All three girls successfully passed the physical test with flying colors, each of their instructors marked them with the highest grade. However, Azure seemed to be annoyed.
"What's wrong?"
"First, before I even started, the instructor approached me asking for an autograph, then the other candidates followed suit," Azure said. "I just wanted to get this done for but it took longer than I wanted." A sigh escaped her lips.
Sheira nudged her, "Hey, miss celebrity, can I have an autograph too?"
"No."
Aqua leaned over, "Can I have one?"
"Yes." Azure's ears slumped.
"What is this preferential treatment?!" Sheira puffed out her cheeks.
"Aqua deserves such treatment, you are just annoying."
"Me?! Annoying? I am the most fun person you know of!" She shouted. Her grin disappeared.
"Sure, you are, let's go to the final exam hall, I want to get this over with."
"Hmph!" She pouted, "Maybe you shouldn't have saved me from Red Dawn then."
The comment made Azure stop dead in her tracks. Her brows furrowed, and her expression turned livid. "Sheira, take that back right now." Her fists clenched.
"No." She answered.
"Now…" Azure's nose flared, and her breathing grew shallower.
"Sheira, apologize." Aqua shook her head. The princess had gone too far. She had witnessed what Azure was willing to do to get Sheira back, and now that very friend was acting like a child.
Sheira shook her head, doubling down on her childish act.
"Do you know how much stress I experienced when you were kidnapped?" She approached the princess. "Do you realise how much I worried about you? Do you?!"
Azure's grip strengthened on Sheira's shoulders. "Answer me! You are my dearest friend! How dare you say something like you did now?! You aren't a child anymore, please take it back!"
This is not my place to intrude. Aqua took a step back and let the duo defuse the argument on their own.
"If you find me annoying, then what does it matter if I was enslaved?"
"What in the world is wrong with you?!" She shouted, her fist clenching.
"I am annoying, what can I do?" She turned her head away.
Azure blinked, her expression relaxing. "Sheira… I am sorry for calling you annoying."
The princess opened her eyes, a mere slit that light could pass through. "And I am sorry for saying what I did," Sheira said. "But I really try hard to be entertaining for you, you are working so hard, so you calling me annoying really hurts, you know?"
A small bead of water rolled down Sheira's face. She then lunged forward and hugged Azure like a python.
"Sheira." Her fingers moved through Sheira's silky strands of hair. "You needn't try to entertain me, you being my friend is enough. Everyone but you and Aqua is treating me like someone special. Just be yourself." Azure smiled, pulling away from Sheira.
"No~" Her smile returned, "Me being fun around you is who I am."
"Good, let's go and finish this exam." Azure gently patted Sheira's back. There was no way for her to remain mad at the girl for long, she had a good heart despite her antics.
"Sure, I am feeling sleepy again. I hope I don't collapse."
Aqua approached from behind, "You feel sleepy because your power is growing. When you use it, it shouldn't happen."
"Good to know," Sheira said, leading the way into the hall.
"Be careful, if you are not aware of the amount of power you will use, you might erase this academy from the map." Aqua crossed her arms.
"I promise I will be careful. I like this place." Sheira sweated, her brain processing the information that Aqua had just bestowed upon her.
It won't happen while I am here, of course.
The trio made their way into the building. And past the candidates.
Even those who had failed the physical exam were present. If they had passed any two exams, they would be admitted. Thus, those who failed the physical exam had no luxury of taking it easy.
Many were preparing their catalysts, some polished their staves, and some practiced the wand motions.
"Is it gonna be an issue if we don't use catalysts?" Azure crossed her arms, her eyes scanning everyone in the massive hall.
"Nah, at most they will gawk at us, we shouldn't have any issues." Sheira waved casually and approached a stall.
Behind was a woman with silver hair and equally silver eyes, her eyes had bags under them, and her fingers shook slightly.
"Your number." Her hand rummaged through a small chest filled with parchment. She retrieved a small strip with the number '139' inscribed upon it and swiftly handed it to Sheira. Azure approached next and took the number '140', followed by Aqua, who grabbed the number '141.'
The trio looked at them and headed toward the exam hall.
The crowd was thick, forcing them to push through with considerable effort before being stopped by a barricade. The group was about ten meters away from the person being examined, allowed to observe but not interfere.
"Wait!" Sheira leaned forward. "How did Avaros get to be the first one being examined?!" The princess's eyes threatened to pop out.
The man gave her exclamation no heed, and instead focused on his target.
Next to him was Aurora, who held a large document in her hand and a small pen in her other hand. She glared at him with an inquisitive gaze.
"Where is your catalyst, young man?"
"I don't need it."
"Oh, are you perhaps using prayer or somatics?"
He shook his head. "Something my family, and one of your new students, have developed."
"Is that so? I am bound to inform you that if you fail to produce a spell, you will fail the magical exam."
"I understand, instructor." He curtsied and turned toward the large open area before him.
In front of him was a small table, and on top of it were two crystal orbs.
"Please channel your mana, focusing on the orb. If you are channeling divinity, channel it into the second one." Aurora's head bobbed slightly, and she took a step back.
"Sure~" Avaros placed his hand onto the mana orb. Just as Aqua instructed he focused on finding his inner self, his soul.
A sensation of warmth washed over him. He slowly ripped the rope of aether, and the mana flowed within him like a tidal wave. He pushed it out into the orb, and a cascade of colors instantly filled the glass container.
It swirled like a tornado, a testament to his overwhelming power.
"Impressive, that proves you have control over the mana." Aurora nodded and marked Avaros.
"Now, confirm that you are able to see the distant targets."
"Yes, ma'am. I am able to see even the fireflies." He stretched his arm forward. This was a mere test of control, and he had plenty of it.
Before him were multiple types of targets. Three large statues, still and unmoving.
Behind them were boxes made of clay, they were small, barely the size of a fist, and above them all floated many so-called fireflies. They appeared like specs of light, flying chaotically and without pattern.
They were so small, yet they shone like a twinkling star in the night sky.
Avaros took a deep breath, and newly produced mana coalesced around his hand. If Aqua didn't teach me the proper way to use aether, the catalyst would have been the only way to pass this.
He grinned. That woman was a genius, and someone he would love to compare notes with.
In his hand appeared a ball of water, it rippled and spun around itself.
His eyes peered into the targets. "Big targets first, then small, and finally moving ones." Precision was a friend of the science, imprecise measurement would have skewed the result and made it useless.
The precision and accuracy were thus his strongest suits.
He exhaled and the ball of water burst into a myriad of tendrils. They hit the large targets with such speed that they shattered without any resistance, but they did not stop. The tentacles of pressurized water shattered each clay box.
However, they failed to hit even a single firefly. "Good luck escaping this." The tendrils split into hundreds of watery threads.
The lights grew even more frantic.
However, the threads would not be swayed. Avaros guided them toward the lights, the small strings hitting each firefly, extinguishing their lights.
50 became 25, and 25 turned into 5. The tendrils gathered together, forming a hand.
It grew in size, and then just as the lights were about to escape, it closed.
A fist of water crushed the fireflies, leaving nothing behind.
"Avaros el Lux, Pass. Perfect score." Aurora smiled. Very promising, the way he used spells must be Aqua's doing. The princess turned to the group that observed the exam.
Yet, the first thing she noticed was Sheira glaring at Avaros with apparent jealousy.
Aurora pulled out her wand, and the earthen constructs rose once again, ready to be destroyed once more.
Avaros bowed and made his way toward the trio, ignoring the other candidates' stunned awe.
"Explain yourself, Avaros. How did you manage to get in first?" Sheira grumbled.
"I came early and picked up my number, then I went to search for you." He placed his hand on his chest and bowed.
"Will you stay?"
"Yes, I want to see how someone like Lady Aqua passes this simple test."
"There won't be much for you to see. She will make you look like a child." Sheira retorted.
"I am well aware, but I am a scientist at heart, I do not harbor envy, only fascination." He turned to Aqua.
Aqua chuckled and crossed her arms. "You are a fascinating young man."
"But of course, a lady of science like yourself would know to recognize it." His gaze turned toward the second testee. While he was able to pass without any effort, many failed to even make the mana flow into the crystal.
It was pathetic by all accounts.
Fail after fail, the candidates only had a mere handful who could use magic to an acceptable degree.
"This is hard to watch… our nation's future." Azure facepalmed.
"It was always a handful who led the progress, my lady. The vast majority are merely sheep who follow. Honestly, I believe that a better candidate pool would be procured from the lower class." He leaned onto the barrier.
"Those who lived and struggled instead of spoiled brats?" Azure side-eyed Sheira.
"Hey! Azure, I saw that!"
"You saw nothing." With a chuckle, the quartet observed the candidates, waiting for their turn.