The instructor called up the names of kids five at a time. Each kid would walk up to a dummy and attack it in various ways. Zion saw bows being used, a hammer, an earth spell, a fire spell. Someone even sent what looked like a cat-sized rat beast at the dummy.
Each time the dummy was hit, it would vibrate, and then suddenly, a light would shine on it with a number between 1 and 9.
After an hour, 50 students had gone up, leaving 30 remaining, and so far, no one had gotten higher than a level 4.
The next group of 5 walked up, and when the instructor called for them to attack, one of the figures was a kid who had pale skin that seemed to be tinged a little blue, dark blue hair that had been tied into a ponytail which showed off the pointed elf ears, green eyes that if one looked close enough, they would see gold flecks through it and had worn basic brown and green clothes with black shoes. He stood there and, without a word, held his hands up towards the dummy. A ball of lightning the size of a tennis ball condensed in front of his left hand, but in his right hand was a fireball the size of a football.
The spells shot at the dummy and moved quickly, slamming into the dummy with a small explosion. Even the instructor raised an eyebrow at the extent of the attack.
The dummy shuddered before showing the number 6 on its chest.
The elf boy frowned and clicked his tongue before stepping down and returning to his line.
On the next set of 5, a boy with an air of entitlement walked onto the stage and pulled out two short swords. He had medium-length blond hair and cute brown eyes that were ruined by the smug look in them and skin that was tanned, showing he had at least trained a bit.
A faint layer of ice covered the swords, making them appear white as he rushed at the dummy, striking in a cross shape, causing it to shudder. Again, when it stopped, it showered the number 6, causing the kid's face to fall with an angry look, but he quickly schooled it and returned to his holier-then-thow attitude.
After the 3rd group of 5, which had no impressive results, Sarah was called up with the 4th group. She walked up to the stage with Zion, which made people think she would use him. Still, surprising a few people, Zion stepped towards the instructor and waited at the side, watching Sarah intently as she pulled out a sword and immediately got into position. She breathed in deeply and then let it out to steady her heart.
The instructor, who barely moved, actually turned his head towards her with a hint of surprise on his face, 'This control... kids who train for a single year before attending the Academy don't usually have this degree of control...' He focused on her a little more, which no one but Zion had noticed.
Once she had steadied herself and the instructor told them to attack, she moved quickly, causing even some parents to look surprised.
"That red-haired girl to the left is quick!"
"When she walked up with the fox, I expected her to be a beast tamer with the sword just for protection."
"So did I, but I guess she predominantly fights with a sword."
Various conversations whispered among the adults, causing Abraham and Lauren to feel even prouder of their daughter.
Sarah attacked the dummy with a single, smooth slash, but those who were knowledgeable enough about swords knew that the attack she made had almost no weaknesses in it.
One would have to dodge it to get away unscathed, but that would often lead to you becoming unbalanced if you weren't prepared enough.
The dummy shuddered and then showed the number 6. Sarah sighed in relief, seeing the number, although she was proud on the inside.
And then, surprising everyone, she walked to the instructor, gave a slight bow of respect, then picked up Zion, who crawled to her neck and laid on her shoulders before leaving the stage.
The instructor kept a straight face, but internally, he was stunned, 'That control over a simple strike is at least 3 years of training. And then that bow of respect she made... her parents taught her well.' He glanced at her name, 'Sarah Veilstone... I'll be watching her.'
The instructor called up the next group as Sarah stood happily back in line. As the final group was called up, she was watching them when she suddenly gasped hearing the name being called up, "Zion... did you hear that name?" She whispered to him.
Zion had lifted his head also hearing the name, '"No... it couldn't be."' He looked towards the one hooded figure who had a very familiar bow in their hands. They also managed to get a 6 score in their attack as they came back down from the stage, still keeping their face covered.
Now that everyone had done the test, the instructor walked to the centre of the stage, "Alright, all of you. Here are the results. When your name and level are called, go to the hooded figure who had your number." The instructor motioned to the 6 hooded figures around him. Since no one got a number higher than 6 this time, there were only 6.
He started going through the names, and everyone moved to their locations. The arrogant blond's name was Krakow Silverton, while the blue-haired elf's name was Ithil Eroth.
When Sarah's name was called she moved to 6 but waited at the edge of the circle for the hooded archer. When their name was called, they immediately walked over, and Sarah suddenly ran over and hugged them, "I can't believe it! You're really here, Aala!"