Three weeks passed in the blink of an eye, and before Elaine knew it, they were on the cusp of Midterm Exams. Soon, it would all begin. Very soon. That morning at the start of the week, when the early morning sun radiating in the clear blue skies, dousing Glyph Academy in a fluid, golden-colored sheet, instead of going to homeroom, students were instructed to head to the Assembly Hall, where the headmaster himself would be giving a special announcement.

In truth, Elaine only ever recalled visiting the room on two other occasions—the first was at the end of the first week of classes whilst the second happened only a week and a half ago, and that one was dedicated to reiterating the policies and rules of the academy; Elaine had a feeling it had something to do with Kliff and Lukas' unauthorized duel—and as rare as they were, it was quite shocking to have one so abruptly.

Professor Marsh had escorted them from their usual homeroom to the base floor of the academy's main castle, where numerous other homeroom classes had already congregated. The Assembly Hall was approximately the same size as the Feast Hall—maybe a little wider—but it was void of any tables or chairs. 

Discounting the podium stage that stretched from one door to the next, most of the auditorium was vacant, save for the lines of students organized in their respective homerooms, each of them led by a class president.

Adeline stood at the front of their line with Homeroom Class No. 7 situated closer to the left half of the room, sandwiched between Homeroom Class No. 6—the distinguished fifth-year students that they were—and Homeroom Class No. 8. Elaine shifted uncomfortably when she spotted Lukas standing in the line beside her, his shoulders hunched and a grimace staining his sharp face. 

Their class president, well, Elaine wasn't all that surprised as she spotted Minerva at the front of their line, standing straight with an unreadable expression. Knowing her reputation, she was more than likely handed that position on a silver platter.

Someone released a yawn behind her. It was Custas, the boy slouching a bit as he covered his mouth with a hand. "I hope this is quick," he said tiredly. "I'm not built for mornings. And after all the studying I've been putting in...I could use a little break."

"You? Studying?" a familiar voice chuckled behind him, and Custas' sleepy eyes turned sharp with disdain. Out of the corner of Elaine's sideglance, she managed to make out Rayla—the blonde-haired girl who hailed from Ekenthall—laughing into a closed fist. That girl had a tendency to always say what was on her mind; this time was no exception, either.

"With Kyntho as my witness, I studied! What, do you think I'm trying to fail on purpose?" Custas said defensively.

"I am not," Rayla said, shooting a mischievous grin at him. "Just that, out of everyone in our homeroom, you don't strike me as, ah, how do I say this without coming across as impolite? Ah, astute? Yeah, that's it! You're not astute at all."

"Shows how little you know about me, Rayla," Custas frowned. "When I put my mind to it, I can pass anything these professors toss at me with flying colors."

"Didn't you almost fail the last Magihistory pop quiz?" inquired Edgar in front of Elaine. She always found it fascinating how the Rymevai people were born with two distinct eye colors. In Edgar's case, his right eye was green-colored while the other was blue. A perfect anomaly, his descendants were. "And Professor Marsh called you out during Black Magic Defense for not understanding the homework assignment, too," Edgar continued, scratching his head of spiky dark hair. "Sounds like it to me that you're the person who's least likely to do well on these exams."

"Oh, what are you?! Some kind of stalker?" Custas grunted.

"Hey, I just call it as I see it, man. I'm realistic," Edgar shrugged. "As for me, I know I'm nowhere near as impressive as someone like Kliff Dresden. I can see that guy performing well and myself adequately. You, on the other hand, well, let's say you leave a lot to be desired."

"Please, don't compare me to that surgin' fireboy!" Custas said angrily. "As if I need the reminder."

"Relax, Custas. I'm sure you'll do well," Elaine said, hoping the reassurance in her voice could lift his spirits, though, as she observed his gloomy frown, she knew she had failed. "We've all studied as much as we can, right? So, let's stay positive and trust that the training they've put us through will be enough to let us succeed."

"Sunder me, I wish I could be as optimistic as you, Elaine," Rayla pouted.

"Whatever the case may be," Custas yawned, crossing his arms. "I'll feel much better once these exams are over and done with."

A stirring came from the far side of the room, and a line of figures caught Elaine's immediate attention as they made their way up onto the stage. In that direction, she also noticed all of their professors lined up against the wall. 

Allan Marsh himself stood awkwardly between the much larger Professor Knight—who seemed to be trying to hold a conversation, much to the latter's annoyance—and Professor Altair, whose stern yet beguiling expression glossed over the crowd of students in front of her. Elaine could see quite a few others who had their eyes glued on the Summoner as well, all of whom were men.

Striding across the stage, Headmaster Valerian quickly made his way to the wooden pulpit bearing a banner of the griffin-shaped academy emblem. Raze followed behind him, hands clasped behind the gaunt man's back. 

In spite of his appearance, the skeleton of man often acted a lot more lively than the Abyssal Sorcerer, although Elaine was only judging him by how he had behaved when they first met, as well as their subsequent journey to the academy. She hadn't any idea what he was like behind closed curtains, though Orion would have her believe he was some all-seeing and strict monster...which certainly sounded plausible.

The seven other students present on the stage, well, they were the Student Council, and somewhere in the crowd, Elaine could sense their club leader's anger sweltering. But it was they who were entrusted to oversee the academy's concerns and issues, as well as organize any special upcoming events in the stead of the Glyph staff. In a lot of ways, they practically held just as much authority as a professor, and if not, they would definitely have you surmise as much by how dignified their demeanor was.

Elaine recognized Micah among them—his judgemental eyes narrowed to mere slits—as well as the curly-haired girl who had moved to stand next to him in order to face the audience. Elaine had learned her name was Shion Dason, the daughter of a wealthy family with connections to quite a large sum of powerful nobles and crownbarons. A noble through and through, she was.

Orion and Raze made way for one of the lot, in particular, to access the podium: a tall lad with brown-colored hair and a handsome portrait. He also had two different-colored eyes—one yellow, the other purple. Elaine knew him as Nathan Brand, the acting president of the Student Council. Just like the rest of the Council, a sun-shaped insignia was pinned over the red-colored shoulder cape.

He was a relatively well-spoken and polite individual; however, his striking features and notable background made him especially popular with female students, and not even Elaine was blind to his appeal. Even so, more than anything, Elaine was intrigued by the kind of magic he specialized in. 

From what she heard, he was one of the strongest students in the entire academy, and he was only one year above her. Surely, he must have been some wunderkind; she needed to see him cast a spell. 

"A pleasant good morning to all of you!" he said loudly into the microphone; his was a strong voice doused with passion. "Before we proceed with today's assembly, let us first rattle our lungs with Glyph Academy's Pledge! After me, if you please."

Null bereft Grandium entys Enternum. Clara en Vyrum. Bound by nothing, we March Freely into the Forever. Radiant and True. Those were the words that their academy founder lived by long before Glyph was even a thought, and it was the eternal and honorable promise that every sorcerer on campus lived by, at least, they were supposed to. 

Professor Marsh had forced them to memorize it on the first day of classes; anyone who couldn't recite the pledge when asked by him to do so would be—unsurprisingly—punished by his hand. Just another perk of having him as their homeroom teacher.

But the Assembly Hall vibrated as over three hundred voices joined together to repeat the honorable words, and only once they were done did Nathan Brand take a bow at his audience to then motion to Headmaster Valerian to take a stand at the pulpit, which he did, moving steadily and equipped with a confident smile on his face as he tapped the microphone with a gloved finger. 

"It's funny," the man began gingerly. "To be placed in a position to witness all of the talented young mages of the present be molded into Professional Sorcerers of the ages. Truly, I must pray to Aeris that I've been blessed with such a grand honor. But, as you all know, the week ahead will be an arduous one."

That it would be. Despite what she had said, it had taken everything Elaine had in her not to let an aspect of doubt crack her voice, or a look of uncertainty fester her otherwise bright expression, or show a weakness that had stabbed her in her heart, causing her Essence to simmer. She needed to be strong; if she wavered now, she wouldn't stand a chance.

"Midterm Exams." There was a powerful intensity as Headmaster Valerian spoke, though it did not sunder his smile in the least. "It would be ignorant to proclaim that all of you will survive them unscathed. No, no, that'd be an outright lie. Discounting the man I am today, I, too, was once a student of magic, a novice to the mystical arts. And so I'm keenly aware of the emotions spiraling within each of your Cores. To face these exams is an amazing challenge, a test to evaluate everything that you've learned thus far. For you first-years, know that your circumstances have been lived before. But if you have the Essence of a true Professional Sorcerer—and I know that each of you does—then you too will push through this barrier and move onto even greater heights. After all, these Midterms are but a foretaste of the real test. If you think Final Exams will be any less onerous, well, if nothing else, take solace in the fact that each of the sorcerers whom I appointed as your teachers will give it their all to help you face that wave when it arrives, much like I'm certain they've done this time around."

"Is this supposed to be encouraging?" Elaine heard Custas smirk. "If anything, it's just making me more depressed."

Rayla chuckled. "That headmaster sure has a way with words, doesn't he?"

"Oh, sure, fawn over him now. If that was some fat, old guy who'd said the very same thing, I reckon you would have thrown a tomatberry at him by now. You goldbloods and your double standards, I swear to Kyntho."

"Quiet, you two," Elaine hissed at them. "It looks like there's more he has to say." 

And Elaine was correct. Straightening his back, clearing his throat with a light cough, Headmaster Valerian scoured over the crowd of students in front of him with a look of what could best be described as a kind of solemn kindness. Disappointment, maybe?

"Our world is a tricky one. We tried to comprehend it, and magic then gets added to the equation. Mages are born and evolved into professionals, only to be cursed by those who practice Black Magic. And in those shadows of what once we could consider honorable men and women linger threats and foul deeds with the potential of throwing everything we care for into the Shadow. Of course, I made it no secret that I value the safety of each of my students, but no matter how keen a griffin's gaze, it can never see the worms writhing in the muck.

"For five long years, these academy walls will be your fortress. Your home. And though the Glyph staff and the Gray Cloaks are doing their very best to maintain peace and order so that you may fully indulge in your studies for magic, the acts of us mortal men will always be fractured, either due to our own negligence or irresponsibility or because of the machinations of an outside force. 

"So, I urge you all to please keep a sharp eye on any forms of dubious behavior or suspicious individuals you may come across and report it to the authorities at once. As I've said, this isn't just your home but the home of your comrades, brothers and sisters dedicating their lives to the mastery of magic. We all have our parts to play; I can only pray that you do yours."

Yup, this had to be related to Professor Marsh's strange warning he'd given during homeroom a few weeks back. He'd told them to be mindful of any "suspicious activity" or, rather, something that caught their eye. 

She didn't know what he nor the headmaster was referring to, given how criminally vague the both of them were being; however, she couldn't let herself be distracted from her priority. Passing the upcoming exams was all that mattered for now. Even as a flash of an unfamiliar memory zapped her consciousness, Elaine steadied herself with a strained expression. Focused. She needed to remain focused on what was most important.

The rest of the announcements were relatively mundane: changes in the cafeteria's menu, emphasizing the importance of sending any and all complaints to the front desk, being weary not to antagonize the security specters; things of that nature. 

In the next twenty minutes or so, everyone was filing out of the enormous room after Headmaster Valerian had said his closing statements. She spotted him discussing something with Raze and Nathan Brand a short distance behind the podium. The looks on each of their faces held a seriousness she knew not of.

Fearne exhaled beside her as they followed the wide stream of students funneling out of the exit doors. "I can't believe I'm this nervous before I've even taken a single exam yet," she said discouragingly. "Fortune strike me; I hope I do well."

"Look on the bright side," Elaine said. "At least you're in a better position than I am."

"Hmm? How so?"

"My grades are pretty, well, they could be better, or that's what I think, anyway. If I do poorly on any one of these exams, it'll be difficult to pull them up before the semester's over. Then there's the fact that I have yet to obtain a Radiant Star, something of which you've already taken care of." The pinkish spots on the sides of Fearne's face were obvious, but Elaine ignored them to spare the girl any embarrassment. "In a lot of ways, you've surpassed me as a student and as a sorcerer. If anything, I should be the one that's nervous."

"And yet, you're not," Fearne sighed, tugging at her braided ponytail repeatedly and pulling it over her left shoulder. "Let's face it, when push comes to shove, I always disappoint."

"Fearne," Elaine grunted, and someone to her side accidentally shoved their elbow into her waist. "You're being silly. That's not—"

"Is that it? I'm being ridiculous?" Fearne laughed, but there wasn't any sincerity to it. "During our test in the pocket prison, I counted on you and Custas to get me out of trouble. I hardly did anything of worth, only wound up getting hurt, leaving you two to defend me. Had Professor Marsh acted on his false threat, Aeris knows I'd have been the student he sent home." Elaine tried to interrupt her, but Fearne went on, cutting her off before she even had a chance to speak up. "And what about in Lakestone? When Todd and his goons attacked us. What did I do then? Nothing, just stood back helpless as Kliff did all the work." Fearne balled her hands into fists and gritted her teeth to a pinched scowl. "Don't you get it, Elaine? When it's all on me, and I have to be the one to get things done, I just...fail."

They were getting closer to the exit doors now, the cluster of students preceding them getting smaller by the second. And when she looked at Fearne with a smile, Elaine imagined the girl must have been quite confused. "This might sound strange, but you remind me a lot of my brother. He's always super hard on himself, too."

Fearne arched a brow at her. "You mean, Ellend?"

"After his injury, he all but isolated himself in his room. He was a recluse in his own home. Sometimes, entire months would pass before I even got the chance to speak to him." Elaine frowned as she recalled that depressing stretch of her life, the charred scar on her past. "He kept trying to convince himself that what happened was his fault. That he was too weak, that he wasn't meant to be a sorcerer. He felt useless. But, of course, I didn't believe him. Not even for a second. I knew he was overlooking the bigger picture, much like you are doing right now."

"The bigger picture?" Fearne repeated, frowning. "What do you mean?"

Elaine chuckled lightly as she placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Have more confidence in yourself, Fearne. You're stronger than you think."

"What makes you so sure?" Fearne asked dubiously.

"Can't say," Elaine shrugged. "It's just a feeling..."

*

* *

The Midterm schedule was simple. Over the course of this week, they would—or, to be more specific, the students in Elaine's homeroom class—take nine exams, one for each of their corresponding subjects. 

The good news was that they were reasonably spread apart; that is, they would never have to worry about finishing one exam just to hurry off to take the next. It was a kindness that Elaine appreciated.

For example, while they could have one exam in the morning, they wouldn't need to attend the other until sometime later in the afternoon. The only aspect to consider, however, was that each exam had a duration of over two hours. That wasn't to say they needed to take that long to complete one, but Elaine was susceptible to the game they were playing. 

Their professors, they wouldn't give them such an elastic time frame if the contents of the exams didn't require as much. And so if she left an exam room with well over an hour remaining, then the odds of her passing were slim at best and impossible at worst.

That thought was strong in her mind as she took her seat inside the Potion-Making Class, Professor Lurgs instructing a few students sitting in the row in front of her. The woman had already made it clear that her exam would be a practical one; therein, Elaine came prepared to create the specific kind of potion Lurgs would surely request for. What she hadn't expected was the overabundance of unfamiliar faces.

Most other students around her weren't from her homeroom class. In fact, there were a handful of Homeroom Class No. 7 mages who were absent, Meredith and Jack being among them. Substituting for them were students—of the same year—who seemed to be just as confused, if not upset, as she was. At least she could locate Fearne and Kliff amongst the selection. But...but where was Custas? Had the sulmo gotten lost and fallen into a ditch somewhere? No, she'd just seen him a little while earlier, so where had he gone?

"Today's exam shouldn't be anything out of the ordinary for you all. At least, if you have been paying attention," Professor Lurgs began in her cheery voice. There were still a few more students reluctantly stepping into the classroom, though. "Laid in front of you are the details for a potion. By the end of the time period, you are to produce to me this potion, and you will be judged not just by its quality but also by how well you cooperate with your partners. Now, as has become evident, not everyone here is from the same homeroom, and that is entirely by my design."

The sorcerer snapped her fingers, and in the next second, a chalk stick lifted off into the air and began rapidly writing lines of white text across the chalkboard behind her. "Here are the names of your partners. I made certain that no student was paired with someone from their homeroom," she said with a mischievous grin. "The other professors keep telling me I'm too nice to my students, so I decided to mix things up a little this year. You wouldn't oppose being my guineapigs, would you?"

"And what of the remaining students?" Kliff asked, raising his hand. "When will they be taking their exam?"

"Oh, don't worry about them," Lurgs reassured him with a smile, waving a hand in front of her. "They've already been sent their designated exam schedules."

Elaine exhaled in relief. That's a relief.

"Now, then. On to the fun part!"

Lurgs snapped her fingers a second time, and appearing before Elaine in a violent torch of lime-colored light was a roundish figure that sat hunched on all fours. It was a disgusting-looking thing; nevertheless, it was a creature Elaine recognized as many of them inhabited Page's rivers and grasslands. They were called hobgoblins—not to be confused with the average bushgoblin, though the two species were related—that resembled a plump toad the size of a large cat, although Elaine had seen some rival a calf's height.

They possessed sickly yellowish skin moistened with a layer of mucus, making them incredibly slippery to hold. This was apparently a tactic to ward off predators. The creature's eyes were round and purple-colored, twice the size of a closed fist, and fixed emptily on Elaine's form.

The most unsettling feature of the hobgoblin was the bulbous sac protruding from its stomach beyond its stubby front legs. This sac was completely translucent, revealing viscous stomach juices swishing around inside every time the goblin moved or croaked. The sight was enough to make Elaine's stomach churn, and she had to restrain herself from gagging.

Though it was a vile creature to stare at, hobgoblins were relatively harmless, just so long as you let them be. At worst, they might break inside a shed or barn stall to seek refuge during a storm or to hibernate during the wintery months. 

The spawning season was also rather annoying as the goblins could conceive anywhere from fifteen to thirty offspring at once. If the consistent croaking from rivers, lakes, ponds, and anywhere else with water didn't drive you insane, you'd learn to live with it, as Elaine constantly did.

But none of this answered why she was now staring one in the face. The creatures were lazy, but Elaine was surprised at how calm it was behaving. Professor Lurgs must have had it tamed to some capacity. As Elaine glanced around the room, she noticed several other hobgoblins materialize as well, a few students screaming or falling out of their chairs in shock.

Professor Lurgs clapped her hands as she laughed. "I probably should have warned you about that first," she said, wiping a loose tear from her green-colored eye. "But this is my exam: Glowing Gluttons. In case some of you weren't aware, a hobgoblin's physiology is highly reactive to an elixir or potion. It won't kill them unless the potion's effects are deadly, of course. However, they have a habit of illuminating a specific color depending on whichever potion they consume. The brightness of their glow correlates to a potion's purity. As such, they make the perfect subjects for testing the purification levels of a potion. But that's neither here nor there. As far as this exam is concerned, the brighter you can get your hobgoblin to glow, the higher your grade will be."

Sounds simple enough, I suppose, Elaine thought, petting the goblin on its head. It gave a happy yap! at her before licking over one of its eyes with a slobbery, barbed tongue.

"You are to prepare the potion specified on your sheets, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for improvisation. You can add any extra ingredient you can think of if you believe it will amplify the potion's purification, so long as it doesn't compromise or nullify the potion's foundation." Professor Lurgs spread her arms out to her sides. "Furthermore, you are free to use any ingredient you can find on Glyph's campus to complete the potion. Remember, communication is key. So, you must speak and cooperate with your partners if you hope to receive a passing grade. Well, then, that's all from me. Your exam starts now! Good luck to you all, my students!"

As Elaine sat on her chair, her lips tightened in concentration, and she quickly scanned the paper that lay in front of her on the desk. The recipe seemed relatively easy to concoct, requiring only a few ingredients for its completion. To that end, Elaine could see why Professor Lurgs encouraged them to get creative.

She peeked past the hobgoblin's massive head, trying to catch a glimpse of the chalkboard to see who she would be partnered with for the exam. Just then, someone took the empty seat beside her, and when Elaine turned to greet them, her eyes widened in disbelief.

Minerva set her things delicately onto the desk, the gray-haired girl slinging a glare right at her. "I don't know what's more repulsive," Minerva grunted. "This hobgoblin or the fact that I'm to consummate this exam with the likes of you."

"Minerva?!" Elaine exclaimed. "You're my partner?!"

"As dulbrained as ever, I see," Minerva sighed. "Let's get this over with swiftly, yes? The less I have to syndicate with you, the happier I'll be."

As the seconds ticked by, Elaine's initial shock began to dissolve, replaced by a growing sense of resentment that simmered just beneath the surface. Her lips curved into a crooked grin that belied her true feelings, while a subtle twitch in her brow betrayed her irritation. I'm in serious trouble...