Enrollment Part I

I was drenched in sweat, sitting on the floor in Janna's "study". I have been working tirelessly the past 4 months. Between training with the sword, learning magic from Janna, being her research assistant, and displaying my progress for Titus, I had no breaks.

Janna stood tall before me as I heaved each breath on the floor. "My dear pupil, it is time to answer the question you asked me when we started. What does swordsmanship have to do with magic?"

I nodded and caught my breath enough to get my words out. "It's not just swordsmanship. Everything around us has everything to do with magic. Every object is connected through the flow of mana. All that depends is how I use it."

Janna smiled proudly. "Congratulations. I hereby pronounce you graduated from my crash course."

I coughed out a single laugh. "Do I get a prize?"

Janna scoffed. "What? You want a cookie or something you brat? You should just be satisfied as the first academy student to come out of Shillham." We both laughed as I struggled to my feet.

I sighed as I balanced myself. "I feel like I could sleep for a year."

Janna chuckled. "Well you better go rest then. Your exam is tomorrow!"

I grimaced. "Ughhhh, I just wanna sleep."

Janna waved away his concerns. "You'll be fine. With that massive core of yours, you recover quite quickly. That was the only reason you were able to make it this far after only four months. It took me 6 years to get to where you are."

My eyes widened. "Wow. I'm pretty amazing, aren't I?"

Janna scoffed. "Nah, kid. You ain't shit. Now go on and sleep. You have an important day tomorrow."

I nodded and ran to the door. "I'll let you know how it goes!" I waved my right hand across my body and the wall lit up. The stone came out and slid to the side.

Janna smiled. "Please do." She then spoke softer so I could barely hear her. "You will be a welcome addition to the corps."

I tried to think of what those words might mean as I ran home. 'I guess she really was serious about my recovery. I feel like I could run a marathon right now!'

I arrived at home and dinner was waiting for me on the stove. I just had to heat it up and serve myself.

I lifted the large saucepan in one hand and released a steady stream of flames from my other hand to heat the pan. Once I heard the contents start sizzling, I took a spatula and poured the contents into a large bowl. I had started eating a lot since my training began.

My bowl had pasta, sauce, and some sausage in it. It was quite filling and delicious. Once I was done, I summoned an orb of water around the bowl as I carried it to the drying rack. I made the current within the orb shoot around. Jets of water assaulted all of the remnants of food in the bowl. By the time I reached the rack, the bowl was spotless. I dumped the water down the sink and placed the bowl on the rack.

Mom and dad were asleep by now so I just went to bed. I was absolutely exhausted so I knocked out as soon as I hit the pillow.

The next morning was brutal. I was woken up by James knocking on my door. "Come on, Cal. You're gonna be late!"

Upon hearing that, I shot out of bed. I almost immediately smelled myself and nearly vomited. "I just need to shower and then I'm ready to go."

As I was leaving my room, I gazed upon myself in the mirror. I was currently only wearing my night pants. Then it hit me. "Damn! Goodbye mister toothpick!" At least relative to nine year olds, I am shredded. My muscles are toned and rock hard from the endless sword play. My messy blonde hair was scattered all over. It complemented my light blue eyes.

I sighed. 'Alright, that's enough for now. I can see what this body can do later.'

By the time I got out of the shower, Commander Titus was sitting on the couch with James. They were chatting away. It would seem that they are good friends.

I grabbed a pancake from the table and ate it with my hands as I walked over to the commander. "Good morning, commander."

Titus laughed. "My money is on 20 minutes."

I tilted my head as I took a bite of my pancake. I finished chewing. "What do you mean?"

Titus chuckled. "That's how long you've been awake."

I froze and sank my head in defeat. "Really had to expose me like that."

Titus nodded. "Humbling people is my job, son. Let's get going. It's nearly 9."

I smiled and took a bite of my pancake. I then spoke with my mouth full while standing at attention. I held the pancake at my forehead. "Yes, sir."

Both James and Titus died laughing at this. James heaved a deep breath. "Geez, that hurt."

Titus laughed again as he stood up. "Let's move."

I finished my pancake and then asked the question. "Where are we going?"

Titus scoffed. "The exam, silly."

I rolled my eyes. "But how?"

Titus smirked. "Get ready kid." He held his right hand by his waist. The palm was up and the fingers were relaxed. He slowly raised his hand and a bright line raised from the floor. It was like a curtain being raised from nothing. Once his hand reached his chest, the spell was complete.

My mouth was gaping. "What… is… that?!?"

Titus laughed. "Its spatial magic. Go ahead and step through."

I walked up to it and stepped through. I found myself in a completely different location. The air was extremely fresh and the surroundings were quite luxurious. The portal behind me closed as the commander walked through it.

I turned to him. "Where are we?"

Titus smiled. "We are on the grounds of the Royal Palace."

I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion. "I thought this was an enrollment exam."

Titus shook his head. "Out of all the candidates, the ones with the highest potential are observed by the royals themselves. You were picked because of my report and the fact that the legendary Janna Warren is your teacher."

My eyes widened in surprise. "Oh. This could be troublesome."

Titus chuckled. "You getting nervous?"

I shook my head. "Yes, but not about the exam. From what Mrs. Janna told me, this special exam is usually filled with nobles. She told me to be careful of them."

Titus nodded and sighed. "You are right. Janna is one of a kind in that she isn't a self centered prick despite being of noble origins."

A voice called out. "Candidate 16, please come forward."

Titus smiled. "That's you. Good luck, kid."

I nodded. "Thanks, commander." I walked forward towards the source of the voice. I was able to feel the glares from around me. Accompanying them was a lot of snickering and whispering.

I just kept my head high and moved forward until suddenly I couldn't. I was surrounded on all four sides by some kids that were a lot bigger than me.

The one in front of me smirked. "What's a filthy commoner doing here?"

The one behind me laughed. "I can't believe they'd even let him in with those clothes."

The one in front nodded. "We should do the royals a favor and get rid of him. No one will miss him anyways."

I sighed. "Is this really necessary?"

The one in front of me grinned. "Showing peasants where they belong is one of my favorite activities. Let's teach him a lesson guys."

I shrugged. "Suit yourself."

While they were talking, I was quietly coating my fists with ice. I was now equipped with rock hard gauntlets. Without warning, I launched a right hook at the grinning noble's face.

He quickly raised his arm to block the punch but then realized what was coming his way. It was already too late. The crunch of his forearm snapping was disgusting and audible to everyone around them. Everyone looked over to see the noble clutching his arm while curled up on the ground.

I spit on the ground next to him. "Pathetic." I then turned to the other three nobles. "Who's next?"

They panicked and ran away, leaving their companion on the ground.

I smirked. "Thought so." I reached down and lifted the noble over my shoulder with one arm. "Damn, I'm strong!"

I walked up to the woman that was calling out the candidates. She glared at me. "What's this about?"

I sighed as I dropped him on the ground. "He and three other idiots attacked me."

She raised her brow. "You do realize assaulting a noble is a capital offense, right?"

I nodded. "I do. But I'm pretty sure that the royal decree of no infighting between candidates overrides that. I hope he sees the proper punishment."

She sighed. "Troublesome. Head inside, brat."

I smiled and nodded before heading in. The inside of the building was massive. It might as well have been a coliseum. On a platform overviewing the arena sat the most important figures in the kingdom. There were two generals, all six headmasters, the king, and the queen.

The king called out. "Welcome, candidate 16. Since you are underage, this exam has three parts. First is the physical component. You must demonstrate at least 50 pounds of punching force. Second is the combat demonstration. You will fight a basic golem and you must display some competence when it comes to close quarters combat. You are not required to defeat it. Lastly, is the freestyle section. You are free to choose how to display your skills to the best of your ability. You may begin."

An attendant that was standing behind him waved his hand. A scale with a punching bag was warped in front of me.

I raised my hand. The king gave a curious expression. "What is it, 16?"

I smiled. "Am I allowed to you magic for this portion?"

The king laughed. "I have never been asked that for the physical examination. How about this? Do it once without magic and then once with magic. I'm curious to see what made you ask such a thing, 16. You may proceed."

I bowed. "Thank you, my king."

I stood back up and got into an athletic stance. I held up my two fists as if I was guarding. I hopped around between my two feet a few times. Like a spring, I unleashed the tension in my body, striking the punching bag with all the strength I could muster.

After a second, there was a ding. The king nodded. "61 pounds. Not bad for someone so young. Now let's see what magic does."

I nodded at the king and noticed something. The queen was staring at me with vigor. She seemed to be extremely interested in me for some reason. I tilted my head. "My queen, if I may…"

She waved her hand. "What is it, 16?"

I smiled. "Thank you. Is there something wrong with me?"

The queen chuckled and nodded in approval. She whispered something into the king's ear before turning back to me and waving her hand. "Please, continue."

I nodded and turned my focus back to the punching bag. Throughout these past four months, the surefire trick wasn't the only thing that Janna taught me. She also taught me about a type of magic called fusion enhancement. As I was mastering the basics of each element, she had me direct elemental mana to specific parts of my body. The effects were mind blowing.

I turned away from the punching bag and took several steps. I coated my right fist in ice to protect it and got ready. I channeled lighting mana into my legs and arm, and then coated my entire body with air mana. Through the combination of the elements of power and movement, I effectively increased my striking power and eliminated air resistance to allow me to move faster.

Taking a deep breath, I tensed up my body. As I exhaled, I released it all, shooting forwards like a bullet. It only took two strides to reach the punching bag even though I was about 20 feet away.

As I collided with the bag, it popped, stuffing flying everywhere. I also left a sizable dent in the scale.

The king laughed excitedly as the ding went off. "378 pounds! I think that is a new record!"

I smirked as I removed the ice from my right fist.

The king then cleared his throat loudly, gaining my attention. "Boy, let's just skip the combat demonstration. The golem would be blasted to smithereens by a punch like that!"

One of the headmasters objected. "But, my king!"

The king cleared his throat again. "I have already made up my mind. I'm sure you are all eager to see what this child has in store for the freestyle section. I can just tell by how he holds himself that he can pass the second stage, magically enhanced or not."

I smiled and bowed. "Thank you for the kind words, my king."

The king laughed. "Well, 16, get on with it. Let's see your freestyle."

I nodded. "I am going to warn you all. Please secure any loose clothing or items."

The king raised his brow as he removed his crown. He whispered something to the queen and she did the same.

The queen called out. "We are ready. You may proceed."

I nodded and smiled. "Thank you, my queen."

I held my arms at an angle to my side with my palms facing forwards. Suddenly, the air around me started picking up in a gust. In the wind, streaks of water, fire, light, and earth began flowing. Being inside the sphere of wind, I began to float. I lifted the sphere higher and was now floating about 10 feet off the ground. Arcs of lightning began flying from my body to the ring of boulders flying around me. To finish it off, I dimmed the rest of the room by pulling most of the light element to me. I shone like a star.

Everyone except the king and queen were nearly falling out of their chairs from the shock. It had been 50 years since someone had performed this feat. It is known as Sylpha's Sphere. It is named after the first mage who is the one that created the technique. It isn't just for show either. It can effectively nullify any elemental magic that is thrown at it.

Unfortunately, there are three weaknesses that make it useless in actual combat. The first one is the long cast time. Anything can happen in the multiple seconds that it takes to prepare. The second is the risk to allies. It affects a large area so it can harm allies. Lastly is that it is vulnerable to blasts of raw mana, otherwise known as arcane magic. Not many people use it because it is extremely mana expensive but even its basic spells are among the most powerful.

The king began applauding loudly as I floated back to the ground, releasing the technique. "Well done. 16, tell us your name."

I nodded. "I am Callum, son of David and Lisa."

The king raised his brow. "So you aren't from a noble household. Interesting. Who was your teacher?"

I smiled. "Archmage Janna Warren taught me, my king."

The king laughed. "Of course it was her. Fifty years ago she put on a display similar to yours. Minus the enhancement magic though."

I smiled. "She was a great teacher. So did I pass?"

The king laughed hysterically. "First, allow me to formally introduce myself. I am King Arthur Menadia. This is my wife, Queen Selena Menadia. Please, join us on the platform. What I am about to say must be kept quiet."

A portal opened beneath my feet and I dropped onto the platform in front of the king. I quickly got down on one knee and prostrated my head.

King Arthur shook his head. "Rise, Callum."

I obeyed and stood up. "Thank you, King Arthur."

Arthur smiled. "What I am about to divulge to you is a state secret. The revealing of this information to any unauthorized party will result in capital punishment. Understood?"

I nodded. "Yes, my king."

Arthur nodded. "Good. As I am sure you have figured out due to your two teachers, there are more than just six academies. There are actually eight academies. The last two that are hidden are known as the Royal Dragon and the Beastly Dragon."

He continued. "The Royal Dragon specializes in training mages to become royal constables. The Beastly Dragon… is complicated. All you need to know is that I am inviting you to join either of these academies. Based on your commoner background, I believe the Beastly Dragon would be better suited for you. Commander Titus attended there before accepting a life long mission, and Archmage Janna was a professor there for decades after she graduated from the Royal Dragon."

I smiled and nodded. "Thank you for the recommendation. How do those academies differ from the others?"

Arthur shook his head. "You are mistaken. You will still attend courses at one of the six royal academies. However, you will also take additional courses throughout your experience that will teach you a specific set of skills. I can not say any more at this time."

I thought for a moment and then decided. I would take every opportunity that comes my way. "If you'll allow it, my king, I would like to attend the Beastly Dragon."

Arthur smiled. "Great. Where are you from, Callum?"

I sighed. "I am from a small town in the south known as Shellham."

Arthur nodded. "Then let's have you attend the academy that is closest to your home, the White Dragon. They specialize in light magic. You should find their teachings beneficial to your other courses."

I smiled. "Thank you, my king."

Arthur smiled. "You must be going now, Callum. Safe travels and I look forward to seeing what your future has in store."