Entrance

I was finally seventeen. I had been training my magic every day and swordsmanship enough to not lose my touch.

-You have done well my student, now there's only one thing for you to do. Entrance exam is today, go to the main square and do well.

-Yes, master.

I took my sword and left the mansion with Ben close behind me. Ben had a backpack with change clothes and nothing else. We could bring one subordinate to the school with us, this was to watch over nobles and also make sure that they didn't mess up.

The walk to the main square took almost twenty minutes, when we got there. There were already a huge line and many different people waiting to get through and like everyone else, we waited for our own turn.

The line luckily moved quickly and the waiting time wouldn't be that long. Of course, there were some entitled kids alone or with their parents, who felt that they were more important than others and didn't want to wait in line.

-I AM THE SON OF A NOBLE! HOW DARE YOU MAKE ME WAIT LIKE THESE COMMONERS

The employees tried to call the boy down, but he wasn't giving up. I didn't care, he didn't mention whose son he even was, so he wasn't even that powerful.

-Calm down

Someone told the boy, it was a tall man probably 180cm, he had red hair and red eyes.

-HOW DARE YOU TELL ME ANYTHING, WHOSE SON ARE YOU??? I'LL MAKE YOUR LIFE A LIVING HEL!!

-I'm the son of the duke Vuur.

Boy got instantly silent.

-I am sorry lord Vuur!

The guy who was red from anger and yelled to everyone was now bowing his head like a commoner to a noble.

-Don't do that again.

The son of a Duke just turned around and minded his own business. He seemed like a responsible boy. I hope that he'll do great in the academy.

(*(

After waiting for an hour, it was finally our turn. We stepped inside a tent and there only was a small ball and a piece of paper. I went over to see what's was in the paper.

"This is the first test of the entrance exam. First fill this paper, after that please put your hand on the magic ball."

The paper only asked my name, age and if I had anyone with me. I put Ben's name and he also signed the paper. After that I did as the paper asked and put my hand on the glass ball. At first, I didn't feel anything but after seconds it started to glow and change colors.

I think that it's measuring my magic, but that doesn't I just let it do its thing. I was after all already 17 so even if it did send the information of my rings to someone else, I could just tell that's it's because of my master.

Soon the ball started glowing white and an array appeared under us. And seconds after that I was somewhere else. It was a huge pathway, kinda like when I was going to the Count's mansion but this one was a lot bigger. Only the pathway was at least seven meters wide and it led to a huge building. I only was the sign saying:

"Crystal River Academy".

The capitals most famous magic school for youngsters. Ben looked as shocked as I was, it was more than ten times as big as masters. I then felt something in my pocket, it reached out to it and it felt cold. When I took it out, I noticed it being a badge. It had my name, picture, and a color, black.

On the other side was a number, but I had no idea what to use it for, but I wouldn't figure it out on this empty road so I started walking towards the school. It really bothered me how there was no one else there except for me and Ben.

After walking inside the school, I noticed a huge board on right after the school gate. It was a map, probably of the school. It had rooms and numbers and also some other information but it didn't look interesting.

But one other interesting thing was, that under the map was a hole, and over the hole read a text:

"badge"

I wanted to test it out and inserted my badge into the machine. After that it spitted it out and a hologram screen opened infront of me. It had the same information as the badge but also more. Like, Clubs: none, Master: none, Coins: 100, Year: one and Punishments: none.

I didn't even notice that the map had begun to have some changes. A building started to glow; it was northeast from my location that also showed on the map. After noticing it, me and Ben looked at each other and then decided to walk towards it. The walk was really boring.

The academy was really cool but it was empty, there was no one here. After a while we got to the building, it was a large tower that also had a name.

"Spiral of Zawrick"

Wasn't a bad name I though, it wasn't exaggerated and also stayed on my mind. We walked inside and like the rest of the academy, it was empty. I saw a door to the right, left and stairs underground and to a second floor. I checked the doors and they seemed to be kitchen and dining room. The one to the left was the showers and bathrooms.

There also was a board with information about cleaning duties and shower turns, it even had the map but smaller but next to it was another map, a map of this tower and about its floors. It had ten floors and each floor had fifteen rooms. It even had room numbers. Me and Ben looked at each other, nodded and walked upstairs. We were on the sixth floor, room 86.

We got there and like the first map it had a hole with text over it, "badge". Just like last time I inserted the badge and the door opened. We stepped inside, it had two doors. One was the bathroom and the other one had another bedroom. I decided to take the first one and Ben the one behind the door.

On my bed were two uniforms, I put one on and it was a little bit small but it changed its size and then fitted perfectly. It was a white jacket, black tie, black jeans, fancy shoes, and a white-collar shirt. It over all looked like a suit from earth with white jacket and black pants. The other uniform was the same but with no jacket.

It didn't feel hot with it and it felt really good. I said bye to Ben and only told him that I was going to explore the school. Ben only responded that if I found any cute maids, I should tell him.

During the four years we had spent a lot of time together and behaved now like brothers and joked a lot. In public we acted like a master and a servant for the image but when we were alone, we were like brothers from birth.

To leave the room I didn't have to insert the card but open it normally. I walked outside of the tower and toward the building that looked like the main one. It was still fully empty, I wonder why? I walked around the empty hallways, there was a lot of classrooms, or not many but they were all pretty big. All of them were at least as big as two basketball courts.

After walking around a while, I came to an open place with no roof, but hallways to each direction. In front of me was a big board which read.

"New students coming today, everyone must go see." So, everyone were already watching it, so why was I here? What was there to watch if everyone got here with just touching the ball, was there another test for people with no magic?

I couldn't figure it out so I just walked back to my room. I had good sense of directions so I left the same way that I had arrived. I didn't do anything else that evening, I went to my room, talked with Ben, trained magic, and went to sleep.

However, I woke up later to huge amount of laughing and music, I got up in my uniform and went to check it out. When I came downstairs and to the underground layer there were a lot of people. There were some people with normal clothes and others with the same uniform as me but had a weird mark on their back. It looked like an eye, a purple eye.

After wondering about what was going on a guy with a uniform came to me, he had a golden chain from his right collar to the left one.

-What were you doing?

-Sleeping.

He seemed like an important person so I answered honestly.

-Why?

-What else was I supposed to do?

-Watch the exam and then party with us.

-I didn't know how to get there.

-Didn't your teacher tell you?

-What teacher?

-Your homeroom teacher, what have you been doing in class, sleeping like today?

-What homeroom teacher, I came today.

When I said that a couple of people in uniforms turned their head to my direction. Even the important looking guy raised his eyebrow.

-Are you a Royal?

-No

-Can I see your badge?

-The little thing with my info? Do you have authority?

-As your dorm's disciplinary student, yes.

-That sounded like a title to not mess with so I handed him my badge.

-He looked at it and then started smiling from ear to ear.

-A BLACK MARK

When he said that everyone with a uniform looked at me, even some of the people with normal clothes looked at me in confusion.

-WE FINALLY HAVE A GENIUS!!

Then everyone in a uniform started cheering and raising their fists. Like someone had just told them to go die in a battle for their mother country. I didn't know what to do, I was standing in a room with screaming men and women chanting something.

-Here is your badge, and now may you tell us your ring amount and your element. We don't do anything bad with it, it will just help us all.

He seemed to speak the truth so I answered.

-Lightning and three.

With this the room went silent.

-Anything more?

-I also use lightning as a sword aura.

With this I heard a couple of people thanking God and some telling how big failures they were. I however was confused, what's with this silence. It's like something God like had just happened.

-A ONE IN A MILLION GENIUS, WITH THIS THE DORM TOURNAMENT IS OURS!!!!

-YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES

Then even a bigger yell happened, then couple strong looking guys came and picked me up. They carried me to the center of the room and started to throw me in the air. When they finally let me down, the important guy was on his knees in front of me and had something in his hands.

-May I put out dorms mark on your back.

He probably meant the purple eye, it really looked cool so I gave permission. He used some kind of magic and said it was ready. After that he yelled again.

-DON'T TELL ANYONE ABOUT OUR GENIUS, IF YOU DO YOU MAY EVEN GET EXPELLED. WITH HIM WE...MAY...WIN!

-YAAAAAAAAAA

After yelling a little bit more, everyone started dancing again and the painter talked to me again in a normal voice.

-Please follow me, I'll tell you everything.

I nodded and was relieved to know what the fuck was going on in here. If this was some cult type of thing, I would leave the continent to not get myself killed by the cult or my master.