“Are you sure you can store these things?”

“Yes I’m sure. Just give them to me, they will just float around my inner world.”

“OK.”

Today was the big day. Ellen is helping me pack my bags. I’m putting the things I need in my inner world and some of my clothes in a bag I will carry so people won’t ask me where my luggage is.

I packed some clothes, the pocket watch, the leather clothes I got from Kraft, a dagger and a combat knife that doubles as a brass knuckle. The knights will share a bit of food with me on the way to school. The only thing I have to worry about is money. If I pass the entrance test lodging and food will be free. I will have to share a room with someone but every problem can be solved if I beat my roommate enough.

“If you don’t leave now you are going to miss the carriage.”

“Thanks for reminding me Kraft.”

I was supposed to catch the carriage. When I was about to leave the house I felt something coming towards me. When I looked to see what I caught my scan identified the object as a grey flint stone.

“It’s important to have a source of light with you, since you can’t cast neither flame nor light magic you can use that to start a fire.”

“I don’t really need light but I will keep it with me.”

“Ali, come and visit us when you have time.”

“Huh, I will. Good bye mother, father.”

“Good bye kid.”

“Have a safe trip.”

Ellen remained with Kraft and Lea inside. I left the house, calling them mother and father really caught them off-guard. They were surprised but I had to see their faces before I leave. Ellen smiled and Kraft looked sad. It’s not like I will be gone for good, I will come to visit my little sister.

I ran to the village, I was a little behind the schedule but if I continue running I can make it in time.

I reached the village gate. For some reason Mau was standing near the carriage with a little basket in her hands.

“Here Alex, I made you something to eat.”

“Thanks, you didn’t have to bother. Oh well can’t say no to free food I guess.”

“There are a few baked potatoes, I hope you like them.”

Mau gave me the basket. It had three whole potatoes inside and they were still hot.

“I know everything you make tastes good. I will think about you while eating them.”

“When you make that face I may believe it.”

What about my face? I was smiling, a pretty normal reaction compared to Mau’s face which was getting red.

“Farewell Alex, I hope you get accepted. If you ever need help I will be here, please count on me.”

“You already did more for us than you think but when the time comes I will accept your offer.”

The knights stayed silent while I and Mau were talking. I got inside the carriage and we started our journey to school. I have to memorize the path we take from here until we reach the school so I can return without having to rely on anybody.

The whole journey took a whole day. Most of the time we went on ground but there were some stone roads and halfway we passed a city. I have to go there when I get the chance.

That was boring, the sausage fest inside the carriage didn’t help. I might not be the one to speak about hygiene but even I wash myself before leaving the house, good thing I had the baked potatoes to cover some of the smell. Since I was talking about potatoes I must say that they tasted really good.

I got out of the carriage and the first thing I saw were two big building that looked like manors. The buildings looked like they were made of stone. They were painted in red and every building had two pyramid roofs with flags on them. The flag looked the same as Ellen’s tattoo or is Ellen’s tattoo the same as the flag.

“Welcome to Eule Academy. My name is Liliana Grimm, I am the headmistress of the academy and it’s my pleasure to welcome you to our humble school.”

The headmistress was a 64 years old woman with short, dark red hair, red eyes and a tall figure. She had a few wrinkles on her face but without my scan ability telling me her age she could have passed as a woman in her late fifties.

I liked the greeting she gave us but I have a feeling there was a lot of sarcasm in what she said.

A man came out of one of the buildings. He was an old man wearing mage clothes. I didn’t care enough to scan him.

“This man is called Gregorian, he is the boy’s dormitory leader. He will show you where your rooms are.”

The man said nothing, turned around and starting walking towards the building on the left side. That’s the boy’s dorm.

The knights started going after the man and I wanted to follow them. When I got near Liliana she put her hand on my shoulder.

“Boy, you will follow me to my office.”

Behind the two buildings there was another one that looked like a school building. The dorms had two floors and this one had three.

I went inside the school. The headmistress’s office was on the third floor. Every door was closed so I didn’t get to see what the other rooms looked like. Her office had two desks, a big couch and some bookcases. The walls were grey and behind the desks was a big window.

“Is there you wanted to talk to me about?”

“You are Ellen’s son, Alexander Lowe?”

“Yes. My name is Alexander Lowe, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“You get bonus points for trying to be polite but those things don’t impress me. We will talk like equal individuals from now on.”

“Works with me.”

“I dragged you here so I can talk to you without any interputions.”

“If that’s what you wanted then who’s the person on the other side of the door.”

“Maria, please enter.”

The person who came inside was a blonde haired woman. She was 20 years old. She wore violet robes and glasses. She was as tall as me and had a developed chest.

“Maria is my apprentice. If there is something you require you can tell her and we will try to obtain it.”

“When you said apprentice you were talking about black magic?”

Both Liliana and Maria looked shocked for a moment. Maria was shooting glances and Liliana. Liliana started laughing for a few seconds.

“H...How do you know about mistress Liliana’s ability to use black magic?”

“Your mother told you about her training in black magic but how did you figure out I trained her?”

“There were only two people whom she called “teacher”: you and her black magic teacher. It was just a guess but I was right wasn’t I? My mother was your apprentice.”

“I’m surprised you guessed that I was her teacher. She was the first apprentice to complete the training without dying and became a black witch. As you said, Maria is my apprentice for the moment. You found out I use black magic, what will you do?”

“Nothing, nobody would believe me if I told them and I have no reason to after all Ellen said you could help me.”

A smirk appeared on Liliana’s face.

“Good answer, you keep my secret in exchange for dark magic training.”

“Is Maria the one who will help me train?”

“Interesting, what Ellen said was right, your eyes really do see more than what they should. As you said, Maria will teach you dark magic but first you will have to pass the entrance test.”

“From what I heard the test is tomorrow. What exactly is this test?”

“It’s divided in two parts. First I will measure your magic and magic control using a special crystal ball and then you will have to punch a wall. After you…”

“Wait, wait. Why do I have to punch a wall?”

“It’s a wall made of enhanced stone which is almost indestructible. There is a special spell that measures the amount of damage someone deals to the wall that we use to determine your power.”

“If the wall is almost indestructible isn’t it pointless to hit?”

“The wall isn’t durable, it repairs itself if it isn’t broken. If someone puts a crack on it, the wall will repair itself. The founder of the school punched a hole in the wall and it didn’t fix itself.

Back to our topic, at the end of the test you will receive a grade from D to S. If you get C or D you are out. Any questions?”

“Where am I going to spend the night?”

“Maria will guide you to your room.”

Liliana gave Maria a key.

“Follow me.”

I followed Maria to the boy’s dorm. The canteen was in the lobby. On the first and second floors were our rooms. My room was on the last one on the second floor.

“You can use this room for the night and if you pass the test this will remain your room.”

The room had two beds, two desks, two wardrobes and two bathrooms. The room locked more like a studio apartment than a dorm room. The left side will be mine and the right will be taken by my roommate.

“The headmistress made me your trainer but don’t me to go easy on you.”

“I understand. I’m looking forward to working with you.”

“I have to help with the preparations for tomorrow. Good bye.”

“Bye.”

Well, she was in a hurry. My top priority will be to pass the tests. Now then let’s go to the rooftop.

I jumped out of the window then I made my way up to the top of the towers. Thanks to all the cracks in the walls I was able climb quite easily.

I could see everything from here. People were preparing the front yard for tomorrow. If I enchant my eyes with magic I can see in the distance with no difficulty.

The evening sky was more beautiful than anything. With no pollution in the air I could see everything clearly. When I was young I liked spacing out like this when I had nothing to do, just looking at the sky.

The moon was already up and the stars were sparkling beautifully. I don’t remember the last time I saw so many stars. I’m going to enjoy the breeze for a while then go to sleep.

The morning came bringing with it a huge crowd. There were far too many people here. I knew this wasn’t a boarding school but there were still too many people.

The tests took place in the courtyard. Liliana and Maria were helping the other teachers.

The first test was the crystal ball. Liliana gave the crystal ball. The ball became black and started glowing. It was a faded glow. I can guess what that meant but I hope for the best. She looked somehow disappointed.

The second test was the wall punching. The ones before me didn’t manage to break it, just some cracks that immediately repaired themselves. Judging by my scan and what I saw I might be able to break it if I use all my magic in one punch.

Now it was my turn. They allowed the students a few practice hits before the test. Since I have magic for only one attack I decided to skip the practice hits. I empowered my right hand with all my magic and I hit the wall. The part I hit got destroyed but my fist didn’t pass through the wall. Now this wall has two holes in it.

Maria wrote something in a notebook, my grade I think. The people around me were surprised but Maria and Liliana nodded and then called the next person.

Despite using almost all my magic I could still walk without feeling dizzy, all those times passing out due to magic exhaustion made my body a little tougher.

With nothing to do I spent the day on the rooftop looking at the other students taking the tests. The entrance tests ended in the evening and more than half of those who took the tests failed. I didn’t get my result but I think I passed, I did break a part of the wall after all.

When everybody left I saw Maria waving at me from the courtyard. I jumped down to see what he wanted.

“The headmistress wants to talk to you. Follow me.”

“I know the way to her office, I can go by myself.”

“Just do what you are told.”

I followed Maria to the headmistress office. Maria knocked three times on the door then opened it.

“Finally, you are not easy to find. Where were you hiding?”

“He was on the boy’s dormitory rooftop.”

“Your mother liked high places too. She was always on the dorm’s rooftop looking at the other students.”

“Was my mother the quiet type?”

“Yes she was. She used to beat anybody she didn’t like. I can imagine you doing the same.”

“So the big question: Did I pass?”

“Your magic control isn’t very good but you destroyed the wall so your grade is B.”

“The first test was the one that counted the most.”

“Yes. It’s a good thing you broke the wall, that is the only thing that allowed you to pass.”

“Couldn’t I have passed with a C?”

“Good observation. Before the second test you were a D rank but you had enough magic and control to gather it in your hand and break the wall. That was enough to allow me to change your grade. The Magic Empower your mother told me about is an advanced magic technique harder to use than the normal enchantment which meant you had more control over your magic than the crystal showed.”

“That was a long explanation. All that matters is that I passed the test. Anything else to do?”

“You have to choose a uniform. This school is divided in two. The students who practice magic usually get blue uniforms and those who rely on physical strength get the red ones. Which one do you want?”

“Can’t I be black?”

“You can’t just say that!”

That comeback from Maria was something I didn’t expect. I was one step away from laughing like an idiot.

“I don’t know why you said black but that’s the uniform of those who don’t want to choose a side. Other students may bully you but it doesn’t matter. As long as you don’t kill or leave a student in critical condition violence is not punished.”

“I don’t really approve of this but those are the rules.” Said Maria with a sour look on her face.

“The teachers usually try to stop the fights, if the students don’t listen to the teachers they are punished so not many people get into fights out in the open.”

“What’s the punishment for disobedience?”

“That is decided by the teacher so it depends on a person’s luck.”

“Then prepare a black uniform for me.”

“Come tomorrow morning to get it. Now go to your room, it’s already late.”