The closer they got to the center of Tyre, the more it contrasted with the humble living of the edges. The roads were clean paved stones, with the only traffic being carriages gingerly carrying nobles or delivering packages.
Grand villas of nobles and successful business men were neatly organized on either side of the roads, creating a grand grid of fabulous mansions. Land was clearly a premium, and despite having ample land none of the mansions even compared to his aunts in terms of land.
Monica had disappeared after talking to them. Despite that Caris and his team of servants treated them lavishly. They prepared a grand feast of delicious food and they even had a team of tailors come and create clothing for them.
Lucian had half expected them to make him a showy nobleman suit, but instead his outfit was designed to be practical. He wore a fitted black shirt with long sleeves that hugged his lean frame without being too tight. The shirt was tucked into loose black trousers that allowed for a full range of movement. Over the shirt, he wore a sleeveless, dark leather vest that had several pockets for carrying small items like knives or potions. The vest was adorned with simple silver buttons that weren't too flashy. His black boots were sturdy and comfortable and his sword was firmly strapped to his back.
Eleanor’s clothes were quite similar except she ditched the long sleeve and vest in favor of a simple, short sleeve tunic. She still had the tracking bracelet on her right wrist and had added a steel vambrace on the other arm.
He couldn’t even imagine how much his sword and clothes would cost if he had to pay for it.
Eleanor tapped his side, spurring him from his thoughts.
“That’s it,” she said, pointing out the window of the carriage and towards what could only be the Luminarium.
There was no good way to describe the ridiculous structure in front of him. The architecture was a crazy mix of styles, with gothic arches and baroque domes mingling with more modern glass and steel structures. They were surrounded by a large forest of trees that was completely out of place in the center of Tyre. The trees were practically infesting all the structures, making it appear as though the Luminarium was slowly being reclaimed by nature.
It was a surreal sigh that defied the laws of physics and reason.
The carriage pulled them through the woods and into a giant roofed courtyard. Their aunt was already waiting for them.
“You look good,” she commented, turning around and walking away. “Follow me.”
They didn’t have to walk far through the courtyard to get to a big, marbled domed building. When they got inside they found that it was an office space with simple cubicles. Lucian could hear the sound of multiple typewriters being used as Monica led them to a desk.
At the desk was a simple looking man with glasses and a suit.
“Good afternoon Monica,” he greeted. “I assume this is your niece and nephew?”
“Indeed.”
“Eleanor and Lucian,” the man murmured as he shuffled around some papers, “commoners so no last name, but for formality purposes Monica has allowed the use of Nox.” He grabbed a stack of papers and shot out of his chair, beelining it towards a door.
The siblings looked at Monica in surprise. She had very clearly told them that their mother had renounced the name Nox, and they were not a part of the family. Yet she still lent them the name…
“Thank you,” Eleanor said sincerely.
“Do well,” Monica replied, her expression still neutral.
The man came back and handed them a pen and a stack of papers each.
“Take a seat wherever and finish this in an hour,” he told them.
“What is this?” Lucian asked.
“The written exam.”
Lucian physically cringed. Nobody had mentioned a written test. He looked at his sister, alarmed. Eleanor gave him a sturdy thumbs up and sat down at an open cubicle.
While he did go to law school and achieve good grades, Lucian did not consider himself a studious person at all. In his last two lives, it was more him being extremely invested and interested in learning that allowed him to succeed.
In this world, he was not as interested. His parents had taught him basic information, but since he was always so advanced growing up they all kinda fizzled out with the schooling.
Sitting down and going through the test, he scowl only grew. In depth history of Tyre? Origins of magic? Proper social etiquette in specific scenarios?
Oh boy, it was time for the guessing game. At least there was a large math portion. No matter what world it was, math was always the same. The hardest questions on the test were trigonometry and algebra, which he still remembered how to do.
“What’s a passing grade?” he asked the bespectacled man?
“Eighty percent.”
Lucian pursed his lips and exhaled deeply.
He was screwed.
An hour later the siblings walked into an infirmary and sat down. Eleanor had a slight pep to her step while Lucian was completely deflated.
“It wasn’t that bad, Lu,” Eleanor teased with a smirk.
“It was badder than bad, sis.”
“This is what happens when you want to make flutes instead of listening to your sister.”
“You’re getting grenaded,” he decided, clenching his fists.
A female elf wearing a labcoat entered the room and Eleanor immediately resumed her stony persona. Lucian smiled and studied the elf curiously, it was the first time he had ever seen one. She was tall with blonde hair and pointed ears. Under her lab coat was a simple sweater and slacks.
“I’m Ramona, one of the physicians,” she introduced, sitting down and examining a clipboard. “Lucian and Eleanor Nox,” she read slowly, “Monica sponsored you? Who would have thought?”
“Is that surprising?” he asked.
“Have you ever met her?” Ramona countered. “I understand her circumstances, but Monica is one cold person. She isn’t the type to do favors for anyone, let alone going this far.”
“I’m not too sure what to say. Maybe it’s because we’re family?”
“Maybe,” the doctor's tone did not sound convincing, “maybe, indeed. Anyways, I’m here to assess your conditions. We’re not usually strict about this, but since you’re coming in late we have to make sure you’re up to standards.”
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
It was a typical physical, with Ramona checking their vitals, reflexes, and range of motion. After around twenty minutes, she seemed satisfied and checked off the last box on her clipboard.
“You’re both in good shape, Eleanor especially. There is one thing I want to be transparent about,” she glanced at Lucian’s arm, “is your lack of forearm.”
“What about it?” Eleanor asked tightly.
“Relax, girl,” Ramona said loosely, “I understand that it might be a sore subject, but let's be realistic. This academy does have courses to pursue scholarly careers, but all students need to know how to fight. You’re at a disadvantage, Lucian.”
“I know, but I can’t imagine myself losing to my peers even with one hand,” he said.
“It’s good to be confident, but the main disadvantage will be getting in. It will subtract heavily from their opinion of you.”
Lucian couldn’t blame them. The school had a reputation that it was trying to upkeep. It accepted only the best in order to produce the best. He knew that he was miles ahead in experience and combat mettle, but from the outside, he was a weak prospect.
“It is what it is,” he decided. “What’s next?”
“Follow me,” Ramona said, leading them into a hallway, “I’m also doing the magic exam. It’s simple, we have a special rune that can examine how much, and how far, you can input magic.”
Lucian clenched his jaw as they entered a plain stone room with a giant rune painted onto the ground. A pit formed in his stomach and he started to feel anxious.
He knew there was no way he could pass this test. He could use magic, but only by the laws of his third life. Magic in this world was used by drawing in ambient mana in the air and channeling it into spells.
He could not channel mana from the outside. He only had his internal reserves, and while they weren’t pathetic or anything, it most likely wouldn’t help him in this scenario.
Eleanor walked beside him, sensing his anxiety. She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, giving him a gentle squeeze. "You got this, Lu," she whispered.
He smiled weakly.
“Take a look,” Ramona said to them, gesturing to the rune. It was a large, snowflake-like pattern with concentric lines fanning out from the center. “The lines go out far from the center, as you can see, which shows your input range. If you can get the lines on the edge to light up, then you have a really large range. The intensity of the light shows how much you can draw in. All you have to do is step in the center and start pulling the magic in. Good luck.”
Eleanor stepped into the center of the rune with a resolute look on her face.
She closed her eyes and exhaled. Lucian felt the air in the room shift. The entire atmosphere stopped for a moment at his sister's command. The rune started to glow, first in the center before it started to spread farther and farther until the entire rune was illuminated with a blinding light.
The glow got so bright that Lucian and Ramona had to cover their eyes. When the glow started to die down Lucian couldn’t help but smile brightly at his sister.
She really was incredible.
Eleanor noticed his expression and smiled back, giving him an excited thumbs up.
Lucian chuckled as he approached the center of the rune.
He closed his eyes and focused on channeling his magic, but after a few minutes, nothing seemed to happen. He tried to feel the energy that naturally saturated the air, but all he could feel was a soft, miniscule buzz that he couldn’t get a grasp on.
He opened his eyes to see the rune still dim and unresponsive. Lucian tried a few more times to no avail. Even when he channeled his own internal mana, it did not show up since the rune was only attuned to work a certain way.
Ramona approached him in confusion. “Did Eleanor break the rune?” she wondered out loud.
She stepped right next to him and channeled her own mana, the rune glowed in response and her face became even more perplexed.
“Huh. You really can’t draw anything in?”
“According to the rune, I guess not,” was all he could say. Lucian felt a pang of disappointment, but he knew deep down that he had expected this outcome.
Eleanor grabbed his lone hand as they walked towards another testing area and held it. He could tell that she was worrying about him.
“It’s alright, El,” he whispered softly.
She nodded.
Ramona ushered them into an indoor training facility that exuded a serene, garden-like atmosphere. The soft, lush grass beneath their feet had tranquil, shallow ponds dispersed around. Elevated seats lined the sides of the facility, offering a perfect vantage point to observe the action, although only a handful of people were present, spaced far apart. Monica was among them and watched them intently.
“They’ve been observing you since the first test,” Ramonded revealed. “All of the previous tests have meaning, but Lumi has always been predicated on combat. This final test will be an examination of your capacity for violence.”
Shrugging off her lab coat, Ramona pointed at Eleanor and gestured to her to approach.
“We have examiners specifically for this portion of the test, but,” she smiled dangerously, “I’m very interested in fighting you myself.” She looked at the spectators and yelled, “That’s okay, right?”
Someone nodded, and Ramona skipped over into the garden.
“Alright, Eleanor! Come at me with all you got!”
Lucian walked over to the sidelines and sat down next to Monica silently. His aunt didn’t even acknowledge him as Eleanor approached Ramona slowly.
“Good luck,” Eleanor said neutrally as she drew her Orachalcum sword and rushed her examiner.
Ramona’s hands glowed with a bright light and a staff manifested into her hands. She parried Eleanor’s quick, horizontal swipe and quickly countered.
Eleanor leaped back, barely dodging the staff’s tip. She spun around and delivered a powerful upward strike that Ramona deflected with ease.
The elf moved with an almost inhuman grace, her staff dancing around her like an extension of her body.
Eleanor’s sword clashed against the staff, the sound echoing through the training facility.
She thrust her sword forward, aiming for Ramona’s chest, but the elf was too quick, sidestepping the attack and striking back with a flurry of blows.
Eleanor’s skill was evident as she parried and dodged Ramona’s attacks, her sword a red blur. But the elf was no slouch either, her staff moving with blinding speed, striking from all angles.
Lucian watched from the sidelines, impressed by the display of skill.
Ramona decided to up the intensity, her staff shining with a bright light. She met an overhead swing from Eleanor head on and brought her leg up to kick her opponent right in the chest.
Eleanor stumbled back from the force of the blow.
With a swift movement, Ramona disarmed Eleanor, sending her sword flying across the room.
The elf raised her staff, ready to deliver the final blow.
But just as she was about to strike, Eleanor’s hands glowed with a bright blue light. Water surged from the shallow pond nearby, wrapping around Ramona’s legs and pulling her down.
Eleanor seized the opportunity, diving forward and retrieving her sword. Fireballs formed in the air around her as Eleanor pointed her sword at her foe charged once more.
Ramona held firm, easily dodging the projectiles while never keeping her eyes off her opponent. She smirked as she easily avoided Eleanor’s fiery assault.
She suddenly gasped as the ground opened up from under her and swallowed her leg.
Eleanor saw her opening and went for the finish. Her sword started to glow with powerful mana as she charged.
Ramona had no choice but to block. Eleanor’s strike shattered Ramona’s staff and continued to travel towards the neck of the stunned examiner.
But before it could strike the arena exploded with wind.
Eleanor was sent flying and painfully tumbled across the ground.
The raging cyclone died down, revealing Ramona with a vicious smirk on her face.
“This is fun!” she declared, before her smile died and turned into a scowl. “But, there’s rules and we need to stop before I destroy the whole room.”
“Okay,” Eleanor agreed, sheathing her sword and making her way over to her brother.
Lucian lightly punched her shoulder as she sat down.
“Nice job, sis,” he praised.
“Thanks,” she said, her breathing slightly labored.
Lucian made his way down to the arena and faced Ramona. He drew his black sword and pointed it towards Ramona wearily.
“Are you okay?” he had to ask. Eleanor was no easy opponent.
Ramona, who had broken more than just a sweat, contemplated for a few moments.
“Yeah… I should probably sit this one out. Your sister broke my staff and it wouldn’t be fair to have you fight a weakened opponent.” She gestured to the crowd. “Hey! I’m tapping out!”
Lucian felt immediate dread as Monica, of all people, stood up and started to approach.