CHAPTER 16: THE BIG SIX
Stormrest Institute was the king of universities—where only the absolute best of the best could even dream of setting foot. Its admission process was a nightmare, purpose-built to break everyone but the elite.
Crown Spire and Iron Veil trailed just behind, with Shadow Crest, Ashenhold, and Twilight rounding out the rest of the Big Six—the top-tier schools every 18- and 19-year-old on Blue Star fantasized about attending.
The bottom three might shuffle ranks over time, but Stormrest, Crown Spire, and Iron Veil remained locked at the top, never budging.
Second-class universities took in the solid and above-average.
Third-class ones were for the average and the talentless—those left to scrape by in the shadows.
Aaron had studied every detail. His decision was firm: Stormrest.
It was the perfect stage to flex his Primordial Hybrid powers and Lucky Halo while staying invisible under the radar with his Specter Mask.
---
He strolled into Skyhold's grand hall, a colossal space with polished marble floors and towering stained-glass windows that cast wild, dancing colors across the walls. The room pulsed with chatter, buzzing with the anxious energy of teens on the edge of something life-changing.
"That's Lily! Did she get stronger and prettier? She's untouchable!" one girl gushed, starstruck.
Lily sat in the front row, dark hair spilling over her shoulders like a silk curtain. A cold, distant aura clung to her like armor, keeping everyone at bay. The seats surrounding her remained empty—like she was circled by an invisible wall of reverence and fear.
Then Aaron walked in—calm, composed, and completely unbothered.
"Is that Aaron? What's he doing here?" someone whispered.
The murmurs spread like wildfire.
These teens loved two things—worshipping legends like Lily they could never match... and tearing down so-called losers like Aaron to make themselves feel bigger.
"Someone kick that talentless bastard out!" one of Dan's goons shouted, his voice echoing through the hall as he tried to stir trouble.
Aaron didn't even flinch.
His Specter Mask veiled his true S-rank strength and Primordial Hybrid bloodline, projecting the illusion of an E-rank nobody. He scanned the crowd, noting every mocking face with a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
They'd get theirs. All in due time.
He spotted the empty seats around Lily and took one right beside her, simply looking for a quiet place to plan and think—especially about his Sanctuary and testing out the Flameborn.
His SSS+ senses caught the way Lily's head turned. Her emerald eyes flickered with confusion and surprise.
Was Aaron playing a game? Trying to make amends?
The Aaron she remembered—her ex-fiancé—had been timid and hopelessly lovestruck. She'd called off the engagement because of it. He'd been too soft, too gullible.
But the man now sitting beside her radiated quiet confidence. That same aura her clan's top warriors gave off. His presence didn't match his reputation at all, and it unsettled her.
Dan, who had done a fine job ignoring Aaron up to this point, couldn't stay quiet anymore. His face twisted with rage. He stormed over and dropped into the seat on Aaron's left.
Lily on the right.
Aaron in the middle.
Dan on the left.
A pressure-filled triangle that held the whole room's attention.
---
Leo, sitting a few rows back, blinked in disbelief.
"What the hell is Aaron doing?" he muttered.
Was he trying to stand out… or was he just oblivious?
If you asked Aaron, he'd say he didn't even realize Lily was next to him. He just wanted a peaceful spot to map out his vampire-werewolf empire using the Infinite Myriad Race Blood Pool and arm them all with Daylight Rings.
---
"Aaron, you're going too far," Dan growled, his voice low and venomous.
"Dissing Lily, then sitting here like some simp? Disappointing."
Aaron turned slightly, his crimson eyes giving Dan a cold, dismissive glance.
"Thought we were past childish games, Dan. We're all eighteen, nineteen, right?" He leaned back casually. "Didn't know simps were still a thing."
He said it like it was beneath him, more annoyed at being distracted from his internal plans than by Dan himself.
His mind wandered again—to Flameborn chasing critters in the Sanctuary—while Dan stewed beside him.
---
Lily watched it all unfold, her emotions shifting from confusion to curiosity, then amusement.
How was Aaron, of all people—the ultimate simp—brushing off Dan like it was nothing?
This kind of energy, this sharp confidence... it reminded her of her clan's battle-hardened elites. She'd known Aaron during the engagement. Known how weak and dependent he was. That Aaron couldn't even look her in the eye without stuttering.
And now?
Now he acted like a king.
She couldn't wrap her head around it.
Her gaze lingered longer than she realized—long enough for Aaron's lips to move.
"Stop staring so hard. You're gonna burn a hole in my face."
His tone was quiet, but laced with bite. He didn't even look at her.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to," Lily muttered quickly, caught off guard. A faint flush touched her cheeks.
Aaron gave a brief nod, already back to plotting how to use the Blood Pool to evolve Blade and future recruits—strengthened and protected by Daylight Rings from the Manufacturer.
---
On his left, Dan's fists were clenched so tight his knuckles turned white.
Lily blushing because of Aaron? Unforgivable.
He was about to explode when the hall went still.
Principal Endrick and the instructors had entered, their presence immediately snuffing out all side chatter.
Endrick climbed the podium, sharp eyes sweeping across the room. He paused slightly when he spotted Aaron front and center, seated among the elites.
Unawakened.
Talentless.
Sitting there with zero hesitation.
It didn't make sense.
The instructors noticed too. They exchanged confused whispers. Everyone knew Aaron's rep—average, irrelevant. Yet here he was, cool and composed, like he belonged.
---
Cough, cough.
Endrick cleared his throat, brushing aside the momentary distraction.
"You're all here for one reason: your future," he began. His voice carried across the hall with practiced authority.
"The university you enter will shape your path. Whether you join elite guilds, lead your own clan, or end up forgotten with the masses—this exam determines it."
He let the silence linger before continuing.
"The Big Six, like Stormrest, offer opportunities no other schools can match. So for the entrance exam, give it everything you've got."
---
"Yawn."
The sound sliced through the room like a blade.
Aaron didn't even bother to hide it.
The speech was the same recycled motivational garbage. He'd already leveled past that mindset. With Sanctuary, the Blood Pool, and literal Plot Armor, Aaron wasn't playing their game—he was playing his own.
This exam? Just another sandbox for him to mess around in… while keeping his S-rank power hidden.
---
"Aaron," Endrick said sharply, eyes narrowing. "Did I say something boring?"
All eyes turned again, the room holding its breath.
Aaron leaned back, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"Just thought it'd hit harder, Principal," he replied, voice smooth as silk. "Felt kinda flat."
A collective gasp rippled through the hall.
Endrick's scowl deepened, and the tension in the room grew thick enough to choke on.