Aspiration to the Heavens: Becoming the Supreme Mage Vol. 1- Novus Magus

[Revised/Edited] Episode 21: The Gadfly

 "The Road ahead is filled with unknowns, but turning back is also filled with them"

*Lei*

Yuzuki escorted me and my cohort into the gym. Various kinds of equipment were spread throughout it. In one of the corners were cubicles the size of bathroom stalls. On another corner were targets with transparent tubes suspended over them, levitating thanks to the use of prana crystals made to mimic the magic of psychic mages.

"I can take over from here, Yuzuki," said a girl with snake-like eyes and hair the color of the finest jade any of us had ever seen. A dark-green and golden snake bracelet coiled around her left arm. Just looking at it gave me the shivers. I wasn't ever fond of snakes.

"Hello," Orion said, waving.

I laughed.

"Then I'll leave them in your capable hands," Yuzuki said, smiling. She waved at us and walked off. As she walked away, a black cloak with a starry nebula design on the back wrapped around her.

Why couldn't she watch over us?

"My name is Mayu," the girl said, crossing her arms. "I am one of the third year representatives. First, we'll be testing your magical amplitude. Our school only desires the strongest mages. Afterwards, you'll be made to fight several of the other examinees to test out your skills in battle. The rest of us representatives plus teachers from Nine Petal Academy will be serving as your proctors. Please take this seriously."

Several others warped to the gym floor. They also wore cloaks like Yuzu's, but the patterns on them were different. A boy who looked a lot like Ayawamat had a dragon for example.

"Please come on down," Mayu said, waving at us. "You're free to start in whichever order you wish. It won't make a difference."

I rushed to one of the nearest cubicles.

"You're awfully excited for a kid taking a test," said the white-haired woman standing beside the cubicles. She chuckled as she took out a roll of stickers from the left sleeve of her white cloak. "Take one and put it on. This will allow us to tell what your elements are."

I put on the sticker. As soon as I did, the color changed from completely transparent to being half lime-green, and half lemon-yellow. Meanwhile, the edge of it had a faint hint of lavender.

The proctor pulled the sticker from of my hand with little warning, causing me to wince in pain. Her eyes lingered over the lavender circle.

"Hmm. According to this, your prana has at least two elements it can convert into. Wind and Lightning. Well then, let's start by testing your prana flow. Please use one element at a time. This will allow us to see your control over each. I'll be looking at the results from out here, you will be able to see them too. The instructions for how to use the machine are there in case you need them."

She walked over to the right side of the cubicle which had a flat touchscreen computer displaying an empty graph.

I slid the door open and allowed it to close itself. In the middle was a machine consisting of a single blue ball and some wires attaching it to a screen identical to the one that the proctor was using.

Taking a deep breath, I grabbed the ball. This test was simple in its objective. One only needed to draw prana into the ball.

Controlling the flow of my prana was easy. Lightning and wind were by their very nature elements that flowed easily in prana form. Just like how wind flows freely in the world, while lightning courses quickly through wires.

I let my wind prana flow from the pit of my magicae organum and into the sphere. The organ that allowed us to use an energy we called prana. This mystical organ called up the energy from the spirit, virtually the essence of all life. It is for this reason that using up too much prana was dangerous for any mage as it could result in paralysis, death, or even the dissolution of the soul into nature itself. The organ itself was the size of a marble and located near the spine.