I strode down my halls, my pace brisk, my body light, my feet quick. I could feel the impatience fill me up with vigor, I kept turning the sunstone in my hands, the movements bringing me an outlet to the excitement building up inside me. The first stage of my plan was about to commence in just a few hours. Today was the day of the exam.

The seneschal walked towards me, dressed in fine blacks and whites. His appearance organized, simple and upright. Behind him were two guards, no, two knights. Full plate armor covered their bodies and the crest of our house imbedded on their chests.

Seneschal: “It’s time young master.”

I stopped and began my walk towards the entrance. The two large doors being slowly opened by the guards by their sides. There, centered perfectly with the doors and the road, sat a carriage. Two white horses were tethered to the front, decorated with golden armor. Intricate carvings covering the surface.

Today was the day to show your power, your wealth and your connections, to display them to the rest of the world and compete for the position of the most powerful house. All the noble families in the kingdom of Gan are attending, as well as noble families from other kingdoms and countries even if their children weren’t enrolled. The most esteemed guest however will be the kingdom’s very own crown family whose son will be attending the MCBA alongside me.

Everything was so perfect.

There was only one more obstacle, the exam itself. I took my place inside the carriage and I was greeted by the smiling faces of my parents. My mother was dressed in unusual attire for this day. Hey clothes much more flashy than before. Father took a more toned-down approach. It was all business for him, even this event.

Mother: “Aenios. I want you to know that we will always be behind you, even now.”

Uncertainty was spread across her face. Anyone could tell what she was thinking. Worry. However, her words only annoyed me. I need no pity, rather, they should place more expectations on me. This kind of treatment should be for the waste of resources that our country loves to hoard. Not someone like me, someone with a goal.

I nodded, putting an end to the conversation with a quick, brief note. Today, I wasn’t allowed to respond with pleasantries, my usual demeanor was to be replaced with a poker face. Father looked over, his smile almost goofy looking. That too annoyed me.

Father: “Son, when you pass, I’ll give you your own village to govern. I know you’ve been asking for one since you were little, but now I think the time is right. Especially after all those lessons with Ignial.”

Aenios: “Thank you.” I made sure that he knew I acknowledged him with words. I made no other emotions apparent. Despite my unbreakable mask, the emotions underneath kept building up. Excitement, joy, greed. I could feel them driving my mana around my body. My own village to govern. I had wanted that ever since I knew what a village entailed. I was seven when I first asked for it. Now, nine years later my request was finally going to be fulfilled.

Everything is so perfect.

The rest of the ride was filled with only silence. No more conversations occurred in the two hours it took to travel from the estate to the academy. I only stared out the window and sat inside my head, with my own thoughts. Strangely enough, I felt no stress. I felt as if there was no way today could go wrong. I’ve built up so much confidence that I can’t feel worried.

For me, the carriage ride was short. The events barely memorable, the scenery barely passable. I walked out of the carriage and walked towards the large gathering of children my age. All sixteen-year-old’s looking for their chance to secure their future. The carriage took off behind me and I was sure they were taking a different road that lead to the spectators stand.

Right now, all these students are equals. No matter race, strength or social standing, we all stand here as peers and common rivals. I assumed that was the reason why the academy made the upper-class stand in a clustered group out on the dirt. If there was another excuse, it wouldn’t be acceptable. Right now, I’m barely holding in my disgust for the situation.

I stood by the treeline, away from the crowd which covered the main gate to the academy. The academy itself was actually something to admire. Tall stone pillars dotted the landscape on the way here, but the actual building outclassed anything I’ve ever seen. Even the king’s palace.

It was a gigantic marble structure, pillars and walls criss-crossing, almost bundled together but still pleasing to look at. Gold and silver traced each wall, each barista and each tower top and all of it exuding great amounts of magical energy. I could feel the mana lines that this place was built upon. Massive amounts of mana escaped from underneath us and into our surroundings.

The wildlife here looked just as impressive, the overflowing mana is almost definitely the cause. To put it simply, everything was shiny, and I liked that. I felt as if my clothing was the correct pick for today. The usual white and gold robes were replaced with something a bit more eccentric. The same white fabric remained with the exception of large gold and silver embroidery covering my entire body. Honestly, it was heavy, but it made a good impression.

From where I was standing, I could see almost everyone who had gathered. It was mostly a bunch of extras, no one worth mentioning however, there were a few who stood out. The first was a tall muscular boy who literally stood out from the rest of the crowd. He was probably eight feet tall and an equally disproportionate weapon lied on his back.

The second was a girl… probably. She stood out for the complete opposite reasons. She was around four feet tall. A dark cloak covered most of her body except for her hands and arms which were gloved and lined with metal plating. Beside her was a boy, who looked extremely average but had something that set him out far behind the rest of the children here.

I could sense huge pools of mana inside of him. Large ones, nothing comparable to mine but still extremely huge. I had already long mastered the art of hiding my mana signature, so for my enemies, I only have as much mana as I want them to think. It should still be fine for him though, I can only see his mana due to another unique trait granted to me and if you weren’t born with the ability to see mana wells, then you’d have to cast the spell, something only top-class mages know how to do.

Lastly there was another girl, who, no matter how hard I tried, I could not see any mana. Her clothes looked fancy, even by my standards and she seemed respectable, but I could tell that there was something seriously wrong here. No living creature can be devoid of mana, not even the undead. Whatever she is, I can’t just ignore her.

I quickly cast a spell. No flick of my hand, no muttering, just a simple mental command. Only the slightest bit of mana was taken from my well, it was completely untraceable. In that moment, a translucent golden eye appeared above the crowd, high above in the sky.

This was my celestial eye. It’s similar to a scrying orb with the exception that it can’t be detected by anything except for a celestial being. That and it can cast spells. Right now, I’m seeing the same location through three different eyes. It’s a useful ability, one of my more powerful ones as well. I almost never use it because I never needed it.

Right now, I can tell that it will be very useful. The eye can move through objects and creatures but cannot see through or out of them and just like my eyes it has truesight. It needs no light to see. Saying that, it’s more of a sensation than a visual image. If I were to try and explain it, it wouldn’t help.

At maximum, I can have seven of these things floating around and that’s not because they drain mana from me, no, I can recover mana faster than they can take from me. It’s because any more puts greats strains on my mind. Looking from ten directions at once just gives me a headache. All of them can act independently from me and can directly transmit information no matter where they are in the world. The spells they can cast though are arguably my weakest ones, I’m not complaining though. However, it would be nice if I could have an offensive spell these little guys could cast.

I waited only a little bit longer before an important figure arrived. Being dropped off from a pure gold carriage was the heir to the Brigal Family. The next in line to be the Duke, Lucannon Brigal. He stepped out, arrogance covering his body like thick sticky ooze. His hair shot up, sparks surrounding his presence, little bolts of lightning bouncing in a 5ft. radius of him.

One poor animal got too close and a large lightning bolt came down from a nearby cloud and turned the creature into ash. The rest of the students took a step back when he came close. That cocky smile of his was both intimidating to the boys and charming to the girls.

Fortunately for me, he was a social butterfly and walked straight past me and into the crowd where he immediately started a conversation with a group of girls. Typical. Even on a day as important as this he acts with his loose, playboy self. And to think, I had to associate with him for twelve long years.

In noble society, it’s important to build relationships and so, minor social gatherings became common place. It was back then when I first met him, a shy boy who would always hide behind his older sister. Because his sister and mine were good friends, we were expected to get along too, which we did, because I have amazing social skills. That and three members of my family shared his element as well.

He was tolerable at first, but when his sister died, he’s been acting aloof ever since. Honestly, it’s a pain. This act where he starts seducing women is just to fill up that void left behind when his sister died. While I was lost in my thoughts, I could see a large lightning bolt come arcing towards me.

I instinctively put up a shield. Thank goodness this wasn’t my mother’s bolt. Oh wait…

Lucannon: “Aenios! My best bro! How’s it holding up, I haven’t seen you in the past few weeks. Where you’ve been? Have you seen this place, its crazy? The girls here are hot too, well, most of them anyway. Aren’t you excited, today’s the day. Hey man, why aren’t you talking?”

My fragile smile started to crack but I somehow managed to keep it placed strictly on my face. Lucannon Brigal. He wore bright yellow clothing that conducted electricity very well. Evidence by the lightning everywhere around him. I could already feel eyes boring down on me. This guy is a trouble magnet.

Aenios: “Luke, don’t you think you should be a little more… calm?”

I tried to subtly tell him to shut up. He didn’t.

Lucannon: “Come on! Live a little! This is the day we get to show how strong we are!”

To emphasize his point, he extended both his hands and two large bolts came striking down beside him. As well as another pile of ash.

I sighed.

Lucannon: “Oops. It’s okay though, the animals here breed super quick, killing one or two won’t hurt right?”

He chuckled, waiting for my response. I just shook my head in disappointment. He hasn’t changed since I started avoiding him. Saying I was sick or leaving when he’d usually arrive. Everyone needs a break from Lucannon. The fact that I managed to survive so long for twelve years should be praise worthy.

Lucannon nudged me and point towards the road. “Hey man, check it out.”

As I looked forward, I could see multiple carriages approach, surrounded by guards and beasts alike, all organized in neat lines. Meticulously crafted armaments, armor and weapons were carried towards the school, everything covered in heavy metal. There was no flashy golds or silvers. No. Instead, it was all iron and copper, or similarly common and hardy metals.

The most defining feature was the crest that was emblazoned on every single craft in the line. It was the royal crest of the iron king. All eyes were directed at the carriages and as a single carriage door opened, every person in the area bowed, including myself.

There, standing with a consuming presence and an aura of leadership could only be one person. Julius Bismarck Gannan, the crown prince of the Kingdom of Gan. He took a few steps close before gesturing for us to stand. Instantaneously, everyone did.

Without a word, the long line of men left the road and receded into the background. Most of the students were unsure on what to do. So, to break that tension was my good friend Lucannon who casually walked up to Julius and put his arm around him.

Lucannon: “Julie! How’s it going!”

A couple of chuckles emerged from the crowd and a loud groan from Julius. In situations like these, Lucannon can come in handy. The tension lifted, and conversations continued, much louder and brighter than from before. There was one person acting suspicious though.

Lucannon dragged Julius over.

Aenios: “My liege.”

I kneeled once again. Julius smiled. “Aenios, if anyone needed to kneel, it would need to be Luke. I wouldn’t mind if you stopped kneeling entirely.”

Lucannon put on a hurt look, exaggeration covering his entire face.

Lucannon: “Why me?”

Julius laughed. Despite his words, the two of them are close. Rather, the three of us are very close.

Aenios, Julius and Lucannon. The immortal trio. That day, when I had met Lucannon, was also the same day I met Julius. Because of my social skills, we had become good friends and our relationship has only ever improved since. Back then I didn’t understand how important this friendship would become. I had only wanted to get away with eating more desert.

Julius: “How have you been Aenios? I haven’t seen you in weeks.”

Lucannon: “That’s what I said!”

Aenios: “Certain events had lead me to be… preoccupied. It’s not a concern now and you won’t have to worry about any sudden disappearances from me anymore. I’ll be here after all, with all of you.”

Both Julius and Lucannon’s expressions changed. It was more solemn, more serious. I didn’t understand what had caused the change in mood, but I knew it was something I had said.

Julius: “Aenios. Haven’t you heard? They changed the examination process.”

The news was like a dagger coming from behind. I never heard of a change, though I shouldn’t expect much as all I heard of the exam was from my siblings already in the school. This shouldn’t change anything. My plans will still be the same, only the way to complete this first step was replaced. This can’t be too bad.

Aenios: “Can you explain?”

Lucannon: “Well, I came over one day to tell you about it but you weren’t there and every time I came after you were sick, so I told one of your servants instead. Didn’t want to bother you when you were recovering y’know? Also, didn’t you get a letter?”

That’s strange, any of the servants would immediately tell me about such important news.

Aenios: “Which one? Can you give me a description?”

Lucannon: “Sure. She was pretty young, maybe two years younger than you and she dressed up pretty fancy too. She was also very rude after I mentioned you. Wonder why?”

Oh no. That’s no servant. That’s Amelia.

Aenios: “… did you happen to visit on the fifth day of Legius?”

Lucannon: “The exact date! Were you avoiding me or something?” The sarcasm was heavy in his voice but I could feel the slightest bit of inquisitiveness. That didn’t matter right now though. What matters is that Amelia received the message and either forgot to tell me or outright kept it to herself because I had a playdate with her.

I let out a sigh. Even if Amelia answered him, even if she said she was a servant, even if she was the first one at the door, how could Lucannon be so dumb as to let her trick him?

Aenios: “Lucannon… that wasn’t a servant. That was my sister.”

Lucannon gave me a blank stare with that happy-go-lucky grin of his. “You have two sisters?”

Julius: “That doesn’t matter now. Aenios, let me explain. Nothing from the exam changed, we still have our test and the mock battle.”

Aenios: “Then what’s changed about the exam?”

Julius: “Ranking. And the amount of participants.”

He paused for a moment before continuing. He does this quite often when explaining something, to help those understand his words completely.

Julius: “Firstly, all two thousand students will be placed in a single arena. You still need 50 points to pass but that should no longer be your goal because now, the amount of points you have directly correlates to your standing inside the school. A grade is split up into seven classes. S, A, B, C, D, E and F. Their names are important. Simply put, getting only 50 points gets you enrolled but places you in Class F where the weakest students tend to stay.”

I understood what he was saying, I heard it loud and clear, but I still couldn’t believe it. Suddenly, my goal of surviving 50 seconds before forfeiting is no longer a viable solution. If I’m to maintain my family’s appearance, nay, my own reputation, I have to be placed in class S. I can’t do anything less.

Aenios: “How many points do you need for Class S?”

Julius shook his head. “600. 600 points. There is an upside though. Every point on your exam counts towards your total. I know you’re able to easily get 100% but I’m worried. Even if you survive the entire two minutes, your total will only be 220. That’s only enough for class E.”

I lost my footing for a moment. My plans… ruined. I can no longer survive. I can’t…

Lucannon: “Hey, Julius. Aren’t you forgetting something?”

Julius looked at Lucannon, a confused look on his face.

Lucannon: “Really? Did I remember something you forgot? Wow. That’s a first. Aenios! There was a change to the practical exam, its only minor though. After the two minutes pass then the remaining students are placed into a tiny arena where they duke it out till the end. Every knock-out is worth an entire 50 points and there’s no time limit but there’s something better.”

Lucannon paused as well, but not for the same reasons as Julius. He paused for dramatic effect despite it’s uselessness in this situation.

Lucannon: “The last man standing, that is, the person who is able to beat everyone else is automatically awarded 10000 points!”

Aenios: “That seems a little bit much. Why so many points?”

In my mind, the excess amount of points made no sense to me, it was simply a big number that held no value. Why not just give the final survivor 500 points? It would save the same purpose.

Lucannon: “Yeah, it is a bit much but its necessary if you want to win the prize!”

A prize? For the entrance exam?

Lucannon: “I bet you’re like ‘What’s the prize Luke?’. Hehe, well, I’ll tell ya. You know how the forest surrounding the academy is full of monsters right?”

I nod. I seem to understand where he his going with this. Monsters are a huge linchpin in our society. They pull our carriages, power the industry and do hard manual labour where human strength isn’t enough. Other than that, monsters are deeply embedded in our religion. They said that long ago, humans and beasts were partners, having fought together against a great evil that had spread across the world. Sharing an unbreakable bond with each other, we beat back said evil and restored peace to the world. It’s a common bedtime story for children. The stories of heroes chosen by god fighting alongside beasts chosen by god. I’ve heard it over and over again, among the noble society. The practice of bonding with a monster has slowly started decaying over time. The strongest monsters were always hunted or captured, leaving only the weaker, mindless monsters. These monsters were never worth bonding with, I don’t think they even contain the ability to bond in the first place. The practice only continues in the academy where monster hunting is outlawed. Oh wait…

Lucannon: “Yup. The student who comes out on top is judged strong enough by the teachers and is allowed to climb the Dragon’s Mountain where the strongest beasts live. Every other student is banned from climbing up there.”

Of course. There it is. Dragon’s Mountain, the place where humans first met their bestial counter parts. The place where every known leyline intersects. The place so sacred that the ten greatest mages created a vast range of defences and fortresses to guard it. A place later repurposed into the MCBA.

This explains a lot, but it doesn’t answer my question.

Aenios: “So why so many points? Also, what about the other grades?”

Lucannon: “Oh. The other grades are unaffected but every grade after ours gets Uh… bragging rights? Don’t ask me, the student council was the ones to change the system.”

Aenios: “I see.” I understand now. I don’t need any explanation. The questions from why the change was made so suddenly and why the system became so skewed makes sense.

Julius: “That’s the gist of it. You got a plan for the exam?”

Lucannon grin expanded. “Blast everything away! That should be enough for at least A class right?”

Julius face-palmed as Lucannon laughed outloud. His plan… wasn’t a plan but it should work for him anyway. Lucannon is excellent at sending wave after wave of high damage bursts, great for wiping out small fry and taking down big targets. This big gathering of students really puts Lucannon at an advantage. His bad match-ups lie with people who can withstand his damage or, someone like Julius.

Julius’s element is metal. Julius places very defensively, most of his magic is defensive but the few damaging spells he has are extremely dangerous. I once tried to measure what my weaknesses were. While I definitely lack a strong constitution, I virtually have no weaknesses. My defensive and supportive abilities are top-tier. I’m easily able to withstand any blow from any matter of creature due to my shields. That’s not all though. My offensive capabilities lie solely in my summoning magic, and how well I can support my summons and outlasting me isn’t an option either. My mana pools are enormous and I regenerate mana faster than I can spend it. All-in-all, the only way to beat me is to take away one of my magics. Either my supportive or my summoning. If either of those leave me, I’ll be helpless. Fortunately, no one in the country can do that, at least I haven’t met anyway with those powers yet.

Lucannon: “You don’t think it’s good. What about you Julius? How you gonna get into S class? I know you’re aiming for it.”

Julius: “I actually have a plan, unlike you, even if it is simple. My main goal is to survive the first round, then destroy the weakened enemies in the second round when they’re worth more to defeat.”

Lucannon: “Didn’t you forget about the second round, now suddenly it’s in your plan?”

Julius: “I-I had already planned this out… I just… forgot… right… now…”

Julius was staggering with his words. He was feeling a lot of shame and guilt. Something unbecoming of a future king. He’s with friends though and his back his turned to his people. Although, I can see a certain someone looking in our direction, I don’t think she’ll be a problem.

Aenios: “Julius, tell me of your family. It’s been some time as you said. When’s the last time I visited your home?”

I decided to help the suffering monarch out. There was no way someone who grew up becoming a king could admit he forgot something. That’s admitting he made a mistake, something you can’t do when people follow your every word. It would be fine if he didn’t care but Julius had a soft-heart. Another unbecoming trait. This is why I was able to easily befriend these unfortunate souls. Their minds are simple, just like their lives.

Julius smiled. He understood the act of kindness I just delivered and opened his mouth to speak before a large gasp emerged from the crowd. Julius stopped half-way in his words and looked towards where a mass of students were pointing.

There, flying just above the sun was a feminine figure, seemingly glowing with two wings sprouting from her back. Even I was astonished at the sight. I’m sure, everyone’s first thoughts were “An Angel.”.

She descended near the crowd, very gracefully landing. Her golden wings folded behind her. Her clothing consisted of a large iron and gold suit of armour, thin and close fitting to her body. I could tell it was nothing to be taken lightly though. Strapped to her back was a golden spear, also glowing. It’s point seemed to cut the air around it.

To top it all of was the existence of three glowing gemstones, two of which were as big as fists. These ones were jutting out of her shoulder plates. The last gemstone was carved into the middle of the spearhead, shining brightly. Those were sunstones, the sheer size and brightness would already make them as valuable as national treasures. Priceless, precious stones.

I ran through the possibilities in my head. Who and what was she. There was no way she was an angel, that’s impossible, angel’s never look this young. She’s around our age and besides, what would an angel be doing here?

Finally, I had landed on the idea that she was a golden Aarakocra that just so happened to be a light elemental and looked awfully like Victory, one of the seven archangels. Judgement and Purity always talked about her and her appearance.

Just about everyone, including our prince stared in awe of her. I was stuck trying to figure out an excuse that would explain her angelic appearance. Then, like always, Lucannon was here to break the tension.

Lucannon: “Woah, we get a hot babe like that enrolling in our school? She looks like an angel!”

This time, the heavy air remained as the girl turned her head and glared at Lucannon, who couldn’t say a word afterwards. This time, it was Julius’s turn to make an attempt.

Julius approached her and did a bow. “Julius Bismarck Gannan, crown prince to the throne. Fair lady, what is your name?” Julius took the gentleman approach which seemed to work far better than Lucannon’s.

The girl lifted her head and extended her hand in response, Julius then kneel and kissed her hand, the lips didn’t touch her gauntlet though. It’s a gesture of respect or courtesy. Something I never quite fully understood.

The girl opened her mouth to speak, everyone was hanging on her jaw, her words were the top priority for those around her. More than anything, it was her presence of perfection that left everyone’s eyes stuck on her celestial form.

Well, three eyes weren’t watching her. The manaless girl could only stare at the prince, both her eyes fixated on him while my third eye watched everything from above, directed at that strange girl.

Then, she spoke. “My name is Luciana Luella Francis. It is a pleasure to meet your my liege.”

Rumors started to spread throughout the crowd and I could pick up on all of them.

???: “Francis… isn’t that the name of the head priest? You know, the one in charge of the temple to Lumios?”

???: “Did he have a daughter? She looks like an angel though… do you think?”

???: “A half angel? Does that mean Francis and an angel… uh. Nevermind.”

The words kept flowing before a spark of insight hit me. I remembered an old ritual exclusive for light elementals in which a mortal being could make contact with a servant of light. The consequences of failing was death, but not pleasantly, however, if successful, the being could become the vessel for one of the angels. I’ve heard of some minor angels choosing humans but never an archangel. So, I’m sticking to my theory that she’s a golden Aarakocra.

After the brief introduction, Julius and Luciana started talking, she took a few glances around before I noticed her staring into the sky. To everyone else it would seem she was simply admiring that open blue, but to me I could tell she was definitely looking at something. My orb.

Her eyes went wide when she saw it and started looking around. I quickly decreased my mana signature to a mere fraction of what it was before, and I deactivated my orb, sending it back to wherever they come from. Her eyes just brushed passed me. They lingered on that boy for a moment before continuing to look through the crowd. She looked back up at the sky one more time after finding nothing only to see that the orb was gone.

Luciana: “I knew I could feel the presence of a powerful being of light…”

Her words were faint and I’m not even sure if Julius heard them, but I could tell what she was saying. Because she was talking about me. I could no longer ignore the fact that she had undergone the ritual and succeeded in becoming the embodiment of an archangel. She is a celestial being, there was no other way she could see my orb.

It seems I have my work cut out for me. I can no longer simply survive in the exam, but I also have to defeat my enemies if I’m to maintain my own self-confidence while not revealing too much power in which case, little miss angel finds out what I can really do.

My life just got a whole lot harder.