Malphas sat on the chair with a tired expression, staring at the man across from him. "So..." he muttered. "Who are you?"
The lime-haired man looked up, then closed his eyes and crossed his arms. "How do I word this..." he said. "Do you have any mother or father figures?"
"Wha—what now?"
Caelen sighed. "Figured. You didn't even know what food was," he thought for a moment longer. "Have you ever had someone in your life who took care of you? Someone you looked up to, who raised and trained you to become who you are today?"
Malphas's eyes twitched slightly as he stared blankly at him. "I-I think I did," he said, the blurry image of A-1 flashing in his mind.
"Kid," Caelen interrupted.
Malphas's blank stare snapped back to Caelen, now with a worried expression.
"What I'm trying to say is that I've assigned myself to take care of you from now on. And from what I've gathered... you're a complete moron."
Malphas froze, then immediately sprung up, slamming his palm into the table. "HEY, I AT LEAST KNOW WHAT 'MORON' MEANS!"
Caelen watched Malphas's tantrum, thinking to himself, 'The interrogator did say he can catch onto things quickly. He said it was 5x faster than an average Fateweaver. Could that be his boon?'
"Oh, one more thing."
Malphas stopped his tantrum. "What?"
"What's your boon and flaw?"
Malphas looked at him blankly. "The hell is that?"
"Eh..." Caelen paused for a moment. "Wait, hold up. Do you even know what resonance, essence, and a god-given name are?"
"No."
---
Lucinia walked out of the station, pushing her hair back as she approached a fortified vehicle. She gestured to the driver to open it for her.
He complied, given her princess-like status, but when the door opened, she found half the students fast asleep. A couple were still awake—Harmony and William. Harmony's back was twitching slightly as she healed William from behind.
Lucinia sighed, pushed her way through, and sat across from William, who was sitting on the floor in front of Harmony.
William looked up at her with a tired expression. "And to what do we owe the honor of your presence?" he remarked sarcastically.
"Cut the crap," Lucinia snapped. "I just want to know—did you get a glimpse of his resonance?"
"Resonance?! Shit, I didn't even think he had any! He was so fast and strong... and unpredictable. He's so unnoticeable that he doesn't even have the slightest trace of essence or a presence."
Lucinia's ears perked up. "A presence, you say? Could he have been a spy in his first trial?" she mumbled.
"Maybe," William said, rubbing his neck. "He was so fast. Not only that, but he figured out our tactic and countered it easily. To do that so quickly... he must have hella experience."
'So he's very capable in physical combat,' Lucinia thought.
"But there was one moment when I did sense his presence—when we first saw him. Alex was about to approach him, but I stopped him. I had a gut-wrenching feeling that if Alex took one more step, he'd have died."
Lucinia's eyes widened. 'Malnourished, yet showing a high level of experience... an unnoticeable presence... and he can make people feel death. After the first trial, he survived. I'm certain now—he has a god-given name like me.'
She looked up at a glowing blue system window that only she could see.
[Fateweaver: Lucinia Numar]
[Gender: F]
[Resonance: Moonlight Manifestation]
[Essence Type: Essence, Divinitus]
[Boon: Essence Management]
[Flaw: Mooncharge]
[God-Given Name: Sovereign of the Moon]
She stared at the system window, contemplating her next move.
---
The students had already left for the campus dorms, and Lucinia had been escorted back to her home. Malphas stood outside, finally free of his cuffs. He looked down at his hand, examining the scar left by the shackles. 'This... feels nice.'
He glanced around, taking in the unique environment. 'It's a bit noisy, but I could get used to it,' he thought. But then, another thought bolted through his mind. 'W-wait, why am I not trying to run? If it were me before, I would've bolted by now.'
Then, a faint memory surfaced—Caelen. It was a similar feeling to when A-1 used to take care of him. Not as strong, but... it was there.
'I guess I should give this new life a shot.'
Suddenly, a hand rested on his shoulder. "Hey kid, the car's ready. Let's bounce," Caelen said from behind, gesturing toward the vehicle.
"Oh—okay," Malphas muttered. 'The fuck is a car?'
Malphas approached the sleek, black, 2-ton machine. It was longer than any vehicle he'd ever seen so far, with a logo that popped out at the front. He stared in awe—it was his first time seeing something like this.
"Cool, right?" Caelen boasted. "Anyway, get in."
Caelen opened the door, revealing black leather seats. As Malphas sat down, the material made a strange noise—something thick and unfamiliar to him.
Caelen showed him how to buckle the seatbelt before getting in on the other side. When the car started, it roared. The headlights lit up the darkness ahead, and the vehicle began to move. Malphas's eyes widened in awe. "This is amazing!" he pressed his face against the window.
"Hey, kid—don't smudge the glass."
Malphas didn't quite understand what Caelen meant, so he just backed away.
He watched the city lights whizz past, along with other cars speeding by. Neon signs and bright stores filled Malphas's curiosity even more.
Needless to say, he was excited to explore this new world.
"Kid—"
"Stop calling me 'kid'. My name is Malphas."
"Right, right. Malphas. So here's the deal: for the first month, I'll teach you all about resonance. In the second month, I'll show you around. But don't get too comfortable—I'm sending you to the academy once you're caught up."
"What's an academy?"
Caelen sighed in frustration. "I'll... I'll explain tomorrow."