"Wait, miss Sky! there might be a way ".
Pausing her steps, she turned back looking at the woman all confused.
" Just to make sure you are not lying, when you woke up after the attack, did your parents tell you what the doctor said?" The woman asked.
Thinking but not caring much of it she replied:
" That I will recover in seven years but when I asked him again, he said seven months or so".
Hearing this made the woman's eyes twitched. She gestured rubbing her dimple while saying:
"Like I said, there is a way. Although, probably the academy will punishment me if they found out that I let you in and you'll be expelled. So try your best to hide it, no one should know, understood?"
Blinking in disbelieve Sky stared at the woman, then found it suspicious, the sudden change in her mind.
" Why? Why helping just after knowing Dante is my brother? "
The woman rolled her eyes while sitting on the stool, she took her feather-like pen and started writing something on Sky's documents.
" It's not about him that I'm helping you, it's about a runway smart yet stupidly selfish doctor who discovered a unique ways of treatment but didn't share it with others. Also, it happened that I believe in his judgment".
The woman smirked narrowing her glossy snake-like eyes giving Sky a shudder, yet not fully understanding what she meant.
"Congratulations miss Sky, passing the first trial with a healthy soul core ".
" Wha..? For real!!" .
Her face lightened up as if a new spark of life was given to her. A moment ago she felt like walking on thin ice and fall into despair, she failed but the she passed. It was mentally exhausting experience. The woman then added: " As for your second trial please lay down again".
She came and laid down with plain expression, since she had a bad experience on the first trial. However, she heard the woman laughing then chuckled.
" I really hope you pass the second trial, after all, I took the risk by letting you pass, my only wish that I'm not betting on the wrong horse".
"What will happen in the second trial? ".
Raising her eyebrow as she slided with the stool in lazy manner, then crossed her arms leaning against the bed's edge, she took a close look at Sky who bemused. A wide smile loomed over the woman's face.
" It's simple, you will meet some important board members of the academy. They will decide which opponent to fight and test your combat skills ".
Sky wanted to complain about not having enough combat experiences but suddenly felt dizzy, as the room kept rotating and her vision blurred then getting darker.
" Remember to not get discovered..Toddler!".
The woman's words echoed so far, whereas everything went bleak.
"Hoy! young lady ...wake up! Hmm.. this is embarrassing".
While almost unconscious, she heard a voice then a laugh. Slowly opening her eyelids, she sighted a man far away leaning against his hand waiting, and almost running out of patience. Forthwith, groaning in pain from the bright light nearly blinded her, she checked around the place.
" What a waste of time. Hey kiddo! get up already!"
Again Sky heard a man yelling at her from above. Although her vision was still foggy, she found herself laying on a middle of all white square chamber with high walls. She gazed up to see a glass window extended from one end to the other end of each top of the walls, with people staring from the other side of it.
Some glared at her in disgust while others stared with expressionless faces.
Confounded Sky got up then noticed herself with new outfit, wearing the same black tight suit that the woman was wearing earlier.
" Welcome to second trial miss Sky. At first, we would ask you some questions to determine the level's difficulty, so collaborate with us and be honest" .
Taking a deep breath Sky nodded.
'Now here comes the real deal. I hope... no I must pass this'. That was what kept hovering at the back of her mind, standing beneath them and declaring she is ready to whatever comes.
"Your family name?"
"Logans"
"Have you ever participated in any real competition?"
In confusion she answered with no. A female voice intervened asking: " What he meant was.. do you have combat experiences?"
Sky wasn't sure how to answer so she just stuck with being honest.
"I don't have any experiences,
but I used to hunt bears and othet animals with my dad".
Regarding Sky's point view, the man on the left wall laughed loudly then exclaimed:
" Bears my a**! With those noodles arms? ".
He sarcastically laughed again continuing...
"Hey Hurricane! You can't be serious wasting our time with every rat trying to join the academy?".
The woman on the right wall disagreed with him.
" How funny Helton! You made us laugh. Just because these rats kicked your son's and student's ass last year, don't tell me you hold a grudge for such stupid reason".
The woman smirked, whilst the man was furious then roared: "You...!!"
"Enough! this is a decent board trial not kids circus, show some dignity ".
Said the man sitting in the middle. They cut it out immediately, their faces looked disturbed while trying to hide their fear and shivering bodies. His voice had ice-cold tone that makes one's body shivers in a warm day, as a result leaving everyone afraid.
Waking up from her trance, Sky backed away as her gazes never shifted from the wall infront of her and where the ice-cold man stood tall.
It was an odd feeling, how the voice seemed familiar but at the same time it wasn't. Her mind couldn't got rid of that thought.
"Please, hand your trial suggestions to butlers. As for you miss Sky, your trial begins when all suggestions are done taken into consideration".
With conflicted emotions, Sky turned her sights where the man's gazes were fixed upon, into her left side to the erected black gate.
Minutes passed, and Sky was waiting until the preparations were finally done.
A robotic voice suddenly spoke and broke the silence, and the wall on her right splited and opened wide.
[ Please get close to the weapons bar...]
Sky couldn't hide her amaze seeing the projected gallery of multiple-choices of weapons. Here, she was given a choice to choose a weapon from the academy's display. She had a hard time trying to choose with the limited time she was given, yet her eyes were fixed on one edge sharpened dagger, which she took after deep thinking, since it's the most weapon she is familiar with.
[ Is the participant Sky Logen is sure about her weapon of choice? ] Asked the Robotic voice.
Gripping the metallic dagger tightly, she nodded.
[ Data collected, suggested trial all set, defier Sky ready... trial begins in 10...9...8...]
The robotic voice confirmed the confrontation trial and proceeded with countdown.