It didn’t take us long to reach the academy. Our house was situated near the heart of the city, strategically placed in the inner district thanks to my father’s job and title. This location gave him quick access to his workplace while keeping us close to the city’s bustling core—a balance that deeply influenced our daily lives. Growing up near the inner district meant I was surrounded by vibrant energy and abundant resources that others might not have had. At the same time, living near the district wall brought a grounding perspective, a constant reminder of the stark divide between those inside and outside.
My father often crossed this divide in his work, bridging gaps and offering a unique insight into both worlds. While he valued this proximity for practicality, I appreciated how it shaped my understanding of balance and connection in a city so stratified. And though we lived within the inner district, our home being next to the wall meant my father could enjoy a shorter commute, avoiding the long walks others had to endure.
The school was in the middle district; however, it was also kind of a district unto itself. The entire school was surrounded by a wall and took up more space than a bigger shopping mall back on Earth. Maybe closer to the size of two shopping malls and their parking lots combined.
It took us about 30 minutes to walk to the school’s gate, and by the time we arrived, a large crowd of kids had already gathered, waiting to enter. My dad and I joined the back of the line like everyone else. Knowing it would take hours to get through, I decided to use Mental Reverie. This skill wasn’t just a way to pass the time—it was a tool for focus and introspection, allowing me to organize my thoughts and replay past experiences with crystal-clear clarity.
Using it now reflected my methodical approach to challenges. As I stood in line, I mentally revisited recent training sessions, dissecting every mistake and success to uncover patterns and refine my techniques. It wasn’t just about getting ready for the challenges ahead—it was about striving for self-improvement, one thought at a time. With Mental Reverie, it felt almost like reliving my experiences, fine-tuning combat strategies, and rehearsing movements in my mind. At the same time, I attempted to activate Panoptic Sense, hoping to juggle both skills simultaneously.
Though I couldn’t maintain both at once, alternating between them made the time fly. Before I realized it, we were already near the front of the line.
While I couldn’t get both working at the same time, working on both made the time pass by very quickly. Before I even realized it, we were already at the front. There was an older man, maybe in his late 40’s to early 50’s behind a table and taking down notes. He had salt and pepper hair with a goatee that looked well groomed. I could not tell how tall he was sitting down but I suspected he wasn’t short and his muscles, or lack thereof, made me think he was a scholar of some type.
“Please provide your name, and what your talent is. Does not need to be specifics, but if it is physical in nature or magical. Of course, if you have magic that is physical in nature you can choose physical as well or vice versa.” He said in a bored voice that shows he had said the same thing hundreds of times.
“My name is Jace Obexis, and my talent is magical based armor.” My father and I had discussed what I should say when we got here and decided that my Arcane Armor was the best choice. While my Panoptic Sense is very versatile and can be seen in how I can see all around me. It is something better to be kept hidden. My Mental Reverie skill was not something that could really be shown and while helping me to become stronger and better able to fight, it was also not flashy enough.
“Good enough, go through the gate and stay on the left-hand side of the field. There will be a couple of instructors over there that will assess your ability to fight. You do not have to use your talent, but if you don’t it could affect your overall score. This will change your placement in the school rankings and depending on your rank you get access to certain benefits. Good luck.” The man said in his monotone voice.
I nodded along and when he finished speaking, I walked toward the gate. My heart was pounding with a mix of anticipation and nerves. Each step felt heavy yet purposeful, as I wondered how I would measure up against the others. Questions swirled in my mind—would my abilities stand out, or would they fall short? I took a deep breath, steadying myself with the thought that this was only the beginning of proving what I was capable of.
As we headed toward the area where I would spar with one of the instructors, I thought about if I should use Arcane Armor or not. Not because I was planning on hiding all my abilities, but because I thought that if I did not use it, I would be able to learn to live without it. Making it even more powerful when I had it on.
“For what it’s worth, I recommend you go all out with the instructor. You probably will not be able to hurt them and if you are going all out, they will be able to train you better than if you are trying to hide your abilities. It’s not like you have to use them all the time when you are training.” My father said, as though he could read my mind.
I nodded along, listening to my father. He had never steered me wrong in this life and I trusted his judgement.
Once at the field I looked around and saw all sorts of wonderous things. People flying with fire under their feet, like they had rocket boots strapped on. Others shooting lightning from their hand at targets. One girl had what looked like a dragon coiling around her made of water. The dragon shimmered in the sunlight, its liquid form shifting seamlessly as it twisted around her protectively. Occasionally, it would rear its head, droplets scattering like jewels, as though it were alive and reacting to her movements. The sheer artistry of her magic left me in awe, a striking display of the diverse and extraordinary talents present here.
I made sure to avoid using Identify on the off chance that someone would feel it, but I planned on checking on a few of their talents in the future. What kind of talent gives you magic like that I wondered. As for the more physical people, there was someone that was standing ten feet tall and made of rock. If he was orange, I might expect him to start clobbering everything around him.
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Another girl was turning invisible and moving around multiple people, poking and prodding at them. The most impressive one though was the boy who was standing calmly while an instructor pounded on him with a hammer. It was as though he was completely impervious. How did you fight something that couldn’t be hurt?
I went and stood in the shortest line, preparing for my turn as best as I could. It didn’t take long until it was my turn, and I stood before a man that was almost as wide as he was tall and made of solid muscle. As I did this my father went to the table on the side and informed the person there of who I was.
As I walked into the sparring arena, I made sure to grab two shields and nothing else. I head a few people chuckle and make comments, but I mostly tuned them out, concentrating on the instructor. Other than a slight eyebrow raise he didn’t really have any other reaction to my choice of fighting implements.
With a deep and gravelly voice, like that of most drill instructors, he asked, “That all you need, or you gonna put some armor on too?” As though that was the statement, I was waiting for I activated Arcane Armor. I was covered from head to toe in plate armor, looking ready for war.
The man smirked when I did that and popped his neck. Waiting for the signal to start from the ref to the side of our little arena. In that brief moment before my fight started, time almost seemed to slow. It took everything I had to make sure I didn’t accidentally use Identify on the man, but everything in me wanted to. Using Identify could potentially alert him to my actions, revealing my intent and possibly putting me at a disadvantage. Despite the temptation to uncover his secrets, I knew the risk wasn’t worth jeopardizing my position in this crucial moment. What was no more than a few seconds seemed to take hours before the ref yelled for us to begin.
We both charged, the man probably not expecting me to be aggressive to an opponent I had never fought before. That lead to me being more prepared for how quickly we closed each other and my left arm to lead with a straight and the edge of the shield leading the way. I had learned from my mistake with my father and made sure to keep the strike toward center mass instead of going for his head.
He tried to step around, but I used the momentum generated to swing my left arm down and bring my right arm around. This caused him to step back inside to dodge the downward swing, right into the path of my right where I smashed into him with all the strength that I had.
His eyes went wide as he stumbled slightly back, and I made sure to press my advantage. Stepping forward, I swung my right arm out to bring my left in low and fast into his side, making him grunt once again. With those two strikes I stepped in slightly more and grabbed his collar, tripping him over my leg as I used my strength to throw him as far as I could.
That turned out to be my downfall. Apparently, the man possessed a talent that either enhanced his stability or granted him control over the ground, as he didn’t budge an inch. His stance was solid, almost as if he were rooted to the earth itself. Each move I made seemed to meet an unyielding resistance, forcing me to rethink my approach. It was clear his talent wasn’t just about standing firm—it was a foundation for a counterattacking style, using my own momentum against me. With me off balance the man tried to punish me by punching me in the face. My skill completely blocked the attack but popped. I jumped to get a bit of space, but he stayed on me like white on rice.
From there I used the shields as best as I could while trying to land blows, but without a second to start my skill again it was only a matter of time. After about 3 more minutes of fighting, he had me on the ground, but he was panting and that made me feel so much better.
“Nice job kid, I went a bit harder on you than I should have with that punch, but I’m glad I did. Pretty sure anyone around your age will have a hard time getting through that armor of yours. As for your strength, well that’s why I went a little harder than I should have. Never been hit so hard by a kid before. Depending on how good that armor is on blocking magic you might be the one to beat for the Foundation class. Although Prince Robert might give you a run for your money with his seemingly invulnerability.”
After that, I went to have my armor assessed to determine its true strength. The physical testing was similar to what my father had done, but with multiple evaluators working together to provide a more accurate estimate. However, the magical testing was a completely different experience—bizarre and fascinating in equal measure. The mage conducting the evaluation used a spell that was devastating to rocks and magical constructs but had no effect on living beings. What made it even stranger was how my Arcane Armor responded. When the spell was directed at it, the armor seemed to reject its very existence, leaving the spell utterly ineffective. Watching the mage's reaction—a mix of disbelief and frustration—only added to the surreal nature of the test. It was as though the armor operated on a plane of logic entirely its own, unaffected by conventional magical principles.
We ended up getting a mage to cast wind blades at me until Arcane Armor broke. When it finally did, I was left with nothing more than a small cut on my arm—and a wind mage staring at me as though I were her worst nightmare. Her reaction was one of sheer disbelief; her attacks, which should have shredded my armor, barely left a scratch. Watching her frustration gave me a surge of confidence, a tangible reminder of just how formidable my Arcane Armor truly was.
Yet, amidst the pride, a cautious thought lingered. What if I faced someone who could exploit a weakness I hadn’t discovered yet? The moment was a blend of exhilaration and reflection, forcing me to acknowledge both the strengths and potential vulnerabilities of my defense. It became clear that I had only scratched the surface of what my armor could do. If a skilled mage like her struggled against it, there was no telling how far I could push its limits with proper training and experience.
This realization strengthened my resolve, filling me with a cautious optimism about what lay ahead. The sheer durability of my armor had likely shaken her confidence in her own abilities, making her question whether her magic was even effective against someone like me. According to her, the amount of power she was putting into her attacks was what she would expect to use against a purely magical defense talent. That comparison only fueled my determination to unlock the full potential of my abilities and ensure I stayed ahead of any challenge to come.
With the testing done, my father and I were told to go to another table where we were given a key and a hand drawn map depicting where everything was on campus. They key had a name on it that I presumed belonged to my dorm. We were also told that tomorrow morning would be an orientation for everyone in the Foundation classes to attend.
With that, my father walked me to my room. As we stood in the doorway, an unspoken heaviness settled between us. He placed a hand on my shoulder, his grip firm but comforting. "You’ve got this, Jace," he said, his voice steady, though there was a hint of emotion he rarely let show. "Remember, you’re stronger than you think, but strength isn’t just about power—it’s about knowing when to fight and when to stand tall."
I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Thanks, Dad. I won’t let you down," I managed to say, trying to keep my voice from wavering. He pulled me into a brief but solid hug, and for a moment, I felt like a little kid again, safe and grounded. As he stepped back and gave me one last look, I could see the pride in his eyes, a silent assurance that he believed in me completely.
After he left, I stood in the quiet room, the enormity of what lay ahead settling over me. Taking a deep breath, I began to prepare myself for my time at Ascension, determined to live up to his faith in me.