Two days passed in a flash, and soon enough, the day of the test arrived.
Nox now stood among hundreds of other potential students in a massive auditorium that seemed far too grand for an entrance exam. The room was a circular, with tiered seats arranged in rows.
All the seats were arranged to face the circular platform at the very bottom. Though its elevation took nothing away from its grandure.
Around it were instructors, knights, and examiners dressed in white and gold coats, all of whom exuded enough pressure to make even the most confident students stiffen.
Devon stood beside Nox, with his arms folded and his eyes scanning the entire hall. "Damn," he muttered under his breath. "They really pullin' out the big show, huh? Thought we'd just be takin' some written exam or somethin'."
"Yeah," Nox muttered, looking around at the hundreds of students, "I wonder what their passing rate is though."
Across from them, Cass stood yawning, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. "It's statistically low," he said absently. "Last year's passing rate was just under 3.2%. Most failed due to either not meeting the requirement or just straight up dying."
Devon turned to stare at him. "…You coulda stopped talkin' two words ago."
Cass blinked. "Oh. Right."
The three soon found their seats, and a moment later, the lights dimmed and a holographic emblem of the Solar Academy's logo appeared in the center of the platform.
"Attention, candidates."
The voice belonged to a man now standing on the platform below. He was tall with broad-shouldered, and dressed in the pristine white uniform of a high ranked Solar Knight.
On the left side of his uniform was an insignia that identified him as one of the Academy's Chief Examiners.
"You have all been granted the rare opportunity to prove yourselves worthy of joining the ranks of Solar Academy, the academy dedicated to preparing you to face the Eclipsed threat," he started.
His eyes moved across the tiers, seemingly scanning every one of them. "This evaluation will determine not only your admission but also your placement within the Academy's divisions. There will be no second chances."
Low murmurs rose among the students, but was quickly silenced when the Examiner raised his hand.
"The entrance assessment will be conducted in four primary trials," he continued, as the hologram changed from the school's logo to written words.
The first read: KNOWLEDGE.
"The first trial will test your comprehension of Solar Energy, its principles, properties, and applications. It will be both written and analytical."
The next holographic word appeared: CRAFT.
"The second trial," the examiner continued, "focuses on your practical understanding of Solar Engineering and your ability to repair, optimize, or construct Solar Tech under limited conditions."
Nox sat up a bit straighter as he heard what the next test was about, an action that Devon and Cass noticed.
"That your field?" Devon leaned forward and whispered in question.
"I know a thing or two about fixing Solar Tech," he responded, "I used to do that for a couple of creds back in the slums."
The two were silent for a while before Devon said, "Man, that musta been rough."
Nox said nothing else in response as they went back to listening to the examiner speak.
COMBAT. Those were the next words they saw when they turned back to the platform.
"The third trial," the man said, his tone a bit heavier, "will measure your combat proficiency. You will be tested in live conditions, where you'll have to survive against tier 2 Eclipsed."
His words caused some students to freeze as most hadn't even encountered an Eclipsed before, much less think of fighting one.
But the examiner didn't care as he went on.
Finally, the fourth word appeared: STEALTH.
"The fourth and final trial will assess adaptability, awareness, and control, it will assess how well you can survive undetected in hostile environments. This is not about strength, but subtlety, remember that."
"When all four trials conclude," the Examiner said, "your scores will be compiled and averaged. The area in which you demonstrate the highest performance will determine your assigned division within the Academy."
He paused, letting his words sink in.
"Whether you join the Combat, the Engineering, the scholar, or the Stealth Divisions, your results today will define your future."
With that, he walked off the stage, not even bothering to wish them luck. That'll just be a waste of his words.
After he left, the hologram on stage, change and showed the schedule for the tests:
[ 1. Knowledge (Written) – 09:00
2. Craft (Solar Tech Construction) – 12:00
3. Combat – 15:00
4. Stealth – 17:30]
It was currently eight in the morning, which meant they only had an hour to find their assigned exam halls and start the first test.
A ding was heard at the same time on the students' watch, one which had been delivered to him by Luna, and it functioned the same as the card handed to him, but with more features.
Nox looked at his as a holographic display projected just a bit above it:
[Name: Nox]
Assigned Hall: K-17
Section: Written (Knowledge)
Seat: 042
Countdown: 00:57:03
A voice came from the wristband, one that sounded completely neutral and female. "Candidate Nox. You are assigned to Hall K-17, located in Sector C, East Wing. Please proceed within the allotted time."
Then it went silent again.
Devon looked down at his own and said. "Hall J-11. West Wing. Damn, they really splittin' us up already?"
"I'm pretty sure that it was randomly done," Cass said, his blue eyes moving to his watch, "I got Hall A-12."
They walked out of the auditorium and together the corridor together for a bit, heading down a glowing corridor where signs floated midair, pointing them to their respective wings.
They soon reached the intersection where the hallways split, one path glowing gold, labeled EAST WING, and the other blue for WEST WING.
"Guess this is where we split," Devon said, lifting a hand in farewell. "I'll see y'all later."
"Yeah," Nox nodded and with that, the three went their separate ways each towards their various exam halls.