Soon a week passed and it was time for the entrance tests for the academies and Sakura and co. quickly found each other.
"I guess it's time, huh..." Sakura looked around at the crowd.
"mn" "Yeah..."
Fen and Chise nodded as well.
============
(POV: 3rd)
With the group all together outside the testing zone, they began talking about what could happen beyond the gates...
"Any of you guys have an idea of what's going to happen inside?" Sakura asked, "I mean, they separate based off if you've been summoned or not."
"No idea, my family doesn't want to spoil it." Chise mentioned, "By the way which gates are you each going to?"
"I'm going to the right." Sakura pointed to the summoned gate.
"S-same." Fen joined her.
"Guess it's just you and me Mary." Chise nudged her with her elbow.
"Yes, good luck everyone." Mary smiled to them before each went their way.
Sakura and Fen went inside the gate, inside were portals further spreading them out, labeled based on size.
"Looks like we're still going together Fenny!" Sakura hooked their arm around fen's as she dragged her into the portal.
When they exited they saw a crowd.
"Wow, quite the crowd, it doesn't seem like like theirs more filtering." Sakura looked around.
"mn" Fen nodded.
After an hour or so the portal ceased letting people in and a stage popped up from the ground.
"HELLO HOPEFULS, AND WELCO-" A voice boomed, scaring the people, "Sorry! Should have done a mic check!"
Spotlights appeared and illuminated the person on stage, they looked like a handsome man with feathers the color of fire.
"Anyways welcome hopefuls to the entrance examination!" Fireworks boomed behind him.
"First up is a summoning!"
*crickets*
"Now you may be thinking, 'but didn't we already do one?', the answer is yes!"
*more crickets*
"Can you stop that please." A random guy slapped the cricket guy.
"To put it simply, this will be the summoning during which you get your first traits! like horns or wings! but that's not all, we will be evaluating everything you do during this and give another trait based on how well you do!" A screen flashed behind him showing the rankings.
"To start, there will be the boring ass G-tier, if you get this, you won't get in, simple as that!"
"And from there we get to F-tier and above, here this will determine placements and stuff in your chosen school, don't worry about choosing quickly though you have a day to answer your option!"
"And then we have A-tier and above, those who somehow manage to get this high will get a bonus trait! Just know that traits are some of the most influential in your development if you get some early in your career!"
"Also don't worry about weather you can complete your job, you will be sent to a place with laws compatible with your bodies!"
"Finally, here's a few tips, you can't lie when in the circle or to your client when making deals and you WILL need an energy source for traits to manifest, but before you go eating some random thing, said thing will also have a slight influence, like if you were originally going to get a tail or wings, you might also get feathered limbs or scales!" He warned
"When you return you will be given your results! So good luck little demons!" He cheered them on.
Soon his explanation ended with tiny explanations and a magic circle appeared underneath every participant.
"Before you go take these and give them to your summoners!" Papers flew to each person.
Sakura looked at it and it was essentially a 'I'm new, this is a test.' excuse slip.
Sakura and Fen looked to each other.
"Good luck!"
"Let's see who gets the best score."
Sakura and Fen gave each other encouragement before disappearing.
#####
"Let's hope this works." A man with red eyes said to no one but a maid responded anyways.
"I'm sure it will my lord." this earned a sigh from the man as he bit his thumb to drop blood on the circle.
*drop*
The circle glowed, showing that it was successful, as it glowed, so did a few items around the room.
"It worked!" The man smiled, which soon dropped as the glowing items dispersed into motes of light and a girl appeared in the circle.
"Hello!" it was Sakura.
"Hello little demon, I have summoned you to help me steal something precious that was once mine."
"Hmmm~," Sakura put her hand to her chin, "what are the terms?"
"Terms? didn't you just take the stuff from the room?" He waved around the empty room.
"No, that was to summon me, I don't get that stuff." Sakura pointed out.
"Now wait a god damn second-" He was mad about "being swindled"
"It's true my lord." The maid interrupted, earning a glare from the man, "Her kind can't lie."
This calmed him down, *sigh* "Then what do you want? treasures?"
"Something full of mana or energy." Sakura stated her demand.
"Do we have anything like that?" He asked the maid, who nodded in response and went to go get it.
"Since it'll take a bit for her to come back, what is it you want me to steal and from where?" Sakura queried.
"It's a letter that I sent a while ago that didn't reach it's intended recipient... and it's in a museum." He looked down.
"How'd it end up there?" She asked, confused.
*sigh* "It was seen as a remnant of olden human times by the elves, AND I'M A VAMPIRE DAMNIT" He yelled into the air.
"That's tough man." Sakura reached out to him but was stopped by the barrier of the magic circle.
"Oh by the way here." She got sidetracked, and took out the paper previously given to her and gave it the the vampire.
He looked at it but dismissed it anyways, "I don't care as long as you get this done, it took too long to get a successful summon anyways."
Soon the maid returned with a box emanating a strange, regal, yet intimidating aura, that neither the maid nor vampire noticed.
"How is this?" He signaled for her to open the box.
She complied, showing the content, it was a large heart, still beating.
"I don't remember what it was, care to remind me?" He asked the maid.
"It was obtained from a horned winged lizard, you thought it was cool when you were younger as it still beats, hoping to replace your own, unbeating, heart, but remembered that you'll die as soon as you remove it from your chest."
He scratched his nose, embarrassed, "What I was young and more naïve then, so is it good enough?"
Sakura nodded rapidly, "That's more than good! It's perfect!" Sakura was salivating at the sight of the heart.
"Great, how do we complete this deal?" He asked her.
"It's based off intent, so just state your name and your deal and shake my hand." Sakura brought up her hand.
"Ok simple enough!" He grabbed her outstretched hand. "I, Victor von Bloodsvein, request that you steal the letter, in return I will give you this heart."
Sakura smiled, "I accept."
Pink tentacles wrapped around Victor as blood red chains snapped around Sakura, signifying the deal, but also confusing him.
"What was that?" He asked as Sakura skipped to the heart and grabbed it.
"Oh that was showing the agnoligment of an official deal, they represent the person, I can shapeshift, so mines like that, and yours is blood red chains cuz your a vampire."
"By the way, I'll be using this to gain strength or something, it'll help." She opened her mout to the heart before looking to the others... and shoo'd them away "Shoo shoo, it will take a bit, leave me alone I don't want to be watched."
The didn't know much but decided to leave it to her so they shrugged and left.
"So it's just you and me~" she glared at the heart... and swallowed it whole.
"mmm~ tastes good, kinda li-"
*flop*
And so Sakura face planted on the floor as she passed out and changes started happening in her body...
(To be continued)