Chapter One: Twenty-Three Percent

"Are you done?" Kellan's smile stiffened. "You're not angry?" "I am," Leon said. "But you are not worth the effort." Kellan's face darkened. He reached out to shove Leon's shoulder and hit only air. Leon shifted aside, hooked a heel, and destroyed Kellan's balance in one clean motion. The administrator's son stumbled into the roadside sludge, his polished boots splashing black mud. The laughter stopped. Leon did not follow with another strike. He adjusted his pack and walked toward the mining district. Behind him, Kellan hissed, "You'll regret this, Voss! No academy, no license. You will spend your life as dust in a pit!" Leon did not turn back.