Aptitude Test

As we approach the academy to stand in line, I notice that there are multiple long lines to register for the aptitude test, and the courtyard of the academy is truly a sight to behold with beautiful trees and grass, the walking paths made of stone with diamond shape patterns, and the three statues of the heroes who played in the role of turning the tide of the alliance during the great war against the Dragonoids, the three heroes that I read about were Malika The Shadow, Arthur The Muscle, And Isaac The Mana Manipulator, they were beloved heroes, who were revered greatly in the human region for their achievements for stopping the Dragonoids and were the main reason why the Dragonoids even signed the peace treaty with the alliance, and if remember correctly Malika had magic that helped helped her hide her presence and attacked behind enemy lines, or she would create multiple clones made of shadows to overwhelm enemies, and Arthur was the most unique in his time, due to having magic that increased his physical abilities but even with his accomplishments, he was not favored greatly in the eyes of many nobles, but even then he is someone I wished I would have had a chance to witness in battle, and lastly the most mysterious of the three, Isaac, they called him the mana manipulator, but no one really knew the extent of his abilities, many considered him to be the strongest in the world when it came to pure magic ability, even amongst the heroes they would say Isaac was the strongest between the three of them, and from my dad's explanation of a phenomenon that occurs only in humans and it's called the Hero's Blessing and usually this occurrence allows users to possess unique magic abilities that may can never be learned through spell books and because of this, these people usually get discovered through the academy's aptitude test, and because of this, many who are born with the hero's blessing want to leave a similar or greater legacy that the three of heroes left, and I would like to think that everyone that was born with the hero's blessing but that's not always the case, as there case where some use their unique abilities for selfish agendas and end up becoming horrible people, and there is always one tale that has passed around as an example of horrible they can be and the worst case that everyone refers to, is none other then Mauri who left nothing but fear in the heart's of people, who some considered a monstrous woman that ate people, I would also remember asking my dad about about the origins of the hero's blessing, and he would explain it to me that the current theory behind this mysterious phenomenon is that those who were born with it, usually have bloodlines that are closely related to a race of beings that existed long before the current races. As I'm lost in my thoughts my dad then gets my attention as we finally get to to the front of the line I approach a desk with an academy instructor wearing the academy colors of white and blue, and as she adjusts her glasses she asks.

"name, age and location?"

I reply nervously.

"um Collin Belfaust, age ten, from Arce Village."

she writes down what I said on a piece of paper that's on her desk and then she holds out a see through round orb and says.

"put both hands on the orb."

I lay both of my hands on top of the orb and close my eyes for a few seconds afraid to see my results, but then I take a deep breath and I open them again to see the orb was emitting a small dim light I then look at the faces of both the instructor and my dad's and they both had concerned expressions, in which also caused me to be concerned, but then I break the silence and calmly ask the instructor.

"So what does this mean?"

the instructor was looking at me with pity in her eyes and answers.

"Collin this dim light in the orb means you have a limited pool of mana in your body."

I look down, and think to myself.

"damn it don't get yourself down yet, you knew that something like this was gonna happen."

I can feel my chest tighten up, and the feeling like I'm drowning, flowed through me, and the feeling of breaking down in to tears at any moment began to build up, but the feeling of father's hand on my back calms me down and eases whatever pain I'm feeling at this moment, I look back up to the instructor and then my dad asks.

"So what does this mean for Collin?"

the instructor sighed and replied.

"this means that your son is not going to be accepted to be a magical knight, but not only that."

she pauses and look at me and says.

"he has no chance of using his magic for anything combat related."

me and my dad thank the instructor and as we leave towards the carriages, we bump into my friend Rosie and her dad, where she excitedly says.

"Collin I got accepted into the magical academy."

I reply dispirited.

"thats great, I wish you good luck."

she looks at me concerned and asks.

"what happened?"

I replied with fustration.

"I did not get accepted."

Rosie looks at me with sympathy, and as she gives me hug she whispers to me.

"don't worry Collin everything will be fine, for now just keep training the way you've always done, and you could at least join the adventurer's guild."

I whisper back.

"thank you, I might just do that."

we stare at each other silently for a few seconds, and I sigh as I say.

"well I guess I'll see you in five years."

she steps back and says.

"yes in five years wait for me at the carriage drop off zone."

I nod and reply with a smile.

"Don't you worry, in five years I'll be much stronger than I am now."

she responds.

"yes I know you can, because I believe in you."

she quickly pecks me on the cheek and she runs away embarrassed, without letting me react to what she did, but then she comes back running with a more composed look on her face and then she and her dad wave goodbye to me and dad. After leaving the magical academy's courtyard we start heading back outside of the city walls, and prepare ourselves for a long and sorrowful trip back home.