DAY ONE
NINE DAYS UNTIL THE FIRST EVALUATION
”Knock twice then state your full name. The door will scan for your biosignature, and the door will open once you are recognized.”
Seiji stood beside Thea at the end of an alley near the tall building that housed the System Ceremony. Before him was a light brown door with the words ‘Training Hall 13’ engraved on a golden plaque at Seiji’s eye level. He turned to Thea and nodded, thanking her once again for her assistance. When she disappeared into the streets of Haven, Seiji took a breath. It was now or never.
“Seiji Otsuki,” he said after knocking as instructed. Just then, two wisps of green light fluttered out from inside the door, orbiting Seiji with the sound of a lit fuse. After they circled him about ten times, the lights dissipated with an audible pop. Just then, Seiji’s system appeared before him without his prompting.
WELCOME TO TRAINING HALL 13
CURRENT OCCUPANT(S): CORA LAMBROS
MAY YOUR SESSION BE FRUITFUL, SERVANT OTSUKI
He winced as he saw Cora’s name, reminded again of the events from the day prior. Rather than dwell on them, though, Seiji gritted his teeth and opened the door.
The training hall was far simpler than Seiji imagined it’d be. It was held together by wooden scaffolding along each of the walls, illuminated by a single bright lantern in the center of the ceiling. A white banner outlined in gold hung over a plank on each wall, the drawing of a dove carrying an axe in its talons prominently displayed in the center.
Cora sat in the middle of the room, silently meditating with her back to the entrance. She wore a simple black tank top, olive-brown cargo pants, and tall black boots. Seiji felt a pang of relief upon seeing her outfit. He wore one of his black compression shirts, black cargo pants, black boots, a red jacket, and fingerless gloves. Seiji wanted to be presentable for Cora, but he also wanted to dress for battle. Thankfully, she clearly wasn’t the type to favor style over necessity.
“How was your morning? Did everything go well?” Cora asked, slowly turning to meet his gaze. When their eyes met, her ears perked up slightly. She pointed, “Nice haircut.”
“Thanks,” Seiji responded, taken aback by her lack of anger. He’d expected to have to talk her down for the day, bitter about being embarrassed at the System Ceremony. Though he knew he’d apologize regardless, he decided to answer her question.
“It was smooth. They didn’t provide me with a bucket and ladle, so I needed to use that ‘shower’ thing.” He gestured to himself. “The clothes were higher quality than I expected them to be, so that was a good surprise. The food tasted good, too. I had leftovers from last night.”
When she asked, Seiji told her about the food he ordered. A part of him hoped she would’ve made some kind of joke at the amount of food he requested, but she seemed entirely unphased by it. Instead, she seemed more intrigued by what he ordered rather than the amount. Unsure where to take the conversation afterward, he asked her about her own morning routine.
Hers was much the same as his, with the exception that she had an absolutely massive breakfast. When he asked about it, Cora told him that bodies as powerful as hers required larger amounts of food to function – adding that he’d eventually be the same. Though she likely didn’t intend them to, the words pricked him regardless. She expected him to join her in power by the end of the Exams, and that wouldn’t happen if they weren’t able to work together.
Seiji approached Cora and seized her by the shoulders. Though her eyes widened a bit, she didn’t move. In fact, she looked a bit… sad? Her ears fell slightly, and she didn’t look him in the eyes.
I hope she doesn’t feel guilty about yesterday.
Of course she did. Not only did Seiji call her out publicly, he made a scene while he did it. Even if Thea said a few others did the same, he was the first, and Cora had to deal with the effects of that. Gathering his wits, he looked Cora in the eye and spoke.
“I sincerely apologize, Cora Lambros. I let old demons affect me. You have far more experience with this world than I do, and I was a fool not to trust your judgment. You have my word that I will do whatever is necessary to make amends for the injustice I have caused you.”
Seiji kept his eyes on Cora, waiting for anything. He’d given similar apologies plenty of times in his previous life for various reasons, oftentimes on behalf of the Hidden Hand for a mistake they made. Rarely did he need to apologize for himself. Seiji hoped he did well enough. It was as that thought came that Cora finally spoke, her tone low.
“You shouldn’t apologize to me, Seiji. I should have consulted you before choosing your class. You had every right to be upset with me. I’ve always had a problem with acting without thinking, and yesterday I paid the price for that.”
“No! I was the one that messed up!” Catching his tone, he corrected himself. “I’ve spent a long time thinking about this, I wouldn’t have you apologizing for my mistake.”
“I’ve messed up as well, Seiji.” Cora grabbed his hands from her shoulders, gently removing herself from his grasp. “I need to be better if I’m to be your Cadet.”
For a long while, the two stood in silence. They just stared at one another, as if waiting for the other to absolve them of their guilt. Cora, for one, truly did look guilty. Her ears sagged just as they had when Seiji yelled at her, her head held low as her eyes wavered between him and the floor. Seiji wasn’t sure how he looked, but he wanted her to see someone confident – not someone trying to seem confident.
“...should you find yourself overcome by anything – be it past demons or current struggle – you would do well to speak to Cora.”
Seiji recalled Thea’s words as he attempted to think of something to say. He smiled softly, silently thanking Thea for having been so helpful. If he and Cora won the Exam, he’d be sure to give the butler a bit of his stipend.
“I know we’ve had our difficulties, but we’re going to be partners for the next thirty days. If we’re going to succeed, we need to communicate. If we ever have problems with each other, or we’re about to make a big decision, let’s talk first. Okay?”
Cora weighed his words, her ears rising and falling as she thought. After a while, she cracked a smile. Seijis’s heart unclenched the moment he saw it, relief washing over him like a wave.
“Thar’s fair.” She extended a hand, and the two shook. When Seiji tried to pull away, she squeezed his hand, pulling him dangerously close. “But the next time you act out like that in public, I’ll show you just how strong I really am”
Though her words were sharp, her tone and expression was not. Seiji laughed, though he doubted Cora was joking. He voiced his understanding, and just like that the uncomfortable atmosphere vanished.
The two spent a long while after that catching up, once again going over their morning routines as well as the immediate aftermath of the System Ceremony. Cora spoke about how smug Selene had been but laughed as she recalled twisting it into another round of colorful insults, prompting the horned girl to curse her and storm off. Though he wanted to tell Cora all about his clothing requests, he decided to focus on something that’d been bothering him for a while.
“I asked for daggers and a tach–... a curved sword from Thea, and she referred to them as ‘unaspected’. Do you know what that means?”
“Elemental,” Cora answered. “It’s more complicated than that, but I’ll give you the simple version.” She extended a hand. “If this is clear water,” She extended another hand. “Then an Aspect is dye.”
“So, do we get to pick our own, um, color?”
“Sort of,” Cora shrugged. “You can only have a single Aspect, and that Aspect depends on what your body aligns with. If you grew up in a swamp, you’re far more likely to have an earth or a Water Aspect, for example. Someone like me, who grew up in Haven, will likely have an Air Aspect when the time comes.”.
“What about me then? There was a lot of rain in The Ardor, but it was also quite dark. The sun rarely showed itself.”
“You’ve answered your own question, then. You’ll likely develop either a Water Aspect or a Shadow Aspect.” Before Seiji could ask, Cora elaborated. “The elements can get very abstract. The most abstract aspect I know of is the Atmospheric Aspect. That’s what my father has, and it gives him light control over the four natural elements: water, earth, fire, and air.”.
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Seiji nodded. “So, if I develop a Water or a Shadow Aspect, and I get an Aspected weapon, I could have a dagger made of shadows?”
Cora smiled. “Mhmm! Cool, huh? My father sometimes fights with these dual swords, one of fire and one of air. It’s so cool when they combine! I remember during training…”
As they spoke, Seiji couldn’t help but think back to Cora’s decision to make him a Mage. As he listened to her talk about Aspected weapons, it became clear that Mage was easily the ideal choice for him – regardless of his prior fighting style. Seizing the opportunity, he decided to steer the conversation.
“I guess I should start learning how to fight with magic, then? Who knows when I’ll develop my Aspect.”
Cora seemed taken aback by the comment, straightening at the words. After a breath, she chuckled softly.
“Aspects take years to develop, you know. I don’t even have one, yet!” She shrunk into a battle stance, her eyes trained on him. “But you are correct. Come at me. I need to access your combat ability before magic can be introduced.”
Seiji was surprised by how quickly she’d been ready to begin training. A bit more awkwardly than he would’ve liked, he lowered himself into a battle stance.
With a blur, Cora kicked off her back foot and lunged for Seiji. He sidestepped her attack, using it as an opportunity to attack her exposed stomach with an uppercut. Though his attack connected, she didn’t react to it at all – instead turning to slam a palm into his chest.
Seiji flew backward, his back slamming against the back wall.
This is the second time she’s slammed me into a wall…
Unlike the first time, however, he was surprised by how little pain he felt. Sure, his own attack did absolutely nothing to her, but all the same her attack barely hurt him – despite how far back it launched him. Cora must’ve read his astonishment, because she spoke up as she approached him.
“It’s your Health. Once you advanced to Tier One, your body became far more durable. The higher your Health, the more durable your body.”
He’d remembered that from the System Ceremony, but hearing it and experiencing it were two entirely different things. Seiji hobbled to his feet, brushing dust and debris from his clothes before speaking again.
“Is that why my punches feel so weak?”
“Somewhat,” Cora responded. “You’re stronger than you were just yesterday, but not by that much.” She smiled softly as she approached him. “As my father said, you have access to my strength, but you can’t use it all. Right now, your body is yearning for water and you can only drink a capful a day.” She stood before him and placed hands on her hips, pride clear on her face. “It’s called ‘Servant Dissonance’. The further you advance, the less Servant Dissonance you feel.”
While it made perfect sense, Seiji didn’t like the sensation all that much. Clearly, he wasn’t alone in that feeling, otherwise, it wouldn’t be a named phenomenon. Seiji supposed it made sense for both Servant and Cadet to be tested during the Exam, so he dropped his growing frustrations with a sigh. Cora backstepped to the center of the training hall, reaching it in just two kicks. She lowered into a battle stance once again, ushering for Seiji to do the same. He did, preparing once again to resume training. If he wanted to move past this ‘Servant Dissonance’, Seiji needed to advance – and he wouldn’t do that by complaining.
After seven hours, Seiji managed to fall into a rhythm against Cora. He was quite the adaptable fighter, as he’d been trained to be, so Seiji found it relatively easy to dance around Cora’s punches and kicks. He knew better than to attempt to land his own, though. Each time he’d try, Cora would either slam him into the wall with a palm or send him flying into the ceiling with a kick. Seiji was surprised nothing in the room had broken, and Cora informed him that the building was reinforced by magic. She decided then to prove it by spinning him by the feet and throwing him head-first into the wall. He began to suspect that Cora was taking out her anger from the System Ceremony on him. When Seiji asked as much, she gave him a drawn-out “No~” before kicking him into the ceiling again.
When the eighth hour approached, Seiji’s movements began to get sluggish. More of Cora’s attacks began to land, and he began to feel the effects of getting kicked around. His moves began to get desperate, and Cora exploited that with swift deflections and takedowns. After a particularly powerful punch to the stomach, Seiji struggled to reach his feet. Cora helped him up, thankfully, and beckoned him to land ‘one more attack’ before ending for the day.
He did as such, running at her with a clearly telegraphed punch. What Seiji was expecting was for her to sidestep his feint. He’d dodge whatever she responded with and attempt to break her balance for a simple attack. What he wasn’t expecting was for a fist coated in blue flames to attack him in his stomach, bringing him to his knees. Seiji tried to stand to his feet, but couldn’t. Pain consumed him, burning at the origin and spreading across his body. He lay on his back, breathing hard as vision left him. Cora sank down to meet him, her voice muffled.
“Sorry! I forgot you’re still so… erm.” Cora coughed. “I’m used to training with stronger opponents!”
As the pain slowly subsided, he found himself once again surprised by his new body. A blow that intense should’ve left him out of commission for days. Instead, the pain subsided by the second. After about a minute, Seiji leaned forward, thankfully supported by Cora. He didn’t take offense at her words. To his own shock, he felt excited. He’d always taken pride in being powerful, he wasn’t used to being knocked around and toyed with. Seiji thought about the other Servants at the System Ceremony. So many of them struggled even with their Tier 1 advancement. He remembered Lirio, that puppy doing his best wolf impression. Was that supposed to be his competition? His goals went far beyond the Valkyrie Exam, and if he wanted to achieve them, he needed power like Cora’s. He turned to her a bit too quickly, clearly taking her by surprise.
“Tell me how!” He blurted, eyes wide.
“I… well…” Cora blurted, but Seiji continued.
“That blue fire! Tell me what that was! I need to know!”
Cora stood to her feet, pulling a still-trembling Seiji up with her. She considered her words for a while before she spoke again.
“That was Dragon Fury, the technique you currently–”
Seiji tried to speak, but Cora stopped him with a hand.
“In truth, you’re able to do it now, but you need to just… will it. The same way you will your System.
Almost immediately, Seiji began punching at the air, imagining his fists coated with blue fire.
Nothing happened.
When he looked at Cora, she met him with an almost regretful look. Seiji waited for her to speak again, hoping she had some sort of insight for him. She paced around the training hall a bit, her eyes changing from regretful to considering. When she perked up and exclaimed, “Mist Breathing!”, Seiji felt his hopes rise.
“Sit down, cross your legs, and close your eyes!” Cora shouted. “Now!”
Seiji did as he was told. Though she didn’t tell him to, he folded his hands on his lap and evened out his breathing. Clearly, this was some sort of meditative exercise, so he wanted to make sure the environment was right. He emptied his mind, waiting for Cora to speak again. When she did, her voice was calm, serene, almost maternal. It caught Seiji off guard, and it took him effort not to audibly react.
“Imagine your body, surrounded by white mist. It is enveloping you, embracing you. Whirring… stirring… undulating about you like the dance of a Noxian Wintersprite.”
Though Seiji had no idea what a Noxian Wintersprite was, he imagined a white mist flowing all around his body.
“Now,” Cora continued in her strange tone. “Breathe deep and hold it, young Servant. Accept the mist into your body.”
Seiji took a deep breath, imagining the mist as a white whirlwind in his lungs. Thankfully, he had no issues with breath control.
“Now, young Cad–... Servant. Spread this mist through your body. Allow it to reach from the tips of your toes to the ends of your hair. The mist flows through you like blood, reaching every inch and crevice of your body.”
As Seiji willed this ‘mist’ through his body, he was surprised to find his lingering pain and fatigue evaporating. Though he’d already been healing from the pain he endured training with Cora, he felt renewed as this mist moved through his body. He must’ve given something away because Cora ushered him to “Focus” as he spread the mist. After a few moments, she spoke again.
“Now, young Servant. Exhale. As the mist exits through your mouth, allow it to envelop you fully.”
He did as instructed, blowing excess ‘mist’ through his mouth. Seiji imagined it almost like a film, a thin layer of mist coating his entire body. Once complete, Seiji corrected his breathing, cycling mist as he did so.
“Young Servant, The mist you exhale is yours. It is a blue mist, destructive yet serene. Carry it with pride.”
Seiji imagined the mist coating him was blue instead of white. He wasn’t sure what he’d done, but he started to feel a bit hot the moment the color shifted.
“Oh, crap! Your hands!” Cora blurted. With a cough, she continued. “Young Servant, focus the blue mist on your hands, and not your entire personhood.”
Though her tone was serene, the speed of her words was not. Seiji allowed his blue mist coating to dissipate completely, before creating a new coating around his hands. His hands heated, and Cora clapped her hands.
“You may open your eyes, young Servant.”
When he did, he looked down at his hands. They were coated in blue fire. He smiled down at them, and Cora did the same. She was the first to speak.
“I learned the Mist Breathing technique from an old training DVD when I was young. It helped me when I was learning my techniques. Sorry if I sounded weird, that’s just how I remember the video–”
“Thank you…” Seiji breathed, transfixed on the Dragon Fury he’d formed. He let it dissipate, reforming it with ease. He repeated the action a few times, prompting Cora to laugh.
“No prob–”
The door to the training hall slammed open, interrupting Cora’s words. When they turned to meet the speaker, Seiji was in awe.
”He can use a technique now, right? You know what that means?”
The speaker was a brown-skinned woman that seemed to be about the same age as Thea. She had light pink hair, tall rabbit ears, white and gold battle armor, and a silver halberd at her back. The part about her that kept Seiji transfixed, though, was the pair of solid-gold wings that spread 10 feet in either direction. They looked like the wings of a hawk, and Seiji was almost positive they grew out of the woman’s back.
“Listen, new guy, I know I’m pretty but I’m spoken for.” the woman spoke, her smile broad.
Cora shot up and pointed at Seiji.
“Endora, I’m Seiji’s Cadet! Let me handle this!”
“Seiji Otsuki’s Cadet, hmm?” the Valkyrie, Endora, observed. She said his name a few times, testing it. When she was satisfied, she spoke again.
“I know you are, Cora.” In a step Seiji couldn’t even register, Endora appeared right before himself and Cora, wind kicking up at her approach.
Endora helped Seiji to his feet and was surprised to find he was slightly taller than Endora. It felt wrong somehow, like she was supposed to be towering over him like the statues from the ballroom.
“Even so, that is all you are. A Cadet. Just as Seiji is merely a Tier 1 Servant. You two need real guidance these first few days if you plan on making it far.”
Cora began to complain, but stopped when Endora placed a hand on the Cadet’s head, massaging behind her feline left ear. To Seiji’s shock, she closed her eyes and purred, leaning into Endora’s gauntleted hand. The Valkyrie smiled softly as she turned to Seiji.
“Felzian thing. Do this and they calm down immediately! It’s the cutest thing ever!”
Before Seiji could react, she had him read off his Stats. He did so, reading Endora’s expression for any sort of reaction. She gave none, instead removing her hand from Cora’s head, leaving the girl with a somewhat dejected look, and spoke to the two of them.
“I think I know the perfect training exercise for you two!”
“What?” Seiji asked, prompting the Valkyrie’s smile to turn almost sinister. A bad feeling grew in Seiji’s stomach, something he felt was validated by Cora’s wary gaze.
“I want you two to fight me!”