One month passed, and the tension in Arcathis Academy reached its peak. The time for the year-end exams had finally arrived. Students hurried through the halls, some reviewing notes until the last second, while others clutched lucky charms or muttered silent prayers.
Inside the examination halls, the instructors took their positions, ready to oversee the trials that would determine who advanced—and who would have to repeat the year.
Today, it was the Alchemical Division's turn.
The alchemy lab was transformed into a high-stakes testing ground. Rows of workstations were arranged in a strict order, each equipped with a cauldron, burners, distillation equipment, and an assortment of base ingredients. Shelves stocked with rare and volatile compounds lined the walls, but students would have to request additional materials from the proctors.
The room was heavy with the scent of dried herbs, crushed minerals, and the faint, lingering hint of past experiments gone wrong.
Lyra exhaled slowly as she took her seat, rolling her shoulders. This was a third-year-level exam—far beyond what most first-years would ever attempt. But that was the price of Arcathis' accelerated curriculum.
The proctor, Instructor Malden, an older alchemist with sharp eyes and graying hair, stepped forward. He raised a small, engraved box.
"This exam will test your adaptability, precision, and knowledge of alchemical principles," Malden announced. "Inside this box are slips of parchment. Each contains the name of a potion you must brew. You will have exactly three hours to complete your task."
He gave the students a moment to steel themselves before continuing.
"If your potion is even slightly unstable, you fail. If your measurements are inaccurate, you fail. If you destroy your workstation or endanger another student—well, let's just say you'd better not."
A few nervous students gulped.
Malden smirked. "Now, step forward one at a time and draw your assignment."
One by one, students walked up to the box, reaching inside and pulling out their fates. Some left with relieved expressions, while others turned pale upon reading their slips.
When it was Lyra's turn, she approached calmly, dipping her hand into the box. The parchment she withdrew bore a single name:
Elixir of Lunar Resonance
Her eyes widened slightly. That was a mid-tier potion used by astral mages, designed to enhance mana sensitivity under moonlight. While not the hardest assignment, it required a perfectly timed distillation process to stabilize the moonstone dust infusion.
She could work with this.
Returning to her workstation, Lyra took a deep breath, reading over the recipe in her mind.
The Test Begins
Malden gave the signal.
"Begin."
Immediately, the sound of burners igniting and cauldrons bubbling filled the room. Some students moved frantically, grabbing ingredients in haste, while others took a measured, careful approach.
Lyra set out her base materials first:
Springwater for purity. Silverleaf extract to bind the lunar essence. Moonstone dust—the key component, but also the trickiest to handle.
She worked swiftly but methodically, crushing the silverleaf into a fine paste before adding it to the heating springwater. The mixture needed to simmer for exactly seven minutes before the moonstone dust could be introduced. Too soon, and it would shatter the alchemical bonds. Too late, and the potion would lose its potency.
As she focused, she noticed a student nearby—Aren, a second-year known for his impatience—pouring his ingredients too quickly. His cauldron gave a sudden, violent sputter, dark smoke curling from the surface.
"Too much powdered obsidian," Lyra muttered under her breath.
Sure enough, seconds later—
Boom!
A small, contained explosion rocked Aren's station, coating his workspace in thick, gray fumes.
Malden didn't even flinch. "Disqualified," he said flatly as Aren groaned. Two assistants swiftly removed him from the room.
Lyra shook her head and turned back to her work.
After precisely seven minutes, she picked up the moonstone dust. This was the crucial step. Too much force would cause resonance backlash, destabilizing the mixture.
Using a fine sieve, she gently sprinkled the dust into the cauldron, watching as the liquid shifted from a dull blue to a shimmering, silver hue. It was working.
But the real test was still ahead—stabilization.
The Final Phase
Lyra adjusted the flame beneath her cauldron, lowering the heat to let the potion settle. She picked up a stirring rod, carefully tracing counter-clockwise motions into the liquid.
One circle.
Two circles.
Three—
A sudden crack of glass made her freeze.
From across the room, another student let out a yelp as their flask shattered, sending a volatile mixture spilling across the table. The assistants rushed over, casting containment sigils before the spill could turn into a disaster.
Lyra exhaled, regaining her focus.
Ignore the distractions.
She continued stirring, watching the potion shift through its final stage. It began to emit a faint glow, like captured moonlight. Perfect.
Now came the last step—the cooling process. If she removed it from the flame too soon, it would crystallize. Too late, and it would become inert.
Counting the seconds in her head, she waited.
Then—
She extinguished the flame.
The potion stilled. The glow held steady.
Done.
Lyra carefully ladled a sample into a crystal vial and placed it on her assigned evaluation tray.
Malden stepped over, inspecting her work with a critical eye. He held the vial up to the light, swirling the liquid slightly.
Then he gave a small nod.
"Well done," he said.
Lyra allowed herself a small, relieved smile.
As the last minutes ticked away, the remaining students scrambled to complete their potions. Some succeeded. Others didn't.
Finally, Malden called time.
"Stop working. Hands off your stations."
The assistants moved in, collecting the completed potions while the students slumped in exhaustion.
Some groaned in defeat. Others exchanged excited whispers, eager to see their scores.
Lyra leaned back, wiping sweat from her forehead. It was over.
She glanced over at her friends watching from the observation balcony. Kalem gave her an approving nod. Nara pumped her fist in the air. Jhaeros smirked.
She had passed.
But the exams weren't over yet.
Tomorrow, it would be the Beast Study Division's turn.
And that, Lyra thought, might be even more chaotic.