Leos showed no satisfaction as he watched Aerys being carried away.
The blood staining the marble was excessive—far beyond what an unawakened body should have endured. It was unmistakable evidence of severe internal collapse, the kind that occurred when raw Essence pressure ravaged organs never meant to channel it.
An Arbiter stepped to his side, voice low.
"You exceeded the threshold."
Leos's jaw tightened. "I know."
"You nearly killed him."
Since mastering Resonant Essence Manipulation, Leos had never witnessed such damage. For a brief, unsettling moment, he had even wondered whether his control had slipped—whether his own mastery had deepened without his awareness.
The Arbiter hesitated, then asked carefully:
"His Nexus… was it truly dormant?"
the Arbiter needed the answer to matter.
If the boy's Nexus had awakened—even partially—then everything changed.
Leos shook his head.
"Unawakened. Completely."
The Arbiter's eyes widened.
"That's impossible. Without an awakened Nexus, the body cannot withstand Essence resonance. He should have collapsed within seconds."
"Most candidates did," Leos replied evenly. "Even those with stabilized circulation."
Only a few dozen had remained standing—scions of great houses, heirs trained since childhood, all possessing awakened or partially stabilized Nexuses. And even they had bled, knelt, or lost consciousness.
"He should have lost neural coherence almost immediately."
"He began taking internal damage early," Leos said.
"What kept him upright was not Essence."
The Arbiter stared at him.
"…Then what?"
"Will."
He scoffed. "You expect me to accept that?"
Leos's gaze hardened.
"The body obeys the Nexus. The Nexus obeys the mind."
Silence stretched between them.
For a dangerous instant, Leos considered the implications.
A body resisting Essence without an awakened Nexus.
A mind capable of suppressing collapse through sheer intent.
If refined—
The thought passed. He discarded it.
Aerys Aurelyon was not an asset.
He was a liability wrapped in imperial blood.
A laugh echoed nearby.
"Ha! So the boy endured raw Essence pressure without a Nexus?"
A Proctor leaned against a pillar, wine flask in hand, eyes gleaming with interest. Every Proctor was both mage and warrior—each appointed by the Emperor to oversee a House and represent its students within the Academy.
Leos did not look at him.
"This does not concern you."
"Pity," the man replied lightly. "Things that shouldn't exist are my favorite."
Leos turned at last, voice edged with warning.
"Go drink."
"Tch. Already was."
The Proctor wandered off, humming, leaving tension in his wake.
Leos returned his attention to the Arbiter.
"He possesses no awakened Nexus. No illicit circulation. No violation of imperial doctrine."
The Arbiter exhaled slowly.
"…Understood."
Yet doubt lingered.
An unawakened Nexus should not survive that.
Leos turned away.
The infirmary lay within the Academy's inner structure, shielded by suppressive sigils that dampened ambient Essence. On the second level, Doctor Lorus examined the bloodied body brought before him.
"…This is not ordinary trauma."
One of the attendants bowed. "Essence backlash. No awakened Nexus. The Fire King ordered immediate care."
Lorus froze.
"No Nexus?"
He leaned closer, disbelief sharpening his focus.
"Then this is impossible."
Aerys lay still, breath shallow.
Lorus reached for diagnostic needles—
—and the door swung open.
"Well now."
A Proctor entered without invitation, reeking of alcohol and authority.
Lorus stiffened. "Proctor—this is a restricted—"
"Oh, hush."
The man's gaze locked onto Aerys.
"…Interesting."
Aerys felt it immediately.
That pressure.
Not Essence—scrutiny.
"Stop pretending," the Proctor said calmly.
Aerys did not move.
Invisible force seized him, forcing his body upright. His vision swam as unfiltered Essence brushed his skin—not entering, not circulating, merely pressing.
"Your breathing pattern is wrong," the Proctor continued.
"Unconscious bodies don't lie that neatly."
Aerys opened his eyes.
"…How did you know?"
The Proctor grinned.
"A dormant Nexus still reacts. Yours didn't."
He leaned closer.
"Tell me, imperial son… how does a boy with an unawakened Nexus endure a trial designed to break heirs?"
Aerys said nothing.
Inside his skull, Odigos remained silent—waiting.
And for the first time since entering the Academy, Aerys understood something with terrifying clarity:
He had not merely passed the test.
He had been noticed.
A shiver ran down his spine. The Proctor's voice held neither mockery nor threat—only quiet certainty. Within him, Odigos reacted instantly.
Aerys had never imagined that a man could perceive something so subtle.
The Proctor laughed.
"Hah! This generation has no nerve. Always seeking the safest, easiest path."
Aerys felt uneasy. He had not endured through strength. He had remained standing only because Odigos had isolated his nervous system from Essence resonance.
"But you," the Proctor continued, "you are different. You stood. Without fleeing. Without begging."
Pain—real this time—flared in Aerys's chest. His face paled.
The imperial physician stepped in at once.
"Proctor, his condition is unstable. His Nexus is dormant. He cannot withstand prolonged pressure."
"Ah."
The Proctor immediately released his hold. Aerys collapsed back onto the medical bed, gasping.
Then, without preamble:
"I will take you into my House."
The world seemed to freeze.
Aerys stared. So did the physician.
The Imperial Proctor—one of the Empire's monsters—had spoken as if it were obvious.
"…Pardon?" Aerys whispered.
"I am offering you a place in my House."
His voice was calm. Serious.
Aerys hesitated.
"You know who I am."
The Proctor snorted.
"Is there anyone in this Empire who doesn't?"
"The ducal houses will target you."
"Let them choke on their own blood," he replied flatly. "They will tear each other apart with or without you."
Unlike many Proctors, this man answered only to one authority: the Emperor. And even that, at times, seemed optional.
Temptation crept into Aerys's thoughts.
Is this a trap?
He had survived too long to trust blindly.
"I may be chosen by another Proctor after the interviews," he said cautiously.
The Proctor grunted.
"You think I'm begging?"
He took a long drink from his flask.
"Fine. Then I'll give you something you can't refuse."
He produced an aged document, sealed with a faded imperial sigil, and placed it on the bed.
"What is this?" Aerys asked.
"What you need most to survive here."
Aerys frowned.
"You suffered Essence backlash on your first day," the Proctor said.
"With your enemies, you think another Proctor will risk taking you?"
Aerys remained silent.
"You were sent here because Leos confirmed one thing," the Proctor continued.
"Your Nexus is dormant. You cannot stabilize Essence damage on your own. The others can."
It was true. Without Odigos, he would already be dead.
"So tell me, imperial heir… how do you intend to survive?"
Aerys understood.
His gaze dropped to the document.
"…It's a method of Essence absorption and circulation. To awaken the Nexus."
A predatory smile spread across the Proctor's face.
"Good. You're not stupid."
"Why me?"
"Because you stood when you shouldn't have. And because the Empire has no idea what you might become."
Silence pressed down on the room.
With effort, Aerys sat up. Pain cut through him like a blade. He slid from the bed and knelt.
"May I give you my answer after the interviews?" he asked.
Before he could bow further, invisible force lifted him.
"No. Aurelyon blood kneels only before the Emperor."
Imperial law.
The Proctor eased him back onto the bed.
"Rest. Study the text. We'll meet at the interviews anyway. You'll give me your answer then."
He turned toward the exit, a dangerous smile lingering.
Aerys was left alone.
With a Nexus officially dormant.
A secret still intact.
And now, an ally the Empire itself might regret having created.