Facing Tiberon and his shimmering sea of Vectors is something that William didn't expect. They appear everywhere in his line of vision like small strands of watery fog, going over his skin, and pushing the weight of mountains into his body.
That is how William would describe it if someone asks him to, but how true is that? He doesn't know why what's happening is happening. Is it how all of the previous takers of this Trial faced Tiberon?
Heart and endurance, they say.
He remembers it, and even though he does, it doesn't make his situation better.
It is the case of his cluelessness and undeserving actions that he is like this.
Did the other first-timers attack Tiberon? Why? What for? Why does he exactly force this sort of pressure upon him? Has he hurt him in any way, or offended him?
William sees it from his own perspective, while his body is acting on its own, standing and barely managing to do so.
“Ugh... Fine. It's over.“ William grunts and forces his right arm forth. “My stubbornness, that is. Let's go for what I can do since you insist.” he decides to go further in his actions, and even beyond that!
“Arise.”
It goes as obvious as one would expect, and how it sounds doesn't matter to him. He is a Walker now, and he should act like that, even though he doesn't know what exactly it entails. Tiberon means to be serious and harsh to the bone, and this Domain is one action that could force that out of any clueless brat.
William's right arm shudders and the Emblem of cluttering Vectors inside of them explodes, pushing the Vectors out to form a clawed hand.
The explosion of these Vectors momentarily pushes the pressure away, giving him time to recoup what is happening. He notes his trembling body much more than before and also notes how Tiberon looks and sits. He still points with his finger at him, while the sea of almost unnoticeable Vectors dances in the room like smoke. rain and or waves of water.
Though smoke is the most reasonable guess to say, it looks nothing like that. It is colorless, and quite heavy as if someone is touching him with tough sea waves.
Appearing fine as he was a while ago, he ends up fine for a couple of moments, until the pressure restarts. This time, it isn't as difficult, or heavy. It is just annoying, is how he would describe it.
“Oh, so I can push it back a little with my jolted-up Emblem? Is this how this should go? Alright. That is one piece of good news in an otherwise terrible situation.” William assumes, stepping away from Tiberon in his line of vision to see if he can move and seek the whole room better. He also wonders if this pressuring Domain has some edges or limits.
That is at least a general idea he knows from Roman. There are limits to almost any Walker's ability, no matter the Rank or Skill.
Nothing is perfect. That is what Roman explained to him days ago.
So he indeed goes out of his way, stepping toward the door, yet the pressuring influence remains. It is truly engulfing the whole room without even an inch free.
William starts to sweat, noticing how Tiberon looks at him with his eyes, while the pressure is rising. Even with his Emblem active, he doesn't feel confident, and his legs wobbles, and arms shudders.
“This Emblem of yours is rather peculiar. For it to be single-handed from the get-go, it shows some right mindset.” Tiberon says. “but that is one thing and my Domain is another. You see, I will explain it better for your loose Outsider's mind. Around you are Gravity Vectors in a vision of my Gravity Domain. They will push without stoppage until I will deem it is the end.”
“And?”
“Nothing. The end depends on you, and this Emblem of yours isn't baring its fangs yet. I hope you will give this a try since time is a limited resource for all of us. I am a tester for your test against my tests, got it?”
“So....” William thinks about what to tell, looking around but his vision stays in Tiberon. “10 minutes is also your limit?”
“Also?” Tiberon chuckles. “Limits are meant to be broken, and no. I can go on for days, kid.” he shakes his head and decides on something. “Fine, I will give you a fine chance. I see you have a Rank 4 carbon uniform, but its worth isn't much at the moment. I hope you will rather take it off, since I may as well destroy it if I am not careful.”
“Rank 4?” William looks at him, and back to his own clothes. His gi still seems fine through the Trials and not one bit of his errors shows any damage in it.
But he doesn't want to be without it, or let it go, so he starts to run left in the Tiberon's vision, going over to the furthest edge of this rectangular room. He wants to experiment against the Gravity Domain before running into quick conclusions.
“Ahahah. That's a funny attempt. Do you know that the circles would be more effective?” Tiberon mocks William, appearing quite entertained, while bearing a powerful notion of gravity under his command. It ends up causing William's speed to decline until he couldn't jog but walk in unsteady steps.
“Effective? I don't care about it, although... Could I attack you myself?” William asks, obviously thinking of many things about this Trial. Tiberon didn't tell him much. Just enduring this to the bitter end, try and use his abilities to go on. Is that it? Is this pressure all to this Trial?
William doesn't know how hard Tiberon could go, but remembering Louise, Onga, and Rozzante appear fine after this, it shouldn't be that hard.
So, William does the following thing that he considers sensible and for once, he won't be a stubborn fool. Taking his upper gi uniform off alone, he will retain his bottom part while being half naked isn't a problem for him. He was like this for many days with Roman anyway, and his use of Vectors may be complicated.
With this done in a few moments, he is ready to face the harsh reality that may be inevitable.
Tossing his shirt away, he crouches down, loosening his mindful limits. Inner Enchantment envelopes his body, while even his eyes glare in a new light. It is his Skill - Velvet Eyes. This time, he does something sensible. He isn't going all out with his Annihilation, so he will be sure to go much longer than some 6 or 7 minutes. Outside of his Vector Claw, his supporting Skills will help him against this pressure.
Tiberon whistles, almost clapping with his hands. “Not bad. 3 consecutive Skills at this rank? Inner Enchantment, some sort of eye technique, I figured, and your core Mold. Are you right in your mind to go past these minutes against me, or are you desperate to show off? The last ones were much more sensible in their approach and endurance. I liked that, but here you go... I am not forceful at all, you see? This pressure is nothing. Weren't there worst things Outside? Hm?” Tiberon asks, appearing rather talkative and curious about William.
“What do you mean Outside? You are no monster who wants to eat my guts, and swallow me whole.”
“Monster?” Tiberon's face turns serious. “If you want to see a monster, I will give you a question. What is the worst you've met so far?”
“I don't know names...” William argues, unfollowing what Tiberon wants from him. He knows he has seen plenty of monsters, and they may have their respective namings Outside, while Walkers gives them official names.
For example, Hellgars are official names for a small dog-like dark beast, with many variants like many dark beings have. But many Outside outposts are calling them Helldogs instead. They appear like that name, so it makes sense.
A more distinct name to them is Ravagers since they devour and eat humans no matter what, and are ravenous beasts without any sense or care. But that is an insensible name, as it is the name of different dark beings at the higher ranks. Outside doesn't care much for that, however. They are glad they are surviving, while Walkers care about it instead.
It is a neat spectrum of interest, and Walkers do what they should, while survivors survive. It is quite simple in truth. Official names are set up by System, and not a naming scheme of some poor Walkers.
However, Tiberon doesn't ask about William's knowledge. He wants some idea out of his mind.
“You can choose anything then. I bet you showed some interest in the Federation. Heard and learned about some dark beings? Those will do, albeit the real deal is much more... vivid, I reckon.” Tiberon continues, giving him a scrutinizing look.
William knows the answers to that. He learned the names of a lot of dark beings, and he lied before. He already knows the nightmares he saw throughout his 15 years of living Outside. Well, the majority of that time was spent fleeting and hiding, be he did meet many obstacles~Dark beings included. Though, he doesn't want to give Tiberon any wrong ideas.
“I guess Jawran on my way to the Federation gave me some impression... so what about it?” he says what Tiberon wants, and sees his smirking face.
“A Jawran?” he says. “Interesting choice, but rather weak for my tastes... and large, but fine.”
Then, Tiberon lifts his finger up, and the flow of the pressuring Vectors changes.
William sees and feels how the pressure around his body flickers in motion, and it is as uncomforting as it was before.
Though, he notices one special thing that he hasn't noticed before. His Velvet Eyes sees the Gravity Vectors in a better light. They form, reform, glow, and dance like water, instead of more wild dancing Vectors like his own.
It is no wonder.
Tiberon is Rank 8 Walker. He went through many Skill advancements, and his Vectors are unique and more powerful than his by a ridiculous degree.
William watches it in silence, noting how every corner is full of those waves, and they all dance all around Tiberon at the center. His finger also acts as some sort of catalyst or a beginning point. Though, it is not his Emblem. A single finger can't become a spot for it.
This goes on for barely a dozen seconds before William begins shaking, and sweat covers his forehead. He starts to feel it... The pressure is like those beasts from many years ago which he didn't see, but felt like storms in his young head.
To feel and see this before him is shocking, yet unnoticeable. He sees a Jawran's figure appear behind Tiberon, flickering in those waves, and its distinct shape and aura. He molds Jawran's appearance and pressure from his Gravity Domain, which gives William quite a startled expression.
He backs against the wall in fear, looking at Tiberon and approaching waves of Vectors that want to devour him whole. He feels his body failing his command, and how his body feels rising tides of weakness. Even his Vectors flicker in some weakness, giving rise to the connection they have to Walker's attitude.
“S-stop this...” he mumbles, but it seems Tiberon doesn't hear him, which is good.
“If you can last some minutes in this... It is considered good, but not as impressive as being unaffected by this aura. The first task of this Trial is this sort of setup. I can't attack you myself, kid, but I sure can force you around like a toy. Run or attack if you can, but take care of your time and my care. Time may, or may not be an issue. It all depends on me and you.” Tiberon adds.
“You never told me about some nasty minutes. You may as well proceed with the pressure much faster, and get rid of those limits of mine in a heartbeat. Isn't it true?” William tries to find a way to work around his time limitation, but he ends up blubbering nonsense. This isn't fitting for the 2nd Trial, and what he just uttered sounds like a joke.
Tiberon takes note of it, however, as he has plentiful variables in his head. One part is having fun, the other is having the right mindset. Sometimes, those two mix together, forming a mess and chaos. He thinks for a second, before sneering in contempt. “No way I will give you a poor Trial. I am not that cheap. You will have to work hard like the kids before you.”
“Screw you!” William scowls inside his heart, but he expected this sort of answer. It isn't as if it's a huge problem since he believes he can bear this pressure for longer, but going against it isn't comforting. For once, he knows one issue. It is an aura. A feeling. It isn't here, yet it encompasses him like reality.
It is a different kind of feeling from normalcy, and for once, William is a bit hesitation where to start.
He puts his mind towards his Skills, focusing on his Inner Enchantment, which eases his body better than his own body. Velvet Eyes make this situation a bit worse for him since its supporting powers puts some pressure on his mind. It is why he feels this pressure much more, since he sees it in his eyes, which sent shivers down his brain.
This sort of situation has a startling quote.
What eyes don't see, the heart doesn't feel and the mind is free.
His Velvet Eyes is quite nice supporting Skill, without System fully integrating its worth into words. It has a partial immunity to Mind Flare, which Tiberon is using against him at the moment, albeit with some limits, considering his Rank 8 status. If he wants to, he could obliterate this whole building, let alone some Rank 1 kid, but that isn't nice to even consider, even though it sounds fun in his head.
William readies his mind after focusing on what he could and not do. All of his 3 currently activated Skills do something against this pressure, albeit some have negatives and also positives. Combined together, it washes some pressure away, which Tiberon notes in his silence in a few limited waves.
First is his internal and external calmness of Vectors, which counts as the calmness of cycles. Tiberon sees it and watches it under his careful vision. He is the examiner, so he does what he could, even though his personality is another question altogether.
Next would be the Inner Enchantment and Vector Claw. Those flow fine and don't disturb each other. Velvet Eyes are whatever. He couldn't fathom them, since eye skills are hard to glance at unless one would have special and powerful eyes too, which Tiberon doesn't have.
Noticing Tiberon's watchful silence, William does something unexpected. Something that previous first-timers haven't done.
He straightens his back and decides to walk towards him. His body tenses up in almost every step, and his cycles and Vectors shake in their order. Visible shimmers of Inner Enchantment, Velvet Eyes, and Vector Claw make him much more interesting than before. All 3 still stand the pressure of this vast Gravity Domain.
That is something Tiberon must say, is impressive, considering William is just a kid. He figures out why. William must have quite a large efficiency when it comes to Arcanites, and his body shows interesting subjects of interest. He takes this pressure in, while the Arcanite and his Skills deny the majority of its power null.
Tiberon doesn't make his impressions obvious, of course. First things come first. He has to deal with the Trials as a whole, before showing some individual stakes.
Stopping before Tiberon by around 3 feet, William is quite close to him. Gazing into his eyes, he also glances above him. He feels the tension in the air, yet the Domain is mild, not destructive, and pushing at him with its power.
This time around, he stands firm before this storm. “I am quite comfortable over here,” Willaim says, placing his left hand around his hips while scratching his head with his Vector Claw. He stands straight, yet his internals and muscles are tensing up, and Arcanite goes against this pressure, hitting him with a surge of unnatural adrenalin and warmth.
William doesn't feel this for the first time. Roman caused this reaction once or twice, but this time, he feels it much clearer.
It is a mind. Every issue has been at his head. He should feel confident since his Emblem and Skills do wonders for him, while he did everything he could in the past days to do what he could. That is to get some confidence he always lacked before. And right now is a time to bear the results, and get this into his head. It is what Emblem Academy wants to do one way or another, giving even failures some sense of progression, hopes, or interests. It is for their growth, and any talent is deserving this.
This isn't some confusing time like fighting against kids similar to his age, nor it is a training session.
Alas, William feels a monstrosity before him, and he doesn't want to be afraid.
“Ho? Heheheh. You are something, aren't you? I remember you quite well in the first trial but you've never gone all out because you feared hurting your opponents, didn't you?” Tiberon asks, not ceasing his pressure at all.
Faking a yawn, William is less than impressed by his words. “Yeah. So?” He lies, but it doesn't mean he is dishonest. He fought with what he could against his opponent, without it being too personal. He could seriously injure them, and it wasn't as if students couldn't hurt him back. Some did, with Jullieta being the prime example, while his fight with Zech was different but interesting in its own way.
“You are quite an actor, aren't you?”
“I thought Rank 8 is more impressive than showing a remnant from a memory?”
Tiberon almost burst out laughing at this comment, recognizing those words from Walker's vocabulary. It seems someone did his homework, and William isn't stupid, but a crafty fox behind his young age.
Though, for the sake of Trial which is also under cameras, he refrains from countering him in his usual nasty ways. Although, laughing is fine since their conversation remains private between them. After all, cameras aren't there for the sounds, but for visual feedback.
“It's not like I can do much against you, sir. I am a Walker for so little, and my all-out Emblem has an Annihilation Element, so it is fierce. I don't want to go overboard with anything when it means some problems for me or others. That's what my instructor Roman Antler told me, you know? It sounds quite sensible, and my Emblem is dangerous. It's to make things easier for me, and not make mistakes.” William argues, feeling quite fine even when 4th minute goes by, and Tiberon increases his pressure.
Smiling, all the same, Tiberon sits there before William. He is observing this boy, who remains with the state of 3 Skills as if he has a single one active instead. That is quite something for a newly awakened Walker.
He recognizes his Inner Enchantment, but his Velvet Eyes feel particularly interesting. He hasn't seen their glint and appearance anywhere in his memory, so they may be another variant of something old.
However, he is sure they have some hidden effects and supporting powers. Most sort of eye powers has this sort of deal, while only a few would be as insane as being offensive or defensive. Such Skills exist, but either at higher Ranks or within the unique Emblems such as Mutant types.
As for his Claw, Tiberon finds it quite basic for an Emblem. He already knows about it, and also about the Annihilation, which William mentions himself.
Tiberon feels good. Seeing everything outside of some monitors is many times more interesting, and these little talents are fun to deal with. Their little egos are rising as their blood surges forward. It is like this every time. A new Walker's blood.
Tiberon loves seeing this with his own eyes while feeling, seeing, and pressuring this youth to the brink of losing control. It may be dangerous, but it is only fitting against those that dare to think they are worthy of the Academy.
Making a wide, hilarious smile, Tiberon is quite happy with himself, and this youth before him. So, he decides to do an exception and rule out some limitations for the sake of nothing but his pride and interest.
Some people will have a problem with that, but who cares about it? If this youth will do great, he may as well hire him to his own division and deal with any consequences later.
Watching his chance of expression, William is momentarily afraid, but he still refrains from losing his faked confident persona. He will have to withstand this upcoming ordeal in his own way or complain while trying.
It's a gamble on his part, and he could only trust in his own abilities. Even Roman praised him a few times, so there must be something about him, that is of great talent. It may be just a possibility in his mind or even a little hope, but it is there--tiny but there.
Suddenly, as if a great wave of the rumbling sea appears out of nowhere, William feels how Tiberon changes. A sea of waves shudders in motion, while Jawran bears his jaw and wings forward. Domain expands in power, pushing him back about a dozen or so steps with an ashen face.
This has been multiple things, including a stronger Mind Flare which shakes him up. He frowns and bends his back as if hit to his guts. He also discerns what happened from this pressure.
This sort of attack is one of the examples Roman gave him in the spars. Some Dark beings can cause many kinds of attacks. It isn't always some elemental, or physical ones. Mental ones are one of the deadliest since they can appear and spread in the most surprising of circumstances and out of the blue.
“Huh? You took it without even flinching at the ground?” Tiberon says, visibly confused, but otherwise, quite surprised.
William feels like his mind goes through a storm or many hits against the wall. He manages to endure it thanks to his Velvet Eyes, which no longer aim at Tiberon. Inner Enchantment then stabilizes the physical pressure that also moves along the Domain. Tiberon can also use multiple skills without any issues.
His primary one right now is Gravity Domain, while Mind Flare is there to push those youth in other ways that his domain can't do.
Velvet Eyes enchant mental defenses against Mind Flare alone. Some Walkers could also be resilient enough against something like Mind Flare, by their sheer will and stubbornness. Right now, William doesn't want to know, nor care about thinking about what is his. Well, only one of them is right to his care.
For now, he withstands this attack and that's what is important.
Though he doesn't feel ready to continue with this forced charade, so he goes back to more serious business because his clock ticks to the 5th minute.
Standing on his feet, he gets a small idea, but first, he needs to think of his remaining cycles and stamina.
“It should be enough, right? I have no idea how to discern the amount of potential time of my attacks, so it's about a hunch, or simply gamble my way through it and hope for the best. What a way to do things, really... ” William thinks, feeling quite uncertain about the failure or causes of this trial.
“Why so silent?” Tiberon asks. “You wonder about your limits? let me tell you, you are still failing. All I see is a scared rabbit before a large world. Are you such a rabbit?”
Before William straightens his back, another Mind Flare pushes his mind, following with tides of Gravity that almost stumble him to the ground.
Lost in thoughts, he ventures to his limits, yet his feet stand well. He also figures one thing. He hasn't done a thing. His Vector Claw is right there before him, clumsily remaining beside his hip and doing nothing.
This isn't fitting, albeit he feels his mind takes this damage better than his body. His mentality gets a bit more stubborn, or it takes this more effectively, so his mind remains calmer after a couple of seconds of pain.
“Good. You've already taken what some tool in their last stands. That's more like it, but be careful, I am an individual, and I am going to turn my pressure up a notch since you deserve higher care. Got it? No? Too bad.” Tiber says, still smiling and enjoying this play.
William laments on his back against the wall, figuring this mental attack isn't all that is into this trial. It is there to shake his spirit, but something protects him in every motion. It doesn't get worse, but slightly better, which is an interesting thing.
He thinks this is part of those intangible waves around Tiberon. Possibly some sonic wave he read about. A wind element or space is likely to achieve that, while he couldn't fathom this isn't about gravity, and this spirit shaking is a Skill.
He doesn't have any idea what sort of powers or skills Rank 8 Walker even has. The further paths of Wakers are kind of untold in any kind of document he has read or seen. Those include even the kinds which go outside of his cope of understanding, so he read them with limited knowledge. That is only thanks to his use of Kaufman's full pass card, which he no longer has.
Getting his back together, William gazes forth, figuring he will give something a try after all. He did this only twice with Roman, who found it somewhat annoying, but not so much.
William takes a comfortable stance, facing Tiberon with closed eyes. His strained muscles and shimmering Vectors around his eyes are still visible, but beyond them, a force is awakening, preparing to strike something beyond.
Seeing that, Tiberon only waits for that something, since he is quite interested in what this youth has to offer. He doesn't care to stop it, since this is how most examinations go.
He doesn't wait for long. William opens his eyes, and a small surge of velvet waves pushes worth from his eyes like a sonic boom. It travels right past Tiberon, and his pressure that isn't stopping this attack.
“Huh? This is...” Tiberon says, but before saying more, he grunts and shuts his eyes.
“This... Frick. A physical-based mental attack? You have something nasty like this at this rank?” He says, shaking his head for a single moment since he didn't expect this at all. This has been just a small physical reaction, that would otherwise be completely negligible in normal circumstances. After all, his Rank 8 body is much more resilient and his mental fortitude is at this point, passively stronger than any kind of Rank 7 mental attack of any Dark being.
“Good surprise though, boy. You could use this to your big advantage in life-and-death battles. Just once though. It seems your case of closing your eyes is a big weakness in this sort of attack. You should work on this Skill. This is some great stuff.” Tiberon says the same thing Roman said yesterday, appearing quite delightful about this situation.
“Actually, sir. I thought it would do utterly nothing to you. Is that because you didn't expect it, or are you playing with me?”
“I wonder. I guess we will have to answer each other a question when this Trial is over. 6th minute is over. Time for more so prepares yourself or you will tire yourself out.”
“Jezus... I swear those two had it easy. What sort of thing they had to do, or are their skills very compatible to go against this pressure?” William wonders about Onga's and Rozzante's cases where they were completely unbothered after walking through that door. He already knows he will gasp for his breath when this Trial ends, and he isn't even sure about a win or failure.
Forcing his Velvet Eyes to calm down, William still doesn't turn them off entirely. He still finds them good enough in their supporting powers, while his body is good with Inner Enchantment.
He has two good defenses, which go against Tiberon's pressuring attacks.
This mental strike that he tried has been his little try. It isn't even something his System mentions since it is still unworthy in its effects. It will either go there after further comfortability, or efficiency. It is how many things go in terms of Skills.
Walker can create and figure something out on their own, but it takes time to cater to it before System acknowledges its worth. This Velven Eyes attack is much more potent than it seemed, mainly by its physicality, which affects the eyes, ears, and mind as well. It is quite strong in this case, yet it doesn't do much against Rank 8 Walker, which isn't surprising.
William accepts this failure with clear consciousness, so he wonders about his Annihilation next.
He definitely wants to try to smack this sitting Overseer from his chair. That is the least he could achieve.