I noticed all eyes were on me. I was first place. I heard a few hushed comments coming from the back: “Of course, he’s an Osfner…”, “These guys are born different”.

Rudan looked at me with a comically intimidated stare, pretending to back away from me. Isane, for her part, remained mostly silent, though she was clearly surprised as well.

— D-Dude… what kind of monsters are the two of you?! — Rudan laughed a bit awkwardly, he began smiling again before long. — I already though you two were gonna do well, but… come on, are you for real!?

— It wasn’t that big of a deal… Lucen’s the one who got the top grade… — Isane looked down, somewhat shrinking back into her own hoodie. Her voice came out in a low, almost disheartened tone, I wanted to say something, but Rudan ended up speaking up before me.

— Oh, don’t start! You got the third best grade here, no need to put yourself down over getting one or two questions wrong. If it were me, and I’d scored half what you did, THEN I’d be sad! Though I think that’s about what I’m going to get anyway, but… Who cares, it’s just one test, we’ve still got three more to go! — Although Rudan stumbled over his words a little, the thoughts behind them were, undoubtedly, worth far more than any advice I could have given there.

— I think Rudan’s right, Isane. — I merely agreed with him, I was not particularly in the mood to start discussing super technical stuff related to the questions, as they were probably what Isane was thinking about right now. She must have accidentally missed something and gotten a question wrong, but if she starts obssessing over a trivial mistake like that right now, that built up frustration could end up just getting in her way later.

Isane remained quiet for a few moments, the same way she did when the both of us introduced ourselves, maintaning an aloof expression. — …He’s not very good with words. — She barely lifted her face while she muttered, simply pointing towards Rudan with her thumb.

— H-Hey! I tried so hard to come up with something cool to say… — Even though he was forcing himself to sound dejected as he spoke, Rudan could not hide the smile taking over his features thanks to Isane’s – unintentionally funny – attitude.

Even I couldn’t help but let out a slight giggle.

— But… thanks. I can’t let stuff like that get to me… Not anymore… — A slight tinge of red could be seen on Isane’s face. She was not smiling, but at the very least, she didn’t seen to be as upset anymore.

— That’s more like it! Now… I don’t know what grade I got yet, dear lord, do I still have a chance to pass? I think I’m getting nauseous… — Rudan’s body bent forward a little as he headed towards a counter to receive his test.

— How did you answer that question, Lucen? You said you would tell me. — Isane approached me, almost soundlessly, while I was looking off in another direction. It almost gave me a jumpscare.

— Of course. Well, your logic over the arcanist group having the advantage makes sense, but you didn’t stop to consider the overall experience of both groups. If both groups are composed of novices, the martial mages would clearly have the advantage, right? — Before I could finish explaining my thought process, Isane’s eyes widened as her eyebrows raised. It was the biggest display of emotion I’d seen from her yet.

— Oh, why didn’t I think of that? It makes perfect sense… You’re a genius. — Her words made me feel a bit uncomfortable. I gripped my scarf tightly, adjusting it around my neck. I don’t like compliments like that…

— It’s no big deal, anyone could have thought of it. All it takes is a bit of effort, this test isn’t impossible or anything. I don’t think Rudan did as bad as he thinks he did… — I said, trying to give her a kind smile. Trying to disguise my own discomfort.

Isane looked at me and became a bit abashed, almost imperceptibly so. — Oh… I’m sorry… if I said something I shouldn’t have… — She was very perceptive, to an unsettling level, but I couldn’t help but think there was something more to it. She continued, saying. — You must have worked hard, Lucen. — She said that as if I didn’t have the ‘Osfner’ name etched onto everything I did. As if I had gotten here through my own prowess.

— It’s okay, you didn’t mean anything by it, really. Thank you. — I let my hand loosen it’s grip on my scarf and changed my posture a little, as I grabbed an apple from within my bag. — Want some?

Isane, again, stared silently at me for a few seconds. — No, thanks… And speaking of…

Rudan came back from the queue with his test on his hands, skipping and — literally — almost flying with joy.

— I don’t know how, but I got a six and a half! I still can’t believe it! — His face practically glowed with excitement as he came towards us. — I think I’m not out of the game yet!

— I blessed your exam. — I said in an ironic tone, playfully closing my eyes and clasping my hands in prayer. Right after that, I took a bite out of the apple.

— Oh, come on! I wanted some… I’ll catch up with you guys real quick, just watch me! — He was way more upbeat than before.

— Relax, I got another one. I’ll wait for you on the podium, then. — I said, smiling at both of them, but before we could have a talk in peace and go get ready for the next test, I heard an – until then – unknown voice coming from behind me, approaching right as I was about to take another bite out of my apple.

— Ah… so the prodigy of the Osfner lineage decided to honor this humble institution with his presence. How privileged we are. — When I turned around, I saw a blonde young man with pointy ears and red eyes, with a crooked smile on his face — the kind that never bodes well. He was the boy I saw on the big screen before, the one called Miken. He kept talking, much to my chagrin.

— It was obvious I would not be first when someone of your excellency is around… — He shrugged in a mocking tone, laughing a little to himself. — When you’ve got the right name written on paper, you don’t need to do so much as actually read the questions. Victory is already all but assured based on that surname alone. If the test was bought, then it doesn’t matter how hard anyone else tries… it becomes impossible to reach first place.

I remained silent. I wasn’t looking for trouble, I just sighed and took another bite out of my apple. It was sweet, a nice contrast to the bitterness of the person that was talking at me.

— You say nothing, so that must mean I’m right, no? It’s curious how we, the less favored, insist in trying to compete against those that are predestined for success… — He got closer to my face, wearing that same grin that I’d already seen one time too many, on the faces of people from my former school when they looked at me, underestimating me. — Genius of the Osfner.

— Hey… if Lucen got the top grade, that’s his own merit. I saw for myself how smart he is. — Unexpectedly, Isane raised her voice to defend me.

— That’s right man, chill out… If you didn’t get the best grade, you just gotta try harder to win next time. You feel me? — Rudan tried to get him to back off me in his smooth and laid-back style, calmly touching the other student’s shoulder without exerting any actual force.

In the very same instant, Rudan was forced to take his hand off Miken’s shoulder, shaking it around as he felt his palm burn. Miken had used some kind of arcane spell with a fire aspect.

— Ow! What’s that for dude?! — A burning smell came from his skin, his eyes wide, he did not seem to be in that much pain, but the look in his eyes was that of someone in shock. — Did you really need to do that?! — Before Rudan could continue questioning his attitude, Miken cut him off rudely.

— Silence. I did not even understand what either of you said. — He was not wearing Translation Receivers. — My business is with him, I don’t have time to waste on foreigners like you two, let alone a putrid vulture like you.

— Hey, dumbass. — When Miken turned to look at me, he was immediately hit in the face with the core of the apple I was eating. — I think the rotten one here is you.

He was livid, angrily tossing aside the apple core that I had thrown at him. — You’re a coward. Hiding behind your prestigious family name instead of actually facing anyone.

— Hey, you good, Rudan? — I merely ignored the other student’s taunting, I would much rather focus on helping the only people that were nice to me. From the corner of my eye, I saw Miken’s face contort with rage.

— Ah… it just burned a little bit, think it’ll leave a mark though. It’s… it’s all good broskie. — Rudan looked rattled by something, and I don’t think it was the burn. Before I could try and do something to help, Isane hunkered down beside him, and…

— Chi-on no uta… — I heard Isane say something I could not understand, even through the Receivers. To use an Arcane Spell, in most cases, the user is required to pronounce a name, or a phrase, chosen by the user upon the spell’s creation. Those words then become what is known as a spell’s Activation Command. Due to the mana flowing through the user’s body as they activate the spell, Translation Receivers become unable to translate their words. Isane began to whistle a song, and small, gray waves began to circle the burns on Rudan’s hand, burns that, soon, completely disappeared.

— Holy cow, my hand…! — Rudan looked at his hand in utter bewilderment, closing it, opening it, looking at Isane, and then repeating this same cycle again a few times.

— That’s amazing, Isane. Where did you learn to use an arcane node like that? — I asked, still surprised about it. It’s not common for a beginner to be able to use spells before joining a school, specially arcane ones.

— That’s the only one I know how to… learned it when I was younger, from my… father… — There was a lot of hesitation in that last sentence.

— I see… You should stand proud, not even I have a node yet. — I finished by adjusting my scarf once more, before helping both of them get up from the floor.

— It’s nothing much. — She said, in her usual, aloof tone.

— Thank you so much, Isane! I wanna learn how to do that one day… — Rudan forced a smile. For a second, he cast his gaze away from us, as if there was something in it he didn’t want us to notice — fear, perhaps?

I turned around to face Miken once again. — Let’s pretend that none of this happened. You burned my friend’s hand, I threw an apple at you. Let’s just say that makes us even… but I’ll make this clear for you right now, it doesn’t. — I’d already had enough of all that, so I simply chose to turn my back on him.

Before I turned around, his red eyes met mine as he spoke. — This isn’t over, Osfner.

Still with my back turned, I stopped walking, I sighed and raised my gaze a few degrees upwards. — Insult me however you’d like, but you crossed a few lines that you shouldn’t have, and I will not tolerate that. The way you mistreat others based on their origins just shows how pathetic you are. If you want to prove that I’m a fraud so badly, then I’m looking forward to see you try. — Isane and Rudan stared at me for a moment, but soon started walking alongside me.

The three of us remained silent for a while as we walked towards another room, waiting for the next test to start. It was already starting to get dark outside, and I’d left home before the sun even rose. Rudan looked like he wanted to say something, but still, he kept quiet. Isane, for her part, stared at the both of us, the tiniest hint of concern in her eyes. I kept reflecting on what had just happened between us and Miken, on top of all those other people increasing the weight of my name with their hushed whispers and mocking comments. — If that was the reaction I got for acing a test, then… what is it that awaits me if I really manage to ace all of them? — I kept those thoughts to myself. No point in worrying about it now.

As wild as it may seem, it was actually Isane who broke the silence between us.

— …That guy’s insufferable. — She was so blunt we couldn’t help but nod in agreement, all three of us nodding at once.

— Tell me about it! What did he do that for? That guy should get disqualified… Aren’t you gonna go tell the school staff about it, Lucen? — Rudan questioned me as his wings flapped in indignation.

— You guys can go tell them if you want, I’m not stopping you. But, if I tell the supervisors about it, I’ll just be giving him what he wants. — I sighed, it felt like I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. — Telling them about it would be the right thing to do, but… I don’t want to depend on anyone.

— I see. You don’t want to do things that would validate other people’s misconceptions about you. Am I correct? — She was. Of course, there was a certain other detail about it.

— Yes. More than that, y’know… It’s frustrating when no one ever sees your achievements as something you accomplished due to your own merit. It’s always about your background. When I don’t reach the results everyone expects of me, they use that to besmirch my family’s name. When I go beyond expectations, I’m not given any credit for it… Maybe it’s a bit selfish to say this, but it gets kind of draining after a bit. — I monologued a little while we walked, failing to notice when my two colleagues stopped. Isane — as usual — had no reaction, while Rudan was surprised, they exchanged a few glances before Rudan spoke up.

— I never thought about it that way… Now that you say it, if I were in their shoes, I’d probably also get frustrated and start complaining about someone being better than me no matter how much effort I put in, but… Now that I know you, I’d say you’re a pretty nice guy! — He said it in such a casual way that it left even Isane a little dumbfounded.

— So you’re just gonna admit that you would do the same as them. — Isane raised her eyebrow while looking at Rudan, she didn’t seem to be upset about it, but then again, she didn’t even so much as react to Miken’s insults.

— …Huh? I said that? — Rudan didn’t seem to understand what she meant. — I didn’t even notice!

— …Rudan, pay attention. — Isane slowly facepalmed, not seeming so expressionless all of a sudden.

I think it’s been a while since I’ve met anyone who was as fun to be around as those two are. That actually got a laugh out of me.

— It’s fine, really, don’t worry about it! — I spoke up, still trying to stop laughing. — I don’t really care too much what people say about me, I just care about my family. I’d prefer it if people could stop slandering them.

— …Ohhh! My bad, I get it now! If someone went around saying my family was corrupt or something like that, I’d dropkick the bastard on the spot! Yeah, I getcha! — Rudan smiled while rubbing the back of his head.

— Yeah, that’ll show ’em… if you can land the kick, that is. — She said in a slightly sarcastic tone, though she seemed serious about it. — So… in case someone starts trying to slander your family name again, should I let Rudan deal with it?

— Leave it to me! Just say the word and I’ll give ’em a bycicle kick to the dome! — Rudan flew forward and showed off by doing an acrobatic kick mid-air, moving like a football player. It seemed like he had a lot of experience doing so — his wings helped the momentum a lot.

I laughed as they went on. — I’m glad to know I’m in safe company, but you two would get expelled if you pulled something like that. And being honest, I don’t need a bodyguard.

We made our way down the long corridor, with some people following the same path as us, though they kept their distance. Some walked alone, others were already forming groups and getting to know each other, I even saw a few neighbours of mine who waved at me from afar, prompting me to wave back at them.

Isane seemed to be deep in thought, staring at the location where the next test would be held. — Sometimes, I wish people looked at more than just the surface.

— You took the words right out of my mouth. — I concurred while fidgeting with my scarf once more, it was really cold outside.

— So let’s show them. I’ll win, and then I’ll prove I deserve to be here! — Rudan said confidently, bringing a fist up.

I thought I’d only meet rivals on my run of The Ice Barrier’s entrance exams. I was not wrong — everyone is still a potential rival, be they good or bad. Even so, I could never have known that I would also make good friends on my stay here.