Chapter 34 — The Test Hall
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Kael Grenfort:
06:00.
I woke up with a yawn. I rubbed my eyes and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds. My body was still fighting sleep, but my mind was already working.
Today — school. Today — a new beginning. Or an ending.
I got up and washed my face and hands. Cold water hit my skin, washing away the last traces of sleep. I looked in the mirror — my eyes still held that golden glow. Inside me, my mana core pulsed steadily.
Criss Griffith. Don't forget.
I walked to my father's room. I knocked — no answer. I knocked again — still silence.
"Father, get up. We need to go to school. Or you can stay — I'll go alone."
A hoarse voice came from inside: "Come in."
I opened the door. Sedric lay in bed, his eyes half-open. He was rubbing his eyes, his hair disheveled.
"Why are you saying that?"
"You've been drinking too much lately. It's not good for your health."
He chuckled. "Too much. Just two days in a row."
"Still harmful."
"Alright, alright, Doctor sir." He sat up, stretched, and yawned. "Hurry up and get ready then."
"Wait."
I stopped at the door. My fingers gripped the doorframe.
"I have something to say."
"I'm listening."
I walked to the window and looked outside. People were slowly waking up in the streets. A merchant was opening his shop, a woman buying bread. Ordinary life.
"About the unrecognized child matter," I said, not turning around.
Sedric raised his eyebrows. "How did you find out?"
"I guessed."
He sighed deeply. "To be honest, I expected you to find out. You have that talent."
"There's one thing I don't understand, Father."
"What?"
"If the school rules might prevent them from accepting me, why did you bring me here anyway?"
Sedric smiled. "Because I thought you'd get in anyway."
"Just hope?" I said, turning from the window.
"No. I came prepared." He raised his hand, counting on his fingers. "I got a recommendation letter from Hamel. To use if needed. And on top of that, letters of guarantee from my two uncles."
I tilted my head. "So you had a plan from the start."
"Of course." He shrugged. "Your chances at other schools would have been much lower. This was the best option."
"Even so, the risk was great."
Sedric stood up, walked over to me, and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Kael."
He looked at me seriously. His grip tightened slightly.
"You can't win by doing nothing."
A moment of silence fell. His hand was still on my shoulder — warm, heavy.
"I calculated everything. Your chances of getting in were very high. That's why I took the risk."
I nodded. "Understood."
---
07:30.
We ate breakfast. Simple — bread, butter, honey, a cup of hot tea. Father tried to joke around, but I was lost in thought.
We got into the carriage and set off. The school gates were open. Guards stood at the entrance. Their gazes were alert, hands resting on their sword hilts.
Father took out the permit and showed it to them. The guards exchanged a glance, then signaled us to pass.
The carriage slowly rolled inside.
"Father, is there a designated place to park carriages here? We didn't come by carriage yesterday."
"Yes, well, we barely made it in yesterday. Remember?" He winked, a smile playing at the corner of his lips.
"Yes, I remember. How could I forget?" I said, frowning.
We stopped at the entrance and got out. Silvan stayed behind — Father nodded to him, and he drove the carriage away.
We started walking toward the main building. Our footsteps echoed on the stone path.
Well, this could be a disaster now. Father has a permit with "Kael" written on it, and I have "Criss." I need to be careful. That old man could have fixed everything...
I thought for a moment and kept walking. I put my hands in my pockets, spinning the rings with my fingers.
---
We entered through the door. Inside was crowded — even more than yesterday. Parents, children, teachers. Everyone bustling, noise everywhere.
Sedrik and I went to the front row and sat down. Father held his permit tightly — his fingers had turned slightly white.
The large door opened. Hanna stepped out. Her steps were precise, composed. Her eyes scanned the hall.
"Hello, ladies and gentlemen... and dear future students," she said, almost mockingly. She clasped her hands in front of her and bowed her head slightly.
"The written test will cover various subjects — history, some magical topics. There will be both open and closed questions. Parents, do you have any questions?"
No one spoke. Only the sound of breathing filled the hall.
"Well then, no questions. Children, follow me. Parents must remain here."
I looked at Sedric. He gestured forward. I shook my head.
"It's fine," I said quietly.
I followed Hanna. About 200 children followed behind. Many had left yesterday morning, so this time there were fewer people.
We walked through the large door. Before us stretched a field the size of a stadium. The air was clear, the sun still early and cool.
"This is the training ground," Hanna said. She walked along a path beside the field. "The exam will be in another building."
After a short walk, another large building appeared behind the main one. It was tall, made of white marble, with large windows.
"This is the indoor training building. Since the academic year hasn't started yet, the entrance exams are held here every year."
Hanna opened the door and stood by it.
"Come in. Everyone sit at a desk. There are enough for everyone. Most importantly — keep your respect and manners."
She gestured us to enter.
Inside, four teachers were seated. Their eyes watched the children. The one in front stood up.
"Alright, children, everyone take your seats. You'll be divided into four groups. Four teachers will supervise each group," he said, pointing to the chairs.
I walked forward and sat at a desk in the back. I steadied my breathing and placed my hands on the table.
My fingers trembled slightly. Patience. Calm. I'll win anyway.
The teachers began distributing the test papers. About ten minutes passed, and they were almost done. Since I was at the very end, I was the last.
A teacher stopped in front of me. A girl — long blue hair, a clip at her temple. White uniform. Sharp eyes.
"Hello, I'm Sabrine. What's your name?"
"Ka-Kriss," I said, hesitating slightly. I took the permit from my pocket and showed it. My fingers gripped the card tightly.
"Ohhh, pleased to meet you, Criss Griffith." She placed a test paper in front of me. "Peace. I hope we meet again after the exam."
She gestured with her hand and lowered her voice: "No cheating. Don't open the paper before I give the signal — or you'll be expelled."
"Deal?" she said, narrowing her eyes.
I nodded. She looked at me once and walked away.
---
After Sabrine left, I didn't open the paper. I held it with my fingers, looking around. Everything was ready — the papers distributed, the teachers in place, only Dzao hadn't given the order to begin.
There's still time.
I took a deep breath. I closed my eyes. My mana core pulsed steadily in my chest.
I'll use magic. Without opening the paper.
I tapped the table with my fingers, then placed my hands on the desk. Mana flowed beneath my palms — light, invisible. I directed it toward the paper.
While waiting for Dzao's command, one of the teachers looked my way. I kept my hands still, only "reading" the paper with my eyes.
Variant 67 — 20 questions total. 4 closed, the rest open.
First closed question: "List the six basic elements."
Ahhh, simple enough.
Next: "What are considered special abilities?"
Easy.
Third: "Give examples of special abilities."
Easy.
Fourth question: "How many magical towers are there in the empire?"
I stopped. The flow of mana ceased.
Hmmm... I don't know this one.
The rest — open questions. Of the closed ones, only the fourth was hard. I just needed to figure that one out. I'd never read anywhere how many magical towers there were.
I tapped the table again with my fingers. I opened my eyes.
Dzao walked to the front of the hall. He clapped his hands.
Clap-clap.
"Well then, dear ones, the test has begun. Open your papers. You have one hour."
Everyone opened their papers at once. Paper rustled, pens moved quickly.
I opened mine slowly. I picked up my pen, my hand slightly trembling.
First — Fire, Earth, Water, Nature (Trees and plants), Wind, and Ice.
Second — These are rare, unique, or powers belonging to only one person.
Third — examples: Absolute Memory, Time Freeze, True Eye, King's Aura, Future Sight.
Fourth...
My pen stopped.
How many magical towers are there in the empire?
I tapped the table with my fingers. Can I guess? If I'm wrong — it's a disaster.
Silence in the room. Only the scratching of pens, the rustling of paper, sometimes someone's breathing.
Around me, children were writing. Some moving their lips, some scratching their heads, some constantly reaching for erasers.
I paused.
I spun the ring on my finger. Careful. One mistake could ruin everything.
I sensed someone approaching from behind. Footsteps — distinct, slow.
A teacher.
I kept writing. My pen scratched the paper. The person behind me stopped, stood for a few seconds, then moved on.
Without looking up, I moved my hand across the paper and skipped the fourth question.
Later... I'll come back to it later.
I wrote the rest of the answers. Then — I returned to the fourth.
Well... the empire is vast. It can't have just one or two. Three is too few. Four? No. I think... well... hmm... thinking about it, let's say 6. Fine.
I wrote: "There are 6 main magical towers in the empire."
I put down my pen. I breathed.
---
A teacher stepped into the center and clapped. Clap-clap.
"Done. Everyone stop writing. All teachers, collect your group's papers."
After they were collected, I walked outside.
I opened my mouth and yawned. I stepped to the side, and Dzao appeared before me.
"Boo!"
"Yes, are you alright, Master Dzao?" I said, looking away.
"Yes, fine. How did the exam go? I did say you didn't have to come."
"No, sir. I wanted to test myself."
"Oh, is that so?"
"Yes. And I think the test questions weren't that difficult. They should make them harder."
"No, they're hard. They just seem easy to you. For an exam taken by 8-year-olds, the difficulty is above average. You think you solved it perfectly?"
"No, I don't think so. I made 1 mistake, most likely."
"Which question was it?" he said. "Ah, the one about how many magical towers there are? That one, I think."
"Hahaha! No, that one's specifically a children's question. You couldn't answer that? Impressive!" he laughed at me.
"Hey, I just hadn't read it in any of the books I've studied so far. What was I supposed to do?"
"Well, I can't help with that matter. Fine. Well, you don't need to learn it. These places are common knowledge among the people. Well, anyway. Take care of yourself, Kael. Goodbye."
And he vanished.
Hmmm. So that's how it is. Fine.
I returned to the children. I walked to the training ground.
There was noise ahead.
The boy from before — Elven Smith — and this — Nolan. They were fighting. How could Nolan fight someone like that?
Well, none of my business, I said, and as I was walking back to the hall, something hit the ground hard. Thud-boom!
I looked back. Nolan had thrown Elven Smith to the ground.
How? This was insane! He'd defeated that ox of a boy with his small frame. Elven was at least as tall as Sedric and very muscular.
Hanna flew over and hovered in the air.
"What are you doing here?" she said sharply.
Dzao appeared before Hanna.
"Hey, hey, quiet now. They're children, they're just playing around," he said.
"But, sir..."
"Hanna."
A moment of silence.
Dzao landed on the ground.
"Well, everyone disperse. That's enough. Come back tomorrow. The results will be announced tomorrow," he said and stepped forward.
"Everyone go to the waiting hall. You too, Elven Smith," he said. "You — come with me, Nolan."
He took Nolan with him. I watched for a moment.
Suddenly, Lilith ran up to me from somewhere.
"Hello, Kael! Are you alright..."
Wh-what? How does she know my name? Damn. Is this also that old man's doing?
"Yes, I'm fine. Are you alright?" I said, scratching my head.
"Well, fine. No harm done. Anyway, I'll be a different person tomorrow."
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