"Alright, let's begin with the first exam," their examiner spoke. "For this one, just simply strike the target over there with your magic"
The examiner pointed over to a singular, fairly large target several meters away.
"This will help us assess your overall, basic magic skills. The following exams after will be more oriented towards your type of element, which in this case is air"
"Now, who wishes to go first?," the examiner finally asked, looking at each of them, his clipboard in hand.
"I'll go first," one of the examinees spoke up. Allen noticed it was the first guy who didn't believe Allen belonged in their group.
He walked over towards the location the examiner wanted them to cast their magic from. Allen, alongside the examiner and the other air examinees waited to see his results.
"Watch closely, peasant! This, is the true power behind us distinguished mages!," he shouted, looking at Allen before preparing to cast his spell.
He lifted his right hand and extended it outwards, summoning his elemental magic circle from his hand. From there, the air magic smoothly flowed out of his circle, creating a strong gust of air magic. It soared towards the target, very quickly. Once it hit the target, the magic hit it really hard, making the target soar off a few meters away.
All of the other air examinees looked at him pleasantly, even congratulating him. The examiner looked at him in surprise for a moment, before remembering to finally write down his score.
"Now, let's see how you do, peasant!," he mocked him as he walked past him, an unfriendly smirk on his face.
"Examinee Allen, will you be going next then?," the examiner asked, completely ignoring the air mage's insults at Allen.
Well, it was either now or later anyways, Allen thought as he sighed.
"Very well, I will go next," Allen nodded. The examiner didn't say anything in response, and instead waited for Allen to take his turn.
Allen looked around at all of the other examinees, all of them waiting for him to fail. And the thing was, they were about right. Allen knew exactly how this was going to go.
In addition, they probably didn't care that they didn't go next, since this exam was going to be easy for them anyways. Watching someone else fail was probably more interesting for them than this whole exam.
Well, whatever, Allen thought. It doesn't matter what they think. What really matters is getting past this exam, and trying my best.
He stepped up on the line, after waiting for it to be set up again after the previous guy had made it fly away. Allen took a few deep breaths, knowing what was going to happen. The examiner watched him closely, ready to grade his performance.
He took another deep breath, raising his left hand. Extending out his hand, he began to concentrate with all of his might.
C'mon, I can do this, he tried to reassure himself, while tugging at his mana flowing through his arm.
Just then, a small gust of wind came out of his hand, without an elemental circle. It could barely be seen, as it headed towards its target. Once it touched its target, it just simply dispersed, barely leaving any evidence it was even there.
For just a moment, the examiner and the other examinees just stood in silence, absolutely stunned. Then without warning, most of the examinees began to break out in laughter.
"You're kidding? That's all you've got?"
"Are you sure you're even an air mage?"
"This is what you get for being a peasant, don't even act like you're on our level!"
All sorts of different degrading comments had come out of their mouths, all while laughing like this was the funniest thing they've ever seen. A few of the other examinees nearby even looked like they were trying to hold back laughter. The examiner only looked at him with concern, and then hastily wrote down his score.
Must have been pretty low, if I even got a score at all, Allen thought, sighing in defeat.
"Well, next person then," the examiner announced, clearing his throat.
The rest of the examinees then performed their own magic on the target, making sure that Allen watched and understood "how better they were" than him. Allen did his best to ignore them, and instead focused on how he could do better on their next exam.
Their next exam was forming the largest elemental circle they could.
"Line up, and cast your elemental circle," the examiner explained. "Don't cast your magic. Only the circle. Anyone who accidentally casts their magic will get a mark-off"
Here we go again, Allen thought, already knowing this was going to go just as well as the previous exam.
To put it shortly, an elemental circle is the method in which mage's cast their magic. It makes it much easier for them to convert their base mana into magic. However for Allen, he couldn't form one at all.
"What's wrong? Aren't you going to cast your elemental circle?," the examiner asked, after he passed by and graded the others.
"I- I can't cast a circle…," Allen reluctantly admitted.
"I see," the examiner said without emotion on his face, as if he expected this result. He once again hastily wrote down Allen's score.
From then on, it would only get worse. The examiner had Allen and the other examinees perform other tasks, relevant to their air element. In each and every one, Allen was certain he failed them, even the basic ones. Once they finished up their exams, they reconvened back to where they started.
"Well, we are finished with the main part of the exam. Up next is the duel event, which is the last part of your exam. All I can really say is most of you did really well, and I expect you will all get a good starting rank," the examiner explained while looking at each of them, except Allen of course.
"While we wait for the others to finish, I would advise you to think about who you will duel for the mock duel. I would recommend putting yourself up against an opponent on or slightly above your level. The better you do, the better you will be graded"
"In addition, if you win, there's an added bonus. More points for a stronger opponent. Good luck to all of you, although most of you may not even need it"
The examiner finally wrapped up his explanation, while jotting down the last of his notes. After he finished, he gave them a general nod, and then reconvened with the other examiners.
Allen had never felt more nervous in his entire life during his exam. He knew he did horrible on his exam so far. The only thing going for him right now is the upcoming mock duel. If he can do well on the mock duel, perhaps they will still let him in, even with weak air magic. After all, he must prove he is worth being accepted into such a prestigious academy.
After giving himself a few deep breaths, a small grin appeared on his face as he looked down at his sheathed sword, attached to his hip. He now felt more ready than ever, and will give the duel is all.
Out of nowhere, a hand fell onto Allen's shoulder, taking him by surprise. He didn't even feel or see him coming from behind. Allen turned his head around.
It was the only air examinee that didn't laugh at him or make stupid comments such as him not belonging here.
"Hey, don't let it bother you, okay?," he gave Allen a reassuring smile. "They are just so wrapped up in their power to care about others, weaker than them or not"
"Um yeah, thanks," Allen responded, not sure what to say.
The boy had a familiar look about him, like Allen had seen him or someone like him before. However, he couldn't exactly pinpoint where he might've seen him. He had both gray hair and eyes, however he wasn't able to get a full good look at him, because he had already walked away.
Strange, but alright, Allen thought to himself, as he tried to look around for him again. However, he was nowhere to be found.
After waiting around for a little while, the main part of the exam was finished for everyone. Everyone then reconvened towards the center, as the main examiner was about to speak up again once more.
"Now that we have finished the main part of the exam, we will now begin the duels. Please find a suitable partner for your duel, which can be any other examinee around you. Once you have a partner, have one of you report to us of your duel pair"
"You will be graded upon how well you fight against one another. Ultimately, we are looking for performance, but of course you will score better if you win. Each duel pair will be called, and then you will have your duel in the middle of the arena. Everyone here, including the directors, will be able to watch and grade your duels. Fight well to make a good first impression. That is all"
Just right after the main examiner finished, everyone instantly started to make pairs. As Allen started to look around for someone to duel, it seemed like everyone already had a dueling partner. Some challenging others, while others stuck with dueling against their friends.
Perhaps I can find that boy, Thomas, and ask him to duel, Allen thought. However, before he could find him, someone had approached him.
It was a boy about the same height as Allen. He had blue eyes that reflected a pool of water, with blonde hair that complimented his looks. He had a look of confidence on him, but his face became friendly when he approached Allen.
"Hey, mind if we pair up?," he asked Allen. "I couldn't find a partner, and it looked like you needed one too"
"Yeah sure," Allen responded, smiling. He was glad to find someone willing to duel him. "My names Allen Fleming, how about you?"
Allen put out his hand to give him a handshake. The boy stared at his hand for a moment, but then finally shook his hand.
"Names Charles Rivertide," he responded, as he seemed to stare down Allen. He had a similar look Thomas had, like he was waiting for a specific response.
"Nice to meet you. Let's have a good duel," Allen said after they finished shaking hands.
Charles was surprised for a second, as if he wasn't expecting that response from Allen. "Sure, look forward to it"
Charles gave him a small wave as he trailed off. Now that Allen had a dueling partner, it was a matter of when their duel would begin.
Several duels had taken place before Allen and Charles were called up, all of them exciting to watch for Allen. Lots of different ways people used their magic. Most of the examinees who had a better control and magical power tended to have a larger elemental circle when they cast their magic. It was possible the circle may indicate someone's magical power level, however Allen didn't ever recall his mentor teaching him that.
Finally, Allen and Charles were called by one of the examiners. "Number 97 and number 12, please come forward for your duel"
After the last dueling pair had finally made their way outside of the middle of the arena, Allen and Charles were able to take their spots on either side of the arena. Allen took the left side, while Charles took the right side, if you were facing the directors.
While waiting for further instructions, Allen took a moment to look up at the directors to see if he could finally get a better look at them.
There were two males, and one female. However, the director in the middle stood out the most. He had a familiar look about him, with dark gray hair and eyes. But before he could rack his brain, someone from the audience spoke up.
"Hey look!, it's that weak air mage!," someone called out.
Allen turned around to find the source of the voice. Immediately after seeing who it was, he knew it would only be trouble. It was one of the mages from Allen's exam area earlier, specifically the first one who gave him trouble.
The audience around him started to look confused, and began to chatter amongst themselves. They all must have been thinking about why the air mage had suddenly spoken up like that.
"Yeah, his magic was so weak, he couldn't pass any of his exams!," another one of them called out. "Even the basic target test everyone did he still failed at!"
At this point, the audience of the other examinees turned from confused to interested. For the fact that these distinguished air mages were suddenly calling out Allen must have meant something to them, based on their reactions.
"Yeah, he barely has any sort of magical power, yet he has the audacity to call himself an air mage!," another one of them added.
Allen started to look around at the other examiners, who didn't even seem to try to stop them. Perhaps these kids have more weight to their words than he imagined.
At this point, the audience's eyes all started to stare at Allen. Perhaps they were expecting him to say something? Maybe deny their previous statements? But before he could say anything, Charles looked over at him and asked Allen something.
"Hey, is what they're saying true? That you're an air mage with no power whatsoever?"
He had a small smirk in the corner of his mouth, almost like he knew exactly what was going on, and this was planned from the start.
"Well… I- uh"
Allen wasn't exactly sure how to respond. It was true his magic was weak, and he struggled to cast magic of his own. He could try to refute their previous statements, however it didn't seem like anything he would say would make a difference.
"C'mon Allen," Charles smirk grew a little larger. "Why not try to prove them wrong? Show us your magic!"
Allen started to look through the audience again. Everyone was now more curious than ever. The examiners didn't seem to want to say anything either. Either they had concerned looks on their faces, or the same type of curiosity as the other examinees.
The three directors didn't do anything either, as they remained seated and silent. Perhaps they're waiting to see how Allen reacts to such comments?
"Fine, very well," Allen responded with a sigh. He decided he would just go along with it and show them his magic.
Allen lifted his left arm, extending out his hand, starting to concentrate like normal. After a few seemingly long seconds of concentrating, he finally managed to let some of his magic out.
Just like earlier, and the other numerous attempts Allen has tried before, barely any air magic came out. It was just visible enough to be seen by the surrounding audience, but it was obvious it was barely anything at all.
The audience of examinees sat still for a few seconds, just before roaring in laughter.
"How is his magic that weak?"
"Even my magic isn't as bad as that!"
"How, why is he even trying to become a student here? Pathetic"
"He calls himself an air mage? Air mages are supposed to be strong!"
"That's what he gets for being a filthy peasant!"
All of the comments definitely hurt Allen, but he didn't want to stop now. He is going to continue with this duel, he will win, and he is going to one day become a magical knight.
"It is not a matter of how much magic you possess, or even how powerful your magic may be. It's a matter of will, and how hard you work to push forward," Allen yelled, echoing the words of his mentor.
"I will become a magical knight, and I will defeat you in this duel, Charles!"
The audience had heard what Allen had proclaimed, and begun to quiet down. It seems they were ready to see this duel, and were probably expecting Allen to lose.
"Alright then, prove it," Charles grinned mischievously. "And when you can't, you can go home to your parents, tell them how pathetic weakling you are, and how you are a disgrace to air magic as a whole!"
Allen closed his eyes for a moment, and once again took a deep breath. He wouldn't let Charles' words affect him.
"No. I will prove it, and I will beat you Charles!," Allen declared.
"Really? Do you even know who I am? I don't think you do," Charles scoffed. "I am part of the Rivertide family, one of the three great elemental families, which are gifted with great magical skills and power!"
Once again, the audience burst out with laughter.
"He was challenged by a Rivertide and still accepted? How stupid can he be?"
"He doesn't know about the great elemental families? He should just go home!"
"Who dares to think they could stand up to any of the great elemental families and call themselves an air mage with that magic? What an annoyance!"
At this point, Allen's annoyance began to turn into anger. However, he couldn't let his anger control him. Instead, he will use his anger to drive himself for this duel, defeat Charles, and prove to everyone - including himself - that he can and will become a magical knight.
"Not saying anything, huh? This isn't going to be as interesting as a thought!," Charles laughed, with a somewhat prideful yet disappointed look on his face. It was obvious he was doing this for fun.
Allen looked around once more. The examiners still refused to do anything, not speaking up once to quiet the audience. Even the three directors now seemed to be somewhat interested, almost leaning in forward. The director in the middle, who looked familiar, seemed to be the most interested.
Finally, one of the examiners stepped forward. Allen noticed it was the air examiner from earlier.
"Be advised: any sort of magical attacks that will do serious harm to your opponent are strictly forbidden. The duel will end when either your opponent gives up, steps out of the white-lined boundary zone, or becomes unconscious"
"Are both of you ready for your duel?," he asked, looking at both of them.
"I suppose let's get this over with," Charles responded, obviously starting to lose interest.
"Absolutely," Allen responded, nodding. He wanted nothing more than to defeat Charles and prove everyone wrong.
The audience is now watching and waiting in anticipation for the duel to begin, whereas the examiners and the directors are curious how this will all turn out.
The examiner finally walked out of the boundary zone, so that they could begin to observe the duel.
"Begin your duel!"