The door of the interrogation room closed behind me with a sharp metallic click. For a fraction of a second, it felt like something had been sealed, as if that simple sound marked the end of one phase and the beginning of another. I was no longer just a quiet second-year student. I was no longer a Level 1 Mentalist that could be ignored without consequence. Now, I was a case. A priority file. A living anomaly in a system that did not tolerate uncertainty.
Two agents were waiting for me in the corridor. Not regular staff, not soldiers either, but members of the central administration. Their posture was straight, their expressions neutral, yet their presence alone made it clear that my situation had changed.
"Follow us."
I didn't respond. I just walked.
The path toward the main administrative building was silent, heavy. The academy kept functioning around me, but it felt like a false normality. I could feel the looks. Subtle. Discreet. Some students slowed down slightly as I passed, others looked away too quickly to be natural. The information was already spreading. Not officially, but enough to create tension. And in this place, anomalies never stayed unnoticed for long.
We entered an elevator reserved for upper levels. No buttons. No visible controls. The internal AI handled everything. I briefly looked at my reflection in the dark surface. I looked calm.
Inside, I wasn't.
Hybrid.
The word kept coming back, again and again, like a truth I had never wanted to face.
The doors opened onto a quiet floor, almost isolated from the rest of the building. Less movement. More control. I was led to a large black door with no inscription. Biometric access. Immediate validation.
"Go in."
I stepped inside.
The office was spacious, but not excessive. Everything was functional. Precise. Cold. Behind a dark glass desk stood a man in his forties. His gaze was steady, sharp, and his posture carried natural authority.
"Ymir Højlünd."
His voice was deep.
"Vice Director Abraham Wiseman."
I gave a slight nod. "Sir."
He didn't linger on that.
"Last time, we only had doubts. Today, we have facts."
I stayed silent.
"Which simplifies things."
He activated an interface. My profile appeared.
"Level 1 Mentalist… and now confirmed potential Controller."
A brief pause.
"We're going to proceed with a full evaluation."
The evaluation room had nothing in common with generic training rooms. Everything here was calibrated. The walls were reinforced, the floor embedded with invisible sensors, and a series of technological rings deployed around me the moment I stepped in. A subtle pressure seemed to weigh on the space itself.
"Initialization of neural and vector sensors."
A slight pressure formed at the back of my skull.
Neural reading.
"Baseline analysis."
Data flowed. Brain activity. Synchronization. Latency.
"Test 1: vector projection."
A metallic cube appeared. I focused on it, concentrating. This time, I wouldn't just let it happen. I wanted control.
The cube trembled.
Then rose.
Unstable, but enough.
"Test 2: vector precision."
The cube split into multiple fragments. Suspended. Independent. This was harder. Each piece required attention. Two fragments drifted slightly. I corrected.
Too slow.
But I corrected.
"Test 3: execution speed."
The objects shifted abruptly. I had to track, anticipate, react. My mind accelerated, but a slight delay appeared.
I felt it.
They did too.
"Test 4: inertia cancellation."
A projectile was launched at high speed. Instant reflex. I stopped it… but it still moved a few centimeters before freezing.
Not perfect.
"Test 5: progressive load."
The mass increased.
More.
More.
Pressure built in my head. Heat. Pure mental strain. But I held.
Not cleanly.
But I held.
"Test 6: simultaneous manipulation."
Multiple objects. Different trajectories. Different speeds. That's where I hit a limit. A desynchronization appeared. A slight oscillation.
I clenched my jaw.
I stabilized.
Partially.
But enough.
The results accumulated.
FPI (Force Projection Index): high for an untrained subject.
VCA (Vector Control Accuracy): unstable but promising.
SCI (Spatial Cognition Index): above average.
ELR (Endurance Load Ratio): low.
GMI (Gravitational Mastery Index): negligible.
Then came the analysis.
"Branch detected: Telekinetic."
An interface appeared, detailing the distinction. Telekinetics possess fine control over their environment, a deeper understanding of the structures they manipulate, and high precision in force application. In contrast, gravitokinetics develop greater raw power, but with rougher control, compensated by a deeper instinct for fundamental forces.
I stayed silent.
So… control.
Not raw power.
That explained some things.
"Estimated level: between 2 and 3."
Without training.
Just like that.
When I returned to my room, my interface exploded with notifications. Messages. Offers. Proposals. Influential families. Sponsorships. Academic adoptions. All promising protection, resources, future.
But in the end, it was simple.
They wanted control.
I closed everything.
I wasn't in the mood.
I lay down.
And fell asleep almost instantly.
A vibration woke me up.
03:02.
A message.
Sender: Central Administration — Priority Level.
Subject: Immediate Summons.
Location: Director's Office.
Mandatory presence.
No explanation.
I stayed still for a few seconds, staring at the screen.
Then I got up.
The academy was silent at that hour. Almost unreal. Systems were still running, but without human presence, everything felt colder. More mechanical.
I stopped in front of the director's office.
Then entered.
The director was there. Standing. Overwhelming presence. The kind of person who didn't need to display power for it to be obvious.
But he wasn't alone.
Another man was sitting in the room.
I stopped.
He looked younger. Maybe in his twenties. But his presence… wasn't young. It was calm. Stable. But dangerous.
The director spoke.
"Ymir Højlünd, step forward."
I did.
"You're just in time."
He slightly turned toward the seated man.
"Let me introduce you to Asariah Haschwalth."
Silence.
The name alone was enough.
The name says it all.
No explanation needed
Second son of the patriarch of the Haschwalth family
The family that ruled Europe...
I felt the weight of it instantly.
I straightened slightly. "It's an honor."
Asariah stared at me for a few seconds. Long enough to feel like he was analyzing everything.
"Interesting."
His voice was calm.
"Very interesting."
He stood up slowly.
"You're a hybrid. Mentalist and Controller. The two rarest types. Do you understand what that implies?"
I took a slow breath. "I have an idea."
A faint smile appeared.
"No. Not yet."
He stepped closer.
A slight smile crossed his lips
"You are a Mentalist and Controller hybrid, the two rarest types"
"Do you know how many there are like you? "
I did not answer
"Almost none "
He crossed his arms
"And that's no coincidence."
Silence
"Hybrids typically appear in large families. Noble families. Those who control continents as undisputed masters."
"Because these families practice alliances and strategic marriages "
A pause.
"When two ordinary Imperiums of different types have a child… that child usually inherits only one type."
Silence.
"You are an exception."
I didn't respond.
"Which makes you… extremely valuable."
The word lingered.
Valuable.
Not powerful.
Not dangerous.
Valuable.
He crossed his arms.
"The Haschwalth family can train you. Protect you. Give you access to resources you can't even imagine."
Silence.
"In exchange, you represent us."
I inhaled slowly.
"I need time to think."
Silence.
Then—
"No."
One word.
Calm.
But crushing.
"If you need time to think… then you haven't understood."
I clenched my jaw slightly.
"Opportunities like this are not something you wait on."
His presence shifted. Not an attack. But pressure.
"If you cannot recognize an opportunity immediately… then you are not worthy of being supported by us."
The message was clear.
This wasn't an offer.
It was a test.
I closed my eyes for a second.
Refusing… wasn't a realistic option.
I lifted my head.
"I accept."
Silence.
Then a slight smile.
"Good choice."
He stepped back.
"The official documents will be sent to you tomorrow."
I left the room without a word.
The walk back to the dorm felt distant. Like reality had shifted slightly.
I sat in the dark.
Then the memories came back.
My mother.
Her voice.
"Never show it…"
I closed my eyes.
I had.
"Not until you find him…"
A tightness formed in my chest.
I hadn't respected her will.
Not really.
But at the same time…
I had never been this close to power.
And that power…
could let me kill them.
All of them.
I didn't even know exactly who yet.
But that certainty…
didn't move.
A tear slowly ran down my cheek.
I didn't wipe it away.
Because despite everything…
I knew one thing.
This time…
I wouldn't stay weak.