A few minutes later, Michael put Dominic to sleep after which he along with Alex started to go the western side of the campus with a trunk containing clothes and a few notebooks, some text books that he knew would be useful to Alex during his first year at the academy.
Michael had known the academy for a long time, and it was a short trip to west side of the building. There was quite a big queue of a number of people waiting in line in front of a magician who was using a few tools to take some measurements.
"What is he doing?" asked Alex.
"Yes, I forgot to inform you about this. They do a few tests to determine your capabilities. Your physical strength, your blood, your ability to channel magic and so on. The academy isn't willing to waste resources on students who are not good at it," explained Michael.
"How come you didn't tell me about this? I haven't prepared at all. Will there be a written test?" asked Alex in worry. "I have never learned any of those things about human body, alchemy or magical theories that you told me."
"Yes. I know. So, now you realize that you need to pay attention to the things I say. If you intend to get through a specialization, you need to have a fair degree of expertise in all of those. But you don't need to worry about those for now," said Michael. "It is mainly a test of your body. As long as you have been practicing that meditation technique which I taught you, you will ace this."
"That will help?" asked Alex surprised.
"Yes. That is the key to magic. I have told you before, but you never paid proper attention. Meditation allows you to be able to perceive magic and continued meditation will make your body adapt to the mana around you and make it more compatible to be a better mage. Why do you think the kids from royal families and the kids of magicians have an advantage?" said Michael shaking his head. He always found Alex to be daydreaming or interested in trivial things when he was teaching him, and it frustrated him a lot. His wife was the only one who calmed him down and insisted that he would improve as he grew older. So, he let it be.
"Okay. I will make sure to follow your words from now on," said Alex as his worries were assuaged a little. "So, what do those tools do?"
"Firstly, you are already considered enrolled in the academy. You are of royal blood which sometimes take a little late to bloom and you are the son of a magician. So, I can always use other means to improve your talent if you fall below the acceptable range. So, don't worry and just do your best," said Michael.
"So, I don't need to take the test then?" asked Alex surprised. He also didn't want to take the test as he was slightly afraid and the large queue implied that he had to wait. So, he felt it would be better if he could go exploring the academy.
"No. You need to take the tests. How else will we know about your present condition and talent?" replied Michael. "Without that data, it will be harder for your teachers to train you with the best methods. If it is just to check if you are capable, they wouldn't be taking such detailed data and would just use a spell, right?"
"I guess so," said Alex as he realized that it was necessary for him to take the test.
"Let me explain further. The first thing are just physical tests. Height, weight, endurance," started Michael.
"Endurance?" asked Alex unable to understand the term. "What does that mean?"
"Nothing, you just need to run a lap around the ground before your tests start. It is just to make your body a bit active and to see if you can do some work without getting tired easily," said Michael in the best word that he thought his son could understand.
"After that?"
"A small blood test and then they will ask you to place your hand on a glass orb which will inject you with some magic and give them the notes that they require," said Michael. "I am sure you will pass those tests."
"Ok," said Alex as he started to go along the queue to join at the back.
"Wait. You don't need to do all that. I have already had an appointment for you," said Michael. "Students can pay a small fee beforehand to get an appointment. The kids and relatives of teacher are also offered the same for free."
"Prof. Carson, I got my kid here," said Michael calling to the old man testing the new students. He was a wrinkled old man with a pointy blue hat and supported himself with a cane that blue and metallic.
"Ah! Prof. Morison. Welcome back to the academy," said Jason smiling at the old student who returned back to the academy as teacher. "It would be hard to distinguish between the two of you though."
"I would rather you call me Michael as you used to Prof. Carson," said Michael with a smile. Carson was the one who had taught him the basics of summoning when he was a child and he always respected the old guy who continued to work for the academy even though he was old enough to find hard to walk without a cane.
"Jason is over there, he will provide the card," said Carson. "Get him here after the lap."
"That man was once the headmaster of the place. Though he is not strong as he was in his younger days, he is one of the best teachers here who can clarify almost any doubt in every subject," said Michael. "So, be nice to him. You don't need to overly nice. Just be respectful. He hates anyone who would suck up to him."
"Prof. Jason is a retired magic knight from the royal guards. He is also old but one of the strongest men in this academy. He monitors all physical training and he teaches those who chose magic knight as their specialization," said Michael pointing to the person who was monitoring the new students taking laps.
The man was donned in a leather armor with a pair of short swords on his waist. Unlike the rest, he had his white hair cropped short. As they came close to him and took the card, Alex found the man quite frightening with red eyes, a scar beneath his ear and strong bulging muscles.
"Get going kid," said Jason in a voice that was oddly pleasant to hear and mismatched to his exterior. "You are being timed. So, I suggest you start soon."
"Nice to see you here, Michael," said Jason Holt nodding towards Michael. "I thought that you might choose to remain in the military, but this the same. The nation needs more magicians than loyalists to the royal family," he continued.
"Haha, it's funny to hear that from you master. You are one of the most loyal ones that I have seen," said Michael.
"I am a loyalists to the crown not the royal family, Michael. I always will be working in the best interests of the nation and it is best if have more magicians now. Those foolish imbeciles have hit us hard. Magicians were always the source of strength of any nation in this world. We need them in all walks of life and a pledge of loyalty to the royals is not necessary as long as they have morality to not betray their nation. So, I am glad that you joined us," said Jason as kept taking cards from prospective students and marking their lap time.
"Your kid is fast for one of his age," said Jason as he snuck a look at Alex. "Does he know about Magic knights?"
"I decided to let him learn those stuff at the academy. Moreover, you forget that he is a Morrison, he would have a born advantage of having a better physique hailing from a warlock family," reminded Michael.
"Hmm, yes," said Jason as he stole another look at Alex. "Now that is actually better. Imagine a flying magic knight smashing into the enemy numbers like meteor and vanishing again in a moments time. That is the dream," said Jason smiling at Michael.
"I am fine if he chooses it on his own," said Michael trying to talk to Jason to not put any ideas into his son's head at such a young age.
"Don't worry. That is all just a fantasy and I don't intend to push him towards the path intentionally," said Jason. "Anyway, any magician who learns enough magic to make him a warlock hardly ever agrees to be a magic knight. Your old man had probably already started to work on him."
"No, He hasn't even met Alex, though he did ask for us to get to ancestral house during holidays," said Michael.
"I hope that you have a decent way to convince him. He will start to infuse him with blood and try to change his physique if he goes there," said Jason.
"I do have something that I can trade with my dad for some time," said Michael. "Have a wyrm blood essence which I intend to use for my son. He wouldn't put any of his plans into action once he sees that. He would also want a stronger warlock in the family."
"You have been prepared for this."
"Since Robin was pregnant, I knew that such a day would come," said Michael.
"Hmm. Good plan," said Jason. After a couple of minutes, Alex returned panting and sweating. "Get to the old man over there," said Jason pointing to Prof. Carson as wrote down the lap time on his card.
He went back to Carson with the card accompanied by Michael. "Not bad," said Carson as he made Alex to stand on a machine which quickly took his height, weight, heartbeat and a few scans of his body. Following that, Carson flicked his wand causing a small cut to appear on Alex's thumb through which a small amount of blood flew into a tool which began to rotate started giving him a report.
"Place your hand on the ball, kid," said Carson pointing to a purple colored ball mounted on a frame with a bunch of runes and wires attached to it. As he put his hand on the ball, he felt it sting as if electricity passed through his entire body. He wanted to get away from the ball, but it was like his hand was stuck to it. A couple of seconds later, he was able to move away from it.
"How long was I stuck to it?" asked Alex a bit frightened and shocked.
"Less than five seconds, kid," said Carson. "It always feels like that for the first time. You will get used to it later. You take that test every year you are studying here. Anyways, you pass. Get moving," he continued as he sent off Alex.
"You won't really get used to the feeling, kid," came a gruff voice from behind them. A burly old man wearing a long black overcoat which covered him till his feet was standing behind them with a young girl that was shorter than Alex and looked a bit afraid and tired with bags beneath her blue eyes. She looked very cute with a round face, big round eyes and a long hair that fell to her waist.
"Mr. Drake," said Michael recognizing the man to be the father of his best-friend Derek. He was suddenly afraid that he had come for Dominic as he couldn't think of any other reason. "I didn't expect you to be here."
"Me neither. This was an unexpected visit, but I was hoping that I would run into you. My condolences for the death of your wife, Robin," said Drake. "I should probably have met you before."
"It is small thing, Sir. I should also have taken time to visit you. My condolences for your losses the past two years," said Michael a bit flustered.
"It is nothing. I understand that you had a young one at that time apart from this one here. It would have been hard for you to take care of them. I had a very tough time with this one," said Drake pointing to the young girl. "Lucy had been very distraught since Derek and Natalie died. It is hard for a young girl to handle the death of her parents at a young age."
"That is true," said Michael. "So, what brings you here?"
"I am here to enroll her," said Drake tilting his head towards his granddaughter.
"I thought that she is just nine," said Michael. "Is she having troubles?" he asked thinking of a scenario in which underage students might be accepted.
"Troubles is good word as any for it under normal circumstances, but she had been very helpful to us the last year. A number of the family members were saved due to her," said Drake. "If the attacks of those murderers didn't subside, the elder wouldn't have allowed me to bring her here. She has gone two years without training already."
"Her visions are that accurate?" asked Michael in surprise looking at the young girl.
"Accurate, but they are far too painful for a young one. So, I brough her here. I could help her myself but these days, we hardly have any time to care for our own selves. So, I thought that she would receive better care here," said Drake. "A couple of guys from my family too joined the place as lecturers."
"So, here comes my request. I hope that you would keep an eye out for her. She is a gifted one, but almost everyone in the family only values the gift. I want someone who could value her and look after her. Please, for Derek," said Drake taking Michael's hands into his own.
"I will try my best, Sir," said Michael.
"Thank you," said Drake. "She also talks about you and actually wanted to talk to you since the incident, but due to the situation, I could never get her to meet with you."
"She wanted to talk with me?" asked Michael surprised.
"Yes. She had her first vision involving the incident. She saw them die. Somehow, you were also involved in it. She wanted to talk to you since that fated day," said Drake. "Something that she didn't even want to tell me."