King Blackheart sat at the desk of his office within the capital city's Castle, the second largest building in the world, losing only to Blackheart Academy.
Standing before him were five of his greatest examiners, reading to him the list of the humans that dared to step into the Academy this month.
Hundreds of young adults entered. Not just those from the capital, but many from the five countries. The Academy was the most mysterious spectacle in the world, and no one did not wish to know of its origin.
"Anna Nightingale of Paprace, her blessing granted her the ability to turn her hair into venomous snakes and detach them from herself. We believe that with training, she has much potential. We ranked her at B."
King Blackheart leaned back on his chair as he listened to these words, with not a care in the world. This year, there was only one student that he wished to know about.
"Brandon Tetherbridge. His blessing granted him the power to harden-"
"OH FOR GOD'S SAKE!"
King Blackheart slammed his hands onto his desk, startling the examiners before him. A glass of red wine spilt onto his white robes. A stain that would never come out.
The wrinkled King took in a deep breath, trying to control his impatience, as he spoke in a calm tone.
"Adonis Nameless... tell me about Adonis Nameless."
One of the examiners in a black suit stepped forward, flipping through his notes hurriedly until he found what he was looking for.
He cleared his throat before speaking.
"Adonis Nameless. His blessing granted him the power to control ice- No... a better way to describe it would be that he had full control of the temperature within the examination room. He boiled a bath of water in seconds and, an instant later, froze it entirely. Once frozen, he flicked flames from his hands that burnt so hot that the ice melted in an instant. His rank... we ranked his blessing at S."
King Blackheart listened to the entire explanation intensely, making sure that he did not miss a single detail.
After all, he and many other powerful Blessed had sensed Adonis's presence as soon as he was born from his whore mother's womb. They knew not why he carried such a powerful presence with him, as the man's father was not known, but one thing was certain.
He had the greatest chance in human history to climb to the top of the academy and discover its secrets.
King Blackheart was impressed with what he had just heard, however, he felt that something was missing.
"But how... his presence was much stronger than someone that can control the temperature or even the elements. There have been thousands of humans with such Blessings. I can't help but think that there must be more."
He then poured himself another glass of wine, as the examiner spoke again.
"If I might speak plainly, your greatness, I believe that Adonis only showed me a glimpse of his power."
King Blackheart took a sip, as he turned the thought over in his head.
"It makes sense, but shit. Could he not show us his true potential? I'd like to know how he compares to the leaders of the Five Families, and their heirs."
The examiners nodded their heads in anxious agreement, but there was nothing any of them could do.
Adonis Nameless had entered the doors of the academy now, and for all they knew, he could have entered the first trial already.
They would only ever find out the man's true potential if he managed to discover the secrets behind the Academy and be the first to return to the world from its heights.
———
After his first night in the Academy, Adonis made his way from the dormitories, which were bland, and made his way back towards the Main Zone.
It was early morning, as was shown by the time, and the large space was bustling with activity. He spotted hundreds of students going about their days and attending to their needs.
The area was large, and was all that a student could ask for. As the ground floor was the only floor that people were freely able to enter and return from, King Blackheart ordered that it would be supplied with many kinds of services.
However, this inevitably created complacent students. Some took part in the luxuries so much that they forgot what their original goal was.
Adonis knew that he would not fall prey to such a problem.
At the centre of the room stood the ten portals in a line. It was only there that the main zone seemed to be empty.
The students avoided the portals, making sure to stay clear of them, as though walking by would drag them in.
Adonis couldn't help but laugh to himself.
Wasn't that the entire point of becoming a student and entering the Academy?
Slowly, he began to make his way over to the portals.
Unlike many students, who wore armour and weapons and travelled in groups as large as ten, Adonis walked alone.
He wore a white suit, as suggested by his mother, and no weapon on his body. After all, his blessing made it so that he didn't need one. His red hair was long and straight, flowing behind him with every step, and his face would be described as handsome, in a rather feminine way. If not for his staggering height, many would see him as a pushover.
As he reached the giant portals, he noticed that there were many eyes on him. He did not currently control sound, but he could hear chatters of his name.
"Adonis is back... wait a minute, is he entering the portal alone?"
"Impossible! There are ten portals for a reason. He must be waiting for his team to arrive."
"..."
"You're right! There they are now!"
Before Adonis could enter, he turned his head towards a group of approaching students. He counted five, but one student stood out to him the most.
Raphilia. The girl from yesterday. It seems she managed to find a group after all.
This morning, she wore red robes, with a black undershirt, as well as a shortsword on her waist.
The others around her wore standard armour and weaponry, signifying that they did not have as much trust in their Blessings as he did.
As Raphilia noticed Adonis, her eyes lit up with embarrassed surprise. Shyly, she looked down at the floor.
"You're in our way pal!" A large man with a hammer on his back shouted from the front of the group. "If you're waiting for your team to arrive, you should at least leave space for others to pass through."
Adonis turned his gaze towards the man, with his eyebrows raised in surprise. He was indeed a large, and muscular man, and his weapon was gruesome. The leader of the group, Adonis guessed.
However, once the others in the group spotted Adonis's red hair and calm demeanour, their faces went red in an instant.
"H-hold on a minute Harold. That man... he-"
"Apologies," Adonis cut him off calmly, not allowing the words to bother him. "I will be out of your way in just a moment."
Harold, the large man, looked at each of his team members, noticing the fear on their faces.
Was there something they knew that he didn't?
But before he could ask any further questions, a sharp humming sound came from the portal in front of him. He looked up to find that the red-haired man had... disappeared.
"What the fuck?" Harold cursed.
"He went inside... alone. Shit! Did we anger him? I hope we didn't anger him before our trial even started." Another member of the team spoke, leaving Harold further confused.
"What's going on? Why do you all look so scared... It's not like the man is a god or something. He entered the portal alone, he'll probably die before we even get there."
The team fell silent, each taking turns to look at their leader.
It was Raphilia that spoke, in a hushed tone.
"That's the thing... he is a god."
"Huh?"
Raphilia let out a breath that she had hardly realised she was holding. She placed her hand on her chest and felt her heartbeat racing.
"That was Adonis Nameless. The man that even King Blackheart believes to be the strongest human that has ever existed in our world."