Zack handed his papers to the admin, he had finished a good hour before time was called. And since he couldn't leave, he chose to meditate and train his mental control over his magic. The silence in the room was broken by the loud sound of their administrator's voice. "Okay everyone, let's go times up, if you haven't turned in your paper do so now. "Zack stood slowly, his legs felt like iron, he began to regret sitting still for so long.
Once everyone had gathered at the door the admin spoke again. "The next test will be your last test. It is a test of magical ability your ability will be scored based on how many elements you can control as well as how well and how long you can control them. Those in the top ten will bypass basic training and receive a grimoire as well as advanced training to become a royal mage. As for those who rank lower due to our lack of applicants, only those below the top fifteen will be failed the rest will be trained and after training, they will receive a grimoire. Now if you please follow me ill show you to the next testing area."
Zack and the other applicants followed the admin through a large hallway filled with paintings of past and present mages that serve the royal family. Zack hoped he would get the chance to serve under the mages who served the royal family since they were considered the strongest mages in the kingdom. They had stopped at a large pair of double doors that seemed to span to the ceiling. They were decorated with the cycle of the moon etched into the wood along with what seemed like an elf and a human standing together back to back, both were watching the cycle.
The admin walked up to the door and pushed it open with an ease that seemed should not be possible due to the doors sheer size. Zack examined the door even closer as he passed through it, it had to be at least five inches thick. He was surprised the man could budge it let alone push it all the way open. Zack was beginning to wonder if the man in front of him was even human. He quickly caught up with the group still staring at the admin until finally, they stop in the center of a large room with the cycle of the moon in the center of the exquisitely decorated floor.
Zack gapped in awe of the room, it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, the walls were made of solid gold while the floor was made of a clear gold marble all except the moons which were made of a pale luminesce gray and black. The pillars in the room were made of pearl but shaped into the form of humans and elves. Some of the pillars depicted warfare while some showed peace, but they all showed humans and elves before the great fall.
Zack couldn't help but notice the majority of the pillars showing humans were about war and the aftermath left behind. Zack wondered if maybe the humans weren't as peaceful as they are now. The thought seemed ridiculous but he couldn't shake the feeling he was right. Well, humans did destroy forty percent of their race, he thought to himself, you don't do that by being peaceful. Zack wondered why humans killed each other in the past, what could possibly be worth taking an innocent life for?
His thoughts were interrupted by the admin giving out more instructions. "Now we'll begin the magic application test remember your being scored on how many elements you can hold and control at once, it doesn't have to be pretty or fancy, it just has to be controllable and functional. Now first up is..." Zack waited for his name to be called not focusing much on what the other applicants were doing. Zack did, however, pay attention to Lins test. From what he already observed the girl was his only true match.
Lin made her way to the center of the room. Zack noticed that her movements seemed stiff, he could tell she was really nervous. Does she have stage fright, he thought, guess that makes sense but she'll have to get over that sooner rather than later.
As she stood at the center of the room the administrator called out the first element. "Summon fire," he instructed, she said something in such a low voice it was practically inaudible, a head-sized ball of fire floated next to her. "Right next do water" the admin instructed, they followed this process through the rest of the elements. When they were all done she had six of the eight natural elements around her, fire, water, earth, electricity, and air. She said could not produce stable light or shadow element.
Finally, Zack was up next. He made his way to the center of the room. He noticed that every person in the room was focused on him, his stomach suddenly felt like it was tying itself into knots. Swallowing back his anxiety he faced the rest of the applicants, his mouth felt dryer than desert sand. "Summon fire," the admin instructed, but zack was too focused on the crowd staring at him, he hadn't heard the man speak. "BOY!" the administrator shouted. "CAN YOU SUMMON FIRE OR NOT" Zack jumped at this, he felt like a kid being reprimanded, he nodded and summoned a large ball of fire. "Good now do water" by the end Zack had summoned fire, water, earth, and electricity. "Now summon shadow" Zack concentrated on the dark and pushed it outward, a large dark ball floated next to Zack. The ball was a deep dark color almost as if it were a void or a dark stain on the universe itself. The admin gasped staring at the ball as if it would kill him at any second. He quickly regained himself then dismissed Zack staring at him as he left.
Once all the applicants had demonstrated their skill with magic the admin left, he hadn't said why he was leaving only that he'd return soon.
~~~
Hank shuffled down the hall quickly, he shoved his way into the head administrators room, forgoing all formality he said simply and quickly what he had to. "One of the applicants can use dark magic."
The head admin looked up from his work quickly. "Are you sure, if not say so now," Hank nodded furiously.
"I saw so my self, it was dark magic, no mistaking that color"
"Watch this applicant, for now, we don't want to be hasty in this"
"Sir you know only one being has ever used dark magic"
"Yes I'm aware, which is why we don't want to be hasty, now go"
"yes sir"
Hank left the head administrators office, the look on the head administrators face made Hank nervous, it was the first time in his sixty years of service at the tower that he had ever seen the head administrator scared.