The Fairy of Space [REVISED]

Chapter 9: Okay, Who Is She Really?

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Today was the day.

It was supposed to be a preview of what their midterms and finals would be: a simulated fight in groups. At least that was the final, so she'd heard. In her other classes, Selena would be doing simulated tests on her own — but for Palladium's last class, she'd be with a chosen team of her own at the end of the semester. The Blix Club.

But that filled her with even more anxiety than the tests on her own — she had people relying on her! If she were to screw up, she'd let them all down at best, and have them fail the class at worst.

She took a deep breath, attempting to refocus her mind. She'd transformed and practiced before — this wasn't anything new. And Palladium wouldn't throw anything too dangerous at them, right?

As the entire class followed Palladium down some halls, Selena soon realized he was having them enter the simulation room. The real, actual simulation room everyone talked about! Swinging open the door, it was like being hit with a wave of zippy magic, the lights flickering like crazy. It was an office-like room with a plethora of monitors and screens lining the walls, explaining that this is where the "magic" happened... No pun intended. 

"This control board is fused with a special kind of techno-magic that allows us to create realistic scenarios and environments that actually project you into that space," the professor was explaining, his gaze surveying the nervous girls. "While not entirely real — I can turn off the simulation at any moment — everything will look and feel real, as will the magic attacks and effects created by the enemies. This is the same tech that will be used for your mid-terms and final exams as well. Let me show you an example."

He pressed a random number of buttons and switches on the control board, all the girls eagerly peering through the large window that looked down into the simulation room. At his command, it started to morph and glow, the ground filling up with rocks and dirt and the "sky" swirling into a chaotic cloudy screen. Within a few moments, it looked completely like a peaceful and green environment, which the girls could look into from a few cameras. 

Palladium pressed a few more inputs and then yanked a large lever. From this, a large creature started to swell into existence from the shadows, a large and bulbous form with no eyes. It immediately sent the blissful environment into turmoil, destroying and absorbing everything in sight with its gigantic mouth and razor-sharp teeth. It ate it all, almost like food, nearly doubling in size by the time it was done. It let out a deafening roar, making most of the girls squeak in fear.

"This will be an enemy that, by the end of the term, you will know how to defeat." Palladium glanced behind, his golden eyes flicking to each girl individually. "We'll start out with a smaller, weaker version of this one. Would anyone care to go first?"

Everyone was quiet, averting eye contact or looking at each other nervously. 

"Last thing I wanna do is go in there," Brittany whispered to Selena, shaking her head. "I wanted to practice, but not against that... thing!" 

Amused, Palladium scanned them as a smirk quirked up the corner of his mouth at Brittany's harshly-whispered words. "How about... you, Brittany?"

Brittany's eyes widened. She was usually confident, but certainly taken off guard by that. "Oh, uh, I-I don't think—"

A dry chuckle broke off Brittany's stammering. "I don't think any of these freshies are gonna go after a Devourer, Palladium."