The simulation chamber sealed with a hiss of mana-locked gates, trapping Kaen and Zian inside a conjured world mimicking a corrupted forest—a trial meant to test not only combat skills but moral decision-making.
Twisted trees groaned under unnatural winds. Red vines pulsed with dark energy. A village of NPC survivors huddled in the distance, under siege by mana-corrupted beasts.
"Rescue. Defend. Purify." The system's voice echoed.
Kaen stretched lazily. "They always make it so dramatic."
Zian summoned a glowing spear from thin air. "Then let's finish fast."
They moved as one—Zian's light piercing through fog, Kaen's shadows devouring beasts before they could strike. The duo operated in near silence, instinctually synchronized. To onlookers, they were a blur of contrast: holy light dancing beside abyssal night.
At one point, a child NPC screamed, trapped beneath a burning cart. Zian rushed to her aid, shielding the illusion with a dome of light. Kaen didn't move.
"You're not going to help?" she asked.
He looked at the child, then at Zian. "That's your test, not mine."
The words struck something in her—not anger, but confusion. Why did he always watch, always wait?
After neutralizing the final boss—a towering beast stitched from shadows and bone—Zian stood panting. Kaen walked past her, not winded in the slightest.
"You hesitated when you saved the woman by the well," he said casually.
She narrowed her eyes. "It was a moral decision point."
Kaen smiled. "And morality is your weakness."
The chamber faded. The simulation ended.
Observers above clapped, some stunned.
Drayven nodded slowly. "They're not students. They're weapons."
But only Kaen noticed the faint glow returning to Zian's back—a shimmer of translucent wings, fading as quickly as they came.
"Interesting," he muttered.
The shadows behind him grinned.