"What kind of test is it?"
Choi Ha-neul asked.
'It's usually just a spell demonstration. With Ha-neul here, it shouldn't be a problem.'
But contrary to my expectations, Faralda pulled a crystal ball out of her back pocket. It was a translucent crystal that emitted a faint violet glow.
"Aha! I know what this is. I just put my hand on it and you measure my magicka, right?"
Having read her share of manga and novels back on Earth, Choi Ha-neul predicted the nature of the test.
"Correct. More precisely, we use this crystal orb to determine your magical aptitude."
Checking talent with a crystal ball? I'd never seen this in the game. Of course, it's not like crystal balls are never mentioned in Skyrim.
For instance, during the 'Blood on the Ice' quest, Wuunferth the Unliving mentions divining the killer with a crystal ball, but as a player, you could never actually use one.
'I guess things like this have changed too. Interesting.'
Choi Ha-neul was the first to place her hand on the orb. Immediately, the crystal flared with blue and red light.
A vivid blue occupied about seventy percent of the surface, while the rest glowed red.
Checking the orb, Faralda spoke in a tone slightly higher than usual.
"Ho... this is remarkable. It seems a true talent has finally graced our College."
"Why? What is it? Tell me too!"
I didn't know much about this either, so I was genuinely curious.
"The color of the orb changes depending on the schools of magic you can utilize. And the brighter it glows over a larger area, the greater the potential."
I see. Right now, the blue was glowing intensely, while the red gave off a softer light.
I asked Faralda for the meaning of the colors.
"Could you explain what the colors represent?"
"Of course. Blue signifies Destruction. A blue light this vivid and dazzling... this is only the third time I've seen such a thing."
"Who were the others? The ones who made it glow like me?"
Choi Ha-neul asked with pure curiosity.
"Not to brag, but once was back when I was a student taking my own entrance exam; I had a similar reaction. And the other person was..."
For a moment, Faralda's expression darkened. Did I touch on a bad memory?
I quickly asked a question to change the subject.
"And the red? What kind of magic is that?"
"Oh, I was lost in thought for a second. Red signifies Illusion. High Elves traditionally excel in both these schools. In your case, Ha-neul, your talent for Illusion is... average."
Her Illusion talent was mediocre, but since Destruction was the most practical for combat, having talent there was excellent news.
She's the protagonist, after all. Her potential is off the charts.
Next, I placed my hand on the crystal. Following right after Choi Ha-neul made me feel needlessly nervous.
'Haa—please, just let me be able to use any kind of magic!'
Whether my desperate prayer reached the heavens or not, the orb began to shine. Unable to contain my joy, I let out a shout.
"Oho!"
"Way to go, Mister! But... the color is a bit weird?"
The orb initially took on a violet hue, but suddenly, a pitch-black aura manifested in the very center, mixing with the violet and glowing darkly.
'Glowed darkly' sounded like a contradiction, but it was the truth.
The deep purple, reminiscent of the void, seemed to pull in light, darkening the surroundings.
Yet, chillingly, the crystal in the heart of that darkness was as bright as if it were radiating all the light it had just absorbed.
'Well, it means I can use magic at least, but what school is this?'
I stole a glance at Faralda. She had a deeply troubled expression on her face.
"Excuse me—what does this mean?"
Choi Ha-neul asked. Thinking I'd shown enough, I took my hand off the orb, and the surroundings returned to normal.
Faralda hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"This hue represents Conjuration..."
'Nice. Conjuration is more than decent.'
"Standard Conjuration would merely be violet, but these signs of darkness indicate that within Conjuration, you have a massive potential for... 'Necromancy'."
Necromancy. Dark magic involving the control of corpses and spirits.
It was much the same in Skyrim. Necromancers raised the dead into zombies and performed sinister rituals.
Naturally, the public perception of Necromancy in Skyrim was the absolute worst.
"I have never seen someone with this much potential for Necromancy before."
Dark magic. It sounded cool, but I wasn't sure if I should be happy about this or not.
"Then, is admission to the College possible?"
Faralda looked conflicted.
"This is quite a dilemma. It's not that you lack talent, but the College doesn't exactly make a habit of training Necromancers..."
"Even if Bart is gifted in Necromancy, I believe one cannot judge a person solely by their magical aptitude."
Lydia defended me from the side.
"There is truth in those words. Very well. I shall grant both of you admission. However, I will have to report the facts regarding Mister Bart to the Arch-Mage."
"Thank you!"
I was finally going to learn magic. And Conjuration, at that. Being a Necromancer made me think of a protagonist from a famous webtoon.
The thought of playing a major role in combat with Conjuration made my heart flutter a little.
Next, Lydia placed her hand on the orb, but nothing happened.
"Regrettably, Miss Lydia has zero aptitude for magic. Your access to the grounds will be restricted."
"Can't you let it slide just this once?"
Choi Ha-neul asked with pleading, sparkling eyes, but Faralda shook her head firmly.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible."
It couldn't be helped, and Lydia didn't seem to mind much.
Lydia said she would head back to the inn and wait while doing some strength training on her own.
Not only is she strong, but she's diligent, too. She really is a perfect ten.
We followed Faralda's guidance into the building. There was a well in the center emitting a beam of light into the sky, and nearby, Ancano—the main villain of the College questline—was talking to Mirabelle Ervine.
Ervine approached us when she saw Faralda and our group.
"Mirabelle. These are our newest batch of fresh-faced students. I'll leave the orientation to you."
"Of course. Welcome to the College of Winterhold. I am Mirabelle Ervine."
"Hello. I'm Choi Ha-neul!"
"I am Scalbart."
After exchanging pleasantries, Mirabelle led us on a tour of the facilities.
"This is the library. We have a variety of books here, not just those related to magic."
There were already five or six students on the second-floor library. They were focused on their studies, some reading and others writing reports.
'Is that tail...?'
I spotted a familiar face among them. It was J'zargo, the Khajiit student of this 'Winterhold Community College.' He was on a ladder, organizing bookshelves high up.
The way his feline tail poked out from beneath his Novice Hood was actually quite cute.
I had half a mind to take him with us, but I dismissed the idea since his performance as a follower wasn't that great.
"Shall we move on to the third floor?"
"Third floor? You mean the roof?"
"No. The third floor indoors."
'Did the building scale up? I guess more things have changed.'
In the game, the College only goes up to the second floor, with the next level being the roof. After touring the central library, we ascended to the third floor.
"This is the third floor. We have classrooms for each school of magic here. It looks like a lecture is currently in progress."
Finally, I was seeing facilities that actually looked like a school. In the game, receiving a proper lesson from a professor wasn't even implemented.
If you wanted to increase your magic skills, you just paid gold, which killed the immersion. But the scene before me now was different.
"—And so, when the power of a soul within a soul gem acts as the magicka within a staff etched with magic circuits, only then can the spell be manifested."
In the classroom, Drevis Neloren, the Illusion professor, was explaining the mechanism of staves.
He was writing notes and drawing diagrams on a blackboard, and he had even disassembled a staff to show the students. The students were all taking notes in their own ways.
Unlike the game, it truly felt like I was at a proper educational institution.
"Oh. This is cool."
"Speaking of which, Professor Tolfdir is scheduled to give a lecture for all years in the main hall on the first floor around 1 PM today. It would be a great opportunity for you to participate."
'Ah, that first faction quest.'
There wasn't much useful information there, and I only did it in the game because it was mandatory for progression. I figured I'd skip it.
"Now that we've toured all the facilities, if there's a class you wish to take, please fill out an enrollment form and submit it to the professor in charge. Well then, I'll take my leave."
They even have enrollment forms now. It really has become a real university.
"Mister! Let's go hear that lecture on the first floor!"
"Did you forget why we came here? We came to recruit a healer."
Learning magic was secondary, not our main objective.
"But! It sounds like it'll be fun!"
"Fine. You go listen to that. I'll go look for potential companion candidates."
At that, Choi Ha-neul pouted and grumbled under her breath.
"I wanted to listen to it together..."
Meanwhile, in the Arch-Mage's quarters—
"I heard two new students enrolled today. What do you think of them, teacher?"
Savos Aren asked Faralda as he sipped tea from his cup.
Faralda stood beside him with her hands behind her back as she reported.
"Both of them were outliers. The first student, an Altmer, was average in Illusion, but her talent for Destruction was on a level comparable to my own."
"Ho... And the second student?"
"He appears to be an ordinary Nord, and his specialized school is..."
Faralda hesitated for a moment, and Savos Aren, taking another sip of tea, finished for her.
"Necromancy."
"Yes... so you already knew."
Savos had known for a while. He had sensed two extraordinary individuals approaching the College and the reaction they produced in the crystal orb.
His acute senses had detected the subtle magical resonance between the orb and the users' magicka.
"I granted them admission because their talent was undeniable, but I am worried they might cause trouble."
Savos stirred his tea with a spoon.
"Faralda. Power has no meaning in itself; it all depends on how one uses it."
He decided to keep a close eye on the two freshmen for the time being.