Path of Ruin: The Dawn of a New Era

As I look around, we walk through the courtyard and go inside. The instructor takes us to a huge lecture hall, which can hold up to a few hundred people at a time. There are only a few dozen of us, so we all get seated easily according to the instructions.

Once we are all in place, he places a papyrus and pen in front of us. I've never seen a writing instrument like that, it must be expensive. I look at it wondering how it is used. It seems like a magical device to me. Although Mia taught us to read and write, none of us are very good at it. We don't have room to study.

I watch others hold the pen and try to imitate it. I'm not used to it. It seems that even some of the better dressed children can't handle it very well. Mystic weapons are simply too rare.

The instructor clears his throat to get our attention and starts talking about how the test is going. We are to answer twenty simple questions given on the sheets in front of us. In order to participate in the final exam, the number of points we have obtained during the exams must reach at least the required score. Anyone whose points are below the specified threshold will be disqualified. He then talks about a few other things we need to know about the test before instructing us to write. We have three quarters of an hour to complete it.

I grab the magical device that the instructor called a pen and first fill in the information from my identification card that I was given at the beginning and the points are recorded there. Then I look at the first question: 'What can you contribute to the kingdom?' I don't have to think too much about the answer. I have only one thing that is useful for the country. My Life. And I'll write that down too.

I look at others using the pen and try to imitate them, but since I'm holding it for the first time, it's a struggle that will eventually end with me winning. Although my writing is not very presentable it is readable which is good enough for me.

I will look at the next question: 'To whom does your loyalty belong?' This question is more difficult to answer. I'm not sure how to answer that and I'm not sure which one they want. I can either say they belong to the royal family or the country. Both answers have their pros and cons, but there can only be one answer. I only think about the story for a few seconds before writing my answer. This academy was created by the royal family and I answer accordingly. My allegiance is to the royal family. I'll move on to the next question.

The questions are not too difficult, but not everyone would be able to answer them all. I was barely able to answer fourteen of them. I hope Sara and the others have been doing well.

Time has elapsed and the instructor will announce the end of the test. I put my pen down on the table and look at the others to probe their emotions. Some are proud like Ezra. Others are nervous, including Mia. There are also angry people. You can also find calm faces like me or Eon. I also saw several sighs of relief, where Artur and Sára are in line.

When I look at Sara, our eyes meet and I smile encouragingly. She happily reciprocates. If I successfully enter the academy, I am determined to confess my feelings to her. But if I didn't get into the academy, I won't tell her about them, I don't want to burden her heart, if she succeeds I will be able to leave in peace because I know she will be fine.

Instructors collect papers and pens. Then we are to get up from the table and follow them. They lead us to a huge dining room with tables full of food. We are supposed to eat and rest here. The test results won't be ready until the morning, so we're supposed to stay in this room until then.

I look at the others while looking for my friends. Most of the people in this room belong to the poor class of the population. Those with money will definitely get much better treatment. After all, they wouldn't stay together with a bunch like us.

I soon spot Arthur and walk over to him. Together we then continue to search for others. They soon find Ezra, followed by Mia, Sara and finally Eon. Once we all got together, we finally had a space to talk to each other.

We mainly talk about the progress of the test and how we are doing so far. We also talk about the feelings we felt during the exams. We all want to succeed. Until now, we have not dared to dream, but if we succeed, maybe one day we will have a chance to fulfill our desires.

While we are talking, we go to an empty table and start eating. There is enough bread and meat for everyone. I haven't had a proper meal in so long. This meal alone was worth participating in the recruitment.

Everyone looks happy. They must be as nervous as I am. Although as I know Mia, I would say that she is the most nervous. She has never been very confident, rather she is sweet and cute. No wonder Arthur and Eon fell for her.

I look at Sara. I'm looking at me. I smile at her and she smiles back. I know it. She tries to hide her emotions, but she's never been as good at it as Eon. Although even he can't completely hide his affection. Only Artur and Mia haven't figured it out yet.

So far there hasn't been a fight or an argument in the cafeteria, but with how many of us there are, I'm sure there will be some disagreement. In addition, there are not a large number of guards.

As I predicted, there really was a clash. There were two groups of children outnumbering us. I don't know what started the clash, but after it crossed a certain line, the guards intervened. The participants in the incident were severely punished and many of them were kicked out of the exam. After that, no one dared to act without scruples. Soon after the incident, we decided to at least try to get some sleep. No one knows what will await us tomorrow.