Chapter 8 - Of Conversations and Philosophy

I walked into the Inalisan Academy of Essence Formation confidently. It was massive. Property lines reaching off in both directions, completely filled with dorms and training grounds and lecture halls.

Located in the center of Rhid, it was hard to miss. Traffic only led towards it.

After refreshing for the past week in a plain inn, I felt ready and confident. It was time for my examinations. The Academy and the Raging Flame Sect were two offshoots of the same authority. They both represented the Roaring Flame Empire in their own categories. As such, attending one could reap the benefits of both.

So, I’d be taking both mental and physical exams. Based on which institution you’d be attending one or the other wouldn’t matter. But, me, the adorable fool I was, planned on taking the Tourney by storm.

I needed quality instruction for enchantment – something I’d get from the Academy – and brutal beatings from the trainers at Raging Flame Sect so my Minds could learn.

Entering the Academy grounds through an obnoxiously ornate entrance I walked up to a guard tower. The stereotypical donut guard greeted me, his uniform already specked with crumbs.

His jowls waggling, “Wha’ can I do fur ya?” He was chewing more food. God, that mouth was disgusting.

“I–”

The guard held up a finger and took a long slurp from his drink. The ice rattling around in the cup, cutting my voice off.

He wagged for me to go on. “Where would I sit the exams?”

“Follur the signs. Take a righ’ down da courtyard ’n and follur it down. Yull hit it.”

I thanked him, I quite liked it when people butchered English. So different from the preppy double-meaning riddled charm-speak I was accustomed to.

I gave him a thumbs up, which he returned – spilling sauce on his already soiled shirt, and followed his directions. Heading right and following it down, I came to a large deep-green yard. The yard spread out in front of an old-styled building. Graeco-Roman. Arches, pillars, clean geometrical designs, it all screamed of a discipline.

Families, participants, the lot. All milling about.

I waited a couple minutes before a man dressed in professional garb, the three piece suit of uncomfortability, stepped on a little cube podium.

He jabbed his windpipe a couple of times before opening his mouth, his voice’s volume amplified.

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the Academy, I, Dean Whilem, welcome you to the Founders Courtyard. Every year our prestigious academy opens its doors to welcome students from all over the Cumulative. They all vie, in a series of tests, for the hope of securing one of our limited 300 seats we make available. The Inalisan Academy is the foremost institute for research and development. We are number one across the board. As such, our program is extremely competitive. But persevere through our exams, and I assure you, you will influence everything.” The Dean was a good speaker.

“Two of our most notable graduates include Mor Lansi and Jerin Hal. You undoubtedly know of their creations, the ExtensionCube and Transfer Formations. They stood where you were. And like you, they had passions and big dreams. I look forward to seeing what you will create!”

“Now, without further ado! Let your adventures begin!”

After completing his speech he stepped off the podium and a pair of staff took his place. One woman and one man.

The woman tapped her throat like the dean, before speaking, “Good morning. My name is Sarah Vial, and this–,” She gestured to her male counterpart, “–is Jim Redding. Together, we coordinate most educational matters here at the Academy. I’m sure we’ll all get to know each other fabulously, but that is for another time.” She was crisp and formal. “We’re starting with our subject exams today. Tomorrow will be the physical portion, which is optional but recommended to participate in. Mr. Redding will break down the exam structure for you.”

Jim Redding spoke in brisk tones, “There will be two written tests and another more comprehensive test. The final test is more heavily weighted. I understand that education systems vary between Empires, vary between status, et cetera. However, to be frank with you, we really don’t care. We accept the best. If you’ve been tutored as a noble or if you learned by sneaking into libraries. We don’t give a fuck.”

I snickered under my breath. “Charming,” I muttered.

He started again, “Now, for the structure of the exams. The first exam will be mainly problem solving. Some physics and chem problems, but we care more about how you apply than what you can memorize. We didn’t give out any curriculum and trust me, we don’t give out easy questions. The demographic we usually get are ages around eighteen. We give problems that students at other colleges around the Cumulative give to their students for graduation – that’s just the first couple of questions. It’ll only get worse from there. In a notable year, we even gave an unsolvable problem.

Three people solved it. That’s the level you’re up against.”

“So, Difficult – very. Unattainable – no. Well, to those who are smart enough.” He scanned the yard again. “Go in with realistic expectations. No one has ever gotten a full score. No one has even neared ninety-five percent. Especially in the short 3 hours, you'll have.”

“The second test is more art-based. Literature and history mainly. We require knowledge of culture, you won’t be any use to your community otherwise. Know the culture and you’ll pass the exam. A full score is even harder in this section.”

“The final test is not written. After whittling down the herd, the top fifty students will be posted on the board here.” He pointed to a black board layered with soft wood. “You will meet with one of the professors and they will evaluate you. Trust me when I say, that test is the most important. Do not disregard it.” With that he finished his speech. A synchronized ‘Good Luck.’ Came from both of the coordinators.

----------------------------------------

I followed the crowd inside the building. The building was…opulent, inside. It was massive and with high arched ceilings, it looked old, very old. There were levels, 3 of them based on the row of balconies that stretched along each floor. A single massive dome hollowed out above the center of the building. Hundreds of tables and chairs lined up across a place as large as a football field. In the center of a building! Of a library!

“Fucking hell.” It was fucking huge!

‘God damn, I need to get used to this.’

Names were called by the some-60 attendants present. I had signed up the day I got here, registering under the name Rale Smith. A bastard, taking the last name of his mother after the father had left. A persona as good as any.

“Rale Smith! Seat number Seventeen-A. Row number seventeen and the first seat starting from the left. Quick now. Take your seat.”

I jogged over to my seat. My dull green messenger bag already placed towards the side against a shelf. It was a test at one of the most prestigious Academies in the Cumulative. I doubted there weren’t anti-cheating measures. But it never hurt to be a proactive.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

A short 5 minutes later and when every hopeful taking the exams were settled, 20 or so attendants came down the rows passing out a thick, short booklet, and a stack of sheets from their cart. I thanked the attendant with a nod and a smile before looking towards the front, waiting for the go to start.

I was pretty confident to do well on the exams. I even planned to achieve a full score. The staff says it can’t be done, well, buckle up.

I was intelligent, very intelligent. Further boosted by my Mental Essence and the fact that my Medullar Median had developed to absurd degrees, academically, I skyrocketed. I smiled internally. Knocking some socks off would be fun! It’d be nice to be respected.

Finally, when all of the papers were passed out, the female coordinator from the speech in the yard, stepped up at the front. “One last thing before you start. Don’t cheat."

"Cameras, invigilators, and desks that are enchanted specifically against it, we’ll know if you try. Every year we have one idiot who thinks that we’re bluffing, well, guess what, we’re not. Do Not Cheat. Not only will you get booted out of here, you’ll also get a note on your academic records that labels you did so. In bold, large, red letters. So just – don’t.” She cleared her throat loudly. “You may begin.”

I ran my fingers down the length of the booklet before flipping it open. I nearly snorted aloud. The first question, an offshoot of some vague corner of Shor’s Algorithm. Something I had come across many, many times. The second was something that looked like a terrifying vista of the Shell-Maple Analysis, but it had an easy backdoor. I scribbled down answers quickly to those questions.

And so on. An especially funny question – ridiculous more like, came towards the end.

‘Provide a mathematical argument as to why killing is wrong. [40 marks.]’ I threw my hands up at that. Earning some amused looks from the sadistic staff. I had completed 49 extremely difficult questions in an hour, probably some sort of record, and then the final question goes and asks me to prove philosophy with numbers. Philosophy can’t even prove philosophy! And to put it at 40 marks!? The paper was graded out of 400. I could be losing an entire tenth of my score!

My answer was pretty lackluster in my opinion.

At the end of the day, it’s your moral that says killing is wrong. The effects on family and other things are something you can care about or not. Like all math, at the base, it’ll whittle down to an axiom. It’s an assumption. You can’t prove it. I included a lot of big words that probably needlessly complicated it, but what I basically said was: “Your question is stupid. You can’t prove it with math. Fuck off.”

I frowned. It wasn’t a good answer.

‘No shit.’ I shook my head.

I had come to a place where smarts were appreciated and respected, and the possibility of not being distinguished, not being the best in something I finally had the potential to be in, stung. But it wouldn’t kill me. I came here for knowledge. Fuck me, if vanity was going to get in the way.

I quickly went over the paper, checking if I missed any and if my answers made a vague sense. I went over the more onerous calculations that I did, checking each step. I was satisfied after a good 15 minutes of review. I raised my hand to signal I was done.

The staff looked surprised at that, but one of them quickly hustled down the aisle to collect my sheets of paper. Sheets. Lots of sheets. Nearly 40.

The man squared the papers on my desk before giving me a nod and jerking his head towards the door. I nodded back. After he turned back around, I got up quietly, trying not to disturb the others. Sweeping my bag up by its single strap, I wrapped it around one shoulder and jogged to the the large 10 feet doors. It was 500 meters away!

I walked out, the sun shining down on my face. It really was a beautiful place, the Roaring Flame Empire. I stepped out into the large yard. I walked over to a roll in the ground before taking a seat on the grass, leaning down, luxuriating in the sun. A short 30 seconds later, there were three other students that spilled out of the door.

Surprised, I stood up. Finishing right behind me? They either bombed the paper or they were freaky smart. Looking at them, I’d bet on the latter.

Two girls and a boy. The boy and one of the girls were nobles, from their clothes to their posture. The second girl was obviously from money. She had the jewelry, clothes, shoes, and they screamed of money, but she didn’t look noble. You could tell from how she held herself. Different. Excited. Defiant, maybe? I dunno. I walked over to them.

“Hello…? I’m Rale.” Me, starting a conversation? This journey really was making me open to more.

The boy waved, “Name’s Forn.” The boy looked like the stereotype of careless laziness. Messy hair, rumpled, expensive clothes. His eyes looking back in chilled scrutiny.

“Olivia.” The female noble. She had long, red hair, and terrifying eyes. Ice blue and piercing.

“Hello! My name is Mai. We’re the smart bunch, huh?!!” She ran up to me and punched my shoulder, “We’ll get along fabulously!” She hopped up bouncing toe to toe, “Let’s all be friends!!!”

She dragged me over to the others. My step hesitant and my smile nervous. I needed to be eased into these situations, not shoved head first with a pole whacking my balls, telling me to get going!!! Damn it, girl!

Forn saw my reluctance and snorted. “Yeah, I just met her too. She grabbed me in a hug the second we finished.”

I laughed at that, “I can believe that! She’s very excitable isn’t she!” I looked down at the girl who blushed.

‘Damn it Rale! Tone it down! First response — overzealous, but we can recover, we can recover. We got this. Just change the topic Rale. Quick, before they leave and think you’re weird. Come on Rale. You got this. You got this. Oh god, maybe I should–’

“Was the exam fun?” I asked lamely.

‘What the fuck was that?!? Why would an exam be fun?! What the hell were you thinking, you socially inept dingus?!?! They’re probably happy to be out of that library. Shit fuck!’

My embarrassment must have shown because Forn cracked a smile, and both the overly serious looking girl, Olivia, and Mai were laughing.

Heat ran up my arms and down my legs, flushing my skin. I was embarrassed, very embarrassed, but hopefully, they’d just take it as a quirk? Fuck.

‘Damn!–Damn!–Damn!…Damn! I can face down Princes and Monarchs from one of the most influential family in the Cumulative, but I’m a squealing school-girl when it comes to showing even the slightest bit of earnestness. Shit fuck.’

My internal berating came to halt as Forn spoke, “Yeah, it wasn’t the hardest thing I’ve ever written, but some of the problems were pretty fun!” Oh. Oh, thank the Lord! You’re a fucking nerd. Yes, Forn! Yes!

Some of the tension drained out of me, my skin cooling as they made it clear that they weren’t too different from me.

I smiled at Forn.

“Cool. I enjoyed it too. What’d you think of that last question?” I asked as all four of us moved to sit on a grass knoll. The sun beating down perfectly on our faces.

Mai snorted, “I didn’t know what to write! I attempted a round with metaphysics, but the question they gave was too…isolated. Physics and philosophy – they go hand in hand, but mapping such an abstract question, based on morals, of all things, was ridiculous. In any case, you couldn’t analyze it. It was probably like a participation question.” She placed her hands to her sides in a pompous-marching-like mime, and in a pseudo-deep throaty voice, “We only take the brave into our Academy! If you can’t attempt a problem, what problem will you ever solve!” She yelped a delighted sound, “Oh! Insert a dramatic prestigious school speech there.”

I smiled widely. God I missed this. Conversations. I’d been starved on my lonesome, in that room, tinkering and developing. This was cool, fresh water. I needed it.

I was surprised when Olivia spoke next, “I too attempted it. The Turing test to distinguish between man and machine. It is archaic, but John Ranie extended it into mathematical context. A machine would be more ambiguous, a man would be more polarized. For it firmly, or completely against it. I doubt I answered the question but I got somewhere with it.” Her voice was stilted. I wasn’t the only awkward one here. This was good, potentially awesome.

Forn, who was now completely flat on his back with his hands tucked behind his head, snorted, “I told them to fuck off.”

I sighed, “That’s pretty much what I said. Mine, more archaic than the Turing test, was something that included axioms. I know, I know. In this day and age, assuming stuff is a big shitty risk. But I didn’t see any other method. Logic can be counted as math I guess. I built up from a simple statement to the ‘Why killing is wrong’ question. You had to assume some stuff to get there, like killing is bad.” I reached over to high five Forn, who accepted it with a loud clap. “They’ll probably understand that I just told them that their question was stupid.”

“Good for you. Two words - Fuck off, would have been easier, but hey –– to your joy.” He raised his water bottle.

I smiled. “So, where are y’all from?”

The bubbly girl was pouting. “Hey! I want a high-five!” We all stretched our hands towards her and she clapped her hand on ours multiple times. “I’m from Cellof. It’s a metropolis in Wealth. Amazing summers. Oh, they’re gorgeous! We should all visit, now that we’re all friends!”

The stern looking girl, who was looking less and less stern murmured, “I’m from here, Rhid.”

And our last member spoke next, his voice muffled after he flipped over onto his stomach, “Same. Rhid. You?”

“Ice. Alrys – the capital.”

“You came a long way! How is it there?” Mai asked, curious.

“Freezing winters, pleasant summers. Nice, all things considered.”

“Hey, what do–” Olivia was cut off by a passing older student.

“Yo, kiddies! You do know that the second exam is open? You can head in there after you’re done with first one. Get going! You can sit in front of the rating board once you’re done. I’ve got to run, but hopefully I’ll see you during orientation! Bye!” He ran away, heading down a path.

We looked at each other with slightly widened eyes.

Then we all burst out laughing at our synchronicity. We all jumped up, with Mai and Olivia dragging the nearly slumbering Forn.

It was unbelievable how comfortable we were with each other already.

I grinned. It felt good to finally just click.

It felt really good.