Aspiring Vagus Agent
A second before the fireball exploded in Theo's hand, he sought a way to get rid of it. Realizing the resonance between the two elements was collapsing, he created an air current between himself and Jackl and, finally, launched the fireball at the ground.
The flames spread across the floor, creating a true flaming barrier between the two combatants.
"Still too much energy for a simple hybrid... Maybe due to the resonance with the wind, but the destructive power of this attack cost me two velcros..." Jackl pondered, fleeing the fire barrier.
The two velcros on his left arm were incinerated.
Brushing off the embers, Jackl returned to the fight.
"Three blue velcros and one red left for him to win..." Looking at the audience, Jackl noticed the scouts' restlessness. "You've seen enough, haven't you?"
An examiner's job was to stay in defensive mode until the challenger demonstrated a certain desired level of performance. Thus, even if the challenger was already enrolled in another academy, scouts from rival academies could send scholarship offers.
"So, kid..."
Theo was rising through the smoke of his own attack, coughing out the impurities in the air.
"Shall we finish?"
Jackl suddenly appeared in front of Theo, startling the boy. That movement speed was surreal. Reacting quickly, Theo slashed the air with a clean strike.
However, the examiner appeared behind Theo, ready to counterattack the red velcro. Noticing the risky move, Theo created a wind vortex in his right hand and, bending his arm over his elbow, he shot it at Jackl.
An explosion behind Theo launched the boy forward while pushing Jackl back. Sliding and bracing himself on the ground, he turned again to face his examiner.
Jackl had recovered faster...
"Exam concluded," announced Etrbak. "Theo Caesar, please proceed to the exit."
Frozen and trying to understand, Theo looked at the examiner, who had torn off the velcro on the boy's chest.
"When did he..." Theo analyzed, trying to comprehend the opponent's speed.
"It was a good performance," said Jackl, offering a handshake. "Look me up when you're ready for a reevaluation, so we can have a rematch!"
Theo shook Jackl's hand.
"Alright! I'm looking forward to it!"
After greeting his examiner, Theo walked to a gate. He knew Jackl offered a rematch to all his challengers, so nothing surprised him. Except for...
"How did he... hit me?" Theo thought, tossing his bracers into a box nearby.
Removing the rest of the armor, Theo kept replaying how the fight had escalated.
"Hmm..."
Sitting on a wooden bench, Theo began removing the lower part of the armor.
"Ah... I get it."
It took him six minutes to understand what had happened.
While Theo was still sliding and worrying about how to stand out in that scenario, figuring out how to attack and defend, Jackl had already acted and ended the fight.
"You think too much before acting, son. That will become a headache..." That was Ethan's most common phrase during the ten years of training.
Leaning his head against the wall, he sighed while looking at the ceiling. Only the right boot had been removed.
"Though it doesn't matter much now... What matters is that I probably did well in the practical test too. If not, my theoretical test scores will be enough to at least place me in one of Wispells' best classes..."
Returning to removing his armor, Theo focused only on waiting for the results and catching the carriage to head straight to the Vagus Order.
☽✪☾
In an office outside the coliseum, the examiners gathered to analyze the challengers. Etrbak, sitting at the main desk, picked up the day's folders to deliver the verdict on their classifications.
"Jason... an attributor from Wispells Academy... Not great in the theoretical test, but a genius in combat. Almost defeated the examiner..." Etrbak read aloud. "What grade do you give him?"
"Grade one, and then some," replied Jamir, the attributor examiner.
Etrbak signed Jason's sheet.
"Theo Augustus De Lawrence... I see. He used the Caesar surname to get priority in line..."
"Yeah. Augustus is just an alternative surname for the Emperor's collateral family, right? They can use Caesar whenever they want..." commented Jackl.
"Yes. Well; a hybrid, he's already been called by Wispells Academy... Did well in both tests, huh..."
"Grade one too," said Jackl, crossing his arms and leaning back in a chair.
"Actually..."
Etrbak paused, analyzing Theo's conditions. He created a bit of drama and tension in the room.
"Emperor Caesar sent a letter recommending the boy for grade two," he informed.
"Ah... Yeah, he deserves it too."
Grade two is a classification that can only be achieved in two ways; being recommended by an academy tutor, or by a noble or royal family head.
Being a class that can only be achieved through recommendation, the examiners don't mind when it happens during the first selection.
"The son of Duke Lawrence, huh? Am I witnessing the birth of a new calamity?" Etrbak wet the tip of his pen. "But of course. All royalty has the perfect genetics for that..."
Finally, he signed at the bottom of the page: Approved. Designation: Grade Two.
☽✪☾
Resting on a bench in the square outside the coliseum, Theo waited for his carriage at the exit point. Other challengers celebrated in groups at specific spots, gathered to showcase their achievements. While many were sad for not being approved.
Theo crossed his fingers and rested his arms on his legs, watching the groups from afar.
He reflected on his state...
Being alone at that moment was... Depressing. He would have loved for Agnes and Thays to be there, but the two had been approved into the Fulmenbour Order before him. Agnes had been approved just a few months ago.
"She must have felt like this too... Or did she manage to socialize?"
Theo's reasoning was interrupted by the neighing of a horse. Looking at the street, he saw a white carriage stop in front of him.
Automatically, everyone started looking at him. White carriages could only symbolize one academy; Wispells, the most renowned of all.
"Hello, Young Master Lawrence. I'm Rikard, one of Wispells' administrators. I'm here to take you," he introduced himself after stepping down from the carriage.
Theo stood up and looked Rikard in the eyes. Slightly bowing, he entered the carriage.
It looked like a place of luxury. The wine-colored cushions with white and gold details, creating small vines on the walls that formed the base for the chandelier on the ceiling.
Sitting on the cushions, Rikard ordered the coachman to proceed.
"Alright..." said Rikard, crossing his legs and looking at Theo. "You've been assigned to the north wing of Wispells. Just so you know, you'll be sharing a room with another student evaluated in this same session..."
"Uh-huh. I don't mind who it is. From Junior to Veteran..." Theo interrupted. "I have my adaptation days, right?"
Rikard adjusted his sunglasses and respected Theo's urgency.
"Yes... You'll have a week of preparation. You'll spend a week in the lower classes before the practical class with Professor Beatrice. Until then, you'll only have one day off, where you can leave the academy without a superior..."
"Beatrice? She managed to graduate to Wispells' basic and intermediate teaching?"
Theo's former teacher had been transferred and recognized in the Vagus Order just six years ago. Knowing he'd have someone familiar eased his anxiety.
A smile spread across his face.
"Not to intrude, but... How will you spend your adaptation week?" Rikard asked.
"If I can, I'd like to challenge other agents to gain some experience..."
"Don't you want to take advantage of our resources to study?" Rikard frowned.
With his arms crossed, Theo sought the celestial blue of the sky.
"No..." he replied calmly. "I've already studied too much, and I'll study even more in the coming years. I plan to heat things up a bit..."
Theo wished, finally, to understand what his father meant when he said only the academies could make him evolve. For that, he threw himself at the mercy of fate...