CHAPTER 81— First semester exam(2)
The cavernous hall was packed tight with first year students. The atmosphere crackled with a volatile mix of electric excitement and high anxiety—a completely normal reaction, considering their grueling first semester exam was about to officially commence.
"So this is your new wand," Ritvik remarked, eyeing the weapon resting in Rowan's hand.
The handle was carved from a dense,
Dark mana wood, while the blade—sleek and terrifyingly sharp—swirled with prismatic, shifting shades of colours, forged entirely from the mysterious rune.
Ritvik reached out and cautiously ran a fingertip near the edge. "Hmm... looks... amazing. Like some kind of mythic weapon."
Rowan abruptly yanked the axe backward.
Ritvik flinched, pulling his hand back defensively.
"Relax! I wasn't going to steal it, you paranoid freak. I've got my own staff so thank you very much."
To prove his point, Ritvik proudly unslung his own weapon. He tapped the shaft, showing it off as if to declare he had no need for Rowan's esoteric hardware.
Rowan glanced over at Ritvik's staff. It was crafted from pale, silver-tinted mana wood, featuring a high-grade rune embedded just below the tip that pulsed with synchronized bands of silver and gold.
"Wow, yours looks amazing too."
Ritvik waved a hand dismissively, trying to look modest.
"Well, the rune is good, but I didn't get to pick a higher-grade mana wood because of—"
He froze mid-sentence. His entire body snapped rigid, turning instantly into a petrified statue.
A few paces away, Seraphine was walking past with her usual group of followers, maintaining her trademark stern arrogant posture. As she drifted by, Ritvik slowly turned his head, tilting it at an agonizing angle to track her position until she was safely out of earshot.
Phew...
Finally he let out a deep breath of relief.
"Wow... This time you didn't run after seeing her."
Sarina commented, a faint, amused smirk playing on her lips.
Ritvik placed a trembling hand over his heart.
"Well... As I told you, she promised to not burn me after Instructor Valeria gave us detention but still... It's scary when she walks by. You don't know when she might burst in anger at the smallest accident."
"I don't think sitting on your face was a small accident?"
"It wasn't my fault though."
Watching the bickering between Ritvik and Sarina, Rowan let out a genuine, quiet chuckle.
For the first time in days, the suffocating fog of guilt and depression that had weighed on his chest finally felt like it was lifting.
Rowan blinked, his attention snapping toward the murmurs rippling through the crowd.
A short distance away, Ashwin stood surrounded by his own circle of peers, who were eagerly admiring the dark blue and silver shaded, menacing wand resting in his grip.
'That wand... it definitely has the core of that guy embedded in it,' Rowan thought, his chest tightening.
His fingers twitched slightly against the handle of his axe as the harsh reality of Aetheria rushed back. Here, even the harvested core of a fallen human could be repurposed into casual magical status symbols. Rowan stared at Ashwin for a long, silent moment.
As if sensing the heavy, fixed stare, Ashwin casually turned his head.
Rowan flinched as their eyes locked for a brief second. But Ashwin merely cast a cold, profoundly uninterested glance in his direction, looking away a moment later as if Rowan was nothing more than background scenery.
Rowan drew in a slow, deep breath, forcing his erratic pulse to steady.
"What's wrong with you? You're sweating."
Rowan jumped, startled by the voice, though it wasn't meant for him.
Ritvik was standing right in front of Sarina, his entire frame shaking like a leaf in a gale.
"Why are you shaking so much?" Rowan asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Cough. I mean it's the first exam of this year. And we don't know what the exam is gonna be. It's only natural i would be a little nervous."
"Oh, come on, dramatics," Sarina scoffed, crossing her arms. "It's just a school exam. what could they even possibly throw at you?"
"Alright, quiet down students.
A booming voice echoed across the hall.
"Gather around and prepare yourselves for your first semester evaluation."
At the command, the murmuring crowd instantly scrambled into formation, bracing themselves for whatever nightmare the instructors had cooked up.
---
High above the student assembly, standing on an elevated viewing platform overlooking the hall, Instructor Valeria stood holding a thick stack of finalized exam briefs. murmuring to herself while flipping through the pages.
"So this is the content for the first-semester evaluation..."
"Who are you talking to?"
A dry, sarcastic voice chimed in from behind.
Valeria jumped, letting out a sharp squeak as she whipped around.
All the first-year instructors had gathered on the platform, each clutching identical copies of the terrifying document.
Elias was devouring the text with passionate, manic intensity, his eyes darting frantically across every line. Darian, by contrast, looked like he was about to suffer a full cardiovascular collapse, clutching his chest with a pale, ashen face.
Meanwhile, Aiden was sprawled out fast asleep on a velvet sofa, using his copy of the exam brief as a makeshift eye mask resting squarely on his face.
Valeria's eye twitched violently at the sight.
"Ugh... look at this absolute degenerate. Hey! Did you even read a single word of this, or are you just hibernating through your career?!"
Valeria barked, marching over and kicking the sofa leg.
Aiden didn't even bother opening an eye. Without a word, he lazily lifted one hand in a dismissive wave.
Valeria and Lucien—who had just walked up—stared down at him blankly, completely failing to decode whatever profound message that lazy hand gesture was supposed to convey.
"Have you all finished checking the exam contents?"
A sharp, melodic female voice suddenly rang out from across the platform.
Valeria's ears perked up instantly. Her expression transformed in a split second, a bright, emotional smile breaking across her face.
"Vanika!"
Valeria shrieked, spinning around and tracking the source of the voice.
Standing a few yards away with an effortlessly graceful smile was the instructor of Class A Second-year — Instructor Vanika Ariha.
"Valeria."
"Vanika!"
Without a moment of hesitation, both women threw their arms wide open and sprinted toward each other like long lost sisters reuniting after a war.
They grabbed each other's hands, instantly breaking into a synchronized, joyful hop while beaming from ear to ear.
"Oh My, how long has it been since we last saw each other?!" Valeria gasped, her eyes glistening.
"I know, it feels like it's been ages! My dearest Ria!"
Lucien stood frozen a few feet away, staring at the surreal display with a deadpan expression.
"What are you two talking about? Didn't you two had lunch together yesterday?" Lucien deadpanned.
"Oh, my word, you've grown so much since the last time I saw you!" Vanika cooed, ignoring Lucien entirely.
"No, you've grown more radiant, gorgeous!" Valeria shot back, squeezing her hands tighter.
"Please... I'm begging you, take me away from these incompetent, deadbeat slackers,"
Valeria whispered dramatically, loud enough for the male instructors to hear.
"I won't let you suffer alone, I promise," Vanika nodded solemnly.
"We teach at the exact same institution, you lunatics!" Lucien finally bellowed, throwing his hands in the air.
Naturally, both women completely ignored his outburst, continuing to act like long-lost sisters separated by a tragic voyage across the continents.
Lucien massaged his temples, taking in the chaotic tableau surrounding him.
To his left, two senior faculty members were jumping up and down like schoolgirls. To his right, Darian looked moments away from writing his final will and testament while Elias muttered dark incantations over his paperwork.
And dead center, Aiden was snoring rhythmically into a sofa cushion.
Lucien let out a long, soul-weary sigh, looking entirely like a man questioning every single life choice that had led him to this exact job.
'I knew it.'
Lucien thought bitterly, staring up at the ceiling.
'I am the only sane, normal human being in this entire wretched academy.'
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CHAPTER ENDS