Chapter 55: Initiate Exams Pt. 1 (Bonus Chapter)
The eligible students as prescribed in the note were all gathered within the exam halls for the last phase of requirements to reach the Initiate rank.
The Grand Magus stood before them and began explaining how the test was going to proceed.
The students would all file out, then come into the hall one by one. Then they would stand before the eight guild masters and the Grand Magus and perform their created technique.
She added, "To make it more interesting, we’ve decided that this exam would be a merit star earning one. So we’ll award merit stars to you mages, and the amount of stars awarded will depend entirely on how much you can impress us with your techniques."
With this inclusion, everyone knew they had to do their absolute best to impress.
In earnest, the exams began.
Instructor Morgan stood near the entrance as he would be the one to inform the next mage to go in after the last one was done.
One by one, the mages started going into the hall.
Then it got to Laela’s turn, and she entered. Standing in front of the Guild Captains and the Grand Magus, she felt nervous at first.
Thamoryn said, "Go on, dear, show us."
She looked around to survey the area and saw that she stood too close to the captains.
To avoid the range of her intended spell reaching them, she took several steps backward.
Thankfully, the exam halls were very wide, and the distance between the ground and the ceiling was about forty feet.
The captains and Grand Magus watched her in anticipation of this very spell, especially as she had to pace back that way.
She took one deep breath, let it out, then stretched her hands out and whispered slightly, "World of Trees."
At first it started like a little emergence; the ground beneath and around her split open to begin the formation of a dense growth of trees.
The large tree branch that erupted beneath Laela’s foot served to elevate her above the dense little forest she was creating.
Soon after it was done. Within the very halls was a small forest, quite literally.
Laela was currently at the very top of the tree branch as she stared at the captains who were looking at the magnificent growth of forest in the halls.
Regardless of the space she had taken, some of the tree sprouts were practically very close to the tables where the captains and Grand Magus sat.
The instructor who was at the entrance of the halls watching the emergence of trees was at a loss for words. He stared in absolute bewilderment.
The mages outside of the halls could not see the growth of trees, but they certainly could feel the intensity of mana that swelled around the creation of that technique.
Aiden smiled from where he stood in a corner, knowing that Laela had gone and done something incredible.
Since the start of the whole exam, it was the first time Thamoryn had spoken to compliment a spell. "That’s beautiful," she said.
You could see the excitement on the elf’s face from that height.
"Okay, dear, you can undo it now," Thamoryn said.
"Oh, yes, sorry," Laela said, immediately undoing the spell. The branch she stood on extended itself further downward until she was on the floor, after which the dense growth of trees somehow started regressing back into the ground.
"You have so much potential. I can’t wait to see the heights you reach. You pass!" Thamoryn commended again.
Laela looked up toward their position with glee on her face. Even Daylor looked happy and was impressed by her spell.
Katherine, however, looked especially excited, given that the elf was in her guild.
Laela then bowed and left the halls.
Captain Charlotte stretched her right hand out, about to cast a spell to repair the damage to the ground, but Thamoryn raised her left hand toward her and said, "Let it be for now. I get the feeling it’ll still take more damage."
The display between the mages continued, and then it reached Kayden’s turn.
He walked into the halls and soon after was asked to go on with showing what he had in store for them.
Kayden brought both his palms close to each other, and between those palms an orb of blue lightning started forming. It reached a point where Kayden let the orb float toward the ceiling.
The orb maintained height midair, and then Kayden pointed his finger to the right side. A bolt of lightning shot straight out of the orb to the point where he had pointed.
He pointed to the left side, and the orb responded, shooting out a bolt of lightning to strike at the place he pointed.
Then he stretched both hands to the side almost theatrically, and several bolts of lightning struck at different points of the hall.
This was Kayden’s spell: Thunder Gaiden.
His spell received commendation from the Grand Magus as well. "This spell makes you very lethal to a horde of dungeon beasts. That’s impressive, Young Lord. You pass."
Kayden said nothing except fold his hands and watch as she spoke. To him, this was only normal and he expected nothing less.
He left after his turn was over, and then eventually it got to Arianna’s turn for a showcase of her created technique.
She was asked to go on with what she had to show, and then she nodded and took a few steps back as well.
She then altered her size until she was barely the size of a finger and then almost simultaneously enlarged herself into a giant until she spanned the full length to the ceiling.
Accordingly, her clothes enlarged and reduced with her body size. Prior to being at the halls today, she was only used to enlarging and reducing the sizes of inanimate objects.
Now she could apply the same effect on herself, a living being.
She had been working on achieving this particular breakthrough with her magic ever since knowing that they had to create a technique to pass into Initiate rank.
"That was impressive. You pass," Thamoryn said, and Arianna nodded before leaving the room.
Ambrose stepped right in, and Cassian had a smile on his face. Thamoryn also looked with particular interest at what the thief was going to display.