Nightblade (Darkest night)-Chapter 208: Reassessment[1]

" A reassessment..."

Staring at the figures in the room, Emily vaguely recognized one of the figures at the end of the room.

The most striking feature about the woman was her ethereal violet eyes.

Victoria Goodison stood out even among the other Videntis because of her ethereal power.

A taller man stood next to her with a slight scowl on his face, and beside him, a blindfolded man dressed in a similar outfit.

"Three of the Videntis..."

It was certainly interesting that the revered strongest Talented would take such an interest in the returnees’ reassessment.

Gregory spoke.

" The reassessment will commence without much fuss. The purpose of this is to better aid your growth and the development of your abilities. You may choose what powers you wish to be evaluated abd depending on your forest keel the Chronobox will rank your current class."

Just then a new wave of students poured into the hall.

Emily briefly turned scrutinizing the newcomers for a brief moment. Among the students entering the hall were the rest if he Talented that hadn’t entered Tenebris.

"What’s going on?" Darius murmured, throwing a furtive glance at the entrance.

The reassessment was supposed to be exclusive to the returnees and yet now the rest of the Talented were here.

"It’s alright, " Darius said dismissively.

" After all if the returnees have grown stronger it should also serve as motivation for their peers to grow equally stronger.

Darius’ betrayed no emotion staring impassively ahead.

"Darius allowed this to happen..."

No doubt there was another agenda behind the Videntis’ subtle interference.

The most probable reason is a show of power.

Sebastian wanted to show the Brotherhood just how much stronger the Talented could become from adversity.

A dark-robed figure stepped to the centre of the room carrying a familiar black briefcase. Holding out the briefcase he held, he briefly placed his hand on a biometric pad on the case.

A red pulsating light hummed beneath his fingers.

The case emitted a small beeping sound then clicked open with a sharp hiss.

Within it, a small black cube sat at its centre, seemingly sucking in all the light around it.

" Chronobox..."

Emily silently stared at the obscure device.

Despite the passage of time, the memory of her last Chronobox evaluation was still vivid in her mind.

Back then the Chronobox had deemed her ordinary, unremarkable even.

In a sense, she was the weakest of her cohort.

But now several things had changed.

The journey to Tenebris had changed her in more ways than one, most significant of which was the awakening of her nascent ability.

Just like the rest, she couldn’t completely suppress the subtle tingle of anticipation within her.

The nameless agent grasped the cube with his other gloved hand moving it out of the tenebrous suitcase.

The other agents around him wordlessly stepped back, giving the device a wide berth.

The nan calmly pricked his finger and a drop of blood formed, which he dropped on the cube.

The reaction was instantaneous.

The dark cube emitted an ominous pulse of light emitting several waves of energy.

The air crackled wildly with power and several powerful bursts of electricity shot out of the cube.

The dark device rapidly spun in space, melting and growing outward with each pulse of power.

It rapidly expanded and then morphed into a sleek black cubicle with rounded edges that hovered in the air before touching down on the ground.

With the transformation complete, the Chronobox imposed an air of reverence drawing every eye in the room to it.

But just then, a new presence washed over the hall.

****

Victoria could literally feel the tense anticipation in the air.

She’d immediately realized Sebastian’s ploy to challenge the growth of the successor he was secretly nurturing, Warren Frost.

By ordering the guards to allow the rest of the Talented entry, the impassive youth would be present as well.

Just then Victoria’s eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze turning to the hall’s entrance.

"Why is she here?"

Just outside the hall, she suddenly felt a familiar psionic signature brush against her mind.

" Good to see you, Victoria. I see you’re in good health."

There were very few minds that Victoria couldn’t freely probe and this was one of them.

Victoria’s violet eyes briefly sparked with violet light. She adopted a placid bored expression placing her chin on her hand.

" To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"

A few moments later, her mask of impassiveness cracked briefly.

"She is here as my guest," a cold voice whispered in her mind.

" Thrain."

The darkness behind her subtly shifted.

" I thought you wouldn’t be coming."

There was a brief pause. After a while the elusive Videntis spoke.

" I got a change of heart. Perhaps there may be a few surprises today."

Victoria’s impassive mask fell back in place.

" Right..."

She gently whispered into the minds of the agents stationed at the entrance to the hall instructing them to allow the guests into the hall. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

A few moments later, two figures stepped into the hall.

A smaller figure walked at the front, a giant of a man following in her wake.

The small crowd of Talented subconsciously made way for the newcomers their gazes transfixed on them in awe.

The dark luster of the Chronobox was momentarily forgotten.

The rhythmic tapping of the elegant walking cane in the woman’s left hand melodically filled the hall.

‎Dark sunglasses hid her eyes from view but a soft glow emanated from behind them adding to her ethereal appearance.

A cascade of long grey braids gracefully flowed down her back up to her waist.

The pristine white long coat she was wearing gently swished in the breeze following in her wake.

Behind her, the massive figure shadowing her looked even more imposing.

‎The bronze-skinned figure was clad in a tenebrous dark jacket that stretched over his visibly flexing muscles and the black pants he wore.

Victoria’s impassive expression remained in place.

" Aisha Lorke."