Children generally learn to use mana at the age of ten.
Yes, it was said differently for the Vaise, but they were unique cases. They could start manipulating mana from the age of eight.
However, like everyone else, they couldn't absorb atmospheric mana before turning ten. No matter what kind of physique they had, they couldn't break past the limit set on their human bodies.
Their only advantage was learning how to control mana for two years.
Due to their Draconic Ascendance Physique, they could access the mana in their bodies and learn martial arts that require mana before they turn ten.
It might not seem like a huge advantage, but it was.
Two years were enough for children to learn and master at least one technique. This alone gave them an edge over the children who couldn't even touch mana-related techniques before turning ten.
But that was not all the benefits the Vaise had.
Everyone in the Vaise family had a monstrous growth rate.
It would take geniuses from other families and kingdoms around two years to advance from stage one of their path—a mage or a knight—to stage two.
In the Vaise family, however, everyone was capable of that.
Everyone in the Vaise family had a similar growth rate and was comparable to the people who were treated as geniuses in other places.
Two years to learn mana-related martial or weapon techniques—first phase.
Two years to form their first plate—second phase.
Two years to form their second plate—third phase.
Two years to form their third plate—fourth phase.
That was what the Vaise family children did in their eight years in the Cradle.
It had always been the same—except this time.
This time, there was one person in the Cradle who had broken the norm.
There was someone who had reached the peak of the third plate formation and was about to form his fourth plate.
It was Raven Von Vaise. The youngest child from the Vaise family's main branch who had already made a name for himself.
That, however, didn't change many things.
...Or at least, that was what children made it look like.
There was no way things would remain calm when a wolf was left with a herd of sheep.
The wolf would rule over the sheep or eat them.
In this case, it was the former.
The wolf, Raven, had decided to rule over the sheep.
How was he ruling over them though?
To know that, one would have to look into the dining hall of the fourth sector—a sector housing the children who were in the fourth and last phase of their stay in Cradle—of the Cradle.
Right now, in the dining hall, a meeting was being held under the guise of a group lunch.
The dining hall was filled with the students' chatter, the clinking of utensils, and the heavy scent of roasted meat and spiced vegetables.
The cooks, dressed in their usual plain uniforms, moved efficiently, setting down trays of food before stepping out, leaving the children to eat in peace.
At least, that was how it was supposed to go.
The moment the doors shut behind the last cook, the room shifted.
The once scattered groups of students reorganized as if some invisible force was pulling them together.
The leaders of each team, students at the very top of the fourth and final phase, moved toward a single table.
At the head of that table sat a boy with black hair and golden eyes—a sharp contrast of shadow and light.
His features were calm, his posture relaxed, but there was an unmistakable weight to his presence. Even seated, he commanded attention.
It was none other than Raven Von Vaise.
Beside him sat two figures.
To his right was Alex, his body now bulky, his face mature rather than childish like before.
He still had black hair, but his eyes had now turned gray. His trademark grin never left his face, making him look like a fool—which, to be fair, he kind of was.
His large frame and thick-headedness made him both a fearsome fighter and a source of headaches for his friends.
To Raven's left was Clara, and by now, she had turned into the beauty she claimed herself to be.
If not for her sharp and snarky attitude, who knows how many boys would've already tried their luck on her?
Her golden eyes matched Raven's, making the two look eerily similar in their elegance.
Unlike Alex, who carried himself like an oversized puppy, Clara sat with quiet poise—calm, collected, and mercilessly blunt.
There was one more person beside Ravne, albeit his presence almost nonexistent. It was Jake, and unlike his hair and eyes from childhood, he now had dull gray hair and eyes, as if he were a light shadow.
His nature, however, hadn't changed at all.
He was as quiet as before, maybe quieter, his eyes sharply observing everything as the leaders shuffled toward the table at an almost agonizingly slow pace, fearing Raven's dissatisfaction if they made a blunder, Alex let out an exaggerated groan.
"Move it, you slowpokes!" Alex yelled, his deep voice booming across the hall. "We don't have all day!"
A few students visibly flinched before quickening their steps, while others glared at him.
Before anyone could respond, Raven sighed, tilting his head slightly.
"Alex, don't bully them too much."
The hall fell into complete silence for a second.
Then—
'He's the one telling others not to bully?!'
More than one person nearly choked on their food, others barely held back curses. Raven—the undisputed king of terrorizing his peers—was telling someone else to hold back?
The hypocrisy was so thick you could cut it with a butter knife.
Alex, however, wasn't fazed. He pouted, crossing his arms like a child.
"But it feels good bullying them."
Slap!
A sharp whack landed on his head.
"You thickheaded idiot!"
Clara, who hadn't spoken up until now, scowled at him, her voice laced with irritation. "Stop saying things like that in front of Raven. You're embarrassing us."
"Ow, ow!" Alex rubbed the spot where she hit him, looking betrayed. "But I was just being honest!"
Raven shook his head, a smirk dancing on his lips.
"Honesty won't help you when she strangles you in your sleep."
Alex visibly paled, while Clara simply smiled—a smile that promised suffering.
Raven nodded inwardly, happy that the thickhead finally quieted down.
He still didn't know what Clara had done to the guy to make him this traumatized, but whatever it was, Raven was happy with it since they now had a way to control him.
The rest of the students had finally settled at the table, albeit cautiously. Among them were Rufus and Jessy.
Jessy, the only female member of the Wal Vaise team, sat with an unreadable expression, her gaze flickering between Raven and the others.
Just like Clara, she had turned into a beauty as well.
Her black hair, streaked with blue fell on her back, and her light blue eyes showed the calmness of water.
Rufus, however, was a different story.
Compared to the once arrogant, loudmouthed brat who strutted around like he owned the place, the current Rufus was... subdued.
No—broken was a better word.
His shoulders were slightly hunched, his eyes darting nervously around, and he pointedly avoided looking at Raven.
Every time he so much as thought about meeting Raven's gaze, he instinctively flinched, as if expecting a beating.
It wasn't an unreasonable reaction.
Rufus had once been proud. Too proud. So Raven had made it his personal mission to beat the arrogance out of him—physically, verbally, and psychologically.
The worst part?
Nobody knew Raven was behind it.
Well, everyone knew, but nobody could prove it.
Someone—forced by Rufus—had tried reporting Raven once.
For a while, the instructors punished Raven, forcing him to go through grueling training sessions and restricting his privileges.
And then...
The bullying got worse.
Nobody talked about how it happened, but the message was clear: Listening to Raven was the only way to survive.
What no one knew, however, was that Raven never bullied those who didn't do anything. His common targets were Rufus and his goons.
As for the rest? They were just rumors circulated by Clara.
As Rufus sat down, he kept his head low, hoping—praying—that Raven would ignore him.
Unfortunately, life was never that kind.
"Rufus."
The boy froze.
Raven, casually cutting into his meal, had finally acknowledged him. His golden eyes, bright yet utterly unreadable, pinned Rufus in place.
"Tell me," Raven said, tone casual, almost pleasant. "What did I say we would do in the upcoming test?"
Rufus swallowed thickly.
This was a trap.
No matter what he said, it wouldn't be the right answer.
Still, he had no choice.
"We need to move in one group..." He muttered, voice barely above a whisper. "...with you as our leader."
A few people winced at the pathetic response. But the guy had tried his best not to say anything unnecessary, only saying the main point—just like Raven liked.
Raven tilted his head, expression unreadable.
"Mm. Good answer."
Rufus almost sighed in relief—
—But it was too early as the next second, Raven's continued.
"Your voice, however, is too weak. Say it again. Louder."
Rufus wanted to scream.
He imagined getting up from his seat and bitch slapping Raven, but that was all. He could just imagine doing it.
Though, even in that imagination, he found himself being beaten like a dog in the end.
So, instead of trying anything funny, he cleared his throat and repeated, this time louder, "We need to move in one group with you as our leader!"
The entire hall was dead silent.
Then—
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Raven slowly, mockingly, applauded.
"Very good," he said with a smirk. "See? You can be useful when you try."
Rufus gritted his teeth, wanting to crawl into a hole and never come out.
Meanwhile, Jessy, who had remained silent until now, sighed, rubbing her temples.
"Can we please start the actual discussion now?" She muttered.
Raven finally leaned back, stretching his arms. "Fine, fine. Let's get started."
Leaning forward, his expression turned serious, causing the air in the room to run heavy. "The test this time is going to be different."
Silence.
No one spoke anything for a while since Raven's words sounded absurd.
Never in history had the final test of the Cradle been changed.
It had always been a battle with real weapons.
The only difference would be that the one they would fight would be the children who had passed out from the Cradle before them.
So, Raven's words sounded skeptical to them.
Who told him something like that, anyway? This was what they were more curious about.
Raven, however, didn't seem to be playing a joke, and he wasn't because he knew what was going to happen.
It was another of the early plots and its end was quite bad, so he wanted to change it—no, he would change it.
Therefore, before anyone could object or express their disbelief, Raven raised his hand and began explaining.
He was going to own this test no matter what.
For that, he needed everyone's support.