The morning sun hit the academy courtyard in a golden glare, casting long shadows over the central arena. Unlike yesterday's Hall of Illusions, today's event was openly competitive: the Final Test. Each first-year pair would have to navigate a multi-stage obstacle course, blending magic, strategy, and raw skill.
Everyone excited and were fully prepared.
The pairs were lined up:
Alaric Blackwood and Roderick Stormrider, the quiet prodigy and his fiery friend who have very little patience.
Thalia Trystan and Liora Blackthorn, precise and unpredictable but quite a combination.
Elric Lewin and Althaea Arkwright, that's us.
Sylwen Starleaf and Seraphine Nightingale, calm and calculating, with Seraphine adding her usual mischief.
Lucas Rivers and his friend, who disappeared quickly after the first announcement, likely worried about being last. But being cheerful like his usual self.
I glanced at Althaea beside me. She adjusted her gloves, giving me that same unreadable look as yesterday.
"Ready?" she asked.
I nodded, tone dry as ever. "As ready as I'll ever be."
---
The horn sounded, and the first challenge began: the Maze of Mirrors.
Each pair entered a massive arena filled with mirrors, platforms, and magical traps. Unlike yesterday, this maze was interactive: the mirrors shifted in response to movement, the floor sometimes gave way, and faint illusions tried to mislead participants.
I could see everything clearly through Omniscient — every shimmer, every mana trail that left any physical effect. Yet, in the spirit of fair play, I let Althaea guide us. Watching her figure out the pattern, time the leaps, and choose the correct steps was oddly satisfying. For once, I played support rather than dominate.
"Left here, then two quick steps forward," she said calmly.
I followed, letting her rhythm dictate our movements.
Alaric and Roderick were just ahead, carefully stepping along the correct mirrors. Roderick's spear flashed occasionally, warding off minor illusions that appeared. Alaric's calm observation kept them on track; he occasionally muttered to himself, counting steps and adjusting posture. Classic Alaric.
Thalia and Liora were on the opposite side, slightly behind at first, but Liora's agility helped them leap across a collapsing platform with precision. Meanwhile, Thalia moved like a flawless automaton — programmed not to make mistakes.
And then there was Sylwen and Seraphine. Predictably, they moved almost in sync, barely breaking a sweat. Sylwen's calm nature combined with Seraphine's sharp intellect made them extremely efficient — but not invincible. One mirror delayed them for a split second, giving the rest of us a tiny advantage.
The maze was a blur of reflective surfaces, false pathways, and illusory pitfalls. Althaea and I reached the center together, slightly ahead of Thalia and Liora but a step behind Alaric and Roderick. I whispered, "Nice lead."
Her eyes didn't flicker. "Focus."
---
The second challenge: the Mana Stream Crossing.
A vast chasm cut through the arena, bridged by floating platforms that moved unpredictably and emitted magical pulses. The pulses weren't lethal, but a misstep would result in a fall to the soft, but humiliating, ground below.
Althaea studied the platforms, calculating timing and distance. I adjusted my mana lightly, just enough to enhance balance, but deliberately kept my aura minimal — she should do the thinking.
"Two platforms, then a diagonal leap," she said, and I followed without comment. The motion was precise, elegant, and efficient.
Roderick leapt first, muscles taut, landing with a confident grunt. Alaric followed, calm as always, barely looking at the moving platforms. Thalia and Liora flitted across like birds, every jump perfectly synchronized.
Sylwen and Seraphine arrived last, moving deliberately. Seraphine's eyes scanned every platform, predicting subtle movements. Sylwen's steady magic countered minor oscillations. They seemed slower, but I could tell from my enhanced perception that they were optimizing every motion.
Halfway across, a platform tilted suddenly — an illusionary trap. Althaea reacted instinctively, shifting her weight and casting a micro wind spell to stabilize it. I mirrored her movements, letting her lead.
As we landed safely on the other side, I heard Sylwen mutter, almost playfully, "Interesting technique."
Seraphine added dryly, "Efficient, but messy."
I smirked faintly. Messy? Perhaps by their standards.
---
The third stage: the Puzzle Room.
This compact chamber contained intricate rune circles, sliding panels, and a magical lock at the center. The objective: unlock the central crystal by aligning runes in the correct sequence. The room responded to aura signatures, so brute force wouldn't work — thinking was essential.
Here, I could contribute normally because physical output was just a side effect; Omniscient wasn't required unless I wanted.
Althaea immediately scanned the panels, her analytical mind parsing patterns with astounding speed. I stayed beside her, observing the aura flow of each rune and subtly stabilizing it with my mana without interfering. One of us stabilized so the other could analyze — perfect teamwork.
Alaric and Roderick entered next. Alaric's precision was perfect, but Roderick's impatience occasionally caused minor setbacks. Thalia and Liora worked in near silence, adjusting their motions with calculated precision.
Sylwen and Seraphine entered last, their movement slow, deliberate, and perfectly synchronized. Every rune they touched glowed instantly. They weren't rushing. They didn't need to.
I glanced at Althaea. "Want me to help with the aura alignment?"
"No," she said. "This is our moment."
She was right. I needed to focus on my task. However mana stabilization was tough for me right now which in turn increased the time Althaea had to use for analysis.
The room pulsed as we aligned the final rune. The central crystal glowed, then split into two — awarding the fragment to us.
I noticed Sylwen and Seraphine had already acquired theirs. Althaea's eyes flicked briefly toward them. "Not bad."
I grinned faintly. "Not bad? That's an understatement."
Each one of them independently was good in this, them working together was on completely different level.
---
The final challenge: the Arena of Trials.
A massive circular arena, magically enclosed, filled with moving platforms, traps, illusions, and enchanted constructs. Each pair had to retrieve the final crest fragment from the center and return safely.
Althaea led our approach, keeping calm and strategic. I let my senses map the arena — every trap, illusion, and construct — but didn't interfere. I could help, but only within my limits as a student. And I was in a way not really good in comparison. However that didn't stop me from trying my best.
Alaric and Roderick moved ahead, skillful and synchronized. Thalia and Liora moved in tandem, precise and quiet. Sylwen and Seraphine moved deliberately, almost leisurely, avoiding unnecessary risks.
But I could see Sylwen and Seraphine were not really taking it easy , it's just that they weren't making useless steps.
Halfway through, Roderick was forced to leap across a collapsing platform. Alaric followed, adjusting his stride perfectly. Thalia and Liora tackled a spinning trap, landing flawlessly.
Althaea and I faced a series of floating glyphs, each releasing pulses of illusionary fire. She calculated the timing; I mirrored her movements with minimal interference. Step by step, we reached the central platform.
The final fragment floated in a column of light. As Althaea reached for it, illusions of previous challenges tried to distract her — mirrored versions of herself, shadowy constructs.
I grinned silently. She moved decisively, ignoring the illusions, and captured the fragment. Our journey was done atleast half of it.
Before we could move, Sylwen and Seraphine arrived. They observed our fragment, then gently retrieved theirs from a separate floating pedestal. They didn't glance at us. They didn't need to. They will now speed up too.
---
The return was chaotic. Platforms collapsed, traps triggered, illusions appeared in every corner. Althaea guided us with quiet precision, each movement exact. I merely followed, letting her make every decision not trying to help but because it was better that way.
When we finally touched the exit platform, breathless and laughing faintly at the absurdity, all pairs had arrived.
Professor Kael clapped slowly. "Impressive."
"Who… who won?" someone stammered.
Kael smiled faintly. "That, you'll find out at the next assembly. But for first-years, today was about skill, strategy, and cooperation."
Sylwen and Seraphine exchanged a small, knowing glance. Althaea raised an eyebrow.
I muttered under my breath, "They'll win."
Althaea shot me a glare. "Keep your mouth shut."
I grinned faintly anyway.
I am tired but I am still excited that's for sure.
The sun was setting. The sky painted in streaks of orange and violet. Every pair gathered their belongings, still catching their breath from laughter, minor bumps, and near falls. There was no tension — only amusement and camaraderie.
They were talking about how they moved and what they regretted not doing, telling others any comic event that they did unintentionally and all the fun they had.
Somewhere deep inside, I noted silently: while the outcome might be obvious to me through Omniscient, the fun of the event was genuinely enjoyable.
Tomorrow, the official announcement would come. But for now, it was laughter, strategy, and a little pride.
Everyone had fun and they all deserved it with all the hardwork they have put in during classes.