Vol. III Chapter VIII: Classmates

Lucius passed the first trial without much trouble.

Back then, Aelmir had drilled the theory of essences into him late into the night, so thoroughly that he could never forget.

Glizzy, too, was writing away eagerly when she wasn't tearing through her pages or poking holes in them with her quill, often needing fresh paper from the annoyed proctor as a result.

The grading was swift. Within an hour, it was announced in the waiting hall who had made it to the second part of the exam, and who would be sent home.

Some disappointed candidates shuffled away after their names weren’t called.

But Lucius and Glizzy were not among them.

Lucius had hoped to avoid contact with the other applicants. He lingered quietly at the edge of the hall, careful not to be drawn into conversation.

I'm here because I have to. Not to make friends.

But the goblin girl kept finding him in the crowd and pushed her way into his space, much to his dismay.

A wide grin spread across her face.

"Told you! Piece of cake! I already knew all the answers. I’ve taken this test three times already! Or did you copy off me? Hmm? Did you? Though... you look smart. Nah, you didn’t. Or did you...?"

Lucius sighed, clearly annoyed.

"...Shouldn’t you be preparing for the second exam or something?"

She just cackled.

"Don’t be silly! I know everything about essences. Our shaman taught me everything! Everything! He always said: 'Glizzy, if you’re not careful with veilwort, I’ll feed you to the wargs!'" She paused, tapping her chin. "Wait... or was it moonroot?"

As she stood there pondering, Lucius slipped away. His mind was elsewhere.

I don’t have time to babysit a goblin. I can’t waste a second here. I need to...

Not watching where he was going, he collided with someone, stepping on a trailing cloak. The person stumbled and fell backward onto Lucius, whose head hit the ground.

"Ow, my head..."

Long, jet-black hair flowed over his chest. When two slender hands parted it, he found himself staring into dark almond eyes, framed by straight brows and set in a face pale as porcelain.

Her cheeks flushed as she locked eyes with his steel-grey ones. She quickly stood, brushing off her long coat.

"Can’t you watch where you’re going, you idiot?!" she snapped, her face still red.

"Sorry..." Lucius muttered as he stood. "I’m leaving."

But a hand touched his shoulder before he could walk away.

"Please forgive my sister. She can be... a bit fiery."

A young man stepped forward, bearing a striking resemblance to the girl. The same features, but his hair was tied back in a tight knot, held in place by a golden ring.

Both wore finely embroidered garments with matching patterns in red, gold, and green.

"Fiery?!" Meiruna snapped. "You expect me to apologize when he knocked me over?!"

Her brother raised his hands in a calming gesture.

"It was just an accident." Then, turning to Lucius with a smile: "My name is Tairaku, and this is my twin sister, Meiruna."

He gave a slight bow, while Meiruna stood behind him, arms crossed, visibly irritated.

"Lucan di Almarath," Lucius replied shortly, head slightly lowered.

Glizzy had hurried over and now stood beside him, eyes wide with curiosity.

"Are you from Animshin?!"

"It’s the Divine Empire of Animshin, actually. But yes, and it was a long journey. Now if you’ll excuse us..." Meiruna replied, her tone edged with superiority.

"Wooow!" Glizzy squeaked, her eyes sparkling.

Tairaku offered Lucius a friendly smile and extended his hand.

"Best of luck with the exams."

Lucius hesitated at the offered hand, then shook it awkwardly, forcing a smile.

"Yeah... you too."

So much for staying under the radar... he thought.

Just then, a bell rang. The second trial was about to begin.

Each examinee was assigned a table with a range of reagents like herbs and minerals, all unique, along with several sheets of paper.

The examiner addressed the group.

"It’s simple. Identify and describe the effects and interactions of all reagents before you. Include their origin and associated school of magic. Begin."

The second trial proved far more challenging for Lucius.

He could’nt recognize all of the ingredients, many were entirely unfamiliar while he nervously examined his assigned materials.

While holding up a dried flower he tried to remember: This is... swinewort geranium... used for... What was it again? Damn it.

He looked around. Others were struggling as well, except for Glizzy, who grinned as she scribbled confidently.

Eventually, she noticed the helpless look on Lucius’ face.

"Pssst! Hey! That’s for transformation spells! P-O-L-Y-M-O-R-P-H!" she hissed.

Ah she’s right! Aelthir mentioned that once...

The examiner gave Glizzy a stern look, but she turned innocently back to her table and her little help went unnoticed.

Just before the bell rang, Lucius completed his sheet, one of the last to finish.

It was sheer luck that many of his reagents came from Tiberun and had been covered in Aelmir’s lessons.

"You sure took your sweet time!" Glizzy called with a mischievous grin as he reentered the waiting room.

Lucius smiled sheepishly.

"Thanks... for the help."

"No problem!" she beamed.

After that round, the number of remaining candidates dropped sharply. Luckily, Lucius made the cut once again, as did Glizzy and the twins from Animshin.

When the final trial began, it was already evening.

The candidates were led into a large stone hall, its walls scorched, cracked, and worn.

"For this final trial, each of you will receive an essence. You will be judged on pronunciation, magical output, and effectivity."

The first candidate stepped forward, one of the High Elves. He examined the vial with practiced arrogance.

"Tch, child’s play..." he scoffed after seeing the spell.

He drank the essence, recited the incantation, and fired a powerful frost bolt at the wall.

The examiners exchanged glances, jotted down notes.

"Passed. Next!"

And so it continued.

Each examinee received a different essence. Some failed the pronunciation; others lacked the raw power to cast the spell.

Glizzy had trouble with hers.

"Oh no, not another unstable formula! Please don’t explode... please don’t explode..." she murmured like a mantra.

Her hands trembled. She drank. Her lips formed the first syllables. Wrong.

"V...v..vaaalturis..."

Lucius noticed it immediately. 

What is she doing?

He hadn’t intended to interfere. He could be disqualified. But something in him refused to watch her fail.

She helped me too. I owe her...

He crept closer, behind other students and examiners.

"No, not Vaaalturis... it’s Valtuuuris. Stress the second syllable..."

He barely whispered it, more to himself, but her long, green ears twitched. She heard.

Her eyes widened slightly. Then she spoke the incantation. Correctly.

A glowing fireball bloomed before her, stable and controlled.

The judges nodded. "Passed."

Tears shimmered in Glizzy’s wide, yellow eyes.

"P-p-passed?" she repeated, stunned. Then shouted with joy:

"Passed! I passed! I finally did it!" She locked eyes with Lucius, ran over, and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you..."

"H-hey, what are you doing?" he said awkwardly, but then pat her head gently, almost relieved.

Then came Tairaku and Meiruna. Despite being given fairly advanced spells, they passed without much trouble.

Finally, it was Lucius turn.

He chuckled as he saw the essence prepared for him.

Ventha surga rithorath.

A more powerful, but far more complex version of the Ventha spell, the one he had once destroyed Aelmir’s cellar with. It felt like this was years ago.

If I drink the whole vial, I’ll blow half the academy apart. I can’t reveal my full magical capacity here... It’d attract too much attention.

He took only a tiny sip, discreetly spilled the rest, and cast the spell.

The resulting whirlwind was still impressive, but not excessive.

"Passed," the examiner declared.

As Glizzy cheered loudly, Lucius noticed Tairaku giving him a strange look, thoughtful, almost analytical.

The remaining candidates, barely twenty now, were led into the academy’s great hall.

The old magister stepped forward. 

"You have passed the trials. From this day forward, you are students of the Academy of Valdrath," he declared.

Robes were handed out, bearing the academy’s emblem: a stylized flame, within which rested the iron fist of Tiberun, surrounded by four slim, stylized books.

Then came the weekly schedules, and finally, they were dismissed to their dormitories.

Lucius lingered, wandering the academy halls, eyes quietly scanning for any signs related to his mission.

Where do they keep their artifacts? he wondered.

On the way to the dorms, Meiruna stormed past from the women’s wing, eyes blazing.

"I’m going to lose my mind! A goblin! I’m rooming with a goblin! Is this some kind of joke?! And the snoring..." she ranted dramatically, not noticing Lucius nearby.

He smirked. He knew exactly who she meant.

Then he entered his own room.

It was simple but bright: two beds, two desks, a window overlooking the courtyard, and even a spacious bathroom.

Tairaku sat on the left bed, book in hand. He looked up and smiled.

"Ah. So we’re roommates."

Lucius greeted him, slightly surprised, then dropped onto the empty bed. For the first time in days, he felt something close to peace.

But after a while, Tairaku’s calm voice broke the silence.

"Say..." he said, setting his book aside, "...why didn’t you drink the whole essence during the last trial?"

Lucius froze. His hand clenched.

Damn it.

"I saw it," Tairaku continued, no accusation in his tone, only curiosity. "You poured most of it out. Why?"

Silence.

Lucius slowly raised his head. Their eyes met.

And he knew:

He had to choose his next words very carefully.