He made his way to the station, which was manned by a stern-looking woman in her fifties. She had the kind of face that suggested she'd seen many overconfident students fail spectacularly.
"Name?"
"Alex Chen."
She looked at her clipboard, then at him, then back at the clipboard. "You're the apple core student."
"I guess."
"I'm Professor Martinez. I'll be overseeing your combat assessment."
Alex looked around the station. There were practice dummies of varying sizes, some made of wood, others of more exotic materials. One appeared to be made of metal and was covered in glowing runes.
"The test is simple," Professor Martinez explained. "You'll be asked to demonstrate your combat abilities against increasingly difficult targets. Start with the standard practice dummy and work your way up until you reach your limit."
"What if I don't want to reach my limit?"
"Everyone has to try their best. It's the only way to get an accurate assessment."
Alex looked at the observers, who were all watching him with interest. Sarah's warning echoed in his mind: don't try too hard.
"Can I start with the easiest one?"
"Of course."
Alex approached the first dummy, which was made of simple wood and showed signs of being hit by countless beginner spells. Other students had been using basic combat spells—fireballs, force bolts, lightning strikes. The dummy was scorched and dented but still standing.
"Whenever you're ready," Professor Martinez said.
Alex looked at the dummy. He could easily destroy it with a thought, but that would probably cause more problems than it would solve. He needed to find a middle ground between looking incompetent and looking like some kind of magical prodigy.
He decided to keep it simple. A basic force spell, the kind that first-year students learned. Nothing fancy.
He raised his hand and focused on the dummy. A small bolt of energy shot from his palm and struck the target. The dummy rocked back slightly but remained standing.
"Good," Professor Martinez said, making a note. "Move to the next one."
The second dummy was made of harder wood and had some basic defensive enchantments. Alex hit it with a slightly stronger force spell. It cracked but didn't break.
"Excellent control," Professor Martinez observed. "Next."
The third dummy was made of stone. Alex used a force spell with enough power to crack it, but not enough to shatter it completely.
"Very good. Try the metal one."
Alex looked at the metal dummy. It was the same one he'd seen earlier, covered in protective runes that glowed faintly. Other students had been struggling with this one all day.
He aimed carefully and sent a focused force spell at one of the runes. It flickered and went out, but the dummy remained intact.
"Interesting approach," Professor Martinez said. "You targeted the weakest point in the defenses."
"I tried to be efficient."
"Move to the next one."
The next dummy was made of some kind of crystal that refracted light in strange ways. Alex aimed for what looked like a structural weak point and sent another force spell at it. The crystal cracked but didn't shatter.
"Excellent. Final target."
Alex looked at the last dummy. It was made of a material he didn't recognize, and it was covered in so many protective enchantments that it looked like it was surrounded by a rainbow. This was the one that was supposed to be for advanced students.
He could feel the observers watching him more intently now. Professor Stone was leaning forward in his chair.
Alex focused on the dummy and sent a force spell at it. The spell hit the protective barriers and dissipated harmlessly.
"Try again," Professor Martinez said. "Use more power."
Alex increased the strength of his force spell. This time it penetrated the first layer of protection but was stopped by the second.
"One more time."
Alex aimed carefully and sent a much stronger force spell at the dummy. It broke through two layers of protection and cracked the surface, but didn't do any serious damage.
"Very good, Mr. Chen. You've demonstrated excellent progression and control."
Alex looked back at the observers. They were all writing furiously in their notebooks.
"What happens now?"
"You move to the next station. Utility magic is over there."
Alex made his way to the utility magic station, where a younger professor was setting up various problems for students to solve. There were broken objects to repair, water to purify, and other practical challenges.
"Name?"
"Alex Chen."
The professor's eyes lit up. "Oh! You're the one who helped Emma with her healing magic!"
"I guess."
"I'm Professor Kim. I heard about your innovative approach to magical instruction. Very impressive."
Alex was starting to wish he'd never helped Emma with her healing magic. One act of basic human kindness had somehow turned into a reputation for being a revolutionary teacher.
"Let's start with something simple," Professor Kim said. "This clock is broken. Can you fix it?"
Alex looked at the clock. It was a simple mechanical device, but several of the gears had been removed. He could see where they belonged, but he'd need to use magic to put them back in the right place.
He focused on the gears and used a basic manipulation spell to move them into position. The clock started ticking again.
"Excellent. How about this one?"
The next challenge was a wilted plant. Alex used a combination of water magic and growth magic to restore it to health.
"Very good. Now this."
Professor Kim showed him a cup of murky water. Alex used a purification spell to make it clear and clean.
"Outstanding. Let's try something more advanced."
The advanced challenges were more complex but still manageable. Alex fixed a broken mirror, repaired a torn book, and even restored a faded painting.
"Remarkable," Professor Kim said. "You have excellent control and efficiency. Most students waste a lot of energy on utility magic, but you use just enough to get the job done."
"I don't like wasting energy."
"Clearly. Next station is mana control."
Alex made his way to the mana control station, where a bored-looking graduate student was monitoring various magical instruments.
"Name?"
"Alex Chen."
The graduate student looked up from his book. "Oh, you're the one with the natural integration. I've been looking forward to testing you."
"Why?"
"Because most students have terrible mana control. It's refreshing to see someone who actually knows what they're doing."
The mana control test involved manipulating magical energy in various ways—shaping it, maintaining it, and using it to power different devices. Alex found it easier than the other tests because it was more intuitive.
"Excellent," the graduate student said after Alex completed the final exercise. "Your mana control is probably the best I've seen from a first-year student. Very stable, very efficient."
"Thanks."
"One more station. Creative problem-solving."
Alex found the creative problem-solving station in the corner of the gymnasium. It was run by a professor he didn't recognize, who was surrounded by various puzzles and challenges.
"Name?"
"Alex Chen."
The professor looked up from his notes. "Ah, the apple core student. I'm Professor Wilson. I've been looking forward to this."
"Why does everyone keep saying that?"
"Because creativity is one of the most important aspects of magic, and you've already demonstrated a unique approach to problem-solving."
Professor Wilson showed him a series of increasingly complex puzzles. Some required using magic in unconventional ways, others required thinking outside the box.
Alex solved them systematically, using the simplest approach he could think of for each challenge. He wasn't trying to be clever or innovative—he just wanted to get the right answer with minimal effort.
"Fascinating," Professor Wilson said as Alex completed the final puzzle. "Your approach is remarkably efficient. Most students overthink these problems, but you go straight to the most direct solution."
"I don't like making things more complicated than they need to be."
"That's a very advanced way of thinking."
"It's just common sense."
Professor Wilson smiled. "Common sense is surprisingly uncommon, especially in magic."
The assessment was over. Alex looked around the gymnasium and saw that most of the other students were still working on their tests. He'd finished faster than anyone else, which probably wasn't a good sign.
He made his way to the exit, but Professor Stone intercepted him.
"Mr. Chen, could I speak with you for a moment?"
Alex followed him to a quiet corner of the gymnasium.
"Your assessment was quite impressive," Professor Stone said. "The observers were very interested in your performance."
"I tried not to stand out."
"I'm afraid that's rather difficult when you're naturally gifted. Your scores were quite high across all categories."
"How high?"
Professor Stone consulted his notes. "Ranking-wise, you're currently in the top 5% of all students. That's quite remarkable for someone who's only been here for a week."
Alex felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. "Top 5%?"
"Yes. And that's without you really trying, from what I could observe."
"What happens now?"
"Now you wait for the official results. They'll be posted tomorrow morning."
Alex made his way back to his dorm room, where Marcus was waiting with a worried expression.
"How did it go?"
"I think I messed up."
"You failed?"
"I think I did too well."
Marcus stared at him. "You're worried about doing too well on a test?"
"It's complicated."
"Is this about the mysterious government agents Sarah mentioned?"
"You know about that?"
"Everyone knows about that. The rumor mill at this school is very efficient."
Alex flopped onto his bed. "I just wanted to be average."
"Sorry to break it to you, but you're not average. You're probably the most gifted student in the entire academy."
"That's not what I wanted to hear."
"It's better than being mediocre."
"No, it's not. Mediocre means people leave you alone. Gifted means people follow you around with cameras and ask you to revolutionize their life."
Marcus sat down on his own bed. "You could always transfer to a different school."
"I don't want to transfer. I like it here. I just want to be able to eat lunch without being stared at."
"I think that ship has sailed."
Alex's phone buzzed. A text from unknown number: "Impressive performance today. We need to talk. Same place, same time. This is more important than you realize."
Alex showed the message to Marcus.
"That's probably not good," Marcus said.
"Probably not."
Alex stared at the ceiling. Yesterday he'd been looking forward to a quiet semester of learning magic and making friends. Now he was apparently some kind of prodigy with mysterious people wanting to meet him at midnight.
"I'm starting to think this school is more complicated than I thought," he said.
"Welcome to Celestial Academy," Marcus replied. "Where nothing is simple and everyone has a secret."
Outside, Alex could hear the sounds of students celebrating or commiserating after their assessments. Tomorrow, the rankings would be posted, and he'd officially be one of the top students in the academy.
He wasn't sure whether that was good news or bad news.
Probably bad news.
Definitely bad news.
He closed his eyes and tried to think about simpler times, when the most complicated thing in his life was deciding whether to eat an apple or a banana.
Those days seemed very far away now.