“Ren, tomorrow you will go on a mission to find scourges and exorcise them.” “What, Sensei? I can't exorcise curses on my own yet!” “That’s why you won’t. You will have a companion to help you who is Grade 1 or above. It will be a competition, you and your companion will be racing against other people and their companions. There will be new Aurents like you, and the Grade 1s and above will be the more experienced people. Me and the other teachers will be watching you guys. Grade 0 scourges will be 10 points, Grade 1 scourges 8 points, Grade 2 scourges 6 points, Grade 3 scourges 4 points, Grade 4 scourges 3 points, and Grade 5 scourges 1 point.” My heart sank slightly at the mention of Grade 0. A single Grade 0 titan had nearly ended my life back in Shibuya, and now teams would be actively hunting them down for a scoreboard. “Ok, so what do I need?” “Get better. I will teach you a few more things with time, then you should be able to exorcise scourges.” “Aaaand, what are those things?” “Just some small things like energy control, and channeling energy into your sword.” “Ummmmm, okay.” “So first, to control your energy, you need to channel that energy then control the flow of it. Feel it like water, then move it around now.” I follow along as Sensei speaks, closing my eyes to focus on my gut. The rare 1% Neutral Energy felt hot and chaotic at first, but as I breathed out, I forced it to smoothen, guiding the current down through my chest. “Yeah, now you will get better the more you do it. Now for channeling that energy into your Katana, you must channel that energy, feel it, then treat the sword as part of you. Let the energy spread into your Katana. This will be exceptionally easy for you since you are bound to it.” I do as Sensei says, gripping the black handle tightly. I stop treating the weapon like an object and visualize it as an extension of my arm. Suddenly, the steel reacts, and my Katana is covered with dark energy that hums under the afternoon sun. “Woah.” “Cooool! Now get some rest.” “Okay!” I spend the rest of the day trying to perfect my technique in my room, repeating the water flow exercises until my shoulders ache. The thought of the competition tomorrow keeps my adrenaline pumping, but after eating some sushi, the exhaustion finally wins. I crawl into bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering who my Grade 1 companion will be before finally going to sleep.
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