That night, Nathan slept peacefully while many others worried about if their scores would allow them to enter the schools that they hoped for.
The schools had a limited number of students it could recruit per year and would try their best to recruit the most talented of students and would only recruit the ones who met their enrollment requirements to ensure that they had a decent number of students.
But with his talent level, he could get into any school since his talent for being a magic knight was high.
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The next day, the streets were filled with children and their parents or guardians who were heading towards the inner district where the testing would be held. His aunt had left him a note that morning saying that she wouldn't see him off but knew he would pass and hoped he choose his school well.
Nathan had gotten up early but even still, he was barely in the top 10% of the thousands of children who were in line and waiting to get tested.
"This is so unnerving."
"I can do it. I will become a legendary mage."
"I just need to get into a second-rate school and I will be able to marry Sasha."
"Freedom! I can finally invite a girl over without our parents walking in on us!"
These were the types of words the other teens were saying to themselves or to their friends and family as the line slowly moved forward.
Most of their goals seemed childish and did not consider the bigger picture.
'They are going to academies where they can learn some of the most useful techniques and powerful abilities that exist and all they can think about is getting away from their parents?
These are the types that won't survive more than 10 minutes on a battlefield.'
Nathan decided not to bother with the others any longer and patiently waited in line.
It took 2 hours before it was almost his turn. There were only 5 other candidates ahead of him.
Nathan was close enough to see the various school leaders as well a the students that had accompanied them there or the newly admitted ones.
The 3 who sat at the front and in the best positions were the big three that Nathan was considering the previous night.
Even though he had already decided which he would join, he still decided to look over the groups.
The Royal Zallu Academy sat in the middle and had a decent amount of students there with several teachers. Since the Academy was the closest, they were able to field the largest number of teachers to show off their prestige.
4 teens in ahead of him in line.
The Imperial Academy sat on their left and had the smallest number of students that applied and that were currently accepted but the teachers and second-year students gave off the most dangerous aura out of all the students and teachers.
3 people ahead of him.
He looked over at the Magus Association Academy but had pretty much disregarded them. They had the largest number of students since they took in anyone with decent magical talent but also some of the harshest competition.
The school was also unusual in that it was technically a 3 year school but only allowed a certain number of students to move on to the next year.
This meant that students would have to try their hardest to ensure that they were not stuck in the school for longer than necessary.
Those with weak talent may have been stuck there for 10 years if they were just that lacking while those who were prodigies would graduate without issue in 3.
2 people ahead of him.
As his eyes wandered among the crowd, Nathan saw someone. It was a girl who seemed about 15 years old.
She looked prettier than most other djinns her age and had a curvaceous body but that was not what attracted him. It was her eyes.
He had researched it before and no other djinn or sapient species had metallic colored eyes. This meant gold, silver, bronze, or anything similar.
He wanted to know if he stood out and was surprised to find out he did. He figured others would think he was just a weird mutant and leave it alone.
But the girl had silver eyes just like him. Which meant that something else was going on.
1 person ahead of him.
He stared at her to try and figure something out but then, his breathing stopped for a moment. A tear appeared in the corner of his eye.
The girl's posture, her faint smile as she looked at those around her, the arrogance and coldness in her eyes that even the 'brand' could not completely suppress.
This was his closest and only friend with who he shared his entire life and last moments.
'Sunia is alive?!?'
Were the last thoughts that came to his mind before he heard the words
"Next person in line."