He glanced at his father, expecting a calm nod or maybe a proud smile—but what he saw caught him off guard. Alaric's face was twisted into something unreadable. His brow was furrowed, lips tightly pressed, eyes locked on Kael.
Kael's heart skipped a beat. Is he… not happy?
Before Kael could think further, Alaric suddenly stood up from his seat. The sudden movement drew everyone's attention.
"Yes! That's my son, alright!" he roared, his voice echoing through the hall like a battle cry.
A huge smile bloomed across his face and the tension in the room shattered into stunned silence. Every head in the hall turned toward him—parents, elders, children—gasping in surprise. The pride on Alaric's face was impossible to miss, and in that moment, he looked taller, stronger, as if Kael's performance had lifted something inside him.
The silence continued for a few heartbeats. Then Alaric chuckled and slowly sat back down, the grin never leaving his face.
Kael, standing on the platform, couldn't help his own smile spreading across his lips. He lowered his head slightly.
Well… I'm glad I was born into this kind of loving family.
Soon, a wave of laughter spread through the town hall. First a chuckle here, then a giggle there—until the entire room buzzed with murmurs and amusement. The once-stunned silence shifted into an excited chatter, as villagers began speaking among themselves.
"He really is Alaric's son…"
"I thought that glow was going to hit golden for a second!"
"That kind of power in a village boy? Incredible."
"Purple… that's higher than even the village chief's son."
"Didn't the stone shimmer gold for a moment too?"
"Maybe the stone was faulty…"
Tanya, who sat a few seats away from Alaric, leaned towards him with a sly grin on her lips. She crossed her arms and shook her head. "You just had to be dramatic, didn't you, Alaric?"
Alaric raised an eyebrow at her. "What? Should I not be proud when my boy shakes the entire hall?"
Tanya rolled her eyes, laughing softly. "You nearly gave half the people here a heart attack, standing up like that. Look at the mayor's assistant—he nearly dropped his scroll!"
Alaric glanced towards the shocked young man and chuckled. Sure enough, the poor assistant was hurrying to steady the documents in his hands, his face red from the sudden attention.
"You could've just clapped like a normal parent," Tanya teased further, shooting him a mocking glare. "But no, you had to roar like you're leading an army."
Alaric just grinned and shrugged. "What can I say? It runs in the blood."
As the banter between them continued, Kael finally stepped off the platform. His steps were steady and composed but his eyes held a flicker of mischief. He scanned the crowd deliberately, until his gaze fell on Kate.
A slow, mocking smile tugged at his lips.
Kate, who just moments ago was glowing with pride from her sister's blue radiance, now sat frozen. Her face had drained of all color, her lips parted slightly in shock. Never in her twenty-five years had she imagined Kael—the eyesore who always tried to hug her sister's attention—would awaken the purple glow.
It wasn't just that he surpassed Eva. He had climbed the ranks in mere seconds, skipped red entirely, and reached the legendary purple reserved for heroes and legends.
She couldn't stand it.
Her jaw clenched. She quickly turned her face away, pretending to smoothen her dress, trying to mask the burning embarrassment growing on her cheeks.
Kael didn't miss a thing. The smugness in his eyes deepened.
Then, as he walked past Eva, he paused only for a second. His lips curled again, but this time into a gentle smile, and he winked. Eva blinked, clearly flustered but smiled back faintly, her cheeks turning red.
Whispers grew louder and Kael walked back to his seat, as if none mattered to him.
Alaric bumped Kael's shoulder playfully. "You gave me a big surprise there, Kael," he said, voice filled with a mix of pride and amusement. "Purple? Really? Damn. Lyra will be practically jumping around the house when she hears about this."
Kael chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah, I can already picture that happening," he said with a grin. "She'll probably scream, cry, then hug me until my ribs break."
Just then, Tanya stood with a dramatic pout, crossing her arms. "Kael," she whined in an overly hurt tone, "did you hide your talents from your sweet aunty all this time?"
Her eyes narrowed as if pretending to be deeply betrayed.
"You little devil," she continued, leaning over to poke his cheek. "You always made us think you were just some sleepy little puppy who barely knew how to hold a sword. And now look at you! You light up the whole hall in purple like some royal heir from a prophecy."
Kael rubbed the back of his neck with an innocent grin. "Maybe I just didn't want the attention," he said, shrugging.
"Oh please," Tanya groaned, sitting back in her seat. "Don't give me that humble prodigy act. You're not getting away that easily. I'm going to personally interrogate you about your training schedule later."