The professor led Rook back through the streets toward the academy, and this time the guards at the gate did not even ask for documentation. They just saw Cault, nodded, and stepped aside.
'So this is what it is like to have connections.'
The courtyard looked different now. The crowds of prospective students had thinned considerably, and the ones who remained were gathered in smaller groups near the far end of the grounds. These must have been the ones who passed the initial screening.
Cault walked Rook toward the group, and heads turned as they approached. Whispers followed them like a second shadow.
"Is that the commoner from earlier?"
"He got rejected, did he not? Why is he back?"
"Who is that man with him?"
Rook ignored the whispers and kept his eyes forward. Cault seemed completely unbothered by the attention, walking with the same casual confidence he had shown in the alley.
When they reached the edge of the group, Cault stopped and turned to face Rook.
"Wait here. I need to speak with the examiners and handle the paperwork. It should not take long."
"Alright."
Cault walked off toward a group of instructors standing near a raised platform, and Rook was left alone in a crowd of people who were all staring at him.
He found a spot near the edge of the group and leaned against a pillar to wait. It was the same pillar he had leaned against earlier, before everything fell apart. The irony was not lost on him.
"Oh, you are back."
Rook turned to see a lanky boy about his age approaching him. The boy had straw-colored hair that looked like it had never met a comb, and his uniform fit him like it had been made for someone with completely different proportions.
"You are?" Rook asked.
"Oh, my bad." The boy scratched his neck. "My name is Jace. Jace Mott. I am also a commoner."
"Rook."
"Just Rook?"
"Just Rook."
Jace nodded like that made perfect sense. "I saw what happened earlier this morning. Thought you got sent home for sure."
"I came back."
"I can see that. How did you manage it?"
Rook glanced toward where Cault had disappeared into the group of instructors. "Made a friend."
Jace followed his gaze and let out a short laugh, more nervous than amused. "Must be nice. I have been here all day and nobody has even looked at me."
"That is probably a good thing."
"You think so?"
"The ones who get noticed are the ones who get targeted." He looked back toward the nobles clustered on the other side of the courtyard. Some of them were watching him, and their expressions were not friendly. "Being invisible has its advantages."
Jace considered this for a moment, then shrugged. "I guess that is one way to look at it. Still feels lonely though."
Before Rook could respond, a loud voice cut through the courtyard.
"Attention, examinees!"
Everyone turned toward the platform. A woman in academy robes stood at the center, her presence commanding enough that the entire crowd fell silent almost immediately.
"For those of you who have made it this far, congratulations. You have passed the initial screening and are now eligible to participate in the entrance examination." She paused to let that sink in. "The examination consists of three phases. Phase one will assess your mana core. Phase two will assess your physical capabilities. Phase three will be a combat practical."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"You will be evaluated in order of registration. When your name is called, step forward and proceed to the designated testing area." The woman's eyes swept over the crowd. "Any questions?"
Silence.
"Good. We will begin immediately."
The first phase took place near a large crystal mounted on a stone pedestal. Students lined up and, one by one, placed their hands on the crystal. It would glow with different colors and intensities depending on the person, and an examiner would record the results.
Rook watched from the back of the line.
The nobles went first, and their crystals glowed brightly, some with steady light, others with swirling patterns. The examiners called out grades that Rook did not fully understand, things like "Spark-Stable" and "Ember-Forming" that seemed to impress the other students.
The commoners did not do as well. Their lights were dimmer, more erratic, and the grades were lower. Some of them looked disappointed as they stepped away from the crystal.
Jace was somewhere in the middle of the line, and when his turn came, the crystal flickered weakly before settling into a dull glow.
"Spark-Forming," the examiner announced.
Jace walked back to where Rook was waiting, looking neither pleased nor disappointed.
"That was average, right?" he asked.
"I have no idea," Rook admitted. "I do not know how any of this works."
"Great. We can be confused together." Jace crossed his arms and leaned against the pillar next to Rook. "So what do you think Phase Two is going to be like? Physical capabilities sounds broad."
"Probably strength, speed, endurance. The basics."
"You sound like you have done this before."
"I have not. But if you want to test someone's body, those are the obvious things to measure."
Jace nodded, though he still looked nervous. "I am not exactly the physical type. I got by on the first phase because I at least have some mana, but if they start asking me to lift heavy things or run fast, I am probably finished."
"You made it this far. That counts for something."
"Does it though?" Jace let out a sigh. "Most of the nobles here have been training since they were children. They have private tutors, specialized diets, mana-enhanced exercise routines. What do I have? A farm and a lot of stubbornness."
Rook almost smiled at that. "Stubbornness can get you pretty far."
"I hope so. Otherwise I came all this way for nothing."
The line continued to move, and more students stepped up to the crystal. Some did well, some did poorly, and a few were escorted away after their results came back blank. Those ones looked devastated, and Rook understood why. For a lot of them, this was probably their only chance.
Finally, his name was called.
He walked up to the crystal, aware that more eyes were on him now than had been on anyone else. The noble students were watching with barely concealed amusement, clearly expecting this to be entertaining.
Rook placed his hand on the crystal.
Nothing happened.
He waited, but the crystal remained dark.
The examiner frowned and checked the device, tapping it a few times like he expected it to be malfunctioning. Then he looked at Rook.
"Remove your hand and try again."
He did, placing his hand back on the crystal.
Still nothing.
The examiner stared at the crystal, then at Rook, then back at the crystal.
"...Hollow. No core detected."
For a moment, the courtyard was completely silent. Then the laughter started.
"He has no mana?"
"Are you serious? How did he even get in here?"
"What is the point of taking the exam if you have no core?"
Rook pulled his hand back and walked away from the crystal without changing his expression. He had expected this. It was not a surprise.
He returned to where Jace was standing. The other boy was staring at him with wide eyes.
"No mana? At all?"
"No."
"Then how are you going to—" Jace stopped himself, clearly unsure how to finish that sentence.
"Phase two has not started yet."
Across the courtyard, Rook could see Cault watching from among the instructors. The professor was smiling slightly, like he was waiting for something interesting to happen.
'Let us see if I can give him something worth watching.'