by Cloe D Frost
He remembered how his cheeks burned in shame, how he had subconsciously pulled his hood tighter around his head as to conceal as much of his features as he could, otherwise he would die out of shame if the two examiners recognized him on the street.
Today, he walked out of the classroom with his head held high, albeit with shaky footsteps.
Today, there was no blush of shame on his face, only the sickly paleness due to the damage caused to his body.
Today, his heart soared high in the sky, all the chains binding it crumbled away.
With his current exam score, it was no longer a matter of whether he passed the exams.
It was only the matter of how high he placed.
* * *
The gray curtain covered the sky completely, congregating into thick clumps that looked tangible. Although it was early afternoon, the courtyard of Muni was shrouded in shadows as if it was dusk.
Kiel Rroda sat in the most secluded corner of Red Quarters main hall he could find. His body wasn’t in the best of conditions, so his usually non-existent desire to socialize was even less existent. He was also worried that he might be attacked by a Shadow again, so instead of hiding in the middle of nowhere, he decided to hide himself in plain sight – in the main hall that was full of people.
Since he was mostly hidden from sight by the large pillars, he wouldn’t be disturbed by random people, and yet, he was still close enough to the crowd so that the Shadow wouldn’t be able to do anything excessive.
Still, he hoped Elaru would be done with her exam soon so that they could leave Muni. He felt the safest when he was by her side, under Invisibility barrier. When they were Invisible and concealing their presence, he felt as if they were separated from the world, in a world of their own. Like nothing could disturb them or touch them.
Kiel sighed softly and looked at his pocket watch. Elaru’s exam should be starting soon. Hopefully, she’ll be the first one to take the exam in her group so that he wouldn’t need to wait for her much longer.
If she wasn’t finished soon, they would end up caught in a storm. Kiel looked up at the glass dome. The gray clouds reflected in his icy blue eyes making them look gray as well.
Suddenly, Kiel got a bad feeling.
Just as his hairs rose on the back of his neck, a bright light flashed in the sky. The sound of heavy rainfall reached his ears before the rumbling of thunder.
The large raindrops heavily bombarded the dome like thousands of arrows, followed by an explosive sound of thunder that made the entire building shake as if hit by a cannon.
“Earthquake!” Someone screamed.
The screech seemed to shake everyone awake from their shock, and they sprouted into action. Some hid under the tables. Some confusedly looked about, unsure of what to do. Some just sat there, watching the pillars and the ceiling vigilantly, hoping that they won’t crumble and fall on their heads. Some huddled together like a herd of scared meep.
The earth shook more and more violently under Kiel’s feet.
The harder the building shook, the more panicked the people became. Some of them could no longer keep their balance and stumbled to the ground.
The sounds of shock and distress spreading through the main hall were almost loud enough to overpower the rumbling of thunder.
Initially, Kiel intended to continue sitting where he was, waiting for the earthquake to subside but then he noticed that his calm behavior was drawing too much attention from the people around him.
In the chaos, people who retained their calm stood out like sore thumbs. His handsome and noble appearance, coupled with his peaceful demeanor with an unperturbed facial expression made people unconsciously look at him for support.
Countless pairs of eyes looked at him, asking for comfort.
Kiel swore inside his head. Darn earthquake! Just my luck! Outwardly, he smiled wryly and decided that in such a situation, the herd of headless meep was looking for him to lead them.
He should speak a few comforting words and calm them down, right? This was an opportunity to make a positive impression.
“There is no need to panic.” Kiel spoke up in a soothing tone that pierced through the main hall like a hot knife through butter. “The professors have already noticed the disturbance. If they deem that the building is in danger of collapsing, they will reinforce it with magic.” Kiel smiled gently. His smile instantly brightened the room and calmed down the hearts of everyone who saw it.
Kiel continued: “It definitely won’t colla…” Before he could finish his speech, an agitated yell coming from a nearby table interrupted him. “Meepshit!!!”
Kiel’s face froze. Why is it that recently nothing seemed to be going his way? Why was it that there were always people making trouble for him? How did he offend this guy for him to contradict him so openly?
Kiel’s eyes landed on an argel who yelled out. He had short, and spiky bright yellow hair layered on top of bloody red strands. His blazing eyes were the same bright, bloody red color as the highlights in his hair.
Where other people were stumbling because of the earthquake, the blond was standing like a statue. Where other people were starting to calm down, the guy was getting more and more agitated.
Kiel couldn’t feel any hostility towards him from the argel’s aura. In fact, the boy didn’t even seem to have noticed Kiel. Wait…? Could it be that he isn’t picking a fight with me but is actually really afraid of earthquakes?
Should he try to calm this person down? Once again Kiel started speaking in his husky voice pleasant to the air. “It’ll be alri…” But once again, before he could finish he was interrupted by swearing.
“Damn it!” The blond screeched. “There must be an incredible battle in the Arena happening right now!! Oi, oi! Does anyone know who is fighting in the Arena right now?!”
He is… agitated thinking that he was missing an exciting arena battle?? Wait… he actually thinks the earthquake is caused by an intense arena battle???
Kiel stood unmoving and speechless, not knowing whether he should laugh or cry. Why do I keep running into weirdoes?!
* * *
Elaru Wayvin wanted to take her exam as soon as possible. Leaving Kiel on his own while there was a Shadow after him left her feeling uncomfortable.
When she volunteered to take the exam first, Deora Thayn shot her down. “No way! I am saying no to all of your requests from now on!!”
Elaru blinked twice innocently looking at the furious looking Deora. “In that case…” she mused. “Can I…not go first?”
Deora once again screamed “No!” before she could finish. However, when he heard the end of her sentence the yell abruptly got stuck in his throat and Deora’s face turned as red as a tomato.
“You think you are smart, don’t you?!?”
Elaru nonchalantly nodded her head. “Yeah.”
Deora gaped at her dumbfounded. Before he could recover, Zerel nodded his head approvingly with a sly smile. “Since little Dei agrees to it, sure, you can go first.”
“I don’t agree!!! I definitely don’t agree!!” Deora roared, only to be completely ignored by both Zerel and Elaru. Zerel motioned Elaru to enter, his eyes squinted into crescent moons. Elaru walked in victoriously.
“OUT!!!” Deora slammed his fist on the teacher’s table and pointed his finger to the door. “You. Are. Not. Going. FIRST!”
“Little Dei, you already gave her your permission. Don’t tell me you are going back on your word?” Zerel shook his head disappointedly. “So much for virtues of a Thayn…”
Deora ground his teeth, his face was so red that one could almost see steam coming out of his ears. “You love seeing the world burn, don’t you?” He spat out, glaring daggers at Zerel. If looks could kill, Zerel would have died ten thousand times in the most miserable way possible.
Zerel smirked. “Why do you think I chose to be partnered with you?”
Deora once again slammed his fists on the table. “I can’t believe principal Eruan allo
wed you to supervise the exams! You shouldn’t even be a professor with how you keep causing trouble!”
Zerel’s eyes widened, and he suddenly erupted into a fit of giggles. “You’re the one to talk. Truly a pot calling the kettle black.”
Elaru took advantage of their squabble to approach the crystallizer and start the test before Deora could forcefully kick her out.
She intertwined her fingers and stretched her arms out in front of her, smirking provocatively. This will be… fun.
And then, with the excited gleam in her eyes, she twisted the hourglass handle upside down.
Deora and Zerel that didn’t stop bickering when she activated the crystallizer suddenly turned silent.
Elaru had finally retracted her mind cocoon, allowing the full extent of her aura to erupt unbridled. To every mind that touched her aura, it would seem as if they were suddenly swallowed by the rampaging sea and sunk to the bottom.
The pressure of mana made the air inside the room feel heavy. It became stifling. Every breath became painful.
Both Deora who was furious and Zerel who was amused, suddenly turned solemn, completely forgetting their argument.
The crystallizer lit up with blindingly bright light and started producing a loud hum. The table on which the crystallizer was placed started shaking and trembling.
Elaru’s long ponytail started whirling and flapping like a flag, although there was no wind.
The sea of mana surrounding Elaru created a whirlpool, two meters in diameter that swallowed both her and the crystallizer inside a chaotic tempest.
The arrow inside the speedometer jumped to the right so fast that it almost broke off.
* * *
Coming up in the next episode:
The illumination crystals on the ceiling started flickering in and out and swaying dangerously left and right.
He screeched miserably. “STOP!!!”
Drenched like a drowned lunar, his clothes sticking to his slim build like second skin, Dusk Rose walked towards the White Quarters slowly with a sullen face.
Episode 81 – Conclusion of the Mana Exam
Episode 81 – Conclusion of the Mana Exam
Previously:
Elaru creates a scene on her exam, the intensity of her aura causes the entire building to shake. People inside the main hall of the building are alarmed because of the earthquake. Kiel tries to calm down the situation. Meanwhile, Dusk Rose, the assassin hired by Venric Rroda to kidnap Kiel, is still stuck with Elaru’s needle inside his neck preventing him from moving.
* * *
The illumination crystals on the ceiling started flickering in and out and swaying dangerously left and right.
Zerel’s lunar-like eyes shined brightly like two huge ingots of gold. Excitement, curiosity, mirth, expectation, and interest intertwined together, making his aura wiggle around like a litter of mischievous, newborn vulpies.
Deora’s eyes widened, a tinge of panic seeping out through his aura. If his attention wasn’t already preoccupied, Zerel’s strange aura would have made his skin crawl.
Elaru’s black and red striped scarf started flying around like wriggling snakes.
The dark sky seemed to get darker. And then suddenly, a bright flash of lightning illuminated the whole room.
As if the crystals inside the black pot were the source of lightning, they shined with the same golden luster as the lighting. The hum of the crystallizer was getting louder and louder, eventually becoming a high-pitched buzzing.
A tree of crystals spread out from the pot with numerous crystals dangling around like leaves. The roots of the tree looked as if they were pushing against the pot, trying to break out. As if, at any moment the pot would crack open.
The earth shook dangerously, making the shelves inside the room creak and the items clatter.
Deora’s heart almost leaped out of his chest in alarm. He let out a miserable screech: “STOP!!!” however, it was suppressed by the rumbling of thunder.
Elaru either didn’t hear him or pretended that she didn’t. The torrent of mana passing through her skin seemed to distort the air around her, giving her a misty, ethereal glow.
The crystal tree reflected in Elaru’s eyes, the golden color mixing with her teal magically as if it was always meant to be there. Small beads of sweat dripped down the side of her head, glittering as if they were made of transparent crystal.
Deora got up from his seat intending to stop the exam. This custom crystallizer was the most expensive exam device they had. Under no circumstance should he allow it to be damaged!
Deora jumped over the table and Accelerated towards the crystallizer, however, just as he activated the spell, Zerel’s pale hands wrapped around his ankle. “Little Dei, we aren’t allowed to interfere with the exam.”
Zerel’s pull made Deora lose his balance and stumble towards the exact black pot he had been trying to save. “Ah! Little Dei! Careful!” Zerel exclaimed. It was hard to tell whether his worry and surprise was genuine or sarcastic.
Horror overtook Deora’s face as he fell face first towards the crystallizer.
He recast the Acceleration in attempts to forcefully change his direction of movement, missing the pot by a hair’s width.
As Deora stabilized himself, cold sweat dripped down his face in streams. He took raspy breaths and glared at Elaru. “Stop… Right… Now!”
This time, Elaru seemed to take notice of his efforts and her gaze converged on Deora. She exhaled a hot breath that turned into white mist.
The whirlpool of mana around her slowly slowed down and seemed to dissipate.
Not even half of the sand inside the hourglass had flowed down the bottleneck. The exam wasn’t supposed to be over just yet.
Deora let out several deep breaths to calm down. His face was as red as his hair. He glared hatefully at Elaru as if she had massacred his whole family.
“Get out!” He squeezed out through gritted teeth and pointed to the exit of the classroom.
Elaru blinked several times in confusion, and then her face fell, looking at Zerel with a wronged look. Her long ears drooped down pitifully.
Zerel beamed brightly at her, stars glittering in his eyes. Elaru expected him to say something, but he just looked at her with a gaze that caused her to involuntarily shiver. It was a gaze a lupax used to look at a fat and juicy meep.
The size of the crystal should be enough for me to score full points. I should just go… Elaru concluded. …before Firecracker explodes.
Speaking of which, why did he hate her so much? She never did anything to provoke his ire!
Elaru clicked her tongue before walking out of the room with slumped shoulders.
Deora felt no pity for her. Instead, he snorted and bowed down to pull the crystal inside the crystallizer out. Usually, examiners would weigh the crystal to determine the exam score in the category of Mana Pool Size and Mana Regeneration. But actually, Deora wanted to remove the crystal so that the crystallizer can be used again by the next examiner.
The crystal tree inside the pot looked like a fragile art piece. Deora grabbed it lightly, careful not to break it.
Unfortunately, the fragile looking crystal tree that should have been feather light, turned out to be heavier than if it was made out of lead.
Unprepared for the large weight, Deora didn’t manage to pick it up. His pull only made both himself and the tree lose balance.
He stumbled towards the crystallizer, unceremoniously stubbing his toe on the leg of the table.
Deora didn’t even have the time to scream and curse, when the legs of the table, which had already been weakened by Elaru’s mana whirlpool, finally snapped under the weight of Deora’s falling body and the heavy crystal tree.
The table toppled over to the floor, followed by the crystallizer in the shape of a round pot that beautifully rolled like a barrel.
The pot crashed heavily on the ground causing the entire room to shake.
A loud fracturing sound spread through t
he room.
Sand slipped through the cracks in the now shattered hourglass, creating small sand dunes on the ground. The sand even entered inside Deora’s shoes.
The soft tapping sound of rain reverberated like hammers inside Deora’s head.
A brief silence settled inside the room before it was broken by a mournful howl.
Elaru was debating whether she should wait in front of the room, thinking that perhaps the two examiners wanted to test her again later, when the loud crash entered her ears. The painful bellow that followed dispelled any indecisiveness she had. Clearly, it would be better for her to get lost as soon as possible.
Therefore, with haste, she Accelerated away towards the main hall where Kiel had been waiting for her.
Deora continued to scream in anguish for a long while after Elaru’s retreat, taking his pain out on the crystal tree that shattered like glass, sprinkling shards all over the carpet.
“Eh??” Zerel complained. “Little Dei, aren’t you going to weigh the crystal?”
“&%$#! Do you want the scale to break too?!?”
* * *
Dusk Rose slowly walked towards the White Quarters, with a sullen face. His clothes stuck to his slim build like a second skin, making him look like a drowned lunar. His shoes made squishy, wet noises with every step. Dusk Rose couldn’t help but flinch each time he heard the sound.
His long thin braid that would usually jump around animatedly, now laid lifelessly, plastered against his back.
During his attempts at removing the platinum needles out of his neck, he had dispelled Façade and returned to his true appearance.
His previously brown eyes turned as green as grass. His previously dark brown hair that fell around his face messily started darkening and twisting around. The strands around his head shortened while the hair on his back lengthened until it morphed into a braid that reached his waist.
On first glance, his hair looked black, but under the light, it let out a vibrant green shine that created a beautiful harmony with the green of his eyes.
His previously unremarkable and goofy face morphed into a delicate looking youth. His face wasn’t eye-catching and would easily be disregarded by passersby. However, if one bothered to take a closer look, one would realize that his face was extremely easy on the eyes and could be considered as quite pretty.