"First of all, we'll test your theoretical knowledge, then your reasoning, and lastly we'll have a small display of your abilities followed by a friendly sparring match."
The kids filed into a spacious room. Several desks were neatly organized within the room.
"The first test will be two hours," Norvax announced.
"This part of the recruitment exam will test your theoretical knowledge of the world, and how much you know about the current world. This test will be done the old-fashioned way with pencils and paper." Norvax said with a smile.
"You may sit anywhere you want. Cheating is not allowed, and any attempt that is noticed will result in immediate disqualification."
The kids promptly sat down, and soon several sheets of paper were placed in front of each of them. A second instructor entered and began distributing pencils and erasers.
"You may begin," Darius said in a deep, somber voice.
As if in cue, all the instructors filed out of the room. Norvax slowly shook his head.
"Poor kids, I wouldn't want to be in their shoes."
Emily frowned.
"These questions are...too easy."
Her frown turned upside down, spreading into a wide grin.
She completed the test in record time.
She cast a lazy glance around the room, observing the rest of the kids. The dark-haired kid from earlier apparently had also finished and was sleeping.
Her eyes widened as she saw an eraser subtly levitate between two of the kids near the back of the room. She silently turned around.
" What a couple of fools."
Some of the kids were positively frustrated. In truth, the test questions were quite difficult; Emily and probably the other kid were outliers.
In the next moment, a gust of wind suddenly blew into the room.
Norvax stood between the two earlier culprits, his eyes ablaze with a stern expression on his face.
In his hand, he held the eraser that had been levitating back and forth. He nonchalantly picked up the answer sheets of the two culprits, glancing at the names scribbled on the sheets.
"Rob Axley and Michael Graymond, you've been disqualified."
The eyes of the two boys widened in terror. Two agents in black uniforms entered the room to escort them out. One of the boys, with a chubby, rounded face, Rob, tried to protest.
"Wait, you can't do this? Do you know who I am? Do you know what my father will do if he hears about this?" He sneered.
Norvax rolled his eyes.
The invigilators showed no outward reaction to his bold proclamation.
One of them reached out to grab hold of his arm.
Rob snarled. His eyes lit up as he activated his ability.
A desk flew across the room, barreling straight towards the invigilator.
The man nonchalantly lifted an arm and gripped it in place. Veins popped all over Rob's face as he seemingly struggled to move the desk from the man's iron grip.
The other agent's eyes lit up, añd Rob's eyes suddenly stopped glowing. He looked at his hands ín horror, his brow wrinkled in confusion.
"My ability, why can't I use my ability? Noo!" He screamed. It seemed he couldn't use his ability.
" Take him away. To the rest of you, let this be a warning. Who you are or where you come from doesn't matter here; your ability speaks for you. " Norvax coldly said. Inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's a good thing Darius didn't íntervene.
He warily looked at the entrance where Darius quietly stood.
The two boys were led out quietly; they looked defeated.
The test continued with no further incidents.
The answer sheets were promptly collected. The kids were led out of the room to another area within the complex.
"We will now test your reasoning ability."
There was a lounge with a few games to indulge in. The kids were required to enter the examination room one at a time.
"You'll take this test individually. We shall be testing your ability to think critically and analyze situations. We will also test your aptitude for numerical puzzles and mathematical concepts."
The tests were designed in a way that would enable instructors to gauge the recruits' intelligence quotient.
As Emily stood, waiting for her then, the boy with the mop of brown hair went around, greeting the others cheerfully, his blue eyes sparkling in delight.
When he reached her, he offered her his hand with a smile.
" Hi, my name's Edmund, what's yours?"
Emily quietly looked at him before replying in an aloof voice. " Emily."
"Nice to meet you, Emily. I hope we get along."
Edmund finally came face-to-face with the dark-haired youth from earlier. He proceeded to greet him as he'd greeted the others. The youth didn't even budge. His dark, lightless eyes stared blankly. Edmund didn't even exist in front of him.
"Ok..." Edmund said awkwardly. He laughed nervously.
" You're the quiet type, huh?"
Edmund didn't push further and walked off, settling down quietly on his own.
The instructors continued to usher in the kids one at a time until it was finally Emily's turn.
She had to solve several complex puzzles and matrices with weird symbols.
The man then asked her several questions, noting down her answers. What would she do in a certain situation, had she ever hurt someone with her power, was she willing to use her power to kill, what if she didn't have a choice? There were several questions. In the end, the man told her she was free to go.
"Emily," A shrill voice shouted. She turned around at the sound of the familiar voice. Samantha was running towards her, a bright smile etched on her face.
" Sammy, it's been a while." Samantha now knew about Emily's alleged powers and the bargain she'd made with Norvax. Her memories had also been returned to her.
"Where have you been?" Emily asked.
"Well, since I don't have extraordinary powers like the rest of you lot, I've been working with the mundane personnel."
"I was assigned to a nice lady. Her name is Sera. She's been teaching me about Praesagius. She's also been showing me the different opportunities I can take up here, once I grow up a bit. Right now, I'm on a small break, so I asked where I could find you guys."
"That's nice," Emily said quietly.
They slowly headed towards the auditorium as Samantha bubbled on.
A makeshift stage had been erected at its center.
Norvax and Darius made their way into the room along with five other agents.
"Gather around," Darius commanded.
The kids formed a loose circle around him, looking at him with rapt attention.
" We're now going to evaluate your power level." One of the agents stepped forward, holding out the briefcase he held. He briefly placed his hand on a biometric pad on the case. The case emitted a small beeping sound. It clicked open a revealing a small black cube. The agent grasped the cube with his other gloved hand.
" Stand back," He commanded. He pricked his finger and a drop of blood formed, which he dropped on the cube.
The cube emitted a pulse of light, and the air crackled as slight bursts of electricity shot out of the cube as it rotated in space. It rapidly expanded and then morphed into a sleek black cubicle with rounded edges that hovered in the air before touching down on the ground.
" This machine is called a Chronobox. It allows us to gain a rough measure of your power using the Arc scale." Darius said calmly while looking at the kids.
"It will rank you based on your ability and how much power you output during the test. Don't worry about holding back. The machine has been built to withstand the power output of a Class A-8 talent."
This elicited a ripple of gasps around the room.
A hand shot up. "Sir, what's a class A-8 talent?"
Darius's eyes narrowed as he observed the dark-haired, green-eyed girl.
" Good question, I was getting to that part, little lady.
"Seers or the talented are ranked using the Arc scale, like I previously mentioned. The Arc scale ranges from A-0 to A-9. A-0 represents those whose abilities are latent or who simply have no ability.
A-1 to A-3 represent those abilities that can affect a certain area, ranging from a home to a city.
A-4 to A-6 can affect a city, and A-6 abilities can affect an entire nation. The ranges of classes A-7 to A-8 can span continents.
"What about A-9?"
The auditorium went silent. The silence was so deafening you could hear a pin drop. Norvax silently face-palmed.
Darius's eyes landed on the youth from before. It was he who had asked the question. The young man stared at him with his dark, lightless eyes.
" What's your name?"
"Warren, Warren Frost, sir." His voice was barely audible. Darius's eyes narrowed on hearing the name.
" Lord Sebastian recommended him," Norvax whispered. A recommendation from the Videntis was no joke and had to be taken seriously.
" Warren, currently, there is no talent user at the level of A-9 in existence. But such an individual would theoretically be able to alter the fabric of reality itself."
The kids' eyes widened.
Darius continued.
" A person with that much power could be able to affect the entire planet with a thought; the possibilities would be endless."
"But what if such a person did exist?" Warren quietly asked.
"If such a person exísted, we'd know."
Darius intently observed the boy. It appeared that he had, nothing more to say.
"If that's all, then let the test begin."