oor. Her comm-link vibrated violently against her wrist. A red notification f

eth, the muscles i

peted hallway and stopped in front of the heavy oak door belo

bored voice

pen. Her boots sank int

a porcelain coffee cup. A holographic screen floated in front

desk. "Sir, I need you to reject this termination. It's a

hed his gold-rimmed glasses up his n

script expanded in the space between them. He picked up a d

empts: 12. Su

olson," Kent said, his voice dripping with disdain. "

ector!" Alana argued, her voice rising, her chest heaving wi

d his hand, dismissing the hologram. "In the

out a crisp, white document, and

r read: Logistics & Breeding

ur destiny is to serve the Concord by providing offspring.

ll it, buy the forbidden ritual, force an Eidolon summon. But if anyone discovered she had stolen a piece of the academy's S‑tie

ng the life from her. No. She would rather burn to ash in the fires of forbidden magic than be reduced to a state-sanctioned incubator. If they were s

the paper o

hick document in half. The sound of tearing paper was loud in the qui

slammed his palm onto the desk

outed, her voice echoing off the

cruel, grating sound. "With what? You have no credits. You

your sentence. If you do not register a valid Eidolon befor

est burned away the last of her fear, l

d walked out

t at the end of the hall. She slipped inside, locked the doo

ars pricked the corners of her eyes, but she

ode. Her fingers flew across the virtual keyboard, bypassing t

Any forbidden method to f

screen. She swiped them away until her eye

ound Resona

quired an excruciating physical toll and ma

timated cost of the materi

n she read the final line of the description: Bypasses all

hed the dust off her pants. Her eyes were no long

ked out the window at the dark, gath

app and set the destination.