Well done," Damien said with a proud smirk.
"The five of you exceeded expectations. Some of you didn't show your full potential.
He waved a hand, and a man in a black hoodie appeared, holding five metallic cards.
"Let's start with rankings," Damien said.
Jordan glanced at his team. Joey stood straight, trying not to look nervous. Harkel had his arms crossed. Wren looked bored. Riven had that same stubborn fire in his eyes.
"Number 5: Harkel Voss. You showed determination, but no wins. You need polish.
Plenty of time for that."
Harkel didn't even blink.
"Number 4: Joey Cross. Stellar healing ability.
You was able to save your friend riven. But you're dead weight in a solo fight. Train or fall behind."
Joey nodded, a little embarrassed.
"Number 3: Wren Fallow. Your long-range abilities are elite. Your timing? Excellent. But you can't afford to freeze up in a close-combat scenario."
Wren's lips twitched upward-barely a smirk.
"Number 2: Riven Harlow."
"Called it," Riven whispered.
"Speed, aggression, clever use of gravity. But you rely too much on your team. And you lack range. Improve that, and maybe you'll challenge your brother."
Riven looked at Jordan, who looked back, stone-faced.
"Number 1: Jordan Harlow. Not because of your power, but because of how you used it. Your defense, rescue, and battlefield control were nearly perfect. You've got potential beyond ink.
You just need energy."
"Beyond ink?" Jordan wondered.
"Your reward is first pick of your dorms. You'll live in groups of up to four."
Riven and Jordan pointed at each other instantly.
Joey shyly raised his hand.
"Come on, man," Riven said, waving him in.
Harkel shrugged. "I'll join. Better than dealing with morons."
They looked to Wren, who was already walking away.
She joined two other girls-and surprisingly-Tessa.
The rest of the students lined up, murmuring quietly. Each received a number and a dorm assignment.
Damien watched them go, then turned back to the top five boys. With a snap, they were teleported in a white flash.
They arrived in front of a massive modern building. Three others surrounded it. In the distance was a sprawling town-Sigil Gate City.
Inside the dorm, Harkel walked in and groaned.
"This sucks."
White walls. Bunk beds. Metal lockers. Their bags had been placed neatly at the foot of each bed.
At least it was clean.
Damien reappeared, holding out four black cards.
"Each of you has 1,000 credits."
Joey's eyes widened. "We can... spend this?"
"Yes. In Sigil Town. But you can't send it outside the barrier. And don't think about stealing it. We'll know."
'Guess that ruins the idea of helping Mom...'
Joey thought.
"This is ten times more than normal," Damien added. "Don't waste it."
He vanished.
The boys sat on their bunks in silence. Joey took the bottom. Harkel went top. Riven above Jordan.
After a long silence, Harkel spoke.
"We should probably talk about our powers. No point hiding it now."
Riven sighed. "Fine. I'll go first."
He smirked.
"I've got a gaming system."
Damien, after coming from Wren's room and telling her the same thing he had told the boys, vanished once again. Then he reappeared in a camera room, monitoring the students' dorms.
The audio was off.
Damien could see a woman with a body that looked like it took years to tone. She had long, blackish-purple hair and wore the same uniform as Damien-except instead of a golden medal, hers was platinum.
"You know, I talked to your daughter. Heck, she even made it into the top five students," Damien said.
"Is she still with that Tessa girl?" the woman asked.
"Yeah. If it wasn't for that same girl, she wouldn't have had a chance to make it to the top five," he replied, as a clip of Tessa carrying Wren during the fall played on the screen.
"Wait….. if you had the clip, why even ask?" Damien added, looking dumbfounded.
"She'll come to her senses," the woman said.
"The weak need to be left behind." Then, glancing at Damien's face, she asked, "You've taken a liking to those boys, haven't you?"
"I have, Miss Fallow. Some of them, including your daughter, have the potential to dual evolve. One of them even awakened during the exam."
Hearing that, the woman turned sharply. "You know dual evolution is impossible by natural means. We were only able to get more than one thanks to a group we can't say out loud."
"True," Damien said, nodding. "But they also said it can still be triggered naturally. Maybe the right ability just hasn't revealed itself yet.
Anyway, I just wanted to share the good news
-and give you a peek at how the first-years are shaping up."
As Damien turned to leave, the woman stopped him.
"You know I hate when you use your ability anywhere near me. Use the door like a normal person.
Damien shrugged and walked out-bumping into a man with aqua-colored hair.
"Just the person I was looking for," the man said.
"Yo, Axel," Damien grinned, giving him a handshake.
"Can you buffoons close the door?" Miss Fallow yelled.
They both bowed. "Sorry, Miss Fallow," they said, quickly closing the door behind them as they walked off.
"So how did my brother do?" Axel asked.
"He managed to make fifth place."
"Nice, lil' bro," Axel said, clenching his fist with pride.
"So, when's their first outing?"
"I don't know-it's up to the principal.
Whatever he's up to anymore..." Damien muttered. "How are the third-years treating
you?"
"I'm going through it," Axel admitted. "Last year Some decided to stay, but most students went and moved on to the other houses. The higher-ups are getting mad at me."
Damien's face turned serious. "That means everyone's growing stronger... but we're falling behind. I'm scared to think what the principal's going to do to solve this situation."