Chapter 20 — The Different Morales
For a long heartbeat, the world seemed to hold its breath. Then, with graceful ease, the girl with the royal-blue hair stepped forward.
Her steps were unhurried, light — almost floating — yet every motion carried an unmistakable confidence. The sunlight caught in her blue strands, scattering soft glimmers like stardust. When she reached the center of the field, she turned, her eyes sweeping over the crowd with calm poise before finally resting on the examiners.
"I'm Avril Morales," she said, her voice smooth and steady, carrying a hint of warmth beneath its elegance. Then she smiled — a small, knowing smile that made several onlookers shift uneasily.
From the stands, whispers rose again.
"Morales? As in the Morales family?"
"No way… she's one of them?"
"She doesn't look like the others…"
Avril ignored the murmurs. The test sigils lit up before her, shimmering rings of golden light that rotated with a soft hum. Without hesitation, she stepped into the first.
The wind stirred.
She began taking strides. Hers was different — poised, deliberate, terrifyingly efficient. Her test ended with an unmistakable 9.5 burned into the screen.
Ignoring the silence she moved on to the strength test and contrasting her physique she left the crowd stunned with a score of 9.4. She proceeded to the endurance test and came out of it after the display had freezed at 9.6. Finally she went to the magic power test. She gently placed her palm on the panel and the numbers flapped furiously, finally halting at 9.6.
Each trial unfolded like a dance. Even the instructors exchanged wary glances.
When the final test faded, silence hung thick in the air once more. Then the sigils blazed in unison — a mark of perfect synchronization.
The crowd erupted.
Avril merely brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her smile unchanged.
Somewhere among the candidates, Leo swallowed hard. His shirt was drenched in sweat, the memory of their last argument flashing through his mind. His lips trembled as he muttered under his breath, "I'll never anger her again… ever"