Part of him was curious, but another part—the prideful part—wanted to see soone rise above. Soone worth comparing himself to.
But no one did.
Then, the announcer called out a na that made Kael straighten in his seat.
"Eva."
Eva stood up quickly, brushing down the front of her red gown. She looked calm, but Kael knew her well—her eyes were alight with fire, with determination. She walked to the stage, and placed her hand firmly on the stone.
For a few seconds, nothing happened.
Then, slowly, a soft pulse of blue spread from her palm. It started as a faint shimr, but grew brighter—richer—until the entire stone glowed with a brilliant azure hue.
A collective gasp echoed through the hall. Even the elders leaned forward in their seats. Children whispered. Parents exchanged wide-eyed looks.
Kael’s own eyes widened slightly, impressed.
Eva looked down at her hand, her lips parting in shock. She hadn’t expected it either. The glow reflected in her eyes, painting her face with flickers of light and pride.
"She’s... a blue," soone whispered.
"No one’s gotten blue in years."
"She might really go far."
Kael’s lips curled into a small smirk. So she wasn’t just reckless after all.
The village head laughed heartily, his voice echoing through the hall.
"Our young Eva has received the blue glow!" he announced. "Such talent is rare in this region. She is sure to make our village proud."
A wave of applause spread across the room and so even stood up to cheer. The villagers, often bound by routine and survival, rarely got monts like this—monts of true hope, of witnessing soone step beyond their modest lives.
A huge smile broke across Eva’s face. Her cheeks flushed with a mixture of joy and disbelief. She gave a graceful bow to the elders and then another to the crowd before stepping down from the platform.
As she made her way back to her seat, her eyes locked onto Kael’s. She didn’t say a word, but she didn’t need to. The look in her eyes was sharp and fiery—I’ll catch up to you, it said.
Kael raised an eyebrow slightly but smiled in return. That unspoken challenge—he welcod it.
Just then, the assistant standing on the platform scanned his scroll again.
"Kael!" he called out loudly.
All eyes turned toward him.
Kael took a deep breath, rising from his seat with calm composure. He gave his father a quick glance. Alaric t his gaze with a nod, eyes proud but steady, ready to accept whatever was to co.
Kael nodded once in return, then turned toward the stage. Now it begins, he thought.
Stepping onto the platform, he took a deep breath and turned towards the assistant. The assistant nodded and gestured silently toward the stone in the center of the stage.
Kael placed both his hands on it.
At first, nothing happened. A few whispers floated through the room.
Then, a soft yellow glow.
A collective sigh escaped the crowd. A few parents shook their heads. A few youths smirked. Yellow—common, average, forgettable.
But before anyone could speak, the glow shifted.
Green.
Now there was a ripple. People leaned forward in their seats. A few claps echoed, uncertain and cautious.
Then the green brightened—and shifted again.
Blue.
Gasps spread like wildfire. The hall buzzed as even the village head’s eyes widened slightly.
"He got blue?" soone whispered in disbelief.
"But wait..." another murmured. "Is it... changing again?"
The blue glow began to deepen, darken—until it flared direct into a purple hue that bathed the room in an almost eerie light.
The crowd fell into stunned silence. Even Alaric, seated below, stared with his mouths open .
The assistant dropped his scroll in shock.
Then sothing even stranger happened.
A subtle golden shimr danced at the center of the purple.
Soone audibly gasped.
But just as quickly, the golden glow flickered out, leaving only the eerie, mysterious purple light.
Silence hung heavy in the room before the village head finally spoke, his voice hoarse with disbelief.
"...That boy..." he muttered, "...How?"
Kael slowly removed his hands from the stone, a smirk curling on his lips. He knew the truth—his power wasn’t ordinary mana but lust energy.
This tester wasn’t designed to recognize such mysterious energy. As Kael flowed his lust energy through the stone, it was initially unable to recognize anything. But since the lust energy was a form of energy itself, it made sothing stir within the stone.
It fluctuated wildly—starting from yellow, shifting to green, then climbing all the way to purple. He could have pushed it to golden, but chose not to; drawing too much attention would only bring unnecessary trouble.
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