"Wow! I never expected to see a knight up close like this."
"What's that in his hand?! It looks like a spear, but with that badass blade, it's not exactly a spear… Anyone know what it is?"
"Are you stupid? That's an A.I. Armament"
"Shut up, idiot. But damn, it's so cool…"
"Hahaha, yeah! My brother says even though it's pure technology, it's on par with the magical weapons of the Talmerians and the engraved weapons of the Orcs."
"He's right. I've heard knights can control A.I. Armaments through their symbiots."
Damon shared the other test-takers excitement, constantly shifting his gaze between the knight's spear and armor.
Despite the admiration he had felt throughout his life, seeing an Imperial Knight up close didn't fill him with awe. Instead, the knight's presence made him more anxious.
The occasional glances the knight cast toward Damon and Lucius sent a strange sensation through him, stirring a mix of unease and fear. He thought:
"Maybe it's true what they say: when a warrior spends too much time on the battlefield or accumulates a certain number of kills, it can affect their mind and soul, making ordinary people uneasy around them. I even remember reading that 'Ka' energy amplifies this psychological effect. Some people can control it and use it at will, while others cannot."
To test his theory, Damon glanced at Lucius to see if he felt the same strange presence from the knight or if it was just him. It seemed Lucius also sensed something odd, as he was staring at the knight without blinking—one of those looks you give, when you feel like you've seen someone before, but can't quite remember where.
Meanwhile, the technician with glasses was calling test-takers one by one, in order of their birthdates, instructing them to enter the capsule so their results could be recorded in their profiles.
In the Hall of Symbiotes, unlike schools and universities, test order wasn't based on alphabetical order but on birthdates. The test was always held on the last day of the month, meaning the person born on September 1st went first, while the one born on the last day of September was the last to take it.
Damon stole another glance at the knight, who was attempting—but failing—to hide his interest in him and Lucius. Even that brief look was enough to send a strange sensation coursing through his body again, as if he were submerged in water, making his movements feel slow and heavy.
Determined to stop unconsciously gazing at the knight, Damon tried to focus on the main hall, a place he hadn't paid attention to, until now due to the stress and excitement of the test.
The main hall was designed like an ancient Roman palace, something Damon had only seen in high school history classes. The floor and columns were made entirely of black marble, with golden veins running through the dark stone, giving the hall an awe-inspiring presence that made people feel small and insignificant.
The columns were tall and thick yet exquisitely designed. When Damon imagined himself standing next to one, he felt like a tiny house cat beside a giant oak tree. The matte gray walls were covered with holo-paintings, each displaying a famous piece of human history. The enormous windows were draped with violet and gold curtains, adding to the hall's grandeur.
But the biggest surprise was on the ceiling—a magnificent painting depicting the legendary battle between Maxes Augustus, the first hero of the Empire, and Tarmaak Ironfist, the greatest warrior of the Orcs.
The painting shows the battle taking place in Argentum City, one of the largest cities in the Helios Empire. Maxes, covered in wounds and having lost his left eye, was holding Tarmaak's severed head above his own, while Imperial warriors and knights cheered around him. Meanwhile, the Orc warriors knelt, mourning their fallen champion.
Maxes looked incredibly powerful and proud, gripping the legendary greatsword Sky Splitter—a weapon engraved with the Orcs' unique runes—in his other hand, roaring at the sky in what some claimed was a challenge to the heavens.
Damon, however, rolled his eyes at the thought.
"Yeah, right. He was probably just screaming to release all the stress and adrenaline from the battle. I hate how people turn these guys into legends, exaggerating every little thing they do and assigning deep meanings to their every word."
"Sure, Maxes was amazing—his combat skills and sheer 'Ka' energy were insane. And yeah, Sky Splitter was an Orc-engraved greatsword strong enough to take down a small shuttle as long as he had enough 'Ka' energy. But that was four hundred years ago, back then he was the Empire's number-one warrior and the war with the Orcs had just begun. If he hadn't been killed by one of those nameless Talermian Dragon Riders three hundred and fifty years ago, he wouldn't even be in the top hundred today. But people glorify him like he was one step away from godhood, and conveniently forget that he got taken down by some random dragon rider. It's ridiculous."
Lost in thought, Damon hadn't noticed that most of the test-takers had already left the hall. But the glassed technician's voice jolted him back to reality.
"Lucius Greenfield, September 21st."
Hearing Lucius's name, Damon's head snapped toward him. Lucius, seeing Damon's shocked expression, quickly tried to wipe the anxiety off his face and walked toward the woman, with deliberately firm steps.
Damon shook his head in pity and amusement. "Idiot. You're obviously scared out of your mind."
Once again, Damon instinctively glanced at the knight, who was now watching Lucius with intense curiosity. Something about the knight's behavior felt off. Why would an Imperial Knight be this interested in a test-taker from the fringes? Damon's curiosity flared, and he forced himself to resist that eerie sensation, keeping his eyes on the knight's reaction to Lucius's results.
No matter how impossible Lucius thought Damon's dreams were, there was no way Lucius didn't at least have some sliver of hope, that he'd pass. And that hope was what fueled his fear—fear that grew with each step he took toward the capsule.
Lucius stood before the capsule. The middle-aged technician placed the glass helmet over his head and he took a few deep breaths before stepping inside, muttering words under his breath that only he could hear.
like every time before, the blue light above the capsule started blinking, and the metronome-like sound echoed through the hall—a countdown to the moment that would decide Lucius's future. A future he had no real plan for.
Finally, the blinking stopped, the ticking sound cut off, and after three seconds, the light above the capsule flashed a blinding green. Simultaneously, the capsule door hissed open.
Lucius stepped out, looking utterly stunned. His wide, bewildered eyes darted to the middle-aged technician, as if seeking confirmation that he wasn't hallucinating—that the green light above the capsule was real.
Before either technician could say a word, the knight suddenly appeared out of nowhere and pulled Lucius into a tight embrace.
"I knew you'd make me proud, my son, Lucius…"
The word 'son' sent a shockwave through Damon, freezing him in place.
Not in his wildest, most insane dreams had he ever imagined this possibility.
Not when he had known Lucius's parents his entire life.
But it seemed reality was wilder than any of Damon's dreams—because not only had Lucius just been confirmed as compatible… an Imperial Knight was now claiming to be his father.