Chapter 12: Magic Academy II

In a straight line, Jordan and the other kids in his set were led into the other room, one at a time. Finally, it had gotten to Jordan's turn. He was the last person left.

"You're that kid from the orphanage." The General sighed, his eyes fixed on Jordan as he led him into the Mana-testing lab. "You shouldn't have come."

Something about the way the General spoke gave Jordan the impression that the General didn't expect him to survive the program. Jordan gave him a wry smile.

"Well Sir, you were the one who told me to do something better with my pain. Crying isn't going to change shit, but as a Magic Knight, I have a shot at avenging my family," Jordan replied, much to the surprise of the General.

Those were the exact words he had told Jordan that day. He didn't realize then that the grieving kid actually took them to heart.

"Get in and we'll find out if you have the basis of what it takes to survive this training talk more of becoming a Magic Knight," the General scoffed leading Jordan into the testing lab.

The Mana-testing lab was almost as big as the hall. There were a lot of fascinating machines all around. The one that stood out most was the 10-foot scanning pod. There were three people in the room and judging by the white lab coats and gloves they had on, Jordan could tell they were scientists.

"He's the last. Get the test over with, I have better things to do besides handling the recruits," The General urged, taking a seat.

"Sorry, but there's no rushing science, General. You should've thought of that before volunteering to welcome the recruits," came the voice of a tall beautiful lady whose blonde hair was hidden in a hairnet. She also had a pair of nerdy glasses on.

The General chuckled hearing her words. She was seated at a table not far from the entrance.

"Come this way, kid,"

Jordan walked to her.

"What's your name?"

"Jordan."

"Jordan who?"

"Ella, he's one of the orphan kids in the lot. You don't need to register his surname," the General called out.

"Okay, I'll.."

"Jordan Crown. The name's Jordan Crown." Jordan informed, cutting her off. It was a name he had long decided to use later in life if he didn't get adopted.

Ella turned to the General and when he didn't oppose Jordan's words, she made a little gesture by lifting her shoulders and wrote down the name. She asked Jordan of his age, whether he had ever had a moment where he wielded Mana and a lot of other questions that he answered to the best of his ability.

"Done. Follow me."

Jordan was led to a 5*5m silver box-shaped machine. It had a screen at its face behind and a circular opening in the face in front of Jordan.

"Put your hand in," Ella directed, getting to the other side of the machine.

Jordan placed his hand into the circular opening. Ella pushed a few buttons on the controls and the machine came alive. It vibrated for 2 minutes before returning to its dormant state. All the while, Jordan didn't feel anything other than the cool air that greeted his skin every ten seconds.

"You can take your hand out," Ella said, her focus still on the machine. Her brows were beginning to wrinkle at the sight in front of her. "This can't be right," she whispered to herself. "Put your hand back in."

Jordan did accordingly, and she ran the entire process two more times but it was the same result.

"Is there a problem?" the General asked, noticing the disturbance on the scientist's face.

"The kid doesn't have a single percentage of Mana Potential," she answered with a look of concern on her face.

As soon as she said this, the other scientists turned in her direction.

"Run it again."

"I already have. Three good times."

The General stood from his seat and walked to them. He looked into the machine and confirmed her words. Jordan was getting very uncomfortable with the sudden change of air in the room. He didn't know what Mana Potential was, but the scientist didn't make it seem like a good thing that he didn't have any.

"What does that mean?" Jordan asked the scientist.

"You're not qualified to be here," Ella answered bluntly. "I'm sorry."

Jordan felt a chill run down his spine when he heard those words. He took a step back.

The machine he had just been tested with was used to measure the Mana Potential of a Human Being. After the Great Mana Descent, Mana had integrated with every living thing on Earth. In other words, all plants and animals were given magical qualities that enabled them to wield Mana.

Mana Potential was the scale to know how well an individual could wield Mana, and since Jordan didn't have any in his body, the scientist came to the natural conclusion that Jordan would never be able to wield Mana. He was part of a very small population who weren't affected by Mana in any way.

By implication, he wouldn't be accepted into the Magic Academy. The war was fought by soldiers with powerful affinities. Humans were completely useless in battle, and Jordan had been fated to be a regular, powerless Human for the rest of his life.

The room was silent. Everyone waited for the General to speak. By protocol, he was bound to reject Jordan.

"Kid, I'm sorry but if you can't wield Mana then you can't be a Magic Knight. Keeping you here will be a waste of resources. I have no choice but to…"

"Please Sir," Jordan dropped to his knees. "Please don't send me back. There has to be a way. I'll do whatever it takes. I want to fight for my country." Jordan begged with a sincere tone.

The General took a breath in. He couldn't deny the strong will Jordan had to become a magic Knight as it was evident in him. There was only one way to increase the Mana Potential of a Human being, but the process wasn't something to be taken lightly.

"If I may, General," called out the only male scientist in the room. "Since the boy really wants to serve, I suggest you give him a chance with the Haber Process. If he can force his body to accept Mana, who knows what mighty affinity he might awaken?"

The General pondered on his words for some seconds, before turning his attention back to Jordan.

"How much pain can your body take?"