Mystic Sword (Draft)

The Flaw

Aodh and the two EDGErs paced the floor to instruct them how to project the blade.

"People, you need to squeeze the hilt while visualizing the blade." Aodh said, showing how it is done.

Some were immediately able to projects their blade, others took longer. But nothing happened when Mike squeezed the hilt.

"What's wrong, Mike, it won't come out?" Jay teased. The students near him laughed.

"This is embarrassing." Mike said, "What's wrong with this thing? It won't work."

"Try to concentrate." Jerrick said.

Jerrick demonstrated how to do it. The virtual blade appeared.

"I am concentrating, what do you think I'm doing here?"

Mike walked over to Aodh.

"I think this is not working." Mike said.

"What's not working? We checked everything before we placed it in the shuttle." Aodh said, signaling to the one of his assistants.

The assistant carried an extra hilt and tried it. The blade appeared.

He took the first hilt that Mike held.

"Here, try this one." Aodh said.

Mike tried the hilt the hilt and it still did not work. While the assistant tried the hilt that Mike first held, and it worked.

"It's also not working." Mike said in frustration.

"This is working." the assistant said.

"Okay, so it works to you and not to me. Why is that?"

"I have no idea." Aodh said.

"Was it something I ate or maybe because my hands are sweaty?"

"Can you get the analyzer?" Aodh said to his assistant.

The assistant walked away and later came back with a pen-like device.

"What is that?" Mike asked.

"This is an analyzer. It is a medical diagnostic device for check up. It is linked to our database, but it may take a while before we can get the result." Aodh explained.

Aodh turned it on and a thin blue light scanned on to Mike from head to toe.

"So you can find out what is wrong with me?"

"Our physiology is not so much different from yours so, theoretically yes."

"What if it doesn't work?"

"Well, I guess you cannot use the hilt... ever." Aodh turned to walk away.

"What does that mean?"

Aodh stopped to face Mike, "It means that you cannot be an apprentice. Let's hope that is not the case." he said, giving the analyzer to the assistant.

Mike sat, resting his back on one of the pillar supporting the ceiling of the gym. Jerrick and Jay came by.

"What happened?" Jerrick asked.

"They are checking, something seemed to be wrong with me." Mike said.

"How do they know it's not the hilt that's defective?" Jay asked.

"They tried it themselves. It worked with them but not with me. I guess my dad was right stopping me from joining the selection after all."

"Why don't you try mine?" Jerrick said, giving his hilt to him.

It did not work.

"It must be a fluke. Maybe they can fix what's wrong with you." Jerrick said.

"Goodluck to you guys." Mike said, moping.

"This is gonna be a long day." Jay said, they squeezed it and a blade appeared.

They played around imitating the sword fighting they saw in the movies.

Mike grinned as he watched them have fun with the virtual swords.

"Guys, I need you to stay in the formation so we can start." Aodh said to Jay and Jerrick.

"We got to go." Jerrick said as they stood up to go back to the formation.

"Yeah, I'll just be here." Mike tried not to sound frustrated.

Commander Foss and Mr. Bonifacio passed by and saw Mike sitting by the pillar. Mr. Bonifacio approached Mike.

"What are doing sitting here?" Mr. Bonifacio asked.

"They're checking what's wrong with me." Mike said.

"What's wrong with you?"

"They don't know, sir. I cannot project the blade." Mike pointed to Aodh.

Commander Foss called Aodh.

"What's wrong with him?" Commander Foss asked.

"We're checking sir. He cannot project the virtual blade. I checked if it was the training hilt... the hilt was fine." Aodh said, "It must be something genetic... maybe? You said I check all signatures, so I sent his data up there."

Commander Foss pulled Aodh a few steps.

"Yeah but don't need to refer every small detail like that to the medical team."

"It just strike me as unusual. The training hilt worked to me but not to him. Why is that?"

"That's unusual, alright. Keep me posted." Commander Foss said.

"Yes sir."

A notification came in to Commander Foss' communicator, he cut short the stroll with Mr. Bonifacio and headed to the roof top. He shook hands with Mr. Bonifacio, got in to the hovercraft.

The hovercraft did not take long to ascend as Mr. Bonifacio watched it grow smaller in to the sky, leaving Aodh and two assistants to continue the event.