Chapter 1 - Entrance Exam Part 1

Sakura danced through the air as the newly second year students returned to Deer’s Valley High School. Amongst the petals fluttering about the air was anxiety, nerves and excitement. One would say that those emotions would be normal for any school year but these students had just a little more to worry about than the mere start of a new school year. As they approached the gothic building these emotions grew further.

The Deer’s Valley High School was a proud building looking not unlike a castle, its big stone walls, towers and gargoyles only added to this. Though within this castle there were perfectly functional classrooms, halls and everything else that made up a school though, with most castles came a general spooky gloom.

Principal Wamuro stood in her office watching over the students walking into the courtyard of the school. Her office was situated in the highest room of the tallest tower, perfect for watching the students walk in. Beside her stood Mr Botan Yoi.

“Are there many who you are hoping will make it into your class?” The Principal asked.

Mr Botan considered her question, “There are a few I believe will but you know how the M-classes are, the standards won’t be lowered just for any family, no matter their relative power.”

He looked at the Principal.

She smiled to herself, “You are right my niece will have to prove herself just as the rest of them will.”

The Principal stepped away from the window, scanned her heavy but beautifully sculpted wooden desk. She made her way to the door. Mr Botan’s eyes followed her.

“Mr Kai finished yet?” he asked, also stepping away from the window.

“I believe it is time we address the students, don’t want them to be too anxious,” The Principal walked toward the door with a cheeky smile.

“Of course,” Mr Botan replied and followed her as they descended the tower.

Through the small windows of the tower they could catch glimpses of the students in the courtyard, their black uniforms contrasting starkly against the sakura petal litter. Both the Principal and the Teacher beside her could remember that feeling, that wondering if they would be deemed good enough for M-class. Waiting in that courtyard had seemed to take an eternity for them. Mr Botan supposed this is why the Principal wanted to address them so quickly. After many flights of stone staircases the two found themselves in front of the grand double doors of the school. These wooden doors were so large and so heavy that it would take both of them their full strength to open it in a normal manner. They both started up at the beautiful carving of the Deer Goddess. Her playful smile and shining eyes laughed down at them.

The Principal bowed before the carving and stepped forward. She placed one hand on the centre of the door, closed her eyes and slowly before her the heavy doors started to open. The morning sun graced her face as she opened her eyes and sakura swirled inside. Before her expectant faces looked up at her. She knew more than two thirds of these faces would soon be disappointed. But that was the way it was to be.

She stepped forward fully into the sunlight and cleared her throat.

A hush fell over the students.

“Welcome to your second year at Deer’s Valley High School. No matter the path you may take as your Principal I promise you that this year will bring you more than you could possibly begin to fathom. However I do understand the goal that each of you is striving for, which is M-class of course. This exam will likely be the greatest challenge of your young lives and I promise once within M-class you will find an even greater challenge. Every student who makes it will find that they are the pride of their family as it is a great honour. Behind me stands Mr Botan Yoi who will be your teacher if you are to become M-class.”

Mr Botan waved to all of the students and Mr Kai ran up behind them, looking a little flustered. He stood to attention as the Principal nodded at him.

“We will be your assessors for this exam, we will be watching your every move, do not worry you will not go unnoticed. This year’s exam will make use of the entirety of Deer Valley as you will be assessed on how you survive a night.”

The crowd of students muttered amongst themselves but none got loud enough for the Principal to find an issue with it so she continued, “We will not tolerate any fighting amongst students, that is not the goal of this exam. Rather you are allowed to work in groups, though we do remind you that this exam is supposed to test your abilities so relying too heavily on others may be detrimental. Tomorrow when the test ends there will be an announcement and we will begin one on one sessions where you will be able to display what you have learned from this night. Mr Botan and other teachers from the Botan family will be on call in case any of you injure yourself. But other than that I wish you all good luck.”

Principal Wamuro gave the crowd a huge smile before Mr Kai stepped forward.

“Everyone if you would follow me,” he started to direct the students.

Mr Botan stood beside the Principal as they watched the now fearful students walk past. The Principal sought out the face of her niece, who looked very confident among the sea of fear. The Principal smiled to herself but Mr Botan picked up on it.

“Your favourite time of year?” He asked.

“Oh yes,” she smiled and turned back into the school with the teacher hot on her heels.

They snaked through the halls heading upwards and to the back of the school which had a good view of the heavily forested valley. But while the windows showed a beautiful view they would need far more than that to assess the students properly. The Principal opened the door to a top storey room. It had two long skinny windows in each of its corners which showed the lush green of the outside world but the walls were lined with monitors. Most of them were dark but a few showed a few points of the valley. As the two sat down the first of the student cameras came online. The students first and family name was in small writing at the bottom of the screen.

One by one each of them appeared before the whole wall was alive with the perspectives of the students.

Mr Botan got everything ready for each of them to take notes. Such a large cohort of students made everything difficult but this was quite possibly the most important decision they would be making for these students. He readied Mr Kai’s chair for when he would join them.

The Principal flicked through the students' perspectives making sure each worked and audio would play as their view filled the main screen of the control room.

When she was satisfied she turned to Mr Botan and he nodded, handing her a notebook. Each of the pages were dedicated to each of the students.

A microphone sat to the Principal’s right, she pressed the button and her voice swallowed up the whole valley in an instant, “Students please remember that we will be listening in on you from time to time. Everyone, do your best.”

The Principal pressed the other button at the base of the microphone and a bell sound echoed through the valley.

They could instantly see an immediate confusion from the students on what to do. As the Principal flipped through the perspectives they caught snippets of discussions between the students of where they wanted to go and what they wanted to do.

Mr Kai’s hulking frame appeared in the doorway, “Everything’s all set up Principal Wamuro.”

His massive form bowed to the Principal before entering the room.

Mr Botan smiled at him as he sat down heavily in his chair, “Hoping a few Kais make it through?”

Mr Kai picked up the notebook before him and flipped through the pages as he thought about his answer, “This year’s not looking great for the Kai family if I’m honest with myself. Only Haru shows promise, she’s a strong young girl.”

The Principal flipped to Kai Haru’s perspective.

She was leading the way through the forest silently with three other students chatting away behind her. The Principal flipped to their perspectives to get a closer look at Haru. She was built strong for one so young. Her hair was in a short braid that rested neatly on her back as she marched through the forest, broad shoulders brushed the trees.

“Strong and silent type,” Mr Botan commented with a smile, “unheard of for the Kai Family.”

Mr Kai scoffed, “they are the perfect traits for a representative.”

The Principal piped up, “while she does look strong her magic is what we are truly testing for here.”

Mr Kai nodded, “What about you Yoi?”

Mr Botan sighed, “To be honest I haven’t spent much time with the family recently, could be any of them could be none, I wouldn’t know. That’s the price you pay when you’re the primary teacher for a class huh?”

The Principal flipped through all of the Botan students, they seemed to be scattered within the forest. Mr Botan shrugged at all of them.

As the two teachers chatted behind her the Principal sneakily flipped to her niece’s perspective. Wamuro Mika was alone. The Principal smiled to herself, the girl was one of the only students to take her advice. Mika came to a stop in a clearing of trees and assessed her situation, inspected her shoes. She then picked up a branch. The Principal’s stomach did a backflip. Would this be it? The moment her niece would show her magical potential?

Mika looked at the stick gripping it tightly but nothing happened.

The Principal sighed and lent back on her chair then flipped to a different student.

As the day wore on the students ventured further and further out into the forest. It seemed to be incredibly boring, Mr Botan had to resist the urge to doodle in the notebook. Yet merely walking around in the forest for most families was not enough to inspire a surge of the Deer Goddess’ blessing. But as they were being served morning tea a small tinkling bell, like the voice of a pixie sounded. The Principal instantly snapped toward the screens and found one of the Kon boys highlighted. She brought up his perspective. His name was Kon Michi and he was alone deep within the forest. Even during the bright morning light this student had managed to find a dark canopy of leaves. He was half way up a tree. He climbed further and further up.

The panel watched his perspective carefully. As he got to the top of the tree or at least where he was satisfied with his height they saw his perspective shift a little.

“Whoa!” he cried out.

The tree, and therefore he, lurched forward. Yet there was no wind in the valley today.

He clung to the branches tightly and stepped backward, the tree righted itself to its proper position.

Each of the assessors flipped open their notebooks and started to write on his page.

Kon Michi was officially first in his year to perform magic.