An awkward silence settled over the dimly lit chamber. Some of the onlookers wore twisted expressions, their faces betraying a mix of disbelief and unease.
Kallen's expression was simply too outrageous. They had just watched nearly two hours of visceral, calculated brutality, and yet there he sat peacefully, with a sickening smile of satisfaction.
Normally, this wouldn't have fazed them. This was a cruel world, and they probably had done unthinkable things that couldn't be brought to light, no matter what. The true issue lay in the fact that Kallen was still a child. A mere six-year-old.
The way he had handled the abomination made it painfully clear that he had been meticulously avoiding injury to himself. That much, they could understand, but it didn't make it any less dreadful.
The fact that a child could think like that, a child was capable of such cold, calculated brutality... no, torture, was terrifying.
And as if that wasn't enough, he was now admiring the broken, shivering abomination as if he had just completed a masterpiece. The satisfaction on his face... one would think he was gazing at his magnum opus, not a creature writhing in agony.
"This kid is vicious!" The thought hammered through their minds, but no one dared utter a word, certainly not here, not in the Crimson household, and definitely not about the Patriarch's only son.
"Too bad... or perhaps, fortunately, he can't naturally awaken his core. Otherwise, the Crimson family would become an unstoppable menace under his reign."
Bittersweet feelings swirled among them. Relief, because his inability to awaken kept his terrifying potential in check. Fear, because even without it, with the level of cruelty he had just exhibited, he was already a dangerous foe.
Most unsettling of all?
Some of them had unconsciously begun to consider this six-year-old as an equal adversary.
"Why isn't he finishing it off?" someone asked, drawing everyone's attention to the obvious.
"True... why is he just sitting there?"
"Is he hesitating? Maybe he can't bring himself to kill it?" someone whispered.
"Have you lost your mind? Would someone that vicious be afraid of killing an abomination?"
"Erhhh... some people, no matter how cruel they seem, just don't have the heart to kill."
"Not this one. There's no faking that level of brutality."
The murmurs gradually grew in volume, though they remained soft and oddly harmonious, never loud enough to disrupt the atmosphere.
Silas remained expressionless, the only sign of his thoughts being a brief crease on his forehead— one that smoothed out an instant later. Then, he smiled lightly.
"It seems he's still ambitious. Good, good."
His voice was low, directed at Thaddeus, yet somehow, it cut through the quiet discussions like a blade. Instinctively, all attention shifted to him.
"You can wake him up and stop the simulation," Silas continued. "He's not going to kill it."
"Mhhm," Thaddeus nodded.
At that moment, a wave of realization seemed to wash over those who had yet to grasp why Kallen had left the abomination alive. Their expressions took a change, frowning slightly in understanding.
Thorne's face darkened.
_'This boy is both vicious and recklessly ambitious. I don't know whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. Without proper guidance, he'll ruin the family, but that's simply impossible..._
His gaze flickered subtly toward Silas.
_'The Crimson family would never allow an asset to go to waste... or become its downfall.'_
The screen went dark abruptly.
"Well, I believe that concludes the test," Silas said, rising to his feet. "Don't worry, your children will be joining you in the open field shortly. There, you'll learn which of them have earned the privilege of entering the elite classes in the Academy, and which have not."
He paused briefly before adding, "This marks the end of this phase for the next ten years."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Thaddeus followed closely behind, heading off to attend to the children. As for the others, they dispersed gradually—though some lingered behind, murmuring in hushed discussions.
A soft hiss echoed through the white room as a pod slid open.
Kallen let out a light yawn before sitting up, his crimson hair shifting slightly as he took in his surroundings. The sterile whiteness remained unchanged, but now, the other children were stirring as well, groggily coming to their senses.
"You have done well," a voice cut through the lingering confusion.
A section of the pristine white wall suddenly parted, and Thaddeus stepped through.
The children's eyes narrowed into pinpricks as they turned to stare at the now-open wall, their expressions dark. They had tried everything to escape this room; pounding, scratching, even attempting to analyze its structure, and yet, the wall had just casually opened to let someone in?
Some of them clenched their fists, others bit their lips in frustration. A few even dared to glare at Thaddeus with silent resentment.
"Well... at least some of you have," he continued with a faint smile. "As usual, the best performers will be entering the elite class. The rest will receive recommendations to join the Academy. However..." his tone grew sharper, "those who performed poorly will have to secure a place in the Academy on their own."
A ripple of emotions spread through the room. Some faces fell in dismay. Others lit up with excitement, grins breaking out. A few even cheered softly, while some remained utterly unreadable.
"Now, start preparing," Thaddeus instructed. "Those of you who aren't yet ten, you have time to refine yourselves. As for those who are ten, you report to the Academy in two weeks."
With that, he let his words settle, his gaze sweeping across them, waiting for their reactions.
"Those who qualified for the elite class:.." Thaddeus read out the names with deliberate pacing, his voice steady yet commanding
"Williams Crimson—100 marks."
A hushed silence fell over the room.
"A full score?" someone gasped.
Murmurs erupted as the children exchanged glances, some filled with awe, others with disbelief, and a few with thinly veiled apprehension. Their sidelong looks toward Williams varied, some envious, some wary, and others downright worship.
But Williams seemed unconcerned, his eyes were drooping heavily, it looked like he might fall asleep any moment.
"Kallen Crimson—97 marks."
"Atticus Crimson—92 marks."
"Claire Emberblade—88 marks."
"Rose Soleil—80 marks."
"Brian Emberblade—78 marks."
"Elyon Crimson—77 marks."
"Eliot Crimson—77 marks."
"Lucien Blackwood—75 marks."