"The first trial is complete. It has already exposed how weak or firm your foundations truly are," the instructor said.
"Next, we measure talent. That means testing how your body adapts to Khaos energy, how much it can absorb, and what percentage it can hold within your core," the instructor said. "Any questions?"
"How is the talent measurement determined?" a commoner asked with curiosity on his face.
Laughter rippled from the surviving nobles. To them, this was nothing new; they understood the process all too well.
"Good questions," the instructor said, then continued.
"Talents are classified into six categories: S class talent, A class talent, B class talent, C class talent, D class talent, E class talent."
"What makes this talent different is how much of khaos essence one can store in their body, An S-class talent individual can store about 90 to 95% of Khaos essence in their core, while A class can store about 70-89, B class talent is 60-69%, C class talent is about 50-59%, D class talent 30-49% and E class talent 10-30%,"
"I'm also sorry to announce this: we don't accept E-class talent." The instructor said.
Hearing this made the nobles and commoners uneasy; no one wants to fail and be publicly announced as someone with E-class talent.
"So if you are all ready, step on the stage," the instructor said
Immediately, the ground trembled. A rectangular pillar rose slowly from beneath the floor, stone grinding against stone. Upon it rested a strange white orb, glowing faintly. The orb was large and perfectly round, hovering at a height of three to five feet, while the pillar beneath it stood approximately five feet tall.
There were 5 of the orbs, each of them in a horizontal line facing the student, and they were 5 steps away from each other.
The students exchanged uneasy glances. Whispers rippled through the hall, but confidence soon replaced hesitation as one by one, they began stepping forward toward the stage.
Yet the six clansmen remained still, watching silently.
"Did you guys hear about it?". Lieji. Said, looking at Kanji, Kael, and Selene, they all knew what he was referring to.
"Yeah, I heard," Kanji said, crossing his arms.
Selene nods, agreeing to that answer, her face full of determination.
Coming to Sentinel Academy was to train and become a powerful sentinel, but they also had one other goal: to find the son of the widow.
The 6 great clans were the most powerful in the nation, each fighting for their own personal benefit and trying to be at the top.
Suddenly, a woman came back to Duskborne Nation.
She belongs to the Death Squad, sentinels dispatched beyond the wall to eliminate threats before they can grow into disasters for the Duskborne nation.
Her team was wiped out, leaving her the sole survivor. After a month bedridden, she returned to duty and swiftly rose to SSS+ class sentinel. They said she challenged all the top clans at once, and not even their combined attacks lasted a minute.
Her very presence shattered the political order of the 6 clan. They named her the Widow. She bears only one child.
Attaining the widows' child as an ally is like getting hold of a nuke.
But how can you get something when none of the 6 clans as seen him?
"I wonder what he looks like," Lieji said.
"Definitely going to be a spoiled brat, let's be real, having someone like that as a mother is going to give you too much of an easy life," Kanji said
"I doubt that, tho," Kael said
"It is too common in the nation to have a stronger parent, but the child can't even live up to a quarter of their father's power because they were too pampered," Kanji said, gazing at his crew.
"I get where you are going, but I feel with the widow's personality, he will definitely be strong," Kael said
"Don't underestimate a mother's love," Kanji said
Kael thought deeply, and Selene didn't say a word, but thought deeply about it.
Kanji looked at her and worried. When they talked about the widow's child, she always gave the sort of expression the expression she had never given him. He turned his gaze away and just looked at the stadium.
The other heir was always aware of this information and searching for a sign of the widow's son,
"Any clue?" Riku said with a plan expression
The heir stood at his side, eyes attuned to the currents of Khaos energy. He shook his head, disappointment flickering across his face.
"We can only rely on finding him through this talent test," Riku said, paying attention to the student who went first.
The student who went up to the stadium where 5 only one noble was among them
The orbs stood six steps apart. Once each young individual reached an orb, they glanced left and saw another instructor holding a tablet.
He gave the signal, and they all placed their hands on the orb. The young noble among them was confident.
"I've prepared for this. My father invested heavily in me. After a year and a half of training, I've unlocked my core and reached the Foundation stage. I'll be ranked at least B-class, if fortune smiles, maybe even A. The Sixth Clan heir will want me for sure," he thought, laughter bubbling deep inside.
As they placed their hands on the orbs, each sphere flared with white light. Five shone brightly at first. The noble glanced at the others, pride swelling as his orb gleamed strongest. Gradually, the radiance of all the orbs began to dim. The noble's smile widened until the commoner's orb shifted.
One of the commoners who orb was rank 1 changed color. The orb became light orange and then blue, and then red. It stopped at the red; the other one changes as well, but the confident noble orb remains the same. His expression changes from excitement to worry. The noble looked at the instructor with a tablet,
"Number one, A class talent," the instructor said.
The noble, hearing this, his face became pale.
"This can be right, how can a nobody like this have an A-class talent?" he thought to himself.
"Number 2 C class talent, number 3 B class talent, number 4 C class talent," the instructor said.
"If talent is measured by how slowly the energy fades, then that explains the change. None of these fools has even unlocked their Khaos cores. But I have. I'll be ranked S for sure, he thought.,
"Number 5 D RANK talent," the instructor announced.
"Huh? This can't be right. Sir, check again," the noble said coldly, though sweat was already sliding down his face.
He removed his hand and then placed it again, the same bright color, no changes."
The instructor said with a firm voice.
"Number 5 D rank talent,"
Hearing that was like his heart broke into pieces, and he could start hearing the murmurs behind,
"Damn… disgusting," one noble muttered."Is this for real?" another whispered.
He couldn't bear to turn, yet his eyes betrayed him, glancing back. The noble girl he longed to impress wore only irritation on her face. The sight broke him.
His gaze drifted farther, to Riku in the distance. Even across the space, he caught the movement of Riku's lips."Such a waste," Riku said.
His chest tightened. It felt as if the world itself had collapsed, each breath heavier than the last.
"Leave the stage. Enter the room."They all bowed slightly, paying their respects to the instructor, before departing. The noble followed, his steps empty, lifeless.