NameLess

”Now that you’re all here, the only way to leave is by passing or failing the upcoming tests.” Flora once again captured everyone’s attention as the twin oak doors slowly closed behind the examinees. ”For those who are participating for the first time, you’ll understand why that is in a second. First, however, I would like all of you to look around and get a good look at the room you’re in.”

As instructed, the wannabe adventurers began to inspect their surroundings, glancing in every direction before looking back at Flora. Jak followed their example, his crimson hues flicking in every direction, analyzing the area around him. The rocky terrain, the flowing river in the far-left corner, and even the bright blue sky with white tufts of cotton clouds. He was already aware that it was a landscape made with magic, but he didn’t really care as he took it all in. If he focused, he could see the real room, which was just an extremely enormous metallic box, with the only entrance being the wooden oak doors he had just walked through.

((”Same scenery, huh?”)) Jak thought as he shifted his eyes back onto the two examiners. ((”Guess there’s no need to fix what isn’t broken.”))

”Now, those who can’t see anything, please raise your hand,” Flora instructed after some time had passed.

After a brief wait, during which not a single person raised their hand, she gave a small nod. ”If you had failed to see the illusion, then you would have failed the test before it even got underway. This room shows the illusion to those with enough magical power and shows nothing to those below it, meaning you would already be outed as someone with inferior magical abilities. I’m pleased to know that you’ve all reached the requirements to proceed to the actual trial. All that being said, let’s proceed to the real assessment.”

Flora waved her hand, and the entire illusion disappeared, leaving only the metallic, box-like room. However, this time a small stage stood at the very front of it, complete with a set of stairs off to the side that allowed one to climb to the top. Placed directly in the middle, fixed against the wall, was a full-length mirror with a multitude of blue crystals embedded along its edges. The crystals glowed softly, emitting gentle waves of magic that everyone could no doubt feel from across the room. This was the object that was going to measure their magical capacity—a Mangre Mirror. It was something that was only heard of but hardly ever seen, something that was quite rare, especially as it was exclusively owned by the WGC.

”So that’s a Mangre Mirror?” a person next to Jak muttered. ”Never seen one in person before.”

”That’s not surprising. The WGC lays claim to all of them. They’re only distributed to high-class families such as nobility and royalty. The only place you’re likely to see one is during the Exams.”

”They’re made by the dwarves though, right? Why would Dirty Drifters give us anything?”

”Who cares? As long as we get it, it doesn’t matter how.”

”I guess you’re right.”

”Ahem,” Flora coughed, interrupting the few who had struck up conversations. The individuals quickly fell silent, once again standing at attention.

”Uh... yeah. Anyway, we will now move on to the testing portion. We will be using your surnames to go in reverse alphabetical order.” Margaret quickly flipped through the pages on her clipboard, looking for the proper page. ”Please come up when called and place a hand on the center of the mirror.”

”Yanda, Ja—”

”Unoma, Carson,” Flora interjected, quickly cutting off the purple-haired receptionist, her voice rising a few octaves. ”Please make your way forward.”

The muttering from before returned as a small female made her way from the crowd, a confused look on her face as she approached the stairs. Everyone had heard Margaret call out another name, so they had every right to be perplexed at Flora’s hasty correction. Of course, no one was more shocked than Margaret herself.

”Hey, um... why did you call out that name?” Margaret whispered, her tone polite. ”I thought we were going to start with the Reinstatement first.”

”Normally, that would be the case.” Flora watched as the petite girl trekked up the short flight of steps, brown eyes looking but not seeing. ”However, we’re dealing with a rare case. One that has to be dealt with with the utmost precaution.”

((”Precaution? Does she mean the redhead? The Twelfth Rookie?”))

”Tell me, Marge. Can you guess why everyone thought that Jak had died during the Bird Massacre three years ago? Why they assumed there had been no survivors?”

Margaret said nothing at first as she watched the examinee place her hand over the surface of the mirror. Violet hues narrowed slightly as she contemplated Flora’s question, giving it some serious thought. Eventually, though, she just shook her head.

”It’s because he left almost immediately after it happened,” Flora answered, brown eyes glancing briefly at the purple-haired receptionist. ”He left on his own without telling a single soul.”

”But why—”

”What do you think he’s been doing all that time?”

A flash of light suddenly burst into bloom, capturing the attention of the receptionists and halting their conversation as the entire room was enveloped. A massive blue light filled the area, causing everyone to squint as it became more and more intense. Eventually, after a few seconds, the light died back down, and everything returned to normal, the mirror no longer responding to the girl’s delicate touch. However, a number appeared above the youth’s head after she removed her hand, one scrawled in the same color as the light the mirror had emitted.

”As you can see, this mirror analyzes one’s magic and then quantifies it from one to ten thousand. However, the limit on this one has been set to a mere three thousand,” Flora explained aloud, stating everything clearly, easily recovering as Carson walked down from the stage, looking quite perplexed. ”The most any of you could ever hope for is two thousand. A prime example of an already great score is Carson, a Water attribute who achieved seventeen-thirty.”

The black-haired girl appeared even more shocked as she moved to stand to the side, indicating that not only had she finished the trial, but also passed it.

”Remember, you only need fifteen hundred in order to pass. Anything over is fine, but fall below by even a single point and it’s a fail,” Margaret repeated what she had said in the beginning as she looked over who to call next.

Following that, one by one, everyone was called up to partake in the magical assessment, crossing their fingers as they went. For many, they would finally learn just how far they had come—whether all the work they had put in was worth it, and if it had amounted to something in the end. Though failing this test wasn’t a make-or-break moment, it would still show them how much they had to improve and whether they even had what it took to truly roam the Rifts as an adventurer. The number of people in the crowd slowly decreased as many split off, either heading to the larger group that had managed to pass or to the smaller group that had failed by just a few points or more. Little by little, it was whittled down until only Jak remained, standing alone, still covered by his hood.

”Yanda, Jak.”

A wave of silence fell over the chattering crowd of newbies the moment the name was called, the room becoming so quiet one could hear a pin drop. Dozens of eyes shifted to stare at the lone figure, who had just begun moving. The hiatus didn’t last long, of course, as the hooded individual made his way forward, passing the crowds and moving toward the flight of stairs that would lead him upward. With his name having been cut off earlier and the mystery surrounding the stranger, there was no way those watching could keep their thoughts to themselves.

”So the Reinstater finally takes his turn. Wonder what his score will be.”

”It shouldn’t be too bad considering it’s a Reinstatement. He’s passed before, so it shouldn’t be much of a problem for him.”

”But if he only matches us who are just starting, it just shows how average his future will be.”

”But doesn’t that cloak seem familiar? I swear I’ve seen it somewhere before.”

The soft chatter of the shifting masses filled the room, the voices following the redhead as he trekked up the staircase and took his place before the Mangre Mirror. Standing four meters in length, the reflective surface alone towered over the individual, the dimly lit stones embedded in the frame casting a gentle white light over the exposed parts of the youth’s face. The world seemed to come to a standstill as Jak placed his palm onto the mirror’s surface, the bottom of the male’s cloak ruffling despite the lack of wind.

”There’s a reason he’s an Elemental Rookie,” Flora suddenly said, causing an enraptured Margaret to rip her gaze away from the mirror. ”I’m sure you know they don’t just give that title away.”

FWOOSH!!

Before Margaret had the chance to respond, a gust of magical wind—hot and heavy—hit the receptionist on the side of her face. A red and yellow light permeated every inch of the room, temporarily blinding those who happened to be looking directly at it. The area grew heated and stuffy, as if a raging fire had suddenly been lit, making it difficult for most to draw a decent breath.

Then, just as quickly as it started, it all dissipated, evaporating into nothingness, leaving nothing but stunned and starstruck onlookers. Those who had previously doubted the cloaked individual said nothing as the youth stood there, his hood having been knocked back during the display.

Crimson hair—a shade of red so bright it was impossible not to notice. The hood that had hidden Jak’s head had all but disappeared, leaving behind a strange cape with a giant mark in its center.

No one spoke as Jak removed his hand from the Mangre Mirror and turned around, their full attention focused on the space above the youth’s head. Everyone waited with bated breath, even the receptionists keeping to themselves as the seconds ticked by. After what felt like an eternity, the numbers appeared. Even then, not a single newbie spoke as they read and reread the four large block digits flashing before them. It wasn’t until Flora spoke that they finally returned to reality.

”Jak Yanda. Flame Affinity. Score: three thousand.” Flora didn’t even have to raise her voice for everyone to hear her, the room deathly quiet. ”The Twelfth Elemental Rookie, Jak Yanda, has passed the first Trial.”