Chapter 1 : I want to join the magic department
Neutral Kingdom, Capital City, Shin, Capital Academy, main hall,
Over a thousand children are lining up to take magic aptitude test to test their magic capabilities.
From the thousand testers, only 200 shall pass, 100 to the magic department and the other 100 to the knight department.
Royalties, nobles, commoners and even a few rare slaves have always been the social standing of the testers. Royalties paid 200 silver coins for the examination, nobles paid 50 silver coins, commoners paid only 1 silver coin while the slaves paid 50 silver coins not including their owner's fee if they partake in the test as well.
The royalties usually brought 3 maids, a head maid and 2 subordinate maids, and up to 5 bodyguards with them. As for the nobles only brought a maid with them.
Of course other than the test takers, only the representatives of each royalty's bodyguard are in the main hall.
First test, magic aptitude test.
Magic aptitude test is a mandatory test to be able to enroll into the academy. The test usually filtered nearly half of the testers. Yet, this year over 800 testers passed the test. The test tested each tester's magic attributes and mana owned by the testers.
(Water, low)
(Fire, high)
(Wind, average)
(Earth, low)
(Ice, dense)
(Thunder, high)
The results were announced repeatedly,
each tester's element and the density of mana owned.
a few testers with results of dense mana mentioned, hundreds with low to high density.
(None, high)
A sudden burst of whispers and murmurs filled the academy main hall after the examiner announced the result of the commoner. A bright light with gray color indicating the element the commoner good at.
Unfazed, the examiner continues his task, uttering the word "next" as the next examinee, a royalty, was rooted on her spot while looking calm. She has been waiting calmly for her cue signal from the examiner. Since result of none usually had always been zero or low mana density, the hall got too loud which forced the examiner to use his magic power to send out the heavy loud voice to calm the hall.
The next result, once again, sends the hall into another turmoil. This time basically almost everyone contributes to the noise. The teachers whispering to each other with enough noise, the same goes with the bodyguards which of which centered on the lady's bodyguard who is a lady herself as well and lastly the examinees who either show confusion, disdain, pity or contempt.
(Ice, ave....
Impossible! Ice element is one of the two advanced element!
*cough cough*
Princess, pardon me of my rudeness but, have you give it your all?) (Examiner)
The examiner was disbelieving and now is refusing to give up as he pleas the princess to show her all.
(I want to be in magic department. This is the minimum passing grade, right?) (Princess)
(My princess, please don't make it hard for this humble old man. This result will definitely end up with this old man responsible over this event.
This old bone will do his best on complying princess's request to be admitted into the magic department. I, Sovelein Meta, will stake everything if princess Silvia Tiara Norein Shiva could show a superb result. I will ensure princess can just skip the practical test as well.
If there is any who want to try being funny, princess can punish that person as my princess sees it fit, I will take all the responsibility. Even executing that trying to be funny person on the spot.) (Examiner Sovelein Meta)
Sovelein's plea only could be heard by ones with sharp ears as it was directed to princess Silvia but, his announcement, which more of a warning about him taking full responsibility of princess's punishment if any of the practical examiners dare to test her on practical test.
The hall become devoid of voice after his declaration. All of this is possible because the magic aptitude test examiner, Sovelein Meta, is the strongest fire element user ever recorded in the Fire Record. Sovelein was once a commoner until he gets his royal nickname, Holy Flame.
Sovelein become the founding head of the Meta Family, one of the few noble families who live in Shin. He was granted the rank of duke after his contributions in many occasions and places of the Neutral Kingdom.
(Then, princess, please.) (Sovelein Meta)
Sovelein breaks the silence as he hinting Silvia to show her superb result to him with his right hand toward the gray testing orb along with a smile on his face.
(Take the full responsibility starting from now then, Mr. Holy Flame. You will definitely impressed.) (Princess Silvia Tiara Norein Shiva)
The young royal princess touches the testing orb once again. Unlike the previous attempt which took 1 minutes yet show no changes after showing the bright turquoise light of ice element with enough brightness to show the average mana density, this attempt of hers breaks the orb to equal 4 sections in just 4 seconds. Average people would need over 20 seconds to reach their peak in which resulting the test taking the result when it's 10 seconds.
Sovelein nodded as he put smile on his face. The result indeed had impressed him a lot as he was only able to put some cracks on the testing orb when he took the test when he was her age.
(Ice, perfect 4!!!)
With high enthusiasm, the examiner announced the young royal princess's result with loudest voice from the hundreds result announcements before this.
As if it had been rehearsed before hand, the whole hall exploded with noises, all the adults including the Silvia's bodyguard are shocked as they might not be able to do perfect 1 themselves not to mention perfect 4, while the children, the examinees, are all looking for partner to speak with to either brag their little bit superior knowledge than their peers or to seek answers they are seeking from their peers.
Even the Holy Flame, Sovelein Meta, who should be maintaining the order of the test, is letting this disorder reigns free as the celebration of the talented genius's enrollment in to the Capital Academy.
Within the sea of people, only one person is calm. This person isn't part of adults team but part of children team, one of the examinee. This person is a boy who is in his teen age but more overbearing than anyone in the hall.
The boy wear a silver mask that covers the right side of his handsome face. His silver long hair match his match as if the mask is a part of his hair. His uncovered golden left eye
emitting an overwhelming confidence and aura even though he wear a pure white clothes, a normal white shirt and long pants that would be said to be able to be bought anywhere.
The boy has been intimidating the surrounding enough that none of the examinees dared to speak to him nor any dared to speak badly of him. As if the boy with the white mask is a god himself.
Basically everyone is afraid of the boy with pure white attire, except one oblivious boy behind him. A boy with white hair and pairs of black eyes in a commoner clothes.
(Brother, brother, do you know why everyone seems to be celebrating?) (White Haired Boy)
The oblivious child just tapped the silver masked boy innocently as the only ones not celebrating are both them.
(You have a good courage. Keep it up all the time and be diligent as well then, little brother.
Remember to introduce yourself only with your given name, Sin) (Silver Masked Boy)
The masked boy didn't turn his head as if he had been waiting for the moment the white haired boy, Sin, to talk to him.
(Huh?) (Sin)
Getting no answer to his answer, Sin received even more questions to answer. The only one he can answer himself is in this world, commoners' name only have a single name and only nobles and royalties have more in their names.
Sin knew he is a commoner as he only paid a single coin for the exam registration fee back then. He was there in a back alley along with a small leather bag with some coins, a small iron plate and the pamphlet of the Capital Academy's registration form with his biodata filled on it. On the form his name is written "Sin" but for some reason, he knew that his full name is Sin Ya Sin. Even though, he knew nothing else other than that and the biodata written on the form.
Sin was frozen stiff from the shock he received. Yet, the same person made him involuntarily took a steps back with his right leg as the masked boy just split as if he was a slime into a 2 headed boy.
Little did he know, that actually the silver masked boy actually not splitting but using magic to have an illusion of him standing like nothing has happened even though the real person is enveloped in invisibility as he is moving toward the stage approaching the princess and the Holy Flame.
(Impressive, sister. I am proud as your little brother. Let's the three of us enroll in magic department.) (Silver Masked Boy)
The boy's words made Silvia twitched especially her eyes. Her eyes betrayed her calm expression.
In the short time Silvia took to calm herself, the boy had stood next to Sovelein.
Just by standing next to him, Sovelein sweated felt his life would be finished if he offended this person. Cold sweats starting to form per each millisecond pass as he somehow felt even the whole humanity would be finished if he got serious.
It will be the overwhelming boy's turn next as the 999th examinee from the exact 1000 examinees this year.
The usual over a thousand or even basically almost 2000 examinees in the past has become the proof of his feeling as in the whole history of 999 years of the Capital Academy, the enrollees alone always break 5 digits from the very first year of its founding. The examinees usually narrowed down to over a thousand and a hundred. The lowest record for examinees was 1111 and perfect hundred rarely happened in the those thousand of narrowing down history.
(I will showcase another interesting show. I will even let this 1000th generation of examinees's all passing children showcase another interesting show.
But, just announce the result of the one after me as high.) (Silver Masked Boy)
(If I remember correctly, you are called Origin? Are you an enemy of mankind?) (Sovelein Meta)
Even shocked and intimidated, Sovelein asked Origin's standing. His celebrating mood vanished as if it was never even there in the first place although his once big smile on his face had changed to a wry smile from who knows when still decorating his face covering his despair.
(Neither. I am one of them and stood even above of those humanity ever known.) (Origin)
The boy's reply has nailed the floating despair deep into the old man's heart and mind since the best talent humanity ever seen, Princess Silvia, is nowhere near enough to overwhelm those hidden nightmares of humanity. Now another even more overwhelming one has shown himself in front of him, who is basically the humanity's strongest, and has drenched him in cold sweats just from his intimidation after standing next to him without him realizing as well as the real illusion of him standing right where he should be.
Piece after piece is matching to each other in Sovelein's head only to be broken again with the illusion's movement of moving toward the split orb for a second with its hand above the four parts of orb to give the perfect split orb cracks before moving a bit toward the Sovelein, the sole examiner of the test, and announced,
(Mr. Holy Flame, just let the last examinee tests his result out before I show you an even more amazing show than the princess's.) (Illusion Origin)
The crack had ceased the celebrating mood in the hall while his declaration has provoked the whole hall. A pair of noble examinees provoked by the declaration and about to start something fall down just like that followed by one of the bodyguards that was going to retaliate after seeing the fallen children.
(They are basically dead. They will be thought as fainted. Do your best to solve the situation.) (Origin)
Origin's little showcase of moving his illusion and letting it talks as well as cracking the perfectly split orb to crack again has already blown Sovelein's mind out. Yet, not stopping until that, he has shown his stance and domineering power by basically public executing 2 noble children and a royal's bodyguard without touching them while still camouflaging their deaths as mere fainting.
Sovelein can only clear the situation forcefully
(Seems like three people have been too excited and have fainted. Please, let teachers carry them.
Now we will see our last examinee before the grand showcase of this mysterious masked boy.) (Sovelein Meta)
Since Sin is the only examinee left, Sin walks toward the cracked split testing orb and turns his head to Sovelein, the examiner, as if sending signal of "What to do?" since the test he is going to do is a bit different than all the other 999 examinees.
(Just send your magic power, your thought, into the split orb.) (Illusion Origin)
The illusion Origin gives Sin the clue before moving toward his real body and vanishes after they come into contact.
Sin still unsure of what to do as he still looking at the sole examiner, the Holy Flame.
(Just do like the others.
Princess, would you stand behind me or would you go back to the crowd?)
Sovelein tells Sin to continue before turning to Silvia's direction and asks what will she going to do. Watching the events on stage behind him or with the crowd below the stage.
Silvia moves and stands next to Origin, behind Sovelein.
Sin keeps on looking on their direction until Sovelein gives a slight nod for him to start.
Sin turns to the cracking fragments of the orb and follows Origin's illusion's movement by putting his right hand above it but with his eyes closed.
I want to make it bright.> (Sin)
The boy keeps on thinking so until his hand starts to feel warm.
The orb has been gradually getting brighter and brighter as the time ticks.
The result shocked the Holy Flame. It is another birth of a genius. A raw talent enough to surpass the princess's polished talent that has surpassed his already on its peak talent.
The result is enough to make the once threatened to near death examiner to forget the message of his death reaper. A domineering presence behind him jolted his senses to submission as if a scythe is hanging right on his neck, wanting to reap his head off from his body.
(HIGH!!!)
The dominating jolt has shaken Sovelein's whole existence that he immediately announced the result louder of all results he has announced since the very start of post as the sole examiner of the Capital Academy.
Sin stopped and start relieving himself in front the testing orb.
While the crowd dumbfounded, seeing the famous Holy Flame got excited on mere result of high which is quite common among examinees and enrollees of each year.
Origin takes his a few steps and a stop next to the shaken Holy Flame and said in a low voice enough to be heard by the 2 people on stage.
(He is the catalyst. You should protect him well as stealthily as possible or instead of light of hope. If not he will be the darkness of despair.) (Origin)
One is shaken and the other one is shocked
Origin continues his steps until he is behind relieving Sin who is in front of the orb. Origin pats Sin's shoulder and gives him a bright smile as he is turning his head.
Sin felt something warm on his right shoulder since the man who had been giving him advice patted his shoulder. The warm is still there even after he moved aside to let man takes his test.
The man, Origin, moves his hand over the broken orb and in the moment, it shatters into nothingness leaving only magic wave that made everyone shuddering, barfing, or fainting even some of weak ones even have weak knees and fall down while making transparent white or yellow puddle below them.
Chaos emerges from the examinees making ruckus here and there and moving to avoid the puddles spreading towards them.
The culprit just moves towards the front edge of the stage and just gives his own announcement.
(I will be enrolling to the magic department. Be sure to be kind to everyone. That includes the combat department.) (Origin)
His announcement was clear and loud that none missed it.
Sin could be seen fainted standing. Even though actually he was sent to an illusion world.
His goal was only to pass the tests and enroll to the academy but, his goal has now shifted into following Origin and learn more about himself from him.