Chapter 8: The Entrance Examination

The doors of the assembly hall opened.

Beyond them was a massive circular chamber filled with thousands of seats. The walls rose in several levels, forming a perfect arena around a wide platform at the center.

Floating crystals illuminated the ceiling.

Magical screens hovered above the platform, displaying the names of every applicant.

Ethan Vale entered with Noah Blake and Elena Frost.

The moment they stepped inside, the noise of the students became overwhelming.

Everyone was talking about what had happened in the eastern courtyard.

Some students were staring at Ethan.

Others were whispering behind their hands.

"That is him."

"The one who broke the Origin Crystal."

"They said the system identified him as Azeroth Veyr."

"That is impossible. Azeroth died a thousand years ago."

"Then why did the academy alarm activate?"

Ethan ignored them.

He had heard worse things from people with sharper voices and longer memories.

Noah, however, seemed unable to ignore anyone.

He leaned closer to Ethan.

"Do you think they are talking about us?"

"No."

"They are definitely talking about us."

"Then stop listening."

"I am not listening. Their voices are entering my ears."

"That is generally how sound works."

Elena looked at Ethan.

"What did the Headmistress say to you?"

"She asked me to take the examination."

"That is all?"

"No."

"What else?"

"She threatened to remove Noah from the academy."

Noah’s expression changed.

"She did what?"

Ethan continued walking.

"She used you as leverage."

"That is a terrible thing to do."

"Yes."

"Are you going to let her?"

"No."

Noah looked relieved.

"Good."

"I am going to pass the examination."

Noah’s relief disappeared.

"That was not what I meant."

Ethan glanced at him.

"It is the safest option."

"Safest for whom?"

"The academy."

Noah stopped walking.

Ethan and Elena continued for several steps before turning back.

Noah pointed at Ethan.

"You keep saying things that sound threatening."

"They are not threats."

"Then what are they?"

"Predictions."

Before Noah could respond, a deep voice echoed through the hall.

"Applicants, take your assigned positions."

The sound did not come from any visible speaker. It came from the magic embedded in the walls.

The floating screens changed.

Groups of names appeared in different colors.

Ethan’s name was displayed in violet.

Noah’s was green.

Elena’s was silver.

The color beside Ethan’s name made the surrounding whispers grow louder.

Professor Lucian Gray walked onto the central platform.

He no longer wore the calm expression from the courtyard. His face was serious, and a thin layer of mana surrounded his body.

Beside him stood three other professors.

One was a tall woman with red hair and a staff made of black wood.

The second was a broad man covered in golden armor.

The third was an old man with a blindfold over his eyes.

Ethan recognized the last one.

Not personally.

But his aura was impossible to mistake.

A Saint.

Perhaps more than one Saint was present in the hall.

The academy was taking the situation seriously.

Professor Gray raised his hand.

"Welcome to Eldoria Arcane Academy."

The students became quiet.

"Today, you will undergo three examinations. The first will measure your magical foundation. The second will test your control and adaptability. The third will evaluate your ability to survive a real combat situation."

A nervous murmur spread through the hall.

Professor Gray continued.

"Eldoria does not accept students based on bloodline, wealth, or reputation. If you cannot meet the required standard, you will be rejected regardless of your family name."

Several noble students looked offended.

Ethan thought that was probably the point.

"The first examination will begin now."

The center of the platform opened.

A large transparent crystal rose from beneath the floor.

Unlike the Origin Crystal used in the courtyard, this one was enormous. It was taller than a person and surrounded by seven golden rings.

The crystal was called a **Mana Resonance Stone**.

It did not measure the strength of a person’s core.

It measured control.

A mage with a weak core could produce a high resonance if their mana was refined and precise.

A mage with a powerful core could fail if their mana was unstable.

The first student was called.

A young girl with long brown hair stepped onto the platform.

She placed both hands against the crystal.

The rings began to rotate.

A blue light spread through the crystal.

"Resonance: Thirty-two percent."

The girl stepped away with a disappointed expression.

The next student achieved forty percent.

The one after him achieved fifty-one.

The results continued.

Most students scored between thirty and sixty percent.

A few exceeded seventy.

Each time someone reached a high score, the crowd reacted with admiration.

Noah’s name appeared on the screen.

He looked at Ethan.

"If I fail, tell my family I died bravely."

"You are not going to die."

"How do you know?"

"Because this is an examination."

"That has never stopped people from dying."

Noah stepped onto the platform.

He placed his hands against the crystal.

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then the crystal produced a weak green glow.

The rings rotated slowly.

"Resonance: Twenty-eight percent."

A few students laughed.

Noah lowered his head.

Professor Gray made a note on his tablet.

"Control is below average."

Noah stepped away.

Ethan expected him to look embarrassed.

Instead, Noah smiled.

"Twenty-eight percent," he said. "That is higher than I expected."

"Your expectations are very low."

"They have protected me from disappointment."

Elena’s name appeared next.

She stepped onto the platform with calm confidence.

The moment her hands touched the crystal, the entire structure filled with pale blue light.

Frost spread across the floor.

The rings began rotating so quickly that they became blurred circles.

"Resonance: Ninety-one percent."

The hall erupted.

Several students applauded.

Elena removed her hands.

The frost faded.

Her expression remained unchanged, but Ethan noticed the slight tightening around her eyes.

She had expected a higher score.

Interesting.

Adrian Cross was called next.

He achieved ninety-four percent.

That earned him even louder applause.

Adrian looked toward Elena.

She gave him no reaction.

Then the screen changed.

**Ethan Vale.**

The hall became silent.

Ethan walked toward the platform.

Noah watched him with concern.

Elena’s gaze remained focused on his hands.

Professor Gray said nothing.

Ethan placed his palms against the crystal.

It was cold.

The moment his mana touched the crystal, he felt the device searching through him.

It moved past his damaged Mana Core.

It traced his pathways.

It searched for the origin of his power.

The Crown Fragment inside his chest stirred.

Ethan tightened his control.

Not now.

The crystal flashed violet.

The seven rings stopped moving.

A small crack appeared near the center.

Professor Gray took a step forward.

"Withdraw your mana."

Ethan ignored him.

The crystal continued to search.

He could feel the device attempting to connect to something deep inside his soul.

It was not measuring him anymore.

It was calling to the other fragments.

A second pulse answered from somewhere beneath the academy.

Then a third.

The Crown Fragment burned.

Ethan’s vision blurred.

A voice whispered inside his mind.

**The seal recognizes its creator.**

The crystal cracked further.

Professor Gray raised his hand.

"Ethan, stop."

Ethan released his mana.

The connection broke.

The crystal remained intact, but the result above it flickered violently.

**Resonance: Error.**

A second line appeared.

**Measurement rejected.**

Then a third.

**Foreign authority detected.**

The hall exploded with noise.

Some students laughed nervously.

Others looked terrified.

The professors exchanged silent glances.

Ethan stepped away from the crystal.

Professor Gray approached him.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing."

"You forced the crystal to reject the measurement."

"It rejected the measurement by itself."

"That is not possible."

"Yet it happened."

The old blindfolded professor turned his head toward Ethan.

Although his eyes were covered, Ethan felt the man’s attention settle on him.

The Saint spoke for the first time.

"Not impossible."

The hall went silent again.

The old man’s voice was dry and quiet.

"Merely rare."

Professor Gray looked at him.

"What are you implying?"

The old Saint tilted his head.

"The crystal could not identify the source of his mana."

"That is exactly the problem."

"No," the old man said. "The problem is that it recognized the source and rejected it."

A cold sensation moved through the hall.

Ethan looked at the old professor.

The man smiled faintly.

"Interesting."

Ethan did not like people who said that.

The second examination began immediately afterward.

The applicants were divided into groups and taken to different sections of the academy.

Ethan’s group was sent to a large training chamber.

The room had no walls.

Instead, transparent magical barriers surrounded a floating platform. Beneath the platform was an endless darkness.

Professor Gray stood outside the barrier.

"This examination will test adaptability. Each applicant will be given a random spell pattern. You must understand it, activate it, and use it to reach the opposite side of the platform."

A series of symbols appeared before every student.

Ethan studied his.

The pattern consisted of three circles connected by a broken line.

Most students would interpret it as a movement spell.

Ethan recognized it immediately.

A displacement formula.

It did not move the body.

It moved the space surrounding the body.

The problem was the broken line.

The spell had been deliberately damaged.

If activated as written, it would cause the user to lose control halfway through the movement and fall from the platform.

Several students began casting.

One of them disappeared and reappeared three steps away.

Another was thrown sideways and crashed into the barrier.

A third student fell through the gap in the platform and was caught by the safety net below.

Noah’s symbol appeared.

He stared at it.

"This looks complicated."

"It is a movement spell."

"I thought it was a drawing of a dead spider."

"It can be both."

Noah activated the spell.

Green light surrounded him.

He disappeared.

For one second, nothing happened.

Then he reappeared directly behind Ethan.

Noah blinked.

"That was not where I wanted to go."

"You succeeded."

"I teleported backward."

"You did it successfully."

"That does not make it useful."

Elena completed her spell perfectly and reached the opposite side.

Adrian did the same.

Then Ethan’s turn began.

He looked at the spell pattern.

The academy wanted to test their ability to understand unfamiliar magic.

For ordinary students, the broken line was a trap.

For Ethan, it was an insult.

He placed one hand over the pattern.

The symbols responded.

Professor Gray watched closely.

Ethan did not repair the spell.

He removed one of the circles.

The entire formula changed.

The displacement effect vanished.

The space around him folded inward instead.

Ethan stepped forward.

The distance between him and the opposite side ceased to exist.

He appeared at the other end of the platform without casting a visible spell.

The chamber became silent.

One of the professors whispered:

"He did not activate the formula."

"He changed it."

"That spell is not designed for alteration."

Professor Gray’s face became darker.

Ethan looked back at him.

"Was that acceptable?"

Professor Gray took several seconds to answer.

"Continue."

The third examination was the final one.

The applicants were taken to an enormous underground arena.

The walls were covered with protective barriers, and several healing stations stood around the edge of the battlefield.

At the center of the arena was a large metal door.

Professor Gray stood before it.

"The final examination will test combat judgment."

The door began to open.

A growl echoed from the darkness behind it.

"You will not be required to defeat the creature inside. You will be judged on your ability to survive, identify its weaknesses, and make appropriate decisions under pressure."

The students grew tense.

The door opened completely.

A beast stepped into the arena.

It had the body of a lion, the wings of a bat, and a long serpent’s tail. Its skin was covered in black armor, and three red eyes glowed above its mouth.

Several students recognized it.

"Abyssal Manticore."

"Why is there a real one here?"

"They said the examination was safe!"

Professor Gray’s expression changed.

"That is not the creature we prepared."

The Manticore opened its mouth.

Black fire gathered between its teeth.

The protective barrier around the arena flickered.

Professor Gray shouted:

"Everyone, fall back!"

The Manticore released the fire.

The arena exploded.

Students screamed and scattered.

Ethan remained still for half a second.

The black flame was not ordinary fire.

It did not burn matter.

It consumed mana.

If it struck the students, their Mana Cores would be damaged permanently.

The protective barrier could not stop it.

Ethan scanned the creature.

Its left wing was stiff.

Its tail was moving slower than the rest of its body.

The red eye in the center was not an eye.

It was a magical core.

The beast had been modified.

Someone had implanted a crystal inside its skull and forced it into a frenzy.

Ethan reached toward the Crown Fragment.

The power answered.

Too quickly.

The black mark on his wrist spread across his palm.

Ethan clenched his fist.

He could use the fragment to crush the beast.

But doing so would reveal more of his authority.

The Manticore charged toward a group of students.

Ethan moved.

He stepped in front of it.

The beast’s claws descended.

Ethan raised one hand.

The impact threw him backward.

He hit the ground and rolled across the stone.

Pain filled his body.

The Manticore turned toward him.

A black flame gathered in its mouth.

Ethan looked at the core inside its skull.

Then at the damaged Mana Core inside his chest.

He had enough power for one attack.

Maybe.

The Manticore fired.

Ethan did not dodge.

He reached toward the principle behind the spell.

Black fire was not fire.

It was hunger.

A magical command that consumed energy.

Ethan forced his fingers to close.

Then he changed one word.

The flame vanished.

Not extinguished.

Rewritten.

The Manticore froze.

Every student in the arena stared.

Ethan felt something crack inside his chest.

Blood filled his mouth.

The Crown Fragment pulsed violently.

The beast’s implanted core shattered.

The Manticore collapsed.

For a moment, there was no sound.

Then the arena lights went out.

A message appeared above the battlefield in violet letters.

**AUTHORITY RESPONSE DETECTED.**

**SECOND FRAGMENT AWAKENING.**

Ethan’s head snapped toward the arena wall.

A deep pulse of power came from beneath the academy.

One of the sealed fragments had responded to his use of authority.

Somewhere below them, a second ancient door began to open.

And beneath the darkness, something whispered:

"Two fragments remain near the surface."

Ethan wiped the blood from his mouth.

The examination had ended.

But the real test had just begun.

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