“Congratulations, Eudora!”
Everyone was so happy for the young woman who had just graduated. Still, Eudora can’t help but keep her head low as she gets all the adoration from friends and loved ones. Every pat on the back or “Great Job” given to her is like a weight upon her shoulders. Instead of focusing too much on being the center of attention, she keeps her head buried in the examination preparation book. The party screams past her at a snail’s pace. She doesn’t notice because her excitement about her next level of studies rushes her and warms her up. It’s always been a good feeling, despite her crippling shyness, but she never had an outlet for all that anxiety.
Of course, when she hears the name of that prestigious academy she’s trying to get into, she cannot help but lift her eyes, her glasses gleaming.
Her mother is dressed in an all-too-tight dress, holding a laughably expensive glass in her hand. “Oh, my Eudora will definitely make it at the Witchess Academy. She has a mind like no other, and her bloodline, well, let’s just say she’s got my power and her father’s name.” There’s no way she won’t get the top marks in the evaluations and make it to the high Coven track. She’s bound to be mistress of whatever element she chooses, no problem.”
Eudora sighs and closes her book, picking herself up and walking out to get to her room instead of to the party.
As she heads, she runs into her friend Samuel who smiles and waves to her.
Eudora smiles a little at his remark, running a hand through her messy hair. “Thanks,” she says, though it’s barely above a whisper. “It’ll be hard starting over, but I’m excited.”
“You gotta show me the stuff you learn when you get back,” Samuel says, nodding quickly. “I’m sure it will be nuts.”
Her laugh is long, trailing away from him. Samuel had always been cute to her.
“So,” he says, forming a smirk and wiggling his eyebrows. “You got anything in mind for what you’re gonna do when you get there, you know, for fun?”
“Fun?”
“I hear girls from overseas are more open. If I was going, I’d totally try my luck.
“Sa-aam!” she blusters, bringing the book to her face. “I’m not going to the Academy to get laid, and I’m going to secure my future.”
He shrugs. “Well, don’t forget to have some fun while you’re there, alright? You can burn out, you know.”
“Aah, right, I’ll keep that in mind,” she says, turning away, biting her lip, “But really, I’d rather just cuddle with someone lovingly on a cold night. Be nice and cozy? I’m not a hook-up kinda girl, you know?. She sighs, and then she places her hand on her shoulder. “I gotta do well there,” she says, taking a deep breath. “Once I have the power… I won’t be a pushover anymore. Right.” She flips open the test prep manual and reads it over once more.
“There are four elemental schools of magic and two metaphysical schools,” the manual begins. “Those who would become powerful witches must have an affinity to build mana from one of these elements to succeed, for anyone who must work hard for any of them is destined for the lower ranks of witchcraft, the likes of which Witchess does not tolerate. Think about your life thus far: do you feel the affinity flowing through you in the daylight or at night? Are you more comfortable in the sun or the rain? Do you prefer things warm or cold?”
Eudora lays back on her bed, holding the book in the air, letting gravity turn the page. “None of this is making any sense,” she grumbles. “I never felt anything like what this is describing, except….”
That’s when her door swings open. A shock runs up her spine for a brief moment, but she hops up, crossing her legs, sitting up, her hair covering one eye. “Ah, what, mooom!?”
“Eudora, what in the world are you doing? You have guests outside!” With a snap of her fingers, she yanks the book away from her daughter and looks it over, snorting. “Really? This is rudimentary stuff; you should be beyond this.”
“Nothing really feels right,” Eudora says, lowering her head.
“It’s because you’re afraid to take a leap and do what needs to be done,” her mother says, sighing and sitting on the bed beside her. “I have an affinity for darkness, and your grandmother had an affinity for fire, so I can’t exactly help you with whatever your strength is. Find it and commit to it. Listen to your heart and let the mana flow through you. You want to make me proud, don’t you?”
Eudora thinks on this a moment, biting her thumb.
Her mother raises an eyebrow.
Eudora hops up. “I want to be a powerful witch and use magic to help the world.”
Her mother smiles, patting her head. “And you will be. I believe in you.” She says this, leaning in and placing a kiss on her forehead. “But until your test, you must relax and enjoy yourself. Everyone wants to see you!”
“That’s the problem,” Eudora mutters to herself. “Everyone’s eyes are on me, and that’s when I feel the magic flowing through me.”
The Witchess Academy has a beautiful campus, untouched by the outside world. The magical power that sustains it makes it a fairy tale, where nature is green, the air is crisp and clean, and the buildings are wondrous physics-defying towers and floating halls.
At the very end of the campus is a gateway that flashes with eldritch power as the bus carries the newcomers through stops.
Standing at the station is a tall, stern woman dressed in flowing robes and wearing a wide-brimmed hat. She wrinkles her nose as the new potential students arrive, nodding to each in turn, lingering as she sees Eudora looking downward and shaking like a leaf.
“Welcome, one and all, to the day of your exam. I am your proctor, Professor Gizelle. If you follow me, I shall show you to the testing hall.”
As she speaks, the potential students follow her, and Eudora gets her first glimpses of the incredible architecture and the professors and students who make their home here. They pass a smithing class where fire magi infuse weapons and artifacts with runes. They move through the water and earth fields, students tilling and watering the fields. They even see the air students weaving works of art through the sky as they fly. Even radiant witches discuss philosophy among their heavy eyeliner and black spiked outfitted counterparts in darkness.