The Academy [4][Edited]

tood in front of one of the devices and glanced toward the center of the hall, where a set of instructions hovered in midair:

Input mana from the orb after placing the form on the scanner.

Turning back to the device, I inspected it more closely. It was massive—far larger than I'd anticipated. It resembled an oversized ATM machine with a slot designed for feeding in the form. On its right side was an orb, which must have been the one mentioned in the instructions. Above it, a small protrusion likely housed a camera.

"Hm."

I slid the form into the open slot, but nothing happened.

"Oh, right. Mana."

I placed my hand on the orb, and my ether flowed into it effortlessly. The orb lit up instantly, followed by the activation of glowing symbols etched across the machine.

Then, with a mechanical vroom, the device sprang to life.

Pask!

A faint sound confirmed that the camera had taken a picture.