ã€ŠVast: The Crusadersã€‹


 Chapter 1 - The Crusader

    A bead of sweat ran down Owen¡¯s face as he bounced up and down on the mat. He raised his fists as he watched the humanoid looking android come closer to him. He drew in a sharp breath and swung hard, connecting his fist with the side of the android¡¯s head, causing a loud sound to emanate in the training room.

    The android stumbled for a moment, so he followed it up by unleashing a sidekick to its chest, but surprisingly, the android grabbed onto his foot. Owen smirked at the action, leaped up in the air from his remaining foot, and landed a devastating kick to the head. The android tipped over from the impact and crashed into the mat.

    A robotic voice spoke out loud, ¡°Level four training is complete.¡±

    Owen sighed a breath of relief as he put a hand through his sweaty black hair, pulling stray strands out of his face. He leaned down next to the android and reached behind its nape for the switch to turn it off. But he hesitated for a second.

    ¡°Should I test out level five?¡±

    ¡°Like hell you will.¡± said a deep voice that came from behind Owen.

    He turned his head to look and saw a burly man standing in the room''s entryway. He had black hair like him and a bushy, full beard that covered the lower half of his face. Light brown eyes stared at him disapprovingly.

    ¡°Dad?¡± a nervous smile crept up on Owen¡¯s face. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± he said as he came in the room. Ben grabbed unto a towel from a nearby bench and tossed it to his son.

    ¡°Seriously, your fights in thirty minutes. You should be in the changing room, but you¡¯re here sparring?¡±

    Owen rubbed his head with the towel. ¡°I needed a warm-up.¡±

    ¡°You call that a warm-up, huh?¡±

    Ben sighed and shook his head. ¡°At least you weren¡¯t dumb enough to use up any of your essence. Well, aren¡¯t you going to get up? You need to get ready.¡±

    Owen stood up and stretched his sour muscles, and followed his dad out of the training room. The bright fluorescent lights shone down from above them as they made their way down the hallway, passing by many rooms and busy staff members preparing for the match later on.

    Eventually, they reached a metallic door with the words ¡®Walters Changing Room¡¯ holographed unto it in bold, red letters.

    ¡°Open the door.¡± Said Ben.

    The door slid open, and they both stepped into the room. The back walls of the room were lined with rows of lockers and benches. On one of the benches lay Owen¡¯s younger brother, Jack. He yawned as he saw them come in.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back?¡±

    Owen¡¯s eyes scanned the room. ¡°Where¡¯s sis? I remember leaving you with her.¡±

    ¡°Dunno,¡± he said as he shrugged his shoulders, ¡°I think she said she was going to get some food or something.¡±

    Ben put a hand to his face in frustration, ¡°Why are you guys like this. She could have at least waited after the match.¡±

    ¡°You know how she is. She gets cranky when she¡¯s hungry.¡±

    ¡°So, where¡¯s the gear I¡¯m supposed to wear?¡± asked Owen as he approached his brother.

    "It¡¯s here.¡±

    Jack reached below the bench he was on and dragged out a silver box. He pressed a button on the side of the box which made the lid split open in two, revealing the contents inside. Various garments were packed snugly inside.

    ¡°Alright, you¡¯re not needed any more. Go and find your sister.¡± Ben said.

    ¡°Huh? Why do I have to?¡± Jack asked, not wanting to move from his comfortable spot.

    ¡°Just do as you¡¯re told. We don¡¯t want her missing her own brother¡¯s fight. Now go please.¡±

    Jack scowled as he grudgingly got up from the bench and made his way to the door.

    ¡°And don¡¯t forget to wear your ¡®Team Owen¡¯ shirt.¡± Ben called out before he left.

    Owen meanwhile rummaged through the box, pulling out black shoes with gold trimmings, hand wraps, black skintight leggings, a black skintight long sleeve shirt and black shorts with gold trimmings. He placed them all on the bench and changed out of the shirt he was wearing.

    As he was shirtless, Ben noticed a grey mark that was shaped like a four-pointed star, over the left side of his chest.

    ¡°That mark. I remember you telling me it suddenly appeared one day.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯ve got no clue what it is though.¡±

    ¡°It might be a bruise?¡±

    ¡°Maybe.¡± He said as he pulled the tight shirt over his head.Stolen story; please report.

    He wore the rest of his clothes and wrapped his hands tightly with the hand wraps. One last item remained in the box. He took it out and noticed that it was a walkout robe. It was also black with gold trimmings. The word ¡®Crusader¡¯ was plastered on the edge of the hood in white letters.

    Ben came closer and placed a hand on his shoulder. A subtle smile appearing on his face.

    ¡°I wore that for my debut match.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Owen grinned like a child as he clutched at the fabric. He held it in the air as if it were some divine piece of clothing. A moment later, he slipped on the clothing and stood there, embracing the feeling it gave him.

    ¡°So, how do you feel?¡±

    Owen turned to look at his dad. "Like a Crusader.¡±

    The mechanical sounds of the door sliding open caused them both to swivel their heads and look at the entrance.

    A young man with the words ¡®staff¡¯ written on his shirt stepped into the room.

    ¡°Uh, Owen Walters? We¡¯ll need you ready in a few minutes. Could you come with me?¡±

    Ben grabbed Owen¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You ready, son?¡±

    Owen nodded, feeling adrenaline pumping in his veins, ¡°Ready as I¡¯ll ever be, dad.¡±

    ***

    Owen stood in the staging area of the arena. From there, he could hear the roar of the crowd and the music that was blasting from the arena speakers. A voice boomed from the announcer''s table.

    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, we have a treat for you today. Making his debut at eighteen, we have the son of the legendary Crusader, Ben Walters!¡± the audience roared as the announcer paused. ¡°Will the Walters legacy continue tonight? Or will it be crushed by his opponent, the Rookie crusher, Lucas James?¡± More roars from the crowd ensued. ¡°Let''s find out. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the arena. Owen Walters!!!¡±

    The crowd roared, and the music changed to a heavy metal song blaring loudly throughout the arena. Owen was instructed to come out of the staging area. He walked out and saw the large arena that he was in. In the middle of it was a huge circular platform. It was raised up from the ground and had guard rails around its edge. Surrounding the fighting area was a sea of seats that were filled with screaming spectators, and on each side of the arena were massive screens that displayed Owen¡¯s name and face.

    His father stopped following him when he was a few feet from the stairs leading up to the platform. Owen nodded at him and took off his walkout robe, handing it to his father before making his way up the stairs. An android referee with metallic-looking skin was standing in the middle of the fighting platform and gestured for Owen to enter.

    The announcer continued to talk again, ¡°And now, his opponent. The man who has crushed the spirits of many fighters, please welcome to the arena. Lucas James!!!¡± The audience went wild at the announcement of his name. A few seconds later, a man walked out of the other side of the arena and made his way to the platform. He wore green shorts and his ginger hair, long and wild, was tied up in a bun. His physique was lean but muscular, and his face had the same cocky grin Owen had seen in his fight videos.

    Lucas climbed up the stairs and was instructed to enter by the referee. The two of them were told to approach the centre of the platform. Lucas looked Owen up and down and smirked.

    ¡°So, you''re the heir, huh? I would''ve liked to fight your father when he was still in the game, but I guess you¡¯ll have to do. Don''t disappoint me, okay?¡±

    Owen didn''t reply. He only stared at the man as the referee spoke, ¡°Gentlemen, I will now recite the rules of the match. One, both fighters will stay within the confines of the stage. Leaving the area of the stage will result in disqualification. Two, the use of essence is allowed but the activation of an essence ability, even accidental, will result in immediate disqualification. Three, the fight ends when one of you is incapacitated or knocked out. Do you both understand these rules?¡± Both Owen and Lucas nodded in agreement.

    The referee then gestured for both of them to step away from the centre of the stage. They both walked away and stood close to opposite edges of the platform. The referee raised his arm up and then swung it down, shouting out, ¡°Fight!¡±

    The crowd roared as the fight began.

    Lucas immediately let his essence flow throughout his body, causing a green aura to swirl around him. Strength surged in his muscles and his senses heightened. He ran towards Owen at a frightening speed, but paused when he saw that Owen stood there calmly with outstretched arms.

    Lucas paused, confused. What was he doing?

    "Aren''t you going to fight?" he asked, not moving any closer.

    Owen smirked. "I''ll let you have a free shot. Take it if you want."

    Scoffing, Lucas couldn''t believe what he was hearing. "Oi rookie. This isn''t the place to act tough. If you don''t start using your essence and take this fight seriously, I''ll kill you."

    Owen didn''t reply, still keeping his hands stretched out. Lucas shook his head and muttered something about an ''idiotic amateur'' under his breath. He then ran towards Owen, leaped into the air and twisted his body, launching a powerful spinning kick that landed squarely into Owen''s chest. A loud sound like a gunshot rang out from the kick, and Owen flew off his feet and smashed into the guard rails behind him. The crowd gasped in shock at the force of the blow.

    Lucas wondered if this would be the quickest win of his life. But that thought quickly vanished when Owen stood up, brushing off his clothing as if nothing had happened. Lucas''s eyes narrowed,

    "Why aren''t you using your essence?"

    A sly smile crept onto Owen''s lips. "Please. Against a weakling like you, why would I need to use my essence?"

    Lucas''s jaw clenched in anger. "You''re certainly the first person who has ever called me a weakling."

    He rushed towards Owen and threw a straight right that would have smashed through his nose if he hadn''t dodged it in time. Lucas, however, continued to chain a flurry of punches at Owen, who dodged and blocked each one, not allowing a hit to land.

    The crowd cheered as Lucas''s barrage seemed to never end. Finally, a lucky punch slipped through Owen''s defences and connected with his cheek, causing him to stagger back from the impact. Lucas gathered essence into his arm and then swung a devastating overhead hook that smashed into Owen''s face, sending him skidding across the platform floor.

    Blood poured out from Owen''s nose, but strangely enough, a smile was still on his face. No, it wasn''t just a smile. It was a mad grin. Wide eyes stared at Lucas with excitement as he wiped at his nose with the back of his hand.

    Lucas''s expression had turned from anger to concern. What the hell was wrong with this guy? He had hit him with essence-enhanced blows but yet; the guy was still standing and even now refused to use any of his own essence. Was he insane?

    Owen shot him. Lucas was caught off guard, flinching as a fist almost grazed the side of his cheek. Owen''s other fist soon followed and connected with his jaw, causing him to reel from the impact. The crowd gasped at the sudden turnaround, and Lucas was stunned for a few seconds. He then swung wildly, trying to land a blow anywhere he could. Owen ducked and dodged, weaving through Lucas''s attacks. He countered with a body blow to his midsection, then followed it up with a swift uppercut to the chin.

    Lucas staggered backwards, trying to regain his composure, but Owen kept pressing forward, throwing punch after punch. Lucas raised his arms to block the oncoming onslaught, but Owen''s punches were too fast and too strong. Eventually, Lucas''s guard broke, and Owen landed a solid punch on his face, sending him sprawling onto the ground. The crowd was in an uproar, their voices echoing throughout the stadium.

    Lucas tried to get up, but his legs were shaky, and his vision was blurry. He could taste blood in his mouth and his ears rang. He looked up and saw that Owen was standing above him, a wild grin still on his face.

    "Oi, rookie crusher," Owen said. "Get up."

    Fear gripped Lucas''s heart. He had never felt this way before in a fight. He was supposed to be the one instilling fear into his opponents, not the other way around. But as he stared up at Owen, he couldn''t help but feel that he was staring into the eyes of a monster.

    The sound of the referee''s voice brought Lucas back to reality. He had been counting down. Lucas gritted his teeth and tried to stand up, but his legs wouldn''t obey him.

    The referee shouted, "Ten!" and Lucas knew it was over. He had lost. The crowd erupted in cheers as the referee raised Owen''s hand in victory. Lucas lay on the ground, defeated and humiliated.

    Owen, on the other hand, was ecstatic. He had won his first match in the arena, and he had done it without using his essence. He looked for his father in the crowd and spotted him near the front row, but a frown had formed on his face. Owen wondered if he had done something wrong. But before he could think about it any further, a yell so loud that it pierced the air and echoed throughout the stadium caused everyone to pause in their tracks. All eyes turned to see Lucas on his feet. Spewing flames burst from his hands, and a look of insanity had come over him.

    "Stop!" the referee cried out, "The match is over. Stop using your ability!"

    Lucas, however, didn''t listen. Instead, he charged at Owen with a scream of rage. Owen, taken by surprise, couldn''t react in time. Lucas unleashed an explosion of flame that set the entire platform alight. Owen was caught in the midst inferno, his body engulfed in flames.

    As the crowd screamed in horror, chaos broke out in the arena. Security guards rushed in, trying to contain the situation. Water rained from the sprinkler system above as people scrambled to get out of the stadium. Ben however, rushed past the security, jumping up onto the edge of the stage, his eyes scanning the flames for any sign of his son.

    Suddenly, a figure emerged from the flames. It was Owen. His clothes were burnt to a crisp, but he was alive and well. A yellow aura flowed around him, extinguishing the flames that were on him. Ben sighed with relief and rushed towards him.

    "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice filled with worry.

    "I''m fine. I protected myself with my essence ability," Owen replied, "though I wish I had been quick enough to save my clothes."

    Ben shook his head. "Forget the clothes. I''m just glad you''re okay."

    A nearby medic android rushed over to check on Owen''s condition, but he insisted he was fine. As he was planning on leaving, the metallic hand of the android grabbed hold of his arm. The vice grip of the machine stopped him in his tracks, and he looked back at the android. Its white lenses stared at his chest. More specifically, it stared at the grey star shaped mark that was visible now that his shirt was destroyed. The android let go of his hand and spoke in a monotone, robotic voice.

    "Please report to the infirmary immediately for a check-up."

    "Like I said, I''m fine."

    "Please comply. It is mandatory to receive a check-up after a match, and you have sustained injuries."

    Owen glanced at his father, who nodded in agreement. He sighed. "Alright."

 Chapter 2 - The Arden Corporation

    Owen sat in the infirmary with a new change of clothes that his dad had brought for him. The medic android had already done the check-up on his body and had concluded that he had no external or internal injuries. It was a good thing too, since his brother and sister had just barged into the infirmary.

    Jack''s eyes were alight with excitement, "Bro, I knew you were going to win, but man, I didn''t expect you to win like that!"

    Owen couldn''t help but chuckle at his brother''s excitement.

    "But I wish I could have been there for the match, instead I was busy searching for her. " Jack jabbed a thumb towards his older sister, Olivia, who stood behind him, with a bag of snacks in her arms. Her black hair was tied up in a messy bun. A pair of brown eyes looked at him.

    "What''s the point in watching the fight when the outcome was so obvious?" she asked, as she stuffed a snack in her mouth.

    Jack''s brows furrowed in frustration. "Just because you don''t care doesn''t mean the rest of us don''t. I wanted to watch it."

    "Then you shouldn''t have come looking for me." She retorted, rolling her eyes.

    Jack was about to argue back, but he noticed his dad was approaching from the entrance of the infirmary.

    "Hey, Dad. What''s the news?"

    His father sighed, "Well Lucas James has been disqualified and fined for the usage of his essence ability, and he''s been banned from participating in the league for a whole year."

    "Yeah, serves him right." Owen said, nodding in agreement.

    "Owen," his father said, his voice suddenly more serious, "you know that this is mostly your fault, right?"

    "What? How was it my fault?¡±

    "Don''t act dumb, you provoked him. The disrespectful act of refusing to use your essence in the fight and then taunting him in the middle of the match. What were you thinking?" His father''s eyes were stern and unyielding. Owen''s brother and sister both looked on, curious to hear his response.

    Owen shrugged. "I just wanted to see if I could win without using essence. I was testing out my limits. That''s all."

    His father''s face didn''t soften, and his voice remained firm, "That''s a good way to get yourself killed, you know? You can''t underestimate anyone, Owen. Keeping your ego in check and respecting the fight is what proper fighters should do. You should have taken the fight seriously."

    Owen sighed, "Alright, I get it. I was in the wrong, okay?"

    His father''s eyes softened a bit. "Good." He patted Owen''s shoulder and smiled. "Now that it''s settled, let''s go celebrate your victory with some food."

    Owen grinned. "Sounds good to me."

    "Damn, I''m not that hungry, though." Olivia complained as she looked in her empty bag of chips.

    Ben''s eyes returned to his stern expression as he looked at Olivia. "Don''t think that I''m done with you, Liv. We''ll talk later."

    ***

    The elevator hummed as it carried Ben, Owen, Olivia and Jack through the floors. The four of them were heading towards the bottom floor of the arena, where they could find the parking garage. Owen had his arms folded behind his head as he leaned against the wall of the elevator.

    "Hey, dad," Owen said, "did you notice something weird about the android that came to check-up on me?"

    "Weird? Not really, why?"

    "Before it sent me to the infirmary, it was staring at the star mark on my chest. I think it''s the reason why it insisted that I had to go for the check-up."

    His father frowned. "Are you sure it was the star mark that it was staring at?"

    "Yeah, I''m pretty sure."

    Ben scratched his beard in thought, "Hmm... that''s strange."

    "And that''s not the only weird part. We''ve passed by no one ever since we left the infirmary."

    Jack''s brows raised. "Really? No one?"

    "No one."

    "You''re too paranoid," Olivia said. "It''s late. Most people are probably gone."The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "And the staff?" asked Owen. "What? Did they all just vanish?"

    Olivia shrugged, "Whatever. I don''t care." She then took a deep breath and yawned, stretching her arms into the air.

    "Let''s just hurry and get to the car. We can think about this later." Ben said, putting an end to the discussion.

    The elevator finally came to a stop and the doors slid open. To their surprise, the large parking lot was completely empty. No people or vehicles could be seen in the wide-open space, only rows of pillars that held up the ceiling of the parking lot. The lights that hung from the pillars flickered ominously, casting an eerie glow on the concrete floor.

    "This place was packed when we first came here," said Jack as he walked out of the elevator. "Now, it''s like a ghost town."

    Ben''s expression grew more serious. "Everyone, be on your guard."

    They walked through the maze of concrete pillars, searching for their car. The only sounds that could be heard were their footsteps echoing through the vast, empty space. Owen''s eyes scanned the area, his nerves tense and on high alert. He could sense that something was off, but he didn''t know what it was.

    Olivia was the first to notice. From the edge of her vision, she noticed a man move out from behind a pillar. Her eyes snapped to him. The man wore a silver and white bodysuit equipped with protective armour plating. A helmet covered his head, and he held a gun of some kind. In a swift motion, he aimed and fired at them.

    Olivia yelled out in warning as she positioned herself in front of her family. The projectile flew towards her, hitting her square in the chest. The impact knocked her off her feet and sent her flying backward, landing on the concrete floor with a hard thud.

    Ben watched in horror as his daughter was hit. Anger boiled in his blood, and he quickly surged essence throughout his body. A red aura flowed from him as he turned to face their attacker. But before he could do anything, another shot rang out, hitting him in the leg.

    From behind him, another man wearing the same uniform had appeared, firing at them from behind a nearby pillar. Ben staggered and fell to one knee. He knew instantly that he had been hit by some kind of tranquillizer. His head felt groggy, and his vision blurred.

    Owen began to use his own essence, but stopped when he saw more of the men appearing. They moved in formation, their guns trained on them. He realized they had been surrounded.

    "Who the hell are you guys?" Owen demanded. "What do you want with us?"

    But instead of getting answers, the only thing he received were shots fired from their guns. He keeled over as they assaulted his body with tranquillizers, each shot hitting its mark. He fell to the ground, unable to move.

    Another shot rang out from behind him, followed by Jack''s pained scream. Owen grunted, trying desperately to stand, but his body refused to obey. His vision blurred, and his consciousness began to fade.

    A pair of boots stopped in front of him. One of the men was standing over him. He crouched down and lifted Owen''s shirt, revealing the grey star-shaped mark on his chest. The man nodded and spoke into a device on his wrist.

    "We have found the target. We will proceed to the extraction point."

    Owen struggled to turn his head to look at his family. They were all lying on the ground, unconscious and unmoving.

    "Dad..." Owen called out weakly before the darkness swallowed him.

    ***

    A pounding headache greeted Owen as he regained consciousness. His eyes slowly opened, and he found himself in an unfamiliar empty room, with a single table in front of him. He tried to move, but realized that he was bound to a chair. His hands were restrained in metallic handcuffs.

    He tried using his essence, but noticed that the cuffs were draining it away. A sigh escaped him as he realized what they were.

    "Inhibitor cuffs, huh." he muttered.

    The sound of a door opening made him look up, and a pair of men entered the room. They were dressed in simple silver suits and with hats covering their heads. They were followed by an android carrying a tablet.

    "Ah, good. You''re awake," said one of the men, "saves us the hassle of having to wake you up."

    Owen eyed them cautiously. A stylized letter ''A'' was emblazoned on the right side of their suits. He recognized it as the logo for the Arden corporation. A mega-corporation that specialized in making weapons, robotics and other high-tech equipment. But not only were they the biggest weapons manufacturer, but they also controlled a third of the world''s realms.

    One of the men pulled out a chair and sat down across from him. He had short brown hair and a small, groomed moustache. Unnatural orange eyes stared at him, studying him intently.

    "Where is my family?" Owen asked, his voice hoarse.

    "They are fine. But you needn''t worry about them right now."

    Owen scowled at the man''s response. "What is this? Why''d you kidnap me?"

    "Straight to the point, I see," the man said, crossing his legs. "My name is Trent, and I am an agent for the Arden Corporation." He gestured to the other man. "This is my partner, Abe. We have been sent here on behalf of the corporation to indoctrinate you so that you may join our ranks."

    Owen couldn''t believe what he was hearing. "What?"

    Trent leaned forward and stared into his eyes. "That mark on your chest, do you know what it is? It''s what we call an Insignia. It indicates that you possess a unique ability that makes you very valuable to the Arden Corporation. We would like for you to join us."

    "This is nonsense," said Owen, shaking his head. "Let me go."

    "The choice is not yours to make. You will be joining us regardless."

    "The hell I will."

    Trent leaned back in his chair. "I can see that you are stubborn. But let me give you some advice. There have been guys more stubborn than you who now grovel and beg at our feet. You won''t be an exception."

    "You don''t know me, Trent," Owen sneered. "I won''t bend the knee for anyone."

    "I guess we''ll see about that."

    Trent got up and pushed the table to the side. "Abe, can you take off the cuffs?"

    Abe stepped behind Owen''s chair and fiddled with the restraints. Owen looked questioningly at Trent. "What, are you going to free me?"

    "Only temporarily," Trent said, "We don''t know what your essence ability does, and we''d rather find out now, so we can impose restrictions if they are necessary."

    Owen''s hands were freed, and he rubbed his wrists, trying to soothe the soreness. He wondered if he could fight his way out. But hesitated as he looked in the eyes of Trent. Orange, only those who had a great control over their essence, would undergo a mutation were their eye colours, would match the colour of their essence. Which meant that he was most likely an advanced essence user. There was no way Owen could fight him.

    "Your essence colour is yellow, which means you are an energy essence user. What type of energy can you control?"

    Owen frowned. He didn''t want to answer him, but he saw no other alternative.

    "I can control kinetic energy."

    "Interesting. Please demonstrate."

    "Hand me something small. I need an object to channel the energy into."

    Trent glanced at Abe. "Do you have anything?"

    "I''ve got this." Abe pulled a pen from his pocket and handed it to Owen.

    "Alright." Owen concentrated on the pen, focusing on the kinetic energy that was contained within. He could feel some of his essence deplete as he willed the pen to float up into the air. He then moved the pen through the air, twirling and spinning it.

    "Impressive. I can see you have good control over your essence ability."

    Owen made the pen hover over his hand, "I''ve shown you what you wanted. So when can I see my family?"

    Trent shook his head. "I''m afraid that is impossible. You will not be seeing them again. You are going to be transferred to a facility that specializes in training people like you with Insignias. There, you will be taught how to use your ability and become an asset to the corporation."

    Silence filled the room. A blank look had come over Owen''s face. He stared at Trent, unblinking, "I see. Trent, do you want to see something even more impressive?"

    Trent raised an eyebrow. He was about to answer when he noticed Owen was smiling. It was an unsettling smile, one that almost sent chills down his spine.

    "What are you-"

    Owen raised his arm level with Trent''s face, with the pen still hovering over his arm.

    With a guttural growl, Owen said, "I hope this kills you."

    He flicked his arm, and the pen shot forward. Faster than a bullet, the pen zipped through the air and hit Trent square on the forehead, knocking his head back.

    Abe, caught off guard by the sudden attack, reacted too late. Owen had already turned his attention towards him. He pounced on him and grabbed the sides of his head. Using kinetic energy, he caused his hands to heat up, and soon the sides of his head were scorched by the intense heat. Abe screamed and writhed in pain as his skin blistered and burned. Owen, now done with him, pushed him against the wall and moved on, running straight for the door.

    However, as he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, a large force slammed into his back and threw him into the opposite wall. Owen crumpled to the ground, his back aching. He looked up and saw Trent. A small bruise was on his forehead where the pen had struck, but otherwise, he seemed completely unharmed.

    "Guess that didn''t kill me, huh?" Trent said, "But that did hurt quite a bit."

    Abe moaned and writhed in pain on the ground behind him.

    Trent continued, "Unfortunately for you, we''ll have to impose some heavy restrictions on you for your little stunt there."

    "Damn!" Owen yelled out in protest as handcuffs were forced back onto his wrist.

 Chapter 3 - The Facility

    The scenery outside the window of the hover car blurred as it soared through the sky. Inside the car Owen, bound to a chair again, looked out at the world he was leaving behind. His home, the city he grew up in, was receding quickly, fading further and further into the horizon.

    Soon, all he could see were plains of open grass and forests below, stretching on forever. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He couldn''t understand why all of this was happening to him, and how he was unable to do anything to prevent it.

    A single android was inside the car with him, possibly there to ensure that Owen wouldn''t try anything. It sat silently across from him, its featureless face staring back at him.

    He heaved a long sigh and glanced back outside the window. He didn''t know where he was heading, but he knew his destination would not be pleasant. All he could do now was sit and wait.

    They travelled for many hours, the day slowly turning into night as darkness fell. Lights on the sides of the hover car turned on, illuminating the surrounding sky. They were flying over the ocean now. Endless water stretched out under them, reflecting the light of the moon.

    Then, the car began to descend. Ahead was an island with a mountain rising up from the centre of it. A complex looking structure could be seen built into the side of the mountain, stretching down in levels to the base of the mountain. They were soon flying above the structure, soaring past balconies and windows. At the bottom of the complex, they entered a hangar that allowed the car to touch down.

    As soon as the car touched down, the door slid open, revealing the interior of the structure. They were in a wide open space, with metal pillars supporting the high ceiling. A multitude of hover cars were parked neatly in rows in the large room.

    A squad of guards dressed in the same silver and white suits, approached. They stopped in front of the car and took up positions around it. One guard stepped into the car and unshackled Owen from the chair and forced him out. A pair of guards then grabbed him by the arms, and began leading him away from the car.

    "I can walk on my own." he protested.

    The grip on his arms grew tighter. It was obvious they weren''t taking any chances.

    The guards led him deeper into the hangar, towards a massive metal door. As they approached, it opened automatically with a loud whirring noise. On the other side was a large elevator platform. The guards stepped on and dragged Owen along with them.

    The platform began to move, going upward at a high speed. The air whipped past them as the platform ascended higher and higher, until they finally came to a stop at the topmost floor.

    From the elevator, Owen was led through another massive corridor, in which tapestries depicting scenes of victory hung from the walls.

    Eventually, they reached a large wooden double door. A guard pressed a button next to the door, and a moment later, a voice sounded through a speaker.

    "Come in."

    The doors opened inwards, revealing a large spacious room. Owen''s eyes were drawn to the man who was sitting at the desk at the other end of the room. He was unmistakably the leader of this facility. The air about him radiated authority.

    The man had black hair and a clean-shaven face. He wore a grey coat adorned with silver trimmings and gold buttons. And a pair of purple eyes, that glowed like amethyst gemstones, stared straight at him. Owen''s escorts brought him before the man and forced him down on his knees.

    The man leaned forward, his eyes boring into Owen''s. "You must be Owen Walters. I''ve read your assessment file, and It seems you pride yourself in being stubborn and headstrong."

    Owen said nothing as he stared back defiantly.

    "That being said," the man continued, "I am Albert Fowler, the warden of this training facility, and from here on you''ll come to know it as your home. How you regard this place, as a cage or a home, will be determined by how obedient you are."

    Owen finally spoke, "Take off these stupid cuffs, and I''ll show you how obedient I can be."

    "Hm."

    Albert stood up from his chair and raised his hand towards Owen. He made a simple gesture, and instantly Owen felt his head ring as if someone had hit him with a hammer.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    "Ugh! The hell- "he choked on his words as the pain in his head intensified, until it was all he could think about. His eyes rolled back as his body curled up on the ground in agony.

    The pain subsided as suddenly as it had appeared, and Owen was left lying on the ground, gasping for breath.

    "Do you understand now where you stand in the hierarchy of power? You''re right down at the very bottom. You would do best to remember that."

    Albert returned to his chair and sat down. "Good. Now listen well, the only way you''ll be leaving this place is by becoming a loyal member of Arden. Whether you choose to accept this or not is not up to you. Remember that, and things will go smoother for you here."

    Owen glared at Albert, his teeth clenched, and his whole body trembled with rage.

    "Despite what you may believe, we aren''t tyrants," said Albert, "we just want you to understand that rebellion will not be tolerated. We will make sure you eventually see things our way. You might learn a bit of discipline in the process, too."

    He waved his hand dismissively, "Now, you have had a long day, and you should get some rest. Take him to his cell."

    The guards hauled Owen up to his feet and led him out the room. He glanced back at Albert before the doors closed behind him, cutting off his view of the man.

    Owen was silent as he was dragged down to the lower levels of the training facility, down a long hallway and into an elevator. From there, the elevator began moving, down deeper and deeper into the mountain. Finally, it came to a stop and the doors opened, revealing a massive warehouse-like room. Rows upon rows of windowless metal cell doors were lined up in neat little columns.

    The word ''Block One-C'' was written over the top of the opening on the far end. The guards led him past multiple cells, until they came to one with the number three-nine-one stencilled on its door. A guard removed a key card from his pocket and swiped it through a slit in the door. A light on the panel by the door switched from red to green, and the door hissed open.

    The cell was surprisingly large, being fitted with all the necessities like a bed, toilet, sink and shower. A single fluorescent lamp on the ceiling illuminated the area. A guard turned him around and removed his cuffs, replacing them with a single black bracelet, which acted similarly to an inhibitor cuff.

    Owen was then shoved into the room by the guards, who immediately closed and locked the door.

    "In the morning, your training will begin." a guard informed him through the speaker next to the door before walking away.

    The room was silent save for the breathing of Owen. Exhaustion creeped up on him, making his limbs heavy. Sitting on the floor, he leaned against the wall. On the bed sat a grey jumpsuit with the word ¡®floor 1¡¯ plastered on the front. There were also a plain white shirt and boxers there. He looked at the clothes he was currently wearing. He was still in the clothes his father had given him at the arena. It was dirty and torn, having been through a rough journey.

    With a tired sigh, he removed his clothes and put on the plain ones on the bed. They were a little rough and not really comfortable, but it would have to do. The bed creaked as he climbed into it and collapsed into the thin mattress. Staring blankly at the ceiling above him, his thoughts drifted to his family.

    Where were they right now? Were they doing alright? Were they safe? These questions and more whirled around in his head, clouding his mind until he finally drifted off to sleep.

    ***

    A loud buzzer sounded in the morning, awaking Owen from his slumber. He tried to roll over, but he ended up falling off the bed with a hard thump. Confusion rattled his brain as he sat up and took in his surroundings. He remembered where he was and sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.

    The door to his cell was open, and he could see movement outside. Standing up, he walked over to the door and stuck his head out. All the other cells were open too, and people dressed in similar clothes to him were walking in one direction down the hall. A line was forming, leading down the corridor to another open door.

    Realizing that something was happening, Owen stepped out of his cell. But as soon as he did that, he felt someone bump into him from behind. He turned around in time to see a boy no older than his own brother, fall backwards onto the floor with a look of surprise. He was a thin and pale young teen with a scrawny frame and messy long blonde hair. Dark bags hung under his brown eyes.

    "Sorry, I didn''t see you." Owen said as he reached down and offered him a hand.

    The boy froze up with an expression of terror before suddenly looking down and away. Without a word, he quickly got up on his own and scampered away. Bewildered, Owen just watched him leave.

    He shrugged his shoulders and returned his attention to the line, where more people were joining. He joined the tail end and moved along as people entered the door at the end of the hall. Going past it, they were led through another corridor and another open door into a room, which housed a huge hall. A stage was at the front with a podium at the centre.

    The other inmates were packing themselves into the already crowded room. Eventually, the rush of people stopped, and the door was closed. Being one of the last ones to enter meant that he had to strain his neck to see the stage at the front. Then, footsteps echoed through the hall, and everyone focused their attention on a man who was standing on the podium, looking down at them.

    It was a short, stocky man with a bald head. He wore a silver uniform, and had a thick black baton hanging from his belt. His eyes swept over the crowd of inmates. He had cold, grey eyes, sharp as daggers, that seemed to pierce into the souls of those he looked upon.

    "Welcome to another day, you miserable lot." he started, his voice booming through the mic. "Whether I like it or not, some of you may become a part of Arden in the future. So, as the overseer for level one, it is my job to weed out you trash, and salvage the diamonds hidden among you."

    Owen watched as the man¡¯s face started to turn red with anger.

    "You worthless level one maggots piss me off. Some of you have been here for years, and yet, have barely amounted to nothing. You stay here for so long at this floor, not moving up, and yet have the balls to waste our resources. How pathetic! If you are too weak to move up to the next level, then die for all I care!"

    Nervous whispers began breaking out among the crowd. This did not please the man, for he slammed his fist on the podium.

    "Shut your damn mouths! All of you!"

    Owen struggled not to laugh. Who was this clown? He drowned out the screaming as he looked around the room. There were people of all ages in here. Young children, teenagers, adults and even elderly. Some of them had the same grey star mark as he has, on visible parts of their bodies.

    Meanwhile on the stage, the man had calmed down a bit. He had pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket, and was furiously dabbing away sweat that dripped down his forehead.

    "I hate the very sight of you scum, but Arden has the kindness to turn you mark bearers, into something better. However, do not misunderstand. If you take our kindness for granted I will find a way to get rid of you."

    He inhaled deeply.

    "Today you¡¯ll start with morning training like always. Go to your assigned age groups, your instructors are waiting for you."

    With a wave of his hand, people started to split and move in separate directions. Like a deer caught in headlights, Owen just stood there. He realized he had no idea where he was supposed to go.

    A beep on his wrist startled him as his bracelet blinked with a green light. When he looked down, a holographic interface appeared. On it were words that said ''go to wing two - class eight''.

    He glanced around and noticed four doorways along both sides of the hall. On the top of each was a large number signifying its designated wing. To his left, was a doorway, marked with a big number two on top.

    Owen went in the direction of wing two, and entered a new corridor. Rows of small doors were lined up in this new corridor, with windows visible from the hall allowing one to peek into the rooms. Numbers were on each of the doors, signifying what room was what.

    As he made his way, he looked for room eight. Eventually he found it, the last room at the end of the corridor. Pushing open the door, he stepped inside.

 Chapter 4 - The Insignia

    Owen entered from the back of the room. Inside, a white floor and white walls dominated the interior. Dozens of tables and chairs were neatly arranged in a semicircle with a space reserved for an instructor at the front. There were already people at most of the seats, sitting around with their attention focused at the front.

    With his hands stuck in his pockets, Owen went to go look for a seat. As he glanced around the room, he could already feel the stares of other people looking at him. From the looks of it, they were all close to his age.

    "Looking for a seat?"

    Owen turned his attention to a teen who had spoken. It was a boy with light brown skin and braided dark brown hair tied back into a bun. He gestured to the seat next to him, which was vacant.

    With nothing else to do, Owen sat himself down beside the other teen.

    "Thanks," said Owen.

    "No problem. You''re new here aren''t you?"

    "Yeah, I just got here yesterday."

    "Name''s Isaac. You?"

    "I''m Owen."

    At that moment, a door slid open to the side of the room, and a woman dressed in a white uniform came striding out. Dark skin, piercing black eyes and raven hair. She marched right up to the centre of the front row and clapped her hands.

    "Alright everyone, now that we''re all here, we can get started."

    She took a sweeping glance across the room and as her eyes made their way to Owen, her gaze lingered a bit longer. She pulled out a small tablet from her inner pocket and tapped on it a couple of times before speaking again.

    "Owen Walters. I can see you''re new, so allow me to introduce myself. I am officer Sonya Hilton. One of the instructors for wing two."

    She looked back down at her tablet, reading some notes. She raised her eyebrow curiously.

    "The assessment report I''ve got back says you''ve scored a zero in the loyalty score," a chuckle escaped her lips, "well that''s a first. What did you do? Attack the officers that were assessing you?"

    A smirk crossed Owen''s face.

    "Yes. I tried to kill them."

    Audible gasps were heard throughout the room. Sonya narrowed her eyes.

    "Well, I suggest you drop any notions of rebelling while you are here. It will not do you any good." Her gaze turned to the other inmates in the room.

    "Alright everyone, since we have a new addition to the class, I bet you are all curious to find out what his insignia does, right?"

    Her eyes fell back on Owen. "Are you already trained in the use of essence?"

    "Of course I am," Owen replied, almost offended at her question, "who wouldn¡®t be?"

    "You¡¯d be surprised at how many come in here, without a clue on how to use essence. But that is to be expected. The majority of people have no need for it in their normal lives, after all. Alright then, Owen. I''ll start by explaining what insignias are."

    She raised her hand into the air. On the back of it, the imprint of a grey four sided star was visible on her dark skin.

    "Insignias appear anywhere on a mark bearer''s body. When essence is concentrated in the area where it is, the insignia begins to glow."

    As she spoke, the mark on the back of her hand pulsed with a white light.

    "When a sufficient amount of essence is fuelled into your insignia, you can then manifest its unique ability."

    "Ability?" asked Owen.

    "That is correct. Every mark bearer gains an ability that is unique to that person alone. Now for what that is, is determined by what the individual desires most. So as an example, take my insignia. In life what I wanted most was to heal others, and so as a result my insignia has given me the ability to control the concept of health."

    Owen raised an eyebrow. "You were just granted that power just because you wanted it?"Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    "Yes. Though to gain the power, one must desire it the most out of anyone else in the entire world. There cannot be two people with the same ability."

    "I see." Owen said as his mind wandered to his own insignia. What could its ability be?

    "Now, then," Sonya said, "I can pretty much guess what you''re thinking right now. You want to know what your insignia''s ability is, don''t you?"

    "Yeah. But how am I supposed to figure that out?"

    "Well, that''s actually pretty simple to do. All we have to do is find out is what you desire most. It should be at the forefront of your mind. Just close your eyes, and think of what you desire the most."

    Owen did as she instructed. Closing his eyes, he thought of what he wanted. What did he want? As he pondered on this, he began to hear a voice in his head.

    It was faint at first, but it grew stronger. The more he focused on it, the louder the voice became, until he could finally make out the words.

    ''Fight.''

    His eyes snapped open. His heart began to race, and a thrill surged through him.

    "So what do you desire most?" asked Sonya.

    "To fight."

    She nodded. "Yes, that makes sense considering what you did during your assessment. So in theory that means you can control the concept of ''fighting'' Owen. In any case, now that we know what it is, we can start training you on how to use your insignia."

    She paused in thought for a moment, before continuing. "So, why don''t we try it out right now during a spar? With one of your classmates."

    Sonya''s words seemed to surprise the other inmates. A couple of them looked worried.

    "Sure, I don''t mind." said Owen.

    "Great. Now then everyone, please stand up and clear the centre of the room."

    The others all stood up and moved to the sides of the room. Owen got up from his seat and walked to the middle. Once the area was cleared, Sonya picked up her tablet and tapped on it a few times. Then a second later, the desks and chairs in the room began to sink into the floor, making way for an empty space.

    "Now then," she said, "Any volunteers? I would prefer someone with an offensive insignia."

    At first, no one stepped forward. Owen glanced around, wondering if anyone would. Everywhere his eyes roved, they averted his gaze, except for a single girl. She was an older teen, probably around his age, with long pink hair that cascaded down her back. Her insignia mark was on the side of her cheek, with the points of the star crossing over her nose and under her left eye. Her bright blue eyes stared straight back at him, seemingly unfazed. She had a slender frame, but she still carried herself with a sense of confidence.

    With a smirk, she stepped forward.

    "I''ll fight him."

    Owen matched her smirk as he stared back at her.

    "Alright Grace, thank you for stepping up." Sonya said, "Now, I''ll set up some ground rules for you two to follow. First of all, I''ll not allow the use of essence enhancements or your essence abilities. This is just a test to find out what Owen can do. Also, no lethal attacks. I''ll stop the fight even if I see a single drop of blood. Understood?"

    They both nodded in unison.

    "Good. I''ll turn off the inhibitor bracelets on both of you. You can begin when you''re ready."

    Sonya tapped a button on her tablet, and the bracelets on their wrists blinked and deactivated. She stepped off to the side of the room, keeping her eyes on the two.

    Grace stretched her arms over her head and then rolled her shoulders. Owen watched her carefully as she started to pace around in a circle. Then she stopped moving. Suddenly without warning, she rushed at him. She dashed forward at incredible speed, her fist drawn back as she closed in.

    Owen reacted quickly, throwing his arm up just in time to block the punch. But instead of connecting with his arm like he expected it would, she pulled back her arm and slipped around to his side. The mark on her face glowed white, and a metal chain materialized out from the palm of her hand. She grabbed hold of it with both hands and wrapped the chain around his right shoulder. Then she pulled tight with all her strength, wrenching his arm behind him as she kicked the backs of his legs, causing him to be airborne for a second.

    But Owen recovered quickly from the sudden attack. He shot out his other arm behind him towards the ground and pushed himself up. Like a breakdancer performing a move, he tucked his body in and spun around, his foot connecting with the back of her head. She lost her grip on the chain, and it dissolved into white light as she was sent tumbling across the floor.

    Owen jumped back up onto his feet. He was going to go for a follow-up attack, but he hesitated when he noticed her insignia glowing again. She was crouched on one knee, her hand on the floor and her head hanging low. The floor beneath her suddenly began to ripple, like the surface of a pool of water. Then four chains burst forth from the floor and launched towards him.

    He dodged out of the way, narrowly avoiding being snared by them. The chains however continued to fly past him, before changing their direction mid-air and coming right back at him. Owen jumped up and kicked off the floor, flipping over the chains as they flew by beneath him. When he landed on the ground again, the chains stopped. They hung there in the air for a moment, before collapsing into white light.

    Meanwhile, Grace was already back up. Another chain was in her hand, which she swung around casually.

    "You''re not bad," she said. "Didn''t expect for you to avoid that."

    "Same to you, I''ve seen nothing like that before. But what, you can just create chains?" Owen asked, "So what you most desired in life were chains? How stupid."

    Grace''s eye twitched at the provocation. Her insignia mark glowed in response, and the chain in her hand began to gain speed as it spun faster and faster. As it grazed the floor, sparks flew as it ground against the hard surface. The other students watched with their eyes wide and their mouths agape as the chain began to leave a trail of smoke as it whipped around.

    "Grace!" Sonya shouted out, but her words fell on deaf ears.

    Owen decided it was finally time to test out his insignia. He gathered essence from his soul and channelled it into the mark on his chest. He felt his essence being sucked in like a vortex, as his insignia drew it in greedily.

    He wondered what he should do now. Remembering what Sonya had said, he could theoretically control the concept of fighting. So what did that mean? What could he do? To him, the answer was simple. In a fight the superior fighter was the one with the better skill, technique and physical prowess. So what if he could gain all that?

    His mind made up, he focused his mind on that thought.

    ''Be stronger.''

    His insignia glowed with white light beneath his shirt. Strength surged through his body, filling him with power. He could feel the difference immediately. His limbs were stronger and felt more responsive. His heart thundered in his chest, pumping blood and energy into his every fibre. He felt incredible.

    Grace noticed that something was different with Owen. She knew she needed to attack while he was distracted with whatever it was he was doing. So, she gripped the chain firmly and stepped forward before hurling the chain at him with all her might.

    The red-hot chain whizzed towards Owen at an incredible speed. It was almost too fast to see, but Owen saw it clearly. He could track its movements like it was moving in slow motion. Without thinking, he raised his arm up and flicked it away, as if swatting an annoying fly. The chain was redirected, hitting the ceiling and cracking the tiles there.

    Grace was dumbfounded. Her attack had been deflected, and by such a simple motion too. She watched as the chain dissolved back into white light, and when she looked back at Owen, he was staring right at her. She tried to prepare herself for anything else, but something unexpected had happened. Owen had disappeared.

    She wondered what was happening, until she felt a tap on her shoulder. She spun around quickly, finding herself face to face with Owen, who stared back at her with an amused grin.

    "Too fas-" Grace started, but she wasn''t able to finish her sentence, when she felt Owen''s fist slam into her gut, knocking the wind out of her.

    She was sent flying backwards across the room, and would have almost crashed into the wall, if not for Sonya instantly appearing next to her and catching her before she hit the wall.

    "That''s enough!" Sonya said sternly.

    Owen lowered his arm and let out a breath. He could feel the strength leaving his body, and suddenly he felt exhausted. Just being in that state had drained him of all his essence. He sat down on the floor and leaned his head forward as he caught his breath.

    Sonya placed Grace down on the floor and turned to Owen. "Are you alright?"

    He nodded.

    "Good. Now that we''ve determined what your insignia does, we can move on to training. Though, I have to say doing that drained you of your essence. It won''t be possible for you to use it continuously in a prolonged fight. You''ll have to figure out a way to conserve your essence."

    Owen nodded again, acknowledging her words. He''d think about that later. Right now, a grin was plastered on his face, as he basked in the afterglow of that fight. He had finally attained it. A path to power.

 Chapter 5 - The Aether Pills

    The rest of the lesson went by quickly. Owen''s mind had wandered off elsewhere after his spar with Grace, and so he couldn''t say for certain how long the lesson lasted. However, when the class had finally ended, Sonya approached his desk before he was able to leave. She looked next to him at Isaac who had been seated beside him.

    "Isaac I trust you, so I would like to give you the responsibility of looking after the new guy during his first week here," she said, "So I''ll be counting on you, got it?"

    "Sure thing," Isaac replied.

    "Great." Sonya turned her attention to Owen. "I¡¯ll see you later after lunch then. Now, you two better get going."

    They both stood up from their seats and walked out of the room. Once they were out in the corridor, Isaac stretched his arms over his head and let out a yawn.

    "Man, I''m starving. Let''s go get some food."

    Owen followed him down the corridor and through the doors to the main hall. Once inside, Isaac led him through the crowds of people towards the corridor they had gone through earlier that day. But when they reached the corridor, Owen noticed a set of open double doors on the left side of the corridor where people were streaming into. They were heading up a flight of stairs. Isaac noticed him looking at the crowd.

    "Ah, that''s where we''re going. Follow me." he said, before pushing past the crowd and heading up the stairs. Owen followed him up the stairs, and after climbing for what felt like a minute, they reached the top. They had arrived at a large landing, which opened up into a huge dome shaped room. The roof of the room was entirely transparent, letting in the light from above. A bright blue sky and white clouds hung over them. It was almost as if they were outside.

    The far off walls of the room were lined with rows of tables and benches. People were already seated at them, enjoying their food. There was another large crowd of people standing in line waiting to order food. From what Owen could see, there were five separate lines. Each one with a different sign hanging above it. He read the signs from left to right. "Floor 1", "Floor 2", "Floor 3", "Floor 4" and "Floor 5".

    "Alright, let''s get in line." said Isaac. He led the way over to the "Floor 1" line. When they reached the end of the line, Owen looked over at Isaac with a curious expression on his face. "Why did we line up under floor 1?"

    "Because this is our floor. Look at your uniform, it says floor 1 doesn''t it?" Isaac said, pointing to his chest. "We are assigned a specific floor number depending on our loyalty score. The higher the score the higher the floor. And better the privileges you''ll get."

    "So, that means I''m stuck at the bottom, huh?"

    "Yes. Though you can eventually move up a floor if you prove yourself loyal to Arden."

    Owen chuckled. "I guess I''ll never be moving up then."

    Isaac laughed back, shaking his head. "Man, you''re a riot."

    They moved up the line slowly until finally they reached the front. A dispenser stood in front of them, with a small screen displaying a list of food choices. Isaac picked out his meal and placed his hand on the screen. The machine beeped in response, and then a drawer opened up in the front of it, sliding out with a plate of food on top. It was some sort of noodle dish. He grabbed the plate of food and then moved away from the machine. Owen did the same thing, selecting a random dish and putting his hand on the screen. A moment later, the drawer slid out and a plate of food appeared. It was chicken.

    "Looks good, doesn''t it?" Isaac commented as he led the way towards an empty table.

    "Yeah." Owen replied, picking up the plate of chicken. They sat down at the table and began eating their meals.

    "So what do you think so far?" asked Isaac, slurping up a mouthful of noodles.

    Owen shrugged. "It''s not bad. I''ll say that much. I thought they''d just keep us locked up in our rooms all day long, but looks like that''s not the case here. Though it sucks that I can''t see my family right now."

    Owen shrugged. "It''s not bad. I''ll say that much. I thought they''d just keep us locked up in our rooms all day long, but looks like that''s not the case here. Though it kind of sucks that I can''t see my family right now."

    Isaac nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I know what you mean. It''s been four years since I''ve seen mine."

    Owen looked up from his plate of food. "Four years?"

    "Yeah. I was caught when I was fifteen."

    "Damn. You''ve been here that long? Is there no way to get out of here?"

    "There is," sighed Isaac. "You just have to reach floor ten, and once you do, Arden will welcome you into their ranks as a full-fledged member."

    Owen raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? If that''s the only way to leave this place, why are you still on floor one? Aren''t you planning on seeing your family?"

    "Of course I am. But," Isaac''s gaze turned distant, and he paused in thought for a moment. "But I''m not so sure if I want to leave here any more."The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Owen narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

    Isaac looked back at him and smiled. "I mean, that I don''t mind staying here. As long as I''m here, I''ll be fed, clothed and protected. That''s all I need really."

    Owen shook his head, letting out a sigh. "Whatever you say, man. I''m still getting out of here though."

    "I hope you do," said Isaac. "But you''ll have to start behaving if you ever want to reach floor ten."

    "I''ll pass." Owen said, taking a bite of his chicken. "I''d rather die than become a dog of Arden."

    "How are you going to leave then?"

    Owen grinned. "I''ll just have to fight my way out."

    "You know that''s impossible, right?" Isaac said, letting out a laugh. "Arden has advanced essence users. You''ll never make a dent in them."

    "I don''t know about that. If I can find a way to get stronger quickly, then I might just be able to do it." Owen said, as he continued eating his meal. He was lost in thought after that, and Isaac didn''t press the issue any further.

    Owen''s mind would have continued to wander off elsewhere, but suddenly, he heard something that pulled his attention back to reality. It was the sound of someone crying. He turned to look at the source of the sound and noticed that a young boy was being dragged by the hair across the floor by an older man.

    "Let go!" the boy cried out in between sobs, as he struggled to get loose from the man''s grip.

    Owen''s eyes narrowed as he watched the scene unfold. He recognized the kid, it was the boy he had bumped into earlier that morning.

    "What''s the guy doing with the kid?" asked Owen.

    Isaac looked over and saw what was going on as well. He let out a sigh of disappointment. "I''m not surprised. Looks like the kid is going to be robbed for his pills."

    "Pills?" Owen asked.

    "Yeah, aether pills. It''s something you can get from the vending machines. They are what allow essence users to advance to their next rank. However, there''s a limited supply of them, so sometimes people will try to steal them from others.¡±

    "How did he get them?"

    "He must have got them because he''s new. They give a few to each newcomer, so you can start advancing your rank as quickly as possible. Though you probably won''t get any because of your loyalty score."

    "Right." Owen replied absent-mindedly. His eyes were focused on the kid being dragged away. The boy continued to struggle, but his efforts were futile.

    Owen stood up from his seat. "I''ll be right back."

    Isaac was quick to respond. "You shouldn''t get involved in this. It won''t do you any good."

    Owen turned back to face Isaac. "What, you''re saying I should just sit back and watch?"

    "That''s exactly what I''m saying. You''ll only make things worse for yourself if you get involved. You see this inhibitor bracelet?" Isaac raised his hand into the air, showing off the black band on his wrist. "Only the people on floor one wear them. People on higher floors don''t. Do you know what that means? They are allowed to use essence."

    Owen glanced back at the man dragging away the kid. The guy didn''t have an inhibitor bracelet on him.

    "So?" Owen said. "I''ve already fought against someone without essence. I''ll take my chances."

    Isaac sighed in exasperation. "Fine, suit yourself. But just don''t get me involved in this."

    "Sure." Owen replied as he walked away. He moved swiftly, his steps confident as he made his way towards where the two were. As he got closer, he heard a beep come from his wrist. For whatever reason, the LED on the screen was red, indicating that it had been switched off. He didn''t know the reason why it did, but he was thankful as he didn¡¯t feel the oppressive feeling of the bracelet any more.

    The other inmates who had been ignoring the scene until now stopped to watch as the new guy approached. Their eyes followed him as he closed the distance between him and the man, who also noticed him coming. He stopped and turned his head to look back at Owen. The boy was still being held by his hair in one hand. The man with his spiked up hair and unkept messy beard, looked Owen up and down before speaking.

    "What do you want? Can''t you see I''m busy?" he asked in a gruff tone.

    "Let the kid go."

    "What''s it to you?" the man sneered. "This ain''t any of your business."

    He then stared at Owen''s chest, reading the words on his jumpsuit. His teeth clenched in anger as he spat out, "And who are you to tell me what to do you damn floor one bastard. You think you can order me around?"

    He dropped the kid onto the ground and took a step towards Owen. His body glowed with a red aura, as essence flowed throughout his body. The man''s fist clenched as he spoke again. "I''ll give you one chance. Bow down and apologize to me, or I''ll beat the shit out of you."

    Owen smirked. He spread his arms open in front of him, his palms facing forward, inviting the man to attack. "Go right ahead."

    The man was quick to accept his invitation. He dashed forward, his fist drawn back as he prepared to punch. But just when he was about to throw the punch, his fist froze in place, inches away from Owen''s face. He tried to move, but his arm wouldn''t budge.

    "What''s the matter? Aren''t you going to hit me?"

    "What are you doing to me?" the man snarled. "You¡¯re from floor one, how are you doing this?"

    Owen didn''t answer him. Instead, he raised his arm up and placed a hand on his shoulder.

    The man watched helplessly as Owen forced the man down. He resisted, but to no avail. A few moments later, his head was touching the floor.

    "Weren''t you going to beat me up?" asked Owen, a hint of mockery in his voice. "Looks like you can''t even touch me though."

    The man''s body began to tremble as he struggled against Owen''s hold. Eventually his struggles ceased and the essence surrounding his body faded away.

    Owen then knelt down beside him and leaned in close. He whispered into the man''s ear.

    "Apologize to me and the kid."

    The man bit his lip as he fought against the urge to resist. Finally, he relented. "I''m sorry."

    "You''re what?"

    "I''m sorry, alright!"

    "Good boy." Owen patted him on the back of the head before standing back up. "You''re free to go now."

    The man quickly got up and ran away without looking back. Owen turned his attention to the boy lying on the floor. Wide eyes stared up at Owen, as he looked at him with wonder. Owen put his hands in his pocket and asked, "You okay there kid?"

    The boy nodded slowly.

    "Good." He then held out his hand to the boy. "I''m Owen by the way. What''s your name?"

    "I''m..." the boy hesitated, as he reached out to take his hand. "I''m... Will. My name is Will."

    Owen gestured with his head towards the direction where he came from. "Okay let''s go."

    "W-what?"

    Not bothering to explain himself, Owen walked off, heading back to his table where Isaac was still seated. Will, almost stumbling, followed after him. When they arrived back at the table, Isaac let out an exasperated sigh.

    "And you brought the kid here as well, huh?"

    "Yeah, I did." said Owen as he sat back down.

    Will stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. Owen gestured to the seat beside him. "Come sit here kid."

    Will looked over at Isaac for confirmation. Isaac rolled his eyes and nodded his head in approval. "Just sit down already."

    Will complied and took the empty seat beside Owen. Owen turned to Will as he rested his head against his hand. "So, the guy was trying to steal your aether pills? Guess you hid them pretty well if he couldn''t find them."

    Will looked down at his hands, his eyes wide with worry.

    "Don''t worry, I won''t try to steal them from you." Owen reassured him.

    Will seemed to relax a bit. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out, well, nothing.

    Owen raised an eyebrow. He was about to question the boy, when he noticed Will beginning to concentrate. Soon, a circular silver box materialized into his hand. Will then placed it on the table and pressed down on a small button on its top. The box popped open, revealing ten white capsules inside.

    Owen eyed the pills with interest. He turned to Will. "So, I helped you out today. But tomorrow that guy might come for you again. If you want to, you can hire me to-"

    Before he could finish, Will pushed the box towards him.

    Owen was taken aback. "What are you doing?"

    "I-I don''t need them," Will said quietly. "I don''t care about becoming stronger, I just want to live in peace."

    Owen stared at the boy, not knowing how to react. Finally, he let out a sigh. He pushed the box back to Will. "You shouldn''t easily hand out something so valuable to a stranger."

    Isaac nodded in agreement. "The new guy is right. You''re giving away your only chance of advancement to a guy you just met."

    "Oh..." Will mumbled, his face dropping with disappointment.

    Owen couldn''t help but feel bad for the kid. He crossed his arms over his chest, as he tried to think of something to say. "Will. How old are you?"

    "I''m thirteen."

    "So you just recently got your essence ability, right?"

    Will nodded in response.

    "In that case, let''s make a deal. You won''t survive long in this place if you don''t know how to fight for yourself. And I need some of those pills to become stronger as quickly as possible. So how about this: I''ll train you on how to fight, and in exchange you give me half of those pills. Deal?" Owen stretched out his hand towards him.

    Will hesitated for a moment, but he finally reached out and shook his hand.

    "Ah... okay. It¡¯s a deal."

 Chapter 6 - The Training Room

    Pike rubbed his forehead, the place in which the teen from before had forced him down onto the ground. His head still throbbed with a subtle pain, but that wasn''t what angered him. His pride had been wounded more than anything, and the fact that a teen, one who was several years younger than him at that, had humiliated him to such a degree. And Pike wondered, how did the boy use his ability on him? Wasn''t he wearing an inhibitor bracelet?

    He clenched his fist and banged it against the wall of the elevator he was currently in. He''d make him pay for this humiliation. Just wait and see.

    The elevator slowed down and came to a stop as it arrived at its destination. Pike took a deep breath and stepped out of the elevator as its doors slid open. The familiar sight of floor five greeted him. A wide hall with many doors along its walls, leading off into rooms where floor five inmates could rest. Though he wasn''t one of them. He was part of floor three.

    He walked through the hall, heading straight for the large double doors at the end of the room. They led to the common area of floor five. A spacious room, lined with couches and chairs all around. There were several windows along the walls, allowing light to enter the room. Upon entering the common area, Pike glanced around the room, searching for someone. Over by the corner of the room, a crowd of people were standing around a table where two people were playing cards. It was there that Pike spotted the people he had been looking for.

    He approached the table and stopped behind the crowd. He leaned forward, catching a glimpse of the two players.

    "You shouldn''t have played that way," said the young man seated on the left. He was muscular and slim, his long brown hair was tied back into a ponytail. His cat like eyes narrowed, staring intently at the cards in front of him. "Man, you should''ve bet more."

    The man he was speaking to cursed under his breath. "Damn it, I''ll make it up next time."

    This other man was older than the first, though still rather young. He was far more muscular, built like a gorilla. A black beanie covered his head of curly hair and a moustache grew under his nose. His face was twisted in annoyance as he looked down at the cards in his hand.

    "Well, looks like I''ve won again," said the cat eyed man with a grin on his face as he laid out his cards on the table. "That''s five in a row."

    Pike shuffled nervously as he watched the scene unfold. He dared not speak out, not wanting to disrupt the two men. There names were Kenneth and Jason, and they were the top dogs on the lower floors. Both were intermediate essence users who were both being considered for the floor six advancement exam. Pike wanted to become like them one day. But for now, he knew that he was nowhere near their level.

    Kenneth let out a laugh as he leaned back in his chair. "Man, you suck at this game. I''ll give you a chance to win your money back. One more round?"

    "Fine," muttered Jason. "One more round."

    Just as the game was about to start again, Pike finally spoke up. "Uh... Excuse me."

    But he was ignored. Jason and Kenneth continued to set up their cards.

    Pike quieted down. He had tried to speak out, but now he felt foolish for having done so. He contemplated whether they had even heard him. So for the next twenty minutes he stood there, awkwardly watching them play their game. It wasn''t until the game was over, with Jason having lost once again, that Kenneth finally spoke up.

    "So what did you want earlier?" asked Kenneth, not even bothering to look up at Pike.

    So he had heard him after all. He was just ignored.

    "Ah, well..." Pike stuttered. "It''s about the quota for the pills. I-I need some help with that."

    Kenneth raised an eyebrow. "Why did you think it was necessary to report this to me?"

    "Well, because I... I thought..." Pike hesitated.

    Kenneth sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. "What, did someone try to stop you from collecting the quota or something?"

    "Y-yes!"

    "Wow, which fool decided to try and mess with us? Was it some new guy from third or fourth floor?"

    "No, he was..." Pike paused, thinking about how to phrase his next words. "He was from floor one."

    The atmosphere changed instantly. A hush fell over the crowd surrounding them, and a chill ran through the air.

    Kenneth turned his head slowly, his gaze now directed at Pike. His eyes narrowed, as his voice came out in a low growl. "Floor one?"

    Pike nodded his head.

    Kenneth then glanced over at Jason beside him. "Do you hear that? One of our guys got messed with by someone from floor one." He then looked back at Pike. "Seriously Pike, from floor one?"

    The reason why Kenneth was so baffled by the idea was because typically those who were assigned to floor one were usually those who were untrained, have a subpar Insignia or those that were just weak.

    "Yes," Pike confirmed. "But this guy was strong! He was able to force me down onto my knees-"

    Pike stopped talking. The look that Kenneth was giving him was enough to tell him that he should shut his mouth. Kenneth sighed as he got up from his seat. He placed a hand on Pike''s shoulder, causing him to flinch.

    "Alright old man, I get it. You¡¯re getting up there in age, so it makes sense that someone like this nobody could man handle you."

    "I only just entered my forties¡­" Pike couldn¡¯t help but mutter under his breath.

    Kenneth continued. "So don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll give you one more chance to redeem yourself. Take some guys with you from your floor and beat his ass up tomorrow."

    "But... I mean..."

    "You don¡¯t want to?" Kenneth said, a hint of anger in his voice.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Pike shook his head frantically. "No, I do!"

    He did want revenge after all. But he wasn¡¯t sure if the people from floor three were strong enough to handle someone like that teen. That¡¯s why he even came here in the first place.

    "Good." Kenneth said, turning away from him. "Now get going. I need to discuss something with Jason."

    Pike nodded obediently as he made his way towards the exit. He glanced back one last time to catch another glimpse at Jason, the one who hadn¡¯t said a word about his predicament. It was then that Pike noticed the look in his eyes. It was a look of pity.

    He questioned why that was, but he didn''t bother to think too much about it. Instead, he turned his attention forward and left the room.

    ***

    After lunch had ended, Isaac had told Owen that they were free to do anything until the next class began in the evening. This meant that Owen and Will could begin their training.

    Isaac had told him where they could find an unused training room for them to use, so after getting directions from him, Owen and Will made their way towards the training rooms. After walking through the halls for a few minutes, they reached their destination. There were rows of doors on either side of them, with people standing in front of each of them.

    Unexpectedly, the pink haired girl, Grace, was standing in front of the door of one of the rooms. She seemed to be waiting for someone.

    When she noticed them approaching, she nodded her head in greeting. "Sup."

    "Hey," Owen replied, stopping in front of her. "You waiting for someone?"

    "Nah, not for anyone in particular. I¡¯m just waiting for someone to finish up inside so I can use the room." Grace said. "How about you guys?"

    "We''re looking for an empty room to train in."

    Grace looked at Will who had been hiding behind Owen. "Who''s the kid?"

    "His name''s Will," Owen replied, stepping aside so that Grace could see Will. "I¡¯ll be training him from now on."

    Grace raised an eyebrow. "As in, you''ll be teaching him how to fight?"

    "Yup."

    "Wow it¡¯s only your first day here, and you''ve already got yourself a pupil." Grace said, laughing to herself.

    Owen shrugged. "He was being robbed earlier by some guy who was after his pills. So I stepped in and helped him out."

    "I see. Well, I''m not sure how good of a teacher you are, but I hope the kid learns a thing or two from you."

    Just as she finished speaking, the door to the room she was waiting for slid open. A sweaty looking man exited the room. The door closed behind him as he walked past them, heading down the hall.

    Grace let out a sigh of relief. "Finally, it''s been almost an hour."

    She then turned back to look at them. "Well, I guess I''ll see you later."

    She placed her hand on a panel beside the door, which prompted the door to open once more. But before she stepped through, she turned back to Owen, and said, "I¡¯m sure you guys won¡¯t be able to find a room anytime soon, so you can use this one with me if you want."

    Owen looked at her in surprise. "You don¡¯t mind?"

    "It''s fine, I don''t mind sharing," she said with a shrug. "Besides, I want to see how good of a teacher you really are."

    Owen accepted her offer. "Alright, thanks."

    "No problem," she said, stepping into the room. "Come on in."

    Owen followed after her, and Will trailed behind him. The bracelet on his wrist beeped, signifying that it had turned off. The room was fairly small, about the size of a regular living room. In the centre of the room stood two dummies made of hard plastic.

    There was also a rack of weights along the left wall, and a punching bag hung from the ceiling at the far end of the room.

    "So how are we going to do this?" asked Owen, looking over at Grace.

    "I''ll train by myself over there where the punching bag is, and you guys can train here. Sound good?"

    Owen nodded in agreement.

    Owen turned back to Will. "Okay, so let''s start with some stretches."

    For the next thirty minutes, Owen taught Will the basics of stretching, along with other warm up exercises. He then moved onto the basics of combat. They started with how to properly punch, followed by simple kick techniques. Owen also made sure that Will understood how to properly throw a kick without hurting his knee or ankle. After that, they moved on to defensive stances and how to properly guard against an attack.

    The time went by quickly and before long, Grace had finished her training. She sat down on the floor and watched as they continued their training.

    "Alright, now that we''re done with the basics, let''s move onto essence," Owen said. "How much do you know about it?"

    "Um... I don¡¯t know much..." Will mumbled in response.

    Owen crossed his arms over his chest. "Shouldn¡¯t your parents have taught you about it already?"

    "I don''t have any," Will said quietly. "They died when I was younger."

    Owen exchanged awkward glances with Grace. "Oh..."

    Owen cleared his throat before speaking again. "Okay well, what about the Arden guys here? I don¡¯t think they¡¯d let one of their prisoners get away without knowing something like this."

    "No, they didn¡¯t teach me anything like that," Will replied, shaking his head. "All they did while I was here was teach me how to read and write, since I couldn¡¯t even do that before I got here."

    Another round of awkward glances passed between Owen and Grace.

    "Sorry," Owen said after a moment. "Anyway, I guess it isn¡¯t that hard to explain it to you. So how about I teach you the basics first? And then once you know enough, I''ll teach you how to use your essence in combat."

    Will nodded slowly.

    Owen began his lesson, explaining to Will the basics of essence. First, he explained to him what essence was. It was an energy that came from the soul. Everyone had it, but it only awakened once someone became thirteen years old. It was also an energy that enhanced anything that it came into contact with. This included the body, the mind, and other elements in the surrounding environment.

    Next, Owen explained to him the ten different essence types. Each type governed over a specific aspect of reality.

    "You can figure out what type someone is by what colour their essence is. My essence is yellow, which means I''m an energy essence user."

    Will raised his hand into the air.

    "Yeah?"

    "How did you stop that guy from moving earlier? I don''t understand how you did that."

    Owen smirked. "That was just my essence ability. You see, each essence user gets an ability that falls under the domain of their essence type. For example, my essence ability allows me to control kinetic energy. What you saw me do earlier was just me stopping the kinetic energy in his body."

    "Wow¡­ that¡¯s kind of strong..." Will said, looking up at Owen with admiration.

    "Eh, I don¡¯t think it is though. I had to like spend over half of my essence in order to hold him in place for a few seconds. He could''ve easily broken out of it if he used more of his own essence to strengthen himself."

    Owen looked over at Grace. "Anyway, do you mind showing Will what type of essence user you are? It''ll be helpful if he sees someone else with a different type."

    "Sure," Grace said, getting up from where she had been sitting. She walked over to them and stopped a couple feet away from Will. Her body began to glow with a pink aura as her essence flowed throughout her.

    "I am a space essence user," she said. "My essence ability allows me to incorporate myself into multiple spaces at once."

    As she said this, a copy of herself appeared beside her. Then another appeared, and another, until there were four of her. Each one stood side by side, looking at Will with identical expressions. She put her hands in her pocket with each copy doing the same.

    "Woah..." Will gasped in awe.

    Grace smiled in satisfaction. She then waved her hand, causing the copies to dissipate into a mist of pink particles.

    "That''s how it looks like when I use my ability," she said, looking at Owen. "But if I keep using it for at least a minute straight, I¡¯ll bottom out my essence, so I don''t really use it much in combat. I prefer just using my insignia."

    "Makes sense," Owen replied.

    He then turned back to Will. "Anyway, since you''ve seen someone else''s essence, how about you try activating your own?"

    "A-alright," Will stammered.

    He closed his eyes, and focused on his essence. As he concentrated, Owen could see a faint red glow emanating from Will''s body. Soon, the glow grew stronger until Will''s body was completely shrouded in a bright red aura.

    "You''re doing good," Owen said encouragingly. "You''re a beast essence user. Now try and use your essence ability."

    Will nervously opened his eyes. "How do I do that?"

    Owen rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm, I thought you''d have a better idea on that, with the way you turned that box invisible back in the cafeteria. I thought that it was a part of your ability."

    Will shook his head. "No, that was just me using my insignia. I find out a way to hide objects using it. But that''s all I can really do though..."

    "Alright then, I guess we¡¯ll just have to brute force it," Owen said with a shrug. "Normally you¡¯d find out through your parents what your ability is, but since you don¡¯t have any, I guess we''ll just have to find it out the hard way."

    "So...how do we do that?" Will asked, unsure.

    Owen scratched the back of his head.

    "Uh...well you¡¯re a beast essence user, which means you can transform into some sort of beast or animal, so... you¡¯ll have to imagine yourself becoming one."

    Will stared at Owen with a blank expression.

    "Come on, you can do it. We¡¯ll start of easy. Alright, you¡¯re a dog."

    For the next hour, they tried countless times to get Will to transform into various animals, but there was no sign of progress. They went through everything from cats, to snakes, to birds, but nothing seemed to work.

    By the end of it all, Will sat on the floor, bored and frustrated. "Alright you¡¯re a horse now... don¡¯t forget to neigh loudly as well."

    Will followed Owen''s command and neighed loudly. This time though, he put his all into it. And when he finished his loud neigh, he looked up at Owen expectantly, wondering if it worked.

    But unfortunately, the results were the same as all the other times.

    "Sorry, guess that didn¡¯t work either." Owen said, looking down at Will with pity.

    Will sighed as he let himself fall backwards onto the floor. He lay there, staring up at the ceiling. "I don¡¯t understand. Why can''t I do anything?"

    "Relax kid, this isn''t your fault."

    Grace, who had been watching the scene with amusement, finally spoke up. "Hey, maybe you¡¯re a honey badger."

    Owen glanced back at her with annoyance. "It can¡¯t be something common like that. He¡¯s got to have some rare essence type or something."

    She shrugged her shoulders. "You never know. It¡¯s one of the ones we haven¡¯t tried yet anyway."

    Owen sighed. He turned back to Will. "Alright, how about this. You''re a honey badger. Got it? Now try and imagine yourself becoming one."

    Will closed his eyes once more, concentrating hard. For the first few seconds nothing happened. But then Owen noticed something strange. Fur began to cover Will''s arms.

    Owen looked at Grace with wide eyes. "Holy shit."

    The fur continued to spread across his body until his entire torso was covered in it. Like a suit of armour, the fur grew thicker and thicker, until eventually he looked like a hairy beast. His hands and feet turned into claws, while his face transformed into that of a badger.

    "Damn," Owen said, his eyes locked on to the beast before him. "He actually did it."

    He looked over at Grace. A smug expression was plastered on her face. "Well, looks like I was right." She raised out a hand towards Owen.

    He smiled as he smacked it with his own. "Yeah yeah, you were right."

 Chapter 7 - The Brawl

    It was the next day, and lunchtime had finally arrived. It was busier than the day before, with more people having come to eat in the cafeteria. Owen and Isaac sat together at the same table they''d eaten at the day before. But today, there was an extra person sitting across from them. It was Grace.

    "So what''s the deal with you joining us? You usually eat alone." asked Isaac.

    Grace shrugged as she picked at her food. "Eh, I felt like eating here today. Is that a problem?"

    Isaac shook his head. "Nah, it''s fine."

    He then looked over at Owen. "So how''s the training going with the kid?"

    "Oh, it''s going great," Owen replied. "It¡¯s only been a day, but I think he¡¯s a really fast learner."

    "Good to hear."

    Speaking of Will, the boy in question approached their table. He was carrying a tray of food in his hands. Owen waved at him, beckoning him to come over.

    "Hey Will, you want to eat with us?" Owen asked as the boy came within earshot.

    Will nodded his head, but stopped a few steps away from the table. "Is it really okay though?"

    "Why wouldn¡¯t it be?"

    "I feel like I¡¯ll cause trouble for you guys if I sit here..." Will mumbled under his breath.

    Owen couldn¡¯t help but laugh at those words. "There¡¯s no way you could possibly do that. Don¡¯t worry, just sit down."

    Will hesitantly walked over to the table. He placed his tray down and sat beside Owen. The three of them began to eat their meals. They made small talk, talking about random subjects such as what they did the previous day, or what they planned to do in the afternoon. At one point Will spoke up, asking them a question.

    "Um, I wanted to ask this yesterday, but I didn¡¯t get the chance," he began. "What insignias do you guys have?"

    Grace took the liberty of answering him. "I have the chain insignia. I can make and control chains."

    "That¡¯s¡­ cool."

    "You think so?" Grace said, surprised by his compliment. "I guess it is pretty useful, but I remember someone calling it stupid." She said as she side eyed Owen.

    Owen cringed. "Well, it''s not stupid... per se. But you have to admit, it''s strange that the thing you desire most in life are chains."

    "It''s not like I asked for it," Grace retorted. "Besides, I got it when I was young, so maybe the kid me just thought that chains were really cool."

    "Alright, if you say so."

    Will looked at Isaac curiously, ready to hear what his insignia was.

    Isaac sighed, "You know kid, you shouldn¡¯t make it a habit of asking people about their insignias. You can tell a lot about someone just by knowing what insignia they have."

    "Ah, sorry!" Will apologized.

    "It''s fine," Isaac replied. "Anyway it¡¯s not really a big deal. I got the weapon insignia. It''s nothing special."

    "So you can make weapons?" Asked Owen.

    Isaac nodded his head. "Yeah, from swords to guns. Any sort of weapon you can think of, I can create."

    "Isn¡¯t that really good? Why¡¯d they place you on the first floor?" Owen asked.

    Grace chuckled. "He wasn¡¯t placed on the first floor originally. He came all the way up from floor five."

    Isaac looked at her with annoyance. "Don''t remind me..."Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Grace ignored his expression and continued to speak. "He got demoted down floor after floor for failing his assessment tests."

    Isaac frowned. "You talk so much about me, yet you haven¡¯t even touched floor two, and you¡¯ve been in here longer than me."

    "You¡¯ve got the wrong idea Isaac," Grace said while shaking her head. "I''m not trying to go higher up. I don¡¯t care if I''m stuck on floor one."

    "Then how are you planning on leaving this place?"

    "By breaking out obviously," Grace replied casually.

    Owen grinned at the sound of her response. He held out a fist bump over the table towards her. "I like the way you think."

    She smiled, and bumped his fist with hers. "Thanks."

    Isaac sighed in exasperation. "Man, you two are both unbelievable..."

    Will stared at them with wide eyes, completely engrossed in the conversation. He then looked over at Owen curiously. "If you don¡¯t mind, could you tell me what insignia you have?"

    "Sure." Owen answered. "I guess what you would call it is the fight insignia. I think it allows me to control combat related things. Though I haven¡¯t really tested it out all that much." He looked back at Will. "And I guess what you have is the hide insignia? Since you can turn stuff invisible."

    Will nodded in agreement. "Yeah I guess so."

    "Great. After we finish up here, why don''t we head off to the training room and see if we can figure out how exactly our abilities work?"

    "Okay!" Will agreed enthusiastically.

    Owen smiled. "Alright, sounds like a plan then. Do you want to come with us as well Grace? Isaac?"

    "I don¡¯t mind coming," Grace replied.

    "Sure," Isaac agreed. "I got nothing better to do anyway."

    "Then it''s decided."

    As they were finishing their meals, a commotion occurred at one end of the cafeteria. A group of inmates were pushing themselves through the crowd. And they were headed directly towards them.

    "What''s going on?" Will asked, confused by the sudden noise.

    Isaac frowned as he watched the group of men approach them. "It looks like they''re heading straight for our table."

    And he was right. The group of men stopped in front of their table, blocking them from all sides. There were fifteen of them, all of varying sizes and heights. The text on the front of their jumpsuits indicated that they were all from floor three.

    The man in front stepped forward. He was tall and lean, but his most distinct feature was the bald head that he sported. He looked around the table and asked, "So which one of them is it?"

    A spiky haired man from behind him stepped forward. "It''s the black haired kid." He pointed directly at Owen.

    Owen recognized him immediately. It was the man that he had confronted the day before. It seemed that he had brought backup this time.

    The bald man laid his eyes on Owen. "You¡¯re the one who touched one of my boys, huh? Get your bitch ass off of that seat and follow me."

    Silence followed his words as everyone at the table stared at him with expressions of shock.

    Will trembled as he glanced around the table nervously.

    Isaac, who had been listening to them quietly, spoke up. "Hey, there must be some other way we can settle this."

    "Shut the fuck up braids," snapped the bald man, glaring at him. "We ain''t here for you."

    Owen took a deep breath as he stared down at the bald man. "I didn''t know that the people from floor three were this rude."

    "What''d you just say to me?"

    "You heard me."

    The bald man slammed his fist against the table, causing the plates and glasses on it to rattle. "This punk is testing my patience."

    Owen stood up slowly, his expression cold as ice. "I¡¯ll only tell you this once, so listen carefully. Leave or I¡¯ll break your arm."

    "Owen¡­" Isaac said uneasily. "Don¡¯t do anything rash, man."

    Owen knew what he was saying. He wasn¡¯t even sure if he could take on fifteen guys with essence. But without it? There was no chance.

    However, Owen didn¡¯t care. He was never one to back down from a fight.

    Grace sighed as she put her head into her hands. "This is going to end badly."

    The bald man scoffed at Owen''s threat. "You think you¡¯re some badass, huh, kid?" He motioned with his hand. "Get this bitch."

    They moved to grab Owen, but surprisingly, he was already up in the air. He had jumped over the table like a wrestler, and had aimed straight for the bald man, tackling him straight to the ground.

    The bald man''s head smashed against the floor as Owen rained down punches on top of him. The rest of the men rushed back in, grabbing onto Owen.

    Chaos ensued.

    A one vs fifteen brawl erupted as punches flew everywhere. Essence enhanced fists slammed into Owen like he was a weathered drum, pummelling his body until it was bruised and bleeding. Blood splattered across the floor as Owen''s head was rocked backwards, and then forwards again.

    But that didn¡¯t stop him though. He was after only one thing. The bald man.

    Owen had been aiming his fists at him this entire time, even as he was beaten and kicked by the others around him. His fist connected with the man''s face, crushing his nose.

    The man howled in pain as blood gushed out from his broken nose. "You fucking bastard!"

    He tried to retaliate from the floor, but Owen slammed down another fist, and another, and another. Until his face was completely covered in blood.

    His nose was crooked and bent. His eyes were swollen shut, and his lips were fat and split. It seemed that he wouldn¡¯t be able to open them anytime soon.

    He wasn¡¯t unconscious yet, thankfully. Because Owen wanted him to feel this next part vividly.

    Owen grabbed through dozens of arms and hands that were either beating or holding him down. He reached for the man''s forearm and gripped it tightly. The bald man looked up at him through swollen eyes, a mixture of fear and confusion in his expression. "What the fuck are you-"

    Before he could finish, Owen kneed him hard at the joint of his elbow. The bones in his arm snapped, bending backwards at an unnatural angle. The bald man screamed as he cradled his broken limb.

    The fight came to a halt as the other men froze in horror at the sight before them. Owen meanwhile, used their distraction to go for another one of them. He grabbed one man by the collar and jammed two of his fingers into the man''s eye sockets. He felt the eyeballs pop, squishing between his fingers as the man cried out in pain.

    He then turned his sights to another man, who at that moment yelled out, "wait, wait, I''m not-"

    But Owen didn''t give him any chance to explain himself. Instead, he swung an overhead punch, smashing it into the man''s jaw. He was knocked straight to the floor, where his body twitched uncontrollably.

    The remaining men jumped back into the action, though with much more caution this time. They swarmed Owen like a pack of hyenas, kicking and punching at him from all sides. Owen fought wildly, swinging his fists and elbows at anyone who came near him. He headbutted, kicked, bit and even dislocated joints when necessary. It was a scene straight from hell.

    Soon enough, the attacks stopped coming. Through bloodied eyes, Owen saw that the men were stepping away from him, looking at him with expressions of shock and horror. Nine of their men were lying at his feet, either unconscious or writhing in pain. He had taken down over half of them all by himself.

    Pike, who had been standing back, took one look at his beaten men and wondered how the hell the kid came out on top. It should''ve been impossible. There were far more of them than there was of him. And yet...

    A whistle rang out through the cafeteria. Men in white uniforms stood rushed in through the doors, running towards the scene with batons and tasers in hand.

    Owen looked up at them, his vision blurred. A smirk crossed his face as he saw them approaching him.

    "Oi, you wanna be gangsters¡­" he addressed the remaining seven men. "Why do you act so tough when you¡¯re this weak?"

    He stumbled forward, raising his fists. The men flinched backwards, retreating from him as if he were a ghost. Crazy eyes stared at them from under a bloodied forehead.

    He moved towards them, but was stopped in his tracks as guards surrounded him.

    One of them spoke up. "Stand down!"

    He was grabbed by the arms and held firmly in place. They began dragging him away from the scene, towards the exit of the cafeteria.

    Owen looked back at the men one last time. His eyes locked with the spiky haired man. "You damn weaklings! Bring anyone you want next time. I''ll still kill all of you!"

 Chapter 8 - The Horrible Truth

    Owen was sat alone in a darkly lit cell. He was slouching against the wall, his back resting against the cool stone surface. His eyes were closed as he concentrated on his breathing.

    He''d been here for two hours, locked inside a cell. He was still covered in blood, both from his and others. His nose was crooked and bent. His body was littered with bruises and cuts, and his right eye was so swollen that he could barely open it.

    The sounds of footsteps approached him. Someone unlocked his cell door and swung it open. Two guards walked in, and immediately grabbed him by the arm.

    He was dragged up onto his feet, and forced out of the cell.

    "Damn, can¡¯t you take me to your doctor first?" Owen asked, his voice hoarse. The guards ignored him, and he was dragged down the hallway. Owen¡¯s blurry eyesight didn¡¯t help him much in recognizing where he was being taken to. After several turns, they eventually arrived at their destination.

    A door opened and he was dragged inside. It was a dimly lit room, with a chair bound to the wall. He was tossed onto it, and his hands and legs were tied down. A large black screen was embedded into the wall in front of him. To his right, a one way window was placed on the wall.

    Owen sighed, and sat back in the chair. He looked up at the ceiling, wondering what would happen next.

    Not long after, another figure entered the room. It was a middle-aged woman with long brown hair. She wore a white cap on her head, and a white and grey suit that matched the colour of the guards. She stepped up to Owen, and grimaced as she looked at his face.

    "Good Lord, what a mess," she muttered. "And all for what? Because you couldn''t keep your hands to yourself?"

    Owen stared at her through narrowed eyes. "It''s not like I started this. If anything, I was just protecting myself."

    The woman scoffed at his words. "Is that so? Do you think we''ll believe that?" She shook her head. "You sent nine people to the infirmary today. There is no way you can justify that."

    The woman turned away from him, and walked over to the window. "I''m officer Vicki. I''m in charge of handing out punishments to troublemakers like yourself."

    "Punishments?" Owen repeated. "I don¡¯t think I did anything wrong."

    Vicki turned around and faced him. "We don¡¯t tolerate floor one inmates stepping out of line here. Those from higher floors are considered to be more valuable assets. So if they get hurt because of you, then you need to take responsibility."

    Owen leaned forward in his chair, straining against his restraints. "I¡¯m being serious here. Did you expect me to just sit there and take it as those guys jumped me?"

    "Yes. That is exactly what I expected you to do," Vicki answered. "Because you¡¯re simply not worth anything."

    Owen stared at her, dumbfounded by her words.

    She continued to speak. "For your punishment, you''ll be locked up in this room for three days. No food or water will be given to you. This should give you enough time to contemplate your actions."

    Vicki walked over to the door, and knocked on it twice. A guard opened it from the other side, and she left without saying another word.

    Owen was left alone in the dark room, the only source of light coming from the single flickering bulb above him. He sighed, and leaned back in his chair.

    "How stupid..." he muttered to himself.

    He thought he would be waiting in silence for the next three days, but the screen in front of him suddenly came to life, brightening the room. Owen squinted, and raised his head to look at it.

    But a moment later, he wished that he hadn''t. With wide eyes, he stared at the screen with disbelief.

    It was a video of his father, tied up in a chair just like he was. He was shirtless, and his entire upper body was covered in bruises. A cloth was wrapped around his head, covering his mouth. He looked beaten, bloody, and exhausted.

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    The camera zoomed out, revealing two men standing behind him. They wore grey uniforms, and masks covered their faces. Their hands were gloved, and each held a steel baton.

    Owen''s blood ran cold as he knew exactly where this was going.

    One of the men swung down his baton onto his father¡¯s thigh. His father winced and yelled out in pain, his muffled voice heard through the cloth covering his mouth. The man raised his baton again and brought it down on his chest. Then his stomach. His arms. His face. Over and over again, he was beaten senseless.

    Owen watched on, horrified as his father was tortured in front of him. It went on for minutes before the men finally stopped.

    Then the screen changed, displaying a new image. It was a close up shot of his sister, Olivia, who had bruises and injuries much like his father had. Again, two masked men stood either side of her.

    They raised their batons, and struck her down mercilessly. Rage coursed through Owen''s body as he desperately struggled against his restraints.

    He snapped his head towards the one way mirror. Were they watching him? He glared at it, as if he could see the people on the other side. "Is this real?!"

    The beatings went on. And on. And on. Until the scene changed again. This time, a close up shot of his younger brother, Jack, appeared.

    Terror filled Owen''s heart at the appearance of his brother. He looked down at the floor, clenching his fists as he bit down on his bottom lip. The sounds of what came next were unbearable. His brother''s wails and cries were burned into his ears like a cursed memory.

    His breath quickened as he fought to stop himself from hyperventilating. It couldn''t be real. There was no way that this was real. But even so, the sound of metal against flesh was unmistakable.

    He lost track of how many times his family were shown on that screen. First it was his father. Then his sister, then his brother. It played on loop, constantly replaying the same scenes over and over again.

    Hours went by. And Owen sat there, staring blankly at the screen with vacant eyes.

    ***

    Vicki watched him from the other side of the one way window. She sipped on her cup of coffee as she studied his face.

    The man that stood beside her spoke. "He looks calm."

    She nodded her head. "He showed a lot of emotion at the beginning, but now he seems completely unresponsive."

    "Do you think he broke?"

    "Hard to say. But we''ll know for sure in another day or two."

    They continued to watch him, taking note of his every reaction.

    It was the second day since they had locked him in there, and so far he had shown no sign of breaking. He had barely reacted to anything. Owen had tried to fall asleep couple of times, but was unable to due to being jolted awake by electrical shocks.

    His condition had only worsened after a day without food or water. He was becoming increasingly weaker by the hour. The screen that played videos of his family still continued to play, though at this point it was just white noise to him.

    The man beside Vicki raised his cup to his mouth, but frowned when he realized that it was empty. He turned to leave, but stopped as something caught his attention. He noticed that Owen''s head was turned towards them.

    He was staring at them through the one way window. He tapped Vicki on the shoulder, pointing towards the window.

    Vicki looked back at him curiously, then turned her gaze towards the window. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight before her. Owen was staring at her with an eerily calm expression on his face.

    The man asked, "Can he see us?"

    "No¡­" she replied, but not really sure herself.

    Owen¡¯s mouth opened slowly. He spoke in a low voice.

    "Are you there?"

    Vicki leaned closer to the window, straining her ears to hear him clearly. But then he began to speak louder, and his words were unmistakable.

    "I want to thank you guys. Really."

    Vicki frowned, confused by his words. She glanced to the side, looking at the man standing next to her.

    The man spoke, "What is he talking about?"

    Vicki shook her head slowly. "I don''t know."

    She looked back at Owen, who was still staring directly at her through the window. His eyes were wide open. Bloodshot and full of madness.

    "Thank you," he said again. "Because of you guys, I finally understand now. I understand exactly what I must do. Arden needs to be destroyed."

    Vicki and the guard stared at him in silence, taken aback by his words. She motioned with her hand towards the guard. "Go cut off the video."

    "Are you sure?" The guard asked, hesitating.

    "Yes. The video didn¡¯t have the intended effect on him. Instead, it just made him more vengeful. There''s no point in continuing this any longer."

    The man nodded, and quickly left the room. A moment later, the video feed of his family stopped playing, and the screen turned black.

    Owen remained silent. He closed his eyes, and leaned his head back against the wall.

    Vicki sighed, and looked away from the window. "What a mess."

    The guard returned to her side. "What now?"

    "Now we wait."

    ***

    Owen sat in silence for the remainder of day three. His mind was in a haze, and his thoughts were incoherent. His body was numb and his vision blurred. He was dehydrated, hungry, and exhausted. But his mind was still clear enough to understand one thing. He would get his revenge.

    It was late at night when he heard the sound of footsteps approach him. Owen looked up with dazed eyes as the door to the room opened.

    A guard, accompanied by a woman, stepped inside. Owen recognized her immediately. It was Sonya, and she had a troubled expression on her face as she looked at him.

    "I can¡¯t believe they kept you like this," she muttered. She turned her head towards the guard. "Can you please hurry and take his restraints off?"

    The guard walked over to Owen, and removed the binds that held him down. They fell to the ground with a clatter.

    Sonya slowly helped him up from his seat, supporting him with her arms. A whisper escaped Owen''s mouth. "... They touched my family... I won¡¯t forgive them¡­"

    "I know, I know," Sonya said gently. She supported his weight as she led him out of the room.

    Vicki was waiting outside in the hallway. Sonya glared at her coldly. "You didn¡¯t have to go this far. This is too much."

    Vicki crossed her arms. "I was just doing what I thought was necessary. I fulfilled my duty, and nothing else. But Sonya, why does it sound like you''re taking his side here?"

    Sonya gritted her teeth, "Don¡¯t you think this is inhumane?"

    "There''s nothing inhumane about it. If it¡¯s for the benefit of Arden, then there are no limits to what we should do." Vicki said calmly.

    "You¡­!"

    Sonya stopped herself. She bit down on her lower lip, holding back her words. She knew that arguing with her now would get them nowhere.

    Instead, she focused on getting Owen to the infirmary as quickly as possible. The two of them moved down the hall, passing by Vicki without another word.

    Vicki watched as they left through a door. A guard approached her from behind, and spoke to her. "What now?"

    Vicki glanced over at him. "I want you to arrange a meeting with Mayers. I¡¯ll need to inform him of the situation."

    "Why? Is something wrong?"

    "Did you not hear him earlier? He said that he wanted to destroy Arden. That''s not something we can overlook."

    The guard frowned. "Do you actually think he can do that though?"

    "No," Vicki shook her head. "But he will definitely become a problem for the corporation in the future. He took out nine inmates from floor three by himself, and he managed to that without essence. Imagine how strong he would become if he became an advanced or even an intermediate essence user. He¡¯d be unstoppable."

    The guard shivered at the thought.

    "That sounds bad."

    Vicki nodded. "So you understand now? We need to do something about him. The sooner, the better."

    The guard agreed. "Yes, I understand. I''ll arrange the meeting immediately."

    "Please do."

 Chapter 9 - The Anger Brews

    Kevin Mayers, the sub-warden of the facility, managed all matters concerning the lower floors.

    With grey hair and a wrinkled face, he was well into his two hundreds. As a result, he didn''t look very healthy, with sunken eyes and an emaciated frame.

    A sudden ache ran up his spine and he let out a long groan. With one hand, he pounded on his back, trying to ease the pain.

    "Ah this damn back. I should have ranked up sooner in my youth, so I wouldn¡¯t have to deal with this."

    It was late at night, and he had just returned to his office. His eyes were heavy from lack of sleep, but work kept him awake.

    A knock sounded at his door. He sighed, "Who is it? Come in."

    The door opened, and Vicki stepped inside. She bowed her head in respect.

    "I hope I''m not bothering you, sir."

    "Ah ms. Vicki! Come in. What brings you here?" He motioned for her to sit down in a chair across from his desk. She accepted his offer, and took a seat.

    "Sir, have you read through the report I sent you earlier?"

    Kevin leaned back in his chair, and stroked his chin with a bony hand. "I did."

    "So you know about the incident involving the floor one inmate Owen Walters?"

    Kevin nodded. "Indeed I do. What a strong young man. He would become quite a useful asset to Arden if he could be wrangled under control."

    Vicki furrowed her brow. "Yes he would become useful if he could be controlled, but that¡¯s the issue though. After what happened today, it doesn¡¯t seem like that would be possible."

    "Oh? Why do you say that?"

    Vicki began explaining. "Owen Walters is not a normal person. He doesn''t react the way others do. Instead of being intimidated by the punishment he received, he instead became angry and vengeful. His desire for revenge only grew stronger after witnessing the torture of his family."

    Kevin raised an eyebrow at her words. "So you¡¯re saying he didn¡¯t beg or plead for their lives? That he didn¡¯t even shed a single tear?"

    Vicki shook her head, "No, sir. In fact, he even thanked us. And threatened that he would destroy Arden."

    Kevin fell silent, mulling over her words. He sighed, and looked up at the ceiling.

    "This is troubling indeed," he muttered. "It looks like we have to try a different approach."

    Vicki leaned forward, eager to hear his thoughts.

    "What should we do then, sir?"

    Kevin pondered for a moment, before reaching a decision.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    "Well this is actually a rather simple problem," Kevin said. "You see, from what I know about this Owen Walters, it seems to me that he has a very big ego. It''s not hard to imagine that a man like him would be prideful in his strength, considering how he took down nine inmates without using essence."

    Vicki nodded, listening intently to his words.

    "So we¡¯ll put him against an opponent that is an equal to him."

    Vicki stared at him in shock, surprised by his idea. "How will that make him become obedient?"

    "If he fights against another person, with no restrictions, and then loses, it would be a blow to his pride. It would show him that he is not that special, and that he is just another person. With his ego taken down a notch, he will become more willing to cooperate."

    Vicki frowned, finding some issues with his plan. "But what if he wins? Wouldn''t that only serve to make him even more stubborn?"

    "That won¡¯t happen," Kevin said confidently. "Because I believe in the superiority of our seasoned combatants. They won¡¯t lose to a kid like him."

    But he knocked out nine people without using essence... Vicki thought to herself, but she held her tongue.

    "Alright, I¡¯ll contact the overseers for floor one and four, and arrange a duel between Owen Walters and their best inmate," Kevin said. "That should put an end to this problem once and for all."

    Unsatisfied with his plan, Vicki stood up from her seat. "If that is your decision, then I won''t question it."

    Kevin waved his hand at her. "Go ahead and leave. I''ll make the necessary arrangements."

    Vicki bowed her head, and left the room.

    Kevin watched as she left. He leaned back in his chair, and sighed. "This better work."

    ***

    Owen was in his personal cell, lying down on a bed. His hands were folded behind his head, as he stared up at the ceiling. With his injuries healed by Sonya, and a stomach full of food, he was feeling much better than before. But his mind was still restless.

    The videos still played endlessly in his head, and the sounds of metal hitting flesh were still fresh in his ears.

    He gritted his teeth, and closed his eyes, trying to shut them out.

    "I need to do something..." he muttered.

    But what could he do? How could he even begin to save them? Only a lucky coincidence would be able to help him out here. He didn''t even know where they were being held, let alone how to get there.

    Owen opened his eyes. "I need some guidance mother."

    Abruptly, the door to Owen''s cell slid open. Three people stepped inside. The first was a short, fat man with a bald head. He, Owen recognized as the overseer for floor one.

    The other two people he had never seen before. One was a middle-aged woman, with long dark hair and sharp eyes. The other was an old man, whose face was wrinkled and covered in liver spots. His grey hair was thinning, and his shoulders were hunched over. A cane was gripped in his left hand, and he used it to support his weight as he walked.

    Owen wondered who this old man was, but sat up from his bed when he noticed the bright green pupils in the old man''s eyes. This man was an advanced essence user, and likely an important figure in the facility.

    The short man stepped forward. "Inmate Owen Walters. I am your overseer from floor one. You may call me Mr. Jones."

    He gestured towards the middle-aged woman. "This is the overseer for floor four. And this here is the sub-warden of the prison."

    The old man nodded his head towards Owen. "You can call me Mr. Mayers."

    Owen stared at him curiously. "What do you guys want?"

    "We want to offer you a challenge," the old man said. "A duel."

    "A duel?" Owen repeated. "Why?"

    The old man explained. "Because you''ve shown that you are a very capable fighter. We want to see your skills in action, so that we can properly assess your ability. With this, we¡¯ll maybe consider moving you up a floor."

    Owen scoffed, "Oh please, I¡¯m not stupid. Why would you want to move me up a floor after I injured so many of your inmates? There is a hidden reason behind this."

    "You rude little..." Mr. Jones said angrily, but he stopped when the old man raised a hand.

    "It is true that you did injure several of our assets, but you¡¯re mistaken if you think that is the reason we are here," the old man said. "The truth is, we admire your strength, and believe that it can be put to good use. If you take part in this duel, then we will consider granting a reward to you."

    Owen stared at him blankly, wondering what he was talking about.

    "What kind of reward?"

    The old man smiled, showing off his yellow stained teeth.

    "Well if you win, we will grant you whatever wish you desire. That is, as long as it''s within our power of course. Of course things like freedom, or letting you see your family, are off the table. But anything else is fine."

    Owen contemplated his words. A chance to obtain a reward, no matter how small, would definitely be beneficial to him.

    He put a hand on his chin and thought for a moment. Then a sudden idea came to him. A plan formed in his mind, and he looked up at the three of them.

    "You said I can request anything I want if I win right?"

    The old man nodded his head. "Yes that''s right."

    Mayers noticed the sly grin that appeared on Owen''s face. He narrowed his eyes and wondered what the young man was scheming about.

    Owen stared straight into the old man''s eyes. "Alright, I¡¯ll take part in your duel. Who am I fighting?"

    The woman stepped forward. "A person from floor four named John Dreyfus. He¡¯s also at the rank of a novice essence user, so he¡¯ll be an equal opponent for you."

    "I see."

    Mayers cleared his throat, and spoke to Owen. "In that case, when do you want it to take place? We can set it up at anytime of the week-"

    Owen cut him off. "Today. I want it to happen today."

    Mayers raised an eyebrow. "Today? Are you sure?"

    "Yeah, I feel like throwing my fist into someone''s face. I need to let off some steam."

    Mayers laughed, amused by his words.

    "Alright then. I''ll make the necessary preparations."

    The three of them turned around and left the room. The cell door slammed shut behind them, and Owen was left alone once more.

    He laid back down onto the bed, and closed his eyes. A smile slowly spread across his face. They had no idea what he was planning. He was going to make them regret ever offering him this chance.

    "This will be the start of your downfall Arden," he muttered under his breath. "I promise you that."

 Chapter 10 - The Declaration

    Isaac sat in his chair, listening absent-mindedly as Sonya talked about something he wasn''t really interested in.

    He was in the evening class of the day, and he had barely paid any attention to the lessons since the beginning. Not that it mattered anyway. Isaac knew all of this already. Sonya just taught the same things that only floor one inmates were allowed to learn.

    He sat at his desk with his head propped up by his arm. His eyes drifted towards the empty seat next to him. It had been four days since he¡¯d last seen Owen, and he was wondering what happened to him.

    A sigh escaped his mouth, and he shook his head. "What am I doing?" he thought to himself.

    The two of them weren''t even friends. There was no reason for him to worry. But he couldn''t help but wonder if there was anything more he could have done back at the cafeteria. Maybe if he had really tried to stop him, Owen wouldn''t have been taken away like that.

    As he mulled over these thoughts, an unexpected announcement came on over the intercom.

    "This is a message for all the lower floors inmates. A duel has been arranged between Owen Walters from floor one, and John Dreyfus from floor four. The duel will take place immediately. All inmates are required to attend."

    Sonya stopped talking as she heard the announcement. She looked over at her students with wide eyes. "A duel? For what reason?"

    No one answered her, as they were just as clueless as she was.

    Isaac stood up from his chair, surprised to hear Owen''s name.

    He glanced over at Sonya. "Can we go watch?"

    "Yes, yes, all of you can go." she replied absent-mindedly, still trying to comprehend the situation.

    Isaac nodded his head. "Thanks."

    He turned and left the room, followed by the rest of his classmates.

    The halls were filling up with people, as everyone moved in the same direction. They headed towards the arena, where the duel would take place.

    Grace pushed through the crowd, walking alongside Isaac. "Do you know why this is happening?" she asked him.

    "No idea," Isaac answered. "But I can guess that it''s got something to do with what happened the other day."

    Grace nodded her head. "You''re probably right."

    They followed the crowd towards the arena, which was on the outskirts of the facility. It was an open-aired structure, with seats around it and a dirt field in the centre. An orange sky loomed above them as they entered the arena. The seats were already packed with people.

    "This way," Grace said, pointing towards the far end of the arena. "It looks like we can still get good seats."

    Isaac followed after her. They climbed up a flight of stairs, and took their seats at the very front.

    They sat down, and Isaac leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I wonder what''s going to happen."

    ***

    Kenneth sat down in his seat with a frown on his face. He crossed his arms, and leaned back. "I don¡¯t like how much flare this has. What is it, some kind of show?"

    Sitting next to him, Jason raised an eyebrow. "Flare? What do you mean?"

    "Dude, why are they announcing a duel between a floor one and a floor four inmate? And why did they make us all gather here like this? It makes no sense."

    Jason shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me. But maybe there is a reason for it?"

    "Like what?"

    "I don''t know. Maybe they''re testing Owen Walters'' strength or something."

    Kenneth snorted. "Testing? More like setting him up for failure. I mean come on, there''s no way he can win against a floor four guy, no matter how strong he is."

    "But..." Jason started. "He¡¯s rather strong, isn¡¯t he? That Owen guy."

    They had heard about what happened at the cafeteria. The news had quickly spread around like wildfire among the lower floors.

    Kenneth shook his head. "He¡¯s still a weakling in my eyes."

    "You never know," Jason said. "Maybe he''ll surprise us."

    "Yeah right."

    The two of them fell silent. They looked around at the arena, noticing how much fuller it had become.

    Jason asked, "Is that the sub-warden over there?" He pointed towards a large elevated platform near the edge of the arena. It was occupied by several figures, most of which were dressed in grey uniforms.

    Kenneth narrowed his eyes, and squinted, trying to see them clearly. "No¡­it can''t be¡­"

    But it was. Sitting on the platform, surrounded by several officers, was the sub-warden of the facility.

    Kenneth frowned at the sight. "Now I definitely know that something is up here. Seriously, why would they have the sub-warden present at a fight like this?"

    ***If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Mayers sat on his chair, overlooking the arena. He watched with sharp eyes as the last of the people began to take their seats. The arena was packed.

    To his left sat the overseer for floor one, and to his right sat the overseer for floor four.

    Jones glanced over at Mayers, and whispered in his ear. "Sir, why are we having this fight take place in the arena? We could have easily arranged for it to happen in one of our training rooms."

    "You are correct," Mayers replied. "But I wanted to have as many eyes on this duel as possible."

    The overseer from floor four, who had been listening in, leaned closer. "But why? Why would you want people to see this?"

    Jones couldn¡¯t help but agree with the woman. It made no sense.

    Mayers looked over at her. "Because I want Owen Walters to know shame. Imagine it now, an arrogant man like him, losing in front of a large audience. It would be a humiliating defeat for him."

    Jones and the overseer from floor four nodded their heads slowly.

    "I see..." Jones muttered. "I understand now. That''s quite clever, Mr. Mayers."

    The overseer from floor four added, "If he loses here, it will damage his pride, and make him more obedient to us. His ego will be shattered."

    Mayers nodded his head. "Precisely."

    They fell silent as the last of the people took their seats. The stage was set. Everything was ready.

    The announcer, who standing on a platform that hovered above the field, looked over at Mayers for the signal to begin.

    Mayers raised his hand, and gave the announcer a thumbs up. The announcer nodded, and spoke into his microphone.

    "Alright everyone! Let''s get this duel started!"

    ***

    Owen was sat inside a room. The sounds of people cheering could be heard from outside.

    He sat on a bench, waiting for his turn. He was wearing his combat uniform, which consisted of grey track pants and a white t-shirt.

    As he waited, he recalled the conversation he''d had with the three overseers earlier that day.

    "If you win, we will grant you whatever wish you desire."

    Owen clenched his fists, and gritted his teeth. There was no option for him to lose. It was either victory or death.

    The door to his room opened, and he looked up to see a guard standing in the doorway.

    "It''s time," the guard said. "Please come with me."

    Owen stood up from his seat. He took a deep breath, and followed after the guard.

    They walked down a long hallway, before arriving at a set of double doors. The guard opened one of the doors for him, and gestured for Owen to walk inside.

    Owen stepped through the doorway, and entered the arena. A soft breeze blew past him as he looked around.

    The arena was packed. Hundreds of people were seated, watching him with expectant eyes. He glanced up at the elevated platform in the far distance. The sub-warden sat there, along with the three overseers from floor one and floor four.

    The crowd grew silent as they watched him. Then the announcer spoke into his microphone.

    "¡ªand we have our other fighter! Please give a round of applause for Owen Walters!"

    A half-hearted applause came from the audience. Some clapped, others didn''t bother.

    Owen scanned the field, until he spotted his opponent standing near the centre of the arena. Was it John something? He couldn''t remember the guy''s name. But it didn''t matter.

    His opponent looked to be in his late teens, with blonde hair and an average build. He was dressed in the same attire as Owen was.

    Owen turned his head towards the announcer, who was still speaking into his microphone.

    "Alright everyone! Now that both of our fighters have arrived, let us here some words from them!"

    The announcer floated down with his platform, and stopped in front of John.

    The microphone was held out in front of him. "John! Do you have anything to say?"

    John smiled cockily. "Not much. Just that I''ll put this guy in his place," he then pointed towards Owen, "the overseer promised me that if I win, he''d move me up a floor. So, Owen Walters, you¡¯ll be the stepping stone for my rise to floor five."

    The audience cheered at his words. The announcer grinned widely as he floated over towards Owen. "How about you Owen? Do you have anything to say?"

    Owen looked at the announcer coldly. "What is this? Let¡¯s just throw hands already."

    The announcer laughed nervously at Owen''s attitude. He then backed up his platform, and floated back upwards. He raised the microphone to his mouth, and spoke loudly.

    "Alright! Are both the fighters ready?!"

    John raised his fist in the air, showing that he was ready. Owen didn''t make any gestures, but gave a slight nod of his head.

    The announcer grinned. "Alright! Let''s get started! May the battle begin!"

    He shot backwards, retreating to a safe distance. John smirked, letting his essence flow through his body. A yellow aura flared outwards from him, and he stared at Owen with intense eyes.

    Owen did the same, producing his own yellow aura. He flexed his muscles, and cracked his knuckles. "Let¡¯s find out how strong a floor four inmate is."

    They charged towards each other at the same time. Their fists collided with a loud bang, sending shockwaves throughout the field. Owen grabbed John''s arm, and threw him up high into the air. But before Owen could follow up with an attack, he stopped himself as he noticed that electricity had gathered around John''s hands.

    A bolt of electricity shot towards Owen from above. He sidestepped out of the way, narrowly dodging the attack.

    John landed on the ground. He raised both of his arms, and slammed them on the ground. An electrical current ran across the field, and raced towards Owen. Like an army of white snakes, it moved towards him, looking to coil around him and fry him alive.

    But before they could bite, Owen moved to the left. With his essence ability, he increased his kinetic energy output, and accelerated his body speed to its maximum. His movements were instantaneous, and his body moved like a blur as he zipped across the field.

    John was stunned by Owen''s speed. He had never seen anyone move so fast before. But he didn''t have time to ponder, as Owen suddenly appeared right in front of him.

    Before he could react, Owen swung his fist into John''s face, sending him skidding backwards.

    Owen followed up with another attack, and drove his fist into John''s chest. John gasped out in pain as he was sent flying into the air. He landed and rolled on the ground, clutching at his injured chest.

    Owen rushed in for another attack, but stopped as something caught his attention. Frost was forming around his feet.

    "What is¨C"

    The frost instantly expanded, growing rapidly and engulfing his entire body. A layer of ice formed over his skin, freezing him in place. Owen gritted his teeth as the coldness bit at his flesh. He raised his head, and saw that John had got back up onto his feet.

    Electricity was gathering around his hands again. Owen cursed as he used kinetic energy to heat up his body. Steam rose up from the ice, as it started to thaw away.

    Though the ice didn''t melt quickly enough. John launched a bolt of electricity towards him, and this time Owen couldn''t dodge.

    It hit him square in the chest, causing the ice to shatter. Pain coursed through Owen¡¯s body as he was electrocuted. He gritted his teeth as he felt his nerves go haywire. If it weren¡¯t for the defences essence provided, he would have likely been dead by now.

    Once the electricity subsided, Owen immediately dropped to the ground. He panted heavily as he took deep breaths of air.

    A shadow fell over him. He looked up and saw that John was standing above him. A smug look was on his face.

    "I''ll finish you here."

    He raised his hand, which crackled with electricity. But before he could attack, Owen swept his leg, knocking John''s feet out from under him.

    John fell backwards, landing on his back. But Owen didn''t give him the chance to get up.

    He got up to his feet, and drove his fist down towards John''s face. The punch connected with a loud smack, and John''s head bounced off the ground.

    Owen raised his fist for another punch, but stopped as icicles formed around John''s body. They grew outwards, nearly impaling Owen.

    He retreated backwards, avoiding the spikes. A momentary pause occurred between them.

    Owen wiped some blood away from the corner of his mouth. "I guess that ice is part of your Insignia, huh?"

    John with wobbly legs, stood back up onto his feet. "Damn, I thought this was going to be an easier fight."

    "Sorry to disappoint you then."

    John narrowed his eyes. He had around half of his essence left. He needed to finish this soon, otherwise he would run out.

    Owen took a step forward, "Let¡¯s finish this."

    John grit his teeth, and raised his arm. This next move would eat away a good portion of his essence, but he didn''t have much of a choice.

    Owen neared closer. He raised his arm, ready to strike. But then suddenly stopped. His eyes glazed over, and he lost all focus.

    John had temporarily halted the electrical signals in Owen''s brain with his ability. Owen''s body stiffened, and he leaned forward, ready to collapse to the ground.

    John seized the opportunity. He charged forward, and ran electricity through his fist. He used most of his essence as he drove his fist upwards into an uppercut. It connected, snapping Owen''s head backwards and launching him into the air.

    Owen landed hard on the ground, his body bouncing up before falling still.

    The entire arena was silent as they watched him. No one uttered a single word as they waited with bated breaths.

    "Please, just stay down¡­" John muttered to himself.

    Owen laid on his back, unmoving. For a second, it seemed like he wasn''t going to get up.

    But then, slowly, a hand moved. It pushed against the ground, as Owen began to sit up. John''s heart sank as Owen stared at him with cold eyes.

    Owen stood up from the ground, and glared at him. "Nice trick."

    John cursed under his breath, "Shit!"

    He swung his arms down in desperation and discharged electricity throughout the field. It was all or nothing at this point. If he didn''t take Owen out now, he would lose.

    With casual ease, Owen jumped up into the air, dodging the electricity. There, he was suspended in mid-air. He looked down at John, like a god does at peasants.

    Then he shot downwards, driving his foot into John''s head. It sent him crashing to the ground.

    John laid on the ground, unmoving. The crowd stared with wide eyes at the sight before them. The battle was over.

    Owen Walters had won.

    The announcer flew downwards from his platform. He hovered above John''s unconscious body, and spoke into his microphone. "And the winner of the duel is... Owen Walters! Congratulations!"

    The crowd cheered loudly at the announcement, clapping and whistling in excitement.

    Owen looked up at where the sub-warden was sitting. The old man wore a grave expression on his face, as he looked down at him. Owen smirked at him, he clearly hadn''t expected him to win.

    Owen turned to the announcer, and spoke loudly. "Hand me your mike."

    The announcer was surprised, but handed his microphone over. Owen took it from him, and turned to the crowd.

    He raised the microphone to his mouth, and began to speak. "Shut up. All of you."

    Everyone fell silent, as they were startled by his words.

    Owen then turned his attention towards the elevated platform. He glared at the people sitting there.

    "Oi old man, do you remember what you said? I can ask for anything I want if I win this duel. Right? So I¡¯ll tell you this now¡ª" Owen pointed a finger at the crowd of inmates. "What I want, is to fight all the inmates from floor two to floor five, all in a row, with no breaks."

    Silence filled the arena once more, as everyone wondered if he was serious.

    Once more, Owen raised the microphone to his mouth. "Did you bastards not hear me? I said I want a damn gauntlet."

 Chapter 11 - The Reason

    Mayers office was quiet as he sat behind his desk. In his office sat all the overseers from floor one to five.

    The overseer from floor five, who had dark brown hair and a moustache, spoke to Mayers. "Mayers, you can¡¯t possibly humour that brat''s request right?"

    Mayers sighed, "Unfortunately I have no choice. He won the duel fair and square."

    "But still, it¡¯s such a ridiculous thing to request. It doesn''t make any sense."

    Mayers nodded his head, "I have no idea why he would ask for something like this either. But I must fulfill my end of the deal. I made a promise to him."

    "But sir," the overseer from floor three interjected. "Is it really okay for us to go along with this? We don¡¯t have to do what he says. He''s just a floor one inmate."

    An angry fist slammed onto the desk, startling the overseers. Mayers glared at them with cold eyes. "You fools! Do you expect me to lose face? To go back on my word? Don''t make me laugh! We men of Arden never break our promises!"

    The third floor overseer sighed and slumped in his chair, "Yes sir."

    The door to the office opened, and a guard entered.

    "Sir, Owen Walters has just arrived outside your office."

    Mayers waved his hand dismissively. "Let him inside."

    The guard nodded, and left the room. A moment later, Owen stepped inside, accompanied by another guard. His hands were in his pocket, and he had an arrogant smirk on his face.

    Owen glanced around at the overseers with sharp eyes. They glared at him, but kept their mouths shut.

    "Hey old man," Owen said to Mayers. "I came to iron out the details."

    Jones stood up from his seat, furious. "Watch how you speak to the sub-warden, boy!"

    Owen glanced over at him, "Was I talking to you?"

    Jones was taken aback by his attitude. He gritted his teeth angrily, but a wave of Mayers'' hand silenced him. Jones reluctantly sat back down in his seat.

    Mayers then turned his attention towards Owen. "So about this, ''gauntlet'' that you asked for. I wanted to ask you first why you would ask for something like this. The only way this can benefit you is if you have some ulterior motive."

    "And why does that matter? I won the duel fair and square right? You promised me that you would fulfill any request that I have."

    "And I intend to keep my promise," Mayers replied. "But I am curious as to why going through this would benefit you."

    Owen grinned, "That''s simple. You see, I hate to see people act too big for their boots. And the guys from the floors above me are all cocky bastards who think they''re all that. All I want to do is knock them down a peg."

    Mayers raised an eyebrow, "That''s the reason? Is it really so simple? You do realize that you''ll be fighting against dozens of inmates right? Are you confident that you can win?"

    "Obviously. Among the trash from the lower floors, there aren''t any who can even compare to me."

    Mayers mouth hung open in shock. He had never met an inmate so full of himself. This Owen Walters was something else.

    "Alright, I understand your reasons now." Mayers said. "In that case, let''s go over the specifics. First off, we will only allow inmates who sign up for the gauntlet to fight you. The only ones who will be participating are volunteers."

    "That''s fine. But then I have a suggestion."

    Mayers frowned. "And what''s that?"

    "You¡¯ll reward those who volunteer with a promotion to the next floor. That should increase the number of people who want to fight me."Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    The overseer from floor four interrupted. "Don¡¯t you dare make demands. Who the hell do you think you are?" She turned her head towards Mayers. "Sir, this is too much. It''s unreasonable."

    Mayers stared back at her. "You¡¯re right, it¡¯s too much. I can¡¯t just promote people randomly like this."

    Owen interjected, "Ah, right I forgot. You¡¯re only just the sub-warden. I guess you can¡¯t make that decision on your own without the warden''s permission." He then waved his hand dismissively. "In that case, forget about it then. I don¡¯t want to get you in trouble."

    Mayers gritted his teeth as Owen looked down at him with a mocking gaze. His blood boiled, and he glared at Owen. He then cleared his throat, and spoke calmly.

    "That youngster holds nothing over me, I can do whatever the hell I want. Alright fine, I''ll grant your request. Any of the inmates who volunteer will be promoted to the next floor."

    The overseer from floor four shook her head in disappointment. She looked away, not wanting to continue watching the spectacle.

    Owen grinned. "Great."

    "Now about the fights themselves. You yourself said that you want them to be in a row, with no breaks."

    "That''s right," Owen nodded his head.

    Mayers shook his head. "I don¡¯t know why you would want such a thing, but sure, we can do it that way."

    "Good."

    "Is there anything else?" Mayers asked.

    "Yeah, the rewards for the winner and the punishment for the losers."

    Mayers put a hand on his chin as he pondered Owen''s words. "What ideas do you have in mind?"

    "If I win, I want you to demote all the inmates that signed up for the gauntlet, all the way down to floor one."

    "What?" Mayers asked. "You want me to demote them?"

    "Yeah," Owen said casually. "I mean I¡¯m from floor one. Do you think that those that lose to me deserve to stay on the floors that they are on? No, they belong right where I¡¯m at."

    Mayers fumbled with his hands as he considered Owen''s suggestion. It was certainly something that he could do.

    "Alright, but! You¡¯ll have to win every single fight for it to be considered your win."

    "Okay."

    "If you lose even a single match, then that is automatically considered your loss. "

    "If you say so."

    Mayers frowned at Owen''s blas¨¦ attitude. "Damn, you¡¯re too casual about this. You do realize that if you lose, you¡¯ll have to face some sort of punishment right? The overseers will surely want to punish you for your arrogance."

    "But I won¡¯t lose."

    Mayers shook his head at Owen''s confidence. He knew that he wouldn''t be able to talk sense into this fool.

    "Alright, the gauntlet will be held in one week. We''ll announce it tomorrow morning. Is there anything else?"

    Owen shook his head. "Nah, that¡¯s it."

    "Then you may go."

    Owen turned to leave and took one last look at the overseers. He could see that they were all glaring at him with angry expressions on their faces. He smirked at them, before leaving the room.

    Mayers put his hands together and sighed. "You¡¯re a crazy kid."

    ***

    Owen had overslept, and woke up late that next day. He was surprised to find out that he had been allowed to sleep in. When he arrived at the cafeteria, he noticed that people were giving him strange looks. They avoided him as much as they could, and didn''t dare make eye contact with him.

    Owen ignored them, and went straight for the floor one food vendor.

    "O-Owen?" A measly voice called out to him.

    He turned his head and saw Will standing behind him.

    Owen smiled, "Oh hey kid, it''s been a few days."

    Owen smiled, "Oh hey kid, it''s been a few days."

    "Yeah it has! I saw your fight yesterday, and you¡¯re really strong!"

    Owen laughed, "I guess I am, huh? Thanks for the compliment."

    Will looked down at the ground, and spoke quietly. "I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t help you back then."

    Owen looked at him blankly. "You mean when I fought those floor three guys?"

    "Yes. I should have helped you, but I was too scared to move."

    Owen shook his head. "Please Will, don¡¯t ever consider joining a fight like that. You¡¯ll just get yourself hurt. Honestly if something like that happens again, I want you to run away immediately."

    "But then what about you? Are you going to run away too?"

    Owen was silent, unable to answer Will''s question. Will stared at him with a worried expression on his face. Owen patted him on the shoulder, and forced a smile.

    "I don¡¯t run from fights."

    "But why?" Will asked.

    "Because my pride won¡¯t let me."

    Will fell silent, still not understanding Owen''s reasoning.

    Owen glanced over at the floor one vendor. The line was empty. "Anyway, have you had any food yet?"

    Will shook his head. Owen grinned, "Alright then, let''s go grab some."

    They walked over to the vendor, and were served their food. They were about to go look for a table, when Isaac and Grace came running up to them.

    Isaac stopped in front of Owen, and spoke breathlessly. "Okay, what the fuck."

    Grace pointed a finger at Isaac. "Yeah, what he said."

    Owen smiled, "Hey guys, it''s been a while."

    He went and walked past them, and the three of them followed after him.

    Isaac continued. "Seriously dude, what is this about a gauntlet? Are you insane? How are you going to fight against so many people in a row?"

    "I guess you heard about it already then." Owen replied casually. He sat down at a table, and the others followed suit.

    Isaac sat across from him. "I just don¡¯t understand. Why would you want to do something like this? Are you trying to humiliate yourself?"

    "Nah." He said as he dug into his food.

    "Then what? Is this because you want to show off your strength?" Isaac asked. "Or is this some way for you to try to appease your ego? If not, help me understand Owen."

    Grace nodded from beside Isaac. She, too, was curious about Owen''s intentions.

    Owen finished chewing his food, and swallowed. He looked up at the two of them and said, "Isaac, I need an army."

    Isaac raised an eyebrow, "An army?"

    "Yes, an army. I realized I can¡¯t break out of here alone. I need a lot more people on my side."

    "Okay, but how will this gauntlet help you do that?"

    "Think about it, when I win this thing, everyone that signed up will get demoted to floor one. Imagine, all those years of hard work climbing up floors, gone in an instant."

    Isaac rubbed his temples as he tried to process Owen''s words. "Won¡¯t that just get people to hate you though?"

    "Yes, they''ll definitely hate me. But that''s fine. What I want is for them to feel hopelessness. Like there is no more chance for them to become free by climbing the floors. I want them to realize that the only way out of here is by breaking out."

    Isaac sighed, "Owen, this is crazy. Do you really think that would work?"

    "It will," Owen replied confidently. "I just need to show them that there''s hope through me."

    Isaac shook his head. "But still, that¡¯ll only happen if you win this thing. With the reward being a promotion up a floor, nearly everyone will sign up for it."

    "I know."

    "Don¡¯t get me wrong Owen, but the fight yesterday with that floor four guy, you didn¡¯t exactly look like you were dominating that fight. But now you¡¯re not only going to face people like that, but dozens of them all in a row. It seems like an impossible task."

    Owen shrugged his shoulders. "I still have a week left. That''s enough time for me to come up with some ideas."

    Isaac couldn¡¯t help but sigh. This was just so ridiculous to him.

    Will, who had been sitting quietly beside Owen, suddenly stood up from his seat.

    "I-I think you can do it."

    Owen looked at Will, and smiled. "Thanks kid. I appreciate it."

    Grace smirked as she leaned forward. "I¡¯ll help you train this week Owen. I want to see you pull this off."

    "That''s fine with me. I could use the practice anyway."

    Isaac felt like he was going crazy listening to them all talk.

    Owen then looked at him, "Don¡¯t worry Isaac, I won¡¯t lose."

    Confidence filled his voice. Owen clearly had no doubts about his victory.

    Isaac scratched the back of his neck. "Honestly dude, I don¡¯t even know what to say at this point. All I can do is wish you good luck."

 Chapter 12 - The Burning Sensation

    The fifth floor boasted the greatest amount of resources among the lower floors. They had the largest number of facilities, such as training rooms with training droids, an array of workout equipment, and an extensive library with books on essence and its applications.

    Kenneth walked down a hallway, making his way towards a training room. He had already finished his classes for the day, and wanted to get in some extra practice before heading back to his cell.

    But he wasn¡¯t alone. Many of the other floor five inmates were doing the same as him, all rushing towards the training rooms.

    The announcement for the gauntlet had been made earlier that morning. Kenneth was one of the many people that had signed up to take part. And based on how many others were here, he could tell that the entire floor had signed up for it.

    He wondered why Owen Walters would even ask for something like this. To him, this was going to be the easiest way for him to climb up to floor six.

    "I¡¯ve been on this floor for two years, I never imagined I would be able to reach floor six by doing something ridiculous like this."

    Kenneth pushed open the door to a training room, and stepped inside. The room was large, with a high ceiling. Its white walls were clean, and the floor was smooth. At the back of the room sat several training droids, each spaced out from the other.

    There were already some people inside, including a teen girl he recognized. She had light brown hair, which she wore in a ponytail. The top half of her grey jumpsuit, had been tied around her waist, revealing her white shirt.

    She was fighting against a droid, and was easily overpowering it. With her speed and strength, she landed several devastating blows on the droid, disabling it. She stopped fighting as soon as it fell to the ground. With deep breaths, she wiped the sweat off her brow.

    "That was amazing," Kenneth said as he approached her.

    She turned her head and looked at him. A frown formed on her face, "What do you want Kenneth?"

    "I was just coming to train, but I saw you over here and wanted to say hello."

    The girl rolled her eyes. She knew about the shady business that Kenneth had going on with his group. She wanted nothing to do with him or his ''gang''.

    Kenneth noticed her attitude, and spoke to her once more. "Hannah, have you signed up for the gauntlet?"

    Hannah crossed her arms, "No. I¡¯m not like you guys, I won¡¯t throw away my pride as a martial artist to gang up on one person."

    Kenneth frowned at her words. He considered her to be the strongest person on floor five after himself and Jason. With her martial arts insignia, she was a force to be reckoned with.

    Kenneth had wanted her to join his group, but she had refused every single time he asked her.

    "I see..." he replied. "Your pride is more important to you than your family, huh?"

    Hannah''s eyes narrowed at his words. "What are you trying to say?"

    "I remember hearing that you have a younger brother. I wonder how he would feel if he knew that his older sister, abandoned a path closer to freedom just because of her ''pride''."

    Hannah clenched her fists tightly, and glared at him. "Don''t talk about my brother. You know nothing about him."

    Kenneth shrugged his shoulders, and held out his hands. "Hey, I''m just saying. Maybe you should reconsider. You¡¯ll regret wasting this rare chance."

    Hannah gritted her teeth, unable to reply to his words. She was stuck. Maybe he was right.

    Kenneth reached into his back pocket, and pulled out a small pouch. He tossed it towards Hannah, who caught it.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    She looked down at it, then back at him.

    Kenneth said, "Those are some high quality aether pills. They will help you break out of your plateau, and help you reach the intermediate rank."

    Hannah looked at him with surprise. The pills inside the pouch were extremely rare. But why would he give her these?

    "I don¡¯t understand, why do you want me to take part in this so badly?"

    Kenneth smirked, "Because I¡¯m a paranoid man Hannah. If there¡¯s even a one percent chance that Owen Walters can win this thing, then I want that probability reduced to zero."

    Hannah looked down at the pouch in her hand, and clenched it tightly.

    She sighed, "Fine, I''ll do it. I''ll take part in the gauntlet."

    Kenneth nodded his head, "That''s great to hear."

    The training droid that Hannah had defeated earlier suddenly got back up. It hadn¡¯t been turned off yet, and so it started moving again. Its arm moved as it tried to strike at Hannah. But before the arm could hit her, Kenneth raised his own arm. A green aura flared up from him, and a rock formed on his open palm.

    It shot forward like a bullet, and smashed into the droid''s torso, tearing apart the metal and sending the droid flying in two separate pieces. It fell to the ground with a clang, and stopped moving once more.

    Hannah stared at the destruction in annoyance. "Ugh, I could have defended myself."

    "I know," Kenneth said. "I just couldn¡¯t help myself."

    Hannah rolled her eyes, and went to check out the damaged droid.

    Kenneth looked at the pieces of the broken droid, and grinned.

    "You won¡¯t be able to reach me in the gauntlet. But even if you do, this is what will happen to you in a week, Owen."

    ***

    Owen stood in one of the training rooms on floor one. In front of him Sonya stood with her fists raised.

    "Alright, come at me."

    Owen hesitated. He had been forced into coming here by Sonya. She had barged into his cell, and dragged him down to the training room, saying that she wanted to train with him.

    Owen had reluctantly agreed, knowing that it would be good for him to have some practice against an officer.

    Sonya frowned as he remained unmoving. "Are you underestimating me you punk?"

    Owen sighed and brought up his fists. His essence flowed through his body, strengthening him.

    "Remember, no essence ability. I want you to just use your insignia."

    Owen nodded his head. He charged forward and threw a punch. Sonya casually moved her head to the side, dodging the attack.

    Owen tried again with a different approach. He faked a punch, but then immediately dropped and swept his leg outwards. But Sonya easily saw through his feint, and stepped backwards, avoiding his sweeping kick.

    Owen then flowed essence into his star mark, and enhanced himself with his insignia. He lunged forward, and swung his fist upwards. Sonya leaned back, narrowly avoiding the blow.

    She then open palm struck him in the chest, knocking the air from his lungs. Owen was sent skidding backwards across the ground.

    He stopped himself, and got back into his stance. He went to take a step forward, but he suddenly felt his essence drain away. His insignia had consumed it all.

    "Damn, I''m out."

    Sonya''s face showed clear disappointment. "This is bad. Your insignia does basically what your essence ability can do, but it uses up all your essence."

    "I know," Owen replied. "I think I should just rely on my essence ability for the gauntlet."

    "No, you just have to think about using your insignia differently."

    Sonya walked up to him. "I¡¯ve told you that I have the health insignia. You can assume that that means that I can heal myself or other people right? But it doesn''t have to be limited to just healing."

    She raised her arm and pulled down her sleeve. Her arm began to turn black, as veins popped up all over it. Her skin shrivelled, as if it were dried up.

    "I can also take away the health from things. "

    She clenched her arm and Owen watched as her arm slowly returned to normal.

    Sonya continued. "It doesn¡¯t just stop there. I can also do this with non-living things as well. "

    She turned around and pointed at the wall. Cracks formed along its surface, as a chunk of it fell off.

    She turned to look at him. "Do you understand now? The concept of health allows me to do so many different things. It doesn¡¯t just limit me to healing."

    Owen nodded his head slowly.

    "Now Owen, the concept of your insignia is just as broad. It doesn¡¯t have to be limited to just making your body stronger. There''s more that you can do with it."

    "Right," Owen agreed. "I need to think outside the box."

    Sonya smiled. "That''s right. You have a lot more potential than you realize. "

    Sonya looked down at her wristwatch, "Alright, it''s getting late. Let''s stop here for today."

    "Thanks Sonya, I appreciate your help."

    "It''s no problem at all. I don¡¯t want to see you lose in the gauntlet."

    She reached down into her pocket, and pulled out a metallic box. She tossed it towards him, and Owen caught it.

    "What''s this?"

    "Some aether pills. But they are low grade, so you can take one a day."

    Owen smiled as he looked down at the box. "Thanks again."

    Sonya waved her hand dismissively. "It''s fine, but remember, any more than one a day is bad for you."

    She turned around and headed for the exit, "I''ll see you tomorrow."

    ***

    Owen sat down on his bed. He popped open the box of aether pills, and took one out. He placed it in his mouth, and swallowed.

    As the pill went down his throat, he could feel it dissolve. A light burning sensation spread throughout his body, as aether entered his system.

    He sat still, patiently waiting for the aether to dissipate. He could feel it fill his veins, giving him an invigorated feeling.

    And then, the feeling was gone. He had absorbed all the aether into his body.

    He opened and closed his hand a couple of times and wondered if it had done anything to him. The only thing he felt was that he was slightly more energetic.

    He shook his head. He looked back into the box of aether pills.

    "Well, it looks like I can take another."

    He ignored Sonya''s warning, and lifted a second pill. Even when Owen was young, he had never properly followed the orders of the doctor. If they had told him to take one pill, he would have taken three. And so it was now, that even though he knew he shouldn''t, he swallowed a second pill.

    At first, the only thing he noticed was an increase in the burning sensation. It was a mild irritation at first, but it gradually grew worse.

    It became more uncomfortable and Owen shifted in his seat. The burning grew worse, until it was a fiery pain. He grabbed at his bedsheet, clenching it tightly. He gritted his teeth, and tried his best to endure the pain.

    But as the minutes passed by, the burning continued to grow worse. He started to panic. The burning was now painful to the point that it was unbearable.

    He dropped onto the ground, clutching at his chest. He gasped for air, as the burning sensation continued to spread throughout his entire body.

    It felt like every inch of his body was being scorched. Sweat formed on his forehead, and he trembled as he held his chest. He felt like he was dying.

    Then, all of a sudden, the burning sensation began to subside. It became bearable once more, and Owen was finally able to take deep breaths.

    Owen laid on the ground, breathing heavily. His body still felt sore, and he wondered what the hell had just happened.

    "Shit."

    He reached for the box on the bed, and closed the lid.

    "Maybe I should listen to the doctor this time."

 Chapter 13 - The Revelation

    Mr. Jones waddled his way down one of the hallways of the first floor. He walked at a leisurely pace, taking his time as he looked around for someone.

    His mind wandered back to the gauntlet that would start in a couple of days. With the way it worked, Owen Walters would be fighting in consecutive matches first with the inmates of floor two, then floor three, and so on.

    The gauntlet wouldn''t stop until floor five had been reached. Jones still couldn''t believe that Owen Walters was confident he would be able to win. With insider knowledge, Jones knew that over two hundred and fifty inmates had signed up to fight against him. And if he lost even one match, he would automatically lose.

    Jones found it to be almost comical. In his mind, Owen Walters was an egotistical idiot.

    And as with all competitive things, there were also those who had betted on the outcome of the gauntlet. The staff on the lower floors would place bets on how many fights Owen could last, and the number of inmates he would defeat.

    Jones had decided to place a bet himself. He had bet that Owen wouldn¡¯t even make it past the first fight.

    He knew that no one betted that Owen would lose from the very beginning. People knew that he was quite strong after all.

    So Jones hatched out a plan. With him, he carried a canister of four high grade intermediate aether pills. They were extremely expensive, and were something that Jones had managed to buy using most of his savings.

    But they would be well worth it if they ended up helping him win his bet.

    He wanted to see this egotistical fool suffer. And when he did, Jones would be there, laughing at his misfortune.

    After a few minutes of wandering through the halls, he eventually found who he was looking for. Owen Walters was sitting down at a table in the cafeteria. He seemed to be eating his food leisurely, without a care in the world.

    Jones coughed as he approached. Owen turned his head and looked up at him. "Ah, it¡¯s you."

    Jones cleared his throat and said, "Your gauntlet is in a few days, are you prepared?"

    Owen without even answering, turned back around and continued eating his food. Jones grit his teeth in anger, but he remained silent. He reached down into his pocket, and pulled out the canister of aether pills. He dropped it onto the table, and pushed it towards Owen.

    "What''s this?"

    "These are high grade aether pills. I noticed that you are only at the novice rank. One of these should greatly enhance your power, and help you in the gauntlet."

    Owen raised an eyebrow at him. "Why are you helping me?"

    "Well, as the floor one overseer, I want to see you do well. That''s all."

    It was a lie. It was true that the pills were high grade, but they weren''t meant for someone at the novice rank. Only those from the intermediate rank and above could safely take them. If someone in the novice rank took one, it would cripple them, or worse, kill them.

    Jones pat the canister with his hand. "Go ahead, take one."

    Owen stared at it for a moment, before looking back at Jones and smiling.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    "Wow overseer. I didn¡¯t know that you had such great expectations of me. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t betray them."

    Owen grabbed the whole canister off the table, and pocketed it.

    "Ah-!" Jones shouted. "I didn¡¯t mean for you to take it all! You''ll only need one!"

    Owen looked at him in confusion. "But sir, you said that these will help me. So shouldn¡¯t I take more?"

    Jones fumbled for words as he tried to think of an excuse. "I-I... No, I-"

    "Ah, I see now. I get it." Owen cut him off.

    "Huh? You do?"

    Owen nodded his head, and continued. "You think you¡¯ll get in trouble if the other overseers find out that you''re helping me right? You''re worried that they''ll get mad at you, and you don''t want them to know that you''re helping me. Is that right?"

    "I guess so?"

    "Well don¡¯t worry, your secret is safe with me. I won¡¯t tell anyone. This will be our little secret." Owen grinned. He stood up from the table, and gave Jones a pat on the shoulder. "Thanks for the help. You¡¯re my number one supporter!"

    He then walked off, leaving Jones behind.

    "Wait!" Jones shouted after him. "Remember to take one on the day of the gauntlet!"

    But Owen didn¡¯t seem to hear him, as he continued to walk away.

    Jones sighed, "Damn it. But at least that idiot bit my bait."

    He turned around and started to make his way back to his office. He couldn¡¯t wait to see Owen Walters fail.

    "I need to take out more loans..."

    ***

    "You''ve got to be kidding me."

    "Yeah, it''s true."

    Owen, Grace and Will were in one of the training rooms on the first floor. Owen had taken out and shown them the canister of aether pills that the overseer had given him.

    Grace put a hand on her hip, and shook her head. "I can¡¯t believe he just gave you these. Does he want to kill you or something?"

    "That''s what I thought," Owen said as he placed the canister back into his pocket.

    "But then, what are you going to do?" Grace asked. "Are you going to take them?"

    Owen smirked. "Of course. But not right now while I¡¯m still at the novice rank. I''ll save them for when I hit intermediate."

    "I see."

    "Alright, enough of this talk. Let''s get back to training."

    They went back to training, with Grace teaching Will per Owen''s request. While they did that, Owen sat off to the side, trying to come up with ideas on how to use his insignia. He needed to think of something soon.

    As time passed by, Owen decided to take one of the lower grade pills Sonya had given him. He sat cross-legged on the ground, and popped the pill into his mouth.

    He expected to feel some sort of burning sensation like he had yesterday, but instead there was nothing. He didn¡¯t feel anything at all.

    He clenched his fist and threw out a punch. No, there was definitely something there. He could feel his body become stronger, and his movements became quicker and more precise.

    But why? Why was it different from before? Owen put his hand on his chin. He thought about it, and looked at the box of pills in his hand. He pulled out another one, and hoped that this wouldn¡¯t be a repeat of yesterday.

    He swallowed the second pill and waited. This time, he felt a light burning sensation, but it wasn¡¯t as bad as the day before. It was far more manageable.

    "Owen."

    Owen turned his head and saw Grace staring down at him.

    "Did I just see you pop another pill?"

    "Yeah, I did."

    "But why aren¡¯t you feeling any pain?"

    Owen shook his head. "I don¡¯t know. It was so much worse last night. I guess my body just adapted to it."

    "That''s strange. Whenever I take an aether pill, it feels the same every time."

    Owen scratched his chin. "Maybe it has something to do with my insignia?"

    "Maybe, who knows."

    Owen stood up from the ground and said, "Grace, help me try something."

    Owen undid the top half of his jumpsuit, and took his shirt off. Grace blushed slightly as she watched him do this, but she quickly turned her head away.

    "Uhm...so what are you trying to do?" she asked.

    "I want you to whip me twice using your chains."

    "Excuse me?"

    Owen turned around and walked over towards the wall. He placed his hands on it, and bent over slightly.

    "I need to confirm something. I don''t care if it hurts, just go all out."

    "Are you sure? I might end up hurting you really bad."

    "It doesn''t matter," Owen replied. "Do it."

    Grace hesitated, but eventually complied. She told Will too stand-off to the side, and keep out of the way. The mark on her cheek glowed, and a chain formed in her hand.

    She raised the chain, and brought it down onto Owen''s back. The sound of metal striking skin rang throughout the room. Owen flinched, but otherwise did not move. A nasty red mark had formed where the chain struck him.

    "Alright," Owen said. "Now another one with the same amount of strength."

    "I¡¯ll try."

    Grace swung the chain down once more. This time, Owen didn''t even flinch. Another mark formed on his back, overlapping the first one.

    Owen pushed himself off the wall, and stood up straight. He turned around to face Grace.

    "So? What are you trying to prove?" Grace asked.

    Owen rubbed his chin, and looked down at the floor. "I think... I think that my body can adapt to pain."

    "Huh?"

    "Or maybe to damage, I don¡¯t really know," Owen continued. "That second time you whipped me, it was a tiny bit less painful than the first time."

    Grace put a hand on her hip. "But why?"

    "I don¡¯t know," Owen said as he picked up his shirt from the ground. "It''s probably related to my insignia. Maybe my body is adapting to fight off the damage that I''m taking¡­"

    He trailed off, his words fading into silence. His mind raced as he tried to connect the dots. It seemed like the more he thought about it, the more sense it made.

    A smile formed on his face, "This is good."

    Grace looked at him in confusion. "What''s good? Did you figure something out?"

    "Yeah, I did," Owen said. "Think about it this way. Anything that aids me in ''fighting'' will become easier to use, like the aether pill. And anything that hinders me in ''fighting'' will become less effective, like damage or pain."

    A dastardly grin formed on his face, as he looked at Grace.

    "Grace, by the end of the week, I¡¯m going to become immune to all damage and pain."

 Chapter 14 - The New Vision

    Over the next few days, Owen would train with Grace and Will. Occasionally Isaac would join them, but he usually stayed out of it.

    During those days, Owen would take the pills that Sonya and Will had given him, and slowly built up his essence reserves. Each day, he was stronger than the last.

    On the day before the gauntlet, Owen and the others were training in a room. Owen was punching at the wall with his fists. Blood dripped from them as his knuckles tore open. He ignored the pain, and kept swinging.

    In theory, Owen knew that if he continued doing this, his body would eventually adapt and make his fists stronger.

    He stopped punching the wall, and looked down at his bloodied hands. Grace stood next to him, watching him with concern.

    "I don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to become invulnerable fast enough in time for tomorrow."

    "Yeah I know."

    In the time since Owen had come up with the idea of becoming invulnerable, he had tried a variety of different methods. And they all pointed to the same thing. The damage he had to inflict upon himself had to be extremely severe, or it wouldn¡¯t show any drastic effects.

    Owen looked at her with a frown. "Damn. It¡¯s working, but its progress is too slow. I guess the damage I''m doing to myself isn¡¯t enough."

    Grace shook her head. "It''s fine. I''m sure that even without this, you''ll win tomorrow."

    Will came over, carrying some bandages. He winced at the sight of Owen''s bleeding knuckles, but he didn¡¯t say anything. Owen gave him a smile, and grabbed the bandages from him.

    "Thanks." He said as he wrapped the bandages around his hands.

    Isaac was sat on a bench nearby, watching the three of them in silence. His hands were clasped together in front of his face and his expression was grave. He had been that way all day.

    He spoke up, "let¡¯s be realistic guys. Owen, you won¡¯t make it past the floor five inmates."

    The three of them turned to look at him.

    Isaac continued, "From the floor two to three inmates, you could probably force your way through them. And maybe if you''re smart, you can somehow get past the floor four guys. And I said ''maybe''." He emphasized the last word.

    "But the thing is, by the end of it all, you¡¯re going to be gassed, out of essence, and facing the strongest guys from the lower floors. It¡¯s not a matter of ''if'' you lose, it''s ''when'' you lose. You have no chance of winning."

    A deafening silence followed Isaac''s words. None of them could come up with a response. It was true, Isaac''s words held truth in them.

    Grace worryingly looked at Owen, but he had his head hung low. His gaze was fixed on the ground beneath him, and she couldn¡¯t tell what he was thinking.

    Isaac sighed, and stood up from the bench. "If you want to hear my opinion, I suggest you quit the gauntlet right now. It¡¯ll be better than embarrassing yourself tomorrow."

    He turned and walked towards the exit.

    "I''ll see you all tomorrow."

    He left the room, leaving behind the others, who were still silent.

    Grace looked back at Owen, who was still staring at the ground. She reached out, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

    "Owen."

    He lifted his head and looked at her.

    "Let¡¯s get in some last minute training before it''s too late."

    Owen nodded.

    "Alright¡­"

    They went back to training, with Grace sparring against Owen while Will watched. But as they trained, Owen could feel a growing sense of apprehension in him.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Isaac''s words echoed in his head.

    "You have no chance of winning."

    A fist struck him in the face, and Owen staggered back. He fell on his ass, and looked up to see Grace standing over him. Concern was written all over her face.

    Owen shook his head.

    "Sorry, I wasn¡¯t focused."

    He stood up, and got back into his stance.

    Grace shook her head. "No, let''s stop here. You should rest for tomorrow."

    Owen dropped his arms to his side, and sighed.

    "Yeah, I think you''re right."

    Grace placed her hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eye. "You can do this Owen. I believe in you."

    But Owen could see the uncertainty in her eyes.

    "Thanks."

    She walked past him, and headed for the exit. "I''ll see you tomorrow then, Owen."

    And with that, she left the room, leaving him alone with Will. Owen sat back down on the ground. He stared absent-mindedly at the wall, thinking about what he had to do tomorrow.

    "Do you also think I can''t win?" Owen asked, still staring at the wall.

    Without hesitation Will replied, "I know you can!"

    Owen turned to look at him, and saw nothing but sincerity in his eyes. Will came closer and kneeled down in front of him.

    "You will win!"

    Surprised by the boy''s optimism, Owen couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    "Thanks Will."

    He rubbed the boy''s head affectionately. "You know, you''re a good kid."

    Will smiled at Owen''s words, and nodded his head.

    "Now get some sleep. I''ll see you tomorrow."

    Will stood up and hurried out of the room. Once he was gone, Owen laid back on the floor and closed his eyes.

    The silence of the room weighed heavily on him, as he thought about what to do tomorrow. He knew that he couldn¡¯t quit. Not now.

    "You have no chance of winning."

    "I need to win," Owen whispered to himself. "I need to win, for the sake of my family."

    ***

    The walk back to his cell felt longer than usual. When Owen got there, he immediately collapsed onto his bed. The ceiling stared back at him, and Owen wondered if he would even be able to fall asleep.

    His mind wouldn¡¯t stop racing. A myriad of thoughts kept going through his head, as he thought about the fight tomorrow.

    Owen sighed, and turned over on his bed. He stared at the wall instead.

    He couldn¡¯t lose. If he lost, then everything would be over. The second part of his plan would go up in smoke, and he would be trapped here for years.

    He clenched his fist.

    No. He wouldn¡¯t let that happen.

    He sat up, and pulled out the canister of pills he received from the overseer. He popped it open, and looked at them. The four white pills were double the size of the ones Sonya had given him.

    Owen stared at them, and wondered if it was worth it. After all, taking one of these pills could possibly kill him. But, he wasn¡¯t confident that he was strong enough to defeat the people he would be facing tomorrow.

    He needed more power. More strength.

    And so, he tossed out the four pills onto his palm.

    "If I lose tomorrow, it¡¯ll be the same as dying," he said to himself. "So I have nothing to lose."

    He hesitated for a moment. He knew that what he was about to do was dangerous. And the pain would be unimaginable. But still, he didn¡¯t waver.

    He closed his eyes, and took all four pills in one gulp.

    Instantly, he felt like he had swallowed a bunch of fire ants. They crawled through his throat and into his stomach, where they burned up. But the burning sensation didn¡¯t stop there. It spread throughout his entire body.

    He clenched his chest tightly, as the burning grew stronger and stronger. It felt like he was being scorched from the inside out.

    He tore his clothes off, and fell down onto the floor. He writhed in pain as the burning continued.

    The intensity of the burning continued to grow stronger and stronger. Soon, the pain became unbearable. Owen yelled out, unable to stop himself. His throat was raw, and his lungs were on fire.

    He wanted to die. He wished he could just pass out. But that was impossible. The burning had gone beyond the point of pain, and reached the level of agony.

    Owen clutched his head with his hands and began to scream.

    The whole night went by as Owen suffered.

    He had screamed so much that his voice had gone hoarse. His throat was dry, and his body was damp with sweat. The burning had become an endless cycle of agony.

    He had half convulsed, half spasmed on the floor for hours. With each passing moment, he wished for it to end. He wanted to die. He prayed for death.

    But death didn¡¯t come.

    The pain eventually stopped, and the burning subsided. Owen lay still on the ground, shivering. He was still alive. He had somehow managed to survive.

    Owen raised a shaky hand towards his face. It was covered in blood and snot. His fingernails had been torn off, and the palms of his hands were covered in bite marks.

    He closed his eyes, and tried to slow his breathing. He felt like he was going to die. But despite this, he could feel something new stir within him.

    He took a shallow breath, and passed out on the cold, hard ground.

    ***

    The buzzer rang out through the hallways, signifying the start of the day.

    Owen put a hand to his ear, and gritted his teeth. The sound of the buzzer rang louder than usual today, and the vibrations shook his very being.

    He opened his eyes, and sat up from the floor.

    "What¡­ is going on?"

    The first thing he noticed was the newfound strength within him.

    Owen looked down at his hands, and flexed them. He felt a surge of energy throughout his body, which felt stronger than before. He felt lighter, and more agile. And his essence reserves, they had expanded to an astonishing amount.

    With a single finger, Owen pushed down on the floor. To his surprise, the rest of his body was flung up into the air. He tumbled backwards and did a casual backflip. He landed on his feet, and stood back up straight.

    "How the hell?"

    He took a moment to process what was happening. Then he noticed something else. He looked at his feet, and what looked like millions of tiny little balls were waving out from his feet out in all directions.

    He momentarily freaked out and lifted one of his legs. He let it back down, and watched as more of the little balls moved through the floor from where he stepped.

    "Are these¡­ vibrations?"

    Owen could sense the movement of the vibrations as they travelled across the ground and throughout the entire floor. He took another step, and the vibrations spread once more. He couldn¡¯t help but grin as he realized what was happening.

    But the surprises didn¡¯t stop there. He turned his head towards the wall and could sense the movements of the groggy inmate next door. Owen could tell that he had just woken up, and was sitting up in his bed.

    Owen closed his eyes and focused on the vibrations out in the hallway. He could sense people walking, and their footsteps sent out vibrations that travelled through the floor. He could tell how many people were in the hallway, and even roughly where they were.

    Owen''s face broke into a grin. The sixth sense he had acquired was some sort of ''kinetic vision'' that allowed him to sense movement, and with it, he could see everything around him without the need for his eyes.

    Even now, he sensed the movement of someone coming to his cell. A female guard stopped in front of his open door, and knocked on the door frame.

    "I¡¯ve been ordered to bring you to the¨C"

    She stopped as she saw Owen standing inside his cell. He was completely naked, with his clothes laying scattered all over the floor.

    Owen stared at her with intense eyes. He could see the subtle changes in her muscles as they tensed. Her heartbeat was like a beating drum, and he could feel the blood pulsing through her veins.

    Every single minute movement, no matter how small, he could sense it. It was as if the whole world had become clear to him.

    The guard coughed, "What happened to your clothes?"

    Reality brought Owen back, and he remembered the situation he was in. He must look like a weirdo too her.

    "Oh, I tore them off last night. It was too hot."

    The guard scrunched her eyebrows together. "I see."

    "Would you mind getting me some new ones?"

    The guard nodded her head slowly.

    "Thanks," he then grinned. "And I¡¯d prefer if they were black."

 Chapter 15 - The Gauntlet Begins

    A brand-new world greeted Owen as he was escorted through the hallways. Everything felt different. It was like he had gone through a metamorphosis. He could sense things so clearly now, and his movements felt much more precise and natural.

    The clothes he had asked for were now on his person, and he could feel how light they were. The black, baggy pants hung low on his hips, and the long sleeves of the black shirt he wore reached down to his elbows. The fabric was soft and comfortable, and Owen loved how it felt against his skin.

    His black shoes squeaked lightly with each step he took. He had noticed how well-made these clothes were, and how much better they felt than the standard jumpsuit he had been wearing previously.

    The guard led him through the halls, and into an elevator. He got on with her, and they rode up to a higher floor.

    They stepped off the elevator, and made their way through the hallways. As Owen walked, he sensed vibrations from in front of him. They were faint at first, but as he got closer, they grew stronger.

    Soon, Owen came upon a set of large transparent doors. He looked past them, and saw that they opened up to a large arena.

    He stepped forward, and the doors slid open for him. Owen stepped inside, and took in the arena in its entirety. A double set of stairs ran up from either side of him, leading up to the other floors of the viewing area.

    In front of Owen, another set of transparent doors led into the arena, which was about the size of a basketball court. The white floor was clean and smooth.

    The guard motioned for Owen to step further in, and so he did. He walked past the second set of transparent doors, and into the arena itself.

    Owen looked around and noticed the five levels of the viewing area. Inmates were pressed against the glass of each floor, looking down at him. They had eager expressions on their faces, as if they were hungry for blood.

    Owen scanned the crowd, and noticed a few familiar faces. He spotted Grace, Will, and Isaac on the first level. All three of them stared down at him with worried eyes.

    He continued to look around the arena. Opposite the way he came in, there was another entrance on the far end. That must be where his opponents would come in from.

    Above that entrance, a viewing box was attached to the wall. Owen looked up at it and saw that it was occupied by the sub-warden and the overseers.

    A voice came from above, "Owen Walters, you will face three hundred and sixty-seven inmates in total. They will come at you one by one, and you will have to defeat all of them. If you are unable to do so, or if you are defeated once, you will lose. Do you understand?"

    Owen nodded his head.

    The sub-warden continued. "The condition for winning is simple. Your opponent must say ''I forfeit'', or you must knock them out. The same applies to you. If you say ''I forfeit'' or are knocked out, then you will lose."

    Owen nodded his head once more, understanding the rules.

    "Then let us begin the gauntlet."

    As the sub-warden''s words echoed out through the arena, a buzzer rang out.

    Owen stood still in the middle of the arena, and waited.

    And then, the doors on the opposite side opened.

    An inmate shuffled his way out of the tunnel, and into the arena. He looked at Owen with frightened eyes. Owen looked back at him, and frowned.

    The man raised his fists, as he took a stance. But it was clear to see that he was shaking in fear.

    Owen sighed. The inmates on the other floors probably forced people on the lower floors to sign up to pad out the numbers. This man was clearly no fighter.

    As the man approached him, Owen decided that he would end this quickly.

    With eyes that bored into his opponent, Owen spoke, "I¡¯m sorry, but you¡¯re going to have to be the victim that filters out all the cannon fodder."

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    He disappeared from the man¡¯s vision and reappeared before him. He grabbed the man¡¯s face with his hand, and without mercy, slammed him to the ground.

    The vibrations of the impact reverberated throughout the arena and shook the glass walls of the viewing area.

    The man was out cold, and lay unconscious on the ground. Owen turned to look up at the viewing box, and shouted, "Where¡¯s number two?"

    ***

    Isaac stood against the railing, and stared down at the arena below. Two guards came out from the far entrance, carrying the unconscious inmate away on a stretcher.

    Next to him, Grace had her face pressed against the glass, and her eyes were fixed on Owen. Will stood close by, and he watched with wide eyes.

    "D-Did he kill him?"

    Isaac shook his head, "No Will, he didn¡¯t. Owen provided some of his essence at the last moment, so that the man wouldn¡¯t be too badly injured."

    "He probably acted that violently just to scare off the ones who signed up because they were forced to," Grace added. "He wants to intimidate them into forfeiting right away."

    The buzzer rang out once more, and another inmate walked into the arena. Almost immediately, they raised their arms out in the air and yelled out, "I forfeit! I forfeit!"

    Will watched with wide eyes as the inmate ran back out the entrance.

    "Wow, it worked."

    Isaac looked down at Owen with a complicated expression.

    "Grace."

    "Yes?"

    "I don¡¯t know what he did overnight, but Owen has become overwhelmingly stronger."

    He leaned forward on the railing, "And I wonder, just how far will he be able to make it into the gauntlet."

    ***

    Mayers sat in the viewing box, along with the other overseers. His hands were clasped together, as he watched the inmate below. He gritted his teeth as he heard another one yell out that they forfeited.

    He cursed, "These floor two inmates are useless drivel. They are no better than the floor one inmates."

    The buzzer rang out for the twentieth time, and the next inmate entered.

    Mayers continued, "I want to see blood. I want to see that arrogant bastard fall on his knees."

    The floor five overseer sitting next to Mayers had his chin on his hand, as he stared down at the arena below. He spoke up, "This is what we expected. What I¡¯m more curious about is what¡¯ll he do once the floor four inmates start to come out."

    "Some of the ones on the third floor should be strong enough to give him some trouble." the third floor overseer said.

    The floor four overseer snorted. "That¡¯s just because you¡¯re biased towards your own floor. None of your guys will do anything substantial."

    The third floor overseer gave her a dirty look, but remained silent.

    Meanwhile, in the corner of the room, Jones had his head between his knees. He was shaking as he whispered to himself.

    "My money...oh gods my money."

    ***

    Owen stood still in the arena, and waited patiently for the next opponent. He had crossed his arms, and his gaze was fixed on the far entrance.

    The buzzer rang out, and number thirty-six entered the arena. It was a young teen boy, probably his own brother¡¯s age. He had light brown skin, loose black curls, and a youthful face. Bushy eyebrows framed his large brown eyes.

    Owen frowned at the sight. This was the first young child he had seen in the gauntlet so far. The boy raised up his fists, and got into a fighting stance. He had a serious expression on his face.

    Owen sighed and asked, "How old are you kid?"

    The teen replied with a firm voice, "I''m fourteen."

    Owen shook his head. "Who forced you to sign up to this?"

    "No one. I just wanted to try my luck."

    A surprised look passed over Owen''s face. But it was quickly replaced with a serious expression.

    "I see." He unfurled his crossed arms, and held them at his side. "Then prepare yourself."

    The boy visibly gulped, and took a deep breath. Essence covered his body, and a green aura enveloped him. He was a nature essence user.

    The boy spread out his arms, and a few leaves materialized in the surrounding air. They floated in place, and he kept his hands outstretched towards them.

    Owen raised an eyebrow at the sight. The boy seemed to be focusing hard on controlling the leaves.

    The boy clenched his fists, and the leaves shot through the air towards Owen. But they flew out slow and wobbly. For a few seconds, Owen stood still and watched.

    Was there something more to this? As the leaves got close, Owen moved. He sidestepped one leaf, and swatted another casually away with the back of his hand. The remaining two he caught between his fingers.

    He looked down at them, and then back at the teen.

    "Is that it?"

    He was surprisingly disappointed. After all that build up, this was it? How did this kid make it to the second floor?

    With a flick of his wrist, Owen sent the leaves tumbling to the ground.

    "Well then," he said. "I guess I''ll get it over with."

    He was about to move when the sudden movement of something behind him alerted Owen. He whipped around to see a newly created leaf flying towards him.

    It flew at an alarming speed, and Owen barely had time to react. He swivelled his head to the side, and the leaf narrowly missed him. It grazed past his right cheek, and left a small cut.

    Blood trickled down his face, and Owen put a hand to his cheek. He turned back around to look at the teen, who was grinning confidently.

    "I cut you."

    Owen wiped away the blood and smirked.

    "You¡¯re a pretty good actor aren''t you?"

    The boy lifted his arms, and the leaves on the ground rose into the air. They shot towards Owen once more, but he dodged them easily.

    As they missed him, he moved in towards the teen. He weaved between the leaves and closed the distance quickly.

    The teen''s eyes went wide as Owen approached. The boy tried to back away, but Owen grabbed hold of his arm.

    "What¡¯s your name?"

    The teen grit his teeth, and struggled to free himself. But he couldn¡¯t. Owen was too strong.

    "My name is Lucas."

    "Then Lucas, I''ll make sure to remember it."

    Owen held out his hand to Lucas'' forehead, and flicked him lightly with his finger. The teen''s head jerked back, and his eyes rolled into his head. He passed out, and Owen released his arm.

    The boy fell back, and hit the ground.

    Owen walked away from the unconscious teen, and headed for the centre of the arena. He stopped and turned around to look at the unconscious boy once more.

    He shook his head and sighed. What was he doing underestimating and toying around with his opponents? He had been far too complacent in that last bout.

    He thought about the sneak attack that Lucas had pulled off. If he hadn¡¯t acquired his new kinetic vision, then how would he have countered that attack?

    He clenched his fist tightly, as a frown formed on his face. He needed to become far more serious. This was no time to be playing around.

    Owen looked up at the viewing box above him.

    "Well? Where''s number thirty-seven?"

    ***

    Eighty-nine.

    Owen watched as number eighty-nine entered the arena. The past two hours had been uneventful. His opponents had either forfeited, or Owen knocked out the more ambitious ones.

    This inmate knelt on the ground with his hands raised in surrender. He had a terrified look on his face.

    "I forfeit."

    Owen nodded his head. Another one then. He walked back to the centre of the arena and waited for the next person to come.

    The voice of the sub-warden came from above, "Inmate, you have defeated all the floor two inmates. We will now move on to the floor three inmates."

    Owen crossed his arms and waited. A few moments later the buzzer rang out, and someone entered the arena.

    For the first time today, a seething anger began to brew within Owen. It was a familiar face. The spiky haired man he had met in the cafeteria.

    Flashbacks to the time the man had brought his gang to beat him up went through Owen''s mind. He had watched from the side as he had taken down most of their crew. What a cowardly bastard. He didn¡¯t even have the decency to jump in.

    Owen clenched his teeth, and stared the man down.

    "You. What¡¯s your name?"

 Chapter 16 - The Porcupine

    Pike had shuffled into the arena with apprehension. Though he would never admit it, he was frightened. Owen''s display against those lowly floor two inmates had been more than enough to terrify him.

    The odds were stacked against him, but he couldn''t back down. If he did, his buddies would shun him. And with the embarrassment they had faced at the hands of Owen over a week ago, this was the perfect opportunity to redeem themselves in the eyes of Kenneth and the rest of the crew.

    Pike steeled himself, and shuffled closer.

    Owen stared daggers into him. Just the sight alone made Pike tremble, and his breaths became shallow.

    "Are you deaf? I asked for your name."

    Those words were spoken with such venom. Pike started to regret being here.

    He gritted his teeth. There was only one thing he could do at this point.

    Pike clenched his fist, and gathered every ounce of courage that he could muster. Essence flowed through him, and a red aura washed over his body.

    Without another word, Pike charged forward. With his two fists raised in front of him, he flew like a wild bull.

    There was only one thing going through his mind as he moved. He just wanted this to be over with quickly.

    He didn¡¯t want to be dragged out and made a fool of. But deep down, Pike knew what was coming.

    Owen watched the man rush towards him. Pike charged fast, but Owen saw the impending movements before they even happened.

    Pike threw a wild fist out, which Owen ducked under. Owen shot his fist upwards, directly underneath Pike''s chin.

    Pike''s head jerked upwards, and blood splattered from his mouth. He stumbled backwards, and clutched his mouth with his hand. Blood was gushing down his lips, chin, and hand.

    With an angry glare, he swung his other arm in an outward horizontal arc, hoping to at least connect a grazing blow.

    Owen simply stepped out of the attack''s reach, and watched as the punch blew by without ever being able to make contact. He stepped back in and landed a hard body blow that made Pike hurl.

    He gasped for air and spit out a mouthful of bile mixed with blood. He fell on his knees, and choked as he tried to catch his breath.

    Pike wondered why this fucker was so strong without using his essence.

    As Pike struggled to move and catch his breath, Owen took a step closer. He reached for the back of Pike''s head, but froze as he noticed something peculiar happening on his back. Small needle like objects were spouting out under the fabric of Pike''s jumpsuit.

    A second later, they burst through the grey jumpsuit, and launched towards Owen. The sharp silver projectiles shot at an alarming speed, and aimed right for his face. He blocked with one of his forearms, and the needles pierced the flesh.

    Owen jumped back, and looked down at his arm. The long, small, but sharp needles hung out of his skin. One after another, he pulled the needles out and flicked them to the floor.

    He looked back up and turned his attention towards Pike. More needles, no, quills, had sprouted all around his body. They were huge, and some stretched out a foot long. Black fur appeared around the nape of his neck, as Pike''s transformation progressed. It spread to the rest of his body, and he hunched over while the transformation completed.

    In the end, he had become a humanoid porcupine. Pike, whose face had an expression resembling that of a rat, let loose a series of low guttural grunts. The quills on his back shook, and then pointed upwards.

    Beast essence users gained a massive boost to their physical capabilities while in their transformed states. Furthermore, they gained some special abilities, depending on their type of beast, aided them in their fights.

    With speed and strength much greater than his previous form, Pike once again rushed at Owen. He swiped his sharp talon-like claws at him, but Owen leaned back and dodged. He sidestepped Pike''s incoming arms and launched a kick into his side. It only staggered Pike for a second, and he returned to slashing away with his claws once more.

    His durable skin and thick fur dulled the damage to Owen''s kick. Meanwhile, Owen was forced to play defensive, avoiding the swipes and clawing fingers.

    Noticing the change in Owen''s tactics, Pike increased his efforts. He became more wild, and slashed erratically. On more than one occasion, Owen was almost caught.

    Owen narrowed his eyes at the swipes and followed Pike''s movements. Then, the opportunity came. There was a narrow pause between swings, leaving the underbelly of Pike wide open.

    Catching the gap between swings, Owen sucker punched Pike in the stomach with as much strength as he could muster. It dug deep, and knocked the wind right out of him. A second later, Owen grabbed him by the scruff, held his neck up, and headbutted him straight in the nose.

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    Pike scrunched his eyes shut, and groaned at the pain. His claws went up towards his face, clutching it. While Owen pushed him away, he jumped up in the air, twirled, and ended it with a back kick straight in Pike''s mouth.

    Driven with the force, Pike rolled across the ground, bleeding and groaning. He lay flat on his stomach and clenched his fists against the ground.

    A moment passed. And then another.

    Slowly, and groaning, Pike struggled to his feet. His face twitched with each movement, and his gait was uneasy.

    Owen stood away from Pike and was rolling his arm, loosening it up.

    "Are you done with your temper tantrum?"

    Pike glared at Owen and grunted. A damn temper tantrum? All that effort and it wasn''t even enough. Why was this fucking bastard so strong?

    He had planned to make Owen use his essence against him, hoping that would help him score points with the floor five inmates. Pike figured that Owen was saving his essence for the upper floors, and would only resort to using it if he was backed into a corner.

    But it seemed all his hard work had been for naught. Was there no way to goad Owen into using his essence?

    It was too bad. He had already used his main attack in the hopes of gaining an advantage. Using his insignia would drain him of all his essence and render him useless. But, if he didn''t do anything, he would lose without having accomplished a thing. Pike ground his teeth and dug deep.

    Owen watched as Pike rose to his full height, ready for more. Instead of attacking though, he watched as he clasped his claws together. He started vibrating, and concentrated.

    With raised eyebrows, Owen watched another Pike begin to materialize. The duplicate, an exact copy of the original, stood beside the first.

    The two Pikes moved into action at once. They moved in opposite directions, flanking either side of Owen. They stopped on both sides of him, and turned around revealing their backs. Their quills raised and floated in place, the tips facing towards Owen. They vibrated rapidly, and the already thousands of needle quills doubled in number. The Pikes arched their backs, ready to launch them all.

    Owen narrowed his eyes, and analysed the situation. Even if he tried to evade, he wouldn''t get out unscathed. Dodging to any one side would be met with a rain of spines, while attempting to jump over them could put him in a dire position.

    The Pikes flexed their backs, and the projectiles launched in unison. The barrage flew towards him at blinding speed, the number so great that they could be mistaken for smoke. Owen for a split second, considered relying on his essence ability, when at the last moment, decided otherwise. This was a good opportunity to train his new sense.

    He closed his eyes. Like raindrops, the vibrations the quills emitted came crashing in. From every direction, he was met with the threat of potential death. At the forefront were two quills coming straight for his head. He grabbed for both of them with lightning speed, and let his instincts take control. With the quills in each hand, he parried away each oncoming attack.

    His hands became a blur, as a chain of actions took place without conscious thought. In a way, it was almost like dancing. He was spinning, parrying, redirecting. The danger was all around him. Yet, he saw through it and acted accordingly.

    When it was all over, Pike''s quills lay scattered about the floor. Owen let go of the few quills he had managed to keep hold off, and they clattered to the floor.

    The two Pikes fell on their knees and keeled over. The Pike behind Owen began to deform and break apart, slowly losing shape. The other also reverting to the spikey haired inmate that he once was.

    Owen walked over to Pike''s crouched form, crushing a handful of fallen quills underneath his feet as he did. They began dissipating, turning translucent, and eventually fading from existence. Owen stepped right in front of Pike, and grabbed him by the hair.

    He leaned in close, and whispered harshly, "I want your name."

    Pike, his eyes darting about, searched for a way out.

    "I¨C"

    Owen¡¯s hand covered his mouth. He frowned, annoyed, before tightening his grip on Pike''s hair. Pulling him up, Pike was forced onto his knees.

    "If you mutter the word forfeit, I will break a finger for every letter that is in that word."

    The threats rang clear and crisp into Pike''s ears. Fear bloomed inside him, and he found himself shaking.

    "P-Pike, my name is Pike."

    Owen grinned from ear to ear, "see? That wasn¡¯t so hard. Alright Pike, I¡¯ll have to thank you. If your guys hadn¡¯t tried to jump me, I wouldn¡¯t have found out what these Arden guys were doing to my family, and I would have taken my sweet time getting out of here," he patted Pike on the cheek. "However, what I cannot stand are damn cowards. So I¡¯ll tell you what. If you were somehow ordered by someone else to attack me, then I¡¯ll split my anger evenly between you and them."

    Pike didn¡¯t know what to say. Back then he had gone to Kenneth for help, in a desperate attempt to solve his issues. While Kenneth did say he should go back with his own boys to jump Owen, he hadn¡¯t exactly taken part directly in it.

    Owen stared down at him and suddenly asked, "Well? Do you want my anger to be one hundred percent directed at you, or fifty fifty with the guy you serve?"

    Pike cringed, both options horrible. Does he sell out the second-strongest guy on the lower floors, or does he remain the target?

    He sighed deeply.

    "The boss'' name is K-Kenneth."

    "What floor is he from?"

    "H-He''s on floor five..."

    With that information, Owen stood up straight.

    "Alright, you can point him out for me."

    "What?"

    Without warning, Pike was lifted into the air. He was floating in front of Owen''s palm, as Owen levitated him. Owen too floated, moving upwards. Pike with wide eyes was shocked that Owen had used his essence ability so easily.

    He had to ask. "Aren¡¯t you saving your essence for the later rounds?"

    Owen scoffed. "Who said I was saving it? For these past ninety fights, I just felt like I didn¡¯t need to. But for things like this¡ª" Owen grabbed the side of Pike''s head. They were up near where the floor five inmates were viewing from. Owen slammed Pike''s head against the viewing glass, causing the inmates that were pressed against it to move away.

    "¡ªI think it¡¯s necessary. Now, say stop when you see him. I don¡¯t want to go around another lap."

    The squished face of Pike was dragged along the glass, causing a squeaky sound. Inmates with shocked and appalled expressions watched the scene unfold.

    After going around half the arena, the meek voice of Pike was heard.

    "S-stop... I see him."

    "Where? Point him out."

    Pike cringed, and jabbed a finger towards the glass. An angry looking man, with cat like eyes and long brown hair was staring daggers at Pike.

    Pike flinched, and withdrew his finger.

    "I-it''s him. Th-that''s Kenneth."

    Upon seeing the target, Owen grunted in satisfaction. "Alright, I guess I don¡¯t need you any more."

    He heartlessly dropped Pike, and the inmate tumbled down hard onto the cold floor of the arena.

    A stare-down transpired between Kenneth and Owen, across the glass. Silent words of hatred communicated back and forth.

    "You¡¯re the top guy in here, huh? Wait for me because I¡¯m coming for you."

    ***

    From the viewing box, the sub-warden and the overseers had watched the fight in silence. The flour four overseer spoke, "What a barbaric boy. Did he really need to go that far to humiliate his opponent?"

    The floor five overseer shook his head, "What do you expect from an egotistical rebel like him?"

    Mayers clicked his tongue in distaste, "The pride in Owen Walters is insufferable. We¡¯ll quickly need to stomp it out of him."

    The other overseers agreed.

    The floor five overseer spoke up again. "I just wonder if he¡¯s going to blow past the third floor inmates like he did with the second."

    The third floor overseer scoffed and chimed in, "these next three opponents of his, individually they have nothing on his strength. But for something like this, their insignias will work in tandem and cripple him, mark my words."

    ***

    Owen stood at the centre of the arena, and watched as a skinny weakly old woman walked out from the tunnel. She was maybe in her fifties or sixties, and she hobbled about as she walked. Grey, wispy hair flowed past her shoulders, and her small frame looked fragile.

    Owen''s first impression of her was not that she was a threat. But then again, appearances could be deceiving. He remembered the kid from earlier and dared not make the same mistake twice.

    The woman shuffled across the ground and instantly drew out her essence. A blue aura formed around her body, and she raised her head up to look at Owen.

    She was a spirit essence user. Owen prepared himself, and took a fighting stance.

    An incorporeal elongated hand emerged from the centre of her chest. Its ethereal grey fingers, clawed outwards. An arm followed, then another. An upper body followed suit, until Owen was faced with an otherworldly being.

    The spirit stood a few feet taller than her mistress, and was grey and translucent. Its face was bandaged, leaving only two black circles for her eyes. It¡¯s elongated limbs gave off a foreboding image, and the sharp fingernails it had, spelled ill will for its targets.

    The woman held out one of her arms. Owen readied himself and watched for any sudden attack. But the next thing that happened was not something that he had expected.

    The spirit grabbed onto its masters right forearm and snapped the brittle bone. The messy crunch echoed throughout the arena. Bone and blood protruded through the open flesh of the broken arm.

    Shock was painted on Owen''s face. Why the hell would she injure herself?

    He stepped forward to check up on her but froze. His own arm had started to feel numb. Then soon, a second later, a bone crunching sound occurred. He looked down, and found a bone protruding through his arm.

 Chapter 17 - The Bleeding Wounds

    A chill went down Owen''s spine. He looked down at the injury, wondering if it was real or not. And then there it was, the excruciating pain came. His teeth gritted, and he curled his fingers up in agony.

    He clutched his wounded arm, and looked at the woman in bewilderment. The woman was clutching her own arm, and sported a pained expression. Her breaths were heavy, and there were tears in her eyes.

    Owen figured out that this was probably her insignia''s ability. But how could she so easily do this to herself?

    As she suffered, Owen heard the pounding of glass coming from all around him. The inmates in the viewing areas were beating on the glass in joy. Their hollering could be heard from every corner. They relished in watching him be injured.

    Of course. They wanted nothing more than to see him fail, after all he was the enemy of every inmate present.

    Not wanting to give them the satisfaction, Owen gathered himself up, and refocused. He needed to knock out this woman, and quick, before she could do further damage.

    He lunged forward towards the woman, in an attempt to seize her. But as he did, the spirit pulled back its leg, and with immense force, kicked the woman''s knee. The snap was gruesome, as the leg bent inwards and was contorted into an unnatural angle.

    Owen was sent tumbling down, as he heard the same bone crushing sound happen below him. Agonized by pain, Owen looked over his shoulder and grimaced. Bone had pierced through muscle and flesh, rendering his left leg useless.

    Somehow his opponent was willing to pay any cost to see him fail, and while her level of conviction was worthy of respect, Owen would not succumb so easily.

    He slammed his fists against the ground and dragged himself forward, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. He looked up at his opponent who was on the ground. She was faced down and limp, with her spirit looming over her. It had its hands raised high in the air.

    Owen cursed, it was preparing to break her spine. He lifted his left hand towards the woman, and pulled back his arm, using his essence ability to drag the woman''s body closer to him and away from the spirit.

    The quick movements caused the spirit to miss its attack, and it pounded its fists onto the floor. The spirit shot a glare in Owen''s direction and screeched.

    The woman''s body dragged along the floor, and entered Owen''s reach. Her wary eyes looked up at his, and Owen clenched his fist. Then, a sudden thought occurred to him. In his haste to end this, he hadn''t considered that knocking her out could also cause him to be knocked out too.

    The spirit stood up straight, its arms down to its side, and its stance fixed firmly. It began to become translucent, becoming transparent. It then sank into the ground, submerging itself and disappearing from sight. It was an ability all spirit essence users possessed, as their spirits could move freely through solid surfaces.

    In other words, it was hiding. Then, its inevitable return would be coupled with a surprise attack. The clock was ticking, so with no time to hesitate, Owen used his essence ability to shove his protruding bones back into his body. His fingers trembled, and sweat dribbled down his chin. Agony overwhelmed him, as the limbs snapped back into place. But still, he bore through and fought against the torment. He pushed the bone back under the skin, hoping that the damage wasn''t too severe.

    With his uninjured right leg and his left arm, Owen pushed himself up into a standing position. Then, he placed his left leg gently on the ground and winced at the pain. He didn''t really know anything about anatomy so he couldn''t really tell if he put the bones in the wrong place or not, but it looked like everything was where it was supposed to be.

    He surged essence throughout his body which alleviated most of the pain and made moving a lot more manageable. And now, here he was, waiting. As he stood there with his toes flexed, Owen prepared for the coming attack.

    A hand emerged from the surface the woman was lying on and reached for her neck. Owen made a mad dash for her and grabbed hold of the woman''s jumpsuit. At that exact moment, the spirit lashed out towards her back and clawed at it with its sharp claws. Owen tightened his grip and pulled the woman''s body to him, carrying her like a husband would carry his wife on their wedding night.

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    He hopped backwards in order to put some distance between him and the spirit. He felt his back dampen with blood.

    The spirit sank back into the ground, and disappeared once again. Owen was put back on edge and moved again. He needed to put as much distance between the spirit and the woman as possible. In his arms, the woman was staring up at him with weary, hesitant, and exhausted eyes.

    With the pain in his leg mounting up, the spirit took another ambush attempt. It rose from the ground and thrust out both its arms, grasping for them. Owen ducked under, pistol squatting on his good leg.

    With no other viable option, he yelled out and used kinetic energy to blast the spirit across the arena. It was sent hurtling up into the air, where it slowly floated back to the ground. Owen watched it as it fell, while he caught his breath.

    He cursed his own impulsiveness. Why did he feel the need to waste away most of his essence in that last fight against Pike? Right now, he was down to a fourth of his total reserves. If only he had followed through with what he had earlier and taken this gauntlet seriously. He''d then have a lot more options to play around with.

    His thoughts were interrupted by the steps of the spirit getting closer. It drew closer and closer, making its way to him. Owen grumbled under his breath, annoyed at the task before him. He needed to somehow make the woman in his arms forfeit the match, without transferring any damage that falls onto her onto himself.

    He was about to make a move, when the raspy voice of the woman in his arms cracked, "I''m sorry..."

    Her eyes were glossy, and her face was pale and dirty. Looking down at her, Owen could tell just how much pain the woman was enduring.

    "I''ve been here for twenty years... I need to leave here." Tears ran down her face, "I need to get to the next floor, so I can leave. My son... My son needs me."

    Hearing her words, Owen softened up. All of a sudden he became painfully aware of the small woman''s existence.

    The woman looked up at Owen''s face. "I''m sorry that I hurt you."

    Owen''s mind became muddled. He stared down at the woman for a long moment. The spirit meanwhile was still advancing on them. It was only a few feet away, and could strike at any moment.

    As it got ready to strike again, Owen''s eyes hardened and he clenched his jaw. A deep-rooted determination bloomed inside him. He gritted his teeth, and grit them hard. He knew what he had to do.

    "I''ll promise you this. I will free you."

    Owen''s words flowed over the woman like a crashing wave, and filled her heart with hope. Fresh tears ran down her face, and she tightened her grips onto the fabric of Owen''s shirt.

    "Please...please. Thank you...thank you."

    The spirit had just stopped short of reaching them. It lowered its arm, and began dissipating, until it was no longer in sight.

    The woman closed her eyes. "I want to forfeit this match."

    Owen sighed a breath of relief. Two guards had rushed in from the entrance carrying a stretcher. They arrived next to Owen and laid the stretcher down on the ground.

    Without a word, Owen laid the old woman down onto the stretcher. He backed away, giving the guards space, and watched them carry the woman out of the arena.

    He understood it now. When he first announced that he wanted to do the gauntlet, he didn''t understand why the other inmates were not fighting for their freedom. Why were they so complacent in letting Arden have its way with them? Looking back, he had thought he was superior to them all. At least he was unwilling to give in and concede to a fate like that, but now he realized that he had been thinking too small. They don''t see any other path to freedom.

    The buzzer rung out, signalling the introduction of his next opponent.

    Owen banged his fists together and reverted his gaze to the entrance. After he was through with this gauntlet, he was going to hand the inmates another path towards freedom. They don''t see it now, but there are other options, and he''ll show them.

    But first, he had to get through two hundred and seventy-six more battles.

    ***

    The ninety-second opponent that came out of the tunnel, was an average looking middle-aged man. He had a receding hairline, a slightly long nose and his skin was pinkish. His small beady eyes, were like little marbles sitting upon his flabby cheeks.

    Owen stood, and waited as the man strolled in. They made eye contact for a brief second before the man raised his hand.

    Owen instantly hopped backwards and lowered his stance. He got ready for an incoming assault, but nothing happened. Owen grimaced as nothing occurred. For a few seconds he just waited in his ready position, silently wondering what this guys game was.

    Then, the silence was broken. His opponent raised up his hand in the air. "I forfeit."

    Just like that.

    Out of everything he could''ve done, Owen wasn''t expecting him to just outright forfeit like that. The man began walking towards the exit, and disappeared back into the tunnel. He came and left like the wind, the whole scene taking a mere few seconds.

    Owen, who was now out of his readied stance, stood with a puzzled expression on his face. Only confusion and questions swirled around in his brain. Just what did he do?

    The buzzer sounded once more, indicating that the following individual would soon be coming in. Owen moved back to the centre of the arena and readied himself, he planned on ignoring that previous opponent and moving on.

    A dribble of something wet rolled down the side of Owen''s cheek. He wiped it, and brought his hand close to his face. There was a bloody smear on his palm.

    He narrowed his eyes. The cut he received from the boy Lucas, was bleeding. But that was odd, because he was sure it had clotted and scabbed over.

    He pressed his finger against the small opening and attempted to staunch the blood flow. But it kept bleeding, causing his fingers to become coated red. After a few seconds, his right arm was hurting more than usual, and blood was seeping out of his sleeve and ran down his arm.

    And it wasn''t a normal amount of bleeding either, no, it was more like it was gushing out of him. The pain in his leg was also beginning to feel intense again. Blood came out of there as well, forming a growing pool of red underneath him.

    He started to worry. What the hell was going on? What did that guy do earlier?

    The doors to the entrance opened again and the ninety-third opponent walked out. He was another man, with shaggy brown hair that fell just below his ears. He was tall and lanky, and he strutted into the arena with self-confidence. A creepy smile adorned his wide lips, while his beady dark green eyes sparkled with delight.

    Owen took a step back and started to feel woozy. His head felt like it was spinning, as blood continued to leak out of his wounds.

    The skinny man held out a hand to his side. A moment later, a white light flashed, and a jagged blade materialized from his palm. The man gleefully laughed and charged towards Owen.

    Owen grimaced and tried to move, but his leg betrayed him. The man reached him, and in one downward swing sliced the blade down Owen''s chest. Skin split apart and blood spurted out.

    A grin spread across the lanky man''s face as he joyfully watched the blood coat his blade.

    "I really can''t wait to cut you up, man."

    Owen frowned. He was bleeding badly, his head was spinning, and his injuries felt increasingly worse. And now a weirdo with a sword had shown up. This day was getting better and better.

 Chapter 18 - The Turn Around

    Kenneth stared down at the arena and couldn''t keep a wide smirk off his face. Around him, all the other floor five inmates were banging their fists against the glass, cheering.

    Kenneth found their enthusiasm infectious, and let out a pleased laugh. He even began clapping and yelling.

    "How did this fucker think he was going to beat all of us? He¡¯s struggling in his third fight against some random floor three inmate!" He let out a loud barking laugh. "What a joke."

    Jason, who was standing to his right remained silent. He stared out at the arena with arms crossed, and observed the scene below.

    Kenneth elbowed his arm and chortled. "But at least this idiot is bringing us the floor rank up reward on a silver platter."

    Still staring down, Jason replied dryly, "I think, we shouldn¡¯t be laughing at this."

    Kenneth raised an eyebrow as he turned to look at his friend. "What? Why? Are you feeling sympathy for him?"

    Jason spoke slowly, "This guy, what he¡¯s doing, or at least trying to do, isn¡¯t something we can do."

    "Huh?"

    "Have you forgotten where we are? We were put in this prison by Arden. This guy is clearly going against them, and I''m thinking laughing at him, and wanting him to lose, is the wrong thing to do."

    Kenneth clicked his tongue and scrunched his nose, clearly displeased with what he was hearing. "What the hell are you talking about? What good would it do us if he won this thing? It wouldn¡¯t change the fact that we still need to play nice with Arden when it comes down to it."

    "But, don¡¯t you feel angry?" Jason asked. "Arden put us in here, and yet we¡¯re acting like we are on the same side. Where is our pride? Are we just going to cower before Arden like a bunch of weaklings?"

    Kenneth shook his head. "Jason, you sound crazy right now. Forget your pretentious ideals, and live in reality. Who the hell has any say against Arden? They are a mega corporation with power beyond anything we could imagine. What can we, small fries, do against those people?"

    Kenneth turned His gaze back down to the arena. "In this world, you either conform to what the strong want, or you die. Rebellion will only get you killed."

    ***

    Blood dripped off the tip of the blade. Owen was wounded. Badly.

    A swing came towards him, which he narrowly dodged by leaning his torso out of the way. Another quick slash of the blade, this time nicked his side.

    Blood flowed easily through the clothes, and Owen stumbled back. He squinted his eyes, and willed himself to focus.

    The man grinned menacingly and slowly paced forward. Owen was struggling to follow his movements, the blood loss and the dizziness was getting worse.

    He gritted his teeth. This guy wasn¡¯t even that good. On any other normal day, this entire fight wouldn¡¯t even last a few seconds, but here he was struggling.

    "Man, people thought you were going to blast through the floor three inmates. But why are you struggling so much here?" The lanky man taunted, enjoying the spectacle.

    Owen ignored him, and instead focused on circling essence throughout his body. He had to play defensively and keep his wounds from becoming worse.

    Three fast consecutive swings flashed through the air, the blade flying towards his body. All Owen could do was shield against them with his good arm. A barrage of cuts were opened up on his left arm, causing blood to squirt and flow down in large amounts.

    The lanky man closed in on him again, and Owen tried to throw his right fist to counter. But he winced as his arm couldn¡¯t extend fully. The blade met his extended side, slashing upwards in a quick swing, lacerating his skin.

    More blood gushed down and Owen stumbled backwards. His head hung down low, with a line of blood falling from the top of his forehead and down his nose. He struggled to stand tall and firm.

    The man stopped a few meters in front of him and flicked his tongue. "Wow, you¡¯re still not down yet?"

    Owen stood there silently. He was honestly fighting hard to remain standing. The essence circulating throughout his body was the only thing keeping him upright.

    That was until he felt the last wisps of essence leave his soul, completely exhausting him of all his reserves. He almost fell on his face from the sudden lack of strength, but he willed himself to stay standing.

    The man¡¯s eyes went wide and lit up. His mouth opened into a mad grin. "I guess I should end this now, huh?"

    An orange aura erupted from him, revealing himself to be a time essence user. He outstretched his free hand to the side and conjured another sword.

    The man took a step forward, and for the next five minutes, stabbed and slashed. Owen''s body kept wilting back, trying to dodge each and every one, as he lacked the ability to block them. Blood poured from where fresh new wounds had opened up.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    The white ground became a canvas of red, painting most of the centre of the arena in a deep crimson. The inmates'' cheers had died down, and instead were now replaced with gasps, as they watched the violent scene.

    As time passed, the man grew increasingly more irritated. His essence ability allowed him to alter the perception of time for himself and any other person. He had slowed down Owen¡¯s perception of time causing him to become extremely slow. Every attack he launched landed on him.

    Yet an annoying question rang inside the man''s head. So why the hell wasn''t this asshole passing out yet? His blood was everywhere.

    He momentarily backed away, heaving. Sweat was running down his neck.

    He clenched his jaw. "Why the fuck aren¡¯t you on the ground!?" He pointed his sword at him. "Man, the only reason I haven''t run my blade through you, is because I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m allowed to kill you!"

    The man turned his head to look up at the viewing box. "Can I fucking kill him?"

    He waited a second. No response came.

    The man turned his head back to Owen and grinned with wild eyes. "They didn¡¯t say no."

    He threw away one of his swords to the ground and clenched the remaining sword tightly with both hands. The man charged forward, yelling furiously.

    As he closed in, he thrust his sword forward aiming straight Owen''s torso.

    The blade went into his stomach, and sunk to the hilt. It buried into his insides and impaled him through the back. The man leaned in close, almost hugging Owen''s body. He hadn¡¯t stabbed someone for a long time since he was brought here, and by god did he miss the feeling.

    He missed it so much in fact, he didn¡¯t notice the slow and heavy arms wrapping around him. They closed in behind him like a blanket, completely locking him in place.

    Owen whispered into the man''s ear. "Finally¡­"

    The man felt a chill go down his spine. An uneasy feeling came to him, and he tried to struggle free, but those hands held him firm. Owen surged the essence he had been saving into his arms.

    Strength came to him, and he used all of it to squeeze. The man screamed and his body quivered. Bones gave way under Owen''s grip, and the screams grew louder.

    With desperation, the man pulled out an arm free and conjured a jagged knife. He plunged it down onto Owen''s back, the blade piercing his flesh. But Owen didn¡¯t seem to care. Instead, he squeezed even tighter. The crunching and popping of the man''s bones increased and tears trailed down the man''s cheek.

    Then, it was silent. The screams stopped.

    The man''s unconscious body went limp, and his knives dissolved into thin air. Owen opened up his arms and he sled to the floor. He breathed out a heavy sigh.

    Guards rushed into the arena from the entrance to grab the fallen man. Owen meanwhile, was holding onto his stomach where the sword had pierced. His mouth hung open like a zombie and a raspy breath whistled out as he tried to calm himself.

    He had lost a lot of blood. Enough that he probably should be dead. So why was he still standing? Was it his willpower? Or his insignia?

    Even so, as the buzzer rang out again to signal his next opponent, he knew he had to keep on fighting.

    ***

    As a novice essence user, the recharge time to fully recover one''s essence reserves were between one hour and thirty minutes, with that time decreasing when one ranks up.

    Owen hoped to find an easy opponent for his next few fights in order to take it easy and recover his essence to at least heal his body. But, the good will of the gauntlet gods didn''t favour him.

    For the next five hours, one fight after another, the gauntlet did not stop, not allowing Owen a moment of respite. He went through eighty-one more gruelling fights. Though unlike the old woman from earlier, none of these challengers had a powerful insignia like her.

    But still, each fight followed a certain pattern. Owen would be assaulted from the very beginning, and he would tank the blows. Then, once he had recovered a minimal amount of essence, a slug match would occur where Owen would slowly but surely overwhelm his opponent.

    Fight after fight, opponent after opponent, and with injuries mounting up, Owen did not fall. More than that, an oxymoron was taking place. He was becoming more and more injured, but at the same time he felt himself becoming tougher, stronger and more resilient.

    This constant brutal fighting, the pain that he was enduring, it was transforming him. The cuts he had suffered, healed. It took awhile, but they closed up. The arm that he couldn¡¯t extend to its full length, was stronger than it had ever been. Even the leg, which had become useless earlier, was capable of holding him again.

    Owen¡¯s current opponent was struggling to fight back. None of his attacks were landing on him, and Owen was dodging, and countering, without exerting too much effort.

    Owen ended the fight by throwing a right straight at his opponent''s face, nailing him with enough force to lift him off his feet. When the punch made contact, the sound of knuckles burying deep into flesh was heard. A line of spittle exploded out the man''s mouth, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

    He hit the floor with a thud, as he entered a world of darkness. As the guards rushed in, Owen sat down on the ground, with his legs crossed. His arms were over his knees as he patiently waited for his next opponent.

    To the inmates that were watching from up above, what was happening was... unexpected.

    The turn around was almost unbelievable. Owen was on death¡¯s door hours before, but now, he was dominating all his foes. What kind of demonic beast was hiding inside of him?

    The buzzer sounded once more. A man walked out of the tunnel. He looked afraid and uncertain.

    He cautiously moved forward while looking nervously at Owen, before eventually coming to a stop a good distance away.

    Upon stopping, he looked into the eyes of Owen. Dead eyes peered back, waiting.

    The frightened man whimpered, before finally raising his hand.

    "I¡­ forfeit."

    It was the first time a floor three inmate had backed out of a fight. Wordlessly, the man turned around and left back into the entrance.

    Owen wondered if that would be the first and last time someone would concede to him, and as if to mock him, the next opponent that came out had raised up there hand, the mere second the two of them made eye contact.

    And like that, something unexpected happened. Three, then five, then ten, and soon after thirteen straight forfeits followed that first one.

    No one wanted to fight him.

    Owen had stayed sitting on the ground throughout it all, recovering and conserving his energy. Eventually, Mayers voice was broadcasted into the arena. It was exasperated and annoyed, while it echoed from the speakers.

    "You have somehow managed to beat all the floor three inmates. Congrats. Therefore, we will be moving on now to the floor four inmates."

    Owen¡¯s eyes widened. He was finally through with all the floor three opponents.

    The buzzer sounded, indicating the start of a new round, the one hundredth and eighty seventh. A young woman probably in her late twenties, walked in. She was at an average height and her physique was athletic. Her blonde hair was tucked behind her ears, and she walked towards Owen with measured steps.

    After a few seconds she gave an extravagant bow, her hair flowing through the air as her upper body lowered. When she rose back up, a smile adorned her face. "Let me congratulate you on making it this far. I am Joyce Alford, your first opponent from the fourth floor. Now, let us have a grand bout."

    Owen remained silent and pushed himself off the floor. He raised up his fists and steadied his stance. With practiced breathing he readied himself.

 Chapter 19 - The New Body Movements

    Grace stared down at the arena below her, dumbfounded. Owen had somehow managed to push through the third floor challengers. She couldn''t believe it. When she saw the first few floor three fights and how severely injured he became, she thought for sure that he would fail. But somewhere along the line, that had changed.

    Looking at his state now, Grace could only admire his perseverance.

    She swallowed deeply and pressed her hands onto the glass in front of her. She was starting to feel an emotion that she was unfamiliar with.

    From next to her, Isaac spoke up, "Damn, I recognize that woman."

    Grace turned her attention from Owen and focused on the newcomer. "From where?"

    "She''s infamous. A few years back, around three or four, this girl fell down from the upper floors and into the lower. The story went around for a few months, everyone was talking about it. You see, apparently she rendered around fifty promising inmates non¨Cfunctional, and as for her punishment, she was sent straight down here."

    "How did she do that?" Grace asked.

    "Nobody knows the details, but the consensus was that her essence ability is just really strong." Isaac grunted and pursed his lips, as he looked below. "With Owen suddenly gaining this spike in strength, I don¡¯t know who will come out on top."

    Will, who had been listening in, turned to look back down at Owen. He shook his head and muttered, "he¡¯s not going to lose."

    Hope still existed within him. Faith that Owen would do the impossible, continued to ring through him.

    ***

    Joyce pointed the toe of her shoe towards Owen and stretched her arms backwards. She narrowed her eyes, her lips tight with intent, and her expression tensed.

    "I commend you, really. For defeating all those inmates before me is something truly admirable. You are really an excellent fighter. But a question has been puzzling me for a while now. Why in the world did you start this gauntlet in the first place? I do think you have a sense of superiority, so maybe you did this thinking you were invincible. But even so, I¡¯d think you would then quit when confronted with how difficult it is, and yet, you haven¡¯t."

    Owen merely stood there without a word.

    "What are you planning on doing exactly?" She raised a finger and traced her smile. "Do you have an escape plan? Because, if you do, then I am deeply curious. If you wouldn¡¯t mind sharing with us all, I¨C"

    The fabric of Joyce''s jumpsuit pulled taut from the front, the force stretching it. The next moment she was flying forwards in the air, hurtling across the arena. Owen hearing enough, had used his essence ability to violently propel her forward.

    As she soared, Owen pulled back his fist. Increasing the kinetic energy in his arm, his fist shot forward as a blur towards her face. At that moment, Joyce''s hand intercepted it and grabbed his fist, holding it back. Joyce smiled as a purple aura surrounded her.

    "I see. There¡¯s no room for talk. How unfortunate."

    As the two made contact, auras of yellow and purple clashed together. Joyce was a mind essence user, and with their physical prowess remaining equal, they pushed each other back.

    Upon stabilizing his stance, Owen rushed in with a left-handed hook aimed for her jaw. Joyce blocked the punch with her forearm and countered with a counter hook, swinging her fist outwards. Her counter clipped his ear barely, and he spun halfway around, using the inertia to wind up his elbow.

    The strike would have landed, but he was stopped as Joyce''s palms formed a defensive shield, blocking against it. Using the moment she kicked the back of one of his knees and caused him to crumple downwards. She then threw out a quick jab while he was down, catching him square in the temple.

    Owen shrugged it off and, before she could pull her hand back, grabbed her by the wrist. He then used his leg to knock one of hers, breaking her stance. With her falling backwards, he increased the kinetic energy in her fall and slammed her down hard.

    Shockwaves erupted from the surface below and rumbled throughout the arena. Owen went to stomp, but as his foot neared Joyce, she managed to roll and narrowly avoid it.

    As she propelled herself forward, Owen came after her. He followed closely behind, ready to engage. As he went to throw a punch, Joyce suddenly turned around and her two fingers were aimed straight for his eyes.

    Not willing to get blinded, Owen threw his arm up and covered his vision. Joyce smirked and threw out her other fist, landing a crushing blow on his liver. The shockingly sharp punch made him double over as pain wracked him.

    Then Joyce moved behind him like a snake, where her hands wrapped around Owen''s waist. She clenched him tightly, and Owen instantly recognized what was coming. He was lifted into the air and flung over her head, as she performed a perfect suplex.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    Owen braced himself as he was smashed into the ground, back first. A groan escaped from his throat, and the wind was knocked out of him. That could have damaged his spine, but luckily essence helped to dull the blow.

    Recovering his breath, Owen pushed himself away from Joyce. Upon standing, he found her in front of him. Her hands were behind her back, and she looked at him with her head tilted to the side.

    "From that brief exchange I can conclude that we are rather well-matched," Joyce noted, a thoughtful look on her face. But her eyes belied her, as they gleamed with mischievous intent.

    "Well now that it has come to this, I want to give you a fair warning. I¡¯ll start using my essence ability now."

    Owen raised an eyebrow. "Why are you telling me this?"

    She smiled, as she backed away and made some distance. "If I use my ability on you, it will permanently hinder you. In fact, it will make day to day life very difficult for you. So to be nice, I will give you a chance to forfeit now."

    He frowned at her words. "I¡¯ll never forfeit."

    Joyce shrugged. "I¡¯ve warned you. Don¡¯t hold me responsible for what comes next."

    Without hesitation, Joyce raised up her hand at Owen. He reacted by moving to the side, wanting to avoid any abilities that came his way.

    But as he ran, he suddenly lost control of his own body. He crashed down to the floor, tripping on nothing. His face bashed against the solid ground, and his body went limp.

    He couldn''t move a muscle, not a single one. Paralyzed, Owen wasn¡¯t able to do a thing, and it was only when he realized he wasn''t breathing, panic rose up.

    His lungs were petrified, and he felt himself suffocating. But as he started to feel faint, he tried flexing his hand but doing that seemed to move one of his toes.

    His other hand bent a knee, and from there he figured it out. Joyce¡¯s essence ability had swapped the responses between different parts of his body.

    He tried flexing one of his thighs, but that just made him wink with one of his eyes. He tried out some other motions hoping to find the one that enabled him to breath.

    The voice of Mayers came through the intercom system. "Owen Walters. If you don¡¯t move in the next minute, we will deem you unconscious and mark you as the loser."

    Shit. There was no time to spare. He flexed every muscle available, hoping something would give him a semblance of his ability to breath.

    It wasn¡¯t until he tried to stick out his tongue that something clicked. Suddenly he felt air going into his lungs. A slow gasp was drawn.

    Breathing, air, finally. Relief swept over him, but at the same time, what action allowed him to breathe out?

    For the next twenty seconds, Owen tried out random actions to map out his body. It was a tough puzzle to solve. Pointing with his pinky finger, clenched his butt cheek. Scrunching up his forehead, led to an open jaw. Straightening his elbows allowed him to clench his legs.

    It wasn¡¯t until he was nearing the end of his minute that he had figured out the motions to move his arm. Wrapping the logics together, he lifted his arm and slammed his hand down on the floor. He struggled to push himself up, before he eventually managed to get up on one knee.

    Owen struggled to rise, his awkward form unsteady. He stared up, with one eye wincing and the other unblinking straight at Joyce.

    She was looking at him with wide eyes. "You¡¯re honestly the first person to somewhat recover from my ability. Did you memorize what your new body responses were? That¡¯s impressive."

    Owen took a wobbly step forward, unable to walk in a straight line.

    Joyce tilted her head. "Doesn''t matter. I¡¯ll just change them again."

    Owen took three steps before stumbling to the ground. His face once again smacked against the floor. He was paralyzed again and forced to lay there. If he could have moved his mouth, then he would have cursed at her.

    He relearned the new patterns until he could move again. He crawled, then pulled himself to a kneel. Then, he got up. An eyebrow raised on Joyce''s face, unsure of what to make of this tenacity.

    "I can just keep switching it up," she called. "It¡¯s pointless. Just silently and obediently forfeit."

    Owen ignored her. He raised his fists up high, showing his intent to fight. His eyes carried willpower, unbreakable and fierce. He didn¡¯t waver and wasn''t backing down. He will push through, fight, and not falter.

    He found the necessary muscle actions to move open his mouth. "I don¡¯t care if it takes hours. I will beat you."

    A frown crossed Joyce''s face. She pulled up an arm and aimed it at Owen. "Then I will take your words to heart."

    Owen was locked up again. He fell to the floor, and once more was forced to learn a whole new order of body movements.

    An hour later, Joyce had repeated this process many times. And over and over again, Owen kept getting back up. He refused to stay down. He couldn¡¯t.

    As Joyce watched him struggle on the floor again, she approached him with measured steps. She lifted her leg and placed her foot on his back. She pressed down on his body until he was pressed flat on the ground.

    "I just don¡¯t understand. Why?" Joyce voiced, her expression bewildered. "Why would you push yourself so hard? Why would you continue to fight like this?"

    She kept him down as she asked him another question.

    "Wouldn''t a logical man stop?"

    Owen made the necessary motions to lift his head up and glimpsed her in the corner of his eyes. His mouth opened slowly as he wheezed out, "I won¡¯t stop until I¡¯ve won. I don¡¯t care who it is. Whether it''s you, or anyone else. I will break through anyone and everyone who stands in my way. I won¡¯t stop fighting until I¡¯ve become damn free!"

    "Silly," Joyce said with a tight smile. "But that tenacity of yours is surely amazing."

    The foot on Owen''s back disappeared. Joyce stepped back and raised up her hand. "I forfeit, everyone."

    Owen attempted to look at her, his eyes popping from their sockets. Shocked at her forfeiting. "Why are you quitting?"

    Joyce shook her head and smiled. "I just simply don¡¯t have the patience, and continuing would just be a waste of time. You''ve proven yourself with actions, not words. And honestly... I admire you. Let us meet again some other time."

    She bowed low to him, her hands clasped firmly in front of her. "I¡¯ll be cheering you on, Owen Walters. Please continue on. And I hope you¡¯ll get used to having your movements switched around in such a confusing manner."

    Joyce then turned, and exited the arena with her head held high. Owen was left dumbfounded as he watched her leave.

    He dragged himself, and pulled himself upright. Struggling with his wobbly stance, he made his way to the centre. There was only one thought going through his head right now. That woman was holding back. She hadn¡¯t used her insignia at all, and she could have easily incapacitated him while he was on the floor.

    He clenched his teeth. He never liked feeling weak. It annoyed him, pissed him off, and fuelled his ever-growing desire to become strong.

    The buzzer sounded again and the door to the entrance opened.

 Chapter 20 - The Gravity King

    The second fight Owen had with a fourth floor inmate, he was being dominated throughout the first half of the fight. Joyce¡¯s essence ability had done a number on him, and he was still relearning how to move his body properly.

    His opponent was a lean bald man with dark skin. Throughout most of the fight, he danced circles around Owen, landing punch after punch on him.

    Eventually, after enduring the beating, and becoming annoyed and frustrated, Owen figured out most of his new responses. The man tried to land an uppercut. The next moment Owen had thrown out a straight, sending the man careening back.

    He followed up, not giving him the chance to react. He threw out a barrage of hook after hook, a non-stop assault of hardy punches. Soon enough the bald man was staggering, dizzied. Owen pulled back his right hand, increasing the kinetic energy within it, and with one last swing, slammed his fist forward, burying it deep into the face of the bald man, knocking him out.

    He stood over his fallen opponent, looking down on him. His fists were still clenched. Now that his fighting capabilities were back to normal, he felt all sorts of anger coursing through his body.

    As the guards came in, Owen moved to the centre of the arena and waited for his next opponent.

    ***

    The inmates watched on in shock. Their laughters had long since died, and disbelief now replaced it. Owen was making his way through the floor four inmates rapidly. Except for that first fight, every match ended the same way. With Owen standing tall, dominating each opponent that dared step out onto the battlefield.

    Kenneth was biting his thumbnail as he watched on from above. "No fucking way."

    Beside him, Jason stood tall, his arms crossed. For the past few hours he had remained silent. Watching.

    "This shit can''t be happening." Kenneth was mumbling under his breath. But as the next round began, he remained silent.

    Number two hundred and forty-eight, number two hundred and forty-nine, Number two hundred and fifty. Each new opponent who challenged Owen, got dragged back into the entrance.

    Will''s tired eyes gazed into Owen''s brutal form down below. He smiled weakly, relief emerging in him. "He''s going to get through this."

    Isaac let out a long breath. "Looks like my worry was unnecessary. Though, looking at Owen now, he looks like a demon."

    His words were no doubt true. The tattered rags that Owen wore, were trailing pieces of fabric stuck to his back and sides. Dried blood caked his body, and his expression was akin to a rabid hound. His bloody eyes looked predatorial and scary.

    A black wraith. That''s what some inmates in the viewing area were calling him. They could not fathom what they were witnessing. None of them had ever seen something quite like this before.

    Even the viewing box was deathly silent. Mayers'' stern face broke when he cleared his throat. "He¡¯s a damn rebel for sure, but I can¡¯t help admire the man''s tenacity. Arden needs someone like him."

    A few reluctant nods from the overseers indicated their agreement.

    "But, he surely can''t beat the floor five inmates," Mayers said, but at the same time, his own uncertainty hinted itself in his voice. "He needs to lose."

    ***

    Owen was crouched down at the centre of the arena. His hands were cradling his shoulders, and his eyes were staring intensely at the entrance.

    He had fought through two hundred and eighty inmates, with eighty-seven more fights still left to go. Somewhere down the line, the battles began to blandly feel the same. Move in, and then quickly put down his challenger.

    Mentally he was exhausted and all he wanted to do was sleep. Physically however, he was in the best shape he''d been in his life.

    Whatever he had endured throughout the last few hours, the struggles, the hardship, it''s all done him well.

    The buzzer rung for the next battle, and another inmate walked out. This one looked nervous, and his hesitance to approach became clear.

    Owen got up from his feet and eyed the inmate coldly. The man flinched and took a step back. Fear and anxiousness was embedded deep in the inmate''s expression.

    But even so, the man gritted his teeth and powered on, stepping closer, and ever closer, to Owen.

    As the man got near, he saw Owen blur and then disappear. The man blinked his eyes twice, as confusion etched itself on his face. Then, pain exploded on the side of his face.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    His vision went white and he blinked again. A moment later, he was on the ground near the edge of the arena. The wall was behind him, and a splatter of red stained the white surface.

    The man looked up to find a savage standing over him. Owen opened his mouth. "Do you want more?"

    The man was clenching the left side of his face. He shook his head wildly. "No... please don''t! I forfeit!"

    Owen paused as he gave a slow and lazy nod. He then turned around and retuned to the centre of the arena. The man scrambled back onto his feet and rushed towards the exit.

    The battle had only lasted a few seconds. It was another blowout. Owen sat back down onto the ground and waited again.

    Mayers voice came out from the speakers. "Owen¡­ Walters."

    Owen listened attentively.

    "You have defeated all the floor four inmates. Congratulations. Now, we will be moving onto the floor five inmates. Do try your best."

    Owen rose up from his sitting position. There was a new expression on his face. One the inmates watching hadn¡¯t seen before.

    On his beaten and scratched face, his lips twisted upwards, a vicious smile gleaming upon his features. Eyes that couldn''t decide between glee or madness, were shining, as if they were ignited by something. His slightly crouched frame looked crazed and manic, and his hands were upturned, flexing and unflexing.

    The buzzer sounded, and a tanned man with a muscular build and a scar down his right cheek, with messy black hair falling into his eyes, emerged from the darkness of the tunnel.

    The buzzer sounded, and a tanned man with a muscular build and a scar down his right cheek, with messy black hair falling into his eyes, emerged from the darkness of the tunnel. His hands were in his pockets, a faint smirk on his face. His stride looked lax and casual, not concerned at all with Owen.

    He walked with poise and confidence, and upon reaching the centre, stopped a good distance away. His wild dark brown eyes, looked at Owen without a shred of caution. In fact, he grinned as he stared at Owen, as if mocking him.

    "Shit, can you tell how happy I am that you made it this far? If I take you down here and now then I¡¯ll increase my value to Mayers a ton, and it might even net me some other benefits. Thank you." He rotated his neck before rolling his head from left to right, shaking it as he smirked.

    "Well I''ll try not to give you too hard a beating, because I sort of feel a kinship with you," the tanned man flowed essence throughout his body and a yellow aura burst from his skin. "We are pretty much the same. You have the fight insignia. Well I have the power insignia. And our essence abilities pretty much do the same thing."

    He raised up his hand towards Owen. Owen felt himself become light, and his feet began lifting off the ground. All of a sudden, Owen was lifted high into the air and tossed straight into the ceiling. His back made a thudding sound as he slammed into the surface.

    The man laughed as he brought his hand down, allowing Owen to fall. The moment Owen reached the halfway point between the arena floor and ceiling, he used his own essence ability to stop his movement. He levitated in the air.

    "Let¡¯s dance Owen!" He threw his hands open to his sides, aiming for a grand gesture. "My name is Eric Hanes, and I am the king of gravity!"

    Eric waved his arm in a swinging motion. Owen was flown straight downwards once more with more force than before. Owen¡¯s feet smashed the floor upon impact, and cracks spread outwards from his position.

    Owen gritted his teeth as gravity pushed him down. His figure bent, folding in place. Pressure threatened to buckle his legs, and with his limbs quaking, he tried to resist.

    Eric closed his fist, and pulled it back. He activated his insignia and increased his power output. With his hand pulsing with strength, he took a step towards Owen and threw his fist towards Owen''s torso.

    A mini sonic boom erupted as the fist landed. A shockwave shot outwards, cracking the ground beneath Owen as well. It was a bone rattling blow, and yet, Owen stood his ground, his knees locked in place.

    Eric took a short glance at Owen''s face, and the slightest hint of a frown flashed across his features. Owen was glaring back at him, eyes filled with an uncanny amount of willpower.

    Aggravated, Eric drew back his fist once again and threw it forward. Another shockwave left the arena trembling. This time, a grunt left the lips of Owen.

    This caught Eric''s attention. His fists started flying back and forth, their movements fast and erratic, all striking the same place. Eric''s fists opened and closed in the form of an alternating rhythm. Each hammering hit was louder than the last, their sonic impacts ringing throughout the entire arena.

    And soon, even after Eric had been striking Owen for nearly a minute, Owen remained standing. A small smirk cracked on Owen''s bloody mouth as he watched the expression on Eric''s contort into outrage.

    Eric stepped back and lifted a hand towards Owen. With a yell, he swung his hand upwards and Owen was sent flying into the air once more. Eric spent more essence to make sure Owen couldn¡¯t use his ability to halt his momentum.

    Once Owen crashed into the ceiling, Eric repeated his movements and sent him back to the floor, then to the ceiling, over and over again, using his ability to pound his body up and down. His breath became heavy and beads of sweat ran down the side of his head as he continued the assault.

    With an angry yell, he threw Owen down one last time. Eric crouched down and held his knees as he attempted to catch his breath. Yet a victorious smile formed upon his mouth as he laughed.

    "Man you¡¯re tough."

    "I guess I am, huh."

    Eric¡¯s head snapped over to Owen.

    Rising from the ground, Owen once again rose to his full height. Blood was dripping and trailing out of his nose, trickling down his cheek. Yet, his right arm came up and swiped across his face, wiping it away.

    "No¡­" Eric whispered, shocked. "How are you fine? Are you even human?"

    "What can I say," Owen said, his own mouth formed into a wicked looking grin. "You said our essence abilities are the same, but all you¡¯ve been doing is lift me up and down," he lifted his hand towards Eric. "Let me show you the difference."

    Eric felt an invisible force grab hold of him. He struggled as he tried to pull against its influence but to no avail. His limbs were forced into a star shape, like a mock crucifixion pose.

    The joints on Eric¡¯s body began to bend slowly. A painful yell burst from his throat, his eyes rolling in their sockets as the pressure increased.

    Before long, a sickening crack sounded. Followed by another one. And another one. Joints popped and ligaments separated, followed by more yells from Eric.

    Owen retracted his hand at his words, freeing Eric. He crumbled to the ground, panting and whining from the pain. As he held his hand to his side and tried to force himself up, two guards came from the entrance and collected him. The fight was over.

    The arena sat in deafening silence. No one could believe what they saw.

    Owen stretched his back and rubbed his neck as the two guards ran back out of the room. His forehead crinkled as he looked up at the viewing area. Eighty-six more inmates to go.

 Chapter 21 - The Martial Artist

    Owen was trading fists with a gorilla. The beast essence user he was fighting was hulking and muscle-bound. Its massive hands were large enough to swallow Owen''s head.

    Owen clenched his teeth together as his entire body shook from the impact. Grunting, he struck with his own fist. A sharp howl rang out as the impact landed on the beast''s torso.

    With one blow landing after another, both sides were unleashing all their power. With every attack thrown, Owen''s exhaustion pushed him closer and closer to his breaking point, and yet, he pressed on.

    After a brutal minute of non-stop pummelling, Owen''s fist slammed up into the jaw of the gorilla, shattering the chin of the beast. The beast''s eyes went white, and it wobbled on the spot. Owen quickly jumped into the air, pushed his legs out, and planted a double kick straight to the snout of the gorilla, knocking the beast out.

    Slamming the floor in an exhausted heap, the fight was over. Owen huffed and puffed as his strained arms moved to clench his side. Each breath he let out was heavy and thick. He looked towards the entrance to the arena. Seventy-two more left.

    Shoving the tiredness away, he took another deep breath and waited. At the sound of the buzzer, the next challenger emerged.

    The fights began to whittle down one after another. His sixty-sixth opponent was a space essence user who could manipulate the space between two points. The man was difficult to get a hold of as he created space between them that prevented any type of physical contact.

    And yet, after several attempts, the space user eventually ran low on essence which allowed Owen to close in and easily dispose of him.

    His forty-eighth fight had him squaring off against a woman with the speed insignia. She was running circles around him, managing to land several swift blows. Her superior agility and speed kept her safe, and for a while, things looked sour. That was until she got overconfident and tried to pull off a finishing blow.

    Owen stopped one of her feet from moving using his kinetic energy and then quickly swept the leg out from under her, letting gravity take hold. Following up, a hand went for her neck and with a tight grasp, he choked her out until she passed out.

    The thirty-fourth fight proved to be the longest fight so far. Lasting for nearly two hours long, Owen faced a man who possessed the durable insignia. Owen could hardly hurt him in the first hour of the fight, only managing to inflict some minor bruises. What made things worse was the man transformed into his beast form, an ironclad beetle.

    The shell of the humanoid insect, was decorated in black and white blotchy spots. And with his short curved horns and sharp scythe-like mandibles, his appearance was daunting.

    For the latter half of the two-hour period, Owen tried and tried with everything he could to make the bulky bug kneel, all to no avail. Every swing, every hit, it was meaningless.

    So he decided to conserve his essence, using it sparingly wherever he could. His saving grace came when the man eventually ran low on essence and reverted into his normal form. Immediately upon transformation, Owen struck out with a series of powerful blows, with every single one making the man stagger and sway until eventually, he could not stay up any more and fell face flat on the ground, his conscious slipping away.

    The inmates watched from the viewing areas in silent awe. Those from floor one to floor four were allowed to go back to their cells and rest, but no one dared to leave. For all of them watched on as one monster of a man was dismantling the fearsome floor five inmates. Mixed emotions were in the air, and though most were hoping Owen would lose, some wanted to see if he could accomplish what he set out to do.

    Number twenty-two, number seventeen, number thirteen. The numbers kept ticking down. Soon, the number dwindled down to the last ten. At this point, the entire arena sat dead silent. From the viewing box, not even the slightest murmur could be heard. Mayer''s solemn expression was beginning to twist, his fingers moving restlessly at his side.

    Owen was crouched down on the ground, his body racked with exhaustion. He tried to breathe deep and even breaths, and his heart was thumping loudly in his ears. The long hours of fighting were taking their toll on him. His mind was swimming with fog, and sleep wanted him bad. The cold floor of the arena beckoned him. If only it could tell him it was okay to rest.

    He clenched his bloodied fist. Ten more. Only ten more and you''re done.

    He rose to his feet and stood there. Static. Waiting. His knees then shook violently, and the sudden moment of weakness came before he could correct it. In front of the whole audience, his posture weakened, and his knees buckled forward, causing him to lurch over.

    The crowd made a hum of surprise, as they were sure Owen had finally reached his limit. To Mayers, he saw a chance. He flipped a few switches and spoke into the microphone, his voice silencing the area, and the arena.

    "Looks like you''ve finally reached your limits. A true and valiant effort, and quite a surprising performance. I never expected you to beat that many individuals." Mayers paused. "Well, I''m impressed. However, your streak ends¡ª"

    Owen''s head shot up. His teeth gritted together, and his eyes were wild and unrelenting. He slammed his fist down into the floor, and let out a furious shout. It cut Mayers'' words in half. Rage and essence exploded from his body. Using his essence ability, he slowly lifted himself off the ground and got himself standing back up.

    He wobbled, but stayed up. Then, with a heavy yell, he raised his finger up and pointed straight at the viewing box.

    "I still have ten more to go through! Tell the next inmate to come out and fight!"

    ***

    Kenneth sat in a white hallway outside the arena. Chairs were lined along the right and left walls. At the other end of the hallway, a steel door was centered. Behind the steel door, was a path that led to the arena.

    His companions, Jason and Hannah sat by his side, their eyes fixated on a monitor that was placed high on the wall in front of them. They watched as Owen Walters fought the number four inmate.

    Kenneth''s foot shook uncontrollably. His fingers were busy pinching and scratching at the skin on his neck. He chewed on the bottom corner of his lip and whispered a brief word.

    "How¡­"

    A voice of reason from his mind chided him. Patience, a voice said. Have some patience. He turned to look at Hannah. She was next in line to fight Owen. Surely she could stop him, right?

    "Hannah," Kenneth''s words caught her attention. "Make sure you don¡¯t go easy on him. Put down that shithead hard. You got that?"

    Hannah scowled. "I don¡¯t need you to tell me what to do Kenneth. I¡¯ll do whatever I want once I''m out there."

    "The hell? Why are you giving me attitude? Don¡¯t you know how important it is for you to stop that psycho? If we lose this damn thing we''ll become floor one inmates."

    Hannah''s forehead creased, her frown growing. "I¡¯m a martial artist, not a bully. I won''t use my full strength against someone who''s been punished enough. I¡¯ll forfeit the moment I can."Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    Kenneth almost lunged out of his seat in anger, but a firm hand prevented him from leaping at Hannah. It was Jason, who shook his head at Kenneth.

    He hissed his dissatisfaction but leaned back down into his chair. "I didn¡¯t give you those aether pills just so you could fucking waste them. You haven¡¯t managed to become an intermediate essence user, but you are far stronger than you were before."

    The sound of a buzzer rang out, and the three of them turned their attention back towards the screen. The match was over, and Owen stood over his broken down foe, victorious once more.

    Hannah sighed and got up from her seat. She eyed the entrance and made her way down the hall.

    Kenneth growled and called after her. "Don''t let him win, you fucking hear me?"

    A middle finger greeted Kenneth as she disappeared behind the door at the end of the hallway.

    ***

    A dark figure emerged from the tunnel. Owen took a brief glance at it. A teenage girl was walking slowly into the light. Her light brown hair was tied into a ponytail, cascading down her back, and her calm and stoic face cast a lazy gaze towards him.

    Owen noted her athletic build and lean yet muscular frame. Clearly a practised fighter, the distance between them slowly shrank as she carefully approached.

    After reaching close enough, she stopped and put her fist against her palm. She gave a respectful bow.

    "My name is Hannah Yarrow. I''ll be your next opponent."

    She took a stance, her legs bent and spread apart. Extending her dominant arm in front of her, her body began to flow with essence and a bronze coloured aura rippled around her, indicating that she is a body essence user.

    Owen used his essence ability to move his exhausted body into his stance. Hannah''s eyebrows twitched, and her brow wrinkled. She drew in a short, sharp breath before moving her hand.

    After-images began to trail behind her movement. It happened within the blink of an eye. She was gone, and a moment later, an open palm slammed up into his chest.

    The strike hit like a truck and knocked the air out of him. Instinctively, he threw out a straight as a counter, but it met nothing but air. Hannah had already back-pedalled.

    Suddenly, a kick swerved up into the side of his head. It came in fast, and Owen responded with a high guard. The kick knocked him slightly off balance, and his arms quivered from the impact.

    Hannah pulled back her outstretched leg, before hopping and switching with her other leg and smashing it straight into his ribs. This one made Owen grunt out loud.

    And that was the beginning of Hannah''s assault. Jumping in from any direction, her moves kept Owen on the defensive. He was struggling to react, and his inability to keep up, started costing him. His guard was being blown wide open, and his counters were either a step too slow or a swing behind.

    A mean hook found its way around his guard and clocked him on the temple. His vision wavered, and he stumbled a step. Then a vicious uppercut rammed under his chin and rattled his skull.

    A moment of darkness blanketed his sight, and when it returned, he realized he was falling forwards. He stamped a foot down, planting himself into the ground. His muscles worked overtime to keep him standing.

    In front of him, Hannah backed away and observed him. Staring intently, her body relaxed. "I¡¯ve exchanged enough blows with you. I guess I¡¯ll quit here."

    Eyes that were barely open, glared at Hannah with fury and indignation. She could make out a muttering under his huffing. "Finish the fight."

    The statement brought forth confusion. Her head cocked in curiosity, and she strained to make out the continuous chants from him.

    "Don¡¯t you dare underestimate me." With strength in his exhausted voice, he took a step forward. His leg buckled from the shift of weight, but he ignored it, forcing himself to press on. Hannah frowned, taking a step back as he neared her. "What I hate the most are people who look down on me, who mock me, who scoff and spit at me, thinking they are better than me. I¡¯m done being treated this way. Stand your ground and finish this. Fight me!"

    His rage filled yell thundered the arena, his face now alight with flames of passion, and veins popped at his exertion. All throughout, Hannah had stood there watching him with a blank expression. Then a sigh escaped her lips. What was she doing? Her grandfather had taught her better than that. That''s right, you show respect to a fellow martial artist, and this man was clearly a peer in her eyes.

    Her own head drew downwards. "I apologize. I shouldn¡¯t have taken you lightly, and I shouldn¡¯t have insulted you with my actions." Raising her head, her eyes changed, a fierce stare directed right at Owen. Her arms rose, her fists closed, and she sunk lower. Exhaling, the bronze aura expanded.

    As a body essence user, her ability allowed her to control the muscles in bodies. With this, her muscles expanded and hardened. Her already pronounced muscles became more prominent through her jumpsuit.

    "I''ll stop holding back." She bent forward, and exploded straight into him. Her footwork blurred, creating four, seven, ten, seventeen, twenty, after-images all passing Owen as he stood there stunned.

    An attack came at him and snapped him from his shock. A fist had struck him straight in the chest launching him across the arena. He smashed into the wall, a huge dent forming at the point of impact.

    She dashed forward and came at him again. Using a jump and turn in mid-air, she twisted her body, her leg coming straight down onto him like a dagger. It connected with his head, crunching the back of his skull, and burying it into the wall, sending out cracks all around him.

    She bounced off him, and backflipped before landing a fair distance from him. Owen''s mouth hung open as he slumped forward and slipped from the wall and face planted on the floor. A small cloud of dust rose upon impact.

    Hannah went back in. Without a shred of mercy, she dragged Owen all the way to the centre of the arena. She went to the floor and moved one of her arms below his neck and the other behind his head.

    With her hands interlocked, she squeezed as tight as she could. An exasperated choke emitted from Owen. He grabbed weakly at her wrists and tried to claw her off. He struggled and squirmed, but he was barely hanging on. He felt his body grow numb. His consciousness slowly slipped, as darkness crept in.

    Then, images flashed in his mind. He remembered the videos of his father, Olivia, Jack, being tortured. They played as clear as day, and he gritted his teeth and scratched harder at the firm hands of the woman crushing him.

    He wasn¡¯t planning on using this since it drained him of too much of his essence, but his dwindling mental state did not care. He lifted one hand up into the air and flared his essence. The air in the arena condensed and gathered above them.

    Hannah wondered what he was attempting to do, but her question was quickly answered. Owen made the air molecules vibrate rapidly, causing the temperature to rise exponentially. Then, he lowered his hand, and the air bubble descended and coated them.

    It was the epitome of a sauna. Heat was pouring in from all directions. Hannah held on firmly, despite the stifling conditions. But the temperature kept on rising higher and higher, and sweat poured from her body.

    Soon, the air grew so hot that it caught fire. Flames filled the bubble and consumed both Owen and Hannah. Hannah hissed as the heat burned her skin, and she released her vice grip. At the same time, Owen lowered his body temperature as low as he could in order to withstand the fires.

    Hannah writhed on the ground in pain. Not only was she being baked alive by the flames, her lungs were becoming dry from the lack of oxygen. Trying to suck in fresh air only invited the heated fire down into her mouth. She felt her vision swimming, her conscious starting to slip, and she clawed her way forward as far as she could to escape the bubble.

    Owen slowly stood up while putting out the flames licking up against his body with kinetic energy. With his hair charred, and his skin burnt, he used his kinetic vision to find Hannah. She was inches away from him, collapsed on the ground, and unconscious.

    He let out a deep breath and extinguished the rest of the flames. He dropped and sat, his head hanging low as he breathed heavily. That was, perhaps, the hardest fight yet. It had drained him of everything, and yet he was still somehow conscious.

    Guards soon ran in and retrieved the unconscious body of Hannah. Once again, Owen stayed sitting in place. Most of his skin was either bruised or burned and all the pain was excruciating. His exhaustion was immense, and he wondered if he could manage to get up without passing out. His essence reserves were nearly depleted as well, and he doubted if he could even swing his arm.

    The buzzer sounded. Owen strained his head back towards the entrance. It opened once more, and his second to last opponent walked out.

    Owen recognized him. It was the cat eyed man. Was his name again? Kenneth?

    Slowly, the lean man sauntered towards Owen. Serious eyes focused on him. Once close enough, Kenneth folded his arms and glared.

    "Get up."

    Silence fell between them. Owen stared at the man wearily. Kenneth repeated himself, a demand etched into his words.

    "I said get up. Your fight isn''t over yet. If you don¡¯t stand, I''ll attack you here and now."

    Owen mustered his last drops of resolve, and his shaky arms laboured their way to his knees, forcing him to stand on unsteady legs. He teetered and wavered, his breathing shallow and swift. His eyes narrowed as he regarded Kenneth.

    There were hints of green peeking through his hazel eyes. If they weren¡¯t natural, then that would mean that Kenneth was an intermediate essence user. One could tell by observing if someone''s eyes were mixed with the colour of their essence type and their natural eye colour.

    Kenneth unfolded his arms, and raised an open palm towards Owen. A green aura flowed throughout his entire body.

    "You''ve put on quite a show," Kenneth said, a half smile on his face. "I would be lying if I said that I wasn¡¯t impressed. I was hoping that Hannah would take you out quickly. But she let her guard down. But, I won¡¯t be as foolish."

    He gestured with his fingers and spoke with his next words. "I hope what I do next doesn¡¯t kill you."

    Owen clenched his fists. He was running low on essence, his body was exhausted and damaged, and he wasn¡¯t sure if he could take down an intermediate essence user as he was now. But still, he pressed on, and positioned his feet.

    "Come."

 Chapter 22 - The Warrior Of Freedom

    The arena was silent. A thick atmosphere blanketed the air. An uneasy feeling lingered in the spectators. Already, whispers between the inmates had started. Could it be possible? Will Owen Walters win this impossible fight?

    Though seeing the opponent he was facing, most had doubts. Kenneth Gentry, a known and feared inmate, was a monster among monsters. He was rumoured to be unstoppable. So, what hope could the broken, beaten, and bruised Owen possibly have?

    Barely standing, breathing tired breaths, his hands weren¡¯t even up. They hung limply by his sides. A few metres away, Kenneth lifted his foot and slammed it straight down. With a shockwave, earth sprung outwards and terraformed the entire arena. The white surface had turned into a ground of rocks and dirt.

    "Welcome to my world, Owen."

    Kenneth closed his hand, and tendrils of earth shot up from the ground and targeted Owen. Before they could strike him, Owen gathered some of his remaining essence into his legs and pivoted around, allowing him to dodge the surprise assault. He smacked away the tendrils that strayed too close and weaved throughout the attacks.

    As fast as he could, he manoeuvred inwards, straight towards Kenneth, all the while dodging the relentless strikes. But then his foot sunk. The ground had turned spongy under his feet. And when he tried to pull back, it pulled him down.

    Like quicksand, the earth below him absorbed him, entombing him up to his ankles. From behind him, a pointed spike propelled straight up from the ground, rocketing towards his back. Owen sensed the threat and put more strength into one of his legs.

    He managed to pull it free and back kick his leg right into the spike. The impact sent the earth exploding around him, fracturing into small bits and chunks.

    He continued to free his other leg, just as more spikes emerged from the floor and thrust toward him. He had to tumble his body, twist and roll as best he could to avoid the attacks. He backed away, as the spikes trailed him relentlessly.

    Frustrated and exhausted, he looked up at Kenneth. He seemed content to fight from a distance. Knowing that he couldn¡¯t do anything about that, Owen kept dodging and evading.

    Seeing how he was struggling to dodge the attacks, and how he had no options to launch a counter, Kenneth decided to up the ante. The onslaught of spikes diminished, giving Owen the chance to collect his bearings. But now, the area around him started to tremor.

    Hands pushed out from the ground and clawed the surface. Then, rock like humanoids forced their way out from under the earth. There were dozens of them. About forty cloned humans, formed with chunks of jagged rocks, came staggering towards him.

    One close by him threw a fist at him, to which Owen had a hard time avoiding. It skimmed across his cheek, chipping away at the skin. Another came from his left side, to which Owen bent down to a crouch and quickly rolled underneath. Once he recovered, several more rock warriors, charged in his direction.

    Desperately, he poured essence into his arms, and punched one of them. It cracked the head of one, shattering it apart. Owen swivelled around, and fired off a hook, breaking another one apart.

    But they were coming at him quickly. Numerous rock fists and limbs began their stampede towards him, and his desperation heightened. Exploding into action, his fists flurried, as did his legs. Showers of broken earth poured everywhere.

    Again and again he swivelled, smashed, and crushed each of the creatures. Yet their numbers seemed endless. His body shook and ached from continuous exertion. His essence was thinning further, threatening to burn out.

    Rocky hands grabbed hold of his legs and arms. They overwhelmed him, clutching onto him and slowing his movement. Their powerful grips dug their weight into his damaged skin, drawing pain as it tore the fragile flesh, and his weakened grunts that echoed throughout the arena.

    Kenneth watched on in triumph. He knew Owen was no match for him. He outstretched a palm in the direction of Owen, and immediately, a rock the size of a softball formed and launched itself with extreme force towards Owen.

    It tore through the crowd of rock men, shattering them into pieces as it hurtled. Owen saw the incoming projectile and went into full panic. When it was no more than a short distance from him, he directed the kinetic energy of the rock at an upwards angle.

    As a result, the rock momentarily slammed into his stomach, before exploding upwards nicking his left shoulder. Not only had it carved out a good chunk of his flesh, it had broken his collarbone. In that split moment of agony, the countless tendrils of the rocky humanoid''s hands became loose.

    Ignoring the pain, Owen forced himself into action, tearing away the loosened grips. Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught a glimpse of another rock shooting towards him, and he tilted his head, as the boulder skimmed by him, hitting one of the rock men.

    Owen used the pain to push himself even further. He shoved his way past the ever-increasing number of rock men, making a beeline for the edge of the arena. He had to get out of this encirclement.

    When he got out into a mostly open space, he turned his head around to see Kenneth. The man was watching him with great amusement. He lifted a hand, and the ground around Owen rumbled and trembled. Then, five pillars pushed up from the ground, and towered over him.

    Before he could process what was happening, the pillars moved. Owen realized that they weren¡¯t pillars at all, but fingers. Giant rock fingers. Kenneth threw his arm back, and the appendages shadowed over Owen. They threatened to squash him flat.

    Without hesitation, he moved. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, giving him the energy he needed to react. He ran forward, then jumped through the small opening between two of the colossal digits, escaping being smashed beneath them.

    After landing on the other side, he shot a look behind him. A giant stone fist was ascending from the ground. With wide eyes, he saw an arm following behind it. From the opposite side of the arena, another limb was emerging. The ground shook violently as a head pulled itself up from the centre of the arena.

    Soon, a giant creature began forming right before his very eyes. The bottom half of its torso was stuck in the earth, with only its upper body towering above Owen. Jagged teeth lined a huge mouth, and huge hollow eyes peered down at him.

    A sense of dread overwhelmed Owen. How was he supposed to fight that?

    The creature lifted an arm and swung it down at him. Owen dived to the side, narrowly avoiding being squashed. The ground caved upon impact. The entire arena shook. Dust and debris filled the air.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    Owen took the chance to keep moving, weaving across the arena, as giant swipes attempted to catch him. He had to reach Kenneth. It was the only way he could win this. With his essence nearly dried up, he decided to gamble it all and use up all his essence for a final punch.

    He didn¡¯t know if that would be enough to down Kenneth, but he was willing to try. He drew in every last bit of essence from his soul, and poured it into his fist. The yellow wisps of the energy crackled of his fist.

    The giant arm of the rock titan swept across the ground, barrelling after him, and threatening to scoop him up like a bug. Owen ran with all of his strength, towards the torso of the giant.

    He reached it, and ran around the side. He pushed past the several rock men that were in his way. Countless swung at him as he went. Their fists made contact. Bruises, cuts, and damage riddled his body, and several drops of blood trailed his feet.

    Owen neared the back of the torso. He found an opening to which he charged through. Once he emerged, he found himself not very far from Kenneth. A smirk was visible on the man.

    Owen burst forward. His legs were fuelled by his desperation, and the need to win. If only he could reach Kenneth. If only he could land his attack on him. If only¡ª

    The ground underneath him bubbled. All of a sudden, a spike had shot up from the floor and impaled him through his foot. Pain wracked his nerves as he arched backwards.

    Then a ring of spikes erupted from the ground and stabbed him through his abdomen. More white-hot agony rippled through him. His hand hopelessly grasped a spike as he gasped for breath. He tried to break free, but the spikes were only digging deeper and deeper into him.

    Kenneth couldn¡¯t help but laugh at Owen. Seeing his pained expression really brought Kenneth joy, and a huge weight off his shoulders was lifted. Knowing that Owen was close to running out of essence, Kenneth decided to finish him off. The massive stone titan turned around, it''s gargantuan form shifting.

    Kenneth spoke, making sure his voice echoed clearly. "As fun as it would be to see you slowly and painfully get torn apart and crushed, it would be so much sweeter if I just finish you off here. Owen, you shouldn¡¯t have tried to bite off more than you could chew. Rebels like you shouldn''t dream of actually winning something like this. Now, say your final prayers."

    Kenneth thrust his hand downward. Owen looked up with wide eyes. The titan''s massive hand was now hovering above him, casting a huge shadow.

    At his limit, and knowing he had nothing left to give, he resigned himself to his fate. The colossal hand dropped like a boulder, crashing into the ground. Debris and dust shot out in every direction.

    Back up above the arena, the crowd watched the match with their breaths held. Eyes were glued to the spot. Blood rushed from hearts that were nervous and restless. The last of the debris was settling. No one said a word. All they could do was watch.

    Kenneth was clapping his hands slowly. A sneer stretched upon his lips. Pride and accomplishment was ringing in his heart. The only thing worrying him was if he was going to receive a punishment for killing Owen. But surely, Mayers would understand. There was no way they could let a rebel like Owen continue walking around.

    Kenneth walked forward, heading for the pile of the remaining rubble. He guessed that Owen was now a pancake. But he stopped and froze up.

    Cracks were beginning to form on the hand of the giant. The earthy fingers splintered and hissed as the sound of crunching and breaking reverberated through the arena. White light seemed to shine through the cracks, turning brighter and brighter the longer Kenneth watched.

    More cracks formed on the arm, spreading across its entire body. It kept increasing, until finally, with a sharp, thundering sound, the body of the rock titan erupted into a colossal explosion.

    Kenneth was in disbelief. His jaw hung loose and his eyes were widening. Smoke cleared from the blast point and revealed to him Owen standing in the centre, his fist raised above his head. The star mark on Owen''s chest shined brightly through his tattered clothes.

    Eyes full of determination, Owen looked straight at Kenneth.

    Kenneth cried out in anger. How was he still alive? As the smoke continued to float in the air, Owen took a step forward, blasting away the smoke. The light on his chest was shining brighter and brighter.

    "What¡­" Kenneth managed to whisper out, but his eyes widened even further when he noticed something. It was for a split second, for a transparent black cloak had covered the body of Owen. "No, there is no way. Is that embodi¡ª"

    A step forward had cut his words off, and sent him stumbling backwards. For the first time since entering the arena, a feeling he had never felt before crept into his bones, making his body tense and uncomfortable. The feeling of fear. The feeling of danger.

    Owen stomped forward again. His steps sent shockwaves rippling through the floor. Kenneth cursed under his breath. He didn¡¯t know how Owen was able to survive, but he needed to do something quick. He went to lift his hand, but for some reason, he was unable to move his arm.

    Every time he tried to move, his fingers would twitch, and his arm would jitter, but to no avail. The rest of his body too, wouldn¡¯t respond. Every one of his limbs was no longer responding to his call. His mind was growing frantic, and confusion mixed with fear was building up inside of him. Why was he not moving?

    His attention was captured when Owen took a final step. He was less than a metre away.

    "I won¡¯t ever stop fighting," Owen rasped with a low and rough voice. "No matter what you throw at me, I will continue to stand up." His fist clutched tightly in front of him, and he pulled back his arm.

    Kenneth was frozen. Out of desperation, he was mentally trying his utmost to move, but not a finger budged. He wanted to run. He wanted to cower. But he couldn''t. He was fixed in place. Something was preventing him from moving.

    Owen''s fist moved. He swung an overhead strike. Time moved slowly for Kenneth. What could only have been an instant felt like minutes, and he followed the action of Owen''s fist approaching him.

    The entire arena erupted into an explosion as a shockwave emitted from the impact. The blast of air shattered the glass panels of the viewing area and sent the observers tumbling over each other and scurrying away, hoping to protect themselves.

    After the dust settled and the arena stabilized, two figures could be seen. Embedded into the wall next to the entrance, was Kenneth, with an imprint of a fist imprinted on his face. Limp, his unconscious body remained motionless.

    Owen''s tired and beaten body stood just metres from him. Chest heaving, he sucked in a breath and let out an exhausted puff. His stance faltered, and he tumbled forward. Collapsing to his knees, his hands were planted on the floor.

    Despite the impossibility of winning this, he had somehow done it. With his mind reaching the point of near collapse, he heard the sound of the buzzer go off. Wearily, he lifted his eyes to meet the entrance to the arena. Who would his final opponent be?

    Not long later, movement could be spotted. A lone figure was trudging its way in. It''s silhouette slowly formed and became noticeable. Broad shoulders, a large frame, and muscles that stuck out through clothing. The man''s head was covered by a black beanie. A moustache framed his upper lip.

    Approaching Owen, the man stopped a short distance away. He glanced downwards at him.

    Owen struggled to move. The strength he had previously disappeared. He gritted his teeth. This was his last fight. If he could manage to defeat this man, then he would have won the gauntlet. In no way was he going to stop here.

    With great exertion, he forced his arms to push himself back onto his feet. Shaky and unstable, his legs wobbled. After a few seconds, he managed to stabilize his centre of gravity, and stood. Slowly, he raised his fists and staggered into a stance.

    The man stared at him with a blank look. After a deep breath, he spoke.

    "Why would you go through this much trouble to win? Look at yourself. Don''t you see how broken your body is? Does your life really mean that little to you?"

    Owen eyed the man with scrutiny. Why was he bothering asking questions to him? He willed his tongue to move, to say something to the man.

    "I need¡­ to win this."

    An eyebrow raised on the man''s face.

    "Why?"

    Owen¡¯s eyes glinted. His breaths flowed out heavily, and his legs wobbled.

    "To show you all, my determination. All of you are content with being pushed around by Arden. Well, not me." He sucked in a sharp breath. He could barely keep himself standing.

    "I am a warrior of freedom, and I will break your shackles of oppression."

    Silence fell between the two. The man regarded Owen carefully, taking a few more seconds before he ultimately raised his hand up in the air.

    "I forfeit."

    The declaration caught Owen off guard. He barely managed to find his words. "What?"

    He took a step forward and clenched his fist. "Don¡¯t underestimate¡­ me¡­"

    Owen''s vision darkened, and in an instant, he collapsed. His body hit the ground, limp and motionless. He had finally reached his limits.

    Owen''s fight in the gauntlet had come to an end.

 Chapter 23 - The Aftermath

    Albert Fowler stepped out of the hover car with a weary step. Having been busy preparing for the arrival of the governor of the realm, his fatigue was understandable. The cool breeze that greeted his steps did, however, do a decent job of counteracting the fuzziness in his head.

    The night accentuated the immensity of the training facility ahead of him. The landing platform he was on offered a panoramic view of the various layers upon which the sprawling compound rested.

    A man in a white uniform and a white cap, came running down the ramp that led up to the main building. As he approached, he removed his cap, and bowed reverently.

    "Warden Fowler."

    "Good evening, Nagenda."

    "We''ve been expecting your arrival warden." Nagenda tucked his cap under his arm as he spoke. A look of worry flashed across his face. "And to be honest warden, it comes as a great relief."

    Albert eyed the other man with curiosity.

    "What has gotten you all worked up?"

    Nagenda sighed before replying.

    "The sub-warden, Sir..."

    Albert felt his expression drop. "What has that old fart done this time?"

    "He¡¯s been requesting a meeting with you since this morning, sir. And... and he wants to demote most of the inmates from the lower floors, back down to floor one."

    Albert stared at the other man blankly.

    "What the hell is he thinking?"

    Nagenda held out an arm. "I¡¯ll inform you on all that¡¯s happened while you were away, warden. First though, let me escort you to your office."

    Albert nodded in agreement.

    The route up to his office led them through the main building. They walked by halls with floors made of well polished rock. Eventually, they reached the central elevator, and alighted at the topmost floor of the building. Albert had been listening to the reports that Nagenda was giving him as they walked.

    "Wait." He stopped in his tracks. "So despite the fact that he faced over three hundred inmates in this gauntlet, Owen Walters still managed to win?"

    "But that¡¯s the thing warden. The last fight of the gauntlet ended in a forfeit. The lower floor overseers are arguing that Owen would have lost that match had his adversary not forfeited it."

    Albert clicked his tongue with annoyance and resumed walking. "Why would Mayers even allow the gauntlet to happen? What was he thinking?"

    A short distance away from the elevator was Albert''s personal office. Nagenda informed Albert that the sub-warden and a few of the overseers had arrived some time ago and were waiting in the office.

    A guard in white armour was stood outside the doors to Albert''s office. He gave a quick salute and pressed a button on the control panel on the wall beside him. The wooden doors opened inwards and Albert stepped in with Nagenda following behind him.

    The people that were in the room all came to their feet. Albert recognized the familiar faces of the five lower floor overseers and as well as Sub-warden Mayers at the centre of them. Albert acknowledged each person as he moved towards his desk at the far side of the room.

    "You wanted to see me Mayers?"

    The room erupted into a flurry of shouts.

    "There''s a problem warden."

    "Warden Fowler, the sub-warden¡ª"

    Mayers spoke the loudest and drowned out everyone else.

    "I am here to honour the agreement made with Owen Walters. He has won the gauntlet and just like he requested, we are to move every inmate that has entered the gauntlet down to the first."

    Albert had pulled out his chair to sit, but stopped midway when Mayers made his declaration. He tightened the grip on the chair''s headrest.

    "Mayers, the gall of you to come up in here and issue commands of any kind makes my skin crawl." Albert maintained an affable tone as he spoke. There was a quiet rage emanating from his voice. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

    His words provoked an angry response from Mayers.

    "I¡¯m the sub-warden! Don''t you¡ª"

    "Yes, you¡¯re only the sub-warden. Need I also remind you that my rank puts me above you? I don¡¯t know why the hell you''ve decided to completely ignore how things work around here and green lit the damn gauntlet in the first place."This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Mayers'' face had turned a slight shade of red. The vein on his temple was noticeably throbbing. A green aura had started emanating from him.

    "Why you impertinent, uncouth, inscrutable damn youngster¡­"

    Albert''s own essence flowed throughout his body and a purple aura manifested around him. As the two powerful men held an intense death stare, the essences from both parties began to collide. The energies twisted and swirled, locked in a battle for dominance.

    Nagenda quickly moved up in front of them with both arms spread out between the two.

    "Wait a minute, sirs!"

    The men, although infuriated, were experienced enough to bring themselves to a quick stop. Their essences retracted into their bodies and a calmness returned to the room.

    "Tell me..." Albert said after finally sitting down. "Why would you agree to an inmate''s terms without first discussing it with me?"

    Mayer''s brow furrowed. "I was within my authority as sub-warden to make that decision. And now that Owen Walters has won the gauntlet, it is ever more apparent that he will be beneficial to Arden in the future."

    "I understand that beating that many inmates in a row is an impressive feat. But there are many others in the facility who can achieve that same thing. What is it about this particular inmate that interests you so much?"

    Mayers crossed his arms and took an adamant stance.

    "Albert, you should have seen the second to last fight for yourself. That kid, I believe he has the capabilities to achieve embodiment."

    In response to this, the eyes of everyone else in the room widened, including Albert''s.

    "Are you serious?"

    "When have you ever known me to kid around? You cannot understand the potential that kid holds unless you''ve seen it with your own eyes."

    Albert clasped his hand to his chin and closed his eyes in contemplation. After some consideration, he heaved a sigh and sat back up.

    "Alright, if what you say is true, then Arden could really benefit from having him. I''m open to the idea of granting him special privileges."

    The floor five overseer spoke up. "Warden, but what about his request. We surely can¡¯t move all the other inmates down to the first."

    "Well," Albert glanced at Mayers. "Honestly, we can¡¯t grant him that request. It would create too many problems."

    "But¨C" Mayers tried to protest, but Albert interrupted him.

    "Let me finish." He raised a hand. "We may not be able to grant him his request, but we can grant him other favours. For example, we can allow him access to larger training areas."

    It was obvious Mayers still wasn''t satisfied by the offer, but eventually nodded in understanding.

    A wave of relief washed over the other people in the room.

    "Now," Albert got up from his chair. "Where is Owen Walters?"

    ***

    Owen lay in a soft comfortable bed. He stared up at the transparent ceiling and gazed at the stars that littered the night sky. The moon shone down on him, its light seeping in through the windows and illuminating the room in a pale glow. The ten stars that circled the moon like a halo gleamed beautifully in the darkness of the night.

    Eventually in a few hours, the night sky will recede to the moon like a tide on a beach, and transforming the moon into the sun.

    The door to the side of the room slid open with a hiss. The light in the room surged back on and the ceiling switched from transparent to a flat shade of silver. Owen turned his head and glanced at the group that had entered the room.

    Sonya, along with Isaac, Grace and Will walked in. Owen sat up in his bed as the four gathered around him.

    "How are you doing?" Sonya asked.

    He smiled and answered. "A lot better thanks to your healing."

    Grace spoke up next. "I didn¡¯t think you could actually do it, you know," she sighed. "You beat them all. You said that you would, and you actually did."

    Owen shook his head. "Man, if the last guy that I was fighting hadn¡¯t forfeited the match, I would be feeling a whole lot better if I had beaten him."

    "But I¡¯m pretty sure you passed out soon after he came out. You would have lost if he decided to fight."

    Owen ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh.

    "I don''t know... maybe. But I was still rearing to keep going though."

    "Yeah, yeah," Grace rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say."

    As she spoke, Will pushed his way past her and looked up at him with a bright smile.

    "I told you that you would win!"

    Owen grinned and messed the kid''s hair with his hand.

    "Thanks, your support really helped."

    Will held out a fist bump which Owen reciprocated with a tap.

    Isaac had remained silently until now. He looked at Owen, rubbing the back of his neck hesitantly.

    "Look, I¡¯m sorry for not believing you."

    Owen raised his eyebrows.

    "I told you that you''d lose, but look at you now." Isaac continued with a small smile. "You actually did it."

    Owen fell back onto his bed and put his hands behind his head.

    "It doesn¡¯t matter Isaac. I honestly didn¡¯t know if I could do it either."

    They all talked and joked around for a little while longer. But eventually, the door opened again. This time, Warden Fowler, along with the sub-warden and a handful of guards walked in.

    Owen and the others hadn¡¯t expected to see them here, and all stared with wide eyes.

    Albert moved up close to Owen, causing everyone else to move to the sides. The warden stood with his arms behind his back.

    "First off, it should go without saying how impressed we all were after seeing your performance in the gauntlet. So a heartfelt congratulation, Mr. Walters."

    Owen eyed him sceptically.

    "Thanks I guess."

    Albert Fowler''s eyes narrowed slightly.

    "However, due to the gauntlet ending in a draw, we cannot comply with your request to move all the participants to the first floor."

    Owen sat cross-legged as he heard this. His jaw tensed.

    "The hell? I won the damned thing."

    "You passed out during the final match." Mayers said as he joined Albert at his side. "So we made the call that a draw was the fairest ruling."

    Owen''s furrowed his brows. "The guy forfeited. How the hell is that a draw?"

    "It''s already been decided, Owen."

    Owen''s expression grew hot with anger as he clenched his fists. These damn snake-like people are finding the perfect opportunity to screw him over.

    "However," the warden continued. "Although we cannot do what you asked, we will be more than willing to offer you privileges instead. Does that sound fair to you?"

    Owen was still stewing with rage, but calmed down a little when he heard the warden''s proposal.

    "What privileges?"

    Albert stroked his chin.

    "Write down a list of things that you want, and I''ll see if we can work something out."

    Owen, after thinking for a few moments, agreed with his offer and gave a quick nod. Albert acknowledged him with a similar response.

    "Good. Then, gentlemen, it''s been a long day and the inmate is no doubt tired, so let us take our leave. "

    With those parting words, the group turned and left the room, leaving the rest of the occupants behind.

    Owen sighed and fell back onto his bed.

    "Damn. Part one of the plan hasn¡¯t gone the way I thought it would, but at least some progress was made."

    Isaac asked, "And what would that be?"

    Owen glanced at him and smirked. "I''ve successfully made myself more valuable."

 Chapter 24 - The Training

    It was the day after the gauntlet, and overseer Jones was presenting one of his morning speeches to the floor one inmates. He was going on a long tirade about how one should gamble responsibly, and how one shouldn¡¯t be swayed by the crowd and join in and spend all their money on a popular bet.

    He would have kept going on but he stopped when he noticed the crowd of inmates parting in the middle of the hall. He squinted his eyes as he looked on and saw Owen Walters walking forward towards the stage with his hands in his pockets. A smug smile was plastered on his face.

    The inmates hurried out of his path, like he was a dangerous beast that needed to be avoided. Well after yesterday¡¯s events, it was no wonder why they acted like they did.

    Owen reached the bottom part of the stage and looked up at Jones.

    "Can I come up?"

    Jones raised up an eyebrow.

    "Why would you want to do that?"

    "I have a few things that I want to announce to the crowd."

    Jones wondered if he should humour his request, but the pain of losing his money made him petty.

    "No, why would I let some inmate stand where I give out my important speeches. Get lost."

    Owen shrugged. "Alright, I can just say what I want to say at lunch. But Jones, I wonder what Mayers would think if he knew that one of the reasons why I won the gauntlet, was because one of his overseers had handed me some pretty expensive aether pills. Those things really helped out you know."

    Jones'' face almost instantly went beet red. He bit down on his bottom lip as he stared down at Owen.

    "You¡­" he began to say, but knew arguing with this teen would end up being a fruitless endeavour. "¡­I¡¯ll give you a minute."

    Jones stepped away from the podium and moved to the side. Owen casually hopped up onto the stage and stood behind the podium. He grabbed its sides as he leaned in close to the microphone.

    "My fellow floor one comrades. I can see that most of you have become afraid of me. To that I¡¯ll say this, you¡¯re all cowards."

    Looks of hostility and anger flashed across the faces of the sea of people in front of him.

    Owen carried on. "Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s weak-minded to be frightened of someone who is the same as you? Look at me, I¡¯m trapped in the same building with the lot of you."

    The expression on Owen''s face became more serious as he stared at the crowd.

    "Do you think the inmates on the floors above you are better than you? Well, they are not. They¡¯re exactly the same as you." He pointed a finger to the side at overseer Jones. "Arden wants to divide us. Oppress us. And keep us docile. And you guys just roll over and let them do that to you? How pathetic. But I do understand your inability to act. You think you¡¯re weak."

    "Owen." Jones said but he was promptly ignored as Owen kept on talking.

    "I received some rewards this morning for my **win** yesterday in the gauntlet. My first gift was a personal training hall the size of a massive field, with multiple training droids included into the hall. My second gift were ten caskets of low grade aether pills filled to the brim of the lid. Do you get why I chose those rewards?"

    A small murmur began to spread among the inmates.

    "You saw my strength yesterday. If you want the same power, I can show you how to attain it," he spread out his arms like he was a pastor at a church. "I¡¯ll show you how to become warriors."

    ***

    It was lunchtime, and Owen sat with Grace, Isaac and Will at a table as he picked at his food. Isaac was staring at him, a concerned look was coming from his face.

    "You¡¯re going to draw the ire from the officers, with the way you are openly rebelling against them now."

    "They¡¯ll be annoyed, but I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be doing anything to stop me for a while."

    "Why?" Grace asked.

    "Because In their eyes, I¡¯ve become someone valuable. They¡¯ll want to convert me to their side. But by handing me out a punishment, they¡¯ll know that the won¡¯t be winning me over."

    Isaac¡¯s eyes narrowed. "So, do you think you¡¯re invincible now?"The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Nah, I mean they¡¯ll still retaliate if I cross the line. If I do some egregious shit like kill an officer, they¡¯ll probably deem me a lost cause and get rid of me. But what I do have now, is a little breathing room to do the things that I need to do."

    Grace spoke up. "What¡¯s the plan now?"

    "I need to find somebody with a useful insignia that¡¯ll help us break out of here. Preferably someone with a tech insignia."

    Isaac spat out his drink that he had raised to his mouth, and started coughing loudly.

    Owen raised an eyebrow at him. "You good?"

    Isaac nodded as he put the drink down and grabbed a napkin. Owen turned back to face Grace.

    "During the gauntlet I tried to find somebody like that, but I guess they either hadn¡¯t signed up for it, or there isn¡¯t someone with that insignia. Either way, the next step then is to find somebody that can stop all the advanced technology in the facility, and somebody with a vehicle insignia that could help us get off the island."

    "Alright, I¡¯ll help anyway I can." Grace said as she smiled.

    "You believe that we could do it?"

    "You said that you would win in the gauntlet, and then you did," a serious look came over her. "I haven¡¯t seen my dad since I was twelve. I want to see him. If you say you¡¯re going to find a way to break out of here, then I¡¯ll put my trust in you."

    Owen nodded, understanding the gravity of the new responsibility that now sat on his shoulders.

    Grace turned to look at Isaac and pointed a finger at him. "Don¡¯t rat out this plan of ours."

    Offended, Isaac scoffed at her. "What do you take me for? I may not believe that you guys could actually break out of here, but I won¡¯t snitch."

    As they bickered back and forth, Will looked to Owen with big eyes.

    "What can I do to help?"

    "Just eat and train hard. I¡¯ll need you to be strong once we attempt the breakout."

    "Yes!" Will said as he lowered his head down to his food and began hoovering it down.

    Owen smirked at him. Meanwhile, footsteps began approaching him from behind. Owen turned around to see who it was, and saw a young woman with light brown hair tied in twintails. He recognized her.

    "You¡¯re¡­ Hannah, right?"

    She was the woman he had fought in his third to last fight.

    "Thanks for remembering my name," she put her hands on her hips. "I overheard from some floor one inmates that you offered to help train them after lunch. Is that true?"

    "Yeah it is. Why¡¯d you ask?"

    "Does that offer only stand for floor one inmates?"

    Owen raised an eyebrow at her. "Don¡¯t tell me that you want me to train you too."

    "Well, I honestly want to spar with you when you¡¯re at your full strength. I could tell that you were getting a whole lot stronger throughout the gauntlet. And I¡¯m guessing to grow stronger, you need to fight someone who¡¯s on par with you. That¡¯s the same with me, I learn faster when I have a training partner with similar strength to me."

    "Yeah a training partner would be helpful to me. But I¡¯ll accept if you do one thing for me," Owen smirked. "Even though it won¡¯t be official, you¡¯ll have to cross out the ''floor five'' on your jumpsuit, and write floor one."

    Hannah smirked herself. "Is that it? I¡¯ll go ahead and do that later," she held out a hand towards Owen. "I guess I¡¯ll be a part of floor one then."

    Owen took her hand and shook it. "Welcome to the crew."

    ***

    Owen stood in a large white training hall, with a small crowd of people standing in front of him. Around thirty people had shown up for training, which was less than he had expected. Grace, Hannah and Will were standing next to him. Grace turned to look at him.

    "There aren¡¯t a lot of people here."

    "More will come in the future."

    Owen stepped forward and clapped together his hands. "Alright! Let¡¯s begin."

    For the next hour, he went through the basics of combat with the class. He used Hannah to demonstrate some moves he had learned from his father. And after that, he split the group into pairs so they could practice what they had learnt.

    He meticulously went to each pair to correct mistakes, hand out compliments, and give out advice. Soon another hour had passed and he decided to end the class with a duel between Grace and Hannah, to show what strength they could attain by continuing to come to the lessons.

    Hannah bounced up and down on her feet, loosening her body as she stared down Grace. The other inmates stood to one side with Owen and Will as they watched the match about to begin.

    "Are we going all out?" Hannah asked Grace.

    Grace frowned. "I don¡¯t think I could take you on at your full strength."

    Owen cupped his hands to his mouth. "You¡¯re stronger than you think Grace. Show her that you¡¯re more powerful than her."

    Grace turned to glare at Owen. That was easy for him to say. She wasn¡¯t him. How could she possibly stand a chance against a floor five inmate?

    She sighed as she turned back to look at Hannah. "Fuck it. I want to find out how long I could last against someone like you."

    She surged essence throughout her body and raised her arms. Hannah did the same and took a stance.

    Hannah moved first. She took a step forward, slamming her foot down onto the floor which shook the entire floor. She pulled back a fist, and shot it forward, causing a blast of air to propel at Grace.

    Grace leapt to the side, dodging and then rolling out of the way. She got back up to her feet and then materialized a chain in one of her hands, and whipped it in a horizontal arc at Hannah.

    But before it could hit anything, Hannah disappeared from sight, only appearing a moment later a few metres away from Grace.

    Hannah came closer and in an instant, shot forward an open palm at Grace''s chest. Hannah thought the attack would land, but to her surprise something unexpected happened.

    Instinctively, Grace threw out her own fist to intercept the attack. The two strikes clashed together, causing a shockwave of air to explode forth from them. It caused them both skid apart from each other.

    Grace''s eyes went wide. She looked down at her hand. How had she blocked that attack? She looked towards Hannah, who also had wide eyes on her face.

    "I didn¡¯t know you were that strong." Hannah said.

    Grace shook her head. "No. I¡¯m surprised I could block that."

    Grace turned her head to look at Owen. His mouth was hung open. So he was just as shocked as she was.

    Hannah raised back her hands and smiled. "It¡¯s good now that I¡¯ve found another training partner. Come, let¡¯s spar."

    Grace looked down at her chain and flung it to the side. She raised her fists and produced a smile of her own.

    From the side, Owen watched as the two engaged in combat again. For the next few minutes, Grace seemed to be keeping pace with Hannah. They exchanged powerful blows with each other, causing the other inmates to yell out with each shockwave.

    Will tugged on Owen¡¯s sleeve to get his attention. "Why is Grace so strong now?"

    Owen looked down at him. "Dude, don¡¯t ask me. I¡¯ve got no clue why."

 Chapter 25 - The Path To Power

    The next few weeks proved to be a very busy time for Owen and the crew. More and more people were joining the training sessions with the number of members ballooning to the hundreds. Inmates ranging from floor two to five, also began joining as they heard about the training.

    The training hall was filled with people. Inmates were training with droids against the walls. People were sparring with each other. And Owen walked through the middle of the hall, observing the people with a close eye.

    He stopped a moment later. Just further away, Will was sparring against a man who was maybe in his thirties. Isaac was watching them from the side with a hand to his chin.

    Owen came closer and stood beside him. Isaac looked to him as he noticed him there and nodded his head to him. They then continued to watch Will''s match.

    Frankly, what they were seeing was surprising. Will was currently dominating the fight. The man he was fighting, glowered as his punches kept missing. Will weaved smoothly through the man¡¯s attacks, landing body shots in quick successions.

    Isaac spoke up. "This is abnormal."

    Owen nodded. "Yeah, it is. Will was starting to get stronger a few weeks ago, but he shouldn¡¯t be this strong." He turned to look at Isaac. "This first started with Grace. Then a few other people started to become drastically stronger. What do you think is happening?"

    "It¡¯s probably got something to do with your insignia. It must be some passive ability that¡¯s making people become this strong."

    "That¡¯s what I think as well. But there has to be some trigger for it. Maybe¡­" Owen went quiet as he went into thought. A smile crept onto his face. "Those who fight with me, will become strong enough to stand by me."

    Isaac raised an eyebrow. "Do you think that¡¯s it?"

    "Yes, that¡¯s what I believe what¡¯s happening."

    The two returned their attention to the fight as they heard a loud smack. Will¡¯s opponent was on the floor, huffing and puffing large amounts of air, while Will stood over him like a champion that had won a battle. He turned to look over at Owen and Isaac. He smiled brightly, and held up a peace sign to them.

    Owen smiled himself. If what was happening was true, then things were starting to look up for him. It was time to take the plan to the next level.

    He stepped backwards and activated his essence ability. He leaped up into the air and flew high above the inmates. Once he was halfway between the ground and the ceiling, he stopped and hovered in the air.

    He poured essence into his throat, enhancing his voice. "My warriors, I have a few things that I would like to say to you."

    The hall went quiet as people began to stare up at Owen. "I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed it by now; you¡¯re all growing stronger at an unnatural rate. Well let me tell you this. This is because of your believe in me. My insignia is granting those that fight for the same things I do, freedom, the ability to stand on the same stage as I do. So, if you want power, all you have to do is desire freedom."

    Owen moved his hand up and made a motion with his hand like he was squashing an apple. "You have to want it, crave for it. The only way to gain freedom is through the path of power. Power is freedom."

    Owen returned to a neutral position and carried on talking. "I have a plan to get us all out of here. It will take a while to gather all the necessary pieces, but I promise you this, I will reunite you with your families."

    Shouts and murmurs filled the training hall. Owen descended  to the ground, landing back where he had initially been. Isaac came up to him, grabbing his arm. A frown was on his face.

    "I don¡¯t think that was wise of you to say that last part Owen. The officers will eventually find out about this."This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Smirking, Owen looked at him. "I know, that¡¯s what I¡¯m expecting. We¡¯re growing faster than I thought so it¡¯s time to kick things up a notch. For the past few weeks, Arden has been wondering what to do with me. But to me it¡¯s quite simple," Owen lifted his hand up and pointed to the ceiling. "There are more floors above us. It¡¯s time they get a move on."

    ***

    An urgent meeting was taking place among the higher officials of the facility. The warden, the sub-warden, and all the overseers ranging from floor one to ten, were seated at a round table in one of the meeting rooms. Albert sat at the head, with Mayers and the overseer for floor ten sat on either side of him.

    Albert was informed earlier that day of what took place during the training session of Owen Walters. He had gathered his officers in order to figure out what to do with the rebel.

    "This is all your damn fault, Mayers." The floor ten overseer, Barbara Thatcher, said out loud bitterly. She had grey hair that spread out like a lion¡¯s mane, and red pupils that could bore into anyone. "How could you let an inmate gain all this power? You are not fit to be a sub-warden."

    Mayers clenched his jaw but he didn¡¯t dare speak out against Barbara. A few years back, Barbara was the sub-warden of the facility, but she was demoted to the rank of an overseer when she ruthlessly beat a promising inmate, to near death for a few comments they had made about her.

    "This kid is obviously trying to build an army. He should be disposed of."

    Albert sat with his hands to his chin. "Yes, that¡¯s what I¡¯m wondering if we should just get rid of him and be done with this mess."

    "No! It¡¯ll all be worth it if we can reign him in!" Albert said out loud.

    Barbara glared to the side. "You¡¯re only saying that because you want an excuse to be pardoned for all the nonsense you¡¯ve been up to these past few weeks."

    Albert stammered up a response. "Your floor ten inmate, Katherine Hart, is the strongest inmate here. If we can use her to humble Owen in front of the rest of the inmates, he¡¯ll lose his standing and become less rebellious."

    "You want to use my inmate for such nonsense? There is no¨C"

    "Wait," Albert interrupted. "That is not a bad idea. The governor of the realm will be coming in a month''s time to check up on the facility. He has been very adamant that we produce more soldiers for Arden to increase the realm''s ranking among the others. We cannot afford to lose a promising inmate like Owen."

    Barbara clicked her tongue in annoyance. "What do you suggest we do then?"

    "A contest. Five matches between Owen and four other inmates he''ll choose on the lower floors, and five of the strongest inmates on floor ten. We''ll hold a competition."

    Barbara raised her eyebrow. "Why?"

    "This will serve two purposes. One is to show the difference of power between the lower floor inmates who were brought in to be molded, and the ten floor inmates, the end products of our efforts. It will show the vast difference in power, and show that the only way they¡¯ll gain power and freedom is through us. The second reason is to bring down Owen. When he loses, he¡¯ll lose the faith of the inmates who believed he could contend against us. And his ego will crumble, allowing us to finally take control of him."

    "You believe that would work?"

    "Yes. We¡¯ll hold the competition in a month¡¯s time, when the governor arrives," Albert turned his attention to the other overseers. "Overseers, make sure to announce this tomorrow morning at your assemblies."

    Nods of acknowledgment came from them.

    "Alright, let¡¯s hope that this will solve all our problems."

    ***

    Katherine Hart was stood on the edge of a cliff that overlooked a boundless ocean. The waves clashed against the rock, creating splashes of water that flew up high. She watched the waves, with eyes that were mixed with the colours of hazel and silver.

    Her long raven black hair, that came down below her waist, contrasted against her pale skin.

    She turned her head around as she noticed that someone was approaching her. Up in the sky, flew overseer Barbara with stone-like wings that protruded from her back. She descended down before landing a few feet away from Katherine. She walked up to her before putting her hands behind her back.

    "What are you doing all the way out here?"

    "Just admiring the view, overseer."

    Katherine''s eyebrows were positioned in a way that made it look like she was permanently frowning. It was a thing that always irked Barbara.

    "Don¡¯t come out this far again. I hate to see you inmates think that you deserve to move about freely."

    "Yes, overseer."

    Barbara moved her hand to her mouth and cleared her throat. "In a month¡¯s time you will take part in a competition, where you¡¯ll be fighting against some floor one brat. What I want you to do is choose four other inmates, who¡¯ll also take part in this with you."

    Barbara was confident in Katherine''s capabilities. She became an intermediate essence user four years ago at the young age of sixteen. And not only was her insignia powerful, she was also capable of the rare feat, embodiment.

    "Alright, overseer." Katherine said as she bowed down to her.

    Barbara frowned at her. She frankly didn¡¯t like Katherine. The inmate didn¡¯t show it, but there was an air of resistance around her. She always followed orders to a tee, but unlike the other floor ten inmates, there was no fear in her eyes. This was the reason why they hadn¡¯t officially made her an officer of Arden yet.

    Katherine stood back up and stared straight into the eyes of Barbara. "I¡¯ll do whatever you say."

 Chapter 26 - The Brave Volunteers

    The next morning the announcement for the competition was made. Owen listened intently as overseer Jones talked. He had expected something like this would happen, but he hadn¡¯t expected that other people would be fighting with him. This was going to be a problem. Owen had the confidence to fight against a floor ten inmate, but would anyone on the lower floors have it too?

    Later that day at lunchtime, Owen was stood on top of a table. All around him, inmates were standing around, waiting for him to speak.

    "You all heard the announcement this morning. It¡¯ll be hard, but luckily we have a month to train. I was told that I could choose anyone on the lower floors, but I¡¯ll only take volunteers. So, who is brave enough to take on this challenge with me?"

    Owen looked around at the crowd, but wherever he looked, heads were turning away from his gaze. He grimaced. This was the expected outcome.

    Hannah, who was stood among the crowd, spoke up. "We¡¯re not like you Owen. Doing something as crazy as the gauntlet, and then winning it, only someone like you could do that. And now this? No one thinks that we can emulate what you can do. If instead you were fighting against someone from the sixth, or even from the seventh, then I would join you in a heartbeat. But¡­" Hannah looked to the ground like she was ashamed. "¡­this is impossible."

    Owen put his hands to his hips. This was going to be a bigger problem than he thought. Owen¡¯s eyes went to scan the crowd once more. In his heart he hoped that someone, anyone, would be courageous enough to join him.

    Then, slowly, a hand went up. Owen''s eyes snapped to the person who had raised their hand. But his eyes went wide when he noticed the person who did. Will was standing there meekly with his hand over his head, a look of courage mixed with uncertainty was plastered on his face.

    Owen lifted a hand to his chin and rubbed it. "Well, damn."

    ***

    Kenneth and Jason were walking down one of the hallways of the facility. Their destination was the office of the floor five overseer. They were abruptly ordered to come pay him a visit, and now questions rang in their heads wondering why they had to.

    Jason turned his head to look at Kenneth. They hadn¡¯t been on good terms since the gauntlet. With the way Kenneth had lost, and with Jason forfeiting, Kenneth had been in a silent rage for the past few weeks. Even now, they walked in silence with only their footsteps being audible.

    Jason decided to say something. "Kenneth¡­"

    Kenneth clenched his jaw. "Man, I really don¡¯t want to hear you talk."

    "But you¡¯ve been quiet for weeks."

    "What do you expect me to say to a traitor?"

    Jason sighed and shook his head. They carried on walking and eventually stopped in front of a white door. A blue panel was hanging next to the door. Kenneth pressed a button on the panel and waited. A moment later the door slid open.

    They walked in and were greeted by a moderately sized room. The overseer was seated at a desk against the far wall, with windows behind him that let in light. He had his hands clenched together and smiled when he saw them enter.

    Kenneth and Jason bowed to him. "Overseer."

    "Guys, it¡¯s good to see you," The overseer leaned back in his chair. "I guess you¡¯re wondering why I called you both here. You¡¯ve heard of the competition that¡¯s taking place in a month, yes?"

    They both nodded.

    "That¡¯s why you¡¯re here. I want you both to take part in it."

    Kenneth raised his eyebrow. "Why do you want us to do that? Do you think we could beat the floor ten inmates?"

    "No, no," the overseer laughed while he shook his head. "How could you even do that? You¡¯re both too weak to stand against them."

    Jason clenched his jaw.

    "You see, the competition is a five round contest, and the inmates will be fighting in one vs ones. To win the competition, one side has to win three out of the five rounds. That¡¯s where you guys come in. You¡¯ll join, and when it¡¯s time for your matches, you¡¯ll then forfeit."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    "Why go through all that trouble? Won¡¯t they just lose anyway?" Asked Kenneth.

    The overseer frowned. "Maybe, but Owen Walters is just too big of an anomaly. Take the gauntlet for example; who expected it to go the way that it did? He¡¯ll be joined by others this time, but we don¡¯t know what kind of tricks he¡¯ll pull out of his ass this time."

    The overseer leaned forward in his chair. "So, I¡¯ll give you guys an incentive to take part in this. Your parts in the gauntlet ended with you failing, with you in particular¡­" he narrowed his eyes as he stared at Jason. "¡­forfeiting. But don¡¯t worry, if you succeed in this plan, I can reconsider promoting you both up to the sixth floor."

    Kenneth¡¯s eyes went wide. "S-Sir, thank you for this opportunity, we¡¯ll definitely succeed your expectations."

    "Alright, you¡¯re both intermediate essence users so Owen will definitely let you take part," the overseer raised his hand and made a shooing gesture. "That¡¯s all. You may go now."

    They both bowed down again, turned around, and left the room. Once the door to the office was closed, Kenneth turned to Jason. He pointed a finger at him.

    "Don¡¯t fuck this up for us Jason. I can forgive you for being a coward, but if you don¡¯t follow through with this¡­"

    Kenneth glared at him, then he moved past him and walked away down the hallway. Jason stood there. He clenched his fists and looked down to the floor. What was he supposed to do?

    ***

    "You¡¯re crazy for doing this, you know?" Isaac said to Will.

    Isaac, Will, Owen and Grace were currently in the corner of the training hall, away from the rest of the inmates. With the way Will volunteered to join the competition, he was being reprimanded by Isaac.

    "You¡¯re only thirteen. What makes you think that you can take on the floor ten inmates?" Isaac turned to look at Owen, who was currently stretching his body. "Owen, say something to him."

    Owen turned his head to the side. "What? Do you want to take his place?"

    Isaac clenched his jaw and looked away.

    Owen continued talking. "If Will wants to fight, then who am I to stop him."

    "But," Isaac turned back to face him. "He¡¯s only just a kid."

    "I¡¯m not just a kid," Will interjected. He had his hands buried into the pockets of his jumpsuit, and a frown was coming from him. "I¡¯m a warrior."

    Owen smirked at his words and turned to look at him. "Well said."

    Grace was sat on the floor, with her knees close to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. She had a sullen look on her face. She looked up at Will.

    "Why did you decide to join Will?"

    "Why? It¡¯s because I can¡¯t let Owen fight by himself this time. If he¡¯s going to fight the floor ten people, then so will I."

    An air of silence surrounded them. Owen stopped stretching and stood up straight. He walked over to Will and then placed a hand onto his shoulder.

    "Will, from now on, I¡¯ll consider you to be my second little brother."

    Will''s eyes went wide. He removed his hands from his pocket. "Really?"

    Owen nodded his head. "If someone sticks out their neck for me, then they¡¯re automatically family."

    Water was forming in the eyes of Will. Owen removed his hand in shock. "What, why are you crying?"

    "You¡¯re the first family member I¡¯ve had since my parents died." Will said as he used his sleeves to dab away the tears that were now running down his face.

    "Right, damn."

    Owen smiled and ruffled his hair.

    Grace almost sprang up from her her seat. Her mouth moved open and closed like she wanted to say something. "Can I¡­ do you think¡­ that I can fight with you?"

    Owen looked to her. "If you want to fight with us then you can, but you have to be more adamant about it. I¡¯d be more confident in letting you join if you believed more in yourself."

    Grace tilted her head down and squeezed her eyes shut. She seemed to be fighting against her internal logic. She slowly raised up her head, and her eyes snapped back open. Bold eyes stared back into Owen¡¯s.

    "Let me fight with you. I want to, no, I need to bury my fist into some floor ten bastard."

    Owen smirked and held out a fist to her. "Welcome to the club."

    As Grace fist bumped him, Isaac looked away from the group. "I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t join you guys."

    "It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t need to worry about it."

    Owen turned his head away from them and stared off into the centre of the hall. He narrowed his and then frowned.

    "What is it?"

    "We¡¯ve got a couple of unannounced visitors. I¡¯ll go greet them."

    Owen put his hands in his pocket and moved away from them. He made his way through the crowd of inmates, and saw that people were parting the way a short distance away. He stopped at the centre of the hall and watched as Kenneth and Jason emerge from the crowd.

    They made their way to him once they noticed him, and then stopped when they were close enough.

    "What do you guys want?" Owen asked.

    Kenneth cleared his throat. "We want to join you in your competition."

    Owen raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

    "Because this is a rare chance. If we fight against a floor ten inmate and perform well, we might then look favourably in the eyes of the officers and then maybe be promoted up a floor. This isn¡¯t a bad deal for you either, you¡¯ll get two intermediate essence users."

    Kenneth thought what he said was totally plausible, but the seemingly furious eyes of Owen were looking at him like he was a liar.

    "Alright, who told you guys that you could fuck with me? Do you think I¡¯m stupid? Why do you guys really want to join?"

    Kenneth flinched. How did this bastard see through him? He racked his brain to stammer out a response, but to his side Jason had stepped forward.

    "I¡­ I want to prove my strength. Ever since I¡¯ve been here, all I¡¯ve felt like was like a weakling. But since your arrival, you¡¯ve tried to stand against Arden. I want to gain your strength."

    Kenneth narrowed his eyes at Jason. He was faking it right? Kenneth also stepped forward and pointed to Jason.

    "That¡¯s right, me too. Ever since my defeat at the gauntlet, I¡¯ve cursed my own weakness. I think through you, I¡¯ll gain real strength."

    Owen stared at them both. He didn¡¯t trust them at all, but with the way things were going, they were probably going to be the only people that were going to volunteer.

    Owen gritted his teeth. "Fine, I¡¯ll allow you guys to join. But you¡¯re both on the bench; if I find someone else then you¡¯re out."

 Chapter 27 - The Strength Of A Bull

    With the spots to the competition now filled, Owen decided that they should now hunker down and train hard for the next month. Owen, Will and Grace went to train together in a private training room, with Kenneth and Jason going off to do their own thing.

    The white room was almost barren, except for two metal containers that lay at Owen''s feet. Well, it didn¡¯t really matter much if there was no training equipment, because they didn¡¯t need them.

    "For these next two weeks we won¡¯t be sparring much. Instead we¡¯ll be primarily consuming these bad boys," Owen said as he tapped the containers that were filled with aether pills with his foot. "We have to do this because we need to become intermediate essence users as quickly as possible."

    Grace and Will stood before him. Will in particular had a curious look on his face.

    "How strong are intermediate essence users compared to us?"

    "Well, people say that you have to have at least ten average novice essence users to take on an intermediate one."

    "They¡¯re that strong?" Will¡¯s eyes then went wide. "Then how strong are advanced essence users?"

    "Dude, they¡¯re in a different ballpark altogether. They¡¯re equal to around one hundred average intermediate essence users."

    Will''s already wide eyes seemed to become even more wide.

    "And don¡¯t get me started on the elite and peak essence users. You¡¯d flip out if you heard their numbers."

    Grace chimed in. "Have you ever seen a peak essence user?"

    "Nah," Owen shook his head. "And I probably will never see one in my lifetime."

    Owen reached down and pressed the buttons on the sides of the containers, which made them pop open their lids. He slid a container over to Grace and Will.

    "Let¡¯s get started then, we don¡¯t have all day. For now, you guys should take two aether pills every thirty minutes."

    Grace looked at him like he was a madman. "Isn¡¯t the daily recommended intake just one?"

    "Yeah, but my insignia ability is affecting you guys, so you probably won¡¯t die if you take more than what¡¯s recommended."

    Owen sat down and reached into his own container.

    "How many are you going to take?"

    Owen smirked at her. "A handful."

    And with horror, Grace watched as Owen stuffed a fistful of pills into his mouth.

    ***

    A week had passed, and the trio had made significant progress towards becoming intermediate essence users. Owen in particular felt like he was on the verge of ranking up.

    Isaac had joined them for a training session for one of those days. He was watching as Owen was stood in the middle of the training room, with his palms turned upwards.

    "Alright." Owen said, and a moment later a small spark popped up from his right hand. Then, a flame burst out forth from it, towering high above his head. At the same time on his left hand, frost particles formed on his palm. And then a column of blue frost also erupted up high, matching the height of the tower of fire.

    Owen smiled and looked over to Isaac. "It¡¯s nice right? Now that I¡¯ve got more control over kinetic energy, I¡¯ve been developing these techniques for the competition."

    Owen closed the palms of his hands and the fire and frost petered out and vanished.

    "Yeah it¡¯s cool, but does it consume a lot of essence?"

    Owen shook his head. "Not really. It¡¯s actually quite easy to maintain."

    He then put his hands on his hips and looked around the room.

    "Where¡¯s Will?"

    Isaac raised an eyebrow. "He¡¯s right in front of you." He said while he pointed towards Owen.

    Owen swerved his head and looked straight ahead. There was nothing there. But then, the blonde hair of Will popped into existence, along slowly with the rest of him. A cheeky smirk was on his face.

    Owen broadened his eyes. "I guess you¡¯ve gotten good enough to fully turn yourself invisible now. But wait," he turned to Isaac. "You saw him?"

    He nodded slowly.

    "Then that means that his hide insignia doesn¡¯t actually turn him invisible," he looked at Will. "Instead, it just let¡¯s you bypass the perception of the person you choose, right?"

    "I guess so."

    "Then that¡¯s good. We¡¯ll at least know where you are if you choose to use your insignia during something like a group fight."

    As Owen carried on talking to him, the door to the room opened, prompting him to stop and turn and look at the entrance. Jason was stood there. He walked in and looked at Owen.

    "How¡¯s training going?" Owen asked.

    Jason folded his arms and sighed. "I don¡¯t really feel like I¡¯m progressing at all. The pills I¡¯m consuming aren¡¯t helping me move out of my plateau."This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    "Did you come here for some advice?"

    "No. That¡¯s not what I came here for," Jason unfurled his arms and stared into the eyes of Owen. "You¡¯re probably stronger than me. But what I want to find out is by how much."

    The corner of Owen¡¯s mouth turned upwards. "Oh? Are you challenging me to a fight?"

    Jason nodded. "Let¡¯s have a spar."

    "Alright. I¡¯ve honestly been itching to trade fists with you for a while."

    Owen turned around and walked a few paces away from the centre of the room, with Jason doing the same.

    Will came over to the side of the room where Isaac was. They watched as Jason and Owen faced off against each other.

    "No holding back?" Owen asked.

    "Yes, I want to face you at your strongest."

    Owen observed him. He had a smaller build than his father, but his muscles were still large. Owen had been told by Isaac that Jason had the strength insignia. Knowing that going in, he planned on avoiding his attacks.

    Jason surged essence throughout his body. The red colouring of the energy seeped from his skin, creating a crimson aura.

    "Here I come." Jason said, as he took a step forward, kicked off from the ground, and charged forward like a raging train.

    He closed the gap between them in just a second. He had aimed to tackle Owen to the ground, but Owen had grabbed his head  when he was close and used it as leverage to hop over him.

    Owen twisted in the air, and with his essence enhanced leg, kicked him in the back. Jason stumbled forward momentarily. He recovered, and swerved back around only to find Owen there with his fist inches away from his face.

    The punch landed, rocking the head of Jason. Owen pulled back his fist, and with quick succession, threw out three more that hit his torso.

    Jason swiped at him like he was a bear, but Owen backed away. He stepped back in and threw a hook, but to his surprise his punch was stopped in midair. It was like he had hit some soft mattress. Ignoring that, he went to punch with his other hand, but the same thing happened again.

    He then jumped backwards to create some space between them. He quickly tried to figure out why his last two punches didn¡¯t reach him. He had the strength insignia so, was he strengthening the air to create some sort of shield?

    The loud yell of Jason interrupted his thoughts. Jason had his arms above his head, which he brought down, slamming them into the floor. The floor shook violently as if there was an earthquake. If it were not for the shock absorbers that were placed in every training room, then the floor would have likely crumbled.

    Jason''s essence surged out of him. He needed more speed. He pulled more and more essence out from his soul and used it to enhance his legs. Then, he exploded forward.

    Owen didn¡¯t have the time to react. Jason had spread out an arm, and had clotheslined him straight across the chest. The attack had sent Owen flying backwards into the room¡¯s wall.

    Owen let out a grunt as he smacked the wall like a pancake. Jason came for him again. He ran up and threw out an overhead punch, but the punch slowed down to a crawl, eventually stopping right in front of Owen''s face.

    Owen let out a small laugh. "You¡¯re not the only one with a shield."

    He looked up into the eyes of Jason and smiled. He moved forward from the wall, which caused Jason¡¯s fist to move back forcefully. Jason tried to resist, but his fist was still moved back.

    Owen now stood face to face with Jason. He moved his hand forward and found resistance.

    "I wonder if your shield is ice resistance."

    "What¨C"

    A billowing cloud of frost erupted from Owen''s hand, encasing Jason in it. The air bubble that was acting like a shield for him, was now frozen over, trapping Jason like he was a bug in a cocoon.

    Owen kicked over the ice structure and watched it roll away. He clutched his chest and rubbed it.

    "Man, that hurt."

    He walked around the ice structure, keeping an eye on it as he moved to the centre of the room. He grabbed his shoulder and started to roll it around. Owen knew that the scuffle they had now was just to test each other out.

    The ice structure started to crack, and a moment later Jason¡¯s hand burst out from it. Jason forced his head through, and rose up from the floor. A breath of visible cold air escaped his lips.

    He looked at Owen and clenched his jaw. It was time to let loose. He gritted his teeth as he activated his essence ability. Two white stubs began to sprout from the sides of his head. They grew larger and larger until they became massive horns. Jason sprouted black fur from all over his body. His face began to contort and change. And a black tail emerged from behind him.

    Owen stared at him and grinned maniacally. His hair began to spike up as his essence surged out of him, and he started to increase the kinetic energy in his body.

    Meanwhile, watching from the side of the room, Isaac and Will were huddled together.

    "Damn, we should have left when we had the chance to." Isaac said with Will nodding frantically.

    Jason had finished transforming. He had become a hulking, humanoid bull. The beast stared at Owen and roared. Jason crouched forward with his horns pointed towards Owen.

    Owen himself let out a yell and crouched forward. There was a momentary silence as the two waited, but then, they both moved. The only thing Isaac and Will saw was the colours red and yellow trailblazing across from each side, and then suddenly meeting in the middle, causing an explosion of essences to spread out.

    Owen and Jason became visible as they clashed. Owen had the horns of Jason in his hands. They both tried to push forward but made no ground as their strengths were equal.

    Jason made a wild sweep forward with his hand, but it hit nothing as Owen vanished. He appeared a moment later from the side and shot out a punch into the side of Jason.

    Jason shrugged off the blow and instantly retaliated with his own fist. But that too had hit nothing. Owen vanished again, appearing for a second, and then vanishing. He moved like a blur around Jason, taking cheap shots wherever he could.

    Jason roared out in annoyance. Using his insignia ability, he took the strength from Owen¡¯s legs, causing him to skid to the floor. Jason instantly went for him and lifted an arm up to pound it down on him.

    Owen used kinetic energy to slide himself to the side, narrowly dodging the attack. He then flew up from the ground, and with unparalleled speed, shot at Jason with both his feet pointed at him. He dropkicked him straight in the face, crunching Jason¡¯s nose.

    A crazy smile spread across Owen¡¯s face. He kicked off from his face and backflipped, landing a few feet away. He held up his right hand towards Jason and held up his left towards Isaac and Will. Jason was still reeling from Owen¡¯s attack and clutched his nose.

    "Let¡¯s end this." Owen said. A swirl of fire was forming from the palm of his right hand. It circled around, then condensed, forming a bright orange fireball.

    Jason recovered, only to look over at Owen and see the fireball launch forward with great intensity. It hit him straight in the chest and exploded into a brilliant burst of fire. The fire filled the room quickly, with it then turning into smoke.

    The walls of the training room automatically formed multiple vents to filter out the smoke. Isaac was crouched in front of Will. He had summoned a metallic shield in front of them incase they were caught in that explosion. But the fire hadn¡¯t reached them.

    A few more seconds had passed, and finally they could see the outcome of the fight. Owen was stood proudly over Jason, who was sprawled out on the floor with his arms outstretched. He was detransformed and was currently looking up at the ceiling with solemn eyes.

    He looked over at Owen. "I lost, huh?"

    "Yeah. It was a good fight."

    Jason looked back away and clenched his fist. He pounded the ground with frustration.

    Owen raised an eyebrow.

    "Sorry, I just don¡¯t like to lose in a contest of strength. It just makes me feel weak."

    Owen looked at him for a few seconds and then frowned. He furled his arms together and sighed.

    "Look. During the gauntlet I hated the fact that you had forfeited. I thought you had looked down on me. But the truth is, I would have lost if you hadn¡¯t done that. So thank you, this plan of mine has been working because of you," Owen unfurled his arms and held out a hand for Jason. "Let¡¯s grow stronger together for the competition."

    Jason looked at him then smiled softly. He took his hand and was helped off the floor.

    "Alright, let¡¯s become stronger."

 Chapter 28 - The Form

    The cafeteria was noisy with the sounds of chattering inmates as Owen and Grace wandered into the hall. As they made their way towards the food vendor, they were greeted by the smiling faces of many of the inmates as they passed by. Owen and Grace smiled back at them. With the daily training going on, they had made a positive impression with most of the lower floor inmates.

    As they lined up, Will came from the front of the line carrying a tray of food. He smiled as he saw them and came up to them.

    "Hello! Are we going to start sparring later today?"

    Owen nodded his head. "Yeah. I would have liked if we could have just focused on consuming aether pills, but we should really start dividing our time between that and training."

    "But it''s still astonishing how much progress we have made," Grace said, "it would have taken someone normally years to accomplish what we have so far."

    "But still, I worry about us. The competition is just in two weeks, yet we¡¯re still not intermediate essence users."

    "Don¡¯t worry," Will said cheerfully. "We still have time."

    Owen looked at him and smiled. "You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s just do the most that we can with the time that we have left."

    "Will!" A voice yelled out from the side.

    The trio turned their heads to look at the person that shouted out his name. A young teen with loose black curls, came running up to Will with a grin. Owen recognized him; he was the kid Owen had faced in the gauntlet with the leaf essence ability.

    "Lucas, what is it?"

    "Dude! You¡¯ve got to see this. Liz is trying to stuff twenty sandwiches at once in her mouth. Come I¡¯ll show you." Lucas grabbed his arm and started dragging him away.

    "Wait!" Will said in protest, but Lucas kept on moving. Will turned around and waved with an arm towards Owen and Grace. "I¡¯ll see ya later!"

    And then he was gone. Grace turned to Owen and raised an eyebrow.

    "Looks like he has got some friends now," she folded her arms and smiled. "Good for him."

    Owen nodded and smiled too. Then he turned to move forward in line. "Let¡¯s hurry and grab some food."

    After they had gotten their trays, they went and walked towards the left side of the hall and found the usual spot where they ate at. The table they had stopped at was already occupied by a few people.

    Isaac, along with Jason and Hannah were there. And a new person was seated alongside with them. Seated across from the three, a woman with blonde hair that was tucked behind her ears was happily chatting with the trio. Her eyes looked up when she noticed them, and she smiled.

    "Please, come and sit." She said while she pointed to the empty seats next to her.

    Owen and Grace did just that and moved to sit down. Isaac and the others nodded their heads once they were seated.

    "Do you remember me?" The woman asked.

    Owen frowned. "How could I not? Your essence ability was the thing I had the most trouble against during the gauntlet."

    The woman was Joyce Alford, and she was the one with the mind essence ability that switched each body parts senses with one another. Owen wondered why she was sitting here with them.

    Joyce smiled. "I¡¯m glad that you do. Well, how is my ability affecting you these days? Are you having trouble moving your body?"

    Owen shook his head. "Nah, I¡¯ve gotten used to it by now," his eyes widened like he had forgotten something. "Though I did have trouble using the toilet for a few days after the gauntlet. I was constipated for a while because I couldn¡¯t figure out what muscles would open up my-"Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    "Dude, Owen." Isaac said while he looked at him with disgust. "Not while we¡¯re eating."

    "What? She was the one that wanted to know."

    Owen turned back to look at Joyce. "Anyway now that you¡¯re here, I wanted to know what your insignia ability is. You hadn¡¯t used it during our fight."

    Joyce leaned on the table with her hand on her jaw. "I¡¯d rather not say. It¡¯s quite embarrassing."

    "Eh? Alright then. But you can at least tell me who taught you how to fight, right? You were strong."

    A smirk formed on her lips. "I¡¯m mostly self-taught. I learned through watching fights on the cybernet."

    Gasps escaped the lips from the rest of the group at the table.

    "Seriously?" Hannah asked her as she put down her fork.

    Joyce nodded. "Yes. I was on the run for most of my life, so I needed to learn how to defend myself."

    "And you became this good just by watching videos? Wow," Owen said, "I don¡¯t think I could have learnt how to fight by doing that. The way I learned was by going around the city at night and fighting with gangs."

    Isaac was about to put a spoon in his mouth but halted and stared at Owen in disbelief. "The hell, you did that? I thought you were taught by your dad."

    "I was, but I couldn¡¯t become a good fighter without a shit-ton of experience. So me and my sister would sneak out at night, and go around challenging guys to fights."

    "Who does that?" Asked Grace. "How old were you guys when you started doing that?"

    "Well we started around the time we awakened our essences, so maybe when I was twelve and my sister thirteen?"

    Grace shook her head and returned to pick at her food. "You¡¯re crazy."

    Jason raised up an eyebrow. "Is your sister as strong as you?"

    Owen looked at him and then frowned. He held up a hand in front of him and pinched his fingers together.

    "She¡¯s only a little better at me in a straight fist fight," he then crossed his arms and smiled subtly. "But now that I¡¯m close to becoming an intermediate essence user, I¡¯ll brag about it in her face once I free her."

    As Owen continued smiling, the rest of the table went quiet. He noticed this and looked around the table.

    "Hey, what are you guys going to do once you¡¯re free?"

    First, no one spoke. They looked away, or down at their food. But from the side of him, Grace began to speak.

    "I haven¡¯t seen my dad since I was little, so I don¡¯t really remember much about him. But what I do remember was that he was really into hover bikes. One night, he took me on a cruise on one of his bikes,"

    Grace held up her hand and waved it across her. Her eyes glossed over, as if she was reliving a memory. "We flew over the city, and watched the neon lights of the distant buildings sparkle down below. It¡¯s a memory I¡¯ll never forget."

    She then turned to look at Owen. "Once we¡¯re free, I¡¯ll go on another ride with him. "

    Owen smiled and nodded. He then turned to look across the table. Jason and Hannah weren¡¯t looking at him. Isaac however, was staring right at him.

    "I¡­ my parents, they are some pretty influential people in this realm. Once my insignia mark came, they already knew what it was and reported me to the Arden officials."

    Owen widened his eyes in shock. Isaac carried on talking.

    "Because I was reported, my parents were offered a deal in which they could avoid imprisonment for my capture. So that¡¯s what they did."

    Owen clenched his fist. "That¡¯s a shitty thing to do."

    "Yes¡­ but they did what they thought was right," Isaac¡¯s hand trembled slightly. He sighed heavily. "Owen, if I try to escape with you guys, my family will probably be captured in retaliation. I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t help you."

    Owen sat there, looking at Isaac for a moment. He opened his mouth a few times, wondering what to say. Then, he found his voice.

    "It¡¯s alright, I understand. But if you ever feel like you want to escape, don¡¯t hesitate to tell us, we¡¯ll help you out."

    Grace nodded along with those words.

    Isaac smiled sadly. "Alright. Thank you."

    From the side, Joyce looked at Owen. "I can see why you¡¯d have the potential for embodiment."

    Owen turned to her and raised his eyebrow. "What?"

    "Your personal believe is strong. You truly believe you can free yourself, which in turn makes your insignia more powerful."

    Owen was confused by her words. Isaac and Jason though had widened their eyes.

    "Seriously?" Isaac asked. "I¡¯ve heard about embodiment, but I didn¡¯t think any one of us was capable of doing it."

    Owen looked around at them. "What¡¯s embodiment?"

    "Ah right, I guess most people wouldn¡¯t know about it," Joyce said. "Embodiment is a special form in which only the most unhinged insignia users can go into. To use embodiment, one has to literally embody and become their concept."

    "It¡¯s a form?"

    "Yes. It¡¯s a form that drastically increases ones power and gives you additional abilities," Joyce put her hands together. "For the competition I¡¯m guessing they are going to be pitting you against their strongest floor ten inmate. That girl you¡¯ll be facing, she has achieved embodiment."

    Owen put a hand to his chin. "Is it really something that strong to be worried about it?"

    Joyce frowned. "Saying it¡¯s only strong would be an understatement. It¡¯s such a powerful ability that I think even you wouldn¡¯t even be able to win without entering that form."

    "Then, I¡¯ll just do that then. How do I achieve embodiment?"

    "If it were such an easy thing to do then anyone could do it. I¡¯d suggest you worry about ranking up first, you wouldn¡¯t want to be fighting a floor ten inmate while still being a novice essence user."

    Grace nodded. "She¡¯s right. Let¡¯s think about embodiment later."

    "Alright," Owen said. He turned back to his food and picked at it. "Embodiment, huh."

 Chapter 29 - The Rank Up

    Another week had flown by, leaving only a week of training for Owen and the gang before the competition began.

    They had just finished their lunch in the cafeteria and were now w in one of the training rooms. They were all doing their own thing; Grace was sparring against a training droid against the wall, Will was taking advice from Jason about his essence ability, and Owen was trying to meditate.

    "I''m not sure what''s wrong," he said to the air. "But I feel like my stomach is full."

    His hand reached to his belly and rubbed it, feeling a hotness that seemed to be coming from inside him. At first, he thought there was something wrong with his stomach, but no,  now that he felt it, it was actually deeper, more within his soul.

    "Owen?" Grace said. "Did you say something?"

    "Huh? No, nothing," he said. He continued to rub his belly.

    "You seem like you''re in pain. What''s up?"

    "No, it''s not pain... I think it''s¡ª"

    Suddenly, he felt a burst of power, a rush of energy that exploded from his gut, filling every fiber of his being. It was as if a dam had broken and the pressure behind it had been released. The feeling was immense and wonderful and exhilarating.

    "Owen!"

    Grace''s cry sounded muted and distant as Owen lost himself in the flood of power. His whole body trembled and shook. Then, a flash of light erupted from him, a blinding explosion that engulfed the entire room.

    The others cried out and fell back, covering their eyes. When the light faded, they were still dazed, blinking and shaking their heads.

    Owen stood, panting and sweating. His skin was red, and his clothes were torn and shredded, but he was otherwise unharmed.

    "What just happened?" he said.

    "Owen?"

    Grace approached him slowly, cautiously, as if afraid he might explode again. But then her eyes widened, and she ran up to him.

    She grabbed his face and brought it close to hers. She looked into his eyes and smiled.

    "You have specks of yellow in your eyes," she said. "Congrats, Owen. You¡¯ve ranked up."

    Jason and Will gathered around him. They were both grinning.

    "How do you feel?" Jason asked.

    Owen was silent. He felt... different. But he couldn''t describe how. His breathing slowed as he tried to process the new strength that lingered within him.

    "I feel¡­" he hesitated, struggling to find the words. "I feel like¡­ like I have been reborn."

    Jason nodded, a knowing grin stretching across his face. "That¡¯s how I felt. The feeling you get from ranking up is exhilarating."

    Owen stepped back and held out a hand up to his side. A moment later, a brilliant flame burst out from his hand, and like a thread, it thinned out into a line and moved around Owen like a snake. His control over kinetic energy had improved significantly.

    He then formed constructs in the air in front of him. He built miniature figures of himself and the others out of fire, and watched as he made them dance around in the air.

    "Has your control improved?" Grace asked.

    "Yeah it has," Owen smirked. "It¡¯s almost laughable how easy this has become now."

    "That¡¯s incredible," Grace said, watching the fiery constructs move with a life of their own. The miniature version of herself was twisting around like a ballerina. Grace chuckled, folding her arms. "You¡¯ve even got the shading right for the mark on my face."

    Jason clapped Will on the back. "Alright, let¡¯s turn this into motivation. If Owen¡¯s ranked up, then we need to push ourselves harder. The competition is in a week, and we can¡¯t afford to lag behind."Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    Will nodded enthusiastically. He took one last look at the constructs before turning to Jason. "Alright!"

    They turned around and headed towards their side to continue training. Grace meanwhile had her brow raised as she studied the figures.

    "Why are mine and your figures dancing together?" She asked pointing to the side of Owen.

    Owen blinked. His attention turned to the two figures, and sure enough, the fiery forms of himself and Grace were interlocked and were twirling around, almost like partners in a coordinated dance.

    "Uh¡­" Owen said, his face flushing red to match the embers. He snapped his finger, causing the figurines to pop and extinguish.

    "That wasn¡¯t intentional, I swear. They just¡­ moved on their own."

    Grace raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk crossing her face. "Yeah, sure," she teased, crossing her arms. "Just a coincidence, right?"

    Owen was about to protest, but then Grace suddenly leaned in close. So close in fact that Owen could feel the warmth of her breath on his cheek.

    She whispered, "I don¡¯t mind if they were dancing together."

    And she then pulled back, with a playful glint in her eyes. She winked, and then turned on her heel, leaving Owen there frozen with his heart pounding in his chest.

    He took in a deep breath, and tried to calm himself. "Well, damn."

    ***

    The next few days were a blur of intense training and anticipation. The countdown to the competition was on, and Owen could feel the pressure mounting with each passing day.

    On one evening, after Sonya''s evening class, Owen found himself moving towards the training room after everyone else left.

    The training room was dimly lit, the faint hum of the over head lights creating an almost meditative atmosphere. Owen stepped inside, the door sliding shut behind him with a soft hiss. The space was empty, save for the faint scuff marks on the floor from countless hours of practice.

    He exhaled deeply and moved to the centre of the room. He settled into a stance, with his legs planted firmly, and closed his eyes.

    His breathing steadied as he raised a fist, and then a moment later, his eyes snapped open. He threw out a fast jab that cut through the air like a blade, and then another. He fell into a familiar rhythm of punches and footwork, each movement sharp and deliberate.

    The hum of the overhead lights was soon drowned out by the sound of his fists striking air, the sheer force of each blow creating a faint pressure wave that seemed to ripple through the room.

    Owen¡¯s focus deepened as his essence began to flow freely, coursing through his body like a river. With every strike, he felt more confident. Yellow essence flickered along his arms, illuminating them with each punch.

    "More strength," he muttered under his breath. "I need more power."

    Suddenly a voice echoed from the doorway.

    "It¡¯s a bit late for this, don¡¯t you think?"

    Owen froze mid-punch, his fist hanging in the air. He turned to find Isaac standing in the doorway, leaning on one side of the frame.

    "I didn¡¯t think anyone else was going to come," Owen said, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Guess I got a little carried away."

    Isaac stepped into the room. "It¡¯s tomorrow, the competition," he said, his voice calm but carrying a weight of its own. "You¡¯re really pushing yourself, huh?"

    Owen shrugged as he stretched out a limb. "Yeah, I guess. I just feel like if I stop training, I won¡¯t be ready to face the challenges that lay ahead of me."

    Isaac raised an eyebrow. "You¡¯re not feeling confident?"

    Owen glanced down at his hands, feeling the essence that still coursed through them. "That¡¯s not it. But, now that the competition is this close, I¡¯ve been looking ahead into the future. And it feels¡­ uncertain,"

    He lowered his fists and looked up at Isaac. "I¡¯ve ranked up, yeah, but is my strength enough? After the competition, I was planning on trying to break out of here, but how would I get past the likes of Mayers and Fowler? And even then, getting off the island, finding our families, finding a place for them away from the eyes of Arden," he clutched his fist to his face and almost glared at it. "Will my strength be enough to lead us to that ending?"

    Isaac studied Owen for a moment. He walked further into the room, his shoes leaving imprints on the soft training mat.

    "You¡¯re carrying a lot," Isaac said. "Too much, if you ask me. Trying to lead, escape, fight all at once¡­ no wonder you¡¯re stressing out."

    Owen sighed. "What choice do I have? If I don¡¯t do all this, then who will?"

    "Do you think you¡¯re all alone in this?" Isaac shook his head. "You¡¯ve got us, Grace, Will, Jason. We''re all fighting with you, so don¡¯t put everything on your shoulders."

    Owen¡¯s brow furrowed, but he didn¡¯t reply right away. Isaac took another step forward.

    "You¡¯ve already shown us your strength, your determination. That¡¯s why we¡¯re with you. But if you keep trying to bear all of this by yourself, you¡¯ll break before you even get a chance to fight back."

    Owen stared at Isaac, the weight of his words sinking in. His clenched fist relaxed, and he let out a slow breath.

    "You¡¯re right," Owen admitted, his voice quieter. "But the competition tomorrow. If we lose, it¡¯ll just reinforce in the minds of all the inmates that you can¡¯t stand against Arden."

    Isaac put his hands in his pockets, and almost casually said, "Alright, then don¡¯t lose."

    Owen stared at Isaac for a long moment, unsure of how to respond. There was something about Isaac¡¯s calm confidence that made Owen¡¯s heart settle, as if the burden he¡¯d been carrying had been lightened just a little.

    "Just don¡¯t lose," Isaac repeated, his tone simple but firm. "You fought in the gauntlet alone but still came out on top. This time you¡¯re fighting with allies. Your strength and the strengths of the others will be enough to win, so believe in yourself and the team."

    Owen nodded slowly, taking a deep breath. The weight of it all, the fear of failing, had clouded his mind. But now, it felt like his head was clearing up.

    "Thanks, Isaac," Owen said, his voice more certain now. "I needed to hear that from a friend."

    Isaac widened his eyes at the word ''friend'', but then he smirked, and held out a fist towards Owen.

    "Good luck tomorrow."

    Owen fist bumped him and smirked himself. "Thanks, but we won¡¯t need it."

    The future was still uncertain, but one thing was clear, he wasn¡¯t fighting alone.

 Chapter 30 - The Competition

    Albert Fowler was stood on the landing deck of the facility, the wind whipping his coat around him as a transport vessel touched down. The roar of the engines drowned out any other sound as the massive craft settled onto the platform, its landing gear hissing as it absorbed the weight of the vehicle.

    The other officers stood in a line behind him, their postures stiff and formal. Fowler''s piercing gaze never wavered as the ship''s ramp lowered, and a figure emerged from within.

    Accompanied by two other officers, the figure strode down the ramp with an air of absolute authority. The man was tall, with broad shoulders and an almost regal posture. His face was sharp, angular, and cold, with piercing blue eyes that seemed to cut through anyone they landed on.

    His black uniform was pristine, adorned with silver accents that gleamed under the harsh light of the deck. A white fur collar draped over his shoulders, adding to the imposing presence of the man.

    Albert straightened, acknowledging the figure with a subtle nod. The man didn''t return the gesture but continued his approach with measured steps, his gaze scanning the officers around him before finally settling back on Albert.

    "Welcome, Governor Vance. It¡¯s a pleasure that you could grace us with your¡ª"

    Vance put up a hand in front of him. "Let¡¯s skip the pleasantries Albert. I¡¯d rather not this take all day again."

    Albert''s expression remained unchanged as he lowered his hand. "Of course, Governor," he said coolly, his voice steady. "Please, if you could come with me."

    Vance gave a brief nod. "Lead the way."

    Albert turned on his heel and began walking toward the entrance of the facility. The officers behind him fell into step, forming a tight escort around Governor Vance and his entourage.

    The group moved briskly along the landing deck, and as they passed through the wide entrance into the facility, Albert slowed his pace so that he could fall in step beside Vance. The governor''s cold gaze flickered briefly toward him, but he said nothing.

    The corridor they entered was tall and utilitarian, its white metallic walls gleaming under the sterile light. The sound of boots against the metal floor echoed in the space.

    "We have prepared today¡¯s event for your enjoyment, Governor," Albert said. "Later today you will see the brilliant power we have fostered into the floor ten inmates."

    "I¡¯d rather not watch weaklings squabble amongst themselves," Vance said as he clasped his hands behind his back. "This competition will only prove that the floor ten inmates are superior, if you have been training them properly."

    "Yes, Governor," Albert replied smoothly, his tone carefully measured. "But that¡¯s exactly what I want to show you. The difference in power between the ruffians that come in here to be trained, and the end products of our program. This won¡¯t be a standard competition Governor, it¡¯ll be a showcase."

    Vance glanced at Albert, his expression unreadable. "Results are all that matter. I don''t care for the unnecessary spectacle. If your ''showcase'' doesn¡¯t live up to my expectations, then you know what that means for your position."

    Albert resisted the urge to swallow hard. "Understood, Governor. I assure you, the results will speak for themselves."

    ***

    The morning passed in tense preparation. The sprawling facility buzzed with activity as officers and staff scurried to ensure everything went as planned. Albert had spent the last hour personally inspecting the alteration platform, a massive, circular stage at the top of the facility.

    With its advanced tech, the platform had a unique ability to transform into any environment, from barren landscapes to lush, dense jungles, and even urban cityscapes. It was a piece of equipment where the governor invested a lot of money into building it.

    Now, with the stage set and everything in place, Albert could only hope that Owen would meet his match in the competition. If he could get him under his control, this would solidify Albert¡¯s credibility in the governor''s eyes.

    Albert looked down at his watch and noted the time. It was almost noon, and the showcase was set to begin in less than thirty minutes. So he moved towards the edge of the platform, with the floor opening up beneath him, and a sleek elevator rising to meet him. He stepped inside and descended below.

    ***

    The sound of inmates murmuring and shuffling echoed through the halls of the facility. The anticipation in the air was palpable, an electric charge that seemed to vibrate through the cold, sterile walls.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    They were heading to the staging area, a massive chamber just beneath the alteration platform. Isaac was in the midst of the moving crowd. He was ushered onto a moving platform that transported them towards the top of the facility. Then he was directed into the staging area, a cavernous room where the bright lights above illuminated the space.

    To the left of Isaac, a huge screen, that was split into two halves, was displaying a live feed from both sides of the alteration platform above. The images were showing a lush, forest environment set up for the first match of the competition.

    To the right of him, were rows and rows of seats stretching all the way to the farthest corners of the chamber, that were being filled in by inmates. He looked up, and could see the seats reaching up to the high ceiling like a theatre.

    At the top, a box overlooked the entire area. Isaac figured that it was reserved for the high ranking officials.

    Putting his hands in his pockets, he searched for a vacant seat. He spotted one near the center of the room, just a few rows from the front. The seats around it were occupied by a mix of prisoners, some talking quietly among themselves, others staring ahead with a hard, focused look in their eyes.

    Isaac made his way through the aisles, careful not to bump into anyone. The room was alive with hushed conversations and low murmurs, each voice carrying a sense of expectancy.

    As he settled into the seat, Isaac''s heart began to race. His friends were going to be on the platform soon, and the tension was starting to build. He couldn''t help but glance nervously at the screen. Who was going to appear first?

    As his mind wandered, a voice came from the side.

    "Long time no see, Isaac."

    Isaac turned toward the voice. A young woman with striking ginger hair, that fell just below her shoulders, and freckles that dotted her pale skin smiled at him brightly. Her green eyes were mixed with specks of blue.

    Isaac blinked in surprise, momentarily caught off guard by the familiar face.

    "Marie?" he said, his voice a mix of shock and disbelief.

    Her smile widened. "It¡¯s been a longtime since we¡¯ve talked to each other face to face," she looked down at Isaac''s inhibitor bracelet. "How¡¯s May doing?"

    Isaac looked down and stroked the bracelet. "She¡¯s doing fine. How about you?"

    "I¡¯m good," she pointed to the empty seat next to him. "Can I sit down?"

    Isaac nodded, "Of course."

    Marie slid into the seat beside him, her posture relaxed. She glanced up at the screen. "This Owen guy you have been telling me about, is he going to be the first one that fights?"

    Isaac shook his head. "No idea, but probably not."

    Marie leaned back in her seat, her gaze lingering on the screen as the images shifted. "I wonder if your friends can hold their own against the floor ten guys."

    Isaac let out a slow breath, his eyes fixed on the lush forest projected above. "That¡¯s what I¡¯m wondering too. But the thing is, maybe there is something more I could have done to help them."

    Marie glanced at him. "Like what?"

    "I don''t know. Trained with them more, pushed them harder, or maybe even¡­ joining them."

    "You know you couldn¡¯t have done that. You¡¯d risk revealing your true abilities."

    Isaac frowned. "Maybe," he admitted. "But sitting here while they¡¯re up there, fighting¡­ it feels wrong."

    Marie didn¡¯t respond immediately. Instead, she turned her attention back to the screen. She then spoke after a moment of silence. "Have you given it some thought Isaac? About us escaping?"

    Isaac could hear the tone of her voice becoming more serious. "With both of our insignia abilities, we could easily get out of here."

    Isaac looked at her. They had arrived at pretty much the same time at the facility, meeting on floor five. But while he was demoted from floor to floor, Marie was moved up for her exceptional behaviour. But she wasn¡¯t only moved up because of that. Her insignia ability, the death insignia, had the potential to be one of the strongest insignia powers in the facility. The ability to control the concept of death was a very sought out power.

    "Give me more time to think about it," Isaac said, his voice low. "I¡¯m not sure if now is the right moment."

    Marie didn¡¯t seem upset by his hesitation. Instead, she just nodded, her eyes flicking toward the screen again.

    "Alright. I need to go back home, but I¡¯ll wait till you¡¯re ready."

    A voice came over the loudspeaker, cutting through the noise of the room. "Attention all inmates. The first match will begin shortly."

    Isaac''s stomach tightened. The atmosphere in the room shifted, the murmur of voices gradually dying down as every eye turned toward the screen. Beside Isaac, Marie straightened in her seat.

    "Get ready," she whispered. "It''s about to start."

    ***

    Owen was sat in a room with Will, Grace, Jason and Kenneth. In front of him was a screen showing the forest environment. To the left of him, near the back wall, was an elevator that would take them up to the platform.

    They had been assigned an order In which they would come out in. The first to fight will be Will. Then Kenneth as the second, Jason as the third, Grace as the fourth, and finally Owen as the last one.

    Owen leaned forward in his seat, his fingers tightening into fists. The heavy silence in the room was oppressive, and the anticipation gnawed at his nerves. He glanced at Will, who was staring down at the floor. A bead of sweat ran down the side of his face.

    "Are you nervous?" Owen asked quietly, in a calming voice.

    Will¡¯s face snapped to his. He was about to shake his head no but paused, his eyes locking with Owen''s.

    "Maybe¡­" Will started, his voice low and almost strained. "Maybe a little."

    Owen smiled. "It¡¯s alright to feel that way. We all get nervous, but you¡¯ve trained for this. Just remember everything we¡¯ve worked on."

    Will nodded, though it was clear his mind was racing. He took a deep breath, and for a moment, the room was filled with nothing but the quiet hum of the screen.

    But then a robotic voice sounded from the speaker above. "The first contestant, step into the elevator."

    Will¡¯s blood ran cold as the elevator doors slid open with a soft hiss.

    Will stood up slowly, wiping his palms against his pants. His heart hammered in his chest, but he took a deep breath, pushing back the flood of nerves. He could do this. He had trained for this.

    "Good luck, Will," Owen said, his voice steady but carrying a weight of encouragement.

    Will gave a weak nod, his eyes not meeting Owen¡¯s as he stepped into the elevator. The elevator doors closed behind him, and the platform beneath him rumbled to life.

 Chapter 31 - The First Match

    Will stood rigid as the elevator ascended. The hum of the machinery filled the small space, and the cold metal walls seemed to press in around him. He clenched and unclenched his fists, forcing himself to breathe evenly.

    A sharp ding signaled his arrival. The doors slid open, revealing the forest. Will stepped out and surveyed his surroundings. The forest stretched out in every direction, with tall trees looming overhead.

    The silence of the place pressed in on him. No wind. No birds. Just the distant rustling of leaves and the faint creak of branches. It felt unnatural.

    Will exhaled slowly and moved forward, his steps cautious. The ground was firm beneath his shoes, a mix of packed dirt and fallen leaves. His eyes darted from tree to tree, scanning for movement. He knew somewhere out there that his opponent was waiting for him. He just didn¡¯t know where.

    His mind wondered back to Owen. He had failed him in not becoming an intermediate essence user in time. That thought lingered, gnawing at the back of his mind. He had trained, pushed himself, stuffed himself full with aether pills, but he still hadn''t broken through.

    And now, stepping out here into the arena, he wondered¡ªwould Owen think he was useless if he lost this match and then throw him away, just like his parents did?

    Will tightened his fist. He had to win, no matter what.

    A branch snapped to his right. Will¡¯s breath hitched as he spun, his stance shifting instinctively. His fingers flexed, essence surging through him, ready to react. But there was nothing¡ªjust the trees, still and silent.

    He swallowed hard and kept moving, his muscles tense. Was he being watched already? He thought back on the advice he had recieved.

    ''Your opponent will be a rank higher than you, so he¡¯ll notice you before you see him. Be ready at anytime.''

    Another sound, this time behind him. A blur of movement in the corner of his vision.

    Will whipped around, heart pounding. He barely had time to register what it was before a force slammed into his side.

    The impact sent Will sprawling. His back hit the ground hard, knocking the air from his lungs. He gasped, rolling onto his side as pain flared in his ribs. His mind raced. What hit him? Where was it now?

    He forced himself up, eyes darting around. A long, thick grey tail disappeared behind a tree, vanishing into the shadows. Will''s breath came fast and shallow. They were there.

    He clenched his teeth and pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the dull ache in his side. He ran after the tail as his legs pounded against the earth.

    Will''s focus narrowed as he tracked the flicker of movement. He hightened his senses as he ran, and looked for any sign of his opponent.

    Another rustle came from the left. He spun, essence surging, ready to strike. But again, nothing. His heart hammered in his chest as he slowly backed up, cautious, his senses on high alert. Was he being toyed with?

    Then, the unmistakable sound of something heavy moving through the brush came from behind him. Will turned, just in time to see the tail whip toward him, a blur of grey and power.

    It hit him hard in the chest, causing him to gasp for air. It then wrapped itself around his neck and squeezed tight, lifting him off the ground. Will¡¯s hands scrambled, grasping at the thick tail as his breath became more strained.

    The tail then pulled him across the forest floor with ease, dragging him through the dirt. Will kicked and thrashed, his legs flailing, but the tail held firm.

    It eventually dragged him through a wide open field, throwing him up loose, and he landed hard on his back. Pain shot through his spine as he struggled to catch his breath.

    Will rolled to his side, pushing himself to his knees. Out from the forest, a man emerged, tall and broad-shouldered, his dark hair tied back in a messy ponytail. His eyes were cold and calculating, and a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he slowly approached Will.

    The tail came out from behind the man, retracting smoothly as it slithered back into place like an extension of his own body.

    "Sup, little man," the man said, his voice low and mocking. "I¡¯d advice you quit. Don¡¯t wanna have to beat your ass."

    Will snarled. He began partially transforming into his honey badger form. A low growl escaped his lips as his nails turned into claws, teeth turned into fangs, and his senses became even sharper.

    The man looked unphased. In fact, he seemed to open his mouth into a wide smile, clearly amused. A forked tongue fell out of his mouth as he chuckled. "Ha, I warned you."

    Will dug his claws into the ground, and propelled himself forward. The man¡¯s smirk didn¡¯t fade as Will charged at him. The tail flicked again, and Will thought he was ready for it this time, but it moved faster than it did before.

    The tail snapped forward like a whip, slamming into the side of Will''s head before he could react. The force sent him tumbling across the dirt, his shoulder slamming into the ground hard enough to jolt his vision. He gritted his teeth, pain radiating throughout his head.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    He barely had time to push himself up before the tail slammed down onto his back. Will''s arms buckled, and his face hit the dirt. His vision swam and every breath he drew became a struggle.

    The tail retreated once again, and Will gasped for air, his body trembling with pain. He looked up warily at the man. His tail was curled up, ready to strike again.

    Will decided it was time to use his insignia ability. He hid his presence and disappeared from the man¡¯s view.

    The man raised an eyebrow and glanced around. Will had stood up, moving back a little and focused on circulating essence through his body to recover his injuries.

    The man scanned the field more carefully. Then he stuck out his forked tongue and lapped it around the air.

    He then spoke out loud. "You¡¯ve completely vanished, huh?"

    He looked at the place where Will was layed out flat on the ground moments ago. He struck that place with his tail with a swift, powerful lash, his tail slamming into the dirt with a loud thud.

    Seeing that he struck nothing, he put his hands against his hips. "So your insignia ability doesn¡¯t turn you invisible, or I would have noticed you move away from that spot," he then looked up in the air. "I don¡¯t think you can fly, or teleport away. Then that means you¡¯re still here somewhere. Does your power allow you to bypass people¡¯s perception?"

    The man then smiled widely. "Then I¡¯ll just have to look harder."

    He surged essence into his eyes. They landed onto Will¡¯s shocked face, and the man¡¯s smile seemed to grow even wider.

    "I see you."

    The man crouched down and leaped through the air. Will barely had time to react. The heavy fist slammed down onto his head. Will reeled for a moment, but clenched his teeth and swiped at him with his claw.

    The man didn''t flinch as Will¡¯s claws raked across his chest. He instead used his other fist to launch Will several feet into the air. He then grabbed him with his tail and slammed him down on the ground.

    The man smiled as Will lay there, dazed and struggling to catch his breath.

    "Are you going to give up now?" He said. "You don¡¯t stand a chance against me."

    But the slow rise of Will¡¯s body showed that he wasn¡¯t finished yet. His eyes burned with determination as he turned to stare down the man. Hairs began sprouting from his arms, his muscles bulging as he shifted further into his honey badger form.

    Will tilted his head back and let out a defiant roar, the sound rumbling from deep within his chest. With a growl, he charged forward again, moving faster this time.

    The man¡¯s smirk didn¡¯t fade as Will came at him. Will pulled back his arm, and then with a big overhead swing, clawed at the man¡¯s chest. But sparks flared as his claws met something hard.

    Will looked up, only to see grey scales covering the man¡¯s chest like armour. His claws left no mark. The man smirked as his tail whipped out, aiming for Will''s side.

    With a growl, Will jumped up and kicked the side of the man¡¯s neck. But he winced as his foot struck the same hardened scales. It felt like kicking solid stone. The impact barely moved the man, but Will pushed off against him and used the momentum to flip backwards, landing on all fours.

    The man tilted his head. Almost casually, he leaned forward and launched himself at Will with explosive speed. Will put up a guard, but the man''s fist plowed through it, slamming into Will¡¯s face like a sledgehammer.

    The man didn¡¯t give him time to recover. His fists moved again and again, each punch landing with brutal force. Will¡¯s head snapped back, blood spraying from his mouth. He barely stayed on his feet, his body staggering under the relentless assault.

    A final blow struck his gut, knocking the wind out of him. Will''s vision blurred as he fell to his knees. The man crouched down in front of him.

    "Stubborn little guy, aren¡¯t you?" The man reached out and grabbed Will¡¯s hair, forcing him to look up. "I''ve been going easy on you, but I¡¯ve gotta admit, you¡¯re pretty tenacious."

    Will stared back at the man. He knew he had to use all of his essence now for one final attack. If he didn¡¯t, then there would be no way he would be winning this fight.

    He forced his battered body to move, drawing on every last bit of essence he had left. He condensed it all into his right arm.

    The man noticed the shift and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Still got some fight in you?¡± He chuckled. ¡°There''s no point in¨C"

    Will didn''t let him finish. He swung his essence-infused fist straight into the man''s gut. For the first time, the man''s expression changed¡ªhis eyes widened slightly, and his smirk faltered. The impact sent a shockwave through his body, and his feet actually slid back in the dirt. A grunt escaped his lips as he instinctively released his grip on Will''s hair.

    Will felt his strength leave him as the final bit of essence drained from his body, but it didn¡¯t matter. The strike had landed. His vision blurred, and his limbs felt like lead, but there was satisfaction in seeing the man falter.

    The man staggered back a few steps, staring at the spot where Will had hit him. For a moment, there was silence. The man ran his fingers over his abdomen, feeling the heat from the impact. Then he scrunched up his face and let out a low chuckle.

    "Now you¡¯re just being annoying."

    He walked up to Will and lifted up his foot. Then he stomped down hard onto his thigh, a sickening crack echoing through the clearing. Pain exploded through Will''s leg, and a strangled cry tore from his throat.

    The man turned around and walked a few steps away from Will. He looked around on the ground for a few seconds and then crouched down and picked up a stick.

    The man twirled the stick between his fingers, testing its weight. Then he turned back to face Will and crouched down to place the stick into the ground beside him.

    "I¡¯m going to teach you a lesson," he said. "This is what happens when you stand against the strong."

    The man held the stick in place. Then, to Will¡¯s surprise, it grew larger and thicker. It kept growing, becoming larger than the man, then towering overhead like a massive tree trunk. The man was stood besides it, clutching the wood with one of his hands. Then with a smile, he pulled the massive wood down towards Will, the sheer force of it sending a gust of wind through the clearing.

    Will tried to move but his body refused to budge. And in the next moment, his body was crushed under the weight of the massive wooden trunk. The force of the blow sent shockwaves through the ground. For a little while after that, there was no sound.

    The man walked up close to the trunk, then with an essence enhanced leg, kicked the log to the side. He looked down at Will; the boy remained motionless. Blood stained the grass around him, and he was barely breathing.

    The man looked down at him and shook his head. He then turned to look away. Was the match over now? It had taken longer than he had liked to bring down Will, but now it was finally over. But when he turned back to look at him, he found him standing right in front of him.

    The man took a shocked step backwards. Will was bloodied and bruised. His eyes held a burning fury. But Will stumbled slightly, then his eyes rolled back into his head. His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground.

    The man raised an eyebrow, a mix of surprise and annoyance on his face. "What the hell...?"

    He looked down at Will¡¯s collapsed form. This time he knew the fight was over.

    "You should¡¯ve known your limits. I don¡¯t understand why you kept fighting while knowing you wouldn¡¯t win," the man¡¯s face hardened. "But in the future, you¡¯ll probably become an incredible fighter."

 Chapter 32 - The Strength Of A Warrior

    Owen''s hands were clutching the sides of his head, with his eyes looking down at the floor. He had expected that Will would lose¡ªbut not like this.

    The room was silent, except for the low hum of the screen in front of them. No one spoke. No one moved. The match had ended too quickly. Too brutally.

    Five minutes had passed since that match, and now they were preparing the alteration platform for the next one.

    The silence in the room was becoming suffocating. The minutes dragged on as they waited for the next round to begin. Owen¡¯s mind replayed the fight over and over again. He shouldn¡¯t have included a kid in the lineup.

    When the voice of a robotic speaker echoed through the room, Owen''s thoughts were interrupted.

    "Second contestant, step into the elevator."

    Kenneth stood up abruptly. But instead of walking towards the elevator, he headed towards the opposite side of the room where the exit was. Grace watched with wide eyes as he went.

    "Kenneth?" She asked.

    Owen¡¯s head looked up as he heard Grace''s voice. Kenneth was at the door, where a square red button was next to the frame. It was the forfeit button. If he pressed it, he would automatically lose the match, no questions asked.

    Owen stood up in reaction, his fist clenching. "Kenneth, what the hell are you doing?"

    Kenneth turned his head around. A cold look was on his face. "It¡¯s stupid to go against Arden."

    He then raised his fist and slammed it into the button. The sound of the button clicking echoed in the room, and Owen¡¯s heart sank. He stood frozen, staring at Kenneth, disbelief written across his face.

    "You damn coward."

    Owen¡¯s voice was low but sharp, the anger rising in his chest. He took a step toward Kenneth, his fists clenched at his sides. "Did you not see Will get torn apart out there? And you¡¯re just going to quit? Is that it?"

    Anger also flashed in Kenneth''s eyes. "You idealistic fool. Do you think this is some game? You¡¯re not some warrior going against a monster. You¡¯re a maggot trying to stand up to a titan. Wake up and realize what you are."

    The door slid open with a soft hiss, and Kenneth stepped through it without another word. But he did turn back around, taking one last look at Jason before the door closed behind him.

    The room fell into an even deeper silence after Kenneth left. Owen was still staring at the door, his mind a blur of frustration and disbelief.

    He then turned to Jason, who had been quietly observing the entire exchange.

    "Why¡¯d he look at you like that?" Owen asked. He then narrowed his eyes at him. "Are you in cahoots with him?"

    Jason was silent, his gaze steadily looking at him. He nodded and spoke calmly. "Yeah. We were offered by the floor five overseer to forfeit the matches¡ªwith the reward being an advancement to the next floor."

    Owen clenched his jaw, but a moment later let out a breath and rubbed his face with his hand. His anger simmered down, replaced by a mix of frustration and resignation.

    "I really could have done with knowing this information beforehand." Owen muttered as he went and sat back down in his seat.

    Grace spoke up. "So are you also going to quit?"

    Jason was about to answer but the sound of the robotic voice cut him off.

    "Next contestant, step into the elevator."

    Everyone in the room turned their attention to the screen. The arena that was prepared for the second match hadn¡¯t been changed. A small city-like environment had been set up, with grey buildings and narrow alleyways.

    Jason stood up and turned to look at Owen.

    "It¡¯ll be important for you to fight in that final match, right?"

    "Yeah, it will be. If I don¡¯t get to take part in my match-up, I won¡¯t be able to reaffirm people¡¯s believe in me, and I won¡¯t get a chance to dethrone the top-dog in this place."

    Jason nodded. "Alright, then. I¡¯ll help bring you there."

    He moved toward the elevator, not sparing another glance at Owen.

    Owen watched Jason move toward the elevator, and once he entered he said, "Thanks."

    The elevator doors closed behind Jason, and the room fell silent once more.

    ***

    Jason stepped out of the elevator into the new arena. The grey buildings loomed over him, casting long shadows across the narrow street he was on.

    Looking at his sides, streets crossed in a grid-like pattern, and the area felt eerily deserted. There was a faint hum in the air, like distant machinery, but otherwise, it was quiet. Jason marched forward, his steps wide and steady.

    His eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for any movement, any sign of his opponent. Then, in the far distance in front of him, a figure was coming into view. Jason stopped, narrowing his eyes.

    The figure was moving slowly. As they came closer, Jason could make out the details¡ªa short skinny young man with pale skin and dark, sunken eyes. A bowl cut of black hair framed his face as he walked toward Jason.

    As he came, a pink aura spilled out from the young man, and Jason instinctively tensed. He coursed his own essence through his body and prepared himself for the encounter.

    The figure stopped a few feet away, then unexpectedly, he instantly appeared right in front of Jason, teleporting without a sound.

    "I¡¯m Theo," the young man said, with his voice lacking emotion. "And yours?"

    "Jason." he replied flatly, his hands lifting up to guard the sides of his face.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    "Then let¡¯s get started." Theo¡¯s pink aura flared as he raised a hand.

    Jason prepared to throw out an overhead punch but before he could, Jason felt the street beneath his feet vanish for a second, and he then found himself a couple of buildings down the street away from Theo. He had been teleported.

    Jason¡¯s eyes quickly landed back on Theo. The man had his arms raised pointed to the side. He then crossed them over in front of his chest, and Jason heard the buildings to the side of him shift and groan.

    His instincts screamed for him to move, so he did but he barely managed to take a step before the buildings moved and crashed into him like two boulders smashing into him from both sides.

    Jason grunted as stone and rubble slammed into his body. Heavy stone fell on top of him, and for a moment he was pinned under the debris.

    His chest heaved as he pushed against the weight, struggling to free himself. Jason gritted his teeth, and roared as his muscles were filled with strength. He exploded out of the debris, sending rubble flying in all directions.

    Up in the air, his eyes fell on Theo. Using his insignia ability, Jason strengthened the air particles diagonally behind him, creating a bouncy air-shield, which he pushed off of, launching himself like a rocket straight at Theo.

    Theo¡¯s eyes widened slightly as he came. But at the last moment, Theo raised his hand, and Jason found himself instantly face first on the street.

    His body slid to a halt, as he struggled to push himself up. The impact had been jarring, his head spinning for a moment. He gritted his teeth, eyes narrowing as he looked up. Theo was standing a few feet away, calmly looking at Jason.

    Jason clutched two pieces of debris near him in a hand, and he hurled them toward Theo, using his enhanced strength to send the rubble flying with precision.

    Theo didn¡¯t flinch. He raised a hand and, with a flick of his wrist, the debris vanished into thin air, as though it had never existed.

    Jason clenched his jaw as Theo¡¯s calm demeanour only seemed to make his irritation grow.

    Jason pushed himself to his feet, glaring at Theo. He then clutched his hands and began partially transforming into his beast form. Small horns sprouted from his head, and black sideburns extended down to his jawline.

    His muscles bulged as he crouched down like an animal. With rapid movement, Jason launched himself to the right with him disappearing out of Theo¡¯s view by rounding the corner of one of the buildings.

    Once Jason was parallel to where he thought Theo¡¯s location was, he halted to a stop, and pulled back his arms. He infused his muscles with greater strength and shot out his fists toward the wall of the building in front of him.

    With a shockwave of force, the whole building exploded to the side sending debris flying in Theo''s direction. A cloud of dust and rubble filled the air, obscuring everything. Jason marched into the dust cloud, his senses heightened.

    He clapped together his hands and released a shockwave of air that cleared the cloud, sending the dust scattering in all directions. Through the clearing smoke, Jason found that Theo wasn¡¯t there.

    A moment of unsettling silence passed as Jason looked around, but then he heard a subtle noise far above him.

    Jason¡¯s gaze shot up just in time to see Theo hovering above him, suspended in mid-air with his essence swirling around him. His finger was raised above his head, and he brought it down swiftly like he was slicing through the air itself.

    Jason¡¯s enhanced hearing allowed him to hear the words as they left Theo¡¯s mouth. "Divide."

    Instinctually, Jason put up his arms to defend himself. A sharp force split through the air, and Jason felt an invisible pressure tear down onto his arms. The street beneath him cracked in a clean line, splitting apart as if an unseen blade had cut through it.

    Jason gritted his teeth as pain flared through his arms. Jason staggered back, blood trickling from his arms where the force had struck.

    Theo had teleported again, appearing a few feet away from him. He pointed a finger at Jason¡¯s head, and then moved his hand down to point to the ground.

    "Add."

    Jason¡¯s body jerked downward as if an invisible force had multiplied his weight tenfold. His knees buckled, and he slammed into the ground, the impact shaking the street beneath him. His muscles strained under the sudden pressure, and for a moment, he could barely move.

    Jason growled, as he tore himself free from the crushing force with sheer brute strength. Jason pushed himself up, and like the bull he was, charged forward again.

    But still it was a fruitless attempt. Theo teleported again, appearing behind Jason in an instant. Before Jason could react, Theo thrust his palm into Jason¡¯s back.

    Jason then felt himself being pulled forward. The world blurred around him, and before he could recover, he was crashing into a building.

    He slammed through the wall, the force of the hit sending him crashing through the structure''s interior, and out through the other side of the building. He landed and then rolled across a street.

    Jason groaned as he came to a stop. His hand came down on the ground to steady himself, but suddenly the street vanished out from underneath him, and he found himself free-falling toward the arena below. His stomach dropped, and his heart raced as he tried to regain his bearings in the air.

    Theo appeared in the air with him and placed a hand on Jason¡¯s back before pushing down, forcing Jason to accelerate toward the ground. Jason gritted his teeth as the wind whipped past him.

    He hit the ground hard, crashing into the street''s surface with a bone-jarring impact. A crater formed beneath him, and for a brief moment, everything went dark. His body ached, and his vision swam as he struggled to get back up.

    With a grunt, Jason slammed his fist down into the ground. He needed to get up. He brought himself to his feet, gritting his teeth through the pain.

    Theo was still high up in the air. His essence surged out of him once again, and Jason heard him say, "Multiply."

    Jason¡¯s suddenly felt like his body weight had tripled. His legs buckled under the pressure as he collapsed to his knees, barely able to stay upright. The weight was overwhelming, crushing him into the ground.

    "Divide."

    Jason felt the sharp, invisible force split through him again, slicing through his back like he was some meat in a butcher¡¯s shop. The slices kept, raining down on him relentlessly.

    Jason gritted his teeth, refusing to scream as blood spilled out from each painful new wound. Dust and rubble kicked up as the pressure continued to build.

    Through the haze of pain and blood, and with his hands shaking, Jason pressed against the ground, and tried to push himself up.

    "Enough." Jason muttered through clenched teeth, his voice ragged.

    As the slashes kept raining down, Jason strengthened his voice with his insignia ability. Then with every ounce of his willpower he roared upwards, his voice reverberating through the air.

    Jason noticed that Theo had clutched his head, wincing at the force of the roar. The pressure around Jason lightened for just a moment. Seizing the opportunity, Jason lumbered to an unscathed building and dug his fingers down into the structure. With a powerful grunt, he tore the building from the ground, and hurled the building towards Theo with all his might.

    Theo widened his eyes, his focus shifting just as the massive piece of concrete hurtled toward him. With a snap of his fingers, Theo teleported, vanishing from the path of the projectile.

    He appeared a few meters away from where he had vanished. He took a breather for a moment, but his eyes widened in surprise when he heard Jason''s roar again, coming extremely close.

    He turned his head just in time to see a fully transformed Jason leaping straight at him. Theo barely had time to react as Jason''s hand grabbed the neck of him, and was dragged through the air.

    Jason pulled back his arm, dragging Theo through the air like a ragdoll, and hurled him down, sending him into the side of the building.

    Theo smashed through the wall and came out the other side of the building, landing and rolling onto the street.

    Theo lay on the street for a moment, stunned by the force of the impact. He groaned as he pushed himself up.

    Jason landed a few feet away, cracking the ground beneath him. Theo gritted his teeth and turned his head towards Jason. He tried lifting his arm but Jason was already charging forward, his body a blur of motion.

    Theo felt the air leave his lungs as he was slammed into the side of a building by Jason¡¯s charge. He was carried through the wall, smashing out the other side, and smashing again into the next building.

    Jason didn¡¯t stop. Like a raging train he kept pushing forward, his momentum relentless. The sound of shattered concrete filled the air as Jason smashed through an endless stream of walls.

    Jason slammed Theo into the next building with such force that the entire structure cracked and collapsed under the impact.

    Dust and debris filled the air as the building crumbled around them. Out through the chaos, a lone figure stood amidst the wreckage.

    Jason, breathing heavily, and slowly transforming out of his beast form, stood over Theo¡¯s motionless body, his fists still clenched. His breaths came in ragged bursts, his muscles aching from the exertion. Blood dripped from the numerous wounds across his body, but he remained standing.

    He had triumphed, but barely.

    He looked up at the sky as he basked in the moment, his chest rising and falling with each heavy breath.

    "I am strength¡­"

 Chapter 33 - The Broken Chains

    Up from the viewing box, the place had become silent after the third round of the competition had ended. Albert was quiet as he rested his fist against his palm. In a seat in front of him sat Governor Vance.

    The man leaned back in his chair. "This has been rather disappointing so far, warden," Vance said, exhaling sharply. "All I¡¯ve seen so far is a display of mediocrity. If you wanted me to see the strengths of these candidates, then you¡¯ve failed to deliver." He tapped his fingers against the armrest, his impatience clear.

    Albert didn¡¯t respond immediately. The silence between them stretched for a moment before he finally spoke. "The competition isn''t over yet, Governor. These next two inmates¡ªthey¡¯re different," Albert¡¯s gaze remained fixed on the large screen beyond the viewing box. "And especially the girl that can do embodiment, she¡¯ll surely meet your expectations."

    Governor Vance scoffed and crossed his arms. "If they fail to impress, I¡¯ll be holding you accountable, Albert."

    ***

    Grace was stretching her arms, rolling her shoulders as she prepared for her match. To her right, Owen was sat in his seat, his eyes focused on the screen displaying the alteration platform.

    "It¡¯s a dessert now, huh?"

    Grace shot him a quick glance. "Looks that way."

    "There won¡¯t be any cover for you to use when they throw you in there," Owen said, his voice low. "You¡¯ll have to face your opponent head on."

    Grace cracked her neck, her muscles tense as she considered his words. "I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ve trained for this."

    Owen gave a nod, but there was a hint of concern in his eyes. "Just try not to waste your essence needlessly."

    Grace nodded and let out a deep breath, letting the tension out of her shoulders. Her hands were steady, but she felt like there was a knot in her stomach.

    If she lost her match, then they would lose the whole competition, and she would be dooming the plan for escape Owen had been working on. The pressure weighed heavily on her, but she had no choice but to push forward.

    Her thoughts went back to Will. She was older than the kid, but she was also still a novice essence user. Will didn¡¯t stand a chance when he faced his opponent. How would she fair?

    Again, Grace let out a steady breath, trying to calm the nervous energy that buzzed inside her.

    A moment later, the voice of a robotic voice echoed through the room.

    "Next contestant, step into the elevator."

    Grace took a final, steadying breath before walking over towards where the elevator was. She glanced at Owen, who gave her a reassuring nod.

    "You¡¯ll win this." he said, his voice now sounding more confident.

    "I will," Grace replied, offering him a small smile. "After my match is done, I won¡¯t be here to hype you up for your own match. So you better make sure you win too."

    A smirk appeared on Owen''s face. "Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure to finish strong."

    Grace stepped into the elevator, the doors closing behind her with a soft hiss. The floor beneath her feet hummed as the elevator ascended.

    The elevator then slowed to a stop, and the doors opened. The vast rolling hills of sand stretched out before her. Luckily, the place didn¡¯t actually mimic a real desert since the air was cool, and with no scorching sun overhead.

    But the landscape was still intimidating¡ªendless dunes, with her not being able to see the other side of the alteration platform.

    Grace stepped out of the elevator, her shoes sinking slightly into the soft sand. She moved forward with her eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of her opponent.

    She kicked up sand as she walked, her stance shifting slightly to adjust to the unstable footing. When she climbed to the top of a small dune, she spotted something rapidly approaching from the other side.

    It was a distant dark-grey blur moving fast across the sand, closing the distance with purpose. Grace tensed, surging essence throughout her body.

    She summoned chains in each of her hands and held them loosely in them. She then focused on the approaching figure.

    The blur sharpened into a clear shape¡ªa grey humanoid figure, dressed in a black tattered robe, its face obscured beneath a deep hood. The way it moved was unnatural, gliding over the sand without any visible effort.

    Grace knew what it was. A spirit.

    Her fingers tightened around the chains, and she took a step forward, eyes locked onto the spirit. She swung her arm and sent one of the chains shooting out toward the spirit.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    It whipped through the air with speed, but the spirit¡¯s form seemed to distort, the chain passing right through it as if it were made of smoke.

    Grace expected that and quickly adjusted. She pulled the chain back and prepared for the next strike. The spirit was fast though, and before she could react, it was already upon her.

    It reached out its hand to her face. Grace ducked just in time, the cold, ethereal fingers grazing the top of her head. She spun, using the momentum to launch the other chain toward the spirit''s midsection.

    The chain wrapped around it, but once again, the spirit flickered and the chain fell through its form.

    Grace moved , her feet digging into the sand as she evaded another swipe from the spirit. But the spirit then moved downwards, slamming its hand into the sand. It began fusing with the ground, its form shifting and becoming one with the sand.

    It sank beneath the surface, vanishing from sight. Then, Grace felt the sand beneath her move and shift, gathering a few metres away from her.

    The sand began to rise in a mound, and grew larger, eventually forming into a giant deformed head that rose from the ground like some twisted sculpture.

    The face that emerged was unsettling¡ªwith empty sockets and a gaping mouth that seemed to stretch too wide.

    Grace surged more essence through her legs and darted backward as the massive head lurched toward her.

    She barely avoided the massive maw as it crashed into the spot where she had stood, sending sand spraying in all directions.

    Grace whipped her chains toward the shifting sand, aiming to disrupt the form. But the chains caught in the shifting grains. She tried to pull them free but found them stuck, sinking deeper as the sand seemed to absorb them.

    Grace gritted her teeth and released her grip on the chains. She didn¡¯t want to waste her essence by summoning new ones, but it looks like she had no choice now.

    As she stepped back Grace summoned a chain, and then glanced around, looking for the spirit user. But she didn¡¯t see them anywhere.

    Usually a spirit essence user had to see the place where they were manipulating their spirit. That meant her opponent had the ability to see her even if she couldn¡¯t see them.

    The spirit moved forward, causing Grace to snap her attention back to it. She spun her chain around, increasing the speed of the swing, and sent it flying toward the giant sand head once again.

    This time it tore through the shifting sand, slicing through the grains like a hot knife through butter. The mass of sand dispersed with a sudden, violent burst, scattering in all directions.

    The sand scattered, but the spirit didn¡¯t vanish. It reformed almost immediately, its grey figure coalescing once more in the middle of the chaos.

    Grace didn¡¯t wait. She used her essence ability and created two doubles of her on either side of her.

    The two duplicates flickered into existence, mirroring her stance exactly. Grace didn¡¯t waste time¡ªshe and her copies rushed forward in unison, chains swinging. The spirit hesitated for a split second, its hollow sockets shifting between the three identical figures.

    Her rightmost double struck first, sending a chain slicing through the air. The spirit reacted as the chain passed through it, by intercepting the double¡ªjust as Grace had hoped. While it was distracted, Grace and her double dismissed their chains and moved past the spirit, running away. There was no point in fighting it. She had to find the master.

    Grace moved fast, her feet barely sinking into the sand as she sprinted away from the spirit. She used her essence ability to make more doubles of her, sending them in different directions to confuse her unseen opponent.

    ahead in different directions to confuse the spirit. She had made it a dozen paces before the sand beneath her seemed to retract backwards. The grains pulled back away unnaturally, like a tide receding before a wave.

    Grace had tripped, before rolling, then looking behind her to see what was happening. The sand was being pulled towards the spirits location, and like a mountain of sand, it gathered and grew, forming into a massive, shifting form that rose up high above her.

    And then, it all came crashing down. Grace¡¯s eyes widened as the sand came hurtling down towards her. There was no way she could outrun it.

    So she summoned a chain, and used her ability to control it to lift herself up in the air Her feet left the ground just as the massive weight of sand collided with the spot she¡¯d been standing, sending up a cloud of dust.

    She soared into the air, just out of reach of the sand, but she suddenly felt something wrap around her foot. Grace cursed under her breath as the sand tightened around her ankle, yanking her back down.

    She plummeted towards the ground and crashed into the sand with a hard thud. She sank deep into the sand, struggling to push herself free, but the sand kept pulling her down.

    She surged more essence throughout her body but the sand clung to her, as though it were alive, dragging her deeper with every desperate movement.

    As her neck was about to submerge beneath the sand, she wondered if this was the end. Her vision blurred as the grains closed in, and the crushing weight pressed against her chest, making it harder to breathe.

    Was she going to lose here? Without even seeing her enemy? No. She refused.

    Grace needed more strength, more power. She needed to break through her limits and attain something more.

    unbeknownst to her, an ethereal chain sprouted from the top of her head, glowing faintly with an eerie, pulsating light. It pulled against itself and began to stretch. Then a moment later, it snapped.

    Grace suddenly felt herself surging with power and the sand around her recoiled violently. She landed on her feet, breathing heavily, her entire body crackling with the new energy coursing through her. She looked down at her hand as it glowed with an intense, radiant energy. She didn¡¯t know what was happening but she knew it was the answer she needed.

    The sand came hurtling back in again, so Grace raised her arms, and then moved them

    in a sweeping motion. With just the air pressure alone, she sent a shockwave around her causing the sand to scatter and break apart before it could reach her again.

    Grace took a steadying breath, feeling the power within her move about. This new power was impressive, but she felt her essence begin to plummet. In just a few seconds she would no longer have any to use.

    So she used her enhanced senses to scan the entire arena, looking for any sign of the spirit user. He attention flickered over to the other side of the arena, and that¡¯s where she heard it, the faint breathing of her opponent.

    She spun toward the source, now certain of where her opponent was hiding. She raised her hand and sent out a chain that shot through the air with unparalleled speed.

    The desert parted as her chain went, eventually stopping and gripping something solid. Grace felt a jolt as it connected, and with a swift pull, she yanked the chain back to her.

    The figure of a man flying through the air, flailing uncontrollably, came into view. Grace caught him midair and slammed him hard into the ground with a resounding thud.

    The man was already unconscious, probably by the speed in which Grace had pulled him through the air. She stood over him, and felt her remaining reserves of essence leave her soul.

    She had used all of it, and the power she had gained was already starting to fade. Grace took a slow, steadying breath as she knelt beside her opponent. The battle was over, and she had won.

 Chapter 34 - The Lord Of The Sky

    The staging area was filled with noise as the inmates had just witnessed another floor ten inmate be beaten by a lower floor opponent. Whispers spread quickly through the crowd, and the mood shifted between disbelief and excitement.

    The name ''Owen'' also began to surface in the whispers. He was apparently the one who had declared he would free the inmates from Arden, and now, he was going to be the next person to step into the arena.

    From next to Isaac, Marie was turning around in her seat, noticing the buzz around Owen''s name.

    "Do you think that they are starting to believe in him?" Marie asked, her voice low but edged with curiosity.

    Isaac glanced over at her. "They¡¯re desperate," he muttered. "If anyone can offer them hope, they''ll latch onto it."

    He then leaned forward and looked at the screen in front of him. "Owen needs to win his match if he wants to keep that hope alive. One slip-up, and it''ll all fall apart."

    Marie nodded, her eyes focused on the screen as Owen¡¯s name flashed in bold letters. The crowd''s noise seemed to swell in anticipation, as if the arena itself could feel the shift in energy.

    Isaac gritted his teeth. "Come on Owen, don¡¯t you lose now."

    ***

    Grace''s win had greatly motivated Owen as he stood in the waiting room, stretching his arms and rolling his shoulders. It was now his turn to carry the momentum forward.

    He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, steadying his nerves. He waited for the signal to step into the elevator.

    And then it eventually came, "Last contestant, step into the elevator."

    Owen¡¯s eyes snapped open, and he strode forward without hesitation. The doors slid shut behind him, sealing him in a cage of steel and humming machinery. The elevator jolted into motion, rising toward the alteration platform above.

    Then after a short ride, the elevator stopped. The doors slid open with a mechanical hiss, and Owen stepped out of it. He was in a cave, with the opening of it leading out to the rest of the arena.

    He walked out of the cave and saw walls of jagged brown rock, stretching high above him. Sunlight streamed down through the openings, casting long shadows across the ground.

    Multiple paths ahead of Owen veered into different directions. He looked at each one before looking up above him. He used his essence ability and lifted himself off the ground and into the air.

    He passed the rock walls and landed on the flat top of a large plateau. From this vantage point, he could see the full scope of the arena¡ªan open space that stretched out into the horizon.

    Owen squinted his eyes and looked on beyond¡ªhe couldn¡¯t believe how large this place was. He then stuck his hands into his pocket and made his way across the plateau, his shoes crunching against the rough surface.

    As he walked along the plateau, skipping across cracks in the ground in the process, he thought back on the information about his opponent that he had gotten from Joyce.

    His opponent, a woman named Katherine, was the wielder of the Sky Insignia. Just from hearing that alone, he had some ideas on what her range of abilities could be.

    Owen noticed something black and small moving up across the sky and narrowed his eyes. It was a bird circling high above him, its silhouette cutting across the blue.

    He instantly pulled a hand out of his pocket and pointed a finger at the bird. A miniature fireball formed at the tip of his finger and he aimed carefully and released it, watching as the ball of fire shot through the air and collided with the bird.

    It exploded into a puff of smoke and feathers. Owen glanced back over at the terrain. Had she found him already?

    The wind suddenly started to shift, a sharp gust sweeping across the plateau. Owen tensed, his stance shifting slightly as he braced himself.

    The gust of wind picked up, and Owen felt it whip against his face. His eyes scanned the area, but there was no sign of Katherine yet. He used kinetic energy to part the wind around him, keeping himself steady.

    Then something suddenly descended from up above¡ªa blur of motion dropping down from the sky. Katherine landed on the plateau with a force that cracked the stone beneath her feet.

    Without hesitation, she raised up her hand towards Owen, and visible air began condensing into a ball in front of her palm. Owen reacted by doing the same and forming a ball of fire in his own hand.

    Katherine made the first move, launching her sphere of wind at him. Owen pushed forward his own attack, throwing it towards the oncoming sphere. The two elements collided mid-air with an explosive burst that encompassed both of them.

    What remained after the explosion was a ring of dissipating smoke and dust, swirling violently in the wind. Katherine raised up her hands and motioned them to the side, parting the smoke like a curtain.

    Owen was already in motion. He charged forward, his body brimming with a yellow aura. He closed the distance quickly and swung his fist, charged with kinetic energy, and aimed for her face.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Katherine caught the punch with one hand. She didn¡¯t budge but the impact sent a sharp crack through the air, and Owen could feel the force reverberate back into his arm. Her grip tightened around his fist, and she looked at him coldly.

    "I won¡¯t let you win."

    Owen smirked at her. "We''ll see about that."

    Katherine¡¯s grip on his fist didn¡¯t loosen, but Owen wasn¡¯t about to stay still. He brought up his other hand, and with a crazed grin, let out a violent burst of flame from his palm.

    The fire burst out like a torrent, engulfing Katherine momentarily in it. A flame-covered silhouette moved backwards. Katherine used her air control to whip the flames away and send them scattering into the wind.

    She was unscathed but she was visibly annoyed. Owen didn¡¯t wait for her to recover. He launched himself forward again, this time twisting his body mid-air and bringing his leg down aiming at her head.

    Katherine raised her arm and summoned a sudden gust of wind that caught and launched Owen backwards into the air. Owen spun uncontrollably in the air for a moment, before he used his kinetic energy to steady himself, flip mid-air, and land on the ground with a solid thud.

    He barely managed to regain his balance before Katherine was on him again. She shot forward like a streak of lightning, her movements propelled by concentrated bursts of wind.

    Katherine¡¯s fist came crashing towards him and clipped his cheek as he twisted out of the way. He countered by swinging his elbow into her ribs, but she quickly used the wind to shift her position backwards, dodging the blow.

    She came back in, throwing out a hurl of fast punches. Owen blocked a few and threw out his own attacks. A blur of movement followed, with both combatants relentlessly exchanging blows.

    Then, as Owen landed a blow against her guard, a white steamy fog billowed forth from Katherine''s body and expanded rapidly. Owen¡¯s vision was obscured, and he coughed, his throat burning from the sudden chill in the air. He didn¡¯t hesitate, as he felt Katherine move to his left with his kinetic vision.

    He swung his fist backwards and connected with something solid¡ªKatherine¡¯s jaw. The blow sent her reeling for a moment, but she quickly recovered and pulled back her arm to launch her own punch.

    As Katherine¡¯s fist came forward, Owen dodged backwards. He jumped up, kicked at her, and used the momentum to launch himself backwards, out of the fog. Owen landed several meters away, his feet skidding slightly on the rough plateau.

    With a frosty breath, he raised and put his hands together, and started gathering frost between them. He was about to launch it when he noticed a spark of something white move about in the fog.

    Before Owen could react, the spark shot toward him, faster than he could track with his eyes. The lightning struck him square in the chest, sending a jolt of pain through his body. Sparks of white jumped off him and he staggered back, his muscles locking up for a moment from the electricity. He grit his teeth, fighting to regain control of his body.

    Katherine emerged from the mist, walking towards him with calm precision, her expression still cold. Her essence began surging with intensity¡ªa silver aura surrounding her as she gathered more energy.

    Owen looked at her through a squinting eye. Katherine was a metal essence user, meaning that she could control a metal element.

    A silver, liquid-like metal sprouted from the back of her, forming tendrils that writhed and twisted like serpents, each one ending in a sharp, jagged tip.

    Owen shook himself out of his daze, just in time to dodge a swing from one of the metal tendrils. The sharp tip scraped across his forehead, leaving a deep gash, but he barely felt the pain. The adrenaline coursing through his veins drowned it out.

    Katherine was relentless. She swung the metal tendrils again, and Owen was forced to evade them. He used kinetic energy to divert the tendrils when they got close, and dodged the rest with his enhanced speed.

    As Katherine swung another tendril, Owen ducked underneath and slammed a hand down on the ground. Ice spikes shot up in a jagged line toward Katherine. She reacted quickly, using the wind to lift herself off the ground and avoid the attack.

    But Owen didn¡¯t let up. He charged forward and flew up after her. Katherine flew backwards, close to the ground. She sent air-slashes flying towards him, each one sharp enough to carve through stone. Owen twisted midair, narrowly dodging them as he tried to close the gap.

    They zoomed across the battlefield, weaving through the air like streaks of silver and yellow light. Owen pushed his kinetic energy further, accelerating toward Katherine in a blur of motion.

    Katherine summoned another gust of wind to push herself upward just as Owen closed the distance. The wind threw him off balance for a moment, but he quickly stabilised himself and launched himself forward again.

    He shot out concentrated blasts of fire towards her, forcing her to quickly dodge as the flames exploded around her. She twisted in the air, and as she did, she gathered wind and launched a powerful vortex at Owen.

    Owen put out both of his hands, and tore the vortex apart with his kinetic energy, causing the tornado-like force to dissipate in an instant.

    He then cupped together his hands and gathered fire into a concentrated sphere. He could feel the heat intensifying in his palms as he shaped the fire into a dense, compact ball.

    With a yell, Owen hurled the fireball directly at her. The flames surged forward like a comet, trailing smoke and heat in its wake. Katherine reacted quickly, summoning a wall of wind to shield herself.

    But when the ball of fire hit the shield, it exploded with a deafening roar, sending shockwaves across the arena. The wind barrier struggled to hold against the force, but the sheer intensity of the blast made the shield bend inwards, and the flames engulfed Katherine in a blinding burst of light and heat.

    For a brief moment, the plateau was silent, save for the crackling of flames. Owen hovered in the air, watching the smoke and ash swirl in the aftermath, his chest heaving with exertion.

    Katherine¡¯s figure slowly emerged from the smoke, her clothes singed but her stance unbroken. The wind around her whipped violently, clearing the smoke as she stared down Owen with narrowed eyes, her silver aura flaring brighter than before.

    She raised both hands in the air and the wind around her seemed to intensify, spiraling into a violent, howling vortex.

    "It seems that I won¡¯t be able to beat you without embodiment," she said, with her voice carrying across the plateau.

    A four-pointed star-shaped light began to glow brightly underneath Katherine''s clothes right at her midsection. Owen¡¯s eyes narrowed as he watched the light begin to pulse, its glow intensifying with each passing second. The air around Katherine seemed to distort and bend.

    "I am the sky," she said as the light reached its peak, blindingly bright. "Embodiment."

    Owen shielded his eyes as the light flared to an overwhelming intensity. The wind whipped furiously around him, and he struggled to keep himself from being carried away by it.

    Eventually, the light subsided, and the wind calmed, leaving a tense silence in the air. Owen looked at Katherine, now completely transformed.

    Her clothes were now made up of white billowing clouds, and her hair had turned into streaks of silver, flowing as if the wind itself was part of her. Her eyes glowed with an ethereal white light, and her entire presence radiated an overwhelming power that seemed to command the air around her.

    She raised her hand towards Owen and with a single motion, the air around him suddenly left, creating a vacuum that seemed to drain all the oxygen from him.

    Owen gasped, his chest tightening as he fought to inhale. He felt pain in his eyes as they burned from the lack of oxygen. Then, they burst, like cherries being crushed under pressure, and his vision disappeared.

 Chapter 35 - The Awakening

    Agony ripped through Owen''s skull as his eyes burst in a flash of searing pain. He staggered back, clutching at his face as darkness swallowed his vision. His breaths came in ragged gasps, his body trembling as he struggled to process the sudden loss.

    Then¡ªwind. A fierce, howling gale roared through the air.

    It hit him like a tidal wave. Owen dug his feet into the platform, bracing himself, his muscles straining against the invisible force. For a fleeting moment, he held his ground, his body trembling as he pushed back.

    Then the storm intensified.

    The sheer force lifted him off his feet, yanking him into the air. He twisted, trying to stabilize himself, but the wind was relentless, tossing him like a ragdoll.

    Gritting his teeth, he tried using kinetic energy to stop his momentum. But the wind was too chaotic, too wild. It kept spinning him, hurling him further.

    Then, through the turbulent currents, he sensed it.

    At the centre of the platform, the wind was gathering. Condensing. Spiraling.

    Katherine was forming a tornado.

    Even without his eyes, his kinetic vision painted the scene in his mind¡ªair currents converging, forming a vortex of destruction. And he was being pulled straight toward it.

    Owen''s mind raced, his thoughts sharp despite the whirlwind of agony that threatened to swallow him whole. He had to regain control. His essence burned within him, churning with desperation as he poured more of his energy into resisting the storm¡¯s furious grip.

    But then, he sensed something move behind him. Owen clenched his teeth and turned around, only to be met by Katherine''s outstretched arm.

    She flicked his forehead, a motion so small, but the force that followed sent him flying. He was sent spiraling once more into the tornado, his body spinning uncontrollably as the winds ravaged him.

    Inside the tornado, the world was an endless blur of motion. His body was jerked and twisted, flung through the winds. His arms and legs flailed, caught in the merciless current, as if the wind itself were trying to tear him apart.

    Owen''s senses flared as something else began to stir. High above, far beyond the reach of the tornado''s fury, he felt a shift.

    And then he was being pulled upwards. The winds dragged him toward the centre of the storm, toward the shifting presence he sensed ahead.

    Dark, swirling clouds gathered above, their darkness thickening with each passing second. The wind stilled for a moment, as though the entire world had held its breath.

    Then it came.

    A bolt of pure lightning, a pillar of white-hot power, crashed down from the sky. The crackling energy tore through the air, and in an instant, Owen''s body was struck¡ªthe lightning lanced through him, raking his flesh with an unimaginable ferocity.

    Every nerve ignited. His mind screamed, every cell burned as though set aflame from within.

    The force of the lightning strike broke the tornado''s grip. The storm unraveled in an instant, the violent spiral of wind collapsing outward in a wave of destruction. The shockwave sent Owen hurtling, his body thrown like a ragdoll, spiraling uncontrollably through the collapsing chaos.

    Owen crashed into the ground with a deafening impact, the force of his fall carving a small crater into the battlefield. Dust and debris exploded outward in a violent shockwave before settling in eerie silence. He lay still, his body screaming in pain.

    For a moment, he didn¡¯t move. But then he felt a presence materialize over him.

    Katherine.

    She hovered above him, and now outstretched her hand towards Owen. The air around her warped, a force gathering at her command.

    Owen''s teeth clenched.

    His rage, buried beneath the agony, erupted to the surface. His essence surged, and with a guttural yell, he unleashed a powerful kinetic blast.

    It tore out from him in all directions, the sheer force obliterating the ground beneath him. The area was thrown into chaos¡ªearth cracked, debris launched skyward, the very air trembling under the pressure of his unleashed power.

    Katherine vanished but reappeared an instant later, standing effortlessly at a distance, completely unharmed. Watching. Waiting.

    Owen ignored the pain in his limbs. His fists clenched, trembling with adrenaline and power. He slammed his hands into the shattered earth beneath him.

    The force sent him rebounding off the ground, flipping upright in one fluid motion. He landed, feet digging into the ground, his body steady despite the ache in his body. His breaths were heavy, but his focus was razor-sharp.

    He raised his hands and held them outwards. A cold mist began to seep from his fingertips, curling around his arms like living tendrils. Ice crystallized across his skin, flickering with an eerie blue light. The temperature around him dropped sharply, the very moisture in the air turning to frost.

    Then, with a sharp exhale, he unleashed it.

    A freezing cone of frost erupted from his outstretched hands, spreading outward in a wide arc. The ground before him was swallowed by the cold, frost racing across the rock, turning everything in its path into an icy wasteland.

    Katherine stood directly in the path of the frost.

    For a brief moment, the freezing mist rushed toward her, threatening to engulf her completely. But then¡ªshe vanished. Her body dissolved into wind, scattering apart as the frost swept through the empty space she once occupied.

    But Owen could still feel where she was.

    Without hesitation, he twisted his wrist, shifting his outstretched hand toward where she had moved. The frost curved in an unnatural arc, its frigid breath following her like a relentless predator.

    Katherine''s air form moved across the platform, as the icy blast chased after her every move. The frost clung to the air, desperate to latch onto her, but she remained just out of reach. Then she reappeared to Owen''s left.

    Owen barely had time to react before she raised her hand toward him, fingers shaped like a gun. She shot out three shots of compressed air.

    The first shot of air struck him dead centre. A force like a cannonball punched through his torso, tearing a clean hole straight through him.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    The second shot drilled into his shoulder, piercing through muscle and bone before ripping out the other side.

    The third buried itself into his lower abdomen, shattering its way through flesh and exiting in a bloody spray.

    Owen staggered back, a sharp gasp escaping him. He coughed, a thick splatter of blood staining the ground at his feet. His entire body trembled, his strength faltering. The frost that had pursued Katherine flickered¡ªthen died, dissolving into nothing.

    Katherine moved with the speed of a phantom, her form blurring as she closed the distance. In a flash, she was upon him.

    Owen barely had time to brace himself as Katherine¡¯s fist pulled back. Then, without warning, she shot her fist out toward his chest. The punch hit with devastating force, but it didn¡¯t stop there. It penetrated through him, her arm extending through his back, blood spilling freely from the wound.

    Owen''s mouth hung open in shock, his body shaking as the pain surged through him. Blood dripped from his lips, staining his chest as the reality of the blow set in.

    Katherine''s expression remained calm, even as she pulled her arm free in one swift motion. Blood gushed from the gaping wound, spilling in thick rivulets down his torso. He stumbled, his footing unsteady, his body swaying as his strength drained away.

    Then Owen fell.

    Time stretched, every second dragging endlessly as gravity pulled him down. The ground rose up to meet him, and with a thud, his back collided with rock.

    Katherine flicked her wrist, sending droplets of Owen¡¯s blood scattering to the ground. She let out a quiet exhale, as if shaking off the remnants of a minor inconvenience. Then, casting one last glance at his fallen form, she muttered under her breath.

    "Don''t get up again."

    With that, she turned and began to walk away.

    Owen lay there, unmoving. He felt his body numbing, becoming cold. His consciousness was slipping, fading into the void of unconsciousness. But then, far beneath him, he felt a subtle vibration.

    From deep within the staging area the voices of countless inmates, rose together in a raw, desperate chorus. The inmates were shouting, screaming for him to get back up.

    A smirk tugged at his lips, followed by a wet cough. Get up again? He didn''t even know if he could survive his wound, let alone get back on his feet to fight again.

    As he drifted off, a memory surfaced.

    He was eight years old. The smell of sweat filled the air. Owen stood in the center of a ring, towering over a beaten boy four years older than him. His opponent lay crumpled, groaning, his face swollen with bruises. The referee stepped between them, raising Owen¡¯s hand.

    After he was declared the winner, Owen turned without a word, walking back to his corner, where his father stood waiting.

    His dad''s expression wasn¡¯t one of pride. It was one of disappointment.

    "You shouldn''t have gone that hard." his father said.

    Owen pulled off his gloves, unfazed. "He was too weak."

    His dad exhaled through his nose, eyes narrowing. "That mindset will make you lose one day."

    From the side of the gym, a voice called out.

    "You''re wrong."

    Owen and his father both turned.

    His mother sat on a bench, watching them. Her black hair, cut at shoulder-length, framed sharp, confident features. A tank top clung to her frame, revealing arms decorated with tattoos. She leaned forward, elbows on her knees, smirking.

    His father frowned. "Oh? And how am I wrong?"

    With a sigh, Owen¡¯s mom pushed herself up from the bench. She slipped her hands into her pockets and walked toward them, the smirk never leaving her lips.

    She stopped in front of them, tilting her head slightly as she looked at his father.

    "Owen knows his own strength. Why shouldn¡¯t he gloat that he¡¯s better than his peers?"

    His father shook his head. "Because inflating his ego will only make him overestimate himself. And one day, he¡¯ll come across someone he can¡¯t beat. And when that happens, he¡¯ll lose. Badly."

    His mother scoffed. "That¡¯s just what you think."

    She then turned her gaze to Owen, her expression shifting into something more thoughtful.

    "Owen, tell me¡ªwhat do you think your greatest strength is?"

    Owen didn¡¯t hesitate. He raised his fist. "My punch."

    His mother blinked, then suddenly burst out laughing. A sharp, genuine laugh that made some of the nearby trainers glance over. She shook her head, grinning down at him.

    "No." she said simply.

    Owen frowned. "Then what is it?"

    "Your greatest strength is your mind. You fully believe in yourself, and you don¡¯t stop fighting until you win. That¡¯s something a lot of people don¡¯t have."

    Her gaze softened, but the intensity in her voice remained.

    "The strongest people in the world aren¡¯t the ones with the hardest punches. They¡¯re the ones with the greatest wills. It doesn¡¯t matter how strong your opponent is¡ªwhat matters is that you refuse to break."

    She reached out, ruffling his hair. Her smile widened.

    "And that¡¯s why you won¡¯t lose to anyone."

    The memory faded, dissolving into the darkness of Owen¡¯s drifting consciousness.

    Katherine continued walking away, but then she heard it. A sound behind her. A faint shuffle. A ragged breath.

    She stopped and slowly, she turned around, her gaze narrowing.

    Owen was standing. Barely. His legs wobbled, his body still dripping with blood, yet there was a smile on his face¡ªa crazed, defiant grin, as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.

    Katherine¡¯s frown deepened. She fully turned to face him, raising a hand. "I warned you."

    Owen took a step forward, his body swaying like a puppet barely held together by strings. He mumbled something, his voice hoarse but firm.

    "The inmates¡­" His head lifted slightly, his crimson-streaked lips curling. "They¡¯re screaming out for a liberator."

    Another step.

    "So I can¡¯t stop."

    His sockless eyes seemed to lock on onto hers.

    "If a dog like you¡­" He exhaled sharply, the star-shaped mark over his heart beginning to glow, pulsing brighter and brighter. "¡­can achieve embodiment, then so can I."

    Katherine¡¯s eyes widened slightly.

    Owen took another step. The glow intensified. His grin widened.

    "I am a liberator."

    His voice grew louder.

    "I am a warrior."

    Then, he paused. The mark over his heart flared with brilliant light, swallowing his entire form.

    "I am a crusader."

    And lastly he let out the word, "Embodiment."

    The blinding radiance erupted outward, forcing Katherine to shield her eyes.

    A moment passed. Then eventually the light died back down. Katherine lowered her hand, blinking against the fading glow.

    Owen was standing there, shrouded in smoke, like a fighter stepping onto a grand stage. He wore a black walkout robe, with gold trimmings lining the edges. His hands were tightly wrapped by golden bandages. Emblazoned in bold white letters across the hood¡¯s edge, was the word ''Crusader''.

    The wound on Owen¡¯s chest was gone. No trace of blood, no torn flesh¡ªjust smooth, skin. His eyes once gone, were now there, sharp and clear, burning with an intense focus.

    Then he vanished.

    Katherine¡¯s eyes widened. "What¡ª"

    Her words were cut off by a sudden, crushing pain exploding across her face. It was a fist.

    She barely had time to process it before the force sent her flying halfway across the platform, her body flipping through the air before she crashed into the ground, skidding to a halt.

    Katherine forced herself upright, shaking off the lingering pain. But the moment she steadied herself, Owen was already in front of her.

    Her body tensed¡ªshe tried to strike, to summon her power, but nothing happened.

    She couldn''t move.

    Her breath caught in her throat as Owen smirked. He stepped forward and drove his fist upward into her jaw. The impact sent her rocketing into the sky.

    He didn¡¯t wait. Crouching low, he coiled his muscles and launched himself after her. Wind howled around him as he caught up in an instant, his fist already cocked back.

    A shockwave rippled through the air as his punch slammed into her ribs, bending her body at a brutal angle. Before she could react, another blow crashed against her back, then another to her side, then her face¡ªshe was being pummeled, thrown around like a pinball.

    Her mind reeled. Why couldn¡¯t she fight back? Every attempt to move was met with failure. Did he gain this ability through his embodiment?

    Another punch sent her hurtling across the platform, her vision darkening at the edges.

    For a moment, everything went black.

    Then¡ªshe came to.

    Owen hovered before her, grinning maniacally, his eyes alight with something wild. He pulled back a fist and slammed it into her stomach.

    Katherine¡¯s breath exploded from her lungs as the world blurred. They went plummeting downward at supersonic speeds, the air screaming around them as shockwaves rippled in their wake. And then there was the impact.

    They smashed into the ground with earth-shattering force. But the momentum didn¡¯t stop. The force of the collision ripped through the rock beneath them, sending them crashing down through layers of reinforced metals and complex machinery.

    Sparks and shattered metal flew in every direction as they tore through the mechanical heart of the platform.

    Then, with a final, devastating crash, they burst through into the staging area below, crash-landing down onto a stage.

    The dust from their impact billowed outward, swirling through the staging area like a storm. For a moment, everything was obscured. Then, as the haze settled, a lone figure emerged.

    Owen stood tall atop an elevated block of debris, his black and gold robe flowing behind him like the mantle of a conqueror. His chest rose and fell steadily, his expression unreadable beneath the shadow of his hood. Below him, amid shattered debris, Katherine lay unmoving, her body half-buried in the wreckage.

    Then, he noticed them, the inmates.

    Rows upon rows of them filled the seats ahead, their faces frozen in stunned silence. Some sat forward, gripping the edges of their seats, while others simply stared, their eyes wide with something between disbelief and awe. No one spoke. No one moved. They had just witnessed the impossible.

 Chapter 36 - The Reveal

    Albert Fowler walked in silence, trailing behind Governor Vance as they crossed the landing deck. The rhythmic clanking of boots against metal echoed in the open space, accompanied only by the steady hum of the docked transport ship ahead.

    At the end of the platform, the governor¡¯s sleek transport stood waiting, its doors hissing open as they approached. Vance stopped just before boarding and turned to face Albert.

    "You can¡¯t even begin to fathom how disappointed I am in you," Vance said, his voice even, yet cutting.

    Albert swallowed hard, his eyes lowering to the ground. He had expected this, yet the words still landed like a blow.

    "I¡¯ll be replacing you in a week." Vance continued, his tone leaving no room for argument.

    Albert clenched his jaw, then after a brief pause, forced himself to nod. "¡­Yes, Governor." His voice was quiet, reluctant.

    Without another word, Vance turned and stepped into the ship. The doors sealed shut behind him, and moments later, the engines flared to life. Albert watched as the transport ascended, its sleek frame disappearing into the distance.

    For a long moment, he stood motionless. Then, slowly, his hands curled into fists.

    A cold rage settled over him.

    His thoughts burned with a single name¡ªOwen. That damn inmate.

    And now, after achieving embodiment in front of the governor, Owen was untouchable. If Albert made a move against him now, it would only bring more consequences down on his own head.

    His teeth ground together as his fury simmered beneath his skin.

    Then, without another word, he turned and strode away.

    ***

    Katherine¡¯s fist slammed into the side wall with a thud, the impact sending a faint tremor through the medical room. Her breaths came sharp and heavy, her eyes locked onto the doorway where the floor ten overseer, Barbara, stood with her arms crossed.

    "How could you do this?" Katherine demanded, her voice laced with fury. "After years of following orders loyally¡ª"

    Barbara exhaled through her nose, unimpressed. "After that loss, why do you think you can keep your place on floor ten?" She tilted her head slightly, the barest trace of amusement in her tone. "Consider yourself lucky. We¡¯re only moving you down one floor."

    Katherine¡¯s fingers curled into a tight fist. "You¡¯ll regret this." she growled.

    Barbara arched a brow. "Threats won¡¯t do you any good." She turned to leave, and as she reached the doorway, she paused. Without looking back, she said, "Lash out again, and your family will bear the consequences."

    The door slid shut with a soft hiss, leaving Katherine alone.

    She stared at the door, her body trembling¡ªnot with fear, but with something far more dangerous. A look beyond rage settled on her face.

    "¡­I won¡¯t stand for this anymore." she muttered under her breath.

    ***

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    Will groggily blinked his eyes open, his mind still foggy. The first thing he noticed was the soft mattress beneath him. The second thing was the faint sound of shuffling cards and murmured voices.

    He turned his head to the side and found himself looking at a round table, where Owen, Grace, Isaac, and Jason were seated, fully engrossed in a card game.

    Jason was grinning ear to ear, leaning back with an air of absolute confidence. The other three, however, looked far less amused. Owen¡¯s arms were crossed, his expression a mix of annoyance and reluctant respect. Isaac sat with his chin resting on his palm, eyes narrowed. Grace had her cards fanned out in front of her, tapping a finger against the table as if calculating a way to end Jason¡¯s winning streak.

    Owen sighed. "You¡¯re lucky I¡¯m still getting used to the rules."

    Jason smirked, flicking a card onto the table with a little too much flair. "You¡¯re the one who suggested we play cards. Don¡¯t be mad just cause I¡¯m better."

    Grace turned to Owen and Isaac, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Alright, listen. If we don¡¯t team up, Jason is going to keep walking all over us."

    Owen and Isaac shared a glance, their expressions shifting into identical smirks.

    "Oh, now you¡¯re talking." Isaac said.

    Owen cracked his knuckles. "Let¡¯s take this guy down."

    Jason¡¯s smirk faltered for half a second before he quickly recovered. "Oh, so that¡¯s how it is? Bring it on then."

    As Will let out a weak chuckle, he noticed the group at the card table freeze, all eyes turning to him in unison. The shift in attention was sudden, but not unwelcome. Will blinked groggily, trying to shake the lingering fuzziness from his head.

    "Oh, he''s awake!" Owen said with a grin, standing up from the table. Grace, Isaac, and Jason quickly followed suit, all moving toward Will''s bed.

    Owen leaned over him, his brow furrowing slightly as he asked, "You alright?"

    Will smiled faintly, nodding. "Yeah, just feel a little tired. I¡¯ll be fine." He glanced around at them, trying to sit up a little straighter, but the movement made his head swim for a moment. He rested back against the pillow, blinking a few times to clear his vision.

    Then, a sudden thought hit him like a bolt of lightning. His eyes widened, his heart picking up speed. "Wait¡ªdid we win?"

    The moment the words left his mouth, the entire group burst into wide smiles.

    "We won brilliantly." Owen said with a broad grin. Grace and Jason nodded in agreement, each of them sporting looks of triumph.

    Will¡¯s heart swelled, and a grin spread across his face. "I¡¯m glad."

    But then, just as quickly as it had appeared, the smile faded, and Will¡¯s expression grew serious. He clenched his fist tightly, looking away towards the side, avoiding eye contact.

    "I¡¯m sorry¡­ about my match," he muttered, his voice quiet but thick with guilt. "I know I let everyone down. It¡¯s okay if you want to abandon me, I understand. I couldn¡¯t even¡ª"

    Before he could finish, Owen placed a hand on his shoulder, his grip firm and reassuring. "Don¡¯t say that, Will."

    Grace nodded emphatically, her expression softening. "You fought with everything you had. And that¡¯s all that matters."

    "Alright." Will said, his voice barely above a whisper. His eyes glistened as he blinked rapidly, trying to fight back the emotion threatening to overwhelm him.

    Owen gave his shoulder a final squeeze before pulling back. "We¡¯ll pull the table closer and we can all play cards. Jason can teach you the rules, right?"

    "Yeah," Jason said. "They aren¡¯t that hard to follow."

    Owen was about to move when Isaac¡¯s voice rang out, stopping him in his tracks.

    "Wait."

    Everyone¡¯s attention snapped to Isaac, who had a serious expression on his face.

    "Now that Will¡¯s awake, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve been meaning to tell you all. Something important."

    Grace tilted her head, her brow furrowing in curiosity. "What is it?"

    Isaac lowered his voice. "The people who catch us, the ones who bring us to these facilities because of our insignias¡ªthey rely on the instructors to help identify what our abilities are. But here¡¯s the catch: If someone already knows what their insignia can do, they can trick the instructors into believing they have a completely different one."

    The group fell silent, processing his words. Jason blinked, confused. "Wait¡­ what are you getting at?"

    "I¡¯ve been faking my insignia this whole time."

    Before anyone could respond, Isaac raised his hand up to his side. The air shimmered for a brief moment, and then, from seemingly nowhere, a sleek mechanical droid materialized to the side.

    The droid was tall, towering above the heads of everybody, with a smooth silver surface that reflected the light from the room.

    The entire group went silent, eyes wide with shock as they stared at the mechanical creation.

    Isaac then looked at Owen. "You were looking for someone with a tech insignia, right? Well¡­ here I am."

    Owen¡¯s grin widened, sharp and wild. He stared at Isaac for a moment, then let out a low chuckle.

    "Well, damn."

 Chapter 37 - The Plan

    Owen, along with Isaac, Grace, Will, Jason, Hannah, and Joyce, sat in a circle on the floor of one of the training rooms. The overhead lights buzzed softly, casting a glow over the otherwise empty space.

    Owen rested his arms on his knees, glancing around at the group. Each of them wore looks of determination.

    Taking a deep breath, Owen leaned forward slightly. His voice was steady, carrying the weight of what was about to come.

    "Alright," he said, looking each of them in the eyes. "Let¡¯s go over the plan then,"

    "Now that we have someone with a tech insignia, we can do a lot more than we could before." He leaned forward, his voice gaining an edge of excitement. "We¡¯ll be able to access the hangar now¡ªwhere all the transport vehicles are kept. That means our escape is going to revolve around getting there and getting out."

    Joyce crossed her arms, her expression thoughtful. "When should we attempt this?"

    "Maybe in two or three months," he said. "We¡¯ll need to be strong enough to hold off the overseers and the wardens until everyone boards and gets away."

    Hannah nodded in agreement. "Not to mention, that most of the inmates from the tenth, ninth, and maybe even the eighth floor will try to stop us." She glanced around at the others. "They¡¯ll want to rack up achievements and rank up, and stopping a breakout is a huge opportunity for them."

    Everyone nodded in agreement.

    Owen leaned forward, his gaze serious. "For these next three months, we¡¯ll need to slowly bring in trustworthy inmates. People we know won¡¯t sell us out."

    There were murmurs of understanding around the group before Owen continued. "And while we¡¯re escaping, Isaac will shut off all communication networks on the island. That way, the officers won¡¯t be able to send word outside that there¡¯s been a breakout."

    Hannah raised an eyebrow. "Then how will we communicate with each other on the escape day?"

    Isaac smirked, lifting his hand. A sleek, black bracelet materialized in his palm, shimmering slightly before solidifying. "I¡¯ll be handing out modified bracelets in the cafeteria on the day of the escape," he explained. "They¡¯ll let us stay in contact."

    Hannah nodded. "I see."

    Owen crossed his arms. "After we escape, we¡¯ll be heading to an uninhabited island to recuperate."

    Jason tilted his head. "Are all the inmates escaping with us going to the same place?"

    Owen shook his head. "Once we¡¯re off the island, they¡¯ll be free to go wherever they want. But those planning to free their family members will probably be sticking with us." He paused before adding, "That¡¯s our next goal, after all."

    Hannah¡¯s expression turned serious. "Have we even found where they¡¯re being kept?"

    Owen smirked and tilted his head towards Isaac.

    Isaac took the cue and nodded. "I traced their location. They¡¯re in Havec City, on the Peria continent."

    The room fell into stunned silence.

    Grace¡¯s eyes widened even further. "Isn¡¯t that the capital of that continent¡­ and where the governor lives?"

    Isaac nodded.

    Owen exhaled sharply before standing up. His expression turned fierce, his eyes gleaming with determination. "That¡¯s why we need to get much stronger over these next three months." He looked around at the group, his voice firm. "Because once we escape, we¡¯re heading straight to Havec City."

    ***

    It had been a day since the plan had been set in motion, and things were already in full swing. The gang had split up, scouting the facility for potential allies.

    Meanwhile, Owen and Isaac sat on a bench in the cafeteria, away from the more crowded tables. Isaac had his wrist raised, showing Owen his inhibitor cuff.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    Owen narrowed his eyes. "Wait¡­ Did you modify your cuff to function like an OmniBand?"

    Isaac smirked and nodded. "Not just that¡ªit¡¯s even better than the top of the range stuff they sell on the market." He tapped on the sleek surface of the cuff. "I also implemented my personal AI into it."

    Owen raised an eyebrow. "You¡¯ve got an AI?"

    Isaac grinned. "May, say hello."

    A feminine voice chimed from the cuff. "Hello, Owen."

    Owen blinked, then chuckled. "Well, damn. Hello, May."

    Isaac tapped a few commands on his cuff. "I¡¯ll have her make a copy and transfer it to yours."

    May¡¯s voice came through again. "Understood. Transferring now."

    A moment later, Owen¡¯s cuff blinked from green to white. Then, the same voice¡ªslightly softer, more tailored¡ªspoke from his own cuff. "Hello, Owen."

    Isaac leaned back with a grin. "Now you gotta give her a name."

    Owen glanced down at the cuff, thinking for a moment. Then he smirked. "I¡¯ll name her Ann."

    "My name is Ann." the AI repeated.

    As Owen talked to the ai, Jason approached the two of them. Owen and Isaac looked up, and immediately noticed the conflicted expression on his face.

    Owen leaned back against the bench. "What¡¯s up?"

    Jason shifted his weight from one foot to the other, then exhaled. "I want to include someone in the plan."

    Owen¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly. He hesitated before asking, "Who?"

    Jason rubbed the back of his neck. "Kenneth."

    Owen¡¯s expression darkened instantly. "No."

    Jason¡¯s jaw tightened. "Owen, listen¡ª"

    "Nah," Owen repeated firmly. "We can¡¯t trust him."

    Jason clenched his fists. "I know how he seems, but deep down, I swear he¡¯d be a great ally. And besides, his insignia would be really helpful."

    Owen scoffed, dismissing the argument with a shake of his head. "Not worth the risk."

    Isaac, who had been quietly observing, raised an eyebrow. "What even is his insignia? I¡¯ve never seen him use it in combat."

    Jason hesitated for a second before answering. "Kenneth can create gateways to places he¡¯s been before¡ªhe can basically teleport himself and others to those locations."

    Owen clenched his jaw together. "That¡¯s great and all, but we don¡¯t need it."

    Jason took a breath, trying again. "Owen¡ª"

    "No," Owen cut him off, his voice firm. He looked Jason straight in the eyes. "I know he¡¯s your friend, but we cannot risk this. You cannot tell him about the plan. Do you understand?"

    Jason¡¯s face was tense with frustration, but after a long moment, he exhaled and nodded reluctantly. "I won¡¯t."

    Without another word, he turned and walked away.

    Isaac watched him go before turning back to Owen. "Should we be worried about that?"

    Owen sighed, glancing at Jason¡¯s retreating figure. "Probably."

    ***

    Jason walked through the corridors of the floor five cell block, his steps firm with determination. He understood Owen¡¯s warning¡ªhe wouldn¡¯t tell Kenneth about the plan. But that didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t at least see where Kenneth stood on things. If Kenneth now believed Owen had the ability to escape after his match against Katherine, that would tell Jason all he needed to know.

    He reached Kenneth¡¯s cell and peered inside. The door was open, and Kenneth was lying on his bed, staring straight up at the ceiling, his expression unreadable.

    Jason stepped into the doorway, but Kenneth didn¡¯t acknowledge him. He just kept staring. Silent.

    Jason exhaled. "We haven¡¯t spoken since the competition three days ago."

    Kenneth remained motionless, offering no response. The silence stretched between them, thick and heavy.

    A solid minute passed before Jason finally spoke again. "If you knew where your little brother and sister were being kept, I think you¡¯d be on board with breaking out."

    That got a reaction. Kenneth finally shifted his gaze, looking at Jason for the first time. His voice was calm but direct. "Have you found out where they are?"

    Jason hesitated¡ªjust for a moment¡ªbefore shaking his head. "No."

    Kenneth studied him for a second, then sighed, sitting up in his bed. "If I knew," he said nonchalantly, "I¡¯d definitely consider it."

    Jason clenched his fists, wanting so badly to tell him the truth¡ªthat he did know. But he kept his mouth shut.

    Kenneth leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees. "I¡¯ll admit it," he said. "After seeing Owen¡¯s match, I was wrong to doubt him. I believe now that he could actually break out of here."

    Jason didn¡¯t realize it, but a faint expression of relief crossed his face.

    "But," Kenneth continued, his gaze sharpening, "I don¡¯t know how he¡¯d get past the defense system, and I don¡¯t know how he¡¯d even get off the island. That¡¯s what¡¯s keeping me from fully backing him."

    Jason pressed his lips together, holding back the urge to respond. He had what he came for¡ªKenneth was open to the idea. That was enough for now.

    Jason smiled faintly, nodding to Kenneth. "I¡¯ll talk to you later." With that, he turned and left the cell, leaving Kenneth alone with his thoughts.

    Kenneth remained sitting on the edge of his bed, his gaze unfocused as he mulled over the conversation. Jason¡¯s words echoed in his mind. It was clear that Jason had heard of some plan to escape¡ªlikely from Owen himself¡ªand wasn¡¯t allowed to share the details. But what kind of plan was it? How would Owen get off this island? Kenneth¡¯s thoughts circled like vultures, desperate for an answer.

    He began to piece together what he knew about Owen¡¯s group. Who could possibly help with getting off the island? He crossed Grace and Will out immediately¡ªthey didn¡¯t have the abilities. His thoughts then lingered on Isaac.

    Isaac had always kept to himself, but there was something about him that didn¡¯t quite add up. When he was back on the fifth floor, he had mentioned his insignia had something to do with weapons.

    Then, a memory struck him. He remembered overhearing his overseer talk about Isaac¡¯s family. Isaac came from a conglomerate family in the realm, and usually powerful people that were aligned with Arden were informed about the existence of people with insignias.

    Could it be that Isaac had known about what an insignia is before coming to the facility? And then faked what his abilities are actually about?

    Kenneth stood up abruptly from the bed, his eyes wide with the shock of his realization.

    "It¡¯s fucking Isaac."

 Chapter 38 - The Unexpected Happened

    It was the next morning. Kenneth walked alongside the rest of the floor five inmates, moving in a sluggish but orderly line towards the morning assembly. The routine was as dull and repetitive as ever, yet his mind was elsewhere. His eyes flickered toward a hallway branching off from the main path. Without hesitation, he broke off from the group, turning the corner and heading towards the overseer''s office.

    His steps were quick but measured. He knew he didn¡¯t have much time before the overseer left for the assembly. By the time he arrived, he saw the overseer just outside his office, with his door sliding shut behind him. The man noticed him immediately, his sharp gaze narrowing.

    Kenneth didn¡¯t falter. He walked up with purpose, keeping his voice steady. "I need to talk to you. It¡¯s important."

    The overseer exhaled, already looking disinterested. "I don¡¯t have time for this. Get to the assembly."

    Kenneth stepped forward, blocking his path slightly. "You need to hear this. It¡¯s something the warden should know." His voice was firm, leaving little room for dismissal.

    The overseer studied him for a few seconds, his expression unreadable. Then, after a long pause, he sighed. "Because you followed orders during the competition, I¡¯ll give you a moment. Inside."

    Kenneth followed him as the overseer stepped back into his office, closing the door behind them.

    A moment later, Kenneth¡¯s findings were quickly explained to the overseer. The overseer sat behind his desk, his fingers laced together, his expression unreadable. Deep in thought.

    Finally, after what felt like minutes of silence, the overseer lifted his gaze. His voice was calm but edged with seriousness. "Are you a hundred percent sure?"

    Kenneth met his eyes without hesitation. "I am."

    Another beat of silence stretched between them. Then, the overseer reached to his side, pressing a button on a device embedded in his desk. A soft beep sounded before he spoke into it.

    "Get me in contact with the warden."

    ***

    Owen let out a long yawn, not bothering to cover his mouth as he stood in the assembly hall, hands stuffed in his pockets. The dull drone of Overseer Jones'' voice filled the massive space, his speech dragging on like it always did.

    Nearby, Isaac, Grace, and Will stood, all of them looking just as bored as Owen felt.

    After what felt like an eternity, Owen leaned slightly toward Grace, keeping his voice low. "How does he manage to talk for this long every single day?"

    Grace shrugged. "No idea. I don¡¯t think even he knows."

    Owen sighed, shifting his weight onto one foot as Jones continued to ramble.

    An officer strode onto the stage, moving straight toward Overseer Jones. The overseer paused mid-sentence, his gaze shifting to the approaching figure. The officer leaned in, whispering something into Jones¡¯ ear.

    Jones listened, his expression unreadable, before he straightened and let his eyes scan the sea of inmates. When his gaze settled on Owen¡¯s group¡ªspecifically on Isaac¡ªOwen felt a prickle of unease. His eyes narrowed.

    The officer gave a quick nod and then walked off the stage. A moment later, murmurs rippled through the crowd as several officers began pushing their way forward, weaving through the mass of inmates with clear intent. And they were coming straight for them.

    Owen clicked his tongue. "They must¡¯ve found out somehow."

    Isaac¡¯s eyes widened in alarm, but before he could speak, Owen grabbed his shoulder, voice firm. "It looks like we¡¯ll need to do it now. Unlock the cuffs."

    Gritting his teeth, Isaac nodded. "May, take over the entire network."

    A cacophony of beeps rang out across the hall as every inhibitor cuff on every inmate flickered and then deactivated.

    Owen moved first. He lifted both hands, and a surge of essence erupted from him. The approaching officers were yanked into the air as if invisible strings had seized them, then violently smashed together, knocking them out as they fell back to the ground in a pile.

    As the inmates were still in shock, Owen shifted his attention to the stage.

    Without hesitation, he bent his knees and launched himself high into the air, soaring above the crowd like a bullet. His eyes locked onto Overseer Jones, who barely had time to register what was happening before Owen shot down like a missile.

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    The impact of Owen¡¯s dropkick sent Jones hurtling across the stage, his body smashing into the back wall with a resounding crack. The overseer slumped, unmoving.

    Hovering midair, Owen turned his gaze to the remaining officers in the hall. Raising both hands, he then brought them down in a swift motion. Instantly, every officer still standing was yanked down and slammed into the ground, incapacitating them.

    Then, his voice¡ªenhanced and commanding¡ªboomed across the hall.

    "It¡¯s your lucky day."

    Hundreds of stunned eyes locked onto him.

    "Because right now, we¡¯re breaking out of here."

    For a moment, hesitation flickered among the inmates. Then, as realization dawned, resolve hardened in their expressions.

    "You all just need to get to the landing deck," Owen continued. "The droids will guide the way to it."

    With that, he shot forward towards the back doors, where Isaac, Grace, and Will were already waiting. As the doors slid open, Owen glanced back one last time.

    He saw it¡ªthe determination spread across each of them.

    Owen smirked.

    Then, all at once, they ran.

    ***

    Albert stormed through the facility halls, his long coat billowing behind him as officers rushed to keep pace. His voice was sharp, echoing through the corridors.

    "Lock down the entire facility! I want every sector sealed now!"

    The officers scrambled to follow his command, fingers tapping rapidly on their tablets, trying to regain control. But before Albert could take another step forward, a sudden red light bathed the ceiling in an ominous glow.

    A loud mechanical clang echoed through the halls as a thick metal wall slammed down in front of him, cutting off his path.

    Albert clenched his jaw, his glowing purple eyes narrowing. "Why is the gate closed?" he demanded.

    A nearby officer, frantically swiping on his tablet, gulped. "Sir¡ªthe system¡ªit''s been completely taken over! I¡ªI can¡¯t access anything!"

    Silence hung for a fraction of a second. Then a cold, deadly look settled on Albert¡¯s face.

    A sharp breath filled his lungs as essence surged through his body, igniting like a storm beneath his skin. His muscles tensed as he pulled back a fist, power crackling in his veins.

    Then the entire hallway shook as Albert''s punch obliterated the metal wall. A massive, gaping hole now stood where the barrier had been, torn apart like paper. Smoke and sparks hissed from the shattered edges.

    Stepping through the hole, Albert''s voice was dangerously quiet.

    "I don''t care anymore," His glowing purple gaze burned with fury. "All I want to do now is to tear Owen¡¯s head off from his damn body."

    ***

    Owen sprinted forward, leading the charge as dozens of floor one inmates thundered up the massive stairway toward the cafeteria. The pounding of feet echoed against the steel walls, and the adrenaline in the air was thick.

    "We need to get through to floor five once we reach the cafeteria." Isaac said between breaths, keeping pace beside Owen.

    "How are the lower floors holding up?" Grace asked, glancing at Isaac.

    Isaac shook his head. "I haven¡¯t handed out any Omnibands yet, so they won¡¯t know what¡¯s happening right now."

    They reached the top of the stairs, bursting into the wide-open cafeteria.

    Owen turned his head slightly. "Grace, head to the floor five assembly hall. Get Jason and Hannah to inform the lower floors about the escape."

    Grace gave a firm nod. "Got it."

    They kept running, their shoes slamming against the tile floor as they approached the cafeteria¡¯s far end. Just as the massive doors slid open, six officers stood on the other side, their eyes widening in alarm.

    Before they could react, Grace threw out her hands, summoning six chains. They shot forward like whips, wrapping tightly around the officers. With a fierce tug, she slammed them into the walls on either side, knocking them out instantly.

    The group didn¡¯t slow. The doors slid fully open, revealing a large junction where multiple paths branched off.

    Isaac pointed straight ahead. "Grace! That path leads to the floor five assembly hall."

    Grace smirked. "See you later." Without hesitation, she sprinted forward down the corridor.

    Isaac then pointed to the right. "That way¡ªthere¡¯s a stairwell that¡¯ll take us up to floor six!"

    Owen and the rest of the inmates turned, following Isaac¡¯s lead. At the far end of the long, dimly lit hallway, the next set of stairs waited.

    As they reached the stairs, they charged up it. As they climbed higher, the air grew tense with anticipation. Finally, they reached the top. A long corridor stretched out before them, ending with a set of closed metal doors.

    Isaac rushed ahead and placed his hand on the panel. With a soft hiss, the doors slid open, revealing a wide passageway with glass walls on either side. The sight beyond the glass were other parts of the facility.

    As they stepped through, their feet pounding against the smooth floor, Owen suddenly felt something. A presence. A shift in energy.

    He turned his head to the right.

    A separate building stood further away, its large windows faintly glowing with an eerie green light.

    Owen skidded to a sudden stop, his shoes screeching against the floor. The inmates around him nearly crashed into each other, turning to look back in confusion.

    Isaac and Will both stopped as well. Isaac narrowed his eyes. "Owen, what¡¯s wrong?"

    Owen didn¡¯t respond right away. His gaze remained locked on the other building as the green energy began pulsing more violently, swirling against the glass like a storm.

    Then, he grinned.

    "Don¡¯t look back," Owen said smoothly. "Just keep running."

    Isaac hesitated, but seeing the look in Owen¡¯s eyes, he nodded. "Just don¡¯t take too long."

    With that, he and Will turned and ran ahead, leading the others down the corridor.

    Owen remained where he was, watching as the green essence finally shattered the windows of the distant building.

    A devilish grin spread across his face.

    He hadn¡¯t expected they¡¯d run right past the office of the sub-warden.

    "Guess I should say hello." Owen muttered.

    He bent his knees, tightening his thighs, and then smashed through the glass. Glass shards scattered through the air as he soared across the gap between buildings.

    On the other side, standing amidst the shattered remains of his office window, was a visibly furious Mayers. His sharp eyes gleamed with power, and in his right hand, he gripped an ornate cane.

    Owen¡¯s grin widened as he kept soaring, his voice carrying across the gap.

    "I¡¯ve never tried beating up an old man before! You¡¯ll be the first Mayers!"

 Chapter 39 - The Hangar Bay

    Isaac led the inmates through the dimly lit corridors of floor seven, their hurried footsteps echoing off the metal walls. The alarms blared, red emergency lights flashing in rhythmic pulses. They were close to the landing deck¡ªalmost there¡ªwhen Isaac suddenly raised his hand, signaling them to stop.

    Ahead, a squad of officers poured into the hallway, their rifles raised and aimed directly at them. The officers spread out, blocking the path forward.

    Will standing beside Isaac, glanced over. "What now?"

    Isaac took a step forward. Before he could do anything, one of the officers pulled the trigger. The gunshot rang out.

    The bullet stopped inches from Isaac¡¯s chest, striking an invisible force. A translucent blue shield flared into existence, crackling with energy before fading again. The officers hesitated for only a second before the entire squad opened fire. A hail of bullets rained down, but each round struck the same unseen barrier, harmlessly dispersing against its surface.

    Isaac remained still, his eyes locked on the officers. Then, with a slow raise of his hand, he snapped his fingers.

    In an instant, every firearm in the officers¡¯ hands vanished into thin air.

    Silence fell over the corridor. The officers, now empty-handed, froze in disbelief, their eyes darting between each other. Confusion turned to panic.

    Without a word, Isaac lifted his fingers again. This time, from the walls of the corridor, mechanical arms shot out, their segmented metal limbs moving with eerie precision. The officers barely had time to react before the arms grabbed them, wrapping around their torsos, pinning their limbs. They struggled, but the steel grips didn¡¯t budge. One by one, they were pulled into the walls, immobilized, their muffled protests drowned by the sound of grinding metal.

    Isaac turned back to the group, his expression calm. "Let¡¯s keep moving."

    The inmates hurried past the officers, their struggles fading behind them. The corridor stretched ahead, leading them deeper into the facility.

    Before long, they emerged into a larger hallway. At the far end, a set of massive metal doors stood in their path. Isaac stepped forward, placing his hand on the access panel. With a hiss and a heavy groan, the doors slid open.

    Beyond them lay a massive hangar. The ceiling stretched high above, lined with metal beams and lights that cast a dim glow over the vast space. A staircase led down to the main floor, where hundreds of ships were scattered¡ªsome no bigger than a small car, others the size of a transport truck.

    On the far side, even larger doors lined the walls¡ªhangar exits leading to the landing deck. Their way out.

    Isaac gestured towards the ships. "All we need to do is get in those and fly out through those doors."

    The inmates barely had time to process his words when a noise echoed from the hallway behind them.

    A distant shout. Then more.

    The inmates turned. The noise grew louder¡ªfast, rushing toward them like a storm. Panic rippled through the group as inmates in the back screamed. And then a sudden force blasted through the crowd.

    The inmates closest to Isaac were hurled into the air like ragdolls. Before Isaac could react, an iron grip wrapped around his throat, yanking him forcefully off the ground.

    The world spun for a moment before he steadied himself enough to see his attacker.

    It was the floor ten overseer, Barbara.

    The overseer loomed before him, her piercing gaze locked onto his. Stone-like wings jutted from her back, flapping with an unnatural weight, keeping her effortlessly aloft. She brought his face closer.

    ¡°You,¡± she hissed. ¡°You¡¯re Isaac, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    She didn¡¯t wait for an answer.

    With a violent motion, she flung him downwards.

    Isaac¡¯s Essence flared, instinct taking over to protect himself. He crashed into the hangar floor, metal groaning beneath the impact. Dust and debris scattered as he rolled to a stop.

    Groaning, he pushed himself back to his feet, his muscles tensed. As he lifted his gaze, Barbara hovered above, wings beating heavily in the air.

    Isaac clenched his jaw.

    An advanced Essence user.

    This fight wasn¡¯t going to be easy.

    ***

    Owen''s body tore through the metal wall like a wrecking ball, crashing into a large, dimly lit room. His back slammed against the ground, metal debris scattering around him. A sharp pain flared in his skull, and when he reached up, his fingers came away wet with blood.

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    Groaning, he pushed himself to his feet and wiped the blood from his brow. His breathing was heavy, but he forced himself to focus as he turned toward the gaping hole he had just been sent through.

    A figure stepped through the jagged opening, the tap of a cane punctuating each step.

    The old sub-warden carried himself with an eerie calm, his green pupils gleaming under the flickering lights. Despite his age, there wasn¡¯t a single sign of weakness in his posture.

    Owen cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders. ''Damn.''

    The gap between an advanced essence user and an intermediate one was bigger than he¡¯d thought. He had fought with everything he had, but even in his old age, Mayers hadn¡¯t so much as flinched from his attacks.

    Owen tensed, ready to move again. But the second he shifted, Mayers tapped his cane against the floor.

    Wood erupted from the ground in thick, gnarled pillars, slamming into Owen with the force of a battering ram. He grunted as they crushed him against the back wall, pressing in with relentless strength.

    Gritting his teeth, Owen freed an arm and wreathed his fist in roaring flames. With a growl, he drove his fist into the wood¡ªonly for it to rebound harmlessly.

    His flames flickered against the surface, but the wood didn¡¯t burn. It was harder than anything he had ever hit before, unyielding as steel.

    Before he could react, the pillars pressed forward again, shoving him further back until he was forced straight through the wall behind him.

    The impact sent him skidding across the floor of an adjacent hallway, metal groaning beneath him. As he came to a stop, his head spinning, a voice crackled to life from his inhibitor cuff.

    Ann, the AI, spoke out loud.

    "I would like to divulge some information."

    Owen wiped the last trace of blood from his brow and exhaled sharply. "Go ahead."

    "Grace has made contact with the others. They have successfully broken out of the assembly hall and are now gathering all lower-floor inmates."

    Owen let out a short breath, nodding. That was good. At least something was going their way.

    His eyes flicked back to the hole Mayers had sent him through, watching for movement. "What about the other advanced essence users? Where are they?"

    "The warden is currently on floor eight and is heading toward floor seven, where the landing deck is located," Ann reported. "Barbara is already in the landing deck."

    Owen clenched his jaw.

    Barbara was already there. And now Albert was on the move. If they both reached the landing deck, things would get even worse.

    He needed to be a bigger nuisance.

    Before he could dwell on it further, Mayers stepped through the hole, his cane tapping against the floor, his expression dark.

    Owen didn''t hesitate. "Ann, guide me to the warden."

    Without waiting for a response, he flared more Essence into his body. Strength surged through his limbs, and in an instant, he shot down the hallway, the floor trembling beneath his speed.

    Mayers narrowed his green eyes. Then, without a word, he launched forward in pursuit.

    ***

    Isaac grunted as he was sent skidding across the hangar floor, his body slamming into the side of a nearby vehicle. The impact left a dent in the metal, and pain flared across his ribs. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to push past the aching sensation.

    Barbara hovered above, stone-like wings flexing as she slowly descended.

    Ignoring the pain, Isaac tightened his grip on the modified minigun he had summoned earlier. With a flick of his wrist, the barrels began to spin, glowing with a fiery red light.

    Barbara¡¯s eyes locked onto him. Then she lunged.

    Isaac pulled the trigger.

    A hail of laser fire erupted from the minigun, scorching the air as it tore toward Barbara. But as the beams struck her, they bounced harmlessly off her skin, scattering in random directions. She didn¡¯t even slow down.

    In the blink of an eye, she was in front of him.

    Barbara threw a punch, slamming her fist into Isaac¡¯s blue shield. A sharp crack split through the air as fractures ran along the barrier.

    Before Isaac could react, her next punch shattered through the weakened shield and connected with his face.

    The impact sent him flying. He soared over the vehicle, his body hitting the ground hard before sliding across the floor. His vision blurred, pain pulsing through his skull.

    Before he could gather himself, a deep, animalistic snarl cut through the air.

    Will, now fully transformed into his beast form, charged at Barbara. With a powerful swipe, he aimed straight for her, but Barbara didn¡¯t even look.

    With a casual flick of her hand, she backhanded Will across the face.

    The force of the blow sent him launching backward, his form tumbling across the floor before crashing into a vehicle.

    Isaac groaned as he pushed himself up from the floor. His vision swam for a moment, but he forced himself to focus.

    Barbara hovered a short distance away, her cold gaze locked onto him.

    Then, the floor beneath Isaac rippled.

    Metal twisted and reformed, shifting like liquid as shapes began to rise from the ground. Humanoid figures emerged, their bodies piecing together with mechanical precision. Within seconds, an army of droids surrounded him, their sleek metallic forms gleaming under the hangar lights far above.

    Isaac wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then pointed forward.

    At once, the droids surged toward Barbara.

    She remained still at first, her expression subtly sharpening. Then, she moved.

    The first droid leaped at her¡ªshe tore straight through it, metal limbs scattering in all directions. The next tried to grab her¡ªshe crushed its head with a single strike. More swarmed, but it made no difference.

    Barbara tore through them like they were paper.

    Isaac clenched his jaw, gripping his minigun tighter. She was cutting them down too fast.

    Stealing a glance over his shoulder, he looked toward the entrance of the hangar. The inmates he had led here were scattering, running deeper into the hangar. From the entrance, officers were pouring in, grabbing nearby inmates as they came.

    Isaac let out a long exhale. Things were not going well.

    A sudden, violent tremor rocked the entire hangar.

    Isaac staggered, barely keeping his footing as metal beams groaned and the floor quaked beneath him. Barbara, mid-stride, paused and looked upward.

    Far above, the ceiling shuddered. Cracks spiderwebbed across the reinforced metal, and for a brief moment, it seemed like the entire structure was about to cave in.

    Then an explosion tore through the ceiling.

    A shockwave burst outward, sending debris cascading down like a meteor shower. Chunks of rubble and twisted metal rained toward the center of the hangar, slamming into the floor with deafening crashes.

    And then, floating down through the chaos, a figure emerged. It was Katherine.

    As she descended with an effortless grace, her eyes, cold and piercing, locked directly onto Barbara.

    Then, with an enhanced voice that echoed through the vast space, Katherine spoke.

    "I¡¯ve been looking for you, Barbara." Her tone was calm, yet laced with deadly intent. "I want to kill you before I escape."

 Chapter 40 - The Frenzy

    Jason¡¯s fist crashed into an officer¡¯s face, sending the man stumbling backward with a pained grunt. He didn¡¯t stop. Spinning on his heel, he drove his elbow into another officer¡¯s gut before ducking under a wild swing.

    All around him, chaos raged.

    The narrow hallway was packed with bodies¡ªboth inmates and officers locked in brutal combat. Fists flew, boots stomped, and weapons discharged in every direction. The air was thick with shouts, the crackle of gunfire, and the sound of metal striking flesh.

    Not far from him, Grace and Hannah fought their way forward.

    Grace grabbed an officer by the collar, yanking him forward before slamming her knee into his ribs. Without missing a beat, she spun and punched another in the jaw, sending him crumpling to the ground.

    Hannah, just a few feet away, was equally relentless. She weaved through attackers, ducking under swings before countering with sharp, precise blows.

    Through the dense crowds, droids zipped and weaved, their sleek metallic bodies glinting under the dim lighting. They were Isaac¡¯s droids.

    They darted through the battlefield, guiding the inmates forward, their programmed directives clear¡ªget everyone to the hangar bay.

    But the officers weren¡¯t making it easy.

    More were pouring in, trying to block their advance. Gunfire erupted, forcing some inmates to take cover while others rushed forward with raw desperation.

    Jason let out a thunderous roar, his voice booming over the chaos.

    With a powerful leap, he launched himself into the air, his massive frame soaring above the battlefield. Officers turned, eyes widening as they instinctively aimed their weapons at him.

    Bullets tore through the air, pelting his body¡ªbut they bounced off harmlessly, deflecting off his enhanced skin like pebbles against steel.

    Then he came crashing down. His impact sent a shockwave through the floor, knocking back nearby officers. Without hesitation, he threw himself into the fray, his fists swinging like wrecking balls. Every punch sent bodies flying, breaking through the defensive line the officers had formed.

    Grace and Hannah quickly rushed to his side, striking down officers that tried to close in on him. And they weren¡¯t alone. More and more inmates, seeing the breakthrough, surged forward behind them.

    Jason was like a battering ram, smashing through whatever stood in his path, making space for the others to escape.

    The officers were starting to lose ground.

    ***

    Katherine¡¯s boots touched down on the hangar floor. Without hesitation, she strode forward, closing the distance between herself and Barbara.

    slightly as she met Katherine¡¯s cold gaze.

    "Do you really want to do this?" Barbara asked, her voice carrying a hint of amusement.

    Katherine¡¯s eyes narrowed. "I can¡¯t forgive what you¡¯ve done to my family."

    Barbara smirked. "Once word gets out that the inmates tried to escape, your families will suffer even worse."

    Essence flared around Katherine, wind swirling violently at her feet. Her expression darkened.

    "Then I¡¯ll kill every officer in this facility before they get the chance to do that."

    Barbara lunged, but before she could reach her, a sudden blast of powerful wind struck her like a hammer, sending her skidding backward across the hangar.

    From Katherine¡¯s side, a voice spoke.

    "You don¡¯t need to worry about them sending out a message."

    She turned her head slightly, her piercing gaze falling on Isaac, who was dusting himself off.

    "I¡¯ve taken over the system," he continued. "No messages are getting out."

    Katherine studied him for a moment before speaking coldly. "Who are you?"

    "Isaac," he said. "Part of Owen¡¯s crew."

    At the mention of Owen, Katherine scowled. Her eyes turned back towards where she had sent Barbara crashing. "I want a rematch with him. I have unfinished business."

    Isaac, ignoring her irritation, spoke again. "I hope we can work together. I need to get all the inmates into the hover vehicles and out to the landing deck. I need you to hold Barbara off."

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    Katherine didn¡¯t look at him, her attention still on Barbara as she began to rise. "I¡¯ll do whatever I want."

    She took a step forward, moving with the grace of a predator, the wind still swirling around her.

    In the distance, Barbara was back on her feet.

    Her body shifted, muscles swelling as her skin hardened to stone. Her wings expanded, her fingers elongating into thick, jagged claws. Her transformation completed in seconds, leaving behind a monstrous, humanoid gargoyle.

    Katherine murmured to herself, her voice low. "She¡¯ll be tough to crack open."

    Then, essence pulsed around her, wind gathering with immense force.

    "I am the sky, Embodiment."

    A blinding flash of light erupted from Katherine¡¯s body. When it faded, she had transformed. Her clothes billowed like clouds, swirling around her in fluid motions. Her hair had turned silver, shining almost ethereally in the light.

    Barbara, with a roar, shot forward, her wings creating a sonic boom as she closed the gap between them in a blur. Her eyes locked on Katherine, and she slashed down with her claws.

    Barbara¡¯s strike met no resistance, as if she had attacked nothing but mist. Her momentum carried her forward, and by the time she stopped to turn, Katherine had already rematerialized behind her, floating effortlessly in the air.

    Katherine raised a hand and a sudden, violent blast of wind exploded downward, slamming Barbara into the ground with crushing force. The impact sent shockwaves across the floor, leaving a deep dent in the metal plating.

    Barbara quickly pushed herself back up, stone wings unfurling as she twisted her body, her glowing red eyes locking onto Katherine¡¯s floating form. With an inhuman snarl, she lunged upward, claws outstretched.

    Katherine watched calmly. Then, just as Barbara reached her¡ªshe turned into mist again.

    Barbara passed through, grasping nothing but air.

    Reappearing a short distance away, Katherine observed her with a calculating gaze. Her embodiment was powerful, but costly. The way it consumed essence every second meant she had to end this fight quickly. She couldn¡¯t afford to drag this out.

    While Katherine and Barbara clashed in the center of the hangar, Isaac was focused on a different task.

    His eyes flicked between the growing chaos and the swarm of droids he had summoned. He was sending them out in every direction, and issuing commands to them.

    With each passing second, more and more inmates were aided by the droids. As Isaac watched, he just hoped that Owen and the rest of the inmates would hurry and get here.

    ***

    Owen¡¯s breath came in quick, sharp gasps as he sprinted down the narrow hallway, his feet pounding against the floor. Behind him, Mayers was relentless, his footsteps echoing ever closer.

    Owen rounded a corner and, in one fluid motion, thrust his hands out, releasing a billowing wave of flame behind him. The fire roared to life, engulfing the space. But Mayers didn¡¯t hesitate. He charged right through the flames.

    In front, officers ahead saw and then tried to block Owen, but he shoved past them. Then at the end of the hallway were a set of stairs. He barrelled up them, and at the top, he skidded into a giant open area. It looked like he had entered a cafeteria.

    Across it, the upper floor inmates sat cross-legged on the floor, with some of them near him flicking their eyes curiously towards him. Rows of officers also stood between the rows.

    Suddenly something moved forward aiming directly from behind at Owen¡¯s head. He tilted his head just in time, dodging the attack as a wooden pillar soared past him into the air.

    Owen kept moving. With a burst of strength, he leapt across into the air, startling both officers and inmates alike.

    But as he sailed through the air, a wooden tendril shot up from the ground, coiling around his ankle and pulling him to the floor with brutal force.

    Before he could react, the officers closest to him were already closing in on him, their hands reaching out to seize him.

    Owen felt a rough grip on his shoulder.

    Without thinking, he snapped his elbow back, slamming it into the officer¡¯s face. The man staggered away with a grunt, clutching his nose.

    Before Owen could move again, two more officers lunged at him from the front. He met them with a pair of brutal punches, his fists crashing into their faces. They dropped instantly, but more were already swarming him.

    The wooden tendril around his leg tightened, winding higher, constricting like a snake. It was crawling up his body, wrapping around his torso, binding him even more.

    Still, Owen fought.

    His punches sent officers sprawling, some knocked out cold in a single blow. But no matter how many he struck down, more flooded in. They grabbed at his arms, his shoulders, his legs, trying to pin him.

    His movements became wilder¡ªlike a cornered animal thrashing to break free.

    Then the tendril coiled around one of his fists. Before he could react, it twisted his arm behind his back, locking it in place.

    A sudden fist struck his ribs. Then another hit his jaw.

    Officers were slipping in their own beatings now. Blows rained down as they fought to subdue him. His knees buckled as the tendril dragged him lower, forcing him towards the floor.

    Through the chaos, Owen¡¯s eyes landed on Mayers.

    The old man stood calmly at a distance, watching. Unbothered. Detached.

    Something inside Owen snapped.

    His teeth clenched, rage bubbling up inside him.

    "Get off me!" he roared.

    A violent blast of kinetic energy exploded outward.

    The force sent everything flying¡ªofficers, tables, chairs, even the inmates closest to him. Bodies were hurled through the air, crashing down and skidding across the floor.

    For a brief moment, silence followed.

    Owen slowly lifted his head, his breath ragged, his eyes burning with fury.

    "Are you tired of running yet?" Mayers asked. "Ready to fight seriously now?"

    Owen ripped at the wooden tendril still coiled around his arm with a snarl, his essence flaring around him in a storm of yellow light.

    "I don¡¯t care about conserving essence anymore," Owen growled, his voice thick with frustration. "I just want to beat you."

    Mayers¡¯ eyes sparkled with amusement. He raised his cane and tapped it on the ground, a loud crack reverberating through the cafeteria.

    "Anyone who helps in the capture of Owen will be favorably looked upon by the corporation." he announced, his voice amplified by essence.

    Owen¡¯s essence surged out like a torrent, swirling around him in a violent explosion of energy. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, he launched himself forward, charging straight for Mayers.

    But the sub-warden was prepared.

    As Owen closed the distance, a solid wooden wall erupted from the floor, rising between them like a barrier. Owen¡¯s fist collided with it, the force sending out a shockwave that rippled throughout¡ªbut the wall didn¡¯t budge.

    From the sides, chaos erupted.

    A mix of inmates and officers descended upon him at once, their shouts blending into a frenzy. In the middle of it all, Owen braced for impact.

 Chapter 41 - The Arrival

    Isaac sprinted across the hangar floor as he made his way towards the massive hangar doors. When he reached them, he slapped his hand against the wall beside the doors, his essence flaring as he manipulated the controls. With a low hum, the doors slowly began to open, revealing the open space outside.

    Isaac turned, facing back towards the expanse of the hangar, and raised his hands. The hover vehicles began to hum to life, slowly lifting off the ground. They glided forward, making their way towards the open hangar doors.

    High above, in the upper half of the hangar, a battle raged on. Katherine and Barbara were locked in a fierce battle. Katherine, looking frustrated, thrust out her hand and unleashed a lightning blast at Barbara. The crackling bolt of energy hit Barbara head on, sending out a deafening sound that reverberated throughout the hangar.

    But Barbara simply shrugged off the blast, her eyes narrowing as she charged forward, plowing through the lightning and rocketing towards Katherine. The stone-like beast closed the distance, her sharp claws reaching for Katherine.

    Katherine dissolved into mist, her body turning into wisps of cloud just in time to let Barbara pass straight through her.

    She materialized further up, flying higher to create more distance. But Barbara was relentless, twisting in the air and immediately giving chase.

    Katherine scowled. She lifted her hand again, aiming carefully, and sent another jagged bolt of lightning straight at Barbara. The strike hit its mark, arcing violently across the beast¡¯s body. But Barbara hardly reacted.

    Katherine¡¯s frustration grew. Barbara was invincible in her beast form.

    Katherine darted to the side, dodging another attack, and clenching her teeth in frustration. Her essence was quickly running low, and she had to make a decision if she wanted to keep using her embodiment.

    Katherine hovered in the air, her silver hair billowing as she extended her hands out to the sides. Sparks crackled along her fingertips, snaking up her arms as she pulled lightning into her body. The very air around her tingled with electricity, and the overhead lights flickered wildly, struggling against the sudden surge of power.

    Below, all eyes briefly turned upwards as the energy in the air became almost unbearable.

    Barbara, undeterred, let out a guttural growl and shot forward again, her stone wings blasting her toward Katherine with terrifying speed.

    Katherine narrowed her glowing eyes.

    Then, with a sharp exhale, she threw her hands forward and unleashed a devastating lightning strike.

    The blinding bolt tore through the air, striking Barbara head-on. The impact sent out a deafening crack, followed by a violent explosion of light and sound. Barbara was blown backward, her form sent crashing through the air, and near the entry staircase.

    Katherine, still hovering in the air, exhaled sharply before descending. As her feet touched the ground, her form unraveled¡ªher flowing cloud-like garments faded, her silver hair darkened back to black, and the ethereal energy that surrounded her dissipated. She huffed a few deep breaths, feeling tired but at least she wasn¡¯t all out of essence.

    Her gaze flickered toward Barbara, who was already stirring. The beastly woman rose, her body tense with rage. Across her chest, a blackened scorch mark marred her previously impenetrable skin. Her eyes burned with fury as she snarled, flexing her claws.

    Katherine clenched her teeth and cursed under her breath. She needed more time¡ªif she could stall just a little longer, she could gather enough essence to re-enter her embodiment and unleash a decisive attack.

    But then a shadow appeared at the top of the stairway.

    Katherine¡¯s eyes widened for a split second before her expression hardened. Standing there, composed and unwavering, was the warden.

    His hands were clasped behind his back, his sharp gaze sweeping across the hangar like a judge overseeing an execution. He looked down at Barbara with a cold, dispassionate glare.

    "Why," he asked, his voice smooth but laced with contempt, "are you having trouble against an inmate?"

    Barbara growled, her beastly voice rasping, "Be quiet. Katherine isn¡¯t someone that easy to deal with."

    Albert scoffed, unimpressed. His expression didn¡¯t shift as he slowly raised a hand towards the hangar.

    "Inmates," he murmured, almost to himself. Then, his voice turned sharp. "You¡¯re all the same. Insects."

    As Albert¡¯s essence erupted out from him, an invisible force swept through the hangar like a silent storm.

    Screams and pained yells filled the air as every inmate charging toward the hangar doors collapsed to the ground. Some clutched their heads, others their limbs, their bodies writhing as if struck by an unseen hammer.

    Katherine''s entire body tensed as agony shot through her leg. She let out a sharp cry and collapsed to one knee, clutching it. It felt like her bones had been shattered, like her flesh had been crushed beyond repair¡ªyet, when she looked down, nothing was visibly wrong. No blood. No wounds.

    She looked back up at Albert, her breathing uneven.

    The warden¡¯s voice rang out again, cold and merciless.

    "Insects need to be culled."

    ***

    Owen was in the middle of a brutal, messy brawl. Fists, elbows, and knees crashed into him from every angle, bodies pressing against him as he fought to stay upright. His muscles screamed, his bones ached, but his essence burned hot, fueling his every savage move.

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    An elbow slammed into his ribs¡ªhe grunted but retaliated immediately, his own flame fist caving in someone¡¯s cheek. Another arm wrapped around his throat, trying to choke him out. He twisted, slammed his head backward, feeling cartilage crunch as the attacker¡¯s nose broke.

    Hands clawed at his clothes, trying to drag him down into the mass of bodies. A fist cracked into his jaw, but Owen barely felt it through the haze of combat. He swung wildly, knocking a man back, only for another to take his place.

    A face loomed too close. Instinct took over.

    Owen¡¯s mouth snapped open, and his teeth clamped down hard, tearing through flesh. The man shrieked as his nose was ripped clean off. Owen spat it out, the bloody chunk smacking into another fighter¡¯s face, momentarily stunning them.

    His knee shot up, burying into the man¡¯s groin. They collapsed with a strangled gasp.

    Another figure lunged at him¡ªOwen¡¯s fingers found their throat. He squeezed, essence surging through his grip, and with a brutal yank, he ripped out their windpipe. Blood spurted, coating his arm, but he had no time to register it.

    More bodies rushed him. The fight wasn¡¯t over. It was only getting worse.

    A jet of ice shot towards him¡ªhe countered with a burst of flames, melting it mid-air. A energy blast slammed into his ribs, sending him staggering, but he roared and unleashed a billowing wave of fire, forcing the attackers back.

    For minutes, Owen¡¯s fists never stopped moving. Each punch cracked bone, each movement sent bodies reeling. He fought like a wild animal, his body moving on its own.

    Standing atop the wooden wall he had raised, Mayers observed with sharp, calculating eyes. He had seen this before. His fingers tightened around his cane as he muttered to himself, "It¡¯s happening again¡­ just like in the gauntlet."

    Owen was adapting. Growing stronger. He was a storm that refused to be quelled. Below, his fists shot out like cannons. A single blow sent a man crumpling, unconscious before he hit the floor. He twisted, ducked under an attack, and sent another opponent flying with a brutal backhand.

    One by one, his enemies fell. Slowly, bodies began piling around him, littering the ground beneath his feet.

    It was time to intervene. From the wall, Mayers sent out a tendril to shoot out at Owen.

    But Owen sensed this, and as he had the faces of two officers in his hands, he swerved his head and bit down on the tendril. Frost escaped his lips and a moment later the tendril froze.

    With an almost animalistic snarl, he tore the tendril apart, and banged the heads of the inmates together. He shoved away the nearest attackers as his eyes locked onto Mayers.

    Without hesitation, he bent his knees and launched himself upward, his body cutting through the air like a missile. The force of his jump sent people back.

    Mayers¡¯ eyes widened slightly, caught off guard. He hadn¡¯t expected Owen to shift his focus so suddenly¡ªnot with so many enemies still on him. But there was no hesitation in the old sub-warden¡¯s movements. His body tensed, and he gritted his teeth, extending a palm outward just as Owen came barreling towards him.

    A moment later, Owen¡¯s fist slammed into Mayers¡¯ palm. A deafening shockwave exploded outwards, sending a violent ripple through the air. The wooden wall beneath Mayers groaned and cracked, and the pressure sent nearby inmates and officers stumbling backwards.

    For a heartbeat, Owen and Mayers were locked in place, their strength clashing like two colliding storms.

    As Owen¡¯s fist pressed against Mayers¡¯ palm, his voice came out in a low, guttural mutter.

    "I am a crusader, embodiment."

    Mayers¡¯ eyes widened in alarm.

    A blinding light erupted from Owen¡¯s body, engulfing them both in it. Then, in the very next instant¡ªOwen moved.

    His fist hurtled forward and slammed into Mayers¡¯ face. The sub-warden¡¯s head snapped to the side, his body twisting violently as he was launched clean off the wooden wall. He crashed into the cafeteria floor below, skidding past inmates and officers, and across the floor in a brutal roll before smashing into a row of overturned tables.

    Owen¡¯s robe fluttered as he landed back down, his eyes locked onto Mayers¡¯ crumpled form.

    Eyes lingered on Owen, who slowly walked towards Mayers. Some officers who had been standing nearby, stood frozen in place. Their instincts screamed at them to run, but they were too slow to act.

    Owen didn¡¯t even glance at them.

    His after-shadow moved before they could react.

    Blurred echoes of his fists struck out at the surrounding inmates like vengeful phantoms¡ªknocking them out before they even realized what had happened. Their bodies slumped down to the floor.

    The sub-warden groaned, pushing himself up from the shattered remains of the tables. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth as he wiped it away with the back of his hand. His green eyes flicked up to meet Owen¡¯s unwavering glare.

    For the first time in this fight, Mayers felt something deep in his chest.

    A flicker of unease.

    In an instant, Owen was in front of Mayers, his fist raised high above his head. The old man¡¯s eyes widened as he tried to move, but something was stopping him¡ªhis body refused to obey.

    Owen¡¯s yellow aura flared, and with a brutal shout, he slammed his fist down into Mayers¡¯ chest, sending the sub-warden crashing hard into the floor. The impact left a crater beneath them, dust and debris scattering in all directions.

    Before Mayers could even recover, Owen launched himself at the downed man, his fists raining down like a storm. Each punch landed with earth-shaking force, cracking the floor beneath them and leaving deep indentations where his fists struck. Mayers¡¯ body jerked with each blow, his breath coming in shallow gasps as the relentless barrage continued.

    But Owen wasn¡¯t done. He raised his fist again, ready to bring it down with even more force.

    That was when Mayers¡¯ angry yell pierced through the chaos.

    His essence erupted from him in a furious wave, the ground trembled beneath their feet. Wood shot up from every direction, snaking up from the cracks in the floor, twisting and turning like living tendrils. Owen''s eyes narrowed as he saw them moving, and he leapt backwards just in time as the wooden roots shot up, attempting to entangle him.

    The wooden tendrils wrapped around Mayers¡¯ body, coiling tightly, and then solidified, forming a suit of armor that covered him from head to toe. The once frail and old man was now encased in a thick, wooden exoskeleton that made him appear even more formidable.

    A low creaking sound echoed as Mayers, with a sudden burst of energy, launched himself forward, closing the distance between him and Owen at an unexpectedly fast pace.

    Owen¡¯s body was already in motion. With fluid grace, he sidestepped Mayers'' attack, with the charge narrowly missing him. Before Mayers could recover, Owen delivered a series of rapid jabs to his head.

    Mayers stumbled back slightly, swinging wildly to counter. His movements were chaotic and uncoordinated, like that of an untrained fighter. Owen effortlessly dodged and stepped to the side, landing a powerful uppercut to Mayers¡¯ chin.

    As Mayers reeled from the blow, he found himself struggling to regain his footing. His mind raced, confusion clouding his thoughts. It felt as though he had somehow forgotten how to fight properly.

    Owen didn¡¯t give him time to recover. He gathered flames around his fist, and with a roar, shot his blazing fist directly into Mayers¡¯ chest. The heat seared through the wooden armor, and in the same motion, Mayers was launched across the cafeteria, his body aflame as he flew through the air.

    The cafeteria fell silent, the officers and inmates stepping back in fear as Owen walked forward. He drew closer to Mayers, but three officers in special uniforms stepped in, helping Mayers to his feet. Owen''s eyes narrowed when he saw their uniforms¡ªthey were some of the overseers for the upper floors.

    Mayers, now battered but standing, took a deep breath, his wooden armor crackling slightly as it absorbed the heat. He straightened, meeting the eyes of the overseers.

    "Owen has the ability to take away your fighting ability," Mayers said through gritted teeth. "To break free of it... you¡¯ll need to pour a significant amount of essence into your bodies."

    The overseers exchanged nods, and then without hesitation, they began gathering their essence, their bodies surging with energy.

    Owen cracked his neck, as he stared them down. He then raised his fists and took a fighting stance. He was ready for them.

 Chapter 42 - The Backup

    Owen moved like a blur, faster than anyone could process. His fists plowed through the mass of officers and inmates, knocking them out one after another.

    One of the overseers, now fully transformed into his beast form, was trying to keep up. His body had morphed into that of a humanoid fly¡ªhis back hunched and skeletal, his arms elongated with sharp, razor-like appendages. His wings buzzed aggressively as he darted through the air, trying to match Owen¡¯s incredible speed.

    Once the cafeteria floor was littered by a sea of bodies, Owen turned his attention to the overseer chasing him.

    He moved with lightning speed, launching a sweeping kick at the overseer. The overseer saw the attack coming but couldn¡¯t react quickly enough. The force of Owen''s kick struck him square in the neck, bending it at an unnatural angle before sending him flying across the room.

    Before Owen could take another step, almost immediately the other two overseers lunged at him in tandem. They both threw powerful punches, but their fists never reached him. In an instant, Owen stopped their movements mid-air using kinetic energy, their bodies frozen in place as he turned to them.

    He stepped forward to launch an attack, but before he could, Mayers¡¯ wood tendrils snaked out and yanked the overseers back by their waists, pulling them out of Owen¡¯s range.

    One of the overseers, her form emanating a pink aura, quickly surged her essence. She reached out her hand and raised several bodies from the floor, hurling them at Owen like missiles.

    Without missing a beat, Owen extended a finger, flicking it left and right. The bodies veered off course, flying harmlessly to either side.

    As the overseers regrouped near Mayers¡¯ side, Owen raised his hands, and multiple flaming spears materialized in the air around him. He launched them forward, the flames roaring as they streaked towards their targets.

    Mayers reacted by raising a thick wooden shield in front of himself and the overseers to intercept the spears. The spears collided with the shield in a violent explosion, sending waves of fire and smoke across them.

    As the shield burned and the smoke cleared, Owen was gone. He blurred out of sight, moving with inhuman speed. Mayers was the only one able to react in time, raising a hand to protect himself as Owen reappeared behind them. With a ferocious snap, Owen launched a punch at each of them, his fists hitting like battering rams.

    The overseers were rattled forward, their bodies thrown off balance, crashing into the back of the shield.

    Mayers lunged forward, throwing a punch at Owen with all his strength. But Owen effortlessly slipped past the attack. In the same motion, he delivered a brutal counterpunch straight to Mayers¡¯ ribs, causing him to stumble backwards.

    Seizing the moment, Owen pressed forward. His fists became a blur as he landed a rapid three-piece combo¡ªa crushing hook to the jaw, a sharp jab to the chest, and an uppercut that snapped Mayers'' head back.

    Before Mayers could even attempt to recover, Owen twisted his body and launched a powerful kick. His foot slammed into Mayers'' torso with such force that the impact echoed through the cafeteria. Mayers¡¯ body rocketed backward, crashing through tables and then bodies, skidding halfway across the massive room before finally coming to a stop.

    Owen puffed out a tired breath, his chest rising and falling heavily. He had undone his embodiment, his robe now turning back into his jumpsuit. He suddenly realized just how drained he was. His essence was running low, and his body ached.

    From his inhibitor cuff, Ann¡¯s voice cut through. "Now that the fight¡¯s over, you need to hurry to the hangar bay. Something serious is happening there."

    Owen took a wobbly step forward, shaking his head. "I will¡­ but damn, I didn¡¯t expect embodiment to drain me this much." He rolled his shoulders and started moving towards the door, each step slower than he would have liked.

    But just as he made it a few paces toward the door, a flicker of movement caught his eye. He turned slowly, eyes narrowing.

    Mayers was getting up.

    The man looked like a zombie, his body creaking as he pushed himself off the floor, his face twisted in a glare that was pure spite. Owen couldn''t help but chuckle, albeit weakly. "You''re a damn zombie." he muttered, shaking his head.

    Mayers¡¯ voice, ragged yet defiant, came through. "I won¡¯t fall until I see you down on the floor."

    His wooden armour formed once again, thick layers of reinforced wood encasing his body and aiding his movements. With a deep breath, he surged forward, his steps heavy but quick.

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    Owen, feeling the last reserves of his essence within him, gritted his teeth and forced it to circulate through his exhausted body. He steadied himself, ready to react¡ªbut then, he heard footsteps rapidly approaching from behind him.

    Before he could fully turn, a sharp tug at his collar yanked him backwards.

    Mayers¡¯ fist, inches away from his face, was suddenly intercepted. From the side of his vision, Owen saw a familiar figure stepping in¡ªJoyce.

    She pushed back against Mayers¡¯ strike, stopping his momentum dead in his tracks.

    The moment Mayers caught sight of her, he instinctively leaped backward, creating space between them. His narrowed eyes locked onto Joyce as he exhaled sharply. "Why are you here?"

    Joyce, however, paid him no mind. She turned her gaze to Owen instead. "Go," she said plainly. "I''ll handle him."

    Owen hesitated for only a second, his tired eyes scanning her. His mind flickered back to the gauntlet, to the match he had with her. He remembered her being a strong opponent.

    He gave her a firm nod. "Don''t take too long." he muttered before turning away.

    Mayers gritted his teeth, taking a step forward as if to stop Owen, but Joyce swiftly raised a hand, a teasing smirk playing on her lips. Mayers froze, his instincts screaming at him.

    Instead of pushing further, he took a step back. His jaw clenched before he let out a frustrated yell. "I''ll come for him once I¡¯m done with you!"

    Owen didn¡¯t look back as he disappeared through the doorway.

    Now alone, Joyce exhaled slowly. A deep hum filled the air as her essence expanded outwards.

    Mayers took another step back, his body tensing. He knew exactly what her essence ability was.

    His voice came out unsteady. "Even if you use your ability on me, I can still move freely using my wood."

    Joyce tilted her head slightly, as if considering his words. "I see." she said lightly. Then she straightened, centering herself.

    Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment. Mayers watched in confusion as Joyce stood still. For a moment, he wondered what she was doing. Then, without warning, Joyce snapped her eyes open. Her pupils had turned red, and the purple aura surrounding her flared, shifting into a deep crimson.

    Mayers stumbled back, his eyes wide with shock. He tried to catch himself, but the force of her presence made him falter and fall to the ground. "What... What is this?" he stammered, the words leaving his mouth in disbelief. "How can you have another essence type? That''s impossible!"

    Joyce didn¡¯t respond to him. Her expression remained dark, her brows furrowed as if deep in thought. "I remember saying I didn¡¯t like to be switched out, Joyce." she muttered.

    Mayers¡¯ eyes grew even wider as he noticed something else. For some reason, she was now exuding the aura of an advanced essence user. But she was only a novice essence user moments ago.

    "W-What are you?!" Mayers nearly shouted in frustration, anger bubbling in his voice.

    Joyce finally turned her gaze towards him, her face scrunching up with annoyance. "How annoying."

    Then, without hesitation, she raised her hand. A blinding surge of fire erupted from her palm¡ªnot just a blast, but an inferno. The sheer heat of it warped the air, turning the cafeteria into an instant furnace.

    The flames roared violently, swallowing Mayers whole before he could even react. The fire spread outward, melting the floor beneath him, and eventually becoming a massive pillar of red and gold spiralling towards the ceiling, scorching it black.

    When the inferno finally died down, there was nothing left¡ªno body, no bones, not even ashes. The spot where Mayers had stood was now an unrecognizable crater, the metal floor liquefied and still glowing from the heat.

    Joyce glanced momentarily at the crater, her expression unreadable, before she turned away. A slow breath escaped her lips as she began to close her eyes. "Don¡¯t waste me for something trivial like this," she muttered softly to herself. "You could have easily handled it yourself."

    With that, she let her eyelids fall shut.

    When she opened them again, her crimson eyes had returned to their natural brown.

    A smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she turned, walking away with an almost nonchalant air. "I would''ve taken longer."

    ***

    Barbara stood over the kneeling Katherine, her grip tightening around her throat as Katherine weakly struggled against her hold. A low, guttural growl rumbled from Barbara¡¯s chest as she applied more pressure, watching with cold satisfaction as Katherine¡¯s movements slowed.

    A few meters away, Albert walked past them, his hands still clasped behind his back. He stopped abruptly, narrowing his eyes as he fixed his gaze on the far side of the hangar. His lips barely moved as he muttered under his breath, "I won¡¯t let you escape."

    Barbara¡¯s ears twitched at a distant noise from behind her. A sharp clatter¡ªtoo many footsteps, too many voices. Her brow furrowed, and she hesitated, loosening her grip slightly on Katherine¡¯s throat. Turning her head, she peered towards the entrance of the hangar, her sharp gaze scanning the dim expanse beyond.

    "Albert," she called out.

    Albert turned his head slightly, acknowledging her.

    Barbara straightened, her grip fully releasing Katherine as she focused on the growing sounds from the entrance. "More inmates are coming." she said.

    Jason charged into the hangar, leading an army of inmates behind him. He skidded to a stop at the top of the stairs, his gaze immediately locking onto Albert and Barbara. The inmates behind him clustered together as they all stopped with him.

    Albert¡¯s sharp gaze flicked to them. He exhaled through his nose, then turned his head slightly toward Barbara. "Take care of the ones escaping on the other side," he ordered. "I¡¯ll handle this group myself."

    Before Jason could step forward, a hand gently pushed against his shoulder. He turned to see the woman they had met in the hallways and say that she was friends with Isaac, Marie, walking past him with a calm confidence, her eyes fixed down below.

    Albert clenched his jaw, his expression hardening. "Wait," he said, stopping Barbara in her tracks. His eyes locked onto Marie as he spoke through gritted teeth. "That¡¯s the girl with the death insignia. We¡¯ll need to handle her together."

    Marie raised her hands to her side. A blue aura began to swirl around her. At either side of her, the air warped and twisted as two black figures began to take shape. Their forms stretched and contorted, growing into towering, nightmarish creatures with elongated limbs and jagged, shadowed maws.

    The creatures snarled, their eyes glowing with an eerie light. Marie, her expression calm, pointed downward towards Albert and Barbara. Without hesitation, the monstrous beings lunged forward, their clawed hands tearing into the air as they descended upon their targets.

 Chapter 43 - The Return

    Owen was breathing heavily as he jogged down the hallway, the lingering effects of embodiment still weighing heavily on him. His muscles burned, and his vision swam. As he descended a set of steps, his foot caught the edge, and he tripped, crashing to the floor with a loud thud. He grunted, huffing a few breaths as he struggled to push himself up. His body felt heavy, but he gritted his teeth, refusing to stay down.

    Then, from further down the hall, shouts rang out.

    "There! An inmate!"

    Owen¡¯s head snapped up. A group of officers was rushing toward him. He clenched his fists and pressed a hand against the floor, dragging himself up. As they drew nearer, his eyes locked onto a face he hadn''t expected to see¡ªSonya.

    She saw him at the same time, and her eyes widened in recognition.

    When the officers closed in on him, the two at the front quickly raised their firearms, aiming directly at him. One of them barked, "Get on the ground! Now! Or I swear I¡¯ll shoot!"

    Through tired breaths, Owen smirked. "Go ahead, then."

    The officer¡¯s finger tensed on the trigger, but before he could fire, Sonya let out a quiet sigh.

    Her hands blurred. In an instant, she struck the officers on either side of her, her precise chops landing sharply on their necks. Before the others at the front could react, she struck the remaining officers in the back of their heads, sending them toppling forward, unconscious.

    Owen raised an eyebrow as he watched Sonya calmly step over the unconscious officers. "So¡­ you with us now?" he asked.

    Sonya didn¡¯t answer immediately. Instead, she stepped forward, her gaze focused on him. "You need healing." she said simply, her tone leaving no room for argument.

    She placed a hand on his shoulder and a warm sensation spread through his body, and almost instantly, the exhaustion weighing him down started to fade.

    His muscles relaxed, the pain in his joints disappeared, and his breathing steadied. Within seconds, he felt completely rejuvenated, as if he had just woken from the most restful sleep of his life.

    Sonya pulled her hand away.

    Owen stretched his arms and rolled his shoulders, marveling at the difference. He exhaled, then glanced at her. "Thanks," but then he asked again, "Are you joining the escape?"

    Sonya looked at Owen for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then, with a quiet sigh, she said, "I¡¯m not. I can¡¯t just abandon my duties."

    Owen frowned. "You should." he told her firmly.

    She gave him a sad smile, shaking her head. "Go, Owen. You don¡¯t have time for this."

    His jaw clenched, but he didn¡¯t argue. Instead, he took a step back, then turned away. As he started moving down the hallway, he called over his shoulder, "I hope I¡¯ll see you again in the future."

    Without waiting for a reply, Owen broke into a run, disappearing down the corridor.

    ***

    Albert narrowly dodged the swipe of the monstrous wraith lunging at him, its elongated claws slicing through the air just inches from his face. As he backed away, his eyes flicked toward Barbara, who was already engaging the other creature.

    "Don¡¯t let them touch you!" he shouted. "If the wraiths get their hands on us, we¡¯re dead!"

    The wraith that had missed him let out a guttural snarl, its hollow, soulless eyes locking onto him as it prepared to strike again.

    Marie turned to the gathered inmates. "The wraiths will keep them busy for a while. Let¡¯s head to the landing deck."

    A wave of nods rippled through the group before they hurried down the stairs. They moved around and then past Albert and Barbara.

    Barbara''s glare burned into the fleeing inmates, but in that brief distraction, one of the wraiths lashed out. Its jagged claws scraped across her forearm. She winced, feeling an immediate, unnatural numbness spreading through the limb.

    She staggered back, tearing away her sleeve with her teeth. Her eyes narrowed as she saw the flesh already blackening, veins shrivelling as necrosis set in.

    With a growl of frustration, she lifted her remaining arm. In one decisive motion, she severed the dead limb, the cut clean and precise. Blood spattered the floor as she exhaled sharply, steadying herself. Then, with fury burning in her eyes, she stared down the approaching wraith.

    Near Barbara, Albert extended a hand towards the passing inmates, his purple essence surging outward. Instantly, cries of agony filled the air as several inmates stumbled, clutching their bodies and writhing in pain.

    The wraith nearest to Albert lunged again, its monstrous claws reaching for him. Albert barely managed to sidestep, his eyes darting between the shadowy creature and the inmates still trying to flee.

    But then, an inmate broke away from the fleeing group. Jason was coming straight for Albert.

    He leaped forward, his fist raised high, aiming for an overhead punch. But Albert, clearly annoyed, simply raised his palm and pushed Jason back sending him stumbling several steps away.

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    Before Albert could follow up, the wraith was on him again. Its claws slashed through the air with unnatural speed, forcing Albert to duck low and weave backward. Each attack came dangerously close, the chilling presence of the creature making his skin crawl.

    Meanwhile, Grace and Hannah also broke away from the fleeing inmates, their eyes locked onto Barbara. Barbara noticed them from the corner of her eye.

    Her severed arm twitched, then within seconds, new flesh rapidly formed, as her limb fully regenerated. Once it was fully restored, she flexed her hand and swung it violently, the sheer force of it causing a powerful gust of wind to blow Grace and Hannah backwards.

    Without missing a beat, Barbara pivoted and drove her fist straight into the wraith lunging for her. The impact sent its head snapping backwards. But instead of falling, the creature¡¯s head whipped back into place unnaturally, its hollow, soulless gaze locking onto her once again. Without hesitation, it lunged for her again.

    Away from the fight, Marie crouched beside Katherine, carefully slipping an arm around her waist and lifting her up. Katherine winced but managed to drape her arm over Marie¡¯s shoulder for support.

    As they began moving, Katherine muttered, "Your wraiths won¡¯t last long."

    Marie¡¯s eyes flicked toward the battle raging behind them. "I know," she said, her voice calm but strained. "Just keeping them moving fast enough to match advanced essence users is draining me."

    Katherine tightened her grip on Marie¡¯s shoulder. "Then I need to rejoin the fight."

    Marie glanced at her. "But you¡¯re too injured."

    Katherine didn¡¯t respond. Instead, she suddenly pushed herself away from Marie, forcing her to step back. "I don¡¯t care," she growled through gritted teeth. "I¡¯m not sitting this one out."

    Before she fully turned around, she pointed towards the landing deck. "Go help the inmates board the cars."

    She then used wind to carry herself forward towards the battle.

    ***

    Isaac stood tall on the hover truck, overseeing the departure of the ships from the landing deck. Rows of vehicles were lined up, and his droids guided the inmates to vessels, allowing them to leave and go wherever they wanted.

    Suddenly, he heard someone call his name from below. Isaac looked over the edge of the truck and saw Marie standing there, her figure moving through the chaos below.

    He jumped off the truck and landed beside her. The moment his feet hit the ground, he immediately asked, "What¡¯s the situation inside the hangar?"

    Marie glanced toward the hangar, her face a mix of concern and urgency. "I think we won¡¯t be able to hold them off for much longer. We need to hurry and get everyone out of here."

    Isaac nodded. "I¡¯m doing my best to get them out as quickly as possible."

    Just as he spoke, Marie suddenly stumbled forward, her body swaying. Isaac¡¯s reflexes kicked in, and he reached out to catch her.

    "Hey, what¡¯s wrong?" he asked.

    Marie¡¯s eyes were wide as she looked at him. "My essence¡­ it¡¯s dropping quickly."

    She looked toward the hangar again, her expression darkening. "We don¡¯t have much time left."

    ***

    Barbara was mounted on the wraith, her fists relentlessly hammering its head into the ground. Each time she caved its skull in, the creature regenerated, its dark, twisted form repairing itself almost instantly. But Barbara didn¡¯t stop. She kept pounding, her strength making the floor beneath them crack.

    The wraith slashed at her, its claws raking across her arms and torso, leaving behind streaks of dead, blackened flesh. But Barbara didn¡¯t care. Her regeneration was strong enough to counteract the necrosis, keeping her body from succumbing to the deadly touch of the creature.

    As she continued her assault, Hannah rushed in from the side, delivering a powerful kick aimed at Barbara¡¯s head. But when her foot connected, Barbara barely budged. She didn¡¯t even acknowledge Hannah¡¯s attack. She cursed under her breath and stepped backwards.

    Then Katherine appeared, her finger pointed straight at Barbara. At the very tip of her finger, air rapidly compressed into a dense, swirling bullet. She then fired it forward.

    The air bullet struck the back of Barbara¡¯s head with a sharp crack. Her head dipped forward slightly, and for the first time, a low, guttural growl rumbled from her throat.

    Barbara let out a furious snarl as she raised both arms high above her head. Then, with a thunderous crash, she brought them down onto the wraith beneath her. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the ground, shattering the creature into black mist.

    As the last of the wraith¡¯s wisps faded into the air, Barbara slowly rose to her full height and turned to face Katherine and Hannah.

    Hannah instinctively flinched at the sight of her. But Katherine didn¡¯t hesitate. She placed both hands beneath her and blasted upwards, launching herself high into the air. As she ascended, arcs of lightning surged through her body, crackling with raw power. She aimed her charged hand down at Barbara.

    Just as Barbara tensed to move, two chains suddenly erupted from the ground, wrapping tightly around her wrists. She growled and pulled at them with immense force, but the chains held firm.

    Katherine wasted no time. She fired a concentrated bolt of lightning straight at Barbara, the electricity crackling through the air before striking her head-on. Sparks danced wildly around her body.

    But then Barbara¡¯s body began to shift as she transformed into her beast form. The moment the transformation was complete, the lightning¡¯s effect faded completely, leaving her completely unscathed.

    Barbara let out a deep, rumbling breath before flexing her arms. With a violent tug, she ripped free from the chains, sending shattered metal flying. Her glowing eyes snapped to Hannah.

    Next to them, the intense battle between Jason, Grace, and the wraith raged on against Albert. Grace¡¯s eyes darted between the two battles, her focus shifting as she tried to help where she could.

    She extended more chains from the ground beneath Barbara, hoping to halt her movements. But before the chains could fully wrap around Barbara, she was distracted by a sudden movement.

    Jason was sent flying backwards with brutal force, crashing hard into the ground. His body skidded along the floor before coming to a painful halt. Grace¡¯s gaze snapped back to the warden.

    She saw him quickly move towards the wraith. With a swift, fluid kick, he delivered a roundhouse kick that connected with the wraith. The wraith¡¯s head was instantly torn from its body, sending it flying into the air. Its body crumpled to the floor, and its dark form started to dissipate.

    Albert turned his full attention to Grace and the remaining inmates still locked in battle. His expression was cold, unwavering. Slowly, he raised his hand into the air, and at that moment, a powerful surge of essence erupted around him like a storm. The air itself trembled with his power.

    Grace¡¯s eyes widened in alarm as searing pain shot through her body. She gasped, her legs nearly buckling beneath her. All around her, the others cried out in agony, gripping their heads or collapsing to their knees. Katherine, who had been floating in the air, let out a strangled yell as she collapsed to the floor.

    As the inmates writhed on the floor, their bodies overwhelmed by Albert¡¯s ability, he stepped toward Jason first. Without hesitation, he lifted his foot, positioning it directly over Jason¡¯s head, ready to crush his skull with a single stomp.

    But before he could bring it down, a sharp voice cut through the chaos.

    "Albert!"

    The unexpected call made both him and Barbara freeze. Albert¡¯s teeth clenched in irritation as he turned his head towards the source.

    From the back of the hangar, barreling down the stairs with reckless speed, was Owen.

    Once Owen reached the ground and closed the distance between them, he leaped at Albert, his fist cocked back, ready to strike.

 Chapter 44 - The Final Battle

    Albert swiftly sidestepped Owen¡¯s punch, narrowly avoiding the strike. But the moment Owen''s feet touched the ground, he twisted sharply, pivoting on his heel. With lightning speed, he drove his elbow towards Albert¡¯s head.

    Albert reacted quickly, raising his hand just in time to block the strike. But Owen didn¡¯t stop. He launched a rapid flurry of punches, each one met with Albert¡¯s precise blocks. The two moved at a blur, trading blows at a speed that would have been difficult for most to follow.

    Then, in a sudden shift, Owen planted his foot firmly and thrust his palm forward. A powerful wave of kinetic energy erupted from his hand, blasting Albert backwards. The warden skidded across the ground but managed to land on his feet, his expression darkening.

    Owen shifted his gaze to the side, locking eyes with Barbara. She gritted her teeth, fists clenched. But instead of engaging, she quickly leaped back, landing beside Albert. The two of them now stared at Owen.

    "You¡¯ve gotten stronger." Albert admitted.

    Owen smirked, rolling his shoulders. "Or maybe you just weren¡¯t that strong to begin with."

    From either side of Owen, Jason, Katherine, Grace, and Hannah stepped forward, rallying beside him. They were battered and exhausted, but their eyes burned with determination.

    Katherine, still catching her breath, spoke reluctantly. "I think his essence ability has something to do with phantom pain."

    Owen gave a small nod, absorbing the information. "I see."

    Albert narrowed his gaze at them. "I¡¯ll give you one last chance to surrender," he declared, his essence flaring around him. "Refuse, and I¡¯ll kill you all."

    Owen¡¯s smirk widened, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "I¡¯d like to see you try."

    Without hesitation, he charged forward.

    As he closed the distance, the others were right behind him. He struck first, throwing a powerful punch at Albert. The blow forced him to take some steps back, separating him from Barbara.

    At the same time, Katherine veered off, locking her sights on Barbara. With a burst of speed, she lunged straight for her. Grace and Hannah moved in tandem, rushing towards Barbara to back up Katherine.

    Meanwhile, Jason trailed just behind Owen, his focus locked on Albert. As Owen engaged, Jason pulled back his fist and used half of his remaining essence to strengthen his arm. He then yelled as he swung his arm forward. Owen moved his head to the side to dodge the blow, letting Jason¡¯s attack connect right with Albert¡¯s face, launching him and flipping him backwards.

    As Albert came back down, he landed and dropped to a knee, blood dripping from his nose. Owen instantly lunged at him, but Albert held out a hand, activating his ability.

    Owen gritted his teeth as a sharp, searing pain tore through his skull. His hands clutched at his face as it felt like daggers were stabbing directly into his eyes.

    Albert then punched Owen in the gut, making him bend over slightly. But even with his eyes still shut, Owen instinctively countered, landing a heavy blow to Albert¡¯s jaw.

    Albert lurched backward, but Owen pressed forward, unleashing a rapid flurry of punches that made Albert¡¯s head snap back and forth. Each strike was brutal, unrelenting.

    As Owen pulled back for another punch, Albert roared in frustration and lunged, tackling Owen with his full force. He lifted him off the ground, aiming to slam him down¡ªbut before they could hit the ground, Owen unleashed a surge of kinetic energy, stopping them mid-motion.

    Albert gritted his teeth, struggling against the invisible force holding him in place. But Owen seized the moment. He grabbed Albert¡¯s face between both hands and let out a roaring wildfire.

    Flames consumed Albert¡¯s face instantly, and he thrashed violently, his muffled screams mixing with the crackling fire. Desperate, he broke free from Owen¡¯s hold, shoving him backwards before leaping away.

    Albert landed a few feet back, hands clawing at his burning face as he frantically patted it down. Smoke replaced the flames, revealing scorched flesh beneath. He lifted his gaze to Owen, his eyes filled with seething rage. With a furious yell, Albert clenched his fist and charged at him.

    At the other fight, Barbara swung a powerful punch at Katherine¡¯s face, but Katherine barely managed to dodge, leaning just out of reach. Before Barbara could follow up, Grace extended a chain from the ground, wrapping it tightly around Barbara¡¯s extended wrist.

    Barbara growled in frustration, snapping her head towards Grace with a glare. But before she could react, Katherine surged forward, throwing a fist straight at her.

    Barbara stepped back just in time, narrowly avoiding the strike. But as she moved, Hannah suddenly leapt into the air from her other side. Twisting her body mid-air, she brought her leg around in a fierce arc, landing a spinning kick to the back of Barbara¡¯s head.

    Barbara gritted her teeth, annoyance flashing across her face. Without even turning around, she reached behind her and grabbed Hannah¡¯s ankle mid-air. She then yanked Hannah through the air and hurled her straight at Grace.

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    Grace¡¯s eyes widened, but she quickly stepped aside, narrowly avoiding the collision. In the same motion, she extended her chains, wrapping them around Hannah to slow her momentum.

    Katherine wasted no time. She surged back in, aiming a rapid punch at Barbara¡¯s midsection. The strike landed, but Barbara barely reacted. Katherine followed up with an uppercut, swinging with all her strength¡ªbut Barbara sidestepped, avoiding it completely.

    Before Katherine could recover, Barbara launched a devastating hook. The impact slammed into Katherine, sending her flying off her feet.

    She next landed on the floor. She lay sprawled on the floor, her hair fanned out around her as a dull ringing filled her ears. Her head spun, but she grit her teeth and forced herself up onto one elbow. She could hear the heavy footsteps of Barbara approaching.

    Barbara scoffed, shaking her head. "I can¡¯t believe how persistent you are." she muttered, her tone edged with irritation.

    She took another step forward¡ªbut then stopped. Her eyes narrowed as something unusual caught her attention.

    From Katherine¡¯s back, ethereal chains sprouted into existence, glowing faintly as they swerved. Barbara¡¯s gaze flicked to the side, where she saw Grace standing with her arm extended at Katherine.

    "What are you¡ª?" Barbara started to ask, but before she could finish, the chains suddenly snapped apart, vanishing into wisps of energy.

    Katherine gasped as her entire body became enveloped in an ethereal glow, the light pulsing around her in a brilliant aura.

    Barbara barely had time to process what was happening. Katherine, her face smeared with her blood, rose to her feet. Her glare burned with fury, her breathing ragged yet steady. Then, she took a single step forward, and let out a scream.

    It wasn¡¯t just a yell¡ªit was raw, filled with every ounce of pain, rage, and defiance she had left. The sound echoed through the hangar, sending a tremor through the air.

    Before Barbara could react, Katherine''s fist crashed into her face. A violent shockwave exploded from the impact, shattering Barbara¡¯s eardrums.

    Barbara¡¯s body rocketed backwards, an involuntary gurgle escaping her lips as she flew. But before she could even land, Katherine was already there.

    With another guttural yell, Katherine¡¯s fist slammed into Barbara¡¯s side, launching her skyward. She flew through the air like she was a ragdoll.

    Katherine appeared next to her, this time sending Barbara hurtling across the hangar again. But Katherine wasn¡¯t done.

    With terrifying speed, she struck again. And again. And again.

    Barbara became nothing more than a ping pong ball, her body ricocheting through the hangar, each impact sending out shockwaves.

    Albert watched with wide eyes as he saw what was happening when a voice snapped him back to his current fight.

    "Eyes down here, Alb."

    Before he could react, Owen¡¯s fist smashed into his face.

    Albert lurched backwards.

    Another blow. Then another. Owen¡¯s punches landed like gunfire, whipping Albert¡¯s head left and right. He barely activated his ability.

    Agonizing pain shot through Owen¡¯s entire body. It felt like every bone inside him had shattered at once. His vision blurred, his muscles screamed, but he grinned through clenched teeth.

    With sheer willpower, Owen forced himself forward. He roared as he swung an overhead punch, crashing down onto Albert¡¯s skull.

    Albert staggered, momentarily dazed.

    That moment was all Jason needed.

    Already transformed into his beast form, Jason crouched low, his muscles tensing¡ªthen he exploded forward.

    His massive frame crashed into Albert¡¯s side like a living battering ram.

    The impact sent Albert flying. His body hit the ground hard, bouncing off the surface, then rolling violently across the hangar floor before finally coming to a stop.

    Albert coughed up a thick splatter of blood, his limbs barely responding. He tried to push himself up, but his strength had left him.

    Before he could even think, an unseen force yanked him backward. His body was dragged through the air by Owen¡¯s kinetic energy, lifting him higher and higher.

    Below, Owen crouched low, muscles coiling like a spring. Then he launched himself into the air.

    As he soared upward, he funneled the last of his essence into his arm. His veins pulsed with raw power. His fist clenched tight.

    Albert¡¯s dazed eyes barely registered Owen¡¯s silhouette against the ceiling.

    Owen lifted his arm high above his head. His voice was calm, almost amused.

    "Night night."

    Then his fist came crashing down.

    The impact slammed into Albert¡¯s face like a meteor strike, and his body rocketed downwards.

    The hangar floor cracked open as Albert smashed into it, shaking the ground violently.

    A moment later, Owen dropped back onto the ground, his shoes hitting the floor with a dull thud. His hands immediately went to his knees as exhaustion washed over him. Without his essence coursing through his body, the weight of the fight finally settled in. His breaths came heavy and uneven.

    Then, from across the hangar, a thunderous crash echoed through the space. The walls trembled slightly from the force.

    Owen turned his head towards the source of the noise, exhaling sharply. He stood up straight and smirked.

    "Katherine must be finishing up as well."

    Along the metal floor of the hangar, Katherine strode forward. At the centre of a deep crater, Barbara lay broken¡ªa mangled heap of flesh and bone. Blood pooled beneath her, her once-imposing form now barely clinging to life.

    Katherine''s cold, unblinking eyes bore down on her. Barbara''s one functioning eye fluttered open, weakly locking onto Katherine as she loomed above.

    Without a word, Katherine reached a hand behind her. A metallic sheen rippled into existence, liquid metal gathering at her fingertips. It stretched and hardened, forming a long, solid handle. At its end, metal bubbled and expanded, taking shape. A hammerhead.

    It grew larger¡ªmore mass pulling into it, the weight condensing into an enormous, brutal weapon. The head swelled to the size of a car, gleaming ominously under the lights of the hangar.

    Barbara let out a faint gargle, but there was no plea in her eyes¡ªonly a dim, fading fire.

    Katherine''s grip tightened around the handle. With both hands, she lifted the behemoth of a weapon high above her head.

    Barbara¡¯s blurred vision could only register the immense shadow that loomed over her. The last thing she saw was the descent of the metal as it came crashing down.

    The floor shook from the sheer force of the impact, cracks spiderwebbing outward from the crater''s centre. Dust and debris billowed into the air, momentarily obscuring the aftermath.

    As the shaking finally subsided, Katherine released the handle of her massive weapon. The hammer remained embedded deep in the ground, its weight refusing to budge. She took a slow step back, her breath heavy. The ethereal glow surrounding her began to fade, the energy that had surged through her body dissipating.

    Her legs wobbled. Then, with a quiet exhale, she let herself fall back, landing in a sitting position at the edge of the crater.

    One by one, the others began to gather near the crater. Grace, Hannah, Jason¡ªeach stopping next to Katherine.

    Finally, Owen arrived, his footsteps the last to break the silence. He peered down into the crater, his expression indifferent.

    Then, with a breath of finality, he said, "It''s over."

 Chapter 45 - The Crusaders (Volume 1 End)

    Albert''s consciousness drifted back slowly, his body heavy with exhaustion and pain. His eyelids fluttered open, his vision hazy at first. The cold metal surface behind him told him he was propped up against the hangar wall.

    As his sight adjusted, he took in the scene before him¡ªhe was out on the landing deck and a single hover truck, the last one remaining on the platform was there. A dozen inmates were hurriedly climbing aboard it, their voices a distant murmur against the hum of the engines.

    He tried to move, but a sharp resistance held his arms in place. Looking down, he saw the inhibitor cuffs tightly secured around his wrists. His fingers flexed weakly, testing for any give, but there was none. Then footsteps approached.

    Albert shifted his tired gaze upwards and saw Owen walking towards him. When he finally stood over Albert, Owen smirked.

    "Hope you had a good rest." Owen said.

    Albert remained silent for a long moment, simply staring up at Owen. His breathing was slow, steady, as if he were still processing everything.

    Footsteps behind Owen signaled the arrival of Katherine and Jason. They came to stand beside him, their gazes heavy on Albert.

    Albert¡¯s eyes drifted around the landing deck, then his voice finally broke the silence.

    "Where¡¯s Barbara?" he asked.

    Katherine¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. Her voice was cold, devoid of sympathy. "The bitch is dead."

    Albert¡¯s eyes lowered slightly. "I see."

    His gaze then shifted downward, taking in the inhibitor cuffs around his wrists, the bruises and burns on his skin. After a brief pause, he asked, "Why did you keep me alive?"

    Owen crouched down in front of Albert, resting his arms on his knees as he stared at him.

    "I wonder what Arden will do with someone like you," Owen said, his voice laced with mock curiosity. "A warden who failed to contain a breakout this big? Doesn''t sound too good, does it?"

    Albert''s expression remained neutral, but a flicker of something passed through his eyes.

    Owen let out a small chuckle, then reached out and patted Albert on the shoulder. "Well, you''re lucky we¡¯re letting you keep your life. Could¡¯ve ended up like Barbara."

    He then stood back up, towering over Albert.

    Grace walked over, glancing between them before saying, "It¡¯s time. We need to go."

    Owen nodded, exchanging a look with Katherine and Jason. Together, they all turned to leave, stepping towards the hover truck.

    But before they could get far, Albert¡¯s voice rang out behind them.

    "This path of rebellion you¡¯ve chosen¡­ it won¡¯t end well for you."

    They paused. Owen exhaled sharply through his nose before slowly glancing over his shoulder.

    Albert continued. "You have no idea how strong the forces in Arden truly are. You think you¡¯ve won something today, but in the grand scheme of things, you¡¯ve done nothing more than just delay the inevitable. Arden will hunt you down, and when they do, you won¡¯t stand a chance."

    Owen let out a dry chuckle. "Oh, really?" he said, turning fully to face him. He put his hands in his pocket as he stepped closer to Albert. "We just beat you, didn¡¯t we? And you were supposed to be untouchable. We¡¯re not afraid of whoever comes next. Just as we¡¯ve taken you down, we¡¯ll take down anyone who tries to oppress us."

    Albert clenched his teeth, frustration flashing in his eyes. "You really don¡¯t know how powerful the people out there are," he said, his voice low but seething. "There are people so strong that it¡¯s absurd. You think just because you beat me, you can take on anyone?"

    He let out a bitter chuckle, shaking his head. "Your confidence has risen too high, Owen. But sooner or later, you¡¯ll be in for a rude awakening."

    Owen tilted his head slightly as he took in Albert¡¯s words. "I don¡¯t care who it is," he said, his tone calm but resolute. "Whether it¡¯s Arden, the other mega corporations out there, or anyone else, no one will stop our path to freedom."

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    Owen then turned away, casually lifting a hand in farewell as he walked towards the waiting truck.

    "See ya." he said over his shoulder.

    Albert watched as the group moved towards the back of the large truck, the door sliding shut behind them with a soft hiss. The thrusters of the vehicle then ignited, lifting the truck off the ground, and sending it into the air.

    His gaze followed it as it ascended, growing smaller and smaller against the vast sky.

    With a slow exhale, Albert rested his head back against the wall, his eyes heavy with exhaustion.

    "You really don¡¯t have any idea¡­" he whispered to himself.

    ***

    Off the coast of a remote island, a towering watchtower loomed over the dark waters. Inside, at the very top, officers sat along a long panel, their fingers tapping away at glowing screens as they monitored air traffic and security feeds.

    One officer squinted at his screen, noticing something strange. His brows furrowed, and after a moment of hesitation, he tapped the shoulder of the officer beside him.

    "Hey, you should take a look at this."

    The second officer glanced over, his eyes scanning the display.

    "What is it?"

    "I don¡¯t think there were any scheduled departures from this facility today¡­ so why are there hundreds of hover cars leaving it?"

    The second officer¡¯s eyebrows shot up. He leaned in closer, his expression darkening as he processed the information.

    "There must¡¯ve been an escape," he muttered. "We need to forward this to the superior immediately."

    At the top of the watchtower, the head officer sat at his desk, the glow of a digital panel illuminating his face in the dimly lit office. A notification flashed onto the screen before him. His eyes scanned the report, his expression tightening.

    By the time he reached the end, his eyes were wide open.

    "This is beyond me," he muttered under his breath.

    Without wasting another second, he reached out to the intercom beside him, pressing the button. His voice was steady, but there was an undeniable urgency in it.

    "Contact the Peacekeepers."

    ***

    Somewhere deep inside a heavily fortified prison, the sound of footsteps echoed through a corridor. Arden agent Trent walked with a steady pace, his sharp gaze scanning the high-security cells lining the walls. Beside him, the prison¡¯s warden kept stride, gripping a tablet tightly in his hands.

    Trent didn¡¯t waste time on pleasantries. "You can start briefing me."

    The warden gave a firm nod. "Just a couple of days ago, one of the inmates managed to break out of her cell momentarily." His voice was grim. "Within minutes, she slaughtered over a hundred officers."

    Trent¡¯s expression remained unreadable as he continued to listen.

    "We only stopped her when we gathered over twenty intermediate Essence users. We rushed her, overwhelmed her, and managed to restrain her with inhibitor chains." The warden exhaled. "After that, we had no choice but to transfer her here¡ªto a more secure facility."

    Trent folded his arms. "I read the report. That inmate was classified as a novice essence user. How was she strong enough to warrant that kind of response?"

    The warden¡¯s jaw tightened. "We don¡¯t know. For some reason, she suddenly ranked up to an intermediate user."

    Trent¡¯s brow arched slightly. "Is there no discernible reason for why that happened?"

    The warden shook his head. "None that we could find."

    Trent let out a slow sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I see." He lowered his hand and glanced at the warden. "Then I guess my job is to figure out why."

    They eventually stopped in front of a cell. The pale blue glow of an energy barrier hummed softly, separating them from the prisoner inside. Beyond the barrier, a woman with long black hair sat chained to the pristine white floor, thick restraints locking her arms behind her. A black blindfold also covered her eyes.

    The warden swallowed hard and gestured toward her. "This is her."

    Trent stepped forward. His sharp gaze lingered on the woman as he addressed her with a calm, measured tone.

    "Olivia Walters."

    Olivia didn¡¯t move. She remained completely still, her breathing slow and steady.

    Trent continued. "I¡¯ll be here for some time to investigate your recent new strength."

    Still, no response.

    Trent narrowed his eyes slightly. "Do you feel any remorse for the deaths you¡¯ve caused?"

    A moment of silence. Then, Olivia''s head slowly lifted, just enough for her face to be visible beneath the blindfold. A low chuckle escaped her lips. It started soft¡ªthen grew louder and louder, rising into a full, unhinged cackle that echoed through the chamber.

    The warden tensed, visibly unsettled by the eerie laughter.

    Eventually, Olivia¡¯s laughter faded, but a wide, almost demonic grin remained stretched across her face. Then, in a voice laced with amusement and malice, she spoke.

    "You guys have families, right?"

    The warden stiffened.

    "Once I break free again, I¡¯ll make sure to drag their dead corpses right in front of you for you to see."

    The warden¡¯s face paled. "Agent Trent," he said, his voice shaking slightly. "She¡¯s growing stronger each day. If this continues, I fear she might actually break out again."

    Trent didn¡¯t look at him. His sharp eyes remained locked onto Olivia.

    "Don¡¯t worry." His voice was steady, unwavering. "My team and I will be around."

    He then took a step closer to the barrier. "You shouldn¡¯t have broken out," he said, "Because of your actions, your family will now face the consequences."

    Another low chuckle slipped out from Olivia.

    "Arden made a mistake when they messed with us Walters."

    She leaned forward as much as her restraints allowed, her blindfolded face seemingly staring directly at Trent.

    "See, when some fuckers step on our toes, we don¡¯t just push back." Her grin widened. "We cut off their legs and watch them bleed out."

    Silence hung between them for a moment. Then, with a chilling certainty, she added, "So tell your little overlords to be prepared. Because Arden¡¯s downfall is coming."

 Chapter 46 - The Abandoned Warehouse (Volume 2 Start)

    The small shop hummed with the low whir of machinery. Neon lights flickered above, casting a soft glow over sleek metallic surfaces and shelves filled with various items. The walls were lined with translucent panels, displaying holographic advertisements for the latest tech. One corner featured a glowing refrigerator unit filled with mysterious glowing liquids and packages.

    A sleek droid, with a polished chrome finish and a set of glowing blue eyes, moved silently behind the counter, its servos whirring quietly as it sorted through some inventory.

    Then, the glass doors slid open with a soft hiss and two figures stepped inside.

    The one in front was a man, dressed in a black hoodie with the hood pulled over his head. A golden ''C'' was emblazoned across his chest, and he wore matching black jogging pants. His hands were tucked into his hoodie pocket, and despite being indoors, he wore sunglasses that obscured his eyes.

    Behind him, a woman followed. She wore a sleek grey hoodie adorned with pink lightning-like patterns. A white cap sat snug on her head, its rim lined with several metallic rings that gleamed under the shop¡¯s lights. Like her companion, she also wore sunglasses.

    The droid behind the counter raised an optic at their arrival, awaiting them with an impassive gaze.

    Next to the entrance, a row of folded-up carts rested neatly against the wall. The man reached out, grabbed one, and pulled it free. With a soft click and a mechanical whir, the cart unfolded, its metallic frame expanding into a full-sized shopping unit.

    Without hesitation, he dragged it forward and then reached for another. He pulled that one out as well, letting it unfold with the same smooth precision. Then, without pause, he grabbed a third and repeated the process.

    The droid behind the counter tilted its head slightly, the glow in its eyes flickering as it observed the unusual behaviour. More carts clattered open, their wheels spinning slightly as they settled onto the floor.

    The droid''s internal programming flagged the action as abnormal. Protocol dictated that if a customer''s actions deviated from standard shopping behavior, it must inquire. Its servos clicked softly as it straightened slightly and addressed the man in its neutral, robotic voice.

    "Customer, what are you doing?"

    As the man pulled out the last cart, he glanced at the droid and grinned. "Ah, don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll be needing all of these." he said casually before turning away. With two carts in hand, he started down one of the aisles. The woman followed suit, pushing her own pair of carts.

    Then, without hesitation, they started clearing the shelves. Boxes, bottles, and packages disappeared into the carts in rapid succession. They grabbed everything¡ªfood, supplies, electronics¡ªanything within reach. The droid silently observed as they moved methodically through the store, entering aisles with empty carts and emerging moments later with them piled high.

    Then they hit the alcohol section. Bottles clinked as they were swept into the carts without restraint. Expensive brands, cheap brands¡ªnothing was spared.

    By the time the pair reached the front, all of their carts were stacked nearly to the brim. The droid¡¯s glowing eyes flickered as it processed the scene.

    "Customer, can you pay for all of this?" It asked.

    The woman smirked, tilting her cap up slightly as she leaned against the cart. "Don¡¯t worry," she said smoothly. "We¡¯re loaded."

    The droid hesitated for a brief moment before responding, "I see." Its mechanical head tilted slightly. "Who is paying?"

    The man, standing between the carts, took a step forward.

    "That¡¯d be me." he said.

    The droid¡¯s glowing eyes flickered. "To confirm identity, please display your OmniBand."

    Without a word, the man lifted his wrist, revealing a sleek black band around it. The droid extended a metallic hand, hovering it just above the device. A faint hum filled the air as its eyes flashed yellow for a moment. Then, a soft chime sounded, and the glow turned green. The droid retracted its hand.

    "Identity confirmed. Bowen Balters." The droid¡¯s head swivelled to take in the overflowing carts. "Purchase also confirmed."

    There was a brief pause before it added, "Would you like a bag?"

    ***

    Owen and Grace stepped outside of the shop, a trail of floating bags hovering behind them in formation. As they emerged onto the street, the cold air greeted them with a sharp bite, rustling their hoodies. Neon lights from surrounding buildings cast shifting colours onto the pavement, reflecting off the glossy black surface of their parked truck.

    Grace made her way to the passenger side, pulling the door handle as the truck¡¯s automated system unlocked with a quiet beep. Meanwhile, Owen walked to the back, tapping a panel on the trunk to open it.

    The floating bags smoothly drifted inside, stacking themselves. He adjusted a few to make room and shoved the last ones in before slamming the trunk shut.

    Exhaling a misty breath into the cold air, he rounded the truck, pulled open the driver¡¯s side door, and climbed inside.

    As Owen took off his sunglasses and set them on the dashboard, Grace leaned back in her seat, a smile spreading across her face. She let out a small breath, taking in the sight of the town¡¯s streets around them.

    "I still can''t believe I finally get to walk outside." she said, almost in disbelief.

    Owen glanced at her as he gripped the steering wheel. "I was only locked up in that facility for a few months, and I already missed the freedom," he said. "I can¡¯t even imagine what it¡¯s like for you¡­ after all those years."

    Grace solemnly nodded, her gaze drifting out the window for a moment before turning back to Owen.

    "Thank you," she said softly. "Without you, I¡¯d still be locked up in that place."

    Owen smiled. "Hey, it was thanks to you too that we got out."

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Reaching into his hoodie pocket, he rummaged around before pulling out a wrapped cookie. He grinned as he held it up.

    "Man, I can¡¯t believe I found this brand in this port town," he said as he unwrapped the top half. "But you¡¯ve got to try this."

    He held the red cookie in front of Grace. She tucked a few loose strands of her hair behind her ear, then leaned down and took a bite.

    She chewed for a few seconds, but her face quickly scrunched up in confusion. She swallowed hard and gave Owen a suspicious look.

    "Why is the cookie spicy and salty?" she asked.

    Owen chuckled. "Yeah, I thought it was weird at first too. But trust me, if you give it some time, it¡¯ll grow on you."

    Grace grabbed a water bottle as the heat built up on her tongue. "Yeah, well, I¡¯m not masochistic enough to finish the rest of it." she muttered before taking a long sip.

    Owen shrugged. "More for me." He popped the rest of the cookie into his mouth, chewing contentedly.

    With a smirk, he started the truck, the engine humming to life. As the vehicle pulled away from the curb, they drove down the quiet street and headed westward.

    As they continued driving, the scenery shifted. The dense clusters of buildings thinned out, giving way to industrial lots and storage yards filled with stacked cargo containers. Beyond that, the landscape opened into rolling hills, where the town¡¯s outskirts met the untamed wilderness.

    Their road gradually shifted from paved asphalt to a gravel path, the tires crunching against the uneven surface. The hum of the truck¡¯s engine was the only sound as they pushed further away from civilisation.

    For at least an hour they travelled down the path, and as they eventually rounded a towering cliffside, the landscape abruptly changed.

    Rows and rows of old warehouses sprawled out before them, their rusted metal exteriors standing against the winds of time.

    They continued down the centre road. The path was lined with old streetlights, most of which had long since gone dark. At the very end of the road stood a particularly large warehouse, its metal doors rusted and worn but still sturdy. Owen pulled up in front of it and gave the horn a couple of quick honks.

    For a moment, nothing happened. Then, with a metallic groan, the old doors slid open, revealing a dimly lit interior. Without hesitation, Owen eased the truck forward, driving inside as the doors began to close behind them.

    The warehouse was a sprawling space with high ceilings and steel beams running across its length. Dim overhead lights cast a soft glow over the segmented areas as people walked around the place. To the left, a row of vehicles¡ªtrucks, hover bikes, and older model hover cars¡ªwere neatly lined up.

    Further in, crates and metal storage racks were stacked high, filled with supplies ranging from food to weapons. A central open space served as a common area, with scattered chairs, and an old, dented holo-table that flickered faintly with a static-filled display.

    Owen maneuvered the truck into an open space among the other vehicles and shut off the engine.

    As he and Grace stepped out, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed in the space. Will, along with Lucas and Lissie, came up to them, all three bundled in warm, colourful hoodies. Will had his hands stuffed into his hoodie pocket, his sharp eyes darting between Owen and the trunk.

    "If I carry the most bags inside, I get first dibs on the snacks." Will said with a smirk.

    Owen chuckled and gave a lazy shrug. "Sure."

    The moment he popped the trunk open, the three of them pounced, scrambling to grab as many bags as they could manage.

    Owen and Grace exchanged amused glances before turning away, leaving them to their competition. They walked together, heading deeper into the warehouse.

    Owen and Grace nodded at the various people they passed, exchanging brief greetings as they moved further in. The atmosphere was lively, with people working, chatting, and tending to various tasks.

    Ahead of them, a set of metal stairs led up to an office that overlooked the main floor. As they approached, a girl descended the stairs, her boots clanking softly against the steps. The moment she spotted Owen and Grace, her eyes lit up with recognition.

    "Hey, Sarah." Grace greeted with a small smile.

    Sarah, the girl responsible for making clothes for everyone in the hideout, brushed a few strands of her brown hair out of her face as she stepped closer.

    "Hey," Sarah replied, giving them both a once-over before resting her hands on her hips. "Did you get a good haul?"

    Owen smirked and crossed his arms. "Yeah, we got a lot of shit."

    Sarah nodded in approval, then tilted her head upward toward the office. "Isaac and the others have been waiting for you guys to get back."

    Grace glanced up the stairs and nodded. "Alright, we¡¯ll go meet him."

    Sarah waved them off and turned to head back toward her workspace. Meanwhile, Owen and Grace climbed the metal stairs, their footsteps echoing softly as they made their way up.

    Owen and Grace stepped inside as the door slid shut behind them.

    Around the circular table stood Jason, Katherine, Joyce, Marie, and Isaac. At the sound of their entrance, all eyes turned towards them.

    Owen raised a hand casually. "Sup."

    While everyone else wore comfortable, casual clothing, Isaac stood at the forefront of the table, dressed in a sharp dark blue suit that made him stand out.

    "Did you properly hide your eyes the whole time?" Isaac asked.

    "Yeah, no one saw." Owen said as he and Grace moved closer.

    Owen then leaned against the table. "Alright, then. What do you need?"

    Isaac exhaled. "Right. I wanted to explain the next stage of the plan¡ªto everyone in the warehouse."

    He straightened his suit and moved towards the door. "Let¡¯s go."

    ***

    People slowly gathered in the common area, murmuring among themselves. Eventually, around two hundred people were either seated or standing in a rough circle, all facing Isaac, who stood at the centre.

    "I¡¯ll go right into my explanation." Isaac said.

    He snapped his fingers, and a holographic map of the realm, Kedigon, was displayed on the ground. The projection revealed two vast continents¡ªPeria, situated on the right, and Trisa, positioned on the left.

    "This is where we¡¯re currently at."

    Isaac pointed to a spot southwest of the coast of Peria. A bright dot shone there, marking the location. He then moved his finger toward the northern parts of Peria, where another dot illuminated the map. "That¡¯s where your families are being held, in Havec City," Isaac explained. "Getting there by hover car will take around five hours."

    He continued. "But just freeing our families won¡¯t be enough to escape from Arden. We¡¯ll need Voyager ships to truly escape the realm."

    Gasps rippled through the crowd.

    A man in the crowd raised his hand and asked, "Do we really need Voyager ships? Why not just use normal hover vehicles?"

    Isaac shook his head. "The massive chasms that surround a realm pull in anything that flies over them. Hover cars would just get sucked in and plunge straight into the abyss." A murmur spread through the crowd as some exchanged uneasy glances.

    "Voyager ships are specifically designed to cross chasms. If we want to escape Kedigon, we have to get our hands on one." Isaac then pointed to the other continent Trisa, where another bright dot lit up on the map.

    "That," he said, "is the city of Gaast. It¡¯s where most of the ships and hover vehicles in this realm are produced. If we go there, we¡¯ll find a Voyager ship." Isaac looked around at them.

    "So, we¡¯ll need a secondary team to head to Gaast and secure the ship."

    Isaac put his hands together and said, "I¡¯ll be leading that team. Gaast is where I grew up, so I know the city inside and out."

    He then turned his gaze to Owen. "And Owen will be leading the assault on the prison."

    A few nods and murmurs of agreement went around the crowd.

    "And I know all of you came here to help break out your families, but some of you will have to be put into a third group that won¡¯t be going to either place."

    He glanced toward Sarah, then back at the crowd. "People with abilities like Sarah will instead go to another city to the south of Trisa and wait there for us."

    Isaac then clasped his hands behind his back as the map on the floor zoomed out, revealing a wider view of the seven southern central realms. The glowing dots marking Havec City and Gaast were now mere specks among the vast lands displayed.

    He gestured to the map. "Now, let¡¯s discuss the realm we¡¯ll be escaping to."

    The crowd leaned in, listening intently.

    "Arden governs all the central realms, so staying here isn¡¯t an option. Heading north would only take us deeper into their control. The obvious answer is south."

    The map highlighted the realm directly bordering Kedigon.

    "This is Tauveth¡ªa heavily contested realm. While it''s considered one of the southern middle realms, Arden forces are still trying to take it over. But that¡¯s really our only option since we¡¯re surrounded by Arden controlled realms otherwise. So that¡¯s where we¡¯ll head first after rescuing our families."

    He let his words sink in before scanning the faces in the room. "Any questions?"

    Silence.

    Isaac nodded. "Good. Rest up. We leave tomorrow."