Nightmare Mythos

Chapter 5: Examinations

Cesar watched a bunch of students taking their physical examinations with stern faces. With how they rigorously showed their competence and were capable enough to be handled out with Nightmare Facets, the academy will still decide. It's just a matter of performance.

Speaking of performance, Cesar had done great for the past three days. He showed his rising potential by doing arduous tasks assigned by the people in charge. Now, he was only waiting for the results to come among others.

Class 1-A, specifically, were all talented individuals that some had stopped examining physically and immediately went to the evaluation process which will end in a good outcome for obvious reasons.

"Cesar Sparrow,"

Once he was called, Cesar stood from his line of seats and went to the person in charge. In front of a table, he slightly bowed his head with respect and called out.

"Instructor Dean,"

The person in charge was a woman in her mid-thirties. Her face was covered with macabre burnt scars that she proudly showed to everybody as if it were some sort of trophy. Even so, it didn't hide her positive attitude and beautiful sharp features.

With a beaming smile, Dean stood up and called out with an expectant tone, "Mr. Sparrow,"

Dean offered a gum from her pockets which Cesar respectfully declined as he sat down on an available chair at the front. Forming a fake disheartened face, she humped and slid over a sealed document.

Cesar received it with his two hands before opening the document as Dean explained after chewing another gum.

"Exceptional. Honestly, compared to how you started at the academy and today, one could find a definite difference between your physique. You followed what your instructors had given you and now you are ready to go. Yes, your body might look above average but not to me.

It's filled with vitality, muscles that are designed for battle and long expeditions, and a slender figure ladies would die to take to bed for,"

After skimming through the file, Cesar glanced at her for a brief moment and replied, "Your last words are unnecessary,"

Dean chuckled, "I know. Now, get away. I expect great things from you, Sparrow. I'm sure you'll be an excellent individual,"

Cesar stood up and bowed once more then left.

...

To others, the physical examination might be the hardest test to take but Cesar found it relatively easy. What worried others and him were the upcoming test which is the psychological or mental examination and the emotional test.

And it is showing, at least for him since he still had to take their examination right until the very end even though his class was top priority amongst others. In fact, he might probably be the only one left for their class to take such tests. He wasn't very sure.

'What am I doing wrong?'

Today, however, was the moment of truth.

He will have to know whether he passed on having a 'good' mental state and 'stable' emotional condition.

Right now, there are few people lined up in this particular area, the counseling residence. There's a whole building established meant for this place since observing the student's mental health took priority at this time of day.

Theories have even proven that corruption feeds into the fragility of a person's mentality and a bit emotionally hence a regular check for their well-being is a must.

He sat down, waiting for his time to be called, and quietly thought for himself.

After a while, he was called once more.

When she realized who it was, she raised a brow.

"What?"

Cesar awkwardly scratched the back of his head and looked at her intently before squinting his eyes. He then pointed his hand through Beatrice's door and left.

Raising her other brow in a questionable look, the woman tilted her head and closed her book. She stood up from her place and entered Beatrice's counseling room.

"Ah, welcome our top one."

...

The checking of how stable his one's emotion is located to another building within the school grounds. The same as the last examination, he was here to see if he had to take yet another exam or be the same as Beatrice's earlier appointment.

Alas, he was in luck.

The instructor in charge didn't pull off yet another devious trick like Beatrice or give a sexual verdict like Dean. She told Cesar that her appraisal of his emotional state was exceptional and nothing was wrong with his indifference to people.

It probably has to do with his traumatic childhood experience which the instructor discreetly mentioned afraid that it might revoke hidden emotions that should remain hidden.

In the end, he was good to go.

"Hell yeah!"

Suddenly, Cesar heard a loud shout coming from the entrance of the academy. He was walking back to his dormitory when he noticed incoming and unfamiliar people coming inside the huge hall with fervent, thrilled, and gleeful expressions.

These people are glad to be able to attend to academy, some more than happy while others were less pleased.

'They must be thinking this is their time to shine in this place, huh,'

Cesar had seen many people like that during his first year. They were all filled with eagerness to be the academy's top and they are right to imagine so since they've been very skilled to make it happen.

Yet they got slapped by the harsh reality.

Left and right, people got expelled. Millions had attended and only a few thousand remained until the fourth year. It is a harsh environment where only the strong and desperate survive.

What's the use of flamboyance in a battlefield?

The academy will teach that to them.

'Let me see if you can shout like that after your first year, rookie,'

He carefully watched the positive first-year made his way through the front of the group, his eyes burning with passion.

But to his surprise, the same first-year shouted with confidence, "Hello, my name is Amon Desmond! I'll promise to be the top student in the academy by the end of the year!"

A deafening announcement that nobody has done once in a while brought buzzing comments to the observers. Most of the new first years found it ridiculous. The second, third, and fourth years present on the other hand, merely gave him a cold shrug.

The last thing Cesar saw was Amon picking up a monocle in his pocket before placing it to his right eye, pinching it with a playful smile.