Tatm’s desk gave off a blue aura as the symbols on his desk shifted into place. After a moment, the symbols stilled and the question filled the interface below. Tatm quickly raised both hands to the desk, and his fingers became a flurry of movement as they interacted with the interface before him. Each time he pressed on the desk, a small click sounded with a minute vibration. The auditorium was quickly filled with an endless ocean of clicks and verberations.
The written examination was divided into three parts, each harder than the previous. The first part covered history and government. It was 20 questions long and a breeze for those who graduated from any schooling institution at all. It covered the eight interracial laws as well as the War Time-Trade Agreement. Question 14 depicted a globe of the planet and Tatm had to pinpoint and name every metropolis on it. Question 20 required a brief discussion explaining the factors that caused the universal ban on projectiles in tandem with the rise of magic-centric based combat.
The second part of the examination was far more challenging. Mainly composed of differential calculus in magical energy to electrical energy conversions, these questions were to be solved without any calculating apparatus. Strong foundations in mathematics and physics were needed to get past these 20 questions. Having prepared for these questions extensively, Tatm breezed through them almost as quickly as the first set. It wasn’t until question 37 that Tatm was thrown for a loop.
Scattered across his desk were hundreds of constellations of stars. Having zero education regarding astronomy, Tatm randomly selected a constellation and clicked in his best guess as to how far across it was.
Tatm furrowed his eyebrows in frustration. Astrochemical reactions? The symbols on his desk depicted elements and compounds that he had never seen before. Starting to become worried, Tatm quickly guessed at each part of the question as to not waste any time.
Again, Tatm could not answer. While Tatm recalled his father mentioning rifts in passing, he would never elaborate on them.
The final 10 questions of the test covered anatomy, to Tatm’s immense relief. The majority of the last questions involved identifying the various muscles and bones of the body. Completing the test, his desk abruptly powered off and sunk to the floor. In the exact location where the desk had collapsed on the floor, a blue arrow lit up directing him forward.
Careful not to disrupt hundreds of his peers still working, Tatm make his way to the end of the auditorium. Passing through a sleek hallway, Tatm found himself in another holding chamber. At the entry stood an admissions officer and against the walls leaned a few other test takers.
“Name and seat?” The officer asked, obviously bored.
“Tatm Hsu. Seat 472.”
“You are number 23. Listen for your name and remember your number. You are free to talk and move around but you must stay in this room.”
Nodding in affirmation, Tatm found an open section of wall to lean against.
“I’m Nasus, number 19.” Nasus walked over and extended his hand out. Curiously, his skin was completely red, as if dyed. Slightly shorter than Tatm, he was lithe.
“Tatm, 23.” Tatm shook his hand.
“I finished a few minutes before you did. Only had to guess on one.” Nasus grinned. “How about you?”
“I didn’t know three of them. The rest were fairly simple though. Do you know what happens next?”
“No clue. This is my first-”
The door leading out of the room opened and an officer shouted out, “Nasus Aewe. Yohan Reit. Abigail Hosc.”
“That’s me. Good luck.” Nasus waved and jogged out.
“You too.” Tatm watched Nasus leave the chamber. Seeing him disappear past the doors to the second exam, Tatm leaned against the wall once again and waited in silence.
A few minutes later, the admissions officer stepped out once again. “Julius Fink. Tatm Hsu. Gus Czek.”
The physical examination was held in a room just as massive as the first. On the ground outlining the room was a circular track. In the center lay miscellaneous assortments of weights and machines that looked similar to ones he had at home. A few areas were marked off and separated from the rest while others were placed side by side. The three test takers made their way to the center of the room, having no trouble avoiding a few others who had begun the examination earlier.
“Hey, you three. Over here.” In very center of the commotion stood a lady dressed in a different uniform. Contrasting the black and brown uniform of the other examiners, she wore a white lab coat that hung loosely to her feet and dragged slightly against the ground as she moved forward. Underneath the coat she wore a red long sleeved shirt and red pants.
“I’m Doctor Rose. I’m in charge making sure each of you are performing at your best and seeing to you if you get hurt. I’m going to need each of you to strip down to your undergarments so we can get you measured.”
The three of them did. Walking up to each of them in turn, Doctor Rose pricked each of them with a small needle underneath their ribs on the right side of their bodies. The needle lit up blue after each prick and when it was removed small droplets of blood formed at the puncture. She walked over to a set of machines and tossed the three needles into an opening in the largest one. At the bottom, three small containers were dispensed along with three skintight brown bodysuits.
“Put these on and open your container. The pill inside will revitalize you. Place it underneath your tongue. Walk to the man at the start of the track after you suit up and give him your name and number.” She pointed to a lone admission officer standing in a corner of the room atop the track. “Best of luck to each of you.”
Tatm quickly put on the suit and did as instructed with the pill. The pill, a murky translucent purple, vanished instantly in his mouth, leaving behind neither taste nor liquid. Heat blossomed in his chest and he felt all drowsiness within him seep away. It had a similar effect on Julius and Gus. Together, they walked towards the track, stretching their arms and legs with increased vigor.
“Julius Fink. 22.” “Tatm Hsu. 23.” “Gus Czek. 24.”
The examiner penned a few notes into his tablet. “Each of you will run once around the track. Your bodysuit will monitor and assess every movement you make and relay it back to me. Do not hold back. Do not stumble. When you loop back around you are to immediately begin the next assessment with the officer over there.” He paused and gestured to another examiner a few meters away. “I will start each of you one minute apart from each other. Do not get overtaken. Failure to follow these instructions will result in disqualification and ejection from the testing site. Julius, on your mark.”
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Slightly surprised, Julius jumped into place on the track and tensed up in anticipation.
“Go!” He sprinted off, pushed by newfound adreniline. “Tatm, get ready.”
Walking into the starting line, Tatm mentally ticked off the seconds. “On your mark. Go!”
While Tatm may not have looked it from his average height and build, he had been devotedly following his father's vigorous training regimens and dieting plans for as long as he could remember. When not studying for school, Tatm worked on his form. He memorized thousands of different stretches, workouts, and exercises. At 6 years of age he began training in every martial arts his father could find tutors for. At 15, he mastered all of them. Irritated at his performance earlier on the written exam, he needed to make up for it. He needed to impress.
And so Tatm exploded into motion, his body a blur of movement, giving it everything he had. He completed the 800 meter track in 1 minute 46 seconds.
“Lift the block and hold it above your head for 10 seconds.” Weightless to start, the block’s weight increased rapidly each second it was held, which tested the limits of his strength. The block maxed out.
“Jump as far as you can into the sand pit. You are allowed up to 20 strides before takeoff to accumulate speed.” Tatm’s jump measured 8.6 meters.
“Stay within the circle. Throw the discus as far as you can.” 77 meters.
“Punch the bag as hard as you can.” His knuckles came off bloodied.
“When the screen changes color press down on it as quickly as you can.” 150 millisecond visual reaction time. 110 millisecond audio reaction time.
“Wait in the next room. Your results are being analyzed and you will be called shortly.” Breathing heavily, Tatm made his way through the indicated door and slumped against the wall, exhausted. In the room was only Julian, panting heavily on the floor. Tatm had been just a few seconds off of lapping him, and Julius didn’t notice until it was almost too late.
“Ha ha. Man you’re fast. Ha. Just my luck to be in front of you.” Julius pumped his fist into the air “Ha!”
Before Tatm could respond, a feminine voice projected into the room “Julius Fink, please advance.”
“Make sure you pass this thing. I’ll have my revenge at the academy.” Clambering to his feet, Julius made his way outside of the room.
“Tatm Hsu, please advance.”
In the final testing chamber Tatm stood facing 9 admission officers. The one in the center spoke. “You will be pleased to hear that you have passed both exams. Other than intelligence and physical ability, there is something else that all Stormpoint students have in common. Something that unites us. Affinity to magic. Affinity is something you are born with. Your capacity for magic is determined at birth, and there is nothing we can do for you if you are born without.
“Luckily for you, your father was born with one of the strongest connections ever recorded. Because magic is hereditary, your affinity will be strong as well. Those who wield magic are called zoners, catchers, and bruisers. As you are born with capacity, you are also born into these classes. Everyone must play the hand they are dealt, this is a fact of life. In a moment we are going to perform a test so we can ascertain what class you belong to. Stand absolutely still.”
Each of the 9 officers placed their hands onto the desks in front of them. Straining his eyes, Tatm noticed that the air around their hands blurred slightly, as if a heat source was placed beneath it. A tingling sensation spread across Tatm’s feet and it slowly weaved its ways through his entire body. After a minute of discomfort, he felt the sensation leave his body completely.
“As expected, you have inherited your father’s capacity for magic. However, you do not belong to the same class as him. You are a zoner.” The man smiled. “Congratulations. Because of your ability and heritage, you have become the 87th examinee to gain admittance to Stormpoint Military Academy. In one week's time a shuttle will be sent to your home. Wear only the uniform you received today. On your way out of this building you will be given a travel bag. All personal effects you wish to take with you must be in that bag when the shuttle arrives.”
The cold air of Xaansall hit Tatm like a wall as he exited the massive facility. From start to finish, 5 hours had passed. The city was bustling with midday activity as hundreds of pedestrians walked along the sleek archways that connected all of the buildings together. Overhead, innumerous shuttles zipped across the skies. Each building was shaped in the form of an octahedron, and bore numerous bridges and landing ports. Like all metropolises, Xaansall flew above the clouds and regulated the atmosphere around it. The beauty of it took Tatm’s breath every time he visited.
His own town was much more humble. A simple port town very much connected to the ground. The docks were made of wood and everything reeked of fish. Still in the uniform from earlier, Tatm slipped his new bag over his shoulder. It currently held the clothes he arrived in. Tatm took his time finding a shuttle home, pleased with how the day had turned out. He was in no hurry to get back.
***
Brigadier General Marsa Dax flipped through the massive stack of papers on her desk. On each of the papers was printed an extensive analysis of each newly admitted student to Stormpoint Academy. Dax, placed in charge of the academy, liked to familiarize herself with the acceptance list. The vast majority of students who pass the exam belong to military families. Kids who have trained for the academy with their parent’s guidance tend to do very well.
Throughout her years running the academy, Dax always enjoyed sorting through the new names. When she found a student with exceptional results or connections, she pulled their paper from the stack and placed it into her own special interest folder. She had a knack for picking out unique and exceptional recruits, and it had become a personal hobby of hers to track successful characters from the beginning.
Dax smiled, a twinkle in her eye. This year’s special interest folder was very, very thick.