บท 3: The Entrance Exam

A few hours before the exam begins I stand up. My training will still be kept high, even if I was training magic soon. Hopefully. I take care not to wake Claudia and sneak down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs was a door, leading to the main hall where we ate yesterday.

Surprisingly, it already opened and the waitress from yesterday was already serving. Feeling kind of weird with the weights on, I walk faster to get out. I run my usual distance, until I notice that some of the guests and waiters were looking at me.

Ce:" What, is something the matter?"

"No, but... Those weights seem rather heavy, and you told me you were taking the magic exam..."

Ce:" Ah, is a mage unable to train his body? I am at it for years now"

"You can but... Usually they are arrogant and don't tend to bother with such things."

That was true, mages tended to underestimate oponents rather often. Some even forget the importance of their own body, so they stop eating. Most common cause of death for mages are still other mages though. This doesn't help me with my nervosity at all.

I eat my breakfast quickly then head to the academy. Maybe first one coming gets served first...

I am really nervous... This is the first time I am surrounded by that many people. Even the royal capital was less crowded... The fact that my parents are able to cast magic is only making me uncomfortable. The academy itself gave the rest.

The academies surroundings were pretty big. Many training grounds, power measurement orbs and a few libraries to seek for new spells. It was very practice oriented. The only decoration was signs to guide new students to the examination.

I just hope I don't fail.

Examiner:" Reagen Strife? Is he present?"

As an answer I just go up to the stage and show my ID chip, which every noble gets tatooed on his neck. Mine looks a bit like a fairy, but that is just a coincidence.

My father's looks like a dragon for example.

He asks me to touch the measurement orb, but I hesitate. I remember a thing Christian told me. If you focus before touching your score might go up.

I focus and then touch the small, round orb. It was cold.

It starts to emit a pretty bright, gray, metallic light. After a short time it begins to screech, like someone is scratching on a chalkboard. I resist taking my hand to cover my ear and keep it on the orb. The screeching goes louder and louder.

Ex:" You can stop now, I doubt your score will raise any higher. You are probably going to S-class anyway"

I remain silent, look at his eyes and keep my hand on it. I just had the feeling there would be something happening. The screeching slowly faded and a black line appeared on my right arm, I know what it is due to our immense library at home.

This is a mark of a specialist. Someone, whose magic is neither elemtal, nor connected to a wand or another specific item. It is pretty hard to find out what your element is, usually. The resulting magic tended to be a very strong one, if you found it, though.

Ex:" 9 Points of 10 Points specialist. You can go to the next examination."

As I hate speaking to strangers, I just go where he pointed.

An Arena was awaiting me there, apparently there were two 5 pointers fighting, both 5 points in fire magic. They both have chosen a staff as weapons, foolish. At their current level of magic they will have problems to boil water, not to speak of defeating someone with the same element.

The arena was a big one at that, so hitting your slow spells will be hard enough on a moving target. If they even moved. They are just throwing little brittles at each other, they almost fade before even reaching.

I think about it a bit longer, but come to the conclusion that their elemental absorption probably is higher than their offense. Any elemental talent which is inborn, first shows in absorption, as a child you would tend to that element and touch it. The magic energy will flow into you and increase your absorption even further. The staffs are probably enhancing their's even more

Obviously, the elements are different to train. Water is pretty easy, just like earth is. Fire and wind and every combined element containing those two is pretty hard.

Wind might seem easy to obtain, but that is only true up to 2 points. After that, simple air doesn't suffice. A mountain or another wind mage are able to help you after that, but both are quite rare in human regions. And taking a child to demon, elve or desert regions seems a little overboard.

Training your magic might still be worth the risk, but the cost of transportation can't be paid by any family but high noble ones. That counts for wind only, fire is hard because of somehing else.

Fire is dangerous. You can touch a lit woodstick at first, then go up to a normal fire. But the problem is, that fire is highly offensive magic. Your defense does not really upgrade.

The fight happening right now is only controlled by the defensive staffs they took. It would've ended in two dead, or scarred students if they didn't take those.

Not like this academy was lacking students.

There were at least two thousand rejected and five thousand not even answered to.

The fight gets interrupted by the teacher and gets counted as a tied. Wow, very unexpected, I thought sarcastically. My name gets called out and enter the stage with a great sword. My opponent looks at me and grins. It seems he doesn't respect swords at all.

Opponent:" Hey! Is your magic so weak that you have to take a sword?"

Instead of answering I just look into his eyes coldly and he shudders. I laugh.

Examiner 2:" Enough mocking, start the fight."

My opponent, apparently around 7 points earth magic hurls a few rocks at me. After a few ones missing me by a few meters I cannot resist anymore, I ram my sword in the ground and laugh while clinging onto it.

As a mixture of bait and actual amusement it fulfills both of its purposes. Mister arrogant rock thrower, which is in no way stronger than a boy throwing rocks runs at me.

He swings around his staff, his head red from anger.

Tzing.

One slash with my sword later his staff is now two sticks and his hand halved. He screams from agony. Probably another softly comforted noble princess.

Wait, Prince.

Examiner 2:" Fight won by Reagen Strife."

Opponent:" I demand punishment! How can this commoner hurt me without being executed?!"

Commoner? I mean yes, I did change my name to not get recognized. But commoner? My chip, my clothing and at least the time I got here proves which rank I have.

Nobles get treated first. Just like in any other facility in the human world.

Examiner 2:" Calm down. Zura, you have no right to decide about that. His name is not a real one. Just look at his ID, it proves noble status."

I grin. The fact that my name consists of two of my favourite characters out of books and the imagination of that dumb kids face if he gets to know who I am.

"Cecil Winter"

I didn't need to tell more. I just took of my disguise talsiman and they saw my green and my blue eye. Zura went pale. Completely fucking pale. Hilarious. He is right to assume things, though. My brother is quick by hand with executions. Like, really quick.

Last time a maid didn't want to service my younger brother in a way disrespecting her husband. Which wouldn't technically be a crime, but she loved her husband.

Then my brother did what made me leave home tutoring and my home in general.

He called her husband to the castle. He first promoted him - then got him to his new room. Where his wife already waited. In handcuffs. He knocked Gus out, yes he was the husband.

After Gus woke up his wife immeadiately got tied up even more. My brother wanted him to watch, wanted people to learn, that everyone defying him gets what he deserves. In his eyes, not mine.

My brother didn't just torture her. He wanted mental damage for both of them. First, he raped her himself, then he got guards and commoners to join in. For three days. Three. I learned about it at the last day. I went to the room to stop him, but as I entered he killed her. Gus was having a magical rampage, but my brother didn't even notice.

Gus was turning into a demon. Gus ripped apart his shackles and attacked my brother. I didn't stop him at all. The black color moving behind his skin, like snakes - his bubblins red skin, the horns and muscles he is growing. His screams of agony.

That was the day my brother got crippled. He lost a leg, both eyes, his right hand and his... Well. His manliness. I tried to calm Gus down, being sure Aran was dead. I hoped for my own brothers death, while I comforted a demon. Had to be a ludicrous picture.

I got Gus back, at least his mind. His body was still that of a demon. He asked me to kill him. I first made him some offers to work for me outside the castle, but he refused. He wanted to be reunited on the battlegrounds of Untara, the world after death. I decided to kill him fast. As one of my only friends back then I couldn't do anything else. Quite pathetic, looking back.

I got my sword and slashed it through his throat. The sound was disgusting enough to make me throw up. Not only the sound, but the reason that I heard it was agonizing. It was a gargling sound. Which meant - I didn't kill him yet. He tried to breath in his own blood and suffocated on it.

As I was throwing up on his corpse, like a real friend would, right? My father entered and screamed for guards.

They looked at me in depair – distraught.

Wait, I already mentioned that, I did remember a few more things now though.