"She passed?" Onumnd hissed angrily at his peers as the doors swung open and the tall, gold elven girl glided through. "She hasn't even gone through a year of training or classes and she passed."
"She must have been raised in the practice," Brelyna whispered quietly back to him, "The altmer take magic very seriously. It's not a privilege to learn, as it is in my race, but a right. A requirement even."
"I don't care how good she is," he spat back as the girl passed by them, "We have rules for a reason. And pampered princesses are not allowed to just break them."
Lilidaale gave no sign that she heard or was affected by what her new classmates said, but continued to walk to the headmistress as instructed.
"Congratulations, Lilidaale." Ervine said with a tight smile. "And welcome to our college. We are honored to have a talented young woman like you among us. I will give you a tour of our college. You may be classified as an Adept, but you are still new here. Poking around where you don't belong can cause more trouble than you'd expect." They began walking around the premise and faded out of Onmund's earshot.
"Onmund," Tolfdir, the hall's keeper and college's most renowned teacher and historian, called as he opened the eye-embosed gates. "You're next."
"Good luck!" Brelyna said and a hopeful, squeky voice as he left her side. He gave her a curt nod, both nervous and determined.
"Apprentice Onmund," Tolfdir said as he closed the gates. There was a heavy, unnatural silence in the hall. Usually it was a place abuzz with life, people studying, dueling, practicing spells, and socializing. But today it was empty. It was exam time. "You are here to take the apprentice exam. If you pass you will graduate to an Adept mage and be invited to begin research for the college and use your skills to help us learn more about magicka. Are you ready?"
Onmund gave a small bow and replied, "I am." Out of everyone at the college, he respected Tolfdir the most. The he was the college's alteration master, the hardest most endurance demanding school at the college. And he was also the only other Nord. The old man had a fond liking for Onmund, and in many ways he considered him an adopted father. But he would never admit that to anyone. Tolfdir's reputation had diminished the past few years as his mind had begun to deteriorate from age. Many people laughed at his eccentricies, such as losing his possessions, falling asleep in random places, and beginning a conversation in its middle. But Onmund respected him nonetheless, and he hoped he could find some way to bolster the master's reputation again.
"Walk forward." Tolfdir announced, but as Onmund passed he stopped him, firmly grabbing his shoulder. "You will pass this time, Onmund. I know you will."
Onmund walked forward and pulled up his mage hood. It was pointless to wear it for they weren't allowed to use enchanted items in the exam, but he felt comfortable in it. More reassured and less nervous.
The archmage stood across the circular room, on the other side of the mage light dais and between two of the surrounding pillars. His back was to Onmund and his hands were folded behind himself, allowing Onmund to see them.
Onmund firmly planted himself opposite the dais and archmage and reached his hands out at forty-five degree angles. He narrowed his eyes. Every year he had taken the test it was different. The first year he had been fired at incessantly and forced to use wards for a good ten minutes before he finally ran out of magicka, thus ending and failing the exam.
Was the archmage going to attack randomly this time? Or would he explain the rules as he did last year? Onmund waited.
But there was no response.
An entire minute passed and there was still no response.
Beginning to grow impatient, he raised his right fist and formed an ice spike. He made ready to throw.
This was too easy. He had been trained not to overthink when using magicka, it was supposed to be all done in the moment, based on instinct rather than logic. But there was something wrong about the situation. And there was something off about the arch mage.
A purple, smoky light flared in his left hand and he cast detect life.
The archmage across the room was an allusion.
The real archmage was right behind him.
Onmund whirled around and summersaulted just in time to miss the archmage's green paralyze spell.
Rolling to his feet and ice spike still in hand, he made to mock-stab the dark elf in the back, only for the ice to shatter against the world's most impenetrable ward.
Onmund fell back from the blow and landed on the ground, bringing up his own weaker ward in a desperate, defensive position. The Archamage stood over him as it flickered out of existence. Onmund had once again run out of magick.
"Apprentice Onmund." Archamge Savos Aren said, a smile spreading across his gray face. He reached down a hand and pulled the exhausted nord up. "Or should I say, Adept Onmund. You passed the exam."
"I—I did." Onmund said, panting slightly and processing all that just happened.
"Give this certificate to Sergius Turrianus, our college's head enchanter," the archamge said, pulling out an ink-stained paper. "He will fit you with adept robes of your choosing. Once you complete your research, you will be welcomed as an expert mage and can begin to work on mastering a chosen school. Once again, congratulations, and please continue to help us learn new things about the world of magick."
XXX
"So the nord passed," J'zargo purred, his whiskers twitching in both a taunting and envious manner.
"If at first you don't succeed..." Onmund replied arrogantly, winking at the cat who growled in response.
"Congratulations Onmund!" Brelyna said in a squeaky voice, jumping up to give him an awkward hug. "I knew you'd do it!"
"Uh, thanks Bre," He said, quickly squeezing her back and letting go. "And don't worry you'll do great. You've been preparing for this for a long time."
"I know, I know," she said, breaking eye contact and squirming nervously. "I just can't help but be nervous."
"Brelyna," Tolfdir said, emerging from the gate again. "It's your turn."
Brelyna gulped hard, causing her entire body to shudder. "Third times a charm," Onmund said, patting her shoulder as she headed forward. The gates closed behind her with a metallic groan and she disappeared from sight.
Onmund looked at the paper in his hand and smiled, gripping it slightly so the paper bended to make sure it was real.
He did it.
He passed the apprentice exam. He was now an adept mage.
Walking briskly from the hall, his thoughts bathed in the excitement of all the things to come. Adventures in mystical places, discovering new spells and potions, writing his own research, and the most exciting, getting the chance to show off his skills to the people outside of the college. People would finally respect his talents. Kings would fight over him to be their court wizard, students would flock to him to seek his knowledge, rouge mages would publically challenge him to battles, and maybe one day the college would offer him a place as a professor.
Maybe one day he would become the first nord archmage.
"What's this, you not wishing J'zargo luck?" The khajiit tsked, flicking his tail. "Is it because J'zargo's not a young, pretty girl?"
"J'zargo," Onmund said, walking out the door. He paused, thinking of something snarky to say. "Good luck."