She was still smiling, wearing that fake McDonald’s customer service look. The notion of being locked in an isolation room with her made the hair on the back of his neck rise.

“I’m not happy to be doing this, but you have to understand reality. You’re weak and untrained, and these sessions are included to drive that fact home. There’s no escaping them, and they’ll be scheduled quarterly until you graduate. The rules are simple. Show me something special, and you’ll walk out unharmed. Fail, and you’ll suffer the consequences.”

“What’s special?” Pa asked with narrow eyes.

Corrine shrugged:

“Anything really. Um... Great technical skills or an impressive ability. As this your first session, any magic qualifies.” She punched slowly and her hand rippled with energy. It was nothing like what the older boy had done, but they could feel the power. “Provided it’s combat orientated, it’ll count. I won’t be picky. I don’t want to do this.”

She pointed at a quiet, studious boy who was the best in their class at reading. Tom had seen him read full sentences almost perfectly. If he wasn’t so average at everything else, Tom would have investigated him to see if he had been reincarnated. As it was, he was just a child with that single trick.

“Surprise me,” Corrine said.

“I… I can read.”

“With a combat ability”’”

“But I don’t know how to fight. I’ve… I’ve never been taught”

“Try,” she ordered. “As I said, I don’t want to be here, but I’m being paid and I need those credits. I’m not going to do a bad job and put that at risk.”

The boy glanced around, grabbed an axe from the wall and attacked her. Corrine laughed as she blocked and dodged. Eventually, after a furious two minutes of fighting, a kick sent the weapon flying away.

“Enough. The axe surprised me. You can leave.”

She did something, and the door opened.

The next girl seized an axe. Corrine played with her for a few minutes. Then she scowled:

“Is that it?”

The girl looked petrified as she sucked in breaths. It was clear from the expression that she had nothing extra to offer.

Corrine closed on her. She squealed in panic and tried to swing the axe, but it was way too slow and too telegraphed to do any damage. The older girl negated it through offense. The first kick struck the thigh with a meaty thwark.

The small girl doubled over, clutching her leg, the axe dropping from her fingers forgotten. Corrine frowned as she looked pointedly at the dropped weapon. Tom internally winced at the disappointed expression in the older girl’s eye. From personal experience, he knew she was dangerous.

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A violent push sent the younger girl crashing to the ground and then, with a look of cool indifference she stomped hard on the hand when it flopped away from the body.

There was a crack.

Corrine stepped away and studied the young girl clinically. Tom wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw embarrassment and regret:

“Rules are that I have to make it memorable.”

There was silence for almost ten seconds while everyone stared in horror, attempting to process what had happened.

Then the girl had been silently crying the entire time. Her lips moving but no sound emerging. He remembered Emily growing up. If she cried straight away, it was fine. If she delayed…

“Get her to the healing crystal,” Pa ordered.

The girl started howling.

“No, she needs better medical treatment than that.” Corrine said and picked the girl up. The isolation room opened, and she was dumped outside. The screaming was abruptly cut off as the doors shut.

“Medics are on the way. What just happened occurred because she didn’t impress me. Make sure the rest of you do better.”

She is doing this to help. Tom started the chant in his head. This is a different world. Short-term pain for long-term gain. This is her being helpful. It was like a prayer and maintaining the internal monologue was the only thing keeping the surging anger suppressed.

One by one, Corrine chewed through everyone else. Three more were dumped out of the room in horrifying pain.

The next victim was a dark-skinned boy. They fought like normal. Two minutes of standard sparring.

“Show me something,” Corrine demanded, her face whiter than usual.

The child didn’t respond. He was focused on his opponent.

Corrine blasted forward to land a debilitating blow to end the fight, and her fist struck a shield of energy. The black boy stumbled back, clutching his head in agony.

The older girl froze, then a smile lit her face. “Very good. A magic shield, that’s a great skill. You can go.” She opened the isolation room. “I assume that came from a not-parent?”

The kid nodded.

“It’ll go on your file. It won’t help you next time, but it will help when you become an adult. You’ve got three months. Develop something before then.”

He fled.

See. It’s fair. There’s no need to get upset over it. If we show something, we’re spared.

The next girl’s fight ended with a shattered hip.

Tom turned away. Blood was beating in his head like rising orchestral music, demanding action. He hit the wall next to him. The slight amount of pain did nothing. He used Dampen Senses, leaving him blind, and counted to ten.

She has summoned medics. The girl is being looked after. She is doing this to help. Short-term pain for long-term gain.

Because there was no other choice, Tom released Dampen Senses. He might be called up next, and if he was using that ability Corrine would notice, and he couldn’t afford that.

The wailing girl was gone. Corrine was back at her customary spot. It was her, and the three of them left.

“Who do I pick next?” Corrine mused with a smile. Then she pointed at Bir.

Tom didn’t know what to do.

His friend walked forward. She looked so tiny next to the larger girl. Despite that, she approached her with confidence.

Tom, with his considerable experience, understood how misplaced that faith was.

Bir was going to get crushed.

His barely-controlled temper didn't like that. He could feel that pit of anger, the one his period of Dampened Senses had reduced to an ember, tremble. It was a banked fire, and instinctively he knew it wouldn’t take much wind to make it flare up and turn it into an inferno.

Fate rushed out of Bir.

Corrine shook her head. “That doesn’t surprise me. That’s a core human trait.”

She used her own fate. About a quarter of what Bir had invested, but, for a defensive shield, he knew it would be more than enough.

“Oh fuck,” Tom whispered. The whisper, that foreign presence that amplified his fury, started to ramp up.

Bir was smiling happily. She thought her fate trick was going to work, and she stepped forward.

Tom didn’t need his precognition affinity to predict the future.

She’s doing this to help. He told himself desperately.

It was easy to say but harder to believe.