Fourth week of class, teacher Emiliana's spellbook test in the subject of weapons, traps and defenses, this was the specific test for student users of spellbooks. In class A of first year students only Adam, Mira, Peirce and Eve used spellbooks, all but Adam had already taken the test and passed, now it was the young Hardrock's turn, he would be attacked by a series of opponents made by magic and he could only use spellbook magic and telekinesis to attack, the test was taking place in the same room as the combat class, Adam's friends were there especially to support him.
– Mr. Hardrock, when you're ready! – Emiliana said, she expected a show from that student, since he had the library that was considered the most powerful library in the world, and also because of his connections with Ava Hardrock.
– Ready! – Adam said, he was very nervous, he was in the center of the room, he would be attacked by ground humanoid opponents and by some small aerial ones.
The test started with ten humanoid opponents and four flyers advancing against Adam, he held the spellbook with one hand and the other was stretched out invoking the weapons that were sealed there, Adam controlled in the air four swords of complex design, two with electric effects and two with flame effect, plus eight daggers that looked like sparrows, his telekinesis was fine, he could cope well up to that point by destroying magical opponents.
– Go Adam! We believe in you! – Sandy shouted in the crowd.
– Go big one! You can do it! – Shouted Apollodro, Nathan was a little jealous, but he was also in the crowd for the young grimoire mage.
Adam was confident, but the hordes increased, he had to deal with a hundred opponents in total to pass the test, the volume increased, he tried to conjure more weapons, but he lost control of most of the weapons and ended up getting hit by one of the opponents and failed the test. That failure had been terrible for him, it had embarrassed his mother by failing with that spellbook that had worked miracles in war, she had been compared to the legendary mages using that book and he could barely pass a first year exam at the Academy, he was crying.
– Hardrock, unfortunately, you didn't pass the spellbook test, but as it's a special test for a special class of students I don't see any harm in giving you another chance, you have two days. – Emiliana said, realizing that he was nervous and not confident, she owed it to him, she owed it to Ava.
– Yes, teacher. – Adam said that he was leaving the room with his head down and sad, his friends followed him.
***
The group of friends was sitting on the grass near the lake area, Adam was very sad, crying with the library in his hands.
– Adam, don't worry, you just need to train, you'll get the hang of it, we believe in you. – Sandy said, giving him a hug and a kiss on his friend's cheek.
– Thanks Sandy, but I'm a denial, I'll never be as good as Mom. – Said Adam down still.
– Let's cut this big talk, I know you can do it, you always worked hard at everything, you'll do it, there are two days, we'll help you train, all of us. – Apollodro smiled, who came close hugging his friend by the neck and showing himself to be very intimate
Nathan was clearly feeling jealous, but he ignored it for his friend.
– Everything will be fine bro, next time it will! – Nathan said.
– It must have been just the nervousness, grimoires are complicated, Uncle George always said that. – Said Gale sweet. – Not to mention that this one is more powerful than his. –
– Not wanting to be the uninformed one… But this grimoire, where does it come from? – Artemisia said.
– This is a grimoire of Hephaestus, a god of the primordial universe, a more powerful and original counterpart of our god Hefestioh... In the era of Celestia's revolution, when we were fighting for freedom, Bricttany was using dark and ancient forces, help came from the primordial universe, two goddesses, one of power and the other of forges, the goddess of forges left two grimoires here, one on purpose, one created by herself to present mortals, the Grimoire of Lunes that was passed from generation to generation within the Gallard family, but the goddess left another book, the book of her adoptive father, Hephaestus, at the time she visited us centuries ago she was not as powerful as her father, his creations were said to be more powerful... This second book she left hidden, could only be found by someone of great will and honor, My great-great-grandmother was contemplated, and since then the book has been passed down from generation to generation, I am the first the man who inherited this book, and I was the incompetent one. – Said Adam telling the story.
– You're not incompetent, it's difficult, but you get the hang of it, you're not a disappointment. – Apollodro said who held his friend's hand with affection, Nathan was red with jealousy, but he managed to hide it.
– Got it, how many guns are there? – Artemisia asked, curious and with a twinkle in her eyes.
– I didn't look right, but there are 1,256 weapons of all types, but special weapons, with special or specific use 112, the others are volume type, very sharp swords, but only swords, these 112 are more special, only sparrow daggers there are about 200. – Said Adam flipping through the pages and showing the weapons that had their schemes, images and skills. – They even have names, it's written in a language similar to the Graekus… And this is my favorite, "Death Scythe". –
Adam then conjured the weapon, it was a large ax with a red thin handle measuring 2.0 meters, on the top was an ax with a sharp blade and a wide base and on the other side was a club of the same metal that was made. the blade, a gray metal, was stygian metal from the primordial universe.
– What a beautiful axe! – Gale said fascinated.
– What does this one do? – Sandy asked.
– It is a first-rate magical catalyst, I can make it emanate a layer of energy from what he comes in contact with, besides having dark element magic of its own, I can conjure dark blades, besides amplifying the cutting power influencing my magical power into it, so does the force of impact on the other side. – Adam said with a smile as if he remembered his mother when he saw the gun.
– Why didn't you use it on the exam? – Asked Artemisia.
– It is very difficult to control with only telekinesis, I don't know if I could, in this test I can only use telekinesis. – Reported Adam.
– Got it, but we'll help you. – Artemisia said with a smile.
– Not to be rude, but how did your mother die? – Nathan asked that he didn't know the story, he knew what it was like, his father also died in the war. – I miss my father too. –
– It's okay... My mother was a Royal Guard captain, Ava Hardrock, she was on a mission, and to save a platoon of Celestia's mages from being exterminated, she fought an entire troop, she saved the wounded soldiers , but she ended up being killed, they brought her body and the book, all the soldiers she saved are grateful to this day, she was a hero, she faced 500 enemy warriors alone, but in the end Madame Stroika appeared and ended up killing her, Death Scythe was her favorite weapon. – Adam told remembering his mother who for him was his greatest hero.
– Adam, you will pass this test. – Nathan said emotionally.
– Thanks Nate, thank you everyone, let's train. – Adam said he was gaining more confidence.
***
Adam and his friends went to one of the combat classrooms, these rooms were all the same, there they would train Adam for him to improve his skills.
– Let's start with a control drill, can you summon all 200 sparrow daggers? – asked Gale.
– I think I can, why? - Asked the young man.
– Let's work on the speed… We'll launch energy spheres from our spells and you'll hit with the daggers, Sandy will use her wind magic to accelerate the spheres' speed and we'll increase the flow… and to the few will try to handle all the shots with just 50 daggers, because then you'll have to be faster to do it... In the next phase we'll try to attack you, and then you'll try to drive us away with your weapons , but no deadly blows of course. – Said Gale.
– Gale, you're brilliant, what a good training plan, you have a knack for strategy. – Apollodro said.
– That was nothing. – Gale laughed.
– Okay, let's get started! – Sandy said excitedly.
So they started the process, Adam was sitting on the ground, he used all his energy to keep the sparrow daggers conjured in the sensible world, all 200, it took some time, but he managed to stabilize the control, and after he was ready the firing started, training was being intense, at first he still let some balls through, but as soon as he mastered the situation with the 200 daggers, he released 50, so the speed increased, after a few minutes, minus 50, after another ten minutes, minus 50 daggers and with 50 daggers only he controlled them with an absurd speed, he could assemble a flow of daggers around him so fast that sometimes the daggers just looked like smudges. Afterwards the friends tried to approach, but they had to dodge the swift daggers, there were some cuts, but nothing that Apollodro could not heal. They didn't realize it, but Margareth and Emiliana were watching it on the security cameras in the room. The training had been very intense, Adam was tired and after they finished training they were all lying on the floor tired and laughing.
– Gale, thank you very much, it was great, we need to do this one more time, and then I'll be ready. – Said Adam recovering his breath.
– You're welcome, baby. – Gale laughed.
– I said we were going to help you… You're going to rock. – Sandy said.
So the young fellows rested, later trained again, all to help Adam reach his potential and pass the test. Apollodro was healing some cuts Nathan had taken, the two were talking in parallel.
– You're an amazing guy, the way you care about your friends is admirable. – The prince smiled.
- Thank you big guy, I'm like that Nate, always helping my friends, any more injuries? – Apollodro said with a smile.
– No, I'm fine. – Nathan said with a weak smile, he did have a wound, but it was in the heart, and it was up to the young Hecatrix whether he would heal or not.
***
The day of the retest had arrived, Adam was concentrating, he had to pass, the teacher had given him a second chance, but not only that, she had called someone in particular to watch the test, Adam was scared to see who entered the test room, he thought it would just be him, the teacher and his friends.
– DAD! – Adam was scared.
Dean Hardrock, 42, had blue eyes, military-cut black hair, white skin; he had a very strong military look and a serious countenance, after all he was a three-star general in the common army.
– Emiliana called me, she said I would be surprised with your performance, honestly, it sounds good to me, to be called here so soon, Ava would be proud. – Dean said showing a daddy side.
Adam felt like a responsibility of another 10,000 tons was on his back after that.
– But this is a retest, I failed the test. – Admitted Adam.
– Of course I know that, but so what? Everyone makes mistakes, isn't it? You are here to learn, if you already knew everything you would already be in the Royal Guard, not here. – Dean said, he was a little rude, but with affection. – Your mother also had problems when she was younger to control the book, I know it will work. –
– Father... teacher Emiliana, why did you call him? – Adam asked.
– Because I know that this time you're going to put on a show, and I more than anyone owes you this opportunity. – Emiliana said smiling and running a tear.
– Why? – Asked Adam.
– I am one of the lives your mother saved, that day when she saved the platoon, I was there, wounded from another battle, she appeared and saved us all, she gave her life for us, I who took the spellbook and gave it to your father and he gave it to you when the time came, now go and rock. – Emiliana said, she was composing herself, Ava was one of her best friends, and she died so she could live, she would help her friend's son, no matter how much time or effort it took. – She, me and the also late Aron Steel were a team, all students of Mr. George, specialists in weapons, only I was left of the trio. –
– Ms. Emiliana, I don't know what to say… – Adam said astonished, he always knew about his mother's sacrifice, but he was now face to face with one of the saved people, she was his teacher, not only that, she was an old companion of her battle.
– Go there and jig that shit… I know you can do it. – Dean said, he had a rough way, but he loved his son.
– Right! – Said Adam drying the tears.
Adam went to the center of the room, he started the test, humanoid and winged opponents advanced, Adam first conjured 50 sparrow daggers that moved at an absurd speed eliminating the first horde, with the arrival of the others he progressively increased the number of daggers until he reached 200, he could repel and smash them all, even the extras that were ten-foot crossbows made of the same magical test material as humanoids and aerials, he was putting on a show of control. Some aerials tried to catch him from behind, but they were shot down and to finish the test he still managed to summon Death Scythe for the Grand Finale. Seeing that, Dean could only think one thing: "Ava, dear, this son of ours, he's going to beat you", he was very moved to see all that control, the test had been a success.
– Adam! Approved, top marks! – Emiliana smiled, who had seen a wonderful dance of daggers.
– Son! Your mother would be very proud, congratulations. – Dean said, opening his smile and hugging his son so hard that it almost seemed to Adam's friends that he had broken a couple of ribs.
– Thanks dad, this means a lot to me! – Said Adam.
Adam's friends went over to him to celebrate, hugged him and congratulated him he had worked so hard for that.
– I knew I could do it. – Sandy smiled giving a hug.
– We told you big, it was just a matter of focusing. – Apollodro said, who was already hanging around Adam's neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
– Thanks Polo... Sandy... All of you. – Said Adam blushed.
Nathan had been a little sad seeing all that affection, but he hid it well, he went to Artemisia after congratulating his friend and went to ask Apollodro's sister something.
– Artê, Polo and Adam, do they have anything? – Nathan asked uncertainly.
– Look... They're just good friends, but open your eyes, half the Academy wants to get the Polo, better get your way soon. – Artemisia laughed sincerely.
– Yeah, time's ticking, tick, tick, tick, tock… – said Gale, who was nearby, joked and listened.
Nathan was really moved by it all, but it was the day to congratulate Adam on his achievement, not brood on bitter feelings, and young Hardrock was so happy.
– Son, I'm very proud, your mother is always looking out for you, but I have to go, I have things to take care of. – Dean said that he gave one last hug and kiss on his son's face and left.
– So, how are we going to celebrate? – Artemisia said excitedly taking her friend by the neck.
– If I were you, I would study, you still have exams for the rest of the week. – Emiliana laughed, drying her tears and thinking about her friend, how proud she would be.
– Worse than she's right… There's proof of the theory of magic tomorrow, I don't want to take any chances. – Said Gale.
– Let's study? – Artemisia said worriedly.
– We will! – Adam laughed.
– And Adam, your mother must really be very happy, you showed that you deserve this grimoire. – Emiliana said with a happy smile, it was like seeing Ava in her youth.
– Thank you very much! - Adam said with a sincere smile from end to end. – I'll do my best to be as good as she was! –
So the friends left and went to study for the other tests, it was a tough routine, but they would definitely celebrate this test afterwards, because Adam overcame their fears and anxieties, they were learning, growing and maturing, they were living the experiences that would the shaping for the future, there was a lot to do, but they would always support each other.