Departure

[Two days ago]

"Shako, did you finish packing your belongings for our voyage to Prudentia?!"
Like a caring mother preparing her child for their first day at school, Kia had come over to my room to check up on me early in the morning.
I triumphantly showed her the suitcase that I had packed the day before, even striking a victory pose as I did.
All sorts of different clothes, folded and fitted perfectly inside.
Upon seeing this, Kia couldn't resist the temptation to make a small remark.
"Did Astress lend you a hand with this?"
"Excuse me! How dare you doubt my hard work?"
Hearing my witty response, Kia let out a light chuckle.
"After everything she's done for me, I'd kinda feel bad asking her to do that for me. And even if I did, I doubt she would comply, let alone let me live."

Speaking of Astress, I had been training more regularly with her.
She really wanted me to succeed at the Opening Ceremony, which was very clear by the many different exercises she made me do.
In short, this Opening Ceremony is a giant culling contest.
It is held before the start of each school year and is meant to determine who is worthy of attending The Academy and who is not.
Besides, because The Academy only allows the best of the best Wielders to enter its grounds, the challenges at this event are extremely difficult.
They are so difficult in fact, there have been records of times there wasn't even a single successful contestant.
In that case another Opening Ceremony will be held, and the cycle will repeat until the minimum requirement has been met.
Talk about being strict.
Well, despite their harsh entry requirements, they have been sitting at the top of the educational hierarchy for literally centuries.
So it should come as no surprise that Astress and Kia hold them in such high regards.
But disregarding the difficulty, I'm certain that my lack of a Gift also played a part in why she went above and beyond to prepare me for the Opening Ceremony.
Yes, normally you need a Gift to even be granted entrance to the Opening Ceremony.
With a 70-30 split of Firans that have Gifts versus those that don't this isn't a huge deal and is seen as just another way to select only the most talented of people.
It is only thanks to Kia's connections that I was permitted participation in the first place, but me having to fight others who can use Gifts does mean I will be at a huge disadvantage.
All the more reason that Astress is focusing her attention on the things that can be improved, mainly my swordsmanship.
Her training was absolutely brutal, both physically and mentally, but that wasn't all.
She also made me stick to a strict diet.
I'm not going to bother you with all the details, just know that maintaining this diet was tough in its own way.

"Shako? SHAKO?!"
"Oh, apologies! I must have dozed off there for a moment."
Kia had tried to gain my attention, but found me daydreaming instead.
A sigh of relief escaped her lips once I came back to planet Earth – or Fira in this case.
I'm so sorry for letting you read that terrible pun.
"If you have time, would you mind joining me for breakfast?"
"I'd be happy! Give me five more minutes."
I spend the next few minutes collecting the last of my belongings and making sure that I'd packed everything necessary, before accompanying her to the dining hall.

"HIYAAAH!!"
"Too slow! You will not beat the other participants if you keep moving so sluggishly."
Following my breakfast with Kia, I wound up training with Astress once more.
Like always, she felt the need to correct my every move without giving any proper feedback.
Can you even call it correcting at that point?
Anyway, it was clear that her methods were beginning to bear fruit.
My reflexes and sword handling had improved significantly since she started teaching me.
Especially during our sparring sessions I could tell that I had grown stronger in the past four months.
Granted, I wasn't anywhere close to Astress' level yet – for that I needed to train a lot more, like a lóóóóóttt more – but her teachings did give me the confidence necessary to stand on my own.
Yet confidence or not, I wanted to hear what Astress had to say about my chances at the Opening Ceremony.
Not to give myself an ego boost, but to get a rough frame of reference about my opponents' skill.
So after we paused our sparring session, I confronted her with that question.
"Astress, how would you rate my odds in the Opening Ceremony?"
She remained silent for an odd amount of time.
"That is tough to say. Evidently, you have improved at a steady pace under my watch. I must admit, I am impressed at how long you have managed to keep up with me. This clearly portrays to me a sense of devoutdetermination.Having said that, I fear that your chances of success are likely very low."
As I thought.
I already believed – no, I knew – that my chances of succeeding were pretty slim.
Even so, I somewhat hoped that Astress would rate my odds a tad bit higher.
My disappointment must have been showing, because Astress started looking uncomfortable, probably thinking of what to say next.
"*Ahem*! What I actually meant to say was that while your chances of success are very low, success is not impossible."
She paused for a moment, looking lost in thought.
"No. I promised Lady Kia that I would train you to the best of my abilities. That includes getting you into The Academy. Just like a blade is not forged in one go, I will continue to do so until I have fulfilled that promise. And if I, Astress Belluvi, deem it possible that you, Shako Ikitayahsi, can get into The Academy, then there is only one outcomepossible."
I was, for a lack of better words, dumbfounded by what she told me.
How come she can boast so much confidence, even after everything that she said before?
Simple, because she's Astress Belluvi.
I told you, her sense of perfectionism is on another level.
She turns the impossible into the possible and makes the hard seem easy.
Once she has set her mind on something, no amount of criticism or commentary can stop her from reaching her goal.
Honestly, her determination and devotion are awe-inspiring.
It makes me jealous to know that I don't possess those traits.
But of course I'm never going to tell her that.
Without me fully realizing it, I bowed and said: "Thank you for your support, Astress."
She was quite taken aback by my sudden action, but she responded nonetheless.
"I appreciate that, Rookie."
With that out of the way, we returned to our sparring match where I wound up suffering yet another hopeless defeat.


Following a good night's sleep, I rolled out of bed, got dressed, brushed my teeth, and made my way outside.
The day of our long-awaited journey had finally arrived.
With great anticipation – and slight nervousness – I walked through the hallways, wondering what might await us on our trip.
Right outside the front door two wagons were parked.
One was a fancy stagecoach painted in gold and red shades, while the other one looked straight-up like a jail wagon.
It even had barred windows.
Kia already informed me that a group of guards would join us along the way, you know, to keep her safe.
Even so, couldn't they have chosen a more comfortable vehicle to sit in?
Now I don't think that Kia would need the extra protection, having seen her strength firsthand, but it'd undoubtedly unsettle some people to see such an important figure completely unprotected.
Especially after what happened to Azazel, but that is besides the point.
And by irony of fate, the group of guards was lead by captain Andromedus, the same captain who greeted Kia and I when she first brought me to Gehenna.
Remember, the handsome guy that looked hateful at me.
Now that I say that, he wasn't the only one that gave me such looks when I first came here.
Anyway, that aside, each wagon would be pulled by animals called Parricaseas.
They're basically scaly and taller versions of ostriches.
And yes, they're just as intimidating, if not more.

I made my way to the fancy wagon, where Kia and Astress were already waiting for me.
"Good morning, Shako! Did you have a good night's rest?"
"Despite being slightly nervous, I managed to sleep pretty soundly, yes."
"Well, I did make our training schedule more difficult than usual yesterday. Mayhaps that that contributed too?" Astress commented jokingly.
While we were busy chatting, Andromedus came over to check up on Kia.
"Rest assured, Your Majesty! I and my men will make sure that no harm will come your way."
"Your protection is extremely appreciated, captain."
Once his gaze shifted to me, his entire expression drastically changed.
His eyes narrowed and a big frown formed on his forehead.
He said nothing and kept staring disgusted at me as Kia, Astress, and I stepped into the carriage.
"Is something the matter?" Kia asked me as she noticed the look on my face, to which I responded nervously:
"N-Nothing."
About a minute after that uncomfortable moment, we would finally begin our long-awaited journey.