Path of the Unmentioned: The Missing Piece
Chapter 139: Midterms [6]

Chapter 139: Midterms [6]

Kyle stepped out of the instructor’s quarters, the crisp morning air hitting his face.

It was early... Too early.

The sky was a soft pale blue, and the sun was still rising over the tall towers of Solvayne Academy, casting long shadows across the stone paths.

"Just get through today," he muttered under his breath.

The academy grounds were already full of students.

Some were walking fast, flipping through flashcards or reading notes while bumping into each other.

Others stood in small groups. Muttering answers and trying to explain theories to one another.

A few looked like they hadn’t slept at all. Hair messy, uniforms wrinkled, faces pale with stress.

Kyle shoved his hands into his coat pockets. His fingers touched something soft and crinkled. He pulled it out and looked at the small paper.

It was Seraphina’s messy handwriting.

"Good luck! Don’t fail or I’ll haunt you. <3"

Kyle let out a sigh and shook his head. Stuffing it back into his pocket.

Last night had been... weird.

Seraphina had shown up at their shared quarters completely uninvited.

Arms crossed and a stack of books floating behind her like a squad of book soldiers.

"Kyle! You are not ready for tomorrow, are you?" she said with a grin that already knew the answer.

Aurelia was sitting at the table, looking over some documents. She didn’t even glance up.

"He doesn’t need your help. I have been preparing him for two days."

Seraphina raised an eyebrow and waved a hand dismissively.

"Your idea of studying is just glaring at him until he remembers out of fear. I actually teach."

A sharp snap echoed through the room. Aurelia had broken her pen in half.

What followed next was a full-on war of tutors.

Aurelia would explain a concept in her calm-but-scary tone. Filled with theory and precise steps.

Then Seraphina would jump in with wild comparisons.

"Think of mana flow like a spaghetti noodle. If you twist it too much, it breaks!", just to annoy Aurelia.

Kyle wasn’t sure who won the argument. But he did know that he’d ended up learning more in those five hours than in the past four weeks combined.

Even so, on the practice exams, his scores had been painfully average.

Aurelia had looked ready to murder him.

Seraphina had just laughed. Smacked the back of his head, and said, "Eh, you’ll survive."

Kyle checked his mana band again.

Hall B, Seat 14. Right.

He found the building and pushed open the large wooden door. The hinges creaked a little.

Inside, the exam room was huge, rows and rows of desks made from dark polished wood. All lined up in perfect symmetry.

Tall windows let in the soft light of morning, casting warm beams across the floor.

The moment Kyle stepped in, heads turned.

People whispered.

"That’s Kyle Valemont..."

"He’s the one who took down Kaelith in the last ranking duel."

"He’s the Gale Witch’s brother, right?"

Kyle did his best to ignore them. He scanned the rows, looking for his seat.

Near the front. He saw Lyra sitting upright, her long green hair tied back neatly.

She spotted him and gave a small smile, followed by a thumbs-up.

"Good luck," she mouthed.

Kyle smiled back and returned the gesture. Then made his way to his assigned seat and sank into it with a quiet sigh.

The desk was smooth and cool under his fingers. He pulled out his pen.

For a moment. He just sat there, rolling the pen between his fingers.

’Man,’ he thought, glancing around at a few girls still sneaking peeks his way, ’being this good-looking is kind of a curse.’

Then he stopped.

’Wait... am I getting narcissistic?’

Before he could worry too much about that. The door opened again.

A tall man entered, black robes flowing behind him like a shadow. Professor Haldrin.

The entire room fell silent the instant he stepped inside.

He didn’t need to raise his voice. Just standing there with that cold, sharp look in his eyes was enough to make everyone sit up straight.

"You have five hours. One hour per subject," he said in a flat tone. "If I catch anyone cheating. You will regret it."

Some students looked like they had forgotten how to breathe.

With a wave of his hand. Papers began to appear in mid-air, floating down the aisles before landing perfectly in front of each student.

Kyle caught his.

He turned it over and stared at the first question.

’Explain the fundamental principles of mana circulation in a Grade 2 Bronze core.’

He let out a slow breath.

’Okay,’ he thought. ’I can do this.’

He picked up his pen and started writing.

———

The first hour passed in a blur of definitions and diagrams.

Kyle’s hand moved nonstop. His pen scratching across the paper as he poured out everything he’d crammed into his brain last night.

Lines from his notes flashed through his head like they were on fast-forward.

’Mana channels expand with use... density varies by affinity... proper flow requires stable intent...’

He kept writing, his focus sharp. At one point. He paused just long enough to shake out his hand before diving back in.

He finished the first section with a few minutes to spare. Leaning back in his chair. He took a deep breath. Then flipped to the next part of the exam.

Combat Theory.

’Describe the three most effective countermeasures against a wind-element ambush.’

Kyle smirked to himself.

’Reo would ace this question,’ he thought.

He quickly jotted down the answers. Remembering the dozens of times Reo had tried to sneak up on him during sparring.

Reo always thought he was being clever. But Kyle had learned all his tricks by now.

’Ground-based anchors to resist knockback... mana shielding to block directional pressure... counterburst with opposite affinity or earth wall...’

It came to him like second nature.

The third section, though?

Historical Spellcraft.

It hit him like a wall.

’Analyze the structural flaws in Archmage Veythar’s Circle Ice Array and propose a modern solution.’

Kyle blinked at the question.

’...What?’

He stared at the words for a good ten seconds.

’Veythar... Ice Circle... okay. I remember reading about it. But flaws?’

He racked his brain. He could picture the textbook page. Faded print, a hand-drawn diagram.

He remembered it was a powerful but outdated technique. There was something about its instability when used in warmer climates...

He bit his lip and started writing slowly.

’The Circle Ice Array relies too heavily on external temperature control, making it unstable in fluctuating conditions.’

’A modern solution would involve integrating a temperature-independent anchor array or layering a sub-freezing field rune beneath the core sequence...’

’Please be right’, he thought as he moved on.

By the time he reached the fourth section. His hand was cramping. His fingers felt stiff, and his wrist ached. But he kept going.

Applied Mana Dynamics.

This part was rough.

It was full of weird math problems, hard theory, and long hypothetical scenarios.

One question had an entire spell diagram drawn out wrong. And they had to find and fix the mistakes.

Kyle squinted at the lines. Circling the faulty paths, muttering under his breath.

’No symmetry on the left ring... glyph overlaps the main channel... yeah, that would blow up.’

He rubbed his temples, trying to stay focused. He was tired. Hungry. And he still had one last question.

He read it twice just to be sure.

’If a mage with dual affinities attempts to cast a fusion spell without proper core stabilization. What is the most likely outcome? Justify your answer.’

Kyle stared at the question.

He blinked slowly.

Then sighed.

He picked up his pen and scrawled.

’Their mana core cracks. Maybe explodes. Either way. It’s bad.’

Then, just because he felt like it. He underlined "bad."

The moment he put the pen down. The final bell rang.

Professor Haldrin raised his hand, and all the papers floated off the desks, forming a neat stack in front of him.

Kyle slumped back in his chair, completely drained.

"Well... that could’ve gone worse," he said out loud to no one.

Then he remembered Aurelia’s cold, terrifying voice warning him: "If you get below 80%, I swear—"

His stomach dropped.

"...Or maybe not."

He let out a long, tired groan and dragged a hand down his face.

"I’m so dead."

———