Sitting in the infirmary, Mikhail drank a glass of water.
He was about to be discharged after being stuck in bed for an hour.
The nurse informed him that he had overloaded his cerebral mana veins.
It was fortunate that Emily had stopped the test or it could be much worse.
"You are fine now so you can go. Though, I heard it was your first test. Stop pushing yourself too hard or you'll end up a cripple." The doctor lectured him.
Mikhail nodded, paying half-hearted attention to his words.
"I'll try." He shook the hand of the doctor, before turning to leave.
"With the condition you are in, you will kill yourself in the near future."
"Okay."
Mikhail walked out of the infirmary.
Towards his next test.
***
Mikhail entered the elemental grounds, finding them already crowded.
In the distance, he could see the signs of different elements to guide the incoming participants.
Looking around, he could still find some signs of the previous battles.
Broken trees and claw marks on the ground.
It was definitely a fierce battle here and it made sense.
Elemental grounds were different from physical or drill grounds.
They had a higher density of mana particles in the surroundings through artificial sources.
It was still weaker than a place with natural density but it worked.
The academy used spirit magic and other artifacts to perform this phenomenon.
Staring ahead, Mikhail saw the elemental tests already underway.
And the one that caught his eye instantly…
Was the crimson-haired girl easily outperforming everyone in the Cindralis section.
The way her violet eyes instantly reacted to the miniscule movement of the figures.
And how her hands instantly weaved the spell to act, it was masterful.
The eye-body coordination was almost perfect.
To the point that the people near her didn't even bother to try, already accepting their outcome.
That girl was Raviel Ivanova.
'She's as good as ever.'
A light smile came on Mikhail's lips, feeling a sense of pride in him.
Early on in his childhood, he was the first one to notice how much of a talent Raviel had in Elemental Magic.
Possessing Cindralis himself, he was the first person to teach her on the uses of the element.
It was funny how quickly she surpassed him in this aspect. Terrifying.
But Mikhail didn't feel the slightest jealousy over it. Raviel was family to him.
The more she advanced, he would only be happy for her.
As if hearing his thoughts, he was startled when Raviel's eyes suddenly snapped toward him in the distance.
Her violet eyes locked with his sapphire ones and a wide cheerful smile spread on her tired face.
She waved her hand in full force at him in the distance, ignoring her test.
Reciprocating the gesture, Mikhail gave her a light smile and waved his hand before giving a thumbs up.
It expressed his satisfaction over her performance.
And that was all that Raviel needed.
Mikhail immediately saw her spirits rise up by a mile as she turned back to blitz through the test.
Besides her, he could see some boys staring admiringly with their mouths open at her.
Not because of her but because of her beauty.
Amariel and Raviel were well known throughout the academy for their beauty as well, not just their power.
Mikhail had seen multitudes of boys try to court them or speak to them only to get turned down in the most brutal way possible.
It had become a normal outcome for everyone who tried to the point that they only admired them after a certain point.
Mikhail didn't care though.
He was certainly protective of the twin sisters, more than one would think.
His family was one of the things that could make him truly flip a switch.
But he never had to interfere, the sisters by themselves were enough to handle them.
Leaving Raviel to complete her test, he turned to his respective element.
Norvalis.
He saw the respective emblem of the element hanging in the distance, with the tests already underway.
Unlike Cindralis, there weren't many people in Norvalis.
It wasn't even Norvalis.
It was well known that the chance of awakening a Non-Materialistic element was much rarer than a Materialistic element.
In terms of power and strength, Non-Materialistic elements definitely lacked against the vice versa early on.
They were harder to control and lacked versatility in spells early on.
However both of them would be fixed with due time where the Materialistic elements would turn weaker.
Of course, if you never had much of a talent in any Non-Materialistic elements then you were done for.
Stepping forward, Mikhail walked over to the Norvalis section where he saw a gruff instructor overseeing the tests.
He seemed to be in his mid-30s, with a rough beard and wide stature.
His facial features displayed a rough persona, with a scar on his cheek and grey hair.
There were dark eye bags under his eyes, a well known side effect of overuse of Non-mat elements.
They placed too much stress on the caster, a reason why Mikhail opted to use it less even with all his talent.
"67, Next." The instructor's deep voice came over the students.
Elemental Tests were graded in the same way as Mental Examinations.
From 1 to 100.
There were a total of 10 exercises where in each exercise, 5 points were given for completion and 5 for the time in which you completed it.
The cadet who just went by had scored a total of 67 marks.
Mikhail was about to raise his hand when someone intervened.
"I'll go ahead."
He heard a familiar feminine voice from beside him, graceful and polite.
Turning, he saw her.
With waist-length amethyst purple hair that fell over her back and golden eyes, her face turned to look at him as well.
It didn't take him more than a moment to recognize her, just like every other cadet in the area.
Cynthia Julienne, the commander for 14th Squadron.
Known for her impeccable beauty as well that put everyone's breath on a chokehold, she was just as known for her power.
The Norvalis Prodigy, known for her exceptional control and power over the element.
There was no one in the camp that could match her skill level, or so it was said.
As their eyes met, an expression of shock came over Cynthia before she quickly masked it with politeness.
"Oh, Mika, I didn't notice you were here. Please go ahead by all means."
She gestured forward.
Yes, Mika.
Mikhail already had quite a history with her.
And it was safe to say that it wasn't good by any means. But it wasn't bad either.
Almost like a rival friend/enemy relationship.
"No, it's fine. You raised your hand first, I'll wait. You can go ahead," Mikhail said without changing expression.
His words caused a playful smile to spread on her lips as she leaned closer, her eyes peering into him.
"Come on, you don't have to act like we're strangers."
Mikhail showed no reaction, almost making Cynthia click her tongue.
But she seemed to resist and lean even further into his ears.
"I'll deal with you later, show-off." Her tone completely changed.
Taking a step back, she winked at him and turned.
"Now then, who am I to refuse if a gentleman like you allows me to go first."
Ignoring the glares at him, Mikhail focused on her as she stepped forward.
It had been 2 years since they last competed against each other.
He would be lying if he said he didn't want to see how far she had come from that day.
_________________
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