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   Lucian stopped, his gaze dropping to his feet. Varek noticed beads of sweat forming on the scholar’s forehead despite the cool breeze blowing through the large open windows. With a heavy sigh, Lucian slowly walked back to his desk.

   “Lucian, what is a Zal-Kesh?” Varek repeated, taking a step closer and intensifying his glare.

   “A Zal-Kesh is... well, what you witnessed yesterday was a prime example,” Lucian sighed, rubbing his weary eyes. “It is, in simple words, the dark side of Eidon.”

   Lucian straightened up, though his face remained pale. “When people first began following Leonardo La Kimchi’s path in wielding Eidon, some sought shortcuts—forcefully driving up their assimilation rates without making any effort to understand it or embrace it. Thus, their Laws consumed their minds. When someone transforms into a Zal-Kesh, their assimilation rate begins to rise slowly. Their Law goes berserk, allowing them to wield immense power that brings only devastation. It becomes, in essence, a corrupted and more dangerous version of their former self.”

   “Does it... can it go all the way up to one hundred percent?” Hina asked, a cold sweat breaking out on her own neck.

   “Hero Hina, a Zal-Kesh is supposed to be eliminated long before reaching that point. And assimilation isn't instantaneous—it takes a vast amount of time. Reaching one hundred percent would likely take over a century.” Lucian looked at them gravely. “In Eidon’s forty-five-thousand-year history, only two Zal-Kesh have ever been recorded reaching full assimilation. Details on when and how those crises were fought and resolved are rare, but on both occasions, every race was forced to unite to stop them. The entire world was pushed to the brink of annihilation.”

   Damn... Varek muttered internally. Only two in forty-five thousand years? But he said 'recorded'—that means there could easily be more. “Then what about the Zal-Kesh from yesterday?” Varek asked, his muscles tensing. “What was its assimilation rate?”

   “Yesterday... Baron Vyre...” Lucian scratched his head awkwardly. “I would estimate he was at roughly eight or nine percent. And because the transformation had just occurred, he couldn't harness even one percent of a full Zal-Kesh's true power.”

   Varek stared at him in disbelief. Are you kidding me? That nightmare was only at nine percent? And barely using one percent of its power?! Beside him, Cecilia and Hina exchanged terrified glances, while Kael clenched his fists.

   “Then... is there a chance we could turn into one, too?” Cecilia asked, gulping hard.

   Lucian muttered something—Varek could have sworn he heard him curse the Princess under his breath.

   “Every Eidon user carries that risk, but as long as proper precautions are taken, you will be safe,” Lucian replied smoothly. “I will teach you how to regulate your Eidon and avoid it. Besides, as I mentioned yesterday, the warning signs appear long before you ever cross the point of no return.”

   Varek and his siblings exchanged nervous looks.

   “Um, can you go into more detail? Like... the signs, and what physically happens when one transforms?” Hina hesitated as she asked.

   Lucian sighed and quietly muttered something again.

   “To answer your question, Hero Hina...” he began pacing back and forth across the study. “The earliest signs are subtle. You slowly begin to lose your emotions. Your reactions become dull, though you still function normally in daily life.”

   Varek stiffened.

   “That is the first phase. Others include your memories becoming jumbled or fragmented,” Lucian continued. “Those are the psychological warning signs. But when someone fully turns into a Zal-Kesh, the physical change is unmistakable. They begin frothing black foam from their mouth, their skin turns an ashen grey, their eyes and mouth turn into pitch-black pits, and, most importantly—” He paused, looking at them with grave solemnity. “—their hair turns pitch black.”

   The room fell dead silent. They stared back at him, the weight of his words hanging in the air as realization slowly washed over them.

   ...So that’s why yesterday everyone was looking at us strangely! Hina thought, her heart sinking. And the 'bad omen' that old man talked about—was he referring to this?

   “So that’s why I didn’t see a single person with black hair yesterday,” Cecilia muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. She looked up at Lucian. “Do only the Zal-Kesh have black hair in this world?”

   “Yes...” Lucian replied cautiously. “I take it... black hair was common in your world?”

   “Yeah,” Kael answered quietly. “It was.”

   Lucian clapped his hands together, abruptly breaking the heavy silence. “Alright! Regardless, it doesn’t matter right now since none of you show any of the other warning signs. So, let us move quickly to measuring your Eidon levels.” He walked over to a cabinet and retrieved a crystal sphere, similar to that of a fortune-teller's orb, setting it carefully upon the desk. The sphere was opaque—a deep, shadowy grey.

   “Eidon generally comes in six distinct colors,” he explained. “Yellow Eidon focuses primarily on protection. Green is passive. Red is dominating, while Blue is placid. Purple is suited for direct offense. Lastly, White Eidon is extremely rare and excels at changing its nature. All Eidon possess the fundamental power to warp reality, but the exact outcome depends entirely on the wielder.”

   Lucian placed both hands on the orb. “The colors may not strictly adhere to the meaning I gave them, but that is how they are categorized in a broad sense.” The sphere began to glow with a brilliant emerald light—a distinctly different shade from the green the Count had displayed. There seemed to be small emerald crystals shining in the orb.

   “... I thought your Eidon would be golden or yellow...” Varek murmured, staring at the glowing sphere.

   Lucian chuckled softly. “My Eidon is a manifestation of my innate curiosity and the thirst for knowledge I’ve possessed since childhood. It allows me to wield the Law of Sapience.”

   “The Law of what?” Kael asked, his eyes brightening with curiosity.

   “Sapience,” Lucian repeated patiently. “It encompasses intellectual insight and deep wisdom. In practice, it allows me to instantly store any information in my mind and retrieve it at will, as well as share that knowledge directly with others. The Law of Sapience holds far broader potential, but based on my personal understanding of the concept, this is the extent to which I can manifest it.”

   “Hmm... I’m not sure I quite follow,” Cecilia admitted. “What do you mean by your 'own concept'?”

   “There are countless Laws, and their core concepts are vast,” Lucian explained. “How you apply a Law depends entirely on how you perceive its underlying concept. How I interpret Sapience won't necessarily match how someone else bound to the same Law might view it.”

   “I see,” Cecilia nodded.

   “Now then, Hero Kael,” Lucian took a step back. “Since you were so eager, why don't we measure your Eidon first? Please, step up and place both hands on the orb.”

   Kael gulped nervously. He walked up to the desk and was about to lay his trembling hands on the orb when Lucian chimed in, “By the way... how old are you four, heroes?”

   Kael swallowed before replying, “I’m nineteen, Cecilia’s twenty, Hina’s twenty-two, and Var-nii’s twenty-five.”

   “I see,” Lucian said thoughtfully. “Please, do carry on.” He gestured for Kael to continue.

   Kael placed his hands on the orb. The orb slowly filled with a thick, dark purple fog. Kael blinked in surprise.

   “Amazing!” Lucian murmured, leaning in close. “I haven’t seen such a deep shade of purple before—it looks almost solid.” He looked at Kael with newfound awe.

   “So, um... what type of Law can I use now?” Kael asked nervously.

   “I can’t determine that just yet, Hero,” Lucian said, shaking his head slightly. “We will test for concepts later. For now, let us measure everyone first.”

   Cecilia stepped forward. “I want to go next.” She took a deep breath and pressed both palms on the orb. The glass instantly swirled with a bright, luminous red energy. It looked as though an entire cosmos of crimson light was trapped inside the sphere.

   “A bright, pure red Eidon!” Lucian gasped. “Goodness... no wonder you were summoned as heroes.”

   Hina glanced at Varek nervously before stepping up to the desk. As her palms touched the glass, the sphere ignited with a radiant electric blue—like a vast ocean churning beneath the surface. Lucian let out another cry of astonishment.

   “Phenomenal! These results are beyond anything in our records,” he muttered, his eyes turning expectantly toward Varek.

   Varek swallowed the lump in his throat and approached the desk. It’ll be fine, he reassured himself. He drew a deep breath and placed his hands flat on the orb.

   Suddenly, an immense, crushing pressure weighed down on Varek's shoulders—far heavier than the suffocating presence he had felt from the King. But as quickly as it came, the force vanished into thin air.

   Varek glanced back at his siblings. None of them seemed to have felt a thing.

   “What was tha—?” Varek began, but Lucian’s voice cut him off.

   “Oh heavens!” Lucian practically shouted, staring wide-eyed at the desk.

   The orb wasn't glowing. It was pitch black—absorbing the light in the room like a void. Varek stared at it, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. He turned to Lucian, his brow furrowed in a deep frown.

   “What is happening? I thought you said there were only six types of Eidon?” Varek meant to sound confident, but his voice came out tight, strained with tension.

   Lucian looked at him, his expression softening into one of pity. “Hero Varek... a black sphere usually signifies... a person devoid of Eidon.”

   Varek stared at him in disbelief. “But didn’t you say that almost every living being possesses Eidon?”

   “Yes... that is generally the case,” Lucian stammered, avoiding direct eye contact. “However... occasionally, there are individuals who lack a defined concept. They are... unattached to the world's natural laws. Mostly people who are indifferent to their own lives.”

   Varek’s body trembled as he watched the scholar carefully. He’s lying. Or at least hiding something. He looked back down at the dark orb, a cold chill washing over him. It looks just like that creature's eyes yesterday... like the Zal-Kesh. He closed his eyes, forcing a deep breath to steady his racing pulse.

   He opened them, glaring straight at the strategist. “Lucian, give it to me straight. Why is it black? Does... does this have anything to do with a Zal-Kesh?”

   “No, Hero Varek,” Lucian replied sternly, his tone turning solemn. “This has nothing to do with a Zal-Kesh. It is actually quite standard—when someone lacks a manifest Eidon, the sphere reacts by turning black like this. It simply... caught me off guard to see this happen to a summoned hero.” Lucian trailed off, his voice carrying an unconvincing edge.

   Hina gasped softly. “Could this be because only three of us were originally supposed to be summoned?” she asked.

   “Oh... that could very well be the reason. I hadn’t considered that possibility,” Lucian murmured, looking visibly surprised. He began quietly muttering under his breath, like he was debating the theory with himself.

   Varek stepped back from the desk, his fists clenched tight at his sides. “So... what happens to me now?”

   Lucian looked up at him. “You will undergo specialized training to help your Eidon manifest. It is far too early to give up hope.” Yet, Varek could tell from the scholar's eyes that even Lucian doubted those words.

   “Meanwhile, the other heroes will begin training to harness their respective Laws,” Lucian continued smoothly, pivoting the conversation. “Once you grasp your Laws, the next step will be manifesting an Eptuise.”

   Varek felt numb inside. Glancing toward the tall windows, he noticed the sky turning amber as the sun began to set over the horizon.

   “Oh my, look at the time!” Lucian exclaimed, clapping his hands. “Come, you all must be famished. We shall have a hearty dinner, and then we will meet back here tomorrow morning.”

   With a polite gesture, he led the silent siblings out of the study and back into the towering corridors of the palace.