"I'm Rolan Darsel, and I will be responsible for your evaluation today," said the teacher, "first, each one of you take a Nymph stone," he then presented a small wooden crate filled with tiny colourless stones.

The students circled Rolan, each grabbing a single stone.

"I can see that not all of you have gloves, but that's alright. These small stones can be easily held into a fist, which is more than enough."

Dariu slipped the stone into his right glove, now holding two.

"The evaluation will be divided into two parts, each one testing a different pillar of Lojia. We will be using the basic spells to conduct it."

Rolan headed toward a metal training dummy firmly planted in the ground. Encircling it were three red circles, each one larger than the previous, with a separation of roughly four meters between them.

"We will also use this," refering to the dummy, "I need a volunteer to do a quick demonstration."

Everyone kept quiet. Much like Dariu, several students felt thrilled to assess heir abilities. Yet, even if Arcadia felt like a regular school at that moment, it was still a slaughterhouse that took several lives in the matter of two days only. Hence, people were frightened of volunteering at something that could end up killing them.

"You there, the blond one," he pointed at Naylu, "step up."

Naylu paused briefly, sharing a concerned look with Dariu. He nodded reassuringly, giving Naylu the go-ahead to step forward.

Carefully approaching Rolan, he stood next to the dummy.

"Alright, boy. I want you to hit the dummy with a Dhormu."

"Dhormu," Naylu uttered, his hand raised, palm open, facing the training dummy.

The dummy recoiled from the force of Dhormu, toppling onto the ground within the first circle, right before its edge.

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"As you can see, the dummy landed on the first circle. This means that you have a below average Lacus, the pillar that determines the power of the spell. Falling in the second would signify an average Lacus, while landing in the third or beyond indicates a strong Lacus."

Rolan's words caused Naylu to wear a look of disappointment on his face.

"Are you going to cry, boy? The little guy already laid it out for you; you can't be good at everything. A weak Lacus just means you shine in other areas."

Naylu retreated into the crowd, and one by one, other students stepped forward to participate in the test. A few managed to shove the dummy all the way to the edge of the second circle, while others, like Naylu, could only reach the edge of the first.

After many turns, it was the time for Hena to take the stage.

"What happens if I break the dummy?" Hena asked.

"That won't happen, you cocky brat," Rolan responded.

"Dhormu," she uttered, releasing the most potent burst of energy yet, sending the dummy flying beyond the third circle, a couple of meters away from the edge.

Everyone stood in awe by the feat. While a meager fraction could get the dummy into the third circle, only Hena managed to surpass that.

"Easy," she said, a smirk playing on her face.

"Don't be too full of yourself, a strong Lacus often comes with a trade-off in your Arsha or Nayum."

"But Lacus is power, right? That's all I need. I don't care about stupid imagination or some useless third eye," she declared, returning into the crowd.

Next up was Dariu. Nervously, he raised his hand, took a breath, and uttered the incantation, "Dhormu!"

The dummy flew into the second circle, landing right in the middle.

This one is average, huh? Not bad, power on its own isn't enough anyway, he thought.

Lastly, it was the turn of the boy with the silver hair streak. Anticipation filled the air, given the impression he had left with his nonchalant behavior in the Lardhia class.

After uttering the incantation, the dummy barely budged a couple of meters, failing to even reach the center of the first circle.

Silence filled the air as the entire section was taken aback by the unexpectedly underwhelming outcome.

Breaking the silence, Hena erupted into loud laughter. "Is that it?! I thought you were some big shot!" she exclaimed between fits of uncontrollable laughter.

Unfazed by Hena's laughter, the boy maintained his cold and expressionless demeanor.

"Noah, right? You're looking at some exceptionally high Arsha or Nayum," noted the teacher.

"I know," Noah responded, and went back into the crowd.

"Alright, next is Arsha. Blondie! Come here."

Naylu approached Rolan.

"Stand in the centre," he instructed.

Naylu positioned himself in the middle of the circles, taking the place of the dummy.

"You should already know this, but just to jog your idiotic brains: Arsha is the spatial range for materializing spells, meaning a spell doesn't have to originate from your palm. As long as it's within your Arsha, you can conjure a spell from a distance," the teacher emphasized.

"This next test will determine the size of your Arsha. Blondie, try to conjure a Raya as far away from you as you can."

Raya, one of the four basic spells, was a simple ball of light used to illuminate the surroundings. But unlike Dhormu, it can be conjured freely within the range of a Lojius' Arsha, making it a perfect spell for the test.

"Raya," uttered Naylu, but nothing manifested.

Confusion lingered in the section as they searched for the conjured ball of light. Suddenly, a girl shouted, "There it is!" pointing in the distance.

Beyond the third circle, hovering close to the ground, floated a cyan radiant ball of light, gently vibrating.

Way to go, Naylu! Dariu thought, impressed by the feat.

"Wow, that's good, right?" Naylu asked the teacher.

"It just is, boy. I told you everyone gets something different, this is what you get. Whether it's good or not, that's up to you."

With a look of contentment on his face, Naylu went back into the crowd.

"Alright, everyone. Just like before, step up one by one to take the test," announced Rolan.