The sliding doors of Governor Sterling's office opened without a sound. Hakime, still escorted by the two guards, entered a sanctuary of power and silence. The agitation of the dome was a distant echo. Here, the air was fresh, filtered, and smelled of aged leather and ozone from touch screens.
The room was large, offering a panoramic view of the rooftops of Nova-Aeterna and the energy dome. The walls were decorated with city-colored banners and real-time displays of defense data and monster movements around them. Behind a massive dark wooden desk, Governor Sterling sat with his hands clasped. Standing by the bay window, Michelle White watched the city, her back to the room, motionless as a statue.
"Leave us," Sterling ordered in a calm voice. The guards faded, the doors closing behind them.
Silence set in, heavy. Hakime stood upright, refusing to look down. He felt the weight of their examination, more intense and more personal than that of the crowd.
It was Michelle White who spoke first, without even turning around.
"A grade SSS." His voice was neutral, almost cold, but each syllable carried the weight of authority." In fifty years, we have seen two SS. Beings of such power that they have changed the balance of power. But the SSS... was just a theory. A myth."
She finally turned around. His icy blue gaze crossed him, and Hakime felt a shiver running down his spine. It wasn't fear, it was the instinctive recognition of an alpha predator.
"Until today."
Governor Sterling took over, his voice warmer, but no less serious.
"Hakime. Your file indicates that you were raised in the "Hope for Tomorrow" orphanage. You have no family, no blood ties. In the world before, it would have been a tragedy. In ours, it's... a blank page."
Michelle White approached the desk, gently resting her fingers on the polished surface.
"The blank page is the most dangerous. You can write the most beautiful story, or the darkest. Your potential is a storm. Without a guide, it can destroy as well as save."
Sterling breathed a sigh. "The big families and guilds will fight a merciless war for you. They will see you as an asset, a weapon. You will become a pawn in their power games, a bargaining chip. Your life will no longer belong to you."
"Unless," Michelle White continued, still staring at Hakime, "you accept protection. Mine."
She let the words float in the air.
"Join the White family. Take our name. Under our wing, you will have access to the best resources, the most competent coaches, absolute protection against vultures. You won't have to worry about anything except mastering your power. In exchange, your loyalty would go to our family. You would become a pillar of our house, and through us, a pillar of Nova-Aeterna."
The offer was tempting. She was logical. It was the safest, most rational way. Hakime imagined security, guidance, the end of uncertainty. Then he imagined the eyes of the other heirs, whispering: "He owes everything to the Whites." He thought of the raw pride he had seen in Mother Elara's eyes, a pride that owed nothing to a borrowed name.
He took a deep breath, feeling the light in him, calm and clean. She was his. Only his own.
"Thank you for your offer, Councillor White. Governor. "His voice was firm, without arrogance." It is an honor I will not forget."
He saw a glimmer of satisfaction pass through Michelle's eyes, quickly replaced by surprise as he continued.
"But I have to decline."
The silence that followed was sharp.
"Explain yourself, young man," said Sterling, more out of curiosity than anger.
"This power... it's mine. No one gave it to me. No one cultivated it for me." Hakime raised his hand, and a burst of pure, tiny but intense light danced at the tip of his finger. "If I want to understand what it means, I have to learn for myself. Fall by myself. Get up by myself. I don't want my strength to be attributed to a name, however prestigious it may be. I want it to be attributed to my actions."
He looked Michelle White straight in the eye. "I don't want to be a mainstay of the White house. I want to be a pillar for all. And for that, I have to forge my own path."
Michelle White did not raise an eyebrow. A glimmer of interest, almost respect, crept into her icy gaze.
"And what is this path?"
"The Aeterna Academy," Hakime said without hesitation. "I want to join the elite. Learning, not in the comfort of a mansion, but in sweat and effort, alongside those who, like me, want to fight. I will earn my place. I will earn it."
Governor Sterling exchanged a long glance with the councillor. A meaningful silence set in.
"It's a path full of pitfalls, Hakime," Sterling finally says. "The other students will see you as a target. The families you disdain will become obstacles."
"I expect it."
Michelle White slowly nodded. "So be it. We respect your choice. The Aeterna Academy will welcome you. But know this: by refusing our protection, you become a free prey. You will have the eyes of the whole city focused on you. Your failures will be amplified, your successes will be contested."
"I understand."
"Then let the light guide you, Hakime," she said, and her words sounded both as a blessing and as a warning. "We will keep an eye on you."
The Governor waved his hand, ending the interview. "The registration formalities will be settled. You'll leave for the academy tomorrow morning."
Hakime bowed slightly, then turned his heels. As he left the office, he felt the weight of their eyes behind his back. He had not chosen the easiest or safest path. But he had chosen his own. And as he walked down the corridor, a cold, clear determination, as pure as the light he commanded, invaded him. The battle for his future had just begun.