At 18 now, Felix stands in front of the Adventurer's Academy, his heart pounding in his chest. He places his hand over her inner robe pocket as he tries to calm himself down. He's been waiting for this day for years, and now it's finally here. He takes a deep breath and walks inside, his tail swishing behind him nervously. The entrance hall is large and grand, with high ceilings and marble floors. There are a few other people here, likely other prospective students. Felix walks up to the reception desk, where a woman sits.
"Hello, how can I help you?" The woman asks with a friendly smile.
Felix clears his throat, "Hi, I'm here to take the admissions test."
The woman nods, "Alright, I'll need your name and age, please."
"Felix, and I'm eighteen." He replies.
The woman jots down his information and hands him a slip of paper. "Here's your testing number. The first part of the test is a general knowledge exam, which will be held in the room down the hall to your left. Once you've finished that, you'll move on to the practical exam. Good luck."
Felix takes the paper and nods, "Thank you." He heads down the hall to the testing room, his nerves growing with each step. He's studied hard for this, but he's still worried he won't do well enough. He finds the room and steps inside, seeing rows of desks with papers on them. He finds his desk and sits down, taking a moment to calm himself before starting the test.
The test covers a wide range of topics, from history and geography to math and science. Felix is confident in some areas, like magic and psionics, but struggles with others, like history and literature. He does his best, answering each question to the best of his ability. When he's finished, he hands in his paper and waits for the results.
After what feels like an eternity, the proctor calls his name. "Felix, you've passed the written exam. Your score was 78%." Felix breathes a sigh of relief, he passed, but barely. He's not sure if that's good enough to get into the academy, but he'll have to wait and see. The proctor continues, "Please proceed to the next part of the test, the practical exam. It will be held in the training grounds outside. Follow the signs and you'll find it."
Felix nods and follows the signs, his anxiety returning. The practical exam is where he'll have to do a lot better. He heads out to the training grounds and sees multiple stations for testing practical aptitude in several different power disciplines. Felix goes to the testing station for magic, where an older man in mage robes is waiting for him.
"Welcome, Felix. I'm Professor Alder, and I'll be evaluating your magic abilities. Please demonstrate channeling mana for me." The professor says.
Felix takes a deep breath while looking forward at the targets down the range. He's got to salvage his earlier performance. By 'channel mana' obviously they want him to cast a combat spell at the target, right? He casts the biggest fireball he can muster at one of the targets. The fireball flies through the air and hits the target with a loud explosion, leaving a scorch mark on it. The professor's eyes widen for a second before he regains his composure with a poker face. He writes something down before saying, "Alright, that will do for here."
Felix thanks the professor and walks away, wondering where to go next. He's not sure if he did well enough, but he hopes so. As he's looking around, he hears someone call his name. He turns to see a woman in robes at the psionics station waving him over. He walks over to her, a little confused.
"Hello, Felix. I'm Professor Eleanor, and I'll be evaluating your psionic abilities. Please demonstrate a psionic ability for me." She says.
Felix tilts his head, "Are you sure I have psionics? I don't think I've used it before." He's not even sure what psionics are, let alone how to use them.
Professor Eleanor smiles, "Being a psychic myself, I'm sure you're psionically awakened. Though it remains to be seen for me how far you've gone with it. Have you been able to do things by just thinking it? Did you have a moment before where you felt a heightened sense of awareness?" She asks.
Felix thinks back to when he first cast a spell, how he felt like something clicked into place and he could suddenly cast spells. He also remembers how he could feel his mana more clearly after that. He nods, "Yeah, I think so. It was back when I was trying to cast my first spell. I was having a lot of trouble with it, and it felt like a had a major headache. Though when I pushed through it the pain was gone, and it was like I had a whole new sense of awareness. Then it was like I could sense my own mana more precisely, and there was no separation anymore between thinking about moving my mana and it happening. I assumed it was some kind of magic breakthrough, but are you saying it was psionic?"
Professor Eleanor seems surprised, "That sounds like a psionic awakening to me, but using it to cast spells? I've never heard of someone doing that before. Though it's not impossible. Though let's get back to the task at hand, and let's see what you can do with psionics only. Try to focus your mind and will something to happen. It can be anything, big or small. You just need to show me what you're capable of." She says as she gestures towards a pile of rocks of varying sizes. "Try to lift a rock with your mind."
Felix takes a deep breath and focuses on the rocks. He's not sure how to do this, but he tries to will one of the larger rocks to move. It happens with surprising ease considering this is the first time he's tried using this specific technique as opposed to apparently using it to assist his spellcasting. He then notices the targets at the end of the range. Apparently all the stations have these targets, but if they're there, why not make it a part of what he's doing? He tries throwing the rock at one of the targets.
The rock flies through the air and hits the target with a loud thunk, cracking it in half. Professor Eleanor raises her eyebrows in surprise and makes another note. "Very impressive. I think that's all I need to see for now." She says. "Please proceed to the next station." Felix thanks her before moving on to the physical testing station.
At the physical testing station, there's a veteran warrior next to a wooden training dummy. He's tall and muscular, with a gruff look on his face. He greets Felix with a nod, "Name's Gregor. I'll be evaluating your physical abilities. Give the dummy one solid hit, show me what you've got."
Felix cracks his knuckles and walks up to the dummy. He takes a stance and punches it as hard as he can. The dummy shakes but otherwise seems unaffected. He's disappointed he couldn't do more than that. Gregor grunts, "You've got some power, but your form needs work. You're relying too much on brute force and not enough on technique. It's better than nothing, but it'll only get you so far." He makes a note on his paper, "That'll be all."
Felix sighs and walks away, feeling a little deflated. He knows he's not the strongest, but he thought he could at least do some damage. He's not sure how well he did overall, but he's hopeful it's enough to get into the academy.
A few days later, Felix receives a letter in the mail. He opens it with shaky hands, his heart racing. The letter reads, "Dear Felix, Congratulations! You have been accepted into the Adventurer's Academy. We hope you'll fully utilize our facilities and learn all you can during your time here. Sincerely, The Admissions Committee"
Felix grins widely, his tail swishing behind him excitedly. He did it! He's going to the Adventurer's Academy! He can't wait to start his training and become an adventurer. He tells his mom the good news, and she hugs him tightly, proud of his accomplishment. They celebrate with a special dinner and Felix goes to bed that night feeling on top of the world. He's finally on his way to achieving his dreams.
Felix stands at the gates of the Adventurer's Academy, his heart racing with excitement and nervousness. He's wearing a cloak with the academy symbol over his wizard robe. He places his hand over his robe's inner pocket again as he reassures himself. He's never been to a school this big before, and he's not sure what to expect. He takes a deep breath and heads inside, joining the other students who are also arriving.
The entrance ceremony is held in a grand hall, with rows of seats for the students and a stage at the front. Felix finds a seat near the back, not wanting to draw too much attention to himself. He looks around, seeing the other students. There are all kinds of people here, from different races and backgrounds. He even sees a few other beastkin.
The headmaster walks onto the stage, a tall, distinguished looking man with a long white beard. He's wearing a robe with intricate designs on it, and he carries a staff that looks to be made of polished bone. He looks out at the students and smiles, "Welcome, new students, to the Adventurer's Academy. I am Headmaster Merlin, and I am thrilled to have you all here. Over the next few years, you will learn and grow, honing your skills and becoming the adventurers you were meant to be. I encourage you to take advantage of all the opportunities this academy has to offer, and to push yourselves to be the best you can be. Now, let us begin the ceremony."
The headmaster steps aside and a younger man with a serious expression steps forward. He introduces himself as Professor Aldric, the head of the magic department. "Before we proceed, I would like to address a few things from the entrance exams. Firstly, 'channeling mana' does not mean casting your most powerful combat spell. It simply means demonstrating your ability to control and manipulate mana. Secondly, the targets at the testing stations are not always there for you to attack. They should only be attacked if you're specifically instructed to. That said, there were a few students who stood out among the rest. Felix, for his impressive display of magic and psionics. Grog, for his incredible strength and wilder abilities. Bia of the Silver Claw clan, for his advanced qi cultivation. Marsha, for her potent faith and divine magic. Lastly Stan, for his skill in alchemy. We will be watching these students more carefully and offering them more tailored guidance to help their growth. Congratulations to them, and to all of you for making it this far. Now, let's move on to the rest of the ceremony."
Felix is surprised to hear his name called out. He didn't think he did that well on the exams, but apparently he made an impression. He feels a mix of pride and nervousness. Being singled out like that means he'll have more attention on him, which could be good or bad. He tries to push those thoughts aside and focuses on the rest of the ceremony.
After the ceremony, Felix goes home and check his class schedule while preparing for his first day of classes. He sees he has a magic class first, then a combat class, general education class, and then psionics is last for the day. Sounds like a lot, but he's more than up for the challenge.
Nya sits at her desk in the empty classroom, her hands shaking as she goes over her lesson plan for the umpteenth time. She's nervous, this is her first time teaching a class and she wants everything to be perfect. Her desk is cluttered with papers and books, with notes scribbled all over them. The class it tomorrow, and she's willing to pull an all nighter. Yet she knows if she did that then she'd actually be less prepared for her first class compared if she properly rests after doing all she can during this time she has. So she's also trying to make sure she has enough time to rest.
She picks up a stack of papers with student profiles on them and starts going through them, trying to memorize each student's name, background, and abilities. It's a daunting task, but she wants to be able to address each student by name and know how to help them individually.
She picks up the next paper and stops, her eyes widening as she starts reading. Knowing before she's read it all that there's something here her subconscious has flagged with warning bells. This student, Felix, is a beastkin with a very rare coloration. Bright orange fur and hair without gradients or imperfections. That's unusual for her as a beastkin, but not even why he's unusual as a student. He's also very skilled in both magic and psionics. Further than that there's notes from both the magic and psionics examiners. The magic examiner said he cast a fireball without chants or gestures, and the psionics examiner said he's been using psionics to cast his spells without realizing it.
Nya can't believe what she's reading. A student who can cast spells without incantations and uses psionics to do it? She's never heard of such a thing. This isn't just an advanced student. She's not even sure what to call this. She's both excited and nervous to have him in her class. She's excited to see what he's like and what he can do, but she's also worried about how she can teach him if he doesn't use normal casting methods. She was nervous enough about teaching normal students. She can't even imagine how she's supposed to help a student as unusual as this Felix. She sighs and puts the paper down, she'll just have to do her best. She'll just have to adapt her teaching methods as needed for this student.
Nya continues to go through the rest of the student profiles, but her mind keeps going back to Felix. She wonders what he's like, if he's arrogant or humble, if he's outgoing or shy. She knows that she'll have to pay extra attention to him, make sure he's not left behind or held back because of his unique abilities. She'll have to talk to him privately, get to know him, and figure out the best way to help him grow. She makes a note to herself to talk to him after class on the first day.
Felix wakes up early on his first day of classes, his heart racing with anticipation. He gets out of bed and stretches, feeling the cool morning air on his skin. He can't believe he's actually going to the Adventurer's Academy, it still feels like a dream. He gets dressed in his wizard robe before putting the academy cloak over it. He takes a moment to admire himself in the mirror, feeling a sense of pride. He's finally on his way to achieving his goals.
He heads downstairs to the kitchen, where his mom is already making breakfast. She smiles when she sees him, "Good morning, sweetie. Are you excited for your first day?"
Felix grins, "Yeah, I'm really excited. I can't wait to start learning more about magic."
Melina chuckles, "I can tell. Your tail is practically bouncing off the walls." She hands him a plate of eggs and toast, "Eat up, you'll need the energy."
Felix nods and sits down, digging into his breakfast. He's too excited to eat slowly, and finishes in record time. He thanks his mom for breakfast and gives her a quick hug before heading out the door.
He jogs to the academy, his mind racing with thoughts of what his first class will be like. He wonders what kind of spells they'll learn, and if he'll be able to keep up. Actually hoping for it to be a challenge. He arrives at the classroom and sees that he's the first one there. He sits down in the front row, his tail swishing behind him with excitement. He can't wait for class to start.
The other students start to file in, and Felix watches them curiously. He sees a mix of races, including humans, elves, gnomes, a couple dwarves, though no other beastkin. Which is actually kind of good, because they'd probably pick a fight with him anyway. He wonders how they'll all get along and if he'll make any friends. He's not used to being around so many different people, but he's open to the experience.
The professor walks in, a cat beastkin woman with a curvy figure. She's wearing a sorceress dress that shows off her figure without being too revealing. She has long brown hair and a pair of glasses perched on her nose. She holds a large stack of books, notebooks, and papers as she struggles to carry them all. Wobbly in her stance as she makes it to the desk and sits it all down like she might have collapsed if she tried to carry them any longer. She looks around at the students while still trying to catch her breath with her eyes nervous and unfocused, "G-good morning, everyone. I'm P-professor Nya, and I'll be your magic instructor this semester. I hope you're all ready to learn a lot and work hard." She barely says it above a whisper. Her voice shakes a little, but she seems determined. A student speaks up from the back, "What was that?! I couldn't hear you!"
Nya's ears droop a little and she takes a breath, trying to steady her nerves. She speaks up a little louder but still no loud enough and very nervous, "I s-said, good morning. I-I'm Professor Nya. I'll be t-teaching you magic this s-semester. I hope you're all ready to learn."
Felix can tell that Nya is nervous, but he doesn't mind. Though the first thing that sticks out to him as that she hasn't glared daggers at him yet or otherwise acted hostile towards him. He thought practically all other beastkin were clan beastkin who have it out for him. Maybe she's just too nervous to do that? Regardless, it's actually nice not being hated by a fellow cat beastkin for once. He's excited to learn from her, and he's determined to do his best.
Felix sits in the front row, his ears perked up and his tail swishing behind him with excitement. He's ready to learn some new spells and expand his magical knowledge. Professor Nya starts the class by going over the basics of magic, which Felix finds a little disappointing since he already knows it. He tries to stay engaged and listen attentively, but he can't help but feel a little bored. He hopes they'll get to the more advanced stuff soon. Though he knows this is normal for the start of the class, and he just needs to be a little patient for the good stuff.
As the class progresses, Nya moves on to teaching the students some simple spells. She emphasizes the importance of proper pronunciation and gestures, and how they can affect the outcome of the spell. She explains that even the slightest mistake can cause the spell to fail or have unintended consequences. This part makes Felix sink into his seat as he knows he hasn't been using chants or gestures. His ears flatten a bit and his tail droops.
Nya notices Felix's reaction and feels a pang of sympathy for him. She knows from his student profile that he doesn't use chants or gestures, and she wonders how that must feel for him to hear her talk about something he doesn't do. She wishes she could help him, but she knows she can't change the curriculum around one student. Even if Felix doesn't need chants himself, understanding conventional spellcasting is still important. Though she'll have to figure out what he actually needed from her.
After the lecture, Nya moves on to practical demonstrations. She moves to demonstrate herself first. Wanting to set a good example and show the students how it's done. She starts off with a simple light spell. She recites the incantation clearly and makes the appropriate gestures. A small ball of light appears in her hand, illuminating the room. She even demonstrates being able to change the light into different shapes besides just and orb, and change the color of the light. She then moves on to a more complex spell, creating a small shield in front of her. She explains the different layers of the shield and how they work together to protect the caster. She then disperses the shield and the class claps at her demonstration. They don't seem to notice that she's especially efficient with her mana use, and has very delicate control over her spells. Even if it's just because they don't know what that looks like yet. However, Felix can tell, and is impressed with her display.
Nya then calls on Felix to demonstrate a spell, hoping to lift his spirits and engage him in the class. She also wants to see his unique casting method for herself. Reading about it in a file is one thing, but actually seeing it in person will hopefully shed some light on it. Felix stands up and walks to the front of the class, feeling a little nervous but also excited. He takes a deep breath and focuses on his mana. He decides to demonstrate his favorite and first spell ever cast, fireball. He silently wills the spell into existence as the fireball appears in his hand with no fanfare or anything. Then he starts to juggle it one handed before adding two more fireballs and one handed juggling all three. All without straining his focus or concentration as he obviously has fun doing it.
The other students gasp in amazement at his display, never having seen anything like it before. Nya is equally impressed, her eyes wide as she watches Felix juggle the fireballs with ease. She can see the raw power and control he has over his magic, and it's truly remarkable. Though she also worries about how seeing magic through this lens will affect his understand and interactions with magic. Especially the way he casually does this as a new student like it's normal. Though she doesn't want to confront him about her concerns right now, and wants to give positive reinforcement for engaging with the lesson, "That's wonderful, Felix. It's impressive you can control multiple instances of a spell so freely. Please take your seat."
Felix takes his seat and the class continues with more demonstrations and practice. Felix now know that her not being hostile with him at the start of class wasn't a fluke. She's actually being nice to him. He thought all other beastkin were clan beastkin who hated him, but she's somehow different. As he looks at her now, he wouldn't say so out loud, but he's starting to think she's cute. It's also the first time it's seemed possible for him to actually get along with one of his own kind.
After Felix's demonstration, Nya continues the class more normally, but Nya continues to stammer when she speaks and some of her mannerisms as she stares while trying to gauge their reactions isn't being met with the kind of reception Nya was hoping for. She's even more nervous by the end of class than when she started. It only gets worse when she asks Felix to stay after class.
Felix waits until the rest of the class has left before approaching Professor Nya's desk. He's eager to talk to her about his spellcasting and see what she thinks. He clears his throat to get her attention, "Excuse me, Professor Nya? Can I ask you something?"
Nya looks up from her papers and smiles, "Of course, Felix. What's on your mind?" She's still a little nervous, but she's glad he's taking the initiative to talk to her.
Felix rubs the back of his neck, "I was just wondering about your reaction to my spellcasting. You seemed surprised by it, and I wanted to know what you thought." He's curious to know if she thinks it's weird or if she has any advice for him. He doesn't think it's that different from normal spellcasting, but he's not the expert here.
While he's waiting for her answer, a voice he was ignoring behind him gets more persistent. "Excuse me? Excuse me! You! Felix was it?!" Felix looks over his shoulder to see a petite gnome girl standing there with her hands on her hips. "I've been trying to get your attention! How did you cast those fireballs without chants or gestures?" She looks up at him with a determined expression, her short blonde hair framing her face.
Felix looks back at Nya, "Uh, I don't know. I just focus my mana and will the spell to happen. It's easier that way." He's not sure how to explain it, it just feels natural to him.
This answer clearly doesn't satisfy the gnome girl, "That's not how magic is supposed to work! It can't just happen that way because you 'want it to', and that's it! There's got to be some underlying technique to it!" She's not trying to be rude, but she's clearly frustrated. She's been studying magic for years and has never heard of anyone casting spells like that. It goes against everything she's been taught.
Nya decides to intervene before the conversation gets too heated. "Now, now, let's all calm down. Magic can be a mysterious thing, and everyone has their own way of doing it." She looks at Felix, "But, I am curious about how you're able to cast spells without chants or gestures. It's not something I've seen before. Can you show me how you do it again, but this time with chants and gestures?"
Felix nods, "Sure, I can do that, but it's harder that way." He holds out his hand and starts to chant, his other hand moving in the appropriate gestures. "Ignis globus." A fireball appears in his hand, but it's smaller and less stable than before. He can feel the difference, it's like he's trying to force the magic to happen instead of letting it flow naturally. He dismisses the fireball and looks at Nya, "See? It's not as good."
Nya frowns, not sure what to make of this. It's clear that Felix's method works better for him, but she's not sure if it's a good idea to encourage it. She's worried it might hold him back in the long run, or cause other problems. She decides to postpone this conversation for now, "Thank you, Felix. I'll need some time to think about this. Why don't we talk more about it later? Right now, I need to talk to the other students." She gestures to the small group of students waiting to talk to her. She didn't realize they were there until now, she was too focused on her conversation with Felix.
Felix nods and walks away, feeling a little disappointed. He wanted to talk more about his spellcasting, but he understands that the professor has other things to do. He'll just have to wait until later. He makes his way to his next class, wondering what the rest of the day will bring.