章 13: Leap

The further Clark progressed toward the stairs the more he heard the crackling of the roots. They were more and more delicate as they became thinner. But they were also mixed in with more rocks. There had once been a path that connected this put meaning that someone had intentionally dug everything out.

"I don't think it will hold me." Maria was shaking. She didn't trust the weakening roots. Her nerves had finally gotten to her.

Clark wasn't sure how Maria was so fearful and afraid. Nothing should have made a person like that at her age. She was obviously around his age but afraid of everything. She had latched on to him after a simple kindness without letting go. "Then fall. If you can't move forward then all you can do is fall."

The voice that Maria heard wasn't Clark's, it was twisted and brutal. The voice summoned others to join it. Voices that she remembered growing up. The endless pit beneath her seemed to be waiting for her to mess up and allow a mistake. It wanted her to fall like everyone she had seen before.

"I won't." Her whisper was enough. Maria remembered her goals while stabilizing her body. She watched Calrk take another step toward the stairs.

Yet, the very next step caused a large cracking. It told Clark all he needed to know. "I can't go further." The annoyed expression was toward himself. He felt weak. He would fail here after seeing the chances that the Mane family had given him for justice? He would just leave everything all behind?

The long breath that Clark took was matched with his bending knees. In one large leap, Clark used all of his strength to fling himself forward. More cracking followed as his feet bespoke the thinner roots. But his hands had hit stone.

Clark's nails dug in to the crevices of the stone stairs. Some cracked and bled but he latched on. Devi was trying his best to pull on Clark's arms. The biting feeling was nothing to Calrk since it was not an attempt to hurt him. Maria's breath picked up as well knowing that she could be watching Clark fall. Yet, this didn't happen. The struggle slowed as Clark calmed his mind and forced himself to pull forward. The pain in his fingers was nothing compared to what he felt inside.

The final grunt matched with the sound of Clark falling to his back on the stones. He had made it on to solid ground again leaving the corpse worms without more food. But that was not all. The smaller grunt was matched by Maria who jumped right after Calrk. She landed next to him in a roll with her hands wrapped around her jellyfish.

"Thanks Lit. you helped me get over here easily." Clark felt like an idiot. If he had wrapped his hands around Devi then he would have been able to jump further without the potential of falling. He had failed to see this. But since he hadn't he had hidden Devi even longer. Both situations were possible.

"We can fix that." Clark felt his hands losing the stinging and burning feeling of broken nails leaving him. In return, there was warmth.

Lit, the jellyfish, was touching him with one tentacle. It was pouring healing energy in to his hands which visibly repaired themselves as if they had not been damaged at all. "Lit can't fix bones or big wounds just yet. But she can fix this easily." Maria showed a wide smile before looking at the top of the stairs. The door had opened without either of them noticing. "Come on." This time Maria held a hand out to Clark.

"Just this once." Clark took it. He had some respect for Maria now. But he still didn't feel that he could trust her. She was an unknown. Her past, who she was inside, why she was so dead set on joining Nova academy, all of these things were mysteries.

"Well? Aren't you coming in? You are the first two here." The hooded man standing at the door ushered them inside.

"Together then!" Maria pulled Clark through the doorway in perfect step with her. Clark hadn't been ready for it but found himself almost starting to smile. But it wasn't enough to make that happen. He was finally inside Nova academy.

"You two kiddos just set a record for fastest to ever make it here. Only eighteen hours. The sun is already starting to come up." The hooded man walked near the two giving them a full once over. "Didn't expect you to help the girl. But that's not a bad thing. Do either of you have a recommendation?"

"No sir. I couldn't get such a thing…" Maria trailed off. She had a clear embarrassment about the topic. Clark noticed it but did not take any stock in iy.

"This should be it." Clark handed the letter to the man.

"The Mane family? But they do not have any sons. Just a single daughter. How did you get this?" There was a skeptical tine but one that knew the letter couldn't be a fraud. The crests of a family were made specifically with magical seals that could not be replicated.

"I had my ways, but the letter should explain everything necessary." Clark just waited while he watched the letter open. The old man's eyebrows raised while looking back and forth.

"So that genius girl sent you here. She caused a lot of fights to get what she wanted while here. Don't follow her lead. Just learn, grow, and avoid trouble from other families. I will not be passing this on to anyone else but the head master." The man hid the letter away. Maria just stood with wide eyes while looking at Clark. She now saw him with fear instead of admiration as earlier.

The change was drastic enough for Clark to pick up on. He wasn't sure what would cause this. The Mane family was not known for causing trouble. They were known for standing up and putting their pride on the line to help others. Yes they were tough, but they were fair. Of all the families, they had the best reputation when it came to morals. When strength was concerned they were considered third overall.

"Now, you two can come over to the evaluation orb. I will give you your ranks. Check that board there if you don't understand them."

The board read as followed:

Beast Ranks: common, uncommon, rare, super rare, Ultra rare, Legendary, Mythical

Tamer ranks: first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, unknown.

"These ranks will define your growth and your beast's growth. But know, you can be a beginner, experienced, advanced, elite, or veteran when it comes to your license. That is false. Your license grows with the years you work as a spirit tamer. Just forget them now or you will find yourself completely lost of your true strength. I have known many veteran license holders with uncommon rank beasts and third tier strength." The words were harsh but true.

"Understood." Maria and Clark were following the lesson. They knew that their ranks in the academy would be very important.

"You may have an ultra rare beast but it could be beaten by a stronger common beast. So those ranks are worth being skeptical over. But the rank of the tamer, that means they and their beast are powerful. Remember that. It's advice from an old gatekeeper." These last words before Calrk and Maria placed their hands on different evaluation orbs rang in their minds.

"Alright. Recorded. Take your papers." The man handed them each a paper with their results while keeping a copy for records.

Clark saw that he had broken from the first tier to the second tier. He didn't like this though. He was too weak to be a second tier. He felt he lacked experience compared to someone who has had a spirit beast longer than him.