*seven years later*

“Alright, Son, I know that you’re an exceptionally strong and talented boy, but make sure to behave yourself and be kind to your fellow students,” Father said. I nodded to show I understood. “Your mother and I love you very much. Enjoy your time in the Academy. And when you graduate, we’ll be waiting for you at home.”

“Alright. And I’ll make sure to try to keep a low profile. For as long as I can.”

“With your luck, that would only last until noon today,” Father replied with a chuckle.

“Yeah, you’re probably right. But I’ll still try.”

“That’s good. I don’t want to receive a notice that you’ve been fighting with other students.”

“I’ll go my best, Father.”

“Good. We’ll see you when you have a break.”

My parents both waved goodbye as I walked through the front gates of the academy. The tall iron gates towered above me, making my 8-year-old self feel even smaller. And since I was so distracted by the sight of the Academy, I didn’t notice the person in front of me. I walked straight into them, pushing them forward a step.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there. Are you alright?”

“Screw off, punk!”

The person I walked into was an older student from another year. He pushed me away and huffed.

“Don’t you know how to watch where you’re going, kid?”

“I’m sorry, I was just distracted. This place looks very nice.”

“Well, keep your eyes in front of you next time. Because if something like this happens again, I won’t be so nice.”

“Is that a threat?” I asked. A small amount of Mana leaked out of my body as my fighting intent arose within me. However, I took a breath and it went away just as quickly as it appeared. The boy in front of me hadn’t even noticed.

“No, it’s a promise, brat. Now stay out of my way like a good little boy.”

He pushed me again before walking off. Looking around, I made sure that no one had noticed the incident. However, I noticed someone watching me. He was older looking, with white hair and blue eyes. When he noticed me staring at me, he stood up straighter and walked over to me.

“Hello there, young man. My name is Cythraul. I’m someone who helps protect the city, though right at this moment I’m a guest instructor at the Academy. That was very impressive what you did for someone so young. Just how old are you exactly?”

“I’m eight years old.”

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“And yet you’re already able to release Mana from your body and outwardly manifest it? Usually, only fully fledged mages can perform such a feat. Very impressive. Have you received any training before coming here?”

“My father gave me some basic training over a few years. Mostly just standard physical training and some light sparring.”

“And yet you can do something like that? Either you’re a natural-born prodigy, or your father is a remarkable person. Or perhaps even both. Anyway, enjoy your first day at the Academy. I won’t bother you any further today.”

And the man walked off. I also noticed as he was walking away that the tips of his ears had a very distinct point to them. Meaning he was a full-blooded elf, unlike my mother and myself, who had less obviously pointed ears. But the thing that bothered me was that even though I hadn’t even released my Mana for a full second, he noticed it and was fully aware of what I did.

He definitely seems like someone I should be wary of, I thought. Better watch myself even more when he’s around.

Walking into the actual Academy building, I marveled at the grand size of its pristine white marble floors and walls. It was a beautiful structure that reminded me of some of the fancy universities back on Earth. Looking, around I shook my head in wonder at the size and beauty of the building. Though I was especially careful not to bump into anyone in the crowded halls.

“Okay, according to this holo-letter, I’m supposed to head to a testing site out in the courtyard.”

After getting some directions, I found my there. Once out in the courtyard, I spotted a large crowd gathered around an elevated platform. Walking over, I saw that there was a line of kids my age being checked in by someone who looked like a teacher. Joining the end of the line, I patiently waited my turn to be checked in. When the teacher reached me in the line, he had a very bored expression on his face and an equally bored tone of voice.

“Name, age, and division.”

“Charles Wheaton, 8 years old, and combat division.”

“Alright. Just continue waiting in line until it’s turn to be tested. Ignore the crowd of students watching and do your best.”

He then moved on to the next student in line and repeated the process.

After waiting nearly an hour, it was my turn. Walking onto the platform, I approached the tester.

“Charles Wheaton, right?”

“Yup, that’s right!”

“Like your enthusiasm. Let’s get started.”

The tester walked over to a table that had multiple strange devices on it. They were pretty much identical with a hand scanner and screen on the side facing me. There was also a screen facing the crowd, that way they could see and react to the results.

“These machines will each test your magical prowess. The first one tests your elemental affinities, the second one measures the amount of Mana you have, the third one measures the concentration of your Mana, and the last one tests your control over your Mana.”

“Okay. Do I just place my hand on the scanner?”

“That’s correct. I’ll let you know when to do so, and when you can stop.”

I nodded to show I understood. He then told me to start the first test. Placing my hand on the first machine, it began humming. After about a minute or so, it beeped and the tester told me to remove my hand. I did so, and he frowned after checking the results.

“That’s…odd. But the machine can’t be wrong.”

At the same time, many people in the crowd had strange looks on their faces. They also all seemed just as confused as the tester.

“What is it? What’s my result?”

“That’s the thing. There isn’t one. The machine read error, as if it couldn’t read what elemental affinities you have.”

“Oh. Well, maybe the machine has a bug?”

“No, it was doing fine all day up until now. Whatever, we’ll just move on to the next test.”

I walked over to the next machine. When the tester nodded, I put my hand on it. And when it beeped, I removed my hand like before. Once again, the tester came over and looked at the results. Except this time, his eyes widened in shock.

“I-I have never seen a result like this before either. At least, not in someone your age. According to this, the amount of Mana you have is nearly the same amount as a full fledged low-level mage. That might not sound like much, but at your age with no proper training, that’s unheard of.”

Looking at the crowd, I saw that they were all shocked speechless. But then one person started shouting.

“Retest! There’s no way that reading is accurate! I demand he be retested!”

Spying the student shouting, I saw that it was the same jerk who was rude to me at the entrance. I smirked, knowing why he was so adamant about my test being wrong. The tester just sighed and ignored the punk.

“Alright, on to the third test. Whenever you’re ready, you may begin.”

Placing my hand on the scanner, I repeated the same process. Once it was finished, the tester looked over. And once again, he was left completed shocked.

“A-amazing! Another record breaking result!”

The crowd went into an uproar. Clearly, my results were just that shocking to everyone. And do, the tester got the crowd calmed back down. He then had me go to the last testing machine. The one that would measure the amount of control I have over my Mana.

“This one will definitely break records, I’m sure,” I muttered to myself. Placing my hand on the machine, it hummed like normal. But it took longer for it to come up with a result. Instead, it began sparking and smoking before finally beeping. The tester, already worried by the machine’s reaction, began freaking out when he saw the result.

“Th-this is impossible! How could a child have such a result on the Mana control test?!”

He then passed out on the spot.