"Serafae, please prepare for your interview." The giant Human female called my temporary name, causing me to look up from the Faith Dictionary I was nonchalantly browsing while waiting for my turn.
A turn that had finally come after all those I was acquainted with—and more than three-quarters of the examination hall—had already left, be it in defeat or in triumph.
Packing all my remaining stuff, I jumped down from the cluster of tables we had grouped together while waiting for our turn and went to wait right beside the giant Human female.
When a young male Ygress exited with his shoulders slumped and his back bent, tears threatening to fall from his red eyes, I knew he had failed, but it didn't really affect me more than that.
It wasn't that I couldn't empathize with his probably presently very distressed mind, however.
It was just that too many others had run out of the examination hall looking way, way worse.
As if their world had ended, honestly.
"Serafae," the male Toro inside the interview room eventually called out for me, finally allowing me to see the approaching end of this miserable day of endlessly waiting around without anything to do but torture myself with moderate [Will] manifestations I recovered from quickly and mindless Faith Dictionary browsing.
Well, at least I had learned a bunch of new words like extrapolation, falsifiability, wrangling, and incommensurable...
Upon stepping past the threshold of the door, the older Human female followed closely behind and closed the door on her way back to a desk where the male Toro was "wrangling" with multiple piles of examination papers that threatened to collapse at the slightest breeze.
"Take a seat. And please, be aware that your Seeker examination hasn't ended yet, irrespective of the splendid mastery of basic knowledge you showcased through your written test," the Toro said.
Obviously not one to take anything for granted, I nodded and, leaving my backpack on the ground, graciously climbed on top of the single chair present in front of the examiners' desk, where I assumed my most harmless-looking seating posture by crossing my legs and resting my two hands in the middle.
"So, why don't we do away with the basics and start with the most exciting bits of knowledge you wrote down? What can you tell me about the [Exertion] Aspect?"
The first question directly targeted the most complex and complete piece of knowledge I had written down, confirming they wouldn't simply allow me to breeze through the interview.
As all the practical and studying [Exertion]s I had done would have it, though, the [Exertion] Aspect wasn't a topic I needed to be [Guided] to present everything there was to know about.
Accordingly, straightening my back, I got started.
"The [Exertion] Aspect is a fundamental Aspect that can be formed by straightforwardly and continuously pushing oneself over long or repeated periods of time, extending from one month to three months if it is the first Aspect one has opted to form."
"During the formation period, it is imperative to vary [Exertion] methods, as the consequence of not doing so is the alternative formation of the [Endurance], [Resilience], [Fortitude], [Discipline], [Persistence], or [Tenacity] Aspects."
"Once formed, the Tier 0 [Exertion] Aspect brings about a large range of minor benefits that are applied to both short-term intense [Exertion]s and prolonged, sustained [Exertion]s."
"Subsequent Tier advancements do not bring any supplementary abilities, only reinforcing the fundamental concept of reality it embodies."
"As the concept of reality embodied by the [Exertion] Aspect is so fundamental, it can effectively be synthesized into an endless number of other Aspects."
"For the most ubiquitous Aspects that [Exertion] can be directly synthesized into, we have the likes of the [Overexertion], [Conditioning], and [Reinforcement] Aspects. A rare variant of this direct synthesis would be the [Strain] Aspect."
"Pushing the Aspect synthesis to its limit, it isn't impossible to include Aspects such as the [Refinement], [Recovery], [Tempering], or even the [Efficiency] Aspects. It would, theoretically, only require sufficient devotion."
"Entering multi-Aspect synthesis, again, due to its fundamental nature, it can be synthesized with a massive variety of Aspects belonging to vastly different fields, from physical to mental, including Aspects indirectly synthesized from it."
"To provide various known multi-Aspect syntheses, the [Efficiency] and [Exertion] Aspects could be synthesized to form the [Optimization] Aspect."
"Alternatively, the [Exertion] Aspect could also be synthesized with the [Focus] Aspect or one of its numerous variants to form the [Control] Aspect."
"Even Aspects that are normally extremely demanding to attain, such as [Precision] or [Mastery], can also rely on a synthesis of the [Exertion] Aspect to be formed."
"That should cover the basic knowledge relating to the [Exertion] Aspect. Should I develop further?"
"That won't be necessary," the Human female tersely stated, then started turning the pages of my examination paper, her face impassive until she reached the end and looked up to ask me, "Have you touched on the [Truth] Aspect during your preliminary Aspect studies?"
I took some time to search my memory, having not handled the subject at all in my paper, then nodded. "I have. Only a single Aspect synthesis line, however."
"Good enough for me."
"To my current knowledge, the [Truth] Aspect has never been successfully formed as a fundamental Aspect by anyone, having only ever been formed either through rare syntheses of similarly high-order—non-fundamental—Aspects such as [Revelation], or, much more commonly, through an enlightenment-based synthesis."
"The synthesis involves three Aspects from, respectively, the [Perception] synthesis line, the [Insight] synthesis line, and the [Focus] synthesis line."
"The exact Aspect synthesis I learned about is as follows."
"The [Perception] Aspect is to be synthesized into the [Awareness] Aspect by expanding the concept of [Perception] to include a sense of continued [Awareness] of one's surroundings through the loss of one's senses."
"The [Insight] Aspect is to be synthesized into the [Comprehension] Aspect by pursuing the Seeker Path, and must ideally be synthesized once more into the [Knowledge] Aspect, but it is not strictly necessary."
"The [Focus] Aspect can be kept as is, though it is worth mentioning that it may possibly be omitted entirely from the synthesis if one has formed an Aspect that allows for any form of [Focus], however unrelated it may be, such as the [Meditation] or [Stillness] Aspects."
"Concerning the enlightenment part... I only gathered that it refers to a state of mind that cannot be described with words and can only be experienced, with the best approximation being suddenly attaining the likes of a Tier 10 [Clarity]-adjacent Aspect dedicated to a single concept of reality."
"That is all I remember. I apologize if that wasn't up to par."
"No need to apologize," the Human female said, still without a change in expression. "Your answer may be a bit too booksmart and lack some depth, but it's sufficient for what is expected of an Acolyte."
"Let us move on to the final question," the Toro stated. "In as few words as you can manage, could you describe the idealized role of the Faith Of The Aspects from your perspective?"
I widened my eyes in surprise.
This question... I had read it in a book before.
The answer I had read then popped back into my mind, but as much as I could manage, I stopped thinking about it, remembering it as thoroughly disappointing.
But if it made it into a book that earned its place in the Seeker sanctuary, then maybe...?
No.
Why was I even trying to fake an answer to such a simple question?
The answer that first came to my mind upon hearing the question ought to be the only thing that left my mouth.
"The idealized role of the Faith Of The Aspects... is to allow powerhouses to bloom, with as little discrimination as realistically achievable regarding those who would see it destroyed or warped," I voiced my answer as best as I could, though I intimately felt I didn't quite capture the idea I wanted to express.
"That's enough for me," the Toro said, looking at the Human female, who continued to stare impassively at me, as if trying to see through me or something.
"The reasons that brought you to join the Faith Of The Aspects are mostly self-centered, aren't they?" she suddenly spoke up, and for some reason, I found myself revealing my inner agreement by nodding like it was the most evident thing to do in answer to her [Interrogation], as I really was mostly joining to make things easier for my own development.
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Until [Guided] informed me it clearly wasn't, causing me to freeze in stupefaction at what I had just done.
"Very aware of yourself, I see. Not that it serves a purpose when a single nod is sufficient to expose your guilty thoughts. No need to look at me like that. Who isn't selfish, after all? In the end, I only observed sincerity from your various answers, so your selfishness is of no relevance to the Faith or me. Do your best, and we'll never see each other again. For the best."
Ending her statement with barely veiled allusions to her actual identity, she stood up, all of a sudden appearing so much more sinister and intimidating than before, and left the room, most certainly to call her next unsuspecting prey.
Damn.
"It's been a long time since we had a fairy join the Faith in this branch," the Toro said, pulling my attention back to him and away from the back of the scary Human suspected to belong to the secret third Path of the Faith.
"I can only hope you won't find us too lacking regarding accommodations for your size, but Magister Eliott already warned us that we should get ready for you to leave within the next decade, so deal with it."
With that, I was shown the door, my Seeker examination obviously successful, but that didn't do anything to calm my frayed nerves following my first encounter with someone wielding a terrifying Aspect like [Interrogation].
Not that [Guided] understood that, and before I realized where I was going, I was back at the Seeker sanctuary, pressed to resume my studies, with the added directive that I should try to seek out more information on the unofficial third Path of the Faith, besides the Seeker and Sentinel Paths.
Damn.
◇ ◈ ◈ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◈ ◈ ◇
"You call that [Effort]‽ Everyone drop and give me twenty!" I loudly shouted at the twenty-odd individuals who still remained from the Faith's latest promotion of Initiate trainees.
I had long learned all the names of the ones who had survived up to this point, but I had learned from experience that no single trainee was ever truly in until they were officially in.
Hence, I forced myself to treat them the same way I had from the very beginning.
This was how I had always performed my task as main instructor.
I wasn't here to give them a break.
I was here to break them.
All to ensure they would pull through their upcoming final trial and rightfully earn their official station as Sentinel Initiates.
"All right! Warm-up over! Prepare for sparring rounds! One on one, odd one out with me!"
The training routine having been instilled in their bodies and minds over the last four months, the entire group moved as one and paired up according to their respective skill levels, which I let them handle this time.
"No excuses, only results! You earn your place here!"
Then I simply did my job, shouting objective truths, correcting what few defects they still had with their chosen weapons and styles, and pushing them to give it their all by not allowing them to take a break.
They only needed to follow such an intense training routine for three days straight before earning a day of relative rest, so what grounds did they have to complain and not give their all when I had already explicitly explained to them that it would take a hundred times more [Effort] than they were presently giving to be promoted from Initiate to Warrior in the future?
"Break! Ten minutes!"
Ultimately, though, they pulled through and showed me how far they had pushed themselves by summarily collapsing, their sweat-laden and bruised bodies exposed to the sight of all those presently looking over the daily attraction that was the Sentinel training grounds.
"Leo! Perfect timing!"
Suddenly, I heard my name being called by a familiar voice and turned around to find Elorn moving with large strides towards me...
With a fairy wearing a slightly oversized Acolyte robe that had been radically cut down to allow for practical movement riding on his left shoulder.
I was so going to regale my friends with that comedic sight later.
"What's up, Elorn? I'm kind of in the middle of something, as you can see." I was never one to refuse some chatting, but not when I had people relying on me for what some perceived as their entire future.
"That's exactly why I'm here." He smiled widely, displaying his teeth in all of their sharp, menacing, Rekin glory.
He pointed with his thumb at the fairy riding on his shoulder. "What I have here is a prime teaching opportunity for anyone who ever wants to underestimate the dangers and lethality of pesky little pests. Approved by me-self."
"That..." I momentarily blanked out, unable to figure out what was going on. "Do you... want my trainees to have a round with this fairy? Is that what you're asking? And miss fairy, aren't you the one who just passed her Seeker examination?"
"That's exactly what I'm asking, Leo. What's more, there's even a prize." His eyes narrowed shrewdly. "If she's useless, I'll give all the coins I made last week. If she can teach your sorry-ass trainees something, you have to allow her to join in on your future sparring sessions whenever she wants."
Well, I didn't know where this was going, but...
"Make it all the coins you make this week and not the zero coins you made last week, and I'll just fast-track this by directly sparring with her and judging whether she's worth anything," I amended his stupid suggestion, honestly already seeing where this was going. "What do you say about that?"
"Deal!" Elorn overplayed his answer, pretty straightforwardly telling me this was all a sham to get the fairy to take her first informal steps on the Sentinel Path. "Go woop his ass, little fairy!"
Not that I would make it any easier on her due to her being introduced by one of my good friends.
No one got to become a Sentinel Warrior by not being wholly dedicated to the sacred sanctity of the Sentinel Path.
And a core facet of this sacred sanctity was that no one unworthy ought to be recognized as part of the Sentinel Path, at the risk of endangering fellow Sentinels.
Having already been in the middle of sparring rounds and having had to take on the odd ones out, I didn't need to do anything to prepare myself, so I unsheathed my dull metal blade and turned to the exhausted Sentinel trainees.
"Order!" I shouted, causing them to react instinctively and stand up at attention. "We may have a late induction to your sorry promotion, one that can teach you something very valuable about not underestimating even the smallest threats. Observe first, and I'll ask questions afterwards."
I turned to face the fairy who had since jumped down from Elorn's shoulder to rifle through the weapon racks in search of her ideal weapon, which turned out to be a dull, half-forearm-sized needle dagger.
"Good enough," she mumbled after giving it a few practice thrusts that I had no urge to comment on. They were basic but sound.
Then, in one fell swoop, she removed her Acolyte robe, revealing a dark, skin-tight bodysuit underneath that perfectly conformed to her small form, instantly shifting her impression from scholarly and harmless to... peculiar.
She was too small for me to register her as an actual threat, and her iridescent eyes, crystalline wings, and pale hair with soft, beautiful touches of all kinds of colors simply didn't play well with her harmful potential.
Still, I could recognize someone doing their best, so I commended her on that. "I like your dedication. But dedication without ability is worthless. Whenever you want."
Apparently, nothing more needed to be said, as the fairy's eyes took on a look of pure [Focus] and she began closing in in the manner of a proper hunter.
Soft steps, malleable movements, ready to strike at any moment.
It had been so long since I last fought something with this kind of size and weight that I had nearly forgotten there was no crossing of metals with them.
Reactivity and preemptive maneuvering to close all my openings was the name of the game.
Then my [Instinct] warned me when the fairy suddenly lowered herself, propelling herself forward with one beat of her wings.
I felt sorry for her that I had already learned all the trickery of winged beings, as I precisely maintained my blade in the optimal position for me to quickly react to any change in her trajectory, which shortly transpired, as it was obviously only the first of many attempts to outmaneuver me.
After veering away from a foolish clash of [Strength] that no properly thinking fairy would ever allow to happen, that was when the spar truly began.
Everything about her, from the way her wings shifted, to how she adjusted her needle dagger to always point towards my eyes, to how she tried to misdirect my anticipations by contorting her body in ways dissimilar to her wings and feet, to how she tempted me by coming within apparent striking distance of my blade...
It was all so I would lose sight of her.
Truly, a most devious display of what anyone inexperienced enough would interpret to be a battle of skill, but that all who had once lived through it recognized for what it truly was.
An open assassination.
One way or another, she would try to poke one of my vitals, and if it took poking my hips and ribs a hundred times and figuratively making me bleed to death to achieve that goal, she would unhesitantly make that happen.
I turned, I adjusted my stance, I kept track of her, slowly getting into her rhythm, slowly tiring—
I [instinct]ively raised my blade and rotated my body, barely avoiding the diving fairy and her needle dagger pointed at my neck, which had just carried out a perfect act of never displaying her full capability from the start and lulling me into a false sense of control.
"Well, well, well, now that's something I would want my promotion of Initiate trainees to experience for themselves," I commented with a smug smile, upping my [Physicality] a bit as I readied myself for what would follow.
For following a failed assassination, there really was only one way a fight would go.
I stared at the fairy's unblinking eyes even as she obviously stopped holding back and went all-out, her movements gaining a preternatural polish as she forced me to turn and turn and turn and adjust again and again.
Then she stepped firmly into my striking range, and I welcomed her warmly with my quickest swat.
There and then, she exposed the annoying habit all smaller and lighter targets had of rendering any act of approximate precision directed at them into ugly misses by simply twirling weightlessly around my blade.
Instead of finding a juicy neck waiting for her small needle, however, what she met was my shoulder, and there was no twirling around that one.
I followed immediately with a grabbing attempt, but in one [Hyperawareness] movement, she curled up and chaotically flapped her wings, rendering her trajectory impossible to predict.
I decided now was as good a time as any to stop being so passive and go on the offensive.
I dropped my blade, finding it to only be a bother when what I needed right now were my hands and fingers, and our dance resumed anew, except this time she had to accommodate me.
One brush here, another brush there, it felt like trying to grasp water, and all along she endeavored to make it known that she would have poked my hands into bloody shreds if she had her way.
Then she bottomed out, and I finished her with a well-timed [Instinct]-guided stomp.
"Got you," I said, my smile having never left my face, turning to find her squashed underneath my left boot, though her needle dagger had evidently been pointed at my foot and driven into the ground beneath it, providing some resistance.
Removing my foot to release her now that the spar was finished, she stood up weakly, having manifestly given it everything she had, just like I expected from any of my Initiate trainees.
"Two unarmored hands, one unarmored foot, and some weak shoulder pokes in exchange for your life," I voiced the result of our spar to hushed whispers from my actual Initiate trainees, who had gotten to witness for the first time in their lives what it was actually like to fight against something like a fairy.
"I'll hand you the training schedule later. Consider yourself an honorary Initiate trainee from this day onwards," I ultimately told her.
She nodded indifferently, as if this conclusion had been a given from the very beginning.
And... it actually was.
I glanced at Elorn to find him foolishly grinning, causing me to roll my eyes.
There was no way the fairy had convinced him to go through all that trouble with words alone.
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