The Way She Moves

"That's her, that's her. The only zero who was able to enter the academy."

"I wonder how did she survive her last 2 years here."

"No, the question is, how will she graduate?"

"Oh yeah, that's right. It was a group competition wherein the individual score will be tested base on ability and physical strength. And another  is the group score but who will take in their group someone without ability and would just drag the whole team down. The group won't graduate if they are from the lowest places."

She could only sigh. That is indeed her problem right now. No one would accept her into their group. She asked a lot of groups already and they flatly rejected her. They didn't even try her if she could synchronise with their team or if she is capable enough.

As Eureka thinks about this problem, she is already walking towards the headmaster's office in order to ask for reconsideration regarding her case. She knows within herself that she is good enough to become a knight of the kingdom.

This academy is the beginning for all the aspiring knights. But most of those knights or to be precise all of the knights, that graduated, have abilities. Those with weaker abilities or those without could only be palace guards.

"Miss Eureka."

Just as she's about to hold the knob to open the office door, she heard someone calling her from behind.

"See I told you she'd be here," she looked at her companion with her brown eyes shinning brightly as if waiting to be complimented.

"Yes yes Karen, you were indeed right."

"You called?" Eureka impatiently called for their attention, after all, she still has a problem to solve in order to graduate. 

Why of all times do these people have to interrupt her today, when she's resolved to fight with the headmaster in order to graduate.

"Ah yeah sorry, I'm Feena though I suppose you do know that already. Anyway, you know that the graduation competition is just around the corner. And you know that it is a group of six right?" she slowly explained to Eureka as if implying something.

"Please be direct to the point."

"Uhmm you see, we really are looking for someone to complete our group..." seeing Eureka becoming irritated, Karen went ahead with the explanation.

"I can hear a but," Eureka faced them with a frown.

"Yes, we also know you are Eureka and that uhmmm I mean your ability."

"I don't have any ability so why did you talk to me when your group is not yet complete?"

Eureka already knows and understands what they are implying, she could be on their group but with her non-ability self also known to others as zero, they can't just accept her instantly.

"Fight with us," Feena seeing how short tempered she was, just went and asked her for what they really wanted from her.

"Fight with you or have a duel with you?"

"Oh yes, we want to have a duel with you, in a kind it's a test for us to see if we really could take you in our group," Feena replied with uncertainty.

This was tasked by their captain after all, despite not knowing why, the two of them could just comply.

"Okay," accepting it instantly startled both Feena and Karen.

"You're not going to think about it?" Karen wondered.

"I mean we literally told you that you're zero and that you have to prove to us that you can keep up with our group before accepting you," she added.

"If the strongest group asked someone to duel them in order to join their group, I don't think no one would think about it. Plus I AM a ZERO. When?"

She was asking for the time and place of their duel.

"Then tonight at the practice arena, we'll be waiting," Karen said as they wave her goodbye.

"I guess I don't need to talk to the headmaster now," turning back she started thinking about the group who invited her.

The two ladies namely Karen, brown eyes and shoulder length straight dark brown hair with full bangs. And Feena, with clear blue eyes and waist length wavy blue hair.

Having the similarities to their abilities, Earth for Karen and Water for Feena.

Hideyoshi has Wind ability, lighter blue in color for his eyes and hair. Mamoru also has Earth ability, dark brown eyes, a few shades darker than Karen's, and dark brown hair.

Finally Raven, with orange hair and eye color. Fire as his ability and the current leader of their group.

Those who have elemental abilities and above somehow have their hair and eye color in accordance to their power.

The perfect group, complete with the top strongest abilities. Of course, there are others with this ability but Raven's group is one with the best synchronization within the team.

Thinking about it, this group wanting to try her, is already more than enough.

As long as she can graduate and be a knight, that's all she needed at this point. That's where everything will begin for her.

*****

That night, standing in the middle of the arena, Eureka waited calmly as the whole group arrived.

"Who am I going to duel with?" she didn't bother with greetings and asked instantly.

Her silver wavy hair tied up in a ponytail and her red indifferent eyes was staring fixed in their direction.

"Don't worry, you only need to fight against me and Feena. The boys are just here to watch," Karen replied just as the boys went to the stands to have a seat.

"Shall we begin?" she asked while unsheathing her sword.

Feena stepped aside implying that Karen will be her first opponent. Karen started chanting to begin her attack.

As she finished her chant Eureka jumped up and flipped then sliced the earth that was sneakily attacking her.

Karen smirked and chanted another bunch of incantations.

Spikes started appearing fast from the ground. Eureka, on the other hand, jumped right and left in order to avoid the spikes.

The chants never stopped and this time the attack came from above, boulders and spikes falling straight down to her.

Eureka didn't avoid them but fought it head on, not even a single one landed on her or grazed her. The shower is not yet finished when Karen chanted another spell.

"Hey isn't Karen going overboard," Hideyoshi asked the other guys.

He has mid length hair with a few long strands at the right side tied in a braid.

"It is important to try to go overboard in order to test her," Mamoru replied looking at Raven.

Mamoru has mid length hair with a side bangs that covered one fourth of his face while the other side has hair pin supporting it.

Karen's chant never stopped while Eureka kept on avoiding and slicing through her attacks, at times kicking them away.

Just as it seems like all Eureka could do was to avoid and defend, Karen attacked with pillars of earth from four sides and tried to flatten Eureka.

But upon reaching the center, no one was there.

"Eh?"

Eureka's sword was suddenly in front of her, the tip just a few inches away from her nose.

"Give up?"

Karen smirked at her but suddenly disappeared when she was sent flying by her own attack.

"Tsk tsk tsk she fainted. To think that you would use her own attack against her. Mamoru if you please," Feena called when she approached Karen who's currently lying on the ground.

"How did she?" Hideyoshi can't help but ask.

"She used the pillar's momentum, that was attacking from behind, to increase her speed and be in front of Karen instantly," Raven explained.

His hair had a messy look facing different directions. But instead of looking lousy, this added more charm to his serious face.

"So I guess it's my turn to fight you now? Do you need a break?"

After Mamoru carried Karen to the stands, Feena looked at Eureka and asked her.

"No need let's finish this now."

Feena is currently holding a one-foot silver rod which turned into a whip when water was added to it.

Their battle started instantly, Eureka could only dodge knowing full well that she can't slice through the water.

Feena began using high end spells creating duplications of her up to 9 images. But what shocked everyone was the fact that Eureka ignored the other after images.

She instead went directly to the real one and attacked her relentlessly taking advantage of Feena's shock. 

When she did recover she instantly created a water wall where she uses her reflection in order to distract her opponents.

But to no avail for Eureka instantly located her whereabouts and hit her again.

"That should be enough," before Feena started attacking again, someone spoke from the top of the stands.

"Ah, it's the headmaster," Karen who just woke up was the first to speak.

"Good evening headmaster," their group greeted him, except for Eureka who stood indifferently without looking at him.

"It's already late, isn't it that you all have curfews?"

Walking down, the headmaster started lecturing them, "But oh well, are you here to try her for your group?"

Raven nodded in reply.

"Hmmm seems someone noticed her capabilities that others didn't," the headmaster smiled as he rub his chin.

"What do you think?"

"The way she moves, her agility and speed are great, fighting against Feena and Karen whose abilities are one of the strongest. But her prediction is something else."

Raven replied seriously, explaining what he had observed through the two battles Eureka just finished.

"Right right? Those instructors really, they just couldn't accept losing to her on those exams of yours that is why they wouldn't even show her grades to her classmates. They didn't know her worth at all."

As if having a tantrum and finally finding a friend, the headmaster spoke stomping his foot on the ground.

"They lost?" the others asked in unison.

After all, every exam was an individual one, either they'd show a high-end spell perfectly or do a spell that is acceptable to their instructor. But in Eureka's case, no one knows how she had been passing all this time.

"You see….."