"No, Kullea! That's not how it's done! The Tornado Kick is done with a spin, not a stab! Get up, and do it again!"

A teenage girl, perhaps 14 or 15 years of age, picked herself up off the dirty stone floor of the dojo in which she lived as a student of Tae Kwon Do. She brushed her long auburn hair over her shoulder, and assumed her strange stance. She stood on the balls of her feet, her left foot pivoting away from her body. She paused, waiting for some hidden or secret signal.

Suddenly, she twitched, and all the tension she had accumulated in the small amount of time allowed her to execute a perfect spin. The wooden targets that had surrounded her were completely demolished, and their fragments flew away from the force of the kick.

"Excellent job, Kullea! You can get yourself a drink now."

"Thank you, teacher," Kullea gasped. She stumbled over to the fountain, and took several gulps of water. The liquid trickled down her throat, easing the dryness away. She sighed in relief, and looked up through the trees of Payon.

The martial arts dojo was unique in the fact that it was open-air. The only area that could qualify really as "indoors" was the long hall that stretched itself around the grounds. The practice area in the center was entirely exposed to the elements, which were generally favorable. In the northeastern corner, there was a circular fountain that drew its water from a geyser deep beneath the ground.

Kullea looked across the dojo grounds, watching other students practicing their techniques against each other. The light filtering through the trees that stretched over the grounds gave unearthly shades and hues to their skin and uniform. She looked down at her uniform, focusing on the belt around her waist.

It was a unique knot. The belt was rather long, so first, she had to draw it around her stomach, and then loop it around so that the two ends returned to the front. From there, they were tied in a thick knot. The girls had to master the ability to tie that knot quickly, for it kept their jackets from becoming loose, thus saving themselves from embarrassing incident. The cooler of her particular belt was black. But, it was just black; not even 1st dan.

Among her fellow students, she was very highly-ranked. Yet, she was still just a student. The teachers were all 4th dan or higher.

Kullea blinked, and looked up to see Phoenix approaching her. She smiled; Phoenix was a very good friend of hers, and the person who had brought her here when she was little. Her favorite mentor waved at her, smiling warmly. She waved back self-consciously; she would never tell anyone, but she had a bit of a crush on him.

"How ya been, kiddo?" Phoenix asked with a grin.

"Fine, I guess…" she answered, shrugging nonchalantly.

"What kind of an answer is that?" Phoenix laughed. "Didn't I tell you? You should…"

"'…Always have confidence, for without it, you have nothing'. I know, Phoenix. It's just…"

"Just… what?"

"Oh, I don't know! I know the techniques, I know the forms! I've just… hit a stumbling block; the instructors won't allow me to test for 1st dan, even! I just don't know why…"

Phoenix paused for a moment, and looked at her thoughtfully. After a few minutes, he looked up towards the sky. The clouds floated lazily overhead, as if they had no cares in the world. He smiled softly, and turned to face her.

"I have an idea…"

Kullea looked up at him suddenly. "You'll test me?!"

"No."

The girl's face fell.

"This is something better."

She blinked, and looked up at the man in front of her. His charismatic smile unnerved her slightly. What could he have thought up?

"Back when I was your age," Phoenix began, "I hit a stumbling block around the same time you did. I was ready to test, but I wasn't allowed to. It turned out that you couldn't test for 1st dan the same way you tested for the colored belts."

"Then how?"

"You had to undergo Mission Journey."

"…Mission Journey?"

"Yes. Mission Journey is when a student sets out on his own. He travels around Rune-Midgard for a certain length of time, and when he returns, he is tested by the elders of the dojo, and then attains a certain level of dan, anywhere between one and three."

Kullea blinked. "But, they don't do that anymore, do they? I've never heard of Mission Journey before."

"The dojo's elders decided to prohibit it, because there was no set limit to when one was allowed to go. Some students waited until they had achieved the black belt, others weren't so patient. Some left far too early, and they weren't ready for the outside world. They… never came back."

Phoenix paused, and his eyes became distant. He sighed, and shook his head. Turning back to Kullea, he adopted a small smile.

"However, I believe you are ready for such a test."

"Really?"

"Yes. Meet me tomorrow at dawn, in front of the dojo. You have until then to get ready."

And, before she had a chance to speak, Phoenix left her at the edge of the fountain.

Kullea arrived at the entrance to the dojo, a few minutes before the first rays of the sun peaked over the surrounding mountains. It was dark, but comfortably so.

She adjusted her uniform, straightening her belt so that it fit comfortably around her waist. She shook her head; she needed to stop being so nervous! Confidence, confidence

"Hey."

She spun around, and placed the ball of her foot against the figures neck too quickly to follow.

"Yo! Calm down; it's just me," Phoenix said, laughing.

Kullea realized her blunder, and pulled her leg down, muttering a quick apology. Phoenix laughed warmly.

"It's alright. You're nervous, that's okay."

Her mentor held out a knapsack. She looked at it questioningly.

"Take it. It has supplies for a few days, and some money for once you get into town. There are also a variety of potions. The monsters around here aren't all that friendly. Stay away from the Greatest Generals, they pack a nasty punch, and… I'm under the impression that I'm doing all the worrying for you."

They both laughed, and Kullea accepted the knapsack.

"Thank you, Phoenix. This means a lot to me."

"I know, just… take care, all right?"

"I will."

They paused, and then gave each other a brief, but strong, hug. They drew apart, and Kullea stepped back a few feet.

Suddenly, a chorus of loud voices rose from the dojo grounds.

"See you, Kullea!"

"We'll miss you!"

"Come back soon!"

The students and their instructors had all gathered to say their goodbyes to their favorite friend and student. With tears in her eyes, Kullea waved back. Without another word, she turned around and disappeared high into the trees.

Phoenix chuckled. Yes, indeed. She was most definitely the one.