Mana Heart Ceremony (Part 2)

"SILENCE!"

Just as everybody was engrossed in their conversations, a loud and firm voice reverberated across the entire hall. The voice itself was so sharp and menacing that it made everyone's hair stand on ends. The once bustling atmosphere immediately disappeared without a trace, and the crowd's attention was all focused on the man slowly walking onto the platform.

Sethos looked up at the gigantic clock displayed on the wall, and noticed that it was 11 a.m. sharp. 

'The ceremony is finally beginning. If I'm correct, the man in front must be Gerald Silvermoon, the fourth demon.' 

A burly man with messy long hair and a tangled beard strode to the front of the hall with bare feet. Though his eyes were as small as the size of a pea, just a small glint could make people shudder in fear. 

"Welcome, new generations of Silvermoons, to the first step of your journey. From this point on, you would all represent the Silvermoon name. The choices you make would be seen by the public eye, and would significantly impact your future. Whether you gain fame and fortune, or end up biting the dust, it is your decision." 

"Now then, I don't wanna diddle daddle anymore, so let's cut to the chase. First person, Aeon Silvermoon, please come up and I'll activate your mana heart." 

A nervous boy with a short stature started walking towards the platform. He had pastel pink hair and watery golden eyes, giving him an adorable impression. With each step he took, Aeon felt countless eyes staring at him, and as a timid boy who had never been in a large scale event before, he felt immense pressure weighing down on him. He started shaking uncontrollably and tears fell from his face. In the end, he fainted out of fear before even making it to the front of the hall. 

*sigh* "Healers, please tend to him." Gerald bellowed. 

The crowd immediately bursted into laughter as the healers brought the poor boy out of the hall. 

"Next! Selena Silvermoon."

The ceremony proceeded as usual. Nothing significant happened after Aeon's incident. In fact, as there were more than 400 people in line, some children even fell asleep because of the long wait. 

"Veronica Silvermoon, please come to the front." 

When the girl's name was called, Sethos immediately placed down the book he was reading and paid attention to the girl walking towards the platform. 

Veronica Silvermoon - the girl who disguised her glistering silver hair and dazzling golden eyes with a plain brown wig and contacts. Though her disguise masked her excellent features, you could still see her pronounced jawline and slim figure despite her young age. 

Veronica strode forward with an indifferent expression, seemingly knowing the result of her attributes already. 

Gerald Silvermoon stared at the young girl for a few seconds, with his face showing no particular change, then proceeded to weave his magic into Veronica's heart. The process seemed to have completed smoothly, with Gerald announcing her attributes, 65% light, 25% dark, 5% water and 5% wind. This sparked an immediate discussion within the crowd, as it was exceedingly rare to see anybody wield light magic in the Silvermoon House which specialised in dark magic. 

As for Sethos, he somewhat expected this result. However, he knew that there definitely was more to what was revealed. Since he was a trained spy in his previous life, he naturally noticed the twitches of Gerald's eyelids and muscles when he was examining Veronica. 

'There is definitely something Veronica is hiding, or else she wouldn't have put on that disguise. Others might not notice it, but it wouldn't deceive the eyes of Gerald Silvermoon.' Sethos ruminated.

'Her parents must've struck a deal with Gerald for him to not call her out. It's not rare for members of the family to bypass rules for benefits if the returns are worth the risk.' 

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After her turn, Veronica went back to her seat satisfied. Even though others were gossiping about her and her light magic, she wasn't bothered by it at all. In fact, she was glad that what her parents told her was true. Gerald didn't care that she had a disguise on and let her pass without a fuss. 

'Now that I've overcome the hardest obstacle of today, there's nothing for me to worry about anymore.' Veronica thought to herself as she smiled.

But what she didn't know was, there was a pair of eyes intensely staring at her a few rows away. 

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"Next! Benjamin Silvermoon." 

The second person that Sethos was wary of walked up to the front confidently with smugness plastered all over his face. His crimson hair flowed swiftly in the slight breeze and his raven black eyes shone with determination. 

"Hm, a confident lad, I like it!" Gerald declared with a toothy grin.

"85% dark and 15% fire! You're a true pureblood Silvermoon!"

"Thank you for the compliment, respected Demon Abaddon." Benjamin bowed and replied proudly.

 He then walked back to his seat with a condescending look on his face. 

"Tsk. Arrogant bastard." Leona remarked with a scowl. 

'As if you weren't arrogant when you first walked in. Besides, that Benjamin was clearly several times stronger than you were.' Sethos retorted in his mind but kept quiet in the meantime. 

"Sophia Silvermoon, please." Gerald once again declared out loud.

Sophia, the girl Sethos was most wary of, glanced at Sethos, gave him a slight smirk, and strutted to the front of the hall. 

"Did you hear? She's the daughter of Seraphina Silvermoon! The respected Demon Asmodeus!" A random boy at the back of the hall said.

The hall was once again filled with various discussions. There were conversations about how she would be the top of the year, how she was lucky to have powerful parents, and whether she'll become part of the seven demons in the future. Being the daughter of Seraphina, Sophia already caught everybody's attention on the first day. 

'Sophia Silvermoon, the daughter of Seraphina Silvermoon, let's see if you'll live up to your mother's name." Gerald pronounced in a rowdy voice. 

"Now then, let's see."

Gerald intricately weaved his mana into Seraphina's heart, activated her mana heart, and checked her attributes.

"100% darkness! As expected. I look forward to your future, young lady." 

"Thank you, O Great Demon Abaddon!" Sophia responded in a courteous manner. 

"Wow! 100% dark attribute! As expected of the daughter of the first demon!" Someone in the crowd remarked. 

"Sophia's the star of our year!" Another commented. 

Hearing all the positive comments about her, Sophia once again sneaked Sethos a glance, and gave him a haughty look before returning to her seat. 

"Last but not least, Sethos Silvermoon!"