The proctors looked up from their duties as they watched Bryn stumble through the portal, astounded and shocked for a second before one of them jumped into action upon seeing Bryn’s dishevelled clothing and bloodied body.

“Medic!” she shouted as she rushed over to Bryn who was walking down the steps that were before the gate and met him on a large open, white slabbed ground that covered the room below the stairs.

A team of medics rushed through a pair of double doors off to the side and rushed to meet up with them whilst the female proctor quickly started to ask Bryn several questions to judge how bad he was, “Are you ok? Where are you hurt?” the proctor asked Bryn as she grabbed a hold of him and started to forcefully inspect him, but as she rubbed off the dried blood and looked through the ripped cloth that was once his clothes, she was surprised to see that the boy who looked so obviously injured, was without injury.

He was in pristine condition.

“I’m fine, thank you…just a bit tired” Bryn said with a polite smile, happy to see that at least someone didn’t want to see him dead, or at least they didn’t yet.

Seeing that he was alright, she waved off the medics that were still rushing over and led Bryn to one of the many benches that circled around one of the numerous columns that held up the ceiling.

As he sat and caught his breath, the proctor held onto his shoulder and looked him in the eyes, “are you sure you are ok?”

It took Bryn a few seconds to answer, his mind going through all that had happened, “yeah, I’m fine” he lied.

The proctor tightened her grasp on his shoulder for a second before letting go in defeat, “if you need anything, anything at all, I’m just over there” she said as she pointed to where a large group of proctors dressed in all types of gear stood around together and then headed off to re-join them.

As he watched her go Bryn held his head in his hands and took a heavy breath in as he let his body relax for the first time in, ‘God’ Bryn thought, he had realised that it had barely been over 30 minutes since the beginning of the test.

From everything that had happened, it seemed so much longer.

He leant back against the Column and eyed the gate, his mind going over what had happened in that other world again and again, sometimes he would get angry thinking about it, other times…he felt other things, but as replayed it all over again and again, the minutes past until the rest of the applicants stated to come through one by one.

The first that arrived was someone that Bryn didn’t recognise, the kid seemed happy at first when he looked around, thinking he was the first one through, that smile soon slipped when he noticed Bryn was already casually resting against a column in the distance.

More and more came, a few copied the reaction of the first one though some didn’t care whilst others were just happy to have escaped that nightmare. Those ones, they visibly looked like the ones that had gone through the tougher times.

Eventually though, the people that had taken the time to perform other activities whilst in the other world arrived, activities such as the hunting and attempted murder of Bryn.

Their reaction… was different from all of the rest.

The large group stood at the tip of the gate jolly and at ease for all but a moment before one of the group point out to the rest of them that Bryn hadn’t just survived their attack, he had beat them to the finish line and was now giving them a glare so cold that it could freeze water.

Some took it in stride, grinning and laughing it off before moving on, others glared back, but only one strode up to him, anger and hatred visible in his eyes.

It was a young Japanese boy with a permanent scowl on his face and long, slicked back, black hair, he was roughly the same size as Bryn but his frame was a little thinner.

“Give it Back!” he commanded when he stood before Bryn, his fist clenched as if he was going to attack him there and then.

Bryn recognised the lad before him, Asian features, athletic body, a look that made it seem as if he was looking at a piece of shit that he had stood on.

It was the guy that he had head-butted and stolen the sword that now hung loosely from his hip from.

He still remembered the pathetic look that was on his face during the fight.

“Make me!” Bryn said firmly, brokering no compromise.

“You!” the boy said in anger as he drew back to attack but he never got the chance.

“Prospect!” shouted of the proctors in anger from across the room, their eyes locked on to the boy and Bryn as he strode angrily across the room, applicants moving out of his way as he did.

“What in the HELL do you think you are doing!” the man shouted as he Stood face to face with the young boy who was now wearing a face similar to when Bryn had head-butted him.

“This isn’t some schoolyard where you can FUCK ABOUT AS YOU LIKE, NOW WHAT THE FUCK IS GOINE ON?” he shouted as he glared angrily at the two of them.

The boy looked over angrily at Bryn, but when he noticed that Bryn’s eyes hadn’t left him even when the proctor arrived he quickly looked away, “He stole my Sword during the Test sir, He’s refusing to give it back” the boy stated to which the proctor took a step back and now looked at Bryn for the first time, a questioning look on his face.

“Is this true Prospect?” he asked as he eyed the obviously out of place sword that rested on Bryn’s Side.

Only now that he was directly addressed did Bryn look away, but as the proctor looked into Bryn’s hollow eyes, he could tell what the boy was thinking, what the boy would have done if it was just the two of them here.

“Yes sir, every word” Bryn spoke coldly, his hand moving towards the blade.

The proctor was surprised by Bryn’s Honesty, it wasn’t the answer he had been expecting, he was expecting the boy to at least attempt a lie, but this… “If what he is saying is true, then why admit it? Do you really think you would be allowed to keep it after admitting that it wasn’t yours?” He asked as he tried to understand the boy in front of him.

“Oh, I think your mistaken, I said that it was his sword and that I did steal it from him, I never said it was his now though” Bryn said with a laugh at the end, “it stopped being his when him and his buddies tried to kill me during the test” Bryn said with a tone that matched the sharpness of the blade, “there is not a fucking chance I’m giving the sword back to a bitch that is just going to try and kill me later with it, I’m not a fucking retard” Bryn Said with added mirth, almost enjoying the situation.

The proctor took one look at the boy and another at a few of the people that had gathered around him and he had his answer, Bryn was telling the truth.

But why, why did so many people want a kid dead.

As soon as he thought about it a name popped into his head, a name that had been at the centre of every headline and news show for the past two days.

“…You’re Gideon, Ryuto’s son” He asked questioningly, his soft words echoing throughout the room and drawing the attention of each and every person in the room, even those that had ignored the show so far.

With a quick peak around to see that every eye was on him, Bryn let out a sigh and leant against the column.

It was inevitable.

“What? Do you want an autograph” he joked with downcast eyes and resigned look on his face.

The proctor was shocked for a second, and then there was quirk at the corner of his lips, a smile.

“Punk” he muttered as he turned to address the crowd that had gathered.

“Well Well Well, you’ve heard it straight from the Demon’s mouth, we’ve got a celebrity in the House” the proctor said as he gave a wink to Bryn, amused by his reaction over being called a demon.

“Can anybody here tell me what you are all here for?” the Examiner called out to the room in an overly Flamboyant way, but as most of the prospect had heard what the earliest discussion had been about nobody was willing to bite the bullet and answer leaving the room in near total silence.

“No, Ok, well, that’s fair, it is a difficult question to answer, it’s not like it’s a legal requirement the world over to attend academies such as ours to become one, but here it is…you are here to learn how to become a hero!” he shouted out in fake surprised voice.

“I know, shocker, I can imagine that most of you knew the answer but with how some of the prospects that have already left us acted its fairly obvious that some of you didn’t” he said as he laughed to his own joke.

“You all know what a Hero is, what they do, hell, you’ve been watching them on TV your entire life, most of you have probably watched your favourite Heroes greatest accomplishments, and some of you, may have witnessed their last moments” he said, taking a moment to let his words sink in.

“…but I’m getting off topic, you all want to be a hero and you’ve come to this academy to learn how to be one, but why this academy, what makes us so different from every other academy out there, such as those pretentious pricks with the yard long sticks up their arse at shining Beacon, well, more than any other academy, we foster one trait in our heroes more than any other, the only trait that matters, POWER!” he said to which a shockwave burst from his body and all of a sudden, each and every prospect in the room collapsed to the floor, and an un-godly and piercingly cold weight pressed down upon their shoulders.

Those few that could move saw that not even the other examiners were free of this oppression, only they were taking it in stride as they stood amongst the room.

“IF your accepted into the academy and do become a hero, you could be tasked with toppling a dictatorship on the other side of the galaxy, or you may be required to defend a village from a beast that hunts their young, and whilst the media may bring a heroes ethics or political views into the picture, when you’re in the shit, only the power that you wield at your fingertips matter” he said to which a physical burst of a black lightning burst from his hand and shot around the room.

“And to do this, the Academy follows a certain set of rules to promote this goal”

“1St, there will be no outside interference allowed upon a student, for when you are on a mission, no matter how much you might wish you had help, you will only be able to depend on yourself and your team, and whilst I’m saying this now due to this incident, this by no means excludes any other student for I know many of you come from your own dens of scum and villainy, there will be no contracts taken out of other Students!”

“The 2nd rule is in regards to the heart of our academy, whether it is personal power, strength of numbers, technological superiority or via the use of information or connections, if a student finds themselves the weaker between two parties, they are required to follow the desires of the stronger party, for example, if you see another student with a High tier sword that’s caught your eye, well, if your stronger than they are then it won’t remain theirs for much longer, or maybe a girl has caught your fancy and you want to take a tumble beneath the bed sheets, well, if she doesn’t have the power to say no then what right does she have to try! There is a hierarchy within this academy and those that are strong thrive at the top whilst the weak rot beneath their heels, if you detest such act then curse yourself for being weak and use it as fuel to push yourself to get stronger!”

“The 3rd rule is a continuation on from rule 2, the dispute over power, if a person or group challenges a disagreement, then a formal duel will be held to discover who is in the right, for those with power hold that right, however an academy enforcer has to referee the Duel for it to be official otherwise the party that has broken academy rules will be brought before a tribunal of your peers and will be ‘brutally’ punished.”

“The 4th and final rule of the Academy is that outside of an official duel, that no matter what actions may have already been taken or committed against either party, there will be no murder amongst students, if the differences between two parties are irreconcilable then a death match can be issues in the place of a duel where the winner will not only take their opponents lives, but all of their worldly goods”.

“Has every Prospect heard and understood the rules that I have just explained” the Examiner asked whilst removing his power over the prospects at the same time, those who could nodded or murmured their acceptance and understanding, but only one prospects decided to speak to the examiner.

“But what about my Sword” the prospect asked to which the Examiner couldn’t help but wonder whether the young boy in front of him was a fool or had been less affected by his power than the other prospects here.

It was the former.

“Well, seems that you and your group are still only prospects, it means that we won’t be expelling you from the academy for breaking the very first rule of the academy about not taking contracts to kill the other students of the academy” he said to which the prospect and all the other prospects that had taken part in the ambush quickly became worried about their future at the academy.

“It also means that whilst you are still prospects that the rules of the academy do no technically apply to you yet, but I think a demonstration of the rules is in order…Do you wish to challenge young Gideon here for the right of ownership over that very sword” the examiner asked to which all, including Bryn, cocked an eye in surprise, the prospect who had lost his sword looked worried for a second but when he looked over to Bryn who still held his sword and held a look of contempt and anger on his face, the young boy knew that whilst he was uneasy over fighting Bryn again, what choice did he have, he could not lose that sword, it was something his family had given him and they would not be forgiving if he lost it before he even made it into the academy, especially if the person he had lost the sword to was Bryn.

“I…I Formally Challenge that demon Spawn!” The prospect demanded to which the examiner grinned in amusement.

“I can’t say much for your intelligence, but I like your metal…. Prepare an arena!” he called out as he walked over to Bryn whilst the several other examiners in the room started moving the other prospects out of the way, after a few seconds there was a rectangular ring marked up with the other prospects lined up and sat amongst its edges, happy and content to watch the show that was about to take place.

“I’m going to need that sword” the Examiner asked as he held out his hand.

Bryn was staring at the other prospect as he moved towards the arena, anger and rage still in his eyes, “Why should I” Bryn asked in rebuttal, unwilling to comply because of his bad mood.

“…Because I remember that your father would never be able to calm down until he had hit something when he had that same look in his eyes” the examiner said and Bryn looked at the man for the first time, surprised by both the examiners words, and his understanding of Bryn’s current mood.

Bryn stood and passed the examiner the sword before walking over to the arena, taking to his side whilst the examiner moved to the centre of the ring.

“I, Eduardo Espinoza, the Black Priest and first year Head of the Black Rose Academy, do formally announce this an Official Duel, state your names” Eduardo called out, pointing to the side of the prospect that was challenging for ownership of the sword first.

“Arai Yamaguchi”

“Gideon Bryn”

“Begin!”

Bryn immediately started to walk over towards Arai who had dropped into a stance, awaiting Bryn’s Arrival.

“You may be strong thanks to your fathers cursed Blood, but you are nothing compared to me, I have studied under the best masters in the clan, trained my body to perfection and spared no expense to turn my fists into lethal weapons” Arai said as he started to warm up his body with a few mock moves that hit nothing but air, “you are nothing to me!” he shouted before he launched himself at Bryn in a full sprint, jumping into the air when he got within distance and performed a flying spin kick straight at Bryn’s jaw.

Only, in the instance that Arai left the ground, Bryn ducked underneath his kick whilst his back was turned mid spin, sweeping the flood low until he was turned around to look at Arai who was now facing in the wrong direction.

“huh” was all Arai was able to say before Bryn grasped a hold of his long black hair and pulled it so hard that Arai’s head was yanked backwards and his feet fell out from below him until he floated horizontally in the air.

He was on the ground before he even knew what was going on, but it wasn’t over yet, before he could even react Bryn’s foot stomped downwards at an angle, crushing his jaw, rattling his brain and sending several teeth and globules of blood across the concrete floor.

Seconds, that was how long the fight had been going on for and yet all those watching and looking on could already tell, it was all over, Arai had lost the fight.

It hadn’t even been a challenge; it was a massacre.

Some laughed and disparaged Arai for the words he had said in their minds, only too happy to joke about it with the person standing next to them, but they never had the chance.

They may have thought the fight was over, but it wasn’t.

Bryn walked over to the now concussed and bleeding Arai and mounted atop of him.

He grabbed him by his long hair…and punched.

Again, and again

Bryn brutalised Arai until the crowd had gone silent and the look of amusement had disappeared.

The only sound that could be heard in the room was Bryn’s wet and bloody fist continually slapping against Arai battered face.

“Enough! He’s had enough!” Some girl shouted out but was stopped by the Examiners before she could enter into the arena to stop the fight herself, but her words were enough.

Bryn looked at the girl, held back by the examiners, and then looked at his red, bloody fist.

He closed his eyes and let out a breath, his body relaxing as he did.

Slowly, he got up off of Arai who had long since passed out before flicking his hand, sending blood spattering across the floor.

“You…tried to kill me, for something that happened before I was even born, something that I had no control over” he spoke slowly and quietly, contemplating each word he spoke before he said it.

“I understand that some of you may have lost something that day, parents, loved ones, and…I’m truly sorry, but you weren’t the only ones that lost something that day”

“…and whilst you may believe that I owe you something, a debt, penance… I assure you, I do not”

“Look at him”

“LOOK AT HIM!” Bryn Suddenly shouted out shocking the room, raw emotion oozing from each word.

“You come at me again, you best be prepared for that will be your outcome…if you are lucky” Bryn said before walking out of the arena towards where he was previously seated, the prospects moving out of his way like a parting tide.

“Medic!” Eduardo called out once he believed Bryn was done with his speech before moving over towards where Arai had stored his stuff before the fight, with little care he picked up the Blades scabbard and moved towards where Bryn had Sat down, placing the exposed blade carefully within the scabbard.

The same team that had rushed over to Bryn earlier was now rushing over to Arai, the Girl from before was now standing over him, but she was glaring in Bryn’s direction.

Standing before Bryn, Eduardo held out the sword to which Bryn reflexively grabbed it before resting it upon his lap.

“You should take care of the sword; the boy’s family is not simple so I can imagine neither is that blade” he said before moving off to carry on his work with the rest of the examiners.

Deo looked down to the sword that lay in his lap, truly looking at his prize for the first time.

It was obviously an eastern sword of some types, a katana most likely but that was as far as his knowledge on the subject went, as for the actual blade itself, it was interesting.

The entire blade appeared to have been exquisitely crafted, the scabbard and Pommel were a combination of a red bloody leather and white crystalline scales whilst rune like markings were etched onto the gunmetal blade.

All in all, a fine prize for beating up a guy that he would have beat for free.

“You do know you have an anger issue…right” Armani’s voice drew him out of his contemplation and caused him to lock his eyes on the approaching boy in weary anger, Bryn had not forgotten both him and Alexa having abandoning him before the second exam.

“That’s wasn’t anger, that was sadism” Alexa’s voice helpfully pointed out from the other side of him, only just bursting into view as she moved past a line of prospects that were keeping a wary distance from Bryn.

“Good to see that you passed the second test though but I’ve got to ask, I thought your name was Bryn Lockhart” she said as she took a seat down next to Bryn as if it was the most casual thing to do in the world, her action both surprising Bryn and even Armani.

“What?” she asked when she could see their confusion.

Bryn, for some strange reason, that was completely unbeknownst to him as to why he did it, laughed. “Hahaha”, to which Armani let out a small chuckle as he came to a stop in front of his two sitting companions.

“Sorry, I just thought that with who I am and how you two abruptly left before the second test, that you didn’t want to associate with me anymore” Bryn said as he saw the surprised look on Alexa’s face before she turned to glare at Armarni.

“We only left because this fool said that the second test would be more dangerous for you if we were with you” she said whilst glaring suspiciously at Armarni who had almost immediately held up both his hands in surrender.

“Hey, as soon as I got that text I knew that everybody else would have gotten summit similar as well, if they were going to come at you then I thought it was best that they didn’t know we were with you as well, you know, for surprise assistance” he said to which Bryn scoffed.

“Oh, I’m Sorry, it really felt like you were with me when I had that sword through my chest” Bryn said in a deadpan voice to which Armarni looked slightly miffed, “hmm, huh, and when I threw the smoke bomb that got you out of there, I guess you didn’t need my help then either” he said to which Bryn looked at him with wide eyes.

“That was you?” he asked surprised.

“Yeah well, I couldn’t just leave you like that” Armarni said but before he could go any further, the sword resting on Bryn’s lap clattered atop the floor and before either Armarni or Alexa could believe it, Bryn was hugging Armarni.

“Thank you…thank you” Bryn said with his head in Armani’s shoulder, his voice a riddle of emotion and tenderness.

That was unexpected, but when they thought about it, Bryn was only a sixteen-year-old lad that was literally surrounded and on the verge of death, if Armarni hadn’t helped out in that instance, he was going to be murdered, there was no other option, there was only his death.

“It’s okay, hey, don’t go ruining the rep you just built up with that yakuza, you show a trace of weakness and this lot will eat you alive” Armani said as he pat Bryn on the back once before pushing the other boy off him.

“Yakuza?” Bryn asked as he tried to change the subject as he wiped his eyes that were beginning to unconsciously tear up, he didn’t realise he had hugged the other boy until he had already done it.

“Yeah, the guy whose face you put into the ground is a member of the yakuza, I recognise most of the people here and most of them are from one organisation or another so whilst they might act all superior, they ain’t any better than you” Armani said as he looked around in contempt at the people who were judging Bryn but had no less amount of blood on their own hands thanks in turn to their own families.

“Is That why you helped me as well” Bryn asked to which Armani looked very uncomfortable, very quickly “yeah, sort of, we’re all here because normal academies judge us for who our families are and refuse to train us, Black Rose is the one place we can be treated like normal people and be taught how to gain power and survive as a hero” Armani spoke with a hint of embarrassment, “look, can we just drop it” he said to which Bryn Gratefully did, only Alexa who had been left on the wayside and was lapping in the drama and wishing for a bowl of popcorn.

“Arr, you just had to ruin it didn’t you, boys!” she said as the moment finished and the two boys blushed in embarrassment for their emotional display.

Bryn picked up the sword before returning to his seat, “What about you then, can’t imagine your family will be happy about you hanging around with me” Bryn asked to which Alexa looked at him conspiratorially.

“Do you really want to know?” she asked as if the information she was about to give was of life altering importance, it was in such a way to which both Armani and Bryn could only nod their heads and take a step in closer so she could whisper it to them.

Seeing this, Alexa strode forwards, head held high, hands on her hips and announced, “I Simply do not give a shit!” she said in a honest and smug voice, astounding both Armarni, Bryn and every other Prospect that had overheard because she had not been quiet when she spoke.

The Two looked on surprised for a moment before Bryn couldn’t help but ask, “What happened to the girl from earlier, you know, the noble and heroic leader that led us all through the first test” he asked Armani whilst motioning towards Alexa who was giving a little wiggle whilst her hands were still on her hips.

“I know right! Are we sure this is the same person? Maybe someone’s got a technique to change their face because nobody can change their personality this quickly” he asked in a mock serious voice to which Alexa blew out her cheeks and blew a raspberry.

“Oi, that’s rude you know” she said as she smiled, “who said I can’t lead and have fun at the same time, haven’t you ever head the saying, ‘Work hard, play Harder’” she said as she tried to sound intellectual but the three of them just ended up giggling together.

“No seriously, does it really not bother you?” Bryn asked as he stopped laughing, to which Alexa stopped and looked at him casually.

“Seriously, your dad is a bad guy don’t get me wrong, but he didn’t do anything different than what other heroes have done off world, what, am I supposed to care about it more because it happened in our own back garden? Should I be judged for the Actions that my family have committed off world in the name of accomplishing their mission, that’s stupid, Hell, we’re at this academy because we belong to families or organisations that don’t stop at just doing bad shit off world but do shit here, on earth” she said with a tinge of anger to the end but as Bryn heard it, he realised he had never thought about It that way, it didn’t happen often, but even he had caught one or two streams where a hero had done something that was in no way ‘Heroic’.

“Anyway, what about you, you still haven’t answered me, why the change in name?” Alexa asked Bryn, Bryn thought about it for a second before answering, “honestly, I came up with it on the spot to hide my identity when Armani questioned me on the train but now, my real name feels like it belongs to a completely different person, I’ve been through so much in so little time that it feels like if I continue to use it again, I’ll be polluting it or something, like the happy times I had with people that I still feel like are my friends but know that after everything that has come to light no longer are, I feel like those memories would be tarnished if I continued to use it and act like I was still the same person ” Bryn answered as best as he could for even when he was finished, he didn’t truly understand how he felt about it.

The three chatted for a few minutes longer before Eduardo called out to the prospects and had them gather at the far end of the room where several passages had been tunnelled into the wall.

Securing the sheaved blade within the fabric belts made from his tattered top, Bryn made his way over with the other two, Spotting Arai in a much better condition than what he had left him in as he did, he was currently giving the cold shoulder to the girl that had spoken up for him.

When they arrived, almost all of the examiners were lined up whilst Eduardo was stood atop a podium in front of them.

“It is now time for your third and final test, behind me are several tunnels that will take you to a location where this test will be carried out, but unlike the previous tests, what form the final test will take shall be yours to decide” he said to which the crowd burst into hushed murmur’s as they contemplated at to what he meant.

“The first exam was designed to test your instinctive reactions when thrown into a suddenly unfamiliar and dangerous environment”

“The Second Exam was designed to test your ability to overcome insurmountable odds”

“The Final exam has been designed for you to demonstrate why you deserve to attend our academy, throughout each of tunnels behind me lays the teachers for the various courses we offer at the Academy”

“From Martial Arts, to Magi-tech Engineering, elemental magic to Hunting, we offer a range of different courses beyond the basic education we will teach you, and to gain entrance into the academy, you must obtain the recognition of the subject teacher you wish to pursue” Eduardo stated before walking off with the rest of the examiners, heading down their own tunnels to proctor the exam for the subject that they taught.

The prospects stood around for a few seconds before a few started to trail off, looking for the tunnels of the classes they wished to take.

“So, what are you two going to take?” Alexa called out as she picked up her gear in preparation to head on.

Bryn look Worried and confused whilst Armani looked calm and collected as if his answer was a full gone conclusion.

“Alchemy without a doubt” he said to which he looked at Bryn with a disappointed look, “literally everybody that attends an academy has a build in mind for what type of Hero they want to be in the future, how are you unsure of what path to take?” he asked as he prepared himself as well.

“I don’t know, I was trained by my aunt with a Ranger build in mind but I always planned to focus on being a vanguard type but with what’s happened in the past few day I don’t know any more” Bryn said to which he looked at Alexa for help but she was of no help.

“Leadership for me, can’t lead if you doubt yourself” she said before giving them a brief wave and moving towards a tunnel in the distance.

“Lot of help she was” Bryn said as he watched Alexa go alongside Armani.

“Look my friend, I know that you’ve been through a lot in the last few days but If I can advise you one thing, it will be this, you have a target on your back now, if what you wanted to be before all this can’t keep up with your new popularity, adapt it until it will or choose something else entirely” Armani said as he clasped him on the shoulder before heading down his own tunnel.

The numbers in the room started to dwindle as people made their choice, only the prospects like him that didn’t know what path they wanted to take or didn’t have the confidence to demonstrate the abilities in the path they wanted to travel remained.

What Bryn had wanted to be in the past was a Hero that focused on his body, one that used his already naturally enhance abilities from being a legacy as a base, but he also wanted to be able to fire off grand magic like they were common spells.

Now that he was looking back on it, he realised that he was an idiot.

He wanted to be an all-rounder, a person that could do everything, but more often that not, those that pursed this path became a jack of all trades but master of none.

That was something that he couldn’t follow through with now, the type of people that tried to attempt that build were usually weak when they first started out as a hero and depended on a team to keep them safe until they were strong enough to stand on their own.

He knew he had the talent to learn a bit of everything but to master it quickly enough that he could use it against the people that would come after him, never.

No, he needed to stop thinking on what he wanted to be, and what he could pass in this instance, the other prospects may had a safety school they could go to but this was it for him.

This was still an exam and just because he took interest in it did not mean that he was guaranteed to pass it.

He needed to focus on what his Aunt Myra taught him, and choose something that would replace the team he may never have.

Fighting had been a focus for his aunt, but the only tunnel for that here was martial arts and whilst he was very confident in his ability to fight, he was slightly ashamed to say that he had depended a lot on his natural physique to be as good as he was, and if there was a chance that some of the people that were here, that had been taught with them attending this academy in mind, had the chance to fail, then it was a chance he did not wish to make.

What about weapons.

He knew how to use a lot of them, but his aunt focused on dual wielding daggers and archery as they were the mains of a ranger.

He was ambidextrous, so he was good with the daggers but it wasn’t to the point that he could use that as the basis of power as a hero.

As for archery…no, he could shoot a bow better than most but no-where near what was required to compete at this level, it was something his aunt had always been very frustrated about for some reason.

The only other thing that he had really been taught about in depth was?…that could work.

His choice made, Bryn headed for the tunnel where he had seen the sign posted and entered into its depths.

‘Beast Taming’