The World of Atziluth

After opening her eyes, Izumi had a strong reaction: sunlight quickly infiltrated her pupils, creating a momentary discomfort.

Rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, he finally understood the environment he was in.

Her left hand, buried in the ground and serving as support, sank into fine grains of sand. Soon, Izumi opened her eyes and found herself on a beautiful white sand beach, with shallow, calm waters at the tide that reached the horizon.

He thought briefly about the last time he had been to a beach. The realization quickly dawned on him; it had been when he was five years old, but he had simply passed by, never having had the opportunity to lie on the sand and enjoy the sea.

There was a reason for this: Mirelith, the Sea King.

Since the domains emerged, Mirelith has taken possession of all the oceans and seas on the planet, making coastal tourism unviable. At times, maritime exports have also been blocked thanks to waves of sea daemons, but humanity has managed to create protective measures to protect itself and return to its main form of global trade.

Due to the danger that Mirelith's troops, the Sea King, pose to humanity as a whole, it has been forbidden for anyone to approach or live near the coast. Of course, there are Sefiras who live on the coasts and are on standby in case of an invasion, which has already occurred.

Not having that privilege in the real world , Izumi enjoyed the scenery before starting the assessment.

He was already aware that the exam would only begin when all students accepted, which could vary, since not everyone had the psychological strength to begin that test known worldwide as "Hell in Paradise".

Atziluth is a higher dimension where the Archangels have dominion. In it, the Archangels themselves imprison Daemons captured by the Sefiras in order to use them as training dummies. The dimension of the archangels is divided by islands and a single continent that simulate the true domains.

The island of Shakal, where Izumi and her class were sent, is the territory of the Berlin Academy of Higher Education for Developing Sephiras. It is known for faithfully simulating the domains of Envy, Greed, and Gluttony (the European continent is surrounded by these three domains, with no loopholes for escape).

After a few minutes, Izumi decided to walk along the beach until the exam started. Initially, he looked for Takashi; leaving the white beach and entering a forest ahead, where he followed a small paved street that led him to a square.

About twenty aspirants were gathered together in that square; some far apart, others in groups, but all were as anxious as Izumi.

"Takashi isn't here…" Izumi muttered, looking around the place. "He must have been thrown to another sector…"

He walked over to sit on a wooden bench.

The island is divided into four sectors, naturally. The place where Izumi appeared is the South Sector, the main sector of Shakal Island. The reason is simple: this sector simulates the European countries outside the domains, the safest place on the island. The other sectors - North, East and West - are dominated by demonic corruption.

Therefore, around twenty aspirants were sent to that sector, while the others were divided among the other regions. Generally, it was the area with the most aspirants on the island.

'As soon as the test starts, I'll come after you, brother…' Izumi thought, clenching her fist.

It was unthinkable that he and Takashi would pass this test separately. They were not dependent on each other, but for cousins raised as brothers, it was unthinkable that they could be in the same place and avoid each other.

"Hey, Izumi! Do you have a group yet?" A girl with black hair tied in a ponytail, but the strands that fell down her shoulders were dyed pink.

She waved at Izumi with a relaxed and comfortable posture, almost attracting the young man.

[Erika Von Berta]

[18 years old | German Noble Family, Berta]

"Hi, Erika," Izumi replied, moving away on the bench and making room for her companion.

Beside the young woman, a boy was accompanying her; tall and with brown hair, he wore rectangular glasses to cover his light eyes with a friendly expression.

[Erik Von Berta]

[18 years old | German Noble Family, Berta]

The twin brothers walked up to their classmate; they had studied together throughout high school at the Berlin Academy.

'Forming a trio with these two should be a good choice… But first, I must know which suits they will win…'

"You're waiting for the system to distribute the suits, right?" Erik asked, sitting down next to Izumi.

Erika, however, stretching in front of the boys.

"What? You're not even going to consider your friendships?!" She grumbled.

"Great promises do not guarantee triumphs…" Izumi retorted. "I could be the failure, given an unsuitable suit and a low Rank, as could you… It doesn't matter if we are from a noble family or not. We train to influence the system's final decision, but if you, Erika… who has studied everything about the arcanum, were chosen for the Clubs suit, where the specialization is direct combat…"

"She would be dead weight. She can barely throw a punch."

"Hey!" She complained at her brother's comment.

"That's exactly what he's talking about, Erika. I've trained as a Ranger my entire life, but maybe I'll fall like a Hearts and have to learn how to use healing magic. In the fifteen days we'll have here, I'll just be dead weight in this reality. Izumi is right. Just because we're from a B-rank family doesn't mean we'll be Beyonders or get the perfect suit."

"But!" said Izumi, drawing both of their attention. "Let's hope the scenario is favorable for us! We'll make a great trio!"

Erik clenched his fist and held it out to Izumi, who returned it with a friendly gesture.

Suddenly, seeing that scene, something clicked in Erika's mind.

"Ah… You were after Takashi, right?" he asked, walking towards the two boys.

"As…"

"Dude, you and Takashi are in the same place together… If you guys skipped class to talk, who's to say you won't look for each other in this place?" Erik said, with an ironic smile "You guys are literally The Duo in every year of interclass…"

"Yeah. And besides, he can be a troublemaker… But he's a real force in practical tests. He's always taken his class to second and first place in the gymkhanas at the academy. I definitely want him in my group."

Izumi smiled and nodded.

'Best case scenario… I already have two supports on my team. Having Takashi as a second attacker is the best choice…'

He clenched his fists and stared at himself as the twins chatted in parallel.

'After all my effort… All my hard work practicing the Tsurugi Style all my life… I can't be any other suit than Spades. I have to be…'

[Attention, candidates, the test is about to begin!]

A floating screen appeared before each teenager's face. They all looked forward, searching for the source of the voice in their heads.

[First of all, I need you to be aware and conscious of the basic rules and instructions to the System.]

[Firstly, the System is not responsible for helping the individual evolve; it is just a way of mathematically calculating each person's raw potential and capacity. The System does not help anyone grow, but it can limit them depending on their own potential created over the years.]

[Secondly, the suits will be distributed according to your intention to win and adequate training for each specialization. However, the System may also judge that you would do better in another suit, and so it will do.]

[Third, once you receive the status window, make sure to distribute the points in a way that will help you achieve your goal. Again, the System will not make you stronger; the distribution of points only enumerates the ability to evolve in a certain area.]

[Remember to form groups with other hopefuls to complete missions! The initial limit is six members per group.]

[Without further instructions, we will begin the draws.]

Tension took control of the faces and bodies of all the aspirants, whether talented or not.

Especially the talented ones, because if it went wrong for them, a lifetime of hard training would be thrown away.

Izumi stood up, anxious and taking a deep breath.

After a few seconds, the floating screen tilted until it lay flat like a chessboard. A white card protruded from the center, held up by a small golden altar. The card began to spin frantically.

Izumi was shocked internally and remained focused on the result.

Letting her eyes slip out of the corner of her eye, Izumi looked at the twin brothers of the Berta family. They were both paralyzed and had the same anxiety as Izumi, but with a confident posture.

Lips trembling, he returned to watching his letter spin.

'Spades…' he prayed mentally.

Spades… It was the only thing Izumi wanted.

Spades…

If that suit didn't come, he was already thinking about all possible scenarios.

Izumi will be unusable for years… until he adapts to the new suit.

Study, train… Another decade of practice to be able to adapt. He had that in mind.

That's why…

He could only beg one thing from heaven…

[Your suit is…]

A bright glow expanded, illuminating the letter in shades of blue.

Suddenly, the carte blanche froze the air, now no longer like a paper to be written on.

A design appeared at each end, highlighted in red.

"That!"

The sword, symbol of the Spades suit, filled his blank card.

Izumi almost jumped for joy, but he held back his reaction that could expose him and make him a target for those interested.

"So, was it as expected?" Erik asked, with a smile on his face.

"Did it work for you?"

"Of course."

Erik conjured a blank card with the same symbol as Izumi and held it between his fingers, displaying it like a trophy.

[Erik Von Berta]

[18 years old | Suit: Spades]

[Spades Suit: Specialized in agile, objective combat.]

"Great! I got spades too," Izumi commented, just between the siblings. "What about you, Erika?"

She showed her letter proudly.

[Erika Von Berta]

[18 years old | Suits: Diamonds]

Izumi smiled widely.

'I'll go down the path of a Sword Master, while Erik will go down the path of a Ranger… Erika will be our mage… Great. I have two supports on my team… We only need to recruit a fighter and a healer. The next member of my team will definitely be Takashi. No matter which suit he takes, he's fit for all scenarios…' Izumi analyzed carefully.

[Notification]

A screen appeared before the twins.

[Izumi Kairen has sent you an invitation to join a group. Do you want to join?]

"Yes." They both replied.

"Alright. Let's begin our final trial!"

The trio took a step into the woods, abandoning the other hopefuls in the square and marching aimlessly.

'Wait for me, brother…' Izumi thought, being the first to enter the forest. 'I will find you, and we will win together!'