The last exam... was in the middle of a white, void.
It was like... He was up in the sky. The surroundings were glassy, and filled with clouds.
However, no matter where he looked, the space looked... Endless.
Creepy, yet he felt calm until that was obliterated by a figure, suddenly manifesting in front.
The figure was... Him.
Hair, body, weapon, eyes, everything is akin to him. It's almost an understatement to call him "similar." It is his only replica.
Ryo's eyes widened in shock, as he grasped his sword tightly, cautiously preparing for a battle.
The figure looked at him with the same, dead eyes he had.
"Do you know me?" The figure asked emotionlessly.
"I am you. I know you." Ryo replied,
"How much do you know yourself?"
"I know myself better than anyone."
"I sure hope that you are certain. Because if not," the figure unsheathes its blade out, "then this is the end."
Ryo immediately knew the purpose of this exam. Defeat yourself, and know yourself better.
This is a form of self-evaluation.
And to pass, you must do just that.
Coming to that conclusion, he too, unsheathed his sword and prepared to fight.
And in the next second, they clashed against one another.
Of course, the battle was on equal footing. What they did was the exact same, as were the techniques and strategies.
The way they would attack, and dash back, all the while looking for weakness, was exactly the same.
How can one win, with something that's exactly like you? With your thinking, skills, and such?
Apparently, Ryo wasn't the only one that was struggling.
Everyone, on the third exam, was struggling, even the strongest in the class, and the one who beat Ryujin, everyone, no exception.
Asahi, who was looking at the examinees from an invisible camera, smirked. Beside him was Ryujin, who looked at them doubtfully.
"We took that exam last semester. Why'd you let them take it first thing in the year?" Ryujin asked.
"Well, it's better to start off the year that you already know yourself."
"And?"
"This exam allows you to see yourself from an outside point of view. Your clone is the exaxt same as your current state. This scenario will allow you to see what you are right now, and find weakness within that state. That will give you head-ups on what to improve within yourself for the year."
"I get that... But..."
"You wanna dispel your doubts?"
Asahi pointed at the lowermost area of the screen. There was Kyouko, fighting herself with her full power.
"She's always so determined to improve, and surpass herself," Ryujin remarked, amazed.
"I am not surprised that she made it into the council. She's deserving." Asahi replied, "And look", Asahi pointed out to another student, who seemed to be on the verge of defeating their enemy.
"Fighting isn't just all about thinking of what you can do to beat your opponent. You also need to think about what your opponent thinks about you, and their strategies. In this case, you are the opponent, allowing you to see what others could think of you in the middle of a fight."
And soon, the majority of the students began getting the hang of their exams.
"The path towards magic isn't for the faint of heart, Ryujin, and you know that. This is not just a competition, but this very ground we are standing on could be the ground for wars and battles. Do not forget the "Dream Incident" last year." Asahi said, his carefree voice turning serious and cold as he spoke.
"I know."
"And as far as I know, it struck again, in the nearby school, just near us."
"Yeah.."
"Then, it is the more reason to train these students to stand up for themselves, and for the school."
Ryujin stood silent at what Asahi said.
It is true, that it is better late than never. In a time where everything is uncertain, it is better to be prepared.
"Oh and look, as we were talking, all of them passed. I told you it's easy." Asahi laughed boisterously as if mocking Ryujin that he had won their bet.
"Fine, sure, whatever."
"That concludes this exam. I'll call Kyouko, you need her for the council meeting, right?"
"Yeah, thanks, sensei."
Ryujin promptly left.
...
The opponent was defeated.
Ryo stood above the fallen corpse of his clone as he stared up.
"The exam has been completed.". A female announcer spoke.
The void slowly disintegrated, returning him right outside the cave where they entered the exam.
And there, everyone was sent back simultaneously.
Unsurprisingly, almost everyone fell on their butt and knees, exhausted to their core.
They caught their breath, and sweat poured down their head.
The same goes for Ryo, as he staggered to stand up. He caught himself by holding on to the nearby tree and catching his breath.
"That ends our exam. The class ends now, you may all go home." Asahi closed the class with a smile, before proceeding to leave and walk away.
Ryo picked himself up and stood up properly. He planned to go home and have some sleep.
That being said, he promptly left and returned back to his dorm.
As for the others, they composed themselves and decided to do the same.
Except for the council member, Kyouko, who after the exam, immediately went to the council office.
She changed into her council uniform, covered with a black coat over.
Though tired, and eyes heavy, she needs to attend the urgent meeting called by none other than the vice president of the council.
She walked through the corridors, her eyes almost half-closed. At one point, she bumped into someone, suddenly waking her up.
"O-Oh... S-Sorry." She promptly apologized. As she looked up, she realized that it was none other than her co-council member,
The seventh council member.
A tall man, at least two meters, with a muscular physique stood, with his back facing Kyouko. With serious, purple eyes, he turned around and noticed Kyouko.
"What is it, Fujimoto?" He asked in his deep, voice, a voice so cold that it made Kyouko slightly nervous and fearful.
"Isamu-Senpai! I-I'm sorry, I-I wasn't watching-" she apologized as she bowed her head down nervously.
However, she was cut off by someone.
"There you are, Kyouko-chan." It was Ryujin, who was in front of the seventh member.
"Stella-Senpai is looking for you! You should hurry!" He smiled as he pulled Kyouko towards the room.
"And as for you, your eyes really scare anyone, you shouldn't be too serious!" He said to the seventh member.
But that person remained cold and indifferent.
"Geez, that's why no one wants to be friends with you." Ryujin annoyingly teased as he stuck his tongue out and pulled his eyes down.
But the other member only looked at him, before blandly responding, "Ok.", which annoyed Ryujin even more.
"Whatever, let's go inside." He prompted as he went inside, which Isamu soon followed after.
The room was dark, and in the middle, was a rectangular table. At the end of that table was the Vice-President, sat down, her expression cold as usual.
The rest of the council members sat in their respective seats. However, two of those seats were empty and vacant.
"Kyouko and Isamu are here. How about the "Sixth"?" She asked.
"I'm afraid I haven't been able to get a hold of her," Stella responded disappointed.
"Her... Again... This is an urgency, and yet..."
Due to her annoyance, she unconsciously emitted a cold, white energy around her, that froze the area around her.
"C-Calm down, A-Ayako-san." Ryujin tried to intervene, nervous as to how things might escalate. Knowing her cold prowess, there's no telling when they would be frozen to death.
"Ayako, there's really no use in being mad about her absence." A council member, specifically the fifth member, Yasuna, spoke.
Brown ponytail, brown eyes. Her eyes were sleepy, as she read a book.
"She clearly expressed her dislike of being a council member," Yasuna added, her voice low and soft, signifying that she was sleepy.
"The deal was she could go when a replacement was found," Yukime replied, her voice colder than before.
"Humans have free will, and that is their right. You can't force her otherwise. If anything, it's our fault for expecting someone who doesn't want to be here in the first place. It would be wise to start the meeting without her." Yasuna replied.
Everyone was silent during their conversation as tension filled the air. Yukime lets out a sigh, before continuing.
"Let's do just that." She concludes.
Typically, Yukime will exercise authority, as she is the vice president. However, when her seriousness and annoyance cloud her mind, Yasuna is a ridiculous, yet effective person against her.
Yasuna may look weak, and always sleepy, however, she is observant, blunt, and frank, and will straight up tell anyone what is wrong with them.
Not just Yukime, but the whole council in general. No one can escape from her sharp tongue.
"The meeting is about, the recent "dreaming incident." The school governor requested another meeting since right now, they are being called to the Department of Magic Education."
Yukime took out a small clear book from under the table and began rummaging through it.
"I have the recent reports on what happened to the recent incident just by the FWMA."
She began discussing the information surrounding the recent incident.
"6 students led the incident. However, reports suggest that "they", themselves aren't aware of what they're doing."
"So that means, someone else was controlling them?" Stella asked.
"That is what is being suggested. Another culprit is controlling them. The students don't know each other personally, nor have they talked to each other throughout their lives. However, upon further investigation, it was discovered that three of them were considered "rebels."
"And by rebels, you mean...?"
"Those who are against the own government of their school. It is exactly what the magician of the infinite Skyfall stated. "Magic will be the medium, for people to transgress."
Yukime stopped for a moment and flipped the page.
"For now, those six students have been put on hold by the authorities."
"This is far worse than what we experienced last year," Ryujin remarked as he crossed his arms.
"And that is why, we will reinforce this school. Keep a close eye on students, and always monitor them. Cautiously, look out for possible rebels, and much better, for clues that could relate to the dreaming incident. However, we also need to strengthen the students, each and every one. Kyouko and Ryujin, I want you two to be always wary of the first-years. I'll leave them up to you."
Both Kyouko and Ryujin affirmed.
"If there are any suspicious people out there, immediately report."
Yukime stopped again and flipped to another page.
"And another reason why we are doing this is because..." she momentarily stopped, before looking at the eyes of each of her council members. "It is speculated that Seiei Academy might be next. "
It is only the beginning of the year, and yet, things are already moving too fast. Incidents, and speculations, no one knows the real reason behind the "dreaming" incident. But as far as history is concerned, it won't be pretty.