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I think the ending of the story reflects how far Marick has come since an awkward teenager. He has fine clothing, a soft bed, a partner and pretty much lives in a giant mansion built into the side of a mountain (Arcona Citadel). The tie to the data-cd and the music he listened to when he was younger comes back to how Marick often never takes time for himself.

I don't think this event particularly defined Marick as he is today, but it does show why Marick lives a very minimalist lifestyle and doesn't go for overt showings of wealth, despite having a very healthy bank account. Credits and worrying about his next meal never occur to him anymore, but he never forgets the rags that he wore and where he came from.

Judges, please note:

The following fiction shares the same title as Adem Bol'era's fiction entry: The Real Test: Adem. The concept was to write the same introductory scene from two different perspectives, and then branching off into their own narratives. We felt this would be a cool display of how stories can have more than one point of view and explore the Master-Student relationship. While both stories exist in their own and without this explanation, we figured it was fair to suggest that they are read in close proximity to one another.

Thank you!

Manually added by Augur Terran Koul