Soul of Will

It had been three long years since my mother passed away, and now, finally, I had gained enough power to enter the prestigious Blackguard Academy, the school she had always been so proud of. As I approached the grand gate of the academy, a noble with spiky red hair blocked my way, a look of arrogance on his face. "I'm Lucius Maxwell of the Maxwell dynasty," he sneered. "I've heard of you from my father, Aurum. You don't even have a house name, yet you want to attend here? How arrogant of a peasant like you." "My mother told me about weaklings like you," I retorted. "Those who get off on bullying those weaker than themselves to stroke their pathetic egos. But we're not on the same level, so I suggest you bark up another tree." Lucius conjured a meager fireball, attempting to scare me. A blonde girl with piercing blue eyes emerged from the crowd of students. "It seems you're still hypocritical," she taunted Lucius. "It'd be better to save your energy for the entrance exams. It's well known that Blackguard doesn't accept delinquents." "Aurora Heartfield of all people calling me a delinquent and you called me hypocritical!" Lucius taunted back. Lucius launched his attack at Aurora, but I swiftly kicked him back, using my aura to protect her. He charged two stronger fireballs, running towards us. Suddenly, two teachers appeared out of thin air, sealing Lucius's movements before he could react. The students clamored in awe as they recognized the two teachers. "It's two of the four pillars! The air pillar Senshi and the earth pillar Sumo," the students whispered among themselves. "That's enough!" Sumo commanded. "All of you go to your assigned classrooms for the written exam, and parents, make your way to the arena." As the students and parents followed the teachers' instructions, Aurora approached me. "Thanks for your help back there," she said. "I'm Aurora Heartfield. We should meet up after the exam." I agreed before continuing on my way to find my exam room. After a few minutes, I located the classroom, which was filled with around fifty students. The exam was relatively easy for me, as all the answers were within my grasp as a scholar mage. A few hours later, everyone finished the written portion of the exam, and we gathered in the waiting room of the arena for the magical aptitude test. "It's good to see you again," Aurora said, catching up to me. "How do you think you did on the test?" "I'd be surprised if I didn't ace it," I replied. "How about you?" "Same," she said. "But it seems the teachers set up three tests to gauge our current level. The first test was the written exam, then magical aptitude, and lastly, a duel among students." Most likely, this duel would determine our initial class rank. "Aurora Heartfield, please step forward for your magical aptitude assessment!" one of the teachers announced. "It seems they're calling me. Wish me luck," Aurora said, stepping forward. She placed her left hand on the magical assessment orb, closing her eyes. The orb illuminated the room with a bright red glow. "Aurora Heartfield's magical aptitude is 97, affinity fire element. Next up, Aurum, please step forward!" the teacher announced. "Nearly 100 affinity, as expected of a noble!" the students murmured. I placed my hand on the orb, closing my eyes. Suddenly, my mana burst out of me, disintegrating the entire table in front of me. "Aurum's magical aptitude is 0... Affinity Yin Element..." the teacher said, recovering from the shock. Everyone in the room looked at me, murmuring among themselves. "Yin affinity?! Are you sure this isn't a mistake?!" "Commoners can't awaken sacred elements!" "It seems there are going to be a few interesting students this year," Sumo remarked. "There has been one that caught my eye," Senshi added, looking at me. After finishing my test, I made my way to the arena, where I awaited my opponent. A few minutes later, Lucius walked out, wearing his red knight armor. "There's no one to save you this time," he taunted. "You'd best forfeit before you lose your worthless life." I analyzed his mana flow, noticing its instability due to his anger. I decided to take my time, analyzing his style before making my move. "Don't tell me fear has gotten the best of you!" he sneered, laughing. "We've already gone over the rules," the announcer said, conjuring a large orb. "The match will end when the opponent admits defeat or cannot continue." "You heard the man," Lucius continued taunting. "No one can leave until one of those things happens. You'd better prepare yourself, mama's boy." I crouched down into my battle stance, suppressing my anger. There had been a slight change in strategy. "It seems you're finally taking this seriously," Lucius taunted again. "Come at me then!" The orb suddenly exploded, signaling the start of the match. Before Lucius could react, I focused a sufficient amount of Yin energy into my fist. I blitzed in front of him as the bomb exploded, then punched him in the ribs, holding back nearly all of my power. Lucius flew into the air, crashing into the barrier surrounding the arena. He was unconscious before hitting the floor. "No way, he defeated a noble..." "How did he fuse Yin energy? Impossible!" "So he defeated him using one punch. Our class will be interesting this year," Aurora remarked. I walked towards the back of the arena, where Aurora was waiting for me. "It seems I was right about you, moonlight knight," she said. I was surprised that she had done her research. "If you've dug that deep, then you must want something from someone like myself," I replied. "I know you want to become the king, so I want to offer the assistance of our great houses in your endeavor," she said. "And what do you hope to gain?" I asked. "I've taken an interest in you. I want to see you navigate your goals. But I also know you have a dream bigger than just being king," she replied. "You're far more perceptive than I've given you credit for. I'll take your offer into consideration," I said, leaving her behind. As I walked away, I saw a small black pheasant with red eyes flying past me out of the tunnel. It was a curious sight to see here of all places.