As Daneel emerged from the chamber on the day of the selections, something was different about him.
His whole demeanor had changed. The indecisiveness of youth was replaced by a calm atmosphere.
His green eyes shone a brilliant hue as the rays of sunlight fell on them. His gaze had a sharpness that could make the weak minded cower.
This was the effect of decalcifying the pineal gland. Daneel had no information about a metric to test the level of his pineal gland, so he had just absorbed Ether and trained in the technique each day. After 2 months of training, the amount of mist in the chamber had decreased by 10% according to the system.
After freshing up and having breakfast, Viuda appeared at the door. She initially smiled at Daneel but her smile froze when she looked into Daneel's eyes.
"I didn't believe it when Master told me, but now I see that he was right. You really do show the signs that you might be a mage."
Hearing this made wide smiles appear on his parent's faces.
After declining breakfast, Viuda said, "Master sent me to take you to the selections. It is a long way from here and you might even get lost."
"Thank you, and please do send Master my regards.", said Daneel, getting up.
As they flew through the air, he noticed that he no longer felt dizzy or nauseous like before. Instead, he could now appreciate the beauty of flight and the sights that came with it.
People below him hustled and bustled along their daily lives, unaware that 2 people were flying above them. Daneel enjoyed observing them, happy and vibrant as they were.
Soon, they landed in front of an enormous gate in front of which a snaking line had gathered. The gate reminded him of the one that had led into the inner city, but this one was slightly smaller.
"The Academy occupies the area east of the inner city, sharing its outer walls with it. To the west is the National Fighter Academy of Lanthanor, which occupies an equal amount of area and was built along with the magic academy. Although there are much less mages when compared to fighters, a lot of training grounds are required which warranted 2 identical academies being built.
If you think of the Capital City of Lanthanor as a circle, then think of the inner city as a C-shaped area to one side of the Kingdom. The two academies flank the inner city on two sides and in front of the inner city is the outer city. Outside that are the fields that stretch until the border walls. Each academy has an area of around 200 km.", said Viuda. Daneel was a little shocked as this was the most she had ever spoken with him. It seemed that she had warmed up to him for some reason.
Seeing his strange look, she said, "Don't be puzzled. I just take a little time to talk to new people. I'm sorry if I seemed cold to you."
"No, I did not feel so at all. What are the criteria for selections?", he asked. Inside, he was thinking, "200 km area! Man that is huge! On earth that would have been a city!"
"You will be tested for your comprehension. Comprehension is first and foremost for a mage. Potential always comes after. Of course, having high potential and high comprehension is best."
"Good luck. Go on in. I will be here in the afternoon to take you back." Saying so Viuda flew up, disappearing in front of Daneel.
She hadn't even given him a chance to say bye. It seemed she hadn't warmed up to him completely after all.
The enormous gates had indeed started to open. A man wearing blue robes was standing inside, and when he opened his mouth, his voice reverberated through out the surrounding.
"Welcome to the selections for the National Magic Academy of Lanthanor! Only kids aged 12-15 can enter from this point onward. Testing will end in the afternoon. Be warned, if you try to hide your age we will know. Even the potions that you might use to change your age are made by us, so it is better not to be humiliated and kicked out."
Potions could change one's age? Daneel thought as he had only ever used a simple healing potion.
Around 20 people extracted themselves from the ground and walked back into the outer city, dejected.
The parents left in a few minutes, leaving their children and wishing them luck. Even Daneel's parents had hugged him before he left, telling him to try his best.
There seemed to be around 700 kids presently, with more constantly coming. The gates would close in 2 hours, so anyone who wanted to apply had to enter the gates before that time was up.
Not wanting to dally, Daneel directly walked inside. The line had been redundant as the gates were big enough to let many people in at once. They just had to assemble in an open area designated to be for the candidates.
Daneel had not expected to spot a familiar face in the crowd. It was Faxul, whom he had constantly trained with back in the camp. Although they had promised to stay in touch, both of them were too poor to own communication trinkets.
Faxul also noticed him, walking to him and hugging him. He was a man of few words, so they simply entered the designated area side by side.
A pleasant wind blew in the air as kids of all colors came to the location one by one. With nothing else to do, the two lied down on the grass which felt comfortable even though it wasn't wet.