Finishing his shower, Gabriel came out and got dressed again, wearing the attire he had received with the Ancestral Staff.
The Attire didn't just work to make him look good, but it also hid his aura just like his gloves did, making it easier for him to mix around. At least as long as he wasn't using his Element for a Spell. When he did, even his attire couldn't hide his aura, especially his dark aura.
Gabriel walked to the balcony. Since he had taken the most expensive room in the hotel, it also came with many luxuries. He had received a room on the top floor which had the best view of the city.
With his hands behind his back, Gabriel gazed at the moon.
"The moon is the same as it was that day, yet everything about it is different. The beauty... It can't be seen anymore. It looks... Ordinary."
It was said that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. Unfortunately, Gabriel went through so much that something about him had changed. The same moon, which was the prettiest thing for him in the past, appeared like a very ordinary thing now.
After a brief observation, Gabriel walked back inside the room, closing the balcony door. Tomorrow was going to be a big day, and he needed to get up early to finish the last bit of preparation.
It was already four at night when he went to the massive king-sized bed, covering his cold body inside the soft blanket.
Even as he laid in the bed, waiting for sleep, his mind kept thinking about thousands of things regarding the day that was to come.
The ring had a timer of seven days, and the timer had started already. He didn't have much time to do reconnaissance and execute the mission while attending classes. That's why he needed help to make sure things moved smoothly, and he understood it.
He had already started shortlisting the people he was going to get close to. He wanted to execute his mission softly, even if it meant using others, and he knew who those people were going to be.
"Zale is a very naive boy with a weak worldview. He is exactly how I used to be. That makes me understand him even more. He should be easier to sway. He can handle minor things to keep me safe."
"However, that is only if he can pass through the entrance exams. I'm not sure if he's capable enough for that since he doesn't know any spells. It'll depend on what the exams are. It'll be good if he gets through. If he doesn't, I'll have to find someone else."
"That leaves a distraction which Cain will take care of. Now what's left is getting close to them and winning their trust."
Throughout the night, Gabriel kept thinking about how he could win the trust of the people around him.
Lira had left the entire responsibility of the plan on Gabriel's shoulders since only he could know what the current circumstances inside the Academy were. Still, she did give him some ideas on what he could do, and one of those ideas was about using others.
Throughout the night, Gabriel planned every single part of the day that was to come, taking into consideration all the things that could go wrong, so he wasn't unprepared.
By the time he fell asleep, it was already six in the morning.
****
"The world is burning... And it's all because of you..."
"You betrayed us."
"You shouldn't have..."
"You'll suffer the consequences.".
"You'll be damned for an eternity."
"You are a demon."
"How could you be so..."
"We can't let you go..."
"You have sinned."
Many strange voices echoed in the surroundings as if there were people surrounding Gabriel from all sides.
Everything was so dark that it was impossible to see anything. He couldn't even see where he was. It appeared as if he was floating in the air amidst this darkness.
The voices he heard... It was the first time he heard these voices. They didn't match the voices of anyone he had seen before. These voices weren't like the voices of the screeching spirits, yet they weren't like voices of humans either. There was just something really surreal about these voices.
Gabriel tried opening his lips to speak something. Unfortunately, he couldn't speak anything. His lips moved, yet no words came out of them.
As if the strange phenomenon of not being able to speak wasn't enough, Gabriel started feeling a terrifying chest pain. It was. As if his heart was going to explode. He even felt the stabbing of thousands of pins all around his body. At the same time, it was as if all the air was sucked from his surroundings, leaving him gasping for breath.
Thump~
Thump~
The thumping of his heart intensified along with the pain. No matter what he tried, he couldn't do anything. He couldn't even move. It was like he was a puppet at the mercy of others.
The pain in his heart continued.
Thump~
Thump~
Thump~
"Noo!"
Gabriel opened his eyes, sitting abruptly. His entire body was covered in sweat. His heart was racing. Fortunately, there was no pain in his heart.
"Huh." His breathing was heavy, but there was a look of relief on his face as he noticed that he was in his room.
"A nightmare..."
Thump! Thump! Thump!
There was still that thumping. However, it wasn't coming from his heart. It was as if someone was hitting his door from the outside.
Letting out a long sigh of relief, Gabriel got off the bed, still confused about what kind of stupid dream he saw.
He walked to the door and opened it. "Yeah?"
"Sir, thank God you're up."
"Why?"
"You left the instructions at the desk for us to wake you up on time. That's what I was doing."
"Didn't I tell you to wake me up at ten? Surely it can't be ten?"
"It's eleven..." The young waiter scratched the back of his head. "I've been knocking on the door for an hour. You really should hurry if you don't want to be late for the exams."
"Eleven?" Gabriel exclaimed. He felt as if he had only slept an hour. How was it eleven already?
He didn't want to fail the mission because he had overslept. The trials were supposed to start at twelve!
He dashed back to the bed and picked up the Golden Book that had the basic spells of Light before running out. He couldn't be late at any condition because being late was grounds for immediate disqualification before even being selected. Even if someone was just one minute late.
He collected his horse as fast as he could before departing. The horse raced through the streets, carrying Gabriel, almost hitting some commoners who were about to cross the road. Fortunately, a crash was avoided.
Even then, Gabriel didn't slow down.
****
Right at the heart of the Royal City, there stood the gigantic Academy of Elements.
The Academy premises covered thousands of kilometers square of area as if it was a city of its own within the Royal City itself.
There were multiple buildings within the Academy of Elements as each Element was given a castle-like building of their own where they were to be taught.
The entire academy was surrounded by a thousand feet tall wall from all sides. Many spells were carved on the walls to make sure no one could enter the academy uninvited; that was especially the case for Mages of Winds who could fly.
All the formations that were carved on the boundary wall worked to stop any infiltration that wasn't through the main entrance. Even if one could fly, they couldn't pass through the wall, despite it only being a thousand feet tall.
The only way to enter the academy was through the main gates that were made from the strongest of metals, further reinforced by magic.
At the moment, the doors of the Academy were open, allowing everyone who was here to participate in the Academy Selection Exams to enter.
As for the crowd of participants, it wasn't any less either. There appeared to be thousands of youngsters here already, still waiting to enter.
Multiple Teachers of the Academy were also present to make sure everything went smoothly.
The Academy Selection wasn't a small matter after all since many of these kids were going to become Mages who possessed a great amount of strength, and they could even become the next Head of a Holy Church.
"So, what do you think? Anyone worth keeping an eye on?"
Two teachers stood side by side, watching the students enter the Academy. One had the Mark of Earth while the other had the Mark of Wind.
"There are certainly a few interesting candidates this year if I were to purely judge from their auras. A few of them also share my Element of Earth, so I'm really optimistic."
"Heh, I hope there are some Talented Mages of Winds as well. I don't want our House of Wind to Rank near the bottom again."
"Hahaha, stop exaggerating. You weren't last. Your House was second last. I should be embarrassed since my House of Earth was last in the rankings. Hopefully, the new year and new students will bring some new luck."
"I hope the same man. I don't expect to defeat the top Houses. I at least don't want to be last. It's already embarrassing as it is." The Mage of Wind smiled wryly.
The Mage of Earth laughed, agreeing with his friend. However, his laughter changed to a frown. "Hmm? That's strange."
He gazed into the distance.
"What is it?"
"The newest arrival... That student in the back. Everyone here has an aura, weak or strong. It's just him I can't feel any aura from."
