Bright Sail Academy was known for three things: the beautiful town in which it resided, which also happened to be its namesake; the quality of the students they produced, and their extremely difficult entry exams. Sen was absolutely delighted that he’d get to experience what that looked like.

  “Master, are you sure that was wise? Three trials is a bit much. What if they aren’t compatible with one another, or you’re forced to use a technique that reveals your real power?” Mori asked. It wasn’t often he questioned one of Sen’s decisions, but his concerns were valid.

  “The most important thing is that we have fun, Mori. We’ll figure the rest out later.

  [The most important part is passing, actually.]

  Only students and faculty were allowed to enter the main building, so the entrance exam took place in a separate location designed specifically for this purpose. Since Sen had been the last to sign up officially, his test would take place after all the other students finished up with their makeup exams.

  The testing room was large, and though they typically rearranged it for each of the individual trials, they’d already organized it for Sen’s special test. The other students weren’t allowed to watch, but there was plenty of faculty in the room. Each of the three entrance exams had special examiners who specialized in that particular trial. Since Sen was taking all three at once, all nine instructors, three from each of the trials, were present.

  He’d need a passing grade from at least two in each category to gain admittance into the academy.

  The trial grounds were split into three parts today. On one end of the room, there was a long table made of obsidian; several stone tablets rested on it and a variety of essences. He saw spheres of red, gold, black, green, blue, and just about every other color he could think of. There was spare paper, pens, and numerous other resources to help him gather his thoughts or take notes. That would make up the first trial.

  The middle of the room had a wall that separated the first and third trial grounds. He guessed that the blue wall that divided the room in half was the second trial. Though Sen couldn’t see exactly what the test entailed, he had a few guesses. The last trial on the far end of the room was devoid of any furniture or resources. Unlike the previous two, that one was obvious. A large, humanoid, minotaur-like creature waited there. It would be a trial of combat. He’d need to prove he could handle himself. Satisfied that he’d taken in the room, he turned to the instructors and nodded his consent to begin.

  Professor Callabari sat with the other professors. Another professor left the viewing platform that stood over the room to join him. She was younger than the other professors. She had orange hair and approached quickly. “Hello, Sen, we’re very excited to see what you have for us today. I’m Professor Ladia, and I’ll walk you through the trials very briefly. Then you’ll be able to begin. The rules normally allow twenty minutes to complete one trial, but since you’ve opted to do all three trials in one period, you’ll have twenty minutes to complete them all. If at any point you feel uneasy, weakened, or like you can’t go forward, raise a hand and let us know immediately. Your health is our biggest priority, and you can always apply next year, okay?”

  Sen nodded. “That won’t be necessary, but thank you. How does this first trial work?” he asked. He didn’t need the full spiel. He wanted the rules, and he wanted to begin. Sen wasn’t looking to learn the history behind the trial or some feel-good platitudes. He wanted to see how much of a challenge he might find at the academy, and the entrance exam would be an indicator of sorts.

  Ladia seemed surprised at his eagerness, but nodded. “Well, this trial tests your ability to learn new spells. Each of these stone tablets has a spell that is required for graduation from the academy. Some are simpler, and others are more advanced. We’ve organized them from the simplest to the most complicated. Good scorers often pick something from the middle, and in your case, I might even settle for below that. Twenty minutes is very little time for this test, let alone the others.”

  Sen nodded. He would need to learn and demonstrate a skill to their satisfaction. Trial one would be fun.

  She pointed to the line dividing the room. “That is a mana test. You’ll need to display your control over your mana. Some kind of puzzle or test will appear on the wall at random. You’ll need to solve that puzzle and get to the other side as quickly as possible.”

  “Finally, the third trial requires you to subdue, maim, or kill the creature on the other side. It’s non-intelligent; if you have qualms about that, and we’ve magically suppressed pain receptors to ensure it doesn’t suffer too much. Furthermore, the creature will be released onto an island afterwards; we get new ones for each trial period. Some of our students value the good treatment of all life, including magic beasts, and we’ve gone to great lengths to ensure their happiness.”

  Learn a spell, control my mana, kill the monster.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Sen nodded. “When can I begin?” he asked.

  She smiled. “You can take a few moments to warm up if you’d like. Otherwise, just wait until I’ve returned to my chair, and you’ll be free to begin at any time. Your time will start as soon as you approach the table and begin viewing the stone tablets. We’ll give a signal if you want to keep track yourself, and you can ask us at any time if you want to know how much time is left.”

  “I understand. Thank you.” He turned his attention to Tutor. “Keep an eye on the time for me. Let me know if it gets low.”

  [Are you really worried about that?]

  Sen smiled.

  He waited only a second after Professor Ladia took her seat to approach the large, long table and begin viewing the spells. He was curious about something. Sen saw a mid-tier spell he recognized and held his hand over it. The inscription flashed red.

  [It appears you cannot use a spell you’re already familiar with.]

  Sen suspected as much, but he wondered how the tablet knew what spells he knew. Perhaps it was some sort of resonance effect. If you knew the spell, the tablet could sense the resonance within your soul. That wasn’t unheard of.

  [Master, is now really the time to figure out how the tablet works? Nineteen minutes and forty-seven seconds left.]

  Sen cracked a smile and looked down the list. He took his time, reading through the different tablets containing spells he didn’t know. There were two minor spells, four mediums, and three major spells that were unknown to him, including the last and most difficult tablet. Sure, he only needed to learn one, but he’d prefer to gather as much knowledge as he could.

  Having scanned those, he turned to inspect the wall in the center of the room.

  Professor Ladia

  “Hm, he’s skipping the first trial?” she asked.

  Professor Callabari laughed. “He’s realized he’s in over his head. Maybe he hopes if he can at least finish the second trial we’ll have mercy and pass him.”

  On her other side, one examiner for the third trial frowned. Professor Crosp was an old man with a well-trimmed beard. He stroked it thoughtfully. “As soon as that wall comes down, he’ll have to fight. If he’s not ready to take on the creature, he’ll be at a disadvantage. We may need to intervene.”

  Ladia shot him a look of concern. “Should we warn him?”

  “We can’t help once the trial begins,” Calabari reminded them.

  Ladia bit her lip.

  Sen held up a hand, and the puzzle appeared in front of him. A complex maze that filled the entire space. Her heart sank for him. The wall was supposed to be random, but this was by far the hardest of its puzzles. She looked over at Professor Callabari and noticed the smug grin on his face. He’d tampered with the trial. He’d made it intentionally harder than it was supposed to be. She looked at the tablets, wondering if he’d altered those as well, but it was impossible to see from here. It was unfortunate, but this had always been a long shot for the applicant. Three trials at once was too much. There were professors who wouldn’t be able to pull this off.

  Sen looked up. “Are there limitations to how I can solve this?” he asked.

  She looked to her left, past Calabari. Professor Sikar waved a brown hand. “Solve it; it matters not how. “

  Sen nodded. He whispered something and pressed his hand into the designated space. His mana infused within the maze, and he slowly worked to solve the puzzle. As he did so, he turned and looked back over his shoulder at the tablets. The monster in front of him roused. It sensed the divider between them being worked on. It would pounce at the very moment Sen unleashed it. But he was too busy looking at the tablets, and to her surprise, he was already making progress on the maze. He hadn’t gone far, but he was moving. That was impressive; maybe he had a reason for his confidence.

  “Okay, I think that’s it,” Sen said.

  Ladia stood up to get a better look. He wasn’t even close to finishing the puzzle yet.

  A split second later, his mana zoomed through the labyrinth and reached the end in record time. She didn’t know what the record was, but she knew most people who got this puzzle rarely had time to spare. As soon as the wall exploded, shattering into a thousand blue shards, the monster leapt forward. Sen looked over his shoulder again and nodded. He held a hand up.

  “Carrion Scent. Shallow Breath. Shatter Vine. Prolific Mist. Fiery Roar. Ink Blessing. Heavenly Grapple. Kingly Fire. Ascension of the Moon,” Sen said.

  The beast readied itself to jump at Sen when it suddenly clutched at its own throat. Its breathing was more difficult, and its nostrils wrinkled at the stench of decay. Vines emerged from the ground and started whipping it, shattering into smaller vines which continued striking it as well until a wriggling mass of tiny vines attacked from the ground and the creature’s own skin. Mist covered the air, and roars came from nowhere and everywhere at once. The creature was forced to choose between covering its nose and its ears. It opted for one of each. Ink formed in a puddle beneath the creature; it climbed up the minotaurs limbs, covering its skin in a deep void black, as well as the vines still attacking it. Large hands of golden light shot out from portals all around and gripped the minotaur, holding it in place. A moon formed just in front of the creature and slowly rose to the ceiling. The creature’s eyes followed it, as if transfixed by the apparition. Nine spells. Sen had memorized nine spells and used them all in combat in an instant.

  The moon turned red, and each of the previous spells did as well, affected by it. The creature's ink-black skin was now blood red, and golden red hands retracted back into their portals, taking the minotaur’s limbs with them. It exploded into a mist of gore and ash.

  Sen looked a bit surprised. He quickly muttered something, and the minotaur reappeared. He looked up at the faculty. “Sorry, I didn’t want to rob him of his island vacation. I assure you I did kill it, though.”

  Professor Ladia was the first to find her voice. She looked down at the time remaining. Nineteen minutes and five seconds.

  This boy had completed three trials at once, in fifty-five seconds. She had a feeling he could’ve done it faster. He’d passed; he’d made a ridiculous wager with Professor Calabari, and he’d passed. Sen wasn’t just a promising student. He was…this was something she’d never seen before.

  She risked a glance at Calabari’s face.

  His expression was one of unbridled rage.