The day had come — it was today. She was very nervous, afraid of seeing people and having to interact with them, and worst of all, probably having to face them. Just the thought sent chills down her spine.
So she grabbed her makeshift wand (it was literally a stick wrapped with a blue ribbon) because she didn’t want to go to the store to buy one (and she didn’t like using wands, so she didn’t have one), but it was mandatory to bring one.
Calmly, she made her way to the testing site. But when she arrived, she couldn’t believe the size of the place and the number of people. If she hadn’t promised herself, she would have definitely quit right then. With a lump in her throat, she kept walking.
When she entered the place, she was impressed. The location was huge, resembling a castle, with golden columns and decorations everywhere. As soon as she entered, she noticed a magical barrier, probably to protect the site and prevent people from entering or leaving once the test began.
She arrived at the main hall and was given number 380…
“What?!” she murmured indignantly. There were 380 people in the place!!!
It was both impressive and terrifying for her, and her face showed shock. There was nothing she could do — she was already inside. Seeing the crowd, she quickly moved to a far corner of the room, sat down, closed her eyes, and began reciting the number pi to calm herself.
She continued until a woman wearing a floor-length cloak (like hers) began speaking.
But… that was the mage’s cloak! (Only one of the 15 mages was allowed to wear it.) So she was a mage.
She carefully looked at the woman and listened as she said:“Now the tests will begin. Please proceed to your assigned rooms. Everyone with numbers from 1 to 100, go to Room 1; 101 to 200, Room 2; 201 to 300, Room 3; 301 to 400, Room 4…”
And so she continued up to 600…
“Ahhhhhhh! There are 600 people!!!” she accidentally squealed.
Her face instantly went pale. It was worse than she thought. She struggled to walk properly.
Without realizing, she was already seated in Room 4 when the exams started.
Then she heard a voice:“You may begin. You have three hours, and the test consists of 146 questions,” said the mage with a sarcastic smile.
Her mind quickly focused solely on the test, shutting everything else out.
Minutes passed, and before she knew it, she had finished in just one hour — half the time. She reviewed her answers and, with trembling legs from embarrassment, handed in the test.
The exam was considerably difficult — even impossible for some — but not for her.
She headed toward the mage’s table but glanced back and realized she was the only one who had finished. Her shame grew, but she managed to reach the table.
The mage gave a little laugh upon seeing a skinny little girl in a floor-length cloak, barely able to walk and trembling. Then the mage said:“Since you gave up on the test, just go to the end of the hallway.”
“I-I d-didn’t g-give up,” stammered the little girl.
The mage looked at the test and said, “You’ve already finished?”
Akiko nodded. The mage said, “Alright,” and took the test with an ironic smile.
The mage thought the funny little girl had guessed all the answers.
Akiko returned to her seat, still trembling, and sat down, trying to calm herself by thinking about formulas.
Time passed and the test ended, but the students had to remain seated.
Akiko recited formulas and made calculations in her head when something distracted her. She heard several students grumbling and complaining.
* “I guessed everything.”* “I’m a disaster.”* “Why did I even come? I knew I wouldn’t pass.”
Akiko noticed something: most students with low mana were crying and complaining about the test, but those with higher mana were calm. Yet some students with even greater mana were whining.
She realized those with the highest mana crying were actually examiners — this must really be a test…
After a few minutes, she remained calm.
Then the mage began announcing results:“Number 303 — failed.”“Number 309 — failed.”“Number 307 — failed.”
And so it continued…
The mage handed out results, including to those who had failed. Akiko glanced at her neighbor’s test and confirmed this was really a test.
She looked at the mage, silently asking for an explanation. The mage answered loudly for all the students to hear:“Some of the warlocks failed the written test, others failed after it.”
The warlocks exchanged confused looks, while others understood.
“After the written test, the second test began. Those who doubted their abilities after the test failed. Once you cast a spell, you must not doubt whether you should have cast it. A mage and warlock must trust themselves and make the right choices to avoid harming innocents,” said the mage with a serious smile.
Akiko thought: *If they had evaluated me during the test, I would have been disqualified.*
Then she heard:“Number 380, come here.”
Akiko instantly went pale. *Do they think I cheated? If I’d known no one had finished, I wouldn’t have completed the test so fast.*
She walked forward, trying not to tremble again. The mage noticed and gave a little laugh, then whispered:“Did you cheat?”
“No,” Akiko replied.
The mage looked at her with a seemingly fake smile and said:“You noticed the examiners, right?”
Akiko nodded (yes). She already knew there were examiners disguised as students.
“They said you didn’t cheat, but no one has ever finished this test so fast and gotten everything right — especially at your age, not even the mages or I.”
She said this loudly so others could hear, with a shocked look.
Akiko didn’t want to stand out, but when it came to numbers, she focused only on them and hadn’t realized she had finished so quickly.
The mage said, now with a serious, intimidating face:“You really didn’t cheat?”
Akiko quickly answered:“No!”
The mage gave her a very serious, scary look and said:“Then go sit down.”
Akiko was trying not to cry. She was pale, trembling, and wondering if she should have said she guessed on the test or something.
The mage had reasons to be suspicious — her age, her mana which seemed small but was actually concealed to hide her being an elf, and her mana could be greater than some mages’, which would make her stand out or be noticed. Also her nervousness, and more.
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