"Ding Ding Ding." Heavy bells rang out, reverberating throughout the surroundings.
Unconscious children of Cole's age range lay on the bare ground. Not far away from them, a man stood calmly, looking down at the unconscious kids.
To the man's left, a very elegant woman could be seen also looking at the students, though her gaze felt different.
Under the constant ringing of the bells, the children were slowly awakening one at a time.
"Uhhhhh!" Cole groaned while holding the side of his head.
"What the hell happened?" he wondered.
He was quite shocked to see other children that seemed within the same age range currently in the same state he was.
"Is this how they bring students to the academy?" Cole wondered.
He kept scanning his new environment cautiously, his past experiences affecting his actions quite a bit.
He was currently in a hall that would absolutely leave everyone stunned.
The hall had large pillars that seemed capable of piercing the heavens themselves, with faint glowing inscriptions all over them. The pillars were capped by a ceiling that even overshadowed the marvel of the pillars.
Large artworks were displayed all over it; the artworks felt completely alive in such a way that seemed to tell a story.
Cole also noticed two gates on opposite sides of the hall, one behind the group and one in front flanking the podium.
Cole finally noticed the presence of the two people that were staring down at them; their gaze seemed to command attention.
Impulsively, Cole rose up to his feet, standing as erect as possible while staring back at the people in front of him.
"Quite smart" The man commented curtly before raising his finger.
His finger moved, pointing at about 5 children in the room.
"All five of you, get up and leave through the exit behind you; the Spiriters Academy doesn't train traitors." The man said.
Cole's heart skipped a beat when he heard that; he could see the man's fingers pointing towards his location.
"Could my journey have ended before it started? But why?" Cole thought.
Though he still looked around him to check out the others that were pointed to, he noticed they were children that haven't been able to get a clear mind since they arrived.
While checking around him, he saw another kid that was in the same state as the rest about a step or two to his left.
He let out a sigh of relief immediately. "It seems it wasn't me," Cole thought.
The children that were pointed at weren't quite convinced of the decision and tried being obstinate.
"Leave," the man bellowed, directly knocking just those five children towards the gate.
Scared by the man's show of force, they immediately picked themselves up and headed towards the gate as fast as they could.
The man's eyes returned to possessing the nonchalant gaze as he looked back at the remaining students.
Just as he was about to speak, the woman stepped forward and spoke.
"Don't mind his unnecessary show of force," while giving the man a side eye.
"You all have nothing to fear," she said.
"Step back, Emily." The man spoke up coldly.
Though unwilling, the woman called Emily listened.
Cole stood still in place as he watched the exchange between them with a strange face.
"You all are now qualified to get tested." The man said calmly.
"Recommendations can only get you here" the man said.
"In the next five minutes, you all must arrange yourselves in two lines ".
Remembering the events that just happened not too long ago, the children immediately began scurrying about the hall, trying their best to form lines.
Cole didn't waste too much time, as he was soon able to get himself on the line. Immediately the five minutes were up.
"Get out," he said directly to the remaining kids.
Though downtrodden by the decision, the children quickly left, not willing to face the man's wrath.
The man then produced two crystals that he placed on the two altars s on the podium.
"Come up, one at a time, and touch this crystal," the man said coldly.
The children wasted no time and started heading towards the crystal one at a time.
"Proceed," the man said to the first kid when he saw the crystal with a green glow.
The kid excitedly left the podium and moved towards the gate with light steps.
After him, more and more kids went towards the podium, each of them later proceeding towards the gate.
"Leave," the man said coldly as he observed the red glow of the crystal.
The remaining children curiously checked out the kid on the podium while wondering what resulted in his failure.
Cole's hands kept opening and closing involuntarily as he watched the kids leave.
"I hope I pass, I hope I pass," Cole continued chanting in his head.
After the first kid, ten more kids were actually sent away due to the red glow of the crystals.
"Ohhh wow." The woman called Emily said,quite shocked, while looking towards a crystal.
The crystal was producing a clear white glow; she looked up at the kid that could get such a result.
The kid was a blonde kid that stood confidently, his shoulders held high and a face that didn't seem to put anyone in his eyes.
"As expected." The kid said before moving away.
His statement seemed to attract the man's attention as he raised his head to look at him.
"Hmph!" The man harrumphed in response.
After that slight interlude, the test continued with more students passing and more students failing out.
Tension kept rising as it got closer and closer to Cole's turn, his heart rate speeding up and his legs shivering quite a bit.
After about ten minutes it was finally Cole's turn. Cole rose up to the podium towards the crystals before placing his hands on the crystal.
A warm sensation spread across Cole's body, giving him a sense of excitement.
Suddenly, the sensation was cut short as something in Cole's body seemed to absorb the energy.
A green glow appeared on the crystal before flickering and then vanishing completely.
"Ohhh damn," Cole thought as his body shuddered.
The man's eyes widened slightly.