CHAPTER 4: THE FIRST STEP INTO THE THOUSAND MILE JOURNEY

A week has past and it's finally the start of the new school year. I'm standing in front of the gates of Senjo Academy trying to collect my thoughts and thinking that this can't be real... I close my eyes then opened "IT'S NOT A DREAM!" I shouted and I was met with people's concerned stares "Get out of the way! Ner-…FORSAKEN? WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE?!?! A familiar voice shouted I look back to see a face…one I never want to meet here "h-hey…Sensen… what's up?" I was shaking with fear, stepping back as he approached me "Good to see that there is a training dummy I can use now." He mockingly smiled then ran into my shoulders as he went inside the campus, I was frozen in place, too scared to move… I have to force myself to move and go inside the campus.

"Class…S…hmmm" I guess this is it. I open door to see loud students and of course Sensen is there. "Eyy the training dummy is here." He openly mocks me in front of the new classroom, what's new…you know what? I summoned my bow then fired it on the side of his face, giving him a trim. I looked at him dead in eyes but said nothing then went to the open seat in front close to the window. "You're dead, bastard!" He shouts then summoned his spear ready to throw it but he was interrupted by Artemis going inside the room "That's enough. Combat training is in last period." Sensen unsummoned his spear then sits down. "Now I'm Artemis the goddess of wild animals, and the hunt, my weapon is a hunting knife and bow and arrow. I will be your homeroom teacher for the next 3 years you'll be staying here. Now you!" she says then points at Sensen who was sitting at the back of the class "Introduce yourself" I got to admit it's refreshing to see Artemis have this kind of professional attitude maybe it'll change later, I don't know.

There were 15 people in Class S all of them passed the entrance exam in an overwhelming scores. The introduction started with Sensen "Sup Nerds, The name is Senshi Nikumi. Blessing is from the Greek God of war. Ares. Then my weapon is the Shield and Spear of Ares, and my power is Battle Fury" Then another student walked up in summary the other 13 students were Kenji Nakamura, Blessing: Agni, Power: Fire manipulation, Weapon: Fire Orbs Renji Nakamura, Blessing: Varuna, Power: Water Manipulation, Weapon: Grimoire Hotaru Aoi, Blessing: Horus, Power: Flight, Weapon: Halberd Luke Suwatani, Blessing: Thoth, Power: Cosmic Insight, Weapon: Book of Thoth Rokuro Watanabe, Blessing: Odin, Power: Pressence of the All father, Weapon: Gungnir Jun Raiko, Blessing: Tsukiyomi, Power: 2 sides of the moon, Weapon: Moon Glaive Michael Masa, Blessing: Hercules, Power: Strength of Hercules, Weapon: Mountain Lion Gauntlet Marika Tsuki, Blessing: Amaterasu, Power: Heat of the Sun, Weapon: Kusanagi no Tsurugi Mana Megumi, Blessing: Susanoo, Power: Storm-Bearer, Weapon: Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi Mitsuki Onako, Blessing: Chang'e, Power: Voice of the night, Weapon: Moon Lyre Fiona Yang, Blessing: Rama, Power: Aegis, Weapon: Sharanga Natalie Smirnova, Blessing: Freya, Power: Valkyrie, Weapon: Maul of the Valkyrie Rosalia Reed, Blessing: Hades, Power: Vanishing night, Weapon: Bident

Now it was my turn, I walk up to the front, I can feel the burning stares, here goes nothing… "Hello my name is Yagi Sasagawa, My blessing is from Hachiman, and my power is Undiscovered yet since I only got my blessing for a few months, and my weapon is the Hama Yumi, and the armor of Hachiman." I can hear them whispering something after I finished what I was saying then Marika raised her hand up "Yes? What seems to be the problem?" I asked Marika "Well, I'm curious… who Hachiman is?" I didn't know what to answer even I don't know much about him, all I know that he was a great warrior and he was the only God who gave me his blessing… "I'll take it from here kid. Get back to your seat." Artemis pats my shoulders then took the front "Okay where do we start. Well Hachiman is my friend he was known as the "God of War" but when after the War of divinity ended he was sent to the high heavens, that's why only Gods know of him. That's why this one here" Artemis points to me then says "Is special, because not only he discovered a great god that was lost, he has also received Hachiman and My blessings." I took a moment for me to process everything she said until it hit me I stood up from my seat then yelled "WHAT DO YOU MEAN "HACHIMAN AND MY BLESSINGS" HOW COME I'M ONLY HEARING THIS NOW?!?!" Artemis could only laugh at my reaction and I see my classmates looking at me with suspicion "well I gave you my blessing before the entrance exam I think the power already manifested, you know that ringing in your ear telling you to dodge?" I nod to answer her question "well that's mine it's called "Sounds of a predator" it allows you to sense incoming danger."

"Now that I've explained that, I'll be your homeroom and Combat training Teacher…" I was still thinking about what she said all throughout the day, I didn't listen much to anything but I got the gist of the lesson got introduced to the other teachers which are Gods and Goddesses as well. Then it got to the Combat training "Okay go to training grounds 2 for combat training, we'll handout your P.E. Uniforms there" We all stand up then went to the training ground, the other gods handed us our P.E. uniforms then pointed to where the changing room are. Nothing really happened except a few exchange of words between me and Luke Suwatani "You were the one that aced the written exam didn't you?" I put my hand on the back of my neck then rub it "Yeah I was" I giggled while embarrassed "Well I know when I've been beat" He reached his hand out to me for a hand shake, I take his hand then shake it then he says "But in battle of wits I will not lose next time" He smiles "…Come at me with all you got." I smiled then let go of his hand before heading out to the training area.

As we come out to the training ground we see the teachers setting up a training dummy we lined up then Artemis explained "This is an Immortal Training Dummy or ITD that Hephaestus made exclusively for this school. The reason why we call it an ITD is because it regenerates everytime you damage it. We will use this to measure your strength of your power and weapon. Okay…Yagi you go first." I nod then went up to the front then faced the dummy then summoned my bow then focused… "I don't need to damage that…I need to destroy it" I whispered to myself then aimed for the dummy "fire Piercing Arrow" I felt a stronger fire than usual that was glowing orange and was starting to burn my hand, I took a deep breath then fired. I unsummoned my bow and look at my hands to see them red and shaking. Artemis went to me then took my hand then opened my hand to see them red from first degree burns and looks at the dummy incinerated and not regenerating. Artemis looked at me with disbelief and my classmates have their jaw dropped. "haaaaa…" she sighed then hit my head with her notebook "Idiot. We're going to have a lot of training session from now on, can someone talk to Hephaestus and get us a new one…" I felt a certain doom was about to be placed on me and I forgot about the burn in my hand. I nod then sat down then waited for them to be over.

"Alright sit down, I'll announce the scores."

Sasagawa, Yagi – CBD (Cannot be Determined)

Senshi, Nikumi - 90

Kenji, Nakamura - 86

Renji, Nakamura - 84

Hotaru, Aoi - 86

Luke, Suwatani - 81

Rokuro, Watanabe - 88

Jun, Raiko - 84

Micheal, Masa - 87

Marika, Tsuki - 90

Mana, Megumi - 88

Mitsuki, Onako - 86

Fiona, Yang - 87

Natalie, Smirnova - 89

Rosalia, Reed -84

"This exercise is only to measure your power for us to know in which area you are lacking. Tomorrow is One-on-One battle between your classmates. So you all are free to go." And with that the first day is ov- "where do you think you're going?" Artemis looking at me "let me look at your hands" I laid my hands out in front of her to reveal my burnt shaking hands "Before your lesson here" Artemis pours some potion in her hand then massages my hand It stung for a bit but the pain went away fairly quick and my burns were healed. "You know you and Hachiman have a lot in common but there is one big similarity between you two" She said then stands up, extended her hand to me. I take her hand then stand up only to be smacked by her notebook again then she says "You both are bumbling idiots. Learn to control that power you have otherwise it's going to bite back. For example a glass of water, too little water is too weak and too much water is too strong and it will overflow, meaning your body with most likely overload and do self-damage. There are many answer to this but here is my question. How will you accommodate your power without having too little of it or too much of it?"

We trained until night time then I went home tired but was still thinking about what her question until I fell asleep trying to figure out an answer. I woke up on the rooftop of an old-style house. "It seems like her question has been a roadblock to you child. I would say I'm disappointed but we're both the same, but you'll figure it out once you have a bigger view of the question." I wake up about 5 in the morning. So I went for a morning jog since I have plenty of time before I need to go to school then along the way I saw a beach and decided to continue jogging there and after jogging for a bit I took a seat on the sand still thinking about the question Artemis presented to me. Then a wave hits the shore making the water hits my shoes "Ahh what the heck?!?!" I look at the never ending water in the beach then I finally figured out my answer.

I rushed home to get ready for school then rushed out as soon as I got ready. When I reached the classroom, I open the door to see Artemis reading some papers, probably lessons for the day. "Artemis…" I was still out of breath so I was breathing pretty heavily, she looked at me then giggles then says "kid, you look like you just ran from home to school" while still giggling "Well that was exactly what I did…but that's beside the point." I went in the classroom the closed the door then went in front of her table "I know the answer…." She smirked then replies "well then tell me." She puts down the papers then looks at me. "You replace the glass with a bigger glass then if that doesn't fit again you expand and expand until it's the size of ocean, to accommodate all your power because you don't have to limit your power of the flow of the water you just need a big enough vessel to store your power." She looks at me with a blank stare then smile "well you certainly got it, but there was different answers there but you went with that one so I hope you don't regret it later when it's training time." God help me.