As Azrael slowly regained consciousness, his head felt dizzy from the overwhelming sensations.
The air in the room carried a faint smell of medicine, and everything appeared blurry in shades of white. It took a couple of moments for his senses to gradually return to normal.
Azrael look to his side and see Luna was sleeping in a chair while holding his hand.
"Mmph," Luna stirred as she felt a slight movement in her hand. "Uncle! Akki just woke up!" seeing Azrael regain his consciousness, she called out to the doctor.
In response to Luna's call, a doctor entered the room, accompanied by Theo.
The doctor looked in his thirties, and stood in a straight posture, with a stethoscope hanging around his neck. He had a kind yet resolute face. He was none other than Haru, Theo's foster parent.
"How do you feel?" Uncle Haru inquired gently, stepping closer to Azrael.
Azrael cleared his throat, feeling a little groggy. "I feel... dizzy and tired," he replied in a voice that was still weak.
Theo chimed in, "We were so worried when you suddenly passed out. Do you remember what happened?"
Azrael frowned, trying to recall the events that led to his unconsciousness. "It's all a bit blurry," he said hesitantly. "I remember walking with you two, and then everything became hazy."
Uncle Haru nodded understandingly. "It's normal to experience a bit of disorientation after waking up from being unconscious. You took quite a fall," he explained while checking Azrael's pulse and monitoring his vitals.
Theo added, "I'm glad you're okay."
Luna squeezed Azrael's hand gently, her eyes filled with concern. "I'm really scared."
"Sorry," Azrael said softly.
As Haru began his examination, Azrael's mind cleared a bit more, and he started to recall his encounter with Jing Qiáng in the dark realm. However, he decided to keep that part to himself for now, unsure if it was merely a dream or something more.
Nevertheless, the mysterious encounter lingered in his thoughts, and he couldn't help but wonder about the strange offer made by the heavenly demon.
After conducting the necessary examinations, Haru confirmed that Azrael needed to rest for a couple of days to fully recover. He prescribed some medication to help with his recovery and advised Azrael to take it easy during his recovery.
Uncle Haru patted Azrael's shoulder reassuringly. "Just rest for now," he said, then turned to Theo and Luna. "Let's give him time to rest."
As they move out of his room, Azrael lay still in the bed trying to rest his body.
In the following days, Azrael took the time to reflect and recover.
As he lay in bed, he delved into extensive research, scouring books, and the internet for any information about the heavenly demon, Jing Qiáng, and the final war that took place.
But despite his efforts, he couldn't find any concrete results.
"This is too weird," he mumbled to himself.
He pondered, 'There are no historical records about the heavenly demon Jing Qiáng in the history. The only event that vaguely aligns with my dream happened in the year 107 B.C.E. in central Asia. It is said that a deadly magic epidemic wiped out numerous high-level magic users, but the event was shrouded in ambiguity, lacking historical records.
'What's even stranger is that there's no clear explanation of what truly happened, as if the world try covered it up. And trying to locate the exact battlefield area it's too difficult due to the changes that happen over millennia.'
"Tsk, it's annoying," Azrael gazed at the ceiling, deep in thought as he struggled with the implications of Jing Qiáng's offer and what path he need to take in the future.
********
A couple of days passed, and Azrael had fully recovered. Today was the day everyone had been waiting for—the magic examination day.
As Azrael, Luna, and Theo stepped onto the school grounds, a row of buses caught their attention, all lined up and ready to transport the students to the heart of District 8 for the magic examination test.
On this day, all the students were dressed in their uniforms, but without bringing their bags, for they were about to undergo the magic examination.
Once the examination finished, the buses would be waiting to bring them back, or some would choose to be picked up by their parents.
"Luna, Theo, could you come over here for a moment?" a teacher called out to them.
"I'll find a seat," Azrael said as he walked towards one of the buses.
Inside the bus, the sounds of bustling students filled the air. They were all excited but also a bit nervous about what talent they might awaken or, worse, if they didn't have any magic talent at all.
The seats inside the bus were divided into three sections.
In the back area, the seats were arranged in a long parallel line, while the middle area had two and three seats, with the former on the left and the latter on the right.
Unfortunately for him, all the three-seat spaces were already taken.
Seeing this, Azrael walked up to a group of first-year students occupying one of the three-seat spaces and smacked the chair's shoulder, startling them immediately.
The once-bustling bus suddenly fell silent.
"Senior Azrael," said the three students simultaneously while lowering their heads.
"I want to sit here. You three find another one," Azrael said, gesturing for them to leave.
Upon hearing this, they immediately gave up their seats. Doesn't want to start trouble with him.
As Azrael had quite a reputation, with rumors spreading about how he once fought and defeated the school captain of the boxing team, without receiving any injuries, or how he fight against third-year students who tried to gang up on him and emerged victorious despite being outnumbered.
The bus fell silent for a moment until Azrael took his seat. Sensing that the situation didn't escalate further, everyone slowly resumed their conversations.
Then immediately after Luna and Theo entered the bus, their entrance attracted attention, as they were both quite popular students.
While being handsome, Theo also excels in sports. Luna, on the other hand, not only possessed beauty but was also known for her smartness and diligence in her studies.
However, what drew even more attention to others was their close relationship with Azrael itself.
They took the seats next to Azrael, and the bus began to move towards their destination. They start chatting on their way to the center of District 8 since it will take two hours before they eventually arrived.
********
Arriving at the center of District 8.
All the students got off from the bus, their gaze was immediately drawn to the splendid examination building before them.
Its walls, made from glistening blue magic glass, exuded an air of elegance and grandiosity. The expansive exterior piqued their curiosity, leaving them to wonder about the building's interior dimensions.
At the building entrance, various individuals, from different ages and backgrounds, had gathered, all eager to assess their talent.
On the small stage in front of the building, a famous Magicia — Aryan Christopher stepped forward.
"Look, it's Aryan, the piercing cold," someone said.
All eyes were drawn to him. He stood tall with eyes that seemed cold enough to pierce through people's thoughts. Wearing a formal white suit with a one-eye emblem on his front left suit, it was apparent that he was given the role of an observer in this event.
"I am Aryan Christopher, and I extend a hearty welcome to every one of you within this magical examination hall."
"Every three years, Zurra country organizes the magic examination day, allowing everyone above 15 years old to examine their magic talent. As a formidable nation, we in Zurra highly value talented individuals. For some of you, it's your first time here, hoping to awaken your talent, and for others, it's your second or third time coming here to check if your talent was existing. To each of you, we always extend our warmest welcome."
Everyone gave applause.
"Let's proceed on to how the examination will unfold. all participants will be assigned queue numbers and directed to form lines at evaluation counters. When your number is called, approach the designated counter, place your hand upon the examination sphere, and your result will be revealed on the screen above the counter."
"Should your talent awaken, proceed to the next hall. There, the government and Magicia association have prepared a set of equipment as a congratulatory gift for your awakened abilities."
"As for the talent itself, it's classified into five official grades: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Ultra Rare, and Epic."
"If you awaken a common or uncommon tier of talent, congratulations! You are now a magic user. Though your path ahead might not be easy, especially for a common one, but becoming a strong Magicia is entirely plausible."
"Awakening a Rare talent, and your future is secure. You'll gain strength and money easily. There will be no day that you'll ever be hungry."
"As for those who are blessed with an Ultra Rare talent, you stand on a different echelon. Prestige, wealth, and influence, all will be readily at your disposal, and people will fight for your favor."
The participants' expressions brimmed with confidence and hope, allured by the enticing rewards that awaited those who awakened higher-tier talents.
"As for those who may awaken an Epic talent, you will stand above everything else. Your dream of becoming an S-rank Magicia is well within reach. With such an aptitude, you'll wield significant authority, have an island, or even create your own country. Everything was possible."
Their eyes sparkled with hope, among participants some firmly believing they were the chosen ones among the others, as their egos fueled by the alluring power one can wield by awaken such a talent.
"There's another special echelon, known as Legendary talent, although its manifestation among any of us is exceedingly rare. Since this extraordinary talent only manifests once every 10,000 years. Even our nation's founding father, Stain Zurra, achieved no more than an Epic talent. So you can forget about that one.
"Upon finishing today's examination, you have two options. First, proceed directly to the Magicia Association to acquire your license and you officially become a Magicia. The license will allow you to venture into dungeons, monster areas, and even go through the gate to hunt monsters."
"The second option, you can choose to enroll in the Magicia Academy to enhance your knowledge about magic before becoming an official Magicia. The decision rests with you, so think through it carefully."
"And if you end up awakening the lowest tier talent or, more dishearteningly, no magical affinity at all, don't fret. Since a phenomenon that can awaken your talent or even upgrade it to a higher tier exists, such as late-formed magic phenomena or reawakening phenomena."
"Your bad result it's not the end of the world. besides, you can always revisit this place to check your luck on your talent again."
"That's enough of the speech; now let the examination begin!"