a citizen of the Empire

Damon's response reminded Decanus Cromwell of her younger brother, Theodore. He, too, always spoke about joining the military with the same determination and resolve.

"You remind me of my brother, Theo… He's also among this year's academy recruits. I hope both of you make it out of the test alive… Alright, then. We'll head to the right wing of the organization—that's where the military section is."

Damon nodded in agreement and followed Decanus Cromwell through the carpeted halls of the building. 

"Oh, look who it is! Miss Cromwell herself…"

"Hey, Melody! Have you heard from Stephan?"

"Miss Cromwell, send my regards to your grandfather, Legatus Cromwell."

"….."

"….."

On their way to the right-wing, Decanus Cromwell was stopped multiple times by people who had questions or brief requests. Each time, she responded with a few short, formal words before continuing on her way.

+ "Looks like the Cromwell family is both powerful and well-respected. Damn, her grandfather is a Legatus—do you know what that means? It means he commands sixty thousand karaas, along with a whole bunch of officers and personnel. The guy literally oversees an entire fleet."

++ "None of the people stopping her were wearing military uniforms. That means they're either politicians or representatives of mega-corporations… If we manage to form a good relationship with her brother during the test—maybe even save his life—there's a good chance we could leverage her family's influence later."

Damon thought about it for a moment before responding:

+ "Good idea… if we can pull it off. Honestly, though, I have no idea how they'd react to someone from the Fringe. I've read novels where these rich kids think they're better than everyone else and push around the worker-class kids…"

++ "Damon… we live in the real world, not some moralizing novel, okay?"

Trying to suppress his smile—so he wouldn't come across as a fool in front of the attractive officer—Damon replied:

+ "Okay, okay… What I mean is, if there's one thing I've learned in the Fringe, it's that you can't trust people so easily. We need to observe, and get a feel for this new environment and the people in it first… Then we can decide who's worth getting close to and who isn't."

++ "Fair enough… But remember, having an ally is always better than having none."

It took them about five minutes to reach the right wing from where they had appeared.

If the place they had arrived in was a grand palace, then the right wing was the complete opposite—built like a simple military fortress, meticulously organized and spotless. Officers occasionally passed by, and each time, Decanus Cromwell would stop, snap her heels together, and salute them with formal precision.

On the other hand, whenever they passed a Karaa standing guard at a doorway, the Karaa saluted Decanus Cromwell the moment he or she saw her.

After passing through most of the right-wing hallway, they stopped in front of a metal door. A deep male voice came through a small speaker beside it.

"Rank and name, please."

Decanus Cromwell straightened her posture slightly, looking a bit uneasy.

"Second Decanus, Melody Cromwell."

After a few seconds, the door hissed open, revealing a modest, sparsely decorated room.

At the far end of the room, was a young man—well-groomed, sharp-featured, and bearing a strong resemblance to Decanus Cromwell. He was seated behind a desk, dressed in his military uniform, and looking at her with a playful smile.

"What were you waiting for, little sis? A formal invitation? I've been stationed at this office for three months now, Melody, and you haven't visited me even once."

Decanus and Damon, both eyeing the young man with curiosity, stepped inside and stood in front of the desk.

+ "Was that his voice coming from the speaker just now?"

++ "Yeah, most likely. His symbiote is probably linked to the room's entire system. He must've sensed two people outside the door and then used the symbiote to project his voice through the speaker… We could pull off something way better than that."

Decanus Cromwell, sounding annoyed, said,

"You could've just opened the door for me right away, but no, genius Stephan had to show off his glorious 63% compatibility to his little sister, right?"

Stephan grinned mischievously.

"Come on, Mel… I'm stuck in this stupid office instead of being on the front lines because of Dad. If I don't remind myself every now and then that I'm a 63% genius, I might just lose my mind… And now, out of nowhere, this guy—Lucius Collymore—shows up, and I'm not on the Empire's top 100 genius list anymore. I mean, 97% compatibility? You'd have to be a cyborg or something for your body to sync with a symbiote like that…"

+ "Lucius… I was trying not to think about him. Looks like he's made quite a name for himself…"

++ "You and I don't really know what compatibility actually means, other than the fact that the higher it is, the better. But if someone like this guy is considered a genius at 63% compatibility, then Lucius must be a big deal… Still, you have me—plus the system. Even if Lucius had 200% compatibility, he'd still fall behind us."

+ "I hope so…"

Decanus Cromwell shook her head.

"Okay, enough complaining… You need to register Damon. His compatibility was confirmed yesterday."

Stephan turned his gaze to Damon, scanning him from head to toe.

"You're from the Fringe, aren't you? You got lucky and made it out of that hellhole… and now you wanna throw yourself into another one? Are you insane?"

Damon replied with a smile,

"My grandfather once told me, 'To reach paradise, you have to walk through hell first.' And becoming a knight—that's my paradise."

Stephan glanced at Decanus Cromwell in surprise, to which she said,

"Yeah, I know. He reminds me of Theo a lot… We've already talked. Just get him registered."

Stephan shrugged. The ring around his irises lit up with a bright green glow, triggering a holographic orange screen to materialize in front of him on the desk. He then gestured toward a rectangular black scanner embedded in the desk.

"Place your hand on the scanner and hold it there for a few seconds."

Damon did as instructed, pressing his hand against the cool surface of the scanner. A thin beam of light swept under his palm, scanning up and down several times before stopping. A green glow surrounded the scanner, signaling successful verification.

With the scan approved, Damon's full profile appeared on the holo-screen—far more information than he could have ever imagined. Everything from basic personal details to his genetic code and even data on his parents was displayed.

Stephan took a moment to finalize the registration, entering the required data mentally through his symbiote.

"Congratulations… You're now officially a citizen of the Empire. You've also been registered for the military entrance exam, which is in a week. Once we install your Soul-Gate, you'll receive all the necessary details. In the meantime, if you have any questions, ask Melody."

Damon gave a respectful bow.

"Thank you, sir."

Decanus Cromwell straightened up, her tone turning serious.

"Damon, you're an Imperial citizen now. You don't need to bow to anyone—except the Emperor and Empress, and in their presence, you kneel. Stephan was just doing his job."

Damon smiled.

"I know… It's just that you've helped me get one step closer to my dream. This was the best way I could show my gratitude."

On the surface, Damon might have seemed carefree and easygoing, but in truth, he paid close attention to everything. The moment Lucius' name came up again, his mind had already started planning—figuring out how to apply the techniques and skills he had obtained from Raphael.

+ "We need to get stronger as soon as possible, Asharaa…"

++ "I promise you, as long as I'm here, you'll never feel the way you did yesterday ever again."

Damon smiled.

+ "And I promise that one day, no matter what, I'll hug you."

++ "Oh, so you really do plan on taking advantage of me… For that, our mental power and neural endurance need to reach at least 15. Only then will you be able to enter our mental space at will. And maybe—just maybe—I'll let you hug me. Though, I haven't made up my mind yet."