“Next!”

The clear yet stern voice rang out in the testing hall, ushering me out of the line I had been waiting in for the past fifteen minutes, and into another room filled with three professors seated behind a long table, all of whom were equally unfamiliar to me.

I approached the proctor who had spoken, the unfamiliar professor on the far left, with my student card in one hand and my completed answer papers in the other.

The final monthly assessments were more stringent in this campus than they were in the tier two campus. To make a long story short, there were numerous monitors patrolling the classroom as students completed the first half of their assessments, the written portion. Once they were completed, students went to the doorway and waited to be called into an adjacent room where the practical portion of the assessment would be conducted. Once both parts were handed in, the test was considered over.

Some subjects didn’t have one of the portions, so that section was left out during testing, but it was used for most subjects.

Such as the first one I had to undergo, blood magic.

“Now, show us some basic manipulations. With your own blood, if you would,” one of the professors asked.

Manipulation was the foundation of nearly all fields of magic, and I felt I was competent enough to receive a good score here. It was a matter of contention whether it was easier to manipulate blood that was already spilled in the surroundings or one’s own blood, but I was capable of doing both after nearly a year of education on the topic.

Granted, my blood did have a tendency to act…wonky…at times, but dealing with that issue became simple once I realized my control over my own blood was much better than external sources, as long as I clearly held my intent in my mind while casting.

With that in mind, I laid my right palm over my left elbow, thankful that I remembered to roll up my sleeves for this. After a few seconds, I raised my palm, loosely grasping a thin twirling stream of blood between my thumb and index finger, a microscopic hole just above the crook of my elbow.

The blood was still flowing out of my vein, but once I had drawn the needed amount, I closed the hole via blood magic, more specifically, by inducing a tiny blood clot. If this were a real-life scenario, I would use a healing spell to close the tiny cut, but for the purposes of this test, I had to stick to blood magic for everything.

Now that I had a good amount of my blood in hand, I stretched it out, moving it around into a single shape, solidifying certain parts until it resembled a small circular shield that I held in my left hand while the remainder became a set of tiny needles that I held between the fingers in my right hand.

“How confident are you in your marksmanship, student…Rhaaj?” the professor on the right asked, looking at my test paper for my name.

“Not at all, professor.” I replied honestly, as he smiled at my reply.

“Wonderful. Then let’s have you launch a few of those needles at this target,” he said, drawing his wand out and with a flick of the wrist, created a round stone target with a bullseye in the center that was hovering in mid-air. The target was about the size of a human torso. It was in a slow but constant cycle of moving up and down, oscillating between the two positions with only a few inches between the two extremes.

“Whenever you’re ready, student Rhaaj,” he prompted.

I nodded and changed the shape of the needles so they were as thin and sharp at the tip as possible. Throwing them all up in the air, I pointed at the target and one by one, they all flew from their position above my head to the target.

Most of them landed in the central area of the target, save for one that was at the very top and just barely managed to dig into it.

It wasn’t pretty, but I displayed an adequate level of control, and I was confident it would be enough to get me a passing score.

“Well done,” the first professor said, making some notes on the paper in front of them. Turning to the other two, they held a short conversation in whispers before turning back to me. “Now, we’ll move on to the sensory portion of the assessment. Somewhere in this room, there is a jar of blood. Your task is to inform us of where it is without moving from your spot.”

That was annoying, but not hard for me to accomplish.

Stolen story; please report.

I twirled my finger in a circle numerous times to recall all my blood into a puddle near my feet, before surrendering control over it. Closing my eyes let me focus on my next task, as I held out my right hand, palm out, and felt the room for a few seconds before answering, “It’s in the ceiling? How is that fair?” I accidentally exclaimed as my eyes opened of their own accord.

“Well done, student Rhaaj,” a professor said, ignoring my little remark. “Now, write a simple contract stating that you have not cheated during any portion of this assessment. Doing so without a quill will give you additional marks,” she said.

A piece of parchment flew into my hand as I caught it, ready for the easiest and most fun part of the exam, as this was where I could be cavalier and aloof without having to worry about consequences.

I drew all the blood that I had pooled on the ground, and shaped it into a tiny facsimile of a fountain pen as I held it in my right hand and began writing down a few sentences onto the parchment.

I, Student Rhaaj of Khobadaar City, second-year student at Svenia Academy, undertaking the practical portion of the monthly assessment regarding blood magic in the fourth month of autumn, do hereby promise to all observing entities, present and future, that I have not intentionally performed any acts that could be construed as cheating. Should my words or deeds be false, may my blood betray me from this moment forward.

If, however, I have been found to have acted in an upright and honest manner while undergoing said assessment, the signatory parties agree that such integrity and diligence is to be rewarded, in the form of a single payment of ten points.

The ‘contract’ wasn’t a real contract. There were no terms or conditions, no offer or anything similar, it was just a simple statement of fact.

One whose bindings extended beyond the realm of legality.

The more specific and severe the contract was, the stronger the blood contract became. Adding in all those little details meant the blood contract could, somehow, become more powerful than it should have been, and would enact its own penalties even if they weren’t outright stated within.

I walked over to the table where the professors were seated and handed the contract to the one in the middle, a smirking woman with a brown ponytail and differently colored eyes. As she took it from me and read it through, she chuckled before showing it to the other two, who chuckled as well after quickly skimming through it.

“Personally, I wouldn’t mind signing this out of sheer amusement, but unfortunately, none of us here are authorized to award you any points today, student Rhaaj,” she declared, the smirk still present on her face.

I sighed and shook my head, before I realized what that would imply and panicking, looked up at the professors who were still chuckling at me.

“Relax, student Rhaaj. It’s not the first time a student’s been so…cheeky.”

I sighed again, this time out of relief.

“It seems this marks the end of your practical. Unless, you care to attempt for extra marks?” the heterochromic professor asked me.

“I suppose…” I answered hesitantly.

“Then, here is your final task. Manipulate my blood, if you can. Be warned that I will contest your control and will retaliate if you give me the opportunity, though I will keep my proficiency to about your tier.” she said.

I raised my eyebrows at the challenge.

The extra task seemed like a safety hazard to me, but then again, I assumed everyone present was more accomplished in blood magic than I, and even I knew how to do some healing via blood magic.

“Are there any restrictions?” I asked.

“None. But if you can do so without moving from your spot or chanting, that would merit more marks from us,” the professor who hadn’t spoken yet said, a tall and quiet man who seemed like the stereotypical mage.

“What about the possibility of pain or injury, professor?” I asked.

Snorting, she replied, “Please. We’re all well-versed in blood magic and even more so in healing. If you’re able to inflict permanent damage on me while being a second-year, you would be the next Dierden Red-Arm!” she said, referencing one of the most renowned blood mages of all time, who became famous due to his ability to cut off his opponents’ hands and feet with precision while being leagues away from their location.

“Very well, then I’ll begin now.” I said, setting aside any doubt I felt and focusing on completing the task before me.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, clearing my mind as best I could, before sensing the professor’s blood, running through her arteries and veins, reaching her heart before travelling to different parts of her body. There was also a tiny amount of blood that I wished I hadn’t sensed, but I deliberately ignored that in favor of the main circulatory system running in her body.

I stretched out my hand and concentrated on moving a small amount of blood to the surface, replicating what I had done before by attempting to move a small amount of blood from the vein near her elbow to just above her skin.

I managed to latch onto a small portion, about ten milliliters, before I felt my control wavering, an unpleasant sensation reaching through the connection and into my mind, attempting to dissuade me from intruding any further. It was a jumble of feelings, the antennae of an insect repeatedly brushing over my face, a pit of quicksand slowly dragging me to its depths, an unlit tunnel that promised fear and despair in its abyssal maws…

I ignored it, which I didn’t even know was possible, and brought the ten milliliters under my control from her veins up to the surface of the skin, and drew a small, red smiley face emoji. clearly visible against the back of the professor’s hand. As I released my control, the sensation disappeared like it was never there.

I took another deep breath, clearing my mind again, and opened my eyes, knowing I had accomplished the task.

What met my gaze was the sight of one professor being practically accosted by the two seated on her sides. She simply stared at the little smiley face on her hand as the other two were barraging her with questions that she paid no heed to.

Finally, she looked up at me and said in a faint voice, “Your control is…impeccable, student Rhaaj. In light of your performance, you will receive the maximum amount of marks I can award you.” Then she did something that would be considered rude if we were peers, but that I had to endure due to the disparity. She wordlessly cast a wind spell that blocked all sound around her, as she began conversing with the other two professors.

Apparently, there was a lot to unpack, as it took nearly five minutes before the wind sphere came down and the tall professor told me, “You have performed above what could be expected of you, student Rhaaj. All of us here hope that you will continue to pursue blood magic in the coming years, as it would seem your aptitude for it is remarkably high. You may leave now.”

I must have done better than I thought if they’re saying that.

Picking up my bag, I nodded to the three of them and walked out of the testing room and in the direction of the cafeteria. As I did, I could hear a voice call out, “Next!” yet again from behind me.

I was confident that I could do well in blood magic, and the professors seemed to agree with me. Now I just needed to keep my lunch down and get through one more exam, before I would need to cram for the test that would be held in two days.

I checked my schedule and saw that my next test would be another easy one.

Nature magic.