Suddenly the teachers began murmuring among themselves, their faces filled with astonishment. At the entrance to Dimension 2, a lone figure appeared the final student to emerge alive.
Clad in the uniform of Godslayer Academy, he was the center of every gaze. The entrance portal erupted in a dazzling golden light as he stepped out.
"Golden?" one teacher gasped. "Legend says gold is the highest mission rating!"
Shocked silence fell over the crowd. No one had ever seen a gold rating until today. They were witnessing history. All eyes fixed on that last student: Vincent Fox.
No matter what Vincent's future held, he had set a new record today. His name would echo through the world. From now on, anyone speaking of the highest mission rating would speak his name first.
One by one the buses rumbled onto the road home. They had left full, but now many were nearly empty. Inside, silence reigned an unspoken sorrow for the classmates they'd lost. This mission had transformed them all; some had resolved to drop out, fearful they might not survive another dimension. Others emerged more determined than ever.
On one bus, Vincent sat alone in the back row. He sensed the furtive glances of his peers, but he didn't mind. Causing a stir and drawing attention was only natural after a feat like his. With his eyes closed, he appeared to rest but in truth he was plotting how to spin his story.
Once back on campus, questions would swarm him. How had he achieved the first-ever gold rating? He knew admitting the truth that he'd completed the toughest mission in just over five hours would only invite endless suspicion and trouble. He needed a lie.
He was weighing his options when a clear, gentle voice called his name. Vincent opened his eyes to see Autumn Summer standing beside him, her gaze earnest and unwavering.
"May I sit here?" she asked, nodding at the empty seat beside him.
Classmates who witnessed the scene exchanged stunned looks. The revered class monitor was asking to sit next to Vincent Fox? Not only had he earned the gold rating, he'd won her favor too? Jealousy flared in the eyes of many boys.
But Autumn's feelings weren't about his rating at all.
"Sure," Vincent said, gesturing. He caught the strange look in her eyes but chose to ignore it. For now, his only goal was to grow stronger. In a world this dangerous, there was no time for romance unless, perhaps, a certain someone wanted to chase him down…
Autumn sat quietly, and Vincent said nothing either. They rode in companionable silence for a long moment, until Autumn finally whispered, "Vincent, thank you."
He was about to brush her off with a perfunctory reply he had lies to concoct, after all when Autumn blushed and added, "I won't forget what you did for me."
With that, she stood and, cheeks still pink, hurried to a seat up front, leaving Vincent blinking in surprise.
Vincent Fox: ???