The air inside the old dormitory was thick with the smell of dust and blood, creating an oppressive atmosphere that made it difficult to breathe properly.
Fragments of broken furniture and shattered glass covered the floor like a macabre carpet—pieces of what had once been someone's home, now reduced to debris. Elric stood quietly in the center of the room, his posture relaxed.
The flickering hallway light cast his shadow across the walls in irregular patterns, stretching long and jagged, making him look larger than life—almost monstrous in his own right.
The chaos had finally ended after what felt like hours but had only been minutes.
Paige's monstrous, mutated body—that grotesque transformation that had made her barely recognizable as human—lay motionless for a moment before beginning to disperse. Elric had used his Surgical Field power to scatter her remains in all directions, cutting her into so many pieces, ensuring she couldn't regenerate or come back as some horror movie monster. The oppressive aura that had filled the dorm—that crushing pressure that made people want to flee—vanished completely, leaving behind only an eerie silence that felt almost worse.
He turned slowly, his expression unreadable—neither triumphant nor remorseful, just… neutral.
Yann—wide-eyed and trembling like a leaf in a storm—stood frozen in shock against the far wall. She had witnessed everything: the battle, the dismemberment, the casual brutality with which Elric had ended someone who'd been stronger and more monstrous than any normal human.
She didn't even have time to scream when Elric's psychic field pulsed once more, a barely visible ripple in the air. The world seemed to flicker around her like a glitching computer screen, and then she fell to the ground in a heap, unconscious before she hit the floor.
He didn't need to kill her—she was just an ordinary human who had chosen the wrong side out of fear or convenience. Not worth the effort of execution.
The room now held only Elric and four captives—three men and a woman—bound tightly with makeshift cords salvaged from the building. Thick rope and torn sheets kept them immobilized, wrists tied behind their backs, ankles secured.
They were familiar faces from before the world fell apart, from that previous life that felt like it had been years ago rather than just days.
"E-Elric," stammered Ryan, one of his old dormmates from that terrible year. His voice cracked with forced enthusiasm. "Man, I can't believe it… You actually got powers! You're amazing! Like a superhero or something!"
"Yeah, bro," added Jacob, forcing a laugh that sounded more like a plea for mercy than genuine amusement. "We were just joking around before, right? All that stuff in the dorm—you know we didn't mean it seriously. Just guys being guys."
The third, Matt, nodded frantically enough that his head looked like it might fall off. "You saved us, man! You're like our guardian angel! We're brothers, remember? Same dorm! Let us out of these ropes and we'll stick with you. We can survive together, just like old times!"
Elric's eyes narrowed slightly, the only outward sign of the emotions churning beneath his carefully controlled exterior.
Brothers? The same ones who'd cornered and beaten him months ago when he'd tried to stand up for himself? When he'd discovered their cruel prank with Elsa?
The memory was crystal clear: three against one in that cramped dorm room, fists and feet raining down until he couldn't defend himself anymore. The taste of blood in his mouth. The feeling of ribs cracking. The humiliation of lying on the floor while they laughed.
His lips curved into a cold, humorless smile that didn't reach his eyes at all. "You mean that kind of brotherhood? The one where three of you gang up on one guy because he dared to object to your entertainment?"
The room fell silent immediately, the air growing heavier.
Their faces twitched with discomfort, muscles tensing, but they kept up the act desperately. Dylan even forced another grin, though sweat was visible on his forehead. "Hey, come on, man. We were just dumb kids back then, you know? Immature. You know how guys fight sometimes—it's just roughhousing. Water under the bridge, right? We can start fresh."
"Sure," Elric said softly, his voice carrying more menace in its quietness than any shout could. "Let's call it that."
"Don't do this, Elric! It's just a misunderstanding!"
Ryan's voice cracked as he struggled against the restraints. "We were just trying to survive—why take it this far?"
"Yeah, man," Matt added quickly, his voice trembling. "When this whole disaster ends, people will remember this. The government will hold you responsible!"
Jacob forced a shaky laugh. "Come on, brother. We were all roommates once, right? Same dorm, same nights, same jokes! Don't do this. Please."
Their words filled the dimly lit room, bouncing off the concrete walls of what used to be a dorm common area. The overhead lights flickered, half-dead from the power outage.
Elric stood in front of them, silent. His eyes were unreadable, the faint glow of his awakened ability casting strange reflections on the steel in his hand.
He remembered every night they mocked him, every insult, every time they made him feel small. Before the world fell apart, there were rules. Now, there was only power.
"Elsa." His tone was calm, too calm. "You know what to do."
Elsa's hands trembled around the blade handle. She stared at Ryan, Matt, and Jacob — men she once shared laughter and meals with. Now they looked like frightened strangers.
Elric's eyes narrowed. "Don't disappoint me."
That was the test. Whether Elsa could break the line between the old world and this new one. Whether she would act when mercy meant weakness.
Her breath hitched. "Okay…"
She took a step forward. Ryan's voice cracked. "Elsa, please! You don't have to do this. We—we used to be together! You loved me, remember?"
Elsa hesitated. Her knuckles whitened on the handle. She hadn't hurt anyone in her life — hadn't even killed a spider without flinching.
But in this new world, fear and hesitation were fatal.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. Then she swung.
There was no bloodbath — just a sharp cry, the sound of her decision being made. She dropped the blade and sank against the wall, shaking, tears streaking her cheeks.
Elric walked over, retrieving the weapon. He didn't look at Ryan or the others. Instead, his eyes flicked to Elsa, his tone almost analytical.
"Name: Elsa Rivers."
"Age: 22."
"Appearance: 91."
"Intellect: 100."
"System Rating: 90."
He smiled faintly. "Perfect."
She looked up at him, confused and terrified.
"This isn't about killing," Elric said softly. "It's about choice. You chose survival — and that's all that matters now."
Then he turned back to the others. "You think the old rules still apply?"
Jacob tried to speak, but his words dissolved into fear.
Elric leaned closer, voice dropping to a whisper that chilled the air.
"This world doesn't care who you were. Only what you become."
And with that, the test was over.
Elsa passed.
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