I picked up the sword and unsheathed it. It had a brilliant violet blade. I held it into the air, examining its features, and that's when I noticed that it had begun to glow.
"Dad, what's it doing?" I asked.
"Ah, I'm glad it's doing that. I was worried that the sword would reject you, but it seems that you're worthy of wielding it."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you'll learn about this when you arrive at the academy, but to put it simply, your sword is essentially a vacant vessel. You will understand what I mean soon enough.."
A vacant vessel...? I had no idea what he was talking about, but I was confident that it had significant meaning. My father then uttered an unfamiliar name under his breath.
"...Mira..."
"Mira? Who's that?" I asked.
"Oh, you heard that, didn't you... well, don't worry about it, she's long gone..."
"Were you two close?"
"Tremendously close... obviously not as close as me and your mother, but you'll understand when you meet yours."
"When I meet mine...? Dad, you're not making much sense right now." I said, the sword continued to glow as I held it in my hand. It began to pulse, the light growing stronger and dimmer rapidly.
"Hachiro, when you arrive at the academy, you will be assigned a spirit that will reside in your sword. They will guide you... Mira was the name of my sword spirit, she was a beautiful young maiden, and she protected me..."
"Your sword is pulsing right now because it's ready to inhabit a spirit. When you go to Eritoakademi, you will be assigned a spirit based on your compatibility. They will guide you."
Confused, I pondered what exactly he meant by a "sword spirit". Was this a physical being? Or a wisp? I wasn't entirely sure. He could tell I was confused and decided not to explain further.
"Here, sheath your sword, you still have plenty of gifts to open!" said my father, smiling.
Hearing the words "your sword" filled me with excitement. My father was officially retiring his blade, once and for all, to his son, to carry on his legacy.
"Dad, I'm not sure what you mean by sword spirit, but when I find mine, I'll let you know," I said, sheathing the sword and setting it aside. My father sat down across from me and sipped his coffee.
"Please do, I'd be delighted to hear who they are," he said excitedly. I looked to the table at the remainder of the gifts. I could tell what they were by their shapes.
Opening them, I was consistently affirming my guesses. Clothes, a backpack, a few jackets for the autumn season, and some other neat things that I had been wanting for the past year. I set them all aside, except for one of the jackets my father bought me.
It was a nice purple tracksuit. I put it on immediately, and it fit perfectly. I smiled at my father and thanked him for the many gifts I received this year.
"Thank you, Dad, for everything. I really appreciate you going out of the way each year to make my birthday special."
"Oh, you know how much I love you Hachiro. Just make sure to get me twice as much for my birthday! Hahaha!"
"You never change, Dad," I said, turning around to look at the TV.
Checking out what was on the screen, the news had moved on to more generic things such as the weather forecast and some smaller stories. I got up and went into the kitchen to make myself a quick breakfast, I hadn't eaten yet.
Around the same time as this, my sister came downstairs, still in her pajamas. She snuck into the kitchen, gave my dad a "shh" signal, and crept on up behind me before---
"BOO!"
"AH! MISAKO, COOL IT!" I yelled, nearly spilling the water that I had just poured for myself. I set it down, turned around, and there was Misako, wearing a wide grin.
"Nhehe, happy birthday Hachiro! Wait, don't tell me, you're going to Eritoakademi, aren't you?" She asked, pointing to the hat on the table in the other room.
"I am, why are you surprised? You were the one making all the bets saying I'd go there."
"Oh, you're right! Mom owes me one dollar now! She said you'd go to Azayaka, guess she was wrong."
"Wow, one whole dollar!" I said sarcastically. I was certain that mother simply wanted Misako to feel happy that she won something, and decided to give up a dollar bet she knew she'd lose.
"Hey, it's more than you have broke boy!" she replied, clearly annoyed. My father stepped into the room.
"Oh, Hachiro, that reminds me. I have something else to tell you. You're going to be living on your own for a little while in whatever dorms they have at Eritoakademi, so that means you'll have to buy your own food and supplies."
"I decided to help you out a little, and load $1,000 onto your bank account for you. If you need any more, just let me or mom know. This money is for emergencies though, only use it when you need something."
My sister turned white and looked dad in his eyes. I was smirking at her.
"A THOUSAND DOLLARS!? If you had that much money just sitting around, why didn't you lend me any?"
"Well, you're not going to live on your own like Hachiro, and plus, you get paid to do chores around the house. If you saved it instead of spending it all at once instantly, you'd probably have a thousand saved in a few years."
I turned to her and smiled.
"Broke boy no more!" I said as she walked up to me. She punched me in the side before smiling at me and giving me a hug.
"I hope you succeed Hachiro. Please try not to die out there, okay? By the time I enroll, you'll be a 3rd year! Promise me you'll wait for me, okay?"
"I promise, Misako. I'll come home and visit often too! We get breaks just like you do in school, so don't expect me to be gone all the time." I said, as my father joined the conversation.
"Let's all have a nice breakfast and celebrate Hachiro's birthday, he'll be leaving soon to go to the academy."
The three of us made our breakfast, a nice plate of eggs and hash browns, your classic meal. We sat down, talked as we ate, and enjoyed the day.
I went around the house and began to pack my belongings, that was, things I would need and or wanted to bring with me to the academy. When I was finished, I went back downstairs and met up with my father. My mother was out of the house.
But then, we heard a knock on the door. Could it be mom? She left earlier in the day while I was packing, she would have gotten home quick. My dad and I went to the door and looked through the peephole. We saw a man standing there, wearing a suit and tie and shades.
His suit had an emblem on it, it was the Eritoakademi emblem. We quickly opened the door, and the man greeted us.
"Good afternoon gentlemen, I come bearing news for Hachiro Karasagi, are you him?" he asked.
"I am, who are you?"
"My name is Botan, I'm one of the student advisors for Eritoakademi. Your father sent us word earlier about your potential enrollment into Eritoakademi, can you confirm this?"
I looked at my dad, who was smiling. He hadn't told me he confirmed my enrollment, but by now it was too late, I had to accept, so I did.
"It's true, I'm going..."
"Excellent. I'll need you to sign a few documents for me, just some legal paperwork in case anything were to happen to you, such as injury or death," said Botan, handing me a clipboard and pen. I got to reading.
The documents were nothing more than waivers. By signing, I would essentially be giving up my right to sue the school if I were to die or sustain injuries. It made sense, considering the job I was stepping into. I signed the documents and handed them back to Botan.
"Thank you so much. I also come bearing important information that I'm now allowed to tell you VIA you signing these documents. Please pay attention Hachiro."
"You will have 3 days to write and send us a detailed application, stating who you are, what your family history is, any abilities you possess, and why you wish to attend Eritoakademi."
"After we receive your application, we will review it, and notify you within 48 hours if you have been accepted or denied the opportunity to participate in our entrance exam."
"If you are accepted, you will be subjected to the entrance exam 7 days from the notice of acceptance, which should arrive at the same time for everybody who applies. So this means about 12 days from today, considering you are accepted."
"In the exam, you will be grouped together with numerous other candidates to decide who is most fit for this academy. Currently, we expect some 3,000 applicants to be accepted for the exam. We will take a maximum of 700."
"If you score in the top 700, you will be admitted. You will receive more information about the entrance exam when you arrive."
"Furthermore, if you fail the exam, you will be denied admittance but will be allowed to try again indefinitely in the coming years. So don't worry if you get sent home."
"Good luck, Hachiro Karasagi..." said Botan, turning around, and leaving the house. My father nudged me on the shoulder, I looked at him.
"Hey, take what he said with a grain of salt. He says the same thing to everyone, regardless of background. I know you'll make it, just try your best to prepare for the next week, alright?"
"Alright. Thank you, dad..." I said.
For the 3 days, I worked on my application. I wrote every single detail, having my father proofread it many times and make edits until it was perfect. When I sent it off, we waited.
Two days later, we got a letter in the mail. I had been accepted into the entrance exam... it was time to begin my training...