*P.O.V by Elaine.*
Finally, after all this long journey and all these useless bureaucratic chores, the time came for me to take my entrance test to this academy;
Since I set foot in Veras, I have felt much safer than I had ever been in the past month; before, I was always tired, and although I was in the best of conditions, my mind had come almost to the limit. Now, on the other hand, this sense of security I felt around me gave me such a boost that I felt in tip-top shape in all aspects.
But now that I was here, I certainly could not relax: after passing this useless exam, in these years that I would have spent here at the academy, I would have worked hard, trying to become as strong as possible; I would have gathered faithful allies around me, and only when we all became stronger, then we would leave to kill Umarth and those vile traitors.
The only problem was that I had Erwin around me, who in addition to knowing my secret, he was an idiot capable of recklessly revealing my past to others; I couldn't really stand him at all, and hearing him talk about his dreams with that joy in his eyes, they made dislike him even more.
I believed that somehow, he and I were similar because of our past, but the more I observed him, the more I changed my mind about him...
If he had been admitted to the academy, I would have been forced to babysit him, thus having to follow him around like a shadow to be careful that Erwin didn't talk more than he should; the only way to get him out of my "way", was to hope that his test went wrong, so that he would be forced to go back. For this reason, in my heart, I was hoping for his failure.
-------
We entered a large gym of the academy; the room was immense, and on one side of the room there were several training weapons, such as wooden swords, wooden axes and other weapons that, although they seemed solid, were rather worn, a symptom that the objects in question were used very regularly;
In front of us, we found a long wooden table, on which 4 people were sitting; judging by the purity and density of their mana, those people had to be professors of the highest level, who the moment we set foot inside, scrutinized us from top to bottom, with careful eyes on every detail.
It was enough to see their composure to understand that those in front of me were monsters, but what caught my attention the most was an elderly gentleman sitting in the middle of the table, as I could not feel his mana, but at the same time, he was giving me a strange feeling of danger, although his appearance was that of the most classic grandpa.
"Are these the guys you recommended, Leonard?" asked the elderly gentleman, who continued to scrutinize us with great interest.
"Yes, these are the boys, Mr. Principal." - replied Leonard, who went to sit in an empty chair at the end of the table where all the professors were sitting – "What do you think?"
The elderly gentleman remained silent for a few seconds, massaging his beard and observing us with a strange smile on his lips.
"You girl, what's your name?" asked the Principal, pointing at me with his finger full of wrinkles, leaving me a little bewildered.
"I... I'm Lucy Blazestorm.."
"Lucy, huh? Well, could you show me your element?"
Suddenly, the air became heavy in the gym; the professors' looks became heavier and heavier, and it was as if they were looking at my soul at that moment. For a moment I petrified myself, but then I remembered why I was here, and without wasting any more time, I created a sphere of water, starting to play with it and creating trails of water around me.
After that, I suddenly glaced these ice trails, thus creating a cold ice structure, leaving the professors so surprised, who observed me even more closely.
"As I imagined.. It's enough! You are admitted to this academy!" exclaimed the principal, smiling.
"Huh?!"
I expected them to put me to some tough test, but I never expected to be admitted so easily!
"I see you surprised..." - said the old man, always with a smile on his lips – "I may be nearsighted, but I can sense your mana and its purity, and I am sure you have immense talent for magic. Are there any objections?"
"None. That's just what I thought as soon as I saw her!" Leonard replied, making the thumb sign with a radiant smile on my face;
"Same for me. This school chooses the best of the best, and she seems to be qualified to represent our academy." replied a woman from the other end of the table; this woman was endowed with a rare beauty, wearing elegant white clothes; she had a very blond long hair and her blue eyes, combined with that cold and sharp look, gave me the impression of being in front of some dangerous foe.
"For once, I agree with Yilenia. That girl has potential." replied another woman in a firm tone of voice, trying to tease the woman she had just called "Yilenia"; unlike Yleinia, this professor had thick orange-red curly hair, green eyes and a fair amount of freckles scattered on her face. She wasn't as beautiful as Yilenia, and she didn't even look as elegant as the latter and had a to-boy behavior, but she had a look that was that of a lively person; somehow, it annoyedly reminded me of Erwin.
"Shot up, peasant. You shouldn't open your mouth here." countered Yilenia, in a composed voice but with the look that became even sharper than before, showing all her contempt for the red-haired woman.
"Yilenia... Maybe you should be careful of that long tongue of yours that comes to you on the floor, you could get burned..." replied the woman with a smile that seemed threatening, with her fist that suddenly, was enveloped with a strange steam.
"As much as I'd love to fix that ugly face you find yourself, I can't behave like a mere barbaric in front of those future students, Martha..."
The red-haired woman gave us a quick look, almost angry that we were there; after that she breathed a long sigh of disappointment, apparently tackling her anger and extinguishing those steams that she was ready to use against the woman.
"You've become boring, Yilenia..." the woman whispered, then crossing her arms.
"Hohoh! Excuse me, young Lucy! Some of our professors are still childish!" said the principal with a funny laugh. - "Anyway, now all that's left is your answer, Durmuss. What do you think of the girl?"
Indeed, now the opinion of the one who had remained silent all this time was missing; this professor wore an elegant black dress, with well-groomed hair of the same color and wore dark-lens glasses; his complexion was paler than normal, and his face was thin, but with a square chin and with dimples clearly visible.
I didn't pay attention to him at first, but in addition to the Principal, even around the man named Durmus I felt a strange aura, but the sensation that i was feeling was more disturbing and sinister.
"...That's fine with me, but first I want to check something out. It's a quick test, which also applies to the two kids. What do you see in my right hand?" said the professor, showing us his hand
It was a strange question, since at that moment, there was nothing at all in his hand. But it was very strange, as he couldn't ask us such a strange question.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
"... Nothing" Erwin immediately replied, who did not ask himself the reason for that question; The professor looked at him for a moment with a strange look, and then gave a small smile.
"Wrong. You, next to him...what do you see here?"
Brenin looked at his hand, and unlike Erwin, he didn't immediately respond without even thinking.
"If you're asking me, it means there's something there. Unfortunately though, I'm not able to answer." Brenin said openly.
"Okay... What about you, Lucy? What do you see?" asked the black-haired professor, looking at me with attentive eyes.
I really believed there was nothing there, and in fact, since Durmuss didn't gave an answer to Brenin's response, I believed that was the right answer. But suddenly, as I looked at his hand, I noticed something strange, very strange.
I approached his hand, and it was at that moment that I felt a subtle, very thin purple light around his hand.
"I-Is that mana?"
Erwin and Brenin also approached, but despite that, they didn't see what I was seeing. The mana around his hands was very weak, but that was not the strangest thing: in fact, his hand had no shadow zone, on the contrary, his whole body did not produce shadow with all that light.
The professor remained silent for a moment, then, he gave a small smile of satisfaction.
"Congratulations, Lucy Blazestorm, the answer is correct." - said the professor, thus nullifying that little aura of mana around his hand – "Only a few students have managed to spot this faint mana around my hand, which for them, is simply invisible. The fact that you were able to see it means that you are sensitive to the smallest variations in mana. So for me too, there are no problems about his admission. And I would like to propose something, Mr. Principal..."
the man stood next to me, then resting his hand on my shoulder.
"How about admitting Ms. Elaine in section A? I think she has all the requirements."
Section A? I didn't know what it was, but judging by the particular request of that man, it must have been a good news for me.
"Well, I have no problem with that. What about you instead?"
The professors and the principal didn't say anything, a symptom that the proposal made by Durmus was fine for them.
"Good. In this case, I declare Lucy Blazestorm admitted to our academy. Congratulations!"
As soon as I heard that sentence, it was as if a great weight had been lifted from my soul, and for the first time in a long time, I felt happy about something, although still it was a feeble feeling, which disappeared a few moments later. The first goal had been achieved, and now I could see my revenge coming closer and closer; but as I enjoyed that “small victory,” a question arose in my mind.
"Excuse me, Professor Durmus, what is the section A that you named?" I had a vague idea of what the A section might be, but I wasn't 100% sure;
"Oh... well, section A is nothing more than a section that encloses the elites of this academy; in this section, you will be followed and instructed by the best professors of this school, including the professors present here in this gym." replied Durmus, trying to be as clear as possible.
I knew it! This, it meant that I would end up in the best class, and this also meant that I would have the best professors teaching me the magical arts, giving me a very privileged position; in this way, I would quickly become much more powerful than I could imagine!
I was now determined to start my new life here without wastin time when, however, a question posed by the school principal destabilized me a little bit.
"Can I ask you a question, Miss Blazestorm?"
"Of course, Mr Principal..." I responded, making a slight bow in sent of respect.
"Now that you have become a student at our academy, what are your future goals and dreams?"
It was a trivial question, one that theoretically reflects what we have inside our hearts, and therefore should not create difficulties. But this question, as trivial as it was clear, put me in difficulty, since in my heart, there was nothing but a thirst for revenge. My first instinct was to lie, since I didn't know what to say or do.
But soon after, I realized that the principal, a man with a lot of experience, and a man used to talking to multiple type of people, would surely understand that eventually, i was liyng.
Of course, by now I had been admitted, but if this question was a trick, what would happen to me in case I said something false?
I was in a complete daze, and for a few seconds, which seemed like an eternity to me, I stood in silence with my gaze fixed on the void. Then, as I was thinking about what I could say, I had a flash in my mind... That flash, made me remember how, a few weeks earlier, I helplessly escaped from Lorien; that flash, made me remember the first goal I had set for myself once I set foot here.
“I want to...I want to prove to others that I am strong.”
The principal observed me for a few seconds without saying a word; for a moment, I was a little afraid, but the moment I saw a smile appear on his face, I let out a long sigh of relief...
“To be strong, huh? Well, even though it seems like a seemingly simple goal, in truth, it’s more complicated than you might think… Well, we’ll see if over these years, you will manage to reach your goal!”
It was a strange response, a response that I did not fully understand; I too knew that becoming strong was not easy, but from the way he spoke, it was as if he was referring to something else.
[Well, never mind...] I thought, making a slight bow as a sign of respect to the principal and the panel of professors.
“I will keep your words in mind, Mr. Principal...”
"Ok...Now, if you excuse me, i will take the young lady to the girls' dormitory." Durmus said suddenly, displacing Brenin and Erwin, who believed that professor would stay there until the end to judge them.
"Hey, there are other guys here, don't you think it's disrespectful to leave like that?" Leonard revised Durmus, frowning slightly in front of his colleague;
Durmus looked at me first, then he looked at the two boys, who felt slightly agitated in front of that deep look; then he closed his eyes, making a deep sigh, which his face that seemed disappointed.
"There are many like them here. For me, it is useless to admit them in our academy, but hey, that's just my opinion" said Durmus, who, suddenly, was enveloped by a sinister dark purple energy;
I would have expected anything, but certainly, I would never have expected such a comment from the professor; judging by the looks on Brenin's but especially Erwin's faces, it was clear how they had been blindsided by those very harsh words.
A small smile, at that moment, appeared on my lips; despite Professor Durmuss's cheekiness, the other professors there made no attempt whatsoever to counter the sentence Durmuss had just said; it did not take a genius to realize that, all the professors, felt the same sentiment expressed by Durmuss.
And that, to me, was very good news, since it meant that, in all likelihood, Erwin would not be admitted in the academy.
END OF CHAPTER 21 - ELAINE'S EXAM