The Paired Evaluation was finally here, and with it came a buzz of nervous energy that hummed through the entire first-year class. All one hundred of us were escorted to a colossal hall that looked like a fusion of a high-tech arena and a scientific testing facility. The walls shimmered faintly with mana-reactive barriers, and overhead, a lattice of holographic displays showcased live updates of the evaluations as they unfolded.
The air smelled faintly of ozone, the telltale sign of concentrated mana hanging in the atmosphere. Rows of seats lined the observation decks above, where professors and assistants lounged with data tablets in hand, ready to analyze and assign grades. Below, the floor gleamed like polished obsidian, lined with faint grooves where containment fields would activate for each test.
