"Lady Kalia, Lady Astra? Breakfast is waiting for you."
"Nngh." Astra stretched her arms. "Morning, Lia."
"Morning."
"Wanna go down?"
"Yeah, Lucy's exam is today, remember?"
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Astra jumped out of bed.
"We'll be down in a minute, Lora. Could you make sure Lucy is ready to go? We need to head to Tallis soon."
"Certainly, Lady Kalia. I'll have your breakfast set out as well."
Lucy had her nose buried in a book; Eron peered over her shoulder. "Are you even going to eat?"
"When I'm done. Gotta make sure I'm ready for my exam."
"You've been studying for almost a week. What more could you possibly need to know?"
"No idea. I don't even know what my exam will be."
Lora turned the corner into the kitchen. "Lucy, you must eat."
"I will." She didn't take her eyes off the book.
"Morning, girls."
"Morning, Master Lia."
Kalia glanced at the books spread around Lucy. "I swear that pile gets bigger every time I see you."
"Mhmm." Lucy flipped the page.
"Lucy! Today's the day!" Astra came bounding down the stairs into the kitchen.
"Mhmm." She flipped another page.
"Nervous?"
"Kinda."
"Why? There is no way you won't be accepted." Astra peeked over the top of the book to see Lucy's untouched food.
"Not gonna eat?"
"Can't, gotta finish reading this."
Kalia strode over to Lucy and took the book from her hands.
"I was still reading that," she protested.
"Nope. Don't think I haven't noticed you skipping meals. You are going to eat breakfast before the exam. You need the energy."
"But..."
"No buts." Kalia folded her arms. "What if there is a physical section to the exam? With an empty stomach, you could pass out."
"I didn't think about that..." Lucy grabbed her fork and stabbed a sausage.
"That's better. As soon as you're done, we can head to town."
"Astra, do you really think I'm ready?"
Astra nodded with a smile. "Mhmm. There's nothing they can throw at you that we haven't already covered."
Kalia turned to the rest of the table. "Does anyone else want to go into town with us today?"
Eron shook her head. "Nah, Eli said she was going to teach me about making potions today."
"Me neither," Milena said. "Fio wanted to train with her summons and asked if I could spar with her."
"I'm helping Lora clean the stables!" Sarah waved her hand. "Then we're going to the creek to catch fishies!"
Lucy shoveled the last of her breakfast down and hopped up from her chair.
"Done!"
Kalia stared at the empty plate and laughed. "You didn't need to inhale it."
"I'm gonna go get dressed." Lucy bolted up the stairs.
Kalia smiled at Astra. "Every day she is one step closer to being you."
"I know!" Astra puffed out her chest. "I can't wait to see her grow up!"
"Yeah, two Astras running around..." Kalia bowed her head. "Rest in peace, buildings."
"Hey! It was one time!" Astra pouted.
Kalia could only laugh in response.
"I'm ready!" Lucy stood at the bottom of the stairs wearing her best outfit.
Kalia smiled. "Don't you look adorable!"
"I wanted to look nice. What if that's part of the exam?"
"You might be overthinking it."
"Ready to head out? Astra is waiting outside for us."
"Mhmm."
————————————————————————————————————
Astra guided the carriage between the gates of Tallis Academy and stopped in front of the registration office. Lucy, unusually chatty the entire ride, fell completely silent.
Kalia patted her shoulder. "Ready?"
"Y-yup..." She swallowed hard as she stared up at the doors. They felt a thousand feet tall now.
"Just take a breath." Kalia smiled. "You got this."
Lucy took several deep breaths and then reached for the handle.
"Welcome back!" Aisha greeted her warmly.
"H-hello, Aisha!" Lucy stammered. "I'm ready for my exam."
"We're just about ready for you. It'll only be a few minutes."
"O-okay." Lucy nervously paced the floor, reciting notes to herself. "Mana output is equal to..."
Kalia turned to Aisha. "Are we allowed to watch her exam or...?"
Aisha glanced toward Lucy before leaning closer. "We have a viewing area for the practical portion, but she will need to do the written exam alone."
"Oh, we get to watch?" Astra's eyes lit up.
"Astra, no helping..."
"I wasn't..."
Kalia stared at her.
"Probably..."
A man in brown robes came around the corner. "We're ready."
"Alright." Aisha approached Lucy. "Time to take your written exam, Lucy."
"Okay." Lucy glanced at Astra as she was led through a side door.
"Good luck!" Astra smiled.
————————————————————————————————————
Lucy watched the door close behind her, the soft clink of the latch making her flinch.
The man in brown motioned toward an empty desk in the center of the room. "Go ahead and take a seat."
"O-okay." She made her way over. A small stack of papers sat in the center of the desk.
"I will now explain the rules for this portion of the exam."
"One. You may not leave the room until you've completed the exam."
"Two. The use of magical artifacts or any other means of cheating will result in immediate disqualification."
"Three. Upon completion, bring your exam to the desk and return to your seat. You will remain there while it is checked."
"Four. You will have two hours to complete the exam. Any questions left unanswered when the allotted time expires will be marked incorrect."
"Any questions?"
Lucy shook her head. "No."
The man flipped an hourglass. "Then you may begin."
The moment the hourglass touched the desk, Lucy thumbed through the exam.
Easy ones first. Then I'll go back for the hard ones.
Question 17: What, if any, are the limitations to the range of a projectile-type spell?
Easy. Range depends on how much mana the caster uses and the complexity of the incantation.
She flipped through the exam and filled in as many answers as she could.
Question 63: How does one determine the amount of material needed for an earthen wall spell?
Lucy scratched her head. Amount? Astra just told me to visualize the size of the wall I wanted...
She hesitated before finally writing down the only answer she knew—the one Astra had taught her.
She glanced up at the hourglass, now more than three-quarters of the way down. She had a few questions left.
Question 23: What is the proper rune formation for a binding ritual?
She tapped her quill on the edge of the desk. That doesn't make sense... binding rituals don't have a standard rune formation.
Her quill stopped tapping.
Oh.
A small smile tugged at her lips.
It's a trick question.
Lucy dipped her quill and began writing. Binding rituals were unique to the intended target and type of binding.
Question 92: When was the Treaty of Belshan signed?
I don't know this one... Astra never covered politics...
She looked up at the hourglass again. Time was running out.
I'll just have to leave this blank. Lucy reluctantly moved on, leaving the space painfully blank.
Lucy's quill scratched out the last word just as the final grains of sand slipped through the hourglass.
"Time's up. Please bring your exam to the front."
She handed the man her answers and returned to her seat. He scanned through the answers, occasionally looking up at Lucy or raising an eyebrow.
Lucy fidgeted in her seat. Somehow, waiting for him to finish was worse than taking the exam.
What's taking so long...?
"Hmm." The man rose from his desk and strode toward her.
"Well done. You passed." He smiled.
Lucy shot upright. "I did?"
"Indeed." He nodded. "If you'll follow me, we will begin your practical exam."
"Okay!" Lucy jumped to her feet and followed him toward the courtyard, practically skipping with every step.
————————————————————————————————————
"Lady Kalia, Lady Astra. We are about to start Lucy's practical exam." Aisha motioned for them to follow her.
"Yay!" Astra beamed. "Just wait till you see what I've been teaching her, Lia!"
"You have no idea how much that scares me..."
"Hey!" Astra puffed out her cheeks.
Kalia followed behind Aisha. "Will she be able to see us?"
"No. The viewing window only works from this side. You'll be able to see her, but she won't be able to see you."
"Good. She's already nervous enough."
"Right in here." Aisha opened the door to a small viewing lounge. A couple of rows of cushioned chairs faced a massive viewing window that stretched nearly from wall to wall, overlooking a large open courtyard. Several people were already seated inside.
"Lady Kalia, these are the instructors who will be grading Lucy's exam today." Aisha gestured toward them, each nodding as she gave their names.
"Professor Taevin, Head of the School of Earth."
"Professor Maei, Head of the School of Fire."
"Professor Gwaine, Head of the School of Wind."
"And this..." Aisha stopped in front of an elegant Assam woman lounging on a sofa in a dress Kalia could only describe as dangerously revealing. "...is our Headmistress. Lady Rhys Allwyn."
Cue the trope of the ridiculously gorgeous head of the magic school... Next she'll probably be ridiculously powerful and have some weird personality quirk.
Kalia approached the woman and extended her hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Lady Allwyn."
The woman slowly rose from the sofa. "Likewise." Her voice was sweet and alluring. She took Kalia's hand. "Just Rhys is fine. I've never cared much for formalities."
"Mmm... don't see too many full demons around here." She studied Kalia for a second. "Especially not one so..."
Before Rhys could finish, Astra quickly stepped between them. "Ahh, Rhys, nice to see you again."
"Astra." Rhys's lips curled into an amused smile.
"This is my master, Kalia Waywrenn."
"I see... Well, she is quite lovely." Rhys winked.
"Mhmm." Astra's eyes narrowed slightly. "She is."
Kalia smiled inwardly. Oh, she's having none of this.
Kalia turned her attention toward the viewing window. "Do you always sit in for exams?"
"Usually? No." Rhys returned to her sofa. "But when I saw her aptitude scores, I decided to watch her practical myself."
"Ready to be surprised?" Astra puffed out her chest. "Lucy is amazing!"
Rhys nodded. "Indeed. Affinity for every element is rare enough, but that mana capacity is something else."
Aisha moved to the front of the room. "All right, Lucy's exam is about to begin. Lady Kalia, Lady Astra, if you'll take your seats."
Astra glanced at Rhys one last time before taking the seat between Rhys and Kalia.
————————————————————————————————————
Lucy followed the man through a set of doors into the courtyard.
"Stand there, please." He gestured toward a low platform at the center of the courtyard, then turned and left.
Lucy stepped onto it.
"Are you ready to begin?" A voice echoed through the courtyard.
Lucy looked around, trying to identify where the voice had come from.
"I'm ready."
"Excellent," the voice continued. "For your first test, we'll be measuring your control. I want you to create a ball of light."
Lucy held out her hand. "Tet."
A small ball of light formed in her hand.
"Good. Now increase its size while maintaining its shape. I'll let you know when to stop."
As she poured mana into the glowing sphere, it began to expand. Before long, the sphere had grown several feet in diameter.
"All right, stop. Now reduce it back to its original size. Again, maintaining its shape."
She eased back the flow of mana, allowing the sphere to gradually shed the excess.
Slowly, slowly. Keep the edge smooth.
The sphere shrank until it fit neatly in her palm.
"Excellent. You can release the spell."
Lucy cut the flow of mana completely, letting the sphere wink out in her palm.
"This next test will measure your accuracy."
"Ten targets are floating around the courtyard. Five are marked in green, and the rest are marked in red. Use any spell you like to eliminate only the green targets."
Lucy scanned the courtyard. Some of the targets followed predictable patterns overhead, while others drifted haphazardly through the air.
Okay...five green.
Her eyes traced the path of a green target as it dipped behind a red one.
Easy ones first.
"Te Ato Coja Recta." Lucy extended her hand, sending twin beams of lightning into the two green targets floating above her. Both targets flashed and disappeared.
Now...
She followed another target as it zig-zagged across the courtyard, stopping every few feet to change directions.
Three, two, one... Three, two, one.
Lucy's eyes narrowed.
Three seconds. Every time.
She raised her hand.
Three, two...
"Te Ato Coja Recta."
The target jerked to a stop—
—just as the lightning reached it.
The final two green targets moved in wide circles, each partially obscured by a red target traveling in front of it.
She studied their movement for a moment, searching for an opening.
A direct attack isn't going to work... I haven't practiced that one much, but...
"Gormoc." A pillar of light erupted from the ground beneath her and shot into the air. As it raced upward, she focused on the beam, curving it in a wide arc downward toward the target.
This is way harder than I thought... How does she manage multiple?
The pillar blasted through the first target.
Last one.
A bead of sweat ran down Lucy's cheek as she focused on the spell. The final target was on the other side of the courtyard.
Turn, turn, turn!
Lucy pulled the beam around, plowing through the final target.
Her shoulders sagged as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"Well done. Five clean hits."
————————————————————————————————————
Rhys leaned toward Professor Gwaine. "Change of plans for her last test."
"Hmm? But this is the most important one—critical thinking under pressure."
Rhys raised an eyebrow. "She just bent Gormoc around two protected targets. I think her critical thinking is doing just fine."
"Fair point," Gwaine conceded. "So what did you have in mind?"
"Nothing fancy." Rhys shot a glance at Astra. "I want to see what she is really capable of."
"You sure about that, Rhys?"
"Mhmm."
"Can she use her weapon?"
"I'll allow it."
"Lia, can you go get Lucy's weapon?"
"Sure. Be right back." Kalia left the room and returned a few minutes later with Corinne's Type-78g.
Rhys eyed the strange object with amusement. "That's an odd-looking staff."
Astra grinned. "You'll see."
"Very well."
"Aisha, will you take this down to our applicant?"
"Right away, Headmistress."
As she turned to leave, Astra tapped her on the shoulder.
"Tell her to aim into the air...you'll thank me later."
"O-okay..."
————————————————————————————————————
What's taking them so long? Do I have another test or not?
Aisha strode into the courtyard.
That's my weapon? Why?
"There's been a slight change to your exam." Aisha handed her the Type-78g. "Astra said to aim up into the air."
"Right..."
This time, a woman's voice echoed through the courtyard. "For your final test, we'll be judging your total mana output. Do not hold back. Put everything you can into a single attack."
Lucy stepped down from the platform and braced the butt of the Type-78g against the stone.
Everything I've got...? Well, okay then.
She began channeling mana into the weapon.
The air around her rippled as dust began swirling around her feet.
She checked the small meter on the side of the weapon.
Seven hundred... Just a bit more.
She continued feeding mana into the Type-78g.
The needle climbed.
Lucy smiled. Nine fifty, a new record.
She took a deep breath as she wrapped her finger around the trigger.
Lucy exhaled and squeezed the trigger.
Click.
A low hum rose from the Type-78g as it charged the shot.
An impossibly wide beam of raw mana erupted from the Type-78g, punching through the barriers around the examination courtyard. The clouds in its path vaporized, leaving a clear path through the sky.
Lucy leaned back against the platform, panting but smiling.
How was that?
————————————————————————————————————
The professors sat in silence.
Rhys stared blankly out the window.
Astra glanced at Rhys and smirked. "Well?"
"I don't..." Rhys stared at the hole in the clouds. "How much does that thing amplify her mana?"
Astra blinked. "It doesn't."
"It just focuses it into a more manageable form."
"You're lying."
"You saw the numbers on her aptitude sheet. You know I'm not lying."
Rhys hung her head. "I know..."
Astra puffed out her chest.
Rhys turned to the stunned professors. "I think we've seen enough..."
"Uh-huh..." Gwaine nodded slowly.
Kalia glanced between them. "So... Did she get into Tallis?"
"Yes, without question." Rhys smiled.
"Aisha, bring Lucy up."
"R-right." Aisha tore her gaze away from the sky.
————————————————————————————————————
Aisha returned to the courtyard. "If you'll come with me."
Lucy stiffened. Why does she sound like that...?
"Did I do something wrong...? I didn't mean to break those barriers."
"No, no. You didn't do anything wrong. We are ready to give you your results."
"Oh." Lucy shouldered her weapon and followed after Aisha.
"Right this way." Aisha pushed open the door to the viewing room.
Master Lia? Astra? What are they doing here?
Rhys approached her first. "My name is Rhys Allwyn, Headmistress of Tallis Academy."
"Hello. Nice to meet you," Lucy replied with a polite bow.
"Allow me to be the first to congratulate you on being accepted into Tallis Academy."
"I got in?!"
"You did exceptionally well." Rhys smiled. "Welcome to Tallis!"
Lucy sprinted over to Astra and threw her arms around her. "I did it!"
"Told you!" Astra beamed. "Congratulations, Lucy!"
"Great job, Lucy." Kalia knelt and hugged her.
"I must take my leave now. Aisha will take care of the rest from here."
Rhys turned toward the door, then paused.
Her gaze drifted back to Kalia.
"Do visit again sometime, Kalia. I'd love the chance to get to know you better."
Astra's eye twitched.
Rhys's smile widened before she disappeared through the door.
Aisha approached Kalia with a stack of papers. "Here are her registration forms, supply list, and available classes."
"Oh, so she gets to choose which classes she takes?"
"There are a few required classes, but yes, she can choose which classes to enroll in."
"What about the dorm?"
"Move-in for new students is in two days. She'll be assigned a room and roommate once we verify the registration paperwork and receive tuition."
"Easy enough."
Kalia turned back to Lucy. "Ready to head home and tell everyone the good news?"
Lucy nodded eagerly. "Yeah!"
As soon as the carriage came to a stop, Lucy bolted through the front door.
"I got in!" she shouted.
Lora was the first to congratulate her. "Well done, Lucy!"
The rest of the family quickly gathered around her, congratulations and excited chatter filling the room.
Once the congratulations settled down, Kalia turned to her. "Would you like me to make anything special for dinner, Lucy?"
"Mmm... Pancakes!"
She smiled. "Pancakes it is."
————————————————————————————————————
Kalia ran her fingers through Astra's hair. "So, Lucy moves out in two days."
Astra leaned her head against Kalia's chest. "I know... exciting, isn't it?"
"I guess..." Kalia sighed. "Maybe I'm not as ready for them to grow up as I thought."
Astra giggled. "She'll be home on the weekends. It's not like she's moving to Tomo."
"I know..." Kalia wrapped an arm around her. "Still going to miss having everyone here."
"You taught her well."
Astra lifted her head. "Did I?"
"She wouldn't be where she is now without you."
"Maybe you're right." Astra smiled.
"I am."
A mischievous grin crept across Kalia's face. "So... Rhys seems nice."
Astra went completely still against her.
"What?"
"Nothing..."
"You just went stiff."
"No, I didn't."
"Mhmm." Kalia smiled as she pulled Astra closer. "Sure."
Astra immediately relaxed, gently trailing a finger up Kalia's arm.