In all the tests, your spiritual number was never what truly mattered; what mattered was whether you could pass all of its stages.
…
The spiritual number played a role only in the selection process when there was a surplus of successful candidates. As for the rest, each person was judged according to their own level.
Test 1: The Written Examination
At the moment of entry, the proctor stopped the girl with the two braids who had hidden her face, ordering her to reveal it. She pinned her hair to both sides with two black clips, exposing blood-red eyes.
The first test was written, consisting of one hundred multiple-choice questions, with a required accuracy of 60%.
Helena, despite her photographic memory, realized that the questions were not based on memorization, but on complex understanding intertwined with many of this world's principles. She began by answering the twenty pure memorization questions; the rest of the time she spent cutting and pasting images from her memories—until suddenly
"Pssst… Question 35."
His whisper severed the thread of her thoughts. Even with a literal photographic memory, comprehension questions built upon previous ones and upon the assumption that the examinee was truly a child of this planet. Feeling a surge of jealousy, she thought:
"Option D."
"Question 50."
"Option A."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
The proctor said:
"Hey, eyebrow-less girl.
[Some people laughed.]
Speak one more time and I'll tear up your paper."
Helena thought, and a spark flashed in her mind.
But she didn't have her ring with her to encrypt it, and her aura was weak and fragile, unable to detect small things.
In the row beside her, Helena noticed the girl with the two braids trying to peek at others' papers. Their crimson, blood-like eyes met. With a desperate look, the girl raised two fingers, pointing to question 2. Helena hadn't solved it either due to its difficulty, so she gestured that she didn't know.
The braided girl felt despair, so she took the risk and released her aura.
Her aura was encrypted and extremely dense—to the point where one could feel the paper bending beneath the line of the pen—so it replaced sight as a sense. Her plan succeeded: the sensing devices were not equipped to break her multi-layer encryption. On the other hand, the printing machine did not press the paper like handwriting did, so instead of reading the question, she directed her perception toward the patterns of the answers, compared them with the correct answers on the papers she sensed, smiled, and began answering rapidly. She compared the papers she felt to avoid individually incorrect answers.
Another boy, a prototype, had prepared a small cheating technique: sets of tiny booklets around his wrist. He had memorized their locations better than his lessons at home and tied them with an elastic strap to his shoulder so he could devour them under his coat as quickly as possible when needed… He flipped through the tiny pages skillfully and disposed of them deep within his clothes.
That hour ended like a lightning strike. Helena surrendered, relying on her luck. She began answering randomly—at least she wouldn't submit a blank paper. When the proctor came, he snatched the sheet from her.
She then headed to the waiting yard. There, the girl returned and hid her face again, leaving only her unsettling mouth visible against her ivory skin. She spoke:
"So, how did you do?"
"I'm ready to leave. I gambled on eighty questions."
"Did you answer all the questions?"
"Yes."
"That's good. There's still a chance—don't lose hope too early. They don't subtract points for wrong answers, don't worry… What's your name?"
"My name is Helena."
"And I'm Logico. Pleased to meet you. Which city are you from?"
"I'm from the capital. And you?"
"From Zegrus."
"Ugh… look, Helena, they've arrived. I hope they don't call my name or yours."
"Why?"
"Those whose names are called have failed the test. They're few, so they call them out."
The official spoke:
"Silence. Everyone pay attention…
Whoever hears their name, come and stand here beside me.
Helena Admirosaf."
Logico was startled and looked at Helena. Helena replied by shaking her head in denial.
The names continued. Helena and Logico intertwined their fingers until it was over. They breathed a sigh of relief. Helena's joy was clearly greater than Logico's.
The failed candidates were escorted outside. They did not exceed 37% of that specialization.
But the official continued:
"Now, the names of those who have been charged with cheating and were caught by the camera lenses. They will be barred from retaking the exam for the next five years…"
Logico said anxiously to herself:
"This is new … this is new."
Then the official began reading the names. Logico was at the peak of her anxiety until he reached the name Hector Komitov. The boy who had spoken to them earlier raised his hand.
"The charge: using unauthorized documents, peeking at your colleagues' papers…
[After ten names]
Come with me."
The official took the cheaters and left. Logico exhaled in relief. Then one of the officials ordered them to follow him to the next stage.