"Be good, okay? When you two are done come over and I will have lunch ready." Estella patted Kai's head with a smile before turning to leave the gates of the Imperial Academy. She climbed into the carriage that had brought them to the academy at the city's center, and with a whip from the coachman, the horses neighed and pulled the carriage away.
"Let's go." Lance led the way into the academy. It was not like Kai actually needed to be led through the academy because there was a host of sorts who led the applicants to the testing ground. The two boys followed the soldier that was enthusiastically speaking, boasting about the Imperial Academy. Of course, he had the right to boast. The Imperial Academy was one of the best through out the lands.
Before long, the one hundred applicants were brought to an indoor training field. The test was not a spectacle, so there was no need to take it outside. The training field was very large. If Kai had to guess, then he would say that it was almost as wide as the home he shared with his father. In the center of the hall stood a large crystal ball that was as tall as an adult human and as wide as three standing side to side. The crystal ball was completely see through.
"Good day, young, prospective wizards and warriors." Beside the crystal ball was a middle aged woman with wrinkle marks on her face. She wore red robes that were designed with golden flourishes. "I am Mother Grace, and I will be conducting your test today. All you have to do is place your hand against the crystal ball and channel mana into it." She explained the simple test and how it was done to the applicants.
Every applicant to the Imperial Academy was not an average person. Each applicant came from a lofty background, so being able to manipulate mana was a sure thing for them.
"First up is Nathaniel Dove." Mother Grace called out a name from a list that she had. A young brunette boy of about ten years stepped forward. He was instructed to place his palm against the crystal ball and channel his mana into it.
The crystal ball began to glow with white light, highlighting several black lines that were woven into it at intervals. The lines resembled thresholds to separate the crystal ball and Kai figured that they must have had something to do with how the level of an applicant would be measured.
As Nathaniel began to channel his mana into the crystal ball, the mana that was already within it began to interact with the foreign mana. A portion turned to an earthly brown, while another turned to a glimmering blue. There were six lines on the crystal ball, but the colored lights only reached up to the third line, exceeding it a little before stopping.
"Oh, wonderful! We have a future Master wizard here!" Mother Grace smiled warmly. She then pointed to the side and had Nathaniel wait over there. "Next is Mary Shells."
One by one, the applicants were called up. None of them scored below Master wizard in the test, with some even scoring higher than that. Before long, Kai's name was called out. He was called before Lance, so the blonde boy gave him an encouraging pat on his back.
Kai walked up to the crystal ball and placed his palm against it. He easily allowed the mana within his body to flow out and pour into the crystal ball. Right then, the crystal ball began to glow brightly with red light. The air around it also began to warm up.
"Oh! An incredibly high affinity for fire magic!" Mother Grace chirped. She continued to watch Kai with bright eyes, excited to see what else this boy had to offer. A cool blue light filtered through next, and a calming green, followed by a stormy gray. Then black. Pure black.
The smile on Mother Grace's face faltered a bit, but she maintained her composure. A few strange looks were cast in Kai's direction as people recognized the significance of that color. The level of colored mana continued to rise up until it stopped halfway to the sixth line.
"That's enough, Kai. Well done, you will be a talented Lord tier wizard in the future." She smiled warmly and told Kai to wait over with the other students that had taken the test. Soon enough, he heard Lance's name be called. The boy's result was spectacular, to say the least.
"Wow, a high affinity for light magic, and the talent of a Lord tier wizard!" Mother Grace gasped. She waved Lance over, and the blond boy immediately came over to his friend with a concerned expression.
"Are you okay?" Lance asked. He had a strange look on his face.
"Hmm? Why wouldn't I be okay?" Kai asked. He was confused by the strange glances he had been getting from people around him.
"Well, I guess you don't know. Dark mages are looked down upon. In some places they aren't welcome at all." Lance whispered. For an eight year old, he had a pretty mature mentality.
Kai frowned. He had always been told by his mother never to reveal his true nature. Or else he would be looked down upon, and maybe even hunted down, depending on where he was. But it seemed even without people knowing he was half Demon, he was already being looked down upon.