The head of the Symbiote Hall, a tall, blond man in his late forties with a perpetually sour expression, tapped his holo-watch, amplifying his voice throughout the hall:
"Alright, listen up, everyone. This compatibility test is a one-time deal, with no exceptions. I know none of you want to spend the rest of your lives on the fringes, stuck in the working class, and I know you all want to pursue your education and live within the city, like any other respectable citizen.
But I absolutely will not tolerate anyone wasting my time, or the other test-taker's time, with excuses about faulty capsules or system errors."
Then, with a smirk, he gestured towards the six Karaa (human-like android soldiers) stationed around the hall:
"Neither I, nor my colleagues, have any patience for your nonsense, and at the first sign of trouble, one of these dear Karaas will escort you right out of the hall.
Of course, I know you all trust me and my colleagues implicitly, so I'm sure none of you will do anything that would result in a disciplinary mark on your personal profile.
Now, if you've all understood that perfectly, please wait quietly until we begin the test."
Damon stared in awe at the Karaa standing beside the hall's administrator, his face filled with admiration and his eyes burning with desire. In his daydreams, he imagined himself on the deck of the Asgard, flanked by two S-Rank Karaa acting as bodyguards, issuing orders to pilots and officers. The vision of himself in such a position of power brought a foolish grin to his face, and he couldn't tear his eyes away from the Karaa.
"Idiot, don't gawk at them like that… Your place is here with the rest of us, on the fringes, not in one of your ridiculous fantasies."
Damon turned his head towards the voice and met the cold gaze of his old friend, Lucius.
Damon and Lucius had been best friends since childhood, almost inseparable since they were four years old when their families allowed them to play outside together.
Up until six months ago, they were on good terms. However, a disagreement caused them to become bitter enemies.
Lucius always believed that 99.9 percent of those living on the fringes would never have the opportunity to be compatible with a symbiote, especially since everything depended on the capacity of the neural system to host one.
When their entire generation was born with weak neural systems, how could Lucius or Damon be any different?
For this reason, he firmly refused to believe that they would pass the test as compatible with symbiotes, be able to sense 'Ka' energy, and join the military or one of the mega-corporations.
Damon had high hopes for a genetic mutation and often spoke about his dreams of becoming a knight. He imagined going on adventures and traveling to other planets. He envisioned that once their cells were awakened by 'Ka' energy, he would become a high-ranking officer, acquire various magical abilities, and fight against the Talmerians and the Torkulu orcs.
All these fantasies seemed unrealistic, especially since they had never even left New Thebes, let alone ventured outside the solar system in a spaceship or through a Stargate. The idea of setting foot on other planets and battling against different races and empires felt far-fetched.
This simple disagreement, over a few days, escalated into a bitter feud, to the point where Lucius did nothing but mock Damon whenever he saw him.
Damon met Lucius's cold stare with a smirk of pity before turning his attention back to the Karaa. Today was the day he would prove everyone wrong, and the thought brought a grin to his face as he imagined Lucius's expression when the hall technicians announced he had a compatibility level of over 30 percent.
The number of test-takers was around thirty to thirty-five, making the main hall seem excessively empty.
Lucius, smirking again with a mocking tone, said:
"I'd love to see your face when you come out of the capsule and the technician tells you you're just as useless as the rest of us… idiot."
This time, Damon didn't even bother turning his head and constantly repeated in his mind, "Over 30 percent compatibility… over 30 percent compatibility… over 30 percent compatibility…"
The idea of Lucius being right, though he wouldn't confess, made his palms sweat and his mouth feel a bit dry.
Adventures and spaceships aside, Damon had no desire to spend the rest of his life living on the fringes of New Thebes, wasting eleven hours of each day working in a helium-3 mine or a spaceship factory.
A young technician with glasses, a round face, and straight black bangs glanced at the luminous screen projected by her holo-watch. She tapped the screen a few times and typed some words on the virtual keyboard. Then, in a loud but slightly hoarse voice, she announced:
"Alina White… September first."
A pale, red-haired girl walked hurriedly toward the woman. Stress radiated from her, causing her cheap boots to slip on the polished floor of the hall. After a few stumbles, she quickly regained her balance and continued toward the woman with glasses at the same pace.
A middle-aged technician with brown hair placed a glass helmet on the girl's head. Once she entered the blue glass capsule and the door closed behind her, he typed her name into the luminous screen of his holo-watch and confirmed the start of the operation.
For exactly ten seconds, a metronome-like sound came from the capsule, and the blue light above it began to blink. When the sound stopped, the blinking light also turned off.
The sudden extinguishing of the light caused all the test-takers to hold their breath in stress and anxiety.
Damon began to silently count the seconds: "One thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three."
Exactly at the three-second mark, a piercing red light illuminated the capsule from above, and simultaneously, the capsule door opened with a soft hissing sound.
The red-haired girl, who could see the light's color from inside the capsule, emerged with a disappointed expression and teary eyes, looking at the middle-aged technician with despair. She hoped he would say something contrary to the red light above the capsule. However, the technician simply said three words to her: "Sorry…. next one."
Damon's stress only intensified due to the girl's incompatibility, and he began tapping his foot on the polished stone floor of the hall, as he clenched his fists tighter, he repeated in his mind, "Over 30 percent compatibility… over 30 percent compatibility… over 30 percent compatibility… Damon Grey, Knight of the Empire… Damon Grey, Knight of the Empire… Damon Grey, Knight of the Empire…"
The next two test-takers, both boys from the fringes like the red-haired girl, also failed, which further increased Damon's anxiety.
Before the fourth test began, all six Karaa in the hall simultaneously turned towards the entrance and gave a military salute. Their reaction startled the test-takers and surprised the hall's administrator, prompting everyone to look towards the entrance.
Standing before the large double doors of the hall was a man in his mid-forties, dressed in emerald armor and holding a large spear in his left hand.
The hall's administrator, feeling slightly unnerved by the sight of the armored figure, spoke with utmost respect and politeness:
"Sir Collymore, it's a pleasure to see you here today. I would also like to congratulate you on your promotion to Silver Knight rank."
It was clear that the hall's administrator did not have a fondness for the man in green armor, but out of respect for his rank, he maintained a courteous demeanor.
Sir Collymore, as he was recognized by the hall's administrator, walked slowly toward the administrator while holding his spear. The spear appeared completely ordinary in every respect, except for its blade, which resembled a small scimitar and emitted an emerald aura accompanied by a sharp crackling sound. Sir Collymore offered a faint smile as he stood in front of the administrator.
"Who would have thought that the great Dr. Victor Holland would fall so far as to become a hall administrator?! But I'm glad to see you. I don't care what happened in that laboratory, although the photos of those children were rather unsettling. Regardless, as I said, I'm glad to see you, Doctor."
Victor, whose trembling eyelids revealed that he had touched a nerve, replied:
"Likewise, my good sir. But to what do I owe this visit? How can I be of service, Sir Collymore?"
Sir Collymore turned towards the test-takers and slightly raised his spear, using his symbiote to signal the Karaas to be at ease. He then carefully scanned the group and finally focused his gaze on Damon and Lucius, who were waiting for their turn.
Addressing Victor, Sir Collymore said:
"I'm not here to trouble you, old friend. Please, carry on with your work. I'm here to check my son's test results…"