The grand lobby of Valandias Academy hummed with nervous anticipation as Eris and her fellow students from Class A-1 assembled before the imposing testing apparatus. At the center of the vaulted chamber stood an ornate pedestal of polished obsidian, upon which rested the legendary Mana Assessment Crystal, a flawless orb about the size of a human head, its translucent depths swirling with barely-contained arcane energy.
A severe-looking instructor with close-cropped gray hair and a permanent frown stepped forward. "You will form an orderly line," he announced in a voice that brooked no argument. "Each of you will approach the Orb of Magimetric Evaluation and place your dominant hand upon its surface for no less than three seconds. The crystal will then display a numerical value corresponding to your current magical aptitude."
He paused, letting his cold gaze sweep across the assembled students. "Those who score below one hundred will be deemed unqualified to continue at Valandias. You will be escorted from the premises immediately and may reapply next year, provided you've shown sufficient improvement."
Of course, she mused internally, they wouldn't even consider admitting someone who hasn't mastered at least basic spellcraft. A score under a hundred likely indicates someone who can barely sense mana, let alone shape it effectively. She noted with mild amusement how several students near her were visibly trembling.
The first candidate, a gangly youth that bobbed nervously, approached the orb. His shaking hand hovered over the crystal's surface for several heartbeats before he finally made contact. The orb's interior swirled violently before resolving into glowing numerals: 387.
"Pass," the proctor intoned without inflection. The boy nearly collapsed with relief as he scurried away from the pedestal.
One by one, the students underwent their trials. A freckled girl with intricate braids scored 512, while a broad-shouldered young man who carried himself like a seasoned warrior surprised everyone with 1,980. The reactions grew more pronounced as the numbers climbed higher, murmurs of approval, occasional gasps, and in one case, an audible squeak of disbelief when a mousy-looking girl somehow produced 2,450.
Then the atmosphere in the chamber shifted palpably as a new figure swaggered toward the orb.
Earl Guillaume moved with the lazy confidence of someone who had never known doubt. He had spiky crimson hair, and his smirk suggested he found the entire proceeding beneath him. Without preamble, he slapped his palm against the crystal with almost disrespectful nonchalance.
The reaction was immediate and dramatic. The orb's normally gentle glow flared into an almost painful brilliance before stabilizing on a number that made multiple instructors drop their clipboards:
10,000
The collective intake of breath from the assembled students was audible. Whispers exploded through the chamber like wildfire:
"That's insane!"
"The Guillaume bloodline produces monsters as expected..."
Earl merely yawned, as if bored by his own achievement, and strolled back to his place in line.
"Who exactly is that?" Eris asked the student in front of her, keeping her tone carefully neutral.
The girl, a petite brunette who had scored a respectable 890, turned with wide eyes. "You don't know Earl Guillaume? His family are legendary fire mages! They say he could cast Jio Ignitus when he was still in diapers!
Eris hummed. A prodigy, then.
Then another commotion drew her attention. A girl with hair so pale it resembled snow was making her way to the orb. Yuki Mizuta moved with eerie grace, her expression as inscrutable as a frozen lake. Where Earl had been all swagger and fire, Yuki was stillness incarnate.
Her delicate fingers made contact with the crystal—
9,000
The reaction was nearly as intense as for Earl's display. Yuki showed no reaction whatsoever to her result, her porcelain features remaining impassive as she returned to her place.
"Yuki Mizuta, the Ice Princess" someone murmured. "Heiress to the Mizuta fortune. They say she's as strong as Earl."
Potential rivals, Eris thought.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of increasingly impressive displays, Eris's turn came.
"Next candidate!" the proctor called, his voice beginning to show signs of fatigue.
Eris approached the orb, her steps unhurried. She pressed her palm to its surface.
And the crystal went dark.
Then, in stark, flickering letters:
N/A.
The silence that followed was absolute. Even the ever-present hum of the academy's background magic seemed to pause in confusion.
One of the younger instructors blinked rapidly. "Is... is it malfunctioning?"
A senior mage, a wizened woman with eyes like chips of flint, hurried forward and began tracing diagnostic runes in the air around the orb. Her brow furrowed deeper with each passing second.
"The apparatus is functioning perfectly," she announced at last, her voice tight with poorly-concealed astonishment.
Disbelieving murmurs spread through the crowd like ripples in a pond.
"But that's impossible!" a student protested. "Even if she had no magic aptitude, it would still show a number..."
The senior mages huddled together in urgent consultation. Eris remained perfectly still, her face a mask of polite patience, though internally she was mildly amused. This primitive measuring device was never designed to quantify a soul as ancient as mine, she thought. It's like trying to measure the ocean with a thimble.
After what felt like an eternity, the head proctor cleared his throat. "Eris Yuvatar... pass."
The uproar was immediate.
"On what grounds?"
"How can you pass someone with no score?"
The proctor's glare silenced the protests. "The Orb of Magimetric Evaluation has never malfunctioned in its three-century history. If it cannot provide a reading, that in itself is data worth investigating." His eyes locked onto Eris with unsettling intensity. "Valandias has a responsibility to analyze... exceptional cases."
Eris inclined her head slightly, understanding the unspoken message perfectly. They're not passing me out of fairness. They're keeping me where they can watch me.
As she turned to rejoin her classmates, she caught Hugo watching her from the shadows of a nearby archway. His expression was unreadable.
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The atmosphere in the classroom was electric as the surviving students filed back in. The air practically vibrated with whispered conversations and stolen glances.
"Did you see how the orb just... stopped?"
"Ten thousand! Can you believe it?"
"That ice princess got nine thousand without even trying!"
"But what about the weird one at the end? That was creepy..."
Eris took her usual seat at the back of the room, perfectly aware of the space that had subtly widened around her, as if her classmates feared contamination. Only two people in the room seemed unaffected by the general hysteria: Earl, who was examining his fingernails with exaggerated boredom, and Yuki, who might as well have been carved from marble for all the reaction she showed.
Hugo entered last, his customary lecture notes clutched in one white-knuckled hand. His gaze swept the room, lingering just a fraction too long on Eris before addressing the class.
"Congratulations to those who remain," he said, his voice carefully neutral. "Tomorrow we begin practical applications. Be prepared."
Finally, the fun part is about to begin, Eris thought.