《Elemental Monarch: The Reign of Darkness》 Prologue: A Darkness That Consumes All Prologue: A Darkness That Consumes All WAAAAAAAAHH! The sound of a baby crying flooded the room. "It''s here!" a figure clad in grey exclaimed excitedly, as he gently held the baby in his arms, "It''s alive! Lena, our child!" The female laying on the bed was too tired to respond, but the smile on her face conveyed enough message. The father quickly strolled to the wife¡¯s side, and slid the baby carefully into her arms, she looked down lovingly at her child. "It''s so opaque, that must mean the element is strong within it." "Haha, it might even get recognized enough to go to school!" "You know how cautious they are about these kinds of things, the chance of them letting us get proper training is near impossible, but I sure hope-" The room dimmed as she suddenly froze in place. Disbelief and horror crawled across her pale face as she stared at the baby, who had just now opened its eyes. Its right eye was a beautiful, light grey, just like its parents; its left eye, however, glowed in a dark, menacing, purple hue. The source of the glow was not from the eye, rather, the glow was formed by the light that the eye seemingly pulled from its surroundings. "Lena? What''s wrong?" The father questioned alarmingly. BANG! The door bursts open, as several flaming, armoured figures entered the room. "What is the meaning of this?" the father confronted them angrily. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. "You know the rules, every Shade that was born must be inspected for the Eye." A tall man pushed past the soldiers to meet him face to face. Donning dark red armour while sporting a fiery cape and a crest of cinders, his steel gaze unrelenting. "The last time that was recorded happening was centuries ago, I doubt that it''ll be the one if it hasn''t happened in a few hundred years." "My apologies, Quinn, but rules are rules, show me the eyes." "No!" The mother panicked, holding the baby closer to her body, "It''s normal! I promise you, but I...I, no, you¡¯re scaring the baby right now. Come back for inspection later, please!" The male squinted his eyes suspiciously, then gave a nod to his soldiers. One of them immediately rushed up for the baby, while two more suppressed the father as he struggled to get to his wife and child. The soldier ripped the baby from its mother''s arms and handed it to the captain in charge. His eyes widened upon seeing the dark purple eye. The father also paled as he saw what the male is seeing. "Son of a bitch! It is a Void Elemental!" A blade made from fire manifested itself in his hand, and he began to bring the blade down onto the baby. "NOOO!" The father bursts out from under the soldier''s clutch and rushed in just in time to intercept the blade with his own body. "Quinn!" The mother sobbed helplessly as Quinn''s body began to fall slowly onto the ground. The flaming figure didn''t even spare a glance at the dying father as he brought his blade closer to the baby once more. WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH! That''s when it happened, the baby started wailing as its left eye glowed brighter and brighter, the fiery figure didn''t even have time to react as he was consumed by eternal darkness. The darkness quickly spread around the room as all the light was sucked into the dark, purple eye. When the light returned to the room a few minutes later, there was not a trace of the Fire soldiers other than the carnage they left behind, it was as if they vanished from existence. All that was left was the mother holding the baby in her arms, weeping over the father''s limp body. "M...more of them....will come," the father heaved and gagged on his own words, "run...run away with our child, Le...Lena, protect our child..." "What''s the point?" the mother wept in despair "as long as the purple eye exists, they''ll never stop hunting for it" "No...no one knows...but us, I...I will cover up...the eye. T...take it, and run away...as far as...possible." and with his final words, he closed his eyes. His body began to disintegrate into wisps of shadow. One of which flew up to the baby''s left eye, caressing it, as if it was a father touching his child for the final time. The eye slowly turned into the same light grey as its counterpart. The mother, not able to do anything but hold back her tears and her pain, ran away with the baby tightly held in her arms. Chapter 1: Unchained Eleven years later... ¡°Hey! Dipshit.¡± Five teenagers surrounded Khidon, ¡°you sure you¡¯re going the right way?¡± Khidon tried to ignore them and kept walking forward, but the bullies quickly intercepted him. ¡°This fucking bastard, who the fuck does he think he is to ignore us like this?¡± ¡°Hahaha, this weak motherfucker is trying to get into Wilborne. You think Wilborne is a preschool or somethin¡¯? Though infuriated Khidon tried his best to remain calm His mind drifted to his mother¡¯s horrified face on the first day of primary school, when he knocked out a kid his age with a single punch, so hard that the kid was sent to the Hall of Healing. The kid had ridiculed him and his mother for his father¡¯s abandonment. He was right, of course, but it wasn¡¯t his place to speak about it. When they went home that afternoon, his mother made him promise to never use his strength to harm others again. He still remembers her words clearly in his head. Gentle, but firm, ¡°A great power lies in you, Khidon, that was the gift your father left you. But you must never, ever, use it to harm others.¡± So even though he had immense physical strength for his age, even though he could have easily knocked any of the bullies out in a single punch, he lived through the duration of his school years being bullied and picked on for his fatherless heritage and his unique appearance, while never lifting a finger to fight back. It was no secret either, rare is it to find someone who didn¡¯t know about his unwillingness to defend himself. Including his tormentors, who took every opportunity to make him the subject of their ridicule, trying their best to make his life as miserable as can be. The bullies, seeing that they¡¯re not getting the response they looked for, went for a different approach. ¡°Hey, did that whore of a mother you have try to get you a brother yet?¡± ¡°Even if she did, no one would want that dirty bitch!¡± ¡°Hahahahahaha!¡± laughter erupted from the bullies. This was the moment the taught string in Khidon¡¯s mind, having been whittled down thinner and weaker over the years, finally snapped. ¡°Let¡¯s take it in there.¡± He gestured at a nearby alleyway. And without waiting for the bullies to respond, walked into it. ¡°Uh¡­boss?¡± The bullies glanced nervously at their leader, shocked by Khidon¡¯s sudden change. The leader saw it too, not only the change in Khidon¡¯s behaviour, but his entire aura seemed to have shifted, his bright golden eyes that they had once teased often turned wild and dangerous, like a predator finally freed of its chains. He is now a different person than what they had known. ¡°What are you? A wuss? We¡¯re gonna teach this bastard a lesson he¡¯ll never forget.¡± Yet no matter how intimidated he was, he couldn''t let that be shown in front of his followers. Soon after, screams of agony began to spill from the dark alley. Followed by Khidon walking back out onto the street, with only a few bruises as records of the bloody fight moments ago. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I¡¯m sorry mother, Khidon thought to himself solemnly, I just can¡¯t take it anymore. You taught me sympathy and acceptance, but the world is no such place. It sees those virtues as weakness. Some people are like a pack of hyenas, the more weakness you show them, the more they want to come and bite you. The only way to survive is to be stronger than them, and if you do not want to harm them, then you must become so powerful that they¡¯re scared of even coming near you. From today on, I will become that person, I will become so strong that no one will ever dare to offend me or my family again! Khidon was so lost in thought that he didn¡¯t realize he had already arrived at the meeting place for all the students in Whirland hoping to have their place at the best and the most prestigious school in all of Wilborne. A woman in silver armour with shoulder length blue hair was there waiting for them. ¡°Hello, my name is Silika, I am a three-star Elemental Knight, as well as an instructor at the Wilborne School of Magical Combat. You may address me as Madam Silika or simply as ma¡¯am.¡± She introduced herself to her potential students. Then, taking out what seems to be a list of the applicants, she told them, ¡°There are five of you missing, get ready because our ride will be here in ten minutes, and if they do not get here before then we will be leaving without them.¡± ¡°Hmph, they¡¯d be lucky if they can stand up right now,¡± Khidon murmured to himself under his breath, ¡°much less coming here.¡± As expected, there was not a sign of the five students when a team of carriages appeared, pulled by horses with scales on their neck and tiny horns protruding from behind their ears. ¡°These are draconic horses, a breed of horse with the tiniest drop of dragon blood. It is enough, however, to make them over ten times as strong as normal horses and on average their power can rival that of an Elementalist.¡± Silika introduced the animals to the students. ¡°As strong as Elementalists?¡± ¡°Oh my god, are they safe to be around like this?¡± ¡°How do we control them if they are as strong as Elementalists?¡± Fear and doubts erupted among the students. After all, Elementalists were the legendary figures in their childhood, people who wielded the building energy of the world. It is also the reason why many of them wanted to study at the Wilborne School of Magical Combat, so that they can become one themselves. ¡°Elementalists, children, are only the beginning of your journey if you were to become an element user.¡± Silika patiently explained, ¡°They are the lowest on the element user hierarchy and in fact, you all might become one as soon as you went through the awakening ceremony. Elementalists ranks from one-star to seven-star and above them, are the Elemental Knights, like me. Once you reach this level, you are able to shape your elements into weapons to focus your power in combat. Elementalists and the likes of draconic horses are no match for any Elemental Knights.¡± Just then, she opened palms and sword of water materialized in her hand, ¡°You will learn all about this if you manage to pass the trials awaiting you at Wilborne. And perhaps someday, you can also form your own elemental weapons.¡± She smiled encouragingly. Khidon stared the sword with burning desires in his eyes, he can feel with power emanating from it, stronger than anything he has ever felt before. That will be my next goal, Khidon promised himself, soon, I will form my own weapons out of an element. The draconic horses were just as impressive as Silika had described them. Despite pulling a heavy carriage each, they still managed to cover fifteen days worth of walking distance in a mere one day¡¯s time. More and more people joined them during the trip whenever they stopped at a different city. One of whom which caught Khidon¡¯s eye, and everyone else¡¯s, was a young girl from a small town that joined the group mid-journey. She had long, flowing teal hair, and stormy, deep grey eyes. She wasn¡¯t particularly beautiful, but she had an entrancing aura about her, like an icy snowflake that could only be looked at but not touched nor spoken to. However, she didn¡¯t seem to notice the stares of others as she calmly climbed into one of the carriages, or she just couldn¡¯t be bothered to care. Khidon glanced curiously at her as she sat down beside him. He was isolated from the beginning of the journey due to his...reputation in his city, those who came after also either chose to join the more popular carriages or was just simply intimidated by Khidon¡¯s unique appearances, or maybe both. This girl was the first to join him. ¡°Hi, my name is Khidon. What¡¯s your name?¡± He gave her a welcoming smile. In return, he received a cold stare from her. Okay......Khidon thought to himself, maybe she just didn¡¯t want to talk. They sat there in awkward silence for the remaining of the journey. Whenever someone new tried to join their carriage, they were greeted with an icy glare that sent them scurrying to the other carriages. Three days later, the large group now consisting of thousands of students from all around Wilborne has arrived at the destination. ¡°Welcome, to the best magic training school in all of Wilborne, the Wilborne School of Magical Combat!¡± Chapter 2: The Wilborne School of Magical Combat Khidon stared in awe at the majestic structure towering over them, for it was the grandest, most extravagant construct he has ever seen. Great marble buildings were supported by mighty ivory pillars. Regal golden domes glistened in the sunlight. The place looked more akin to an oversized palace than a school. Khidon was still taking in the beauty of the school when he heard an unfamiliar voice speaking in a tone he knew all too well. "Never seen a big building before? You got the looks of someone from a piss-poor countryside." Khidon studied the source of the voice, it was a handsome, slightly older teen with blond hair and sea-green eyes. The most noticeable thing about him was the uniform he adorned. Navy blue clothes lined with streaks of grey, on his chest was a sigil in the image of a whirlpool. It was the uniform of Wilborne. He didn''t come with them on the carriages either, this could only mean one thing, that he was already a student at Wilborne. Khidon opted to stay silent. As much he wanted to punch this guy in his pretty face, it might jeopardize his chance at Wilborne. It was obvious which was more important. "Is this your girlfriend?" He eyed the girl who sat with me during our travel and switched his attention to her, "Oh come on babe, you can do so much better than this guy." "Oh? Such as?" The girl spoke for the first time since her appearance. "Me, obviously." "You?" she chuckled in contempt, "I''d rather be with a drooling bucket of camel spit before going anywhere near your ugly face." Khidon laughed silently at the absolute shock on the teen''s face and made a note to never mess with the girl''s killer tongue. "Ugly!? Me!?" The teen snarled. "At least self-awareness is the one redeeming quality you have, but you should also learn to stop running around scaring people with that face." "You...you bitch!" He swung wildly at the girl. His punch was caught mid-way by Khidon''s iron grip, he felt as if his wrist was getting crushed in a steel clamp. "Do you know who I am? Let go of me this instant, you filthy peasant!" He tried to wriggle his hand out but failed miserably against Khidon''s inhumane strength. "I don''t give a shit about who you are, but I''ll make sure you remember who I am." Khidon has had enough, he can no longer resist the urge to teach the arrogant brat a lesson. "You? That''s the most hilarious thing I''ve ever heard!" His expression shifted to a sinister smile as a yellow glow began to emanate from his body, "You think you''re stronger just because you have muscle? I will show you what true power really is!" It was too late when Khidon realized that he had underestimated his opponent. His eyes widened as a flurry of stones flew off the ground and threw themselves at him, he was sent flying by the impact before he even had a chance to react.. Khidon got back up and ran at the teen, hoping to get into melee range in order to utilize his advantage in physical strength. Yet all was for naught as he was helplessly forced back by the continuous hails of stones. "I''m gonna kill you!" The teen screamed, eyes reddened by anger. Silika was nowhere to be seen. She had gone inside the school to inform the headmaster of their arrival. The remaining students, having no power of their own yet, didn''t dare to get in the crossfire of his rampage. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "Choris! Stop it!" A voice sounded from among the students. Hearing his name being called, the crazed teen finally stopped his barrages of stones and shifted his attention to the person who called out his name. "Stay out of my way, Carmen. This is none of your business." Carmen shrugged his shoulders, "I mean, if you want to get expelled from the school, by all means, keep going. Taking advantage of your age and bullying newcomers that haven''t awakened their powers yet, the headmaster is going to be thrilled when he hears about this." Choris weighed his options. After some time, he seems to have come to a conclusion and tread back into the school. But not before turning back around to give the trio a threatening look, "You three better hope you don''t pass the trials, or I''m going to make sure you experience hell inside the school." The girl walked over to Khidon and finally introduced herself, "My name''s Aeri, thanks for your help back there." "Sorry to get you involved, he was going for me." Khidon acknowledged. "Hey Hey Hey! You two! Stop getting all lovey-dovey over there. Aren''t you thanking the wrong person? I was the one who saved your ass." The voice that convinced Choris to back off yelled from behind them, "Name''s Carmen, by the way. No need to thank me. After all, not every hero wears a cape!" Khidon and Aeri both turned to him, the same word echoed through their mind...shameless. But considering he did spare Khidon from a beating, they do owe him a thank you. "Thank you for your help, Carmen" "Haha! I just said no need to thank me, after all, this is what friends are for! Right?" The corner of Khidon''s lip spasmed. Aeri raised her eyebrow. What''s with this guy? When since were they friends? "You seemed to know that person, who is he?" Aeri questioned Carmen "He''s my half-brother, same father, different mother. We''re from House Willan..." "House Willan!?" Khidon gasped in surprise. "Huh? What''s that?" Aeri asked at the same time. "House Willan is one the most powerful family in the Wilborne Territory, their influence and network extend throughout business, military, and pretty much anything you can think of. They are also one of the biggest sponsors for the Wilborne School of Magical Combat." Khidon has heard of the power and prestige of House Willan even from Whirland, a city on the very outskirts of the Wilborne Territory. "Bingo! As I was saying, Choris and I are half-brothers. However, he only sees me as a thorn on his side, since I am the only one who threatens his position as the heir to our father, the Head of House Willan." Carmen explained his relationship with Choris. "So don''t worry, I''m on your side." "Who wants you on our side? Don''t get us involved in your family feuds." Aeri uttered with a hint of distaste. "Uh..." Carmen flushed as his plan to gain allies was exposed by Aeri. The awkward silence was broken by a ripple in the air as a middle-aged man with grey streaks in his hair appeared at the entrance with Silika by his side. Three more instructors trailed behind them. Even from a distance, the students can feel the immense pressure from the waves of power given off by the newcomer. "Welcome, youngsters. My name is Ruo, the headmaster here at the Wilborne School of Magical Combat." The man in the lead introduced himself to the students, "As all of you probably know, being here doesn''t mean you are students of Wilborne yet. You will all be going through a trial, and only the best of you gathered here today will become a part of the best school in all of Wilborne Territory. Next up, these three instructors acting as judges will explain to you the details of the trial." The first man who stepped forward had a defined face that wore a serious expression, "My name is Xaphon, the first test you will be going through is the physical exam. To be a great Elementalist, you must have a strong body to back up your power. Elemental powers, no matter how great, is useless, dangerous even, if you can''t control it." The next judge was a woman with blond hair and a face that reminded Khidon of a fox. It was hard to tell if it was his imagination, but he felt as if the woman kept glancing hostilely in Carmen''s direction. "I am Caren of House Willan, the second test you will be going through is the knowledge exam. Elements can only be used to their maximum potential when you have the knowledge of how they function. This test will also reflect your ability to learn and absorb information in the past years" The last judge looked the youngest of them all, perhaps in his mid-twenties. "I''m Yasen. The last test, and perhaps the most important of all, is the Awakening Ceremony. All of you will try to awaken your elemental power with the help of the Awakening Stone. It will determine what kind of power you have as well as how strong your talents are. Before Headmaster Ruo departs with Silika, he explained the rules of the trial, "In order to pass the trial, two of the three judges must deem you worthy of learning at our school. However, each judge has a chance to preserve one student that the other two deemed unworthy. With that said, I wish you all the best of luck, I will be seeing some of you soon. From inside the school this time!" Chapter 3: Unmatched Strength Bang! A loud noise rang out as a student punched a metal device with every ounce of his strength. "Four," Xaphon announced with a poker face. The student walked away, looking unsatisfied. This is the strength test, the first part of the physical exam. The students were asked to hit a metal device, called the Dummy, as hard as they can. It in turn will measure their strength on a scale of one to ten. Over a hundred students have gone, and so far no one had managed to get above six. "These guys are total weaklings. I mean, how hard can that thing really be?" Carmen voiced confidently to Khidon and Aeri, "I bet that I can get a ten easily." The trio had opted to stay together after the Choris incident united them. Aeri didn''t seem to agree with Carmen''s bold claim, "Instead of standing here talking big, why don''t you actually go up and do it?" "Oh ya? I''m gonna go right now! Just you wait." As soon as another student came back after scoring a five, Carmen walked up to the Dummy. Xaphon signalled for him to proceed. Carmen balled his fist so tight that his knuckle turned white, then he swung at the Dummy with all his might. Bang! "Seven!" Xaphon announced, putting on a face of approval, although slight, for the first time in front of the new students. "Only seven!?" Carmen felt like crying. Just how hard is this thing? He was not spared from Aeri''s merciless jabs as he made his way back to the group, head down in disappointment, "What happened to your easy ten? I heard somebody bragging about his strength moments ago." "Hmph! I was only using a fraction of my strength. I merely underestimated the difficulty of that thing. Plus, seven is still higher than what everyone else got!" "Ya right, keep telling yourself that." "Why don''t you go and try instead? I''d be surprised if you get over four!" "You think everyone is as weak as you?" Aeri stormed to the front of the Dummy and gave it her most devastating blow. Thunk! "T-" Carmen''s eyes widened as Xaphon announced her score. "Three." "Ha-hahaha-haha-hahaha...*cough...*cough!" Carmen completely lost it. He couldn''t stop bawling his eyes out until he choked on his own laughter. Aeri''s cheeks can be seen visibly reddening until they took on the same shade as a tomato. "A th-three, haha, you got one of the lo-lowest scores, hahaha, this is hilarious." Carmen still can''t rein in his laughter. "Shu-shut up!" Aeri finally let out a squeak. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. This was the first time Khidon has seen Aeri this riled up since they''d met. And unbeknownst to him, a smile started creeping onto the corner of his lips. Carmen has finally managed to calm himself down after a few minutes. Aeri however, stood beside them silently, face still hot from embarrassment. "Hey Khidon, we haven''t seen your strength yet. You should go up next." Khidon didn''t see any reason to reject Carmen''s suggestion. After giving Carmen a nod, he began to walk towards the Dummy. However, before he was able to get there, a massive figure stepped in his way. "I''m going next." The big student stated. He was a head taller than Khidon, even though Khidon was already pretty tall for their age. He also had wide shoulders and thick, muscular arms. He was a giant among the student. Khidon shrugged his shoulders, "go ahead, I couldn''t care less." he ignored the big student''s rudeness. One turn early, one turn late, it doesn''t bother him at all. The big student walked to the front of the Dummy, and turned his head back to the crowd, "My name is Angus, you weaklings should remember my name, and that I am the strongest out of all of you!" The crowd erupted in anger, but before the students could say anything, Angus turned back to the Dummy and strikes it with a decimating blow. BANG! "Nine!" Even Xaphon was surprised this time. After all, it has been years since a new student was able to achieve such a feat. The anger that had brewed previously among the crowd quickly died off. Strength, that''s the only rule in this world. The strong are respected, and no one can speak against power. "Your turn," Angus crossed his arms and looked at Khidon in contempt, "show ''em a good contrast of the gap between our strengths." "Don''t worry, I will be sure to do that." Khidon agreed to his "request". Angus frowned as Khidon walked past him to the device. He agreed to it, but why does he sound like he meant something else? "Testing after Angus, he''s gonna make an embarrassment out of himself." "Look at him. He''s stick-thin. How high can he possibly get?" The crowd threw comments at Khidon. Khidon was by no means skinny. In fact, he has a lean figure that is actually very well-built. However, after Angus displayed his overwhelming muscle and power, Khidon looked small and weak in comparison. "That idiot! He should''ve waited for someone else to go before going like that. He''s gonna become the laughingstock of the school at this rate." Carmen said worryingly. "He seems like he knows what he''s doing. He just might give you a surprise," Aeri replied. "A surprise? How can he possibly match against a nine!? We both know how hard that thing is. I wasn''t even close to hitting eight, and that guy got nine, nine! Tell me, how can he possible beat Ang-" CRACK! "..." An eerie silence washed over the crowd, as everyone''s jaws dropped to the floor. Even Xaphon froze after seeing the number, or rather, the lack of it. All eyes were glued to the gaping hole in the middle of the Dummy. "Hey, I''m dreaming aren''t I? This must be all a dream. Pinch me, there''s no way this is real." Carmen told Aeri, "Owwwww! Not that hard! Not that hard! Why didn''t you use this much strength when you were up there testing?" "If you dare mention another word about the test, I will kill you." Aeri gave Carmen a death stare, then proceeded to twist the hunk of flesh pinched between her fingers as hard as she can. The extremely loud and unpleasant scream that followed woke everyone from their shock. "What happened? Did the Dummy malfunction?" "My eyes must be playing tricks on me..." "Oh my god, what kind of monster is he?!" Doubt and disbelief exploded from the crowd. Xaphon silenced them with his booming voice. "There was nothing wrong with the test. He did this with his own strength." Then, he looked at Khidon with a hint of excitement behind his eyes, " That is a ten." It was way more than a ten. To score a ten was hard enough. However, to leave a hole in the Dummy was a completely different feat. Of course, he can easily accomplish the same thing to a Dummy of this level. But to think that a twelve-year-old could cause this much damage... "So, is that enough of a contrast for you?" Khidon stared up at Angus. "Im-impossible!" Angus bursts out in anger, "You must be cheating! I''m gonna crush you with my fists!" He stormed towards Khidon, ready to give him a beating. A wall of fire flared up in between them, forcing Angus back with its intense heat. "This is the first warning. One more and you''ll be disqualified." Xaphon gave Angus a cold look. Between Angus and Khidon, it was pretty obvious which he favours. The second test was the speed/stamina test. Everyone was stunned once again as Khidon finished the fifteen-kilometre run in a mere one hour, receiving another perfect score. By the third test, the students were already numb to Khidon''s over-performance. No one said a word as Khidon scored another ten after holding up one hundred kilograms for an hour completely unfazed during the endurance test. When the physical exam was finally over, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Competing against Khidon in the physical tests was a traumatizing experience. However, whether they were ready or not, the next part of the Trials was coming. Everyone watched in silence as Caren walked to the center of the field. Chapter 4: Family Feud As Caren explained to them the rules of the knowledge exam, Khidon couldn¡¯t help but feel that her gaze would always come back in their direction. The stare felt awfully unpleasant, like a bad omen. The knowledge exam was very straightforward, all students will write a test in a given amount of time and it will be marked by one of the judges when they finish. The students didn¡¯t waste any time after receiving their test papers and all started writing in silence. Khidon had his ups and downs writing the test. The variety of knowledge on the test was fairly standard. There were sections regarding the Five Great Races, the histories of Elementerra, and some of the fundamentals of the elements. Khidon was able to handle these parts pretty well. Most of them were all taught in his primary school. The section of the test that really stumped Khidon was the Arcane. Arcane was something invented recently by humans, technologies that can manipulate elements to create weapons and tools. Only by incorporating its power, did the human race finally reach the same power level as the other four Great Races. Though Arcane was powerful, its production and usage are still somewhat limited. It is no easy job to master the art of Arcane, only a minority of people have the talent and determination to pursue the path of an Arcanist. Due to its limited numbers, Arcane technologies are usually confined within the larger and more developed cities of the three Human Territories. Khidon, who came from the ¡°countryside¡±, has not had much, if any contact with it. And although Arcane was mentioned, its knowledge was never taught in school because there was just simply no Arcanist in such a remote area. The tests were marked by all three of the judges. They sped through the papers at an incredible speed, as though they had already done these thousands of times. Which, of course, they very well may have. About an hour later, the judges finished marking their batch of tests. Caren then gathered the students so that the judges can announce their scores. Xaphon was the first to announce the results of his marked tests. The tests are, once again, scored on a scale of one to ten. The scores in the first group varied from a low of three to a girl with an impressive score of eight. The majority of the people were greeted with a score between five to seven. From the standpoint of the scores, the knowledge exam seemed to be much more forgiving in comparison to the plethora of fours and fives handed out during the physical exam. Yasen was the next to announce the scores of the tests he marked. The results were very much similar to the previous group, with two more boys achieving a score of eight as well. Until Yasen made his final announcement... ¡°Aeri, Ten!¡± Khidon and Carmen¡¯s jaws simultaneously dropped as they turned to look at Aeri, who now carried a confident smile on her face as if she knew without a doubt that this was going to be the result she would get. Her achievement was a surprise to the others as well, to both the students and the judges. However, it didn¡¯t cause as much of an uproar as when Khidon blew the crowd away with his display of inhumane strength. A perfect score on the knowledge exam was designed to be extremely difficult for twelve-year-olds, albeit still possible. But because it can be achieved through some talents and tons of hard work, it seemed much more realistic than the monstrous feat accomplished by Khidon during the physical exam. At last, the last batch of scores will be announced by Caren. Both Khidon and Carmen have not yet received their results, which means that it was Caren who has marked their tests. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Caren, one!¡± The students exploded with laughter. Even the dumbest of the dumb people got three or above. It is honestly incredible to be able to score so low on the test. Carmen¡¯s expression darkened, and his fist was clenched so tight that Khidon thought if he did the strength test again right now, he would definitely get a higher score. Aeri couldn¡¯t resist the urge to jab at him, ¡°So you¡¯re a muscle head? I am sooo sorry for bullying you before! I never realized that you were intellectually challenged.¡± Khidon looked puzzledly at Carmen, who is still completely silent. His expression did not seem disappointed nor shocked that he got such a low score. Rather, he looked angry, angry at something...or someone. Aeri quickly caught on, too. Together with Khidon, they both followed the direction of Carmen¡¯s furious gaze, which is now fixed on Caren. Caren looked back at them, carrying a sinister grin on her sly face. ¡°What''s her relationship with you and Choris?¡± Khidon questioned Carmen. No answer. ¡°Carmen! You are obviously being sabotaged! Let me ask again, what is her relationship with you and Choris?¡± Khidon was infuriated. How can he just take it without a protest? Carmen is from House Willan, there is no way that the education of a potential heir to such a prestigious family would be neglected. And if Carmen was dumb enough to score a one despite coming from such background, then Khidon very much doubts that Choris would see him as a threat to his position. There is only one possibility as to how Carmen got such a low score. ¡°She¡¯s Choris¡¯s aunt, his mother¡¯s sister. ¡± Carmen gritted his teeth, ¡°I knew something was up when I saw Choris out here, he must have put her up to this.¡± Aeri chimed in, ¡°Woh, that bastard¡¯s playing dirty, huh? Before Khidon can object any further, Caren announced the next score. ¡°Khidon, one!¡± Most of the students, after having their confidence crushed by Khidon during the physical exam, couldn¡¯t be happier to see Khidon¡¯s failure in the knowledge exam. ¡°Hahaha, I guess he¡¯s all brawn, no brain.¡± ¡°And I thought he was going to be a strong competitor, looks like he''s just an idiot who happens to be a bit stronger.¡± Some students, however, were more skeptical. ¡°A bit? He left a fucking hole in the Dummy! A hole! He¡¯s on a whole other level. Plus, he doesn¡¯t look like someone stupid, maybe there was a mistake in the marking?¡± Khidon was furious, he knew that although he did less than satisfactory on the Arcane section, for the rest of the test he was pretty confident about it. This bitch! Caren didn¡¯t stop at screwing up Carmen, she is targeting those around him as well! Khidon stood up in an attempt to accuse Caren of sabotaging their score but was quickly stopped by Carmen when he grabbed Khidon¡¯s arm and pulled him back. Khidon looked back angrily at Carmen, ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Carmen spoke in a defeated tone, ¡°I know that it¡¯s unfair, but do you think that Wilborne will give up its reputation to defend you, a nobody; and me, the competitor of the likely future head of their biggest sponsor? Accusing her of sabotage won¡¯t do us any good, no matter what the truth is. Doing so will only take away any remaining chance of you and I getting into the school.¡± ¡°Wow, looks like you do have a brain after all.¡± Aeri was impressed by Carmen¡¯s analysis. ¡°Sorry, Khidon, for getting you dragged into this shit with me...¡± Carmen bowed his head in guilt. Then Khidon remembered. Of course! All his life he has seen the same thing and has been subjected to the same scenario, over and over again. When he was constantly harassed at school by the students who made fun of his silver hair and his golden eyes, most of the teachers didn¡¯t give a shit. The same goes for any other students without a background. Yet if any of the bullied students fought back, if any of them dared leave a mark on the students of prestigious background, all it took was one tale to the teachers to have them severely punished or even expelled from the school, cutting off any possibility of them having a future. Suddenly, Khidon came to another realization. His mother didn¡¯t want him to harm others not only because she was a pure and kind soul. After all, there isn¡¯t a single mother in the world that would tell their child to never defend themselves against attacks. She had done so because she knew of the coincidences it could bring. She didn¡¯t want him to lose his chance to attain more strength in the future over momentary satisfactions. Stronger, I need to become stronger...the thought burned through Khidon¡¯s mind. That¡¯s the only way to be treated fairly, the only way to survive in this harsh world, where the weak are fated to be devoured by the strong. But before then... Khidon returned a menacing smile to Caren. It was a promise, a promise that one day, he will make sure that she regret her decision. Caren felt a chill up her spine and shifted her gaze away. It must have been her imagination, after all, she couldn¡¯t possibly have been intimidated by a student. But that boy, Khidon, how dare he look at her like that? Before she only sabotaged him because of Choris¡¯s bidding, but now...now it''s personal. Chapter 5: The Awakening Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Chapter 6: Brew of the Storm ¡°You meant yourself, didn¡¯t you?¡± Khidon asked while they watched Aeri approach the Orb. ¡°The main family of House Willan are always blessed with the earth element.¡± ¡°Not my fault that she misunderstood my words.¡± Carmen shrugged, then quickly added, ¡°I do hope that she successfully awakens though.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± As Aeri got closer and closer to the Orb, she piqued the interest of many. Everyone wanted to see if the genius who scored a perfect in the knowledge exam will be successful in awakening. Though the scores of the previous two exams do have an impact on the outcome, and a few students have failed due to poor performance on them, it was clear that the Awakening Ceremony far exceeds the others in terms of significance Even the judges were full of anticipation as she picked up the Orb. After all, a ten on any of the tests were hard to come by, it would be a big shame if they were to lose her because of an unsuccessful awakening. Thirty seconds passed...nothing. A minute passed...nothing. Yasen slowly shook his head in disappointment, ¡°Aeri, rej...¡± A spark of blue light emerged from her body and poured into the Orb ¡°It''s the water element!¡± The crowd exclaimed. The colour swirled and swirled until the Orb settles into a translucent state. Taking a look at the Orb, Yasen announced in surprise at the high number, ¡°Affinity, eighty-nine percent (89%)!¡± A flash of light sparked, its brilliance was on par with Brayan''s from earlier, who has one of the two highest power limits so far. ¡°Power limit, seven!¡± Khidon and Carmen cheered alongside the rest of the students at their friend''s successful awakening. ¡°Amazing! Another seven!¡± ¡°Haha, I expected nothing less from someone who scored a ten!¡± While the students celebrated her success, the judges were having a conversation of their own, and not a pleasant one at that. ¡°The quality of the students this year really can¡¯t compare to the batch from last year, huh,¡± Caren observed. ¡°True, but then again, last year was one of the strongest years we had in a while. There were several students who awakened with a power limit of eight.¡± Xaphon answered. ¡°And don¡¯t forget Choris, who awakened with a power limit of nine,¡± Caren said proudly. Then, with a hint of distaste, ¡°look at them, we¡¯re three quarters through and the highest are the three people with a power limit of seven! It¡¯s pathetic!¡± Although seven was a number that some schools could only dream of getting, it can only be ranked as above average at Wilborne. After all, its reputation as the best school in Wilborne Territory is there for a reason. Only the eight and ups are usually considered elites within the school. ¡°Don¡¯t count them out yet,¡± Yasen said quietly from the front. ¡°Let''s steer our attention back to the trial instead of complaining about meaningless things.¡± Xaphon looked at Aeri, ¡°This one is definitely a pass.¡± Yasen nodded in agreement, and announced to the students, ¡°Aeri, accep...¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Yasen was interrupted again as another light emitted from Aeri to replace the blue light that was in the Orb. Yasen¡¯s eyes grew wide at the sight. The other two judges stumbled up from their chairs, carrying a similar expression to that of Yasen¡¯s, total disbelief. The students stirred in confusion. ¡°What is going on?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t she already awaken?¡± ¡°Could she be a dual element user that I¡¯ve heard about?¡± The new light that illuminated the Orb was dark gray, like the sky during a thunderstorm. ¡°Wind element!¡± kept his cool and announced her element. Yasen¡¯s heart is now roaring, not only because she awakened two elemental power, but also because... Aeri looked up at Yasen, questions flashing in her stormy eyes. Those who saw this might mistake it for her surprise at a second awakening. Only she knew that although she was indeed surprised by her double awakening, she was questioning him for an entirely different reason. ¡°Wait a second, didn¡¯t a few people also awaken the wind element? Wasn¡¯t the colour green?¡± A question perked up from the crowd. ¡°Hmmm, you¡¯re right. Maybe the wind element can appear in both colours? I mean, the judge said it¡¯s wind element, and he¡¯s probably right.¡± The gray quickly permeated the Orb, into a near-solid state. Then it flashed out in a blinding light, exceeding any of the previous awakenings. ¡°Affinity, ninety-three percent (93%)! Power limit, eight!¡± Yasen announced, and without consolidating the other two judges, ¡°Aeri, Accepted!¡± Xaphon and Caren were completely unfazed at the lack of consultation, there is a much more pressing matter at hand. Plus, it¡¯d be stupid to disagree with Yasen on that decision anyway, who wouldn''t accept a student like Aeri? ¡°Why did you announce her second awakening as wind element?¡± Caren asked outright, ¡°That was obviously...¡± ¡°Quiet!¡± Yasen quickly stopped her in a serious tone, ¡°You must keep silent about this. If anything slips, even House Willan won''t be able to keep you in this school.¡± ¡°What are you going to do about them?¡± Xaphon looked worryingly at the crowd, ¡° You can¡¯t possibly expect words to not go out when hundreds of students bore witness to this.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the students, I can deal with them.¡± Yasen replied, ¡°I will be speaking to Headmaster Ruo later, about her...condition.¡± ¡°A dual element user, how long has it been since the last one appeared?¡± Xaphon exclaimed, ¡°Not to mention an evolved element on top of that.¡± Yasen glanced at him in a silent warning before taking off to the students. ¡°There appears to be a malfunctioning with the Awakening Orb.¡± Yasen convinced the students as he picked up the Orb, ¡°It was displaying an incorrect colour, gray was not on the spectrum.¡± He brought out a new Awakening Orb to replace the old one. ¡°Try channelling your power into the Orb again,¡± Yasen told Aeri. Aeri was confused but still complied. As she channelled her power into the new Orb, she noticed that something was off. She felt a strange power, a light that is not her own enclosing around the Orb, creating a dome of green around her gray. At this moment, she understood that for whatever reason, Yasen is hiding the true nature of her second element from the students. She smartly held back her urge to question his intention. Whatever the reason might be, she¡¯s sure that it will be revealed in due time. The students were so dumbstruck by Aeri¡¯s double awakening that they didn¡¯t even bother to question the colour or the malfunction or whatever other shenanigans. All they knew was that someone just awakened TWO elements, which for most of them, is completely unheard of. Not to mention the fact that the weaker of the two elements is already on par with the strongest power limit shown so far, and had even a higher affinity. As she got back to the spot where Khidon and Carmen is standing, the latter overly congratulating her on her success, a thought suddenly clicked into her mind. But before she could say anything... ¡°I think I noticed something,¡± Khidon furled his eyebrows, ¡°remember the people who collapsed during Sir Yasen¡¯s entrance? ¡°Ye, what about them?¡± Carmen looked over. ¡°They all awakened wind element,¡± Aeri answered. ¡°......¡± There was a moment of silence as Carmen eyed the students who had awakened wind element, including Aeri. He then acknowledged ¡°Looks like Yasen isn¡¯t as simple as he looks to be.¡± Khidon and Aeri nodded in response. While this took place, Argus stormed towards the Awakening Orb, constantly glancing in Khidon¡¯s direction. As soon as he picked up the Orb, an angry red devoured its surface, followed by Yasen¡¯s booming voice, ¡°Fire!¡± It was the next two numbers, however, that sent the crowd into another frenzy. ¡°Affinity, seventy-six percent (76%)!¡± ¡°Power limit, eight!¡± Though it was much less reality-shattering in comparison to Aeri¡¯s double awakening in addition to her unusually high affinity, it was still an eight nevertheless. One of the two highest power limits so far. Argus turned to Khidon and made a provoking gesture, slamming his fist into the palm of his other hand. However, the grin on his triumphant face soon melted after seeing Khidon¡¯s reaction. Or rather, the lack of it. Khidon was still busy debating with Aeri and Carmen over Yasen¡¯s connection to the wind elementalists and didn¡¯t even spare a glance in his direction. Much less catch wind of his achievement. An infuriated Argus stomped back into the crowd.