— Now that all the families from our continent have arrived, we can begin the tests. At this very moment, the six other continents are also in their testing phases. The people present here will choose you based on your results in several tests. The top 500 out of the 4,000 children present will be able to join a troop as a warrior. In front of you stand 100 troop leaders, and of course, those who rank below will only become archivists, weapons masters, or, for some, mere reinforcements for the true warriors. And of course, each continent has its strongest troop. To balance the power, the top-ranked may join the order of Mr. Lysander Vorel. Now, we will evaluate your potential through the calculation of stress in the cocoon where you were imprisoned. You have undergone several years of stress, and depending on the cocoon, your suffering was greater. This is based solely on natural selection. Let us begin.
As several carts filled with crates entered the grand hall, Sebastian began to understand that he had arrived in a world that was not his own, and that he must not let his life become a torment in this new world. He knew he had an advantage in stress levels because, before being absorbed into the cocoon, he had already lived a full life. He also hoped that, in the cocoon where he had been imprisoned like the others, he had endured horrific experiences, but fortunately for him, if that was the case, he remembered none of it.
The hall was packed; he could barely see what was happening at the front. He was curious how they could calculate stress to measure potential. He didn't even know if this world was more advanced than his own. His eyes moved to the troop leaders. They were mysterious, and he did not know what they represented. But the most imposing man was the famous Lysander Vorel. His posture was strictly military. His red hair was hypnotic, but Sebastian found it strange: on the left side, it formed a spiral like an ammonite, while the right side fell long to his shoulder. His eyes were pale violet. Sebastian observed all the troop leaders; none shared any common appearance. But he assumed that must be the standard here, as this world seemed entirely different.
Looking at the children around him, most appeared ordinary, though some were unusual. With 4,000 present, diversity was expected.
Time dragged on, and Sebastian grew bored. A sudden craving hit him: he wanted a cigarette. He realized he would be unable to smoke for hours. His patience thinned. He turned to the child beside him.
— Hey, do you think we can ask the organizer for some tobacco?
The child looked at him, confused:
— Tobacco… what?
The words plunged Sebastian into despair. Tobacco doesn't exist here…?! Nostalgia and frustration overwhelmed him. He regretted his last cigarette, thinking he could have smoked another minutes later… but now it was impossible.
Other children noticed his tension. Some thought he was having a breakdown. As Sebastian fretted, one of the men administering the test stopped in front of him.
— Abel Verdalys.
Sebastian glared, irritated:
— Are you talking to me?
The man rolled up the sleeve of his uniform and jabbed a needle into Sebastian's arm. A faint prick. Then another… and another. Sebastian thought it was over, but the man continued, inserting needle after needle. The test had officially begun.
Blood was drained into a human head. Sebastian recognized a resemblance to the head attached to the cocoon in the apartment. Like that one, it appeared dead. What's the point of draining blood into a dead head? he thought.
But then the mouth of the head opened, and a dying voice spoke:
— 73,500…
The mouth closed. Sebastian didn't know if the number was good, but it seemed low. He feared that his prior stress his craving for cigarettes might have affected the result.
He watched as other children were tested. Only half the hall had gone through the procedure. The child next to him was tested, but when the head opened its mouth to speak the number, Sebastian heard nothing. He refocused ahead, but the waiting was unbearable. How could children remain so calm after sitting for hours? And this was only the first test… How long would all the tests last? He had no sense of day or night outside. Boredom finally overtook him, and he fell asleep. All the other children stared, wondering if he was completely insane. People like him were usually the first to die.
As Sebastian sank into a deep sleep, he saw his former colleagues from his previous life. In his vision, he witnessed the future of the life he had left behind. After his disappearance, he had been declared dead. Since the cocoon had appeared, the residents had died suddenly, and everything that could identify the nature of the cocoon had vanished. His former coworkers were talking about a way to find him, but unfortunately, the investigation they were about to launch to locate Sebastian would be in vain.
As his vision focused on his colleagues, everything went dark. He was engulfed in blackness, and a demonic voice spoke to him.
— Child, how did you get here? How are you able to project your consciousness to this place?
Sebastian looked around, trying to determine where the voice came from, but from his perspective, it seemed to come from every direction.
— Uh… who… who are you? And where am I? Why am I here? I was sitting in a hall just a few minutes ago.
— You are in L'Y'shoth-Naal, the deepest level of hell, and I am a Qephraï. I would tell you my name, but hearing it could kill you… at best.
Sebastian remembered the old man speaking about the Qephraï, saying that they needed to be killed.
— Uh… are you sure about what you're saying? The deepest part of hell is Tartarus.
The strange voice laughed.
— Ignorant one… you will realize soon enough. But you already know certain things about this world. Despite your young age, you could be promising.
After a long nap, Sebastian awoke. The tests were nearly finished. He turned to a neighbor.
— Hey, do you want to exchange our scores? I'm curious if I'm around the average. And… maybe we could become friends. It's often easier to succeed with someone supporting you.
— Shut up! You're an idiot. You treat the Ninth Vein test like a game, when it's the greatest opportunity in the world! Someone deserving was excluded, and you were chosen. No, I don't want to be your friend.
Sebastian, already popular, wanted to behave like an eight-year-old, but the other children seemed older, or maybe he simply did not realize what was happening in the hall.
The old man struck the desk with his palm:
— Very well. We have all the results. A provisional ranking will be established and will change during the following tests. Now, the highest and lowest scores will be revealed. The highest score in this hall is 124,803. The number was quite high. Sebastian thought he would probably be eliminated. His impatience to see the rest of the ranking was intense. Then, an enormous list appeared in front of all the children in the hall. Reading his name on such a vast surface was not easy for Sebastian. He looked in every direction but couldn't find his name. After thinking carefully, he realized that his first and last name were no longer the same. Focusing more attentively, he finally found it he was ranked 75th. He was extremely well placed.
Looking at his neighbor, who had been rude to him earlier, he noticed how pale the boy's complexion had become.
— Hey, why the long face? You're really badly ranked. I thought you could only be strong to be so arrogant. Come on, tell me your number.
— I… I'm 3,822nd.
Sebastian held back a laugh, finding the situation quite amusing. He, so arrogant, would now end up sorting files.
The man struck the desk again.
— Well, now that you know your position, we will release you so you can proceed to the second test. The next test has nothing to do with the first. You will have to perform your first Arcanose Veineuse. Of course, after that, you will be confined for a month so that you can start fresh, without any advantages.
It wasn't the first time the old man had mentioned the words Arcanose Veineuse, but what did he mean by that? Were they going to drain our blood again to check things? I'm so tired of getting poked everywhere…
The child was released, and they were escorted to the next room to take the following test.