“Alright, listen up,” a man boomed from the front of the room. He was broad with dark hair and soft features. Some would call him handsome, but Rae wasn’t one of those people. The classroom was shaped like a half-circle pit, with the door in the back of the room at the top level leading down to the front desk. The desks were spread across the different levels, and Rae sat at the top near the door. 

“My name is Professor Mixon. I will be conducting your placement exams today. You’ll be given five minutes to muster up your magic in the different schools. The maximum total score is one hundred. It is typically divided relatively evenly into at most four of the six schools: elemental, illusion, alteration, enchantment, creation, and technomancy. Though you’re all well introduced to these schools through your regular study, the guidelines of this test dictate that I walk you through each of them anyway. I will go from most common to least common.”

“First is elemental magic. This is, as the name suggests, control of the elements. Fire, water, earth, and air.” He held his hand out, and a small flame sprang to life in his palm. “More powerful elementalists can also control small amounts of weather and lightning. This is one of the most common schools of magic for a user to excel in if they have a specialty. This is also one of the most dangerous schools of magic. The destructive force is second to none and has been used to devastating effect in war throughout history.” Rae shuddered at the memory of what she had seen elementalism do in that riot. Mass destruction everywhere. Mixon snapped his hand closed, and the flame disappeared.

“Second,” he continued, “is illusion. This school of magic is sometimes also called mentalism. It’s the ability to control the mind of others. Make them feel, see, hear, smell, and taste whatever the caster wants. This can be as subtle as making them smell a skunk and as powerful as making an entire world for the victim to live in. More powerful users can implant thoughts into other people’s heads, making them believe they are their own thoughts. Though complete mind control has been heard of in the past, no one alive has shown these capabilities. Though I suppose if someone could control minds, they would probably keep it a secret.”

“Third,” he leaned against the front of the desk and crossed his arms. “Alteration. Some call this school enhancement or physical alteration. It alters the body and the physiology of the body. This can be the caster’s body or a target’s body. Some simple uses of this are piercings or dying of hair. Some more complex uses of this are sense enhancement or muscle enhancement. The gifted alteration specialists can lift cars and run sub-two-minute miles, even faster in short sprints.” Rae secretly hoped she would be an alteration specialist. Being able to enhance the senses, be stronger, and run faster just seemed to scream freedom.

“Fourth is enchantment. The users of this school of magic are able to channel their magic into objects to create powerful artifacts. This process usually leaves the user drained, but it can create artifacts that surpass anything we can make with modern technology. A common usage of this magic was communications devices before phones were invented. The earliest communications device we’ve found were seashells linked to each other by an enchanter. The uses of enchantment range greatly and often depend on the other schools of magic the user is gifted in. Bracelets that enhance the senses, allow minor elemental creation, or summon simple illusions are common. Powerful enchanters can create artifacts that enhance others’ magical abilities above what would normally be possible. These artifacts are heavily regulated and very valuable. All of the limiters you wear are made by government enchanters. That’s how they’ve grown with your body and keep your skin underneath clean. Would be a messy business if you outgrew them or you couldn’t wash underneath them.”

“Fifth is creation. This one speaks for itself. The ability to create. This is the ability to create matter from magic. Though the science is unclear on how this works, it’s believed that the matter created comes from somewhere in the universe. After all, you can’t create something from nothing. It’s the most complex school of magic to understand how it works. To create something, you must know exactly what you’re creating. And I do mean exactly. If you wanted to create a car, you would need to intimately know the inner workings and schematics of an engine, the entire framework for the car, the axles, and the tires. Only gifted creationists can create anything that complex. Most settle for simple creations, like coffee mugs or basic foods, to get them through life.” He held his hand out, and a coffee mug materialized. “They’re also very useful for part manufacturing in factories. One extremely gifted creationist can make a car. Fifty middling creationists can do the same.” Mixon took a sip from the mug before placing it on the desk.

“Finally, we have technomancy. This is the rarest school of magic and the least understood. Some believe it’s simply an offshoot of alteration or creation that evolved into its own school of magic. It’s unclear as, until the last few centuries, we did not have technology in the same form we have now. Technomancy is the alteration of the physical components of technology to perform whatever the user desires. This is both the most and least useful school of magic, depending on the user’s power and ingenuity. A gifted technomancer can enhance something like a cell phone to work as a holo-projector without any additional parts. A poor technomancer would struggle to boost a cell phone’s signal receiver. I, myself, am a technomancer. I can turn a handheld lighter into a flamethrower. It makes for a neat party trick. Instead of being paid a fuck ton of money working for some tech company somewhere, I instead chose to teach people like you how to use magic. In fact, if any of you qualify for Pious Academy, I will be your general magic teacher.”

Professor Mixon flicked his wrist, and all the testing kits rose from the massive front desk. They began floating through the classroom, each landing on a different desk until all of the desks had a testing kit in the center.

“Please open your kits. Inside you’ll find six identical devices except for the color. The red device is for elemental, purple is for illusion, green is for alteration, blue is for enchantment, yellow is for creation, and black is for technomancy. I will now come around and unlock your limiters. You will likely feel a surge of emotion when your limiter comes off. The stronger your magic, the stronger the emotions can be. Magic is, by nature, fueled by emotions. You’ve possibly had a significant amount of your magic cut off your entire lives. It can be tough, but it will be very temporary. It usually only lasts a minute or so. Your body adjusts quickly. If, for any reason, you find this impairs your ability to take the test, you may ask for a retest. I assure you you will score the same thing. Everyone does.”

“I wonder if he’s this monotone all the time,” Rae’s friend Liz said.

“I am not. I just hate this part of the job, Miss…?” Mixon said, looking directly at Liz. She didn’t respond, dumbfounded that he had heard her. “It’s not important what your name is. I assume we’ll never cross paths again. Don’t talk shit in my classroom; I hear everything.” He pointed to an earring he had in his right ear. It must’ve been enchanted to enhance his hearing. What a tool. “If you have any more stupid insights to share with your friends, do so on your own time. I’m not paid by the hour. Do not interrupt me again.”

Professor Mixon began his rounds around the room, placing some device over everyone’s limiters as he went. One by one, the limiters came off. Rae opened her kit while she waited for Mixon to get close. The devices looked like thermometers with a small sensor that looked like a thumbprint. She noticed between two of her meters was a folded-up piece of paper. Rae looked around at her friends’ kits, and none of them had any pieces of paper folded up in them. In fact, she looked around the entire room and didn’t see any of them with a piece of paper. She took it out and opened it up, and scrawled in messy handwriting were the words Trust nothing and no one. We’ll be in touch.

“Do you know what this means?” She held up the piece of paper to her friend Ben.

“Know what what means?” he responded. Rae went to hold the paper up higher, but it was gone. She hadn’t felt it leave her hands, but it was definitely gone. She looked around the ground and picked up her kit but couldn’t find it. Where had it gone? What did it mean? “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, fine. I think I’m just a little nervous; it’s getting to me. I’m good,” Rae assured him. She wasn’t sure what had just happened, but she wasn’t going to rave like a lunatic. Trust no one?

“Arm,” a stern voice interrupted her train of thought. She looked up to find Mixon standing there with his unlocking device held out expectantly. “I don’t have all day; let’s go.” Rae lifted her arm with the limiter on her wrist and held it out. Mixon scanned her limiter, and it clicked off and fell to her desk. 

Rae felt the overwhelming urge to laugh. She tried to hold it in, but it didn’t work. She burst out laughing. She looked around the room. She wasn’t the only one laughing, but she was definitely laughing the loudest. Her friend Ben was sobbing while Liz looked terrified. The people at the front of the room were calming down from their outbursts and began fiddling with their devices. Rae’s stomach started hurting, and her abs cramped from laughing so hard. She couldn’t place what was so funny, but gods damnit, was it hilarious. She was laughing so hard that people were actually looking at her funny. She snorted and slapped the desk, trying to hold it in.

This went on for what felt like ages before the urge finally subsided. She wiped some tears from her eyes and tried to relax. A giggle escaped her before falling silent. She looked at Ben who had regained his composure. Liz still looked a little scared, but she didn’t have the wide eyes of fear she had just moments ago. Mixon had resumed his position at the front of the room.

“Okay,” he started, “now. All you have to do is place your thumb on the sensor and focus your magic. After about five seconds, the meter will make a soft sound, and a number will appear at the top of the device. If you do not know how to channel your magic, please raise your hand. I will come around the room and show you. For the purposes of this test, please do not try and channel a specific school of magic. Your raw magic will be mixed with your channeling, and that’s enough for these devices. They’re quite complex.”

Rae picked up the green device first. She was most excited to see her alteration skill and couldn’t wait. She placed her thumb on the device and focused her magic through her hand. After a few seconds, she heard a soft ping. She looked at the top of the marker and frowned. A bright red ten showed at the top of the meter. Fuck. Well, that’s shitty. She would be able to enhance her hearing or something slightly, but nothing impressive. Whatever.

Next up, technomancy. She grabbed the black device and pressed her thumb to it. She channeled her magic for a few seconds before the soft ping came through again. Another bright red ten showed at the top of the meter. Son of a bitch. Her first two choices were nipped in the bud. She looked to Ben, who had already gone through three meters. He had a 24 on illusion but two zeroes on technomancy and alteration. Rae was sure it would pick up for him. She just hoped the same would happen for her.

Rae grabbed the blue device next. She channeled her magic into the enchantment device and waited for the ping. Again, the soft sound came, and, again, she had a fucking ten. She was halfway through and only had fucking thirty cells so far. Most people only presented in four schools. She was going to be a fucking mundane. Shit. She was overwhelmed with dread as Liz let out a squeal. She got a 43 in elemental magic. Bitch.

Next, Rae grabbed the yellow creation device. Number four. She channeled her magic into the sensor and heard the now familiar soft ping. Another fucking ten. This was getting ridiculous. How the fuck did she score four tens in a row? She slammed the meter down and buried her face in her hands.

“It’s okay, Rae,” Liz said from the other side of Ben. “You still have two left. Maybe you’ll turn it around on those. They’re your parents’ schools, right? They’re the two most likely for you to shine in.”

“Yeah. Right,” Rae said with a sense of defeat in her voice. She felt deflated. At best, she would be a subpar version of her parents. Fucking great. Her dad was a 45 in elemental magic. Her mom was a 46 in illusion magic. So far, she only had forty cells across four different schools.

She grabbed the purple device next and decided to test her illusion magic. Maybe her mom would present through her. She channeled her magic through the thumbprint and waited on a held breath. The soft ping came across, and, once a-fucking-gain, she got a ten. This was getting ridiculous. Nobody had a completely even spread. It was unheard of. Especially a mundane with such a low score in each school. Shit.

She grabbed the red device last. The magic she was most scared of. Elemental. She grabbed the meter and, for the first time in her life, hoped for a high elemental score. It was her last chance to have some kind of notable magic. She waited for the ping and looked at the top of the meter. A FUCKING TEN!? She had scored fucking tens in every single school. Hardly enough to do anything with any of them. Most spells required at least twenty cells in a particular school of magic to perform. And she had scored a ten in all of them. How does that even happen?

Well, the bright side, she technically wasn’t a mundane. That title was reserved for those with less than fifty cells of magic. The downside, she may as well have been a mundane. She’d never heard of someone breaking fifty cells without at least twenty points in something. Someone in her family had fucked up, and Hecate was taking it out on her. It was some cruel joke. Gifted with magic in all six schools, and none of it enough to do something of note. Shit. She could feel tears streaming down her face and realized she was crying.

“Hey, Rae, it’s okay… you’ll be fine. It’s not the end of the world.” Ben put his hand on Rae’s shoulder, and she shrugged it off. Why was she even still sitting there? She got up to storm out of the room before being slammed back into her seat by an invisible force.

“You, friend of the rude girl. Sit down. I have to record your scores before you’re allowed to go anywhere. Why don’t you tell me your name and scores, and I’ll go ahead and get you down so you can leave? Since you’re in such a rush to leave, I assume you’ll have no problem sharing.” He picked up a tablet from the desk and looked at her. “Well?”

“Rae Riot. Tens on everything. Can I go now?” Rae said through the tears in her eyes.

“You got tens? On everything?” Mixon said incredulously.

“Yeah, you got a fucking problem with it?” Rae spat back.

“No problem at all. I’ve got you recorded. You may go.”

Rae stood up and stormed out of the room. She made it two feet away from the door before collapsing and crying. What was she going to do? She had dreamed of what it would be like to have access to all of her magic. All of the possibilities of all of the different schools. She had even fantasized about elemental magic a time or two. Now she had nothing. It was rarer to have what she had than it was to be powerful. Six tens. She had never heard of such a thing.

She opened her optical chip and went to call her dad. Before the dialing started, the screen in front of her eyes glitched and showed a blank white screen with black letters. Trust nothing and no one. We’ll be in touch.