Black Mist

by Michael Sisa

  He again coughed. “I shall explain the next two parts of the assessment test after the test for Mana Manipulation! All students… line up and take turns!”

  As the man had dictated, the students formed lines and awaited their turns. The orb glowed different hues depending on the student that wielded it. Dan silently stood amidst the crowd as he waited for his turn.

  “Hah! I’m next!” Ryle declared as he walked towards the orb. He wore the same smug look as before. He breathed a gulp of air and exhaled. He touched the orb of mana. The mass of gray inside twirled around, and eventually a light brown color manifested itself.

  Janus said, “Ryle Monfort—D+ rank!”

  “Woooah!” the students said in awe.

  Ryle smirked and his eyes danced as he savored the cheers from the crowd. He had tested with an Orb of Mana before, and he knew full well that he was already at the D+ rank. It was a rank that was supposed to be attained by only those in their third year. Even within his family, he was regarded as a prodigy.

  The same process of touching the orb and declaring the rank continued, and after some time, it was finally Dan’s turn.

  “Daniek Bhlot Roshaila!” Janus called.

  Dan immediately walked forward. His gait was calm and steady as he made his way towards the Orb. The students were in great expectations as he was the son of the strongest magician currently alive. Dan gently touched the Orb, and the twirling mass inside revolved. After a few more moments, a hardly noticeable hue appeared.

  “F rank!” the man declared. He wore a slightly dejected look as he gazed at Dan. The blood of the Roshailas always carried with them great power, and it was a great disappointment that the son of Edward was a bottom feeder.

  “No different from the lowly commoners, eh?” the voice of Ryle resounded. He snickered along with a few of his friends.

  Dan wordlessly went to the side to give way to the next student.

  ***

  The first part of the test commenced without much of a hitch. After wrapping things up, Janus took the students towards the inside of the iron-clad room. To their surprise, desks greeted them upon entry. Shelves were lined up in arrays, towering twenty meters in height. Everywhere around them were shelves filled to the brim with books.

  “Ehem…,” the man said. “The room says it all—the next part of the test shall be a measure of intellect! All of you have half an hour to solve the problems and answer the questions on your papers! Those that are to be caught cheating shall be kicked out of the Sky Academy! Hear me?!”

  The students made low grunts of approval. Most found studying as annoying. Janus’ voice boomed. “Each seat has its own number! Go to your corresponding seats!” The sounds of hurried footsteps echoed. After Janus saw that everyone was positioned, he declared, “Start!”

  Dan looked at the questions written on his paper.

  • Mixture of Sherly Grass and Wulfen Tusk is an essential part of what concoction?

  • Which type of Greyal Hounds is commonly seen at the top of frozen mountains?

  • What is the complete name of the founder of the Sky Academy?

  • Who created the Great Wall that enclosed the entirety of the Empire of Kulaima?

  • Name the five descendants of the Great Demon Lord.

  The list went on until it reached the one hundred mark.

  Dan did not have an ounce of idea on what the answers were. The only answer he was able to come up with was the answer to the fifth question. After scribbling down the name of Kemava, one of the five descendants of the Great Demon Lord, Dan putted down his pen. He knew that there was no use in thinking of the answers to questions he absolutely had no idea of.

  Time seemed to tick by ever slowly as he awaited the time to finish. After an hour, Janus said, “Time’s up!” Immediately, the parchments they wrote their answers on turned to glimmering dusts and flew upwards, eventually fading into obscurity after.

  Janus thumped a fist onto the table before him. It lightly shook and made a creaking sound. “We’ll proceed to the third test! Do note that the results of the tests shall determine your fate in Ilian Academy! Those that rank the lowest shall receive the least amount of education! If you think it’s unfair, then get your asses up and work your way to the top!”

  “Mage professors are scarce. We can’t waste all of them to bottom feeders.” He walked towards the room’s exit. “All of you. Follow me.”

  ***

  The group entered a narrow path that was without illumination. The humid air made their clothes stick to their skins, and it gave everyone an uncomfortable feeling. The path resembled an unkempt tunnel. After a few minutes of walk, the group finally saw the light at the end, and the fresh breeze of the morning wind brushed against their bodies. The scent of flowers filled the air as a breath-taking sight greeted them.

  They were currently inside a garden enclosed by a transparent bubble-like dome. Trees were planted paralleled with each other, and a small fountain with a statue of a lady at the middle was seen. Butterflies flew erratically at all directions, and the soft chirpings of birds were heard. Beyond the dome was the scenery of clouds floating about aimlessly, and the view of the Empire beneath was seen like an unfolded map. They had never seen the sun so close before. It gave the impression that an hour of walk would lead the group to it.

  “This is the Floating Garden of Ilian,” Janus proudly said as he gazed at the awestruck expressions of the students. He turned around and added, “This will also be the place where the third test shall be conducted. To be precise, this place is the entrance to that.”

  Janus walked towards a statue of a turtle holding a spear. He touched the shell of the creature and a spinning vortex manifested itself before him. It was jet-black and it gave off an abysmal aura.

  "Eternal darkness will be the first thing you'll see once you step inside the abyss. Don't be afraid—it’s a realm created by the founder of the academy itself." Janus fixed his coat and straightened his tie. He turned towards the students. "A certain creature resides in that place. He'll be the one to dictate the results of the last part of the test."

  “Follow me,” he said with a firm voice. Janus took a step inside the vortex, and his body immediately disappeared without trace. The students gulped down the lump in their throats as they entered the unknown one after another. Dan wordlessly followed and also entered.

  ***

  "Child," a deep voice greeted Dan the moment he stepped foot inside the abyss. Nothing but perpetual darkness surrounded him. All of his senses seemed to have dulled and he felt that time stood still. Professor Janus and the rest of the students disappeared without a trace, and he was left inside the eternal black with nothing but the voice as company.

  "I've been tasked with evaluating the inner potential of students... it’s been three hundred years since then... but this is the first time I've seen such soul. It is pure yet tainted. It is diabolic and at the same time divine."

  The voice seemed to loom directly above him. After a few moments, he felt the voice shift directly to his front.

  "Who are you? You are without doubt not a soul from this realm. Your soul is older than your body," the voice said. A dim flash of light manifested itself before Dan, and it slowly formed into a figure of a child. Dan's eyes widened as he stared with lips partly opened at the figure walking towards him. It was a figure he had known all his life. It was the air he breathed. It was once his life's purpose.

  "Dan?" Daniek whispered as he stared at the figure of the child before him. It was the figure of the child he had cherished the most back in his previous world. It was the figure of the child he had failed to protect. A trickle of tear flowed down his left cheek memories of the past overflowed.

  "I am the manifestation of your desires. I am a creature that feeds on humans’ ambitions. I am Qaval, the guardian of the Sky Academy." The voice was devoid of emotions.

  The figure of Qaval stopped directly in front of Dan. It raised its hand and touched Dan's
chest. It spoke, "Your inner desires—I shall reveal it. I shall grant it." A bright orb of light appeared on Dan's chest. He felt a warm and soothing sensation envelope his entirety. "I shall let you relieve your life... all over again. Sleep."

  But then, nothing happened.

  "...." The figure of Qaval stared at Dan with a stunned expression. After an awkward pause, he mumbled in a dejected tone, "Forget it. You pass."

  Chapter 17: Soul Core Phenomenon

  “I passed?” Dan said in confusion. The declaration of the guardian of the Sky Academy was sudden.

  Qaval coughed. “Yes. There’s no need to conduct the test.” He pouted and murmured in an inaudible voice, “What the hell happened? My soul magic had never failed before... the first and last time this happened was with my creator... this is embarrassing....”

  Qaval’s figure distorted and he assumed a white mosaic-like apparition. He felt that Dan’s heartbeat resumed its calm the moment he did so. He again coughed in his attempt to conceal his stuttering voice. “I’ll send you to where everyone is.”

  The jet-black darkness immediately dissipated the moment Qaval said those words. The abysmal surrounding was replaced by an amply illuminated hall that was oddly familiar. It was the place where Dan came to when he first teleported to Ilian Academy. The same large banners from before remained hanging by the walls. The students were clustered at the middle. Dan saw numerous students pop into existence one by one, and he shot a curious look at their appearances. All of them wore the same expression—fear. A female student a few meters from Dan fell to her knees, bent her neck to the side, and vomited. Screaming and cursing filled the grand hall as the students popped one after another.

  “What the hell... the last test...,” a female student with ash-white face mumbled.

  “I can’t believe it... I almost d-died!” another student declared.

  ‘Am I the only one that didn’t go through the last test?’ Dan asked himself. Although the creature named Qaval told him that he had passed the test, he was pretty sure that he had yet to undergo the test itself. He felt that the creature was unable to tell him the specifics of some things due to a reason.

  A loud voice that was with a hint of jubilance in it broke the perpetual buzzing sounds that enveloped the hall. It was Janus. He clapped his hands thrice and said, “Buckle up! The test is over! Rest easy! Don’t be too flustered with such things!” The students looked at him with faces that clearly stated, “What the hell is he saying? The last test was a nightmare!”

  Janus lifted a hand into the air. Afterwards, he chanted a few inaudible words. An orb the size of a fist appeared on top of his hand. The orb shattered into thousands of minute particles. After a few moments, the particles formed a translucent screen with written letters in it.

  Top Rankers:

  1. Ryle Monfort

  Mana Manipulation: D+

  Intellectual Test: 100/100

  Potential: 460

  2. Marianne Love

  Mana Manipulation: D+

  Intellectual Test: 98/100

  Potential: 400

  3. Denzel Jack

  Mana Manipulation: E++

  Intellectual Test: 100/100

  Potential: 337

  “I will be announcing only the top three students. For those of you that don’t belong to the top three, you may look at your status plate to see the results of the test!” Janus said. “As I’ve said before, the results in the exam shall dictate your future here in Ilian. There will still be chances to rise in rank and obtain better education, but getting a head start is without doubt an advantage. So... let’s call this year’s top rankers for the first years, shall we?” The crowd buzzed as they waited in anticipation. “This year’s number one student! Ryle Monfort!”

  The crowd cheered as Ryle walked towards Janus. His gait was firm and proud, and his lips were curled upwards into a smirk. His eyes danced as it swiveled left and right as it gazed at the students. He stood right next to Janus as he awaited the two other top rankers of the first years.

  Janus cleared his throat. “Second place! Marianne Love!”

  A fat woman with red hair and freckle-filled cheeks walked towards Janus. Few students snickered as they watched her walk closer to the professor. After a few more struggles, she eventually arrived. She stood next to Ryle whom had a blatant look of disgust on his face. Few students noticed that Ryle took two steps to the right the moment the student named Marianne arrived.

  “Lastly, the third place! Denzel Jack!” Janus declared. A few moments passed by, and there was still no response. Eventually, a student broke the confusion. “Professor...” The student wore a complex expression. “Denzel is gone.”

  “Gone?” Janus raised a brow.

  “Yeah...” The student scratched his head. “He said that he was hungry... He went to the cafeteria.”

  An awkward silence filled the area after the revelation. Janus had never encountered such thing before. Moreover, he wondered how the student named Denzel was able to go towards the cafeteria. It was a place located deep far from the Floating Garden. He glanced at the students. They all wore expecting looks upon their faces. With a cough, he concluded his speech. “Ehem... as I’ve said before... well... these three will be placed into the Genius Classes. For those of you that want to have a better education later, do your best. This academy holds an evaluation test every six months. You’ll eventually have a chance.”

  Janus pointed a finger onto the statue of an old magician on his right. “Lord Walker, please grant us entry into the Sky Academy.” Immediately, a magic circle appeared. A warp portal manifested itself afterwards. Janus turned to the students. “This warp portal will lead you to your dormitories. It will automatically react with your plates.” He walked towards it. “Then... I’ll be leaving first. You’re all free to roam around and enjoy the view of the floating garden. Classes shall start tomorrow first thing in the morning. Which subject? Just take a look at your status plates. It contains all information you need.”

  Janus entered the warp portal. A light whiz sound echoed the moment his foot touched the translucent magic, and he disappeared without a trace. The students looked at each other as they deliberated whether or not they would go to the dormitory right away.

  Dan fumbled inside his pockets and took out his status plate. As though the silver metal had read his thoughts, the results of the tests manifested themselves before him.

  Daniek Bhlot Roshaila

  Mana Manipulation: F

  Intellectual Test: 6/100

  Potential: ????

  Dan blew out a sigh. “The last test... as expected... something’s wrong.” At the back of his mind, he made a mental note of conversing with the professor regarding the matter.

  ***

  Unlike the other students, Dan decided to roam around and savour the view from the floating garden. He was fairly sure that such sight was hard to come across with. After walking through the same passages as before, he eventually arrived at his destination. The scent of flowers lingered as the chirping of birds resonated. Numerous clouds hovered about and a few of them occasionally brushed against his body. It was a surreal sight, and when coupled with the bright illumination from the imposing sun, the view of the Empire beneath him made his eyes freeze in its place. It gave one the feeling that he was nothing but a speck of dust when compared to the massiveness of the world itself.

  He looked at the statue of the turtle holding a spear. Its bronze color seemed to have faded away from age, and when one were to look closely, vines crept up underneath its feet. He walked towards it and touched the metallic carapace. It was surprisingly smooth and polished despite its appearance.

  Dan walked towards the fountain with a statue of a lady at the middle. He sat on it and noticed the words imprinted on a stone a few distance from him. The words were minute, but the stone was well-kept: Lady Arianne... it is you who... thank you.

  The words were without doubt written using a carving knife. Peculiar
ly enough, the way the letters were carved seemed to flow flawlessly; it depicted the warmth and affection from the person who wrote it. Dan glanced at his back as he gazed at the statue of the lady. Its face was blank, but for some reason, he knew that it was smiling. It was a strange sight, and he cannot help but stare at the figure.

  Dan continued gazing at the unfolded sight of the Empire below when he heard light unhurried footsteps. Slowly, he tilted his head and looked at the source. It was a woman with crimson hair and frail figure. Her eyes were a swirling mass of red that converges into pure black. The moment she noticed that a student was inside the floating garden, she stopped and stared.