Before entering the arena, there is a large room to check in for training, gather with your squad to go over the plans for the day, hold various meetings, etc.
In today's case, the room is being used as the site for the Welcoming Ceremony for our next generation of Sorcerer Soldiers. The ornate room has been filled with cushioned red velvet chairs, and a stage has been built at the very front of the room.
As our group enters, there are two Sorcerer Soldiers directing everyone inside and telling them where to sit.
Atlas, Aurora, and Matsu are the last of the group to enter, and the two Sorcerer Soldiers look at them with a warm smile.
The first is Adrien - who you may remember as the charming Vice Captain of the Grey Foxes squad.
The second is a mage Atlas recognizes as Lia Tabris - one of the Sorcerer Soldiers who was previously on guard duty when everyone else was asleep. The smoking hot one, remember?
"Ah, my dear friends!" Adrien coos, patting Atlas and Aurora on the head. "Are you excited for the ceremony?"
Aurora nods with a smile. "Yes. A bit nervous, however…"
"Nothing to be nervous about." Lia insists. "It is something everyone goes through?"
Atlas looks at her with hearts in his eyes. "Hi! I know you don't know me but my name is-"
"You're fifteen years old." Lia cuts him off with a blank stare. Atlas sighs.
"Where do we sit?" Matsu asks, appearing from behind Atlas and Aurora.
Adrien quizzically looks at him. "You…ah, you must be…Matsu! These two's little brother?"
Aurora breathes a sigh of relief, her earlier spell having gone off without a hitch…
"I know, I know," Aurora sighs. She sets down her hairbrush and turns to her brother. "I may have a solution."
Atlas opens his eyes and raises a brow. "Oh?"
Aurora walks over to her bedside table, grabbing her book of souls. "I think I have a friend who can help us out."
Atlas smirks. "Oh really? Little Miss Priss using magic to hurt the innocent? I never thought I'd see the day!"
Aurora glares at Atlas, throwing her book at him. "Hey I never said I was going to hurt Zora! I'm just going to...change something. That'll help him 'remember' Matsu."
Atlas laughs, throwing the book back at her (to which she catches it with ease). "Well sis, let's see what you can do!"
You see, Aurora's spell didn't just affect the memories of Zora. She had to mess with everyone's memories, and plant the picture of Matsu always existing as Atlas and Aurora's little brother in their minds. If even one person got suspicious, it'd cause the spell to weaken and eventually break, with everyone realizing that the Edelias twins have always been twins, not triplets. To avoid that, Aurora painstakingly had to rearrange the memories of everyone they've come into contact with since this journey to the Ace Kingdom, including Adrien.
Matsu nods. "Yes it is I, Lord Matsu Edelias…"
Adrien smiles. "Nice! I love the eye covering little man, quite the fashion statement!"
Lia hits him on the shoulder. "It is not a fashion statement you dolt!"
Adrien raises a brow, looking back and forth between Lia and Matsu, before his eyes widen as he realizes. "Oh! Gah, I am so sorry!"
Matsu shrugs. "It is no problem. Now, where do we sit?"
Lia sighs, handing the three siblings a slip of paper. "Row 3. You may sit with your fellow nobles."
Aurora smirks. "Perfect. I was hoping we didn't have to sit with any-"
Atlas stomps on her foot. "Thank you very much! We will be on your way now."
Aurora glares at Atlas but follows him to row 3, Matsu trailing behind them.
They take their seat, and look around. They notice that there little group has been separated - with Pollo, Joel, Sherry, Glynis, Admetus, Aim, Ru, and Jasper all scattered across the room.
"There goes our friends," Atlas sighs, uncomfortably shifting around in his chair.
"Friends?" Aurora raises a brow. "We barely know them."
"Yeah, but we were comfortable around them, y'know?" He explains. "Now we have to get used to a whole nother' group of people…"
As the two converse, Matsu's eyebrows raise as he hears sniffing beside him. He slowly turns his head and senses a very interesting magical energy behind him.
"Hello." He says.
"GRRRR!" Was the responde he received. Matsu was able to pick up that he was sensing a female energy, about the same age as Atlas and Aurora. And…
"You are from the Diamond Kingdom." He surmised. "I can sense their…experimental energy radiating from you!"
"Grrr…" He heard again.
Matsu thought for a moment. Why isn't this girl speaking back to him?
If she's from the Diamond Kingdom…
And was experimented on…
Then…
"She can not speak."
Matsu quickly senses a new presence - a male energy sitting next to the girl. He appears to be from the…Ace Kingdom.
"Ah, I see." Matsu nods. "Do you know her?"
"No." The male replies. "Bear with me a moment. I must see something."
The boy in questions, reaches up to his eyes. "Vision Magic: Gift of Sight." A white light shines from his hands and shoots torwards his eyes. He slowly blinks, and smiles as he focuses in on Matsu.
"Ah, I thought so. You are also blessed with the gift of sight." He says.
Matsu tilts his head. "I am blind."
The boy nods. "As am I. Which means we see things others cannot. The gift of sight. How to read magical auras, magical histories…we can even tell one's alignment of good or evil."
"I see." Matsu says. "How do you know I am blind?"
"My spell. The Gift of Sight…it temporarily awakens all of my senses, including my physical vision as I like to call it. It does not last long, however. And I prefer it that way anyway. I enjoy the world of shadows rather than seeing the ugliness that sometimes lies in front of me."
Matsu puts a hand on his chin. "So you prefer being blind?"
The boy nods. "Yes. I find it vastly improves my battle ability and helps me to succeed in a way others can not. Some may see it as a curse - but I see it as a blessing."
"Interesting…" Matsu slowly nods. "I do not know if I agree with you. Maybe it's because I don't have the ability to temporarily see as you do. But I suppose I have no choice in that matter. Regardless, I like you. What is your name?"
"I can see your point. My name is Cray Chroniculus. I hail from the Ace Kingdom. And the girl in question you are speaking to - her name is Lumine. I have been trying to keep her out of trouble since I met her. It seems no one else wants to. I even managed to get her to sit in the noble section despite her peasant status just so she wouldn't make any trouble for the others." Cray explains.
Cray Chroniculus is a name anyone should recognize - as he is apart of the Noble House Chroniculus - a line of swordsmen and swordswomen that traces back centuries. They are known for their limited use of magic - and reliance on the sword.
Cray in particular has been undergoing sword fight training since the age of 3 - and has certainly made a name for himself, especially due to his blindness.
He is unlike many nobles, and some even forget his noble status due to his humble nature. However, his power makes it clear that he is worthy of his social standing in the Ace Kingdom…
Although Matsu can't see him, we can! Cray is a dark skinned young man with long black hair, reaching about his mid back. His eyes are a very pale blue, and light up dark blue when he uses his Gift of Sight spell. He is rather tall and has a toned body from his swordfight training.
He wears battle armor - a steel breastplate with matching gauntlets. He wears black pants and silver metallic boots. His sword is always at his side, covered by a fancy bronze sheath.
At the mention of her name, Lumine pipes up and whimpers - assuming Cray is talking badly of her.
Lumine looks to Matsu, her eyes softening as she seemingly understands his condition now that Cray has described it.
Although Lumine is a girl of extremely few words, she can understand quite a bit. She is a victim of the Diamond Kingdom's experiments, having lost much of her ability to speak. Her nature is rather animalistic, but deep down, the old Lumine still resides in her - and once in a while there comes a person like Cray that awakens it within her - reiginiting her ability to think and understand.
And now - it appears Matsu might have that same effect!
She stands up out of her chair, and gets close to Matsu, putting her face right in front of his. She then bangs her head against his.
"Ow." Matsu says. "That hurt."
Lumine nods. "Mhm! H-h-h-hurt!"
Cray chuckles. "This is how she greets people. And as you can see, she can speak a miniscule amount. But I've noticed she only does so with people she likes."
Matsu frowns. "She…likes me?"
Cray nods. "It appears so."
Lumine smiles, rubbing her head softly against Matsu. "B-b-b-bro!"
"Bro?" Matsu repeats. "As in brother?"
"Ah, this is a new word. It appears she views you as a brotherly figure." Cray surmises.
"But why?" Matsu questions.
Cray shrugs. "This I do not know. However, I may have a theory. Just as we have better senses of people due to our lack of physical sight, perhaps Lumine has a better sense of people due to her lack of speech. She may sense you have a good heart and thus feels close to you."
"A good heart…" Matsu says. "Is that so…"
Lumine coos, patting Matsu on the head and returning to her chair, leaning her head on Cray.
Lumine is a small, childlike girl. She has long, untamed white hair and dark brown eyes. Her dark skin is covered in scars of varying length and intensity. Lumine has two particularly noticeable scars on her face: one reaching from her right eyebrow to the middle of the left side of her nose and the other on her right cheek.
She also has slightly pointed ears, sharp animalistic canines, and diamond shaped pupils…
She wears a white dress, white shorts, and a pair of battered sandals that look like they're on their last leg.
"I think she likes you more than me." Cray admits.
"I see…" Matsu nods. He didn't know exactly how to feel about it, but he supposes he wasn't mad about it. Lumine reminds him almost of himself in a way…
Meanwhile, Atlas and Aurora watch a interesting looking boy approach person after person in their row, watching as he sighs every time they tell him something. A few minutes of watching and the boy finally comes up to them.
"Hello! My name is Neo Hyperion, I may not be a noble however I would love a seat closer to the front! You see, my eye sight is simply terrible and I can't see from all the way back in row 12." He explains, looking at Atlas and Aurora with pleading eyes.
"No." The twins reply in unison.
The boy sighs, starting to move, but Atlas grabs his arm. "Wait! Your name…Hyperion…it sounds really familiar…"
Neo smiles. "Yes! My family are scientists from the Clover Kingdom - but they moved her to the Ace Kingdom for a fresh start. I am guessing you are from Clover?"
Atlas nods, introducing himself and Aurora.
"Edelias…I believe I have heard of you." Neo nods. "Well I know I introduced myself before, but allow me to again. My name is Neo Hyperion, a civilian here from the Ace Kingdom! A pleasure to meet you."
Neo is a sweet but rather pompous young man who believes he's more important than he actually is. This attitude has caused him to be slightly disliked by his peers, but Neo appears not to notice.
As he mentioned, he was born in the Ace Kingdom to former Clover Kingdom scientists who worked with the Wizard King himself. Neo appears to have inherited some of this intelligence - but not clearly not all of it.
He has medium-length pale blue hair, and shiny purple eyes. His skin is tan, and he has a skinny frame with the slightest bit of muscle on him.
He wears a silk pink tunic and white pants tucked into blue leather boots.
"It is rather nice to see someone else related to Clover." Aurora admits.
"If only there was a seat for ya, buddy." Atlas sighs.
"Ah, would you mind if I used my magic then?" Neo questions with a smile.
"What's your magic?" Aurora questions skeptically.
Neo giggles. "Allow me to demonstrate."
He puts a hand on his heart. "Molecule Magic: Shrink!"
In an instant, Neo is no longer a full sized teenager standing in front of Atlas and Aurora - and is instead a tiny little bug sized thing standing on Atlas' lap.
"I-" Atlas stammers, looking at Neo in shock.
"This way I can sit with you all without asking anyone to give up a seat!" Neo triumphantly declares, his voice extremely high pitched.
Aurora chuckles. "Well, you did say if only he could sit with us, Atlas…"
Atlas sighs as Neo climbs up his body, deciding to take a seat on his shoulder. "There! A much better view…"
Ding, ding
A sound rings out, immediately halting all conversation. All eyes turn to the front of the room, to see a man standing on the stage. He appears to be some aide to the Ace Kingdom royals.
He clears his throat, setting the bell he was holding down on a podium. "If I may have your attention. Today, we will be conducting the first phase of the Ace Kingdom Sorcerer Soldier exams.
Before then, we would like you all to listen to a few words of motivation from someone who knows exactly what it is like to be in your shoes.
All the way from the Kingdom of Clover…the Wizard Queen, Her Royal Majesty, Noelle Silva!"
Immediately, gasps and cheers are heard all throughout the room, as a silver haired woman makes her way onto the stage - dressed in silver-blue garments and escorted by several Magic Knights from Clover.
She is instantly recognizable as Noelle Silva - a princess of the Clover Kingdom and now the Wizard Queen following her marriage to Asta.
Eyes widen at the sight of her beauty, and mouths drop.
Ru and Jasper look at each other, then at Noelle, then at each other, then at Noelle.
"So this is a Clover Kingdom royal…" Ru whispers.
"And the wife of the Wizard King…" Jasper gulps.
Aim rolls her eyes. "She's just like any one of us…and she's not even that pretty."
"It's an honor to see her in person." Joel softly smiles, admiring the sight of one of the Black Bull's strongest mages.
"I wish I could fight her!" Pollo grins. "But I'd probably get beat up…"
"She's such a nobody ass bitch…" Admetus sneers.
"That's sweet of you, Admetus." Glynis smiles, patting him on the head. "You're my nobody ass bitch, too!"
Kandy has finally recovered from the fly incident. "Her brain…it must be full of so much information that could help us with the Apostles…I wish I could talk to her."
Sherry says nothing, sitting in the very front row next to other royalty. It's just her aunt, after all.
Atlas is at a loss for words. "Noelle…Silva…the…Noelle…Silva…" He pants, his face pale and sweaty.
Aurora is also amazed, but less intensely. "Wow…" Is all she can say.
Neo nods. "A royal…Maybe if I introduce myself to her she can get me to where I need to be…"
Cray is silent, not phased by the sight of the queen. Well to be fair, he can't see her.
Lumine is too busy humming and playing with her hair to notice Noelle.
And Matsu, as always…does not care.
Noelle huffs, crossing her arms. "Look at you all! I see many of you slouching your shoulders, closing your eyes, and crossing your legs. You all are the next generation of Sorcerer Soldiers - so straighten up!"
Immediately everyone re-examines their posture and fix themselves accordingly.
Noelle smirks. "Good. You can listen. That'll be important in your journey as a soldier. You're going to have to listen even when you don't want to, and put up with people you've never thought that you'd have to. Take Asta for example. A loud mouth idiot from some no name village was my squad mate. And despite my royal status, I had to listen to him from time to time. I may not have been thrilled necessarily, but I did it anyway! Because he's my ally, and even if I didn't always agree with his…unique methods, I still had to respect them.
Respect is the name of the game in this field. Respect your fellow soldiers, your leaders, and yourselves. Otherwise you'll become one of the many disgruntled soldiers who realize this isn't for them and end up leaving.
You may want to quit. You may even want to give up magic all together. You'll become frustrated, and you'll become hurt. But, just remember why you're doing this.
For the little girl who can't defend herself because of her illness. For the young boy who works too much just to support his family. For the man who seeked refuge here because his native country doesn't accept him. For the woman who left her entire life behind to search for something better.
For everyone who can't become a soldier. You did. And your duty is to protect them - even at the cost of yourself!
So, don't let me down, and work hard! And who knows? Maybe one day it'll be you standing on this stage…"
As soon as she finishes speaking, a chorus of applause sounds across the room, with some even cheering her on. Noelle smirks one last time, whips her hair as per usual, and struts off the stage.
"That was…beautiful!" Atlas sniffs, wiping a tear from his eye.
"Are you crying?" Aurora deadpans, rolling her eyes.
"I am also emotional." Matsu says with a flat tone.
The magic aide steps back on the stage, looking strangely distressed..
"A-ahem…we originally intended to have more speakers, however, let us now proceed into the arena for the first round of the exams. Time is of the essence…" He stammers.
Pollo raises a brow. "Huh? Weren't we supposed to hear from like a bunch of other people?"
Aim nods. "I believe even the queen was scheduled to speak."
"Who cares, let's get this party fucking started." Admetus grins, clenching his fists.
"But still, I wanted to see the queen…" Glynis pouts.
"I hope everything is all right." Ru sadly frowns.
Jasper agrees. "Yes, a welcoming ceremony with one speaker is a little strange…"
"I wonder what the problem is…" Joel nervously whispers.
Kandy looks very suspicious, eyeing some Sorcerer Soldiers who are exiting out through the front entrance.
Neo crosses his arms. "Kind of lame, to be honest…"
"Hmph. This ceremony was not supposed to be this short." Cray remarks.
Lumine of course says nothing but looks curiously at the Magic Aide, who is beginning to sweat through his robe.
Immediately, Lia, Adrien, and some other Sorcerer Soldiers begin to usher everyone out of the room and into the arena, row by row.
"Come on, come on, let's go!" A girl says, who Atlas and Aurora recognize as Petula.
"What's going on, Petula?" Aurora asks but Petula just smiles.
"Nothing to worry about! Just can't afford to waste any more time, y'know?" She smiles. "Now come on!"
Everyone in Atlas, Matsu, and Aurora's row is ushered into the arena, practically trampling over each other in the strange rush…
As soon as they entered the arena, Atlas and Aurora almost screamed out in fear.
Because standing in the middle of the giant coliseum type venue was the man they feared seeing the most since Matsu joined their ranks…
"Come on, hurry up and get in line." Zora demands, clapping his hands at everyone who enters. "We don't have time to waste."
He glances at Atlas and Aurora, who gulp, but brushes past them like nothing.
They sigh in relief.
"That was too close for comfort." Atlas admits, wiping his sweat off his brow.
"What was?" Neo asks, still on his shoulder.
Atlas jumps, forgetting that Neo was still with him. "Can you please get off?"
Neo shakes his head. "Ah, not yet, your shoulder is quite comfortable."
Atlas whimpers in disappointment.
Matsu looks up at his sister. "That man is Zora Ideale. You cast a spell on him."
Aurora sheepishly nods. "Yeah…I had to, Matsu. Otherwise…"
"I understand…" Matsu says. "It is the only way."
The rest of the Sorcerer Soldier prospects are shoved into the arena, and ushered into a straight line where Zora can view everyone.
"Well. Let's cut to the chase. The Sorcerer Kingdom exams will feature several rounds to weed out those who aren't ready to join our ranks. You'll be tested physically and mentally, in ways you might have not ever been tested before. It'll be hard…and some of you may even want to quit.
But hey, that just means you weren't ready after all. Quitters have no place as Sorcerer Soldiers." Zora announces, watching the frightened eyes of several of the prospects.
"He's scary…" Jasper remarks.
"Right?" Pollo gulps.
"Now, round one is probably what most of you were expecting…a duel. But, not the type of duel you're probably expecting…" Zora continues.
"You're so smart, Admetus! You got it correct!" Glynis cheers, patting her cousin on the back.
Admetus grins. "Obviously I did. I can't remember a day I've been wrong."
"The name of the game is…Duos. You'll all be in teams of two fighting against each other. Whoever's left standing wins. Simple as that." Zora says.
"Oh man, this is getting a little nerve wracking…" Joel admits with a nervous laugh.
"We haven't even gotten started yet." Aim chuckles.
"Now, I know some of you may be thinking you'll get to choose your partner…but unfortunately, this is completely…wrong." Zora smirks.
Sounds of disapproval echo all throughout the arena, with many people protesting this decision. If they couldn't choose their own partner, how will they be put in duos?
"We've extensively studied your abilities and your background, and one of our own Sorcerer Soldier captains has done you all the favor by pairing you with a person that will benefit you the most…to tell you all your pairings, here's the man himself, captain of the Amber Owls, Galileo Nebulae…" Zora moves a hand next to him and in a flash of white, a man is standing next to him.
A tall and wiry man with a pale complexion. He has bright orange hair that is close cropped at the sides, but a wild, wavey mess everywhere else. His hair stops just short of his shoulders. His eyes are a piercing yellow color and he wears a set of half-moon spectacles. A sapphire gemstone, cut into the shape of a star, is embedded in his forehead, and a similar chunk of sapphire is embedded in his chest.
He wears a long sleeved, mostly white hooded coat, reminiscent of a lab coat. The coat is worn open and the sleeves are rolled up a bit. The cuffs, lapels, and buttons of the coat are amber, as is the hood. The hood is shaped similarly to those of the squad's robes, and has the silhouette of an owl's head when worn. A very large representation of the squad's symbol is stitched into the back of the coat. Beneath the coat, Galileo wears a dark orange vest over a fine white silk dress shirt and a pair of tan pants tucked into brown boots. Around his throat, he wears an orange cravat and around his waist he wears a leather belt laden with pouches as well as a holster for his grimoire.
Galileo Nebulae. The man, the myth, the legend. The captain of the illustrious Amber Owls, the most intelligent of the Sorcerer Soldier squads. He hails from the Diamond Kingdom, as everyone knows, and has climbed his way up to be one of the most powerful people in the Ace Kingdom.
He is the object of many's affections, as his intelligence is coupled with good looks, and his charming, yet erratic personality can't help but catch your attention.
Kandy almost faints at the sight of him, but manages to hold herself together, despite her face turning dark red.
"Ah, hello, everyone!" Galileo waves. "My name is Galileo Nebulae, and you may know me as one of your Sorcerer Soldier captains. More specifically, the captain of the Amber Owls squad! I do hope to see some of you join our ranks following the exam." He smiles.
"I have worked together with Mr. Zora to create an exam that will truly test every aspect of your being. I will be helping him oversee it, if you do not mind." Galileo explains.
Kandy clutches her chest. "Mr. Galileo…watching us…fight…and…test…" She pants. Joel and Aim both look at her strangely.
"For round one, we have decided to put you in pairs, which I have personally assigned! I do hope you are ok with this." He continues.
Atlas frowns. "Gr, I swear, they better put us together…"
Aurora looks doubtful, crossing her arms.
"Allow me to announce the pairings! And please do note that we unfortunately will not be able to change them…" Galileo omnisuoly remarks.
He puts a hand out in front of him, and a list is displayed, full of everyone's names. Everyone's eyes eagerly look over it, searching for their name. There are some cheers, some gasps, and some yells of frustration…
Round 1 - Duos
Participant List
-Joel Sashunora & Pollo Maniwa
-Glynis Boltor & Lumine
-Runeous Suneai & Jasper Tillie
-Cray Chroniculus & Neo Hyperion
-Kandy Avalon & Aim Ars Valefar
-Aurora Edelias & Matsu Edelias
-Sherry Vermillion & Ayumi Shiki
-Atlas Edelias & Admetus Boltor
And then the list of course continues with all the nobodies.
…
…
…
"Well, this is great news." Aurora smiles, hugging Matsu.
"Yay." He says.
Atlas is…
Atlas is…
Atlas is…
Atlas is pissed.
He can't even look at him.
His…
His…
His…
His partner.
And his partner is feeling exactly the same way, if not worse.
"Are you okay, Admetus?" Glynis asks worriedly. "Your veins are coming out of your forehead for some reason. Do they want to say hello?"
Admetus is practically foaming at the mouth, his fists clenched so tight his nails are digging into his skin.
"Hey, this is cool!" Pollo cheers, giving Joel a high five.
"I'm down for it." Joel smiles.
Lumine tilts her head at the list, Cray trying to explain to her what this means for her. Neo steps off of Atlas in his search for his new partner, Cray.
"YES!" Ru and Jasper say in unison.
"This is the BEST possible scenario!" Ru says triumphantly.
"And we didn't even have to beg!" Jasper adds with a grin.
"I hope you are up to the task." Kandy says, looking Aim up and down.
"Obviously I am." Aim rolls her eyes. "Do you know who I am?"
Sherry looks rather confused. "I can't remember meeting anyone by that name." She remarks, looking around her.
"That's because I just got here." She suddenly hears from beside her, the sudden voice making her jump.
"Y-you're Ayumi?" Sherry stammers, her heart still recovering from the shock.
"Of course." Ayumi nods. "Nice to meet you, fancy princess. Hopefully we can get along…"
One by one everyone gets acquainted, meeting their partner. Some are happy, others are very disappointed, while others are too stressed to care. Either way, Galileo and Zora are pleased with what they see.
Everything is going according to plan…
"It's so hard to contain myself when I'm around you, my love, but Gev is right." The boy sighs. "I don't want to get into trouble with her if she finds out we're fooling around on a mission."
'Gev' flies onto the boy's shoulder. "Exactly! You'll have all the time in the world to…love each other once we finish watching those exams!"
The girl nods. "I agree. They start in the morning, and I can sense that he isn't awake at the moment. We'll just have to wait to see him at the exams."
'Gev' whistles. "I'm excited! For now, let's retire to a room and get some rest. Even spirits like me get tired after the long journey from Desedenia!"
The two humans nod and a flashing light fills the room; the trio disappearing after it clears…
"This is not exactly what I had in mind when watching the exams…" The boy admits, gazing through a mirror, which displays the Sorcerer Soldier exams.
The girl sighs, putting her arm around the boy. "My love, they have increased security…they know we are here. We cannot afford to get caught."
The boy sighs. "You are right, my love. I suppose this will have to do."
The girl gives him a kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry, my love. We will succeed and return to Desedenia with the news she wants to hear."
The boy smiles. "What would I do without you, princess? I am so lucky to have you." He coos.
'Gev' watches all this from atop a dresser, rolling his little bird eyes. "Love is worthless…"
He moves to lay down, situating himself comfortably on the bed. "Before I go to sleep...I think I'll have a practice run. Need to know how strong these mages are…"
He lifts an arm in the air. "Sleep Magic...Pleasant Dreams."
A blue-purple light shoots from his hand, spreading around the room. Then after a second, it quickly disperses, shooting out of the room completely.
The boy sighs once again, closing his eyes. "Finally...some sleep."
While one group watches the exam, the boy is continuing to sleep, gathering power. On his face is a slight smile, but his expression is still troubled.
Dark energy radiates from him, spreading out of the room, and into the other guest's room of the inn…
Brewing up something evil.