Graduation Exam

Allen arrived at Tatarasuna with his boat, going over the hidden cabin where Tomoki was waiting for him "How come you wanted to meet me here?"

"There are only 3 days left before you leave and it would take a long time until we meet each other, so I thought it was time to finish our master-pupil relationship" Tomoki explained.

"It doesn't matter what could happen in the future, you will always be my master" Allen said with a serious tone.

"I think that you take it wrong" Tomoki shook his head "I'm talking about your graduation exam."

"A graduation exam?"

"Yes. Is a custom from Inazuma to finish an apprenticeship with a test. Passing the test means that you are truly recognized."

"So what would it be?" Allen put his hand over the pommel of his sword "I final spar?"

"No, I thought of something more appropriate." Tomoki guided him over the heavy door, entering the arena where he had faced Nian "You have not only learned swordsmanship from me, you also learned blacksmithing, customs... I taught you to be my successor, to inherit my name. So I think that the best would be for you to take the Niwa test."

"Nian, please" Nian jumped from inside his clothes, situating over the center of the arena.

"NYA!" Nian meowed as electro energy started raging from it.

*Prrr* The room seemed to react as it started all trembling while a pillar of light appeared under Nian. The pillar started widening until a diameter of 10 meters and it was then when Nian jumped outside the new ring, just as the ground inside the ring disappeared, revealing a hidden circular stair.

"This was the domain that I found years ago" Tomoki explained "Passing it, was what it make me capable of inheriting the clan and calling me a Niwa. I see it quite appropriate as your last test."

"It should be so difficult" Allen cockily said "You passed it when you were about my age and I'm sure that I'm stronger than that."

"You are right Allen, you are stronger than me back then" Tomoki nodded "But you should know that this domain would be far more difficult for yourself."

"And why it's so?" Allen asked curiously "It prohibits swords, Visions or something."

"None of that" Tomoki shook his head "This is a Family Domain. You can think of them as domains focused on one clan. Only ancient families and clans with long history and with the grace of the gods have them."

"It's main uses is to keep the inheritance alive and to make it possible to revive if the clan is destroyed, but anyway this is not important for you now" Tomoki said skipping the explanation "These Domains are specially made for the member of the clan so it's tuned for their abilities and customs. This means that if you truly have the blood of the clan, the test will be easier."

Tomoki turned to Allen "I was able to pass it thanks to my own blood and heart and it was quite difficult. In your case, it will be far more."

"It can't be so difficult if you decided as a test now. In the end, with so little time before my leave, I'll only have one opportunity" Allen grinned "You won't make it so difficult."

"Trying to challenge an unaffiliated Family Domain. Some people will cough blood listening you to call it easy." Tomoki sighed "For blood family is a test, for others you could die there and the difficulty increased in such a matter than only truly monster are capable to accomplish it. But" Tomoki smiled "You are right. You have what it needs to pass it. Go"

Allen was not really sure, but he stepped forward, going down the domain.

"Nian" With Allen no longer there, Tomoki turned toward Nian "Follow him and make sure that he is not in danger. And remember the time."

"Nya!" Nian meowed and jumped through the hole.

"I suppose that I need to also be quick" Tomoki turned over the further corner of room while stretching his arms. Reaching the rocky wall, Tomoki put his hand over it. The wall quickly reacted, disappearing and revealing a spacious room with a huge forge in it and a strong air all around. "There's no much time" Tomoki took out a forging hammer.

...

"It's truly like in the game" Allen was quite surprised seeing the familiar door entrance of the domain when he reached the end of the stairs.

"I suppose that's not important. Let's start." Allen put his hand over the door, this one immediately opening for him, showing a starry darkness.

Stepping over it, Allen could feel the air changing becoming heavier, but that wasn't the most important.

"My weapons had disappeared" Allen quickly realized. It wasn't only his sword, his knives were also gone.

Allen quickly looked around. It was a short hallway with a sliding door at the end. It would have been completely dark if it weren't for some purple butterflies, that Allen recognized as crystal cores, that illuminated the place.

His weapons were nowhere, but at least at his back the starry door was still there, meaning that he could return anytime if he wanted, only failing the domain.

Allen crossed the hallway and opened the door, finding a little forge on the other side. It wasn't a spectacular forge, but has everything needed, from tools to all typical ores, Amethyst, Crystal, Iron and White Iron. Moreover, there was one more surprise. It was an exact copy of the forge over the Niwa residence, making it completely familiar to Allen.

Allen crossed over the room and reached another door that was bound to be the one forward "Would I need to forge a weapon to pass this room?" Allen thought while putting his hand over the door, but to his surprise, the door opened like nothing.

However, just as Allen took a look over it, he quickly closed it again. On the other side of the door, there were what it seemed to be two Nobushis with an ominous aura around them.

"I see..." Allen analyzed the situation "I think that I understand it. They take out your weapon and let the option to forge one. You can forge one to make the future fight easier or you can go without any weapon and face the enemies with more difficulty. This is truly a test for Niwa, needing blacksmithing and strength."

Allen lifted his hand and using his Vision created a little dagger made out Cryo "I could pass through them using my Vision but..." Allen turned around over the forge "I'll better make some sword. In the end, master said that it was quite difficult, better not risk it."

First of all, Allen went over the materials, mostly taking Iron and White Iron which were the materials that he was more used to them, Amethyst being still a little too difficult to deal, and started smelting them.

"These ores are the most used with the Isshin Art, but they like the strength for the Shihai Art. Fortunately, there is another material here."

Allen turned around, returning to the first hallway. From there, he started swiftly catching the butterflies with his hands, quickly returning to the forge, and putting them over the smelting.

"Strength and Dominance" *Clank* *Clank* He made all the steps, forcing the materials to coexist and applying the crystal core's strength in them, finally forging a curved blade, completing the sword inserting it over one of the prepared hilts.

"I really can't believe that I forged my first three-star weapon now" Allen was really amazed by the final product. It wasn't a very powerful sword with only enchantment to increase his movement speed and it could be classified as a weak one over other 3-starts, but it was his first enchanted sword.

"Let's try it well" Allen crossed to the next room, facing the two Nobushis that quickly charged against him, swinging their katanas.

*Clank* *Clank* Allen unleashed a perfect Niwa style, parrying both incoming swords at the same time that tested the sword's weight to find some hidden damage and cut both Nobushis in half.

"Everything's okay" Allen said happy with the final result while the Nobushis' bodies disappeared as if they were lingering spirits.

"Let's finish this quickly" Allen stepped to the next room where more enemies were waiting for him, this time even archers joining the frail.

...

*Clank* *Clank* Tomoki hit the metal with his maximum strength, his gaze focused on the purple-blue metal in front of him.

With each hit, Tomoki breathed loudly, forcing an ominous dark fume to surge from it and be absorbed by his body.

"How well will be Allen facing?" Tomoki wondered as he hit the metal "I wasn't able to forge a sword at that time, but the most difficult test was to face 4 weak Nobushis at the same time."

...

Allen was panting exhausted while wielding his sword as he was being surrounded by 20 Nobushis.

It seemed a bad situation, but it was even worst. The Nobushis themselves weren't much of a problem and were quite easy to deal, especially if he started using his Elemental Bursts. The problem was the hidden traps. Arrows from blank spaces, pits, tower flames, all of them prepared to make everything more difficult.

But that wasn't the worst. The worst was the air around the place. The air inside the cabin had always been very heavy due to the strong Tatarigami, forcing him to spend more energy. However, in this domain was even worst, becoming stronger with every new room.

Thankfully, the trials of each room were made to be passed by a Niwa. The enemies were quite weak against parries, and their movements were also quite easy to make them flow at the same time. There were also tests of speed, destructing some objectives, but their angle and position was perfect for the Iajutsu that Tomoki taught him first.

He really could understand now what Tomoki truly referred to. He was able to pass this trial thanks to the Niwa style. If it weren't used, the difficulty would escalate exponentially.

Seeing the over 20 enemies charge towards him Allen put his sword over his hilt "Let's go!" Allen swung his hands, throwing kunais from his sleeves, all of them layered in Cryo pierced over the Nobushis' bodies.

*Boom!* *Boom!* Allen unleashed his Elemental Bursts, exploding the kunais and killing most of the Nobushis, the few that lasted, quickly finishing them with his sword.

In the end, the best advantage of this trial was time and the possibility to back your steps. He could rest in lower areas and create all type of weapons and charge them with Elemental Energy, before entering the room. Attacking from a distance, he won't need to worry about the hidden attacks, so it made it quite easy.

"Would be this the last one?" Allen wondered about the new door that opened with the death of the last Nobushi as it was quite big compared with the one before.

Crossing to the next room, he found over a big arena similar to where the entrance of the domain was. However, this time in the middle of it there wasn't Nian, in it's place a type of puppet stood that Allen recognized.

"Maguu Kenki!"

...

*Clank* "It's finished" Tomoki buffed, cleaning the sweat off his forehead "It could be a little better, but taking into account my mastery and Allen's level this should be the best."

Tomoki stood up and started cleaning himself, changing into other clothes, a brown hakama with a red coat. Then, he approached at the armory room at the side where more than a dozen swords with an ominous aura stood.

Tomoki extended his right arm, his Delusion appearing over his hand. Then with a quick flash of lightning, all the swords disappeared and Tomoki turned around.

"It's time for the Cursed Swordsman."

...

At Snezhnaya, inside a frozen room of the Zapolyarny Palace, the Tsarita sat on her throne while contemplating a chessboard, her gaze fixed over a side of it where a white knight and a black pawn stood.

Suddenly, a purple glow surged from the pawn as it stepped forward approaching the white knight.

"You finally make your move, Tartaglia."