Mai found Em sitting near one of the examination rooms, waiting for her turn. Em looked nervous which was jarring for Mai to see. Her sister had always been the confident one. Em looked up and locked eyes with her sister.

“What are you doing here?”

“I love you, too, sis.”

“I mean why are you not training?”

“Not today. I wanted me to come and cheer for you.”

“Pfft,” Em said. “I will kick this exam’s ass.”

“Mademoiselle Emmaline Trivett,” a short stout man with a nasally voice called out.

“Here,” Em got up to present herself. “I have my sister, a Jovial, here as a support person.”

“Very well. Let’s get on with it.”

It seemed the examiner had had his fill of sixteen-year-olds for the day as he walked into the examination room with Em and Mai not too far behind. One desk stood on the far end for the examiner and a few seats on the opposite end for instructors and support people. They placed a big yellow X in the middle of the room. Around the X, they placed five dummies in varying distances.

Em took her place at the mark in the center of the room. The young Berserker took in a deep breath, and closed her eyes. Her eyes flashed flame red and as her conjuration built up in power, her auburn hair set ablaze from the root to the tips. She even grew taller. At least, that’s how it looked to Mai. Emmaline levitated off the ground an inch and when her power was at full capacity, her arms and hands flung forward with precise control and her power pressed forward and hit every dummy in a 20 foot radius.

Control was key. A Paladin or a knight could go into a rage as well if the conjuring hit them. Berserkers were in the front line of battle. The commanders send them in first to berserk the enemy into a confused flurry. The others had to be ready for battle after they set the conjuring. Once it touched the enemy, stopping the battle became impossible.

Emmaline sank to the ground. Her conjuring was the most powerful, and it drains the Paladin physically. Maiolaine guarded her sister and used her Jovial conjuring to cool Em’s blood. As she rested, the instructors set the dummies back up for the combat part of the examination. Once she regained her strength, she grabbed her daggers from her boots. Emmaline became the enemy’s worst nightmare.

The younger sister was fast and strong. She moved around the examination room akin to a graceful dance. Em was born to do one thing: to fight for the good of Aeris. Every time Maiolaine saw Emmaline’s power, she felt relieved that her sister was on their side and not on the side of the Dark Knights.

A Paladin shows their conjuring at around four or five years of age. Berserkers are most often found out at an early age because of the tantrums they can throw. They should award parents of a berserker child with a medal, Maiolaine thought. When the child starts to throw a tantrum, and an adult gets hit in the crossfire, it’s not a good place for either party.

Young Paladins train once they reach puberty. Instructors must teach the young Paladins how to control their emotions while their hormones bounce around everywhere.

Maiolaine wished she was even half as powerful as her sister, along with the aptitude for weapons training. During conjuration training, she tried to find new ways for the battlefield scenario. There had to be more of a use to her powers instead of just calming the Berserkers until their strength had returned.

“Very well done, Mademoiselle Trivett! The best conjuring I’ve seen the entire day,” the examiner said as he clapped his small chubby hands together. “I say that you should have no problems on your examinations.”

“Thank you very much, Monsieur Delacour.”