As he placed his hands on the bowl, the crystal remained dull and lifeless, and the water didn't even ripple. The examiner looked at him with surprise and disbelief. "Young man, are you sure you're a mage?" he asked.
Vanta's expression turned sour as he heard the examiner's words. He had always known that he wasn't as talented as the others, but he never expected to have no mana at all. He clenched his fists and tried to hide his frustration from his friends.
"I am, Sir" He responded to the examiner with a clear confident.
His friends gave him encouraging words to boost his confidence, but Vanta could feel his heart sinking deeper and deeper. He could feel his friends' stares piercing through his skin, and he hated himself for letting them down. His palms were sweating as he lifted his gaze to meet the examiner's eyes.
"Is something wrong with my mana?" he asked.
The examiner shook his head slowly, his voice devoid of any emotion. "Not at all, young man. Your mana is perfectly fine. But the problem is you, son. You simply cannot channel your mana."
Vanta's face paled with shock. He had never expected to hear those words from the examiner. It was not that he lacked talent or skill; he was always the best in his class in terms of physical abilities. But if he couldn't channel his mana, then that would mean he was nothing more than a regular human being.
It took all of his courage to maintain his composure after hearing the examiner's words. "Sir, I will try harder next time," he managed to say.
The examiner nodded slowly, his expression unchanging. "That may be true, son, but we are not here to give you second chances. We are here to determine whether you have the potential to become a mage. And based on your result..." the examiner paused, as though he had readied a particularly heavy punch. "Your result says otherwise, son."
There was silence in the training hall after the examiner's pronouncement. Everyone present knew exactly what that meant. Vanta was never really good in magic, but now his failure would be publicized to every school in the kingdom.
He bowed his head in shame, his hands shaking uncontrollably. "Thank you for your consideration and time, sir. I shall leave right away," he said to the examiner, and left the training hall as fast as his legs could carry him.
As he was lost in his thoughts, he heard a voice calling out to him. "Hey, Vanta!" It was Letto, one of his closest friends in the school.
Letto had always been there for him, and Vanta was grateful for his support. But today, he didn't feel like talking to anyone. He was too ashamed to show his face to his friends.
"Leave me alone, Letto" As Vanta walked out of the training hall, he felt a sense of disappointment and frustration washing over him. He had always dreamed of becoming a mage, but now it seemed like his aspirations had been shattered in front of his eyes.
He had let down not only himself but also his friends who had been there to support him. He couldn't bear to face them again, not after what had just happened.
As he was lost in his tho," Vanta muttered, not even bothering to turn around.
But Letto was persistent. "Come on, Vanta. Don't be like that. We're here for you. We'll always be here for you."
Vanta felt a lump in his throat at Letto's words. He didn't deserve such good friends. He turned around slowly to face Letto, who was looking at him with concern.
"What do you want from me, Letto?" Vanta asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"I just want you to know that we're here for you, no matter what happens," Letto said, placing a hand on Vanta's shoulder. "We're your friends, Vanta. We'll always have your back."
Vanta felt a surge of gratitude towards Letto and his other friends. They had always been there for him, through thick and thin. And now, when he was at his lowest point, they were still here, offering him their support.
"Thank you, tell the boys to come at the alley near the warehouse. I have something I want to say to you all"
Vanta said as he hurriedly leave the school.
Then the next is Ridley's turn. His result was mediocre, nothing too impressive but nothing too bad either. He sighed in relief as he heard his result and patted Mizar's back. "Don't worry about it, buddy. We'll work on your mana control together," he said with a reassuring smile.
Mizar managed to muster a smile but, Ridley noticed that he still looked miserable.
"You okay? What happened?"
Mizar scratched his head and looked away from Ridley. "Nothing, really. Just a little disappointed is all," he said, his tone subdued.
"What?" Ridley said, taken aback. "Why are you disappointed? You have a decent core!"
Ridley frowned. "I don't follow. You have a nice mana core, and you can move your mana from your body to the water in the bowl. So why do you look so disappointed?"
"I've been trying to use my mana properly for years, but it doesn't seem to go well. Ever since I started learning magic, I have always struggled with my mana reserve."
Ridley understood where Mizar was coming from. He remembered how difficult it had been for him when he first learned to control his own mana. He could remember the many times he failed his teachers during practice sessions.
"Maybe it's because of your lack of experience." Ridley shrugged.
Mizar smiled slightly, relieved to find someone that understands. "Yeah, maybe that's it. But i'm relieved it's over, now I'm more concerned about Vanta"
After Mizar's and Ridley's names got called, they returned to the class. Their moods hadn't improved much after getting their result. The day went on as usual after they had finished the mana aptitude test.
After lunch break, they went straight back to the class room and sat beside each other.
"So what's our plan of action?" Mizar asked.
"I don't know" Ridley shrugged to Mizar question as he also don't know what they should do after school.
A while after that, Letto entered the classroom after the bell rang and took his seat near the door. His face was grave as he stared intently at his desk.
"Hey, letto," Mizra said softly.
But Letto didn't respond. Instead he continued staring ahead blankly. Mizra waited patiently for a minute before giving up and turning towards Ridley.
"Do you guys want to talk somewhere else?" he whispered.
Ridley glanced at Letto and nodded his head silently. He rose from his chair and followed Mizra outside the classroom.
When they reached the courtyard, Mizar gestured for the two of them to sit on the grass. The sun was shining brightly overhead, casting its warm light upon them as they talked.
"We haven't discussed this yet, but let me ask you first: How are things going between you and Vanta?" Ridley began cautiously.
"Fine." Letto's reply came immediately. "Just like usual."
"How long has it been since you last spoke to him?"
Letto hesitated to answer. "A while ago actually."
"And how did that conversation go?" Ridley pressed further.
"I think he tried to hid something from me" Letto answered, looking down at his lap.
"As soon as his result came out, he went off without any explanation and went home"
"What?! Why?" Mizar got confused as to why his friend would behave like that. He's worried that Vanta was really shocked by his result.
Ridley also concern about it and asked Letto hesitantly "Should we go after him?"
"No, Actually. But he wanted me to tell you two this..."
"Tell us what?" Mizra asked, a sense of foreboding filling his voice.
"He wants to meet you guys after school," Letto's voice was strained and hoarse.