A large meeting room, the City.
August, who felt like a kid being interrogated by his parents, sat in a chair facing the higher-ups of the government. Greye was also accompanying him, but was not permitted to speak.
The three men in front of them hid their faces through a strange power, one provided by a Gifted. Even so, August knew who they were.
The Triarchs.
They sat in large chairs, resembling thrones, and were shrouded in darkness. These three men were the strongest Gifted who oversaw the government.
August, whose ability allowed him to determine the physical strength of Gifteds and Abominations, couldn't see anything about these men. However, he knew the value of his ability. Much of the database would be incomplete without the accurate readings from his power, which gave him certain leverage in the government.
Still, it meant nothing here.
"Does that boy truly intend to fight The Island, August?"
Since August didn't know all of the Gifted abilities in the government, it would be incredibly unwise to tell anything but the truth. What if one of them could detect lies? What if they could even read minds? His life wasn't worth that gamble.
"I believe he does. And I also believe there's a good chance of him succeeding."
"That's ludicrous," the man on the right responded. "Nobody from the government under 5 years of training could fight that Grade-E, much less a Gifted who was chosen less than a month ago. No ability could be that strong!"
August knew it didn't make sense, but Cullen had left that much of an impression on Lucas. And August trusted Lucas enough to believe it.
"I understand, but he has already shown results proving he's special. Cullen's strength has reached at least 10 Tavros. While it is nowhere near The Island's core, this level of growth is proof of his capabilities."
August stopped speaking and grew more nervous as the silence persisted.
Finally, the man in the middle spoke:
"Lucas is currently on The Island looking for him, correct? Will he be able to handle this?"
"We cannot risk losing The Island. A rogue Gifted's life means much less than humanity's future. If Lucas doesn't stop him, we will be forced to send someone who can. That boy is too immature for his strength anyway."
August could only comply.
"I understand, and I will make sure Lucas does too. There is no need to involve anyone else."
Finally, the man on the left spoke:
"What about the background check? You've been given plenty of time to provide a report on his past life, yet have come up with nothing."
August glanced at Greye, whose head remained down with an expressionless look.
'I guess I have to lie after all.'
"We haven't completed our report yet, but I can assure you it will be finished soon."
Again, silence.
"Gifted don't appear from thin air, August. If we cannot determine where he came from and what he did, the public will start to question us. This affects everyone."
Smiling, August replied:
"I understand."
After they were dismissed, August casually walked out of the room with Greye, not speaking a word until they got in the car. As Greye drove, August sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window.
"Was lying to them the right move, August?" Greye asked. "If they find out, the best that will happen is the termination of your position in the government. But I doubt you will get off that easily."
August didn't move an inch before replying, still gazing out the window.
"If they found out Cullen is a criminal, that kid would already be dead. They are extremely cautious when it comes to upholding their public image. I can't imagine a line they wouldn't cross."
The government's main job was to protect this city. However, they did this through many means. On the surface level, you could see battleships stationed off the coast and guards, along with heavy machinery, defending the city borders. Gifted soldiers roamed the streets and protected important people and items while being transported. You could hire Gifteds through the government, and the money would fund their defense budget.
What wasn't widely known were the rogue Gifteds. These were individuals who were chosen by The God, yet refused to join the government. They made their living in various ways, such as mercenary work or fighting and selling Abominations. Some even lived normal lives. However, the government looked down upon this. In order to gain the public's support, they portrayed Gifteds as humanity's hope, superheroes who would one day vanquish every Abomination. News about unworthy Gifteds hurts the government in many ways.
This also means conditions in which The God chooses people are still unknown. While the vast majority of them are charitable people, a few outliers have been chosen.
"But what do you see happening after? If he is caught, his background will come to light anyway. If he dies, then that is that. But if he somehow successfully kills The Island, what do you think the government's response will be?"
Greye's tone was soft and curious. He never got mad.
"If The Island is defeated, it will be impossible for them to hide that. Either they will take credit for the achievement and use it to boost the city's hope, or they will have to convince Cullen to join the government. There's no way they would let Cullen take credit for that without endorsing themselves."
August paused to think carefully about his next words.
"We also have to consider Cullen's strength. Killing The Island not only proves his power, but it also gives him the ability of a Grade-E ecosystem, however that works. Combined with his ability to evade us exceptionally well, capturing him will be difficult, even for the government."
A Gifted with the power to steal Abominations' abilities is absurd. It completely changes the way humanity fights against Abominations, and the government wants to make use of that.
The reason is because of the gap between Gifted and Abomination. When The God and The Devil first appeared, the power imbalance was utterly unfair. While powerful Abominations were being created, Gifteds always started at the bottom. Unlike the Abominations, though, they had the power to grow. It took time for them to reach a point where they could return to normal civilization.
And even now, as Abominations like the Endless City and the other Grade-Es are threatening the world, humanity stands no chance against them. But if someone could harvest their power and work their way up to the strongest Abomination, it may just be possible.
That's why August wanted to protect Cullen at all costs.
"I think the most likely outcome will be the government forcing Cullen to comply. As long as he says what they want in front of the media, they can promote his ability as the answer humanity has been looking for. In fact, this may give Cullen leverage over the government."
Greye smiled.
"You want to protect him, yet you leave him on The Island in danger?"
Greye already knew why, but August answered anyway.
"If he can't defeat The Island, he won't be ready for the others. We must let him do his own thing and find his resolve to fight."
Even while August and Greye speculated, they knew that it was all up to Cullen.
***
Earlier, a small room in the Academy.
Flora sat in a creaky wooden chair facing her teacher, who had been educating her for the past week. The first few days were mainly to test her knowledge, but she found it incredibly easy. After all, she aspired to be a Gifted her whole life.
After the written tests, she also had her combat skills evaluated. The Gifted who examined her was much stronger, so she didn't know if it went well or badly, but Flora felt she demonstrated her abilities enough.
While it was easy for her to study as a normal human attending school, she couldn't train in combat and hide it. Because of this, her intelligence was far greater than her fighting skills.
Still, the teacher in front of her was extremely impressed.
"Flora, your test scores are unbelievable for a new Gifted. We've only had a few this high, and they all came from families known for their valor. For a high school student with no background to achieve this, it's just…"
Her teacher, Ms. Whitmorre, was not a Gifted. She was the Academic Director, in charge of evaluating their strength in and out of the classroom. She gathered reports from Flora's professors and instructors to compile an overview of each Gifted, then decided what steps to take next. Clearly, she was impressed with Flora.
"Not only that, but your instructors speak highly of your ability and mastery over it. It appears that its offensive capabilities are impressive, and there is considerable potential to develop it further. While your physical strength is still above average, it is behind in terms of your other abilities. I think your main focus should be to train while implementing your ability, then you may receive a name soon."
All Gifteds receive official names for their abilities, which the government assigns. It isn't anything special, yet it is supposed to sum up your powers in a few words. Flora thought that something like "Sun Catalyst" would explain her ability for the most part.
Flora smiled, yet had expected this much. She didn't study so hard for nothing!
"Thank you, Ms. Whitmorre. I've worked my whole life for this; anything less than perfect wouldn't be enough for me."
It was true. Her only goal throughout school was to be chosen, and life hasn't seemed real since. Especially with her experience on The Island, an experience few other Gifted had.