《The Great》


 Chapter 1: Daydream

    The hard soil dug into my back as I looked up at the gray morning sky. My bones froze from the cold, my body ached from the pain, and my hands and arms were covered in dirt and blood. I rolled over on my side and found myself face to face with a Lilac flower¡ªit¡¯s beautiful pinkish petals shining in my eyes. A woman picked up the flower and set it onto my chest as she sobbed quietly into the empty air. I couldn¡¯t see anything and my vision started to blur as I gently touched the person¡¯s hand.


    She let out a tearful laugh as she laced her fingers through mine. As I felt the last of my strength leave me I heard her voice ring softly into my ears, ¡°Goodbye Goldilocks, goodbye.¡±


    I snapped out of my intense day-dream as sunshine immediately hit my eyes. I quickly moved my feet.


    Run, keep running.


    It was summertime, and the early morning air still loomed over my small village town. The creek glistened with a crystal blue haze as the ancient trees of the forest towered over my home like old seers--watching gently over our people. My town was never very full of life, beautiful but never really joyful. No children were playing, no adults were gossiping by the fountain, and laughter around here was about as rare as gold.


    I had been daydreaming about something¡­something really intense and important. I remembered the face of a woman, a flower, a lot of pain, and a vast gray sky. Everything about it was strange¨Cwhy had I been daydreaming about flowers and girls? Weren¡¯t day-dreams supposed to be about things you wanted to do? I guess I did like flowers and girls¡­.


    But I didn¡¯t have much time to daydream¨Cnot right now and not anytime ever.


    Our peasant town was located on the eastern front of our empire. It wasn¡¯t called the ¡®peasant town¡¯ for jokes¡ªour class of people were really called the peasantry. It was the lowest social class and being in it really sucked. My mother and father were always hard at work. Always farming, always growing, always gleaning, and always, always tired and half dead.


    Then eventually, they did die¡ªdue to exhaustion¡ªwhich was the most common type of death for our people. Their death wasn¡¯t  marvelous, nor incredible, and definitely not memorable. They were never anyone special--or at least not to anyone else but me. I had some friends growing up and life always felt a lot better with them by my side. We didn¡¯t have it all that terrible¡­towns in the more northern parts of the empire had to deal with harsh winters on top of all these other messes.


    But death wasn¡¯t uncommon, and me being an orphan wasn¡¯t special. I didn¡¯t feel particularly empty, and no one felt that way for me either. That was life, and life for me somehow always continued to fall lower day by day.


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    But I think I¡¯m really starting to hit rock bottom, because being chased by a homicidal butcher felt pretty awful.


    I heard a gruff voice exclaim loudly, ¡°Hey where¡¯s that fucking rat!¡± The man wore a classic butcher¡¯s coat and carried a large gleaming silver butcher knife in his hand. He wore an angry and half annoyed expression on his face. ¡°I heard the peasants'' lands are being bought by the nobles so the rats have been scavenging around my store lately,¡± the man spit on the ground and strutted towards me with an evil grin. ¡°But no one cares about you, do they? I could use another slave around here¨Clet''s hope you''re a girl.¡± I heard him unstrap his belt and my blood froze cold.


    My heart beat fast, and my eyes grew like saucers as I looked around for an escape. I stayed crouched down behind a cart of apples and looked at the street before me. I had just run from my village to the commercial city district. There were shops aligned on the right side, and the creek that separated my town from the commercial district on the left. Could I jump into the stream? Could I run fast enough to reach another alleyway? I couldn¡¯t fight so what was I supposed to do? I heard his steps echo around us as his boots slammed down onto the street. I could hear his breath slowly rising in pace as he smelled blood in the water. I closed my eyes--all I wanted was some food for myself. My home was gone, my family, my everything. I had no money. What was I supposed to do? Angry, silent tears flowed down my face as I expected to feel a large hand on my back, or even worse¡ªa blade.


    Then I heard another set of footsteps. The butcher turned and his eyes got even wider as his grin turned to an open mouth of fear. He immediately dropped down on his knees into a deep bow as a tall man appeared. He wore a navy blue coat with gold filigree and sported a ring made of black diamond. He had dark black eyes, a handsome face, and light brown hair that was slicked back in order to reveal his cream colored complexion. He looked slightly agitated when he saw the butcher. His nose wrinkled slightly, ¡°I thought that individuals here dressed slightly more¡­¡­pleasantly,¡± he spoke with a monotone voice, ¡°I also thought that carrying knives in public was an offense.¡±


    The butcher stammered up a response,¡°Yes sir! My deepest apologies, I never expected to meet an esteemed noble such as yourself in our humble town. I will greet you anywhere you would like to go!¡± The noble was exuding an aura of confidence, prestige, and immeasurable power. He felt incredibly strong, like the ground was trying to hold up his weight. The air seemed to get lighter? It was an odd sensation but his presence felt like trying to stand at the bottom of the deepest sea.


    ¡°I have no intention of wandering around with someone like you,¡± the noble then strutt past the still terrified and kneeling butcher. He looked directly at the man with his night-like eyes and released a wave of power from his body which, while not directed at me, I felt. A form of shockwave-like energy fell all around us as I was forced into a sprawling position. The butcher was immediately pushed into the ground as a small crater formed where his body once was.


    His now lifeless corpse was a mess of blood and organs, mashed on the sidewalk.


    Walking past my terrified body he gave a careless glance. ¡°Be grateful I was here. Pick yourself up¨Cmake something of yourself. Pathetic child.¡± He then disappeared into thin air and I was left lifeless on the floor. Anger, guilt, and sorrow all filled me. He had caused my parents to die by working them to death and by making them run off to get killed while searching for food. He ruined my life, but also saved me. I couldn¡¯t do anything. I couldn¡¯t even say anything to him, I couldn¡¯t even accuse him of his injustices, I failed my parents¡ªmy people. My powerless corpse cried more tears as I clutched my loaf of bread on the ground. Things will get worse, I told myself, don¡¯t break now.

 Chapter 2: New Beginnings

    My name is Evay and I like my name. People have told me it sounds like a girly name but I always thought it rolled off the tongue pretty nicely nevertheless. My family¡¯s surname ¡°Maver" was never very high in the social ladder, but it did give me identity. Sometimes when I had nothing to hold on to I would remember my name. It was something I had that I actually felt content with, and something that no one could take away. Yeah, it¡¯s depressing, but I felt like that all the time. If I had power it would be different¡­..


    As I was sitting in the town library I had snuck into, I began to absorb new information that I hadn¡¯t known before. I couldn¡¯t read very well but I had some literary skills, and I already knew a little bit of our empire¡¯s history, but I wanted to know more.


    We lived in the Taegan empire, which was formed 200 years ago¡ªvery young in comparison to all the other empires around us. Our first emperor was the man that had gained independence from the Sugul empire, by defeating their emperor in combat. After that our line of powerful emperors kept us on the global stage, and our current emperor was currently the most powerful emperor in the world¡­.From what I saw we weren¡¯t that economically powerful, and we weren¡¯t the largest in size, but it seemed that no one could compete with our leader¡ªhe was what made our empire great.


    As I opened up the book further I saw a picture of the emperor. I couldn¡¯t read his name though¡ªsince it was written in a fancy font that was too complicated. I did see his picture. He was young, maybe only 20 to 22 years old, with a head of dark black hair¡ªshaped like spikes¡ªslightly longer in length. His hair covered one of his eyes but the visible one was golden in color. He looked to be fairly tall with a proper-athletic build, and he donned a subtle smile on his face.


    By all accounts he looked like an emperor, as he adorned his red and gold robes that draped him in long cloth¡ªflowing all down his body. Our emperor was showered with flattering descriptions and pictures of his various royal robes were plastered on nearly every page in the book. His rise put our nation into relevance, and the newspapers made him seem like¡­ well, a god.


    I guess we¡¯ll never know what he¡¯s actually like.


    I wasn¡¯t looking for this. I was looking for power and how to get it. I always wondered how regular humans born like me obtained powers that made them into living weapons. If I could just get that power¡­.


    I grabbed an old looking leather book and finally found what I was looking for. I stumbled across a chapter titled THE HISTORY OF COMBAT.


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    Boom.


    Liquor. This was the substance that apparently gave humans the abilities of gods. A plant that was discovered nearly 5000 years ago contained nectar that when consumed, gave the person who drank it a certain skill. The liquor would modify the already existing muscular, nervous, and skeletal systems in the body. Working with the consumer¡¯s specific genetic makeup, each person would have a unique ability.


    I wasn¡¯t quite sure what ¡°genetic¡± meant, or a bunch of other words, but it kind of seemed to make sense. Peasants could never afford this liquor as there was a limited supply in all empires, and peasant¡¯s bodies were usually not even compatible with liquor¡ªwhich explained why we were so low on the social ladder. Is there even a chance for me?


    I pushed those doubts out of my head¡ªIf you throw away your possibilities from the beginning you won¡¯t be able to see what you can be. Or I¡¯m a complete idiot, who knows? I gulped and read on.


    There wasn¡¯t much more on liquor but there was more on the social ladder. The slaves and prisoners were the lowest class, followed by the peasants, me, then what the book called ¡°rejects¡±, then the middle class (or the average person), the chosen warriors, the governess and politicians, and then the nobles. The emperor wasn¡¯t a class but he was the highest figure in our empire.


    Apparently each class was stronger than the previous one¡ªwith the exception of the governors and the politicians¡ªand as a result, higher classes were better off. A world built on strength was possible as those who were most powerful were able to obtain the best things in life through intimidation and strength.


    The nobles were apparently the closest in terms of power to the emperor. They were kept in check by the emperor though, and this kept the balance of power. How strong does this man have to be in order to keep all these nobles in check? I stumbled across the pages with the descriptions of the various nobles.


    Taegan was split into regions¡ªfour to be exact. The Bondas region, the Hable region, the Relen region, and the Villona region. But only one caught my eye¡ªit was the noble who controlled the Villona region. His name was Wyren of house Venon--the man who I had met in the street just two days ago.


    I was angry. Angry that this man killed my family, bought my home, taunted me, was so high and mighty that he probably thought of himself as some god¡­


    My teeth clenched, my fists tightened as my knuckles turned white. I stared daggers into his photos. The nobles had recently gone and bought land that would provide living space for their peoples, and me and my family just happened to border the Villona region. We had been victims of this specific plan. Us peasants had no say, our lands were taken from us and that decision was final. I wanted to get stronger. Even if I never climbed, even if my goals were ridiculous, even if my body wasn¡¯t compatible with liquor, I needed to kill this noble. I needed to kill him¡­.I really needed to kill him.


    It was dark now and the cold chilly air draped itself around my entire body. There wasn¡¯t really a good place to sleep but the library bushes seemed like the most ideal place.


    I laid down, rested my head, and closed my eyes as I waited for my body to drift away to sleep.

 Chapter 3: To the Past, Present, and Future

    My head was spinning. My vision blurred as I fell into a foggy dream. I saw a blurry man who looked more like a sculpture or a painting than a real human. His vague figure gave off a terrifying aura¡ªeven more terrifying than Wyren¡¯s. Something was off though, I had dreamed before and it didn¡¯t feel like this. Everything felt too...real. Was this really a dream?


    ¡°This brings back memories,¡± the figure''s voice was smooth and silky as it reverberated through the air with seemingly no end. Suddenly, searing hot pain enveloped all my limbs as it felt like a blazing hot iron was seemingly pressed against the very fiber of my being. My head turned numb and my vision went dark. The figure¡¯s voice contained a hint of sadness as he spoke, ¡°Remember them, remember everyone¨Cfor me."


    ¡°Stop touching me you weirdo,¡± I mumbled weakly as I attempted to try and sit up.


    The man seemingly smiled, ¡°You will be the greatest one, the greatest one of them all.¡±


    A flash of blazing golden light erupted and the whole world went dark.


    The rustle of the trees and the chirping of songbirds gently streamed into my ear.


    I awoke. Panic laced my body and cold sweat flowed down my face as I quickly sat up. I checked all over for burns or injuries but nothing had happened to my body. So it was a dream..I felt no different either. The last thing I remembered was falling asleep near the back of the library on the street. I got up and started walking. Maybe I was sick since¡­dreams like these weren¡¯t usually a good sign. I really need to find a better sleeping spot for the winter.


    I also needed to tackle my goal of getting stronger. I needed to find liquor but I couldn¡¯t steal it, and I didn¡¯t know how to find it. I read that there were special schools that taught children how to use their abilities along with providing a normal education. However, those schools were in the wealthy regions of the empire. I didn¡¯t have a horse nor did I have any money.


    If I was to try and get to one of these schools it would make sense for me to go to the region of Bondas, as it was the biggest region. I could fit in much easier there, and the security was also more lax because of the bigger population. I would need to sneak into a transport boat that would take me down the main canal into Bondas. It would be very suspicious if a 12 year old child were to be on a ship alone so I would have to deal with that problem sooner or later.


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    I sighed and headed north through the forest, ran over a couple boulders, ducked under a couple logs, shimmed past a few cliffs and finally darted through an opening in the forest. I was lucky the library was so close to the border because I was finally here. I was at the canal which connected the four regions of Taegan.


    The canal was a lot bigger than I expected it to be. The massive man-made river could have fit hundreds of boats in its pathways. Lots of people were chattering amongst each other while others were rushing to get to their rides. This area was apparently a profitable spot for business since I saw just about every snack shop and food vender along the dock. I squirmed my way through the army of people--almost like I was wading through human bodies¨Cwhile barely being able to see. It was the first time that I got to see people with clothes that didn¡¯t resemble sackcloths. Most of the men wore simple, waist-length, robes with long pants and a cloth belt that held the robe together. The colors weren¡¯t beautiful or embroidered with special patterns but they were much better than anything that I saw during my days at home.


    I got in a long line that led to a simple sail boat which would fit just enough people to leave me waiting for the next boat. Funnily enough I could swear seeing some random kid stick his tongue out at me from the ship¡­.


    I saw the boat leave and it would be at least 30 minutes before I could board another boat again. I looked around and I saw a small child behind me. She looked to be about four years old and was holding onto the very bottom of her mother¡¯s robes. Her hair was put into little pig tails and she had her very own robe as well. She looked up at me and slowly inched behind her mother. Am I scary? Maybe she¡¯s just stupid¡­wait, I probably shouldn¡¯t say that.


    I looked back at the child. She was safe, but she seemed lonely and bored. Her mother seemed to be more occupied with managing her travels, and she was getting more scared and tired by the hour. I had no responsibility to keep children safe or entertained¨CI was a lost child myself. But I couldn¡¯t just do nothing and I couldn¡¯t leave this place with the knowledge that I hadn¡¯t tried to help her either.


    Picking up a little purple flower that was growing along a patch of grass near the edge of the dock, I looked towards the child. Holding out my hand I gave her the little flower. She looked a little surprised at first but gave me an innocent smile as she gladly took it.


    ¡°You looked sad and bored. I hope you get to where you need to go, ok?¡± I gave her a little smile as I crouched down to meet her at eye level.


    ¡°Thank you mister," she said in a small and happy voice. The sails of the next ships were slowly coming into view. The sun was beginning to set as there was an orange-red hue along the skyline--along with a small shade of pink.


    ¡°Yeah, no problem,¡± I smiled as I turned and boarded the ship. The many children left alone on the deck were left helpless. I couldn¡¯t help them but at least I could help one child before I left. I looked on as the ship gently floated us down the canal. I would have a lot of time to make up my grand-plan, but I still couldn¡¯t fathom how my plan would even start. I didn¡¯t get enough quality sleep because of my little nightmare and I began to drift off as a result. I was too tired to think, I was too tired to plan ahead or even observe my surroundings. My eyes slowly closed and I let my worries  slip away.

 Chapter 4: Right here, right now

    I awoke to nothing particularly spectacular¡ªwhich was rich coming from me. Most of the people around me had also drifted to sleep on the benches located around the ship. It was summer time and so the morning weather felt slightly warm as it kissed the edges of my skin. The green trees and plant life surrounding both sides of the canal were beautiful as they caught the sunlight¡ªmaking them shine with an emerald glow.


    I think it had been about ten hours since I had fallen asleep and it would take about another three to reach the edges of Bondas. I leaned back against the cool bench and sighed. I guess I have some thinking to do.


    The security along the border of Bondas shouldn¡¯t be difficult to bypass, but my problem was the fact that I wouldn¡¯t be able to attend any academy to develop my poweress. It was wishful thinking that I would be able to interact with liquor in the first place, but without any prior education records and money I wouldn¡¯t even have the chance to figure that out.


    My best chance was to get adopted by an affluent family and use their power to gain opportunities. However, I didn¡¯t have much to offer. Then there was the fact that I had no powers right now.


    The students at these academies usually already had some control over their abilities granted to them by liquor. They were way past the phase of being fed their first drops of liquor¡ªwhich in powerful families usually happened at age four.


    I had no skills, I couldn¡¯t fight, I couldn¡¯t read very well, and I knew very little of the social standards and habits of the elite class. I would definitely be extremely noticeable, and I had to somehow hide all these things.


    So my idea was simple. I sneak into the borders of Bondas, I explore the commercial districts to find people that I can, hopefully, make connections with, find a person willing to support my basic needs, and then¡­..go from there.


    It was a pathetic plan but it was the only plan that I had. I couldn¡¯t help but feel hopeful in spite of all my troubles. If this worked I could finally have a life that was worth living¡ªa life that I would¡¯ve worked for.


    I looked at the stone gates that were up ahead. The words welcoming us into the Bondas region were engraved in the rough cobblestone.


    BONDAS HOME OF THE POPULACE


    We passed through the gates and on the other side there was a large dock that was surprisingly empty. We were the first ship of the day and this made my stomach drop a little. I had lost my cover and would have to try much harder to bypass security¡ªsince I couldn¡¯t just hide behind the crowd anymore.


    We got off the ship and I inched towards the gate separating the dock from the mainlands. My heart pounded, sweat rolled down my face, my eyes grew wide at everything that surrounded me. I had gone through a lot to get here, and if I was tuned back now¡­.


    As I inched towards the officer at the gate my throat felt dry¡ªI almost couldn¡¯t speak.


    The officer looked at me with bored eyes. ¡°Do you have the presence of a guardian?¡° he said with a monotone and bland voice. I didn¡¯t answer.


    He looked at me and gave me a small sigh. He wrote some words down on a piece of paper then motioned for me to step inside the small metal building he was in. I walked in. ¡°Look kid, you can cross these borders but we will identify you and eventually we will place you in a suitable environment. Until then,  after your identification you will be placed under regional supervision.¡± He then motioned for me to step onto a metal plate where he activated a small lever that unleashed a curtain of circular, crystal clear water all around me.


    ¡°This water has been imbued with liquor and can detect the presence of your genetic makeup, or the part of it that will decide how you interact with liquor. This part is called your blueprint. It¡¯s what the liquor in your body interacts with in order to give you your unique abilities. Everyone¡¯s blueprint is different and so it can be used to identify individuals such as yourself.¡±


    I panicked. I might not even have a blueprint since I was a peasant, but he didn¡¯t know that. If he found out would he send me back? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s illegal for peasants to travel but since we were technically owned by the nobles now¡ªwould I have to be sent back to Villona? I couldn¡¯t do anything now, and so I hoped for the best.


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    The man then spoke in his same monotone voice. ¡°After this you will be escorted by a guard to the orphanage living quarters temporarily until we¡ª¡°.


    His eyes suddenly grew wide. He was holding a clipboard that had data and some official-looking documents attached to it. He dropped the clipboard, his jaws fell, and a look of utter shock stretched across his face. ¡°No, no, no, it can¡¯t be. We¡¯re running that again,¡± he spoke with a whisper¡ªmore like he was talking to himself then to me. He ran the whole process again and I was stuck there waiting for any instruction.


    ¡°Um, sir. You dropped your stuff.¡±


    The guard then picked up his clipboard, threw it onto the table, and looked at me with a mixture of astonishment and curiosity. ¡°Where in the emperor¡¯s name did you come from boy?¡± he barely whispered the words as he continued to stare at me. ¡°No data records, family history, no marked academic records and still¡­¡± he gazed into the information shown on a scroll which the liquor water seeped into to form a symbol. The symbol had a Z shape, but also had two vertical lines racing down its middle. ¡°You are bestowed with the rarest blueprint class recorded in our empire¡ªclass Z-13. Mister-wonderboy, welcome to our region. Your name is?¡±


    Shock. That was what I was feeling. It was almost too much information to take in and so I focused on the one thing that I could¡ªmy name. ¡°Evay, Evay Maver.¡±


    ¡°Well, Maver you should have some very important people coming to see you soon. I suspect you will need to at least sleep. Guards will lead you to a temporary housing stall, and you will be notified of other information in the next few days.¡±


    I was still too shocked and confused about what my deal was, and why I was being treated so specially. Of course I heard the information about my¡­ blueprint rarity? How did this happen¡ªwhat did it mean? ¡°Am I someone of value to you sir,¡± my voice came out much less confident and more pitiful than I had wanted.


    ¡°You, my dear boy, are one of a kind. The first to dawn this rare of a blueprint, in nearly 2000 years.¡±


    I just about blinked before a couple of guards carried me by the arms and dumped me into a small little housing stall. The guards wore sleek metal armor that fit tightly to their bodies and helmets that resembled a beautifully ornate mask of gold and red-striped embroidery. They each had swords which had a curved blade with a long handle, and a small circular piece of metal separating the blade from the handle itself. It was my first time seeing anything like these weapons. My town was never fit to fight and the most dangerous object I had access to as a child was a sickle¡ªor a banana, I once curled one around a tree and hit a kid in the eye.


    After looking around for a bit I began to  realize how much wealthier Bondas was compared to my hometown. My stall was almost double the size of my regular home. It was quite plain with simple white walls and a triangular-shaped roof with an overhang on the sides--along with a simple wooden door and windows on the sides of the building.


    I felt the click of the door handle--it was an odd feeling. Back at home all the doors were just rugs hanging over an entrance. I was never able to try an actual door up until now. As I opened the door and closed it I saw that there was one table for dining, a chair, and a simple gray couch along the wall. There was one furnace for cooking¡ªwhich was also something I had never seen in person. I guess I won¡¯t be needing campfires anymore.


    I looked at the bed that was given to me, and the surface of the bed was quite thicker than any place I had ever slept on. I went over and sat on the bed. It gave some resistance and bounced me back. I widened my eyes out of shock.


    How did it do that? I began to bounce on the bed more and more until it became a therapeutic process. A smile slipped across my face as the activity was unusually amusing.


    After a little while I stopped. Looking out the window I could see that we were still near the border but had crossed into the very first major town. There were several wooden stands¡ªall lined up side by side selling and trading different goods. There was a food vendor which looked very popular as pieces of chicken and vegetables were being put onto sharp sticks and served to people directly.


    Other stands sold ornate silk robes¡ªfilled with embroidered gold leaves and flowers. Some stands even sold livestock as I saw a goat and about a dozen chickens running from a very angry-looking shop owner through the streets of the people-filled shopping center.


    I had never really seen anything like this before. The entire town was bustling with activity and these people looked like they''d never even seen each other. I guess when your town has this many people that may be a possibility. This was so much more different than my home¡­.I needed to adjust if I was to carry out my plan.


    The only thing that concerned me was that I had no idea what the guard meant by these ¡°important people¡± that were coming to see me. What were they going to do?


    I heard two knocks on the door. Well I guess I¡¯ll find out. I went to open the door when I heard a huge explosion in the distance. I heard muffled shouts of the two people near my door and they began to run towards the site of trouble. I stepped outside and immediately saw what the issue was.


    Two people, seemingly 18 to 19 year old boys, were facing off against each other in the streets. The crowd was at an extremely safe distance and were surrounding the two fighters. I stepped onto a tall haystack near me and acquired a prime view of the action.


    Each boy was in a fighting stance with one foot placed in front of the other, and their hands up¡ª protecting their face and chin. One had straw blond hair that swooped to the side of his face and partially covered one of his eyes. He was taller than his opponent and had more of a lanky build¡ªwith long arms and legs. His opponent had curly dark brown hair which rested on top of his head and partially covered his ears. He had a darker complexion than the blonde-haired boy and was shorter, but more muscular and well toned.


    The dark-haired boy spoke with an air of confidence, ¡°Challenge, right here, right now. Accept. You have no reason not to, right Jiden?¡± The blonde haired boy¨CJiden¨Cscoffed,


    ¡°I guess not. You¡¯re a free paycheck Elmer¨Cit¡¯s always been like that.¡± Elmer¨Cthe dark haired boy¨Cstared daggers into Jiden¡¯s soul.


    Why are they fighting?


    A huge boom resounded throughout the air as the boys wore looks of disgust towards each other and finally charged. My eyes went wide as their fists clashed and a giant flash of light beamed in front of my eyes.


    I got to see it¨Cmy very first warrior fight.

 Chapter 5: The first time--for many things

    Jiden leapt into the air as he jumped forward at blazing speed¡ªshifting his body to his side while in the air and moving his hips, shoulders, and legs all into one line. A flying side kick.


    Elmer promptly jumped to the side and dodged the attack that sent an air blast which obliterated a section of stalls. He saw his chance as his opponent was still in the air, and he shuffled up towards his opponent while maintaining his stance and threw a heavy right cross towards the still airborne attacker.


    Jiden promptly crossed his arms to block the punch and a pulse of blue energy was expelled from the collision. Elmer was blasted back in surprise as he crashed into a nearby tree.


    His opponent wasted no time as he leapt forward raising up one leg high in the air and kicking down¡ªaiming to strike Elmer with the bottom of his foot.


    Elmer then seemingly melted into the earth.


    Even his opponent was confused but Jiden snapped out of his confusion when Elmer seemingly appeared out of thin air and threw a right hook at Jiden''s chin. It landed and sent him soaring into the air. He landed on his feet and both met again in a torrent of fists and kicks. It was hard to keep up with them since they moved so fast, but they were just slow enough to be visible.


    Elmer threw a roundhouse kick to his opponent''s face and Jiden promptly ducked and threw a right cross at the other boy''s body. Elmer sidestepped the punch and threw a knee, but that was promptly countered by a jab which denied Elmer¡¯s follow up pushing-kick to the solar plexus. Jiden followed up the jab with a cross, a hook to the body and one promptly to the face. He then threw a rapid follow up of combinations and Elmer was pushed back. Jiden stepped forward and turned around before kicking straight back into Elmer¡¯s stomach¡ªthe momentum of the turn adding extra power to the graceful back kick.


    I could tell Elmer was getting angry as he stood up with a vengeful glare. He closed his eyes and began to breathe. Everything around us seemed to go silent as extreme tension flooded the air.


    Jiden stood guard but he wasn''t even ready for what followed. Elmer simply disappeared into thin air¡ªonly a wisp of the wind following his trail. An invisible force collided with Jiden as a look of surprise and pain appeared on his face. His body bent inward and he didn¡¯t have time to react as another force came colliding with his chin. He was sent so far into the sky that I had trouble tracking his whereabouts. It was all so strange¡­.Elmer had seemingly disappeared into thin air but was somehow doing damage to Jiden. To me it looked like the very air was hurting Jiden.


    Jiden crashed onto the ground with a resounding thud. He was immediately forced up against a tree and he held up his arms to cover his face¨Cwhile his elbows covered his body. He was taking shot after shot as the invisible force was destroying the environment around them. But something wasn¡¯t right¨CJiden looked too confident to be in a corner. He still had a look of grim concentration on his face and he looked to be in control based on his body language and demeanor. An idea suddenly sprang into my head.


    He¡¯s getting hit on purpose.


    I saw the force continue to rain upon his body. He was bleeding and bruises covered his arms and legs. There were flashes of what appeared to be Elmer blinking through the air as short bursts of his afterimages became visible to the human eye. His stamina is running out.


    Jiden took two more shots and then darted out into the open area. The trail of wind followed him and he promptly leaned back towards his left¡ªavoiding the crater-forming attack which missed his face by a hair. He ducked under another shot, slipped two more direct attacks, and somersaulted over the incoming trail of wind. He pushed off the ground with his hands when he landed¡ªflipping his body into the air and landing on his feet.


    The deadly torrent of wind came charging directly at him but this time the Elmer seemed to put every last ounce of his strength into one, big counterattack. The wind buzzed with a deadly whistle, the ground tore up from the speed of his charge. People were blown away and screams rang out into the air as trees uplifted and tossed into the air.


    Jiden concentrated with all his might.


    As the torrent of deadly wind was a grass-blade away from his face he ducked under the attack with perfect timing.


    He bent his knees, dropped his body, and came level with Elmer¡¯s toros--now clearly open for a clean shot. Elemer¡¯s face filled with fear as Jiden smiled. His fist charged up with violently bright blue energy as he pushed off his back leg and threw a blazing, energized punch right into Elemer¡¯s stomach.


    There was a huge pulse of blue energy which radiated in a ring around both warriors. I heard yells and screams as any people left standing were thrown to the ground and stalls flew up into the sky. Homes and buildings were uprooted and the very earth seemed to implode as trees, stones, and giant chunks of soil were thrown around in every single direction.


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    I was thrown to the ground off of my haystack and promptly got up to see the outcome of the match. The trading center was largely destroyed. It looked like an earthquake had graced our presence as stalls were lying sideways miles from their destination. Almost zero stalls were intact and the ground was transformed into a crater nearly the size of a lake. People who were left standing were either tending to the wounded, or waiting to see the outcome. Jiden stood still with his clothes in tatters and his body covered in blood and sweat. Elmer was lying on his side¡ªdefeated and critically wounded, but not dead. Jiden¡¯s voice rang out into the sky, ¡°I figured out about halfway through. You can morph into your surroundings¨Cor various different things in your surroundings. It¡¯s tricky to deal with. If I faced someone who had a brain along with your abilities it would¡¯ve been pretty difficult.¡± Jiden spoke in a sincere but hard voice, ¡°It wasn¡¯t a completely clean battle from me but it doesn¡¯t matter. I am the winner.¡±


    Chapter 6: Eden Academy


    ¡°These warrior kids are going to drive me crazy,¡± said one of the men that were sent to my door, ¡°It¡¯s quite shocking is it not? Even if they are specialized warriors to duel in such an inappropriate environment.¡± The other guard spoke with a hint of disbelief, ¡°Civilian infrastructure and bodies are clearly not an importance to them. Someone needs to keep the brats in check.¡±


    The guards slowly opened my door and we came face to face.


    ¡°So you¡¯re the rare boy the chief patroller was talking about,¡± the man looked to be in his middle thirties with a handlebar mustache and slicked back brown hair. He wore a simple blue vest with horizontal black stripes racing across its leather surface. He looked at me with a hint of skepticism, and it wasn''t until his colleague had spoken up that I stopped returning his gaze awkwardly.


    The other guard spoke out, ¡°Stop it, Yen. While he may not be of much in terms of uh ... .appearance, he is still a very important figure. Hello, my name is officer Teko and me and officer Yen have been instructed to guide you to your destination,¡± the man wore the same clothes as the other officer but was slightly shorter and had simple short black hair. He was a lot kinder with his words and looked at me with a less intense stare¡ªwhich put me in a slightly more relaxed state.


    I took a deep breath and asked them something I had been dying to know. ¡°Hello officers. Can I ask you why I am being taken away? What can I do for any of the officials in the upper echelon of the empire?¡±


    They looked at me for a little while and then finally spoke. ¡°Let¡¯s walk while we discuss these things,¡± both guards moved deeper into the largely destroyed town and motioned for me to follow.


    As we walked the man named officer Teko gave me some brief information about what I was going to do in whatever place I was being taken to.


    ¡°You will be taken to the city of Eden. There you will be under supervision. You will be taught to try and control your potential abilities but as for your exact plans¡ªnoble Seno will be the judge of that matter.¡±


    Oh right, the other nobles. I hadn¡¯t given the other nobles much thought as I had focused too much on Wyren in the library. I almost forgot that there were other nobles¡ªjust as powerful¡ªthat ruled over the major regions of our empire. ¡°Sir, can I ask you more about the other regions of the empire? After all, I am going to need to know some more information about them for my training.¡±


    I tried to sound as innocent as possible. I didn¡¯t want to give away that I knew so little about the world, but I needed information fast¡ªif I wanted to fit in.


    ¡°Ok..?¡± The officer gave me a confused look but continued on, ¡°Well noble Trepet is the ruler of region Hable, noble Dren is the ruler of Relen, and noble Wyren is the ruler of Villona.¡±


    ¡°Each region has their purpose and strength¡ªmainly in what they produce. Our region is largely famous for its ability to house so many people and is essentially the most suitable for long-term living. We are also a leading producer of consumer goods because of our large workforce.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you in great detail about the other regions, but there is some basic information that I know. Hable is most famous for their agricultural products. Almost 70 percent of our grown food comes from Hable, and so they are essential to our empire. Relen is famous for their manufacture of technological products. Our weapons, best chariots, and liquor-imbued tools are produced there. Finally Villona is small but quite extravagant as they are the producers of valuable metals, ores, gems, and luxury products¡ªlike fur clothes and jewelry. They are very wealthy as a result and the rich generally live there,¡± I could see a hint of disgust in the guard''s eyes as he told me about Villona. It made me respect him more than I had before.


    We had apparently reached our destination as both guards stopped walking and we were in the midst of a large gate. I¡¯m so tired of gates.


    Upon touching their hand to the wall the gates swung open and I saw quite a sight before my eyes. There were beautiful trees that lined the cobblestone streets as they reflected the evening light perfectly. There were fountains placed everywhere as all of them were made of marble and gold. Several buildings were located in this extravagant center. I could make out a library with a domed roof of marble, a shop selling supplies like books and quills, a building with students pouring in and out of it, and many more.


    It was like a dream. I had never seen a place so rich and beautiful¡ªmy eyes were¡­gleaming.


    The other guard, officer Yen, had been quite cold hearted but gave a friendly smirk at my look. ¡°Villona may be rich, but we have some money in our coffers too.¡±


    All the people in this square looked to be about my age. They were laughing and shoving each other around, while some sat outside on small tables drinking beverages out of their porcelain cups. I saw a girl and a boy walk shyly with each other¡ª giving each other awkward glances and smiles¡ªhand in hand.


    Oh wait, is this a school?


    ¡°Alright kid, this is the finest academy our region has to offer. In reality it¡¯s one of the top academies in the empire. You won¡¯t find much better institutions than this,¡± officer Yen told me these things with a dry voice.


    ¡°Go to that building..the far one with the huge pillars and triangular marble rooftop. That¡¯s the acceptance hall¡ªyou¡¯ll get your class schedules and instructions there. They¡¯ll know who you are, and uh¡­.have fun. Make some friends.¡±


    Officer Yen turned around and gave me a wave with his back turned. Officer Teko sighed and looked at me with a look of amusement and tiredness. ¡°He¡¯s always like that¡ªhe cares but doesn¡¯t show it. Kid, try not to let everything get to you. If you want you can file a formal complaint and get yourself out of this school into a new one. It¡¯s just that with your new situation you¡¯ll be able to afford this high quality of an education¡±.


    He started to turn too. As he walked he took one last look at me. ¡°Don¡¯t get lost, and also don¡¯t drink too much at the student concession buildings.¡±


    They both walked off. Everyone that I had ever come across outside of my home town had hated me. I was a maggot, filth, a dirty peasant. But no one knew that right now. Even if no one knew I never thought anyone would ever help me¡ªa helpless, good-for-nothing child.


    The guards had no reason to care for me¡ªso why did they?


    Maybe there are some good people out there. I started to walk toward the building they had told me about.


    People lie, cheat, hate, and hurt but maybe¡­.maybe they can love a little too.

 Chapter 6: Eden Academy

    The inside of the giant acceptance hall was also breathtaking. Its ceilings were higher than any that I had seen before. Giant windows bigger than any person let light flood into the huge open floor. The floor was made of dark marble and had a golden sun carved into it. There were several high wooden podiums with a formal-looking man or women in dark clothing on top of them. Several families were standing in front of their podiums with their kids. Everyone looked so¡­.rich.


    The grown men wore high-quality leather vests that were colored differently based on the person. Silk sleeves ordained their arms and formal pants made of the finest fabric covered their legs. The men all looked fit and muscular and the women all looked very beautiful. Were they muscular? I don¡¯t know, they¡¯re all muscular compared to me¡­


    The adult women wore dresses that were beautifully colored and ordained with gold filigree. The children dressed like their parents, and I got the impression that¨Cmuch like me¨Cthese kids were waiting to get their plans for their school year. But apparently, this was a very important occasion and I hadn¡¯t dressed the part. There were food concessions with fruit and drinks, and it looked like the people got to have a small party after they got their schedules.


    In my town school was a random affair. Sometimes we would work in the fields, herd the animals, chop our firewood, and then on some odd occasion read a children¡¯s book and practice simple math by counting and adding rocks. It was a completely home-taught system that had no order.


    I went up to the podium and got my schedule. I got some very odd looks from people¡ªsince I was so informally dressed. But the lady seemed to know who I was, and gave me my information without asking much at all.


    My system of school and this new one couldn¡¯t have been more different. Firstly, I had classes almost everyday and at a set time every day too. It was also weird since my class times were always the same, but I had different classes on some days than others. It was even more confusing when I learned that I would have to move from building to building for different classes. What¡¯s a protractor and why do I need it for some class called, geo¡­meteor? Geo¡­geo¡ªmet¡ªtree?


    How did anyone expect anybody to do this? I practically melted into a bench outside of the acceptance hall¡ªnear the front entrance. I had very unexpectedly gotten to my goal of getting into an academy. It worked out due to some massive accident or some cosmic luck. It¡¯s about time I had some luck.


    What was my situation all about? How did I get this special blueprint? Did I have it before? How do I tell people that I¡¯ve never had liquor? Am I compatible with liquor if I have a blueprint? What am I?


    Even though I was where I wanted to be¡ªI still felt so¡­lost.


    I looked up and saw a girl, my age, pass by me with her friends.


    She had slightly curly hair that came down to her waist. It was mostly auburn-colored, but it had some streaks of gold in it as well. She had tan, olive colored skin, and her large, observant  eyes seemed to constantly scan her surroundings. She was much taller than I was, and she was slender¡ªwith a good amount of lean muscle. She wore an electric blue shirt and nice comfortable running pants¡ªas well as black shoes which also looked specialized for running and sprinting.


    As I looked at her in her entirety I felt my face go a little red. My heart began to beat a little faster and I stood up¡ªa little faster and more aggressive than I wanted it to.


    I don¡¯t know what it was. I felt¡­.flustered? I panicked and couldn¡¯t think? I never felt this way when looking at anybody. I¡¯ve felt afraid but this was different¡ªI felt like my imperfections, my words, my hair, my face were all being shown in the worst light possible. I felt like I was embarrassed to even be¡­.me. I felt so¡­..clunky?


    I didn¡¯t know how to feel and along with this my entire life had just been turned upside down. I had it much worse than all these kids, I had so much more to think about than them and yet I didn¡¯t want this girl to leave¡­I wanted her to stay.


    She walked away from me and I just sat on the bench¡ªtoo scared to have even made a single move. I put my head in my hands and sighed a little bit. I guess it¡¯s the first day but am I that pathetic that one random girl gets me going like this?


    So this is how it¡¯s gonna be¡­..


    I heard a large bell crash and several people turned their heads. I looked towards a large festival with several stalls selling food and offering games with prizes. While the adults stayed in the hall to have a more formal gathering I saw the students¡ªnew and already enrolled¡ªgo down to the festival to celebrate.


    I guess everyone else had a pretty tough time getting into this school. It makes sense why they would celebrate like this.


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    I remembered the words that Officer Yen had told me. ¡°Make some friends¡±, echoed in the back of my head. I groaned and stood up to go to the festival. Making friends is hard. I really hope school isn¡¯t harder than this.


    The first thing that I noticed when I arrived at the festival was that everything was really, really, bright. People that had dressed formally pretty much all got back into their casual attire for the festival. Kids yelled and ran around like mad men while others went and bought strange snacks and played small games at different stalls. It had grown slightly darker and so there were lamps covered in a thin bubble of red and yellow paper that gave the light a colored glow. I looked around as the mass of students seemed to be congregating into small groups. Oh, everyone is with their friends.


    I assumed that a lot of these kids were friends since childhood¡ªsince gifted children in our empire usually moved up school rankings together. Gifted children were friends with other gifted children from the start and so even in a new year everyone had friends except me.


    As I walked around a corner a really tall kid appeared in front of my eyes. He was balancing an apple on his forehead and seemed to be carrying some type of paper bag¡ªwhich had fireworks poking out of the top of it. For a split second I got the same feeling...The same feeling I got when I stared at Noble Wyren. The feeling of absolute power towered over me as I instinctively tensed my entire body.


    The boy then turned to look at me and gave me a smile, ¡°What¡¯s up man? You look weird, are you hungry? Here, have this apple, I stole it from the horse stables.¡± I felt comforted by those words. He had gray hair that came down his forehead slightly and flattened out at the back of his head. He looked like a trouble maker and had a strong, lean, muscular frame.


    He tossed me the apple and looked at me with a friendly smile, ¡°My name¡¯s Geon, I¡¯m from house, um, nevermind. Sorry, family issues. What¡¯s your name?¡±, he said the last part in a voice that clearly wanted me to ignore his little pause. I chose to respect his privacy.


    ¡°Yes, my name is Evay, uh¡­nice to meet you¡±, he and I shook hands and started walking around the festival.


    ¡°Yeah, nice to meet you too¡±, he was being quite secretive but I thought that it would be weird if he revealed everything to a stranger so I let it be. He started to talk a little bit more when we came upon a large crowd in the square of the festival. I wondered why me and him got along so easily. I guess we just mesh? It feels a lot easier to be around him than the others. The area was brightly lit and extremely packed as people gathered here to say high to their friends.


    ¡°I wanted to come to Eden Academy since it¡¯s the best of the best. I mean I don¡¯t really know what I want to do, but I know I want to do something. I hope I can have a little fun¡ªI don¡¯t just want to work my tail off¡±, he started to fumble around with a green ball he had gotten from his pocket. ¡°So what¡¯s your story¡ªif you want to share it¡±, he was focused on tossing and catching his ball but I could tell he was listening.


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t really have much¡±, I kept my voice as even and truthful as possible. ¡°Apparently I¡¯m a special case and I need to learn how to tap into my potential in order to become a warrior.¡±


    ¡°Huh well I guess good luck to you. I feel like you have great ambition and will-power, and that will probably carry you far¡±, he looked at me and handed me a piece of ripped paper. ¡°Here¡¯s my room number on campus, let¡¯s go party sometime¡±, he waved at me and started to walk away. I saw him round a corner and ran towards what I assumed was his dorm room. So¡­..did I make a friend? I gave him a wave and started to walk back. Looks like school won¡¯t be too bad¡ª


    There was an ear splitting explosion that hurled an entire stall at my face. Before I could even react I felt a hand push me out of the way and blow past me in a flash. Geon flew into the sky and surveyed the surroundings.


    Children were screaming and buildings were on fire but two people stood in the center of it all. Encased in a ring of flame, two older students faced off and dueled each other. ¡°My house name will not be tarnished by some snail like you¡±, the student carried a gigantic steel black sword that had a huge blade and handle¡ªwhich was shaped like a box cutter. He had a black vest and a brutish build¡ªalong with a military style haircut.


    While his opponent had a small necklace with a turquoise gem on it that glowed almost every second. ¡°You''re quite stuck up aren¡¯t you,¡± the boy with the necklace stared at his opponent with his crystal gray eyes¡ªhis voice calm and deadly. He had fluffy red hair and wore a white jacket that had a chain flowing out of his pockets. ¡°You need to know your place if you want to work your way up, or did your peasant family not get that across to you,¡± the other boy''s face contorted into rage and he prepared to attack.


    Geon picked me up and we began to run towards safety. They''re first years and we¡¯ll have to compete with them? I looked back when the boy suddenly threw his sword at his opponent as the giant weapon twirled in the air. His opponent easily dodged the weapon which crashed into the ground and split it open¡ªcreating cracks in the dirt pathway. Black fire started to ooze out of the crevices and there was debris falling off of buildings in every direction.


    I looked behind me and my eyes were as wide as saucers. The boy without the weapon had already closed in and held his opponent by the neck¡ªhigh off the ground. I had no time to look at that now. I had to run¡ªI had to get out.


    Suddenly a wooden beam fell off of a nearby building and crashed into the ground before my feet. I stumbled back and couldn¡¯t catch myself as I fell on my back and hit my head on the tough ground.


    I saw the world flash before my eyes in a blur¡ªthere were several Geons looking at me as I couldn¡¯t tell the difference between the real one and the hallucinated Geon.


    Another piece of roof tile fell between me and Geon as the two students behind us continued to put up a fight.


    ¡°Hey, Evay! Can you hear me? Come on, let''s go,¡± the voices were getting quieter and quieter as I began to lose consciousness,


    ¡°Haha, Geon, there¡¯s four of you.¡± Geon laughed,


    ¡°You¡¯re absolutely gone, aren¡¯t you. But seriously, you should get out of here. I¡¯ll deal with them after.¡±


    How did I manage to die before my first day here?


    Then I felt a hand on my shoulder. There was a pleasant smell that radiated the air as I felt the perfumes of rosemary and flowers hit my senses. I felt myself being dragged and tossed over the pile of debris, and then I was being carried by Geon as we ran back to the acceptance hall and towards a neighborhood of buildings¡ªwhich all looked identical. Some lamps were lit as we walked into the homey town and we finally began to slow down.


    The adrenaline slowly began to leave my body and I began to drift off into unconsciousness. I felt Geon and one other person walk through the door, and I felt myself being lowered onto an extremely soft surface. Is this like that bed I had in my very temporary house?


    I slowly succumbed to darkness as my mind began to dull, and my will to stay awake slowly drifted away as I fell into a deep slumber.

 Chapter 7: Friends

    ¡°He¡¯s in pretty bad shape. We should probably get him to the infirmary. Classes don¡¯t start until next week so it shouldn¡¯t be too full if we make it there early,¡± whoever was speaking sounded very sociable and talkative, ¡°I mean he got injured really badly even compared to the other people near the fight¡ªwhat were you guys doing?¡±


    ¡°We were running away when he got hit by this beam and fell on his head¡±, I recognized Geon¡¯s voice which meant that he had still stuck with me after I had passed out. ¡°It really came out of nowhere and if Aurora hadn¡¯t saved him he probably would have been stuck there.¡±


    Who¡¯s Aurora?


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I couldn¡¯t leave him to die. Plus Lila is the one that actually treated him,¡± Aurora sounded tired and I began to feel sorry for all the trouble I had caused. I slowly began to open my eyes.


    The room I was in had white walls and several lamps stationed on small wooden tables¡ªwhich weren¡¯t lit as it was early in the morning. There were some plants lined up in pots along the walls for decoration and some paintings illustrating the center district of the capital¡ªfull of beautifully built buildings with red pillars and triangular shaped roof tops.


    ¡°Oh he¡¯s beginning to wake up,¡± I sat up slowly and saw Geon standing next to the girl who I assumed was Lila. She had very beautiful dark skin and curly black hair that fell to her shoulders. There were several golden, crescent-moon shaped markings in her hair and she also had a good, athletic build¨Cas well as amber eyes which gave off a friendly look.


    Geon looked disheveled but seemed to be alright.


    I looked to my right and my heart skipped a little when I looked upon the girl named Aurora.


    She¡¯s the girl from the entrance hall.


    She had changed into more comfortable attire as she now wore a big, comfortable red silk-shirt and oversized black pants.I began to get that same feeling in my stomach as I looked at her face. She didn¡¯t look disgusted at me, which I took as an alright sign, but she looked away from my gaze and started to stare at one of the paintings with a neutral expression.


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    I¡¯ll have to talk to her¡­.


    Geon sighed, ¡°Oh he¡¯s up. That kinda sucks, I wanted to balance cups on his head.¡±


    ¡°How long have I been asleep?¡± I really didn¡¯t want to hear the answer.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been asleep for 2 days. You probably had some past fatigue and sleep deprivation and combine that with your concussion, and you get a very long nap.¡± Lila told me all this information in a cheery voice which didn¡¯t quite fit. ¡°Hey Evay, you''re going to die,¡± she said as if I had won the lottery..


    It didn¡¯t help that I didn¡¯t know what half of those medical terms she had used meant. ¡°I think I¡¯ve been sleeping well,¡± which was true. I hadn¡¯t had any more dreams since that night and my sleep was usually peaceful these days.


    ¡°Well you probably haven¡¯t been sleeping enough. I would say that¡¯s the case since you slept for almost 2 days straight,¡± Lila began to eye me with concern.


    I didn¡¯t think that I had been sleeping too little either. I had slept quite a lot on the boat to Bondas but it had been a long day. Witnessing the battle in the village and being brought here along with the festival wore me down, but I did get a good night''s rest before it all. Ever since my blueprint had been revealed to me I had been feeling more tired. It was like my body itself was consuming more energy, and I felt like I was trying to carry the weight of some force that had suddenly been put upon me.


    I didn¡¯t quite understand what this feeling was but things seemed to be alright. I wasn¡¯t feeling too tired and my head seemed to be fine. ¡°I¡¯ll go get some supplies down at the medical ward, Geon come with me,¡± Lila grabbed Geon and practically threw him out the door while she gave a small wink at Aurora. They both walked out and we were left alone¡ªboth without our friends.


    What do I do? She seemed equally bothered by the awkwardness as she started to look down at her feet. Ok here we go. I took a deep breath and spoke.


    ¡°Um I¡¯m sorry about the trouble I caused you at the festival¡ªand I¡¯m not saying that just because you saved me¡ªI promise,¡± I spoke hastily and I couldn¡¯t help but say that last part with urgency. She looked at me half surprised and half pitifully as I tried to make a conversation. But slowly her face shifted more towards surprise. It looked like she had been caught off guard, and her mouth slightly ajar¡ªher eyes wide.


    ¡°I really do thank you for saving me. You seem really tired¨Cif that¡¯s because of me, I¡¯m sorry for that too.¡±


    Aurora looked at me as a small little smile spread across her face, ¡°Wow I didn¡¯t know people that went to this school could thank anyone ever,¡± she came over to me and stuck out her hand.


    ¡°You already know but my name is Aurora of house Maple, and you¡¯re Evay?¡± I looked at her hand and my mind went blank.


    Shake her hand, idiot.


    I shook her hand, ¡°Yeah nice to meet you,¡± I gave her a smile of both gratitude and relief.


    She looked at me awkwardly and gave me a little wave as she walked out the door.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll see you later,¡± she walked out the door and I was left all alone.

 Chapter 8: House Maple

    Aurora Maple: Something about that boy made me feel strangely on edge. It was mainly because he gave me a weird feeling¡­..He was strange, unpredictable, and it seemed like he just really didn¡¯t¡­belong.


    Evay seemed nice but he definitely wasn''t the most eye-catching person that I had ever seen. He seemed to lack a lot of confidence for a warrior, but he didn¡¯t seem insufferably arrogant¡ªwhich I appreciated a lot, actually. That was the first thing I had noticed about him. It was something I admired very much. But that was the problem. He was a little too nice and didn¡¯t really look the part. A school full of the top warrior recruits in the empire tended to have very fit students and so anyone that wasn¡¯t tended to stick out like a sore thumb. Evay was that sore thumb and more than anything he just seemed a little¡­.lost.


    I made my way through campus grounds and saw the greenery everywhere. It was all really beautiful and since school hadn¡¯t started yet all the kids were spending time with their friends outside near the fountains and the trees.


    The battle range was a large half-cylinder shaped building made out of titanium¨Ccollected from the mines of Villona. The school paid a fortune to get the metal for the range and it seemed to pay off¨Csince the range hadn¡¯t been destroyed in a while.


    There were several tiles in the floor imbued with liquor that could monitor our vitals and our energy output. I swiped my student ID card through a slit in between two wooden blocks attached to the wall. The wood had purple veins coursing through it¡ªindicating that liquor had been injected into it.


    The door opened and I saw two people standing inside the massive range. I walked in and saw Geon and Lila standing in the middle of the range. I ran to them and gave Lila a shout, ¡°Hey I thought you guys were going to the ward!¡±


    Lila looked at me and gave me a smile and wave, ¡°Well that was the plan, but it was mainly because we wanted you to get some alone time with¡­.you know,¡± she whispered into my ear and looked at me with a teasing grin. I gave her an eye roll and Geon looked confused.


    Lila was always supportive of me and always outgoing. She was pretty, funny, smart, and a great person. Ever since we were kids we were friends and we were always stuck together. I really loved her but she could be annoying at times¡­..Especially since she had always tried to pair me up with random guys since our academy days. She had always been good at that love and dating stuff since she was so pretty but I couldn¡¯t really get the hang of that stuff for the life of me.


    I could talk to people¡­.just in the sense that I could give orders. I¡¯m not really sure if that counted as talking so depending on who you asked I guess I really couldn¡¯t talk to people.


    She laughed and started to walk over to the platform which contained the operating panel for the range. She sat down and stretched a bit before yawning and leaning back in a chair. It was the first time I really got to look at Geon and I wanted to see what he was capable of. Liquor acted like a trigger for a blueprint that was laid out within our bodies. Once this blueprint was triggered by consuming liquor, you would be able to continually activate your blueprint, and therefore we would be able to continually use our powers¡ªtaking fatigue into mind.


    Geon had extremely fine control of his abilities¡ªformally called ¡®skills¡¯¡ªbut I didn¡¯t know what they were. I heard he had won a warrior youth tournament in the past and based on his composure and aura I could feel he was quite elite. He was taller than most¡ªstanding about a head above me¡ªand he had messy soft gray hair that came down his forehead and flattened out at the back. He had soft gray eyes and a face that looked like it was always up to no good. He was undeniably handsome and would probably be pestered by a bunch of my friends this year, but he looked like a handful for my future teachers as well. I sighed, so you''re one of those troublemakers huh¡­..


    Actually he seems decent. Geon was no saint¡ªI could feel that just by looking at him¡ªbut the way he took care of Evay and made friends with him so quickly made me think he wasn¡¯t just some bombastic clown.


    I need to find out what his abilities are though. If I was going to compete with people I need every advantage I can get. ¡°Hey Geon, I want you to spar with me just a bit¡±, my voice was confident and ready. He looked a little taken aback but quickly smiled.


    ¡°Oh, ok. That sounds fun,¡± he looked completely different when preparing for battle. The usually happy-go-lucky grin faded into an almost psychotic smile. Lila looked a little worried but I gave her a reassuring nod. She looked at both of us and pouted while making her way to the spectators seats.


    ¡°If you guys die I swear I¡¯ll kill you,¡± she shouted at us with annoyance from afar as she pressed a stone button on the wall. The ground trembled slightly as stone barriers were erected around the entrances.


    There was a reason why I wanted to face Geon, and fortunately I was lucky enough to run into him this early in the year. It was really unlike myself to challenge people to battles outside of practice and tournaments, but Geon was one of the three students in the last 150 years to get accepted into Edon Academy via full-ride scholarship. This was a special case¨CI didn¡¯t want to pass up an opportunity to spar a great warrior.


    The only thing that caused the school to be a bit wary of him was his complicated family history which¡­..was rough to say the least. He was strong, really strong, and I wanted to see how I stood against the best. Geon stretched his arms while eyeing me closely for any additional information. He then dipped down into a low stance with his arms wide at his sides and gave me an intense smile.


    ¡°Alright Ms. Aurora, let¡¯s see what you can do.¡±


    Geon¡¯s look did nothing to deter my determination. Lila looked at both of us and immediately activated another one of the billions of buttons on the wall beside her. Once the ¡®start¡¯ button was activated a glass cover appeared over the control panel which was responsible for all of the intricacies that operated the battle range. The timer started and a loud bell rang around the range which indicated the battle had begun. Geon wasted no time as he charged straight forward. He has no acceleration time. I can¡¯t avoid him.


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    I crossed my arms to block his charge. I felt an explosive force slam into me, like a raging bull that was strapped with an explosive cannonball had just hit my chest. The pain was a lot more than just intense as I winced from both the impact of the attack and the pain caused by my back slamming into the metal walls behind me. I looked up and I couldn¡¯t believe what I saw. There was an actual explosion as smoke arose like a black curtain around the battlefield. What in the world¡­..Were his powers related to explosions? That didn¡¯t explain how he charged at me with such speed though. There was no explosion at the beginning.


    I coughed as the smoke filled my lungs and made my eyes water--I needed to keep my guard up since the smoke covered his movements.


    ¡°Hey come one now, just one attack isn¡¯t gonna end this right?¡± I heard his usual teasing-voice echo into the air. I used it as fuel for my motivational fire. I focused all my hearing into the sounds of his footsteps, the sound of his breathing, the wisps of smokes that flew as he pranced around me.


    My usual auburn hair turned into a shade of electric blue and my arms were coated in dark-purple, lightning shaped markings which crossed into each other.


    I had the ability to finely control electrons and create and manipulate electricity. It was quite the basic power compared to so many other of my classmates and friends over the years, but my ability had an extremely high skill ceiling. There was no limit to how high I could go and as I grew I seemed to grow exponentially while everyone else grew at a linear pace. Everyone at this school was brilliant. They had also always been at the top of their classes up until now. At age 15 I hadn¡¯t ever seen too many people more fit to be a successful warrior than me, but I knew I would have to sober up entering this school year. Even knowing that, fighting Geon gave me a pretty unexpected reality check.


    ¡°Your smokescreen is annoying but this will have to hit you somewhere right,¡± I shouted at Geon and struck the ground with the palm of my hand. Intense white-hot electricity crawled all over the floor and spread rapidly like blue vines across the entire building. There was a loud crack of electricity as my attack had dissipated all of the smoke. I looked around with wide eyes as I searched for Geon. He wasn¡¯t anywhere in sight¡­¡­


    I fired a strong volt of electricity to my right and heard the squeak of Geon¡¯s shoes as he moved away to dodge my attack. I found you.


    I sprang towards him and launched a volley of electricity at Geon who was in the air. These electric strikes were like bullets--they were smaller and much less powerful compared to some of my attacks, but they made up for it in quantity. He landed like a cat on both of his feet and moved rapidly in all directions. He dodged effectively as he ducked, jumped and slipped over my strikes. He dove and landed on his hands and then launched himself in the air as he seemed to float and he spun twice all before landing.


    The small bullets of electricity all smashed into the walls behind Geon as they punctured holes through the range walls. My electricity usually spreads rapidly as the more positively charged environment heavily attracts my discharged negative electrons. Usually I get one hit out of my volleys, but I guess I need to try something else¡­..


    I built up a concentrated charge of electricity and laced my entire left arm with it. Blue lightning flowed down my arm in the shape of my markings and wrapped around my fingers in an X pattern--while fully manifesting in my fingertips. I ran towards Geon and waited for him to jump as my last electric bullet from my volley barreled towards him.


    He jumped and I hopped slightly into the air and aimed my arm at his chest. Blue electricity, shaped like a long arrow flew towards Geon as it pierced through the air and speared him in the chest. I smiled widely as I knew the attack had hit. Heaven¡¯s arrow was an attack that I had developed myself. It had amazing accuracy and could pierce through almost anything--as well as carry the same effects of my normal weaponized electricity. However, I only had one shot with Heaven¡¯s arrow since it takes a long time to charge up. So I always had to make it count.


    Luckily, I did make it count.


    The recoil of the blast had launched me into the air¡ªcausing me to flip backwards and land on my feet. I looked up and expected to see Geon hurt or even on the ground but he was standing. He was more than standing, he was¡­.unfazed.


    How? That should have done something¡­.I looked on with an impassive face. I thought that something like this might happen and I was still confident that I could win but¡­.


    I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d fend off the attack so easily. What are his abilities? I looked at his side and saw that my attack had at least put a small scratch along the side of his torso. It was bleeding slightly but that was a far cry from what the damage should have been.


    ¡°Ow,¡± Geon smiled at me and began to get excited. ¡°I can tell you''re confused so I¡¯ll tell you what I did to neutralize your attack. I have the ability to control, combine, and bring forth any element that exists on this Earth. I guess it made me smarter since I had to memorize all of them from a young age, but anyways, I combined a bunch of different elements together¨Cyou know nitrogen, hydrogen, the good stuff¨Cand combined a bunch of other stuff in order together in order to make an anti-static spray. I had to tweak some stuff in order to make it effective against your level of electricity but yeah, that¡¯s the gist,¡± he began to inch towards me.


    I spoke, ¡°So the charge at the beginning, did you somehow cause the oxygen and carbon dioxide around you to lift you up? For the explosions, you combined certain elements in order to cause a blast right?¡± I knew what his abilities were now but that didn¡¯t help me as much as I thought it would.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s a lot easier said than done but yeah that¡¯s pretty much it,¡± he strutted towards me and had that same psychotic look in his eyes. He launched himself toward me and I tried to blast a short range, web-shaped, electric net at him. This has crazy effective short-range damage¨Cit needs to work.


    Geon raised his hand and pulled a piece of the wall toward him¡ªwhich came flying towards us and blocked my electric net. The walls are all made of metal¡­..I sidestepped and flew to the right, which caused me to come face to face with Geon. I laced my fist in electricity and my eyes began to glow blue. Electricity coursed through my body speeding up my reflexes and reaction time.


    Geon threw a right cross with his long arms and I slipped it, ducking under him and launching into a takedown. He swiftly raised his knee and it hit me square in the chin¡ªcausing me to see black for a second. Even so, I grabbed hold of his lower body and jumped into the air. I let electricity run freely through my body and I began to glow blue. ¡°Hey Geon, this one might hurt a bit more,¡± I smiled at him but in the midst of everything, he looked as calm as ever. The electricity began to make my blood boil as it seeped into all of my cells. My vision began to blur and my head began to steam. A little more, more, more¡­¡­


    Geon began to maneuver towards the wall and he constantly fought off my rising electricity.


    I finally reached the maximum output point.


    I let all the electricity in my body go free and I felt a rush of energy begin to expel into Geon. The air felt full of static electricity, blue glow began to illuminate the surrounding area, and white hot fire began to sear into Geon¡¯s shirt.


    I started to close my eyes as I awaited the destruction. Geon darted towards the wall and launched himself against it. He turned around and bashed me into the wall and pulled an entire sheet of the wall over us. The wall behind him began to vanish and I was being wrapped in a blanket of metal. I began to hold on harder but my physical strength was weakening. He grabbed my fist and a burning sensation began to rub against my wrist¡ªsome kind of acid? I couldn¡¯t hold on and I let go. He jumped back and closed in the metal sheet, all in quick succession.


    Geon jumped back and he unleashed an entire wall of red hot fire right into me.


    It was about time. My energy released and a flash of violent blue light and lightning radiated out and a massive explosion rang out into my ears.


    I felt a rush of intense fire spread around me and I began to fade out.


    I grinned slightly and blacked out as I felt the very ground crack and the walls of the range began to tumble.

 Chapter 9: Lila Fairheart

    Lila Fairheart: I told them to not go all out. Why didn¡¯t they listen? Especially Aurora, she was usually trying to get me out of trouble. I guess she couldn¡¯t resist fighting a world-class warrior.


    I sighed out of frustration and worry as I knelt down to look at Aurora. She was in pretty bad shape as her Auburn hair was slightly burned at the fringes. Her face was covered in black soot and her arms as well as her entire body was covered in red burn marks. But the explosion of electricity hadn¡¯t harmed Geon at all¡­..


    I walked over to him as he was dusted off his shirt. He stood tall both literally and metaphorically. His clothes were slightly singed but otherwise¡ªhe practically didn¡¯t break a sweat. He looked at me and gave me a big smile. ¡°Wow she¡¯s really good! Oh wait, yeah we should probably get her to medical.¡±


    The range was in even worse shape as half of the right wall was absolutely obliterated, and there was a giant crater that was formed in the middle of the ground. Huge pieces of debris were spread around the range as I had to maneuver around them to get back to Aurora.


    I began to carry Aurora on my back and walked towards the medical center. There had been an emergency wall that was erected in  front of the control panel sensing the insane amount of liquor imbued attacks flying through the air. It saved me and also made it possible for me to go help Aurora.


    It was actually really hard carrying her¡ªsince she was a lot more muscular than she looked, but I was used to carrying people to safety. I had the ability to restructure and modify living cell structures. It made me a very good medic and a healer on the battlefield. I could also use it for some very gruesome and offensive capabilities as well, but I always liked healing better.


    There were some exceptional complications with injuries related to Aurora¡¯s electricity attack¡ªso I wanted to take her to the medical staff instead of me just healing her.


    I began to pant a little as I walked up a flight of stairs and reached a big circular open court that had a hard floor made of smooth stone. Geon followed as we walked¨Ceyeing Aurora¡¯s state with slight concern.


    He was cute. Maybe a little bit of an idiot from what I saw, but he was noticeably good-looking. Tall, muscular, and powerful, he was probably used to getting a lot of female attention but he didn''t really act like it. He didn¡¯t give off the playboy-attitude, which I found really nice¡­.


    The medical ward had an entirely cube-like build, with steel outlines following the edges of the cube. It had large windows and well illuminated rooms.


    I walked inside and saw several medical staff in white robes. They were rolling beds and several of them had clipboards and were conversing with each other about some stuff that I couldn¡¯t hear.


    I walked over to the front desk while catching some very concerned looks as people saw me hauling an unconscious student on top of my back, ¡°Hel¡ª, h¡ª, hello. She was training and got a little hurt and I think some of the injuries are a little complicated so can you help her?¡±


    She looked at me with a slightly concerned face, ¡°Uh yes, Lila Fairheart right? Mr Leveten, I assume?¡± She continued to write down information on a sheet of paper and passed it to an older gentleman who motioned for me to follow him. I passed by some people in the hallways but it was surprisingly calm for a day at a hospital. Of course the staff would never say it¡ªsince it was sort of like a jinx to say that in the medical field¡ªbut it wasn''t too busy since school wasn¡¯t in session and normal people wouldn¡¯t be training.


    Aurora was rolled in on a stroller and I sat down next to her. The doctor examined them and gave a relieved sigh, ¡°Well the good news is that the injuries are not life threatening, but it was good that you came here. Liquor supplements will probably do the trick,¡± he began to put liquor tablets along with several herbs into separate squeezable-pouches.


    ¡°There¡¯s no internal bleeding?¡± I eyed him with a slightly hopeful look.


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    ¡°There isn¡¯t¨Cshe will be alright. But you should really tell them to stop doing whatever they were doing until school starts. These injuries would have been quite fatal if their attacks¡ªwhich I assume was what caused the injuries¡ªwere released at maximum output.¡±


    I told them that¡­. I looked at Geon but I didn¡¯t really give him a hard time. I could tell he was holding back and he was currently helping the doctor put wet towels on Aurora¡¯s forehead¨Cwhich was sweet. ¡±Yes sir, but I do have one question, what¡¯s that chart on the far side of the wall?¡± The chart had caught my eye since I walked into the office. It had a triangle on it with different labels all color coded. The bottom row was the largest and green, the second to the bottom was blue, the middle row was orange, the row second to the top was red, and the very top was black. They were labeled with symbols which I hadn''t seen anywhere else before.


    ¡°Oh those are the standard attack levels for all warriors in all empires. The levels go from light, minimal, heavy, deadly, and finally, level unstoppable. We created this system in order to categorize the severity of certain attacks and the appropriate level of medical attention needed for these different attacks,¡± the doctor fed Aurora some weird looking mush with a spoon.


    ¡°Unstoppable level attacks are actually banned from tournaments, but they don¡¯t come around often. Students almost never have one of them in their arsenal. Based on how much damage she took I¡¯d guess that she was hit by a heavy-level attack,¡± I looked over at Geon and he put his hands up in defense,


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know about all that. Sorry, I¡¯ll uh¡­.hit her with a minimal-level attack next time. I mean, she¡¯s not weak¨CI feel like doing that would be an insult,¡± I sighed.


    This doctor is pretty good at analyzing warriors though.


    I spoke with a hint of curiosity, ¡±So if you were to get hit with an unstoppable level attack, what would happen?¡±


    To my surprise he answered my question seriously, ¡°Well for one these attacks are literally unstoppable. You can¡¯t block them or counter them in any way¡ªit¡¯s a guaranteed hit. The damage that comes with them can vary but usually they aren¡¯t that drastically more powerful than deadly attacks. They aren¡¯t usually world-destroying moves but the fact that they can¡¯t be stopped is what makes them so deadly. Some people do have unstoppable level attacks that pack quite a punch though so if you get hit, you would probably die.¡±


    Aurora started to wake up and I walked over to her. ¡°Uh, my head hurts a lot,¡± she groaned in a muffled voice as she slowly started to blink.


    ¡°Is everyone ok, what happened to the training range?¡± Aurora was still slightly dazed but ok. I pulled her in and gave both her and Geon a very hard ear pull.


    ¡°Hey, ow, ow, ow¡ªow, sorry,¡±  Geon frantically swatted my hands away and Aurora giggled at the sight of us. The doctor smiled and walked out. I didn¡¯t even get to thank him, or ask him his name.


    ¡°Well, win goes to you,¡± Aurora sighed and leaned back into her bed.


    Geon nodded, ¡°Yeah, I really didn¡¯t expect you to hit me with a lightning spear though¡ªthat kinda hurt¡±. Aurora giggled a little and Geon rubbed his cut on the side of his body.


    I spoke up, ¡°Don¡¯t hurt yourself again before school and I¡¯ll let you guys live.¡± Geon nodded and we walked out of the medical ward together.


    I looked at Aurora and Geon, ¡°Hey is the ice cream parlor open¡ªwe probably need a little something to cheer us up. We should probably get Evay out of the dorm as well. Let¡¯s go get him.¡±


    It was a crazy coincidence that we were actually going to share a dorm since we just happened to let Geon and Evay in on opening night. They had nowhere to go so we let them in only to find out that we were roommates. I guess it wasn¡¯t too unlikely  since there were a record low number of first years this year, and the kids with good records usually got paired up.


    But we were going to be living together and I wanted us to feel more used to each other. Plus I could tell that Evay really needed to improve his  social skills so doing this would help him with that¡­


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go back to the dorm,¡± Aurora led the way as we passed by various students enjoying their last few days of their vacation.


    We walked in the door room to see Evay up off of the couch and in the kitchen. He was strangely examining the furnaces, the coil stoves, and the cupboards like they were some alien devices. It was actually kind of funny. Aurora chuckled a little at the sight of his curiosity.


    Evay looked at us with bright and excited eyes, ¡°Oh hey guys! I wanted to show you guys this new thing I found out. Did you know that you can activate the stove with liquor!¡± I looked at the others and they all gave me a confused look.


    ¡°Wait what? Last time I checked you couldn¡¯t¡­..¡± Geon looked over to where Evay¡¯s hands were.


    Evay looked confused, ¡°What? Well how do you explain this?¡± Evay stuck his hands out near the fire and the stove suddenly burst into flames.


    ¡°WOAH, WOAH, WOAH, Lila help me put the fire out!¡± Aurora shouted and dumped a bucket of water onto the stove.


    It was strange. Could Evay control fire? If he could, he had really good control over it. Most of us would have destroyed the entire dorm if we attempted to light a stove with our liquor-abilities¡­.We had no idea who he was and what abilities he had, but he seemed to get more mysterious day by day.


    ¡°Burning down buildings is my thing¡ªwe can do it together if you want,¡± Geon smiled sheepishly. I took a  look at Evay¡¯s hand. It had been a little red but had healed almost immediately.


    Evay shrugged, ¡°Huh, well I thought I found something but oh well,¡± he moved back towards us and looked at the floor, ¡°So what are you guys doing?¡±


    ¡°Well we wanted to get ice cream, are you in?¡± I saw him look up at us and he smiled, ¡°Sure, uh yeah ice cream. That sounds nice¡±


    Geon wrapped his arms around Evay and Aurora and he smiled brightly. ¡°Let¡¯s go then!¡± I laughed as I saw Evay¡¯s face  go bright red. Aurora freed herself awkwardly and ran to my side.


    I smiled and whispered into Aurora¡¯s ear, ¡°I have a feeling that this is going to be fun.¡±

 Chapter 10: New Goal

    Geon Leventen: Leventen was a pretty shitty name¡ªfor a lot of different reasons. House Leventen was always full of trouble. They were one of the only families to support Sugul back in the ancient days and never really supported the Taegan empire. Nowadays they turned more to crime since the recent string of emperors really cracked down on the family¡¯s old habit of uh¡­..trying to stage multiple coups. A lot of my uncles and brothers and sisters were hired assassins, paid mercenaries, and paid workers who gave other kinds of favors. So naturally, none of that made for great family conversation. It made a lot of things like, "take your kid to work day,¡± or questions like, ¡°what does your dad do for a living,¡± really awkward too¡­.


    Everyone in the Leventen family was too strong for their own good, but I wanted to change that.


    My father was one of the most effective butchers¡ªor hired hitmen¡ªin the world, and powerful people paid him a lot of money to go kill other powerful opponents.  He apparently wanted to carry on his legacy or whatever and bought my mom from her family for a hefty sum. He wanted to create a super-baby which could do his killing for him when he got older and he didn¡¯t succeed on his first try¨Cwhich was why I had so many neglected siblings. On his eighth try though, he had me. He told me to fend for myself and left me to fester with my mom. I don¡¯t remember his face, or his voice, or anything about him really. All I remember was that one day, he died on the job. I¡¯ve heard rumors about how it happened but I¡¯m pretty sure he was killed by another butcher¨Cone way stronger than him.


    But yeah, I grew up in a bit of a mess. I never really had a home¡ªunless you counted a building full of hookers and drunk gang-lords twenty four-seven as a home. I couldn¡¯t stand the screaming of momI couldn¡¯t stand the lifeless corpses of my baby siblings, and I couldn¡¯t stand the smell of our separate filthy shack¡ªwhile he lived in his mansion¡­.


    It was all water under the bridge. He was dead, my mom¡¯s been long gone, and I can¡¯t even remember the faces of my various brothers and sisters.


    I found these new people though and I was happy with that. They all seemed fine with me and they were all so nice¡ªthey even treated me like a human being¡ªwhich was a bonus.


    Sure Evay was a little strange, but he was the nicest person that I had met at this school. He also seemed extremely unaware of who I was and I didn¡¯t really mind that. Lila was pretty hot and she was always looking out for us. Hopefully she was looking out for me a lot in specific¡­..


    Aurora was like a panther, she wasn¡¯t very approachable but she was a very talented warrior. She wasn¡¯t very warm but she could talk to people as a leader.


    They all weren¡¯t perfectly honest about who they were or where they came from, but I valued the fact that they didn¡¯t resent me. And that¡¯s enough for me right now.


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    The warm evening sun rose high in the sky as everything seemed to be covered in a blanket of orange light. We each had our ice cream cones in our hands as we all basked in the evening sunshine. Evay seemed to enjoy his ice cream the most. In fact it looked like he¡¯d never had an ice cream before in his life. I chuckled at the sight of Aurora devouring her ice cream as well. She¡¯s such a composed and formal person until, ice cream.


    I always saw Aurora as a little intimidating¡ªsince she was so serious and formal. She was intelligent and certainly perceptive. Her auburn hair looked like it was on fire in the evening glow, and her tan skin matched the summer season well. Lila also seemed to be enjoying her ice cream but a lot less than her dear friend. Lila was well¡­..beautiful. I overheard a lot of guys talk about her at the festival which made me cringe.


    They think they have a chance with her¡­


    She had dark skin and night black hair which had crescent-moon shaped gold markings in them. Her auburn eyes looked almost golden and she always had a happy look on her face...Maybe I got a shot, who knows?


    I mused to myself until Lila said something that was on my mind. ¡°So did you guys hear about the Youth Championships? Apparently it¡¯s extremely big news this year,¡± I saw Aurora light up.


    ¡°Yeah I heard! Apparently this year 5 people are going to be chosen from our school instead of 6. Usually half of the team is in their third year, but this year the projected power rankings put the first years as the best class in our school!¡± Aurora was strangely passionate compared to her usual calm self.


    ¡°I think we all have a good chance at getting on the team this year! Imagine if we all get in, we can travel together, eat together, win together¡­.¡± she suddenly looked up and blushed a little, ¡°Sorry, just¡ªI really like matches.¡±


    ¡°Wait, a tournament?¡± Evay looked a little puzzled.


    Aurora continued speaking, ¡°Yeah, the International Youth Championships. It¡¯s the yearly tournament that schools have at the end of the year. The best  school in all of the empire goes to the tournament, and we¡¯ve always been chosen by the empire as the representative academy. If our academy ranking drops from number one to two, we won¡¯t get to go. But so far we¡¯ve been number one for the past 14 years.¡±


    Aurora wasn¡¯t the only one who wanted to win this thing. If we win this, nobles would probably have their eyes on us the moment we graduated from Eden. We would get to dive into our work right away and winning also get us an absurd amount of cash¡ªwhich was always nice.


    All four of us honestly had a good shot at being selected but that meant that if we were¡ªone other person would need to round things out.


    Well there¡¯s no guarantee we get picked either. Being selected was a combination of your grades, your performance in class sparring, and your overall attitude and chemistry with other students. I was really worried about the grades part so my plan was to excel so much in combat training that they would ignore my grades. That would technically be harder than just getting good grades, but screw that.


    If you were a terrible teammate you wouldn¡¯t get picked but at the same time¡ªkind people don¡¯t always mesh well with each other either. If all four of us got picked our chemistry would probably fine, but we still hadn¡¯t ever fought with each other. In fact we didn¡¯t even know what Evay could really do.


    Aurora stood up and we all followed her back to our dorm. It was weird¡ªI had known these people for less than a week and yet everything seemed to just kind of get along. It was hard cooperating with other warriors but it all  felt very natural with these three. It also helped that we all had something to work towards now. We needed to make the school team, go to the national championships, and win.


    For some reason though, the winning wasn''t what excited me. I wanted to be with these people, not just for a little while, but for a long time.


    I looked over at Evay who was shoving an entire cream cone in his mouth.


    I guess we just kind of¡­mesh.

 Chapter 11: Learning

    Evay Maver: I figured it out! Kind of at least¡­..I didn¡¯t know how that was possible since I hadn¡¯t ever consumed a drop of liquor in my life, but I was beginning to use my blueprint little by little. I also felt a lot sturdier now and I also felt noticeably less pain. It was an odd feeling though, I didn¡¯t feel like I was using my blueprint at all, but then again I wouldn¡¯t know what the feeling of using it was like either. I took a deep breath and outstretched my hand¨Ctrying to push my energy out through my fingertips. A golden, circular, shield of transparent energy suddenly sprouted in my hand.


    Earlier in the week I kept asking Geon to throw rocks at me and I tried to block them with my shield. It was difficult at first but it wasn¡¯t too hard to get used to after a little while.


    My blueprint seemed to give me a lot of defensive capabilities since there were a lot of abilities designed for counter attacking and defending. The only problem was that there wasn¡¯t much I could do to attack or cause damage to my opponents. Even when I had started that fire I did it by repelling the breeze that came in from the window and directing it towards the stove coals. If I wanted to actually fight someone I needed to figure out how to actually attack¨Cand I needed to figure out how fast.


    Geon suddenly burst into my room holding up a piece of paper, ¡°Hey, we got our schedules. All three of us basically have the same classes except we have different extracurricular classes. We want to see what you got,¡± I walked out of my room and sat down at the dinner table where Lila and Aurora were always seated.


    I opened my schedule.


    It turned out that we all pretty much had the same schedule. It was hardly unexpected as the school probably put students with similar grades and caliber of skill in similar classes. I hadn¡¯t had any prior schooling but I guess my blueprint got me into the special classes with the elite kids.


    I was relieved to be with Lila, Geon and Aurora, but I noticed something weird on the back of my schedule. The others talked amongst themselves while I went back into my room. I looked at the back and saw a red stamp along with a building number. It also stated that I was to come to this building for special instruction everyday after school.


    Was this because of my blueprint?


    I hadn¡¯t told anybody about my situation since I didn¡¯t want to mess anything up. Geon, Lila, Aurora were all I had¨CI didn¡¯t want them to run off or treat me differently just because I was some rare phenomenon.


    But I would have to tell them sooner or later¡­¡­.


    I¡¯ll cross that bridge when I come to it.


    In the meantime I¡¯d learned a lot of new stuff that helped me fit in with all of these regular people. Firstly, I figured out that the two guys I saw fight when I first entered Bondas were graduated warriors. These people were full fledged soldiers who fought for the nobles¨Cusually not the big four nobles, just the minor ones¨Cand apparently one of them had challenged the other. A formal challenge was apparently a really big deal because if a challenger was declared victorious, they would take the loser¡¯s possessions and their tag¨Cwhich every warrior wore in the form of a necklace, braid, or bracelet. So if you lost, you lost your wealth and your dignity. If you won, you earned money and improved your reputation as a warrior. Warriors with a lot of tags were generally recognized as more powerful or capable than other warriors¨Cand were paid higher salaries or sought after by more minor nobles, or sometimes even major nobles.


    That¡¯s why warriors only challenged people they thought they had a chance against. Like Jiden, that warrior I had watched when I first entered Bondas.


    The kids who fought in our festival were apparently first years but challenges don¡¯t legally apply unless you¡¯re a real warrior. Those two didn¡¯t get that memo though. They both faced heavy suspensions and were fined several wheelbarrows worth of gold. Plus, I don¡¯t think they were challenging each other, they probably just wanted to fight.


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    Those two guys were pretty strong but the red haired boy was my main concern. Aurora had rescued me with pure physical strength alone so logically it could be assumed that this boy could stop us from using our liquor-based abilities. If he really could do that then that was bad news for all of us. If we weren¡¯t careful we wouldn¡¯t be able to attack or defend ourselves in his presence and we would be instantly overpowered.


    I had been studying books and manuals on everything over the last couple of days while I was still recovering. Lila insisted I go to the hospital but I didn¡¯t want any of my roommates to find out who I truly was and I didn¡¯t want to attract any attention to myself.


    So while I was resting I had practically inhaled an entire library''s worth of information on liquor, combat, guides to analyzing opponents, and even some more history and language. I couldn¡¯t read very well but I had been getting better with all the books I had been looking over, and the fact that I had access to this thing called a dictionary¡ªan entire book which told me what any word meant¡ªhelped a lot as well.


    So I managed.


    But it was still tricky trying to figure out how to fight this red-haired guy. He had a necklace which pulsed but no weapons I could see¡­..But he has to have some type of offensively heavy attack right?


    He dealt with that other boy who had a giant sword so easily¡­..it would be hard to face him.


    Aurora walked in and saw me concentrating while looking down at my notepad. I quickly saw her and put them away and tried to act natural.


    ¡°Um, we brought home snacks. Come out if you want to eat them,¡± he quickly turned around and left. I still felt like she was a little mad at me¡­..She had accepted my apology earlier but I felt like she was being¡­..skittish around me?


    I got out of the bed and walked to the living room where there were several pastries and fruits lying in the open. Everyone was on the couch, and I plopped down next to Geon who tossed me a grape.


    Lila was looking down at her newspaper and sighed before summarizing the front cover story, ¡°Apparently the attack at school is all over the news and not one segment talked about injuries or damages. It¡¯s all just talk about who won and there¡¯s a huge argument about whether warrior vows apply to them or not, but these idiots can¡¯t seem to grasp that people were almost killed,¡± Lila put down the paper and crossed her arms.


    ¡°If Evay had died that probably would have been a different story, but he still got hurt. I guess being a rich school has its perks¡ªyou¡¯re screw-ups don¡¯t even matter.¡±


    We all looked absently into the distance but we knew what Lila had said was true. I didn¡¯t really care that I got hurt, since no one else did, but I knew that anything that happened at this school usually went under the radar. That¡¯s why I was so fortunate to come here since I had a lot more protection.


    Or so I thought.


    If that seal on the back of my sheet is government signed then will they be involved with me and the people around me? It¡¯s not hard to believe that I¡¯m going to get dragged into a lot. Will everyone else get dragged in with me?


    I knew the government had caught on but what did they plan to do with me? Surely they can¡¯t just pluck me out of my life just because of my powers right?


    Right?


    I tried not to show the worry on my face.


    Eventually Aurora and Lila went to their rooms to sleep and Geon went up to his room too. He turned around and smirked as he threw a rock at me. I didn¡¯t expect it but my shield went up automatically. I instinctively flinched and fell over the back of the couch.


    Geon burst out laughing and came over to help me up. I rubbed my eyes and gave him a small shove as I threw a pillow at him.


    ¡°Evay, you can do it at will now?¡± he asked as he kept deflecting my pillows with gusts of wind.


    ¡°Yeah I guess, you¡¯ll be toast the next time we fight now, right?¡± We both laughed and headed back towards our rooms.


    I laid down on my bed and looked up at my ceiling. Geon¡¯s voice suddenly rang out through the silent darkness, ¡°Hey what¡¯s with you and Aurora? Why do you guys always act like strangers or something,¡± my face went a little red as I was suddenly thankful it was dark.


    ¡°What? It¡¯s uh¡­.nothing. I mean we haven¡¯t known each other for that long and we have some history so,¡± Geon let out a small stifle and spoke again.


    ¡°Nah I don¡¯t think that¡¯s it. You like her or something,¡± he spoke while laughing and I promptly threw another pillow at him.


    ¡°No it¡¯s not like that. I just, you know¡­yeah,¡± Geon lit a small fire in his hands. He looked at me with a sly smile.


    ¡°Really? So you don¡¯t think she¡¯s a little pretty? Not even a bit?¡±


    I tried not to look flustered, ¡°Yeah she¡¯s¡­¡­a good looking person. There, you happy?¡± I laid back down and heard a triumphant laugh from Geon.


    ¡°I think she might like you too. I mean she doesn¡¯t act like she normally does around you. She¡¯s so stoic and calm but with you she¡¯s more human.¡±


    I didn¡¯t believe him. I wanted it to be true but it couldn¡¯t be, ¡°No, she probably just feels sorry for me. I¡¯m not a top student and an influential pretty boy like you,¡± I said in my best teasing voice. Geon threw a pillow at me.


    ¡°Nah, I have a feeling she doesn¡¯t really like me. That¡¯s good news for you though,¡± he smiled and put his little flame out. I heard him turn over and tuck himself in as moonlight seeped into our room.


    I wanted to become strong. I still wanted to kill the nobles but all of this made me want more than that. I wanted to be with them, to run with them, to not get left behind¡ªnot for my own pride but because I wanted to be in their company. I smiled and slowly closed my eyes as I peacefully drifted off to sleep.

 Chapter 12: Academy Day One

    ¡°Evay, wake up, we have classes in 10 minutes, Aurora and Lila woke us up but I think we both fell back asleep¡ªwe have to go now!¡± Geon practically inhaled a piece of toast and threw me an apple before sprinting out the door. I woke up and chased Geon out the door.I ran as fast as I could but Geon just flew to class¨Cleaving me in the dust. Surprisingly, not many blueprints granted flight and so Geon was one of the few students that could get anywhere he wanted at top speeds.


    I saw him glide through the air and descend in front of our combat-class building. It was made of white marble and looked pretty much like a miniature acceptance hall. I was still a good distance away and sprinted my way to the front doors. I reached the entrance halls and burst into the building. There were several hallways with steel rails and large windows on the sides of the walls. I raced to find my classroom and found Geon as well as Lila and Aurora¨Cwho were waving at me. I raced to their side and bent down to catch my breath.


    ¡°Hey, you could¡¯ve just taken the horses, you know that right?¡± Lila looked at me with a half concerned and half amused look. I looked at Geon accusingly and he gave me a shrug,


    ¡°Hey man don¡¯t blame me! I didn¡¯t tell you about those since uh¡­..I forgot. Flying everywhere is much faster and I haven¡¯t used a chariot or a horse in like¡­..10 years,¡± we all sighed a little and finally walked into the classroom.


    It was surprisingly spacious¡ªno, it was somehow absolutely huge on the inside. It looked like a  fairly modest building from the outside but it was shaped like a stadium on the inside. The seating rows seemed to never stop rising and the oval-shaped-sparring field had white marble flooring as well as a moat of water surrounding its very edges. Everyone looked awestruck as several students were whispering excitedly to each other while we all took our seats in the stands. What type of liquor technology was used to make this reality bending building? The professor for the class waltzed in.


    I heard some kids whisper to each other as the Professor walked into the middle of the sparring arena, ¡°Did you hear about him? He was an ex-elite warrior trained to accompany the emperor on travels and missions.¡± Huh, I guess that makes sense.


    The Professor looked at us with a neutral expression and spoke in a calm and serious voice, ¡°My name is Professor Vylen you can refer to me as whatever you see fit,¡± based on his overall demeanor though, I knew no one was going to abuse that freedom. ¡°Class will start today and your final exam will be at the end of the year where sparring will count for scoring and scouting. Now to begin the first day of class whoever doesn¡¯t lose a match will get to skip all classes for the rest of the day,¡± everyone looked confused.


    The Professor was quite a young man. He had slightly wavy blonde hair that rose up a little on top of his head. He also had bangs which had a small part on the right side of his head¨Calong with stormy gray eyes to accompany his well chiseled face. He was quite tall and slim but looked to be quite muscular under all of his formal robes. He had a face that suggested he was bored but it also looked like he was in a state of dead calm. I didn¡¯t know which one it was¡­.


    There¡¯s gotta be a catch right? But I was also surprised that we were just jumping into it on the first day. Especially me, since I was probably going to get beat to a pulp¡­¡­.


    Before we could fully process what he had just said I saw a student get transported down to the arena in the blink of an eye. He looked confused and stared wide eyed as another student was transported in front of him just as fast. I read the name tag on his battle vest.


    The boy¡¯s name was Deven, of house Piten. He was on the shorter side with a fairly athletic build and had messy brown hair with freckles on his face. He eyed up his opponent¨Cwho everyone was all too familiar with. His opponent was the boy with the giant black sword from opening night. He looked serious and his huge muscles popped through his uniform. He literally stood head and shoulders over everyone and his huge frame created a shadow that swallowed Deven whole. I guess the suspension was pretty short. He looked more annoyed than anything as he faced Deven who on the contrary, looked slightly nervous.


    ¡°The arena has been made so that a liquor screen is cast over all combatants that step foot on the floor,¡± I saw a shimmer of dark red glow spread around the bodies of the two boys. ¡°This will let through a safe amount of damage and pain, but stop any critical attacks. It will glow purple when you¡¯ve taken enough damage¡ªyou will have lost if that is the case. Good luck and don¡¯t die. Go,¡± I saw him teleport out of the way and onto a stadium seat in the very front row.


    ¡°Pay attention class, this will get interesting,¡± I saw the dark haired, sword-boy raise his hand out into the air. A black bolt of lightning crackled and soared into his outstretched as a flash of black energy materialized into his signature sword. He looked at Deven with a menacing glare as a hush fell airing the arena.


    I looked in anticipation for the battle to start. Deven locked in and looked fully focused on the battle at hand. He remained calm and waited for Taran to strike.


    ¡°Mistake number one,¡± I heard Professor Vylen speak in a slow and deadly, but calm, voice. ¡°For Mr.Piten here defense is the worst option against someone who will most likely use heavy level attacks for all of his strikes,¡± I saw Taran jump forward and slam his blade into the ground.


    Deven dodged it successfully but debris launched off the ground and Taran quickly hit them all while they were suspended in the air. The debris pieces were launched toward Deven and he jumped. He slipped his head to the left, narrowly dodging a marble boulder flying into his face. His luck didn¡¯t last long though as a second piece hit him square in the shoulder and once in the eye before he crashed down onto the ground. I saw Lila wince and even Geon and Aurora cringed slightly. Deven got up quickly, closing one eye he suddenly disappeared in a flash of light. Taran looked puzzled as his sword crashed into the ground. Dust rose up and debris flew to the outer edges of the arena. I saw Deven in the air above Taran and he flew down into a flip¡ªbringing his leg all the way up to his ear and kicking down hard on top of Taran¡¯s head. The ground underneath Taran cracked and a crater was pounded into the arena floor.


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    We saw the dust settle and I let out a quiet gasp. Taran stood there unfazed and Deven was holding his right leg¡ªwhich had cuts and blood running all over it. His pants were in tatters and there were burn marks on his flesh. But I saw Deven¡¯s foot connect onto Taran¡ªhow did Taran get hurt?


    ¡°I sent you all roster sheets and a clear description of all the weaknesses, strengths, and skill sets of your classmates but almost none of you opened it over the long holiday,¡± Professor Vylen talked to us while still facing the battle, ¡°If you want to be great don¡¯t sit on your asses all summer and do some prep work,¡± I vaguely remembered a roster coming in but Aurora was the only one that actually read it.


    She looked over at us and started whispering, ¡°Taran¡¯s skill set essentially allows him to use his enemy¡¯s force against them. Any damage he absorbs he can store it and turn it into a form of power only he can produce¨Cthat¡¯s what his weird colored lighting represents. If an attack is too strong he can¡¯t absorb it but it looks like Deven¡¯s power was mangable for him.¡±


    Deven prepared himself but Taran flew forwards and jammed the hilt of his sword into Deven¡¯s ribs. He smacked him with the side of his blade and sent Deven flying toward the center of the arena. Taran flew upwards and pointed his sword toward the sky. Black lighting streaked towards it and he aimed it directly at Deven who stood in the middle of the giant crater in the arena floor. A beam of black lighting shot it¡¯s way towards Deven and I saw him stare at it with wide eyes. He flashed and suddenly disappeared to the edge of the arena and bent down to catch his breath.


    Aurora gave us more details as everyone was watching closely in the stands, ¡°Deven¡¯s skill allows him to apparate at will. Although he uses a lot of his own energy when teleporting so he usually saves it for when he needs it.¡±


    I saw Taran leap towards Deven and Deven finally made his move. He leapt up and met Taran in the air where he threw one roundhouse kick, which was blocked. He turned his body to the right using the momentum of his kick and spun his leg around his back shoulder.


    The spinning hook kick was successful as his foot hit Taran in the jaw¡ªwhich sent him launching towards the left. Deven quickly teleported towards the flying Taran and intercepted him with another kick. He then teleported again, intercepting Deven and sending him flying with another punch to the stomach. Taran was caught in an endless loop of getting launched and launched over again by harsh attacks. Deven¡¯s face was full of concentration as he kept Taran in the air and teleported under him¡ªkicking his back to send him flying up.Taran couldn¡¯t do anything as his body was launched to the sky and Deven quickly teleported up above him, using both of his fist to strike down upon Taran¡ªsending him crashing into the surface of the arena. Taran¡¯s body bounced as he coughed and spit blood. There was a blinding flash of light as Deven traveled even higher into the air.


    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m not really good at taking losses,¡± Deven spoke in a calm voice as he teleported forwards while diving down, which somehow increased his speed. He pulled his fist back and soared towards the ground. Taran opened his eyes and a look of panic rose on his face as he held up both his hands to block the attack. It wasn¡¯t enough. Deven flew like a torpedo while teleporting downwards constantly and he threw his punch just as he reached Taran. Deven¡¯s punch connected and huge gusts of wind and debris flew into the stands. Professor Vylen raised one finger and all of it was transported out of harm''s way. The dust and wind still zoomed at us as I raised my hands over my face to stop my head from being blown off.


    We all began to look in excitement as we waited for the outcome of the battle. There¡¯s no way that Taran could take that right?


    I looked closely as I tried to make out shady figures through the clouds of dust, ¡°No way,¡± Lila quietly whispered in disbelief as we saw Deven¡¯s shocked expression. Both of Taran¡¯s arms were broken and bloody, his clothes were torn and an absolute mess, but he was alive.


    Taran¡¯s right cheek was gashed and cut and blood ran down his face. But he was still awake.


    And worst of all, he had all that stored up damage at his disposal.


    ¡°You probably wanted to finish it with your strongest attacks early¡ªsince you can¡¯t let me keep taking damage. But I knew that you would think like that and I honestly just hoped I could tank your hits. It was pretty hard but you ain¡¯t the toughest guy I¡¯ve ever taken a hit against,¡± Taran¡¯s gruff voice was followed by an explosion of black lightning which sent Deven flying away.


    Deven landed on his back when Taran came flying out of the smoke¡ªcoated in an armor made of pure black energy in the form of rigid individual plates. His chest plate fit his muscular body and his legs were coated with armor that almost seemed to be made of hundreds of knife-like black blades. His helmet was a simple but crude face mask that only allowed his eyes to be seen with purple blades coming down its side and along the back of his head¡ªlike dangerous locks of hair. He leapt toward and threw his giant blade at Deven. It spun and soared through the air as it hit Deven and sank deep into his chest. He coughed up blood and his eyes went wide with shock and pain. Taran landed with a resounding crash and walked towards Deven. Everyone felt it in the arena. A deep pressure in the air could be felt as the temperature seemed to drop to zero. Sweat flowed down the faces of all the students and it was hard for me to breathe. My mouth felt dry and I could see several hands shaking.


    I looked over at Lila and Aurora who were calmer than the others but still had a look of fear on their faces. But I could still feel it fully. It was a familiar feeling, the feeling of pure fear. A lot of people here weren¡¯t used to it. They¡¯ve all had some close calls with death and injuries since they had been training to become a warrior from their youths but the fear of death was a hard feeling to come by. Not for me though¡­..it was a feeling I had felt my entire life.


    ¡°You¡¯re a sore loser and I can respect that, but in the end I want to win too,¡± the invisible red shimmer around Deven finally glowed a bright purple. He had lost.


    Professor Vylen flicked his hand and Taran called back his blade. Deven arrived laying on his back in the front row. Everyone went flocking around him as we saw a huge vertical gash in his chest. Professor Vylen took a small white flower with a purple line going down its stem and fed it to Deven, ¡°This is the closest thing we have to the original liquor plant found over 5000 years ago. Science has made it possible for it to exist. It can¡¯t produce liquor but it contains a liquor-like substance that has life-giving properties. It will heal almost all injuries assuming they aren¡¯t too terrible,¡± Deven¡¯s wound began to close almost instantly and his scars began to go away. He was still asleep but he was going to be alright.


    Well this isn¡¯t very encouraging to anyone who¡¯s up next.  Every single student looked slightly shaken up. I assumed all of them had experienced hard sparring sessions before but it was probably the first time someone had been beat up this badly. They all looked nervous, twiddling their thumbs, tapping their feet, and looking absently at their surroundings. Everyone had a mix of dread and anxiety on their face¡ªeveryone but Geon. He seemed relaxed¨Cin fact, he looked kind of¡­¡­bored. He let you a huge yawn as he tossed a paper wad into the back of my head. I looked at him and he gave me a smile. Professor Vylen looked directly at Geon and tossed Taran another one of those white leaves. Taran ate it and his body seemed to be restored to full strength.


    ¡°My class goes in a winner takes all format. Winner stays until someone gets knocked off,¡± Professor Vylen pointed at Geon which caused all eyes to look at him. ¡°You look awfully calm Mr.Leventen, please join us for the next match.¡±

 Chapter 13: Enemies and Friends

    Aurora Maple: Geon looked unfazed as he calmly got up and walked down the steps. By now all of the students had pretty much returned to their seats after flocking around Deven¡ªwho was taken to the hospital building. ¡°Hey, good luck,¡± I heard Lila whisper to Geon and Evay gave him a thumbs up before he went to meet the Professor. I gave him a nod and he nodded right back.


    Taran had been a true menace, a problem for anyone that stood in his way. But I knew that Geon wasn¡¯t going to go down so easily. I hated to admit it but he really held back in our match. He didn¡¯t even use a fraction of his power. I knew if he¡¯d have tired I would have well¡­died.


    His physical prowess, his control over his skill set, his battle IQ, and his diverse abilities pretty much made him invincible. I watched as the Professor flicked his hand and sent the two boys down to the arena. The liquor screen was cast over them and everyone held their breath. ¡°Same rules, don¡¯t die, begin,¡± the Professor sounded as blunt as ever.


    Taran called his huge sword down into his hands and leapt forward¡ªdawning his armor form from the very beginning. ¡°Night¡¯s Shadow¡ªmy armor¡ªheightens defense and offense at the same time,¡± Taran spoke with a booming voice. ¡°With this I can purely focus on offense with my almost impenetrable defense,¡± he swung his lightning clad sword down with the force of a demon.


    ¡°That¡¯s a whole lot of yapping for a dude with a sword,¡± Geon smiled and looked unfazed at the oncoming attack.


    Geon stuck his hands in his pockets as the blade came closer, and closer, and closer and I heard Evay whisper next to me, ¡°Geon block, block, block,¡± I saw Lila grip her chair tightly and I felt my body tense.


    Hey Geon, it¡¯s now or never right?


    Geon had a bored look on his face as he held up one hand and a huge gust of wind blasted Taran away. The wind picked up half of the giant stadium floor and sent giant marble debris flying towards an empty set of bleachers. The entire arena shook as mountains of marble came crashing down. I looked at the wreckage¨CGeon had destroyed half of the arena. The bleachers and the stadium wall had been blown away¡ªleaving nothing but a huge hole in the side of the stadium. My jaw dropped in awe as I saw everyone look on with a mix of adoration and fear. Taran was swept away and he frantically tried to maneuver himself in the air. Geon promptly raised his hand and slowly moved it towards the sky. Everyone looked confused as to what he was doing. I looked at the surrounding rubble and a light bulb went off in my head. He¡¯s weaponizing the floor.


    Thousands of pieces of stone start to lift into the sky. The rubble ascended to the top of the stadium, and filled the sky like dark disfigured stars. Taran had finally dropped down to the ground in a heavy thud and was still regaining his composure. Geon eyed him with a calm look. ¡°Don¡¯t look up,¡± Geon¡¯s voice sounded cold and sharp as he dropped his hands to his sides. The thousands of massive rubble pieces rocketed to the ground at impossibly high speeds. He¡¯s not just letting them fall, he¡¯s practically throwing them into the ground.


    I saw Taran panic as he pulled up his sword and began to slash in every direction. His blade gracefully cut through the rubble like he was cutting through soft clay. He balanced on his feet while turning and spinning¡ªslashing incoming projectiles. He was a whirlwind of blades as he slashed over his head, to his side, and across the front of his body in order to protect himself from Geon¡¯s mini meteor shower. But the rubble just kept coming down.


    Taran kept moving towards Geon but a rubble piece hit the corner of his blade¡ªcausing him to lose balance and fall forward. A huge marble stone hit Taran on the back of the head. He fell forward and dropped flat on the ground, and the rest of the rubble piled onto his body endlessly. Loud crashes spread through the arena as the stones had piled up upon Taran¡¯s body to the point where a rubble mountain¡ªabout three stories high¡ªhad been created upon him.


    ¡°Well ...that''s one way to deal with that¡±, I was in complete disbelief and everyone seemed to agree with my statement¡ªseeing as Lila and Evay were looking like they had just seen their life flash before their eyes.


    It¡¯s not over, that¡¯s for sure. I saw a flash of black lightning graze the top of the rubble, and a giant explosion resounded over the arena as the rubble pieces were scattered and shot out like high-speed bullets. Taran¡¯s head was down and his sword was slung over his shoulder. He was panting loudly and blood was strewn across his face.


    Taran managed to straighten himself, and got back up. Geon dashed towards him and jumped over Taran¡ªcausing him to look above himself. Geon flipped his body and moved his hand across the entirety of Taran¡¯s head without touching him, and suddenly Taran fell to the ground. I saw him gasping for air on one knee and suddenly his armor disappeared and his sword dropped to the floor. He can¡¯t breathe.


    ¡°You like that, it¡¯s Hydrogen Sulfide. Colorless gas that¡¯s poisonous to the human body. You can¡¯t breathe right now or you¡¯ll die¡ªsince this stuff even passes through liquor screens,¡± Geon talked in a psychotically calm voice. It was¡­.scary. He was sort of a troublemaker but he was well¡­.sweet. He was funny, and kind, and he cared for us when we needed him. He was nice to Lila and had spent a lot of time with her after we had gone to get ice cream¡ªwhich was roughly 3 weeks before school had started. I couldn¡¯t really catch her without him in those weeks, and he helped Evay out a lot too. Not to mention he would also train with me from time to time as well¡­..


    He was a good person, but seeing him now¡­..he looked exactly like who he was perceived to be. Taran got up and swung his sword aiming to slice Geon¡¯s neck from the side. Geon ducked it and turned over his shoulder¡ªkicking straight back into Taran¡¯s stomach. He was sent soaring across the ground.


    Taran regained his stance in the air and aimed for a stab into Geon¡¯s heart. Geon flew around the blade and landed a roundhouse to Taran¡¯s face¡ªlaunching him to the left. He flew towards Geon and he held out his hand¡ªreleasing a spiraling blast of blue flame and electricity which mixed to form an azure column of death.


    Taran¡¯s sword produced fans as its sides, which expanded to make the once sword turn into a circular shield. He took the blast which knocked the shield away and hit Taran square in the chest. He was launched backwards and burned as well as electrocuted. Geon didn¡¯t waste any time as he followed up his hit with a blast that propelled himself towards Taran. He used his momentum to land a high speed flying sidekick into Taran¡¯s solar plexus¡ªwhich caused his mouth to open wide and his eyes to swell with pain


    Taran hit the deck and fell into a sprawling position. He summoned his sword in a flash of lightning and tried to jab Geon''s chest. Geon raised his hand and


    a wall of metal was immediately erected in front of his body. Taran hadn¡¯t imbued any lightning onto his sword in a panic so the blade harmlessly bounced off the huge wall. With a wave Geon took the wall down and walked towards the still sitting Taran.


    He looked like a tiger stalking down its cornered prey. Taran was already beaten to a pulp and was sitting on the ground. Geon suddenly snapped his fingers and a misty white smoke came billowing out from under his feet. He slowly walked in a menacing stroll towards Taran who looked on with a defeated glare.


    The wisps of white smoke began to crawl over Taran¡¯s body as Geon reached Taran¡¯s feet and squatted down to his eye level. ¡°That stuff is liquid nitrogen. It took me a while to be able to draw out any element in different states of matter, but it wasn¡¯t too hard to master,¡± Geon didn¡¯t have a single hint of warmth in his eyes as he talked to the half-unconscious Taran. ¡°You¡¯ll begin to lose feeling in your fingers and your toes will turn blue. Unless you give up.¡±


    I saw the liquid nitrogen start to cause frost bites and redness on the legs of Taran, and at this point it was over. Geon increased the output of the liquid nitrogen and small black spots began to form on  Taran¡¯s body. Finally after what felt like an eternity,  Taran¡¯s body glowed purple. Professor Vylen flicked his hand and sent Taran back up. He fed him another medical leaf and he was also shipped off to the hospital.


    ¡°Well he sure is something huh,¡±I heard the Professor mumble under his breath in a barely audible voice. ¡°That concludes the second match¡ªwe¡¯ll have a couple more. I¡¯d like to see some more of you guys spar today and more will go tomorrow. Now let¡¯s see, who wants to go next?¡±


    Evay Maver: I looked on with an amazed face as Geon defeated his last opponent. He went six and zero in today''s class¡­..which meant he could skip school today. Since this was a warrior school, sparring and combat class took up most of the day, but everyone except Geon still had some other  classes left.


    ¡°Okay Mr.Leventen I will notify the school and you can go enjoy your day. Tomorrow I will see the other half of class spar. You have ten minutes to get to your next class¡ªdon¡¯t be late¡±, Professor Vylen disappeared into thin air and everyone made their way to the gates. We all made our way to Geon and met up at the front exit.


    ¡°Well Mr.Undefeated you¡¯re going to ditch us today for the student bars aren¡¯t you?¡± Lila teased him as we all laughed and looked at Geon. He gave us a grin and walked with us down the street to our next class.


    ¡°Yeah you guys just aren¡¯t cutting it for me, maybe I¡¯ll just have to go find some stronger friends you know?¡± Geon mocked us in a sarcastic voice before Lila gave him a good shove. ¡°I have nothing better to do so I may as well go to my other classes right? Besides, the bars don¡¯t open this early,¡± we had reached another marble building. This one had strong and tall pillars supporting its flat rooftop.


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    This was supposed to be our history class¡ªwhich I was interested in learning more about. It would get me up to speed and help me not be so clueless about everything happening in our world. We had several practical classes¡ªas they called them¡ªwere subjects we would learn at normal school. Mathematics, sciences, and history were all they offered¡ªwhich was pretty bare. I guess they are training to fight, not to study¡­..We all sat down and listened as Professor Yinsen gave us the rundown of our course guidelines, class rules, and overall curriculum. Nothing really surprised me and I saw Geon doze off a little until I tossed a crumpled paper at him to keep him awake.


    Can we just get to the actual stuff already? I was getting impatient when he gave us our textbooks and told us to open it to the first page. The introductory information was basic but when we reached the later parts of the lesson it sped up a little.


    ¡°Our empire is very young, an infant in the vast sea of elderly powerhouses among our Earth. But we have begun to grow at unprecedented rates. Beginning this process was our emperor¡ªEmperor Varun Batara,¡± so that¡¯s his name. ¡°He comes from a long line of powerful rulers and we will be examining the long history of this family today,¡± his is going to be interesting.


    ¡°The Imperial house, house Bataral, is the most powerful house in the entire empire. They were led by Emperor Shau from the beginning and he was at the forefront of the independent movement against Sugul. The Sugul empire was almost 3000 years old before the coup and their emperor¡ªemperor Zoltan¡ªwas pretty much invincible. However, with a group of nationalist and his generational power he managed to successfully complete an uprising.¡± This sounds pretty¡­..romanticized. ¡°But¡­¡­it wasn¡¯t all sunshine like your former teachers have taught you,¡± Professor Yinsen moved to the front of his desk and leaned back on it with a sudden serious glare. ¡°You¡¯ve all learned that our empire is the greatest, born of innocence, made with just law,¡± he looked around the room to students with looks of anticipation. ¡°We¡¯ll start to think more broadly if you ever want to pass this class,¡± he elegantly walked back behind his desk and talked in that same calm voice again.


    ¡°History is written by the winners. But if we want to learn anything from history it¡¯s important to realize that the truth is pretty much a lost cause. If you want the truth there are a lot of those lying around everywhere. Two people can have two truths, so which one is the right one?¡± he held his hands up to the class. Well I don¡¯t think anyone can answer that one¡­..Helooked straight at me right out of the blue. I felt my heart pound¡­..Did I not look right? Did I say something out loud without me knowing?


    ¡°Mr.Maver, correct?¡± I looked at him and gave him a frightened nod. ¡°Will you perhaps tackle that question?¡± I saw everyone¡¯s faces stare at me with a curious stare. I looked at the top of the billboard and tried not to make eye contact with anyone.


    ¡°Um¡­well¡±, how do I even answer this? ¡°So if that¡¯s the question I think that,¡± the Professor¡¯s look didn¡¯t change, ¡°I think that whoever¡¯s idea captivates the most people and is in the interest of the most people is the correct one,¡±  there was radio silence.


    Was that a good answer? I mean what isn¡¯t a good answer? To my surprise the Professor gave me an approving nod. He didn¡¯t smile but¡­..it could¡¯ve been a lot worse. He looked at the class and gave them another look. ¡°What Mr.Maver said was true. I mean that¡¯s what ¡°good intentions¡± are right? However I also pose this question. Wasn¡¯t it in the interests of the people of Sugul to brutally murder the innocent villages and civilians of the Villow region¡ªthe region which would eventually form our empire? Wasn¡¯t it in the best interests of the Taegan uprisers when they burned the capital of Sugul to the ground?¡± a couple of my classmates murmured in quiet shocked voices.


    ¡°But sir, I thought the capital was burned because of a stray cannon fire from the Sugul soldiers?¡± a boy from the back of the room looked troubled and had his eyes on the Professor.


    ¡°Yes Mr.Fetter, but have you realized that Sugul actually fought against enemy forces from the south who were of the Desmona empire. It was a war on two fronts and since we were just a small radical group almost all weapons were stationed in the south to fight Desmona. Cannons powerful enough to light an entire capital on fire were certainly not kept back at home,¡± the boy looked down at his feet but still had that troubled look on his face.


    ¡°You see, what we focus on here is not just learning dates, facts, and accomplishments and who did them¡­¡­We learn about what consequences they had and what we can learn from them. What we can throw away and what we can keep. After all, what¡¯s the point in looking at the past if it won¡¯t do anything for us in the present or in the future,¡± he dropped his pen inside a pencil holder cup and clapped his hands. ¡°It¡¯s been 80 minutes so you are free to leave for lunch. Your assignments will be mailed to your dorms. Have a nice day and I¡¯ll see you in two days,¡± the bells in the courtyard rang and everyone got up to leave. I packed my bags and met up with my friends. I gave Geon a look and we both knew that our looks meant, well that wasn¡¯t what we expected. Lila and Aurora seemed to be a little shaken up but they were both talking about where to eat lunch. ¡°Hey, you guys want lunch?¡± Lila asked us and pointed in the direction of the restaurants. ¡°I heard there¡¯s a great place here, come on.¡± Geon looked really hungry and so we found ourselves walking down the street amongst a mass of students.


    We finally made it to the curb when we turned the corner and saw the sandwich shop. ¡°Here I¡¯ll get us the food, you guys wait,¡± Geon walked into the store and we sat on the bench waiting for us. I leaned back and saw three people heading our way. They didn¡¯t look like¡­..model students. The two on the side had an absurd height difference. The tall one had long black hair that fell to his shoulders and a black leather jacket. The shorter one had a black vest and golden hair that was spiked up all over his head. Finally the one in the middle seemed to be the one in charge.


    He wasn¡¯t quite tall or short but he was slim and slightly scrawny. He had honey colored hair that laid flat on the top of his head that covered all of his ears and all of the back of his neck. His bangs were high on his head and looked like an eagle stretching its wings.


    I felt a sense of fire surge from my chest. It was a weird feeling¡­.I hadn¡¯t ever met this guy before but suddenly¡­I hated him.


    ¡°Hey Lila, how¡¯s your sister?¡± the middle boy smiled and laughed as he spoke to her. Lila stood up and glared so hatefully that I thought she was going to kill me if I moved a finger.


    ¡°I thought you wouldn''t apply here,¡± Lila spoke in a deadly tone. ¡°You promised that you would stay away from anyone I ever cared about so you have some guts showing up to this school you piece of sh-¡°


    He whistled, ¡°aggressive.¡± The boy smiled and raised his hands up in sarcastic defeat. ¡°Yeah there was a change of plans. Just because you¡¯re here that doesn¡¯t legally mean I can¡¯t be here,¡± Lila¡¯s gaze burned through the air and me and Aurora both looked at each other with a worried stare. He smiled, ¡°and plus, fuck the law, right?¡±


    Ren grabbed a chair and spun it around so that the back of the chair was facing us. He sat down, putting his arms on the top of the chair¡¯s back. ¡°You have legal restraining orders against me that tell me to stay away from your father, mother, brother, and, of course, your dear old sister,¡± he gave Lila a smile laced with malice and lust, ¡°But apparently there¡¯s no requirement I stay away from you. So I can still go here and¡­¡­do whatever I want¡±, he stood up and Lila did the same. They stared each other down, Ren smiling and Lila glaring daggers into his soul.


    There was a long pause that seemed to last about an eternity.


    ¡°Yeah? And what¡¯s stopping me from blowing your damn face off you filthy rapist,¡± the air was silent. Everyone looked to be on edge and no one even moved a muscle. My breathing quickened as I looked at Ren who slowly lost his smile. I felt my own blood boil and my heart race. A lot of the people in my village had suffered the same fate. The nobles didn¡¯t treat us as people¡ªwe were simply products. Products that were dispensable, products that were only good for whatever wretched reality they wanted us to live in. I thought I had escaped that reality when I came here, but it turns out I had just stepped into a new form of it.


    Then the memories came up¡­¡­..


    I couldn¡¯t move. My head pounded, my heart raced, my eyes began to go dark, and my head began to split open. No not these, please not these, please, please, I have to help Lila. Not now, not¡­.now.


    ¡°We both know what happens if you kill me, idiot. My family simply hunts down every last one of your family members and rips them limb for limb. Then the press will tell the people that Lila Fairheart attacked an esteemed member of house Nova out of revenge and anger. Of course the story about your sister will be turned into a story of how one of our guards, whom we will make up and say we officially terminated, wronged you by cheating you of money. Then we¡¯ll be in the clear with little negative backlash, and you¡¯ll just be even more¡­.dead,¡± Ren spoke in a dead calm and emotionless voice. He was speaking like this fantasy was something that was actually possible¡ªnot just some sick fever dream. He didn¡¯t care about what happened to Lila¡¯s sister or her¡­.He¡¯s an absolute psychopath.


    Lila kept her cool on the outside, but it looked like she wanted to rip every cell out of Ren¡¯s body. Strange green markings started to appear on her arms as Ren walked forward and shoved his face into Lila¡¯s¡ªleaving a sliver of space in between their faces. ¡°And kindly stay off of me if you don¡¯t want another episode of what happened with your sister,¡± it seemed that Lila had had enough. She raised her hand and her killing intent could be felt in the room. Ren backed up and prepared to fight. Then, an even stronger force overpowered Lila¡¯s. It was a force like no other. Killing intent wasn¡¯t enough to describe it¡ªit was like the same feeling I had felt with noble Wyren back at home. I felt the pressure in the air and it was enough to make my knees buckle. The air seemed to thicken and the very light shining in our eyes seemed to be blocked out. I couldn¡¯t breath, sweat rolled down my face, and I was frozen in place. I felt the power drain out of my arms and suddenly, I was unable to do anything. I was just another bag of bones and flesh as I looked upon Geon¡ªthe source of all this power.


    He looked like he was calm but I knew he didn¡¯t feel like that on the inside. He set down his paper bag onto the table and marched towards Ren. Ren¡¯s face wasn¡¯t so confident anymore. I could see the sweat beads on his forehead and the look of anger, which he used to mask his fear. His eyes were so wide that they almost looked comical, and unwillingly, he had fallen onto his back and was now looking up at Geon. Geon didn¡¯t say anything as he stared at Ren with an emotionless glare, ¡°So you¡¯re the emperor¡¯s brat nephew?¡± Ren couldn¡¯t say anything as he quietly looked up at Geon. He looked absolutely terrified and was doing his best to hide his trembling hands. ¡°Man, if my father looked at you he¡¯d almost be proud of me¨Cwhich is saying a lot,¡± Geon knelt down to the ground and came face to face with the terrified Ren. He spoke in an emotionless tone, ¡°If you think you can run around and start fights with people just because of your blood then you can go and jump off of a bridge. Warriors only win or lose based on how strong they are¡ªno one gives a damn about your pops.¡± Geon grabbed onto Ren¡¯s shirt collar and spoke again, ¡°And even if you do tell your father¡ªgood luck, because I¡¯ll face them, I¡¯ll kill them all, and you probably shouldn''t bet against me,¡± Geon shoved Ren back into his friend¡¯s arms. They couldn¡¯t move as each of them just stared at Geon with a look of fear, ¡°Piss off, and don¡¯t come back,¡± each of them walked in separate directions as Geon opened up the sandwich bag and gave us our food with a sad stare.


    ¡°I''m sorry that I got you into trouble Geon. Actually sorry to all of you guys too,¡± I could hear the strain and tears in Lila¡¯s face as Geon turned around and gave her a hug. Geon finally lowered his guard and everything seemed to clear up. I could breath again and my hands stopped feeling cold and clammy. I looked on as Aurora was comforting Lila and Geon was sitting on our bench.


    ¡°Lila, I know that secrets like that are painful,and I hope you know that we¡¯ll help you with anything you need,¡± she looked up at me with red eyes. I saw most of the students dawn the same look of relief as they all laughed and talked and headed back to class¡ªnot knowing exactly what had just happened. Looks like Geon¡¯s aura reached quite far. Lila looked at me and spoke in a small voice, ¡°The only way you¡¯ll help me is if you can somehow change the past or kill that guy,¡± she looked at the ground while she spoke. I gave her a sad look and felt my heart struggle. I realized that Lila¡­..that was me. I had been running from nobles my whole life. I had been faced with so many things that I wish had never happened and I had no power to fix any of it. Then I got my golden ticket to that problem when I came here. An ultra rare blueprint, special classes, liquor, and safety. But at the same time I didn¡¯t really want to fight for revenge anymore. I just wanted to get strong to go to the tournament. To spend time with my friends¡­..these friends.


    I can help her. I¡­.can¡­.


    I felt light headed. Did I hold my breath or something? My eyes began to close as my head seemed to stop working. What did I do now? My legs turned to water as I collapsed onto the ground. I heard Aurora, Geon, and Lila shout in surprise as my breathing grew even shallower and I blacked out once again.

 Chapter 14: Special Training

    I heard a familiar voice ring out around me. I opened my eyes and saw the bottom half of two figures. One had baggy ivory white pants which had an absurd amount of folds and the other figure was wearing a beautiful turquoise dress. I felt drowsy and my entire head felt like it was inside a pool of syrup. I could barely see and it felt like that dream¡­..that dream I had so long ago. Why am I dreaming right now?


    But my attention quipped when I heard one of the figures speak. I assumed the person in the dress was a woman and judging by their voice I was right. Her voice sounded smooth but commanding, authoritative, and confident. She sounded like she was a military general¡ªready to give orders. Meanwhile the other figure sounded like a man¡ªand he was much more¡­..carefree.


    He sounded like he didn¡¯t really care about anyone or anything. He sounded calm, cool, confident, but also so apathetic it made you feel like giving up on everything you ever dreamed of. I paid closer attention to their conversation, ¡°Listen, don''t worry about it, I can deal with some human kid,¡± the man spoke to the lady while tapping his feet.


    ¡°No actually, I don¡¯t think you can. You¡¯ve been dropping all sorts of responsibilities, tasks, and even the allotted land you were given. You have failed to take any sort of measure for any of your consequences,¡± she sounded stern and serious as she stood her ground. Even though she was much more dignified I could tell that this other guy was an absolute powerhouse. More than any human I¡¯ve ever known¡ªit almost felt like he was¡­..something else.


    ¡°Yeah well, I got the kid right?¡° the atmosphere changed. He straightened up and stopped tapping his feet, ¡°I¡¯d also like to remind you that I was the one who successfully implanted the test-print into the peasant boy¡¯s body. Your team and your family have actually given the credit to yourselves though,¡± the woman was suddenly the jittery one. The man now talked in a terrifying voice which seemed calm on the surface but secretly felt like an ice pike slowly poking into my chest.


    ¡°We¡­..covered that up. You couldn¡¯t have known since we¡ª¡°


    ¡°Since we kept that information private until I left for Nitala? Yes I know. Except for the fact that I am one of the four and have access to the know-hows of all meetings. Also, it¡¯s not hard to filter out the situation. You guys are in need of positive public attention after last moon¡¯s whole fiasco and there¡¯s only one man who lets people past the border¡ªwho happens to be your relative,¡± the woman¡¯s body visibly slumped and the man¡¯s voice was now even more clear and intimidating. ¡°So you keep my little secret or your positive press goes out of the metaphorical and physical window. Because if you tell the high throne my plans you will die by my hands, do you understand me?¡± The woman seemed to nod and walk away. Suddenly the figure turned towards me and I felt my insides turn to ice. ¡°How is this possible,¡± he sped up and kept getting closer to me. I was curious about this dream and this person¡¯s secret but it really felt like it was time to go. I felt myself waking up and being sucked back into reality. The figure stopped and seemed to be staring back at me before my vision went completely black.


    I sat upright at the speed of lightning and looked around to find myself in a hospital bed. I had a back of liquor connected to my arm through a small tube and some water bags hooked up to my arms as well. I looked around the white hospital room and it wasn¡¯t the most exciting room in the world. There was one table by the window and a couple of cabinets in the corner of the room. There was a large window along the front wall¡ªletting me see everything that was happening in the hallways.


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    Next to my bed was a small cabinet with a picture frame on top of it. The picture frame had a simple picture of a heart and a get well soon message on it. Well that must be a hassle¡­putting all those paintings in for every room must be cumbersome. But then I saw a small bouquet of flowers in a white cloth that rested beside the picture frame. The flowers were blue¡ªwith soft white middles and a bright green stem. They came in clumps of 5 and were fairly large. I picked them up and leaned back into my bed. We didn¡¯t have a lot of nice flowers in my hometown¨Cthey were mostly weeds but we had the occasional rose or two. But I still couldn¡¯t help but admire how pretty it was. The soft petals seemed to dance around my fingers as their delicate touch eased my emotions. I looked at the small tag placed around one of the stems. I squinted and looked at it closely.


    To: Evay Maver


    From: Aurora Maple


    These cost a lot so don¡¯t kill them.


    Ps: Don¡¯t die.


    I smiled and read the letter again. I looked out the window and pulled the flowers to my chest¡ªholding them close to my heart. After my joys though, I did have to wonder. Is what happened such a big deal? People pass out all the time right? I wondered why everyone was so jumpy. I wasn¡¯t complaining about the flowers but still¡­..


    Then suddenly a nurse with blonde hair came into my room and gave me a smile, ¡°I see you awake, that¡¯s good. I¡¯ve been meaning to tell you about well¡­.your situation,¡± he came near my bed and sat down in a chair. ¡°You passing out had no effect on your health whatsoever. This is confusing since your vitals and your overall wellness are actually very good. Way too good for someone who passed out just a day ago. More than that, you passing out seems to have been caused by the overuse of your blueprint. Have you been training too much by any chance?¡±


    ¡°No, I actually haven¡¯t even started yet,¡± she gave me a nod and wrote something down on a notepad. ¡°Ok well you might be using your blueprint unknowingly. Having it activated enough to cause someone to pass out means that you¡¯ve had yours activated all day,¡± I sat there in confusion.


    I don¡¯t even know what my powers do. How am I supposed to be able to know if I¡¯m using them too much?


    ¡°Um well¡­.this is all pretty new,¡± I gave her a nervous laugh before she gave me a reassuring smile.


    ¡°Yes, but we believe there is some worse news,¡± she had a solemn look on her face and I was prepared for the worst. ¡°Your¡­¡­case is not abnormal but it is severe in the sense that your body seems to be physically deteriorating from this overuse. We don¡¯t know why this is happening as your blueprint is basically part of your body but we know that if this keeps happening¡­¡­.you will die very quickly. Liquor ability overuse is a very common cause of death amongst warriors,¡± I sat there and looked at her a bit before leaning back in my bed.


    ¡°So I have to know how to control this or¡­..I die?¡± she gave me a nod.


    ¡°You will most likely pass out several times before you can control your blueprint. You will need to go to your supplemental classes right away as well. Right now you aren¡¯t in the worst condition but you will be missing classes for a couple weeks. Just focusing on the matter at hand is more important than regular school,¡± I gave her a look that told her I wasn¡¯t ready to miss a whole two weeks of classes.


    She sighed and put her hand on my hand, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Evay, but your time here is limited if you don¡¯t start this therapy. It¡¯s a miracle you haven¡¯t passed out at all before. Please understand that we need you to recover first, ok?¡± I looked at her and gave her a small nod. She smiled sadly and got up out of her chair.


    ¡°Your friends will still be able to visit, but there won¡¯t be a lot of time. We¡¯d still like for you to be happy even in this environment. Please tell me if you need anything,¡± she walked out of the room and I was left with my thoughts.


    Why was this happening all of a sudden? What was my dream? What was my skill? I haven¡¯t had any liquor ever so how could I control my abilities?


    What was I? I have so many questions but I just keep getting more questions as an answer.


    I¡¯m tired. I just slept but I felt like I was trying to carry the weight of a mountain upon my shoulders. I rolled onto my side and stared out of the window. One step at a time¡­..one step at a time.

 Chapter 15: Lessons with the Professor

    I didn¡¯t really know what to think about all this¡­¡­


    ¡°If I can master this, I basically won¡¯t have to worry about getting hit at all right sir?¡± Professor Vylen looked at me and nodded. We had been training for about 3 weeks now and I had pretty much died at every single drill he had given me. My physical abilities weren''t on par with any of my fellow classmates so I needed to sort that situation out first. I also found out that it was Professor Vylen who was going to be teaching me at my supplemental classes. Which was¡­¡­.not good. Well, he wasn¡¯t bad, but his training regiment was¡­


    ¡°Yes, so let¡¯s get started then, come on now no stalling,¡± I sighed and faced the Professor. Yeah, not like we just did training an hour ago¡­The Professor was a good man just not good at realizing humans need to like¡­.breath during exercise.


    ¡°First we need to figure out how you¡¯re going to turn off your blueprint. Thankfully, this is the easy part,¡± I looked at him¨Cready to obtain the information which would save my life.


    ¡°Just loosen up your core muscles,¡± he said it so nonchalantly that I thought he was joking. He kept staring at me and I looked at him with doubt.


    ¡°Yeah it¡¯s that easy. Don¡¯t overthink it,¡± I relaxed my core and tried to make it so that it felt like I was floating on an open pond. Now that I thought about it, ever since the festival I¡¯d been feeling kind of on edge. Was this that?


    Suddenly I felt my body relax. It was like a wave of cool water had just washed over me on a scorching hot day. My arms, legs, and face seemed to all simultaneously loosen and that nagging burden that was constantly on my shoulders was gone. I felt much better for the first time in a month. ¡°You see, the easy part,¡± Professor Vylen looked and he handed me some water¡ªwhich I took a sip of. ¡°Your body was constantly tense and that was probably because you had your blueprint up all the time. You should relax once in a while, don¡¯t act like danger is at every corner.¡± I sighed silently in relief. Nice, I¡¯m not going to die.


    ¡°But that was the easy part. Now comes you getting better at this whole gig. Firstly we need to beef you up a bit more so start by giving me 200 push-ups,¡± I spit out my water and looked at him with crazy eyes. ¡°Yeah your body needs more work than I thought. So we¡¯ll do that then do special training. Come on, don¡¯t slack,¡± I sighed and started to do the push-ups.


    This sucks¡­..a lot.


    I nearly died as I dropped to the floor. We had gone through Professor Vylen¡¯s physical training and my body felt like it was going to stop existing. I wanted to throw up but I was too tired to do that. The push-ups were pretty much a warm up since we did another 500 sit-ups, another fifteen kilometer run, and log squats¡ªwhich involved me doing squats with a log on my shoulders. Apparently this was a pretty easy routine for all the students at this school and surprisingly, that didn¡¯t shock me. I nearly inhaled an entire barrel of water and sprawled onto the floor. ¡°Alright take ten minutes, come back and we work on that blueprint of yours,¡± I laid there for the entire ten minutes and didn¡¯t say a word.


    The Professor walked off and I continued to stay down¨Ctrying to cling to life. The sun shone in my eyes and tiny bugs started to swarm around my face¨Csensing the heat and sweat coming off my body. I stood up¨Cwith difficulty¨Cand limped towards the Professor¡¯s cabin. I need more water, give me water please, please, please¡­..


    I peered into the tiny wooden shack that the Professor used as his living quarters. He was sitting down¨Cwith his back facing me¨Cas he burned some incense in a black stone pot. In front of the pot was a picture of a group of people. Two of the people in the picture looked to be young children and the person in the middle also looked to be young¨Cmaybe a teenager. The teenager in the middle looked like Professor Vylen¨Cwho had his arms around the two younger children in the picture. I couldn¡¯t see his expression and his body language didn¡¯t change in the slightest, but I could sense that he wasn¡¯t his usual stern self. He sighed and stood up. He made his way towards the door when I tripped over a rock. He opened the door and looked at me¨Csprawled on the floor.


    ¡°Stand up, let¡¯s get you some skills in your bag.¡± I faced the Professor and he pondered for a moment before putting his hands in his pockets. The other Professors gave off a gentle and endearing aura, but Professor Vylen gave off a sort of¡­¡­icy feeling. He was cold and calculated, never too expressive but not psychotic. He wasn¡¯t the best at feelings but he was also someone that I had actually grown to trust. But even so I didn¡¯t really know what to expect from this at all. He suddenly threw a fast right hand straight at my face. It was so quick I didn¡¯t even have time to react and I just tensed up¡ªwaiting for the impact. An impact that never came.


    I looked up and a shimmering golden barrier was put up between me and the Professor¡¯s fist. My jaw dropped and I stumbled backwards. ¡°Hold on, why haven¡¯t I always been able to do that?¡± I looked in utter shock towards Professor Vylen who gave me a shrug.


    ¡°Your defenses are related to your reflexes¡ªthat¡¯s my best guess. Your blueprint isn¡¯t an extremely rare one for no reason.. I mean automatic defense means that you''re pretty much¡­..invincible.¡± I looked at him and laughed a little. But he didn¡¯t laugh at all.


    ¡°Wait you''re being serious,¡± he nodded and waved his hand¡ªresulting in a chair being teleported into the room. He sat down and crossed his legs.


    ¡°Well if you can¡¯t get hit that¡¯s pretty invincible right? I doubt that this is all your blueprint is good for either so you¡¯ve got some serious firepower in your hands Evay. You want to make the tournament roster right?¡± I looked at him with a slightly surprised look but I nodded.


    ¡°Listen, it¡¯s not a surprise to you or me really, but I can almost guarantee you that Geon is going to get a spot on the team. That Aurora girl is also a very high candidate. We¡¯ve also never had a healer before in a team, and neither has any team from any other school ever. Fairheart is also in very high regard because of her gift.¡± Huh well that gives me a clue to what Lila¡¯s skills are¡­..


    ¡°What I¡¯m trying to tell you is that you can use this as motivation to work towards a spot. Your friends are waiting for you right? There¡¯s nothing more motivating than fighting for the people you¡¯ve lived and laughed with. So each time you fall, remember them,¡± the Professor gave me a nod and he started to walk out.


    ¡°Evay¡±, I looked at him and he gave me a kind look. ¡°Your friends say they miss you by the way. Aurora and Geon are on a 20 match win streak. Lila¡¯s on her third.¡± He walked out and I smiled. Even if my body felt like it was going to crumble at any second¡­¡­¡­


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    I smiled.


    That smile didn¡¯t last long when training started the next day.


    Redirecting, I hate redirecting, this redirecting thing is really fu¡ª


    ¡°Evay concentrate. This is the only thing we can give you that can actually do damage. So unless you want to just be a team-player, get your head out of the gutter.¡± I sighed and took a deep breath. I had told the Professor that I figured out how to redirect damage thrown at me. I had done it at the house a long time ago when I had redirected the gentle breeze to increase the flames on the stove. However, redirecting things such as boulders was a lot harder.


    We were outside amidst the trees, and a bright blue stream ran under our feet. I felt the cool water calm my body as I looked at the beautiful green scenery. Such a nice place for such a bad moment¡­..The Professor raised his hands and teleported a rock above my head. It came flying down and I tried my hardest to redirect it. Push it back, push it back, push it back¡­¡­I didn¡¯t just tense up my body to activate my barrier, I actively shifted my weight up¨Ctowards the falling rock¨Cand tired with every fiber of my being to somehow force my shield to reflect the damage it was about to receive. I looked above me and the rock nearly landed on my head but it stopped right above it.


    It was like the giant boulder had just hit an invisible ceiling on top of my face. This is my chance.


    I raised my arms and jumped slightly to shift my weight towards the rock above me, and it launched itself forward¡ªinto the depths of the forest. I threw myself onto the ground and panted loudly in exhaustion as Professor Vylen caught me mid-fall. I looked at him and smiled a little. ¡°Well look at that, I¡¯m not such a terrible student after all,¡± the Professor smirked at my sarcastic comment before giving me some water.


    ¡°Yes, except that was your forty-seventh try,¡± he smiled at me and I sighed a little bit.


    ¡°Yeah but that¡¯s got to count for something right? Like full marks for effort?¡± I looked at him hopefully and he just turned around with a slight laugh.


    ¡°Honestly you¡¯re not doing that bad. We¡¯ve been at this for two hours and for you to even get it somewhat is a miracle.¡± He looked at me with a slightly worried expression. I wondered what was up, but then realized I had blood running down my nose. I also looked at myself in the river and saw a ghost looking back at me. I had gained some muscle and weight but I looked pretty terrible otherwise. My hair was a mess, my eyes were bloodshot and red, my lips were cut and extremely dry, my face was pale, and I had two large bags under my eyes.


    ¡°You were given enough food, water, and time to sleep and recover. You¡¯ve also gotten stronger since we first did these drills so you¡¯re not critically exhausted,¡± he sounded like he was thinking more than talking to me. He came to a point of realization, ¡°Have you been sleeping well lately? We¡¯ve given you enough time to sleep but have you actually been sleeping, and not staying awake for nine hours?¡± I thought for a second and realized that was why I was probably feeling so tired from this training.


    Ah so this is what Lila meant by saying sleep deprivation is harmful to your training¡­.


    ¡°Yeah, I haven¡¯t been able to sleep a lot lately. I think it¡¯s because of the weird adjustment between classes and this,¡±I lied but I knew I couldn¡¯t hide it from him. He gave me a stare before sitting down on a log, ¡°You haven¡¯t seen your friends or any other people besides the staff here for nearly four weeks. Your initial recovery time wasn¡¯t ideal so it had to be extended, but seeing the same people for a month straight has to be a bit taxing. You miss your regular life, I don¡¯t blame you,¡± I gave him a nod and he stood up. ¡°Well maybe I can arrange something. I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯ll be out of here in a week and a half so you can go see your friends in class then,¡± I smiled brightly and gave the Professor a very excited and slightly aggressive handshake.


    ¡°Thank you sir! I¡¯m kind of missing regular life, you know?¡± I laughed slightly and he sighed.


    ¡°Well you still need to focus for these couple of weeks so I think I need to find a way for you to do that¡­Let¡¯s see¡­..Oh I¡¯ll bring you Aurora and you two can talk for a bit.¡± I spit out the water that I had been drinking.


    The Professor raised his eyebrows and stared at me. ¡°No? I thought that would make you the happiest?¡±


    ¡°No, yes, no¡­.No. Sir, please don¡¯t do that. I will focus and do everything you want for these few days no problem.¡±


    ¡°Hm. Well don¡¯t you really like this Aurora girl? I noticed that you purposely tried to sit next to her in class, you still have her flowers and note card, and you always ask about her matches before any other of your classmates,¡± I felt my face then red and I sat down on a rock with my hands in my face.


    The Professor laughed a little and sighed, ¡°Young love, huh? You are still young, with many things to do and places to see, people to meet, and a life to live. Focus on your training so you can become who you want to be,¡± I nodded. I could tell he really meant those words but he also spoke with a hint of sadness and regret in his voice. It was almost like he had never gotten to be young, or do all the things he said I should do¡­He motioned for me to move.


    ¡°Come on, get washed and get some rest. We will do more tomorrow,¡± I nodded gratefully and went back to my room¨Cpassing out on my bed.


    Shit.


    I dodged another right hook narrowly as I almost got hit with another massive tree that was thrown right at my face. The Professor finally incorporated sparring into our training on top of endurance workouts, and I struggled to move my limbs after every training day.


    We had been sparring a lot these past few days and it really sucked¡­..Like a lot.


    Professor Vylen never told me what his skills were but I deduced that it was something to do with teleporting objects. Whether that be humans or giant trees¡­He flashed in a burst of purple light and teleported behind me. I tensed my body and activated my shield just in time to block a devastating side kick. The air generated from the kick tore up the ground beneath us. I flipped backwards and landed on my feet before activating my shield again as I blocked a boulder the size of an elephant. I needed to attack and not just defend. I had learned that your blueprint could be used to not just grant you abilities, but boost your overall physical strength as well. Everyone that was a warrior knew how to do this and it was pretty easy to figure out¨Ceven for someone like me. But it didn¡¯t really matter since the Professor was stronger than me anyway.


    A blast of sharp rocks came swirling at me from a distance and I redirected them towards the Professor. I jumped and rapidly dashed forward in the chaos to catch him, but he teleported away. I preemptively used my shield and his punch bounced away harmlessly. I jumped behind him and tossed a giant log toward his back. He teleported behind me, but I knew it was coming. I turned around before he had teleported and threw a back kick to his torso. The strike grazed his shirt before he teleported away. That was my chance¡­..


    I felt the ground open up and a huge patch of earth was teleported away from under my feet. I felt myself fall and reached out to grab onto the remaining ledge of earth. I felt my hand slip and my body rocket towards the ground.


    I closed my eyes¨Cready to accept another loss. So 0-4 it is, huh.


    Suddenly I felt my body lift. I opened my eyes and saw myself suspended in the air. My face filled with shock as my feet were dangling underneath me. I felt light and majestic as my body had suddenly defied gravity. The Professor looked down with a surprised expression and I knew I had been gifted another chance. I soared up to the Professor and activated my shield. He instinctively threw a destructive straight right to my head which I redirected into his face. The full force of the shockwave generated from his punch hit him in the head as he recoiled. I flew straight into him and tackled him in a bear-hug. He tried to teleport away but I encased both of us in my shield. His face filled with confusion as he slowly began to realize what was happening.


    ¡°If you¡¯re in my barrier sir, you play by my rules,¡± I smirked as we were still tumbling in the air and wrestling to get the upper hand. I began to fly higher, and higher, and higher until I reached well above the tree line of the forest we were dueling in.


    I saw the luscious green canopy and the river which we previously trained in. The water level is low so the rocks will take the full force of our dive¡­.


    I flew up even higher than took a deep breath. Here we go¡­..


    I took a nose dive into the river. The Professor was still trying to free himself but I held on with my life. I kept falling, and falling, and falling. We were picking up speed at an extremely fast pace, and I could see the water getting closer. I closed my eyes and used the last bit of my power to accelerate. Not now, not now, not now, not now. Finally I was close enough so that I could reach out and touch the water. Now.


    I deactivated my shield and followed through. I felt the full force of my body slam into the hard rocks, and I felt my insides jumble. My vision went dark and pain flared all around my body. Alright, please give me this one.

 Chapter 16: Back in action

    I woke up and found myself back inside my sleeping quarters. The Professor was at my side and he was sitting on a chair with a slight scratch on his left cheek. He saw me wake up and sighed with relief. ¡°Well that was one way to do it,¡± he gave me a glass of water¡ªwhich I drank quickly.


    ¡°Did I win?¡± He gave me a laugh and told me the news.


    ¡°Well I teleported away at the last millisecond, but not before a small part of my face reached the ground. So no, but considering how I probably would have lost if you had just cut it closer¡­.I¡¯ll give it to you.¡± I sat back in my bed and nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s not really a win but I guess it¡¯s better than a loss,¡± he got up and stared out of the window.


    ¡°When I was very young, I had two siblings¨Ca brother and a sister. You saw my pictures right,¡± my heart dropped. He chuckled slightly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t mind. Me and my siblings always fought. Since I was the oldest child, they always did everything in their power to annoy me. I bossed them around and we always competed in various different things. My siblings could never beat me at anything they tried but that never stopped them from well¡­trying. What I¡¯m trying to tell you is that there will always be someone that has lost more than you, fought more than you, and therefore knows more than you. You must learn from your failures, Evay, that I require of you.¡± I nodded. He turned around and spoke in a lighter tone.


    ¡°Well good news. You¡¯re going home. Classes will start again tomorrow,¡± I looked at him and had to process what he had just said for a second. I jumped up off the bed and my face lit up with joy. ¡°Really! Nice, thanks for the news Professor and thanks for uh¡­.everything,¡± he gave me a small smile and motioned me to the door.


    ¡°It¡¯s dinner time so go out and eat something. You¡¯ve improved a lot in your sparring sessions. Probably since we spared six hours a day for ten days straight but that¡¯s besides my point. I think you¡¯re ready to actually try some of this in class. Your secret about your blueprint will stay safe with me¡ªunless of course you wish to tell somebody.¡±


    I looked at him with gratitude and he seemed to get the message. We walked out the doors and I was issued out of the hospital. The campus grounds looked the same as they had a month ago but it all looked so much more vibrant. I hadn¡¯t seen any of this in a month and it was nice to see other students wandering around me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow. Don¡¯t forget your homework for your other classes  is due next week¡±, the Professor winked at me and teleported away.


    Let¡¯s go home.


    Geon Leventen: ¡°Hey was this class always this hard or is it just me? Just me, fu¡ª,¡± Deven mumbled to himself as I pulled him away from the blast of molten magma that arose from the floor. Professor Vylen¡¯s class didn¡¯t just involve sparring now, so it was technically harder.


    We were in a ravine type environment with major obstacles and traps that were being fired at us from every angle. The rough stone walls seemed to look like an impending symbolism of doom as its cold color amplified the ravine¡¯s massive scale.


    We looked up and the walls of the ravine seemed to go up forever. I wasn¡¯t even paying attention when I looked up and had to stomp my feet to create several large earth-spikes. They jutted out of the earth and shattered another boulder that was thrown at us. ¡°Geon, give me something to stand on!¡± I heard Aurora yell before her hair turned a violent blue color and marking laced her arms.


    I willed the metals inside the rock to bend to my wishes as a platform came out of the side of the wall. ¡°Hop on!¡± Deven and Nila stepped onto a platform that I had summoned out of the ground. I closed my eyes and willed the air around me to lift our mini-space ship upwards. We arose and began to race towards Aurora. I had to fully concentrate on the battle at hand. Controlling two elements to do different things at the same time was a little harder than just controlling one but it wasn¡¯t too difficult. I closed my eyes and took a breath. Balance the two before you take control.


    I concentrated and began to pull the two elements further into my control. It was like reeling in a large catch of fish¡ªexcept there were two catches of fish, and you had to use both arms, and two fishing rods, and you were catching some big ass fish. The forces of the elements began to slip away before coming right into my hands again.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Push, pull, push, pull¡­.Aurora was clearing a path with her lighting. She ran along my pathway while sending volts to vaporize any debris flying into our faces. She gracefully stepped off the platform and began to run along the vertical walls themselves. A large log was shot out of a waterfall¡ªlike a giant, high speed, very long, all natural cannonball. Aurora kicked off the wall and blasted towards the log. I heard the sound barrier break as a sonic boom echoed from her leap. The wall behind her practically shattered as she dove through the log like a human torpedo. She landed again on the other side of the ravine, and I summoned another platform for her to run on. She began to get back to work, diving, dodging, and preventing any debris from hitting us.


    I made us go a little faster. We were almost out of the ravine and I didn¡¯t want to miss our chance. Aurora was slowing down slightly and I knew Deven was trying his hardest to add momentum to the ship. Our other partner Nila, wasn¡¯t looking too good at the moment¡­Nila¡¯s powers were connected to her emotions. Whatever she was feeling, she could harness the power of it. The ability was frightening, but she couldn¡¯t use it very often. When she did use them, she would usually fall asleep for a while¨Cwhich was why she was slumped on the back of our platform.


    ¡°Aurora get on,¡± I hollered over the sound of rushing wind and explosions. We were nearly to the exit point and Aurora needed to come with us. She kicked off the wall and landed next to me.


    ¡°How are we going to get this thing past the finish line? We can¡¯t just keep going at this speed to break through the liquor screen.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m gonna add a blast at the last second. Combined with your electric firepower and Deven¡¯s last bit of strength we can make it,¡± she looked at me for a second then nodded. I looked ahead and steeled my nerves. I increased the flight speed and we kept getting faster, and faster, and faster.


    My heart pumped as the rush of wind reminded me of my flights through the high night sky. The roaring wind shattered my ears and the world turned into a blur. I heard a sonic boom and my classmates were holding on for dear life.


    ¡°Here goes nothing.¡±


    I grit my teeth and push through. Not yet, not yet, not yet¡­.


    Now.


    I turned around and held out my hands¨Creleasing a giant blast of smoke and fire behind us.The explosion gave us another large boost, and the platform went crashing through the shimmering transparent screen. We zoomed into our normal stadium and were immediately caught by a golden net¡ªwhich had an impossibly soft touch. It canceled out all our momentum and we landed with a loud thud. The stone slab which served as our flying platform crashed onto the floor behind us. Our classmates cheered and we saw Professor Vylen give us a thumbs up. I saw Aurora crash onto her back and breathe a sigh of relief. Deven and Nila high fived each other while I felt ready to take a long nap on the ground.


    The liquor screen which we had come out of was more like a portal. Its frame was hexagon shaped and the screen¡¯s red color gave it an ominous look. These infamous portals could generate very intensive battle courses with the right people working on them. They were often used for official warriors only but since we had a tournament coming up, we were given special access. We had gone through the course last, and had got the fastest time. Lila was on the team that got third and me and Aurora went to go tease her about it. ¡°Deven, I hope you can look after Nila and also¡ªgood work today.¡± Aurora gave him a slight pat on the back before meeting up with me. I saw him blush a little and he turned away to scoop up the still sleeping Nila.


    Nila was quite small but she didn¡¯t really need to have any physical ability for her skills anyway¡ªso it didn¡¯t really matter. She had big brown eyes and extremely long light-brown hair that went all the way down her back. She was thin from top to bottom and always had a big smile on her face. I had always thought that if Evay ever had a sister, she would look just like Nila.


    Speaking of Evay¡­I wondered how he would think about Deven getting a crush on his girlfri¡ªI mean¡­his also, kind of, not really, very close crush and or friend. Evay had been gone for a month now and he was staying at rehab a lot longer than they said he was supposed to be.


    You''re about to get your girl stolen¡­.come back man.


    I couldn¡¯t really tell what Aurora thought of him, but personally I never felt that way about her. Even if we were spending more time together as the premier students in our classes, I never really saw her as a love interest. When I first met her I remembered her face and visuals pretty quickly. She had auburn hair which was mixed with some gold and she was pretty tall. She looked more irritated than angry a lot of the time and she seemed fierce. I never thought that I would be spending a lot of time with her but once I got to know her, she wasn¡¯t so scary and cold, ¡°Thanks for the save by the way. And no problem for the platform I know, I¡¯m the best, stop praising me! You¡¯re too kind,¡± she rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Yeah, but I recommend trying not choose the smoothest part of the canyon wall possible for our ride. Flying is pretty hard as it is, at least for us,¡± she smiled slightly and spoke in her usual calm voice.


    ¡°Oh yeah I forgot you guys can¡¯t fly,¡± Aurora laughed but this time it wasn¡¯t a joke. I genuinely forgot people didn¡¯t usually fly. We finally saw Lila¡¯s hair stick out in the crowd and we went to get her. She was laughing with her teammates before she said goodbye and joined us. We didn¡¯t have any more classes for the week so we were free¨Cat least for the evening.


    ¡°Oh well look. As if it isn¡¯t Ms.Third-place,¡±  Aurora sarcastically rubbed our victory in and got a small punch from Lila because of it.


    ¡°Hey any news on Evay? Professor Vylen sent me a letter that said he should be getting out this week.¡± Me and Aurora both shook our heads.


    ¡°Wait, you get mail? From the Professor?¡± I looked at her with confusion.


    Lila laughed, ¡°Yeah. You do too, it¡¯s just that you don¡¯t ever check it,¡± huh, she does have a point.


    We walked back to the dorm rooms and enjoyed the nice evening skyline,¡°You guys want to take a walk tonight. We have nothing else to do.¡± Both Aurora and Lila nodded as we opened the door to our living quarters.


    Aurora and Lila suddenly both stopped in their tracks and I ran into them because of the sudden stop. ¡°Guys, tell me when you''re going to try and make me body slam myself into your shoulders beca¡ª¡± I stopped in my tracks too. My eyes slowly drifted to the figure on the couch and his cheerful eyes.


    Evay was sitting on the couch, eating the last container of strawberries that we had left.


    ¡°So, miss me?¡±

 Chapter 17: Future Friend? Future Foe?

    Evay Maver: I laughed as their shocked faces hung in the air for a bit. I stood up and Lila gave me a big hug.


    ¡°So you didn¡¯t die.¡±


    ¡°Yeah that part was surprisingly very easy,¡± I looked at Geon and he gave me a welcoming look.


    ¡°Nice, I thought you were going to die. You look like someone who would die, you know,¡± I laughed and he gave me a pat on the shoulder. I turned to look at Aurora and her gaze softened a little.


    ¡°Welcome back Evay. We missed you,¡± she gave me a gentle smile and a hug before handing me a stack of papers. ¡°Also, you have about a month''s work of homework and an entire battle plan spreadsheet to look at so¡­.sorry.¡± She gave me the classic sorry grin and I couldn¡¯t help but feel very¡­.flustered. Her auburn hair and her captivating eyes seemed to draw me in closer, and closer each time I looked into them.


    ¡°Ah well, I guess that¡¯s what I get for missing an entire month of classes,¡± I quickly looked in another direction and noticed it was still light outside. ¡°Were you guys going somewhere? I don¡¯t think you usually come in this early.¡±


    ¡°Yeah we were just going to go on a night walk. Come with us¡ªthere¡¯s no classes tomorrow,¡± Lila sounded excited.


    ¡°Ok, when do we leave?¡±


    ¡°We just got back from a class so we have to freshen up a bit before we head out. Give us like¡­..ten minutes?¡± I agreed and I waited for them before they were ready to go.


    We left the dorms and walked under the beautiful night sky. The multitude of stars in the sky were like specks of light painted across an eternal stretch of darkness. The moon gave off waves of light that washed over the Earth¡¯s surface, and the cool air gave us a subtle summer breeze. We sat on a bench in the middle of the school park and enjoyed the view for a while. ¡°It¡¯ll be winter soon, so I hope we can do this a few more times,¡±  Lila spoke in a soft voice and seemed to be admiring her surroundings. For the first time in a while, I felt at ease. No hard training, no death to deal with, just a home and some friends¡­..


    It felt like for the first time¡­I could breathe a little. My reason for coming here was still in the back of my head but it didn¡¯t really matter now. I had found a place to make some pleasant memories in, and I wanted to cherish that. I looked over at Geon who also seemed very relaxed but he suddenly turned his head. I looked at his face and he seemed to be concentrating on a particular spot in the woods. He stared a little while then whipped his head to the right.


    Aurora was also looking at the same spot that Geon was before finally speaking, ¡°I see something,¡± Geon and Lila both looked at her.


    ¡°There,¡± Geon pointed to where he was looking. ¡°It¡¯s like¡­.a blur¡± Aurora nodded and sat up straighter.


    ¡°I see massive amounts of electric particles trailing some sort of¡­.figure.¡± Figure?


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Lila stood up and so did the rest of us. Suddenly I felt her aura change. Her physical body didn¡¯t change but I could feel her strength and physical power go through the roof. Whatever she was doing, she was ready to fight. It was as if I could hear a pin drop. We were all waiting for something to happen. The breeze passed us and the hum of the insects, the song of the birds, and the rustle of the grass all rang in our ears as we waited. I felt a rush of wind blow towards us. I couldn¡¯t see what was happening very well, but it felt like a high speed boar was trying to ram us straight on. I tensed and my barrier immediately went up. I had practiced making my barrier larger so it could encompass more people but it never found any use in individual sparring. Now that I wasn¡¯t alone, my barrier seemed more practical. They were all shocked as none of them had ever seen this before¨Ceven Geon hadn¡¯t seen my new and improved shield. Lila gingerly touched the barrier which buzzed slightly at here touch. She gasped a little and Geon and Aurora were still in awe of it.


    But more importantly I saw the figure standing outside my barrier. He too looked in awe at my shield, and strangely¡­.he was just a harmless student. We were all confused and I put down my barrier. ¡°We thought you were going to attack us so if you aren¡¯t going to do that, who are you? And why are you stalking us?¡±


    He spoke, ¡°Oh yeah my bad. Um well, time for introductions. To be honest I had no idea that you could even well¡­..see me.¡±


    Aurora looked a little skeptical and asked more questions, ¡°How can we not see you?¡±


    ¡°Oh well I wanted to meet up with Geon since we¡¯re kind of in the same boat¡±.


    ¡°Same boat?¡± Lila raised her eyebrows.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re the only two students in decades to get a scholarship into Eden. Oh and yeah, my name''s Savian, the fastest man on planet Earth.¡±


    Oh that actually explains a lot. I looked at my friends and they had to process what he had just said for a moment.


    ¡°So you can move fast? How fast?¡± Lila kept a cautious eye on Savain. He put his hands up and zoomed to the bench behind us. He sat down as all of us jerked our heads toward his direction. He tossed an apple in the air and took a bite out of it. ¡°You had an apple?¡± my confused voice rang out in the park.


    ¡°Oh what, this? Nah, I grabbed it from the fruit stand just now.¡±


    ¡°But the fruit stand is like all the way across campus,¡± Aurora stared at the boy, who didn¡¯t give our remarks much thought.


    ¡°Anyways¡­.I wanted to meet Geon before the Youth Warrior Championships¡± He put his hands in his pockets and stood up to face Geon. Savian was surprisingly tall, almost as tall as Geon. His slender frame was the one thing that made him stand out compared to Geon though¡ªas Savian seemed to be much lighter in weight. He had very tan skin and firey red and orange hair that came down in bangs with a slight part in the middle. I could tell girls would like him. He had that¡­playboy face, and his large eyes as well as his very nonchalant appearance and attitude also contributed to my point.


    ¡°What about it?¡± Geon was still facing Savain and both of them had a calm and collected appearance on the outside. Geon¡¯s eyes were cold¡ªlike when he was facing an opponent, and Savian took his hands out of his pockets.


    Please don¡¯t fight here¡­


    ¡°I think me and you are a lock to make the team for the tournament. The problem is that we might be on different teams. I wanted to scout you out¨Cjust in case I ever needed to fight you.¡±


    Geon suddenly eyed Savian particularly closely while he was talking,


    ¡°You think you can beat me? No offense, but I¡¯m not too terrified about someone that can run fast,¡± Geon smirked and stared Savain in the face. Savain maintained a calm expression, giving no reaction to Geon¡¯s remark.


    ¡°You seemed to be worried when I was running around you a couple minutes ago,¡± Geon and Savain stared at each other with cold expressions.


    Savain spoke again, ¡°Good luck with your matches, I hope you and your friends make it,¡± Savain started to turn around.


    ¡°When we meet each other in the qualifier finals, I¡¯ll kill you. Remember that.¡± He laughed a little and Geon looked at him with a calm expression.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t go snooping around your competition before you get caught. Some people don¡¯t let stuff like that slide.¡±


    ¡°Caught?¡± Savain said the word with a dry laugh, ¡°Who do you think you''re talking too?¡± He sped off without a trace and left us to ourselves.


    ¡°I think my head hurts too much now. Let¡¯s call it a night,¡± Lila¡¯s voice sounded fatigued and quiet as we agreed with her and headed back home.


    We walked into our dorms and said goodnight to the girls while me and Geon both washed up and got ready for bed.

 Chapter 18: Getting Ready

    Aurora Maple: I woke up to the sound of chirping birds as the soft morning light hit me right in the face. The greenery outside seemed to shine vibrantly like emeralds and the water flowing down the creek river glimmered like crystals in the light. But it just didn¡¯t really get me in the mood¡­..


    I didn¡¯t really know what to think of Savian¨Call I knew was that he was strong. It didn¡¯t take a genius to discover that he was fast¨Clike really fast. He was so fast that fast didn¡¯t even really describe it. It was almost like everything around him slowed down so much that he just seemed really fast.


    His speed also granted him an absurd amount of strength as well. There had to be some type of tradeoff for his abilities though. Usually, warriors with an absurd amount of speed were hindered by their small size or frail body. He wasn¡¯t very small though¨Cin fact he was about as tall as Geon¨Cand he didn¡¯t seem particularly frail¡­.


    I got up and walked to the bathroom. I began to subconsciously go through my morning routine while I thought about everything some more.


    My gut told me that this guy shouldn¡¯t be trusted¨Cnot just because we would need to fight him sooner or later but because he gave off a weird vibe. It was almost like he was examining us or gleaning us for information. I get that he would want to see his biggest competitor¨CGeon¨Cin person, but he definitely had his own reasons for coming to see us. But I could just be being really paranoid¨Cwhich is very likely.


    I didn¡¯t really know what to make of him. I didn¡¯t really like him that much¨Che didn¡¯t give off a really friendly or wholesome vibe.


    Unlike Evay¡­


    I wanted to know more about Evay and these days, I felt a little more attached to him in a way. I mean¡­.he did almost die so as a friend the least I could do was let him know we cared. But he was beginning to open up a bit more, act more himself, and I found that that side of him was more¡­..likeable. But he was still filled with questions. I didn¡¯t know where he came from, what exactly his skills were, how he got into Eden, and I didn¡¯t even know where he went to school before Eden. In fact, come to think of it, I didn¡¯t even know how old he was. I assumed he was around my age but there are kids who get accepted into Eden when they¡¯re really young¡­.


    It didn¡¯t make it easier that he still didn¡¯t like to talk to me¡­.It¡¯s like he¡¯s scared of me or something¡­.Am I a bad friend? What did I do to make him hate me?


    I sighed. After I finished washing my face I walked into the living room where Lila and Geon were throwing playing cards at the still sleeping Evay.


    ¡°Hey um, is this like a new thing we¡¯re doing now or¡­.¡± Lila turned around and looked and gave me a smile.


    ¡°Good morning, and kind of. Evay¡¯s barrier doesn¡¯t drop when he¡¯s sleeping. Apparently he turns it off when he¡¯s just going about his day but for some reason it stays on when he¡¯s asleep,¡± Geon ditched the cards and I saw him throw an apple at Evay¡¯s face out of the corner of my eye.


    ¡°Well probably because you guys are doing that,¡± me and Lila both laughed as Geon kept throwing things at Evay. She smiled as she looked over at Geon and we both sat down at the kitchen table.


    ¡°Hey um, can you give me advice on something,¡± Lila looked at me and nodded. ¡°Can you get Evay to like me?¡± she almost spit out her coffee and gave me a half smile half grin.


    She whispered in my direction. ¡°You like Evay?¡± her voice was high pitched and excited. Why is she so excited?


    ¡°Well he is a roommate and I think it would be beneficial if all people under a roof got along,¡± I gave her my most  honest and serious answer, but she giggled a little. ¡°What?¡± I gave her a confused look and she still giggled again.


    ¡°Nothing. Um¡­.I think he¡¯s just nervous around you. Aurora, I kind of need you to figure this one out because it doesn¡¯t feel right for me to¡­.mess anything up. Evay¡¯s trying to make things happen with you, I think. So, you know, for Evay¡¯s sake,¡± she smiled at me and gave me a pat on the shoulder before going to join Geon again.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    As they smiled and laughed I wondered what she meant? For Evay¡¯s sake? What did he have to do with me trying to befriend him? Or how did that involve his sake anyways?


    Why was he so nervous around me? What did I do wrong? Why did everything have to be so¡­.complicated?


    Why are humans so complicated?


    Geon Leventen: ¡°Right side!¡± I heard Evay yell as he threw a barrier onto Aurora while she slid into enemy lines. She made quick work of the other team as a scatter of her electric bolts hit them all squarely in the chest. I heard three bodies drop to the floor as I flew into the air and lifted my hands up.


    The ground shook and the stadium tumbled as the entire floor started to lift. The large chunks of marble floated up from the ground and into the sky. Lila closed her eyes and listened carefully until a look of realization came across her face.


    ¡°There!¡± she pointed to the far left side of the stadium and I focused in. I let the thousands of floor pieces suspended in the air come crashing down and I raced towards the spot Lila had pointed to. I flew up higher and higher until my target was just a small dot in the vast expanse of white marble. I dove head first into the ground at sonic speeds and aimed to hit the last opponent¡ªwho was hiding underground. I heard a loud boom as the target got closer and closer.


    Three, two, one, now. I rammed my fist straight into the ground and added an explosive blast to my strike for extra power. A spike of marble came shooting out of the ground right when I reached the floor, but Evay¡¯s shield timing was impeccable. The spike harmlessly shattered around my chest as my punch tore through the ground and into the solar plexus of my burrowed classmate. His eyes went wide with surprise and he let out one last cough before his liquor screen shattered. A bell went off and Professor Vylen¡¯s voice could be heard. ¡°Team 3, with your latest win you advance to the grand finals where you will fight for a chance to become Taegan¡¯s official Youth Warrior team,¡± I smiled as Aurora and Lila gave each other a high five.The quarter finals and everything before that had been easy, but the grand finals were going to be the hardest of them all. The school tournament was important as only the team that won went to the Youth championships¡ªwhich were in a couple months. However, the tournament was in teams of five this year, and traditionally this was where things got a little choppy. Our school, and many other elite schools, usually didn¡¯t have enough students to host full five on five in-school evaluations. So usually the board just chose someone who was cooperative with others, and had excellent individual results. It didn¡¯t always work though, since certain styles of fighting were already established in most teams and adding a random person with minimal experience with the team didn¡¯t ever help. It was basically a crapshoot on whoever got the correct guy.


    It was a race to see who fit better with what team and if we made it through I had a decent idea on who we would be paired up with. We had already faced the other classes and we would be fighting class A-5. I looked over at Evay, Lila, and Aurora as we made our way out of the stadium. They were talking about studying, and books, and math¨Cuseless stuff like that¨Cwhich reminded me of something¡­.


    Final exams were in the afternoon and we had just finished the mountain of homework from our other classes¡ªto the best of our abilities. Well, they did, I kinda just copied whatever Evay put down. I hadn¡¯t studied anything at all¨CI got to skip every other class because of Professor Vylen¡¯s winner take all rule¡­.I¡¯d been really abusing that freedom but it was coming back to bite me.


    Lila, Aurora, and Evay went to get some drinks at the concession stands and I waited for them to come back. I pulled out a file that I had gotten from the Professor which contained stats on our opponents in class A-5.


    They also had our stats and that made me feel a little uncomfortable. I looked at the files and it was pretty easy to see why they had made it this far. Their survival rate was flawless among their team¡ªbut so was ours. They had an engagement win rate of 96 percent, while we had a rate of 93 percent. Since we had Lila¡¯s healing capabilities it made more sense to pull out of some engagements to recover, so we tended to retreat a little more than some other teams.


    We weren¡¯t given any information about their skills but by their round win time I could see that it had something to do with speed¨Csince they won by a ridiculous 34 second average time window. Ours was about six minutes and four seconds¡­..


    I looked at the roster and immediately my eyes went wide. I traced my fingers across the paper as I laid my eyes upon the star of their team. It was a familiar looking face as Savian looked as bored as ever in his official school photo. Savian seemed to be the spearhead for this team. I assumed one of the people on the other team was their leader and organizer, and Savian just followed their game plan. Even Savian would have trouble just running around everywhere without a strategy, so I assumed someone on the other team had a good mind for team fighting.


    Even so, they heavily supported and built their team around him to win. We could build a game plan around that fact and counter their supporting pieces one by one. Teams like these always tended to have apparent weaknesses, and our team was much more cohesive. I smiled a little and I felt decently confident. We could definitely win this. All we had to do was not get beat by Savain. He didn¡¯t seem like all that¨CI was stronger than him, faster than him, more handsome, you know, all the stuff. But I still felt a little worried.


    Especially since this red haired dude with a weird necklace was also on Savain¡¯s team. He had the same bored expression as Savian and it only took me a second to guess who it was. It was the boy from opening night--the one who had participated in the fight that Evay got caught up in.


    His name was Akasa of house Miri. Unlike all the other members of Savian¡¯s team I knew what this guy could do. I remembered clearly. His power was super dangerous¨Cit directly countered everyone on our team. I was so used to always being able to solve everything with my skills that when I had them taken from me things became super difficult. But I wasn¡¯t too worried, he seemed pretty beatable in straight hand to hand combat and if his entire arsenal just consisted of supportive abilities like that¨Che¡¯d be dead as soon as we isolated him.


    I smiled.


    ¡°Oh yeah, we got this.¡±

 Chapter 19: Bittersweet

    Evay Maver: Savian and Akasa on the same team¡­.I had expected our opponents to be good but not that good¡­


    Taran had been great throughout our classes and sparring. He only faced two more losses after the loss to Geon and he performed pretty well in the team based drills. He got third place in the school tournament and was overall a force to be reckoned with¡ªespecially individually. So for Akasa to have dealt with him so easily made me worried. I looked up and saw some of my fellow classmates taking out their notebooks, and I snapped back to reality. Finals were over but the new semester had started instantly. Apparently this wasn¡¯t normal¨Caccording to Lila¨Cand every other school had breaks after semesters. I wouldn¡¯t know but Eden had a weird holiday schedule so we just kept plugging along. Math class was absolute torture though¨Cespecailly in the morning.


    I looked over and saw each of my friends in a zoned out state. They all looked like they were half asleep, but also very worried. What¡¯s the point of trying to do math when the biggest tournament of our lives is coming up? Speaking of the tournament, it had come with some unwanted and wanted attention. Since we were first years no one really knew us, but after we cruised our way to the grand finals, almost everyone knew our names. People I had never met before came up to me and said hello, gave me compliments, and wished me luck for my next match. People were¡­..nice to me. It was weird.


    It also kind of backfired in some ways. Our abilities were pretty much common knowledge now and we couldn¡¯t even keep it a secret from class A-5 anymore¡ªwhich was sad since they were purposely separated from us at all times. But at this point everyone kind of knew what everyone could do. As I daydreamed some more I heard the bell finally ring. I heard seats screech across the floor as the sound of excited voices and rapid steps filled the classroom. I met up with everyone and we started to walk to history.


    ¡°So did you guys get anything¡­.like anything out of that class or no?¡± Lila asked curiously as we all shook our heads as a response.


    ¡°I barely even remember what topic we learned like ten minutes ago.¡± Aurora mumbled in a sleepy voice as her hair was still slightly tangled and her eyes were still half closed.


    The cool morning air was the only thing that made it bearable to go outside, and it helped the morning feel slightly less tortuous. As we walked I looked up to see Geon suddenly change expression. Since he was so much taller than everyone else he could usually see things sooner than we could and he didn¡¯t like whatever he had just seen.


    He immediately tensed up and stopped walking. We did the same. As the crowd flowed around us we were soon left with an empty street. Only us four and Ren along with his friends had stopped walking. Lila immediately sharpened her gaze and an intense hatred came over her eyes. I felt the same thing that had happened when we first met Savian. Her eyes grew red, her muscles seemed to strengthen and grow, and she seemed like she was ready to absolutely murder somebody.


    Geon and I exchanged worried looks as Aurora also met our gaze. We can¡¯t  fight here, not now, and if we let anything slip our shot of participating in the tournament is practically gone¡­.


    But at the same time¡­..it was Ren. I had a better chance at trying to stop a meteor than tryin to stop myself from punching him in the face¡­


    He stopped and looked at us with an angry glare. He stared at us for a while before giving us a menacing grin. He tossed his water bottle over to one of his friends and marched towards us. Lila stepped forward and was prepared to grab him when he put his hands up.


    ¡°Do it.¡± Ren¡¯s smile was unbearably wide as he was right up in Lila¡¯s face.


    My anger began to boil. He chose to face us now when we couldn¡¯t do anything about it. He was so eager to run away when Geon was in front of him but now¡­¡­.


    I understood what type of person he was. He chooses his battles and unluckily for us, he chose a battle that we couldn¡¯t win.


    But that didn¡¯t stop me from feeling pissed.


    ¡°Get away from Lila,¡± I tried to sound as calm as possible but my voice came out harsher than it was intended. Ren looked slightly surprised by my remark and he looked at me with curiosity. Then he let out a little laugh.


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    ¡°And who are you? I don¡¯t remember talking to you, do I?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know. Piss off with your friends then now. Don¡¯t stand here with us.¡± Ren walked forward and faced me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really mess with completion that I don¡¯t think I can handle. I¡¯ll admit Geon is pretty strong and well this other girl you have here would probably stomp me.¡± He didn¡¯t move a muscle and I didn¡¯t move either. His voice started to get lower and colder, ¡°My father told me to never pick a fight you can¡¯t win. And I¡¯ve kept that promise. But I don¡¯t mind you. After all, you¡¯re not much of a threat. Hundreds of geniuses at this school and it looks like you¡¯re not one of them,¡± he leaned in to me and whispered softly in my ear, ¡°I¡¯ve actually come here for you, did you know that? I wanted to know something about you. So answer me,¡± I felt an intense shock pull me in towards Ren as he leapt far back¨Caway from Geon, Lila, and Aurora. They all instantly dove towards me but it didn¡¯t matter, Ren had me in his grasp.


    ¡°I wanted to know, if you¡¯ve been enjoying your little fake life,¡± I wanted to scream. He smiled,


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Peasant boy.¡±


    How? How did he know? I looked at him and he gave me a wide smile. ¡°Come on, are you gonna pass out again? Let your little guardian angel save you?¡±. Stop Evay. Don¡¯t get mad. Don¡¯t overthink this. You can¡¯t do anything right now.


    ¡°Do you think you can beat me? With what, your body guards are probably going to save you right? The only reason you¡¯re here is because you¡¯re special to some high ranking official¡ªyou¡¯re not here because of you, understand?¡± He looked at me with a grin that resembled the smile of a demon. I looked back and Aurora had found us, her glowing blue hair zoomed across the sky as the ground rumbled at the feet of Geon¨Cwho was somewhere nearby.


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll even give you your fucking mom and day back. You know, the ones we took.¡± He was still whispering in my ear, ¡°so am I right? Did I guess right? You are a peasant aren¡¯t you?¡±


    My heart began to roar. My chest pounded and my body began to fill with a golden warm glow. It felt like my anger, fear, and hate was all being turned into something. Something great¡­.


    Something powerful.


    Evay calm down. Keep your cool¡­.


    ¡°Good because I remember you, did you know that? You looked awfully familiar, I guess I remembered right. Don¡¯t you remember all the good times we had? I¡¯ll throw in a good word for your special lady¨Cthe one you were always with back in the day. Her eyes were gorgeous by the way, and her voice was so beautiful. She was also really beautiful in another way you know,¡± he leaned in closer.


    ¡°Especially whenever she mentioned you.¡±


    I grabbed him by the throat and I lifted him in the air. His eyes went wide with surprise as he struggled to resist. His hands clawed at my forearm but it didn¡¯t feel like he was doing anything. He felt so weak¡­so crushable. He started to sputter and gasp for air, helplessly grabbing at my hands. I heard a massive explosion go off behind me as Aurora and Geon dove down towards me and Ren. I saw them start to run towards me with frantic looks on their faces.


    I looked towards Ren and gazed upon his helpless body. I felt¡­¡­.incredible. So alive, so¡­..powerful. As I gazed upon his weak existence I felt a sort of sick pleasure well up in my stomach.


    I could kill him, he¡¯s mine to toy with.


    A faint golden glow started to emit from my body. Waves of soft golden light spread throughout the floor and reached the corners of the campus. I saw Geon and Lila suddenly stop and shield their eyes. I looked at my body which was coated in golden light, and I saw my eyes which burned bright yellow. The sky lit up with a miraculous glow as the clouds seemed to be made out of gold themselves. Ren¡¯s terrified face was fully visible in the light as I smirked.


    ¡°This is for what you¡¯ve done to Lila,¡± I pulled him closer to my body and jammed my fist into his solar plexus at the same time. His eyes went wide and his mouth opened and saliva came flying out of his throat. ¡°And this is for Amie,¡± The sky and earth seemed to split as all of the golden energy spread around the campus gathered together into my fist. I lifted Ren up and slammed him into the ground with all my might. There was a flash of blinding light and I heard several screams as there was a loud explosion which followed suit. My eyes went dark as the debris and dust swallowed up the surrounding area.


    I cast my barrier over the battlefield and it vaporized all the debris which was still falling to the ground. The dust cleared and I saw Ren unconscious but not dead. I looked at Lila who had her hand up while she was laying on the ground as a turquoise glow was faintly cast over Ren¡¯s body.


    ¡°You healed him.¡± I looked at her and she couldn¡¯t meet my gaze. ¡°Why? Lila stop, stop helping him.¡±


    She looked at me with painfully guilty and defeated eyes. ¡°If you kill him we don¡¯t get to play in the tournament. And I¡¯m not letting my friend become a murderer.¡±


    I looked at Geon and Aurora who walked around a wall of Titanium steel that Geon had cast¡ªonly the very bottom section was  left.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, and let¡¯s explain ourselves before this gets out of hand.¡± I saw the crowds of people that were approaching the scene. Flocks of students were pointing at us and all of them were talking amongst themselves.


    What have I done¡­¡­


    I felt Geon lift me up and he started to fly up into the sky. I heard surprised shouts from the crowds of students below and Geon flew us higher and higher.


    ¡°Meet us there!¡± Geon shouted to Aurora and Lila, who tried their best to make it out of the crowd.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Geon started to fly straight forward and I felt the speed rip away at my face.


    ¡°You knew you had to be careful Evay¡­¡± Geon sounded sad but he didn¡¯t sound particularly angry with me.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to yell at me,¡± I spoke in a monotone voice. I had nothing left to feel. After what I did¡­..I didn¡¯t really know who I was anymore.


    ¡°Nah, actually I really want to tell you that you did a great job, but not this time.¡± Geon looked on with a blank expression, ¡°I just wished you told us more about yourself, Evay. I mean, I just wish you would let us see who you really are. I heard some stuff towards the end, I heard what you said about Amie, I don¡¯t know man, how does that fucker know more about you than we do?¡±


    I returned his blank gaze.


    ¡°Sorry, I really am.¡±

 Chapter 20: Bad Memories

    We landed at the center of campus with a soft thud. The well trimmed bright green grass radiated soft green light while the main campus building stood tall and sound. Its design was similar to the palace of the Emperor as its red clay walls were embroidered with patterns consisting of beautiful flowers. It had a triangular roof with overhangs that were also painted with spectacular patterns of roses and gold. The black pillars of the building were large and sturdy, and the stairs of the entrance were made of gold-fletched, black marble.


    Me and Geon started to walk towards the building when three men walked out of its doors. Standing there were Professor Vylen and two men that I had never seen before. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s the headmaster,¡± Geon whispered next to me and I visibly shrank.


    So I messed up that badly¡­..


    Professor Vylen looked like he was urging the two men to go away but they both kept walking towards us while ignoring him. They reached us and me and Geon both gave them a bow. ¡°Mr.Leventen I ask that you bring Ms.Fairheart and Ms.Maple right away. I ask you to stay as well.¡± I looked at Geon who didn¡¯t look back.


    ¡°Sir, if everyone is coming then is¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes Mr.Novak will be here as well,¡± Geon clenched his fists and grit his teeth.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± He looked at me with a tired face.


    ¡°It¡¯s Ren. Novak is the house name of the Emperor¡¯s beloved brother in law. Ren¡¯s mother, or the emperor¡¯s sister, was married off while her brother became the emperor. So Ren is technically the Emperor''s nephew.¡± My face slumped and my body fell even lower.


    ¡°So that¡¯s how he had so much leverage on Lila¡­.¡±. Geon¡¯s face told me that he hated the situation as much as I did. There was no way the school was going to let anything happen to the precious nephew of the emperor. Even if we got off without a trace we would still be subject to harm by the royal family. But the most realistic option was that we would be declared guilty on the spot. I had thrown the first attack after all¡­.By law I was technically the instigator. ¡°Come with us, and I ask you to refrain from saying anything until we get there Mr.Maver. Your odds are already not in your favor.¡± The headmaster spoke with a melancholy voice.


    He was an elderly man with little hair and a plump belly. He wore a gray robe with a simple white hem and baggy gray pants as well. His face showed that he had great wisdom behind his eyes, and I could feel that he had great authority and power. The other man was taller and thinner than the headmaster and he had a full head of brown hair as well as a pair of round glasses. He seemed to be younger than the headmaster, but still seemed to be in his thirties. He wore the same clothes as the headmaster and seemed to accompany him everywhere he went. I followed them and the teachers led us to a small one room box-home that was sitting outside the acceptance hall. ¡°This is where we will hear what you have to say. Stay put, your hearing will be in a day''s time.¡± The headmaster spoke shortly and they were all on their way.


    Geon sat down on the floor and sighed. I sat along the wall with my knees up to my chests. I buried my face in my knees and let out a large sigh. Geon looked up at me with a tired look. ¡°You had to go and punch him man?Honestly, I don¡¯t blame you. But what was that? You were all golden and stuff.¡± Geon didn¡¯t sound condescending or rude, but he sounded tired. ¡°I didn¡¯t even know you could do that¡ªwhatever you did back there. I don¡¯t know who Amie is, I don¡¯t know anything about what sets you off. We told you to be careful and I feel like if you had told us about these things we could at least find some better ways to keep you out of trouble. For fucks sake man I¨C¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to hear this right now, just fuck off for a little bit!¡±, I shouted for the first time in a while. My voice had come out a lot louder than I had meant it to. Geon looked surprised for a second but regained his composure. ¡°Listen I can¡¯t really¡­uh¡­fuck off to anywhere, this place is really small, but listen, I get it. I would¡¯ve killed him if he pulled me away too. It¡¯s just that you seem to not trust us. You don¡¯t tell us anything.¡±


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    I kept staring at the ground, ¡°Listen¡­..There¡¯s a lot of stuff that I can¡¯t tell you guys. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you, it''s just that¡­¡­.you wouldn¡¯t ever understand.¡±


    He looked at me with a sad stare. He took out a small, pink pearl and levitated it in the air. He spun it around his fingers and made it dance along his hand¡ªlike a beautiful ballet performer flowing across their stage. He stared at it absentmindedly.


    ¡°This was a gift from my mother. It¡¯s nothing special really, but it was the only thing that my mother could afford to get me. It¡¯s fake by the way¨CI think it¡¯s made of iron,¡± He kept controlling the pearl as we talked. ¡°She thought that I needed to learn how to use my skills and she also thought this would help stop me from getting bored. I used it to practice when I was younger and I would do this all day and night. My mother worked as a slave to my father. She was a prostitute that lived in Bondas. Apparently my father liked her skill¨Cthe ability to summon metal¨Cand bought her to be his personal woman. He wanted to mesh different abilities together until he got a super baby¨Cwhich turned out to be me.¡± I looked at him and saw no signs of any change in his expression.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t love her and he made her live in this shack near the creek behind his home. She got to go up to his house when he needed her but she was usually just in that shack.¡± He talked with cold blank eyes and an even colder voice.


    ¡°But one day she had me. I turned out to be the perfect super baby, and after that, he couldn¡¯t care less about what happened to my mom or my siblings. He just cared about whether I lived or died. He did give mom more resources to keep me alive and continued to use her for his own. I had seven more siblings, all of them died of starvation.¡± I looked at Geon with a half horrified and sympathetic look, but he didn¡¯t take his eyes off the ball.


    ¡°It was a pretty big shit show until he finally died. I don¡¯t know how he died exactly but I know he was killed by another butcher. It was something about that guy and my father going gunning for the same person, but I don¡¯t really care about the details. He was gone and I left¡­.Because my mother didn¡¯t make it after me,¡±


    ¡°I ran off to some village in the woods. I was eight when they took me in. I was just some kid from the city who was on the run but those people taught me how to stay out of trouble. I left though¡­.and I found out that I had inherited my father¡¯s money.¡± I opened my mouth for the first time in a while.


    ¡°What did your father do for a living exactly? What¡¯s a butcher?¡± Geon didn¡¯t change his gaze and kept talking.


    ¡°They take out a target in exchange for a large sum of money. The nobles usually can¡¯t and don¡¯t bother to get their hands dirty and the politicians of this world¡ªthe ones that have all the ideas and the minds to support a government¡ªhave no physical power. These politicians advise the nobles on government affairs, but they have always wanted power for themselves. The major nobles have none of these advisors, but the minor nobles do. These minor nobles who run the smaller provinces of the major regions are strong but weaker than the major nobles. They¡¯re also power hungry idiots. It¡¯s possible to take them out, but they are still nobles. Killing them is near impossible unless you have the proper butcher.¡±


    ¡°So the politicians make all the decisions for the minor nobles and hire butchers to take out other nobles. It¡¯s a clean way to get rid of a person you don¡¯t like and save yourself some trouble. So in other words, good butchers make unfathomable amounts of money right?¡± Based on Geon¡¯s nod I could tell what I had said was correct.


    I inherited all of my father¡¯s money. ¡°I never used it. I got into Feltz academy by trying out for their combat team. I got free classes and a scholarship there too. Then I got into Eden and the rest is history.¡±


    I looked at Geon and he finally put the ball in his pocket. ¡°Now the reason why I just dumped my life story on you is that now, I¡¯ve got nothing more to say. You can trust me right? So please, Evay, try to trust me. Try to trust us.¡±


    I looked at him with sad eyes and turned my head. I could hear Geon lean his head back on the wall and sighed a little bit. I wanted to tell him¡­.I wanted to tell them everything. About my family, my past, why I was here¡­.


    But I didn¡¯t know the answers to some of these questions myself. And the others¡­.I couldn¡¯t tell them. I looked at Geon, whose blank expression left a sad ache in my chest. He closed his eyes and looked like he was ready to fall asleep.


    I felt my heart tug and I tried my best to speak. ¡°Amie¡­¡­Amie was a..a friend. She was¡­.nice and smart and pretty.¡± Geon slowly sat upright and looked at me.


    ¡°We were childhood friends I guess you could say. I don¡¯t like to think about¡­..her. I like to think I had no friends at all. I¡ªI really don¡¯t want to think about what happened to them¡­.I try to block them, forget them,¡± Geon looked at me and sat back on the wall. He had an empathetic look on his face.


    ¡°We were kids at the time, and I couldn¡¯t do anything about it. They carried her away and¡­¡­¡­¡±


    The screaming, the begging, the screaming¡­The crying¡­


    I shook my head and steeled my nerves as I snapped back to reality. I took a deep breath and calmed myself down.


    ¡°She¡ªshe¡­.killed herself¡­¡± Geon looked at me and he looked back down at his lap.


    ¡°Geon I¡¯m sorry, I really am. But I try to keep these things out of here. It¡¯s never good to let these secrets out,¡± He looked at me with a sad gaze, ¡°I hope you understand why I¡¯m like this. But I¡¯ll try to be more me in the future.¡± With that I turned my body again and layed on the floor.


    Unlike everything else I had kept or told them this wasn¡¯t a lie.


    I hadn¡¯t thought about Amie, or all of the others in a long time. It made me feel worse.


    A lot worse.

 Chapter 21: Trial

    Lila Fairheart: Why.


    It was a question that I asked myself a lot but lately I have been asking it even more. Maybe it was because Ren was back, maybe it was because of Savain and the empire, or maybe it was because of everything.


    But why did everything have to happen to us? What did we ever do to anybody? We were just first years doing first year things so how were we always the problem? I pondered these questions as Aurora and I sat next to each other in chairs inside the headmaster¡¯s office. The interior wasn¡¯t too fancy as there was just a desk and two bookshelves that lined the side walls of the office. Behind him was a portrait of the Eden school logo, a vibrant golden sword surrounded by flowers and vines.


    ¡°Now, ladies. I first want to make sure you know that there is a likelihood that you will have to choose a new fourth member. If things go the way I presume Evay will most definitely be cut from the tournament.¡± Aurora got up and looked the headmaster in the eye.


    ¡°But sir you haven¡¯t even heard Evay¡¯s side of the story yet. And additionally, the crimes that Ren have committed have never been held against him. Why should Evay be so quickly condemned and Ren just let free?¡± The headmaster looked at Aurora with a painful expression and motioned for her to sit down. She did and I spoke up,


    ¡°Sir I know we are close friends with Evay but I think you know that he¡¯s had an extremely clean record this year. He¡¯s a model student and someone that hasn¡¯t ever shown aggression or anger towards others. So you must at least give him a fair testimony, no?¡± The headmaster listened and we sat in silence for a while.


    ¡°Aurora, Lila, I understand what you are saying. I am well aware of the things that Ren has done and the hurt that you feel from that, Lila. However, Ren is a member of the royal family and unlike the emperor¡ªhis father is not so impartial towards people. Mr.Novak will surely issue his power on us if we were to do anything against his son. Additionally, no matter what crimes Ren may have committed, Evay still struck him first. There is no way to maneuver around that fact.¡± Aurora and I both gave each other worried looks before we faced the headmaster.


    ¡°Get some rest, the trial will be in the morning tomorrow. It will be quite the public experience¨Cwhich means that there will be lots of people at the trial. A situation like this doesn¡¯t just fly under the press¨CEden is already under heavy fire from the Taegan government. Be ready for the worst.¡±


    We gave him a nod and exited his office. We were guided to a small, one room house that was to be our home until the trial tomorrow. It was dark outside now and the stars were dotted in the sky. The multitude of colors in the sky shone brightly like crystals in a dark cavern.


    If only the occasion matched the beauty¡­.


    I looked at Aurora who had uncharacteristically gone to bed early. Her back was turned to me and her face was turned towards the wall. She hugged her pillow tightly as I saw her hair in a mess. I knew she cared for Evay a lot and she always liked having a lot of friends. Even if she wasn¡¯t too good at making them, she cherished the ones she had. I guess everything was taking a toll on her.


    It was kind of getting to me too.


    Evay Maver: The trial was held in the acceptance hall which had been remodeled to fit the occasion. There were large podiums that seated the headmaster, his assistant, and any witnesses who were called to the stand. There were also more podiums that were appointed for the other high officials of Eden. I walked into a hall brightly lit with golden torches and the marble floors and walls shone brightly.


    Large wooden benches ran along the entire side of the walls and they sat enormous amounts of people. Hundreds of people sat in the stands waiting for the trial to commence. My stomach started to turn and my head felt a little dizzy. I hadn¡¯t ever seen this many people in one place ever¡­¡­and they were all here to see me.


    Random people I had never seen before occupied the stands. There weren''t more than five hundred students in Eden so that meant even the public came to watch¡­¡­More people flooded the halls and more voices could be heard all around me. The mass of sounds mixed and churned in my head.I sat down to ease my tension.


    The headmaster finally rang the golden bell on his stand. The sound resonated across the room and silence fell upon the hall. The headmaster took a gaze and took a deep breath.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen of Eden Academy, the public, and fellow academy institutions I deeply appreciate your willingness to be present here today. We will now commence with the trial of Evay of house Maver for alleged assault on Ren of house Novak. As you all know, the Championship games for our youth is an attraction not just across our empire but across our world. Schools and people from other lands and empires come to witness the future potential of our descents. So such a sacred place has no tolerance for any misconduct and thereby also those accused of such.¡± His cold voice echoed across the open hallway and into all parts of my mind and being.


    ¡°This national matter is important for this reason but there is also the fact that we wish to preserve our integrity among the grounds of Eden. This will not just be a matter of the Championship, but will also address the misconduct among our students. Please note that this will not be a legal trial but a student-academy based trial. There will be no lawyers or legal team, but these wonderful Eden officials and I shall decide the fate of Mr.Maver. He will be able to defend himself upon gaining permission to speak, or he will be allowed to refer to a witness. Now we ask Ren of house Novak to take the stand.¡±


    Ren walked up there and he looked¡­.fine. There were no visible injuries and his body seemed to be well recovered. But he had a deep look of pain and tiredness on his face, as he limped up the side of the stairs leading to the podium. He stumbled a little and grabbed his side.


    This little cockroach is faking it¡­.


    I tightly grasped the arms of my chair and I saw Geon, Lila, and Aurora look at him in disgust. He sat down on the podium and kept that fake look of pain on his face. ¡°Now, Mr.Novak. I take it that you are still unwell?¡± The headmaster kept a steady and calm voice.


    ¡°Yes sir, thank you for having me here today. I still am experiencing pains from the situation which occurred yesterday as I can not move very well.¡± He added a fake grimace which caused Aurora to spark in anger.


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    He kept grabbing his side and continued to talk. ¡°My account of the situation goes as such. Me and my classmates and close friends were finishing our morning classes when we walked out of the arts exhibitory and moved along to our next class. We met Eva¡ª, Mr.Maver and along with him were a group of his friends as well. We had no intention of talking to them. I mean, we are not very close but that does not mean that we do not show each other respect.¡± Ren talked in an extremely passive voice and his face radiated an aura of loneliness. I admit, he was a good actor. If I didn¡¯t experience his antics first-hand, I probably would have fallen for his lies.


    ¡°Then suddenly Mr.Maver expressed aggression towards us and even attempted to use her skills against us.¡±I heard the crowd whisper in shocked voices as Ren kept his fake facial expression.


    ¡°We tried to reason with them and we didn¡¯t attempt to use our skills at all, when suddenly Mr.Maver¡¯s friend, Ms.Fairheart attacked us as well.¡± I almost stood up but Aurora stopped me by putting her hands on my lap. She looked at me with stern eyes and I could tell that she was thinking one thing. If you screw up here, you screw up forever.


    The way he said ¡®friend¡¯ made me shake with anger. It was like he didn¡¯t think of Lila as a human, as someone unworthy of being bestowed a title. I glared daggers into Ren¡¯s eyes and I could¡¯ve sworn that he had given me a jeering smile back.


    ¡°Now I know the importance of following the codes of Eden academy and so I didn¡¯t attempt to fight Mr.Maver at all. I simply went up and talked to him in private. I admit I was a little curt but I sternly warned him to stop with my words.¡± Ren¡¯s face then suddenly dawned an expression of fear and grimace.


    ¡°I tried everything but he didn¡¯t listen and he attacked me with his full strength. I didn¡¯t expect any of it and unfortunately my words weren¡¯t enough¡±. I saw him look down to the ground in shame and I heard murmurs in the crowd.


    ¡°I wish for a fair trial among us all Professor, but I hope you can see what needs to be done,¡± Ren said his final words with a desperate pleading voice and he walked off the stand. His face was out of sight of the crowds and he was walking back to his seat. He sat down and looked towards me.


    He smirked and looked away.


    I¡¯ll kill you¡­..


    I shook my head and regained myself. Evay stop, this is what got you here in the first place¡­..You can¡¯t let yourself get out of control. The crowd started to quiet down as the headmaster looked at me for the first time since the beginning of the trial.


    ¡°Mr.Maver. Do you or any of your witnesses take the stand?¡± I looked to Geon who nodded but suddenly Aurora stood up first. She had a determined look on her face as Geon gave me a shrug. I looked at her and gave her a weak smile and she gave me a nod.


    ¡°I call Ms.Maple, sir¡± I tried my best to sound loud and confident as my voice resonated across the hall.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Aurora walked to the stand as she sat down and took a deep breath.


    ¡°What Mr.Novak had said is a lie. But as a defendant myself I can not disregard some truths to his statement. Yes it is true that Mr.Novak did not unload any form of physical violence onto our party. However, it is also important to note that Evay is not the only guilty figure in this situation either. Mr.Novak said some words that provoked traumatic memories inside the head of Evay. Words that triggered emotions and events that no child should have ever experienced.¡±


    Wait¡­how does she know¡­


    Then Aurora pulled out a strange looking device from her pocket. It was a rectangular black box, it was completely smooth and had a button on top of it. She then gently fed electricity inside the device and the box started to emit noise. The crowd muttered in surprised voices as even Geon, Lila, and I were sitting in shock. She looked up with a determined gaze. ¡°This is a small device that I myself have engineered. When I flow electricity into it there are several intricate mechanisms inside the box that activate and replay another device called a ¡®speaker¡¯. This device was designed to play sound. It can save and replay any sound that I wish. Here¡¯s proof sir, proof of what he said.¡± Lila clicked the button and like magic, I heard Ren¡¯s voice come out.


    The crowd gasped and I sat in my chair, eyes wide with shock. Even the headmaster and school officials uncharacteristically broke their calm and collected gaze.


    Ren¡¯s words came pouring out of Aurora¡¯s device and his malicious voice could be heard by everyone in the hall. I turned to look at his face, which was ghostly white. His eyes were wide with shock and anger as I saw his fists clenched tight.


    His final words could be heard vibrating around the hall. ¡°Especially whenever she mentioned you¡±.


    The whole hall was filled with dead silence. Even my friends were shocked¡ªnot even a single breath could be heard from Geon and Lila. But after what seemed like an eternity, they both turned to me and gave me a small confident grin. I returned their smiles.


    Aurora spoke up. ¡°Here it can be seen that not only did Mr.Novak express hateful feelings onto Evay, but he also expressed terms which implied heavy prejudice and discrimination. His clear disdain for the lower class was evident and his use of their title as an insult expresses an image that no student at this school should have. Furthermore, these words clearly brought up some hard memories for Evay and aggression, while not physical, was first expressed by Mr.Novak.¡± Aurora took a deep breath. Silence filled the hall as tension soaked into the very air.


    ¡°These points make a strong argument that Evay should not be fully blamed or punished for his actions, headmaster. I believe that pain which affects the heart comes from both your fists and your speech. You simply just get to choose which way it gets there. I believe that this should be an important consideration.¡±


    Aurora bowed towards the headmaster and officials before walking down to us. The whole hall was still silent in shock. Aurora¡¯s footsteps seemed to pound on the floor like raindrops on the palace roofs. She sat down and I gave her a look of a thousand thankful emotions. She smiled a little bit and looked away quickly.


    ¡°I must say engineering a new device just to save your friend¡¯s reputation is a slightly, unbelievable, do you not agree?¡± Aurora looked at the headmaster with a serious gaze and spoke.


    ¡°Sir, I can assure you that this is not fake evidence. My files and blueprints will clearly show what my full capabilities are and you will see that I have no innate ability to manipulate sound. Also, with further inspection, you will see that this device takes no liquor at all. Therefore, I¨Cnor anyone else¨Ccan control it and my evidence stands.¡±


    The headmaster looked at Aurora for a moment then turned to his officials. ¡°I believe that Ms.Maple is giving a truthful testimony. However I still do not believe that Mr.Maver is completely innocent. Both students will be punished. I suggest a fine and a three week suspension in combat classes for Mr.Novak.¡± The whole crowd started to murmur and shocked voices echoed in soft glows around the hall.


    ¡°Now for Mr.Maver. Your actions are more severe. Physical harm and harm caused by speech are both definitely hurtful, but hitting another student with such ill intent is strictly prohibited. I suggest a four week ban on all combat classes, a fine, and disqualification from the Championship tournament.¡± The crowd blew up with an array of voices. Shouts of outrage mixed my gasps of shock and horror. Whispers and murmurs blended into the background of echoed cries. The headmaster sensed the chaos and clapped his hands. The loud noise seemed to spread like a shockwave across the hall as it caught the attention of everybody in the hall. The voices died down and the hall listened for another call.


    Suddenly one of the officials spoke out. ¡°While it is important to recognize the severity of the situation sir, do you not think that a full suspension from the tournament is too harsh?¡±


    Another official answered right back. ¡°Nonsense, the boy had committed an assault upon a student. There is no great debate about his fate.¡±


    ¡°Yes but it could be argued that the Novak boy has committed crimes of hate-speech as well.¡± The officials argued back and forth until the headmaster once again clapped his hands. He looked around the hall and prepared to make his final call. My head spun, my legs seemed glued to the floor. My body churned as I awaited my fate. I stood as I had to wait to find out. What I¡¯ve wanted to do since I got here¡­Where I¡¯ve wanted to go. Does it all end¡­¡­here.


    The headmaster opened his mouth. ¡°With the accounts of a witness for Mr.Maver and Mr.Novak¡¯s testimony I hereby make this official ruling.¡±


    ¡°The previous charges against Ren of house Novak will stand¡ªwith an additional punishment of this event being added to his permanent record. Evay of house Maver will be subject to a four month class suspension, a fine, and a mark on his permanent record as well. In the case of the Championship, Evay Maver will be suspended for one of the matches in the tournament, and with the severity of his actions, he will be suspended for the semi-finals, and the finals of the tournament. If they are to be eliminated from the tournament before this point, his two match suspension will carry on to future matches. However, he will be allowed to participate for a part of the tournament. Final decision.¡± The headmaster banged his gavel as the crowd murmured in confusion. Happiness, sadness, elation, relief, and confusion all ran through my heart, but the only thing I got out of the trial was one thing.


    I was able to go to the tournament.


    I looked over at Geon who slumped back in his chair and sighed in relief, Aurora¡¯s eyes sparked in excitement, and Lila looked like she was about to faint. I looked over at Aurora and smiled.


    She smiled back.

 Chapter 22: Planning Ahead

    Lila Fairheart: I gave Aurora an extra big smile as we walked out of the hall. Cheers and groans emitted from the stands at immense volumes as hundreds of people had to be blocked from reaching out and grabbing us. As we walked further and further away from the spectators and press the world suddenly became much quieter. The sounds of birds and crickets replaced the murmurs of the crowd, and an evening gentle breeze wisped away the intense heat from our faces.


    ¡°Well thanks for the save, Ms.Genius,¡± Evay smiled at Aurora and she gave him a soft grin.


    ¡°Yeah so are you just not going to tell us that you were an actual genius inventor all along or?¡±


    Aurora looked at him and laughed a little. ¡°Well I¡¯ve always had a good understanding of electricity but I think I¡¯ve also recently found a way to make it do things other than blow stuff up. It can actually be used to power some very useful things and even though I¡¯m not going to be an engineer, I guess my side-hobby was of some use after all.¡± She tossed her device in the air and fiddled with it.


    I looked at Lila with a grin, ¡°Just so you know, you¡¯re probably going to be the most wanted girl on the planet with a device like that. People will be lining up at your feet to get whatever that thing is called.¡± Aurora blushed.


    ¡°Well¡­¡­that was the original plan. I wanted some extra money to¡­¡­uh¡­¡­buy some stuff. And who doesn¡¯t want money! But anyway, it saved Evay¡¯s case so I guess it was for a noble cause.¡± Aurora¡¯s face had a more forced upbeatness to it as she spoke. She spoke quickly and it seemed like she was trying more to convince herself than to tell us anything.


    ¡°Yeah¡­.right.¡± We all laughed and Aurora smacked Geon on the arm.


    I checked my pockets and they were empty. I had a couple gold coins in my pocket for change and I needed them to buy some food for the dorm this week. I must¡¯ve forgotten them at the house we were stationed at yesterday.


    ¡°Guys go ahead. I forgot some money at the shack we were at last night. I¡¯ll be back.¡± I gave them a wave before running back to the hall. I reached the shack that was just big enough to be called a house and opened the door. The coins were on the table and I quickly grabbed them and ran out. I took a couple steps when I saw Ren behind a large oak tree. My heart quickened and my blood started to rush. I felt my heart turn cold and my hate grow larger as his face came into my vision. But then I saw another man in front of him. This situation was different.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Ren was alone. Not alone in a literal way, but in a sense that he wasn¡¯t with his friends. He also looked troubled. The usual psychotic smile wasn¡¯t visible as he looked more like an angry-defiant child. I hid out of their sight and listened. ¡°Father, I told you already that I didn¡¯t mean to reveal anything. No one heard anything and her weird device or whatever wasn¡¯t anything that I could have considered.¡±


    ¡°Stop yelling, child. Your insolence annoys me.¡± Ren looked taken aback and hurt by his father¡¯s comment. ¡°You were already informed that you should not come into direct contact with the boy, yes?¡± Ren looked down at his feet.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But you did.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Now what if you have just cost us an already valuable subject and prospect, and have lost us an incredible amount of potential talent that is lacking in this family.¡± Ren visibly slumped and looked even more defeated.


    ¡°My apologies, sir.¡±


    ¡°Your lack of awareness is shocking. Never mind¡­just keep close eyes on the boy and the other targets. You''re not of any use to me otherwise understand?¡±


    The figure started to walk away. ¡°Keep your messes small scale. Just go back to things like that girl for example. Something easy to cover up. Stop giving the house more work to do. Useless, fucking child,¡±  I clenched my fists. He meant my sister¡­.My eyes narrowed and my rage made my blood boil. Ren walked away and I finally started to run back to the dorms. My anger continued to seeth and my heart continued to beat rapidly. Calm down Lila, don¡¯t let them see you like this¡­.


    I forced myself to cool off and I made my way back to the dorm.


    I entered through the door and Geon was showing Evay and Aurora some papers which had the statistics of class A-5¡¯s championship team. It didn¡¯t really help in a physical way, since we had never seen them fight before. But it was better than nothing. These numbers were a bit daunting though¡­..


    If a team could win in an average margin of a couple seconds, then how were we supposed to hold out for an entire match?


    I sat down and joined them at the table. Aurora took a look at the numbers and spoke while still looking at the paper. ¡°Okay, well they¡¯ll probably use the Savian-Akasa combo right? Make us unable to use our skills then rush us with speed. So I have a plan.¡± We all looked at her with a hopeful stare.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know how your barrier thing works yet Evay, but you told me that it can block skills right.¡± Evay nodded and Aurora pondered some more.


    ¡°Okay well we won¡¯t all be able to dodge Akasa¡¯s attack but I think we should prioritize one person.¡± She looked towards Geon. ¡°You¡¯re the only one that can possibly stop Savain¡¯s rush. Evay won¡¯t be able to cast a barrier around all of us, but if he gets you two then you guys can do some counter play.¡±


    ¡°But what about you?¡± Geon looked at her skeptically. ¡°What about Lila, we can¡¯t lose two people off the start.¡±


    ¡°That is where you come in.¡± She pointed to Evay.


    ¡°Once you catch the timing, Akasa and Savian won¡¯t expect Geon and you to still be able to use your skills. Geon can catch Savain off guard and you need to throw us a barrier right away. If you miss, then well¡­¡±


    ¡°You guys are out.¡± Evay looked at us with a serious expression and we knew that this was going to be risky. If Geon missed, Evay missed, someone wasn¡¯t fast enough¡­this all goes out the window.


    I guess we¡¯re kind of winging it¡­.


    Why are we winging it?

 Chapter 23: Love and Speed

    Savian Yelenta: The forests and lakes flashed before my eyes like smeared colors cast over an open canvas. The air rushed into my ears and the wind roared across my face as I felt the ground slip away beneath my feet.


    I always loved to run.


    For once I could forget about everything that was going on and the rush of excitement and fury that I could feel was intoxicating. The open mountains and plains were as beautiful as ever. The snowy peaks of the giant hills were shining brightly in the morning light and the vast fields of straw colored grass could be seen stretching for infinity and beyond. I zipped across the mountains and ran into the open fields. I felt time slow down around me and my body felt so free and feathery. My surroundings flashed across my eyes as I ran back towards the mountains. I sped up, making the ground tear beneath my feet. I zigzagged around the trees carefully to avoid running into the giant oaks. The forest flashed in colors of green, brown, and gold as the sun became fully visible in the open sky.


    I turned left and sped down a country dirt road. The tall wheat fields came up to my waist and the golden plants glowed like jewelry in the summer light. I stopped and stared at the dinky old cabin that was located in the back of the vast fields. It was almost gone, a good kick seemed to be what separated it from being a house and another pile of rubble. I opened the door and walked in. The interior hadn¡¯t changed. The old painting of the nearby forests and fields hung above a furnace which was almost always empty. A small table sat by the window and the small kitchen was unoccupied. A small bed sat in the corner of the room and an art stand sat alongside the bed.


    A small girl sat in front of the table and was painting furiously on a canvas. Her leather work clothes were stained with paint and her hands were covered in dyes. She had soft and long black hair with big gray eyes, and she always seemed to be busy but somehow happy at the same time.


    ¡°Emmy, I hope you¡¯re not working yourself to death.¡± She turned around quickly and gave me a big smile.


    ¡°Savie!¡± She ran up to me and gave me a big hug.


    ¡°Hey, stop getting paint on me,¡± she laughed and backed off.


    ¡°Sorry it¡¯s just you¡¯ve been away for so long. I mean with Eden and all that. You were already pretty busy with all that other stuff but now that you¡¯re gonna be a warrior¡­.I never get to see you!¡±


    She pouted a little bit and seemed slightly annoyed. ¡°I sent you a letter every two weeks even though I¡¯m super busy trying to get my name out there with my paintings. But you haven¡¯t even written back once!¡± She crossed her arms and looked at me accusingly.


    ¡°Do you have a girlfriend or something?¡± I let out a sudden chuckle and had to hold back the urge to laugh even more.


    She smiled teasingly and looked at me with a grin. ¡°Yeah I figured, you probably couldn¡¯t get one if you tried.¡±


    I stopped laughing and gave her a questioning look. ¡°Hey wait, what¡¯s that supposed to mean..¡±


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    ¡°Anyways! What brings you here?¡± She sat down near the larger table by the window and I did the same.


    ¡°Well I just needed someone to talk to after everything that¡¯s been going on at Eden. It turns out it¡¯s not easy to be a top student at one of the world''s top warrior academies.¡±


    She looked at me with a neutral expression and waited for me to keep talking. ¡°There¡¯s been a lot going on, and school is another layer on top of that and..¡±


    ¡°Is this about the tournament?¡± she absentmindedly asked as she fiddled with her silk-like hair. I looked at her with a surprised expression. She wasn¡¯t the type to be situationally aware, but she could always read people well.


    ¡°Yeah¡­a little bit.¡± She giggled a little and looked at me with her soft, inviting eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you to ever get nervous. What happened to the brash boy who always knew he was the best?¡± I looked out the window and slowly met her gaze.


    ¡°Well¡­when we were kids, if we were the strongest kid in our town, we were so sure that we were the strongest kid in the world. But when you start going to academies and meeting other people it gets harder, and harder to stay on top. Then eventually you realize that the world is a big place.¡±


    ¡°But you did stay on top. You were always the best, right? It usually wasn¡¯t close.¡±  I nodded and she encouraged me to continue.


    ¡°But now¡­.at Eden¡­.I think¡ª¡°


    ¡°You¡¯ve finally met your match huh?¡± She gave me a smile and I gave her a defeated smile back.


    ¡°That skill of yours never fails.¡± She laughed and nodded. She was still undoubtedly beautiful. Even with paint smeared across her shirt, and her hair in a mess, I couldn¡¯t shake off that feeling that I had about her ever since I met her.


    ¡°Ever since we were kids I was always the one that chased you.¡± She stared at her hands while talking. ¡°You got the cool speed skill and I was able to feel what everyone else felt. It was actually more of a curse in the beginning.¡±


    ¡°But I never wanted to fight and so I just made art. It was great, but you were always so¡­.perfect, unreachable, and so awesome to everyone else.¡±


    ¡°So not to you?¡± I teased her and she gave me a slap on the wrist.


    ¡°Of course I think you¡¯re cool too. Same with my parents. My parents would never shut up about you but they would never talk about me when your parents came over.¡± She rolled her eyes while saying this and I laughed a little.


    ¡°But what I thought was cool about you was just¡­you. Yeah you¡¯re a little annoying but that¡¯s fine, right?¡± She smiled teasingly and I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°But it was always the fact that you didn¡¯t really change how you treated me. Famous or not, great or not, better or not you never really thought of me as less than the other super-kids.¡±


    ¡°You also never lost your cool. Remember that one time when we lost our parents while out on the road and I started crying?¡± I nodded.


    ¡°Six year olds skilled or not would have usually panicked but you just picked me up and ran across all the road systems in south Bondas until you found our parents.¡± She smiled softly and grabbed my hand.


    ¡°Whoever this person is, you always find a way to figure things out right? You move at your own speed, literally. So you have to trust yourself and your abilities. Break things down into solvable problems. Trust yourself like how I trust you, okay?¡±


    I gave her a smile and she smiled back. ¡°Thanks¡­for everything.¡± She got up and saw me at the door.


    ¡°By the way, are you talking about that Leventen kid? He was in the newspapers yesterday since he was at the trial or whatever.¡± I nodded and she nodded back. ¡°Do you know that Maver guy who beat up the Emperor¡¯s nephew?¡±


    ¡°Kind of. I face him in the finals tomorrow though.¡± She gave me an understanding nod and leaned on the door.


    ¡°Leventen¡­quite the family¡­.Oh well, the boy is pretty cute so it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°What!¡± I turned around as fast as I could and faced her with frantic eyes. She started laughing and put her hands over her mouth.


    ¡°That really got you huh?¡± I sighed out of relief and gave her an annoyed look. I turned around and smiled to myself. I got an idea¡­


    ¡°Hey, you know I met this girl named Aurora the other day¡­She has nice eyes.¡± Emmy looked at me with a surprised stare that turned into a look of jealousy.


    ¡°Hey¡­.wait a second who¡¯s¡ª¡°


    I laughed and sped off.


    Thanks, Emmy.


    I needed that.

 Chapter 24: Battle Begins

    Evay Maver: What a day to be alive huh?


    We were escorted on a carriage pulled by royal horses and shown to our waiting rooms under the battle stadium. The finals of the school qualifiers were to be held at the Suhan center, a training field for full fledged warriors. Its size and proportions were adjusted to fit our audience and battlefield, but the fact that everyone in the school would be watching was a little intimidating.


    But the thing was that this event was open to the public. It was the closest thing to the actual Championship that the people were going to get before the Championships started and since it was Eden the tickets usually sold out at a high number. As I sat in the waiting room I looked around and heard the voices outside the stadium. Aurora walked back into the room and gave everyone a heads up. She looked a little nervous which was bad, since she was never nervous. ¡°Guys, we sold 45,000 tickets¡­Apparently we only exceeded the average by 2000¡­.I knew these things were big but this is crazy.¡± Lila came rushing in and looked even worse than Aurora.


    ¡°Aurora¡¯s right, and uh¡­..try not to look up when you¡¯re out there.¡± Lila went to sit down and Geon came out of the changing room. We were all in our battle vests and gear. We had been given extra clothes and towels but we didn¡¯t really touch them. Geon looked at Lila and Aurora and laughed a little. ¡°Just think of them as melons or something¨CI always like to think that.¡±


    ¡°Do we get paid for this?¡± I asked no one in particular and Lila answered.


    ¡°No, it goes back into the school and it¡¯s used to fund our program further. I mean¡­.it¡¯s kind of a hot topic right now. Some people say we should be paid but I don¡¯t know. All I know is we do one thing¨Cwin.¡± Lila looked at us with a determined face and we all looked at each other for reassurance.


    A loud bell sounded in the distance. ¡°Well, it¡¯s go- time¡±. Geon whispered and he stood up. We did the same and looked at each other once more. Aurora led the way and turned to us with a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s not screw this up.¡± We walked through the tunnels and up the entrance to the massive marble stadium. The seats rose up to the sky and even our training facility at our school paled in comparison to this. The cheers and shouts shook the Earth to its core, and my ears seemed to recoil at the volume of the people. The sea of colors and humans made my head go blurry, my breathing quickened, and I felt my insides turn. For a split second I forgot everything. What our plan was, what we were going to do, what we needed to execute¡­..Suddenly, Aurora tapped me on the shoulder. ¡°Hey we¡¯re here now¨Clook alive,¡± she smiled softly and walked forward. I snapped back.


    We were motioned to the center of the battle field by a Bondas Combat institution referee, who were at all our other matches. We looked around at the crowd in all its magnitude and soaked it in. Well, let¡¯s give this our best shot. The bell then rang again. This time our opposing team walked out. The cheers got even louder as my ears were once again deafened by the shouts and cheers of the crowd. A girl and a boy¨Cwho both looked nervous¨Cwalked out of the entrance. I couldn¡¯t remember the names of those two but the boy was about as tall as me. He was less scrawny compared to me, but he still didn¡¯t look very strong. The girl was a lot like Aurora, lean, muscular, and athletic. She had long and curly navy blue hair and looked like a psychopath.


    I heard the crowd cheer extra loud as Savian and Akasa both walked through the entrance. Both of them looked as cool as ever¨CAkasa had the same neutral expression on his face while Savian waved to the crowd and smiled. They walked towards us and we met face to face in the middle of the field. I looked into the eyes of the scrawny boy. He had blonde hair and was wearing a gold necklace. He seemed to steel his nerves and stare me down. I did the same. Lila faced the navy blue hair girl and Aurora met face to face with Akasa. Geon was up against Savian. He stood next to me as we planned and we waited. We heard the commentator shout at long last. ¡°Good morning students at Eden academy, the ticket holders who have been so kind as to pay to watch these students, and the officials of Eden high who made this event possible. This final match of the Eden qualifiers will determine one school that represents Bondas at the inter-empire Championship.¡±


    ¡°We have the team who ran through the qualifier rounds who have risen to stardom as first year students. It is class A-3!¡± The crowd erupted into cheers and the very ground shook, almost as if an earthquake had just begun.


    ¡°Then we have the team who dominantly sped through the qualifiers, winning each round by an average of mere seconds, a team with the sensational junior combat championship winner, a projected top ten student warrior, and a load of confidence to go with it¡­¡­it is class A-5!¡± The crowd seemed to never get tired of yelling as the volume was no quieter than in the beginning.


    ¡°Now, are you ready!¡± a resounding roar came from the crowd. ¡°Students, prepare yourselves!¡± Savain stretched his arms, smiled wickedly, and got ready to run. Akasa focused and took his hands out of his pockets. The girl got into a fighting stance and the boy in front of me crossed his forearms.


    We all got ready and I eyed Geon who gave me a nod. Let¡¯s go.


    ¡°May the match begin!¡±


    Now


    As we expected, Savian took off. His body turned into a blur of color as the marble floor tore up at his feet. I eyed Akasa and he held out one of his hands and coldly stared at our eyes, ¡°Kneel,¡± a faint blue-green aura was cast from his hands. Don¡¯t get hit by that. Get hit and it¡¯s over. Time seemed to slow down and the very air and tension in the arena seemed to condense into my headspace all at once. My eyes strained in concentration and my brain screamed in panic. But there was no room to panic¡­I looked over to Savian who had reached Geon. His arms stretched like a claw of quick death. The blue waves were also here, and they glowed like deadly fire in my eyes. I braced for impact and willed my protection onto Geon. Now.


    The golden aura in the shape of a spherical barrier was encased around Geon. I put another shield around myself and felt the waves of Akasa harmlessly wash over me. Savian¡¯s fists rammed into the shield but he couldn¡¯t pierce it, and Geon saw his opening.


    I dropped the shield and Geon instantly willed the marble flooring to shoot up in spikes. The giant pearly spears of rock rapidly approached Savian and his face bloomed with concentration. He rapidly backed away from the spikes and managed to dodge the counter strike. The crowd gasped and I silently cursed. That was our chance¡­


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    I saw Aurora laced in electricity and she flipped over her opponent. She descended onto the ground and she slammed her fists into the floor¡ªsending an Earth shattering ripple of electricity outward. Lila¡¯s aura shifted to battle mode and she jumped high into the air. Geon flew upwards and I put a barrier onto myself. The first layer of marble was beginning to vaporize and Savain cursed. The electric blue lightning spread along the floor like a web of intense heat. It reached out to all corners of the arena, making the floor untouchable. He ran along the side of the arena walls that separated the stands from the floor. He sped around like a rapid boomerang while the boy I was facing came towards me. The boy looked desperate to get to me and with a sea of blue death chasing him I watched as he tried to run out of the stadium. He was caught at the end of the floor and his body violently twitched and convulsed as lightning coursed through his bones. The girl jumped upwards and met Lila in the air.


    She grabbed onto Lila and her hand transformed into a navy blue colored blade. She aimed to stab Lila in the throat but Lila grabbed her hand and the girl immediately let go. She was still falling as she flicked two blades at the falling Lila. The blades soared through the air like arrows and Lila dodged one but the second grazed her shoulder. She gritted in pain as she looked up and reached out a hand. Geon soared through the air as he caught Lila and flung her towards the girl who had just about reached the ground. Aurora¡¯s electricity was still surging and I prepared to put a barrier on Lila, but I saw Akasa in a ring of blue.


    The electric sea didn¡¯t even reach his feet and he calmly stared at the situation. He kneeled down and stared at the ground. A faint smile appeared on his face as he touched the ground with one gentle finger.


    A radiant burst of blue washed over the floor arena as the blue burst seemed to cleanse the floor of any destruction. The electricity that had been intensely burning had been swept away. Then I looked at Aurora. She grabbed her chest and coughed violently. She was brought to one knee as her face was laced in pain. Lila looked at her with worry and shouted something. I couldn¡¯t hear her over the battle but she pointed to her shoulder. But I needed to move, I couldn¡¯t stand still now¡­.I took down my barrier and I raced towards her. The girl from Savian¡¯s team pounced and threw a series of blades at Aurora¡¯s defenseless body. I immediately erected a barrier around her and the blades harmlessly clinked off. Geon saw what was happening and frantically threw out walls of steel to protect Aurora. He took off at blazing speeds into the air again and oversaw the battle field. He put out his arm and a blazing column of bright red and orange flames torched the battle field. Savain suddenly took off and ran along the steel walls Geon had created.


    He ran up the wall and launched himself into the air like an arrow shot to the sky. The crowd roared in excitement as he went higher and higher and rammed into Geon at full speed. Geon grimaced in concentration as he sporadically flew in loops and circles in order to throw Savian off. Savian couldn¡¯t win up there but our air defense was gone¡­I saw the girl come for me and I put up a barrier to block her array of daggers. She leapt off the ground and spun more daggers at me which I blocked as well. She landed in front of me and threw a high kick to my face which I dodged and she immediately threw a sidekick to my stomach. I blocked with my hands but her power sent me flying backwards. I used my barrier to shield myself from the impact damage and prepared for combat.


    She zigzagged and leapt towards me like a wolf and swung in a swift killing motion to my head. I dodged and nearly met my death but I pulled my head up to avoid getting hit by a blade-armed uppercut. I attempted to throw a hard right hand punch when she immediately ducked it and leapt over my entire body. She gracefully landed behind me and tried to stab me in the back, but my barrier parried her attempt. She sneered and charged into me with immense power. I dropped my barrier on instinct and I felt the full force of her body slam. I flew backwards and I attempted to seat myself upright. I got my footing and I grabbed her head. She attempted to get out of my grasp but I slammed her head into my knee and threw her forward. I leapt into a side kick to her stomach and her eyes went wide from the pain. She flew backwards and I watched.


    Evay, you can fly right? Now would be a good time to try again¡­..


    She suddenly threw something from her hands and it took me one second too long to realize it was a blade. I put up my barrier but part of the blade hit me in the chest. I looked at it and the wound wasn¡¯t deep¨Cthe blade hadn¡¯t gone in. I readied myself again for battle when my heart felt like it was burning in white-hot fire. My entire body felt like it had been powered off as I coughed and was brought to my knees. Suddenly I saw Akasa put his hands out in my direction. A beam of blue raced towards me and I felt another burning sensation in my body. This time it felt like I was being seared, like my insides were being burned away from my existence. It felt like my blueprint was being burned off.


    I fell to the ground and couldn¡¯t move a muscle. I couldn¡¯t cast a barrier and I looked up to see Geon fly Savian at full speed into the ground. Surprisingly, Savian gritted his teeth and ran. Geon erected barriers of marble to cut him off and flew towards him. Explosions started to go off as Geon bombed the floor with smoke and fire. I coughed even louder as two figures emerged from the smoke.


    Akasa and the girl were looking down at me with serious eyes. ¡°Good, this is the one that we needed to take down right?¡± The girl had a surprisingly sweet voice but it was rough from the smoke.


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s the kid that¡¯s letting them get away with anything harm free.¡± Akasa looked down at me and I tried my best to look him in the eye. I couldn¡¯t talk and his cold gaze sprouted anger in my heart.


    ¡°Oh¡­were you that kid at the festival? Wow I guess you¡¯ve come a long way¡­.But a long way on a short road doesn¡¯t mean much huh?¡± I eyed him with disdain as he gazed into my eyes.


    ¡°I guess you knew this was coming then? I mean I beat you once and now I¡¯ll beat you twice.¡± He smiled and laughed softly. ¡°But I don¡¯t hate you. In fact I kind of like you for beating that Ren kid into the ground. That takes some balls this close to the tournament, and just in general. I hate that kid, you did us all a favor.¡± He got up and turned his back on me.


    ¡°I hope we can set aside our differences once this is over. I find you interesting¡­..let¡¯s talk, yeah?¡± He walked off into the smoke and disappeared. Only the girl was left.


    I finally got my voice back enough so that I could speak in short sentences, ¡°How¡ªyou¡ªblades-do¡ªthis?¡± My voice was hoarse and my eyes were still red. She looked at me and replied coolly.


    ¡°My blades aren¡¯t just sharp. They¡¯re made from my own cells. My cells are special in a way that I can control how they are shaped, and also their degree of hardness. So I can make blades and shurikens and spears. But my blood is also special in the sense that it¡¯s toxic to any other person. It produces an unknown type of antibody that doesn¡¯t interact nicely with any blood type. You¡¯re blood clots, and if you get graced with my blades you get graced with my blood.¡± She smiled sadistically and kneeled down. She put her lips close to my face and looked me in the eyes.


    ¡°So I¡¯m basically a poison. Your girlfriend over there is already suffering from it and you¡¯ll be the same.¡± I looked at her and tried to hide my embarrassment.


    ¡°Not¡ªmy¡ª*cough*¡ªgirlfriend.¡± She looked at me with another wicked smile and whispered sweetly into my ear.


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re available. Lucky me¡­I just so happened to think that you were kind of cute.¡± She leaned in and grabbed my shoulders. She sat on both her knees and slowly moved her legs and sat on my waist. She smiled seductively. ¡°Did you know that whoever I kiss gets the most of my blood? My mouth has always been cut easily with my bladed teeth.¡± She smiled and leaned in closer. What looked like well applied lipstick before was actually cherry red blood upon closer notice.  I didn¡¯t know what to think of the situation¡­.I knew I shouldn¡¯t but¡­¡­I couldn¡¯t¡­move. The poison was working its magic¡­.


    ¡°Relax¡­.I¡¯ll help you,¡± she leaned in when an enormous explosion of blue ripped into the sky. Aurora¡¯s blue hair and purple arm markings could be seen dashing through the smoke. I saw her dive down into the girl and topple her off of me. She drove her fist into her solar plexus and the girl opened her mouth in pain. She was sent flying back, but she flipped backwards in mid air and landed on her feet. She looked in anger at Aurora who had a seething face that was painted with electric fury. Her eyes were full of hate and she melted the very ground she stood on. She looked towards the girl with pure malice.


    ¡°Stop trying to kiss my teammate,¡± the girl laughed and readied herself.


    ¡°Not a girlfriend huh, Maver.¡± She laughed wickedly and looked at Aurora. ¡°So why him? No one is better? Geon wasn¡¯t the go-to?¡± Aurora looked at her coldly. She looked at Aurora with curiosity. ¡°What¡­what makes you feel for him? Why him? What exactly does he have to offer? Enlighten me.¡± The girl summoned two blades from her arms and readied herself. Aurora looked at her coldly and readied herself as well. ¡°Because he¡¯s special to me¡­.he¡¯s someone that¡¯s so different from everybody else.¡±


    ¡°In what way?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a nice person, something that¡¯s really hard to find these days.¡±

 Chapter 25: Battle of the Aces

    Geon Leventen: Left, right, right, up.


    My eyes worked rapidly to track the blazing Savian as he raced across the arena floor. He delivered a series of strikes which sent Lila flying backwards. In less than a second he darted towards Aurora and gave her a swift strike and a throw¡ªso fast that it looked like Aurora just launched herself into the air. The blue haired girl ran after Aurora. I flew down and Savian ran towards me.I shot out my hand and willed the ground to move in front of me. I concentrated and a huge mountain of marble spikes shot out at the running Savian. The crowd gasped in panic as a tower of marble came towards them¡ªeven up to the highest seats in the stadium. He stopped and swiftly ran around the massive wall of spikes, but I flew out of his reach and created an explosion which I aimed at his back.


    He ran back towards me and I saw him face me for the first time. He looked me in the eyes with a concentrated glare but I stood my ground. He looked confused as I raised my hand and snapped my fingers. He tried to run but I had enclosed his feet in the marble floors, and a giant explosion went off. I flew upwards to track Savian amongst the smoke. My explosions were created with nitroglycerin but what Savian couldn¡¯t see was the nitroglycerin gas that was in the air. This entire arena was covered with it and everyone was at my mercy.


    I landed on the ground and saw that the marble mountain had created a barrier in the middle of the arena. Me and Savian were separated from the others¡ªit was one on one.


    The crowd whispered in excited tones as they focused on the two of us. Savian ran out of the smoke and stopped on a dime. The ground tore up at his feet as he stood tall and faced me head on. He was still looking fine¡ªno real damage had been done to his clothes or body. I had always noticed that he was tall since he was the only person in our school that I couldn¡¯t see over. He definitely used his long legs and strides to go even faster on top of his speed. He looked at me with a smile and laughed a little. ¡°One versus one.¡±  I looked at him with a cold stare and he put his hands in his pockets. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you smile once, did you know that?¡± He walked towards me and kept talking. ¡°You¡¯ve always been so serious, at least around me. You¡¯ve never let your guard down and you¡¯ve never stopped your attacks for even a moment.¡± He came face to face with me and we stared each other down. ¡°On the outside you''re just like everyone says you are. Cold, violent, rough, and troubled. But for some reason, I don¡¯t believe that. I need to know more about you, show me who you are.¡± I looked at him for a short while and spoke.


    ¡°You want me to act buddy-buddy with you? Buy me an ice cream or something¨Cif I don¡¯t fuck you up too much.¡± Savian looked at me and he dropped his smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re a threat. I¡¯ve gone to the junior championships, I¡¯ve won medals that grown men never won when I was nine, I¡¯ve traveled the world, fought all kinds of warriors, and yet I¡¯ve never met someone like you. I don¡¯t like you, I hate you. Fuck you¨Cyou know what I mean?¡± He took his hands out of his pockets and prepared to move. I readied myself and looked into Savian¡¯s eyes¡ªwhich resembled deadly orange flames.


    ¡°You see Savian, that¡¯s the difference between me and you.¡± He threw a fast punch which I met with a punch of my own. I added a blast which accelerated my speed and force. The collision sent a massive shockwave throughout the arena¡ªwhich caused surprised shouts to go up in the stands.


    ¡°No matter who I face, my mind thinks I¡¯m the best..I don¡¯t care if I fight a peasant, a warrior, a politician, a noble, I couldn¡¯t care less if I fought the emperor himself.¡± We both raced away from each other and faced each other on opposite sides of the floor.


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    ¡°Because I don¡¯t think about how strong my opponent is¨CI know that I will win.¡± Savian glared at me with anger. I prepared to attack. ¡°You¡¯re named after Savitar, right? The god of speed. Well Savian you are not a god, you are just a man.¡±


    ¡°And I don¡¯t kneel to men.¡±


    Savian exploded toward me and a huge sound barrier shockwave destroyed my ears. I flew upwards and added a blast to my feet¡ªcausing me to explode upward faster. Dark fire and smoke bloomed under me and I scanned the battlefield from the air. I flew around the stadium and released a column of fire out of my hands. The blazing hot red turned to blue, and finally to white. The blazing laser burned into the smoke filled field and it decimated the floor. I flew down and finally saw Savian. He raced towards me and I erected a marble wall. He raced around it and I blasted two spikes out of the floor. He smashed through it and grabbed a hold of my body. I willed clouds of liquid nitrogen to come out of my hands.


    Savian raced me around the arena and my eyes saw a blur of color. My head felt like it was spinning and my stomach started to turn. Savian¡¯s face suddenly filled with shock as he looked at his legs¡ªwhich were starting to freeze off. He stopped and escaped out of my grasp. I kicked off his chest with both legs and flipped backwards onto my feet. I put out my arm and the floor of marble shot out in the shape of a giant stone hand. The huge hand grasped the still partially frozen Savian and I flew towards him. I flipped over him and summoned a cloud of chlorine gas around his face. Savian started to panic as his lungs failed him. I landed and squeezed my hands together. Inside the hand large spikes of marble jutted out of the side. He closed his eyes quickly in pain. I squeezed harder and heard the crack of his ribs and Savian spit blood out of his mouth in pain.


    I stared coldly and flew up towards the sky. I hovered above him and held out my hand. He looked at me with a neutral expression as his mouth was still covered in blood. I stretched out my arms even more as I felt heat and lighting dance along my finger tips. I summoned all the power that I could and gave Savian one last cold hearted look.


    I let the rush of fire and lightning race along my arms in a column of death as the beam of carnage hit my target.


    I looked on as the stadium was left in rubble.


    Nothing but ash left to see.


    Savian Yelenta: I really loved being a kid.


    It was a time when I could be who I truly wanted to be. I always thought that that was what growing up was. I didn''t really get more mature, I just became more of the person everyone else wanted me to become. The real me was the kid me and the me I wanted to be. I remembered the things that would drive me to live day to day.


    The things I knew, the things I had to do made me feel¡­.strange¨Cthey made me less human¡­


    I guess I was kind of hoping to kick the bucket¡­.I¡¯m bound to if I fight all the time¡­.It would be a nice way to end a long, dead chapter of a human life¡­.my life.I saw the brilliant flames of white come towards me, the heat singed my face, and the power sucked the breath out of my lungs. I put my head down and relaxed my crushed arms and ribs. This is nice¡­.My arms began to move by themselves¡­my lungs started to work again, and my eyes started to unwillingly open. I tried my hardest to go back, to stop, to surrender, but I couldn¡¯t. My body forcibly started to move.


    I opened my eyes and red electricity burst out of my body. The marble that grasped me was torn to shreds and I escaped the marble death-prison in an instant. Geon¡¯s face didn¡¯t change as he adjusted and flew towards me. He summoned a pillar of marble and flung it at me. The giant spear practically froze in time as I jumped up on the airborne object. I ran along it and leapt off tackling Geon to the floor. He grabbed a piece of the floor and wrapped it around himself like an armored blanket, but I punched through it. He suddenly slammed his hands together and a huge explosion went off. The smoke and fire slowly expanded in my vision as I rammed into Geon and gave him a high-speed punch to the torso. He was blown back but I noticed that I hadn¡¯t hit him. He stood up and I immediately saw what was happening. He flew by generating wind currents around himself. If those winds were strong enough, they could push back attacks too. He didn¡¯t just have excellent mobility, he had an invisible shield.


    I breathed deeply and stretched my arms and legs. Red lighting started to bounce off me as my gaze turned against Geon. A surge of red electricity enveloped my body and I felt myself rip through space and time. Not a single sound was made as I saw Geon¡¯s shocked face turn around to look at me. My eyes turned red and my fingers danced as they turned into electric blade-like weapons.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting really sick of you, Geon, sick of you after five minutes.¡±


    Geon smiled, ¡°me too, prettyboy, me too.¡±

 Chapter 26: Awakening

    Geon Leventen: Savian thrust his hands into my side. The ground came to my aid as a sphere of marble enclosed around me like a trap. Savian¡¯s hand went through the stone and I flew out of the top of the sphere. I looked down on the field to see nothing there. I couldn¡¯t see Savian¡¯s body¡ªI couldn¡¯t even see a streak going past.


    ¡°Alright, say goodbye.¡±  I raised my arms up towards the air and concentrated. I tried to pull the moisture in the clouds, the air, and the sky all out of their place and into my grasp. The sky turned heavy and the clouds turned dark as I opened my eyes. I pointed my arms towards the battlefield and a torrent of rain crashed down onto the ground. Great heaps of water fell as I heard the screams of the crowd. Lightning and thunder flashed all over the sky as the side of the arena with me and Savian on it was completely filled with water. I dove down headfirst. The thunder and lightning roared and flashed around me as I dove like a hawk. My fists sparked with electricity and I looked into the mini-ocean I had created.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see where you¡¯re hiding.¡± I hurled the column of lightning flashing in the sky into the water and watched as the entire ocean was bombarded with electricity. The waters sparked and fizzed as I looked at the scene to find no Savian lying on the floor.


    The storms subsided and the light blue sky showed again. The crowd waited in anticipation.


    I flew lower to the ground and overlooked the battlefield¡ªstill filled with water.


    Suddenly I heard an excruciatingly loud explosion that made me cover my ears. I heard the screams of the crowd and looked under me to see what had happened. Absurd amounts of smoke came up from the field as I saw a violently bright glow of red emit from the field. Savian sat at the center and was completely covered in red electricity. His hair came up in electric spikes and his arms and hands were laced with pure energy, and his fingertips were like electric claws. His face was covered with a mask made from pure energy as it glowed white and red. He emitted an aura so powerful that no one in the arena even breathed. The air seemed to still, time seemed to slow, and my breathing seemed to die away. My throat began to choke itself and my very being began to wobble.


    Savian spoke with an almost mystically calm voice. ¡°You like it?¡±


    I dove towards him but he instantly vanished. I immediately erected another marble-spike mountain but the 100 meter tall object just vanished. My eyes went wide with shock as I saw the entire thing get turned to dust¡ªwhile Savian stood there. I clapped my hands together as hard as I could and immediately a giant explosion went off. I flew backwards to see the damage but Savian hadn¡¯t taken any. I could hear my breathing quicken, I felt like my first step was too slow, my strikes weren¡¯t fast enough, and my reaction time was far too sluggish.I held up my hands and I flew up at the same time. A giant spike of copper appeared in my hands as I flew towards Savian and hurled it at him with full force. I laced the end of the spike with blazing fire and took off with a giant sonic boom¡ªwhich caused screams amongst the spectators.


    I saw the spike go directly to Savian and waited for it to hit. My aim was just right.


    Savian didn¡¯t even take a step, but II immediately felt the force of an exploding star collide with my torso. My face didn¡¯t even have time to process the pain as my shocked eyes couldn¡¯t even perceive what had happened. The crowd gasped loudly as I flew straight through the outer wall and crashed hard against the invisible liquor screens. I bounced off the shield and heard more screams among the spectators.I slammed on the ground as I clenched my stomach and gasped for air. Savian sped towards me and kicked me off the floor. I flew towards one end and suddenly Savian appeared behind me again. He struck me in the back and made me fly to the other side of the arena. He teleported to me again and rocketed me towards the sky.


    An endless loop of strikes bombarded my body as I covered up the best that I could. I heard the bones in my body crack as I was tossed in each and every direction. I was hurled to the sky and Savian blasted off the ground towards me. I tried to fly but he appeared above me in the air and kicked me back to the ground. A grand boom sounded as I felt my body crack due to the impact damage. Savian raced beside me and he reverted back to his normal form. He looked at me with a worn out expression and talked in a serious voice. ¡°This specific form grants me speed beyond comprehension. When I run in that form I¡¯m not actually running anymore, I¡¯m basically skipping time. That¡¯s why I have no first step and why everything feels slower to you. Your close future is my present¡­you¡¯ll never be faster than me.¡± He raised his arm to deliver the final blow.


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    ¡°You¡¯re buddy Evay has been fighting for his life over there all this time. He¡¯s been hit by Akasa though so you have no shield. You¡¯re done Geon¡­.¡± I saw Akasa come out of the other side of the wall through a hole he had made. Aurora and Lila were still struggling to fight, Evay was on the ground and his blueprint was disabled.


    He looked at me with a neutral expression and gave me his last words.


    ¡°Die.¡±


    I felt a faint glow come over me and Savian¡¯s fist bounced harmlessly off a newly made golden shield. My eyes went wide as I saw Evay weakly stretch out his hands and smile. Akasa looked in shock and Savian¡¯s face went wide with surprise as Evay stood up.


    ¡°Well I guess it''s not over until it¡¯s over.¡±


    Lila Fairheart: I saw Akasa in shock as he seemed to be trying to fathom what had just happened.


    ¡°But¡­..there¡¯s¡­.no way,¡± his voice was faint and I could hear the disbelief coming out of his mouth. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be able to do anything¡­.any liquor based ability should be gone¡­¡± Akasa¡¯s face lit up with anger as he struck the ground with all his might. Savian ran around us in a dazzling ring of red electricity and Geon went off to chase him. Savian had put all of his effort into beating Geon¨Che was tired now and we could use that.The ground pulsed with a blue ring of energy and I filled my body with energy in order to escape. I was met by the blade girl and she gave me a deadly gaze. ¡°So blood doping huh? Is that how you get your inhuman strength,¡± she launched an array of knives at me and I jumped up to dodge them all.


    ¡°Well when you put it like that,¡± I smashed the ground with all my strength and the girl stumbled and struggled to dodge and free herself from the debris. ¡°That makes me sound pretty bad.¡±


    I could increase the amount of blood cells in my body to better my combat skills, but I could also change my muscular composition as well. It was useful, stronger, more bulky builds for close combat, and a leaner, faster build for more dynamic fighting. I had learned to control my body all my life, and I wasn¡¯t going to fail now. I looked above me and smiled as I knew what was coming. Aurora sailed in from above in an array of electric beauty as her violent blue hair cut the wind in two. Her body dove like a missile as I watched her fly her leg into the girl''s face like a human bullet. The girl was blown backwards and Aurora landed softly. She gave a smirk and flipped her hair back and faced me. ¡°Sorry, personal reasons.¡± I laughed a little and we both raced towards the main fight. Savian¡¯s red circle of death still occupied us but  Geon was delaying Savian. Evay jumped into the fight. He tackled Akasa to the ground but Akasa simply defended the takedown and hit Evay with a knee to his face. We both rushed in to help.


    I felt an oncoming force as Akasa raised his hands and a pulse of energy flew out of it. Me and Lila were both brought to our knees as we felt a chronic sense of tiredness and pain. We couldn¡¯t use any of our abilities¡­... Evay got out of Akasa¡¯s grasp and threw a heavy right hand punch which Akasa dodged. He hit Evay with a hook shot that barely grazed his chin, and Evay jumped backwards. Akasa held out his hands and fired another pulse of blue energy, but Evay just took it and moved on. Akasa looked in surprise as Evay flew towards him. He sidestepped and spun around while throwing a hook kick and Evay put up a shield in front of his face with milliseconds to spare. The shield made Akasa¡¯s leg bounce harmlessly off the surface and Evay threw a pushing kick which landed straight in Akasa¡¯s stomach. He grunted and tackled Evay.


    He grabbed Evay and slammed him into the ground. I could hear Evay¡¯s body give a heavy crack as he hit the marble floor. I grit my teeth and felt the urge to scream. Move, move, move¡­..Geon was busy dealing with Savian and Evay was on his own. Akasa kneeled down and rained heavy blows onto Evay. Evay put his guard up and his arms bled and cracked as Akasa slammed into them.


    Move, move, move, move¡­¡­


    I could see Aurora as pain filled her face. She reached out to Evay. She squeezed her eyes and balled her fists up. We couldn¡¯t do anything¡­¡­.nothing at all¡ª


    I¡¯m so sorry Evay¡­.I¡¯m so¡­¡­¡­sorry¡­.


    There was a flash of brilliant golden light. The clouds above us turned into cotton gold themselves, and the sky lit up with a light golden glare. I could see Akasa¡¯s eyes go wide with shock as he stopped punching Evay. Suddenly, Akasa leapt backwards and took up a defensive stance. He was arrayed in a golden robe with an ivory white hem and collar. The ivory white was marked with the symbols of a spear with ivory wings. His eyes glowed golden and his hair turned a color so white that it was whiter than snow.


    ¡°Well this¡­¡­is new.¡± His voice sounded calm and ready, but not quite like him. Evay put up one hand and a golden light started to emit from it. We all covered our eyes as the flash of light blinded the entire arena. Savian finally raced back to us and hurled an electric torrent at Evay. A sea of red lightning rushed towards Evay but Geon erected a titanium barrier to block it. He flew towards us and scooped both me and Lila up. We flew towards the sky but the range of Evay¡¯s next attack still caught us. Geon flew back to the ground away from Evay and he erected a metal barrier.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see what this one does,¡± Evay¡¯s crazy smile expanded as he let his attack go. We were almost blinded even through the barrier as the shining light flooded the sky. The barrier was instantly destroyed and we were blown away as everyone on the battlefield felt the heat and power of the attack. The crowd screamed and panicked as the entire floor became a war zone. I felt myself fly back and hit my head on a piece of marble concrete. My vision faded and pain flooded my senses as I saw the world go dark.

 Chapter 27: One moment

    I opened my eyes and saw Geon and Aurora lying next to me. Savian, and Akasa were both lying on the ground and so was the girl. No one¡¯s liquor screen had broken. However, there was someone left. The boy from the beginning that had been knocked by Evay stood up. He walked over to us and stared at Evay. They left him here on purpose¡­.this was their last ditch plan.


    Evay¡¯s dazzling presence and power emitted out from him. It was as if color only existed where he stood¡ªas the rest of the world seemed dull and dark. Evay looked towards the boy and laughed. The boy stood his ground and Evay walked towards him. The boy concentrated and suddenly, Evay¡¯s eyes went wide with shock. His face began to panic and he put his hands to his head. He stumbled and fell onto the ground. His face was in anguish as he let out groans of pain.


    ¡°Sto¡ªsto¡­.stop, stop, STOP. GET OUT OF MY HEAD.¡± The boy smiled and talked softly. ¡°No matter how strong you are, everyone is afraid of their thoughts. It looks like I got a good target. You¡¯ve got a lot of bad memories¡­.so thanks for that.¡± Every one of us looked on in panic. If we lost Evay, that meant they had a fighter that could continue and we didn¡¯t. Then no matter what we would lose¡ªscreens broken or not. None of us could get up so we all watched in anticipation.


    Memories¡­.a troublesome power¡­.


    Savian and Akasa looked on with hope as they saw their chance at victory. What do we do¡­¡­


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Then I saw Geon stand on one knee.


    ¡°Hey stop!¡± The boy looked over and lost his focus on Evay. Evay¡¯s golden aura went away and he fell onto the floor in his normal state.


    ¡°Why should I?¡± Geon looked at everyone in the arena and pointed under him. A tile of pure white was laid on the floor and Geon¡¯s knuckles were covered by a brass-knuckle type contraption¡ªexcept they were made of the same material as the floor tile. Geon spoke, ¡°This is a floor tile that I made. These knuckles are made of the same thing. I was messing around with some elements and I figured out how to summon this one. Uranium-238. If I slam these two things together, the world goes boom,¡± he smiled sadistically.


    My face slowly filled with realization and my heart began to race. The boy stood still and he spoke in a fearful voice.


    ¡°You psychopath¡­.you wouldn¡¯t kill your team! You wouldn¡¯t¡­¡± Geon smiled and pointed at Evay. ¡°He can never deactivate his shield unless he wants to. Last man standing right? Well he¡¯s our last man.¡±


    Geon gave one last look to everyone. ¡°And I guess he¡¯ll be the only one left standing.¡± He struck the ground at an astonishing speed and I saw another blinding flash of light. I felt a warm golden shield come over me and closed my eyes as the sun seemed to have fallen down to Earth. The crowd¡¯s screams faded as I felt an intense heat wash over me and I laid back in peace.


    I opened my eyes and saw Evay in the middle of a crater. The giant battlefield was no longer a battlefield, we were standing on pure dirt. The entire marble floor had been blown away and we stood in a crater, 50 meters deep. Evay stood proud and tall and he looked up to the sky with a tired gaze. He smiled weakly and whispered. ¡°We won.¡±


    I heard a loud voice explode into the words that I waited my whole life to hear. As the crowd roared so loud it deafened my ears, my ears couldn¡¯t rejoice enough.


    ¡°And they have done it! Class A-3 is advancing to the international championships!¡±

 Chapter 28: Afterparty

    Aurora Maple: I woke up and immediately saw the bright white ceiling of the hospital room. I looked down at my arms and they were covered in bandages, and my lower body was covered in a light blue blanket. Evay was sitting next to me and he was asleep on the chair. He had a small box of kiwis wrapped in a little bow tie. I smiled softly at him as he was clutching the box of fruit like a child did with a doll.


    How did he know I liked kiwis?


    The bright blue sky outside gave a clear view of the campus grounds on a peaceful summer day. I looked at the admittance sheet and saw that he had signed in yesterday night. He had waited for me all day after the match yesterday¡­..I saw a little note card in his hand and I gently took it out of his grasp so as to not wake him up.


    Hey Aurora. Thanks for giving me that pep talk before the match. I¡¯m sorry I got you into extra trouble during the fight. Thanks for what you said about me. You were really great in the fights. You always are. You¡¯re always there when I need you as well, so thank you.


    ¡ªFrom: Evay


    I smiled sweetly and looked into his sleeping face. He looked tired but peaceful and his resting face looked so pure. His soft brown hair rested nicely on his head and his gentle facial expressions as well as his dark brown eyes made me enamored with his gaze.


    But the words he said stuck out. You¡¯re always there when I need you.


    Words I had never heard in all my life, things I¡¯ve never done in regards to trust and friendship, feelings I¡¯ve never felt were all thrown out the window with Evay. My heart began to beat a little faster and I felt my face get a little redder. I opened my eyes wide with shock and put my hands to my face. It¡¯s just a letter¡­.Lila would be laughing herself to death if she was here right now.


    I thought about what she had always said to me. Love isn¡¯t so simple. You have to find someone that you can work with, click with, and sometimes a good person may not always be that person. You¡¯ve just got to wait, that¡¯s all.


    Her words echoed in my mind as I looked at the sleeping Evay. I got up from the bed with quite a struggle and took the box of kiwis from Evay¡¯s hands. I sat down next to him and began to eat beside him. I took my blanket and laid it over him and smiled peacefully into his closed eyes.


    For some reason the kiwis tasted sweeter than usual.


    Geon Leventen: I woke up feeling a little light headed and tired. The couch in our dorm room was tilted at a weird angle, the table was filled with cups and spilled drinks, the walls were either covered with weird paint or dented, and the carpet was covered with dishes, clothes, and more cups.


    I guess these are the downsides of a party¡­..


    After we had won tons of people had come to celebrate with us. According to the upperclassmen it was apparently tradition to do this to congratulate the winners, and we were the ones being celebrated this year. Evay and Aurora were at the hospital wing so me and Lila were the only ones that had made it to the party but it was pretty fun.


    This cleanup isn¡¯t going to be fun though¡­..


    I looked over at Lila¨Cwho was resting after cleaning out the kitchen. She wasn¡¯t affected by the party as much as me and she seemed to be awake and happy. She walked over to me and leaned in with her hands on her hips¡ªshe had a devious smile on her face. ¡°Looks like the ace  can¡¯t take a party to save his life,¡± she giggled a little and I gave her a small punch on the arm.


    ¡°Yeah, well I think that just means I¡¯m a model student,¡± I gave her my best model student pose and Lila laughed.


    ¡°The guy that forgot his homework for history three weeks in a row is a model student.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡­to be fair I never brought it in¨CI totally did it. It¡¯s just lost somewhere.¡± She shook her head with a smile and talked in a soft voice.


    ¡°The strongest warrior of our generation and you can¡¯t write a simple essay.¡± I giggled a little too and looked at the mess on the floor. I held out my hand and I willed the air to do my work for me. A breeze picked up the cups and plates and I funneled them all into the trash. Lila wiped up the last spills and messes, and we both sat on the couch together. Lila looked at me with a content face and talked.


    ¡°So, what''s your first major Ace-warrior  trophy looking like?¡± I stared down at my hands and smiled.


    ¡°They gave me a bar of gold with a star etched onto it so I could probably sell it to make money.¡± She laughed and stared at me with her big hazel eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m just glad we¡¯re going to the tournament. I mean, we win there and we already have a shot at being picked as warriors.¡±


    ¡°Yeah but I kind of want to stay in school for a while. Most warriors stay for all their years and I kind of want to do it too.¡± She looked at me and spoke once again.


    ¡°Why? I thought that with your talent you would have left by your first year.¡± She looked slightly away from me while she spoke as worry crept over her face.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°Well¡­¡­I like having¡­¡­friends. And I think that being in a real environment is something that you won¡¯t be able to experience much after you leave school so I want to enjoy it. I just¡­¡­.want to be with you guys.¡±


    I looked over at Lila¨Cwho was smiling softly. ¡°Yeah that sounds nice.¡± The atmosphere was filled with too many feelings¡­..


    ¡°Hah, what? Were you afraid I¡¯d leave you,¡± I remarked sarcastically and she looked taken by surprise.


    ¡°Huh? Wait what no¡­.I mean yes¡­uh no! I mean, not like that¡­.uh¡­¡± I felt a little surprised on the inside. Lila was usually very socially confident. She never stuttered, never backed away, was never shy, she never blushed, but she was blushing now. Her nervous little smile made my heart flutter a little and her puppy eyes made me feel even happier. She had always been beautiful, but I mean I¡¯d never thought I¡¯d see her like this. There were so many guys out there that wanted her. Older, richer, more confident, more mature¡­..


    She gave me a long look. ¡°I¡­I think you¡¯re great Geon¡­.I really do¡­..and¡­yeah I kind of want us to all stay together too.¡± She looked away and nervously combed her hair. ¡°Especially you.¡±


    I looked at her shy figure and all her features. Her curly soft hair, her smooth dark skin, her lush red lips, and her enticing eyes. I felt my heart beat and my body melt as I put my face closer to hers. She looked surprised at first but looked at me and did the same. I could feel her breath on my face and her warm eyes were so close to mine. I leaned in closer, and closer, and closer¡­..and¡­


    I heard the door open and we both pulled our heads back at unimaginable speeds. We sat upright and tight with faces of extreme terror as we saw Evay and Aurora walk in. I saw Aurora with her arm around Evay to keep herself from falling as both of them were smiling happily at each other.  I looked over at Lila who was smiling from ear to ear.


    She gave my hand a slight squeeze before going off to help the two who had just entered.


    ¡°Geon, congratulations!¡± Evay came over and he gave me and tackled me in celebration. He sat down and I saw the two girls come over and sit around the table. It was Saturday and so we didn¡¯t have much to do. I looked over at our dorm and saw the newspaper placed on the table. I looked at it and saw the advertisement for a shopping sale at the school student stores.


    I grinned and pointed to the paper. ¡°Well I guess I know what we¡¯re doing today.¡±


    Evay Maver: I looked over at both Geon and Lila and I smiled internally as I knew that something had happened between them. They were much more playful and natural around each other than before and I planned to pry the truth out of Geon later. But as for now we were shopping. I looked at a poster on the walls of a building and I saw a curfew posted with a warning on top of it. ¡°Hey what¡¯s that for?¡± I pointed towards the poster and Geon looked over at it while holding our four bags.


    ¡°Oh¡­.yeah that kind of sucks. But I guess they really don¡¯t want to take chances on him do they?¡± Aurora stopped eating her ice cream and also looked at the poster.


    ¡°Is he in this area again? My dad always used to be deathly scared of leaving me outside in our yard when he was.¡±


    Lila also looked at the poster. ¡°He¡¯s still a problem huh?¡± We had all stopped and everyone seemed to know what this poster meant and who the guy in the poster was¨Ceveryone but me. I looked at them all in confusion.


    ¡°Who is that?¡± They all laughed a little but I didn¡¯t. They slowly stopped laughing as they came to the realization that I wasn¡¯t joking.


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re being serious?¡± Geon asked me and I nodded.


    ¡°Evay, where exactly did you grow up? You said the country right? I know the country is pretty different from inner Bondas but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard of anyone that doesn¡¯t know about Teras.¡± I tried my best to keep an honest face.


    ¡°Oh yeah! I think I¡¯ve heard of him, but my mom and dad never told me about him. They just always told me he was bad.¡± They seemed to believe me on this one and that made me a little uneasy. If that was so believable than whatever this guy did must be pretty evil.


    Lila started to explain. ¡°He¡¯s a butcher. The greatest one to ever live. He¡¯s never failed a job and he¡¯s never missed a target. He¡¯s quite open about being one, but no one dares challenge him. Butchers are strong but they never pass the major nobles. This guy¡­¡­.well he actually killed one five years ago.¡± My memories started to circle back to me. I remembered that the people in my village were terrified of this one event that happened when I was a lot younger. My parents and village elders never really talked about it, but for some reason it felt like the world itself had changed when it did happen. Then I remembered.


    ¡°Wait¡­..noble Deymen.¡± All of them looked down at their feet and I could feel a sense of dread in the air.


    Aurora spoke in a quiet voice, ¡°It was the first time a major noble had fallen in two hundred and ninety years in any empire. His region was in shambles. A reject, a mercenary, a criminal suddenly became on par with a nobleman. He¡¯s gotten stronger and well¡­..he¡¯s strong enough that he hasn¡¯t gotten caught.¡±


    I looked at Aurora, ¡°Wait, are you telling me that not even the nobles of today can catch him?¡± Everyone nodded. So the only guy that can match him¡­is the emperor? I looked up at the sky and my heart seemed to freeze in place as my mind wandered.


    Well¡­¡­it¡¯s a big world after all¡­¡­.


    I shook myself out of my daydreaming trance as I looked at some of the magazines that were being sold.


    One caught my eye.


    I picked it up and it was a photo of our team on the cover of The Harold¡ªthe biggest news publisher in Taegan. ¡°Guys we¡¯re in the magazine.¡± All three of my friends turned their heads and stared over my shoulder with bright and happy eyes.


    ¡°Woah, the cover¡­¡­I guess we¡¯re famous now huh.¡±


    Aurora talked in a slurred voice as she still had ice cream in her mouth, ¡°I heard we were the last school to finalize our team so we got a lot of national attention.I guess that painting we had to pose for did have some meaning¨Cthey turned it into a cover.¡±


    I laughed as I read the article about us. It listed all of our physical information and each of our statistics throughout the tournament. Geon, Lila, and Aurora all went off to get their own copy. I guess I can read this by myself for a bit.


    I looked at the statistics and I wasn¡¯t very surprised. Aurora was listed at 179 centimeters in height and 70 kilograms in weight. She had the most amount of opening strikes and striking opportunities created¨Cshe received a lot of praise from critics. Next was Geon who was practically showered with praises. I chuckled a little since they made Geon out to be some god even though I saw him attempt to use socks as oven mitts the other day. He was listed at 198 cm and weighed 84 kilograms. He was either second or first in almost every category, and had a golden badge next to his picture¡ªthe symbol for the Ace warrior, or the best individual warrior of the tournament.


    Lila was listed at 176 centimeters and weighed 65 kilograms. She had crazy support statistics and was heavily talked about as she was the first healer present in recent memory.


    Then I looked at my statistics and I was surprised at how good they were. My defensive statistics were ranked very high and my individual dueling skills had gone up by almost ten times the amount compared to the beginning of the year. I was listed at 170 centimeters and 68 kilograms as well. The critics were the most eye opening part as people were going berserk about my new transformation.


    It was something that I couldn¡¯t even describe¡­..My blueprint had a tendency to show its hidden potential every time I was in a tough situation. Just like a shield it always came in to protect me¡­.But this wasn¡¯t a shield or flight¡­..it was power. Power that felt raw, unchained, power that felt like roaring water crashing through the whole of my body. I felt like I was ascending, like I was going beyond what I could dream of¡­¡­I felt like¡­..a god.


    In every way. The world seemed to dull around me, and the very ground I was standing on seemed to struggle to keep its structure when I walked. The once pure and refreshing summer air seemed to turn to smoke as it irked my lungs. Then people¡­..it seemed as if they were nothing to me. A sudden emotion rushed through my heart and it was as if human beings were like garbage. I unwillingly laughed at the boy that stood before me¡­¡­I had felt what it was like to be overwhelmed with power before but this was different. Now it was as if people didn¡¯t matter to me anymore. They were below me, unworthy of my attention¡­


    I didn¡¯t want to be like this¡­.but these feelings just¡­.overwhelmed me.


    I saw Aurora, Geon, and Lila gesture towards me and I walked with them back to our dorms as they congratulated me on my reports and we walked home. We reached the house and we crashed in for a good night''s sleep. We had been out all day just buying and exploring, and we had returned with four huge bags of pretty much everything. As I laid on my bed I thought about the tournament. It was a big step but now we had our eyes on the real prize. I guess we just have to keep it up. I laid my eyes to rest and breathed a sigh of relief. At least our hard work has paid off for now¡­..

 Chapter 29: Romance and Dreams

    My eyes were swept into another dream. I could see a beautiful room with mahogany walls and elegant violet, gold, and red filigree upon the walls. There was an ivory fireplace with a dazzling blue flame and a long black marble table that had two people sitting at the ends of it. I saw a handsome looking man with slightly long and curly hair¨Cpure white and gold in color. He had a cream colored complexion and several beautiful rings of gold and amethyst on his hands. He had long flowing robes of white and gold that seemed too vibrant for the color of this world. His gold colored eyes pierced the room with an imposing stare. He gave an inviting smile to the women on the other end. She was by all means beautiful. Her long wavy black hair flowed down her back as her olive colored skin glowed subtly in the light. Her turquoise dress matched her deep jade eyes, and her several emerald arm bands did as well. However, she looked troubled.


    I heard the man speak. ¡°So¡­..you look kinda ruffled there miss¡±. He spoke with a carefree and slightly teasing attitude. I recognized that voice¡­¡­


    ¡°I know you know the reason for that¡±, the woman¡¯s face harbored a combination of annoyance and controlled anger. Her emerald green eyes pierced into the air, but none of it seemed to reach the man as he simply smiled.


    ¡°Yeah, I think I have a clue¡­..is it because of money?¡­What? You¡¯re gonna hold a couple sets of gold in the way of our friendship?¡±. He had the same sarcastic attitude in his voice and the woman clenched her fists in anger.


    Her voice took on an angry tone as she began to speak. ¡°You gave your blessing to a boy¡­a peasant boy from the common ground that you don¡¯t even know! These traditions and rights are not a joke especially to someone like you, and like everything else you do it can not be done on a whim! It is sacred and to give it away like this instead of to one of your clan members is an insult to our people!¡±. She seethed at him in anger, but he just scoffed.


    ¡°Insult to our people? Please, half of the children in our clan will never see my blessing. I mean¡­they¡¯re pretty hopeless to begin with¡­no potential. But this peasant boy¡­now he¡¯s someone that I can work with¡±. He held up his palms and a gold cube came out of it. He started to twirl his fingers and the cube smoothly flowed into different shapes. First to a horse, then a bear, and then an eagle. He seemed to fidget with it while talking.


    ¡°I want to try something new, Feyna. Humans have recently gotten the attention of us again after that ruler¡­.what¡¯s his name..Vanny? Varen? No¡­Varun! Yes, Varun, and that interesting criminal Teras have seemed to go beyond normal human capabilities¡±.


    ¡°All I¡¯m saying is that they may be the key¡­and I want to see it for myself¡±. He got up and I immediately recognized him. He wore very noticeable purple pants that didn¡¯t match his beautiful robes at all. They were the same purple pants that I had seen the man in my previous dream wear. The woman was the other person that he was talking to in my dream¡ªnow that I thought about it, it seemed obvious.


    ¡°And I trust you to keep this between us, yes?¡±. The whole room turned to ice as the fire wavered slightly and the atmosphere grew denser. The woman nodded with a reluctant look of understanding and the man smiled again. ¡°Well, let¡¯s see how he turns out¡±. I felt my vision slip away and I got the last glimpse of this strange room and world as I was swept away back to reality.


    Aurora Maple: ¡°YOU ALMOST SLEPT TOGE¡ª¡± Lila cut me off and put her hand to my mouth as I frantically shouted to her. We had just got up and had been getting dressed when she told me about what had happened between her and Geon.


    My eyes were wide with shock and disbelief as my heart pounded and wandered. Lila looked at me with embarrassment and panic. ¡°No! I didn¡¯t almost sleep with him! Stop saying that so loudly!¡± She whispered in a frantic voice as she looked me in the eyes with a panicked look.


    I looked at her and spoke. ¡°So you didn¡¯t almost sleep with him but you guys were on the couch together, laughing, enjoying each other''s company, talking about the future, and kind of kissing?¡± Lila looked like she wanted to disagree but looked down in defeat.


    ¡°We almost kissed but we didn¡¯t do anything more.¡± She put her finger to her mouth and looked up and smiled in an almost hypnotic way. ¡°But I mean¡­¡­I kind of wis¡ª¡° I hit her on the arm and she giggled a little. ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    I sighed and got up. ¡°Well¡­.I don¡¯t see how this is a problem. Just as long as you guys aren¡¯t all lovey on the battlefield and you guys keep it down in the middle of the night¡ª¡°.


    ¡°Hey! It¡¯s not like that!¡±  Lila looked at me with an exasperated look. I smirked.


    ¡°Sure¡­..totally¡± She sighed in defeat and went out the door with me. ¡°Hey, where are those two today?¡±


    ¡°Oh they said they were going to skip natural sciences today. Apparently Evay is really good at Natural Sciences so he doesn¡¯t really need to go class and well Geon¡­.is Geon.¡± I laughed and smiled softly. I remembered on our trip back home he had told me about some of the flowers and trees that would grow here on the campus. He seemed to know a lot about nature so that made sense.


    Lila looked at me and smiled manically. ¡°So I heard you and Evay were alone together for the whole night and morning¡­.What were you guys doing?¡± I looked at her and my face went red.


    ¡°NOTHING. Uh¡­well¡­.he gave me some kiwis and we ate them for breakfast together but it¡¯s not like that!¡± Lila smiled even more and walked on.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Well¡­.I¡¯ve never seen you be interested in love ever, but it looks like the princess has found her Prince¡±, I gave her an annoyed look and she laughed and skipped down the sidewalk.


    I wonder what they¡¯re doing right now¡­¡­.


    Evay Maver: ¡°You see, I don¡¯t know how it really works but I think it¡¯s something I can probably control.¡± Geon looked over at me and nodded.


    ¡°Well if you can go into your final form again that  would be really convenient¡­..I feel like our team would be set if that was the case.¡± I nodded and stood up.


    ¡°It really only came to me when I really needed it. It¡¯s like a safety measure¡­.it only activates when I¡¯m in danger.¡± Geon threw a stick at me and it bounced harmlessly off my shield.


    ¡°No, not that kind. I mean the kind where I¡¯m getting absolutely demolished.¡± Geon smiled and got ready.


    ¡°WOAH, hey! I didn¡¯t mean it like that!¡± He laughed loudly and got back to thinking.


    ¡°Well maybe you just need to feel that way don¡¯t you think? If you think that you¡¯re in danger maybe you¡¯ll get the benefits from your blueprint¡±.


    ¡°Okay¡­.¡±. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I tried to remember everything¡­all the helpless moments¡­.all the family struggles¡­..all of the times when I had felt so weak and defenseless. All the times I was beaten, all the times I was thrown away, all the times when no one could do anything about our situation, all the times when my people were treated nothing like people¡­..The memories of Wyren, of Ren, of royal soldier, member, every land issue, and every single thing that those officers did to us. To me¡­.to Amie¡­My fear turned into anger, my anger turned into sorrow, and my sorrow turned to helplessness. If only I was strong¡­if only I wasn¡¯t so weak¡­.Then maybe I could do something about this world. This system we live in¡­


    Maybe I could do something to get back what we lost.To take back what we lost. I opened my eyes and I felt a familiar feeling wash over me. I looked down at my gold robes and saw in the reflection my clear creamy skin and my bright white hair¡ªas well as my golden eyes. I smiled wickedly and Geon had a big grin on his face.


    ¡°You¡¯re looking¡­..new.¡± I looked over at Geon and smiled,


    ¡°What do I call it?¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­I think¡­.I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s really not good to name your attacks or say them out loud since that kind of defeats the purpose of not letting your opponents know what you¡¯re going to do. That¡¯s why I never name them, not a lot of people name them either.¡± I let myself think for a moment before I got an idea.


    ¡°Maybe¡­.golden cloak form? No, that¡¯s too long¡­.maybe¡±. Geon looked at me as his eyes lit up.


    ¡°Call it Gold¡¯s Veil.¡±


    ¡°Not bad¡±, we both smiled at each other and sat down to drink some water. ¡°So did you and Lila do something together because you guys seem a little silly around each other.¡± Geon spat out his water and stared at me with surprised eyes.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just start a conversation like that!¡± I laughed and Geon got more frantic.


    ¡°So I was right! What? Did you guys kiss or something?¡± Geon looked at me with a sigh and laughed a little.


    ¡°Well¡­¡­almost. It was worth a shot. I don¡¯t think she hated it so you know¡­let¡¯s hope she doesn¡¯t ditch me.¡± I smiled and threw his coat back to him. We started walking back to campus and wondered to ourselves¨Cwhat are those two doing right now?


    Lila Fairheart: I felt a little too flustered for the rest of the day. Classes were hopeless but I was good at not showing it. Everything felt too off¡­..I couldn¡¯t focus and I couldn¡¯t think straight. I walked around with a bright red face, and I constantly stared downwards with a soft expression. I had never felt like this before¡­..it wasn¡¯t something people normally felt. I was normally so confident in these matters. I had boys come up to me and I had dated in the past but this feeling was new to me¡­.I got back to the dorm and I rested on the couch¡ªthinking of everything that had happened. Now that our group checked off the tournament qualification box, we had to struggle with academic and teenage romance problems instead. Honestly, I don¡¯t know which one was worse. I looked over and I saw Geon standing in the corner smiling. I jumped a little in surprise and he flew towards me. He floated up and he sat crisscrossed in the air. He held out his hand and smiled invitingly. ¡°Stressed out?¡± I laughed a little and nodded.


    ¡°Well, what I like to do when I¡¯m stressed out is to take a flight.¡± I giggled a little and he held out his hands. I nodded and I stepped closer to him. He stood back on the ground and I took his hand in mine. His fingers and palms engulfed my hands as I melted into him. I looked up at his tall figure and saw his pretty silver hair and eyes. I felt my breathing quicken, and my heart started to beat faster as well. He gently held me in his arms and I felt myself float up in the air. He smiled down at me and we smoothly flew out the door. The vast and richly dark sky peered over us like a painting on an open canvas. The speckled stars appeared as dots over a vast backdrop of night and the cool summer night air rushed across my skin.


    We started to fly higher, and higher, and higher until the buildings below us appeared as a tiny collection of toy sculptures in a vast sea of earth. He gently held me in his arms as we floated along the navy blue skyline. The bright white stars brightly shone amongst the dark blue expanse, and I could see the lights of our empire beautifully lit in the soft summer evening. The roar of the wind was not there and the chills of the freezing air didn¡¯t hit my skin as Geon redirected the harsh winds away from us. His warmth pressed against my skin as the quiet night sky pressed around me. I felt myself glide along the clouds like a bird and I felt my eyes go wide like a little child as I saw the tall and handsome mountain tops come into view. The sea of green towering forest trees were visible below and the oceans seemed to mirror the appearance of the sky. I reached my hands out and felt the wet and delicate touch of the clouds as I passed my hands through miles of wondrous sky-cotton. There was nothing to bother us here. There were no people, no warriors, no rules, no wars, no hate, and no enemies. The problems we faced on the ground just didn¡¯t apply to us up here.


    ¡°I always wanted to be like a bird,¡± I giggled softly, ¡°they were so¡­.free.¡±


    Geon looked at me with a curious smile. ¡°Freedom, huh.¡±


    We began to fly slower and cruised along the sky. ¡°I want that too. The freedom to just live¡­to not fight, to not have to pick sides or be with certain people. The freedom to just not be caught up in the problems of these massive empires.¡± I looked at Geon and felt my face go a little red. I looked slightly away from him and tried my hardest not to look shy.


    ¡°The freedom to love people.¡± Geon looked at me with an understanding expression and he flew upwards. We came to a halt as we floated in the night sky.


    He began to speak. ¡°The only thing I have ever done in my entire life is fight people. I never wanted to be like a butcher, but it turns out it was kind of all I was good for. My talents weren¡¯t something I  loved, they were something that I used to survive. I fought for myself¡­and I did it all to try and get the world to leave me alone.¡±He gently let me go and I felt a current of air lift me up and support me. He looked at me with his stormy gray eyes and I stared back into them with all of my attention.


    ¡°But I just ended up getting sucked into it all¡­.My strength was something the world wanted, and not feared. So all my work was for nothing, but it did result in me meeting people like you.¡±  He flew a little closer to me and grabbed my hands. ¡°I guess I¡¯m just trying to find people I like¨Clike you,¡±  I felt my heart beat faster and faster but my body began to relax and melt into the arms of Geon. He laughed softly. ¡°I always used to fly around the skies when I was bored, but it got lonely up here. I¡¯m glad that I can finally bring someone here with me.¡±  I laughed and put my head to his chest.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad I can be with you too.¡±

 Chapter 30: Testing things out

    Evay Maver: Again.


    An ear splitting roar echoed across the sky as a giant oak tree tumbled down to the ground. I felt power fill every corner of my body as my white and golden robes elegantly flowed down my body. I smiled manically as the forest and valley crumbled around me. I stretched out my hand and my very fingertips shined with radiant gold as I willed the power to fly off into space. A blinding light of gold flashed through reality itself as the light vaporized anything in its path. The giant boulders and trees facing me were reduced to fine dust as I looked at myself through the reflection in a nearby pond. My hair was blinding white, my pupils were a dark shade of gold, and the rest of my eyes were a lighter shade of gold. I had loose white pants on and a small marking had appeared on the back of my hands. They were the same symbols that were on the robes, and it glowed every time I let out a blast of energy. I had been experimenting for days now as summer had been coming to an end and fall was approaching. The leaves turned a beautiful shade of orange, yellow, and red as the air began to get slightly cooler.


    Time to try the new trick¡­.


    I fully focused on my right hand as I willed all my concentration into it. I needed it¡­.I wanted it¡­.I made myself feel like I needed something of this power¡­..something that would help me in times of greater trouble.I felt my emotions swirl within me. I concentrated and concentrated until my head began to swim. Help me¡­come to me¡­.Give me your power¡­.I felt a sudden burst of energy as I looked at my hand and the new weapon that had emerged from it. A lengthy golden spear sat comfortably in my hands. It was way longer than I was and its sharp pointed top glistened with a diamond spearhead¨Cit also had patterned markings all over its body. The spear¡¯s shaft was made of gold with a ruby hilt on the end, and an ivory grip where my hand rested. It didn¡¯t have an imbalanced feel to it¡ªit felt like I was holding virtually nothing. I lifted up the spear and the razor sharp tip seemed to cut through the air itself. The light distorted in the area that the spear passed through and it made a strong buzz-like hum as it swung through the air. I had been trying to do more with my power ever since I figured out how to unleash Gold¡¯s Veil. This new weapon summon was something that I had found out how to do when I was experimenting with my abilities. I always felt like I could do more¨Cthat I could reach further heights. It always felt like something was stored deep down inside me and I just needed to work to take my potential out.


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    Something was calling me to keep going, to keep working, and the rewards I reaped motivated me. Every new ability, every increase in power, every new upgrade gave me a feeling of satisfaction. It made me feel strong, it made me feel like someone that could make things change.


    Someone that could make people kneel before him¡­..


    I came to my senses. My heart tugged a little and I sighed in disappointment. Every time I unleashed Gold¡¯s Veil the power overtook me. I always felt like I was better than everyone, that I could do anything¡­.


    But I had to remember that wasn¡¯t true¡­.


    I¡¯ve had others who¡¯ve helped me a lot¡­.I¡¯ve met some really good people, and I can¡¯t just throw that away for power.


    I can¡¯t use it to make others kneel¡­


    Because that¡¯s exactly what a noble would do¡­.


    I looked at my spear and flung it towards the forest with all my might. The golden glow seemed to rip through time and space as its force uprooted the massive trees from the ground. I heard an impossibly loud bang as the sound of thousands of trees crashing and snapping filled my ears. The spear made shockwaves throughout the forest and I could feel the powerful blasts of air billow throughout the sky. I held my hands out and the spear disappeared in the blink of an eye and came back into my grasp. I looked out at the ruined forest and the debris that was left of it. The once beautiful and tall oak trees fell lifeless on the ground, and the forest that was once so green and lush had fallen to a collection of dead trees and stones. I looked at what I had done and turned away. I relaxed and Gold¡¯s Veil drifted off of my body¡ªrevealing my normal clothes. I felt empty, like a hole had been carved out in my chest. The power and rush had left my body and my heart was torn in two. I looked back at the forest and I felt a tinge of regret and sadness.


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡­really¡±.


    I turned my head and headed back home.

 Chapter 31: A Tale of Two Sides

    We were overwhelmed as crowds of students surrounded us with frantic shouts of excitement and pieces of paper and writing tools. The crowd of people pressed around us as Geon, Lila, Aurora and I were being squished by the newfound fame. We were ranked as one of the best teams in the world going into this Championship. I guess we¡¯re also famous warriors internationally now too¡­.Geon sighed and he looked at me. I nodded and he gently grabbed Lila and flew upwards. I concentrated and Gold¡¯s Veil enveloped my body as I felt a newfound power in my body. The crowd gasped and backed away slightly as excited murmurs rang out throughout the onlookers. I looked towards Aurora and I smiled nervously. She looked a little confused and I put out my hand towards her, ¡°By the way, I can fly. Or I think I can¡­.uh¡­.well we¡¯ll see.¡± She laughed slightly and took my hand in hers. The last time I did this was with Mr.Vylen but now that I had Gold¡¯s Veil, all my abilities seemed to come to me easier. And there was no better time than now when I truly needed the help of flight.


    Come on¡­.help me out¡­


    I felt myself lift up in the air and I held Aurora tightly in my arms. She looked on with an almost child-like excitement as we began to lift up into the air. I felt my heart melt a little and I flew higher up. The buildings began to get smaller and smaller until I stopped at a reasonable height. I saw Geon in the air a good ways away and I accelerated after him. I felt the roar and rush of the wind in my face, and it just felt good to fly again after so long. Finally I began to see the lecture hall where we were supposed to walk to, and I saw Geon on the roof of the large building. I started to descend and I gently came to a halt as I let Aurora onto the building¡¯s roof. I let my feet gently touch the ground and I relaxed as Gold¡¯s Veil disappeared. ¡°Slight detour,¡± Geon snickered a little and we all jumped onto the ground. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be honored or something right?¡± Lila nodded and she began to speak.


    ¡°Yeah, they do this every year. The group of students who qualify to go to the Championship are honored and commended by the school board. We also get access to the nearby warrior training facilities and time away from classes in order to train.¡±


    Geon smiled deviously, ¡°Skipping classes? Be my guest.¡± I laughed and Lila¡ªas well as Aurora¡ªrolled their eyes.


    ¡°The tournament is two months away. We¡¯re exempt from the combat exams. We can still watch our friends though.¡±


    Aurora looked up, ¡°Oh yeah. How are they doing by the way? We haven¡¯t had time but you¡¯ve seen them around, right Lila?¡±


    Lila nodded, ¡°Oh they¡¯ve been good. I heard Deven¡¯s improved a lot.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. I always thought he was a good guy.¡± I kept a neutral expression but I began to panic. Aurora thought he was a good guy? I never really thought about Deven¡­.I never really had a problem with him. Until now maybe¡­..I shook my head and kept my mind forward. Aurora looked at me with concern. ¡°Are you ok?¡± I looked at her and gave her a nervous smile, ¡°What! Oh yeah, sorry¡­.um yeah I¡¯m fine.¡± I lied but she seemed to buy it. I followed Geon, Lila, and Aurora down the street to the training facility. I looked up at the sun, the beautiful campus, the bustle of students and fellow warriors walking around the town square¡­It all felt so peaceful, so beautiful¨Cit all felt so¡­.right.I smiled as I caught up to the rest of my team.


    I wonder what mom would think about this.


    Ren Novak: It couldn¡¯t have been worse.


    The palace walls looked as beautiful as ever and the pearly white bricks decorated with jade flowers and rivers all shone in the light. The garden¡¯s bright green grass stretched out as far as the eye could see, and the multitude of flowers added life and color to my eyes. The black tiled roof tops had curved overhangs on them and had detailed pillars with filigree of gold and diamonds on their base and topmost section. The marble and dark marble walls had a shine to them that seemed to last forever, and the huge marble palaces with flat roofs and giant pillars never ceased to lose their appearance¨Cas well as my hatred for them. I felt a deep anger come up into my heart and face as I marched towards the giant all-marble palace. I was greeted by two servants, male and female, at the door. ¡°Let me in.¡± They looked at each other with worry and spoke in a hesitant and nervous voice.


    ¡°Sir¡­.uh¡­we have been advised that we are not to let anyone in during this time.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. Let me in.¡±


    They began to get even more nervous, ¡°These are orders from your father sir, he has strictly told us not to even greet anyone at this door, but since it is you sir¡ª¡°


    ¡°Save me the shit and let me in. I know you know who I am, let me in.¡± The servants bowed their heads and spoke in a terrified whisper.


    ¡°Please sir, I beg you. Your father is a very serious man and he will have our heads if we disobey¡­.please sir.¡±


    ¡°Good, now just open the doors.¡± I grabbed the servant''s hair and smiled sweetly while he struggled in vain. The servants still said nothing. My eyes narrowed and I clenched my fists, ¡°I admire your undying loyalty to my father. You truly are honorable.¡± The servant looked up at me with a look of unexpected relief and gratitude.


    ¡°Thank you sir! I am forever grateful to your¡ª¡° I flicked my fingers and one of his hands went flying. He writhed and screamed with pain as the second servant looked on with repressed horror. I smiled and looked at her.


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    ¡°Hey, you. Kill him.¡± She shook her head vehemently and bowed her face to the ground. I titled my head. ¡°No? Huh¡­.I guess I should do it for you then?¡± She bowed her head even lower.


    ¡°Sir¡ªsir¡­Pl¡ªplease spare my husband¡­please.¡± I felt my smile grow wider.


    ¡°You have a daughter, correct? Take this.¡± I tossed her a jade knife.


    ¡°Kill him, or the first thing I¡¯ll do is bring your daughter here and make your life even more miserable,¡± I smiled into her eyes and they were filled with a manic craze. ¡°You¡¯re so desperate. You don¡¯t know what to do, you¡¯re so weak you can¡¯t even think of living. Just kill him, I¡¯ll spare your daughter.¡± I whispered into her ears.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want me to get a hold of her, would you.¡± Her eyes filled with tears and were overcome by an animal-like ferocity. She picked up the knife and slit the male servant''s throat. I smiled. ¡°Now stab him more,¡± tears came out of her eyes as she kept on stabbing, and stabbing, and stabbing until her eyes were filled with red tears. She looked at me with fearful eyes and held the knife to her throat. She stabbed it into her own neck, and fell. I sighed. ¡°You¡¯re so¡­weak. It was fun playing though, bleed less next time you disgusting fuck.¡±


    It was always fun¡ªplaying with someone weaker than you.


    I held out my hand and the ground began to shake. The doors blasted open as I walked inside the meeting room. I snickered and watched as my father stood up from his long black marble table. There were several minor nobles and distant uncles and cousins I had never met. All part of the royal family and all equally filled to the brim with unbearable amounts of arrogance. I felt absolute hate in my heart and anger in my eyes as I looked upon their slightly irritated faces.


    My father who sat at the head of the table began to speak in his signature cold hearted, piercing voice. ¡°Did I not tell you nobody was to enter?¡± My father looked on with his usual cold stare. He was a fairly young man for a father¡ª38 years of age. He had a full head of black hair that was always combed back and he had constant emotionless gray eyes that pierced into one¡¯s soul. His robes were made of red silk and his collars as well as the ends of his sleeves were silver, embroidered with the patterns of our house¡ªa tulip flower with a diamond on its stem. He had golden rings fit with lapis gems and the several men of royalty along the table were all dressed in different colored robes and fashioned with jewelry¡ªall with the same high born faces.


    ¡°I was informed I would be notified of meetings such as these from now on, no?¡± He laughed and the other nobles gave off a slight chuckle. I felt a shot of hot anger pierce through my chest but it quickly died down as I began to think. Father never laughed in situations which called for laughter. He never laughed with emotion in his voice¡ªit was always a filler for some other emotion he was feeling. One that I never could figure out on the spot.


    One of my distant cousins spoke up from the right side of the table, ¡°Say Ren, are you not a first year student at Eden now?¡± I didn¡¯t look at him but kept my gaze on my father. I still responded.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    He smiled and stretched his fingers. ¡°Interesting. Well you must have at least graduated school to attend at this table, and I hear school has been¡­..what¡¯s the word¡­.hard for you.¡± He smiled and the other nobles at the table gave off a little snort. I clenched my fists. I felt my heart pump and practically blow away as murderous feelings came into my heart.


    I spoke. ¡°And who are you to talk to the royal family like that?¡± The nobles all fell quiet. Yien, the cousin that had spoken to me didn¡¯t seem taken aback by what I said. He smiled and gave off a chuckle.


    ¡°Wow. I didn¡¯t know I wouldn¡¯t be seen as family in the eyes of my dear cousin!¡± His voice was full of sarcasm and fake joy.


    Fuck off.


    I snorted, ¡°Some distant relative from some distant land that I never get to see can¡¯t be my family. Nor can they be considered a part of the royal lineage to me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so Mr.Novak the younger decides who is a part of the royal family now. I see.¡± He kept smiling and the rest of the nobles also laughed.


    ¡°You fucking peasant¡ª¡°


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± My father¡¯s voice pierced and silenced all of the noise¡ªas if an arrow had just slain the once living sounds of laughter. ¡±Tell me boy, what makes you think that you deserve a chair at this table?¡±


    It¡¯s father¡­you can¡¯t lose yourself.


    ¡°I am a member of this house. I believe that I should be considered.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, because you¡¯ve done quite a few things for this household, boy.¡±


    I stared at his cold face while he spoke, ¡°You¡¯ve caused trouble and shame amongst our house by always being caught up in your troubles. You never cover up your tracks, you never think before you do, and you can¡¯t seem to see the fact that your royal ass is only being protected by me because you are useful.¡± I glared with all the hate that my heart could muster as I grit my teeth without opening my lips. ¡°You are not a noble, boy¡ªyou are not someone that has a say in this world. Because you are foolish, troublesome, and ignorant but you are something that I can not stand.¡±


    I clenched my fists and responded in a voice strained with anger, ¡°What is that, if I may ask.¡±


    ¡°You are weak.¡±


    My heart stopped for a moment, then it practically exploded with rage. The tiles of the floor spun around me, and the walls started to pull themselves in. My rage and hate unleashed into the palace as the building started to crumble down. The nobles didn¡¯t change their expressions at all. All of them just wore a face of half hearted annoyance. I felt my rage spread out  across the palace as the walls took the brunt of my power. I¡¯ll show you weak, you half hearted bastard. I saw my father lift up a finger and motion towards Yien who rolled his eyes and looked towards me. He waved his hand half heartedly and I immediately felt a strong death grip come over my ribs. It felt like an invisible hand had just grabbed me whole and I felt myself getting lifted into the air as the nobles all just watched. I began to grasp for air and the palace had stopped crumbling. My eyes and ears were beginning to close as I felt my lungs scream for air. My heart still burned with raging fires of disdain for the nobles but even I knew it.


    I had lost.


    Yien flicked his fingers downward and I felt myself get hammered towards the ground. I pulled my body upwards at the last second and I cushioned the impact. I landed on my back as I coughed and spouted for air. My back felt like a boulder had just landed on it and I turned to see cuts on my arms and hands. I looked up in rage and saw the nobles stare back at me. My father¡¯s expression hadn¡¯t changed at all. ¡°Weak¡­.far too weak to sit at this table as you see. You¡¯ve lost in a street duel to some no name from a family we do not know, and you¡¯ve failed to do what I¡¯ve asked you in that school of yours. You¡¯re a malfunctioning tool is what you are. Bring some use to me, and then I¡¯ll see if you can be considered a royal child.¡± I coughed and spurted and tried my best but words couldn¡¯t come out. I just clenched my fists and stared in anger at the cold old man upon his seat. ¡°What a shame, your repel and attract ability seemed to have so much potential¡­.maybe you could¡¯ve been more than a scout to me if you weren¡¯t so incapable.¡± With those words I stormed out of the palace and went through the transporter portal¡ªmade with the magic of liquor. I felt my body and sense of location shift and change until I appeared inside my palace in the royal family village. My bedroom had been cleaned and my bed had been prepared in advance. I looked in the mirror on my mahogany table and I saw a pathetic boy with scars and cuts, angrily looking into his own soul. I sat down and watched the leaves outside my window rustle in the wind. Royal family¡­.


    Family was hardly a word to describe it.


    It didn¡¯t matter to me. I could do whatever I wanted as long as I was affiliated with them. I needed to make progress and I needed to do it fast. I needed to seize the family head and make father step down. After that everything would go smoothly.


    Smoothly¡­


    More than that I wanted to erase it all. I wanted them all gone, all dead. It would¡¯ve been better if House Novak didn¡¯t exist at all. I wanted to see them die¨CI wanted to see them all suffer.

 Chapter 32: Disaster after Disaster

    Evay Maver: The induction wasn¡¯t anything crazy. It was just a small private meeting with the school staff where we received a wreath of gold and an entry I.D for the championship. But the press room, the press room was crazy. I saw hundreds of reporters, all dressed in beautiful formal robes and vests. Each was carrying notepads and quills and all came rushing towards us with questions. We hastily answered and pushed past the crowd as we made our way to the other side of the building. The shouts and hands and questions were all overwhelming as I felt dizzy with the constant stream of attention. We finally got to the other side of the press room where there was a student bar with drinks.Thankfully, the reporters turned their attention towards the school staff who were coming behind us. I sighed and Geon did the same. Geon looked at the drinks and smiled, ¡°Can we get four of the cherry elixirs, thanks.¡± I saw the young bartender hastily give us our drinks. The cherry elixir looked unnaturally smooth and very red. It had chunks of ice in it and a small little slice of lemon on top of it. I saw everyone else take a sip and I did the same. The cool sweet drink hit my tongue and I immediately fell in love with its taste. I began to drink more and more until I had run out. I stared into the cup wanting more¡­.


    Geon tapped me on the shoulder and motioned for me to follow him out of the building. Geon walked out the door and I saw a group of girls our age walk up to me. I stopped and they all giggled a little before pushing one of their friends towards me. She stopped and looked embarrassed but she looked me in the eyes with a shy smile. She looked like one of the girls that always hung out at the beach during the weekends. Her face was tan and her body was slim and her light brown hair flowed gracefully down her body, ¡°Um..we saw you and what you did at the qualifiers and¡­we think you¡¯re really¡­.strong! Um yeah strong,¡± she had a slightly dreamy and dazed look on her face before she continued, ¡°Um¡­we were wondering if you could sign this for us?¡± She gave me a dress folded into a small square and I smiled and took it in my hands.


    ¡°Sure. Here.¡±  I wrote my name on it and I gave it back to her. She looked happy and I gave them a wave. She blushed slightly and spoke.


    ¡°Also¡­um are you free anytime toda¡ª¡° I felt a powerful and slightly aggressive hand come onto my shoulder and I was pulled back towards the doors.


    ¡°No, he isn¡¯t,¡± A cold voice rang out next to my ear and I looked over to see Aurora dragging me towards Geon and Lila, who were laughing at my current situation. I looked at Lila and she giggled and Geon whistled and looked away in the other direction. I gave him a dirty look.


    Oh so now you decide that you¡¯re not going to help¡­.


    I looked at Aurora and she gave me a smile while she was still dragging me. I also smiled but I felt fear creep into my heart since her smile looked so¡­.deadly. It was like she was forcing me into submission with her facial expressions. If looks could kill¡­..I¡¯d be dead. I gulped slightly and Aurora finally sighed and let me go. She grabbed her upper arm and looked sideways with a slight blush. ¡°Sorry,¡± she whispered and immediately kept walking by herself. I looked at her auburn hair swing in the sunlight and her tall, slender, and strong frame gliding along the ground. I clenched my fists and calmed my beating heart. First win the championship, then risk messing things up..you probably will¡­.she won¡¯t like you anyway. I looked at myself through the pond¡¯s reflection. I was still a little scrawny but I had put on a lot more weight and muscle. I could see my arms were much more toned and my overall body looked better. But I still looked like a kid, my hair was still choppy and messy, and I was still short¡­.really short¡­.Geon and Lila walked past me and Lila gave me a small pat on the back, ¡°Evay, Aurora isn¡¯t really¡­..good at this type of stuff. So don¡¯t lose her, okay?¡± I nodded and Geon tossed me a green ball that gradually turned blue as it rested in my hands.


    ¡°This is something that I¡¯ve had for over ten years. It¡¯s the only birthday present I¡¯ve ever gotten, but I want to give it to you.¡± I looked at it and rolled it in my hands.


    ¡°What is it?¡± We kept walking and talking.  If it was so important, but he wanted to give it to me?


    ¡°It¡¯s called a Lover¡¯s Coin, I don¡¯t know why, it¡¯s not a coin. But, it turns a certain color based on how someone feels about another person. It should probably be called a heart coin or something like that, because it doesn¡¯t just show the emotion of love, it shows every emotion. The person who first touches the coin can give it to someone else. When the person that receives the coin touches it, the coin will glow a certain color. The color tells you how the recipient of the coin feels about the person who gave the coin to them.¡± Geon smiled, ¡°So I suggest you give this to the miss in a subtle way and see how it works out.¡± He winked and kept waking, ¡°For a Lover¡¯s Day gift¡±.


    ¡°What¡¯s Lover¡¯s Day?¡±


    ¡°A day where you celebrate, or try to celebrate, with your love. Of course you make a move whenever you¡¯re ready, and Lover¡¯s Day is after the championship so¡­go get her.¡± Geon winked and both him and Lila zipped past me.


    I laughed and tossed the coin in the air and caught it.


    Love¡­.


    Is this what Amie meant¡­.


    Is this what love is?


    Aurora Maple: Lila sat across from me as we relaxed on a small outdoor table alongside a cafe wall. The fall vacation was upon us and classes were out of session, and the chilly autumn air prompted us to wear scarfs and gloves to keep us warm. But my mind wasn¡¯t too relaxed. Obviously we still had the tournament, and I was stressing as it got closer¡­but something else was off. Evay¡­.he was such an interesting boy. He was the first boy that I had ever thought off for an extended period of time¡­.Lila looked at me across the table and smiled. She leaned her elbows on the table top and put her face close to mine. ¡°So, you want to talk about it?¡± She smiled wickedly as I snorted weirdly while drinking my coffee.


    ¡°About what?¡± She smiled even more.


    ¡°Him,¡± I put my cup down and looked at her hands.


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­.been on my mind.¡±  Lila smiled and leaned back in her chair with a triumphant grin.


    ¡°Heh, heh, heh¡­.I knew it,¡± her devious smile radiated across the air as I felt myself fall into a state of weird embarrassment and amusement. I sighed.


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­.someone I care about. But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s what you think. I never really cared or paid attention to the romantic side of love, but I don¡¯t think this is really¡­.that. Or it may be, I don¡¯t know.¡± Lila took a sip of her coffee.


    ¡°Continue.¡±


    I took a deep breath and spoke, ¡°Evay is a kind and caring person..He always thanks me, and treats me well, and always gives off a good vibe. I like him for that and I really think he¡¯s someone that I can trust.¡±


    ¡°But I feel like I¡¯m not really¡­ready for that type of love yet. Unlike everything I¡¯ve ever done I probably shouldn¡¯t tackle this problem with speed, and I don¡¯t want to rush things. I mean, it wouldn¡¯t be very considerate of me if I jumped into something involving Evay that I wasn¡¯t ready for, right?¡± Lila put down her coffee and nodded.


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    ¡°Yeah¡­.yeah that¡¯s actually not a bad reason¡­.You¡¯re not terrible at this kind of stuff I guess.¡±  I threw a napkin at her which she caught and threw back at me.


    She smiled and stared into her cup, ¡°It¡¯s nice of you to think that rushing things would also not be good for Evay, but if you do really like him I think you need to try and let him know that slowing things down isn¡¯t a sign that you hate him. Just try to make that clear and maybe you have the right read on this one.¡± She looked out into the sky as we both pondered.


    Love, such an interesting idea¡­


    Evay Maver: Oh shi¡ª-


    Geon flew into me as a massive chunk of stone roof came crashing down upon us. We heard the startled yells of the students and I looked up to see the entire sky cast in a red and orange light. Students ran and cast their abilities as crashes and booms littered the campus. Massive crowds of bodies rushed to and away from the scene as more buildings spontaneously combusted or broke down. ¡°Thanks!¡± I yelled to Geon as he helped me up. ¡°Geon! What the shit is that!¡± Geon looked up and he shook his head.


    ¡°No clue!¡± I could barely hear his voice over the extreme wind and screams of several students. ¡°I can¡¯t sense an element or any natural activity coming from it!¡±


    ¡°Does that mean it¡¯s something like¡­.aliens!¡±


    ¡°No! Or wait¡­I don¡¯t know? Just run for a second!¡± I summoned Gold¡¯s Veil and Geon rose up into the sky as we both ascended, ¡°Look for a solution while I get the school staff!¡± I nodded and flew towards the cafes on campus. I looked over the campus and it wasn¡¯t in terrible condition just yet. The red glow of the sky cast an eerie look on the place, but the overall condition wasn¡¯t too terrible. I saw a massive fire on the right side of campus and more crumbling buildings by the second. The fountains stopped working and the ground started to shake and rumble. Never mind¡­. I  looked up in the sky and got a weird sense of¡­amusement.It was strange¡­.In any other circumstance I wouldn¡¯t be so calm. I would¡¯ve been rushing around in a panic looking at the destruction and scrambling to find my friends¡­But the sky just didn¡¯t seem that threatening to me. I don¡¯t know if it was because of Gold¡¯s Veil but it more or less felt like ... .a younger sibling throwing a temper tantrum¡­Which was weird since I never had any siblings at all.I looked dismissively at the sky and flew on. The rumbling and the random combustions got worse as I heard screams and yells coming from below, and even more explosions in the distance. I scanned the grounds and I saw Lila and Aurora helping to evacuate all the older staff, and helping students to clear rubble and save lives.I flew down to them and they each gave a surprised yelp as they saw me in my bright white and gold robes. No one had any time to say or do anything and they just gave me a nod. I knew what it meant.


    You guys are good.


    I looked up at the sky and felt slightly annoyed..It wasn¡¯t me¡­I never felt these things¡­.it was something else¡­someone else¡­Then I started laughing..it was a good laugh..a laugh that I felt really needed to come out of me. I couldn¡¯t stop it¡­I didn¡¯t try to either. I listened to myself laugh maniacally and as my laughter got louder and more intense, Lila and Aurora looked at me with concern. Lila grabbed me, ¡°Evay! Get your head right! Help us..Evay?¡± I moved away from her and flew up into the sky. My face was laced with a crazy smile as I flew with confidence. I stopped in mid air and held up my hands in a shrugging motion. ¡°So¡­.happy?¡± My heart was torn in two.


    Why am I talking to the sky?


    It wasn¡¯t me¡­I wasn¡¯t saying these things¡­the words coming out of my mouth¡­.they weren¡¯t mine. But my heart and soul felt it¡­wanted it¡­.craved it. ¡°Listen¡­don¡¯t be too mad..I just think that all of you are so weak¡­I can¡¯t have weak people inherit my things. Call yourselves gods but let¡¯s be real here,¡±  My smile widened so much that my face looked inhumanly psychotic.


    ¡°How can you be a god, when no one kneels before you.¡± The sky exploded with a mighty crack of thunder that shook the ground and the Earth. I heard screams and panicked cries as I looked below and saw all the students disappearing in flashes of purple light.


    Professor Vylen¡­.


    I looked back up to see a plasma like beam of red glowing and getting brighter as it was aimed directly at the school. I smiled once again and raised my hands up. I laughed once again. ¡°I dare you to try,¡± The massive beam roared and blasted towards me while blinding the entire surface of the Earth with its light. I put up my shield and a warmth of yellow light appeared in front of my face.


    I smiled and looked towards the sky,


    ¡°Nice try, Kessler.¡±


    The light hit my shield and the world seemed to explode in a flash of bright light. I opened my eyes and the red glow was gone. I looked up at the sky and it was calm, and the campus was damaged but nothing was out of the ordinary anymore. I flew down towards the ground and I deactivated Gold¡¯s Veil and suddenly I felt like an entire lifetime''s worth of energy had been drained from my body. My eyes felt weary and my legs gave up and I felt my body collapse. I saw a flash of electricity and Aurora ran by me in an instant and caught me on my way down. ¡°Evay¡­what the¡­.how..¡± I smiled.


    ¡°Surprise.¡± Gold¡¯s veil disappeared and I felt my body completely shut down as I collapsed on the ground.


    Savian Yelenta: ¡°Stop, fuck off! Please don¡¯t, why¡­why¡­aren¡¯t you on our team!¡± I saw the pitiful face of a young teenage boy stare up at me. His eyes were full of fear like a wild animal cornered at the hands of its hunter. His face was covered with massive cuts and his skin was chalked with dirt to the point that it was entirely black. Tears and snot came out of his eyes and nose as he held his shaking hands up to me. ¡°WHY? Don¡¯t please, please, please, don¡¯t, ple¨C¡± I thrust my hands through his chest at sonic speeds and his eyes widened with pain. He let out a scared and pitiful whimper as blood soaked his battle vest. He gently touched my arm and I felt his body drop. I pulled out my hand and I looked upon his lifeless corpse. He looked so¡­peaceful. I heard bags and explosions, flashes of red, and yells of begging and pain as I heard screams of battle and death. I looked around my room and the walls surrounding me were huge. I braced myself and sped out of my area. I felt the ground tear under me as I reached the outdoors and felt the trees and dirt fly around me as I reached the top of a hill. I scouted out the area and saw the palace¨Cmy target¨Cin flames. It was massive, so massive that its base was the size of a mountain. Its walls were high enough to tower over any tree, and the entire thing was made of gray crystal and beautiful lumber. The top of the palace exploded in an impossibly bright light of fire and exploded. It caught fire and I heard screams and glass shattering. A boy flew out of the top window and his body fell endlessly into the darkness of the forest floor. Well, so much for the beautiful palace¡­.I cracked my knuckles and stretched out my limbs. I gazed thoughtlessly into the destruction as my mind went other places. I hadn¡¯t ever got to think about our loss in the tournament¡­.It kind of sucked that we didn¡¯t qualify but that was the least of my problems. I felt bad for Shane and Rivera, but they would probably get over it. I hadn¡¯t seen them in forever, but¡­they were probably alright. I never knew Akasa very well but we worked well together. I kind of wished we could¡¯ve stayed together and developed our chemistry on the battlefield, but well¡­.I was here. In this pit of misery¡­..


    I sighed and prepared to attack again as I felt the world slow down to a halt. I sprinted over to the palace doors and saw people frozen in time. The soldiers of Taegan were in a furious battle as I saw their desperate faces in the midst of their cries¨Chalf filled with fear and half filled with desperation. I saw every soldier''s face caked in blood and dirt. The walls were painted red with blood. The mahogany wood color could only be seen on the higher parts of the walls. There was a painting in the midst of its fall, a vase used as a weapon with pieces of its porcelain stuck in a soldier¡¯s head. Fire seeped into the floors and walls, flaming bodies both alive and dead heated the room to an impossible degree. I turned and saw soldiers hanging dead over the balcony rails, young boys hunched over, some dismembered, some killed by fear. I had dealt with them already but a lot of soldiers were hidden in bunkers under the palace. I had missed them¡­.


    It all stood still, so still, with no one to bother me. Sometimes I wondered if I even ran fast, or if I just made everyone around me just run really, really, slow. I could always see it, all the details, all the events, every death, and every battle. Time was my ally, but it also just made everything so much worse. I began my trip around. I saw a Taegan soldier floating in the midst of a crushing jump, ready to obliterate me. I jumped up and my hand moved at rapid speeds in a slicing motion right through his neck. I felt it go through and moved on to the next. I saw a line of soldiers and rushed forward. I punched a younger looking boy in his abdomen, he started to slowly fly back. I kicked one into another soldier¨Cwhose face was partially ripped to shreds. I picked up a fallen painting and flung it towards a soldier on the high balcony as it spun slowly toward his torso. I saw another soldier, no, many young enemy soldiers ran to the door¨Call desperate to get away. So desperate, a look only a man in the face of death could have. I dashed forward¡­My hand thrust through one of their chests, I threw one into a soldier that was farther ahead of the pack. I flew forward and kicked an enemy soldier¡¯s legs out, and his legs slowly started to separate from his body. I saw the remaining three. I ran in front of them and finally came to a stop. It all caught up to the world in a millisecond. The enemy soldiers in the palace all dropped dead. Soldiers flew into the walls from my blows and the painting I threw sliced the enemy on the balcony clean in two. The men behind the three remaining deserters blew into pieces as red exploding chunks of body flew into the night. The remaining young soldiers looked terrified. They couldn¡¯t move a muscle, and their eyes lacked the light of a youth in his prime days. It was weird, they couldn¡¯t have been much younger than I was¡­but it didn¡¯t matter.The night had gone quiet. All the soldiers in the palace were dead. The boys in front of me relaxed their bodies as the burning palace lit up the dark and cold night. They had accepted their fate¡­.they were ready to die.


    I held up my hand and gave them all a look of grim despair. I hated this part, no matter how many times I did it. ¡°I can¡¯t let you live¨CI¡¯m sorry.¡±  With one swift swipe of my hand, their three heads went rolling. I looked back at the palace¡ªthere were no survivors. I had all of the intel and now I knew that all we needed to do was cross the mountain range. Nobody would''ve guessed a big ass fortress¡ªfilled with guards¡ªwould be right in the middle of a completely desolate forest. It¡¯s ok, I took care of it, it''s fine. It¡¯s fine¡­.it¡¯s..not fine.


    I had fucked up, I had been seen, I had left too much evidence, it was always like this. What was the point of being a spy if I couldn¡¯t ever get in and get out? I needed to destroy all the witnesses¡ªso much unnecessary death¡­What was it all for? When did this all happen? What was I supposed to do again? Every year, day, month, minute, hour it was like I kept forgetting¡­something.


    Oh right, I¡¯m supposed to keep carrying on¡­


    I wished I hadn¡¯t picked this path. School would¡¯ve been better. Anything would have been better.

 Chapter 33: A Nice Conversation

    Evay Maver: I woke up in the hospital bed and saw the light shining through the curtains. The day seemed quiet enough, the cool winter light felt gentle on my face. Then I saw my friends, and their faces were mixed with joy, worry, and something in between. I started to stir and Lila grabbed my hand. ¡°Are you finally awake? Evay, are you ok?¡± Her voice was gentle and calming as always but panic seemed to cut through her words. Aurora looked especially worried as she kept playing with her hair¡ªsomething she always seemed to do when she was worried. She looked at me with a look I hadn¡¯t ever seen her out on before. She was scared. She finally took a step towards me and sighed. Relief and stress seemed to emit from her body as she sat down in a chair beside my bed. Geon smiled and bonked me on the head. ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s good. His head is still rock-solid.¡±  I laughed and Lila giggled a little.


    ¡°Yeah well, I guess that¡¯s a good thing right?¡± I looked at the three of them and knew what was happening. They wanted answers. What I did, what I said, what happened, it was all a mystery. Come to think of it¡­.I was a mystery. I hadn¡¯t told them my hometown, my age, my family, my powers, nothing. Then with this stuff happening they needed to know. ¡°Ok. I can¡¯t really explain¡­.much. But, I will tell you guys anything I can.¡± They looked at me for a second until Lila spoke up.


    ¡°Where do you exactly get your powers Evay? I mean, Akasa couldn¡¯t negate them and the sheer power of your attacks in your other form are incredible. Too incredible..since I can use my liquor based abilities to heal people I can see the flow of energy that liquid produces very well¡­and I can¡¯t see any of it when you do anything.¡±


    I braced myself. ¡°Well¡­.ok. Firstly, my age. I know it¡¯s kind of weird to start with that but I feel like I should start from the top. I¡¯m thirteen, not fifteen,¡± I think I am at least,  ¡°I didn¡¯t want to tell you guys since you know¡­rough experiences.¡±


    They all listened. Their faces didn¡¯t change, they didn¡¯t look in horror, thankfully, my friends were good listeners.


    ¡°I¡­..I¡¯ve never really known where I come from. My memories are really jumbled¡­I know I come from the country, I know I have powers, but I can¡¯t really figure out anything for sure. There¡¯s this girl I keep remembering, I have these dreams, sometimes my personalities switch ... .It''s all¡­so messy. I can¡¯t really say for sure¡­but I have no clue what I can do. I got into this school since I have a really rare blue print. That was what those extra classes were for. I don¡¯t know anything¡­and I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t tell you.¡±


    Lila was first to speak. ¡°Well...none of that really matters. It sounds like you may have some form of memory loss¡­..You¡¯re still sticking with us  though¡­and you¡¯ve never acted extremely weird, so you can trust us. You know that right?¡± I looked at them and I didn¡¯t really know what to do. I couldn¡¯t tell them everything. It was true, I had some memories from my childhood that I had locked away so long I had almost forgotten them. I had a lot of questions¡­but I couldn¡¯t tell them about my heritage. I wasn¡¯t ready for that, and they would never accept me. They were good people but this was different. The class system had been around so long that it was basically law. Even good people do bad things when bad things are all they¡¯ve ever known.


    One of the council members motioned to my friends at the doorway, ¡°You all need to go back to the campus. We need students to help with some cleaning up. You can stay Maver¡±. They slowly got up to go. Lila gave me a small smile and walked away, Geon still looked like he was thinking about what I had said, but he gave me a nod and went off. Aurora went to stand up but I saw her wince. She had been covering up a wound on her leg, a nasty red gash that ran along her thigh. The councilmen noticed right away, ¡°Maple, sit down. You¡¯re excused.¡± He left and we were the only ones in the building.She sat on the stool and looked as calm as ever. Her auburn brown hair soaked in the light and her beautiful eyes set themselves on Evay. She looked a little flustered but seemed more concerned, ¡°You¡¯re okay right? Nothing broken? I think your face is a little pale¡­you might need some water¡±. She examined me like a broken chariot and her analytical eyes bore into my body. My face went a little red. She put her hand over my chest and looked like she was feeling for any injuries. She concentrated as she gently moved her hand along my stomach and my arms. I forced myself to not say anything, but it felt like I was going to burn up.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s good. Nothing irregular with your breathing, nothing that¡¯s cut.¡± She noticed me and my flustered face and she immediately pulled her hand back. She looked embarrassed and she quickly played with her hair a bit before looking at her own injuries.


    I softened up a bit, ¡°Hey, that looks pretty bad, you should rest. Call a doctor, you need help too¡±. She nodded but I could tell she had more on her mind.


    ¡°Evay ... .I''ve always trusted you but I need you to tell me more. I want you to be able to trust me¡­we need to be a team and well¡­.I want to know a little more about you.¡± She looked at me with her intent eyes. She looked determined and ready. Her hair was a little messy as rough strands and fuzzy chunks came up all over the place, but she still looked really cute.


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    ¡°Ok¡­what do you want to know?¡±.


    She began to speak. ¡°You talk a lot when you go into that form¡ªGold¡¯s Veil? You always say stuff that doesn¡¯t make sense. It¡¯s like you¡¯re a totally different person. Why is that? Who is this Kessler guy you were talking about?¡±


    I looked at her and gave it my best shot. ¡°Kessler¡­I said his name but I wasn¡¯t thinking. It¡¯s like I was watching myself do things¡­like someone else was controlling my body. But from what I remember, Kessler was like a little brother, he annoyed me. He wasn¡¯t someone that felt threatening, just troublesome. It¡¯s also weird since I¡¯ve never had a little brother.¡± Aurora looked like she was in deep thought.


    ¡°Why did you say his name?¡±


    ¡°Because¡ª¡± Something clicked in my head. ¡°He was the one who did it. The one who started to destroy the campus.¡± Aurora looked a little puzzled but she didn¡¯t look totally skeptical.


    ¡°Evay..are you sure? You knew who did this?¡±


    ¡°Well yes, or the other me does.¡± She once again went into deep thought and then faced me. She looked much more worried, like she was about to tell me when I would die.


    ¡°Evay..have you ever heard of the old legends?¡±


    ¡°No..what are they¡±


    ¡°The stories about the Primordial ones, the gods.¡±


    I looked at her like she was crazy, ¡°The what?¡±


    Aurora looked at me and started to explain. ¡°Not gods, not really. They¡¯re called symbols. Beings so powerful that they were here when things began, and will be here when things end. They were rumored to have been created out of the first drops of liquor in existence¡ªthe elixir of life.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­this is really¡­weird¡±.


    She went on. ¡°These beings were made out of the very liquor that creates all the universe, all existence, all life. The same liquor that manifested itself onto the Earth¨Cthe thing that gives us our powers. These symbols represent the very ideals of our human society. These beings were worshiped in the old days as gods, but as people got stronger and stronger, and we began to learn more about ourselves, these beings became more of a myth. But some people still believe. I don¡¯t really, but Kessler reminds me of one of those beings. My father used to read me those stories when I was little and Kessler¡­sounds familiar.¡± She looked a little sad when she said father. It made me want to ask her more, but I decided that could come later. She continued, ¡°I remember this story of how he was a younger symbol. He liked to kill things and inflict severe pain and I think he once hunted a man who stole his ancient robes for an entire century¡­He was the symbol of¡ª¡°


    ¡°Kessler of Ventona, the symbol of vengeance.¡± As soon as I said it I was surprised. Aurora had the same expression.


    ¡°How¡­how did you know that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s Ventona?¡±


    ¡°I¡ªI think it¡¯s where he comes from. His birthplace¡±.


    She looked confused, ¡°How can a symbol have a birthplace? I mean where are these beings even born? In the hospital? I doubt that.¡±


    The idea seemed funny enough, an all powerful being born on a hospital bed, but I knew that wasn¡¯t true. It was weird, I knew a lot of things but not the reason behind why I knew them. I spoke up, ¡°Symbols are born through time. The ideas and emotions of humans create them, and the more influential and powerful an aspect of humanity is¡ªthe more powerful the symbol representing that idea will be.¡± Aurora looked shocked but seemed to follow. ¡°I think that there are four main symbols, the original beings who have existed from the beginning. The symbol of wealth and power, the symbol of time, the symbol of creation, and¡­.well, I forgot the final one¡±. That was weird, I really feel like I should remember this one. I continued. ¡°Then some more symbols were born later on. Kessler is a relatively old and powerful symbol¡ªI mean revenge has been around since the beginning, but I think there are older and more powerful symbols.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± Aurora looked intrigued but she was also bleeding really badly. For the first time in a while, I tried to get up. I winced as I felt my strength sap out from my body. Dots danced in my eyes as I almost fell but Aurora caught me in her arms. She looked concerned and gently leaned me against her body. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t try to stand.¡± Her voice was soft and full of worry, but I persisted.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to need help on your leg, and I¡¯m the only one here so¡­no worries¡±. I gave her a smile and she reluctantly let me go. Her sweet scent and touch encouraged me as I knelt down and looked at her gash. I had bandaged and treated plenty of my own wounds in the village and as a peasant it was the one useful skill we had¡ªknowing how to treat maimed people with minimal supplies.I grabbed a bandage cloth from the table and went to work. I washed out the cut and put the white bandage cloth on her legs. I wished I had a magic healing leaf like Professor Vylen but those were probably in short supply, and not meant to be used for non-life threatening injuries. I kept wrapping around her legs and tried not to get distracted. Her thighs were quite lean and muscular but also soft and warm to the touch. Her olive skin shown in the light and her athletic body made my mind wander places¡­.That¡¯s really creepy. Stop. I snapped out of it and finished wrapping her legs. She looked slightly more at ease and gingerly touched her wound.


    ¡°Thanks, I owe you one. More than one actually.¡± She laughed softly and stood up. She wobbled a little but I figured she¡¯d be fine. I collapsed into my bed¡ªrealizing how much just kneeling had sapped my energy. Aurora looked at me with a caring look. Her lips curved upwards into a gentle arc and her eyes were warm¡ªas warm as a fireplace on a cold winter day.


    ¡°You always look out for me so thank you. I¡¯ve never said this but I never really got along with a lot of people. Lila was always the more social one with the friends and the¡­boys.¡± She looked a little nervous, which was weird. She was our leader, always so sure of herself, now not so much. ¡°I think you¡¯ve helped me with my problems though..so I owe you my gratitude.¡± She moved a little closer to me while I was in my bed, completely exhausted. ¡°Tell me about those ideas of yours later. I¡¯ll check back on you. I promise.¡± She gave me a hug, a long and full one and then let me go. I watched her walk out the hospital doors.


    She was the most beautiful girl I ever knew.

 Chapter 34: Crash to the Finish Line

    Geon Leventen: Well, I was having a really shitty day. Like really bad, awful, no good. First my head was on fire when I woke up¡ªwhich sometimes happens if I had a bad dream¨Cmy shower was cold, there wasn¡¯t any more food left in the house, and the campus had been blown to bits by my best friend¡¯s¡­friend? Evay wasn¡¯t really good at not keeping secrets which bugged me a little. I had told him about my life and my struggles but I didn¡¯t know why he didn¡¯t trust me enough to tell me his. It also made me worried since that meant he was hiding something. There were a lot of spies from different empires that wanted Taegan to fall¡ªcould Evay be¡­..No. Probably not. It did all check out though¡­Absurdly strong powers, secrets, no definite point of origin, but spies never got too far and probably wouldn¡¯t in a school like this. Children also weren¡¯t spies¡ªwell most of the time. Also, Evay was my friend. He couldn¡¯t¡­


    I summoned some wind to pick up a pile of debris and shoved it away to the side. The campus was in both good and bad shape. Some parts were unaffected but others were ruined. The students'' bars were intact but the training range was shattered, the park was destroyed, and the campus offices were totaled. I looked at the damage and sighed. Why did we have to be the ones to do everything? I mean why was it always us? The trial, the crazy powers, this¡­What did we do to deserve this? Lila walked up to me and gave me a little pat on the arm. ¡°Well¡­could¡¯ve been worse.¡± She smiled softly and I felt better almost immediately.


    ¡°Yeah, probably could¡¯ve been. Where¡¯s Evay and Aurora?¡± Lila smirked a little.


    ¡°They¡¯re together in the infirmary, alone, with no eyes on them. I wonder what they¡¯re doing now.¡±


    ¡°Oh I know what they¡¯re going to be doing.¡± Lila punched me in the arm and I laughed. She tried not to show her smile.


    ¡°Well, we got the plan for the tournament. We need some time to train but I think we have a good schedule. I think we deserve a little break, no?¡± I nodded furiously in agreement.


    ¡°Yeah, with everything that¡¯s been happening. I agree.¡± We had done our part in cleaning up and most of the students were already leaving¡ªleaving the cleaning to the staff and professors. It was difficult walking with Lila. She came up to about my chest and her legs were struggling to keep up with mine. Her curly dark hair bobbed on her head while I looked at her golden-colored eyes. She slipped her hand into mine and kept walking.


    ¡°And I think that this little break should give us some alone time, right?¡± I laughed and kept walking. I had a lot to think about, a lot of stuff to explore, a huge tournament, and my home had just been attacked. But it was strange really, at this moment everything was..at peace.


    Savian Yelenta: ¡°Hey Emmy! Emmy! I¡¯m over here!¡±. I hollered at the small black haired girl with a white blouse and a huge straw hat who looked lost beyond belief. I suppressed a laugh. She was from the country and had probably never seen this many buildings in her life. The central Bondas district was full of beautiful buildings with brick laid streets that weaved in and out through the city. Its large marble towers blended well with the black roofed buildings that had their signature large overhangs. The market places were filled with life and wooden stalls selling all kinds of food and goods. Classes were off for the holidays so I thought it would be good for me to get out of campus for a while. I hadn¡¯t spent a lot of time with Emmy so I thought I could spend my free time with her. She looked a little panicked at the sight of the mass amounts of people around her and struggled through the crowd. She finally made it through and gave me a wave. ¡°Savie! Hey! It¡¯s been a while since we did this huh? Anyways, so many people! It¡¯s a little scary.¡± She looked around in awe as crowds of people passed around us.


    I smiled, ¡°Hi. We should get out of here right now. Come on, there are some cool stores in the other parts of town I think you would like.¡± She smiled and we started walking. She was always so happy and lively, she skipped a little when she walked, and her eyes were always bright. Maybe it was because she wasn¡¯t a warrior, but I liked to think that she was just like that. She came up to my abdomen when she stood next to me, but I struggled to keep up with her speedy pace. I laughed on the inside. Me, struggle with speed.


    ¡°Hey look! Chocolate stall!¡±. She marched up to the stall which had a kind looking old man behind it. He had gray hair and glasses, and wore a simple white robe. He smiled and watched as Emmy¡¯s eyes scanned the chocolates in awe.


    ¡°Which one would you like to try?¡± She thought about it for a bit and finally pointed to a good and black box.


    ¡°That one looks good. Thank you!¡±. The old man handed her the chocolates and I looked at the price tag. The label read two gold coins. I did a double take and the price didn¡¯t change. So it¡¯s not brain damage from the fights¡­


    The old man looked at me and looked like he was trying to suppress a laugh. I sighed and paid him. ¡°Sir, that¡¯s a lot for some chocolates¡ªum, no offense¡ªbut you¡¯re going to starve me at this rate.¡± He laughed softly and sat back down.


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes. But these are the best chocolates from the hillside in west Taegan. Their price is pretty justified and plus, the lady should be able to choose what she wants, no?¡± He smiled and I felt my face go a little red.


    ¡°Uh¡­well.¡± I looked at Emmy and she was already sampling the chocolates, her face lighting up with each new one she tasted. My heart began to melt and my mind told me that I loved her. I always had, ever since we were kids, but I had never had the guts to say that. I still loved her though, and I loved to see her happy. ¡°Yeah I guess.¡± The old man gave a happy nod and I guided her away from the stalls and the more¡­expensive items, and we continued to explore.


    ¡°This one¡¯s really good!¡± She was talking with mouthfuls of chocolate. ¡°It has cherry jam in the center! Also, I think this is gold frosting.¡±


    ¡°Gold! Well that explains the price tag.¡± She laughed and punched my arm. When I looked down she looked a little guilty.


    ¡°Sorry, I should¡¯ve asked you if it was okay to buy. I also brought some of my own money but it¡¯s not much¡±. I immediately felt guilty and kicked myself mentally. You had to mention money..


    My face softened. ¡°No, it¡¯s ok Emmy. I was never mad. Today, everything¡¯s on me. It¡¯s your first time back in the city after a while.¡± She looked at me and looked down with a soft grin.


    ¡°There you are, you big softie. So considerate, so Mr.Perfect.¡± I rolled my eyes but secretly, my heart did a somersault. I didn¡¯t mess up too bad¡­not really. Emmy suddenly yelped and fell backwards. I saw her surprised face and her body tried to stabilize itself as she fell in slow motion. I immediately grabbed her and pulled her to my side. ¡°You ok?¡± I looked frantically to see if she was hurt. Most of the chocolates in the box had scattered on the ground and before it stood a gang of men I hadn¡¯t ever seen before. They all radiated troublesome energy. Each wore black vests and loose black pants so that they looked like they had just walked out of the night. The man in the middle who had knocked Emmy down wore a white bandana around his neck and his pants were gold instead of black. He had sharp eyes and spiky black hair and a menacing smile on his face. He had several scars on his arms, and there was a thin slash mark that ran horizontally along his lips¡ªa scar that had healed.


    ¡°Sorry, pretty lady¨Chere,¡± He threw a cold coin on the floor and kept grinning at Emmy. ¡°Here¡¯s this for compensation.¡± Emmy looked wary but she went to go pick it up. The gold coin suddenly burst into thin golden webs and latched around her wrists. They were so thin that they couldn¡¯t be seen to the human eye. I could track their movement with my sped-up senses though, and I knew Emmy was bound. He looked at her with a malevolent smile. ¡°Scream, struggle, see what happens. That right there is an exclusive item found on the underground market. Dulls liquor abilities, all the senses, and physical abilities as well. It drains your life force, so don¡¯t struggle. Emmy already looked pale and sick. Sweat rolled down her face as she began to go limp.


    I charged.


    I stopped suddenly in front of the leader¡¯s face and he lost his cool. His eyes showed fear and I knew he was done.


    I ran and all of the other gang members froze. Their faces filled with terror and surprise¨Cmixed with a desperate desire to run. I grabbed them one by one and ran over to a carpenter¡¯s stall. The bench had a bunch of tools and wooden planks on it, but I grabbed the rope. I tied them all together and slammed them into the ground¡ªa mass of six gang members, tied back to back. They hit the ground and I heard bones crunch and bodies hit the floor. The surrounding people gasped as they saw the unraveling scene, and the gang leader backed up slowly. He reached into his pockets and took out a deep blue blade. It had a black leather handle and it glowed a faint blue color. It looked like any regular knife but I could feel that it was different. Something was off about it¡­He spoke with a cautious tone. ¡°You¡¯re the kid right? The famous one, the speedster?¡± I looked at him and anger boiled inside me. He hurt Emmy, he tried to take her, he was the one who had knocked her to the ground. He deserved to die.


    I grit my teeth, ¡°Shut up.¡±


    He rolled his eyes, ¡°Great, the one we go for is guarded by you.¡± He sighed, ¡°Oh well.¡± He thrust the knife forward and I immediately side stepped his strike. His entire body lunged forward in slow motion, and I hit him in the abdomen with a high-speed kick. His body rocketed through the air and the knife ended up at my feet. He slammed into a marble tower and crumpled as his body left a crack in its beautiful walls. I dashed over to Emmy who was still looking pale. ¡°Hey, hey, hey, Emmy? Emmy are you ok? Stay with me.¡± She smiled weakly.


    ¡°Can¡¯t move very well ... .Weird bracelet thingy.¡± I looked at the gold coin which still rested in the palm of her hand. No¡­..it had latched itself onto her hand and the coin was simply stuck. Crowds of people gathered around us and I started to panic. If this thing is a top item on the underground market, no one here would know how to deal with it. Emmy was getting worse and she was struggling to keep her eyes open. She looked like she was about to puke, but couldn¡¯t because she also looked like she was about to faint. I looked around. No hospitals, no warriors, no doctors¡­


    The school.


    I picked Emmy up and let her legs dangle over my left arm as I supported her upper body with my right arm. ¡°Emmy, I¡¯m going to run. We need to get you to Eden, they¡¯ll know how to help you.¡± She wasn¡¯t responding¨Cthat couldn¡¯t have been good¡­..


    I parted through the crowd and ran, faster than I had ever run before.


    Geon Leventen: I was taking a nice long stroll on campus to relax my mind when a streak of red lighting materialized into a person right in front of me.


    ¡°Geon, please. Help me.¡± Savian stood before me and looked more desperate than I had ever seen him. He was pleading with his eyes and I could tell he was trying to keep it together. I shook off my initial surprise and came to my senses.


    ¡°What happened to her?¡± Savian and I both got to the hospital and we walked up to the entrance.


    ¡°She got attacked by these gangsters and had a weird bracelet put on her. It¡¯s sapping her energy, and she can¡¯t handle any more high-speed travel so go.¡± He handed me the girl he had been carrying in his arms. She was really small and looked like a fairytale country girl, with her white blouse and straw hat. But she also looked similar to a noble princess with her fine face and delicate features. I nodded and flew her up to the hospital window. I rammed my shoulder into the glass and several surprised screams echoed out as I burst into the hospital hallway. ¡°Sorry! Sorry! I¡¯ll pay for that! I need help, please!¡± Several nurses came rushing out of the rooms and took the girl and put her on a bed. The rush of the situation was hard to follow but I saw the head doctor come into the room. He was the same one that had patched up Aurora after our sparring match before the year had started¡ªhe still looked as noble as ever.


    ¡°Report?¡±


    ¡°Trap device, sir. It seems to be sapping energy, we haven¡¯t identified it yet. It seems like an illegal item.¡±


    The doctor remained calm and walked up to the girl. He lifted her hand gently and his face changed. Only for a moment¡ªbut I could see it. He was filled with shock and confusion, just for one second¡ªthen it was gone. His face went back to his usual calm self and he reached into his pockets. He brought out a long, metal, needle-like object¡ªexcept unlike a needle, it was the length of his entire forearm. He pressed the tip of the needle into the center of the coin and dug around for a bit¡ªlike he was trying to pick a lock. After a couple of seconds a small ping sound echoed throughout the room. The coin slowly slid down the hand of the girl and she started to breathe normally again. Everyone in the room seemed to exhale in relief and I almost forgot to breathe myself. I slowly backed away from the scene and went to go get Savian. I tuned and heard a large whoosh  as Savian appeared in front of my face. Suddenly, Savian and Lila were standing in the hallway. Instantly, my face filled with confusion. Why was Lila here? What was she doing with Savian? Why is she with Savian? I don¡¯t like that¡­.


    I kept my face cool but I tensed up a little when both of them approached me. ¡°Savian, she¡¯s ok. You¡¯re late, and you brought Lila..¡± My voice was even but it had a cold tone to it. I gently put my arm around Lila¡¯s shoulder and moved her to my side¡ªaway from Savian. She didn¡¯t object but she patted my arms and looked at me with an, let me explain look. I softened my gaze and looked at Savian. His face seemed much calmer. He looked as if he had been holding his breath for an eternity and finally got the chance to breathe again. ¡°She¡¯s okay? That¡¯s good. Really good.¡± He looked at me and Lila, and his eyes widened a bit, ¡°Oh, no! No¡­not like that. I remembered Lila¡ªwas that your name? Yeah, I remembered that she could heal. So I thought if worse came to worse¡­you know. I wasn¡¯t trying to do anything bad or like, ask her out. You guys are dating right?¡±


    My face turned a little red and so did Lila¡¯s. She spoke, ¡°Um¡­no? Yes? No, yes! Kind of?¡±.


    My heart dropped a little. ¡°Kind of?¡± I spoke softly and her eyes went wide.


    She spoke quickly, ¡°Well yes! Um..officially now.¡± Savian smiled weakly.


    ¡°Funny,¡± he said softly. He pushed past us and went into the room with the girl. The nurses had left and normally this was against hospital policy but the girl had been admitted so recently that no one was here to shoo us off. He stood beside the girl lying in the bed and gently touched her fingers. She looked better. Color had come back into her face, and she looked like she was resting¡ªpeacefully. We walked up next to Savian and watched. Lila spoke first,


    ¡°Who is she?¡± She spoke gently and softly. She always had a way of navigating through sensitive situations¡ªmaking everyone feel better¡ªit was one of her greatest skills.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Savian kept his eye on the girl as he spoke, ¡°Her name¡¯s Emmy. She¡¯s a childhood friend of mine. We were exploring the city since she lives in the country and can¡¯t visit a lot. She¡­well she got something put on her by gangsters, and she started to slip away.¡± His voice was awfully gentle. It was strange¡­Savian was a warrior. Maybe even the definition of one. He didn¡¯t have time for feelings or love but it didn¡¯t seem that way..I was seeing a different side of him.


    Maybe the better side¡­


    Lila put her hand on Emmy¡¯s heart. Savian looked a little concerned but didn¡¯t object. Lila concentrated for a while and then relaxed. She smiled and faced Savian. ¡°She¡¯s alright! She¡¯s breathing well and blood is circulating normally, she¡¯s going to be quite hungry and dehydrated when she wakes up though¡­She¡¯ll make it. I can sense it. She¡¯s strong, so I wouldn''t worry too much.¡± Savian nodded and didn¡¯t change his face, but I could tell he was grateful.


    ¡°Hey, you should thank her.¡± I spoke to him and he turned to face me. Lila looked concerned.


    ¡°Guys, don¡¯t¡­don¡¯t start,¡± Savian still had the same fiery red and orange hair. He still looked as good as ever¡ªwhich annoyed me¡ªand he still reminded me of the guy I had fought a couple days ago. It was hard to see him like this¡ªworried and vulnerable¡ªbut it didn¡¯t completely shake my original feelings about him. I remember what he had said to me, I remembered his attacks, he was the first person I had ever faced that I hadn¡¯t completely beaten ... .It bugged me. You couldn¡¯t just put us in the same room after fighting each other to the death and expect us to behave. Also I had a hard time buying it¡­Savian¡ªa guy that looked and acted like a playboy extraordinaire, couldn¡¯t possibly be this caring over some girl¡­I mean, she was probably great and all, but I didn¡¯t buy it. He was still the guy I fought and the guy I needed to beat. I never admitted it but he did worry me..I had always beaten my opponent, but Savian was an exception¡ªhe was my first ever real threat.


    I didn¡¯t like that.


    Savian¡¯s face looked deadly and we stared each other down. He walked towards me until our noses were almost touching. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you spoke for other people Geon. Maybe you aren¡¯t such an animal after all.¡± I snickered.


    ¡°Great one, never heard that one before.¡± He spoke,


    ¡°We never finished our fight, right? Maybe we should¡­I feel like it¡¯s not healthy to keep these things in.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, good idea. Didn¡¯t know you wanted to die in front of your girlfriend though.¡±


    ¡°Same.¡±


    Sparks of red electricity flew off Savian''s fingers, tiny explosions started to emit from my hands. The air around me began to swirl, and time began to flow like syrup. ¡°Make your move.¡± Savian looked ready to strike at any second. The air thickened, the tension was palpable, violence loomed in the air. Lila stood and watched trying to separate us, but we weren¡¯t moving. We were locked, deadest, determined to rip each other apart. I wanted to do it so bad, I wanted to beat him, he was mine to kill¡­Fire erupted along my right arm.


    ¡°You first.¡± I replied.


    He scoffed, ¡°Always scared to start anything, always needing a leader to lead¡­You''re nothing but an attack dog, maybe a good one, but you¡¯re just a mutt, your leader¨CAurora¡¯s mutt. A killing machine, just like his father.¡±


    My heart exploded with rage and anger burned through my senses,¡°You think that that¡¯s what I am? That¡¯s funny, because you¡¯re nothing but a failure. Insecure, always looking to please people, always paranoid of not being the best, doing anything to keep that number one spot. You¡¯ll do anything for what you think is right, right? You¡¯re nothing but a scumbag, one who couldn¡¯t even protect his girlfriend.¡± His eyes contorted with hate and we both grabbed each other¡¯s shirts. The electricity from Savian¡¯s body smited a hospital bed and reduced it to ash. The ground started to crack at his feet and the ceiling was starting to chip away. My winds lifted up a bookshelf and a cabinet and flung them across the room. Lila quickly jumped over and caught the bookshelf, but the cabinet slammed into another hospital bed and shattered. The windows burst as my explosions echoed throughout the room, and the ground started to rumble at my feet. I lifted up my fist to strike when I heard a faint voice speak out,


    ¡°S¡ªSavie¡­.what¡­happened?¡± Savian¡¯s expression changed in an instant. He went from having a murderous glare, to a look of instant concern in a second. All killing intent and power sapped from his body as he instantly went over to the head of Emmy¡¯s bed. The tension dissipated and the feeling of an impending fight immediately disappeared, as we all went to go see how Emmy was doing. Lila tapped my arm and gave me an angry look. I suddenly felt embarrassed. Lila had done everything right, and I screwed it up. She was willing to help Savian and Emmy, but I got in the way. I was selfish, I was¡­.well wrong. I wasn¡¯t ready to admit this to Savian but I sure was going to make things right with Lila later. But for now, we had other things to worry about.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­.I¡¯m sorry.¡± Lila still looked angry but she relaxed a little. We both walked over and saw that Emmy had opened her eyes. They were black, very black. But also very bright. Her eyes still had the light that many warriors had lost long ago. She probably wasn¡¯t too happy right now, but it was hard to imagine her ever feeling sad or down. For now, she looked a little confused.


    ¡°What¡­.where are we?¡±


    Savian spoke in a soothing voice, ¡°We¡¯re at my school, Emmy. This is the place I told you about, Eden. The head doctor got you treated. I think they should be back with other treatments soon. You¡¯re okay.¡± Emmy looked at him and smiled. She cupped her hand around his and relaxed her body.


    ¡°Thanks, Savie, for saving my life¡­again.¡± Savian laughed softly.


    Emmy looked at us with confusion, ¡°Um, sorry, but I don¡¯t think I know who you guys are.¡± Lila spoke first.


    ¡°Oh yeah, right. Um hi, my name is Lila and this is Geon.¡± She motioned in my direction. ¡°You¡¯ve probably heard about him though.¡±


    She laughed and introduced herself. ¡°I¡¯m Emmy, and this isn¡¯t how I would have liked to meet you guys, but well¡­here we are.¡± Lila laughed and I smiled a little.


    She looked at me and spoke. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve heard about you¡­.You¡¯re quite famous you know that? Savian¡¯s still the golden boy of the news outlets but I think you¡¯re a close second¡­I remember you only competed in one tournament before Eden right? You got some publicity from that early on¡­I remember Savian didn¡¯t like you because I had a crush on you when I was like, 10.¡± She giggled and Savian looked annoyed. I gave her a short laugh and I faced Savian. I gave him a mischievous grin and stuck my middle finger out of my pockets discreetly. He flicked a mini-electricity bolt at my pants and I flinched. Both the girls didn¡¯t seem to notice. I glared at him and he smirked. I finally spoke, ¡°Well, yeah I do remember some of my early days. My family history as you know is a little¡­.complicated. So I didn¡¯t like to be in the public eye a lot when I was younger, but I liked the idea of being a warrior. So I gave it a shot.¡± I smiled. It was a lot more complicated than that but I didn¡¯t go there. It was messy, complicated, and no one would have liked to hear about it anyway¡­


    ¡°Yeah, well, fighting was never really for me. I just like art and making paintings. I can also be useful for finding out whether people are lying or not.¡± I felt my heart drop. She looked at me and for once she didn¡¯t look so happy. She looked a little concerned and suspicious, like she had read my mind.


    Savian spoke up. ¡°Emmy can read emotions. That¡¯s her liquor based ability. She¡¯s gotten really good at it over the years¨Cshe¡¯s helped me a lot.¡± She blushed a little and looked down at her hands. I felt a little relieved. She¡¯s not going to push her suspicions now, right?


    ¡°What is going on here!¡± Several medical assistants and nurses entered the room. They looked both shocked and appalled at the mess we had made. Savian and I looked at each other and for once, had a look of mutual agreement. We have to get out of here before they find out.


    ¡°Um¡­sorry. We just tripped and kind of fell and some accidents happened, and yeah! There¡¯s the story.¡± I smiled and started to inch towards the door.


    ¡°You know we know what happened right?¡± The nurses all looked at me and Savian.


    Savain spoke. ¡°Uh..yeah. Do we have to pay?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I shoved him angrily and he gave me a frustrated shrug. I sighed, ¡°Shit.¡±


    The nurses started to attend to Emmy and a couple started to clean the mess we had made. The head nurse came up to us and gave us both a good whack on the head with a folder.


    ¡°Hey, ow! What was that for?¡± I shouted and the nurse looked aggravated.


    ¡°For breaking our bookshelf and cabinet, and the expensive vase that sat near the bed!¡± Savian rubbed his head as I spoke to her once again.


    ¡°You hit surprisingly hard¡­¡± She crossed her arms and gave us a stern look. It was only then when I realized it. She looked young¡ªway too young to be an adult. She was pretty and held herself in a very regal way. She had long dark brown hair, a proper and serious face with milky white skin, and dark brown eyes. She was one of our former classmates¡ªMelissa of house Gen.


    ¡°Yes, glad to see you remember me Geon Leventen.¡± I instantly felt bad.


    ¡°Oh, no! Sorry, sorry, really. I just remembered. You went to go train to be a medical aid a couple weeks into the year. I remembered you were that one really smart girl in our class, but I just never saw you again so I had trouble recognizing you.¡± My voice sounded a little panicky but I gave a quick smile. Let¡¯s hope I don¡¯t anger one of the people that could potentially be responsible for our lives¡­.that would be bad¡­


    She sighed. ¡°It¡¯s ok. Who¡¯s the girl?¡± She looked at Savian and he spoke.


    ¡°Um¡­friend.¡± Lila raised her eyebrows. Savian rolled his eyes, ¡°A very good friend. Anyways, is she going to be out soon? She seems to be talking and stuff¡±. Melissa motioned for us to follow her out the door and we walked down the hospital halls as we talked.


    ¡°Yes, she seems to have come out of critical condition. She still has to recover though. Dehydration and fatigue along with questioning are in order.¡± Savian looked concerned.


    ¡°Questioning?¡±


    Melissa opened up a door that led into a small office that had two men behind a desk. She nodded to them and looked at us. ¡°It¡¯s important to find out the roots to these attacks on our patients, and you are a good testimony. Goodbye, and Geon, Lila, good luck at the next tournament.¡± Savian scoffed and I smiled. But I had other reasons to smile. Standing behind the desk the man on the right was Professor Vylen, and the man on the left was a stranger. But one thing was sure, he radiated power. Whenever I walked into a room I could feel the people seemingly deflate at my presence. It didn¡¯t feel too great, especially when they were just normal people. It was the same thing for Savain. People seemed to lessen, time began to flow slower, even now my steps seemed unusually sluggish. So when we both walked into a room, usually we were the only ones that were truly noticed.


    But this guy¡­.he was like us. He was dressed in a royal guard uniform¡ªa red combat vest, embroidered with a golden dragon¡ªthe symbol of the emperor. Over his vest he wore a black cloak with bronze collars and hems. The royal guards¡­..they were the most feared warriors in all of Taegan¨Cwarriors personally selected by the emperor to be at his side. Lila seemed to notice the guard but she looked happy when she saw the Professor. ¡°Professor! We haven¡¯t seen you in forever!¡± The Professor gave a quick smile and nodded.


    ¡°Yes, I was incredibly proud to see you advance to the Championship. I haven¡¯t had time to congratulate you yet but rest assured I watched every step.¡± I smiled and felt warm inside. The Professor had always treated us well. He taught us well, he guided us, and he was overall a good teacher. Never to lax, always pushing us to break our limits. We were essentially competing for him, and it felt good to make him happy. But his smile quickly faded. ¡°Which is why I¡¯m sorry that we had to meet like this.¡± He motioned for us to sit down and we did. Savian looked uncomfortable, which made sense. He was with us and our teacher. It wasn¡¯t easy but he was hanging in there¡ªnot that I really cared. ¡°This is Commander Hans. He¡¯s a member of the royal guard here to ask and oversee some questions we have about the attackers of Emmilia Zuppen.¡± We looked at Savian. He looked irritated, mad, and surprised. I was concerned. If he attacked a royal guard¡­I wasn¡¯t helping him.


    He spoke in a controlled but clearly angry voice. ¡°You know her full name¡­No one has called her that in years¡ªfor good reason too.¡± Professor Vylen raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°Savian of house Yelenta. You are an impressive warrior. Let me ask you, how long have you known Emmilia.¡±


    ¡°Emmy.¡±


    ¡°Fine, Emmy. How long?¡±


    ¡°Since we were five.¡±


    ¡°Do you know the people that attacked her?¡±


    ¡°No, or I wouldn¡¯t be here right now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve critically injured all of the gang members. They are near death.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± Savain didn¡¯t back down.


    Finally the Professor sighed and spoke. ¡°These men are in a gang called the Dark Transport. We believe they are connected to a far larger association that exists for one reason. Slave trading and human trafficking.¡± Everyone fell silent. Slave trading? It wasn¡¯t good to think about, no, it was impossible to think about. Emmy? Such a nice and sweet girl, to be traded as a slave? A person with hopes and dreams and lives and loved ones¡­It was a notion too terrible to think about..She had done nothing to deserve it..I looked at Savian. His knuckles were white from gripping his chair. His eyes were wide with shock and fury, electricity already buzzed along his body. He looked about ready to kill someone.


    Lila spoke first. ¡°Slave¡ªslave trade? I thought our empire abolished that on its inception!¡± She looked horrified and nervous. She drummed her fingers along her thighs, just like every time she really didn¡¯t want to hear bad news.


    The Professor spoke. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s an illegal market. Many politicians and nobles have slaves that are tightly hidden from the public or presented as hired workers. They even have contracts to prove the ¡°legality¡± of their ¡°workers¡±, but these contracts are never honored. With the high court judges also owning slaves they turn a blind eye to these cases. It¡¯s a mess really. It¡¯s impossible to regulate or enforce the abolitionist laws.¡± Savian bolted upright.


    ¡°A mess!¡± His voice boomed with anger. ¡°Yeah that¡¯s for sure! Emmy was going to potentially be a slave and you guys are just going to sit here and tell me there¡¯s absolutely nothing I can do about it?¡± He seethed in anger. ¡°You, royal guard or whatever, isn¡¯t this supposed to be your job to fix this shit? Where are you?¡± Savian¡¯s eyes beamed with electricity. It looked as if he had mini, red, glowing suns in his eyes. The guard looked as calm as ever, and he spoke for the first time.,


    ¡°My boy, things aren¡¯t so simple. This trade business also goes out to multiple empires. It is so large domestically and internationally that finding one weak point is very difficult. If we punish one group another one pops up and there¡¯s no point. Impeding in foreign affairs is dangerous¡ªwe have to solve this issue with time.¡± His voice was deep and clear. He was about an inch shorter than me and Savian but he still had a greatly athletic and muscular build. He had a short, neat, military style haircut and his light brown hair looked royal and proper. He looked as strong as a mountain and his deep eyes shimmered with wisdom.


    Savian still seemed agitated. ¡°But we can try right? To catch them, to stop them? Right?¡±


    ¡°Yelenta it is not that¡ª¡°


    ¡°MY GIRLFRIEND ALMOST DIED BY THEIR HANDS.¡± Electric sparks flew and blasted the table to ashes. A bolt hit Lila in the chest and she flew out of the window, which shattered. I flew out and caught her in another room. She had protected herself as her skin felt as hard as steel. She would live¡­I gently put her down as she passed in and out of conciseness.


    Savian was still yelling in rage. ¡°I¡¯LL KILL YOU, I¡¯LL KILL THEM. I¡¯LL KILL EVERYSINGLE ONE OF YOU IF YOU DON¡¯T TELL ME WHO DID IT!¡± The guard threw off his cape and it transformed into a huge golden, double edged sword. Professor Vylen glowed purple as he prepared to counter attack.


    Savain was crashing out¡­..


    ¡°Savian! Calm down!¡± The Professor yelled to no avail.


    He ran at the guard with blinding, time-altering, speed. The guard didn¡¯t look at all worried though as he managed to block Savian¡¯s punch with the flat of his blade. He whacked Savian backwards with the flat of his sword as Savian flew towards the Professor. The Professor teleported him away¡ªcausing him to fly straight into the wall. I felt Lila come up next to me looking dazed but fine. She nodded, ¡°Together.¡±


    The Professor teleported Savian right in front of us and he leapt to his feet. His face contorted with rage, his eyes pure red, his hair jagged like lighting. It wasn¡¯t right¡­he felt so angry¡­in fact, I felt bad for him. I steadied myself and I thrust my hand up. Metal from the depths of the Earth responded to me as I encased Savian in a shell of Tungsten. Lila¡¯s hair started to float as she jumped and put all her might into one big kick. Her leg swept through the air in a beautiful long arc and she hit Savian on the side of the chin, making his body go limp for one shining moment. I leapt over him and made the metal around him dissipate. I put my hand onto the back of his head and slammed his face into the ground. I willed the metal from the Earth to restrain him once again and a cocoon of metal encased his body. He was out cold, we had stopped him.


    The royal guard came up to us and knelt down to examine Savian. ¡°So much anger¡­I wonder if this has been repressed for a long time¡­.We will never know I suppose.¡± His voice had a sorrowful tone to it as he gently grabbed Savian and scooped him up like a doll. ¡°I will bring him to his dorm. He shouldn¡¯t be too affected by this, he is a warrior after all.¡± He looked at us and nodded with approval.


    ¡°A kick that can knock out a warrior of his caliber¡­.you are a truly powerful young lady. I wish you and Mr.Leventen luck at the International Youth Championships. I will get going. Professor, we shall meet again.¡± He knelt down to the ground on one knee and his cloak overshadowed his body and Savian¡¯s. His cloak began to glow and a bright yellow light flashed before us as he disappeared into thin air.Lila looked awfully tired but managed to smile. ¡°Not the way it was supposed to go, right?¡± The Professor smiled slightly and sighed.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect him to work well with us. He just lost a big tournament, his close friend was just hospitalized, he was forced to call on Geon¡ªhis biggest rival¡ªfor help, and on top of that he was demanded to answer questions and was told Emmy could have been a slave. He¡¯s had a rough day, but I didn¡¯t expect this.¡± The Professor looked tired and concerned. ¡°This gang isn¡¯t the only problem on the rise. Lately there has been a lot of criminal activity and conflicts among nobles as well as other empires. I hope that the upcoming Championship matches will help ease tensions in the spirit of competition, but I am not sure¡­We are pressed..¡± I never realized how much the Professor had to take on. He wasn¡¯t a member of the emperor¡¯s elite anymore but he was still heavily involved with the inner workings of the Empire. He also had to teach us on top of that¡­I hadn¡¯t ever really thought of him as a person. I thought he was invincible, never tired, never pressed¡­But I guess I was wrong.


    Lila walked closer to him and she gave him a comforting smile. ¡°You¡¯re a very good teacher. We¡¯ve never told you that..We¡¯ve always felt that way but I think you ought to know. You¡¯re doing a good job here, and you are the greatest warrior that we know. So I¡¯m sure you can push through Professor, we¡¯re sure you can figure something out.¡± The Professor smiled and he gave Lila a pat on the shoulder.


    ¡°Old men do not do good with kind words such as yours, Lila, but thank you. I¡¯m sure you and Evay as well as Aurora will make our school and nation very proud. You are my students after all.¡± He gave us one last smile and he snapped away in a pop of purple light, leaving us alone. Me and Lila sat on a table and enjoyed the silence for a while. Our Professor had left us with his approval, and he was proud. We had to keep it up at the Championships, we had to do it for him. It felt good to have something to fight for other than ourselves¨Cespecially for a person you respected. It was only after my tranquil and sentimental thoughts that I truly noticed the big hole in the middle of Lila¡¯s shirt. It was placed in a fortunate area¡­it didn¡¯t reveal too much, which was good¡­.But it was right between her¡­.um¡­yeah. I felt my face go red and I pried my eyes away from her with all my willpower. I kept stopping my eyes from traveling towards her chest and focused on the floor. Wow the floor was looking very¡­.floory today. Very¡­smooth¡­.


    Lila looked confused when she looked at me. ¡°Hey what? What¡¯s wrong? Is my hair really that messed up?¡±. She poked at my chest and looked up at me, ¡°Hello? Earth to Geon¡­Geon what¡¯s wrong?¡± I slowly looked at her and concentrated on her face.


    ¡°Um¡­shirt¡­shirt is a little¡­ripped.¡± She looked confused at first but then her eyes went wide with surprise. She looked down and immediately put both of her hands to her chest. Her face turned bright red and she looked away from my face. She turned her body away from me and I laughed a little.


    ¡°Lila, it¡¯s ok. Wait um¡­I¡¯m not saying show me¡ªwait no! I didn¡¯t mean it like that¡­I um¡­it¡¯s ok to like, turn around. I won¡¯t stare.¡± She inched back towards me and she was still heavily blushing. I pressed myself up against her and she wrapped her arms around my waist.


    ¡°How do I go out like this?¡± Her voice was small and full of embarrassment. I reached down and took off one of my socks. I ripped it into a square cloth and I gave it to her. ¡°Here, cover it up. We can fix it once we get back to the dorm.¡± She took it and she put it to her chest. We walked out the doors of the hospital and we didn¡¯t get too many weird looks going back. I watched as the orange, red, and golden leaves fell onto the ground as the sun lightly touched the Earth. We were on holiday, we were training, we were¡­happy. The next two months of the fall holiday would be the biggest we would get. Our tournament would be at the end of it and we would need to work until we dropped dead for the near foreseeable future. But I was happy. Walking back with Lila to the dorm, spending time with friends, being able to train, it was all a dream to me. To live like this. The moment was perfect.


    Even if Lila¡¯s shirt had a massive hole in it.

 Chapter 35: The Calm Before the Storm

    Lila Fairheart: The break was cool, both figuratively and literally..


    The chilly air cut deep into my bones and the ice cold winds tore away at my face. The only thing that made it all bearable was the fact that we were on vacation. I walked around the house as I stared at the vast plains of land covered with huge blankets of snow. The trees and their branches had been stripped of their leaves and were instead covered with frost and snow¡ªgiving them an ethereal white glow. I could see my breath in the air and my fur coat felt nice and warm on my skin. As I walked back inside the good-old family barn-house came fully into view as its white walls blended in with the snowy surroundings.


    It wasn¡¯t anything too special, but it was home.


    It had white walls and a big circular window at the very top. It had slanted roofs with a large curled overhang and a front porch with a rocking chair that sat besides the door. I walked in and immediately felt the warmth of the indoors. There was a large fireplace in the middle of the living room, and a staircase leading upstairs to where all our rooms were. The kitchen had one large marble island and several mahogany cabinets, as well as a large rectangular dining table.


    But the best part about the house was my family.


    ¡°Lila! You¡¯re back again!¡± A little boy with dark skin and long curly black hair ran towards me and gave me a hug. He couldn¡¯t reach my torso and so he gave me the usual knee-hug, which made me smile.


    ¡°Hi Manny, I¡¯ve been really busy. Sorry I couldn¡¯t come visit more often¡±. Manny looked up and gave me a big smile.


    ¡°No worries! You¡¯re here now so it¡¯s ok. Mom and the rest of us miss you a lot though, and so does dad. But he¡¯s been having a lot of trouble with Chi-Chi recently. Did you bring me any presents?¡±. I smiled absently and reached into my bag.


    Manny was just about five. He was smart for his age, he could speak like a teenager, and was much smarter than one too. He wouldn¡¯t live the life of a warrior, he wasn¡¯t a fighter, but he had a good brain. And I was grateful. He wouldn¡¯t have to fight, and that¡¯s all I could ever ask for.


    He was so small and cute, just like when he was a baby. He had big round eyes and was missing a tooth, but he was still always smiling. It was hard for me to not baby him, and I usually couldn¡¯t help myself. But what he had said concerned me. ¡°Here, these are from a¡­..friend of mine. Do you like it?¡± I handed him a yo-yo I had gotten from Geon. He always played with it but when he heard that I needed a present for my brother he gave it to me.


    Manny started to fiddle with it and he gave me a satisfactory grin. ¡°Yeah it¡¯s cool. I bet I can get really good with it. Is this from the same guy again?¡± I stood up and gave him a pat on the head.


    ¡°Yeah it is. If you ever meet him you should say thank you¡±.


    ¡°Ok! Is he the one that¡¯s your boyfriend?¡± I blushed and let out a small laugh.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡± He shrugged and skipped away to go play. I smiled softly but the feeling of joy was short-lived.


    I walked up the stairs and saw my other two siblings standing outside the door of my sister¡¯s room. Ash and Helen saw me and for a second their faces lightened up. ¡°Lila!¡±. Helen, my older sister and the eldest child of the family, tackled me in a hug. I embraced her and she smiled weakly. She was shorter than me but looked a lot older. She was more mature, her eyes looked wiser, and her hair was a little shorter. But other than that she looked similar to me. It wasn¡¯t hard to tell we were sisters and it was the same way with Ash¡ªmy other younger brother. He was eleven and was still smaller than me, but I expected him to outgrow me soon. He looked a lot like my father, lengthy, lean, and handsome. He had a serious face and short hair. But he ran forward and gave me a hug as well. Ash nodded and led me to my father. He was so focused on listening and speaking through my sister¡¯s door that he didn¡¯t notice me.


    ¡°Dad.¡± My soft words seemed to get his attention as his eyes went wide. He walked towards me and gave me a hug. He looked into my face and fixed my hair. He held my face and smiled. ¡°My daughter, you look as beautiful as ever¡±. I gave him a hug and we embraced for a while.


    Then I heard a voice from my sister¡¯s room.


    ¡°Lila?¡±


    Her voice was faint and weak. It sounded as if she had just got done crying and I heard soft footsteps come to the door. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me, Cherry. Come out.¡± I heard the door open and Cherry showed her face.


    Out of our family, she was easily the most beautiful. She had a picture perfect face with skin the color of chocolate. Her long black hair flowed down her back as her crystal gray eyes shined. She was slim and pretty, but she was filled with sadness. She looked at me with red eyes and gave me a big hug. Tears started to fall down her face as she began to fall to the ground.


    ¡°Lila¡­.I¡ªI, I keep thinking about him.¡± Her words were choked by her sobbing and her body began to tremble. ¡°Every time I think about you and your school, he¡ªhe pops into my head..He¡ªhe promised me¡ªpromised me..He wouldn¡¯t..he..¡± She began to cry even harder and I held her tight.My heart began to light on fire. Hate, anger, malice, words couldn¡¯t describe how I felt. Ren¡­..Ren did this to her. It was him¡­.he had broken my sister. I still remembered him from that day we had met on campus. What he did to my sister¡­he deserved death, no, a thousand painful deaths couldn¡¯t even repay Cherry or my family.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even say hi to you¡­I¡¯m sorry Lila, I can¡¯t even think of just you anymore¡­I¡¯m such a terrible sister..I¡¯m¡ªI¡¯m sorry.¡± My family watched on with solemn faces. My father held his face in his hands and my sister comforted him. Ash blocked the stairs and led Manny to a different room.


    ¡°No, no, don''t ever say that. You¡¯re a great sister. The best one that anyone could ask for. You¡¯ve done nothing but good. No one can take that away from you, ok?¡± She stopped crying hard and hugged me tighter.


    ¡°Thanks, Lila. I¡¯ve missed you so much.¡±


    I closed my eyes and a single tear rolled down my face.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve missed you all too.¡±


    Geon Leventen: Two months went by quicker than I had thought.


    The break was nearly over and so was training time. We didn¡¯t have a lot of opportunities to get a lot of team training in since we were planning on doing that when all of us were back at school. Aurora went back to visit her family and Lila also periodically went to visit her family too¡ªso it was hard planning things out. But me and Evay just stayed at the school. We had no families to go back to, and as sad as that sounded, it wasn¡¯t so bad. We got to train together everyday, and it was a pretty odd feeling. Before Eden I had never trained a day in my life¡ªI was too busy doing the important stuff like throwing firecrackers at temples, or making monkeys throw poo at each other in the village square. But nowadays I mostly trained for the sake of spending time with people, and my training partners also got to improve their skills¡ªso it was a win-win for everyone. These days, Evay¡¯s excellent defense was developing at a high rate, and he was also able to improve his Gold¡¯s Veil as well. We spared almost everyday, which was hard but also entertaining.


    Well, entertaining until someone blew something up¡ªwhich was probably going happen in the next two seconds.


    Evay flew at me in his Gold¡¯s Veil form¡ªwith a maniacal smile on his face. A bright flash of yellow light blasted the boulder behind me into dust as I sidestepped it just in time. He summoned his spear, which seemed to be made of purely priceless metals. He leapt up in the air and he hurled it at full speed.I barely heard the sound barrier break as I ducked under the spear¡ªnow a blur of death. The trees behind me exploded and Evay wasted no time in pressing forward. He dashed at me and threw a high kick which I blocked. I grabbed his foot and he leapt up and kicked me in the chest with his other leg. I quickly caught his kick, grabbed both of his legs, and hurled him in a big swing. I flew at blinding speeds, clearing trees in my wake as I caught up to Evay. He immediately flipped backwards and landed on his feet. He held out one hand and another blinding flash of golden light exploded as vast areas of forest were simply turned to dust. I called on the metals of the earth and walls of tungsten enclosed around me as I felt the heat and might of Evay¡¯s blast bang against my shields. I willed the walls to go down and I blasted towards Evay. I caught him in mid air and flipped him over my shoulder¡ªadding an explosive blast to my throw. His golden shield went up just in time, and my explosion was blocked. He was still tossed to the ground as he landed on his feet. I concentrated hard. The soil, the earth, the trees, the ground. They all had elements of the Earth in them. It was hard for me to control the very land we stood on since it was hard to pick out the right elements to make it come under my control.


    It was free, vast, noble, it never felt right to me when I controlled Mother Nature. But I felt like I would need to sooner or later¡­. I shut my eyes and felt the Earth shift around me as I willed the ground to swallow Evay up. Massive amounts of Earth shaped like jaws attempted to enclose Evay. He smiled and another bright glow of golden aura exploded out from him. The Earthen jaws were obliterated, and he started to fly towards me. I willed the trees and Earth to block his path. Huge oaks tumbled as they fell like giant soldiers. I jumped back and focused on controlling the things around me. Evay jumped onto a falling tree and kicked off another¨CI caused spikes of jagged rock to impale him but his shield decimated them into fine powder. I willed the Earth to crush him as two walls of dirt, rock, and trees slammed into him. I landed on the ground and knew it wasn¡¯t over. I covered my eyes as another blinding flash of light went off, and Evay descended to the Earth untouched. He still had a smile on his face, but it wasn¡¯t an Evay smile. It wasn¡¯t wholesome, or kind, or genuine, but crazy, and dangerous. Every time he went into his new form it felt like he wasn¡¯t himself anymore.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    He didn¡¯t look like himself either. His blinding gold and white hair as well as his golden eyes made him look inhuman. His glow and aura exuded confidence¨Can almost intoxicating amount. As he flew down and touched the earth it looked like he had just come down from the heavens. He looked like¡­a god. He smiled and in a flash, came face to face with me. I grabbed his face and tried to knee him, but he simply pushed my arms aside and head butted me instead. I covered my forehead in metal and heard a loud clang echo into the forest as Evay¡¯s head smashed into my makeshift armor. He brought his legs up all the way to his head and kicked down at my falling body, but the earth came to my aid as a wall of dirt blocked his strike. The ground pushed me up as I flipped over Evay and encased his feet in titanium. He tried to pull away but was unsuccessful. I landed and aimed a hyper-speed kick to his liver. I felt the world slow down as I concentrated on my blast timing. I needed to add an explosion behind my kick for it to penetrate the shield, and I would have one chance to get it right.


    My leg got closer, and closer, and closer, until I felt the timing snap in my head. Now.


    Smoke popped around me and blue fire trailed my leg as a deafening sonic-boom roared in our ears. The blast force almost tore my own leg apart as my kick went straight through the barrier and into Evay¡¯s side. His eyes went wide with surprise and pain as his gold and white hair faded, and he lost his ethereal robes and glow. I immediately went in and detonated an explosive blast to his torso¡ªwhich connected. I followed up with a hook to the body and an uppercut to his chin. I heard bones crunch and sweat came flying off of Evay¡¯s face as the force of the strikes blasted him out of his titanium-chains. He rolled back onto his feet. I threw a right cross and he slipped it. He threw an uppercut at me which I promptly dodged and I landed with a straight punch to his face. He spun backwards and attempted a hook kick¡ªspinning gracefully through the air¡ªbut I ducked it and threw my whole weight into one punch. I hit his solar plexus and he let out a gasp. He fell to the ground but tried to sweep my feet. I jumped over his legs and I pinned him to the ground. He struggled but it was all in vain. I willed the vines of the earth to coil around him, and titanium quickly surrounded his body.


    I smiled weakly and he sighed. ¡°Fine, you win, again.¡± I relaxed and Evay was free to move. We both fell to the ground and stared up at the sky  while trying to catch our breaths.


    ¡°Yeah, well, I guess I keep my streak.¡± He laughed and sat up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll win one¡­one day.¡± He helped me up and we examined the state of the forest. It wasn¡¯t good. We usually just fought in the training range, but we had destroyed that too, so we came here. I wonder if we can get in trouble for this¡­


    We started to hike back up to the campus and we talked about our sparring sessions as usual. ¡°Well you finally broke my barrier. I didn¡¯t even know it could break..¡± Evay sounded tired but glad. He liked training more than anything else in the world, and his work ethic helped him improve rapidly.


    ¡°Me neither. I guess there¡¯s a first time for everything, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess. By the way, where have you been going in the afternoon for the past couple days? You¡¯ve been pretty routine about it.¡± My face started to go a little red.


    ¡°Um¡­nowhere much. Just to get some fresh air.¡± Evay looked a little suspicious and he started to grin. ¡°Hmm, ok. I¡¯ll take your word for it.¡±


    Evay had grown up a lot these past two months. It was actually kind of scary how fast he grew. It was like he had aged three years in two months, and that wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. He was now taller than Lila and about the same height as Aurora. Previously, they had both towered over him, but now he was the one that had the height advantage. His face looked a lot less boyish and more defined, and he generally looked a lot older than before. His body had also grown as he was no longer chronically skinny. He had put on a lot of muscle and his extra height gave him more strength and size. He wasn¡¯t extremely strong or athletic looking, but it finally looked like we hadn¡¯t starved him for the past couple months. He looked better¡ªto say the least. And while we had always liked him for who he was, he had gotten a lot of new ... .fake people who wanted to be friends with him. Especially girls, a lot of girls.I could tell he didn¡¯t particularly like it. He never really liked attention, from what I could tell, and he didn¡¯t seem to really buy all the new fake friends either. He still stuck with us and I was grateful for that, but also felt kind of bad for him.


    He just wanted to train and fight¨Cnot be bothered by everything else. In a way, I related to that¡­ Aurora was especially mad though. Evay was always a good looking kid, he was just young, boyish, and little. But he wasn¡¯t any of those now, and so Aurora had a lot of competition.. Well, not really. She was probably better looking than any of the girls that tried Evay, and he didn¡¯t really care for any of them except her. But who knows, maybe all of this is just in my head and I¡¯m a big idiot for trying to understand any of this at all¡ªbecause usually that was the case. Evay began to grin again. ¡°Oh I know why¡­You¡¯re sneaking off to see Lila again right? I knew it, I should follow you next time.¡± I looked away and put on an innocent face.


    ¡°You sure man? That¡¯s weird you want to see all of that? I didn¡¯t know you were like that.¡± Evay laughed,


    ¡°I know for sure Lila wouldn¡¯t let you do anything. You probably call her something weird like mommy¡ª¡° I shoved him aside and we finally entered the campus grounds.


    Then I remembered something important pop into my brain. ¡°Oh yeah, you should really use your spear more. It¡¯s a lethal weapon, throwing it and leaving it is probably a waste.¡± He nodded and kicked a rock down a street.


    ¡°I would, but I don¡¯t really know how..I¡¯ve never used a weapon to fight. I should ask Professor Vylen.¡± We walked back into our dorm and I plopped on the couch.


    ¡°Yeah probably. You shower first. I¡¯m gonna take a nap.¡± Evay nodded and left.


    I stretched my arms and legs and yawned loudly. I turned to the left and let out a surprise yelp. Sitting on the floor was Deven, our fellow classmate. He wasn¡¯t supposed to be in our room, and I had no clue what he was doing here.Then I saw Lila come out of nowhere, then Aurora, then several other classmates of ours. It was like a giant group of people had emerged from the shadows. A kid with messy black hair and deep black eyes emerged from the darkest part of the room. He was sickly skinny, with pale white skin, but he gave me a hollow smile. ¡°Surprise party for Evay. You like my trick?¡± He spoke in a melancholy tone, but I could tell he was happy¡ªwhich was rare.


    The boy¡¯s name was Millen, of house Shawden. He was a little spooky and weird but he wasn¡¯t so bad. His liquor ability allowed him to manifest areas of darkness. So he usually looked really depressed and gloomy with his black attire, but he was cool once you got to know him. I saw Nila, the girl who had been our class partner so long ago. She was still small and looked a little younger than she probably was, but she also seemed excited. I knew she could sometimes blow stuff up when she got excited, but I hoped that wouldn¡¯t happen. I saw Lila laughing and speaking quietly to a girl named Mena, who we had met up with a little over winter break. She had long curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She wore a simple white blouse and I always thought that she looked like Emmy with blonde hair. Her liquor abilities involved ice and she was really useful in any situation where we needed to control a large crowd. I saw Melissa, our medical aid and part time classmate. She was mainly friends with Lila after what had happened at the hospital. In fact, a lot of people knew us through Lila. She scared me a little though¡­She always looked at me with a cunning smile¡ªlike I was some cadaver she could slice open. Why is my medic the biggest threat to my life? I saw several people I didn¡¯t know, but I assumed those were the upper class men that Lila knew. Others seemed like classmates I had met long ago but never got to know very well. But most surprising of all, was Taran. He looked a little out of place as he wasn¡¯t talking to anyone and generally didn¡¯t look very pleased. It was like he was forced to come here¡ªwhich was very likely.He crossed his giant arms and sat on the couch in the corner of the room away from everyone. He hadn¡¯t changed at all, except now he wore heavier clothes for the colder weather. Evay wasn¡¯t going to be back for a little bit so I went to go talk to him.


    I sat down on the couch beside him and he gave me a quick glance. His expression didn¡¯t change but he didn¡¯t look ticked off by what I did so that was good¡­ I put my legs up on the table and my arms behind my head. I waited in awkward silence for him to say anything, but he didn¡¯t speak a word. I knew he didn¡¯t like to talk a lot but that was beginning to really become clear now.. Finally he spoke. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± He didn¡¯t look at me but I could tell he didn¡¯t mean any disrespect. His words carried no harsh tone¡ªso I went on.


    ¡°Nothing much. You agreed to come here? That¡¯s cool, we never get to see you much.¡± He nodded and shuffled himself into a more comfortable sitting position. Everyone else was also conversing quietly so I didn¡¯t feel as awkward, but I still felt like I was on the ropes. Taran wasn¡¯t an easy guy to talk to and I didn¡¯t have much to converse about. What was I supposed to say? Did you see all the pretty flowers that are starting to grow back, Taran?You definitely seem like the type of guy that likes flowers¡­


    But I kept talking.


    ¡°How¡¯s training? We haven¡¯t been there in a bit. Is everything good?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, not bad. It sucks you¡¯re not there, everyone else isn¡¯t that hard to beat.¡± He didn¡¯t sound too angry but I was kind of worried. I had beaten him in front of the whole class on the first day, and so I never knew if he still held that against me. He didn¡¯t seem like that type of person though¡­


    ¡°Hey, about our fight¡ª¡°


    ¡°No hard feelings. I don¡¯t do that, that¡¯s for people who can¡¯t accept their mistakes. I learned from that fight and moved on. No use in crying over the past. What I meant is that it¡¯s going to be a lot more fun when you guys get back. Because all of us, not just me, have gotten stronger.¡± I smiled and relaxed a bit. Taran was actually not a bad guy. He was serious, but reasonable. He accepted things for what they were and seemed real. But I also smiled since I had noticed it too. Everyone¡¯s aura in this room had gotten stronger. Their power felt more raw, more dangerous, and sharper. I was worried we wouldn¡¯t have anything to do after the tournament, but I was glad to be wrong.


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll see if you keep that attitude when I return.¡± He smiled a little and got up. I got up too and he faced me.


    ¡°Also, I agreed to come here for two reasons. Someone asked me too, and I wanted to apologize to your friend.¡±


    ¡°Evay?¡±.


    ¡°I caught you guys up in my fight on the opening ceremony day right? I was stupid not to watch for collateral, especially with that stupid red-hair canceling everyone¡¯s abilities. I wanted to make things right, you know? Sorry to you guys too.¡±


    I nodded and gave him a pat on his shoulders. It felt like I was touching stone, and I reminded myself not to challenge him to any lifting competitions. ¡°You''re a pretty good guy after all, huh.¡± He scoffed and I took my hands off him.


    ¡°Who was the person that asked you to come?¡± He pointed at Aurora, who was talking while putting the birthday cake on the table.


    ¡°She asked me if I wanted to. I usually say no to these things, but I wanted to make things right. Also, I heard Mena was going to be here?¡± I raised my eyebrows and I laughed.


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± He smiled and we got ready to surprise Evay. We both hid behind the couch as we heard him come down the hall.


    He spoke. ¡°Ow, hey Geon, you hit me really hard in the side. It¡¯s actually kind of impressive because my entire rib cage is numb. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s good. Geon? Geon? Hey where are you¡ª¡°


    ¡°SURPRISE!¡± We all jumped out and I made a tiny blast that exploded the confetti in my hand into the air. Everyone went to congratulate Evay and both Lila and Aurora gave him a hug. He laughed and smiled and looked generally happy. It was like he had forgotten about his wounded side, and for a little bit, I could see the little boy come back to the surface. He laughed as we lit the candle of the cake and blew it out. Everyone applauded and we all sat down to eat. It was like a small mini party. People talked to people, and everyone was doing their own thing. Evay came up to me with cake on his face and a big smile. ¡°You knew about this?¡± I laughed.


    ¡°Nah, this was all them. To be honest I forgot, man.¡± I pointed to Lila and Aurora who stood behind Evay. She gave him a hug. He turned a little red but smiled.


    ¡°I guess I should say thank you.¡±


    Aurora smiled and spoke. ¡°Yeah, that would be nice, that cake was ridiculously overpriced so everyone better eat it all.¡± Evay laughed and Lila joined us.


    ¡°I guess we get back to work now right? All of us are here, we got a couple weeks.¡± We all nodded. No delay now. We needed to get our final preparations in.


    Lila smiled and she guided us over to the center of the party. ¡°All thanks to our very timely appearances, yes we should. But after this party, and after cake.¡±

 Chapter 36: Getting Ready--again

    Evay Maver: I put my golden shield onto Lila as she bolted into the enemy lines¡ªelectricity and sparks buzzing off her in a trial of lightning. Geon blasted away and flew right alongside her and Lila sprinted to follow in pursuit. I flew after them and we all coordinated our attacks. Aurora flipped forward and threw her entire body weight into one big hurl, as she chucked a bolt of lightning in front of her. Geon accelerated his flight speed by detonating an explosion behind him and he coated his arm in metal. I heard a loud explosion as his fist connected and Lila put her hand on my shoulder. I felt an immediate rush in my body. It was like all the exhaustion, soreness, and weakness left me as my eyes felt sharper and my muscles felt stronger. I began to fly up and concentrate. Pure white and golden robes flowed over my body as I felt waves of power come over me. I held up my hands and smiled. I love this part.


    A blinding flash of immense golden light detonated from my hands and Geon erected a wall of metal around our team. I felt the blast of energy leave my hands as it flew toward and detonated in an impossibly loud bang. Even through the wall Aurora, Lila, and Geon covered their eyes as I flew down. The shockwave tore at the ground and the tiles of the floor began to peel away. The rushing wind roared in my ears and debris flew past us.Then it stopped. Geon put down the wall and smiled, ¡°I feel really bad for that wall,¡± Lila let out a short laugh. We were just wrapping up our training session, and we ran through our team-coordinated assault drill for the last time today just before we finished. It was exhausting training so much everyday, but I felt good about it. We were making progress and we were working towards a goal¡ªwhich I always liked. Geon helped Lila up and I held out my hand to Aurora. She took it and I helped her up. Truthfully, hand to hand combat and even just running had been hard for me recently. I heard it¡¯s because I grew so much over the break, and I really hoped that was it. My own body felt really awkward to me, and I didn¡¯t like it. I had spent a lot of time with Aurora and she helped me become more coordinated and comfortable with hand to hand combat¡ªespecially in my new body. She always laughed at me and said I was like a, ¡°baby giraffe on stilts.¡± Honestly, she had a point.


    Geon and Lila went to get us all water and me and Aurora sat down. ¡°You looked better today. Are you getting used to um¡­.you?¡± I laughed and layed down on my back.


    ¡°Kind of. I still look like a baby giraffe on stilts though.¡± I winked at her and she grinned.


    ¡°Hey, I never meant that as an insult, you know. It¡¯s just that it was kind of true. And also, baby giraffes are cute.¡± My ears turned red and Aurora refused to meet my eyes.


    Geon and Lila came back just in time as he dumped water onto my face. I sputtered and sat up.


    Geon laughed and he gave me another cup. ¡°Sorry, couldn¡¯t resist.¡± I rolled my eyes and drank.


    ¡°Alright, get some rest. One week to go. Wow, I guess we¡¯re really going..¡± Aurora sounded as confident as ever but also sounded amazed. ¡°Make sure to not overwork yourselves, and also don¡¯t go to the bars tonight either. Ok Geon?¡± Geon rolled his eyes and Lila giggled.


    He grumbled, ¡°Fine.¡± Aurora smiled.


    ¡°Good. Now let¡¯s get to bed. I¡¯m tired.¡± We all walked back to the dorm and Lila and Geon walked in front of us while Aurora and I stayed back. I fidgeted with my fingers and I looked at Aurora. Her auburn hair and olive skin shined in the evening light. I was now taller than she was¨Cjust by a little¨Cand that gave me an even better view of her face. She still gave me butterflies in my stomach, even if we had gotten a lot closer in the past few months. I really liked her and I think she liked me, but it was hard to say. I didn¡¯t want to screw anything up, and it didn¡¯t really make sense. Why should she like me? What did I have to offer? We reached the house and we all started to get ready for bed. She nudged me with her arms and smiled, ¡°Please don¡¯t sneak out to practice, I can hear you. You¡¯ll get hurt.¡± I pretended not to look surprised. I had sneaked out a lot to practice Gold¡¯s Veil, but I always went really far away. It¡¯s the only thing I wasn¡¯t too sure I could fully control yet, and I wanted to find out even more secrets. I knew it was risky, because of injury possibilities, but I never knew Aurora had caught on. How did she know?


    I smiled in defeat. ¡°Fine, Ms.Maple. Please don¡¯t give me detention.¡± Aurora slapped me in the arm and I smiled. She started to go to her room. ¡°Good night Goldilocks, sleep tight.¡± Goldilocks. It was recently her favorite nickname for me, and only because it was her, I liked it.


    I smiled and walked into my room. ¡°Good night.¡±


    I woke up and immediately threw myself into a giant, beautiful carriage.


    The carriage ride to the capital was great. I mean, it was probably the best ride I had ever had in my entire life.The golden carriage was pulled by two majestic white stallions, draped with velvet red cloth over the top. We looked out the windows and saw crowds of people gathering around the carriage pathway to get a look at us before we went off. There were a lot of people, more than I had ever seen at once. It was like swimming through an ocean¨Cexcept the ocean was made of human beings. Cheers and sounds of joy echoed through the air as the people seemed to encourage us towards a victory at the championship. It was a big deal as we wouldn¡¯t just be fighting for us¨Cwe would be fighting for our empire and region. I closed the blinds and looked at my friends. They didn¡¯t look nervous before, but they started to look a little flustered now. Hundreds of thousands of people cheering us on seemed to wake us all up.


    All of us, including an addition to the usual.


    Savain Yelenta sat right beside Geon as he looked out the window with an impassive face. He was the most experienced in terms of tournament participation, but I could tell even he was getting excited. By skill standards, Savian was pretty much the obvious choice of who was to be our fifth. It wasn¡¯t really the best news for us though ... .Geon and Savian didn¡¯t get along, we beat Savian in the qualifiers final, and Geon and Lila had to beat him up again a couple weeks ago. So we didn¡¯t really have a great history, or mesh very well. Aurora worked hard to try and make it happen, but even her leadership skills and adaptability were falling short. It was mainly due to personality conflicts though. Our chemistry was surprisingly good. We did some run throughs of attacking patterns and drills, and everything seemed to work well. Savian¡¯s speed worked well to create openings for Aurora and then all of us would follow up like normal. But Geon and Savian would fight¡­..a lot.


    I¡¯m surprised they even sat next to each other..


    I fiddled with the lover¡¯s coin Geon had given me for a present. It hadn¡¯t changed color and apparently it wouldn¡¯t until I gave it to somebody. Geon gave it to me, and apparently the coin¡¯s color as of the moment symbolized the feeling of friendship. I wanted to toss it at Aurora and see if it would change color. I was hoping it would¡­hopefully to a romantic color¡­ I shook my head a little. Tournament first¡­Geon and Savian were periodically shoving each other¡¯s legs out of the way to make more room, and I could see constant annoyance on their faces. Geon spoke up. ¡°Move over pretty boy, stop hogging the seat.¡±


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    ¡°Shut up princess, you¡¯ll be fine. Deal with it.¡±


    Geon kept shoving. ¡°Yeah, well maybe me and Lila will have to knock you out again to make you move. It¡¯ll probably make you shut up too.¡±


    Savian scoffed. ¡°Yeah, like that¡¯ll ever happen again. No royal guard or professors to help you, I¡¯d like to see you try.¡± Geon glared.


    ¡°Yeah, well, we¡¯re getting off in a bit to take a rest, right? How about then.¡±


    Savian grabbed Geon¡¯s shirt color and they both glared at each other, ¡°fine, if you really want to.¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Sparks flew off of Aurora and her eyes flashed blue. Savian let go and Geon backed off. Aurora sighed, ¡°Both of you are insufferable¡­If we want to win, then we need to get along. That doesn¡¯t mean you guys need to love each other, but don¡¯t try and kill each other every second off the day. Also, Savian.¡± She glared into his eyes. Savian could probably beat Aurora in a one on one battle, but he never seemed to try and stand up to her¡ªprobably for his own safety. Aurora is pretty scary when she¡¯s mad¡­ She stared directly into Savian¡¯s eyes, ¡°You¡¯re on this team now. Whether you like it or not, you are. I don¡¯t know how you did things with your team, but here we¡¯re all working towards the same goal. So push all the other stuff aside and work with us. Deal?¡± Savian stared at her with cold eyes. Aurora didn¡¯t back down.


    Savain relaxed and rolled his eyes. ¡°Fine. Get this freak off of me though.¡±


    He shoved Geon away and he scoffed. Aurora looked at him too. ¡°Geon, you too. Don¡¯t fight, for once listen to what I say.¡± She sighed and Geon nodded reluctantly.


    ¡°Ok, all good¡±. Lila smiled and looked out the window. ¡°Still got a ways to go I see. Still a lot of people. Good news though, we¡¯re in Delan. We should be getting closer to the ships. Then we¡¯re going international¡±. I also looked out and we were in the main city now. Huge crowds gathered along the streets to see us go. Children looked on with excited smiles and adults clapped and cheered as we passed by.


    It was an encouraging sight to see¨Call of them rooting for us¡­Savian looked out the window too. But for once, he didn¡¯t look bored, or cocky, or excited. He looked¡­.sad. It was the first time he ever looked that way. I wondered what he was like, what he stood for, what he was like behind the fame, confidence, and style. I finally got to see a bit of it. Delan? I remembered that name¡­¡±Delan? We annexed Delan from the¡­what empire?¡± Savian suddenly spoke.


    ¡°From Denia, not an empire, just a nation. It was recent, eight years ago. It was a country that was boarded by the sea and us. It had no real allies. It was a young country, established by people who had migrated over on a boat about two hundred years ago. Taegan took it easily, with their backs to the ocean they had nowhere to run.¡± Savian talked with a blank face.


    We all looked surprised. One, because Savian was finally talking to us normally, and two, because we had no clue how he knew so much about Delan and Denia.


    Geon spoke softly. ¡°Do you like history?¡± Savain shook his head.


    ¡°No, I used to though.¡±


    He didn¡¯t sound like himself at all. He sounded sad, an emotion he usually didn¡¯t show. He sounded like he was telling the truth, which was the weirdest part. In my short time with Savian he always felt like he was hiding something. This time though, his emotions were true¡ªbut why? What did he do? Why all this when we talked about Denia? We continued to travel and as we did I kept thinking. I looked at Savian and saw him touch a necklace tucked under his shirt. It had a clear white topaz crystal on the end of a gold chain. He looked on sadly out the window as crowds of supporters gathered around us. I wondered what he had gone through.I wondered what he had done¡­..


    The carriage suddenly stopped and we all hopped out.


    ¡°Wow! Feels good to stretch!¡± Geon yelled in triumph and we all got out of the cart and also stretched our legs. It felt good to finally move and I looked at the sky above us. It was a light shade of pink and orange, and the cool evening temperature kissed against my skin. We had stopped in the inner city and we were led to our temporary living quarters by our driver.I got my first good look at our temporary stay and my jaws dropped. The entire building was made of marble, it was actually more like a palace than a temporary living quarter. Its base was supported with white marble pillars with gold filigree and engravings at their bases and tops. The interior was lined with a delicate velvet red carpet. Endless stairs led up to several rooms and a huge dining section with what seemed like an endless option of dishes presented itself behind huge mahogany doors. The entire place was lit by golden flaming torches with silver handles¡ªwhich really confused me. Silver didn¡¯t burn to make golden fire? It was probably liquor magic, which confused me even more. Aurora laughed gently as she came to my side. Savian nonchalantly walked up the stairs and Geon and Lila both looked on in awe as they also went up the stairs, while giving everything else a good look.


    ¡°Is this your first time in a warrior home?¡± I looked at her and smiled stupidly.


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s¡­.incredible.¡± She smiled and beckoned me to follow her.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been to them a lot. They always impress me though. Here, we should go up to the rooms.¡± We walked up the stairs and I began to turn a little red. Wait rooms? Like sleeping? Are we going to share? Wait¡­.what about beds? Hold on¡­My heart began to beat faster. It didn¡¯t help that me and Aurora were leaning against each other. I felt the heat rise to my face. This is good, or is it? We caught up to Geon and Lila. There were four five rooms before us and many more along a long hallway. Each door was engraved with gold filigree and every single door was different. The door to the farthest left had beautiful golden flowers engraved on its door. They were all in a bouquet, wrapped in an ivory white cloth that was tied with a ruby red ribbon. I wasn¡¯t too sure but if I had to guess the doors were engraved with the symbols of the family houses of the warriors which stayed in them. This meant that we all got our own rooms, which gave me¡­mixed feelings. But if I had to guess, the door that had the flowers on them was House Fairheart¡¯s symbol¡ªwhich meant that this was Lila¡¯s room. The door of the room right of Lila¡¯s had three bolts of electric lapis-blue lighting that crossed each other to form an x-shape, with a line down its middle.It was surrounded by a circular multi-colored ring, and this was most likely the symbol of house Maple¡ªAurora¡¯s family. The door next to Aurora¡¯s had three red, diagonal slashes on it and nothing else. It was like a huge bear took a swipe at the door after a bad day. The markings cut deeply into the polished wooden doors and glistened like blood in the light. Geon looked at it with reprise, and I knew it was the Leventen family symbol¡ªthis would be his room.


    I looked at the door next to Geon¡¯s room and it had a silver and navy blue clock with two marble hands etched on it. If I had to guess this was the symbol of house Yelenta, which was weird. A clock? Kind of an odd symbol for Savian¡­ Then I came to my door. It was the only door without a symbol. It was just a regular mahogany polished door. Compared to the others, my room looked like an entrance to a closet. I guess my people don¡¯t get symbols¡­ Even the other doors around us all had symbols on them. All these rooms were occupied by warriors, and most likely housed a lot of people we would be facing at the tournament. Savian yawned and waved absently to us and walked into his room. ¡°Good night.¡± He shut the door and we all looked at each other. It wasn¡¯t late at all, in fact we hadn¡¯t even eaten dinner yet. I guess he just really hates us that much, huh. Aurora laughed and shook her head. She sighed. ¡°Whatever, he¡¯ll come around. I¡¯m going to get some stuff sorted out. Come out for dinner in thirty minutes?¡± We all nodded and we each went inside our rooms. I entered mine and almost had a heart attack. It was the most luxurious room I had ever seen. Firstly, there was one giant bed with a dark spruce frame. It was even bigger than the ones we had at the dorms, and it would¡¯ve covered 90 percent of my old childhood home. Who needs a bed that big? I looked around to see giant windows with golden curtains over them, and a giant table with many cabinets. I opened them up and they all contained useful stuff like soap, extra towels, perfume, and even food. I pulled out a couple chocolates and crackers for later and walked into the bathroom. The floor was made of marble, and there was a huge glass shower that could have fit my old bed inside it. The huge mirror on the wall gave me a solid look of myself at all times, which was something I still wasn¡¯t used to.


    I hadn¡¯t ever used a mirror until Eden, and it was still strange to me how I could see myself that clearly. A huge mirror didn¡¯t help ease that feeling, but the overall luxury of the bathroom was a little too nice for any complaints.


    The entire room was lit up by beautiful glowstone crystals on the walls that radiated soft, warm light. The soft black carpet and the feeling of peace and quiet made me sleepy. I went to the bed and threw myself under the covers. The soft embrace of the mattress made me feel like I was being given a nice, big hug. The blankets surrounded me with warmth and I got comfortable. I felt my eyes get heavier, and heavier, and I let them fall. A little nap wouldn¡¯t hurt. At least I hope it won¡¯t.

 Chapter 37: Suppressed Dreams

    My vision began to clear and I felt my disembodied self float into a dream. I looked down and I couldn¡¯t see my body but I could feel my spirit floating around inside my new dream-world. It didn¡¯t look very different from reality, in fact, I was actually looking inside another hotel room. It was quite different from my room, it had blue carpets, turquoise lights, a much smaller bed, and beautiful multicolored walls¡ªplastered with colorful gems. I looked to my side and my heart nearly stopped. It was Aurora¡¯s room. She was sitting on her bed and reading a book. She had her hair in a bun and wore small black glasses. My heart jumped and my eyes fixated on to her. She wore a baggy blue shirt and shorts that revealed her long, lean, and muscular legs. If I had a face, it would¡¯ve been bright red. I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off her, I wanted to stay here, I wanted to keep watching¡­. Then I heard a voice, ¡°Typical human boy, huh? So ready to mate.¡± I jumped and looked to my right. Sitting on a chair in the corner of the room was the man from my previous dreams. He had the same gold and white hair. The same cream colored skin, the same fancy rings, and the same smug, confident, intoxicating attitude.


    I struggled to speak. ¡°No..not mating. Wait, what, how?¡± The man laughed and he clasped his hands together. My voice sounded faint and it was hard to speak. I still had so many questions.


    The man spoke. ¡°You, Evay Maver, are an interesting human. You¡¯re in a dream, you are right about that. This is a vision from the real world though. Visions of the real world through dreams are made possible by me, and some of my¡­..brethren¡±. He smiled and drummed his fingers along the arms of the chair.


    I spoke, ¡°Um¡­well¡­I have a lot of questions. Firstly, what?¡± The man in the chair rolled his eyes and laughed.


    ¡°Human brains, so slow to notice things. Well firstly, I have visited you to tell you about some changes to come. You¡¯ll be hearing more of me, in fact, you¡¯ll be even better, stronger, and more powerful with me in your ear. You¡¯ll feel like you have the full guidance of my hand, and of course, you will.¡± I sat there, utterly confused. But I couldn¡¯t stop listening and looking. He radiated power, prestige, and confidence. His presence took color away from the world and the only thing that seemed to shine was him. His golden eyes and bright white hair stunned even the shadows of the earth, and his voice reverberated throughout the air like a cord from a powerful harp. He looked inhuman, too good for one. I hadn¡¯t ever met a god before, but if I were to, this would be him.


    He chuckled. Too stunned to speak, I asked the only question that came to mind. ¡°Why Aurora? Why her?¡± The man raised an eyebrow and spoke.


    ¡°The girl? Well she is your mate, no? If that¡¯s one thing humans are unimaginably good at it¡¯s mating. For a young boy like yourselves isn¡¯t this the best thing to spark your interests?¡± I didn¡¯t have a face, but I still felt extremely red.


    ¡°No! Well, yes, but no! I¡¯m just a kid, man! It¡¯s creepy to spy on people, and she needs personal space, and..¡± I took one more glance at her and ripped my eyes away. The man shrugged.


    ¡°Alright, I wanted to show you something you like to ease you in. But anyways, I wish you luck on your journey, human. I¡¯ll explain more later, your confusion is completely justified at the moment. But in due time, in due time.¡± He began to stand up.


    ¡°Wait! Can you at least tell me this?¡± He nodded.


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    ¡°Are you¡­connected to all of¡­this. My powers, my life, warriors? You¡¯ve shown up and said stuff and now I¡¯m even more confused! I heard you in my other dreams talking about a boy, is that me?¡± He smiled and I started to snap back into reality.


    ¡°Patience. Things are about to get interesting. I shall follow your journey, human. Or I guess I should say, Evay.¡± I felt my dream go dark, my floating essence was zapped away, and I woke up in my bed, with far more questions than I had when I had fallen asleep.


    I rubbed my eyes and sat at the edge of my bed. I took a few deep breaths and looked down at my hands. They were shaking, I was confused, I was worried. It felt like I was a kid again, watching my parents work themselves to death, watching nobles and rich citizens tear our homes away. Then I felt my head snap in two. Agonizing pain hit me as I started to remember¡­.memories that I had hidden away. I grabbed my head and I threw myself to the ground. Sputtering for breath and rolling around, I tried to gather my bearings. I was Evay, I was me, I was here I had friends¡­


    Friends.


    I felt myself snap and the memories came. Amie. Amie stood in front of me. A girl, a beautiful girl, a girl with hair jet-black hair, and a nice, wide smile. She wore a peasant dress and grabbed my hand, smiling. ¡°Come on Evay! You''re always so scared to go back there. Let¡¯s go see the woods for once.¡± She giggled and I followed her, smiling, even if I was scared to death of the woods. We stopped at a tall and handsome looking tree. Its trunk was massive and its branches provided shelter to our small bodies and the birds of the air. We looked up in awe and Amie grabbed my hand. ¡°Cool right,¡± her large, dark brown eyes gently gazed into me. ¡°Told you we should have come here.¡± I smiled and looked at her. She made me happy, I was happy for once in my life. She was the only thing that made me happy. She was my symbol of hope. Amie looked at me and blushed a little. She gazed into my eyes and spoke. ¡°Evay¡­when we grow up. Can you promise me something?¡± I nodded. ¡°Can we do this? Can we come here a lot, and always talk, and always play? I want to be with you, please?¡± I smiled.


    ¡°Sure! I don¡¯t see why not! But I¡¯m hungry, let¡¯s go back. We can do whatever we want, and I¡¯ll always do stuff with you. Promise.¡± She looked up at me and beamed. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± We skipped back to our village.


    Man, little me really knew how to accept a heartfelt message, huh? ¡°I¡¯m hungry,¡± great follow up¡­. But then I began to panic. Amie¨Cwhat happened to her? I couldn¡¯t see it, not again, please, not again. My memories began to shift, tears flowed down my eyes as I dreaded what I would see next. I saw Amie, on the ground, looking up at a guard. A warrior, who gave her an inhumanly evil smile. She looked at me, helpless on the ground. Tears in her eyes, ¡°help me, Evay. Evay, are you ok? Please!¡± The guard reached down and grabbed her, my heart raced, my eyes screamed, I felt a terrible cry well up in my throat.


    ¡°NO! STOP! NO!¡± I screamed with all my might and suddenly, I woke up. My body jolted upwards and I head butted Aurora, who was shaking me. She fell backwards and rubbed her head.


    ¡°Ow¡­Evay! Are you ok? You were screaming¡­is your forehead ok? Hey, talk to me.¡± I was breathing hard, my whole body was sweating, and my eyes felt unfocused.


    I looked at her with a worried expression. ¡°Thank you. No, I¡¯m good. Well, now that you woke me up I¡¯m good.¡± She still looked concerned but helped me up. She gave me some water and I sat down on the bed.


    ¡°We gotta get going soon. You weren¡¯t waking up and I heard screaming so I ran in. Hey, what happened? Dreams?¡± I nodded. Aurora softened her gaze and she gave me her hand.


    ¡°I won¡¯t ask you anything. When you¡¯re ready, you can talk. If you ever need us, we¡¯re here.¡± We walked out the door together and Aurora led me to the lobby. It was filled with people. Warriors, all around the same age as us, were wandering around in little groups. I saw Geon, Savian, and Lila already waiting for us outside the restaurant. Geon looked confused.


    ¡°Evay, are you ok? Did you sleep in?¡± I gave him a weak grin and he shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s all good, Lila had to bang my door down to wake me up.¡± He yawned and Lila gave me a concerned look. She mouthed the words, ¡°tell me later,¡± and I nodded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go eat,¡± Aurora said, ¡°This place looks lively.¡±


    The food was some of the best I ever had. I thought it couldn¡¯t get better than our school food, but it did¡ªby a lot. While we ate I tried to find some notable warriors who were staying here, but I didn¡¯t recognize any. I was more grateful for that though, I wanted to relax right now, which was easier without meeting my future opponents. We ate and all said good night and packed in. Tomorrow we would be off and this time we would arrive at the arena. We would get a tour, a one day adjustment period, and finally, it would begin. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, trying to ease my nerves and avoid any more dreams.

 Chapter 38: Ready or Not

    Evay Maver: The morning air sliced through my clothes and froze my very bones. We all raced into our carriage as we would depart early to avoid getting caught up in the massive carriage crowd that would leave the hotel later in the day. We raced by forests, lakes, and massive mountain sides as I watched Aurora, Lila, and Geon play cards. They laughed and Geon seemed to be doing alright with Savian for the morning, which was good. I looked at Savian and he stared out the window with an absent gaze. He was holding a picture of someone in his hand. I could just make out the girl¡¯s face. She looked like a slightly taller and older Amie. She had the same black hair, and the same pretty face. She looked more regal than Amie though, in fact, she looked like a royal princess. Except for the fact that she wore a blouse and a straw hat. I spoke up. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Savian looked at me but quickly turned his gaze back to the window.


    ¡°Why do you want to know?¡± His voice was flat and emotionless.


    ¡°Looks like someone I knew. What¡¯s her name?¡± He didn¡¯t look at me but he answered my question.


    ¡°Emmy. She¡¯s from the countryside so maybe you¡¯ve seen her around. They tell me you''re from the country,  right?¡± I nodded. I wanted to know more about Savian and what was up with his emotions. Every time we brought up his girlfriend he got really sad¡ªand I had no clue why. If I was going to be his teammate I needed to fully understand him, which was ironic coming from me, but still¡­.  ¡°How long have you known her?¡± Savian relaxed a little,


    ¡°Since I was five.¡± Then it happened again, his face seemed to fall as an immense sadness etched itself onto his face. I wanted to comfort him, but I didn¡¯t know how. Why was he sad? What was he thinking about? But it wasn¡¯t my place to ask questions like that. I myself knew this better than anyone, some things take more than just courage to share¡­


    ¡°I had a childhood friend too. Her name was Amie. She died, she kind of looked like her. I liked her a lot, I guess we all have people from our past¡­¡± Savian looked at me and for once, he didn¡¯t look indifferent or irritated. His eyes softened and he didn¡¯t smile but he nodded. He looked out the window again and he spoke softly.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t so different after all, huh?¡±


    I saw the ships and the dock come into view as we  boarded our ride across the sea. Geon had told me that we would be heading to Evina, the host nation for the tournament this year. Why did no one tell me this very important information before today? I didn¡¯t even know that a country called Evian existed. I looked back at the Taegan shoreline, soaking in my last look of home.


    When we got off the ship we were immediately directed to the arena. The arena was the biggest thing that I had ever seen in my life. We all sat in the center of the stage as marble stadium seats rose hundreds of feet in the air. The man presenting us with the tour gave us some information as we toured the waiting areas, our rooms that we would stay in, and the overall layout of the place. Apparently this arena hosted actual professional warrior matches, and was among the five biggest arenas in the world. It could seat over 500,000 people, a number that I couldn¡¯t even fathom. As I looked around, the empty arena made me more nervous than the full arena back at home in the school championship. The sheer size of the place made me feel like my eyes were playing tricks on me. I looked at the others who were also in awe, and even Savian¡¯s eyes were wide with surprise. We walked into the V.I.P box where world leaders and warriors would sit to watch the matches. We were even more surprised when we were informed that we could sit in here to watch the matches as well¡ªassuming we didn¡¯t have our own match that day. The tour guide left and we thanked him as we sat in the V.I.P box to rest. Geon spoke, ¡°Half a million people¡­.that¡¯s a lot.¡± We all nodded and Aurora spoke.


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    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the main part I wanted to talk about. We¡¯re very highly ranked coming into this. There¡¯s not many teams better than us. So it¡¯s a mental game, it¡¯s us against us. We don¡¯t psych ourselves out, and we win. Simple.¡± We all nodded and I felt a little more confident. It helped that I could use Gold¡¯s Viel, if we really needed it I could blow this place to pieces¡­


    Savian stretched and he stood up. ¡°Well, if we¡¯re done let¡¯s go to our rooms. I¡¯m tired.¡± He began to walk to the door when it swung open. Five people walked in, and by the looks of it, it was another team. A boy with messy black hair wore a fancy robe and pristine white gloves. He had a sly smile and his crystal black eyes gave off a devious glint. He looked rich, filthy rich¡­his clothes must have cost more than some people¡¯s houses¡­Then two girls walked in. One had short, choppy brown hair, and wore a tattered, sleeveless, green tank top, and her cold eyes pierced into my skull. The other girl had long white hair and looked extremely bored. She had two golden bracelets on her wrists and wore a short sleeved shirt and loose black pants.Then the last two guys walked in. The first guy screamed trouble. He had disheveled, curly blonde hair and a crazy grin on his face. His fingers constantly twitched and he was so jumpy that I thought he was going to dive out of the window. But weirdly, when he walked in the room it felt like peace and quiet had silently disappeared. Things started to fall over, paintings that were perfectly fine before started to sway on their hinges, and I felt myself lose balance¡­.


    He was really weird, but the next guy made my heart drop. A huge shadow covered my entire body as an absolute giant of a human walked through the door. He had to nearly crouch as his shoulders met the top of the door frame¡­. He was ripped with muscles, his arms were the size of my torso, and his legs were the size of tree trunks. He had a rugged face and a military style haircut. He smiled as he looked down on Savian. ¡°So, are you guys from Taegan? We¡¯ve heard all about you.¡± His deep voice made the floors vibrate and his other teammates came to his side. ¡°You must be Savian, the fastest man in the world.¡± Savian looked unfazed by the giant looming over him. ¡°So light and airy, hmm¡­I wonder how hard I would have to squeeze to break those hollow bones.¡± The giant grinned and his eyes were filled with malice. He had a slight accent, and I assumed they all did. They spoke our language, but I had no clue what nation they were from¡­Savian spoke with an emotionless voice.


    ¡°I wonder how long it would take for you to catch me? Or I guess I should say, how many lifetimes it would take for you to catch me.¡± Geon came up to Savian¡¯s side and I did the same.


    The rich kid stepped up. ¡°My apologies, Doner here is a little too excited for our matches. My name is Fellen, and this is Cain, Ally, and Mia.¡±


    Lila and Aurora stepped forward. Aurora came to the front and faced the rich boy, Fellen. ¡°Hi, my name is Aurora. This is Lila, Evay, and Geon, although you probably knew them already.¡± She spoke in a clear and steady voice. No hint of fear or nerves, with no hint of anger or friendship either.


    Fellen smiled. ¡°Yes, Geon Leventen. You¡¯re very popular in Taegan, but I think you¡¯re more popular internationally.¡± He pointed at Savian. ¡°Although I must say, the girls in our school can¡¯t stop fawning over you, Geon. You¡¯d probably last two seconds in our school before being hoarded.¡± He gave a sly grin and Lila scooted closer to Geon, and grabbed his sleeve defensively.


    But then, Fellen turned to me. ¡°Evay Maver and Lila, you are the ones that are being talked about the most. You¡¯re a healer right? Never been seen before in warrior matches¡­But you¡­..Evay Maver¡­are interesting. Where¡¯s your white hair and golden robes? You look different.¡±


    I gave him a cold look and spoke. ¡°You¡¯ll get to see it, eventually.¡± We all faced off, five against five, team against team. ¡°We¡¯re facing you for the opening match. We just happened to run into you. Well, we were trying to find you and I guess we got lucky. This is fun, so fun. I hope we get to enjoy ourselves, let¡¯s fight to the end.¡± Fellen smiled manically and none of us backed down.


    Aurora spoke. ¡°We won¡¯t lose. I hope you know that.¡± Fellen smiled and spoke in a menacing voice.


    ¡°I can feel it, the beginning of your downfall.¡±

 Chapter 39: The Battle Begins

    We walked out onto the stadium floors and felt the rush of half a million people come over our ears. It was surreal, an ocean of humans were crowded around us as their cheers literally shook the ground we stood on. As far as my eyes could see there were crowds of excited spectators, and for a moment, it felt like the whole world was really here¡­ We walked out of our tunnel and lined up in the middle of the battle arena. I saw our flag wave on our side of the floor and thousands of spectators cheering, all dressed in royal blue, purple, and gold, our national colors.


    Our flag was simple, a golden crown with three stripes of gold, blue, and purple. Aurora had explained some of all this to me before the match so I would know who our supporters were. It amazed me that so many of our people had come this far to watch us. The announcer roared and the crowd exploded with excitement. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen! Please welcome Taegan to the stage and give a warm welcome to Lila Fairheart, Geon Leventen, Aurora Maple, and Evay Maver!¡± The applause deafened my ears and it got even louder when Fellen and his teammates walked on to the stage.


    ¡°And finally, for the opening match of our tournament, please welcome the nation of Venia and Fellen Mida, Doner Nunez, Ally Piten, Cain Menez, and Mia Lieth!¡± I saw Savian actually cover his ears as the home crowd cheers made the ground quake and the very earth rumble. We had lots of supporters, but Venia¨Cbeing way closer to the stadium¨Coutnumbered our supporters greatly. It would be a battle on enemy territory, and that was fine by me. We faced off, lined up and I took a deep breath. Here we go.


    ¡°Now, without further ado, let the match¡­..begin!¡±


    Doner struck the ground with a psychotic laugh and a mountain of marble, as well as an impossibly large shockwave, sent me flying back. I remembered what Aurora had said to me. Don¡¯t use Gold¡¯s Viel in the beginning unless you absolutely have to. Your body can¡¯t handle it extremely well, one risk and you¡¯ll be out for the entire fight. Save it for the last moments, when we really need it. But after being sent to the heavens, I was really tempted to use it now. My shield activated automatically so the marble boulders didn¡¯t hit me, and I reached out my hand and placed barriers on my teammates as well. Our original plan was for me to put a barrier around Savian and let him open up our initial attack with his speed. The shock wave threw us off but I caught Savian¡¯s eye mid-air, and he gave me a silent look¡ªassuring me he got my memo. He sped off and a blur of red rammed into Fellen who¡¯s eyes went wide with shock and pain. The crowd exploded as a red blur dashed around the arena like a comet¡ªstriking the opposition with high speed blows. Savian darted over to the girl with the choppy hair, Ally, and he kicked her straight in the stomach. She went flying and Savian darted behind her and punched her in the back, sending her forward again.


    Geon flew straight into her and she was thrown into the stadium walls. The crowd cheered as Fellen cursed under his breath. Savian did his job¨Cwe had opened up our attacking opportunities. Geon flew up and he created a ramp out of the marble ground, Lila¡¯s hair and eyes glowed as she began to power herself up. She ran alongside Aurora and they both flew up the ramp. Lila jumped and put her hand on Aurora¡¯s back as they were mid-air. Aurora¡¯s eyes glowed and her strength seemed to double as she hit the ground and a surge of electric blue lightning covered the ground like massive spider webs. Things are going good ... .A little too good¡­ I flew alongside Geon and we both rammed our shoulders into the next biggest target. Doner crossed his arms and blocked our bodies. He smiled manically as he let out a deep, terrifying laugh. The electric web hadn¡¯t done much at all. All the others were fine, and I saw Lila and Aurora stuck in their own individual battles. Savian was running around and occasionally, a red streak of lighting would ram someone into a wall. I flew with all my might and so did Geon. Doner¡¯s heels dug into the ground as he eventually slid to a stop. He flung his arms and we were thrown back with immense force. Me and Geon caught ourselves in the air, and Geon grabbed my arm.


    Just like we practiced.


    A part of the floor latched onto Doner¡¯s legs, trapping him in his place. Geon spun me around and flung me into Doner while the winds guided me towards him. I dove into him head first and he let out a short laugh. The marble shackles on his feet snapped and Geon desperately tried to defend. Marble tentacles grabbed at his arms, and with their help I narrowly dodged Doner¡¯s punch. I landed on the ground beside him and I tried to sweep his legs. I kicked with all my might but he didn¡¯t even budge. He moved shockingly fast for his size and he spun around and threw a heel kick to my stomach. I jumped over his leg and threw an axe kick to his head. He dodged and Geon flew above me as he detonated an explosion right in Doner¡¯s face. Geon flew up and he shot a column of fire into the smoke while I flew above looking for where Doner was. I saw a glint in the sea of blackness and Doner jumped up into the air. He grabbed me out of the sky. I felt his huge hands grasp my neck as I gasped and clawed. Geon flew over and he hurled a giant lightning bolt at Doner¡¯s body. Doner dodged in mid air and he grabbed Geon by the legs. As he fell, he took us down with us, and Geon desperately summoned the winds to keep us up. But Doner kept smiling and he threw Geon to the side. We fell and he grabbed my face as we smashed into the ground.


    The crowd shouted as I felt Doner¡¯s entire weight fall onto my face. He lifted up his fist to smash again but Geon flew into his side and kicked him in the liver. Doner was pushed back and Geon summoned spikes out of the ground, which barreled towards Doner. Marble fists and arms grab and clawed at him as he charged towards Geon like a mad bull. Geon side stepped his first blow and threw a back kick, which connected. An explosion sent Doner backwards and Geon flew towards him again. He grabbed onto Doner¡¯s face and a white mist started to appear. As I scrambled to get up I realized, liquid nitrogen. Geon pinned Doner to the ground as marble arms continued to grab onto his thrashing body. Geon looked down on him with a menacing glare. ¡°Freeze.¡±


    Doner smiled. He finally stopped struggling, but he still had a smile on his face. ¡°Watch out.¡± I looked behind me and had just enough time to put a shield on Geon. A shockwave carrying debris and bodies rammed into us as the stadium became a dust cloud. I flipped over mid air and landed on the ground, desperately trying to not be blown away by the shockwave. What is this? These shockwaves weren¡¯t normal. They weren¡¯t created by physical blows, they were someone¡¯s abilities¡­I saw someone fly past me and I grabbed their hand. It was Lila, and she sat down next to me with a determined look. We ran through the dust and hid behind a large marble boulder which acted as cover. We caught our breaths.


    ¡°So, have you found anything useful yet?¡±


    ¡°No. Our research was right but that didn¡¯t help.¡± She peeked over the boulder and ducked down with amazing speed as a green-crystal arrow soared by her head.


    My eyes widened. ¡°Um¡­we didn¡¯t know they could do that.¡± Lila put her hand on my shoulder and I felt my physical injuries begin to fade away.


    ¡°That girl, the one with the choppy hair, Ally. All we knew about her before this was that she could make bows and arrows. But I don¡¯t think that¡¯s entirely true. Aurora said that there could be more to it. As for the shockwaves, I think that¡¯s Fellen, their leader. He has something to do with them. What about Doner?¡±


    I laughed. ¡°That guy hasn¡¯t got an ounce of anything special in his body. But he¡¯s practically indestructible, and he¡¯s built like a mountain. Me and Geon can deal with him.¡± Lila nodded and we looked towards the battlefield. Aurora slid between Doner¡¯s legs and pushed off her arms, using both her feet to kick Fellen in the stomach. The resulting shockwave pushed her back and Ally pulled out a green-crystal chain and wrapped her up. Aurora let out a burst of electricity and Ally dropped her chains, feeling the shock. Aurora rammed into her and blasted her in the chest with lighting. Doner came rampaging behind and he struck the ground with all his might. Aurora was ready, she could dodge him easily, it was an attack that could be seen from a mile away. But something happened.


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    Aurora slipped, and her eyes widened with surprise. Doner smiled and his giant fists landed with a sickening crunch on the ground. My pulse quickened, my throat began to dry up, my eyes .


    Lila hopped up on the boulder and began to set up our attack. ¡°Evay we have to counter fast! Evay?¡± I heard her, but I wasn¡¯t listening. My fingers twitched and my head turned numb. It was a match, people got hit, people got hurt, but no one would die¡­Aurora would be fine¡­right? Then the memories flooded in. Amie, the guards, my family, my friends. I lost them all, I wasn¡¯t going to lose another. My hair began to turn gold, and I could see my bangs turn white. Robes of brilliant white started to come over my body, and my eyes began to shine a brilliant shade of gold. I knew I should save it, I knew it wasn¡¯t the time, but I didn¡¯t care.


    I¡¯m going to kill him, I¡¯ll kill them all.


    I felt a rush of wind and Savian appeared next to me with Aurora in his arms. He let her down and Lila immediately healed her up. Instantly, Gold¡¯s Viel faded, and my worries and emotions slipped away. I knelt down to speak to her. ¡°Are you ok? What happened?¡± Aurora nodded grimly and stood up.


    ¡°I¡­slipped.¡± Savian looked puzzled.


    ¡°Really? You of all people, at a time like that?¡± We only had time for one conversation before a giant glowing arrow pierced our cover. Savian sped off and so did Lila and Aurora. The arrow hit my shield and it dissolved into pure light. I stood my ground and saw Ally standing before me.


    ¡°Wow. Evay Maver¡­your abilities are truly exceptional.¡± She knocked another arrow which seemed to literally materialize from her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s see if I can hit you, yes?¡± She pulled back her bow at lightning speed and shot an arrow. I jumped forward and my shield shattered the arrow as I attempted to catch Ally. She put up her arms and a large, circular, jade shield materialized out of thin air. My fist hit the shield with a loud bag, and immediately after, the shield morphed into chains and she wrapped me up. I struggled to free myself but the chains got tighter the more I struggled. She lifted me up in the air and slammed me into the ground. My eyes went wide with pain and she jumped up and drew her arrow, aiming at my face. I saw a flash of red and Ally was knocked out of the air. I heard a loud boom in the distance and Savian raced back as I felt him pick me up. He rushed us behind cover and I dropped to the ground.


    ¡°She can make weapons, all kinds of them. Not just bows.¡± I gasped as I talked and Savian kept his eyes on the lookout. ¡°If you can hit her with fast close range attacks I can do the rest. I¡¯ll support you and we can close the distance together, ok?¡± Savian nodded and helped me up.


    ¡°You run in, I follow.¡± Savian prepared himself, and a look of determination appeared on his face.


    Savian spoke. ¡°Let¡¯s hope your plans are closer to Aurora¡¯s than Geon¡¯s.¡± With that, I followed Savian as he raced off into the fight. Red lightning streaked across the battlefield and Savian rammed his body into Ally¡¯s shield. There was a large boom as Savian threw another punch which was promptly blocked. I jumped up and threw a barrier on him as he dashed behind Ally and kicked her in the back. She was launched forward as I landed on my feet, and threw a punch into her solar plexus as she flew into me. Her eyes went wide with pain as I grabbed her face and smashed it into my knee. She flipped backwards and kicked upwards so that her foot connected with my chin. I felt the strike as my eyes went dark for a second and my senses went numb. I snapped back to reality before I hit the ground, and Savian threw a red bolt of electricity at Ally. She barely had time to react as it hit her with a dangerous red flash. She fell forward and my eyes went wide. A chance to make it a five versus four¡­Savian grabbed the fallen Ally by her shirt and he glared into her eyes. ¡°Sorry, but you have to go.¡± He raised his fist and went to strike. I got up and relaxed for one moment. We did it¡­we got one of their members down. Goal accomplished.


    Savian brought his fist down and I waited for Ally¡¯s liquor screen to break.


    But something happened. A possibility so unlikely that I didn¡¯t even consider it¡­


    Savian missed. A point blank strike, he missed. His eyes went wide as Ally grinned and threw Savian onto the floor. Savian tried to regain his balance but it wasn¡¯t working. Ally pinned him to the ground and she conjured a dagger out of her hands. I raced towards Savian to help and leapt towards Ally. Then I felt myself lose control. I slipped and went crashing to the ground. I tried to get up and run but I fell once again¡­It was like I was learning how to stand again. My body had no control over itself, and I felt like a drunken man trying to walk alone. I fell to the ground and I looked up to see Ally smirking. She crouched down and she put her finger on my forehead. ¡°Poor Evay¡­you forgot about him didn¡¯t you ?¡± I turned my head and saw Cain, who looked as giddy as ever. Ally continued to speak. ¡°You can¡¯t move or do anything very well anymore, and that¡¯s because of him. His presence causes chaos, nothing ever goes right when he¡¯s around and that includes your every action. It doesn¡¯t affect the people he doesn¡¯t want to harm though, so you''re out of luck.¡± She smiled and a beautiful crystal club came out of her hands.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if you bleed gold too.¡± She smiled and raised her club in the air.


    I heard a whistle and looked up as Geon rammed himself into Cain. It was like a high speed human bullet had crashed into a body. Both Geon and Cain tumbled into the wall. I felt myself regain control of my body. I could move again. ¡°Enough,¡± I threw an uppercut to Ally¡¯s chin and it landed. She flew backwards and I jumped into the air. She looked down at me with a murderous grin and chains came shooting out of her hands. I twisted and turned in mid air, dodging the flying chains which lashed at me like angry vipers. She landed on the ground and the chains kept coming from all directions. I somersaulted through them and slid under a cascade of green metal as I finally closed the distance. I jumped up and threw a high kick to her face but she quickly ducked. She swept my leg and I fell towards the ground. A huge double edged sword materialized in her hands and she swung down with all her might. I rolled backwards and my golden barrier protected me from the shock wave and debris. I jumped forward and tackled her to the ground. She rolled back and weaved her legs around my neck. This isn¡¯t good. I tried to get out but couldn¡¯t. I felt her legs close around my neck as I lost air and consciousness. Only one option left. I activated Gold¡¯s Veil and a huge outburst of energy caused Ally to explode off of me. That¡¯s all I needed. I quickly deactivated Gold¡¯s Veil and jumped after Ally. She crashed to the ground and I landed on her torso with both legs. Her eyes went wide with pain and I brought down my fist onto her face. But my punch never connected. A huge shockwave erupted in the stadium as Fellen came running into me. The shockwave knocked me off my feet and I was knocked away from the downed Ally. Fellen ran towards me and I got up.


    I jumped over him and landed out of his vision, and aimed a sidekick right into his back. He turned around and caught my kick. My eyes went wide with shock as he smiled. ¡°Sorry, this might be¡­painful.¡± I felt a huge vibration go through my body. My brain, eyes, organs, and bones were being shaken to the core. They were all being scrambled and I couldn¡¯t move a muscle. Vibrations, that¡¯s how he causes shockwaves¡­That¡¯s his ability¡­ Well, at least I know now¡­ I fell to my feet and laid still. I couldn¡¯t move..


    ¡°Didn¡¯t forget about me right?¡± The girl with the white hair, Mia walked forwards. ¡°I¡¯ve been so¡­.bored this entire fight. Hardly a challenge. It¡¯s disappointing really¡­.you were ranked so high.¡± I grit my teeth and looked at her. She was so high and mighty¡­I hated people like that.


    ¡°Mia really, we would¡¯ve been ranked higher if you actually fought in half our matches. Stop being lazy.¡± Ally whined and Mia waved her hand.


    ¡°If we win, we win. Now shut it, we got to finish this one off first.¡± Fellen laughed. ¡°She¡¯s right. Try doing something for once. Are you mad that we beat you in the school tournament?¡±


    ¡°Shut it.¡± The three argued and at some point I couldn¡¯t understand what they were saying. They were talking in their native language..


    They finally stopped.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done nothing, if anything I should have this kill.¡± Fellen pointed towards me like he would to a pile of trash. Mia scoffed.


    ¡°Oh please. This one was hardly a challenge, don¡¯t be picky.¡± They were choosing who was going to eliminate me¡­. I couldn¡¯t do much, but I was mad. Mad that it was like this, mad I wasn¡¯t good enough, mad that I let my team down¡­.


    ¡°Well three versus one. Sorry, but you have to go.¡± Mia smiled at me and raised her hand. A cold beam of light shined in my face. Why, why is this scenario such a common story for me¡­. Suddenly, a blur of color sent Mia flying into the stadium walls. Lila landed in front of me. Fellen quickly threw a punch but I lifted up my hand and put my barrier on Lila. The punch bounced off harmlessly, and Lila back kicked him in the torso. She picked him up and threw him at Ally who caught her teammate. She looked furious but couldn¡¯t be mad for too long as she was hit with a beam of electricity. Aurora sent both Fellen and Ally off in an explosion, and I smiled up at them in a grateful gaze.


    ¡°Thanks, I needed that.¡±

 Chapter 40: Team Taegan

    Lila Fairheart: Me and Aurora had been dealing with Fellen the entire fight, and it hadn¡¯t been fun. I had to constantly keep healing Aurora to keep her brains from being scrambled, and I wasn¡¯t doing too hot either. I took a deep breath and felt oxygen flow all through my body. Red blood cells multiplied and strengthened me and I willingly strengthened my muscles to their fullest capacity. My hair rose up and my eyes sharpened as I looked forward. I looked at Evay, who was still sitting on the ground. I looked at him and spoke, ¡°Keep resting. Put your shields on us, we¡¯ll go in.¡± He smiled and saluted us.


    ¡°Aye, aye captain.¡± I smiled and Aurora stood beside me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± I felt a warm golden glow surround me as I ran into the fray. Fellen jumped out behind a mass of broken boulders and landed with a huge shockwave. I jumped up to avoid it and Aurora sailed over him and chucked a lightning bolt at Ally. She deflected it with her shield and she threw her shield at Aurora. It transformed into a spear mid flight, and Aurora caught it with her hands. She spun around and threw it right back at Ally, who had to jump backwards to avoid it. I looked down at Fellen and I landed behind him. I threw a punch right to his head when he turned around to face me.


    He smiled, ¡°got you.¡± He reached out his hands towards my abdomen, but a grin came across my face. I dropped down and swept the back of his front leg, which was left wide open as he turned around. He stumbled backwards and I lifted up my leg to the sky and kicked down on his face with all my might. I heard a loud crash as I felt my foot connect on his face. I looked down and I had done it, he was done.


    Fellen looked at me with a bloody smile. ¡°You¡¯re not really that strong, or fast, or special in terms of your abilities¡­But your eye for combat is impressive.¡± He grinned again.


    ¡°You threw a feint, yes? Then when I turned you knew my stance would be messed up, and the rest is easy.¡± He let out a short painful laugh.


    ¡°Read like a book, as you say, right?¡± I lifted up my fist and let out a little laugh,


    ¡°Yes, but you weren¡¯t an easy book to read.¡± I struck down and his liquor screenshot was red. The crowd erupted as I heard the announcer over the chaos.


    ¡°Taegan has downed a member! The first blood of this match goes to Lila Fairheart!¡±


    Aurora Maple: NICE!


    Lila had done it, we were up one. I didn¡¯t have time to celebrate as Ally shot a series of arrows at me. I ran around the arena and slid, leaving a trail of electricity behind me. I somersaulted behind debris and caught my breath. For close range she has chains, for far range she has arrows, she has a sword for offense, shield for defense, and realistically a lot more. That was bad, since I was good at short range and middle range combat I couldn¡¯t easily play to my strengths¡­ Think¡­ I felt the connections and ideas form in my head as I left my cover. Arrows sailed past me as I ran along the stadium walls. I heard the thunks of the arrows as they hit the hard surface of the marble floors, and I finally reached Ally. I kicked off and sailed over her. She looked up and fired a chain at me, directly over her head. I knew it. I grabbed the chain and she prepared to let go. I yanked the chain upwards and her face filled with surprise as she was pulled upwards as well. She didn¡¯t even have time to let go of the chain as I met her face to face in the air.


    ¡°Too concerned about getting shocked, huh?¡±


    A shield materialized in her hands as she tried to leap away. She was falling faster, and I threw the chain around her legs so that she couldn¡¯t escape. We landed and I yanked the chain so that she fell on her back. I let a surge of electricity go through the chain and she writhed in pain. The chain disappeared and she leapt at me with a sword and shield in her hands. Close range combat¨Cmy speciality. She swung at my head and I ducked under her swing instinctively. I shoulder slammed into her shield and imbued my fist with electricity. She stumbled backwards from the impact and I punched her shield as sparks went flying off the weapon. I punched again and again and again and she was being pushed back every time. I kicked her shield and she thrust her sword at me. I turned my body to dodge and threw a spinning kick over my shoulder as I turned. It connected with her chin and she stumbled backwards. She slashed at me with immense speed as I ducked her slash and pulled my head back to dodge a stab. She cut down the middle of my face and I caught the blade in between my bands. Electricity coursed through the metal as she dropped her sword. She quickly rammed her shield into me, but I didn¡¯t budge. I elbowed the shield and continued to strike it. She kept getting pushed back and her shield was looking worse and worse. Come on, do it, do it.


    Then she finally saw her opportunity. The shield disappeared and Ally threw an uppercut at my chin, just as I stepped in for a strike. It would¡¯ve been the perfect counterpunch, if it wasn¡¯t thrown at me. I pulled back and raised both my hands as a net of bright blue electricity shot out towards Ally. The net encased her and exploded in an electric flash. She was thrown backwards and her clothes sizzled as she tried to stay on her feet. I kicked her down and blasted her in the stomach with a flash of electricity, and her eyes went wide with pain. She didn¡¯t get up, and she didn¡¯t move. She looked at me with an angry stare. I went up to her and I prepared to strike. Her eyes relaxed and she sighed in acceptance. ¡°Very well.¡± I struck and her liquor screen shattered. The crowd erupted and I heard the announcer scream again. I looked on in the distance and saw clouds of smoke and debris. It was almost over¡­we just needed to finish it. Two down, three go to.


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    Savain Yelenta: I ran around Doner and I went in for another strike on his leg. I rammed into his calf and I zipped around the arena and charged at him again. He made a desperate grab at me, but his hands moved in ultra slow motion. I slid under his huge arms and jumped up into a high speed uppercut. My fist connected and he fell upwards off his feet. Geon soared in from the sky and he rammed into Doner mid-air. They rolled on the ground and Geon encased the giant in marble. The stones quickly shattered as Doner got up again and let out a terrifying laugh. ¡°For someone so small you two are strong!¡±. He screamed and he charged at us with impossible speed. Geon held out his hands and a giant explosion echoed out in the arena. Sulfur, ash, and smoke clouded my vision as I raced towards Doner. Geon flew towards him and began his assault. Marble arms rose up out of the ground and threw punches in unison with Geon. His fists were coated with iron and he threw a flying straight punch at Doner. Doner slipped it and he threw a hook which Geon flew under. He kicked Doner in the body and flipped upwards as he kicked him in the chin. Doner stumbled and a marble fist rammed him from above, while two marble hands came together and sandwiched Doner like a bug.


    Spikes rose up out of the ground and impaled Doner¡¯s legs. He let out a roar of pain and fell backwards. I ran behind him and kicked his back as he was falling down. He was sent skyward and Geon erected a marble ramp for me. I raced up the ramp and jumped high into the sky. Red armor adorned me as I allowed all my energy to be put into one last strike. I rose above Doner and spun my body as fast as I could. Lightning formed in my arms as I plummeted down towards Doner. For the first time he wasn¡¯t smiling, or laughing, but he looked panicked. He reached out his arms to grab anything as he fell but it was no use. I smiled and heaved with all my might. My crimson armor flew off my arm and joined my spear of electricity. The crimson red bolt connected, and I heard a mighty explosion detonate under Doner as well. Nice combo, Geon. A deafening roar echoed through the stadium, and so could hear the screams of all the spectators. I landed with a heavy thud and rolled twice before stabilizing myself. The dust cleared and I saw Geon standing next to Doner. He was out and Geon had shattered his liquor screen already.


    I smiled. ¡°Well, easy day huh?¡± Geon laughed and he gave me his hand.


    ¡°Annoying or not, we fight well together.¡± He gave me his hand and helped me up. ¡°Alright pretty boy, we¡¯re good now.¡± I scoffed.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­Whatever.¡± Geon grinned and we heard a whoosh as Lila and Aurora came to meet us along with Evay. They had won too, we were almost there¡­


    ¡°You all look great, maybe expect you Evay,¡± Geon said. We laughed and Evay smiled.


    ¡°Yeah well let¡¯s finish this and go eat.¡± I smiled and looked around. Two more, that weird kid was still on the ground somewhere and the Mia girl was also hiding¡­


    ¡°Ok well¡ª¡° I felt something grab my foot. We all looked down and saw Cain, the chaos maker. He looked terrible. Geon had slammed him pretty hard and the explosions had burned his hair. He had frantic and anguished eyes as he clawed at my feet.


    ¡°No, no, no, no ... .Bad¡­they¡¯ll kill us, we can¡¯t lose. The Mr and Mrs are going to be mad¡­so mad¡­mad, bad, mad.¡± He rambled on and on and mumbled his words with immense speed. He was losing it, he was going insane.


    ¡°Can¡¯t go back, not with no kills. Can¡¯t, sorry, can¡¯t.¡± His eyes dawned a painful look and he let out a broken smile. His eyes bulged and his face dripped blood as he let out a terrible scream.


    ¡°MIA, COME OUT!¡±


    His body exploded with a pulse of blue light and we were blown back. I heard his liquor screen shatter and I tried to regain my balance. Then I felt it. Immense vertigo and nausea ensued as my head felt like it was being detached from my body. I fell with a thud and my head spun. It was bad, so bad I couldn¡¯t breath. It felt sick to even look straight ahead, my nose clogged up, and my eyes watered. Nothing was going right, my body couldn¡¯t do anything normally. Nothing, normally¡­ It was his last attack. He let out a sacrificial blast, he broke himself to let out one last winning strike. Wait, no. I started to regain sight and looked up to see Mia standing over all of us. She smiled sadistically, ¡°Well, this will be easy.¡±


    Evay Maver: I could barely see as I looked up at Mia. We were all stunned, we couldn¡¯t move, we could barely see. Mia walked over to me and knelt down. Geon was knocked out next to me and she put her hand on his head. She smiled sweetly and looked at me.


    ¡°Your¡­.friend here is quite the warrior. Strong, skilled, agile, and diverse. Good combat sense and instincts. He is spoken highly of in my country, I can see why.¡± Her fists started to fill with white mist and the air began to get colder. ¡°I draw heat out of the air. I draw heat out of life and all its creatures. I will freeze myself if the battle lasts longer than 10 minutes, which is why my wonderful team here has given me your heads on a platter.¡± She smiled psychotically and ice began to form on Geon¡¯s neck. ¡°The cold follows me wherever I go, and I take life out of the very earth. Your group with all your boundless hope and chemistry are perfect for me to prey on.¡± Geon let out a sharp gasp and began to spasm. She let go and put her face to mine, smiling venomously. ¡°Because nothing feels better than quenching the fire of friendship.¡± My heart raced and my blood pumped rapidly. Friends, friends were all I had. I had no family, no parents or guardians. I had been alone for so long, with no one to turn to. No one to look up to.. Having friends gave me everything I was looking for. Comparing this team to the other teams around me, it was clear I was lucky to be such good friends with my teammates¡­ They were all I had, the only thing keeping me from chasing a life of vengeance and misery. She couldn¡¯t take my friends from me, no one could. No one would, because I couldn¡¯t lose them. I couldn¡¯t lose all I had left. My eyes began to glow, my hair turned bright white, Beautiful ivory and golden robes adorned my body, and all the nausea and shellshock vanished. Mia backed away and her face filled with shock. She began to panic and she backed away with a look of terror and awe. I floated up and I landed gently on the ground before her. She stumbled and fell backwards and looked up at me. A malicious grin spread across my face. ¡°So pitiful. You human, are an example of what mortal truly means.¡± She didn¡¯t say a word. ¡°Imperfect, weak but arrogant, fearful in the face of reality¡­.nothing about you makes you great. Life and color do not deserve you, and your confidence makes me laugh.¡± I held out my hand and a golden glow emitted from my palm. I grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll show you how imperfect you really are.¡± The golden glow got brighter and I let go.


    The flash of light practically blinded the whole arena, and Mia was blown so far back that she hit the liquor barrier on the other side of the floor. She dropped down and her liquor screen shattered. Smoke and fire erupted over her clothes but they died down as she lay still. I relaxed and Gold¡¯s Veil went away. My friends slowly got up and little by little we all came to the same realization. I heard the announcer¡¯s voice, ¡°Taegan has done it! They are your match victors!¡±

 Chapter 41: Aftermath

    The roar was so loud that I thought my ears would explode. I plopped down to the ground and I took a deep breath. Geon went over to Lila and they gave each other a hug. Aurora smiled down at me and gave me her hand. I grinned and I took it and stood up. We all smiled at each other and laughed. We laughed at the sheer reality of it. Our first match, we won. It was worth it. The prep, the training, the travel, we had done it for this moment right here¡­ Geon looked at the crowd and waved which caused the stadium to explode in even more applause. We made our way out of the arena and walked through the tunnel to our room. I took in the familiar sight of our lockers and possessions. I took my bag and sat down in relative silence for the first time in what felt like an eternity. Aurora was the first to speak up, ¡°Well, I think we all deserve a job well done, no?¡± We all smiled and cheered. Geon laughed and continued grabbing his stuff. ¡°They were pretty good, I''m not going to lie. For the fifth ranked team in our division they gave us a decently hard time.¡± Aurora spoke in a relaxed voice. She tossed water to Savian before speaking again. ¡°It means we can¡¯t underestimate any of the teams going forward. We have to watch the other two teams fight tomorrow. They will be our opponents for the quarter finals.¡±


    Savain sat down and applied some bandages to his legs before speaking, ¡°So if I¡¯m correct that means 16 nations qualified for this right? Single elimination tournament, we need to win 4 matches to take it home. Simple. By the way, none of us bothered to check but we¡¯re the fourth ranked team in our division. We¡¯ll meet the other division champion in the finals.¡±He stood up and took a sip of his water. ¡°But we should probably just rest up and study up on our next opponent. Let¡¯s go back to the rooms, I¡¯m tired.¡± We all nodded and we stood up and walked through the exit doors. We walked out the door and before us stood a sea of reporters with pens and paper. They all turned their heads towards us and shuffled in one big crowd, yelling our questions and names. ¡°I hate this part,¡± Savian sighed and he tried to make himself look less tired.


    He whispered to me, ¡°try and not look dead for the reporters.¡± I nodded a little and smiled a bit more than I usually would have. The reporters all yelled and motioned for us to look their way and one of them finally got our attention.


    ¡°Excuse me! Excuse me! Thank you¡­Firstly I want to congratulate you on your victory. With such a big win can you tell us what it means to you and your country?¡± Aurora stepped up and talked.


    ¡°It means a lot to us of course. We feel very proud to represent Taegan and perform on the world stage. But we know that the ultimate goal is to win and we¡¯re always focused on the next match. We¡¯ll enjoy the win but we¡¯ll also keep our focus for the next bout.¡±


    The reporters all started to yell and raise their hands again until another voice rose above the rest. ¡°This question is for Geon Leventen in particular. Mr. Leventen, we know that you were ranked as the number one, or in some sources, number two prospect coming out of Taegan. Your performance was up to those expectations today, but do you feel any added pressure because of those expectations?¡± Geon spoke,


    ¡°Not really¡­I feel like it¡¯s just more exciting, you know? I just keep doing what I do and people like you seem to love it,¡± the reporters all laughed a little at his comment and Geon continued to talk. ¡°I can¡¯t let my country down and I know that, but that just keeps me more motivated. So yeah, no pressure.¡±


    More noise rang out and another reporter rose above the mass of voices. ¡°One last question before you leave. For Evay Maver, out of your team it seems that you have the least experience and background in competitive matches. What is something that you¡¯re looking to gain or have gained from your new experiences in competing in these matches?¡±. I looked at Aurora and she gave me an encouraging smile.


    ¡°Um¡­well¡­I think I¡¯ve learned a lot of valuable lessons about preparation and cooperation. Teamwork is one of our stronger qualities and I¡¯ve learned how to improve in that aspect a lot. Forging good bonds and chemistry is the most valuable thing gained from my experiences.¡±


    The reporter smiled, ¡°thank you for your time.¡± We all shuffled through the crowds and finally made it out to the streets. There were metal fences and many officers standing in the streets trying to push the crowds of people that were trying to reach out to us.


    ¡°Wow, I guess we aren¡¯t trying any of the food here ever huh?¡± Geon shuffled through the crowd and waved at the people. They all cheered and let out deafening screams which made my ears bleed.


    We walked through with the help of some officers and finally reached our rooms. We stepped inside and immediately went to our rooms to shower. Aurora turned to us and said, ¡°Be outside in fifteen minutes, we need to eat.¡± We all nodded and I stepped inside my room.


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    Like the rooms we stayed in on our way here, these were customized. Mine looked almost identical to the one I had from the warrior hotel, but it was bigger and everything felt a little nicer. I stepped in the shower and I soaked in the nice warm water as I felt my muscles relax. I let all the pain and tension wash away and tried to enjoy the nice warm feeling of water running down my body. I dried off and ruffled my hair to make it look less weird, and stepped outside. Lila and Geon were waiting, and Savian and Aurora stepped out at the same time as I did. We all walked down to the dining hall and each went to stack up on as much food as possible. There were huge piles of leafy greens, fruits, and other vegetables in one section of the hall. The other had all sorts of fish, meats, and weird sweets that I still didn¡¯t know the names of. The only one I knew was ice cream, because they had those at Eden. I was still getting used to the taste of these things called cookies, and I found candy really unnaturally sweet. Meanwhile Geon and Savian were piling on food to the point where it looked like they had towers on their plate. The old lady serving the food smiled and gave Geon a little more rice which made him very happy. Lila sighed, ¡°you¡¯re like a puppy, food driven and careless.¡± I laughed, and me and Aurora went to sit down first to eat while the others got their food. I began to eat when I finally spoke to Aurora.


    ¡°Have you seen any of the articles written today?¡± Aurora looked surprised and she averted her gaze.


    ¡°No¡­why?¡± I didn¡¯t buy it.


    ¡°Aurora, you look away when you¡¯re embarrassed or lying¡­you did, didn''t you?¡± She sighed and she spoke.


    ¡°Evay, you can¡¯t read them. Never do that during a tournament.¡±


    ¡°So they said something bad.¡± She looked at me with sad eyes and spoke again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen. You did great today. Personally I don¡¯t buy what they say. Getting the last elimination is always something of high value.¡± I looked at her bag and saw a paper poking out. I quickly snatched it and her eyes went wide.


    Before she could say anything I spoke. ¡°Please, I need to know what I can do better. I know I didn¡¯t do good today¡­so¡­please.¡± Aurora sighed and she let me look through the paper.


    While the rest of team Taegan performed up to standards, the mystery warrior Evay Maver had quite a confusing showing. While he got the last elimination to end the match, he was silent for a majority of it as well. Clearly outclassed in hand to hand combat, Maver couldn¡¯t deal with his opposition unless he used his last-resort techniques. He will need to work on his individual skill to make better use of himself in the next match against Leona. I put down the paper. I looked at Aurora and gave her a short laugh. ¡°I mean, they aren¡¯t wrong¡±. Her face became less gloomy as she cautiously peered at me.


    ¡°So ... .you''re not discouraged?¡± I shook my head.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not like I was expecting to be insane anyway. These guys here are on another level in terms of combat skill. I¡¯m more of a team player most of the time so I get it. I¡¯ll just have to listen and learn, not hard.¡± She smiled and grabbed my hand.


    ¡°You see, that¡¯s why I think you¡¯re a great warrior.¡± My heart raced and my face went red.


    ¡°Uhhhhh, yeah! Thanks!¡± She noticed I was sweating and she quickly pulled her hand away. Her own face turned a little red and she gave me a little laugh.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± The awkwardness of the moment didn¡¯t last long as Savian, Geon, and Lila came back just at the right time. Geon tossed some salad off his plate as Lila tried to force some back onto his plate.


    ¡°So, we¡¯re facing Leona next? They¡¯ve always been historically good. Won twice in the tournament''s history, Vill Meren is from there right?¡± Everyone nodded except me.


    What are all these names and words¡­.


    ¡°Um..so are they good?¡± Savain laughed as he poured himself some water.


    ¡°Well they¡¯re the number one team in our division,¡± I almost spit out my drink.


    My eyes went wide, ¡°what?¡± Savian laughed and he took a bite of his chicken before talking again.


    ¡°The seeding or ranking doesn¡¯t show a lot. The top three teams are always good but Leona is known to try really hard to get the number one spot, even if it doesn¡¯t really matter. Other nations probably didn¡¯t play in the matches that were just for seeding¡ªto rest and conserve energy. They might be number one, but I¡¯m more concerned about the other teams.¡¯


    ¡°Like who?¡± Savian¡¯s face darkened.


    ¡°The second seed, Mevilime. A nation that¡¯s won the tournament eight times. They¡¯re known for having the best youth warriors and military system in the world. Training warriors is what they''re known for.¡± He picked up a grape and tossed it in his mouth.


    ¡°I sparred a kid from there once.¡± Aurora¡¯s eyes lit up.


    ¡°Who? What were they like? Are they here? What¡¯s their style? Abilities?¡± I looked at Aurora with a slightly humored expression and she looked a little embarrassed. ¡°Sorry¡­just curious. Any competitive advantage helps.¡± Savian smiled but it wasn¡¯t a real smile. I could tell. I had seen enough fake smiles from nobles and the wealthy all my life. Fake smiles of pity or smiles of malice were easy to spot for me.Savian however, always looked sad when he tried to fake a smile. It was almost like he was actually smiling, but his memories stopped him from feeling the joy that came with it.


    ¡°No it¡¯s ok,¡± his voice was calm but cold and indifferent. ¡°He was young. Like us but more dedicated. He was fast and skilled and fluid, and he had a knack for setting things on fire.They¡¯re good, all of those Mevilime kids¡­but not unbeatable.¡± He stared at his almost empty plate with his long, sad eyes. We all stayed quiet for a bit before Geon finally spoke up.


    ¡°Did you win?¡± Savian let out a dry laugh and stood up, turning his back to us.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess I did¡±. Without another word he ran off¨Csearching the diner for something to ease his sadness.

 Chapter 42: Moving On

    Evay Maver: I laid down and almost immediately went to sleep. I was really hoping to get some rest, but I felt myself slip into another dream. I closed my eyes and opened them to find myself inside a huge room. The ceilings were hundreds of meters in the air, and everything was coated in a deep lavish shade of gold. The pillars were made of snow-white marble, and at the end of the extremely long and wide room was a man. The man I had seen from my previous dream, and all the other ones before it. It was only when I saw him on his throne did I realize this was a palace, not a room. The man looked relaxed and very pleased. He rested his face on one hand and he smiled down at me. ¡°Well, you have risen above my expectations. Being able to control my abilities like that is truly wonderful.¡± I walked towards him and tried my best to speak.


    ¡°Your abilities? What do you mean?¡± He laughed and flicked his fingers in the air¡ªwhich immediately made a golden cup with wine in it appear.


    ¡°Yes, I suppose I should explain. You may want to relax for me, this is going to be quite the revelation.¡± He summoned a seat of marble which I promptly sat in and waited for him to speak. ¡°Your abilities, they are not yours. What you can do, every single thing that you have ever done in combat was made possible by me.¡± I sat in silence, waiting for him to say more. ¡°Your blueprint, that was etched into you by me, but that¡¯s not what¡¯s given you your abilities. Everyone else gains their abilities from their blueprints but you are different.¡± He smiled at me and I tried to speak but no words came out.


    ¡°So¡­where do my abilities come from?¡±


    He grinned, ¡°My blessing.¡± There was a long silence in the room¡ªmainly because I was thoroughly confused. Where am I? Is this real? Who is this guy? What¡¯s a blessing? I gathered my thoughts together and the man smiled again. He rose up out of his chair and the whole palace began to shake. I tried to grab onto something but it was hopeless. I fell out of my seat and I saw the whole palace begin to snap away. I felt my head spin and my world spiral into circles as I hit the floor. I opened my eyes and we were outside. I looked onward and before my eyes was a vast forest of lush green trees. Their high canopies blanketed the earth and the vines of the trees cascaded over the forest. It was beautiful, the sun and the bright blue morning light hit the earth with all its beauty. I was stunned, too much to speak. I looked up and saw the man descending down onto the earth. His light and glory made even the beauty of the forest crawl into the background. His power and shine made the color drain from reality, and his eyes glowed golden even in the sunlight. He smiled.


    ¡°Firstly, I feel like introductions are due now. My name is Hiem of Ventona. You may not know me or see me, but I¡¯ve always been by the side of humanity.¡± My throat was dry, my legs numb, and my body didn¡¯t work. I couldn¡¯t do anything, but even so, words came out of my mouth.


    ¡°Who¡­are you?¡±


    He held out a hand, and a golden scepter flew into it.. ¡°I am the one all mankind desires. Hiem of Ventona, the symbol of wealth and power.¡±


    My head went numb and my mind felt like it had exploded. ¡°You¡­.you¡¯re a symbol. You guys really exist¡­I remember talking about you with Aurora..I thought you were an urban legend¡­¡± Hiem smiled and he thrust his scepter into the ground.


    ¡°Well, you humans used to be very attached to us. But as you got better at living by yourselves you tended to steer away from us symbols. It¡¯s only natural I suppose¡ªyou didn¡¯t need us anymore¡±. A huge throne of gold appeared behind Hiem and he sat down in it. ¡°But we have always existed. We represent both the physical and ideological aspects of your world. What you humans want, seek, or need get manifested into us. We are the symbols of your reality.¡± I stared at him as he sat on his throne and started to feel more comfortable.


    ¡°I remember, you¡¯re one of the big four symbols right. Time, creation, and wealth and power. The last one¡­.I can¡¯t remember.¡± He smiled.


    ¡°Ah¡­.you humans always forget this one don¡¯t you.¡± He grinned and he finally spoke, ¡°The symbol of life. His name is Cara of Midahn, our king and ruler.¡± My eyes went wide and my brain suddenly turned on.


    ¡°I¡­I remember now¡­He was in one of my children¡¯s stories. King Cara and his quest where he¡ª¡°


    ¡°Made a beautiful lamp to give light for his daughter? Yes I know that tale. It was an easy explanation for how you got the sun.¡± I raised my eyebrows.


    ¡°So is that why we have the sun?¡±


    Hiem laughed. ¡°Of course not, but we had to keep you believing something.¡± He stood up and faced me.


    ¡°I chose you for a reason, did you know that?¡±


    ¡°No¨CI have no clue.¡± He titled his head,


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a peasant, I¡¯m no good, I couldn¡¯t even run a couple meters without passing out from exhaustion a couple months ago. I don¡¯t know how to fight very well yet, and I¡¯m not used to anything in this world. So why me? For what grand plan did you give me these abilities?¡±


    He smiled. ¡°You are from the peasantry which meant you had no blueprint. It was perfect for me to give you a brand new one since you didn¡¯t have one before. You were an empty canvas, a blank sheet.¡±


    ¡°What¡­when did you give me a blueprint?¡±


    ¡°Remember¡­the library? Your first dream? The burning sensation you felt in your sleep. That was me, etching a blueprint into your body. I have been with you ever since then and I had a plan all along. Of course you¡¯ve never had a drop of liquor in your life so you haven¡¯t unlocked your blueprint yet. Not that liquor from this Earth would do anything for you in particular anyway.¡± I was too shocked to speak. I did remember, I had just ran away from that noble Wyren, and I had just hit rock bottom. No food, no shelter¡­I remember I had worried where I would sleep in the winter, and at that time I had never thought I¡¯d have a school and friends to keep me warm and comfortable. But if he was  with me from all the way back then...Then I was a cog in his plan. From day one, I was given a power¡­a power from out of this world.


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    ¡°So¡­..for all this time¡­..it was you?¡± He laughed at the sight of my speechless face.


    ¡°Yes. You may be wondering why I gave you a blueprint if all you could use were the powers of my blessing. Well that¡¯s a plan I¡¯ll tell you about much later.¡± He winked and began to turn away.


    ¡°Wait! What¡¯s a blessing?¡±


    He turned back around. ¡°A blessing is a gift from a symbol that ties your soul to theirs. It gives you, the receiver, the abilities of the symbol themselves. It ties us together through something closer than blood, I am a part of you.¡± I stood there, feeling both numb and shocked.


    ¡°So¡­I have your abilities? I¡¯m¡­a symbol?¡±


    ¡°Yes, blessings are very rare, they are usually only given inside the families of symbols. But I have made an exception¡±. Suddenly a light turned on in my brain.


    ¡°You¡­with that woman¡­that¡¯s what you were talking about¡­a blessing..in my dream.¡± He smiled and shook his head.


    ¡°Ah yes ... .she is a hassle that one ... .Many do not know my dealings with you but they will soon understand.¡± He turned around and began to fade away.


    ¡°So if you need a little power, you know who and what to think about.¡± He smiled and the world began to fade away. Everything began to shrink and close until I opened my eyes and sat up¡ªgasping for breath.


    I was back¡­back in reality.


    The morning was clear and the skies were bright blue as I met with the rest of my team to eat breakfast. Everyone was well rested since we had all slept until noon, so technically, we were eating lunch. Aurora told me about something called brunch, or a meal between breakfast and lunch. It was a little confusing and weird. We never used to have one meal, much less three a day. Having time to eat was pretty strange to me. But I wasn¡¯t complaining as it was our rest day today, and we would be heading down to the arena to watch the other matches. This match was really important as the winner of this one would face us¡­Geon piled on flat shaped cakes called pancakes onto his plate and ate them whole. He chomped down on one before folding and eating another one. ¡°Man, this match is supposed to be crazy right? Volimen, and Betezar are some pretty strong nations.¡± They all nodded. I did too but I had no clue what any of those countries were.


    Aurora picked up a strawberry and spoke. ¡°I think we¡¯ll face Volimen, they shouldn¡¯t lose. Only one of them scares me though,¡± she tossed her strawberry in her mouth and took a sip of water. ¡°His name is Lyen. He¡¯s apparently really strong. The only reason why Volimen even qualified.¡± I took a big bite out of my waffle and contemplated things for a while. We have two more rounds, one against Leona, and the semi-finals before the finals. If we lose it¡¯s over¡­ It never hit me how serious these matches were. We only had four of them and we couldn¡¯t lose one¡­I tried not to think about it too much but it was hard.


    Savian spoke, ¡°Well it should be fine. We got our first match jitters out and we¡¯ll win all our other ones.¡± He got up and we all started to head towards the arena. We saw hundreds of people in chariots and lines trying to get into the arena. There were seven hours left before the match started but there were still so many people already here¡­We climbed up into the V.I.P box and relaxed. We weren¡¯t planning to stay here all day but we still wanted to see more of what it was like here. Geon opened the door and my eyes widened in surprise. Fellen, Doner, Ally, Mia, and Cain were lounging in the room. They looked towards us and all had mixed reactions. Mia stood up and looked furious, Doner smiled, Cain nervously scratched his fingers, Ally waved indifferently, and Fellen walked towards us.


    He held out his hand. ¡°Good match, we must pay respects when they are due.¡± Aurora looked slightly shocked but smiled and shook his hand, ¡°Of course, I¡¯m honored.¡± It was as if the tension in the room had broken. I relaxed a bit and I felt my shield go off. I was surprised¡­Am I so tense that it¡¯s been on the whole time? Lila and Geon let out a nervous laugh while Savian rolled his eyes.


    Fellen smiled, ¡°Well, with that I feel as if we can enjoy the match together, yes?¡± All of us nodded and we all began to talk. It was weird, talking with them¡­Our only goal had been to beat these guys ever since we met them. Getting to know them as humans was strange, but also nice. They were very good people¡ªwhen they weren¡¯t trying to murder you¡­ I saw Geon, Savian, and Doner all on the couch together. Doner laughed with a boom. ¡°Yes! It¡¯s true, I am what you call in your country, a giant. But I do have liquor abilities. They granted me my immense size and strength¡ªthey are my blessings.¡±


    I looked over at Lila, Fellen, and Ally talking. Lila chuckled, ¡°Geon¡¯s strong but he¡¯s kind of stupid. Maybe that¡¯s just how I feel but I think everyone knows it.¡± Ally and Fellen laughed and I smiled. But there was only one person that wasn¡¯t happy, Mia. She sulked in a corner looking angry and despised. Maybe it was her competitive spirit, or maybe she just really hated her teammates¡­ I sneakily crept around the room, rolled over a couch, knocked down a vase, and finally sat next to her. She saw me and jumped a little. ¡°What¡­what are you doing?¡± She sounded angry and offended, as if I had insulted her.


    ¡°Nothing¡­you just seemed lonely.¡± She scoffed and her angry eyes pierced into me.


    ¡°I do not need company. Go, do what you please with them.¡± She went back to sulking away and fiddled with her necklace. I wasn¡¯t mad or angry at her for being cold to me though¡­ I¨Cof all people¨Chad no right to be mad at other people for being angry. I looked at her necklace and spoke,


    ¡°Your necklace¡­is it common to wear something like that in your country?¡± She looked at me with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°Why does it matter to you?¡± I spoke.


    ¡°Well nothing really. I mean things don¡¯t really always have to matter. Sometimes I just want to know things, so I can understand and appreciate the people and the things around me. We¡¯re not enemies anymore¡­I don¡¯t know anything about you¡­So it would be nice if I could finally see what type of people you truly are.¡± She was quiet.


    She looked down at her necklace and spoke. ¡°You knocked us out, you were the one who threw me  out. We failed our country, we failed our people. We lost to you who are all so young¡­I am mad at you but more ourselves. I am mad at myself. For being overconfident, I¡¯m mad at my team for being so content with our loss. On top of that you¡¯re all so ¡°nice,¡± and so how can any of your talk make me feel better? Why would I want to talk to you?¡± I looked at her stone cold eyes and tried my best to speak.


    ¡°I understand¨Ca lot actually¡­I''m really good at losing¡­Too good. I¡¯ve lost all my life at everything..Nothing good had ever happened to me until almost all my childhood had passed away. I never felt like talking then. It felt unproductive, no one would listen to me. Talking to the very people who would never help me felt like admitting defeat.¡± She stopped fiddling with her necklace and listened.


    ¡°My point is, from someone who''s lost all their life¡­it never helps to wallow in your pity. Things don¡¯t get better until you try to make things better.¡± I smiled and she looked up at me with a cautious look.


    ¡°And why are you saying these things to me?¡±


    I leaned back in my chair. ¡°I¡¯ve been in the same spot as you. I know how you feel, might as well try to make you feel better right?¡± She didn¡¯t speak for a long time. I faintly heard the conversations around me but I kept my focus on Ally.


    She finally spoke. ¡°This necklace was a gift from my grandmother. In her time it was meant to bring you victory, and it was worn into battle by warriors. Of course it¡¯s just a piece of rock but I¡¯ve always worn it. I feel like bad things will happen if I don¡¯t.¡± She looked at me with a serious expression, but all the anger and hate had left her eyes. ¡°But you guys proved to me that bad things can still always happen.¡± I saw her caress her necklace and spoke softly.


    ¡°I think you just feel attached to the feeling of the necklace. It¡¯s a gift from family, something to remind you of better days. When you remember the good people in your life, it helps right?¡± She nodded and she looked at her team.


    ¡°Good people¡­¡± She whispered and looked longingly at the others. I smiled.


    ¡°Try to be a team. Get to know them, it helped me..maybe it will help you.¡± I smiled and got out of my chair. My teammates were gathering near the door and we all waved bye to the others. We would be back in a bit to watch the match, but the time spent here felt memorable. New friends and new people always made me feel like I was finally beginning to live. Making enemies was easier but, making friends sure felt a lot better.

 Chapter 43: Guilty Memories

    Savian Yelenta: Darkness and trees surrounded me as I looked around for any sign of life. The cold ground felt rough under my feet and the winds pricked my skin. The unforgiving darkness of the forest swallowed me as I walked ahead. The darkness started to clear as I saw a great fire, so big that it lit up the entire night sky. I walked forward and saw the fire eat away at a large village. The houses burned to ashes and the wells were smashed to bits. The fields of crops were destroyed and the village was filled with shouts and screams. It was hard to watch. Everything was dying, everything was being destroyed¡­. I walked forward to stop it, to find water, to do anything¡­I ran ahead and found an empty well, and I scooped some water out of it. I ran forward when I stepped on something soft. I looked down to see a body, a man, about 20 years of age lay lifeless on the ground. His eyes were filled with shock and his left eye was entirely gone. I stepped off him and I backed up. I looked to my left to see a man screaming and thrashing as his body was engulfed with flames. He fell on the ground struggling until he stopped. A child fell to the ground and I heard a sudden explosion as a piece of heavy stone propelled itself into the child¡¯s body. The stone crashed into the wall and the child¡¯s legs were all that was left. I saw a woman shaking a man to get up, but he wouldn¡¯t budge. A blade went through her chest as she too dropped to the ground. Blades of green energy slashed through the village as I saw houses get split in half.


    Dismembered bodies flew through the air and an arm landed before my feet. Red blood lined the dirt roads and mutilated bodies were thrown in the street, and hung on trees. I saw a man crawling to get away, desperately trying to keep himself alive. I aimlessly reached out a hand to him but it was too late. I saw a red flash slice through his neck and his head flew off his body. A figure stood over the man and he kicked his fallen head back into the flames of the fire. It was me, I was the figure. I saw myself look into the burning village with calm eyes. Two other people came out. Both boys were carrying two people on their shoulders, women¡­.I heard them talk. ¡°Alright! Jobs done, leave nothing and we¡¯re good right? Let¡¯s go home, we can¡¯t stay for too long. Stealth mission right? Except you, Savitar, I guess you need to stay.¡± I nodded and walked with them.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna have some fun before though,¡± the boy dawned a lewd smile. ¡°We both managed to get one,¡± he pointed to the person on his shoulder.


    I walked towards them. No, stop, what are you doing? What is this? This killing, kidnapping, torture, and destruction¡­Why, what for? I heard myself speak, ¡°Our job was to get in and get out. We needed to execute the potential snitch in this village but we ended up getting seen. It¡¯s your fault..we had to do all this, we can¡¯t have any wittiness. Get the fuck out now¨Cbefore the Taegan empire finds out you were here.¡± I waved absently. ¡°Go home, make sure to not tell anyone.¡± I sped off and my vision went black. I saw men and women standing before me. There were so many¡­.hundreds of them¡­. They all looked at me with empty eyes and a small child came out of the crowd.


    It stared at me with empty black eyes. ¡°Why? Why did you kill us?¡± My eyes went wide. I backed up and felt myself start to hyperventilate. The child spoke again. ¡°Why? All of us, why? What did we do? Did we do something wrong?¡± I ran and fell on my back. The crowd inched closer and kept staring at me with empty eyes. ¡°We wanted to stay, what did we do? Why, why, why?¡± The people grabbed my face and they started to crawl over me. My breathing quickened until I was gasping for air. Small and large hands coldly clamped down on me as I felt tears coming out of my eyes.


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    ¡°I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m sorry. All of you¡­I''m ... .so¡­sorry.¡± Tears flooded down my eyes as the people crawled over me and I felt the full weight of their bodies on my chest.


    ¡°I had to¡­.I had to¡­..I had to¡­.I FUCKING¡­HAD TO..STOP, STOP, GET OUT OF MY HEAD,¡± I felt my lungs collapse and my eyes turn red as I lost my consciousness. I felt blackness come over my eyes as I woke with a sudden gasp. I sat up, in my bed, after an afternoon nap.


    I got up, washed, and sat on my bed. It was always torture to fall asleep¡­.Everytime I slept I was bombarded with dreams. Nightmares and visions of the past¡­all of it haunted me. I put my face in my hands. I¡¯ve killed so many people¡­kids, women, men, other warriors.. I¡¯ve lived a dual life, a double life, a life that made me do unspeakable things¡­ I stood up and I walked to the door. We had all gone to our rooms and decided to meet up to watch the matches, which were happening later in the day. I walked past Lila¡¯s room and heard laughing. I listened and heard Geon¡¯s voice in there. Same room, alone, for an hour¡­ I rolled my eyes. I walked all the way to the lobby of our building and the man at the front desk called my name. ¡°Savain Yelenta! Yes, over here! I have a letter for you.¡± He handed me a small white envelope and I took it.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± the man smiled and he went off to get more letters.


    I opened it and immediately recognized the hand writing. It was Emmy¡¯s..Her messy black writing and little drawings on the side of the paper all indicated that it was her. I opened it up and read.


    Dear Savian,


    I heard you won your first match! Congratulations, I knew you could do it. I find it funny that your teammates are who they are though, I¡¯m sure you''re being sooooo friendly to them. I hope you don¡¯t get hurt too badly and that you come home soon. I¡¯m okay now, I never got to thank you for bringing me to the hospital and saving me. I didn¡¯t really get to thank your friends either. Tell them I said hi, I hope you have fun and win!


    -Emmy


    I smiled and put the letter in my pocket.  I took out my picture of Emmy and looked at it. She was beautiful. Black hair, smooth and delicate white skin. She had a huge smile on her face and her white blouse and hat made her look even more vibrant. Her clothes never matched her; her royal face clashed with her country clothes. I felt a sudden pang in my heart. My chest started to lose its strength and I felt my lungs start to collapse. Emmy, Emmy, no, I¡¯m sorry, please. My secret¨Cthe one I kept from Emmy¨Cthe one that I couldn¡¯t tell anybody. The one that I would never forgive myself for¡­ I ran back to my room in a flash. I locked the doors and fell on the ground. I covered my face and started to rock back and forth on the floor. Tears came out of my eyes and I focused on trying not to pass out due to hyperventilation. She was so nice to me, she was such a nice girl, she was the only girl that had ever loved me, but I did something terrible to her¡­ Something I could never tell her.

 Chapter 44: Anticlimactic

    Evay Maver: All of us walked as a group to our V.I.P box to watch the match. The huge lines of people shocked me as we got to get seated early. As expected Fellen, Cain, Ally, Doner, and even Mia were all there as well. We greeted each other and sat down to watch the games. We saw all the people slowly flood in and get seated before the match started. There were snacks and water for us in the box, and the dim lighting made the room feel very relaxed. I overheard Geon and Lila talking to Mia. ¡°All the teams are required to stay even after elimination. It¡¯s a tradition for all teams to stay and show support for the finals¡ªit is a tradition of respect. Sometimes it doesn¡¯t go well, but hopefully the countries can swallow their pride this year.¡± I looked around and made my way to Aurora. ¡°So, excited?¡±. She gave me a smile and nodded.


    ¡°Whoever wins this one will face Mevilime. The winner of that match will face us in the semis when we win.¡± I laughed.


    ¡°Wow, confident.¡± She smiled and raised her eyebrows.


    ¡°Of course, you do think we¡¯re going to win right?¡±. I nodded and she looked satisfied.


    I looked over at Geon and Lila. ¡°Hey, um¡­..what were those two doing all this time?¡± Aurora widened her eyes and looked at me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­..why do you ask?¡± I gulped.


    ¡°Well, from what I could hear¡­.they were together alone in one room for an hour¡­.You don¡¯t think..¡± Aurora covered my mouth and my eyes widened a little.


    ¡°Woah, woah, woah ... .Let''s not start exposing them now.¡± She let out a small, nervous laugh. ¡°I mean, hopefully not but if they did do what I think they did¡­Oh well, right?¡± She let go of me and I nodded. Geon¡­.never seemed like the slow type to be fair¡­ I smiled and looked out the window. The crowd was filled with excited murmurs and whispers. All of the spectators were in their seats and I heard a loud gong go off.


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    The announcer¡¯s voice boomed into our ears. ¡°Good evening ladies and gentlemen! For our matchup tonight we have Volimen and their fighters! Please give it up for Meno, Geler, Maris, Hun, and Lyen!¡±. The crowd erupted and a couple of flags with a blue background and a wolf¡¯s head on it waved high in the sky.


    ¡°Weird names,¡± Geon muttered as he threw some grapes into his mouth.


    ¡°Your name is Geon, dude.¡±


    ¡°Shut up Evay.¡±


    ¡°And for Betezar we have Tolli, Hellen, Vice, Remy, and Alek! A flag with white, yellow, and orange stripes flew high in the air as the crowd erupted again¡±.


    ¡°Now without further ado, may the match¡­..begin!¡±


    I saw a huge flash of orange light that made me cover my eyes.


    An insanely loud blast echoed through the stadium and nearly shattered my eardrums. The debris hit the reinforced glass at blinding speeds and I heard shrieks from the crowd. Did a volcano explode? I looked on as the ashes and smoke cleared away. Standing in the middle of the stadium was a boy with orange hair. He was small but was well built and muscular. His hair was singed with fire and all of the opposing team, as well as his own team, were lying unconscious on the floor. He friendly-fired his own team¡­.Can you do that? Does he get the kill credits? Is that a viable strategy? How did he do that? Could he do that before? How do you counter that? The announcer could barely string his words together. ¡°With¡ªwith that we have the results¡­In one attack Volimen has secured its victory! They advance to the next round!¡± A giant roar echoed through the stadium and the still standing fans waved their Volimen flags. I looked at the orange haired boy helping his teammates up. A girl on his team gave him a flick on the forehead and he sheepishly smiled, putting his hands up and shrugging. So that¡¯s Lyen¡­.The guy that Aurora had talked about. He looked young, and was apparently the main reason why Volimen had got here at all. I hadn¡¯t ever heard of him using that attack though¡­.Maybe he was saving it. Wouldn¡¯t that be something for the finals though?


    I could feel the questions swarming around inside my head. I turned to Aurora and gave her a shrug. ¡°Well, short match.¡± She nodded in shock and Lila, Geon, and Savian also wore surprised expressions on their faces.


    ¡°I really hope we don¡¯t have to face that.¡± Geon spoke casually as we said goodbye to all the others in the box and headed back to our rooms.


    Geon kicked a rock down the road and talked out loud. ¡°I wonder if one of us can do something like that¨Cand not kill each other.¡±


    I walked silently when I remembered something¡­.something the guy in my dream had said¡­ An idea flashed inside my head. ¡°Yeah, I wonder too.¡±

 Chapter 45: A Conflict of Interests

    All of us were sitting in front of our lockers getting ready for the match. Geon looked loose and ready to go while Aurora stood authoritatively, going over the general ideas and strategies we had to employ in this match. Savian did his daily leg stretches on the floor and Lila looked determined and focused. I would have normally been listening to every single thing Aurora was saying, but this time it was different. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Hey, I need you. I focused hard and listened inside my head for a tiny voice¡­hoping to get an answer. I heard a voice pop into my head. ¡°Hey! You actually asked me something! Ha! That¡¯s a good sign.¡± I almost fell off my bench and got a weird look from Savian. I gave him an uneasy smile and looked away. The small voice spoke again, ¡°You actually believed the dreams I sent you. Normally people have a hard time even believing that the symbols are real and all, but look at you¡­¡±


    I focused hard. ¡°Hey, I need to ask you something.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Do you even know my name yet?¡± I pondered it for a second and realized that I had forgotten what this symbol¡¯s name was.


    ¡°No.¡±


    He sighed, ¡°It¡¯s Hiem, you can call me that. Or anything else, I don¡¯t really care.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Hiem. I need to ask you¡­That explosion thing, I know you saw it, can I do that too?¡± There was a silence in my head.


    ¡°Yes you can, but my power is far greater than mortal humans. If you do what that human did you would kill lots of people. Of course I wouldn¡¯t care too much but I suspect you would.¡±


    I collected my thoughts.


    ¡°So, what if¡­.you and I worked together in order to create a smaller blast of yours. We could end this early. I¡¯ll put a barrier around my friends. Will that work?¡±


    Somehow I could feel Hiem smile inside my head.


    ¡°Yes, it would. It¡¯s good you are cooperating. For your reward, you¡¯ll see what it¡¯s like when you use my power properly.¡±


    I heard a loud gong go off and we all walked through the tunnel. I walked towards the back of our group and Savian put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°I can see you''re planning something. I know that look in people''s eyes.¡± I gulped, but when I looked at his face he didn¡¯t seem angry. In fact he didn¡¯t seem bothered at all. ¡°Whatever you do, make sure you don¡¯t mess it up. Once in a blue moon, bad decisions can have good outcomes. If what you''re planning is that bad¡­Let¡¯s  hope it¡¯s a blue moon night.¡± Savain walked in front of me and I looked at my team. We walked out and heard the same ground shaking roar of applause in front of what seemed like even more people. The announcer roared our names into the microphone and I saw the opposing team walk out. The nation of Leona¡­.they looked fierce and ready. The announcer shouted out their names, and I made a mental note of all of them. I closed my eyes and prepared for the worst.


    I heard the announcer¡¯s voice roar into the crowd. ¡°May the match begin!¡± Before anybody could do anything I let out a loud scream and white robes adorned me. I felt my insides burn up and my eyes turn gold as I heard a small voice in my head.


    ¡°Good job.¡± I didn¡¯t have time to put barriers around anyone as a blinding explosion of golden light detonated from my body. The whole world turned into a flash of gold as an explosion which sounded like it could crack the world in half echoed into my ears. The floor incinerated beneath my feet, and the liquor barriers shattered as I fell to my knees. The world started to regain its normal colors as my eyes slowly gained their vision back. Aurora, Geon, Lila, and Savian all looked shocked, but I was even more shocked to see that they had been untouched. I looked over and the entire Leona team was not just knocked out, but literally knocked outside of the arena. Most of their unconscious bodies were being held up by spectators in their seats. The announcer spoke after a long silence.


    ¡°The¡ªthe¡­the winner of this match is Taegan. They advance to the next round!¡± A cheer went off as I fell on my side and felt myself pass out.


    I awoke in a hospital bed. It was morning outside. The sky was a weird shade of light blue and pink, and I heard the morning song birds call out to each other in long melodies. It was early, really early. My eyes weren¡¯t fully open but I saw a group of young nurses huddled around a newspaper. They looked distressed as they spoke to each other quietly. ¡°That boy, he¡¯s got so much strange power¡­It''s frightening ... .I hope he is alright but to think he could be our enemy..¡± Are they talking about me? I¡¯m not scary¡­.how could I ever be scary? Can I be scary? They spoke again. ¡°Well maybe it¡¯s a good thing he¡¯s a warrior. With that butcher out there the world isn¡¯t safe.¡± Another nurse spoke.


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    ¡°Oh Teras¡­..terrible¡­.terrible¡­.I mean he¡¯s been a threat ever since I was a child¡­.How could he still be such a threat now?¡±


    ¡°The imperial guard are trying to catch him but I heard even they¡¯re not much of a match.¡±


    ¡°The imperial guard? Those Taegan peoples and their emperor are a match for anyone ....surely Teras, as horrible as he is, is not that strong.¡± My head swam. I remembered what Aurora and the others had said about Teras. A butcher, a mercenary that was so strong he once killed a noble. It was scary to think a criminal like that was on the loose. But everything else about the emperor, and his guards was weird ... .I did hear a lot about the imperial guards. They were the strongest amongst the warriors selected to be at the right hand of the emperor. So if these guys weren¡¯t enough for Teras¡­.what kind of monster was he? ¡°Well, all we can do is hope.¡± I heard the nurse sigh in a worried tone. Suddenly, something came to me in my head. Wait, how can I understand their language? I¡¯m not in Taegan so how can I understand them? I¡¯ve never been able to understand them from the start¡­Why now?


    I spoke with heavy suspicion, ¡°Heim¡­¡± I closed my eyes and spoke in my head. ¡°Heim, are you doing this?¡± I heard a small chuckle in my head.


    ¡°Yes, I can understand all the tongues you humans speak. We always know what you are saying, which is ironic since you humans are particularly hard to understand sometimes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­.really weird but also cool. How long have I been out?¡± Hiem took a while before answering.


    ¡°Only three hours. Your body exerted a lot more energy than I thought. Usually humans hesitate when something feels too powerful, but not you¡­¡± I sat and pondered for a second. Am I really that powerful? Was I still likable? Was I still a good teammate? A good friend? I did just blow my own team up¡­ As I questioned myself all my friends walked through the door. Aurora, Savian, Geon, and Lila came in with concerned faces. I opened my eyes and saw all their faces fill with relief.


    Aurora ran up to my bedside and grabbed it with force. ¡°Are you ok? Any serious injuries? Can you see?¡± She tried to pry open my eyes. I shook my head to get her hands off and I spoke.


    ¡°Yes, yes I am.¡± Everyone looked relieved but they didn¡¯t look too happy either. Aurora got away from me and she looked at me with a pained expression.


    ¡°Hey, what was that?¡± She sounded slightly angry but more hurt.


    I was confused. ¡°What?¡±


    She sighed. ¡°You¡­you just blew everything up. You could have hurt yourself.¡± Everyone looked at me with a pained expression. My eyebrows began to furrow.


    ¡°I¡­I won the match. Guys¡­.I won..I mean, that¡¯s what we¡¯re supposed to do, right? I got them all and didn¡¯t even blow you guys up..so what¡¯s the big deal?¡± They were silent. I was shocked. I had done something good. After having done nothing at all last match I had finally brought our team a win. Why were they mad? What did I do? Why? I began to get angry.


    ¡°Come on! What? I¡¯m sorry I blew you guys up, ok? Is that good? I don¡¯t get it! I finally do something good and you guys are mad? I mean, when did winning ever feel this awful!¡± Lila couldn¡¯t meet my eyes and Geon seemed a little hesitant to say anything. Aurora spoke.


    ¡°Evay, we¡¯re not mad you won the match. We¡¯re disappointed you didn¡¯t tell us anything. We had a plan but you didn¡¯t stick to it. You won but we would''ve liked to hear what you were going to do first.¡±


    I raised my voice. ¡°So! Sometimes things happen! What¡¯s the big deal?¡± Aurora raised her voice too.


    ¡°You can¡¯t trust us, is what it tells me! The spontaneous action and the risky behavior tells me you''re not willing to ensure every precaution for our team either!¡±


    I started to yell, ¡°You don¡¯t think I care about you guys?¡±


    Aurora¡¯s eyes flashed in anger, ¡°You weren¡¯t when you blew everything up! You don¡¯t think that Geon or Savian could do something like that! They could! But they don¡¯t because they want to ensure team safety! Also you could¡¯ve died! What happens then?¡±


    ¡°Well none of that happened so whatever! Sorry!¡±.


    Aurora looked angry. ¡°If you get hurt or over exert yourself too early it takes time and resources to heal you! It puts us at a disadvantage! Don¡¯t you realize that! If you don¡¯t tell us these things  someday your plans will fail! So that¡¯s not an attitude to have! I can¡¯t believe you, of all people don¡¯t realize that!¡± Aurora crushed the metal frame of my hospital bed and stormed out the door. We all watched her in silence as the nurses watching her pass by looked scared to death.


    Geon nervously smiled at them. ¡°Sorry. Teenagers, am I right?¡± The nurses stared at us in shock before the patient alarms snapped them out of their trance. They rushed over to the patients'' beds and got back to work. Lila sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll go follow her and make sure she doesn¡¯t kill someone.¡± She looked at me with a somber expression. ¡°Evay, I get what you''re saying. But we¡¯ve had this discussion before. Be open, tell us things. If not us, who else could you trust?¡± With those words she ran off after Aurora. Savian pulled up a chair and put his legs up on my bed. He leaned back and forth and put his hands behind his back and Geon jumped on the end of my bed and sat on it.


    Savian spoke first. ¡°Well, my bad. Guess I should¡¯ve told you to tell everyone else.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s me who blew everything up.¡± Geon pulled out an apple from his pocket and began eating it.


    ¡°Listen, sometimes you feel like you can change the tide of battle. I get it. I¡¯ve been there too. But sometimes you realize that you miscalculated and then you fucked everything up.¡±


    Savian butted in. ¡°And when that happens, it¡¯s on you. The risks you take can lead to really good things or really bad things. That¡¯s the point we¡¯re making¨Cthat¡¯s the point I did make to you.¡±


    Geon spoke again. ¡°So don¡¯t be an idiot, you idiot.¡± He tossed his apple and made it float on his finger. ¡°When Aurora yells at you, you¡¯ve probably done something wrong. Well, she yells at me all the time but you would need to mess up really badly for her to yell at you.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°So? Am I supposed to apologize for winning the match? Don¡¯t tell me you guys think that too.¡±


    Savian spoke up. ¡°Nah, but you should apologize for not trusting us and being an idiot. You should also apologize for yelling and causing a scene like a child. Well, I guess you are a child but still.¡± Geon laughed and spoke.


    ¡°Yeah, your girlfriend might stay mad at you if you don¡¯t.¡± I felt my face turn red.


    ¡°She¡¯s not my girlfriend. You can see that, can¡¯t you?¡± Geon smiled.


    ¡°No. If I did something like that she would probably try and kick me off the team. The most she could do for you was get a little angry. See what that means?¡± Geon and Savian both got up and Savian turned and spoke.


    ¡°Try and not let this affect you. If you¡¯re good, Aurora will feel better. Next match is in two days, we¡¯re facing someone a lot better this time.¡±


    ¡°Who? Who won the match between Vollimen and Mevillime?¡± I saw Geon break into a huge smile.


    ¡°Mevilime. The strongest military on Earth.¡±

 Chapter 46: The Fight of a Lifetime

    Savian Yelenta: Geon and I took a stroll across the gardens as we went to grab some food from the stands. This pavilion area was reserved strictly for warriors and so we didn¡¯t have to worry about attracting too much attention. Geon was skipping down the road and kept juggling an apple core with his feet. I sighed. ¡°I admire your ability to be so blissful.¡± He chuckled.


    ¡°Yeah? Well things will work out. I¡¯m not worried. I¡¯ve spent too much of my life being worried and sad and angry. So I just try and relax.¡±. He kicked the apple core up to his head and he blew fire from out of his mouth¡ªincinerating it.


    I spoke again. ¡°Huh. I get where you''re coming from.¡± He laughed.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re kind of similar if you think about it. But I¡¯m cuter and stronger.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not similar. Don¡¯t say that. You might actually hurt me,¡± Geon burst into laughter.


    ¡°You can actually joke! Wow, I mean you still look and sound slightly dead inside but that¡¯s good to know! You¡¯re human!¡± I rolled my eyes as we arrived at the food stands. I looked up and I saw a girl with long red-velvet  hair smile mischievously down on us. She wore a baggy white shirt and black combat pants as well as a belt which held multiple firework-like explosives on her waist. Standing tall and upright besides the food stand was a boy who looked like he was straight out of the military. His brown hair was styled into a fresh, military style haircut. His face exuded an extremely proper and well trained look, and he eyed me with a healthy amount of caution. He wore a black vest which was embroidered with golden flowers and ruby roses, and on his wrist he wore a golden watch with an ivory interior. He looked like a classic young Mevilime warrior¨Ccalm, strong, proper, and powerful. I could feel his power and presence as he stared into my soul, but he wasn¡¯t the one I was concerned about. I looked at the boy right next to him. He was noticeably shorter and less formal looking. He had messy black hair with blue streaks running through it. He looked extremely relaxed and content and he wore a sly smile on his face. He looked like a kid¡ªa really dangerous kid.


    ¡°Hey, is your name Savian? I¡¯ve heard of you, how is my accent? Can you understand me?¡± I nodded and he looked over at Geon. ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve heard lots about you! You¡¯re the wonder boy, Geon. I¡¯ve wanted to meet you for a long time.¡±


    Geon laughed. ¡°Yeah I hear that a lot these days. Not sure if I like it but whatever. Nice to meet you too.¡±


    The boy bowed. ¡°My name is Yudra, of house Melvin, and I am the one who will defeat you.¡±


    Geon laughed again. ¡°I¡¯ve also been hearing that a lot too.¡± He walked forward and towered over Yudra with a competitive fire in his eyes. ¡°And yet no one has seemed to keep their word.¡± Yudra laughed.


    ¡°It seems that your world is still terribly small, Geon. It¡¯s a big world with a lot of people, and you and your friends have yet to learn that.¡± I stepped in.


    ¡°Well maybe you¡¯re about to find that out yourself. Maybe you¡¯ll finally meet someone better than you.¡± Yudra and his teammates began to walk back to their rooms. The girl hopped down from the stall and gave us an emphatic wave as she walked away. The military boy turned around without a word and began walking back in perfectly paced steps. Finally Yudra began to walk back too. He gave us a wave as he turned back to look at us and he smiled from ear to ear.  I felt the hairs on the back of my head stand up.


    ¡°This is going to be fun Geon Leventen and Savian Yelenta. This is going to be really fun.¡±


    Me and Geon walked back to our rooms and I immediately threw myself on my bed. I was worried. Not because of the fact that Yudra and his teammates seemed strong, but because our team was in shambles. Aurora and Evay were not on good terms and I wasn¡¯t so concerned about Aurora but I was concerned about Evay. I didn¡¯t know Evay, Geon, Aurora, and Lila very well but it seemed to me that they didn¡¯t fight often. They were good friends that cared for each other and they were roommates and teammates, which was a super unlikely coincidence, but one that helped their team chemistry and bonding. But that was the problem. Me and my team were never super close. I only really ever talked to Akasa since we were the two strongest people on our team. Actually come to think of it¡­..I don¡¯t actually remember anyone else on my school team. I felt guilty about it but it didn¡¯t really surprise me. Teams weren¡¯t usually super close and at the professional level warrior matches were never team based¨Cso usually aspiring warriors like us would throw the concept of team play out of the window and try to fight and showcase our own talents. But this team was close. Being on bad terms made it so that they not only threw away their biggest strength, teamwork, but they also put themselves  in a negative mental state. I sighed. Now of all times¡­. I had never lost any of these events but those were all events with individual battles and people way weaker than anyone here. Here there were people that were not just as strong as me but people that were potentially even stronger than me.I sighed and leaned back in my bed. Who would have thought that losing would ever be on my mind. I smiled and began to think. Did that idiot Geon ever think about losing?


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    Probably not¡­.he probably couldn¡¯t care less. But he was smarter than I gave him credit for. His battle IQ was very keen and he found weaknesses and forced openings extremely effectively. It was almost all instinctual, which was the most impressive thing. I could tell he wasn¡¯t thinking super hard but he just knew what to do. Then an idea clicked in my head. That¡¯s how we win¡­. I smiled and closed my eyes. Maybe we just don¡¯t think at all¡­.that¡¯s how we win.


    Geon Leventen: ¡°Wait so, you want me to ... .not, not be an idiot?¡± I looked at Savian with surprised eyes and he sighed.


    ¡°No, well yes, but no. I need you to create chaos and disorder. We play as a team which usually works but for Mevilime they¡¯re too structured. Their team play counters ours. Set strategies and exploiting openings and ability combinations will only get us so far with a well run team like them. We have to be wild and unpredictable so¡ª¡°


    ¡°We don¡¯t establish patterns so they don¡¯t exploit our patterns. Got it.¡± Savian nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ve talked it over with Aurora. She¡¯s willing to go with it too.¡± I spoke with concern in my voice.


    ¡°Is she okay?¡± Savian sighed.


    ¡°Yes but in reality no. She¡¯s still made plans and analyzed strategy and she¡¯s not showing signs of distress. But she¡¯s not the same. She¡¯s hurting.¡±


    I looked down at my shoes and felt like my insides were falling. Evay and Aurora, who would have thought they would be like this¡­ We always got along and we didn¡¯t fight. If anything I thought Aurora would try and fight me the day  I blew up our stove oven¡ªlong story. But she never striked me as the sort of person to get really angry. Strict maybe, but not like this.


    ¡°Did Evay apologize?¡± Savian shrugged.


    ¡°Who knows.¡± We both walked back to our rooms and got our things.


    ¡°Match is in three hours and we aren¡¯t even on speaking terms. Nice.¡± We both walked towards the stadium and put our stuff into the locker rooms. I walked in and saw Aurora asleep on the floor. She had a notepad and a quill next to her, and the notepad had battle strategies and notes scribbled all over it. I walked over to her and picked up her stuff. One of the pages flipped over and there was a drawing of Evay on it. It was a good sketch, especially for Aurora who didn¡¯t draw as a hobby. Evay was smiling and his eyes were much softer than usual in the picture.  Just then Evay walked into the locker room and we all looked at him. He awkwardly got to his locker and put his things in. I walked over to him and put the notebook to his chest. ¡°Look at this,¡± I pointed to the page with his picture on it. ¡°While you were complaining and moping around, Aurora was preparing for our match. She was also thinking about you. So I think you owe her an apology, and maybe a lunch or something, yeah?¡± He looked like he was in shock as he stared at his own picture. He gently touched it with his hands and looked at Aurora in the corner.


    Ebay spoke, ¡°Yeah, I do. I¡¯m a real dick,¡± I laughed and Savain shrugged in agreement. Evay went up to her and kneeled down. He gently grabbed her hand and Aurora awoke with a surprise.


    ¡°Wha¡ªwha? Evay! Um, hi.¡± He smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. For¡­a lot of things. I won¡¯t be stupid, and I won¡¯t try and blow myself up. I agree with everything you said and I think I was just really pent up from being owned by everyone a lot. I¡¯m sorry¨Cfor everything.¡± His voice was unusually soft and comforting. Aurora''s eyes widened and she nodded.


    ¡°Evay, I was worried. I was mad about you not sticking to the plan or following us but I was mostly worried. I know what using Gold¡¯s Veil does to you and I really hate waiting for you to wake up out of another coma after you destroy everything.¡± She stood up and held out a hand to Evay. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for freaking out but please Evay, be careful. We need to, we want you, and I really, really, want you to be with us for a while so please¨Cthink about us.¡± Evay looked at her for a while and suddenly gave her a very big hug. Aurora¡¯s eyes went wide with surprise but she hugged him back. Lila came to my side and spoke.


    ¡°Well it looks like we¡¯re good right? That¡¯s cool, but we still have to face Mevillime, so, any ideas?¡±


    Aurora spoke up. ¡°Yes. Savian gave me the idea. We don¡¯t plan or coordinate. We just try to win fights. We go crazy and wild, which will give us the best odds of winning against this stupidly well run Mevilime squad. Other than that, we just try our best to not lose.¡±


    I laughed. ¡°Not losing is our speciality.¡±


    The crowd erupted as we took our spots in the middle of the arena. I saw our flags waving high in the sky and many of our supporters lined one half of the stadium. The other was filled with a wave of navy blue, black, and gold colored shirts. Mevillime¡¯s flag was navy blue and had two iron swords which crossed each other in a X pattern¨Cas well as golden wreaths placed around the swords. It was simple but scary. That flag represented the strongest military on Earth. The Mevillime warriors entered the arena and a roar of applause deafened me. I heard the announcer''s voice roar out into the crowd. ¡°Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen! For our semi-finalists we have the warriors of Mevillime!¡± The crowd erupted once again and I spotted two officials in the V.I.P box. They both looked important and I assumed they were some type of Mevillime officials. The announcer roared out our opponents names. ¡°We have Oden of house Beller, Crimson of house Ruby, Aqua of house Seffer, Jem of house Dula, and Yudra of house Melvin!¡± The crowd roared even louder when Yudra¡¯s name was called. I made mental notes. Military boy is Oden, the bomb girl is Crimson, Yudra has blue hair, and those two I don¡¯t know.


    Yudra smiled and he spoke. ¡°Feeling scared?¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Nah, feeling excited.¡±.


    I heard the announcer¡¯s voice echo out into the crowd. ¡°May the match begin!¡±

 Chapter 47: Friendly Fire

    Geon Leventen: I exploded off the ground with all my might and flew into the air. Aurora let out a burst of electricity which scattered the Mevilime kids, and Lila dove out of trouble. Evay put on his barrier and he rushed the red haired girl, Crimson. She smiled and threw her arsenal of fireworks at him. A huge explosion of pretty bright red went off and Evay darted out of the ensuing smoke in a head to head battle with Crimson while Aurora charged towards Oden in a flash of electricity. I tried to turn around and look at her fight but I saw two people approach me out of the corner of my eye. One of them had long hair tied into a ponytail and he wore a turquoise battle vest which had scale patterns all over it. He was well built and looked similar to a sailor¡ªor a sailor killed people for a living. Next to him was a boy that looked more like a scholar than a warrior. He had beige colored hair that was neatly trimmed and well styled and he wore glasses, a white battle vest, and always looked like he was about to tell me that I had forgotten another  assignment for class.


    ¡°Hi,¡± I gave them a smile. The mini professor stared daggers into my soul.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± he threw a small dagger at me and I pushed it back with a gust of wind. Before the dagger reached him he dove out of the way and I instinctively dove left. He shouted, ¡°Aqua! Left!¡± The blue vest boy summoned a trident out of his hand and hurled it at me. My eyes went wide and I forced the winds to push me into the sky. The trident narrowly missed my feet and I flipped in the air as I rotated my body mid-flight and darted towards the two boys. I concentrated and the marble floors began to grasp at their feet. Huge marble hands slammed into each other as both the boys tried to dodge them. So they¡¯re Jem and Aqua. Jem ran along the floors and he slid and bounced off of a marble arm as it swiped at his feet. He landed and flipped off of a finger and somersaulted into a roll and dove through a pair of hands. Aqua smashed through the hands with his trident as if they were clay and he turned around and threw the trident at me. It passed through the marble like butter and suddenly began to fly left as it narrowly shot past  my face. Marble hands continued to assault them as I finally isolated Aqua. A pair of marble hands blocked off his escape route and I aimed a well timed blast at him. He turned around and held out his hands¨Cseemingly pulling something towards me. I felt something pierce my back as the crowd gasped. I looked down at my body and saw a huge trident coming out of my chest. Aqua drew me in and he smiled.


    ¡°So, are you disappointed with our strength? The pain was somehow numbing, cold, hot, and really bad at the same time. I could manage though¨Cthe trident had missed my lungs, heart, and other vital organs so it hadn¡¯t killed me instantly. I was still very much alive and kicking¡­.


    I smiled from ear to ear. ¡°Nah, not at all.¡±


    I aimed a giant explosion at Aqua¡¯s face and the sky quickly filled with smoke from the ensuing blast. I kicked off the air and crouched down to hide amongst all of the smoke and took a look down at my bleeding chest. The pain was excruciating, even with all of the adrenaline flowing through my body. I had slowed down the speed of the trident with my air currents right before it hit my body and I had time to plate my back in a thin sheet of metal before impact. That didn¡¯t do much though, considering it cleanly pierced my body¡­ But if it wasn¡¯t for all of that, the trident probably would have gone right through me¡­ I heard two footsteps on my right and shot a column of fire into the dark smoke. Jem dove out of the smoke and he quickly charged at me. I kicked the ground and a wall of spikes shot up at him but he ducked out of the way before the spikes even fully manifested. He rolled towards me and he swung his dagger at me in a long, high arc. I pulled back and grabbed his hand. I swung him over my head and I slammed him into the ground as his eyes went white and his mouth opened in pain. I swung his body around like a very human-shaped, angry, deadly fan before delving into my thoughts. There¡¯s no way they sent this guy to take me on one on one¡­It¡¯s a setup for something¡­ They might be trying to isolate me but I can still beat them in a two on one¡­. What are they trying to do?


    Ice began to form under my feet as I commanded it to spread through the arena. In an instant, the entire ground was covered and I surfed along a high wall of moving ice as I rose into the sky. They knew I would use an explosion, they¡¯re using the smoke to divide us. That¡¯s how we almost lost last time¡­ My ice bridge took me farther until I hit a wall of debris that blocked me from going further. I turned around and a huge trident came flying my way. I leapt backwards off my ice ramp and flew into the direction of the trident. The smoke still limited my vision but I knew just the way to find Jem. I flew at rapid speeds to the spot where the trident was thrown and¡ªas I had suspected¡ªthe trident shot towards my back and continued to follow me. I flew around and around until the trident finally started to fly backwards into the smoke. All I had to do now was follow it back towards its owner¡­. I turned around and grabbed the trident as it shot towards the vast, thick, toxic clouds of smoke and hung on for dear life as I darted towards Aqua. Then I finally saw it¡­I was carried out of the smoke and an extremely surprised Aqua was the first thing that met my gaze. I quickly let go of the trident and shot a column of fire at him but he grabbed his trident and he deflected the fire away. I flew straight into him at blinding speeds and rammed him with my shoulder. He flew backwards and a pair of marble hands caught him in their grasp.


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    The hands held him in place as I filled my fist with blazing hot, white fire as I chucked a miniature sun at him. He swung his trident and the marble hands vaporized instantly. He caught the fire-bolt with his trident and spun it back at me as a column of white hot death began to sear itself into my eyes. I instantly waved away the flames and flipped off of the ground¨Cdodging the heat of the slowly disappearing flames. Aqua swung his trident and I summoned a marble pillar to block it. I immediately threw a high kick which he ducked and he tried to sweep my leg.


    I flew up and kicked down into his body with both of my legs. He used his trident to block my kick and he got up off his back¨C swinging his trident rapidly as I ducked out of the way. I leaned back to avoid a swing, immediately flipped backwards to get my ground, and flicked two sharp metal spears at Aqua. He dodged them and he thrusted the trident into my chest. I grabbed the prongs and jammed them into the ground¡ªencasing them in marble. Aqua¡¯s face filled with panic as I leapt off the ground and landed a clean punch to the chin. He flew towards the barriers and I turned my attention to Jem. I dashed towards him and his face dawned a look of surprise. I knelt all the way down and threw a vicious uppercut to his chin, which flipped his entire body around in the air. I flew up and rammed his head into my knee, and a marble fist shot up out of the ground and punched him into the sky. I blasted off the ground and kneed him in the back which sent him even farther up. He flew into the sky and I soared even higher into the sky to get above Jem¡¯s suspended body. I lifted my leg up and kicked him straight in the chest. His body was struck downwards as I lifted up my hands and shot a white hot column of fire and electricity towards him. The pillar of fire-lightning connected with Jem and a huge explosion sounded down on the stadium floor. I surveyed the area and tried to see through the smoke. I can¡¯t see the others¡­ I slowly descended back down to the ground and waved my hand to clear the smoke. I felt my feet touch the floor and saw Jem, bloodied and nearly dead, sprawled on the floor. His hair was blackened and his skin was scarred in several areas. I walked up to him and stared down at his body. ¡°You ok?¡± He gave a curt laugh.


    ¡°No¡­thanks to you.¡± I smiled.


    ¡°It was a good try. Your friend speared me through the chest, which didn¡¯t feel too good.¡± He spoke in a raspy voice.


    ¡°Aqua¡¯s trident is a specialized weapon. It¡¯s military grade¡­you were supposed to be down with one hit.¡± I clenched my fist and got ready to deliver the final blow.


    ¡°Well, people say I¡¯m annoying because I manage to not die, a lot. Running in without any plan to kill me isn¡¯t going to work.¡± Jem suddenly began to chuckle.


    ¡°Kill you? Ha, please. I¡¯m not sure anyone can do that. You see, we watched your team¡¯s matches. All of us had counters to each of your fighting styles and abilities. We had the matchups settled and the battle plans drawn. But the one oddity and annoyance in our plan was you. No one could counter you¡­.¡± My eyes went wide and my brain started to turn.


    From the start something was wrong with Jem. He seemed like he could predict my movements and it was like he could read my mind¡­.But he couldn¡¯t. It made sense. The timing of his movements and the speed of his attacks were weird because of him, they were weird because most of them weren¡¯t real¡­. ¡°Your powers¡­they¡¯re illusions. Each time you read my movements that was just an illusion. An imaginary warrior that was made up in my head. The real you was actually doing something completely different. That¡¯s how you could dodge those hands¡­That¡¯s how you could get your attacks in.¡± He smiled.


    ¡°Me and Aqua weren¡¯t meant to beat you, we were meant to stall you. Separate you from the others, and make opportunities for our teammates to win their battles.¡±


    My eyes went to the wall of debris blocking me from my team. ¡°That¡¯s¡­.that¡¯s not a real barrier¡­¡± Jem started to laugh. His laugh became louder and louder and louder as his maniacal smile grew even wider.


    ¡°Or is it? Is it! Is it real? Is it not? It¡¯s so funny isn¡¯t it! That¡¯s the hard part about fighting me, Geon Leventen. Even the strongest will bend when their mind turns against them, and do you want to know the funniest part?¡± he smiled at me with crazed eyes, ¡°the crazy part is that the strongest warriors have the most trauma to exploit.¡± I smashed Jem¡¯s body into the ground but he vanished instantly. I turned around to see him next to Aqua, perfectly fine and all healed up. It was all an illusion¨Cfrom the beginning I wasn¡¯t fighting the real Jem. But at least when I beat him just now I felt a physical body. So if it wasn¡¯t Jem¡­.who was I beating? My heart grew numb.


    ¡°Who was I fighting?¡± Jem smiled as the injured Aqua tossed a body from behind a rock.


    Evay stood before me, beaten, battered, and burned. He looked lifeless, but he was somehow still in the match. I did it¡­.I almost killed my own teammate. My own friend¡­ Jem let out a laugh¨Ca small laugh that grew louder and louder until it rang throughout the stadium. ¡°You did this to your own teammate! How heartless! Your mind must secretly hate him! Right? Maybe you don¡¯t actually like him! How cruel of you, Geon Leventen!¡± I felt a hatred spur deep inside me. A feeling of anger and deep violence surged into my veins as I stared into Jem¡¯s eyes. He stopped smiling, and Aqua immediately raised his trident. Liquid nitrogen started to billow out from beneath my feet, my hands cracked with lighting, and flames danced along my fingers. The earth began to rumble and the smell of thunder hung in the air. Words from the deepest depths of my hatred arose out of my mouth as I looked upon Jem and Aqua. ¡°You two, I¡¯ll fucking kill you.¡±

 Chapter 48: Two for the price of One

    In a thousandth of a second I had dashed in between Jem and Aqua. Their faces filled with terror as they tried to react but they weren¡¯t fast enough. I stuck out my arms and two metal spikes came jutting out of my hands, piercing both of them though the solar plexus. Liquid nitrogen shot out from the ground and their skin started to turn black and purple as they fell to their knees. I pulled out the spikes and I kicked Aqua¡¯s face into the ground as I held out my hand and two massive, spiked mats of marble shot out of the ground and fell onto Aqua¨Cspearing his body. I turned my attention to Jem. I kicked him in the ribs, grabbed him by his hair, and I slammed his face into my knee and impaled him on a spike of marble that I summoned out of the stadium floor. Two marble fists shot up out of the ground and smashed his head from both sides. Blood poured out of his nose, ears, and mouth as his eyes went white. I commanded the marble spike that was impaling him to go back into the ground. Jem¡¯s body slid onto the floor as I knelt over him. I lifted my fist in the air and looked into his eyes. ¡°I told you I¡¯ll kill you. And I¡¯m a man of my word.¡± I slammed my fist into his face. I lifted it up and punched him again, and again, and again. My fist slammed into his skull repeatedly as more and more blood flowed from his face. I lifted my fist up high and gave one more big shot to his chin, and finally, his liquor screen broke. I got off of him and saw Aqua¡¯s injured body crawling out from under his death trap. His entire body was bloodied and he weakly grasped his trident. I walked over to him and knelt down in front of him with cold, heartless eyes. ¡°Did you think you were me? You¡¯re not me, you¡¯ll never be me, you will never beat me. I will always be better than you.¡± Aqua gripped his trident in anger.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you see what¡¯s coming.¡± He started to smile. My eyes flashed with anger as I punched him again¨Csplattering pools of blood onto the marble battlefield. I spoke quietly into his ear,


    ¡°You¡¯re not in a position to gloat.¡± He smiled even more.


    ¡°The waters of Mevilime will wash you away.¡± I felt the ground beneath me shake, and I could sense it¡­Under my feet I could feel a surge of something, something powerful, large, and deadly. My eyes went wide and my heart dropped as I felt millions of gallons of water¨Crushing to wash the stadium away.


    Aurora Maple: ¡°Lila! What is that idiot doing?¡± I screamed towards the smoky abbys as Geon practically murdered Evay.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know! He¡¯s trying to kill him!¡± Lila frantically leapt out of the way as a huge firework exploded in a burst of bright red. I turned my attention towards Oden and took a deep breath. A giant blast cleared a pile of rubble before me and Oden walked calmly out of the newly created clearing. His sleek uniform, perfectly styled hair, cold eyes, and serious attitude all seemed to pierce into my soul. Despite being the same age as me, he could have passed for a military general. I readied myself and concentrated. Electricity coursed through my body as my hair dawned a bright electric blue color and my familiar purple markings manifested on my arms. I felt electricity dance along my fingers as I waited for Oden to make a move.


    He finally spoke. ¡°Aurora¡­my knowledge of your language is not extremely extensive, but you are named after the northern lights, correct?¡± I stared intensely at him without any reply. No stance, no initial hostility, no signs of preparation for attack¡­


    I took a breath and spoke. ¡°Yes¡­.that is correct¡±.


    He nodded. ¡°I see you¡¯re quite distressed about your teammate¡¯s actions. Don¡¯t fear, Jem can cast illusions. Your friend Geon has most likely been caught in one.¡± My eyes went wide.


    ¡°So how do I know you¡¯re real?¡± He replied in a calm voice.


    ¡°He can only use it on one person at a time. You are safe for now.¡± I scoffed.


    ¡°Well I¡¯m not sure if you''re the best person to believe right now¡±. He nodded.


    ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right but if I need to lie to win,¡± he held his hand up towards me, ¡°I am not a true winner.¡± Now.


    I let out a yell, ¡°SAVIAN!¡± My body filled up with electricity as I sprinted towards Oden. Savian dashed up a ramp and took flight in the air. He hurled a crimson red lighting bolt towards Oden and I laced my right arm with electricity. I pulled my arm back and threw a javelin of electric energy into the air. The red and blue bolts of electricity collided and the sky flashed purple.


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    ¡°Hey Oden!¡± He looked at me and Savian with a calm expression. I smiled, ¡°Me and Savian have been working on this one. When his electrical bolt produced from his immense speed collides with my naturally occurring electricity it produces a bolt which vaporizes anything it touches.¡± Savian slid to a stop next to me. ¡°I call it, Lunar Lightning,¡± the purple bolt landed on target and lit up the arena with a violent, glowing violet light. The ensuing explosion ripped the stadium apart and debris pieces were tuned into fine powder. Smoke from the explosion clouded my view but I could still make out where Savain was. I signaled him to go right and he nodded. We both sprinted towards where Oden was standing and prepared to pounce. Savian jumped up and prepared to slam his fist into the ground, but suddenly, he stopped. I slid to a sudden halt as Savian landed back on the ground. I looked at him and his eyes were filled with disbelief. Standing there like nothing happened was Oden, hands in his pocket, hair and coat perfectly untouched. Lunar lightning carved a hole into a mountain¡­ I snapped out of my shock and dashed straight at Oden. I jumped up and threw an electrically charged punch at Oden. He stuck out his hand and suddenly leaned left to dodge my punch. It¡¯s fine, he¡¯s way to slow¡ª


    My punch completely missed him and he countered with a hook to the body. I blocked it and blasted a lighting net at his chest at point blank range. That¡¯s a sure hit. He seemingly flashed out of existence as he reappeared behind me. My lighting net missed and I threw a spinning hook kick to counter but he stuck out his hand. He finally spoke again. ¡°Good bye,¡± an extremely loud bang sounded through the arena as I felt an immense pressure force me backwards. I was repelled into a pile of rubble at impossibly high speeds as I crashed with a loud bang. Savian dashed forward at blinding speeds as a red comet streaked across the arena. He threw a running punch at impossibly high speeds towards the middle of Oden¡¯s chest. But in that moment, Oden sidestepped Savian and threw a counter punch of his own. Savian recovered and slipped the counter. He stood up and threw a barrage of crimson red punches, which were so fast that I couldn¡¯t even tell if he was actually punching. Whenever Oden slipped, ducked, or moved out of the way of a punch it was weird. It was as if we were in a snow globe and someone had tilted the entire world ever so slightly so that Oden was always out of our range¡­. It made no sense¨CSavian was way faster than Oden and yet, he couldn¡¯t hit him. Oden kept weaving and dodging all of Savian¡¯s strikes. He leaned back, slipped to the right, ducked down, pulled back, and finally leaned into Savain. Savian quickly ran behind Oden in a flash and threw a high kick laced with high-speed lighting. An explosion sounded as the kick seemingly connected. Marble turned to dust as Savian¡¯s attacks incinerated the stadium floor. Savain ran back towards me and knelt down. He gave me a hand. ¡°You good?¡± I nodded and he helped me up.


    My chest throbbed with pain but I managed to speak. ¡°How could he dodge your attacks? Your speed isn¡¯t something he has right?¡± He looked towards the smoke cloud with a cautious expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s weird. He¡¯s not as fast as me¡­No he¡¯s¡ª¡°His words were cut off as his eyes went wide with shock. Standing completely unharmed was Oden with his hands by his sides and his hair still perfectly untouched.


    ¡°You¡­you couldn¡¯t have possibly tanked that.¡± Savian spoke with both disbelief and anger as he clenched his fist. Red lightning enveloped his body as he ran towards Oden. In a flash he was in his face. Savian threw a full speed punch at Oden¡¯s jaw as a sonic boom sounded around the arena. Oden seemingly disappeared and reappeared behind Savian. He stretched out his hand and placed it on Savian¡¯s back.


    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t have back problems,¡± he smiled and I heard a massive explosion go off as Savain was propelled into the ground. The entire arena shook and marble rubble flew everywhere. I quickly commanded electricity to flow back through my body. I ran to the outskirts of the arena. Marble rubble rained from the sky as I slid under a falling piece of jagged stone, jumped over a wall of rubble, and somersaulted behind a safe wall of fallen marble. The loud crashes of the falling debris were deafening as they pounded the stadium floor like giant pieces of hail. The ensuing smoke and rubble littered the stadium with clutter as I climbed on top of a large piece of marble debris and scouted my surroundings. Standing in the midst of all the chaos was Oden and Savain, facing off in the center of the arena. Savain looked badly hurt, his back was bloody and bright red, he had blood running down his forehead, and his right arm seemed mangled. I clenched my fist to deal with the pain and I ran towards Savian. I quickly slid to a stop as I stood by his side¨Cfacing the perfectly unharmed Oden. He brushed off his uniform and spoke. ¡°You¡¯re as fast as they said you would be. I¡¯ve never seen anyone as fast as you,  Savain Yelenta.¡± Savian¡¯s eyes narrowed in anger as he spoke.


    ¡°Yeah, you''re not that fast. So how are you dodging me.¡± He spoke in a confident and calm tone.


    ¡°I am not as fast as you. However, I control the space between us.¡± He held out his hand. ¡°You and I are about 5 meters apart. You can cover this distance in less than a hundred thousandths of a second. Me being this close isn¡¯t good, so with my liquor abilities I can either decrease or increase this space between me and you.¡± He stepped closer to us and continued to speak. ¡°However, I don¡¯t actually get farther away. Or you don¡¯t see me get farther away. The increase or decrease in space is me simply putting different rules on how you move around in our three dimensional world. If I increase the space between us you need to take more time to get to me, and less time if I decrease the space between us.¡± He held up his hand. ¡°In other words, when I increase the space between us, reality doesn¡¯t like that me and you are so close. The time it takes to reach me should be longer but you¡¯re right here. Reality hates that and forces things to correct itself, and so it pushes you away. Much like this.¡± His eyes widened with killing intent as we braced ourselves for impact. I crossed my arms and closed my eyes. I looked up to check Oden¡¯s position and saw three golden prongs sticking out of his chest. His eyes went wide with shock as he looked down. Evay smiled and pulled the trident out of Oden¡¯s chest. He ax-kicked Oden in the head and kicked him across the arena into a pile of rubble. He looked weak and beaten but he was alive and still in the match. He smiled and spoke.


    ¡°That¡¯s what it feels like to be hit by your  teammate''s attack, Oden. Just in case you didn¡¯t know.¡±

 Chapter 49: Flowers in the Searing Rain

    Lila Fairheart: The red hot flashes of several fireworks exploded in my face as I kept dodging and weaving attacks.This Crimson girl was the real deal¡­and not just some manic who threw bombs everywhere. She sommerslated onto the ground and threw two fireworks at me. I hardened my arms and tanked the two explosions head on. The force of the attack pushed me back and I saw Crimson dive towards me with a deadly smile. She flipped forward and wrapped her legs around my neck. I tried to get her off as I jumped up in the air and shook my body as hard as I could. She laughed and pulled out two of her fireworks. ¡°Boom goes the pretty girl,¡± she giggled maniacally and I felt two red hot spikes get jammed into my insides. I heard a massive explosion as I was hurled to the floor. I felt my body skid and bounce on the hard stadium surface as I finally smashed into a piece of rubble. My head spun, my ears rang, and I coughed up a splatter of blood. I took a deep breath and I willed my body to slowly repair itself as I concentrated on my injuries. Blood slowly followed to my injuries, cells started to repair themselves, soothing recovery came to my muscles, and my head started to clear up again.  Crimson landed in front of me with a loud boom. She always walked with a sort of skip and a hop¨Clike she was walking along the sidewalk after a really good day. She spun a firework on her fingers and approached me. She spoke. ¡°You¡¯re very pretty Lila. How do you get your hair like that?¡± I smiled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I kind of just wash it and let it dry. I wish I had straighter hair.¡± Crimson laughed.


    ¡°I wish I had anything but straight hair, I guess we always want what we don¡¯t have.¡± She threw her firework up and caught it in her hand.


    ¡°Goodbye Lila. Maybe we can¡¯t meet and talk about this at a better time. For now, good night.¡± She smiled and she hurled her fireworks at me.


    Now. I sprang up and crouched under the spiraling firework torpedo. I tipped it upwards and it went fizzing over my hair as it exploded the ruble behind me. Crimson looked shocked as I threw a straight right to her solar plexus, which connected. Her eyes went wide with pain as I combed it with an uppercut. Her body went flying backwards but she flicked a firework at me while she was in mid air. I spun and grabbed the firework and rammed it into her stomach as she went flying into a pile of rubble. I sprinted over to her, jumped into the air, and rammed my fist into the pile of rubble as I heard a large boom from the ensuing crash. As the smoke cleared I looked at my fist and saw that a red bracelet had been attached to it. No¨Cnot a bracelet¨Ca string. My eyes went wide and I looked over to Crimson¨Cwho was battered and bruised but still standing. She smiled. ¡°Pretty..girl..goes¡­boom.¡± She pulled the string attached to my wrist and I saw a faint red glow arise from under the rubble. A trap. I summoned all my strength and leapt off the boulder and landed on the ground with a somersault. I dashed towards Crimson as I flipped over another boulder and dove desperately towards her with a primed fist. She smiled and waved. ¡°See ya.¡± I heard an insanely loud explosion detonate behind me and a wall of searing fire hit my back.


    The force of the blast propelled me forward and I hardened and strengthened my body to prepare for the damage. The searing pain and impact force hit me like a raging bull as I smashed into the stadium wall and felt the brunt of the attack slice itself into my skin. I felt my body give up, give in, and my eyes slowly closed as I grew weaker and weaker. My mind wanted to keep going but my body said no. If I go out then we¡¯re at a disadvantage¡­.but¡­but¡­I want to sleep. I miss my friends. Where are they? Are they winning? I miss mom and dad¡­But I also want to win¡­.I¡­I¡¯m so tired¡­.. I let myself slip into unconsciousness and drifted into sle¡ª


    ¡°LILA!¡± I heard the piercing yell of Geon penetrate into my skull. ¡°Lila get up! It¡¯s going to get worse, get up!¡± I felt myself slowly starting to fade back into consciousness but I still felt like I was stuck in a pool of molasses. Let''s put my training to the test¡­ My eyes went wide and my body started to go into overdrive. I pushed myself up and I got to my knees. I saw Geon rush back into the smoke and occupy himself with his individual battle. I concentrated as hard as I could and I put all my power into healing my body. Every corner of my body, every cell, artery, muscle fiber, bone, and tissue felt alive and revamped as I saw Crimson land in front of me again.


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    She looked at me with caution. ¡°You¡¯ve changed.¡± I laughed.


    My hair rose up and my eyes turned bright as a faint green aura arose around me. ¡°I haven¡¯t used this in a long time¡­I call it Overdrive. For five minutes and thirty four seconds I fully invest all my energy into healing my body. Every injury, every single bit of damage is automatically healed the second my body experiences harm.¡± Crimson spoke with a manic smile.


    ¡°So for five minutes and thirty four seconds, you¡¯re immortal.¡±


    I smiled and got ready to pounce. ¡°Yes, and in that five minutes and thirty four seconds, I will defeat you.¡±


    A searing red hot missile came towards my face but I didn¡¯t care. I headbutted the firework which tore and burned my flesh but the injuries instantly healed as I charged at Crimson. She smiled manically and I threw a strong right hand strike at her body. She jumped back and flipped backwards, kicking up in the process. The kick connected with my chin as I flipped backwards from the momentum of the strike. I quickly got back up and I opened my eyes to the prettiest fireworks show I had ever seen in my life. The beautiful green and gold fireworks formed magnificent dragons¨Cwith huge soaring wings and ruby red eyes. Clouds of ruby red and emerald-green arrows soared through the air as explosions of blue and gold went off in the distance. It reminded me of the fireworks shows held at the capital on independence day or after a major victory during times of war. The only difference being that these fireworks were about to smite me to ash. I leapt back and slid under a tunnel of rubble as I heard the earth-shattering bombs rumble the ground. I speared my hand through a slab of marble rubble and held it over my head as a shield as I ventured out into the explosion-filled death-zone. A seemingly endless stream of raining fireworks created a fiery ring of death and destruction¨Ca radius of searing heat so large that I couldn¡¯t escape it.


    I slid out from under the tunnel and my little rubble shield immediately disintegrated. I felt the extreme heat of the exploding firework shower rain onto my body as my flesh melted off my bones. The urge to scream and crawl into a hole and die overtook my body as Crimson sprinted towards me through the heat and fire. She laughed maniacally as she flew towards me and hit me with a strong kick to the stomach. ¡°I DON¡¯T BURN IN HERE DID YOU KNOW THAT?¡± She screamed and laughed like a madman as she hit me with a left-hook to the body and another one immediately to the chin. ¡°MY FIREWORKS DON¡¯T HATE ME, THEY DON¡¯T HURT ME! ISN¡¯T THAT WONDERFUl?¡±The damage being done to me was instantly being healed but the searing pain still perforated all through my body. My vision went blurry and my mind went blank as my very nerves were torn from my body. Crimson threw a high-arching kick right to my face as I felt my body give up on me once again. Everything hurts. It all hurts. It¡¯s all so hot, seraing hot, the world is red and yellow, it¡¯s all¡­..so ... .hot. As Crimson¡¯s strike approached my face I closed my eyes, my arms went limp, and I took a deep breath. It¡¯s cool, we¡¯ll win, I¡¯ll trust my teammates. I¡¯ll be fine. I smiled as I felt strangely relaxed. For the first time in a while, my body wasn¡¯t on edge. All the things that had happened in the last couple days, months, years¡­.What happened to my sister, the tournament, all the fights¡­.they had made me so tense all the time. Maybe it¡¯s because I felt like I was on the edge of death but I finally felt like I could let it all go for a little bit¡­..I could rest. But my body just moved on its own.


    I dropped down to the floor and spun around as I swept Crimson off her feat. I fought through my pain as I let out a blood-curdling scream. My smile widened as the flesh on my face repeatedly melted and regenerated in the span of seconds. For the first time in this fight, Crimson wasn¡¯t smiling. Her face quickly filled with panic as she tried to get back up but I stomped on her neck and quickly pounced on her body. I let out my own maniacal laugh as I looked down on her panic-stricken face. ¡°Hey, Crimson. Don¡¯t squirm too much now.¡± I raised my fist as I tried to land my final strike. Crimson¡¯s eyes filled with intense desperation as she let out an immense cry,


    ¡°YUDRA, SHOW YOURSELF.¡± The intense heat and fire around me instantly vanished as the world reverted back to its usual colors. I felt an immense surge of relief and all the pain in my body suddenly vanished as the cool blue sky appeared above me for the first time in what felt like years. I looked down on Crimson and she smiled up at me. ¡°Times up, Lila.¡± The bright green aura that had surrounded my body faded away as Overdrive abruptly ended. All the strength in my body left me in a flash and Crimson slipped out from under me and kicked my chest with both of her legs as I flew backwards into a pile of rubble. A loud crunch sounded about the arena as I felt immense pain fill my body again¨Cexcept this time¨Cthe injuries weren¡¯t instantly healed. I felt the world once again fade into black as I looked up and saw a boy with messy blue and black hair peer over me. So he¡¯s Yudra.


    He smiled and raised up his fist, ¡°Too bad she did most of the work. You looked like an excellent fighter.¡± He struck so fast I couldn¡¯t even react and I heard my liquor screen shatter. I heard my blood splatter onto the ground and I hit my head on the hard marble floor. Yudra laughed and he whispered into my ear, ¡°Goodbye Lila, for real this time.¡± I couldn¡¯t form a response as I felt the last of my strength flee from my body and the world fade to black.

 Chapter 50: The Fastest Spear

    Savian Yelenta: Run, run, run, run.


    ¡°Running around at the speed of sound!¡± Was all I could hear in my head as I desperately tried to get through Oden¡¯s defenses. Those words were the first verse to a song Emmy always sang when I used to carry her around at super-speed. No matter how intense things got, when I remembered that song, things always felt a little better. Everytime I hit him it felt like my fist hit some invisible force field which pushed my hand back. I rammed into his body at maximum speed as the ground tore up at my feet. A sonic boom reverberated through the arena as I targeted Oden¡¯s back. He simply disappeared and I flew into the opposite wall. Oden appeared to be heavily damaged as his chest was bleeding profusely. Evay must have got him pretty good.. I quickly regained my footing as I ran along the stadium¡¯s wall and went into overdrive. I kept running in circles around, and around, and around as I kept building momentum for myself. Oden kept a cool eye on me as he stood in the center of the arena, ready to defend another attack. Everytime I attacked he would use his ability right before the point of impact but his powers were simple enough¨Che either pulled me in or blasted me back¡­But I felt he was hiding his trump card somewhere. Can¡¯t account for that now.. I gritted my teeth as I ran one final lap then jumped. I hurled my body towards Oden at maximum speed as I felt the entirety of the stadium floor lift up in my wake. A huge, flat floor of marble reaching all the way towards the sky flew up towards me and I blasted right through it. Oden repelled the giant marble pieces flying towards him as he himself leapt gracefully through the air. He seemingly repelled off of the ground as he dodged the cascade of falling marble boulders. I ran along the falling slabs of marble as my eyes hyper focused on him. A huge, falling shower of marble separated us as Oden kept retreating back.


    There was no space below me to run. We were hundreds of meters in the air, and Geon wasn¡¯t there for aerial support¡­. Ah, screw it. I kicked it up a notch and blasted into a full sprint. I ran upside down on the falling slab of marble as I felt my feet touch the giant, falling marble floor for impossibly short amounts of time. I ran through falling meteor showers, jumped across cracks forming in the falling slabs, and finally broke through¡­Oden¡¯s perfect face filled with shock as I leapt off of the giant marble floor¨Cshattering it completely. I closed the gap between us in an instant, and put on my best bloody, beaten, and bruised smile. Oden instinctively prepared to push me back as he held out his hands for one very last push. I clenched my teeth and felt my body buzz with lightning. Electrical red lighting adorned my body as knight-like armor, made from bolts of energy, coated my arms and legs. Electricity danced along my very nerves and I felt my body transcend. I had used this armor against Geon and it had worked¡­.. If this could work against Geon it had to work against this motherfucker¡­. I could see everything, anything, I felt so free. Everything around me froze as I took a good look at Oden¡¯s face. It was filled with something that could be described as a repressed panic. His eyes were hyper focused as he slowly started to put his hands together. I opened my eyes. In this form, my opponent¡¯s close future, their next immediate actions, were like my current present. I existed in a different plane of time¨CI was so fast that I skipped time. It was comparable to being a comic book character, and getting placed two panels ahead of the rest of the story. I could see all the possible actions Oden was going to take. Every single one played through my eyes as I saw multiple scenes of me and Oden¡¯s battle. I let out a little chuckle. ¡°You¡¯re a tough son of bitch.¡± I leapt over him and hit him square in the back with a punch as everything unfroze. Oden¡¯s blast hit nothing as my strike connected with his spine.


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    I heard a loud crunch as Oden was fired into the ground at incredible speeds. I flew towards the ground as I felt all the strength sap out of my body. That form of mine was a one time thing¨Cmy mind and body couldn¡¯t handle it. I hit the ground with a loud thud as I felt some of my ribs instantly crack on impact. I slid to a halt as a piece of cold rubble stopped me. I heard the shouts of Aurora in the distance as I started to close my eyes. I sighed. I miss when winning was easy¡­.now I have to kill myself to win¡­ I let out a painful laugh as I heard Aurora shout some more. I looked up and realized that Aurora wasn¡¯t in the distance¨Cshe was right here. I looked up at her as she tried to shake me awake. ¡°Savain! Savian! Hey, wake up! Lila¡¯s down and Geon is going crazy, we need you!¡± I got up and instantly felt a hard pang in my ribs. Aurora noticed and she cringed. ¡°Broken ribs, back, probably a torn something somewhere¡­How has your screen not shattered?¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Because I¡¯m like your little boyfriend, I somehow always find a way to not die.¡± She grabbed me and pulled me up.


    ¡°Shut up before I break another one of your ribs.¡± She dragged me across the battlefield as we saw Geon standing over two of the other Melville warriors.The idiot had taken out two people, and had fully finished one. Aurora smiled wildly as she rushed me and him towards Geon. ¡°GEON! YOU BEAUTIFUL IDIOT! YES! As far as we know it¡¯s a four on two! Yes! Yes! Ye¡ª¡°


    Geon¡¯s face filled with horror as he looked us in the eyes.


    ¡°GET BACK! GE¡ª¡° A huge roar erupted in my ears as an impossible amount of water erupted at my feet.

 Chapter 51: Into the Sea

    Evay Maver: Everything hurts. I couldn¡¯t see, I could barely hear, I couldn¡¯t move, and I felt large amounts of blood pool near my head. I tried to move my arms but they felt broken and my ribs were either broken or entirely gone¡ªI couldn¡¯t really tell. Why did Geon do that? I knew something was really, really, wrong. Geon was my friend¡­..he was my closest friend. Sure I pissed him off sometimes but he¡¯d never try and kill me. Even accounting for all of that, this was an official match. He wouldn¡¯t want to lose and purposely throw the match for any reason. My theory was that someone had taken control of his mind, or started to control him. I didn¡¯t know who was doing it or how they were doing it but if Geon were to go berserk on all of us¡­ I looked up to try and gain some information about the ongoing fight when a giant wall of water crashed down onto me. I felt the massive, cold, and heavy downpour crash into my body like a raging bull. I let out a muffled scream as I felt my body being tossed, turned, and thrown around like a rag doll in the midst of the unforgiving water. I gasped for air and clawed at the water in vain as I tried to open my eyes. Adrenaline and fear kicked in as my body screamed in pain. I sunk deeper and deeper and deeper until I finally felt my body give up. My mind screamed as I desperately tried to make my body move, but it physically couldn¡¯t. Move, move, move, mov¡ª


    I felt someone grab my hand as I was pulled up to the surface in an instant. Geon flew me over the water as he landed on a floating slab of marble. He looked at me and shook my shoulders violently. ¡°Geon¡ªGeon¡ªI¡­can¡¯t..breathe..¡± I felt my body start to give out as he kept shaking my shoulders.


    ¡°Are you good? Shit man, I screwed up¡­It wasn¡¯t me, that Jem dude can control people. My bad man, I didn¡¯t even know I was killing you¡­Lila¡ªLila¡¯s out. She can¡¯t heal you anymore so you¡¯re gonna have to tough it out.¡± My heart stopped as I heard the news about Lila. From the looks of it Geon had taken out one person, while we had lost one in return. The difference was that Savian looked about as bad as me, I was basically half dead, and Aurora seemed to be worse for wear as well. Oden and Aqua seemed to be extremely injured but the other two didn¡¯t have a scratch on them. However, the biggest advantage that they had was that the stadium was now entirely covered in water. A massive sea replaced the war-torn marble floor as small platforms of marble gave us all some footing. Aqua stepped onto the water as it supported his weight and lifted him up.


    ¡°Hey Geon, fuck you.¡±


    Geon whispered under his breath, ¡°Nice to see you again too, man.¡± Aqua put out his hand as a huge wall of water came crashing into us. Geon grabbed me while Aurora grabbed Savain and we all leapt off the platform into the water. Under Aqua¡¯s control, it was like the water was a giant monster which leapt at us with any chance it got.The water wrapped around us all as it began to throw us around like we were giant rag dolls. Geon let go of me and smashed through the water as he flew up to Aqua. He body slammed Aqua in the air as Crimson rushed towards him for backup. The water stopped trying to kill us as Aurora swam over to me and dragged both me and Savian onto another marble platform. She didn¡¯t even seem out of breath as she examined the battlefield. Geon soared across the sky, batting away fists of water and dodging firework missiles. She looked towards us as she stood up and prepared to head into battle.


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    ¡°Okay, you guys both aren¡¯t going to be much help right now but I think you¡¯re in slightly better condition, Savian. There¡¯s a path of marble platforms along the edge of the stadium, use those in order to support us. Geon can pull Aqua and Crimson down to the ground and then we can wreak havoc. Try to distract Crimson, we¡¯re gonna take out Aqua first. Evay, you need to regain your strength. You¡¯re our last option so stay alive, okay?¡± Savain stood up and hobbled towards the edge of the platform.


    I nodded and leaned up against a piece of rubble. Aurora looked at me and smiled, ¡°let''s win.¡±


    Aurora Maple: ¡°Geon, path to the left! Force them in!¡± Geon flew around Aqua and Crimson as he guided them into a corner¨Clike a sheepdog did with a herd of sheep. He blasted a giant column of water into steam as himself threw a giant wave of water at Aqua and Crimson. I jumped off a platform of water Geon had made and charged my fists with electricity. I twisted and flipped in midair and dodged a firework missile from Crimson as I punched down on the top of her head. Perfect. I called out to Savian, ¡°Savian now!¡± Her body was blasted into the ground as Savian promptly slammed her at super-speed before she even hit the water. I heard a giant crack as her body smashed into the stadium wall and dropped into the raging sea. I jumped onto another platform of water made by Geon and put all my strength into my legs. I jumped up high above Aqua and filled my right hand with a spear of electricity and smiled, ¡°Have fun water-boy.¡± I chucked the spear of lighting right at Aqua as it pierced through his chest. Geon caught the bolt of electricity and threw it at Aqua again as all of the water in the stadium¡ªas well as Aqua himself¡ªwere bombarded with electricity. His body spazzed and shuttered as he started to fade into unconsciousness. I landed softly on a marble platform as Geon got a hold of Aqua. He unleashed a brutal combination of strikes as he hit Aqua with a massive overhand punch which sent him flying off of his platform of water. He grabbed his face and smashed it into a giant marble platform. He threw two skull crushing punches to his jaw, a hook to his chin, and a powerful hook to his body. He led that into an uppercut to his chin and led that into a second hook onto the jaw. He kicked Aqua away and flew up into the air as he slammed his leg straight into Aqua¡¯s face. He grabbed and pulled him up as he began another onslaught.


    It was an onslaught of strikes so fast that a blur of punches and kicks mashed Aqua into a bloody pulp. Geon grabbed him by the hair and hit him with an explosive-blast right to the stomach. Aqua dropped to the floor as his body hit the cold marble surface and his liquor screen shattered. Geon looked at his seemingly lifeless body with cold eyes and a sadistic smile. ¡°Fuck you too man.¡± Savian appeared next to Evay, ¡°Aurora, the weird firework girl is done. There¡¯s only one left.¡± I nodded as Savain set Evay on the floor. I looked up at the final obstacle, Yudra. He sat on a piece of marble rubble with a smile on his face. He looked relaxed and happy, almost like a prince on a throne. Savian glared at him, ¡°He¡¯s smiling..¡± I nodded and beckoned both Savian and Geon to walk with me towards him.


    He let out a laugh as he stood up. ¡°Hmmm..you all did well, thank you, my friends.¡± He jumped down face first into the water with a care-free smile.


    ¡°Now I get to play.¡±

 Chapter 52: The Boy Wonder

    Aurora Maple: I didn¡¯t know anything about Yudra¡­.No matter where I looked, who I asked, or what I read it seemed like any information about him was either unconfirmed or just simply untrue. All the information I had about him were from rumors off of the street or simple word of mouth. Apparently he was the son or nephew of a very important military general and had been trained from birth in hand-to-hand combat. If the rumors were true, Yudra¡¯s martial arts skills and overall knowledge of hand-to-hand combat were on a different level from anybody else in this world. It was hard to believe that¡­..He was just a kid like us. He didn¡¯t look like anything special nor did he really give off an intimidating vibe like Geon or Savian. But every time I looked at him I felt an immense uneasiness come over me. Everything I had ever been taught to look for in an opponent, every feeling that had ever overcome me when facing off against an opponent, and every instinct for combat I had developed over the years seemed to be nonexistent or inapplicable to Yudra. But at the same time, he seemed so¡­.beatable. As he fell face first into the water all my senses told me to strike.


    So I did.


    ¡°Savian, Geon, go low!¡± They immediately dashed towards Yudra, attacking him from below while I leapt into the air, both arms laced with electric blue spears of lightning. Geon threw a kick right at Yudra¡¯s jaw while Savian chucked a red-lightning bolt right at Yudra¡¯s face. I hurled both of my electric spears with all my might and flipped backwards. Savain carried me out of the blast radius while Geon blasted into the sky. Yudra smiled right before the point of impact as he licked his lips and whispered softly into the water.


    ¡°Hey, Oden. One last push please.¡± Suddenly, Yudra was blasted right out of the explosion of death as his body was seemingly pulled to safety. Savian and my own lightning bolt combined together to form Lunar Lightning as a gigantic explosion of extreme violet light ensued around the stadium. I covered my eyes to avoid being blinded by the light as I flipped over and landed on a large marble platform. I regained my senses and opened my eyes only to find Yudra¡¯s terrifying grin loom over my face.


    ¡°Boo!¡± I launched an electric net right at his face and followed up with a gigantic explosion of lightning which launched my body back. I flipped back around only to see Yudra still right with me. I grit my teeth and laced my fists with lightning. I slid to a stop and threw a hard right cross to his face. Yudra grinned even wider and finally spoke, ¡°Yes, let''s dance.¡± I focused on transferring all my power as I twisted my hips and pivoted my back foot while timing the explosion of my lightning all perfectly. Then the next few milli-seconds were non-processable. I felt a swift strike on my chin, then body, and finally a hard strike to the chest which dropped me to the floor and stole all of my oxygen. I tried to sweep Yudra¡¯s leg but he swiftly jumped over it and kicked down on my face at the same time. I felt his kick hit my face with impossibly immense power. I felt my head hit the marble floor and the world went black for a second. I came to my senses and blasted myself off of the ground, far above Yudra. I chucked a giant spear of lightning at him but he jumped forward and dodged it before I could even react. He leapt up and grabbed my foot and slammed to the ground. I popped right back up to the ground and threw a high-kick right at his face.


    He dropped to the ground in an instant to go for a leg sweep but I reacted quickly and leapt over his leg¨Cbringing up my leg for one big axe-kick to his head. Yudra promptly pushed off of both hands and used both of his feet to kick me in the stomach. His strike connected and I keeled over with pain. He stood up and threw a left-jab to my stomach and another impossibly fast jab at my face. His fist connected with my chin and I felt the world go dark again but I regained my senses and¨C


    He kicked into another gear as he let his hands fly.


    Chin, hook, double¨Cjab, upper-cut, hook, uppercut, double hook, body, face, straight right to the chin, right hook, left hook, jab to the body, face, straight right to the body¡­ He aimed for a hook to the body as I weakly lowered my hands to protect my liver. He smiled and took advantage of the opening as he re-directed his hook to my chin. Straight right, another hook, uppercut, body, face, chin, left-right, left-right¡­His footwork, his head movement, the synchronization of his feet and hands, the twist of his hips, the slight nuances of every single movement that went into his strikes were absolutely perfect. His technique wasn¡¯t just extraordinary, it was actually flawless¡­.. He leapt up into the air and a clean roundhouse kick landed to my chin as I dropped to the ground. Geon came flying in at a sonic-speeds with a well-timed shoulder ram but Yudra did the unthinkable.He flipped over and dodged him. Savain came running across the water as he tried to run through Yudra. Yudra smiled and dropped down to the floor in an instant, sticking out his leg. Savian couldn¡¯t stop as he tripped over Yudra¡¯s leg and slammed his head onto the pavement. He skidded to a stop and tried his best to get up. Geon came flying in with a blast as Yudra simply dove straight through Geon¡¯s legs and hit him with a strong spinning-hook kick to the chin. Geon pulled his head back and narrowly dodged the strike as he closed the distance impossibly fast. He threw a powerful jab¨Caided by the power of the winds¨Cstraight at Yudra¡¯s head. Yudra slipped Geon¡¯s jab which created a crater behind him. Yudra threw a left hook so fast that it created a mini-sonic boom straight at Geon¡¯s jaw. Geon ducked it and went for a double-leg takedown on Yudra. Geon has the size and weight advantage¨Ceven if he¡¯s too tired to use his abilities correctly he¡¯s still Geon¡­He¡¯s good at hand-to-hand combat. Yudra launched a powerful knee at Geon¡¯s face but Geon simply shoved the strike aside with his hands. Yudra shifted his feet back and leaned forward on Geon while grabbing his neck¨Cnullifying his takedown. A perfect takedown defense. Geon shoved Yudra¡¯s hands aside and tried to encase him in marble. Yudra was far too fast as he danced around all of the giant, grasping marble hands grabbing at him as he found his way to Geon. Geon¡¯s face filled with frustration as he threw a back kick at the incoming Yudra. Yudra spun around the strike and appeared behind Geon, launching another one of his deadly left hooks. Geon ducked it again but Yudra was ready for that.


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    He hit Geon with an uppercut which promptly landed with a giant thud. Geon staggered back and covered up. He was dazed, he definitely didn''t have the strength or ability to properly use his abilities now. Geon¡­..Geon himself was dazed¡­.I¡¯d never seen it, even at this tournament he¡¯d been fine individually. Geon was Geon, he couldn¡¯t lose. I¡¯d never seen him hurt, or hit, or on the defensive¡­. But he was now. My body couldn¡¯t move and I realized why. Firstly, my liquor screen had shattered¡ªI was out. Secondly, my body was quite literally frozen¨CI think I was temporarily paralyzed. I looked at Savain who had regained his footing and consciousness. Almost all his energy had been sapped and he could barely move. Blood ran down his face and he looked like he had been barbecued. He had Oden in his grasp as he dragged him onto the pavement and promptly hit him with a strong right hand, which shattered his liquor screen. Savian smiled. He weakly got up and ran over to Geon. Yudra ducked under Savain¡¯s attack from behind as he simply spun around and hit him with a backfist. It connected with Savain¡¯s chin as he hit Savian with an axe-kick that sent him to the floor. He smiled, ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t catch you if I allow you to run.¡± Geon leapt to attack Yudra, but Yudra picked Savian up and threw him at Geon. Geon caught him and threw Savain right back at Yudra. Savain sprang into a hyper-speed combination of strikes. Yudra lowered his hands and grinned, ¡°watch this.¡± He weaved, ducked, and dodged all of Savian¡¯s speed-punches with impossible precision. I couldn¡¯t even see Savian¡¯s attacks but Yudra¡¯s head-movement triumphed over his strikes. How? Yudra wasn¡¯t as fast as Savian¨CSavain literally moved at superhuman speed. He was the fastest man in the world¡­.His reaction speed was quite literally next to none¡­.So how did this boy, who hadn¡¯t shown any extraordinary ability at all, dodged a series of inhumanly fast strikes. Yudra¡¯ countered Savian¡¯s last strike with an impossibly fast jab that spattered Savian¡¯s blood on the ground. Geon pushed Savain away to safety as he tried to hit Yudra. Savain slid under Geon''s legs, as he tried to hit Yudra from under, but everything was hopeless. Yudra slipped, dodged and weaved under all of their attacks as he re-directed Geon¡¯s strike and bumped him off his balance. Geon caught himself and threw a backfist into a leg-sweep. Yudra flipped backwards to dodge the backfist and the leg sweep and headbutted Savain. He promptly hit Savain with a bone-crushing strike to the solar plexus and palm-struck him in the face. Savain was thrown back and as his body hit the pavement, his liquor screen shattered. His body went limp as blood seeped out of his skull. Geon grit his teeth as he kicked it up a notch. He let his hands fly as Yudra dodged, slipped, or blocked his attacks. Geon threw a left hook which he turned into a feint. He threw one to the body which Yudra blocked and promptly countered with a hook to the face. Geon leaned back and Yudra threw a hard straight right at Geon. Geon blocked the punch with his front shoulder and threw a jab¨Cimbued with all his strength¨Cright at Yudra¡¯s face. Yudra¡¯s eyes went as wide as saucers as he barely dodged the jab. The force of the jab still hit Yudra straight in the face as he was blasted back at impossibly high speeds. He slammed into the marble wall and fell onto the ground with a giant gash of blood on his face. Geon could barely stand as Yudra got up and wiped the blood off his face. He smiled as if it was his wedding day and spoke with a sore voice. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve gotten hit with a jab¨Call my siblings can¡¯t even get close anymore.¡± He spoke with a soft tone and genuine gratefulness as Geon simply let out a defeated laugh. He gave Yudra a thumbs up and spoke one last time, ¡°I know¨CI¡¯m pretty good¡± Geon lost all consciousness as he dropped to the floor¨Call of his energy exhausted.


    Yudra turned to me, the only surviving member and gave me one of his signature grins. He sat back on one of the many rubble pieces scattered like small pebbles all through the arena. He let out a small laugh and spoke with modest confidence. ¡°They all fall eventually, with the power of just these two hands¡­..I¡¯ve taken down your friends with all their blessings and talents,¡± he grinned even wider. ¡°Bow before me, people of Taegan, lower your gaze.¡±

 Chapter 53: Burn it all Away

    Evay Maver: Shock. It was all that I was feeling after witnessing the massacre that had happened before me. Geon, Savian, and Aurora were some of the most skilled warriors in the world, and this kid had just soloed all of them. The craziest part however, was his technique¡­..I¡¯d been forced to watch hundreds of hours of Professor Vylen demonstrating proper technique for all kinds of hand-to-hand combat moves. At the time I had thought that no one on this Earth was better than him in terms of pure skill in hand-to-hand combat, but as I watched Yudra fight I realized how wrong I was. He wasn¡¯t just perfect, he was something more¡­.It was as if he had fully mastered the art of hand-to-hand combat¡­..even more than the symbols themselves. He stood up and marched towards me. I couldn¡¯t move a muscle as he crouched down and looked at me with a smile. ¡°Hey, I know you¡¯re hiding something. Let me see it, that other side of yours.¡± He kept grinning at me as I tried my hardest to get up and he let out a little laugh, ¡°you¡¯re really interesting, Evay Maver. How do you become so strong in just an instant? You¡¯re weak one moment and then overbearingly strong the next. What¡¯s your secret?¡± I grit my teeth and went for a desperate slap at his face. He simply pushed my hand aside and kept smiling. ¡°It¡¯s quite difficult isn¡¯t it? Your bones feel like they¡¯re all cracked and broken, your muscles feel like they¡¯re being torn from your bones, your head feels like it¡¯s going to explode, and your body screams for help every second it gets the chance. You see, I feel like you and I are pretty similar. We were both born into a world, where being special was the norm, and being normal was the exception. Right?¡±


    I spoke through gritted teeth, ¡°what are you trying to say?¡± For the first time in this fight, he stopped grinning.


    ¡°I have no liquor abilities. My abilities are simply my hand-to-hand combat skills which I have acquired throughout my life. I¡¯m fragile, weak, and can not summon dragons of fire, oceans of water, or manipulate space and minds. I only have these fists and legs to help me in this cruel world, and for some reason, I feel that you are similar to me. Someone who¡¯s nothing special, thrust into the life of someone that is supposed to be.¡±


    I clenched my teeth, ¡°yeah? What do you know about me?¡±


    But that sad truth was that he was right. He didn¡¯t know the full story, but he was piecing it all together. I wasn¡¯t anyone special, but I was chosen by someone that was¡­I was chosen by a literal god to be his vessel. I didn¡¯t deserve this, I didn¡¯t deserve any of this. But at the same time¡­ None of that really mattered.


    ¡°I¡¯m not into the past, I don¡¯t like it. It doesn¡¯t matter anymore and it will never matter in the future. I¡¯m not special, I will never be Evay, the great but I don''t really give a shit. I¡¯m here, and I¡¯m here now. Whether I deserve to be or not, all that matters is that I do something with all of this.¡± I felt a rush of power come over me as my hair turned into a brilliant and unnaturally bright-white color. My golden eyes pierced into Yudra¡¯s soul as beautiful white and golden robes adorned my body.


    Yudra smiled and instantly dashed back as I began to float into the air. The familiar confident, arrogant, and godly feeling seeped into my soul as a smile crept across my face. I heard Heim speak in the back of my head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it from here.¡±


    My words boomed over the stadium as a confident and regal voice¡ªmuch different from my own¡ªrang out into Yudra¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Lower your head mortal boy, don¡¯t you dare defy me.¡±


    Yudra smiled widely as he let out a booming laugh. ¡°YES! YES! I¡¯ve been waiting so long! There you are! Show me that power of yours!¡± He looked at me with a face filled with excitement and anticipation as he put his hands up. After everything that he had just done I should have felt afraid. That smile should have haunted my dreams, that laugh should have turned my blood to ice. If I lost right here, we would all be going home. I should have felt the pressure, the fear, the nerves¡­. But right now I felt nothing but disgust. This world, this air, this color, all of it felt so beneath me. It all felt like a cheap imitation of something else, something much greater¡­..Nothing in this world felt at all beautiful. The normally beautiful blue-crystal sky looked dull and bland, while the glistening sea surrounding us looked like a pud of muddy water. Finally Yudra, the most dangerous man I had ever met, looked like nothing more than a bug. I spoke in an eerily cold and merciless voice. ¡°Shut your mouth,¡± I flicked my fingers down and an immense downward force of gravity pinned Yudra to the ground. His smile disappeared and his face filled with struggle and panic as he grit his teeth and tensed his body in order to resist being crushed. I kept speaking, ¡°You dare challenge me? Do you have no shame? Perhaps I underestimated the rudeness of mankind. Perhaps it is because I am in this boy¡¯s body¡­I do not understand, however, how you expect to beat me?¡± Yudra let out groans of pain as he clenched his teeth and started to push himself up. ¡°You¡¯re right about most of the things you said about yourself, boy,¡± I flicked my fingers down again and the crushing force raining onto Yudra got even heavier, ¡°it¡¯s rude to ignore me when I am speaking.¡± Yudra let out a painful scream as I heard his bones break and crack. ¡°My goodness, floating is very uncomfortable. Pardon me.¡± The crushing force being put onto Yudra went away as I flicked my fingers again. A giant golden throne, the one that I had seen in my dream, appeared out of thin air and rested itself on the air. The crowd gasped as the inhumanly beautiful throne seemed to shine with immense golden glory. Most people covered their eyes and looked away in fear of being blinded and the throne itself seemed to suck the very color out of the air. I took a seat on the throne and let out a laugh. Yudra coughed up blood on all fours as he tried to get onto his feet. He got to his feet and started to hobble towards me.


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    I let out another laugh, ¡°you¡¯re fearless, I can respect that. You have made the most out of that pitiful life fate has given you. But I will say this one thing, boy,¡± I jumped down onto the floor and came face to face with Yudra, ¡°you will never be able to reach the level of the gods, no matter how much you dream or hope, you will always just be a mortal man. You will never be the strongest human in this world.¡± Yudra grit his teeth and flashed his eyes in anger as he threw a perfectly executed left hook. I smiled psychotically as I exploded into a brilliant flash of light and reappeared behind him. He reacted quickly as he threw a back kick at my solar plexus.


    I gently flicked his foot and smiled, ¡°very good.¡± His foot touched my finger and a flash of purple lightning and golden fire erupted as Yudra was blasted back. His blood spattered onto my robe and immediately vaporized. He landed with a thud and tried his best to get up. He grit his teeth and got to his feet only to come to the realization that his entire right leg was charred and gone. He grit his teeth and started to walk towards me. His entire leg was covered with purple symbols and markings, some images of cats, eagles, and lions, some images of golden spears, and some images of golden pots. Thick, runic, lines of text wrapped around his legs so that cursed, purple bands of death wrapped around his thighs and calves. I felt myself grin. ¡°That leg now belongs to me.¡± I flicked my fingers down and Yudra suddenly took an involuntary knee. He tried to get up but I flicked my finger again. His leg started to involuntarily spasm and pull his body towards the ground. Yudra clenched his teeth and desperately tried to crawl towards me. I felt myself let out a quiet laugh which progressively got louder, and louder, and louder, until I heard myself howling psychotically. ¡°Really? Really? Why do you humans still try? I mean, your will to win, survive, and succeed is so desperate. None of you will ever amount to anything by yourselves. Yet you still try, and try, and try to do something that you can never achieve. Why? Do you think you will become a fearsome warrior, boy? With your futile combat skills?¡± Yudra kept crawling and spoke through pain and gritted teeth.


    ¡°These hands just beat the very best of your warriors. I live and try because I can, I will, and I¡¯ll kill you too.¡± I kept on laughing as I dashed towards Yudra and kicked him in the face. He was slapped back all the way to the outer wall. I floated towards his body.


    ¡°Do you really believe that? You humans live and die so quickly. Do you think that you can become someone great in that little amount of time? Do you think you can become greater than us? You? There is no hope.¡± Yudra stood up, blood dripping down his clothes and pants.


    ¡°Yeah¨Cyeah,¡± he coughed up blood and fell onto the floor. ¡°You¡¯re¨Cyou¡¯re not some god. I don¡¯t care who you are. I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re still Evay, or someone else, but I don¡¯t care. Humans like me, my brothers and sisters, my parents, and friends have one thing in common¨Cwe can grow. You know nothing about me, about my birth, my expectations, my¨Cmy destiny. It¡¯s not fair¡­.nothing is fair. But I¡¯m grateful for what I do have. If I can get here, with nothing but my fists and the clothes on my back¡­.then I can do whatever I want.¡± He stood up and closed the distance between us in a flash. I smiled as he let his hands fly. This time, everything came in slow motion. I parried his left hook and slipped his cross and I ducked under his jab as I threw an uppercut. He pulled his head back to avoid it and I aimed a strong right at his chest. He shifted his body towards the left and spun around the strike. He aimed an elbow right at my face which I blocked. He spun back around with another elbow which I ducked. I immediately threw a left hook to the body which he blocked with his elbow. He threw a right-left hook combination which I parried and I immediately threw a strong left jab at his face. He slipped it and ducked under my second jab to his lowered head. I threw a knee which he immediately dodged and threw a jab so quick that even I¨Cin this form¨Ccouldn¡¯t react to it. I parried it with my shoulder and I threw a cross to his face. He ducked under the cross and I anticipated a body shot. He immediately crouched down on his left leg and threw an uppercut so fast that it seemed to tear the very air itself. I felt the uppercut land squarely on my chin and I stumbled back. His eyes went wide and he tried to follow up on his opportunity but his body seemed to give out on him. He fell to his knees and I gingerly touched my chin. It was hard to describe how I felt¡­..it was a mix of complex emotions but the best way to describe it was that I was confused.


    He hit me? A god, hit by a man? I looked at the boy, bruised and battered on the ground, and a wide smile crept across my face. I summoned my ivory and golden spear in my hand and walked towards the helpless Yudra. ¡°Boy, for your accomplishments and feats of strength you shall have a graceful defeat,¡± I summoned my spear and prepared to strike, ¡°maybe we have all underestimated the power of mankind, but perhaps I should be the only one¨Cout of all my brethren¨Cto realize that. I congratulate you.¡± I struck my spear down onto Yudra¡¯s shoulder and fully expected to hear his liquor screen shatter. But suddenly, my vision went dark. My bones all cracked in unison and my muscles screamed in pain as they seemed to burn away. A terrible and immense force of pain overcame my body as I dropped to the ground. Gold¡¯s Veil evaporated off of my body as I felt everything inside my body burn away. I let out a massive cough of blood that splattered onto the marble floor. I heard my liquor screen shatter and a massive shower of golden light exploded out of my body as my eyes, mouth, and ears filled with golden light. I heard Hiem speak in the back of my mind.


    ¡°Brace yourself.¡±


    An extremely loud and bright explosion of light erupted out of my body as I was consumed by the heat and energy of the blast. I heard the screams of the audience members as the protective barrier separating us and the crowd shattered. Giant marble boulders landed in the audience and crushed thousands of people. Massive splatters of blood appeared under the giant, flying boulders and men, women, and children were vaporized by the ensuing heat and energy. I closed my eyes and felt the golden explosion of light erupt into a massive blast. The stadium itself seemed to evaporate as the whole arena began to tear away. I used all of my remaining energy in order to put barriers on everyone currently on the battlefield, and I finally felt every fiber of my being shut down. I closed my eyes and everything went dark.

 Chapter 54: Till Death Do us Part

    Evay Maver:The first thing I saw when I woke up was a giant peacock staring down at me with its piercing, black eyes. I let out a little yelp and scurried away from the bird. It kept staring at me as I looked upon its beautiful and grand spread of feathers. The peacock looked exactly like all the other ones I had seen in nature¡ªexpect everything about it was just a hundred times better. The peacock was way bigger than any other normal peacock I had ever seen before, and it displayed a beautiful array of crystal black and shining golden feathers¡ªwith ivory white spots scattered throughout its plumage. Its claws seemed to be made of pure gold, while its beak seemed to be made of pure, black obsidian. I steadied my breath and took my gaze off of the peacock. Whenever I was, it definitely didn¡¯t seem to be anywhere on Earth¡­ I was in some kind of garden, surrounded by beautiful and lush grass. Tall and velvety purple flowers as well as vibrant blue lilies surrounded me. Perfectly trimmed bushes were scattered around me, and Ivory fountains containing perfectly clear, flowing water were scattered around the garden. The bases of the fountains were embedded with various precious ores¡ªsome of which probably didn¡¯t exist in the real world. The peacock came up to me and gave me a gentle nudge towards one of the fountains. I looked at its dark, crystal eyes and decided that it was best to do what it wanted me to do. I stood up and walked towards the fountain. I passed gentle ponds of perfectly blue water and strange little trees with different colored leaves and branches. I finally reached the fountain and peered into its crystal waters. I saw my reflection looking back at me and I instantly cringed. My hair was messy, ragged, and dirty, and cuts and bruises were scattered everywhere on my face. I looked like I had been pulled out of the grave and put into some type of magical garden by someone who got really sick of looking at me¡­


    The peacock made its way over to me and looked directly into my eyes. He lifted up his leg, pointed it at me, and then pointed towards the water. I looked at it with a confused stare and it seemed to roll its eyes at me. He shook his head and walked away as if he had something better to do. Did I just get mocked by a fancy chicken? I watched it walk off and looked towards the water. I think he wants me to do something with the water? I put my hand in the fountain and the perfectly cool water suddenly energized me. The water seemed to seep life into my very veins as all the soreness, pain, and fatigue in my body seemed to disappear. I dipped my whole hand in the water, then both of my hands, then I cupped the water and started to pour it onto my face. I drank the crisp, cool, water and dunked my head into the fountain. I wanted it all, I wanted more of the water. The magical fountain of water lured me in as I felt every single bit of pain, soreness, sickness, doubt, misery, and worry wash away in the water. Under the water everything seemed to just go away. All of my physical pain and suffering and anxiety disappeared as the loud and reckless world faded away under the surface. I could stay here, forever, I won¡¯t have to come up, I¡¯ll just stay here and things will be quiet, forever¡­ I felt my vision start to go blurry and my body start to go limp. Was I downing? Whatever, I don''t really care..I don¡¯t want to leave here¡­It¡¯s so nice here¡­Nothing will bother me again here..


    I felt a hand grab me by the shirt and pull me out of the water. I was tossed onto the soft grass as I landed with a thud. I instantly got to my feet and then fell immediately back onto my knees. I gasped for air as I coughed up immense amounts of water onto the grass. The sound of my immense panting drowned out the peaceful quietness of the garden as a man stretched out his hand. The familiar ivory robes and golden eyes gave away who he was in an instant. I looked at him with an incredulous gaze as a million different things ran through my head. ¡°Heim! What are you¡­why am I¡­what is all of this?¡±


    Heim laughed and brought me to my feet. ¡°Did you immerse yourself in my fountain?¡± I stopped sputtering questions and nodded in silence. He let out a loud, hearty laugh. ¡°You''re not the first moral to have done so. That fountain is called the Fountain of Youth. Yes, yes, yes¡­it is the same one you humans describe in your myths. This is the original fountain of youth. It does not make you younger per say, but it makes all your pains go away. It erases your physical pains and your emotional regrets. Perhaps you humans are right with your labels, I suppose erasing those things will make you younger¡ªthose things are what truly ages you humans after all. Anyways, many men have found it and drowned themselves in it, seeking to be cured of all their troubles.¡± I stared blankly at the fountain as more questions ran through my head. Hiem continued to speak. ¡°The fountain has a stronger effect on those who have suffered the greatest. The happiest man in your world could drink from that fountain, or bathe in it, and never lose himself. To him, that water would be the same as any other water that he has ever consumed. There has never been a human without pain or regret and so no human has ever been resistant to the effects of that fountain.¡±


    I kept staring blankly into the fountain as my expression, which was just as blank, stared back at me. I finally spoke, ¡°Heim. Do you believe in us?¡± The golden peacock, which had just tried to kill me, appeared next to Heim and nuzzled its head against his side. Heim smiled and affectionately pet the peacock as he talked to me.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a silly question, child. The fact that you and I are even talking at this moment is a sign that I do believe in you.¡± I replied quickly,


    ¡°Yeah but that¡¯s not my question. I asked if you believe in us, humanity.¡± He stopped petting the peacock and he summoned a bright, cherry-red fig out of thin air. He tossed the fig onto the grass and the peacock ran towards it.


    ¡°Humanity has always been a sore subject in the presence of all the symbols. It has always been our belief that we created you and for a long time that was your belief as well. But collectively we all realized something¨Cwe can not exist without you. All of us are symbols of the ideals you humans express and create. It therefore beckons the question, who is truly dependent on whom.¡± Heim sat down in the grass and I sat next to him, watching his golden peacock gently pinch at the fig sitting idly in the grass. ¡°Most of my brethren absolutely detest this topic of discussion since they can not seem to fathom being reliant on anything¨Cmuch less humanity. Listen closely, child, humanity is still far beneath the symbols. We are still in your eyes, gods. However, something that has been bothering us is that some of you are getting dangerously close in terms of strength.¡± I stared at him in confusion and spoke.


    ¡°Close? As in, close to the power of you? A symbol? Who? I don¡¯t know anyone who can come close to that¡­Whenever you take over in Gold¡¯s Veil you can beat almost anyone.¡± Hiem chuckled softly and replied in a clam and soothing voice.


    ¡°Yes, I find it amusing you named your transformation. I quite like it.¡± I blushed a little as I had never told anyone besides Geon that I called it Gold¡¯s Veil. It seemed a little childish, but I guess I had the approval of a symbol..


    ¡°To answer your questions, yes. There are two men of humanity that are dangerously close to being at the level of the gods. Varun Batara is the first one. You might be familiar with him, he is your leader after all.¡± I nodded. To be honest I wasn¡¯t sure if I was surprised or relieved. I knew that Emperor Batara was strong, but not that strong¡­.At least he was on our side though¡­that made me feel a little better.


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    ¡°Who¡¯s the second?¡± Heim wrinkled his nose.


    ¡°A thug and vermin who¡¯s name I didn¡¯t even bother to remember. I believe it was Teras of house something. Your leader might be a human who dares to try and reach the level of the gods, but I can excuse his behavior. He is a grand leader who displays his wealth and power through noble methods. This other man is rather¡­.detestable. A low vermin, a ¡°butcher,¡± as you humans say. I can¡¯t stand that creature.¡± I watched as he started to walk towards the edge of the garden. I got up and followed him.


    ¡°So do you hate humanity even more now? Since we have strong people?¡± After some thinking he replied.


    ¡°Humanity is not something that could bother us that deeply, however, I see something in humanity that the others do not. You are resilient and delusional to the point where your will to achieve your goals exceeds any other creature on this planet. Your ability to grow and improve also fascinates me. Symbols can not grow or improve their abilities. We are born a certain way and we stay that way forever, but not you humans.¡± He led me to the edge of the garden which rested above a vast blue expanse of sky. I instinctively stumbled back as my heart skipped a beat.


    ¡°Where are we? Are we in the air? Hiem¡­Heim! What happened to everyone¡­It¡¯s¨Cit¡¯s all starting to come back¡­The stadium¡­the people¡­.wait¡­..fuck, fuck, fuck¡­.wait..wait ! Those people¡­.I killed those people didn¡¯t I? I killed them. I killed..¡± I felt a sickness rise from the very bottom of my soul into my throat. I keeled over the edge of the floating garden-island and vomited into the deep-blue expanse. I felt panic and fear penetrate every fiber of my being as I began to shake. I was a murder. Children, women, men, old, young, all of them were squashed or burned alive that day. A stadium with over half a million people was¡­..gone. I killed them, I killed them, I killed them, I kill¨C


    ¡°Gather yourself boy,¡± Hiem¡¯s voice came out in an uncharacteristically commanding and assertive tone. The bright blue expanse began to fill with gray clouds and I heard thunder rumble in the distance as my body seemingly froze on instinct. He kept speaking.


    ¡°Your body could not handle anymore of my power. It outright rejected me being the host of your being due to the fact that my power was literally eating you alive. You see, blessings are¨Clike I said in the past¨Ca process where I transfer little fragments of my soul into your own body. Effectively, I am putting more and more of my being into you. However, this process is usually done between symbols, not humans and symbols. What we are doing has never been done before, there are bound to be some errors.¡± I snapped out of my frozen and fearful state as my blood ignited into a red-hot boil. I rose up and grabbed the collar of Hiem¡¯s robes.


    ¡°A FUCKING ERROR! AN ERROR! I KILLED HALF A MILLION PEOPLE AND YOU CALL THAT AN ERROR!¡± His eyes were unaffected by my rage and he kept staring into my soul with a clam, cool look. It made me even madder. ¡°I killed so many people¡­¡­You could have finished him..You could have killed Yudra with a flick of your wrist. Why didn¡¯t you¡­Why did you have to draw it out. You¡¯re a god right? Can¡¯t you tell! Can¡¯t you tell whenever I¡¯m about to spontaneously combust into a golden-fucking-explosion? HUH? CAN YOU, OH GREAT FUCKING SYMBOL!¡± Tears streamed down my eyes and my chest rose as my breathing raged out of control. He responded in a clam tone,


    ¡°I needed to test the limits of your body. Your body simply could not take the power of my soul and so it expelled it. All of my power contained within your body exploded out. It vaporized your own body and everything around it. Child, not only was that arena vaporized, almost everything in a sizable radius around it was as well.¡± All the rage and hate flooded out of my body as a feeling of heavy defeat and depression crept up into my body. I fell to my knees and tears streamed out of my eyes. Cries of pain exited my body as I slammed the ground with both of my fists. Why? I never wanted this. I never asked for this. How could I end up with this? I was a peasant, nothing more than a bug. How could I kill thousands of people?


    Hiem spoke again. ¡°As of now child, you are officially dead. Your body was instantly smited into dust. Your friends on the other hand, are worse for wear, but are alive. Your quick thinking at the end was enough to save them. But you are no more.¡± I looked up at him as my heart somehow sank even lower.


    ¡°I¡¯m¨CI¡¯m dead¡­I don¡¯t want to be dead¡­.Hiem¡­I¨CI don¡¯t want to die.¡± He looked at me with a mixture of pity and sadness.


    ¡°You are dead. There is nothing you can do about that unless you are willing to sacrifice something very important.¡± I listened closely. ¡°Your body has been vaporized. Right now, your soul is in the realm of the symbols, not many human souls get chosen to come here. Most go to the afterlife, only those with true pure souls, or a completely peaceful life can ever come here. Sometimes symbols themselves can cheat certain souls in¨Clike I have done with you. Right now you are not your physical self, but a manifestation of your soul. You can choose to stay with me in this realm forever, or you can go back to Earth on one condition.¡±


    ¡°What condition?¡±


    ¡°I told you before, how fragments of my soul have been inserted into your own body. While your body may have been vaporized, the fragments of my soul¨Cwhich were combined into your soul¨Care completely fine. Small fragment of this hybrid soul still lingers in the human world. If you wish, I can rebuild your body with that soul.¡± My heart somehow, again, sank even lower than before and I fearfully asked Hiem a dreadful question.


    ¡°If my soul is gone, and you rebuild me with those soul fragments I won¡¯t have a full soul. What will that do?¡± Heim sighed.


    ¡°When transferring souls from one figure to another, it isn¡¯t exactly how you think it will be. When my soul fragments enter your body it isn¡¯t mine or yours anymore¨Cit is our soul. That fragment of a soul I transferred into you is now a shared soul. A shared soul is extremely powerful as it holds the memories, emotions, and characteristics of both the soul giver and the soul bearer. Eventually, when the soul giver transfers all of his or her soul, that shared soul will consume the soul bearer¡¯s original soul. They will have one shared soul with all its power. This is what will happen to you if you go back, except that your shared soul will be fragmented. Furthermore, you will have no original soul for your shared soul to absorb. Therefore I do not clearly know what any of this will do to you. We¡¯re essentially building yourself a new soul. This is exactly why I tell you that going back is a risk. So, what will your choice be?¡± I looked out into the expanse. I would return as a killer, a murderer, and a loser. We had lost, my liquor screen had shattered before Yudra¡¯s. Was there even a point in me returning? At the same time I didn¡¯t want to die. I wanted to see everyone again. I wanted to be with them. But at the same time, if I went back right now nothing would change. I still wouldn¡¯t be able to use this power without exploding and I would just repeat this cycle all over again. I looked at Hiem and straightened myself up.


    ¡°Hiem, can I train myself? Can I train my body in order to better hold your power? I don¡¯t see how I could but I don¡¯t know, nothing really makes sense to me anymore.¡± He smiled and beckoned me back towards the inside of the garden.


    ¡°No, that is impossible, but when I reconstruct your body I can do you some favors.¡± He winked at me. I gulped and braced myself.


    ¡°Hiem!¡± He turned around and gave me a cool smile.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I want to go back to everyone.¡±


    He chuckled softly as his peacock came running to his side. ¡°Very well, child. I wish you well and remember,¡± he gave me a wink, ¡°do not forget who you are.¡± He stretched out his hand and tensed his body. I felt an immense force grip my soul and the world started to spin. Everything fell into darkness and reality itself twisted and turned as I struggled to perceive anything. Cold wind ripped away at my nonexistent body as I tumbled through existential darkness until I felt a cold rush enter into my body.


    I felt warm, soft sheets materialize beneath my body and I slowly opened my eyes. I was in the middle of a dorm room, my dorm room. I looked down at my body and almost let out a giant scream. Everything was slightly upgraded, not by much, but I had gone from a decently athletic looking kid to an athletic kid. My muscles were more toned, I looked more lean, and I had grown slightly taller. My body felt stronger¨Cit was as if a golden buzz was humming through me at all times. I felt the warm fuzzy blankets and fresh air hit my face. I was alive.

 Chapter 55: Class is--unfortunately--in Session

    Taran Brunner: Why are these trees so tall? I swung with all my might as I effortlessly cut through about twenty trees. I leapt into the air and skid to a stop as I blasted a channel of black lightning towards another set of trees. We were stationed in a thick forest filled with trees which were impossibly high. The thick, green canopy blocked out almost all sunlight and the cold forest soil didn¡¯t feel particularly pleasant to fall on¡­ On my first school tour of Eden I looked at all the training facilities, liquor technology, and resources available to students. It all seemed very impressive but I had no idea that this arena could do stuff like this. Being able to summon giant forests, portals to obstacle courses, and even entire oceans was far more than I ever thought any bit of liquor technology could do. At the same time however, I really hated some of the exercise courses Professor Vylen cooked up. ¡°Taran, on your left!¡± I heard Aurora shout in my direction as I immediately ducked out of instinct. The giant, gray claw of a huge stone ant soared above my head. I spun around and hit the ant right in the abdomen with the hilt of my sword. The ant went soaring back as I chucked my sword at its body. The blade went flying¡ªtrailed by a streaming channel of purple lightning¡ªright into the ant¡¯s head. The stone instantly vaporized as I called my sword back into my hand. A flock of ants¨Cmaybe twenty¨Cconverged onto me in one big cluster, flowing off the hillside like some sort of evil river. I took a deep breath and gathered all of the energy stored in my body. I felt the energy stored inside my body rise to the surface as I directed it all into the blade of my sword. I lifted it up into the air and braced myself. A huge torrent of power came crashing down onto the ground as the army of stone ants were instantly turned to dust. I strained my entire body and kept commanding energy to rain down onto the forest floor as more and more ants converged onto me. I watched as they charged and died in droves, killing themselves by running into the walls of dark lightning. I clenched my teeth as I strained my body even more. The seemingly endless supply of ants kept coming and coming and coming. Are all these things just trying to attack me? Am I like the ant-guru or something¡­


    My knees started to feel weak and my arms started to fail as I felt myself running out of energy. The ant barrage didn¡¯t stop, but my body started to collapse under strain. I cut my attack off and put all of my strength into my legs. I jumped far into the air and somersaulted onto a high hillside. I could hear a hoard of ants scurrying behind me as I immediately turned my back and slashed my sword in a wide, moon-shaped arc. A sickle-shaped blade of dark lightning went flying out of my blade and decapitated most of the ants, but the stragglers started to converge and charge towards me. A group of four scurried up the trees and separated themselves as they dove at me like some ant-torpedo. A group of three borrowed under the soil and another group of three went wide on a flank. Meanwhile the five ants at the head of the charge dove onto me, jaws open and claws primed. I grit my teeth and slammed my sword onto the ground. The burrowing ants were immediately vaporized as dark tendrils of energy pierced deep into the ground. The giant chunks of rock and dirt were smashed into the air as they flew into the other ants at immense speeds. I jumped into the air and slashed in wide, curling arcs, right through the necks of the ants. One by one huge stone ant-heads dropped to the ground as I landed back on the ground with both of my feet. I turned around and the flanking ants were already on me. These are the last ones right? I channeled all of my remaining stored energy into all parts of my body and tensed myself.


    A giant, knight-like coat of dark armor encased my body as I felt the entire world crumble at my feet. The ensuing energy that was fired into the air instantly vaporized the flanking ants, and I leapt high into the air in search of the remaining creatures. I spotted a group of ants all gathered around one glowing figure¡­ It was Aurora, and she was surrounded. I dove straight down into the crowd of ants surrounding her as a crater formed beneath my feet. Aurora saw me and she instantly leapt out of the crowd of ants. She seemed perfectly fine, no cuts, no injuries, no bruises. She seemed to have a lot of energy left and yet¡­.she was cornered. I saw tears in her eyes as she landed on a tall cliff of rock and dirt. I took my attention off of her and lifted my sword into the air. I slammed my sword into the ground and commanded all of my armor to fly off of my body and right into the ground. My armor gathered into a giant, dark, channel of lightning and danced along the blade of my sword as it traveled towards the earth. A resounding explosion echoed throughout the forest as all of my stored up energy passed through my sword right into the soil. I was blasted back from the force as giant, dark purple cracks spread through the floor of the forest. Giant trees were uprooted and thrown into the sky, while huge boulders were blasted through the air. All of the ants in the surrounding area were instantly vaporized as I tried to gain my footing in the air. Branch, branch, branch, I need a branch to land on¡­.


    I felt something crash into me and drag me through the air. My body instinctively tensed as I flailed and thrashed in the air. What the fuc¨C ¡°RELAX MAN! Hey, hey, hey it¡¯s me. It¡¯s Geon! Stop kicking, woah!¡± Geon barrel rolled around a giant tree branch as he flew me around the forest. I stopped kicking and flailing as I let out a big sigh.


    ¡°Thanks for the save,¡± Geon rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Oh thanks for saving me Geon! Oh thanks for lifting up that pile of rocks Geon! You''re so wonderful and awesome Geon, is more of what I was looking for, but I¡¯ll take it.¡± I sighed again as he lowered us both down onto a grassy hillside where everyone was gathered. Most of our class had made it, including Lila, Aurora, Nila, Mena, and Deven. They all looked a little beat up but for the most part everyone seemed ok. Some of the kids were probably knocked out in the forest, but Professor Vylen almost always retrieved them so I assumed it would be ok. But one person wasn¡¯t here. Evay¡­.


    Everyone at the school was shocked to hear what had happened to him, and our classmates were even more shocked. I was never that close to Evay, especially since I almost killed him on opening day.  But I saw him almost everyday. He was here, I heard him, I talked to him, I even exchanged notes and supplies with him. He was a good kid, he was dedicated and relentless in battle. But he was dead¡­.He was really dead. I had heard about people dying in tournaments but I never expected one of us to die. It wasn¡¯t even the fact that he was dead¨Cit was the mystery and conflict surrounding it. Aurora started to count heads as she examined our surroundings. ¡°Hmmmm¡­.alright. Wow, only this many made it back. It''s ok, good work guys, the portal should open now.¡± A giant portal with a stone frame opened up as Professor Vylen stood on the other side¨Carms crossed and blank faced like always. Aurora went through the portal first and we all went in after her. I landed back on the marble stadium floor of the arena and instantly felt the tiredness hit my body. Nila and Deven fell onto their backs and let out groans of pain. Professor Vylen marked some things down on his clipboard and spoke. ¡°Good, things are going to get hard from here. This exercise is the first one that most people do not pass. The fact that you all passed this exercise means that you are well prepared for the future. Go on and get some rest, we will meet again tomorrow. We slowly walked out of the arena and into the locker rooms. As I followed Geon and Deven to the lockers I took a good look at Aurora¡¯s face. She looked fine now, almost as if nothing had happened. Her eyes were still sharp and her facial expressions revealed nothing. She was pretty vocal throughout the whole exercise and saved me a couple times, but I could sense something was wrong. When she was surrounded by the ants it was almost like she had given up. She was cornered and alone but the Aurora that I knew would have easily gotten herself out of that situation. I mean, when I arrived she literally did. It was more of the fact that when she was alone, she could show her true emotions.


    Hence why she had tears in her eyes.


    Evay meant a lot to her¨Cat least I¡¯m pretty sure he did. I don¡¯t know much about feelings, or girls but I think that they had liked each other. She was there with him when he died and she was almost killed herself. I felt sorry for her and Lila, and Geon as well. Geon seemed to be taking everything a lot better than both of the girls though. Maybe it was because he was an idiot, or maybe it was because he was just really good at hiding his feelings. He was crowned the Ace Warrior¡ªor number one individual warrior¡ªof the Youth Championships, and not without lots of controversy either. I saw the papers and the results. The statistics backed him up but it was true that he didn¡¯t win the whole thing. Well, no one won the whole thing. Geon tossed his shirt into his locker and took a whiff out of one of his socks. He gagged and threw the sock back into the locker. Deven picked out a clean, white shirt from his extremely organized and well kept pile of clothes inside his locker. I opened my own locker which definitely looked a little more like Geon¡¯s than Deven¡¯s, and picked out a fresh black shirt. Deven passed by Geon¡¯s locker and almost fainted. He pinched his nose. ¡°Geon, you have to clean that out sometime,¡± he placed his folded up, dirty clothes into the laundry basket. Geon had one of his socks on, one leg half way into his pants, and was desperately trying to pull a gray shirt over his head.


    ¡°I will someday. Listen, I¡¯ve been away for a while ok? You can¡¯t blame me here, oh shit,¡± all of Geon¡¯s clothes fell onto the floor and a couple of old sandwiches and books fell onto the floor. I gingerly picked up one of his yellow-stained packets.


    ¡°This is last month¡¯s mathematics homework, it was worth like a hundred points. Why is this here?¡± Deven picked up another packet and held it far from his face.


    ¡°This is¡­..I think this ecology homework¡­yeah it is! This is due tomorrow, how did it get so yellow already?¡± He plopped it back on to the ground as Geon shoved all his clothes back into the locker. I shoved him aside and looked inside his locker. I saw a bright colored book and a giant smirk fell across my face. I pulled the book out of his locker and his eyes went wide. He reached for my hands but I jumped back. Immense concern fell across his face as he tried to grab the book from me. I summoned my sword and pointed it at him while I held the book up.


    ¡°Hey Geon, I didn¡¯t know you read this type of stuff,¡± I held the adult magazine up in the air as Geon tried to make his way towards me. Deven took one look at it and burst out into laughter.


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    Deven spoke with a visible smirk on his face, ¡°is that what you were doing in the bathroom Geon. Geez, they really drew those naked girls well.¡± Geon flew above my sword and snatched the magazine out of my hands.


    ¡°I had it in here because¡­uh¡­.it was a gift? I don¡¯t know man, some kid I met in the bars gave it to me. What was I supposed to do?¡± Deven replied quickly.


    ¡°Maybe not bring it to training.¡± I chuckled and Geon rolled his eyes. I spoke with a cunning tone.


    ¡°What would Lila say about this, huh?¡± Geon looked at me with immense panic.


    ¡°Don¡¯t! Don¡¯t! This was before¡­Come on, please. Listen, I''ll do anything! What do you want! Money, food, I¡¯ll give you a free foot massage or something, I don¡¯t know!¡± Deven started laughing again as he started to make his way out of the locker room. I smirked.


    ¡°Nah, I won¡¯t tell. Think about this as payment for saving me today.¡± He sighed in relief. We both followed Deven out of the locker room as we ventured out into the rest of campus. It was Friday, and the weekend was fast approaching. The pinkish evening sky rose about the school grounds as the student bars and concession stands were bustling with people. Deven spoke up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get a drink or two, it¡¯s been a long week.¡± Geon nodded in agreement and I did the same. We didn¡¯t really bring anything about Evay or the tournament up, but I could hear the whispers around us. At this point I was used to it, but it was a lot worse whenever I was with Geon. Normally it was because of all the annoying girls from all grade levels¨Cwhich was the disturbing part¨Cfawning over him literally every second of the day. But today, it wasn¡¯t admiration I was hearing, but sorrow and shock.


    ¡°Did you hear what happened,¡±


    ¡°Did he really die?,¡±


    ¡°Is that really him? I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be out and about so soon¡­¡±


    He ignored all of the chatter and just moved on. We pushed through the doors and went into the bar. The lively and bustling atmosphere of the bar always soothed me as the usual crowds of people crowded around the pool table, huddled next to each other to play darts, or sat at the bar waiting for their drinks. The bar never sold any alcohol but Geon always told me that some kid would spike the taps with alcohol to try and give everyone a good time¡­ The bartender was a small, old man who always seemed to be in a good mood. He saw us and gave us a big smile, ¡°Hey Geon, Deven, Taran! Haven¡¯t seen you in ages!¡± Geon gave him a wave, Deven gave him a nice smile, and I gave him a nod.


    ¡°Hey, Lenny. Three honey beers please.¡± He nodded and got us our drinks quickly. We took them and sat down in the sofa section, where we had some sort of privacy. Geon was normally right in the middle of the hectic party crowd, but today he seemed a lot more reserved. Maybe it was because of the recents events in his life, maybe it was because he was just tired, maybe it was all of that. Nevertheless he guzzled down his honey beer in an instant and looked leaned back in his chair.


    Geon spoke with a slight groan in voice, ¡°Man, I¡¯m really tired.¡± Deven laughed softly.


    ¡°Yeah, it would be weird if you weren¡¯t. By the way Geon you did good man, I think everyone was pretty proud¨Cof all of you guys.¡± I couldn¡¯t see Geon¡¯s face, as he was leaning back in his chair, but I could tell he appreciated Deven¡¯s comment. He let out another big sigh and smiled.


    ¡°Thanks man.¡± Deven took a sip of his drink and smiled.


    ¡°While you were gone we¡¯ve all been leveling up. You saw us today¨CTaran practically cleared-house all by himself,¡± Geon smiled and chuckled softly.


    ¡°Yeah, you guys got a lot stronger. Maybe the girls will finally notice you.¡± Deven chucked a dart at Geon¡¯s forehead, but a gust of wind blasted it away right into the middle of a dart board. Deven smiled.


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re just as good as ever, Ace Warrior.¡± He stared blankly at his glass of honey beer.


    ¡°Do you think that they¡¯re alright, Lila and Aurora I mean. Without Evay around I haven¡¯t talked to them a whole lot.¡± Deven¡¯s smile faded as he looked down at his feet. I put my glass down and tried my best to look Geon in the eye.


    ¡°They¡¯re probably doing about as good as you. I don¡¯t really think they¡¯re the type of people to let anything shut them down. They¡¯re strong.¡± Geon nodded and stretched.


    ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been thinking. Imagine what things would be like, if no one had any liquor abilities at all. What if we were all like the farmers that live in the hills and forests. Do you think we would all still have met like this? Do you think that Evay would still be here?¡± All of us stared blankly at the glistening glass of honey beer placed in the middle of our oak table. The joyful and vibrant chatter of happy students faded into the distance as none of us said a word. Geon broke the silence. ¡°Maybe things would be ... .better. Maybe it would be worse, maybe nothing would make sense, but for all I know, if the world was like that, Evay would still be with us today.¡± Deven didn¡¯t argue, and I didn¡¯t try to either. Geon grabbed his beer glass and continued speaking. ¡°I know saying that is wrong. I know I¡¯m not thinking like a warrior, or a fighter, or a noble. I know that that¡¯s not what we¡¯re all supposed to think. But honestly, I don¡¯t really care,¡± his extremely cold and terrifyingly calm gaze child the air around us, ¡°because who really gives a shit about all of that. Maybe we are all trying to become warriors, nobles, and leaders, but I like you guys. Friends mean something to me and I¡¯ve just lost a pretty good one.¡± His grip tightened, and tightened, and tightened until cracks began to form in his glass. Deven finally spoke.


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong.¡± Geon immediately relaxed a little, and his cold gaze softened slightly. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s too much to ask¨Ckeeping your friends alive, I mean. From now on, I feel like we should keep that as a priority.¡± I nodded and Geon did as well. I heard an eerie sound coming from under the sofas and immediately turned around to check it out. I let out a slight yelp as Millen appeared behind me. Millen was always sort of a weird guy. He was nice, but also looked like he was constantly being doused in liquid darkness. His pale skin and sunken face, as well as his matted black hair, gave me the impression that he had a dangerous obsession with the dark¨Cand with not sleeping. He was able to use shadow transport¨Cwhich meant he could hop in between shadows in order to travel. He had a habit of appearing out of nowhere¨Cwhich always gave someone a good scare.


    Millen laughed in his usual dark, raspy voice. ¡°Sorry Taran.¡± Deven smiled,


    ¡°what¡¯s up Millen?¡±


    ¡°Not too much, everyone else should be here soon.¡± As he said that Lila, Mena, Nila, and Melissa walked through the door. I felt myself instantly start to panic as I desperately tried to smooth out my clothes and comb my hair. When did Mena decide to show up¡­ I was never good at talking to people and I was even worse at talking to girls. I really liked Mena a lot, but I could never bring myself to approach her. She was the exact opposite of me in many ways. She had a bubbly, outgoing, and charming personality and was constantly surrounded by friends and loved ones. Everyone had generally positive opinions about her and she was extremely pretty¡ªto me at least. Her long, waist length blonde hair accompanied her bright, crystal blue eyes, and her soft, pearly white skin. I always found it extremely ironic that her powers were related to ice, since she wasn¡¯t a very cold person, but her skills on the battlefield were always impressive. Maybe I was a little biased, but in my opinion, she could give Aurora a run for her money¡­


    They came over to us and Mena gave a little wave, ¡°high guys.¡± They took one of the big sofas for themselves and brought over some snacks and more honey beers. Lila went over to Geon and slumped into his arms. Melissa emptied a huge pile of notes and packets onto the table as she handed Mena a pile of note cards. Deven let out a little laugh, ¡°are you still studying for the medical exams.¡± Melissa nodded and fumbled through her endless pile of papers.


    ¡°I have a test tomorrow and need to study a little bit before. I think most of the stuff we learned should be common sense, but can¡¯t ever be too sure.¡± Geon picked up one of the papers and took a good look at it.


    ¡°As an oligo¨Coli¨Coligosaccharide enters into a¡­.eukary¨Ceu¨Ceukaryotic cell it does¡­.Melissa what does any of this mean?¡± Mena chuckled a little bit and Melissa smiled.


    ¡°It¡¯s not too hard to understand, oh wait, no that one''s pretty difficult.¡± Mena took a look at the paper.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not too sure if you guys learn this much about medical stuff in classes but you should¡¯ve learned this in biology, right?¡± Geon shook his head and Lila chuckled.


    ¡°Do you really expect him to? I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s even opened up the class text book.¡± Everyone chuckled a little bit and Geon rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Yeah he can barely read, right Geon?¡± Deven winked and Melissa laughed.


    Geon rolled his eyes again as he caught a menu item from Nila. Her eyes suddenly went wide as she looked at Geon with a devious smile.


    ¡°Hey Geon, look at the bottom.¡± Geon¡¯s eyes slowly made their way to the bottom of the page and they lit up like a fireworks show.


    ¡°FREE¡ªFREE WINGS! Nila! Is this today?¡± She nodded.


    ¡°All we have to do is win at darts today, the competition starts in five minutes. We need to sign up! Now!¡± They both darted towards the table, jumping, hurdling, and sliding under couches and chairs. I saw them both try and locate the darts table like numbskulls until they finally saw the giant, red sign saying DARTS, above a corner. It¡¯s like they shared one brain cell at all times¡­ Lila sighed and Deven chuckled a little while looking at Nila. He was always pretty serious and cynical, but he had a good sense of humor as well. He seemed to be happiest when hanging out with Nila though¡ªwhich had to mean something. Nila was usually super sleepy or uninterested in whatever we were doing, but when she got excited, she got super excited. It was really dangerous when she got excited too, because all of her abilities were related to her emotions. No one really knew the entirety of what she could do, but generally things exploded when she got excited, things lit on fire when she got angry, things started to freeze when she got sad, and the ground started shaking when she felt fear or panic. Then there was always the chance that something absolutely random would happen¡ªlike the time when she blasted Geon into a toilet stall after he tried to scare her on purpose. The championship squad had suffered a lot of emotional and physical damage, and the rest of us who remained at Eden were trying our best to cheer them up. Even people that had never talked to Aurora, Lila, and Geon were giving them genuine words of comfort. Savian on the other hand, was more of a mystery. He wasn¡¯t in our class, which made it way harder to see him or check up on him. From all I knew he wasn¡¯t even in Eden, but away on some type of trip or mission. I asked Geon about him and his words about Savain were surprisingly positive¡ªat least compared to before the championships. It seemed that those two had grown closer and weren¡¯t mortal enemies anymore¡ªalthough that wasn¡¯t a huge accomplishment all things considered, it was for them. But even if we were all trying our hardest¡ªit was hard to ignore everything that was going on. All the drama, all the tragedy, and all of the world conflict sparked from that day of the tournament were bearing down on everybody. It was hard to ignore all of the negative attention and for Geon, Lila, Aurora, and Savain, the world had just turned upside down in one single day. But even with all of that, with everything that had happened, everyone really only fixated on one thing. Because no matter how conflicted the world got, no matter what anybody said about any of us, nothing hurt more than one simple fact.


    The fact that Evay Maver was dead.

 Chapter 56: Always by your Side

    Evay Maver: Huh. My legs look really different than before. I looked into the mirror and saw a much more upgraded version of myself looking back at me. My face looked pretty much the same as before, but my body looked a lot better. My muscles looked much more toned and visible, my scars and little imperfections were now no more, and I looked slightly taller.


    I also had a strange golden tattoo on the side of my neck. The tattoo looked to be some type of symbol, specifically, two spears with an ivory ribbon wrapping around them both. I gingerly touched the tattoo as I looked down at my newly upgraded arms. Everything felt much stronger. I could move my body much easier than before and the whole world seemed to just move slower. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.


    ¡°Heim, did everything work?¡±


    I heard a little chuckle go off in my head, ¡°Yes, I took some liberties with your appearance. I couldn¡¯t make you too handsome.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°What changed? Did you do anything major?¡±


    Heim went silent for a little bit before speaking, ¡°Not much changed with your body at all. I merely strengthened your body in order to make it compatible with my abilities¡ªI didn¡¯t add or remove any important functions. However, you may have noticed that some of your physical abilities have been upgraded. Your eyesight, perception, dexterity, your hearing, sense of smell, and sense of touch¨Cas well as your sense of taste¨Cwere all improved beyond human capabilities by me. Your strength is also now far greater than before, and so is your overall durability. This was all necessary for the future, however, it might take some time getting used to.¡±


    I stared blankly at myself in the mirror. ¡°What about this whole soul situation?¡±


    Heim sighed, ¡°Nothing will feel different, but more and more of my soul is being transferred into you¡ªI¡¯m essentially building a new soul for you using my soul as the building material. I hope that I can somehow recreate the strength of a shared soul through this process¡ªbut things are still murky.That combined with your new, stronger body, will let you use my power far more frequently and intensely than before. Do not overdo yourself child, even with all of this you can still suffer the same fate as you did before.¡±


    I nodded at myself¡ªwhich felt kind of weird. ¡°So I¡¯m stronger now?¡±


    Heim laughed. ¡°Yes, and you might want to pay attention, someone is walking in.¡±


    I listened in and heard footsteps, loud and clear, walking across the pavement outside of my dorm. I could tell how far away the footsteps were coming from and could even hear the breathing and the heartbeat of the person as well. Heim was right¨Call of my senses were turned up to one-hundred. I heard the footsteps come closer, and closer, and closer until they stopped in front of the dorm door. The person swung the door open and started to walk up to my room. Then my new sense of smell kicked in. The person was female, which I could somehow tell from the smell, and she gave off a very familiar cinnamon scent. Aurora. The door to my room swung open as Aurora walked in with a pile of books and some quills. A couple of the books on the very top of her pile toppled over and dropped to the ground. She sighed and knelt down to pick them up. She looked extremely tired and worn down, and her eyes carried an extreme emptiness inside them. Her hair was a mess, her clothes were wrinkled, and her eyes had big bags under them. It looked like she had been the one that just came back from the dead, and she was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn¡¯t even notice me standing there. I knelt down and handed her a book. She looked at me and took the book without hesitation. ¡°Thanks Evay, I shouldn¡¯t have taken these with me all at once. But I have to study for classes¡ª¡° her eyes went wide and she completely froze. She dropped all of her quills and books as she stared into my eyes. I smiled.


    ¡°Hey sparky, I¡¯m ba¡ª¡° she lunged at me and hit me with a bone crushing tackle and or hug. I let out a painful laugh. ¡°Sur¡ªsurprise.¡± She didn¡¯t say anything for a long while until she finally spoke after what seemed like an eternity.


    ¡°You¡ªyou liar. Liar, liar, liar, liar!¡± She sobbed and cried as she spoke in an extremely uncharacteristically spastic way. ¡°Liar! You¡­.you..¡± I gave her a hug and whispered into her ear,


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    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Aurora, you can call me a liar for the rest of time if you¡¯d like¡ªI don¡¯t mind. But I hope you let me stay, please?¡± She kept sobbing and crying but she managed to formulate some words.


    ¡°Yeah, you can. Welcome back, Goldilocks.¡±


    Savain Yelenta: ¡°Geez, you always overdo it! I¡¯ve never seen you hurt before, it¡¯s always me. Looks like the tables have turned.¡± Emmy gloated at me while wrapping bandages around my ankles and calves. ¡°So even you weren¡¯t tough enough to withstand that tournament, huh? Well it¡¯s alright, you gave it your best shot right? At least you didn¡¯t¡ª¡° she stopped herself. ¡°Sorry Savie, I don¡¯t want to remind you of anything.¡± She finished taping my left ankle and I reached across the table to grab some chocolates for her.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, me and Evay weren¡¯t that close but it still kind of¡­what¡¯s the right word,¡± I tossed a chocolate perfectly into Emmy¡¯s mouth.


    She gave me a comforting smile. ¡°Hurt? Confused? Strange even? You didn¡¯t know him too well but he was still your friend. You can have friends that you aren¡¯t too close with, I¡¯m not your only friend you know¡­unless I am. That¡¯s more of a you-problem though.¡± I chuckled and she shook her head. ¡°Are you going back to school this week?¡± I nodded and tried to stand up. My legs immediately gave out on me and my body creaked and ached from the pain. Emmy caught my arm. ¡°Don¡¯t! Sit for a while, okay?¡± I nodded weakly and spoke.


    ¡°We have a long stretch of classes left and I need to get some stuff sorted out. You heard about the news right?¡± Emmy nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, you mean the nations meeting? Are they really considering war? I mean, what is it all about.¡± I sighed and tried my best to speak.


    ¡°When Evay died, it was due to an extremely powerful explosion which went off in the middle of the arena. That explosion was powerful enough to kill half a million spectators, blow away an arena the size of a small city, and disintegrate everything in a 800 kilometer radius around the stadium as well. That kind of power can¡¯t be from anything other than an enemy nation attack¡ªis what the host country of the tournament, Evian, is saying. I personally don¡¯t agree with their statement. I was pretty much fully unconscious when it happened but I think the attack has something to do with Evay.¡± Emmy¡¯s eyebrows furrowed.


    ¡°How come?¡±


    ¡°Well, how did an enemy attack leave me and every other person actually fighting in the arena alive? If an enemy were to attack wouldn¡¯t they want to kill the actual warriors in an arena? I know Evay can put barriers around people, which is how I presume we were saved, but then how come Evay didn¡¯t live? He can put barriers on himself, why didn¡¯t he save himself too? It doesn¡¯t add up, Evay has shown to lose control before and I think that the explosion was his doing.¡± Emmy nodded a little bit before speaking.


    ¡°But Evay can do¡­that?¡± I grabbed a glass of water and stared blankly into it.


    ¡°That¡¯s the only thing that bothers me. There¡¯s no way that Evay, no matter how out of control he got, could ever accidentally do something like that. But still, I think it¡¯s more believable than an enemy attack.¡± Emmy nodded.


    ¡°Why are you needed at the nations meeting? What even is that anyway? You never answered me.¡± I laughed.


    ¡°Yeah, sorry. It¡¯s a meeting between the Queen of Evian, the King of Mevillime, and our own Emperor. Some other allied nations will be there but it¡¯s mostly an attempt at investigation and negotiation¡ªwhich should lessen the likelihood of a war, and also ease tensions. They¡¯re also going to try and get to the bottom of who or what caused the explosion.¡± I drank my glass of water and Emmy took it from me.


    ¡°Hmmm, I see. Why do you need to be there?¡± I laughed.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s to show that the victims of the incident are being fairly represented, which isn¡¯t really all that true since I won¡¯t even be allowed to speak at the meeting. But it¡¯s just a formality, and I¡¯d probably be more suited for this kind of stuff compared to any of the others¡ªwhich is why I was selected specifically to go.¡± Emmy handed me another glass of water which I guzzled down.


    ¡°So you¡¯re not going to be back for a while, right?¡± I smiled and flicked her forehead.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back before you can say run.¡± She smiled and helped me to the door.


    ¡°Listen, no running, no jumping, no fighting, and absolutely no training. Now go! Don¡¯t skip class and be safe!¡± I smiled.


    ¡°You sound like a mom,¡± she rolled her eyes. I looked into the sky and searched closely. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a figure soaring across the clouds. There you are. Geon hovered over the ground above Emmy¡¯s house and landed with a soft thud. He gave me a devious smile.


    ¡°The god of speed and transport needs me to carry him to school! I wish I had some paint and a canvas, I¡¯d love to paint this whole scenario and immortalize it forever. So, do you want to do this by piggyback style or by princess carry? Probably princess carry, right? Because you''re a soft, pretty boy princess?¡± I looked at Emmy and she stifled a laugh.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m dropping out. I¡¯m staying with you Emmy.¡± Geon laughed and Emmy did as well.


    ¡°Savie, go on. I won¡¯t make fun of you or anything.¡±


    I spoke with a tinge of annoyance, ¡°what do you mean go on! It¡¯s not like we¡¯re gonna kiss, hey! Stop! Put your brushes away.¡± Geon put his arm around me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll grab your shoulders. Thanks for looking after him Emmy, I¡¯m gonna borrow him for a while.¡± Emmy smiled and nodded. I gave her one last smile and she waved goodbye.


    ¡°Bye Savie!¡± I waved as Geon took us up into the air. Once we were up high enough Geon smiled.


    ¡°Savie, huh? Maybe I should call you that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll slit your throat if you do,¡± Geon laughed.


    ¡°Whatever you say, Savie.¡± I tried to punch him but my arms couldn¡¯t reach his face. He let out a little laugh.


    ¡°You¡¯re a pretty good guy, you know. Emmy seems to be really happy, good for you man. Maybe you weren¡¯t such a tool after all.¡± I stared blankly ahead as we approached Eden¡¯s campus.


    If only I was as pure as her¡­..If only you knew anything.

 Chapter 57: The Beginning of the End

    Evay Maver: ¡°Um, hey guys.¡± Professor Vylen¡¯s eyes went wide, Taran dropped his sword, Mena put her hands over her mouth, Deven stared at me like I was a ghost (which in all fairness I technically was), and Lila bolted towards me and gave me a bone-crushing hug.


    I opened my mouth to speak, but Lila got her words out faster. ¡°It¡¯s ok, I believe whatever you have to say. I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re back.¡± I felt myself get a little emotional and I tried to stop myself from crying.


    Lila was always so good at understanding people. I¡¯d been thinking of what to say, how to act, and how to present myself when I reunited with everyone. It was stressful and difficult but Lila didn¡¯t feel the need for an explanation¡ªshe was just glad I was back.


    ¡°Thanks Lila, really.¡± She laughed softly and let go of me. Deven spoke with an astonished expression.


    ¡°You¡¯re, you¡¯re here, Evay. What¡ªwhat happened?¡± Professor Vylen¡¯s eyes went wide and he teleported next to me.


    ¡°As much as you all missed Mr.Maver, I am afraid we have some business to attend to.¡± I looked at him with confusion.


    ¡°What business sir?¡± Professor Vylen pointed at Aurora.


    ¡°Run the usual, class ends at noon, don¡¯t forget to give out assignments,¡± Aurora nodded. ¡°Evay, we¡¯re going to bring you to the Emperor, he needs to know that you¡¯re alive.¡±


    Savian Yelenta: The large, white marble dome contained one single mahogany wood table which sat directly in the center of the floor. The dome above was made of glass and the whole room was surrounded by individual seats which wrapped around the entire building. The spectator seats were filled with various world leaders¡ªall of whom were softly whispering to each other and exchanging hand shakes or laughs. The sheer presence which occupied the room made my nerves tingle. The most powerful people from all over the world were sitting right here in this room, and I was going to be in the middle of them all. I walked over to the center table and took my seat. At the head of the table sat the queen of Evian, Her Majesty Queen Leila, of house Regalis. The Regalis family had been in power in Evian for nearly its entire existence. The nation was nearly 1,000 years old and held more than 55 million people. Historically, they prided themselves on controlling the seas and the world economy. Nowadays however, their time as the tyrants of the sea, were coming to a close. They were still a major player in the world market, and in world trade, but these days, the title of the seas went towards Mevillime. Speaking of Mevillime, their king was sitting an arms length away from me right next to my seat at the table. King Bira, of house Melvin exuded an enormous and intimidating pressure, but also held himself with supreme dignity. He reminded me of Oden, but much older and even more proper. Finally Emperor Batara made his way to his seat at the table. It was my first time seeing the emperor in person, and I wasn¡¯t disappointed. He was draped in his usual scarlet-red robes, which were embroidered with golden filigree and lined with both ivory and gold trims. He wore his signature white blindfold¡ªwhich was embroidered with red and black roses as well as golden vines. His full, slightly spiky hair fell to his shoulders, and he wore his signature confident, playful smile on his face. It was the first time that I had ever felt overwhelmed in the presence of another person. Even in this room, filled with the strongest people in the world, quieted down when he entered. They observed each of his steps, locked in a trance and afraid to move while in his presence. I could see why some people called him inhuman now.


    Because it sure didn¡¯t feel like he was human.


    He finally sat down in his chair and he gave me a smile. ¡°Savain Yelenta, it is a pleasure to finally meet you.¡± My body seemingly moved on its own as I stood up and bowed towards him.


    ¡°Yes¨Cyes sir, the pleasure is mine.¡± He smiled and beckoned me to sit down. He leaned towards me and spoke into my ear.


    ¡°Do not stress too much, although, I suspect that you are not the type to do so anyway. I will do most of the speaking today.¡± I nodded and he gave me another cool smile. He was being friendly but it didn¡¯t feel real. His face dawned a friendly smile but his eyes bore deep into my soul¨Cthose cold, unforgiving, eyes acted like an entirely separate being as they seemed to be accusing me of something. It was like¡­¡­.he knew. It was like he knew everything. My body froze, my heart started to pound out of my chest, and my blood went cold. He knew, he knew, he knew¡­..he was going to smite me, or burn me, or kill me in some other way¡­.After years and years someone found out¡­.The emperor tapped me on the shoulder as I practically jumped out of my chair. He smiled, ¡°Tired are you? Rest awhile¨Crelax.¡± I nodded as best as I could and he looked towards the other two rulers who were sitting at the table. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. He¡¯s seen me and he knows my face so I can¡¯t run from him. If I get caught, years of information gets lost¡­. I can¡¯t get caught¨Cnot now. I looked up towards the various rulers sitting around the room and steeled my nerves. Fuck it, everything ends today¡­.


    The king of Mevilime nodded and banged a wooden gavel on the table. The loud bangs resonated through the empty air as all of the chatter and whisper of the spectating rulers and lords died down. The king of Mevilime cleared his throat and began to speak. His dark, deep voice echoed into the air, ¡°We are gathered here today in order to discuss the events which transpired exactly two weeks prior on this very day. A formal bout between the warrior representatives of the Taegan Empire and the warriors of Mevilime resulted in unprecedented disaster. Currently, the destruction upon the nation of Evian, the host of this year¡¯s annual Warrior Youth Championships, is beyond comprehension. There are hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths and one warrior casualty, that warrior being Evay of House Maver, from the Taegan empire. These are the undisputed details of the current topic of discussion, and all considerations, accusations, and negotiations will use these details as a basis. Now, your majesty, I feel you are obligated to speak first.¡±


    Queen Regalis stared deeply into the soul of Emperor Batara and kept a clam, controlled, and unbothered look upon her face. She spoke in a powerful and dignified voice, ¡°Thank you. While the fighters affected from this incident originated from the Taegan empire and the nation of Mevilime, the larger portion of those that were affected¨Cwho were normal citizens¨Cwere of my own nation, Evian. The people of Evian adore and treasure the Youth Warrior Championships and our nation has hosted the event numerous times in the past. Over our long and illustrious history, there have been accidents involving spectators and warriors before. However, this level of disaster is absolutely unprecedented. Both Evian as a nation, and I personally, do not feel that this attack was a mere accidental release of power from one of the warriors. The rumor that this destruction was actually caused by a foreign power is something which I do not want to believe, however, it is not entirely out of the question.¡± She glared at Emperor Batara. ¡°Emperor Batara, can you inform me of anything which would reveal the origin of this attack?¡± The emperor stopped smiling and dawned a more composed serious face.


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    ¡°Your majesty, firstly, I would like to offer my sincerest condolences to both you and your nation, as well as your people. The death and destruction enacted upon your nation is truly terrible, and the whole of Taegan empathizes with you.¡± There was a quiet silence as Queen Regalis nodded in acknowledgement. The emperor¡¯s words were supposed to be something of a warm, meaningful apology. However, all of his words had a weird tone behind them. It was like he never meant anything he ever said¨Chis words were just a cover up for what he was truly feeling on the inside.


    The emperor spoke again, ¡°I have conducted a thorough investigation upon the situation and the most clear and concise answer that the empire of Taegan can offer your majesty is that this attack was of foreign origin.¡± The crowd of leaders whispered and murmured in shock and realization. Queen Regalis¡¯s calm face broke a little as her eyes narrowed in anger.


    ¡°And this investigation was quite thorough I assume? Or are you not telling the complete truth, emperor.¡± The emperor responded calmly,


    ¡°If you choose not to believe in me, your majesty, there is nothing that I can do to change your mind. However, this attack did not originate from any of the warriors. I assume that you also agree with this statement?¡± Queen Regalis responded instantly.


    ¡°For the most part, emperor, I do. However, we can not ignore all options here,¡± the emperor laughed.


    ¡°Queen Regalis, these are mere children. While they are extremely gifted warriors, as you can clearly see,¡± the emperor nodded towards me, ¡°I do not believe that these boys and girls have the ability to destroy on this level.¡± The Queen spoke in an angry tone.


    ¡°So emperor, are you accusing a foreign power of an action that can lead to war? Why is this the conclusion you have come to, especially so early into your investigation. As it currently stands, your words do not increase my trust in your empire. I have found that strangely, one of your warriors has no registered information or background to their name. Evay Maver is an unknown figure to most of the world, despite his appearance in the Youth Championships. It is extremely unlikely that a warrior can debut at the Youth Championships and even more unlikely that that warrior has no background information. We both agree that this attack could not have come from warrior origins, but how can this be the case if one of the warriors is completely unknown.¡±


    The emperor¡¯s eyes narrowed, ¡°are you, your majesty, trying to accuse a boy of mass murder?¡±


    The Queen didn¡¯t back down, ¡°I am simply stating facts. Bring forth information about Evay Maver in order to confirm his background¨Cthen we can be sure where this attack originated from.¡±


    The emperor¡¯s usual calm tone wavered as his voice hardened, ¡°Evay Maver is dead. You seem to forget that at this moment, you are defacing the reputation and honor of a dead child. Do you want me to pluck his life story from the grave? What good would it do now even if he was somehow found guilty? Your majesty, I have already offered my condolences for your people, however, you seem to forget that the empire of Taegan has lost one of their finest young representatives in this incident as well.¡± The Queen spoke in a fast, angry tone,


    ¡°So do you suggest that I not be suspicious or bothered? I am disturbed by the death of Mr.Maver, however, you seem to forget the exact level of destruction that this incident has caused my people. Over half a million citizens are reduced to nothing, and there is currently a crater the size of a small city in my nation. I wish to know what caused this destruction¡ªfor the sake of my people who want answers. If I come off as slightly agitated, emperor, I feel that I do not owe any apologies.¡± The deafening silence put me on edge as I stared into the eyes of the Queen and the emperor. Both were holding their ground and neither of them looked like they wanted to back away. King Bira finally interjected.


    ¡°While both parties have reasonable arguments, no accusations or predictions can be proven at this moment. Mevillime¡¯s warriors have not been harmed during this incident and while our nation is also deeply troubled, this attack can not be deemed as a simple foreign attack upon Evian. This also begs the question, Emperor Batara, has the body of Evay Maver been found?¡± Emperor Batara responded quickly,


    ¡°No. It is to my knowledge that he was completely vaporized by the attack. Why is this a point of question, your majesty?¡± King Bira paused for a moment and spoke with a healthy degree of caution.


    ¡°If that is the case, it is entirely possible that Evay Maver is somehow connected to this incident. If the boy¡¯s body was vaporized there would still be traces of liquor detectable in the surrounding area. You had your intelligence sector scour the area for any remnants of Evay Maver¡¯s body, yes? If nothing was found that could lead to a world of other possibilities.¡± Emperor Batara spoke in a deadly cold tone.


    ¡°Your majesty, if my intelligence has found nothing that means that the boy was completely vaporized. Liquor rements are very hard to destroy, but it is not impossible to destroy them either. If you are suggesting that this is some elaborate plan of ours to destroy the nation of Evian¡ªa long time ally of Taegan¡ªthen I am curious to hear your exact reasoning behind that, sir.¡± A wave of fear billowed out from the emperor as both the Queen Regalis and King Bira tensed their bodies and struggled to maintain their calm demeanors. My body felt weak, my vision started to go blurry, my very being screamed in cold-blood as every cell in my body begged for me to run. But my legs were jelly, my limbs went numb, and my eyes widened as I tried to get a hold of myself. The emperor didn¡¯t budge as Queen Regalis and King Bira held onto the table for support.


    Emperor Batara spoke in a calm, cold voice, ¡°any words, your majesties?¡±


    An extremely loud bang erupted into the silent air as the giant mahogany double doors swung open abruptly. The emperor stopped excluding his waves of terror and turned his attention to the hall entrance. Queen Regalis¡¯s eyes went wide and King Bira spoke in an deep, quiet, and angry voice, ¡°emperor Batara, explain yourself.¡± As I looked over to the hallway entrance, many different feelings started to come over me. Confusion, disbelief, a hint of fear, and even more confusion washed over my soul as my mouth opened in shock. Why? Because Evay Maver stood before me alive and well¡­..


    He looked¡­different, but not so different that he looked unrecognizable. He looked objectively better as his whole body looked more muscular, athletic, and toned. He also seemed to have magically grown a little taller, and even his hair and facial features seemed more elevated¡ªmore regal and defined¡ªthan before. But he still looked like Evay, which made things even creepier for me¡­ Emperor Batara let out a soft laugh which echoed through the hall. King Bira dawned an angry look upon his face.


    ¡°Emperor, if I may ask, what is so humorous to you?¡± The emperor ignored his words and kept on laughing. King Bira smashed down upon the wooden table and shattered it into bits while maintaining a cold glare upon his face. ¡°Your imprudence has cost various nations valuable time, effort, and peace. The matters proceeding this meeting will be even more complicated and no man knows anything about the results that will come off this matter now. You have deemed Taegan a land of lies today, Emperor Batara, are you aware?¡± Queen Regalis stood up and stared daggers into Emperor Batara¡¯s soul,


    ¡°I suppose I was right about you, emperor. I will act accordingly, and this spells the end of the long lasting peace between our two nations. Trust built for millennia has been broken today for the lies and deceit you have fed our people. Do you have anything to sa¡ª¡° I felt my entire body go into paralysis. It felt as if I had been shoved into a picture frame and turned into a lifeless drawing plastered upon a wall. I looked around at everyone else and realized that they too were trapped in this imobile state¡ªat the mercy of the Emperor. Not even the other rulers were safe¨Cnot even King Bira or Queen Regalis. The Emperor looked into Evay¡¯s eyes and kept laughing. He kept laughing, and laughing, and laughing until his voice crescendoed into a loud, raging bellow of realization and insanity. He crossed his arms and spoke as he looked at Evay one last time, ¡°oh you poor child, you poor, cursed child.¡±

 Chapter 58: Lies from the Future, Truths to the Past

    Evay Maver: I felt¡­.dizzy to say the least.


    Geon, Lila, Aurora, and I were all inside a tiny stone room with two royal guards and Professor Vylen. The tension in the room was palpable and both royal guards gave off an incredible amount of power. The guard on the left had long, dark hair and glistening white skin. He wore a long pitch black cloak with royal golden embroidery stitched into its hems and sleeves. His eyes were just as black as his robes and his expression gave me the impression that his soul was just as black as well. The guard on the right had long, black, curly hair which flowed down to her shoulders. She had light brown skin and big, dark eyes which seemingly observed everything around her at all times. She wore an ivy-green sleeveless shirt which had beautiful golden embroidery stitched into it, and she also wore six big, golden rings¡ªabout the size of a dinner plate¡ªon her arms. Emerald crystals were embedded into the rings and a line of turquoise diamond circled around the rings as well¡ªconnecting the emerald rings together.


    I looked around at everyone but no one dared to do the same. We were all waiting for something, and that something had a lot to do with me¡­ Professor Vylen spoke up.


    ¡°Jugo, Lela, it''s been quite some time.¡± The two guards didn¡¯t move a single muscle.


    Professor Vylen kept talking. ¡°I¡¯m assuming that you¡¯re going to report back to the emperor after this, however, we¡¯re all still not sure what you¡¯re trying to report. Why have you brought us here?¡± The two guards looked at each other and the man, Jugo, spoke up.


    ¡°Long time no see, Neo. We¡¯re here in order to question you and your students about this new situation involving Evay Maver. We were waiting for an official approval from Eden Academy or from the emperor, but it seems we can not wait much longer.¡± Black tendrils of smoke bellowed out from Jugo and a giant scythe with a smooth, mahogany wooden handle and a gleaming obsidian blade appeared in his hand. He pointed it at us and began to speak.


    ¡°Lila Fairheart, Aurora Maple, Geon Leventen, Neo Vylen, and Evay Maver, I, Jugo of house Mourta, second division guard of Emperor Varun Batara, enact the curse of order onto your being. For the next ten minutes and thirty seconds your lives are bound to the truth. We ask you to abide by our directions and answer our questions truthfully¡ªor suffer certain death.¡± Professor Vylen stood up quickly and glared daggers into Jugo¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Curse of order! Jugo, these are students and children, I command you to¡ª¡°


    ¡°Respectfully, Neo, you are in no position to command me anymore.¡± Professor Vylen clenched his fists and spoke in an angry whisper.


    ¡°Lila, Geon, Aurora, and especially you, Evay, I need you to listen closely. A curse of order binds your soul to the absolute truth of any matter. If you lie to the person casting the curse, you will die without exception. You need to answer his questions truthfully, for the sake of your lives.¡± Professor Vylen kept glaring into the eyes of Jugo, but Jugo didn¡¯t seem to be intimidated.


    Jugo finally spoke, ¡°very well. Firstly, I would like to ask Evay Maver a very simple question.¡± I felt my body turn numb and my heart freeze with fear as Jugo looked at me with his deep, dark eyes.


    He was a royal guard, it wasn¡¯t fair¡­The personal guards of the emperor were warriors who were specifically chosen by the emperor to serve at his side. They were the nation¡¯s most elite warriors, people who had beaten out millions of other warriors for a coveted position in the royal guard. It wasn¡¯t fair.. What was I supposed to do, fight him? Stand up for my dignity? Say anything to defend myself? How? Why? He¡¯s practically invincible, what can I do? Nothing has changed, then and now nothing has changed¡­. Jugo spoke, ¡°did you have any part in the incineration of Evian¡¯s Warrior Youth Championships stadium? If not, how have you come back to life after being considered dead for nearly one full week?¡± The room went silent. I looked over at Aurora with pleading eyes. Her face contorted with confusion, helplessness, and anger as she knew that nothing she could say would save me right now. Lila and Geon couldn¡¯t even look at me while Professor Vylen looked at me with weary dread. The entire world shrank around me as I realized that it was truly over¡­ I¡¯d been caught¡­I¡¯d have to admit it¡­I killed those people, all 500,000 of them. I created a crater inside of a country with loving mothers, fathers, innocent children, and wise elderly women and men¡­.I decimated land which a family called home, I incinerated the lives and hopes of thousands of people. I deserved it, right? This was what I wanted¡­I wanted to get caught¡­It was about time..It was my destiny. All of those people¡­.I had killed all of them¡­ I felt my heart calm down and my mind started to clear. It made sense¡­my crimes wouldn¡¯t go unpunished and I was willing to accept that. I wouldn¡¯t be like the nobles¡­I wouldn¡¯t run away from my crimes¡­I¡¯m not like them¡­I would never be like them¡­This was the right thing to do¡­I¡¯d finally be able to have some peace.


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    I opened my mouth and spoke, ¡°I¡ª¡°,


    ¡°Stop.¡± An extremely clear and powerful voice rang out inside my head. ¡°Stop, do not say a word.¡± I felt my heart rate go up again as I tried to communicate with Hiem.


    ¡°Heim, is this you? What do you mean? How, I¡¯m bounded by¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop.¡± The voice rang out inside my head and seeped into every fiber of my being. It was strange¡­Heim¡¯s voice was usually filled with arrogance and haughtiness but it never felt evil or villainous. He exuded arrogance in his words but it never felt forced. His confidence never felt faked or fabricated, and his haughtiness never made you feel like you were being oppressed¡ªit just made you feel wildly inferior. But this time, Heim¡¯s voice was different. His voice cut deep into my soul like a flaming blade, and his cold, harsh tone made me want to crawl into a deep dark hole. He wasn¡¯t himself at all. ¡°You¡¯re lying to yourself. You don¡¯t want this. You were never like this. You¡¯re afraid, too afraid to die.¡± My hands turned as cold as ice and sweat flowed down my face as my eyes went as wide as saucers. ¡°You want to live, to be unpunished, to be free, you don¡¯t care about those¡­people. You don¡¯t care about lives or families. You want one thing¡­I know what you want¡­deep down in your soul you want one thing.¡± I felt myself start to hyperventilate, my eyes grew so wide they felt like they were gonna pop out of my head, and an eerie smile creeped across my face. ¡°You were never the person you thought you were, or wanted to be¡­You¡¯ve been trying so hard to be the ¡°good¡± person, the ¡°right person.¡± What have they done for you? What has anyone ever done for you? Come, work with me, say the words, Evay Maver. Do it.¡±


    I clenched my fists.


    ¡°Do it.¡±


    I clawed at my hair and clenched my teeth until I felt them start to shatter.


    ¡°Do it.¡±


    My heart felt like it was going to explode as I felt my mind implode on itself.


    ¡°Let me show you then, what I will do.¡± My eyes went wide,


    ¡°What? Heim? What do you mean¡ª¡±


    Aurora came up to me and put her hand on my shoulder. I turned quickly and looked into her eyes as she gave me a reassuring smile, ¡°take your time, we¡¯ll be with you¡±, she inched closer to me, ¡°no matter what.¡± She smiled and finally,


    put her hands in mine.


    Suddenly, events and memories flashed through my eyes in an extravagant blur of color. Screams, blood, fire, death, forests, ethereal vines and flowers, bending space, red streaks of lightning, a grave of flowers, super bright heat and light, golden robes, deathly shadows, and an image of a man with a crown on his head flashed before my eyes. Hiem spoke again in his eerily cold and unusual voice, ¡°That¡¯s right, you will be the greatest one of them all. Will you do what you need to do? Tell me, what will you do with appreciation and praise of the world? What will the love of this world do for you? You¡¯ll be one of the good ones right? One of the clean peasants, one of the ¡°great¡± ones. If that happens, what about father, what about mother? What about the brothers and sisters, the children you deeply cared for? They were ripped apart by them, by the world, by the people who wish to punish you. Are you going to give it to them? Are you going to punish yourself and show them your loyalty, your righteousness? To the same people who used all of them? The same people who used and abused Amie like a toy doll. Do it, say the words. Do it, I¡¯ve shown you how this story goes. Do it, you know what you need to do. Erase, raze, punish them. Keep fighting, keep going, keep pushing even if your heart pleads for you to stop. Even if your very soul is ripped from your body, even if your mind and heart break from the pain, keep going. Keep fighting. After all, don¡¯t you remember, why you¡¯re here in the first place? Don¡¯t you remember what Noble Wyren did? Mother? Father? It¡¯s always been this way¡­It¡¯s never been about friends, love, or anything. From the very beginning of your existence you were born to fight, to grovel at a hope of life. Do it¨Csay the words. Keep going, sacrifice, fight, until you can¡¯t fight for anything anymore.¡±


    I stared blankly at the marble tiled floors and spoke in a barely audible whisper.


    ¡°I was saved by my barrier and by Gold¡¯s veil. After the huge explosion of light surrounded us I exhausted myself by running around the surrounding forests of Evian, chasing down a fleeing figure.¡± Everyone in the room tensed up and Jugo, as well as Lela, dawned a serious look on their faces.


    Jugo spoke, ¡°a figure? Why were you chasing this figure?¡±


    Hiem spoke again, ¡°Keep talking.¡±


    ¡°I chased him until I dropped to the forest floor with exhaustion. I managed to recuperate and made my way back home. As for your question, I was chasing the figure since they were the ones who caused the explosion.¡± Professor Vylen¡¯s face filled with shock. ¡°I saw him, before the implosion of light, high above the arena. He possessed skill far above an average warrior, and skill incomparable to a student.¡± Jugo tensed up and spoke with extreme caution.


    ¡°Evay Maver, your words lead me to believe¡­that¡ª¡°


    I spoke, ¡°A foreign nation, specifically a warrior from a foreign nation, caused the attack, sir. Do you not believe me? Look at me, sir, my life is still bound to the truth, and yet I am not dead.¡±

 Chapter 59: Blood on Home Soil

    Taran Brunner: I slowly opened my eyes only to be greeted by a giant lemur standing at the foot of my bed. I immediately sprang to my feet and the lemur looked at me with a perplexed stare. Its giant ears flopped over its head and it had something wrapped up in its tail. I cautiously walked behind it and grabbed the object held in its  tail¡ªa velvet scroll. I opened up the scroll and read the message inside.


    Dear Taran,


    Hi, this is Melissa. Sorry for the giant lemur by the way, his name is Bobo, and my father gave him to me as a gift when I was young. He¡¯s good at delivering messages and makes a pretty good sandwich when I need him to. Anyways, Mena wanted me to ask you if you wanted to come meet with her later in the afternoon. Just write something on a piece of paper and give Bobo a treat¡ªhe¡¯ll bring me your letter. Do it soon or he¡¯s going to start eating your furniture.


    ¡ªMelissa.


    Huh¡­. Mena wants to meet with me? I felt a little pang of excitement ring out in my chest while also being overcome with confusion. While I had liked Mena for a while, we had never really talked. We weren¡¯t very close and there was nothing she could possibly want to see me for. But I wasn¡¯t going to complain. I grabbed a spare napkin from the dinner table and wrote my reply.


    Dear Melissa,


    Tell her I¡¯ll come. Thanks.


    From Taran


    That should be good¡­ I held out the letter in front of Bobo but he just stared at it, refusing to take it. He shook his head and held out his other hand. I sighed, ¡°listen man, I don¡¯t have any treats. I don¡¯t even know what Lemurs eat! Please just take the letter.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Do you understand me? I swear you can understand me..You¡¯re just trying to piss me off aren¡¯t you?¡± Bobo smiled and flapped his ears around. ¡°Bobo come on, help a brother out. This letter is important, it¡¯s going to a girl. Just take it one time, please.¡± Bobo shook his head and jumped on top of the dresser. He smiled again and jumped up and down, dangling what appeared to be my student ID liquor card in front of me. ¡°When did..Bobo you can¡¯t have that! Bobo!¡± He began to race around the room jumping on the bed, cabinets, floor, and curtains while occasionally banging his head and breaking a mirror or two. I vaulted over my bed and jumped up to the ceiling in order to reach Bobo, but the little shit was surprisingly agile and fast¡­I flipped upside down and launched off of the ceiling as I nose dived to the ground¡ªreaching for Bobo. He jumped over me and jumped off my back while I pushed off of the ground and landed on my dorm wall. I pushed off the wall and summoned my sword mid-air, and I hurled the sword in front of Bobo as it stuck to the wall and blocked off his escape route. He hit his head on the sword and he fell backwards¨Cdropping my ID.


    ¡°Bobo! Bobo! Melissa¡¯s not going to be happy if you die so don¡¯t be dead. Wake up you little shit.¡± Bobo shook his head a bit and finally sat up. I sighed. I grabbed my sword and de-summoned it and walked to the kitchen. The pantry was mostly empty except for some apples, bananas, and a singular cluster of grapes. I grabbed the Banana and handed it to Bobo. ¡°You like this right? I don¡¯t know, do you? Is this like, monkey racist, I doubt all of you like bananas ... .Whatever, here, happy?¡± Bobo took the banana and nodded and he hopped his way over to the door. He swung it open and made his way outside. Melissa¡¯s going to have some explaining to do..


    It was weird though, but the fact that a giant lemur had just swung into my bedroom wasn¡¯t the weird part, or the fact that an extremely beautiful girl had just asked me to see via her friend wasn¡¯t either, but the circumstances surrounding the whole situation were weird. First of all, as far as I knew, Melissa¡¯s family wasn¡¯t particularly wealthy. Lemurs and messenger animals like pigeons and doves were considered something of a luxury to most people. My family owned a couple but even we were hesitant to get anything other than a messenger bird. So the fact that Melissa suddenly used and mentioned she had a messenger lemur was a little strange. Secondly, today was the weekend and we had no classes so there was no reason Melissa couldn¡¯t have just talked to me in person. Even if she were to say that she was busy because of hospital work, underage hospital care takers weren¡¯t allowed to work more than 40 hours a week, or work on weekends, so she wasn¡¯t too busy to talk today either. Lastly, it wasn¡¯t like Melissa to request a meeting with such little detail. There was no mention of a specific time, date, or reason. ¡°Later in the afternoon,¡± wasn¡¯t a very Melissa-like thing to say. The letter also seemed to emphasize that they wanted me to definitely, without fail, respond¡ªsince it gave me instructions on how to respond and urged me to do it quickly. The letter wasn¡¯t from Melissa, or Mena, but that made everything all the more interesting. If someone really did want to trick me into meeting them, why? I wasn¡¯t going to dodge or duck anybody.


    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    And plus, if this really was Mena, maybe I¡¯d get to see her¡­


    Bobo swung by my room later in the afternoon and tossed a new letter at my face. It told me to come to the east Eden garden and maybe it was my mind playing tricks on me, but this time Bobo looked a little more suspicious. I made my way to the garden and found myself quickly surrounded by thick, green trees, and leafy emerald bushes. Bird chirps echoed through the forest while the sound of running water flowed off in the distance. I took a deep breath and tensed my body. I knew I wasn¡¯t here for a date and the location seemed to make that much more apparent. The east side park was perfectly secluded, separated by a river from the rest of campus. Its high canopy and thick foliage created a perfect screen for suspicious activity¡ªusually activities which involved¡­love¡ª and all of the ambient sound created a very abusable element of surprise. I twitched my fingers, looking, hearing, sensing any change in sound, or pressure. A twig snapped to my left. I hurled my sword at the sound and the mass of steel and purple lighting ripped through the foliage and revealed a hooded figure. My sword pinned him by the cloak to a tree and he shed his cloak and stretched out his hand. It was as if some type of force had violently pulled and pushed a huge line of trees towards my face. A ripping force of energy came straight at me as I deflected it with my blade and I incinerated all of the incoming trees and debris with only one swing of my blade. The hooded figure stretched out his hand again and I was pulled into his grasp. He grabbed my throat and tried to lift me up, but he was far weaker than I was. I smashed his arm and I heard it crack as my straight right hand connected with his face. He was blasted back into the forest as I dashed in front of him and rammed the hilt of my sword into his eyes. He fell backwards with blood spewing out of his eyes and nostrils as he smiled up at me.


    My nose wrinkled.


    It was Ren, of house Novak.


    He spoke with a soft laugh, ¡°you¡ªyour face is hilarious you know that? It¡¯s like you¡¯ve just smelt a fucking farmer who¡¯s been out in the fields.¡± I put my foot on his chest.


    ¡°I have a lot more respect for literal horse shit than you, you royal family free-rider.¡± Ren laughed.


    ¡°Like you yourself aren¡¯t from the same world. Brunner¡¯s, an old and noble family right? Me and you are the same, we come from the right world, the clean world. Frankly the only world where things really matter or are any correct.¡± I sliced Ren¡¯s left cheek.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never liked you and your rambling about classes, or royalty, or this and that. You think you''re better than everyone but in my eyes you¡¯re not better than anyone at anything. You just hurt people, like Lila¡¯s sister.¡± Ren scoffed.


    ¡°That monkey needed to learn a lesson, having the nerve to call me foolish, refusing to follow my orders, the commoners have lost their sense of respect, you know that. She should be grateful I gave her my¡ª¡° I stabbed my blade straight into the center of Ren¡¯s chest. His eyes filled with panic and pain as I looked him in the eyes.


    My heart filled with deep, dark, rage, ¡°you shouldn¡¯t have said that. I¡¯m gonna kill you now.¡± I pushed my blade deeper, and deeper, and deeper into Ren¡¯s chest as he gasped for air. A smile crept across my face, ¡°there, there, beg, go on, beg for your life. Maybe I¡¯ll spare you if you beg hard enough. If you tell me why you lured me out here with that fake letter, maybe I¡¯ll consider sparing you even more.¡±


    He began to speak, ¡°now¡­NOW!¡±


    A red streak of lightning flashed by me as I felt an immensely powerful strike hit me square on the chin. I was blasted into the earth as I felt myself start to blackout. A group of what appeared to be soldiers came out of the foliage and stood over Ren. They were all dressed in purple and white, with chest plates made of what seemed like ivory colored steel. Their royal purple pants were lined with crystal white embroidery, and each soldier wore a series of long ribbons around their necks like scarves. The ribbon colors differed from soldier to soldier which made me think they signified rank. The purple and golden robes were globally recognized for being the colors of one country¨CThe Nation of Raga.


    The soldiers began speaking in a language I couldn¡¯t understand but as I listened closely I recognized one voice. It was hard for me to put my finger on it¡­I was blacking out. But I had seen red lightning¡­red..red lightning¡­ One of the soldiers reached down and grabbed my student ID. He put it in one of his pockets and the familiar voice spoke out, ¡°that will get us into the tunnel network reserved for students of royal lineage. We would¡¯ve had one already if this piece of shit Ren didn¡¯t get his tunnel-privileges suspended earlier in the year. Also, the tunnels are nationally secured so don¡¯t even think about trying to force your way in.¡±


    One of the soldiers stepped over me and spoke in a thick, heavily accented voice, ¡°very well, lead the way, chaos will help mask our presence.¡± As they made their way towards Eden I heard a giant horn go off in the distance. Black billows of smoke arose from several mountain posts as more horns bellowed into the air.


    Black signal smokes, horns, chaos¡­


    It all meant one thing.


    Taegan was at war.

 Chapter 60: A life of Lies

    Evay Maver: Professor Vylen spoke in an urgent voice, ¡°Jugo! Jugo! The black fire columns have been lit, the horns are blaring, you can¡¯t signal war with this little information! Who are we even at war against, Jugo? Answer me! I¡¯m not your superior anymore but I have a right to know!¡±


    Jugo dashed towards Lela in an instant and whispered something into her ear. Lela nodded and she looked at Professor Vylen as well as the rest of us, ¡°thank you for hosting us this evening, Professor Vylen. I trust that you will take care of your students well, they will be needed in these upcoming times. Farewell, all of you.¡± Lela looked up into the sky and disappeared in a brilliant flash of emerald green light. Jugo looked at Professor Vylen who was still searching for answers to his questions.


    ¡°Neo, it¡¯s not just Evay Maver¡¯s testimony which has caused Taegan to go to war. Sometimes in organized, imperially authorized, interrogations information obtained from word-of-mouth can be used to make decisions as serious as a declaration of war. A testimony from a curse of order can also be treated in the same way, however, there are still people who can negate the effects of a curse of order. Evay Maver¡¯s testimony will be taken into consideration but we just got a report that hostile forces from Raga have just landed on Taegan soil. This is the official reason for a declaration of war.¡± Aurora, Lila, and Geon all stood up in an instant.


    Aurora spoke in a confused and angry voice, ¡°Raga? When? How? What do they have to do with any of this?¡±


    Lila spoke up, ¡°Taegan hasn¡¯t had any problems with Raga in nearly 30 years. Why are they attacking us now? Also if Raga is trying to attack us doesn¡¯t that mean we¡¯ll also have to fight against the likes of Mevillime and Tundra? They¡¯re allies right?¡± Jugo sighed and spoke up once again.


    ¡°Taegan suppressed a major civil war in Raga nearly 30 years ago. A group of extremists who opposed the natural born, ruling family of Raga tried to stage a massive coup with the support of the entire eastern half of the country. Raga only has a population of about 11 million people, but the war claimed the lives of almost 3 million people. After a while, Taegan aided the ruling family of Raga and the coup was suppressed. More people did support the coup than remain loyal to the royal family, and even after the Raga government re-established the old regime a lot of people¨Ceven those in the government¨Chated Raga¡¯s central ruling family and Taegan¡ªwho helped establish it. We¡¯ve been monitoring the situation closely but we didn¡¯t expect¡­this.¡± Professor Vylen spoke up almost instantly.


    ¡°No matter the history, how long have they been on our soil?¡±


    ¡°Our intelligence warriors say about eight hours, from the beginning of sun down to now. They originally hit the settlements in our eastern mountains which is why word of their arrival got out so slow. Interestingly enough, they entered through the Forested straight which isn¡¯t heavily guarded due to the obvious natural barriers which the forest presents intruders with. There is one palace present in the forest¨Cwhich had been mysteriously destroyed a couple months prior.¡± Everyone went silent.


    Geon finally broke the silence, ¡°so the fact that they chose to hit that specific spot wasn¡¯t an accident. Someone leaked information and someone helped prepare the path of entry.¡± Aurora interjected,


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought but it¡¯s not too difficult of a concept to figure out. Blasting through a high mountain plain or a deep forest is one of the oldest tricks in the book when it comes to military assaults. It¡¯s weird to me though that they chose to attack our forest.¡± For the first time in what seemed like forever, I got the urge to speak.


    ¡°Why? Raga is probably being led by rebels right? What if they just chose the oldest trick in the book again?¡± Aurora shook her head.


    ¡°Our forest is dense and dark and a pain to get through but the main reason why we don¡¯t even bother going in there too much is because of the wildlife.¡± I stared at her in confusion.


    ¡°Like bears?¡± Aurora looked at me in confusion.


    ¡°Evay, you¡¯ve never heard of the liquor beasts before?¡± I shook my head.


    ¡°Beasts which come into contact with liquor plants seem to have their entire bodies manipulated and changed into much deadlier, vicious versions of themselves. If you stumble into the wrong cavern, ravine, or trench you might get mauled to death. I don¡¯t even think we¡¯d be able to take some of those beasts down.¡± Aurora continued speaking, ¡°These beasts are a..um..how do I say this,¡±


    Geon spoke, ¡°a pain in the ass?¡± Aurora nodded,


    ¡°Yeah, that. Anyways, there¡¯s no way that even an elite group of soldiers would be able to get through that forest without making enough of a scene to be detected. Unless they knew about the imperial trails.¡± I spoke again.


    ¡°What are those?¡±


    Aurora looked at Jugo before speaking, ¡°it¡¯s a trail which runs through and connects every forest in Taegan. The trail lets you pass by liquor beats undetected and even makes it difficult for our imperial intelligence warriors to find people on it. It was designed in order to help secretly transport children of the royal family or important political figures in times of crisis.¡±


    Jugo¡¯s cold voice suddenly echoed out into the air, ¡°and how do you know that, Ms.Maple.¡± Aurora¡¯s eyes went wide and she visibly shuddered with fear before finally collecting herself.


    ¡°My¡ªmy father works as a structural engineer specializing in liquor structures and technology. He worked on the trail and never told me about it, but I managed to figure it out after sneaking into his office files.¡± Jugo¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    ¡°I will hear what you have to say, but know that if you so much as spread this information to anyone outside of this room, I will personally have your head. Which goes for all of you as well.¡± I felt my heart go cold and fear creep up into my throat. He¡¯s not a happy guy, huh.


    Aurora gathered herself and spoke in a shaky voice, ¡°I¡ªI believe that you would need a special rune-stone embedded with liquor in order to access those trails. These rune stones are only given out to special politicians, nobles, and some select warriors. What I¡¯m trying to tell you, sir, is that there is a traitor among us, and it¡¯s a high profile warrior sir, someone trusted enough to be given access to the imperial trials.¡±


    Jugo interjected quickly, ¡°like you said only the members of the royal guard, imperial guard, the nobles, and three total politicians have access to these trails. Besides them you are so far the only person to mention them.¡± Jugo dashed towards Aurora and towered over her. ¡°So why should I not suspect you as our traitor?¡± Lila pounced on top of the table, ready to fight, I activated Gold¡¯s Veil and pointed my spear at Jugo¡¯s throat, Geon¡¯s silver eyes glowed as he grabbed Jugo¡¯s cloak, and Professor Vylen stood on the opposite side of Jugo¡ªacross from Geon¡ªand grabbed a hold of his cloak as well.


    Professor Vylen spoke in a calm and deadly demeanor, ¡°you were always quick to jump to conclusions, Jugo. Get away from my student.¡±


    Jugo scoffed, ¡°did I ever say she was directly guilty? If she knows anything about these trails someone could¡¯ve overheard her speak about them, or simply used a liquor skill in order to read her mind. She is a threat to national security as of this moment so I suggest you move away.¡± We all stood our ground. Jugo¡¯s cloak began to lift off the ground and his hair started to float up around his face. Black tendrils of smoke billowed out from his cloak as his deep, black eyes glowed with malice.


    ¡°Do not test me, Neo, your students, world-class warriors or not, can not touch me. Not even you can not test me¨CI advise you to stand down.¡± A shockwave of black energy erupted around the room as all of us were knocked on our backs. A wave of deep, dark, terrifying fear washed over me as I felt my body go into paralysis. My limbs refused to move, my mind refused to think about anything but survival, and a familiar feeling washed over me¡ªthe feeling of death. This guy, this royal guard, could kill me. I felt it, he was dangerous, so dangerous that he could, and would, kill me. I stood no chance, no one here stood a chance. Jugo relaxed and looked at Aurora. ¡°You will not be denied your freedom but you will be closely monitored by the imperial guard. I thank you for your information and your ideas about the traitor amongst our people, we will consider your ideas going forward. Remember Taegan is at war, we will meet again shortly.¡± A column of black smoke encased Jugo and spun around rapidly until the smoke disappeared, and Jugo along with it.


    Taran Brunner: The entire school was lit up in flames, but that wasn¡¯t even the worst part. There were so many bodies on the floor and impossible amounts of blood were splattered on the building walls. Buildings were on fire, incinerated, or partially destroyed and entire sections of campus were gone¡ªreduced to nothing. Eden was a warrior school but a good portion of the student body was made up of just non-warrior students trying to become scholars¡ªthey couldn¡¯t defend themselves like we could. They¡¯d been targeted first, and most of them had been taken out. The same guy who had been standing over me when I got knocked out was now standing on top of a building, dawning the same purple and white armor he was wearing when I last saw him. He had a large scar running across his face and possessed crystal white eyes. He had extremely short brown hair and red tattoos on his forearms. He looked at me and an angry but cautious look dawned upon his face. He jumped down off of the building and began to walk towards me.


    I braced myself for the worst and prepared to strike. He spoke with an angry and heavily accented voice, ¡°who are you?¡±


    An overwhelmingly strong feeling of anger rose inside of me, ¡°why did you do this?¡± The man stared at me blankly with those eerie, white eyes.


    ¡°For my country.¡± I gritted my teeth and spoke again.


    ¡°For your country? What could we, students, have possibly done to your country so that you¡¯d do all of this?¡± The man¡¯s face contorted with rage and hate as he yelled in an angry voice,


    ¡°DO YOU SEE MY EYES BOY! THAT IS WHAT YOUR COUNTRY DID TO ME! DO YOU SEE THIS SCAR BOY! TAEGAN HAS TAKEN OUR FREEDOM, OUR DIGNITY, THEY EVEN TOOK MY DAUGHTER!¡± His chest rose up and down as he tried to control his breathing, but it didn¡¯t seem to do much since he didn¡¯t get any less angry. ¡°You see this? This is what they did to us, to my family. They chose those things in the royal house over us, over people. How do you like it, Taegan boy? Do you like it when we slaughter your children?¡± I looked into the man¡¯s eyes and spoke in an angry tone.


    ¡°You¡¯re not very smart are you? You¡¯re killing us, over something other people in our country did? I guess that¡¯s just war, but don¡¯t act like you''re getting revenge for anyone or anything. You¡¯re just too weak, you¡¯re not strong enough to take on our imperial forces, so you chose to kill a bunch of non-warrior students. You¡¯re not vengeance, your a fucking pussy.¡±


    The man¡¯s face contorted with rage, into an almost inhuman figure. He lowered his body in preparation to strike and spoke in a voice filled with pure hatred, ¡°I¡¯ll cut off your head, I¡¯ll cut off all your limbs, and I¡¯ll bring them to your father and mother boy. I¡¯ll tell them how much you begged for your life, and then I¡¯ll kill them too.¡± I pointed my hand to the sky and the heavens erupted as a bolt of black lightning flashed into my hand. My blade materialized in my grasp as the obsidian black steel glowed with dancing, purple electricity. I pointed my sword at the man and stared deep into his soul,


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you what true vengeance is like.¡±


    A purple blast of energy burst out from his feet and a strange, circular, purple symbol was engraved into the ground as the man blasted right towards me. I jumped back and swung my blade down into the ground with all my might. A giant explosion echoed into the air as a crater the size of a large lake formed beneath my feet. I tried to see through the clouds of dust but my visibility was shot. I flipped over and landed on my feet and immediately jumped up into the sky. A pair of hands suddenly emerged out of the clouds of dust and grabbed onto my ankles. I tried to shake the man off but his grip suddenly tightened by a hundred fold. He swung me around and slammed me into the ground as if I was a sack of potatoes. I tried to keep my eyes open as I felt myself being flung around in the air, the world going by me in a blur of color. I was rocketed towards the ground as my body slammed into the hard, dirt road at blazing high speeds. He slammed me repeatedly again, and again, and again into the ground before he tossed me into the air. I spun around and swung my sword, aiming for his neck. He quickly ducked under the blade and dropped to the floor as he pushed off of the ground with both hands and kicked me in the stomach with both of his legs. I crossed my arms and prepared to block the oncoming attack.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    He¡¯s readable, he¡¯s easy, he fights with too much aggression, I can punish hi¡ª My arms shattered as the impact of the kick completely tore them in half. Blood splattered everywhere on my body as his kick went through my arms and hit me in the torso. I was thrown backwards at impossibly high speeds as I felt myself crash through a multitude of buildings and walls. I felt each and every impact shatter my spine and back as I finally slammed into the side of a hill and dropped to the floor. My head felt dizzy, my body felt numb, and my heart started to pound harder than it had ever before. I looked down at my arms and panic started to creep into my heart. They were almost entirely gone, I could see the muscles, veins, and bones on my right arm and my left arm was so mangled and mashed that it didn¡¯t even look like an arm anymore. I looked down at my torso and a huge cut ran across my abdomen, revealing a giant red gash which cut deep into my body. I tried my best to breathe but most of my ribs were broken, and worst of all, one of my ankles was turned in the complete opposite direction. The man landed in front of me and a sadistic smile crept across his face. He knelt down in front of me and stared at me with his cold, white eyes. ¡°I will show you vengeance? Is this so? IS THAT SO!¡± He punched me across the face as I felt the full impact of his strike land on my chin. Some of my blood splattered on the ground and the man grabbed my hair. ¡°You¡¯re a dog, a dead dog, a sick dog. Did you think that you could kill me? A true warrior, who fought against your empire for my country? I¡¯ve seen things you couldn¡¯t even imagine boy, I¡¯ve killed men, I¡¯ve had my life at death''s door many times. I hear Taegan lets their children play ¡°warrior training,¡± with gladiator matches and little sporting events. This is what real war is like, boy, do you feel that? Fear? What it¡¯s like to truly believe you could die.¡± My heart started to beat like crazy and my head started to go numb.


    He was right. No amount of training, matches, or championships could¡¯ve ever prepared me for this. My breathing quickened, panic flooded my senses, fear, anger, desperation, and dread all washed over me in a giant wave. As I looked into the man¡¯s sadistic face and eerie eyes only one thing came to mind. This was it. My breathing quickened again, I groaned in desperation, I tried to crawl away, run away, get away from him, get somewhere or to someone, anyone. I crawled towards my sword and tried my hardest not to scream. The man laughed and followed me towards my sword. ¡°Yes, yes, yes, go get it. Go crawl after it. I¡¯ll let you get it! Come on, beg for mercy, do it. I¡¯ll spare you, maybe I¡¯ll even bring you back home. There¡¯ll be plenty of uses for you.¡± I kept looking at my sword, I focused all of my being, all of my existence, all of my thoughts and feelings towards getting to that sword. Live, crawl, live, don¡¯t die, don¡¯t speak. The man kept talking, ¡°you poor bastard. Maybe you¡¯ll be reborn and have a better life. That girl which we wrote about in our fake letter, Savitar told me you''re quite fond of her.¡± My heart dropped.


    Who the fuck is Savitar?


    The man laughed, ¡°did that get your attention? What was her name? It was Mia? Melly? Mena? Yes Mena, Savitar showed me pictures, she¡¯s a good little girl isn¡¯t she?¡± My head slowly began to clear as the fear and desperation began to fade away. ¡°Does she love you? Isn¡¯t that sweet. After I¡¯m done with you I guarantee our men will find her. She¡¯ll be a good prize for our efforts, that body could use some attention from real men like us.¡± It was almost like someone had turned on the lights in my brain as rage and anger cleared my mind of all fear and doubt. I began to think. He spoke, ¡°and while we¡¯re having our way with her, we¡¯ll tell her all about you, and how much fun we had together.¡± The man¡¯s sadistic grin got even wider as he knelt down to look at me. ¡°What do you say?¡±


    He hit me so hard that I¡¯ve absorbed more energy from his one strike than in ten regular battles.


    I replied, with a rage, an anger, amd a hate from the very deepest part of my soul, ¡°I¡¯ll feed your fucking body to the birds, scar-face.¡± I grabbed his head and pulled it into my chest and released all of my absorbed energy out of my body at once. He screamed as dark purple energy incinerated the skin, hair, and clothes off his body.


    I braced for impact.


    A gargantuan explosion leveled half of Eden¡¯s campus as buildings, sidewalks, and entire patches of land were tossed into the sky. A large purple glare radiated over the earth as the ensuing bang from the explosion ruptured my ear drums. I closed my eyes and let go of the man¡¯s body, and felt myself land with a thud onto the hard, dirt road. I got up shakily and walked towards a crisp, burnt body leaned up against a piece of destroyed wall. The man¡¯s face was in a horrific state as his skin, hair, and eyebrows were completely incinerated¡ªmaking him look like a real life skeleton. His arms were partially mutilated and his body was completely burned black. I walked towards him and stuck my sword into the ground, leaning on it for support. I coughed and tried my best to speak. ¡°I¡¯m¡ªI¡¯m able to absorb and redirect energy from enemy attacks. You hit me with a strike which should¡¯ve killed me, but I lived and absorbed it. All of that talk at the end gave me some time to build my counterattack up. You should¡¯ve just killed me, dumbass.¡± I hurled my sword at his throat. He disappeared in an instant and reappeared behind me. As his foot touched the ground another blast of purple energy was emitted from his feet¡ªengraving the same strange purple symbol into the dirt. He threw a spinning hook-kick so fast that it could¡¯ve easily decapitated me.The air coming off of his strike sliced the top half of a building directly behind me. I instinctively dodged and I ducked under his strike, and aimed to sweep his planted leg. He flipped over me off of one foot and tried to stomp me into the ground upon landing. I rolled out of the way and immediately swung my sword.


    He leaned out of the way of my strike as I swung again and again. I swung left, right, left, down, sideways, but he avoided all of my slashes. His skull-like face and red, putrid eyes stared into my soul like a face from the depths of hades. He was a man possessed, fighting off of pure anger and hate. I stabbed at his chest and he leaned to the left like always, but this time, I had a counter. I kicked the back of his legs as he leaned his body back to the left, and he was sent to his feet. I kicked him in the liver as he was sent flying into a marble wall at blazing speeds. I dashed towards him to finish the fight, but he recovered quickly. His feet touched the ground and the same engraving which appeared all the other times appeared once again. I rammed my sword into the ground and hurled the flying pieces of debris I had created at the man. His fists went through them like butter and he launched off the wall and aimed a kick at my face. I ducked under it and slashed up at the man, but he arched his back so that my slash narrowly missed. I slammed my sword into the ground and catapulted off of it and leapt into the air. I grabbed his arms and called upon any absorbed energy I had left in my body. My eyes glowed a faint purple as I pulled as hard as I could.


    The man¡¯s red eyes got even wider as he tried his best to shake free of my grasp. We landed back on the ground and I immediately let go of his arms and went in for a takedown. He tried to defend my tackle as he sprawled and leaned his weight forward onto my body. I made one last push as I swiveled my body around the man and successfully grabbed his torso from behind. He desperately tried to push my arms away but my grip was locked and I wasn¡¯t letting go. I picked him up and jumped blasted into the air. The world under us slowly began to disappear as the buildings¡ªor what was left of them¡ªbecame smaller and smaller and smaller. I felt the clouds dissolve into cool water droplets as we passed through them and I made one final push. I used all of my remaining energy to blast towards the ground as we plummeted towards the earth. I heard a sonic boom roar across the sky as I took one last look at the man¡¯s face. ¡°When you die, don¡¯t come back.¡± I grabbed his face with both of my hands as we finally smashed into the ground. The ground beneath us was incinerated as a large crater the size of a village formed beneath my feet. The man¡¯s skull split in half as I smashed his head into the ground. Giant clouds of dust filled Eden¡¯s now destroyed campus as I waited for the visibility to clear. The dust finally settled and the sound of my breathing echoed out into the empty air. The adrenaline finally started to wear off as I felt the pain start to increase in intensity. I looked down at the man¡¯s almost lifeless body as his eyes twitched with anger and spite. He spoke in a barely audibly, hoarse voice, ¡°don¡¯t.¡± Anger started to creep back into my body as I summoned my sword back into my hands. I raised my sword and stabbed it into the man¡¯s body as blood sputtered out of his abdomen. I stabbed him again, and again, and again, and again until a massive pool of blood surrounded his body. I smashed his skull with the hilt of my sword as each impact chipped more and more of his bone away. I raised up my sword for one final strike and smashed the hilt of my blade into his face. The left side of his skull shattered as his jaw and cheek were completely destroyed. Blood splattered everywhere as I threw away my sword and started punching with my magnaled hands. An immense feeling of anger, hate, and rage filled my body as I kept beating, smashing, breaking, and striking the man¡¯s face. My fists smashed into his skull over and over and over again until my hands completely shattered from the impacts. I smashed my elbows into his face as I let out a scream of terror, rage, and hate. I kept hitting him until the ground beneath me started to crack and shake as I let out all of my anger.


    This guy had tried to kill me, he humiliated me, he threatened to hurt my friends, and my family. He had killed people I had talked to, he¡¯d killed some of my friends. For that I was going to make him pay. My arms exploded into red mist so I smashed my forehead into his skull. His skull completely shattered as brain-matter splattered everywhere. His arms and fingers twitched and his eyes stopped moving around as he finally began to lose his life. ¡°I figured it out. You make a giant ring around yourself and inside that ring your energy levels and overall physical ability get boosted to the max. But once you¡¯re outside that ring you¡¯re just a normal guy. That¡¯s why I took you into the sky. It makes sense really, it just took a while to figure it out.¡± I stood up and brought up my foot above his head. ¡°Die.¡± I stomped down on his face and his entire head splattered into pieces and his brain matter was plastered across the dirt. He was dead, completely dead. All of my energy seemed to flow out of my body as I crashed to the floor.


    My eyes fluttered open to the sight of people standing over me.


    ¡°He looks like a crusty gingerbread man¡­¡­What! Hey, he¡¯d be fine with me saying that, he¡¯s got stubby little arms and legs! Are those his legs? Oh wow, those are his legs.¡± I slowly opened my eyes to see Geon standing over me with Lila and Aurora by his side. He looked concerned¡ªor at least concerned enough¡ªwhile Lila was hunched over and seemed to be trying her best to heal me. She was doing a pretty good job, considering that I didn¡¯t have any more blood pouring out of me in weird places. I looked down at my body and resisted the urge to lie down and go back to sleep. My right forearm was entirely gone, my entire left arm was gone, my legs were broken in several places, and my chest was so scared it almost looked like I didn¡¯t have any skin. I couldn¡¯t move my body and the only reason I wasn¡¯t passing out from pain was because Lila was patching me up. I groaned and Geon¡¯s eyes went wide, ¡°Lila I think you did it.¡± Lila¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change as she furrowed her eyebrows in concentration,


    ¡°Taran, don¡¯t panic and most importantly don¡¯t move. We¡¯re good, there¡¯s no more enemies, so just lay down and let me work.¡± I groaned in agreement. I spoke in an extremely hoarse voice.


    ¡°Do¡ªdo you have water? I need some water, anything.¡± Aurora reached into her pack and poured water into my mouth. My head started to clear and the pulsing pain inside my skull began to subside.


    Geon looked over at me with concern, ¡°so this guy was strong enough to do this to you?¡± I waited a while before speaking.


    ¡°He got a lucky shot in the beginning which almost killed me. It was different though, all my training went out of the window in the beginning of the fight. The fact that there were no retries and no more professors to stop the fight made me ... .well scared.¡± Geon, Lila, and Aurora were all silent. I continued speaking, ¡°I also killed him. He¡¯s not going to get a retry either. I killed a guy today.¡± Geon spoke in a soft voice.


    ¡°He killed thousands of our friends, our people. He wasn¡¯t innocent either. I know that¡¯s the worst thing to say right now but you had to do it. It¡¯s not your fault. You know that right?¡± I nodded and Lila put her hand on my shoulder.


    ¡°Taran, you saved the school. Without you, this would all be gone right now. You have nothing to be ashamed about, okay?¡± Lila gave me a smile and I closed my eyes to rest.


    Geon coughed and waved away a dust cloud, ¡°I hate to say this and Lila¡¯s right, you did save the school, but holy shit man, you guys really leveled this thing. Campus is huge and almost none of it is left. But I guess the bar is still up.¡± I smiled,


    ¡°Yep, I saved that one on purpose.¡± Geon laughed.


    Aurora knelt down next to me and started to speak, ¡°I assumed you wanted to know where the other people who attacked this place went, right?¡± I nodded.


    She continued speaking, ¡°Raga invaders were found escaping at the western border, they¡¯d escaped here through the National Tunnel network using your ID, and they purposefully left one here to cause a distraction and make us deal with business here. But you dealt with the warrior here yourself so we almost captured all of the other fleeing invaders but two got away. We don¡¯t know where they¡¯re going yet but we think they¡¯re crossing the sea to Mevillime.¡± I nodded and Aurora continued to talk, ¡°If Mevillime accepts them, a giant catastrophe will be created. By giving those terrorists safety and protection they¡¯re acting in the interest of our enemies. That¡¯ll mean that they become our enemies as well.¡± Geon spoke,


    ¡°And then their enemies will become ours, and ours theirs, and then everyone fights each other right?¡± Aurora nodded.


    ¡°Yes, but if Mevillime refuses to accept them then this whole thing won¡¯t go that far. The problem is that they probably will, Taegan and Mevillime have never been on the best of terms. They didn¡¯t support our secession from the Sugul empire all those years ago and we¡¯ve never forgotten it. I guess they also feel threatened by us, but hopefully they act smart in the interest of not starting a world-wide war.¡± Lila spoke for the first time in a while,


    ¡°Do we know why Raga attacked us?¡± Aurora shook her head and replied,


    ¡°Not really. They¡¯ve had their gripes with us but we have no idea why they chose to attack now. Maybe it¡¯s because we¡¯re distracted with all our business overseas, or maybe it¡¯s because we were rumored to be on bad terms with Evian, but we still don¡¯t know. All we know is that they had some type of spy in our nation¨Cmaybe the spy thought it was time to strike. Taran, did you hear anything that would be valuable to us?¡± I tried to speak but a faint cough was the best I could manage.


    I tried speaking again, ¡°I¡ªI don¡¯t really know. There was a lot actually. Most of what you said was true, the guy said he was doing this for his country, but I think there¡¯s something bigger. There¡¯s no way he and his group are spearheading this entire operation alone¡ªthey¡¯re smart enough to know that they themselves can¡¯t do much to us. So there¡¯s something more to all of this¡­I just don¡¯t know what.¡± Everyone was silent. I suddenly recalled that one name that the man had been throwing around. What was it? Savi something?


    It popped into my head.


    ¡°Also, they were telling me about this guy named Savitar. He never told me who he was or what he was doing but I was baited out into the forest by a letter written to me. It was signed by Melissa but I knew something was odd because it didn¡¯t sound like her at all. When I arrived at the location it told me to come to, I was ambushed by Ren.¡± Aurora¡¯s eyes went wide.


    ¡°Ren? Like the Ren we know? How? He¡¯s with the Raga people?¡± Geon¡¯s eyes glowed with hate.


    Aurora continued speaking, ¡°so what happened next?¡± I let out a faint cough and kept talking,


    ¡°I beat him pretty easily, but some flash of energy appeared out of nowhere and knocked me out. I couldn¡¯t even see what had hit me. I was out cold for a bit but I¡¯m pretty sure that¡­that guy that knocks me out is our traitor. I heard him speak and he sounds just like us, no accent, no stutter. He also knew about the National Tunnel system and that you need an ID to get it. He was also the one who wrote the letter which means he knows who Melissa and Mena are.¡±


    ¡°Stop,¡± Aurora spoke in a sharp and shaky voice.


    Her eyes went wide, she tapped her foot nervously, and she began to bite her nails. She looked at me with wide and desperate eyes, ¡°what was the color of the energy that hit you?¡± I stuttered a bit. She spoke in a frantic voice, ¡°the color Taran! What was it? Taran!¡±


    ¡°Um¡ªuh¡ªred..red! Why, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Aurora started to pace back and forth and began mumbling to herself. Lila looked at her with concerned eyes.


    Lila spoke in a firm voice, ¡°Aurora stop! Why are you so jittery? Aurora!¡± Aurora stopped in her tracks and looked at us with scared and confused eyes.


    ¡°Red energy, a strike that can knock out someone like you, a strike so fast that you can¡¯t see it, someone who knows all of us and who all of us are familiar with, someone who¡¯s fast enough to get in, out, and through the country without anyone of us noticing, and someone¡¯s who¡¯s name is similar to Savitar.¡± My eyes went wide.


    Aurora whispered in a tone of horror, ¡°Savain Yelenta is our traitor, he¡¯s been a spy for Raga and other enemy nations. He¡¯s been a spy, all of this time.¡±

 Chapter 61: Home at Last

    Savian Yelenta: ¡°From the moment Geon Leventen was born, the world changed drastically,¡± I held out my hands in front of the fire while trying to speak in a quiet voice. ¡°He¡¯s the only guy I¡¯ve ever seen who¡¯s a legitimate threat on the international level as a kid. Taegan will probably want to exploit him as much as possible when he comes of age, and if they¡¯re smart he¡¯ll probably be promoted faster than any other young warrior in history. If he gets his own army or assault force he¡¯ll be a legendary threat to everyone Taegan dislikes.¡± The fire cracked and popped as its warm orange glow washed over my body. The pitch black night sky loomed over us and the sound of crickets and cicadas rang out from the forest around us.


    I was pretty fucked. We had pulled the gun way too early and jumped at an almost non-existent opportunity. I knew that Taegan was going to be in shambles after the situation in Evian and after that disaster of a summit meeting. But none of these factors really gave us an advantage¡­Taegan¡¯s armies were still fully operational and the only thing that this whole situation gave us was a little distraction. But the hire-ups decided that this was the best opportunity we were going to get. So we launched the operation and nothing happened¡­We lost Rui and half of our forces, just to destroy an academy campus. I heard that Taran was the one that killed Rui, which surprised me. Taran was strong but I didn¡¯t know he was capable of killing a legitimate warrior. Rui probably tried to kill him in one shot and Taran tanked it¡ªsending all of that power right back at him¡­ Jed poked around the fire with a stick before speaking for the first time in hours, ¡°We¡¯ve heard of him. He¡¯s world renown but so are you. Of course, ¡°Savian Yelenta,¡± is the person the world knows but your job is done. After nearly eleven years of espionage you can come home.¡± I looked at him with a tinge of anger,


    ¡°So no ¡°good job?¡±, no ¡°good work¡±, or no ¡°you¡¯ve done well?¡± You just dumped me off into one of the most powerful nations in the world at the age of five, and told me to do impossible tasks for the sake of a country I¡¯ve basically never known?¡± Jed¡¯s eyes flashed with anger,


    ¡°So you¡¯re disloyal to Raga now? Have they turned you? Are you a dirty traitor, you insolent child.¡± I looked away from his face.


    Jed calmed down and started to speak again, ¡°I know how you feel to a certain extent, but you knew what was expected of you. You were fully aware of the details and hardships of the mission. Whether you truly knew these ideas as a child, I don¡¯t know, but you have done a great service to your country, and for that you should be grateful.¡± I spit into the fire and spoke while avoiding eye contact,


    ¡°Yeah, whatever.¡±


    Jed pulled out a loaf of bread from his pack and gave me about half of it. He spoke again,


    ¡°Tell me more about them, about the warriors-students. Specifically about Geon.¡±


    I shoved a bit of bread into my mouth, ¡°I can¡¯t beat Geon even if I tried my absolute hardest. I have a chance but he¡¯s too strong, fast, versatile, and he can take a hit.¡± Jed nodded. I kept speaking.


    ¡°The others are much more manageable. Aurora is a good combat tactician and she can hold her own in a battle but she¡¯s not at the level of Geon or some of the others. Lila is pretty valuable for her healing abilities but she¡¯s vulnerable on the battlefield in most situations. She¡¯s got some unexpected power in her reserves though. And Evay is¡­¡± Jed looked up at me.


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    ¡°Go on.¡±


    I tried to string the words together, ¡°I don¡¯t really know. He¡¯s got an incredible ability but at the same time he¡¯s very¡­clumsy. It¡¯s like he¡¯s never used his abilities before, or like he¡¯s super uncomfortable in his own body. But the most confusing part about him is that sometimes he just turns into a completely different person. He gets more confident, way stronger, and way better in every single way. He¡¯s so confusing¡­But I would watch out for him.¡± Jed nodded and continued to sit silently. Jed was always really quiet and indifferent towards me over the years. As my handler I had to report to him and follow his orders every single time I met him. He knew how to speak Taegan¡¯s language well, but even then we never got too close since our conversations were always just me reporting information and him giving me a new mission. But he was the only connection I ever had to home.


    Jed stood up and spoke, ¡°put out the fire. We should get moving, Pohan will expect us by the morning.¡± I stood up quickly and spoke in a shape and urgent voice,


    ¡°He¡¯s not sending in the army? What did we do all of this for then? You realize that Taegan will obliterate our nation in the next five hours, right? If we don¡¯t act now our little assault will be for nothing!¡± Jed argued back,


    ¡°The mission was never about causing damage. We needed Mevillime¡¯s full support, once our escapees reach Mevillime they will accept them. Once that happens we¡¯ll have an allegiance with Mevillime, and we¡¯ll get an official seat in the Ring of Nations.¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡± Jed spoke,


    ¡°A giant alliance of nations which aims to try and bring forth world peace through connecting every single nation in the world. Whether they really want that is a different story. Mevillime, Tundra, Northa, and Savarha are the permanent and head nations of the ring, and there are hefty fees and laws of submission to these countries if you want to join, but doing so gives your nation unprecedented protection. Taegan is the only major nation to not be included in the ring, and the heads of the ring haven¡¯t liked that for many years.¡±


    I spoke, ¡°so we want to¡­.kill them?¡± Jed rolled his eyes,


    ¡°Raga experienced what it was like to not have protection during our revolution. Our nation was utterly devastated and eviscerated by Taegan and for nearly decades we wanted to be let into the Ring of Nations. The information you obtained for us about Taegan was given to the ring and that was enough to give us consideration for entry. The ring always wanted to know more about Taegan, and after that bombing at Evian they came to us with a proposal. Take the responsibility of striking first, and start the war on Taegan. Then we will get full-entry into the ring.¡±


    I spoke with a tone of confusion, ¡°why? We¡ªI mean, Taegan¡ªdidn¡¯t strike first.¡± Jed scoffed.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to defend them anymore. The ring and Evian fully believe that they did¡ªespecially after that summit. But anyways, they want to exercise Taegan for good¡ªor submit them. When our warriors land in Mevillime they will get confirmation our assault has been conducted. We will have a strong ally to destroy Taegan with¡ªsomething that we¡¯ve wanted for decades.¡±


    He began to walk off and I followed him. As I jogged the picture of Emy that I always kept in my pocket fell onto the ground. I went to pick it up but Jed swooped in and grabbed it before I could. My eyes flashed with anger, ¡°give that back.¡± Jed looked at me with anger and disgust,


    ¡°Who is this?¡±


    ¡°I said give it¡ª¡°


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s my¡­friend. I like that picture, give it back,¡±


    Jed spoke in a furious voice, ¡°are you telling me you fell for some Taegan girl! You fell for some swine in that country full of pigs and murderers! What? Do you love this¡ªthis girl?¡± I reached for the picture but he kept keeping it from me.


    ¡°You¡¯re more loyal to Taegan than expected,¡± he threw the picture into the fire.


    I dashed over to the fire and grabbed the picture before it hit the flames. A pang of intense anger sprung up in my heart as I dashed towards Jed in an instant and lifted him by the throat. His eyes filled with ragefull shock as he looked at me with a murderous expression, ¡°put¡ªme¡ªdown!¡± I threw him into the floor and shoved the picture back into my pocket.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ever do something like that again. I don¡¯t care about Taegan, but she¡¯s not a warrior. We won¡¯t fight her and she won¡¯t fight us. She¡¯s just¡­.someone we can use if we need a lifeline inside Taegan that¡¯s not a warrior.¡± Jed stood up and gave me an angry stare,


    ¡°If you truly believe you will remain loyal to Raga then forget her¡ªforget her as a woman and treat her like a lifeline.¡± My heart dropped.


    Jed spoke, ¡°now let¡¯s go, before the sun sets.¡± I picked him up and dashed off into the darkness, back to the land I was supposed to call home.

 Chapter 62: Teras of Dishonor

    Geon Leventen: ¡°Where is Evay?¡± I spoke but it seemed like no one was listening. I¡¯d gotten ego-d by a lot of people in my life but I didn¡¯t expect to get ego-d by Aurora, Lila, and a fleshy ginger-bread man. Aurora was pacing around our tiny little tent while speaking to Lila¡ªwho was still trying to heal Taran. Emergency medical personnel and forces from the Taegan military were set up on campus in makeshift white tents. The emperor had ordered aid to be given to Eden and protection around all major cities and establishments were tightened¡ªhence the military presence. It was all really depressing but it was even more depressing that no one seemed to be listening to me. I spoke in a louder voice, ¡°um¡ªGUYS¡ªwhere is Evay?¡± Aurora looked at me with concerned eyes.


    ¡°I have no clue. We left him in that interrogation room. They said he¡¯d be taken for further interrogation but I have no clue what that means. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s being harmed.¡± I looked at Aurora who seemed to be losing her cool.


    I didn¡¯t like it when she lost her cool. It was weird and literally never happened. But I didn¡¯t blame her¡ªanyone would¡¯ve lost their cool in our situation too. I nodded, ¡°I¡¯m gonna go see what¡¯s going on out there,¡± I ducked under the tent door and walked out into the night. There were hundreds of tents and medics treating injured students. One of the warriors saw me and spoke up,


    ¡°You¡¯re that Leventen kid right?¡± I nodded, ¡°You seem like the real deal¡­my name¡¯s Dier, of house Damien. I¡¯m the one in charge of the perimeter.¡± He held out his hand and I shook it.


    He seemed to be a fairly good guy. He had short and fluffy black hair, a wide smile, and kind eyes. He seemed to be older than me¡ªmaybe 20, 21? He wore a black vest and black pants which made him blend into the night. I heard a voice echo out behind Dier, ¡°Dier, stop trying to flirt with the new kid, he probably has enough to deal with everyday already.¡± A woman with short red hair and a muscular frame walked up next to Dier. She looked at me and smirked, ¡°you¡¯re the famous boy? To be honest, you don¡¯t look like much? How much do you squat?¡± I hesitated,


    ¡°Uh¡­.like..a big rock?¡± She rolled her eyes.


    A smaller girl¡ªwho looked to be my age¡ªappeared out of the darkness and stood next to the woman. She had long, bright green hair and seemed to be really shy¡ªsince she couldn¡¯t even meet my gaze. The woman laughed loudly, ¡°Hey Phoebe! You finally have a boy your age to talk to, go on, do your thing.¡± Her face went red as she whispered something to the woman,


    ¡°Vivian, stop. Stop speaking.¡± The red haired woman¡ªVivian¡ªlaughed loudly and put her arms around Phoebe,


    ¡°Come on, you''re always talking about how your squad is filled with old geezers, but you have your little young knight in shining armor now.¡± Phoebe put her head in her hands and Dier spoke,


    ¡°Stop Vi, you''re making her melt.¡± Vivian rolled her eyes,


    ¡°Let me deal with the romance here, I know you don¡¯t have much experience so I¡¯ll show her the ropes,¡± Dier furrowed his brows in confusion,


    ¡°Wait what does that¡ªhuh?¡± Phoebe laughed,


    ¡°It means you don¡¯t get any, Dier.¡± Vivian laughed and shoved Dier in the shoulder,


    ¡°Are you gonna take that from the 15 year old?¡± Dier rolled his eyes and he smiled at me.


    ¡°Sorry, we¡¯re a squad. You get assigned one when you join the military, and your squad gets put into a battalion which gets put into a legion. You¡¯ll learn, with how strong you are you might be put in a special unit.¡± Another girl walked up and stood next to Dier and spoke in a smooth, relaxing tone,


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you don¡¯t know all about this¨Cmost warrior kids do.¡±


    The newest girl was taller than the rest and she had long brown hair, and very clear, smooth, white skin, and she was pretty attractive¡ªhaving the type of figure most guys I know liked. She wasn¡¯t as attractive as Lila of course, but Deven and Taran would¡¯ve  definitely been drooling over her¡ªmainly because they were dumb and stupid and dumb.She stared into my soul, ¡°you''re taller than I expected you to be. Anyways, he¡¯s trying to recruit you into our squad. Not that you¡¯ll accept anyway.¡± Dier spoke with a hint of annoyance,


    ¡°He probably won¡¯t but it doesn¡¯t help that you''re scaring him off, Jenna.¡± Jenna laughed,


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who was looking at him like a shiny new silk robe, Dier.¡± Phoebe and Vivian laughed,


    ¡°He¡¯s not a product Dier¡ªmaybe he¡¯ll like you more if you just talk to him next time. Ask him what type of girls he likes, or whatever guys talk about.¡± Vivian laughed and Phoebe let out a giggle. Dier threw a towel at her face and sighed,


    ¡°Our squad. This is us. Nice to meet you Geon, we all hope to see you again soon.¡± Vivian spoke with a sarcastic voice,


    ¡°Especially Phoebe!¡± Phoebe¡¯s face went red like a cherry tomato which made me laugh.


    I spoke, ¡°hold on. If you guys are patrolling the perimeter I can help.¡± Dier nodded and motioned me to come with him.


    ¡°Alright, follow us. We¡¯ll probably need your help anyway.¡± The squad ran off into the woods and I walked behind them.


    We¡¯d been walking for a while without speaking to each other¡ªwhich felt really awkward. I could¡¯ve just flown around the forest but squads were meant to stick together¡ªI think? Vivian smiled at me and pushed Phoebe backwards into me. She whistled innocently as I caught the small girl before she fell down. She looked up at me with horrified eyes and a face so red I genuinely thought she was going to explode into cherry-mist. I put her to my side and looked at her with confusion, ¡°you¡­.ok? Phoebe, hey,¡± I waved my hand in her face, ¡°you good?¡± She nodded and kept walking alongside me. I inched a little closer to her to avoid stepping on a couple puddles, but she immediately stepped away from me. Damn, am I that ugly? Lila told me I was cute..was she lying? She was definitely lying¡­.


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    Phoebe spoke in a soft voice, ¡°sorry¡ªI¡¯m just not used to talking to people my age out in the field, you know?¡± I felt relief flood over me¨Cso I¡¯m not weird, or ugly, she¡¯s just shy.


    I laughed, ¡°it¡¯s ok. To be honest I thought you just hated me.¡± She shook her head vehemently,


    ¡°No I don¡¯t! I don¡¯t at all! I¡ªnever mind. Why did you say that?¡± She looked a little angry and I held up my hands defensively,


    ¡°Woah, sorry for saying that I guess. Usually, new people I meet outside of school want to kill me. Probably because of my family.¡± Phoebe spoke in a much more confident voice,


    ¡°Children are not their parents and people are not their families. I don¡¯t believe you are a bad person, and that¡¯s all I care about.¡± As we walked along the forest floor I felt a deep appreciation grow in my heart.


    Jenna came out of nowhere and spoke, ¡°sorry for eavesdropping but yeah, Geon, we all have families that we aren¡¯t too proud of. But you¡¯re you, and to be honest I thought you were gonna be a massive playboy and a dick-head.¡±


    I spoke in an offended tone, ¡°hey! Why does everyone say that? I¡¯m very loyal to one woman, for your information. And I¡¯m not a dick-head most of the time. Hopefully at least¡­ I don¡¯t know¡ªthat one¡¯s really up to you to decide to be honest.¡± Jenna laughed,


    ¡°Are you now? Well sorry Phoebe, he¡¯s taken¡ªyou¡¯re out of luck.¡± Phoebe rolled her eyes and whispered in a slightly disappointed voice,


    ¡°Whatever.¡±


    Jenna spoke to me in a softer tone, ¡°it¡¯s because people with fame and power are usually like that. When everyone always sucks up to you and never defies you, you become arrogant and selfish. But I guess you''re different, you¡¯re just one of us. And for not understanding that, I¡¯m sorry.¡± I nodded and as Jenna walked on ahead of us.


    I looked down at Phoebe and looked at her wrist, which had a small bracelet with a golden owl attached to it, ¡°Do you like owls?¡± She nodded,


    ¡°They¡¯re super silent when they fly and they have really cute little heads and eyes. I want to have one for a pet but it¡¯s not easy having pets when you''re a warrior.¡± I nodded.


    She looked away from me and spoke in a guilty tone, ¡°um, I saw a girl next to you in your tent. The one with black hair, is she your¡­¡±


    ¡°My girlfriend?¡± She nodded. ¡°Um¡­yeah. She is. How did you see her?¡± Phoebe pointed to her jade-colored eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m an intelligence warrior. I gather intel with my abilities. I can see through objects and can extend my sight range to see across far distances. I was spying¡ªI mean looking¡ªat you and saw her.


    I laughed, ¡°her name¡¯s Lila. She¡¯s a medical specialist warrior but she can fight too. Your squad should meet my group sometime, I know this friend who¡¯s really good with nature, he can probably catch an owl for you or something.¡± Phoebe laughed and gave me a big smile,


    ¡°Thanks for the offer, I¡¯ll tell everyone else about it.¡± I summoned some silver into my hand and I morphed it into the shape of an owl. It wasn¡¯t that good¡ªit kinda looked like a dog with weird ears and wings. That does not look like an owl. How did I screw it up this bad? I gave it to her and smiled,


    ¡°this is a token of promise, you can come with my friends to catch all the owls you want. After all of this is over.¡± She laughed,


    ¡°Are you sure this is an owl?¡± I squinted,


    ¡°If you look really closely, yeah, but you have to like, look really closely.¡± She laughed and looked at me with a kind smile,


    ¡°Thanks Geon, it¡¯s been nice talking to someone like you.¡± She put the owl on her bracelet, ¡°Lila, she¡¯s very pretty by the way. I can see why you¡ª¡° Phoebe¡¯s entire body turned into red mist as her blood splattered onto my body. There was none of her left, every molecule of her had vanished as her bracelet fell to the ground. I looked over and Jenna stared at me with horror,


    ¡°Geon, wh-¡° her head went flying off her shoulders as her body hit the ground.


    My mind went into battle mode. Vivian ran to my side and her eyes went wide with horror. I felt a strong force slice through the air as every fiber of my being told me to duck. I dodged the attack while Vivian didn¡¯t. Her whole body was sliced in half as her lower torso fell in front of me. I heard a thud sound out behind me as Dier¡¯s head came rolling to my feet. His eyes were filled with shock and his mouth was wide open in fear. I looked up and saw a figure¡ªwith tattered and torn gray pants as well as a loose black shirt stand before me. He had very messy silver and black hair, which covered his crimson red eyes. He spoke in a casual tone, ¡°oh, no wonder that seemed so easy. I got the wrong guy.¡± The man smiled manically, ¡°What¡¯s up Geon Leventen, did I ruin your little moment?¡± I shot up into the air and pulled the forest floor out of the ground. Literal mountains rose into the sky as I slammed my two hands together. The man kept smiling at me as I threw two giant mountains on top of his body. Giant dust clouds rose into the sky as I flew straight into the chaos to clear my visibility. I stuck both of my arms out in front of me and channeled all of my power into the middle of my palms. A giant explosion lit up the night sky as fire and steam erupted in a brilliant roar of destruction. I flipped over the giant flames of death and held my hands up to the sky. The entire forest floor beneath me rose up out of the ground and formed into the shape of a fist. I blasted down into the fiery and smokey crater¨Cnow about the size of the entire forest¨Cand threw my entire body into a massive punch. Huge trees which usually shot into the skyline were uprooted, boulders and entire caverns were shot out in every direction, and a massive ravine running along the entire length of the forest formed as the giant earthen fist slammed into the crater. The earth shook at the force of the attack as earthquake-like vibrations reverberated around us. The fires blazing in the forest seemed to only grow and the crater I created took up almost the entire forest. I descended into the giant crater and landed with a soft thud onto the dirt. I tensed up my body and looked at my surroundings with wide and stupidly-focused eyes. Every single gust of wind, every sound, every small little vibration, and every little snap of a twig made me tense up as the man seemed to disappear into thin air.


    He¡¯d been following us for the length of our entire walk. I hadn¡¯t been able to detect him and I wasn¡¯t able to stop him from killing everyone. He took out an entire squad of fully trained Taegan military warriors in the blink of an eye. If he was that good at masking his presence then I had no chance of chasing him around in this dark, dense forest. When facing someone who is impossible to track in the heat of battle the only way to win is to make it so that they have nowhere to run. There were no more trees, there was no more forest, and nowhere left to hide¡­I had the advantage now. ¡°Where are you going to hide now?¡± My voice echoed out into the dark forest as the moonlight and stray flames illuminated my surroundings. A chill went down my spine as terrifying voice whispered into my ear,


    ¡°Right here,¡± I spun around and threw a backfist at the man¡¯s chin. The force from the strike blew another crater in the ground, but he easily leaned back and dodged it. I spun around and tried to sweep his legs but he jumped over my strike and tried to stomp on my body. I blasted into the air and dodged the initial strike but the power coming off of it was crazy. His strike¨Cwhich went into the ground¨Csomehow reverberated into the air and went straight into my body. I crossed my arms and tanked the shockwave¨Cwhich was a very bad idea. I was blasted back at shockingly high speeds as the ground beneath me got smaller and smaller and smaller. I kept rising until I started to feel my breath disappear¨CI was exiting the atmosphere. I looked down and my heart dropped into the deepest pits of my stomach. I was so high that all of Taegan was clearly visible. The thousands of lamplights lit in Taegan¡¯s capital and the giant crater I had created were visible even from this high up as the entire globe shone beneath me. It was all really beautiful¨CI had never seen the world from this high up before¡­. It would¡¯ve been a very nice moment if an absolute psycho wasn¡¯t waiting for me back on the ground. I gathered up all my energy and blasted myself towards the earth. I felt the wind rip away at my skin as I raced towards the giant crater etched into Taegan. I caught my breath as the flames and destruction on the forest floor became visible once again. I crashed onto the earth as a resounding roar rang out into the air. The man was sitting on a broken and jagged boulder while calmly smiling at me¨Che hadn''t even broken a sweat. Anger welled up in my heart as I clenched my fists and spoke with rage and hate, ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± He laughed and stood up,


    ¡°You don¡¯t know who I am? You haven¡¯t seen the posters and the flyers? I¡¯m a big celebrity you know.¡± My eyes went wide and I felt a very strange feeling creep into my heart. My chest tightened, my heart went cold, and I started to feel nervous. I hadn¡¯t felt like this in a very long time¡­..I hated feeling nervous, I hated it with every fiber of my being. I had a bad feeling about him¡ªa very bad feeling.


    I steadied my voice and stared into the man¡¯s soul, ¡°you¡¯re Teras, the butcher, the most wanted man in the Taegan empire.¡± He smiled and mockingly clapped his hands together as if he was trying to congratulate me. I took a moment to breathe. He¡¯s a hard puncher and a hard hitter. He¡¯s sneaky and fast and can take a lot of damage. Those are all things I can manage¡ªI got this. I put up my hands and steadied my nerves. Come on Geon¨Clock the fuck in¨Cyou can manage¡­.I got this.


    I go this¡­.

 Chapter 63: Earth Falls Away

    Geon Leventen: He flicked his finger out into the air and a shockwave of air went straight into my body. The shockwave hit my chest so hard that I felt my entire rib cage shatter. I felt blood pour out of my eardrums as the sound of the blast literally exploded my ears. The very ground tore up at my feet as a ravine¡ªso deep that it created a giant chasm in the earth¡ªwas formed in the wake of the blast. My body rammed through trees, mountainsides, boulders, and hills until I finally slammed into the inner parts of a deep cave. I crashed into the stone wall with a giant thud as the earth seemed to rumble in the wake of my impact.


    Earthquake-like roars echoed around me as blood poured out of my mouth. Maybe I don¡¯t got this¡­ I heard a giant sonic boom blast out in the distance as Teras floated above me¨Chis eyes flashing red and his smile piercing eerily into my soul. My breathing quickened, sweat started to roll down my face, my blood went cold, and my head went numb. He licked his lips, ¡°What¡¯s wrong Geon Leventen? Where¡¯s all the hype?¡± He lifted up his fist and struck down with impossible power. The blast of air created from his strike screeched across the night as a shockwave of death bore its way towards my body. Come on you fucker, let¡¯s play. My body blasted up off of the ground and I barreled towards the shockwave. I soared into the sky and primed my fist as a giant explosion propelled me forward at the speed of sound. I steeled my nerves and stared at Tears with pure hatred in my eyes, ¡°FUCKING DIE,¡± I threw all of my weight into one, single strike as my fist collided with Tera¡¯s attack. An impossibly loud sonic-bang ripped through the night as trees, boulders, and entire hillsides were tossed around like wads of paper. Teras dawned a crazy smile as my momentum carried me forwards into a mid-air front flip. I spun back around and threw a hyper-speed left hook. Teras laughed, ¡°You¡¯re a little far away to be¨C¡± an arm and a fist the size of a mountain range, made with boulders, trees, mountainsides, and hills slammed into Teras. He was swatted away like a tiny fly as I held out my right arm and called towards the Earth. A rumble which seemed to shake the planet to its core reverberated around the dark, empty forest as another giant earthen arm shot out of the forest floor. I slammed both of my fists down as hard as I could and the giant earthen arms did the same. An earthquake-like roar echoed out throughout the world as hundreds of thousands of trees and other natural debris flew into the air like tiny dust particles. I opened my eyes and soared through the falling rocks, trees, and patches of soil. I looked up towards the sky and blasted my way into the empty expanse far above the Earth¨Cslipping, rolling, flipping, and flying all through hundreds of pieces of debris. The sky cleared and I held up my hands. The giant earthen arms mirrored my movements and I closed my eyes in concentration.


    All of the debris, all of the tiny pieces of forest, I need to sense them. The elements inside the earth, the soil, the rocks, the trees, I need their help. Come to me¡­. The falling earthen debris all zoomed towards the center of my upheld, Earthen hands, and started to form a giant meteor the size of a city. It grew, and grew, and grew and I peeled my eyes in order to keep track of Teras. He was gone but I could sense something¨Csomething powerful¨Clurking on the forest floor. He was super sneaky and impossible to track with the human eye¨Cit was hopeless trying to hit him with a precise attack. So if hitting the target was impossible, I just had to hit everything and hope to hit my target in the process¡­¡­ I held up my giant meteor in my cosmic hands as I opened my eyes in concentration, ¡°Dodge this motherfucker,¡± I hurled the meteor forward into the forest floor. My body recoiled back from the force of the throw as I flipped backwards into the air. The meteor crashed into the surface of the earth at blinding speeds as cracks, ravines, and new caverns so deep that pits of darkness were found inside them were formed. The shockwave created by the impact of the meteor forced me back even more as I tried my best to redirect the winds in my favor. I shifted my weight to the left and held out my arms so that the winds from the shockwave pushed me towards the action. I stopped myself above the impact of the meteor as I surveyed the chaos and destruction. I could see our camp which seemed to be going crazy over our ensuing fight. Hundreds of lamp lights were lit and I could see crowds of people standing around¨Ctrying to assess the situation. He was Teras¨Cthe one who had killed a noble, the greatest butcher ever¨Cbut I just threw a fucking meteor at him¡­.. I lowered myself towards the broken and destroyed Earth as everything had gone silent. No birds chirping, no cicadas humming, no crickets crying out into the darkness¡­. There was nothing left¨Cno person and or thing to cry out to me. I took a step forward towards the site of the meteor impact and felt my heart drop. Teras stood still¨Ccompletely fine¨Cat the center of the meteor crash. He kicked a pebble into a deep, dark chasm in the ground and stared into my soul. He smiled, licked his lips again, and took his hands out of his pockets. I tried to find my words, ¡°you¨Cyou¨Chow¡­How the fuck¡­how¡­I just threw a meteor at you¡­.I hit you with a mountain and a fist the size of a city¨Cso how¡­¡± He let out a small laugh.


    ¡°Listen, I get that you''re tough, but this is the big-boy leagues now. You can¡¯t hit me with that weak-ass-shit.¡± He lifted up his leg and took a step. His foot barely touched the ground and suddenly, he flashed out of existence. My entire existence, my being, everything inside me that wanted to live told me to duck¨Cso I did. Teras appeared in front of me and tried to spear my head with his bare hands. I barely dodged his strike as a gash appeared across my face. I flipped back and tried to hit him with a kick on the chin but he dodged it. I laced my arms with metal and swept my leg around as giant metal spikes shot out of the ground in a circle around me. Teras blasted through the metal¨Cmaking it literally disintegrate¨Cand threw a strong right cross. I held up my metal encased hands and blocked the strike. I can lean off, slip left, and counter with a hook or a cross. I can take to the air, or I can hit him with a large-area attack¨Che¡¯s super close after all¨C


    The strike went right through the metal, right through my arms, and went right through my chest. Blood soaked my shirt and all over Teras¡¯s arms as a sickening squelch rang out into the night. His eyes widened with malice as he pulled his arm out of my chest and hit me with a blazing fast uppercut. Everything went dark for a second as I felt my body fly through the air. Teras leapt up after me and smashed me down back to the ground with both of his arms. A resounding crash reverberated throughout the night as a massive crater was formed beneath my body. I felt my ribs crack, blood erupted out of my mouth, and my head slammed into the hard ground. My eyes blacked out for a second before Teras appeared on top of me with blood-red eyes. I shot out my hands as a massive wall of fire erupted all around us and I let myself sink deep into the earth¨Clike some massive man-mole. I closed my eyes and started to burrow deeper and deeper and deeper as the cold soil brushed up against my skin. I looked up and steeled my nerves as I concentrated hard. I shot out of the ground at lightning speeds as the very earth tore up at my feet. Teras turned towards me and jumped up into the air¨Centering striking distance almost immediately. I blasted towards him and he shot out his hands in order to latch onto my body. I flipped over him and positioned myself right above his entire body¨Clooking over him with a bird¡¯s eye view. He looked up towards me with another malicious smile, ¡°You¡¯re pretty hard to catch,¡± I concentrated all of my physical power, willpower, all of my skill, training, and will-to-kill into the palms of my hands as two massive plates of uranium latched onto my hands like huge, square gloves,


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    ¡°Don¡¯t ever, put a hole in my chest again,¡± I smashed my hands together as hard as I physically could and the sun suddenly appeared in front of me. Teras smiled before the entire world seemed to perish in my sight. The intense heat seared my skin and the pain overtook every single corner of my body. It was almost like I had just flown directly into the sun as my eyes started to burn away. Entire mountains were vaporized in the ensuing blast as a ball of heat and fire destroyed nearly everything that it touched. A giant sonic boom and a shockwave echoed out through the air as everything seemed to either blow away or vaporize into a million pieces. I finally felt myself land with a massive thud as the intense heat from the blast penetrated my skin. Huge fires raged around me and the crater I had created was so deep that it felt like I was sitting at the bottom of an ocean. I tried to breathe but I couldn¡¯t, my arms were seared, one of my eyes were missing, my entire shirt was gone, one of my legs was burnt to a crisp, and the flesh on my chest and face just weren¡¯t there. I gasped as pitiful little choking sounds reverberated out into the air. I looked up as Teras slid down the side of the crater and came to a halt before me. His hair was a little messed up, his shirt was a little burnt, and his pants were a little ripped. But he was fine¨Che didn¡¯t have a scratch on him. Anger flooded my heart, rage seeped into the very fibers of my being, and I forced my body to move. In a flash I appeared behind Teras and he whipped around just as quick. He sliced my neck with his hands and I ducked it¨Cimmediatly pushing off of the ground with two hands and kicking up at his torso. He blocked the kick but the power had shot him backwards. He slid backwards as his feet tore up the earth and I ran after him. I flashed in front of him and threw a massive overhand right. He slipped it and threw a counter left hook which I ducked under and countered with an uppercut. He blocked the punch and threw a cross which I slipped and I went for a body shot but he blocked that too. I flew into a torrent of kicks, punches, and strikes but his hands flew towards them like magic¨Cblocking and parrying all of my attacks.


    It was almost like he was taking the power out of them. It was like I was punching him in my dreams¨CI wasn¡¯t fast enough, my strikes had no power, and my body didn¡¯t move like it was supposed to. I threw a high kick which he blocked and I jumped up and went for a back kick¨Call while I was in the air. He grabbed my foot and swung me around as he picked me up and prepared to slam me into the ground. A white-hot flame erupted on my leg and he was forced to let me go. I dropped to the ground and a massive metal spike shot out towards Teras¡¯s chest. The spike hit his body but it shattered upon impact. It didn¡¯t matter¨CI wasn¡¯t trying to hit him with it. Deep, dark smoke billowed out of my hands as the visibility around us was reduced to zero. I could sense him lurking and preparing to strike. I listened, and listened, and listened until I heard the scrape of his shoes on the hard soil. I summoned a figure¨Croughly the shape and size of my own body¨Cbehind Teras out of the ground. He turned around and hit it with a series of slashing attacks so deadly that my earth clone shattered into thousands of pieces within seconds. I blasted out of the clearing and charged towards Teras. His red glowing eyes widened slightly as he threw a right-hand-bomb at my face. I leaned out of the way and added a giant blast to my uppercut as my right hand connected with his chin. He flew into the air and landed back on the ground¨Chis face filled with surprise and shock. Now¡¯s my chance.


    I tried to move but I fell onto one knee. The massive hole in my chest dripped blood onto the soil as my vision began to go dark. I stood up and forced myself to walk towards him¡­But I couldn¡¯t move¡­. He looked at me with a mix of curiosity and wonder but after a while his face began to change. His mouth widened into a smile, then he began to laugh, he laughed louder, and louder, and louder until his voice boomed out throughout what seemed like the entire world. He put his hands behind his head and spoke, ¡°You¨Cyou¡¯re that brat. No wonder you looked so familiar. You have his eyes, hair, and face, man. You even get that little look in your eyes whenever you¡¯re fighting. You¡¯re about a hundred times stronger than him though¡­.I can¡¯t believe it¡­¡± I looked at him with confusion,


    ¡®Who are you¡­what are you talking about?¡± He slowly walked towards me as he spoke,


    ¡°Your father. He was a butcher¨Chis name was Ryo Leventen and he was a pretty solid fucker. He got the job done and was number one for a while. He picked his fights wisely and managed to never piss off any of the wrong people. But we both took a job one day¨Cto kill this slimy politician in Bondas. The bounty on his head was enough to set a family up for generations and so naturally we fought each other for the right to the bounty,¡± my eyes¨Cor the one I had left¨Cwent wide.


    ¡°You did it¨Cyou¡¯re the butcher that killed him.¡± He let out a long, crazy laugh,


    ¡°I was only thirteen at the time, did you know that? I got my target¨Cbecame set for life. But I wanted more. Don¡¯t you love the feeling of cold, hard, cash? I don¡¯t know about you but there¡¯s nothing like the feeling of making money.¡± He barreled towards me and punched a hole through my heart. Blood poured out of my mouth as I dropped down to my knees¨CI grabbed his arm to try and stand up but I couldn¡¯t. He looked at me with his cold, red eyes, ¡°A lot of very rich people paid me a lot of money to kill you. I guess they didn¡¯t want to see what you would become once you grew up.¡± He pulled his hands out and I dropped to the floor. He looked up at a crow perched on a flaming boulder. The crow had pure-white eyes and seemed to be scanning both me and Teras. Teras turned towards the crow and spoke, ¡°good enough? I did my part¡­Thanks for the cash.¡± He knelt down and smiled, ¡°See you buddy. Like father, like son.¡± He flashed out of existence and I felt my eyes start to close. I saw a very bright light appear in front of my eyes as a dark tunnel seemed to be trying to lead me towards the light. So the rumors were right¡­.you do see a bright light before you die¡­ I reached out towards it and felt something soft. It was smooth, comforting, and felt nice in my hands. It felt really familiar¡­.The light started to fade away as Lila¡¯s face suddenly faded into vision. It was Lila, she had tears in her eyes and seemed to be screaming something at me. I didn¡¯t know what¡­I think my eardrums were officially gone¡­.. I let go of her face as another person landed next to Lila. They shouted towards each other for a little bit as Lila suddenly picked me up and dashed towards camp. My head felt like mush, my body began to crash, and I blacked out into unconsciousness.

 Chapter 64: Falling out of Childhood

    I woke up in a tent. Sunlight hit my eyes and I felt the warmth of a nice cotton bed, soft sheets, and a fluffy pillow encompass my body. I looked down at my arms and they were covered in bandages, my legs were put in some type of cast, and I had a long head-band like bandage wrapped around my head. My arms were basically two white cylinders with all the bandages wrapped around them and I looked like a giant marshmallow man who had just gotten out of a house fire. A nurse, wearing simple white clothing, walked in. She was pretty tall with long legs and smooth white skin. She had waist length white hair and stormy gray eyes as well as very smooth, red lips. I had listened to some of Deven¡¯s fantasies involving nurses¨Cvery unwillingly¨Cand I think these were the nurses he was talking about¡­ She looked at me with surprised eyes and immediately motioned for people to come to her, ¡°PATIENT AWAKE, PATIENT AWAKE, PLEASE, I NEED ASSISTANCE,¡± she walked up towards me and began to ask questions, ¡°how are you feeling? Any nausea, pain, any light-headness?¡± Light emitted out of her fingertips as she shined the light in my eyes. I spoke with much difficulty,


    ¡°um ... .no¡­can you¨Ccan you tell me where Lila is? I want to see her.¡± She looked me over a little more before nodding. She walked off and Lila burst through the door. She ran up to me and gave me a massive, bone-crushing hug. Aurora also ran through the door and came to my side. Lila grabbed my face and put her lips to mine¨Cgiving me the most tender yet aggressive kiss known to man. I smiled in pain and spoke cautiously, ¡°um¡­.hey baby¡­.Don¡¯t get mad but I almost kinda died,¡± she looked at me and anger flashed into her eyes,


    ¡°YEAH, YOU DID. WHERE DID YOU GO? ALL WE HAD TO DO WAS STAY IN THAT TENT AND YOU RAN OFF TO NOWHERE! GEON, WHAT THE FUCK?¡± Aurora started to pull her away from me,


    ¡°Lila stop, he¡¯s had a rough night,¡± Lila calmed down and took a seat at my bedside. I laughed to myself,


    Aurora¡¯s the one calming Lila down¡­ I began to speak, ¡°I went to help out a squad with patrol. They were very nice¨Cthey were basically a small family. They had these very kind people¡­who¡­.who got killed by Teras. I fought him¨CI fought Teras,¡± Lila¡¯s eyes went wide and Aurora gave her an I-told-you-so look. I continued speaking, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s true. I dropped a meteor on him, threw a sun at him, and threw a mountain on him but he didn¡¯t even break a sweat. He put two holes in my chest¨Cit was a pretty awful experience. Did you know it hurts really bad when one of your lungs is missing¡ªwho knew?¡± Lila gingerly touched my bandaged chest while I tried my best to speak, ¡°he said that someone wanted me dead¨Cand they paid him to kill me. He got his money but whoever paid him just got scammed.¡± Lila gave me some water and Aurora started to speak,


    ¡°It¡¯s probably one of the nations we¡¯re at war with,¡± I looked at her with confusion,


    ¡°One of the nations? I thought we only had something with Raga?¡± Aurora looked at Lila and they both dawned a look of anxiety and fear. Aurora looked at me like I was being carried to my own funeral,


    ¡°The Raga spies reached Mevillime. The Ring of nations has officially released a Declaration of War upon the Taegan Empire. Almost a third of the world¡¯s nations are now our enemies, we have conscripted a draft of existing and in-training warriors, the nation is currently preparing to consecrate the Imperial forces this week, and we¡¯ve been drafted as well. Geon, we¡¯re not going back to Eden¨Cwe¡¯re not going back home¡­.¡± I felt my heart¨Cor what was left of it¨Cdrop to the deepest pits of my existence,


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna fight¨Cfight for our country.¡±


    Evay Maver: As I sat in my very rusty metal chair I began to wonder how things ended up the way they did. I was a pathetic, scrawny, powerless kid just a year ago but now I felt different, looked different, and was just so¡­.different in every single way. But my life hadn¡¯t necessarily gotten better¨Cin fact in some ways it had gotten a lot worse¡­ Hence the reason why I was being interrogated by the Imperial guard¡­. Jugo stood in front of me and Lela accompanied him as well. He looked at me with a long, cold stare and Lela¡¯s sharp, golden eyes pierced into my very being. I cleared my throat and tried to speak, ¡°Sir, mam, I¡¯m¨CI¡¯m prepared to tell you anything but there are many things I do not have answers to.¡± Jugo¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change and Lela¡¯s didn¡¯t either. Jugo finally spoke,


    ¡°Go on.¡± I took a deep breath and continued to talk,


    ¡°My powers, my abilities, I don¡¯t really know how they work to an absolute tee. I was born in the country and had my liquor abilities granted to me later on in life¨Ccompared to other young warriors¨Cand I had to figure out a lot of things by trial and error. I keep discovering new things that I can do everyday and I¡¯m still trying to figure out the extent of my abilities. Even if I¡¯m not so sure of myself I can tell you one thing for sure¨Cthat attack on Evian was done by a foreign power¨Cit was not released by one of us.¡± Lela¡¯s face filled with confusion,


    ¡°We never even suggested the idea that one of you released the attack. Why did you say that?¡± My heart dropped and adrenaline coursed through my veins. She got me¡­.Why did I say that? I tried to avoid eye contact and felt myself start to squirm. I began to tap my feet uncontrollably, my pupils dilated, sweat rolled down my face, and my breathing quickened. I have to think of something quick¡­or else something is going to happen. I heard a small laugh go off in the back of my head as Hiem started to speak to me,


    ¡°You¡¯re in a bit of trouble, no? It¡¯s funny how you always end up in these situations. It looks like I chose the right person to follow,¡± I responded inside my head,


    ¡°I need you to help me¨CI really need your help. They¡¯re going to torture me, or kill me, or do something else¡­.I need you please.¡± Hiem laughed again,


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    ¡°You really need to get yourself some better acquaintances, child. First your so-called friends let you get taken by the royal guard, then they do not even search for you, then you find out that they¡¯re not even loyal to you.¡± My heart dropped,


    ¡°What do you mean? They can¡¯t search for me¡­.. They didn¡¯t let me get taken¡­well¡­.I guess they did¡­. But they are loyal to me! What are you talking about?¡±


    Hiem laughed, ¡°You didn¡¯t know? In my opinion it was quite obvious but I guess you humans do not see as we do. Savian Yelenta was confirmed to be a traitor for an enemy nation. You humans and your espionage humor me¨Cthe idea of spies are not really¨C¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up Hiem¡­.What are you talking about¡­Savian is our friend. He¡¯s our friend. We got closer to him at the tournament, he was opening up to us, he was becoming one of us. We ate together, trained together, he told me about Emmy. he¡¯s not a traitor.¡± Hiem spoke with a tone of regret and sorrow,


    ¡°Betrayal, a hard emotion to swallow. How do you think your enemies got through your dense defenses, how do you think Eden academy was infiltrated¨Cwhich it was while you were away¨Cwhy do you think he was always so reserved when being around you. Did you not see the guilt in his eyes? The sorrow when talking about his so called ¡°friends.¡± He was always going to leave you¨Cnone of the words of advice he spoke to you and none of the moments you shared were ever real. You must accept that.¡± My eyes began to grow even wider and I began to hyperventilate. Savain? Savian was a traitor¡­He had fought with us and had done so much for the Taegan empire in his youth but he hadn¡¯t meant any of it. He was living a lie and dragging us all into it¡­. He was never real¨Che never cared for us, or truly liked us, or even truly meant anything he had ever said. Hiem spoke again but this time his voice was cold, indifferent, and uncharacteristic just like last time, ¡°You see Evay, they will always leave you. Just like mother and father left you, just like Amie left you, just like all your brothers, sisters, and family left you, they will all leave eventually. Don¡¯t you not get it, you¡¯ve been distracted by the temptations of people and you¡¯ve failed to realize one thing,¡± I keeled over and put my head in my hands¨Cclawing my hair out like a feral cat.


    ¡°You will always be alone¨Cno matter where you go.¡±


    Lela suddenly spoke, ¡°Your heart rate is about 180 beats per minute, your pupils are dilating and you reek of epinephrine and norepinephrine¨Cthe hormones your body releases when you lie. You''re lying, kid¨CI can tell.¡± My eyes grew to the size of saucers and I tried to get up from my chair. Jugo held out his hand and I was thrown back into my seat. I slammed into the metal chair and both the chair¨Cand myself¨Ccrashed into the brick wall behind me. A giant bang roared throughout the room as the brick wall behind me shattered and crumbled from the impact of Jugo¡¯s attack. He flashed out of existence and reappeared in front of me in a cloud of dark black and gray smoke. His cold, dark eyes bore into my soul as he spoke to me in a deadly tone,


    ¡°Lela has extremely heightened primary senses¨Ctouch, taste, sight, smell, and hearing¨Cshe can tell anyone about anything just by looking at them. If she says you''re lying¨Cyou¡¯re lying. I don¡¯t know if you somehow tricked the curse of order I put upon you, or if I just didn¡¯t ask the right questions, but I want you to cooperate with us right now or suffer grave consequences.¡± I couldn¡¯t lie to them¨CI had no chance of doing anything to protect myself either¡­..But even if I did tell the truth¨Cit wouldn¡¯t be the truth. I didn¡¯t know why Hiem had forced me to lie and I had no clue what he was trying to tell me or show me. I had lied about what happened at the tournament even if I didn¡¯t want to¡­I don¡¯t know why I had done it¡­.. I wasn¡¯t trying to save myself and I didn¡¯t lie to save anyone else either. Hiem was doing something, making something out of my situation, and I didn¡¯t know any of his intentions.


    But it didn¡¯t really matter anymore. It was all fucked¨Ceverything was too fucked. ¡°Hiem, I¡¯ll play your game. Nobody will come for me anyway.¡±


    Jugo spoke again, ¡°was what you said about a foreign power attacking you true, Evay Maver? Was it a lie? Answer with the full truth,¡± Lela dashed towards me and held one of her very sharp, golden bengals to my throat, ¡°or this room will be painted with your blood.¡± I began to hyperventilate, my eyes felt like they were going to pop out of my head, and my hands and legs started to tremble. Jugo spoke again, ¡°answer me,¡± I tried to move but I couldn¡¯t, ¡°speak child,¡± I moved my body forward but all I could manage was a small kick of the leg, ¡°ANSWER ME!¡± Gold¡¯s Veil adorned my body as my hair turned a brilliant shade of white and beautiful ivory and gold robes came adorned my body. I spoke with a hint of maniacal laughter,


    ¡°I DIDN¡¯T LIE!¡± Jugo grabbed my neck and glared at me with intense anger. I spoke in between desperate gasps of air, ¡°I¨CI¨Cdidn¡¯t lie! I¨Ctried to stop the attacker but¨Cbut I couldn¡¯t tell you the truth! The attacker¨Cthe attacker wasn¡¯t exactly from¨Cfrom another nation¡­. He was¨Cwas one of our own! Savian Yelenta is a traitor¨Ca spy¨Cto the Taegan people. He has been a spy for all of his living years and his final decision was to make the most of a situation where he was isolated with your Empire¡¯s most talented young warriors! Of course he couldn¡¯t have done that amount of damage himself but used the stadium to his advantage. The stadium has an immense amount of liquor flowing deep underneath the floors in order to provide us with liquor screens¨Che purposefully targeted those and used some of his own power in order to create that destruction. Do you not believe me? Check any letters you have received or check any messengers which were sent to you! I am telling the truth!¡± Lela pushed her bengal in deeper into my neck as I felt my jugular pound from the added pressure,


    ¡°And you expect me to believe you¨C¡± Jugo whipped his head around as a giant golden eagle flew right through the wall and landed on my shoulder. Lela¡¯s eyes went wide as she backed away from me and the eagle. The bird¡¯s sharp golden talons dug into my shoulders and its black obsidian eyes bore straight into Jugo¨Chis owner. Jugo held out his hand and the bird stuck out its talon and dropped him a letter¨Cmade of parchment as white as snow. He opened the letter and his expression changed from doubtful to dead-pan serious. He nodded at the eagle and it flew through the wall again in a shimmer of golden light as it disappeared into thin air. He looked at me with a mix of anger, doubt, desperation and regret,


    ¡°Evay Maver, I, Jugo, of the Royal guard, with the power invested in me declare you cleared of all suspected charges and offenses put onto you by the Taegan Empire. In some miracle you have told the truth and have cleared yourself of all potential accusations. How you knew that Savain Yelenta was the traitor, how you knew about the leading theory that Yelenta used the liquor technology to his advantage, and why you held this information from us for so long I do not know. But I can not neutralize you now. Evay Maver, come with me.¡± Gold¡¯s veil disappeared and I tried to stand up but my legs gave out. I tripped and fell onto the floor but Lela pulled me up. She looked at me with pity,


    ¡°Jugo, I read the letter. Is it true?¡± Jugo didn¡¯t look at us or face us. He turned towards the door and stepped outside,


    ¡°Evay Maver, your friend Geon Leventen has been critically injured and is near death. The temporary camp near Eden academy is almost all destroyed and the surrounding land is tarnished from Mr. Leventen¡¯s fight with Tears the Butcher. Taegan has officially declared war on Raga and the Ring of Nations has declared war on Taegan. You¨Calong with most of your fellow classmates¨Cwill be conscripted to fight for the empire and you will be accompanied by the standard Taegan military forces in battle. Congratulations Evay Maver, you will become a warrior much earlier than you would have ever expected.¡±

 Chapter 65: Over the Horizon

    Deven Piten: I threw a large piece of rubble off of a completely obliterated house and chucked it into the skyline. I kept clawing and clawing and clawing at the mountain of decimated rubble as I searched for the person trapped under. Melissa had very little liquor abilities and the ones she did have weren¡¯t very useful for battle or intelligence. She was very smart¨Cand really hot¨Cbut she couldn¡¯t defend herself in a fight¨Ceven against someone who didn¡¯t have any liquor abilities. I jumped into the air and teleported myself high into the sky. I aimed just to the right of the massive rubble pile and charged towards the ground. I apparated myself downwards in short speedy bursts¨Caccelerating my momentum. I smashed my fist into the ground and the pile of rubble spit out in every single possible direction. Melissa was huddled on the ground and she was a bloody mess. Her clothes were torn, her head was bleeding, and she seemed to be unconscious. I dove towards her body and scooped her up as the massive rubble pieces smashed down onto the ground. She was in pretty bad shape but she still looked as good as ever¡­. It felt nice to hold her¡­.I never really got to talk to her a lot but I kinda wanted to¡­..


    She coughed and I snapped back to reality. I should probably get her to a hospital¡­.


    I jumped up high into the air and scanned my surroundings and finally found the others. Mena, Millen, and Nila were all trying to help look for survivors. Eden had been absolutely obliterated and from what it looked like the surrounding area had been obliterated too. Taran was completely out of commission and from what I had heard Geon was also out of commission too. It scared me¨Cnot the fact that we were being bombed and invaded¨Cbut the fact that Taran and Geon had both been knocked out on the same day. Taran was really strong and that annoying motherfucker kept getting stronger everyday. He was battle addicted and seemingly got high after getting hurt in fighting¨Che was probably a grade A masochist¡­. Geon on the other hand, really annoyed me. I had told several people that but they all gave me the classic answer. Oh, why would you say that he¡¯s so fun? Oh, why would you say that, he¡¯s so nice to Evay and the girls. Oh, why would you say that he¡¯s so hot¡­. It was as if everybody had a hard-on for Geon or that everyone thought he was the nicest guy ever. Even the guys had a soft-crush on him and some had even tried to deny it. Oh yeah, you totally don¡¯t have a crush on him, even though you talk about him with every waking second and compliment his physique, strength, and personality¡­.. But the fact was that Geon was a pretty nice guy¨Cwhich made me even more mad. Usually guys like that were very easy to hate¨Cthey were either massive playboys or super egotistical¨Cbut he didn¡¯t really seem to be any of that. He was closer to being a massive idiot than any of those but moreover¡­. I was jealous. I hated it when people called me out on it too. I¡¯m jealous of the super tall, super good looking, super nice, super strong, super popular dude with a really cute girlfriend¨Cno way! How could I be!


    I always tried to make him seem less than who he was, but now, I regretted it. I teased him a lot but he was on his deathbed now and that made me feel like a real piece of shit. I regrouped with Mena and Millen who were trying to calm down a couple students from the scholar wing of Eden. Millen appeared out of the shadows and put a large blanket over some shivering students gathered alongside a crumpled brick wall. He walked towards me and looked both tired and worried, ¡°we¡¯re not even close to getting them all but good news, Taran is walking again and Geon is up and talking.¡± I nodded with a blank expression but I secretly felt relieved on the inside.


    ¡°So he¡¯s okay? Good, we¡¯ll need him.¡± Millen smirked,


    ¡°You¡¯re worried about him? Didn¡¯t you tell me that he¡¯s annoying and dumb?¡± I threw a rock at his forehead,


    ¡°He is¨Che still is. But I don¡¯t want him to die, you know? It¡¯s the bare minimum really, I hope he¡¯s gravely injured¨Cespecially his face. It would give me a better chance with the girls.¡± Millen laughed in his usually raspy voice,


    ¡°Zero percent multiplied by any number is still zero, you know that right?¡± I tackled him to the ground and started slapping him while he laughed like a madman.


    ¡°OW¨COW¨COW! HAHAHA, WAIT! STOP, STOP.¡± I finally jumped off of him and he slowly got up with a big grin on his face. ¡°That one hit home, huh?¡± I rolled my eyes and we slowly walked back towards the rescued students and Mena. Mena knelt down next to a small little girl who was leaning against one of our Eden academy scholar-students. They seemed to be siblings but I wasn¡¯t too sure¨Ca lot of kids had their younger family with them at the school especially if their family was either abroad or unavailable for extended periods of time.The scholar students were the students who were primarily here to study and become scientists, historians, architects, and doctors. They put the ¡°academy,¡± in Eden Academy but were usually overlooked because of the Warrior Program here and they really detested us for it. I always kind of felt bad about it too. I mean, this place was a school at the end of the day and the kids who were here to study were actually using this place for its intended purpose. I would get pretty pressed too if the brutish, dumb, and very arrogant kids got more attention then I did when I was actively working towards inventing a new medicine, solving war, or building a new insane gadget. The little girl¡¯s hair was in a mess, she had a small cut on her left arm, and her eyes were wide with fear. Mena approached her and she got even more scared as she buried her face in her older sister¡¯s sleeve. The older girl¡¯s eyes flashed with anger as she pulled her little sister deeper into her body. Mena¡¯s eyes softened and she spoke in a tender voice, ¡°it¡¯s ok. We¡¯re here to help.¡± The older girl scoffed,


    ¡°You¡¯re ¡°help,¡± isn¡¯t really working as you can clearly see.¡± Mena¡¯s face fell with sadness for a second before she put on a determined look.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°We¡¯re trying¨CI promise. But I¡¯m not going to hurt her. She¡¯s hurt and she seems to be hungry. We¡¯ve got things for her¨Clet us help.¡± The girl glared at us in anger for a bit before she finally let her little sister go. The small girl had dirty blonde hair and very round, black eyes. Mena smiled and she held out her hand. ¡°Do you want to see something cool,¡± the little girl looked at her cautiously before slowly nodding. Millen dove back into the shadows to go get supplies while I stayed to watch. Mena gently blew on her hands and a beautiful, ice-blue snowflake appeared in her hand. The little girl''s eyes slowly widened with joy as a big smile crept across her face. She held out her hands and Mena gave the snowflake to her. Mena stood up and waved her hands across the air as a shower of perfectly white snow fell all over the little girl. The girl laughed and tried to catch the snow as she ran around in circles¨Cfrolicking like it was a calm summer day. The older sister¡¯s face softened as she looked at Mena with a neutral expression,


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Mena nodded and Millen popped up out of the nearest shadow and gave me a jumpscare. I let out a startled scream as Millen keeled over in laughter,


    ¡°You always¨Calways fall for that.¡± The little girl laughed even more as I rolled my eyes. Millen handed out blankets, bandages, and little packs of food. Mena gathered more students to us as I looked far into the distance. A little flash of blue started to travel along the skyline as a small blob of gold seemed to follow it. My heart started to pound and my palms filled with sweat. More enemies? Now? Why now? I tapped Millen on the shoulder and motioned towards the two shooting stars falling towards us from the sky. His eyes went wide, ¡°MENA! NORTH!¡± Mena whipped her head around and her eyes went wide with panic,


    ¡°Millen, get the kids to safety, Deven fight! Fight with your life! The camp is set up a very short way east from her¨Cif they get past us we¡¯re all dead.¡± I held out my hands and teleported myself into the air. The targets were closing in on us fast and they seemed to be trying to head towards the temporary camp where Geon, Taran, and the others were staying. It didn¡¯t make a lot of sense though because if these were Raga soldiers they wouldn¡¯t be coming from the western border¨Csince Raga was to the east of Taegan. Either these soldiers made a giant flank¨Csweeping a couple villages on their way to us¨Cor they weren¡¯t raga soldiers¡­ I yelled to Mena who was still on the ground, ¡°Mena! Throw out the ice wall when I say go! We need to slow them down as much as possible.¡± Mena nodded and I landed back onto the ground. The two figures in the sky landed down onto the earth with a giant crash as dust clouds and debris soared around us. I waved my hand in a giant arc as the dust clouds cleared and the two figures became visible for the very first time. They seemed to be a little older than us¨Cmaybe by a year or two¨Cand they each wore gray and blue-lined, cloth pants as well as navy-blue metallic battle vests. The girl on the left had shiny, smooth, and long, waist-length blue hair as well as smooth white skin. The boy on the left had dark brown, slightly longer curly hair, and was kind of short¨Ca little shorter than Mena and a lot shorter than I was. He had a pretty muscular figure, tan skin, and extremely sharp amber eyes which cut into me like daggers. The girl spoke in a heavily accented voice, ¡°You are the Taegan warriors they spoke of? Ibiza, this is the correct place, yes?¡± Ibiza¨Cthe boy¨Cnodded,


    ¡°Yes, they are¡­. Underwhelming. It does not matter, we just have to deliver this message to one of their warriors, correct? Is this near the capital?¡± Mena shook her head and I looked at them in anger,


    ¡°Nah, it''s not. This is an absolute eternity from the capital¡ªyou guys went about a metric fuck-ton too south.¡± The girl scoffed and spoke in a sarcastic tone,


    ¡°Yes, I definitely don¡¯t regret listening to the orders of my dear partner here who insisted we didn¡¯t need the map.¡± Ibiza retaliated,


    ¡°Well I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d agree with me when I said this was the capital! There¡¯s absolutely nothing here! We¡¯d have already won the war if this was the capital.¡± The girl rolled her eyes and looked at me with stone cold eyes. She dashed towards me and grabbed my shirt and Mena flashed towards her and struck her in the side with an icy fist. Her strike connected and the girl was pushed far back into a rubble wall as her entire side was coated with bone-chilling crystals of ice. I teleported behind Ibiza and threw a right hook at his chin. He immediately ducked under the hook and spun around¨Chitting me with an extremely fast back fist to the chin. I teleported in front of him and he dropped to the ground in order to sweep my legs. I teleported into the air and smashed down towards the ground. My fist connected and a massive crater erupted in the ground as dust and debris flew everywhere. I teleported back to Mena¡¯s side as Ibiza flashed by the girls side completely unharmed. He spoke with a tinge of annoyance, ¡°Azina, you were wrong. They¡¯re not bad.¡± The girl scoffed and looked at me with an angry glare in her eyes. The ice stuck to her side had melted almost immediately. That wasn¡¯t good news¨Cthat was really bad news. Mena¡¯s ice was so cold that not even Geon¡¯s fires could melt it easily. I¡¯d never seen it shatter and it was only removable if Mena chose to remove it. The fact that the ice had disappeared so suddenly made me think that Azina was the real deal..


    She held out her hands and started to fly up into the air. The sky went dark and the very sun seemed to be completely blocked out as our surroundings got darker, and darker, and darker. Mena crouched down and prepared to spring up while I put my hands up. It was like Azina was sucking the light out of our surroundings and using it to supercharge herself as her eyes glowed a violet green color, and her palms glowed like giant emerald beams. She spoke in a cold and menacing voice, ¡°I will level you and half of your country and then I will deliver this notice. You are not the messengers we need.¡± A giant explosion went off and tendrils of green lightning flashed into the, now, dark sky as both me and Mena leapt back to avoid the blasts of green death. Mena erected a giant wall of ice and I grabbed onto her and teleported her backwards as Azina charged her giant green ball energy-ball of death. ¡°I have a feeling that this shit is going to be bad.¡± Mena looked on in horror as Azina finally let go.


    A flash of purple lightning dashed across the sky and charged right into Azina. Azina was struck on the chin and the glowing green ball of energy¨Cas well as the darkness surrounding us¨Ccompletely disappeared. A brilliant flash of blue lightning echoed across the earth as Ibiza was blasted straight into the nearest mountain. I felt comforting hands lay themselves onto my shoulders and my body instantly started to feel better. I looked back and Lila smiled as she helped Mena up. She gave me a grin, ¡°having fun,¡± I smiled,


    ¡°No, this shit is ass.¡± Aurora and Taran dashed towards our sides as Ibiza and Azina also instantly made their way towards us. Aurora looked at me and I gave her a nod, ¡°Nice to see you here, captain.¡± Taran limped towards me and leaned on me and his sword for support,


    ¡°Nice to see you here too. I¡¯m still injured¨CI technically have two more days of leave, but I didn¡¯t want to leave my little brother to die, you know?¡± I rolled my eyes and Taran picked up his sword, ¡°If you guys don¡¯t mind, let¡¯s make this quick. I really don¡¯t want to get my legs, ribs, back, and organs spliced again.¡± Aurora walked forward and came face to face with Azina. They stared at each other like mortal enemies before Aurora finally spoke,


    ¡°Speak¨CI will not give you another chance to do so.¡±

 chapter 66: Mutual Friends, Mutual Foes

    Deven Piten: Azina took out her parchment paper and rolled it out fully in her arms. She turned the paper towards us and Aurora¡¯s eyes went wide¡ªand so did all of ours. In big, red letters at the top of the scroll the words, ¡°DECLARATION OF WAR,¡± burned into my eyes like a horrific murder. Aurora took a deep breath and started to read the rest of the declaration, ¡°We, the official messengers of the Republic of Evian, officially declare war on the Taegan Empire¡­.. You¡¯re all really itching to preserve that Ring of Nations alliance huh? The enemy of my enemy is my friend?¡± Azina scoffed,


    ¡°While we don¡¯t not love Mevillime they are not our enemy. Meanwhile your nation has put a giant crater in our country and took the lives of half a million people.¡± Aurora¡¯s eyes flashed with anger,


    ¡°We didn¡¯t do that! We were caught in the blast too¡ªyou think we would kill ourselves to try and damage your nation?¡± Azina put her face straight into Aurora¡¯s,


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to expect me to believe that someone else bombed our nation? After that disaster of a summit meeting and the fact that you lied about Evay Maver¡¯s death all makes our nation have zero trust in the Taegan empire. You have 48 hours to respond to this declaration or all of Evian will descend upon your nation. Walk wisely, Taegan.¡± Azina and Ibiza both knelt down and a giant flash of blue light erupted before our eyes. The flash of light disappeared and so did both of the warriors. Aurora knelt down and picked up the paper¡ªlooking at it with fearful eyes. She faced us and gave us a determined stare,


    ¡°We need to get this to someone¡ªanyone. We need to make a trip to the capital and tell them the news. I think we¡¯re fighting a war on two fronts¡ªno¡ªwe¡¯re fighting a war on literally all the fronts. It¡¯s a worldwide war but no one is on our side.¡±


    Evay Maver: ¡°Jugo! Jugo! Where are we? What is happening? War? I¡¯m going to be in a war? Jugo! Where are we?¡± I walked out of the giant metal box I was contained in and instantly got hit with a massive ray of sunlight. I covered my eyes and cringed like a vampire in the presence of the dazzling sun. I slowly opened my eyes and nearly had a heart attack.


    The city I was in was the most beautiful, breathtaking, and glorious place that I had ever seen. Huge, snow-white, marble buildings with massive pillars and beautiful rooftops were scattered around the city. Cherry-red, temple-like buildings with golden, pink, and emerald-green embroidery were topped with night black rooftops with curled overhangs. Mahogany wooden buildings and stone courtyards filled with hundreds of hand laid bricks were scattered everywhere, and beautiful fountains with crystal clear water flowing down their sides could be seen as far as the eye could see. It was all so¡­ incredible. I had never been in a city so large before but this city wasn¡¯t just large¡ªit was so beautiful. Everything that met my eye seemed to be crafted to absolute perfection down to the finest detail. My feet were glued to the floor as I took in everything all at once. It was only after overhearing some people on the street that I noticed what city we were in. This is Taegan¡¯s capital¡­. I¡¯m here¡­


    I shook my head and snapped out of my trance as I darted forwards trying to find Jugo. He had disappeared in a crowd so large that I almost fainted. There were so many people¡ªit was almost like a sea of people had just appeared before me as I swam through bodies to try to reach Jugo. I gasped for air as random elbows pierced into my chest and my body was thrown in every direction possible. Jugo got farther, and farther, and farther until I could barely see the edge of his cloak. I reached out my hand and tried to grasp him before he got too far when I suddenly tripped and hit my forehead on the hard, concrete floor. I got up and expected to see some blood pouring down my face but I was completely fine. There was no blood and no pain. I had always felt stronger since Hiem had upgraded my body but I didn¡¯t know how far I could push myself exactly. Seeing this though, I could probably tank a lot more damage than I could in the past. I slowly got to my feet before a pair of arms pulled me to my feet.


    The guy was pretty large¡ªwith spiky black hair. He had kind eyes and an even kinder smile and he gave off a warm and gentle vibe which comforted me. He spoke in a deep voice, ¡°are you ok? You seem like a student¡ªwhere are you headed?¡± I tried to speak but I could only look at him with wide and surprised eyes. A girl suddenly walked up beside him and gave me a suspicious look,


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem normal. Are you a warrior too? I heard the students are being drafted but that hasn¡¯t happened yet right? Anyways, are you ok?¡± The girl was about my height and had medium length red hair. She had milky white skin and wore black eyeliner and also had black diamond earrings. The big guy turned towards the girl and spoke again,


    ¡°If he is a student-warrior I feel even worse for him. My heart aches for those young children¡ªthey shouldn¡¯t have to experience suffering this great so soon.¡± The girl spoke without taking her eyes off me,


    ¡°Student warriors train their entire lives to go to war. This is their dream¡ªthey should be fine. I don¡¯t expect many of them to be good though¡ªthey are kids after all.¡± She got awfully close to me as I leaned back to avoid her gaze. She looked at me with confusion as she spoke in a soft and quiet voice, ¡°I kind of recognize you. Have you been to many tournaments? I might¡¯ve seen you in the papers a couple times.¡± I gulped.


    It¡¯d make sense that no one really recognized me. I didn¡¯t look that different from before but I looked different enough that people who didn¡¯t normally see me wouldn¡¯t recognize me. I looked into the woman¡¯s eyes and spoke, ¡°I¡ªuh¡ªsometimes do fight in some tournaments. But it¡¯s not that important¡ªI need to get to someone. It was nice talking to you.¡± I started to walk forward when I felt a shoulder come down on my shoulder.


    ¡°Kids ready to go and chase after a royal guard. He¡¯s brave if not very stupid¡ªI like him.¡± The voice was gruff and tough¡ªlike something out of a dark alleyway. I turned around and got my first look at the man who had just stopped me. He was very tall¡ªmaybe a little taller than Geon and he had very short, cropped, black hair as well as dark glasses which hid his red, malevolent eyes. He had a wide, slightly creepy smile, and a constant look of no-good on his face. He wore a long leather jacket which covered his legs and was accompanied by another woman. The woman looked a lot younger than the rest of the crew. She was probably around my age and she seemed to have a constant look of boredom on her face. She had jet-black, medium length hair which fell to her shoulders and bangs which covered her forehead. Her large, red lips, and smooth white skin complimented her crystal black eyes. She wore black leggings and a gray tank top which showed off her slim and athletic figure. I slowly backed away from the man and backed right into the red-haired woman. I was trapped¡ªby whoever these people were.


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    I don¡¯t feel like I need to fight. But I¡¯m not too sure what they want¡­. Maybe they do want to kill me¡ªwho knows?


    The creepy guy smiled and spoke again, ¡°relax kid¡ªwe¡¯re all trying to get to the same place right? I guess you¡¯re just getting here a bit early.¡± I looked at him with a puzzled expression,


    ¡°What? No¡ªno I¡¯m trying to get to Jugo¡­ I have questions for him.¡± The man laughed again,


    ¡°I know you want to talk to the big warrior but he¡¯s probably a little busy kid. You shouldn¡¯t snoop around and go to these warriors looking for an autograph¡­ They aren¡¯t what they seem.¡± The red haired woman looked at the man in anger,


    ¡°Stop, Mars, you aren¡¯t helping him. That activity that you do relating to the warriors is confidential¡ªdon¡¯t go scaring kids with it.¡± I looked at the woman and spoke with a sense of urgency,


    ¡°Where are you trying to go? It sounds like I need to go there too¡ªI need answers.¡± The man¡ªMars¡ªlaughed again,


    ¡°The emperor called for a mass gathering of warriors for the departure ceremony. You¡ªyoung buck¡ªare also invited assuming you are a student warrior. Now all you have to do is not get your little panties blown up and you¡¯ll get to live to see your elder years. Maybe meet a couple of those warriors you like, get a couple autographs, meet one of those nobles you love.¡± My heart started to pound and anger seeped from my pores. The man smiled, ¡°oh¡­.that hit home didn¡¯t it.¡± The woman¡¯s eyes started to widen with panic. Mars spoke again, ¡°that¡¯s actually really interesting because all of you little boys and girls want to be just like them. But it looks like you already know what they do right? You already know who they are? What did they do to you kid?¡± I spoke with suppressed rage,


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Mars smiled,


    ¡°Steal your house,¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡±


    ¡°Turn you down,¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡±


    He laughed softly, ¡°what? Did they kill your family? Take your girl. Aw¡ªyou lost your little girl did you?¡± Gold¡¯s Viel adorned my body and I slammed my hands straight into Mars¡¯s neck. I lifted him up off the ground as he smiled manically. The others tried to pull me away from him but it was no use. They simply bounced off of me like children and I looked into Mars¡¯s eyes with burning hatred,


    ¡°You¡¯re a pretty smart guy if you know the nobles aren¡¯t some goody-two-shoes. But I need you to stop talking and answer my questions.¡± The man coughed softly and smiled at me with a manic glare in his eyes,


    ¡°Warriors are all assembled here in the capital in order to be officially sent off to war. Me and my squad here were also selected to fight but we¡¯re also here on important business. That¡¯s all from me¡ªEvay Maver. Now you can pop my head off and go have a nice little wank or you can let me live and I¡¯ll answer more of your questions¡ªyour choice.¡± I deactivated Gold¡¯s Veil and put Mars down. The others backed away and the younger girl¡¯s eyes widened for the very first time,


    ¡°Woah, you¡¯re him. The kid in the paper? Do you know Geon Leventen? Are you friends? What¡¯s he like?¡± I rolled my eyes,


    ¡°He¡¯s¡ªvery normal. What? Do you want his address or something?¡± The girl twirled her hair,


    ¡°That would be nice. What type of girls does he like?¡± The red haired woman finally spoke again,


    ¡°Stop! Stop now¡ªwe don¡¯t have time for this. Evay Maver we need to get to the warrior home which will host all of us here in the capital.¡± I looked at them with a hint of suspicion,


    ¡°You¡¯re not just here to get to the hotel are you?¡± The woman started to get nervous. I looked directly into her eyes and spoke, ¡°your heart rate is over 180 beats per minute, you reek of adrenaline, and your pupils are dilated. You''re sweating too¡ªI¡¯m right then¡­What are you guys planning?¡± Mars laughed,


    ¡°You see Grace, that¡¯s how you do an interrogation. We¡¯re going to bust a warrior who¡¯s been secretly murdering some bankers in inner bondas. That¡¯s what we do¡ªwe catch warriors and even nobles who get away with an insane amount of illegal activities due to their power and status. It¡¯s hard since everyone thinks that these warriors and nobles are so just and pure in their duties serving their nation. It feels good to pluck them from their podium¡ªyou know what I mean.¡± Grace looked at Mars with a incredulous state,


    ¡°WHAT? MARS! Mars you can¡¯t be saying this right now.¡± She looked at me with killing intent and charged towards me in a flash. She grabbed my shirt and pulled her fist back, ¡°sorry kid¡ªyou can¡¯t  know anything about this.¡± I laughed.


    I grabbed her arm and ripped her off of me. I swung her around and slammed her into the ground with immense force. The others jumped back to avoid the shockwave created by my attack and the ground erupted with cracks and fissures. I crouched down next to Grace who looked up at me with anger and shock. I spoke with a cold and indifferent voice, ¡°you can¡¯t just get rid of me. I¡¯ll tell you this¡ªI¡¯ll help you with your little mission to neutralize this warrior and then you give me something in return. If you don¡¯t agree¡­. well you really have no choice¡ªI¡¯ll leak your secret otherwise.¡± I smiled down at Grace and at the rest of her squad, ¡°let¡¯s have some fun. I¡¯ve been itching for it.¡± Mars smiled manically and beckoned me to follow him as his red eyes glinted with a flash of evil,


    ¡°Come on son, follow me.¡± He led me to an underground chamber illuminated by a single torch. A creaky wooden table sat in the middle of a cracked, moist floor which had vines and weeds growing all over it. Mars slammed a map on the table as Grace tossed the big guy some water and the bored girl leaned back against the wall. Mars smiled at me and spoke with devious excitement, ¡°alright kid, the ceremony commemorating all of the warriors is going to be in five days. The initial ceremony will be a very public event¡ªwe¡¯ll all be on a massive balcony while the public loses their damn minds. That¡¯s not what we¡¯re here for¡ªwhat we¡¯re here for is the party.¡± He guided his finger on the map towards a large room in the middle of a giant building. ¡°You see this¡ªthis is the shit right here.¡± Grace butted in,


    ¡°The party is a small little send off towards important warriors¡ªthe ones in the first battalion, generals, captains, and most importantly people like you.¡± I frowned,


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Mars smiled,


    ¡°You''re a national sensation! A couple of twats going off to Evian and beating a couple other countries'' asses made you a bit famous. You¡ªalong with some other young warriors¡ªare invited. I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t get the invite.¡± I stared at the map,


    ¡°Well I¡¯ve been getting interrogated and locked in random rooms for the past few days so I haven¡¯t gotten many party invites.¡± I put my finger above the room Mars pointed at and felt my brain start to turn. ¡°So you want me to get you guys in¡ªor do something for you¡ªand take out or distract this noble you want to kill. Then you do what I want and we¡¯re good right?¡± Mars nodded,


    ¡°We don¡¯t want you to get your panties in a knot but we do need you to bait this little noble out of the house and into the open. After that we hit him with this,¡± he tossed a giant elixir filled syringe on the table. The liquid inside the syringe was a weird green color and seemed to glow and felt weirdly warm. I tossed it around in my hand and I looked at Mars and Grace in confusion, ¡°what¡¯s this? It looks like alien piss¡­.¡± Mars grinned,


    ¡°That right there is what we in the business like to call ¡®a fuck ton of glow-vial.¡¯ Glow Vial was made by a couple scientists at that little school of yours¡ªEden Academy. It¡¯s the only thing that has ever been made by humans that can counter liquor-granted, blueprint abilities. Anyone with a blueprint and liquor in their veins will get totaled by the glow vial if it enters their bloodstream. Of course we can¡¯t stab this noble with a random-ass glowing vial so we hit him with the element of surprise¡ªyou.¡± I nodded and tossed the glow vial back to Mars.


    ¡°I got it. I¡¯m in.¡± Grace looked at me skeptically,


    ¡°What exactly do you want from this? You haven¡¯t specified your demands.¡± I looked over at the others and smiled,


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to tell you that¡ªyou¡¯re not in a position to negotiate. I¡¯m sure if nobles and warriors found out there was a secret group of people trying to expose them they wouldn¡¯t be happy either.¡± Grace¡¯s eyes flashed with anger and I started to walk out of the basement. I looked at them one last time, ¡°what are your names? I never got yours¡± The big guy spoke softly,


    ¡°My name''s Buffon.¡± The girl spoke in a slightly less bored voice,


    ¡°My name¡¯s Via.¡± I smiled,


    ¡°Good¡ªnice to meet you. I¡¯ll see you at the party,¡± I floated up into the air and lifted myself above the stairs leading out of the cellar, ¡°make sure you dress nice.¡±

 Chapter 67: Love is Old

    Evay Maver: The capital was even more beautiful from the air than it was on the ground. Hundreds of bright lamplights lit up its various courtyards and the many illuminated buildings in the center of the shopping district stood out like stars in the night sky. I slowly descended upon the bustling city and landed on a black-clay rooftop. Cylindrical lamps made of thin red paper glowed with a soft red and orange light. The entire shopping district was filled with people, merchants, and carts filled with silk clothing, livestock, silver, emerald, and golden jewelry, and all kinds of other foreign goods. I jumped off my roof and landed amongst a crowd of people. Everyone was walking and talking and enjoying the night-life of the city and I went with the flow of the crowd. I peered into some buildings and saw restaurants serving customers who were sat along a stall, dress-making stores with spools of silk and weaving beams, and stores selling beautiful porcelain dishes, cups, and bowls.


    All around me were complete strangers all going one way or another. We each flashed in and out of our lives in mere seconds and then moved on like we never existed. It was all very weird¡ªwe were so close to each other yet we never talked or even acknowledged each other, we enjoyed each other''s company but also kept to ourselves. Maybe it was because I had grown up in a town with less than thirty people but it all felt so weird¡­ My eyes darted around trying to take in everything when my mind began to race. I was to meet up with Mars and Grace and them in a of couple days¡ªuntil then I lay low and try not to attract too much attention. I meet up with Geon, Lila, and Aurora and go to the ceremony and party and then slyly help the others. I get what I want and then I¡¯m good. I¡¯ll also have to fight in a war¡­.that¡¯s going to be so much fun¡­


    An incredibly seductive and sweet female voice suddenly whispered into my ear, ¡°Hey mister¡­.do you want something nice to look at.¡± I looked up and saw three beautiful ladies dressed in revealing, tight, and extremely luxurious, velvet red dresses. They each had long, shiny, black hair and bright red lips as well as seductively beautiful faces. My face felt a little warm and I began to feel a little weird on the inside. My heart started to race and I felt a weird sudden rush come over me. I could smell them and they smelled really good¡ªagonizingly attractive pheromones were released into the air as I found myself in a trance. I began to walk towards them before snapping out of my trance.


    I awkwardly waved to them and ran off towards some place other than the room filled with beautiful ladies. I slid to a stop at a random stall with no customers before it and bent down to catch my breath and reset my brain. I breathed hard and tried to clear my mind. Thankfully Aurora isn¡¯t here¡ªshe probably wouldn¡¯t have liked that. These new sensory abilities make it so much worse when I¡¯m around girls¡­. An old man with fading gray hair and an old smile reached over the counter and tapped me on the shoulder, ¡°caught by the ladies were we?¡± He let out a heart laugh, ¡°don¡¯t go around giving yourself to them too much now¡ªthey¡¯ll drain your soul and your wallet.¡± I stood up and looked into his eyes,


    ¡°Who are they?¡± The man laughed,


    ¡°They¡¯re entertainers¡ªgirls who make you feel good in that type of way.¡± My face went red and I looked away from the building where the girls were. The man spoke again, ¡°you look hungry son, stay here.¡± He went to the back of the stall and began to prepare some type of food. I saw him take some dough and stretch it out with his hands. He made the small little ball of dough into a long and stretchy string and he started to twirl and twist the string of dough around. He cut the stringy dough into noodles and tossed them in some boiling water. He put some brown colored broth into a bowl and tossed in the noodles there and gave it to me to eat. I looked at him with gratitude and surprise,


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    ¡°Thank you¡­.How much sir?¡± He waved his hand,


    ¡°I don¡¯t make students pay¡ªgo on, eat.¡± I looked down at the warm bowl of noodles and took a big slurp.


    The warm and tender noodles softly rolled along my tongue as the magical broth seemed to heal all the soreness and pain etched into my body. The flavors inside the soup made my mouth dance with happiness and I quickly ate more. I ate faster and faster and faster until I had finished the entire bowl. The old man looked at me and laughed softly, ¡°students always need to eat a lot¡ªdon¡¯t bother to come back if you need more. Bring some friends.¡± The old man turned back and began to head back into his stall even before I got to say thank you.


    I got up to try and find him when a sudden movement flashed in the corner of my eye. I dashed towards the noise in the corner of the man¡¯s kitchen and I reached out to the source of the noise. I felt my hands grab a trembling body as I pulled a small child out from under a stove. The kid was pitiful¡ªhis face was caked with dirt, his hair was dusty and damp, and his eyes were filled with intense fear. He was very skinny even to the point where his ribs were clearly visible and his cheeks were sunken in. I knew what he was from the moment I had laid eyes upon him¡ªhe was a peasant, just like me. I looked at him with a mix of wonder, sadness, and shock as I held him in the air for a while. The old man came rushing out and held his hands in the air. He spoke with urgency, ¡°No! No! No! Please stop, put him down. He¡¯s harmless¡ªdon¡¯t hurt him!¡± I looked at his frantic eyes and I quickly put him down. He looked surprised for a second before helping the kid onto a chair. He quickly prepared another bowl of noodles and gave it to the kid¡ªwho ate like a ravenous wolf. The old man spoke, ¡°he is a¡­..a peasant. He comes every week or so and begs for food. I¡¯ve been feeding him for the last few weeks. Of course the customers don¡¯t like it¡ªthey say all he¡¯s good for is spreading diseases and taking up space. They haven¡¯t been kind to me for feeding him of course.¡± I looked out at the stall and my heart fell,


    ¡°They¡¯re¡ªthey¡¯re not coming to you because you feed him? Is that why? But you¡¯re food is so good¡­they don¡¯t come because you feed the needy?¡± The man smiled and looked at me with wonder,


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re a warrior boy? Ha, nevermind. The high born people with liquor and blueprints think that these peasants are a hindrance. They¡¯re not entirely wrong¡ªthe peasants are all physically weaker than anyone with a blueprint¡ªeven those who¡¯s blueprint does not give them combat abilities. So they¡¯re not good for physical labor and their weak bodies spread diseases and they take up space which people can not use for farming or living. They are in all ways inferior.¡± I clenched my fists. ¡°But I do not care.¡± My heart softened up and my body relaxed. ¡°Children are all children are they not? Do we not all bleed the same red blood? Do we not all need food, water, and air to survive? I hope everyone can enjoy my food and that includes children like these¡ªthat is what I believe.¡± The boy looked at us with fear and gratitude before running off into the darkness¡ªout of the city and into the wilderness. The man sighed and he started to go back into his stall. He was halfway through the door before I spoke,


    ¡°Sir! What¡¯s your name?¡± He turned around and spoke with an old smile,


    ¡°Mr.Filo, the old noodle maker.¡± I looked at him and spoke with all of the gratitude and respect I could possibly muster up,


    ¡°Thank you sir, for being¡­for being a great man.¡±

 Chapter 68: Gold and Lightning

    Evay Maver: I entered one of the warrior homes that was being provided for all of the warriors coming to the capital. There were a lot of people here already which was surprising since the ceremony was still far out. People were huddled in their groups and chatting by the dining hall or fireplace and several young adults¡ªas well as some older warriors¡ªwere glancing at me out of the corner of their eyes. I walked up to the receptionist and she gave me a quick glance, ¡°Name please.¡± I fumbled around my pockets for a bit before handing her a block of mahogany wood which had my name engraved into it with golden letters.


    ¡°Evay, of house Maver.¡± Her eyes widened slowly until she seemingly snapped out of her shock. She gave me my student ID and laughed a little,


    ¡°Back from the dead sir?¡± I gave her a small smile,


    ¡°So you¡¯ve heard.¡± I felt several eyes bore into my back as the whole reception area seemed to go quiet. The warriors who were all previously occupied with their own conversations now turned towards me with curious looks in their eyes. The silence was deafening and the tension in the room could be cut with a knife. It was like everyone was scared of me or doubtful of me¡ªlike I couldn¡¯t be trusted or like I was a bomb ready to go off. It made sense¡ªI had come back from the dead after all. I walked forward and one of the older warriors spoke,


    ¡°How do we know it¡¯s really him?¡± The receptionist nervously replied,


    ¡°Um¡­.sir he had his ID with him and it passed verification. He is the real Evay Maver.¡± The old man walked forward towards me,


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t really look like him. Who knows, the empire might be trying to increase morale or bring fear into enemy hearts by claiming Maver is alive when he¡¯s really dead. This guy could be a fake or some type of poser. Also maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m old but I don¡¯t really trust people who lie to their people¡ªespecially about being dead.¡± The tension in the room grew and grew until I could feel the room start to turn on me. The old man spoke again, ¡°what do you have to say? Any rebuttals? Any denials? Who are you¡ªwhat¡¯s your real name? Let¡¯s see if you¡¯re telling the truth.¡± I steeled my nerves, looked into his eyes, and spoke,


    ¡°I¡ª¡° a hand rested on my shoulder as a boy about my age leaned over me with a lazy and confident smile.


    ¡°Yo calm your tits old man¡ªhe¡¯s just trying to get to his room. Leave him be, geezer.¡± The old man¡¯s face filled with annoyance and anger as he spoke in a deadly tone,


    ¡°You stay out of this Ilias, this is none of your business.¡± Ilias let out a laugh,


    ¡°None of yours either. Look, we all know you can¡¯t fake an ID it¡¯s literally connected to your blueprint so why even bother? Stop trying to flirt with the dude and let him go. Stop trying to abuse your seniority,¡± his confident and lazy smile disappeared as he suddenly dawned a dead serious expression, ¡°we all know that I¡¯m a better fighter than you.¡± The old man¡¯s face filled with rage as he walked back to his group beside the fireplace. He gave us a death stare and finally let me be. Ilias wrapped his arm around me and his face went back to its carefree self. He had soft and light blonde hair which covered his ears and he wore diamond earrings as well as a really expensive looking white, gold, and turquoise shirt¡ªwhich had oversized sleeves and emerald green embroidery. He had creamy white skin and light gray eyes and an annoyingly good-looking face. He kind of looked like Savian if Savian was funny and super rich¡ªand blonde.


    He spoke in a carefree voice, ¡°we got to look out for each other man¡ªthe old men get jealous you know? Jealous that we¡¯re younger, stronger, and richer than them even though they have a lifetime on us. For the record I believe you and your whole story¡ªa guy needs to keep some secrets and I get that. I don¡¯t trust a guy with no secrets, you know what I¡¯m saying?¡± He gave me a sly smile and I nodded in appreciation. A couple of girls dressed in tight fitting clothes and very¡­.um¡­short pants waved towards Ilias. They all had entranced looks of lust and happiness on their faces as they giggled and waved towards Ilias. He smiled and looked into my eyes¡ªwhich kept darting towards the girls unwillingly. ¡°You like them? Which one? I can hook you up brother¡ªwhat¡¯s your type? The beautiful lady on the right over there¡ª¡° I shook my head.


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    ¡°Sorry¡ªtaken, kind of.¡± He laughed and shook his head,


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll see you at the ceremony and¡ªoh. Looks like your lady is here.¡± He stepped away from me and gave me a wave before joining the girls.


    ¡°What¡¯re you talking about?¡± I got a whiff of the air and a sweet cinnamon scent crept into my nose. My heart began to beat faster and louder and I whipped my head around to the doors. Aurora stepped into the warrior home with a weird piece of paper in her hands. She looked out of breath but very determined as she took in her surroundings. She scanned around until she saw me. Her eyes went wide and she dashed towards me in half a second. She gave me a big hug and held my face in her hands,


    ¡°You look dirty! You haven¡¯t been taking showers or eating¡­Are you ok? What did they do to you? Where have you been? You know what¡­it¡¯s okay we can talk later. I need to deliver this.¡± I looked at the paper in her hands,


    ¡°What is it?¡± She looked at the receptionist who still had surprised and shocked expression on her face,


    ¡°Excuse me¡ªI need you to tell me where the Imperial Estates are mam, I need to deliver this to the emperor. It¡¯s an official declaration of war¡ªa declaration from the entire world.¡±


    I looked into her eyes with shock and confusion before she snapped her fingers in front of my face. ¡°Hey! I know it¡¯s a lot but we need to get this declaration to the emperor or somebody. I have no clue why they chose kids to deliver the message but I got it and it¡¯s really important. You need to¨C¡± I smiled and looked into her eyes before holding her face in my hands. Her eyes went wide and she lit up like a tomato while seemingly being frozen in time. I laughed softly and whispered softly into her ears,


    ¡°I know¨CI believe you. It¡¯s the middle of the night though and we won¡¯t have much success finding the emperor now. Let¡¯s get some sleep, relax here for a bit, then find the emperor or someone else in a more orderly fashion¨Cwhat do you say?¡± She stared into my eyes for a bit before snapping out of her trance,


    ¡°Um¡­..yeah! Yeah! Totally! Um ... .I think that that¡¯s a great idea ... .I''m really tired¡­very tired. It took me all day to run over here and I had to stay up all night helping out at the academy camp and¡­ and¡­it¡¯s just been a really, really, really long day.¡± I pushed some loose hair out of her face and wiped off a smudge of mud from the corner of her forehead,


    ¡°Let¡¯s get you some sleep¨Clike right now.¡± I waved over to the receptionist and she handed me a pair of keys. I made my ways up the beautiful marble and mahogany wood stairs while Aurora barely made her way up. Her eyes were halfway closed and she was stumbling and tripping over her own feet as she grabbed onto me and the rails for support. I put my key into the very beautifully crafted spruce door filled with shiny golden embroidery as it opened with a resounding click. The room was even nicer than the ones that we stayed at during the tournament. The floor was made with navy blue carpet which felt soft and fluffy on the soles of my feet, the pure white marble walls were speckled with flecks of gold, and there was a giant bed with luxurious cotton sheets right in the middle of the room. Aurora gravitated towards the bed and literally threw herself onto it¨Cpassing out as soon as she hit the sheets. I suppressed a laugh and slowly guided her under her sheets and lifted her head onto a pillow. Her pretty face fell into a deep sleep as she whispered into my ear,


    ¡°Than¨Cthanks Evay.. I..I¡¯m going to..to sleep now.¡± I laughed and pulled the blankets over her body,


    ¡°No problem¨Ctomorrow we wake up and immediately deliver that declaration and then hopefully meet up with everyone else. After breakfast of course.¡± She laughed while still closing her eyes,


    ¡°Breakfast¡­can we have kiwis¡­I want kiwis.¡± I smiled and looked into her closed eyes,


    ¡°Sure¨Cwe can.¡± I walked away from her bed and slowly made my way to the door as I heard Aurora¡¯s breathing and heart start to slow down. I put my hand on the door knob and prepared to leave before Aurora spoke in an entranced voice,


    ¡°Thanks Evay, I love you.¡± My heart stopped and my eyes went wide before I turned around to look at Aurora. Her back was turned to the door and her chest rose up and down in a slow rhythm as she laid completely still like a stone statue. I stood frozen in place as my heart started to beat faster and faster and faster and butterflies started to flutter in my stomach. She was completely asleep¨Cthose were her last words before she passed out. I looked at her with wide and surprised eyes as her breathing continuously rang out in my ears. I opened the door and stepped out into the empty, silent hallway as I looked at Aurora¡¯s sleeping figure one last time,


    ¡°Good night Aurora, I love you too.¡±

 Chapter 69: Summer Morning Kisses

    Evay Maver: I woke up to a giant crash barreling through my front door as a blur of auburn hair rolled next to my bed. Aurora¡¯s eyes were wide and frantic as she shook me like a ragdoll, ¡°WE NEED TO GET TO THE EMPEROR OR SOMEONE NOW! EVAY! WAKE UP!¡± She gave me a slap across the face and I held up my hands for protection,


    ¡°OW! OW! OK! I GOT IT! LET''S GO!¡± She pulled me out of bed and combed her hands across my hair and looked at me with concern,


    ¡°You haven¡¯t been washing or cleaning your hair¡­ I told you to not slack off on hygiene.¡± I pulled my head back and grabbed her hand,


    ¡°Let''s go, we have a war to deliver, remember?¡± She nodded and sprinted towards the giant windows as her hair changed from a shiny auburn color to a violent shade of electric blue. She rammed her shoulders into the glass and it shattered into a million pieces as she leapt off of our three-story room and danced across the various roofs of the giant, beautiful buildings littered around the capital. I looked at her with wide eyes and shouted out as she sped across the city,


    ¡°I MEANT WE SHOULD TAKE THE DOORS! WHY WOULD YOU GO THAT WAY? AURORA?! WE NEED TO PAY FOR THIS!¡± Gold¡¯s Veil adorned my body as I floated out of the window and ascended into the crisp, cool morning sky. The orange and pink morning skyline basked my entire body as I saw a blur of blue rapidly run along the capital floor. I flew after her and slowly descended onto the capital floor as I followed Aurora and her frantic race to the capital. She flipped over a wagon containing what seemed like hundreds of cabbages, slid under a carriage, and jumped over three marble palaces before somersaulting onto a patch of luscious green garden-grass. She dashed forwards with blinding speed as I descended even lower and closer to her until I was literally floating right besides her. I laid down on my side in mid-air and put my hand on my head, ¡°looks like you¡¯re struggling there.¡± I gave her a wicked cocky smile and she rolled her eyes,


    ¡°Ha, ha, ha, ¡®I can fly and you can¡¯t¡¯, what a funny¨CWOAH¨Cjoke,¡± she rolled over a giant bridge and leapt over a canal while I floated higher into the air. She looked up at me and stared into my eyes with maximum annoyance as we both kept moving through the city, ¡°Hey! Great idea! What if you just picked me up and flew me there?¡± I did a barrel roll in the air, turned upside down, and gave her my best teasing smile,


    ¡°I would but you did go on without me¨Cand you also smashed through a very expensive window may I add.¡± She jumped up and tried to reach me but I quickly floated higher just out of her reach. I laughed loudly as Aurora started to get even more mad, ¡°Almost! Here, try again.¡± I reached out my hand and her cute little eyes furrowed with anger¨CI smiled teasingly and waved my hand. We both leapt onto a giant red barn as huge green pastures and hundreds of cows, horses, and pigs grazed to their full intent. Giant wooden buildings were scattered around the farm as metal vats of something that smelled really, really, really bad stood tall along the skylines. It was weird¨Cseeing a huge farm placed in the middle of an industrial capital¡­. I looked down at Aurora and she reached out for it again but her eyes filled with shock as her body suddenly dropped down like a huge stone over a cliff. She looked at me with wide eyes and a blank expression as we had both failed to see that we were about to fall into one of the giant metal vats that I had seen earlier. I looked into the vats and finally realized what was in them. They were filled with fertilizer¨Cso much fertilizer¡­.. My new and improved sense of smell caused my entire body to nearly faint as Aurora¡¯s face began to fill with panic. I dove down towards her and grabbed her hand while plugging my nose and immediately shot towards the sky. We rose higher, and higher, and higher until we were far above the clouds. I gasped for air and started to descend back below the skyline as Aurora started to smack me while talking in between her hits,


    ¡°I¨Csmack¨CTOLD¨Csmack¨CYOU-smack¨CTO¨Csmack¨CCARRY ME INTO THE AIR!¡± I shooed her hands away and smacked her fingers out of my face as I did a couple barrel rolls while being blinded by Aurora.


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    ¡°LISTEN I TRIED! HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT WE WERE ABOUT TO FALL INTO A VAT OF SHI¨C¡± Aurora stopped smacking me and her eyes went wide with panic,


    ¡°EVAY! MOUNTAIN!¡± An enormous mountain filled with giant trees and greenery appeared in front of my face as I grabbed tight onto Aurora. I blasted off of the air itself and flipped over the mountain as both of us turned upside down for what seemed like an eternity. We eventually flipped back around and I kept grabbing onto Aurora as we descended into the forested treeline. Giant trees and branches popped up in front of my face with extreme speed as I steeled my nerves and focussed. I spun around a massive tree branch, flipped over a huge oak tree trunk, and pushed my way through a giant patch of branches before soaring over the tree line. I coughed and sputtered loudly and tried to blink the spare leaves and sticks out of my eyes as I soared wildly through the forest. Aurora looked at me with a glint of humor in her eyes, ¡°So you missed the giant mountain that was literally right in front of your face,¡± I rolled my eyes and she let out a little giggle, ¡°Thank you for carrying me into the air¨Cnow let me get those things out of your face.¡± She smoothed my hair and brushed a bunch of leaves off of my face as she flicked my forehead with a little smile, ¡°You know you look really cute when you furrow your eyebrows like that.¡± I looked at her with confusion,


    ¡°What? That¡¯s my focused face, I¡¯m supposed to look scary and terrifying¨CI¡¯m not supposed to look cute!¡± She giggled and pulled some mud and sticks out of my hair,


    ¡°Well Goldilocks, I think that you¡¯re adorable.¡± I looked into her eyes and suddenly started to feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. The sunlight hit her auburn hair so that it looked like she was glowing with a warm, autumn buzz. Her eyes shone like flashy golden coins and her clothes and hair fluttered in the cool morning air like the wings of a flying dove. She looked intently into my eyes as I returned her gaze. For the first time in a while I slowed down to a stop and held Aurora in her arms over the giant emerald green forest. It was a really weird feeling¨Cwe were on a very important mission to deliver some life changing news to the emperor of Taegan, and if we didn¡¯t succeed the entire nation would be invaded without warning. We were on the verge of war and would be fighting for our lives in a couple weeks but it all felt a little small. I didn¡¯t really know why all of this was happening¨Cwhy I was here, why Hiem chose me, why I lied about what had happened at the championship, or why I was fighting in the war. I was on a mission to avenge my family, to kill noble Wyren¡­.. A small laugh went off in my head.


    Ha, noble Wyren¨Chow many lifetimes ago was that?


    I had a lot of stuff I wanted to do and a lot of stuff that needed to be done but when I looked into Aurora¡¯s eyes all of that stuff went out of the window. I wanted to say sorry to everyone I wanted to avenge ...to my old self for not devoting myself to killing noble Wyren, to my friends and family for not trying to avenge them, to Amie for not trying to avenge her and for¡­.. replacing her. It always dug at my soul and chipped away at my heart as I felt like I was leaving them behind. I had promised myself that when I had gotten power I would protect myself and avenge the ones that had been wronged by the powerful in the past¡­. It was my entire plan¡­it was all that I had dreamed about for my entire life. But when I was with all of them¨Cmy friends¨Cand with Aurora all of my past goals sort of... disappeared. All my worries were swept away, all of the doubts, the bad memories, the pain, and the deep pit of misery temporarily flashed out of existence. It felt so nice not to remember the past for a little while and it felt so much better when I was with her¡­. Aurora looked into my eyes and spoke with the softest, sweetest voice that I had ever heard, ¡°The delivery mission can wait a little bit¡­right?¡± I nodded and held her face in my hands as I combed her hair out of her face and brought my face closer to hers,


    ¡°Just a little bit,¡± I closed my eyes and felt Aurora¡¯s lips press up against mine as we embraced in the air, all alone, quiet, and isolated from everyone else. The pink skyline enveloped us in a giant hug as I held her head in my hands. I¡¯d seen and felt a lot of weird things over the past year¨CI had been hit with way too many liquor attacks, I had been burned, stabbed, and punched more than I could count, I had a blueprint burned into my body, I had died, come back to life, and dunked my head into the fountain of youth. It all felt so overwhelming, so difficult, and everything always felt like too much. But this time, and only this time, everything felt good.


    For the first time in¡­well forever¡­


    I felt happy.

 Chapter 70: Blasting through a Royal Palace

    Taran Brunner: I was rolled into the Royal City on a beautiful iron chariot while wearing an absurd amount of bandages and slings to support my extremely broken body. The Royal City was where all the nobles, government officials, and the family of the emperor lived. If we wanted to find the correct person to deliver a declaration of war too¨Cthat person would be in this city. Aurora had gone first with the declaration and told us that she would meet us at the Royal City. I had contacted Professor Vylen and he had contacted some of the Royal guards and set up a meeting where we would deliver the official declaration. The only problem was that if Aurora had held up her end of the deal she would be inside the Royal City already and we would be the ones meeting up with her, but the one teeny-tiny issue was that Aurora wasn¡¯t here. I shuffled out of the carriage and Mena, Millen, and Deven also hastily got out with their eyes peeled¨Clooking for the flashing streak of bright blue hair dancing across the skyline. Mena¡¯s eyes started to open with panic as she spoke in a hasty voice, ¡°Where is she? She said she would meet us there right? Are we in the right place?¡± Deven¡¯s eyes filled with worry,


    ¡°She had a 24 hour head fucking start and she¡¯s nowhere to be seen¡­. You don¡¯t think something¡¯s happened to her right? I¡¯ve literally never seen her be late to anything in my life¨Cwe should start looking for her¨C¡± a giant crash of golden light smashed into the stone courtyard floor as we all covered our eyes to avoid the giant dust clouds seeping into our lungs and face. I started to tip over as a sharp pain went off in my leg and I felt my body tumble to the ground. A flash of golden light spun around and dashed behind me as I felt a pair of strong hands hold me in place. I looked up and saw Evay, or maybe not Evay¡­. He looked so different that it was hard to believe he was the same kid. He had bright white hair and glowing golden eyes as well as a weirdly good looking face. He smiled and spoke in a confident voice,


    ¡°Sorry for being late¨Cor I guess she should be the one saying that.¡± He helped me up and I got back to my feet as I saw Aurora racing into the inner royal city with Deven, Millen, and Mena right behind her. I looked up at him and he looked very happy¨Cway happier than I had ever seen in my life. Something had happened before he had got here and that something was so good it could cheer up someone that had just recently died. He looked over at Aurora with such an entranced look in his eyes that it seemed like he was trying to kiss her with his eyes. I gave him a grin and spoke in my best teasing voice,


    ¡°Oh, so you guys really got into it huh?¡± His eyes went wide with fear and his hair and eyes went back to their normal color as he let go of me. My eyes went wide with panic as I crashed to the ground and a giant pang of pain coursed through my entire body. He refused to meet my eyes and spoke with panic and haste,


    ¡°No! No! We didn¡¯t kiss! We were just hanging out and we got a little sidetracked because there were a lot of things to do in the city! We weren¡¯t doing anything bad, you know!¡± I rubbed my side and my legs as I looked at him with humorous eyes,


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    ¡°I never said anything about kissing, man. Hmmmmmm, I guess you guys did get really freaky¨Cis that why it took you so long to get here? Because you two were getting your faces into¨C¡± Evay dashed over to me and covered my mouth as he stared into my eyes with panic,


    ¡°NO! That¡¯s not what was happening. Let¡¯s just get to the others¨Cwe have a declaration of war to deliver.¡± He helped me up and I let out a little wince as his eyes filled with regret,


    ¡°Sorry about that. I heard that you saved the school by beating that Raga soldier. He got you good¨Cor at least it looks like it.¡± I smiled and tried to laugh but laughing just made my lungs shrivel up and die. He looked at me with appreciation and sadness as he helped carry me into the Royal city. ¡°You did a nice job¨Cwithout you the school probably would¡¯ve been shredded. A lot of kids lived because of you¨CI hope you know that.¡± I nodded absentmindedly and focused on walking as Evay kept me on my feet. I wasn¡¯t ungrateful for his words but I had heard it all. You did a noble job, you did a good job, you did a good thing, don¡¯t feel bad about what you did, you had to do it, you weren¡¯t the bad guy. It all became sort of mundane and cold as everyone treated me like some type of unstable bomb that was supposed to go off. It wasn¡¯t like what I did was rotting me to my core¨CI wasn¡¯t suddenly some maniacal dude ready to end it all after one battle. No one really acknowledged that and no one really said what I wanted to hear¡­. It was a little¨C


    Evay looked at me and spoke, ¡°Hey, are you¡­.ok. Um, Taran, how are you?¡± My eyes went wide and I looked up at Evay who was focusing on supporting my weight. He continued to speak while walking forward, ¡°Listen I ... .Everytime something bad happened to me I would always hear the same stuff. I¡¯m sorry for your loss, I hope you feel better, it wasn¡¯t your fault, you did what you could do. I eventually got really tired of it and it made me want to shut everyone out after bad things happened to me. I always wanted someone to just ask me how I was doing in a normal way, you know? I guess I thought it would help me feel better and maybe it will help you too.¡± I looked at him with gratitude and gave him a pat on the back,


    ¡°Sorry for blowing shit up and getting you hurt on opening day. I wanted to apologize at your birthday party but I couldn¡¯t. My bad.¡± He let out a small laugh as we slowly made our way up the huge Royal Palace stairs.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, I almost forgot that that ever even happened¨Cand even if I did care I guess it¡¯s all good now because karma really came back to bite you.¡± I let out a small laugh as we entered the Royal palace. Aurora, Mena, and Deven looked back at us as everyone took in the absolute spectacle that was the emperor¡¯s residence. The palace was absolutely huge and it looked even bigger on the inside. Giant marble pillars, black, gold, and white marble-tiled floors, huge rainbow colored windows, a giant domed roof plastered with beautiful roses, tulips, and ethereal vines, and multiple giant staircases leading to huge hallways filled with meeting rooms and living spaces all met our eyes. Everyone stood still for a moment before Aurora shook her head and beckoned all of us to follow her,


    ¡°We need to find the Royal Guard¨Cwhich might be harder than we thought.¡± That weird and mischievous smile that always gave me bad vibes crept across Deven¡¯s face as he began to get really jittery,


    ¡°So we get to crash through the Royal Palace in the name of stopping war? Best day of my life.¡±

 Chapter 71: New Dawn

    Evay Maver: I saw Deven¡¯s eyes glint with malice as he held up his hands and began to teleport everywhere in flashes of extremely bright light. There were a lot of people wandering around the halls and from what I could see they were mostly Politicians. Aurora had told me that Politicians were usually people who had liquor abilities which didn¡¯t contribute much on a battlefield but either increased their intellect or persuasive abilities. They couldn¡¯t do much in a head to head fight but that wasn¡¯t their job¨Cit did make killing them fairly easy though. In this context it also made teleporting and dashing right across their faces really easy as well. Deven flashed out of existence and reappeared in front of a random lady carrying stacks of papers¨Cwhich she promptly dropped. Deven looked at her with a pained expression and mouthed sorry before apparting off to another room. Aurora¡¯s auburn haired transformed into a shade of violent blue as she sprinted across the huge palace halls. Random people yelped and screamed as Aurora weaved through their bodies like a weasel running through an obstacle course. She flipped over a crowd of older, important looking men carrying briefcases and quills. They stumbled back and Aurora slid across the smooth marble floors peering into random rooms as they flashed in and out of her vision. Millen gave me a giant grin and faded into the shadows as Mena ran after Aurora and Deven, looking frantic and concerned. She started to help random people up while sliding across the floor on a layer of thin ice. Mena frantically helped random people up and apologized to them in a panicky voice, ¡°SORRY! SORRY! DON¡¯T TOUCH THAT ICE!¡± I looked at Taran and he sighed,


    ¡°I know it¡¯s in the name of delivering a declaration of war but they¡¯re having too much fun with this,¡± I laughed a little and gently let Taran down¨Cleaning him up against a wall. I took a deep breath and relaxed as I let my energy disperse through my entire body. Gold¡¯s Viel adorned me as I began to float up into the air far above everyone in the palace.


    Hiem had told me that all of my senses had improved after he modified my body and he wasn¡¯t lying. My sense of smell was so good that I could literally smell people from miles away, and I could tell who someone was based on their scent as well¨C-I could even smell hormones like adrenaline. My sense of hearing had also improved a lot¨Cto the point where I could hear a specific voice from across an entire city if I really focused. I had noticed that my sense of touch had also improved significantly when me and Aurora had¡­. Kissed. But I hadn''t really tested out my new sense of sight. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and focused on my surroundings. At first nothing happened and my eyes just hurt really bad¡­..but my vision started to get clearer, and clearer, and clearer, and clearer until something really weird happened. I blinked my eyes multiple times and I shook my head hard before rubbing my eyes viciously. I reopened them but nothing had changed¨Cwhich was both really good, really bad, and really cool. I could see¡­..through the walls of the palace. I could still tell the wall was there because of the faded outline but the wall had completely disappeared. I could see the multitude of government officials holding meetings, doing paperwork, discussing things in large groups in front of a giant scroll, and I could even see right through the walls of the various bathrooms in the palace¨Cwhich I really didn¡¯t want to be able to do. Deven, Aurora, Mena, and Millen were all running around like headless chickens searching for the Royal Guards but I could see them extremely clearly¨Cflying right above the palace dome, preparing to descend in front of the palace doors. I followed them with my gaze as I could track every single one of their movements through the palace ceiling and walls. The two Royal Guards who were sent were different from the ones that I had interrogated¨Cmeaning Jugo and Lela were given a break from having to deal with me. I turned towards the others and whistled as loud as I could. A sharp tweeting noise echoed through the palace as Aurora, Deven, Millen, and Mena all sharply turned their heads towards my direction. I slowly descended towards the palace floors as Aurora and the others dashed towards me and slid to a halt. Aurora looked at me inquisitively and I pointed towards the palace doors with a smile, ¡°they¡¯re the ones that are late¨Cyou guys tore up the Emperor¡¯s house for nothing.¡± The huge ivory and golden doors swung open with a loud swoosh as two incredibly powerful figures presented themselves before us. The one on the left spoke in a cold and serious tone as I felt chills go down the back of my spine,


    ¡°Hand me Evian¡¯s declaration of war now¨CI will not ask again.¡±


    Evay Maver: The only way to describe the two Royal Guards was that they were scary¨Cvery scary. The one on the right was pretty short and had a dead serious expression on his face. He had dark black eyes, a small scar across his nose, and light brown hair which parted in the middle. He had a handsome face¨Cin a regal kind of way¨C and wore a large silver cloak with golden filigree and the symbol of the Royal Guards, a majestic winged lion, engraved onto it. The other guard next to him looked a lot less intimidating but something told me that he was anything but ¡®not intimidating¡¯. The first thing that I noticed was that he was really tall¨Cabout as tall as Geon¨Cand he had a skinner frame. It looked like he hadn¡¯t completely filled out yet almost like me before Hiem had rebuilt my body. He had very light blond hair which narrowed out at the back¨Cmaking his hair gather into a pointy-shape. It also parted slightly down the middle and swept towards the right revealing his cream colored skin. He had turquoise blue eyes and a lazy smile which complimented his constantly laid back but also cocky expression. His clothes were what really got to me because it did not look like the outfit of a warrior. First of all, he had shiny black glasses with round lenses and thin rims along with an extremely oversized and loose shirt ¨Cwhich made him look even skinnier than he really was. It was bright blue with an orange and yellow stripe going around the base of the shirt and the same golden symbol which the other Royal Guard had on his cloak was engraved into the back of the shirt. His pants were also very baggy and loose but they were far less colorful¨Cbeing just a lighter shade of beige. He also wore sandals which was really concerning since fighting people in sandals seemed very hard and dangerous.


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    Aurora gulped and slowly walked forwards before I stopped her in her tracks. She looked up at me with confused eyes before I gently took the declaration out of her hand. These guys didn¡¯t look too happy about their war declaration being delivered so late which was understandable, but I didn¡¯t want Aurora to take their backlash. I was the reason why she was late in the first place and so it was only fair that I take responsibility. She nodded with a pained expression and I gave her a small, reassuring smile. I floated up slightly off the ground and landed in front of the two Royal Guards¨Chanding the older on the declaration scroll. He looked at me with extremely piercing and serious eyes as he took the deceleration out of hands and looked it over. His eyes slowly descended the page as he slammed the scroll back together and looked at me with a cold, expressionless furry. He spoke in a quiet but angry voice, ¡°When was this delivered to you.¡± I tried to open my mouth but no words came out. My palms began to sweat, my heart rate started to rise, and fear crept into my heart. I didn¡¯t get very intimidated by anyone anymore but this guy was a clear exception. I opened my mouth again but only a small little mutter came out. The taller guard on the left laughed and spoke in a lazy voice, ¡°You¡¯re grinding this dude¡¯s gears a little too hard man¨Che¡¯s shivering in his boots. Lay off of him and he¡¯ll speak.¡± The shorter guard glared daggers into his eyes and looked at me with an even angrier expression.


    ¡°When did you get this?¡± I gulped and looked into his eyes¨Csteadying my breathing and nerves.


    ¡°Yester¨Cyesterday sir¡­. Yesterday morning.¡± I felt an immense pressure crash onto my shoulders as I fell to the ground. All of the others, as well as everyone else in the palace, also crashed to their knees as it suddenly felt like the entire world was put onto my shoulders. My eyes widened with fear, sweat flew down my forehead, and my heart rate went through the roof. The shorter guard spoke with an absolutely furious tone,


    ¡°A 48 hour notice¡­..was given to me¡­ 24 hours after the notice was active¡­..Do you have any idea, boy, what this means.¡± I tried to shake my head but I couldn¡¯t look up to meet his gaze¨Cnone of my limbs were moving and my voice wasn¡¯t working either. He continued to speak, ¡°The entirety of the Taegan Empire has a mere day to decide what the fate of our people will be. War is one thing but insolence and incompetence among our own soldiers during it is an entirely different matter.¡± He stomped on the back of my head and slammed my face into the ground. I felt him smother my head under his boot as I saw Aurora¡¯s face fill with anger, pain, and regret. ¡°A couple hundred years ago actions like these could be punishable by death but I don¡¯t know how well the emperor would take one of his precious youth warriors being grinded into minced meat.¡± He stomped on my face so hard that cracks started to form on the floor of the palace. I heard terrified shouts from the various different government workers staged in the palace and Deven, Millen, Aurora, and Mena all tried to help but they couldn¡¯t move a muscle. He stomped on my face again, and again, and again, until blood soaked the marble floors and my face was riddled with cuts and bruises. He picked me up and slammed me onto the ground as I felt my ribs and arms shatter. I got to my knees as pain flooded my senses. The Royal Guard grabbed me by the hair and knelt down to get to my level. Aurora grit her teeth and glared daggers of pure hatred into the guard¡¯s eyes as he stared at me with a cold and expressionless face. ¡°Got anything else to say, boy?¡± I did my best to open my severely cut eyes and coughed blood onto the ground. He grabbed my hair again and prepared to strike as I braced myself for another very painful impact. A giant woosh echoed out into my ears as the palace doors suddenly swung open with extreme speed. A familiar feeling of dread, death, and eeriness came over me as an extremely pale hand grabbed the guards arm before he could hit me. The guard looked over his shoulder with a furious expression as he glared hatefully into Jugo¡¯s eyes. Lela walked in right behind Jugo and the immense pressure put upon us was suddenly lifted. The guard spoke angrily to Jugo who maintained a calm expression, ¡°What are you doing, Jugo? You¡¯re not going to stop me from punishing insolence are you? You of all people should agree with me on that.¡± Jugo shoved the guard¡¯s hand away and looked into his eyes with a deadpan expression,


    ¡°Causing a commotion in the Royal Palace is unacceptable and so is delaying the delivery of a crucial document for an entire day. But you have created quite the commotion here in the palace and have subsequently delayed the delivery of the Declaration by dishing out your little ¡®discipline¡¯ as well. So stop, before things get more¡­. Messy.¡± The guard stared at Jugo with anger and hate and suddenly dashed towards Jugo¨Cgetting right in his face,


    ¡°So are you accusing me of being a poor warrior, are you now?¡± Jugo scoffed and held up another scroll¨Cone much bigger and fancier looking,


    ¡°Do you know what this is? It¡¯s a declaration of war from the Ring of Nations. Do you know what this means? The Ring of Nations can¡¯t officially declare war on a nation since they are not a country but they can agree to back one declaration of war if one of their members chooses to issue one¨Cthat declaration of war you''re holding right there is the one that they are backing. The fact that this agreement from the Ring of Nations was signed means that all members¨Cnearly the entire developed world¨Chave agreed to go to war with Taegan and our allies. Get Maver some help¨Cwe have much bigger matters to deal with now.¡±

 Chapter 72: On to Victory

    Evay Maver: A very long and palpable silence roared out into our ears as all of the Royal Guards kind of just¡­¡­ stared at each other for a little while. None of us dared to move and it seemed like none of the guards wanted to either¨Cuntil the tall blonde one stepped forward, his usually casual and lazy look suddenly not present on his face. ¡°World wide war is a crazy thing to tackle right now. That can¡¯t be right¨Cif that is right then this might be the end of the Taegan empire.¡± The shorter one who had beaten me to near death suddenly spoke with a serious and deadly tone,


    ¡°That idea is not one that we will ever entertain, Deeno. We will get these two declarations to the emperor and the Imperial government will end up deciding what to do with this situation. Jugo, Lela, you need to get in contact with the nobility¨CI want them to be present at the summit meeting as well. Deeno, get these children to the warrior home and make sure that they stay there¨CI don¡¯t want any more trouble from them.¡± Deeno, the tall blonde guard, nodded and made his way to our side. Jugo walked towards the shorter guard while Lela ran out the door and began to speak in a hushed tone,


    ¡°I¡¯ll meet you there Levy.¡± Levy¨Cwhich was apparently the shorter guard¡¯s name¨Cnodded and glared daggers into our eyes.


    ¡°Get to safety and prepare yourself for battle¨Cwe entrust the future of this empire to you.¡±


    Geon Leventen: It was a very shitty and awful feeling when all of your friends went on this really important mission to deliver a really important declaration of war and fight these really strong and foreign people and all you could do is eat non-solid foods while laying in your hospital bed. The worst part of all of that is that I had to eat this mashed up apple, vegetable, and weird leafy mixture that smelled horrible and tasted even worse. I opened my eyes after a very long nap and awoke to the same nurse that had taken care of me on the first day leaning over me. She put a wet towel on my forehead and gave me a new, fresh, white blanket. I tried to speak but it was pretty hard, ¡°thank ... .thank you,¡± I mumbled weakly and she looked at me with a smile.


    ¡°Your vitals and overall health are getting much better. We could take your bandages off and most of your limbs and organs are now fully healed. You will live but it will take you a long time in order to return to the physical state you were once in. You will be available for the Warrior Ceremony in a couple days from now however, and I hope that you feel better by then because many people will be expecting you.¡± I sighed and nodded with gratitude. I mumbled weakly and tried my best to speak in a friendly voice,


    ¡°What¡¯s¡­..what¡¯s your name?¡± She looked at me with a slightly surprised look before speaking,


    ¡°Sophie, Sophie of house Phylla.¡± I smiled and spoke again,


    ¡°Thank you, Ms.Phylla. I wanted to thank you for helping me and I felt bad since I didn¡¯t even know your name. I¡¯m Geon Leventen,¡± she nodded and laughed,


    ¡°Yes, I was aware of that.¡± Oh yeah, I¡¯m really stupid.


    She giggled a little before handing me some water, ¡°Thank you very much Geon¨Cwarriors usually don¡¯t acknowledge the nurses tending to them. Sometimes it¡¯s much worse than just ¡®not acknowledging¡¯... I appreciate your words of kindness and I want to say that we believe in you.¡± I took the glass of water and nodded with appreciation,


    ¡°Thank you but you don¡¯t have to believe in me. I¡¯ve got a lot of friends, Taegan has a lot of warriors, and all of us¨Cthe students¨Care kind of dumb, clumsy, and just really, really, stupid at times but when it comes to protecting you guys we¡¯re good. My friends got my back¨Cit''s not just me.¡± The nurse nodded and began to walk out as she gave me a reassuring smile,


    ¡°I see your point, Geon Leventen. I guess I should say that I believe in all of you.¡± Sophie walked out and I went back to staring at the wall, patiently, waiting for my body to heal so that I could finally walk again. I wanted to fly again, I wanted to run again, I wanted to see everyone again, I wanted to stop eating this really disgusting vegetable mixture¡­..


    I wanted to be free.


    Taran Brunner: I limped into my black, tuxedo-style suit with embroidered purple flowers on them and tried my best to not trip and fall as I put on my pants. The best part about warrior homes was that usually you were given a very nice room all to yourself and you could do anything you wanted before you had to do stuff. But since so many warriors were coming to the capital for the ceremony certain warriors were put together in one room, and unluckily for me I was put in a room with good old Deven. Deven was a good guy¨Che could be a little sarcastic and witty at times but as a person he was fine. As a roommate though, he was a little¡­¡­terrible. Actually scratch that he was absolutely terrible. He left his clothes on the bed in random places, he left his bags and several various items scattered on the floor and under the table, he never dried his hair after showering so his entire pillow and bed were absolutely drenched with water, and to top it all off he literally never slept. It was our last night here since the ceremony was in about¡­..ten minutes. Deven fumbled out of the bathroom in his crisp, yellow suit with a light, golden flower on his chest. The yellow suit was a lot less of an eyesore than I thought it would be¨Che looked more like a warm ray of sunshine or a nice warm piece of lemon pie than a giant rubber duck. He tossed me a dark purple rose and pointed to his chest-pocket as he smoothed out his hair, ¡°Put that on¨CI heard you should do it or something.¡± I nodded and opened the door as I put Deven¡¯s little rose in my chest pocket and ventured out into the hallways. The halls were filled with various different warriors of all different ages but I could definitely tell that we were on the very young side of all the warriors at this party. Everyone was also dressed in crisp, clean suits and beautiful dresses but they were all grown men and women. Everyone else looked to be in their mid to late twenties while me and Deven made our way through crowds¡ªlooking very young in comparison. We walked out of the warrior home and tried to navigate our way through the front courtyard which was filled with even more warriors all trying to get to the Capital Stadium¨Cwhere our ceremony would be held. A very pretty woman with light brown hair put into a mini-ponytail looked up at me and Deven and gave us a smile. She wore a sparkly navy blue dress which fit tightly around her body as her glistening white skin shone in the moon-lit night. I was super glad that this ceremony would be held in the evening because I really didn¡¯t want this woman to see my face right now. She spoke, ¡°Aw, look Shia, it¡¯s those kids you were talking about. So you''re the best of the best among the youth, huh. Looks like you have a lot of work to do.¡± I nodded while trying to keep my eyes on her¡­.eyes and Deven looked like he was trying to do the same. We stared at her for a little while before I snapped out of it and asked her the one question I needed to ask her,


    ¡°Um ... .yes. We are¡­.Can you give us the directions to the stadium.¡± She turned to her friend, Shia, who was much taller than her and had long, wavy black hair with light brown skin. She was also very pretty but seemed much more serious than the woman we were talking to. She nodded and montined for us to follow,


    ¡°Follow us or the crowd¨Cwe¡¯ll be there in a little bit, just try to keep up.¡± I nodded at Deven and we both followed the very attractive women through a crowd of super strong warriors. It was all a very surreal feeling and I didn¡¯t know how to really take it all in. I was here now¡ªhere as a warrior who would be recognized by the entire empire. I always wanted to be in this position but I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d happen like this. I wanted to be serenaded in front of a large crowd in the morning sun, in front of my family, and in a time of peace¡­. Now everything just felt a little harsh and intense¡­. almost like everyone wasn¡¯t cheering us on but saying, ¡°hey, we really support you and love you but don¡¯t mess up and die¡ªor else we¡¯ll all be dead! No pressure!¡±


    Shia, the taller girl spoke up as she and her friend slowed down to walk besides us, ¡°I hope you guys are ready to stand around for a while¡ªceremonies like these are usually pretty boring.¡± The shorter girl with the pretty dress¡ªor maybe just a pretty body in a normal dress¡ªlaughed and spoke up,


    ¡°Don¡¯t be such a downer, Shia, you guys will be fine. We¡¯re going to meet up with our squad soon so if you guys just stand next to us and follow what we¡¯re doing you¡¯ll be ok.¡± Deven gave her an awkward smile which she returned. He immediately folded under the pressure and broke eye as he fiddled with his sleeves awkwardly. I smiled at him and he looked at me with an angry expression. I looked at the shorter woman and spoke,


    ¡°You said squad right? Are you assigned one when you enter into the military? How are you organized and how many people are in a squad¡ªsorry about the questions I¡¯m just curious you know? Also I didn¡¯t get your name, I¡¯m Taran.¡± I gave her a causal smile and she smiled back,


    ¡°I¡¯m Brie, of house Flora, nice to meet you. Me, Shia, and two other people make up our own little squad. Each squad has four people except one squad, the Main Taegan Operations Squad, but they¡¯re none of your concern. You get assigned one based on what your liquid abilities can do and what type of experiences you have with working with others in the past. Multiple squads makeup battalions and multiple battalions makeup legions. There are twelve legions in the Taegan military and each legion has one leader¡ªcalled a general. Each battalion has a leader called a lieutenant and each squad has a leader called a commander. The chain of command causes each leader to report to their superior and everyone reports to the general of the Main Taegan Operations Squad¡ªthe leader of all twelve legions.¡± My ears perked up,


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    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Shia and Brie looked a little star stuck while they spoke,


    ¡°Captain Kai, Kai of house Azure. He¡¯s the strongest warrior in all of Taegan¡ªexcluding the nobles and the royal guard and obviously the emperor. I¡¯ve always wanted to meet him¡ªhe¡¯s so hot.¡± Deven looked a little jealous while I looked at him and laughed,


    ¡°Oh¡­. I see. Well how exactly do you get into the Main Taegan Operations Squad?¡± Brie spoke again while we got closer and closer to the Capital Stadium¨Ca massive sandstone coliseum held together by beautifully crafted pillars,


    ¡°Well you need a recommendation from your squad commander and your battalion lieutenant, and your legion general. Without one recommendation you can¡¯t get another so if you somehow manage to get all of those you will be put through a rigorous selection process where you will be judged by the emperor of Taegan himself. So if you get in¡ªyou deserve it.¡± I nodded as Deven spoke up for the first time,


    ¡°I¡¯ve always wondered why those warriors have titles¡ªlike what¡¯s up with the adding stuff after their names?¡± Shia spoke up for the first time in a while,


    ¡°They¡¯re titles show what role they have in the Main Taegan Operations Squad¡ªMTOS, or M-Toss for short. Each squad¡ªeven the normal ones¡ªhave four different warriors all specializing in one different area of combat. You have one warrior who¡¯s a Long Range Specialist, one warrior who¡¯s a Ground Scaling Specialist, one warrior who specializes in intelligence, and finally the squad commander. Long range specialists give cover fire from afar with their abilities, the ground scalers often take care of the brutal and large-scale battles on rugged land, the intelligence warriors provide information, and the commander supports everyone¡ªhe¡¯s basically your lifeline. All squads are organized like these and when battalions and legions come together each group of specialists gather and work as one big squad. The MTOS is also organized like this but they never gather into a battalion or legion¡ªthey usually take on entire other legions and battalions by themselves which takes some pressure off of us normal legions. They¡¯re also deployed for the most important battles or missions.¡± I nodded,


    ¡°So what¡¯s so special about them if they¡¯re  organized the same¡ªare they just a really juiced up squad?¡± Brie smiled and spoke up,


    ¡°You¡¯re not entirely wrong¡ªeveryone selected for the MTOS is the best among their specialties. But what makes them different is that they have five members. The usual specialists and the most coveted warrior position which every kid in the empire always dreams of having when they¡¯re little.¡± Deven looked at me with realization and he spoke with a sense of awe,


    ¡°The Ace¡ªthat¡¯s where that comes from.¡± He looked at me and we both smiled with joy.


    ¡°Ace Warrior,¡± was a term that everyone used. It usually just meant someone who was a very good warrior and awards commemorating the best performing warriors at tournaments were usually called, ¡°Ace Warrior,¡± awards. But I never knew that there was an actual ¡°Ace Warrior,¡± in the official Taegan military. It made me pretty psyched actually¡ªI had a goal to work towards now.


    Brie smiled again, ¡°Yep, the Ace has the most unique role in the entire Taegan military. When the MTOS is sent in for a special combat mission or sent to take out a legion all of the MTOS¡¯s job is to set up the Ace in order to take out the squads intended target¡ªwhether that be a specific person Taegan wants dead or the opposing Legion¡¯s general. He¡¯s the one which dictates the success of the mission and the one who has the most amount of pressure on them. They¡¯re only job is to kill and fight so they¡¯re usually the best fighters in all of the Taegan military¡ªmaybe one day one of you boys will be able to be that Ace, what do you say?¡± Deven smiled and tried to speak in a confident voice,


    ¡°Maybe I can, maybe I wi¨C¡± his voice cracked and I stifled a laugh as both the girls also did the same. Deven looked down in embarrassment and he shoved me to the side as all of us started to ascend the stairs of the giant stadium. Literally waves of people were pouring into the multiple entrances present along the bottom of the colosseum-like stadium as people started to walk up and take their spots along a very high platform. From the looks of it we would be looking down upon a large crowd of people who would be listening to us and, at least from what I heard, the nobles and the emperor. After that a chosen group of warriors would be guided towards a party which would let us meet the nobles and the emperor before going to fight. But right now all I wanted to do was sit down because going up these stairs to take my seat was killing my legs, which just about a week ago were literally not there. We finally made it to the top and whatever I was expecting¨Cthis surpassed it. A huge crowd of people carrying orange and red lanterns emitting soft, warm, light was stationed below us. Huge torches and glowing, yellow, flaming chandeliers were also hanging above us so that every single one of the warriors were clearly visible in the evening night. Massive rows of warriors were sitting along a huge marble platform and me and Deven looked at each other with one thought.


    Maybe the others will be here.


    Shia and Brie beckoned towards us and we took our seats next to them. I sat down next to Brie and got a better look at her. Strands of loose hair flowed down her face as her brown hair sat neatly in a bun. Her smooth white skin almost glowed in the dark and all of her very beautiful facial features seemed to lure me into her sights. She smelled great too¡­.. She smelled so good¡­.. She looked at me for a moment before I realized that she wasn¡¯t looking at me but behind me. I turned around and saw two guys¨Cmuch older than us¨Cwalking towards us looking bored and tired. One of them had a buzz-cut and dark gray hair which complemented his serious and sharp eyes strangely well. He had dark skin and was very lean, athletic, and muscular looking and he reminded me of one of those clay statue figures made by the art students back at Eden academy. The other guy had slightly long dark brown hair which was slicked back to reveal his large, black eyes and his glistening white skin. They both looked a little too good¨Cmaybe it was because they were older but I didn¡¯t like it. Brie and Shia both beckoned towards them and they sat down behind us and leaned over to talk. The living-clay statue spoke in a smooth and annoyingly nice voice, ¡°How long do you think this is going to take? I want to hurry up and get to the party.¡± The other guy leaned over Deven and spoke in a laid back voice,


    ¡°Do you have water? Shia, you had some didn¡¯t you.¡± Shia rolled her eyes and handed him a small pouch of water as he smiled and drank quickly,


    ¡°Jannik, Marco, where have you been? How did the kids get here earlier than you?¡± I didn¡¯t know which one was Jannik or Marco but the one with slicked back hair looked at us and smiled eerily,


    ¡°Oh, so are you the kids from Eden academy? Wow kids do look a lot younger these days¨Chow old are you, thirteen?¡± Deven and I looked at him with serious eyes before Brie spoke,


    ¡°Stop, Jannik, they¡¯re warriors¨Cthe same as us now. Treat them a little better.¡± Jannik moved his face closer to Deven as they basically stared each other down,


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s true but you¡¯re too nice to everyone, Brie, a bit of rough-housing never hurt anyone, right kid?¡± Deven looked into his eyes with a cold stare before Marco put a hand on his shoulder,


    ¡°Stop trying to play with kids, it looks bad.¡± Jannik shoved Marco¡¯s hand off of his shoulder and laid back in his chair,


    ¡°Whatever, what are you¡¯re names¨Ccan I ask them that, Brie,¡± he spoke in a sarcastic voice tone and Brie rolled her eyes,


    ¡°Yes, I know his name already, that one¡¯s Taran Brunner but I didn¡¯t get his name.¡± She pointed towards Deven and Deven spoke in a calm and cool tone,


    ¡°I¡¯m Deven of house Piten, nice to meet you.¡± Jannik, Shia, and Brie all looked pretty normal but Marco looked at me with a surprised stare,


    ¡°Oh, Taran of house Brunner. You¡¯re the one that killed that Raga invader, right? I heard about it from the papers, ¡®Child Warrior defends Eden Academy Campus from Raga assault,¡¯ was the headline. Are you that Taran Brunner?¡± They all looked at me with an intense curiosity and I tired to keep my cool,


    ¡°Um, yeah. I am¨Cit took me a while to recover but I¡¯m back now.¡± Marco nodded and spoke again,


    ¡°So far you are the only warrior in the entire Taegan empire that has a recorded kill in our ongoing war. Which means that for the time being you¡¯re technically the best of us¨CI hope you know that means people will know who you are. Jannik, I guess you really did underestimate them¨Cdo you think you could¡¯ve killed an enemy soldier when you were a teenager.¡± Jannik rolled his eyes and leaned further back in his chair. Brie and Shia looked at me with intense eyes before Shia spoke,


    ¡°If you have real-life combat experience than you¡¯re a lot farther along than I thought you¡¯d be¨CI thought bringing in kids who¡¯ve only fought at tournaments was going to be a disaster but I guess not. Speaking of which, if you guys are from Eden Academy do you know that Geon Leventen kid? What about that Evay Maver¨Cthe weird one.¡± I looked at Deven who smiled a little bit before speaking up,


    ¡°Yeah, we do know Geon Leventen¨Cwe know way more than you would probably like to know. Evay too¨Calthough he¡¯s not as weird as you may think.¡± Marco spoke without breaking his gaze on the crowd below us,


    ¡°I heard Geon Leventen is quite the warrior. I agree with Shia in the sense that it will take you youth warriors some time to adjust to real-life battle but clearly some of you have adjusted far quicker than I thought you would. I always thought that Geon Leventen would be fine adjusting to battle though¨Chow would he do against us, Taran, Deven? Would he beat us?¡± They all stared at me and Deven with extremely intense eyes as I began to realize something. These people had all made it as warriors which in itself was extremely hard. They were probably among the best at their respective academies in their youth and had probably been the strongest among their ages for their entire lives. They weren¡¯t just super laid back and chill¨Cthey were really competitive. They always wanted to be the strongest and the best which is why they were able to make it here, and I guess it didn¡¯t really sit right with them that some fifteen year old kid like Geon was being hailed as Taegan¡¯s strongest warrior. I looked at them and tried to speak with honesty,


    ¡°I can¡¯t say exactly since I¡¯ve never seen you guys in action but I will say this. I¡¯m pretty strong and Deven is pretty strong too but there are a lot of people stronger than us. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve all heard about Savain Yeleneta,¡± all of their eyes filled with intense anger for a second before they regained their composure, ¡°but besides him there are a lot of other super strong people. There¡¯s this super smart girl who can shoot lightning, there¡¯s this girl who can heal people back from critical condition, and there are those weirdly strong people like Evay Maver. But no one¨CI mean no one¨Chas ever come close to beating Geon. He¡¯s kind of in a league of his own so to be completely honest, yeah he does have a shot against you.¡± They all stared at me and Deven in silence as Deven whispered into my ear,


    ¡°You just told a bunch of super strong psychos that they¡¯re not shit compared to a kid¨Cgreat job!¡± I was about to tell him off but a giant horn went off as everyone looked up into the sky. The crowd of people below started to cheer in unison as thousands of their voices merged together to create an insanely loud rumble which shook the very ground itself. I looked up at the sky and immediately realized what they were cheering for. The emperor of Taegan descended down onto our platform from the sky as the four major nobles of the Taegan empire flashed into existence on the very front edge of the platform. I looked at Deven and he stared at me with awe and shock. Brie kept her eyes on the emperor and spoke in a soft voice,


    ¡°You can tell us more at the party, for now, don¡¯t take your eyes off of the emperor¨Cyou won¡¯t get to see him too often.¡±

 Chapter 73: Festivities

    Taran Brunner: The crowd cheered louder and louder and louder until the emperor raised his hand and a large shush came over the crowd. I had seen the emperor in textbooks and pictures but I had never seen him in person before. He looked very luxurious¡ªalmost like he literally emitted glory from his robes, which were blood-scarlet red and stitched with bright golden embroidery. His navy blue hair flowed nicely in the wind and he wore his signature blind fold which hid his eyes. A lot of rumors had surfaced about what his eyes could really do¡ªsome said that they could turn people to stone, some said that they could see people¡¯s souls, and some said that he didn¡¯t have eyes at all¡ªwhich didn¡¯t really make sense but any of those rumors could technically be true. He looked out into the crowd and spoke, ¡°Ladies and gentlemen of the Taegan Empire, I, Emperor Varoun Batara, on behalf of all of the Royal family and government, thank you for being here today.¡± The crowd cheered again and I began to look around for the others but I couldn¡¯t see them. The emperor spoke again, ¡°We are here today in order to serenade the warriors which will fight for the freedom of the Taegan empire in our upcoming conflict with enemy nations. I encourage you all to share your strength, your hope, and your pride with these men and women who will give anything to guarantee your lives and safety. We ask you to do anything that you can in order to support the effort to keep our empire peaceful and thriving in these future days.¡± The crowd cheered a little bit before quieting down again. ¡°Our enemies who come from across the oceans will not prevail against us¡ªhowever united they may be. They have justified their efforts by pushing accusations of violence upon our empire and have taken an aggressive stance upon our people. These ideas will not stand.¡± The crowd cheered loudly and the emperor continued to speak, ¡°We will fight against injustice, fight against the hatred, violence, and oppression of our enemies,¡± the crowd fed off of his words and almost seemed to multiply with enthusiasm as they cheered louder and louder, ¡°in times of conflict and war all we have in this world is each other¡ªnow not just members of the same motherland but a group of brothers and sisters. The only people who will have your back are right next to you and their trust is in your hands¡ªso I ask you, all of you, to lend your belief in these warriors¡ªbecause they believe in you.¡± The crowd absolutely erupted with applause as this new cheer made the one in the beginning feel like a mild reaction. The emperor raised his hand in the air and everyone of the warriors stood up on queue and saluted the emperor and the nobles who saluted the crowd.  The emperor put down his hand and turned towards the sky which suddenly burst into bright red flames which illuminated the night. The crowd cheered with shock and awe as a man started to descend down onto the platform and stand face to face with the emperor. The man had dark red hair which was spiked up in the front so that his forehead was showing. He had fairly tan skin and glowing orange eyes, and he sported an ivory white robe which had flame patterns along its hems and sleeves and also a golden crown on the back. It wasn¡¯t very hard to tell who he was¡ªhe was Captain Kai, the leader of the twelve legions.


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    Emperor Batara spoke in a defined and regal voice as Captain Kai knelt down on one knee and bowed his head to the emperor, ¡°Kai of house Azure, Captain of the twelve Imperial Legions and the designated coordinator of the Taegan military, I, Emperor Batara, with the power invested in me officially bestow upon you the powers and duties granted by your title.¡± The emperor held out his hand and a giant golden scepter shimmered into existence as he grabbed it and placed it upon the captain''s shoulders and head. The captain rose and shook hands with the emperor as the crowd once again erupted into applause and cheers. The emperor held out his hands at his sides and looked on with a confident smile, ¡°Steel your hearts and unite your pride for war has finally come.¡±


    Taran Brunner: Getting out of the venue was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I assumed that everyone would just teleport away or blast off into the distance but apparently using liquor abilities in large ceremonies was strictly forbidden. So we all shuffled down the same stairs we had climbed up and flooded out to the courtyard in front of the stadium. There were a lot of chariots lined up in front of the stadium which I assumed were the tides of most of the warriors here. I looked towards Shia, Brie, Marco, and Jannik as they all seemed to go towards a really large chariot pulled by two of the most majestic and gigantic horses that I had ever seen. They were so white that they almost blinded me and their luscious manes as well as their bright blue eyes made them look like something out of a fairytale. Marco looked at me and Deven and motioned toward us, ¡°Get in¡ªwe have to be at the Royal Gathering in 20 minutes.¡± I looked at Deven and he smiled as we both raced towards the giant chariot pulled by two fairytale horses.


    As I approached the chariot I quickly realized that it wasn¡¯t so much of a chariot but more like a giant carriage instead. Actually, it was actually more of a mini house than a carriage. The carriage was made of bronze and gold with curtains of pure red velvet hanging on the windows. It had a slanted roof made of black stone tiles and had huge rubies and diamonds embedded into its sides and wheels. It was way too over the top for a carriage but when you were royalty, I guess being over the top was kind of normal. We entered into the carriage and it was even crazier on the inside. Firstly, there was a giant drawer containing wines, grapes, cheeses, and hams as well as a whole table next to the window inside the carriage. It had very comfortable benches along all sides of the carriage and there was a whole fireplace on the very back wall. It kind of looked like a small living room¡ªthe only difference being that it was pulled by horses. The best part about the whole carriage though was that our people were inside it¡ªwe had finally found them.


    Lila, Aurora, Geon, Evay, Mena, Millen, and Nila¡ªas well as Melissa were lounging in the carriage. It was weird seeing them again but it felt right¡ªwe had been looking for them after all. Deven smiled as we went to sit down next to them, ¡°Hope you''re good at parties man, we¡¯re about to have a crazy one.¡±

 Chapter 74: A Change of Pace

    Taran Brunner: It was the first time that I had seen everyone in nice clothes and I didn¡¯t want to sound arrogant but we all looked really, really, really good.


    Aurora wore a dark blue dress which covered her shoulders, had long sleeves, and hugged her body pretty tightly. She wore a golden necklace which had a glowing white diamond on the end of it. She looked great by all means and I felt a little dirty looking at her since she was already taken¡­ I felt even worse looking at Lila but it was hard not to¡ªshe was hard to not stare at normally and now she was in a pretty dress¡­ Her dress was sleeveless and one of her legs was covered by the dress while the other one wasn¡¯t¡ªwhich I assumed was the design of the dress but that could be wrong¡­ I had no clue what dresses were supposed to look like¡­ Lila¡¯s dress was bright white and had golden vines and leaves woven into its sleeves and overall body. She wore two golden earrings which looked like two mini, beautiful roses with golden petals and a diamond interior. I looked away from Lila and rested my eyes upon Mena.


    She wore a very beautiful light blue dress which had silver snowflakes and little diamond flecks embedded into it. The dress had straps on it and also fit tightly around her body but unlike the others Mena had two white sleeves and white gloves which complemented her outfit pretty well. Her soft blonde hair drew me into her gaze and her soft blue eyes made me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. Deven looked at me and nudged me hard so that I would stop staring¡ªwhich I just realized I was doing. I shook my head and looked around at the others. Millen wore a really dark black suit which seemed to absorb all visible light¡ªit kind of looked like he was wearing a literal shadow. He sat next to Melissa who wore a rose gold dress which was similar to Mena¡¯s except that it was a little longer. Evay also wore a nice golden suit which had an ivory white collar, diamond buttons, and rubies embedded into his suit pockets and sleeve hems. Finally, Geon sat next to Evay looking tired but also excited at the same time. He wore a simple gray suit with a crisp white shirt and a dark blue tie underneath. A golden chain with diamond rings laced into it hung around his neck, under his suit and shirt, and he had two diamond-ruby bracelets on his wrists which were probably worth about as much as a nice house.


    I sat down next to him and Evay, ¡°Where did you get all of that from? You look like a walking jewelry shop.¡± Geon laughed and sat up while speaking,


    ¡°It turns out winning Ace Warrior at the Youth Championships makes you a lot of money¡ªand I get even more from Eden Academy for winning it too. Anyways, I¡¯m basically rich now.¡± He held up his bracelets and smirked while I rolled my eyes and looked at Evay,


    ¡°Nice suit¡ªwhere did you get it?¡± Evay reached over the table in the middle of the carriage and picked out a grape from the basket of snacks,


    ¡°It was a gift from the tailor on campus. I told him that I didn¡¯t have a suit and I think he took pity on me. Geon got that for free too but I think it¡¯s because he¡¯s just famous so people give him so much stuff for free.¡± I nodded and took another look at Geon. He definitely looked a lot worse for wear but at the same time he didn¡¯t seem to be in critical condition. His eyes sort of opened and closed repeatedly and his face seemed to be sunken in. His overall expression made me think that he was really, really, really tired. From what I heard he had just been stabbed through the chest by Teras himself so considering that fact, looking very tired wasn¡¯t that bad. Evay seemed to have healed from the beating he took and he looked pretty ok but he also looked very tired. Evay and Geon had gone through a lot in the last couple months and they had taken the brunt of the trouble. With the war coming up I was kind of worried how they would hold up¡ªhopefully they would. The carriage suddenly stopped and the door opened up. Everyone started to exit the carriage and I stood up and walked out after Evay. Geon tried to stand up but quickly sat back down with a pained expression on his face. Lila walked up to him and gently looped her arms around his and lifted him up. Everyone slowly walked up to the front door of the house and took in the beautiful stone pathway along with the various red, yellow, and green bushes and flowers outside of the property. It had cream colored walls with marble white pillars and a red tiled roof. From what I could see through the big window over the front door of the house there was a glowing obsidian chandelier along with various tapestries present inside. Melissa walked besides me and she spoke in awe,


    ¡°Is this¡­. a real house?¡± I laughed softly,


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s one of the various houses provided by the Royal family for select warriors. Today it¡¯s the host of our party.¡± She nodded and I opened the door and held it open for Melissa. She walked inside and I followed her as I got the whiff of something really good coming from the kitchen. I smiled and spoke with excitement, ¡°I hope that there¡¯s a lot more eating than talking at this party¡ªI¡¯m starving.¡±


    Evay Maver: Mars had told me that I had about thirty minutes to pinpoint this minor noble¡¯s location and inform him and his crew or else the mission would be a failure. I thought it would be pretty easy¡ªI was looking for a tallish blonde warrior named Ilias of house Soara. There weren¡¯t going to be a lot of people at this party and the house was relatively small compared to the palaces and temples that usually hosted these types of things so it wouldn¡¯t be too hard to find this Ilias person¡ªplus I recently figured out that I had super vision so that would also help. The name sounded super familiar as well but I just couldn¡¯t put my finger on it¡­.


    I slowed down a bit, stepped backwards, and smoothly fell into Aurora¡¯s arms as she looked at me with surprised eyes. I smiled, ¡°everyone¡¯s going in with somebody and I didn¡¯t want to feel lonely¡ªyou know?¡± She rolled her eyes and laced her arms around mine and led me through the mansion¡¯s giant doors. The interior of the house was so breathtakingly beautiful that it almost didn''t really seem real. The walls were made of pearly white marble with flecks of gold engraved into them and the ceiling was painted with extremely detailed drawings of flowers, mountains, rivers, oceans, valleys, and birds like eagles and peacocks. The floor was made out of deep, dark, spruce wood and several rooms furnished with quality furniture and pottery made with porcelain and brightly colored clay were scattered around the house. Above us was the extravagant chandelier which had been visible from outside and a large dining hall with a super long table running down its length was set out in front of us. There was an incredible amount of food¡ªwhich looked really delicious and also really exotic¡ªset on the table and warriors and members of the imperial government were all walking around with plates and glasses and conversing with each other. I bent down a little and whispered into Aurora¡¯s ear, ¡°I don¡¯t know what half of this stuff is so you¡¯re gonna have to give me a little tour of the menu and what I have to get to look like I¡¯m rich.¡± She stifled a laugh and whispered back,


    ¡°To be honest I don¡¯t even know what some of this stuff is¡ªthat¡¯s a black fish ... .or is that not a fish¡­just get what Mena and Taran are getting¡ªthey look like they know what they¡¯re doing.¡± Mena, Lila, and Melissa waved over at Aurora and she gave them a nod, ¡°have to go, bye.¡± She gave me a little kiss before running off¡ªleaving me alone in the sea of rich, powerful, and very important people. Geon put his arm around my shoulder and shoved a plate into my arms,


    ¡°You have to eat something or at least have something on your plate because that¡¯s how you get into conversations with people, you know what I¡¯m saying.¡± He smiled at me and I looked at him with a confused expression,


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡ªnot really at least¡ªhow is having food good for conversation.¡±


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    Geon went up to the table and picked out some huge and very ripe grapes and tossed on a bunch of ham¡ªor something that looked like ham, ¡°They look at your plate and they¡¯re like, ¡®oh you got the¡­um,¡± he scooped a spoon of what looked like jam onto his plate, ¡°weird purple shit! I love that as well!¡¯ and then you hit it off and talk about how much you love the said weird purple shit and then you talk about other things. I don¡¯t know man¡­I¡¯m not rich.¡± I laughed and pointed to his neck and wrists,


    ¡°Your jewelry costs more than one of the buildings back at the academy¡ªyou''re a rich man.¡± He shrugged at me before being approached by an older looking man in a crisp gray suit,


    ¡°Interesting combinations of flavors Mr.Leventen, I¡¯ve never seen someone combine the juniper berry jam with Levonian ham¡ªis it something I should try?¡± Geon put on his best, ¡°I¡¯m trying to play it cool,¡± face and spoke in a confident tone,


    ¡°Of course I always eat my¡­Le..vo¡­nian ham with the juniper berry jam. It''s all I¡¯ve ever had when I was growing up!¡± The old man laughed and turned Geon away,


    ¡°Is that so, well let me ask you some questions first,¡± Geon gave me a wink and walked with the man into what looked like a living room filled with many other warriors having conversations. I rolled my eyes and walked over to the table and picked up everything that looked familiar. Giant, plump grapes, bright red strawberries, glowing, crescent shaped oranges and weird little things called blackberries all topped my plate as I walked around trying to find this Ilias person. Mars told me to get him isolated¡ªpreferably in an open space¡ªand keep him occupied until we could all jump him. All I had to do was find this guy and talk him up. I turned the corner and saw a tall blonde dude surrounded by women out of the corner of my eye. His back was tuned to me and to all of the women and he seemed to be talking to someone. I walked over, looked over the crowd of people, and felt my heart drop. He was talking to Aurora who didn¡¯t seem to be too happy with her current situation. She was trying her best to be polite as she was laughing and smiling while holding her end of the conversation but I could tell she wasn¡¯t really interested in whatever this guy was saying. Maybe it was because I had known Aurora for a while but she was really bad at pretending to like people¡ªwhich was probably a good thing. It was one of the things she did which made her seem cold and unapproachable at first but some people didn¡¯t seem to get her hints¡ªlike this guy. I politely pushed through the crowd of girls and stood next to Aurora who¡¯s face filled with relief. She spoke in a polite tone, ¡°this is the person I was telling you about.¡± The man nodded and flashed an overconfident and sly smile,


    ¡°Evay? Nice to see you again¡ªI remember seeing you two a couple nights ago in that warrior home. I¡¯m glad that we get to meet again.¡± Aurora looked at me with a confused expression and I did the same,


    ¡°Um¡­I¡¯m very sorry to say this but I didn¡¯t know we had met before¡ªwhat was your name again?¡± He laughed and smiled again before speaking with a confident and relaxed tone,


    ¡°No worries¡ªI get it¡ªyou meet a lot of people right? My name is Ilias of house Soara¡ªit¡¯s a pleasure to meet you again.¡±


    Aurora¡¯s eyes squinted with confusion for a bit before she looked up at me, ¡°Um, I think I may have walked in a little late and you missed me but Evay probably saw you, right Evay? Evay¡­..¡± her eyes narrowed with concern as she gazed into my face.


    Fuck, so that¡¯s why he looked so familiar¡­.


    He was the dude that had defended me against that old guy who accused me of faking my identity. I had forgotten all about him because of all that had happened but it was coming back to me now¡­. He seemed nice enough, he had stood up for me, and he didn¡¯t really give off any bad vibes either which made it hard for me to believe that he was a psycho murder who had gone and killed a bunch of people. Aurora quickly tugged at my sleeve and gave me a concerned look. I nodded at her and tried my best to give Ilias a comforting smile, ¡°Um, yes I remember¨CI appreciate that you stood up for me that day, especially since times are a little hard at the moment. Do you mind if I talk to you for a second?¡± He slowly made his way through the group of women surrounding him and pointed to the balcony which overlooked the garden in the backyard. I nodded and followed him before giving Aurora a look of reassurance. She nodded firmly and slowly walked away. Ilias opened the doors to the balcony and I was immediately hit with the cool night air which seemed to clear my senses and cause my brain to start turning again. He leaned on the balcony fencing and laughed, ¡°Parties like these dull your senses, make you drunk and slow even if you haven¡¯t had any alcohol. It¡¯s weird how that happens no? It¡¯s precisely the reason why there are no special social gatherings in military camps and battlefields¨Cthey distract you.¡± I nodded and he took a sip of some red drink before putting his beautifully crafted glass cup on top of the balcony fence. He stared out at the garden, illuminated by various lamps and torches, before speaking again, ¡°It¡¯s all about balance¨Cbalancing the good and fun stuff with the not so fun stuff¨Cbalancing the parties, the drinking, and the talking with the killing, conquering, and the fighting. It¡¯s just how things work right?¡± He took another sip out of his glass before continuing, ¡°But the absolute best warrior in the world is the one whose mind is reversed. They like the not so fun stuff and don¡¯t care much for the fun stuff¨Cthe one who¡¯s legs shake out of excitement before battle rather than out of fear. Those are the warriors that do the best on the battlefield and that generally do the best in life.¡± His eyes weren¡¯t filled with the same bouncy confidence and spark and his voice had simmered down a lot¨Cto the point where he sounded more depressed than anything. I began to get a little tingly sensation in my arms, feet, and hands, as Ilias continued to talk, ¡°Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do¨Cyou have to enjoy the dirty parts of the process in order to be a good warrior, you agree right?¡± I looked at him and tried my best to keep an impartial expression,


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re totally right, but what¡¯s that got to do with me?¡± He smiled and stared off into the distance,


    ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just that if you¡¯re going to try and kill me you¡¯ve got to get a lot better at the ¡®hiding the fact you¡¯re trying to kill me¡¯ part next time. You¡¯ve got to enjoy the process of stalking, lying, and killing to be good, you remember? That was my whole gist.¡± My blood ran ice cold as he looked at me with an innocent smile. He laughed softly and stood straight up, ¡°Glow Vial has a very potent presence when exposed to people who can sense liquor¨Cwhen it¡¯s near a well trained warrior it¡¯s like if you were carrying a sack of rotting garlic in your pockets. But I can tell that you don¡¯t have the glow vial and panic is written all over your face so I¡¯m assuming that your friends¡ªwho have the glow vial¡ªare going to try and kill me at any moment? Let me guess, was it one of those landlords I killed?¡± I steeled my nerves and faced Ilias,


    ¡°No, a couple bankers apparently.¡± He scoffed and smiled,


    ¡°Oh, one of my politician buddies had a deal fall through with him¡ªdid my friend a favor. He¡¯s the one who was with his kid right? I saw their faces through the carriage before they went¡­¡± he made an explosion symbol with his hands while giving me an eerie smile. I looked at him with cold eyes,


    ¡°I have a deal with someone and as long as I help kill you I get what I want, and plus you''re exactly what I hate about nobles¡ªdeath is what you deserve.¡± He laughed and took another sip out of his glass,


    ¡°I¡¯m not quite ¡®good¡¯ am I¡ªbut can you say that you are? It doesn¡¯t really matter anyways¡ªI get what I want and you¡¯ll learn that it¡¯s kind of meant to be that way. If they could stop me¡ªif you could stop me¡ªyou would but you can¡¯t¡­. I was always meant to rule over you, control you, I was always meant to use you¡ªyou¡¯ll get it soon enough, you¡¯re a warrior after all.¡± I looked at him with immense hatred in my eyes as I felt my heart start to beat faster and faster and faster,


    ¡°So you¡¯re strong, is that why you can do anything you want? What have the people you¡¯ve killed, the people you¡¯ve tortured, what have they done to you? You¡¯re not god, you¡¯re not anyone special, so who gets to decide who¡¯s over who? What makes you any different than a peasant?¡± A loud noise rang out into the night as Ilias crushed his glass into fine powder. The sparkling dust flowed down the balcony fence and into the dark abyss of the night as he looked at me with a cold, dark, and inhuman hatred in his eyes,


    ¡°Say that again.¡± My eyes began to glow gold and my hair flashed ivory white as I walked straight into him and stared him down,


    ¡°You¡¯re human, peasants are human, who cares if your strong you sadistic fuck, you¡¯re the same as them. You¡¯re just lucky your mom and dad were strong¡ªyou¡¯re a free-rider of your own genetics you crazy asshole.¡± Ilias looked at me for a second before laughing softly. He laughed and laughed and laughed as his voice got louder and louder and louder. He backed up and stumbled with laughter as a maniacal look of pure hate and insanity dawned over his face,


    ¡°You¡­you..you¡¯re pretty fucking brave Evay Maver. I¡¯m a peasant? A fucking peasant? A disease  ridden, sickly, weak, stealing, peasant who doesn''t deserve to call themselves human? That¡¯s what I am? Do you have any idea how much I hate them?¡± My hair turned bright ivory white and my eyes flashed gold as beautiful robes adored my body and power seeped into my veins.


    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s the problem, you¡¯ve killed a lot of people right? I¡¯ve heard about you minor nobles¡ªtoo weak to be a major figure in the empire and too strong to be put in the regular military¡ªyou can never find a place right? Your over inflated egos and your frustration gets taken out on the only people who you can hurt and not face any consequences¡ªour people, our regular people. For all the hurt you caused and all the people you¡¯ve killed I¡¯ll kill you myself¡ªand I changed my mind. I¡¯m not just doing this for a deal anymore,¡± I floated off the ground and stared into Ilias¡¯s eyes, ¡°It¡¯ll be fun killing you¨CI think I¡¯ll enjoy it a lot.¡±

 Chapter 75: Gone with the Wind

    I grabbed his collar and chucked him into the night as his body soared into the vast darkness. I took out a small reed pipe which Mars told me to blow when I was ready and chucked it into the night. I didn¡¯t need Glow Vial to kill this guy, I just needed my hands. I floated into the sky and blasted off towards Ilias. An extremely bright light lit up the night sky as purple chains with golden, crescent shaped blades attached to them rushed towards me. I leaned to my side and rolled away from the steel tentacles of death as I blasted upwards into the air to get some height. The chains looped and shot all around me as I slipped left to dodge, flipped backwards to evade a slashing attack, and blasted towards the ground to¨Cdodging more chains which all seemed to be magically locked on to my skull. I began to gain speed as the ground got closer and closer and closer to my face before I pulled up hard and shot back upwards into the sky. The chains couldn¡¯t keep up and they lodged themselves in the ground. I shot towards Ilias who flicked his wrists up towards the sky. chains suddenly twisted and spun around in the air and shaped themselves into a sphere with me in the center of it. They crashed in on me in the blink of an eye but a golden barrier¡ªnow etched with ivory white markings¡ªappeared around me and shattered the chains into dust. Ilias¡¯s eyes went wide with fear as I focused in on my attack.


    I could hear it, his heart beating, his breath quickening, I could smell the adrenaline and panic coming off of him, and I could see it¡ªI could see the irregular flow of liquor and blood in his body. My senses all came together like one sentient entity and screamed at me to aim for the lower ribs.


    So I did.


    I launched my fist into his lower rib cage and felt it go clean through his body. It was a really weird feeling¡ªI hadn¡¯t ever really landed a strong blow on anyone before, much less put my hand through them. But as my fists and arms were soaked with red, scarlet blood a small smile dawned onto my face. I looked at Ilias who¡¯s eyes were filled with blank shock and I thrust another hand through the center of his chest. My arm went through his body like butter and I flew into the sky and spun his body around¡ªviolently spinning and scrambling him into dust and ashes. I finally let go and a sickening squelching sound rang into the night as he went flying off of my arms and crashed down onto the ground like a meteor. I flew down and stomped on his body with both of my feet as the impact of the attack created another crater in the cold, hard soil. My arms felt stronger, my strikes felt faster, and my muscles felt far less fatigued then they normally would have been. My new and improved body was doing its thing. I felt something move under my feet and a torrent of purple, gold, and white chains shot out from Iliad¡¯s body and wrapped around me in an instant. I was flung up into the air and smashed into the ground with immense force. I felt my head hit the earth and everything got really fuzzy for a second before my body was slammed down into the ground again. I tensed my body and tried to force my way out of the chains but it wasn¡¯t easy¡­ My breathing quickened, my muscles started to fail, and I started to feel really lightheaded. I was perfectly fine one moment ago but as soon as the chains got a hold of me everything went downhill¡­ It may have been because I was getting slammed into the ground at blinding speeds but that explanation felt too simple. A weird clicking sound echoed through the night as my shoulder seemed to pop and twist from the impact of another intense slam. I looked at the chains and noticed a faint energy emitting off of each of them¡ªalmost like they were imbued with some sort of liquor magic. The purple one had the most energy coming off of it and it was also the only one which seemed to be taking energy out of me as the sharp golden crescents on the chains sliced into my arms and seemed to be pulling out clouds of glowing energy. My brain started to turn and I felt the dots connecting in my head.


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    Oh, I see.


    Ilias tossed me into the air and prepared to slam me into the ground as I felt my body go limp at the apex of my ascent. Time slowed down and everything went strangely quiet as I honed in on all of my senses. One, two¡­..three. I grabbed the purple chains and released all of Gold¡¯s Veil¡ªall of the godly golden energy I had¡ªright into the chains as the normally purple tentacles of metal suddenly transformed into a shade of pure white. Ilias smiled and withdrew the chains as golden cracks started to form on his face, arms, and chest. He looked at me with maniacal and excited eyes as a bright golden glow shone around his body. His chains started to float and encircle him in one big sphere of protection as he pointed one finger directly at me, ¡°Off with your fucking head.¡± A shockwave of sound echoed out into the air as one of his chains cracked and sliced through the night in one big arc of death. I looked Ilias dead in the eyes and smiled as his whip of death cracked and shattered before it ever reached me. His face filled with shock and surprise as the golden cracks on his face started to grow and spread. He gingerly touched his cheek as a blank stare of confusion dawned upon his face. I smiled and watched his chains slowly start to shatter and his body start to crack,


    ¡°You can absorb energy¡ªI can see that. You were taking away my energy as well but I figured that there was a limit to how much energy you could absorb before you¡­ you know¡ªstarted to crack.¡± Flecks and pieces of his face and body started to float away in the wind like burned pieces of paper as he started to march towards me with murderous intent in his eyes. I smiled, ¡°My energy isn¡¯t the type you''re used to absorbing¡ªyour body isn¡¯t used to handling it.¡± Ilias¡¯s body suddenly fell to the ground as his legs were blown away by the wind. I looked down on him with a cold and impassive look in my eyes as he stared at me with extreme hatred. He grabbed a hold of my ankle while crawling on the ground but it didn¡¯t matter as his hand slowly drifted into the wind. I knelt down and looked him in his one and only eye, ¡°For all of the people you have killed, the families you have ruined, the peasants you have disgraced, you will die today. I told you right¨Cthat I¡¯ll enjoy killing you very much. I guess I was right.¡± I smashed my hand into his face and it immediately crumpled into fine dust and drifted into the sky. I felt all of the energy he had taken from me slowly come back into my veins as my limbs and body began to regain their strength. Only Ilias¡¯s arm was left¡ªsitting on the cold hard soil alone and looking for its master. I watched it slowly disintegrate into the night as the last of Ilias dissipated. I felt a large hand grab onto my shoulder as I stood up immediately. Mars looked at me with one big smile¡ªalmost like he was happy to see me,


    ¡°Well, fuck the glow then you say?¡± The rest of his squad came running behind him and I dusted off my suit and pants before looking them in the eyes,


    ¡°I want my end of the deal, and I trust you will honor your word?¡± Grace looked at me and spoke reluctantly,


    ¡°Unfortunately yes, but we would appreciate it if you kept us in your good graces in the future.¡± I looked at her and scoffed,


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know my ¡®prize¡¯ for holding up my end of the bargain had an asterisk on it. For future reference, this is exactly how you get someone to not ¡®keep you in their good graces in the future.¡¯¡± Grace flashed me an angry look while Mars let out a loud laugh,


    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t owe us anything you fucker, but we¡¯ll hold our end of the deal¡ªjust like we promised. What do you want? I¡¯ll give you a happy ending if I have to.¡± I looked at Mars and his squad and took a deep breath,


    ¡°You guys are good at finding people right? I want you to find me someone.¡± Grace nodded,


    ¡°Easy enough.¡± I clenched my fists and steeled my nerves,


    ¡°Find me Amie, of house Sella¡ªI won¡¯t take ¡®she¡¯s dead¡¯ for an answer. That¡¯s my one request and wish. Please, find her.¡±

 Chapter 76: An Important Meeting

    Geon Leventen: I heard a loud boom go off in the distance and I jerked my head towards the window to see what was going on. No one else seemed to be that threatened by what was happening but it made me uneasy¡­ Maybe it was because I was injured and kind of powerless but everything felt a lot more threatening now¡ªwhich I didn¡¯t like. I felt Lila come over and lean into me as I looked down into her beautiful golden eyes. She looked at me with concern, ¡°Your hair¡¯s getting a little long,¡± she smoothed out my bangs while I tried to pull my face away,


    ¡°I had a giant hole in my chest a week ago and you¡¯re concerned about my hair?¡± I smiled and she rolled her eyes,


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for looking at your face more than your chest. I¡¯m trying to be optimistic here.¡± She finally stopped fixing my hair and I leaned up against her,


    ¡°I know, I¡¯m so tired though, Lila. I want to sleep,¡± I smiled and started to fall into her and she shoved me back in order to keep me standing,


    ¡°Stop..stop¡­stop falling into me¡ªwhy is it so hard to keep..you..standing.¡± I laughed softly before noticing a butler in the corner of the room waving to me. I pointed to him and Lila stopped trying to shove me and turned her attention towards him as well. I looked at her and she shrugged, ¡°Better go check it out.¡± I nodded and grabbed her hand,


    ¡°Come with me¡ªyou know I get sooooo scared of talking to people.¡± She laughed softly and followed me as I went up to the butler, ¡°Hello sir, what did you want me for?¡± He looked at me with cold and impassive eyes before speaking in an extremely boring and monotone voice¡ªone that would put our Literature Professor¡¯s to shame, ¡°The Emperor would like to see you.¡± My heart dropped and I felt my blood run cold as I looked at Lila¡ªwho looked just as shocked.


    I took a deep breath and tried my best to speak in a normal and not a, ¡®scared absolutely shirtless,¡¯ voice, ¡°Um.. yes sir. Can¡­can she come in.¡± Lila¡¯s eyes went wide with panic as she looked at me with anger, fear, betrayal, shock, and panic¡ªall wrapped up in one beautiful face. She started to stammer,


    ¡°That won¡¯t really be necessary¡ªyou just want him right? I¡¯ll be on my merry way and¡ª¡°


    ¡°Very well, Ms. Fairheart will also join this procession.¡± Lila gave a small laugh and I looked at her with a nervous smile. She gave me a death stare before smiling at the butler,


    ¡°Very well sir.¡± He opened the door and I stuck by Lila¡¯s side as I tried to take in the whole room. This room was significantly smaller than the others but it was way fancier so it kind of made up for it. Red velvet carpet with gold and purple patterns filled the entire floor and beautiful white cotton curtains with golden embroidery were hung up around the room. Luxurious couches and expensive looking wooden furniture were scattered throughout the room but the thing that really made the room really special was the people in it. Captain Kai was standing beside one of the couches while some other important looking warriors were either talking to him or to each other. In the middle of the room, was the emperor¡ªdressed in his mighty robes. He turned towards me and seemingly stared into my soul through his beautifully embroidered blindfold,


    ¡°Geon Leventen, I am pleased to finally meet you, and Ms.Fairheart, I¡¯m glad you could join us. I take it that you and Geon are quite close.¡± She blushed a little but nodded¡ªwhich made me feel happy. He pointed to the couch, ¡°Come sit, I wish to talk to you¡ªwe have much to discuss.¡± I took a deep breath and sat down while trying not to look in the emperor''s eyes. Lila sat down as well and I gently tugged her closer to me without taking my eyes off of the emperor. She looked at me for a bit before nodding slightly and inching closer to me. The emperor smiled and spoke in a silky smooth but authoritative voice, ¡°Captain, I would like for you to join me¡ªI apologize to your associates but let me borrow you for one second.¡± Captain Kai nodded and took a seat next to the emperor. Looking at him up close made me way more nervous than when I had seen him up on that stage. His facial features looked a lot more intense and clear, and his overall demeanor and attitude seemed to rub off on me and make me uncomfortable. I didn¡¯t like sitting here¡­. It was hard to describe but being with these people made me feel so small, so helpless, so fragile. Maybe it was because I was injured too but I didn¡¯t like it¡ªI felt so vulnerable. The emperor smiled and spoke, ¡°I¡¯m sure you are aware of Captain Kai, of house Azure. He will be the highest chain of command that you will answer too in active battle¡ªbesides me of course. Why don¡¯t you formally introduce yourself.¡± I looked at the captain and tried my best to sound like I actually knew what I was doing,


    ¡°Hello sir, my name is Geon Leventen. I am a first year student at Eden Academy and also a warrior in training¡ªit¡¯s a pleasure to formally meet you.¡± I looked at Lila out of the corner of my eye and she looked slightly surprised but also impressed. She did a good job of hiding it but I could tell. I guess I¡¯ve never spoken formally to her before¡ªor really anyone I guess..


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    The captain looked at me with cold and impassive eyes before speaking, ¡°Yes, I am aware of who you are. Your father was a renowned butcher who was killed while working and your mother was never quite well known. You were always quite a talented warrior and your name gained a fair deal of fame in your early childhood years. Now you are here, is that right?¡± I nodded and he crossed his legs and sat back on the chair with a dignified expression, ¡°You are quite a special case for many reasons, Leventen. Firstly, with the ongoing circumstances currently present in the world we need all the help we can get on the front lines. That means students such as you and Ms.Fairheart will be employed as official warriors a little early in your careers. This situation isn¡¯t unheard of but it is the first time in which it will occur on this large of a scale. You are special in the sense that you will be out on the battlefield as a child. Secondly, you are one of Taegan¡¯s most promising perspective warriors ever created in the last 250 years. You are special for many reasons and therefore I would like to make you an offer.¡± I looked at him and the emperor with attentive eyes before nodding slightly. The captain spoke, ¡°You will be put in the 1st legion, in one of the leading squads under commander Lock. Normally, warriors spend their entire careers trying to make it to the 3rd, 4th, and even 5th legion but you will be given a decent head start compared to them. Do you object?¡± Lila¡¯s eyes were filled with surprise as she stared out into space for a moment before looking at me with an incredulous expression. She whispered into my ear, ¡°Take it! First legion! You have to!¡± I nodded and took a deep breath,


    ¡°Yes sir, I appreciate your offer¡ªI accept.¡± The captain and emperor both nodded.


    ¡°Good. I hope you understand¡ªeven as young as you are¡ªthat this military follows a chain of command. You answer to your commander and they answer to their superiors who all ultimately answer to me¡ªand I answer to the emperor. You have been called great by those around you, you have been heralded as Taegan¡¯s hero, but if these things get to your heart and you think they give you and excuse to defy your orders,¡± a small blue flame flickered in his eyes as the room seemed to burn white hot for a moment, ¡°I will be more than happy to put you back in line.¡± I nodded and breathed out for the first time in what felt like a million years. The emperor smiled,


    ¡°Things seem good then¡ªyou are now dismissed. Oh also Geon,¡± he looked at me with his powerful eyes which seemed to pierce through his blindfold, ¡°do check on your friend Maver for me¡ªI suspect he is getting quite ... .lonely.¡± I nodded slightly and stood up and walked out of the door with Lila close behind me. The fuzzy and warm vibes of the normal party hit me like a truck as I immediately felt drowsy and tired. I leaned on Lila for support and she looked at me with a pretty serious expression,


    ¡°So you¡¯re going to be in the first legion¡ªcongratulations.¡± I smiled and looked at her with warm eyes,


    ¡°Thanks, is it that impressive though? All these titles are just words right?¡± Lila laughed,


    ¡°Geon¡­everything is just words.¡± I looked at her and felt an epiphany roll into my mind,


    ¡°Oh¡­yeah.¡± She giggled a little before leading me back into the crowds of people dispersed around the house,


    ¡°Most warriors spend their lives trying to rank up through the legions. The twelfth legion is the legion with either the least experienced warriors or the most elderly warriors¡ªmost warriors don¡¯t stay in there for long and the ones that do are usually either¨Clike I said¨Cold or the victim of some injury. They¡¯re referred to as the¡­.¡± I saw a pained expression appear on her face,


    ¡°What?¡± She pursed her lips,


    ¡°The Hospital Legion¡ªit¡¯s a derogatory term used to insult the twelfth legion since it¡¯s filled with injured vets or people past their prime. But you should call them that! It¡¯s not nice.¡± I nodded. Lila looked to make sure I had agreed and kept on speaking, ¡°Usually warriors find their homes in the 8th to 9th legions and those that aren¡¯t the most powerful usually settle around the 10th. Some ambitious warriors get to the 7th and even 6th but for those that get to the top 5 legions¡ªthey¡¯ve cemented themselves as truly elite.¡± I kept listening as Lila kept dragging me around in circles,


    ¡°Hey where are we going?¡± Lila kept her eyes forwards while speaking,


    ¡°To find Evay remember¡ªthe emperor told us to check on him. I hope he¡¯s okay.¡± I nodded and kept following her around. ¡°Anyway, like I was saying, the top five legions are filled with the best warriors and this is usually where even the best fighters end up staying. It¡¯s rare for warriors to move up past 5 and because of this the legions always get smaller and smaller the more you go up. Almost 90 percent of the entire military is concentrated in the 8th to 12th legions and so you have to be really, really good to get to the first legion¡ªabout as good as you.¡± She didn¡¯t meet me in the eyes but I could tell she was blushing. I smiled, bent down, and gave her a kiss on the cheek,


    ¡°Thanks.¡± She looked at me with surprise before a small smile appeared on her face,


    ¡°No problem¡ªanyways, make sure you keep that head on your shoulders.¡± I rolled my eyes and looked towards the balcony¡ªwhere Evay was standing. I pointed towards him and Lila looked over at Evay and waved. He spotted us and smiled before walking over but I could tell something was a little off. He looked tired but also a bit shaken¡ªlike something bad had just happened to him. He also had his sleeves rolled up which was weird since I had never seen him do that before. I scanned around the house and saw Aurora¡¯s auburn hair floating around the crowd. I pushed my way through several people before reaching her. She looked up at me and smiled,


    ¡°Oh, hey Geon.¡± I nodded and grabbed her hand. She looked at me with surprise and spoke in a concerned voice,


    ¡°What? What happened? Are people dying?¡± I shook my head and calmed her down,


    ¡°No, but Evay is looking a little sad and because I¡¯m such a smarty-pants I noticed that he feels a lot less sad when he¡¯s with you. So go heal him or something¡ªI don¡¯t know.¡± She laughed and nodded before making her way to Evay. He looked up and his face instantly lit up as he smiled and faced Aurora. I laughed softly while looking at Lila, ¡°It¡¯s almost like magic.¡± Lila giggled and grabbed my arm,


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s have a bit of fun before the party ends¡ªthat¡¯s what parties are for, right?¡± I nodded and followed her as I took one last look out of the balcony and into the dark night sky.


    The sky looks beautiful tonight.

 Chapter 77: Across the Sea

    Yudra Melvin: The voice that I used to think inside my head had always sounded a little too loud. People thought that I was crazy, mentally ill, insane¡ªa demon child who talked to invisible people and ghosts. They were especially scared since I never spoke in my ¡°native tongue.¡± I could speak Mevillic pretty well¡ªsince I, you know, lived in Mevillime¡ªbut strangely enough I never really liked to speak it. It never felt quite right to me¡­


    My mother was born in the Taegan empire in a region called Villona. I had no clue where that was but apparently she had a pretty wealthy father who sold her off to my father¡ªthe head general of the Mevillime military¡ªfor a hefty price. He gave up twenty seven aquatic trading routes all connected to the Mevillime empire along with a port and a couple hundred bars of gold. I never talked about my mother with my father but a lot of people had told me about her. She was beautiful and from the portraits I guess I could see what they were talking about. She had straight, jet-black hair and pale white skin. She had very delicate and beautiful facial features along with dark black eyes and from what I could see she liked wearing white dresses and blouses. My father always looked very happy in the portraits where my mother was beside him. He would always have his mouth open with laughter and his eyes would crinkle with joy. My mother was never laughing out loud in any of the portraits but she always had a shy smile on her face¡ªwhich made me think she was happy as well.


    It was hard for me to remember my mother¡¯s face but when I tried to I could always see those warm and loving eyes staring into my face. She was the one who taught me how to speak Taegan¡¯s language and it was the first language I ever spoke. The happiest memories I had were of me sitting in her arms and falling asleep while she read to me or sang to me. Whenever my father was off fighting battles or explosions were going off in the distance my mother would hold me and that would always make me feel safe. But she died when I was five and she never gave birth to any siblings. Apparently my father was thinking of retirement before she died and then when she did die, he put his head down and dove into work. As long as I had known my father he was a very serious, distant, and cold man. He was never home much when I was little¡ªmaybe he had been different when I was younger but I couldn¡¯t remember. I had heard a lot about fathers like mine¡ªthey were drunkards, gambling addicts, abusive, and they always neglected their children. But the weirdest thing was that my father was never like that. He never abused me or berated me or threatened me and he was a very respected man, but he just¡­. ignored me. He wouldn¡¯t come home, he wouldn¡¯t look at me, and he wouldn¡¯t speak to me unless it was absolutely necessary. It was almost like I was just a random kid in his house¡ªnot his son. I wanted him to notice me and talk to me. To be honest¡­ I wanted him to love me¡­


    Which is why I wanted to be a warrior¡ªthe best one there ever was. If that happened my father wouldn¡¯t ignore me.


    So imagine my surprise when after all these years my father¡ªwho hadn¡¯t given a damn about me¡ªcame crying with tears in his eyes, on his knees begging me to not become a warrior. I still remember his face and his voice, filled with despair and pleading, and I remember the words he had said to me, ¡°I do not want you, my boy, to become slaughter.¡±


    So not only did my dear father never talk to me, but he didn¡¯t believe in me. He thought I was going to kill myself fighting¡ªhe looked at me like I was a peasant, who was weak and useless. Honestly, I didn¡¯t blame him. I was very surprised that he never resented me¡ªsince I was the military general¡¯s son and was born without a blueprint. There was a huge scandal about if I was actually his son or not  but genetic tests eventually proved it. I was just unlucky¡ªI guess. But I never really thought of it that way¡­ I never understood why people hated me or the peasants either. Just because we didn¡¯t have blueprints and liquor abilities it didn¡¯t mean we weren¡¯t able to do great things. Sure, the peasants didn¡¯t really do any great things but they had the ability to¡ªat least I think they did¡­


    So I took what my father said personally¡ªI took what everyone said quite personally. I devoted myself to becoming a warrior¡ªeven if I couldn¡¯t explode rocks or create shockwaves I tried with all my might to do so. I devoted myself to learning how to fight, to perfecting every strike, every technique, every skill behind grappling, kicking, punching, every nuance contained in the movement of my hips, my footwork, my head movement, my distance management, my battle IQ, it was all I ever worked on. It turned out that most of it came naturally to me¡ªwhich was weird but also very fortunate. I needed all of the skills I could get.


    It was pretty clear that from early on, I was not equal to the other warriors around me. Even when we were children everyone was just physically stronger than me in every way¡ªfaster than me, tougher than me, stronger than me, quicker, and taller than me. The blessings of liquor allowed them to be physically superior to me in every way. My strikes to their body and their arms and legs never did anything to them but I quickly figured out that if I hit them in the right places, with perfect timing, with perfect technique, I could take them out. Everything had to be perfect, my technique, my power, my timing¡ªI had to watch when they entered for an attack, when they shifted their weight, when they moved their feet and body, and I had to hit them when they themselves were moving into me in order to generate enough force. But if I did all of that¡ªI could take them out with nothing but my hands.


    It was hard but that was life¡ªand I wasn¡¯t going to complain about it to anyone. I had gotten into Mevillime State Academy fairly easily¡ªI had all the tournament victories, the highest scores in multiple combat exams, and all the recommendations I needed but it bugged me that the main reason I had got in was because of my father. No matter how bad I was there was no way that the academy was ever going to reject me and that pissed me off. I was good enough to get in by myself, I was my own person, I wasn¡¯t some nepo-baby who was riding off of his fathers name, I was me. But no one¡ªnot anyone ever¡ªthought that way. They always respected me because of my father, they always feared me because of my father, they were scared to fight me at full strength in tournaments and exams because of my father, and the worst part was that I couldn¡¯t even talk to anyone about it¡ªbecause it wasn¡¯t right for me to.


    Oh you''re the general¡¯s son, boohoo, you¡¯ve lived in a mansion with servants and everything you could have ever wanted for your entire life. That was how every conversation should¡¯ve ended for me and that¡¯s how I thought about myself as well.


    So things were weird, things were difficult, and things were even weirder when we had gotten back from the Youth Championships. We had fought and neither won nor lost and now to top it all off, there was a great chance that those kids we had fought in the tournament were going to be our real enemies on the battlefield very soon. I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about that Evay Maver¡­.


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    He had turned into a completely different person within the blink of an eye and his power was something completely different. It wasn¡¯t the overwhelming power that I was used to facing when fighting every warrior I had ever faced¡ªhis power was something no one could do anything about. Not even the best warriors, not Oden, not real grown warriors, not even that freak Geon Leventen could stand up to that specific power of his. If he was our enemy that was bad¡ªvery bad. Mainly because he was so unpredictable. If he could change like that in the blink of an eye it would be hard for our forces to deal with him. Our forces would also have to adjust to Geon Leventen and his freighting control of terrain and his aerial abilities¡ªalong with his combat excellence. He was the first person I had ever met who could keep up with me in hand-to-hand combat¡­. Him and his girlfriend the healer would give us some trouble and that electric girl was going to give us some troubl¡ª


    ¡°YUDRA! YUDRA! Yoo-hoo!¡± I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up to see Swahili standing over me. I smiled and sat up, taking in my surroundings for the first time in a while. Mevillime was a fairly large country but it was famous for its massive rivers, lakes, and its connection to the water. Due to the massive rivers and lakes and canals, Mevillime was more like a collection of giant islands than one land-mass of a country. Many cities had canals and rivers cutting through them¡ªadding a nice touch of natural beauty to the brick buildings and the marble banks. We also had huge lakes which had floating cities resting on them like giant frogs sitting on top of lily pads. The rivers connected all of us and they were our roads and pathways that got us everywhere¡ªwhich surprised most people. I had never really seen so many large roads until I went to Evian¡ªwe just used boats and rivers to get to where we needed to go. Me and Swahili were in Piopa, a grassy and hilly island covered with beautiful flowers and filled with older traditional looking wooden houses¡ªfitted with spruce-tiled, slanted rooftops and light beige, birch walls. The towns here were quaint and beautiful in their own way and it was nice to come here and relax.


    Swahili tapped my head and looked at me with her big, round eyes and spoke in a concerned voice, ¡°Denali?¡± Denali meant, ¡°are you ok,¡± and she asked me that a lot¡ªwhich I appreciated I guess. Swahili was a little younger than me¡ªby about half a year¡ªand she was always really bright and upbeat. She had tan, olive colored skin, silky black hair which came down to her shoulders, and she was pretty tall¡ªa little taller than me at least. She always wore a green bandana on her head which she claimed was for, ¡°good luck.¡± Even if she was upbeat and bright she was never the loud type, but she always sort of felt positive and it helped cheer me up in hard times. Swahili¡¯s father was my father¡¯s secretary and her mother was close with my mother before she died so we had grown up together. She was really annoying when she was little and I pushed her away a lot but she always came running back. I guess I grew to like her and she was always there for me¡ªeven if I wasn¡¯t for her. But she was like my sister, the sibling I never had, which was a very accurate description since she still annoyed me sometimes¡ªactually no, she still annoyed me a lot of times. She kept poking me and started to pull at my hair, ¡°Denali Yudra?¡± She sighed, ¡°Dawana ellesta cineh¡­.¡± I stood up and shoved her,


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not moping around about getting my ass beat, and I didn¡¯t get my ass beat! I took out like four of their members before I dropped and we didn¡¯t even lose! It was a four on one and I got three of them and two of them were really strong, an¡ª¡° Swahili threw a rock at my head which I swiftly dodged. She spoke in an annoyed tone,


    ¡°I hate it when you speak Tawhen, Yudra! Father also doesn¡¯t like!¡± I kicked down the tree I was leaning up against, grabbed an apple which had fallen off of it, and chucked it at Swahili¡¯s face. She barely dodged it and fell over¡ªwhich made me laugh. She looked at me angrily and she chucked a patch of grass at me¡ªwhich I swatted away. I looked at her with a mocking expression,


    ¡°It¡¯s not ¡®father doesn¡¯t like¡¯, it¡¯s ¡¯my father doesn¡¯t like it when you speak Taegan¡¯s language.¡¯ I know you don¡¯t like speaking it but you do need to know it for school, don¡¯t you?¡± Her eyes went wide and she covered her ears and rolled around on the ground,


    ¡°I hate it! I hate it! Don¡¯t say about school! Don¡¯t talk about! I hate Tawhen¡ªI hate Tawhen exam!¡± I laughed,


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d be good at Taegan, oh sorry, ¡®Tawhen¡¯s language¡¯ as we say it. You have a head start since you¡¯ve been using it to speak to me ever since we were kids.¡± She shook her head while still hiding her face in the ground,


    ¡°Exam different, too many questions.¡± I laughed,


    ¡°Become a warrior like me and then you don¡¯t have to take any exams.¡± She looked up at me angrily,


    ¡°Very funny! You want me to fight you?¡± I smiled,


    ¡°You¡¯d never win but sure.¡± She sighed and sat down on the grass.


    ¡°Father wants me to go to Xyren, he says there¡¯s good scholars there.¡± I nodded as she looked down and picked at the grass, ¡°I don¡¯t know what I want to do there, but father says I go no matter what.¡± Her face fell a little bit and she looked a little sad which was pretty rare. I picked up and acorn and threw it at her head,


    ¡°Whatever, right? You¡¯ve always found a way to do things¡ªsometimes it really amazes how you always manage to do so since you''re a little, you know,¡± I twirled my fingers around my head and she tried to slap me. I dodged and kept speaking, ¡°you¡¯ll be ok. If anything I should be the one worrying¡ªI¡¯m off to fight a war.¡± She stopped mid-hit and paused with a blank expression on her face. She looked at me and spoke with concern,


    ¡°So you¡¯re really going to fight? What father say?¡± I looked out at the wooden city below us, wishing I was one of those sturdy wooden houses which never moved and never changed,


    ¡°Nothing¡ªlike always.¡± Swahili sat down next to me and spoke in a delicate and calm tone,


    ¡°We worry about you, Yudra. Your father too, even if he doesn¡¯t shows. My friends talk about you, they ask about you, go talk to Yasmine before you leave, you know she likes you right?¡± I smirked,


    ¡°Yeah but a lot of them like me, no?¡± She tried to slap me but leaned back just in time.


    ¡°Stop acting like a play-boy you poser! Go talk to her, she is pretty and nice.¡± I nodded and picked at the grass,


    ¡°She is but she¡¯s not really my type.¡± Swahili sighed,


    ¡°Yes, I know, you like the foreign girls,¡± she sighed, ¡°when are you going to realize your home is here! Not there!¡± I stood up and spoke in an angry tone,


    ¡°Oh I don¡¯t know, maybe when I¡¯m out there killing myself to protect you! I know it¡¯s my home but my roots come from other places too, you know! What about your friend Jillian, aren¡¯t her parents from Railand? You don¡¯t say stuff like that to her right? So what gives with me?¡± I looked at her with anger in my eyes and she returned my gaze for a moment before quickly looking away with regret. I looked at her and turned away in guilt before sitting back down. She picked at the grass for a bit before speaking softly,


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just¡­you have always been¡­out there, Yudra. Your mind, your thinking has always been not here. It was hard getting you to live here when you always out there in your heart,¡± she picked up a yellow dandelion and tossed it into the wind. ¡°I worry it will break your heart when you fight¡ªand I worry you will die. Please, be safe.¡± I nodded and gave her a hug. She squirmed and tried to push me away,


    ¡°EW! EW! Stop! Why are you doing this? EW!¡± I smiled and let her go,


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry and I will not die¡ªwho do you think I am?¡± I stood and motioned for her to follow, ¡°I need to get back home and sleep. We leave early in the morning for camp and I have to be there. Let¡¯s go back, before it gets dark.¡± She nodded and we made our way to the canal as I took one last look at that old wooden village. Maybe I¡¯ll take a long vacation here after the war¡­. Yeah, that¡¯d be nice¡­ A nice long vacation.


    When all of this is over.

 Chapter 78: Family

    Lila Fairheart: ¡°Manny! What are you doing out here? Why are you outside?¡± Manny suddenly looked up and broke into a bright smile when he saw me,


    ¡°LILA!¡± He ran as fast as his little legs could take him and he tackled me with a signature knee-hug. I smiled and hugged him as hard as I could¡ªwithout breaking his ribs. He looked up at me with a bright smile, ¡°Why are you back? Dad told me you were going to be deployed.¡± I laughed softly,


    ¡°How do you know what that means?¡± He shrugged,


    ¡°Context clues,¡± I gave him a nod.


    ¡°Before we get deployed the empire sends us all to our families to spend some time. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here.¡± I heard a loud voice ring out into the air,


    ¡°Which is why we prepared dinner for your sister, right Manny?¡± My father stood at the door with a large tray of food in his hands and a big apron on. My eyes widened and I dashed towards him in an instant and gave him a large hug. He laughed,


    ¡°Wow, I guess my daughter is a warrior with that speed. Careful honey, the food is hot.¡± I closed my eyes and hugged hard,


    ¡°I missed you dad.¡± He smiled,


    ¡°You too. You¡¯re gonna be really happy to see everyone else¡ªespecially a special someone.¡± I pulled away quickly and looked at him with wide and excited eyes,


    ¡°Is¡­ is she here?¡± I heard a loud set of footsteps march down the stairs and appear next to my dad. My mom stood right in front of me¡ªlooking exactly like the last time I had seen her. She was at work during my last visit so it was the first time I was seeing her in about a year. Everyone said I looked like my mother but I always thought she was a lot prettier than me. We did look alike except that she was a lot shorter than me. She looked at me with shock before crushing me with a massive bear-hug,


    ¡°YOU GOT SO BIG! LILA, I MISSED YOU. What¡¯s that on your face? Are those scratches?! Who scratched you?¡± I smiled and returned her hug,


    ¡°I missed you too mom.¡± She sighed and grabbed my shoulders,


    ¡°If my girl is going to fight for her country she needs some food¡ªcome eat.¡± I nodded and stepped into my house. Nothing had changed from when I had last been here¡ªwhich was nice in a way. The lazy fireplace was still burning, the old leather couches were in the same place, and all of the family photos were still on the walls. I walked into the loud and hectic dining room which was filled with all of my siblings. Helen and Ash were fighting over some bread while Cherry was trying to stop them from fighting over said piece of bread. They all saw me and everything went quiet for a second before they all screamed,


    ¡°LILA!¡± Helen came up to me and gave me a quick hug before chasing after Ash who gave me a quick smile and ran away,


    ¡°What¡¯s up!¡± He jumped over a chair and ran into the living room with an entire loaf of bread between his arms. I laughed and Cherry walked up to me and gave me a long hug. I looked at her and smiled,


    ¡°New eye-liner? It looks good.¡± She nodded and we both laughed. It felt nice to laugh¡ªI hadn¡¯t laughed like that in a while. I guess that¡¯s why they let us go back to our loved ones before we fought¡ªto do some things we always wanted to do. She pointed to the table which was filled with various types of grilled vegetables and meats,


    ¡°Help me get these outside,¡± I nodded and we set up the table and the food, all took our seats, and ate like normal. It was hard to believe that this was life about a year ago. I had taken it for granted that I could sit and eat with everyone everyday and not care about where anyone was or how anyone was doing. I loved my friends but my family was my family and I had missed them all¡ªa lot. We put our plates back, my dad lit up a campfire, and everyone relaxed in the backyard enjoying the warm glow of the fire which washed over us in waves. Helen sat down next to me and threw a couple sticks into the fire,


    ¡°So, who¡¯s your new little boyfriend?¡± I looked at her with surprise before speaking quietly,


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that¡ªit¡¯s not like I¡¯ve had a lot of them.¡± She looked skeptical,


    ¡°Wellllllll, you¡¯ve had a lot of boys like you. There was Thomas, and Anton, and Philip, and¡ª¡° I gave her a good shove and she laughed.


    ¡°I never dated them¡ªthey just liked me. Also, Geon¡¯s a lot better than all of them.¡± I gave her a matter-of-fact look as she looked at me with shock,


    ¡°REALLY! You got him?¡± I nodded and smiled. She spoke in an exasperated voice, ¡°That¡¯s¡­that¡¯s great. He''s super good right? I read the papers¡ªisn¡¯t he like the strongest warrior in the last 250 years? I heard he¡¯s friends with the emperor¡ªyou know your boyfriend¡¯s super famous right? I mean, you¡¯re famous too but still¡ªhe¡¯s a world-wide phenomenon!¡± I laughed to myself thinking about Geon. A worldwide phenomenon who needed help folding his shirts and pants properly last morning¡­.


    I nodded and threw a couple sticks into the fire. ¡°I thought you guys should know about it since I¡¯m off soon. So you approve?¡± Helen looked at me and nodded furiously,


    ¡°Of course! How could I not? But what do you mean you guys? How are you gonna tell mom and dad?¡± I smiled and looked up into the sky,


    ¡°By um¡­. Like this.¡± I pointed to the sky and Helen looked up. A streak of silver shot across the sky like a comet and slowly came to a halt above our house. Geon slowly descended upon our backyard as he floated down with a large bouquet of flowers and a box of something in his arms. I told him to not dress like he usually did and he actually listened¡ªhe wore a simple white, short-sleeved dress shirt and beige shorts which gave him a casual-formal look. He landed on the ground and walked up to me with a nervous look in his eyes,


    ¡°Um, hi. Hi! I¡¯m Geon, I think you know me? It¡¯s nice to meet you,¡± he held out his hand to Helen and she stood there in shock. I nudged her and she came back to life,


    ¡°Um, yeah I do know you! It¡¯s nice to meet you too.¡± She shook his hand and ran off to get everyone else¡ªall of whom had gone inside. I gave him a reassuring look,


    ¡°Don¡¯t look too nervous, you¡¯re not gonna have to fight anyone.¡± He looked towards the house with an extremely nervous look in his eyes,


    ¡°I¡¯d be way less nervous if I had to fight something.¡± I laughed and led him towards the house,


    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡ªnow¡¯s the time to be with family right? You¡¯re my family now, so come on don¡¯t be shy now.¡±


    I opened the door and gave him one last reassuring look before he walked into the house. Everyone was waiting around the dinner table¡ªwell everyone except Manny who was trying to get a cookie out of the cookie jar on top of the counter. My mom and dad looked at Geon with a surprised expression and everyone in the room went silent before Helen finally spoke up, ¡°Um, mom, dad, Lila has something to um¡­. tell you.¡± Geon¡¯s eyes went as wide as saucers,


    ¡°You haven¡¯t told them yet?¡± I gave him a weird and awkward smile before looking into my parent¡¯s eyes,


    ¡°Um, this is my boyfriend¡­ His name is Geon¡ªremember how I told you I wanted you guys to meet someone before I left? This is the person.¡± No one said anything before my father spoke up,


    ¡°We¡¯ve heard about you in the papers Geon, it¡¯s nice to meet you. Lila, when you said you were bringing someone over I thought you meant you wanted us to see Aurora again before you left¡ªyou said friend not boyfriend. We didn¡¯t even know you had one¡ªI know you haven¡¯t had a lot of time but a heads up would be nice about this type of stuff. I mean we haven¡¯t even been able to meet him until now¡ªhow long have¡ª¡° my mom grabbed my dad and gave him a ¡®calm down¡¯ look which my father did¡ªalbeit reluctantly. She looked at Geon and smiled,


    ¡°Well it¡¯s very nice to meet you Geon¡ªwow you¡¯re much taller than you look in the news portraits. Have a seat and get to know everyone¡ªwe¡¯ll be right back.¡± She gave me a wink and led my dad out of the room. Suddenly it was only us¡ªthe kids. Ash kept looking at Geon with a suspicious expression while Helen was trying her best to keep smiling and making the situation a little less awkward. We sat down and no one said anything before Helen spoke up,


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    ¡°Um¡­ so Geon¡­ are you excited about¡­ the war?¡± Ash rolled his eyes,


    ¡°What kind of question is that!? What do you think he¡¯s going to say, ¡®oh yeah I¡¯m really ready to go out there and almost die every day.¡¯ A better question to ask would be why he¡¯s dating Lila¡ªisn¡¯t she kind of annoying.¡± Helen rolled her eyes and Geon stifled a laugh as I looked at him with inquisitive eyes. He spoke up for the first time in a while,


    ¡°Well maybe she is to you guys but,¡± he looked at me and smiled, ¡°she¡¯s not toooooo bad when with me.¡± Helen smiled and Ash nodded in satisfaction,


    ¡°I see so she really is different around you guys,¡± I rolled my eyes and gave him a hard noogie,


    ¡°If your sister is so ¡®annoying¡¯ why are you so excited to see her everytime she comes back?¡± He wriggled out of my grasp,


    ¡°I¡¯m not excited to see you¡ªI¡¯m actually really annoyed when I see you! You can go back now, bye!¡± I rolled my eyes and let him go. Geon laughed softly as he put his arms on the table. His shiny ruby and golden bracelets danced lamplight as both Helen and Ash¡¯s eyes lit up with awe. ¡°Woah, is that real gold?¡± Geon smiled and looked at Ash,


    ¡°Oh this? Yeah, ones made with Villona gold and the other is made with gold from Evian¡ªthat¡¯s why one of them is a little darker than the other.¡± Ash¡¯s eyes went as wide as saucers as he seemed to examine every single molecule of Geon¡¯s bracelets. Helen spoke up,


    ¡°Those can¡¯t be cheap, right? How did you get them?¡± Geon moved his arms closer to Ash so that he could get a better look at them,


    ¡°I got a lot of money from Evian for winning Ace warrior at the Youth Championship and a lot from Eden academy for winning Ace Warrior at the qualifiers which were held in the school. I also got a lot from the school itself for winning Ace warrior at the Youth Championships as well. I also got a bunch of sponsorship money from a ton of silk-clothing companies, ship building companies, brewing companies, and this one really famous chariot company. I spent a whole weekend doing stuff for them and it was exhausting but hey, I got a lot from it.¡± Helen nodded and pointed to Geon¡¯s chain-necklace,


    ¡°Did you get that with the money too?¡± He looked down and laughed,


    ¡°This? No, this was actually a present from your sister.¡± Helen at me with confusion,


    ¡°When did you have that?¡± I laughed,


    ¡°I got it from this one trader in Evian but I didn¡¯t really want it so I gave it to Aurora. She didn¡¯t really want it either so I kept it and figured out that it actually cost a fortune in Taegan so I gave it to him as a gift.¡± She nodded and leaned back in her chair.


    ¡°I see¡ªso Geon, do you have um¡­. Any hobbies?¡± He took out his mystery box and put it in his lap,


    ¡°Not really¡ªI don¡¯t have much time for hobbies these days but I guess I like to eat.¡± Helen laughed and Geon smiled sheepishly as he opened his box, ¡°I got gifts for you guys based on what Lila told me about you all¡ªso if these are bad then it¡¯s her fault.¡± He smiled and pulled out a long, ivory white hairpin with golden flecks embedded into it. The pin had a cute little ruby flower at the end of it and golden hoops were shrouded around the ruby-rose like a crown. He smiled and gave it to Helen, ¡°It¡¯s a hairpin that¡¯s supposedly made from real ivory¡ªwhich is kinda sad since an elephant had to die for it. I guess it is kind of small so maybe he just had a bad day and chipped his horn and this was the byproduct¡ªI don¡¯t know. I hope you like it.¡± Helen stared at the pin in awe,


    ¡°It¡¯s¡ªit¡¯s great, thank you Geon. How much did this cost you?¡± He pulled a black, cross stitched leather ball out of his bag and smiled,


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that¡ªI wanted to get some nice stuff for you guys so don¡¯t feel bad. Anyways, this is for you, Ash.¡± He handed Ash the ball, ¡°I heard you liked to run around a lot and play so this is a special ball imbued with some cool liquor-tech which can change the size, bouncieness, and feel of the ball. The ball can also move on its own and run away from you¡ªit can even chase you if that¡¯s what you really want.¡± Ash took it and tossed it in the air. The ball immediately zipped away from him as he attempted to grab a hold of it and it quickly started to soar around the house. His face filled with excitement as he started to leap over chairs and sprint through couches in order to grab the ball. I ducked under his flailing arms and shouted,


    ¡°Say thank you!¡± He shouted something that sounded roughly like a ¡®thanks¡¯ and kept speeding through the house. Helen shook her head and laughed. Geon smiled and took out a leather book which had nice old-fashioned stitchings running down its spine. He leaned back in his chair, ¡°Hey Manny, I have a gift for you.¡± Manny poked his head out from behind the counter and waddled over to us with crumbs on his face,


    ¡°So you¡¯re the boyfriend! I knew big-sis had a boyfriend¡ªshe said so when she was here last time. Hi I¡¯m Manny, I¡¯m Lila¡¯s favorite.¡± I laughed and Geon rubbed his head affectionately before handing him the book,


    ¡°Well nice to meet you Manny, I¡¯m Geon. Your big sister told me you were very smart so I got you this book. When you write things in it words and information explaining the details behind those things pop up on the page. You can use it and even ask it questions and learn about anything you want. It also organizes and stores notes for you and even separates them by topic. I¡¯m not very smart so I think it¡¯s better if you use it.¡± Manny took it and a wide smile appeared on his face,


    ¡°Thanks Geon! Oh also, I saw you fly out of the sky¡ªcan you fly?¡± Geon nodded and Manny¡¯s eyes went as wide as saucers, ¡°Can you fly me? Please, please, please, please, I always wanted to fly but mom said I don¡¯t have wings. You don¡¯t have wings either but you can fly so you can take me!¡± Geon laughed and I turned Manny towards me,


    ¡°Manny, Geon isn¡¯t a toy and he can¡¯t just give you flights when you want them.¡± Manny sighed as a disappointed look crept onto his face,


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Geon smiled softly,


    ¡°If we have time I¡¯ll take you for a small flight¡ªwe won¡¯t go too far off the ground¡ªhow does that sound?¡± Manny¡¯s eyes lit up with excitement,


    ¡°Okay! Yay! Thanks Geon!¡± He went over to him, gave him a hug, and crept back behind the counter to steal some more cookies. Geon pulled out a sleek black box which had golden cursive calligraphy on it. I immediately recognized the brand,


    ¡°Is that Diana¡¯s? I didn¡¯t know you knew which makeup brands were good or not?¡± Geon looked at me and grinned,


    ¡°I don¡¯t. I asked Aurora and she was just as clueless as I was, Evay barely knew what makeup was, Taran and Deven thought makeup came from flour, and so the only option I had left was Melissa and Mena. They told me that Diana¡¯s was super expensive but good so I got it. It¡¯s for Cherry but she¡¯s probably sleeping or something so you can give it to her later.¡± I nodded and was about to grab the box before I spotted someone out of the corner of my eye. Cherry was standing at the entrance to the kitchen looking like she had just seen a ghost. Geon waved at her and she waved back halfheartedly¡ªas if Geon wasn¡¯t really real. She spoke in a quiet tone,


    ¡°Lila, why is your newspaper friend in the kitchen?¡± Helen laughed as Geon looked at me with a confused expression,


    ¡°Newspaper friend?¡± I giggled,


    ¡°You¡¯re in the papers so much and they knew we were friends so they called you my ¡®newspaper friend.¡¯ Cherry, this is Geon, my boyfriend.¡± She looked at me with surprise before giving me and Geon a big smile,


    ¡°You know what, I can see you guys¡ªyou match well together. Nice to meet you Geon, I¡¯m Cherry.¡± Geon smiled and handed her his present,


    ¡°This is for you¡ªI got gifts for all you guys and I can¡¯t leave you out.¡± Cherry read the name on the box and her eyes doubled in size,


    ¡°DIANA¡¯S! This costs over two sets of gold, how did you get this?¡± Geon laughed softly,


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it¡ªI hope you enjoy.¡± She hugged the box and smiled,


    ¡°I will. Thank you Geon, thank you very much.¡±


    Geon stood up and called Manny to the door, ¡°Manny we can fly now if you want,¡± before he even finished his sentence Manny jumped up and ran out of the house. Geon laughed as he picked up Manny and put him on his shoulder. He slowly ascended into the air as Manny¡¯s face filled with awe,


    ¡°WOAH! We¡¯re so high!¡± Geon went about as high as the house and stopped¡ªletting Manny take in his surroundings. His little face was filled with immense excitement as he held out his hands and looked around him, ¡°I CAN SEE THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD! Look, it''s that dog we always see Lila!¡± I laughed softly as Geon slowly brought him down from his shoulder and onto his back,


    ¡°You want to fly around now?¡± Manny nodded furiously as Geon slowly started to move in big looping figure eights and circles. Manny¡¯s laughter and cries of excitement rang out into the air as Geon picked up his pace a little and did a lap around the house. He descended through the tree line, did a barrel roll over a row of bushes, and shot up into the air like a missle. Manny screamed in excitement as he whooped and shouted with joy,


    ¡°FASTER, FASTER, WOAH!¡± Geon dove to the ground and shot back up¡ªleaping over the house and spinning around the side as he flipped upside down. He flew back around to the backyard and slowly descended in front of us as Manny hopped off his back with a giant grin on his face. ¡°That was awesome! I want to do it again, can you fly Lila? Can you fly me too?¡± I laughed and gave Manny a hug,


    ¡°I can¡¯t fly, but I¡¯m sure Geon will come by when he can and take you again next time.¡± He looked at Geon with hopeful eyes. Geon smiled and knelt down so that he was eye level with Manny,


    ¡°I¡¯ll come back anytime you need me and then we¡¯ll go even higher next time. Deal?¡± He held out his pinky finger to Manny and Manny smiled,


    ¡°Deal.¡± Manny completed the pinky promise and Geon gave him a good pat on the head,


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t able to talk to your parents that much¡ªI¡¯m sure they¡¯re not too uh¡­ thrilled. But I hope when I come back I¡¯ll be able to. It was nice meeting you all¡ªI¡¯m glad I could before we left. But I¡¯ll probably have to get going now¡ªEvay¡¯s waiting for me back at the warrior home and he can¡¯t get in without my key.¡± Geon held up his room key and I nodded,


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll meet you there tomorrow morning¡ªI¡¯ll see you later,¡± I gave him a kiss on the cheek and he smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you later Helen, Manny¡ªtell Ash and Cherry and your parents I said bye.¡± They all smiled and gave him a good wave as he looked at us one last time and shot up into the sky. Manny¡¯s face fell a little bit as he spoke with a sad tone,


    ¡°Aw man, he¡¯s gone¡­ Also he wasn¡¯t going anywhere close to full speed¡ªlook how fast he is!¡± I laughed as Helen led him indoors. I walked inside and saw Cherry sitting at the bottom of the stairs, looking at her gift from Geon which was placed in her lap. I slowly walked up to her and sat beside her. She looked a little sad, maybe a little regretful, and definitely a little concerned. I bumped her shoulder and spoke in a gentle but playful tone,


    ¡°You don¡¯t like it? I thought you¡¯d love it.¡± She smiled a little and shook her head,


    ¡°No, I like it¡ªit was very thoughtful of you and him. It¡¯s just¡­ is he the one.. the one who¡­¡± my heart dropped and I started to feel myself get very, very, angry as everything started to flow into my mind again.


    ¡°The one who put that¡­. thing in his place¡ªyeah, he was. It¡¯s one of the reasons I liked him so much¡ªbut you know we¡¯re going to kill him right? Ren¡¯s a traitor now¡ªwe¡¯re allowed to kill on sight.¡± Cherry¡¯s face didn¡¯t change as she gently caressed her box,


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if that will make me feel better, Lila.¡± I furrowed my eyes brows,


    ¡°I get what you¡¯re saying, Cherry but I can¡¯t just let him go. He hurt you and I¡¯ll never let him live for that¡ªdo you understand me?¡± She nodded as she slowly looked up at the ceiling,


    ¡°I try not to let it control me¡ªwhat happened I mean. I try to be strong and I think I¡¯m getting better and I really appreciate you looking out for me, Lila¡ªI really do. But you¡¯re such a good person¡ªI don¡¯t want you to kill someone in my name. That¡¯d make me feel a little haunted¡ªdo you know what I mean?¡± I sighed and grabbed her hands,


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure I can stop myself, Cherry. When I see him I get so¡­.so angry it¡¯s hard for me to see straight. I want what¡¯s best for you and I love you but I¡¯m not so sure I can honor your wish.¡± She grabbed a hold of my shoulders and looked at me with sincere eyes,


    ¡°I get it Lila, I do. I¡­ I hate him too. I¡¯ve never stopped thinking about what I¡¯d do to him, to his family, to his life,¡± Cherry¡¯s fingernails dug deep into my shoulders as her eyes filled with sad and desperate hatred, ¡°but.. but I just want justice to come to him. I do want him to die, Lila¡ªI really do. I just don¡¯t want my sister to do it.¡± Her eyes fell and she leaned into me for a hug. I embraced her and whispered softly into her ears,


    ¡°I know, I know. Justice had a weird way of serving everyone, Cherry, and it always serves people like you. I want you to know that you¡¯re safe now, you¡¯ve got a lot of people here for you, and no matter what,¡± I smoothed her hair and looked into her big, soft eyes, ¡°your sister will always be here for you.¡±

 Chapter 79: The Mask I call a Face

    Evay Maver: My reflection stared back at me like a cursed, pale ghost as I sat in front of the bathroom mirror. I still wasn¡¯t used to mirrors, or my new body, or really anything. I really wasn¡¯t used to anything anymore¡­.. My new toned muscles looked pretty good in the lamp light, my new lighter brown hair looked nice and stylish, and my new golden tinted eyes looked eerie and powerful. But it was all fucked, everything was so fucked¡­. I had killed a man, a pretty powerful man, a pretty important man. Sure he probably deserved to die, but I had killed him. This time it wasn¡¯t an accident¡ªI tried to kill him and I did. I wasn¡¯t sad, nor was I regretful, nor was I numb, I was just¡­. confused. Nothing made sense. Why was I fighting random minor nobles? Why did I lie in order to start a grand war between the entire world? Why did I suddenly want to know where Amie was and how she was doing?


    I put my head in my hands as I started to try and pull out my hair.


    Was I going insane? Did Hiem do something to me? I was following his voice in my head but he had never told me anything about his future plans. Why was he making me do this?


    I looked at myself in the mirror and spoke with a cold and frantic voice, ¡°Hiem, we need to talk. Now.¡± My reflection shimmered and twisted inside of the mirror until it disappeared and was replaced by Hiem¨Cwho had his usual lazy, confident smile on his face. Our expressions couldn¡¯t have been more different, our postures couldn¡¯t have been more different, and our feelings at the present couldn¡¯t have been any more different. I looked at him with wide, blank eyes and spoke in an eerily calm tone, ¡°Tell me, Hiem, what the fuck is going on? What have you done to me?¡± He laughed and lazy leaned back in his cushy red velvet chair,


    ¡°Well I¡¯m simply keeping you alive¡ªthat¡¯s all. I know what you¡¯re thinking¡ªwhy did I make you lie? That¡¯s a pretty good question but I think you know the answer.¡± I felt a hot pang of intense anger rise up in my heart as I shoved my face closer to the mirror with manically furious eyes,


    ¡°I really don¡¯t actually¡ªyou have made me partly trigger the worst conflict in recent human history. Millions will die because of me and my friends will also have to put their lives on the line for my little lie. So if you would like to inform me, you great fucking symbol, why did you make me lie? What¡¯s your grand answer? Don¡¯t give me that, ¡®search inside yourself¡¯ bullshit¡ªI had no part in that lie. Tell me, now.¡± My chest rose up and down as I tried to catch my breath. Hiem looked at me for a bit before snapping his fingers and summoning a glass of wine in his hands. He took a sip,


    ¡°You are wrong. You did have something to do with that lie, because I never told you to lie in the first place.¡± I smashed my fist into the mirror as cracks appeared across Hiem¡¯s face,


    ¡°So I just have multiple voices in my head now? Who else but you can telepathically tell me to do things, huh? Does your blessing come with a room service feature where anybody can come into my brain? Stop lying to me¡ªI literally heard you.¡± Hiem¡¯s facial expressions remained eerily still before he broke out into soft laughter,


    ¡°Have you gotten so used to me thinking for you in times of need that you have forgotten the sound of your own voice? Have you not considered the fact that maybe that voice you heard was your own?¡± I lifted up my fist to smash the mirror again before I stopped myself.


    He¡¯s right.


    Maybe I had gotten so used to Hiem thinking for me that I forgot I could think for myself. Maybe I didn¡¯t want to die, to get punished for what I did, to be blamed¡­ But none of that made sense either¡­ When I was first interrogated by Jugo and put under the Curse of Order, why did I lie about a foreign nation attacking us during the tournament? It was almost like I wanted a war¡­.. I didn¡¯t want to save myself, I wanted to fight¡­. But at the same time I didn¡¯t. I didn¡¯t want to die and I didn¡¯t want to see my friends die either. So why had I done that¡­ What the fuck did I do¡­. I looked at Hiem and tried my best to keep my voice steady,


    ¡°So let¡¯s say I did tell that lie¡ªwhy would I have done it in a way that blames a foreign nation and triggers a war? I just want to save myself right? Why would I make a lie this elaborate?¡± Hiem chuckled a bit before putting down his drink,


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure you understand. There¡¯s only one reason that you wanted to trigger this war, and that is because in reality you do want war.¡± Anger rose up in my heart once again as I prepared to smash the mirror into pieces,


    ¡°I DON¡¯T! WHY WOULD I¡ª¡° all of the candles in the room went out as darkness enveloped me like a cold blanket. It was dark¡ªway too dark¡ªso dark that I couldn¡¯t even see my own hands. Even if all the lights went out it wasn¡¯t supposed to be this dark¡­. The temperature dropped until it was freezing and the air felt frigid and dry as I saw my breath turn to mist in the air. That same cold voice, the one who had told me to lie to Jugo in the interrogation room, spoke in my ear,


    ¡°Hiem is right, you do want war. Unlike Hiem I do know you¡ªI know everything about you.¡± I looked around for the source of the voice but I couldn¡¯t see anything, ¡°I know what you will become, I know what you were, and I know what you really want. You¡¯ve been distracted, Evay. You met a new girl, some new friends, you got some new powers, and suddenly you¡¯ve forgotten everything and everyone in your past¡ªis that right?¡± I cold and deep panic rose up in my chest as I desperately clawed at the dark,


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    ¡°Shut up..¡± The voice scoffed,


    ¡°You want revenge¡ªyou¡¯ve always wanted revenge against that noble Wyren right? It¡¯s the entire reason you came here in the first place. But you just killed a minor noble pretty easily right?¡± I grabbed my hair and started to rock back and forth in order to shake the voice out of my head,


    ¡°Shut up¡­¡±


    ¡°You can do more¨Cyour victory over that minor noble proves it. Don¡¯t you want more? Don¡¯t you want to avenge your family and the ones you loved? The major nobles who took your land, the minor nobles who killed your family, and those spoiled warriors who made your friends and loved ones suffer fates worse than death¨Cdon¡¯t you want them to suffer? Don¡¯t you remember what they did to Amie? Or are you over her and onto a new girl?¡±


    I screamed, ¡°SHUT UP!¡± The voice laughed,


    ¡°You want to kill everything¡ªnot just noble Wyren¡ªyou want to kill them all. I see that little flame which burns white hot starting to  blossom inside you. Recently, that flame of hate has been going out¨Cit¡¯s almost been extinguished¨Cbut I can see it! I can see it slowly growing in you¨CI can see it start to envelope you and start to consume you. All the nobles, all of those big figures in the Taegan Empire government, all of those warriors who got to do whatever they wanted to you, and all of those people who detest you and your peasant ancestors¡ªyou want to kill them don¡¯t you? You want to make them all suffer.¡± I grit my teeth and began to feel an eerie calm blossom in my heart. I slowly stopped rocking back and forth and the room slowly began to lighten up,


    ¡°I do want to make them suffer¡­. All of them¡­ They should all die, but¡­but..¡± The voice began to laugh,


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re finally realizing yourself! Those powerful people who harmed you will now go to die at the hands of their enemies and you are the one who sent them there! You¡ªand your war¡ªwill cleanse those people who violated you and you¡¯ll get to watch their demise. But I think you should search a little deeper¡ªor maybe just wait a little¡ªbecause you can do so much more with this war than you could have ever imagined.¡± The room began to regain visibility as a small smile appeared on my face,


    ¡°You¡¯re my voice right? Are you my consciousness?¡± The voice laughed as I felt it slowly slip away,


    ¡°I guess you could call me that.¡± The candles in the room lit back up again as Hiem appeared in the mirror¡ªunchanged from before the darkness. I looked at Hiem with a face full of shock and confusion,


    ¡°Did you wait long?¡± He looked at me with confusion,


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± A sudden realization dawned on me¡ªhe didn¡¯t see what had just happened¡­. The voice in my head wasn¡¯t controlled by Hiem¡­.. I¡¯d split my consciousness into two and now Hiem and I weren¡¯t on the same page. What that voice had said was right. I hated them¡­ I fucking hated them. All of the nobles, the warriors, the kings and imperial officials, I hated them all. For what they had done to my land, what they had done to our family, for how they treated us, and how they detested us. They hated us for being born our way, for being different from them, and they blamed us for everything that afflicted them. We were no different than livestock to them¡ªall because we didn¡¯t have abilities of our own. All because we got sick a little easier, because we needed to take their scraps to die, because we couldn¡¯t do as much as they did¡­. I wanted them to die, I wanted them to suffer. If we went to war and everyone was sent to die, that would achieve my goal¡­ All the high born who had ever wronged me could waste their lives away on the battlefield. In other words, my consciousness, my hatred, my inner alter-ego had started a war just to kill everyone who had ever wronged me. It wasn¡¯t what I wanted, it wasn¡¯t even a good plan, but at the same time¡­ it made my heart race. They could all die, all of them, and all I had to do was sit back and watch those fucking nobles and their forces get slaughtered by the world. At the same time, my friends, my people, and the familles of my people would have to pay the price. I looked in the mirror with cold and emotionless eyes. I didn¡¯t want to put them through this, I didn¡¯t want them to get hurt, I didn¡¯t want them to die because of me. It¡¯s not what I wanted¨C


    That same cold and eerie voice popped up in my head again, ¡°Fuck that¨Cyou¡¯ve been paying the price of the shitty side of life for all your living years. They can suffer for a bit¨Cit¡¯ll make everything even. Don¡¯t you remember what I said to you? No matter how hard it is you have to keep going,¡± I put my head in my lap as I tried to squeeze the voice out of my mind. I rocked back and forth and fell onto the floor as I writhed around in panic and pain,


    ¡°GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HEAD,¡± the voice spoke with a sadistic tone,


    ¡°Trouble? They¡¯re your friends right? So how come you haven¡¯t told them about where you really come from?¡± I stopped dead in my tracks and froze like a statue. The voice spoke with amusement, ¡°Did that hit home? What do you think they¡¯re going to say to you when you tell them you¡¯re a peasant? Do you think that they will welcome you with open arms and love you like they did before? Even your friends are filthy, high born, snobby, powerful warriors who will eventually become like the nobles.¡± I spoke with a whisper,


    ¡°They won¡¯t..¡± the voice laughed again,


    ¡°Really? If they¡¯re so loving of your people and they will accept you then how come you haven¡¯t just told them? I think you and I both know that they will never accept you. They will leave you in the end as well. Are you really willing to fight for those people?¡± I grabbed my hair and tried to claw it off my scalp, ¡°Fight. Use this war, use these battles, wipe them out, and do not dare try to undo your actions.¡± I tried to crawl back to the mirror, ¡°Do not forget why you are here, Evay, do not forget who you are. Do not go back to the people who will never accept you and trust this process we have created. Keep going, keep fighting, keep living,¡± I reached the mirror and clawed at it with desperation as the voice seemingly amplified in my head, ¡°you will get to change the world Evay, you will become great.¡±


    The voice finally left my head as I dropped down to the floor¨Climp from exhaustion. I looked at Hiem as he stared back at me and, for once, had doubt in his eyes. My voice shivered and waved from fear and weariness as I tried my best to speak.¡±


    ¡°Hiem, I did it¨CI caused the war. I can use it to kill all the nobles but everyone will die¡­ I¡­. I¡­ I think.. I think this is my revenge.¡± Hiem looked at me with concern in his eyes. I gave him a blank stare which held a million emotions behind the mask I called a face,¡±You know why?¡± I weakly slapped my hand up against the mirror,


    ¡°Because I sent them¡ªI sent them all to die.¡±

 Chapter 80: Goodbye

    Aurora Maple: The city streets were filled with massive amounts of people as usual. Men, women, and children filled the streets with shouts, screams, and laughter as everything seemed a little too normal. The food vendors were selling sliced meats, sandwiches, candies, ice cream, and various different fruits and vegetables to all those willing. Old men sat beside the roads playing cards and gambling all the silver they had left, children were kicking around make-shift, string knotted balls on the street, teenagers were carrying bags filled with quills and books¨Cgossiping and shoving each other as they walked back home towards their families. It felt like home¨Cwhich was obvious since it was. I grew up in Zylen, one of the major cities established in the Taegan empire. Unlike the country-side there wasn¡¯t a lot of green here but it still looked pretty beautiful to me. The tall red-brick buildings made you feel like you were in a jungle of man-made structures and the beautiful marble banks and libraries took your breath away every time you looked at them. The slow clobbering of horse-hooves pulling large chariots on the gray-brick streets echoed into my ear as huge fountains and monuments were located around the corner of various streets. It all made me feel at ease¨Cwhich was a rare feeling for me. I took a deep breath and jumped onto the roof of a nearby building which caused a random little kid to point and gasp. I gave him a smile and ran along the rooftops¨Cenjoying the nice orange and pink skyline setting over the city. I used to run along these rooftops everyday when I had gotten the chance and everyday while I was away from home I dreamed of coming back here and feeling the rush of wind on my face as I soared across the city. I jumped up and somersaulted onto a rooftop, dove through a couple lines of drying clothes hung up on some windows, slid down a slanted rooftop, and finally landed onto the front porch of my home. I lived in a fairly big apartment with just my father and sometimes things felt a little empty inside. I was grateful that I had a nice big place to live in but it did feel a little sad at times¡­.


    It got way worse after my mother died.


    I still remember her face and her voice and the words she would always use to tell me. I was grateful that I still had some memory of her but at the same time it felt a lot more painful every time I did think of her. My father used to say that his genes had completely lost when I was born, which I agreed was true. My mother was a complete carbon copy of me in every way¨Cfrom her hair, to her eyes, and even in our attitudes. She was apparently a pretty closed off and quiet person¨Cwith everyone besides my father of course¨Cand she didn¡¯t talk much to people outside of her family. She was never a super lovey-dovey and doting mother and she was pretty strict when I was super young. When I turned about eleven or twelve though she started to ease off a bit and let me sort of figure things out¨Cwhich was nice. I always loved my mom and she always looked out for me, and so when she died it made me feel empty inside. The weirdest part was that I didn¡¯t really cry when my father told me the news shortly after my thirteenth birthday. I just sort of stood there unable to feel anything¨Cit was almost like an emotional shock had rendered me feelingless in my body. It hit me about a day after when I broke down and spent the entire week in a feeling of sadness and despair. My father and I didn¡¯t talk much after that¨Cor at least not as much as we used to. I left for warrior academy training a year after and we sort of drifted away for a couple years. I met Lila shortly after I left for home and she helped get me through some super depressing times¨Cwhich I¡¯m still grateful for¨Cand I never thought about home much after that. But I needed to say goodbye¡­. It was my last chance.


    I opened the porch door and walked into the living room. My father came running out of his bedroom with a confused look in his eyes before surprise suddenly dawned on his face, ¡°Aurora! I thought you¡¯d left¡­ come here.¡± I slowly walked over to him and gave him a hug. It wasn¡¯t just a normal hug¡ªI gave him a nice, big, long hug which I soaked in to the fullest. I never disliked my father or had anything against him¡ªwe just slowly drifted apart. I understood that to an extent but I really needed to be with him for a bit before I left¡ªfor myself and for him. I finally let go and we both sat down in the living room together. ¡°Stay here, I¡¯m going to get us some coffee¡ªI bought some ice cream, do you want some?¡± I nodded fervently as he smiled and left to get the snacks. I leaned back on the couch and soaked everything in. I hadn¡¯t been home in a while but it all felt pretty familiar. Everything was in the same place it was before I had left and that made me weirdly happy. My dad sat back down with two bowls of ice cream and two small cups of coffee. I grabbed the ice cream and started to wolf it down with immense speed. My father laughed, ¡°Ice cream has always been your weakness¡ªI worry for my daughter when the enemy offers ice cream to her as bait.¡± I laughed,


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    ¡°Of course I won¡¯t be that stupid when I¡¯m fighting, dad,¡± I tried to enunciate my words through mouthfuls of ice cream, ¡°I¡¯ll find a way to get the ice cream and not get caught!¡± He laughed softly as he took a sip of his coffee,


    ¡°To be honest with you, Aurora, I¡¯m very worried.¡± His eyes filled with concern as he took my hands and spoke softly, ¡°I know I haven¡¯t done my duties as a father and kept in touch with you and I regret  that everyday. I was scared and alone after your mother died and I failed to even take care of you and your emotional needs. Then I sent you off to some academy¡ªI sent a girl who just lost her mother off to some place I didn¡¯t even know! What kind of father does that?¡± His face filled with sadness as he tried to keep a composed expression, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Aurora¡ªfor being a poor father. I know it is late for me to say that and it sounds awfully convenient to say it now but I truly am. To be honest, I don¡¯t know what I would¡¯ve done if you had left early.¡± I looked down at the table in front of us and just began to notice the massive amounts of paper and envelopes scattered over its surface. I picked up one of the envelopes and opened it. It was a draft¡ªa draft of a letter which was meant to be sent to me. I put it down and picked up another one, and another one, and another one, before realizing that all of them were letters to me¡­ I looked at my father with a sincere expression,


    ¡°You wrote these for me?¡± He smiled wearily and nodded,


    ¡°I wanted to say so much but I couldn¡¯t find the right words. I was afraid you¡¯d left and was prepared to send these to you if you had already gone away. Luckily you came back to see your father one last time and for that, I¡¯m grateful.¡± He took my hands once again, ¡°Aurora, I  know that this was what you were meant to do, I know that this is who you were meant to be, but I¡¯m still worried for you. I¡¯m your father and I will always be worried when my daughter is in danger so I ask you just one thing.¡± I looked at him and nodded, ¡°I want you to promise me that whatever you do, whatever plan you create, and whatever actions you take, you do not treat your life¡ªor the lives of anyone else¡ªas expendable. Your life means so much to me¡ªeveryone¡¯s lives mean so much to someone, dear¡ªand I need you to promise me that you will honor that idea.¡± I looked into my father¡¯s eyes and nodded,


    ¡°I promise, dad. I¡¯ll be safe and it¡¯s ok¡ªI have a lot of really strong friends looking out for me. I will come back home to you¡ªI¡¯ll make sure of it.¡± My dad nodded and I gave him another giant hug, ¡°I love you.¡± He laughed and smiled,


    ¡°I love you too dear and I¡¯m sure your mother would¡¯ve said the same thing as well.¡± I nodded as tears came rolling down my eyes,


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for going away, I¡¯m sorry for leaving, I¡¯m sorry for everything, dad, I¡ª¡° tears came rolling down my eyes as I felt my father hug me tightly,


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, it¡¯s ok, everything will be ok Aurora,¡± he looked me in my eyes and wiped my tears away with his sleeves as he gave me a gentle smile, ¡°I want you to know that no matter what happens, no matter how hard things get, your father will always be with you.¡±

 Chapter 81: First March

    Evay Maver: I was given my station, my post, and my squad all at once as Lila, Aurora, and I all got off of our carriage. Everyone in the military stationed along the west coast of Taegan which was where the forces of the Ring of Nations would presumably be landing. The war on the eastern front was being covered by legions six and seven and legions eight through twelve¡ªus¡ªwere going to cover the western front. From what I heard this was due to two reasons. One was that legions eight through twelve just had more sheer numbers than any of the other legions combined. I heard that there was a ridiculous three million warriors stationed along the entire western front, and so even if we weren¡¯t as strong as the other legions we made up for it in numbers. Second, the western coast was a tough barrier to crack as the Ring of Nations would have to cross the sea to get to it. Because of this, they probably weren¡¯t going to send their strongest warriors to us. More likely than not, they were going to send massive amounts of warriors in order to hopefully crack through the sea and our defenses. Therefore, our strength was enough to hold the western front.


    The eastern front on the other hand was a lot more bare since all we had were land borders separating us from a vast array of enemies. Mother Nature wasn¡¯t going to help us there so we put our stronger legions east in order to deal with those messes. Finally, legions five and up would be in charge of either assisting us on the eastern or western front, or they would be conducting assaults on enemy forces and territory. This was precisely why Geon wasn¡¯t with us¡ªhe was shipped off somewhere north to meet up with the first legion guys. I was told we would be arranged into squads and given stations and posts but I didn¡¯t know it¡¯d be so soon. All of us, besides Geon, had been put into the eighth legion¡ªwhich was probably due to our past experiences and results in tournaments. We had gotten a huge boost up since most warriors started in the tenth or even eleventh, but that didn¡¯t mean we were going to be on the same squad. I was being put into commander Feron¡¯s squad, I was given post A.1.SC, and stationed at the southern bloc. I had no idea what any of this meant but all I was concerned about was seeing what everyone else had got. It was like reviewing class schedules all over again, except this time there were no classes and only future death squads and grown-ass strangers. Aurora had been put into commander Klight¡¯s squad, and Lila had been put into commander Sueter¡¯s squad. We were all going to be separated¡­. All of us looked up and tried not to meet each other''s eyes. Before I could say anything a huge hand slapped my shoulder and a loud voice gruffly boomed into my ear,


    ¡°SETTLE IN NOW! NO TIME TO WASTE,¡± I reeled from the sudden explosion of sound into my ear as I looked over to see an extremely jacked, gray-bearded man, wearing a battle vest and battle pants looming over me. He looked towards us and spoke in a gruff voice, ¡°Kids are always too hard to deal with for this type of stuff¡­. Stop looking so shocked¡ªyou all are warriors now, get to your posts, now!¡± We all nodded but none of us made a single move¡ªnot because we were defying him or something but because we had no clue what any of these directions meant. A lady who had tight skin, a black bun, and sharp eyes marched over to us and spoke in a stern and cold voice,


    ¡°It might help to tell them what all of this shit means, Dalton. You think they can¡¯t read?¡± She snatched my paper out of my hands as she scanned it like a hawk. She handed my paper back to me and spoke in a stern and commanding voice,


    ¡°You¡¯ll be able to find your squad by looking at the tents¡ªyour commander¡¯s name is above the tent. Your task is labeled by difficulty¡ªfrom grades A to D¡ªnumber of intended units¡ªfrom one to four¡ªand finally by type¡ªscouting, counter assaults, etcetera. Look at it and ask your commander if you have any questions. Go on now.¡± She shooed us off but we all hesitated to move. She looked at us and rolled her eyes, ¡°Kids¡­ We all meet back at central camp after the day has passed¡ªyou will see each other again¡ªnow GO!¡± We all jumped a little and gave each other smiles of relief. I saw Aurora and Lila give me a nod before we all walked off into different directions towards our commander¡¯s tents. The scary lady suddenly spoke, ¡°Stop.¡± I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around to face her, ¡°Are you three by any chance those kids¡ªI¡¯m sure you know what I mean by that.¡± I looked at her and nodded. She smiled slightly, ¡°So I get the troublemakers, huh. Welcome to the eighth legion kid, don¡¯t fuck it up.¡± She turned around and walked away and the big scary guy followed her. She¡¯s scary¡­.


    I looked around at the absurd amounts of tents organized in neat little rows along the vast stretch of open wilderness surrounding us. Camp was set up super systematically so that the eating quarters, hygienic quarters, and sleeping and living stations were all clearly separated and maintained. The training grounds were all set up and the commander tents¨Ctents where commanders met to discuss stuff¨Cwere all set up as well. It didn¡¯t look very inviting but it felt proper and systematic which was good enough for seemingly everyone. I slowly trotted up and down the camp looking at every tent and the name which was plastered on its door. Commander Feron, where is Feron¡­. Where is this dude¡¯s tent at? I looked around and took a deep breath before tensing my eyes. My see-through vision helped me give me a visual on the tents far towards the back of the camp¨Cwhich were originally covered by the tents in front of my face. I quickly looked around and tried to find the tent with the name Feron on it until it finally appeared. Towards the far back right of the camp a tent, identical to all the others, with Feron on its front door stood alone¨Calmost sort of isolated from the other tents. I floated a little off the ground and flew over camp and dropped down in front of my tent¡ªwhich would be home for the foreseeable future.


    I opened the tent, stepped inside, and sort of reeled back in shock as I laid my eyes upon my surroundings. The tent was super big¡ªlike as big as a regular house. It was the same liquor technology which had been used to build our battle stadium back at Eden academy, but this was probably even more impressive than that. The tent looked like a small little hut on the outside but was a luxury home with individual rooms and bedding on the inside. The floors were made with mahogany wood, the walls were well painted, and the furniture was well furnished. I looked inside one of the rooms and found a nice sized bed with a nightstand and a closet in it. I had heard the Taegan military took camp organization very seriously but I never knew that this was how well they treated their warriors. I guess it made all the difference if we were well rested or not, so these tents were worthy investments but still, it seemed crazy. I turned around and a girl who looked to be in her early twenties¡ªmaybe late teens at the youngest¡ªstared at me for a second before giving me a wave, ¡°You¡¯re the new guy right? Feron squad? If not, you''re in the wrong place¡ªholy shit you look young, how old are you?¡± She dashed up to me in an instant and bore her eyes into me like I was some sort of puzzle. I stayed uncomfortably still before speaking in a confused and tense voice,


    ¡°Um¡­ hi. My name is Evay Maver, it¡¯s nice to meet you. I''m in the right place¡ªhere¡¯s my card.¡± I handed her my card but before I could even fully extend my arm she slapped it out of my grasp and looked at me with wide eyes,


    ¡°Maver? Like, Evay Maver?¡± I nodded and she backed away with a cautious look on her face,


    ¡°You¡¯re the kid¡­ I heard you gave us some pretty useful intel¡ªit helped us find who the enemies were. I heard a lot of your buddies from a bunch of warrior academies are coming out to fight right?¡± I nodded and she scoffed, ¡°Fucking kids fresh out of the academy aren¡¯t going to do anything, I¡¯ll tell you that.¡± She sat down and looked at me with sharp eyes. She had shoulder length black hair and tan skin with deep black eyes. She wore a tight, night black battle vest and camo colored pants as well as a single ring on her left finger. I looked at her with an almost offended look,


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if us ¡®youngins¡¯ aren¡¯t good enough for you but I think we can hold our own.¡± She scoffed,


    ¡°Yeah because fighting in an empty ring, with liquor screens, and zero threat of death is very realistic.¡± She rolled her eyes and tossed an apple at me, ¡°The first thing every kid out of the academy has to learn is that real war, real fighting, is very different. I heard one of your buddies, that Taran kid, took out an enemy Raga soldier. That¡¯s pretty impressive¡ªexcept for the fact that that one battle hospitalized him for an entire two weeks. I heard that kid was considered pretty strong for your class as well and even he almost died in his first fight. It¡¯s different out here, Evay, the quicker you realize it the better you¡¯ll be. Eat that apple, we have a task to finish.¡± I nodded slightly as she stood up and knocked on a bunch of doors. ¡°GET UP! GET UP! Newbie is here!¡± The doors both swung open at the same time and two very different looking people walked out of them. On the left was a guy, who looked to be in his early to late twenties. He had short brown hair and a pretty cool looking beard which made him look a little more rugged and experienced than he probably really was. He wore a simple white shirt and beige pants with sandals. The other person who had walked out of the door on the right was a girl who also looked to be in her early to mid twenties. She had long blonde hair and very vibrant green eyes¡ªwhich was jarring since I had never seen that combination of traits before. She wore an emerald green battle vest and white pants as well as a number of beaded bracelets on her arms. They both looked at me with impassive curiosity as they examined every inch of my body. The guy spoke first,


    ¡°Evay Maver¡ªwhat are the chances you¡¯re on our squad¡­. It¡¯s nice to meet you, I¡¯m James of house Mullry¡ªyour other ground scaling specialist.¡± I shook his hand and tried to remember all of the roles which Aurora had told me about. The girl came up to me and shook my hand,


    ¡°I¡¯m Zella, nice to meet you. I¡¯m your long range specialist. I don¡¯t like taking a lot of shots so please don¡¯t make me save your ass too much.¡± She yawned and plopped down on the couch in a fetal position. The first girl who I had met rolled her eyes at me,


    ¡°Zella is a little bit¡­ what¡¯s the word¡­. lazy. She¡¯s got your back if you really need it though. I¡¯m your intelligence, Zia, make sure you make the most out of what I give you.¡± I nodded and she slapped my back really hard, ¡°Now all you have to do is to meet the commander¡ªthat¡¯ll be fun.¡± She gave me an eerie smile as I felt my nerves tingle. I looked around and did a double take,


    ¡°Wait, there are only four people in a squad right? Why am I here then? Including commander Feron you guys have four.¡± Zia threw a wad of paper at Zella before answering my question,


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°That¡¯s because it works like that from the fifth division and up. They don¡¯t have enough to make five to a squad but since the eighth to twelfth legion has a good amount of warriors we can manage. The most common strategy is to run two ground scalers in a squad since that¡¯s where you¡¯ll see the most violent and massive conflicts. Some squads prefer to have two long range specialists and it¡¯s rare but some like to have two intelligence specialists if they want to conduct their operations in a special way. But we¡¯re always more of the front line type¡ªnot to brag but you joined a pretty strong squad.¡± I nodded as James sat down next to Zella and kept trying to stack cookies on her now unconscious face. I looked at Zia who kept staring at the clock,


    ¡°So¡­ I¡¯m going to be a ground scaler. That means I¡¯m pretty much always going to be fighting in the front lines right? I¡¯ll have James watch my back?¡± She scoffed,


    ¡°You¡¯re going to need to watch his back¡ªhe¡¯s always quick to become tunnel visioned and chase after enemies. You two will be working with other squads in our legion to control the brunt of our attacking forces. You¡¯ll receive an overwatch from our long range specialist so you can go in quickly.¡± I looked at the sleeping Zella¡ªwho now had about seven cookies stacked on her forehead¡ªwith doubt,


    ¡°Are you¡­ sure?¡± Zia sighed,


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you information which will help you select your pathing and blitz points effectively.¡± She tossed me a weird looking black piece of metal which was shaped like my ear.¡± I looked at her with confusion,


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± She gave me a surprised stare,


    ¡°You don¡¯t know? This is a new piece of tech that your little girlfriend with auburn and blue hair made. She¡¯s probably been getting pretty rich off it since the military has been begging to buy it off her. It¡¯s something which she calls a ¡®recording and communication device.¡¯ Whatever that means¡­. Anyways, it doesn¡¯t use liquor so enemies won¡¯t be able to detect our presence on the battlefield when on stealth missions. It¡¯s also pretty cheap to make since, like I said, liquor isn¡¯t involved. She said it uses electricity to make sound waves and transmit them too. Anyways, I can communicate with you on the battlefield as long as we¡¯re not too far apart. Your girlfriend¡¯s pretty smart¡ªnot to mention just plain pretty. You struck gold.¡± My face went a little red as I put the device in my ear,


    ¡°I did¡ªI¡¯m pretty nice like that, you know?¡± She rolled her eyes and went to wake up Zella I remember how Aurora had used some type of recording device to prove my innocence after I beat up Ren. That seemed so long ago¡­. I had no idea that she was continuing to develop her tech though. I knew Aurora was pretty smart but I had no idea she was this smart¡­ I kind of liked it though¡­ She¡¯s hot and smart¡­ Nice. I shook my head to regain my focus as the tent doors suddenly burst open. I turned my head to see a man in his mid-twenties with crisp cut brown hair, a bright white and golden commander¡¯s battle robe, and a deadly serious look on his face march towards me. Zia¡¯s eyes went wide as she snapped into a perfect salute, James scrambled to his feet and did the same, and Zella woke up from her slumber in the blink of an eye and followed in their footsteps as well. I quickly tried my best to emulate them as the commander looked at me with his piercing eyes, ¡°Evay Maver, welcome to our squad. I see that you have acquainted yourself with your new squadmates. Sit down, tell me about yourself.¡± He pointed at the seat nearest me and I sat down in it almost instinctively. He calmly took a seat across from me as everyone watched us. I cleared my throat and tried to sound as confident as I could,


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you sir. I¡¯m here as your ground scaler and I¡¯m from Eden Academy. This will be my first time working in a squad so I will try my best to learn quickly.¡± He observed me for a bit in silence. Looking at him gave me the jitters and staring into his eyes seemed to sap my confidence away. He had that demeanor which made you listen to him and follow every word that he said. He didn¡¯t look scary or intimidating in the classic sense but I sure was far more afraid of him than the two important looking men and women I had first met when I entered camp. He spoke up,


    ¡°Are you familiar with the story of Oslo Thompson?¡± Zia, Zella, and James all seemed to wince in pain and regret for a brief second before refusing to meet my gaze. They each looked at their feet with shameful looks in their eyes, but Zella looked particularly distressed¡ªwhich I could tell was out of character for her. I looked at the commander with a confused expression,


    ¡°No sir, I don¡¯t.¡± He kept staring me in the eye as he continued to speak,


    ¡°He was our original second ground scaler. He was young¡ª18 years old¡ªmuch like yourself. He had a great relationship with everyone on this squad and he was with us for nearly three years. The squad celebrated his 19th and 20th birthdays with him in this tent, and we enjoyed success with him in most of our missions which involved protecting our borders from terrorists and rebel groups from foreign nations. He actually got engaged last summer to a girl he had known since he was a young boy and all of us, including myself, were invited to his wedding.¡± I looked at him and everyone around the room with caution, ¡°His fiance was actually pregnant, which was a nice surprise, and they were expecting a girl. Zella knit the girl a scarf, Zia got her a bottle, and James promised to babysit her when Oslo was away.¡± A bad feeling kept growing in my heart as I looked into the commanders eyes,


    ¡°Sir, this sounds like a very touching story but¡­. but it doesn¡¯t seem like it will end very well.¡± The commander practically ignored me and kept talking,


    ¡°I even promised to temporarily relieve him of his duties once his child was born. I met his fianc¨¦ as well¡ªshe was a lovely young lady. Oslo requested some time off due to a trip that he and his fianc¨¦¡¯s family were going to make before their wedding. They wanted to go to Evian since their resorts are beautiful around this time of year, and so they did. While they were there some of Oslo¡¯s in-laws wanted to go see the Youth Championships being hosted in the nation at the time.¡± My heart dropped to the bottom of my soul. ¡°They enjoyed the atmosphere and the entertainment especially since our very own Taegan Youth team was putting up a valiant run in the semi-finals where stars like Geon Leventen and Evay Maver were fighting.¡± My throat closed up, my heart started to beat out of my chest and I felt like throwing up. ¡°That¡¯s when an explosion of light which incinerated half a million people claimed the lives of Oslo, his wife, his soon to be family, and his unborn child. Out of the fire came four warriors, not five, and we all thought you were dead. It turns out you¡¯re quite resilient and you came back with some valuable information.¡± I tried my best to keep my composure as I felt my entire body grow sick. The commander spoke with the same cold and constant tone, ¡°What I am trying to tell you, Evay Maver, is that you are more connected with this squad than you fully realize. What you were a part of created this need for you to be in our team and as the commander I feel that you should deserve to know that. It would be adamantly unjust for me to demand that you replace Oslo which is why I am not asking you to do so. I only ask that you do what is told of you, you trust me and your squad mates, and you fulfill the promises you have made to us and to your nation. I feel that those are reasonable demands¡ªdo you disagree?¡± I shook my head and he stood up, ¡°Good. I believe we have a task we need to accomplish. The other squads are gearing up at this moment and we should start going too. This will be our first run with a new member so you regular members should work to adjust him to our ways. Be out in five minutes¡ªdo not be late.¡± He looked at me one last time before heading out of the tent, ¡°Also, Evay Maver, if I ever see you doing something which will ultimately harm our squad or put the lives of your comrades in danger I will not hesitate to take your life. You will die faster than you can even process the thought¡ªdo you understand me?¡± A glowing tint of red light shined on his one visible eye as I nodded slowly. He rushed out of the tent and I waited a bit before running out to get some fresh air. I quickly ran behind the tent into the woods and threw up in the soft grass. I felt sick¡ªalmost like some type of intense nausea and guilt had bore itself into my stomach. I felt my heart beat quicker and quicker and quicker until my chest started to hurt and my head started to spin.


    I killed him? I was the one that killed that guy? They don¡¯t know¡­ they don¡¯t know¡­ I killed him, I killed him, I killed him. I¡ª


    I felt a hand gently touch my shoulder as I looked up to see Zia standing over me. She had an empathetic look in her eyes as she helped me stand back up, ¡°Evay, I know you¡¯re young. To be honest you¡¯re way too young to be here. I blame the empire for conscripting kids¡ªno matter how strong you guys are you shouldn¡¯t be here. I know it¡¯s hard to grasp¡ªthe fact that you¡¯ll be sleeping in a dead man¡¯s bed, taking a dead man¡¯s spot in the team, and living in the shadow of a guy you¡¯ve never even met. I need you to get used to it¡ªI¡¯m not going to ask you to understand¡ªbut you need to get used to stuff like this. Please, for your own sake.¡± I gave her a weak nod as she monitored for me to follow her.


    That¡¯s not why, Zia. You don¡¯t understand, how could you possibly understand? How can you understand what I have done, what I am doing, and what I will end up needing to do. How can you possibly understand if I can¡¯t even understand myself?


    I wiped my mouth and followed Zia as everyone was stationed outside the tent. I looked around to see a bunch of other warriors all huddled around their commanders and preparing to go do their tasks together. I slowly walked up next to James and stood patiently as the commander spoke to all of us, ¡°A.1.SC¡ªwe¡¯ll follow the usual formations and strategy profile. Remember to use the natural foliage to your advantage and do not engage with the enemy if you are to find them. Locate their positions and do nothing more. Understood?¡± Everyone nodded and I followed suit. The commander led us out of the camp and towards the forest. A couple of other squads were also lined up in front of the forest as well and I tried getting a better look at them but Zia elbowed me in the ribs. I gave her a confused and annoyed look. She spoke sternly,


    ¡°Focus on the task at hand.¡± I rolled my eyes,


    ¡°Would you mind actually telling me what that is then. If it¡¯s just staring at this forest all day then I¡¯d say I¡¯m doing a pretty good job, no?¡± Her eyes went wide,


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me they never taught you task labels?¡± I gave her a blank stare and her face filled with exasperated shock, ¡°So all they teach you is to hit stuff and kill stuff really hard?!? Ok, well, tasks are all given a label. The first letter¡ªA, B, C, or D¡ªrepresents the difficulty level of the mission. The second number¡ª1, 2, or 3¡ªrepresents the level of importance of the mission. The last two letters represent the type of mission you¡¯ll have to undertake¡ªSC meaning scouting, AU meaning assault, DF meaning defense, and SP meaning support. We¡¯re about to do an A1 scouting mission so, in other words, get your shit straight.¡± I looked at her with confusion,


    ¡°Scouting? I thought the enemy would come over the sea¡ªwhat do we need to scout for?¡± Zia kept her eyes on the forest and kept speaking,


    ¡°Mevillime and other western nations will come across the sea. We¡¯ll worry about them later. For now we have to deal with some of their allies in the south. Taegan is famous for its dense forests which give us some natural cover. Even if they give us cover they hide our enemies as well. Praga and their soldiers are believed to be pushing through to us right now¡ªwe need to scout out our forests to try and see how far they¡¯ve progressed.¡± I gave her another confused look,


    ¡°Praga?¡± Zia took her eyes off of the forest and looked at me as if I was the dumbest person in the world,


    ¡°Motherfucker, do you not know any geography? Praga? The nation is literally right below us. You do know what the map looks like right? I heard you¡¯re from the countryside but you¡¯re not stupid right?¡± I gave her an offended look,


    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid! I know what a¡­. a map looks like!¡± She gave me an doubtful look,


    ¡°Sure¡­ Our primary enemy is the ring of nations but the main nations we have to worry about are the Mevillime empire, Tundra, the Republic of Savarha, the Northa kingdom, and of course Raga. They all surround us from the north to the south and to east. We need to try and fend them off and establish our dominance between our borders before Mevillime and those fuckers from the south west get here.¡± I nodded and saw a squad swiftly disappear into the dense dark forest. Commander Feron held up his hand without even looking back at us. Zella dashed away to a large cliff side away from the forest and Zia jumped up into the branches of a giant tree. James motioned for me to follow as he looked at me with a serious expression,


    ¡°Evay, let¡¯s go. Stay calm, stay quiet, and follow me. Zella¡¯s got us with overwatch, Zia will give us intel and some eyes in the forest, and the commander will make sure everything is running smoothly. I got your back as well. Come on man, it¡¯s time to get the war started.¡±

 Chapter 82: Enemy

    Evay Maver: The quiet rustle of the trees, the chilly wind whooshing through my ears, and the bleak morning air all hit me like a truck as James and I tried our best to move quickly and quietly. There were two more ground scalers to our far right and one more to our far left. James gave them both a glance and without saying a word they all dove deeper into the forest. James leapt through bushes, dove through branches, and slid under giant fallen logs all without making a sound. I slightly floated off of the ground and glided through the air as I tried to keep up with James¡¯s blistering pace. This dude is faster than me and I can literally fly. I did a mini barrel roll around a particular thick cluster of branches and kept following James, ¡°Are we following the others? What did you tell them?¡± He spoke without stopping,


    ¡°They know the formation and the signals I give them. We¡¯re pretty much just doing a very basic encirclement tactic where we surround the enemy camp with eyes and ears. If we do get caught we¡¯re so separated that at least some of us will get away and this allows us to get better angles for seeing stuff.¡± He jumped high into the trees and hopped from branch to branch like a giant, deadly squirrel.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to be getting the front view of the camp¡ªaka the best view. So make sure to report a lot.¡± I gave him a confused stare,


    ¡°Wait, shouldn¡¯t this whole scouting thing be done by intelligence? Why are we doing this? This is Zia¡¯s job.¡± James slid down a large tree branch and landed on the ground without making a single sound,


    ¡°She already did. The only reason I¡¯m able to go this fast is because she mapped out the trails for us. We know roughly what their camp looks like and where they are but Zia¡ªand frankly any other intel-warrior¡ªcan¡¯t really use their abilities without giving away their presence to the enemy. So we go in there to confirm specifics. Look for specific people, weird things that stand out, new weapons, new strange looking equipment, and anything which looks or sounded out of the ordinary. Don''t get caught.¡± I nodded and he gently pushed away a large clearing of foliage.


    I felt my heartbeat quicken a little as I got my very first look at an enemy camp. It was very similar to ours¡ªthey had massive amounts of tents, similar stations for hygiene and training, and they had soldiers just like us. Their entire camp did look a lot more thrown together than ours though¡ªwhich made sense since they were on enemy territory. Their soldiers all looked pretty similar as each of them had caramel colored skin, short black hair, and dark brown or black eyes. They all wore blue and white battle vests which didn¡¯t blend in very well with the environment and made them super easy to see. A giant commander¡¯s tent was set up at the head of the camp and a bunch of soldiers were gathered around a table with a map on it. I narrowed my eyes and focused on the map¡ªusing my enhanced vision to read the small print from a large distance away. Their language made no sense to me but I could kind of see some of the stuff they had marked on the map. I whispered in a quiet voice, ¡°James, they have a large red circle around the corner of their map. What does that mean?¡± He gave me a confused look,


    ¡°You can see that? How?¡± I kept whispering,


    ¡°That¡¯s got to mean that they¡¯re targeting that spot right? They have a bunch of lines that are scribbled around places as well. I can try to listen in¡ªhold on.¡± He kept giving me confused glances as I closed my eyes and tried to pull in their voices. Their words and conversations slowly started to come together as I tried to make out anything that they were saying. I had no clue how to speak the language of Praga but I could tell that they were discussing something serious. Their voices carried a hush and silent tone as one voice in particular stood out from the others. I opened my eyes and saw a rugged and terrifying looking man with a dark expression and cold eyes standing at the head of the map-table. He had short black hair and wore an elaborate blue and white commander¡¯s uniform. It was his voice I kept on hearing¡­. He must be the commander. His voice kept on streaming into my ears as I tried my best to make out anything he was saying. What am I doing? I can¡¯t understand him anyway, I should listen for other things like¡ª


    Suddenly, the words started to come back to me in my own language, ¡°The sea warriors will not be here until a week has passed. The northern forces will coordinate with us and feint a strike three mornings from now. The Taegan warriors will waste resources and soldiers to protect their camp and then Raga will take advantage. By then the sea warriors will be here as well and we will join in on the fray. After, we march on the capital.¡± My eyes widened as I smacked my head. James gave me a concerned look,


    ¡°What the fuck¡ªman what the fuck are you doing man? What did you see?¡± I shook my head hard and listened in closer,


    ¡°Do not be worried about spies. We know where they are¡ªthey can know what they want to know.¡± The commander turned towards me and stared directly into my soul through the massive foliage and grass as my blood turned ice cold. I grabbed James on the shoulder and spoke in a soft whisper,


    ¡°They know we¡¯re here.¡± James gave me an exasperated look,


    ¡°How do you know?¡± I tightened my grip on his shoulder,


    ¡°We should go. Trust me¡ªI was right about the map thing wasn¡¯t I?¡± He gave me an angry look,


    ¡°How can I trust that you were right about that? I know you¡¯re scared but you''re going to be doing this stuff a lot so¡ª¡° I giant arrow the size of a tree branch sunk itself into a tree trunk right behind us as James suddenly stopped speaking. He threw a small handful of metal balls to our right and they tussled the leaves and grass as they rolled onto the earth. A hundred more arrows, even larger than the one aimed at us, bore themselves into the ground where James had thrown his metal balls. He motioned for me to follow him as we retreated back into the forest. I looked back and focused on my vision. There were four arrows soaring through the air raining down on us in rapid succession. I saw their flight and movement through the leaves and various tree branches as I pushed James to the left. He was shoved off of his feet and a huge arrow bore itself into the ground right where he was originally standing. He quickly got up and leapt up on the branches¡ªswinging from branch to branch like a giant ape. A few more arrows pelted into the ground as I soared higher into the air. I looked back at the Praga camp while flying backwards and used my see through vision in order to make out the enemy forces through the massive amounts of foliage and trees standing in my way. The entire forest seemingly disappeared from my vision as I could clearly see the Praga camp and their various soldiers who all looked really pissed.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    James suddenly shouted over the rush of the wind, ¡°Zia¡¯s got eyes! Evay the southern flank is the safest route back¡ªapparently there are enemy Praga soldiers active in the forest right now. They just started to move so if we beat them to the southern flank we should be fine. Remember, we can¡¯t engage right now.¡± I shouted back to him,


    ¡°Why the fuck can we not!?! We have our forces don¡¯t we? We know where they are¡ªlet¡¯s level them!¡± James slid down a huge branch and flipped over a giant leaf all while speaking,


    ¡°Because our forces are scattered right now! Our camp hasn¡¯t coordinated an attack with the other camps along the western coast¡ªif we need backup or something goes wrong our camp is left to fend for itself. Also, we need to be watching the coast, remember? No fighting these fuckers.¡± I put my head on a swivel as I used my see through vision in order to see if any potential threats were nearby. I turned to my left and saw a huge waterfall with lots of natural cover and caves lining the bottom of it. I looked at James and pointed to our left,


    ¡°Let¡¯s go there¡ªit¡¯ll give us some time to breathe.¡± I turned and soared through the foliage and James followed right behind me. We burst through the dense leaves and branches and massive amounts of sunlight suddenly hit my eyes as a beautiful open waterfall connected to a massive lake appeared before my eyes. James landed softly on a nearby collection of rocks at the base of the waterfall and I gently flew down next to him. He slid into a small cave covered by a curtain of heavy, falling water and I followed right behind him. He sat down and took a deep breath,


    ¡°Zia will keep giving us more information and tell us what our best path is soon. For now we should lie low and think about our next best option. Evay, tell me exactly what you can do¡ªso I can better understand how and what you can help me with.¡± I nodded and took a seat,


    ¡°I have see-through vision¡ªit doesn¡¯t go very far but I can pretty much see through objects up to a certain distance. I have a great sense of smell, hearing, touch, and taste, and I can fly. I can explode stuff, I can summon a spear, I think I can curse stuff, and I can also put shields on people and myself. Here,¡± I cast my hands out towards James and a glowing golden shield with white symbols and markings all over it suddenly surrounded him. He looked around in awe as he gently touched the golden shield which buzzed slightly at his fingertips. I waved my hand and the shield disappeared. I kept my eyes on him while speaking, ¡°It¡¯s not indestructible¡ªGeon has broken it once but not anyone else. Tell me a bit more about your abilities¡ªactually tell me more about everyone¡¯s abilities. I don¡¯t know you guys.¡± James nodded,


    ¡°Zia has an ability which I like to call ¡®sonar head.¡¯ She can basically create a perfect three dimensional mental image of her surroundings up to a certain radius every few seconds. She¡¯s very good at providing live intel on the battlefield. Zella has the ability to control the flight paths of certain objects. She uses her military grade liquor bow to fire her arrows and she uses her liquor abilities to make sure they hit the mark.¡± I nodded,


    ¡°What about you?¡± He took out some water from his pack,


    ¡°It¡¯s called density. I can change the density of any object that I can touch and control. I can only use it on two objects at a time so I usually manipulate my density and the density of my axe. I don¡¯t have my axe on me right now though because this was supposed to be a stealth mission but I really regret not bringing it now.¡± I gave him an impressed stare,


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty crazy power man¨Cis that why you¡¯re so useful for groundscaling?¡± He nodded,


    ¡°I can make some super heavy attacks but I can also make myself really mobile as well. That¡¯s why I¡¯m also really good for stealth missions¨CI¡¯m a bit of an all rounder.¡± I smiled and gave him my hand. He took it and we both stood up and cautiously walked out of the waterfall. I couldn¡¯t hear anything approaching us and I didn¡¯t smell anyone around us but the forest and the water was messing with my senses¡­ I focused on my vision and scanned the surrounding area. The trees, rocks, bushes, vines, and leaves all disappeared as I tried to make out everything in our surrounding area. Vast distances of forest vanished before my eyes as I frantically looked for any people dashing, jumping, or sneaking around us in hopes of taking our heads off. James looked at me and I gave him a thumbs up. He nodded and he jumped high into the air and landed softly on top of the giant waterfall. Gold¡¯s Veil instantly adorned my body and I gently floated up to the top to meet him. He dove right back into the thick, dense forest and I followed as the intense greenery hit my eyes once again. We silently zipped through the jungle as I shook my head and tried to get my head right. The forest was messing with all of my senses and I didn¡¯t like it. The only thing I could really smell was dirt, soil, and nasty bugs, the only thing I could really see was green and brown, and all I could hear were the rustles of some leaves and the snapping of twigs off in the distance. It was like my entire head was being flooded with useless, buzzy information and for the first time since I had gotten them my heightened senses ended up being more of a curse than a blessing. The forest finally cleared as we stopped at the edge of a cliff overlooking a giant basin filled with lush trees, bushes, and a crystal clear lake. I looked at James and he gave me a nod, ¡°Let¡¯s wait for some more information from Zia. I don¡¯t like going in here blind, we¡¯ll have too¨C¡± a giant, shrieking, terrible buzz went off in my ear as I instinctively pushed James out of the way. His eyes went wide as a giant dark crystal spear sliced narrowly missed his face and sliced his upper cheek. An intense force rammed into my body as pain seeped through my entire being and blood came pouring out of my mouth. My body slammed through tree, after tree, after tree as I finally turned myself in the air and flew as fast as I could back to James. Three giant crystal spears shot towards me and I barrel rolled around one and flew over another. I flew far to the left and shot around a huge clearing of forest before I dashed back into the clearing. I slammed myself into the mystery figure who had just tried to kill us and he barely blocked my attack. He slid far back but managed to stay on his feet. James came sliding to a stop behind me and I held up my hands¨Cwhich were glowing with an intense golden light. James spoke,


    ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± I murmured under my breath,


    ¡°Good question.¡± There were two people and they both looked pretty strong..


    The one on the left was a pale looking man with dark brown hair which was shaped into a man-bun. Thin strands of hair ran down his face and his dark eyes matched well with his serious expression. He had a small scar on the left side of his face and he wore a leather tunic with white sleeves and baggy white battle pants. The other one on the right wore a black battle vest and dark gray sleeves with dark gray battle pants. He had long messy black hair which ran down his face and covered parts of his forehead and some of his eyes. He was a lot taller than the other guy but he was noticeably skinny and much younger looking. He looked a lot closer to me in age than James which made me wonder if the other countries had conscripted their warrior students as well. I looked at both of them cautiously and spoke up, ¡°Speak up.¡± The older looking one spoke with a thick accent,


    ¡°Shut up.¡± I shrugged,


    ¡°That¡¯s nice. Are you Praga soldiers?¡± The younger one knelt down and touched the earth. James whispered to me quietly,


    ¡°If they so much as spit on the ground I want you to incinerate them.¡± I nodded,


    ¡°You on the right, or I guess your left, get up. Stop doing that.¡± They didn¡¯t move. ¡°Stand up and we¡¯ll go our ways. We know where your camp is by the way, if you let us go our guys won¡¯t wipe it off the face of the earth.¡± The older one held up a small ring and Jame¡¯s eyes went wide. I gave him a cautious look, ¡°James, why are you looking at him like that? What¡¯s up with that ring?¡± James whispered,


    ¡°That¡¯s Zia¡¯s ring¨Cthey got her.¡± I looked at the man with cautious eyes,


    ¡°Where did you get that?¡± He spoke without taking his eyes off of me,


    ¡°Girl, with black hair. Useful eyes.¡± James held out his hand as an intense rustling sound filled the air. Several large trees tumbled in the distance and the very earth shook and rumbled as a huge axe the size of a horse carriage flew into James¡¯s hands. The glowing light in my palms started to get brighter and brighter and brighter until it illuminated the entire forest as I smiled manically,


    ¡°Yo, dodge this motherfucker.¡± I released all of the energy in my palm as the world disappeared and fell into an intense golden light.

 Chapter 83: First Blood

    The blast shook the earth as almost all of the surrounding forest instantly burned to a crisp. An intense vibration reverberated through the earth as fissures and cracks started to appear everywhere in every single direction. The golden light faded and everything started to come back to normal as James was safely tucked behind his axe¨Cwhich shielded him from most of the flying debris and the shockwaves. He stood up and readied himself,


    ¡°Get ready,¡± I heard a small snap of a twig to my left and instantly turned towards that direction. I held up my hands and let off another blast of incinerating golden light. A giant boom reverberated through the air as another section of the forest was cleared in an instant. James grabbed the very end of his axe and spun it around and around and around before throwing it with all of his might. The axe made a giant arc of wind and death all around the forest as it ripped through the tall trees and hard soil like it was nothing. My golden barrier shimmered into existence around me as debris and huge tree trunks were ripped out of the earth and tossed in every single direction. James held out his hand and the giant axe snapped back into his grasp in an instant as he steadied himself once again. ¡°Nowhere to run now.¡± He kept his eyes on the battlefield and I tried my best to listen in on every little sound which flowed into my ears. Another twig snapped to my left and I raised my hand in order to deliver a giant blast but the older looking man flashed right in front of my face. He raised his hand and threw a massive overhand right which I saw coming from a mile away. I ducked under his shot and put my hand right on his lower ribs as I let the bomb of explosive golden light detonate at point blank distance. The world flashed gold again as I flipped backwards and regained my ground. I couldn¡¯t see the man and I couldn¡¯t see James or the other guy either. I floated off of the ground and hovered mid air as I searched with wide eyes,


    ¡°Come out motherfucker,¡± a giant explosion went off right to my left and I jerked my head towards it. James was barely pushing the younger looking warrior back as he used his axe to keep him at arm''s reach. His face filled struggle as he looked towards me with panic on his face,


    ¡°EVAY, BEHIND YOU!¡± I felt a tingly sensation erupt on the back of my nape and I instinctively ducked as a giant black crystal soared above my head. It shot through the forest and seemed to pierce through the air itself as I leapt into the sky and flew backwards to try and spot my enemy. I turned upside down in mid-air and saw about twenty black crystal spears the size of my entire body come racing towards my head. I dove down and leaned left, barrel rolled to the right, and spun to my side as I weaved through the deathly shower of crystal spears. The older looking warrior had his feet glued to the ground as he seemed to be concentrating on controlling his crystal spears. I spun around and added some kick to my flight as a giant sonic boom rang out into the air. He turned his head and held out his hands towards me when I was about an arms length away from his face. Everything seemed to slow down as in that split second. I could see his face, the texture of his hands, his eyes, I could see the surrounding forest, I could feel the air, and I could feel the timing. An impossibly sharp spear of dark crystal shot out towards me as I stared the shadowy weapon of death in the face. The man laughed,


    ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    Now.


    I jumped off of the very air itself and flipped over my enemy so that I was upside down¡ªstaring down at his head. The crystal spear missed me and went flying off into the distance as I held out my right arm and grabbed my wrist with my left hand for support. My hand started to glow with gold as I felt the searing hot energy slowly start to seep its way from out of my soul and into my palms. He slowly looked up at me with surprise as I stared him in the eye. ¡°I win.¡± I released the pent up energy in the palm of my hand all at once as my body was forced upwards into the sky from the recoil of the blast. A giant, bass-boosted, reverberated boom seemingly split the world in half as everything went bright white for a second and a mushroom-shaped smoke cloud erupted into the air. I felt myself free falling through the air as I shook my head to regain my consciousness. The ringing in my ears slowly faded away and I turned myself around and gently floated down to the ground as I took in my surroundings. A giant crater the size of our camp had appeared in the middle of the forest. The soil had tendrils of smoke coming off of it and small fires dotted the leftover bushes and dead trees. I touched down onto the ground and began to look around. My see through eyes couldn¡¯t pick up anything unusual in our surrounding area and none of my other senses seemed to be going off either. I slowly shifted back into my fighting stance as I cautiously waited and looked for any signs of life. I felt a small rumble beneath my feet and my eyes went wide with surprise. Underground, fuck¡ª


    An uppercut from the deepest depths of hades hit my chin as everything went dark for a split second. I felt blood splatter out of my nose and jaw as I was tossed up into the air from the force of the strike. I tried to fly but a strong hand grabbed my ankle and everything scrambled into a mess of colours as I felt my body slam into the cold, hard soil. My ribs cracked, my eyes went everywhere, and my head seemed to split open as I finally regained my vision. The man¡¯s face had severe burn marks on it and a big cut opened up near the top of his eye as he raised up his fists and spoke, ¡°I can¡¯t let you fly¡ªotherwise you have the advantage.¡± I raised up my hands to protect myself but he slammed two spikes into both of my palms and pinned them to the ground. I grit my teeth with pain as he slammed his fists into my face. Huge amounts of blood splattered onto the soil as my vision went dark again, and again, and again every time his fist connected with my face. I saw blood splatter left and right and fly above my head as I tried to keep my eyes open. His hands viscously tore at my eyes, nose, and jaw as I tried to fight back. He held up both of his hands and summoned a giant crystal spear with an especially sharp end. He smiled as he grabbed his instrument of death, ¡°Let me clip your wings for you.¡± He slammed the spear into me as I felt my lungs, chest, and ribs all shatter from the force. The spear pierced through my entire being and punctured through my back and into the soil beneath me. I tried to grab at the spear but my hands were still pinned to the ground. The man let out a laugh, ¡°I am Levensk, of house Carrie and I have been a warrior since my youth. I remember being just like you¡ªbeing so scared and helpless and yet so confident in my own abilities. Do you feel it? It¡¯s what everyone feels in their first fight? Do you feel the fear penetrating your lungs? Do you feel the dread seeping into your veins? Are you scared? Scared that you are going to die.¡± A switch suddenly flipped in my head.


    Anger, anger so strong and intense that it physically hurt my being started to boil up inside of me. This guy was just another noble. He was a strong man who pushed down the weak, a man who gloated over the dying, a sick man who tortured people for fun. He was a warrior and someone who had been strong for their entire life. He was no different from the nobles we had here¡ªhe was the same thing just with a different flag strapped to him. He was humiliating me, he was killing me, he was beating me, he was killing me¡­. I hated him, I hated him, I hated him, I hated him¡­.. He needed to die, he needed to suffer, he needed to suffer my pain¡ªall of my pain. Fear? Fear of death? What did he know about me? I had felt this feeling for my entire existence and that was because of people like him. Fear? Nah¡ªI was angry. Too angry to die.


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    I grit my teeth as I let out an inhuman scream. He laughed and grabbed my hair, ¡°Cry, cry, cry you little animal! Suffer and die and go back to deathl you demon child.¡± His two fingers turned into crystal spear tips as he slowly went to pierce my eyes. I let out another inhuman scream as I ripped my hands free from the crystal spears pinning them to the ground. My hands came out a wrangled, mauled, and bloody mess as blood painted the ground like water on a rainy day. Levensk¡¯s eyes went wide with shock as I pushed off of the ground with my elbows and slowly de-skewered myself. A sickening squelch sound rang out into the air as I freed myself from being impaled to the dirt and grabbed Levensk¡¯s head with my mangled hands. I girt my teeth and looked at him with immense hatred,


    ¡°Fuck you.¡±


    I head butted him with all of my might as he reeled backwards from the pain. I flipped forwards into the air and slammed both of my legs into his chest as blood flew out of his mouth and splattered onto my robes. He looked at me with hatred and he shot two crystal spears at me but I slipped both and I stomped on his face. I kept stomping and stomping and stomping as his bones cracked and blood poured out onto the earth like water from a fountain. He held out his hand as he used a sharp crystal tip in order to slice my achilles tendon. I unknowingly fell on one knee as he spun around on the ground and kicked me in the jaw. I took it on the chin and Levensk tried to get away while I was stunned but I slammed my sharp, exposed, protruding wrist bone into his ankle as he looked back at me with anger. I raised him into the air and spun him around like a sack of flour as I took off into the air. I shot up at blinding speeds as I threw him into the open sky. I shot past him and gained the high ground. I put both of my mangled, non-existent hands together and slammed them down into Levensk¡¯s flailing body. He rocketed towards the earth and landed with an unimaginably loud crash as I dove down head-first towards him in order to finish the kill. A giant flower petal made of pure dark crystals suddenly erupted into existence as the entire ground was now covered with Levensk¡¯s creation. I landed onto the crystal surface and immediately felt something pierce my feet. Two barbed tips sunk into the soles of my feet as crystal vines with metallic thorns suddenly lashed at me like magical tentacles. I held up my arms and enveloped myself in a golden barrier as the tentacles slammed into my golden energy shield with viscous force. They kept banging in and banging and bagging on my shield as cracks started to form and the barrier started to give. My eyes dashed around the surrounding area as I searched for Levensk with all of my senses. Left, right, centre, up? Where the fuck is he? Above? Under¡ªwait¡­. Under¡­


    I took a deep breath and shook off the blood soaked into my hair as I concentrated with all of my being. I felt the rumble in the soles of my feet, the vibrations underneath the soil, and the sound of tunnelling beneath me. One, two, three.


    The ground beneath my feet erupted as a fist coated in dark crystal armour slowly approached my chin. I dropped my barrier and relaxed my entire body as the giant crystal petal on the floor closed in on itself in an instant. The various sharp tentacles started to whip and thrash at me and Levensk¡¯s bloody and mangled face stared at me with fury, ¡°Die.¡± I smiled and looked at him with a animal-like smile,


    ¡°Boo!¡± My beautifully decorated, ivory white spear flashed into existence inside my hand. Levensk¡¯s face went wide with shock as his head slowly moved up and his fist got closer to my chin. He stood helpless¡ªalmost trapped in time¡ªas his chin slowly rammed itself into the tip of my spear as I sat and looked on with a deep smile. ¡°Thank you for doing me the favour.¡± A sickening crunch and squelch rang into the air as my spear went through Levensk¡¯s chin and came back out at the top of his skull. The giant crystal petals of death and the deathly sharp tentacles all froze in place as Levensk¡¯s body went limp. I lifted up my spear and held his body in the air like a giant, bloody, human pi?ata. I floated up into the air and flew out of the mess of sharp crystal weapons. I landed on normal soil and took a good look at Levensk¡¯s face. It was hardly recognizable as a human face. One of his eyes was missing since the tip of my spear was poking out of where it should¡¯ve been. His entire face was scarred and drenched with blood, his nose was mangled and broken, the flesh around his lips was torn off so that his teeth were visible, and most of his jaw was broken or missing. My spear was still shoved through his entire head as I tried my best to speak with all of the blood in my mouth, ¡°Am I afraid to die? Nah, not really. I bet you are through. Aren¡¯t you? Don¡¯t lie¡ªyou are afraid aren¡¯t you?¡± I shook my spear as he tried to grab the shaft. I shoved his hands away and laughed, ¡°Pathetic. So pathetic,¡± I laughed loudly, ¡°how many people have you killed? How many people have you taunted before they died? You¡¯ve killed so many people without a second thought and you¡¯re asking me to spare you? Fuck off.¡± I pulled Levensk closer and delivered a bone-crushing strike to his torso. My fist went through his body as blood poured onto the soil behind him like a horrific miniature waterfall. Blood poured out of his disfigured mouth as I kicked his dangling legs out from under him. My shins sliced through his thighs and knees as his legs went flying off into the forest. I smiled, ¡°Look at me¡ªhey! Look at me,¡± I grabbed his one good eye, ¡°Die and do not come back.¡± I crushed his eye as he let out a miserable cry of pain. I laughed maniacally as I waved around his mangled body, ¡°HA, what did you say to me? Cry, was it? Yeah it was. Who¡¯s crying now? Cry you fucking animal.¡± My spear began to glow with golden energy as Levensk¡¯s bloody skull began to glow. ¡°I hate you¡ªI will always hate you. Die noble, die and do not come back.¡± A flash of golden light illuminated the air as I fired off a golden blast into Levensk¡¯s skull through the tip of my spear. His skull exploded into a million pieces and blood splattered onto my entire body and face as my hair, eyes, and nose were all covered with Levensk¡¯s blood. His legless body dropped to the floor and splattered onto the ground¡ªlifeless and motionless. I felt something tingle on the back of my neck and I immediately turned around. James¡¯s axe came soaring at me like a giant boomerang of death as he crashed into the ground¡ªholding his opponent by the collar. He had a huge cut on his face and his clothes were all torn but his opponent seemed to be in much worse shape. The younger warrior had an eye missing and one arm entirely cut off. James repeatedly slammed his opponent¡¯s head into the ground as he dragged his body through the earth. I quickly grabbed the flying axe in mid air and spun around once before chucking it back at James. The axe spun gracefully through the sky as James grabbed it without even looking and he raised it high into the air. He brought down the axe with all his might as the blade seemingly connected with his opponent¡¯s body. A huge cloud of dust filled the sky and the ground shook with fury as I covered my eyes to avoid any damage.


    The dust slowly started to clear as I tried my best to make out what was happening. James¡¯s axe was fully impaled into the ground and massive amounts of fresh blood coated the stainless steel as his opponent¡¯s body was entirely bisected. His upper body sat lifeless as blood gently dropped out of his mouth. His lower body sat slightly below him and the axe acted as the divider¡ªforever separating the two halves from meeting again. James stood above him and raised up his foot, ¡°May mercy be upon your soul.¡± He stomped hard on his opponent¡¯s face as his head was crushed from the impact. He looked towards me and his face filled with shock, ¡°Evay¡ªwhat the fuck? How are you still alive? We have to get you back to camp. Did you find you where Zia is? Never mind that actually, how are you standing?¡± I smiled as I began to stumble.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine! Really good actually! I took that fucker out and made him pay! I made him¡­. I made him¡­¡± I looked down at the massive hole in my body which was seeping with blood. Both of my hands were gone, one of my arms was entirely broken, and I just realized that my left leg had been completely shattered from the knee down. It all started to come to me as I gave James one last smile, ¡°I¡¯ll make them pay. I promise.¡± My body involuntarily dropped to the floor as I saw the world one last time.

 Chapter 84: No Pressure

    Geon Leventen: I hated carriage rides. I loved them when I got to ride with my friends but when it was just me with a bunch of ¡°important¡± people it just bored me to death. For one, I could travel faster than any chariot in the whole entire world so riding in one felt like an insane waste of time. Secondly, I hated how cramped they always were. Besides the one that had taken us to the royal party most of them made me feel like I was in a tiny tin can. Lastly, who really wanted to be trapped with a bunch of old dudes who made weird grunting noises and smelled like bad cologne for hours on end? The answer is no one. In fact, I could¡¯ve just stopped at old dudes and that would¡¯ve been enough for most people. Despite all of this, I sat quietly with veteran military officials and generals while they spoke amongst themselves.


    I felt better¡ªat least compared to a couple days ago. My injuries had fully healed and my body was back to full strength. It would take me a little while to get used to moving around at full speed again but other than that I felt great. It was weird since I had almost forgotten what it was like to be normal but it was coming back to me now. I took a look inside my pocket and pulled out a little lilac flower which Lila had given me. It would be a while before I saw her again so she had given me a little token to remember her by. I smiled and put it back in my pocket. One of the generals saw me and spoke in a gruff voice, ¡°Got a lady kid?¡± I looked up with surprise before answering,


    ¡°Oh, yes sir.¡± He nodded,


    ¡°Make sure she¡¯s a good one¡ªnever know what they get up to while you¡¯re gone.¡± I stayed quiet for a bit,


    ¡°She is a¡­. a, ¡®good one¡¯ sir. I trust her.¡± He laughed,


    ¡°I admire that kid but you never know. I¡¯ve seen soldiers with the most beautiful faith get destroyed.¡± I stayed quiet. Huh, I guess old men really are terrible when it comes to women-talk.


    I spoke in a respectful tone, ¡°Maybe so. But she¡¯s actually fighting in the war so I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be doing a fine job and not worrying about me or anything else.¡± He looked at me with surprise,


    ¡°A warrior? I see, I wish you luck my boy¡ªthat won¡¯t be easy.¡± I nodded,


    ¡°I¡¯m sure many things won¡¯t be easy sir.¡± He laughed,


    ¡°Good answer. We¡¯re here, you finally get to stop listening to us old men. Prepare to meet the members of the first legion¡ªthe most capable legion in all of the Taegan empire.¡± I nodded and walked out of the carriage. The first legion was to be stationed in the north and we were apparently going to be responsible for defending the northern borders, the eastern borders, the upper western borders, and even the southern borders if we really needed to. Basically they were making us do everything¡ªwhich was nice. There were only three squads in the first legion and therefore only twelve individual warriors. Apparently the lower legions had five to a squad but we only got four¡ªwhich sucked. I had heard all about the logistics though and I was getting super tired of hearing them over and over again.


    The generals led me into the camp and honestly I didn¡¯t know what to make of it¡ªsince I really didn¡¯t know what to expect going into camp. There were three large tents¡ªabout the size of a house¡ªmade of some type of white linen cloth and embroidered with golden vines. Each of them had a name on top of their doors which I assumed signified who the captain of that particular squad''s tent was. We stopped at the foot of Captain Lock¡¯s tent and the generals looked towards me, ¡°We wish you victory and success in battle, Mr. Leventen. You may now enter your accommodations.¡± They saluted me and I did an awkward salute back. They all walked back to their chariots and filed back inside in an orderly manner. I turned back towards the tent entrance and stepped inside. The first thing I did was rub my eyes because the inside of the tent was way, way, way bigger than the outside. The floors were made of mahogany panels and the walls were freshly painted. There was a kitchen with a steel furnace and marble dining tables as well as many rooms for the squad members to stay in. Everything seemed nice¡ªa little too nice. We were supposed to be fighting in a war and yet this place was better than my dorm at Eden academy¡­.. The tent flew open and I quickly turned around.


    A woman¡ªabout Lila¡¯s height¡ªwalked in through the tent door. She had long brown hair and bangs which covered her forehead but kept her eyes visible. She had stormy gray eyes and a slim athletic build as well as a giant musket strapped to her back. Her long, black battle pants and tight white t-shirt gave me the impression that she really didn¡¯t mess around when it came to being comfortable¡ªeven on the battlefield. She looked at me for a second before speaking in a fairly normal tone, ¡°What¡¯s up. I guess I¡¯m not the youngest anymore. Welcome to the squad¡ªwe¡¯re the two kiddies of the group. It¡¯s nice to meet you, my name is Lara. I know who you are.¡± She held out her hand and I shook it. I pointed to the musket strapped to her back,


    ¡°Cool musket. I¡¯ve never seen one of those in real life before¡ªthey¡¯re pretty cool.¡± She smiled,


    ¡°Thanks. Apparently non-warriors use them to go duck and rabbit hunting. It¡¯s kind of weird¡ªI hate killing innocent animals. This one¡¯s filled with liquor technology though so it¡¯s a bit more powerful than your normal musket.¡± I looked at her with inquisitive eyes,


    ¡°You said you don¡¯t like killing innocent animals right? That doesn¡¯t conflict with you being a warrior?¡± She replied without looking at me,


    ¡°Humans are animals too I guess, but no human is ever innocent. Unlike animals humans are cruel, evil, and unnecessarily violent¡ªkilling them doesn¡¯t bother me nearly as much.¡± I shrugged,


    ¡°The monkeys I used to steal mangos from were pretty violent. They tried to pull my hair and balls off¡ªdo you know how traumatizing that is for a six year old?¡± She chuckled dryly,


    ¡°Maybe if you didn¡¯t steal their mangos they wouldn¡¯t have been like that. Also humans know that they shouldn¡¯t be violent. Animals kill to eat, to live, and they kill because they don¡¯t know any better¡ªit¡¯s their instinct. But humans kill each other not for food or for any good reason at all. They know it¡¯s wrong but they still do it and they go out of their way to make the process as terrible as they can for their victims. Creatures like that aren¡¯t innocent to me at all.¡± I nodded,


    ¡°Fair, so I take it that you¡¯re a pretty good warrior? You¡¯re about my age and you''re in the first legion right? You¡¯ve got to be strong.¡± She shrugged,


    ¡°You know how it is¡ªeveryone always praises you like you''re some god and the next thing you know you¡¯re surrounded by people who can cut mountains in half with their pinkies. It¡¯s a bit humbling but I¡¯m guessing that I may be able to relate to that more than you.¡± I laughed,


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    ¡°Well if you¡¯re curious I did throw a mountain at someone once¡ªthey didn¡¯t die though. That made me seriously reconsider how effective that tactic was.¡± Lara laughed,


    ¡°You know, you¡¯re a lot different than I thought you would be Geon Leventen.¡± I shrugged,


    ¡°Everyone always says that. Do I really look that much like a playboy who drinks, sleeps with like fifty girls, and parties all day? I think I look like a pretty upstanding young man.¡± She shook her head,


    ¡°No¡ªwell, yes. You do look like a typical famous warrior who does all of those things but at the same time you don¡¯t. Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯ve gotten good at reading people but you''re good on the inside. That¡¯s very rare¡ªyou know that? Usually people who are as strong as us had to go through an immense amount of hardship to be here. That makes people depressed, closed off, traumatised, and angry. It makes people unapproachable but I guess you''re different. I¡¯m not saying you didn¡¯t have to go through those things¡ªI know who you are. But you deal with it well¡ªgood job man.¡± She gave me a fist bump and peered at the flower I had in my pocket. ¡°Who¡¯d you get that from?¡± I took out Lila¡¯s flower,


    ¡°Oh, my girlfriend. We¡¯re not going to be seeing each other for a while so she gave it to me as a token. You might know her¡ªher name¡¯s Lila Fairheart.¡± She nodded and gave me an impressed look of approval,


    ¡°Dang¡ªin my opinion she¡¯s a little out of your league. Nice job.¡± I rolled my eyes,


    ¡°Thanks for that. Where¡¯s everyone else?¡± As if on cue the tent door swung open and two other men walked inside. The first one on the right had curly blonde hair and a lean, slightly skinner build. He wasn¡¯t short but he wasn¡¯t extremely tall either and had light blue eyes and a constantly serious expression. He gave me a sideways glance and seemingly rolled his eyes at me before turning away. I looked at him with confusion.


    What did I ever do to you?


    The other man was still shorter than me but a lot taller than the other guy. He had broad shoulders and a nice head of ruffled dark brown hair. He had cream coloured skin and a well trimmed beard as well as a solemn and serious expression on his face. He wore a captain''s uniform and had a large scroll in his hands. Lara saluted the captain and I did the same. The captain spoke with a deep and silky voice,


    ¡°Although I assume that you¡¯re a wonderful person Geon Leventen, we have no time for extended introductions. This is Michael of house Carren and he will be your intelligence specialist. I see you¡¯ve met Lara. You have your very first mission already¡ªit surpasses all rank values.¡± He handed it to me and I looked at him with confusion,


    ¡°Forgive me sir but what does that mean? It surpasses all rank values?¡± Michael snorted,


    ¡°The ranking system for the missions, dumbass.¡± I looked at him with confusion,


    ¡°I heard him the first time motherfucker¡ªwhat is that?¡± Michael looked at me with narrowed, angry eyes,


    ¡°Shut the fuck up and ask nicely retard.¡± I dashed towards him in an instant and stated him down with cold and unforgiving eyes,


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty bitchy for being built like a scarecrow you tiny fuck.¡± He looked at me dead serious eyes and spoke in a sarcastic tone,


    ¡°Oh no! Geon Leventen, who¡¯s so big and strong, is threatening me with my life! I¡¯ve never been threatened by a big strong man before¡ªI¡¯m so fucking scared!¡± The captain slammed his foot onto the floor and spoke in a stern voice,


    ¡°ENOUGH. Carren I told you to not give the new recruit any additional trouble.¡± Michael replied without taking his eyes off of me,


    ¡°If he can¡¯t handle being called a few names by his own squad mate he¡¯s going to die on the battlefield. He¡¯s failing this mission too¡ªwatch.¡± I spoke,


    ¡°I can handle being called names¡ªthat¡¯s what everyone¡¯s been doing to me my entire life. But laws regarding warriors threatening non warriors, or established warriors,  have made it so I¡¯ve never got to really retaliate. Those laws have made it way too easy for people like you to say whatever the fuck you want.¡± Michael scoffed,


    ¡°Oh yeah, so standing over me really helps prove how you''re so much better than me though, does it?¡± The captain dashed in between us in the blink of an eye and separated us. He spoke in a commanding voice,


    ¡°I will not tolerate this level of infighting in my squad. You are the first legion and I expect you to act like you are in the first legion. Carren¡ªI expect you as a senior to know and respect these rules and I expect you, Leventen, to be able to pick up these rules as well¡ªfamous or not. You two will be relying on each other and if you can not hold it together I will be happy to select new warriors. Understood?¡± I angrily stared into his eyes and he did the same. The room suddenly got really dark and the countertops, the floor, the furnace, and the air itself started to glow a dark purple and slowly envelope itself in black. The captain looked at us with dark purple eyes, ¡°Understood?¡± We nodded and the room went back to normal once again. I gasped for air and Michael plopped down on the couch as the captain relaxed. I guess the commander is the commander for a reason. He pointed towards the scroll in my hand,


    ¡°Surpassing all rank values means that mission is so important it doesn¡¯t even have a rank of difficulty or classification. It is a direct order from the Imperial government itself. Usually these missions are given to the Ace warrior of the MTOS unit but currently that unit is being held inactive by the emperor¡ªhe believes it¡¯s too early in the war to deploy their power. So the next choice is the most proficient combatist in the first legion. You have been declared as that combatist, Geon Leventen.¡± I opened up the scroll and read.


    My blood turned to ice.


    ¡°Sir¡ªsir it says here¡ª¡°


    ¡°Geon, Leventen, I Commander Lock hereby deliver the message of the Imperial government in accordance with Emperor Batara. On the tenth hour, of the tenth day, of the tenth month you will fully execute Savian Yelenta of the Raga nation as payment for his crimes of treason against the Taegan empire.¡±


    Fuck.


    Lara whistled, ¡°They¡¯ve got some history sir¡ªmight not be the best idea.¡± Michael spoke up,


    ¡°You can¡¯t reject an rank-surpassing order from the government. He has to take it or he faces the risk of being charged with treason.¡± Commander Lock turned towards the tent doors as a giant hawk adorned with red and gold feathers swooped onto his arm. The hawk had a small letter in its beak and it gently placed the letter in his hand. He opened it, looked at it a for a brief moment, and then looked at us all,


    ¡°The camp on the western shore has been attacked. A scouting mission has turned into a battle and Praga forces are approaching our soldiers. Apparently the information specialist conducting the scouting mission was captured and the two ground scaling specialists have made it out alive. They¡¯re using this attack as a springboard to launch what appears to be a massive offensive. Geon you must go now¡ªSavian Yelenta is approaching from the east side.¡± Lara stood up,


    ¡°How and why did they choose to engage? Can¡¯t we obliterate their camp now? They have no reinforcements and they¡¯re on enemy territory right? What are they doing?¡± Michael answered without taking his eyes off of the messenger hawk,


    ¡°One possibility is that Praga has coordinated with their surrounding allies and we¡¯re about to face a full assault on our empire. I think this unlikely due to the fact that intelligence would have picked up on any attempted coordination since Praga would have to go to great lengths to try and communicate with far away allies on enemy territory. Another possibility is that Mevillime and the western nations are coming early¡ªwhich is likely but it would make no sense to just attack based on that information. That means it¡¯s most likely that there¡¯s an information leak in our military who told Praga about our scouts and most likely took out the information specialist. My best guess is that they¡¯ve been able to extract some information from the captured specialist and may even be sending us false information through her.¡± My eyes went wide,


    ¡°Savian is still here¡ªhe¡¯s actively feeding them information about us. He''s the one who leaked our military plans and took out the information specialist. I don¡¯t know exactly how but he¡¯s within our borders right now¡ªhe¡¯s probably¡ª¡°


    ¡°On our soil. Go.¡± I looked at Michael who was looking at me with indifference. Commander Lock spoke,


    ¡°You must hurry¡ªif Savian Yelenta is free he is a major threat to our empire. Go now and may blessings be upon your soul.¡± I nodded and walked out of the tent door. The sky was a hazy orange and the cool air felt wonderful on my skin. It would¡¯ve been a really nice atmosphere if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that I had to kill someone. I floated off of the ground and prepared to blast into the air before Lara came rushing out,


    ¡°You need directions. Don¡¯t take off yet.¡± I looked back at her,


    ¡°I know where he¡¯s going to be¡ªtrust me. I have to beat him there though¡ªit¡¯s important.¡± She nodded,


    ¡°Failing missions like this is never good for a warrior¡¯s career. If you fail¡­. that might be it, Geon. You might never get to be a warrior.¡± I laughed,


    ¡°The good thing about me is that I don¡¯t really care about any of this. I literally can¡¯t feel the pressure¡ªI¡¯ll be ok. Besides,¡± I slowly ascended higher into the air, ¡°Who do you think you¡¯re talking too.¡± I smiled and blasted off into the air as the bright orange sky washed over my face.

 Chapter 85: Liar

    Savain Yelenta: I hate myself.


    I hate myself. I really hate myself.


    I ran along the rocky mountain tops, blasted through the grand valleys, and quickly ran around the dense forests as I slid to a halt in front of Emmie¡¯s house. The surrounding corn fields had withered away in the presence of autumn and the soil sat quietly and lifelessly as it seemed to give off a sad and depressing haze. Emmie¡¯s house was still as run down as ever but it looked lifeless¡ªway more lifeless than it had ever looked before. It wasn¡¯t good for me to spend so much time in Taegan since the entire country was actively looking to kill me the second I showed myself. Luckily, Taegan military plans were pretty easy to find once you made a high-speed-sweep through their military camps. Taking out their soldiers in the lower legions was also a pretty easy task. Anyoneunder the fifth legion was a walk in the park but the fights were still messy. In order to avoid any trouble I needed to do everything quickly and efficiently and not get spotted by anyone. I couldn¡¯t waste anymore time¡­.


    But this was important.


    I needed to explain myself to Emmie¡ªI needed to show her that I was still here. I needed to talk to her and get her to hear me out and I needed to see her. I really needed to see her¡­.


    My heartbeat quickened, my mind went fuzzy, my palms started to sweat, and my hands started to shake. What do I even say to her? How do I justify myself? What do I even start with? I took a deep breath and slowly inched closer to the house, ¡°Emmie! Emmie? Are you home? Can you¡ªcan you talk? I really need to talk to you right now. I know you¡¯ve probably heard some stuff about me lately but I can explain. I just need you to really hear me out¡ªI need you to trust me. Please, come out.¡± I looked towards the lifeless house as the wind gently blew through its cracks and shattered windows. Dead silence enveloped itself around the entire house and the surrounding field before someone slowly walked out from behind the house.


    My soul sank to the deepest pits of my existence as I felt my entire body freeze from shock. A million different emotions all crashed into each other and created a monstrous sensation of confusion, anger, and dread in my heart as Geon Leventen stood before me. Red electricity flickered off of my body and I started to dash towards him before he put up his hand. ¡°Wait.¡± I stopped in my tracks and bore my red-hot, glowing eyes into his soul as he wore a calm, cool, and collected expression on his face. His eyes had no emotion in them, his expression was lifeless and cold, and his voice was just as lifeless as his face. More electricity flicked off of my body,


    ¡°Why? Why the fuck are you here? What did you do to Emmie? She¡¯s innocent in all of this. You didn¡¯t need to take her and punish her. Give her back or else I¡¯ll fucking kill your¡ª¡°


    ¡°She¡¯s not taken. I didn¡¯t bring her in or anything like that. She¡¯s been evacuated since your jolly old friends are said to be invading us sometime soon.¡± He didn¡¯t have his guard up and he wasn¡¯t ready for an attack. Either he was confident I wasn¡¯t going to attack or he had something up his sleeve. I looked at his chest and saw a small scar running down his collar bone. I scanned his body, his face, his eyes, his arms, and his legs and something seemed to be off. He wasn¡¯t standing how he usually did and he wasn¡¯t as relaxed as he usually was. It was almost like he was tense¡­..


    A light suddenly went off in my head.


    ¡°You¡¯re injured. I don¡¯t know how or who injured you but you''re hurt. Why are you here then¡ªto kill me? I know you''re strong but you don¡¯t think you can kill me when you''re hurt, do you?¡± He scoffed,


    ¡°Actually yeah I¡¯m here to kill you. It¡¯s direct orders under our government¡ª¡°


    ¡°Not ours¡ªyours. I know that¡¯ll be a hard adjustment for you to make.¡± Geon looked at me with cold and unforgiving eyes,


    ¡°Not ours? It was all a lie right? All of the memories we shared, all of the conversations we had, all of the moments that we experienced¡ªthey were just you acting right? You were a pretty good actor¡ªyou fooled all of us.¡± I clenched my fists,


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing personal. I needed to do my job and I did my job pretty well. The timing of whatever happened at the tournament worked out pretty well because that whole fiasco gave us what we needed to finally kick off this whole thing.¡± He looked at me with confusion,


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    ¡°What do you mean timing? You did it¡ªyou destroyed the pipes under the arena. You caused the explosion.¡± I returned his confused stare,


    ¡°What? Why the fuck would I do that? I nearly died there too. Is that what you¡¯re saying? Is that your justification for this war? We all know Taegan secretly attacked Evian and even hid Evay¡¯s death to shift the blame to them and avoid detection. The summit meeting proved that.¡± Geon stared at me in silence. I readied myself to attack and continued speaking, ¡°I¡¯m not one of you, Geon. I never was and I never will be. Whoever you think you knew and whoever you think you spent time with was fake. It was all fucking fake!¡± I felt my anger rise and my heartbeat race, ¡°DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY YEARS I SPENT LIVING AMONG YOUR PEOPLE AND ACTING LIKE I WAS HAPPY. I WAS THROWN HERE WHEN I WAS FIVE AND HAD TO PRETEND TO LIKE YOU GUYS, TO WORK WITH YOU GUYS, TO BE WITH YOU GUYS FOR TEN FUCKING YEARS! I NEVER WANTED TO BE HERE¡ªI NEVER WANTED TO BE WITH YOU ALL. SO LET ME DO WHAT I WANT¡ªYOU CAN¡¯T CHANGE MY MIND.¡± My chest heaved up and down and my eyes bore angrily into Geon¡¯s soul. He stood there calmly and spoke in a cold and and emotionless voice,


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s true. You never wanted to be with us? You never actually liked us? I don¡¯t think that¡¯s true at all. I know when someone is lying or telling the truth because very few people have ever told me the truth about anything that they have ever said to me. I know you¡¯re not a good actor, Savian¡ªit¡¯s one of your biggest flaws. You may be a good lair but you''re not a good actor¡ªyour emotions always tell the real truth. You liked it here, Savian, you still believe we¡¯re you¡¯re people.¡± My heart exploded with rage and my eyes flashed a violent shade of red,


    ¡°Shut the fuck up¡­shut up¡­shut up¡­.shut up¡­..SHUT THE FUCK UP!¡± Geon kept speaking,


    ¡°You trained everyday with Aurora after team meetings to perfect lunar lighting. I saw you laugh with her, train with her, and talk with her. You got to know a lot about her during those practices right? Were those laughs, those conversations, those moments a lie?¡±


    ¡°Shut up..¡±


    ¡°You always volunteered blood and cell samples for Lila¡¯s tests even if she didn¡¯t ask for them. You always helped her out with moving liquor equipment and even ran to get her coffee and snacks during late night training sessions. She helped you out with stuff regarding Emmie and she helped you open up your feelings, right? I saw how you changed with her and her help¡ªwas all that fake too?¡±


    ¡°Geon, shut the fuck¡ª¡°


    ¡°You always took a weird liking to Evay. Maybe it¡¯s because he was younger than us or he was less experienced than us, but you always looked out for him. You heard him out when he spoke to you, you gave him advice before matches, and you always had his back during fights. I know you related to him personally on some level right? Was that fake too?¡±


    I clenched my fists so that my palms bled and glared into Geon¡¯s eyes, ¡°Stop talking.¡±


    ¡°You never liked me. I could tell. I never liked you either and I¡¯m sure you could tell. We fought and we hated each other and we were never great friends but I also respected you. For the things you went through, for the things you accomplished, and for the fact that you managed to respect us and work with us even if you were forced to join our team. Looking back, if I would¡¯ve had to join your team I don¡¯t know if I could''ve managed to acclimate like you. I remember the first time you made a joke¡ªbefore we met Yudra. It was nice seeing that you were a normal guy who liked taking strolls in marketplaces with his friends. That¡¯s not you though? That¡¯s a lie too?¡±


    I waited, ¡°Are you done? Do you think you¡¯re going to change my mind?¡± Geon shrugged,


    ¡°Nah. You¡¯ll lie about us. Not about Emmie though, right?¡± My heart sank. Geon raised his eyebrows, ¡°Oh? Did I hit a nerve? You were with Emmie for nearly ten years right? You cared for her, loved her, you were always there for her, and you devoted yourself to her. The hundreds of conversations you had, the tender moments, the endless amounts of memories and moments you guys share¡ªthat was all a lie too? You told me that you loved her¡ªthat she¡¯s your girlfriend and the only one that you care about¡ªthat was a lie?¡± My entire body felt glued to the ground as the weight of galaxies and universes seemed to rest on my shoulders. My mind went numb, my heart sank, and my chest started to hurt. My breathing quickened, my chest rose up and down rapidly, my heartbeats rang out into the air, I felt like I couldn¡¯t think straight, my body froze, and pain seeped through my very being. Geon looked at me with caution, ¡°Panic attack? What¡¯s your answer?¡± I felt like my chest was going to explode as I remembered the words of Jem.


    Forget her.


    Emmie was part of my life here. I didn¡¯t need this life anymore. I wasn¡¯t here for this anymore. This wasn¡¯t me, this wasn¡¯t who I was meant to be, and this life was exactly the thing I was fighting against now. I needed to let go, I needed to forget, I needed to wash it all away because nothing here mattered anymore. I pried my lips open and moved against the weight of all my being as I forced the words to come out, ¡°Yes, yes ... .yes. It was all a lie. Even¡ªeven¡ªeven¡­¡± I looked Geon in the eyes, ¡°Even her.¡± Geon didn¡¯t take his eyes off of me as he spoke loudly,


    ¡°Emmie, come out.¡± I felt something inside my heart snap as Emmie came out from behind her house. Her hair was a mess, her clothes were wrinkled and dirty, her face was covered with old paint, and her eyes were red and bloodshot from crying. Fresh tears rolled down her face as she stared into my eyes with shock, hatred, hurt, and despair. She spoke in a voice so quiet that I could barely hear it,


    ¡°You¡ªyou¡ªyou told the truth¡­.. You¡ªyou really meant that.¡± I reached out to her weakly,


    ¡°No I didn¡¯t mean it¡ª¡°


    She screamed in a hurt and angry voice, ¡°YOU¡ªYOU LIED TO ME? I SPENT TEN YEARS WITH YOU! I LIKED YOU, I PAINTED FOR YOU! YOU ALWAYS CAME TO ME FOR COMFORT AND SUPPORT BUT ALL OF THAT WAS A LIE I¡¯VE BEEN WASTING AWAY AFTER HEARING THAT YOU RAN AWAY FROM US AND BETRAYED US BUT NOW I KNOW IT''S TRUE!¡± I felt my legs turn to jelly. ¡°YOU LIAR!¡± Tears came streaming down her face as she charged towards me angrily. Geon held her back as she screamed and shouted and let out angry cries of sadness and rage. I looked at her messy, red, puffy, tear filled face and felt everything around me go dark. Nothing mattered anymore¡ªnot war, not missions, not my country, and not Taegan. Nothing mattered¡­ nothing mattered. Geon gently shifted Emmie aside and looked at me with cold eyes,


    ¡°Fuck you, you fucking traitor.¡± He blasted off of the ground and grabbed me as he propelled us into the sky.

 Chapter 86: My friend

    Savain Yelenta: Strangely enough, I felt absolutely nothing as Geon flew me into the stratosphere and slammed me into the earth. I felt myself get pelted through the clouds and air rushed through my ears as I hit the ground with so much force that a massive crater obliterated everything for as far as the eye could see. Everything in my body broke as blood flew out of my mouth and nostrils. It didn¡¯t hurt, I didn¡¯t feel panic or rush, and I didn¡¯t feel any fear. I just felt empty, so empty¡­. I had betrayed her, I had hurt her, I had made Emmie cry¡­. I didn¡¯t want her to cry or to get hurt but¡ª


    Geon fist came smashing into my skull as I felt myself blink in and out of consciousness. I felt the impacts crush through my head into the ground as red mist covered my eyes, nose, and hair. He spoke in a strangely cold and emotionless voice, ¡°That¡¯s it? Come on.¡± He grabbed me by my ankles and the world started to all blur together as I was spun around like a sack of potatoes. Geon threw me into the distant sky as the wind tore into my scars and into my ears. He seemingly teleported behind me as he slammed his fists into the small of my back. A giant crack reverberated through the air as I felt a weird tingly sensation erupt over my body before I lost all control of my limbs. I was slammed forward into the tree line but before the forest could swallow me whole Geon flashed before me again and kicked me in the face with immense force. I felt my face break from the impact as I was once again blasted back into the distance. He appeared above me in the air and slammed me down with both of his fists, he flashed behind me and kneed me in the back which sent me flying upwards, he teleported above me again and slammed me down back to the earth, and he teleported under me and uppercutted his fist through my entire body as I was being slammed towards the earth at unimaginable speeds. His fist, red and bloody, was protruding through my body as he looked at me with anger. Iron tendrils burst out of the earth and grabbed my arms, legs, neck, and torso as Geon levitated above me. ¡°Fight back,¡± he threw a heavy right cross at my face which connected and sent several of my teeth flying. The cool, calm, and collected expression on his face started to fade away as anger crept onto his face, ¡°Fight back,¡± he threw two punches which both connected with my face and sent blood splattering onto the ground beneath me. He shouted with fury, ¡°FIGHT BACK!¡±


    Punch after punch smashed into my skull as I felt my life start to slip away. Right cross, after left jab, after left hook, after right cross, after uppercut hit my face with immense speed as blood slowly painted the ground like a violent, ruby, painting plastered onto the ground. Geon shouted in between hits, ¡°FIGHT BACK,¡± an audible crunch sound reverberated through the air as his fist connected with my jaw, ¡°You need to pay for what you did! YOU DON¡¯T GET THE EASY WAY OUT!¡± One, two, three, four, five strikes connected in the blink of an eye, ¡°You need to struggle and die for what you did! For what you did to us and to her!¡± He pulled back his fist and threw a hard cross to my face. It sent my head flying backwards as more blood splattered onto the ground. I coughed and tried my best to respond, ¡°Do¨Cdo¨Cdon¡¯t bring her into¨Cinto this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you who brought her into this! You lied to her, manipulated her, and destroyed her. That¡¯s why you can¡¯t go out easily like this! You¨C¡± He paused for a second before looking into the distance. His expression returned to its naturally cold and emotionless state as he spoke in a calm and collected voice, ¡°Whoever you are, put her down.¡± I looked at where Geon was looking and my heart began to race. It was Jem and Pohan¨Cthe leader of Raga¡¯s first division. Pohan was dressed in his blood red and black battle vest and Jem was dressed in non-combatant clothes. Both of them looked calm but I could tell something was off¨CPohan never showed up anywhere by himself unless something really urgent was happening. Jem replied in a dry and cold voice, ¡°We are here to retrieve our soldier. The one that you have kindly¡­¡­ captured.¡± Geon looked at me,


    ¡°Nice friends,¡± more iron tendrils sprouted out of the ground and wrapped around me like evil, steel vines. Geon levitated higher into the air, ¡°I have orders to kill him and I don¡¯t intend to disobey those orders. I can¡¯t let you have him. Leave peacefully and I will not harm you.¡± Jem scoffed,


    ¡°Harm? Please, our allies and we ourselves have already surrounded you. Tell me what you can do right now?¡± Geon replied quickly,


    ¡°I can kill all of you and then take care of all that other stuff. You don¡¯t believe me?¡± The ground started to rumble as Geon held up his arms. Pohan spoke for the first time,


    ¡°How old are you, boy?¡± Geon replied,


    ¡°Fifteen, why?¡± Pohan scoffed,


    ¡°So young but so strong. What a blessing and a curse¨Ctell me boy, how many good things have you experienced in your life?¡± Geon took a while before speaking,


    ¡°Enough.¡± Pohan nodded,


    ¡°The strength of a warrior is determined by what kind of decisions they can make in times where others would simply crumble. So, how strong are you?¡± Pohan held up his hands as Emmie levitated into the air in front of us¨Cseemingly choking on an invisible hand. I tried to move, to scream, to do anything but nothing was working. My body was completely paralyzed and I could barely breathe. I let out a faint scream as Geon, for the first time in forever, looked at me with concern. He spoke with a hint of worry, ¡°Let her go¨Cwhat does she have to do with you?¡± Pohan spoke,


    ¡°Savitar has taken a liking to her and because of that she has an extremely large base of intel on him. She knows nothing about our military or nation of course, but she knows his tendencies, his habits, what he likes, doesn¡¯t like, what he usually does, and what he usually avoids or doesn¡¯t do. All of that is valuable information when trying to find out what he will do next. Savitar is quite precious to us so you understand that we need to protect him by killing her.¡± Geon replied,


    ¡°No, that logic is pretty stupid actually. Give her back. Do you think that Savain will be loyal to you if you kill his girlfriend in front of him? Use your brain.¡± Pohan laughed,


    ¡°That¡¯s an excellent point. I¡¯ll kill his lady in front of him and it will revert him back to what he should¡¯ve been¨Ca cold warrior¨Cnot a soft, wallowing, child who loves people and cares for them. Geon scoffed,


    ¡°Good luck. He¡¯s a big softie now.¡± Pohan prepared to attack,


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you trying to kill him? Why are you defending his people? Why are you trying to save this lady of his? Why haven¡¯t you killed him yet? Why are you defending him? You don¡¯t make much sense Geon Leventen.¡± The ground shook with an incredible intensity as both Pohan and Jem started to lose their balance. The vibrations and rumbling made the forests, the mountains, the very ground itself start to topple as fissures and cracks formed in the earth and entire forests and mountains in the distance started to topple over. The sound of the earth shaking was deafening as the planet seemed to be crying in pain. Geon stared at them with a calm, cold, hatred and spoke in a solemn and serious voice,


    ¡°Fuck him. But at the same time, he¡¯s my friend. It¡¯s weird and complicated but whatever. Screw it.¡±


    The whole earth opened up as a massive chasm appeared in the ground beneath us. Pohan and Jem quickly retreated to safety while Emmie was dropped down into the pit in almost an instant. Geon went flying after her as he scooped her up and put her down onto the ground. He raised his hands and encased her in a mystery metal as he spoke in a gentle voice, ¡°Your boyfriends a real dick but I can¡¯t let you see him die. I don¡¯t think either of you want that.¡± Geon blasted off into the sky as he collided fists with Pohan. The impact sent a shockwave through the air which leveled a large clearing of trees and sliced the top of a faraway mountain. Geon lifted up his fist but Pohan held out his hand in front of Geon¡¯s chest. He was blasted into the distance as a giant boom echoed out through the air. Pohan constricted and twisted his hands as Geon¡¯s body flailed wildly in the air. He flipped backwards before a giant shockwave reverberated through the sky as Geon regained his balance and control. He blasted towards Pohan as he looped and raced through the sky like a giant, deadly, human torpedo. Pohan held up both of his hands and Geon was once again stopped instantly in mid-air. Pohan waved his hands to the left and to the right and Geon went flying out of control. Pohan slammed his hands down to the ground and Geon was thrown from the sky into the ground with immense force. I expected a crash to sound throughout the air but the earth opened up right before Geon collided with the ground and it seemed to gladly accept him with open arms. The earth closed back up and everything went silent as Pohan maintained a calm but alert expression on his face. He frantically  scanned his surroundings and began to inch closer to the spot where Geon had been swallowed up by the earth before he stopped in his tracks. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Pohan just barely put his hands up before the earth below him exploded in a flash of lava, fire, and earthen debris. He quickly stepped onto a piece of falling volcanic rock before hopping onto another falling piece of hot, molten rock. As soon as his foot touched the debris it clasped around his leg like a giant, living hand and Pohan was pulled into the fire. A hand came flying out of the molten lava shower and grabbed Pohan¡¯s head. Geon emerged from the molten lava completely unscathed as he slammed Pohan¡¯s head into his knee. A giant crack rang out through the earth as Pohan was sent flying into the sky. His face filled with concentration and anger as he spun around and steadied himself in the air. Geon spiraled his way towards the floating Pohan in an instant as white trials of fury followed behind him. Pohan lifted up both of his hands and tensed his shoulders and arms Geon¡¯s charge started to slow down little by little. He was pushing Geon back with all of his might¡ªtrying to buy himself some time.


    Pohan slowly started to fall back to the ground as he reached the apex of his flight and Geon¡¯s face filled with concentration. Pohan struggled immensely as Geon grit his teeth and started to speed up. Pohan let out a loud shot as he quickly started to fall back towards the ground. He still had his hands up in front of him and was trying to push Geon back but it was no use. Geon flew right above the rapidly descending Pohan and flew faster and faster and faster. He brutally bashed his way through the invisible force that Pohan was casting upon him as he shot forward into him like he was propelled by a rubber band. A sonic boom sliced through the air as Geon¡¯s fist landed clean on Pohan¡¯s chin. Pohan was propelled into the ground within the blink of an eye and the very earth beneath him seemingly tuned to dust as a mega-crater opened up right where he had landed. Geon landed onto the ground with a big thud and took deep, heavy breaths. He turned around slowly and began to approach the crater. The silence seeped into the air as everything seemed to go quiet.


    A giant crash reverberated through the air as huge spiral shaped cuts bore themselves into earth¡¯s soil. Geon jumped back but he was quickly pulled in as Pohan grabbed his collar. Pohan threw an overhand strike which was blocked by a tendril of iron rising out of the earth. Pohan threw Geon back but he was instantly wrapped in massive metal tendrils as soon as he let go. The earth opened up beneath him in order to swallow him whole but Pohan broke out of the metal-tendril chains and jumped towards Geon. Geon blasted a column of white-hot fire at his face but Pohan held up his hands and deflected the fire-column away. Geon immediately rushed in and grabbed Pohan¡ªshoving him back down to the ground. A huge fist made of rocks, various metals, and earthen soil shot up from the ground and launched itself into Pohan¡¯s back. Geon shoved Pohan into the giant, earthen, punch as he was sandwiched between two gargantuan strikes. The earthen fist shattered as Geon pinned Pohan to the ground. He raised up his hands and struck him twice as Pohan¡¯s head collided with the soil. Pohan turned his head sideways and avoided the next strike as he grabbed Geon¡¯s neck and shoved him off of his body. Geon regained balance but Pohan had closed the distance. Pohan quickly swiped to the left as Geon¡¯s feet were swept cleanly off of the ground. At the same time Pohan threw a well timed roundhouse kick which caught Geon on the head. The strike made an audible impact but Geon quickly recovered as he threw a spinning back fist as soon as he landed on the ground. Pohan ducked it and pulled Geon towards him. Geon rocketed towards Pohan¡¯s elbow strike¡ªwhich landed cleanly on the chin. Pohan made Geon lean right as Geon was thrown into a clean right hook. Pohan threw another four punch combination which cracked Geon¡¯s impenetrable defense and sent blood splattering onto the charred soil. Pohan threw a huge right cross but Geon saw it. He slipped the heavy punch and countered with a metal-arm left hook which smashed the jaw of Pohan. Pohan responded with an uppercut and another swipe of his fingers¡ªwhich swept Geon off of his feet.


    This time Geon was ready.


    Pohan threw another head kick while Geon was falling but a metal tendril came out of nowhere and blocked the strike. The very earth around Pohan all clasped onto him like angry tentacles of doom as Geon dropped to the floor and spun around¡ªperforming a sweep with a metal blade attached to his leg. The strike sliced cleanly through Pohan¡¯s lower body as he dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Geon breathed heavily as he looked down upon Pohan¡¯s leg less body, ¡°I win.¡± Pohan didn¡¯t say a word. Geon kept breathing heavily as he tried to talk normally, ¡°I¡¯ll let you¡ª¡° a black obsidian blade suddenly pierced itself through his chest as Jem quietly stood behind Geon,


    ¡°Good work. Savitar wasn¡¯t lying¡ªyou are strong.¡± Geon¡¯s expression remind strangely calm as he continued to speak without a hitch in his voice,


    ¡°Yeah¨Cthanks for the compliment. The fact that you put a blade in my chest kinda negates it though.¡± Jem twisted the blade sideways and tried to shove it out from Geon¡¯s ribcage. He yanked and yanked and yanked but the blade wouldn¡¯t come out as it seemed like Jem was trying to pull his blade out of a steel stone. Geon looked down on Jem with an eerily cold look, ¡°You still gonna stand there?¡± Jem¡¯s face filled with shock and fear as his eyes went wide. He let go of the blade and tried to run but Geon grabbed Jem¡¯s arm. Jem pulled and scratched and tugged to get away from Geon¡¯s grip but he didn¡¯t let go. ¡°You¡¯re not very bright, are you?¡± Geon snapped Jem¡¯s arm off as he let out a pitiful cry of pain and fear. Geon tossed Jem¡¯s arm away and shoved his hand through Jem¡¯s chest. A splash of blood splattered onto the grass as Jem was lifted high into the air by Geon. His mouth filled with blood, his eyes turned bloodshot, and he clawed at Geon¡¯s arm with his one good hand. Geon spoke calmly, ¡°I need you to tell me what exactly happened at the Youth Championships. The empire is telling us that Savain did it¨Cthat he blew up the liquor pipes underneath the arena. Is that true? Or is there something more to it. Something tells me that there is a lot, and I mean a lot, more to it. Do you know?¡± Jem stammered and blood came splattering out of his mouth. Geon titled his head and turned his fist in a circle while it was stuck inside Jem. Jem screamed in pain but his yells of terror and pain were muffled by the massive amounts of blood in his mouth. Geon spoke, ¡°So¡­.. are you going to tell me? Yes, no?¡± He turned his fists even more and high pitched, muffled, screams of terror echoed out from Jem¡¯s voice. ¡°That¡¯s not an answer.¡± Geon slammed Jem down to the ground and stepped on his face. Jem¡¯s head started to creak and crack as Geon slowly pushed down on his skull, ¡°I¡¯m going to crush your skull if you don¡¯t tell me.¡± Jem¡¯s chest rapidly rose up and down as he started to hyperventilate from panic and fear. He scrambled to try and get free but Geon flicked his finger and a metal vine rose up out of the ground and sliced Jem¡¯s legs off. Jem screamed in pain but Geon kept pressing down on his skull. ¡°Tell me now.¡± Jem¡¯s eyes rushed everywhere in panic but he couldn¡¯t get out of Geon¡¯s grasp. He held out his hand and his obsidian knife came rushing towards him. Geon quickly encased his legs in metal to protect himself but Jem didn¡¯t stab at him. He looked up at Geon, ¡°Do you care for that girl?¡± He flicked the knife at Emmie in the blink of an eye as the obsidian blade glinted black and purple in the evening light. Time seemed to halt and the world started to tick very, very, slowly. Geon¡¯s eyes went wide but mine went wider. Emmie¡¯s metal shield that had been erected for her had been blown to bits in the midst of Geon¡¯s battle and she was currently lying unconscious on the grass. Geon seemed to reach out his hand in slow motion as I kept hearing that strange ticking sound go off in my ear. I watched the blade glide and turn towards Emmie. Tick. My fingers twitched, electricity danced along my fingers, and my senses were kick-started. Tick. I turned my body and forced myself to move off of the metal spike I was impaled on. Pain seeped through my body but I didn¡¯t really feel it as I took my first step on the rock hard earth. Tick. Electricity raced off of my eyes and body as I teleported to Emmie¡¯s body¡ªthe entire world stood still. Tick. I picked up Emmy, placed her down on the ground, and ran towards the flying blade¨Csmashing it in half. Tick. I slid to a stop as I stood before Geon and Jem¨Cstooping down in pain and fatigue but still standing. The entire world started to move again as I heard the smashing of the blade echo off into the distance and the ground tear up at my feet. Jem¡¯s bloodshot eyes filled with shock as Geon also seemed to be surprised. I looked at them both, ¡°Stop bringing Emmie into this. Also Jem,¡± I dashed towards him and wound up my leg as his face filled with fear, ¡°Fuck you¨Cfor absolutely everything,¡± I punted his head as it splattered into a thousand pieces and scattered all over the ground. I slid to a stop as my chest rose up and down. I turned around and Geon stared at me,


    ¡°I need you to tell me what really happened at the Youth Championship that night. I need to know the answers. Savain, please.¡± I looked at him with anger,


    ¡°So what? What if I tell you? Are you going to believe me? I don¡¯t know myself. You¡¯re here to kill me right? I have literally nothing to lose anymore but at the same time I don¡¯t want to die to you. Fuck you.¡± Sparks flew off of my arms and my body started to glow with red electricity as I tried my best to ignore the giant hole in my chest. ¡°Kill me if you can.¡±


    Geon¡¯s eyes fell, ¡°You need to pay for what you did, but at the same time I don¡¯t want to kill you. I don¡¯t care if it''s ordered¨Cit¡¯s not something I want to do.¡± Anger rose in my chest,


    ¡°STOP! How many times do I have to tell you that we¡¯re not friends! It was all fake! All of it! Stop feeling sorry for me! Stop! Fight me! I¡¯m ready now! I wasn¡¯t before but I am now! Fight me. FIGHT ME!¡± Geon didn¡¯t move. My voice shuddered and I whispered in anger, desperation, and confusion, ¡°Why? Why?¡± Geon looked at me with a sad expression,


    ¡°I¡¯m not gonna change my mind, Savain. Let¡¯s go¨Clet¡¯s get on with it.¡± He put his hands up and concentrated as a determined expression dawned upon his face.


    ¡°Fuck off.¡± I charged towards him as a massive shockwave rang out into the night.

 Chapter 87: Dazzling Light

    Savian Yelenta: I closed the distance between me and Geon in an instant and threw a blazing overhand strike which bled a streak of crimson red into the sky. Geon blocked the strike with both of his hands as he was sent flying backwards. I dashed towards him and kept on striking as a flurry of strikes and blows slammed against Geon¡¯s arms and shoulders. I threw a high-speed uppercut which made a high-pitched whizzing sound that Geon leaned back from. I threw a blazing right hand cross which he deflected with his shoulder and he threw a heavy right hand of his own. I saw it coming from a mile away and dashed behind him¨Chitting him with one, two, three blows to the head and body. I dashed in front of him and threw more blows all of which connected. Geon put his hands up as I let my strikes fly. Sparks of red lightning and streaks of red flashed into the air as I unleashed a rapid tournet of blows. The shockwaves coming off of the strikes chipped away at the earth as Geon was slowly pushed back¨Cmaking a mini-ravine in the cold hard soil. I stopped and threw a high-speed back kick which sent Geon flying. I ran at full speed and laced some red-energy built up from my speed in my right hand. I let the momentum of my run carry me and I spun around fast¨Churling the bolt of lightning at Geon with all of my might. The bolt flashed through the sky in an instant as a huge red explosion of light temporarily blinded me as it sent the world into a white-abyss. My ears started to ring and the ground itself was vaporized as I continued to run forward into the explosion where Geon was located. I blazed through the smoke and ashes and saw Geon out of the corner of my eye. I dashed towards him and smashed my shoulder into his figure as he grabbed me and flew me into the sky. Red sparks and lightning exploded out of my body as Geon¡¯s grip loosened just enough for me to get out. I pulled away and Geon grabbed my ankle and chucked me higher into the sky. I felt myself start to go weightless as I looked down and could only see the clouds. How high are we?


    It started to get hard to breathe and things got worse as a giant column of fire erupted from underneath me. The flames hit my skin as pain¨Cpain so bad that it made my mind go numb¨Cerupted all over the body. My skin, my hair, my bones all seemed to melt at the touch of Geon¡¯s fire as it consumed me and clasped around me in a deathly embrace. I tried to look around but couldn¡¯t see anything. Right up until the clouds started to part and explode as Geon rammed into me at supersonic speeds. I felt my ribs shatter and blood soaked Geon¡¯s clothes as he grabbed me and plummeted towards the ground. I grit my teeth and screamed as I tried my best to claw and tear at Geon¡¯s face while screaming towards the earth at unimaginable speeds. Geon looked at me, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Anger exploded out of my heart and rage consumed me as red lightning lit up along my body. A huge explosion of red energy erupted and turned the sky a shade of pink-red as I tore myself away from Geon and started to free fall through the sky. Geon shot towards me but he was easy to read this time. I kicked out and pushed off of him as I wound up another lightning bolt and chucked it at his head. Geon dodged the lighting bolt and held out his hand as I suddenly lost the ability to breath, ¡°Can¡¯t breathe? Replacing the oxygen around you with carbon monoxide is all I needed.¡± My lungs started to burn as Geon shot towards me once again. I could see the ground now and we had about ten seconds until we hit the floor. I think I can use this one more time. I calmed down, put all of life force, my energy, my being, everything that I had left after all that had happened to me into one moment. One second, one time, one last time¡­. My body went limp and my consciousness flew away as Geon charged towards me. Just before he could grab me once again, time stopped. A familiar sound¨Csomething like a pin dropping onto hard tiled floors¨Crang out into the air as regal red armor made of pure energy adorned my body. The electricity ate away at my flesh, my bones visibly started to crack and break from the weight of the armor, and my heart beat so fast that I could feel it start to tear and rip away. I had gotten here, I had managed to be able to use this, and this was the last thing that I would ever do¡­This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    I could see it, I could see Geon frozen within time. I could see all the possible actions he could do, all of the possible attacks, and all of his possible future movements. I looked behind me and I could see all of the possible future scenarios that could occur and I could feel it. I could feel that for this one moment¨CI was free. I slowly drifted up and hit Geon with a hard kick between his shoulder blades forcing him down to the ground. A green outline of Geon¡¯s body fell to the earth and I quickly moved back down towards the ground where I shifted all of the armor, all of the red regal energy stored within it, into my right hand. The green outline of Geon¡¯s body shifted towards me as I smiled, ¡°I choose this outcome.¡± The world started to move again and a mighty blast reverberated through the air as a huge shockwave erupted behind Geon. It looked like he was kicked down by an invisible force as blood shot out of his mouth and his eyes went wide. Geon followed the exact path of the green outline I had seen and I was waiting for him back down on the ground with one last attack. He flew into me with immense speed as I wound up my lightning laced hand, ¡°Geon,¡± his face filled with concentration and grit as he wound up his fist which glowed with red fire and glowing explosive sparks, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean what I said about Emmy. I¡¯m not sure if I really meant what I said to you.¡± I jumped towards Geon and wound up my fist as we quickly approached each other. ¡°But I do want to be done. Goodbye,¡± I saw Geon¡¯s face as we both threw our punches and they connected with a dazzling array of light,


    ¡°Friend.¡±

 Chapter 88: Old "Friends"

    Evay Maver: I woke up in a dark, cold, and really creepy looking infirmary. I looked around to see other soldiers like me sleeping in hospital beds. None of them seemed to be dead¨Cwhich was good¨Cbut they were all a little too still. I couldn¡¯t even tell if they were breathing or not¨Cit was like they were in some death trance. I looked down at my body. I knew that I had sustained a lot of injuries in my last fight but nothing really hurt anymore. My body was riddled with scars and cuts and old wound marks but besides that I was good. The hole in my chest was gone, my legs were back, my hands had all their fingers again, and I felt good. I took off my blanket and turned to get some water placed by my bed when I was greeted, nose to nose, by Mars. I jumped out of my bed and put my hands up as Grace, Buffon, and Via all crept out of the shadows. I looked around, ¡°You¡¯re the guys I made a deal with right? The one to kill Ilia? I did it and now you guys owe me the thing that I wanted. I¡¯ve been wondering where you were. Did you find her? Amie?¡± Mars laughed,


    ¡°Settle your tits kid. Sit down¨Chave some of this¡­.. Whatever the fuck this is.¡± He gave me my water cup which, upon second glance, wasn¡¯t a water cup. It was filled with some green liquid which smelled strange and probably tasted worse. I didn¡¯t move, ¡°Nah¨CI¡¯m good right here. You guys do know that I¡¯m fully healed right? I do that pretty fast.¡± I clenched my fists. Grace nodded,


    ¡°Yes we are aware. Did you know that any soldier who took that much damage in a battle should¡¯ve died? I mean, you had lost literally half of your body and more than half of your blood. But you lived and fought through it and to top it all off, you¡¯re all back to normal now.¡± I looked at her,


    ¡°Yeah, so what?¡± Via barely looked at me and spoke with her usual monotone voice,


    ¡°It means you¡¯re special¨Cdumbass. We want to know how you¨Ca child soldier¨Ccan sustain injuries that not even some members of the fifth legion can sustain and live to tell the tale. On top of that you beat a centurion. That¡¯s the rank given to a senior soldier in other countries¨Csomeone who¡¯s been a warrior for over ten years. That guy you killed¨Cthe one with crystal spikes¨Che had been a warrior since he was your age and he was twenty five. Do the math.¡± I spoke calmly,


    ¡°Hate math. But none of that is your business. If I¡¯m strong so what? Did you hold up my end of the deal or not?¡± None of them answered and Mars spoke with a terrifying grin on his face,


    ¡°This Amie girl¨Cis she your friend?¡± I nodded and he laughed, ¡°Nice. Well did you ever think, with that thick skull of yours, that we wouldn¡¯t find out she was a peasant.¡± My heart dropped for a bit. I can salvage this.


    ¡°So what? Warriors search for peasants all the time¨C¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say she was your friend?¡± My heart dropped even further and Mars laughed like it was his wedding day. ¡°Oh kid¡­. I tell you, if being a warrior doesn¡¯t work out, please do not become a lawyer.¡± I clenched my fists,


    ¡°So what if I¡¯m friends with a peasant? Does it matter? What? Are you going to tell everyone?¡± Mars shrugged,


    ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea actually. If word gets out that you''re a peasant lover you¡¯ll be ostracized, hated, people won¡¯t like you, and if your own people don¡¯t like you on a battlefield you¡¯ll always have to be worried about two enemies instead of one.¡± I clenched my fists. ¡°But no. That wasn¡¯t our plan. You see we did some digging into your friend and in the process of doing so we did some digging¨Calbeit accidentally¨Con you.¡± My heart rate quicked. ¡°Once we found out that this Amie was a peasant¨Cnot hard to do considering that people with little connections, no background information, a citizencard ID, or significant family history are usually peasants¨Cwe traced her hometown and went there. They weren¡¯t too happy with us¨Cguess we brought up some bad memories,¡± golden sparks flew off of my body as my head pounded from rage. Grace put up her hands and I blasted her into the opposite wall as golden sparks flew off of my fingertips. Buffon and Grace started to move but Mars intervened, ¡°Stop. What are all of you going to do anyway?¡± They stopped and Grace got up gingerly. Mars smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry¨Cwe didn¡¯t so much as lay a finger on them. I can assure you that.¡± He leaned back in his chair, ¡°I put all of these resting warriors into a deep coma¨Cin case you didn¡¯t notice. I burned the leaves of a plant called the Hydroxa. It releases a sort of calming and resting incense which¨Cwhen used in large amounts¨Ccan also permanently alter one''s brain. We hoped it would make you weaker but I guess it just doesn¡¯t work on you at all.¡± I shouted loudly,


    ¡°Get to the point! Why are you telling me you went back to my¨C¡± I stopped cold in my tracks. Mars smiled,


    ¡°I was getting there but I guess you did my job for me. I WAAAAAAAAS saying that it was quite surprising for us when Amie¡¯s town¡ªor what was left of it after the nobles bought it¡ªmentioned someone by the name of Evay Maver.¡± My heart beat quickly and my palms started to sweat. Mars stopped grinning and looked at me with cold, lifeless eyes that made the core of my being shiver. ¡°So what I¡¯m gettin at boy, is that you¡¯re in no position to make demands. You got played like a fucking fiddle peasant-boy.¡± I grabbed his throat and flew into the air as all of Mar¡¯s squad tensed up and got ready to pounce at me. Mars kept staring into my soul, ¡°You can kill me¡ªbut you¡¯ll lose the info about where your little friend is. If you think you can find her yourself¡ªgood luck. Try asking anybody in the world besides us where a peasant girl is and you¡¯ll be ousted or you just won¡¯t get any answers. Kill me¡ªgo ahead¡ªif you don¡¯t care about your little lady.¡± I bore my hateful eyes into his soul as I threw him back down to the ground. He landed and a creepy smile crept onto his face, ¡°I''m not sure how you¡¯re a peasant considering the fact that you clearly have liquor powers but if you so much as utter a word of caution about us to the government or your little military friends we will expose your identity to the world. If you want your information about Amie and if you want to keep your little identity a secret you¡¯ll do what we say.¡± I clenched my fists so hard that they started to bleed,


    ¡°And what is that?¡±


    Mars smiled, ¡°Bring us the warrior named Lila Fairheart¡ªif not then your secret gets out. We¡¯ll give you a generous amount of time. Mind you, we also know where your little friend is¡ªyou know what happens if you don¡¯t succeed right?¡± My heart started to beat so fast that my vision started to get blurry. ¡°What do you want with Lila? She¡¯s innocent.¡± Mars grinned,


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later¡ªjust do the task. If you fail,¡± his eyes glowed a deep, dark, evil red as his voice seemed to shift into a demonic tone, ¡°I¡¯ll bring you Amie¡¯s head on a platter.¡±

 Chapter 89: Farewell

    Geon Leventen: My head spun, my ears rang, my vision was blurry, and my body felt like it weighed more than a mountain. I looked down. Huh, my legs are still there. There¡¯s a bit of blood on my knees and my arms look¡ªoh shit. Where the fuck is my right arm? I looked down and my entire shirt was torn up and soaked with blood. Everything around us was reduced down to ashes and craters. Smoke filled the air, fire danced along the soil, and blackness settled into the sky as the cold air seeped into my body. The stars started to shine in the sky as the darkness spread an eerie silence around us. I looked to my right and saw Savian¡ªor what looked to be like Savian¡ªlaying down besides me. His entire face was unrecognizable as it was charred black. All of his hair was burned off and his right eye was entirely gone. His legs and arms were chopped off and the giant hole in the middle of his body had gotten bigger as almost none of his torso was left. I shuffled towards him and fought through the pain as I knelt down beside him, ¡°Are¡ªare you okay?¡± I coughed up blood and it splattered onto the ground besides Savian. He didn¡¯t say anything nor did he move a muscle, ¡°Sa¡ªSavian. You¡ªyou fucker. Answer me.¡± He didn¡¯t move a muscle as moved closer to him, ¡°ANS¡ªANSWER!¡± I grabbed his head but he didn¡¯t flinch. ¡°We still have a lot to talk about so don¡¯t die on me you piece of burnt shit! Savian!¡± I shook him but he didn¡¯t say anything. I heard a giant woosh behind me and Captain Lock touched down onto the soil. He looked at me with impassive eyes and stood beside me. I tried to stand up to greet him but my legs didn¡¯t work. He held his hand up at me,


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to get up.¡± I relaxed and he kept observing Savian¡¯s body, ¡°Is he dead?¡± I tried my best to answer clearly,


    ¡°N¡ªno sir. He¡¯s not. He¡¯s an annoying fucker that doesn¡¯t die.¡± Capitan Lock didn¡¯t say anything until about five minutes had passed, ¡°What I said about the attack on our camp along the sea¡ªthe one which occurred before you went off on your mission?¡± I nodded, ¡°Those were Praga soldiers who had set up camp in our territory. They intercepted our scouting warriors for some reason. We¡¯re questioning the ground scaler who was caught up in the ambush but we¡¯re thinking that this deliberate ambush is a bait. They¡¯re baiting us to come attack and obliterate their camp in order to distract us from the coast. That¡¯s just a theory¡ªbut a good one.¡± I nodded as Captain Lock lightly kicked Savian in the head, ¡°The warriors caught up in the ambush were all able to get out of it alive. Even the intelligence warrior who was kidnapped. I think this one did it,¡± he pointed at Savian, ¡°she was found knocked out along one of his running trails.¡± Savian still didn¡¯t make a move as he remained charred and lifeless on the ground. Captain Lock continued speaking, ¡°I¡¯m aware that you know one of the warriors¡ªEvay Maver?¡± My heart dropped,


    ¡°Evay? He was in the fight?¡± The captain nodded,


    ¡°He was badly injured but he killed an enemy centurion. A very impressive feat. I¡¯m aware he was one of your training partners? I see he¡¯s worthy of that title.¡± I sighed as relief flooded over me. So he¡¯s okay¡­.


    I nodded and stood up with difficulty. ¡°Sir, I believe that Savain has a lot to say. He has intel about very important information regarding the war and Raga. I think we should keep him alive sir¡ªcan you explain to the empire?¡± He shook his head,


    ¡°A governmental order is final. Deliver the final blow Leventen.¡± I hesitated. The captain suddenly grabbed me by the collar, ¡°Do it now, Leventen. That is an order.¡± I steeled my nerves, If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Sir I¡ª¡° a blast of purple energy rang out as my blood ran cold and my heart nearly stopped. He looked at me with emotionless eyes,


    ¡°What? Do you think you can defy orders because of your name, boy? I¡¯ve seen many warriors so coddled and praised like you. Those types of warriors need to understand one thing¡ªthat they aren¡¯t special. You¡¯re a soldier, boy. A soldier follows orders and you¡¯re no exception. I know this isn¡¯t about the information¡ªor at least that¡¯s not the main reason you wish to spare him. You simply do not want to kill him. Why? Because he was your friend.¡± I tried to talk back but my voice wouldn¡¯t work. Also, I knew he was right. I didn¡¯t want to kill Savian¡­. Captain Lock gripped my collar tighter, ¡°Kill him.¡± I didn¡¯t move. His eyes narrowed with anger and he raised his voice, ¡°If I have a ground scaler who can not execute enemies right when the opportunity presents itself then you are useless in battle. I will demote you to the lowest depths of this military if I have to¡ªshow me your worth. Kill him. Now!¡± I looked into his eyes and steeled my nerves as I didn¡¯t move a muscle.


    ¡°Sir¡ªI will not let your squad down. But in this instance I can not kill him right away sir. I need to ask him something first. It¡¯s about the war sir¡ªplease.¡± Captain Lock looked at me for what seemed like an eternity and finally spoke,


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    I nodded and knelt down. I looked at Savian¡¯s burnt skull and spoke, ¡°What you said about the real cause of this war¡ªabout us pushing it onto you being fake¡ªis that true? Do you know who caused this war? Do you know who was responsible for the attacks on Evian at the tournament?¡± Savian¡¯s eyes shifted towards me. ¡°Was it you?¡± I listened closely as a faint, raspy whisper, so quiet that it was barely audible in the dead of night fell upon my ears,


    ¡°No. There¡¯s a traitor among you.¡± He looked at me with one final stare, ¡°Another one besides me.¡± Savian¡¯s eyes stopped moving as they seemed to freeze within time. I stood up and lifted up my hand. Suddenly, Captain Lock grabbed my wrist¡ªstopping me from delivering the final strike,


    ¡°He¡¯s dead now. You took too long.¡± I nodded,


    ¡°I apologize sir. But I believe that this information he gave us is valuable.¡± Captain Lock didn¡¯t move,


    ¡°Was what he said related to the incident which sparked all of this international trouble? The Youth tournament?¡± I nodded. The captain remained still for a while, ¡°I infer that he believes someone from our side¡ªwhether it be our own military or someone in your team that day was involved in the stadium bombing?¡± I nodded. ¡°I see. I will consider these words. For this information your insubordination will not be fully punished. Go.¡± I nodded and started to walk away when the captain suddenly spoke,


    ¡°Leventen.¡± I turned around quickly.


    ¡°Yes sir?¡± He didn¡¯t turn around to face me,


    ¡°You knew he had died right? You were waiting for him to die so you didn¡¯t have to do it.¡± I didn¡¯t speak. He spoke after a long pause, ¡°I am aware you shared many battles with this warrior.¡± I nodded and he somehow noticed without looking at me. ¡°Let me speak to you as a man and not a soldier or captain.¡± He turned around to face me, ¡°I know the pain of losing someone you trust and love in battle. It doesn¡¯t even have to be someone you love and trust. An inseparable bond is built with the people you face death with and while tournaments are not the same as real battle, you still risk everything with your teammates.¡± I nodded. Black tendrils started to circle around his feet as swooshing sounds rose up into the air, ¡°Even if he¡¯s an enemy of the Taegan empire, a spy, a traitor, and a great threat I am aware that he was your friend.¡± The captain started to disappear as only his face was visible through the spiraling tendrils of black energy, ¡°And for the death of your friend, Leventen, I am very sorry.¡± A huge swoosh rang into the night as the captain suddenly vanished into the night. I looked at Savian and knelt down next to him. A blank expression of emotionless shock adorned my face as I looked upon Savian¡¯s lifeless body.


    ¡°I always thought your hair was really cool. I never got to say that.¡± I waved my hand over his body and the soil slowly covered his corpse. A somber feeling dawned on my heart as I slowly floated into the sky. ¡°There were a lot of things I wanted to say to you¡ªa lot of things I wanted to talk about. A lot of things a lot of people wanted to say to you.¡± I ascended into the sky and looked upon Savian¡¯s resting place for one last time. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll get to talk about all of that with you again¡ªsomeday way in the future... Until then goodbye,¡±


    ¡°My friend.¡±