The examiner came out from the back door with a sheet of paper in his hand. Demund and Jothan had come to the school and asked for a reexamination, and the examiner had allowed it. It only took a few minutes to measure one’s potential, or latent energy level, after all. By using a specialized device much like an MRI machine, a person’s whole body was scanned from top to bottom.
All the governments in the world had issued these machines to every certified school at no cost. It was unknown where these compact devices had come from, but theory had it that several high-ranking specialists had mass produced them.
The machines measured a particle that could not be seen through any human device, also known as SAP (supernatural acclimatization particles). The majority of people referred to these particles as potential. Most had no idea why the particles were called SAP. The Thirteen had come up with the term and had given no proper explanation.
“Please, please, please, please, please…” thought Demund furiously. “Even my power has manifested. My potential has to have risen…!”
After reviewing the paper, the examiner handed the paper over to Demund for him to see. Demund closed his eyes, traced his finger to the bottom of the paper, and faced his head towards it. He slowly opened his eyes…
……………………..
“A D++.”
“………………………”
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” exclaimed Demund. His rank had risen, but what was this! It wasn’t even a C, meaning he didn’t even qualify for the Selection. This had to be a sick joke.
The examiner removed his glasses and massaged his eyes. “That was the best score I could give you.”
Demund’s temper rose a little. “Why? Was my power manifesting not enough?”
The examiner sat on a nearby chair and crossed his legs. “Your power…if it had any practical uses, like being able to discern the future through your dreams, or even clairvoyance, your rank would have risen significantly.”
The examiner reached for some coffee on a desk and took a sip out of it.
“However! Your power holds no benefit for people besides yourself. You said that your dream lasted for several days, and let’s say that’s true. But what significance does that hold? You are still a baby in that dream, so your ability is limited. Let’s say you can grow and meet life-like people too. Sure, you’ll learn more about life. Then what? You’ll have more experience for work and such, and maybe you’ll be able to develop skills that you can use here too.”
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Jothan worryingly glanced over at his friend. Demund was holding his hands together tightly behind his back, and the whiteness had begun to show on his knuckles.
“But that’s it. You’ll just be a little more special than normal humans. You won’t be able to do anything else. However powerful you may be in that world, in the end, it’s just a dream. If your results showed a ridiculous amount of potential, maybe your power would be significant. But your power with your potential combined—it’s not noteworthy enough.”
Demund looked crestfallen from the perspective of the examiner as he stated his evaluation. The examiner almost felt bad for the boy.
“Even if I did give you a C, you’d definitely fail the Selection. Classes over B automatically get a pass, but for C classes, you’ll have to demonstrate your power for the judges to see. By the looks of it, you can’t do that.”
“………….I understand……..Thank you for your examination.”
“It’s perfectly fine! It’s so boring here, anyway. Come by any time you want another examination.”
〄 〄 〄
After thanking the examiner, Demund and Jothan left the school. The sun was beginning to set. They had been at the school for around 3 hours. When they went to the school at 2, The examiner had asked them if they could come back at 4.
“Final evaluations are due at five,” he said.
So for 2 hours, Demund and Jothan had explored the school once more. It was practically empty, and it would be their last moments there. The examination had taken roughly half an hour, making the present time around five.
Demund was silent the whole way from the examination room to their bikes. His mind was filled with nothing at all; his last hope had been pushed away to the side. The final gap between himself and Jothan had been finalized, and now his life would be nothing but a boring mess with delusional dreams and nothing special—
“Demund!” called Jothan. “You okay there?”
“…….oh? Oh yeah. Everything’s fine really. I’m just normal, after all,” replied Demund meekly.
Demund weakly put his legs around his bike and almost tripped. He grunted in frustration and kicked a rock nearby.
“…Nope. You’re definitely not fine. We need to do something about this.”
“I told you. I’m perfectly fine. Just—relax, there’s nothing you can do.” uttered Demund.
The two shared an awkward silence as they cycled on their bikes. The birds were chirping joyfully, like the oblivious creatures they were. The road was strangely empty, probably because of the big sale going on in a nearby town, or other reasons. Everything felt warm and orange and peaceful. The summer breeze felt wonderful on Demund’s skin.
"....................."
What the heck am I doing, thought Demund. I was like this yesterday, and now I’m like this today too?
He glanced over at Jothan. Jothan was face down on his bike, looking at its pedals and tires for advice.
He was probably thinking of an apology like he always did. It was almost always Jothan who initiated peace.
Now I’ve done it. I’ve ruined his party and all the good moods he felt.
Demund tried thinking of a way to relax the atmosphere. But he couldn’t, as he was the one at fault. What a great friend he was, he thought, sarcasm oozing out his inner voice. Guilt and frustration filled him, and he had to do something to let it out.
“ARRGGGHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHH!!!” cried Demund while ruffling his head with both hands.
“…………….? What’s wrong?” asked Jothan.
“……….Jothan, let’s go to the market. Want to grab a bite with me?”
“....Sure, why not. Let me just let my parents know."
Demund vowed to himself he'd send his friend away with a happy memory.