I prepared myself to attack with Goldy. I didn't want to get caught up in his attack. While I knew that I couldn't take permanent damage in the Trials. I was still not the biggest fan of pain.

I gave Goldy more complex instructions this time around. After all, we would have to hit the pillar at the same time.

Drake had yet to make it clear if I would be joining the general rankings of the other students. I didn't know if the other new Types would be either.

Without Goldy, I would have no choice but to be in the middle of the pack of the year and the bottom of my class, with hundreds more capable than I was.

With a shout, we surged forward, attacking in unison.

I had told Goldy to focus more on striking the pillar with a bite rather than his body. I wasn't sure if the pillar took more damage from sharper attacks. All I knew was that it would do much more damage to any average person than simply crashing into them.

I wasn't sure about the timing, but it seemed like we managed to strike the pillar simultaneously. Goldy jumped in from the side as I hit it from the front.

It seemed like we did more damage this time around. A lot more sand burst from the back of the pillar, floating in mid-air.

It took a few moments for me to calm down after the attack. I had put every bit of power I could muster into the final punch.

Returning to the starting point after gathering my breath. I looked towards Drake, who again gave no indication of my results.

"That Trial was for a single strike. Now, you will be doing continuous assault."

The pillar reformed in front of me. Turning into a humanoid figure and splitting into three.

Three Sandmen now faced me, each one lacking limbs and a face.

"You will have thirty seconds to deal as much damage to figures in front of you as you can. Are you ready to begin?"

It took me a second to realise what he was asking of me. I decided to position myself and Goldy a little better before I asked for the timer to start.

I wasn't sure if trying to order Goldy whilst attacking would be better. He would be a far better weapon in the Trial, dealing far more damage than I could.

I decided to give him close to free reign while I tried to fill in the gaps.

Finally giving the nod to Drake, the round started.

Goldy and I began on opposite sides, each striking the figure in front of us. The figures reacted similarly to the pillar. Being destroyed before immediately remaking themselves.

While Goldy's bite could latch on far better, damaging the figure continuously, while after my attacks it took a few moments for the figure to return to its original form.

I tried to do as much damage as possible to two of the figures, while Goldy did as much damage as he could to a single one.

After about ten seconds, I told him to switch to the next figure.

I then switched to the two he wasn't targeting. My strikes weren't causing nearly as much damage as Goldy's furious assault.

Finally, I ordered him to attack the last figure, switching my attacks once again.

My timing was better this time, as the round ended not too long after.

I was sure there had been better ways to do it, but I wasn't sure how the scoring worked.

Returning to our spot, it took quite a bit longer to get my breathing under control. The few Trials had taken more out of me than I expected. It was clear that I would have to work on endurance for the foreseeable future.

While I couldn't control my own stats, I could control how well I would utilise them.

"Good, now that the Power Trials are out of the way, we can test your constitution."

Well, it was easy to see the layout of the trials now. Each set of two seemed to match with one of the major stats.

That made me wonder if there was a way to test out special stats. After all, I still needed to figure out what mine did.

I stood still as I waited for the Trial to begin, Goldy standing rigid beside me. I could feel the bond swell slightly. Almost as if he was trying to comfort me.

Before I could appreciate the feeling, I could feel the Trial begin.

A slight tingle began to form all around my body, but that soon grew. It wasn't long before I could feel pulsating pain radiate.

Within seconds, I was breathing heavily, my fists tightly clenched.

I had not been expecting this level of pain. It took everything in my power not to take a knee.

I could hear Goldy's whines from beside me. I was unsure if it was because he was going through a similar pain or out of concern for what was happening to me.

Very soon, I lost all concept of time, only stuck in an ever-growing cycle of pain.

I didn't even realise the moment I crumpled to the ground, the pain stopping in turn.

Before I could recognize what had happened, I was overcome with the shrieks coming from beside me.

Goldy had been going strong, even when I fell. My order kept him standing in place. I could hear his cries echo throughout the arena. I could feel the surges in the bond between us. The violent waves threatening to overcome our souls.

If I wasn't careful, I felt like the bond could break.

"Goldy, sit."

Finally getting my wits about me, I ordered Goldy to the ground.

For a brief moment, I thought the pain would continue.

But relief flooded through me as the bond immediately settled. Goldy's accusing eyes were the only reminder of what we had gone through.

That was far from what I had been expecting. I wasn't sure how long I spent on the ground putting my wits together.

Finally getting to my feet, I looked towards Drake for the first time.

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His face remained unchanged, looking down at us with steely eyes. He continued without even a mention of what had happened.

"Good, the next Trial will be another test of constitution. You will have to make laps on the track."

The second Speed Trial had only been a short and straight gravel track. This new track stretched all around the arena.

I wasn't sure how I felt about continuing the Trials, but Drake gave me no choice.

Goldy and I moved towards the track. I tried to walk as slowly as I reasonably could. While recovering fully was impossible, I did feel better once I arrived at the start of the track.

While running long distances wasn't the most appealing thing. I had run enough in my time that I didn't think I would do too badly.

Beginning the run, I decided to let Goldy run beside me for now. While I did not doubt that he would be able to go further than I could, I decided to keep pace for the moment.

Only after the first lap did I find things growing a little tougher. Not because of my stamina but because I could feel the air around me grow heavier. As if the world itself was trying to weigh me down.

That feeling only grew stronger as the run continued. Goldy seemed to be struggling even more than I was.

He was having difficulties even keeping pace with me by the end of the third lap. Even when I was closer to walking by the end of the fourth.

It was a very different feeling than the pain the arena had caused in the last Trial. This was only mounting pressure that made even moving a step difficult.

It was the first Trial that I did better than Goldy, as he couldn't take a step forward during the seventh lap.

By that point, I thought crawling would be a better option. As I passed him to begin the eighth lap, the pressure became all-encompassing, and I fell flat to the arena floor.

Even with the pressure removed, I took quite some time to get back up.

If Instructor Drake was impatient, he didn't show it, as we made eye contact once I got to my feet.

His look hadn't changed even with that Trial complete.

By this point, I had gone through six of the trials, and I could understand why most only went through four. I was beyond exhausted, and I wasn't looking forward to the final two Trials.

Which, if followed the trend, were based around Spirit. My worst stat.

I took my time making my way back to the centre of the arena. I wasn't sure how much control Drake had over me within the arena, but he didn't rush me as I returned.

Goldy seemed even more fed up than I was, groaning as we got to the centre before lying down by my feet. He didn't want to do much more for the evening.

I wasn't sure if he would have a choice.

"Good. Now we are on the final two Trials. As you might surmise, these will be Trials of Spirit. The first one is easy enough. Place your hands on the podium in front of you and concentrate."

When he finished speaking, a crystal block emerged from the arena floor. Twisting itself into a podium.

I could see right through the crystal. From certain angles, it looked as if nothing was even there.

I wanted the Trials to be over sooner rather than later. So I quickly placed my hand on the crystal, doing my best to concentrate.

A small surge of iridescent colour swirled within the crystal below my hands. As I concentrated, the colours grew in variety and potency.

I grew entranced by the display. I tried to concentrate and keep my hands on the crystal. But before I realised it, my hands were in the air, and the crystal was clear once again.

"You may have one more attempt. Be sure to concentrate."

It took me a second to understand what he said. My brain seemed to falter as if trying to move through a fog. It took Goldy hitting my leg with his head for me to come fully back to the world.

I was a little hesitant to try again. I didn't like how I felt disconnected from the world around me.

Mustering my courage, I placed my hand on the crystal. This time, I ordered Goldy to stay beside me.

It took far longer for the colours to draw me in this time. The steady presence of Goldy, as well as knowing what it was trying to do, allowed me to remain conscious.

Once again, it took me a moment to come back to the world once the crystal had bewitched me. That was a scary experience, and it made it clear that mental strength would be another thing I would have to focus on.

I was getting sick of only looking at Drakes's unimpressed face, but I was soon ready for the final Trial.

The crystal hadn't gone anywhere, but there was a larger crystal behind it this time.

A familiar ball of colour was in the centre.

"Your Trial this time is to keep the spirit orb in the centre of the crystal for as long as possible. I will once again give you two chances."

That made me feel a little better. Placing my hands on the crystal. I could feel a strange new tether touch against my soul.

One that felt familiar. Only there was no other being on the other side, only a mass of energy.

Keeping such a bond under control had become almost an instinct in the time I had been connected with Goldy. So, I found it far easier than I expected to keep the spirit orb in the centre of the crystal.

I was nearly sending out mental orders to keep the orb centred.

As time went on, I could feel the bond grow heavier and heavier, but even then, I managed to keep the Trial going.

I was entirely concentrated on the task, so I didn't feel the time pass by. Finally, the orb grew too heavy for me to control and fell to the bottom of the crystal.

The backlash I felt from the orb falling was much more severe than I expected, sending me to the ground. Over the past hour, I had become far too familiar with the arena floor.

Getting to my feet once again. I felt a little better as I saw that Instructor Drake finally had a change in expression.

I wasn't sure if complete surprise was what I was going for. The expression certainly didn't suit the man.

"Cadet Kajus, have you been lying about your stats?"

I was a little confused about the question. It had never even crossed my mind to try and lie about my stats. Any commander would be able to tell I was lying. I was sure Ivan would have been happy to catch me in such a lie.

"'No Sir, I have been completely honest about my stats."

I called them to make sure that I hadn't lied. There hadn't been a change in the past few days. Not that I had been expecting one, while growth at C rank could be fast. It usually took more than a few weeks for any progress.

He didn't seem to believe me for a moment before he asked me to repeat my special stats.

"Dominion and Control, both of which are C2."

He thought about that for a few moments before looking at me once again.

"Do you have any idea what they do?"

While I could make a few guesses about them, I still needed proof of what they did. Being C-ranked stats, I doubted Goldy could test them to their fullest.

Judging from the Instructor's reaction. He had some idea about what one of them did.

The arena around me disappeared before I could even begin my second attempt. And I was once again below the real arena.

Professor Wright was staring at us both wide-eyed.

"Was that his true result?"

Drake seemed to weigh up how to respond.

"Yes, you saw it correctly. His final spirit Trial was rated at B2."

I looked at Drake, wondering if he would elaborate.

"What does that mean?"

It was Professor Wright who responded.

"It means that you showed the same spiritual control as someone with the average Spirit stat of B2. It's beyond what anyone with your level of Spirit should even be close to capable of."

While I was glad that I wouldn't be the worst for every Trial, as I doubted anyone else would be able to match such a score.

Before I could revel in that fact, Drake turned to look at me, his steely expression returning once again.

"What did you experience in the final trial?"

"I put my hands on the crystal and then felt a connection similar to my bond with Goldy. After that, I did what was asked and tried to keep the orb in the centre of the other crystal."

Both of them looked at me for a few moments. Drake's expression was far more severe.

"What do you mean you felt a bond with the orb?"

"I don't know how else to explain it. It felt like the connection between Goldy and me. But far closer to how it felt at the start. I could also feel that the orb had no consciousness."

Both of them continued their incredulous stares. But I wasn't sure what else I could say. It was how the Trial had felt. While I couldn't be sure how I felt connected with a magitech illusion. The facts were I had.

I decided to broach another topic.

"How did I do for the rest of the Trials?"

While Drake continued to stare at me, Professor Wright did snap out of his gaze.

"About as well as expected, but Instructor, I didn't appreciate your ordering of Trials."

Before I could question what he meant, the professor continued.

"Usually, any constitution trials are left to the end. The fact they were set before the Spirit trials was highly irregular."

If Drake took any offence from what the Professor said, he didn't show it.

Before I could ask any more questions, the Instructor turned on his heels.

"You stay here. I will be back in a few minutes."

I looked to the Professor, with questions clear in my eyes once Drake had left.

"I imagine he has gone to get the Headmaster. I am sure he will be interested in what happened."

"What did happen?"

The Professor took a few moments to answer the question.

"Well, I do not have soul armour myself, so I am not fully sure. But I believe no one else has ever felt such a connection to the orb. The test focuses more on controlling your spiritual power, keeping the ball afloat and not telling the orb to keep itself afloat. That is where the difference comes in and why the Trial had difficulty judging your strength. Or at least that is what I believe."

Before I could even begin to question further, he interrupted me.

"I don't believe I have the knowledge to answer your questions. After all, it isn't something I have ever experienced. It's for the best if you save any of your questions for the Instructor and Headmaster.