"Move."
The guard flinched again, even though Adam didn’t raise his voice.
Before he could react, another voice cut in.
"What is going on here?"
Everyone turned.
The head of the guards approached—young, early twenties, sharp eyes, steady walk. Too young for her position unless she had a talent strong enough to push her up the ladder fast.
Adam watched her for half a second.
Yeah. Definitely talented.
The first guard pointed at Adam immediately. "He—uh—he walked out."
The woman looked at him. "And?"
"He told me to move," the guard said, sounding embarrassed. "And I... moved."
Her brows dipped. "Why would you do that?"
"I don’t know," he admitted. "It just... happened."
Her eyes shifted to Adam. "You’re the talentless boy, right?"
Adam stared at her. "Who told you that?"
"That’s your record," she said. "Unless something changed."
Adam shrugged. "Maybe something did."
A few guards murmured, confused.
The woman stepped closer. "Explain why you’re outside. Slaves don’t leave their rooms without orders."
Adam tilted his head. "I don’t ask for orders."
"Clearly," she said, looking him up and down like she was trying to figure him out. "You’re five. Don’t try to act grown."
Adam smiled, slow and mocking. "I act how I like."
One of the guards whispered, "This kid’s crazy."
She lifted her hand for silence. "Enough."
Her eyes stayed on Adam. "Tell me what you think you’re doing."
"Walking," Adam said.
"Walking where?"
"Out."
"Why?"
"Because I want to."
She stared at him for a moment. "You don’t have a talent. You have no right to walk outside. You don’t even have permission to raise your voice."
Adam stepped forward once, looking up at her without blinking.
"And yet," he said quietly, "here I am."
The first guard spoke up quickly. "He’s been... saying strange things. Talking like he’s an adult. Saying words I’ve never heard. ’Fuck’ this, ’fuck’ that."
The other guard nodded. "Yeah. And when I tried to poke him with my spear, it didn’t touch him. It was like something blocked it."
The woman’s eyes sharpened. "Blocked it how?"
"I don’t know," the guard said. "It just... stopped."
The woman looked at Adam again. "So you suddenly have some kind of invisible shield now?"
Adam smirked. "Guess so."
"That’s impossible," she said. "You failed awakening."
"Maybe your test was trash," Adam replied.
Gasps broke out. A few guards stiffened in anger.
The woman narrowed her eyes. "Say that again."
Adam held her gaze. "Your test was trash."
The guards moved, hands on their weapons, waiting for her signal.
She raised a hand to stop them. "You talk too much for someone in your position."
Adam shrugged. "And you talk too much for someone trying to figure out a child."
Her jaw flexed.
"You think you’re special now?" she asked. "You think one strange incident makes you above the system?"
Adam sighed. "Woman, listen. I don’t care about your rules. I don’t care about this little ranking. I don’t care about any of you."
She folded her arms. "Then what do you care about?"
Adam’s eyes went cold.
"Leaving."
Something in his tone made even she pause.
She studied him again, longer this time. "If you have a hidden talent, it will be detected. Maybe it’s late awakening. Maybe something rare. But until then, you don’t get to roam."
Adam didn’t respond.
She stepped closer, staring into his eyes like she wanted to see through him.
Her voice lowered. "You don’t look like a normal child."
Adam smiled. "I’m not."
The guards shifted nervously.
The woman exhaled slowly. "If you want to leave this place, you do it through the overseer. Not by wandering like you own the place."
Adam snorted. "I do own the place."
She raised an eyebrow. "Is that right?"
"Yes," Adam said. "You people just don’t know it yet."
The guards exchanged uneasy glances.
The woman lowered her voice another notch. "You’re either insane... or very dangerous."
Adam shrugged. "Why not both?"
The woman clicked her tongue softly. "Bring him back to his room. We’ll handle the rest later."
The guards stepped forward.
Adam didn’t move.
The woman frowned. "I said take him."
The guards reached out—
And stopped in the exact same way the spear had stopped earlier.
Their hands hovered inches away from Adam, unable to go closer.
They tried again.
Nothing.
They couldn’t touch him.
The woman’s eyes widened slightly.
Adam smiled without warmth. "Try it yourself."
She hesitated, then reached out—
Her hand froze in the air before making contact, like space itself refused her.
She pulled back sharply.
"What is this..." she whispered.
Adam tilted his head. "Told you. I walk where I want."
The woman frowned, her jaw tight. Her aura flared around her, sharp enough that the guards took a step back.
"Go back to your room," she said slowly, each word dragged through clenched teeth.
Adam looked up at her, unimpressed.
Her aura spiked higher. "Kid, don’t make me do this to you."
Her bones cracked faintly as she grew taller, muscles swelling as her body shifted. Her skin rippled. Her voice deepened. She was transforming right there in front of him.
Body Manipulation.
Of course she had something crazy.
She towered over him now, eyes glowing faintly, breath heavy. The guards looked terrified but didn’t dare interrupt.
Adam just watched her like she was doing a party trick.
"Last warning," she said. "Move."
Adam didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink. Didn’t even tense.
His eyes slowly closed.
He let his consciousness stretch outward.
He searched.
Every room.
Every corner.
Every heartbeat.
Every mind.
He was checking one thing.
Is there anyone in this place worth saving?
The answer came back fast and empty.
Mockery.
Cruelty.
Indifference.
Greed.
Pride.
Not one good soul.
Not one person who had shown the boy even a drop of kindness.
Adam let out a small breath. "Figures."
He opened his eyes again.
The woman was still towering over him, ready to smash him into the ground.
Adam sighed.
"Time to test this ability."