--------

’Well, at least the standard of the applicants that made it to the third round is significantly better.’ Karna thought to herself as she looked around at the people gathered for the third grouping of exams. Only five thousand applicants were left, and the quality of the people she could sense around her was markedly different from yesterday. These people actually had some talent.

They had been gathered in a large arena near the large borehole at the center of the Academy and the large crystalline structure floating above it. The stands were half-filled with older students that had been drawn in by the prospect of seeing their future competition. A large part of the faculty was also in attendance, as well as some of the parents of the youngsters now standing in the arena. The Academy wasn’t open to people, but certain people were ‘more equal than others’ so to speak, and were allowed entry as a special case due to being previous students of the Academy. Still, those people were in a minority.

Despite the setting being an arena, Karna very much doubted that this would turn into a fight. The people taking the exams were still too wildly different when it came to skill, and there was no way the Magocracy would risk some of the most promising youngsters in a battle like that where casualties would be almost a certainty. Likely they had been gathered here because it was a convenient venue. Something that was soon confirmed as the teacher in charge of the whole thing started addressing them from a podium placed at one end of the arena, just below where the teachers had gathered.

Karna tuned out most of the speech as it was filled with platitudes and hopeful messages that were so common in such situations. It all boiled down to 'You were the best applicants, now strive hard and try to pass the final obstacle.' anyway. Instead, she observed the gathered people. She of course spotted Arjuna and Duskclaw in the audience, as they were sitting in the faculty section. The gathered students all wore the white and silver uniforms of the Academy, although their uniforms were less fancy than what the teachers wore. Apparently, the teachers that had overseen the first two exams had dressed down as it seemed large billowing capes and accessories of all kinds had suddenly been unleashed among the teachers gathered in the stands.

She looked at the large magical screen floating above all the applicants. It wouldn’t be in use during the test for privacy reasons, but just its presence was quite telling. She had seen such screens meant to give a much better viewer experience in higher-tech universes, and it was a rather blatant sign of the reincarnators bringing some technologies over to this universe, albeit powered by magic. You'd think that with this universe being so old, the technological development would be much higher than it was, but most such developments were based on need. With magic providing most things, there was little need for the higher strata of society to invest heavily into technology. That said, convenience and comfort items were the type of things that reincarnators often ‘invented’ in this universe as well, so things like entertainment and clothing were rather modern in many worlds. The most important detail about the whole thing was that there were signs of a burgeoning industrial revolution everywhere, but the people of this universe simply preferred artisanal goods over cheaper mass-produced ones, which stunted progress further. She could understand the feeling, as she personally liked custom made things as well. There were always tradeoffs to everything.

Karna shook her head and dismissed the idle thought, choosing to pay attention to her competitors instead. The people taking the exam were quite a bit more varied than before. The Magocracy was predominantly a human nation, which logically would dictate that most students here would be humans as well. The numbers were skewed by the fact that other nations and apparently even other worlds of the Higher Planes sent some of their youngsters to study in the Academy, and they wouldn’t bother sending anyone without decent odds of getting accepted. Thus, only a third of the examinees were human, while the number of different races had risen significantly.

From what Arjuna had told her, about half of those gathered here would be accepted. There was some leeway in that number depending on the level of applicants, as the Academy could accommodate a larger number of entries if the quality of applicants was especially high. The vast majority of those accepted would come from the Magocracy, as national interests dictated, but there would likely be about five hundred foreign students accepted as well. As far as strength of the applicants went, Karna was actually on the lower end of the applicants with her abilities as a second circle mage and a second level Aura user, but that didn’t mean she was weaker than the others. She had long since learned that paying too much attention to such numbers was almost meaningless.

‘Ah, the teacher is finally getting to the point.’ She suddenly noted. The teacher in charge was a fairly non-descript human man of advanced age that Karna could barely even see from this distance.

“…and today you’ll face two tests that will determine your future. We have already determined that you all have enough skill and promise to study at the Academy. So today we will be testing the two most important things on a person’s path to becoming someone great. Character and potential. On my signal, you will all leave the arena through one of the exits on the sides. It does not matter which one. You will follow the signs that guide you to a path that goes towards the Crystal Palace that is the heart of our institute. On the way there, you will enter several illusionary arrays that will test your character. There is no direct failure in these tests, unless you manage to fail all of the tests based purely around resisting temptation, as there isn’t a single 'right' type of character. However, you will be judged according to the results, and prospective future masters might either get interested or lose interest accordingly.

“Once you make it through the arrays, you will come to a large set of magical stairs that go up towards the Crystal Palace. These steps are something we’ve built around an artifact we’ve gained from the Divine Planes and they will help determine your future potential. The test itself is simple. The higher you can ascend the stairs, the higher your future potential. This is where the eliminations happen. It might be cruel, but your potential and hard work are the two things that will eventually make you great. We can’t measure how hard you’re willing to work, though you’ll have ample opportunities to prove that during your studies. However, we can measure your potential and so we will. Potential is the final measure of whether you will be accepted as a student or not. Now go! Prove yourself worthy, both to your families and to the Academy!” The man spread his hands in a wide and slightly pompous gesture to signal the start of the tests.

‘Well, it seems it was a good idea to hang near the edges.’ Karna laughed as she disappeared like the wind down one of the tunnels leading out of the arena. As she was so small, there was a real risk of being trampled underfoot as the hopeful students rushed to be first to get outside. Many of them would also not be above hurting a fellow examinee if it could be masked as an accident, as that would mean one less competitor.

-----

"Conniving bastard," Wolfgang said as a light greeting as he plonked down to sit next to Arjuna among the stands. He had wisely chosen to sit on the other side where Duskclaw couldn’t reach him. He had learned already that the beastwoman disciple was rather protective of her master’s image. Perhaps even more so than Arjuna himself.

“Articulate as always Wolfgang.” Arjuna shook his head while Duskclaw somehow managed to look at the warrior with judging eyes despite her expression still remaining the same. “What are you doing here? I thought Siegfried entered the Academy a few years ago?”

“He did. My wife and my other son, Reinhardt made it back home in time for the boy to take the test though. You wouldn’t know because you don’t pay attention, but Rein turned twelve this year, so it’s time for him to apply as well.” Wolfgang replied while making himself more comfortable in the stone seat. “How about a little bet? Your precocious little lass versus my boy. Which one is faster and has better potential? The loser has to pay for the celebratory feast and drinks at the party we’ll have when they both get accepted. No dodging out this time.”

"We accept." Duskclaw quickly interjected without giving Arjuna a chance to reply. She managed to somehow look smug despite once again keeping the same expression. “We already made similar bets, so fleecing you will simply make little difference.”

“We have?” Arjuna asked, obviously hearing about it for the first time.

"Karna found some bookies that are students of the Academy, so we made a couple of bets in your name," Duskclaw stated shamelessly.

"Of course you did," Arjuna grumbled.

“Gahah! I knew the girl had more balls than you!” Wolfgang laughed. He liked the girl more and more now. “The wager is on. Look, she’s coming up to the first tests. She’s quick despite her age!” He commented as Karna was the first to reach the illusionary arrays.

They were all observing the tests, as every examinee was being followed by a magical familiar that recorded the whole thing. The parents only had access to the familiar following their kid, allowing them to watch over the progress of their progeny, while the teachers could easily look at the view from any of the examinees. Wolfgang and Arjuna were both guest lecturers so they got the expanded view despite also being parents.

The tests of character took place in areas that were clearly shown to the teachers, but not to the youngsters taking the test. In all of them, they were pulled into an illusion and presented with a temptation or a situation that required them to make a choice that would help the teachers judge their character. To make things more difficult, the illusion would also blur the examinees' awareness of the fact that they were in an illusion, and during the tests based around temptation, they would also feel like they were heavily intoxicated, which made it easier to fall to temptations that were pulled from their own psyche and desires. The teachers would not see what exactly happened in the illusion, as that would be a gross violation of the deepest desires of those taking part in the exam, but they would know what choices the examinee made while gripped by the illusion.

"That was quick," Wolgang stated with surprise as Karna vanished for only a few seconds before reappearing back on the other side of the test. “I know it was just a temptation test based around wealth and she’s a bit too young to be truly tempted by such things, but…”

“They should’ve tried tempting her with books instead of wealth. That’s the limitation of this particular test. It only includes material wealth and items one might desire, but it doesn’t include more abstract concepts like knowledge.” Arjuna shrugged. The tests were designed by people so they would be imperfect despite pulling on the individual desires of the one taking the test. Some desires simply were easier to cater to than others.

------

Karna shook her head wryly as she sprinted towards the second test. The teacher in charge had mentioned something about a reward, so she might as well go for it. It was a little annoying to purposefully allow the illusions to take a hold of her mind as she could’ve shrugged them off easily. Using mental magic and illusions against reincarnators was quite difficult as their more powerful souls helped resist such intrusions. It didn’t make them immune, but it made resisting such magic much easier. Despite the strength of these illusions, she could’ve easily shrugged them off, but that would kind of defeat the purpose of the tests. The teachers would not get anything to judge if she just bulldozed through every illusion. It was still a little awkward as the illusion didn’t have quite the same effect on her. She didn’t get the feeling of intoxication that others would, nor did she ever forget the fact that she was inside an illusion, which made any attempts at temptation kind of pointless.

She spent a rather awkward and amusing two hours crossing the feeble distance of a little over two hundred meters as she was thrown from one illusion to the next. Some of the tests were actually quite interesting, like when she was forced to choose between saving innocent lives and the completion of a supposedly important mission, or when she had the opportunity to take an easier path to complete a difficult assignment and no one would find out about it. That one had been particularly ingenious, as it was an innocent-seeming situation with no apparent harm to anyone else, but it would supposedly save quite a bit of effort on her part. It was those sorts of situations that really showed a person’s true nature. It was easy to do the right thing when you knew others were watching, but it was hard to be a righteous person when you knew no one would know of your sacrifice and what you did wouldn’t hurt anyone. It was even questionable if such dogmatic adherence to rules was a good thing in the first place. Of course, the fact that she knew it was a test made things rather easy for her personally.

On the other hand, some tests, especially those focused around temptation could get a bit awkward. Especially the one that had focused on the desires of the flesh. In the illusion the examinee would be tempted by the perfect partner of their dreams, quite literally pulled from their dreams in fact, and given the opportunity to indulge themselves. What made it especially awkward for her was that her body was only ten and hadn’t really started flooding her system with the hormones that would awaken those sorts of desires. Additionally, as a result of her multiple lives, her tastes were also rather broad, so she had been presented with a cavalcade of different options of both genders and all sorts of species, ranging from humans and elves to even dragons and other magical beings. She appreciated the rather nice display of course but had quickly decided to leave that particular illusion.

She crushed the temptation tests while taking a balanced and measured approach to the character tests. She was a rather pragmatic person and not really an idealist, and she didn’t mind others knowing about that. She could be cruel and manipulative if she chose to take that path, but usually she found it too troublesome. She was no saint, but she wasn’t a devil either. She’d earned the True Name Karma for a reason. She also allowed her whimsical side to shine through in the tests. It would likely make some of the teachers scratch their head a bit as she showed a certain character trait in one test, and then the completely opposite one in the next test, just because that’s where fancy took her. Thanks to her speed at passing most of the tests, she knew she was quite a bit in front of her competition. That lasted until the last illusionary test.

Once she entered the last illusion, her face fell and she couldn't stop a single tear falling from her right eye. In front of her stood a crowd of people and all sorts of beings. Ones that she had known and loved during her previous lives. Husbands and wives. Children and adults that she had been a parent or a child to. Brothers and sisters, both those by blood and those that had she had gained through battle and faith. Relatives, friends, rivals, lovers, pets, and those that she had formed bonds with. The important people and beings from her previous lives.

If you lived long enough, you gathered a lot of ghosts. You inevitably had things you regretted. Things you wished you had done differently. People you just missed after they were gone. You also gathered a lot of enemies and those that would love nothing more than to watch you suffer. Such ghosts could be a good thing, but more often than not they were bad. This test brought out the good ones. She had lived a very long time indeed and wasn’t afraid of forming connections, so there were a lot of such ghosts.

This was likely not exactly how this test was supposed to work, but here she was anyway. Everyone she had lost to the countless years over the countless lives she had lived. Some of the faces were blurry, as she had forgotten the details despite her exceptional memory. Despite knowing that this was nothing but an illusion, she couldn’t help but drink in the appearance of the people that had mattered the most to her over the years. As these sorts of illusions were the only place where she got to see them anymore, she couldn’t simply step away before taking a good look at them and memorizing their faces once again.

------

Arjuna frowned in worry. “She seems to have become stuck.” He stated the obvious.

The blazing speed at which she had passed all the previous illusions and the dignified manner in which she had faced every test of character had drawn the attention of most of the teachers. She had become a topic of speculation among those gathered, and this recent development didn’t help matters. It wasn’t uncommon for even the most promising examinees to get stuck on one illusion or another. They showed the deepest desires of every participant after all. In fact, all the participants got halted for a time by at least one illusion, and most got halted by several. Unsurprisingly the temptation of flesh was the most popular one of course, but it was hardly the only one. The tests of pride and greed were also difficult to leave behind in short order. Pride, greed, and lust were sometimes the simplest of the sins to fall prey to.

"That's an odd choice of tests to get stuck on," Wolfgang commented, also interested. His son had also just managed to pass the illusion Karna was stuck on. A handful of examinees had already reached the stairs. “The Illusion of Remembrance and Regret. Usually, it's effective against old people, not the youngsters."

"That might be our fault," Duskclaw admitted with a genuinely sad expression. "We might not have given her the best childhood, and now that might have come back to haunt her.”

Wolfgang was surprised by that frank admission but tucked the piece of information away for later. Maybe he could ask some questions later on during the celebration. A celebratory mood and a bit of alcohol could lubricate tongues that usually weren't too willing to share. He was curious by nature, and these sorts of things could be important. He wouldn’t pry of course if Arjuna didn’t want to answer, but his wife had often described him as a curious cat. He’d poke around with his instinct for trouble and secrets until someone bopped him on the nose.

-----

“I see. I might have taken a bit too long to indulge myself.” Karna muttered as she finally exited the illusion and reached the chairs ascending towards the floating crystalline structure. A half a dozen other examinees were already ascending the stairs and they seemed to have gained a small lead on her.

She could see that the ones furthest along were a pair of Leonin males. If Duskclaw was from the most human end of the beastman spectrum, then the Leonin were on the opposite end as they looked closer to lions walking upright on two paws. From experience, she knew they were prideful but often very caring and justice-minded as a people. She also knew that these Leonin most likely hailed from the Aegean Empire, as that nation was originally formed by their kind. That didn't mean all Leonin lived in that empire, but most of those in this world at least did.

Of the remaining four, one was a dark-skinned elven girl, one was a gnomish male, and two were humans both a young girl and a boy. They were all dressed in a standard fashion of the Magocracy, though that was no guarantee of their origin. It wasn’t like it was hard to buy fashionable clothes in a major metropolitan city like Ascalon, and many people who came from abroad like to dress like locals to attract less attention. On the other hand, it wasn’t like Karna herself wore the typical fashion of the Magocracy, so that wasn’t the best way to judge either.

As soon as she stepped foot on the stairs, she realized what the test was all about. She had been curious about the method the Academy used to test for potential, as something like that wasn’t easy to test for. Suddenly she understood that the Academy probably didn’t even know how exactly the stairs worked and determined a person’s potential. They just knew it worked. She came to that conclusion for a very simple reason. The stairs didn’t actually test potential. They tested the soul of the one ascending the stairs. The top of the stairs likely held something that exerted pressure on the soul, and the strength of one’s soul would determine how high they were able to ascend.

That wasn’t a bad method for testing things. Soul wasn’t the sole determining factor when it came to potential, but it was a major factor. There were a lot of factors that went into determining the potential of a person, and some of those things couldn’t be measured in any way. Heritage, bloodlines, attitude, intelligence, talent, work ethics, your body and health, luck, and a hundred other things all contributed to your future achievements. You could have any mix or even all of those things going for you. However, even if you had all the other factors and a weak soul, your fate was to never reach the highest highs. That’s just how important having a strong soul was. So a test designed to measure a person’s soul was actually a pretty accurate way to determine potential. At least as accurate as one could get without someone like Karna doing the testing personally.

"This might actually be one of the most important reasons the Academy is so successful." Karna realized as she started racing up the steps. For her, there was no pressure. They were using some artifact that had fallen from the Divine Plane, just like the teacher had mentioned during the long-winded speech, but a single artifact, no matter how strong, couldn’t bother her soul. Even the River of Souls trembled when she was present, and they were the foremost experts when it came to souls.

“This test might be easier than I thought.” Karna laughed as she passed the first people that had started ascending before her. They weren’t slow either, but they were slowed down by the pressure. The human boy looked a little familiar and reminded her of the boisterous man she had met at the time she had gained Gem. ‘Wolfgang was his name I believe. I wonder if they’re related?’ She thought idly.

-----

“Hmm. It seems to me like you’re about to lose the bet.” Duskclaw stated using a tone as if she was shocked and surprised, though it was clear she was faking it.

Wolfgang shook his head wryly. “It’s not over yet, but I admit it doesn’t look great.” He was proud of how well his son was doing, but it was rather clear the little girl was on another level. While the others increasingly struggled with every step they took on the stairs, it seemed like Arjuna’s daughter was taking a normal stroll without any trouble.

“Grand Medjai. Wolfgang.” A female voice suddenly called out in greeting behind them. They all turned around as they recognized the voice and came face to face with a woman they all knew. She had a pair of slightly curved horns on her head and ears that reminded them of an elf, though the ears were almost completely hidden by her golden curled hair. The woman had a very ageless quality about her, though at the same time she looked younger than Duskclaw. They all knew that appearance was deceiving though, as the woman was older than the three of them combined.

“Headmistress. I did not expect to see you take part in the exams.” Arjuna nodded in greeting. The woman in front of him was perhaps the only one in the entire Magocracy that would be able to fight him equally if he went all out. For some reason, he had a feeling that if they did come to blows, he would inevitably lose.

“I wasn’t until the busybodies over there sent a message that I might want to see one of the new seedlings.” She pointed at the group of teachers that were all glued to the magical feed from the exam. “Now that I am here though, I can see why they would call for me. I see we might have someone with enough potential to rival you and Ashanti. And if I understood correctly, you’re the one to blame.”

“Ah, yes, well, I believe you are talking about my daughter, so in that sense…” Arjuna stammered a bit. The Headmistress had always had a knack for throwing him off his equilibrium.

Duskclaw elbowed him in the ribs. Hard. “Get your mind out of the gutter and your eyes off her cleavage,” She hissed.

Duskclaw had a point though. It was a little hard not to stare. The Headmistress was dressed in the colors of the Academy, but her attire didn’t really pay any resemblance to the uniform used by most teachers. If one was being generous, they’d call her attire revealing. Some would rather call it downright slutty. Yet that would be a disservice to whoever created the ensemble, as her style was impeccable and very fashionable, and her attire was stylish and extremely high-quality. It was also very revealing, and it didn’t help that the woman was one of the most attractive beings any of them had ever seen. Arjuna cleared his throat a bit. “You’ve misunderstood Duskclaw.” He feebly defended his honor.

Wolfgang only laughed and openly ogled. “Just give it up and let go. I doubt Tsumi would dress like that if she minded the fact that we appreciate her assets. It’s easier if you don’t bother trying to deny yourself.”

The Headmistress shook her head. While looking down at her attire that left one of her legs and almost the entire other half of her torso bare. “It still surprises me how prudish the people of the Magocracy are. I do wish you all didn’t make such a fuss about it though. No matter. That’s not what I came here to talk about.” She took a glance at Wolfgang. “Would you mind giving us some privacy? I need to have a word with Arjuna.”

“Oh?” Wolfgang’s interest was certainly piqued now. “I do not mind.” He knew when to be flexible though and gave them some space as a barrier that blocked sound suddenly spun around the trio.

“That girl. She’s from the Divine Plane isn’t she?” The Headmistress didn’t waste time and asked Arjuna straight out.

“That was quick and blunt," Arjuna muttered without bothering to try and deny her words.

“Well, I’ve had more dealings with her kind than others. From what I can see, she seems quite talented even for her kind though. I know Godlings aren’t quite as affected by the pressure the stairs produce, but they’re still affected somewhat. She isn’t. At all. Even I wouldn’t be able to ascend those stairs with such freedom. I can also sense a trace of the Divine from her body, even from this distance." The woman was silent for a few seconds as her mind worked. "I see. I think I have some idea of what might be going on. I'll take care of it." She stated simply and prepared to leave as suddenly as she had arrived.

“Wait. What do you mean by what’s going on? Or with ‘you’ll take care of that’?” Arjuna asked with his face darkening a bit. “Even if it’s you, I won’t tolerate any harm towards Karna.”

“How sweet. And protective” The woman smiled mysteriously. “However, your ire is a little misguided. The benefits of ignorance. Do not worry. I have no intention to harm your girl. At least not directly. Her kind need to be pushed along a bit, but she should be able to handle it. You’ve also misunderstood something. I’m the absolute last person you should worry about. Her presence might be the best thing to have happened to the Academy in centuries if it’s handled right. And I’m going to be doing my level best to make sure it’s handled just perfectly.” She looked at the image showing Karna running up the steps. “She might be a blessing or a disaster for all of us, and I’d rather take the blessing, thank you very much.” Then she suddenly seemed to just disappear into thin air. Even Arjuna couldn’t feel where she had vanished. If she had even been there in the first place.

"I sense trouble brewing," Duskclaw whispered. She had wisely stayed quiet to avoid revealing anything. The usefulness of that silence was questionable however.

“With her involved, always. I was hoping we could avoid this for a few years, but I suppose it was too much to hope for. She has eyes everywhere in the Academy.” Arjuna shook his head. There was something positive that could come of this though. The attention of the Headmistress could be quite beneficial as well, as she held absolute authority within the Academy, even if she rarely exercised it. Opportunity and danger often came together.

"We should probably mention this to Karna." Duskclaw sighed.

Arjuna thought about it for a moment before shaking his head. "Normally I'd agree, but this is Tsumi we're talking about. If she says she's not going to hurt Karna, then I believe her. This might be a good learning experience for Karna if we don't warn her beforehand. Besides, I think I'd quite like to see the two of them butting heads. It could turn into something interesting."

Duskclaw looked at Arjuna with slight derision. "It's mostly the last reason, isn't it? You just want to see them clash." She tapped her chin a bit. "Now that you mention it though, it could be interesting. They're similar in some ways, aren't they?"

"I believe so. We'll warn Karna if it becomes necessary." Arjuna decided.