The Grimwolf

The large iron door shut behind me with a loud bang.

The examination instructions had been clear, but one thing Professor Varyn had failed to mention was how dark the chamber was.

And it was quiet. Too quiet.

Somewhere ahead, there was a pile of jade crystals in one corner of the chamber. As I walked towards it, I could smell the unmistakable scent of damp fur in the air.

It frightened me a little that I was yet to find the beast. But right now, my main focus was getting the crystal, and passing the examination.

As soon as I placed my hands on one of the crystals, everything changed.

I couldn't see the beast yet, but in the darkness, I could hear its low growl, accompanied by the sound of heavy claws scraping on the floor.

My eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, and soon enough, I found it.

A massive four-legged beast, way larger than a bear, covered entirely with white fur, with long fangs sharper than knives.

Grimwolves were C-class beasts feared throughout the continent. Unlike wolves, Grimwolves hunted alone, and they were known for their advanced strength, intelligence, and killer instincts.

They were born hunters meant for the wild, mainly found in the Northern Icelands. How Professor Varyn managed to capture and even tame one of them was beyond me.

The Grimwolf circled around the entrance gate, its fierce eyes locked onto me, waiting for me to make a move.

I stared into its eyes, and for the first time, I noticed they were the wrong colour.

The eyes of the Grimwolf were known to be blue. This one had yellow eyes.

This beast wasn't tamed as Professor Varyn claimed. It was under a mind spell.

Well, as Professor Varyn instructed, there was no need to fight it. All I had to do was activate my aura to intimidate it.

Earlier, Lucy said Rin Stormborn was born with magic. So all I had to do was tap into his bloodline affinity.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

My future as Rin Stormborn depended on this moment. There was no better time to do it than now.

"Aurora Exponentia," I exhaled.

I could feel something warm engulf me, like a warm gust of wind flowing around me.

Slowly, I opened my eyes.

And found the Grimwolf right in front of me.

Its mouth was agape, ready to shut its jaws and devour me whole.

Instinctively, I took a step back, narrowly avoiding death.

The Grimwolf snapped its mouth shut and immediately snarled when it realized it missed its mark.

Once again, it began to circle me.

I stared at the crystal in my hand. It wasn't glowing, which only meant one thing.

The spell didn't work.

I felt a tinge of disappointment. Without my magic, I was surely going to fail this exam.

But then, something clicked in my mind.

Varyn said that the only way to get past the beast was by intimidating it with your aura. But he never said it was the only way to pass the examination.

All I had to do was get past the beast.

And lucky for me, magic wasn't the main reason I became the Grand Mage.

It was my knowledge.

The Grimwolf was native to Northern Icelands. In the wild, it was a deadly predator, but throughout history, one race had successfully managed to tame it.

The Northern Elves of House Elowen.

If this Grimwolf was captured from the north, there was one thing I could do to reach it.

I took a step towards the beast, and in response, I received a loud threatening roar. I didn't flinch. Instead, I did something unexpected.

I dropped to one knee.

"Greetings," I said to the beast, speaking in Helian, the native language of the elves. "I seek no trouble, beautiful one."

The beast hesitated, confused by my act. But it was clear to me that it understood my words.

"You were once free to roam the vast Icelands from where you came. Now here you are, a mere slave, imprisoned against your will, obeying a master who uses you as a guard dog."

The Grimwolf let out a low growl.

"We share a similar story. Like you, I was once a free and powerful mage. Now I have lost my magic, trapped in a body I do not own and tied to a fate I cannot change."

The growl of the beast sharpened, but it didn't lunge at me.

Slowly, I rose to my feet.

"Our stories both seem hopeless, but we can help each other, you and I."

The beast circled around me, closely watching. In its eyes, I could see the hesitation.

I smiled. A cold, sharp smile.

"I am not here to intimidate you. I'm here to offer you a choice."

The beast stopped right in front of the door, now listening attentively.

I took one step closer to it.

"You can sit there and growl at me all day…"

I took another step.

"...Or you can let me pass, with the promise that when I get my magic back…"

I raised my right palm up and placed it close to the Grimwolf's face

"...I will free you from this hole."

The beast was completely silent now.

"Deal?"

I waited for a response in a moment that seemed like an eternity.

Then, with a terrifying yet quiet grace, the beast moved right past me, leaving the chamber door exposed.

It brushed my side with its shoulder, and lay on its back behind me.

"Such a beautiful beast," I muttered, gently patting its belly. "In time, I will set you free."

The beast let out a low howl, then finally retreated to its corner.

"I promise."

*****

When I walked out of the chamber, Professor Varyn stood in shock.

"There was no aura!" He gawked. "How did you get out?!"

I dropped the jade crystal right in his open palm and readjusted my uniform collar. On my face was a cold smile, like I hadn't just narrowly escaped a life-or-death gamble.

"Take good care of that beast," I said.

Then I calmly walked out of the hall, without looking back.

"What took you so long?" Lucy asked when I stepped outside. I had no idea she was waiting for me.

"Took me a while to activate my aura," I replied, feigning another smile.

Lucy stared at me curiously, but eventually, she shrugged.

"Stupid," she muttered. "For making me wait, you're going to buy me lunch."

"No problem," I chuckled.

*****

The results of the examination were released just before sundown.

Lucy had long gone home to a nearby inn where she stayed, so I went alone to the large noticeboard to check.

The names appeared in a long list, divided into two parts, and arranged in order of score awarded for the written exam.

The first name on the successful candidates list was Aldrin Stormborn, with a perfect written score of one hundred percent, and a magic class assignment of E-Rank.

Just as expected.

Then, I moved to the second name on the list.

My jaw dropped in disbelief.

I read the name again, hoping I had read it wrongly. But there was no mistake.

The second name written on the list was:

Lucy Daevalia. 98%. C-Rank.