17 The entrance tests

Pt1

Finally, the day of the theoretical test came, I was quite agitated but focused at the same time, I could not afford not to pass.

I traveled a main road, the one between sectors 7 and 8 headed towards the Velch School of Magic, located in sector 8 towards the city center.

The theoretical test, in fact, I would have done in a building near the school.

Outside that building, there were hundreds of boys my age, waiting for their moment to enter. Many were agitated like me, there were those who constantly read their notes, those who seemed immersed in distant thoughts, those who prayed, those who had already resigned themselves to their defeat.

After an hour my name was called, while the others sported complicated names, with sometimes multiple surnames, I was called with a simple "Tom", some made fun of me for this.

I will never understand certain people.

I sighed, shrugged off my agitation, and walked over to the one they had called me.

"Room 4, second floor, take"

He gave me a piece of paper and pointed me to the stairs I should climb.

Inside the building was sumptuous but not like the interior of the school, I would say less elegant and more formal. I went up the marble stairs.

"Here is room 4"

I knocked on the door and walked in.

The classroom was even more bare, with bare white walls, 8 desks with wooden chairs, two windows and a desk where there was a professor.

"You are... Tom?"

"Yes"

He asked for permission, I gave it to him and I sat in the seat I had been assigned, near one of the windows and at the back of the classroom.

When all 8 seats were filled, from the chair where the professor sat, eight sheets and 8 feathers flew onto each of the eight desks. It left me surprised, but I didn't show it.

[2 hours later]

'Ah... come on, I don't think it went wrong...'

I thought back to the answers I had given; I was satisfied with how I had responded.

With a relaxed smile, I walked out of the building.

I waited in the school forecourt until 2p.m, the time when they were supposed to deliver the results.

They called us one by one at the entrance of the building where I had taken the exam.

I felt the anxiety rise, I absolutely wanted to pass the exam. It was at this very moment that I realized how much these exams meant to me, so many counted on my passage.

"Tom!"

I approached. It was my turn.

"Well, after carefully evaluating your task..."

*Tum Tum

My heart was beating fast and uncoordinatedly.

"... you have been rated suitable for this school ... "

'It means that...'

"We remind you that tomorrow you will have to take the practical test."

My heart kept beating like crazy, but now from happiness.

However, now came the difficulty.

Pt2

That night I slept the union minimum, I was even more agitated than the previous night.

This morning I went like a zombie to the building the previous morning.

When I arrived, I immediately noticed one thing ... we were less than half of yesterday.

We were divided into 4 groups assigned to four different professors. I was assigned to an elderly professor, who, from the physique, seemed really weak, but nevertheless transmitted strange "vibrations", of someone impossible to beat, at least for the level at which I was.

'Never judge a book by its cover.'

We moved inside the building to a large gym with wooden floors and marble stands *.

(* as big as a basketball gym)

Besides me, there were 10 other students in my group.

"Hey"

A very low-pitched male voice called to me.

"I remember you, we did the theoretical exam together"

I did not remember him, but deep down, yesterday, in addition to the exam, I did not pay attention to anything else.

"Ah, yes..."

He was very tall, probably six feet tall, with powerful muscles, had blue eyes and hair, wore elegant black and blue robes, he was probably a nobleman.

'Meeting all these good-looking people hurts my self-esteem...'

"Oh, I introduce myself, my name is Ivon Serd Cardel, nice to meet you."

(*Serd is his middle name).

"Oh, piacere di conoscerti... sono Tom..."

'I still have to work on my presentation though, what more can I say ...'

"Mmh... so I was right, you're not from a noble family, are you?"

Saying it, he smiled satisfied.

"N-no..." 'One more time, huh?'

" Ah, what a relief, you know, don't say it around, but in reality, I don't like the nobles that much ... all full of self-esteem and arrogance ... however you can just call me Ivon or Iv "

'Oh'

'I would have expected anything, but not this one.'

"Well, in your opinion ... this professor, I mean ... how does he seem to you?"

" Actually, at first glance it seemed weak, but then ... "

"I also had the same feeling as you, it's like a dragon in the body of a lizard."

The image described him perfectly.

"Let's hope it's not too strict."

"Yeah."

The professor made us sit in the stands around the gym.

"Celius!"

A green-haired student rose from the stands and stood in front of the professor, whose name I did not yet know.

After a simple bow, the two put themselves in a combat position. Actually, it was only the student who put himself in a fighting position, the professor stood motionless with his hands behind his back with a frightening serenity.

The young man moved away from the professor, creating a sphere of what looked like green fire...

"Wow, what magic is that?"

" Hmm?! Ah, you're talking about Celius ... you know, he comes from the Lof family, a very influential family in the city ... known for their green hair, for managing taxation in Velch and for the magic of "green fire", a magic that can behave like fire, but can also heal according to the will of the user "

'What a fantastic magic... But...'

The calm on the professor's face made me sweat cold. There was something imposing about him, even if I couldn't figure out what exactly.

" Maybe I understood who that professor is, it didn't go well ... "

"What do you mean?"

"I think it's Azius Fendrik called "cold calm"..."

I had already heard of him.

"A very stern professor, remembered as a hero in the war against the Kobals 50 years ago."

"The Kobals, I've already read them somewhere ... I should find out more about this war and about them ..."

Meanwhile the fight was over, after Celius threw the ball of fire at Azius, the latter dissipated it, cutting it in half using his right hand as a sword; then he sprinted towards Celius, who tried to get away again, but not in time; Azius struck a blow with the palm of his right hand on the victim's stomach, causing him to faint on the ground.