Hope absorbed Kelvin's words in silence, his mind racing with the implications. The idea that people could reach such terrifying levels of power unsettled him, but he forced himself to focus.
Then he raised his head slightly and asked, "So… you're a contestant like me?"
Kelvin nodded.
"Yes. The Veil doesn't throw different power levels together in the Ashlands. It ensures that all Contestants in a trial are on equal footing," he explained. "It wouldn't make sense for an Ascended to be placed here with us. If that were to happen…"
Kelvin exhaled sharply through his nose.
"A Master would do whatever they wanted with us. We wouldn't stand a chance."
Hope frowned.
"So, the Veil balances things?"
"To an extent," Kelvin admitted. "It doesn't want to create an unfair slaughter—it wants a trial. Only those who prove themselves survive. The weak are purged, and the strong move forward. That's how it has always been."
Hope shuddered at the thought. He had seen plenty of unfair systems in the waking world, but this? This was something else entirely.
Then Kelvin went quiet.
A few moments passed before he spoke again, and when he did, his voice was softer, almost cautious, as if he feared the words themselves.
"There are those who have passed even the Saint level," he said.
Hope's breath hitched.
"What?"
Kelvin's eyes flickered in the dim light, his voice dropping to a near whisper.
"They are called the Supreme," he said, almost reverently. "They have gained supremacy over the world itself. If a Saint is considered a demigod, then these beings are… gods."
A cold sensation crawled up Hope's spine.
"Gods?" he echoed.
Kelvin nodded.
"Yes. There are only five of them in the entire world. Five individuals who stand above all others. Their power isn't just legendary—it defines reality itself. A Saint can shatter cities, but a Supreme…" Kelvin hesitated, his voice barely audible now. "A Supreme could erase them from existence with a thought."
Hope stared at him, struggling to process the information.
"Only five?" he asked.
"That's what the world believes," Kelvin said. "And it's enough. Even one Supreme is more than the world can handle."
Hope didn't know what to say. He had thought Saints were terrifying, but now he realized there was an even greater monster waiting at the top.
A Supreme.
For the first time since arriving in the Ashlands, he truly understood the gap between himself and the ones who ruled this world.