Deliberation

With Amun's demonstration complete, a long period of awed silence spread throughout the coliseum. That silence continued long after he made his exit and abruptly came to an end an indiscernible time later. Shocking the air itself were waves of cheers, praise and applause aimed not only at Amun but towards each demonstration we've seen tonight.

While I did my part in adding to the noise, I paid close mind to the mages, guilders, soldiers, nobles, and royals giving their opinions or remarks to make a mental note of them all and set them aside for later.

The others hung around for a little while after Law walked off to dismiss the Initiates I, however, stayed put to mentally replay what I'd just seen.

It went without saying that we were given the show we were all anticipating. Each of Amun's affinities was truly something to marvel at, but his knowledge of their natures and the ways he applied them was what was truly astounding to me.

And then there were his rabbits.

Clearly, a summon of some type; though strange as it was, I had a strong feeling that I was an otherwise normal rabbit rather than a denizen of the plane of shadow. A rabbit that'd been infected with shadow mana, granting it a shadow affinity and forcing into his servitude.

'Do you have more, I wonder?'

Judging from the mixed reactions of the Necro King and his Grandson, it was clear they were disapproving or at least uncomfortable with the display. Not much surprise for the former, as High King Everandus Cole was infamous for his unrelenting usage of death magic, and thus rarely used the shadows; as for the latter, he wasn't exactly famed for his prowess in battle. That wasn't to say Archduke Emeric Cole was weak. Quite the contrary, actually. Everyone in his Empire and beyond knew that he too held the power hidden within the House of Cole's blood. Unlike his son and grandfather, however, he had seldom unleashed his full power. Leaving his true potential a mystery to us all.

A quite auspicious dichotomy, if one were to take into account the imposing aura that made everyone walk on eggshells around the man.

I rose from my seat after an hour with my conjectures and analyzations complete to return to our lodging and gather each proctor's reports.

As I somewhat expected, they were gathered around the table like animals, stuffing food into the jaws while rattling on about the Initiates performances.

Or, most of them were.

I took the mass of papers from Law before making a detour, shifting my mind into a motherly state and sitting down next to my girls.

Like me and Katia and Irini and Idonea, Sicilia Velasco and Yolanda Tubs were raised as sisters in the slum city of Gray Peak. Looking at them now felt just the same as when I gazed upon them back then. They were polar opposites in most ways, yet and like twins in all the ways that mattered.

Both were sociable, but Yolanda drove strangers away due to her sometimes off-putting demeanor. Both were intelligent, but only Lia had received an education, if hardly any. Both were mentally strong and contained immense potential, but Lia was petite and afraid to fight while Yolanda was huskier, sickly, and frail.

Most importantly, they both had Amazonian blood. While in only half proportions, they retained our dark vision and resilience to nature but were lacking in our strength and stature. Despite that, they retained not only the culture that dwelled in our blood but our dreams as well.

Today, both women had ascended the ranks of the Association without the aid of affinity cores or magic.

An accomplishment that could bring about despair, just as much if not more so than pride.

"How unbecoming of me," Velasco snorted. "To be nearly killed by a fifteen-year-old."

"To be fair, you almost killed him, despite your handicap." I meekly shrugged. "But-"

"Almost means death in battle, I know." She solemnly sighed. Though, there was something else hidden within that gesture. Admiration, I assumed. Or desire, maybe. "It's just…" Velasco sighed again. "A part of me wants to see him again."

"A natural reaction," I assured her. "We desire the strong."

She quickly shook her head. "It's not that, Madam. When we see him again, the motherland will finally be on the horizon."

"While true." I sighed. "It's a shame we have to entrust our dreams to a man."

"Oh, no, madame." Lia gestured to the papers in my hand. "He'll open the playing field for us, and nothing more."

"So you say." I smiled reaffirming, then departed for my office.

After placing myself behind my desk, I took a moment to transition back into my business state of mind and attempt to throw away my biases for the time being to read carefully through each of the reports, make annotations where I thought necessary, and summarize the information in my mind before retrieving the new enchantments we'd been issued from my satchel.

Like the Grand Duke of Odissi, the runed shard of silver was flowing with arcane mana. Compliments of the new Magus. An old soul like me was still used to familiar-based communications. As such, I felt like an utter fool while preparing myself to speak as clearly and professionally as I could into an inanimate object.

Just as I'd been instructed, I fueled my voice with mana and set the receiver by saying. "Arcane Mage Katia Garaki." And the enchantment responded with a subtle hum along with a white-blue-green glow. Then, I recited my message. "Grandmaster Mage Gysil Vilignin, 5th Marulean Division Commander, reporting on assessment fourteen-ninety. The number of Deapouan and Odissian citizens to attempt core awakening: one-hundred nine thousand four hundred eighteen. The number of successfully awakened initiates: one thousand, one hundred ninety. The number of candidates eligible and willing to enroll at the Bodhi Tree: six. Their reports are as follows.

"Item one. Name, Lucia Pike. Well reading: Ice grade, class ten. Intellect: thirty-eight. Strength: twenty-five. Constitution: twenty-two. Agility: thirty-seven. Dexterity: thirty-nine. Combat Ability: forty-nine. Elemental Proficiency: forty-two. Most proficient element: Earth. Magical Assessment. fifty. My remarks are as follows: Lucia Pike showed no signs of hesitation during her assessment and displayed mastery over the basics of her magical affinities. Her match proceeded with a gracefully flawless, yet needed some fine-tuning. Regardless, her engagement against a necromental powered by the soul of an orc was over in mere moments. Her spells are rudimentary and basic in nature, but with training, she can ascend to a higher realm of magical ability. Total score: three-hundred two."

I allowed myself a pause before continuing, fluidly this time, as I'd now worked myself into a groove and overcome the silly feeling of speaking into this thing.

"Item two." I continued more fluidly this time, as I'd now worked into a groove. "Jaimess A. Corey. Well reading: Ice grade, class ten. Intellect: forty-eight. Strength: twenty-eight. Constitution: twenty-nine. Agility: thirty-nine. Dexterity: thirty-nine. Combat Ability: forty-nine. Elemental Proficiency: fifty. Most proficient element: Earth. Magical Assessment: fifty. My remarks are as follows: Jaimess is an Initiate with a non-combative occupation; Yet, he is far more capable than one would assume based on that aspect alone. First and foremost, it must be noted that he holds complete mastery of elemental manipulation; furthermore, Jaimess' display makes one rethink the supposedly harmless affinities one may come across in life, as seen by the use of his paper magic to not only defend but to attack with a swarm of paper creatures. Additionally, he displayed extensive knowledge of his paper, carbon, and silicon magic and has shown a level of mastery that enabled him to form materials that one would not think possible. Such as his instance in creating paper shields, glass, and even diamond that was capable of stopping an unrestrained blow from a necromental and rendering it immobile. While he is physically fit, his weakness lies in his overall strength. After mitigating that weakness, Sir Corey will surely become a well-rounded force to be reckoned with. Total score: three hundred thirty-two.

"Item three." I sighed. "Name: Edward Pascal. Well reading: Ice grade, class eight. Intellect: forty-nine. Strength: twenty-five. Constitution: twenty-four. Agility: thirty-nine. Dexterity: forty. Combat Ability: forty-five. Elemental Proficiency: fifty. Most proficient element: Air. Magical Assessment: fifty. Personal remarks are as follows: Despite being another non-combative Initiate, Edward displayed no signs of hesitation against a necromental and displayed mastery of not only his elemental practice but of his magical abilities as well. While his assault against his opponent was indeed one-sided and he showed an aptitude for a destructive position in any military, Ed's magic appeared to be the most useful for crafting. As displayed by him melting the necromental to the floor before finishing it off entirely. Total score: three hundred twenty-two.

I took a break for a long sip of water before continuing and sighed relief at being through; still, I could only curse the powers that be for enacting such a system in the first place. Woe the days one would take the time to write a report themselves.

Lazy bastards.

"Item four. Name, Toril O'Connell. Well reading: diamond grade, class eight. Intellect: forty-seven. Strength: forty-three. Constitution: forty-seven. Agility: fifty. Dexterity: fifty. Combat Ability: fifty. Elemental Proficiency: fifty. Most proficient element: Fire. Magical Assessment: fifty. My remarks are as follows: Toril O'Connell is without a doubt the most capable knight to take this year's assessment. He is capable of becoming the center of power of any unit he finds himself within. And he has the potential to rise to an elite combat specialist. Most impressive was his display of situational awareness and control of his power, seen when he negated the risk of collateral damage by his containment of an explosion of his own creation. My immediate impression was that with his application of magic, his opponent was effortlessly overpowered. Leaving him without a challenge after reducing it to a pile of molten remains. With training, he will only grow stronger. Though like others gifted with such talent, I fear he may be suffering from an inflated ego. Total score: three hundred eighty-seven."

"Item five. Name, Roheisa Deapou. Well reading: diamond grade, class twelve. Intellect: twenty-nine. Strength: thirty-eight. Constitution: forty-nine. Agility: twenty-six. Dexterity: twenty-eight. Combat Ability: fifty. Elemental Proficiency: forty-one. Most proficient element: Earth. Magical Assessment: fifty. My remarks are as follows- Roheisa displayed expertise in all her magical affinities and showcased a particularly powerful reinforcement spell that allowed her to physically fight a demon soul necromental toe to toe. Like Toril before her, the golem stood not a chance in the face of her magical onslaught and was reduced to a similar pile of rubble upon completion of her assessment. In short, she showed the unmerciful nature that the Iron Magus was infamous for. Though she remains hotheaded and naive. Total score: three hundred eleven."

"Item six." I sighed in a mixed mess of relief, glee, and pride. Finally, I could finish off my report and take some time off. More so, I couldn't help but feel like countless others as share what I'd witnessed with the world.

"Name." I beamed with newfound vigor. "Amun. Well reading: arcane grade, class eighteen. Intellect: fifty. Strength: twenty-nine. Constitution: fifty. Agility: fifty. Dexterity: fifty. Combat Ability: fifty. Elemental Proficiency: fifty. Most proficient element: Air. Magical Assessment: fifty. Remarks are as follows: First and foremost, let it be known that Amun is only half-human. Granting him an agile, mana-loved body that we struggled to assess properly. While his body is naturally fragile as a result, Amun has displayed a remarkably high pain tolerance and mental fortitude. Allowing him to not only remain conscious but to remain willing to fight long after he should've been incapacitated. Such weaknesses are naturally made up for with his magical abilities; but even without them, Amun managed to defeat Staff Sergeant Sicilia Velasco in martial combat before he effortlessly toyed with an empowered necromental.

"In short." I sighed. "Amun is the most powerful initiate I'd ever seen. Yet, he is weakened by his apparent lack of humility on the battlefield. His failure to take his opponent seriously may turn out to be his eventual downfall. Total score: three hundred seventy-nine points.

"As such, Amun of Odissi, Roheisa Deapou, Lucia Pike, Toril O'Connor, Jaimess Corey, and Edward Pascal have accepted their offers to enroll at the Bodhi Tree. Expect them at Rook Island on the thirtieth of the month.

With my reports closed out, ceased the flow of mana into my voice once and for all. Causing the shard to glow brightly one final time before pulling away from my arm and eventually prying itself free to sail out the window towards the south.

'So many things need to change in this world." I complained to myself. But it was true. Gone were the days humanity flourished on Maru. Now, we were spread across the Mortal Plane with little hope for contacting each other.

Considering they were still alive.

Considering his dream, everyone assumed Amun would take up the mantle and do what countless guilds couldn't. But then, what if his guild became the opposite? If it became a den for thieves, deviants, and degenerates who had no regard for laws or morals, what then?

A frightening situation indeed.

If someone as powerful and uncontrollable as Amun were to lose his sanity, few could ever hope to stop him; and even if they did, the aftermath would see the Plane itself ripped asunder.

Surely a terrifying thought to ponder.

As such, my excitement soon turned to anxiousness while the dreams that'd been rekindled in my mind were replaced with a thought-provoking question that repeated in my mind without end.

'What kind of guild will you create, Amun. An empire that unites the world, or a legion that breaks it?'