Revian squinted his eyes, raising his hand in defiance against the bright blare emitting from the sun.
Rashes sprouted all throughout his legs, the lush green brushing against his skin and causing him to suffer an allergic reaction.
Each brush of grass was a new bump roughening his skin, the sharp of Revian's nails biting into his skin to create streaks of white. He stopped after a few moments, taking note of the rash's irritation worsening with each scratch.
The grass was reaching up to his knees, the unevenness in their length suggesting they hadn't been cared for in ages.
"Hey, you're turning red as a tomato there, brother." Garron said, his face genuinely laced with concern. "You alright?"
Garron eventually turned back towards the expanse of the field after a few seconds of no response, the corners of his mouth peeking past the edges of his side profile.
I hate this, Revian thought, turning his head away towards the people surrounding him. Why am I forced to sit out here with this motley crew...
Garron was at his side, his face bright and limbs shaking with exhilaration. The rest of Class F was similarly standing side-by-side to form a line, although their faces were tinged with the exact opposite spectrum of emotions, some groaning in impatience and others simply looking down in boredom.
"Hey, I know you lot are the bottom of the barrel, but have some more pride! This is your moment to shine!" Varek yelled, his bulk even more emphasized with his flexing. "After all, you're finally being given the chance to showcase your magic!"
Revian groaned, looking down at his finger and straining his face as if he could make some electrical beam or physical enhancements striate through his limbs, but just as he'd expected, there was no sign of the cool magic his Class A peers possessed.
"Come on, bring some more life to the party, people!" Varek added, pointing his index finger toward the sky. "No, I mean it."
Varek's bellow was sharp in of itself, but what really took the students aback was the sudden shift in scenery--black, absorbent particles stretching out from his finger to envelop the surrounding field.
The dead in the eyes of Revian's classmates were lashed by Varek's magic, white lines drawing through and past the floors and walls of the black box that surrounded them.
The class shared a mutual gasp after Varek's magic completed, the black box donning a grid system with no door or passageway visible on any of the walls.
"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing!" A kid yelled, his red hair and black robe flagging in the air--if this place even had it.
"Yeah, who do you think you are, dragging us out here and using magic!" Another shouted, this time a girl with a hammer attached at the hip.
"In due time." Varek said, raising his hand. "This is my magic--game master. In a moment, you will understand its purpose, but know that it's necessary in assessing you kids."
Nobody bothered to respond to his words, a couple banging on its walls and clawing at the white lines.
"Escape is futile, at least, for people at your level." He said amusingly, his arms crossed. "Now, do you children remember what I told you this morning?"
The one to step forward was someone with large white gloves and goggles, the smog in the lenses concealing his eyes.
"You said that as a group who all came-of-age and received magic, the instructors are forced to test us and give their assessments back to the ministry."
Varek whistled in response, his eyes wide.
"Oh, so you guys can listen. Yes, I'm tasked with assessing each of you and surmising whether it's best to proctor you youths in this school." He responded, his demeanor far more calm and still than Revian was used to. "But, you know, I also have the ability to fail all of you, especially if your measurements pale in comparison to Class F students of past years. And I think that's exactly what I'm going to do."
His words thrummed the invisible strings keeping the students' hearts together, airy exhales escaping their lungs.
Some had been frozen, their jaws hanging in the air as if they'd watched someone die.
"You can't just fail us!" The red-head yelled, slamming his fist against the wall. "I worked hard to get here--we shed blood, sweat, and tears to get to this point. Even if we are failures, I absolutely refuse to get failed, not until I achieve my dream. I won't let you, the ministry, or even the gods get in my way!"
Indignation burning in his eyes, the man darted forward toward Varek, both fists reeling back with increasing potential energy.
Varek remained steady, black particles flying out from his body again.
They dashed towards the student but did not finish their travel, instead hastily falling towards the ground and assimilating with its black.
"Ha, it looks like your attack missed!"
Thwap!
Black, viscous liquid shot out from the ground, catching the kid's extended fists and halting his movements.
He struggled in vain to release its grip, his fingers convulsing wildly as the liquid shrunk in size to crush his wrist.
"Grrahhhhhh!" He yelled, falling to the ground as the black disappeared into the floor.
What the hell is this, Revian thought to himself, his calm bravado cracking as he began to realize the gravity of the situation.
What could it be, an illusion? No, not likely--mass illusion magic takes up far too much mana for practicality. A dungeon perhaps... no, his magic was called game master. Perhaps it's one of the domain magic that--
The frantic contemplations plaguing his mind were forcefully stopped by Varek's movements and words, opening his mouth again.
"You are right about one thing, Kael. I can't just fail you guys. No, the ministry requires a pretext. What truly irks me is that my apprentice is thrown into the same pool as you trash, his talents far superior than the Class F designation. While admin's decisions are final, I think I have another plan in mind. You see, they have designated that he is worthy only of Class F, but if he proves that he's far superior to you lot, then even if I can't advocate for his reclassing, I can at least give the entire class to him so that he isn't held back in the Reclass Trials by you trash."
Black flung from Varek's turned back, enriching the walls with small ripples that contradicted its solid state.
"Gorran, step forward."
Revian's eyebrows furrowed as Gorran turned his eyes to him for a near-instant, walking past him to meet Varek's side.
"Of course, master." He uttered, his arms folding to attach to his hips. "What is it you command of me?"
"I have already willed it into the game, so there's no avoiding it--you guys will fight for your right to attend the University of Velmira. Touch my student here once, and the room will dispel, your freedoms earned." Varek turned his head back towards the students, his voice a low grumble now. "But if you either get defeated or fail to meet the conditions within ten minutes, then you will be expelled. Unequivocally."