Chapter 17 | Douche

Leon emerged from the additional assessment room into the corridor he came in from, muscles trembling with lingering fatigue. The fine blue luminescence that had coursed beneath his skin during testing had faded to faint traces, visible only when he flexed his hands.

"No permanent cellular degradation detected. Anomalous readings remain stable," the technician declared with satisfaction, never looking up from her final data compilation.

She made precise notations on his file with glowing fingertips that left trails of light across the display.

Marked for continued observation

The designation he saw on the datapad concerned him, but vastly preferable to the medical emergency he witnessed earlier. The technician dismissed him with a curt nod, her attention already shifting to data analysis rather than the recruit himself.

Leon recognized the transition in her gaze. He'd become an interesting specimen rather than a person, a collection of unusual metrics rather than a consciousness. Useful perhaps, but only for the data he provided.

As the holding area door slid open before him, Leon sensed the shift in the atmosphere. Conversations that had buzzed with nervous energy abruptly stopped. Bodies tensed throughout the room with backs straightening, shoulders squaring, and heads turning in synchronized motion.

Leon followed everyone's gaze to see what had caused the disturbance. A Fulgari recruit had stepped away from the elite section and was now moving with steady confidence through the different parts of the room, crossing the invisible lines between groups as if they weren’t there. He pushed against the room's carefully maintained social stratification with each purposeful step.

Jake Sinclair, the Domain Archon's son.

Even if Leon hadn’t recognized him from earlier testing, everything about Jake’s presence gave him away. He stood with a kind of natural confidence. Back straight, movements controlled, like someone used to being in charge without needing to prove it.

His medical garment was technically the same as everyone else’s, but it somehow looked like it had been made just for him. 

Up close, the differences were noticeable. The fabric caught the light in a richer way, the seams were cleaner, and the material shifted smoothly with his movements instead of resisting them.

Jake's augmented eyes glowed with faint mana traces that Leon had glimpsed during the medical testing. Irises cycling through subtle color shifts as enhancement systems processed information.

The Nullari recruits drew closer together as Jake approached their section. Their body language shifted in subtle ways; weight distribution changing to enable quick movement, hands positioning for defense without forming obvious fists, and expressions blank to avoid provoking attention.

Leon noticed that even the ones trying to stay calm gave themselves away with tiny signs. Widened pupils, tight jaws, and uneven breathing. The broad-shouldered recruit who had spoken to Leon earlier moved, placing himself between Jake and a smaller Nullari girl.

"Let me explain your future, grounders," Jake said, his voice pitched to carry across the room. “Grounders” was a slur used for Nullari people from the lower levels, an insult disguised as casual talk.

His words dripped with false kindness, masking disdain. Rather than genuine helpfulness, it was the patronizing way people talked when they assume you won’t understand.

He shifted his stance, spreading out just enough to take up more space than needed. A show of dominance that made the Nullari recruits tense up even more.

The Ordari group stayed neutral, not taking sides. But they stepped back, putting some distance between themselves and the Nullari group.

Jake moved smoothly through the room, each step planned to show he owned the space. He made a joking gesture toward himself.

“Future A-rank, for the elite of elites. Only for those with the best genetics and full augmentation.” He touched the faint circuits on his temple with purpose, making sure everyone noticed the advanced device that seemed better than any other recruit’s.

His hand released a faint blue mana shimmer with the gesture, a display of control and enhancement that would be impossible for anyone of lower rank.

Particles flickered between his fingers before fading into the air. A simple display of skill that took no effort.

Jake stopped in the Ordari section, making sure all eyes were on him. He stood between their seats and the Nullari group, showing the hierarchy he was talking about.

“B-rank for those with command potential.” He placed his hand on the shoulder of an Ordari, who tensed at the touch.

The recruit's expression flickered between discomfort and reluctance to show offense, caught between maintaining dignity and avoiding confrontation with someone whose family controlled advancement opportunities throughout the military hierarchy.

"C-rank for standard augmented troops who'll form the backbone of Imperial forces." Jake's voice carried the subtle implication that even this high designation represented failure compared to his own standing.

Several Ordaris shifted uncomfortably, their eyes darting toward the Nullari section with renewed determination to distance themselves from what they feared coming.

As Jake's attention shifted to the Nullari section, his smile turned cruel. Lips still curved upward but eyes hardening to cold assessment.

With each step closer, tension thickened in the air.

Leon noted how guards shifted positions but made no move to intervene, their expressions revealing observation rather than peacekeeping intent.

Are they testing us? Leon pondered.

"D-ranks handle logistics and support functions. Noble work, I'm assured." Jake's voice dripped with mockery as he approached the Nullari section.

He stopped before Leon, recognition flickering in his eyes recalling their brief exchange of glances during the medical assessments.

"While E-ranks clean latrines and die first in assault waves." His gaze held Leon's as a challenge waiting for reaction.

"They promised technical positions for qualified candidates and potential augmentation—" said a Nullari girl nearby, her voice carrying the raw edge of someone watching hopes crumble.

Jake didn't even turn to acknowledge her, maintaining eye contact with Leon while responding.

"They promise whatever gets bodies through the door." The dismissal was complete in both words and body language.

Calm down. Breathe. Don’t let him get to you.

Leon maintained a neutral expression despite the provocation, analyzing how observation windows above flickered with activity as technicians monitored the interaction with interest, making notations on data panels.

The tension erupted when Jake turned around and shouldered past two Nullari recruits, sending one crashing into a hydration station.

The impact echoed through the room as the man collided with the metal dispenser, water spilling across the floor in a spreading puddle.

The Nullari recruit stood up, anger spreading across his face as his hand shook at his side. The other recruits tensed, getting ready to respond together, leaning forward, turning toward the source of the conflict, their breathing syncing without them even realizing it.

The Ordaris backed away, creating distance from potential violence. Guards maintained positions but adjusted stances, hands moving closer to devices on their hips while maintaining their role as observers rather than intervening.

The Ordari girl Leon had seen earlier, the one watching the room carefully, moved between Jake and the Nullari recruits.

She placed herself just right; close enough to act, but keeping enough space to avoid making things worse.

“Enough,” she said quietly but firm. No extra words. Just what was needed.

Jake drew himself taller, augmented eyes flaring with blue energy in a display of power. The mana illumination intensified around his irises, casting strange shadows across his features.

"Mind your rank," he warned, voice dropping to dangerous octaves.

"They're already tracking aggression markers through observation panels." Perfectly composed, she gestured toward hidden sensors in the ceiling. "Your father's name won't protect you from protocol violations."

For a brief moment, Jake’s expression showed real doubt. The first genuine emotion Leon had seen break through his superiority.

"And who appointed you peacekeeper?" Jake sneered, his posture shifting to preserve dignity while creating distance from escalating the confrontation.

"Assessment scores determine rank," she replied. "Until then, you're just another recruit like all of us."

The confrontation broke as other officers entered the room, though they made no immediate move to intervene. Instead, they observed with calculated interest, documenting reactions rather than enforcing order.

One officer made a notation on his datapad, his eyes never leaving the girl who had defused the situation.

As the tension eased, Leon understood the real purpose of the holding area. It wasn’t just a waiting space between tests. It was a controlled setting designed to watch how recruits reacted to conflict before their official combat assessment.

Through the observation window, Leon noticed the lead technician watching him specifically, gauging his reaction with the same clinical interest she had shown during his anomalous test results.

She looked him straight in the eyes, showing no effort to hide that she was watching. Her gaze was calm and thoughtful, not judging or praising, just studying his behavior as more information for his unusual profile.

The girl who had intervened returned to her place among the Ordari section, resuming her observation of the room.

The Nullaris went back to standing, but something was different. They had moved around, forming small groups. Some who had stepped forward during the confrontation, and others who had stayed back.

Jake returned to the Fulgari section, and his companions moved aside to let him through. Their conversation picked up again without missing a beat, but Leon noticed Jake’s eyes kept drifting back to him and the girl who had stopped his show of power.

The assessment never stopped. Every reaction, every choice, and every alliance was being watched and recorded.

Leon kept his face calm and his posture plain. But inside, his mind was busy; studying the power in the room, where the guards stood, and how the people in the observation rooms were watching.

He knew that knowledge meant survival. And he was determined to survive whatever came next.