1010 HOURS
ALPHEIM
THE LAWN.
FIVE MINUTES BEFORE HEADMASTER VAUGHN'S SPEECH BEGINS.
"So," Ilise started awkwardly, "How was your entrance exam?"
Alphaeus kept staring at the ground. They marched across the lawn, the mousy boy keeping his hands tucked in his pockets and his face away from Ilise at all times. She'd tried just about every trick in the book to get the boy to talk, but it appeared that they were more alike than Ilise had originally thought. She understood him perfectly well - there'd been a time when she was unwilling to speak to anyone, even Bianca.
She shuddered as she remembered the month or so she'd spent locked up in her own room, wallowing in misery and beating herself up over memories that she couldn't have possibly remembered. Ilise's magic had been at its strongest then - anybody who had dared to intrude on her had been frozen at her doorway, their kinetic energy drained from them and repurposed into sustenance for a Ilise who hadn't touched proper food ever since she woke up.
"If you don't want to talk, it's okay. I understand. I'm not the most talkative person, too. I'm just trying to make an effort because we'll be seeing a decent amount of each other in the next few years." She jammed her hands in her pockets like Alphaeus, and looked up at the sky. It was too beautiful a day to be spent fighting other people in an examination for a school she didn't really want to go to.
"Why?" Alphaeus mumbled.
"Huh? Why what?" Ilise was more surprised by the fact that Alphaeus had actually spoken than she was his question.
"Why do you think we'll be seeing each other a lot? Is it because you think you'll be on the council?" His last words were practically inaudible.
"Me? On the council? No way." Ilise said decisively. "I'm not a leadership type of person. If I had my way, I'd just, I don't know, move to some log cabin in the middle of Jotunheim and stay there for the rest of my life. You're the same, aren't you? You got forced into this whole treasurer thing."
Alphaeus did one of his odd head-bobs.
"My parents wanted me to take the job. Said that there was no point in me having an affinity for intelligence-augmenting magic if I didn't make use of it."
"I can put in a word with Bianca, if it helps."
He clammed up. "No need for that," Alphaeus said through gritted teeth. His entire face seemed to darken at the mention of Bianca's name. He stormed off towards the entrance, leaving Ilise alone on the lawn. She'd have to find her own way around.
The sea of white uniforms had begun to thin out, leaving behind a trickle of students. The sound of gravel crunching beneath someone's feet alerted Ilise to their presence. She whipped around, her hands already glowing with two Concussive Force glyphs. A lanky boy, almost as tall as Marten, stood before her panting in exhaustion.
"Hey. Have you seen Professor Nygard around? I've been running all over campus looking for him but I can't seem to find him anywhere- Oh. You're here for the entrance exam, aren't you?" The boy stopped midway. "Shouldn't you be in the auditorium by now?"
"Yeah...about that." Ilise found herself wringing her hands again. "My guide kinda ran off without me. I don't know where the auditorium is."
He smiled warmly. "That's all right, then. C'mon! I'll take you there. Maybe Professor Nygard's there with the rest of the staff. By the way - my name's Siegfried. What's yours?"
"Ilise."
"nice to meet you, Ilise. Now let's go! You're going to be late if you don't hurry."
Siegfried grabbed Ilise by the arm and took off towards the front doors, weaving between what little students there were left. Something about Siegfried's touch reminded Ilise of her lost memories - a cold and dark place, with a soft, scratchy hand on her arm. Just like Siegfried's, except his was soft without all the scratchiness.
She chalked it up to one of the doctors who'd tended to her after the Jotunheim incident she knew so little about. Bianca had said that most of her memories from around that time would be a bit cloudy, seeing as she was drifting in and out of a coma.
Two snapping fingers brought Ilise out of her stupor.
"What're you daydreaming for? We've got an auditorium to get to, remember?"
--
Ilise and Siegfried found their way into the auditorium seconds before the bell went off. It was already packed by the time they'd gotten there, and they had to be content with back-row seats. Ilise didn't mind, though. It meant that her chances of being picked out to answer one of those 'what is your purpose here?' questions were infinitely lower.
The buzz of excited talk slowly quieted down as the lights dimmed and someone stepped out onto the stage. Ilise, perhaps out of pure instinct more than anything, shrank back in her seat again. Making a mental note to stop doing that, she returned her attention to the person on the stage.
"To our newcomers - my name is Vaughn. Should you make it into this glorious institution, you will address me as Headmaster Vaughn. To my returning students, welcome back to another year of learning. I hope all of you have enjoyed your breaks, for this year's curriculum is sure to be much tougher than the last. You will see in a matter of minutes, when we unveil our new trial for the aspirants gathered here."
Vaughn quirked an eyebrow at the smattering of voices that followed shortly after his announcement. He waited for the auditorium to quieten down before picking up his microphone again.
"It is, as all of you know, custom for Mistilteinn to hold the toughest entrance examinations in all of Alpheim. You will almost be certainly getting injured, and if you are a pacifist or someone who does not like to get dirty, may I kindly invite you to leave the auditorium now. A transport will take you home." Vaughn paused again, waiting for someone to stand up and leave.
To his satisfaction, no one did so. "Good! In choosing to stay, you have shown that you are willing to do the bare minimum to get into Mistilteinn. Believe me when I say that I have seen entire batches of students leave before my very eyes. But I am not here to discourage you, to tell you about how gruelling education at Mistilteinn is. After all, you already know that for yourselves. Our course goals shall not be revealed to any of you yet. A separate briefing will be held for those who succeed in their examinations, to ensure that no inter-school espionage is carried out. Yes, Mr Roget, I'm looking at you."
The headmaster looked at someone in the left wing. Almost immediately, two guards marched up, heaved the man onto his feet and carted him out of the auditorium.
"As some of you may or may not know, I am a highly accomplished Pasithean. That is to say, any and all attempts to utilise Illusion magic and alter one's state of mind will not escape me. I have scried into the minds of each and every last one of you. Believe me, at this point in time, I do sincerely believe that I know you better than you know yourself.
Isn't that right, Miss Rossweisse?"
--