The train ride lasted for six hours.
".. Attention please, the train has reached the Astraeus Station. Doors will open shortly. Please leave in order. We wish you a pleasant day."
The voice from the speakers repeated three times, ensuring all passengers clearly got the message.
"This is where we land, Sir Varen. How about it, do you want to go on a tour of this great capital city?"
Lyra Kehl looked at Varen with anticipation, clearly interested in having more interactions with him, who apparently did not share the same opinion.
".. Another time, Miss Kehl. Another time."
As if noticing Varen intentionally distancing himself, Lyra was a little disappointed, but not by much.
'An opportunity will come..' she thought.
Lyra Kehl moved quickly through the crowd, not turning back for a moment, though she still waved her hand in farewell to Varen.
Varen watched as a sleek private transport waited for her at the far end of the station entrance, its doors already open. A respectful man wearing all black stood beside the open door.
'Artifact and material researchers are well off, it seems..'
Left alone, Varen followed the crowd out, his luggage already beside him. As he passed through the entrance, he immediately spotted his uncle Elias waiting nearby. Finding a person in a crowd had become easy since the moment he awakened.
"Ha ha ha, you finally arrived, little Varen."
"What do you mean little?" Varen protested with frustration. He could only accept the forced moniker shoved onto him. When beside this "uncle" of his, he could not help but show his old self, letting loose a little.
"Anyway, let's go. I've already booked a hotel room for you. We'll be staying there temporarily for the three days until your entrance test begins."
"Fine by me."
"Little Varen, do you want to tour the capital? It's much more impressive than your home city, Lumenharbor."
"Not necessary. I've already been here before. We should just settle in first. It won't be too late to see everything afterward."
For a moment, Varen remembered his mother's nagging whenever they traveled, and he smiled faintly.
'Those were golden times..'
As they approached their destination, Varen kept looking around. The number of awakened he sensed along the way was countless. Clusters of mystic energy appeared every few hundred steps.
The majority of these awakened were young people like him.
"Have you noticed the increasing number of awakened here?" Elias asked.
"Yes. It's unusually high, unlike Lumenharbor. Isn't it dangerous for so many powerful people with unknown abilities to gather in one place?"
"What do you think of me right now?" Elias asked simply.
Varen immediately understood his meaning. No mystic energy was showing on Elias at all. He was indistinguishable from ordinary people.
"You're saying hidden awakened are present here too? Is this the work of Continental Defense Agents?"
Varen scrutinized the people around him more closely. Soon enough, he noticed peculiar individuals scattered among the crowd. Though their presence lacked mystic energy, their physiques were far from average. Some were tall, others bulky, and a few unusually short.
They wore civilian clothes, yet through his space perception, Varen sensed another layer beneath their movements. Reinforced material. Likely combat suits hidden under normal clothing.
Varen Locke was shocked. Their numbers were high, and more importantly, most of them likely possessed combat-oriented abilities.
"So, no security problem then?"
"Yeah, right. The chance of anything happening under their scrutiny is almost null."
"…"
Varen quietly observed, saying nothing more.
They reached the hotel and unpacked their luggage. Varen took a shower and rested. After a light meal with Elias, they each returned to their separate rooms.
Later that night, Varen lay on the bed, hands behind his head, eyes fixed on the ceiling yet gazing far beyond it.
The events of the day replayed in his mind. The defense agents, the high number of awakened, Lyra Kehl…
"In three days, the entrance test of Regulus Academy will start. I wonder if my preparations are enough to get admitted?"
With that thought lingering, Varen drifted to sleep, anticipation weighing heavily on his mind.
…
Three days passed quietly and uneventfully.
Morning sunlight streamed through the framed windows, ricocheting across the room and scattering rays like daylight disco lights. Varen was already awake, wearing tight-fitting sportswear, sitting silently at the desk beside his bed.
His eyes were closed, his body unmoving, his ability fully active.
In his perception, the crisscrossing rays of sunlight appeared as black bolts of lightning. Their touch felt heavy on his mind, their infinite branching paths overwhelming him with endless possibilities.
"Agh… this is draining me too much."
Varen stopped focusing, and the black bolts reverted to ordinary golden sunrays, gently touching his body and filling him with warmth.
He checked the time. It was close to 7 a.m. By now, Uncle Elias should be awake.
Varen stepped into the corridor, which was empty, and walked to the room opposite his. He knocked a few times.
"Is that you, little Varen?"
"It's time, Uncle Elias."
A few minutes later, Elias emerged looking refreshed. They ate a filling breakfast in the restaurant lounge before heading out. Their destination? the Regulus Power Institute.
"So," Elias asked casually, "feeling confident about the test?"
Varen smiled. "You'll see."
Not long after, the duo stood before the colossal academy gates.
Beyond them stretched vast infrastructure, so expansive it felt as if an entire city lay hidden behind the massive doors.
At the gate, Elias stopped. "This is as far as I go."
He handed Varen a folder of verification papers and gave him an encouraging look. "Take care of yourself."
Varen nodded and walked toward the entrance.
"Halt."
Two guards blocked his path. Their expressions were stoic, eyes sharp. They wore tight black bodysuits traced with glowing blue lines, radiating stability, authority, and danger.
"This is Regulus Academy territory. Unrelated parties are not allowed. State your purpose and provide proof of identity."
"I am Varen Locke, a candidate for this year's entrance examination."
Varen handed over his documents. The guard read through them carefully, pausing when he saw the Tier 1 classification.
His surprise was brief. His expression soon turned cold.
"Tier 1? Who pulled strings to get you in, kid? That won't work here. With no ability, you won't survive a day."
Varen met his gaze calmly. "Am I eligible to enter or not?"
The guards hesitated. His indifference dulled their interest. With a dismissive wave, they let him pass.
Beyond the gates, a vast plaza opened up, already crowded with hundreds of youths.
'How strange,' Varen thought as he surveyed the gathering.
"Why didn't I see anyone entering with me?"