Natalia jumped pushing off one foot towards me, grabbing her sword out of the sheath on her back and swinging it at me. I took a quick step back to dodge it as I materialized a dull wooden sword into my hands to block her next incoming attack. I stepped closer into her left side and spun around to elbow her in the back. She quickly stepped to her right and turned, hitting me in the side with her wooden sword.

“You did better this time Thalia. Just remember, fighting isn’t just a battle of speed and agility but also one of intelligence. Those who win in war win because of their experience and the tactics that they incorporate into each plan of attack. You must use your brain to your advantage.” Natalia explained to me, most likely hoping I could quickly improve before the tests.

It has been a week since Natalia was brought into the infirmary and we had immediately begun training. And just like I thought I had gotten the crap beaten out of me multiple times. Not out of spite of course, but just because these things happen in intense training. After all, I had never gotten into a fight before. Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever even been hit before.

“Can’t we move onto something else yet? It feels like we’ve been practicing techniques with the swords for hours.” I complained, my arms feeling sore and my body feeling tired. I’m almost positive that there is gonna be a bruise on my side after the hit she landed.

“Sure, we can stop now. That is, if you’re prepared to win in the battles we have coming up. Because then we can move on to studying for the mental tests.” Natalia said, giving a smirk before hitting me with her sword one last time.

“Ouch! What was that for?! I didn’t even do anything this time.” I complained, rubbing the area that she had hit.

“Oh, that? I just did it because I can. Now let’s get back to work.” And we did. We continued training for an hour, took a break, and then continued again. We ate food and then went to study battle strategies. We would go out to the woods and play a little game of hide and seek to train in stealth. We would go back inside, do some stretches and then head back into the library and study again. Then we would separate and go to sleep just to restart the process. And we did this for the next 3 weeks as well.

Our two-fortnight deadline had ended and it was officially time for the tests. Natalia and I had grown a little bit closer in this time but she never really told me about herself. Throughout all of this work, I can admit that I may have gotten stronger both mentally and physically. Since I wasn’t being sheltered anymore I could gain confidence in not only myself but in my mentor as well.

I know that she has the best in mind for me not only for her well-being but mine as well. Even just that small glimpse into her mind shone a lot on her personality. She was quiet and didn’t speak much. She only talked when she needed to, but at times she would let go and send me a small smile. She would give her cocky little smirks and let out a little giggle. But they only lasted for so long. She often went back into her bubble and closed herself off even more after these small instances.

And while she didn’t talk or smile often she showed me through her actions how she cared about me. I was a little on the thinner side, mostly because my mom didn’t want me to gain any weight. So Natalia would add a couple of extra fruits or vegetables onto my plate to help me gain a little. I could tell she wasn’t judging but she was certainly worried.

From her feeding me those extra foods I had gained a couple of pounds in weight. I had also gained muscle in my arms making me look slightly bulkier but still very feminine. I look and feel healthier than I have in a very long time.

Which is exactly why I feel prepared for the tests today. Natalia barges into my room making the door slam against the wall. She flinches slightly before smiling sheepishly at me before she begins to speak.

“I hope you’re ready, Thalia. Cause it’s gonna be a long day. We’ll start with the strength test and then go into the agility one. We’ll then go out for the stealth test before coming back inside for the test of knowledge. After that, we’ll be taken into the training room for the battles. Now be prepared because this training room is different from the ones we’ve used before. This one will be a large open area with a slightly large stage in the middle and surrounding that area will be a mana field. Inside you will feel every bit of pain inflicted on you and no fatal wounds will be allowed. Once we step out of the mana field our wounds will be immediately healed. We’ll still feel exhaustion, but we won’t be injured.” I just listen and take all this information in, knowing that it will be important for later. I nod my head before speaking.

“So when I walk out of this field all I will feel is exhaustion?” I question her feeling myself get excited. She just nods her head in reply as I start jumping around. Oh my gosh, this is so cool. I wonder what else I’ll discover here. I can’t wait to go outside for the stealth test! But now that I think about it, why haven’t I gone out there before?

“Umm so hey, I just realized that you didn’t mention the nature test.” She looked at me and smirked before letting out a laugh. And can I just say that it is the most beautiful laugh that I have ever heard. She stopped walking for a second before looking at me.

“You’re not ready for the nature test love. Regrettably, I haven’t had much time to get you acquainted with the creatures of this realm yet. I can give you a book on it later.” She said, giving me a look I couldn’t quite recognize before continuing to walk.

I took a couple of large strides to catch up with her before looking at her again. She came to a quick stop at a black door with a horse on it before opening it.

“The black horse is said to mean the strength of maturity to handle what life brings. In our society it represents independence. A strong ally in dark times.” Natalia stated, looking at me to make sure I was listening before walking into the room.

I followed right behind her, immersing myself with my new surroundings. The room was large with black walls all around. The room was filled with people, maybe a couple hundred, all waiting in line to punch what looks to be a mechanism sort of like a punching bag. It was floating in the air not tethered to anything. It had a blank transparent screen behind it which was also floating in the air.

I can only assume that this is what will be used to measure our strength in the test. I looked back over towards the punching bag to see someone stepping up to it. Just then, the screen lit up and it began to speak, words appearing on the screen as it read aloud.

“Xaviar Edevane. House of prosperity. Age, 22 celestial moons.” The machine finished. And although it didn’t explain much about him, I have a feeling it was meant to keep us in the dark for the fights later. And as more people walked up to the machine to throw punches I was able to gather a quick census of the people around me.

The machine only gave us quick summaries of the people in the room, but as they actually punched the bag it gave me a little insight into how strong the people in this realm are. The lowest number that the floating screen had read aloud was 1,523. Now I’m no arcade master and I wasn’t allowed out much so I’m not exactly sure what the highest score was in the earth realm but I’m sure it was nowhere near what that lowest score was.

Needless to say, the beings here and their strength is on a whole nother level than what you’d find in humans.

Feeling a light tap on my shoulder I turn my head to see Natalia pointing towards the line. There are only a couple more participants before it’s my turn, excluding Natalia, and I’m getting increasingly more nervous.

“Now I hate to burst your bubble or whatever the saying is, but I’m not participating in any of these tests besides the battles. You could say that my statistics and skill levels are...confidential.” Natalia said, causing me to raise an eyebrow at her. She just turned back to the front, ignoring the look I just gave her before smirking a bit.

“So you’re telling me, everything about you is top secret and they’re still letting other people fight against you?” I ask, almost concerned with how strange this schools’ system is. That just seems a bit dangerous to meet.

Natalia looked back at me with the same smirk glued to her face. “You seem nervous. Are you nervous?”

I let out a quick noise of refusal before replying. “Why should I be scared? You haven’t given me a reason to be afraid yet.” Okay so maybe, just maybe, the odd look she’s giving me right now is making me a bit nervous.

She has this odd glint in her eyes, expressing her mischievous thoughts, showing me just how much I really don’t know. NOt only that, but the look she was giving me had me thinking that she knew exactly how nervous I felt.

Just then she began speaking again, giving me a genuine smile. “Well Prince, looks like it’s your turn. Let’s see how much good that training did you.” She said, patting my back in what seemed to e the most comforting position she knew before pushing me forward.

As I walked up to the machine it once again began to speak.“ Thalia Prince, house of the Royals. Age, 21 celestial moons.” A large burly man with brown hair walked up to Natalia and began whispering something in her ear. She nodded her head before walking over to me.

“This is professor Freelon. He is the instructor for strength and fighting techniques. Here we have our own fighting style of Akita. It focuses on Aeolian which means ‘of the wind’. He is the one who helps teach the students this.”

I nod along to her words before looking over towards the muscular man. I give him a nod before looking back at Natalia. Does he have to stare at me so hard, it’s seriously creeping me out. I glance back at him before finally talking to him.

“Is there something you need before I go ahead and punch this machine thing? Cause if not could you back up. You’re staring is making me uncomfortable.” I tell him, looking him up and down before stepping back a little bit closer to Natalia.

“Sorry Thalia, I know I can be a little intimidating for newcomers but hopefully It’s not too much to handle.” And when he said it he gave me a slightly condescending look. If I didn't know any better I'd think he was being a bit sarcastic.

I gave him a small smile, showing my annoyance before turning my attention to Natalia. “So can I punch this thing yet or are we gonna keep wasting time. Because we still have two tests left after this.” I tell her in annoyance, getting a little frustrated with how long this is taking. I just want to get this over with and go to sleep.

There has already been too much social interaction for one day. I was rarely allowed to go anywhere without my mother let alone talk to any new people. This is definitely something that will take getting used to.

“Sure go ahead, I didn’t mean to distract you. We’ll be waiting right here for you.” Mr. Freelon says, giving me a sarcastic smile. I just turn away from him and again walk closer to the machine. I take a deep breath in before punching the machine as hard as I can.

2,932 was the number that popped up onto the floating screen. I preened proud of myself for the score I achieved with such a small amount of training. It wasn’t a particularly high number here, rather average, but considering I’ve only been training for a fortnight it’s a rather good score. I did a small fistbump before turning around to look at Natalia who was again occupied in conversation with Professor Freeman.

I rolled my eyes before walking towards them stopping right beside Natalia. Funnily enough, it seemed as though she wasn’t interested in this conversation. She actually looked kind of annoyed. I smirked a bit at that before shaking my head and reigning in my features.

“I’m feeling pumped! Let’s get to the next test while I’m still doing good.” I said to Natalia, smiling a bit before my face straightened out again; my body becoming taught as I noticed Freeman staring at me.

I looked at him and gave him a weird look before stepping past him following the crowd out of the room and down the hallway to the next room. Now the library was considerably far seeing as they must’ve wanted the library to be quite contrary to the noisiness of the training room. It just goes to show how big this school truly is.

Stepping into the library I was in complete awe of the sheer massiveness of the room. And the sheer volume of books was nothing to laugh at either. The library had a wide and open feeling with around 20 tables and the rest of the room was stacked with shelves filled to the brim with books. The tables were long enough for 30 people to sit at and still have a considerable amount of space.

I quickly walked to a table to sit, Natalia walking up from behind taking a seat beside me. She looked at me and gave a nod of reassurance before a few people with red ties or other articles of clothing started passing out papers.

Natalia leaned back in her seat to relax as I looked down at the paper. There were questions ranging from the fighting style they use to the work the omadas do in society. I began answering questions as I looked around to see everyone else immersed in their work.

I finish the test soon after and stand up to hand it to one of the people in red. I go back to my seat and lean in towards Natalia.

“Maybe I’m just an adept learner but this test seemed a bit too easy.” I whispered to her, looking around to make sure nobody heard me.

“Many of the people in this room have studied for these tests their entire lives. You are indeed very proficient in matters of intelligence, especially in tactics and planning.” She whispered back, nodding her head to the rest of the people in the room.

I nod my head to her before laying my head down on the table, deciding to try and take a nap before we have to get to the next test. It takes about twenty minutes for everyone else to finish their tests before everyone leaves the tables and starts off towards the next room. We turn right, heading back in the direction of the strength test room before we stop at the door right across from it.

The room is filled with different sized pipes, ledges, and swinging objects almost like a more hazardous obstacle course. I shake my head in disbelief and frown. If there's one test I know I won’t do so well in, it’s this one. I step forward in the line noticing another floating screen calling out names and stats as I wait for my turn.

I look behind me to say something to Natalia but she isn’t there. Well, maybe she had something to do who knows. I decided to wait until after my test to look for her, not wanting to get lost. By the time I’m done she may be back by then anyway.

The line dwindles as everyone goes through the course, multiple completing it and many falling or being hit by one of the swinging objects. When it finally gets to my turn I climb the ladder to get up onto the beam before pulling myself up and stand on top of it. I get myself down into a running position before I take off. I run as a giant axe swings past from the ride side jumping over it before continuing to run again. I keep going until I stop at the end of the beam, seeing a large gap that I need to jump to get to the next ledge.

I take a couple of steps back before sprinting and launching myself off to the next ledge. I grab onto the ledge and pull myself up. As soon as I catch my balance on the new beam I jump trying not to get hit by an inanimate object that was sent flying my way. I stumbled back as another axe came swinging from the right.

I start running again wanting to get this over with as soon as possible. A big wall suddenly rises and I jump keeping up my momentum seeing the end of the course before a giant bat comes swinging from the left out of nowhere and propels me off the beam. I tumble to the ground standing up and trying to catch my balance. I hold my side in pain knowing there’ll be a huge bruise there tomorrow.

I limp back to the other side of the beam to see the last few people go before noticing Natalia walk up to me. I drop my head expecting disappointment before I hear her speak.

“You did good. This was your first try and you almost completed it.” She said letting the corners of her lips twitch up a bit before they straightened again. She gave me a soft pat on the back before walking away looking back as if expecting me to follow her. She leads me back down the hallway away from the rest of the group before stopping at the door to my room.

“You have two more tests. The nature test is tomorrow and the battles are the next day. Get some rest youll need it.” She says. I mumble a thank you and a you too back but she was already leaving. I walked into my room and collapsed onto my bed, tired and in pain from the tests that I went through.

I sigh and close my eyes before quickly falling asleep.