Assessment Day (Saya)

"Hana's not at school again," Saya thought to herself. She sat in the second class of the day and stared at the door. Hana had still not shown up if she was not here by now...

She had not seen Hana since she gave her the gift she had bought for her. Hana's parents showed up shortly after that.

"What are the four equipment gradings found in our world?" asked the class instructor.

"Common, Rare, Epic and Legendary, sir!" said Miho.

Miho was the class president and had the top marks in their grade. She usually knew what she was talking about. But at that moment, as she answered, Saya unintentionally scoffed at how quick she was to answer that.

"Saya!" said the instructor. "Since you want to chime in so much, how about telling us what weapon grades you would find at your local weapons dealer?"

Saya's face flushed red as she did not mean for that laugh to escape the confines of her head.

Uh, you would generally find Common and Rare equipment, sir, she said, thinking about the contrast of that when she compared it to the armoury at her house, which was mainly filled with Epic grade weapons and equipment.

After the instructor confirmed that she was correct, she began to explain to the class that the reason Epic grade weapons are not readily found is that the majority of them are imbued with magic that only a few people can use.

Thus, using these weapons without the aptitude for the magic they hold would, at best, leave the user at a severe disadvantage even against a rare weapon user or, at worst, dead.

"Now, can anyone tell us why Legendary pieces of equipment are so hard to find?"

"They are being used in the war," Miho said.

"Correct, but not exactly."

She explained that while you could find Legendary equipment at the war front more often than not, you would only see Epic grade equipment. She said the reason for that was to craft gear of any rarity. One would need to harvest a monster's core of equivalent grade.

She further explained that the tricky part was you would not only have to track and kill a Legendary level beast, but the success rate for crafting any legendary items after you have harvested its core was less than 0.2%.

As Saya listened, she remembered a lesson that Siegen gave her on this topic. Something did not quite add up, as she clearly remembers him saying that Raikirimaru was a legendary weapon. And it was only one of several legendary weapons from his home town in the Mist Lands.

"If they had more than one of these legendary weapons, for a small nation shrouded in the mist, they couldn't be that hard to craft," Saya thought.

She thought it best not to say anything. After all, Seigen was an old man who was only around to watch over her when her father was not around, a tyrant when it came to sword training. Other than that, just a regular person, maybe a slightly senile blind man who occasionally forgets how to breathe. Besides, she was not allowed to talk about her lessons or training.

Saya sighed.

The bell rang to signify that class was over. Only a few more classes left to go before this nightmare was over.

She looked at everyone leave in pairs and groups. Miho, the class president, only stayed behind to ask the instructor questions.

Even here, she was alone without Hana. The Academy was just another place with four walls and people telling her who she was and who she needed to become.

The other students rarely approached her. A school for the elite of Ananke, future clan leaders, non of the other families had even close to the influence and power that her father held. Under normal circumstances, that alone would be enough for anyone to attract many friends and snakes alike to garner her favour.

However, her father was much too powerful to anger him unintentionally. It was safer for everyone if they simply maintained their distance.

As isolated as that made her feel, it was pleasant compared to the weight she felt when her father was home.

She barely noticed the rest of the day go by. It was finally the last class of the day, and unfortunately, it was her least favourite one. Sitting through dull dumps of information was one thing, but this one class she could not stand.

"Welcome to war strategy and training. I don't want to see any slackers today!" the instructor said.

Saya could feel his judging eyes staring right at her as he said that.

Just pretend you don't notice, just pretend you don't notice, "she murmured while avoiding eye contact.

"Today, we will be assessing your aptitude for the compulsion magic that runs in our blood as Ananke," said the instructor.

Class A01 was the pride of the Academy, and at this point in the semester, they had trained and learned how to harness the basic magic that dwells within them. However, they could not use this magic as those who are not adept at using it suffer fates far worse than death but cultivating the tiny flame of potential is essential to allow the body and mind time to develop sufficient resistance against the effects of compulsions.

"All right, everyone, line up!" the instructor said.

He told them that there were low-quality epic weapons in the box on their left. This was important because higher-quality epic weapons would demand more out of their power which could be harmful.

They chose a weapon they felt suited them best. Saya decided on the familiar Katana. When she picked it up, it felt strange? It seemed to suck out the magic she had. A feeling utterly different from the katana Seigen sensei lets her use to practice every night.

In comparison, her practice sword felt as if it poured magic into her body, not this strange, draining feeling she felt.

"I feel like I would pass out from swinging this katana too hard," Saya thought. "What kind of weapon is this?"

Saya looked around, and everyone seemed excited to be holding epic grade weapons. Some claimed they could feel how potent the weapons were.

"I don't think potent is the word I would use," Saya thought. The blade seemed unnaturally heavy how could anyone fight with these?

The instructor told them to begin pouring their magic into the weapons slowly. Saya felt uneasy, so she watched the others perform this task first. Some could not control the speed at which they released their magic and passed out, while others managed the feat on the first try. Their weapons glowed a mist purple.

"Saya, your turn!"

She looked at her katana and slowly released her magic into the weapon. This felt completely different from how her father taught her and vastly different from the training sessions with Seigen.

"Pour some more, Saya!"

Saya felt increasingly uneasy. She felt more than the amount of magic she released get sucked in by the weapon.

She dropped the Katana and fell to her knees.

"What was that? Why does it drain so much?" Saya thought.

Condescending giggles hidden in the room caught her ears. As if to say the great Kagemitsu heir can't even use an epic grade weapon and, by extension, her magic.

"The fact that none of you can tell how dangerous these weapons are makes you bigger failures than I am," she thought.

She stared at the Katana as it quickly drained all of the initial magic she poured into it.

"Why is this happening? Is the Katana that Seigen has me practice with not Epic grade? But more importantly, why are we pouring our magic into the weapons in the first place?" she thought.

This was very different from how her father and Seigen trained her.

"Is this why my training is a Kagemitsu secret that I was told to never reveal to anyone?"

Saya began to understand, even if only a little, that there was a fundamental flaw in the way everyone understood the magic they had; moreover, the dangerous manner in which they trained this power was likely why so many suffered the backlash of their gifts.

Was anything she had been taught at the Academy remotely true? While she understood and accepted how weak she was, even one such as her could learn to one day wield the legendary Raikirimaru, Seigen told her as much himself.

She stood and saw the disappointment in the instructor's face as if he had expected her to be as proficient as the students who succeeded.

Keep your expectations. I don't need them. I don't want to be strong! Her body screamed this from deep within her soul. This was something as the next Kagemitsu clan leader she could not even say out loud.

In her solitude, she thought about everything she hated, the training she endured, and the façade she had to portray to everyone around her.

Who would want to be strong in a world where your power determines your worth, along with the lies you tell and the unspoken secrets to maintaining that power? Saya said to herself as she sat in the corner, watching the students who succeeded continue with the day's lesson.