The exam takers gathered in front of the old examiner. Vidra and Uros were the last to make it. They seemed not to care about the last exam, knowing that they were accepted according to the rules.
The other kids weren't happy with their behavior. They had to wait for them, not just today but also yesterday. The strange duo didn't mind the burning gazes aimed at them.
The veteran examiner exhaled a weary sigh once everyone arrived, including the scribes and the other spectators. He knew that Vidra and Uros were going to be problematic once the exam was over.
"I welcome everyone to the third and last part of the entrance exam. The test we are going to take today was made by the headmaster to test your will. The staircase of self-doubt is an ancient construction."
"Today, every exam taker will climb these stairs, and whoever reaches the highest step will take first place. Also, there is a special rule personally added by the headmaster as a part of this test."
The old examiner glanced towards Uros and Vidra.
"Everyone must try their absolute best; those who are caught slacking will get disqualified. Now, does anyone have a question regarding the exam?"
Vidra raised his hand.
"Yes?"
"What happens once someone reaches the last step of the staircase?"
"That is a good question with a simple answer. We simply don't know. Nobody managed to reach the last step of the staircase. No matter how strong they were, everyone failed. Anyone else?"
Nobody asked a question. Thus, the old examiner guided them towards the staircase of self-doubt. It was located deeper in the academy. They had to follow a less-walked dirt path towards a circular stone platform. The staircase was no more than two steps high, but it was wide enough to allow most of the participants to climb side by side.
"I know what you think. This staircase is indeed two steps high at first glance. However, you understand everything once you take the first step. Now I want everyone to stand beside each other."
"Those who don't have enough space left in front of the staircase can stay behind the others. The trial is fair, so it doesn't matter where you start. What matters is where you end up."
The first ones to approach the staircase were the famous trio, Lune, Vidra, and Uros. There was also the son of Duke Ingram, who decided to stand right beside Uros. He was the most popular amongst the boys due to his high status and likeable personality.
He was named after a flower that blooms once every thousand years, Arcine. Vidra took the first step, ready to experience something painful.
The surroundings turned into nothingness. Everything was replaced by a cloudy sky. In front of him was a seemingly endless staircase reaching upwards. Below him, thick mist shrouded the other examinees.
The others slowly emerged from the mist, starting with Lune and Uros. Most of the people who reached the first step stopped for a few seconds to look around. Vidra took the second step, and a sudden heaviness engulfed his body.
Something happened to Vidra, but it barely made a difference as he took one more step. The others who stood by his side seemed to fare worse. Some of them were sweating just by stepping beside Vidra.
"This staircase has a special ability. It puts pressure on the souls of those who try to climb it. It doesn't matter how strong you become if the vessel that holds your strength can't maintain its form under pressure."
The words of the old examiner echoed across the mist. Vidra took another step. The fourth step made him experience a slight dizziness. Some of the test takers who followed him fell asleep, while others just seemed to struggle.
On the fifth step, more people fell asleep, slicing the number of test takers in half. Vidra bit his lip as he took another step. On the sixth step, his knees buckled, but he managed to stand.
Uros seemed either unbothered, or whatever happened to him wasn't shown outside. Lune seemed to struggle the most amongst them. She was sweating profusely.
Vidra took the seventh step. Spearheading the remaining test takers. The dizziness he first experienced clouded his vision. Lune followed him. She dropped to one knee, but still successfully took the seventh step. Uros on the other hand immediately fell asleep.
What happened to him so suddenly was something nobody understood. He simply ran out of fuel from one moment to another.
Lune looked at Vidra with a cold expression on her face as she activated her trait. A white aura manifested around her body. Making her look like a shining goddess. Vidra followed her example.
His trait was activated. His body started to release steam as the surroundings heated. His blood-red eyes gained a stronger color in the process. Vidra took the next step, and then took another step.
Lune followed him by taking another step herself. Her knees buckled as strength quickly escaped her body. She was barely awake, and the last step would be her last. In the end, she fell asleep trying to cross into the ninth step.
Two people remained, one of them was Vidra, and the other was a boy who seemed immature for his age. He was visibly exhausted and there were scratch marks all over his body.
He was about to take the ninth step when blood suddenly escaped from his nose. Vidra took a glance at the kid, burning him into memory before taking the tenth step.
Battling with sleepiness, exhaustion, and depleted mana, Vidra looked towards the next step. A sudden coldness enveloped his body. Vidra forced his trait into overdrive to chase it away. The red emblem on his hand was visibly glowing.
"ONE MORE."
Vidra muttered as he lifted his leg to place it on the eleventh step. However, that was it. Strength left his body, and overusing his trait made him lose consciousness. The illusion disappeared and the test takers found themselves in front of the wide staircase. This time surrounded by the forest and the buildings belonging to the academy.
The only one who seemed to carry the effects of the magical staircase into the real world was Vidra, who lay unconscious amongst the test takers. Lune looked at his body, her leg eager to step into it.
'He should just stay like that.'
She battled with an idea that would have disqualified her. The old examiner clapped, bringing back the attention of the test takers.
"I hereby announce that the hundredth entrance exam has successfully concluded, and the academy gained a total of one hundred new students. I would like to take this chance to congratulate everyone who successfully passed."