Chapter 86: Magic
The day of the first Monthly Ranking Test of the second semester had officially arrived.
Aegis woke up before dawn, her stomach doing backflips like an Olympic gymnast with anxiety issues. She lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, mentally cataloging everything that could go wrong.
[Combat test: could die. Magic test: could explode. Art test: could embarrass myself so badly I spontaneously combust.]
Lune was already awake, sitting by the window with a cup of tea. She’d changed into her formal uniform, the one with all the House Solana crests that made her look like a very small, very serious noble.
"Good morning."
"Morning," Aegis yawned. Lune glanced her way for a moment. For once, she wasn’t painting.
[Is she nervous? Or, maybe she finally got bored?]
"Nervous?" Lune asked, and for a second Aegis wondered if she could read her mind.
"Terrified."
"I hear that’s good. Fear apparently keeps you sharp."
"Who told you that?"
"Scarlett."
[Sounds like her.]
"When?"
"I don’t remember. Tea?"
Aegis accepted the cup gratefully. The warmth helped settle her stomach a little. Outside, other students were already heading to the testing grounds. Some walked with confidence. Others looked ready to vomit.
"You’re taking all three tests again," Lune said. It wasn’t a question.
"Yeah."
"Ambitious as always. I wish you luck."
---
The dining hall buzzed with nervous energy.
Students huddled in groups, quizzing each other on last-minute details. Some practiced spell movements with their hands. Others just stared at their food ominously.
[Varying shades of ’my academic life (and my literal one) may be over soon’. Wow.]
Scarlett waved them over to a table where she’d already demolished what looked like three breakfasts.
"Big day!" She grinned, a bead of syrup on her chin. "Ready to kick ass?"
"Ready to not die," Aegis corrected.
"Same thing."
Across the hall, Aegis spotted Serilla. The pink-haired menace had cornered Liora near the juice station, standing way too close, saying something that made Liora’s face turn red. Talia stood nearby, gripping her breakfast tray hard enough to bend the metal.
"Your majesty," Serilla was saying, loud enough for half the hall to hear, "you’re looking particularly stern today. Is it the test, or did someone disappoint you last night?"
"Frost," Talia’s voice could have frozen fire, "step away from me before I make you eat that tray."
"Threats before breakfast? How uncivilized."
"You want to see uncivilized?"
Liora stepped between them, hands raised.
"Can we not? Please? It’s test day."
Serilla’s smile widened. She leaned in and whispered something in Liora’s ear that made the blonde squeak. Then she sauntered away, making sure to brush against Talia as she passed.
[Drama before 8 AM. Classic Rosevale Academy.]
Aegis checked her hidden inventory. The Pendant of Minor Mana Regeneration hung around her neck, tucked under her uniform. The Ring of Mental Clarity sat on her finger, disguised as a simple silver band. The Speed Boots looked like regular academy footwear unless you knew what to look for.
Every little advantage counted.
"First test is Magical Showcase," Scarlett said through a mouthful of eggs. "You got a plan?"
"Several."
"Good ones?"
"... Debatable."
The testing arena had been transformed overnight. Where yesterday there’d been practice dummies and training equipment, now there were raised platforms, judge’s tables, and enough protective wards to stop a small war.
Students gathered in groups based on their test selection. The combat-only crowd looked confident. The magic-only group looked stressed. The art-only students looked bored out of their minds.
And then there was Aegis’s group. The dozen or so idiots taking more than one test. They stood apart, united in their questionable life choices.
Dean Whitmore stepped onto the central platform, his voice magically amplified.
"Welcome to the first Second Semester Monthly Ranking Test. As you know, your performance today will determine your standing for the next month. I do hope you’ve all prepared adequately."
Someone behind Aegis whimpered.
"We begin with the Magical Showcase. Participants will demonstrate their most impressive spell or magical technique. You will be judged on power, control, and creativity."
[Creativity. That’s my angle.]
"Those participating in the Magical Showcase, please proceed to Platform One."
Aegis joined the crowd moving toward the designated area. She passed Talia, who looked ready to burn the world down just to prove she could. Their eyes met for a second.
"Try not to embarrass yourself, commoner," Talia said.
"Try not to set yourself on fire, princess."
[Maybe a bit of light banter will help her calm down, funny enough.]
They separated before the conversation could devolve into actual violence.
The judges sat behind an elaborate desk that probably cost more than most people’s houses. Headmistress Valdris in the center, flanked by various department heads. Professor Nazraya caught Aegis’s eye and winked.
[Don’t think about your shadow magic training. Don’t think about your shadow magic training.]
The first student stepped up. A noble from House Goldmane. He summoned a massive fireball, shaped it into a dragon, and had it fly around the arena before exploding in a shower of sparks.
The crowd applauded. The judges looked mildly impressed.
[Showy. But expected.]
More students followed. Ice sculptures that moved. Lightning that wrote words in the air. Illusions that made everyone see their deepest fears for about two seconds before the judges shut that shit down.
Then Talia stepped up.
She didn’t speak. Didn’t gesture dramatically. She just raised one hand.
The temperature dropped twenty degrees instantly. Ice spread from her feet in fractal patterns, covering the entire platform in seconds. Then, with a slight twist of her wrist, the ice erupted upward into a palace. Towers, bridges, windows—all perfectly detailed, all made of ice.
The crowd went silent.
The judges actually leaned forward.
[Show off.]
Talia held the spell for exactly thirty seconds, then let it collapse into water that evaporated before hitting the ground. She walked off the platform without looking at anyone.
"Next," Dean Whitmore called. "Aegis Starcaller."
Aegis stepped onto the platform. Every eye in the arena turned to her. She could feel the weight of their expectations. The commoner who’d somehow topped the rankings. What would she do?
[Time to get creative.]
She started with Aether Whip, but not the normal version. She’d been practicing with Rosanna, learning to shape the aether into different forms. The whip appeared, but instead of one, she manifested three at once. They moved independently, weaving through the air in complex patterns.
[They say they want to see power but, regardless, my charisma can help sell it. It doesn’t actually have to be strong, basically.]
Then she added Aether Step, blinking between the whips as they moved, creating afterimages that lingered just long enough to be visible. To the audience, it looked like there were five of her, all connected by streams of pure energy.
But that wasn’t the creative part.
The creative part was when she started to dance.
Not a formal dance. Not anything from nobility. This was the dance Rosanna had taught her, the one that supposedly came from before Valdria was even founded. Each movement flowed into the next, and the aether responded, creating shapes in the air. A tree. A sword. A crown. A heart.
She pulled the shapes together, weaving them into a story told entirely through magical light. A commoner rising. A kingdom changing. Love found in unexpected places.
It was beautiful.
It was also completely fucking exhausting, despite the fact that what she was doing had literally no practical application.
[Yep, totally useless. But, well, will they care? I don’t know.]
She held it for twenty seconds before her mana ran dry. The lights faded. The afterimages vanished. She stood alone on the platform, sweating through her uniform.
Silence.
Then someone started clapping. Then another. Then the entire crowd was applauding, even some of the nobles who definitely shouldn’t be supporting a commoner.
The judges were whispering among themselves. Valdris had an odd expression, like she’d just realized something important.
"Interesting interpretation," Valdris finally said. "Very... historical. Next participant, please."
Aegis walked off the platform on shaking legs. Scarlett caught her before she could fall.
"That was incredible!"
"That was everything I had."
"Worth it though."
"Ask me after the combat test."
They had an hour break before the next test. Aegis found a quiet corner and tried to meditate, pulling in ambient aether the way Rosanna had taught her. The pendant helped, making the recovery slightly faster.
Sophie appeared out of nowhere, as sisters do.
"That was beautiful, big sis!"
"Thanks."
"Very romantic."
"It was meant to be historical."
"History can be romantic."
"I guess."
Sophie sat down next to her, uncharacteristically quiet for a moment.
"Vera says you’re going to win."
"Vera’s biased. You’re fucking her."
"Language!"
"You can’t pull the innocent card after what I saw yesterday."
"You saw nothing."
"I saw tongue."
"You saw nothing."
They sat in comfortable silence, watching other students panic about their upcoming tests.
"Hey," Sophie said eventually. "Whatever happens, you already won."
"How do you figure?"
"You made nobles applaud for a commoner. That’s basically impossible."
[She’s not wrong.]
The bell rang, signaling the end of the break.
"Time for violence!" Scarlett announced, appearing with her practice sword already in hand.
Aegis stood up, muscles protesting.
[One test down. Two to go.]