"Who are you?" Xavian asked, stepping back a little.
The man grinned like he had just watched something entertaining. "Arlo Vensh. Leader of the Silverwinter branch of the Tenfold Order."
Xavian frowned. "What… is that?"
"The Tenfold Order is a secret organization," Arlo said, twirling a keycard in his hand as if this conversation couldn't be any more casual. "We handle supernatural incidents in the country. Everything else can wait till we reach the headquarters."
Xavian hesitated. "…Why me?"
Arlo pointed at him. "I'm assembling a new team. Teenagers with potential. When I saw you punch that bully hard enough to make his ancestors sneeze? Yeah, that told me a lot. You're joining us."
Before Xavian could protest, Arlo had already started walking. "Come on. I don't have the patience to explain things twice."
They reached the Silverwinter branch headquarters, hidden beneath an abandoned warehouse. The automatic doors slid open to reveal polished steel walls, glowing blue lights, and rows of training rooms humming with energy.
Arlo motioned him inside. "First things first. Mana."
He tapped a screen and diagrams lit up.
"Mana is the energy inside every living being," Arlo explained. "It powers every supernatural ability you've heard about. Spells, combat techniques, healing, weapon creation, relic activation… all of it."
Xavian listened, wide-eyed.
"Everyone has a Mana Core," Arlo continued. "But strength and purity vary. That's why some people can shoot fireballs, and others can barely heat a cup of water."
He leaned in a bit. "And here's the dangerous part: if you ever use one hundred percent of your mana, you die. No drama, no warnings. Your brain shuts down, your heart collapses. Mana Collapse. Permanent. So control matters. Got it?"
Xavian nodded quietly.
"Good. Now for the classifications."
A new chart appeared.
"Users are divided into eight categories: from Category 7, the weakest, to Category 0, the kind of beings you only hear about in legends. Most people spend their whole life stuck between 7 and 5."
He swiped again. A glowing relic appeared on the screen.
"Relics," Arlo said. "Ancient artifacts made by civilizations that understood mana far better than we do. Every relic has a Mana Imprint, which is basically a personality…"
Xavian blinked. "A personality?"
"Yes," Arlo said. "Some are chill. Some try to kill you. Depends on your luck."
He listed them:
"Grade 4 – basic stuff.
Grade 3 – reliable and useful.
Grade 2 – elite gear.
Grade 1 – powerful and rare.
Grade 0 – don't even think about touching one. They overflow with mana and can kill experienced users on the spot."
Arlo shut the display off.
"Relics take your mana. The stronger the relic, the more it demands. Grade 0 relics don't take mana. They devour it."
Xavian swallowed hard.
Arlo smirked. "Welcome to the Tenfold Order, kid."