The early morning air carried a hint of chill in Fenlai City in late autumn.
An stood in the square before the Radiant Church's cathedral, gazing up at the magnificent building. This was his second morning in Fenlai City. It had already been late when Hillman brought him and Linley to the royal capital the previous evening, leaving him no time to properly see the largest city in the Holy Union.
The cathedral's spires soared into the clouds, gleaming faintly golden in the morning light. Hundreds of people had already gathered in the square, with nobles in splendid clothes exchanging pleasantries in small groups. Carriages filled almost the entire square, their drivers sitting on the shafts and yawning.
Dressed in clean, dark clothes, An looked rather shabby among the crowd. A few nobles from the capital glanced at him and snickered under their breath. "Another country bumpkin."
An ignored them.
His gaze swept across the square until he found Linley.
Hillman stood between the two boys, looking from one to the other, his eyes full of anticipation and anxiety.
An turned his attention back to the cathedral doors.
Today was the first day of the magic admissions tests. According to the original story, Linley would reveal his astonishing exceptional affinity for both the earth and wind elements here and be accepted into Ernst Academy on the spot. But what about him?
"An, it's time to go in." Hillman's voice interrupted his thoughts.
The people in the square began entering the cathedral in orderly lines. An followed the queue through the towering archway and into the hall.
The vast hall had polished marble floors and enormous crystal chandeliers hanging overhead. Even with hundreds of people inside, it was not crowded at all. Admissions representatives from the various academies sat in a row of chairs at the front. An open area roughly ten meters across had been left in the center for the tests.
A black-robed cleric announced, "The tests will take place in the center. Those taking the test will come forward one at a time. No one else may enter the central area. Applicants, please line up. Parents and relatives, wait to the side."
An took ten gold coins and his identification papers from inside his clothes and headed toward the queue.
"An." Hillman stopped him and said quietly, "Don't be nervous. Just do your best. Whatever the result, you're a fine son of the Baruch Clan."
An nodded and joined the line.
He stood a few places behind Linley. In front of him was a girl of twelve or thirteen wearing a lavish silk dress, clearly the daughter of a noble from the capital. She kept looking back at An with a trace of superiority in her eyes.
An paid her no mind and looked through the crowd toward the testing area.
A transparent crystal ball stood there beside an intricate hexagonal magic formation. Two testing staff sat nearby, one responsible for recording the results. The examiner was a balding old man with an indifferent expression and a piercing gaze.
"First applicant."
The tests began. One youngster after another stepped forward, placed a hand on the crystal ball, and then entered the magic formation for a spiritual energy test. The procedure played out round after round like scenes on a large screen. An watched most of the children leave dejectedly after their tests. Occasionally, one or two passed, bringing tears of excitement to their parents' eyes.
"Spiritual energy, twice the average for your age. No potential to become a mage."
"Spiritual energy, three times the average for your age. No potential to become a mage."
The balding old man's voice was cold and mechanical, like a dull blade cutting down the youngsters' dreams one after another.
The noble girl ahead of An stepped forward and placed her hand on the crystal ball. It glowed with a soft blue light.
"Water affinity, average."
The girl entered the magic formation and lasted longer than the previous few applicants. The balding old man gradually increased its power until, in the eighth minute, she finally dropped to one knee.
"Spiritual energy, seven times the average for your age. Below the minimum required to become a mage."
The girl's face instantly went white. Her father rushed over and cried, "Seven times? Didn't you say eight times was enough? She's only a little short!"
"Eight times is the minimum," the balding old man said coldly. "A little short is still short. Next."
The noble girl wept as her father led her away.
An took a deep breath and stepped forward.
"Next," the balding old man said without looking up.
An walked to the crystal ball and gently placed his right hand on it.
In an instant, dazzling light illuminated the entire hall.
Azure light burst from the crystal ball, interspersed with flickers of red.
Everyone froze.
The balding old man jerked his head up, his mouth slightly open, nearly dropping the papers in his hand. He glanced down at the information sheet-age eight, An Baruch.
"Age eight, elemental affinity-" His voice trembled slightly with excitement. "Wind Element, exceptional! Fire Element, average!"
Gasps rose throughout the hall.
"Exceptional Wind Element affinity?"
"Heavens, two elements! His Fire Element affinity may only be average, but exceptional Wind Element affinity alone is enough to get him into Ernst Academy!"
"Whose child is he? Why have I never heard of him?"
The nobles whispered among themselves. The disdain in their eyes as they looked at An gave way to shock, then keen interest.
The balding old man took a deep breath, struggling to contain his excitement. His voice grew much gentler. "An Baruch, please enter the magic formation now to test your spiritual energy. Remember, hold out for as long as you can."
An nodded and stepped into the hexagonal magic formation.
The formation lit up with a warm white glow.
A sense of pressure bore directly down on his soul-the light spell, Intimidation.
For the past six months, he had meditated every day without fail.
Time ticked by.
An's breathing grew labored, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
"It's already been over three minutes," someone murmured.
"An eight-year-old can last this long?"
"Exceptional Wind Element affinity—his spiritual energy must be good too."
Time continued to pass. Four minutes, five minutes, six minutes.
An's legs began to tremble. The pressure had become a mountain, crushing him until he could barely breathe. His awareness began to blur, his ears buzzed, and his vision doubled.
Hold on, he told himself. Just one more second.
Seven minutes.
At last, An could hold out no longer. One knee slammed into the floor, and he braced himself with both hands to keep from collapsing completely.
The formation's light faded.
The entire hall fell silent.
Holding the test results, the balding old man rose to his feet and announced in a ringing voice:
"Spiritual energy-twenty times the average for his age! Superior!"
An enormous uproar erupted throughout the hall.
An slowly stood and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
The moment he stepped out of the magic formation, a crowd of academy representatives surrounded him.
"An Baruch! I'm from Land Magic Academy. We sincerely invite you to join us! Full tuition exemption and a scholarship of two thousand gold coins a year!"
"An, Weilin Magic Academy is willing to provide you with the finest instructors!"
"We represent the O'Brien Empire Royal Magic Academy-"
The clamor left An slightly dizzy. Just as he was about to speak, a voice came from the back of the hall.
"Everyone, please remain calm."
A middle-aged man in white robes approached from the back row. He looked around forty, with a lean face and gentle eyes, yet carried an air of unquestionable authority. He stopped before An and bowed slightly.
"An Baruch, I am the admissions director for Ernst Academy. We sincerely invite you to join us. Your exceptional Wind Element talent and superior spiritual energy fully meet our admission requirements."
He took a red letter from inside his robes and offered it to An with both hands. "This is your admission letter. The academy has two semesters each year, and classes begin on February ninth next year. Simply arrive before February ninth with this letter and your identification papers. After another test to confirm your results, you can formally enroll."
An accepted the red letter, keenly aware of the envious gazes around him.
"I'm honored to become a member of Ernst Academy," An said respectfully.
A flicker of approval crossed the white-robed man's eyes. For an eight-year-old to remain calm in the face of such an honor was rare indeed.
Hillman rushed over and pulled An into a fierce embrace, his whole body trembling with excitement. "An! You did it! Ernst Academy! You've been accepted into Ernst Academy!"
Hillman's embrace nearly squeezed the breath out of An, but he smiled all the same.
Just then, he heard a familiar voice.
"Age eight, elemental affinity-earth, exceptional! Wind Element, exceptional! Fire Element, average!"
An whipped his head around.
Linley stood before the crystal ball, where dazzling earthen-yellow and azure light shone together-exceptional affinity for two elements!
Gasps erupted throughout the hall once more.
"Another with exceptional affinity for two elements! What's going on today?"
"Baruch? Are these two children from the same family?"
"Heavens, both brothers have been accepted into Ernst Academy?"
Linley's results caused an even greater sensation than An's. Exceptional affinity for both earth and wind was an exceedingly rare combination in the history of magic. Earth excelled at defense and battlefield control, while the Wind Element excelled at offense and speed. The two complemented each other, allowing their wielder to handle almost any combat situation.
In the spiritual energy test that followed, Linley lasted almost exactly as long as An. His final assessment was "eighteen times the average for his age, superior."
The white-robed man walked over with a smile and offered another red letter. "Linley Baruch, Ernst Academy sincerely invites you to join us."
Linley accepted the letter and looked toward An, unable to hide the excitement on his face.
The brothers met each other's eyes across the crowd and smiled at the same time.
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