The last part of the exam arrived which determined if we will become an operator. I stood into the dark waiting to teleport in.

“It seems like my powers are flames. I have much to learn if I want to become stronger.” I thought. The darkness began to fade and a sun shone from above. I looked up into the clear skies and stared at the sun for a little. The warm air brushed gently against my skin and gave me vibes like the hospital roof.

“This feels amazing for a simulation.” I thought. I looked around and realized I was in an open field in the midst of a forest. The other agents stood from afar and I walked over.

“Mordecai! Perfect! Now we may begin the last section of this exam.” Luke stated as I came over.

“Go on, I’m listening.” I said.

“No. What happened to Zero and Valery?” Lilac asked.

Whispers from the others emerged and Luke signaled them to settle down.

“They have been taken out of the exam due to a simulation glitch. More details to come later. We have more important details to discuss.” He stated.

“What’s the rules?” Yoru asked.

“In part C, you have a medallion on your person. The aim is last man standing.” Luke stated.

“Then what is the point of the medallions?” Isabel asked.

“If you lose your medallion, you will be disqualified. Think of it as dying.” Luke replied.

“Are we allowed to use our abilities?” Jenna asked with excitement.

“Of course. Fighting is a part of this exam. Any more questions?”

I shook my head and crossed my arms while everyone stayed silent. A medallion appeared on everyones’ body and tension grew quickly.

“There are 3 minutes in this section. After that the world will slowly disappear until its complete darkness. This will force everyone to act decisively.” Luke said.

“Oh, and one more thing. Right now, we are standing in the center of this forest. The last two survivors will most likely meet here. Good luck guys!” Luke said as he started to fade into the wind.

Everyone except me dashed towards the forest to gain an advantage.

“Prepare for battle!” The same female announcer from before stated.

I dashed into the forest like the rest and felt a surge of uncertainty. The tall trees stood over me as I jumped into a bush.

“It’s too quiet.” I thought as I waited for the next announcement.

“The final part of the exam will now begin. Let the battle begin!” The announcer stated.

I slowly surrounded myself with my aura while remembering what Naomi taught me. I began to sense for any nearby auras around me. Suddenly, I could feel someone staring at me from above with intent to kill me.

Isabel stood on a tree above with her bow for my head. She was charging an ice arrow with her aura as quiet as possible. The warm air made it harder for her ice to form which annoyed her.

“This is stupid. I would’ve formed the arrow already and killed him by now. Good thing he’s oblivious to my place.” She thought as she finished charging the arrow.

Isabel released the arrow at me as she jumped off the tree. I turned around and put up a flame purple wall to block it before running. Arrows landed around me as I ran from Isabel.

“Tsk. Stop running!” She yelled.

I jumped up to a tree and flipped backwards off a branch towards her. I charged my flames into my fist and readied my punch towards her.

“As you wish!” I yelled back.

Isabel shot a huge ice arrow to distract me and she blinked on top of me. The cold arrow began to freeze the tip of my hair while Isabel tried to kick me. I blocked the arrow with my arm surrounded in flames, and grabbed Isabel’s leg within a second.

“How did you —.” Isabel said before I launched through four trees below.

“I feel like my strength has returned.” I thought as I landed in front of Isabel.

Isabel laid on the ground as I approached her and reached for the medallion. She rolled between my legs and kicked me to a tree nearby. I smacked the tree like a pancake before two arrows froze my hands to the tree.

“Not bad, Hashimoto.” Isabel said as she shot another arrow into my stomach.

Blood spewed from my mouth as I struggled to move my hands. My vision started to blur as Isabel approached me.

“The medallion will be mine.” She said as she reached for it.

Thoughts flooded through my head as I tried to keep consciousness.

“Is this all I got?” I asked myself.

“No, I’m better than this…!” I thought as I burned the ice off my body and grabbed her arm.

“What the?” She said before I slammed her to the ground. Fire erupted from my hands and burned Isabel like bacon.

…

I stood over Isabel unconscious covered in blood but felt like I could do anything. I went to reach for her medallion but was suddenly flashed by a white light. Naomi stood in front of me and swung her hammer fast like a bat. I blocked the attack with my left arm but was instantly crushed to the brute force.

“Nice way to say hello, huh?” I asked her while the two of us began to raise our aura.

“Don’t worry, this won’t take long.” She said with a smile.

Our auras began to clash and created violent winds around us. Naomi’s aura overcame mine quickly and pushed me back from her. She flashed in front of me before I could react and tripped me. I charged some of my aura to my foot and kickflip her into the air. I jumped up after her with my fist filled with flames as she tried to recover quickly.

“No hard feelings!” I yelled as I went for the punch.

“Lux!” Naomi yelled as a light shield surrounded her body and clashed against my fist. My purple flames surrounded us like a sphere as I charged more aura and slowly cracked her shield.

“Damn, you’re improving quickly. But…” Naomi said as she charged more aura into the shield and fixed it.

I used all my aura against the shield slowly tearing my skin. The shield cracked again and provided an opening that I needed.

“Right there!” I thought and reached for the medallion between her chest.

I missed and instead grabbed on her chest.

“Wait, this doesn’t feel like a medallion... It’s too soft.” I said out loud.

“That’s because you’re grabbing my boobs!” She yelled and smacked me to the ground.

“I don’t think I will forget this feeling.” I said while looking at my hand .

“Fucking creep!” Naomi said as she blinked in front of him and took my medallion.

“ Wait… that wasn’t supposed to come out.” I said..

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Hmph. I’ll be taking your medallion. Catch you around, pervert.” She said while sticking out her tongue.

“Fair.” I said, accepting my defeat and fully disappeared into thin air.

…

“Mordecai Hashimoto is now eliminated.” The female announcer stated as Naomi walked towards Isabel. She grabbed Isabel’s medallion from her body and jumped up into a tall tree. “Isabel Centrae is now eliminated.” The female announcer stated.

“Two birds, one stone. I had no choice.” Naomi thought. Naomi noticed a trail of lightning coming towards her at fast speed. She tilted her head and cracked her neck in the process.

“Jenna.” She said.

Jenna blinked in front of Naomi surrounded in black and red lightning. She smacked Naomi into the forest and jumped in excitement after landing the blow. Naomi flew through a couple of trees but managed to block the attack with her war hammer.

“I've been looking for you! I always wanted a chance to fight!” Jenna said as she landed in front of Naomi. Naomi was panting as her aura struggled to stay up.

“Let’s settle who’s faster. Lightning or light?” Naomi said as she raised her aura level. Naomi blinked in front of Jenna and swung her hammer. Jenna dodged and played defensively as Naomi tried to attack. Jenna finally grabbed Naomi’s arm and crushed it to force Naomi to drop her war hammer.

Naomi dropped the hammer but still snuck a punch to Jenna’s face. Jenna took a few steps back as Naomi reached for the hammer and placed it on her back.

“Damn you hit hard!” Jenna yelled with excitement.

Adrenaline rushed through Jenna’s body as she blinked and kicked Naomi into a tree. Naomi flew and smacked into a tree before falling to the ground.

“Seeking orb!” Jenna yelled as a sphere of plasma energy formed in her hands. The orb traveled to Naomi who was still trying to get up.

“Not good!” Naomi said as the surrounding area electrified in Jenna’s black and red lightning.

...

Naomi managed to raise her lux shield in time but used most of her aura. Jenna blinked in front of Naomi and kicked her to the floor.

“Where is that light power?” Jenna asked.

“The world is now closing. Please refrain from entering the darkness or you fail.” The female announcer stated.

Naomi fell to her knees and coughed some blood from the last attack as Jenna walked towards her and reached for her medallion.

“Don’t underestimate me, Jenna!” Naomi yelled as she uppercut Jenna in the chin. She jumped up and kicked Jenna through a tree. Naomi left her hammer behind and dashed towards her covered in white aura. Jenna recovered quickly and dashed back at Naomi covered in lightning.

The light clashed against the lightning and created fierce winds within the forest. Punches exchanged between both parties as they blinked across the forest . Naomi overcame Jenna’s speed and punched her to the ground. Jenna crashed in the ground disoriented from Naomi’s attack.

Naomi blinked on top of her and held her hand out to call her war hammer. The hammer appeared in her hand and she grabbed it.

“I’m going all in, Jenna!” Naomi said as light shot from the sky into her hammer.

“Shoot!” Jenna said as Naomi swung the hammer down and an explosion surrounded the two.

…

Naomi stood in the spot panting heavily and started to fade away in the air. Jenna landed at a distance and shook her finger into the air.

“You got me good, Jenna. You managed to grab my medallion before I finished swinging.” Naomi said with a smile.

“You know how much I love to fight. But, you struck some fear in me today Naomi.” Jenna replied with a smile.

“Lightning wins for now…” Naomi said as she faded away.

Suddenly, petals flew past Jenna forcing her to jump back quickly.

“Ah, so you can react quickly.Just like a rabbit.” Lilac said as the petals formed into her body shape.

“And your petals are annoying as usual.” Jenna replied while charging her aura.

Lilac appeared before Jenna holding Naomi’s medallion.

“I guess Yoru didn’t beat you hard enough.” Lilac replied with a smile as she admired Naomi’s charm.

“Naomi Windhelm is now eliminated.” The female announcer stated as Naomi’s body faded into dust.

“I’ll wipe that smile off your face!” She said while blinking in front of Lilac.

Jenna threw punches at Lilac who dodged her attacks easily. Jenna grew angry and slammed the ground with her lightning. Lilac jumped into the air to avoid getting hit and shook her head.

“Getting angry won’t make you stronger.” She said.

“Running your mouth won’t make you smarter.” Jenna yelled back while opening her palm.

“Lightning spear cannon!” Jenna yelled as she summoned a spear full of lightning and shot it at Lilac.

“I see…” Lilac said as the spear closed in towards her.

“Did you not learn your lesson from last time!” Lilac said as she ready to stop the spear with her pedals.

Jenna blinked behind Lilac and kicked her into the spear. The spear stabbed her in the stomach while black lightning came from the clear skies and struck her. Lilac screamed from the shock and fell to the ground.

…

Jenna landed next to Lilac and sighed in relief.

“Feels good to shut her up.” Jenna said as she reached for the medallion.

Lilac’s body formed in petals forcing Jenna to jump back. Lilac appeared behind Jenna full of disappointment.

“It’s a shame. I thought you had some potential.” Lilac said she flicked Jenna behind the head.

Jenna fell to her knees and started bleeding through her eyes. Lilac grabbed her medallion and watched Jenna fall to the floor in immense pain.

“Blood petals. I entered my petals into your bloodstream and your body is trying to fight it. Clearly it is not winning.” Lilac stated.

Jenna struggled to breathe as her body slowly started to fade. Tears emerged from her eyes as the taste of defeat settled in.

“Don’t cry dear. I only hit you with one finger. Imagine if it was all ten.” Lilac said with a smile.

“Jenna Gerbera is now eliminated.” The female announcer stated.

The area around Lilac started to turn dark and fade away. Lilac looked at it and realized that it was time to go. She launched into the air and began jumping on top of trees towards the center of the circle.

…

Yoru sat in the center and watched Lilac close the distance between them. The darkness behind her slowly crept behind as she landed in front of him.

“Having fun, Lilac?” Yoru asked.

“What if I am? Are you going to end that?” Lilac said as she opened her palm and summoned her staff.

“I would like a little glory too.” He said while getting up and stretching.

“You’re going to have to earn that, dear partner.” Lilac said as petals flowed to his direction.

Yoru jumped to the side and blinked towards her holding a punch. She blocked it with her staff and the two auras clashed against each other. The two smiled at each other and jumped back to ready their next attack.

Lilac blinked in front of Yoru and kicked him in the stomach. Yoru slide back on the grass and grit his teeth from the sudden pain.

“Go easy on me. I’m trying to become an operator in one piece.” Yoru yelled.

Lilac laughed as petals came out of the ground and surrounded Yoru.

“Gravity Rush!” Yoru yelled, forcing the petals to disperse. He blinked in front of Lilac again and uppercutted her into the air. Lilac flew into the remaining clear skies as the darkness closed in. Yoru blinked in front of her with a fist full of aura.

“Gravitational fist.” Yoru said in a serious tone. Lilac’s petals went in front of her and ready to block his punch. Yoru blinked behind Lilac and she turned her head instantly as if she knew what he was going to do. She blocked the punch with her staff and grabbed him by the neck.

“Blood petals.” Lilac said as petals filled Yoru’s bloodstream. Yoru grunted in pain as she threw him into the darkness. Yoru coughed in pain as he flew towards the darkness and raised his aura.

“Enough!” Yoru said as he blinked in front of Lilac with another fist. Petals try to block the attack but Yoru’s punch landed into Lilac’s face. He continued to punch her until she was now covered in wounds. Lilac’s aura fell immensely and she began to pant as Yoru stopped for a second. She lifted a finger and Yoru punched her to the ground with no hesitation.

Debris flew into the air as Yoru blinked on top of her and grabbed her medallion.

“Hope you had your fun.” Lilac said as she coughed up more blood and began to fade into the air.

“You forced my hand. I didn’t want to.” He said while offering a hand to help her.

“I don’t need your pity, Yoru Nagamatsu.” She said as she disappeared.

“Lilac Nagamatsu is now eliminated. Yoru Nagamatsu is the winner.” The female announcer stated. Everyones’ medallion appeared in his hand and he looked at them closely.

“I didn’t earn these.” He said and threw them away as the darkness completely took over.

. . .

Yoru returned to the simulation room where the rest of the agents were stretching from the long exam.

“Wake up sleepy head.” A voice said behind him. He turned around and faced Lilac who was holding his goggles.

“Oh it’s you.” He said while getting up.

“You mad at me?” Yoru asked. Lilac crossed her arms and turned her head.

“Perhaps. Who knows?” She replied.

Dove entered the room and whistled to get everyone’s attention.

“Listen, everyone. The operator test is now over. All of you may now leave and return to your rooms. We will meet tomorrow at 9am. Rest well.” She said.

I walked up to Naomi and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and backed up a little.

“Oh, it’s you pervert.” She said.

“I’m not a… nevermind. What time is it?” I asked. Naomi pulled out her cell phone and checked.

“5:30pm. Why?” She asked.

“I was going to ask if you can tour me around the city for a little.” I replied.

“Uh, I’m going back to the room. Plus, who knows what other tricks you got in that perverted mind of yours.” She said as she turned around and walked away.

Isabel and Jenna followed behind Naomi and started talking to her about the exam. Their laughs were heard down the hall before I could come up with a response.

“Sounds like you’re down bad, Hashimoto.” Lilac said as walked past me with Yoru following behind.

“You good, Hashimoto?” Dove asked me. I sighed and nodded my head.

“I’ll be fine Dove. I’m going to get some rest.” I said as I walked away and waved.

“What a hell of a day.” I thought.