November 17th, 2023
9 Year old Lance sat there in the middle of the dark room.
The desk he sat at was made of a certain peculiar cedar wood. He shifted himself around, the creaking of the old desk louder then he desired. He did not want to bring attention to himself, so he called on his training to bring him discipline. To sit as still as possible. At least, till he was able to finish his test.
It has been 5 years since he began his training. The world was a different place now. Even at his young age, he was able to recognize that. His eyes ran up and down the test sheet. The holo-pad assigned to him to do research sat at the edge of the desk. His breathing became heavier, as the last few questions were pushing his mind, his current knowledge, to its limits. The strain was real, and he really relied on everything that he had learned over the past 5 years to help his cause.
In the giant dark room her resided in, a deep voice could be heard in the open.
Five Minutes Till Testing Conclusion
The words increased his already stern nervousness. He however remained still. Concentrating heavily on answering the last few questions that he knew, if answered correctly, would catapult him one step closer to accomplishing his goals. The pressure of answering correctly was so great, that even the sound of his own sweat, the beads dripping down his temple, creeping ever so closely to his chin, would be heard echoing throughout the room as soon as it landed on the desk inches below his head. His eyes focused sharply, his hand scrolling through the screen on his holo-pad, he was finally able to find comfort. The answer to his question had arrived to him. With a joyful, but silent glee, he placed his answer on the test paper just in time.
Please place down your writing utensil and shut down your holo-pads. Testing Period is now Complete
Lance was finally able to breath easy. The written portion of his test was over. The next step.
The physical.
Young Lance had received plenty of training at The Academy. Being trained in the arts was of utmost importance to the instructors at The Academy. Making sure their students were battle ready. Lance was in the head of his class. He was a prized student there, especially to his instructor, Val Ashlei. Val Ashlei held extreme prominence amongst The Academy instructors, being known for his extreme but tactical training and instruction. He personally had selected Lance amongst a host of 5 year olds to receive the special training. Now it was time to see if that choice was worth it.
Lance walked his way through the dimly lit corridor, following two instructors as they reviewed his test scores on their own Holo-pads. Their subsequent mumbles to one another gave worry to young Lance, but he was confident in his scoring. He personally felt that he did all he could to achieve a passing grade. As a young child would, he matched his footsteps to the instructors in front of them, attempting to not bring any attention to himself more then necessary. The sudden pause of the two did not startle the boy, as he was trained to not jump at such minor occurances.
The two men turned around, staring at Young Lance. Their eyes, wide open, held so many unanswered questions. They studied Lance for a moment, those big bright eyes fueled so many questions of their own in Lance's mind. He didn't know what to think. What to do. Something assuring reached the childs ears.
You are exactly what we have been waiting for
