ADAD Chapter 4: Sorting, part 2

 After the pixies had taken the boys to the bathrooms, the four had cleaned themselves up, and changed into fresh clothes. Then, they were led to the main hall. The breakfast was just as diverse as the dinner of the night before, and just as filling. After that, each boy got a pixie, and was led to a different room. 

"Wait in here, until your tests begin," the pixie told Darius, who sat on a chair behind a desk. He did his best to relax, while keeping his back straight. Soon after, a smiling woman came inside the room. 

"Well, if it is not the best runesmith in the world," the woman said, as she took the seat behind the desk. "You were nearly offered a scholarship, but your fees were already paid by one Octavian Vicente." 

"I was?" Darius asked. His tail twitched, but he got it under control. 

"You were. Anyway, in here it is written that you are good with the bow. Follow me," she said, and then went to the door that was behind the desk. Darius was confused, as he didn't see any archery rings in the hall. Just classrooms. Yet, when he stepped through the door, there was indeed an archery ring to the other side. 

 "Dimensional magic," the instructor clarified. "Has a lot to do with runes, in fact. As your main subject will be runes, you might get dimensional magic as an elective." 

"Wait, I can't learn to fight?" Darius asked, ready to argue. 

 "Oh, you will learn how to fight. With runes, to be precise. Fighting is not all about running, and doing backflips, my boy. Granted, you will have to think more on your feet, than someone who can slice up a dummy in two hacks. Still, we have many runesmiths who had become bounty hunters after they have completed their mastery. As things stand, you are almost sorted. We are just choosing your electives now," she said, and then pointed at the bow. 

Darius took it grudgingly, and then an arrow. 

I won't be in the same house as Nastia...

He agonized over that thought for a while, and then let the arrow fly. It hit the center, and the instructor clapped. 

"Once you learn how to make arrows out of mana with different effects, you will be quite the archer. I will write archery as your second elective, after dimensional magic?" She asked, and Darius tilted his head to see her better. 

 "You are asking me?" He had thought that he didn't have a choice. 

"Why, yes. Of course, I am asking you. Your main elective has to play to your strengths, but all your secondary ones are up to you," she said, and tapped her pen to her notepad. "So? Dimensional magic and archery?"

"Do you have swimming as well?" Darius asked. He liked to swim. Ever since he got the water breathing rune, he dreamed of swimming in a coral reef. 

"Sports are not electives, but club activities. Do you want to sign yourself up for the swimming team?" She asked with a smile. 

"I do," Darius said, and then his tail wagged behind him. 

"Well, that is good. Not many students sign up for the extra credit activities on their first day. You will be able to compete in the next swimming competition after a year of training," she told him, and then tapped her notepad again. "So, your electives?"

"How many electives can I get?" Darius asked, wanting to steer this towards something that will get him into the same classes as Anastasios. 

"One main one and five secondary ones," the instructor said. "Plus, three clubs." 

"Do you have katana wielding classes?" Darius asked, certain that Anastasios would sign up for them, if there were any. 

"Oh, I am sorry. Exotic weapons are only nurtured through private instructors. It says in your file that you didn't ask for one," Darius's shoulders slumped at those words. He won't be able to share classes with his soulmate, after all. "Are you trying to keep in the same classes as someone else?" 

"Yes, I want to have them with my soulmate," Darius said, and he looked into the instructor's eyes. She looked amused. 

"Then you will be happy to note that the academic classes for all the years are taken together with your year group," she then chuckled, when Darius's tail began to wag. "Would you also add Meditation as a club activity? It will help you with your emotions." 

"I... sure. I don't know what that is, but if you think it will help. Does it also have competitions?" Darius asked, and the woman shook her head. 

"No. Through meditation, you can develop the talent for Charisma projections. It is basically the opposite of meditation, but meditation paves the way. Seeing as it is an elective, you will need to show some promise in it, first. So, how about you clear your mind, and stay still for five minutes?" She suggested, and Darius straightened up, and closed his eyes. 

"Focus on my voice," she said, and then began to tell him how to breathe, and what to visualize. The demon boy found the exercise easy. When she asked him to open his eyes, he saw her blinding smile. "I worried that you are hyperactive, but all you need is a bit of practice. So, runes as the main elective, dimensional magic, archery, and charisma as the secondary ones?"

"Yes," Darius said, embarrassed that she had to ask so many times. "What would you suggest the other electives be?"

"Well, you want to be a bounty hunter, right? So, I take it tracking and teleportation would be good electives. Or, would you like tracking, and sword wielding? You will be asked to see what type of sword you prefer, but apart from that, you can practice with multiple ones," she tapped her notepad again, and Darius nodded to himself. 

"Please add tracking and sword wielding to the mix," Darius said, and she smiled. 

"Well, we are done here, then," the woman told him, as she stood. "Classes will begin after the week is done. The library is in the west wing. Have a pixie show you the way." 

With that, Darius bowed to the woman, and exited the archery ring, where a pixie was already waiting for him.