James approached the shadowy training field feeling confident and determined to give a good showing. He was quite certain this trial would be well within his abilities.

If I got it right, this should be basically a sensory deprivation chamber. Considering how my skill operates, I should be good to go. And if it doesn't work, well, it's better to know it now rather than be surprised by something similar inside a dungeon.

He was greeted by a mage, his clothes dark as the night, who had just finished setting up the area and was puttering about, fiddling with a magic circle.

"Welcome, welcome. I usually see people only at the end since no one wants to begin with me, but give me a couple of seconds, and I'll be ready to start." The man said, his voice nasal.

James shrugged and left him to it. He looked at where the training ring had once been, where now only absolute darkness could be seen. He supposed it looked a bit intimidating, especially if one didn't have a sensory skill like he did, but he had always been the type to get the worst over with as soon as possible.

The mage hummed and clapped once, several magic circles flaring to life around the dome. He nodded to himself. "Alright, everything is working as it should. You can go in whenever. If you panic and need to get out, just shout for help. The others won't hear you, but I can, so I'll get you out."

James nodded, feeling confident. His Thakinetic Awareness and mental fortitude were among his strongest attributes. "I'm ready." He replied, his voice steady.

As soon as he stepped into the field, he was engulfed in pitch-black darkness. The absence of light was absolute, disorienting. It was as if he had become blind.

James paused, steadying himself against the sudden loss of visual and auditory cues, which he hadn't realized how much he still depended on. His heightened SENSE had saved his hide more than once, but it appeared utterly useless here.

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes to better focus his skill. Slowly, he extended his Thakinetic Awareness, feeling for the mage's willpower. It was a faint, distant presence in the sea of darkness, but it was enough for him to latch onto. Using it as an anchor, he began to move, carefully navigating the unseen terrain.

He took a couple of steps, not wanting the mage outside to believe he had frozen completely, and almost stumbled. Still, he quickly adapted and continued until he was in what he believed to be the middle of the field. By the time he reached his destination, he was moving confidently, having gotten the hang of it.

When he finally reached the center, however, the actual trial started.

A ghostly apparition materialized before him, emitting a softly glowing silver light. James found himself frozen for a moment, his eyes widening in shock. His father was floating before him.

Then, his higher functions kicked in, and he started noticing the differences. His eyes were right, the same intensity and bags underneath that he could vividly remember, but other things were just slightly off.

His father's hair had been the same as his, messy and somewhat disheveled even after he had just washed it. But the apparition had shorter hair, similar to what the man had sported during his campaign in Afghanistan.

His smile had been a reserved thing but no less powerful for it. Instead, there was now a wide, happy one he could remember only from his earliest memories, when his family had still been together. Going further down, things went increasingly astray. Never had his father shown a belly, but this facsimile had a significant one. His clothes were what he could remember his friends' fathers wearing, different from the simple but well-fitting ones the man had preferred.

All in all, it was a valiant effort to recreate his father, but James could spot several differences that immediately revealed it was not him.

Well, beyond him being long dead, of course. That was the first clue, I'd say.

Feeling somewhat annoyed that this trial meant something rifling through his memories, he at least realized that the discrepancies meant that the process had not been as successful as it should have been.

It's probably Resistance. It was still not strong enough to prevent the ward from reading my mind, but it evidently interfered enough that I still realized it was a fake. Now that I think about it, it's probably doing something about the other spells I saw being activated earlier. It would be weird if this challenge was just a dark room and an odd ghost.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

The apparition, still floating with that disconcertingly familiar yet off smile, spoke with a voice that was almost but not quite his father's. "James, are you sure about the path you've chosen?"

Despite knowing it wasn't real, James felt a pang of emotion. "I'm doing what I believe is right. What you would have wanted."

The ghost's smile widened. "But at what cost? You're putting your family in danger by choosing the Association. Is that really the right thing?"

James stiffened, his annoyance growing. His father had never been one to shy away from danger or responsibility, and he would have never suggested such a thing. This further confirmed that the spell was malfunctioning, crafting a narrative based on flawed assumptions.

Or maybe it's meant to make us doubt our commitment to see how we would react under pressure. I guess it's a decent way of finding possible traitors. It explains why Miss Walker was so sure no one would say anything, if they have to go through this kind of thing every day.

"That's not something he would say." James retorted sharply. "You're not him. You're just a trick of this training."

The apparition's expression shifted, becoming more sinister. "Maybe. But aren't you afraid, James? Afraid of what you're becoming? Afraid of losing control?"

James clenched his fists, his Thakinetic Awareness flaring. He could feel the fluctuations in the mage's mind, the way he tried to direct the spell to dig into his insecurities and fears. But he wasn't about to let it shake him.

"I know who I am and what I'm capable of." He declared firmly. "You're just a shadow. Nothing more."

With a sudden movement, the ghost lunged at him, its form distorting into something more menacing. James reacted instantly, mana circulating through his system at dizzying speeds. He struck out at the apparition almost out of reflex, his punch exploding with mana upon impact.

Evidently surprised by the power behind the hit, the ghostly apparition was sent flying back, its form wavering and fizzing until a wave of power filled it, as the mage outside did something to stabilize it.

The fact that James could still feel the man operating the commands grounded him. It would have been easy to be swept into the fight, to believe that his father's ghost was furious at him, but his Talent prevented him from falling for it.

Instead, it made him even angrier. He could understand that this was a test, but at the moment, he could only care that his father's semblance was being used to say and do things the man would have never done. James' frustration boiled angrily within his chest.

The apparition, now somewhat stabilized, regained its composure and lunged at him again, its movements more aggressive. But James was ready. His fists glowed with a blinding light, mana coursing through them like a raging river.

"You're not him." James growled as he dodged a swipe that would have decapitated him. "How dare you?!"

The ghost responded with a mocking laugh, a sound that grated against James's nerves. It was a distorted echo of his father's laughter, lacking warmth and genuineness. "You think you're strong enough to face the world? To make a difference?"

James sidestepped another attack, his focus sharp. "I don't need to prove anything to a fake."

As the ghost moved to strike again, James unleashed a flurry of punches, each exploding with mana. The impacts disrupted the spell more and more with each hit, the apparition's form flickering and distorting under the onslaught.

Finally, with a decisive, powerful blow, James shattered the ghost completely. The dome of shadows trembled, and a wave of mana rippled out from the point of impact, overwhelming the spell that sustained the ghost. The darkness began to dissipate, the illusion crumbling around him.

As the sunlight started shining again, James saw the mage frantically wave his hands over the magic circles, trying to regain control. But it was too late; the trial was over.

As another presence moved closer, James turned to regard his temporary teacher, a small smirk of satisfaction on his lips.

The man's face held a rare expression of approval. "Impressive, Summers. Not many can face this test without getting swept away by it, even after they have already gone through it. You've shown remarkable mental fortitude."

James nodded, catching his breath. "It wasn't easy, but I never fell for it."

Leonid's gaze hardened. "The next challenge will test you even further. You're going to join the ice resistance training. It will push your physical and mental resistance. Your skill should benefit from it."

James waved to the mage that had set up the test, who distractedly replied with a grunt, too busy repairing the ward he had shattered with his mana explosion. He followed Leonid outside the massive area's corner, where he saw various Awakeners moving through the different fields, each seemingly as complex as the one he had just left.

One area close to them had been transformed into a frozen wasteland, the air shimmering with cold. Leonid left him there with instructions to wait for his turn and to give it his all.

While he waited, James observed his surroundings. His skill allowed him to quickly find his comrades, and he watched as Maria struggled through a bog, her fires drying the muck around her as she moved. The girl was sweating, forced to creatively use her Talent in a non-destructive manner, but she seemed to be making good progress.

In another area, Lauren was pitted against a massive golem in a one-on-one battle, unable to escape and forced to find a way to defeat it. Her habit of flitting through the shadows and delivering sneak attacks was not applicable here, and the girl appeared immensely frustrated. Still, she seemed to have little trouble dodging the monster, so James left her to it, confident she would find a way.

Daniel seemed to be busy brawling with another man. They were in a much smaller arena, and half a dozen others were cheering them on. The Tank was laughing as he shoulder-checked the other, sending him sprawling in the dirt, only to be sent tumbling himself as the man did something to the ground, which shifted and roiled.

Ezekiel was a bit more difficult to find among the sea of powerful presences since he appeared to be the furthest one, but James was a practiced hand at locating his friends by now, and after a minute, he found him.

Surprisingly, the youngest member of Team 0 was participating in a race. Three others, dressed similarly to him, were beside him, as they all tried their best to move while strapped with massive boulders. They were red-faced and panting, but none slowed down their advance. Ezekiel, in particular, seemed fired up about something, so James grinned and returned his focus to his immediate surroundings.

No later than a minute, the man coordinating the ice trial waved him over. "Alright, kid, this is a bit different from the others. The cold seeps into your bones, and it can do a lot of real damage if you go over your limits." He began.

Will he tell me to call for help if I feel like I can't make it, too?

"But you're not a pussy are you?" The man said instead, grinning madly and slapping James on the back, making him stumble into the ring, where the cold immediately assaulted him. "Show me what you got."