In the vacuum of emotions that hung in the air, Fate Testarossa Harlaown tried to ease herself back in her desk chair, wanting to ease the ill-feeling permeating in the air, the ephemeral residue of a scorned soul.
She could not.
Sighing heavily only relieved her of the tension in her body, but her thoughts still processed to make sense of the events today.
“It was our decision.”
Yes. It was their decision, she convinced herself in her soliloquy. It was the conclusion of the people who had been with the young girl that day, who had seen her every move, her every action. And their collective judgment gave them reason to believe the girl was lacking. Lacking in the necessary aptitude, skill, and ability to pass the standards set by the TSAB.
Yes, their decision was correct.
“Our decision. Ours…”
She sighed once again. For only minutes before, she had thought otherwise…
-----
“Private Smith?”
She had asked the spaced out Clerk in front of her, minutes before the maelstrom. Her final report was nearly finished, and the two “Linebackers” as Private First Class Remington Smith, and Private First Class Colt Wesson were collectively referred to, was poring over them. They had to, as their responsibility to the subject of the papers, the young examinee mage, and their female charge Mai Enna.
They had to, but both were somehow inattentive of their task. Wesson sat in the office’s long, brown straight couch, seemingly flipping the pages of the report like flipping was the activity. And Smith, who sat in the chair in front of her across the desk, was equally bored, more like looking at the report for the sake of looking rather than reading.
She could’ve excused them of seniority over the abilities of the examinee – after all, they had known Mai far better than she had, despite meeting her in about the same time roughly 5 and a half years ago.
But… her intuition told her that these two were thinking about more than these reports. Beyond these reports. Both lost in musing over what seemed to be a most pressing thought.
It bothered her greatly.
For, as the head examiner personally who personally oversaw Mai’s exam from beginning to completion, who was the Enforcer who traded blows with the young girl, who had received live magical attacks and spells from the girl and retaliated in return, with the greatest possibility of injury to both of them; She was in the best position to assess the girl’s skills, to evaluate her abilities, measure her composure, her knowledge.
And, asides from one…minor incident, she had found the girl’s overall display most excellent.
Which is why she wondered why she wasn’t the one performing such pondering, the same level as her two guardians in this room were performing.
She had to know.
“Private Smith, Private Wesson. What’s wrong?”
A hand slammed down loud on her desk no sooner had she asked. Smith slowly threw the report he held with his right hand unto the table’s surface, with a most heavy sigh and a determined gaze. Similarly, Wesson had laid his copy on the glass coffee table.
The former spoke first, his tone polite, yet with a solid edge.
“Enforcer Harlaown sir, me and my brother feel that Mai shouldn’t be allowed to pass this exam.”
This was a joke right?
“Smith, I’ve already passed Mai based on my judgment, and I’ve already told her of this. Surely you kid.”
Unfortunately, Wesson also revealed his thoughts.
“Smith’s correct. Mai cannot be allowed to pass this exam”
Fate was visibly incredulous. It was unbelievable. To think that these two could say something like that…
“Smith, Wesson, what is the meaning of this?” she asked them, the confusion and disapproval in her voice increasingly pronounced. The two normally happy-go-lucky Backers clearly meant business.
Smith sat up straight, then turned to face her.
“It mean’s we disagree with your result, which you made despite what just happened back there!”
“You mean Mai’s illusion attack?”
“Exactly.”
Truth be told, recalling that event had made… no, still made Fate shiver, those crimson eyes, glaring at the depths of her soul. That indescribably feeling of dread… She could not remember what she had seen then, what Mai had made her see.
But her body could never forget, and at that instant when she tried to recall that memory, cold sweat trickled down her forehead, and her hands could not stop trembling.
She knew she had been horrified beyond description.
But she still couldn’t understand.
“I don’t understand. According to our intelligence, Mai’s illusion spells are part of her intrinsic abilities as a mage, and there are no limitations on the use of such spells in the exam. Mai had used them to her advantage during the final moments of the individual combat exa-“
“And you would’ve been a nervous wreck now had we not saved you.”
Smith’s interjection stopped Fate in her tracks. He was right.
Had the Linebackers not quickly intervened in the battle like they had, the illusion would’ve gone to full effect, and she would’ve been in even worse shape now.
But…
“It was a decision she made on her part, as an examinee willing to do what it took to defeat me. And as a previously known and disclosed ability, she can’t be considered cheating. It’s my own fault as her opponent that I let my guard down. Tell me the truth now you two, what’s going on?”
The brother’s sober expression was something she didn’t expect.
“Ms. Fate… we’d like you to understand.” Smith spoke up, his features softening, almost smiling about a happy thought.
“Mai… she’s a very special girl. No matter what trouble she caused us both, even if she very frequently puts us more times in the infirmary than any enemy we face out in the field, Mai is, and always will be, someone that both me and my brother care about a lot.”
Wesson joined in.
“No matter what we may be to everyone else, we are still Mai’s guardians and instructors. Believe us when we say that there’s nothing we want better than to see her reach her goals with her own hands, and that nothing would make us prouder than to see her pass this exam. But…”
“She… “ Smith picked up on Wesson’s more somber tone.
“She broke a promise. A promise between the three of us.”
“A promise?” Fate asked, curious.
“A promise to restrain herself. We had asked her not to use her illusions at any point in the exam, for her very own sake.”
“Why would you ask her to do that… unless…”
Smith’s last words triggered an insight into their intentions. And at that moment Fate finally saw a glimpse of what they were trying to say.
“It’s dangerous isn’t it?”
Wesson nodded in a sad reply.
“Glock neglected to add it into the intel, but Chaos Illusion Spells also take a toll on Mai’s body when they are used, and unlike most of her spells these illusions degrade her both physically, mentally and psychologically. Each time she uses illusions, her own brain is exposed to unusually higher levels of Dark Chaos energy, and extended periods of use could potentially destroy her mind.”
“And that time…” Smith continued, a much sadder expression now.
“When she assaulted you with her spell… she was using a more powerful spell than usual, thus why you still feel the effects even if you don’t remember anything.”
Fate saw Smith clench his fists, his anger slowly simmering.
“Had it gone much longer, she could’ve killed the both of you. At the cost of her own life she was that desperate to win! To defeat you!!
In a damn Enforcer Exam!!!”
It hit her right then. She understood now. Their intentions for their crazy proposal.
Fate understood what the two brothers felt. The worry, their anxiety, and their concern for a person they cared for. She knew all too well.
“Despite these Linebackers, I do agree.”
All three in the room looked to the new female arrival by the door. As if on cue, here was another person who could understand the delicate issue at hand.
“Teana.”
The young Enforcer-in-training walked over to the desk, reports in hand, with a reminiscent look on her face.
“I’m sorry to have eavesdropped on your conversation, but I have to agree with these Linebackers. She shouldn't be allowed to pass.”