CHAPTER 11: THE FIRST TEST

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The First Test

The Magical Knight Trial began beneath a golden morning sky.

The arena was packed. Thousands filled the stands, their voices swelling into one enormous wave of excitement. Parents stood proudly beside relatives. Nobles claimed the higher seats. Merchants had closed their shops for the morning. Children climbed onto benches just to see over the crowd.

Everyone had come to witness the same thing.

The next generation of Magical Knights.

At the center of the arena, hundreds of candidates stood in orderly rows, their Codices floating beside them. Some looked confident. Others looked terrified. A few were already showing off. One young mage let a small flame dance between his fingers. Another shaped a tiny sphere of water. Someone else made stones orbit his body.

The crowd roared its approval.

Kevin stood near the back of his group, his five-point Codex drifting at his side. He looked at the enormous arena. Then up at the six Captains.

Captain Aerion sat with his arms crossed. Captain Darius looked impatient. Captain Selene watched the candidates calmly. Captain Garrick looked as though nothing could impress him. Captain Evelyn’s eyes moved from face to face.

Captain Orion hardly moved at all.

Kevin swallowed. They’re staring.

Veyr’s voice slid into his head. Everyone is staring.

I know.

Then why are you standing like a frightened chicken?

I’m not.

Your shoulders disagree.

Kevin straightened at once.

Better.

Kevin sighed. “You could try encouraging me, you know.”

I am encouraging you.

How?

I’m reminding you that your posture is terrible.

Kevin closed his eyes. I hate you.

Excellent. Hatred builds character.

Kevin almost laughed.

Then a horn split the air.

BOOOOOOOOM!

The arena fell silent.

A man in the official robes of the Trial strode to the center of the field.

“Candidates! Welcome to the first stage.”

Behind him, hundreds of wooden platforms rose from the ground. On each one lay a broom.

The crowd erupted.

Some candidates smiled. Others traded nervous glances.

Kevin’s stomach dropped.

He remembered the announcement. Mobility and Control. He had been hoping for something else. Anything else.

“The first test will measure your control of magical movement,” the examiner said. He raised one hand. “The objective is simple.”

The brooms rose into the air.

“You will fly.”

Kevin stared at them.

Kevin. Veyr sounded unusually calm.

Yes?

This is unfortunate.

I know.

No. I mean extremely unfortunate.

I know.

Catastrophic, even.

Veyr.

Potentially hilarious.

Kevin clenched his fists. I’ve never flown before.

Exactly.

He had trained for movement. Running. Jumping. Dodging. Using crimson magic to boost his speed. Creating barriers. Forming a blade.

But flying was different.

A broom demanded control. Balance. Magic.

And confidence.

Kevin had almost none of the last.

“Mount your broom and rise to the marked altitude,” the examiner continued.

Glowing rings appeared high above the arena.

“Pass through the first ring, then clear the remaining checkpoints. You must complete the course without falling…”

A pause.

“…and without interfering with another candidate.”

The crowd cheered.

“Begin.”

The first group moved toward the platforms. Kevin watched them climb onto their brooms.

“Rise!”

The brooms shot upward. Some candidates flew smoothly. Others wobbled. One boy spun twice before recovering, and the crowd howled with laughter.

Kevin studied them. How they shifted their bodies. How they directed their magic. How they leaned. How they controlled the broom.

You’re studying, Veyr said, surprised.

Of course.

That’s actually intelligent.

Thank you.

Don’t get used to it.

Kevin rolled his eyes.

Group after group completed the course. Some struggled. Some fell. One candidate hung upside down for several seconds before an examiner rescued him.

Then the examiner called the next group.

Kevin’s heart stopped.

“Kevin Riven!”

Silence.

Then whispers.

“Kevin Riven?”

“That Kevin?”

“The Riven boy?”

“He’s going to fly?”

Someone laughed.

Kevin stepped forward. His legs felt heavier than they ever had. He climbed onto the platform.

A broom waited for him.

He stared at it.

It seemed to stare back.

Go on, Veyr said.

Do I have to?

Unfortunately.

Kevin swung one leg over the broom.

Nothing happened.

The crowd waited.

He tried to channel magic. The broom twitched. Then stopped.

He tried again. The broom shook.

A few people laughed. His face burned.

He closed his eyes.

Control. Not power.

Control.

He breathed slowly and let his crimson magic flow through his hand.

The broom lifted.

One inch.

Two.

His eyes snapped open. It was working.

A few people stopped laughing.

The broom climbed a few more inches. Kevin grinned.

I’m doing it.

You’re approximately four inches off the ground.

His grin vanished. I’m aware.

I just wanted you to understand the scale of your achievement.

Shut up.

The broom rose.

One foot. Two.

Then it tilted.

“WHOA!”

Kevin nearly toppled off. The crowd laughed again. He clutched the broom.

Relax, Veyr said. Don’t fight it.

I’m trying.

Try better.

Kevin gritted his teeth.

The broom rose again, this time to several feet. He leaned forward, just slightly.

It moved.

Forward.

He adjusted his balance. It moved faster.

His eyes widened.

He was flying.

Not well.

But he was flying.

The crowd quieted. Even the Captains began to pay closer attention.

“Hmm,” Captain Aerion murmured, leaning forward.

Captain Darius eyed the Codex. “So that’s the five-point.”

“He isn’t relying on brute force,” Captain Selene observed.

Captain Garrick gave a slight nod. “He’s learning the movement.”

Captain Evelyn’s eyes narrowed. “Interesting.”

Captain Orion said nothing.

His gaze never left Kevin.

Kevin reached the first ring and shot through it. The crowd cheered.

I did it!

Congratulations.

You sound impressed.

I’m impressed you haven’t died.

Why are you like this?

Somebody has to keep you humble.

He sped toward the second ring, more at ease now. His movements smoothed. He leaned in. The broom accelerated, and he passed another candidate.

“He’s catching up!”

“Kevin Riven?”

“Is that really him?”

For the first time, they weren’t laughing.

He smiled.

Then,

The broom jerked violently.

Kevin’s body shot upward.

“What?!”

The broom spun. He clung to it. The crowd gasped.

Kevin! Veyr’s voice was razor sharp. Stop forcing your magic through it!

He realized what he had done. He had gotten excited. His magic output had surged.

Too much.

The broom tilted downward.

Kevin dropped.

The arena exploded.

“He’s falling!”

His heart slammed against his ribs. The ground rushed up. He tried to pull the broom higher.

Nothing.

His magic flickered.

Come on!

KEVIN! Veyr screamed in his mind.

Kevin shut his eyes.

For one terrible second, the arena disappeared.

He saw the river. The creature. The pain. His first Codex. The words that had changed everything.

I won’t give up.

His eyes flew open.

Crimson magic burst from his palm. Instead of forcing the broom upward, he redirected the magic beneath it.

The broom slowed.

Then stopped.

Kevin hovered a few feet above the ground.

Silence.

Then the crowd detonated.

Kevin gasped for breath. He had done it. Not perfectly. Not beautifully.

But he had saved himself.

Veyr was silent for several seconds.

Well? Kevin asked.

Nothing.

Veyr?

At last,

That was decent.

Kevin grinned. Decent?

Don’t let it go to your head.

I almost fell.

Exactly.

Kevin laughed.

He guided the broom back to the course, but something in him had changed. He understood now.

The Trial wasn’t about being powerful.

It was about control.

He pressed on. One ring. Then another. He still wobbled. He nearly missed a checkpoint. He almost collided with another candidate.

But he kept adjusting.

And at last, he crossed the final line.

He landed awkwardly. The broom struck the ground, and Kevin rolled off it.

The crowd laughed.

He lay there for a moment. Then he raised one hand.

“I’m fine.”

Very graceful, Veyr said.

Kevin groaned. I landed.

You fell.

I landed.

You fell while landing.

Kevin sat up. You are impossible.

And yet you keep talking to me.

Kevin couldn’t help smiling.

Across the arena, Arena watched him with pride. Liora’s calm voice entered her mind.

He has changed.

She smiled. “Yes.”

Above them, the six Captains kept watching.

Kevin hadn’t been the fastest. He hadn’t been the most graceful. He hadn’t completed the course perfectly.

But he had done something important.

He had failed in the middle of the test.

And recovered.

Captain Aerion leaned back slowly. “Interesting.”

“Next group!” the examiner cried.

More candidates stepped forward. Kevin stood at the edge of the arena as his breathing finally slowed. He looked at his five-point Codex. Then up at the Captains.

For years, everyone had decided what Kevin Riven was.

A failure.

A disappointment.

A loser.

But today was different.

They hadn’t seen everything yet.

And neither had he.

The first test was over.

Three stages remained.

And Kevin had no idea how brutal the next one would be.