The Summoner's Mark (First Draft) (Book One)

Discovering their Potential

The last match had come and went. Just like how it went with Sin's own match, two victors made their way into the area where Sin and the others were waiting. Since no one knew how long it would be until the next test, many were just relaxing upon various pieces of furniture around the room.

At the beginning of the matches, Sin knew that there were at least two hundred applicants who were trying to gain a seat in the Academy and now that the fights were over; it looked as if there were only twenty-four others with himself not included.

After the energy that he had used in the match, Sin decided that he would also make use of the furniture that was within the room and as such started making his way towards a couch that had a spare seat. Though as he was getting closer, those upon the item were quick in their movement to flee from him. "The elf that was a participant in my match must have spread the word around at what I did to that human boy." Sin concluded as he made the rest of the journey across the room. As he was readying to sit down, another thought came to mind. "It could be useful to have others here know that I am not someone who will allow them to get away with making snide or hurtful comments about my heritage."

Just as Sin's rear was about to touch the couch, the door on the opposite side of the one they entered to reach this room opened. With this, five individuals that Sin assumed to be Mages walked inside. Thankfully, Sin didn't see Sten in the mix which should allow this part of the trials to go smoothly for him.

The moment that the hopeful Academy students spotted the Mages, those within the room sprinted towards them and formed themselves into lines like what Sin would think soldiers would. Not wanting to be the only odd one out, Sin felt that it would be best for him to do the same and eventually ended up at the end of the line next to another. The moment that Sin arrived at in his place in line, the being next to him peeled their body away as if contact with the half-breed's skin would burn as hot as hell itself.

With his blood now once more in a boil, Sin turned to this being to give them a piece of his mind considering he was tired of all the fearful glances and hateful comments that he had received in his life. Just as Sin was about to open his mouth to deliver his sermon on tolerance, he thought that it would be best not to make a scene and instead decided to memorize this being's features in hopes that he gets a chance in the arena with them.

Though as Sin looked at the human, he determined that there wasn't anything worth remembering about him and the only was that he felt that he would be able to notice him again was by searing the image of his curly brown hair inside of his mind.

Now that Sin had moved past the disturbance that was caused, he turned his attention back to the Mages that had entered the room, which happened to be at the time that one pushed their way forward and began speaking.

"I wish to congratulate you all on passing through the first phase of testing. Now that the arena fights have been completed and we are sure that it wouldn't be a waste of our time teaching you; we will now enter the final test." A female voice called out as she paced back and forth in front of the first line of gathered potential students. The moment that Sin heard her voice, he knew that he recognized it and though it took him a moment to place it; he eventually concluded that she was the voice that he had heard over the announcement while he was fighting in the arena. "Though I wished that we would have had our Battle Master Sten Cusha hear to congratulate you all, since he is now preoccupied with his nephew's hospitalization; you all must settle with me." The female Mage informed the group.

Hearing that Sten had a nephew that was participating within the Academy trials caused Sin to bring back the memories of the boy that he had broken within the arena. "Now that I am thinking about it, Sten and that stranger shared some common features. If that human were related to Sten then it would give reasons to why he was so furious to my winning the battle..." Sin contemplated and though he had more that he needed to think on, he had to cut his thoughts off when he heard the voice of the female Mage once more.