A high-ranking Academy official guided Rei and Kage through corridors of polished marble, their footsteps echoing against stone that had witnessed centuries of sorcery. Shadows played across ancient frescoes depicting battles between heroes and monsters of old. Rei walked with his usual mechanical gait, eyes forward, expression blank. Beside him, Kage's swagger clashed with the hallway's solemnity, his designer shoes clicking against the floor with deliberate nonchalance.

  "Where are we going?" Kage asked, not bothering to mask his impatience.

  The official maintained his rigid posture, not turning as he responded. "You will be meeting with Mrs. Inosuke," he said, voice carrying the practiced neutrality of someone accustomed to handling difficult personalities. "She is an honored cadre of the Academy, known for her ability to gauge a sorcerer's potential."

  Kage scoffed, hands sliding into his pockets. "That sounds stupid. Where's Haikito? I'd rather talk to him than waste my time with some old lady guessing my power level."

  Rei, typically silent, surprised both men by speaking up. "I would also prefer to see Mr. Haikito." His voice was flat but determined. "He gave me this license. He should explain why."

  The official's shoulders tensed almost imperceptibly. "You will meet with him before the final trial begins. This is a necessary step that comes first." His tone left no room for negotiation, though his eyes lingered on Rei with something like curiosity.

  Kage exhaled dramatically, shadows dancing at his feet with the motion. "Fine. Let's get this over with."

  They entered a chamber dimly lit by floating orbs that emitted a soft, amber glow. The space felt ancient, the air heavy with lingering mana from countless evaluations. Mrs. Inosuke sat at a simple wooden table worn smooth by time and use. Despite her frail appearance, she radiated the quiet confidence of someone who had seen the rise and fall of many who thought themselves exceptional.

  From a small silver flask, she poured a single drop of water into a crystal glass. The droplet caught the amber light, suspended for a moment before settling at the bottom of the vessel with a barely audible 'plink.' The liquid seemed to pulse with its own inner light, responding to the ambient mana in the room.

  "Please, step forward," she said, her voice smooth yet commanding. "Take my hand, and I shall read the depths of your potential."

  Her eyes—sharp despite her years—studied them both carefully. "For three centuries, the Inosuke family has measured potential this way. The water responds to your mana signature, your concept, your very essence." She tapped the glass with one weathered fingernail, the sound crystalline and pure. "I start with a single droplet; if it multiplies, you have at least 1-star potential. If the water fills halfway up, that's at least a 3-star threat level. If the cup fills to the top, it will be a 4-star."

  She paused, a knowing smile touching her lips. "But if you can manage to get a single drop over my cup, you, my sweetheart, are a rare 5-star threat." Her voice lowered conspiratorially. "Few ever reach such heights. Most 5-stars can barely make the cup overflow. But my tests are never wrong, honey."

  The official observing from the corner straightened imperceptibly. Everyone at the Academy respected Mrs. Inosuke's measurements—they were as close to objective truth as sorcery allowed.

  Kage rolled his eyes but complied, reaching toward her with casual disdain. Yet before his fingers even brushed hers, something shifted in the room's atmosphere.

  Mrs. Inosuke's pupils dilated, her breathing hitched, and for a brief second, her entire being seemed to recoil as if she had stepped into an abyss. Shadows swirled at the edges of her consciousness, an overwhelming sense of death pressing down on her mind. The water in the glass trembled violently before it began to overflow, defying both gravity and the vessel's capacity.

  "What the—" Kage pulled his hand back slightly, genuine surprise replacing his practiced indifference as he watched with widening eyes as water cascaded over the rim, pooling onto the table, then spilling onto the floor in impossible quantities.

  Mrs. Inosuke's hand trembled visibly. "I... I have never... seen such overwhelming—"

  The moment Kage's hand finally made contact, the laws of physics surrendered completely. The entire room flooded as if a dam had broken, water gushing from the small glass as though it contained an ocean. Mrs. Inosuke gasped, wrenching her hand away immediately, her eyes wide with terror and awe.

  The water level rose rapidly around their ankles, a physical impossibility from a single drop. The temperature in the room plummeted, their breath suddenly visible in the cold air. The liquid itself seemed to absorb the ambient light, growing darker as it spread.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  "Impossible," she whispered, her voice thick with disbelief. "Not even the current S-Class heroes... not even Dante or Master Rengo..." She shook her head, water now reaching her knees. "Your potential exceeds even the strongest 5-stars I've measured in my lifetime."

  "This..." she whispered, her voice barely audible over the rushing water, "this is beyond my system. I cannot measure you." She swallowed hard, composing herself with visible effort. "I have never encountered a sorcerer like you."

  Drenched and looking thoroughly unimpressed, Kage glanced down at his ruined shoes—$30,000 Louie Vutton, custom-made. His jaw tightened momentarily before his face settled back into practiced indifference. "Yeah, great. This test is dumb." He turned to the official, who stood frozen in shock. "You're paying for this."

  The official, Kenji, was visibly shaken. Behind his professional mask, his thoughts raced wildly. How the hell did Haikito find him? Without another word, Kenji motioned for them to follow him to another room as Academy staff rushed in to clean up the flooded mess.

  Mrs. Inosuke, still trembling, wiped her brow and tried to steady her breathing. "Let us continue," she said, managing to keep her voice even despite the lingering fear in her eyes.

  She refilled the cup with a single drop of water and extended her hand toward Rei. Unlike Kage, Rei was quiet, his movements deliberate but without arrogance. Yet a flicker of something—perhaps curiosity—sparked in his otherwise dull eyes. He had never considered his own potential before, had never had reason to. Now, for the first time, he felt a faint stirring of anticipation.

  As their hands touched, Mrs. Inosuke closed her eyes, reaching for the connection within him.

  Nothing.

  Her brows furrowed in confusion. The water... had evaporated completely, the glass dry as desert sand.

  "That's... impossible," she muttered, genuine bewilderment crossing her features. "The water never evaporates. It can only grow." She shook her head, doubt creeping into her voice. "I apologize sweetie, I must still be frazzled from the previous test."

  She took a deep breath, centering herself before refilling the cup again, this time focusing harder. "Let's try again."

  Rei reached out once more, his expression remaining unchanged.

  The moment their hands connected, Mrs. Inosuke gasped as if struck. Her mind, accustomed to reading the depths of sorcerers, went blank—then plunged into something vast and incomprehensible. Piercing eyes began to emerge from the void within Rei's consciousness.

  First, red eyes—burning with wrath so intense she could feel its heat against her soul.

  Then, green—calculating, methodical, observing her with ancient intelligence.

  Blue—calm as a winter sky, yet with a deep sorrow that threatened to drown her.

  And then...

  The black eyes.

  Cold. Hollow. Endless.

  Mrs. Inosuke tried to pull back, but something held her in place. The black eyes bore into her, consuming her very essence. Her breath hitched. The glass in her other hand shattered, crystal shards slicing her palm, though she seemed not to notice the pain. The feeling of death wrapped around her, suffocating her mind.

  Rei tried to withdraw, genuine concern flickering across his features, but her grip tightened—her fingers clutching onto his hand as if her very existence depended on it.

  Her body trembled violently. "No... no, no, no—"

  Then, a scream tore from her throat—primal, terrified.

  She wrenched herself away, stumbling back so hard she nearly collapsed, her entire body drenched in sweat. "Get that devil away from me!" she shrieked, eyes wild with terror.

  Blood from her cut palm dripped onto the floor, each droplet hissing with steam upon contact, leaving tiny scorch marks on the ancient stone.

  Kenji stepped forward, alarm evident in his voice. "Mrs. Inosuke—what did you see? What is his potential?"

  She clutched her head, her breaths ragged, eyes wild with terror. "The devil... the devil... the devil!"

  Rei frowned, flexing his fingers. The test's failure bothered him more than he expected, stirring something that might have been disappointment. "What the hell does that mean?"

  Kage, watching with newfound interest, grabbed Rei by the arm and yanked him toward the door. "Hey Vessel, let's go before she loses more of her mind."

  As they moved through the corridor, Rei's mind raced. The devil. The word echoed inside his skull, alien yet disturbingly familiar. He had been called many things before—empty, hollow, vessel—clinical terms that described his condition. But devil carried weight, implied evil, malevolence, corruption. It suggested he wasn't just missing something—he contained something wrong.

  His pulse quickened, a rare physical response to emotional stimulus. What had she seen inside him? What had caused such primal terror in the eyes of a woman who measured power for a living? If he truly was empty, there should be nothing to fear. But emptiness could be filled, and suddenly Rei found himself wondering what might be filling the void he had carried for as long as he could remember.

  He glanced at his hand, half-expecting to see something different, some physical manifestation of whatever Mrs. Inosuke had glimpsed. It looked the same as always—pale, ordinary, human. Yet for the first time, Rei felt a creeping sense of doubt about his own identity.

  Am I something more than just empty? The question terrified and intrigued him in equal measure.

  Kage observed Rei with newfound calculation. His eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the subtle changes in Rei's typically impassive face. Something had shifted—however slight—in the Vessel's demeanor. The shadows at Kage's feet seemed to deepen, responding to his growing interest.

  Kenji stood frozen, watching the revered Mrs. Inosuke—one of the Academy's most respected cadres—collapse into a shaking heap. He swallowed hard, beads of sweat forming at his temple.

  This was beyond comprehension.

  He had expected Kage to be dangerous.

  But Rei?

  A single, horrifying realization plagued Kenji's thoughts.

  What the hell did Haikito bring into this Academy?