Chapter 20: Harold
"I’m here to register the Tenth Sun in the First Training Ground," Zarek said without preamble, striking directly at the heart of the matter.
Boris’s gaze flickered to Asher for the briefest moment, though his composed smile did not falter.
"Mr. Zarek," he began, his tone polite yet firm, "I’m sure you’re well aware of the rules. I have no authority to enroll the Tenth Sun in the First Training Ground. Doing so would be a direct violation of family law, one that would quite literally cost me my head."
Zarek shook his head slowly. "I’m not here to impose my authority, that would be no different from madness," he said calmly. "This is a direct order from the Primarch, granted as a reward for his current Life Rank, despite having awakened only a day ago."
As he spoke, a folded parchment scroll materialized in his hand. Without hesitation, he extended it toward Boris.
Boris accepted the scroll without a word. From the moment Asher had entered the room, he had sensed the young man’s Life Rank. He had been surprised, of course, according to the reports, Asher had only awakened the day before. But Boris had chosen not to reveal his astonishment.
Only one person in Wargrave’s recorded history had achieved anything remotely similar: the current Primarch, who had reached his first breakthrough the day after his awakening. Even so, that feat paled in comparison to what stood before him now.
With careful hands, Boris unfolded the scroll and read through its contents. His eyes paused at the end, where the unmistakable seal of the Primarch had been stamped, a mark of unquestionable authority.
’I need to find a way to control my presence. I can’t have people reading me like an open book,’ Asher thought, his gaze distant but focused.
He had no intention of concealing his power or capabilities. But the idea of being so easily deciphered was something he found deeply unsettling.
Turning to Zarek, he broke the silence.