[Third Person Pov]
As Arthur and Merlin continued to banter quietly between themselves, their voices soft and almost lazy with familiarity, time drifted by. The two were still seated side by side on their oversized beanbag chair, legs half-tucked beneath them as they reviewed notes and whispered playful jabs. The relaxed atmosphere was broken when Lance suddenly straightened in his seat.
He grabbed his stack of papers, tapped the bottom edge against the table to align them perfectly, and announced, "I'm done!"
"Oh?" Arthur exclaimed, a curious brow rising. He exchanged a quick look with Merlin before both of them pushed themselves up from the beanbag, stretching their backs as they walked toward Lance's table.
Merlin reached out first, taking the sheets Lance offered. She and Arthur stood shoulder to shoulder as they began examining his work. Their eyes moved slowly along the carefully drawn magic circles, tracing the symbols, and connecting lines. Both mages nodded—first in acknowledgment, then in genuine approval. Several of the spell designs weren't even ones they had demonstrated in class, yet Lance had created them with solid theory and creativity.
"Impressive," Arthur murmured before straightening. "Congratulations on passing the first part of the test. Now comes the next step: testing the functionality of the circles you drew." He extended the sheets back to Lance. "Are you ready to begin?"
Lance inhaled, nodded firmly, and set most of the papers to the side, keeping one in front of him. He placed the selected sheet flat on the table, then raised his wand. With a practiced motion, he tapped the center of the circle. A thin, crisp ping echoed as an ice-blue light traced every engraved line. The circle activated instantly.
From the center of the paper, a jagged crystal formation bloomed outward—sharp, angular shards of translucent ice rising like a miniature frozen crown. The surface glistened under the room's light, cold radiating faintly off its edges.
Merlin and Arthur both crouched down to inspect it, poking and prodding the structure to test its density. After a moment, they nodded approvingly.
Lance moved on.
The next circle activated with a gentle pulse, and a swirling funnel of sand rose from the page. It twisted in a continuous spiral, a small self-contained tornado rotating with surprising stability.
The third circle activated with a soft popping sound, summoning dozens of floating bubbles. They drifted lazily above the paper, shimmering and wobbling with rainbow reflections. Arthur blinked. Merlin stared at Lance with a raised brow and a smothered smirk.
Lance only smiled. "It's a work in progress. The final version of the spell isn't complete yet. This is just what the first-tier variant looks like."
Merlin hummed as if deciding whether it was genius or nonsense. Arthur still looked amused.
The next spell produced a rotating sphere of water, smoothly orbiting its own axis, its surface rippling like a tiny ocean. And the last activation released a thick puff of grayish vapor that spread outward, dissolving into a proper smoke screen before fading harmlessly.
Arthur and Merlin exchanged a meaningful glance, then nodded in silent agreement.
Arthur reached into the inner pocket of his robe and withdrew a polished golden star pin. Intricate runes bordered its edges, and at the center were the inscribed words:
First-Tier Mage
He stepped closer and pinned it to Lance's robe with a ceremonious tap.
"Congratulations on officially becoming a First-Tier Mage," Arthur said with a warm grin. "Keep up the hard work—and keep climbing the ranks."
Lance placed his fist over his chest in an exaggerated salute, face set in a mock-serious expression. Arthur snorted. Merlin rolled her eyes with a reluctant smile tugging at her lips.
During the time Arthur and Merlin were examining Lance's work, both Gwyneth and Hermione had also finished their tests. Arthur turned and headed toward Hermione's table, while Merlin swept her cloak aside and made her way to Gwyneth, ready to begin the next evaluations.
"Well, go on," Merlin urged, folding her arms expectantly. She had been the one teaching Gwyneth most closely these past weeks, and it showed; there was a certain glimmer in her eyes that said she was genuinely excited to see how her student performed.
Gwyneth smirked with confident anticipation. She raised her hand over the first circle and tapped it. The circle flashed a soft, earthy green. A moment later, thick vines burst from the marked center, coiling upward with impressive speed. Sharp thorns glinted along their lengths, and a single blossom—soft pink petals edged in white—unfurled at the very top.
"Impressive," Merlin said with a slow nod, her tone calm but the approval unmistakable.
Gwyneth moved on to the second spell. She activated the next circle, and a wet splurt sounded as a mound of mud formed in a small heap on the table. Gwyneth's shoulders tightened; she glanced up at Merlin with a mildly embarrassed smile.
Merlin simply nodded. "For a first-tier spell, it's good. What matters is knowing when to use it—and how." Her reassurance made Gwyneth exhale in relief, her tension draining instantly.
The third spell activated with a subtle shimmer, producing… a seed. A tiny small seed that Merlin could tell contained magical power within.
But Merlin smiled, raising a brow. "You're certainly committed to a theme today, aren't you? Flora, vines, earth, seeds."
Gwyneth laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck. "I just thought it'd be more fun this way. And, um—this one is actually a magic bullet spell Arthur taught us… but instead of raw magic, it fires out a seed that explodes."
Merlin barked a short laugh. "Yes, I figured as much when I saw the runes carved into the perimeter. Clever twist, though."
The fourth circle activated next, summoning a small, spiraling sprout of water that bubbled upward like a miniature fountain before settling. And her final spell produced a clean, stable magic bullet—textbook perfect, glowing with focused energy.
Merlin nodded, visibly satisfied. She reached into her robes and retrieved a star-shaped badge identical to the one Arthur had given Lance. The gold reflected softly in the classroom light.
"Congratulations," she announced, pinning it carefully to Gwyneth's chest. "You are now officially a First-Tier Mage."
Joy radiated off Gwyneth in waves. She tossed her hair back dramatically, turned toward Lance with an exaggerated flourish, and pointed at her star as if to show off that they're matching. Lance chuckled at her theatrics, shaking his head with a smile.
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Meanwhile, Arthur stood before Hermione with his hands clasped behind him.
"You know," he said, "I'm actually pretty excited to see what you came up with."
Hermione adjusted her sleeves. "Actually," she admitted, "I didn't create any new spells yet. I focused on translating spells and charms from class into magic circles."
Arthur's eyebrows rose. "That is equally impressive. Translation between systems is far from easy. Show me."
Hermione selected a sheet she hadn't used yet and laid it atop the first magic circle. With a tap of her wand, a white flash illuminated the page. Instantly, the paper shredded into clean, precise strips that fluttered apart like confetti.
"The Severing Charm," Arthur noted, impressed. He nodded encouragingly as Hermione gathered the shredded pieces and placed them over the second circle.
A tap—another glow. Slowly, the torn paper segments floated up, drifting through the air before reassembling themselves. Edges knit seamlessly together until the page drifted back down, whole again.
The repairing charm Arthur inwardly noted.
The third spell was the levitation charm. She placed the now-restored paper over the circle and activated it. The sheet sprang into the air, wobbling, spinning, then performing chaotic loops like an excited bird before gently settling.
The final two spells were Lumos and Nox. Hermione activated the Lumos circle, producing a bright orb of light hovering above the paper. Then she held the sheet containing the Nox circle and tore it directly over the glow. The moment the paper parted, the light extinguished with a soft pfff, like a candle snuffed in a breeze.
Arthur let out a low whistle and gave a few appreciative claps. "Translating spells from one system to another is much harder than it looks. Trust me—I'm still working on one myself." He sighed dramatically. "But this? This is excellent work."
Hermione's smile widened, pride warming her expression.
Arthur withdrew the golden star and pinned it gently onto her robes. "Congratulations on becoming a First-Tier Mage."
Hermione chuckled, cheeks slightly pink, and thanked him warmly.
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