"Ery," the mages called, beckoning him back to the matter at hand. He shook his head, casting aside the distraction, and continued,
"As I was saying... We shall comnce with each mber's display of their talents. After which, a vote will be issued amongst you and also amongst us, Councilors. And the one with the least votes gets opted out."
He paused, scanning the room as he inspected their faces before continuing, "You have five minutes to gather whatever you need to manifest your talents within the Academy. If you don't require anything beyond this room to showcase your talent, use this ti to analyze and prepare."
The confines of the Academy? Octavius thought to himself. He couldn't manage that. He needed a dostic animal or pest for him to cast Void into. And he wasn't certain he wouldn't find one in the prestigious Academy vicinity.
"Void?" He called, and Void responded with a drowsy grunt.
Octavius followed Void's gaze and it landed on the Conjurer's mage, whose bosom was barely covered by her attire. He felt a flush rise to his cheeks.
"Snap out of it, we have a problem!" he whispered urgently to Void.
Void rely grunted again, still seemingly distracted.
Octavius looked around and noticed that most of the contestants weren't moving. This ant he was the only one who needed to retrieve sothing.
He felt his cheeks flush with embarrassnt before he slowly stepped forward and gave a slight bow to the councilors out of courtesy before exiting the room.
As soon as Octavius stepped out of the door, he spotted a pig.
"I spoke too soon," Octavius countered in delight as he made his way towards it.
Void imdiately protested, [Oh no, no, no!]
"Now I have your attention?"
[Don't put in that pig, NPC]
"Well, it's the only available option right now,"
[It has no potential to make you win. So what's the benefit of possessing a pig? Gaining the ability to look stupid Or what?]
Octavius chastened him, "Don't speak to it that way."
[Actually, you don't need a pig to make you look just as stupid. You are naturally endowed]
"Get inside the pig."
Imdiately, Void's essence dissipated into the pig's body.
[Why do you keep humiliating ? You saw a Kragg and couldn't put in her body, but you're putting in this...thing?]
Void's rant was punctuated by the pig's high-pitched squeaks.
Octavius couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't considered casting Void into the Kragg's body earlier. It would have been an opportunity to test his theory in a more formidable creature.
However, upon further reflection, he was content with how events had unfolded. If he had attempted to possess the Kragg, perhaps she wouldn't have given him the stones.
[If you don't get out of this thing... I'll ensure you never set foot in the Academy,] Void threatened.
Octavius turned to head back inside, unfazed by Void's warning, which only heightened Void's anxiety.
[I have an idea on how you can gain entry, but you must release first,] Void said suddenly, its words stopping Octavius in his tracks.
He turned back to Void, intrigued. [Over there, in the trees, is a Mohit bird, ] Void continued. [With their distinctive white feathers and blue-hued skin, they're a rare find, despite being ubiquitous. If you free , I can tap into their unique talents and make you real magic."
Octavius remained silent for a mont, contemplating Void's proposal.
Finally, he spoke, "The ability of the pig I got isn't that of stupidity, but rather an extraordinary capacity to sll and detect the true emotions of those around them. With that unique gift, I perceived your genuine intention, unobscured by the facades you have built. You also need to get to the academy, you need to win for reasons you don't want to tell . Again, why did you want to inhabit my body?"
[It's almost ti, we don't have ti for this.]
Void said dismissively.
"We are not leaving here till you tell ,"
Octavius insisted.
[You do realize I'm in the pig's body and I can read your emotions too, right?]
"Good," Octavius said, taking two steps toward the pig and folding his hands into his pockets.
Void knew he wasn't bluffing as he was, so he exhaled and stared intently back at Octavius.
"Let's be clear: I would have found a way into the Academy regardless. But with you... it's simpler. I have a debt to collect from the people of Wysteria. They took sothing from , and now I'll take everything from them. Your presence will rely... facilitate that process... Easier"
Octavius looked rather stunned at the information Void had depicted. Before he could co up with a response to acknowledge what Void had just said, a familiar ginger-haired girl rushed in to pick up the pig.
As she scooped him up and turned to run back to wherever she had co from, her eyes landed on Octavius.
"Edwin, what are you doing here?"
Octavius looked surprised to see Amy. He brought his hand out of his pocket as he scratched his head nervously, not sure of how to explain his situation to Amy.
Octavius leaned against the wooden railing, his eyes fixed on the Academy's entrance. "Well," he started, turning to Amy, "they're about to pick the top ten to enter the Academy." He briefed her with a serious expression.
Amy's gaze trailed from his, and her eyes widened as she looked down at the pig cradled in her arms. She rembered Octavius/Edwin ntioning that his talent was taming creatures.
"You intend to use him? I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you can't. I need to return him to the infirmary. I was testing my healing abilities when he escaped."
Octavius shook his head emphatically, his hands gesturing for emphasis. "I didn't plan to use him—" he trailed off suddenly when he felt a sharp bite. He pulled away from the rail and noticed ants moving in unison toward an unknown destination. The way they moved made him certain they were migrating.
He turned back to Amy to complete his words. "I have sothing else."
Amy's expression softened, and she smiled slightly. "Okay, we'll catch up soon—if you get in, that is." With that, she turned to hurry away, the pig still cradled in her arms.
As she went, proceeding to disappear into one of the buildings, Octavius muttered under his breath, "Get out of the body." expelling Void from the pig's body.
In a swift, calculated move, Octavius cast Void into the Mohit bird. The timing was impeccable, as just then, one of the guards opened the door and instructed, "Get back inside, it's ti to play the wild card."
****
Octavius slipped in just as the Achitect Mage began explaining the rules of the Wild Card ga. Though he already knew them by heart, he listened intently, his eyes scanning the room for any signs of weakness among his competitors.
"...Each player has one opportunity to influence the ga," the moderator continued, "but be warned: any attempt to manipulate the votes or exploit loopholes will result in imdiate disqualification. You're only allowed to cast one vote for yourself, and any additional votes must co from other players."
[Exploit loopholes? The Achitect Mage just made it to my top ten list] Void snickered.
"And I suppose the list doesn't have anything to do with your evil scheming?"
[The right question is; Why do you think I would make a list that doesn't involve— Quote and unquote, ] Void said using his hands to make air quote. [Evil scheming]
"You're not going to kill anyone, Void."
[Remind what you ca back to your body to do again?]
Octavius rolled his eyes.
"I ca to set the records right, and make sure no one falls victim to what my family fell victim to by showing others the true colors that of those that brought harm to both my family and everything they worked hard for. I ca to make a change,"
[All I heard was revenge, revenge!! revenge!!!]
Octavius rolled his eyes again as he watched the mage instruct one of the contestants from the other group to step forward.
"Unlike you," He told Void as he watched on. "I have a soul."
[And I'm sitting on it.]
"How did you get like this? Did your father not give you enough hugs or sothing?"
[Did your father give you enough?]
Octavius opened his mouth to retort, but his attention was diverted by the contestant, who began introducing himself. The contestant showcased his talent, and as he finished, the Architect mage addressed the group.
"Rember, you are not allowed to reveal your votes. Each of you has nine individual votes, which you can cast for your fellow contestants."
Octavius overheard Otto whispering to Marilyn, "We might not make it. Look at them, all smiles. It's obvious they've agreed to vote for each other. Three from our group might get left behind."
Octavius considered Otto's words, and a knot of concern ford in his stomach. If the other groups indeed voted for their own mbers, it could an that only a few from his group would make the cut.
However, Octavius had witnessed the powers of his own group mbers, and he knew they were formidable. In contrast, the six contestants from the other group who had showcased their abilities so far had not impressed him.
His hopes rested on Void's mysterious plan. He needed sothing breathtaking, not just to secure his own group's votes— even though he hoped the Aetherstones he had given them would be enough for them to include him—but also to capture the attention of the other group.
Just then, the contestant who was friends with Thorne stepped forward, introducing himself with a confident smile.
"My na is Erick Fletcher." He bowed slightly to the counselors, "My talent, noble counselors, is known as 'Whispercatch.' I possess an acute sense of hearing, allowing to detect even the faintest whispers from those around ."
Erick's gaze locked onto the counselors, a hint of mischief dancing in his eyes. "I'd like to demonstrate by recounting the whispers shared among my honorable counselors earlier, if you permit ."
The counselors exchanged uneasy glances before scribbling notes on their parchnt.
The Healer mage intervened swiftly, his voice firm but polite. "That won't be necessary, Erick. Please, try sothing else."
[Oh, he plays dirty,] Void whispered in Octavius's mind. [He's going to get in, alright.]
Erick bowed respectfully, a smug smile spreading across his face. He turned to face the contestants and pointed directly at Octavius. "I detect uneven breathing from him. He's not alone."
The room fell silent, with all eyes turning to Octavius in curiosity.
[I guess the cat is out of the bag]
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