The second elder wasted no time and pulled out a long, ceremonial dagger from his suit. The long blade gleamed under the dim hall lights, dark metal catching every flicker of movement.
"Come up one by one and sign the contract," he commanded.
The announcement was like pouring ice water over the fire. The murmurs vanished in an instant. A tense silence fell over the hall as all eyes turned toward the parchment and the blade.
For a moment, no one moved.
Then, Melina stepped forward.
She moved with the ease of someone who already knew the outcome. Her steps were steady, her expression composed as she walked up to the stage.
Without hesitation, she picked up the contract from the academy representative's hands, gave it a brief glance, and then pulled out her own small, sleek knife.
Schk.
In a clean, practiced motion, she slid the blade across her palm, letting a thin trail of crimson drip onto the parchment.
The next moment, the contract sizzled. A dark flame erupted from the paper, devouring it whole. It vanished into the smoke, not even leaving ashes.
Xane blinked. What the hell? He glanced around, and from the looks on the surrounding faces, this wasn't normal.
Even the heirs at the front seemed taken aback, but Melina only nodded toward the elders. Both elders, grinning widely at her, gave a small nod in return.
Without another word, she walked back to her spot.
Then, as if a switch had flipped, the rest of the heirs rushed forward one after another, climbing the stage.
Xane watched carefully, making sure there was nothing sketchy going on. But the process remained the same… except for one minor detail.
The elites, those in different-colored suits, never touched the ceremonial blade.
Instead, they pulled out their own weapons.
Some used ornate daggers, others simply pricked their fingers with a sharp edge from a ring or pendant. But none of them let the ceremonial dagger cut their skin.
The others, those without personal blades, had no choice but to use the elder's dagger.
Even though neither of the elders openly said anything, Xane didn't miss their subtle reactions. A slight shake of the head, a flicker of disappointment in their expressions when someone used the ceremonial dagger.
Zayn mentally clicked. [None of the elites use that ceremonial blade.]
Xane's gaze flicked toward the front of the hall. Melina and the other elites stood quietly, watching the process with unreadable expressions.
Xane narrowed his eyes.
Zayn didn't answer immediately. He kept observing for a few more minutes, watching as another heir hesitated before finally reaching for the ceremonial blade.
The moment their blood touched the paper, the elders subtly shook their heads again.
Zayn sighed. [Nah, I don't think it's rigged. But these people are powerful enough to understand one thing: blood is dangerous. Even a single drop in the wrong hands could ruin your life.]
Xane stiffened.
Blood.
He remembered the scene where Viyron bit a chunk off his arm and created that ritual circle with his blood.
Wait. Now that he thought about it, he realized he couldn't even read the symbols inside that ritual circle. That was another language he could not understand.
Xane shook his head. Now wasn't the time to dwell on it.
The line was moving quickly, and their turn was coming up.
It was their turn.
Xane stepped forward and started walking toward the stage.
By now, the elders looked disinterested, murmuring among themselves. The process had become routine. No one paid much attention anymore.
Except when he reached the contract, eyes turned toward him.
He could feel it.
Melina and the others at the front were watching him. She frowned slightly. Some of the other elites had smirks tugging at their lips, mocking amusement in their eyes.
Xane didn't react.
He simply raised his thumb to his mouth and bit down.
Crunch.
Zayn winced. [Dude, you bit too hard.]
Xane smirked.
A familiar metallic tang flooded his mouth. He pulled his thumb away and pressed it to the contract.
Sizzle.
The paper burned into nothing but smoke.
Xane casually checked his thumb. A deep scrape ran across the center, still leaking a bit of blood.
Zayn groaned. [See? I told you! You bit too hard!]
Xane ignored him. He placed his thumb back into his mouth, making sure not a single drop of blood hit the stage.
As he turned to walk away, he caught something odd.
The elders were frozen.
The two elders, who had barely looked up for most of the signings, were staring straight at him. The academy representative, who had remained neutral up until now, was smiling.
Xane simply nodded at the representative in the same way Melina had nodded at the elders, then walked off the stage.
His gaze briefly met Melina's.
For a moment, he studied her ice-blue eyes. Even in the hall full of blue eyes, her eyes were a shade brighter than the rest.
Zayn sighed. [Dude, control yourself. Remember, we can't even use our hex energy yet.]
Xane exhaled and broke eye contact, walking back to his place.
Behind him, the next heir stepped forward hesitantly, but something had changed.
Those who had already signed their contracts were now openly staring at Xane.
Some were whispering, others glaring. A few had mocking smiles, but they weren't laughing anymore.
And then there were those who had yet to sign.
A handful of them hesitated. A few, after witnessing Xane's method, tried to bite their thumbs—only to flinch and fail.
Xane smirked. 'Figures.'
Soon, the last heir stepped forward and signed the contract.
The second elder sheathes his ceremonial dagger, stepping back.
The academy representative took a step forward, his usual stoic expression replaced with a wide, satisfied smile.
"Congratulations," he said, his voice carrying through the hall.
"You are now officially part of Tenebris Academy."
The moment he said these words, the front gate behind the stage opened up. The academy representative just pointed out, "Come on, it's time to start your journey toward the Hex master."