"Your eyes," He pointed out, "They are silver."
'Oh shit!' He exclaimed.
He was careless, and now, he got caught lacking.
He had to come up with an excuse immediately.
But he couldn't think of anything on the spot that would make sense.
When lying wasn't in his cards, the next step was…
GAMBLE!
"Shhh!" He hushed, gesturing to him to keep his silence, as he closed the distance.
"It's something not many people know about."
Pevon's jaw dropped as he leaned closer to him and said, "You have an ability?"
"Don't say this out aloud," Raven didn't confirm or deny.
"Keep this secret for me."
"You bet."
Clap!
They both dapped each other and moved on.
Pevon's head was filled with bizarre thoughts and ideas.
Just what was Raven's secret?
If being able to cast a spell instantly wasn't bizarre enough, he even had an ability?
There were only two ways of getting a skill or an ability.
Either they were born with it, or they had a fruitful encounter.
The latter one was way too rare for it to be known by a mere Baron heir like Pevon.
Even Raven had no idea that abilities and skills were obtainable by encounters before he actually got them himself.
But he still had no idea how rare it was supposed to be, so he was keeping it a secret.
And for Pevon, it seemed like the Marlowe family was really good at hiding that their youngest was born with an ability.
"What does it do?" He asked, hoping to get an answer.
But Raven gave him a side eye.
It was a cultural taboo for people to ask for others' abilities or skills.
But since it was rather rare to have a skill, Pevon wasn't sure where the boundary was supposed to be.
"I'm sorry!" He apologized, getting the hint.
Raven suddenly had an idea.
"I'd forgive you if," He took a pause, "you charge at me with attacks on my level."
Of course, if Pevon charged at him at full speed in a physical combat, he would lose immediately.
He had no chance in a physical combat.
"I need to test something."
"Sure thing!"
The good thing about Pevon was how fast he moved on from something.
Which can be annoying for some people, but Raven actually liked that behavior.
As they reached an empty spot in the hall, Raven wielded his dual axes and activated his [Trace Vision].
His eyes changed colors from bright golden eyes to dull silver eyes.
The transition was so cool that Pevon couldn't help but be elated.
Raven focused on Pevon for a few seconds before it finally started showing the blue streaks all over his body.
They were all dull blue, signifying his relaxed state.
Dull blue everywhere but his hairline.
Cough! Cough!
"I'm ready." He immediately diverted his mind and got into his zone.
"Here I come," Pevon said, as his calf muscles tightened visibly to Raven.
His shoulders tightened as he got into his stance.
Every single detail was visible to him.
Pevon dashed forward, and his muscles on the back tensed, pulling tight along the spine.
'A wide cut.'
Raven ducked before he even attacked.
Pevon noticed him dodging an attack he hadn't even taken a complete stance for, and his heartbeat fastened.
He immediately changed his attack.
Raven noticed that this time, Pevon's thighs tightened and relaxed, and the calf was coiling like a rope.
A kick was inbound.
He shifted his weight behind, and the kick that arrived swept through empty space.
Pevon's face froze.
Both in shock and surprise.
'Is that what I think it is?'
His usually relaxed demeanor was long gone, replaced with an exhilarated expression.
This was crazy.
In Raven's vision, Pevon's forearm was tightening, and the pressure across his fingers clutching the hilt was being reinforced.
It felt a lot faster this time.
Pevon was intentionally using a faster attack to confirm something.
There was no time for Raven to think.
It was a thrust.
Raven dodged it in the nick of time.
The blue streaks around his throat were getting darker, too.
Was he about to speak?
"Damn, Raven," He did speak, "This is freaking crazy."
His body relaxed entirely, and he started laughing.
"This is insane." His voice was loud, which was why he was avoiding saying anything related to abilities or skills.
He came closer to him and whispered, "I wouldn't ask what ability it is, but you can see my attacks, can't you?"
"Mhm!" Raven didn't deny.
This was an obvious conclusion for him to reach.
There was no point in denying it.
"Then, since we have already slept enough," This was the most excited Raven had ever seen Pevon.
He almost dreaded the next words coming out of his mouth.
"Let's train till we can't anymore."
'Ah, fuck me sideways.' He cried internally, but his bad habit of lying unnecessarily caught up to him.
He could no longer say he wasn't sleeping earlier.
…
The next morning, Raven was moving like a zombie.
For a person like him, who liked sleeping 6 to 8 hours a day, he was currently dying.
He was running on 38 minutes of sleep.
His joints were crackling, and his head was heavy.
They trained for 12 hours nonstop, but Pevon was obviously in a better condition than him.
Raven wanted to sleep, but he couldn't.
Today was the last and most important part of the screening test.
An interview with a heretic inquisitor from the Church of Solis.
Cardinal Eve and Cardinal Mark were already gone to their respective posts right after the tests from yesterday.
A Cardinal was usually a lot busier and overrun with workload, but this was an exception since it was the formation of a new Order in the church.
And they were the ones responsible for its existence.
So, they had to make an appearance for at least one day.
But the direct superior of every Arbiter was going to be a Heretic Inquisitor.
A position in the church, given to those with intense faith and insane achievements.
It was a position of power, rather than influence.
And from what he had heard, every single one of them was a psychopath or a sociopath.
A powerful existence that was also a sociopath?
Even Raven was nervous.
Phew!
'Let's get this over with.'