Ms. Rose stood with arms crossed, her gaze sharp as she surveyed the students before her. Ms. Rose, standing beside her, wore an expression of calm scrutiny.
"Amelia, Elias, Eldrin," Ms. Rose called, his voice steady and authoritative. The three students stepped forward, their postures straightening instinctively under his gaze.
At that moment, Amelia, your task is to generate a series of interconnected floating light platforms. Each must take a different shape—a circle, a square, or a triangle. Maintain their stability while they hover in place. Any loss of control will count as failure."
Amelia took a slow breath, her fingers twitching with anticipation.
Ms. Rose nodded before shifting his attention. "Elias, your task is to sculpt a set of animals from ice. Not only must they be clear and smooth, but they must also move naturally."
Elias grinned, confidence gleaming in his eyes. "Understood."
"And Eldrin," Ms. Rose continued, "you will raise a stone pillar from the ground, layering it with three different textures—smooth, rough, and patterned. Precision is key."
Eldrin clenched his fists, determination flickering in his expression.
Ms. Rose's voice cut through the moment, laced with amusement. "You will all be in a high mana zone, and I will personally attempt to disrupt your control." Her smirk sent a shiver through the students. "Best of luck."
The test began. The air pulsed as Amelia raised her hands, golden light swirling around her fingers. Three distinct platforms formed, hovering midair with a soft hum. Her brows furrowed as she balanced them in perfect suspension, sweat beading on her forehead.
Elias exhaled slowly, his hands tracing delicate patterns in the air as ice formed at his fingertips. A crystalline wolf emerged first, its fur etched in meticulous detail. It took a cautious step, its movements smooth, natural. Next came a hawk, wings spreading wide as it took flight. Lastly, a pair of hares formed, their icy bodies twitching as they prepared to leap.
Eldrin placed a hand on the ground, his earth magic surging downward. A stone pillar burst upward, its surface initially smooth before he willed rough ridges into existence. The final step—imprinting an intricate pattern—proved to be the most difficult.
Ms. Rose flicked her wrist, and an unseen force pressed against their mana. Amelia's platforms wavered; she gritted her teeth, reinforcing their stability. Elias clenched his jaw, his wolf momentarily freezing in place before resuming its motion. Eldrin's patterned section nearly crumbled, but he reasserted control just in time.
Eight minutes passed before Eldrin's grip faltered, his stone pillar cracking. Amelia held for seven minutes before her light platforms collapsed into radiant fragments. Elias, jaw set with unwavering resolve, lasted for nine and a half minutes before his ice sculptures fractured.
Ms. Rose nodded approvingly. "Good. Very good."
They stepped back as the next trio was called.
"Kellan, Selyra, Andera," Ms. Rose announced.
Selyra's assignment mirrored Eldrin's, requiring her to create a stone pillar with the same three textures. Kellan and Andera were tasked with forming animated water creatures, their movements constant.
The test commenced, and like before, the students battled against the high mana zone. Kellan shaped a pair of water panthers, their liquid forms fluid yet distinct. Andera, her control razor-sharp, sculpted a school of shimmering fish darting through the air.
Ms. Rose's disruptions tested them. Kellan's panthers flickered but persisted. Selyra's pillar nearly lost its patterning, but she dug deep, stabilising it. Andera's fish faltered for mere seconds before recovering.
Seven minutes in, Kellan and Selyra's control broke. Andera endured another minute and a half before finally succumbing.
Ms. Rose offered a rare smile. "Well done."
Elias, watching from the sidelines, smirked. "So, Andera, you're the second-best now?"
Andera chuckled, arms crossed. "I doubt that."
Amelia joined in, "Orin and Tavin are still here, you know."
Elias' playful grin turned competitive. "We'll see."
Ms. Rose's voice rang out again. "Tavin, Orin, Ronan."
The trio stepped forward. Ms. Rose's eyes narrowed. "Before we begin—whose idea was it to explore that area yesterday?"
Ronan, without hesitation, replied, "Mine."
Ms. Rose scoffed. "Hmph. Then you three get an adjustment." Her smirk was full of challenge. "For a passing grade, you must last eight minutes. If you want a reward, you must last fourteen."
Orin tensed. "Ma'am, isn't that a bit too—"
Ronan shot him a warning glance, but before he could intervene, Mr. Arnold interjected. "Let's make it worth your while. If you last fourteen minutes, I'll grant you one wish, as long as it's within my power."
Orin's protest died in his throat, replaced by newfound determination.
Ms. Rose continued. "Tavin, you will create six moving creatures—twice as many as the others. Orin, you will summon a tornado, striking the centre with lightning every two minutes."
Orin muttered under his breath, "This boiled octopus really doesn't want us to pass."
Ms. Rose ignored him. "Ronan, you will create a large tree with birds and squirrels. Then, using this—" she conjured a blue flame, holding it before him, "—you will form flowers on the tree."
Orin baulked. "Are you out of—"
Ronan cut him off. "Ma'am, can we use mana recovery potions?"
Ms. Rose answered, "No. You can drop out now if you want."
Ronan merely nodded and stepped into the high mana zone, Tavin and Orin following suit.
Tavin formed two swans, two boars, and two squirrels with effortless precision. The swans glided, the boars grazed, and the squirrels dashed between them.
Orin raised his hands, making intricate signs. A tornado spiralled down from the sky, circling the marked area. Every two minutes, a crackling bolt of lightning struck its core, illuminating the storm's violent beauty.
Ronan sat a short distance from the others, his posture composed and relaxed. His left hand rested on his lap, palm up, cradling a flickering blue flame that pulsed like a living entity. His right hand hovered just above it, fingers subtly moving as if conducting an unseen orchestra. Slowly, behind him, a magnificent flaming tree materialised, its branches stretching high, crackling with hues of deep crimson and sapphire. The flames danced, forming intricate patterns before solidifying into tangible shapes.
From the fiery branches, small birds and nimble squirrels emerged, their forms flickering between fire and embers. As Ronan shifted his left hand, delicate threads of blue flame extended outward, weaving into glowing strings that took the shape of luminescent flowers. The fiery blossoms adorned the branches, their petals shimmering as they bloomed and fell to the ground in a hypnotic cycle. Some birds swooped down, plucking the petals with graceful precision, while others simply observed as new flowers sprouted in place of those that had fallen.
Elias let out a scoff, arms crossed. "What a show-off," he muttered, narrowing his eyes at the display. "There's no need to make the flowers fall like that. He won't last much longer anyway."
Kellan, watching closely, smiled knowingly. "Maybe you're wrong. Look carefully before the flowers fall."
Elias frowned and leaned forward, scrutinising the details. His expression darkened as he noticed a subtle shift in Ronan's control over the flames.
Kellan continued, his voice filled with admiration. "If he just lets them keep blooming, the energy will spiral out of control. But instead, he's deliberately making them fall before they overwhelm him. It takes immense perception and control to manage it this way."
Elias clenched his fists. "Then isn't he breaking the rule?"
Kellan shook his head. "No. He's maintaining balance, keeping himself in control. That's an advanced technique. You should be taking notes."
Elias scowled but said nothing. His gaze flickered toward Ronan, who showed no signs of exhaustion despite nearly nine minutes having passed.
Kellan smirked. "A few more minutes, and we'll see who claims third place. Elias, you're going to be fourth."
Elias gritted his teeth but refused to respond.