The air hung still.
For a brief moment, it felt as though the entire hall had forgotten how to breathe. Then—
the silence shattered.
Voices erupted from every direction, overlapping in shock, awe, fear.
"Just like his father…"
"I hope my child can be half of what he is."
"A pure lightning element…?"
"That's impossible—pure lightning only manifests when fused with a mythic beast!"
Whispers turned into shouts, and shouts into outright chaos. Parents stood from their seats, eyes wide, faces pale as they stared down at the platform. Some clutched their children tightly, others looked on with reverence, as though they had just witnessed the birth of a god.
John stood frozen among the others.
His gaze slowly lifted toward the crowd ,scanning desperately—until he found her.
His mother.
Her eyes were wide, fixed on Aeon's figure as though nothing else in the world existed. Awe, disbelief, and something dangerously close to longing flickered across her face.
John clenched his fists.
"Don't worry, Mum," he muttered under his breath, forcing confidence into his voice.
"I'll make everyone look at me like that… especially you."
He exhaled slowly, steadying himself, then shifted his attention back to the platform.
That was when he noticed it.
Dr Nathan.
John frowned.
The man's expression was wrong.
His face wasn't impressed. It wasn't awed.
It was… dark.
Cold.
Almost angry.
"Huh?" John thought.
"Why does he look like that? Isn't this a good thing? Another powerhouse for humanity…?"
He felt a faint unease crawl up his spine.
On the platform, Dr Nathan stood perfectly still, glasses reflecting the residual sparks of lightning that still crackled faintly around the testing crystal. His hands were clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.
"I don't believe it…"
His voice was barely audible, swallowed by the noise of the crowd.
"Zei… that madman."
His gaze sharpened as it locked onto Aeon.
"He actually did it."
Memories surfaced unbidden—arguments, warnings, calculations scribbled across lab boards late into the night.
Low aptitude for ice.
Stable.
Safe.
And then Zei's voice, calm and unwavering.
I will overwrite it.
Dr Nathan's jaw tightened.
"He changed the child's innate element," he thought grimly.
"Directly… to the beast's element."
His breath slowed, but his thoughts spiraled.
"We warned him. Repeatedly. The cost of altering a human's innate affinity is irreversible. The body might adapt—but the mind?"
His fingers curled into fists.
"Giving a child the will of a mythic beast without protection… without anchors… he's no different from the beast itself."
A flicker of fury crossed his eyes.
"Does Zei truly believe his position as one of the Pillars grants him the right to play god?"
He looked at Aeon again.
The boy stood calmly, lightning dancing faintly around his body, his expression relaxed—almost bored. No fear. No hesitation.
Dr Nathan's anger cooled into something far more dangerous.
Pity.
"A pity," he thought coldly.
"I don't know who deserves my sympathy more."
His gaze shifted to the roaring crowd.
"These fools… praising a savior they don't understand."
Then back to Aeon.
"Or this child—who doesn't even know he's a ticking bomb."
He adjusted his glasses slowly, masking every trace of emotion behind a composed exterior.
Control yourself, Nathan.
He raised his hand.
The hall gradually quieted, the crowd instinctively obeying the authority in his presence.
"Aeon," Dr Nathan said, his voice steady and loud enough to carry.
"Come with me."
The murmurs faded completely.
"It's time for the beast fusion process."
A ripple of excitement ran through the hall.
Parents leaned forward. Children gasped. Some trembled.
But Aeon?
Aeon smiled faintly.
"So this is it," he thought as he stepped forward, boots echoing softly against the platform.
"The moment they seal my fate."
The lightning around him flickered once—almost in response.
Dr Nathan turned and began to walk, expecting Aeon to follow.
As the boy stepped after him, the testing crystal behind them let out a faint crack.
Unnoticed by most.
But not by Dr Nathan.
His steps paused for the briefest instant.
"…Already destabilizing," he thought grimly.
"And the fusion hasn't even begun."
His lips pressed into a thin line.
"The cost of power is never free."
Behind them, the hall buzzed with excitement.
Ahead of them—
A future none of them truly understood.