Days before the competition, he sent a letter to the committee accusing Ethan of cheating, claiming a boy from “that background” couldn’t possibly reach such a level honestly.
Ethan was summoned before an academic panel.
Alone before five scholars and Caldwell’s accusing gaze, he said simply, “Test me now.”
Intrigued, the committee chair handed him a notoriously unsolved problem from the previous year.
Ethan closed his eyes briefly. The world narrowed to logic and structure. Thirty minutes later, he submitted his solution.
The chair read it twice.
“It’s not only correct,” she said firmly. “It’s extraordinary. The accusation is dismissed.”
Caldwell left the room silent and pale.
The final competition was immense — students from top academies across the country filled the auditorium. The exam was merciless. Three problems, four hours. The final one — a complex variation on a multi-body dynamics puzzle — pushed even the strongest students to the brink.
Around him, competitors erased frantically. Tyler stared blankly at his page.