Creekspire School of Magic Arts was one of the many 3rd ranked schools founded by a famous mage some hundreds of years ago. The academy consisted of a number of buildings scattered across a thousand acres of land. Most of these buildings were divided among five major departments - Combat Magic, Support Magic, Healing, Magic-Forging, and Potion-Making while the rest were used for housing and minor departments. When Nimel, Dora, Tanya, and the other newly recruited children arrived at the entrance of the school led by the recruiter Shawn Blastmoor, they were immediately brought over to be tested based on their magic potential, knowledge, and ability in order to determine what class they would be placed in. There were three classes - Stream, Creek, and River.
Those who were placed into the Stream class were students who barely passed all three subjects. Those who were placed into the Creek class were students who scored according to last year's average. Finally, those who were placed in the River class were the three top scorers of the new recruits. They were all geniuses with massive amount of potential, vast knowledge, and powerful abilities. And so, the children approached the testing platforms and turned their attention towards a trio of mages standing on the centermost platform. A bespectacled and bearded mage gnarled with age walked towards the children and introduced himself.
"Greetings children. Welcome to Creekspire School of Magic Arts. I am the Head Proctor of the entrance exams and the Head Instructor of the Combat Magic Department - Darius Lionspark. You may address me as Head Instructor Lionspark." The elderly mage replied as he observed the group of children below the platform.
The Head Proctor looked back to his left and to his right and introduced the two mages standing behind him. "The green haired and green robed mage here is the Head Instructor of the Support Magic Department - Trevion Chenalier. The black haired and blue robed mage is the Head Instructor of the Magic-Forging Department - Jarlos Manilk."
"Welcome to the school children." Head Instructor Chenalier smiled as Head Instructor Manilk gave a curt nod.
"Alright children, step up to each of the three platforms one by one and take your exams. For the first test, we will be testing your magic potential. Place your hand on this crystal obelisk and a number quantizing your potential will be displayed. For the second test, you will be tested on your knowledge of magic and will have to complete a short written exam within fifteen minutes. Finally, for the third test, you will be tasked to display a few of your most powerful spells in order to be judged." The Head Proctor replied as he explained the details of the tests. Then, he looked at his notebook which contained a list of the new students' names. "First up is...."
When it got to Nimel's turn, he was able to score pretty decent. He displayed his powerful fire abilities and his vast potential by unleashing many fire spells ranging from low-tier to mid-tier. However, unfortunately, he barely scored past the average mark for magical knowledge so he was placed in the Creek class. Dora fared better as not only did she practiced her magic skills, she also studied vigorously and reviewed magic concepts daily. She was able to score second on the knowledge test and first overall in the group of new recruits...surprisingly the top scorer on the knowledge test was Terence Klemanot, the owl-rimmed glasses wearing kid with purple hair. However, his potential and magical abilities were rather weak so he was placed in the Stream class. And thus, with Dora's test scores, she was able to enter the River class.
Finally, after a number of other students had finished testing, it was Tanya's turn. When Tanya stepped up to the testing platform, she placed her hand on the crystal obelisk. After a few seconds, a number displayed...gasps ensued from the observing crowd. Tanya's number was high...record-breaking high! Could this be the rise of an Extraordinaire? The proctors hurried Tanya to the next test in order to prove or disprove their thoughts. Tanya approached the exam paper and began solving the questions in the given allotted time. After ten minutes, the young girl finished and turned in the papers. This was considered rather fast, but the main point to consider was whether Tanya was able to answer most of the problems correct or not. The other children gazed anxiously at the proctors who were judging the exam. Soon, a gasp was released from within the graders. Tanya had scored above a 90%. Though not full marks, this was still considered of genius level. Now, everyone was excited. The crowd below chattered with each other about the possible rise of a new Extraordinaire, but some people within the crowd grimaced at Tanya's situation. They knew that she had no chance of being an Extraordinaire.
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When Head Proctor Lionspark asked Tanya to display her strongest spells for the third and final test, Tanya nervously chanted some incantations and cast a low-tier Ice Arrow. This brought a few disapproving expressions from the proctors. Seeing their faces, Tanya felt a bit light-headed and distressed. She wanted to meet their expectations but what could she do? After all, she was only a Novice 2nd Stage. There weren't many spells for someone of her rank to learn and master. Oh...there was one spell that she had learned from her sister Tammy - Healing Rain, a mid-tier spell. But this spell used a lot of magic and Tanya knew that she did not have enough mana to cast it. But still...the way the judges looked at her and their ugly expressions when she fired the Ice Arrow...she did not want to disappoint. Maybe she will be able to cast the spell presently. Maybe she will have enough mana for the task. Tanya steadied her breath and steeled her nerves. She raised her hands and began gathering mana.
"Healing Rain!" Tanya shouted as she let loose her mana into the skies.
A bluish white light pierced the sky and began to attract the nearby clouds. The white clouds collided with each other and fused with each other, eventually becoming gray with a tinge of blue. The proctors looked at the formation in surprise and satisfaction. Healing Rain! This was a top level mid-tier healing spell. The young girl in the blue frilly dress before them will most likely be sent to the River class. This will be a great benefit for their school to raise an Extraordinaire. However, their joy dispersed seconds later. The gray clouds let loose a few drops of Healing Rain before stopping. Moments later, the clouds dispersed and a thud was heard on the testing stage. Tanya had overused her mana and fainted! Nimel and Dora rushed towards Tanya to check on her condition.
"Head Proctor! My friend Tanya had fainted, will you permit us to take her to the Healing Ward?" Dora asked as she looked towards the three proctors.
"Alright. Student Shawn, you show them where to go." The Head Proctor waved as he turned towards the other proctors without sparing Tanya a second glance.
As the two brother and sister carried Tanya off the stage and followed Shawn, Proctor Chenalier asked the Head Proctor. "What should we do with this examinee?"
"Hmph! What do you mean what should we do? Did you not see that sorry display of magical abilities?" Proctor Manilk snorted in disdain and dissatisfaction. "Brought my hopes up for nothing! For a moment, I thought our school will be able to produce an Extraordinaire, but who could have known how sad her abilities were?"
"Yes...it was disappointing. Her name was Tanya...Moonscreek? Any relation to that promising rookie adventurer Tamalin Moonscreek?" Head Proctor Lionspark mused as he glanced at his fellow colleagues.
"Yes, they're sisters." Proctor Chenalier replied.
"Hmph! To think the Moonscreek family could produce such a disappointment. How unfortunate!" Proctor Manilk humphed, a dark look appearing on his face.
"What class should we place her in?"
"Was there a need to ask? She will obviously be placed in the Stream class."
"But she did so well in the other two tests."
"What use are the other two tests if her magic capabilities amount to only that little? Since she did poorly on the test for magical ability, though barely passing, she should be placed in the Stream class as in accordance to our rules." Head Proctor Lionspark reasoned. "Alright, that's that. Let's finish up with the other new recruits and send them to their dorms."
"Alright." The other proctors nodded their heads in agreement.