42 Test 1

I'm sure you all know that white skinned people are naturally gifted with wind-related spells. Red with fire, blue with water and green with earth. So please follow the guides to the site for test 1, thank you."

The whole hall was filled with applause as she walked off the stage. After that everyone got up from their seats and followed the guides. The people that were on top had to wait for the ground floor to clear out. Because there was no space. Another reason Lucas didn't want to be on the top floor. The Royals had to wait the longest because two other floors had to file out before they could. Once Lucas got outside he followed a group of people that where being led by a guide. There were multiple guides and each of them led a group of students to a site where test 1 would take place. Eventually, the guide stopped in front of a large building. The guide opened the door and everyone entered the room. Inside the building was a large white crystal. And officials with a pen and paper in their hands. After all the examinees of this group were in the building the guide left.

All the officials wore white robes with red highlights. Once the guide left everyone felt confused and had no idea what to do. So one of the officials stepped forward and said, " Everyone sit down in rows of 10. We will call forth a row each time for testing. Once you have been tested you will know your result. Also, instructions on what to do will be given to you then."

So everyone listened and sat down. Many where fighting to be in the first row so they could take the test early. And others fought for the last row so they could take the test last. And just like in the grand hall Lucas sat somewhere in the middle. Once everything had settled the officials called the first row forward. Lucas was all the way in row 15.

Once called the students stood up and walked to the giant crystal. They were instructed to walk single file as only one person was going to be tested at a time. Once they got into line the official called forth the first female. Everyone sucked in a large breath as the tension in the room grew. As she walked to the crystal. Everyone had their eyes locked on her. Nobody said a word. They had heard how hard headed here at the Mage Academy the officials were. Everyone wanted to know what is considered acceptable and what is not. The moral of the examinees would be determined by the first result. Lucas himself was unsure of what was going to happen...

The girl stopped in front of the crystal and looked at the official unsure of what to do next...

The official looked at her and said, " Place your hand on the crystal. This crystal will measure the amount of mana you have in your body. It will then rank the outcome. You need to at least have E rank potential to get into this school. Meaning you will be able to cast E rank spells without turning into a Souma (1). If your potential is only F rank you will be placed aside. Once all F ranks have been decided only the top 20 F ranks will be accepted the rest can try again next year. Each rank is given a specific colour F Rank is Red, E yellow, D orange C, green, B blue, A Purple. On top that each rank is split into 3 stages. Alpha, Mu, Omega. So you can either be an E rank Alpha, Mu or Omega. If you are an Alpha rank " insert rank" the crystal will show your ranks colour for a short duration and then disappear. Mu will flash your colour and Omega will have your colour show for more than 10 seconds. Please don't remove your hand before I say so if any inaccuracies occur because of that. That's on you. "

Then the official gave her the go ahead and she placed her hand on the crystal and a bright red started flashing. The girl was really disappointed that she only had the potential of an F rank mage and only a Mu no less. She looked at the flashing crystal one more time. And was about to lift her hand off the crystal when she remembered she was told not to. It was at that moment that the flickering stopped and a bright red light emitted out of the crystal. It stayed on for more than 10 seconds. In those 10 seconds, the girl rejoiced that she had listened to herself and didn't give up on hope. But another miracle occurred amidst the celebration. The colour of the crystal changed from red to yellow. Indicating she had E rank potential after a short while the colour from the crystal vanished and the crystal returned to a colourless state.

"You may take your hand off," one of the officials said. After the test, she left the room smiling from ear to ear. She had passed the first test.

The moral in the room was high. Everyone was smiling from ear to ear and couldn't wait to get their results next. They had seen that your initial result isn't set to be the last. They had seen how she climbed from Mu to Omega and then into a new rank. This gave hope to a lot of people that wanted to get into this school.

The official called another person. He got up all excited, dropping his glasses on the floor and then almost stepping on them. The tension had been lifted in the room so everyone laughed openly. He awkwardly bent down blushing from embarrassment. Once he picked up his glasses he walked towards the crystal. He stood in front of the crystal and took a deep breath feeling optimistic about his chances.

The official instructed him to put his hand on the crystal so he did. Once he did the crystal immediately shone a green colour. The boy was so excited that he had C rank potential. This meant one day he could become a noble. The boy jumped up into the air. While doing a fist pump in the air. Once he landed he roared while moving his hands as if he was manning a turret. Everyone was shocked by his actions. Lucas couldn't decide whether it was because of his sudden uproar. Which was out of character for someone wearing glasses. Or because he was an idiot who had let go of the crystal prematurely. Which again went against the stereotype of those that wear glasses... During the boy's celebration, he realized that everyone was looking at him. But not with admiration, some were looking at him with pity. Some had a hand on a forehead. Some were shaking their heads.

He wondered if it was something he was doing wrong. Or was it because he wore glasses and because of that it was his fate to be unpopular. He decided to let it go and not be bothered by people that were most likely going to fail. Or if they passed it wouldn't be a noble pass like him. He wondered if maybe he could go up a rank like that girl before. It was at that moment that he looked at his hands. He just kept staring at them. He blinked over and over again. But after every blink, his hands were still in front of him and not on the crystal... " Ehhhh!" The boy exclaimed. He finally understood why everyone looked at him the way they did. It wasn't because he wore glasses, or because of fate. But because he let go of the crystal before he could confirm his results. The boy immediately reached for the crystal. But when he did the official screamed " Next". The boy tried to argue and explain his actions. But the official just looked at him apathetically and said " Next". The boy knew there was no way out, they had explained the rules prior to his mistake. So the boy walked out the door dejected. He knew he had passed but he never knew his limit.

Once he had left the room people were annoyed at how careless he was. He has C rank potential but he is so clumsy. Many people thought it was a waste of talent. The official called "next" for the third time and then the next person walked to the crystal. The final result was a C rank Omega. After this 24 other people took the test and everyone had passed. They Ranged from Rank E to C.

It was at this moment that people started questioning the difficulty of getting into this Academy. Nobody had failed yet. Yet everyone knew about the prestige of this Academy and how hard it was to become a Mage... They began wondering if it was all a farce to make Mages seem stronger than they actually are. So that Warriors and Assasins would fear them instead of hunting them into extinction.

The official called next again. And after the evaluation yet another person passed. The crystal shone a blue colour. This was the first B rank pass. Everyone clapped their hands as she walked away from the crystal and out of the room. They cheered her on but in their hearts, they wanted to be her or be better than her.

1. Souma - When a spell is cast that requires more mana than you have or is at a rank higher than you are. Your mana channels burn out. Your body disintegrates until you are nothing but mana itself with a soul. Roaming mindlessly.