The twins had smiles on their faces as they watched their father take off to the skies. They had thought they wouldn't get to see him before they left to take the exams, but he showed up at the last moment.
"How nice that was." Raymond said from behind them. "He didn't even acknowledge my presence."
"At least, you didn't get blown off by a beast!" A very annoyed One-eye said as he crawled back to them. His looked like he was met with a hurricane, he had twigs and leaves in his hair. The twins remembered he was standing next Wolverion before he flew off possibly pushing One-eye away by the wind caused by his wings, they couldn't help but laugh a bit.
"You're off to Darkmoon eh? Your father forgot to say this, but, if you happen to see a man with the last name - Cohen, do well to give him a punch to the face for me." Raymond said.
"Don't forget your father's words." One-eye added. "You will see, hear and read a lot of things in that academy that will surely enrage and confuse you, just ignore them and leave your questions for whenever you see that old man or us again. Beat up anyone who gets in your way, especially if that person's a Cohen."
"Cohen is or was an enemy?" Raten asked as curiosity got the better of him.
"He's more of an enemy of your father than ours. Vincent Cohen, you must stay away from him, avoid him at all costs." One-eye replied.
"Get going now, so you don't miss the exams." Raymond said and they picked their bags which were on the ground next to their feet and hung them over their shoulders.
"See you soon." They said and then ran off.
One-eye sighed and then smiled satisfactorily as he watched them leave. "How long till they completely ignore everything we've said?" He asked his friend.
"A year at most," Raymond replied.
"I was thinking same, but who knows. It might just be a month." One-eye said and then looked at the house which was now empty of it's true owners before walking in. Raymond left to his rightful place in the woods as he liked to call it.
As the twins said their goodbye's, so did every young one in the kingdom and beyond who wished to be a student of Darkmoon. In Raldon, Jarett had given his mother a tight hug and she placed a soft kiss on his forehead. "Do your best, make yourself happy, make I and your sister proud." She said to him before he left.
Meanwhile in the house of a Knight, "Make sure you get enough rest, sleep and food."
"Mom, I'm going to school, not a vacation." Lecter shook his head slightly as he was about stepping out. His mother chuckled and then smiled, "Of course I know that." She cupped his cheek. "Go out there and be the wizard you were meant to be." She said and bid him farewell.
In every city in every kingdom, there was a dome built called the 'Magic dome' where wizards were posted to help in the smooth runnings of the kingdom as do the knights and every other authority, some even consider it a kind of guild and though they seemed like a threat, or competition to other guilds and knights even, there was no feud between them, or so it seemed from the world's point of view.
At the moment, in the courtyard of Raldon's Magic dome, fifty children were present all waiting to be told or taken to where they're meant to be. They had stood for about five minutes after being let in, but it felt like hours to them. They were all nervous, but mostly excited about going to Darkmoon, though they knew they had to pass the exams first.
Before coming for the exams they all had to pass the man's test which was quite simple. A blue shimmer of light would go through the bodies of each child. As it touched them, their bodies emitted a slight glow. This was a way for the wizards to know who had mana flowing in their cells and who didn't. Those whose bodies gave a glow had mana in them, and those whose bodies didn't emit any glow did not have mana.
Normally, any child whose body didn't reciprocate the glow that passed through him or her would be sent home, but this time, due to the new system, they would be sent to a different school where what they are been taught is still a mystery to people, but rumours say they are eventually let to join the wizard's academy after a year or two. In Raldon city's wizard dome, every single child present had mana flowing in them.
Five wizards all putting on their signature cloaks and each wielding a staff but with different patterns on them and different glow on the orbs which were at the tip of each staff. Having no reason to interact much with the laddies and little ladies in front of them, the wizards went straight to the business of the day and that was the entrance exams. But first they were all asked to place their palms on a powdery substance on a tray and touch every item that belonged to them, and they did.
"You all passed the first test - presence of mana within," One of the wizards spoke. The kids remained silent so they would be able to hear what was being said to them. But with what was displayed at the moment, even if they decided to be a bit noisy, they would still hear the wizards voice. As if he was standing next to them and speaking into their ears; they all could hear him very loudly.
"Let's see how you do in the main test." He said and lifted his staff. All at once, the wizards tapped their staffs on their floor and the children felt lighter, the ground felt non-existent, just then a portal appeared beneath their feet and they fell into it. In a blink of an eye, they were transported to a place that sent chills up their spine.
The ambience was dark and cold, some of them began to shiver. They were surrounded by shrubs and what they assumed to be oak trees. Fog covered parts of the ground, making the grass they stepped on not visible. From time to time, it felt like things or as they feared, dreaded creatures of the night moved about causing rapid movements in the bushes.
The shrubs, trees, grasses, everything green then began to move and change shape and form.
"What's happening?"
"Where are the wizards?"
"Is this the test? Conquering fear?"
Every person with their own thought. Having been put in different scenarios like this and even worse, the twins remained calm. Alongside them, very few out of the fifty, were also calm. They carried on watching as the leafy life forms took the form and shape of a maze.
"The exam is quite easy I'd say." The familiar voice of the wizard rang in their ears again. "There's a crystal in the end of this maze, all you have to do is find it. Retrieve the crystal and find your way back here. As easy as that."
The students gulped in their saliva as they stared into the dark maze which was more than double their height and they wondered how they would be able to find the crystal. As if to add to their fears, the wizard said,
"Along the way, you will face different creatures which you are meant to fight and survive of course." The number of calm ones at this point had reduced drastically, not all of them were confident enough to face off the unknown. It could also be part of the exam, facing their fears and keep going.
"The exams start now. Good luck to you all." He said and the participants for the exams began running into the maze. While some still stood accessing the situation.
The remaining began going in groups and pairs. If they were going to face anything in there, they would like to have a partner. The first people who rushed in, would most likely take different routes and some of them might end up alone, most of them were too scared for that.
"So, how do we handle this one, brother?" Kiyan said as they casually walked into the maze.
"Just like we did every other." Raten replied. They both stopped looking at the turns ahead of them, do they go right, left or ahead. "How about we take turns choosing directions to go in." Raten suggested.
"Fine by me. I'll go first, I think we should go right." Kiyan said and they both went in that direction. The others who stepped into the maze with them had gone off in different directions, leaving two girls who had gone in the same direction as them. While one was walking slowly behind them, the other girl moved forward.
"You do know that if you want to get that crystal, you have to move faster," she said suddenly and walked ahead. She then hurried her steps but was stopped by a fireball that went over her head and at a small creature that made an attempt to attack her. It made a shrieking sound as it burned and she turned to see who had helped her but couldn't tell whom.
"Weren't you told you have to face creatures in here? Why not be careful of your surrounding?" Kiyan said.
Raten then turned and saw someone who was hard to not recognize since she still had on a blindfold.
"Huh? It's you."