CHAPTER 55: [55] HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT

Xavier kept his breathing steady, his senses reaching outward as he’d practiced with Calypso. The energy drink Eliza had given him seemed to heighten his awareness, making the darkness feel almost tangible against his skin.

"Lesson one," Phantom’s voice echoed from somewhere above them. "Darkness is not the absence of light—it’s the presence of opportunity."

Xavier felt a subtle shift in the air currents to his left. He turned, eyes straining, and caught the barest glimpse of movement—a shadow within shadows.

"Mr. Valentine," Phantom’s voice came from directly behind him now. "Tell me what you sense."

Xavier didn’t flinch, though his heart hammered against his ribs. "You’re moving in a pattern. Clockwise. Using the support beams overhead to change position." He paused, concentrating harder. "And you’re... suppressing your Essentia signature somehow."

A soft chuckle. "Very good. And the rest of you?"

The lights snapped back on with blinding suddenness. Xavier blinked against the glare, his eyes watering. When his vision cleared, Phantom stood in the center of the training hall, his white mask gleaming under the fluorescents. The students had instinctively formed a loose circle around him, some in defensive stances, others looking confused.

"Did anyone else detect my movements?" Phantom asked, his head tilting slightly. "Or was Valentine the only one paying attention?"

Alexander raised his hand. "I felt something, sir. A... disturbance in the air, but I couldn’t pinpoint your location."

"Better than nothing," Phantom conceded. "Anyone else?"

Kyrie crossed his arms. "I knew where you were the whole time. Just didn’t feel like saying anything."

"Fascinating," Phantom replied, his tone suggesting he found it anything but. "Perhaps next time you could demonstrate this remarkable awareness by not having your back to me for ninety percent of the exercise."

A few students snickered. Kyrie’s jaw tightened, pink eyes narrowing.

"The rest of you?" Phantom continued, turning slowly to survey the group. "Did yesterday’s lesson on Essentia sensing make any impression at all? Or did you forget everything the moment you left this hall?"

Silence greeted his question. Sayuri stared at the floor, her green curls hiding her face. Luka shifted his weight from foot to foot, the motion making him look even larger than usual. Beppo’s hand twitched toward the phone in his pocket before he thought better of it.

"I see," Phantom said, disappointment evident despite his mask. "Well, let’s try something simpler."

He disappeared.

Not dramatically, with smoke or sound effects—he was simply there one moment and gone the next.

"Close your eyes," his voice instructed from somewhere in the hall. "All of you. Now."

Xavier complied, though every instinct screamed against making himself vulnerable. With his eyes closed, his other senses sharpened. The soft breathing of his classmates. The hum of the ventilation system. The barely perceptible vibration in the floor that suggested—

"Someone’s missing," Xavier said, eyes still closed. "You took Naomi again."

"Open your eyes and confirm," Phantom instructed.

Xavier did. Naomi Phillips was indeed gone, along with her designer tracksuit and perpetual look of calculation. The rest of the class glanced around, expressions ranging from shock to embarrassment that they hadn’t noticed.

"Seriously?" Phantom’s voice carried genuine frustration now. "The same student, the same trick, and none of you noticed except Valentine?"

He reappeared beside Naomi’s empty spot, one hand on his hip. "Ms. Phillips, you can return now."

A door at the far end of the hall opened, and Naomi stalked back in, her face flushed with embarrassment and anger. "This is ridiculous," she muttered. "I was literally standing right next to Ashley."

"And yet," Phantom said, "no one noticed your absence. Not even Ms. Martin, who was engaged in conversation with you moments before."

Ashley at least had the grace to look embarrassed, her blonde hair falling forward to partially shield her face.

"Awareness," Phantom continued, pacing now, "is not a luxury for hunters. It is oxygen. It is blood. Without it, you die." He stopped abruptly. "Or worse, your teammates die because you were too busy worrying about your hair or your social media followers or whatever petty concerns occupy your adolescent minds."

"Sir," Calypso’s voice cut through the uncomfortable silence. "Perhaps we need a more... practical demonstration of why this matters?"

Phantom turned toward her, head tilted in consideration. "An excellent suggestion, Ms. Valentine." He clapped his hands together once, the sound echoing like a gunshot. "Everyone, gather your things. We’re going on a field trip."

Confused murmurs rippled through the group as students collected water bottles and towels.

"Where are we going?" Beppo asked, already positioning himself for what Xavier assumed would be an optimal camera angle.

"Somewhere that will make the consequences of inattention painfully clear," Phantom replied. He pointed to Beppo’s phone. "And no recording devices."

Beppo’s face fell, but he pocketed his phone without argument.

Phantom led them out of the training hall and through a series of corridors Xavier hadn’t explored yet. They descended three flights of stairs, each taking them deeper beneath the academy’s main structure. The air grew cooler, the lighting more utilitarian. The walls changed from polished stone to exposed concrete reinforced with crystal lattices.

"The academy was built with certain... contingencies in mind," Phantom explained as they walked. "What you’re about to see is not in your student handbook."

They reached a massive set of steel doors emblazoned with the academy’s crest. Phantom placed his palm against a scanner, and the doors slid open with a pneumatic hiss.

Beyond lay what appeared to be a subway station—sleek, modern, and completely empty of people. A single train waited on the tracks, its aerodynamic design suggesting speeds far beyond conventional transportation.

"Holy shit," someone whispered behind Xavier.

"Welcome to the Catalyst Transit System," Phantom announced, gesturing for them to enter. "A private network connecting all three islands of Nexus Point."

Xavier stepped onto the platform, taking in the scale of the operation. The ceiling soared at least thirty feet overhead, embedded with crystal lights that cast a cool blue glow over everything. The platform itself was wide enough to accommodate hundreds of people, though they were the only ones present.

"This is incredible," Margaret said, her turquoise eyes wide with wonder. "Why isn’t this in any of the academy materials?"

"Because," Phantom replied, leading them toward the waiting train, "not everything valuable should be advertised. The academy has many secrets, Ms. Richardson. This is among the least of them."

The train doors opened silently as they approached. Inside, the car was appointed more like a luxury lounge than public transportation—plush seating arranged in conversational clusters, wood paneling on the walls, even a small refreshment area at one end.

"Please, make yourselves comfortable," Phantom instructed. "The journey takes approximately twelve minutes."