"That's her, that's her. The only Zero who was able to enter the academy."
"I wonder how she survived her last two years here."
"No, the question is, how will she graduate?"
"Oh yeah, that's right. It was a group competition wherein the individual score would be tested based on ability and physical strength. Another was the group score, but who would take someone without an ability into their group and drag the whole team down? The group wouldn't graduate if they placed among the lowest."
She could only sigh. That was indeed her problem right now. No one would accept her into their group. She had already asked a lot of groups, and they had all flatly rejected her. They didn't even try to see if she could synchronize with their team or if she was capable enough.
As Eureka thought about this problem, she was already walking toward the headmaster's office to ask for reconsideration regarding her case. She knew within herself that she was good enough to become a knight of the kingdom.
This academy was the beginning for all aspiring knights. But most of those knights, or to be precise, all of the knights who graduated, had abilities. Those with weaker abilities or those without could only become palace guards.
"Miss Eureka."
Just as she was about to hold the knob and open the office door, she heard someone calling her from behind.
"See? I told you she'd be here," she looked at her companion with her brown eyes shining brightly as if waiting to be complimented.
"Yes, yes, Karen, you were indeed right."
"You called?" Eureka impatiently asked for their attention. After all, she still had a problem to solve in order to graduate.
Why, of all times, did these people have to interrupt her today, when she had already resolved to fight with the headmaster just to graduate?
"Ah yeah, sorry. I'm Feena, though I suppose you already know that. Anyway, you know that the graduation competition is just around the corner. And you know that it's a group of six, right?" she slowly explained to Eureka as if implying something.
"Please get to the point."
"Uhmm, you see, we're really looking for someone to complete our group..." Seeing Eureka becoming irritated, Karen went ahead with the explanation.
"I can hear a 'but,'" Eureka said as she faced them with a frown.
"Yes, we also know you're Eureka and that, uhmmm... I mean, your ability."
"I don't have any ability, so why did you talk to me when your group isn't even complete?"
Eureka already knew and understood what they were implying. She could be in their group, but with her being ability-less, also known to others as a Zero, they couldn't just accept her instantly.
"Fight with us." Seeing how short-tempered she was, Feena simply asked for what they really wanted from her.
"Fight with you or duel with you?"
"Oh yes, we want to have a duel with you. In a way, it's a test for us to see if we really could take you into our group," Feena replied uncertainly.
This was tasked by their captain after all. Despite not knowing why, the two of them could only comply.
"Okay."
Her instant acceptance startled both Feena and Karen.
"You're not going to think about it?" Karen wondered.
"I mean, we literally told you that you're a Zero and that you have to prove to us that you can keep up with our group before we'll accept you," she added.
"If the strongest group asked someone to duel them to join their group, I don't think anyone would hesitate. Plus, I AM a Zero. When?"
She was asking for the time and place of their duel.
"Then tonight at the practice arena. We'll be waiting," Karen said as they waved her goodbye.
"I guess I don't need to talk to the headmaster now."
Turning back, she started thinking about the group who had invited her.
The two ladies were Karen, with brown eyes and shoulder-length straight dark brown hair with full bangs, and Feena, with clear blue eyes and waist-length wavy blue hair.
Their appearances had similarities to their abilities: Earth for Karen and Water for Feena.
Hideyoshi had the Wind ability, with lighter blue eyes and hair. Mamoru also had the Earth ability, dark brown eyes a few shades darker than Karen's, and dark brown hair.
Finally, Raven, with orange hair and eyes. Fire was his ability, and he was the current leader of their group.
Those who had elemental abilities and above somehow had their hair and eye colors correspond to their powers.
The perfect group, complete with the top strongest abilities. Of course, there were others with these abilities, but Raven's group was one with the best synchronization among the teams.
Thinking about it, this group wanting to try her was already more than enough.
As long as she could graduate and become a knight, that was all she needed at this point.
That was where everything would begin for her.
That night, standing in the middle of the arena, Eureka waited calmly as the whole group arrived.
"Who am I going to duel with?" she didn't bother with greetings and asked immediately.
Her silver wavy hair was tied up in a ponytail, and her indifferent red eyes stared fixedly in their direction.
"Don't worry, you only need to fight me and Feena. The boys are just here to watch," Karen replied as the boys went to the stands and took their seats.
"Shall we begin?" Eureka asked while unsheathing her sword.
Feena stepped aside, implying that Karen would be her first opponent. Karen started chanting to begin her attack.
As she finished her chant, Eureka jumped up and flipped, then sliced through the earth that was sneakily attacking her.
Karen smirked and chanted another bunch of incantations.
Spikes started appearing rapidly from the ground. Eureka, on the other hand, jumped right and left in order to avoid the spikes.
The chants never stopped, and this time the attack came from above, with boulders and spikes falling straight down toward her.
Eureka didn't avoid them but fought them head on. Not even a single one landed on her or grazed her. The shower wasn't yet finished when Karen chanted another spell.
"Hey, isn't Karen going overboard?" Hideyoshi asked the other guys.
He had mid-length hair with a few long strands on the right side tied in a braid.
"It is important to go overboard in order to test her," Mamoru replied while looking at Raven.
Mamoru had mid-length hair with side bangs that covered one fourth of his face, while the other side had a hairpin supporting it.
Karen's chanting never stopped while Eureka kept avoiding and slicing through her attacks, at times even kicking them away.
Just as it seemed like all Eureka could do was avoid and defend, Karen attacked with pillars of earth from four sides and tried to flatten Eureka.
But upon reaching the center, no one was there.
"Eh?"
Eureka's sword was suddenly in front of her, the tip just a few inches away from her nose.
"Give up?"
Karen smirked at her, but it suddenly disappeared when she was sent flying by her own attack.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, she fainted. To think that you would use her own attack against her. Mamoru, if you please," Feena called as she approached Karen, who was currently lying on the ground.
"How did she?" Hideyoshi couldn't help but ask.
"She used the pillar's momentum, which was attacking from behind, to increase her speed and appear in front of Karen instantly," Raven explained.
His hair had a messy look, facing different directions. But instead of looking lousy, it added even more charm to his serious face.
"So I guess it's my turn to fight you now. Do you need a break?"
After Mamoru carried Karen to the stands, Feena looked at Eureka and asked her.
"No need. Let's finish this now."
Feena was currently holding a one foot silver rod, which turned into a whip when water was added to it.
Their battle started instantly. Eureka could only dodge, knowing full well that she couldn't slice through the water.
Feena began using high-end spells, creating up to nine duplicates of herself. But what shocked everyone was the fact that Eureka ignored the other afterimages.
She instead went directly to the real one and attacked her relentlessly, taking advantage of Feena's shock.
When she recovered, she instantly created a water wall where she used her reflection in order to distract her opponent.
But to no avail, for Eureka instantly located her whereabouts and struck her again.
"That should be enough."
Before Feena started attacking again, someone spoke from the top of the stands.
"Ah, it's the headmaster," Karen, who had just woken up, was the first to speak.
"Good evening, Headmaster," their group greeted him, except for Eureka, who stood indifferently without looking at him.
"It's already late. Don't you all have curfews?"
Walking down, the headmaster started lecturing them. "But oh well, are you here to try her out for your group?"
Raven nodded in reply.
"Hmmm, it seems someone noticed her capabilities that others didn't," the headmaster smiled as he rubbed his chin.
"What do you think?"
"The way she moves, her agility and speed are great. Fighting against Feena and Karen, whose abilities are among the strongest. But her prediction is something else."
Raven replied seriously, explaining what he had observed through the two battles Eureka had just finished.
"Right, right? Those instructors really, they just couldn't accept losing to her during those exams of yours. That is why they wouldn't even show her grades to her classmates. They didn't know her worth at all."
As if having a tantrum and finally finding a friend, the headmaster spoke while stomping his foot on the ground.
"They lost?" the others asked in unison.
After all, every exam was an individual one. Either they had to perform a high-end spell perfectly or cast a spell that was acceptable to their instructor. But in Eureka's case, no one knew how she had been passing all this time.
"You see….."