The practical exam was quite different from what Emma imagined it to be. She had expected the first practical exam to be about her Essence rank and her uses of her Essence, but it turned out to be regarding her beast.
Lyra stood atop a table, which she was made to do by one of the examiners. Bigger beasts were dealt with on the floor.
"She's 11 years old?" the examiner, a woman in her 50s asked Emma.
Emma nodded. "She is."
"Wow. I don't believe I have seen a best this physically young and yet this old in a long time," the woman said. "How could this happen? Did her parent perhaps have a rare gene that made her age slow? It couldn't be her cultivation base given how weak it is."
There was no way for the woman to know that the cubs had the fortune of meeting her father from a young age, drinking miracle medicine to help them deal with pain, and practicing one of the greatest techniques in existence in Astoria.
"I just found her like this in the Springwind Continent," Emma said simply.
"You're been to the other continent?" the woman couldn't help but ask her.
Emma nodded. "It was 10 years ago, same as back when I found her," she said.
"Ah, you must've been a child. I bet you don't even remember much," the woman said and started checking Lyra for things like defects and diseases.
Emma barely held onto her smile from sneaking through at the woman's comments.
"Alright, doesn't look like she had many problems. Her core feels stable as well. She should reach the 5 Senses Improvement Realm soon. That is good news," the woman said. "And she seems quite docile. Does she fight?"
"If I ask her to," Emma said. "But she's quite shy most of the time. Her twin brother on the other hand is quite active and will fight whenever I tell him to."
"She has a twin?" the woman asked in surprise. "Is he…"
"For sale?" Emma narrowed her eyes. "No. He's with my father. I would've brought him too had two beasts been allowed in the Institute."
"Ah, my bad. My bad," the woman said. "Just tell her to do a few things from this list and as soon as she does it, you'll be done."
Emma nodded and took the list.
"Lyra, stand on your hind legs," Emma said.
Lyra turned toward Emma, a little confused.
"Hindlegs. It means your two back legs. Stand on it," Emma clarified.
Lyra stood on it and asked for a few seconds before landing back. She meowed like a cat, asking if she did it properly.
"Was that okay?" Emma asked the examiner.
"Just follow the list. I can't tell you the results just yet," the woman said, writing something on her clipboard.
Emma looked at Lyra and started commanding her to do things.
"Lick your right paw twice then your left paw one."
"Turn around 3 times."
"Greet the examiner."
"Get that packet."
"Close your eyes."
There were simple but effective questions to see how well the beast understood the person and could follow their commands without questioning them or not complying.
Lyra did everything as asked and didn't question anything.
The woman tracked everything that was said and done between the two and once Emma's last command was followed, she brought something out and placed it in front of the beast.
It was a fish, still raw in some places, but smelled quite delicious. Lyra especially seemed attracted to the fish and slowly made her way to it.
"You lose if your beast eats it," the woman said simply to Emma. "And you're not allowed to touch her. Only vocal commands."
Emma looked at the fish and Lyra. "Lyra, you can't eat that," she said.
Lyra stopped and looked at Emma with pleading eyes. "But look tasty!" she said.
"I know it looks tasty and probably smells it too, but you still can't eat that. If you do, I won't get to join this institute," Emma said.
Lyra's face fell. "Okay, zam iz."
Emma chuckled a little. "I told you not to say that."
Lyra turned away from the tasty-smelling fish and walked to the other end of the table before sitting down with a slightly brooding expression.
The woman couldn't help but look a little amused. "It sounded like you could understand what the little one was saying for a second there," she said.
"I sometimes think I can understand her," Emma said. "We're just close, I suppose."
The woman gave a small smile. "You can leave now."
Emma nodded and picked up Lyra before walking away from the room. She noticed a few people looking toward her as she left, most directly being the James guy who either was fascinated by her or now held a deep grudge for beating him by finishing first in every test.
There was no way to know yet.
Emma had to wait for some time alone outside again before she had to take the final physical exam.
This was what she had been expecting to have to take. A bunch of exams, based around Essence and her application of it. The tests reminded her of what her father told her he had to take.
Her Essence rank was close to entering the Essence Sense realm, so she completed the simple tasks allocated to her where she had to use natural conduits. After completing the task she was done with everything.
She was done with the entrance exam.
"The results will be posted in 3 days. If you pass, make sure to contact the institute within the week."
Once she heard that, she left.
Everyone walked away from the institute, some happy, some sad. A plethora of emotions surrounded her and even if she wanted to, she couldn't tell how they had done.
She couldn't even tell how she had done.
"Am I having fun?" she wondered at the mystery. "No wonder Papa likes not knowing things all the time too."
