In the end, I barely slept for a few hours before getting up and making my way towards the disturbance. Now, the sun was already two fingers' width above the horizon, and the damp morning air was turning dry. But I still waited, along with the rest of the crowd, for the shimmering wall in front of us to do something.

The brilliant column from last night was gone. In its place was an opaque golden wall taller than the tallest building in the city. The walls formed a square with each side spanning the length of at least five city blocks. The walls were pure qi, from I could sense, and they ended in the middle of the stone-paved streets.

The buildings here were a mix of wooden and stone structures, some painted but most left in their natural brown and gray colors. There were shops and residences in this part of the city, but what had happened to the people and buildings now sealed on the other side of those golden walls was anyone's guess.

The crowd that had gathered was made up mostly of curious onlookers, not sword artists. In fact, other than myself and Elder Gri, who waited alongside with me, I spotted only one other person carrying a sword, a grim-faced older man in the silver robes indicating nobility. He disappeared into the crowd, but not before reminding me of Lord Vox and his daughter from last night. I kept a watchful eye in case either of them showed up.

The crowd had been quiet when I first arrived, but the murmurs grew louder as we waited. A thin boy in a plain but clean brown tunic, around twelve or so, ran up to the golden wall and rapped on it with his knuckles. Nothing happened.

"Samson, get back here!" a motherly voice shouted. The boy disappeared into the crowd again.

I had seen a few other adventurous individuals poke and prod the golden walls, but there was no sign of a response. As far as I could tell, no one had used a sword technique on the material. If we waited much longer, I would be tempted to do so myself.

"Should I?" I asked Elder Gri, making a small motion toward Terminus.

Elder Gri didn't reply immediately. "Perhaps coming here was a mistake. We should leave."

"Leave?" He had been the one to bring up the Swordgeists. Defying them, if they existed, didn't seem wise. "What about the...warning?"

Elder Gri grabbed my right arm by the shoulder. "You're all we have left, Talen. If you leave us, our clan is already doomed. What does the rest matter?"

I blinked when I met his eyes, unnerved at what I saw there.

Fear.

This was the man who would always vie for the honor of defending the clan whenever some brash new challenger showed up. Elder Gri had lost his arm in one of those incidents, but that never held him back until I took my place as the clan's default participant in such duels. For my training's sake, Elder Rome had said to placate the others.

We Koroi were not perfect, but of this I was sure: we had no cowards among us. What frightened Elder Gri was beyond any mortal wound. He would fear, like the rest of the elders, only one thing: the end of our clan.

As for me, how could I be afraid? We weren't dead yet, but we had been dying for so long. Step by step, little by little.

The clan had made me who I was, and I wouldn't give up on it. But seeing Elder Gri like that was a death blow to the part of my youth that had placed our elders on a pedestal. I had viewed the world through the rustic lens of our homely village for too long.

"I'm not leaving," I said. "And any power, glory, or wealth I can claim here is the clan's as much as mine."

Elder Gri nodded and slapped me across my back. "Well spoken. The clan is in good hands, then."

Traces of unease lingered in his voice, and an awkward silence settled between us. I placed my hand on the hilt of my sword, ready to charge the unnatural wall, but a horn sounded abruptly, a long single note, that seemed to echo from all around.

"Hear ye, hear ye!"

I spotted the speaker, a figure garbed in golden robes standing on top of a tall stone building. He brought the brass horn to his lips and sounded another long note. An imperial herald. Off in the distance to my right I could see another gold-robed figure doing the same. A second herald. There was another on my left. They were spaced about a block's width apart.

"The Emperor?" I whispered to Elder Gri.

Elder Gri replied with a small frown, not saying anything else.

The herald shouted above the crowd's murmurs, his words echoed in perfect unison by his fellow heralds in the distance.

"By imperial decree, all sword artists in good health between the ages of sixteen and twenty-five summers are to apply for instruction under the Swordgeists and their agents. Anyone who is accepted into the Swordgeist institution will receive a royal bounty of a thousand gold pieces. Further bounties will be provided for the duration of the training at the discretion of the imperial offices."

"They're going to pay us?" I glanced over at Elder Gri, who was stroking his beard. A thousand gold was far more money than I had ever seen in one place.

Elder Gri nodded. "Look. More come."

A semi-orderly procession of sword artists, many in silver robes, was makings its way down the streets. The closest ones began to shout as they made their way towards us.

"Move! Clear a path for the sword artists!"

The words were hardly necessary. The spiritual aura of the gathering shifted, turning into a swirling storm of lethal intent as hundreds if not more sword artists filled the area surrounding the walls. Even the untrained crowd could sense the danger, and they scrambled to get out of the path of the fearsome group.

These sword artists were organized, or otherwise prepared for the return of the Swordgeists. It hadn't been common knowledge, as Elder Gri and I hadn't heard anything about this whole affair until the blue letters had appeared in my sight. Yet all the approaching sword artists seemed to have coordinated their response to the strange events. I grimaced, inwardly. We were outsiders, one of the few who hadn't been invited beforehand to whatever plan the Emperor had.

Elder Gri tapped my arm lightly. "You should be among them." He turned to catch my eyes. "You must earn this bounty, for the clan. Go." He ended his statement with a shove in the direction of the sword artists.

I let Elder Gri push me forward one step, lest he think I was being rebellious, but I stopped myself from going any further. We had no idea what arrangement the Emperor had made with these sword artists. If I was being honest, we weren't just outsiders. We were outcasts. Walking up to a group filled with nobles and pretending to blend in was a great way incur someone's annoyance.

I knew what Elder Gri wanted, though, and why his attitude towards this whole business had flipped right around. The Emperor's promise of gold. A thousand gold pieces would set up the clan comfortably for some time. And the herald had made clear that the offer applied to every sword artist, even the stragglers like us.

Go, Elder Gri had said. Clan law dictated that I had to obey the command of the elders. I would go, then. It's not like he had told me where to go.

"No more waiting," I said."

I leaped forward before Elder Gri could reply, in the opposite direction from the oncoming sword artists. I shot through the air over the heads of the crowded onlookers and landed on the stone road directly in front of the golden wall.

"Look!" someone shouted.

"Who's that?"

"A sword artist!"

I ignored the cries. Terminus was already in my hand, and I struck once, a probing cut with Terminus wreathed in a glow of qi that matched the wall.

The buzz of the crowd went silent. The world came to a standstill. I froze halfway through my strike, with the tip of Terminus barely scraping against the golden wall. I couldn't blink, breath, or twitch a single muscle.

Blue letters hovered in my vision.

Identity: Talen Koroi

Rank: Master

Exam qualifications: 3/3

Entrance: Granted

I stumbled forward, slashing against empty air as the world around me turned to motion again. The ground beneath me had changed from paved stones to an enormous grassy field. The grass before me rippled slightly as a strong breeze that smelled of forest leaves and wildflowers blew against my face. Tall golden walls marked the boundaries of the field, and when I looked up, I could make out the deep blue sky of the dawn.

I was inside the golden walls.

A featureless gray building, much wider than it was tall, stood in the center of the field. From where I stood, it looked like a squarish structure, but the way the shadows wrapped around its sides made me think I would have seen a circular shape if I could look down from the sky.

Figures appeared around the perimeter of the field near the walls, more sword artists, from the looks of the weapons they carried. The closest was over a hundred yards away to my left, too far for me to make out his face or to talk to him. The furthest figures on the other side of the field were small dots, their motion or features barely discernible.

Strange. The walls hadn't looked this large from the outside.

Some of the figures started walking towards the center of the field or towards the lone gray building. Others walked towards each other, waving as if they knew each other. Most, though, didn't move. I was in the latter camp.

An otherworldly power, far beyond anything I had experienced, ruled this place. I stayed near the wall so that I could leave again if necessary, although I wasn't sure if the way I had arrived would let me depart. I wasn't willing to test those boundaries yet. I knew nothing of the temperament of whoever had brought us here.

After a few minutes of waiting, the blue letters appeared again.

Welcome, candidates.

Successful completion of this examination will allow entrance into the Sword System Academy, a training ground constructed by the Swordgeists to elevate the sword artists of your world to the highest levels, far beyond what you would ordinarily achieve in a mortal lifetime.

The Swordgeists. It was really them.

I took deep steady breaths to calm myself, sending my qi coursing in a strong current through my body in preparation for danger. The words may have promised power, but power never came without a price. What did the Swordgeists intend?

My battle senses sharpened. The greens of the field and the blues of the sky both turned brighter. The scent of fresh earth filled my nostrils. My heart's thumps stayed calm and steady, but they grew louder in my ears.

The words continued.

For without your strength and sacrifice, this world is doomed. Even now, the creatures of the Void claw away at the gates dividing these two realms. Soon, the barriers will fall, and the Void Beasts will make their way here. None in this world have the power to survive the upcoming onslaught.

This wasn't simply dangerous. This was bordering on insanity. Void Beasts? If the Swordgeists were the stuff of legends and stories, the Void was smack in the middle of outright superstition and nonsense. The Void was supposed to be where dead souls rested until their next reincarnation. But who could possibly know what happened after death?

Void Beasts were what parents used to scare their children into going bed after dark. The Void Beasts would gobble naughty little kids who wouldn't do their chores or who went running into the city alone at night. They were the twisted souls of the evil, left to rot in the Void without reincarnation until they succumbed to their wild, bestial instincts.

But rise up, sword artists. Beyond the ranks of the Mortal Realm lie the first steps to true strength. Reach far enough, and you will gain power to rival the Swordgeists themselves: you will become a Blade Divinity. Only then will this world be safe from the devastation that the Void would unleash.

I couldn't deny the power contained in the four golden walls surrounding me, but I couldn't quite believe everything I had just read, either. Any sane person would be reluctant to throw himself after world-altering quests. As far as I was concerned grand destinies were only a few steps removed from grand delusions.

But what if the words were true?

I looked down at Terminus, which was glowing softly with a trickle of my qi. I had never wondered if my strength would serve some higher purpose. All of the training and hardship wasn't intended to save anyone, although I would offer my sword arm if I could. What mattered above all else was the purity and perfection of my sword. Honor, skill, the clan--everything worked in harmony for that one purpose.

I was a sword artist. That was my destiny. And just as the Emperor had snagged Elder Gri with the offer of gold, so my heart was hooked by the short but tantalizing message. It would be impossible for me to turn away, not after what they had offered. Power to rival the Swordgeists.

If this Academy could grant even a fraction of what was promised, that reward would be worth nearly any price. This was the path of a sword artist--to rise up and push higher, always higher. To sharpen one's blade and hasten one's strike. To transform body, mind, and soul.

The words in front of me changed.

Choose a course of action. You may think the phrase "final answer", followed by your choice.

A) Leave, never to return to the Academy.

B) Witness firsthand proof of the Void's danger.

C) Proceed with the entrance examination.

D) Accept an alternative custodial role at the Academy.

I reread the words three times to make sure that I hadn't missed something, but I couldn't shake the uneasiness in my stomach. Maybe I was simply excited. Yes, I was eager to find out more, yet something else was off. It was almost as if the examination had already started...

They could read my thoughts. My stomach clenched as a chill swept through my core.

The instructions said that all I had to do was think the choice, not even speak it. Who or what could pluck out the silent thoughts of my mind, of everyone's mind here? This was the power of the Swordgeists? We fought with body and blade, but the Swordgeists...they were gods, truly gods.

I read the choices one more time, slowly, even though I knew how I would answer.

Leave? No, I wouldn't be leaving this. The pessimistic side of me noted that death would guarantee a swift, irreversible departure as promised in the text. Perhaps I was being paranoid. Perhaps, not. I had no reference for understanding the Swordgeists.

See proof of the Void? I was slightly tempted, but I saw no reason to gamble my life away. Only a fool would doubt a god to his face. The choice said nothing of what would happen afterward, either. Would we still be granted the chance to join the Academy?

The third choice was the obvious one. Proceed forward. Risk everything to gain everything.

As for the alternative role, I had little doubts what custodial service meant. Servitude at best, slavery at worst. I thought back to my time as a young disciple in my own clan. Even the life of a disciple could be harsh, but a disciple was still part of the clan.

I spoke the words in my mind. Final answer, C.

Wait in your present location. Do not approach the center of the examination field until you are instructed to do so. Any remaining doubt of the peril from the Void must first be cleansed. Observe.

That had definitely sounded like a threat, or at least an admonition. The Swordgeists or whatever entity was behind this examination surely knew of my own private doubts. But how would they go about this so-called cleansing?

I surveyed the small figures lining the grassy field. One of them, a tall figure with long hair, turned and walked towards the golden wall. The figure vanished. He had chosen to leave, then.

There must have been hundreds if not a thousand of candidates here, all sword artists, I assumed. I didn't see anyone else leave, though. Others, maybe about fifty in all, began walking towards the gray structure in the center of the field. Were we being tested in batches? Or had they made another choice?

I squinted to make out what was happening. The figures had surrounded the gray structure now, forming a very loose ring around it. More than half of them wore silvery robes. Their complexions spanned the full range of shades from white alabaster to the deepest midnight, with fair yellows, rich auburns, plain browns, and dark blacks making up the color of their hair. Nobles wouldn't have submitted to custodial duties, so I assumed that these had been the ones to request a demonstration of the Void's threat.

They suddenly all drew their swords as one. Golden flames, like I had seen with Lord Vox and his daughter, flickered along a few of the swords. Most held one blade. Some held two.

I half-drew Terminus from its sheath as I scanned the area for any signs of danger. I couldn't see anything obvious. The grass was tall, coming up to my knee, but it was still too low and sparse to hide an ambush effectively.

Someone in the center of the field screamed. Then, another. Swords flashed, and the figures erupted into the frenzy of battle. Even from that distance, I could sense the chaos of auras indicating that death was close at hand.

I drew Terminus and whirled in a circle but still couldn't spot any threat. The person on the perimeter nearest to me also had his two-handed longsword out and was sweeping its point in a wide, defensive arc.

I looked to the center of the field again more carefully. Small black shapes were leaping out of the grass, reaching a height of barely a foot above it. They were long and thin--snakes?

I stared as a figure, then another fell, thrashing to the ground in the center of the field.

What kind of snakes were these? A sword artist had nothing to fear from even the most venomous of snakes. A Master, even an Expert should have been able to match the speed of a serpent's strike with ease.

A desperate shriek turned into a liquid-soaked gurgle that quickly faded to silence. I knew that sound.

I tensed and took half a step forward in the direction of the now flailing figures at the center of the field. Observe, it had said, except how could we stand by idly while these sword artists perished? They were strangers, but these were the closest I had to brothers and sisters outside my clan.

I wasn't the only one moving. Others on the perimeter also stepped forward, a few running.

Observe only. Step forward now, and you will die.

I paused, my foot extended in front of me, frustration mounting. It was useless now, anyways. The last figure in the center had fallen to the ground. There were still cries of pain. A circle of orange-yellow flames encircled the area where the fallen sword artists had been. When the flames disappeared, though, there was neither smoke nor any signs of burnt ground. The green grass swayed in the breeze as if nothing had happened.

I pulled my foot back. We were truly ants to be squashed at the whims of these gods. Was this the lesson we were to learn? I shook my head, then closed my eyes briefly, bowing my head. All sword artists danced with death, but that didn't make the sight of what had happened to the others any less painful.

I knew why they had done this. The Void Beasts. They were real, whatever those snake-like creatures were. My doubts had been cleansed, exactly as promised. If the threat was that great, I could see why the Swordgeists took such extreme measures, even if I didn't agree with them. They would have no patience for doubters and naysayers, not if the coming threat was this urgent.

What you observed was among the weakest of Void Beasts, caught and caged for your instruction. The examination will now begin shortly. Proceed to an empty marked circle. Sheath your swords. You are forbidden from using your own weapons during the examination.

Blue glowing lines, similar to the ones making up the letters in my sight, appeared on the ground. Unlike the words, these lines remained fixed in their positions, not tracking the motion of my head. The blue lines formed circles about a yard across, and the circles spanned a little less than half of the field in an orderly pattern, each about twenty feet from the nearest neighbor. The rows of circles stopped before reaching the gray building.

I put Terminus away and jogged lightly towards the circles, and in doing so, drew closer to the other exam participants. We studied each other, exchanging quick glances, trying to discern each other's strengths and weaknesses, the type of sword each used, what style of swordplay they had studied. For when a group of sword artists gathered to be tested, the intended outcome was obvious.

We would fight. Duel, likely, as somehow prescribed by theses circles.

The nobles were easiest to read. Their weapons and qi etchings were flashy. They carried themselves with pride but little grace. They would use strong techniques and brute force to overpower opponents, although I didn't know how they would fare if they weren't allowed to use their expensive swords.

The ones I was most wary of were in plain clothes, unmarked gray, brown, or black leather and fabric tunics. The others must have gone through some pre-qualification as I had, now that I thought about it. The duels, three of them. That meant the poorest-looking youths, who didn't have access pricey alchemy, must have been skilled indeed to make it this far.

For the most part, all the sword artists were young men and women like me, matching what the herald outside had instructed. I found the age choice slightly odd. Most sword artists peaked in their late twenties or early thirties. There had been no indication of how long the training would take. Perhaps it would take years?

I picked an empty blue circle and stood in its middle, already circulating my qi to calm myself and prepare for battle. The circles around me quickly filled with other candidates, but before I could study my likely opponents, a fresh set of words appeared in my vision.

Welcome to the Sword Assessment Test (SAT).

Instructions: The theoretical portion of the SAT contains a total of 150 questions to complete in 60 minutes. Each correct question will earn you one exam point (xp). You may not skip a question. You will not be penalized for incorrect answers. To answer a question, please telegraph the phrase "final answer" followed by your selection.

This was not what I had expected, not at all. I jerked my head upright as a loud buzzing sound rang throughout the area.

You may now begin. Good fortune to all.