The proctor blinked.
What is this? This is supposed to be the moment of ruin. The boy should be weeping or pleading for mercy.
Yet his voice… it carries no shame. No tremble.
Why am I hesitating? Why do I feel the sudden, absurd urge to revise his ledger?
Is this an enchantment? Did this child place a charm upon me?
I was unnecessarily brutal during his combat trial… and he is only a single mark away from entering the lottery for the lower 100 seats…
The proctor dragged a hand down his face, groaning under his breath.
A charm. It has to be. What was the axiom from the second-year arcanum syllabus?
The cleanest way to sever an emotional charm is to yield to the impulse.
One mark. Just one.
The proctor turned the page, dragging his stylus down the parchment. He scored an additional slash across the combat ledger, turning the eight into a nine.
Done. Sixty-five. The charm is broken.
He joins the sea of thousands who merely 'passed.' Let the admissions lottery tear him apart.
The evaluator straightened his coat, spinning toward the boy.
"Your assessment is concluded. Official notices will arrive at your registered residence within five days."
"You will exit through the primary gates immediately. If you lose your bearings, request an escort from the sentries. Do not attempt to explore the interior grounds. Crossing the inner barriers or approaching active students is a severe offense across seven sovereign nations and guarantees immediate blacklisting from the Mage Association."
The proctor let the parchment snap shut.
"Thank you, Instructor," Arthur said, bowing with practiced poise before turning on his heel.
"One more thing," the evaluator called after him. "If your ticket is drawn, you must verify your acceptance within forty-eight hours and board the vessel by the fourth dawn, before the Academy departs the Viera capital."
"Understood," Arthur replied, his voice fading into the hall.
These are all things I've practiced and researched. Now I might just be letting optimism cloud my thoughts, but if my calculations are right, I passed!
I actually held the elemental ring past the first breath.
The agonizing hours of training to formulate the complete spell just before I reached my limit
I cleared sixty-five.
I can breathe again. I need to reach home. I need to see Mother and Father.
And then I am going to pack every bag in the house.