Chance slowly walked out after Cecilia, squinting his eyes against the harsh light of the sun. He could hear parents calling out words of encouragement and advice to their children. He slowly scanned the stands with his watchful eyes while nimbly following Cecilia in front of him. He reached his seat a moment later, his eyes still searching through the crowd. A moment later the nervous tension on his face visibly loosened. He gave a wave to a group consisting of Lydia, a couple little ones from the orphanage, and Karina. Turning back around his chair, he toned down his smile a bit, unable to completely wipe it away, knowing that the people he cared about were there for him no matter what.

At that moment, a cloud of smoke appeared on the stage claiming the attention of the audience and the participants of the testing. The smoke slowly cleared away, now revealing a woman wearing a gorgeous white dress that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight, setting the audience ablaze with whispers. Chance could easily tell that the woman was gorgeous, probably one of the most beautiful, voluptuous women he had ever seen, and he couldn’t help but feel a surge of unknown desire and attraction. However, he steeled his will so as not to lose focus. He looked around saw everyone else in the room, with the exception of the princess, Lydia, Karina, and a few others, looking at her in a strange mix of desire, admiration, and jealousy, both women and men. Looking back at the woman he thought he saw a flash of sadness cross her face, but with how quick it was he decided to believe he imagined it. After a moment, the beautiful woman raised a hand to call for silence, a call that was immediately answered. She smiled and then began speaking, “Hello everyone. My name is Miss Meara Toranova and I am the Vice-Principal at the International Academy of Magic here in Axorl. This month I have been chosen as your testing proctor and I can’t wait to see what magic and Skills you all awaken to. But first I must tell all of you this.

“There will be some of you who fail this test, but know that no matter what, you can still be important members of our society. To those who do pass, you must know that your path will not be an easy one without struggle. We will push you, and we will make you stronger whether you become an adventurer or a part of the kingdom. For the glory of Axorl, and the glory Itria!” The entire audience, both testers and spectators, roared in approval. Chance even saw the ever serious Cecilia grin in excitement. “In that case, I will now begin calling names by alphabetical order. First up, is someone who snuck in at the last minute and tried to hide who they were. Starting off the excitement is our own third princess, Princess Cecilia Vera Axorl!!!” The audience burst into applause, while Chance burst into laughter. Pulling her hood back, Cecilia shot Chance an icy glare, causing him to laugh even harder.

“Hey, don’t get pissed at me. I was with you the whole time; I couldn’t have ratted you out.” Tears of laughter running down his cheeks, Chance tried to defend himself from her icy stare as she began to walk towards the stage.

The princess climbed the steps and stood next to Miss Toranova. Miss Toranova then waved her hand causing a podium to appear atop which sat a large crystal ball atop a satin pillow. She then turned and addressed the audience once again. “This crystal ball is used to test if someone has magical aptitude or if they have Skills and then awaken that potential. Once you put both palms on the crystal ball, you will fall into a sort of trance until the process is complete, the ball will then begin to glow. The higher the magical aptitude of someone, the brighter the crystal ball will shine with the color of their aura. Any potential Skills will be revealed to the tester while they are in their trance. Skills gained will only be shared at the tester’s discretion after the testing. Does everyone understand?” After checking to make sure that everybody nodded, Miss Toranova turned back to the princess and asked if she was ready. The princess nodded in return. “Then, it is time for you to test.”

Cecilia walked up to the ball and took a deep breath. She looked out at the crowd one last time, her eyes landing on Chance. He smiled back and nodded. Then held his hand up slightly and moved it in a circle as if telling her to hurry up. His odd form of comfort helped Cecilia relax a little bit. She looked back down at the crystal ball and put her hands on each side of it. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting the crystal ball’s power take her.

Chance watched with bated breath as Cecilia put her hands on the ball and closed her eyes, as did everyone else in the room. For a few moments the room was silent and motionless, no one daring to move or make a sound. Then, in the blink of an eye the crystal ball began shining a deep purple. The brightness grew until soon it was hard to see. A moment later, the light stopped shining, just as quick as it had started. Cecilia opened her eyes a moment later and looked out at the audience, bringing a smile to Chance’s face. Although the light was gone, he could tell by the air she now gave off that she was more powerful and had at least one skill. He watched as Cecilia turned to Miss Toranova and asked her what to do now.

Dazed, Miss Toranova blinked a couple of times before directing her back to her seat. Cecilia elegantly walked back down to her chair next to Chance. Miss Toranova quickly got things back underway and testers began to go once again, although now seemed to be much less serious with both the audience and the testers chatting in low tones. Chance turned to Cecilia and was about to speak when he stopped, amazed by her beautiful face that now had sparkling purple scales along its outer edges. This was a sign of her species, the Dragonewts. A race that although human in nature, had wings, tails, and scales that they could hide at their will. They also possessed amazing physical prowess, high magic compatibility, and long lives. That’s right. I forgot that most of the royal family is composed of Dragonewts. Chance thought.

Noticing that he was looking at her, Cecilia turned to Chance. “What is it?”

“I knew you were beautiful, but with your scales out I can’t even take my eyes off of you. You need a nickname.” He thought for a moment. “I got it! I’m gonna call you Cili from now on. Because you need a little silly in your life, and as your friend that’s what I’m gonna bring.

Cecilia blushed at his complement and quickly hid her scales, “Y-y-you dummy! Stop saying stupid things and watch the ceremony.” She turned and fixated her gaze on the stage, unable to completely wipe the smile off her face. Cili. I like that. She couldn’t help but like the first nickname she had ever been given, and by the first friend she had ever had too.

Chance did as he was told and focused on the stage, knowing that very soon it would be his turn to awaken to whatever future lay ahead of him.