The young lady hands each brother their respective cup. She holds her palm over Absinthe's teacup, and he watches in awe as its color turns into a dark brown. It begins releasing steam, and the faint, familiar smell of Earl Grey permeates from it. She hands Absinthe packets of sugar to compliment it.

As for Melchior, she does the same gesture and the water turns into orange juice.

Afterwards, she whispers a quick prayer.

"Um… what did you just do?" Absinthe can't help but ask, taking a sip from his tea, confirming the flavor.

The waitress giggles and responds, "I could tell that you two were new here the moment you saw the fountain in the middle. The fountain isn't actually enchanted or anything, it's just the goddess I invoke."

"Who do you invoke?"

"Nymphaea, minor goddess of springs and fountains. I worked in the hot springs in the north, but I think I like city life a little more."

She pauses observing the two brothers.

"What's your guys' story?" A small gasp of curiosity comes from her lips as she asks. "Testing for Vivil Sanatoria's Practical Entrance Exam today?"

"Right on the dot." Melchior responds before taking a gulp of his orange juice.

Her eyes light up as she holds her hand to her heart. "Oh, what I'd give to enter the magic academy. If only I was born with higher status and allowed to Invoke the Major Pantheon… ahem, apologies, Lady Nymphaea."

"What's your name?" Absinthe asks, putting down his teacup.

"Siena Kaylani," she answers with a smile.

As Absinthe returned his teacup to its saucer, his gaze never left Siena's warm smile. "A pleasure, Siena."

Before the brothers can introduce themselves, Siena perks up as she remembers her job. "Ah, right. Would you two like anything to eat?"

Absinthe slides the menu to Siena. "I'll have the karmela biscuits."

"Kobold-crafted pie for me."

…

"We wasted way too much time in that cafe!"

The two brothers dash down the street, with the massive mountain fortress as their destination.

"You said we could take our time!" Absinthe replies with an exasperated expression. "What's the time?"

"11:55," he responds quickly, dodging a carriage. "We have five more minutes!"

Melchior turns his head to face his brother, but hesitates and realizes that he's gone.

"Race you there!" Absinthe calls, standing on top of a bookstore.

"No fair!" Melchior shouts back between huffs, "you can move through shadows!"

Absinthe stood tall on the bookstore rooftop, his laughter echoing through the bustling streets of Magdellien. The sun hung high overhead, casting warm rays on the city and glinting off the distant spire of Vivil Sanatoria. A smug grin played on Absinthe's lips as he watched Melchior huff and puff below, weighed down by his formal coat and a sense of brotherly rivalry.

"Come on, slowpoke! We're almost there!" Absinthe called out, knowing his invocation of Saklos granted him an unfair advantage. With a flourish, Absinthe leaped from the rooftop, vanishing into the shadows of the street below. In a heartbeat, he reappeared a short distance ahead of Melchior, his movements as fluid as the whispers that carried his voice. The challenge was on, and Absinthe couldn't help but delight in the thrill of competition.

The siblings continued their race, moving deeper into the city as buildings grew more elaborate and the noise of travelers and merchants heightened. The scent of street food blended with the odor of enchanted aether engines, while castles and keeps cast long shadows over the avenues. The sun hung high overhead, casting warm rays on the city and glinting off the distant spire of Vivil Sanatoria.

With a flourish, Absinthe leaped from the rooftop, vanishing into the shadows of the street below. In a heartbeat, he reappeared a short distance ahead of Melchior, his movements as fluid as the whispers that carried his voice. The challenge was on, and Absinthe's eyes sparkled with mischief as he led the way towards Vivil Sanatoria's grand entrance.

As they approached the mountain fortress, the air thickened with anticipation. Absinthe's senses heightened, attuning himself to the subtle hum of magic that emanated from within the academy's walls. He could feel the weight of Saklos's power coursing through his veins, urging him forward.

The two brothers continue to race until they finally arrive. Down the wide stone paved road is Vivil Sanatoria. Along the path are statues of the Major Pantheon, and behind the statues are beautiful gardens.

The first wall of the fortress stands hundreds of meters tall, and the entire mountain reaches far higher than it.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

A massive entrance lies directly ahead of them, but Absinthe recalls from his father's directions that test takers are to meet up on the third wall, around the middle level. That would require taking one of the many ferries up, but hundreds of future students rush to board them."By Saklos, how many people are late as well! C'mon!" Absinthe merges into the shadows, emerging from the shadow of an antenna attached to the top of the closest ferry. He finds his balance, trying his best not to fall off as it slowly ascends.

Melchior clutches his suitcase tightly as he springs up, hopping on top of the ferry, landing on its metal roof.

"This was the last one… that was too close," Melchior sighs, straightening out his clothes.

"No kidding," a laid-back voice comments from the side.

Absinthe and Melchior turn their heads towards a blonde young man that sits beside them. He holds a long spear with tassels on the edge. By his side is his luggage, a metallic suitcase with a sleeker design than the brothers's.

"Who're you?" Absinthe asks curiously, wondering how someone could be undetected by him or Melchior.

"Cantrell, Drago Cantrell. Nice to meetcha," he responds with a chuckle. "We'll probably be rivals during the test, but I hope we can get along."

Absinthe wonders who he invokes, but chooses not to pursue it in fear he might expose himself prematurely. "I'm Absinthe and he's Melchior."

Melchior nods and gives a small wave. "Do you know what's on this test?"

"Naw… they change it every year. But I have a feeling that they might do something different for our esteemed guests," Drago replies, a small frown appearing on his face, "the same ones that will dominate the test."

The ferry continues to climb higher and higher. The shops and restaurants of Magdellien become smaller and even the Royal Palace in the center loses its scale.

Eventually, the ferry passes above the first wall and maneuvers around a tower bearing three banners, a snowflake encased in a shield of ice, a roaring thundercloud with a tornado below it, and a radiant sun encircled by a golden halo.

"What're those?" Absinthe asks, with the questions directed at Drago.

"You don't recognize them? Man you're totally not from here. They're respectively Houses Glacialis, Tempestus, and Solaria, the three Houses that each student is sorted into."

"Sorted? Is there some magic hat that reads our personality… or something like that?"

"Magic hat?" Drago asks with a laugh. "No, the Year 1A Instructors and the Headmaster chooses."

As the ferry hovered above the second wall, Absinthe's gaze lingered on the banners, his mind absorbing the symbolic representations of the three Houses. The radiant sun of Solaria seemed to pierce through the morning haze, while the thundercloud of Tempestus billowed with an unseen energy. Glacialis's snowflake, encased in a shield of ice, shimmered with a serene elegance. Melchior's whisper broke Absinthe's trance, "Brother, I think we're getting close."

As the third wall comes into view, Drago points at a floating island that hangs in the distance to their right, floating above a golden plains-filled plateau. "That's the Fortress Dorm for House Solaria. If you perform well on the practical exam and the interview, you have the opportunity to enter the A Class for the house you're sorted into. The A Class students are allowed to live in their House's Fortress Dorm. The other two are probably hidden away somewhere else on the mountain range."

Melchior nods, taking in the information. "And what if you don't get into the A Class?"

"Then you're well… not the best, also given less quality classes, miss out on some impressive extracurriculars and missions, and you have to live in the dormitories somewhere in the middle layers inside the school instead. Not so bad I hear, but the A Class is the envy of the B Class, General Course. I mean, what's the point of being at the top school if you're not at the top?"

As the ferry floated above the third wall, Absinthe's gaze lingered on the majestic floating island, its golden spires and towers piercing the morning sky like shards of sunlight. The air vibrated with an otherworldly energy, as if the very essence of magic pulsed through the fortress. He could almost taste the promise of power and prestige that dwelled within those luminous halls.

"Sounds like a considerable difference," Melchior remarked, his eyes fixed on the distant island, his voice tinged with a hint of determination.

Absinthe nodded in agreement, his mind racing with the consideration of success and failure. The thrill of competition kindled within him, fueling his ambition to excel in the entrance exam.