Deja Vu

     Days turned into years, and before long Treasa had celebrated her fourth anniversary at the temple. A few months away from being a teenager, the still young girl was nearing the time of her assessment. During her training she had come to enjoy her lessons, and her time with her Diatorn. Most days she could barely walk back to her room after she was released.

     Following her typical routine Treasa put on her uniform and left her room for the long walk to the training hall. Unlike every day prior to this one, when she arrived early to warm up her Diatorn were standing in wait. Afraid that she had done something wrong she apologized for making them wait for her to arrive. 

     "We have a gift for you Treasa." Sade handed her a simple box the size of his arm, that he held in one of his hands. Paqeal had a smile on her face like none she had ever seen. The two Diatorn looked happy, and that surprised Treasa. Not wanting to insult them by being late and then refusing a gift she took the box and opened it. Lying inside was a simple black rope.

     Knowing what it meant was one thing, but to actually be holding the simple piece of clothing was something entirely different. Acknowledging her skills, the Diatorn had finally stated that she was ready to be assessed by the Sect Masters, and continue on with her training as a Reaper.

     "Thank you Diatorn." Removing her own belt, she replaced it with the new one. A sense of accomplishment flowed through Treasa that she had never felt before.

     "You have earned this, child. Understand that you still have a long way to go before your training is complete, but you are ready for the next step. You shall soon be a candidate, and from there you will do great things for Fatir." Nothing about what she had said sounded rehearsed, Paqeal truly believed in the girls skills.

     "She's right Treasa. Your not like the others I have ever trained, or seen trained. I believe you can be great, just never forget what we have taught between these walls."

     "Yes Diatorn." Bowing her head in respect she could see the two starting to leave the room. Raising her head Treasa could see Sade waving for her to follow along behind them. Making their way from the training hall, nobody spoke. It was all so strangely similar to her first day within the Fare Tilwin Reath.

     Winding through the stone hallways it wasn't hard for her to guess where she was going. Even though it had been nearly four years since she had visited this particular training room, something about the hallways felt familiar. Nervousness was begging to flow through her body as she thought of the possibility of a real fight. Even with all of her training it was still possible to die if she faced off with somebody more skilled, or even just larger than herself.

     Trying to forget about it, she shook the thought away. Sade laughed, apparently having noticed her growing worry, but still didn't speak. It was clear nothing more needed to be said, or taught.

     Approaching a large door, Sade used his weight and forced the door open. Inside there were already other trainees standing around. Looking around the room she could see that some of them looked nervous, while others looked to be completely calm. She wondered silently to herself how their training had gone over the last four years.

     "This is as far as we can go child, the rest is up to you." Giving her final bow of respect the only two friends since entering the temple left her alone in the grass covered room. not allowing herself to become sad, Treasa joined the others and began warming up. It wasn't long before a man dressed in the colors of a full Reaper came through the door and told them to form a large circle in the room.

     Silence fell over the room as Siped walked through the door, followed by a new group of recruits. Tired eyes watched the ground as they trudged through the grass. Following Siped's orders they all circled around the trainees as Treasa had done all those years before.

     Realizing that his speech was only a script, Siped began to speak. "Today is day one of your new life. The trainees you see around you are about to begin the second phase of their training. The purpose of today's drill is to teach you how to fight with a bladed weapon." Nobody replied to the man, this group apparently had better sense than the poor fool who spoke back to the Sect Master on her first day.

     As weapons were being passed around, Treasa hoped she would receive one she enjoyed using. The man standing in front of her looked to have been in many battles, and she felt the need for a familiar sword. When the older Reaper finally arrived in front of her he handed her a small knife. Compared to the size of her typical sword it felt almost useless. Touching the blade lightly Treasa could feel that it was in fact a metal knife, and not the wooden one she had expected.

     Taking his place within the center of the circle, Siped smiled like she had never seen before. An uneasy feeling was beginning to creep up towards her heart.

     "Today is a great day for the Fare Tilwin Reath! Before us is possibly the most battle tested and dangerous men we have ever gathered together in one class. Our goal is to breed a different class of Reaper, using men who don't need to be taught what the battlefield is actually like." Smiles began to appear on the faces of all the new recruits. Treasa was begging to feel that something was very wrong.

     "This is your time to prove what you are capable of. Trainees, drop your weapons." After some hesitation, the group began to drop their weapons until only Treasa had hers in hand. "Trainees, your goal for today is to watch what happens to those who believe that they are better than the system. Understand that this is what happens when you expect special treatment! Recruits, kill the girl." Pointing to Treasa, everyone began to move towards her, circling like predators around their pray.

     Falling back on her lessons, the young girl quickly analyzed her options. Outmatched in size, it was clear that an upfront attack wouldn't work. Fifteen men were beginning to encircle her cutting off any chance of retreat. Treasa had to move fast or the fight would be over.

     Picking a path she rushed one of the men facing her. Surprised by her tactic, he didn't raise his guard fast enough to block the quick knife slash to his inner thigh. Dodging to her left, Treasa threw her knife at the closest man to where she was standing. His blood flowed openly from his neck as he fought to close the wound. 

     Thirteen. She could feel a spear shaft between her feet, and with one flick of her foot, the weapon was in her hand. Striking quickly at one man's knee, a scream of pain filled the training hall. Knowing that the second row of men would be close enough to hit her, she turned, blocking a clumsy attack. Finally finding a comfortable flow, Treas disarmed a nearby man and stabbed another with the tip of her spear.

     Ten, she counted to herself, as she turned and evaded attack after attack. A strong arm pulled her off her feet and encased her in thick, muscular arms. It was clearly an attempt to squeeze her until she died. Snapping her head forward, Treasa could feel the man's nose snap, forcing his grip to loosen. Pushing as hard as she could with her heel, she fell away from the strong grasp on her torso.

     Nine. A smile creeped across her lips when she found herself next to a pair of short swords. In all of her training, this weapon combination had always been her favorite. Back flipping away from a cut intended for her belly, she picked the two blades up and dropped into a low stance.

     Unable to comprehend how a single girl was besting them, the group began to get wild. Rushing towards her with the intent to kill her they began to fall to the ground. Each cut was placed perfectly. Every blow held just enough power to stop an incoming attack, or parry a strike. The incomprehensible amount of time spent with her Diatorn had made her into a dangerous person, regardless of her age and size.

     Three. With only a few men standing before her Siped was becoming visibly angry, waving for the Trainees to take up their weapons and join in. As strong as she was, there was no way she could take on that many, trained fighters. Siped wasn't trying to test her, he was trying to kill her.

     Picking up the fallen weapons they began to move in on her. Their movements were far more coordinated than the Recruits. Without a choice she tried to gather her as much breath as she could and prepared for the incoming wave.

     The doors to the training hall burst open and familiar faces entered. Sade and Paqeal moved with a deadly seriousness, faces glued to Siped and the Trainees. Treasa could see that they both carried weapons, ready to unleash hell onto the inexperienced fighters. An unrivaled anger flashed to life from inside Siped. Interrupting a phase test was considered treason to the Fare Tilwin Reath, and would be dealt with severely.

     Unexpectedly the man's face drained of anger and became ashen. Looking over to the door another man had walked in behind her Diatorn. Treasa had never seen the man before but she couldn't take her eyes away. He was a tall thin man, only in his early twenties, but carried himself with pride and respect. With all of her searching, Treasa was still unable to place why he made her feel uneasy.

     Looking over his face she watched his lips turn  down from under his neatly trimmed beard. "What is the meaning of this, Sect Master Siped!" Silence fell over the room, and everybody backed away from the sect master.

     "Master Tyrour, we were testing our newest class of recruits and advancing the trainees on to their assessment." 

     It was at that moment when Treasa spotted what had made her uneasy. What she had mistaken as the rooms lighting was in fact just the color of his eyes. Fire began rolling out of Master Tyrour's arms, slowly starting to cover his skin.  As he walked flames shot up from the ground, his anger igniting the grass. Her Diatorn had brought the empire's fire master to her defense.

     "You would lie to me Sect Master?! This was no test! Would you have us lose so many skilled fighters just to satisfy yourself?! We have already lost to many to your idiotic pride!" More of the room began to ignite as the man continued to walk towards them.

     "No Master Tyrour. I only intended..."

     Flames shot forward and caught on Siped's coat. Dropping the piece of cloth he backed away quickly. "What you 'intended' was to kill this girl for treatment I ordered. Since you cannot follow instruction you are removed from your position as Sect Master, and ordered to take your place among the Diatorn. Maybe in that position you will be able to follow orders."

     Bowing his head in defeat Siped left the room, leaving the burned coat behind. After a few deep breaths the flames began to die out. The angry master gave a few orders and left the room. The lone Reaper in the room gave the class  and order to return to their rooms until guided further.

     "Treasa, come with us." Sade called to her before she could leave.

     "Yes Diatorn." Following behind the two, she felt smaller than she was. With everything that had happened a feeling of failure had befallen her heart, but she was alive, and that was the only thing keeping her spirits up.

     As they lead their young student through the temple it soon became clear that they were guiding her somewhere she had never been before. Instead of the normal trainees and recruits, she was beginning to see full Reapers, and many Diatorn. Turning down a large hallway she was awestruck.

     The walkway was wide enough for six or more people to walk down,and lined with white eyed men wearing a strange white uniform. Even the Diatorn bowed their heads when they passed these unique men. Upon arriving at an ornate door, one of the posted guards opened the door and stepped inside. A few moments later he reappeared and ordered them in.

     Fresh flowers scented the room with a pleasant sweetness that Treasa hadn't been able to enjoy in many years. Expensive furnishings and beautiful decorations lined every corner of the room. A single bed sat against the far wall, silk sheets hiding the soft mattress.

     Standing at the nearby window was the Fatir Master, the man who had saved her from a certain death. Having had a while to calm himself, he looked more exhausted now. A small smile crossed his mouth and he asked her to take a seat. The two Diatorn stood behind her, closely guarding her as if she was their own child.

     In this strange setting, Treasa couldn't tell if she was in trouble, or going to be praised for some unknown deed. With only one option, she waited for the Master to speak.