Grant and Zylas walked through the massive hallways of the Meridian Academy. The floors were polished marble and the ceiling was so high it made Zylas feel like an ant.
"Sup Grant," a voice called out.
A man in a similar tactical uniform was leaning against a pillar. He had a silver badge pinned to his chest, just like Grant.
"I'm fine," Grant responded.
"How about you, Kyler?"
"Yeah, I'm good too," Kyler said, pushing off the pillar. He looked over at Zylas with a bored expression.
"Who's this boy next to you though?"
"He's a talent I recruited myself for our school," Grant said.
Kyler stopped walking. His eyes went wide. "THE Grant recruited a boy? Are you kidding me? You found someone by YOUR standards? Who is this guy?"
Grant looked at Zylas and then back at Kyler. "I know it's surprising considering I never recruited anyone because none of them were good enough, but I can assure you, he's the real deal."
Kyler walked a circle around Zylas, sniffing the air as if he could smell power. He frowned.
"Wait, is he above my rank or does he really have… no Aura? I can't feel anything from him."
"I know," Grant replied. "He could be above your rank but he isn't above mine, and yet I couldn't feel his aura. But just you wait, you'll witness his power."
Zylas stood there, feeling confused. Both of them were wearing silver badges. He knew that even if Grant had higher mastery, they should still have the same level of aura sense. The fact that Grant was talking like he was of a different rank made Zylas feel uneasy and confused.
"So..." Kyler said, breaking the silence.
"You gonna take him to the entrance test or will you just straight up recommend him?"
"I'll do both," Grant said firmly.
They reached a heavy metal door. Grant swiped his ID, and the door opened to reveal a completely white room. The walls were made of a strange, thick material, and Zylas could see large glass panels on the sides where people could watch from the outside.
Zylas stepped inside. The doors closed behind him with a heavy thud. He was alone in the white void.
"Are you ready, Zylas?" Grant's voice came through a speaker.
"Yes I am," Zylas replied, clenching his fists.
"I'll set it to Unbent level at Surface mastery since that was the level of the Drowned that you fought, but this is an Impure so be on guard" Grant said.
"Alright," Zylas replied. He felt a surge of arrogance. He had killed a real Drowned in seconds. This was just a school test. It didn't matter if it was an Impure, it would be easy.
Suddenly, the air in the room began to vibrate. Blue light gathered in the center of the room, forming a humanoid shape. It was a simulation of an Impure made entirely from aura. It was just a human projection with powers, that's what impures are after all, humans who willingly use their apostle powers for evil.
Zylas didn't wait. He launched himself at the projection, aiming a heavy blow at its chest. But the AI moved faster than he expected. It sidestepped and slammed a fist into Zylas's ribs.
Zylas flew backward, hitting the white wall hard. He coughed, spitting a bit of blood onto the floor.
"What...?" Zylas muttered, scrambling to his feet.
He was confused. This shouldn't be happening. The Drowned in the alley was the same rank and mastery, and he had toyed with it. But he realized too late: he had no real combat experience. In the alley, he had mirrored the Red God. He knew every move the monster was going to make because he was the monster.
This AI was different. It had the same power level, but its movements were thought out and planned. It didn't have a God inside it to mirror. It was just a hollow projection of energy. Zylas was just a normal boy who had accidentally stumbled into power, and now he was fighting a machine designed to kill.
He tried to focus, tried to find that Mirror feeling again, but there was nothing to grab onto. The AI lashed out again, kicking Zylas across the room.
Outside, Grant and Kyler stared through the glass.
"Uhh Grant... your 'real deal' is getting toyed with," Kyler said, looking disappointed. "He looks like he's never fought a day in his life."
Grant stayed silent, his eyebrows furrowed. He didn't understand.
Inside the room, Zylas was desperate. He was losing his chance. He was going to be sent back to his boring, pathetic life. 'Please, help me,' he begged in his mind. 'I need help!'
In an instant, the white room vanished.
Zylas was standing in the pitch-black Divine Lake again. Time had stopped in the real world, but for Zylas, it felt like he had been pulled out of reality.
The Cosmic Entity loomed over him, its quasar eyes staring down at his soul.
"Do you want power?" the Entity asked.
Zylas was frozen. He couldn't even find the words to speak.
"I shall ask you again," the voice vibrated through him. "Do you desire overwhelming power?"
"Yes," Zylas finally shouted. "Yes I do! I'll do anything for it!"
"Very well then," the Cosmic Entity replied.
"Let's make a deal. I'll give you power more than enough to destroy the problem befalling you, and you shall find and wear the Ring of Eternity. Don't worry, for you shall be guided to your goal."
"I accept!" Zylas replied instantly. He didn't care what the Ring of Eternity was. He just wanted to win.
Suddenly, Zylas was back in the white room. The AI was mid-swing, its fist inches from his face.
But this time, Zylas didn't move away. He felt a massive surge of strength, something way stronger than before. He stood up straight, his face cold. He raised his arm and made a simple slashing motion through the air.
Crack!
The simulation was instantly cut in half. The blue aura shattered into nothingness. The force didn't stop there, it hit the back wall, leaving a huge, deep slash mark in the diamond-hard material of the testing room.
The room went silent.
"What... What was that sudden surge of strength?" Kyler asked, his jaw dropping.
Grant didn't look shocked. He smiled and let out a small chuckle. "This... This is it!"
"He broke through the diamond-hard walls of the testing room," Grant shouted through the speaker. "That is almost the power of a Vowed Apostle! You did great, Zylas!"
The doors opened. Grant and Kyler rushed out of their audience room and escorted him out.
"You aced this one, your power completely destroyed Kyler's mind. I expected nothing less though" Grant said, patting Zylas on the shoulder. "Speaking about your powers, I just remembered the incident in the alley. You still sure you didn't have any hand in that?"
"Yes, I am completely sure. I do not know what caused that Drowned to implode into a disfigured ball of flesh." Zylas replied firmly.
"Sure, whatever you say Zylas. I'll listen to you for now, but don't think that this won't be brought up later" Grant exclaimed whjle slightly smiling.
"Anyways, now for your final test. It will be hard, but don't worry. Since you got the maximum marks and a bonus in this one, if you even get 25%, you'll pass."
The final test was a theory exam about Apostleship and Gods.
For most students, this was the hardest part. But Zylas had spent years admiring Apostles. Before he had lost hope, he had studied every book and article he could find about The Divine Lake. He knew the history, the ranks, and the names of the Gods by heart. To him, this wasn't work, it was his passion.
He sat at the desk and flew through the questions. Everything was so clear in his mind.
When the results came out, the instructors were speechless.
Zylas had scored 100%. He had the highest marks in the entire academy, tied with only two other elite students.
The boy who had nothing was now at the top of the list, though Zylas was confused as to who else compared to him.
"Who are the two other elites that are ranked at the top of our semester currently alongside me?" Zylas asked, full of arrogance and confidence.
"Oh, I'm glad you asked. It's good to know your direct rivals, you'll be competing with them for everything from now on so you should be informed about at least this much" Grant replied.
"They are The Two Paragons, The Apostle of Creation, Syliva and The Apostle of Destruction, Kai"
Zylas was completely baffled, befuddled, bewildered, bedazzled, bamboozled, hornswoggled and besmirched by the sheer audacity of that sentence. His brain just did a backflip into a woodchipper. He started operating on the processing power of a damp potato. He was currently experiencing the mental equivalent of a unicycle on a tightrope made of dental floss.