’She’s not with us?’ Zephyr wondered curiously. “All you have to do is muster your energies on the field, and the trial will end shortly after!” The Academy apprentice explained the situation clearly. On the field, there stood about a hundred or so Academy apprentices. Each was strong in their own right, and all were taken seriously. They were no mere apprentices, they were initiates! The group was made up of initiates! Zephyr was familiar with their strength, each of them were as strong, if not stronger than Shaun Lee. ‘That’s the Academy for you!’ Zephyr thought, wondrously.

…

As Zephyr continued on with his observation, a beautiful figure stood atop a peak, a mile away. She was dressed in white robes, signifying her purity. Although she was only seventeen or eighteen, her luscious body and attractive features were enough to put any man into a frenzied hungry state. However, the aura she emanated was intimidating, and it scared most away.

“Sister!” a voice rang out, disturbing the lady’s peace. She turned to face the voice to find a twenty-five year old man, who came as fast as the wind. “Brother!” she replied. “We have been summoned,” the man spoke, slightly bedazzled by the lady’s looks. He quickly returned to a small smile. The lady nodded, before looking away. Suddenly, her body shook, and a suspicious expression appeared on her face.

“What’s wrong?” the man asked, acutely aware of her change in demeanor. “It’s nothing!” the girl replied as she shook her head. She thought a picture of Zephyr being here had emerged in her mind. ‘How could he be here? Maybe I’m just seeing things, I’m probably wrong…’ she wondered, though she peeked once more before she left.

Zephyr stared intensely at the field, noticing many fighters filling the space. Soon, the Academy apprentices ordered them to sit on the floor.

“Close your eyes!”

“Calm yourselves!”

An initiate spoke loudly.

As everyone closed their eyes, a mysterious beam of light waved over from the monoliths. They dispersed into a million little lights, akin to a meteor shower. Though, one could make out a number of apparitions dancing among the lights. Quickly, they wafted over onto each fighter.

A scream came, before many fighters were flung out of the field, their mouths full of blood. “Weak!” an apprentice muttered as he shook his head. Soon, many more would be disqualified. In an instant, fifty fighters were lost to the field!

Those that remained had differing reactions. Some were calm and lively, while others struggled dearly. Some were even slowly turning as pale as snow. Soon enough, runes began to form on each of the fighter’s bodies, glowing brightly.

The streams of light flowed effortlessly around their body, looking divinely mysterious. Zephyr noticed that while some had one stream of light, others had two. The most was four. However, neither initiate nor apprentice made any comment.

“Do you see it? Those beams of light represent your level here! The more beams you have, the more potential you have to offer!” an apprentice spoke up. “As for those that were thrown off the field, that would mean they don’t even make the cut to be an apprentice! To be a Boundless Academy apprentice, you would need at least three rays of light!” he continued, explaining excitedly to Zephyr and the rest.

“What do you mean we’ll need at least three rays of light?”

Some started to feel the pressure. The Academy was stricter than they thought when it came to hitting the requirements. Besides, they were no mere fighters. They were prized combatants in their respective countries.

“Hmph, useless! Leave at once! There’s no place for many of you here even if you passed the first two tests!” an initiate huffed after half an hour. “What do you mean? I’m a prodigy! I have power! Why can’t I enroll?!” a man demanded furiously as he only had two streams of light.

The man was strong, however, he lacked the potential. Try as he might, he would not make up for his lost potential through effort alone. There is a reason why the Academy has so many trials set in the first place.

Suddenly, a loud boom erupted. The initiate had made a move, sending the complaining fighter flying away with a loud slap. “If you dare disrespect the Academy, do not blame me for my actions!” he stated loudly. The fighter was an Agile of level three, but was easily manhandled, just like that. Many fighters quickly kept their mouths shut and changed their tune upon seeing such a display of power from the Academy people.