“I’m glad to see everyone present this final day. I know you are all excited, maybe a little nervous. The upcoming evaluation is stressful, and you all are worried about it; I get it. The results can decide what the rest of your life will look like. Some of you might end up with a high score and go on to become incredible mages.” The old teacher was standing in front of his students.
It was the last day. He didn’t know what the future would hold for these young adults, but he felt proud of everything they had achieved so far.
“That being said, even if your scores won’t be high, you don’t need to despair. I know all of you will do well in life.” He tried to calm his students down. He knew full well that all of them were worried about what would happen next.
“We still have a little time. So how about a quick quiz?” His question was met with several groans from the students. Nobody really wants to bother with this.
“Okay, first question. What does magic evaluation really test?” He asked. Nobody raised a hand, nobody even looked at his directions.
“Luna? How about you?” His question was aimed at the girl in the back.
Luna was sitting next to the window. For the whole time, she was just looking out, watching the wind blow the naked branches of the nearby trees. It was winter, almost time for the new year.
Luna didn’t bother to even move her head. She just turned her dark blue eyes towards the teacher.
“The current evaluation procedure tests the accumulated magical energies in one’s body, as well as the possible output of said energy. Then these people’s abilities will be evaluated on a scale from 1 to 100. Theoretically, one hundred would be the best, but it has never been achieved yet. It is also a very flawed method that doesn’t actually show one’s ability properly, only their basic capabilities to cast magic.” She explained it in detail.
“Very good. You mentioned it is a flawed method. Then why are we using this?” He asked back, like he didn’t know the answer already. Luna rolled her eyes; she just wanted this whole charade to be over with.
“Currently, there isn’t a better method to fully test one’s ability. There is the Myriam method, which has four criteria. Capacity, output, speed, and control. While this method paints a much better picture, it has some issues.” Despite her still not caring, she is giving a very detailed answer.
“One, it is expensive and takes a long time to perform. Each year there are tens of thousands of young adults go through these examinations, just in this city alone. Most which won’t even be able to score above 30%.” The atmosphere in the room turned dark.
Most students knew what it meant. 30% was the absolute minimum for somebody to get an education in magic. Even then, it will be only for magic-related jobs, such as alchemy or rune crafting. Although these jobs paid quite well and those who became proficient in them would likely live comfortably, most people aimed much higher.
“Based on this, it would be a waste of resources to perform that kind of test. The second, even bigger issue that we can’t. The Myriam method requires one to already be able to cast magic. Something we can’t do yet. Before turning 18 and performing our first evaluation, we are forbidden to even attempt to learn magic. So this method would be impossible to do. “It almost felt like she was reading it from a textbook.
“Yes, you are correct again. Until you turn 18, your energy core is in constant growth and change. Because of that, trying to unlock your energy core before then could cause irreversible damage. Hence, they made it strictly forbidden to do that.” He explained the rest, although everyone in the room was already aware of this.
Luna stopped paying attention to him. She didn’t care. In fact, she didn’t even want to be here. The only reason she was sitting in her usual chair was that she had no choice. Attending the evaluation was mandatory. It was the law.
Although the country of Taimbal was enjoying a time of peace, it still needed a constant supply of powerful mages who would bolster its strength. Not just to protect themselves from outside threats, but to protect themselves from the beings in the wild.
For thousands of years, humanity lived behind walled-off cities. That was the only way they could survive. Outside the massive walls, beasts, monsters, and demons prowled the endless wildlands. Only those who could wield the power of magic could ever fight against these beings. The existence of mages, therefore, was essential for every country and every city.
All this still didn’t matter for Luna. She already knew the results of this. Unless others in the room, she had no hope of getting a high score on the evaluation. She will be the shame of her family. She already knew that.
Soon the time arrived. Everyone stood up and got in line. Luna waited until everyone was done, then she joined the back of the line. She reached back on her head, fixing her long black hair that was held in a ponytail.
They all started walking. The teacher led them to the place where the evaluation would be held. It was set up to be held in another classroom. The students lined up in front of the door and entered one by one.
Each time somebody left the room, it was easy to tell how it went. Most looked disappointed. No wonder. Even just reaching the 30% mark was rare. One in every 5 would be able to get there. Higher scores were even rarer.
Those who at least manage to get a 30 would look relieved, even happy about it. Their future looked a little brighter.
Soon, the line was getting shorter and shorter, until it was Luna’s turn. By now, all her classmates have finished.
What a pain! She sighed
The girl stepped inside the room. There were two older men sitting at a desk. Both greeted her and invited her closer.
“Luna Danber, correct?” One of them asked. Luna nodded
“Let’s get this over with quick.” She didn’t seem nervous or enthusiastic like the rest of the students. This attitude clearly surprised the two older gentlemen.
“You are from the Danber group, right? I assume you already went through preliminary evaluations, right?” One of them asked.
In the magic world, mages often formed groups together to achieve their goals. These were organizations that gathered both mages and ordinary civilians. They often possess both military might and economic power. Depending on the size and power of one of these groups, they could hold significant influence in a city or even the country itself.
Such an organization was the Danber group, too. Like many others, they were led by one prominent family, and the title of the head of the group was inherited within the family.
To these families and groups, having a bloodline of strong mages was the most important thing. Those who couldn’t use magic were considered less than trash. They were treated badly and often abandoned.
Such was the fate of Luna as well. Her family was one of the strongest in Gahfar, the city where they lived. In these families, it was not rare to test their children’s ability before they turned 18. While it was not recommended, as the values kept changing and didn’t provide an accurate picture, they still did it to see their future potential.
“That is correct. I’ve gone through testing each year since I turned 10.” She answered them honestly. The two old men looked at each other. Considering her attitude, they can guess her numbers weren’t that good.
They would be right. Even last year, Luna’s score didn’t even reach the 30% mark. She went through hell during the last 5 years. She was the black sheep of the family. The one who will never amount to anything. She was cast aside, ostracized, and bullied.
Today it all ends. After the official score is announced, she will be disowned. She will be left alone, forgotten.
“Please, put your hand on the crystal.” The man motioned towards the large white crystal sitting on a pedestal next to them.
Luna already knew the process. She had done it multiple times by now. She stepped over and placed her hand on the crystal. A low humming noise filled the room; the crystal itself was emitting a faint glow.
Both men leaned towards it and started observing. After just a couple of seconds, their eyes opened wide.
“Incredible!” One shouted and stood up from his chair. Luna couldn’t understand what was going on. Even if some miracle happened, she would just barely pass the 30% mark.
“Capacity 90, Output 98… that is an overall 94 for total.” Said the second one.
“What? That can’t be real! Is this thing broken?” Luna couldn’t believe what she just heard. It must be a lie; it must be something wrong with the crystal. She pulled her hand away from it, as if it were on fire.
“It is not. The crystal functions correctly. Your final score is 94. Congratulations! I’m sure your family will be proud.” One of them confirmed. Luna was speechless. She just couldn’t accept it.
“I assume you will be attending the Danber groups academy, right? They will be lucky to have somebody with such talent.” He laughed.
It was common for larger groups to open their own academies. They used this not just to ensure that future generations of their family would receive the best possible magic education, but also as a powerful recruiting tool outside the family. Those who attend a group’s academy are most likely to stay and serve that group. It was a great way to gather those without any prior affiliation.
“Yeah, I guess.” That was all the answer Luna could muster. Countless thoughts were swirling in her head.
“If we are done here, I’ll take my leave.” She said and walked towards the door. The two mages didn’t quite understand her reaction. With this kind of score, everyone would celebrate.
Not her, though. She wasn’t happy. She wasn’t sad either. She was angry.
Luna walked home; she didn’t talk with any of her classmates or share her score with them. She completely blacked out. She didn’t even notice she had arrived home until she was opening the door. It was as if she were walking on autopilot.
It was a small apartment. One that her family rented for her while she attended school. She took a deep breath. In and out. With both hands, she grabbed the edge of the table and flipped it over.
“Fuck this shit!” She screamed as everything on the table crashed onto the floor. Dirty plates and glasses shattered as they hit the ground.
“Fuck, fuck fuck!” She was out of control. She kicked the wooden chair, shattering its backrest.
Her anger was not without reason. Since her family realized that Luna’s score would likely be low, they completely abandoned her. She was treated like garbage, bullied, and laughed at. Her life was a living hell for the past 5 years. For the last 2 years, her family rented this tiny apartment for her. She wasn’t even allowed to go home anymore.
Luna grabbed the cabinet next and pushed it over. The glass inside its door, as well as its contents, broke into a million pieces before scattering all over the floor.
Now everything was different. Now she could go home, proudly, with her head held high. She would be treated like royalty. Even among all the current living members of her family, she had the highest aptitude score.
Yet she didn’t want to. She didn’t want to return; she didn’t want to see their faces as they tried their best to pretend the last 5 years hadn’t even happened.
After ten minutes of absolute rage, Luna calmed down. She was sitting on the floor, surrounded by the broken remains of her home. She didn’t care. She won’t return here; she won’t return to the mansion. She already had a plan in mind.
A plan that will be the biggest middle finger to her family. This time, she will be the one who abandons them.