"What did you answer for question 4b? The one about magical flows."
"Magical flows in symbiosis with natural magic work on the principle of harmonization and amplification. In ancient times..."
"Good Lord, Luten, isn't that too complex an answer?"
"How did you do, by the way?"
" I passed. The professor clicked his tongue, but said I passed."
An hour and a half later, as agreed, we stood on the magical training ground, surrounded by other candidates. They all tensely prepared for the trials.
Above us towered a tall woman, examiner Lavinia Trevoir. Her penetrating gaze ran over each of us. Her long silver hair was neatly braided in a complex plait, while steel-colored eyes reflected experience and knowledge. She wore a dark blue robe embroidered with runes that seemed to glow faintly in the half-light.
Other students stood by the walls, most likely upperclassmen helping the professor. Among them was Eva—she turned out to be quite short compared to the others. She apparently didn't notice me.
"Attention. The second stage of testing will consist of checking your magical power and control. Each trial requires not only strength, but intelligence. You must pass at least one of three trials. Those who wish may test themselves in others to raise their scores."
I exchanged glances with Elliot, who stood nearby trying to hide his nervousness.
Other candidates began performing tasks. Some created protective barriers. Others healed magical creatures, while still others fought shadow demons.
I carefully observed each of them, trying to understand how best to approach my own tasks.
First I decided to take the protection trial. There, strong wind was unleashed on the test-taker. The task was to keep facial hair from moving at all.
Other candidates created massive barriers using brute force. When my turn came, I decided to approach the task differently.
" What are you going to do?"
"I'll try to create a flexible barrier. It won't resist the wind directly, but will simply redirect its energy around me."
I concentrated and began creating a barrier. My spell wasn't powerful enough for a large shield, but I made it flexible and pliable, so my shield could envelop most of my body. The barrier wavered and sparkled, but successfully handled the task.
The professor nodded, writing something in her notes.
Next was support. There we needed to heal a wounded griffin. Most candidates used pure energy, thereby stitching the wound and connecting molecules.
During training with Alice, I often got scrapes and small cuts. This forced me to wait long periods while being healed. Over time I began studying healing myself, which led me to experiments. It turned out I could feel my body's internal processes. I spent considerable effort, but still learned to accelerate self-restoration. Everything looked as if skin healed itself without magical intervention. True, I'd never tried this on anyone but myself. Well, worst case, I could go with the classical method.
I carefully touched the griffin, feeling its soul, and directed my energy toward its heart. This proved more difficult than I thought. It had completely different pathways. Often I ran into entirely different senses, like sight, hearing, and much more. When I found the right places, I first had to figure out how they worked in a bird. The griffin began rising to its feet much faster than expected, though I still had room for improvement: yes, skin healed over, but I couldn't regrow feathers.
The professor again noted this in her notes. But turning around, I caught stares from everywhere.
Elliot leaned closer, his voice hushed.
"Listen Luten, did you even cast a spell?"
"Ellie, didn't you see me use this spell in training? And why are you whispering?"
" But it's a griffin—people can't fully heal them in principle."
I accomplished what I wanted, but now the crowd gave me no choice and forced me to continue.
The third trial was attack. We needed to destroy a target using basic attack spells.
Other candidates rushed into battle using fireballs and lightning. I decided to deal with the target quickly, because piercing stares made me a bit tense, and I wanted to leave.
I concentrated on my hand and decided to create a clump of pure energy. I'd seen something similar when Alice coated her wooden sword so it wouldn't fall apart. Even she was surprised by such a technique.
Unfortunately, the casting time was lacking, because I gathered energy bit by bit from all over my body, while many gathered their magic from around them, from other things. Beautiful lines of energy threads began emerging from different points on my hand, gathering into a ball. When I'd collected enough, I decided to weaken the spell so I wouldn't accidentally hit anyone. I aimed for the torso, but my accuracy was still lacking.
The shot.
Energy flew slightly higher and took off the target's head. Everything happened so fast I barely managed to see where the projectile went. The projectile flew into a crowd of gawking second-years who'd come during break to watch the exam. I prepared for the worst, but one of the student assistants managed to get in front of the projectile and tried to take the hit himself.
I barely noticed vibrations near his stomach. Was that a technique similar to mine? It was close, but he managed.
And softly nodded to the professor. Others applauded.
Next after me was Elliot. I'd never really thought about it, but he was also quite a versatile fighter. This is generally a rather rare quality. Even rarer is that he inherited from his paternal line a predisposition to the rare direction of earth control. Having lost the ability to control earth, he can control metal. It doesn't look as beautiful as I imagined, but he can use it both in attack and defense.
On the protection test he used a piece of iron he'd brought beforehand. As far as I understood, it wasn't difficult for him to convert iron to liquid form and make it harden quickly afterward. He still needed lots of training to do all this faster, but he was quite diligent in studies.
When the spell flew at Elliot, he, holding metal in his hands, spread his palms down and up, thereby stretching the metal like a rubber band. He was still experimenting with which phase was most convenient for converting metal, but he handled the test brilliantly.
He also tested himself in attack: used my advice and created a small projectile. He tried to sharpen it as much as he could, but it came out so-so. But the target was torn to shreds!
He managed to pass the exam and also received hall ovations, but then quite quickly everyone switched to both of us. I felt awkward, so I turned to quickly slip out of the hall.
Someone grabbed my arm and dragged me to the center.
"Elliot! You little..."
Against the backdrop of applause, the professor announced:
"So, attention please! Since the last group has finished their tests, we can preliminarily name students who are offered to take the third stage. This is voluntary, and they'll be free to refuse. Please note that for successful completion of the assigned task, besides guaranteed admission, you can also receive academic privileges. Additionally, you'll be able to request permission for research expeditions. I'm pleased to announce the names of those who showed outstanding results and were chosen for the third stage trials:
Luten Caers
Elliot Caers
Lady Cassandra Veil
Darius Faulkner
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
Princess Selena Estrell
Rainer Talwin"
"What will the trial consist of?"
The Princess spoke. Selena was a tall, slender girl with long snow-white hair that flowed smoothly over her shoulders. Her eyes were deep sapphire blue and instantly attracted attention. She wore an elegant robe embroidered with gold and silver threads, and a moon-shaped amulet symbolizing her royal origin.
"You'll have the opportunity to fight selected academy students in their final year. This way you can prove your ability to stand up for yourself in real combat, while your opponent proves their ability to control their strength."
Surprisingly, everyone agreed!
I had to wait until evening for my fight, so my brother and I wandered around the academy, exploring its corners. Thanks to passes from Alice, we were allowed to have lunch in the nobility dining hall. For lunch they served grilled hippogriff steaks, plus salad from seaweed and glowing mushrooms.
It was very tasty and also beneficial. The salad relieved fatigue that quickly accumulated from frequent spell use, while hippogriff meat accelerated healing. By the way, the wound on my eyebrow had healed and stopped hurting, but a scar really did remain.
The dining hall itself looked luxurious. A long hall with high ceilings was decorated in the style of an ancient castle. There were tables of various sizes, luxuriously furnished with utensils. While we peacefully ate and bothered no one, a rather talkative girl sat down with us.
The girl bounced over with a bright smile.
"Hiii there! May I sit?"
Elliot and I were stunned by our new acquaintance's boldness, so we didn't even say anything.
Taking a neighboring chair, a girl with pink hair cut in a bob sat with us. Beautiful blue eyes looked at me so intently, as if I were being interrogated. A soft smile disposed the conversationalist toward herself, which should have alerted me, but I fell for it...
"My name is Vanessa Thorn. And yours?"
Elliot stammered nervously.
"Um... I'm Elliot, and this is my brother Luten."
"Caers, right? You don't waste time—you quarreled with the twins, and you're twins too, by the way? Excellently passed exams, and you'll clash with twins again!"
"Is that so? More details?"
"What details? Haven't you been informed yet? Oh my."
I wanted to grab her hand, but decided not to. No, not only because it would be rude of me. I noticed something interesting.
The moment she stood up, her hairstyle shifted for the first time so I saw her ears. They were... double?! The lower part of the ears, where many attached earrings and other ornaments, split in two. I found this quite a strange feature.
"Hey, Luten, Luten. Snap out of it, what's wrong with you."
"Huh, what? I, this... She's pretty."
"What? Are you crushing? You seriously like that type?"
I felt my cheeks start burning.
"Absolutely not. Can't I just say someone's pretty?"
"Ah-ha. You acted the same way when that girl healed you before exams. Fine, never mind."
" You know, I quite like their summer uniform."
"Oh, there I agree with you."
Girls in this academy wore white silk shirts with high collars and ruffles on the cuffs. On collar tips I noticed academy crests and sometimes family coats of arms. Over these they wore burgundy ties. Skirts were dark blue—most students wore them to the knee, but some made them shorter.
Vanessa also had fishnet stockings and a shorter skirt than others. She had a family crest on her collar, but due to my inattention I didn't make out which house she belonged to.
Guys, in turn, had similar shirts and trousers, straight, dark gray. Many guys tapered them at the ends—it was more convenient to wear.
We were already heading to the final exam when a girl ran up to us. It was Aura.
"Elliot, Luten, is it really you? Long time no see!"
Her voice was cheerful. Too cheerful. I turned and froze.
Aura. But not the Aura I knew.
Her hair was now platinum, not light brown. Her eyes remained blue, but there was... emptiness? No, not emptiness. A wall. She smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.
My voice wavered. I... I hadn't had the courage to visit her after she regained consciousness. It was my fault... She needed support, and all I did was hover around my brother.
"Aura?"
"Yes, just got my uniform! Got into medical!"
She spoke quickly, as if afraid to fall silent. She'd always been talkative, but now... Though maybe I'd just gotten out of the habit.
Luten spoke up. Right, they hadn't talked since then either.
"Are you... are you all right?"
For a second the mask wavered. Fear flashed in her eyes. But immediately the smile became even wider:
"Of course! Everything's wonderful! I have to go, I need to get to the library. See you at your fight!"
She almost ran away. I wanted to follow her, but Luten stopped me.
"Don't. She's not ready to talk."
"How do you know?"
"Because I'm not ready either. But I pretend everything's fine. Like she does."
We watched her disappear around the corner. The blonde hair flashed one last time. I thought out loud.
"She dyed her hair. Probably didn't want to see her old self in the mirror."
The one who had been happy. Before we failed to protect her.
"By the way, Elliot, did you notice Alice's crest on her collar? Why?"
"Alice gave her a branch family name. Sort of for show, so by the rules she'd be considered nobility."
"Class divisions still exist here?"
"Well, everything changed quickly in twenty years. Many professors and sponsors are quite conservative and don't want to change the course of events."
"Will she be bullied?"
" Thanks to the crest she shouldn't be, but if that happens, I'll intervene."
Luten was about to make a face, but I anticipated this and punched his shoulder.
"Ow! Let's avoid injuries, we have a fight coming up after all. By the way, will they put the twins against us? Strange they'd let us fight two on two."
We needed to prepare for the worst: they surely held a grudge against Luten, and I'd get caught in the crossfire.
And there we stood on an open platform. Before us really stood Ari and Mira.
Ari stepped forward with a menacing grin.
"Hey, brats, we didn't agree to this fight for nothing. Now we'll teach you some manners!"
"What did I do to you?"
Mira cracked her knuckles.
"You're guilty by association, so we're even."
We were in trouble... Luten and I discussed a plan of action before the match began. But I fear we don't have enough strength.
One of the professors spoke. A young teacher with short hair and glasses, also wearing a robe like other teachers. He stood on the tribune, announcing sparring rules:
"A moment's attention before training begins. I'd like to thank you all on behalf of the academy for participating in this demonstration fight. Please ignore the tribunes—we invited teachers and academy sponsors here."
Luten whispered quietly to me:
"We haven't even enrolled yet and they're already making money off us..."
"Let's start with basic rules. Please note you need to control your strength. The fight will end when one side admits defeat, or when I consider it dangerous to continue. For your fight we made an exception at the request of students Aria and Mira Elvendael. Since both pairs are twins, their power natures are identical and compatible with each other."
" But..."
"Quiet, Elliot."
"Our enrollees will be brothers Luten and Elliot Caers. They agreed to conduct a sparring match, and we hope they'll show their best abilities. Participants, please begin."
We stood in a large rectangular hall with tribunes along the edges. Various power sources were arranged on the combat platform: water barrels, fires, stones, etc.
"Well, shall we begin? We suggest you attack first."
Luten and I exchanged glances and decided not to waste such an opportunity.
According to our initial plan, Luten was supposed to prepare powerful spells and attack. Since this required much time and strength, I was supposed to cover him.
Because of their offering, our plans got mixed up, and I decided to attack first to distract the opponent.
There was no metal nearby, so I decided to dismantle one of the barrels containing water. Unlike obtaining metal in natural environment, here it was quite simple for me to feel the mounting bolts and remove them. Unfortunately, I lack precision, and when controlling them, metal deforms.
I managed to gather a lump into a fist and break it into small balls. By themselves they wouldn't cause harm, but thanks to the speed I can launch them, these balls can knock someone down. I managed to create five small metal balls and shot them.
While I did all this, Luten created an energy sphere. Sometimes, without even looking closely, you could see small air vibrations near his hand.
The twins stood motionless all this time. They wore black combat suits. They had protective plates on shoulders and chest, but generally were maximally lightened for convenience and allowed quick movement.
However much I hoped, what I expected happened. All balls were deflected. I didn't manage to notice how they prepared spells. From dust around them I guessed they were earth mages who could control it.
Then something unexpectedly hit my leg and knocked me down.
One of the twins taunted mockingly.
"Is that what you wanted to do?"
I reflexively began getting up, but realized a projectile might hit my second leg too. I decided to quickly roll to the side and rapidly got to my feet. And rightly so: a stone edge grazed my leg and drew blood, but I managed to stay upright.
I called out desperately.
"Damn! Only dozens of seconds passed and I'm already bleeding... Luten, are you almost done?"
Luten's voice was strained with concentration.
"Don't rush me, I'm almost finished."
I watched him from the corner of my eye. He also received his portion of stones, but wounds they left quickly healed. They couldn't knock him down either. He apparently spent some energy to create his flexible shield.
But I decided to try another trick. The farther iron was from me, the harder it was to control. This led to never having enough material around me from which I could extract metal. I decided to create a barrier and approach closer under a hail of stones.
"Why are you approaching us?"
There was no strength to speak. I completely concentrated on the shield. The closer I got, the more holes appeared in it. The careless twins didn't even try to move from under fire. They didn't take us seriously at all. Well, now I'll show you!
A moment later, already covered in wounds, I got close enough. Strengthening the shield as much as possible, I concentrated on all metal fragments around them. It felt like trying to lift a chair by one leg with one hand. But I managed to create two small metal sheets and bend them into crescents. As if pushing, I sent the metal toward one of the twins with my last strength.
Looking out from under the shield to see the result, I quickly took a projectile to the shoulder. This threw me away from the shield, but I managed to see one of the sisters get knocked over. I thought she'd fall, but she only lost balance.
"Damn! You're about to..."
The last thing I saw before losing consciousness was Luten making his shot.