The room was too clean.
Smooth stone walls. A single table. Three chairs. No windows.
A barrier activated the moment I stepped inside, sealing the space off from the rest of the academy. The air felt heavier instantly—not oppressive, but controlled.
This wasn't a prison.
It was a testing ground.
I sat down without being told.
Across from me, the silver-haired instructor took his seat, folding his hands calmly. The blue-eyed woman remained standing, leaning against the wall, arms crossed.
Neither spoke at first.
They were watching.
Waiting for cracks.
"How long," the old man finally asked, "have you possessed that weapon?"
I met his gaze. "Since today."
A lie.
A safe one.
His eyes sharpened slightly, but he didn't call it out.
"And before today?" the woman asked coolly. "You were an ordinary slum child. No training. No backing. Correct?"
"Correct."
Another silence.
She stepped forward, placing one hand on the table. "Then explain how an 'ordinary child' survives backlash from power that bends the exam zone."
I felt the blade stir faintly beneath my clothes.
I chose my words carefully.
"I didn't survive," I said. "I endured."
That earned me a reaction.
The old man chuckled under his breath. "Spoken like a veteran."
The woman wasn't amused. "Power like that attracts attention. From factions. From enemies. From things you don't understand yet."
Her eyes locked onto mine.
"Do you know what happens to anomalies, Kai?"
I did.
In my past life, people like me were used—or erased.
"I have an idea," I replied.
The old man leaned back. "Good. Then understand this."
He waved a hand, and a faint projection appeared in the air—an outline of the academy, layered with hidden symbols and sealed zones.
"The academy exists to control power before it destabilizes the world," he said. "And right now, you are unstable."
I nodded once.
"So what now?" I asked.
The woman studied me closely. "Now, we decide whether you're a risk… or an asset."
The word asset made my jaw tighten.
The blade whispered.
"They are afraid."
I smiled inwardly.
Good.
The old man stood. "You will proceed to the final stage of the exam."
The woman's eyes flickered. "With restrictions."
"Of course," he agreed. Then he looked at me. "You will not use that weapon's true power again without authorization."
I met his eyes.
"I don't plan to," I said honestly.
Because next time—
It wouldn't be temporary.
The barrier deactivated.
As I stood to leave, the woman spoke one last time.
"Kai."
I paused.
"If you ever lose control," she said quietly,
"we will stop you."
I looked back at her, expression calm.
"If that day comes," I replied,
"you'll have to try."
For a moment—
No one spoke.
Then I walked out.
Behind me, the instructors exchanged a look neither of them liked.
They had just let something dangerous into their academy.
And they knew it.