The Crimson Tyrant's Forbidden Source

Sins and intrigues

Among the remaining few who survived the crushing pressure, most were like Nora; forced completely to their knees by the agonizing weight. Only a handful had managed to keep their footing. A few stood with their backs violently bent under the strain, while only three individuals stood completely straight.

Eva narrowed her eyes at the trio who remained unbowed. One of them, predictably, was the silver haired youth. He was still reclining in that same careless, arrogant manner as before, entirely unfazed by the brutal test. The second was a student built like a bodybuilder, his pronounced, heavy muscles locked tight against the gravity. The third had absolutely no distinguishing features at all; he was so utterly ordinary that Eva hadn’t even noticed his presence until this exact moment.

While she was still analyzing them, the massive scroll hovering above their heads curled back up into a tight cylinder. It flew smoothly through the air, returning directly into the arms of the scarlet clad figure who had stepped forward earlier. Unfurling the parchment with practiced, chilling precision, the figure began to read aloud, calling out the first name.

"Caelen philipe!"

A sharp intake of breath echoed from a few rows ahead. A young man with a proud posture stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the stone pedestal where the runic array still glowed. The scarlet figures didn’t break formation; they simply gestured for him to place his hand onto the rising stone. The moment his palm touched the surface, the golden rims of the floating scroll flared into a violent, crackling blue.

"Tier two capacity. Original Qi: B-tier sonic alignment," the scarlet figure announced, his voice devoid of any human warmth. "Pass. Move to the right corridor."

The boy let out a breath he seemed to have been holding for a century and quickly moved away, clearly relieved to have survived the initial sorting.

"Lyra Thorne!"

The name sliced through the tense silence of the opera house. A girl with sharp features and a high born posture stepped up next. When her hand met the stone, the array didn’t just glow, it hissed, a brilliant emerald light filling the pavilion and casting long shadows against the walls. Above them, a few senior students in the second pavilion leaned forward, their murmurs starting up again.

"Tier three capacity. Original Qi: A-tier, High grade wood alignment," the proctor declared. "Exceptional. Move to the right corridor."

Eva watched the systematic processing of her peers, her analytical mind recording every detail. Name after name was called, and with each one, the underlying cruelty of the academy became clearer. Those who scored low were sent to the western wings with dismissive waves, while the rare high-tiers were directed toward the inner sanctums with a cold form of reverence.

The crowd was thinning out rapidly. Nora was still holding onto Eva’s sleeve, her knuckles white.

"Next," the scarlet proctor intoned, his hidden face turning slightly toward their direction. "Nora Hampton."

Eva watched as the girl next to her fidgeted awkwardly, walking toward the pedestal with trembling steps. The moment Nora touched the stone, she was instantly engulfed in a blinding, deep blue light. The display was spectacular enough to make even the distant dean take a second look down below.

"Tier zero capacity. Original Qi: A-tier, mutated fire variant alignment—Chimera’s Flame," the proctor declared.

Immediately, disappointed sighs erupted throughout the hall. Eva was certain she even heard a faint, regretful sigh from Dean Salvatore himself. A rare mutation, but completely choked by a zero-tier capacity. Nora looked utterly devastated, but she quickly masked her shame and moved toward the right corridor.

"Bulin Vanguard!"

The voice resounded across the hall, and Eva instantly felt a miniature earthquake happening beneath her feet. She quickly realized, however, that the tremor wasn’t structural; it was generated entirely by the tall, muscular youth stepping forward.

As soon as Bulin stepped onto the pedestal, an archaic array lit up beneath his feet, looking vastly different from those of the previous participants. Although it didn’t possess the blinding brilliance of Nora’s flame, it carried the ancient, crushing pressure of an immovable bastion.

"Tier three capacity. Original Qi: lower S-tier, vibration manifestation."

Eva watched as an explosion of excited chatter from the senior students drowned the hall. Yet, the noise instantly quieted down the moment the completely unnoticeable boy stepped out of the crowd. He walked toward the pedestal with a ghost-like stride, and surprisingly, the scarlet figures simply watched and let him pass without interference.

The moment his hand touched the stone, an ancient array thick with the suffocating aura of decay materialized beneath him. Simultaneously, a gigantic, spectral figure manifested behind his back. Though the entity was vague and shrouded in mist, its mere presence was enough to strike the entire hall dead silent.

"Tier three capacity. Original Qi: A-tier, Hands of Decay. Envoy of one of the seven ancient sins... the Demon Sin of Sloth."

Almost immediately, every eye in the hall turned not toward the terrifying envoy of sin, but toward the silver haired figure leaning lazily by the side. They all knew the reality: the second son of the Sterling family was the sole, true inheritor of the ancient Demon Sin of Sloth, a catastrophic entity that controlled a power close to absolute entropy. And that second son was Julian’s immediate eldest brother.

Whispers broke out like wildfire. The students' minds raced, trying to dissect the political play. What exactly was the eldest brother's purpose in sending his personal envoy here? Was this a calculated plot to destroy Julian? Was there a silent upheaval tearing through the Sterling family? Thoughts ran wild as everyone scrambled to figure out how to take advantage of the coming chaos.

Eva silently absorbed the shifting atmosphere. Her eyes flicked toward the pavilion, noticing the tense posture of two high ranking figures who were completely covered in scarlet clothing. Then, her gaze locked back onto the featureless boy. Around his neck, he wore a vibrant, scarlet red scarf; a bizarre detail that felt entirely out of place.

Suddenly, a cold realization washed over her. The room was empty. The only two participants left on the floor were herself and the purple eyed tyrant.

Sure enough, Julian stepped calmly toward the pedestal.

The moment he reached the stone, an ancient, shimmering silver array erupted. It didn’t just circle his feet; it spread outward like a tidal wave, sweeping across the entire floor, racing up the walls, and engulfing everyone, even the elites sitting in the high pavilions.

In a fraction of a second, the grand hall vanished.

Eva blinked, shock freezing her chest as she found herself standing inside her old, dingy apartment. It was the exact moment before the clock struck midnight on the night she awakened. Like a detached bystander, she was forced to watch her own past self react as her worst fears came to life; the terrifying, isolating confirmation that she wasn't normal.

Before the memory could swallow her whole, a heavy, vibrating hum resounded violently inside her head.

The illusion shattered. Eva gasped, finding herself back in the grand hall as if she had never left. Looking around, she saw the other new participants, the senior students, and even the formidable scarlet figures all stumbling backward, awakening from the exact same waking nightmare at the exact same time.

She looked up at the high pavilion. Dean Salvatore’s face was clouded with a dark, dangerous anger. He didn't speak, but his chest heaved; it was clearly his powerful hum that had violently broken the illusion. From his furious reaction, Eva was willing to bet that even the powerful shadows in the topmost tier had been dragged into Julian's mental trap, though they had likely broken free a few seconds earlier.

Eva turned her eyes toward the bringer of this psychological chaos. Surprisingly, Julian had a smug smirk playing on his lips, though his brows were tightly furrowed, as if something about the activation hadn't gone entirely according to his design.

Before she could analyze his expression any further, the proctor's trembling voice broke the silence.

"Tier three capacity. Original Qi: lower S-tier alignment... Spirit Dominion."

A subtle, suffocating shift occurred in the room. The dean’s brows furrowed deeper. Eva couldn't explain it, but a sharp gut feeling told her that the hidden leaders in the shadows were deeply restless and incredibly unhappy with Julian's terrifying result.

Eva watched in silence as Julian calmly stepped off the pedestal, his eyes flashing with violet malice as he walked toward the right corridor.

Slowly, the scarlet figures turned their hidden faces toward the last remaining student on the floor. They opened the scroll, and called out her name.