Inside the VIP hall of Celestias Academy, another unbelievable battle was about to erupt.
Not on the screen.
Between the people watching it.
A few moments earlier, the atmosphere had already shifted the moment Arthur began dominating the entrance exam feed. What had started as casual interest from nobles and academy staff had turned into a suffocating silence.
No one quite believed what they were seeing.
As if the rules that governed talent and bloodlines did not apply to him.
Adrian Imperius did not blink.
His eyes were glued to the main projection crystal, jaw clenched, fingers digging into the armrest of his chair. The light from the screen reflected in his pupils, making them look almost feverish.
He stared at Arthur like he wanted to reach through the image, grab the boy by the collar, and shake the truth out of him—what happened after he was cast out of the Imperius family, what he had awakened, what he had become.
All around them, the VIP hall had gone silent.
