Raiven lowered his hand and opened his squinted eyes.
The bright flash of light had already dimmed.
The sun was still high in the sky, looking over the crowd of people walking around.
One of the men dressed in battle-ready clothing, holding a gun, walked towards Raiven.
"Do you have up to 10 Soul Shards?" he asked directly.
"Yes."
The man pointed to another man not too far from him who was wearing a black suit. "Meet that man over there. He'll tell you what to do."
Raiven nodded.
He began walking towards the man, passing some of the parents who were waiting for their children to come out of the Hole.
As soon as Raiven got to where the man was standing, the man instantly spoke.
"Raiven Ashland. Can I see the Soul Shards?"
Without saying anything, 10 out of the 20 Soul Shards he had appeared in his hand.
The man stared at them and took them from Raiven.
The Soul Shards disappeared, and the man began typing something on his tablet.
'I guess he put them in his inventory,' Raiven thought.
As the man was typing, Raiven could see some other names, which meant that some of the students had already come out before him.
'Many of them must've just gotten 10 Soul Shards and left.'
Raiven stayed in the Hole even after getting the required 10 Soul Shards.
The man looked up. "Alright," he began, "you'll receive your result before the end of the day, and your Soul Shards will be returned to you tomorrow."
"Is that all?" Raiven asked.
"Yes."
"Alright, thank you."
"You're welcome."
With that, Raiven began walking forward. He could see a blue car coming to a stop not too far from where the Hole was located.
A small smile formed on his face, his legs moving in that direction.
The door of the car opened, and a woman stepped out.
As soon as she saw Raiven, she rushed towards him.
"Oh! My son..."
Raiven hugged her back.
Her eyes glanced all over him, checking if there was any injury on his body.
"I'm so glad you're okay," she said. "Were you able to get up to 10 Soul Shards?"
Though the expression on his face made the answer to her question obvious.
She smiled. "I knew you would be able to do it."
Raiven smiled.
They both smiled and got into the car.
The driver began driving, heading towards their house.
Raiven got home and was welcomed by his father and Lily.
After a few minutes of congratulating him, Allen finally left.
Raiven entered his room, his body instantly finding the warmth of his bed.
"Ah... now that's out of the way."
Beep!
His watch beeped, and when he checked it, it was a notification from the Academy.
[Congratulations on passing the Solo Hole Entry exam. You will be able to collect your Soul Shards tomorrow as soon as you get to the Academy]
A smile formed on Raiven's face.
Soul Shards were important to both humans and Beasts. Humans could either use them to make weapons, or they could absorb the Soul Energy in the Shard to aid their growth.
Though, absorbing the Soul Energy in a Soul Shard wouldn't cause a spike in growth. If anything, it would only aid growth by a very small margin, except for a Soul Shard from a very high-ranked Beast, which would have a slightly noticeable effect.
Because of this, most people preferred selling Soul Shards or using them for weapons.
"I now understand how this Necromancer Ability works, at least to some extent," Raiven muttered. "I have three summons now, and I'm sure this isn't my limit."
Raiven was determined to find out the full extent of his Necromancer Soul Ability, because using this Ability, he would be able to survive in this world, especially with Avin plotting against him, and Armageddon coming soon.
'I'll survive, no matter what...'
Knock! Knock!
"Come in," Raiven said.
Lily stepped into the room and bowed slightly before speaking, "Master Allen and Lady Stella wish to see you."
Raiven raised a brow. 'Hmm, what could they possibly want to tell me?'
------------
Avin sat on his bed, his eyes fixated on his watch.
He was staring at the same notification Raiven also received.
He had passed the Solo Hole Entry exam.
"So I'll be able to collect my Soul Shards tomorrow... nice."
His mind drifted to Tim and the other bullies.
"Tim is out of the way now," he muttered, his mind replaying Tim's horrified expression that night.
He already had his next target in mind.
"I'll just rest tonight, I'll strike tomorrow night," Avin muttered.
With that, he lay on the bed, letting himself drift to sleep.
-------------
"I hope you understand what I'm trying to say," Allen said, staring at Raiven.
Raiven inhaled.
"The dorm building is very conducive and has all the facilities a person needs for a comfortable stay," Allen added.
'So, I'll be staying in the dorm building now, huh?' Raiven thought.
When Lily said his parents wanted to see him, he didn't expect this to be the reason.
Even if he wanted to refuse, there was no concrete reason to back up his refusal.
"I understand, Dad," Raiven said.
Stella stared at Raiven, a hint of worry etched on her face.
"When your father told me about his decision," she began, "I agreed to it with one condition."
She paused for a second, her eyes drifting to Lily who was standing by the door.
"The condition was that Lily would follow you and stay with you," she said. "Your father and I have spoken to her about it, and she agreed to follow you."
Raiven nodded. "That's... okay."
They spoke for a bit before Raiven left the room.
Allen looked at Stella.
"I made this decision for his own good," he said. "If he stays in the dorm building, it'll make him independent and help him learn how to make certain decisions for himself."
"I understand," Stella said. "I just hope he'll be able to adjust..."
The next morning, Raiven was already standing outside in front of a black car.
His clothes and other belongings, together with Lily's, were already in the car.
After multiple hugs from his mother, he entered the car, followed by Lily.
The driver started the car and drove off, leaving the compound and entering the main road.
Raiven glanced at the house one last time before it finally left his line of sight.
*
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[A/N: Please, your power stones will be greatly appreciated, because it'll help boost this novel. Thank you!!!]