The room was ginormous and spacey, cobalt-colored metal plating lined the walls. Suddenly, a screen turned on with a 0 labeled on it.
An automated voice cracked over the speakers, "the combat test will begin in two minutes, if you needed any material or element to fuel your ability, you should have already filled out the request on the combat psychology test. Aster stood silently for two minutes until a beep blared and the voice re-emerged. "The combat test will now begin, destroy the targets as fast as you can, start at the beep." When the beep bellowed, various dummies folded upward from the floor. The timer on the screen started and Aster dashed to beat the time as fast as he could. "Stage 1: basic attacks test," the voice alerted. Aster easily slashed the dummies up, leaving behind their destroyed wooden bodies.
"Is that it?" Aster questioned, sweat trickled from his brow.
"Stage 2: evasion," the electronic voice stated. The metal panels swung open, revealing a bunch of holes.
"What the—?" Aster questioned, staring at the holes. Suddenly, a small yellow bead was ejected from the hole, forcing Aster to swing his body to avoid it. Suddenly, waves of the tiny yellow beads began being shot from the holes. Before Aster could react he was pelted with dozens of beads at once. A loud buzzer blasted as Aster was knocked over by the beads.
"Assessment—failed. No ability usage detected, recruit assigned—Class D." Back in the lobby, Aster stood behind the secretary's desk, waiting for the report.
"No way, Class D? But—this blade—its powerful, I know it is. Is it really true what that lady said about me not having a connection? No, she had to be messing with me!" He desperately thought, he irises shaking.
"Here," the attendant said, sliding a single piece of paper over the desk. On the report, not much was written but in the results corner, a defining D sat written confidently.
twitching his hands his hands, Aster mumbled to himself, "No—is my legacy, over before it began?"
"Please bring your report to the dormitory office down there," the desk attendant ordered, pointing the a small office down the large hallway.
As Aster walked down to the office, Jawed called out from the seating section, "hey Aster! Whatcha' get?" Aster didn't respond, continuing to walk down towards the office.
As he walked in, an aged man greeted, "Ah, greetings new recruit! Here to have your dormitory assigned?"
"Yes," Aster quietly stated, sliding his report with an meek shove over the cold counter. Behind the man, Aster saw a girl his age carrying boxes around in the back, her hair held a lime color.
"Well your in our computer system now, your free to go to your dorms and settle in, just go to the elevator and press the button labeled D, chore-boy."
"What does he mean by that?" Aster asked himself, leaving the room and entering the nearby elevator. Looking at the dormitory elevator buttons, all but D had holes, supposedly for keys of some kind.
"Why was that girl carrying around boxes?" He thought to himself, "she looked to be around my age."
As the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Aster store into the locker room sized dorms with rusty metal bunk beds spread around it.
"You new?" A calm voice asked. Aster turned and saw a tall girl emerge from the elevator doors behind him.
Backing up, Aster admitted, "I must have pressed the wrong button, is this the female D dorm?"
"You didn't," the girl said, pulling him into the room. "Class D only has this room as a dorm, both male and female."
"You're serious? Isn't that just—inhumane?" Aster asked, his eyes creaked with disgust.
"Thats just how it is being Class D."