By the time Mina dismissed the class, Aiden felt as though his body had turned to stone. His candle sat in front of him, untouched by flame, no matter how hard he had willed it to light. He had stared at it until his eyes blurred and his head throbbed, sweat dripping down his temples, but the candle remained dark and cold. Around him, every other student had managed at least a flicker, even the ones Mina had earlier described as having only middle potential.
When the teacher gave her closing remarks, Aiden could almost feel the blow land straight on his chest.
"Like I said," Mina's voice rang out, sharp and unapologetic, "potential does not mean anything. But I am starting to question if some people's test results were even real. A high blood potential is not supposed to struggle this much. Someone who cannot even light a candle is not a high potential. Not in my eyes."
