The Last Eight Hundred

Far beyond the ordinary map lies Veyr, a cold, rain-soaked island city separated from the mainland by hundreds of miles of dark ocean. At its highest cliffs stands The Asterion Institute, one of the most prestigious universities in the world.

Asterion is spoken about with reverence.

Its graduates run governments, build companies, manage billion-dollar funds, discover medicines, write algorithms that change industries. Getting accepted is considered a once-in-a-lifetime achievement.

But Asterion has another reputation.

It is isolated.

There are no cities nearby. No distractions. No easy escape.

And every autumn, when the final-year students enter the Selection Season, the university becomes something else entirely.

Three thousand students compete.

Only eight hundred will leave with the coveted offers.

The rest will have to watch their classmates disappear into offices, aircraft, private cars and celebratory dinners while they return home carrying rejection letters they will pretend do not hurt.

At Asterion, everyone says the same thing:

"There is enough opportunity for everyone who deserves it."

Nobody believes it.