Wow, that guy’s huge.

  Kal looked across the crowd at a giant of a man. He stood at least a foot or so taller than those around him, with solid, squarish features and a body of hard muscle.

  Wait, he’s not a man at all. Kal’s eyes widened in realization. He wasn’t looking at a man. He was looking at an ogre. Long, scruffy hair ran down his head, the bridge of his nose was wide, and his head, in general, was just big. Bigger than he had ever seen on a human.

  As his gaze trailed down, he realized the ogre wore a huge Warhammer over his back, which was marked by Glyphs and made of a dark, sooty metal.

  He's not just an ogre; he’s a participant. Kal swallowed as he realized the hopeful mage was likely a teen.

  “Okay, okay, quiet down,” a gaunt clerk shouted and slammed the butt of his staff against the ground, sending reverberations tremoring through the ground. “Soon, each of you will be called for your first exams. This exam is considered a qualifying test. You will be tasked with proving your ability to cast first-circle magic. It is expected that you can cast at least one first-circle spell at a mastery level, meaning you will get no second chances. Fizzling your spell will result in immediate failure.”

  There was no reaction from the crowd. Everyone was aware of this part of the exam.

  “But don’t get too high on yourselves. Passing your qualifier simply proves you are worthy to take the real exams. As you should all know by now, an additional exam has been added, the Magic Hunt. Teams for the Magic Hunt will be chosen after we have discarded the unworthy in the qualifier. You’ll be placed into teams of four for the Magic Hunt. You may decide who is a part of your team if you please. Or wait until the examination clerks select a team for you. But fret not. For this year, the government has made a generous proposal. All mage hopefuls that fail to earn an academy position will be offered government jobs.”

  Boos echoed throughout the crowd. It was obvious what this meant. The strongest mages would work together, instantly decreasing the chances of weaker mages qualifying in a world already dripping in nepotism.

  “This may seem unfair to some of you, but that’s life. Networking with other mages is a part of being a mage. For example, if you decide to become a demon hunter, you won’t find groups of mages or auxiliaries just waiting to hire you. Whether you find yourself in a group of scrubs that can barely handle a fiendling or in a group of professionals will often depend on whether or not you have good contacts.”

  “What kind of bullshit is this? It’s bad enough that all the noble kids rock up jam-packed with magical items, but now they’re going to let them team up together?”

  “Same old government bullshit. They are probably doing this to make us lose on purpose. That way, they can hire us straight into a bureau on the cheap while all the noble kids get to go to an academy.”

  It does seem kind of unfair, but then again, it means I get to join a group with Ellie and Arix.

  The Magic Hunt hadn’t just worried Kal because he wanted to make sure they all passed and received academy offers, but also because he wanted to remain close to Arix so he was able to maintain his Mana Bond. Sure, he could store mana in Arix’s core, but Arix couldn’t rejuvenate that mana. So, if they were separated too long, he would end up having to rely on his own power.

  Arix had done well to learn Empower, but he was nowhere near efficient enough to cast the spell even once with his measly 2 mana.

  “Okay, settle down,” the mage clerk continued. “You’ve still got plenty of time to go over plans for the Magic Hunt. As for the additional exams, they will be personally curated based on your performances from the earlier exams to test observed weaknesses.”

  This garnered hushed whispers and even gasps from the crowd.

  Kal knew that exams changed all the time, but he had never heard of personalized exams. It almost sounded like they were trying to figure out the best way to fail everyone.

  “Now, let us begin the preliminary examinations. Pay attention and listen out for your name to be called. And don’t make us call for you twice!” The clerk said with a final shout and allowed his colleagues to take over.

  As the clerks began to call names, the crowd shuffled forward. They had taken up one of Morington’s major streets, completely filling it with hopeful mages. But moving forward with the crowd, Kal realized that they were funneling toward the town center.

  The town center was a tiled square bordered by government buildings and high-end stores. It was used for all kinds of events and hosted a market on Starsend—Aeora’s equivalent of a Sunday.

  The crowd pushed up, filling half the square. The other half was sectioned off with waist-high dividers, which were further split into four equal parts. Each part had a clerk assessor sitting at a table, several targets lined up at the far end, and a large open space for participants to show off their magic.

  They're giving us the chance to see each other's magic before the Magic Hunt starts.

  Kal realized that they were exposing themselves in more ways than one. The weakest mages would no doubt go all out, hoping to gain a spot in a good group. However, the strongest and wealthiest mages would likely hide their best tricks. Those mages would get a spot in a strong group regardless, and there was no need to let everybody in on their secrets.

  Kal eyed the first participants to enter the makeshift arenas. One of the first to enter created a shimmering blue shield. It was the same Shield spell Ellie knew, and for a moment, he expected to see people use a variety of spells with which he was familiar, but that expectation quickly faded.

  The mage clerk sitting at the table opposite the boy scribbled on a form, then raised a green paddle, passing the boy. As he exited, a girl entered.

  She waited for a moment for the boy to close the gate and the clerk to pass an approving nod. Raising a hand, she swayed it through the air, sending glittering green mana floating down. Within seconds, the mana formed a giant, cupped leaf. But it wasn’t just any old leaf. It seemed to have some lighter-than-air properties because she took hold of its foot-long stalk and threw it into the air; then, as it slowly drifted down, she dove atop it. Over several seconds, she gradually floated back to the ground, and a second after it touched down, she hopped into a bow.

  Watching the display, Kal realized for the first time just how incomplete Daedrik’s library must have been, as he had never read about a spell like the giant leaf. Excitement flooded through him, and Kal found himself impatiently waiting for the next unfamiliar spell.

  Immediately, he began wondering about the leaf spell’s affinity. Magic affinities went beyond primary archetypes such as Arcane, Martial, Astral, and Divine. The four human affinities or archetypes also had Disciplines. Mastering a Discipline was considered essential to reach the highest levels of spellcasting. For example, Divine was split into Nature, Rejuvenation, Radiance, and Sanctification.

  Kal was fairly certain that the leaf was a nature spell, but not every spell was so obvious.

  The crowd parted as the ogre from earlier stepped into one of the test arenas, and Kal’s face lit up like a kid in a candy store.

  Grunting, the towering ogre nodded at the clerk, raised his two-handed club up, and swung down. Kal had little doubt that the ogre was physically powerful, but the reverberating shockwave that burst out from his club was undoubtedly magical, rippling through the ground and slamming into an invisible barrier that flickered into existence around the clerk and the scoring table.

  Kal was impressed. Perhaps all the praise had gone to his head a little because he now realized his expectations of the other participants had been low. Still, the ogre likely had a few years on him, as most of the teens and young adults gathered for the exam.

  “Eleanor Dober,” one of the clerks called.

  Kal swung around to catch Ellie’s determined gaze. “Wait, your name is Eleanor?”

  “It’s Ellie,” she hissed back.

  I guess she doesn’t like that name. But damn, we’ve known each other for years. I can’t believe she never even mentioned it.

  “Well, looks like you’re first up. You going to be okay?” Kal said, letting the name thing go.

  “I’m fine,” Ellie nodded and walked straight into the arena. “No way I’m failing on the first exam after all the work I did.”

  “EleanorDober?” The man said as she stepped before his table. The clerk glanced up for barely a second as he readjusted his glasses. “From Ebenshire?” he added.

  “Yes,” Ellie nodded.

  “Very well. You may proceed.”

  Ellie extended her hand, took a deep breath, and exhaled. Turning her other hand over to show her palm, she rubbed a piece of steel wool against her skin just long enough for it to turn red. Then she held her other hand over it, and a soft, cooling green glow emanated from her palm. Within seconds, her raw skin had been healed and was left looking only ever so slightly whiter than before.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The clerk wordlessly scribbled and raised a green paddle without looking up at her.

  “I did it? Really? I actually passed?” She looked around, dumbfounded.

  “Would you mind, Ellie Dober?” The clerk looked up with a bored expression, and Ellie had to cup her mouth to stop herself from squealing as she bounded back toward the crowd.

  “Can you believe it? I actually pass!” She shouted as she dodged spectators, diving toward Kal and wrapping her arms around him as she neared. “I did it, Kal. I did it!”

  “Ease up,” Kal gasped, pulling himself away. “Remember, we’re only qualifying for the real exams.”

  “Yeah, I get it,” Ellie beamed. “But still. I freaking passed!”

  Interrupting Ellie’s celebrations, the crowd around them began to cheer and holler, calling out “Caesil and Astral Prince” at the top of their lungs.

  Huh, what’s this all about? Kal raised a brow and turned away from Ellie’s embrace.

  The crowds parted as a boy with long, dark hair that hung down past his Adam’s Apple strode up to the testing arenas. He looked to be around Kal’s age and wore fitted leathers marked in glyphs Kal had never seen before. Worn across his back was a black cloak with an inner lining of red velvet that was visible as it fluttered with his movements. On his belt, he wore a sheathed dagger to the left and a wand to his right. Silver vambraces marked with glyphs wrapped around his forearms and a light-catching necklace of fine, patterned silver metal dangled as a centerpiece of his impressive outfit.

  Entering the testing arena, the boy didn’t even look at the clerk as he asked his name, and the crowd fell silent, waiting for his response.

  After an extended silence, the clerk continued without the boy talking. “You may proceed, Lord Caesil.”

  That punk kid’s a lord?

  Caseil raised a thin arm and flicked his wrist. A tiny red and black ball began to flicker in front of him, slowly growing larger and larger until it was the size of a bowling ball.

  “Void Eye,” a nearby kid gasped, rubbing at his eyes. “That’s one of House Galadore’s secret spells. Not only that, but it’s a second-circle spell and a hard one at that.”

  “He’s really going to use a second circle spell like that to pass the exam?”

  “Yeah, crazy isn’t it? I’ve heard it’s as difficult as many third-circle spells, harder if you haven’t bound yourself to the Void Discipline.”

  Kal realized that the pretentious noble was sending a message. There was no need for him to cast such a difficult spell, and presumably, if it fizzled, he would fail the exam like everybody else. That meant that he was 100% certain in his ability to cast this Void Eye spell.

  “That’s Astral affinity, isn’t it?” The spectators continued.

  “Yeah, that’s why some people are calling him the Astral Prince. Some people even think he’ll be the next Archmage.”

  “Bit early to be deciding something like that, isn’t it?”

  “You tell me. That’s one hell of a performance for a kid his age.”

  Interesting. So he isn’t just a smug noble. This kid sounds like he’s some kind of prodigy. Well, I suppose I can’t be the only one.

  Kal inspected the kid’s core; it had an impressive mana potential of 102. Kal knew the noble kid would have far more mana than him without his Bloodline Traits. It also dawned on Kal that while it was unlikely, it wasn’t inconceivable that this Caesil guy had more mana than him. There was no strict law between mana potential and active mana; for some people, those numbers were far closer than others. Mana potential could only be used as a rough guide to determine somebody’s mana reserves.

  With another flick of his wrist, Caesil sent the orb shooting into the sky, where it stopped to hover above him.

  The clerk raised his green paddle, but it seemed like a foregone conclusion.

  Expressionless, Caesil turned and exited the testing arena with the orb still floating above him.

  I wonder what that Void Eye does. Kal had read snippets about secret spells. They were usually guarded by powerful noble houses and only shared with family members.

  “Hey, little girl. Our team is made up of older participants, and you look a little young. But you know what? I was thinking—we might be willing to make an exception for a healer like yourself. How about you join us and leave the little boys?”

  Kal turned to see three older boys, probably around sixteen to seventeen, cornering Ellie.

  “Sorry, I’m good,” Ellie flashed an anxious smile. “Me and my friends have already made plans to team up for the Royal.”

  “Those little punks? Come on, you look smarter than that. Join us, and you can sit in the back. Take it easy. We’re basically offering you a free pass through this exam. All you gotta do is heal us if we get hurt, and we’ll look after you. Trust me, little girl, you ain’t getting a better deal than this.”

  “Oi, buddy, she said no, okay?” Kal said.

  “Huh?” The guy turned with a raised brow.

  “Sorry,” Ellie murmured as Kal stole the boy’s attention and dipped past him and his buddies. “Bout time,” she added, passing Kal.

  “Seriously? That little punk?”

  “Come on, Roger. We wasted enough time with this girl.”

  “Your loss, little girl,” Roger said, waving.

  “Who let those creeps in,” Ellie huffed.

  “There’s all kinds, apparently,” Kal said, watching them pass through the crowd.

  “You sure showed them,” said a smiling bald kid beside Kal.

  Kal turned. The boy had to have had a few years on him. He was wide with a barrel of a belly. “Oh, hey.”

  “Some of the rougher groups might try to intimidate you, but killing other exam participants isn’t just a disqualification, but likely to land you in a royal jail cell. Stand up to them, and they’ll back down pretty quickly.”

  “Makes sense,” Kal nodded.

  “So, why do they care so much about getting a healer?” Ellie questioned.

  “Oh, fighting against each other isn’t why everyone is desperate to recruit healers. Most people don’t want to give up their chance at passing the exam just because they get wounded. No one knows the rules of the competition yet, but getting injured has never been uncommon when taking the academy exams. That and an additional exam this year have made people anxious. These kinds of situations always make healers super valuable.”

  “Glad you’re on our side,” Arix said to Ellie.

  “The name’s Shell, by the way. I’m a split Affinity caster myself. Martial and Divine. I’ve been getting these kinds of proposals from people all day.”

  Kal had read about Split Affinities. It made for a well-balanced caster, as they could cast spells from multiple affinities without penalty. However, they were usually thought of as having a lower ceiling for potential since they couldn’t bind their mana core to a Discipline.

  “You didn’t come here with anybody?” Kal asked.

  “Nope. From a small town in the Adelle Mountains along the southern ranges. I was the only young mage within over fifty miles of my town.”

  “Why did you come all the way to Morington to take the exam? Surely there had to be closer examination locations?”

  “The plan was to head straight to the capital and stay there after the exam. However, during my travels, I heard that Lorran was even worse. Apparently, the place is swamped with hopeful mages taking the exam this year. So, I stopped here.”

  “A bit of a gamble, isn’t it?” Kal said. “What if you don’t get a spot at an academy in Lorran?”

  “I suppose it is. Either way, there's no way I’m going home. I’ve spent too many years in that backwater. Besides, I have faith in myself, and Split Affinities are kinda rare. I’ve heard the academies are a little more lenient on us.”

  That’s a lucky position to be in.

  It was hard to imagine other exam locations being busier than where they were, but if there was somewhere that was, it made sense that it was Lorran.

  “Arix Maestrom,” a clerk called, distracting Kal from the conversation.

  Arix stiffened, and his eyes widened.

  “You okay, buddy,” Kal said, turning to Arix and resting his hand on his shoulder. “We’re right here with you.”

  “Your friend is a little nervous,” Shell commented.

  “He’ll be fine. Won’t you, Arix?”

  Arix nodded.

  “Take a deep breath and just remember what we talked about.”

  “Thanks, Kal. I’ll try,” Arix said, doing as he was told.

  “Don’t try, just do.”

  Arix nodded and turned to walk toward the testing arena. They lost sight of his little frame several times as he passed through the crowd and into the arena.

  “Arix Maestrom of Ebenshire?” The clerk sighed as Arix stepped in front of his desk.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “You may proceed.”

  Closing his eyes, Arix raised his hand. Kal was ready on standby to transfer mana to him as needed and could feel the pulse of his core as he drew mana from it to form his spell. But Kal restrained himself. Arix needed to learn to cast confidentiality on his own. He wasn’t about to let him fail, but he wouldn’t interfere unless he had to.

  They didn’t know any Corrupted spells, and even if they did, there was no way they would risk Arix casting one here. Kal and Arix were likely the only mages casting spells that weren’t native to their core Affinity. Hopefully, Arix would at least benefit from learning Martial spells somehow since he had a Martial Core before his possession.

  Thankfully, Arix had taken swimmingly to his archery club and became a talented bowman. This fit perfectly for the ruse that he was a Martial caster.

  Picking one of the manikins placed for the examination, Arix raised his bow and exhaled as he nocked an arrow and brought it to aim.

  He cast the spell Empower in his drawing hand, funneling its power into the arrow a fraction of a second before he loosed.

  The arrow flashed through the air and slammed into the manikin at such speed that the shaft shattered, and the head disappeared into the depths of the straw figure.

  Arix stood wide-eyed, staring at his handy work as the clerk lazily raised a green paddle.

  “You did it, Arix,” Kal shouted, and as Arix slowly turned, his expression of disbelief twisted into joy.

  “I did, didn’t I?” Arix mouthed, lips curling into a smile.

  “Arix Maestrom, if you wouldn’t mind,” the clerk gestured toward the exit. “I have a long day ahead of me.”

  “Yes, sir. Sorry, sir,” Arix bowed and rushed out of the arena.

  “See, I knew you’d be fine,” Kal hive-fived Arix once he reached them.

  “Thanks to you. If you weren’t here—”

  “This was all you, Arix,” Kal nodded.

  “You mean you didn't?”

  “What are you two conspiring about?” Ellie pushed in between them.

  “It’s nothing, really,” Kal grinned. “Arix just doesn’t realize how far he has come.”

  Of course, Arix was still very much reliant on Kal. But as long as he could at least cast spells by himself, he felt he had a real future as a mage.