IN VERSION

Ability Index (Darey)

HEALER'S WISH: A Special Ability that allows Darey to instantly heal his allies and restore their stamina. He can only use it on conscious individuals though."

YEAR: 2161

LOCATION: Living Quarters T 15, Orion Academy Outer Zone.

"It's just 4:00 am uhn... Still a few more hours till I can leave for the exams... In that case..." Darey mumbled to himself.

He had not realized when he sleep off while on his comfy bed, ruminating, the previous day. Him sleeping unintentionally had not happened in a really long time, over two centuries even, and yet he managed to succumb. He then realized why. He must have been very exhausted, especially from the 30 day training session he had with Tenny and Darey, in which he had very little rest, and then the whole matter with Major Lanre and The Reaper.

He also looked at the very comfortable bed he was on and deduced that since it had been a while since he was on anything as comfortable as it, it made it even easier for him to give in to sleep. Looking at the time again, he realized that he had slept for nearly nine hours. However, his body had not changed. Automatically, he would wake at exactly 4:00 am, unless he willed otherwise.

Looking at the bulbs that illuminated the room, as well as the finely lined walls of the room, he noticed a fine distinction and property from any other ones he had previously seen. He was disappointed that he had not even noticed it the previous day and was only seeing it now. His exhaustion must have been worse than he thought, he felt better now though.

"The Ability disruption minerals uhn..." He spoke to himself.

Of course Orion would line even their very lodgings with Special Ability Disruptors, which interfered with Special Abilities, and depending on the mass and level of potency, can render abilities null. Seeing as all the walls in the room were lined with the stuff, and most likely all the other ones, he was sure.

"I can't use my Special Ability here at all." Darey confirmed. "Well, not that it matters to me at this point."

Darey's main focus, the Placement exams would begin in some hours. Since he had gotten up early, he'd make very use of his time, and practice.

Several Hours Later

LOCATION: Site F3, Examination Area, Orion Academy Outer Zone.

Darey stood before the full metal door before him. On the other side of it was where his exams lie in wait for him. At this moment, he thought about Kyron and Tenny. He had not spoken with them since they had been separated, and so they were on their own. Since they could not use their Abilities, Tenny could not teleport anywhere, and so they would have to wait until their Placement exams before seeing one another again.

"Just stick to the plan." He said as he hoped Tenny and Kyron would not deviate from what he had told them, since he had already instructed them before their separation, knowing they wouldn't be able to maintain contact from that moment till the end of the exams.

Darey took a deep breath as he heaved a heavy sigh and moved toward the door, which opened automatically, recognizing Darey as a participant of the Exam.

The Placement exams were held in separate, individual rooms, each possessing a Supervisor. This way, the exams encountered by a candidate would be designed solely for the candidate, and the judging was entirely focused on the individual participants.

Darey looked around him as he observed the blank space around him. The door behind him closed, trapping him within the room. The only way to get out was to complete the exams. Whether it ended in success or failure, only by completing the exams would the door be opened, and after a set amount of time, the door would open as well, signifying the end of the exam.

"Welcome, Participant!" A broadcasted voice filled the entire room. "This is your Placement exam Supervisor speaking." It continued.

Darey noticed that the walls in the blank room weren't lined with any disruptive properties. This was standard, which meant the participants were allowed to use their Abilities without any restriction, to their highest capacity.

"Now, for the rules of the Exam." The Voice said.

Suddenly, the blank wall in front of Darey displayed an article, which Darey rightly reasoned to be the Rules and Conditions of his own exams. Exams differ, depending on the Ability possessed by the Participant. This is why Individual exams are used in Orion, in order to fully assess the participants. However, no matter how different the exams are, there is always one general rule which applied to all participants. They would need to FIGHT!

Since Orion prepares Ability Users for the real world, and their future careers in the Threefold paths, Combat is an essential part of their curriculum, as well as their grading. An Ability User must learn how to apply their Special Ability, no matter what it is, to effective use in combat. This is because, no matter the Career path chosen for an Ability User, combat is guaranteed.

Darey read the Rules and Conditions of the Exam.

RULES AND CONDITIONS

Primary Objective- Participant must survive the assaults of the enemies for the time allocated to him.

Intermediate Objective: Participant should destroy at least half of the enemies in the room within the time limit.

Advanced Objective: Participant should destroy all enemies within the room within the time limit.

Ultimate Objective: Participant should finish the Advanced Objective within one hour.

Participant's Ability: COMPLETE INVESTIGATION- Allows the Participant to learn anything concerning the target as long as they engage in a conversation.

Handicap: Since it's not an Offensive Ability, enemies will be of the lowest level and the level of difficulty will be reduced significantly, as well as the number of enemies.

Additional Information: The Supervisor is readily available to answer any of your questions and will explain anything ambiguous, even when the Participant is still in battle, as long as the questions are not related to cheating or any confidential or inaccessible information. Please note that what connotes confidential information will be left to the discretion of the Supervisor, however the Supervisor will definitely give a response to your inquiry.

Time Limit: 3 hours

Minimum Conditions for Victory:

- Participant remaining conscious after the time limit is reached.

Conditions for Failure:

- The Participant loses consciousness before the end of the time limit.

- The Participant engages in any form of malpractice

- The Participant fails to use his Ability at least once before the end of the time limit

Accept Conditions

Decline Conditions

Warning: Declining Conditions will render your exams terminated and will automatically place you in the last place of the Beginner stage of your Academic Level.

Darey finished reading what was on the wall and he smiled. The warning caught his eye. He reasoned that a lot Participants, who knew nothing of the hardships faced by Beginner Stage students, would choose to Decline the conditions, securing a risk and stress free entry into the Academy.

"Such Fools" Darey thought to himself, while grinning widely.

The last place of the Beginner stage would be considered the scum of all scum. One's performance in the exams ensure your placing the Academy, that much is true. However, another relevance of the exams is to decide your position in the stage you secure.

By performing adequately, one could secure a top spot in the intermediate or Advanced stage, and even if a Participant does not perform too well, they could still be among the top in the Beginner stage, which doesn't mean much when compared to the other stages, but still ensures better treatment than the bottom feeders of the Beginner stage.

"Finally, the objectives..." Darey thought to himself as he re-read them.

There are always 4 objectives; The Primary, Intermediate, Advanced and Ultimate. The minimum requirement is at least passing the first objective, which would be possible for any serious participant. The higher the objective, the higher the stage guaranteed. Passing the Intermediate Objective would guarantee one's placement into the Intermediate Stage and so on.

Darey already knew what he wanted, and he would not settle for anything else.

"Ready to decide?" The Supervisor asked.

"Yes." Darey said, smiling. " I choose... To Decline the Conditions!"

TO BE CONTINUED.....