ShadowBound: The Need For Power

"Good evening second-years," Lucia said, her voice carrying clearly through the hall with the aid of the stage’s amplification enchantments. "It is nice to see all of you gathered in one place again after a while, even if I imagine most of you would have preferred a little more warning."

A few students shifted. Someone near the back gave a quiet, bitter laugh before swallowing it.

Lucia’s mouth curved faintly, as if she heard it and chose mercy. "Sir Regulus and I are here to give you information regarding your upcoming examinations. We will touch briefly on your Theory exams, and then we will discuss the Practical assessment, which I suspect is what most of you are more concerned about."

The room changed slightly at that.

The practical exam had been named. Not guessed at. Named.

Liam glanced briefly toward Sheila’s section without turning fully. She was sitting upright, focused on the stage.

Lucia continued, "Headmaster Thion would have been here to address you himself, but he has other meetings requiring his attention at this time. That said, the information you receive tonight comes directly through the academy authorities, and all instructions should be treated accordingly."

Sir Regulus’s gaze swept across the hall once.

No one spoke.

Lucia gave a small nod, apparently satisfied. "I know most of you are tired after lessons, so I will make this as clear and efficient as possible."

Dylan leaned slightly toward Maxwell and whispered, "That means it is going to be terrible."

Maxwell whispered back, "Everything here is terrible."

Liam did not look at either of them. "Quiet."

Both of them shut up.

Lucia lifted one hand, and the space above the stage shimmered. A blue projection formed behind her, clean and sharp, displaying the heading: Second-Year Examination Schedule.

"As all of you are aware," Lucia began, "your Theory exam week begins next week. The first day of that week will be reserved for the Core Myst paper. All second-year students, regardless of class track, will write Core Myst on that day."

The projection shifted, and the words Core Myst Examination appeared beneath the heading.

Lucia continued, "The paper will last five hours. At the halfway point, there will be a thirty-minute break. You will be allowed to leave your writing station only during that break unless you receive explicit permission from an assigned proctor. Any attempt to communicate about exam content during the break will be considered misconduct."

A low wave of reaction moved across the seats.

"Five hours?" someone whispered.

"With only one break?" another muttered.

Liam remained quiet. Five hours was long, but not surprising. Core Myst was the foundation of every magical discipline, and the academy loved testing foundations until students discovered how much they had failed to understand.

Lucia waited for the murmurs to lower before continuing. "As for the remaining days of Theory week, those will be assigned by your individual instructors and professors. Each instructor or professor has been given authority to decide which day best suits their paper, how the paper will be structured, and what form of written or analytical assessment will be used for their class."

The projection changed again, showing a list of class categories rather than fixed days: Fire Magic, Water Magic, Earth Magic, Knight Combat Theory, Tactical Espionage, Forgemastery, Alchemy, Enhancement Control, Healing Principles, Combat Strategy, and several others.

A different kind of silence spread through the hall.

Students began realizing what that meant.

If the remaining days were left to the instructors, then nothing guaranteed the schedule would be merciful. A student with multiple specialized classes could end up writing two difficult papers in one day. Or three, if their instructors lacked coordination or simply did not care. A Fire Magic student who also took Knight Combat and Tactical Espionage could find themselves buried beneath layered theory, practical analysis, and written strategy without a full day between them. Forgemastery and Alchemy students might have written components stacked near Core Myst recovery time. The academy could technically avoid scheduling conflicts if it wanted.

But the academy did not always want what students wanted it to want.

The realization moved across the second-years like a bad smell.

"That is cruel," Maxwell muttered under his breath.

Dylan leaned back in his seat. "That is Dark Knight Academy."

Liam said nothing because Dylan was, unfortunately, correct.

Absurdities like this were exactly what made the Dark Knight Academy what it was. The academy trained students not only to know material, but to function under pressure, under poor timing, under exhaustion, and under conditions that made complaint feel reasonable but useless. If three instructors chose the same day, then the student would write three papers. They could complain afterward if they wished. The academy would likely call it a lesson in preparation and time management.

Lucia allowed the students several moments to absorb it.

Then she spoke again. "Your instructors will inform you of their chosen dates and formats by the end of this week. Once all Theory papers have been written, you should expect results by the end of that weekend. Those results will be made available through the usual academic channels, and your instructors will determine whether individual review sessions are necessary."

The projection behind her dimmed slightly.

"That is all you need to know regarding the Theory examinations for now," Lucia said.

A few students shifted, but no one looked relieved. If anything, the lack of detailed scheduling made the week ahead feel more dangerous.

Lucia’s expression became more serious.

"Now," she said, "we will discuss the Practical assessment."

The hall seemed to hold its breath.

Even Dylan stopped moving.

Liam felt the attention around him sharpen all at once. Students who had been slouching sat straighter. Those who had looked tired became focused despite themselves. Sheila’s posture did not change much, but Liam could sense, even without looking, that this was the part she had been waiting for. Chris would be listening too. So would every student whose place, pride, fear, or ambition depended on what the academy said next.

Lucia looked across the assembled second-years.

"This Practical assessment will be a full-year cooperation assessment," she said. "It will take place in a different realm and will last for fourteen days."

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