A week passed by so quickly it almost felt like it had only been a day since they had taken Prestige Academy's exam. But the flow of time wasn't what made Merlin and Nora uneasy as they stared at the laptop placed on the table before them, it was the booting icon rolling endlessly on the screen. Prestige Academy's admission result was out, and their hearts were in their throat to find out if they had gotten in. Well, Merlin's heart was in his throat. He was sure Nora was certain she would get admitted. They had cleared the Dungeon, despite the fact that it had just been barely, and Nora had scored in the top percentile in the theory exam. If she didn't get in, then something was definitely wrong with the Academy.
And, sure enough, when the booting circle disappeared, Nora's name had the green word of 'accepted' beside it. She almost yelped, but she cleared her throat and composed herself instead. Merlin had not missed it, and instantly washed away his previous notion about her being composed. She had been just as anxious as he was.
However, his was going to be taking a step further now.
"Your turn," Nora said as she shifted aside, joy plastered on her face.
Merlin typed in his details, and when he clicked the enter bar, his body froze. His mind flew back at once to when he had had his evaluation at the Consortium Guild's evaluation area, the disappointment he had faced that day, and how his life had been since then. There were some good times because of what had happened to him; he had met Janeth and Sunny because of that, but he couldn't help but wish it had never happened. And now he was praying, hoping that history wouldn't repeat itself.
As soon as he noticed that the loading icon was on the verge of disappearing, he closed his eyes. And even though Nora had kept on staring, she remained silent. That made matters worse for Merlin.
"W-What's there?" he asked. No reply came from Nora. "Hey, Nora, are you there? Was I rejected?" Still no reply. He felt like he would die from high blood pressure any moment now.
Really, though, what was the point in preventing himself from looking. It was his result, it was his life, it was his obligation to get the answer himself. And, besides, the world hadn't ended when he had been evaluated as a Deficient Mage, it wouldn't end if he didn't get admitted into Prestige Academy. He would just have to find something else to do, get on with his life, maybe become a surgeon like his mother, like she had always wanted.
He hated studying, though, but he would have to try.
He sighed. "You're one nasty sister, you know that right?"
Nora didn't say anything. Maybe she wasn't beside him anymore. And Merlin was forced to slowly open his eyes. When they came undone, his chest tightened as he saw, beside his name, the same green words that had been beside Nora's.
What?
He did not have the time to settle his thoughts or heartbeat as Nora jumped on him with a cry, hugging him tightly as they tumbled to the floor. Apparently, she had been there all this time.
"You did it, you nerd!" she rejoiced. "You got in!"
"I-I got in?" Merlin mumbled, his face still plastered with a dazed look. "I really got in?"
Nora clicked her tongue as she separated herself from him. "What's with the tone? You should be more happy!"
Merlin sat up. "I know. It's just that… Uhm… It's…weird?" He ruffled his hair. "I don't know what word to use, and I can't explain how I'm feeling right now." Nora smacked him by the side of his head, throwing him into a world of pain. "What was that for?!" Merlin grumbled, rubbing the place that he had been hit.
"You be happy right this instant, or I'm gonna hit you again."
"Just because you say that doesn't mean I can just toggle my emotions on and off," Merlin replied. "And, besides, I am happy, just in my own way."
Nora sucked air through her teeth and was about to say something when her phone vibrated. She picked it up from the table and it was their mother calling. Nora had told their parents a week ago that the result would be out today, so they had probably found a way to sneak away from work briefly to call them.
Nora cleared her throat and picked up.
"Hey, Mom, Dad! How are you both doing?!" she greeted joyfully.
"Hello, sweetheart. We're both fine. How are you?" Arthur Tyrrell replied.
"I'm good."
"You sound happy," said Phoebe Tyrrell. "Did you get in?"
"Of course!" Nora replied. "Who do you think your daughter is?"
"That's my sweetie," Arthur Tyrrell praised. "You did a wonderful job. I'm proud of you." He then turned to his wife. "Honey, say you're proud of her."
"She knows I am," replied Phoebe Tyrrell, her tone contrasting with her words. "And what about Merlin? Did he get in? Where even is he?"
Merlin had still been seated on the floor unlike Nora who had jumped up to the couch. But those words made him join his sister where she was.
"Hey, Mom, Dad," he greeted, his tone the lowest it could get.
He still couldn't believe that he had gotten in; however, that was the least of what made him somewhat down now. His mother would never like the fact that he had succeeded in going against her wishes. If this was him getting into medical school, she would have become the loudest mother on earth. But if her tone was already that dismal with Nora, Merlin dreaded what would come his way.
"How are you, Merlin?" Arthur Tyrrell asked. "Were you hiding?"
"No, I wasn't hiding," replied Merlin. "I was just seated on the floor."
"So? Did you get in?" Phoebe Tyrrell went straight to the point, her gaze focused as she leaned closer to the screen. Merlin felt intimidated. Nora clicked her tongue discreetly, trying her best to make sure her mother didn't notice, but that was something completely impossible. They could never hide such an act from their mother. However, she didn't say anything. She just returned her attention to Merlin who was still silent. "Well, did you?"
Arthur Tyrrell sighed. "You should take it easy," he said to his wife.
She blinked herself into a frown. "I don't understand? I'm just asking him if he got admitted. What's the big fuss about?"
"You're being too pushy."
She jerked back slightly. "Being too pushy…concerning my own son?"
Merlin knew where this was headed, so he just mustered up the courage to reply before things turned out bad for his father. At least, for him, he was separated by the screen. His father didn't have such a liberty.
"I got in," he said, giving his mother pause. She turned his way with a blank look like she hadn't heard him well. His father was just as shocked.
"What did you say?" Phoebe Tyrrell asked.
Merlin swallowed. "I got in," he repeated. "I was given admission."
It was silent for a moment, then…
"C-Congratulations, Merlin. You did really well. I'm so proud of you," Arthur Tyrrell praised, although in a stilted manner.
Merlin's brows dropped slightly. "You don't sound like you are. At least, when compared to how you sounded while you were praising Nora."
Arthur Tyrrell was taken aback. "No, that's not it. It's just that I wasn't…" He stopped himself before he could say any hurtful words. "I'm sorry, Merlin."
"There's no need to be," Merlin replied. "I understand. I didn't even think I would get in as well. So…there's really no need for you to be looking at me all dazed, Mom."
Phoebe Tyrrell sighed. "Pardon me, baby. It's just that…you know how I feel about this whole Mage thing. It's dangerous."
"I'm old enough to make my decisions, Mom," Merlin replied.
"And I let you take them, didn't I? You're in Korea right now, and have been granted admission into a Magical Academy. That's you making your decisions," she said. "But I've seen people who made decisions for themselves—"
"Were you hoping I would fail?" Merlin interrupted, his heart pounding sharply in his chest now. He was on the verge of losing it. He was supposed to be happy that he had gotten admitted into the Academy he'd put in the work for—his parents were meant to be happy for him. So what kind of conversation were they having?
"I was not hoping you would fail," Phoebe replied. "I was just hoping you would come back to your senses and come home. Gosh, why would you think that of me? I'm your mother. What mother wishes for her child to fail?"
"Well, that's what it looks like." Merlin mumbled, finding it harder and harder to hold himself back by the second.
"Now. Now. Can we all calm down," Arthur Tyrrell tried to step in.
"You're not any better, Dad," Merlin faced his father, stunning the man. "The least you both could have done was believe in me, or, at least pretended like you did." He stood up and left for his room, his body so hot it could boil a kettle of water.
It didn't take two minutes before the solace he'd found within his sheets was disturbed. A knock later, and Nora was in his room. He realized in that instant that he should have locked his door.
"I don't want to talk," Merlin said before Nora could begin.
She sighed. "I get you, okay?"
Merlin snorted. "What exactly do you get?" he badgered. "You're not the Deficient Mage that his own parents expects to fail."
"No, I am not," said Nora. "But that doesn't mean I don't get you. But I also get Mom and Dad, even though they sometimes don't know how to act. I'm gonna blame that hospital that they're always holed up in." She walked over and sat down on the edge of his bed. "Look. You should stop letting other people decide how happy you'll be. Yes, Mom and Dad congratulating you would have knocked you off your feet. But they didn't. It's sad that they didn't, but that doesn't detract from the fact that your hard work paid off. You got in, Merlin. You got in. And, besides, I'm sure they'll come around. They always do. Just give them some time to accept that we're not their little babies anymore. It's hard to just be compliant when it involves sending your children off to fight monsters, you know?"
Merlin did know that, it was just that he had wanted so badly to receive genuine congratulations from both of them.
But what could he do? Nora was right. It was already hard enough for his parents to have to watch their children basically become soldiers that fought against otherworldly threats, he should try to be understanding and not make it harder for them.
He sat up, crossing his legs.
"Don't mind me," he said. "I was just being childish. I understand. I'm fine now."
"Eh, don't sweat it." Nora ruffled his hair playfully then stood up from the bed. "I couldn't let you sour the whole mood now, right? I have to celebrate." She laughed hysterically and left the room. Merlin chuckled. He should have known that she had done it for herself.