Chapter 9: Humble

Alexa and Lizz were driving to their hotel. Lizz appeared to be preoccupied with Magus Academy reports and didn't have much time to meet her brother.

She was smoking her cigarette and staring out the window as Alexa was reading a list of persons with Ether scores more than 9000.

"So, you only showed a quarter of his Ether to humble him?"

Alexa nodded without looking back at Lizz

"Of course, it may not be visible, but if we showed him his actual Ether limit, he would undoubtedly start looking down on others at some point, and we both know that Ether limit does not dictate how strong you are as a Magus.

Ryo Kuji of Raven City has a maximum of 24 700 Ether limit, and Ella Clovis of Raven City has a cap of 32 500 Ether limit. Currently, only three persons from the two continents have broken the record of 30 000. Of course, we will ultimately uncover his actual Ether limit, but of the three, Caleb is most likely to be the one who does not go far because he thinks the demon inside him gives him unlimited power. If we want this to work, it is vital for us to make him forget about the demon inside him, and make him focus only on improving just like the others. We also have high expectations of him, and there is no room for error, which is why we must push him to work harder and not get ahead of himself.

He still doesn't realise how perilous his situation is, but he appears to be the type of youngster who learns from his errors. From now on, I will not meddle; I will let things unfold as they will, and if this fails, we both know what will follow..."

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It was now late at night, and Caleb was in his room, thinking about what Alexa had told him.

'I got too ahead of myself, I thought I was special because of my case when in reality, I'm just like everyone,'

He looked up at his ceiling for a while still thinking of what Alexa had told him.

"I mean, 8700 isn't bad either, at least I've still got above average..." He tried to convince himself.

"The most important is that I attended the Magus Academy, and from there, I'll get stronger... I have to, or else,"

He grinned uneasily at the prospect of not making it to the Academy's exceptions, but he was grateful to Alexa for opening his eyes and humble him.

"I guess it's nearly time..."

Indeed, the next day, he was sent an email confirming his admission to the Magus Academy. In the letter, he was told that a bus would park specifically in the morning for two days to pick him up for the destination.

Thus, Caleb decided to spend the rest of the time with his family, and spend it to the fullest.

Eventually, the morning he was to leave for the Magus Academy had come.

"The bus is here Caleb!!" His mother shouted looking through the window, "That is one long bus, but do you think that will fit all the candidates that were chosen?"

"Don't be silly Mary, they sent several buses to pick up the candidates,"

Caleb walked down the stairs with a backpack on with his clothes inside.

"I'm ready!" He said walking down the stairs.

As Mary saw him walking to the door, she couldn't help but let her tears pour, realising that she wouldn't see him in a while.

"You've grown so much..." Mary said with tears on her face, "don't forget about us when you get there..."

"Don't worry, we talked about it yesterday night, I'll find a way to be in contact with you,"

Caleb then went through the door, waving to his mother, who was fighting back tears.

The black bus was big and wide, with windows that were so dark that no one could see what was happening inside. Caleb went outside, and the bus door opened once he got closer, and he walked straight through it.

As soon as he stepped inside, he noticed approximately 40 individuals sitting two by two. He was seeking a seat when he noticed someone grasp her hand and call his name.

"Caleb, there's a place here!"

When he got closer, he realised it was Maya who had yelled his name.

"Maya, you were chosen too... well obviously, you passed the Ether test with a high score,"

He looked around the bus to see anyone familiar, however, he couldn't.

"I thought you'd be on the bus with your boyfriend, where is he, I mean didn't he pass too?"

Maya's head lowered when she heard Caleb and started messing with her hair.

"Well, about him, I've realised that staying with him wouldn't benefit me, so I decided to part ways with him..."

Caleb was taken aback by her remark, which he believed was unexpected. After all, they'd been dating for two years, and it was past time she realised her relationship with him wasn't working for her.

"It's about time you left that jerk..." Caleb responded.

"Huh? So do you mean you were expecting us to break up? " She questioned Caleb.

Caleb smiled and put both his hands forward,

"That's not what I mean, your boyfrie- your ex was just toxic, he tarnished your reputation a lot. Many people think you're just like him because you two were dating,"

There was a little pause after Caleb had spoken before Maya answered.

"So does that mean you thought I was like him the first time you saw me?"

"In the beginning I did, but I'm slowly starting to think I misjudged you. You seem like a nice person, you're just surrounded by the wrong people,"

Maya may be a good person, but she was surrounded by the wrong people, and nothing was known about her parents other than their profession.

"Hopefully I'll get friends in the Magus Academy..."

"Don't be stupid... I'm sure you'll find friends eventually,"

Caleb and Maya spent the remainder of the trip getting to know each other until the bus arrived at a road in the midst of a forest. The road was straight, and there were enormous green leave trees on each side of it.

"We've reached the Rochin forest!" Someone on the bus shouted.

"The Rochin forest... I heard the Magus Academy keep bestial demons and low-level demons. They prevent the demons from escaping by using a shield force around the forest to prevent anyone from exiting but also entering without permission,"

"Wow, so you mean there are demons in there," Maya asked leaning her body to the window and rubbing her breast on Caleb's arm.

Caleb's cheeks began to flush, and he looked at the breast pressing against his arm before immediately turning his attention to the window.

"Then where is Magus Academy?"

"Umm... from what I heard, the Magus Academy is as big as a city, and this forest only surrounds it. So if we are already in the forest, I guess the Magus Academy must be close.."

As soon as he stated that, a big gate flanked by strong brick walls appeared in front of the bus. Unlike previously, there was a wide expanse of cement several miles distant from the walls, and numerous buses were already queued up in front of the gate.

"That's more than 70 buses lined up here..." Caleb thought.

The bus parked between two identical buses, and the engine immediately stopped after.

"Please exit the bus quietly and calmly," A voice said from the speakers on the bus.

The passengers aboard the bus proceeded to exit row by row until they were all outside in front of the vehicle.

Caleb stepped outside and noticed a swarm of students gathered in front of the bus that had brought them here.

"Nearly tens of thousands of pupils..." Caleb exclaimed with admiration.

The gate and walls in front of them were so huge and formidable that they were possibly taller than most of Tyggstral's structures. It was certainly hard to see beyond the gates, let alone climb over them.

They were admiring the gate when they felt a tremendous amount of pressure on them. Gravity seems to have tightened its grip.

It was almost as if multiple weights were placed on their heads, impeding their ability to move freely.

"It's getting harder to breathe," Caleb thought as he started breathing heavily.

The pressure then began to gradually reduce, and the pupils no longer felt the sick feeling they had previously.

"It's surprising to see so many candidates passed this year!" A voice shouted from above.

When the pupils glanced up, they noticed a short girl with black short hair and a black kimono.

"Welcome, students, to the Magus Academy!!"