"Water affinity, sir..."
An assistant spoke with a tentative expression on his face.
In his grasp was a clipboard containing the total affinity evaluation data of Lunar De Cress, 6th son of the De Cress General family and 18th in line to become the next General.
"Water affinity? That's... strange." A tall man replied from the side. His long black hair was tied into a bun behind him, a contrasting complement to his pale yellow eyes.
"And affinity potential?" He asked with a pondering look on his face as he stared down.
"That's..." The assistant's expression faltered once more.
"Speak." The tall man commanded.
"Eighteen..."
"Hm? I didn't hear you so well."
"Eighteen percent with low chances of breaking past his twentieth gate!"
The assistant refused to look up as he feared what could happen next.
"Fix the windows before I get back." The tall man turned around and retreated to somewhere else.
"Huh, what do..." The assistant's voice trailed off as an ear-piercing sound ruined his eardrums.
All the windows in the mansion broke at once.
———
"This..."
Ellenia De Cress held up a clipboard in her hands tightly. A pained expression was visible on her pale face.
"Eighteen percent affinity potential and a low chance of surpassing the twentieth chakra gate? Oh gods..."
Several other clipboards surrounded her on her bed where she sat, sick all day.
"I never thought I'd have to rely on this method in the end, but it should at least give him a chance to survive and own a land somewhere far away after his education..." Ellenia thought fearfully.
She was the only mother of thirty-three of the De Cress family.
For generations, that had been the sole job of every woman married into the De Cress home.
To push more and more children out of her system. She hasn't even finished the quota of fifty set for her before she fell bed-ridden two years ago.
August's eyes which were once filled with care and affection for her became cold like a knife's edge then another different kind of monster.
Her only worth right now was waiting to die on her bed or perhaps speaking to maids, servants and the few children who bothered to see her.
Lunar was by far one of her most physically strong children and was, at the same time, often bullied by the rest. He did nothing to prevent it and only took more action to escalate the problem.
For example, moving into her room to sleep beside her... He had always refused moving out, refusing to fight back even with all the strength he had.
Ellenia smiled at the thought of him, his eyes were a piercing blue yet had so much dark in them.
He was a child born with no emotions to speak of but deep inside, Ellenia, as his mother believed he could be one of the kindest beings alive.
———
"The stage is complete." Lunar spoke. His voice was cool and smooth to hear, emotionless but elicited an unknown emotion in those that heard it.
"My mistake was going alone... No, my mistake was thinking you would listen... So, I'll... We'll do it ourselves."
He spoke into thin air. His eyes, one blue, one black looking up at the clear sky.
"You know, I always knew you were borderline insane but to have such a redundant future for yourself, I can't help but be surprised." A voice came from behind.
Lunar turned around, not surprised or feeling anything whatsoever. It wasn't the first time someone came into his garden to vent their stress on him.
"Talking to yourself if one, but what dog crap result is this?!"
Lunar did nothing to defend himself as the clipboard was broken on his face in one swift, cruel motion.
He stood, stiff like a stone and accepted it, not even reacting to his bleeding nose.
"Answer me!" His younger twin brother by birth, Lake, screamed.
Since childhood, he had been an hyperactive nut-case in the head and always felt emotions twice as strong as anyone else.
They were born a strange pair, one had black hair, one had blonde hair. One had next to no emotions and one felt them twice as strong as everyone else.
Lake's result on the other hand was quite superb.
>>Affinity: Fog
>>Potential: 60%
>>Fairly high chance of reaching the 100th gate
Lunar remained stiff, then his mouth moved.
"Are you done?"
Lake's eyes flared as he cracked his fists, struggling intensely to control his breathing.
"The others told me just to mess with you a little and get a reaction at least... since our healers are quite short on chakra you see and the potion reserves down and all... Haha..." Lake rambled on and on, trying to distract himself from entertaining the thought of beating Lunar up.
"But I can't you see... So deal with it."
— THWACK!
———
Lunar's bones hurt deeply as he lay on his bed.
The De Cress family was an unforgiving place for weaklings.
After undergoing the four years compulsory training service at the academy, they would be deployed to a far away domain and made to either conquer it or make a name there.
After which they returned to the capital domain to prove their worth by any legal means possible.
Eradicating an evil organization, defeating a popular figure in a duel or... killing the current head.
August De Cress wasn't an ordinary man. He had seen blood and blood had become him.
He had become the current Gerenal De Cress by killing his grandfather, Mel De Cress.
Lunar sighed. It was an action he had picked up from somewhere he didn't remember.
He had no intention of staying caught in this whole mess of a family ever since he had seen his Affinity Evaluation Data.
He had all his valuables ready and packed and he would set off he next morning, or so he had thought till he was wrecked inside out.
There was perhaps no harm in staying a few days more till he healed. He had no future in this place.
With his results, his father wouldn't even bother to sponsor him to the academy and he would probably be sent to The Scraps.
His mother too was too useless to be relied on...
Once again, or so he had thought.