Aramith raised his hands to block, but just before the fist made contact, he let them fall and shifted aside.

BOOM!

The ground quaked. Dust burst upward, debris scattering as if the academy itself had been struck by a meteor. The shockwave rippled through, rattling windows and shaking walls.

Gasps spread. Students from nearby classrooms rushed out, drawn by the sound. The other three Fathers made their way calmly, but their expressions betrayed quiet curiosity.

"Aramith, right?" Father Garrun said, lowering his fist. His eyes glimmered with a sharpness that made silence hang over the crowd.

Aramith frowned but didn't answer.

"You're really interesting, you know that? Tell me why you resorted to tricking me."

"I did the test as asked," Aramith replied flatly. "I can do it again if you want."

Garrun chuckled, low and knowing. "Smart. Almost fooled me. But I've lived too long to be deceived by sleight of hand. Honesty is what I value. Reasons? I don't care for them. Just truth."

Aramith's gaze narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"When we check someone's Gate, they pour their Youm into the orb. The glow tells us their level. You know this."

Aramith stayed silent.

"The orb stays dark at Genesis. At Bronze, it shines bronze. Silver for Silver, gold for Gold. Simple. Direct." Garrun walked to the orb, his steps unhurried. "So tell me, what did you make it glow?"

"It was silver. Everyone saw it," Aramith said evenly, pointing to the students.

Heads nodded. Murmurs agreed—Silver. No one doubted what they had witnessed.

"They were fooled," Garrun said with a small smile. "Let me demonstrate."

He placed his hand on the orb. At first, nothing.

"I injected so little energy, the orb thinks me Genesis."

The orb flickered—then glowed bronze.

Whispers spread.

"This… is Bronze. Now watch." Garrun pushed a little more. The orb turned silver.

"And this is the amount you injected. Just enough to sit at Silver. If you were really at Silver, it would glow Silver instantly."

Aramith's eyes hardened. He'd hoped to conceal it, but now he saw his mistake. He had only tested the orb in the moment, never realizing the flaw. And Garrun, seasoned and unshaken, had seen right through him.

But Garrun wasn't finished. He stepped away from the orb, folding his arms.

"My punch earlier—" his voice carried across the hall, calm but heavy— "could only have been blocked if you were at the Gold Gate. But you didn't block. Youw ere fast enough to dodge at the last second, which means you are above the Gold Gate."

The crowd erupted in startled whispers. Some students gasped aloud, others backed away as if the revelation itself carried weight.

Mozrael's instincts made her step forward, but Sylvia caught her wrist. "Trust him. Besides, what would you even do? Garrun's beyond you, and Aramith's stronger than you as well."

Mozrael shook free of her hand but stayed where she was, heart pounding, eyes never leaving Aramith.

Garrun's smile deepened, but it wasn't friendly.

"You're not Gold," he said, letting the silence build. "You're beyond it." He leaned in slightly, his tone soft, deliberate.

"At least… Platinum."

The words dropped like a hammer.

Aramith's eyes narrowed. Even he wasn't sure just how far his powers stretched.

Students recoiled as though the ground had shifted beneath them. Some stumbled back a step, while others froze, unable to meet Aramith's eyes. A few whispered, voices trembling with disbelief, while others stared as if they were looking at something no longer human.

"Platinum…?""That's impossible.""In our generation?"

"At this age?"

Some people never made it past Gold their entire lives!

The air grew thick with awe, envy, and fear. Aramith stood still, silent, his expression unreadable.

He didn't deny it, and that silence was worse than confirmation—it was acceptance.

Some students stepped back.

Fear.

"Now then, since you don't want to show us using the orb, why don't we test you with something more physical?" His fingers popped

Aramith understood what was coming and quickly took up a defensive stance.

Garrun observed him for a while, then laughed. "Hahaha! Such a funny boy, Aramith! No wonder the Rector found you interesting. Don't worry, I won't beat you up just to test you."

Aramith relaxed a little, but he was still alert.

Garrun looked at Father Ilthane, who nodded at him.

"Go join those two for now. We'll deal with you later," Garrun pointed to Mozrael and Sylvia.

Aramith nodded and went to stand by Mozrael.

The students were unable to believe what they'd just heard.

Aramith was at Platimun?

They now understood why Mozrael and Sylvia were very interested in him.

Fear, reverence, and interest. These emotions moved their hearts.

To think such a prodigy was in their midst.

Aris looked more afraid than shocked, though he tried to hide it. Looking at Aramith, he knew there and then that he'd made some terrible choices he needed to change.

Everyone else went back to their respective places to continue the exercise.

Once they were done, they were further divided into smaller groups.

Everyone got a classroom with mates of similar rank. No one was too far behind their mates, or too far ahead. And in that same manner, Aramith, Mozrael, and Sylvia had a whole class to themselves.

This should have been rewarding, but in an academy where all those in authority did was watch them and not teach a thing, this felt like nothing.

They hardly spent time in the classroom, mostly spending time in the library.

Ever since the reveal of their true strengths, Elira had found it difficult to stay around Mozrael and Aramith. She was now with her group of friends from her class.

Aris still spent time with them, but Aramith couldn't help but notice how he was mostly looking uncomfortable and always distracted. Worse still was how he seemed afraid of Aramith now.

Something was eating at the boy, but he forced a smile that was faker than the moon's light.

It was evening, and Aris left once again. He looked panicked and in a rush.

I have to get out of this! There's nothing I can do.

He reached a tree next to the training grounds where six other students stood.

One of them sat in the middle of the group.

"What is it? You must have something worth telling if you've come here at this time," the seated one said.

Aris trembled slightly. "I—I want to stop," he forced himself to say.

"And what makes you think you can do that?" One of the boys pushed Aris's shoulder.

Aris ignored the one who'd just shoved him and looked pleadingly to the seated one. "Sylas, I beg you. I can't do this!"

Yes, it was none other than Sylas.

The same Sylas who'd been respected but was thrown off his high horse.

He still had a few loyal dogs, and now he was trying to get his revenge.

Sylas looked at him with anger burning in his eyes.

"What makes you think you have the right to decide that, mistake?"

Aris flinched at the words, but he didn't step back.

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