After Noctis encouraged his team, and as the voices inside the hall rose loudly, the silence was suddenly broken by the teacher stepping forward and saying in a clear tone:
"The second stage of the exam."
The whispers stopped, and all eyes focused on him.
The teacher said: "It is relatively easy now, after each of you has become familiar with your own stone. You can now merge with it. Just relax, think about the stone, and connect with it… that is the path to successfully gaining an aura. Good luck to everyone… now begin."
Noctis took a deep breath, then turned to his team and said calmly: "Now, each of you choose a place a bit farther away, somewhere you can relax. But stay close to each other, in case something happens."
The team replied in unison: "Yes."
Each of them moved to a suitable spot, keeping a short distance from Noctis.
Kealen sat in a far corner of the hall. The floor was cold beneath his feet, and the sound of students' shoes striking the ground echoed in his ears. He sat in complete silence, trying to clear his mind.
He began to think… how does one acquire an aetheric thread for the first time?
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then another. He forgot the world around him, forgot everything, and focused only on the aether stone he was holding in his hand.
He concentrated on it.
Suddenly, he began to see the stone in his imagination, floating in the sky, slowly changing its shape. Kealen gathered his thoughts, stabilized his mental state, and tried to completely relax his body.
Little by little, the stone became like water.
It began to approach Kealen, but it was not easy. He felt extreme exhaustion, as if his body were rejecting the process. He took another deep breath, and suddenly the aether stone flew out of his hand.
In his mind, the stone started moving toward him, drawing closer… step by step.
Then, in a single moment, it turned into liquid and entered Kealen's body. The stone merged with him, turning into fine dust that completely dissolved inside him.
From afar, Noctis was watching the scene. His eyes widened with joy as he whispered: "He did it…"
Kealen opened his eyes and found no stone in his hands. At that same moment, sharp pain surged through him. His heart pounded violently, a severe headache struck him, as if his bones were breaking from the inside.
The teacher raised his hand, and Kealen was lifted into the air inside a transparent circular barrier, preventing disturbance to the other students. Kealen screamed at the top of his lungs: "Help me!"
Noctis moved quickly to appear beside the teacher, but the teacher stopped him with a single technique. Noctis couldn't move, as if gravity had vanished from his body.
After a few moments, Kealen suddenly went silent.
Noctis let out a sigh of relief, joy still on his face. He had succeeded.
After that, the other students began to succeed one after another. Whenever one of them felt pain or started screaming, the teacher would lift them up and create a small shield for them so they wouldn't disturb the others.
A full hour passed.
In a majestic scene, the teacher floated in the air, holding the auras of all the students, then lowered them to the ground. He turned to Noctis and said in a serious tone:
"Do not act on your own. If you had tried to help him, the fusion could have failed or something worse might have happened. And you… didn't you scream when you merged with your own aether stone? Why were you afraid?"
Noctis lowered his head slightly and replied apologetically: "I don't remember whether I screamed or not… I gained my aether stone at home."
The teacher understood his meaning, then asked: "What is your name, student?"
He replied: "My name is Noctis."
The teacher said: "Do not use magical medical equipment again to help gain power when you reach the second level. You could become ill. But you are lucky… my advice to you: use a natural ritual. Do you understand?"
Noctis answered: "Yes. I just wanted to pass the second level."
The teacher looked at him steadily and said: "What matters is that you are fine now."
The students began to wake up gradually. Kealen opened his eyes and found himself lying on the ground. He stood up slowly, seeing other students holding their heads from the intense pain.
Kealen felt a strong headache pounding in his head.
Noctis approached him with a smile and said: "Congratulations… you've reached the second level. Help me carry them."
The teacher said loudly: "Break time. You may rest now for ten minutes. Good luck."
Kealen carried Liora and Janero, while Noctis carried Ilthra, and they all headed toward the academy's back garden.