The room's air conditioning unit suddenly seized up with a screech of protesting metal. Not because of a power surge, but because Elias had subconsciously calculated the exact vibrational frequency needed to temporarily fuse its cheapest internal bearing.
The Kinetic Assessor, Commander Rix, was sweating profusely, though perhaps not entirely due to the rising temperature. His B-Rank power, simple kinetic force manipulation, felt blunt and useless in the face of Elias's impossible statements.
"Vance, you will remain silent and put your hands behind your head," Rix barked, dropping the datapad and instinctively shifting his stance—a martial art form Elias instantly recognized as the outdated, mid-century 'Crimson Sparrow' stance, easily countered by a low-sweep kick to the outer shin.
"Commander Rix, it's unnecessary," Elias replied calmly, still staring at the violet-black glow beneath his feet. "Your firearm—the custom Model 57 sidearm holstered at your hip—is offline. The internal magnetic field generator is running at 14% capacity due to corrosion on the primary induction coil. And even if it worked, I could calculate the necessary air pressure shift to deflect the projectile's trajectory by 1.3 centimeters, causing it to hit the wall beside my right ear."
Rix's face went from purple to pasty white. He hadn't touched his holster. The boy shouldn't have known about the corrosion, or even the model number.
The Etherealist, whose name was Elara, finally found her voice, her sapphire skin now almost luminous with shock. She was looking at the diagnostic monitor, which still displayed the single word: UNASSIGNED.
"Commander," Elara whispered, "the system tried to classify him under the defunct 'Omega' designation, but it failed. The aura is Black—a color only seen on pre-Cascade schematics for the most unstable and conceptually dangerous abilities. It suggests an affinity not with energy, matter, or mind, but with Information itself."
Information. Elias rolled the concept around in his mind. It's a perfect fit. Every observation, every datum, every historical record, every flaw in engineering, every flicker of intention—it was all just data, and his mind was a hyper-accelerated quantum processor.
"His Ability," Elara continued, her voice trembling, "isn't just a mental one. It's Instant Comprehension. He isn't guessing. He's reading reality like a debug log."
Rix took a shaky step back, reaching for the emergency communication panel—a bright red square labeled 'S-PRIORITY.'
"Don't touch the panel, sir," Elias advised pleasantly, the manic smile returning. "I've already run two million simulations based on your current cortisol levels and gait speed. You're going to hit the button, activate the full Level 4 Lockdown, and transmit a partial signal before the system overheats. The resulting sequence of events will involve twenty-two armed guards, one high-ranking Psychic Authority member, and three hours of extremely bureaucratic paperwork. It's inefficient."
Rix paused, his finger hovering millimeters above the red plastic. "You… you ran simulations?"
"I have access to roughly 90% of the public internet, all facility schematics, your personal medical history, and the complete ruleset for the board game 'Arcana Tower Defense' simultaneously," Elias stated, feeling the immense, crushing weight of knowledge start to stabilize into an empowering clarity. "A simple emergency alert is a trivial calculation."
The monocle headache is back, Elias noted internally, feeling Rix's building frustration like a thermal map. He needs to pop the caffeine pill in his left sleeve pocket.
Rix, ignoring the advice, slammed his fist onto the S-PRIORITY button.
The alarm blared—a harsh, vibrating klaxon that signaled immediate threat. Red emergency lights pulsed, bathing the formerly sterile room in an aggressive crimson.
As predicted, Level 4 Lockdown initiated. Heavy, reinforced steel blast doors hissed down, sealing the assessment room.
"You see, Vance? You predicted it, but you didn't stop it," Rix said triumphantly, wiping sweat from his brow.
"Stopping it was less optimal than allowing the inevitable next step," Elias countered, shrugging slightly. "Now, instead of just running away with a vague C-Rank on my file, I get an immediate audience with the person best equipped to categorize the Black Aura. Efficiency, Commander. It's important."
From behind the closed blast doors, a new presence arrived. Elias didn't need the security feed to know who it was; his Ability instantly parsed the unique, immense Mana signature pressing against the seal. It was heavy, like a vast, calm ocean pressing against glass.
The new arrival spoke, their voice amplified by a powerful, mental projection that bypassed the metal door and echoed inside Elias's skull.
«Who is in there? State your status. The anomaly detection is registering an unprecedented informational spike.»
Elias smiled. He analyzed the tone, the cadence, and the subconscious intent woven into the mental projection. An S-Rank Psychic. A specialist in non-physical manifestation. Perfect.
"The anomaly is Elias Vance, Sir," Elias projected back, not with a telepathic force, but by instantly comprehending the exact frequency and modulation necessary to mimic the facility's internal comms system using the residual Mana trapped in the air. His voice was crystal clear, cutting through the klaxon. "I apologize for the security breach. My core just initiated the Instant Comprehension ability. I require immediate data access to the Authority's 100 AC stabilization project logs. This is urgent. The harmonic decay in the Neo-Kyoto Power Core is imminent. I need to see the original designs now."
Silence. Absolute silence. The klaxon, the rushing fans, even the hum of the fluorescent lights—all were instantly disabled by the Psychic outside.
The S-Rank's mental voice returned, tinged with a terrifying mix of awe and suspicion.
«You will hold your current position. I am entering the facility. Do not move. Do not think of anything dangerous.»
Rix and Elara stared at Elias, their faces pale. He had just disabled the emergency system and commanded an S-Rank, all while explaining why the city's power grid was about to explode.
"You were saying, Commander," Elias murmured, looking around the sealed, silent room, "about inefficiency?"
He looked down at the black aura pulsating beneath his feet. The world was demanding his attention, and for the first time in his life, Elias Vance was ready to answer the call.