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10. Entrance exam ✨

Fharan wandered the streets for a very long time before returning to the inn to start packing his things.
Afrit stayed unusually quiet and left him in peace. Fharan was surprised to realize that his bond had started to adapt to his moods.
He was silently there for him when he got upset and distanced himself when he needed space.
They had spent almost three years together, sharing mind and body, knowing each other's every thought and only recently found a suitable medium for Afrit to reside in so he was still not quite used to him being around for real. But even though they had separated at least physically they still seemed to posses an inexplicable connection.
Maybe it was the bond, he hadn't had the time yet to find out more about these things.

It wasn't until the night that Afrit returned to their room as well and carefully jumped on their bed, laying down a small distance away from him sensing that he was still awake.
Fharan seldomly slept through the night anymore. He had come to find it more comfortable taking a nap during the day.
Just one of the many remnants that had stayed with him from his time in captivity.
The wards had taken pleasure in taking him at night. Startling him awake to start a new round of torture.
His arm and face were dropping with pain, but he ignored it. Both of his parents had received the blessing of Efreen and had consequently a higher body temperature than normal people. His own blessing was represented by ice and made his body, even under normal circumstances unnaturally cold, so he had become quite sensitive to heat. His cheek as well as his wrist glowed with an angry red, burned from the touch of his parents.
We could leave and return in a few years when things calmed down. I won't hold you to your promise, we have time now., Afrit suddenly spoke up. The southern parts of Luron are peaceful and cold all year round.
"No.", Fharan replied and unconsciously shook his head. "We can always leave when everything is over."

Three days later

He got up early on the day of the exam. His mother had been exceptionally fast which allowed him to move to the mansion just shortly after their meeting.
Afrit started to stir while he changed into a new pair of clothes.
Is it already time to leave?, Afrit mumbled sleepily and tried to free himself from the sheets. The bed in the mansion was much bigger than the one in the inn so he could move as freely as he wanted.
"Yes.", Fharan simply replied, fishing Afrit out of the sheets before grabbing the new documents the palace had sent. There was no point hiding his identity in the academy and maybe he would even be able to lure out some of his enemies.
He was just walking through the entrance hall towards the door when his new butler called him from the other side of the hall.
"Your highness, won't you be taking breakfast? Or at least take one of the servants with you?", he hurriedly asked.
"I will be skipping breakfast today and there will be no use in taking a servant. I'll be back soon.", he replied before opening the door.
I just can't get used to this!, Afrit complained and slipped out in front of him. All this fussing and this 'your highness' and that 'your highness'. It's hard to find even a minute of peace.
"And I thought you might enjoy being served." Afrit only snorted. As if!, he grumbled and continued onwards.

The mansion was conveniently close to the academy so it only took them a few minutes to arrive.
They still weren't the first ones to be there, despite having departed two hours early.
The gates were wide open and a continued stream of visitors was pouring in.
Since he hadn't used any kind of transportation he easily managed to pass by the masses towards the main building. A two teachers stood in front of it and handed out the schedule of the upcoming events.
Fharan tried to pass most of the welcoming ceremonies, introductions and 'social gatherings' to focus on the exams themselves. It was funny how simple it all sounded on the paper.
His first hurdle would be the final registration and prove of identification.
To his surprise it turned out to be one of the easiest parts. It seemed as if the headmaster of the academy was rather well connected and had heard about the news of his return. Although a bit worried that the royal family might decide to interfere with the selection process, he had prepared for Fharans arrival and had placed his deputy at the temporary registration counter to avoid any unnecessary attention.
The written exam followed right after and the former prince was surprised to find no difficulty in it and was the first one to hand in his answer sheets.

Afrit waited for him outside and had used the free time to explore the school grounds a bit.
After a short break at noon the practical exam followed. It was more of an assessment of their abilities though.
The exam couldn't be generalized due to the diverse nature of the abilities tested so every candidate received a different one.
When he entered the examination side, he was presented with a blood-crystal.
These crystals were made by crystallizing the blood of one or multiple monsters. They were known for their beauty as well as to have the ability to store the magic of the beast they had been extracted from. The crystals were also very sensitive to magic and would start glowing when infused with it.

Fharan felt how his magic started to stir when he picked it up and he let it run freely.
It almost naturally flowed towards the crystal enveloping it in an invisible cloak while the temperature around it dropped significantly.
Shortly after the stone turned dull, cracked and crumbled to dust before the eyes of his examiners. It was one of the abilities his blessing had granted him with. By freezing or rather converting foreign magic into his own he was able to deprive things, spells and people of their magic.
The teachers were rather surprised by this outcome since their original purpose had been to measure his abilities by the time and intensity of the glowing crystal after he had infused it with his magic.
Nether the less, they send him out. Despite the surprise, it had served its purpose and no one could be found to object.
Blood-crystals were harder than diamonds and generally resistant to magic that aimed to destroy them or to deprive them of their core.

It took the academy seven days to sift through all the participants and to choose their candidates. Fharan and Afrit mostly stayed at the mansion hiding away in their room.
Their peaceful time was disturbed by a knock on the door. His butler, with a quick glance at his clothes, nervously reported that the headmaster of the academy of Rish'ka wished to speak to him. He was waiting in the reception room.
Fharan went down as he was, despite his butlers subtle displeasure.
The headmaster was a rather lean but short man in his late forties with greyish brown hair and sharp brown eyes.
He stood up from his seat as Fharan entered and bowed. "It is a pleasure to meet you prince Fharan. My name is Zeren Fen, headmaster of the academy of Rish'ka."
The former prince nodded and motioned him to sit down again before he did the same.