The morning sun was already shining against the bedroom window, drawing luminous patterns on the floor. Seraphina leafed through her book and, with a precise movement of her hands, the volume closed softly. She closed her eyes for a moment, in brief reflection. As he opened them, his voice sounded calm in the silence of the room:
"Sounds like you woke up early again, doesn't it?" The girl said, heading to Elyandra's empty and impeccably made bed.
In the middle of the campus, Elyandra ran at a steady speed, sweat running down her face. His eyes, fixed on the path ahead, could not even conceive of the passage of time. After running for what seemed like hours, Elyandra finally stopped. Panting and tired, she thought, "How long have I been running?" She looked up, taking a deep breath and finally calming her countenance. He looked around and, with a sigh of determination, thought, "Right... Let's get back to what matters."
Heading back towards the dormitory, Elyandra came across Seraphina, who was watching her in silence. They both stared at each other for a few seconds, a dance of glances that Elyandra quickly broke, reshaping her posture to her usual perfection.
"Good morning, Lady Vancroft," Elyandra said, her voice polished and serene. "I hope you had a great night's sleep.
Seraphina approached Elyandra, her eyes fixed on the golds of Valemortis.
"I have nothing to complain about," Seraphina replied, her voice a neutral, almost calculating tone. "But what about you?"
The question resounded in Elyandra's ears. She paused for a moment, reframing her thoughts, searching for the ideal answer.
"I had a relapse," Elyandra confessed, a slight deviation in her voice, but soon regaining her composure. "But I believe I'm already better.
Seraphina moved even closer, her superior gaze trying to unravel Elyandra's soul.
"Intrusive thoughts, I didn't imagine the Saint had something like this. Usually people who follow the faith... They are well integrated. "The word 'integras' sounded almost like a test, a subtle provocation.
Elyandra noticed that look that seemed to force her to give something away, as if Seraphina wanted her to reveal a weakness, a secret. "This girl... What idea does she have in mind?"
Elyandra brought her hands to her hair, untying it from the firm bun she wore for her workouts, mimicking her trainer's style. The white threads ran down his shoulders, soft and loose.
"Do you have these kinds of thoughts too?" Elyandra asked, turning the question, her eyes fixed on Seraphina's. "I didn't imagine you'd be like the others."
Seraphina crossed her arms, a slight tic of irritation on her countenance.
"Like the others?" Good... That offends me a little. But we are debating about basic sense, nothing I said is something that goes outside the standard thoughts of this empire.
"Common sense... Damn, she's right," Elyandra thought, a twinge of bitter acknowledgment. "These are the evils of having lived in times when religion and devotion were not so unhealthy."
Elyandra smiled, a smile that contained a hint of melancholy.
"You're not wrong in your view, Lady Vancroft. But I am not the Saint.
For the first time, Seraphina showed a look of genuine astonishment. His eyes widened.
"What do you mean?" You are clearly a Saint, your eyes are living proof of that.
At that moment, an even more serene and determined smile ran across Elyandra's face. She took a determined step forward, now looking down on Seraphina, her noble and confident aura taking over the space.
"My features don't necessarily represent me, Lady Vancroft. In a way, yes... I'm a Saint, I also have the pure-blood earring. But that's not what defines who I am. My name is Elyandra, Elyandra Valemortis, a high-caste noblewoman, daughter of the leader of the Empire's military affairs. I walk my own path, no matter what fate has in store for me. I will walk through it making my own decisions, whether it is in the Church or outside. Elyandra will always be a Valemortis.
She then passed by Seraphina, an eloquent silence hovering between them. Without looking at her, Seraphina muttered:
"You are someone strange indeed, Lady Valemortis...
Elyandra stopped, without turning around.
"People are strangers. That's what makes them normal. Those who are given the privileges of knowledge become strangers.
Seraphina ended that conversation with a reflective air.
"What makes us strangers are our actions.
Elyandra, already distancing herself, let the last words echo through the air:
"And also, their consequences.
Seraphina smiled from the corner as Elyandra walked away, Valemortis's figure diminishing on the way to the dorm, leaving behind a trail of intriguing thoughts.
The early afternoon sun was already brightening the skies, shedding a golden light over the academy's training fields. The students were gathered again, and Elyandra, along with the other high-caste nobles, was already in a line. This time, she wasn't the first, a pleasant feeling of being just another in the crowd.
Again, the groups were separated. Armand Velacroix appeared at the head of Elyandra's group, a smile suppressed on his face.
"Greetings, noble aspiring students!" I have to say that I am very much looking forward to today's test. I hope you are as excited as I am!
The students looked at each other, some whispering about what the test would be. While everyone exchanged glances and whispered, Elyandra kept her head down, staring at her surroundings. Their minds worked tirelessly, wondering what the nature of the test that awaited them would be.
Armand, with a broad gesture, instructed everyone:
"Now, form a pair in a row!"
Before long, the nobles gathered side by side, one behind the other, forming an almost perfect square. At that moment, Elyandra discreetly scanned the surroundings of the group with her gaze and did not see Eliora. "Eliora is not here..." she thought, a pang of curiosity, quickly suppressed. "Did she return to the Church? Well, I'm not going to think about it too much."
Armand then pointed his finger at the first student in the corner row, a student who was on the opposite side of Elyandra. She watched him approach the teacher. Armand led him to the center of an octagon that looked more like a battle ring. In the middle of it, a pre-made magic circle glowed softly, indicating the location of the test.
"You're in the center here," Armand told the student. "Stay the way you feel most comfortable."
The student stood on top of the indicated spot, motionless, his face displaying remarkable confidence and stability as he waited patiently.
"Come on, this test is something simple," Armand said. "We will test each of you and measure your magic levels. That way, we'll know if you're really able to get into the gym.
"Whenever you want," the student replied, his voice firm.
"Let's get started then, let's start with your mana flow," Armand instructed.
The student nodded and clasped his hands together, and a subtle glow began to emanate from his body as the flow of mana intensified. The other students were firmly watching the one being tested. Elyandra stared at him, observing the student's concentration in depth and noticing the stability of his mana flow. Armand surrounded the boy, staring at him firmly, his subtle smile never leaving his lips.
"Very good... don't cut off your concentration now," Armand continued, his voice almost melodic. "Tell me... What is your affinity? Of course, we have many types of affinities, not that you need to know, but let's go. We have the magic of earth, water, fire, wind, the best known. Then we have the most extravagant, we have the divine, dark, demonic, spiritual, gravitational and environmental. The environmental one is a very comical magic, so to speak, you can do a lot of things outside the box. But well... Continuing, and finally we have those that I like to call adapted magic, such as ice, sound, blood and even crystal magic. In these spells it is possible to do a lot of things, such as making earth sculptures with earth magic to summoning monsters through demonic magic.
The student, who until then had maintained an impeccable concentration, broke part of it with the teacher's long and seemingly random explanation. He stared at Armand, somewhat bored.
"That's basic knowledge, isn't it?" The student asked, a hint of arrogance in his voice.
Armand smiled even more.
In Elyandra's mind, she thought "Wrong... Complex spells such as environmental, crystal, or blood spells are very specific spells. Because of this, they are not explored much, since our citizens usually always have a very standard type of affinity. But that is not the focus in question."
"Your test is over. You can retire to the group. Armand said, turning to the group.
The student did not understand what had happened.
"What do you mean?" Is the test over?! He shouted, euphoric and incredulous.
Armand retorted, his voice intensifying and his gaze growing more severe.
"Yes... I've seen what I wanted. You can withdraw.
The student swallowed hard, the euphoria turning into shock, and returned to his seat, head down. While all this was happening, Elyandra saw the smile on Armand's face and was in a cold sweat. "It was very clear, the moment he stopped to question the teacher his mana flow was interrupted for an instant. Did he end the check simply because his mana flow broke for an instant?" she thought. "This bastard literally gave a long explanation just to see if he got lost in concentration...".
Elyandra's trembling smile hid as she watched another student being called to the circle. She thought again, "Then he'll eliminate anyone for the least possible flaw... Now that's crazy." As soon as she finished this monologue, she heard Armand's voice again saying:
"Your test is over.
Again, another student returned to the group with a restless face. A drop of sweat ran down Elyandra's face, this left her in a great mental monologue.
The test followed for a few hours, a purgatory of expectations and eliminations. Of that huge group of students, the vast majority had already been tested and discarded, their faces displaying a mixture of frustration and humiliation. Only a few students had passed Armand's relentless tests, which made Elyandra somewhat apprehensive. She was in a cold sweat as she waited her turn. Many of these feelings were intensified by the fact that I had witnessed so many eliminations; The few students who had passed also did not show that it had been easy. In fact, some seemed surprised that they had been approved, as if it were just a game of luck. Elyandra took a deep breath, trying to calm her heart that was beating out of rhythm.
It was then that she heard Armand saying:
"Your test is over.
Elyandra hadn't noticed that that eliminated student was the last one before she was called. She closed her eyes, trying to relax, when she heard Armand call her.
— Lady Valemortis.
The sound of his name struck the girl, causing her to open her eyes in surprise. His spinal cord froze, and his feet seemed to lose strength at the same instant. She stared at the teacher with a somewhat astonished look. Armand, with his peculiar smile, said:
"Now it's your turn, could you come?"
Elyandra swallowed, clenching her fists with a quiet determination.
"Yes, right now," she replied, her voice firmer than she expected.
She made her way to the magic circle, stopping in front of the students who suddenly looked like a huge audience. Elyandra felt the nervousness consuming her, but she struggled to maintain her noble pose, a perfect façade that could fool even Armand.
"Very well," said the professor. "You can stay in the posture that is most comfortable. As soon as you want, we can get started.
Elyandra listened to Armand's lines and thought, "Comfortable..." Without hesitation, she knelt down in the middle of the magic circle. It was a noble posture, learned from his master, that combined reverence and restrained power. The students were impressed; Some whispered about a high-caste noblewoman kneeling, which left some astonished and others disturbed. Armand saw that, and for a moment, his smile gave way to a more serious expression, a glimpse of something deeper in his eyes.
Elyandra closed her eyes.
"We can begin."
She began to channel her mana flow. Some students looked on with puzzled eyes. Elyandra had already trained her mana flow so much that the very aura of her mana was not dense and turbulent, but thin and continuous, like a calm lake under the moonlight. Armand began to circle Elyandra, his hand below his chin as he stared at the little noblewoman.
"The Empire is really intriguing, don't you think?" He said, his voice a thread of teasing. "I mean, we are a power without equal, we have one of the most powerful magical military powers in the world, you could even say that we are unbeatable.
Elyandra heard all that, but did not hesitate to retort.
"We are indeed a strong empire, Professor Armand, but that does not mean we are unbeatable.
At this moment, some nobles in the audience were startled, and others even exclaimed:
"What is this story?!"
"What does she mean by that?!"
"How dare she say something like that?!"
Their agitation was clear to Elyandra, but she wasn't so surprised. Armand stopped behind her, his voice in a lower pitch, almost a whisper.
"How intriguing, I did not imagine hearing something like this from you, Lady Valemortis.
"I'm someone very focused on logic," Elyandra replied, her voice calm and firm. "We are powerful, but power means nothing if it is in the hands of someone poorly educated.
Armand continued to surround her, his smile subtly reappearing.
"Poorly instructed... Do you mean our Empire?
"No..." Elyandra replied, with a touch of caution. "That's not quite what I meant. I believe that any empire without good management can fall, no matter how powerful it is.
Armand gave a slight laugh, a hoarse and satisfied sound.
"Yes!" Yes, that's a great fact, Lady Valemortis. I can't say you're wrong. Any structure can only stand if it has good columns.
He then stopped and crouched in front of Elyandra, his presence intensifying. His mana, dense and powerful, slammed against Elyandra's. This scared the girl for a moment, a chill running down her spine, but she managed to hold on and not interrupt her flow of mana.
"And what do you think of the current management of the Empire?" Armand asked, his eyes fixed on hers.
Elyandra's golden eyes suddenly opened, meeting Armand's. She kept her gaze steady.
"I apologize if I don't answer the way you would expect, Professor Armand, but I can't answer that question."
Armand brought his face closer to Elyandra's face, the distance between them narrowing.
"Is that so?" May I know the reason for this?
"I have no knowledge that goes beyond theory," Elyandra replied, her voice unwavering. "I believe I can't judge something without trying it first.
She finished her answer with a serene, almost imperceptible smile. Armand stared at her for a moment and smiled equally, pulling away and laughing softly.
"It's true, it's true," he said, still laughing. After calming down, he asked, "Well, it's kind of obvious to anyone, but why don't you tell us your magical affinity, Lady Valemortis?
Elyandra heard that question and thought: "I can't say that I have two affinities. There are no other people who know my magical nature other than a few trusted people from House Valemortis, so I need to say only what is necessary."
"My magical affinity is, as many already know, divine magic ," Elyandra replied.
Armand nodded in agreement.
"Of course, of course, it's expected.
Armand then stood up, a glint of curiosity in his eyes.
"Tell me, how does your affinity work?" He asked, while Elyandra remained focused on keeping her mana flow stable.
"Divine Magic, it's a very peculiar magic," Elyandra began, her voice soft but firm. "I can say that it is a magic that chooses its user, so to speak. Some people can use it freely, these people are called Saints. Some others may use a much more restrained part of it, these people are known as Priestesses. An interesting point about this is that only women are blessed by this gift.
Armand nodded, a slight comic snort that denoted a twinge of male grief. Elyandra continued:
"Divine Magic is used as a direct conduit with the Goddess of Divine Light. It is a very famous magic for being the most effective in treating diseases or damage caused to living beings, as well as being a magic widely used in combating demonic forces and to bless corrupted zones. The Church even receives requests from other empires for Priestesses to exorcise cursed places or places with a demonic presence.
"Good description," Armand said, assessing her. "How good would you rank at using divine magic?"
Elyandra thought for a few seconds, pondering the answer.
"I can't say I'm good, Professor Armand. I have a lot to learn. At my current level, I would say that I am below a normal priestess.
Armand stopped in front of her again, his arms crossed.
"That is clear. While this is a gym that only looks for the best of the best, we don't expect you to be perfect. But, of course, you must be above average.
Elyandra stared at him, a bead of sweat running down his face, feeling the pressure. Armand then sat down in front of the girl, a twinkle in his eye.
"Divine Magic is well known for the healing factor it causes. Do you already have practice in this area?
Elyandra remembered Dahlia, cutting and injuring her on purpose so that she would learn to heal on her own, even though it took a long time to get it.
"I have some knowledge of that," Elyandra replied.
"Could you ask you to show me?" Armand proposed, an enigmatic smile on his lips.
Elyandra was a little puzzled.
"What do you mean?"
She had already seen other students show examples of their magic to Armand, but in Elyandra's case, she had no way to easily exemplify.
"I could tell you to do something very standard, like create an orb of Divine magic and so on," Armand explained. "But that would be very unfair, considering that it is something very basic. So why don't we get it into practice?
"Practice?" Elyandra questioned, her voice a little louder.
Armand pulled a dagger from his bag on his back and brought it close to his own finger, cutting it in front of Elyandra. The students in the audience were surprised to see the scene, but it was not so out of the norm for Armand's eccentric methods. Blood began to drip from his finger.
"Oh!" Ouch! It hurts too much," Armand exclaimed, a theatrical groan. "But it's a good thing we have a divine magic user among us, isn't it, Lady Valemortis?"
Elyandra stared at him, in a cold sweat and thinking, "It sounds like I'm talking to a crazier version of Dalia. Are there only crazy people in this world?" She swallowed hard and raised her hand, holding Armand's severed finger.
"Oh how cute... Your hand is so cute. Armand muttered, a blushing smile on his face.
This broke Elyandra's serious face.
"Professor!" She said, with a tone of gentle rebuke. "I beg you to take this seriously!"
This led the audience of students to laugh lightly, breaking the serious scenario that surrounded them. Elyandra frowned, feeling embarrassed. On the other hand, Armand stared at her with a somewhat astonished look. He thought: "How fantastic! Of all the students I've seen so far, she was the only one who didn't have a millimeter of instability in her mana flow. I've already made her lose her wits twice, and her mana flow is still clear. Elyandra Valemortis as Ana What kind of preparation did you go through to get to this point of concentration?"
Elyandra put her hand to her mouth and made a discreet coughing sound to regain her serious tone. She concentrated again, and her hand began to glow as she held Armand's finger. He felt a gentle warmth run through his finger. In about twenty seconds, the pain he felt was gone. The girl sighed and let go of Armand's finger, who noticed that even the blood that had flowed from his finger had gone back into the wound, now completely closed.
"Fantastic," he said in wonder. "He doesn't even have a scar.
Elyandra explained the limitations:
"It's not really perfect. I need to focus fully on that and I can't be stopped, otherwise all progress falls apart. I still can't do that without focusing all my magic on a single point at a time.
Armand smiled and stood up. Elyandra stared at him with a somewhat astonished face, seeing the enigmatic smile on the teacher's face.
"Your test is over," Armand said.
At that moment, Elyandra went into shock. His mana flow began to calm down until it stopped completely.
— … I see," she murmured, her voice barely audible. The girl lowered her head as she stood up and passed Armand, her gaze covered by her hair and her hands clasped in front of her body.
In her mind, Elyandra hammered herself without cause thinking "Where... Where did I go wrong? That's not funny, if I was eliminated... No, there's no way I can be eliminated just because I didn't pass one of the tests, right?"
As he descended the stairs from the test environment, Armand said, stopping it halfway:
"My congratulations, Lady Valemortis.
Elyandra lifted her face, with small drops of tears that would begin to run down her face. That phrase surprised her, and even without needing to hear it anymore, she understood what that line represented. His melancholy gaze gave way to an honest and radiant smile.
Armand then turned to the line of students, a renewed smile on his face.
"That said, who's next?"