The Trials Begin (5–8)
The wave came.
Nero did not see it.
He felt it.
A pressure—deep, invasive, searching—passed through him like cold air through an open wound.
For a fraction of a second, everything inside him went still.
Then—
Nothing.
No resistance.
No reaction.
No consequence.
It moved on.
The candidate beside him stiffened, eyes widening—
White flame consumed him instantly.
Another vanished without a trace.
A third dropped, convulsing before being dragged away by something unseen.
Nero stood untouched.
He blinked once.
Then again.
A slow breath escaped him, controlled, but heavier than before.
Relief settled in—not sudden, not overwhelming. Just a quiet, undeniable realization.
He had passed.
Whatever had just judged them—
Had seen nothing wrong with him.
"…Heh."
It was faint. Barely there.
But it was real.
