Chapter 99: Elemental Affinity Testing
The third day at the monastery felt different from the others. After breakfast, students gathered in the main hall, talking quietly among themselves. Everyone seemed nervous about what was coming next. Renard could hear bits of conversation—some students wondering what would happen, others trying to guess what kind of magic they might have.
Today was the day they would test everyone’s magic.
Unlike the boring lessons from the past two days, this test would show what type of magic each student was good at. It would decide what they studied next and who they would train with. Some students looked excited, others looked scared.
Elder Miriam stood at the front of the room, but she wasn’t alone. Three other teachers stood with her—two men and one woman. These teachers knew different types of magic and would decide which students should learn what. They all looked serious, like this was very important.
"Today you’ll find out what kind of magic you’re good at," Miriam said loud enough for everyone to hear. Her voice echoed in the round room. "This test will show us what you can do and what you should study. It will also decide how fast you can learn and what chances you’ll get here."
She pointed to a big crystal in the middle of the room. The thing was about as tall as a person, made of different colored crystals stuck together in a complex pattern. It glowed softly with different colors—red, blue, green, yellow, white, and dark purple. Each section seemed to pulse with its own rhythm.
"This crystal can tell what kind of magic you’re good at," Miriam went on. "It’s been set up to read the magic inside you. When you touch it, it will show us which type of magic fits you best."
A student near the front raised her hand. "What if we’re not good at any magic?"
"That’s very rare, but it can happen. Students like that usually study how magic works instead of doing magic themselves." Miriam didn’t sound like she thought this was a good thing. Her tone made it clear that not having magic was seen as a failure. "But most people are good at least one type of magic."
Ian sat a few rows away from Renard. His scarred face didn’t show any emotion, but Renard could tell he was tense.