She stood in front of the mirror. Sketches, partially covered by electronic components, were everywhere on the floor. Izana was once grateful to belong to the upper class. She had enough money to afford paper, which had to be imported from across half the Starpeace. It helped her work better. The Young Waltory lady found it easier to organize her thoughts on paper than in the network space.

She ran her right hand through her hair. Her long brown locks were neatly tied up in a bun. The university entrance exams were mercilessly approaching. The amount of materials that she was supposed to learn from all possible fields kept increasing, and then there was the project required by PUN. Each student applicant had to bring their invention to the entrance exam, which was a big challenge for someone who hadn't yet completed any studies. With this method, the university administration efficiently reduced the number of applicants to several students who could have the professors tested verbally. Cheating during written tests was much easier; it was something that the university had no interest in allowing.

Izana cast an irritated glance at the piano on the left side of the room. The pressure of time was stressful, everything seemed unbearably annoying.

"Shut up already." She hissed at the mini robot. The recording of the piano music was driving her crazy.

"As you wish, madam." The robot replies emotionless.

The music unnaturally ceased.

"What are you doing? Keep playing!" Izana ordered.

"Yes, madam." The machine replied without emotions.

It was an older model, designed to follow simple commands without thinking. This type of mechanic helper could be found in every Nasussian household.

Waltory rubbed her temples. The music was a cover to convince her governess that she was busy playing her piano. The pricy nanny thought that Izana needed peace to practice and stayed away from the young lady's room. Izana had inserted a card into the robot's head with the mechanics of playing, so it could play beside her. Of course, she had added mistakes—no one would believe she played flawlessly.

She didn't want to imagine what would happen if there was a long silence. Even though the door to her room was locked, how would she explain not being able to open it? Or, what would the old governess think if she saw the electronic components scattered everywhere? She sighed. Did she have to make such a mess?

Izana exhaled deeply. No knocking, no footsteps. She could continue. The choker around her neck, which was far too thick to be a jewellery, was carefully adjusted. She wouldn't have time to redesign another version, so it had to be now. One swipe of her finger over the choker, and it was no longer Izana who stood in front of the mirror, but a completely different creature—three pairs of arms, golden scales. She ran her fingers across the choker again, focusing on her appearance. She was back to being herself. That wasn't enough of a test, though. She continued, imagining creatures she had never heard of and never seen. Naturally, she also tried mimicking known beings from other planets. The choker fulfilled all her desires, whether realistic or not.

That evening, Izana was happy during dinner. Her invention for the exam was complete. She hoped the professors from PUN would be as excited about her "body-changer," as she was. Now, all she had to do was come up with a presentation explaining how this invention would benefit their society, what its limitations were, and how it compared to other devices with similar designs and functions.