The office smelled faintly of polished steel and old paper.Kiro stood between the door and the desk, visor catching the dim light.
The man in black armor studied him with eyes like sharpened obsidian. His presence filled the room, even without saying a word.
The Spectra boy leaned casually against the wall, arms crossed, smugness dripping from every inch of him.
"Name," the armored man said.
"Kiro."
"Family?"
"Father—fire Talent. Mother—telekinesis."
The man raised an eyebrow. "And yet… no Talent of your own?"
Kiro's jaw twitched beneath the visor. "That's what the test said."
The man's gaze didn't leave him. "Tests can be wrong."
"They're never wrong," the Spectra boy cut in. "Unless someone's hiding something."
Kiro let silence answer for him.
The man gestured to a chair. "Sit."
Kiro stayed standing.
"I wasn't asking," the man said, his voice low but sharp enough to cut glass.
Kiro sat.
The man leaned forward. "During the match yesterday, witnesses say the Spectra cadet's aim… slipped. He missed a shot that would have ended the duel. You were watching closely. Too closely."
Kiro gave the smallest shrug. "People watch fights. That's the point of an audience."
"Not like you did," the Spectra boy said. "Your visor tilted, you tensed up, and then—bam. My shot goes wide. Coincidence?"
Kiro looked at him for a long moment. "Maybe you're just not as good as you think you are."
The Spectra boy's face flushed. "You little—"
"Enough," the man snapped, silencing him instantly.
The man pulled something from his belt — a crystal sphere, faintly glowing. "This is a Talent Resonator. It reacts to active abilities in the room. If you have a Talent and try to use it, this will know."
He set it on the desk between them. The glow was steady, pale.
"Do something," the man said.
Kiro stared at the sphere. His fingers itched to reach for the golden threads hanging faintly in his vision. But he could already guess — if the Resonator flared, his life here was over.
He tilted his visor up just enough to show his eyes, masking the calculation going on behind them.
"Can't," Kiro said flatly.
"Won't," the Spectra boy corrected.
The man's voice sharpened. "We can take you to Wosbildung for a full scan. If you're lying, the consequences will be… significant."
Kiro breathed slowly. Think.
There was a thread connected to the Spectra boy — bright, taut, alive. If he tugged it, just right, maybe…
His vision narrowed. The golden strand shimmered, tempting him. He gave it the smallest pull.
Speak out of turn.
The Spectra boy suddenly blurted, "What if he's using something untraceable? Some kind of forbidden technique—"
The armored man's head snapped toward him. "Cadet. Did I give you permission to interrupt?"
The boy stiffened. "No, sir."
"Then silence yourself."
The momentary distraction was enough for Kiro to lean back in his chair, feigning boredom. "If you're done wasting my time, I've got class."
The man studied him for another ten seconds. Finally, he reached forward, taking the sphere. "Go. But know this — if I find out you've been hiding a Unique Talent, you won't be walking free next time."
Kiro stood. "Then you'll be waiting a long time."
The hallway outside felt brighter, lighter. Lian was waiting against the far wall. "Well?"
"They think I'm interesting," Kiro said.
"That's bad."
"Yeah," he admitted. "But it also means I'm on the right track."
She frowned. "Right track to what?"
Kiro's visor hid the dangerous smile curling at his lips. "To being the last person they ever underestimate."
That night, Kiro didn't sleep.The encounter had confirmed it: his power wasn't just invisible — it could slip past detection tools. That made it dangerous. And valuable.
The golden threads swayed in his mind like they were waiting for orders.
But if Wosbildung was already sniffing around, he'd need to start planning ahead.
No more small tests.It was time to think bigger.
By dawn, he had an idea. A risky one. One that might either prove his control… or ruin him completely.
And it started with a name that most people in the kingdom were afraid to even whisper — the Black Trial, an underground dueling ring where Talents were pushed beyond their limits.
Kiro didn't have a Talent.At least, that's what they thought.