Daizen Shizaki was the first candidate. Therefore, he quickly made his way down to the field as the group cheered him on.
"Shizaki-kun!!/Babyface!!!/Shizaki!!"
At the same time, King, Yukino, Kamazaki and Aya all called out to him, with Neo remaining silent.
"Do your best!!"
He smiled weakly as he managed to give a thumbs up.
"I will!"
He slowly advanced to Anser Xulpeca, the woman who stood before him.
"Shizaki, meet, Ari. He will be your instructor."
Shizaki waved shyly at the man beside her, and the latter bowed.
"Over to you then, chief."
"Of course."
As Vulpecula stepped aside and sat at the front row, Ari faced Shizaki.
"First, I'll examine your conditions."
He stretched out his palm as a circular haze of yellow appeared from it. It left a warm sensation on Shizaki's body as he moved his palm to his heart.
"Your body is in stable, good condition."
His hand then passed over his head, but stopped, and Shizaki held his breath.
An expression of slight concern grew on his face, and despite Shizaki hoping that he had not come across his disability, he was waiting for him to point it out. Thankfully, his next words were whispered so as to not be heard by the audience.
"...Fractured vessel, am I correct?"
Shoot.
"...Yes."
Ari's expression turned into one of confusion mixed with a tinge of disdain.
"How is that possible? I've seen countless problems with people before but this is new. No, forget it. Do you have problems with your usage of your Soul Skill?"
Shizaki paused.
"Please, speak the truth."
A slightly anxious Shizaki had practically no choice but to tell him.
Meanwhile, the squad who had travelled with Shizaki lay patiently in their seats, but soon…Aya could tell that-
"Something's wrong."
"Yeah."
"H-Huh? What's wrong?"
Anxious, Kamazaki questioned both Aya and King, and the former answered her.
"Not sure, but both of their reactions right now are not positive at all."
"Not….positive…?"
They could only guess what was wrong. Well, everyone except for Aya and Kamazaki, who knew about Shizaki's Soul Realm issue.
"I see. Is that all?"
"Yes. Yes, I promise."
After an interrogative set of questions directed at the young man, Ari went into a deep thought for a few seconds, and then spoke.
"I can't let you try out the Selection."
"...Huh?"
He simply stared at him in shock. He could hardly think properly to respond to that statement.
"Honestly, I wouldn't have allowed you to participate right after noticing your vessel, but after hearing everything you've explained to me about your pain of usage and more, I'm convinced of my decision."
Shizaki's face was full of confusion and bewilderment.
"Wha-why?! I….I already told you that I can easily release a lesser amount of my power without pai-"
"Believe me, kid, there are situations where you will have to use your full power in various situations, and the outcome won't be pretty. I am all for our adventurers doing their absolute best, but willfully hurting themselves like this will not cut it. I'm sorry."
It was as if Shizaki was hit straight in the gut. He struggled to comprehend reality. It was over before it even started.
"Please...!! You have to let me participate! I....came all...this way..."
"I'm truly sorry, but It's for your own good.
He was the problem yet again. A hindrance to his own self.
The preparation, the excitement, the smiles of happiness emanating from the person he respected. The ambition to live up to the expectations of the one who trusted in him. The start of the change to Daizen Shizaki.
All gone, just like that.
A very perplexed Xulpeca easily realised that something was wrong. Getting up, she walked towards the scene. Noise gathered between the onlookers as they also wondered what was going on.
"Judging by that guy's face, is the test that hard? Damn, I feel nervous just by watching!"
"Just what in the world is going on over there I wonder?"
And in the midst of the crowd, Yuki Haidara looked on in silence.
Xulpeca spoke to Ari, as Shizaki stared blankly at the ground, having lost all hope.
"What's wrong?"
"Kid's got a fractured Soul Realm."
"Fractured?!"
"He can still take in mana, but cannot use his power to his full potential as the Realm will continue being destroyed until the worst case scenario arrives where his Soul Realm is destroyed into nothingness. We can't afford for him to take that risk with being in the Royal Guild."
Shizaki still tried to plead with the instructor.
"But-"
"Now, that's enough...."
"I....can't just go back home as if I left for nothing!"
Xulpeca tried to keep up with the situation unfolding at hand. Her fox ears twitched up as she thought about something.
"Kid, how long have you managed to keep your Realm from cracking up?"
"H-Huh?"
"I need to know if you have managed to not go past your limit for a while. Can you assure me of that?"
Shizaki could hardly understand where she was going with this but he answered.
Shizaki: "No, I haven't used my full power in about more than a year. I've done my best to ensure that I use my power at the minimum capacity."
Of course, that was a lie.
He had used [Turbulence: Completion] just two days ago in an attempt to escape from Timberwolves with Bella Kamazaki in Sekoto Forest.
But he tried his best to sound convincing enough, and as he hated lying, he also tried his best to hide his immediate guilt afterwards.
An interrogative look from Xulpeca was soon turned into a face of acceptance.
"Alright, you may participate."
"Really? Do you mean it??"
"Chairman...."
Ari looked at her with a suspicious glance, but she ignored him.
"If you fail...you know what happens next, but if you pass...then I will put measurements in place to remind you to not cross your boundaries in order to hurt yourself in missions. Is that clear?"
"Y-Yes! Thank you!"
Hope was restored. Ari tried to take the young lady aside.
"Chairman, are you sure about this?"
"...I was once in his position with a personal problem of my own. I fully believe that a person must be judged on what he or she can do for now despite their limitations or disabilities. Doesn't it make sense, Ari?"
He was slightly taken aback, but he closed his eyes and exhaled.
"I understand. Let's see what he is capable of."
"Mhm. Thank you."
After a shake of hands between the duo, Xulpeca returned to her seat, and the Selection was officially about to begin.
"Shizaki-kun, was it? Please take note that I won't go easy on you just because of your limitations. Give this all you've got, understand?"
Declaring that he wouldn't be giving his special treatment, he narrowed his eyes.
Shizaki could feel his heart racing. He now stood with his instructor, with just a few feet separating the both of them. The goal of being part of the Royal Guild was just within his grasp.
Shizaki: "Understood, Ari-sensei!"
Could he do it?
He awaited his order, his instruction on what to accomplish, with a tense attitude. And soon enough, Ari spoke, loud enough so that the audience could understand what Shizaki needed to do.
"Try to land a single clean hit against me."
".....A clean....hit?"
"No weapons, no artifacts, no Special Bloodline Arts. Nothing except your raw fighting ability and your Magic Affinity should be used. If I manage to block your strike or dodge it cleanly, you must keep trying until you land a hit. I have the ability to tell you when to stop whenever I have to. Tomorrow, you will learn whether you passed or failed."
The crowd immediately burst into gossip.
"N-No way..."
"Interesting..."
"Something as simple as that..?"
As the noise of the onlookers' reactions grew, Shizaki tried to slowly comprehend the depth of the order just given to him.
A single clean hit, he had said.
Shizaki was confident in his running ability but that was pretty much it. Although he trained by himself in an attempt to expand the strength and skill of his [Turbulence], he never had the experience of hand-to-hand combat for a very long time.
Even his defense capabilities were not on par to his expectations, as he had easily struggled with having to fend off a single Timberwolf in Sekoto Forest
At a time like this, he had to be perfect in doing the best he could offer.
.....Dammit...I can do this...right?
His faith in himself wavered, but he tried to shake the fear out of his head.
No....I must do this!
He stooped low into a battle pose, his eyes beginning to glow with a white haze, and very small bursts of wind bursting forth from his hand in preparation as he glared at his opponent
He had no clue what Aru was capable of, and he had no idea what would be his plan to take him down.
"Begin!"
However, as the test had now commenced, Shizaki would do his utmost to pass the Selection.
-----------------------------------------
(Chapter 26: Fleeting and Lasting Hope.)