One would think that a mana-drawn wagon would be easy to move. But Theo, who had not yet taken the Exam, was unable to move it via more “magical” means and was left having to push it out of the barn beside their house, using pure force. Luckily for him, his father, who was a hunter, raised his children using a combination of extremely good genetics and a healthy amount of chores so that their physical prowess was far beyond that of any children in town. No one knew why those who hadn’t taken the Exam weren’t able to sense mana or skills, but many scholars believed it was because the spirits who moderated the system heavily disliked child labor, and this helped protect children from being able to handle mana machinery in factories.

  Finally prepared to head into town, Theo sat on top of the wagon waiting for his mother. While he was a little worried about making it there on time. It wasn’t a huge concern because if they were late, Theo and his mother would just have to wait in line a couple of hours longer than necessary. Knowing this, Theo took time to enjoy the rich quiet of the forest while he sat on the wagon. Had Theo hated silence, he would have hated this forest with a passion. It was full of reddish-brown trees towering over a thousand feet. Consequently, all the animals that could fly in the forest were mostly out of sight and thus could not be heard. The few exceptions to this rule were a couple of Greater Hawks, which could be seen flying overhead very rarely. Any of the more formidable landlocked animals had long been scared off by his father for fear of losing their skin.

  When Theo’s mother finally climbed into the wagon and started to drive it towards town, Theo looked back at his house as it gradually grew smaller and smaller. The old house was quite large for a location in the middle of a forest, and had old stone masonry with ivy climbing its walls. Each stone in its solid structure seemed to be a mix of granite and basalt. The trimming of the house was sourced from the trees around it and was a dark auburn.

  Turning to Theo, Irene said,” Are you nervous?”

  “Who wouldn’t be nervous for a test that helps determine how they spend the rest of their life.”

  Chuckling, Irene said,” Don’t worry, it’s not as bad as you think it’ll be.”

  “What did you even do for the test?”

  “Well, while it’s different for each person who takes it, it all starts the same. You have to press your hand against an Exam crystal and focus on the test. Eventually, you’ll be taken to a realm in your thoughts that the system deems relevant to your ideals while it finishes scanning you for your aptitudes. For me, I was taken to your grandmother’s garden and just spent the whole time gardening, and at the end, I was given a list of botany schools that would accept me.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me at all. I’m pretty sure that you were born in a garden and are probably going to die in one.”

  “That would be a dream come true,” chortled Irene, who was probably daydreaming about what fruit tree she could plant next.

  For the rest of the wagon ride, Theo and his mother sat in silence. Irene sat worrying about how her son would fare in the exam and if he would get into any good schools. Theo, on the other hand, was enjoying the calm and was trying to finish a book he had borrowed from the town’s library the last time he had been in town.

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  Eventually, the wagon began to shake more as the path changed from pressed dirt to gravel and from smoothed out again when it gave way to paved stone. Discerning this and the shocking difference in the noise level, Theo looked up and saw that they had arrived. Neat little buildings, which looked like they were plucked right out of a German fairytale, lined the streets, and small children, accompanied by their older siblings or parents, dashed along the sides of the street trying to catch each other and collapsing in fits of giggles when they inevitably did. What was more eye-catching, however, was the long line of parents and teenagers waiting to enter the town hall. Indubitably, to take the exam.

  Unwilling to waste another moment for fear of standing for hours, Irene told Theo,” Hurry up and save a spot in line for us while I go find a suitable spot to park the wagon.” Being the obedient son that he was, Theo immediately hopped out of the wagon and placed himself in the back of the line. Thankfully, it seemed that he would only have to wait an hour or so before he took the Exam.

  Waiting in line was excruciating for Theo; not only did he have to listen to the hubbub of the town, but he was also stressed over how he would do on the Exam. While one’s aptitudes did vary a bit, they were mostly hereditary, so most people knew what job they were going to do before they took it. Because of this, Theo expected himself to perform marginally well, as his mother and father had. Personally, Theo wanted to take more after his mother and be a field botanist, as that would allow him to stay in the woods for most of his life. This, of course, would allow him the serenity of life, both from his job in the woods and during his school years, where he would be educated at the small botany school in town. Sometimes, though, aptitudes varied quite a bit. More often than not, this negatively impacted the test taker’s aptitudes more than it improved them. If it did increase them, it would often completely change what was increased. For instance, instead of having a high propensity towards botany or hunting like his parents, Theo could have an extreme aptitude towards mining or teaching. This was, in essence, the source of his troubles and kept his mind busy until his mother found him in line.

  Seeing his forehead wrinkled, Irene kissed it and told Theo,” Don’t worry about how you’ll do. The thing about the Exam is that no matter what you choose, as long as it’s recommended, you end up being decently good at. More often than not, people try to stay away from what the system recommends and end up depressed. I’ve never understood why, there are always lots of options to choose from.”

  “Thanks, Mom, you know I always worry too much.”

  “No problem, sweetie.”

  “NEXT!” Yelled an old man, with quite the mustache and beard, who was managing the line.

  “Gosh, you’d think an old man like that would have some manners. We’re right here, there’s no need to yell when we were right in front of him,” thought Theo as he and his mom shuffled inside and checked in with the receptionist before being herded to a room in the back. In it, an even older lady with uptight hair and a stern face was seated before a table with a gem almost as big as Theo’s head. It was intricately cut and refracted the light in such a way that it spewed what looked like almost iridescent rays.

  “Sit down, child,” the older woman commanded. “I am Mrs. Magismach, and I will be overseeing your Exam. When you are ready to begin, place your hand on the gem and focus on your desire to take the Exam.

  Theo, though nervously, obediently sat down and placed his hand on the gem. He began to try to focus on his want, no, his need, to take this exam. As he was doing this, the world around him began to fade to black, and with a loud ping that Theo was sure to hear for days on end, white text began to appear.

  [ NEW USER DETECTED]

  [INITIALIZING SYSTEM SCAN…]