As daylight begins to peak into a bedroom, a young man is stirred awake. The chirping of birds and smell of cooked meat creeped into his room. The man slowly awoke as he rubbed his eyes and did a small stretch. By turning his head side to side, he scanned his room and got to his feet. Clearly still groggy from his rest, he grabs a change of clothes and exits the room. He then entered the bathroom and prepared for his day. The man brushed his teeth and then turned on the shower. As steam began to occupy the mirror, he knew the water was warm enough to get in.
The man then slowly, yet carefully, stepped into the shower and stood there. An expression of boredom was painted across his face. He lets out a tired sigh, as if this routine was beneath him, as if he loathed this moment of intimacy with one's self, as if he hated himself. After showering, the man stepped out and began to get dressed. He wiped away the steam that clouded the mirror.
This man had a pale blue hue in his eyes, slightly tanned skin with several small patches of freckles, and short, curly black hair. His figure occupied a majority of the mirror, highlighting his height, as well as his mildly athletic build. Though he did have muscle, it wasn't much of an abundance of such, indicating this was his natural physique.
What his eyes lacked in potency were compensated with beauty. Though the man clearly showed discomfort in looking at himself, he paused for a moment and focused on his eyes. His eyes had always made him uneasy due to the contrast with his overall appearance. He holds little importance in his looks, but his eyes seemed to be deemed acceptable. The man then began to stroke his chin. His fingertips hardly making contact with his skin, as if he were fragile. His thumb then began brushing the small cluster of hairs on his chin. There wasn't many, but for whatever reason, he kept them there. He then started to massage from the area underneath his nose to right atop the chin. He did so in an oval shaped fashion, as if he could forcibly make new hairs appear. As his finger journeyed along his skin, The man makes a small frown noticing droplets of water falling down his face.
He then looked at himself and made a snapping motion with his left thumb and middle finger. He attempts this several times before becoming frustrated.
"Ugh, come on!" the man said in a tone of annoyance. It finally worked and a minor gust of air swells between his fingers and hits his face. With an angered expression painted on his face, he analyzed himself in the mirror before changing and exiting the bathroom.
"Shōshin! Can you hurry up and get out of bed! Your food is going to get cold!" A voice shouted as he shut the bathroom door.
"One second mother! I'll be right down!" Shōshin said as he walked down the stairs.
Shōshin then went down the stairs to enter the kitchen. His mother was busy cooking. Sensing he arrived, she turned to meet him with a smile and open arms. This woman held the same eyes as Shōshin, yet had straight blonde hair with a few grey strands lurking around her head. Her skin tone was slightly lighter than her son's, as well as lacking any sort of freckles upon her face. She laid out several plates for their meal. A dish with, what appeared to be a sort of stew and laid out another, soon to have whatever seared meat she was preparing. He had sat down and began to sample the stew. His mother hummed as she continued to cook their meal.
"Now, I know that you are nervous, but I believe in you!" She said as she eagerly brought the cooked meat to a plate.
"Thank you...but I have faith in my abilities..." Shōshin mumbled with minor hesitance as he watched his mother transfer the dishes to the sink.
"I know honey! I still remember when you were only up to my waist clinging to me! You'd ramble on and on about how strong you'd become! I always had fait-" The woman's words were halted by a sudden crash of a glass to the floor.
Shōshin jumped to his feet, analyzed his mother, and then let out an exhausted sigh as he carefully began to collect the fragments of glass one bye one. "Y'know, he is gone...you don't have to act anymore.." He said in a blunt tone that conveyed pain.
Shōshin's words hung in the atmosphere, with a lingering ugliness filling the room for what felt like ages. His mother then broke the silence:
"Whatever do you mean dear? I'm so excited I simply couldn't contain myself! I just want you to pass you exam! Now hurry off, I can finish cleaning." His mother said before continuing her hum as she crouched down and started cleaning her mess.
Shōshin then darted back up to his room, debated on grabbing a bag, decided against it, and exited his home. Shōshin's mother then walked to the window to see him off. Her right hand began to shake as she grabbed it. "Honey...I can't stop now...I can't stand to see what I become if I do..." she said with a tiny sniffle as she returned to cleaning up her mess.
Shōshin took several heavy breathes as he blew on his hands. He looked up towards the sky as he sniffed the air.
"It's turning colder. I wonder if mom will be okay." Shōshin thought as his hands scooped at the air, as if they could latch onto it.
He then turned around and sighed once he couldn't see his home any longer. His brain remained jumbled at the sight laid before his eyes moments ago. In an attempt to compose himself, he began to rub his hands together as he continued to walk. "Tsk." Shōshin shook his head and grumbled. "I'm gonna have to tell her-" It is then that his vocalized thought was interrupted by a sudden booming voice.
"HELLO EVERYONE! I AM SO GLAD TO GREET YOU ALL ON THIS LOVELY DAY!" The voice shouted out for all to hear. As this boastful man announced his message, Shōshin's body shuddered from the raw volume. "FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW, MY NAME IS J. FORTUNE, AND TODAY IS THE ANNUAL EXAM TO GAIN ACCEPTANCE INTO THE ILLUSTRIOUS PRINCETON ALL ENCOMPASSING MAGICAL ACADEMY! THIS SCHOOL PROMOTES EQUALITY ABOVE ALL! REGARDLESS OF CIRCUMSTANCE, EXPERIENCE, AND LINEAGE! IT DOES NOT MATTER WHO YOU WERE, RATHER WHO YOU'LL BECOME! FOR THIS INTEGRAL IDEALS IS WHY MAGES HAVE FLOCKED ALL OVER THE CONTIENENT OF KYOGURENA TO PARTAKE IN THIS EXAM. OVER 300 PARTICIPANTS ENTER AND ONLY THE TOP 50 ARE ALLOWED A SPOT TO ATTEND THE ACADEMY! THE EXAM HAS VARIOUS UNSPOKEN ASPECTS THAT ARE CONSTANTLY EVALUATED! SO BE ON GUARD AND I HOPE YOU FOLKS CONSIDER YOURSELF LUCKY! THIS YEAR, THIS VERY EVENT WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE NEUTRAL DISTRICT! HELP YOURSELVES TO SPECTATING THE EXAM & MAKE SURE YOU SPREAD SUPPORT FOR ALL WHO PARTICIPATES!"
As J's broadcast came to an end, Shōshin's pace increased as he constantly looked over his shoulder. "Great, now I have to make sure I get there early..." he thought to himself as he raced towards the venue.
A mob of people clamored the streets. Some spectators, while some occupied local businesses. The Neutral District was the apex of human interaction. Thousands of conversations filled the immediate area. Shōshin tried to navigate through the crowd of people, but ultimately failed. He remained at a standstill, and flopped down and sat at a nearby street corner. As he sat there defeated, he wondered about the exams. His face filled with anxious anticipation, so much so he began to sweat. He got lost in thought until he felt a tug at his shoulder. Shōshin looked over and saw a little girl. This mysterious girl wasn't even half of Shōshin's height. She had pale skin and short, blonde hair. She released her grasp on his sleeve and flashed a small plush animal in his face. The plush appeared to be some sort of bear-like creature. She held it there in silence for a moment, before speaking:
"What's the matter mister? I saw you look all scared." The girl said behind the bear, allowing the toy to hold the conversation in her stead.
After raising a brow, Shōshin replied "I'm not scared.." He then facepalmed and took a more stern tone. "Why do I have to talk to a bear?"
Ignoring his question, she continued talking through the bear. "My mommy told me that whenever you're afraid to face something, as long as you face it, even with your eyes closed it counts!"
"Listen, fear isn't so simple to handle. When you're older, you'll get the understanding of fear. Am I afraid right now? Heck no! I just...I am caught in a lie that-" Shōshin then caught himself and put up a vail of silence. For the first time, he observed the small child. The vibe she gave off confused him immensely, to the point the hair on his arms stood up. Shōshin then looked at his hand and took one final look at the girl and the toy. He extended his hand and patted the toy on its head.
"Thank you, your mom is very smart, continue to listen to her." Shōshin said in a kind tone. His body language returned to normal. The sweating seized and the feeling of anxiety dissipated.
The child giggled. "Okay mister! Just remember!" the girl said before closing and then pointing to her eyes as she clutched her toy. "Even if you look away, if you still move forward, you tackle fear!"
She then skipped into the crowd down the street and disappeared from sight.
Shōshin sighed softly as he clasped his fist tight. He inspected his closed hand and a small smile crept in on his face. "I think...I'll be able to face her now."
As he collected himself once more, now filled with determination, Shōshin hurried through the crowd. Ducking, squeezing, and zipping through all sorts of people. By overhearing the multiple conversations, he managed to head in the right direction to the exam grounds. After traversing through hundreds of people, he finally saw a massive opening at the end of the crowd.
Before his eyes was a grand, paved array of stone tablets on the ground. They stretched out to a small portion of the Neutral District. Before him laid hundreds of competitors all across the assorted stone.
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By scanning the crowd, Shōshin's attention was drawn to a few individuals. First, a boy who appeared to be roughly his age. He had long, black hair that dropped down his face with spiky tips at the end. The man also sported a healed gash on the left side of his temple. The scar itself didn't look recent, however, it didn't hinder his appearance. His skin was tone of peach. He held a tense expression upon his face whilst gripping a staff that appeared to be made of some stony like material. The clothes he wore looked geared for combat. They exposed a bit of his abdomen, which was fairly muscular. Sporting a build similar to his own as well how he stood, Shōshin could only think:
"He's kind of cool"
Another individual that caught his attention. A girl with light, green hair. Her eyes were solid black. He seemed alarmed at this.
"Freaky" he thought as he continued to look on.
Upon further inspection, he noticed how petite she is. Not only was she below what the normal height a woman should be, she was also scarily thin.
"Even I could've probably knock her down"
His attention fluctuated between a man who had bandages concealing his face, a woman with orange hair, a man with pointy ears, and a man sporting fangs. With his analysis concluded, he looked on as a loud tapping sound could be heard.
"Hello...?" J. Fortune asked as he fiddled with a small device. "Ah, It works! Welcome all to the annual Illustrious Princeton All Encompassing Magical Academy entrance exam! I am your host, J. Fortune, and will the help of several instructors at the academy, we'll be able to evaluate your performance. We simply need to gauge your general combat strength, so this stage...will become a battlefield!"
The crowd of mages remained silent, expect for a few small murmurs.
Without hesitation, the dark hair boy that Shōshin saw stamped his foot. Doing so caused a pillar of rock to erect from the ground. He stood firmly and looked down on everyone in attendance. He took an exaggerated deep breath and shouted to the crowd:
"MY NAME IS FLINT! COME FACE ME IF YOU DARE! I'LL SHOW MY WORTH!" As Flint's voice boomed for all ears to hear, Shōshin couldn't look away. As he stared upward at Flint, he thought to himself:
"Flint..., that guy is really cool!"
The man with pointed ears then smiled and began to scale the pillar constructed by Flint. "I'll show you true combat!" He howled as he sped up the pillar. Flint then jumped down and met him halfway. The man with pointed ears immediately adapted an expression of fear. "Wh-" He was swiftly met with Flint's full weight landing on his midsection. Flint then continued his assault until using the man as a cushion for his descent. All who witnessed this were spun into a frenzy and began an all out brawl.
"THAT IS PASSION! THAT IS GRIT! AND THAT IS OUR FIRST STAND OUT PARTICIPANT, FLINT!" J. Fortune narrated to the brawl.
As the brawl continued, the spectators would see immense magics clashing. The raw magical power emitted from this bout made it hard to contain any excitement. The common folk were caught up in the chaos and began cheering for their favorite fighters.
"I wanna see Flint win!" Shouted a man with a beard.
"No way! That guy with the white hair is so cool! Look how he throws a punch!" Said a scrawny fellow in retaliation.
The two men began to bicker back and forth, but Shōshin was too fixated on the battles to care. Scanning the entire scene, he saw a multitude of elements being spun and twisted around in the air. He felt entranced by this exam and all those people involved. As his heart pounded heavily after every hit endured, it was then he noticed a small stuffed animal far away on the ground. His eyes widened as he looked once more. There was no mistake, it was the little girl's toy.
Shōshin then panicked. He began to tap the shoulder of everyone nearby in an attempt to get them to listen but the battle had begun to ramp up. Everyone present was too focused on the fights that Shōshin's plan failed.
"Maybe that Fortune guy can make an announcement? I didn't get too good of a look at him anyways, plus it'll be silly to stop this major exam for a children's toy."
Shōshin, committed to his rationalization, but then thought:
"What if it is there cause she got hurt..."
Shōshin inched a foot forward as he debated about retreating into the crowd. He then closed his eyes and imagined the smile she gave him. It wasn't too peculiar to see a child smile, but what is off about them is emotion. A child doesn't have a way to conceal happiness or fear.
"What if she's crying somewhere? What if she gets hurt? I'm the only one who knows she could be there..."
Shōshin then took a large gulp, tried to suppress any thoughts that would conflict him moving forward, put his hands over his face, and ran onto the field.
Fireballs filled the air, the cry of wild animals, and a storm of foreign material all circulated around Shōshin. As he dashed around the battlefield, Shōshin focused on two things. Retrieving the doll, and locating the child. When the doll was within arm's reach, a stray fireball flew directly towards him, but luckily was blocked by something. An orb of similar size smacked into it, causing it to fizzle into nothingness. Shōshin was too afraid to take a look at what was going on before him, so this went completely unnoticed. After what felt like forever, Shōshin finally reached the small stuffed toy. He let out a sigh of relief and picked it up.
"This is definitely her doll, now where is she?"
Shōshin squinted as he patrolled the exam grounds. The massive carnival of mana was so much his head began to hurt. Whilst having one hand covering his head, and the other holding her doll, he tried to avoid contact with all the hectic competitors as he continued his search. Shōshin was practically invisible due to the scale of this stage. Like a crafty rat, Shōshin pussyfooted through the combat until he saw a worrisome scene. A mage wielding fire expended an open palm to the little girl, ready to strike. Using all his strength, Shōshin dashed over and tackled her out of the way as the man propelled a burst of flame, scorching the ground.
"What are you doing here!" Shōshin shouted at the little girl.
"I-I'm sorry! I was looking for my toy! I lost it and thought it would be here..." She saw Shōshin had been clasping it and beamed from ear to ear. "You found it!"
"I did, you're lucky. But what kind of logic is that? Plus why is he attacking you!"
"Hey!" The mage called out.
Shōshin finally examined his appearance. His build was nothing too special. He sported a buzz cut, white skin, and average height. This man had as much flavor as tap water.
"You're wondering why I'm frying that girl? Well first, she insulted me. Second, she kept bugging me about some stupid doll. Plus, those eyes. I don't like them. They bug me something fierce. So move out my way, I'm gonna take care of her."
Shōshin sensing the tension in the air stood up and spread his arms outward. Fearing for the girl's safety, he tried to speak to the mage.
"Listen man! She's just a kid. Let her wonder off. It's a bad look for a mage to be such a thug."
"A thug? How insulting, I'm a modest guy who just does what he wants, and I wanna hurt that kid. Now move, I'm not repeating myself."
Shōshin turned his head to look at the child. He forced a smile and nodded to her before turning around.
"I can't let..." he muttered, avoiding eye contact.
"Huh? Speak up! I'm seriously low on patience!"
"I can't let you hurt this little girl! I'm gonna take her away from here and save her from...thugs like you!" He yelped out.
The thug looked Shōshin up and down before exploding into laughter.
"BWAHAHAHA! Save who? I doubt ya understand but you are literal bottom of the barrel!" Though filled with anxiety and fear, Shōshin couldn't help but be perplexed at his odd insult. "I doubt you'd realize this yourself but a common wild animal probably holds more mana than you. You are seriously outclassed. I get putting on a front for a girl, but doing it to look cool in front of a child? Down right depressing! You are gonna be the first fish I fry here! Being allowed at this exam proves I'm in the top 300 of the next generation of mages. A body or two won't bury my name before I can reach the top!" The thug said coldly.
A chill then shot down Shōshin's spine. "This guy is serious! He really wants to kill me! I'll just grab the kid and run! she's right behind me, I can do this. I'll use all my might and run away!" The second Shōshin completed his thought, he was met with an intense heat. Confused, he hardly perceived the incoming blow. With a fist reinforced with flame, the thug prepared to strike.
Shōshin couldn't process this sudden change in events. He felt as if time stood still as he ponders what will become of him.
"What? For real? There is no way he is that fast. I couldn't even let out a breath or respond to him. This is power? It is terrifying! Is it almost here? When will it happen? Now? In a second? In five seconds? I don't like pain, but I hate the anticipation to it even more. I hate things that get dragged out. I don't want this to last any longer. Why did I even move...?" Shōshin gritted his teeth, bracing for impact. He was well aware of the reality of his situation. Within a moment, he'll be planted into the ground by this man's full strength. A realization washed over Shōshin. "I jumped in due to her kindness. She saw me in a pitiful state and rather than laugh, she uplifted me. I suppose that is what a relationship is? Give and take...! The least I can do is make sure one little girl doesn't get hurt! C'mon I can't be that embarrassing!"
In a final act of desperation, survival, and luck, Shōshin instinctually blocked his vision by putting the little girl's stuffed animal in front of his face. He thought back to what she had said to him. "Even if you face it without looking it counts right! I'll accept the pain, and that'll give her time to escape. That is all I can manage...but that is wrong! I'm afraid. It is going to be painful. Ever part of my body is telling me to run! I wish I could just blast him away!"
"Eat shit, you scrub!" The thug called out as the flame upon his hand burned brighter.
Shōshin prematurely winced at the pain and made a snapping motion with his left thumb and middle finger.
A faint whooshing sound filled the area as a baby blue aura then outlined Shōshin's frame, being the most potent from the small toy. The aura that surrounded him condensed itself and retreated to the fingers he just snapped. The compiled aura then released, firing of a massive wave of wind. The impact smacked the thug directly in his core. Shōshin's gamble had so much force behind it, the thug's feet began to drag and tear at the ground beneath him as he was sent rag dolling back through the air before crashing into a nearby building. The colored aura then slowly disappeared from Shōshin. He fell to one knee due to fatigue and relief. His body felt heavy yet hollow at the same time. Shōshin took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and got to his feet.
As Shōshin steadied himself, he analyzed his surroundings. He saw the motionless man that he blasted away, a small crater that stretched far ahead of him, and noticed a flow of new life in the air.
"No way! That was...me? Could I really manage something like that?"
Astonished by what just happened, he turned around with a nervous smile.
"Ya see that! You're safe n-" As he spoke, he realized the little girl was no longer behind him. Her small stuffed animal was no longer in his hand. Before he could question it, he then faltered slightly as a ringing occupied his ears, his vision blurred, and he felt a warm sensation spread from the core of his stomach. After taking a moment to collect himself, he simply chose to ignore it.
"It probably just got blasted away when-"
Shōshin then felt a hand touch his shoulder. Shōshin's entire frame shuddered upon contact. The fear that Shōshin had prior was nothing compared to now. He knew full and well whatever was touching him held unfathomable pressure. The slightest contact swarmed his emotions into a frenzy, however, he remained frozen. Unable to move away, his body shook, a voice coming from behind him then called out:
"Woah! That was insane! The best way to describe it is probably...unrefined beauty! I'm Omoi, Let's chat".