The Phantom’s Gambit

Octavius had long fantasized about this moment, envisioning the Academy's grandeur, but the reality surpassed his wildest dreams. Before him lay a sprawling fortress, its stone walls adorned with intricate carvings and towering spires that seemed to touch the sky. The grand entrance, flanked by imposing stone statues, led to a bustling courtyard filled with students, professors, and guards clad in ornate armor.

Yet, instead of making a dignified entrance as he had always dreamed before he turned eighteen, Octavius found himself stuck in a long queue by the gate, awkwardly shifting his weight while scratching his backside. To make matters worse, his finger instinctively wandered to his nose, a gesture he couldn't seem to control.

 Of course, this wasn't his doing – Void, the mischievous entity he'd reluctantly allowed to take control of his body on their way here, was responsible for these unrefined antics.

"Do you have no shame? We are in public," Octavius muttered, his face flushing with embarrassment as he forced Void to stop picking at his nose. He glanced around nervously, hoping no one had witnessed the mortifying display.

[Shame is so... human. I'll leave that to you. I'm just here to keep things interesting.]

"Well, since you're in my body, you better start acting like a dignified participant," Octavius whispered sternly. "I thought Alaric said only ten people would be selected. Look at this crowd – there must be over a hundred people here."

[He said ten would be selected, he didn't give an estimate on those who would be present.]

Octavius scanned the queue, growing impatient. "Is there a way we can move through the line?" he asked, considering a more... unorthodox approach.

[Have you no shame?] he echoed, throwing Octavius' earlier words back at him. 

Octavius rolled his eyes, annoyed at Void's teasing.

Octavius scanned the queue again, his eyes narrowing as he observed that no one had moved forward yet.

 He had mentally marked the first person in line, a woman with exceptionally long hair that cascaded down her back, past her knees. She remained stationary, and Octavius estimated they had been waiting for over two hours.

 The tedium was unbearable, and he couldn't help but think that his father's rule hadn't been this absurd.

Just as Octavius began contemplating ways to advance in the queue, the door swung open, and a man stepped inside. 

A distinctive mark adorned his forehead, and his attire – adorned with the emblem of Stella, a symbol Octavius had often seen on his late father's clothing – clearly identified him as a mage. 

Given the similarities between the markings on the man's forehead and his father's, Octavius suspected that this individual was likely a member of the council.

Octavius was familiar with the symbols at heart. A straight line on someone's forehead indicated membership in the Architect group, whose skills lay in non-magical craftsmanship and innovation.

In contrast, a crescent moon shape typically denoted a Conjurer, adept at summoning and manipulating magical energies to achieve extraordinary feats.

The Leviathans, an elite group of knights and warriors, harnessed magical energies through their swords. Their foreheads bore an inverted triangle, symbolizing their unique blend of martial prowess.

Healers, gifted in the art of restoration and medicine, wore a stylized spiral symbol on their foreheads. This emblem represented growth, renewal, and the cyclical nature of life.

Mages are the ruling class, distinguished by their exceptional mastery of magical energies and their inherent leadership abilities. They bear a distinctive symbol – a stylized star or asterism – on their foreheads, situated alongside their individual essence symbol, denoting their remarkable magical prowess and authoritative status.

The council was composed solely of Mages, with a total of four members, according to the traditional structure. However, Octavius' father, a member of the Leviathan faction, had broken with convention. 

He acquired a status for himself when he founded the Academy, and it earned him a unique position – he became the fifth member of the council, and was granted a distinctive Mage status.

"…Twenty per group," Ocatvius heard the man with the Architect symbol and Mage marking said, his voice breaking into Octavius' reverie.

"What did he say?" Octavius asked Void, having missed the announcement.

Void, distracted by someone's cleavage, merely shrugged. 

"Get out of my body," Octavius ordered in disgust, and Void's essence immediately disbanded from his body.

[Oh, come on!] Void whined in protest, but Octavius ignored him. Instead, he focused on the man speaking in front of them. Thankfully, the man repeated his earlier words:

"The first test will commence after you've all formed a group. Each group is limited to 20 people. You have five minutes to assemble."

As soon as the announcement was made, the queue dissolved into chaos. People eagerly approached one another, trying to recruit members for their groups. Some called out to friends or acquaintances, while others used their charisma to persuade strangers to join them. A few even resorted to boasting about their skills or talents to entice potential group members.

Octavius, however, stood frozen, unsure of how to approach others. He attempted to join a few groups, but the leaders consistently chose individuals with more impressive physical builds or apparent talents over him since he didn't want to reveal his talent just yet. As the minutes ticked by, groups began to solidify, and Octavius found himself excluded from all five.

The remaining individuals, including Octavius, were left stranded. There were only fourteen of them, insufficient to form a new group. They exchanged nervous glances as the start of the first test drew near.

"What should we do?" Octavius asked Void nervously, as the situation grew increasingly uncertain.

[I can only help you once you've decided on a course of action, specifically when it's time for me to switch into a creature or help you exact revenge on those you deem fit. I won't assist with thinking of ways to go about that.]

Void was right. Octavius reasoned. He was starting to depend on Void a whole lot. He couldn't help but think about what would have happened if Void wasn't there when he woke up. How would he have gone about his revenge on those that betrayed and caused harm to his family?

Just then, the Mage, who had been observing the commotion, began to stroll towards the cluster of individuals, including Octavius, who had failed to form a group of the required size.