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Morning.

As always, I did my daily routine.

First was a jog around the dormitory. Before that though, preparations were necessary.

Attire.

Though my chest were not exactly huge, they were the size enough to make continuous movement, like jogging, too uncomfortable so I had to settle with classically wrapping it tight... with bandages stolen from the infirmary. This made breathing hard, but I believe it was far better than either

robot-like jogging with a straight back due to corsets, or indecently flailing things around like some ecchi manga. Really, both was just as ridiculous. Then again, not that anyone would care in a girls only dormitory during breaking dawn where the surrounding was barely lit. No one would see nor care. However, this issue was a matter of mindset, I think.

Seriously, the inconvenience was real. Enough to make me set up my own tailoring company featuring sportswear someday.

Daydreaming aside, I shrugged and donned a loose shirt, then loose pants over my panties. Yes, we do have panties. Though, slightly long and thick like a boxer shorts... again, this issue was all about the mindset.

I braided my painfully long hair into single drop that extended all the way to my waist. Preferably, I wanted them so short to not need hairbrush, but it was Yenoa's policy to never cut your hair unless you were a married woman. It displayed purity and genuinity, they said, but I only felt like words were written with itchiness on my back, Virgin...

In my mind, these noble antics were simply a pain to deal with. They were too old-fashioned for my liking. However, I was in a different world of different customs. Obviously, I follow their norms. This was like how grandparents frown upon vulgarly short shorts.

...I felt really old all of a sudden.

I sighed. With tight rubber securing the tips of my uber long hair, I finished initial preparations.

Next was warm ups with light stretches like I had seen on TVs. Jumping jacks, reaching for toes, making my shoulders crack then rotate it one eighty degrees. Well, I had no idea which was the proper way so I just did sixteen counts on everything I remember. This took around fifteen minutes.

After a few more cracking sounds, I finally bounded off.

While jogging, I let my senses spread. The air was still and moist of cool morning dew particularly smelling like the green of the forest nearby.

From the dorm, I could hear peaceful breathing from the still sleeping students, or the slight rustles of some early birds. The smell of the kitchen a couple hundred metres away near the back of the main building were particular pleasant. Scent of baking glory enticingly wafted over my sensitive nostrils. My stomach immediately rumbled, pleased with promise of the said temptation called fresh baked goodies... I shook my head, and focused my senses towards the forest, where appetizers lied.

Yenoa Academy was not built anywhere in densely populated vicinity like cities, instead, it stood lonesomely among the wilderness at the base of an infamous mountain range.

Alaminos mountain range, a natural habitat for many predators. But danger was not the main source of its infamy.

It was all due to its location.

This range traced the western edge of the continent. Beyond was the sea, probably an ocean, where human knowledge do not extend. A vast world uncharted. No one really knows what lies in those seemingly endless blue waters.

This mountain range was then connotated as barrier between known and unknown, an unsurpassable limit so to speak. It literally and metaphorically signified a wall unconquered. It symbolized fear.

Of course, not that the world lacked adventurous Magellans to brave up the challenge and conquer the vast sea. Unfortunately, there was simply no means to do so. Forget adventuring through uncharted waters, there wasn't even a single village to harbor boats.

In history, there had been attempts to pioneer civilization in these parts. But because of the far off location hurdled with hundreds of mountains cradling innumerable dangers of varied forms, it simply became a dream of a mumbling fool. Just making a small town beyond this mountain range was a process that would take great amounts of money, labor, and necessity an impossible investment for mere curiosity.

And yes, exactly like Yenoa Academy, a school built beside that infamous mountain range, a mere week by foot away from the salty sea.

Yenoa Academy was made to make a statement like, 'Yes we can, and we did!' kind of boasting. That was the school slogan, but this statement was plain stupid.

Who builds a far off school in the middle of nowhere just to teach students etiquettes not necessary in the wild? It was like throwing kids into swimming pool only to teach them how to swim and sew, totally unrelated and unnecessary. If they wanted a well mannered officers, then they might as well just build one right inside a city, where we could at least put those etiquettes into use, save everyone the trouble of months long travelling, and everyone would be happy.

For years, I did try finding out the real reason why they built the school here by eavesdropping to instructors' conversations. Futily. All important buildings and rooms were soundproof. After constant failures, I considered this question one of Yenoa's seven mysteries, the Far Far Away.

While mulling about these and thats, something caught my attention. I stopped from my tracks. The sun would probably be a bit higher now, making the world slightly brighter. The forest was waking up, reminding me. I had to hurry.

I paused and verified the noise up ahead. It was the sound of my prey.

My light jog was not for healthy lifestyle.

That was a pretense.

East. Three hundred and fifty meters away. A brawl between favourites. Scent of blood carried downwind. Perfect.

Storing my sanity into a safe corner, I made haste to get early appetizers.

-

Roughly an hour after, I cleaned myself to a nearby stream, «Warp» my way near the school, jog to the dormitory, took a full bath, then headed to the Great Hall for breakfast while chatting with Ra'in and Lanna on the way. Perfectly normal morning.

On the Hall, everyone ate in manicured silence. The teachers were back from whatever their business was yesterday, and now overlooked the students with the same stoic postures they wore over the decade.

Exactly an hour after eating slowly and stiffly, a hundred servant wisps came and dished out everything that was on the table. They would clean everything up until the Hall became pristine and spotless, then they will retreat back into walls like an ebbing tide of water. Where they receded to, was a question left an unanswered for the decade long of my stay here, making it part of Yenoa's seven mysteries, the Tap Water Source.

"Ladies, your attention, if you may." The head mistress spoke up and walked down the red carpeted aisle. Her heels made eerie flops in every step, echoing uncontested against the walls of the Great Hall. This just shows how nice the students here, not daring to even breath loudly when the principal asked for attention.

She stopped after reaching the middle of the Hall, and turned around slowly, making sure all eyes were on her. Too bad, that was impossible. My eyes were non existing after all.

"Ladies, I am sure you all are well aware. Yenoa Academy was built a mere ten years ago, and thus, had never produced promising graduates as of yet..." She continued on about school pride and expectations.

I did not bother listening because my stomach was too full. Even for me, two bed-sized worth of meat was just too much. I definitely overdid it. But I was stressed recently, and eating had always been a habit for stress relief...

The Headmistress passionately talked about something, while I resisted the urge to burp... Ah, that would not be very proper would it? I snicker at the thought.

"Miss Areintol, mind to share your thoughts?"

What a perfect timing. The Headmistress snapped me to attention without bothering to hide her reprimanding tone.

"Agree..." Ra'in whispered in a hushed tone. "...For the glory of..."

I did as told, and lip synced whatever Ra'in said with a margin of one second delay.

Headmistress continued to stare me down after my little commentary. But then again, how could that ever be effective to someone who literally cannot read the mood. I just smiled impishly in return. After a few more bouts of silence, she moved along and continued her speech.

Ah, what would I do without a Ra'in on my side?

Ra'in audibly sighed in great relief, so I gave her a thumbs up under the table. She pinched my wrist, hard, without batting an eyelid.

I sent her a silent snicker and thanks in my mind. I believed my thumbs up amazingly delivered the message.

The Headmistress's speech doesn't seem like it would stop anytime soon, so I focused my attention away to something much more entertaining. For example... ehm, actually, there was none. Everything was too silent. Between the principal's conceited address or my schoolmate's full attention, I was torn on which was worse.

While contemplating how to relieve stress from boredom, my ears perked up with an intriguing sound.

It started with a hum, then, slowly, turned into a steady buzz that spread like a wildfire in our courtyard.

Grand Teleportation, an area of effect instead of physical contact to teleport multiple targets. This one also traverses longer distances than regular teleport in exchange of numerous mana stones. As for what kind of people had both ability and resources to cast this...

At that moment, an instructor rushed to the Headmistress and whispered in hushed tone. "They are here." The Headmistress nodded once, and faced her students once again.

"Ladies, as I had said..." Unfortunately, the Headmistress only talked on. It was a very roundabout way of saying we were having visitors, they were now at our courtyard, and therefore we must watch our discipline and must act accordingly. She said this with a ten page long essay kind of speech. She sure loved talking.

After her long winded blabbering, we all neatly filed from the Great Hall in two lines by levels and by height.

First were the cute level 1s, a good two feet smaller than me who bubbly went through the Great Door. They were guided by instructors in both sides.

"Finally..." Lanna silently whispered at my back, sending chills down my spine. Her amused vengeance was seeping out of her so vividly I could only shudder. Right, I forgot about that.

Ra'in tugged my sleeves. "Vitaly."

I sighed inwardly. "I know, I know."

After this brief exchange of mutual understanding, the three of us parted ways... our heights were not exactly identical.

Ra'in was at the fore front of level tens. With a height rivalling my shoulder, Ra'in could pass as a thirteen year old if she dare claimed so. In our batch, she was everyone's beloved little sister. Except me I guess, I call her mom, just for the kicks.

About twenty people after her, was me. I was not tall, nor too short at about 5'4". I was just glad I was not near Ra'in at this moment.

Lanna, in far contrast, was lonely at the far back. Her height was a good 6'2". It was not really that abnormally high, but in a school without Y chromosome, she was an indisputable giant, a fact that Lanna detested. Her height was her sore spot. There was a time when a newbie called her 'Walking Mountain', a title that was actually cool in my sincere opinion, what happened the next day was, well, the kid was no more. She withdrawn from school due to unforeseeable circumstances. I never knew what happened, nor did ever get the guts to ask. It was Yenoa's third mystery, the Spirited Aways.

Ra'in, me, then Lanna. In that order we filed out towards the courtyard like preschoolers. No one minded of course, neither do I. It was nice being young after all.

In a bird's eye view, the courtyard was occupied by a crowd assembled in a four sectioned, semi-circular fashion. Teenagers around seventeens, oozing with youthful atmosphere... I really am old, aren't I?

I dismissed depression aside, and focused on eavesdropping conversations... This was definitely a legit habit. It was all for the sake of gathering information.

"Ohhh, that girl is really cute."

"Amazing, their aura is no joke. This is like watching heaven open."

"I wonder how much-"

Yes, they were full of youthful energy all right. Most of the guys were noisy to the point of dirtying my ears, while majority of the crowd's female population was unreservedly glaring towards our direction. Yep, yep, it was the spring season of their lives. I felt so out of place. My body was undoubtedly seventeen years old, but adding my age from previous life would make me... No, no, that was invalid, right? Yes, I am Vitaly, seventeen, ready for action!

...How degradingly embarassing.

Lovelife or whatever, everyone here were basically big kids in my eyes. Kids nonetheless...

I sighed in annoyance. Everyone's lively atmosphere was distorting my morale to highs and lows... I would not think about this anymore.

Yenoa students assembled orderly in an open corner. All levels formed different lines, by height still, where level 1s were in the far right and level 10s were in the far left.

From where I stood, I could feel Ra'in's discomfort from countless eyes looking at her. She was, after all, at the front lines, facing the rest of the curious crowd. I always felt lucky everytime I remember her misery.

I resolved to give her a deserving warm hug later on.

"Attention!"

A booming voice suddenly broke the exuberantly youthful mood. The crowd immediately stood upright and halted their chattering.

"First of all, let me introduce myself. I am Illuso Váderdart, 4th High Deputy of the League of Nations."

Surprised gasps immediately followed. A big shot came to town.

The League was lead by three people. The West, Middle, and East continental representatives. Each had twelve under them called High Deputies, who figure heads varying fields. This Illuso guy for example, manages Education. In my head, I call him Secretary of Education of the Western Continent.

When the surprised murmurs calmed down, he continued. "Let me keep this short. I am here today to oversee the first verification test of the five schools built by the alliance in the Western Continent. As such, I expect high evaluation from each of the students."

Harsh. Talk about pressure. His tone was light, but his word's implications drowned everyone's excitement from moments ago. Many immediately went rigid at his 'high expectation'.

He then proceeded in explaining what the test would be. "There is no better test than an actual experience. Hence, the verification test... will be a hands on battle!"

Battle. Competitions. Tournaments.

I shivered. It was a word I connotate to what happened ten years ago. An event I arduously buried to the deep recesses of my mind. Yet, now, I was about to 'battle' again? I felt excitement rush to me, making me shiver in dread.

This dread was a complicated feeling, but not foreign. This was just like the past, before I met Pina, where everyday was struggle against whatever was inside me coiling my morals.

Not good.

My breathing started becoming raspy, so I took a deep breath, and slowly let it out with my mouth. I focused on just doing this, drowning the noise around me, drowning the panic building up, drowning the excitement surging out of my control.

-

"And so, begin!!!!"

"Eh?"

I was startled. Everyone around me began to move. I was the only one standing stupidly. "Eh?" Letting out a stupid sound, shock shut my brain train and kept my feet rooted to the ground.

"Vitaly? What are you doing?! Let's go!" Ra'in shook me back.

"Ehm, I don't know?"

"Huh?!"

"Uh, I wasn't listening so..." I played with my finger and innocently smiled like the helpless person that I was.

"What?!"

"So- sorry. Explain for me please? Please~"

"ANNOYING!!"

Ah, she snapped.

She stomped away, not caring to look back despite my wails. When the referee gets angry, the athlete have no choice but to back down and accept their judgement, or else... it just gets worse.

Having no choice, I dejectedly searched for Lanna, my ever dear friend, assured she would spare me her wisdom in the this test.

In just moments, I easily found her among the throng of crowd. However, she was at the opposite side... Fast! Frustrated, I began my journey against the linebackers.

Then stopped.

Lanna was stalking someone eerily. Her steps sure and discreet.

I paled. Now I know why Ra'in got so angry. Whatever her plan was... Lanna was in action!

I hurried my pace, evading constant stampede or elbow strikes. The target of the vengeful princess do not owe me anything, instead, he would owe me, of less trauma by least.

Thinking about this, the whole thing was very comical. With a sadistic evil lord Lanna, the damsel unnamed poor soul, the fairy godmother Ra'in, and I, the white and shining blind knight in robe, Vitaly. I usually would laugh this off, but role playing was entertaining too. So, I earnestly, and very amusedly, went for a rescue mission.

The damsel clung like a leech to the evil lord, while the said evil emitted black rays of disgust to the damsel, to no avail. The fairy god mother pitied the happy damsel and, therefore, sent the knight for rescue. Upon arrival, the knight received a plea of help from the evil lord. Torn on who to help, the happy damsel or disgusted evil lord, the knight ended up laughing her ass off, greatly pissing off the fairy god mother.

In short, the situation was, the damsel was smitten to the evil lord, the fairy god mother was glaring at the knight in robe, who ended up having fun at the evil lord's increasing reverie.

"Lanna, introduce us?" I said, altogether forgetting anything related to 'rescuing' a happy damsel.

"Tsk, here, Gorban."

Short!

"Oh well, I am Vitaly, pleased to meet you, Sir Gorban." I said, silently feeding the guy's happy ego with a 'Sir'.

Ra'in joined the introductions with a sigh. "Ra'in Yang, pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Vitaly and Ra'in? I am Gorban, first son to the House Kissinger of the Northwestern Territories. The pleasure is mine." He bowed ninety degrees with an ever present smile in his voice, not even blinking even though I omitted my last name, which usually signified low status. My evaluation of him ranked up in an instant. More importantly, if he can irritate Lanna, then he had real chance in getting her hand for marriage. This princess was stricter to herself more than anyone, so her attitude rarely becomes impolite like she does to me and Ra'in.

Ra'in noticed this too and forcibly dragged me away to leave the two, leaving Gorban to his own luck. He was in for a real gamble. If he failed subduing the evil lord with a smitten smile, he would really need the luck of winning a lottery in order to save his poor soul. My hands are clean.

After gaining distance from the spring covered damsel and evil lord, I apologized to Ra'in.

"Ehm, sorry." I said.

"What for?"

"Well, you were really worried for the guy but I totally forgot?"

"You..." Ra'in paused for a bit before pinching my arm, hard. "Can you hear yourself?"

"Okay, okay, then, sorry for being so carefree?"

She sighed audibly. I had no idea why. "You are really hopeless."

"Why?"

She sighed again. "Nevermind, instead, you do not know what is happening for the test, right?"

"Yes! Please enlighten me, mother Ra'in."

I received a head chop. "First, the test would be a hands on battle." I nodded grimly.

"For that, you would have to be in a group of five." I sighed in relief. If Ra'in and Lanna was on my team, then I had nothing to fear.

"However, the group cannot have more than one coming from the same school. That was why Lanna ran to this side and grouped up with Gorban so she could ensure he cannot escape... Anyway, in other words, the group of five must have one on each school present." The statement threw cold water at my fearlessness.

"Hey, you will be just fine." Ra'in noticed the change in my expressions and chuckled. "Any group, with you in it, can even climb to the skies if you so wanted!"

"What the hell?"

"Don't cuss!"

"Sorry, mom."

"Haaa." She shook her head with a 'what to do with you?' attitude, making me smile. This was why I call her mom. Ra'in was such a caring worry wart.

"Thank you. I'll be fine now." I said with a resolute smile.

"Good. Then, I would find a group too. I would see you later."

"Okay mom, but... don't replace dad, okay?"

I received a knuckle.

Hmm? I forgot to ask what happens after forming a group...

Oh well, I'd just my teammates.

-

After a few more moments of forever alone strolling, the crowd had began to thin out. The groups of five were going into the forest. What for, I had no idea.

I started worrying. What if the population of the five schools were not divisible by five? What then? Would the remainders get expelled for being such a failure of society?

I'm overthinking it... I think.

Instead of guessing, I let me hearing spread again. 'Collecting information' on what group still needing a Yenoa Academy student.

One, two, five, ten... A lot. I happily went towards the nearest group, completely not thinking why I never used this method from the start...

However, to my great dismay, they panickedly distanced themselves away from me. Not only the first group, so was the second, and third... It just breaks the heart.

What exactly was wrong with me?!?!

Should I show off a bit? Fireworks or something?

I froze. No, not that, never that. That brings bad bad bad memories.

...Then, what else could I do? I need a group to pass the test and graduate so I could fulfill my promise to Pina. That was why I really wanted to get this done despite my personal problems of not liking 'battles'...

"Excuse me." A voice called out to me, making me jump.

"Yes?"

"If you would like, do you want to join with me?" A low baritone said. It was guy taller than Lanna, with swords at his waist, left hand hovering over both.

"Yes!" I agreed without much thinking.

"Me too!"

"Ah, me also!"

"Can I join too?!"

Shout outs immediately surrounded us, surprising me. Crowd gathered, wanting to join our little group, seriously pissing me off. These same people I tried to join just before, now broke away from their groups to join ours...

Annoying!

"Scram." One cold word from santoryuu, and the crowd dispersed in fright.

"Nice, can I learn that?" I asked in wonder.

"From what academy are you?" He ignored my question.

"Yenoa, you?"

"So we only need Kazaow, Jiztden, and Asakura" He totally ignored me again and started to walk off on his own. I revised my initial evaluation.

This guy was a big A. But, I would persevere. No one wanted me so I'll bear being around this A for a bit until the test finishes. Yep, for graduation, for my promise with Pina. Banzai.

Tsk, still, annoying.

He doesn't look like he would introduce himself, so I wouldn't either. That's why, from now on, I would call him Jerky.

Jerky kept strolling, searching for good teammates. Since he chose me, then I trust in his judging abilities. That was how confident I was to my own capabilities. With haughty nose, I followed Jerky without uttering a single word.

In about an hour, the group was finally complete.

Introductions finally came, a good one hour delayed. The newest member started.

"I am Iris Marmalade from Kazaow Academy , a ranger. I am very confident with my bow, but I also use daggers for melee. I also know how to cook, can identify herbs, and build temporary shelter when necessary."

Iris was a petite girl with a quiver of arrows and an uber long bow strapped at her back. She was quite confident, and definitely better than Jerky.

"The name's Seirs of the Trigan tribe from Jiztden Academy. I use glaives."

Seirs was a guy with an air of dominance. His few, and relatively trivial words, were mysteriously awe-inspiring. It was puzzling.

"Then me next. From Asakura, my name is Jasper Zedd , a druid. Right now I can only summon familiars, but I am almost finished achieving transformiguration."

"Transformiguration!" I exclaimed. That thing was a legend mentioned only in fantasy books. "Seriously?!"

He laughed. "Haha, yes, though I cannot prove that until I achieve it."

I nodded deeply, and sighed "I would have asked you to show me if you managed, but, since I am blind, there is now way you could."

"So you really are..."

"Disappointed? Ha! Don't worry, I don't need eyes to target and cast my spells. My name is Vitaly from Yenoa, a mage specializing in support magic. Pleased to meet you, everyone."

"Ohhh." There was a satisfying collective gasp of awe.

Not many practice support magic because it was hard to learn, after all, destroying things does not require a lot of control in contrast to restoration spells like healing, my specialty, where the slightest mistake could very well spell death.

... Though I think, I was bragging too much. But I don't want to get kicked out of the group after all this time so I would push this trump card shamelessly.

"... My name is Yulan Dreik of the Ygila Academy. I practice two-swords style." Jerky introduced himself.

•Iris Marmalade [ee-ris mahr-mah-leyd] -Ranger

•Seirs [seers] -Fighter

•Jasper Zedd [jahs-per zed-d] -Druid

•Vitaly [vee-tah-li] - Mage

•Yulan Dreik [you-lahn dreyk] - Zoro

Everyone seemed be normal at least, with no major perks that causes friction, so I guess everything would be fine later on... I really hope so.

And that concludes the RPG-esque introductions. The group unanimously proceeded towards the forest without much further ado...

...Postscript: I still don't know why everyone kept going into the forest.

Asking my team might get me booted because I was an irresponsible person for not listening...

So I would keep this secret deep in my heart and hope I could cope on whatever this 'battle' meant to be.

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