The sun had risen all the way when all eligible children had been called over by the village head. Meanwhile Rem stood at a corner of the square and observed the children that came with the wagon as well as the instructor.

  The children stayed among themselves, there was a redheaded girl with a slim and long sword with a golden grip, that was shaped like a flower. Rem had never seen a sword like that before and couldn't imagine it to be very effective; it would break if it was hit with enough strength for sure. But if the girl was with this group she had to have some ability. Maybe the sword was just for show and she also used a spear?

  The sword girl was talking with a brunette in a brownish pair of oversized pants held up by suspenders over a dark wool shirt.

  On her hips hung a pair of metal gauntlets from a rope. The gauntlets reminded Rem of moles as the sheen of the unbending metal claws attached to the knuckles reflected the sunlight.

  The two girls seemed to have a lively conversation, he wasn’t sure what they were talking about but it caught the interest of an older boy with light green hair and a bow over his shoulder, who moved over to them and joined the conversation.

  While the three of them were talking, the rest of the kids began to move a target dummy that was similar to Rems out of the wagon and carve a circle in the sandy ground of the town square under the guidance of the Old man that Rem had identified as the Instructor.

  The man was giving clear directions and the kids followed them, some were slower than others, probably the newer recruits. Looking at those recruits Rem felt hope, they seemed ordinary just like him, he even saw a pile of spears left in the wagon.

  Rem kept watching them build an impromptu testing center, similar to what he had seen in previous years. He had always enjoyed watching the selections but this time he would also enter, the thought made him nervous, his hands sweating. He took a deep breath as more village kids gathered in the town square.

  Once the Testing area was finished the old man began to talk “Is this everyone?” while letting his gaze move over the village children.

  After a small nod from the village head the man continued “alright, six of you want to try this year? not bad. Well we’ll see what you amount to! First line up, each of you will attack this target with as much force as you can. I will judge if you succeed in this test”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  The applicants lined up with Rem in fourth place among them, at the front of the line one of the recruits handed each applicant a weapon of their choice when it was their turn.

  The first applicant, Lydo son of the village Baker, chose a spear. After the recruit gave it to him and moved out of the way, Lydo grabbed the spear so hard his hands grew white and ran at the target, thrusting the spear ahead in an uncontrolled manner. The spear barely hit the arm of the target by luck and sunk into it slightly, the tip cut the cloth slightly but could not even penetrate the straw.

  “Pass, next”

  The Instructor yelled, while one of the recruits took the spear from Lydo and guided him to the side.

  Next came Orthus the son of one of the farmhands, he also took a spear. His stab was more controlled and hit the torso of the target squarely. Rem saw the spear bend before flexing back and pushing Orthus off his feet.

  “Out, Next”

  While Orthus was still sitting on the ground befuddled, the next boy Nevan, son of the chieftain's younger brother, asked for a sword.

  Rem was not sure what just happened, after Lydo had passed he was sure he’d pass too but why had Orthus failed if his hit had been miles better than Lydo’s?

  Was this test not about their technique and dedication? The effort they had poured in?

  He was pulled out of his reveries when he heard “Pass, next” once more.

  It was his turn and he would make it count! This is what he had trained for for the last year!

  He stepped forward and turned to the recruit. “Give me a spear, please”

  The boy gave him a spear which he weighed in his hands, it was a bit heavier than his training stick but about as long. He adjusted his grip and focused on the target.

  He would do it like always. He took a breath in and as he was exhaling pushed his feet into the ground. He shot forward with precision his spear flew forward in his hand aiming perfectly for where the heart would be if the dummy was a real human. The spear hit true and “thud” his movement stopped?

  In shock, Rem looked up and saw that his spear had stopped on the target dummy, exactly where he had aimed. The Blade pressed against the fabric that was holding the dummy together but the fabric didn't budge, not speaking of pushing through the target as he had expected, it hadn’t even penetrated the fabric!

  Dumbfounded Rem lowered his spear.. “What in the…” but before he could finish his sentence he heard a voice besides him that he didn’t want to hear “Out, next”

  He turned around mechanically, had all his effort been wasted? One of the recruits pushed him out of the way and took the spear back while he was still dazed.

  In his dazed state he watched as the last two applicants Gwynn and Stella, made tiny nicks in the fabric with their amateurish spearmanship and knife usage respectively.

  As the Instructor turned to the four that had passed the round, he said “good job, let’s continue with the second test”

  Rem looked at that scene and felt his dream slip away, despite him obviously being stronger than any of these kids that were accepted. But why? What did they have that he didn’t?