is true, he should be grieving—or at the very least showing some emotional signs—if his town was destroyed. But he doesn't have the air of someone who's lost something so personal and significant. There's a casualness to him that doesn't align with someone coming from tragedy."

She paused, studying further. "More than that, he's too young to be leading a town. The only plausible explanation is that the town might never have existed in the first place."

Ironwood gave a grim nod, his hand brushing over his chin as he mulled over the possibilities. "But if the town didn't exist, Winter... how did he get it into our system? How did it go undetected by Atlas security protocols?"

Winter pointed to a section of Ben's profile, focusing on the technical inconsistencies. "That's what concerns me the most, sir. Either he's an extraordinary hacker, capable of bypassing Atlas' systems, or—"

"Or he had help," Ironwood finished, a deep sigh escaping him. His fingers tapped impatiently on the desk before bringing up another image on the screen. A face appeared, older, with a cunning gleam in his eyes—a man who had betrayed Atlas before.

"Arthur Watts," Ironwood muttered, the name leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. "If Ben Grey is connected to Watts, we're dealing with more than a simple mystery."

Winter tensed at the name, her attention sharpening. Watts, a man responsible for some of the worst betrayals Atlas had ever faced, was not someone to take lightly. If Ben had any ties to him, the situation could spiral into something far more dangerous.

"As the head of security for the Academy," Ironwood continued, his tone grave, "I'm putting this task in your hands, Winter. Discreetly investigate Ben Grey. Find out if there's a connection to Watts, and if there is—" he paused, making sure she understood the gravity of his words, "bring him in. Quietly. We can't afford to tip our hand to Salem."

Winter gave a sharp nod, determination glinting in her eyes. "I'll handle it, sir."

Ironwood turned his attention back to the screen, watching Ben's movements with renewed focus. There was something more to this boy, something that eluded them. The young man might appear unassuming now, but if he was tied to Watts—or worse, Salem—Atlas was in grave danger.

"Let's see what you're hiding, Lord Ben Grey," Ironwood muttered to himself, as the door slid shut behind Winter, leaving him to the weight of his suspicions.
====================================================================================================

Following Edna's instructions, I scrolled through the device, my eyes skimming the endless pages of information faster than I could fully process. She was miles ahead, though. Edna absorbed the data instantly, syncing with the tech like it was second nature. We'd only just managed to figure out how to connect her—something about the code structure here was bizarre. Not too far off from the resonance crystal that made up her core memory matrix, but static and… well, less alive.

Meanwhile, I was stuck playing catch-up. The most pressing thing, according to her, was the language. I mean, I knew the basics of how people spoke here, but in the precinct, I'd been winging it, trying to blend in by mimicking how I heard others speak. But even then, my speech was still too formal. The way I carried myself, the way I talked—it screamed that I didn't belong. Here, I needed to blend in better, understand their slang, their casual way of speaking.

I looked around the bullhead, my helmet shielding most of my face, though I could still sense eyes on me. The other kids, Hunters-in-training like me, were mingling in clusters. Some were loud, excited, hyped up about finally arriving at the Academy. Others, like me, kept to themselves, arms folded, minds focused. For all I knew, they had their own issues to worry about, just like I did.

This "bullhead" was something else, though. Sleek, advanced—nothing like what we had back in Avalon. I could appreciate the craftsmanship even if it wasn't exactly my style. The second I'd boarded, I had Edna pull up all the blueprints she could find on these machines. Not that I could understand half of it. The tech here made my head hurt sometimes. Still, it was something I'd have to get used to. This was a different world, and I'd have to learn everything all over again from scratch.

A sudden jolt shook the ship, making me grip the seat tighter. The pilot's voice rang out over the intercom: "This is your pilot speaking. Be ready to depart. We're landing in five, and you need to be off in two."

I stood up, stretching the stiffness out of my muscles as we began to descend. The excitement that had been simmering under the surface started to rise, but I tamped it down. No point in getting too eager. I'd learned that lesson a long time ago. Still, it was hard to ignore the fact that in just a few minutes, I'd be stepping foot into Atlas Academy. After everything I'd been through, this was my next challenge.

As the doors opened and we filed out, my gaze was immediately drawn upward. The Academy was massive. Huge towers spiraled upward, cutting through the skyline like frozen spears, stretching toward the heavens. The main tower was the largest, its shadow looming over everything below. And even though the structure had a cold, mechanical design, there was something grand about it. Regal, even. It was nothing like the warm stone and sweeping architecture of Avalon, but it carried the same weight of importance.

I barely had a moment to take it in before a voice cut through my thoughts. "Amazing, right? I remember the first time I saw it. Takes your breath away."

I turned, spotting a tall girl standing beside me. Her skin was dark, almost like burnished copper, and her golden eyes practically glowed as she looked up at the Academy. It was like she was staring right through the visor of my helmet, sizing me up without a second thought.

"Name's Talia, by the way," she said, flashing a grin as she held out her hand.

I stared at her hand for a second before shaking it. "Ben."

Her grip was firm, and she studied me for a moment, her eyes dancing with amusement. "Ben, huh? Nice to meet ya. You've got a whole 'mysterious knight' thing going on, don't ya?"

I smirked under my helmet, even though she couldn't see it. "Something like that," I replied, trying to keep my tone casual. I could tell she wasn't just here to be friendly; there was an edge to her, a sharpness. She was trying to read me, figure me out.

She chuckled softly, clearly enjoying the exchange. "Well, don't be a stranger, okay? We'll probably be seeing a lot of each other around here."

With that, she turned and walked off, disappearing into the crowd of students. I watched her go for a moment, then shook my head, turning back toward the Academy.

"I like her," Edna's voice chimed in through my earpiece, amusement evident in her tone.

"Not the time," I muttered under my breath, though I couldn't help but agree.

Focus. This was no time to be distracted. I had to stay sharp, especially now. The Academy might be a school for Hunters and Huntresses, but it was still foreign territory. I'd be an outsider here, and I couldn't afford to slip up.

"Ben, don't worry," Edna added, her tone softening. "You're not alone in this."

"I know," I replied quietly. "Just... need to get a feel for everything. See where the pieces fall."

Edna chirped in agreement, pulling up a reminder of the next steps I needed to take. But for now, I just let myself breathe. The future was uncertain, sure, but that was nothing new.

Stepping toward the towering gates of Atlas Academy, I prepared myself for what came next. It was time to see just what this world had to offer—and what I could bring to it.