"Times up! Put down your quills and wait silently for me to collect your papers."

Kyle let out an audible sigh of relief and stretched his body in sheer ecstasy. He didn't have much confidence in his score for this test but looks upon the future smugly, where he will ace the practical exam.

As he watched his tutor take his exam from the table, he made an awkward smile at her which seemed to cause her roll her eyes a little.

Now that Miss Winter has appeared behind her desk once again, arms overflowing with paper, with a slam, she drops the papers on her table which draws the classes attention towards herself.

"Now, before we start the practical exam, I will allow you to have a fifteen minute break. I will not be here during this time as I have another matter to tend too. You are not aloud to leave this room in that time unless you need to relieve yourself, in which case, tell me now."

Kyle watched as two boys and a girl got up, walked up the tutor and left the room with her. Once the door closed with a loud thud, everyone instantly started moving around the room so they could converse with one another.

Kyle looked upon his peers with a loathing stare as they happily talked to each other. He wished they didn't have to have a break and would just go straight ahead with the practical exam.

"How did you do?" Asked some girl with blonde hair.

"It was suuuuper hard! Like that one question about how minerals in water effects its manipulation." Replied a girl with brown hair.

"I know right!"

...

"So Brendon, how did you do?"

"Not too bad, that one about conjuring was tricky though."

"Yeah I thought you would say that. I found that one pretty easy, but that's only because my family specializes in summoning shit."

...

"I heard Mary has got a thing for you, man."

"Yeah, we kind of met up in the summer."

"You just tell me that now! You gotta tell me all about it, right now."

...

"Veil be damned, I'm hungry."

…

Kyle wished he knew a spell that would make him temporarily deaf so he wouldn't haven't have to listen to this drivel. As he stared off into the distance with his eyes focussing on nothing, he noticed a little too late that a group of three boys and two girls were quickly approaching him.

"Hey Kyle." Said the boy in the lead of the group.

"Oh, h-hey Ulfur."

"Pretty easy exam huh."

"Yeah, really easy. I could have done it with my eyes closed." Replied Kyle with slight more confidence in his voice.

Ulfur and his company smirked in response to Kyle's comment.

Kyle never bothered to learn the name of his classmates but he couldn't help but know about Ulfur Hugrakkur. From a prominent noble family from a country to the far north, only fifteen years old, he stood taller and more muscular than an average foot soldier. With long blonde hair and eyes the colour of ice. He was said to a magical prodigy and was also one of the few mage's in the world that bothered to also learn non-magical combat.

"I see you didn't have time to wash this morning. You should probably start getting up earlier, having all that grease on your face isn't going to make those pimples go away."

Kyle didn't respond to that comment. He just stared at Ulfur and hoped he would go away.

"Don't look at me like that, I'm just trying to help you out. Girls won't like you if you don't change that shit."

"Y-yeah." Kyle reluctantly agreed.

"Hey Rachael, Izzy. Would you get with little Kyle over here?"

"Ew! No way!" Said the girls In union while making fake gagging noises.

Everyone in the class is now watching this spectacle and all are giggling at the girls dramatic mocking of the weird greasy kid.

Kyle joined in with the laughter by making nervous chuckling noises, since it seemed to be the only appropriate response that wouldn't make the situation worse for him.

Ulfur immediately stopped laughing. "What are you laughing at little man?"

"Erm, well you know..."

"Know what?"

"Well you know, it was funny."

"Why was it funny?"

"Because you said... you know, and people laughed and things..."

"I can't understand you. Are too stupid to talk?"

"N-no."

"Speak louder!"

"No" Said Kyle with a slight increase in volume.

"No what?"

"No... Ulfur?"

"Did I give you permission to say my name?!"

"N-no."

Ulfur suddenly slams his hands on Kyle's desk. He then moves his head down until it's inches away from Kyle's and shouts-

"NO WHAT?!

"No sir!" Squeals Kyle. Unable to meet Ulfur's eyes.

What felt like an eternity of silence, Ulfur suddenly bursts out laughing.

"Ha! Just playing around with you man. No need to be so serious."

Kyle, unable to voice a response over his embarrassment and the roaring laughter of the class.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

It seems fifteen minutes has passed, since Miss Winter has returned to the classroom.

"All right class settle down and return to your seats, class in now in session."

"Talk to you later little man"

Ulfur ruffles Kyle's hair, looks at his hand in slight disgust as he sees very noticeable greasy residue on his hand. He wipes his hand on Kyle's sleeve and walks off to his seat.

"Okay, now that you are all seated, let us begin. We normally do this in the area or workshop, but since they are both occupied and since you all only know how to manifest your mana in its most basic form, we will conduct the test here."

This caused a few concerned looks around the room since raw mana is volatile so the chances of someone being injured was possible.

"Do not fret. This room is warded and I am a fully qualified mage. In the rare chance that something does go wrong, no one will be harmed, that I promise."

She scans her eyes across the room to see if anyone was still afraid. Seeing nothing but placid faces, she decides it's okay to proceed.

"Okay, we will start simple. Bring your hands up to chest level so I can see them and then focus your mana to your hands."

The room quickly filled with hands that had a soft pale blue hue surrounding each one of them.

"Good, now place your hands facing each other, bring your mana into the midpoint of your hands and shape it into a ball."

It took longer for everyone to do this than the previous exercise but everyone still managed to do this without out any visible trouble.

"Now double it in size."

Once again, it was done by everyone with no trouble.

"Return it to its original size... Now shrink it to half its size"

Done.

"Now repeat this pattern of growing and shrinking pattern until I say stop."

For about five minutes everyone ritually grew and shrunk their mana ball. No one has failed so far but if you looked closely at some students, you could see beads of sweat or deep breathing.

Kyle was brimming with confidence, so far he isn't having any problems with these exercises. He's almost thankful for his father forcing him to do mana exercises for hours a day.

"Okay, now shape your mana into a cube."

There was slight panic now in the class as the difference between creating a ball compared to a creating a cube was said to be as difficult as firing an arrow from a bow using two hands compared to firing an arrow with one hand while riding a donkey backwards.

Only one third of the class was able to shape a complete cube, the rest made something more akin to a pebble you would find on the side of a road.

Kyle was one of the few who was able to make a cube but his previous confidence was now shaken due to his ragged breath and how hot it suddenly became.

"Now make it glow."

This was going to be a long day...

* * * * *

After an hour of doing various exercises such as: making a mana ball glow, pulsate, change colour, produce sound, heat, cold, become a triangle, a diamond, and make it spin. Then they did telekinetic exercises on various objects of different shapes and weight and made them perform different movements. Next Miss Winter broke down her minds defences and everyone had to try and read her thoughts. The exam was concluded with each person receiving a very small cut on their forearm and then trying to heal said wound.

Ulfur was the only person who was able to do every single exercise. Kyle was able to do most of the exercises, he failed half of the telekinetic and the telepathic exercise.

Everyone had flushed cheeks and were leaning forwards with a heaving chest; panting heavily. Kyle was thinking of such sweet thoughts about his friendship with his bed.

Miss Winter had now just finished writing down the results of the exam on a piece of paper.

"That will do for today. Go back to your dorms and rest. Tomorrow you will get your results and will get to find out your elemental attribute. Class dismissed"

You could hear hushed whispers of excitement about learning your elemental attribute. Even Kyle was excited, it's said you can't be considered a mage until you know your attribute as it signifies a mages entire aptitude for all kinds of magic.

Kyle quickly shuffled out of the room and headed towards his room with the goal of sleeping as soon as possible so tomorrow comes quicker.

* * * * *

Laid in bed, Kyle forces his excitement deep down so he can sleep. With his early embarrassment forgotten, Kyle lays with comfortably with his eyes closed, the back of his thoughts wondering about what attribute he is.

I hope it's lightning...