"Stop," Halven said. "Cut the flow at once."
Alaric shut the path in his mind.
The light in the crystal dropped, clean and quick, then faded away. No shaking. No ragged edges.
Halven nodded. "Good control. Very quick response."
Calen scratched more lines in his book.
Halven tapped the crystal once, lightly. "Now we see how you handle the elements. Only small spells. No tricks. I do not want to put out any fires today."
"Yes, Priest," Alaric said.
"Stand there," Halven said, pointing to a chalk circle drawn on the floor a few steps from the crystal. "We start with fire. Basic form. Cast it in front of you and then dismiss it cleanly."
Alaric took his place.
He raised his hand and drew a thin stream of mana from his reserve. No need for anything large.
"Creo Ignis."
A small flame appeared above his palm, hanging a thumb's width from his skin. He kept it tight and round, holding the heat inside as much as he could, the way he had practised. The light painted his fingers orange but did not burn.
Halven stepped closer, passing his own hand near the flame without touching it. "Low spill. Good," he said.
Alaric let the mana go. The fire vanished at once, leaving only a faint warmth.
"Again," Halven said. "But to the side this time. I want to see aim."
Alaric shaped another small Ignis, then turned his wrist and sent it drifting to the left so it stopped in front of an empty part of the wall. At Halven's small gesture, he snuffed it out.
Water next.
"Creo Aqua," he said, pulling mana into a simple pattern.
A clear stream of water formed above his hand. He let it fall straight down into the bucket of sand. No splashing on the floor. When Halven said "enough", he cut the spell.
Brother Calen checked the sand. "No overflow," he murmured.
"Wind," Halven said. "Push that cloth there and do not topple anything else."
A short strip of cloth hung from a rod at the edge of the room. Two more strips hung behind it, then a light wooden board that would fall if the gust was too wide.
Alaric focused on a narrow line of air.
"Creo Ventus."
A brief gust swept from his palm to the first strip. It fluttered sideways and thumped against the second. The board behind them did not move.
He ended the spell before stray currents could wander.
Halven studied the swaying cloth. Most boys at this stage either do nothing, or blow the stand over ,he thought. "You used shortened phrases."
Alaric nodded. "The longer lines did not change the effect when I tested them," he said. "They only helped me focus at the start. Then I did not need them."
Most people do need them , Their thoughts wander without the words holding them.
He jotted a few more lines, then looked up again.
"One last check," he said. "Hold a small Ignis above your palm for ten counts. Do not move your hand. No change in size."
Alaric formed another tiny flame.
"Count," Halven said.
One of the other priests began to count out loud, slow and steady. Alaric kept his eye on the flame. He adjusted the flow whenever it threatened to shrink, adding or taking away tiny amounts of mana until it stayed the same.
At "ten", he cut the spell. The flame winked out.
Halven closed the notebook.
"Mana amount, high," he said to Calen. "Flow, very clean. Element control above regular intake level. Age… low." His mouth twitched. "Mark him for the top group. We will see where he lands after the full review."
Then he met Alaric's eyes.
"That is enough for this room," Halven said. "Next is Null strength and your body. Go through that door and wait. Someone will call you when it is your turn."
He pointed to a side door at the back of the room.
"Yes, Priest," Alaric said.
Good. One part done.
On the other side was a narrow space with a few boys already waiting, wooden practice swords stacked against the wall and a marked running line on the floor. An instructor looked up as Alaric entered, eyeing him from boots to shoulders.
Another one, the man thought. "Stand there and wait until I call you."
Alaric stepped to the side as told, feeling the weight of mana settling back into his reserve.
The door to the side hall opened again.
"You, Horsin boy," a rough voice said. "Out here."
Alaric stood and stepped through.
The back of the church opened onto a bare yard. Packed dirt, a faint white line scratched across it for running, another line for jumping, a thick wooden post driven into the ground, and a rack of wooden swords leaning against the wall. A single priest with a notebook waited near the wall. The man who had called him out stood in the center, arms crossed. He wore plain training clothes and had the build of someone who had swung blades for years.
"I am Instructor Rudd," the man said. "We test your body and your use of strengthening here. First you run and jump without magic, then with it. At the end, a few strikes on the post. Simple enough?"
"Yes," Alaric said.
Same things Kellan drilled into me. Just do the same as always.
Rudd pointed at the running line. "Start there. Run to the marker at the other end, no magic. As fast as you can."
Alaric walked to the start, set his feet, and took a breath.
"Go," Rudd said.
He pushed off. The ground blurred under his boots. He reached the far marker and stopped, breathing a little harder.
The priest made a note on his board.
Rudd waved him back. "Again. This time with Confirma."
Alaric walked back to the start.
I need to show the difference clearly.
He drew mana from his reserve and wrapped it tight around his legs.
"Confirma," he whispered.
Power slid into his muscles. He launched forward.
The same distance vanished much faster. He had to dig his heels in to stop at the end line, but he kept his balance.
The priest's eyes widened for a moment before he smoothed his face and wrote more lines.
Rudd pointed at the jump line. "Now jump from there. No magic first."
Alaric walked over, toes against the mark. He bent his knees and jumped. His boots hit the dirt a few steps away. The priest marked the spot with a small stone.
"Again, with Confirma in your legs," Rudd said.
Alaric let the aura fade, then called it back only to his legs.
"Confirma."
He felt the same tight strength gather there. He jumped.
This time he landed a good distance past the stone. The priest set another mark, then looked between them for a second longer than before.
Rudd glanced at the marks and at Alaric's face. He nodded once, slow.
For a boy your age, that is already what we see from our academy student ,he thought.
Alaric felt a little relieved looking at Rudd's surprised reaction.
Rudd walked to the rack and pulled out a wooden sword. He tossed it to Alaric.
"Three full swings on the post with no magic," Rudd said.
Alaric stepped up to the thick post. He set his feet and swung.
The stick hit with a solid thud. He swung twice more, trying to keep the angle neat the way Kellan always yelled about. The post hardly shook.
"Now with Confirma in your arms," Rudd said.
Alaric stepped back, letting the dull ache in his arms fade for a moment.
He drew mana up and wrapped it around his shoulders, down into his arms and hands.
"Confirma."
He lifted the wooden sword again. Aura made the stick feel almost lighter, easier to move. He swung.
The sound when the wood hit the post was deeper, sharper. The post jolted. The ground attached to the post almost got uprooted.
Two more strikes followed, each echoing across the yard. By the third, the groove had become a shallow dent.
The priest checked the mark with his hand, then noted it down.
"Drop the magic," Rudd said.
Alaric let the aura go. His arms pulsed with dull heat, but he could still move them fine. His mana reserve felt only partly used.
"Now, Confirma in just one leg," Rudd said. "Right side. Hold it without hopping like a drunk goat."
Alaric smothered a smile.
He called the aura again and pushed it only into his right leg.
"Confirma."
The strength settled there alone. He lifted his left foot a little off the ground and stood on the right. His body stayed steady.
Rudd watched, then nodded. "Good control. You are done."
He turned to the priest. "Record his numbers with the top lot. He might be a once in a generation talent, "
The priest made a final note.
Rudd took the wooden sword from Alaric's hand. "Go back to the side hall and wait for the bell. That will be all for today."
"Yes," Alaric said.
He walked back toward the building, feeling his heart finally slow.
Now there is nothing to show. Only to wait.
In the side hall, Jarik sat on a chair rubbing his thighs, making a face.
"How was it?" he asked.
"Short and okay." Alaric said.
Before Jarik could ask more, the priest with the list stepped into the hall.
"Listen," he said. "When you hear the bell, you will all go to the main hall. Your results will be posted there."
He closed his book with a soft snap and walked away.
The bell would ring soon. Then Alaric would know if all of this had been enough.