Chapter 14 Magic test is here!
Yue was staring at her father as he hammered metal on his anvil. He was making pots and pans for an order a neighbor asked for. It wasn’t the most fun thing to watch as Yue has seen him make enough pots and pans but knowing that she would be able to smith soon made Yue feel as if she had to watch. Besides Yue was practicing using her mana with it contained at the same time. Since a week ago when Yue sealed up most of her mana in a sphere she realized that it took more effort to do most of her magic but resulted in better practice. Right now Yue was using her magic to form an area around her that kept the heat out allowing her to be cool in the hot forge. Yue watched as her father placed the last pot in water, the steam sizzling out and the metal cooling. Lifting the pot with his tongs Brian placed it on the shelf with the others.
“That’s the last one Yue, lets go and see if your mother has dinner ready.” Brian patted Yue on the head then left toward the house.
Yue got up and followed after her dad, once inside Yue sniffed and smiled as she smelled dinner.
“KNOCK KNOCK.”
“Yue can you get that.” Grace yelled from the kitchen.
Yue swiftly changed directions to the front door, automatically spreading her perception outward to see who it was before she got there. Each person had mana even if it was an unusable amount, and the mana in each living being is personal in their own way. For example each blade of grass has a minuscule amount of mana of its own but they have such a small amount that is too similar that you can't really tell them apart. The more mana something has the more personal it is. By throwing out a thin unnoticeable wave of mana Yue can read the personal mana that hers comes in contact with.
Yue stopped in her tracks before she reached the door. She didn’t recognize the mana signature and it had a mage level amount. Taking a deep breath Yue quickly checked her own mana, making sure her sphere was secure and hidden. Satisfied with her mana sphere Yue went and opened the door.
If it wasn’t for the fact that Yue knew this lady had mage amount of mana and she was wearing a robe Yue would never believe this woman was a mage. Short flaming red hair covered a stern and square face, her eyes gray and dark like smoke from her hair. Her robe wash stretched over muscles as thick as Sir Arthur’s and she was as tall as him too. But the biggest doubt of them all was the fact that instead of a staff the woman had a wand with an axe on one end with the crystal on the other.
Yue didn’t realize she had frozen and been staring with shock until the woman coughed lightly reminding her where she was. Shaking her head Yue stepped to the side gesturing the amazon woman to come inside.
“I am Frayria I assume you are the youngling I am here to test, where are your parents so that we can begin.” The amazon woman said as she came in.
Yue lead the lady to the kitchen trying not to walk like a robot.
“Yue who was it.” Grace said when she heard Yue come in the kitchen. Turning Grace saw Frayria and recognized the robe. “Oh, welcome.”
Brian also looked up from his eating and recognizing the robe he quickly finished chewing and swallowed. “We can do the test in the living room.” Then Brian added as a joke, “Or you could eat with us first.”
“Don’t mind if I do,” amazon woman replied before taking a seat at the table.
Everyone froze for a second before Grace went into action grabbing a spare plate and filling it up.
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After an awkward dinner the four went into the living room for the test. Just like when Kevin was tested, Frayria pulled a crystal out of her sack and asked Yue to place her hand on it. Yue felt like her nerves were tight piano strings as she placed her hand on the crystal and Frayria spoke out her spell. Yue could feel her mana being pulled outward into the crystal, her third of mana came easily and swiftly lit the crystal into a not dull but not as bright as Kevin’s had been. Yue also felt her sphere being pulled but was being held back by the darkness magic surrounding it, still Yue could feel the pull winning so she forced all her will on keeping the sphere in place.
Yue had been concentrating so much that whatever Frayria said was left unheard and only relaxed once the crystal was taken away.
“She could become a good mage if she trains enough. I will be taking my leave now, I have another child in this village I need to test.” Frayria finished what she was saying when Yue was lost in her focus.
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Yue had frozen when she heard the first sentence but relaxed with the next. If Frayria was leaving then Yue had succeeded in lowering her ability enough.
After Frayria left Yue turned to her father with a large grin. “You can teach me now! I will be the best crafter ever!” Yue ran up and jumped into her father’s waiting arms. Brian lifted Yue and twirled her around, he too was glad that he could pass down his craft to Yue at last.
“Now wait one moment, I think you two are getting ahead of yourselves.” Grace said in a scolding tone.
Brian put Yue down and both of them look down unknowing why but knowing they were in trouble for some reason.
Grace sighed, “Yue, I know you want to craft but I do expect you to go to school when you are fifteen. Your father can teach you how to craft before then and if you still want to you can continue learning after schooling. But you heard the mage you had a score of 6, just below the level of (?progtey?) like your brother. Becoming a good mage can be life changing and I will not let you waste such a chance.” With that said Grace left to do the dishes.
Brian looked at Yue and sighed few people would choose crafting over using magic.
“ Don’t worry father! I still will be the best crafter, and you just will need to teach me as much as you can in the five years before school starts.” Yue gave Brian her most determined look.
Seeing his daughter’s determination Brian straightened his back and warned her, “I won’t be an easy teacher and I expect you to come back to learn more since there is no way you could become a master level crafter in five years!”
“Un” Yue nodded her head, she would expect no less.
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The next day Yue headed to Nik’s house the moment she woke eager and worried to hear his test results. The guards at the gate didn’t even blink an eye when Yue rushed past them, they knew her enough that there wasn’t a reason to stop her. Yue stopped in front of Nik’s bedroom door then knocked.
Wait
Wait
Wait
Getting a bit impatient Yue started to knock again, “Knock, knock,knock, knock.”
Wait
Wait
Wait
Finally the door opened to reveal a sleepy Nik, Yue sighed in relief she had been worried that Nik had been taken like her brother. “How did your test go?”
Nik gave Yue a disapproving glare for waking him up but it didn’t last long since he too was excited about the test. “I got a score of four! Sir Arthur said that with that much magic I can increase my fighting potential by using strengthening magic and other useful tricks during fights. Like adding elements to my weapons or shooting out waves of power with each swing!”
Smiling Yue congratulated him then asked him a question that had been on her mind since the test. “Are you going to a magic school then?”
Nik smiled, “Yup, Sir Arthur recommended my father that I go to the same school as the mage tester Frayria. It trains the students in magic, weaponry, and some classes in craft since Sir Arthur said that you can only truly master a weapon if you know everything about it including making it.”
Yue’s eyes started shining, she intended to go to whatever school Nik was going to since she didn’t want to be separated for who knows how many years but the school sounded perfect. It had CRAFTING, and it also explained why Frayria looked the way she did.
“I got a good score too, and my mother said I have to go to school. We could go to the same one, what is it called.”
Nik relaxed slightly, he was worried that Yue wouldn’t go to school since she loved crafting so much or wouldn’t have enough mana. With his worries dismissed Nik replied, “Night Hawk Academy.”