The practical assessment ended before noon. The students slowly left the training field and returned to their respective classrooms. Some looked happy with their results. Others had already started complaining about the parts they had failed. Cael walked beside Evan through the academy hallway. Evan was still looking at his data panel. “I still can't believe I failed the precision test.” Cael glanced at him. “You used too much energy.” “I know.” “You already knew that before the test.” “I know.” “Then why did you do it?” Evan stopped walking. “Because I panicked.” Cael stared at him. Evan looked away. “Don't judge me.” “I wasn't going to.” “You were.” Cael continued walking. Evan quickly followed. “By the way, your results were pretty average.” Cael looked at him. “Thanks?” “I mean it.” “I know.” “And you're not disappointed?” Cael thought for a moment. “Not really.” “Why?” “My output is still low, but I passed everything.” Evan nodded. “Makes sense.” Cael looked at his data panel again. The numbers displayed on it weren't impressive. There was no unusually high output. No exceptional Energy Reserve. Nothing that made him stand out from the other Beginner students. They finally reached their classroom. Several students were already sitting in their seats. One student at the back was comparing his results with a friend. “How much was your output?” “A little above average.” “Seriously?” “Yeah.” “Mine was low.” Small conversations could be heard from different corners of the room. Cael sat in his seat. Evan took the seat beside him. Not long after, the teacher entered. The classroom gradually became quiet. The teacher placed several data panels on the desk. “Before we continue the lesson, I want to discuss your assessment results.” Several students immediately paid attention. “Overall, the class performed fairly well.” Some students looked relieved. “However, I want you to understand one thing.” The teacher walked to the front of the classroom. “Yesterday's assessment was not about determining who was the strongest.” The screen behind him lit up. Three words appeared: CONTROL. PRECISION. ENERGY MANAGEMENT. “These three things will become the foundation you need if you want to develop your Core further.” Cael watched the screen. “High output doesn't always mean good Core usage.” The teacher pointed toward the first word. “Without control, large amounts of energy will only become a waste.” Then he pointed toward the second. “Without precision, your power may hit something it was never supposed to hit.” Finally, he pointed toward the third. “And without energy management, you won't be able to maintain your Core for long periods of time.” The classroom became quiet. Evan raised his hand. “Sir.” “Yes?” “If someone has low output, does that mean they'll always lose against someone with high output?” The teacher looked at Evan. “No.” Evan seemed slightly surprised. “Output is only one part of a person's ability.” The teacher continued. “A user with high output but poor control can lose to someone with lower output but much greater efficiency.” Cael fell silent. He remembered his own assessment results. His Wind wasn't particularly strong. But he had always focused more on controlling it than forcing it to become stronger. Perhaps that was why his results had been fairly good. The teacher continued the lesson. “But don't misunderstand what I'm saying.” The screen changed. “Output is still important.” “If you want to grow, you still need to increase your Energy Reserve and improve your Core.” Several students nodded. “What you should avoid is trying to skip the process.” Cael stared at the last sentence. Don't skip the process. For some reason, those words stayed in his mind. --- When break time arrived, Cael and Evan went to the cafeteria. They got their food and sat at an empty table. Evan still looked like he was thinking about something. “You're pretty serious.” Cael opened his drink. “About what?” “You've been quiet since earlier.” “I'm just thinking.” “About the assessment results?” “A little.” Evan leaned back in his chair. “I've only been thinking about how to make sure I don't fail again.” “You could start by using less energy.” Evan pointed at Cael. “Don't start again.” Cael laughed. Evan took a piece of food. “By the way, what are we going to study after this?” “I don't know.” “I heard we're starting Shell theory next week.” Cael nodded. “I heard that too.” Evan immediately looked more interested. “I'm curious what it feels like to use a Shell.” Cael looked at him. “We might not actually use one right away.” “At least we'll learn the theory.” “That's true.” Evan smiled. “Imagine if we had really cool Shells.” Cael simply shrugged. “As long as they're compatible.” “They can be cool too.” “You care too much about appearances.” “If we're going to wear a Shell, why would we want an ugly one?” Cael laughed quietly. They continued eating while talking about simple things. Classes. Teachers. Other students. Their assessment results. Nothing extraordinary. Just two students who had recently gone through their first practical assessment. --- After school, Cael didn't go home immediately. He stopped at a small park not far from his house. The place was fairly quiet in the afternoon. A few people were using the area to exercise. Cael stood in an empty section of the park. He raised his hand. A small breeze began to move. Cael tried to maintain it. Five seconds. Ten. Then he stopped. He took a breath. Then tried again. This time, he made the flow slightly stronger. The wind moved around his hand. Cael watched its movement. Then he reduced the amount of energy he was using. The wind became smaller. But it remained stable. Cael smiled slightly. “Better.” He continued practicing for several minutes. He didn't try to make the wind larger. He didn't try to produce power he couldn't control yet. He simply improved little by little. After a while, he sat down on a park bench. He looked at his hand. “If I keep doing this...” Cael stopped. He didn't know what he wanted to say after that. Become stronger? Reach the next Rank? Go to The Void? All of those things were still far away. For now, he simply wanted to become a little better than he had been yesterday. Cael stood up. He picked up his bag. “Time to go home.” --- When Cael arrived home, he found Mira sitting in the living room. Mira immediately turned toward him. “How was the test?” Cael took off his shoes. “It went fine.” “Did you win?” Cael paused. “It wasn't a competition.” “So you didn't win.” “Mira.” His sister laughed. Elira appeared from the kitchen. “Have you eaten?” “Not yet.” “Wash your hands first.” Cael nodded. As he walked past the living room, Mira asked again. “So, when can you go to The Void?” Cael turned toward her. “Why do you still remember that?” “Because you promised.” Cael smiled slightly. “That's still a long way off.” “So it's still a promise?” “It is.” Mira smiled with satisfaction. “Good.” Cael then went to wash his hands. For a moment, he didn't think about The Void. He didn't think about Ranks. He didn't think about his assessment results. He simply had dinner with his family like he always did. The day ended like any other day. Nothing major had changed. No new power. No extraordinary journey. Just a fifteen-year-old boy slowly learning to understand his own abilities. And for Cael, that was enough. Because a long journey didn't have to begin with something extraordinary. Sometimes, it only began with a single small step. And Cael had just taken his first.

Chapter 5 : After the Assessment