After their conversation with the man, who Felix later learned was an adventurer, tasked with guarding some official meeting the village chief, and regretted not asking him about his job, Felix and Aysha acted a bit strange for a couple of days. They managed however to decide to go to the evaluation that the adventurer proposed.
When Andres learned what had transpired, he was both a bit sad to be left out, but also worried that something might've happened to them while in the forest. Felix assured him that both he and Aysha were fine, however did not share with him what had happened to him after jumping into the lake.
***
"I guess it falls on me to explain how the evaluation works."
Aysha and Felix were sitting in Andres's home, listening attentively at him. Thankfully nothing major resulted from the infirmary, except that both Felix and Aysha's faced burned up a little for a bit when they saw each other.
That however didn't matter at that moment, because that evening both of them were going to the local church to get their magical prowess assessed.
"As both of you know, I was evaluated last year in order to help my father in his work, but I imagine the process won't be that different for you. First, when you get there, they will measure your general aptitude, which is basically trying to make an orb shine as bright as you can. After that, they take you in a room filled with gemstones, you pour your mana outwards and the reaction between it and the gemstones measures your affinity to certain elements and magic types. For example, I have a high affinity to metals and fire, which tracks with my father and most of my family."
On paper it was a simple and straightforward operation, however neither Felix nor Aysha completely understood the concept. The latter had never been interested in magic, so her experience was practically non-existent. For Felix however it was a different story. Since he wanted to become and adventurer one day, he tried and tried to use magic, however little. Yet all his efforts were in vain. Nevertheless, he didn't let that stop him this time, as after what happened in the forest, he perceived the mysterious energy that made up that space, just on an Infinitesimally smaller scale. He felt strange strings floating around him, forming clusters around people. He knew they were there, yet couldn't measure them, like a hunter knowing a herd of animals is in front of them, but not their size.
"Judging by your faces, you haven't tried to do it yet, am I right?" Andres smirked.
"Well don't you worry, because Master Andres is here to teach you!"
He closed his eyes and extended his arms, both Felix and Aysha's attention on him. Soon, sparks of a red energy appeared in front of them, slowly growing in size, while beads of sweat rolled down Andres's face.
After a bit, the sparks disappeared and he dropped down on one of the chairs.
"See that? That was a manifestation of my incomparable magic prowess!"
Aysha seemed a bit perplexed.
"Are we going to have to generate that much? It seems like a demanding task."
Andres smiled.
"Don't worry, you won't need to manifest it, just transport it through your body to the object you want to infuse with mana. Imagine it like pushing out your arms, but after they stop, you continue to push. In the beginning it's a bit jarring, but after a while it becomes pretty intuitive. Now you two try."
***
Felix and Aysha left for the church in high spirits. While training, Aysha managed to manifest a bright green light mixed with something resembling water, around twice as large as that of Andres's, which left him speechless, to say the least. But that wasn't the strangest thing that occurred at that time. When Felix tried to do it, a dark red oozed from his hands, before being purified by a blue light, similar to the one Aysha manifested, but much purer. It resembled more a small sun than water. And the size was astonishing too. Felix managed to push it to around three times the size, before seemingly hitting a wall and collapsing.
'At least I know I will do something.' This simple thought lingered in his mind and made him strangely happy, like if he was to do that a week or so ago, he would've surely failed.
Reaching the church, they were greeted by a priest, wearing a simple white robe with a small golden crest, resembling a star, embroidered on it.
"Hello, and welcome to the Church of Honse! I don't seem to remember you two visiting us before. Are you perhaps thinking of converting?" His smile disturbed something inside Felix, but he paid it no mind and instead replied to the priest.
"No, we're here to get evaluated."
"I see. Then, follow me."
The priest turned around and entered, leaving Felix and Aysha to catch up to him.
"If I may inquire, why have you decided to get an evaluation?" The priest turned his head around to look at them, but continued walking, moving past rows of benches and going into a much less glamourous part of the church.
"Someone recommended us to do it." It seemed that Aysha was also creeped out by the priest, but to a little lesser degree than Felix, so she kept her answer short.
"Well, don't you worry, you'll be done in no time! We just have some matters to attend to, so just sit here and wait until we call you, miss..." At some point they had appeared before a small room, with weak light emanating from the window on the door, a couple of wooden chairs next to it.
"My name's Aysha."
"I see, miss Aysha. And you sir are?"
"Felix."
"Well then, see you in a bit."
The priest walked away, leaving the two of them alone.
"That guy gives me the creeps." Aysha was the first one to say something, and Felix wholeheartedly agreed with her.
"We will get this done with and not come back. I don't like the thought of returning here."
Felix wasn't quite sure why, but the strings of mana here were much darker than the ones he had seen around the village. They felt both repulsing and alluring, sensing both familiarity and doom. He still didn't know how he got this feeling, but he started to trust it more after the encounter with the Viperwolf. He just had to hope nothing serious would happen here.