The walk to the main keep didn't take long, but the possibilities streaking through Jackson's mind at a breakneck pace made it feel ceaseless. He didn't take in the scenery as he normally would've whenever he found himself inside the corridors of the academy's main halls, since he was completely absorbed in his thoughts. Leading the way through the organized labyrinth that was Optima's main keep was Mr. Landy, with the two of them eventually arriving at the largest tower in the center of the main keep. A hole seemed to materialize in one of the walls as Landy approached it, revealing a winding staircase lit by torchlight, which he began to ascend, motioning Jackson to keep close as he did so.
After a few minutes of trudging up the stairs, Jackson was exhausted. There were a lot of stairs to go up, and having already done two hours of strenuous swordsmanship training beforehand, Jackson's legs were beginning to falter. Fortunately, the staircase seemed to come to an end, opening up into an amphitheater housing four seats in an elevated viewing box towards the back of the room. The room was relatively plain compared to the rest of the main keep, the only notable decoration being overly long red curtains that hung near the windows, the excess material flowing onto the floor and pooling together. Mr. Landy approached the chairs and began hovering his hand over a series of sigils carved into each chair as Jackson tapped his foot in a restless manner.
“So, where are they? The Board of Appraisal, I mean,” questioned Jackson impatiently.
Mr. Landy turned his head to meet Jackson's prodding gaze. “They will be with us as soon as possible. This meeting wasn't planned in advance, and I have only just signaled that it is happening. Your nervousness is evident, but it won't make them arrive any quicker.”
“Yeah. Fine.”
Before much longer, Jackson heard footsteps approach from the staircase he had taken and turned to see who it was. It was a group of three people, all looking fairly different from one another. The first to step into the room was a tall, muscular man with long hair, tight braids scattered throughout. He had a big, bushy beard that stretched from his nose to his stomach, also littered with small braids. Following on from him was a pale, thin elf, wearing half her hair down to her shoulders with the other half tied in a ponytail. She had bags under her eyes that were only emphasized by the thin-rimmed glasses she wore. She walked with heavy feet, slouching slightly as she went. The third person to enter the room was a short man, likely a dwarf. In Jackson's opinion, he looked the most like a regular teacher out of the three standing before him. Compared to the brutish-looking man and the sleep-deprived elf, the dwarf seemed cheery, smiling and waving to Jackson as he entered, whilst the others had only glanced at him. His hair was practically non-existent, forming a thin layer a few millimeters thick on his head. The three headed to the seats and took their places, leaving the largest seat unoccupied.
“Won't Miss Aster be joining us?” inquired Landy.
“You know what she's like, Landy—always running late,” replied the tired woman, her voice raspy and dry. “In the meantime, why don't we get started? Break's only so long, and we all have classes to be teaching.”
“Very well. I called this meeting to discuss a new student of mine,” stated Landy with his typical bravado, motioning towards Jackson as he did so. “This is Jackson Trinity. I have reason to believe he has recently awakened as a mage.”
“Awakened?” questioned the muscular man. “At his age? He looks no younger than 18. For him to awaken at this age would be rarer than me losing a fight.”
“You are correct,” the dwarf chimed in before smiling mischievously at the muscular man, “but I seem to remember you being bested a number of times. Whilst rare, it's possible.”
The muscular man bit his bottom lip, attempting poorly to hide his building irritation. “I suppose. Fine. What is your reasoning for believing this, Landy?”
Landy responded swiftly, filling the three of them in on what Jackson had told him about the colors he'd seen, also mentioning how Jackson was able to tell he was a mage after feeling magic swelling in the air around him when he had parried an attack during class earlier that day.
“I see. So he's sensitive to magic, then?” the tired woman responded. “And not just that—if you are correct about the colors he saw being a manifestation of his magical sense, then he has great potential as a mage.”
“Assuming the boy isn't just lying, that is.” Everyone turned to see the muscular man piping up once again. “I would like to believe his story, but it all seems a little too unlikely.”
“Mr. Trinity has no reason to lie, Efail,” Landy interjected. “It would only make his life and studies more difficult, and he would quickly be found out and promptly reprimanded. I believe it's worth appraising him. If he is not a mage, then the only thing we have to lose is time, but if he is, then action should be taken.”
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The room was filled with a quiet deliberation as the three teachers pondered over whether or not to bother testing Jackson before a loud crash came from the staircase. A tall, athletic woman wearing a robe that moved as if it were perpetually underwater—filled with what looked to be stars and nebulas—had entered the room, knocking the door off its hinges as she did so. She had purple hair with streaks of black scattered throughout that dangled down to her waist. She had soft features, her matching purple eyes locked onto Jackson as she approached the chairs and took her place. “Hope I'm not too late. How's the appraisal going? Good? Bad?”
“Miss Aster,” exclaimed the muscular man, Efail, rubbing his forehead as he did so. “The boy is no younger than 18. He has supposedly developed magic. I believe it is too unlikely given the circumstances.”
Miss Aster looked at Efail before promptly responding. “Oh? But don't you feel it? He definitely has the presence of a mage.” The three members of staff looked around, confused. Clearly, whatever Miss Aster was talking about, they were just as clueless as Jackson was. “Look, just let him do the test. I'm sure he'll impress.” Without another word, the members of the Board of Appraisal brought out a pristine crystal ball about the size of Jackson's head and placed it in front of him. “Whenever you're ready, just place your hand on that orb and try to push your magic into it.”
Not fully understanding what was happening, Jackson placed his hand on the orb. He closed his eyes and began to focus on the familiar sensation in his chest, trying to will it to his palm this time instead of his eyes. It was easier than it had been the last two times, with Jackson noticing it took less time to do as well. He felt his energy begin to steadily leave him and flow into the orb. It tired him out, but he kept pouring every bit of energy he could into the once cold and lifeless orb, with it now feeling hot in his hands. Energy wasn't the only thing Jackson had rushing around his body. Doubt, fear, but most prominently—excitement. It felt like pure potential gathering at his fingertips and flowing into the orb.
“Open your eyes,” he heard Mr. Landy say. Following his teacher's words, Jackson opened his eyes to see the ball swirling with an explosion of different colors, but it was different from what he glimpsed when he initially saw the colors. Amongst the swirling colors were touches of black, and within that were gleaming dots spaced randomly against the dark. The colors bled into one another, mixing and mingling, creating new colors as they went before eventually splitting apart, with the process repeating all over again.
“That will do,” Miss Aster informed him. Jackson took his hand off the orb before staring back at the council, who had fallen into a stunned silence. “Well, I think that's pretty conclusive. It appears that Jackson is a mage after all. Mr. Landy, please take him outside for just a moment, and we'll summon the two of you back once we have finished our appraisal.”
With that, Jackson and Mr. Landy left, leaving the Board to deliberate over Jackson's potential as a mage.
“Miss Aster,” the tired woman began with a renewed sense of energy in her voice, “we should admit him. He can begin in my class as soon as tomorrow.”
“Now hold on, Rialu,” Efail interjected, cutting off the woman. “I know I had my reservations. It's evident the boy has demonstrated capabilities as a mage, but we are overlooking a clear issue. That test is normally a straightforward way of determining a mage's class, but that isn't the case here. I mean, I've seen hundreds, probably thousands, of these tests before, but I have never seen a result like that. It's evident he's some form of Hybrid, but the exact kind is up in the air.”
Miss Aster spoke up after a few moments of stillness had passed. “You're right, Efail. The boy's class isn't exactly clear, but it's not like that's never been a problem. I mean, nine times out of ten, those sorcerers end up being Hybrids or a rare type of Ego. It is for that reason I suggest he start out in my class and occasionally drop in on others.”
“If I may, Celestia,” the dwarf chimed in, “I believe it would be unwise to assume his class. If we're wrong, we end up wasting effort and time watering a plant that won't grow.”
“Thanks for your concern, Valentino, but I disagree. If after a while he makes no progress, then we can always transfer him to another class until he starts to develop. Either way, it's been a while since we saw something this interesting. I, for one, want to see what happens next.” Miss Aster—Celestia—smiled with a hint of playfulness as she gestured to the rest of the Board. “Any detractors?”
“Yes, actually,” Efail spoke. “What about the boy's current classes? He enrolled as a swordsman. He's taking swordsmanship classes—hell, the only reason we're having this meeting is because of his swordsmanship teacher. Do we switch him over completely?”
Miss Aster's voice chirped in once more. “Normally, I would say so. But he could sense Mr. Landy was a mage, despite him being of the Subliminal class. If it turns out he is a Hybrid, and one of his classes is Subliminal, then it would be a decent idea to keep him in swordsmanship classes so he can improve his physical skills as well.”
“But—”
“That's enough, Efail. He will join my class. I decree it as the principal of this academy.” The room went quiet once again before Miss Aster continued. “Mr. Landy, please return to the room with the boy.”
The two of them rounded the corner, appearing before the four towering seats. “Congratulations, Mr. Trinity, it appears you're a mage.”
Jackson's eyes lit up as he felt the weight of the world slide off his shoulders. He wasn't crazy—he had magic. Actual, real magic. “When... when do I start?”
Miss Aster's grin widened. “Tomorrow. I'll sort out the uniform and find you in the morning to show you the class. Best not be late, Mr. Trinity.”
He couldn't hide his excitement. “Trust me, I'll be there.”