《Next Up》


 1. Fortune Tellers Den

    Author''s Note: ''Will be used for character''s inner thoughts.'' "Normal dialogue tags will be used for speech."


    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Strange noises and paths that seemed to double back on themselves¡­the forest was vast, but he had finally found it.


    One year ago, near the colony named Crater, the boy called Pearson hiked through the outer woods alone. The tunnel of trees surrounding him blocked out all the light from above. Even though the sun hadn''t fully set that day, it still forced him to use a flashlight to navigate the natural labyrinth of trees, as the lightning bugs in the area did little to illuminate his surroundings. Despite this, the thing that kept him from turning around was the knowledge that the stairs of the den were almost in sight.


    Trudging forward, his fingers rubbed against tree bark, feeling for the markings.


    After tripping over a particularly large tree root, Pearson''s flashlight settled upon the staircase he sought.


    "Thank God," he muttered while swatting away a carnivorous nocturnal butterfly the size of his hand.


    The animals and insects around Crater seemed to be ?stranger than what an outsider would typically expect to see in the rural mountains. They were bigger, more aggressive, and some had weird mutations¡ªunexplainable by most scientists. Once, a colonist who left Crater''s gates claimed to have seen a deer whose fur was neon green and had the eyes of a frog. The theory was that the leader of Crater had placed? them in the area, deterring the unwanted.


    Pearson walked up the narrow, windy metal stairs and towards the seer''s den. He was quickly lamenting the fact that he had chosen this job. Since he had just earned the triple-star rank earlier that week, new jobs were accessible to him. He chose this as it seemed the most interesting and wasn''t a one-time thing but a weekly ordeal. He would archive the seer''s fortunes and bring them to the Hounds to be evaluated.


    After a tiring climb, Pearson knocked on the wooden door and yelled out, "Hey, Ms. Aca, oracle-lady... uh, my name is Pearson. I''m here to archive your fortune!" He waited, but he only heard the buzzing of insects and the distant calls of animals from the forest. The forest had made a small clearing around the seer''s house. It was round, with a few small circular windows facing Pearson. Heavy curtains had been pulled in front of the windows to block any lines of sight inside. He could see the faint flickering glow of a candle at the edges of the curtains. Moss and vines had crept up the side of the orange stucco walls. They didn''t have to reach far to get to the roof, a rickety wooden thing held together by rope. He knocked again, this time louder than before, calling out, "Aca, open the door!" Again, there was no response.


    He turned around and looked out over the sea of trees; it was so densely packed that it looked like a bunch of tall men in black tuxedos standing shoulder to shoulder surrounding Pearson. ''Well, this sucks,'' he thought. At the edge of the treeline, a loud croaking sound echoed toward him. He watched as a beast, covered with green fur and a mouth large enough to swallow him in one motion, hopped from one side of the clearing to the other.


    The colony''s seer, Aca, had the ability of clairvoyance. But the limiting factor was that she could only speak the prediction and only say it once. She will feel it inside her and send the Hounds a message for someone to come and archive it. Once she has said the fortune, it will be erased from her memory. At least, that''s what the man who briefed him on his job had explained to Pearson. The truth was that very few colonists had ever seen Aca; they considered her more of an urban legend than an actual living person. The Hounds had always claimed that she was real, but it was hard for anybody to believe them because most had never laid eyes upon her.


    He was just about ready to call it a night and head back to the colony, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw the light behind the window curtains expand. He turned to see a face concealed by shadow peeking out at him. Only their eyes perforated the darkness. They made eye contact and stared at each other for what seemed to him like an eternity before the face receded behind the curtains. After a few moments, there was shuffling near the door and the sound of several locks clicking open. The door swung open, and the smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies wafted out of the home and instantly drowned out the smell of damp leaves and dirt. Pearson hadn''t realized how hungry he was until his mouth started watering uncontrollably, and he had to wipe his mouth of drool.


    Pearson walked forward and stuck out his hand with an award-winning smile, "Hey, I assume you''re Ms. Aca. I''m Pear-"


    "Yea, I heard you the first time." She interrupted while looking him up and down, not shaking his hand. She didn''t look the least bit impressed with what she was seeing.


    "Um, okay then," Pearson said while rolling his eyes. He put his arm down by his side and looked at her, waiting for...well, he wasn''t sure what. He half expected her head to do 360s while puking everywhere.


    Aca stepped to the side of the entrance. "Well?" She said while gesturing inside the house. Pearson looked one last time at the outside world; he got this sinking thought, ''What if this still isn''t Aca? She could be some evil witch, as far as I know.'' He had little time to dwell on that thought before taking an enormous step through the doorway.


    It was so bright inside that it took a second for his eyes to adjust, but when they did, he was greeted with a room that looked like a grandma''s living room. There was an old box television set up in front of a couch. Sitting in front of the sofa was a TV tray stand with knitting equipment, and what looked to be a half-made sweater dawned with the Crater colony''s logo: a minimalistic drawing of a mother cradling her child. In another part of the room was the kitchen. About one hundred pots and pans hung from the ceiling, and a medium-sized wooden table sat in the middle of the kitchen area. On top of the stove was a fresh batch of two dozen cookies cooling on a cookie tray. The wooden floors creaked as Pearson wandered in with a look of awe on his face. He nearly bumped into a narrow metal spiral stairs that jutted into the ceiling.


    Aca cleared her throat to get Pearson''s attention. He turned towards her, finally getting a good look at her in the bright light. He wasn''t sure what he expected, but his jaw opened to say something, but all that came out was an, "uh..." Pearson rarely had a problem talking to anyone, especially girls, but this one had caught him so off guard that he was at a loss for words for the first time in his life. Aca had light blond hair that looked almost white; she had these intense but tired sea-green eyes. She wore a white t-shirt and jeans, over that a dark purple apron that looked like someone had worn it on the front lines of a battlefield. Holes that looked like they were created from a shotgun and red splotches of what Pearson hoped was tomato sauce covered it. The thing that confused him the most was her face. She was young, impossibly young. In fact, she looked to be the same age as him, fifteen¡ªbut if what people had told him about her was true, that couldn''t be possible.


    He blinked and tried again, "So, uh, as you heard, I, uh, need to archive something." He said while taking out the pen and notepad from his pocket.


    She looked him up and down again, "Where''s the other guy?" She asked more as a statement than a question.


    "Uh, I think he quit. Not sure why, but the position was open, so I took it. And honestly, I barely found the place." He said with a forced smile on his face. "I''m sorry, but like, how are you this young? I thought you would be some old, dried-up woman with fifty cats, but you''re like...hot," He instantly regretted what he said the moment it came out of his mouth. But as per usual, he always put his foot in his mouth.


    A slight smile crossed her lips. She shook her head in disbelief, "Long story. Too long, in fact. I can tell you it some other time. But anyways, sit down. You look hungry. Do you want cookies?"


    Pearson heard his stomach growl at the mention of the cookies. He nodded and then sat down at the table. She grabbed some plates from a wooden cupboard above the stove, loaded them with cookies, and placed them on the table. She sat down across from him and watched as he started to absently devour the cookies one at a time. Through bites and a full mouth, he spoke, "Ms. Aca, these are really freaking good!" She just smiled and watched him eat.


    "You can drop the ''Ms.''; just call me Aca." Aca said as she reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a golden needle. She turned in her chair and grabbed a golden urn from the countertop. She placed it in front of her on the table.


    "I gotta be real with you, Aca," Pearson said between bites. "You really gotta live inside the colony or something ''cause I can see why that other guy quit. I wouldn''t want to walk out here weekly, either."


    "Well, I value my privacy over convenience."


    "I guess, but doesn''t it get lonely living like a hermit?"


    "No, I prefer to live alone. I used to live in the colony quite a long time ago. Being a ''celebrity'' is bad enough, but being a celebrity known for your foresight is about ten times worse. People will plague you with questions all day, not even interesting questions either."The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Pearson had finished the cookies on his plate and was eyeing the other cookies on Aca''s. "Oh, yea? Like what?"


    "''When will I find a soulmate?'', ''What are the lottery numbers?'', ''When will I die?'' ''What stocks should I invest in?''" She said in a mocking voice. "Honestly, ridiculous."


    Pearson laughed, "Okay, that was pretty good."


    "It''s like I tell people that this isn''t how the ability works at all, but they don''t even listen half the time! Eventually, I couldn''t take it anymore, and one of the Hounds had found a house built out here a while back and renovated the whole thing to make it livable, and here I''ve been ever since."


    "Wow, so how does it actually work? Does it use that ''shimmer'' stuff or something else?"


    "Hold on. You''re telling me that they haven''t taught you what energy is yet? How old are you, seventeen?"


    "Fifteen. And yea, I kinda know a little bit here and there, but they haven''t taught our year anything about it. I think it might be like, illegal to know or something."


    "Illegal? That''s strange, but yea, I don''t know. It''s not my ability or anything; it''s something I''ve always had. Anyways, were you told about the process?" Aca said while picking up a golden needle and holding it over the urn''s opening.


    "I just know I need to write down what all you say, and then you''ll get amnesia or something."


    "Pretty much. I get a strange feeling inside me, and I do a ritual here that lets me foresee the potential future. There is no telling exactly what the fortune will be. It could be something small and inconsequential or a significant event that could affect the whole planet or anything in between. So this needs to be taken very seriously. My message may not be straightforward either; it''s often very cryptic, so be ready for that. Are you ready?" She said while looking at Pearson as he scrambled to open the notebook.


    "Yeah, yeah! Alright, I''m ready." He said while looking up at Aca for confirmation. She took a deep breath and pricked her finger with the golden needle. A single drop of blood fell into the urn. A green aura started flowing around her body, undulating and bubbling.


    There was popping and hissing as a sweet smell, ''roses?'' Pearson thought as it spread through the cabin. Less than a second later, the golden urn glowed red hot as a green smoke rose from the jar. Aca leaned forward with her eyes closed, inhaled as much smoke as she could, and held her breath. Her skin paled as she did so. Once ten seconds had passed, her eyes shot open; the pupils and iris of her eyes had disappeared, and the whites of her eyes were a grass green that had a slight glow. Something held her hair as if an invisible person were behind her, yanking it. Her face split into a smile, impossibly too large for her face¡ªher bright white teeth reflected the molten vessel; it looked to Pearson that her head would bisect if her smile grew any larger. A breathy laugh escaped her throat.


    She suddenly snapped forward, her face only a few inches away from Pearson''s, her hand grabbing onto his, her skin feeling so cold that he thought it might give him frostbite. She opened her mouth, and a small amount of green smoke escaped her lips as she spoke; her voice sounded doubled and distorted. The sound of nails on a chalkboard inside his head, but he did his best to write every word he had heard. He spoke them aloud as he wrote to ensure he didn''t miss a single one.


    "Forever set a year from now, a cold moon rises. On a day dark and dim, a choice polarized: forgiveness or pride. In an oval room, you must decide. She shall return to raise the colony with a woman from an eastern pantheon by her side. Longing for its bearer. With eyes of gold, she comes to call. Half a demon, the other death. She awaits her creator with labored breath.


    "In a serpent''s maw, she expires. For rekindling the spark, the ultimate price is the only qualifier." He repeated.


    He finished writing the last words and looked into her eyes, waiting for more, but her eyes turned glassy and vacant. Aca collapsed back in her chair, her head staring up at the ceiling. The last bit of green smoke escaped her cracked lips. She sat back up again. Her skin had turned back to its standard shade, and her eyes looked human again. She opened her mouth to say something, but she started coughing. It got so bad that Pearson ran to the sink, filled a glass with water, and handed it to her. She took long gulps of it and finished the whole cup within seconds. She set the glass down on the table a little harder than she meant to. "That was rougher than usual." She said while clearing her throat.


    "Is it normally that intense?" Pearson asked with a worried look on his face.


    "It usually doesn''t hurt that much, but yea, it''s a weekly occurrence for me." She said while leaving her chair to fill the glass with more water. "I''m used to it at this point."


    Pearson looked down at the notebook, a puzzled look on his face. He turned the page towards Aca, "Do you know what this could mean?"


    "No, No, No, No! I don''t read those!" She said quickly while stepping away from the table and averting her eyes back toward the sink. "Yea, I make a habit to not read those. It tends to bring bad luck if I do." She glanced out her window towards the top of the tree line. "Well, it''s almost pitch-black outside, so you should probably get going. I don''t want you to get eaten."


    "Eaten? By what?" he laughed.


    "By Aye, probably."


    Pearson reached over and stuffed some cookies in his pockets while she had her back turned. "Alright, well, thanks for everything!" He said while quickly exiting the hut before she noticed the food missing.


    While outside, he noticed how cold it had gotten. Despite it being in the mid-eighties when he had entered the home about an hour prior. He could see his breath in the dim light emanating from the hut behind him. "Well, at least the cookies in my pockets are keeping my legs warm." He muttered while descending, hugging the side of the house since the narrow stairway had no handrailings and had become slick since he first ascended them. He looked back up towards the home; its smell seemed to follow him, as if the house itself was enticing him to come back, to not leave it. He thought, ''I could ask her if I could crash on her couch until the morning. I''m sure she wouldn''t mind.'' But he knew ?he had to get the notebook back as quickly as possible; Pearson had already wasted enough time dilly-dallying around; he could see her again anytime he wanted, he guessed.


    It took almost an hour, but he finally returned to the colony, Crater, and into the Hounds'' oval-shaped building. Only four of the five Hounds were in attendance. Neph, Amelia, Aye, and Lummock were all sitting down, awaiting the prophecy. Aye had been pacing around and complaining about how long it had taken Pearson to arrive. He was a hulking man; his muscles almost burst through his dark suit with every movement. Neph had been trying to calm him down; while Amelia looked like she was going to fall asleep, the two massive black dogs by her side mimicked her yawn.


    It was the first time that Pearson had been inside the meeting room of the Hounds. When he entered the room, he felt all eyes on him. The only sound was of Aye''s heavy breathing and the stomping of his footsteps on the checkered tile floor as he paced back and forth in front of the large window that looked out over the colony. The floor was so shiny and clean that it felt like Pearson was staring into a black and white mirror. Some sad-looking potted plants that hadn''t been watered in weeks sat in the room''s corner. In the middle of the room was a large oak table that resembled the oval shape of the room, with six office chairs surrounding it. The empty one at the head of the table was labeled ''Orion.'' Under it, another label, ''Chairman.'' The other vacant one placed near the middle of the table was marked, ''Keigh,'' with a label under it displaying, ''Second.'' It was slightly askew and looked pretty old and dusty.


    Pearson stood in front of the Hounds and read Aca''s fortune. "Forever set a year from now, a cold moon rises. On a day dark and dim, a choice polarized: Forgiveness or pride. In an oval room, you must decide. She shall return to raise the colony with a woman from an eastern pantheon by her side. The moon longs for home. With eyes of gold, she comes to call. Half a demon, the other death. She awaits the creator with labored breath.


    "In a serpent''s maw, she expires. For rekindling the spark, the ultimate price is the only qualifier."


    The room was utterly silent. Aye suddenly got up from his chair, walked over to Pearson, and snatched the notebook from his hands. He read over it slowly and carefully. He gritted his teeth. "Raise or Raze?" He barked.


    "Huh?" Pearson said with utter confusion across his face.


    "Did she mean raise, r-a-i-s-e, or raze, r-a-z-e?" He said again, louder this time.


    "I don''t know what you mean-"


    "What you wrote. In your notebook," Aye was almost yelling at this point. "It says, ''She shall return to raise the colony.'' So does she mean ''raise'' or ''raze''?"


    "I-I''m not sure." Pearson''s voice was slightly louder than a whisper. Under Aye''s glare, Pearson felt like he was only an inch tall. He had always thought Aye was scary, but it was totally different when all his anger was being directed solely at himself. ''I can''t exactly hear a difference between raise and raze,'' he thought.


    "You''re telling me that my...our colony is going to be destroyed in a year?"


    Neph cleared his throat, "Aye, why don''t we sit down and have a talk about this, hm? We should all just read it and discuss things with a rational mind. Most of Aca''s fortunes have double meanings. It may not be clear what the fortune means until much, much later. No matter which meaning of ''raise.''"


    Aye turned around towards Neph. It looked like a blood vessel was about to pop in his forehead, but he forced a grin and spoke through clenched teeth. "How can I be calm when this kid just told us that the colony will be destroyed in a year? What else could it mean when it says, ''She shall raze the colony.''?"


    Amelia rolled her eyes, and one of her two dogs barked as if to amplify her annoyance, "Aye, you''re being a drama queen. Sit down!" She said while standing up herself and coming face to face with him. They stared each other down for a few seconds. Pearson was worried one of them would throw a punch, but Neph changed the subject by asking Pearson, "Did Aca mention anything about this by chance?"


    "Uh, no...Well, actually, she said something about how this fortune felt tougher than usual. I don''t know if that means anything, but that''s what she said," relieved to have the tension slightly lifted in the room.


    Aye walked over to his chair and sat down with a huff. "We''ll be stronger than her anyways, for all intensive purposes; we shouldn''t have any trouble killing some girl." He grumbled.


    Amelia slumped over in her chair and rested her head in her palm. "The phrase is ''intents and purposes,'' dumbass!"


    Aye''s eyes stared daggers into Amelia as she sat staring straight ahead, ignoring him with a satisfied smirk on her face. Aye opened his mouth to say something but apparently thought better of it as he turned to Neph. "So, what do you suggest we do?"


    Lummock spoke; it had been so long since he had said anything that his voice made them all jump. "What''ll we do when she arrives? To play devil''s advocate, I''ll say that we can''t just let a ticking time bomb walk around our colony¡ªif we are to believe Aye''s interpretation." He looked at Aye¡ªcold eye contact, "But we aren''t going to kill her on sight either." His voice was calm but sent out a clear warning.


    "What''ll we do then?" Amelia asked.


    Neph thought for a moment, reading over the fortune a few more times. "There''s not much we can do at this time. If I understand this correctly, it says that a year from now, a girl will arrive. We don''t know who that will be. From past experiences, fortunes aren''t inexorable. The only thing we can do is wait. We just need to play it by ear once she arrives. For now, I suggest we place a gag order on this information¡ªno need to cause any panic if it turns out to be nothing."

 Chapter 2. Over the River and Through the Woods

    It has been exactly one year since that day.


    Ivy reached into her backpack and took out the letter. She studied it for the millionth time, following the line on the crudely drawn map with her finger, looking up to ensure that she was next to the correct landmark: three massive boulders in a horizontal line at the bottom of the mountain. She read the letter stapled to the back of the map.


    The letter was placed on her bed over six months ago; it read:


    Ivy, I know that I am absent a lot, so this will come as no surprise. I will be gone for a long, long time, longer than I have ever been gone before. I''m not going to lie to you or make excuses; I have neglected you for purely selfish reasons. You should be able to understand and relate to that more than anyone. If I am not back within five months of you receiving this letter, I want you to follow the map and instructions on the other page.


    Once you are strong enough, you will see me again if you so choose.


    We will meet in the center. I know ?you are smart, strong, and talented; you will make me proud one day. -Lilith.


    Ivy neatly folded the note back up and placed it in the small pocket of her backpack. She had a massive grin on her face, "Almost there," she said to no one in particular as she shouldered the bag and jogged past the boulders and towards the mountain.


    When Ivy started her adventure last week, she packed only what she thought she needed: water, lots of candy, and a single sandwich. It turned out to be a pretty big mistake when she had already eaten through half her food supplies after the first two days. Foolishly thinking it would take only two to three days, the whole trip here was a four-day ordeal. Her starting point: a small island southwest of the United States¡ªDodola Isle. Following the map Lilith had drawn her, she took a boat to Texas, where she ran until she reached the edge of the ocean that bisected the US, crossing the bridge that spanned the gap. Something had split the continent thirty-three years ago. Sprinting the rest of the way until she reached the surrounding lake¡ªflathead lake, taking another ferry across to get to a little, almost deserted ocean town.


    Ivy reached the edge of the mountain; the dry pine needles made crunching sounds below her black combat boots as she sprinted through the forest that encased the entire mountain.


    It took her only thirty minutes of running before she slowed down, her mouth feeling as dry as a desert. Ivy had made it about a quarter of the way up the mountain and ran a little over eight miles. Looking around and closing her eyes, she intently listened for any running water. The slight breeze blew through her long black hair; it was slightly spiky, looking as if her tongue had recently made contact with a power outlet. Falling autumn leaves and pine needles had embedded themselves in it while she was running. The sounds of creatures scampering up trees and bird wings flapping as they soared above, looking for a meal, were the only things auditory to Ivy at that moment. "There''s got to be a river or lake around here. The animals have to drink from somewhere." A creature Ivy didn''t recognize bounded through a small clearing in the distance. It was a thin white creature with grey hooves, multiple pairs of eyes, and an enormous head. It was followed by its offspring, disappearing into the forest just as quickly.


    Ivy ran up the mountain again, this time paying attention to every sound she heard, as her life may have depended on her getting water. If she were to get dehydrated and pass out, no one would know she was out there, and she would most likely die alone in the woods. After another ten minutes of running, she heard it; it was so quiet that most would have thought it was their imagination. Ivy had heard it, though, as clear as day, the sound of something small breaking the surface of a body of water.


    Skidding to a stop, she turned ninety degrees and ran towards the sound. Dodging skinny pine trees and hurdling over roots and logs, she reached the edge of a clearing, grabbing onto a tree to hold her balance as she almost ran straight into the crystal clear lake. She looked down. The lake was a bright blue color from the sky. She rolled up the sleeves of her dirty, tattered white jacket with dark red borders. She stuck her arm as far down as she could to see how deep the lake was but kept one hand wrapped around a large nearby tree root so she wouldn''t fall in head-first. The ends of her black hair rested on top of the water. It was cold, but not quite freezing.


    She heard it again, a light plopping sound coming from across the lake; taking her arm out of the water and glancing across the football-field-sized lake, seeing a glint of metal from the opposite shore. She stood up, covering her eyes from the sun, and squinted, barely making out a figure holding what looked to be a fishing rod. They were wearing a dark green and brown suit with fake leaves sewn onto its outside. Ivy bounced on her feet, smiled, and waved at the figure, "Hey! Do you know if this water is safe to drink?" The water carried her voice across the large lake. The figure looked up, a bit startled, and waved back.


    "It should be." The male voice called back. The fisherman went back to casting his line back out on the still water. ''I''m surprised she''s able to notice me; especially from that far away. I wonder¡­is she from the colony?'' He thought. ''She''s a little young to be hiking out here all alone.''


    Ivy grabbed the half-gallon metal water bottle out of her bag and plunged it into the water. The fisherman called out again, "Hey, are you from the colony?"


    Far beneath Ivy in the depths of the water, a silhouetted figure stirred. It darted across the lake floor headed towards the man. It moved from one side of the lake to the other in under a second. Its acute sense of smell drew it towards the bait at the end of the man''s fish hook.


    Suddenly, the man felt a hard tug on his line; peering over into the water, he noticed the water had turned dark. If he had a better vantage point, he would''ve seen there was something massive below him. Ivy had noticed the dark figure in the water moments earlier but wasn''t sure what it was. A loud yell came from the other side of the lake. Ivy looked up and saw the lake''s water explode in front of the man. In his state of fear, he stumbled back, tripping over the basket of fish he had already caught that day. The line from his pole wrapped around his foot. Receding back into the water was the head of an enormous serpent.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Ivy grabbed the heavy metal water bottle and was halfway across the bank of the lake within seconds. The serpent swam out and turned around for another attempt at the tasty human onshore. The water''s surface broke, rows of dagger-like teeth snapping together, heading right toward the fisherman. Its long, scaly head was adorned with two golden horns the size of Ivy''s torso. It threw back its head, letting out a roar that made the ground vibrate. It shot forward towards the man as he struggled to crawl away. The serpent was a few feet away from sinking its teeth into the man. In a flash, Ivy bounced forwards and slammed the metal water bottle into its right eye with all her might.


    The screech that emanated from its throat was heard for miles, causing every animal in the area to sprint or fly away. A flock of birds briefly blotted out the sun as they flew to safety. Ivy hit the ground, completely disoriented, her ringing ears drowning out the fisherman''s warning to run. The serpent had closed its damaged eye and tried focusing on Ivy with its other eye. It made eye contact with her. Ivy''s big hazel brown eyes stared back, a smile on her face, her heart beating rapidly. It lifted itself higher out of the water and reared its head back, preparing to strike again. Green saliva gurgling in the back of its wet maw¡ªthe sound resembling laughter. Before Ivy could put more thought into that, the serpent flung itself forward.


    Ivy had barely dodged out of the way, but the force at which it moved past her still sent her flying back a few yards, launching her into the forest. The fisherman had scrambled far enough away to get to a safe area, as well as being able to untangle the fishing line from his foot. He looked back towards the creature; the fish hook had dug itself deep into its gums. It writhed around, trying to get its bearings on the land.


    Ivy got to her feet, using a nearby tree as support. She spotted the fishing rod and the hook in its mouth. An idea started to form in her head. The creature seemed to have gotten used to being on the wet and muddy sand as it had focused its attention back on the fisherman. It attempted to slither over to him like a snake, but it was clumsy and slow. The man got to his feet and tried to run but collapsed after a few steps. His ankle was on fire. He looked back; the serpent was a few yards away, and he''d swear it was smiling if he didn''t know any better. The rows of metallic green-stained teeth glinted in the high-noon sunlight, its forked tongue flicking between them.


    The serpent''s confident gaze turned to one of surprise as its head was suddenly jerked to one side. Ivy had grabbed hold of the fishing rod, then ran around a nearby tree, using it as leverage to pull the creature away from the man. She kept pulling as hard as she could, her face turning beet red with effort; the serpent made it easier for her as it flopped in her direction, entirely leaving the water. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! I got ''em!" she yelled. Its fishtail slammed uselessly on the ground as it attempted to push itself toward her. The muddy sand made a wet slapping sound each time its tail collided with it.


    ''She must have realized the strength of the fishing line!'' The fisherman thought as he picked up his large hunting knife and drove it through the end of the serpent''s tail, nailing it to the ground. Ivy had been busy running through the forest, wrapping the metal fishing line around as many trees as possible, using them as a fulcrum to secure it in place.


    Both Ivy and the fisherman had effectively anchored the serpent to the ground. The creature attempted to force the fishhook out of its gums with its last bit of energy. It thrashed around as hard as it could; the tip of one of its golden horns broke off as it slammed into a nearby rock. It weakly flopped around a few more times before falling to the ground, exhausted. The fisherman hobbled over to the serpent, its good eye following him as he walked¡ªif looks could kill. He heard a voice from the forest, "We got him!" He turned to see the girl from before stepping onto the beach, a goofy smile across her face. Her large hazel brown eyes lit up with excitement at seeing the man standing next to the fish. "That was fun!" Ivy said while wiping the sweat from her forehead. She walked over to him, planted her feet together, and stuck out her hand. "My name''s Ivy, by the way!"


    The tip of the horn had spun off and embedded itself in the ground a few yards away. Ivy noticed its shine out of the corner of her eye. She sauntered over to it and picked it up, admiring it. It was the size of a baby and felt like it weighed at least ten pounds. She looked it over, using her jacket sleeve to rub the mud off it, noticing her reflection in it, before putting it away in her bag. Ivy looked at the sky, "Hmm, if I don''t hurry, I''ll get there pretty late." She muttered.


    Behind her, the fisherman had removed his leafy-green boot and rolled up his pants. He winced, looking at his leg, the adrenaline wearing off. "Yeah, it''s broken. I don''t have anyone to call, and Crater is too far to crawl."


    Ivy looked toward the man, "Oh, that''s not too bad," she said. She looked around, "There!" She disappeared into the woods. A minute later, she came out, holding sticks and a long vine wrapped around her shoulders.


    Using her foot, she snapped some of the sticks in half and wrapped them around the fisherman''s broken leg using the vine. He tried not to scream out in pain as she pulled it tight.


    After she was done, he tentatively got to his feet, slowly putting weight on it, testing the splint. He paced back and forth. It still hurt, but he would be able to walk the full distance if he pushed himself.


    Ivy turned to the fisherman and pointed to the top of the mountain. "Hey, mister? The colony is just up there, right?"


    "Uh, yea." He said, still in shock from what had just happened. He turned to see her start off in the direction she had been pointing. "I mean, I guess you could go that way, but-"


    "Thank you so much, mister!" Ivy said as she sprinted off toward the top of the mountain. "See ya!" She turned around, smiling and waving him goodbye.


    "Wait!" He yelled after her. "That''s the longest way to get there!" His words fell on deaf ears. He shook his head in astonishment, "That kid is something else." He turned to his left and limped in the direction of the path that was two miles to the east.


    Ivy ran and ran. The forest had been getting denser, and the trees getting larger the higher she got. By the time Ivy reached the summit, her stomach was grumbling, and the sun had lowered significantly until the sky was an orange hue. She walked past the last remaining trees, expecting to see a bustling city, but there was nothing. Ivy looked around, stepping forward and looking down. She was on top of a cliff edge, and down below was what she was looking for.


    Ivy couldn''t see much from where she was standing, but what she did see was enough. She thought her heart was going to explode out of her chest from excitement. Ivy had spent four days running and traveling across the country, then after the grueling climb up the mountain, she had made it. Below her was the colony called Crater. The bright lights below like twinkling fireflies in the quickly darkening sky.

 Chapter 3.

    The crater was sloped enough to slowly walk down the side of the hole and have a slim chance at survival. Almost a two-mile decline¡­it would be a treacherous hike up and down for anyone; loose rocks, strange beasts, and other dangers riddled the inside of the mountain.


    Disregarding safety, Ivy slid down the cliff face, narrowly avoiding sharp rocks, dead trees, and the occasional mountain beast. She was able to move down the length of the crater with the only harm coming to her already torn clothes and hands.


    Ivy stumbled and landed at the crater''s base; she got up and pulled the sticks and leaves from her hair. Her originally bright white jacket was now a dusty brown. She was at the colony''s perimeter edge, and now that she was so close, Ivy realized how big it was. Judging by the size of the massive tan concrete wall that surrounded it, she guessed ?it was the size of a small town¡ªabout a twenty-mile(32 km) width. Its shape was oval, with openings at its front¡ªthe main gate, and the back¡ªthe docks and harbor. Bordering the walls was grassy farmland, the length and width of which was a football field''s size. Corn, wheat, potatoes, and rice were all being grown.


    Ivy looked back and forth and saw no entrances to the colony. "Hmm, right or left?" clicking her tongue. She gave up, flipped an imaginary coin, and circled the wall going left. She trudged through the soggy harvest fields, the mud feeling like quicksand as it tried to hold her in place. Ivy reached the wall, stood on the small brick walkway at the base, and stared toward the top. "Hey! Is anyone up there?" She waited a moment, but there was no response. She highly doubted that she could scale up the side, either.


    She reached what looked to be the front of the colony. The surrounding crater dipped down and created a massive gaping opening. An ancient cobblestone road was built right through that entrance from the front gate and leading down the mountain. A log railing was on either side of the lane.


    The front entrance was seven meters tall, only being eclipsed by the wall itself, which was seventeen meters. The gate was made from faded brown marble, several feet thick, and weighed several tons.


    There was an ear-splitting sound like two metal chunks being ground together, and a plume of dust billowed from the front gate as it swung open. Several people walked through the gateway and quickly surrounded Ivy. Usually, there was no need for in-person watchers; for no outsider would have the will to make it this far through the mountains¡ªon this occasion, though¡­


    Her head swiveled as she took the time to examine all four of the men. They held swords, hammers, and one had a rifle, a bullet chambered but aimed at the ground. Her eyebrows knit together in confusion. Not sure what else to do, she just stood there, staring back at them.


    A voice called from inside the gate, "I can''t allow you inside without permission or an ID. And I don''t recognize you either. So whadd''ya want?" Ivy looked over to see a young man, slightly shorter than the other four, with a camo baseball cap pulled low over his face so she couldn''t see his eyes. His right hand hovered over a gun holster on his side.


    "My mom told me to come here!" Ivy said. The confusion on her face melted away into a smile.


    "Your...mom?" He squinted at her, then looked towards the group surrounding Ivy to make sure he heard her right. "Okay then...Who''s your mom?"


    "Lilith."


    "Never heard of her."


    "She doesn''t live ''here,''" Ivy said while pulling out the note from her backpack, stepping forward, ignoring the men surrounding her.


    He took the letter, reading it over a few times. He pushed his hat up, revealing bright green eyes and a teenage face. Handing the note back to Ivy, he said, "Alright, I''m going to take you to Neph and see what he has to say. Any funny business, or you start acting any way ''I'' deem weird, you''ll end up right back outside, aight?" He accentuated his statement by tapping his fingers on his gun.


    "Or dead," someone mumbled.


    Ivy nodded enthusiastically.


    One of the four men walked up to him, whispering in his ear, "should we handcuff her, or what?"


    Camo-man looked Ivy up and down once more, "Nah, man, I''m not too worried ''bout her."


    They all walked inside the gate, and Ivy stopped in her tracks, her mouth hung open and her eyes twinkling with awe. The colony''s topography had many small hills, green fields, and a massive forest in the distance. Crater seemed to be in a different season than the outside world; the tree leaves were a deep orange, and acorns and pinecones littered the ground around their trees. A small village was at the colony''s forefront, a quarter of a mile from the gate. Modern houses with tiled roofs, square brick buildings resembling schools, and small wooden huts spread over the area. Between the buildings, power lines connected them all; ancient shoes tied together by their laces hung from the black cords. Three towering brick buildings stood adjacent to one another. To the right of that, atop a hill. The one on the left had a large green banner hanging off it; it read ''The house of Cygnet,'' with what Ivy guessed was Crater''s logo below it¡ªa minimalistic design of a mother holding her child. The middle had a purple banner that read, ''The house of Seeley''¡ªagain with the same symbol. The one on the far right had a red banner that read, ''The house of Inez.'' Next to them was a cluster of three houses in a circle formation surrounding a fountain. Over the front doors of each house was a plaque that read out the names given to them by the founding residence of its esoteric community, with each home being distinct in its theme.


    A broad brown house; one would say it looked "fratty"; a circular home with a Mediterranean style. Its walls were a dull pink with logos of designer brands plastered all along its outside. The last was painted like a blue sky, lifted off the ground, and cylindrical. Near them was an open area with a basketball court, a soccer field, and a low-hanging extended facility made of logs. Surrounding the small village area was a crystal clear stream that led to a lake sat in the middle of Crater, which itself flowed to the ocean. Beyond that was a compact high activity town were homes of white wooden walls and bright-colored roofs.


    The center path winded through the middle of the town and branched off in three directions; to the left, it went towards a tall brick oval building, several suburban homes, and what looked to be an old rustic wooden cabin surrounded it.


    "This place is ginormous!"


    The teenager wearing the camo put a hand on Ivy''s shoulder, pointing towards the cabin in the distance. "Ya see that? That''s where we''re headed."


    They continued to walk in silence; the original group of four was still walking behind them, not saying a single word. Most people didn''t notice Ivy being led through the streets; some gave quick and confused glances but returned to what they were doing.


    They walked past a large pole, with flyers for shops, missing pets, and restaurants stapled to it. What caught her eye, was that all the animal posters seemed fairly recent.


    Ivy noticed the fisherman she saw earlier; he was in the middle of a passionate discussion with several others who surrounded him with great interest.


    "I''m telling you," the fisherman said, "bottom of my heart; right hand on the bible. It''s all true!"


    "You''re telling us ?you and some kid caught it?" One asked.


    "We sure did. I''ll show all of you."


    "What y''all did together was more than what seven trained fishermen have been able to manage in the past. You expect us to believe that?"


    "Have I ever been known to lie? Look at my leg! You think I did this to myself?"


    After fifteen minutes of walking, they made it past the small village district. The guy turned to the group of four and dismissed them. They turned around in sync and walked towards the market area without a word. Ivy turned to the boy. "Are they robots?"


    "No, they just act like ''em. Come on, it''s the third house here, the one that looks like a cabin." He opened the screen door, the smell of salt and seaweed hitting them like a truck.


    "Say, why does it smell like a beach?" Ivy asked, scrunching up her nose in disgust. They turned the corner, and her mouth was left agape at the man in front of her. Tall wasn''t a close enough word to describe it. He was muscular with fair skin, a long trimmed braided beard, and impossibly tall. His head, tilted low so as not to hit the ceiling, turned towards them as they walked in, a smile appearing for a second, then disappearing just as quickly when seeing Ivy. He looked her up and down, sizing her up. "So, this is her," he thought.


    Behind him, placed in a vase on his desk, a bouquet of flower-like plants; the tips burned lightly, giving off the strange smell.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    He turned to look at an awkward girl across the room who eyed Ivy apprehensively; she looked away quickly once Ivy caught her eye. Ivy looked no older than her, about a head taller and not as skinny. She wore an oversized faded orange t-shirt so large and baggy that its bottom seam was only a few inches above her knees. Her long cargo shorts went to her ankles near those dark red dirty light-up sneakers she exclusively wore. She nervously twirled her long, white-blonde hair in between her fingers. Her hair was long enough to reach her shoulder blades and hung down in front of her face; her bright, piercing blue dilated eyes peered out from behind her hair.


    "Excuse me one moment, Zoe." (Pronouncing her name as ''Z-Oh''!) The tall man''s voice was deep, but felt warm and kind. He turned towards them again, looking Ivy up and down, her large eyes still wide with awe and her mouth still hung open. He extended his hand towards her, the warm look returning to his face. "Young lady, you must be new to this colony. I apologize that I can''t give you a proper introduction to everything since the colony has been in a bit of disarray since¡ªwell, anyways, my name is Neph."


    Ivy shook his hand, happily introducing herself.


    A new voice came from the corner of the room. Ivy hadn''t noticed anyone else here, causing her to jump.


    "Neph, as I said before, it''s imperative that I get this done as soon as possible. You aren''t trying to stall, are you?" A boy said, getting up out of his chair. He was fifteen years old with olive skin and dark eyes. He wore a full-body black training suit with an orange hem and white collar and five large rings on his fingers; two on his right hand and three on his left. The word "clerical" came to mind when Zoe looked at him.


    "Marcello, you aren''t exactly the top priority right now. I will get to you when I can, but for now, stay patient." Neph lectured, his eyes flashed with a hint of annoyance, but his voice and overall demeanor stayed calm. Marcello bit his tongue and sat back down. "Ken, you are dismissed." Ken, the boy wearing camo, nodded, then exited through the screen door.


    Neph turned to the girl named Zoe, "Now, where were we?"


    Glancing quickly around the room before speaking; quietly, she said, "I want to know if there''s anything I can do to rank up and get my second star."


    Neph sighed, "Have you checked the mission board for contracts?"


    "Yes, but I can''t do any of the ones available because I''m not at least a two-star. It''s completely paradoxical; I can''t rank up unless I successfully complete a mission, yet I can''t even get a mission unless I''m a higher rank¡­. And another thing, the contracts that I don''t need a prerequisite for are being taken almost instantly; I would have to be camping out near the board for days on end to get one!" She got progressively louder as she spoke, but quickly quieted down when she realized the volume of her voice. "I wouldn''t mind camping out either, but there''s a curfew, so I literally can''t."


    "I understand your frustration, Zoe, but there are missions available to you right now."


    "But those are just D ranks; it won''t even move the needle." Dispirited, Zoe slinked past Ivy toward the door. "You could sign off for me." She said under her breath to Neph.


    Neph called after her and told her to wait. He walked over to a file cabinet and started riffling through one of the drawers; after a few seconds, he brought out a manilla folder with a few pages inside. He handed that and a pen to Ivy, thinking, ''Such an oddly ebullient child Ivy is. I shouldn''t let my guard down, but could she really be¡­Well, for now, I''ll entertain this and go from here. Once Terra sees her, I can make a final judgment.''


    "I want you to fill out the paper inside here; it''ll be for your ID card." He turned to Zoe, "Once Ivy is finished, I want you to give her a tour of this place."


    Her eyes flicked to look at Ivy. She wasn''t sure what to make of the girl; she came off as goofy and more than a little strange. Not wanting to make judgments before talking to her, she just nodded.


    Ivy sat down and looked over the page. It asked for her name, age, race, and height. She read the questions aloud, but quiet enough so that everyone else only heard a slight whisper. "Name, Ivy; Age, um..." She turned to Neph. "Hey, mister, what day is it?"


    "Friday, August third."


    "Oh, cool! I just turned eleven today!" She went back to writing on the page, "Age, eleven; Race, white...I think; height, 5 ''5". She continued down the page, answering the questions to the best of her abilities. When Ivy had finished, she handed the pages to Neph.


    "Dodola Isle¡­ Never heard of that. Where is that located?"


    "Uh¡­" there was a long pause, "not sure," Ivy shrugged.


    "You aren''t sure?" Neph asked inquisitively.


    Ivy reached in her bag and handed him the map her mom gave her. "I just followed the route."


    "Huh," he muttered, looking it over. "Still not ringing a bell. Oh well," he gave the paper back to her.


    Ivy turned to Zoe and saw her staring awkwardly at the ground. She glanced up when she noticed Ivy was looking at her.


    "Oh! Uh, Ivy, right? I''m gonna show you around." Zoe said quickly under her breath as if she was afraid someone would hear her, then shuffled out of the cabin. Ivy looked back towards Neph, who gestured for her to go. Nodding, she followed Zoe outside.


    "Oh wow, I''m allowed to talk?" Marcello asked sarcastically, "If you deny me once more, I''m just going to leave, and you won''t be getting anything."


    Neph sighed, "First, tell me the reason for this mission?" Neph said, giving his undivided attention to Marcello.


    "I don''t think it would be good for me to give such an answer to someone I don''t know. The matter is too personal." Marcello said, standing to his feet. "I need several triple-stars or above that have no fear of death or killing and can follow instructions."


    "Well, then I can''t help you," Neph said sternly.


    Marcello''s eyes widened with surprise. "What? With all due respect, ''sir,''" he felt a balloon of anger fill in his chest, his voice strained from keeping his composure, "I will only share the mission details with the people going with me on the mission. Unless you plan on joining me, then that''s all I can say. But make no mistake; it''s not from lack of funds. I do have the money to pay for this."


    "Again, like I said just now, I can''t help you. If you want to talk to me about it, I would be willing to see what I can do, but since you aren''t with an organization and you don''t have any previous relation to Crater, I won''t just lend you my colonists without explanation. As far as I''m aware, this whole thing could end up being a suicide mission."


    Marcello scoffed, dug his temporary colony ID card out of his pocket, and flung it on the table. "Fine! I''m leaving!" He said, turning towards the front door.


    Neph''s voice softened, "If you can''t answer my fairly simple question, then maybe you aren''t doing this for the right reason. This doesn''t mean you still aren''t welcome to stay here. Your reputation precedes you, and you could be quite the valuable member of this colony."


    A smirk crossed Marcello''s face as he looked back towards Neph, staring him dead in his eyes. "From what I heard, you guys will do just about anything if the money''s right. Regardless, it''s really none of your business. And no, I''m not joining your little club, okay?" There was a long silence. Marcello shifted back towards the door. Neph walked beside him, holding the temporary ID in front of Marcello''s face.


    "You should stay the weekend, and we can talk about this more."


    Looking at the card in Neph''s outstretched hand¡­ "Whatever," Marcello said, grabbing the card as he walked out the door and slammed it behind him.


    Zoe walked towards one of the bridges that went over the stream; Ivy followed, her eyes wide with curiosity, staring at the buildings and people as they walked past. Zoe looked at Ivy and took a deep breath; she always felt nervous around people she didn''t know¡ªconstantly feeling fidgety, rarely maintaining eye contact¡ªfinding it stressful or uncomfortable most of the time. Ivy noticed she was jumpy, too, looking around as if she expected to be mugged at any second. Zoe leaned against a nearby oak tree, its orange autumn leaves slowly descending in the slight breeze.


    "Umm, I don''t really know where to start; there''s a lot to learn. Anything you want to see first?"


    Seeming to smell something that Zoe didn''t, Ivy sniffed the air and looked around, "Is there food that we can eat around here?" As if on cue, her stomach growled so loudly that it almost made Zoe jump.


    She looked down at her wrist, a silver watch with an abstract purple and yellow face, "The food hall will be open in thirty minutes."


    When they got closer, the smell of cooking food wafted from an open window in the log building. Ivy realized she hadn''t had anything to eat since that morning, and all she had to eat was her last candy bar. Ivy''s stomach growled at the thought of the food. It was so loud that Zoe heard it. Ivy shuffled over to the window and peered in, looking at the bustling and busy kitchen staff running around inside.


    "That''s the dining hall?" She asked, turning to Zoe.


    "Yea, well, one of them, the one we use¡­you''ll know when the cafeteria is ready because there will be a loud dinner bell. The bell rings differently, indicating which group''s turn it is to eat."


    Ivy grumbled, rubbing her stomach, and looked around, "So what do you folks do here?"


    "Well, there''s lots of different things going on here. But if you''re under eighteen, your only job is to go to learn, train, and, in theory, go on missions."


    Ivy perked up at the word ''train,'' "Train? So that''s why she told me to come here. What do you train?"


    "Oh, there''s training for pretty much everything, but the base thing they train you in is teamwork; well, field-wise, and general combat. You have to sign up and be approved to be trained in other things."


    Ivy''s eyes lit up, and she walked closer to Zoe, "That''s cool! So like, when do we get to do that?"


    Zoe gave her an odd look, "You''re excited about that?"


    "Oh, yea! I think that''s why I was told to come here!" Ivy said with a bright grin.


    "There''s physical training every morning before school. Well, it''s still part of school, but before the classroom stuff. Tomorrow, the whole day is dedicated to a training course."


    "School¡­" Ivy said with a slight twinge of disgust. "So we''ll get graded on the training?"


    "Yea. You have to make sure you pass that class in particular. The other ones don''t matter as much."


    "How come?"


    "In all honesty, I''m not sure exactly, but I heard that''s what the owner of the colony values the most. And those who fail aren''t around for very long. Well, I guess I can show you where that is going to happen first." She guided Ivy in the direction of the basketball courts.


    While walking, they looked at the tennis and basketball courts, behind that, several large soccer fields. Two kids were playing a one-on-one basketball game, but besides that, the court was completely empty.


    "Past those," she gestured. "So, how did you even find this place? If you don''t mind me asking," said Zoe.


    Zoe''s eyes widened with surprise when Ivy described to her the note. "Wait! She just left you? For months?"


    "She does that a lot. She''ll just randomly leave for weeks or months on end."


    Zoe gave her an incredulous look, "Oh, that''s¡­terrible," she said.


    "I don''t think so," Ivy smiled brightly. "If whatever she''s doing is so important that her family comes second, then it''s gotta be really cool!"


    Zoe was at a loss for words, "I mean...I guess that''s a way to think about it." The conversation was cut short by what sounded like a church bell, loud and distant. Then the echoes of hundreds of footsteps thundering towards them. "That''s the bell."


    "Man, I''m starving!" Ivy said, bouncing up and down with excitement.


    Neph set down his phone; it had been the third time he had called Orion, but still no answer. He picked up the phone once more and made a group call to the other four chairmen. Amelia, Lummock, and Aye all picked up, but unsurprisingly, Keigh''s phone went straight to voicemail. Neph brought the phone to his ear; breathing and crackling from a lousy signal were the only things heard.


    He cleared his throat. "I have some news that you all may find interesting. Someone new has arrived today."

 Chapter 4

    Since Ivy hadn''t received her ID card, she couldn''t get any food, but Zoe said she could use hers. Ivy returned to where Zoe was standing, her tray filled with Pizza, cheeseburgers, sandwiches, and a few slices of cake. Zoe looked at the mountain of food like it would come alive and attack her.


    "Where are we going to sit?" Ivy asked between bites.


    Zoe looked surprised, "you want to sit with me? Well, I normally sit over there," Zoe looked to an empty table towards the back of the room. Ivy sat across from Zoe and continued eating.


    As per her ritual, Zoe had chicken nuggets, blueberries, and a bowl of sunflower seeds.


    Scanning the crowd of people, the expression on Zoe''s face turned to a grimace when a group of people walked by and sat down at the table adjacent to theirs. Her eyes lowered, and she fixated them to a point on the table. Ivy noticed this and glanced over towards the group. She caught the eye of one girl who was looking at her. With a very regal posture, she had tan skin, was tall with a toned but slender frame, and had long brown wavy hair in a wolf cut that reached the small of her back. Wearing shiny makeup with sharp-winged eyeliner, her designer clothes were also spotless; a red long-sleeve silk crop-top, a black mini jean skirt, and black hi-top sneakers with shiny black sequins on the side. She got up from the table, walked over to Ivy with a grand gait, sat down next to her, and turned to face her.


    "Haven''t seen you before. You new here?" The girl''s mouth split open in a smile, revealing gold braces with her right canine tooth missing.


    "Yup! I''m Ivy," Ivy said between Bites. She stuck out her hand, but the girl didn''t take it. Zoe had taken something out of her pocket and fidgeted with it under the table.


    "Nice," the girl said, turning her attention to Zoe, who quickly glanced up from her lap but looked back down, avoiding eye contact. She continued to stare at her, slowly drumming her fingernails on the table. Ivy didn''t notice at first, but the girl had a tattoo of a rose on her hand. The skin around the symbol was red and shiny.


    A voice behind the girl said, "Go away, Reiza!". The voice belonged to a young boy; he was tall for his age, a few inches taller than Ivy, with messy brown hair and bright green eyes. He put his tray on the table and sat down next to Zoe. "Shoo! Begone!"


    "Aw, come on, I''m just introducing myself. You don''t need to act like such a sperg," the girl looked at Zoe when she said the last word. Then, she pouted as she pushed herself out of the chair, giving him the finger as she did so.


    Noticing the new design on her hand, the boy smirked. "Reiza, you disgraced yourself by getting that."


    "I think you''re disgracing yourself by hanging out with Zoe, especially after that squirrel incident." Reiza looked down at Ivy''s confused face. "Wait...you don''t know about that, do you?"


    "No!" Zoe looked like she was about to die inside.


    Grinning, "Ivy, we should talk sometime. Like he said, my name''s Reiza." She smirked and grabbed the arm of a girl sitting at the other table, casting a "Later, Squirrel-Girl," back as they both walked to the food line, skipping in front of several people.


    "Y''all okay over here?" he asked.


    "Thanks, Colson," Zoe said, as her cheeks flushed slightly red. Ivy nodded, then took a massive bite out of a burger. "Toothless was just being annoying, as per usual."


    Ivy stifled a laugh.


    "Nah, we don''t eat carbs!" Reiza''s voice rang out across the lunchroom.


    "Sheesh," Colson muttered, staring at the pile of food on Ivy''s tray.


    Colson glanced at Ivy, looking her up and down, his eyes narrowed with suspicion, ''I know I haven''t seen this girl before. If she''s new¡­.''


    "So, girl, are you new here?"


    "Yup!" Ivy happily introduced herself, "Just got here earlier today. Had to run across the whole country to get here!"


    "The whole country?" Colson doubted, glancing at Zoe to see her reaction, but he forgot her expressions hardly ever changed. "So Pearson was right!"


    "Mhm. Well, only half, but I ran a majority of the way."


    "So," Zoe said curiously, "What is it like outside? Is it bad?"


    "Bad? I don''t think so¡­" Ivy thought for a second, "I can''t say for sure. I didn''t really pay attention, but it didn''t look so bad."


    Zoe leaned forward, "Is it anything like Crater? The people, what''re they like?"


    "They seemed nice," Ivy shrugged. "I wasn''t talking to a lot of people." As she said that, Zoe started eating. She put each individual piece of food in her mouth one by one, until her cheeks bulged, reminding Ivy of a chipmunk. Slowly chewing until it was all gone.


    Colson raised an eyebrow, "What about where you''re from?"


    "Uh, I don''t know," Ivy said, looking at what Zoe had in her hands. "What are you doing?"


    She held up a stack of cards. "I just like to mess around with them from time to time. Practice magic tricks, things like that."


    "From time to time?" Colson thought, "It''s more of a major obsession."


    Ivy''s eyes widened, "That sounds so cool! Can you show me some?"


    "I mean, I''m alright at it," Zoe said as she got up, walked around the table, and sat next to Ivy. ''Why did I have to say anything? Now I''m going to mess up, and she''ll probably laugh at me.'' She spread the deck of cards in a fan shape after taking a deep breath. They were jet black with shiny gold lettering and gold trim. "Look at these. Can you confirm they''re real? Nothing amiss?"


    Ivy flicked through them and nodded.


    "Alright. Take one card and look at it, okay? Without showing me, put it into the deck at a random spot."


    "Okay," Ivy did as she was told. Her card was a red nine of diamonds. When the card was back in the deck, Zoe shuffled it. It felt like her heart was going to explode out of her chest, but she kept going. Despite that, Colson always liked how her face lit up when performing for people.


    Her hand extended into the air, seeming to grab a card out of thin air. Zoe flipped it around, showing Ivy that it was the same card she had picked. Before Ivy could react, she placed the nine of diamonds back into the deck and reshuffled.


    "In this deck, there are only four of that kind." Slowly, she grabbed a card from the top of the deck, placing it upright on the table. A nine of diamonds. She flipped another. The same result. Another four cards in rapid succession¡ªall identical. "I can keep doing this all day if I wanted," She said to the sound of the cards slapping against the table. "I can do this ten thousand times. Nothing will change." She continued moving the cards, all the while staring at her. "Why? You have missed something."


    In Zoe''s hands remained four cards. Each unturned. "Let''s do this one more time," Just as before, she flips the last four cards with the same result.


    Ivy jumped to her feet when it finally set in, "Woah!" She said a bit too loud, causing some people to stare. Zoe would never forget the way Ivy''s eyes would light up with amazement, and her lips exploded on "Woah" every time she saw something that interested her. "That was freaking amazing! How''dja do that?"


    "Honestly, that was the first time I''ve ever done that one correctly, the first try," Zoe said, her cheeks flushed. Colson, who had seen her practice many times, was impressed.


    They continue to eat and talk for the rest of dinner.


    When leaving, Zoe said she could continue giving her the colony''s introductory tour.


    The sun had almost completely set. The sky had gone from a deep orange to a dark purple. Nocturnal creatures cooed, crickets chirped, and frogs croaked in the distance. Fireflies twinkled as they flew through the warm evening air; Zoe held her hand out whenever they passed; some briefly landed in her palm before flying away again. Colson and Zoe then showed Ivy the village where non-student colonists lived.


    "So, we''re in a campus boarding school that''s just next to a town?" Ivy asked.


    "Yea, pretty much," Colson said. He explained how Crater operated¡ªfunctioning as an independent country with its own laws and economy. It is funded by governments, banks, businesses, and anyone who uses its services. "Insider trading in foreign markets and defense contracts. Well, the first is kinda hearsay."


    Others also make use of their plentiful and luscious natural resources. Crater was initially founded potentially centuries ago.


    They continued to walk north towards the small forest inside the walls. They passed by a lake with a giant rock near the shoreline that kids were climbing up and jumping off into the water. Others were on the coastline talking and doing other activities. A wooden sign cut into an arrow shape with faded letters that read "Cygnet Lake."¡ªthough they referred to it as "Drowning Lake," as the kids had occasion to say.


    Colson gestured beyond the lake; there was a big running track and beyond that, the forest, taking up over one-fourth of the inside of the colony''s perimeter. "That''s where we go every morning," Colson said. "Just looking at that is giving me PTSD." He grumbled.


    "Let''s go over there!" Ivy said while running. Zoe and Colson looked at each other, then followed her down the hill towards the forest. She was deep into the woods when they finally caught up to her. The trees and their leaves were so dense that the only thing illuminating their surroundings were the glowing eyes of distant animals and fireflies.


    "We probably shouldn''t be in here for long," Zoe said.


    "Ooh, so this is a forbidden forest," a mischievous grin crossed Ivy''s face.


    "Not really," Colson yawned, "we''re just encouraged not to be here. Unless we have someone older, or it''s during a training op, they''ll yell at us and tell us to leave. Basically, Highwood¡ªthis forest, is kinda dangerous, and if we get hurt, no one will know until the next time they use this place. Happened plenty of times before. But the real ''forbidden forests'' are the ones outside the walls."


    They followed Ivy as she walked around for a bit more. Throughout the forest were short dilapidated homes and brick structures overrun by plants and vines. They found some tall wooden structures. They were the height of an average suburban home but in the shape of a castle lookout. The whole thing was covered in multi-colored paint splatters as if it had been in one too many paintball wars.


    Ivy climbed up the side and stared out at the forest. The small blinking bulbs of the fireflies and the other luminary insects that chased them disappeared and reappeared as they flew between the trees. Behind the trees was the dim glow of Crater''s lights that illuminated the sky.


    Colson had climbed up next to her while Zoe was still on the ground looking back towards the city nervously.


    "Wow," was all that Colson said as he stared up at the twilight firmament; its constellations were faint but still visible. ''I wish I''d brought my camera. This would be totally perfect.'' Imagining the shot, the outline silhouette of Ivy as she stared up into the stars¡­They were silent for a while, just standing, watching, and listening; sounds of a forest, brustling of leaves, claws against wood as a nearby critter climbed a tree, and Zoe absently shuffling through her cards.


    "Pretty-ful," Ivy said.


    Zoe glanced at her watch, "Hey guys, we gotta get back to the dorms; curfew is gonna be up in a few minutes."


    They walked out of the woods and towards the three large brick buildings. Based on the number of windows and the placement of each of them, Ivy guessed the buildings were fifteen stories each.


    "Wait... Where am I going to sleep at?"


    "Oh," Zoe said, realizing the problem.


    "Outside," Colson yawned as he walked towards the building on the right with a red banner labeled, ''Inez.''


    "I have a bunk bed in my room, so you could sleep there...Maybe?" Zoe faltered, "Jeez, I didn''t want to make that sound weird."


    "Why is that weird?"


    "I- never mind," she mumbled, "So¡­."


    Ivy smiled, her teeth glinting in the dark, "It''ll be like a forever sleepover!"Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Ivy waved goodbye to Colson, and they walked towards the building in the middle with a purple banner labeled, ''Seeley.''


    "Oh!" Ivy yelped as if a monster had just jumped out in front of her, "I gotta show you something, now that you showed me that awesome magic trick." She rummaged in her backpack and pulled out the serpent''s golden horn. "Ta-da!" She held it out for Zoe to take, "I completely forgot about this!"


    Zoe took the object, almost dropping it, expecting it to be lighter. She turned it in her hands, examining the horn, "Wha¡­ What is it? Is this gold?" She squinted in the dim light.


    "Yea! It''s the horn from some sea monster in that lake a ways down the mountain."


    "Wait, hold on, you''re talking about the lake with the serpent?"


    "Yup!" Ivy explained to her everything that had happened.


    Zoe''s eyes widened, and her mouth agape, "What the¡­ Holy- Ivy, that''s insane!"


    Ivy beamed, "Yea, I looked at it and thought that it didn''t look too strong. I thought I could take it."


    Zoe took a corner of her long baggy shirt and rubbed it on the horn, revealing a slight polish. "So, what''re you going to do with it?" She asked, handing it back to Ivy, who just shrugged as she put it in her bag.


    "I dunno, I''ll just keep it, probably¡ªor maybe I''ll melt it down and make a cool weapon out of it!"


    Zoe laughed, "Yea, I don''t think you''re going to be melting this; it still is bone, a gold-colored bone, but bone nonetheless. It''s probably worth a lot more than gold, though, based on rarity¡­."


    Ivy looked around and noticed how many other kids were still hanging out and talking. "Why don''t they have a curfew?" She complained.


    "They''re a higher rank than we are, probably two-stars."


    "What rank are we?"


    "Only single-stars," Zoe sighed disappointed.


    Going up the ranks in the colonies brings a lot more privileges than a later bedtime.


    Becoming a double-star colonist gives you free access to many public services inside and outside Crater. Your ID badge is recognized as a passport that will let you openly travel across the world, even to restricted countries. To be awarded a second star, one must complete a C-rank mission or higher.


    Becoming a Triple-star colonist gives you access to top-secret information. To become a Triple-star, one must complete at least two B-rank missions and thoroughly memorize the colony commandments.


    Becoming a Four-star colonist gives no added benefit, besides the prestige that comes with being a quadruple-star colonist. To attain the fourth star, one will need to achieve something phenomenal in their respective field that will be approved by Orion, the president of the four colonies. Other criteria include mentoring at least one other colonist to reach a Triple-star rank and completing a several months-long training.


    Becoming a Five-star colonist is the most challenging task but the most rewarding. The promise of guaranteed diplomatic immunity in most countries. With few exceptions, one can even kill anyone they would like without repercussions. To become a Penta-star colonist, one will need to complete a nigh-impossible task made by Orion. Typically, the job will show great strength, determination, intelligence, and ability proficiency. The task can involve all of those aspects or none of them; it is entirely up to the whims of Orion.


    "So, which rank do you want to be?"


    "Eventually, a Penta-star, but that will take a while. I''m willing to be patient."


    "But what do you get out of it?"


    "The main one for me is freedom. I can pursue whatever I want whenever I want to do it¡ªto an extent, be ungovernable to the outside. I can go and practice anywhere I want at that point. Being here is alright, I guess, but there''s so much more out there; maybe it''s more about the adventure of it. I''ve read so many books on the different places and cultures of the world; it all sounds so interesting." Her eyes shifted from wonder to a slight anxiety. "My life will be an incredible adventure or nothing at all. Though the outside world seems¡­difficult."


    "Difficult?"


    "Too much going on. More bad than good. No offense, but the non-colonists, they just don''t seem to have the faculties that we do."


    "I don''t get it," Ivy hummed.


    "You aren''t like them, though. I have no doubt they''ll let you stay."


    Zoe scanned the ID badge she kept on a necklace along with a petite, shiny golden charm in the shape of a spade with a glassy red border. She noticed Ivy staring at it.


    "What''s that?"


    Debating herself on whether she should tell her, "It''s a good luck charm. I''ve had it for as long as I can remember..." She trailed off as they walked into the lobby of the building. Their footsteps echoed off the off-white walls and the shiny gray-tiled floors. "Well, anyways, because they''re a higher star level, they get more privileges, one of those being that they get to stay up later. The elevators are over here." Zoe said as they walked to the right. Across the elevators was a receptionist desk with a young woman who was fast asleep.


    She clicked the button for the twelfth floor.


    While waiting for the elevator, Ivy drifted around the lobby. The walls were graced with paintings of warriors with massive amber swords and obsidian armor. There were many portraits of a clean-shaven muscular man. Despite having short grey hair, it depicted him as looking relatively young. He wore a traditional white robe with gold edges. The picture frame was an obsidian black, with a golden nameplate attached to the bottom saying ''Orion Crito.''


    The elevator dinged, and they both stepped inside. It shuttered and shook as it ascended the floors. Zoe had brought out her cards again and fidgeted with them absently as she watched the numbers tick up on the floor counter. "Hey, Ivy, can I ask you something?" She entreated quietly.


    "Shoot."


    She looked over, studying Ivy''s face, "I don''t really know anything about this, but like we have this fortune teller here, and apparently, she made a fortune about you a year ago." She chattered quickly, as if she were nervous.


    "Woah, so a real fortune-teller? Like one hundred percent real?"


    "I would assume so, since most take her word as gospel. But very few people have seen her¡­ So you don''t know anything about it?"


    "No, you don''t know what it said about me?"


    "Not really. Rumors are floating around, but I don''t know really for sure. The only ones who would know are people working in the oval building, specifically the Hounds, but they haven''t been talking about it at all." Zoe said.


    "Why?"


    "If it''s something bad, they don''t want everyone panicking. That''s my guess, anyways."


    "Is it something bad?"


    "I don''t think it''s good, based on how people are talking about it and how hard Neph is trying to keep it a secret. Considering how long the rumors have been floating around, it must be something pretty big."


    "Oh," said Ivy, her eyebrows knit together with slight concern.


    Seeing this, Zoe tried to defuse it by quickly saying, "I''m sure it''s just the ''telephone effect,'' so probably nothing to worry about!"


    There was a long silence before Ivy asked, "How does it work? The future-sight ability?"


    Relieved at the change of subject, Zoe shrugged, "The way it was explained to me is that she gets different fortunes every day and is able to ''feel'' them. Someone comes over and writes them down, and that''s how we know. After that, she loses all memory of the fortune."


    "Able to feel them?"


    "Yeah, It''s kind of like a fart, you know when you have it and can release it at any time, but once you do, it''s gone."


    Ivy burst out laughing, "That''s amazing!" Her smile faded, and her face turned serious, "does everyone believe this?"


    "I don''t know; I''m sure a lot of people have heard the rumor, maybe some believe it, maybe not. I don''t think most people will know that you''re the one in the fortune unless someone told them."


    The elevator finally reached the twelfth floor, and they walked into Zoe''s room. It was a medium-sized room with a wooden floor and brick walls. A row of Christmas lights hung from the edges of the ceiling that turned on when she flicked the light switch. The bulbs had been specially made to resemble natural lighting. The bunk bed was on the far right of the room; it took up a majority of the right wall. Adjacent to the bed was a large wooden wardrobe covered in old stickers and sticky notes. On the other side of the room, a desk with a lamp attached to it. Large school books and loose pages of math homework were scattered on the desk, along with a clear plastic box filled with dirt. Some posters of famous magicians and fortune-tellers were taped to the walls. A big window with screen protection was on the back wall that overlooked the colony. ''Cozy,'' was the word that came to Ivy''s mind when she stepped into the room.


    As they walked inside, Zoe instantly took off her socks and shoes, placing them two inches from the right of the doorway.


    "Cool room," Ivy said.


    "Thanks," Zoe said as she took her backpack and other school supplies off the lower bunk and placed them meticulously in the closet, ensuring everything was in the correct order. Also inside the cabinet were rows of clothes, all identical to what she was wearing. Ivy rummaged through her bag until she found her pajamas and quickly changed into them. Zoe glanced over at Ivy. She hadn''t noticed how toned and muscular Ivy was until then.


    Curious, Ivy walked to Zoe''s desk, studying the box. Inside a dirt packed floor, small plants sprouting from it. Insects of various kinds squirmed and crawled throughout the box.


    From beside her, Zoe lifted up the box''s lid, pouring what looked to be food inside. Leaning in, she stared as most of the bugs swarmed. Some predatory bugs taking their opportunity to devour their unsuspecting prey.


    "You really like bugs," Ivy noted.


    "Hm," Zoe sighed apathetically, "Not really. I think most of them are quite gross. For some reason, I just like knowing a lot about them," she monotoned, continuing to stare until the frenzy ended.


    Zoe climbed up the ladder and sat down on her bed, her feet dangling over the side. Ivy yawned and laid down on the lower bunk; not realizing how tired she was until her head hit the pillow. "Goodnight," Ivy rolled over and fell asleep almost instantaneously.


    "Hmm?" Zoe leaned over the side of the bunk, Ivy was already out cold. "Impressive, I find it so difficult to fall asleep on most nights." She sighed, taking out her cards from her pocket, and spreading them across her bed.


    Zoe yawned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Despite a slight but steady drizzle, her breath made miniature clouds in the frigid early morning air. She rubbed her hands together and breathed into them, the heat from her lungs barely warming them. She neglected to wear a sweater or a coat, knowing that she would be begging for the northern morning''s cool breeze in a few hours.


    The stars were still visible as the pink morning sky slowly turned to azure.


    Zoe looked to her right; Ivy was standing a few feet away from her, feet planted widely apart, a confident stance and determined look in her eyes. Steam rose from her frame like a white aura. The rest of their group had started to shuffle towards the meeting spot.


    Zoe had watched Ivy run around and exercise for the past thirty minutes. She wanted to say "absolutely not" when Ivy asked her, but she didn''t want to disappoint her. She said that she''d exercise with her, but all Zoe did was sit on the side of the hill and try not to fall asleep. The words that turned into Ivy''s mantra, "I''m not going to get stronger if I don''t go above and beyond." plagued her. On the plus side, once the pre-breakfast workout was over, breakfast would taste all that much better. Since it was Sunday, they had most of the day to do what they wanted.


    The rest of the kids filed in line; they were grumbling and complaining as they always did. There were almost three hundred kids in their group. There were three groups in all, evenly divided numbers, each mixed with kids that were a two-star rank and under.


    "Alright, everyone, get on the track!" A voice yelled from behind them. Ivy turned to see a short and muscular man in his thirties; he had dirty blonde hair and intense blue eyes. He wore a dark green puffy cargo vest, short running shorts, and spotless blue running shoes. "For today''s PT, you will start off running two and a half miles. Make sure you pass someone and do not let anyone pass you!" He pointed to the large track, "two and a half miles is just three times around this. Don''t even attempt and try and cheat me! You will only be cheating yourself! Start your warmups, and when I blow this whistle, you will start to run! You get fifteen minutes to finish; you should all finish before that!"


    While stretching and warming up, Reiza pushed past both Ivy and Zoe. She had on leopard print running shorts and a white t-shirt with the symbol of her sorority house on the back. She turned around while walking; she looked Ivy up and down, noticing Zoe, who shuffled behind Ivy, her eyes low.


    "So that''s really what you wear? It fits you." She smiled and walked away.


    "Thanks!" Ivy grinned and waved after her.


    Reiza just shook her head and rolled her eyes, "Quite obtuse."


    Zoe looked to Ivy, "she''s right," she mumbled. "Obtuse."


    "Huh? What is?"


    "You are."


    "I don''t know what you mean."


    Before Zoe could answer, the teacher called over Ivy. She jogged over to him and proceeded to do an odd little dance like she needed to use the bathroom, then stood straight and made a saluting gesture. He stood tall in front of her, his breath looking like smoke as it curled around his head in the cold air. Staring at him for a while, she wasn''t sure what he wanted her to do or say, but after a few seconds, he finally spoke.


    "So?" the trainer said sternly.


    Ivy still didn''t know what he wanted her to say; she looked back towards Zoe and shrugged. As she was about to turn around and leave, the man spoke again.


    "You''re new here, aren''t you?"


    "Yessir, I just got here."


    "Alright, so what''s your name?" This whole time his unblinking eyes never left hers.


    "Ivy."


    "Well, they call me Silas. I saw you putting in work earlier; what''s the reason for that?"


    "I just want to be as strong as possible."


    "Why?" He seemed genuinely curious.


    "My mom told me to be, and I want to see her again."


    Reiza, who was a few yards away, overheard the conversation; she scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Oh great, we now have an orphaned child around here now," she thought, but she kept listening.


    "She in some kind of trouble?"


    "Nope, nothing could be trouble for her!" Ivy said proudly, "Probably the strongest person on earth."


    Silas laughed a breathy laugh, "well, alright then, get back over to the track. We''ll talk later."


    Behind her, there was a shrill whistling sound that permeated the air. Everyone took off running. Ivy and Zoe were towards the group''s back, but it didn''t take long for Ivy to get towards the front.


    The sounds of hundreds of footsteps and heavy breathing drowned out the morning songs of waking birds.


    Within a few minutes, Ivy had maneuvered her way through the mass of bodies blocking the width of the track, darting between the runners. It was now Ivy and several others leading the group.


    Reiza, as usual, wasn''t trying too hard; she was casually running in second place only a few paces behind the guy in front of her. Hearing the pounding of footsteps next to her, she glanced to her left just as Ivy blew past her. Was it her imagination, or did Ivy look back and smirk at her as if to mock her. Picking up her pace, she reached Ivy, who was now ahead of everybody, glaring at her, but Ivy either ignored her or didn''t notice as she kept her eyes forward and focused.


    Continuing to run side by side, they eventually were on the last lap; having lapped many of the other runners, the two hadn''t even slowed in the slightest. When they arrived at the final quarter-mile, Ivy put everything she had into a dead sprint, catching Reiza off guard and leaving her in the dust.


    She quickly finished the race and sat cross-legged next to Silas, who looked impressed but tried not to show it.


    "That was a good warm-up," said Ivy as she looked over to Reiza, grinning.


    "Whatever," she grumbled, looking back at the people still running, waiting for her friends to finish.


    "You''re going to let the new girl finish before you?" Silas screeched, his voice carrying throughout the entire field. "Pathetic! All of you! You better have enjoyed that light jog because today will be hell on earth!" He continued to scream until every single person had finished.


    Zoe walked over to Ivy and collapsed next to her; seeing that Ivy was in first place, she had tried a lot harder than she usually would have. Usually, she ran an average time, finishing with the bulk of the group, but today she finished in thirteenth place. Ivy looked over to the group Colson was in. They were still running on a track a ways away. "Does everyone do the same stuff?"


    "Pretty much," Zoe said through gasps of air and large gulps from her water bottle. "Same stuff, different order. Depends on what the instructors want to do."


    A few minutes later, Silas led them all over a building labeled "training ground 3." It looked like a massive warehouse on the outside, its walls made of large grey cinder blocks. Inside was an enormous obstacle course, massive rock climbing walls, climbing ropes dangling from the ceiling, metal bars, and other activities. The floor was light, shifty sand making it difficult to walk.


    Silas yelled over the chatter, "This obstacle course is supposed to be hard for even triple-star colonists to complete. But since you all embarrassed yourselves earlier, I thought you would all fancy a trip down here. I told you that today would be hell! Below heaven is hell, and below hell is my class!" His raspy laugh filled the now quiet room. "You will have one hour! If you do not complete the course in the time provided, you will earn a fat goose egg for today''s score!"


    Grumbles and complaints bubbled up from the crowd, mainly directed at Ivy. Reiza stood next to her, glaring at Ivy from the corner of her eye. This place was one that most of the talented colonists were familiar with, including her. "He can''t be serious! He can''t fail all of us, can he? I''ve only ever been able to finish half of it before," she thought.


    As if reading her mind, Silas commented, "I''ve failed entire classes before, and I will do it again without hesitation. Do not test me!"


    A kid in the crowd spoke up, "this is way too difficult. No one will ever finish it in time!"


    Silas gave the crowd an evil smile, "well, that sounds like a personal problem. You all have gotten complacent. Lazy. Lethargical. Heck, if I didn''t work you all so hard, you''d be fat, too." He paused and looked behind him at the course, "but I should tell you, working as a team will make things easier. One hour! Starting now!" He clicked a stopwatch, and everyone started running. "Don''t die," he said casually, his voice drowned out by the crowd''s footsteps running past.

 Chapter 5

    Zoe looked up, relieved to see Ivy dropping back towards the middle of the group to find her. She didn''t want to seem like a burden by going to Ivy first.


    "It''s going to be tough to win this thing," said Ivy once she found Zoe in the crowd.


    "I''m not worried about winning; I just want to finish in time," Zoe said through controlled breaths.


    "Well, we gotta get to the front first."


    "I don''t think we need to push it right away. Most of these guys push too hard during these long races and will tire themselves fairly quickly."


    Ivy looked like she wanted to protest, but ?nodded and kept pace with Zoe.


    The first part of the course was not very difficult; ropes dangled from atop a wooden wall; they needed to shimmy up them, reach the top, and use another rope to descend back down to the ground on the other side. They had to army crawl in a sandpit, then jump from rocky platform to rocky platform.


    Zoe''s plan was already coming to fruition as some kids had already exhausted themselves and were lagging far behind the duo, as they kept up a casual running pace.


    Reiza didn''t pace herself as she usually would for an exercise of this length; instead, she moved as if she were doing a short sprint. Her friend, Mason, was a bit ahead of her as he usually was. He was tall, several inches taller than Ivy, with tan skin and a toned build, wavy dark brown hair, and three lines shaved into his right eyebrow. Being the same age as Reiza.


    Soon, they both reached a part of the course that few had ever attempted. They had to crawl under low and sharp razor nets. After that, they had to dive deep underwater beneath a massive divide in the middle of a pool, all while swimming against a current. Beyond the pool, a tall scalable wall, then a long drop into a pit, where the runner would need to land on horizontal rods spanning the width of said pit, balancing and jumping from rod to rod, reaching the other side.


    "Well, after you," Reiza said with a mischievous grin, gesturing at the weaved razor wire.


    Mason returned the grin and dove under the net, sliding a few feet and doing his best not to get cut by the impossibly low wire. He gritted his teeth and smiled through the pain; he chanted his mantra in his head, ''Legacy! Legacy! Legacy!'' He glanced back, a few other colonists a few minutes behind them; Reiza was hissing with pain as she crawled under the net; unlike him, she wasn''t as careful, and the back of her white t-shirt was torn. The white slowly blushed the faster she scrambled through.


    He ran back towards the net, taking his shirt off and wrapping it around his hand. He lifted up part of the heavy net using his bound hand so Reiza could crawl to the end with less difficulty.


    Putting her hand on her back, she brought back a red glove, cursing under her breath as she''d have to go to the nurse after this was over. "Thanks," she said as they sprinted side by side. She looked back, scoffing to herself; no other colonists had entered the razor net yet. ''We can definitely win this!''


    Mason noticed the confident smile on her face, asking, "what''s so funny?"


    "Look at those losers back there. They''ve got no chance against us."


    "Losers, huh?" His smile changed to a frown, and he looked forward. "You don''t have to be like that."


    "Chill," she let the word expand with ironic deliberation, "I''m just joking."


    "Okay."


    They reached the pool, and Mason jumped in without missing a beat. Reiza skidded to a stop and caught her breath, looking back to see Ivy and Zoe, who had just come into view, though still several sections behind. Zoe looked slightly winded, while Ivy barely broke a sweat. Reiza gritted her teeth and flipped into the water.


    The first thing she felt was her back felt like it was on fire, the chlorine in the water making it feel like she had hot coals placed on her back. Once the bubbles cleared, she saw Mason pushing against the current about fifteen feet beneath her. Mason had always been a more competent swimmer than she was, and if he was struggling, this wouldn''t be as easy as she thought.


    She went to the surface, took three deep breaths to expand her lungs, and exploded downwards towards the underwater concrete divider. There was about a seven-foot gap between the bottom of the pool and the partition; the wall descended fifteen feet below the water''s surface.


    Making the least amount of movements possible, she glided towards the bottom. She opened her eyes, the chlorine in the water burned as she did so, but she noticed Mason''s movements growing slower. The further she got, she saw him start to thrash around, and the look of panic on his face was clear, ''He''s run out of oxygen.'' She continued to glide towards the bottom; she glanced to the side, noticing his desperate movements to push himself under the divider.


    ''The only reason I''m doing this is so that I won''t owe you for helping me back there. You''ll owe me a lot for saving your life, though.'' The thought brought a smile to her face as she grabbed ahold of his arm, and together they swam to the divider and used it as leverage to push themselves through the current and to the other side of the pool. Thump, thump. The sound of two people breaking the water''s surface behind them. Reiza instantly let go of Mason and pushed herself to swim to the top.


    Mason started sputtering and coughing as he broke the surface of the water. He looked around and noticed Reiza was already climbing out of the pool; she started running again without looking back.


    The sound of those two splashes in the pool made her blood boil, ''we don''t have much time left, and I''m not failing because of her!''


    She fell from the wall, landing perfectly on the small horizontal rods that lay across an open pit. She wheeled her arms for a few seconds trying to catch her balance.


    Mason gritted his teeth as he sprinted towards the wall. If he didn''t know any better, it would seem as if the course builder expected them to walk up the wall. There was no way any average or even an athletic person could scale the smooth wall.


    Submerged deep under the water, Ivy and Zoe had just gone under the wall and were heading for the surface. Ivy had a tight grip on Zoe''s wrist, and the two launched themselves out of the water like two torpedoes.


    "We should be a little over halfway," Zoe said once they reached land. The psychosomatic feeling; it was as if her skin were on fire. She''d always hated water.


    Mason had caught up to Reiza, who had stopped with her hands on her knees, catching her breath. Ahead of them, an open circle with six-foot walls, two entrances opposite each other. Inside the circle, several spinning gray circular platforms bouncing randomly off each other and the walls. The sound of metal grinding together whenever the objects collided was almost excruciating. He rushed past her and jumped on one of the moving platforms. She followed closely behind him, noting the patterns of the platform''s obtuse movements.


    Jumping off the moving platforms, they hit the ground running. They dodged swinging pendulums, jumping from spinning blades, holding on to a rope for dear life as they swung over a bottomless tiger pit.


    Reiza''s lungs were burning as she was doing the most dangerous and difficult acrobatics of her life. If either Mason or Reiza was doing this alone, they both would''ve died several times over; instead, it seemed like one had to save the other from certain death every ten seconds.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    After climbing up a steep rock face, Reiza''s arms and legs seemed to give out underneath her as she crashed face-first into the ground. Mason turned around at the noise, his face red and sweaty. He bent down and tried to pick her up to her feet. His legs wobbled under her weight, and he too fell.


    After what seemed like hours of them lying on the ground, breathing heavily and staring up at the skylight, Reiza attempted to move, though her legs felt as if all the blood had been drained from them and filled with cement. The only thing audible for her was the pumping of blood in her ears and her deep and dry breaths.


    Mason had seen her move, and he attempted to get up himself, rolling over on his stomach and getting in a pushup position. ''Legacy!''


    ''Screw it!'' She thought, closing her eyes and concentrating. She steadied her breathing, feeling a light tingly sensation spread throughout her body. A warm breeze flowed around her. Effortlessly, she jumped to a standing position.


    Mason''s eyes widened with shock. "Reiza! Don''t!" He pushed himself to his feet, hobbling over to her, and put his hand on her shoulder. "Don''t...do...it," between ragged breaths.


    "I have to!" She gasped, her eyes filled with desperation as a low vibrational hum emanated from her body.


    "REIZA!" A voice boomed so loudly that it echoed from every wall. Everyone on the course clamped their hands over their ears at the harsh noise.


    Silas stood on the ground, his eyes ablaze with anger. Even though he was far away, she still felt his eyes bore into hers. It was as if all movement had stopped for that brief second.


    "Keep going," said Reiza as she lurched past Mason.


    Mason took a few steps and fell back down on his hands and knees. His arms shook from exertion as he started to crawl toward Reiza. ''If I can''t walk, I''ll crawl! Don''t give up! It''s just mind over matter.''


    Reiza took it one step at a time; all her adrenaline had left her at this point as she walked down the slope of the rock wall to the next obstacle.


    Entering a square hallway with a slow strobing red light, she used the black walls as support, slowly picking up her speed with every step, hearing the labored breathing of Mason behind her. He had managed to get to his feet and did the same thing she was. The whole tunnel slowly sloped down further and further the deeper they got. After a sharp right turn at the end of the tunnel, the ending was in sight.


    At this time, the sun was directly overhead, its rays shining through the skylight of the warehouse. She let her eyes adjust and saw that beyond the remaining traps and obstacles was¡­


    "The finish line," said Mason, a large smile on his face as he walked forwards. With victory so close, his body seemed to move on its own. His hobble turned into a walk, which turned into a jog, then a dead sprint. It wasn''t anywhere close to his starting speed, but he knew he would make it.


    Reiza wavered at the end of the tunnel. A light smile slowly crossed her face. She turned, hearing an odd sound. Muffled mumbling was echoing through the tunnel.


    Just as Reiza turned to face the tunnel, two blurs blitzed by her on either side. Ivy and Zoe sprung from the tunnel''s exit. The bright grin on Zoe''s face mirrored Ivy''s when she saw the finish line in the distance.


    "Two minutes!" Silas yelled.


    ''NO!'' Reiza screamed in her head as she pushed off the ground with as much force as she could muster. In front of her were the two girls, and beyond them was Mason. The sound of several footsteps echoed from the tunnel behind them. Reiza had gone from first place to second and then to fourth place in a matter of seconds.


    Mason was a quarter of the way up the steep hill on which the finish line was. It was so steep that it forced him to bear-crawl up the side. They made the entire hill from light sand, which caused Mason to almost slip many times. The hot sand stuck to his tan skin as he scrambled up the mound.


    To Zoe, the finish line resembled a massive anthill with a flag on top. She was a few yards behind Ivy, who had poured on the speed, using everything she had to get to the top.


    Ivy was moving so fast that she ran a ways up the dune without needing to bear crawl.


    Mason heard the pounding of sand behind him as he strained harder and harder to get there. Every muscle in his body burned and ached. ''Just ten some odd yards! Don''t. Give. Up.''


    Reiza had caught up to Zoe, who had exhausted herself a while back and could barely keep up with Ivy, despite having paced herself through the whole course. Hands digging deep into the sand, they climbed.


    Mason was three yards away from the finish line; Ivy was a few feet behind him. He heard her impacts in the sand slowly speed up as she pushed forward.


    "Thirty seconds!"


    A few other colonists had just made it to the base of the hill and frantically climbed, while most of the others hadn''t made it to the tunnel.


    Mason noticed Ivy gaining on him out of the corner of his eye. Lunging forward, reaching the top of the slope, he collapsed behind the finish line, lying face first on the ground. Ivy finished a second later, catching her breath and leaning against the flagpole, her vision dancing in front of her.


    Reiza finished third with Zoe getting there a few seconds later. With an exhausted gait, Zoe walked over to Ivy and collapsed near her feet.


    Reiza scowled at Ivy and walked back toward the edge of the hill to look down at the people climbing. There were about ten people; most kids still hadn''t made it to the tunnel.


    "Good job!" Mason smiled, and walked over to Ivy with an outstretched hand.


    "Yea, you too!" Ivy said between breaths, shaking his hand.


    "I didn''t expect you to finish with us. You''re a lot better than I thought," moving over to Zoe, whose already red face turned even redder as she shook his hand but averted her eyes.


    "Uh, thanks," she mumbled, noticing Ivy staring at her with an odd look.


    The colonists on the hill collapsed on the spot when they finally made it up.


    "Say, it''s been way longer than thirty seconds, right?" Ivy said, looking around for the instructor.


    "Yea, you''re right. Where''d Silas go?" Mason said, his eyes exploring the large warehouse.


    A heavy thump was heard as an object careened into the ground behind them, causing sand to fly everywhere. When it settled, Silas stood there, a proud smile on his face. Was it Zoe''s imagination, or were there tears in his eyes?


    "You all surprised me today. I never thought I''d ever say this to any of you kids¡ªespecially after this morning¡­but good job. You worked hard today." He looked down at Ivy, who still had her hands on her knees, catching her breath, ''This girl is a monster. It''ll be interesting to see her growth and where she''ll end up.''


    After it was concluded, the instructor told Ivy that she needed to go find Neph after their breakfast, as all the other colonists had breakfast a few hours ago at the regular time.


    After taking a shower, Ivy and Zoe met up and had breakfast. Ivy stacked as many pancakes as she could on the tray, leaving Zoe mystified. Her stomach growled the whole time as she waited to eat.


    Afterward, she found Neph in his cabin, joined by the head nurse of the colony. He had her take an education level test, an IQ test, and a fitness test. The nurse found that Ivy was healthy and fit for her age. She remarked how Ivy was possibly in the top percentile of athletic ability and could be a good look for the colony. She stated, "excellent math skills, higher than average reading, science, and history are low, and she knows no other language. Ivy''s surpassed our 125 IQ minimum, with a high bodily-kinesthetic intellect to boot! She looks like us, and since she''s so young, it wouldn''t take long for her to assimilate¡ªno corruption to our culture. If it were up to me, I''d say she''s a keeper."


    Ivy left the cabin and walked toward her dorm. While she was walking, Reiza spotted her from a ways away.


    Reiza nudged the guy standing next to her, "What do you think about her?" She asked while nodding in Ivy''s direction. They both stood, leaning over the railing outside one of the student colonist houses¡ªdull pink walls cluttered with designer-brand logos.


    "She alright, I guess," the guy shrugged, "Never talked to her, but she seems chill, though."


    "I kinda hate her," Reiza grimaced while picking at the chipped paint on her nails.


    Her friend gave her a strange look. "Really?" He said, half laughing.


    "You saw her this morning. She''s such a try-hard for no reason," Reiza spat.


    He shrugged,  unconcerned.  "Maybe? I''m not really tripping about it."


    "And I don''t even think she''s a girl, either," Reiza¡¯s voice dropped to a mutter.


    He straightened slightly, blinking at her. "What do you mean?"


    "I mean, look at her," Reiza pointed, "Her shoulders, her arms, her hands..."


    "Yeah, she''s pretty muscular for a girl," He agreed, "But like, come on Reiza, she''s not a boy."


    "Well, we''ll see," Reiza smirked.


    When Ivy returned to Zoe''s room, she showed her the test results. "I think I did good," she said, handing the paper to Zoe, who nervously scanned the files.


    "Wow." was all Zoe could say. ''I knew that Ivy isn''t dumb; maybe a bit silly and pretty naive, but I''m impressed.'' She thought while staring at the intellect section of her papers. "Since you scored so high, you could end up in one of my or Colson''s classes. I''m sure that we''re in the same age group. Probably one of our core classes at least..." Thinking, ''I hope she does; it would be nice to have a friend in at least one class.''


    "We''re the same age, aren''t we?"


    Zoe thought for a moment, "For you, my age would be eleven. But in Crater, I''m twelve."


    "Really? Why?"


    "Yes. From what I''ve read anyway, outside of Crater and its offspring, they start counting your age when you''re born."


    The trio, Zoe, Ivy, and Colson hung out for the rest of the day until dinner. The two show Ivy around the town of Crater, the street markets, the southeastern houses that all seemed to string together to create a maze, the library, and the farming houses on the very edge of Crater.


    Colson had never seen Zoe as talkative with someone she had only just met.

 Chapter 6

    Ivy walked down the aisle of desks to the back of her homeroom classroom. Some gave her confused looks, while most didn''t even glance at her. She sat down in the last row¡ªan empty desk next to Zoe''s; happy as Zoe was, she still felt nervous; her posture was in a fetal position as she tucked one of her legs under her torso, absently stacking cards in front of her, making a pyramid. ''It feels like people are staring,'' her eyes flitted around the room before refocusing on the flimsy tower on her desk.


    The boy sitting at the desk in front of Ivy was lying back in his chair, pretending his mechanical pencil lead was a needle and poking himself with it. He wore a long-sleeved shirt with a black torso, striped sleeves, and baggy black torn jeans. White, with messy brown hair, parts of it reflected the light as if someone dumped glitter on his head. He looked up as Ivy passed him, eyes slightly widening before going back to their lazy half-open look. Leaning over to his right, he whispered to his friend, "Yo, what''s her name?"


    "Huh? Who''s name?"


    The boy nodded in the direction of Ivy. The other kid glanced back and shrugged.


    Ivy looked to the front of the class and back to Zoe; her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped, "Wait...It''s summertime! Why are we in school? This has to be against some kind of law."


    "What law?"


    "I dunno. Maybe something about child labor? Is that a thing?"


    "We have school year-round, but instead of one big summer break, we get smaller and more frequent breaks throughout the year."


    "Ugh." Ivy groaned, "I hate school."


    The boy in front of her turned around and smiled, "Hey, I''m Herald." Ivy introduced herself. "Ivy? Alright, I like that."


    After shaking his hand, Ivy glanced down, noticing a small tattoo of an animal on it.


    "What is that?" She pointed at the ink.


    "Oh, this?" He held it up for her to see, "One of my friends, she gave it to me. It was supposed to be a hippocampus¡­She ain''t the best artist, though."


    Zoe looked over at the boy''s hand, "I know the hippocampus is a part of the brain, but I can''t remember what it does," she said blankly.


    "What?" Herald scrunched up his face in confusion. "Anyways, after this, when''s your next class?"


    "Uhh," Ivy took out her class sheet, studying it. They were currently attending the ''core'' class for their age group. Her other courses included: math, history, science, and culinary¡ªbeing mandatory for all girls to take. "I don''t think I have any after this."


    "Ah, you''re lucky. Hey, so, my next class is in the evening sometime. You tryna hang after class?" Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Zoe''s face form into a blank frown.


    "Yea! That sounds awesome!"


    Herald grinned, "alright, cool." He said and turned back towards the front of the room. He leaned in towards his friend, "See, now that''s how you do it."


    His friend had a concerned look on his face, "What are you doing?"


    "What?"


    "She''s the new one, right? She''s literally dangerous. A serial killer."


    "Why would she be dangerous? I mean, I''m pretty sure I could take her, if¡ª"


    "I''m just saying," Herald''s friend interrupted, "that''s what I heard. She''s like a terrorist or something. Gonna kill us, maybe," he muttered, glancing back towards Ivy, who was drawing something on her desk.


    Herald scoffed, "She''s a terrorist now? You said she''s a serial killer."


    "Why can''t a serial killer also be a terrorist?"


    "Huh," Herald scratched his chin, deep in thought.


    "Well, apparently, Colson''s brother was saying something like that. The fortune-teller said something to him about that girl. He told me this a while ago, and I wasn''t really paying attention, but¡ª"


    "You''re jealous!" Herald decided, a playful grin crossing his face.


    "Wha¡ªam not!"


    "Jealous cause I got to her first, apparently. Gotta be faster than that."


    "That is the most outrageous thing I''ve ever heard. But I''m serious, though; my parents were saying something about that too. I didn''t just pull this outta nowhere. This is like, a real thing."


    "You can''t still be on that BS," Herald said, his voice dripping with disappointment, "I''m bored of your conspiracies. There''s no proof of a fortune teller. Like, if you''re that mad about it, you could hang with us. You could even bring her," he nodded in the direction of Zoe. They both looked at her, then each other and started snickering.


    "I''m good, man; squirrel-girl is all you."


    Ivy looked at Zoe, "You wanna come with us?"


    "I don''t know; I have something to study for¡­."


    "Study? What do you need to do that for?"


    Zoe sighed, looking away, "So I can learn what it is they''re teaching us," she mumbled.


    "Oh, I never really went to school much, so I guess I''ve never needed to do that. But are you sure you don''t wanna come with us?" Ivy asked.


    Zoe looked away, "I''m fine, though," she said, moving the muscles in her face that made her smile.


    After class, Zoe sat on the hallway windowsill, ''"Hey, guys can I join you?"¡ªno, that''d be weird¡ªI can''t just invite myself; that would be so uncool. Ugh, why did I even say no?'' she thought as she watched Ivy and Herald walk down the hallway, talking and laughing.


    She walked to the courtyard and to the giant oak under which she always did school work. Proceeding with her usual after-school ritual, she took off her shoes, placing them neatly on the left side of the tree. Somehow, the feeling of the warm grass tickling the bottom of her feet was more pleasurable than anything in that moment. Zoe moved her bag in front of her, rummaging around inside; she didn''t have homework¡ªshe had done that. She grabbed onto the report card given to her a few days prior. The words, "Staggeringly average. Come see me." displayed in large red pen ink.


    "My dad is going to kill me," she sighed, imagining the shade of his face turning the same color as the ink when he inevitably sees her grades.


    Zoe realized she was just trying to look busy for the people walking by. She glanced at her watch, ''forty minutes until Colson gets out of class.'' Out of the corner of her eye, something wriggled through the grass by her feet. Reaching down, she cupped the tiny insect in her hands, bringing it into the light. "The common carnivorous horned caterpillar." It lightly tickled her hand as its small mouth tried to bite into her flesh, not yet big enough to break the skin.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    She groaned and laid back against the tree. Reiza and her pack of friends walked by, Reiza making sure to sneer at her when they made eye contact.


    At the base of the oak, Zoe flicked through her cards, attempting to memorize the newest card trick. ''They first take the card and look at it; I take it from them and shuffle the deck. I fan the cards like so; then they pick three cards at random. I ''guess'' each of their cards perfectly like this, and then I¡­.'' Someone sat down next to her; she looked up and saw Colson.


    He grinned, holding up his ID card, "Just made ten CCs off some guys in class."


    "Oh, hey," she said, looking down at her watch, seeing that in fact fourty minutes had passed. "Actually, can you help me with this?" She pointed to the cards that lay sprawled in the warm tan grass.


    "Yea, what do ya need?" Colson said.


    She held up a stack of cards and spread them out in a fan formation, "pick a random one, look at it, remember what it was and place it in my hand." He did as he was told; looking at it, he saw it was a blue five of spades. She bit her lip and shuffled the card deck, "What''s your opinion of her?"


    Colson thought for a second as Zoe handed him three cards to look over. "I dunno yet. Ivy seems alright¡­ Here''s the thing, Zoe, it''s hard to know someone''s intentions when they''re always smiling, no matter the situation."


    "Those were a four of hearts, seven diamonds, and a heart queen," She guessed; Colson nodded. "Why are you acting so weird around her?"


    "All correct," he handed the cards back to her, "I''m not. That girl is just kind of odd. I can''t really put my finger on it, but...I''m not sure. Pearson, he was the one who delivered that fortune a year ago. He was telling me that apparently, this specific one was an S-ranked secret, but he said that girl might be in it; something about destroying the colony."


    "You believe she could do that?" Zoe asked while spreading ten cards in front of her, face down on the ground. "I don''t think she would even want to. What would that reasoning be?"


    Colson shrugged, "Every fortune is correct, right? So why wouldn''t this one be?"


    "Yea, but it also said something about her saving us, right? Not everything needs to be such a negative thing."


    "Zoe, I''m just trying to be careful, you know, just because you-...never mind," Colson got to his feet. "Anyways, where is that girl, anyway?"


    "With Herald."


    "Oh," A mischievous grin crossed his face. "Shout out to Herald."


    "Yea, I know. I guess they''re friends now."


    "Well," Colson stretched his arms into the air, "Or they''re doing something else," he smirked.


    "Ew!" Zoe said while miming herself puking.


    "Man is slick; I gotta give him that," Colson said with a shrug. "She seems a bit too, well¡­." He trailed off.


    "Hey, is your name Ivy?" A man asked. He wore tan sweatpants and a grey shirt, with a single strap bag over his shoulder filled with letters and boxes. He walked over to Ivy, who was in the river with Herald; both were barefoot trying to find a stray ball.


    Ivy looked up, "Uh, yeah, that''s me."


    "This is for you," he said and jogged off after handing her a piece of paper rolled up and held together with a rubber band.


    Ivy dried off and walked to the riverbank, unfurling the paper. Behind her, Herald, who had given up looking for the ball, came and sat next to her.


    "Herald, can you tell me what this is?" She asked, pointing at the paper.


    He looked at the paper; it was a drawing of what looked like an Island. It was labeled ''Isle of Skye,'' with coordinates right below it. "It looks like a map of an island." He said it more like a question.


    "Yeah, that''s what I thought, too."


    "Who sent it to you?"


    Ivy looked around at the paper; the letter ''L'' was printed on the backside.


    "L? Who''s that?"


    Her eyes widened, "I think it was sent by Lilith, my mom! Is there anything I can do to find where this is?"


    Herald thought for a moment, "oh, you know what? Mr. Lee!" Herald said, turning and pointing towards the town. "He''s one of my teachers; he''s always hanging out at this shop that just opened in there. Right now, he is probably there! Dude''s a wiz with this kinda stuff, I promise!"


    After jogging through the town of Crater, they ended up outside of the shop. It was a low dark building with its storefront windows so tinted that they were turned into black mirrors. Over the front door, powerless neon letters read ''FabuLust.''


    A quiet ''ding'' of a bell, as they saw the shop''s door swing open. For the time the door was ajar, they could see inside. A stained purple carpet, dreary orange lighting, and mannequins wearing all black. Out from the door stepped a man carrying a bag full of magazines and DVDs. He had wild brown, unkempt hair that pointed upwards, dark grey bags under his eyes, and a flat nose. He wore black pants and a white dress shirt with a striped tie.


    "Yo, Mr. Lee," Herald said, trying to hide a grin, walking up to him, "I gotta ask you something real quick."


    "Uh, okay¡­" Lee said; his eyes widened, and he shifted around nervously. "Well, you see, I don''t have a lot of time on my hands right now¡­."


    Herald looked down at the bag he was carrying, "I see you''re gonna be busy soon."


    Ivy looked back and forth from Lee to the store, "What kind of store is this?"


    "It''s not going to take long. I''m just tryna help out this girl with something," Herald gave the map to Mr. Lee, who begrudgingly set his bag down to study the paper.


    "Hmm, the Isle of Skye? It doesn''t ring a bell," he said unconvincingly. "You may need to¡ªHey!" He snapped, noticing Ivy, who had curiously opened his bag, and started flipping through the magazines inside. He quickly snatched both the bag and the magazines back from her. "You nosey little¡ªIt''s in the library, now skedaddle!"


    Herald had to bite his tongue to stop himself from laughing, "thanks, man," barely getting out the words.


    They watched Mr. Lee stomp away into the distance.


    "Man, what a weirdo, that''s why no one takes his class seriously. He once got caught reading that stuff in class."


    "Interesting book," Ivy said, walking over to the store, curiously putting her face to the glass, trying to look through the tinted windows.


    Herald laughed, pulling her away from the window, "Yo, we don''t wanna be seen near this store. People are gonna get the wrong idea. Anyways, though, the library is just down here," he said, pointing down the street.


    The library was constructed to resemble a large curving jungle tree, making it stand out compared to the surrounding homes in the neighborhood¡ªtwo-story Tudor style. The tree twisted high into the air, several stories tall, with windows on every level reaching halfway up its ''trunk.''


    Herald and Ivy walked through the sliding glass doors, soft classical music playing from speakers overhead.


    Herald pointed at a sign that read ''resource center.'' They walked over, seeing a row of desktop computers, and sat down at one of the chairs. Each of them displayed Crater''s logo as its screensaver.


    "We just need to Surf for it."


    "Surf?"


    "It''s what the web browser is called."


    Herald took a few minutes to type some things. "This information is blocked," he read slowly.


    "Blocked? Like, what do you mean?"


    "Says it''s blocked," Herald shrugged.


    "How do we unblock it?" Ivy asked. A message box opened up on the screen, asking them to type their ID numbers. Herald did as it said.


    "Looks like we need to be at least three stars to access this information. They don''t like to tell us anything around here. So, unless we know someone who''s gonna risk getting in trouble and type their info in, we''re shit outta luck."


    "There aren''t any other things we can go to here?"


    "You mean different websites?"


    Ivy shrugged.


    Herald gave her an odd look, "No, you can really only see what they want you to see on here. Is that what it''s like out there?"


    "Restricting information? I don''t know. Never had much of a reason to use a computer before."


    "Oh."


    "Hmm," Ivy hummed, grabbing the keyboard and typing in as many variations of ''Isle of Skye'' into the search bar as she could think of; each time, it came up blank. "Can you find people on here?"


    "Maybe? I doubt it, but I haven''t tried, either. Who are you gonna look for?"


    Ivy typed in ''Lilith'' into the search bar. " My mom," she said while waiting for the computer to load. When it finally did, the screen showed its usual empty webpage. "Darn," she said, biting her lip in frustration. Then again, I don''t think I''d want it to be that easy either!"


    "Well, I guess you''re just gonna have to rank up to get it, then."


    Inside the house of Seeley''s bathroom. After her shower, Zoe sat and waited for the voices of the other Colonists to leave the bathroom before she pushed the curtain aside and walked to the sink, holding her dirty clothes in one hand.


    She looked at herself in the mirror; her wet hair hung in front of her face; it had a tropical fruity smell from the shampoo and conditioner. She looked down and saw her baggy and oversized clothes hanging off of her as usual; Reiza always made fun of her for not being able to afford ''real'' clothes and wearing hand-me-downs, but money was never an issue for her¡­ She looked back up at her face, using her hands to squish it, trying to morph it to look different.


    Zoe sat at her desk, nose buried deep in a book, ''Revolutionary: Actual Card Magic and Wizardry!'' She glanced up, hearing the familiar walking pattern from boots outside her door. A few seconds later, Ivy burst into the room, tossing her bag onto her bed and rolling out the map on her desk.


    "What is that?" Zoe asked, looking over Ivy''s shoulder.


    "The map of a place called ''The Isle of Skye.'' Some guy gave it to me; I think he was a mailman. Me and Herald ''surfed'' for it, but we couldn''t find it. Do you happen to know anything about it?"


    Zoe thought about it for a bit, "No, I don''t know anything. It vaguely rings a bell, but that''s not really helpful, I guess."


    "I think that this may be where my mom is!"

 Chapter 7. Rotten House

    "Stop it!" Zoe hissed under her breath, covering her paper from Ivy, who was leaning over her own desk to look at Zoe''s test page. "I think you should look at your own paper!"


    "I think you stink!" Ivy snapped back; she sat back in her chair and crossed her arms with a huff.


    "You''re the one who doesn''t brush her teeth."


    "What?" Ivy''s mouth hung open¡ªabsolutely flabbergasted. "Yeah, what''s the point? It''s just gonna get dirty again."


    "That''s disgusting."


    "You don''t take showers!"


    "I hate water!" Zoe protested.


    "No one hates water."


    A loud cough came from the front of the room. Their teacher had stood up from his chair and glared at them at the back of the room.


    "I thought this was a free country," Ivy grumbled as she went back to her bored slouch, absently doodling on the sides of the test paper. Soon enough, though, she had begun to fidget and bounce in her seat.


    Noticing movement out of the corner of her left eye. A quick turn of her head revealed that Ivy had her hands running through her hair in a frustrated fervor. She looked at Zoe, her eyes wide. "PLEASE?" they seemed to scream at her. Zoe glanced up, seeing that the teacher was greatly distracted by something on his desk.


    Silently moving her own desk closer to Ivy''s, she placed her test paper near the edge of the table so Ivy could get a better look at it. "This is the only time."


    "Thanks!" Ivy said with a raspy whisper. "After class, we need to go see Colson about something."


    "Why?"


    "LADIES!" A booming voice came from the front of the room. The teacher stood, fists clenched. "You will both fail if I hear another peep out of either of you!" He didn''t seem to notice that their desks had migrated together.


    Ivy bit down hard on her own tongue to stop herself from laughing. Zoe''s face turned ghostly white, and she put her head down and continued feverishly working on her paper.


    "Colson''s gonna agree!"


    "Ivy, no," Zoe said as they walked through the classroom doors. "That''s a terrible idea."


    "Why?"


    "He''s not going to do anything you ask him."


    "Really? I''m sure he would!"


    "I''ve known him a long time. He won''t."


    "Uh, okay," she extended the last word. "Well, what if we do a mission instead? A real dangerous one! One that''ll make us tough and get us a star!"


    Zoe sighed, "We aren''t going to find one like that. We''re just going to have to pick up trash or, worse, kitchen duty," she shivered at the thought.


    "You''ll see. Colson will be on my side." Ivy had a sly smile on her face. "I, too, can see the future. We will get a mission on that board. You''ll see."


    "Ivy, that''s not how that works," Colson said while stuffing the rest of his books in his bag. They were inside his dorm room, somewhere they shouldn''t have been in the first place, but Ivy had dragged Zoe along. He sat down in his desk chair with a huff. He turned to his desk, fiddling with a sleek black camera. Colson picked up an almost microscopic screwdriver, squinting at the camera''s underside, looking for a screw. "We can do them if you wanna make a quick buck, but it''s not gonna get you any closer to ranking up."


    Covering the brick walls of the room were hundreds of pictures. There were photos of classmates, scenery, sunsets, and statues.


    "Oh, by the way," Colson pointed, "This is my brother, Pearson."


    Pearson sat on the bed adjacent to Colson''s desk. He was half asleep, flipping through a large textbook on his lap. He briefly glanced up from his book, eyeing Ivy and Zoe tiredly and giving a slight wave before looking back down at his book. His eyes narrowed as he looked back up, squinting at Ivy and looking at Colson.


    Colson raised his eyebrows and nodded slightly in her direction, his eyes shifting from Ivy to Pearson. A silent conversation took place in that brief second.


    "Ah," Pearson nodded with comprehension. Colson thought he saw a look of disappointment on his face, turning his attention back to his book, ''That''s really who that is? Not sure what I expected,'' Pearson thought.


    "I literally told her this not five minutes ago," Zoe said, her arms crossed as she kept turning around to glance down the hallway, nervous that someone would hear two girls on a ''boys'' floor. "You were there, weren''t you? When I was talking to Neph. It''s almost impossible to get a mission that''s even worth doing."


    "Isn''t every mission worth doing?" Ivy asked.


    "No." all three said in unison.


    "All we''ll get is the dregs, the D-ranks."


    "Is that bad?"


    Zoe sighed, "Listen, the mission rankings go from ''D'' to ''S.'' D-ranks are unthreatening odd jobs. We will be catching escaped pets, picking up litter, cleaning houses, shaping the bushes. It''ll do nothing to help us rank up. Missions are either made by the colony or it''s a commissioned job. Most will be commissions, and the commissioners won''t want any low-ranks like us."


    "Oh," Ivy said, a slight frown crossing her face.


    "And another thing," Colson said, turning in his chair to face her. "They''ll sometimes ask for certain colonists who are known to be good, so the barrier to entry on these missions is high."


    "Well," Ivy elongated the word, "there''s still a chance, then?"


    Colson threw his hands up in the air with an exasperated sigh, "okay, girl, fine. You win. Let''s go to the mission board."


    Ivy flashed a satisfied smile to Zoe and strolled back down the hallway towards the elevator.


    Colson stood behind Zoe and Ivy as they looked at the pages on the mission board¡ªmostly assignments, but a lot of recent missing pet posters as well. It was a tall wooden thing set in a grassy field near the oval chairman building, splintery with hundreds of rusty staples and nails implanted into the soft wood.


    Eventually, Zoe turned to Ivy, "Like we were saying. These are the only missions that we have right now."


    Ivy clicked her tongue, "But if we do enough of them, we''ll build up a reputation, right?"


    "In theory."


    "Not in practice?"


    "Nope."


    "Okay...But we can still do one, though."


    "Ivy, do you just not listen t¡ª"


    Colson interrupted, "You know what, Zoe, let''s do it. Let''s just show her what it''s like to do this and how sucky this can get. I don''t know why you''re fixating so hard on this."


    "Yea, okay, fine." Zoe said, grabbing a random piece of paper from the board. "Alright, let''s go get this signed off."


    While walking, she looked over the paper. Nothing stood out to her except the address of the house. A wave of familiarity washed over her, "I know I''ve been here before, but when and why?"


    It was 10:30 PM. Walkie-talkies in their pockets, and Ivy had a large grin that seemed to illuminate their way. Stopping to look at a sign with the map of Crater, Colson noted four ways to get there, as the house was located in the eastern district. They could walk along the roads, taking the twists and turns; they could move along the river that led through a forested area that would spit them out a quarter of a mile from the home; or the three could see if his brother, Pearson, and his friends would let them borrow their bikes¡ªhe said the last option would be very doubtful, and the river would be the fastest way there, taking them about forty-five minutes to get there instead of the hour and a half of the roadways. Zoe commented that they could take the ferry that taxi''d people from one side of the lake that lies in the center of Crater to the other side, but Colson mentioned how tickets at this hour would be triple the usual price. He and Ivy both decided to go along the river shortcut, with Zoe reluctantly agreeing.


    Their path was almost pitch black, the nearby trees blocking most of the moonlight. Zoe had no idea where they were, but Colson confidently walked in front, only occasionally stumbling over a rock or walking face-first into a tree¡ªZoe''s light-up sneakers did little to illuminate the way.


    "Wow! Look at that!" Ivy said, pointing across the river. Zoe glanced over; there was a slight break in the trees, allowing a patch of moonlight to get through, illuminating what looked to be a half-eaten carcass. Its bright pink antlers stood out among the mountain of fur and bones.


    Zoe scrunched up her nose, "Eww."


    "I thought you said they keep all carnivorous animals on the outside of Crater."


    Colson looked around, slightly wary, "That''s what they''re ''supposed'' to be doing. But we should probably hurry up, though."


    "Yes, please," Zoe mumbled, walking around a considerably sized hole.


    They quickened their pace, almost jogging, following the muddy river until Colson took a sharp right turn, walking through the woods and seeing the glow of the town in the distance.


    They stood in front of the house. It was a two-story house with a modern gothic design, mirroring the other homes in the neighborhood. Zoe gulped when she saw the house, "that''s why the address looked so familiar," she thought, feeling her heart skip in her chest. All the memories came flooding back.


    Years ago, when Zoe lived on the west side of Crater, she would walk past this house every day. She always thought that multiple families lived in the massive thing, as there were always people sitting in the front yard, walking in and out of the front door, and many people inside that she could see through the windows. Now all the lights were off except for one. From where Zoe was standing, she could see the large tree in the backyard¡ªa treehouse stuck in its branches.


    Before she met Colson, another friend, Reiza, convinced her to skip their curfew and spend the night there. They only lasted a few hours past their limit as they got creeped out from the creaking of the branches and the wind cutting through the leaves, sounding like the hushed whispers of ghosts. It scared Zoe so much that when they were scrambling down the tree, her foot slipped on one of the branches. Zoe didn''t scream or cry, like a kid normally would after falling over ten feet; she just had a confused look on her face. She was perplexed because she never knew her forearm could bend that far.


    Reiza quickly put her hands over her mouth, shushing her. She quietly brought her to the nurse''s office. Somehow, the nurse could heal her arm almost instantly. That part of her memory was fuzzy, but she remembered it felt like they dropped her into a washing machine full of slime. While she was there that night, she met Colson for the first time. He was there after Pearson had received a large head injury earlier that evening.


    Zoe had a smile on her face, looking at the house now, realizing that she wouldn''t be here and that she wouldn''t have known Colson if she hadn''t broken her arm. A brief sense of awe washed over her. At that time, breaking her arm was the worst thing that happened to her, but she would never have met Colson if that event had never happened. Colson was the one to convince her to ask Neph directly about getting a mission the other day; if he had never done that, she wouldn''t have been introduced to Ivy. A fortunate coincidence perhaps; but she didn''t believe in those. The memory also made her sad, as Reiza had been her only friend at the time.


    Colson squinted at the lawn, "Yeesh, that looks awful."


    Zoe had to agree. It looked like the lawn hadn''t been tended since she broke her arm all those years ago.


    Zoe took the contract page from her pocket, "We''re at the right address. I guess we should knock."


    "This house kinda sucks!" Colson yelled quietly as he walked up the cracked concrete walkway and banged on the front door.


    "Shh!" Zoe hissed. "You''re going to wake the neighbors!"


    "I hope they do wake up! I don''t know how the people living here haven''t been evicted yet for having an ''unsightly property.'' Just dumb."The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    There was a shuffling behind the door. They heard the blinds in the window be pulled back. A silhouette with wide eyes stared at them for a few seconds. The door opened, a tall old lady stepped out on the front porch. She gave them all a suspicious look, pausing on Ivy when she saw the big grin on her face.


    "Hello?" she said, a confused look played across her face, "Can I help you?"


    Colson stepped up, "Hello, miss. We''re here because of the ad you posted."


    "I posted an ad?" She scratched her chin, "Well, if you''re looking for something to do, I''ve got a few things."


    The trio stood there silently, waiting for her to tell them what to do. The mission paper only displayed the address, and the time to arrive. That''s when the smell from inside the house wafted out towards them.


    "Yikes!" Colson yelled, stumbling back in horror, pinching his nose shut with his fingers. Zoe did the same thing.


    Ivy sniffed the air, "It smells familiar, like something from a forest. Like a sick animal."


    "Yes, it does!" The old woman said with glee.


    Colson took a step back, a nervous look crossing his face, "Uh, what?"


    "I just can''t get the smell out."


    "I can see that," Colson said under his breath. "Or, smell it."


    "Charles was such a good man...I''ll always hate them for taking him away."


    Ivy had a confused look on her face, "Taking him away¡­Is he in prison?"


    "I always made sure to treat him right, you know. Went to the library and looked it up there; I made sure he didn''t smell."


    "Oh goodness," Zoe murmured, realizing where this was going.


    "You can''t just take someone''s husband away, just because he died!"


    Colson looked queasy, "What the¡­."


    The woman turned and pointed inside the dark house, "They came and stole him right from his chair. Something about taxes, probably. That''s what it was! Taxes! That bastard, Neph and Amelia, always trying to raise the taxes! Removing mandatory Sunday services! Removing degeneracy and lechery laws! Total cultural entropy! If Orion were here and in charge¡­" she trailed off. "Well, anyway, while you''re here, come take a look at the dishwasher," she said and glided inside the house.


    "I don''t know what any of that meant," Ivy said.


    Colson let out a long sigh, "Ivy, I blame you for this." He walked past both of them to follow the woman.


    Their sight slowly adjusted as they walked through the dark halls of the house. Zoe walked close behind Ivy; every strange sound and creaking floorboard made her jump. Her eyes were wide as she watched the shadows flicker and dance on the wall.


    As they walked, the lady remembered what she hired them for. She said she''d lost her dog somewhere on the property. It had been a few days, but she couldn''t find it anywhere. She knew it was close by as she would occasionally hear it bark and yelp. It wore a bright pink collar, with the name ''Lila'' etched on it. "Try upstairs, or under the house."


    "Alright," Colson said as they all surrounded the dishwasher. "What''s the problem with the dishwasher? Also, just so you''re aware, we aren''t plumbers or mechanics. Well?, I guess I kinda know a thing or two about fixing machinery."


    The old lady smiled innocently, "Oh, there''s no issue. It''s just a good dishwasher. Very reliable."


    "Uh, wow¡­" Zoe said, trying to sound impressed, her face looking the opposite.


    "Yup! There was a movie once where a young man got in one of these to survive a nuclear explosion."


    "I think that was a refrigerator," Colson said


    "What?"


    "He got into a refrigerator, not a dishwasher."


    There was silence as the lady stared at him. Zoe looked around awkwardly. "Hey," she said, elbowing Colson in the ribs, "So, we should get to work now," She looked at the lady with a forced smile.


    The lady stared at her for a second. Her smile returned, "Well, anyways. You guys know what to do! I think there are some animals around the house, so do be careful. I''ll be back later," she said as she walked out of the kitchen.


    "Dear lord," Colson said once he was out of earshot of the woman.


    "I like her," Ivy said.


    Zoe peered through the panels that surrounded the base of the house.


    "Yea, I''m not going under there," Colson said as he looked over her shoulder. "If any animal was trapped under there, it''s long dead."


    "We won''t be able to see it either," Zoe said. "Even if it were daytime, the crawlspace would be too dark." She took out the mission sheet again, scanning it. "Well, crap."


    "Well, who''s going under? It''s not gonna be me," Colson said.


    Ivy smiled, "Okay, how about we play a game, and whoever loses has to go under?"


    Zoe shrugged, "Sounds fair. What game?"


    "Rock, paper, scissors."


    "Whatever," Colson said. "What will the winners get?"


    "They search the house for the animal?"


    "Alright."


    Zoe lost to both Ivy and Colson.


    "Dang," Zoe said, her face paling at the thought of entering the spider-infested crawlspace. The blackness bleeding out from the open panel.


    She looked up, seeing Ivy and Colson walk into the house. Fresh air entered her lungs as she took a deep breath. She crouched down and scurried through the open paneling, holding her breath as long as she could.


    She lightly rubbed her eyes, trying to open her retinas to get as much light inside as possible. She could only move a few feet before she couldn''t take it anymore and had to gasp for air. The air, it tasted like death.


    An imaginary lightbulb turned on over her head; she took out the walkie-talkie from her back pocket, the dim green glow of the screen illuminating a small area in front of her. To her dismay, she discovered she could only see directly where the device was pointing; she sighed, realizing this would make the task a lot more difficult. Though thinking of the alternative, this was better than nothing.


    "Lila, are you here?" She called out in a shaky voice. It was barely above a whisper.


    The fear grew in her that there would be a massive rabid bear just inches away from her; the psychosomatic feeling of the creature''s hot breath on her, its razor-sharp fangs just out of sight, ready to rip her to shreds. Her hands shot to her right pocket, where her knife should have been, but remembered how she had left it in her closet.


    "Hey, Ivy!" She hissed into the walkie, "Are you there?" Her voice was a lot shakier than she meant it to be.


    The walkie-talkie crackled to life in her hand, "Yea, this is spacewoman V, what''s your status? Over."


    "Ivy, stop. There''s something weird about this place."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I-I don''t know. Nevermind. Sorry." She turned the device around once more, shining it around the area. The fear slowly grew inside her, realizing that an animal had been trapped down there and something terrible might have happened to it.


    There was a long pause on the other end, "I can come down and look with you."


    "You''d do that?"


    "Yea, if you want."


    "That would be nice."


    Zoe heard the dull thuds of footsteps above her as Ivy walked towards the front door. She felt dirt rain down on her as she passed overhead. A wave of relief washed over Zoe. She shuffled back towards the opening of the crawlspace, taking a moment to shine the green light around her. ''Not as many spiders as I thought there''d be,'' she thought, ''I''m almost disappointed.''


    There was a loud thump as Ivy moved through the opening, hitting her head on a high beam.


    "Here, use the walkie-talkie as a flashlight," Zoe said, holding up her own to show Ivy. The green glow reflected off Ivy''s wide eyes; to Zoe, it made her look like she was possessed.


    "Alright," she said and took the walkie from her pocket and held it up. She turned around, grabbed the wooden panel, placing it over the opening.


    "Why did you do that?" Panic rose in Zoe''s voice.


    "It''s okay; we can easily move it. Also, if there is an animal down here, and it runs past us, we wouldn''t have a chance at catching it."


    Zoe looked back at Ivy''s grinning face, realizing that she had made a good point. ''She really does have some infectious optimism,'' Zoe thought.


    Ivy shined her walkie-talkie around the crawl space. She only saw dirt and concrete support beams that held up the house.


    "I''ll check right, and you can go left," she said as she shuffled on her hands and knees over to where she was looking. Ivy stopped and put the walkie-talkie to her face, "Alpha-tango to Foxtrot-Colson, what''s the report? Over."


    "Nothing so far," Colson sighed. "A whole lot of nothing¡­Over."


    "Keep mission control updated Delta-Colson."


    "If you keep talking like that, I''m just going to turn this off," Colson said. He could hear them both laughing without the walkie-talkie; he couldn''t help but smile.


    Zoe crawled forward, "Of course, Ivy would pick the side that smells the least bad!" She wrapped her hands around a support beam to pull herself forward. As she placed her hand on the ground, something damp touched her palm. Zoe shined the walkie-talkie down, holding her hand over her mouth in horror, trying not to scream.


    The flesh had been eaten away, revealing a mushy mess of bones and wet fur.


    Trying to steady her breath, she called out, "Ivy?"


    "Yeah?"


    "C-come here!"


    A shuffling sound came from the opposite side of the crawlspace; ten seconds later, Ivy''s face appeared from the darkness.


    "Woah," she said, looking down at the corpse with an odd curiosity. She reached out her hand.


    "Gross! Don''t touch it!" Zoe hissed, grabbing Ivy''s wrist before her fingers could make contact. She looked back down at it, "That''s so sad."


    Ivy shrugged, "It''s just an animal."


    "I guess, but still¡­." She pinched her nose with her hand and shined the green light on the animal. "This has been dead for a while," her voice was slightly nasally.


    "You think so?"


    "Yea, they showed us examples of the different stages of body decomposition in one of my classes a few months back. Humans¡­animals¡­But considering the heat that gets trapped under here, that probably means it sped up the process."


    Ivy looked as if her head was about to explode. Zoe shined her walkie-talkie in a wide-sweeping circle; her eye caught something in the dim light. She pulled on the sleeve of Ivy''s coat.


    "Can you go in front of me?" She pleaded, pointing towards the far left corner of the space.


    "Alright," Ivy shrugged and crawled in that direction.


    After a few seconds of crawling, they reached the corner. Zoe squinted her eyes, not sure what she saw at first. There was a small metal bowl.


    "What the?" Zoe said under her breath as she scurried over to examine the object. The bowl was almost entirely filled with water. When she shined the light on it, small smudges could be seen surrounding the bowl''s edge.


    "Is this that dead thing''s water?"


    "I don''t think so. It''s been pretty hot out, especially under here, so the water would''ve evaporated pretty quickly. So maybe it''s been out for a little more than a day. I doubt that old lady can crawl under here like this¡­." Her eyes widened.


    "So¡­"


    "So that means someone is feeding something under here. They might even be bringing them animals for it to eat!"


    "Oh, jeez," Ivy said, her eyes widening at the realization.


    Zoe took a shaky hand and lifted the walkie-talkie to her mouth, "Hey, Colson, meet us outside right now, okay?"


    There was crackling on the other end, "Hold on, I''ve got one last room to search."


    "Colson, please! Just meet us outside. We might''ve found her dog."


    "Okay, okay, I just-" His voice abruptly stopped.


    Zoe checked her walkie-talkie to see if she accidentally switched channels, but it was fine. She looked to Ivy, who just shrugged.


    Above them, they heard fast-paced footsteps, moving quickly. ''What is he doing?'' Zoe thought as she looked above her. They both sat in silence, waiting for Colson to finish what he was saying, but he never did.


    The footsteps above got heavier as if Colson was stomping everywhere he walked. Their walkie-talkies came alive.


    "You guys aren''t in here, are you?" Colson''s voice was hushed.


    "Uh, no?"


    There was a long silence. "If you''re joking¡­."


    "Colson, we''re both under the house still!"


    There was another long silence, the only sound being the stomps from above. "There''s someone in the house. It''s definitely not the grandma."


    The footsteps stopped briefly and slowly got quieter. Zoe realized that whoever it was was moving up the stairs. She wanted to say something else but didn''t want to alert the person to Colson''s location. Not knowing what to do, they both waited and listened.


    There were more heavy footsteps, followed by a loud thud.


    ''No! Colson! We have to do something! He''s been caught!'' Zoe thought. She looked to Ivy, who had a confused look on her face and her ear to the floor above, intently listening. ''She probably lives alone. Who could that be?''


    Tears welled up in Zoe''s eyes. "I-Ivy¡­what do we do?" Her voice was shaky and barely audible. "What if he told the person that we''re under here! Would he do that? None of us brought our weapons with us!"


    Zoe felt paralyzed. She wanted to save Colson. She wanted to run home. Not her dorm, but to her parent''s home, into her mother''s arms. She wanted to call someone for help. She couldn''t do anything but sit there staring up at the floor.


    Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ivy moving slowly toward the crawlspace opening, trying to make as little noise as possible. Zoe took a deep breath and crawled as fast as she could past Ivy to the opening.


    As they scurried away, two yellow bloodshot eyes stared at them from the one corner neither of them checked¡ªThe back left corner. It was careful to stay still and not disturb the mountains of bones and rotten flesh that surrounded it. Below it was a bright pink dog collar.


    Zoe pushed on the panel, but it didn''t budge. She felt the hot panic well inside her chest. "We''re trapped! Why Ivy?" She whispered to herself.


    Ivy appeared next to her and pushed. Her face had an "oh no!" look as she realized she had placed the panel the wrong way, jamming it in backward, so it couldn''t slide in and out like it was meant to. She put her full weight into the board, making a loud cracking sound, but it wasn''t enough. They both propped their shoulders to the wood, ready to push together once more.


    Above them, two pairs of footsteps thundered down the stairs. The lighter of the two zoomed towards the front door. A guttural yell seemed to follow as the footsteps disappeared as they flew out the door and onto the lawn.


    "Push!" Ivy yelled. They both reared back and slammed their shoulders against the panel. As they connected with the wood, the board seemed to give way, not by their own force, but an exterior one.


    They fell forward, fresh air finally filling Zoe''s lungs. Before she could catch her breath, a hand shot out and grabbed her by the wrist. She looked up, seeing Colson as he hoisted her to her feet, to the side; Ivy stood in front of the house looking inside.


    "Let''s go! Now!" Colson yelled! Running over and grabbed Ivy by the hand, snapping her out of her curiosity.


    They all sprinted towards the fence gate; without thinking, Ivy hopped over it with ease, both Colson and Zoe followed her lead. Behind them, Zoe heard screaming; they weren''t words but sounds coming from the crawlspace. They ran for the nearest set of houses, weaving in between them and down alleyways. No real direction, but they just wanted to be harder to find.


    When they were far enough away, Colson kept repeating between breaths, "Neph, we gotta go tell Neph!"


    "Where are we?" Ivy said, looking around. The houses around them had shifted from a Gothic modern to an Eastern style.


    Zoe, through gulps of breath, said, "Northwest¡­I think. We gotta keep running. His house is¡­a few miles that way." She said, pointing to her right.


    Neph took off his reading glasses and rubbed his eyes. He was sitting at his desk, stacks of paper piled on almost every flat surface in the room. A single desk lamp illuminated the area.


    He took a small sip from his coffee cup. He let out a satisfied sigh; the subtle sweetness of the drink gave a pleasant aftertaste; vanilla and roasted bananas, as well as a mix of other flavors¡ªtoo small of a taste to put a name to.


    Suddenly, his door slammed open, and three kids tumbled into the room. They were sweaty, out of breath, and all frantically talking at once.


    "Woah, there! Catch your breaths, alright? One person speak at a time," Neph said, standing to his feet with a concerned look on his face.


    "A dead sprint¡­all the¡­way here. Many miles," Colson said between gulps of air. Zoe looked like she was about to pass out as she leaned on Ivy for support.


    "What happened? Are you alright? Is anyone hurt?"


    Ivy looked down at herself, then at Colson, "We''re all fine."


    Colson pointed, "There''s some person or monster living in a house over there."


    Zoe took the mission page from her pocket and pointed at the house''s address on the paper. "This house," she said through deep breaths, a concerned look crossing her face while she put her hands in all of her pockets, realizing she had dropped the walkie-talkie at some point.


    Neph put on his reading glasses and read over the sheet. "You went to this house for a mission, but there was a person and a monster inside the house?" He looked down his nose at the trio.


    Colson proceeded to explain everything that happened. Zoe apologized for failing the mission. Stopping halfway through, her eyes widening and her mouth agape.


    "OH NO!" She yelled. This was as loud as Colson had ever heard her be.


    "What happened?" Ivy grimaced, holding her hands over her ears.


    "That old lady, she said she would be coming back soon! We gotta go back and warn her!"


    Neph quickly ushered the three of them away with the explanation that he needed to make some phone calls, that they should just go to bed, and that he''ll find and take care of the woman and for them not to worry.


    When they were outside, Zoe told Colson about her dropping the walkie-talkie. She kept saying she was sorry she dropped them, but Colson said it didn''t matter.


    Colson looked down at his hands, realizing they were shaking. "Even if we brought our weapons with us, I don''t think we would''ve survived!" The thought invaded his mind. A silhouette of the figure in the house. The animal-like screams as they ran away.


    "Maybe we can go back to the house tomorrow and get the walkie," Ivy suggested as they walked back towards the dorms.


    "It could be anywhere. Under that house or not even on the property. I don''t even remember the path we ran," Zoe said, checking her pockets once again.


    "I wonder who Neph is calling."


    "Probably calling an investigator colonist."


    Ivy put a hand to her chest, feeling her heart drum against her ribs, "Is it weird that I found that kinda fun?"


    "Sort of?" Colson said. "Besides, does this mean we failed?"


    "I don''t know," Zoe said. "We did everything she asked of us. We found ''parts'' of her dog."


    "Yeah, I guess you''re right," he chuckled, "We might''ve just screwed our chances at a mission for like the next decade."


    Neither Ivy nor Zoe could fall asleep. Zoe sat huddled in the corner of her bed on the top bunk, staring at her door. She kept waiting to hear the loud thumps of footsteps at her door.

 Chapter 8. The Trumpet

    The next day, after the daily morning training, the trio sat at their usual spot during breakfast. Despite almost running a full marathon that morning, Zoe still felt sluggish from staying awake all of last night.


    "Oh, Colson!" Zoe said suddenly, "Did you tell Ivy about the training tonight?"


    "Oh gosh, that''s today?" Colson groaned, still sore from his morning training.


    Ivy perked up, "More training?"


    "Well, " Zoe said, "once every two weeks or so, there are team scrimmage games or some type of physical or mental game. Capture the flag is tonight, I think. The Exam game¡­there''s also death week, but that''s something else."


    Ivy''s eyes lit up, "Capture the flag? I love games like that!"


    Zoe smiled; she knew Ivy would get a kick out of hearing that. "We get some weapons and go into Highwood forest over there," she said, pointing out the window at the forest they went to the other day. "Each team chooses a place where they want to put their flag, and the other team attempts to capture it. There are obviously rules around weapon use, but if you don''t maim, kill, or cut off anyone''s limbs, you''re in the clear. But it all depends on how the teams are picked."


    "What do you mean?"


    "If you''re on the bad team, you''ll get crushed. So you just need to hope to be on a good team."


    "Huh," a thought popped into her head, making her smile; she cracked her knuckles looking at Zoe and Colson, "so who do you think would win if we were on opposite teams?" she asked playfully.


    "Well, I know this forest inside and out pretty much. There''d be no contest, really," Zoe said, feigning confidence. ''Truthfully, though, it may be a coin toss. I feel like she''d absolutely murder me if we went against each other,'' she thought.


    "I could take you. Easily." Colson said matter of factly.


    "As If! I''m gonna find the largest battle axe they have," Ivy mimicked a swing, "I think I''m gonna take your right arm first."


    "Not gonna happen. You''re just too slow."


    "I''m faster than you!"


    Colson laughed, "You really aren''t."


    "An axe to your leg will slow you down, then."


    "Well, you''re gonna be too slow to hit me. Also you''re not gonna get one."


    "Why can''t I?" Ivy groaned.


    "For one, they don''t just have those lying around. You''d have to ask someone to make it for you, which would be a lot. Also, I don''t think Crater would give a weapon to someone like you."


    "Someone like me?" Ivy had a confused look on her face. "What does that mean?"


    Zoe''s eyes flicked back and forth between them, forcing a grin on her face, "Yea, Ivy," she said quickly, "There''s a storage area where you can look through weapons, or if you have enough CCs, you can go into town and have one custom made." She looked at Colson with a look that said, "stop." Looking back to Ivy, she went on, "They probably won''t let you run around with a weapon like that, but who knows."


    After rummaging through the armory closet, Ivy found four weapons of interest: a massive sword¡ªthe blade was as long as Ivy was tall; a smaller circular blade that was the size of a dagger but its ends split off in two; a bright red war hammer; and two nunchucks, she didn''t know how to use them, but to her, they looked cool. The rest of the shed was full of knives and hidden blades.


    She practiced using the weapons on some rubber training dummies for the next half-hour. The nun chucks were a catastrophic failure as she hit herself more than the trainer. To everyone''s surprise, she could use the bastard sword and swing it around, but it became blatantly evident that a blade like that wouldn''t fit her fighting style.


    Frustrated, Ivy started digging around in the very depths of the closet. She found a set of dusty knuckle dusters in a drawer that looked like it hadn''t been opened since the start of the bronze age. "Are these good?" She asked, walking out of the closet and showing Colson and Ivy. The shiny gold-tinted objects fit her hands perfectly.


    Colson shrugged, "I don''t know, try them out. I personally wouldn''t use them, but you do you. Also, the dinner bell is gonna go off soon, so you should probably just pick something. You can change it if you don''t like it."


    While Ivy messed around with the weapons, she noticed how light they were and how fluid her motions became. "I wanna use these." She held them up in the air, the dim sunlight giving the knuckles an orange tint.


    "There''s a reason they were sitting in a drawer instead of being used," Zoe mentioned. "You''ll be pretty disadvantaged with range and protection. If you used daggers like I''m using, you would have a slight disadvantage but would have other benefits that swords don''t have. Sometimes I use a slingshot as well." She showed off her two weapons. One was a smaller silver knife; its blade was wavy with an odd number of curves and an asymmetrical base; the whole thing was slightly under five inches. The larger one was a few inches longer and resembled a machete, with a golden hue to the blade''s edge.


    "What do you use?" Ivy asked, looking at Colson.


    "I have a wooden sword back in my dorm; the actual name for it is a ''bokken.''"


    "You don''t use a real sword?"


    "A real sword?" Colson looked offended, "Look here, the issue is that normal swords are expensive, they dull easily, and are fragile...At least the ones I''ve tried are. But a bokken is pretty indestructible; it can easily break bones, puncture skin, and kill if needed."


    "Can I have a gun?"


    "No."


    "Do you even have them?"


    "Yes, we have guns," Zoe said.


    "For obvious reasons, you can''t use them in the scrimmages," Colson said. "You''d need to find a gunsmith in town and pay them to make one for you."


    After dinner, everyone gathered at the east forest entrance. Neph stood in front of the group. He was wearing a grey suit with black dress shoes. The kid from the cabin, Marcello, was standing behind him with his arms crossed, a sour look on his face. Neph stepped forward and cleared his throat, "This will be a game of capture the flags. Yes, I said ''flags,'' not ''flag.'' Both teams will have five flags; at the end of thirty minutes, whichever team has the most flags will win. There will also be flags randomly placed throughout the forest for you to find. Now for the fundamental rules: there will be no torturing of any kind, do not kill anyone, and no amputating will be allowed." He glared at a boy in the crowd, who laughed and shrugged.


    Neph pointed to another boy, "Mason, as usual, you will be the team captain for group B." Mason smiled and nodded. Neph turned to another named Trenton. "You will be the other team captain."


    As Mason walked past, he fist-bumped and waved to everyone he knew. He smiled and nodded toward Zoe, whose cheeks turned bright red, and she looked away. He fist-bumped Colson, "Hey Colson," he made eye contact with Ivy, "What''s up, new girl? I never caught your name."


    "Ivy." She said while getting a fist bump from Mason.


    "Ivy? Cool name. I''ll remember that," he kept walking until he reached Neph.


    Trenton went first and picked a boy in the crowd. Reiza rolled her eyes and walked over and stood next to Mason, "Alright, I''m on his team." She scowled at Trenton, who shot her a confused look back.


    "What''d I do?"


    "No one picks me second," she shrugged.


    "Really, Reiza?"


    "I''m not about to be second pick," Reiza snapped back.


    Trenton sighed, "Whatever you say, your highness."


    The two team captains finished picking the rest of the teams, with Mason picking Ivy, Colson, and Zoe.


    Mason turned around and yelled to the group, "Alright, everyone! Follow me!"


    As they followed him, Ivy turned to Colson and asked, "So why do we do this? Is it like a team exercise?"


    "Sorta," Colson said. "It''s a way to get used to high-stress situations and irregular combat in a quote-unquote safe environment."


    "Neph wants us to be able to fight?"


    "No, from what I heard, he''s actually against a lot of this stuff, but Orion is the one who pushes all this physical dangerous stuff. Maybe he gets his kicks watching kids get hurt or something? Either way, he''s the big boss, so he makes the rules."


    "I guess that makes sense," Ivy said.


    "You should know, it''s a dangerous world out there. Especially on some of those missions people go on. It''s kinda crazy what people have had to do."


    When they were deep enough in the forest, Mason had people scatter the five flags on the left side of the woods. He split the group up where one-third of the group would hunt the flags, one-third would be in a defensive role, and one-third would be specifically guarding the flags. Ivy was on the offense team along with Colson, while Zoe wanted to take a tactical defense approach and stay on the defense role, but ended up going with Ivy as Colson wanted to go by himself.


    To signify her team orientation, Ivy wore a blue jersey over her white jacket and had put the same color war paint on her face¡ªa crude drawing of a skull covering half her face.


    Colson found it odd how Zoe wore the same thing, as she had never done so before.


    The horn blew, which signified the start of the game. Whoops and yells came from the forest as the colonists charged through it. Swords clanged as they met shields, and knives sliced through armor and skin, the sounds of which emanated through the woods.


    Colson and Ivy quickly devised a plan to run around the opposite outskirts of the forest and meet up behind the other team at the back. Colson took the left side of the forest, while Ivy and Zoe took the right.


    Zoe guided Ivy along the path of least resistance. She knew the general spots where people would sit and wait for ambushes?. She pointed out the many random landmarks on the way¡ªa large concrete pillar covered in moss, a row of tires, each larger than Ivy and Zoe put together, and something resembling a large termite mound.


    They came upon a group of four kids who wore dark yellow running right toward one of their flags. Both Ivy and the group stopped and regarded each other. "Hey, I think they''re alone," one said. They began to surround them, holding out their weapons. As they fanned out around the two, Ivy could see their armor and weapons glint as the bright moonlight shined upon them.


    All except one looked nervous; the others'' eyes were frantic and their hands fidgety; they slowly moved in. She turned until she found what she was looking for; his eyes were shifty, and his hands shook. He couldn''t meet her gaze; his eyes bounced from her muddy shoes, messy black hair, and white jacket that seemed to reflect the moonlight.


    The calm one stood back, holding an odd shape in his hands.


    Zoe slowly took out a dagger from her sleeve, trying to conceal it from the moonlight. She carefully studied them, finally settling on the kid in the back. He was taller than average, and his hair was messy and long. She''d seen him around Crater a few times, but he wasn''t in any of her classes.


    The boy in front of Ivy took another step forward. His eyes left her and moved to gauge the reaction on his friends'' faces. As he did so, a dull pain was felt in his right temple, and his vision turned blurry. The last thing registered was the glint of a small brass object firing at the side of his head.


    The following person had a weapon that was clearly too heavy and too big for proper use. Their arms trembled under the weight of the reinforced wooden club. Going for maximum power, an overhead strike was attempted. It was easily dodged, and its grey-steel shell slammed uselessly into the mossy dirt. The frantic wide eyes widened even further as they made eye contact with Ivy. It didn''t take much more than a light jab to wobble the legs causing him to trip over a root and collapse, the wind knocked out of him.


    The third boy slowly stepped away from Ivy, his spear pointed at her head. Ivy couldn''t note his expression as the overhead leaves cast long dark shadows over his face. The making of an idea popped into his head, causing a grin to form. Before he could say anything, the staccato, wet, squishing sounds of feet on damp moss approached him quickly. All he managed to do was hold out the spear and squeeze his eyes shut. Another set of footsteps, a few inches to his right. He felt something cold and sharp across his neck. He slowly lowered the spear to the ground before pushing Zoe away and sprinting into the treeline.


    "Well, that was fun," Ivy said.


    "One left," Zoe reminded, looking at the boy, who had been leaning against a tree the whole time. An amused look in his eye.


    "I guess it''s my turn." He said, lifting up the object to his lips.


    It was hard to see in the shadows of the forest, but as Ivy kept squinting, trying to see what he held, an odd look crossed her face. Zoe couldn''t tell what that look meant.


    "What?" Zoe pried, studying Ivy''s face.


    "Is he holding a trumpet?" Ivy asked, trying not to laugh.


    Zoe turned and looked again. ''The outline does kind of resemble one,'' she thought. Before she could think anymore on that subject, something whizzed past her face, almost impaling her in her left eye. Before she could get out of the way, an incoming volley of small shapes erupted from the end of the object, embedding themselves into her arm, torso, and leg. She looked down to see needles protruding from her body.


    Ivy sprinted to the left, ducking and weaving.


    As Zoe moved back to hide behind a nearby tree, she noticed her vision was blurring, and she felt sluggish.


    The boy lowered the trumpet-looking object. "You know, if you were my target on an assignment, you''d be dead right now. All it takes is a couple of needles to enter your bloodstream, and that would be all she wrote. Too bad Neph has these rules," he sighed. "You can only use the relaxant needles," he mocked.


    Zoe collapsed to the ground; her left leg and arm went completely numb. She tried to push herself to her feet, but her arm hung uselessly by her side. It was as if someone had filled her veins with cement.


    Ivy pivoted, sprinting diagonally toward the boy. He quickly brought it to his mouth again, firing a few more needles. She hopped out of the way as a spike grazed her right shoulder. Flipping and rolling backward, she ended up near Zoe''s tree. She quickly scooted behind it, standing over Zoe.


    "Oh hey," Ivy said, rolling her shoulder, trying to get as much blood flow as possible. "I never expected something like this." She held out her hand.


    "I should''ve warned you. Most people use swords and the like, but a few use abstract weapons such as¡­whatever that is." She took Ivy''s hand, pulling herself to her feet. Her arm and leg were still useless, so all she could do was balance herself on her good leg and lean against the tree.


    "I''ve never seen something¡ª"


    "Hush," Zoe interrupted, listening intently. They both heard it at the same time. The sound of boots walking on wet leaves. It stopped as soon as their voices died down. "He''s circling around us. Walking whenever we talk to mask the sound."


    Ivy poked her arm out from behind the tree, retracting it as a wave of needles flew by.


    Zoe saw what she was doing. They now knew where he was standing and what angle he was at. "We could both rush him. He would definitely hit us, but we would be able to reach him and knock him out before the muscle relaxer takes effect. All three of us would effectively be knocked out. Suboptimal. Also, I really hate needles. What else can we do here?" Zoe''s eyes shifted around the clearing, hoping to spot something they could use.


    Zoe winced as she removed each needle stuck in her body with her good arm.


    "Huh," Ivy said, picking one out of Zoe''s palm and examining it under a ray of moonlight. "It''s hollow."


    "Well, yeah. That''s how it delivers the poison."


    Ivy held it in front of Zoe''s face, pointing to the middle of the needle.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    "Oh," Zoe said, finally understanding what Ivy was telling her.


    The middle of the needle had a small and empty glass panel. It had been manufactured that way to show the boy if the contraption was loaded or not.


    Before Zoe could react, Ivy flipped the needle in her hand, leaning out from behind the tree and flinging it like a throwing knife at the boy. It all happened so suddenly that he could barely react, lifting up his hand just in time. If he was a millisecond too late, the piece of metal would have embedded itself into his esophagus.


    "Ow!" He screamed and yanked the needle from his hand with a grunt. "Damn you, that hurt!"


    As Ivy spun around, crouching back behind the tree, Zoe saw a glint of something in her hair.


    "Wait, Ivy, stop moving."


    "Huh?"


    "Hold still," she carefully ran her fingers through Ivy''s hair until she felt something cold and metal. "Alright. You''ve just given me an idea."


    It had been a minute since Ivy had impaled the boy. He tapped his foot impatiently. ''A bit of a stalemate. I can''t get closer, but they can''t get close to me. But I hate waiting!''


    "It''s still loaded," Zoe described, studying the needle in her hands. "It must''ve been stuck when he shot at you earlier. Since it was stuck in your hair and didn''t go into your skin, it didn''t excrete any poison."


    "Okay?" Ivy said.


    "Ivy, we hit him with this, and we win."


    "Oh, that''s a good idea. So I just need to throw it at him again."


    "Well, maybe. But for this to work, we need to corner him. Make it so he can''t dodge or deflect."


    "If we just blitz him, he might not be fast enough to get us, and one of us can just stick it in the back of his neck or something."


    "That would be the easiest way," Zoe mused. "But, if we miss or he gets lucky, then we lose."


    "So, what should we do?"


    Zoe crouched down to the ground, spinning her hair between her fingers, deep in thought. ''If we had more time, I could think of something better, but this will have to do.'' She strained, lifting her left arm. "It''s wearing off quickly. In a few minutes, I can run again."


    "Okay," Ivy smiled, "What do you want me to do?"


    The trumpet-boy noticed that the girl''s hushed whispers had stopped for some time. Curious, he slowly inched his way forward, delicately placing each foot in a spot that would make the least noise. He lifted his weapon to his lips, ready to shoot at any perceived danger. He moved counterclockwise, gaining more visibility from behind the tree. As he continued pushing forward, he braced himself. ''I''m gonna have to be quick, like real fast.'' He had come up with a few plans on the fly.


    If they were to run at him: He would back up, quickly firing at the girl with black hair first, as she seemed quicker and stronger than the shorter one. Once a significant amount of needles were to impact each of them, he would retreat. If the boy had to, he''d run into the surrounding forest, weaving between trees until the relaxant took effect.


    If the girls split up and tried to rush him from either side: He would use his needles; he would retreat, forcing them to either retreat themselves or to follow him where he could pick them off one at a time.


    An uncontrollable grin crossed his face at the thought.


    He crept forward; the corner of Ivy''s white jacket stuck out from behind the tree. "Just a bit farther." He jumped forward, blasting several needles into the girls.


    ''What the¡­'' He examined the scene.


    Ivy''s jacket was stuck into the tree using one of Zoe''s knives.


    The boy looked around, ''Did they somehow manage to sneak off? They couldn''t have run off without me seeing them or hearing them move.''


    He wasn''t sure what it was that alerted him. It may have been a slight whistle in the air. Maybe the moonlight cast a shadow. He quickly jumped back; as he did so, Ivy fell from above, landing right where he was standing from overhead. Her knuckle dusters in her hands. ''What! If she connected, I coulda been knocked out. Nah, it would''ve been so much worse than that. I might not have been able to step away from that. I''m just too good for them to sneak on me like that.''


    As he lifted up his instrument, Ivy sprinted towards him. Holding the trumpet out in front of him, he blocked a punch, causing sparks to fly, briefly lighting up the area. The boy switched his stance, putting his left foot in front, swinging the object like a baseball bat. Ivy kicked forward, pressuring him and using the momentum to dodge the swing.


    Zoe shimmied along the sturdiest branch she could find several meters above him. In her mouth, she held the needle, careful not to poke herself. When she was in position, she waited for the perfect time.


    Ivy''s eyes flicked upwards briefly, watching Zoe descend from the tree. The boy saw this; he glanced up, only seeing a dark blur inches away.


    Zoe hit the ground behind him and, with all her might, shoved the needle into his spine, right between his shoulder blades.


    He let out a shriek, whirling around, smacking her in the head with the instrument.


    The boy attempted lifting the trumpet to his lips but found that his range of motion in his arms was already heavily reduced. It wouldn''t be long until he was totally immobile.


    Zoe moved back quickly, holding the side of her head, a trickle of blood running down her temple, her ears ringing. ''I would be knocked out if I hadn''t hit him in the right spot. This hurts a lot, though.''


    Ivy watched as the boy slowly sunk to the ground, his limbs giving out. Eventually, he couldn''t take it anymore and fell face-first with a low groan.


    "Wow," Zoe said, breathing heavily. A smile crept across her face, "We won!" Her body still hadn''t fully recovered from the relaxant. "Colson is probably waiting for us; we need to go."


    "I completely forgot about that," Ivy said. "Which direction is it?"


    "It''d be west. Which is that way," she pointed to the back of the forest.


    Behind them, the boy struggled to his hands and knees. Sticking out of his leg was another needle¡ªa light antidote. He took a sharp inhale. Ivy spun quickly but was too late.


    "Yellow team! They''ve got our flags! The two girls have our flags!" His voice was ear-splittingly loud.


    "Uh oh," Zoe mumbled.


    As if on cue, the forest around them came alive. The shrubs and trees shook. The sounds of footsteps from both teams thundered toward the clearing.


    "Come on! They''re getting away!" He kept screaming, making sure everyone could follow his voice.


    A girl wearing a ghillie suit, and holding a large metal bat, appeared, launching herself from the forest, swinging as hard as she could at Zoe. Ivy was faster; she reached over, pushing Zoe out of the way, and knocking away the bat mid-swing.


    Just as Zoe recovered, two more kids from the yellow team appeared, charging at them.


    Mason and a few more blue team members materialized into the small clearing on the other side.


    More kids would jump out of the forest every second that passed, trying to take or secure the imaginary flag.


    "Zoe!" Zoe heard her name called over the commotion. "I''ll meet you west!"


    "Okay!" she screamed back, unsure if her voice could be heard over the fighting. She ducked under the fist of a boy, scampering away as fast as she could, disappearing into the forest.


    Colson had been waiting longer than he wanted to be at the meeting spot. Swearing under his breath, he rose from the bushes and made his way forward as silently as possible. ''Where are they? I don''t know what''s happening over there, but this would be the perfect time for a distraction...'' His thoughts cut short by the hushed whispers ahead. Peering around a large pine tree, holding his breath, two girls were pacing outside what looked to be a dilapidated flower shop. The front brick wall was long since destroyed, faded letters reading "Auntie M ne" on the inside back wall. He soon realized they were near a flag, listening intently to their hushed giggles and whispers.


    Unsheathing the wooden sword from his back, he confidently walked into the clearing, pointing it right at them. "Don''t make any sudden movements or loud noises," he hissed. "In fact, don''t say anything; only nod and point." They both nodded. Colson noticed the tension in the air shift as their body language stiffened, "While we''re at it, look at the ground. If I suspect any plotting, one of y''all are getting cut." They both did as they were told, nodding profusely. Colson felt the tension in his shoulders subside, ''I''m actually pulling this off! If they were smart, they''d realize they could just turn on me. This would''ve been a lot easier if Ivy were here, but oh well. I''ll get this flag and be the hero this time.'' The thought had him internally grinning. "You, stand by me," he said, pointing his sword to the girl on the right. "And you, lead me to the closest flag."


    While walking, Colson kept turning around towards the back of the forest nearest the perimeter wall of the colony. ''What am I hearing right now? It sounds like something''s sniffling.'' The longer they walked, the more bothered by it he became. It sounded like a bloodhound aggressively smelling the ground to pick up a scent. No human could make a noise like that. He looked around, seeing the girl in front looking back, eyebrows knit together.


    The one next to him asked, "You hear that too, right?" Her eyes wide with fear.


    Colson nodded, "If this is some kind of trick¡­"


    They shook their heads profusely, saying they had no idea what that was. It was evident by the tone of their voices that they weren''t lying. The sound was coming from twenty yards away. Colson kept them marching forward, leading him to the flag. It had been ingrained in him to never be distracted from your target. One of the girls caught sight of something through the trees, the moonlight not bright enough and the line of sight too thin to see anything more than a blur.


    "It has to be a deer," the girl in front murmured; it sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than anyone else.


    Several meters behind them, a deep earth-shaking scream ripped through the forest along with the sound of a tree being snapped in half. No more words were exchanged between the three; they all took off running in different directions.


    His lungs burned, and his heart hammered; long sticks whipped at his arms and legs as he barely dodged bushes and trees. Tripping over a rotting table from a building, he ended up face first in some gravelly dirt, his sword spiraling out several feet away. Picking himself up, pebbles stuck to his face, he continued his sprint. Blasting past a group of opponents, he screamed at them to run. Some listened, some didn''t.


    Arriving at a clearing, Ivy skidded to a stop. In front of her, a figure of a girl was standing, staring directly up at the sky. She looked down, hearing Ivy''s footsteps. When the girl saw her, a baleful grin crossed her lips.


    "Oh?" The voice was Reiza''s. "I was hoping I''d see you," her grin grew wider.


    "Oh hey, Reiza. Is there a flag nearby?" Ivy looked around, antsy with anticipation.


    "Oh, I don''t care about that. You wanna fight me?"


    "Am I missing something? We''re on the same team, right?"


    "Yeah, but I just want a little friendly sparring."


    "Maybe later, but I''m supposed to be meeting up with Colson and Zoe right now."


    "You aren''t better than me. You know that, right?" Now less than four yards away, she stopped. Reiza closed her eyes, her smile disappearing and replaced with a grimace. Her fists balled as she concentrated, feeling a tugging in her gut. The wind picked up and whistled slightly as it breezed through the trees. A jagged electric blue aura spiked around her frame, crackling with anger. Opening her eyes, a calm smirk came across her face. "This is a trick my dad taught me a while back," she said, looking into Ivy''s wide eyes.


    Ivy''s hands squeezed tightly around the brass knuckles in her hands to prevent them from shaking.


    ''She''s scared! No. That look isn''t one of fear; it''s a look of...excitement?'' Before Reiza decided what to do next, a heavy commotion was heard in the forest a ways away. Screams, shouts, and what sounded to Reiza like gunfire.


    A bright light illuminated the entire forest; for a brief second, all the sounds of screams and footsteps stopped. As if the sun had risen from the heart of the woods. As the light bathed over them, a feeling that could only be described as drowsiness washed over all of them. The whole forest seemed to be still for what felt like minutes; no breeze rustled the trees or grass, no animal moved, and every living thing in the forest seemed to hold its breath collectively.


    Everything seemed to snap back to normal as if nothing had happened. Ivy seemed to have lost interest in Reiza. Her eyes had a blank curiosity in them as they gazed behind her into the dark woods.


    The sound of a loud horn cut through the air, signifying the end of the game. A loud murmuring rose from the middle of the forest. A curious buzz filled the air, the presence of people moving toward the area where the light came from.


    "Well," Reiza said, regaining her composure, "This girl really thinks she''s better than me? That''s just crazy to me. If you don''t want this¡­maybe I''ll go find Zoe, see what she''s up to." A mischievous smirk crossed her face.


    Hearing this, Ivy lifted her fists in front of her, putting herself in a defensive position.


    The smirk on Reiza''s face turned into an enormous grin, noticing the flare of anger in her eyes. "Gotcha."


    Before Ivy could react, a fist connected to her face, sending her flying several yards back, one of her boots coming off her foot in the process. Reiza chuckled, "I guess we can finish this another time. But then again, that kinda decided it." The blue aura around her dissipated as she strolled toward the center of the woods. "Oh," She turned back to Ivy, still lying on the ground, barely conscious. Crouching over her, Reiza''s voice barely above a whisper, "If you''re able to get me, just like that, I''ll accept that you belong here. That''s my challenge," She got up and disappeared into the treeline.


    Neph stared down at the beast. Behind him were two four-star colonists. Hearing the screams and the loud commotion, they rushed in to eliminate the issue. One of the four-star colonists had used chains to subdue the creature, which lay unconscious on the ground.


    Neph, who had studied the flora and the zoology in the area, had never seen anything like this. Its long thick legs, quadrupedal frame, and thick black tar-like sticky fur; the image made his stomach churn.


    Producing a glove from one of his pockets, he inspected the creature; his gloved finger seemed to be absorbed by its skin as he poked and prodded the beast. Touching its fur was akin to sticking a finger into thick wet cement.


    "Any idea what it is?" One of the quadruple-star colonists moved forward to get a better look at its face. "It must be some kind of mutated CharCharCat or something."


    The sound of rustling bushes and footsteps came from all directions; curious whispers and hushed voices drew closer.


    Neph forcefully pried open one of the beast''s eyelids, seeing a yellow iris staring back. Moving to its mouth, he saw that the fur was red and matted surrounding the sharp maw.


    Neph took out a plastic bag and placed the glove inside. It had been covered in a translucent slime from the beast''s fur. He stood up, "Call the stable masters and see if they have a cage large enough to hold this thing for the time being. And you," he pointed to the other colonist, "we need to do a headcount of everyone here." The colonist nodded, removing the large horn slung over his back and blowing into it.


    Ivy had her knees to her chest inside a nook of a large oak tree. Her cheek was a swollen purple from being completely knocked unconscious by Reiza. Ivy knew that she was utterly helpless against a power like that; alone in the dark, she sat, her eyes wet and stinging as she glared forward.


    Calling Ivy''s name, they still heard no response.


    "This was the last place I saw her," Reiza had an innocent smile, "she was fine then." She took a small cylindrical object from her pocket and put it to her lips; a few seconds later, a small cloud came from her mouth.


    "Yo, where''d you get that?" Colson asked.


    "Eh, you know," she shrugged, holding it out to Zoe, asking, "You want a hit?"


    Zoe eyed the object warily, "Uh, I''m good."


    "I''ll take it," Colson said, reaching for it.


    "Get your own!" Reiza snapped, quickly pocketing the object.


    Colson turned to Zoe, "She said that she would be around this area here. Knowing her, she could have gotten distracted and wandered off, but I doubt it."


    "Maybe she was eaten," Reiza said with a helpful tone.


    "The only one who would''ve been eaten by anything is me," Colson grumbled while shouldering his sword and jumping up towards a large tree branch. Continuing to climb up the giant tree, he got as high as possible, scanning the area. He heard voices in the distance calling for other missing people as well. Five people were missing in total; three have been found so far. Most of the kids had returned to their dorms; a few had stayed to help find the ones that went missing.


    "Hey, Zoe," Reiza said, trying not to laugh.


    Zoe didn''t respond.


    "Remind you of anything?" Reiza pointed to a family of squirrels scurrying up a nearby tree, she cackled. "You gettin'' hungry?"


    When Colson had climbed back down, Reiza was gone, and Zoe was alone.


    "Reiza said she was bored, and then she left."


    Colson scoffed, "Of course she did. The only reason she gets away with half the stuff she pulls is cause Aye is her dad. If she was just¡­." His voice trailed off when he saw Zoe''s face. "What''s wrong?"


    Zoe''s face was dark, but her eyes were wide, her voice came out shaky and meek, "what if Reiza was right? She''s dead!"


    "Zoe, stop. I''m sure she''s fine. This forest is pretty big, though; she probably just got lost and can''t hear us. Plus, if what she said was true about that serpent, she''s not gonna be eaten by some random animal."


    "Yea, you''re right. I''m sorry." She quickly turned away, wiping her eyes, hoping Colson didn''t see.


    The horn cut through the quiet night air causing Zoe and Colson to flinch. It had been fifteen minutes since Reiza had left.


    "They must''ve found everyone! See? What''d I tell you?"


    Zoe took a sigh of relief; with that breath, the butterflies in her stomach dissipated. The tension in her shoulders fell.


    At the mouth of the forest, a small group was waiting for them. Reiza was off to the side, absently chatting with one of her friends. Ivy was on the opposite side of the group holding a pack of ice to her face, while Neph talked to everyone else. Seeing both Zoe and Colson, he announced that everyone had been accounted for. "Everyone under two stars shall head back to their dorms or houses this instant."


    Ivy didn''t say a word as the trio began to walk back together.


    Zoe noticed that her smile was gone, ''I wonder if she''s mad at me. I hope I didn''t do anything wrong.'' They continued walking until they reached the dorms. They split off and went to their separate rooms. Zoe kept glancing at Ivy; she wanted to say something but was off-put by the fact that Ivy seemed to have a permanent scowl plastered across her face.


    After she took a shower, Ivy went straight to bed and fell asleep instantly.


    Colson sat down next to Ivy at the cafeteria table; Zoe was stuck in a particularly long line waiting for her food. Ivy still had her usual heap of food piled on. He noticed she wasn''t eating as much as usual and seemed distracted by something happening at the table where Reiza and her friends ate at. Her face had mostly healed, but there was still some light bruising. She kept shooting looks over there, but from what Colson could see, nothing out of the ordinary was happening.


    "Ivy."


    "Hm?" She mumbled between bites.


    "Did something happen last night? You''ve been really quiet and acting a lot different since we split up." Ivy stared blankly ahead. Colson continued, "Zoe has been pretty nervous about it."


    "It was Reiza."


    "What! What''d she do now?"


    "I ran into her, and she said that she wanted to fight. She did something; I''m not sure what, but she turned all blue and threatened to attack Zoe if I didn''t do anything." Ivy finished explaining everything by the time Zoe arrived with her food. "I''m so angry at myself; I couldn''t do anything against her," her body shook as tears dropped from her face onto the floor.


    Zoe looked at Colson, who mouthed the words, "I''ll tell you later."


    A small smile appeared as Ivy wiped her face with her sleeve, "When I woke up, I was just angry and miserable. It was pretty bad," she laughed. "It just sucked knowing that I wasn''t strong enough to do anything. That''s why I''m glad that you guys are my friends," she looked at Zoe and smiled.


    Ivy''s contagious smile spread to Zoe.


    "Oh! Yo, Ivy," Colson said, the thought suddenly popping into his head, "did you see the giant animal that attacked last night?"


    "No? What animal?"


    "I didn''t really see it, but it chased me throughout the forest for a good while," Colson gingerly touched a large red welt on his forearm.


    "You should have been close enough to hear it," Zoe said. "The noises it made...I could hear them from where I was standing."


    Colson explained his encounter with the beast, leaving everyone at the table awe-struck. Ivy''s eyes were wild with curiosity.


    Marcello exited through the front doors of the guest house in the heart of Crater''s town. He walked onto the street, observing the bustling market right outside the home''s front doors, which had been a good source for people watching from the upstairs window. Marcello walked up and down the street, looking at every stall.


    He noticed people were giving him odd looks. He knew he stood out from the average citizen of Crater. His clothing style and complexion were a dead giveaway on why that was.


    Producing a folded pillowcase from his pocket, he bought several cans of food from the street vendors. He placed them all inside the pillow, slung it over his shoulder, then walked out of Crater. Promising to never return.


    Zoe steadied herself as the private room rocked to the side. She sat crouched on a cushioned chair across from Ivy with a white circular table between them.


    "The ferry will arrive on dock two in approximately five minutes," the captain announced through the crackly speaker embedded in the ceiling. The speaker made a clicking sound as the quiet classical music resumed.


    Ivy held the book close to her face, reading slowly, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." She looked over the book, staring at Zoe.


    "And what do you think that means?"


    "That we shouldn''t give up ''cause it might not be the right time?"


    "Write it down," she pointed to the pencil and paper placed in front of Ivy.


    "Is it right?"


    "Possibly," Zoe muttered, holding a chicken nugget in front of her face, slowly examining it.


    "I thought you said you''d help me."


    "I am!" Zoe said, offended. "I''m not going to do your homework for you."


    "I''m just asking if you think it''s right."


    "If I said it was correct, would you write it?"


    "Yeah, of course!" Ivy answered.


    "Why?"


    "I trust your judgment, and you know a lot about this."


    "That''s interesting. You shouldn''t rely on others to figure out things for you. ''Why'' is more important than ''How.'' It aims for the root. Metaphorically speaking, you don''t need to reinvent the wheel every time you come across something."


    Ivy grumbled something and wrote her answer. "Why do you never study?"


    "I don''t have to."


    Ivy gave her a confused look, "What? I thought you said your grades weren''t great."


    "They aren''t, but it isn''t from lack of studying," Zoe said, shoving the chicken nugget in her mouth and wiping her fingers on a napkin.


    "What is it?"


    Zoe pointed to her head, "I have no problem learning or retaining the information. I remember pretty much everything I hear or read. The problem is orating or writing down what''s in my head. Especially with material like this¡ªoftentimes, I take things quite literally, so comprehension was always tough to understand. If I really try, I can get it out, but I do just enough to get by."


    There was a long silence as Zoe stared at Ivy, who squinted slightly, trying to grasp what she was saying.


    "How about this," Zoe said, grabbing the book from Ivy''s hands, flipping through the pages. "Tell me what you think this says here," she pointed to a line on the page.


    Ivy read it aloud, "Let beer be for those who are perishing, wine for those who are in anguish!"


    Zoe stared forward, "Do you think you''re only allowed to drink unless your arm is severed?"


    "Um," Ivy clicked her tongue, "No?"

 Chapter 9. The C-Rank

    Zoe sat across the wooden table from Ivy, who loudly sipped her drink cased in a glass bottle through a straw while staring at something shiny in her hands. The wind from the ocean below them blew both their hair into a frenzy.


    Usually, the chairs and tables closer to the docks would be taken. Luckily, they found one perfectly shaded by a large tree. Its spikey purple leaves slowly shook from the wind.


    Zoe carefully stirred the rainbow concoction in her glass. Staring over Ivy''s shoulder, watching Colson through the big glass window into the shop he worked occasionally. Next to him, Herald paced back and forth, talking.


    The two girls had been let out of class early that day, as a kid had run into the classroom and threw a wasps'' nest inside, causing everyone to disperse¡ªjumping out of windows, sprinting for the door, and hiding under desks.


    Herald glanced back, noticing both Zoe and Ivy through the window. Nodding in their direction, "Yo, so I gotta ask you something," he said.


    "Yeah, what''s up?" Colson said, handing a drink to someone over the counter.


    "The new one, Ivy. You guys hang out a lot?"


    "Sure."


    "Ah, so you''re going for her."


    Colson pulled a face, "Hey, man, that''s all you."


    Herald laughed, "You don''t like her?"


    Smiling and waving to a couple across the shop, "It''s not that; I mean, look, she isn''t even a colonist, for one."


    "Yeah, she is. She wouldn''t be here if she wasn''t."


    "You know what I mean. She''s not...she wasn''t born here."


    "Fair enough. I guess I''ve never really paid much attention when they were talking about that stuff. But, I don''t really care about all that."


    "Look, she''s alright to hang out with I guess¡­" he trailed off. "She''s not us, ya know?"


    "Not really. Why do you even care, though?"


    He spoke slowly, measuring each word, "I try and think for the future. I want my grandchildren to look like me. I want my grandchildren to grow up in the same colony that I grew up in, with all the same benefits and all the beautiful things that me and my ancestors created for them.


    "While I understand the importance of individual uniqueness, I think you have to understand that we all have our families. All of our families came from somewhere, right?" He smirked, "To think that we''re just gonna wipe out the bloodline willy nilly as though it''s a trivial and arbitrary construction¡­I think it''s a mistake."


    The loud horn of a watercraft carried over the water as it docked. The workers on board started to unload all of its cargo.


    Herald thought for a moment; soon enough, the grin returned to his face, "Oh, so you want Zoe, huh?"


    Colson rolled his eyes so hard that it almost hurt, "The point. You missed it," he laughed.


    "No, but I''m serious, though. You guys are always hanging out, I mean-" He stopped, an idea popping into his head, "Was the squirrel incident too much of a turn-off?"


    "Dude- I don''t know. It''s not even like that, anyways. In a few years, her parents will probably arrange a marriage for her. That''s what they all do, apparently."


    "Arranged to you?"


    "Probably not, no," Colson said.


    "I thought they liked you."


    "They do¡ªI mean, her mom probably wouldn''t mind. It''s just that, you know, her dad and my dad...Yeah, no."


    "Ah," Herald said. "Yeah, that makes sense."


    "But man, you''ve gotta give it a rest with Zoe and the squirrel incident, alright?"


    "Why? It''s funny," Herald cackled.  "Does Ivy know about it?"


    "Dude, how would I know?"


    "It''s so shiny," Ivy said, her eyes fixated on the ID card in her hand. It was the size of a credit card, thin, light blue steel with streaks of wavy red shimmers going across the front and the back. A portrait of her face was printed in the middle with her name on top. An ID number was placed vertically on the right side.


    "So now we just need to go to a computer and set up the wallet function of it," Zoe said.


    "Will it have any money on it?"


    "I think they put a few CCs on it, but it goes pretty quickly."


    "Say, am I the only one to come here?" Ivy asked abruptly. "Like as a new person? Everyone seems really surprised when I tell them; like it''s never happened before."


    "Well, as far as I know, you''re the only one who''s just kinda shown up. There are people who get invited to join for one reason or another, but as far as just wandering in, I don''t think it''s ever happened¡ªor maybe it''s so rare that no one knows it can happen. Since most people aren''t going to just stumble upon this place without having prior knowledge of its existence, you know what I mean?"


    "Oooh, okay, well, that makes things kinda annoying. Do I get CCs by doing this?" She gestured behind her at Colson.


    "That''s one of the ways, yeah. I learned that there are ways you can passively collect CCs without having to do much of anything. All you''d need is a computer. I can show you it sometime."


    "Why is he doing this? Wouldn''t a mission be better?"


    "Well," Zoe said, thinking, "Doing what he''s doing is better for general income. I think it''s better to be somewhat selective when doing missions instead of signing up for every contract you see. Also, the missions available to us aren''t very lucrative. A few CCs per person. Also, I think he just likes making money."


    Ivy turned, watching Colson work for a bit, trying to imagine herself doing the same thing. "The library has computers, right? Let''s go there!" She got up from the wooden chair.


    "Yeah, okay."


    Zoe sat down next to Ivy, staring at the computer screen. "Let''s see¡­." Zoe murmured, using the mouse to click around until finally finding what she was looking for. "So we need to create your Crater account. Just make up a username and password, then type in your Crater ID."


    "Alrighty," Ivy did as she was instructed. "Okay, so now what?"


    "Um," Zoe skimmed through the terms and conditions. "So basically, the currency here is called CraterCoin, or CC. It''s backed by the accomplishments and assets in the colony platform''s account."


    Zoe explained to Ivy the ins and outs of the currency system. CraterCoin was valued and traded at one US dollar when it first launched. The technology behind the colonies made it possible to anonymously exchange it between financial institutions, small or large businesses, and people as easily as sending a text message to another device. If someone used the card in an area that doesn''t take CraterCoin, it would convert to something the seller can use. Currently, a single CraterCoin is equivalent to 35.76 USD, with a total supply of one hundred billion.


    Ivy''s head felt as if it were about to explode. She had to check the computer screen''s reflection to ensure her ears weren''t spewing smoke.


    "It''s pretty much set now. But I''d say you should open a digital wallet and keep all your money in there. It''s annoying to do, but a lot safer."


    "How is it safer?"


    "Well, a digital wallet keeps your coins safe and only accessible by you. If you decide to make one, you''ll be given a private access key, which proves your ownership of your digital assets, and you can use that to send assets from one address to another. Using a wallet is the safest option to hold your stuff. There are three types of wallets. A paper wallet¡ªI don''t recommend doing this as it''s confusing, and if you don''t completely understand how to use this, the odds are pretty high of you losing everything. A cold wallet¡ªthe safest wallet, in my opinion; you store all your stuff in an offline thumb-drive device that you keep, but again, no offense, but you seem like you''d lose that. An Online wallet¡ªyour key is stored in a software or application."


    "Um¡­right," Ivy said, staring blankly at the screen.


    "Basically, if you use a wallet instead of the main Crater bank, you''re the only one with access to it. So if anything happens, you won''t be affected," she continued scrolling through the website, "Alright, so they automatically put 2.8CC into your account."If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Oh wow! That''s a lot!"


    "Well, think about it like this. Every time you go to the lunchroom, an all-you-can-eat pass is .28CC, about ten dollars."


    Ivy looked down at her hands, counting with her fingers; eventually, her eyes widened at the thought, "wait, so¡­in ten days, I''m gonna starve? How does everyone else afford food?"


    "Well, most people''s parents pay for theirs, or they do random missions around town."


    "So your parents pay you?"


    "I just pay for myself now; I haven''t needed to do any missions to earn money either. I just kind of generate money. Kind of an infinite money glitch¡ªlike a video game"


    Ivy''s face radiated with awe, "Oh, I''ve never played one of those."


    "Really?" Zoe gave her an odd look.


    Ivy looked around nervously, "You''re not gonna get arrested?"


    Zoe laughed, "well, it''s a hundred percent legal. It''s called ''staking'' and a few other ways. The base understanding is that you earn rewards for holding certain currencies. When you send the minimum amount of the currency, a node in the program deposits that into a network as a stake. The size of that stake is proportional to the chances of the node being selected to build the next block. If it''s successful in that, you will get a reward back."


    "Uhh," Ivy rubbed her temples, and her eyelids lowered, feeling as if her brain was about to overload.


    "The whole wallet system, as well as staking, was made by one of the Hounds, Keigh. I''d love to meet him one day; the guy seems so smart. A total genius¡­Well, anyway, do you want to put your stuff in a wallet?"


    "Sure," Ivy said it more as a question than a simple reply.


    "Which wallet do you want to make?"


    "Uhhhhhh," Ivy said, staring blankly at the screen.


    "Did you listen to a single word I said?" Zoe said a little too loud, even for her, causing many people to send them dirty looks and one person to violently shush her. "Oh!" she said, putting her hands over her mouth, "sorry!" she whispered loudly. "The online wallet is the easiest one," she said in a hushed voice.


    Ivy threw her hands up in the air, "I don''t know what to do!" she said, exasperated, which invited more hushes and angry looks from those sitting around them. "Oh, quiet!" She snapped, getting up to her feet and glaring at everyone around her.


    "Ivy!" Zoe grabbed her arm, pulling her back down into her seat, putting a hand over Ivy''s mouth this time, "Shut up!" she whispered harshly, looking around to see if anyone working there was looking at them.


    "Why all of this instead of your parents paying for you?"


    Zoe stared at Ivy for a few seconds, judging whether or not to tell her. "When I was younger, my parents had to help me with a lot of things. Things they shouldn''t have had to."


    "Oh¡­okay," Ivy said, her eyebrows scrunched in confusion.


    "I don''t want to be a leech or make things harder¡­Just don''t tell anyone, alright?" Zoe pleaded, instantly regretting saying anything.


    "Yeah, okay."


    "Aight, that''ll be 0.1CC."


    Ivy eagerly ripped open the wrapper; inside was a chocolate bar about six inches long and one inch thick. She broke off half the bar and handed it to Zoe, who stared at it warily. Feeling her stomach churn and twist. "I need to eat this. She bought it for me," she thought. Quickly, she sunk her teeth into the chocolate.


    "So, who''s that statue of?" Pointing to a five-meter tall statue of a muscular man wearing nothing but yellow garments, his right hand with his index finger and thumb connected, making a circle, holding that hand symbol to his right eye as if he were looking through it. In his other hand, dragging along the base of the platform, he held a Gada¡ªa bronze club mace. Scattered around his feet were the decapitated heads of five men.


    "Orion." Zoe said. "That''s the same guy who''s in all the paintings in the lobby of our dorm. He''s the head administrator for this colony, as well as the others. Effectively, our king."


    "He looks strong," Ivy observed, looking at the plaque at the base of the statue, reading, ''The five I slay.''


    "Yea, the statue there is showing how he became the leader here."


    "He killed the old Hounds?" Ivy guessed.


    "The story is that long ago, before Orion was our king, Crater was controlled by corrupted oligarchs, bad-faith actors, carpetbaggers, false capitalists, and degenerates who would profit from its economic collapsed¡ªthe sin of usury isn''t tolerated here. Back then, the colony was run completely differently. One day, he comes for them, wielding the Gada and kills every single one of them, then decapitates and lays them by his feet."


    "Wow," Ivy''s eyes glimmered with awe at the story.


    "Yeah, he made a group of five called the Hounds, which were his right-hand men; he chose them since they were the most powerful people in the village at that time. They still might be the strongest, but now strength isn''t the main thing that qualifies you. He used them to eliminate the rest that identified with the people who controlled Crater then. Within a few months, he changed Crater to what it is now. Then he expanded Crater, making it self-sufficient and then going to other continents, annexing, and making other colonies there."


    "How many colonies are there?"


    "Including Crater, there''s four," Zoe said between bites. "We''re in the one in America; there''s one in Australia, and two overseas. I think the one in Australia is called Outback."


    "There''s none in Zhang-Mei-Ge?"


    "No, the ZMG dynasty barely associates with the rest of the world."


    "Have you ever been to any?"


    "No, I''ve actually only left Crater twice in my life."


    "To do what?"


    "Honestly, I don''t remember exactly why my parents brought me out, but the last time was a couple of years ago. We sat in a circus tent, and at the end of the show, a magician came on stage. It was the first time I''ve ever seen anything like it. Calling people up to perform card tricks on them, and things like that. I was one of the ones they called up."


    Ivy turned to Zoe, a big grin across her face, bits of chocolate stuck in between a few of her teeth. "Well, today is going to be your third!"


    Zoe let out an exasperated sigh, "I don''t want to go to another creepy house."


    "We won''t be. We''re going to get an actual mission this time!"


    "How do you know?"


    "Alright! Two ideas! So you know the beast Colson was talking about. Let''s go see it!" Ivy said.


    "You realize that they won''t just let us see it, right?"


    "Why not? Plus, I know where it is!"


    "Several reasons; one: It''s a dangerous animal. Two: it''s a dangerous animal that they don''t want kids around. Three-"


    "I get the point!" They stood in silence for a few seconds.


    "Okay, I''ll bite. How do you even know where it is?"


    "Someone told me."


    "Okay¡­where is it, and who told you?"


    Ivy gave Zoe an odd look, "How do you not know where it is? Everyone is talking about it."


    "I never heard about it, I guess."


    "Do you just not talk to people besides me and Colson?"


    "No, Ivy, clearly I don''t. Can you just tell me?"


    "Everyone''s saying it''s in the stables by the corral. I bet it looks wicked!" A mischievous grin crossed Ivy''s face.


    Noticing Ivy''s smile, Zoe asked, "what?"


    "Oh, it''s nothing," Ivy said quickly, her smile growing even more.


    "Ivy!"


    "I''m just saying that we should, like, go mess with it."


    "Is this why you wanted to see Colson? So you could mess with a dangerous animal."


    "Yea," Ivy monotoned.


    "Ivy, I''m sorry, but that''s just dumb. How is that gonna get us a mission?"


    "It''s not. Just something fun I wanted to do."


    "What''s your other idea?"


    Several minutes later, the trio stood in front of the mission board. A splintery thing; lots of flyers and nails stuck to it.


    "I told you, girl, nothing over here is gonna be worth much," Colson said.


    Ivy clicked her tongue deep in thought, eventually asking, "Is this the only place where missions are? Who puts these here?"


    "Well," said Zoe, "They''re sent to Neph, who''s the ''manager'' of the colony, and he approves them and puts them up here."


    "Idea number two!" Ivy shouted as she turned towards Neph''s cabin. "We go in there and camp there, so we''ll be the first ones to get one."


    "Ivy," Colson said with a slight laugh, "that''s not how that works."


    "Why?"


    "Do you listen? Like she just said-"


    "You guys are really going to give up that easily? Come on, pleeeeease?"


    After more prodding, the two relented and followed her to Neph''s cabin. Knocking on the door, they heard no answer; it was not surprising considering the lights were off and the usual jazz music playing had been turned off.


    Trying the doorknob, it creaked open, and Ivy nonchalantly walked inside, yelling, "Hey Neph! I wanna ask you something!"


    Zoe and Colson''s jaws dropped. "What are you doing?" Colson looked around, but no one seemed to notice. "You can''t just walk inside someone''s house without permission! Especially Neph''s!"


    Reappearing back at the doorway with a puzzled look on her face, "Why?"


    Zoe shook her head, "we really shouldn''t have to explain that to you."


    "Okay," Ivy said with a shrug and walked back into the house.


    Colson cursed, "that girl is gonna be the end of us, I swear." He looked at Zoe, whose face had broken into a cold sweat, and she started fidgeting with a couple of cards in her hands. "Alright. I''ll go in, you stand watch if anyone asks, just say...uh, I dunno, just think of something." He jogged in after Ivy.


    "Ta-da!" Ivy yelled, almost making him jump out of his skin.


    "You tryna give me a heart attack or something?" He hunched over, putting his hands on his knees. He had just rounded the corner of the doorway and came face to face with the shadowy figure of Ivy; the only thing visible had been her bright white teeth and her eyes.


    Stepping into the light, she held out two stacks of paper, "these were the coolest ones I saw." Walking out the door, she saw Zoe''s relieved face, which lit up with surprise at seeing the two stacks in her hands.


    Once Colson made it outside, they walked to a nearby tree to get some shade; that''s when Ivy explained the two mission choices.


    "Alright, the coolest quest," she cleared her throat loudly for dramatic effect, "there''s a terrorist cell in the middle east who-"


    "NO!" Zoe and Colson yelled in unison.


    "Okay then," she set aside the papers, "This is only a rank-c, but it''s a welfare call to a farming village on California Island called Cassius. I guess Crater gets a lot of its food from there? We just need to go down there, figure out what the issue is and come back and report it, easy!"


    Colson took the stack from Ivy and read it over, "hmm, seems simple. We just need to go there and come back."


    Zoe looked back and forth at the both of them, "Guys! We still can''t actually accept the mission! It needs to be approved for us by Neph, which he won''t do."


    "Zoe does have a point," Colson mumbled while looking wistfully at the papers in front of him.


    "Why won''t he?" Ivy had an incredulous look on her face.


    "Well, for starters," said Zoe, "you just got here less than a month ago; he''s not gonna send you out on a mission. Another thing, we have no way of getting there. Thirdly, I''m twelve years old; he''s not going to let me go across country."


    "Huh," Ivy said with disappointment.


    "Ivy, I''m just being realistic; I''ve been wanting to do a mission like this for years now; it just isn''t that easy."


    Picking up and looking over the papers again, Ivy noticed something, "I think he already signed it."


    "What?" Zoe leaned over and looked at the paper, not believing what she saw. On the dotted line at the bottom was his signature.


    "Yea, so we just need to put our Crater ID numbers in and give this to the quest master, and she''ll let us go, right?"


    Colson''s face broke out in a big smile, "I knew something about your arrival was special!"


    "Well...yeah," Zoe sounded unsure, "but we can''t just¡­lie about it."


    "It isn''t lying!" Ivy said, "If we don''t do this, who knows if we''ll get another chance. I thought you wanted to become a double-star. This is how we''ll do it."


    "I do, but¡­."


    Ivy leaned in, looking deep into Zoe''s eyes. "We can''t do this without you."


    "Uh," Zoe''s eyes shifted away.


    "I hate to say it, but she is right, Zoe. This is probably going to be our only chance to get a mission anytime soon. Especially after the whole house incident."


    "One of us!" Ivy chanted.


    "One of us!" Colson followed.


    "Yelling isn''t going to-"


    "One of us!"


    "One of us!"


    "One of-"


    "Okay, fine!" Zoe snapped, "but if we get in trouble, I''m telling them you guys kidnapped me."


    Ivy grinned, "this is gonna be so cool!"


    Zoe tried to hide it, but Ivy''s infectious smile got to her.


    "Hey, when do we leave?" Colson asked.


    Ivy leafed through the pages until she reached the last one, "early tomorrow morning!"


    ''They never said how this isn''t considered lying¡­''

 Chapter 10.

    499 Cade lane. The house was on the far east side of Crater''s residential; it was fancier than Ivy expected. Above the thick wooden door was an interstice of several spiderwebs spanning from the wall to the marble columns, which caught the attention of Zoe. They glistened yellow in the early morning sunrise.


    It seemed to be the only house made of brick and marble in the eastern district, as almost all the brick houses were in the north. The eastern houses were usually smaller angular gothic-style wooden houses.


    Many tall shaded windows faced the cobblestone street the trio stood on. The placard on the door read, "NO SOLICITING!" in all capital letters.


    Zoe typed in the four-digit code on the metal gate. They walked down the winding stone path that led through the well-manicured garden. Four tall statues were on either side of the marble steps attached to the front porch. The two on the left side: A tall man with short hair, wearing a suit, and a woman who sat elegantly on a stone chair¡ªserious, but with a twinkle of humor in its eyes. On the right side was a girl with a bright smiling face and long, flowing hair. Sitting at the statue''s feet, a large shaggy dog, its mouth hung open in a goofy smile.


    "Wait, is that you?" Ivy grinned, pointing to the statue on the right. Walking over to examine it, looking back and forth from Zoe to the statue.


    Zoe let out a long sigh, "yea," she mumbled, trying not to look at it.


    "Geez, that''s so cool!" Ivy laughed.


    "It''s embarrassing."


    "Sheesh, I forgot how crazy your house was," said Colson as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.


    "It''s not that big," Zoe said sheepishly; she took a deep breath and knocked on the door before opening it and walking inside, Ivy and Colson following her.


    "Wow," Ivy said.


    A large crystal chandelier hung down from the ceiling right outside the foyer. Two mirroring staircases went from each side of the room to the second floor, between that a long hallway that stretched to a lavish courtyard. Beyond the courtyard, the expansive backyard of the residence unfolded, commanding a breathtaking view of the ocean.


    "Can you guys take your shoes off?" Zoe said while slipping out of hers, and tossing them to the side of the foyer.


    "We don''t want to scuff their immaculate white wooden floors," Colson''s words dripped with sarcasm, looking at the floors which were covered in claw marks and fur from the two massive dogs they had.


    They tossed their shoes off, put their backpacks next to them, and followed Zoe to the back of the house to a kitchen with large windows and a glass door that overlooked a backyard, which was attached to an indoor swimming pool.


    As they walked closer to the kitchen, the sound of sizzling bacon and the smell of warm pancakes got more potent in every room they went through until they walked through the kitchen doorway.


    A loud bark rang out as the heavy sound of galloping came rushing toward them. The giant beast stood on its hind legs; it was a head taller than her; it panted as it put its paws on Zoe''s shoulders and started licking her face with fervor.


    "Eugh!" Zoe grunted as she attempted to push the shaggy white dog down.


    "No, ma''am! Down, girl!" A woman''s voice yelled from across the room. She was barely taller than Colson, with blonde hair, a bright face, and a cooking apron around her waist; under that were blue basketball shorts and a black t-shirt. "Canary''s excited! It''s been¡­wow, she hasn''t seen you in months." She smiled and put down the spatula she was holding. She walked over to the trio and gave them all a big group hug.


    "Hey, mom," Zoe grumbled awkwardly as she was getting squeezed to death.


    Ivy''s mouth was watering as her eyes glazed over the stacks of waffles, pancakes, and bacon on the quartz countertop.


    Stepping back, her mom looked the group up and down, smiled, and hugged Zoe once more; Colson smirked while looking at Zoe, who had a forced grin plastered across her face.


    "Wow! You''ve grown so much; I remember when you were just up to here," she gestured to a place a bit above her stomach. She turned to Ivy, "now I don''t know you,"


    Ivy introduced herself, and Zoe''s mom hugged her again. She turned to Colson and greeted him; they did a secret handshake. She turned back to the stove and stirred some eggs in a pan. On the wall looking down on her, existed a massive replica of the painting, ''The Lovers.'' "Anyways, Zoe, your father should be down soon, and I''ll serve breakfast then; you all should sit and have breakfast with us; you really should. He has a busy day ahead of him; I guess you both have busy days today, huh? We really are proud of you, Zoe. I know how much you wanted a mission. Anyways, how long have you known Ivy?"


    "A few weeks, as she only got here recently," said Zoe as they all sat down at the table.


    Her mom''s smile fell, her face turned pale, and she glanced toward Ivy, who still stared at the food on the counter. "Only got here recently¡­." She repeated the words as if she was caught in a trance.


    "Mother?" Zoe said with a puzzled look on her face.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "Oh!" Her mother looked around nervously for a second; quietly, she said to herself, "Now, where did I put that spatula.."


    The trio shared confused looks and shrugged.


    Heavy footsteps came down the stairs above their heads. Her mom took a quick breath, and her smile and color returned to her face. She leaned out of the Kitchen door and yelled, "Breakfast is ready, dear! Zoe and her friends have decided to join us!"


    "I''ll be right down!" A deep voice called back.


    She looked back at the trio; Ivy was staring, wide-eyed, at the stacks of pancakes and waffles, and Zoe and Colson were absently chatting. Zoe''s mother looked like she wanted to say something, but thought better of it and turned around. ''I''m going to have to tell Joel! He needs to know!'' She thought as she finished scrambling the last egg.


    A few minutes later, a tall man with combed black hair and a blue suit walked into the room. His intense eyes scanned the trio at the table with a fastidious look. A second later, his face broke into a small smile, "Welcome to our humble abode," his voice so boisterous that it caused Canary to yelp. He sat down at the seat across from the trio facing the window.


    "Breakfast is ready!" Zoe''s mom said with alacrity, as she balanced several plates in her hands, placing them in the middle of the table. "So this girl here," she pointed at Ivy, "she''s actually new to the colony. Isn''t that great!" Her smile still remained, but her eyes were wide and staring intently into Joel''s. ''I hope you pick up what I''m putting down.'' She thought.


    ''Yea, I read you loud and clear,'' thought Joel, as he looked Ivy up and down as She was shoving a syrup-soaked waffle into her mouth, blissfully unaware. ''Based on her physiognomy, the girl seems innocent enough, quite immature, but I should talk to Neph, sooner rather than later. As she is now, I doubt she''d be a danger to anyone who is a triple-star colonist or above. But why did Neph sign off on a mission like this? It''s not too terribly dangerous, but it is worrisome how the farm hasn''t responded to any of our messages sent. Especially that one in particular¡­.''


    They continued eating as Zoe''s mother brought out more and more plates of cooked food, glancing at Zoe, who had barely touched her breakfast and only poking at it with her fork, "you know, Zoe," she said, setting the platters down on the table "you should really eat something; you can''t really spare the calories."


    "Mother," she grumbled. "I don''t eat this kind of food."


    "Oh, that''s right. Sorry, I honestly completely forgot. But you should eat something," she pleaded.


    "Maybe," Zoe mumbled, stabbing the fork into one of the pancakes.


    "What did Neph say when he signed off for you guys?" Joel asked, his wife pausing and quickly glancing back at the table before going back to grab the last plate of food.


    "He didn''t say much," Colson said between bites. "Right, guys?"


    "You betcha!" Ivy said in a guileless tone.


    Zoe half-heartedly nodded as her eyes shifted downwards, avoiding her father''s stare.


    "We do have some meeting with a quest master in a bit as well."


    Joel could always tell when his daughter wasn''t being entirely honest. "Oh, usually, he wouldn''t give the ''ok'' for a mission like this to kids like you."


    "Like us?" Colson asked.


    "Well, you know," Joel''s tone was a light-hearted repartee, "only Zoe here has completed any missions; if I''m not mistaken, Colson, you''ve never actually completed a single quest before. And you, what''s your name again?"


    "Ivy."


    "Yea, Ivy," He said her name as if he were discussing a politician he didn''t like, "You just got here, so it''s a little odd that someone like Neph would say yes to you. Am I wrong?" He asked, looking towards Zoe; her head was low, and her hands started fidgeting with her necklace.


    "I guess," Ivy said with a shrug as she looked down at her empty plate, then stared hungrily at Joel''s breakfast, which was almost untouched.


    ''I can''t stop them because that''s against the colony''s bylaws; if they haven''t asked for help, or if their quest hasn''t become unmanageable, I can''t do anything to impede them. Only a vote via the five Hounds can do anything! At the moment I won''t be able to prove any foul play either. I''ll have to go to Neph immediately! As a Chief of staff, he will listen to me and put a stop to this,'' he thought as he got up from the table, glancing at the clock above one of the windows. "Anyway, I should get going. Good luck, you guys, and it was nice meeting you, Ivy." He hugged and kissed his wife goodbye and left.


    Zoe let out a sigh of relief, pushing her food to the middle of the table, barely eaten¡ªher stomach gurgling from her nerves. Ivy and Colson split the remaining food on Joel''s and Zoe''s plates.


    Zoe''s mom turned towards them, looking a little flustered, "so what time do you guys leave?"


    "Probably now," Zoe said.


    Once Ivy and Colson had finished, they all walked towards the front door, ready to leave. Zoe''s mom asked them if they had everything they needed, if they brought enough food, if their weapons were sharpened, and other motherly things.


    "Zoe, dear. Can I talk to you one moment?" Her mom said as Zoe was about to leave.


    "Okay, you guys can keep going," Zoe turned to face her mom, who was looking past her toward the two. "What?"


    "I just want you to be safe, okay."


    "Yea, I know, mom," she said impatiently.


    "I trust your judgment, but I just think you should be careful, okay?"


    "Mother-"


    "Just listen, your father is very protective of Crater and its citizens. This is our home. And if someone comes in and threatens it, they''re a threat to all of us. Do you understand?" Her smile was gone, replaced with a stern look that only a mother could give.


    "You know what the fortune says, don''t you? That''s why dad was acting so weird at breakfast! What did it say?"


    "Zoe...I don''t really think I''m at liberty to say¡­but this stays between us, okay?" She held out her pinky finger towards Zoe, "pinky swear?"


    "Alright," Zoe said as she held out her finger.


    "How much do you know about it?"


    "Almost nothing. I only know that it''s about a ''new girl that joins the colony.'' The tone of the fortune seems to suggest that something bad will happen, but I''ve heard other rumors saying the opposite."


    "Well, I don''t know much more than you do, but your father has told me bits and pieces of it. He shouldn''t even know about it himself, but people talk, I guess¡­" she paused, looking up at the slowly rising sun, seeing the rays shine over Carter''s walls. "How did you get the mission?" She asked, finally.


    "Well, we just kind of...found it," She had a guilty smile.


    "Oh," the disappointment in her mother''s voice was evident, "don''t let someone trick you into doing something you don''t want to do."


    "But I do want to do this! You know I''ve been trying forever!"


    "You don''t seem very thrilled," her mother noted.


    "This is my one opportunity; if I don''t take it, who knows when I''ll get another chance."


    "Is that what she told you?"


    Zoe''s silence was all her mother needed to hear.


    "Zoe, you''ve got to think about these things. Why people say the things they say."


    "Mom, I''m not an idiot."


    She smiled, "I know," she said, embracing her daughter once more, "I''m just worried." She pulled back, "Do you still have the necklace I gave you?"


    "Yea," Zoe said, taking it out from under her shirt. The orange four-leaf clover contrasted with the dark blue background of the small metal deck of cards.


    "Good, make sure to keep that close. Anyways," her smile returned, "you are dismissed."


    "Alright, well, see you later, mom!" Zoe jogged off towards Ivy and Colson, who were waiting for her in the distance.

 Chapter 11

    "So, what''d she want?" Colson asked, giving a curious look to Zoe.


    "Yea, she was just saying goodbye," Zoe said quickly.


    "Alright, then, let''s hurry up," he said, looking at Ivy, who had zoned out and stared into the distance.


    "First, the quest master."


    "Oh yea," Colson grumbled as he jammed his hands in his pockets and trudged forward.


    The quest master was a tall, serious-looking man; his suit was spotless, with not a single crease to be seen.


    His dark eyes studied them as they filed in through the door. The office was clean, almost to the point of sterile.


    "So," he started when they were paying attention. "According to this here, this will be your first time having an out-of-wall assignment. So it''s my job to brief you on what to expect and tell you what Crater''s expectations of you will be."


    "Okay," Ivy said.


    "Are you aware of the concept of community optics?"


    Colson and Ivy shook their heads.


    "When you are moving through the world, you are a representation of Crater and its people. We don''t want you to act like the people outside; we expect you to act better. Because you are better. We need you to be an example. This includes how you look and how you act."


    He explained the different travel methods and emergency numbers to call, specifying that the mission would be considered a failure if they were to contact them for emergency purposes. "For this, we''ve estimated that it will take a maximum of one week to complete. If we don''t hear from you in four weeks, we will consider it a catastrophic failure on your part."


    Before leaving, the quest master handed them a letter. General warnings and dangers to look out for beyond the walls of Crater. "Don''t embarrass us," was the last thing said before shutting and locking the door behind them.


    Outside, Colson ripped open the envelope, skimming it with his eyes, holding it out so everyone else could read it.


    "Certain groups of people, poisonous plants¡­"


    "Magic?" Ivy said inquisitively. Pointing to a line on the page.


    "Yeah," Colson assured, "Particularly insidious. You weren''t around when Crater taught this to us a year or so back. Things the outsiders use to control and influence others."


    "They taught you how to use it?"


    "No, they told us how to defend against it and what to watch out for."


    "They think they''ll try and trick us?"


    "Maybe," he shrugged, "It''ll be diff-occult to say the least," he smirked.


    "Alright, so I was researching this stuff last night..." Zoe took out a large map from her backpack, "The closest town is about forty miles west from the bottom of the mountain. Once we get there, there''s a train station that can get us to the coast of Montana. We can either take a taxi across the St.Peter''s bridge to Oregon and take another train to LA or take a ferry directly to Las Angeles. The money they gave us should be enough for tickets there and back."


    "Okay, so how do we get to the town?"


    "We can just run!" Ivy said.


    "Ehh, no," Colson said. His backpack was custom-made to hold the wooden sword called the bokken he had with him, which was customized to look like a hockey stick.


    "I ran all the way here; it wasn''t too bad of a run."


    "I just don''t wanna run that far. It''d be easier to get a taxi somewhere."


    Walking out of the front gates, Zoe took one last look at the cluster of houses, the dorms, the fields of wheat, and the forest in the distance.


    As they exited, Mason entered, carrying a large basket. "You guys are leaving?"


    "Yea," Ivy grinned, "going on an awesome mission!"


    "Cool, right on!" He high-fived Ivy, "well, good luck then," he smiled at Zoe; she glanced away¡ªher face was bright red as usual¡ªand shook Colson''s hand. He walked off back into the colony.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "What?" Zoe said, noticing Colson giving her a funny look that she couldn''t decipher.


    A large grin crossed his face, "nothing, it''s just funny."


    "Whatever," Zoe huffed and stomped ahead down the mountain.


    "I don''t get it. What''s funny?" Ivy looked back and forth from Colson, Zoe, and Mason, almost out of sight.


    Colson just shrugged and walked after Zoe.


    An hour later, they reached the bottom and found a road nearby. Finally getting a minivan to stop for them, Colson had made up a story about how they were on their way to his lacrosse game and somehow got lost and needed to get to the closest town. The man driving didn''t look very impressed, but he let the trio inside, stating that''s the town he was headed to, and if they tried any "funny business," he wouldn''t hesitate to leave them on the side of the road.


    They were dropped off at the edge of town, a mile from the train station. As the trio jogged to their destination, both Colson and Zoe looked around in awe. It was nothing they had ever seen before; the houses around them looked like they had come out of a dusty old-western movie. The town itself seemed to be more of a small neighborhood. A few people in rusty pickup trucks flew by, not stopping at any stop signs or the flickering street lights.


    Across the station was an abandoned grain mill.


    The train station was closer to a bus stop with rails. There was a bench and a small kiosk where an older woman sat reading something on her phone. She gave a suspicious look to the trio as they walked toward her.


    "Can I help y''all with somethin''?" Her voice was raspy as if she had chain-smoked one hundred cigarettes a day since she was five.


    "We''re going to California Island," Ivy said.


    "California, huh? I shouldn''t be surprised." She rummaged around in the tiny kiosk. After a minute, she produced a computer in the shape of a box. Blowing dust off the top of it and using a handkerchief to wipe the screen, the dim glow reflected onto her bifocal glasses.


    "What is that?"


    "You''re tellin'' me you''ve never seen a computer before?" She let out a laugh that sounded more like a wet hack. "Well, from here to California Island will be one hundred forty-seven dollars each."


    They each handed her their Colony ID cards, she looked at them skeptically, but they were accepted by the ancient card reading machine. "I should''ve known that y''all were Crater kids.


    "You''ll get on the next train here, and once you hit Bend, Oregon, you''ll transfer over to another train, and that train will take you straight to Las Angeles."


    "Thank you, miss!" Ivy said as they walked to sit on the bench.


    "You look like a serial killer in that picture," Colson noted, looking at Ivy''s ID card. "Like it''s a mugshot or something."


    Ivy laughed, "Yea, pretty cool, huh? That was the look I was going for."


    Zoe took out her deck of cards and started practicing with Colson; Ivy was restless and started doing cartwheels around the bench until she got so dizzy she fell. Zoe and Colson tried to see if she was okay, but they were too busy cracking up.


    "All that research just for us to be able to go directly to California Island," Zoe sighed.


    "Starting off with a bang, apparently."


    Eventually, Ivy bounced to her feet and looked down the track, "It''s coming."


    When it finally arrived, they piled into one of the cabins and found a place to sit. They found a room near the back of the train in the shape of a semicircle; the inside had an oversized white fluffy couch that matched the room''s form. In front of the sofa was a round table with a quartz center and smooth wood edges. From what they could tell, only a few other people were on the train.


    "Well," Zoe sighed, looking at the tickets, "We''ll arrive in Las Angeles in one day, six hours, and thirty minutes."


    Colson groaned and flopped face-first onto the couch, "We should''ve done the terrorist mission," he grumbled.


    A few hours in, Colson had fallen asleep in the same position he had flopped down on. Zoe was sitting near Ivy; she had a large science textbook on the table and was furiously writing in a notebook. Ivy had made it her mission to see how fast she could run from the front to the back of the train. After the third pass, she was yelled at by an annoyed attendant.


    The train arrived in a coastal town at the edge of Bend. Waking up both Zoe and Ivy, who had fallen asleep leaning against each other, the trio had made it out of the train just before the doors closed.


    The room was full of people, mostly in business suits and briefcases.


    "I''ve got a proposition," Zoe said, she''d practiced these words in her head for the past hour, prepping for all rebuttals. "I don''t want to be on another train, and I think we''d all want to be there as fast as possible¡ªthe train is too loud for me anyway. Would you be opposed to spending more CCs on getting there faster?"


    "Sure," Ivy shrugged.


    "Eh," Colson said, "I mean, by the way you''re phrasing this, it seems like it''s gonna be a lot."


    "It''s gonna be a bit, but we will get there twelve hours sooner. But I should say, we''ve got a little under ten minutes until the window is gone."


    Colson glanced behind her, seeing a massive screen displaying an ad for a ferry to California island. A large red countdown clock on the side said they had nine minutes and thirty seconds left until it departed. "Zoe waited to tell us. She knew that I''d have to make a split second decision, warping my thought process." He looked back to her, "Okay, how much is the ferry?"


    On the boat ride, Colson and Ivy got into a push-up competition that went on so long that Zoe lost count. Ivy tried to open the hatch to the roof to stand on top of the ferry, but Zoe was able to convince her otherwise; to Colson''s disappointment, Zoe had shown off some new card tricks to Ivy and attempted to help her with her homework.


    "Hey Ivy?" Zoe asked hesitantly.


    "Yea?"


    "Do you ever think about how we basically stole this mission from someone?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "Well, I was thinking, right. How the paper was already signed and whatnot. So that must''ve meant that Neph was going to give it to someone, and they just hadn''t signed it yet. But we stole it from them. They probably deserved it a lot more than us."


    Ivy shrugged, "Well, finders keepers, I guess."


    "Not always."


    They arrived at a port in Long Beach. The air was warm, and the sky was dark. A few stars speckled the black sky.


    Zoe let out a big yawn, looking at her watch, "eleven-thirty two. We either walk to Cassius and probably get there very early or sleep somewhere and go in the morning. I don''t really care which one we do."


    "An actual bed does sound nice¡­." Colson said wistfully, looking at the motels and apartments around them.

 Chapter 12

    "Swank," Zoe monotoned disappointedly, squinting at the cracked stucco. Behind the counter in the lobby was a tired-looking man in a uniform one size too small. Ivy knelt down and patted a young leashed Charcat; it rolled over on its back, inviting her to rub its tummy, purring when she did so. Its black tail swished back and forth as she petted it.


    Colson cleared his throat and approached the front desk; the teller stated they had but two rooms available, one a single bed and the other a two bed. A sly grin crossed Colson''s face; he leaned and, with a shallow voice, asked for the single bed, but Zoe interrupted, saying the double bed would be preferable.


    The teller smirked and peered over them at Ivy¡ªstill petting the animal, listening intently, lips slightly parted; the Charcat''s owner, an older man wearing sunglasses and a suit, was telling her all about the breed and how if she wanted one, there were many strays around the area, especially at night.


    Looking back at Ivy, peering over the two, the teller gathered that they seemed like good-natured kids, which erased all doubts.


    Neph''s office phone rang; he took a deep breath, knowing who it would be. He held up a hand to quiet the other three people in the room. After the third ring, he picked up.


    "Hello?" He said as calmly as possible.


    "Why the hell did you give her a mission?"


    "Aye, listen. It was a mistake on my part, and I take full responsibility for-"


    "This is why I said that we need to watch her. Now she''s off doing who-knows-what. Have you been able to get a hold of Orion?"


    "No, but I finally heard from his assistant. She said that he was on a voyage somewhere and wouldn''t be back for a long time. They wouldn''t say where he was going or why."


    Aye scoffed, "now that''s just great. Anyways, I heard there was some wild animal that got through the border and attacked. It''s interesting how something like that happens right when that girl appears, huh?"


    "Regrettably, we weren''t able to detect and stop it before the tragedy struck," Neph said, ignoring the last part. Aye noted the pain in his voice. "We have it in captivity, and we have called for the wildlife researchers; they should be here any day now. We have noticed changes in its biology." He trailed off, deep in thought.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    A long pause. "How''s my daughter doing?" Aye asked, more as a statement than a question. It had been so long since anyone spoke that Neph had almost forgotten he was still on the phone.


    "Reiza? She''s doing as could be expected. In fact, if I recall correctly, she and a friend of hers has a mission scheduled in a few weeks."


    After the call ended, Neph let out a long sigh, placing the phone back on its receiver. "So, how is she doing?" He asked.


    "Who?" Amelia responded, "Reiza? I dunno. I think she''s doing fine."


    "What''s your honest assessment of her development?"


    "Academic wise, I wouldn''t know. But she''s keeping out of trouble."


    Neph hummed vaguely in response.


    Silas spoke up, "She''s coasting. That''s the big ''what-if,'' what if Reiza actually applied herself?"


    Lubbock scooted forward in his chair, "So the new one is off on a mission?"


    "Apparently so," Neph said flatly.


    "You want me to get em''?" Amelia asked.


    "I don''t think that''d be necessary. I''m leaning towards letting those three complete it."


    Amelia scoffed, "Okay."


    Lubbock turned, giving Neph an odd look, "Really?"


    "Yes. The other two, Zoe and Colson, I think they''re ready for something like this. Now, if this were a highly ranked mission, I''d say ''pull the plug.'' I''m still of sound mind, of course."


    "I suppose you''re right." Lubbock grabbed a copy of the mission sheet off Neph''s desk, reading it over.


    "That boy, Colson, you were mentoring him, weren''t you?"


    "No, at one point, it was his brother and Mason, but I passed it off to Silas."


    "Oh," Neph looked to Silas, smiling, and asked, "And how long before they surpass you?"


    Silas just laughed until he realized from everyone''s expression that the question wasn''t a rhetorical one, "Uh, I dunno. Five¡­ten years, maybe?"


    "That long?" He looked genuinely disappointed.


    "Wha¡ªI''m not weak, ya know?"


    "Ten years¡­I''ll need to keep this job for another ten years." Lubbock looked tired as he ran his fingers through his quickly greying hair.


    "Hold on!" Amelia and Silas stood up, realizing what Lubbock was implying.


    "Whoa, whoa, whoa," she said, "You''re really thinking about quitting on me?"


    Silas looked at Lubbock, mouth agape, "It''s way too early to think about a successor. Especially them. They''re only, what? Fifteen at most! They''re basically kids!"


    "And kids grow up." He looked down at his hand, wrinkled and scarred. "If I were to quit or die tomorrow, who would be better than either of them to replace me? Honestly. Mason would be my first choice. Since you don''t want to do it," Lubbock looked at Silas, "There''s no one else I can think of."


    "Sad," Amelia said, "The kids these days are lacking. We should push the gifted ones a little more. We''d definitely have more options."


    "As the days go by, I find myself thinking about this more and more. Mason would be great for optics. At his age, already dawned with the mark of trinity. Charismatic, as well. He''d be great."

 Chapter 13. Tobi

    The trio walked into the motel room. There were two beds adjacent to each other and a flatscreen TV set on a dresser placed at the front of the room.


    Instinctively, Zoe looked behind the bathroom''s shower curtain, under both beds, and in the closet. "You hear stories about murderers hiding in hotel rooms waiting for people," She said while looking behind the thick curtains covering the window.


    "Yea?" Colson said, "Well, how about you stay up and make sure no one comes into this room and kills us, alright?"


    Zoe picked up the clock on the bed stand and set it for 3AM, "Is this a good time to wake up?"


    "I''m not even tired," Ivy said, pacing around the room, looking for the remote for the TV. Finally found it and plopped down in bed next to Zoe switching it on.


    Later that night, Colson and Zoe were fast asleep; Ivy sat on the edge of the bed. Since Zoe was a very light sleeper, she couldn''t have the television on either. Standing, then walking over to the other bed, looking down, she inquired if Colson was awake. He mumbled something about trains, tugged at his bedsheets, then rolled over into the dream world. Not wanting to bother Zoe, as she knew from experience, Zoe liked her unconsciousness undisturbed.


    "Well, I''ll be back in time," Ivy glanced at the clock. It read "1:55AM." Leaving the room, she walked down the stairs, through the empty lobby, and out the motel''s front door. She took a left and walked down the street.


    Ambulance sirens whirred in the distance. The hum of distant traffic, the occasional honk, and the squealing of tires. A synth bass vibrated the concrete as a lone car cruised past Ivy; the driver looked her up and down and sped off down a narrow alley. The black horizon glowed orange from the city lights, blotting out the stars in the sky.


    A quarter-mile down the road and the empty city seemed to come alive. The lights were bright, and the music was loud. Chatter from the long lines that stood in front of clubs drowned out the white noise of the city. A large group of girls wearing very little walked by; some gave Ivy queer looks as she stared, but most didn''t give her a second thought. Walking across a street, the crosswalk painted to resemble a rainbow. She followed the street signs that would lead her to the beach.


    Ivy spotted something that piqued her interest while walking onto the sidewalk next to the beachfront. Running, she weaved between a bike parade, where everyone''s bikes had bright neon lights attached. They cast multicolored shadows on the ground, causing a kaleidoscope effect.


    Making it past the gaggle of bicycles, her boots caused the sand to fly behind her as she ran onto the beach, quickly ducking under a tennis net and hopping over driftwood. The pier, its massive support beams slimy and covered in black barnacles from the high tide. A warm breeze came in from the ocean; the foamy white waves crumbled as they rose up the shore. There was another sound too¡­


    Ivy squatted down, extending her arms, so her palms saw the wooden planks high above her, the back of her hands touching the warm wet sand. She whistled two notes. It turned to look at her, its yellow eyes glowing in the shadows of the pier. She whistled again, inviting it over, avoiding eye contact to seem more open to the fluffy creature.


    "Here, Charcat, come here," she cooed. It slowly shuffled out of the shadows into the dull light between the wooden slats on the pier above. Its fluffy orange-spotted fur rubbed against her arm. It was clearly a baby, as it couldn''t have been more than a year old, evident by its size and fur patterns. It had sly cat-like features but the body of a bear cub. The species were known to be over six feet tall when fully grown, and if not domesticated early, they would be very aggressive.


    "Hmm, your mom should be close by. I hope you weren''t in some kinda accident," Ivy said, looking around the beach; it was too dark to tell, but since the animals weren''t known for their stealth, she figured it would be easy to find.


    Mother Charcats will adopt orphaned Charcats and treat them as one of their own. The females can be identified based on a variety of things: height, as they are shorter than the males. Claw length¡ªtheir claws are longer, and fur length, as they tend to have a shaggy look to them compared to the male''s fur, which is short and sleek.


    Delicately picking it up into her arms, it clawed and bit at her; despite its playful intent, the claws still dug deep into Ivy''s biceps, making her wince. Even as cubs, they weigh a significant amount, around eighty pounds on average. Eventually, the baby wriggled out of her arms and plopped onto the ground, landing on its butt. Standing on its hind legs, it tried to let out a roar, but it came out like a light "mew" sound. It sauntered after Ivy as she walked down the beach.


    "If I was a mother, Charcat, where would I be?" Ivy thought aloud as she walked with a childish gait down the coastline. Her new friend was more preoccupied with her bouncing shoelaces as it had a fixation with trying to murder them, continuously pouncing on them every few seconds. "If we can''t find ''er, you might have to come back to Crater with me."


    After walking a mile down the beach, a black metal glint caught her eye. Curious, she walked over to the big blue fence attached to a white metal sign with a stencil drawing of a man lifting weights.


    Hopping over a blue fence and onto a foam floor. It was a small outside weight-lifting gym. Empty except for a lone boy who eyed her and the animal with a wary look. He was sitting on the end of a padded bench in the middle of exercising, two dumbbells in each hand. Fifteen years old, tall and muscular, with dark skin. He wore grey sweatpants and a workout shirt with a local high school logo.


    Ivy smiled and waved at him; he nodded back at her and continued his exercise.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    A warm breeze came in with the tide; the waves slapping against the beach was a light background noise compared to the buzz of the crowd as they marveled at the multicolored bikes that sent neon shadows across the beach.


    She walked to the barbell weight rack, studying each bar; she finally found the heaviest one; it was a little under 200 lbs. She picked it up with ease, twirling it around for a few seconds, before turning to the boy who she caught giving her a side-eyed look.


    "Say, have you seen a mother Charcat around?"


    The boy thought for a minute, "Hmm, maybe? I saw some big animal running around over there," he pointed down the beach, "maybe about forty-five minutes ago. Why? Is that thing lost?" he asked, nodding at the animal that had attached itself to Ivy''s boot, trying to bite through the thick leather.


    Ivy pointed over her shoulder towards the pier, "Yea, I saw the guy under there, looked sad and lost. Well," she said, looking at the animal who was still trying to sink its teeth into her toes, "hmm, I think I''ll call you¡­ Tuck-Tuck." She patted it on its head, feeling two small lumps where horns would eventually grow.


    The boy snorted a laugh, "Tuck-Tuck the bear-cat?"


    "I dunno, first thing that came to mind," she said with a shrug.


    "I like it," he said. ''I should probably go with her; a girl that young shouldn''t be walking around at night all alone. Most people probably wouldn''t mess with her when she has an animal like that following her, but still¡­.'' he thought as he rose to his feet, placing the weights back on the rack. "Here, I''ll show you where I saw it going."


    "Alright, cool!" Ivy said with a grin.


    "Do you know anything about a farming town or village around here called Cassius?" Ivy said as they started walking down the beach.


    He thought for a minute, "Cassius...Cassius. Cassius the farming village? In Las Angeles? Nah, I don''t think so. Why do you ask?"


    "I''m supposed to be there in say...a few hours; I just didn''t know anything about it. I thought you would since you live here."


    "Are you a farmer?"


    "No."


    "Oh, well, I''ve never heard of it. By the way, what''s your name?"


    Ivy introduced herself; the boy said his name was ''Tobi.''


    They walked in silence for a bit, and suddenly Ivy looked around quickly, leaning in with a serious expression, her wide eyes staring into his¡ªunblinking, "You wanna know a secret?"


    Tobi gave her a suspicious look, "Uhh...sure?"


    "I''m actually on a secret mission. I''m like a detective, going to investigate a place."


    "Riiiight," he said, glancing around awkwardly, instantly regretting his decision to walk with her. "That''s why you wanted to know about the farm?"


    "Mhm," Ivy nodded, "I was told not to tell anyone, so you can''t say anything, alright?"


    "So then, why''d you tell me?" Tobi laughed.


    "I dunno." Ivy''s lips parted in a foolish yet endearing smile, "you''re gonna think I''m crazy..."


    "I already do, but go on."


    "It''s a mission from Crater."


    Tobi thought for a moment, "isn''t that some mountain cult?"


    Ivy told him about Crater and why she was asking about it. The whole time the boy listened intently, not saying a word. When Ivy finished the story, he stopped walking and thought about it for a bit. After what seemed like an eternity, he spoke.


    "So, ''Crater,'' it''s a secret society?"


    Ivy clicked her tongue in thought, "Uhh, I don''t think so. My friend, Colson told me that it''s not exactly top secret, but they ''keep it lowkey.''"


    "So, it''s like: if you know, you know?"


    "Pretty much."


    They kept walking. Eventually, Ivy got bored and started doing cartwheels along the ocean''s edge; Barb, the Charcat, tried mimicking her as it followed behind them.


    "So then, why are you out here now? It''s kind of odd for someone like you to be wandering around outside at midnight. Shouldn''t you be preparing for your secret mission?" He asked with a slight hint of sarcasm.


    "The hotel was pretty boring, and I couldn''t sleep, so I wanted to walk around and...Say, is it not weird for you to be out here?"


    "Not at all. I gotta work hard to be the starting QB varsity team captain this season!" He said proudly, puffing out his chest. "I''m gonna get a full-ride scholarship and get rich!" A big grin crossed his face when he said those last words.


    "I don''t know what any of that means."


    "Have you never heard of highschool football? Well, anyways, let me tell ya something, Ivy. If you make a lot of money, you can do whatever you want! You can go anywhere, get anything¡­hell, some people''d say that it''d make you a better person. And you can take that to the bank."


    "A lot of that stuff, I can do through Crater."


    "Well, I''m not there, am I?"


    They continued walking down the beach; since the tide had long since washed away the footprints of the mother Charcat that Tobi had seen, most in their situation would claim their efforts futile. But they kept walking until the beach''s path turned them back into the city. Being fastidious in her search, Ivy checked every interstice, alley, and backyard they passed.


    "Ivy, I''m going to be real with you," Tobi started, "we probably aren''t going to find her. Since the bear-cat or Charcat is pretty young, the chances of survival, especially out here, are slim. It will have no mother and thus will be aggressive towards humans if it grows older and will be put down."


    "Really?" She sounded almost heartbroken.


    "I''m just being honest. Not much we can do."


    Ivy was silent for a moment, staring at the sky as she walked; the heavy moon, full and yellow, hung in the sky. Finally stopping and crouching down to pet Tuck-Tuck, it rolled onto its back, grabbing at her fingers, making its "mew" sounds.


    Her cheeks looked wet, the flashing green and blue neon light of a sign reflecting in her watery eyes, "I can''t just leave it on its own. I was wanting to bring it back with me, but I just didn''t want it to feel abandoned, ya know?"


    Tobi stood there awkwardly, not sure what to say; he thought, ''She''s right, I don''t want to... wait-'' He cleared his throat, "We can keep searching for a bit more, but if we don''t find its mother, I can take it."


    Ivy''s eyes lit up with her bright smile, "you''d do that?"


    "Well, my sister has been obsessed with these things forever, always bugging my mom to buy her one. She''s a responsible pet owner and can take care of it until it outgrows us, and we can let it free somewhere."


    "Yeah, that''d be cool! But wait," her smile faded, "what if your parents say no?"


    "Ah, don''t worry ''bout it," said Tobi, a sly smile on his face, "my mom can''t resist a bear-cat as cute as this thing!" He looked down at Tuck, still on its back, the moon reflecting in its large yellow eyes. "As long as it doesn''t destroy anything, she''ll probably love it."


    Ivy looked into a store window; it looked like someone had thrown water balloons filled with bright-colored paint all over the walls and floors. A large decal of "Frozen Yogurt" was over the counter. On the wall, "2:57AM" read the giant clock with the cartoon face.


    "Oh, jeez!" She said, looking around frantically. "I''m going to be late!" She located a street sign, turning to Tobi, who gave her a confused look. "Keep good care of Tuck-Tuck for me! See ya around!" She turned and sprinted off down the street.


    She ran for a few blocks, then turned a corner leaving Tobi''s sight. ''Wow,'' was all he could think. He looked down at Tuck; it stood on its hind legs, its eyes shifting from the direction Ivy ran to Tobi. Even though it was an animal, Tobi could clearly see confusion written on its face.


    "Well, Tuck-Tuck, let''s go home, little dude." Both Tuck and Tobi walked into the city, disappearing under the starless sky.

 Chapter 14.

    Zoe sat up quickly. The alarm clock on the side table rattled and wailed, a god-awful noise. In the other bed, Colson grabbed his pillow and pulled it over his head to block out the noise.


    ''I never want to hear something like that for as long as I live,'' she thought as she sat on the edge of her bed, her heartbeat sounding like thunder in her chest. ''How Ivy was able to sleep through that is a total mystery to¡­'' Her thoughts melted; she had turned around, the bed perfectly made on the right side of the bed. She had never seen Ivy make her bed once in the month she''d known her.


    "Colson¡­"


    Usually, Colson would roll over and try to go back to sleep, but the urgency in Zoe''s voice made him sit up, "yeah, what''s up?" He yawned and rubbed his eyes.


    "Ivy is..." She pointed at Ivy''s side of the bed, not a single wrinkle in the sheets.


    It took a few seconds for Colson to realize what she was saying. He walked over to the bathroom, the door was ajar, and the room was lightless. He flicked the light switch and looked inside. ''Empty.¡­''


    Zoe opened the closet and looked under both beds; at the same time, Colson walked back from the bathroom.


    "Do you think she might have...done something?" He asked, suspicion filling his tone.


    "No! She wouldn''t do anything like that!", ''I need to stay calm and not worry about every little thing.'' She took a deep breath, trying hard not to freak out.


    Her facial expression said otherwise as Colson said, "Zoe...are you¡­."


    "I''m sorry, just... Just don''t say anything like that again, alright?" She walked to the door, opened it, and looked both ways down the empty hallway. ''I knew we shouldn''t have done this! I knew something bad was going to happen.''


    "Hey, just sit on the bed, alright? I''ll check the hotel; maybe the girl got lost or something. Everything''s going to be cool," he said with a calming voice.


    She took a few deep breaths. "I''m fine. We just need to think, where could she have gone, and why."


    "Do you think she just went ahead without us?"


    Zoe checked her bag; the map was still inside. Untouched. "No, there''s no way she would memorize the-"


    The door slammed open, and Ivy sprinted into the room. Sweat dripped from her face, and she was breathing hard. She was hunched over with her hands on her knees, a small laugh came from her, "man, I think that''s the fastest I''ve run in my life!"


    "What were you doing?" Colson cried.


    Zoe was staring at her incredulously, "Ivy¡­"


    "No-no-no, listen, so I was outside, just walking around, I found this abandoned Charcat right, then I met this guy-"


    Colson raised an eyebrow, "Oh, you met a guy. I see what you were doing," he said, looking at Zoe.


    "Yea, you get it. But then I realized that it was late...or maybe early...anyways, I''m here now." She said through deep breaths.


    Colson looked to Zoe and burst out laughing. Zoe stared blankly ahead, looking exhausted.


    "I don''t get it," Zoe said. "Can we go now?"


    "Let''s," Colson said as he shook his head.


    They sat on the stairs outside the hotel, Ivy wearing the same white jacket, black boots, and white camo shorts. Zoe wore the same long t-shirt that reached her knees and dirty red tennis shoes. Colson wore a black long sleeve shirt with grey sweatpants. They had asked the person at the front desk to call them a cab and were awaiting its arrival.


    "It should''ve been here by now!" Colson paced back and forth, stomping as he did so. "But noooo, she had to talk to a ''guy,'' now we have to wait!" He continued grumbling as he walked up and down the stairs.


    "It hasn''t been that long," Ivy said, grinning, watching Zoe springing cards from one hand to the other. "Besides, uhh, Cato said that ''patience is a virtue,'' right?"


    "See? I told you if you studied, you''d actually learn something," Zoe said, a proud look on her face.


    "We shouldn''t be in a hurry. We should just have fun with the game, ya know?"


    "Ivy, you realize I didn''t do this for fun, right?"


    "Really?"


    Colson sighed and sat down on the step below them, "The girl''s right. We should''ve run. Probably would''ve made it there faster," he grumbled.


    "Yea, because running is definitely faster than a car," Zoe mumbled.


    A few minutes later, a faded yellow cab screeched to a halt in front of them. The driver got out, bumping his head on the car''s ceiling as he did so. His short, portly frame barely squeezed out of the vehicle.


    He yawned loudly, "So, you''re the kids I''m picking up?" His voice was low and gravelly.


    "Yup!" Ivy said, bouncing down the stairs and opening the back door.


    "Umm," he scowled, looking at them, "you gots the money to pay for it?"


    "Right here, sir!" Ivy pulled out her colony ID from her pocket.


    He sighed, "Alright then, get in."


    The inside of the cab was cramped and dirty. There was a cracked TV screen on the back of the front seat.


    Zoe sat in the front seat, map open, giving the driver instructions. Even with an extra space between them, Ivy and Colson felt like the cab was too small.


    It didn''t take long to get out of the city and into the country; massive trees surrounded the road, making a wooden tunnel.


    "This is the place," said Zoe as she folded the map to put in her bag.


    The cab driver looked around; nothing but rolling hills and wheat fields surrounded them. They had pulled off to the side of the road; the concrete was cracked with flowers and weeds protruding from the fissures. There was a strong possibility that it had been months since the road had seen any cars.


    "You sure, little lady?"


    "Yea, we know what we''re doing," Colson said as Zoe stepped out of the car. Looking at her watch, reading, "five-thirty, we made good time."


    All three stood and watched as the cab did a u-turn and rattled back the way they came.


    "Man, that car sucked!" Colson said as he bent down, stretching his legs. "Also, is it that hard to get air fresheners in there? There should be some law to make that mandatory in all cabs."


    Ivy looked around, "This is the farm village?"


    "No," Zoe said, pointing to the left, "It''s actually about three miles that way. But I don''t think we should bring attention to ourselves just yet. If we run, we can get there quickly and deal with this whole thing."Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    They followed the tire tracks of what looked to be a truck that had driven through the wheat field. They ran up and down the many hills, listening to the birds around them start their morning calls, and the mist lifted as the sun slowly rose in the red sky.


    "Say, Zoe, remember when I told you about Reiza?"


    "Yes, what about her?"


    "When she hit me, she had the blue light around her and said that if I do the same thing to her, I''ll belong there."


    Zoe was silent.


    Ivy clicked her tongue in thought, ducking under a massive strand of wheat, "Is it because of the fortune that no one there likes me?"


    "Ivy¡­"


    Colson spoke up, "I heard from my brother that Neph is the reason the higher-ups haven''t killed you yet¡­ Sorry, that was out of pocket."


    "It''s okay," Ivy said, "I''ll just need to prove myself is all. Getting a star for completing a contract is a good start, right?"


    They sprinted over a large hill; the closer they were to Cassius, the more the plants and animal life changed around them. The wheat fields turned into large spreads of tropical fruits and flowers. On top of the hill was a rickety wooden sign, the word "Cassius" splattered in bright yellow paint on the dark wood. Beneath them in the valley were the vast fields of vegetables and fruit. Behind that, a sprawling village and woodland of trees, mostly oak. To its right, a hill so big it could almost be mistaken for a mountain. On that hill, a waterfall turned into a river that bisected the village; two red bridges spanned the gap between the two sides.


    "Sheesh," Colson admired; he held his hands in front of him, his thumbs and index fingers extended. He closed one eye as if he were looking through a viewfinder. He took several steps back; through his fingers, he saw Zoe and Ivy on either side of the sign; behind them was the massive, sprawling village of Cassius.


    "Looks man-made," Zoe noted, looking off at the hill.


    "I need to pee," Colson said, looking around.


    "Well, then we better hurry," Zoe said, walking down the hill into the valley, Ivy carelessly sprinting after.


    "Wait!" Colson said, sticking his arm out in front of Zoe and Ivy, blocking their path, stopping so suddenly that Zoe almost ran into Ivy. He pointed a bit to their right, a nearby bush¡ªvery dense and tall.


    Zoe gave him an odd look, "You don''t want us to watch you, right? Cassius is just down¡ª"


    "What the¡ªno! That''s not¡ªjust hush, alright. Look there," Colson said, pointing to the base of the plant.


    Zoe squinted, seeing two shadows from underneath it. Realizing what they were, she took a step back, reaching for one of her knives. Ivy stood beside her, the knuckle dusters already in hand. "That could just be one of the residents, right?"


    "I don''t think so," Colson said, slowly circling the bush, drawing his bokken. He gestured for both of them to rotate the opposite way¡ªto the right. Ivy sprinted forward, rounding the corner. Colson cursed under his breath, "I meant for you to circle it slowly!" He bounded forward, pointing his sword forward.


    Behind the bush sat two people. Colson noted how they probably weren''t much older than he was. One wore a deep green hoodie with jeans and rain boots, while the other wore sweatpants and a leather jacket¡ªcompletely shirtless underneath, tattoos littered his slim torso. The boy in the coat pointed a large hunting knife directly at Ivy. The other boy carried a baseball bat with jagged nails sticking from it.


    "Tsk Tsk Tsk," the boy in the jacket said, getting to his feet, walking over to Ivy; noticing Zoe, who stood behind her. His eyes transfixed on Zoe''s wrist, her colorful watch gleamed in the sunlight. His gaze shifted up into her eyes, the sharp blue eyes nervously staring back at him from behind her hair. The boy''s face split open into a friendly smile, and he lowered his knife. The kid in the hoodie looked back and mirrored his friend.


    "Hey," the boy in the hoodie said, "sorry for the misunderstanding there, buddy. We thought you were going to attack us or something." He lowered his bat and put an arm around Colson, which caught him off-guard. He was the same height as Colson but didn''t weigh as much.


    Zoe''s eyes stayed unblinking, observing them carefully. ''I don''t trust them at all.''


    Colson lifted the boy''s arm, moving out from under it. "Whatever," he said, an annoyed look on his face.


    "Before we go, I gotta ask, have you guys know anything about a ring?"


    "What are you talking about?" Colson asked.


    "You know, it''s called angel-something or other."


    "We just got here, dude."


    "Oh, you did?" The one in leather asked. "From where?"


    Ivy opened her mouth to answer, but Zoe grabbed her hand, shaking her head. She looked to Colson, hoping her expression communicated her thoughts. ''These questions may be just normal small talk, but the way they''re asking the questions¡­In this world, there are no real coincidences. They now know we aren''t from here, and they can most likely correctly assume that we know nothing about where we are either. If I had to guess, the ring they''re referring to is probably well-known to the people of Cassius. Simple strategy would dictate that we should make our move now. I doubt they''d expect it.''


    The boy looked over to Ivy and Zoe again, "By the way¡ª" he was cut off by the quick movement of Colson. He whirled around the kid with the baseball bat, going for the one that was a higher threat. Ivy, seeing what was happening, moved in the opposite direction. She swung as hard as she could with her brass knuckles. The boy in the hoodie couldn''t react in time, the weapon connecting to his side. Its impact caused him to double over in pain, dropping his bat. The boy in the leather jacket? was ready. He dodged Colson''s bokken; using his knife, he attempted to slash a wide arc in front of him. The blade was knocked away by Zoe. If it were to have connected, Colson''s neck would''ve turned into a crescent smile. With one swift motion, Colson stomped down on the boy''s oblique. The boy''s leg hyper-extended, and he fell to the ground with a whimper. He curled into a ball, holding his leg.


    Zoe winced at the manuever. "You didn''t need to do that," she said, cringing.


    "What?" Colson said, confused. "They were gonna kill us!"


    "Well, yeah¡­" Zoe had to turn away; the sight of the kid''s leg was making her queasy. It reminded her of the time she''d broken her arm. She glanced over to Ivy, who was sitting on the one in the hoodie''s back. The boy groaned, his face wracked with pain, holding his side. Ivy''s hands were curiously rummaging through his pockets.


    "Why aren''t you complaining to her?" Colson said, "She probably broke his ribs, and she''s running his pockets. That''s more disrespectful than anything I''ve done."


    "Broken ribs are an easier fix than a torn MCL."


    "A what?"


    "MCL," Zoe lectured, "it stands for Medial¡ª" a loud groan of pain from one of the boys drowned out her words.


    "Quiet! You don''t get to be all loud. You attacked us, now zip it!" Colson snapped. He walked next to Ivy, who was going over her spoils. "Find anything cool?"


    "Hmm, no. A silver diamond encrusted band, a wedding ring, and two five-dollar coins."


    "A wedding ring?"


    Ivy tossed it to him.


    "Huh, I guess you''re right. Odd," a big smile crossed his face. He poked the one Ivy was sitting on with his bokken, "aww, I didn''t know you guys were married," he cackled. He looked at Zoe, "we just committed some kind of hate crime then."


    Zoe laughed, "Yeah. They seem a bit young to be married. I bet they stole the items from Cassius. We should return it."


    "Yeah. Or, we pawn it off and get a big chunk of change for it," Colson said in a hungry tone.


    Zoe scowled at him.


    "kidding," Colson grumbled. "Ivy, get up."


    Ivy hopped to her feet, causing the boy to groan with pain once more.


    "You two," he said, nudging the guy again with his foot, "time for you to leave. Get up. Run away. Don''t come anywhere near here again," Colson commanded.


    "Alright," wheezed the one with the knife as he rose to his feet.


    The trio watched as the boy with the hoodie supported the one with the jacket as they hobbled the way they came.


    A cobblestone path winded its way through the green and ferny town. The sound of birds had disappeared; only a slight whistle was audible as wind lazily flowed between the old log houses and the oak trees that dotted the village.


    "This isn''t creepy at all," Zoe said, instinctively moving behind Ivy, who walked forward with her usual childishly confident gait. "It''s like they all just got up and moved. They left all their stuff, though." She looked on at some toys strewn in the front yard of a house. ''Not a soul around¡­ As if every resident, mid-activity, teleported somewhere else.''


    "No, there are lots of people here," Ivy looked towards a tall stone brick house, pointing towards a dusty attic window, a bed sheet covering it from the inside. "Someone is watching us from up there."


    Zoe stopped walking and stared at each building, listening intently. "Are you messing with me?" She asked after some time.


    "Nah," Colson said, "There''s a few in there as well," pointing behind him at another house.


    "Wait, what? How do you guys know?" Zoe said, looking around, confused.


    Ivy gave her a confused look, "You don''t hear them moving around?"


    "I hear them breathing," Colson admitted. "Also, it''s just kind of a feeling."


    Zoe snuck up to the nearest house, putting her ear to the front door, and waited. "I don''t hear anything."


    Following the path, they saw a lone triple-story orange house at the edge of the village. It was located near a woodland area that sprawled from the back right side of the town to the left.


    The trio stood in its yard. All agreed that the home looked like one owned by a village chief.


    "Well¡­" Colson said, "shall we knock?" Looking at both Ivy and Zoe, trying to hide his nerves. "There is something bizarre about this place. I don''t like it at all," he thought.


    "I-I guess so. Let''s go knock, guys," said Zoe. Nobody moved.


    "Fine. I''ll do it." Colson said, his voice quiet. He walked up the creaky stairs onto the patio; he stopped when he reached the door. Pressing his ear to the door, he heard talking inside. It was too quiet, and the words were too muffled. He turned back to the two girls, "Y''all, someone''s inside here," he hissed, "should I just knock?"


    "Sure," said Ivy as she walked up the stairs, putting her ear to the door. "Yea, a couple of people inside." Zoe followed her and did the same, noting that she, too, heard them.


    Colson took a deep breath and knocked; there was a sound of glass breaking inside as he did so.


    "Hello?" He called out, opening the door, "You okay in there? We''re from-" The words caught in his throat as he saw what was inside.


    Two sets of wide, bloodshot eyes stared at him, her lips blue and her face pale. The teenage girl clawed at the hand that held her up by her neck. She reached out to the trio; her mouth open and trying to scream. The man effortlessly flung her across the room, her head slamming against the stone fireplace. She lay there, a small trickle of blood coming from the side of her mouth.

 Chapter 15

    The man eclipsed Colson in height; he was covered in dark brown hair, completely shirtless, his muscles rippled beneath his skin, his legs and arms the size of tree trunks. He wore no shoes, only torn green jeans that were obviously too small for him. He had one foot planted on a man''s back, who looked to be in his twenties, unconscious and bleeding. The large man put his hands on his hips and surveyed the area, a slight grin crossing his lips. His eyes were low as if he was having trouble staying awake.


    Someone had totally trashed the house, water leaked from the ceiling, a large wooden dining table snapped in half, chairs were upturned and broken, the floors and walls had large gashes covering almost every square inch. Broken plates were strewn across the floor. Empty wine and liquor bottles littered the ground; cabinets were pulled off the walls.


    The burly man cast a glance toward the stone furnace. Perched atop it, legs casually crossed, was a young man whose white-blond hair cascaded almost to his shoulders. His frame was wiry, his sharp, angular features accentuated by pale, almost translucent skin. Watery blue eyes, framed by long, delicate lashes.  His thin lips curled into a faint, unreadable smile. He wore a tight, meticulously tailored blue tabard over a pristine white robe, the fabric shimmering faintly under the dim light. His feet were adorned with sky-blue house slippers, trimmed in gold. The water. It trickled endlessly from his pores, as though he were sweating profusely in the heatless room. The droplets collected and dripped steadily onto the stone below, pooling beneath his feet. Beneath his feet was a young man, no older than seventeen. At the base of the furnace lay a boy, no older than seventeen. His eyes were closed, his face marred by dark bruises and cuts, evidence of a recent beating. He was crumpled in a heap, his shallow breaths barely noticeable.


    The large man lumbered over to the fireplace and grabbed her by the waist, hoisting her up on his shoulder with one hand. In his other hand, he snatched a pillowcase full of stolen jewelry.


    "You reek of alcohol," said the blonde man, his voice a silky falsetto, "how much have you ingested? Surely even you realize that it isn''t even close to noon yet." He hopped down from the fireplace and kicked away an expensive wine bottle that rolled under a cabinet.


    "What are you doing!" Ivy yelled, stomping past Colson and into the living room. She put her hands in her pockets and brought out her brass knuckles.


    The large man looked in her direction; his glassy eyes showed no notion of even registering that she was there. He looked back to the blonde man, his voice slow and slurred. " Listen, Marlin, alright," he said, half giggling to himself. "It''s five o''clock somewhere, right?" He let out a loud, booming laugh. "Anywhoozle, I''m taking these with me," he grumbled and sauntered towards the back wall of the house.


    "Quite piteous," Marlin rolled his eyes. He glanced at the trio and asked, "Sorry to disquiet this little abode, but if I may ask, do you kids know the location of an Angel''s Ring, by any chance?"


    ''Look at him,'' Colson thought, his eyes burned towards the hairy man. ''Just a drunken!'' Colson took the modified hockey stick off his back, removing the blade and revealing the sharp wooden sword point. "Let''s get ''em," He said, standing next to Ivy.


    Marlin sighed, "I didn''t think so; quite a shame. Well, K, let us make our exit. I don''t think I could stand to be among these witless things anymore. Being around you is almost too much already."


    Before they could react, the man reared back and sent his leg blasting through the back wall; a cloud of dust and debris filled the whole house. When it settled, the trio saw Marlin standing in front of the empty space, which used to be the wall.


    "Kurt-Adam! Why would you-" Marlin started coughing, waving his hand in front of his face. "There was a back door you- whatever, you''re on your own!" He called after Kurt-Adam, who was stumbling into the woods behind the house. Marlin stepped out of the home and calmly left towards the village''s west side.


    Ivy sprinted towards the open hole, hurdling over the unconscious man on the ground and landing outside.


    "Ivy!" Zoe called after her.


    "Zoe, we''ll go get that girl back; take care of that guy!" Said Colson as he ran after Ivy.


    Zoe had dragged the man into a more comfortable position, grabbing a pillow for him to rest his head. She noted that no bones seemed to be broken, and his breathing seemed fine; severe bruising, though. He had a buzz-cut with very tanned skin; he wore dark blue overalls and a long-sleeved shirt underneath. The sleeves on his shirt had strings hanging down from them, each one an inch apart.


    His eyes suddenly shot open, and he grabbed her shoulder with a mighty hand. Zoe yelped in surprise and fell backward; he still didn''t let go. His eyes fixed on her with a dark and angry look in them. She kicked out at his arm, forcing him to let go, and scrambled a few feet away. She reached into her pocket and brought out one of her daggers, pointing it at the man who was on his hands and knees, staring at her.


    His piercing eyes softened, "Who...are...you?" His voice was hoarse and raspy.


    "I''m here from Crater. Do you live here, or are you¡­"


    He swallowed hard, "I live here¡­ I''m not one of ''them.''" His voice was filled with contempt with the last word.


    Zoe got to her feet; and looked into the kitchen, seeing the sink was still intact. She jogged over to it, filling a glass with water and bringing it back for the man. "What happened?"


    The man took long gulps of water before responding, "Listen, you shouldn''t be here. That man was too strong and fast; I was totally caught off guard. There was someone else too...Wait!" He hobbled to his feet, looking around, "where''s Cahya?"


    Zoe glanced towards the missing wall, looking into the forest, ''He''s right if either of them gets hit with a kick like that¡­.'' Her breath turned short and quick; she gripped her dagger so hard that her knuckles turned white. ''They''re going to die out there...I can''t just leave them...but he still needs my help! I can''t abandon him!'' She turned to the man, "Someone named Kurt-Adam grabbed her and took her into the forest. My friends are going to get her back. You just need to stay here; don''t worry and don''t move around a lot." She said.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "Listen!" He rasped, "There''s more of them! A lot more! They''ve been here for a while now, maybe a week, ransacking houses, looking for...the town has been put on lockdown, that''s why no one is out. Very few of us left are strong enough to even fight back."


    Kurt-Adam drunkenly sprinted through the forest, occasionally jumping from tree to tree, using their branches as springboards. Hearing the rustling of bushes and trees behind him, the sound kept pace with him no matter which direction he went. "Too much movement¡­" he thought as he felt the alcohol in his stomach slosh around as he jumped to another tree branch.


    He pushed harder, the surrounding trees a blur as he launched himself forwards, finding himself on a particularly tall tree at the edge of a grass clearing. He still held the pillowcase full of valuables and the teenager named Cahya.


    "Probably ran over two miles," Kurt-Adam mumbled to himself. He sat down on the branch, listening intently; the only thing he heard was the distant screech of a hawk that circled overhead. He grinned, "Lost ''em!"


    He noticed a white blur out of the corner of his eye. He didn''t have time to look at it before it hit him in the back of the head so hard he fell from the branch, flipping in the air and attempting to land on his feet. His back slammed into the ground with a crash. He sat up, rubbing the back of his head, "Why I oughtta¡­." aught


    "You! Let her go!" Ivy said, her stance wide, standing above him on the branch he had been sitting on, brass knuckles in her fists.


    "Damn, you''re fast," he said, stumbling to his feet, still having a tight hold on Cahya and the pillowcase. "But you''re gonna have to make me!"


    Underneath Ivy, the bushes rustled, and out came a sharp wooden sword, pointing right at Kurt-Adam''s head. Colson stood there, his eyes narrowed, surveying the situation. ''That was way too reckless! If that guy fell on that girl...she woulda been crushed!''


    Kurt-Adam grinned and stumbled as he stood there, his glassy eyes lazily looking back and forth from Ivy to Colson, "Well? Come at me, brats!"


    Ivy walked off the tree branch, then used the side of the tree trunk as a springboard and launched herself at Kurt-Adam. He hopped back, and Ivy slammed into the grassy ground in front of him. She launched herself up, missing the uppercut by less than an inch. Using the pillowcase full of jewelry, he swung at her, fumbling as he did so, and hit her in the ribs. She fell to the ground and rolled to the side, getting to her feet instantly.


    Colson charged forward, thrusting his bokken towards Kurt-Adam''s head. The man turned, so Cahya was in the way of the sword, stopping Colson in his tracks. Colson slowly circled around him, occasionally jabbing, keeping Kurt-Adam''s attention on him.


    From behind, Ivy charged forward, kicking the back of Kurt-Adam''s knee, attempting to buckle it, but the man didn''t budge. He whirled around and kicked outwards and in his drunken stupor, knocking himself off balance. Ivy quickly dodged the kick and sent a flurry of punches toward his face. Colson thrust his bokken forward, slashing the front of his chest.


    It felt to Colson as if he were wrestling a one-ton grizzly bear. One who reeked of whisky and other degeneracies.


    None of the moves Crater had taught him worked. ''He''s just too big!'' He thought, after a failed attempt at breaking his arm. He thrust his sword towards the man once more.


    Kurt-Adam bit down on the bokken with his teeth and kicked Colson in the chest so hard that he flew backward across the clearing, knocking the wind out of him. Spitting out the sword, he turned around and kneed Ivy in the stomach, making her fall to her hands and knees, coughing. She wiped her mouth and got to her feet, her eyes never leaving his. She smiled, "Wow, you really are strong."


    ''Odd,'' he thought as he steadied himself, his stomach feeling as if it was burning from the inside. "Listen, girly, why don''t you just go...run along, or something," he mumbled, almost tripping over his own feet.


    He lifted the pillowcase into the air and swung it down on Ivy; he wasn''t subtle about the movement, so Ivy could dodge it with ease and deliver a brass knuckle into the side of his temple. Kurt-Adam took a step forward, swinging the bag wildly at her. She ducked under a swing and used the momentum to stomp on his foot as hard as she could. He grunted and lifted his other foot, ready to crush her head.


    The ground had been pulverized where his foot had slammed down. Dirt chunks and grass rained down around them. The stomp barely missed as Ivy scampered under his leg and ended up behind him.


    He sprinted across the clearing towards the opposite side of the woods, disappearing into the trees, ''I''m too drunk for this,'' he thought as he crashed through the woodland.


    Ivy picked up a downed tree branch, "This''ll be easy!" and sprinted after him.


    Colson gasped as he clutched his chest, ''It hurts to breathe; I think I broke a rib! I''d be dead if he wasn''t such an alcoholic idiot.'' He lay on his back, staring up at the morning sky, controlling his breathing. He lifted his shirt and gingerly touched his ribs, ''not broken, just bruised!'' He thought, a slight smile on his face. Colson rolled over and got to his feet, jogging in the direction of the two.


    Kurt-Adam felt like the jewelry and the teenage girl, Cahya, were getting heavier; the girl behind him sounded like she was only getting faster, the intervals between her footsteps shortening.


    A yell came from his right side as Ivy jumped from a tree and hit him as hard as she could over the head with the tree branch, which cracked in half on impact. He collapsed face forward, dropping both the girl and the jewelry. Cahya fell to the ground, still unconscious, but groaned when she did so. Kurt-Adam sat up, rubbing the top of his head, his voice slurred and sloppy, "You little, bi-" He snatched the pillowcase full of jewelry and got up to his feet, the world spinning around him as he did so. "Woah!" he sputtered, stumbling backward, and fell back against a tree.


    He looked up; a few yards away at Ivy''s feet was Cahya, completely motionless except for the rising and falling of her chest. "I ain''t doing anything the way I am now. Screw it." He pushed off the tree; Ivy braced herself, ready for him to charge, but turned to his left and ran. "I''ll come back for you later!" He yelled, bounding away through the forest, faster and more agile than before as he was not carrying Cahya.


    "Come back!" Ivy yelled and started to run after him when a voice behind her shouted.


    "Wait, Ivy!" She turned to see Colson.


    Kurt-Adam had a wicked grin, ''finally, lost ''em!'' He hopped over a bush and ended up on the village''s northwest side, near the fast-flowing river. Marlin stood on the bridge, made from wood with red chipping paint. They constructed a roof over it, the design being curved and slanted.


    Marlin leaned over the railing, admiring his reflection. He turned when he heard Kurt-Adam''s heavy footsteps clomp from the edge of the treeline.


    "Low and behold, you''ve lost the girl. Color me surprised."


    "Oh, shuuut uuup."


    "Oh? And you''ve managed to become even more inebriated than before, I see. That''s impressive, you''re almost blacking out at¡­" he looked into the sky, "it looks to be almost seven o''clock," he said.


    "Well, tough shit," Kurt-Adam grumbled, setting down the pillowcase and slumping onto the railing next to Marlin.


    "Well, Kiari should be in the library. We should get there quickly and tell him what we''ve learned. Too bad we won''t have the girl with us to tell him herself¡­." He said, giving a side-eye to Kurt-Adam. "Hopefully, that ''kid'' isn''t there either," he spat. "Off in his tree fort."


    "You know, I didn''t see you helping against those kids."


    "If you weren''t a dipsomaniac, and you chose to carry the girl over a sack of jewels, then I wouldn''t have needed to help you at all," Marlin let out a long sigh; he gave a low sidelong glance from under his long lashes, "But that''s what makes you such a lovable idiot I suppose," He smiled and walked off the bridge towards the town. "Get up. We''re to find Kiari at once."

 Chapter 16. Kiari

    The red-brick library stood tall and square. Two areas were illuminated, one from a small window frame in the top right of the library and the main floor where the chandelier swung. The dome roof was pale gold, reminiscent of an old birdcage, an obsidian spire pierced the sky atop the dome.


    Walking inside the archway door, greeted by the sounds of riffling paper from cronies fastidiously scouring book pages. Maple leaves etched on the white pillars, they walked past to grab their next book.


    "Where''s Kiari?" Marlin asked a short hunchbacked man in a grey boiler suit.


    "The boss is either in her room or in the offices," the man speculated.


    Kurt-Adam sank down into the comfiest chair he could find and instantly passed out; a string of drool hung from his open mouth.


    "Gracious almighty," Marlin rolled his eyes, then went up the stairs.


    Kiari had several books lying open on a desk in front of him. Marlin stood in the doorway, observing him. Kiari seemed to be able to read all the pages simultaneously, as every so often, he would flip the pages of every book in front of him concurrently. He eventually looked up at Marlin, his tired eyes taking a moment to focus on him.


    He was tall and thin, with long lanky arms; pale with short black messy hair. Dark sleepless circles around his grass-green eyes. He wore an oversized black down coat covering most of his legs and slick black jeans.


    "Yes?"


    "We combed through the main house and found nothing; we were going to bring the elder''s daughter to you, but we were interrupted by some kids. Kurt-Adam was forced to drop her."


    A twinge of annoyance flashed across Kiari''s face, "He was beaten by kids?" He had a slow and methodical way of speaking, measuring every word.


    "That''s what he relayed to me, sir. He grabbed the girl and ran off, then came back without her. I''ll pry details from that idiot once he''s sobered up."


    "If he remembers," Kiari sighed and turned off the desk lamp; the darkness accentuated the dark circles under his eyes. "You''re telling me that you found nothing?"


    "Not nothing. We know for certain that the angel''s ring is here in Cassius. That it''s not just some fable."


    A relieved smile crossed his face, "Alright, finally some good news. But we can''t relax yet," he guided Marlin out of the office and continued, "By the way¡­." He glanced down from the second-floor railing, noting Kurt-Adam, who was still passed out. "If you see alcohol, hide it from him." He turned and walked up to the third floor.


    "Over here!" Ivy said as she sprinted back toward the house, the unconscious girl, Cahya, on her back.


    They broke through the tree line and saw the backside of the home. Its back wall almost completely disintegrated from a single kick; the only thing left that proved the wall even existed were some wooden splinters in the grass.


    Ivy jumped into the house; Colson was right behind her. When Zoe saw them, she rushed over.


    "I thought you guys were gonna die!" she cried. She held her arms out to Ivy but quickly dropped them by her side.


    "Tch, almost," Colson grumbled.


    Ivy laughed, setting down Cahya on the ground, "That guy was tough! I want to see how strong he is when he''s not all weird and wobbly."


    "You mean drunk?"


    "Mhm!" Ivy nodded.


    Colson scowled at her, "what is wrong with y-"


    "You kids should leave here...now," a voice said. The man Zoe had taken care of got up from across the room and walked over to the girl. "It''s far too dangerous here."


    "Who are you?" Ivy asked, a curious look on her face.


    "Jashin. Now leave. You''re just gonna get in the way and get hurt."


    "We can''t just leave, right guys?" She asked, looking at Colson and Zoe.


    "Ivy...our job was to come here and see what''s wrong and come back. We''ve done our job."


    "But-"


    "She''s right," Colson interjected, "Do you really think we''re gonna do anything here?"


    "Come on, guys! Zoe, think about it! Imagine how many times you guys''ll rank up from this. We find them, beat them up, get really tough from it, save the farm, and win!"


    Jashin shook his head and picked up Cahya, placing her comfortably on a sofa.


    Colson rolled his eyes, "Ivy, I don''t think you understand the situation here."


    "So we just give up?"


    "Ivy!" Zoe said, "Stop, we aren''t giving up. We''ve done our job. There is nothing to give up on. We have completed our task here; we just need to go back now. We''ve no obligation nor the skills necessary to be any help here at all."


    "Think about it, if we defeat these guys without needing help, that''ll look really good for us, right?"


    "I mean...yea...but-"


    "''Zactly!" Ivy interrupted. She paused, clicking her tongue in thought.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    "I guess we could see if people need help around here¡­" Zoe mused.


    Colson groaned, "Ugh, don''t encourage her!"


    "Well, I''m staying, so you can do whatever," Ivy said and walked over to Jashin.


    "We should probably help them...If they''re so scared that they can''t even leave their houses, it wouldn''t be right to just leave." Zoe shuffled across the room and stood next to Ivy. Zoe relayed to Ivy the events of what happened when they were gone.


    While they were talking, Cahya slowly stirred back to consciousness. She sat forward, rubbing the side of her head. "What in the world?" She said, looking around. Her eyes widened when she saw the house and the three mysterious kids standing with weapons. She tried to get to her feet, but the whole planet seemed to spin around her as soon as she moved, and she had to sit back down.


    "Hold on," Jashin said, "It''s okay."


    "What just happened? I was just standing near the door, then the next second¡­" she hesitated, her face scrunched, trying to remember¡­something, or anything at all. "I don''t know," she said quietly. She looked back up at the three, "Who are they?" she asked accusingly.


    Colson smirked, "Oh, don''t worry. We''re the good guys." Cahya couldn''t tell if he was being sarcastic or not.


    "I''m not sure what happened either," Jashin said, "I heard a sound, and I walked in this room, and something moved¡­and now¡­ Yeah. I guess those guys caught us both off-guard."


    "When we showed up, they got scared and ran away."


    Cahya looked him up and down, "Yeah, I''m sure."


    "Am I wrong?" Colson looked to Zoe and Ivy for confirmation.


    "One was drunk," Ivy offered.


    "Thank you, Ivy. Drunk and scared."


    Cahya squinted at him, "But they''re still here, though? Right?"


    "I''m not sure. The blonde just kinda left, and we chased the one that had you¡­."


    "Had me? Like¡­I was kidnapped?"


    "Yup." Colson proceeded to explain everything. ''And just my luck,'' he thought. ''I''m on the side with the most agro girl I''ve ever met and a girl who''s the least confrontational person in the world.''


    A few hours later, in the basement of one of the houses, a large group of villagers huddled close, trying to stay as quiet as possible.


    "Those kids that arrived, I think they''re from Crater!" One said.


    "I saw them; they couldn''t even beat the big guy. They did well, but I don''t think the guy was even trying."


    "Guys! Shut up! One person talks at a time!" A man said, standing up straight. "They took the cell towers down, so we can''t call. Is it confirmed that there are Crater colonists here?" He was tall, tan, and muscular with broad shoulders, a wide nose and a five o''clock shadow. His name was Verne.


    "Yea, Jashin told me that," another man said. "They only kids, though. They must be real strong for them to send them!"


    "Alright, but I''m not putting the wellbeing of our village in their hands. I think I''m not the only one with that sentiment." He scanned the crowd, noticing many of them nodding in agreement. "We need to fight back somehow. I have a few ideas."


    "Fight back?" A voice from the crowd asked. "That guy''s face was completely blown off!" He thought back to a few days prior. The body was unrecognizable. Stripped naked. His face was totally decimated.


    "Alright, an idea: We get a path to the aviary and send a message to them. We tell them that the situation here has degraded, and we need backup. A lot more than some kids."


    Murmuring in the crowd echoed agreement.


    "Birdmail? That''s genius!" a woman cheered, who was quickly hushed by those near her. "Oop!" She squealed, quickly covering her mouth with her hands.


    They wrote down a message on a slip of paper and gave it to Verne, who recruited a strong-looking man in the crowd to be his backup, telling him, "If something happens to me, make sure this letter gets out."


    They crept up the basement stairs and out the back door. The layout of each house was different than most towns and cities, as there were no backyards, and they scattered lots of trees and plants between each home.


    They slinked between houses and trees, stopping and holding their breath whenever someone walked by.


    Verne elbowed the man with him and pointed forward, "We need to take those two out," he whispered. The man nodded and took a pocket knife from his overalls. "No. We don''t need to do that! Only if we have to," He said.


    "So, what''re we gonna do?"


    Verne pondered for a moment, looking at the two young-looking men; one wore basketball shorts and a t-shirt, while the other wore a red hoodie and sweatpants. They were having a casual conversation, leaning against the side of the aviary.


    "Psst," the man said, walking up behind Verne, "Do ya think they''d think twice if we just walked up and acted like we belonged? I mean, there''s probably enough of them roaming around; I doubt all of them know each other by face."


    "Right now, we look like some stereotypical farmers. I don''t see any weapons on them, but I doubt they''re walking around empty-handed. If we go to them, we''ll probably die. Even if we changed clothes, it''s a pretty big gamble to just assume they won''t think twice about us."


    The man cursed, "yea. You''re right. Alright, you gotta plan?"


    "Yes, I''ve thought of something," Verne said, absently looking up towards the sky. "Such a bright bluebird day, don''t you think?"


    "Uhh," he looked up, then back down towards Verne, "What are you on?"


    "The sun is right in their eyes. We can rush them, knock them out, and get inside. If we are quiet on the approach, we can catch them off guard."


    "That''s your plan?" an incredulous look on his face.


    "I picked you for a reason. You''re fast and strong. Those look like some scrawny little teenagers. We won''t need a convoluted twelve-step plan for this."


    "I''m trustin'' you on this one. Whenever you''re ready," the man said, getting in position.


    Verne waited a moment, looking up and down the cobblestone pathway, listening for anyone. "Now!"


    They exploded from the tree line, barreling across the road, and before the two guys could react, Verne and his friend slammed into them.


    Verne bashed his shoulder into the one wearing basketball shorts, sending him flying. He crumpled to the floor, trying to catch his breath. Verne sent a quick jab to his head. Instantly unconscious.


    He looked over; the man in the red hoodie was slumped against the side of the aviary, eyes closed.


    "Let''s drag them to the bushes around back," Verne commanded.


    They walked inside; the birds squawking and fluttering in their cages when they saw the two. Walking through the rows of birds, studying each one. Verne took the slip of paper from his pocket and reached through the cage, fastening it around the bird''s leg. It was called a Peregrine Falcon, the fastest bird on the planet, with recorded speeds of 241 miles per hour.


    Verne unlocked the cage, balancing the falcon on his arm and walking towards the front door of the cluttered room. It fluttered its wings and squawked, its intelligent gold eyes staring at him.


    "Go! Crater!" Verne said, walking out the front door and tossing it into the air. With a single flap of its wings, it launched itself high into the air. Verne watched the speck circle around the village and fly northwest towards Crater.


    The falcon dipped below the cloud layer and slowly descended, flapping its wings aggressively to speed up, reaching its maximum speed. Something bright gleamed out of the corner of its eye for a split second before the falcon plummeted down to the earth. The black eagle screeched as it followed its prey to the ground, making sure it was dead. Finding the falcon lying on the ground, the eagle poked at it with its beak before soaring back towards Cassius.


    Geier sat atop the highest tree branch of the tallest tree in the village. It was like an orange shelter to him, the leaves a red-yellow from the seasonal change. Next to him was another bird, a Yellowbelly Eagle. He reached out his hand, using his long and pointed nails, he itched the bird''s back. He wore a thin camo hoodie¡ªa falconry vambrace attached over his arm¡ªand camo cargo shorts. His typically messy blonde hair was tinted green with dye.


    Geier stuck his arm out; the black eagle swooped down and landed on it, its claws sticking into his pale skin. "You got him, Richard?" The bird stared back at him expectantly, walking up his arm and onto his shoulder, "Alright, good job." He said, sticking his hand into his trench coat pocket and holding a dead mouse by the tail. "Here you go, buddy," He tossed it towards Richard, the black eagle, who snapped it out of the air.

 Chapter 17

    On the third-floor landing, Kiari took a deep breath. The bedroom door loomed behind him; the grooves in the wood resembled a sneering face, mocking him for his thoughts.


    Marlin noted the look of dark determination that crossed Kiari''s face. He opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it. Kiari turned to a woman leaning against the wall. She was a bespectacled woman wearing a headdress of teal color and floral design, a dress of the same shade and of conservative length, reaching a bit past her knees.


    "Take care of her," Ordered Kiari as he marched past her down the stairs, Marlin following behind him, wiping the dripping water from his eyes and leaving wet footprints on the carpet with every step.


    She nodded, "Of course, sir," opening the bedroom door and gliding inside, shutting and locking it behind her.


    "Marlin, finding the angel''s ring and the water is more crucial than ever, understand? I see these guys walking around, not doing anything half the time; if they were, we could''ve found it by now!"


    "Understood, I''ll make sure to ''crack the whip,'' they shall stay on track." They reached the main floor, walking through the library, pages of books scattered everywhere, people sitting flipping through books, scouring the pages for any helpful information.


    "Maybe we needa do a lil'' door kicking!" grinned Kurt-Adam, his deep gruff voice filling the quiet library hall.


    "I concur with Kurt-Adam; if we are getting that desperate, we may have to kick things up a notch."


    "Me and the rest of the gang can do all the fun stuff!" Kurt-Adam gave a disgusted look to the men in the room with them, "We ain''t gonna find anything useful in some dusty old books anyways. Like, if the location of that stuff is so secret, they ain''t gonna have it lying around here."


    "For once, the numbskull makes a good point; I fear we''re wasting our resources here. It may prove more useful for our group to scour this whole village, inch by inch if we have to."


    A weary smile crossed Kiari''s face, "You may be right, I''ll have to think about it, and¡­" he yawned, "I''ll need to¡ª has anyone been in contact with Geier?"


    Both Kurt-Adam and Marlin looked at each other.


    "Haven''t seen him, boss," Kurt-Adam said.


    "Well, if you do, tell him to find me. Anyways, Marlin, you''re in charge of what to do next, have our people go wherever you see fit."


    "Okay."


    "I''m gonna rest for a bit." He yawned again and walked off towards a side room of the library.


    "On a scale of one to ten, I''d say that potential is a solid ten! That girl is a monster...but in a good way," Silas said, talking to two of the four Hounds, Neph and Amelia. They both sat in the meeting room in the oval building, sat in their chairs at the oval table.


    "I mean, it''s hard to deny, ya know, she is pretty talented. Kinda like that Reiza girl. Maybe this one won''t squander it," Amelia scoffed. She was a pale, slim woman with shoulder-length black hair curled upwards at its ends. She wore all black¡ªalways matching her two Tibetan mastiffs, that were almost as tall as Silas, who eyed them wearily. He never feared large animals or dogs, but for some reason, these things, in particular, made him nervous.


    "Every time I''ve seen her, she''s always eager to learn and grow stronger. Hell, she actually shows up early even before I do. Then there''s other kids that you''d need a forklift to get em'' to come to class."


    Neph got to his feet¡ªhis head almost touching the ceiling¡ªpacing back and forth across the room before finally stopping and looking out at the window on the back wall that overlooked the colony.


    "I think we have done a good job keeping this fortune tight¡­." He muttered, "But still people are talking, and rumors are stirring."


    "Well, we could always just tell em'', ya know, save us the trouble of keeping this thing hush-hush," Amelia said.


    "If we tell them, it will just cause panic. Telling a crowd of people that someone may be dangerous would lead to disastrous consequences."


    "Hmm, okay. So we lie. Just rewrite the fortune a bit, ya know, just kinda flub it."


    Silas gave Amelia an odd look; she sneered back at him. "People will notice, don''t you think? Also, when Aye finds out, he''ll be livid."


    Amelia rolled her eyes, "I COULDN''T GIVE A SINGLE FLYING F-"


    "Amelia!" Neph interjected, "Crater prides itself on its honesty. I wish you would do the same."


    "Tch, whatever," Amelia deadpanned, rolling her eyes once more. "Excuse me for trying to be helpful," she grumbled. Her two dogs barked in agreement. "In all seriousness, there really isn''t anything we can do without getting involved."


    "I know," sighed Neph, "Silas, what''s your opinion on this?" He asked, turning around to face him.


    Silas shrugged, "Well, changing subjects real quick, are we still studying that creature from the flag game? Whatever happened with that?"


    "Yea, I''ve been busy, so I haven''t had time to update myself on any new findings, if there are any at all, that is. We''ve had our scientists run some tests recently; they should be coming back with some news."


    "So cruel," Amelia lamented, "to keep that thing tied up all day and experimenting on it." She looked at one of her dogs, squeezing its face and in a babying voice said, "I won''t ever let them torture you like that! No, I won''t! No, I won''t!"


    "Shoot me now," grumbled Silas, looking back at Neph. "Well, I''ll leave you to it. I have to get back." He walked out of the room.


    "I don''t know all the ins and outs of how Aca''s fortune ability works, but the future is malleable, right? We aren''t doomed? If the interpretation of her being dangerous instead of the other way around is correct; ya think we''ve done enough to prevent it?"


    "Like I said earlier, Amelia, we won''t know for sure; we just have to keep an eye on her once she gets back. If all has gone well, they should be arriving back any day now. I don''t think it would be right to treat anyone differently for something they ''might'' do."


    "Well, do what you think is best, I guess," Amelia stood from her chair and stretched her arms, "Anyways...see ya!" She waltzed out of the room, her two dogs bounding after her.


    They stood on the roof of a farming house on a hill that overlooked most of the village. The sun beat down on all four of them and the thin metal roof as if they were being broiled on a baking sheet.


    Jashin pointed towards the massive hill a bit outside the village, "It''s behind that waterfall over there."


    "So, we just walk behind the waterfall, and we''re there?" Colson asked.


    "Not at this point. That used to be the main entrance, but it was sealed off. And don''t ask to go inside, as it''s off-limits to anyone who doesn''t live here."


    "Hold on!" Ivy said, turning to Jashin. "We know where they are. They''re in that library. We should just go in there and take them out!"


    "Ivy, do you think that we haven''t thought about doing that? Or that no one has tried to do that?"


    "Yea, but with us here-"


    "No. We will think of something, but an attack like that will never work and would be borderline suicide." Jashin sighed and looked out over the fields of fruits and vegetables in the distance; they seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see.


    Zoe pulled on one of Jashin''s sleeves to get his attention and pointed to a small grove of bright orange trees near the hill. The trunks, as well as the leaves, were the same shade of orange.


    "What are they doing?"


    Jashin squinted, using his hand to cover his eyes from the sunlight. He saw a group of people, no larger than five, circling around the base of the trees holding buckets.


    "That is odd...It looks like they''re collecting the sap. I think those are the trees that hold the sap of vitality, too," he mused, scratching his chin. "I''m not too worried about it, but it''s something interesting to tell the others in the village. I''m going to meet with them now. You all need to stay out of the way until then." He slid down the side of the roof, landing on the ground, then walked down the hill towards the village.


    "Well, what do we do now?" Colson asked.


    "Have you guys noticed how they seem to know where everyone is?" Zoe mused.


    "What do you mean?"


    "From what Cahya has told us, how they seem to be able to appear whenever they try anything, they have some kind of method to see everything at once. I doubt Cassius is a big fan of using security cameras." Zoe turned and squinted, looking into the distance. "That over there," she pointed, "The cell tower." Several miles away, a large rickety metal column stood tall.


    "Ohh," Colson said, "so you''re saying they have some kind of camera, or someone is on there relaying everything?"


    Zoe shook her head, "No, not at all. The tower has limited vision. One could only really see the east side of Cassius when standing on top. Even if they had an omnidirectional camera, it wouldn''t be able to see much, either. They must have some other way." She looked into the sky. Above her, barely visible, the silhouette of two hawks circled Cassius. "Hmmm," she hummed, staring at them.


    Colson thought for a moment, "We should get a list of our main objectives. First is to keep the angel''s ring hidden, which shouldn''t be difficult. Secondly, we gotta find a way to get the gang out of here."


    "Oh! I have an idea!" Ivy said, "We should probably see how many there are, right? So, like, we should find walkie-talkies and split up to get an idea of what they''re doing."


    "Hmm, yea, that''s not a bad idea, but I doubt they have walkie-talkies lying around here."


    "So we just go get them," Ivy said nonchalantly.


    "Where?" Colson threw his hands up, theatrically turning around as if he were searching for something. "There''s nothing around here for miles!"


    "Say, Zoe, do you still have the map in your bag?"


    "Yea," Zoe said, unzipping her backpack and taking out the map.


    "Look! We''d be right around this area here," Ivy said, pointing to a blank spot on the map, "And there''s a town a few inches over here."


    "Those ''few inches'' are like twenty miles," said Colson.


    "So we just sprint there."


    After more arguing, they decided on this plan: Ivy and Colson would sprint to the town, buy three walkie-talkies, and run back. Zoe would stay and observe the village to come up with a plan for all of them.


    A group of four carefully crept through the forest, avoiding the bushes and sticks on the ground, making as little noise as possible. The closer they got, the louder the hum was.


    They saw Geier sitting cross-legged on the grass in a small clearing, eyes closed, a slight yellow glow surrounding him. His body swayed absently as he sat there.


    A villager in the group turned and nodded toward the rest of the group. They had their weapons ready.


    Exploding from the tree line, they ran at Geier. He opened his eyes, dodging a downward swing from a sword. Sweeping his leg, Geier caught one off guard, and they stumbled backward. With a broad sweep of his hand, Geier''s nails caught the throat of another.


    A cocky smile crossed Geier''s face, "You gonna give me what I want?"


    "Leave!" One yelled, taking a step forwards.


    "Just give me the Angel''s ring, and we will," a bored tone in his voice.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The man gritted his teeth. Rushing forwards with an uppercut swing from one dagger. Geier sidestepped it and blocked the swing from the second dagger with his hand, the blade not leaving a mark on his skin.


    Another man came from behind Geier, aiming at his head with more sharp farm equipment. He turned and shot his hand out towards the man''s chest, his clawlike fingernails slipping between his ribs. The man dropped the shovel and fell onto his back, clutching the wound.


    Geier turned back to the man with the daggers, "There''s just you left."


    Instinctively, the man hopped backward, opening up his jacket, revealing rows of throwing knives. He reached his hand inside and flung them at Geier with a desperate fervor. Geier''s eyes widened when noticing the slight glow around each blade being thrown.


    His eyes flashed to the body of a man at his feet¡ªthe one who had his throat slashed by his fingernails¡ªhe had one hand around his throat to slow the bleeding. Geier grabbed the man and held him in front of himself. The impact of the blades sounded like someone punching a watermelon. Moving from behind the body, Geier strolled towards the man who was now out of throwing knives. Geier stood next to the man and placed a hand on his shoulder.


    "I''m not gonna kill you. But I want you to tell everyone you know that if you try something like that again, I''ll burn this whole farm down and salt the earth behind it, okay?" He shoved the man in the direction of the village.


    He didn''t need to be told twice as he scampered away. Geier smiled as he watched him go, he knew that none of them would ever give up the location of the Angel''s Ring, so it would have been better to leave them with a warning. He sat back down, crossed his legs, and closed his eyes.


    "Eagle Eye!" He said as the reverberating hum returned.


    "We''re almost there," Colson said, pointing to a sign. ''Grand Canzone 2 miles.''


    After a few minutes of running at a dead sprint, they arrived. The town was small, with the population possibly being less than ten thousand.


    "If I was an electronics store, where would I be?" Ivy hummed, walking down the main road of the town.


    "Excuse me, mister," Colson said, walking up to a tired-looking man with a low-hanging hat, sitting on a street bench. "Do you know where an electronics store is?"


    "Over ''der." he muttered, nodding in a direction behind him.


    "Hold on," Colson said, "Where are you¡ª"


    The man let out a long exasperated sigh, "Good gosh, kid! Beat it!"


    "Wow, okay," Colson rolled his eyes, walking back to Ivy.


    They walked in the general direction the man pointed them in. The city looked as if it were stuck in a time capsule several decades ago.


    "Cassius is more advanced than this dump," Colson muttered, scowling at a nearby cracked concrete building.


    "Look down there," Ivy pointed. In the distance, a row of large, flashy buildings on either side of the road stood tall. A dense group of people crowded the sidewalks and bled into the street. "Those don''t look so bad."


    "I guess that''s what they put all their money into. Probably some tourist trap."


    They continued to wander for almost thirty minutes before finding the electronic store. Inside, the bored-looking employee at the desk lazily clicked through his phone, only giving a tired, "Welcome to Z-Electronics."


    Colson made his way to the back, walking down every aisle until he found what he was looking for at the very end.


    Ivy picked up a small pair of bright plastic walkie-talkies. "These are pretty cheap."


    Colson took them, studying them briefly, "Yeah, fat chance that these would help. If you look at the label here, it says that it only has a range of a few hundred feet. I''m guessing these are kids'' toys."


    "We can''t afford anything else," Ivy noted, pointing to the other price tags. She looked at the shelf behind her. They displayed several types of phones, each one more expensive than the last. "What''s this?" Ivy grabbed one of the devices.


    "You''ve never seen a phone before?"


    "That''s what these are? Are they a new?"


    "Not sure. But I''ve seen some people with these at Crater. But, this type of design has been around for almost ten years. Where have you been?"


    "I dunno. Around?" Ivy shrugged, putting the phone back in its holder. "Why don''t you or Zoe have one?"


    "I don''t have anyone to call."


    "Oh."


    "Huh," Colson shook his head in disapproval. "Anyway, this will have to do," he lamented, grabbing the plastic walkie-talkies.


    "Wait," Ivy said, looking back at the price tags. She held up her hands, looking at her fingers to count. "If we use our entire mission budget, we can get these three right here," she pointed to a set of sturdy walkie-talkies. "They have a two-mile distance."


    "Well, I''m not gonna spend our whole budget on these."


    "Are we just going to steal them?"


    "Of course not. I''m not some Godless heathen, Ivy. We''re gonna earn it, not take it... Somehow."


    "We can just make some money real quick."


    Colson''s brow furrowed; suddenly his face lit up, "Oh yeah," he dug in his pocket, taking out the wedding rings. "I completely forgot about this! This''ll give us so much more than what we need! I''ll be set for months with this!" A hungry look developed in his eye. "Ivy, you''re a genius! Let''s go get rich!" He turned, marching out the front door.


    "We''ll be back, mister!" Ivy called out, running out the door.


    "Have fun," he muttered.


    "How do we sell it?" Ivy asked.


    "To be honest, I don''t know. But it can''t be too hard, right? We just walk to a street merchant or some store, and say we''re selling it. And they buy it. Easy."


    "Okay!" Ivy said eagerly. "I bet near those buildings; someone''s gonna wanna buy it!"


    Sounds of running footsteps, distant yelling, and the general white noise echoed between the buildings.


    "I can''t see anything!" Ivy complained, yelling over the crowd.


    Since Colson was taller, he could peek over shoulders, and shove people aside. "We gotta get to the side! That''s where all the market stuff is!" He grabbed onto Ivy''s wrist, pushing through the crowd. ''It honestly feels like I''m gonna be suffocated and devoured by this thing.'' He was never one to get claustrophobic, but he''d never seen so many people in such a small area. "Move it!" he yelled.


    Seeing a relatively empty merchant stall, Colson made a B-Line straight towards it, pulling Ivy along with him.


    He reached into his pocket, dug out the wedding rings, and handed them to the owner. "How much are you willing to pay for two perfectly good wedding rings?"


    The merchant studied them in his hand, putting a loupe¡ªa simple device used to study gems¡ªover his right eye. ''Ain''t no way a couple of kids legitimately have rings like these. Probably stole it off of some poor woman or maybe took it from their parents,'' he thought. He looked up, "I can''t in good faith buy a stolen item," he said, shaking his head, and handing the rings back to Colson.


    "It''s not stolen," Ivy said confidently. "We''re married."


    "Married? You two?" His eyes lazily swayed back and forth between both of them. "You kids are in elementary school."


    "Not true! I''m not a baby!"


    ''Dang it Ivy! Why in the world would you say that?'' Colson cleared his throat. "It''s true, sir. We aren''t native to this country, yeah. In our home, it''s tradition for people of our age to get married and travel around the world together. But," Colson looked down, imitating his favorite actor, "We ran into some trouble. A terrible accident occurred, and we''re short on money. All we have to sell that''s worth anything are these rings." He put his hand over his eyes, pretending to hide his fake tears. "I just worked so hard to buy this ring for my beautiful wife, but alas..." he peeked through the cracks in his fingers, checking to see if the man was buying his story, "But our love has only grown through this hardship. That''s how I know it was meant to be." He looked up, wiping fake tears from his cheek. Reaching down, he intertwined his fingers with Ivy''s. ''Nailed it!''


    "Interesting¡­So where you from, kid?"


    "Uhh," Colson''s eyes shifted away; he glanced to Ivy. "Dodola Isle!" He said, finally, his confident grin returning, remembering her place of birth.


    "Dodola Isle, you say?" the man scratched his chin. "Never heard of it."


    "Yeah, lots of people don''t know what it is." He thought, ''He''s totally buying this. Is everyone from outside Crater this much of a midwit? It definitely helps that our accents are distinctly different. Even in the short time that Ivy''s been around, her accent has adapted to ours.''


    ''Hmm, they don''t look to be from around here,'' the merchant thought. "Oh, what the hell," he shrugged, "I''ll give ya five hundred for this one!"


    Ivy counted on her fingers, "One CraterCoin is 35.76. Then five hundred divided by¡­that''s almost fourteen CC! That''s a lot!"


    A deep frown crossed Colson''s face. "That''s it?" He turned to Ivy, "This guy doesn''t know anything. Let''s go."


    As they disappeared back into the crowd, Ivy turned to him, a confused look on her face, "That would''ve been more than enough, right?"


    "Maybe, but rings like these would be worth ten times that amount. We just need to find someone who doesn''t have a two-digit IQ."


    "Okay!" Ivy grinned, bounding along beside him. "What about the buildings? The people in there are wearing suits and stuff; they probably have money."


    "Yeah, not a bad idea," Colson agreed, looking through an enormous glass window. One of the fancier buildings had a sign above its door reading ''Hotel & Pawn!'' "Perfect!"


    It was a quant, fancy little place. Stepping inside was like stepping through a portal. A small coffee bar was? in the middle of the room. Hanging from the ceiling were potted plants, speakers which played upbeat jazz, and abstract light fixtures. The lobby area was well populated. Men in fancy grey business suits standing, sitting, talking, not seeming to be doing anything important; as if they were actors and the only direction given was to mingle.


    Marching to the front desk, Colson placed the rings on the table, sliding them across, making eye contact with the woman working there. "We''ve got some pretty expensive rings here. We''re here to sell em''."


    "Okay," the woman behind the front desk took the rings and placed them in a machine one after the other. It whirred and creaked, finally spitting out a small slip of paper. "It says here it''s worth three thousand for the engagement ring, and two for the husband ring."


    "Five thousand?" Ivy noted how Colson sounded absolutely defeated. ''That''s a bit better, but I thought for sure this would be worth a helluva lot more.'' He was about to agree with it, but a man with a swirly blue coat walked up behind them.


    "It''s a ripoff, my guy."


    Colson and Ivy both turned, staring at the man. He was tall and slender, with very tanned skin with long shaggy blond hair that covered his eyes that had a glint of mischievousness to them.


    "Huh?"


    The man shook his head, "Sorry for jumping in, but I can tell just from here¡ªthat ring is worth a lot more than two grand."


    "Oh really?" Colson said, a vindicated tone in his voice. He turned to the lady, a smug grin on his face. "I knew it! Suck it, bi¡ª"


    "That''s preposterous!" The woman said. "Who even are you?"


    "My name''s Tibur. I travel around the world trading, collecting, and selling rare gems, and kid, I promise you, that diamond''s worth more than what you''ll be getting from these scam artists."


    "Sir, unlike you, we are professionals." She huffed. "Our reputation is all we have. Quick cash now would cost us a lot more in the long run."


    Both Ivy and Colson looked back and forth between the two, not sure what to say.


    From his bag, Tibur took out a scale. Placing both the rings on it, one after the other. "Right here," he flipped the device around, showing the woman the screen. "The carat on both of these are around 1.5." He reached around his neck, taking out a solid gold loupe on a diamond chain from under his shirt.


    "Wow," Colson''s eyes grew as large as plates.


    "The color grade is D," he explained, turning the wedding ring in his fingers. "A Round Brilliant cut...that''ll help it sell strongly to the average buyer. Twenty-three thousand. It''s completely flawless!"


    "What is happening?" Ivy asked.


    "I have no idea," Colson said, "But I think this guy is our ticket to pushing some serious cash."


    "Now for the other one," he examined the silver husband ring. "You were right about this one. Good Carat, poor quality cut, no opaque rating¡­But, despite everything going against it, the diamonds encrusted in this are rare, even for gem standards. Another thing, the design of this suggests that it''s from a different culture, maybe a small, heavily spiritual village, based on the markings. Ten thousand. That''s what you could reasonably get from most who," he turned to the woman, "actually are real professionals. The best case scenario, your machine is broken. Worst case, you people are scammers!"


    "Wow," Colson''s eyes glimmered, "Man, this guy''s amazing."


    "Tibur¡­my guy, you''re an absolute legend!" Colson said, following the man out of the store.


    "Hey, no problem-o. Just helping out a newbie," he shrugged.


    "How''d you know that stuff?" Ivy asked, holding the man''s loupe to her eye, pointing it at the wedding ring.


    "Years of experience. How''d you come across these anyway?"


    Colson gave him the same marriage story as earlier.


    "Dodola Isle. Interesting. Can''t say I''m familiar." He pointed to an alleyway up ahead, "Through there is an¡­ you could say an ''underground'' shop. I''ve been there a few times; they''ll set you right. They should believe your story as well," he flashed them a knowing smile.


    "I¡ª" Colon was about to protest but didn''t want to talk his way out of thirty-three thousand dollars.


    As they walked through the alleyway, the surrounding buildings changed, becoming more dilapidated and colorful¡ªsmashed together to become one long, large mega-complex.


    "We''re being watched," Ivy mentioned casually, too quiet for Tibur to hear. Colson glanced over, noticing her odd stiff posture; her hands in her pockets. He could tell they were wrapped around the brass knuckles.


    "Yeah," he muttered. The greedy gleam in his eye had faded. "Good looking out, though. I''d rather not get robbed in this favela."


    "Tibur''s pretty strong. I can tell."


    "You can?"


    "Mhm," Ivy nodded. "I''m not worried."


    "Me neither."


    After a few minutes of walking, Tibur turned down a dead-end alleyway. At the far end, a metal door. He knocked on the door, five taps in rhythmic succession.


    Ivy flinched, looking at a building behind her, hearing someone talk through one of the windows.


    The metal door squeaked and swung open; loud music from a foreign nation echoed from the dark hallway inside.


    "Are you sure about this?" Colson asked wearily.


    "I go here every time I visit this city," Tibur assured, walking through the doorway.


    Down the long corridor, the music got louder as they approached.


    A crowd had formed in the middle of the room; they jeered and hollered as two shirtless men fought each other in the middle of a metal cage.


    Colson looked at the concrete floor. His stomach did a mini flip as he saw a bloody tooth fly from the cage and bounce off his shoe.


    On the right side of the room was a mahogany table; a teenage girl sat next to a large man in a suit, slicked-back brown hair, perfect teeth that seemed to shine, and gold rings around his fingers.


    Tibur moved towards them. Colson couldn''t make out what he was saying but kept noticing him gesturing back toward the two of them. Eventually, beckoning them over.


    "This here is Lawyer Kev; he runs this place."


    "Howdy, you two," Kev grinned; he had a thick country accent. "I hear you''re tryna sell some rings, that correct?"


    "Yessir," Colson yelled over the noise, placing the rings on the table.


    "How much you say this was worth?" He asked, taking the loupe from Tibur, and examining the rings."


    "Thirty-three for both."


    "What a mighty find these kids have here," he turned to the bored girl sitting next to him, "Get the ''M'' case for me, sweetheart."


    She nodded, got up from her chair, and walked to a back room. A minute later, she returned with a bag, a red letter ''M'' painted crudely on the front and dropped it on the table.


    Lawyer Kev reached inside, taking out a large stack of bills in one hand, and a money-counting device in the other.


    "Um," Colson said, flipping through the stack of bills. "It''s not all here." He handed the stack to Ivy for a second opinion. Looking through it, she nodded in agreement.


    "Is there a problem?" Kev asked innocently.


    "Yeah," Ivy said, stepping forward with her brass knuckles in her hands. "There is."


    Colson looked at her in amazement, ''she is bold as heck,'' he thought.


    Lawyer Kev''s innocent smile didn''t falter, but several men in the surrounding area took note, slowly removing pistols from their jacket pockets.


    Colson reached back behind him, grabbing onto the bokken strapped to his back. His eyes widened, watching people around them with guns in their hands. "Hey, Ivy," he muttered.


    "Hey, yo, calm down there," Tibur said, trying to dispel the tension. "You kids haven''t been doing this long, so I guess it''s my fault for not warning you sooner. There''s something called a finder''s fee."


    "Huh?" Ivy said.


    "Thirty-five percent," he shrugged, grabbing a small stack of cash in Kev''s outstretched hand. "It''s only fair, I''d say."


    "Okay, that''s fine," Colson said quickly, shoving the wad of cash in his pocket. "Let''s go, ''wife,''" he said, turning towards the door.


    They sprinted down the alleyway, back towards the electronics store.


    "We could''ve been shot," Colson said, looking behind him, checking if anyone was following him.


    "You think so?"


    "You didn''t see them? They were ready."


    "Yeah, I saw them," Ivy laughed.


    They burst through the door, almost tripping over themselves. Colson stomped to the back, grabbing three of the most expensive walkie-talkies with the longest ranges. Thinking for a few seconds, he walked back and grabbed two pairs of night-vision binoculars¡ªjust in case.


    "Are we gonna try and get the rest of our money back?"


    "I don''t care anymore," Colson said, walking to the front desk. "I''d rather be scammed than dead. Let''s just get outta here."


    At the edge of town, he stopped, looking back at the way they came. Ivy did the same once she noticed Colson hadn''t moved.


    The dry breeze wafted through the dusty city, sending their hair into a mini frenzy.


    "You know, Ivy," Colson said. "You''re alright."

 Chapter 18

    Colson and Ivy jogged up the last hill, following the stream and reaching the lake, which led into the waterfall. Reaching the top of the hill, they saw the dull glow of Cassius in the distance. Ivy inched towards the edge and looked down the waterfall.


    Seemingly reading her mind, Colson said, "Don''t try to jump; you''ll probably die." He glanced down; the water reflected the orange light from the setting sun. ''The rays of light are hitting it at just the perfect angle.'' Colson''s eyes sparkled with amazement as he continued to stare. Beyond that, the forest next to Cassius was alive. The slight blur of movement from woodland creatures darting between trees; a hive of glowing bugs slowly rose into the air, barely able to be seen in the sunset.


    "What are you looking at?" Ivy stood next to him, squinting at the forest, using her hand to shade her eyes from the sun.


    "It''s crazy what beauty that yellow star can bring."


    "Yellow star?" Ivy looked into the sky, "Oh, my mom always said the sun was black."


    They walked down the side of the hill towards the farm. They found Zoe, she was in the field, holding a jar full of lightning bugs that she had caught. Showing her everything they bought: three walkie-talkies and two night vision binoculars.


    "You really splurged," Zoe said, looking at the receipt.


    "We should use these tonight and see how many of that gang are around. We saw a couple walking around outside when we came in." Colson said.


    "Yea, that''s a good idea. Hmm," Zoe said, deep in thought. "We should get on the roofs of the houses and stay low to get a better look. The roofs should be cooled off now that it isn''t being fried by the sun."


    Zoe looked up, seeing the shadow of a hawk in the moonlight. She continued to climb up the ladder to the roof, gingerly patting the sheet metal on top to check for heat. Ivy bounded up the ladder after her.


    Zoe shimmied up the angled roof on her stomach, slowly poking her head out over the ridge. The house had been built on the edge of the river on the east side of Cassius.


    She held the walkie-talkie to her ear, "Alright, we''re both on the roof."


    "Over," Ivy said into hers.


    Zoe shushed her and listened intently for Colson''s response.


    There was a crackling sound, "Uhh, yeah, hold on." There was mumbling and cursing on the other end. "Alright, there we go. Yea, I''m in position near the library. I''ve seen five people so far; they don''t look too tough, we could take em''." Colson said. "I''m still on the lookout for that big dude, though. Honestly, that man is an absolute Neanderthal."


    Zoe grinned, "He was thawed out."


    Geier opened his eyes. He was sitting around a small table with Marlin and Kurt-Adam.


    "Those kids are split up right now. The two girls are on the roof of a house near the east side. The other guy is about a mile or two away from us to the north, also on a roof. We should leave them alone; I doubt they''ll be much of a threat. I''ll tell-"


    He was cut off by Kurt-Adam abruptly standing to his feet, spilling his half-full bottle of alcohol on the table.


    "I''ll get em'' back for last time!" He said, a wild grin on his face. "I''ll make sure there ain''t nothing left of em''!" He opened the door and disappeared before anyone could say anything.


    "Well, there he goes. Should I tell Kiari?" Geier asked.


    "He''s not as drunk as before, and quite honestly, I''m surprised he can recall ever seeing them¡ªwhich I might add is a massive achievement¡ªhe shouldn''t have any issue with some kindergarteners, so I wouldn''t bother Kiari," Marlin said as he took a napkin to clean the table. "But make yourself useful for once and keep an eye on him."


    "Right," Geier said. ''He''s gotta be right; I don''t need to worry. They can have a good try, but there''s no way they''ll even scratch him. I don''t think if all of us ganged up at once, we''d be able to beat him.''


    The house those three were staying at was outside Cassius and was built near the fields of farmland¡ªseveral miles away, the very edge of Cassius. Within seconds, Kurt-Adam had made it to the village and was jumping from roof to roof. He landed behind both Ivy and Zoe, who turned with surprise. With a casual backhand, he sent Ivy spiraling off the rooftop into the raging river below them. He glanced at Zoe, who stood staring at him, eyes as wide as dinner plates, her mouth agape. Kurt-Adam stepped forward, making her flinch so hard that she almost fell backward off the roof. He gave her a toothy grin and jumped off the rooftop after Ivy.


    Ivy flew down the river, trying to grab onto the slimy edges of the canal to stop herself, kicking her feet to push herself to the top. Her head felt like she did a nosedive off a house into some concrete. She flailed around, feeling her movements slow from the ice-cold water that engulfed her. Her head broke the river''s surface, spluttering and spitting out water and taking a quick breath as her body was pulled down under. Attempting to sink and push herself off from the bottom of the river, a strong current slammed her against the side, knocking the breath from her lungs. A dark, flaming sensation shot up the side of her ribs.


    Ivy felt something clasp around her shivering body; a feeling of two heated pillows surrounded her torso. She opened her eyes as she was pulled out of the water; two large orange, semi-translucent hands had wrapped around her and brought her to the side of the river. The arms were made with rubber and elastic flowing consistency. Jashin crouched next to her¡ªa light orange aura surrounding him¡ªhe observed her quietly. He noticed her wide hazelnut eyes grow when she realized he was the one who had saved her, glancing at his arms which were longer and had been replaced with long glowing ones. They returned to normal, dissipating, as he moved down beside her.


    Ivy opened her mouth to talk but winced and grabbed onto her jaw, tears forming at the corner of her eyes. With every breath, she flinched with pain. Jashin cautiously felt around her torso, deducing that one of her ribs must have been snapped. He noted that her jaw was also broken.


    What sounded like a cannon going off erupted behind Jashin; as he turned around, he saw Kurt-Adam standing with the same toothy grin. The ground where he stood had been cracked. Fissures ran along the cobblestone path where his feet were planted.


    "Say, you give me that Angel''s Ring, and I leave all of you alive; how ''bout that?"


    Behind Jashin, Ivy slowly raised herself to her feet, fists clenched around her knuckle-dusters.


    Kurt-Adam raised an eyebrow, "You''re still alive? I guess I gotta hit you harder next time, huh?"


    "Ivy, move back," Jashin commanded as he walked towards Kurt-Adam. She reluctantly did as she was told and shuffled back behind a house.


    "Here I come!" Kurt-Adam yelled as he charged forwards.


    ''Wait, what just happened?'' Zoe thought, a look of confusion on her face. ''Jashin didn''t even touch her; it was as if he used some type of telekinesis with his arms to lift Ivy out of the water!'' She took a running leap and landed on the adjacent house, getting closer to the fight. ''That orange light around Jashin, was that what Ivy was talking about with Reiza?''


    The walkie-talkie crackled to life in her hand, "Hey! Ivy! Zoe! What''s going on?"


    "Come to the river!" Zoe said quickly. "Jashin and Ivy might need us soon!"


    She landed on another roof, wheeling her arms to keep herself balanced. ''I was useless! All I could do was just stand there like an idiot!'' She took a few steps back and launched herself to another roof. ''If I was just as strong as either of them, nothing like this would''ve happened! Why''d they choose me for this!'' Those thoughts exited her mind as she looked across the river and saw Kurt-Adam charging forwards again, his face slightly bruised and his clothes torn. Jashin was totally spotless.


    Kurt-Adam put up his arm to block a roundhouse kick from Jashin. Not noticing the translucent hand pulling down his head, making Jashin''s knee connect harshly with Kurt-Adam''s face. Jashin stumbled backward as Kurt-Adam pushed him, grabbing his face, an angry growl between clenched teeth. He tore away his tattered shirt with one hand, exposing his hairy chest.


    Jashin grimaced, ''He could be all but beaten, but I don''t want to use up all my energy to do it either. If I''m left vulnerable, then we''re all dead!''If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    A blur fell from the roof above, landing on Kurt-Adam''s head, the bokken being stopped by Kurt-Adam''s hand before it could go through his eye. He carelessly spun around, trying to throw the boy off of himself. He ran backward into a wall, but Colson jumped away before he could get squished. The wall of the house caved, the brick home shuddered as the wall came down, showering the area with dust. One of the falling bricks cracked Kurt-Adam in the back of the head, briefly stunning him.


    "No fair!" He grumbled as he got to his feet. He stomped towards Colson, who slowly retreated. He feinted toward Jashin but lunged toward Colson. Jashin was quick enough and knocked him out of the air with his arms. Getting to his feet again, he turned back and forth to both of them. As he did so, he felt the alcohol slosh around in his otherwise empty stomach. He slapped himself in the face, trying to knock the feeling back into himself.


    Walking forwards again, a sudden searing pain shot up his right leg. Kurt-Adam collapsed to one knee as he turned to see Zoe scamper away behind a building.  Looking down, he saw a wavy silver blade stuck hilt-deep into his Achilles tendon. He let out a howl of anger and ripped it from his heel. His vision turned red as he looked at Jashin. He showed his signature toothy grin; this time, his teeth were a steely grey, sharp and clean.


    Kurt-Adam stepped forward out of the shadows; the moonlight revealed his muscle mass had increased. Another step forwards¡ªhis body was hairier. Another step¡ªhe grew a foot taller.


    His muscles rippled under his sleek brown hair. He let out a groan of satisfaction, admiring himself in the reflection of a window. Taller, hairier, stronger, his nails sharp enough to cut through steel, his head elongated, and his ears twitched and picked up on every sound. He sniffed the air, his snout wiggling.


    Zoe looked from behind the building, covering her mouth so it wouldn''t hear her breathing. ''Is that a freaking werewolf! I just need to grab Ivy...no, he''ll catch up to me in seconds. What do I do? Think! Think!''


    Kurt-Adam, grinned, "This boosts my senses up so much, it''s like I''m not even drunk anymore!" His laugh was booming. Jashin knew this was no mere boast. Kurt-Adam was more agile as he bounced from one foot to the other, the wound in his tendon seemingly healed or a non-bother to him.


    Interrupting his gloating, Jashin caught Kurt-Adam off-guard by feinting a leg kick into a jab. Kurt-Adam shook off the hit instantaneously, grabbing Jashin by one of his magical arms and swinging him into the side of the nearest building, causing the wall to collapse and Jashin to be fired right through the home''s living room. He looked to Colson, whose face had turned pale, and his hands shook as his bokken wobbled in his grip. About to lunge forward, Kurt-Adam felt something bounce off the back of his head. He marched on, feeling the same minor pain again and again.


    "What?" He snapped¡ªhis voice lower and more animalistic than before¡ªHe spun around to face a silhouette, who had taken position several houses away, holding a brick in its hand, ready to throw another one. He squinted, sniffing the air, only then finding out the figure was Zoe. He stomped the ground, the cobblestone cracking effortlessly at his feet. He picked up as much of the debris as he could in one hand and flung the shrapnel at her.


    One of Jashin''s spiritual hands extended from inside the house, taking the full impact of the stone splinters. He grunted in pain as he looked down at his real hand to see lots of gashes open up on his right forearm and hand.


    The squawking of a hawk perched on the roof of a nearby farmhouse caught Kurt-Adam''s attention.


    "Don''t you dare interfere!" Kurt-Adam screamed at it. He turned back to where Colson was just a few seconds prior; he had disappeared, dragging Ivy down one of the many alleyways.


    Sniffing the air, the werewolf''s howl was one filled with bloodlust. A dark red aura surrounded Kurt-Adam. A miasma of fog slowly set over the village. Quickly catching onto their scent, he bounded after them.


    "Turn right." Ivy tried to say, but with her broken jaw, it sounded like ''Tuwn ight.''


    "What''ja say? What about tonight?"


    Ivy shook her head and pointed to the right; a set of bilco doors led to a basement cellar. One door was slightly ajar, and a woman''s voice was hissing at them to hide inside.


    He dragged her towards the set of doors. She pulled her hand free of his. He gave her a confused look. She shook her head, turned away from him, and started walking back the way they came.


    Before Colson could move, the shockwave of Kurt-Adam knocked them off their feet as he slammed into the ground between them.


    Every cell in Colson''s body screamed at him to escape as fast as possible, just exit Cassius, and never come back. ''I''m so scared! His bloodlust is so strong I can taste it. It''s so rancid!''


    Kurt-Adam''s dark eyes glazed over both of them with a euphoric glee. The blood-red aura that surrounded him grew in size and intensity. He squinted at Ivy, most of her was blurry but one thing stood out; her brown eyes grew wide, but she didn''t scramble away in fear, unlike Colson. Kurt paused, a little respect growing for her.


    ''That''s a damn shame,'' he thought. ''Oh well.'' He opened his mouth wide, revealing rows of his razor-sharp canines. Kurt-Adam reached out and grabbed Ivy by the neck, ready to crush her windpipe. Ivy kicked and punched against his grip; the struggle was useless against his overwhelming strength and bloodlust.


    Slowly choking her before fully committing to breaking her neck. He watched her lips turn blue and her face turn pale as he squeezed. His head bounced forward as a dull thud was heard. His ears twitched, and on instinct, his hand shot out, snatching Colson by the neck, the bokken bouncing uselessly off Kurt-Adam''s head.


    "Well...now...this will¡­ be...good."


    Through her haze, Ivy noticed that Kurt-Adam was almost out of breath. The dark red aura seemed to dim slightly, but the bloodlust remained pure.


    A thought from above, ''Side two of six. That will have to do.''


    Kurt-Adam''s head snapped to the side as his ears caught a slight whistling sound. It was too late to react as a long, thin steel spike embedded itself into his chest. He turned to see a man standing firm on top of a roof. He had long thick dark purple hair¡ªso dark that it was almost black¡ªthat reached his shoulders. His garbs that covered his strong slender frame were dark magenta, with his pants being cream in coloration. He had grey steel-toed boots that rode slightly above his knees. His face was somewhat tanned, chiseled, and angular, with cold steel-grey eyes.


    Kurt-Adam roared in anger; with all his might, he flung Ivy directly at the man. A one hundred and forty pound, five foot six missile flew at the man who gracefully caught her and set Ivy down gently by his side. She started to cough violently, holding her throat, air finally traveling to her lungs.


    With his free hand, Kurt-Adam yanked the spike from his chest, letting it clatter to the ground, he reared back, ready to throw Colson, but another javelin slid silently through the air, rooting itself into his shoulder, causing him to drop the boy, who scrambled backward in a crab walking position to escape.


    The man held his palm out, another long and thin javelin manifesting in it. The spike that Kurt-Adam had thrown to the ground disappeared in a wisp of smoke.


    Kurt-Adam bared his teeth as he yanked the spike from his shoulder, feeling his arm go numb, a warm sensation spreading from the impact point. He flung the javelin at Ivy, but the man easily deflected it with his own.


    ''What''d he do? My arm can''t move!'' He got down on all fours, launching himself towards the rooftop.


    The second Kurt-Adam left the ground, he felt a searing pain shoot down his leg as a javelin appeared in his thigh. He landed on his back, breathing hard, rolling to his feet just as another metal spike pierced the ground where his head was milliseconds prior.


    He stumbled back down the alleyways towards the river. He looked around, sniffing the air, their scent was faint, but he knew they were still close. Two large orange hands extended from the hole in the nearby home, slamming Kurt-Adam against the wall, shoulder first, making him groan in pain.


    "Come out and fight me, you cowards!" Kurt-Adam stepped out into the open near the river, back where they initially fought. He repeated himself again, looking down at his body which had lost most of its added hair, his wounds too severe to be naturally healed by his transformation.


    His ears twitched, hearing light footsteps reverberate from the alley from whence he came. The man from the rooftop glided through the misty alleyway into view. Eyes looking through Kurt-Adam rather than at him. As if he was looking at a ghost right behind him.


    "You made a big mistake coming down here."


    To Kurt-Adam''s right, Jashin walked from the hole in the house. He picked up Zoe''s dagger, which still sat on the ground, and put it in his back pocket.


    "You look like a sick dog that needs to be put down," Jashin said.


    Kurt-Adam growled, tensing his muscles; the red aura around him expanded, becoming erratic in its flow.


    "So you wanna die first," Kurt-Adam said, turning to Jashin, his bloodlust changing its target and pointing directly at Jashin. He reared backward and charged, moving faster than he ever had before. A tornado of muscle and fur blasted right toward Jashin. He stood his ground as the werewolf hurdled down the cobblestone path.


    When the beast was within reach, Jashin extended his magical arms¡ªputting all his energy into one hand¡ªand swung, aiming right for Kurt-Adam''s head with all his might. Kurt lifted his good arm to protect itself, but the momentum was too great, snapping his head to the side with a sickening snap, making his vision go white; he kept moving forwards, body slamming Jashin. A crack of a breaking rib reverberated across the river.


    Kurt-Adam roared, spraying the area with hot spittle, and launched himself forward. Jashin fell back, the werewolf''s jaws snapping centimeters from his face. Kurt-Adam''s hand slammed into the side of his torso, fingernails ripping into his skin.


    The man from the rooftop appeared behind him, ramming a javelin into the back of his throat. It was as if he were skewering a piece of meat with a fork. The werewolf rolled to the side, holding his throat, the sound of gurgling emanating from his red maw. Jashin pulled Zoe''s dagger from his pocket, burying it into his neck as well, seeing panic in his eyes. Kurt-Adam rocked away clumsily, swiping blindly with his arm in front of him.


    Conjuring another metal spike, the man shoved the rod at his head, the skull too thick to penetrate, but Kurt-Adam still wouldn''t fall; he flailed wildly, stomping his legs, and swinging his unusable arm like a club, trying to get distance from them.


    Falling backward, he fell onto the railing on the riverside. He tried to push himself off, but there was a popping sound as the rail gave way under his weight. He staggered as he fell back, flipping around and grabbing onto another rail with a giant fist. Desperately trying to pull himself back up. There was a sound of metal grating as a bolt holding the railing tore and the bar came loose, dropping Kurt-Adam into the river.


    A black eagle swooped down from the sky, joining its yellow partner, its eyes trained on the river. Continuously flying up and down the length of the river.


    It finally saw something that caught its eye.


    Geier opened his eyes. He sat, back breathing heavily; cold sweat ran down his face.


    "Wh-what just...He''s really dead. I never thought in a million years anyone would''ve been able to kill him. There''s no way! But they did it. Those five just murdered him."


    He looked over to Marlin, who had been asleep. He shook him awake, telling Marlin what he saw.


    Marlin''s eyes narrowed suspiciously as he listened to the whole story. When it was finished, he sat up in the bed, his eyes staring into space. He wiped a hand across his eyes. Geier didn''t know if he was wiping the water that was usually there or tears.


    His voice was shaky, "So, he''s really gone?"


    All Geier could do was nod.


    His fist slammed against the wall, splintering the wood, "That imbecile! Why didn''t he think about me when he...he really just left me¡­."


    Geier wanted to say something to comfort him, but he didn''t know what to say.


    Marlin slammed open the sliding glass door, walking out of the house.


    "Hey! Where ya goin''? Don''t do anything stupid!"


    "I''m going to speak to Kiari. Then I shall obliterate every last ''thing'' here!"

 Chapter 19

    Several years prior.


    The setting sun turned the sea orange as Geier sat on the edge of the dock, his legs swinging below him. All around him, crew members from navy ships, fishing boats, and yachts moved throughout the port. They reminded him of ants, which seemed to roam aimlessly, each with their own purpose. The loud squawks of seagulls and pelicans filled the air as they hovered around the harbor, looking for fish or any scrap of food they could find.


    Behind him, he heard small footsteps on the old wooden planks. He leaned his head back, seeing Kiari walking towards him with Addilynn skipping beside him. Addilynn was a shorter girl, with dark tan skin and blonde hair. They had been living in the harbor town of KernEcho Bay for the past few weeks, and they had both decided to dress the part. Addilynn wore a brown dress with a white blouse. The arms of the blouse plumed outwards, giving it a ''royal'' look. All the females in the area wore something similar. She had a small black leather pouch that hung down from her shoulder.


    It was the first time that Geier had seen Kiari wear anything but his usual outfit. He looked deeply uncomfortable as he walked down the pier. He wore a dark brown leather jacket with coattails to his ankles, black, oversized waterproof boots, and leather gloves.


    "Marlin and Kurt have found the perfect ship. Once it gets a little darker, it''s gonna be ours," Kiari said.


    A slight frown crossed Geier''s face, "Who owns the ship?"


    "Not sure. From the look of the ship, it looks like it was built for trafficking. So, don''t worry."


    "Alright, but I don''t think they like me very much. Are you sure it''ll be okay if I come along?" He held out his arm, and moments later, a fat grey pelican landed on it.


    Addilynn laughed, "Oh, don''t mind them. Marlin hates just about everyone but Kurt. And Kurt probably won''t even remember you." She hopped over to Geier; her buckled leather shoes made a squishing sound as she did so, scratching the pelican''s head and fishing out a loaf of bread she had in her satchel, tearing off a piece and giving it to the bird. Within seconds, every other bird in the area seemed to zero in on their location and circle them, looking for a free handout.


    Geier was fourteen years old. He had met Kiari a little over a year prior on an island not far from this harbor. The once beautiful island society had long since been degraded. "I never thought I''d see the outside world," Geier thought. "No one who lived there ever thought about leaving. Any sort of talk on that subject was seen as socially taboo. But Kiari, he probably saved my life in a way. Not from an immediate death, but a slow miserable one that would take over fifty years. I keep thinking and wondering, ''why was I the one that got to leave?'' It may have been fate."


    When Addilynn first ran into Geier, they didn''t even speak the same language. She would mime out words and use drawings to describe the outside world. In return, he would find food. She told him she was waiting for a boy and that he and his friends could take them away. Someplace safe. In the meantime, she read a lot. She seemed to read one book, in particular?. Geier became curious. He spent almost all the money he had on a translation dictionary. He used it to read through the book alongside her, as well as to learn her language.


    The book was an adventure story about a man who lived in a desert colony. A place called the Outback. Addilynn had told Geier that the book was very important to her. They would read the book for hours on end every day. It would take over ten minutes just to read one side of a page, as he would have to constantly reference the dictionary, but she was always patient with him. They were able to finish the book; by the last few chapters, he didn''t even open the dictionary once.


    When the boy she was waiting on returned, he introduced himself as Kiari, a twenty-year-old. Behind him stood Marlin and Kurt-Adam. Kiari instantly treated Geier as if they were friends¡ªno, family.


    On the dock, Geier''s eye caught something several yards behind Addilynn. He squinted, seeing a large group of people passing on the paved path behind them. Some had shirts tied around their head as a mask.


    ''But the thing is,'' he thought, ''I hate having to do this. Even if they do deserve it in some way¡­it just doesn''t feel good. I can''t leave. I owe them my life pretty much.''


    "Wow! All these people! Why''s the market so packed?"


    "Don''t get too loud, Geier," Kiari warned, pulling his hat low as he walked over to the side of a merchant''s tent, peering from around the corner, looking at the group of men as they meandered through the long street. "Stay by me and don''t get lost, okay? Even though you''re older at this point, you still don''t wanna be lost in a place like this. Especially once it gets dark."


    "Oh, yeah, you''re right."


    There were hundreds of merchants lined up on the street, with thousands of customers roaming the area. It was hectic this time of the day since everyone wanted to get their shopping done prior to it becoming nighttime. There was a local saying that every child of KernEcho Bay had heard from their mothers hundreds of times: Nothing good happens after ten o''clock.


    They continued to walk through the market, following the group from a distance. Kiari had to pull Geier away from the large animal pen filled with Sea-Chickens¡ªfive of them, all squawking and hopping around inside their wire enclosure.


    They continued to follow them. As time went on, the streets became less busy, the sky became darker, and the street lamps began to shine.


    Kiari leaned in and whispered into Geier''s ear, "Alright, so I''m gonna come up with something real quick. I''m gonna go out in front a bit and get them to follow me. You keep following them, stay at the same distance we''re at now. Don''t lose them, and for God''s sake, don''t get distracted."


    "Yeah, yeah," Geier nodded.


    Kiari gave him a fist bump and silently sprinted ahead with tremendous speed. No one seemed to register him as he weaved between people and around market huts.


    Up a ways ahead, Geier spotted Kiari sitting cross-legged in one of the abandoned vendor spaces. As the group walked past, he beckoned them over with a slow and smooth hand motion.


    "Hey there, fellas," he said when they got close. "There was something that I came across a bit ago that I know you guys want to see."Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "Okay," one of them said; he had a deep accent. He was tall and dark with golden rings on most of his fingers with golden earrings. There was a large dark pink gem around his neck attached to a gold chain.


    "You look like men with an exotic taste. A taste in most things."


    The man thought for a moment, "It would depend on what you have."


    "I have lots! Animals, women, weapons¡­Too much to tell you, but I can show you! It''s not far."


    A hungry smile crossed the man''s lips, "Fine, show us."


    Kiari got to his feet and began walking deeper into the town.


    ''Since it''s only Kiari, they probably don''t think much of it. They think they can kill him if he tries anything.''


    He led them around, purposefully taking the long route. The sky had turned black by the time they made it to their destination.


    He ushered them inside a basement of a tall concrete building. Geier sat outside the door, covering his ears with his hands, and squeezed his eyes shut as hard as he could. He still heard the explosions that came next.


    Kiari, Marlin, and Kurt-Adam walked out of the basement door several minutes later. Kurt-Adam used a small stick to clean the blood caked under his nails. Kiari''s hands were covered in grey soot. It was as if he had been crawling around in a chimney for the past hour. He held up the gem necklace. He was careful to keep the gold clean, his eyes glinting just as much as the rock. Kiari reached down to shake Geier, letting him know everything was done. Behind him, Marlin rolled his eyes and gave him a look of disdain.


    "What do you wanna call our new ship?" Kiari asked.


    "Hmm, I don''t know. Something to do with dinosaurs maybe," Geier said.


    Kurt-Adam yawned and rubbed his stomach, "I''m just hungry, honestly."


    "Yeah, me too. Maybe the ship will have something," Kiari said.


    Geier stood on the vessel''s railing; the warm night sea air blew in from the ocean, his hair waving wildly in the wind. He held his hands out to balance himself briefly before hopping from the railing to the pier deck. Marlin had left several minutes earlier, and Geier, overly curious, wanted to see what he could''ve been doing at this time of night. He rarely went anywhere without Kurt-Adam, but the hairy man had fallen asleep an hour prior, slumped in a chair on the front deck, a large, almost empty bottle in his hands.


    Geier ran as silently as he could down the street, listening intently to the surrounding sounds, specifically for the walking patterns of Marlin.


    To his right, a group of four men¡ªclearly locals from the way they were dressed, walked down the street in the opposite direction. As they spotted him running, their loud conversation instantly stopped. Geier noticed them staring as he ran past. One held up their hand, beckoning him over.


    Geier skidded to a stop and walked across the street toward the group. One of them stuck his foot out in front of Geier as he got closer, causing him to step on it, leaving a dark stain on the tan boots.


    The man was about a foot taller than him; even though it was almost too dark to see, Geier felt his shadow loom over him.


    "Dude, look what you did¡­ruined my new shoes," he gestured down at his foot. He looked down at Geier, quickly grabbing him by the shoulder, forcing him down so he was directly staring at it. "What''re you gonna do to fix this, huh?" He asked, practically shouting.


    "You did this on purpose!" Geier said, trying to struggle free of the man''s grip. "You put your foot out!"


    The man looked at his friends, "did I do that?" he asked. They all shook their heads with a collective "nope." He looked back down at Geier, an uncontrollable grin coming across his face, "they were all watching. Y''ain''t see me do a damn thing. That''s three witnesses right there."


    "I''m sorry, okay?"


    "You don''t know how much this cost me, do yah?" There was a long silence. Geier didn''t know what to say, so he kept looking down, waiting for them to leave, not wanting to escalate things further. "It wasn''t cheap," the man said, pulling him up to his feet and dragging him to the side, pushing him against a nearby small apartment building.


    Geier winced as the back of his head hit the concrete wall. "How much do you need?" Even in the dark, Geier could see the man''s large grin.


    "Man, this kid really is gullible," he thought. "Well, let''s see," he reached down, patting Geier''s pockets. His hand slipped inside and pulled out a large wad of cash.


    "No, you can''t! Not all of it!"


    "Why?"


    "I was saving up. I was going to buy some friends something cool one day. They saved my life."


    "Well, dude, it sounds like to me that you''ll be saving up a bit longer."


    Geier slowly lifted his right hand up, his sharp nails aimed at the perfect spot of the man''s neck. If they were to puncture, it wouldn''t kill him, but he would be almost instantly incapacitated.


    "Hey! Leave him alone!" A voice came from above in one of the apartment windows.


    "Oh, shut up!" One of the men said, glaring at the older fisherman yelling at them from the window.


    While they were distracted, Geier sent his knee into the man''s crotch, making him double over and drop the money, which scattered lightly in the wind. He ran to pick it all up but was grabbed from behind by one of the others.


    "Oh, you did not just do that! You are so dead, kid!"


    Reaching behind him, Geier ran his claws down the man''s face, causing him to scream out in pain and drop him. He quickly backpedaled, holding his face, swearing profusely.


    Geier wheeled around, facing the group. One was on the ground, holding himself, looking as if he was about to cry. The other man was standing near a neon sign on a building, using the light to look at himself in the reflection of a window, gingerly tapping the cuts on his face.


    "Ugh," the man on the ground groaned as he got to his feet. He had to lean against the apartment wall as he hobbled down the street. The others looked back and forth from him to Geier before following them.


    "Don''t worry," the man said from above, "Those are just some hoodlums. They''ll ruff ya up, but don''t pay em'' much mind. Just a buncha miserable non-starters."


    "Thank you, sir. I''m not from around here, so I don''t know the good areas."


    "Yeah, I can tell. You can''t be so gullible. There aren''t any good areas this time of night. So you both better head on home."


    "Well, I was out trying to find someone. Have you seen a tall skinny blonde guy around? Looks like he just jumped in a pool. Maybe he was around about five or so minutes ago?"


    "No, sorry, haven''t seen anyone. I only looked out the window just now because I heard you guys yelling."


    The old man shut his window and turned off his light, leaving the street almost entirely dark except for the occasional dim street lamp and the neon signs of sketchy stores.


    "What was that?" A familiar voice from a nearby alleyway.


    Geier turned to see Marlin standing there, his usual straight posture and bored look. The small pattering from the water that dripped from him.


    "What was what?"


    Marlin pointed down the street; in the distance, the silhouettes of the group could still be seen walking away.


    "I was attacked."


    Marlin rolled his eyes and sighed, "Useless."


    "Hey! I didn''t know that they were going to jump me! Cut me some slack, jeez!"


    Marlin turned to Geier; dark shadows from the flickering neon store signs danced along his face. His eyes looked dark and cold. Before Geier could process anything, Marlin had grabbed the front of his shirt and pushed him into a nearby wall. Geier instinctively reacted by shoving his fingernails into Marlin''s wrist; he didn''t react as he continued to grip his clothes, even tighter than before.


    "Marlin, knock it off," Kiari''s stern voice came from the end of the alleyway.


    Marlin glared at Geier for a few more seconds before letting him go. Geier leaned against the concrete wall, fixing his shirt.


    "Alright, fair enough," Marlin said, "Though, why I did that was for a pedagogical reason."


    "A what?" Geier looked up, seeing Kiari standing next to him, a look of slight pity on his face.


    "You know, don''t mind him."


    "What did I ever do to him? I honestly hate this," he said, feeling his eyes turn heavy from tears but quickly wiping them away with his arm before he thought Kiari would notice. He did notice. Geier looked down the street; the group of men had disappeared entirely at this point.


    "We should get back to the ship. The Festival of Wealth in Apris is coming up in a few weeks. We''re gonna sail there, offload all the cargo on the ship and sell it all. Some good pirate booty."


    "Well, before we do that, I wanna talk to some people."


    "Oh yeah?"


    "Just a group of dudes I met a little bit ago. Not very friendly."


    "Okay, I get you," a slight smile was planted on Kiari''s face, "lead the way."

 Chapter 20

    Marlin observed the door, taking a deep breath before knocking.


    "Come in," A voice said from behind it.


    Marlin walked in. The smell of the room was sweet, eucalyptus mixed with lavender. The room was mostly taken up by a large canopy bed with slightly transparent pink curtains. Two people stood near the bed, a petite feminine silhouette and a tall masculine one. The slight beep of a heart-rate monitor could be heard, muffled by the curtains. The only lights on were the ones strung overhead in the bed''s canopy.


    Kiari leaned in towards the figure on the bed, then pulled the curtain aside and walked out. As he did so, Marlin glanced inside. The nurse had a glass filled with the vitality sap that some goons had collected from the orange trees. She mixed it with water and other medicine to make it go down easier. The woman on the bed was in her twenties, with dark blond hair. Her ordinarily dark tan skin was now a sickly grey. Her eyes were shut, and her breathing was shallow.


    "How''s Addilynn?"


    "Well, after we found the sap, her health stabilized slightly, and she isn''t on the verge of...well, but nurse says that we don''t know how long this will work. Anyways, you have good news for me?" As soon as Kiari asked, he regretted it, as he saw Marlin''s eyes get wetter than usual. "What happened?"


    Marlin choked back a sob and reiterated what Geier had told him earlier.


    Kiari''s nostrils flared, and he gritted his teeth. "Follow me," he commanded in a subdued voice and exited the room.


    Atop the hill with the waterfall, Jashin looked around. Asking the rest of them to look and tell him if they see anything the least bit suspicious.


    He moved his hand along the grass, feeling around. His fingers caught the edge of something, and he grabbed it and yanked open the hatch, quickly ushering everyone inside before closing it behind him. Ivy clung to the new man''s back as they descended the ladder. The descent was long and murky, light not reaching a foot in front of their eyes. Her light-up shoes gave the tunnel a strange glow.


    Barely anyone had said a word since the earlier encounter; Jashin had been the only one talking, instructing everyone where to go.


    The damp, earthy smell only increased as they descended the ladder. Zoe half expected to grab onto an earthworm at some point. She looked up at Ivy, a heavy wave filling her mind. ''I barely did anything. She almost died, and I just froze.''


    Flickering light from below slowly illuminated the tunnel as they went lower and lower. The rock sides were jagged and sharp. Spiders and other odd insects scurried alongside them, their eyes glistening as they watched them pass downwards.


    Once they reached the bottom, Zoe skimmed the surrounding area; the light was dim, but she was still amazed by what she saw. Towering luminous mushrooms alongside cold pine trees filled the enormous cavern. Scattered throughout the forest were stone statues. The biggest one was made to be hunched over on one knee, holding up the cave roof with his arms and back¡ªbelow, the fungi cast? blue, green, and purple light across its frame. Others were wearing clothes from different eras and cultures. Large granite pillars stood adjacent to one another. On the cavern walls, paintings and murals hung; some were of historical events, others depicting fantastical beasts and what looked like humans using magic.


    Though faint, they thought they could hear it, an auditory afterimage. The sounds of past footsteps and murmurs emanating from the fungi itself. Playing back memories.


    There was a trickling coming from the far wall. In the middle looked to be a stone pond, no bigger than a hot tub. A small stream of water came from an open faucet set several feet above it. The water seemed to sparkle as it reflected an invisible light.


    The man holding Ivy walked over to the tub. He submerged her under the water, telling her to drink as much as she could. Luminescence in the water glowed as it made contact with her. The inside of her throat radiated the blue light as she gulped down the water.


    Zoe held onto her necklace, nervously biting it, eyes wide, watching Ivy close her eyes and go under. She lay still, unbreathing, and submerged; no air bubbles appeared at the surface of the water. Zoe stepped forward, ready to pull her out, when Ivy rocketed out of the water, ending up several meters in the air and landing on her feet inside the pond. A big grin on her face as she looked down at herself, flexing and stretching her muscles, then looked at Ivy and Colson.


    Zoe found herself smiling inside, though a bit of that feeling must have shown in her eyes, as Colson noticed.


    "What are you so happy about?" He said. But that tiny smile was infectious and dissipated most of the adrenaline that pounded through their bodies. He shook his head but had a wide grin on his face. He turned to Ivy, "Crazy. You know that? You''re insane."


    As Zoe asked a million questions about how the water worked, Jashin filled up a cup of the water and gave it to Colson while he submerged himself inside the concrete tub.


    "I feel a lot stronger. Like...really a lot stronger!" Ivy said, looking down at herself. Not knowing if it was her imagination or not, but she looked a lot more toned and muscular than before. "Say, Zoe, I wanna try something."


    "Huh?" Was all Zoe could say before Ivy grabbed her and effortlessly tossed her several feet into the air. "Ivy!" She screeched as she grabbed onto her necklace and held her eyes shut, hating the feeling of falling.


    When she opened her eyes again, she was face to face with Ivy, who had a big toothy grin. Zoe managed to wriggle out of her arms.


    "Ya know, if I tried again, I could probably get you to touch the ceiling¡­."


    "No, I''m good. Thank you for asking. You know what, why don''t you throw Colson? He''s heavier than I am, so you should be able to gauge how much stronger you are. I''m sure he''d be thrilled."


    Ivy looked over to Colson, who said, "Try it, and you''ll need to be put back in the water."


    Ivy yawned and sat down on a nearby bench. "I think I''m gonna¡­." She yawned again. "I''m gonna¡­" she slumped over, instantly falling asleep.


    "Are we allowed to sleep here?" Zoe asked.


    "We aren''t ''not'' allowed," the man in purple said, looking at Jashin.


    "Well," Jashin said, "The only way in and out is back up the ladder, and I don''t think any of us want to do that right now. So I guess it''s okay for now."


    The man said, "I want to thank you, kids, for helping us. Now that I''m here, This''ll be done soon. But once this is over, I''ll tell¡­who''s the main guy at Crater now? Is it still Neph?"


    "Yeah," Colson nodded.


    "Jeez, that guy¡­well, I''ll tell him you guys are alright."


    The firelight from inside the brazier made the shadows dance along the cavern walls and made their faces look almost evil in the light.


    Zoe reached down, picking up something that scuttled across the floor. An eight-legged insect with a sleek brown and green segmented shell. About as large as her palm, she watched as it turned, looking around in confusion.


    "So, who are you supposed to be?" Colson asked; he looked slightly uncomfortable with Ivy, who''d shifted in her sleep, leaning her head on his shoulder. "You don''t really dress like you''re from here." He pointed to Jashin, "have you seen his sister?"


    "I''ve known her for a long time."


    "She dresses like she''s a hippie who babbles about crystals all day."


    "You didn''t tell them who I was yet?" The man looked at Jashin for his reaction, a mischievous gleam in his eye.


    "Guess not," Jashin shrugged.


    "Well, I''m Idris; you may also know me as the black lancer of luck." He was silent as if awaiting applause.


    "Hold on! What was that magic you guys were doing back there?" Zoe asked.


    Jashin and Idris exchanged looks.


    Idris shrugged, "Should we tell ''em?"Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    "No, I don''t think we should. They have a weird way of training those kids at Crater. I think it was Neph''s idea; it''s apparently a very top secret thing. If you aren''t perfect, then they won''t teach you how to do it."


    "I don''t care what the guy thinks. Plus, these kids are going to have to learn soon enough; it could be life or death at that point. I think he''d rather them live with taboo knowledge than be dead."


    "Perhaps, but I think we should wait until the time is right to tell them. Plus, we don''t know if we''ll need them, anyway."


    "I only just arrived, but I''m guessing they''ve helped a good bit, right? It''ll only be fair. It''s pretty good that I got back when I did. You guys would''ve been screwed. Either way," Idris glanced over at Ivy, "They''ve done more than any of these farmers three times their senior. Some know how to use their shimmer, but they''d rather hide. Most here aren''t battle types."


    Jashin looked to Zoe, "You should get to sleep. We may discuss this later. But not now."


    Minutes later, everyone seemed to fall asleep almost instantly, but Zoe. Her heart was still pounding. The brazier in the middle of their circle was nothing but dim embers, the occasional snap from the moisture in the wood. She squinted forwards, seeing a statue that stood out from the rest, its head slowly and silently spinning, revealing its two opposite faces. One was a man with a goatee and intense eyes. The other was a boy; the look on his face was one of anguish and pain. It held two coins in between its fingers. Curious, though she didn''t want to get too close, as the whole thing unnerved her greatly.


    "You wanna know the story behind that?"


    Idris'' voice made Zoe almost scream out. She quickly cupped her hands over her mouth.


    "Sorry," Idris chuckled. "I just noticed you were eye-balling that thing pretty hard."


    "Yeah, it''s¡­nice."


    "You can be honest. The thing is creepy as hell. Doesn''t help that they put it in this weird cave thing. When I was a kid, this used to not be here. But I guess it turned out to be useful after all."


    "I don''t get it. Is the face on the right supposed to be sad or hurt?"


    "Well, maybe both."


    Over one hundred years ago, an orphaned boy lived in the village. He wasn''t given a name at birth, but a local boy, Kendrick, a pastor in training, decided to call him Oskar. He was very slow-minded, obviously so. Because of this, he was treated very cruelly by almost everyone. The kids found it fun to torment the child, and the adults saw him as a burden as he was never able to farm. They would send a majority of their crops to Crater, and they were ordered to give part of their crops to a boy too stupid to work.


    Kendrick always liked Oskar. No matter his situation, he always had a bright and happy attitude. To Kendrick, Oskar was the single ray of light in the storm clouds. No matter how terrible everyone was to him, he never saw the boy even frown once.


    As Kendrick got to know Oskar, learning who he was, his interests, and such. He learned of his dream to travel, not just to other states or countries¡ªbut to the stars. It wasn''t just an interest; it was an obsession. Especially for the planet Saturn. He could talk Kendrick''s ear off about a story of a man named Janus who could create doorways to anywhere he wanted. Despite not being able to farm, he had manufactured a telescope from a broken beer bottle and a hollow cylindrical piece of wood. That was his true talent. Kendrick would defend him to his peers, calling him a "savant." He could name every constellation and calculate the distance between one star and the next. Drawing diagrams of the visible universe which was later found to somehow be scaled perfectly. He would create sundials in his spare time, spending hours getting them exactly perfect. The next day, it would be destroyed by one of the villagers.


    During one savage winter, the crops failed. Everyone was hoarding food to themselves. Oskar had no home, so all he could do was beg someone to feed him. It wasn''t uncommon for him to go days without eating. One day he wanted to try the church as most of its members and Kendrick were always kind to him. But that day, everyone was absent from the building. Not being able to move any further, he curled up in a ball and starved to death inside. When he was found the next day, he was found to be clutching a metal coin, just like the one the statue was holding. He held it so tight that it frostbit his fingers.


    When the villagers fell asleep that night, they all had the same dream. That morning, they saw a stone figure with two faces erected in the center of their town. One was of the boy, Oskar. It had the same features as how he died, so every time they saw that statue, they''d be reminded of how they treated him. And one of the man himself. The one who gave them the dream, Janus.


    "Well, that''s the gist of it," Idris said. "Also, on his hands were several rings; one of them was actually called the angel''s ring."


    "Wait, is that story actually real?" Zoe asked, her face filled with curiosity.


    "Uh, parts of it. It''s hard to say." Idris shrugged. "I mean, that story''s been told for over a hundred years, right? The myth of a godly diety spread pretty wide, and I''m sure a lot of it got lost in translation, ya know?"


    The sun rose over the horizon, burning away the morning mildew and fog. Idris stared blankly into the sunrise. Sitting next to him on the stone silo, Ivy rested her head on the railing, yawning.


    "Say, why do they call you the black lancer if you''re purple?"


    "I don''t know. The name was given a while ago, and it just seemed to stick."


    "The mostly black lancer. The slightly purple lancer?"


    "Ivy, I will drop you from the top of this silo," Idris yawned, getting to his feet. "Jashin, I think we should teach them. It would be a lot better to have them with us, and to know energy, than us by ourselves or being burdened with cowardly farmers."


    "Yea, I think you''re right, but neither of us know how to properly teach it."


    "Oh," Idris said, realizing the problem. "Yea...that is an issue¡­I''d suggest that we go to the library, but, well, you know¡­What about the ''baptism'' technique?"


    "Maybe," Jashin said, rubbing his chin.


    "Hold on," Colson said, narrowing his eyes. "This isn''t some kind of occult bitchcraft, is it?"


    "Not at all," Idris reassured.


    "How did you guys learn to do it? Just teach us the way you learned." Ivy said.


    "That''s probably what we''ll end up doing," Jashin said, "but I''m not sure if it''s the safest and most efficient use of time. For most people, it takes years to unlock. So we''d need to figure out a method¡­even so, the issue of Crater''s secrecy policies. I was thinking since Cassius is a part of the colony¡ªtechnically¡ªI think we''d still face consequences."


    "Well," Idris said, "then let''s just split the difference; we just tell them the absolute bare minimum and won''t reveal any more than that. So let''s just start. Figure it out as we go," He looked over at the kids and leaned close, "You aren''t going to snitch on us, will you?"


    "No," the trio said in unison.


    "See, we''ll be fine. If they ask, just say that you learned it on your own."


    A cloaked man crept down the cobblestone street. He made sure he kept to the shadows. He glanced around at the surrounding homes. ''Where are they? The place is crawling with them one second, and then they''re gone the next!" ''


    He heard a clicking sound above him on the roof of a house. Without thinking, he jumped back, taking a sickle and a sawed-off shotgun from his back. He aimed the weapon toward the rooftop; a massive black eagle stared back at him. Its unblinking golden eyes seemed to stare right through the man.


    "Man, I feel like I''m losing it," he muttered as he lowered his weapons.


    As he walked down the road, he saw the eagle follow him out of the corner of his eye.


    He crossed one of the bridges and entered the east side of Cassius.


    "Hey," a voice said from a few feet behind him.


    "Wha?" That was all the man could say. He hadn''t heard anyone following him and hadn''t sensed the presence of anyone watching him; besides the bird.


    He turned around, coming face to face with three men. Kiari, Marlin, and Geier stood there with smirks on their faces. Geier forcefully put a hand on the man''s shoulder.


    Blood trickled from the man''s mouth and onto the dusty cobblestone. His breath was ragged as he tried to speak. "Please," he coughed harshly. "Just¡­let me go!" One of his eyes was swollen shut, but he still pushed himself up to look them in the eyes. "I don''t know where the temple is! You''re not getting anything from me, okay?"


    "So, the Angel''s Ring is in a temple? That''s good to know, but it''s not why we came to you," Kiari said. "What''s your name?"


    The man cursed himself. He didn''t know how he could let something like that slip out, but it was too late. "Jaim," he spat.


    Kiari dragged the man to his knees and then crouched down to be at the same eye level as him.


    "Why were you out here sneaking around? Were you looking for trouble?"


    "I¡­I was just trying to get information."


    "That''s good," Kiari reached down and placed his open palm on the man''s chest. A pink aura surrounded Kiari, "Nitro-Cell!"


    Jaim stumbled back, "Wha-what''d you just do?"


    "I suggest you listen to me if you don''t want to die. If you tell anyone about our encounter, you will die on the spot. If you try to leave Cassius, you will die," his aura dissipated.


    Jaim looked down at his chest; he saw nothing. He frantically patted himself down, then looked back at Kiari with confusion.


    "You''ve just been rigged with an explosive that can go off at any time. Whenever I touch a living thing with my palm and all five fingers of one hand and say the word ''Nitro-Cell,'' they will be fitted with an invisible bomb. I must also know the name of my target for it to be placed. I can also just make explosions in my palms at will, but it will be a much smaller effect. If you attempt to remove the bomb, I will detonate it. Trust me, it''s there. Unless you''re willing to call my bluff?" An old brick phone appeared in Kiari''s hand. With a few button presses he could call the bomb, and¡­


    "Why are you telling me this?"


    "So you will understand the seriousness of the situation and hopefully won''t try anything stupid."


    "What do you want?"


    "Are you a part of that group that meets up to plot against us? They took out a few of my friends yesterday near the aviary."


    "No¡­I haven''t had a chance to meet with them."


    "Well, I want you to find out where and when they''re having these meetings. Report back at the library when you do figure it out. When you do that, I''ll remove the bomb myself."


    The three watched the man hobble away; Kiari''s cocky smirk faded as he turned away, looking back at the river.


    "Now what?" Geier asked.


    Ivy, Colson, Zoe, Jashin, and Idris stood in a forest clearing; both men stood before the trio, surveying their stances.


    "Ivy, loosen up; your muscles are too tense," Idris commanded.


    "Zoe, you look nervous; open up your stance more!" Jashin said.


    After a few minutes of this, Idris shook his head. "This isn''t going to work." He pulled Jashin aside. "Listen, we can''t sit here all day and babysit them into using this stuff."


    "What? That was your idea!"


    "Just listen. We do the one method of forcing energy into their bodies, to open up their glands."


    "Okay, I see what you mean. The ''baptism method'' like you were saying earlier. I don''t know how to do it safely, do you?"


    Idris shook his head, "No, but you''re much better at that control stuff than I am. I''ll end up killing them. But I bet it would only be like a seventy percent chance for you."


    "Do we really need to resort to this? It seems a bit extreme."


    "Because I doubt those thugs''ll let us kill the werewolf guy without any blowback. We need to thin the herd while they practice. We take a walkie-talkie, and they can ask us if they need something."


    Jashin thought for a minute, "Alright, that''s a good idea."


    Idris turned back to the trio. His eyes were cold and steely. "There has been a change of plans. This is the only way to open your natural energy glands in a reasonable time. It will be dangerous. Death or permanent injury is a possibility. We will use restraint, but the possibility is still there. Over there," Idris pointed towards Cassius, "they all know how to manifest their energy. Kids or adults, they do not care who dies. Without this, they can easily overpower you and will kill you or despoil you without a second thought."

 Chapter 21

    "Well, that wasn''t very encouraging," Colson muttered.


    "So, what is going to happen?" Zoe asked.


    Ivy leaned toward Zoe and whispered, "What does despoil mean?"


    "In this context, something awful," she whispered back.


    Idris turned to Jashin, "Go ahead."


    "Wait, hold on," Zoe started, a confused look on her face.


    "It would be easier to show you first," Jashin said. He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, taking a deep breath. "I''m going to send energy with a murderous intent your way. It will have a bad effect on you since you don''t have any defenses against it. I won''t send enough to do any real mental or physical harm." He squatted down, his arms bent at a thirty-degree angle with his fists balled. He was in the martial arts stance that he learned from his grandpa years ago.


    "You know, the way he''s squatting, it looks like he''s about to use the bathroom," Ivy pondered.


    The whole situation looked utterly ridiculous to Colson. He let out a small laugh as he watched Jashin''s stance get lower and lower.


    A dark orange aura slowly surrounded his frame. He looked at each of them, no, more like staring through each kid¡ªas if they weren''t even there.


    All three felt like a wave of freezing water washed over them. Colson''s small chuckle seemed to go on for a little too long to be natural. Zoe''s eyes felt strained as she looked on at Jashin. She couldn''t take her eyes off him; as much as she wanted to turn away, she couldn''t. ''This feeling. What is it? Should I go for a weapon?'' Her hands shook so badly that she would have dropped anything she picked up.


    A bead of sweat dripped down Ivy''s forehead as she stared on, teeth gritted and eyes wide.


    As Zoe looked on, a realization spread throughout her body like a miasma. ''He''s going to kill us!'' Finding her footing, she noticed she had slowly backed away. It was as if the world had gone black. The only light emanated from the malice that surrounded Jashin.


    Just as quickly as the feeling appeared, it was gone.


    "Wha-What was that?" Zoe breathed, her back against a nearby tree.


    "Energy," Jashin said. "Some may call it your ''shimmer,'' but it''s effectively the same thing." He sat down, taking a deep breath, "Been too long since I''ve needed to do that," he grumbled.


    Zoe looked to Ivy and Colson. Ivy stood in the same place; all of her hair stood on end. Colson was hunched over, trying to catch his breath, feeling like he was about to puke.


    "So...What actually is it?"


    Idris thought for a second, "Well, the easy answer is that it''s your soul. A more complex answer is that it is life energy that responds to your will and desires. What you felt right there was the unprotected intent that he was putting on you. To put emotion into your energy and project it onto someone takes a lot of skill; most don''t even know it''s possible if I had to guess. That''s probably why the werewolf didn''t melt your brains earlier. He didn''t have enough control of his bloodlust."


    Colson had a worried look on his face, "Melt our brains?"


    "That''s part of the permanent damage aspect. If Jashin actually had murderous intent towards you and actually tried to use it against you, you all would be on the ground drooling like a bunch of retards."


    Colson looked over to Ivy, who hadn''t moved; she still stood there staring forward, "I think you fried the girl," Colson said, nodding in her direction.


    "Uh, no, she''ll be fine," Idris said, sounding like he was trying to convince himself more than anything.


    Zoe walked up to Ivy, "Hey, Ivy, you okay?"


    Ivy jumped as she put a hand on her shoulder, "Wha! Yea, just, uh, thinking¡­."


    "Right¡­You''re okay, though?"


    "Uh-huh," Ivy said, running her hands through her hair, trying to put it back to normal.


    "So, how do we get this life energy?" Colson asked.


    "Every living thing has it. But they need to learn to access it at will," Idris looked to Ivy, who was clearly bored as she fidgeted with something in her pocket, antsy to see what would happen.


    "Is energy what you used to make the javelins, and what you used to make the large hands?" Zoe asked, pointing at Jashin.


    "Hmm, well, now that is a lot more complicated. Yes, but I don''t want to bog you down with too much information that won''t be relevant for a long time. For now, just worry about the basics."


    "Was that us being ''baptized''?"


    "No, what we''ll do next is that method."


    Jashin nodded, "Alright, take everything from your pockets, remove all jackets and coats, then face towards me, standing side by side."


    They did as they were told.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Jashin held out his palms, inches away from their foreheads. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he was surrounded by his orange aura of energy.


    Zoe gritted her teeth in pain, ''What is this?'' she thought. ''This searing pressure in my head, it''s hot too.'' As if they were all at the bottom of the ocean, being crushed by the pressure of the sea above.


    "Withstand it," Idris directed.


    Colson broke into a cold sweat, clenched fists, blinking rapidly to stay awake. ''This...this is awful! He''s literally torturing us!''


    Ivy had a look of shock on her face; tiny beads of sweat rolled down her forehead.


    Tears squeezed from the corners of Zoe''s eyes, ''Is this what Reiza had to go through too?''


    "I will begin the process," Jashin said.


    Colson looked at him bewildered, ''He still hasn''t started?'' He thought.


    With a yell, Jashin''s orange aura expanded to three times its usual size. The energy moved to engulf the three. It started glowing so bright that Idris was forced to close his eyes and cover them with his hand. Only being able to hear the screams of pain from the kids.


    Jashin put his hands down by his side, breathing hard. "All of the glands in your body are awakened."


    Zoe and Ivy were on their hands and knees, retching. Colson was hunched over, breathing hard, sweat pouring off his face.


    Ivy held her hands out in front of her, "It''s like steam rising from hot chocolate. This is so crazy!"


    "Everyone has this inside them," Idris said.


    "Um. Mr. Idris, sir...This isn''t stopping," Zoe said nervously, looking at herself, white-colored energy rising from her.


    "That''s normal. How do you guys feel?"


    "Sick, but like, at the same time, I feel like I could run several marathons at max pace," Colson said, stretching his legs. "This is incredible!" The same white-colored energy billowed from his pores. He crouched down, pushing off the ground, jumping over six feet in the air.


    "Good, good."


    Ivy bounced up and down, "That means we can fight them now!"


    "Slow your roll. This was only the process of opening your glands and pores. The steam will fade in a bit, but notice how it is colorless while everyone else''s is a different shade?"


    They nodded.


    "Once you gain actual control of your energy, you will be able to bring it out at will, instead of your body passively emitting the energy. What Jashin just did was forcefully inject his energy into you. So now, instead of learning a new skill, it''s as if you''re trying to relearn something you''ve forgotten. It''s a lot faster to relearn something than to learn it from scratch."


    Jashin walked over, looking a bit exhausted, "Alright, we are going to go deal with some things. We want you to continue what you were doing prior. Get in a comfortable meditation stance, but this time, imagine controlling the flow of my energy inside you. Feel it move through every inch of your body, flowing through your veins and out of your pores. Imagine slowly closing a valve, the steam slowly dissipating and being held inside. It will feel uncomfortable at first, but you will get used to it. Once my energy disappears, and you are able to activate your own, that will be when you are ready."


    "By the way," Idris turned to the group, "If we happen to run into the other guys, should we be worried?"


    "Uh," Colson said, a slight smile crossing his lips, "Well, there''s a guy named Marlon. He''s not dangerous, but I''d say you''d better watch your ass around him."


    Idris stared at him confused.


    "You''ll know what I mean if you see him."


    "Ah, okay, I get what you''re saying," Idris chuckled, "alright, I''m off."


    Both Jashin and Idris turned and walked away.


    "We currently have killed one major and seventeen of the minor players in their gang. We have all worked hard to slowly take them out, especially without drawing attention to ourselves." Verne said, looking out over the enormous crowd of villagers in the long damp basement. Was it his imagination, or were there more than usual? "Of the remaining three majors and about twenty known minor gang members, we have the location of seven of them. Or we know where they are staying. In the past few days, they have ramped up their tactics, more deaths, arson, and kicking in the doors of houses. They are getting desperate; that''s a good sign. We must not fold! But we now have the quality and quantity, as we have more villagers than they do members. With the arrival of Idris last night, our victory is all but assured! We will take Cassius back!"


    The crowd cheered. Verne and his crew had made sure to soundproof and test the basement so no sound would escape. They could be as loud as they wanted now.


    A quiet but sharp voice cut through the cheering crowd. "Excuse me, sir, may I say something?"


    Verne squinted at the crowd, trying to find the owner of the voice. People were talking, laughing, and moving around so much it was hard to see. He spotted a taller person near the back, wearing a cream tunic, with a hood pulled over his head; it completely blocked any sight of his face. Verne looked down, noticing the man was barefoot.


    Knowing that Verne''s eyes were on him, the man raised his arm slightly as if to confirm that it was he who asked the question.


    "Alright," Verne said.


    The man walked through the crowd. An aura of hope could be felt in that basement.


    He climbed on the slightly raised stage and looked out over the crowd. The crowd seemed to quiet down, staring at the odd man who stood silently on the stage. Behind the man, someone whispered to Verne, "Who is this guy?"


    Verne shrugged, "I don''t know. I thought someone else knew. Let''s just hear what he has to say and get him outta here."


    The man''s quiet voice ripped through the muttering crowd. "Just a few questions. What of their goals? Is it worth the bloodshed of both of us when we could just as easily give them the ring they wanted?"


    Angry murmuring came from the crowd. A man yelled, "We aren''t going to give up sacred generational property to a bunch of random thugs!" There was more murmuring in agreement.


    "Is making a deal with them out of the question? They would only want the Angel''s Ring to heal one of their own. Is that such a bad thing?"


    "Who are you, buddy?" someone else yelled. The crowd jeered at him, the energy in the room quickly shifting to hostility.


    The man stood silently, his sad green eyes the only thing visible, staring blankly into the crowd. He pulled his hood down, revealing himself as Kiari. "Listen. My name is Kiari. I want you to give me one more chance. I just want to heal my Addilynn; she won''t survive without-"


    "We know why you want it. We said no the first time, and we''re going to say no now!"


    "Please listen. I found you through a man named Jaim. I just want to-"


    The man standing next to Verne appeared behind Kiari; in his hand appeared a small staff with a crescent blade at the top, glowing with a purple aura. He swung it down onto Kiari''s head. Before the man could react, Kiari''s hand shot out, wrapping around the man''s face.


    The dim room exploded in color; it was as if someone had lit a firecracker on the stage. The man was writhing on the ground, holding what was left of his face and screaming. Smoke rose from his face as it continued to burn.


    Kiari''s ability, Willie-Pete: When Kiari''s palm and all five fingers connect to a surface, he can conjure ignited white phosphorus. He is not affected by the attack since his energy shields his hands from the blast.


    ''It was like a grenade went off between Kiari''s hand and that guy''s face!'' Verne thought. His hand shook as he slowly moved it to his pocket to grab a weapon.


    Kiari put his head in his hands, cursing himself, "No, no, no, no, no. Why did it have to go like this," he murmured to himself. "If I was a better talker if maybe I brought Addilynn here. No, that wouldn''t work. Why!" He stopped and looked through the gaps of his fingers at the crowd, his eyes wide and frantic. "Just give me the damn ring!"

 Chapter 22

    Colson and Zoe kept a lookout while Ivy patted the ground, trying to find the concealed hatch. There was not a soul around; the only thing Zoe saw was a yellow bird that slowly circled in the sky.


    "Have you found it yet?" Colson asked, not worried about the volume of his voice over the roar of the nearby waterfall.


    Ivy''s hand caught the edge of the heavy hatch. "Yea!" she yelled quietly.


    Zoe gave one more cautionary scan of the area, still seeing nothing of interest. He gave the ''okay'' to open the grassy doorway.


    When they reached the bottom of the ladder, they took a minute to look around. Colson suggested that Ivy look right, Zoe look left, and he''ll look in the center of the temple.


    Zoe''s eyes fell on a life-size Romanized depiction of an angel. ''It can''t be that easy, can it?'' Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she walked over to the statue, looking it up and down before her eyes settled on its hands. Several rings were on each hand; studying each item, she concluded they weren''t anything special. There was a slightly different one; a faded silver ring with two humanoids with snake faces, wrapped around the center. A heavy white gem was placed in the middle of the ring.


    "Hey, Ivy, I think this is it," she called out.


    Ivy took the ring out of her hands; her eyes lit up when she studied it. She slipped the loop onto her ring finger, "fits perfectly," She smiled, her unblinking eyes never leaving the gem.


    Colson gave her a disapproving look, "Well, you saw it. Was that all we came down here for?"


    "Do you guys think that if someone wore this, it could save them? Like, in the middle of a fight, you think?"


    Zoe shrugged, "I guess it would depend on how fast it heals."


    Jashin and Idris walked down the side of the river. They had reconvened after splitting up to find and kill some stragglers.


    Idris noticed Jashin staring into the distance toward a row of homes. Behind them was the spire on top of the library''s roof.


    "Within the next day or so, we''ll have Cassius cleaned up. Verne, the kids, and non-cowardly villagers, they won''t be able-"


    Idris was cut off by the sound of flapping wings right above them; a black eagle slowly lowered itself in front of their path. Both noticed a white slip of paper held tightly in its grasp. It picked at ants through a crack in the cobblestone road.


    They looked at each other and stared at the eagle, which tilted its head at them, its golden eyes staring at them patiently.


    Idris walked forward and cautiously unwrapped the piece of paper from the bird''s foot. The eagle flapped its wings, soaring off into the sky.


    Unraveling the paper and reading, "Thirty minutes, town square. The bald one will come alone. If he refuses to show up, or if he is not the only one, it will be seen as a declaration of war. We are here to come to a compromise; we will be unarmed."


    He handed the slip to Jashin, who read it over several times.


    "Interesting," Jashin said.


    "It seems like quite the obvious trap, but¡­."


    "But?"


    "I''m not sure. I feel like there''s a sincerity to the note. I don''t think being unarmed means much, but...This is quite tricky."


    "A declaration of war? Potentially damned if I do appear, and absolutely damned if I don''t."


    Jashin stood tall. His breathing was low and controlled. Trying to not make it evident that he was nervous. He casually looked around the town square, leaning against a splintered wooden pole and crossing his arms.


    The giant stone statue of a stereotypical-looking farmer and his son holding a pitchfork. Both grinning and covering their eyes from the imaginary sun. It was placed right in the middle of the circular cobblestone area; all paths and roads led here.


    Large farmhouses made a circular formation around the center of town. Usually, this place would bustle with kids, villagers, and farmers running back and forth.


    "Too quiet," he said to himself. His eyes quickly flashed to the roof of a faraway building, then to the house right behind him. Its small circular attic window was slightly ajar. If someone were inside, they would be able to listen to every word in the echoing square.


    He glanced around again, feeling several pairs of eyes on him; not sure if the eyes belonged to the gang or the villagers in the nearby houses.


    Seeming to materialize from the shadows of the statue, three figures stepped out into Cassius'' village center.


    The one in the middle¡ªa tall man with tired green eyes and an oversized black down coat. To his left was a blonde man, his skin constantly dripping as if every pore in his body was producing sweat. A shorter teenager wearing all camo with dyed green hair and two eagles by his side.


    Kiari walked forward. Both Geier and Marlin hung back. He looked down at his hands and picked flecks of dried blood and soot from under his nails. Kiari stopped a few feet away from Jashin. He was so silent and unmoving that he could have been a statue, just like the farmer and son.


    "So. You want to compromise?"


    Kiari nodded and cocked his head to one side, listening for something, "We want access to the temple inside that waterfall over there."


    "If you know it''s behind the waterfall, why not get it yourself?"


    "Tell us how to enter it."


    Jashin closed his eyes and thought back to a few minutes earlier, when both he and Idris had brought up the idea to the three kids.


    "Ivy, Colson, Zoe. We want to discuss something with you." Idris said.


    "We both decided it would be better for all of us to work together¡ªfor now¡ª" Jashin said.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    "Finally! More action!" Ivy yelled. "Where are they-"


    "Listen!" Idris interrupted. "We may have to confront their whole group, but we can''t seem to find any of the other villagers, so at the moment, our fighting ability in terms of quantity is quite short. Do you still want to come with us?"


    They all nodded.


    Jashin spoke up, "You may only show yourself if I tell you to come out, okay? You will stay hidden unless I tell you otherwise."


    Jashin opened his eyes, staring at Kiari''s blank, but fidgety face.  "This is a compromise, after all. What will I get?"


    Kiari''s eyes never left his. "We will leave, and everyone will keep their lives. In return, you give us access to the Angel''s ring. That''s all there is to it."


    Marlin spoke up from behind Kiari, "If you think you can take us in a fight, that would be interesting too. I''ll take my time in making you tell us."


    Kiari held up his hand to silence Marlin.


    "Verne, Caleb, Carter, Travis, Anson, Margaret," Kiari listed.


    Jashin''s calm demeanor crumbled for a brief second, "Wh-What? How do you know those names?"


    "Mishu, Alison, Caitlyn, Warren, John...I could go on. But those are all members of your little group, right?"


    Jashin''s eyes grew wide. He couldn''t respond. A dark feeling materialized in his stomach. A heavy sense of dread.


    Kiari pointed to the house behind Jashin, "Tell those kids in there to check the basement. You''ll see they''re no longer in Cassius or on this planet."


    Jashin stumbled back, "What?" He turned and ran to the side of the house, ripping the locked doors off the hinges that lead to the basement. He took a deep breath and walked down the basement stairs.


    "I''ll wait," He heard Kiari''s voice trailing behind him.


    When he reached the basement, he flicked on the light. It looked like a bomb had gone off. Black soot and blood stained the walls. Bodies were strewn across the floor. The turning of a doorknob drowned out the buzzing of the flies.


    "Don''t try to open the door!" Jashin coughed, putting his shirt over his mouth, trying to not breathe anything in. "Don''t look! Please, don''t look!"


    "Is it true?" Colson''s voice yelled back. There was a long silence.


    "Yes."


    Jashin walked back outside, glaring at the three. Marlin had a smug look on his face. Geier looked down at his own feet.


    "Doesn''t feel too good having your friends die, huh?" Marlin snarked.


    The house''s front door exploded open; Ivy stood there, a dark fire in her eyes. "Kiari!" She screamed.


    "Hm?" Kiari blinked, genuinely surprised, "Which kid are you?"


    "I''m Ivy! You said you wanted to fight. Then let''s do it! You''ll end up just like Kurt-Adam!"


    "You dumbass!" Colson yelled from behind her. Quickly, putting his hand over her mouth and tried to drag her back inside. She wiggled free from his grasp.


    Marlin glared at Ivy, a dark blue aura surrounding his body. He took a step forward, forcefully shoving Geier out of the way. His hand shot out toward Ivy, a cruel smile crossing his face. "Drown," he said calmly as he slowly closed his fist.


    The air around Ivy felt cold and damp. Her skin glistened with condensation. Behind her, Zoe squinted, ''It''s as if a cloud is forming around her.'' The air became heavier and heavier; Ivy breathed in, and her lungs rejected the oxygen. A mist quickly formed around her head, becoming thicker and quickly liquifying.


    "Marlin!" Kiari snapped, his eyes wide, looking back at him. ''I need to do something now! But we don''t have much time left! This is too far!'' He steeled himself, looking back to Ivy. The cloud dissipated, and the water splashed down on and around her. The whole exchange between Ivy and Marlin happened under one second between his fist closing and the ability activating. "We won''t need to fight weak children like yourself. Run along before you get hurt."


    "Kiari, you said that-"


    "Not. Now."


    Ivy gritted her teeth, feeling around for the knuckle dusters in her pocket. She closed her eyes, getting into the stance that Jashin had shown her earlier. Imagining his remaining energy still inside her. The blood flow throughout her body. Every molecule that moved in and out through her lungs. She opened her eyes, seeing the last bit of energy escape her body.


    Colson and Zoe moved quickly; they blocked her advancement and attempted to pull her back inside the house¡ªagain.


    "It looks like you have broken your promise, Jashin."


    "Wait, hold on," Jashin said. "Just give us more-"


    "You''ve had enough time. We will have the ring tomorrow at this time. By force." He signaled to Geier and Marlin, and they all turned to walk off.


    Idris cursed, "Side three! Not good!" He jumped off the building, landing in front of the statue, holding a massive flail mace in his hand. ''I don''t think I''ve ever found a use for this thing.''


    The three quickly scattered, disappearing between the houses. Idris tried to run after them but didn''t make it very far before returning to Jashin.


    "If I had gotten a better roll, like the Javelins, I would have taken at least one of them out."


    "It''s fine," Jashin sighed.


    Zoe stepped forward, looking at the ground, "It seems like a fight with them is inevitable."


    "You may be right."


    "Think about it," Idris said. "They basically said that we have a whole day to get ready."


    "They said they will have the ring by this time tomorrow. So it could be anytime between now and then that they attack. It''s just...Whatever," Jashin sat down on the house steps, his head in his hands. "All those people, just gone. How did we not even know? Why didn''t they send anyone else!"


    Colson and Zoe exchanged guilty looks.


    "Hey man, we can''t worry about that now, alright. We have to use what we have. We''re gonna save the rest of ''em."


    Jashin got to his feet, "If you say so," he sighed. He looked over at Ivy, standing far back from the rest; her teeth were clenched, staring at the spot where Kiari was just moments ago.


    "Ivy!" Jashin walked over to her and crouched down to be at eye-level with her. "What you just did was extremely selfish and stupid. If they had decided to listen to you and attack you right then, there''s nothing anyone could have done, and you would have gotten everyone here killed. I''m still recovering from spreading my energy to all of you. You have zero energy of your own, nor enough of mine to even lift a finger against them. We saw what happened when you tried to use mine; it completely ran out before it could be used. I don''t know if you guys can tell, but they aren''t like Kurt-Adam. They''re cunning and won''t fall into the same easy mistakes he did. Ivy, if you act without thinking again, you will cost your friends their lives!"


    "I-sorry. I''m sorry."


    "Don''t tell me that. Tell it to them. I''ll leave it there," he sighed again, turning to Idris. "Well, we are out of time and manpower now. My original plan was to have the villagers take over the library while we had them distracted here..."


    Idris felt a lightbulb go off in his head. "Oh! Do we still have those coins in the temple?"


    "Coins?"


    "For the doorways, that''s what they''re for, right?"


    Jashin''s face lit up at the realization. "Oh, yea! I know for a fact we still have two of them."


    "Wait hold on," Colson said. "Why would we need coins for a doorway?"


    Idris thought for a moment, "Jashin, how much time do you think we can give them? A few days?"


    "Closer to two weeks, if everything goes correctly."


    Zoe had a confused look, "Two weeks for what?"


    "To train your energy and get strong enough to help us take these guys down," Idris smiled.


    "So, do we have a few hours or a few weeks?"


    "Well," Jashin said. "You should plan for a few days, but you will have at least a week."


    "So, can I ask you a question, if that''s alright?"


    "Speak."


    "What''s the Angel''s ring? Why can''t you just give it to them?"


    Jashin sighed, "Well, it was given to this place as a gift a long, long time ago from someone very, very strong. Someone who''d be pretty mad if he learned that we just gave away a gift of his. It''s one of, if not the most prized possessions of Cassius. When worn, it can do wondrous things, energy boosts, keep the wearer healthy, things like that. But the issue is that they will need to be constantly wearing the Angel''s ring for it to work; once they take it off, all the effects go away until they put it on again.  So, they want it for whatever reason, and we can''t just let them have it. That''s why the whole village has been giving their lives to protect it. It''s deeply ingrained in our culture and village history. Most of us would lay down our lives without a second thought for it, you know?"


    "Oh, I see," Zoe said quietly, her eyes falling to the ground.


    Sitting on top of a nearby stone house that overlooked Cassius, Marlin said, "I say we kill those idiot kids first and then go for the two that will cause us real issues."


    Next to him, leafing through a book, Kiari said, "I don''t think that would be a good idea. If we take the two out first, those kids would be smart enough to submit and tell us everything. Even the arrogant one."


    "But I know we both sensed it. She has energy."


    "I''m not so sure. Geier never saw either of those kids using energy against Kurt-Adam; I doubt they wouldn''t use it in that situation. Even if they somehow had access to it now, it''s nothing we couldn''t handle." He wistfully looked off into the sunset. His mind kept wandering back to that girl. "Ivy, huh?"


    "What?"


    "Oh, it''s nothing," Kiari said quickly. He thought, ''Just like Kurt-Adam in many ways. If the situation was different, maybe¡­.''

 Chapter 23

    The inside of the barn was dark and dingy. Large cracks in the thin rotted walls were the only ways light could travel inside. Dust and debris hung in the putrid-smelling air.


    Kiari stood on the upper deck of the barn, looking down at the floor. Forty villagers¡ªa mix of adults and kids¡ªwere bound, gagged, and had bags over their heads or rope tied around their heads, blocking their eyes. It was mostly quiet at that moment, spare the occasional whimper and the shifting of bodies as they sat in rows.


    One of Kiari''s hired help walked forward. He had been leaning against the wall for a while, observing the miserable crowd. Wearing a white t-shirt with an empty gun sling across his chest, he was no older than eighteen. A few others who were watching followed suit.


    They casually walked through the crowd, examining everyone they passed. Each chose one person, dragging them up to their feet and walking them in front of everyone.


    "You ready to tell us where it is?" The teen asked, removing the woman''s blindfold and gag. She didn''t respond, keeping her eyes forward, avoiding his gaze. The other prisoners were asked a similar question, each not getting a response.


    One took out a claw hammer from his back pocket, brandishing it in front of one of the prisoner''s faces. "You know how this''s gonna end!"


    Above them, one of the grunts spoke to Kiari, "I see you up here every day. You must really like watching this stuff."


    Kiari gave him a sideways glance before centering his vision back on the events below. After several seconds of silence, he spoke, "I''m not watching this because I want to; I''m watching this because I should."


    Several hours later. Kiari stood over Addilynn. Reaching down and grabbing her bony hand, ''So frail,'' he thought. He was scared to squeeze it; it felt like it would break under the slightest pressure. He grabbed a nearby chair, wheeled it next to the bed, and sat in it.


    The nurse spoke, "She is still stable from the medicine and sap we are feeding her. We''ve noticed that if we feed her too much, her body temperature heats up, so she can only eat about once every six hours." She pushed her falling glasses up the bridge of her nose, "Not to worry you, but we aren''t in a good place right now. She may be able to stay like this for a while, but God only knows what being in this state for this long is doing to her¡ªmentally, I mean. But the sooner she gets what she needs, the better."


    "Well, don''t worry," Kiari said to Addilynn, "Tomorrow at this time, I will be able to see you smile again."


    Outside the room, Marlin and Geier stood by, waiting.


    "We may have to do something drastic."


    Geier looked up at Marlin, confused, "What do you mean?"


    "I''ve known Kiari for quite some time. If those kids are still around after we kill the other two, well, Kiari doesn''t have it in him. He seems to have lost his taste for this stuff."


    Geier swallowed, his eyes focusing on Marlin''s, "Yea, I get you," he muttered.


    "Splendid. I thought you would take a bit more convincing, but I guess you''ve finally grown up," he smirked, looking down at Geier, "I''ve always liked you. So easy to understand."


    Zoe gave one last quick glance out of the dusty window; the dusk sky was a purple haze. A large plume of smoke billowed from a distant building. She closed the blinds and walked back into the house''s living room.


    She stopped to admire a framed picture on top of a hallway cabinet. A younger version of the girl they saved earlier, Cahya, a younger Jashin, and what looked like their parents sat smiling in front of the house they were all in.


    ''Why do I feel nostalgic for this?'' She thought, placing the photo back on the shelf. The feeling shattered as a loud thump came from the other room.


    "Girl, what''re you doing? You''re just gonna keep breaking stuff if you do it in here!" A muffled voice cried.


    "Okay, jeez!"


    Ivy stomped past Zoe and walked into the backyard. Curious, Zoe followed her.


    Walking onto the back porch, Zoe saw Ivy balanced in a handstand with her eyes closed, taking slow and methodical breaths.


    Zoe watched for what felt like minutes, not wanting to distract her. Eventually, Ivy leaned too far right, causing her arm to wobble and for her to fall to the ground.


    Noticing that Zoe was staring at her, she got to her feet, quickly brushing the dust from her white jacket.


    "This meditation stuff just doesn''t work."


    "Was that what you were doing?"


    Ivy shrugged, "That''s what I''ve seen in movies and stuff. The ninja meditating upside down."


    Zoe''s mind started to race, "Maybe you''re applying the wrong type of meditation. From what I''ve read, there''s many different ways. Praying is a form of meditation, the typical cross-legged ''ohm'' type of meditation; exercise is said to be a form of meditation too."


    "What kind of exercise?"


    Zoe thought for a moment, "Honestly, I''m not sure. I would need to reread it. But if I had to guess, it would be a lot of running or some kind of long-distance cardio. Since most meditation is focused on breathing. So you might be able to just ''force'' the energy out of you by exercising."This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "He did say that energy was a power of will thing, right?"


    "I think so."


    They were silent for a moment. Ivy turned, leaning on the porch railing to stare over the backyard farmland. The acres of rolling hills with glistening tilled soil reflected in the rising moonlight. Next to Ivy, Zoe sat on a small two-person bench facing back toward the house. Poison vines crept up the sides of its wooden logs, and spiders made their homes in the wall''s holes and the overhanging roof.


    "You know, Ivy, I wonder if that terrorist cell would''ve been an easier mission after all," she said with a sigh, leaning her head back to stare at the starry sky.


    "I thought they were a bunch of heartless monsters."


    "What do you mean?"


    "They killed all those people, but yet they still mourn the death of the werewolf. It''s just kinda weird."


    "How do you know they are?"


    "You couldn''t see it in their faces? They were heartbroken."


    Zoe opened her mouth to speak, but a voice came from the doorway.


    "Hey," Idris said. "Jashin wants you all in here to talk about what''s going to happen."


    "Alright," Zoe said. She turned to continue her conversation with Ivy, "Well, I don''t think they are. That''s kind of what worries me, I think."


    "Maybe," Ivy said as she was already walking inside.


    In the dining room of the house was a large rectangular wooden table. It took up over half the space. Colson, Idris, Jashin, Cahya, and Ivy were sitting cross-legged on the floor around the table. They all waited expectantly for Zoe to sit down.


    "Here''s the deal," Jashin said once Zoe sat next to Ivy. "We will need you to unlock your energy. You will have about a week and a half. No more than that."


    Colson grimaced, "Less than two weeks! That''s not enough time!"


    Zoe looked down and adjusted her necklace, "Are you sure? That seems impossible."


    Idris spoke up, "We hope that you won''t actually need to do anything, but you are basically our backup. If all else fails, you gotta take em'' out."


    "Exactly," Jashin said.


    Jashin took two large golden coins from his pocket; they were four inches in diameter, with a faded silver edge. He held them out to show everyone.


    "One of these is our ticket there, and the other is our ticket back," Jashin said. He made sure no one touched the coins. "My sister Cahya has found some basic info on all their abilities. Geier, the green hair with the birds, isn''t really a combat type; from what we''ve heard, he is a surveillance support. Don''t drop your guard, as he still is skilled enough to kill many grown men with his bare hands. One of the villagers had an encounter with him and told us about that.


    "Marlin has the ability to manipulate water. We aren''t sure of the power''s limitations, but we have knowledge that he can do it.


    "Kiari seems to be the most dangerous, as he can make conjure explosions in his hands." Jashin took a long pause, looking at each of their faces. Zoe''s eyebrows knit together as she was thinking. Colson noticed her expression, knowing that she was thinking of a plan. "That is why both Idris and I will be the ones to fight them head-on. If we can''t defeat them, we will stall them for as long as possible. We use one coin to open a doorway; they will follow us through the door where thirty minutes in that interstice is equal to a week.


    "If we can''t win, that will make you guys the perfect backup. Right now, they see you as weaklings, small fry."


    "Small fry?" Ivy said.


    "The maximum time we can give you is two weeks, but expect less. It should give you enough time to think of a plan against the three and learn energy. If you end up seeing them by the end of those two weeks, they''ll be much weaker, as they would have expended a large majority of their energy on us."


    Colson''s eyes fell, "In other words, if we end up fighting them, then that means you two will be dead."


    "Exactly."


    There was a long silence as everyone took in what Jashin had said. Cahya''s cheeks were wet as she leaned over and hugged Jashin. She whispered something in his ear, to which he just nodded in response.


    Idris spoke up, "Don''t think about it too much, alright. I know you guys can come up with something good in a couple of weeks. Especially you there," he pointed at Zoe. "You have quite the bright and creative mind."


    "We should all get some rest. Since I''m still recovering from giving you all my energy, I won''t be at a hundred percent for a few hours. Once that happens, we will engage."


    "Also, Cahya might be able to help you out on your training. She isn''t much older than you guys, and she isn''t a fighter, but she can help you train when you''re ready."


    "Yessir!" Ivy said.


    "So, how do the coins work exactly?" Zoe asked.


    "While you were in the temple, you all saw the statue of the multi-faced man?" Idris asked.


    Thinking for a moment, Colson nodded, "the one that looks like a roman transformer."


    He nodded, "Well, to make a long story short, that''s the deity named Janus. He''s essentially a universal taxi system. You pay with one of these coins, and he opens a doorway to wherever you want. But you have to be pretty specific; someone had to learn that the hard way.


    "For example, if you wanted to visit your auntie and she happens to live in Al-Otassan in the middle east, and if you think or say ''Al-Otassan'' without any address or coordinates, the door will just open to a random spot in the country. It could open to a desert, hundreds of miles from anyone, or open in some poor office worker''s cubicle. Try to explain your way outta that one. But anyway, that''s the gist of it."


    "Hm," Ivy said, quickly snatching it from the table, examining it, running her fingers along the grooves and edges, "say, if I were to say someone''s name, would it bring me to her?"


    "Only specific locations."


    "I have an idea," Zoe said, studying the coin in Ivy''s hand, "What would happen if you trapped them through the door? Like, they wouldn''t have a coin to get a way back, right?"


    Idris glanced to Jashin, raising his eyebrows, "Not a bad idea."


    Jashin walked to the sink, splashing cold water on his face to fully wake himself up. He walked out of the bathroom. To his right, he noticed Idris; he leaned against the wall staring forward, looking at nothing in particular.


    "Well, Idris¡­this is it. Are you ready?"


    Idris nodded; he took a small purple dice from his pocket, "Well, hopefully, I get lucky with this. Either side two or four would be great in this scenario." He thought, "One bad roll, and I have to wait several hours to reroll again. I''ll just have to make due if it comes to that."


    "Alright, let''s go," Jashin said as he walked towards the front door. He glanced into the living room as he left, the trio sleeping soundly. They both crept out of the house without making a single noise.


    Jashin took a deep breath as he took one last look over Cassius. The silhouette of the village being barely visible. The cold dawn had risen behind into an odd hue.


    Idris stood beside him and took an exaggerated breath, "Well," he said, mocking Jashin''s accent. "Time to show them what a couple country boys can do."


    Jashin rolled his eyes, "Okay, I sound nothing like that. You''d sound just like me if you didn''t leave."


    "Perhaps, but even back then, I didn''t even have the accent," Idris stretched his arms and legs. "Alright, well, let''s go before we change our minds."


    The loud knock on the library doors woke Marlin from his dream. He rubbed his eyes and looked around the dark room. The sofa that Kurt-Adam used to sleep on was the same one he sat on. He found himself using this as his sleeping place ever since¡ª He looked to the clock on the wall, "A little after dawn. Was that just my imagination, or?"


    One of Marlin''s grunts, who worked in the library, walked out of the room, looking at Marlin with wide eyes.


    "Go back; I''ll deal with this."


    He nodded and walked back into the room.


    He heard a door slide open from across the room; Geier stepped out, looking annoyed. "Why you making so much racket?"


    "So you heard it too? Someone is at the door, it seems."


    There was another knock. Both of their eyes shot to the door, now fully awake.


    Marlin looked to Geier, "Use your birds and see who''s outside!" He commanded.


    Geier shook his head, "They''re back in my room."


    The knocking continued. A muffled voice came from the opposite side of the door, "We just want to talk."


    Behind them, from the upper floor, Kiari stood on the flight of stairs. "It''s those two. We''ll see what they want, but be on your guard." They both nodded, and Marlin opened the door.

 Chapter 24

    Jashin and Idris stood on the other side of the door; there was a deafening silence as the two groups stared at each other. Kiari noticed the odd look of confidence radiating from them as they looked right past Marlin and Geier straight at him. Their gazes almost made him want to look away.


    Behind the two, a pile of Kiari''s grunts was knocked unconscious.


    "Talk," Kiari directed.


    Both Jashin and Idris held their hands up to the sky. The move surprised all three of them.


    Jashin cleared his throat, "We''ve come to a decision. We will lead you to the Angel''s Ring and let you take it."


    Kiari''s eyes narrowed, "You''ll just let us? Why now?"


    "We just don''t want any more bloodshed. This used to be a peaceful village, and we want it to stay that way. Everyone is tired, hungry, and they just want their lives back."


    Kiari was silent. He stared at Jashin, looking for any sign of deception.


    "Hold on," Marlin said. "You think we''d trust this?"


    Idris stepped forward, "We can tell you where it is and lead you to it. But only we can open the doorway."


    "Elaborate," Marlin commanded laconically.


    Idris shrugged, "Only people born of this village can open the doorway to the temple. It''s just how it is. Don''t know why; never questioned it. One of the people you guys killed would have known the reason¡­." Jashin put his hand on Idris'' shoulder to quiet him.


    "Listen," he said. "We don''t want any more trouble. So can we all call a cease-fire?"


    Both Geier and Marlin looked at Kiari for his reaction. There was a long pause, the nurse''s words echoing in his mind. "Let''s go," he finally said after glancing at the second-story floor.


    Geier''s eagles flew high above the two groups as they walked. Geier made sure they would alert him of anyone following them or any upcoming ambushes.


    Fallen leaves crunched under Kiari''s bare feet as he walked a few feet behind Jashin.


    Jashin suddenly flinched and jumped to the side, Kiari''s hand missing the back of his neck but wrapped around Jashin''s wrist. "What is he doing? I let myself get caught off guard! We may have to screw the plan and fight right here," Jashin thought just as his hand connected.


    Kiari''s eyes were wide and unblinking as they stared into Jashin''s. Idris reached into his pocket, his hands tight around his purple dice. Behind him, a sea-green wavy aura surrounded Marlin as he slowly raised his hands; one pointed at Jashin and the other toward Idris.


    Kiari spoke, "Do you happen to know what a nitro-cell is?" His voice was calm and slow.


    "A¡­what?" Jashin said, confusion flowing through his mind.


    Kiari let go of his wrist, "Oh, never mind. Don''t worry about it. Let''s keep going."


    Jashin stared at him, not sure how to proceed. "If you try something like that again, the truce is canceled. We will send an alert to the people who are inside the temple to destroy the ring."


    Marlin glared at Jashin, ''He''s clearly bluffing. He must think we''re imbeciles,'' he thought.


    Kiari just gestured for Jashin to keep moving forward; eventually, he did. Kiari noticed that both Jashin and Idris'' guards were completely up; he wouldn''t have another chance. He would have to try it on Idris since he could only place one bomb at a time on a person.


    Jashin continued to lead them through the woods toward the waterfall. Jashin had to yell over the roaring of the water. He pointed to the cascade of water in front of them, "It''s right behind there!" Stepping into the shallow lake that led into Cassius'' river, they all walked through the waterfall.


    A massive boulder towered over them all on the other side. There was a small dry area to stand with the waterfall crashing into the lake a few feet behind them.


    Marlin had a suspicious look on his face, "Are you trying to test our patience? We have been here before, there wasn''t an entrance then, and there certainly isn''t one now. Unlike you two, we aren''t intellectually bereft."If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Jashin produced one of the two coins from his pocket and held it up for everyone to see. "We use this to enter and exit the temple," he explained. He closed his eyes and concentrated, "Janus, open the door to void five." He threw the coin at the boulder.


    The coin sank into the rock as if it were being slowly engulfed in quicksand. When it had been fully submerged, a standard white wooden door shimmered into existence in its place.


    Jashin stepped to the side and gestured at the door, "it''s inside this door."


    Kiari''s eyes narrowed, "You''re going in with us."


    "Yea," Geier said, scowling at Jashin.


    Idris looked away, ''Yea, I knew they wouldn''t make it that easy for us. It was worth a try, though.''


    Jashin nodded and opened the door inwards. A grey, swirling vortex speckled with neon colors greeted them. With all possible caution, Kiari reached forwards, sticking his hand into the gray maelstrom. Warm air blew on his skin, like that of a hairdryer, as his hand passed through. The scattered lights of the gyre reflected in his eyes. He pulled back suddenly, looked to Jashin, and gestured for him to walk inside. Jashin did as he was told, disappearing into the bright haze with the rest following.


    Kiari noted that it did seem to be a temple of some sort, but something was off. ''Dilapidated. Broken. Derelict.'' All words that came to mind when he looked around; not at all what he expected from a supposed temple that holds enormous value to Cassius.


    Marlin held his arm over his face and squinted, attempting to block the wind that came from all directions. He looked down, noting his feet weren''t visible from the slowly moving cloud layer slightly below his knees. A bright light seemed to shine down from somewhere; he wasn''t sure exactly where, as there was no spotlight or sun above them. Geier, who was next to him, knew¡ªbased on his instincts¡ªthat they weren''t inside any building.


    Long, thin, tan marble columns around them held up an invisible roof. ''Or maybe they''re holding up the swirling gold clouds,'' Kiari thought as he stared straight up at the ceiling. Some columns had cracked in half and lay on the floor. Others looked as if they had just been crafted earlier that day. As he looked around the area, Kiari noticed that the occasional elevation of the ground made it so dirty yellow cobblestone bricks stuck out from the clouds.


    An acre away, the dark silhouette of a massive castle loomed. Its rusted golden gates and spires reached through the aureate clouds.


    A low hertz note sounded from behind them. Kiari jumped forwards, spinning around to face the unfamiliar sound. The doorway was a steel elevator on the void''s side, which dinged once more as the doors slowly slid shut and evaporated.


    "So we''re trapped in here," Kiari said, his voice hollow. He whirled around and faced Jashin and Idris, "What are you playing at? Where''s the ring?"


    Geier looked concerned, "My birds are still outside."


    Idris took the purple die from his pocket and rolled it on the ground. Side six of six. He reached down and picked up a heavy green tortoiseshell shield wrapped with several leather bands and a long, thick wooden paddle, the edges of which were lined with razor-sharp obsidian. The weapon was sharp enough to decapitate a fully grown female Charcat with a light swing.


    Idris looked up, a confident smile on his face, "Oh, this is perfect!" A purple aura surrounded his weapons as he stood to his feet. "The Aegis," he held up his shield, "and the Atika." He pointed the paddle at them.


    Jashin had a furious look in his eyes, "You aren''t getting out of here at all!"


    Kiari grimaced; a look of disappointment crossed his face. "So you didn''t keep your word," he said softly.


    "My word? You and your people have killed dozens of my friends and family!"


    Kiari winced, and his gaze fell at Jashin''s words. "So, this is it then,"


    "Yea, this is it, buddy!" Jashin lifted his hands forwards; energy coursed through his body, manifesting his signature orange arms in front of him.


    Marlin stepped forward, his sea-green aura slowly surrounding him, "I could always tell you two had a death wish. We can call this a requiem for Kurt, killing you two guileless things."


    Idris jumped above Kiari, using the momentum to swing down on him with the paddle. Kiari quickly moved to the side, the weapon slamming into the ground shattering the blocks where he just stood. Kiari''s open hand shot out towards Idris'' head, which he blocked, the explosion leaving a dark scratch on Aegis'' surface.


    Idris noticed water condensation appear on the inside of his shield. He opened his mouth to speak but felt the water flow down his throat and into his nose, slowly choking him while he swung wildly at Kiari, making sure to zone him away. It was as if he was wearing a fishbowl as a helmet¡ªwherever he moved, the water perfectly stayed on him. The water bubbled as its temperature quickly rose.


    Jashin launched himself at Marlin, who had his fist pointing towards Idris. Dodging Geier''s wild slashes with his claws, he sent a hand out to grab Marlin and slammed him into the floor. Idris'' water prison broke, splashing to the ground.


    Marlin rolled to his feet, the water from his body perspiring from his pores rapidly forming around his right hand and feet.


    Using the water around his feet, he launched himself towards Jashin, bringing down the typhoon in his hand.


    Marlin''s ability: Water''s apprentice


    Marlin has complete control of any water that comes from his body. He must constantly keep his stomach above or over eighty percent full. Marlin will continuously sweat out most of his ingested water, causing him to drink excessive amounts of water every day. Having complete control over water, he can utilize it for different things.


    He may also conjure water in places away from him, but this requires much more effort at the expense of energy and time.


    He must be in total concentration to use his ability; if he is distracted, it will deactivate.


    Jashin tried to put his arms up to block the attack; his right arm felt much heavier than usual. He gave it a quick glance; a grey plastic device held together with tape and nails sat strapped to his wrist like a watch. A minor repeating tone, beep beep beep, repeated. A small screen with large red letters had counted down from ''five.''


    Seeing the device strapped to his wrist, Marlin quickly hopped back away from Jashin, with Idris blocking another explosion from Kiari while barely missing Geier with his paddle.


    Kiari had one hand opened, aiming at Jashin.


    "Detonate," he said while closing his fist.

 Chapter 25

    The nurse walked up the long flight of stairs inside the library. Morning sunlight streamed through the amber-tinted windows. The whole building had been largely abandoned, with most ransacking nearby homes, stealing what they could carry, and leaving. Some stayed back in the village, enjoying that they could do whatever they wanted with Cassius and its villagers with little to no resistance.


    Her footsteps echoed as she took one step at a time, careful not to spill the nectar and tea on her tray.


    She quietly glided inside the bedroom door, shutting and locking it behind her. She placed the tray on the bedstand next to Addilynn, sitting next to her. Mixing the concoction of nectar and herbal tea. Slowly, she fed the tube of the funnel down the woman''s throat, stopping when it reached her stomach. She placed her index and middle finger on Addilynn''s wrist; the pulse was there but faint. "This won''t sustain you forever; we just need to hope that he finds whatever he needs and gets it to you soon," the nurse said to herself, pouring the nectar tea into the funnel and watching the liquid drain into her stomach.


    "Hey, guys! Look at this!" Zoe yelled, holding up a piece of paper. She walked from the front door to the kitchen to show both of them.


    "Huh? What is it?" Colson asked, getting up from the table to look at the paper.


    "I guess there are a couple of villagers still left, and they want help with the remaining group members. It was just taped to the front door. If the villagers are thusly using energy...Where''s Ivy?"


    "She''s outback ''training,''" he said, doing visible air quotes.


    Zoe glanced out the back door, seeing Ivy hanging upside down from a tree branch in the backyard.


    "What are you doing?" Zoe asked, looking up at her.


    Sweat dripped from Ivy''s face, "Trying to get my energy," she grunted between crunches.


    "Oh, well, the villagers want to meet us in a few minutes."


    "You guys can go ahead."


    "You aren''t coming?"


    "She''s right," Colson said, "Someone should probably watch the house."


    Zoe and Colson walked through the shop''s doorway near Cassius''s outskirts. It resembled an average gas station from the outside. Two pickup trucks sat in the grass outside. One was flipped, and each tire was visibly slashed. The other had several bullet holes in the hood.


    The villagers had moved the shelves inside to block any lines of sight from outside. They placed some in the middle of the store, while they put a couple near the large front window.


    The small bell above the front door chimed as Colson slowly opened it; they heard the talking from the back of the store instantly die down. A tall man wearing a broad animal fur fedora with earflaps and red tassels going down to his chest and a bright orange sleeveless t-shirt stuck his head out from behind a shelf.


    "Oh, good, you made it," he said with a friendly smile. "They said you guys were young, but wow. The rest of us are just discussing¡­some things. Here, follow me," he disappeared back behind the isle.


    Zoe gave Colson a wary look; she reached down to her leg, unsheathing the smaller of her two blades, holding it behind her back. She nodded at Colson for him to continue forward.


    "Imagine dressing like that," he muttered under his breath.


    Behind the shelf, a group of eight people sat around in a circle. Some sat on chairs and gas cans, others on the floor, and one lay on a shelving deck¡ªlooking half asleep.


    A man with a greying beard wearing a brown leather jacket, jeans, and white cowboy boots stood up and introduced himself as ''Pai.'' "I''ll restate what I said earlier¡­The terrorist, Kiari, and his group are very close to succeeding. We know that Jashin and his old friend Idris have trapped them. Most of their men have evacuated upon learning that their leaders have disappeared, but there are still stragglers. Enough for them to still be a large threat."


    "Hold on," Colson said, "There''s still stragglers? Where?"


    "We don''t have time to explain it to you, kindergarteners, alright." A woman said, glaring at the two colonists. Thin and pale, with freckles splashed across her face. She wore black boots, black cargo pants, and a tight camo t-shirt. She had spikey red hair that ended just above her shoulders. "We should just get to the point; they can figure it out themselves." She stared at both of them; they gave her dirty looks in return.


    "Wow there," Pai said, "We don''t need to be like that. We''re all here for the same purpose."


    The man wearing the fedora spoke up, "He''s right, Challen. They might know something that you don''t," he smiled.


    Challen rolled her eyes, "Yeah, right. Do they even know energy? Listen, Fuji, they''re just gonna get in the way."


    Zoe frowned, "Is she mad at us? What did we do?"


    Fuji turned to the two. His tassels whipped in the air as he did so. "Energy is what''s called-"


    Colson interrupted, "Yeah, we know what it is," he glared at the woman named Challen.


    Pai cleared his throat, "At the moment, we know of the location of thirteen of Kiari''s henchmen. About half of them are in the bar, and the others are a little harder to track down, but they''re ransacking houses on the north side."


    "Ask them if any of the henchmen know energy," Zoe whispered to Colson. He turned and asked for her.


    Pai thought for a moment, "I know for certain three of them do. I''m not sure which ones or where they''re located, though. But we should get down to business. We need as many people as possible because only three of us here know energy. Me, Fuji, and that man over there," he pointed at the guy lying on the store shelf; his eyes fluttered awake as he muttered something before they closed again. "Since you were sent by Crater to handle this situation, we knew that you''d be helpful, so that''s why we asked you here."A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "Uh, yeah, definitely," Colson said, avoiding Pai''s eye contact.


    "Wasn''t there supposed to be three of you?" Challen asked.


    "Well, she''s not here," Colson said.


    The woman scoffed, "Yea, no shit. Where is she?"


    "Learning energy, which is something you are too stupid to do!"


    Challen grinned, "Well, I just don''t think you can be useful."


    Fuji rubbed his temple, "Challen, can we not right now?"


    Leaning in, she hissed in his ear, "Listen! I don''t need some dead kids on my conscience, alright?"


    Zoe gritted her teeth, "How is she going to talk to us about being useful! Where was she these past few days?" She thought.


    "Come on then, do you have anything at all you can offer us? Because frankly, I think you should just leave."


    "Oh, give me a break," Zoe muttered, looking down at the floor.


    "Huh? What was that?"


    "I don''t know how you''re going to talk about us being useless when you haven''t done anything! We have been here with Jashin and Idris! We helped with the werewolf guy! We are going to fight Kiari and the other two! What have you done? What have any of you done?"


    "Hey!" Pai yelled. "Will you guys knock it off?"


    "They started it!" both Colson and Challen yelled in unison.


    Pai stood up, "Alright, so it''s agreed upon. Colson and Fuji''s group will go search the bar, and the rest of us shall go get the northern stragglers. Any complaints? Any questions?" Colson''s group comprised Colson, Ivy, and Zoe, while Fuji''s group had Fuji and two other people.


    Challen walked up to Colson and Zoe; she looked down her nose at them; none of them spoke¡ªa few seconds of silence. Colson glared back at her while Zoe awkwardly fidgeted, staring into the distance. Challen crouched down so she was at eye level with both of them.


    "Hey," she said, "you wanna know a helpful way of unlocking your energy?"


    Zoe glanced at her, squinting warily. Her eyes bounced from her to Colson, unsure whether to trust her.


    "Sure," Colson said, his body language being standoffish as he continued to scowl at her.


    "Alright, so I found a couple of things helpful. If you think about something or someone you love while meditating. Or maybe an event that has happened that was really important or affected you in a positive or negative way. You should find a comfortable stance or sitting position, control your breathing and think about that. For me, it''s all about relaxing, so the glands in your body and brain open up. I''d tell that to your friend as well. I don''t know, just some advice," she shrugged and turned to walk toward her group.


    "Thank you," Zoe said. Challen looked back and grinned.


    Fuji turned to them, "Alright, go get your friend, and meet us back here!"


    "How you doing down there?" Colson asked, looking down at Ivy, flat on her back, covered in sweat.


    "Good," she said between breaths.


    Zoe looked around the backyard. The tree Ivy had previously hung from had deep holes covering its trunk. To Colson, it looked like someone had spent their afternoon punching it. Part of the fence had collapsed; a massive boulder had appeared next to the downed wood. Many stray pieces of loose rope littered the grass.


    "What were you doing?" Zoe asked.


    "Carrying around that rock over there," Ivy said, her hand limply gesturing in its direction, "you should try it."


    "Well, we were told that it''s better to just do the stereotypical meditation. Also, to think about someone or something important to us. Like an event that happened."


    Ivy got to her feet, "An event, huh?" She clicked her tongue in thought, "alright, that makes sense," she said; an empty grin crossed her face.


    "Hey, Ivy," Colson grinned, "you wanna go beat up some drunks?"


    Jogging through the streets of Cassius, it was still silent and baron. Colson scowled at the empty houses. "Well, this is just glum," he complained.


    The bar was a low-hanging, dingy wooden building. Its dusty windows were cracked, with a steady stream of light coming from inside. The door creaked loudly as the six of them walked inside. Most of the chairs and tables were upturned and pushed to the room''s perimeter. Liquor bottles, beer cans, and shot glasses littered the ground; around the mess stood five men of different ages and heights. A skinny woman was positioned behind the bar, leaning on it for support, as her bored gaze looked over the group as they entered.


    "So, what do you want?" A short, muscular man with a face tattoo reading "KTA" over his right eyebrow, wearing a black hoodie with cut-off sleeves, tight white pants, and white sneakers. "Wow, that''s strong," he muttered after taking a long drink from a glass bottle.


    Colson gritted his teeth in disgust, ''More drunken bastards,'' he thought, ''such trash¡­.''


    Fuji took a few steps forward; everyone in the room''s eyes was trained on him. They all looked laid back and relaxed, but Ivy could tell they were a hair-trigger away from jumping into action if they needed to.


    Fuji knit his eyebrows in confusion, "where do I know that tattoo from?" He cleared his throat. "We''re here to discuss some things with you. Would you please leave Cassius?"


    After several seconds of dense silence as they all stared at Fuji with wide eyes, they broke into hysterical laughter.


    "Dude, you really dropped the ball on that one," Colson mumbled.


    A heavy dark-skinned man in cargo shorts and a cut-off button-up, a lit cigar in his mouth, sat cross-legged on the ground and wiped a tear from his eye, "You know, a week or so ago, we were asked the same thing by some of your villagers," he stopped laughing, and his face turned serious, "Now their bodies are at the bottom of a river."


    Another muscular man glared at the group, taking a few steps toward Fuji. "So, which one of you wants to die first? The big three used to make those decisions, but they aren''t here right now. So we get free reign!" His face was covered by a hoodie.


    "What''s there to discuss? It doesn''t look like any of you have anything of value on you, so unless you''re gonna make us rich, then this is it for you!" The gelatinous man had to roll to a nearby chair to push himself to his feet. "Hey, Poatan, let me take this," he said, looking at the man with the face tattoo, who grunted and went back to drinking. Fatty placed the lit cigar on the wooden countertop.


    He stomped his feet and got into a sumo wrestling stance, a wild look crossing his face. "The name''s Chizo; normally, I would run the gauntlet right here, take you all out one after the other¡­." He closed his eyes. A low hum reverberated through the bar as his face contorted into a painful grimace as the sound slowly increased in volume. After almost ten seconds, he let out a yell as a tiny brown aura surrounded him. A small bead of sweat dripped from his forehead as he opened his eyes, a cocky grin plastered on his face. "But, since I''m not the only one here, we''ll make it a game!"


    "A game?" Ivy''s eyes gleamed with curiosity.


    "Well, it''s up to you. You really only have three choices. One: figure out an order in which you''ll fight us. Two: attempt an escape, and die in the process. Three: surrender to us!"


    "Surrender?" Colson asked, "What do you want from us?"


    Zoe glanced around, looking at the faces of everyone in the room. She noticed that most of Fuji''s group to her, seemed nervous. She glanced suspiciously at Chizo, "Is he holding back?" Zoe thought. "We were all able to produce a larger and more intense aura with only a minuscule amount of Jashin''s energy inside us. He took much longer to activate that too. I don''t know enough about energy yet, to make a clear judgment of him; this is so frustrating!"


    "If you''re gonna choose the first option, you will pick one from your side to fight me. If you somehow win, that person will move on and fight someone else from our side until they lose or beat all of us. When I win, I will continue to fight you until I either lose or win.


    "If you chose the second option¡­." A large grin creased across his pudgy face, "It''ll annoy me for sure. We will end up capturing you. Maybe a little torture if we feel like it.


    "I wouldn''t try your luck with the third option. You''d be getting us all riled up for a fight just to blue-ball us at the last second. Most of you would end up dying. I wouldn''t kill any of you girls; killing you would be a bit of a waste, don''t you think? We''d have to release ourselves in other ways!"


    Colson leaned towards Fuji, "I think Poatan is the leader of these guys¡ªThat guy back there with the tattoo. What should we do?"


    "We''ll choose the first option," Fuji called out.


    Zoe looked at him, ''I hope he knows what he''s doing. If I had to guess, I''d say their plan is to slowly wear us down and remove our morale by taking people down one by one. But since no one knows who else has the use of energy and if they can do the same things as Jashin and Idris, then the next person would know what the abilities are and can start thinking of a strategy.''


    Chizo held out his hand, "Whoever is going first, shake my hand, and after we''ve made contact, the fight will start!"

 Chapter 26

    A man from Fuji''s group stepped forward; he was younger, five or so years older than Colson, wearing black shades and dark grey clothes. "We ain''t gonna play your little game!"


    Chizo had a greedy smile on his face, "So whatcha gonna do? Team up on me?" He let out a hardy laugh. With much effort, he reached down, redirected his energy to his finger, and used it to draw a line on the hardwood floor. "If any of you cross this line without shaking my hand first¡­you die. Consider that."


    The young man gritted his teeth and looked back towards the group, "Seeing as this is a contest of brawn, I''m probably most fit to fight him." Fuji opened his mouth to protest, but the man cut him off, "I know you''re more experienced with energy than me, but you aren''t a battle-type. Plus, I don''t think Pai has been paying attention," he had a slight grin on his face. He looked back towards Chizo; and took several deep breaths, flexing his muscles. He punched the air several times, pumping himself up. With every punch, a tiny bit of energy appeared around him, his aura becoming less translucent with every movement. Soon he was surrounded by a dark pink light.


    "I wouldn''t worry about the big guy," Ivy said, thinking out loud.


    Zoe turned to her, surprised, "What do you mean?"


    "I dunno. But I don''t feel the same way as I did with Kurt-Adam and the other three. He just seems¡­normal."


    "Hmm, maybe. But could you also say the same for the guy in grey? He seems less than impressive."


    "Yeah," Colson said, "are we just gonna let him lose to these drunken idiots, though?"


    "I don''t think it''d be a good idea to break the rules," Zoe muttered nervously, "I don''t know what the others would do."


    The man walked forward. As he did so, a large floral pattern splashed onto the floor under Chizo and him; it looked as if it were tattooed right into the wood¡ªfresh and shiny. Putting his hand out to shake Chizo''s hand. Before they made contact, the man quickly lunged forward, trying to tackle Chizo, wrapping his arms around his torso as far as he could. The design below them both glowed the same color as his energy¡ªdark pink.


    The man felt himself being lifted into the air; before he could react, he was slammed to the ground. A cry escaped him as his back splintered the wood floor. Chizo planted a foot on his chest, slowly putting more weight on it until a loud crack resonated through the bar. The man''s aura quickly dissipated with a poof. The pattern below slowly blurred, bleeding as if it were fresh paint introduced to water.


    "Let me go," the man screamed out, "I give up! Please get off!" The man let out another cry as Chizo continued to shift more of his weight onto the man''s chest; a sound like a cacophony of breaking twigs came from his torso, causing Chizo''s grin to grow even wider. Ready to finish the job, he lifted his foot, ready to stomp down. Most of Fuji''s group looked away; Ivy looked on with an odd curiosity. It was all Zoe could do to look away and put her hands over her ears¡ªblocking the sound of what was to come.


    A blur came from the corner of Chizo''s eye, slamming into his temple. The whole bar shook as he fell backward, landing on his butt. Colson touched down on the ground, ensuring he wasn''t behind the line.


    "Why did you keep crushing him? He already lost!" Colson glared as Chizo slowly got to his feet, wiping the bloody bruise on the side of his head. "He surrendered."


    "You can tell me you forfeit all you want; that doesn''t mean it''s over. Not in the rules. Plus, he didn''t respect the handshake, so he gets no mercy from me. Come to think of it, you didn''t either; you also interrupted as well¡­So you lose!"


    "Wait, what?" His jaw dropped, totally stunned. "That''s not fair! Redo! Let me try again!"


    Chizo shook his head, "No can do. Once I kill all your lil'' friends, we''ll fight again. It won''t be long, don''t worry."


    Ivy walked next to Colson, "It''s alright. I''m going next!"


    Chizo chuckled, "Well, lucky me. I get a cute one next."


    Colson looked to Ivy, "You sure about this? If you need help¡­."


    "Don''t worry," Ivy chirped.


    "Alright, if you say so," Colson walked back to the group.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "Hold on," Fuji started. He stepped forward, reaching out for Ivy, ready to pull her back.


    Colson grabbed his arm, "We''re doing what we came here for. We''re doing our job. She''s got this."


    "How shall we fight?" Ivy asked, her feet less than an inch from crossing the line.


    "To the death, of course," Chizo smiled, seeing the look in her eyes.


    "Ivy¡­" Zoe said, her voice filled with warning, thinking, ''If all of these will be to the death, then¡­When it''s my turn, that means I''m gonna have to kill someone! These guys may be awful, but¡­I can''t do that!''


    Ivy reached out but stopped right before their hands connected, "How about, if I lose, you don''t kill me, and if you lose, no one here kills you. How''s that? That way, no one dies when one of us loses. It''ll be beneficial to you. Additionally, if you lose, you''ll have to promise to leave and not to hurt anyone ever again."


    There was a low rumbling of laughter coming from those behind Chizo. One of the men sitting on the floor said, "Look at Chizo!"


    "Man is completely at a loss for words," said a female.


    "Yo, McDonald''s favorite customer is about to square-up with a lil'' girl." One cackled. "I admire her optimism, though."


    Chizo''s black beady eyes narrowed, "shut up, girl!" He reached out, grabbing Ivy''s hand. "We''ll start the fight now."


    Ivy launched herself to the side, dodging a swipe of his meaty arm, landing on all fours. As he waddled forward, Ivy jumped out of the way of Chizo''s foot as it splintered the floor where she had been milliseconds prior.


    Ivy sprinted forward, throwing haymakers toward his face¡ªfew connected, as he blocked most with his hands. Ivy backed up, almost tripping over a bottle of alcohol; Chizo, using the brief lapse of attention, grabbed Ivy''s wrist, holding her high into the air, squeezing it with all his might.


    "Bro''s actually trying to eat her!" One of them called out.


    Her face turned into a grimace as what felt like a vice grip tightened around her arm. She hauled back and kicked Chizo as hard as she could. Her foot connected to his wide grin. Pulling her foot back¡ªher boot was covered in blood¡ªshe rammed it into his face once more, using the heel of her boot.


    The slight aura surrounding him flickered off as he stumbled back, letting go of her wrist. His hands clutched his mouth as he lurched backward, eventually tripping over a glass bottle. The grunts near the bar scattered as Chizo careened into it, cracking it in half as he fell. Dust and splinters billowed through the room. When everything settled, everyone except Poatan had moved to the back of the room, trying to avoid the fat-body who had destroyed the table.


    Poatan looked down at Chizo with a blank stare of disappointment, then went back to sipping his drink.


    One of the grunts yelled, "Hey, Chizo, how many seatbelt extenders do you have chained together in your car nowadays?"


    Chizo removed his pudgy hand from his mouth, spitting blood and teeth onto the floor. Turning his head to the side, seeing himself in the reflection of a beer bottle, he stared at his red toothless grin. He let out a small cry as his tongue ran over the mushy holes where his teeth used to be.


    Chizo spluttered and coughed, feeling cold liquid being poured on his head.


    "Poatan, the hell are you doing?" He spluttered, his eyes closed, trying to block the alcohol poured on him.


    "Not me," Poatan said, his voice coming from several feet away at the end of the bisected bar.


    Chizo blinked away the alcohol, wiping his eyes as best he could. On his stomach stood Ivy with his lit cigar in her hand, the end inches away from his face. His eyes went wide; he tried to swat at it, but Ivy drove the heel of her boot into the back of his hand, pinning it to the ground.


    "W-wait, hold on! Time out, okay?" Chizo cried.


    Ivy blinked, her face wracked with confusion, "Um, why?"


    "Just don''t kill me, girl! Please, I promise I''ll leave and never bother anyone again, alright!" Tears streamed down his cheeks, forming a small puddle around his head.


    Ivy looked at Chizo''s group of grunts; Poatan''s face was stone cold as he stared with ennui. Some seemed indifferent while watching Chizo squirm, and others had their faces buried in their hands, trying not to laugh.


    One of them called out, "Hey, don''t let that girl get you down, Chizo. Keep your chins up!"


    Ivy hopped off his stomach. He looked at her, confusion and relief on his face.


    Zoe looked on, thinking, ''A fight that shook the world¡­literally.''


    "Y-you''re actually letting me go?" He rolled over onto his knees in a praying position, grabbing her hand and shaking it profusely, "Thank you! You''re far too kind; I promise to never try anything for as long as I live!" He got to his feet and started to waddle out of the building, but Ivy called after him.


    "Hey, mister Chizo, sir. Can I ask you something?"


    His face turned pale as he turned around, noticing the cigar that was still in her hand. "Uh," he gulped, "what do ya need¡­m''lady?" He asked, forcing a toothless smile.


    "How''d you learn to get energy?"


    The bar erupted into laughter.


    Chizo''s small beady eyes squinted at her with suspicion. He didn''t detect any malice or humiliation in the question, only innocence. He thought for a moment, then a large grin crossed his face, "lean in close, and I''ll tell you!"


    "Okay!" Ivy said as she skipped towards him and put her ear towards Chizo.


    "Ivy, don''t do it!" Colson yelled.


    Ivy turned to him and grinned, "I got this!" She turned back to Chizo, who leaned down and cupped a hand over his mouth. The group could see him speak, but couldn''t read his lips or hear what he said. Then he made a giggling sound and quickly waddled out of the front door.


    Ivy''s eyebrows were knit together with a look of confused concern. She walked over to Colson and Zoe.


    "What''d he tell you?" Colson asked.


    "Nothing, he just burped."


    Colson noticed Zoe, who smiled with relief, thinking, ''I''m surprised that worked¡­well, maybe not. He doesn''t seem like he''s been in a chemistry class before or been to any class in general. If she were to light that on fire, it would hurt, yea, but it wouldn''t be too dangerous as alcohol doesn''t burn, only burns up. I wonder if Ivy knew that, though.''

 Chapter 27

    Poatan stood from the barstool abruptly, stopping all chatter from the grunts. He limply held the empty bottle of vodka by his side. He lifted the bottle, pointing toward a muscular man in a grey hoodie and sweatpants, sitting on the ground with one knee in the air; the hood pulled tight, covering his face.


    "Hunter, you''re next. But we will have a slight rule change."


    ''A rule change?'' Zoe thought, ''Well, maybe if we''re lucky¡­.''


    A shrill laugh came from the hooded man as he got to his feet. He leaned backward, reveling in the confused murmuring from the group across the room.


    One of Fuji''s group members spoke, "We didn''t agree on any rule change!"


    "No, you most certainly didn''t, but this is for both of our benefits. After every ''fight,'' there will be two new fighters for the next round. Whoever won the last round will be able to compete in the round after if they so choose."


    Zoe bit her lip, ''So that means Ivy won''t be able to fight until the end of this round. That may be a good thing since it gives her rest, but¡­.'' Her hand instinctively wrapped around her necklace, ''So it may be inevitable then. I always knew the risks of these missions, but I never thought it would be this soon,'' a cold chill ran down her spine, ''I should get this over with, endure the pain now so I won''t have to think about it if the trio comes back.'' She glanced around the room, taking note of every item and all the furniture, ''Alright, I have an idea.''


    "If you have an issue, feel free to complain."


    Colson stepped forwards, slowly taking the bokken from its sling, "alright, I''m up next."


    "Now, hold on just a minute," Fuji said, but Colson kept walking, his wooden sword fully drawn, pointing at the man Poatan called ''Hunter,'' standing in the middle of the black floor pattern¡ªflexing his muscles. The only thing visible under the hood was his bright white teeth and eyes.


    Another laugh came from Hunter, "the next victim!"


    "Colson, you don''t even know energy yet. Are you sure you can handle this guy?"


    Colson turned and nodded, "This''ll be the best way to prepare for the main three, right?"


    Fuji sighed, "Well, if you say so, just don''t do anything crazy, okay?"


    Hunter hopped from one foot to the other, "You kids have some balls, huh? You don''t know who I am, do you?"


    "Dude, no one cares who you are," Colson said.


    His smile inverted for a split second, "You gotta lot of nerve, kid!" He cleared his throat, composing himself, "Listen up!" He pulled up the sleeves of his hoodie on both his arms, revealing tattoos of skulls with X''s over their eyes. "You wanna know what these represent? Each of the twenty-three skulls represents someone I''ve killed! About nine of them are from the villagers here!" He started giggling.


    Zoe broke out in a cold sweat, panic rising in her voice, ''he''s going to have to fight a serial killer?''


    "But look at this arm, though," Hunter said, holding up his left arm, "only eleven skulls on this one, but there''s twelve on the other. I just need one more skull to soothe my OCD. You think you can help me with that, brat?"


    Colson continued to glare at the man, not saying a word.


    "So, we''re gonna bet our lives on this one, you hear me, kid?" His voice barely above a whisper, "There''ll be blood," he cooed, "brain matter on the walls," he gurgled, "Pain like you couldn''t believe! It''ll be great," he threw his head back and let out another loud laugh. "He''s gonna be petrified," he thought, the grin on his face widening.


    Colson sighed, "alright, so we''re gonna fight. Is that all?"


    Hunter cackled, "Is that all?" He mocked. ''This kid is bluffing; I can see it in him. The tough-guy act is gonna crumble the moment this starts,'' he thought. "We fight until one of us dies or gives up." He smirked, thinking, ''Even though I know you''re gonna give up, that doesn''t mean I''m gonna stop!''


    "Okay, sounds good. Let''s just start this," Colson said, readying his bokken.


    Hunter''s jaw fell open, "What the? Did he even hear a word I said? He knows we''re fighting to the death, right? Is he a deaf or a moron?" He gritted his teeth, "maybe I should make a rule banning the use of weapons."


    "Well?" Colson said impatiently, "Anything else?"


    Hunter forced a loud laugh, "You''re that eager to die, huh? Well, I guess there''s nothing else I can think of."


    "Okay," Colson stepped closer, stepping onto the black pattern on the floor.


    "Yeah, that''s it! He''s just stalling it! Well, I got some things that can deal with punks like this."


    Fuji turned to Zoe and Ivy and whispered, "do you guys think he''s going to be alright? I don''t want to make things more complicated, but we all might have to jump in if this gets too bad."


    Hunter flexed his muscles, grunting as he did so. A dark purple aura slowly trembled around him but, within seconds, quickly sputtered out. He felt a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead. He let out a laugh, "You know what? I don''t need to use energy on someone like you!"


    Zoe noticed in the group behind Hunter that several of them rolled their eyes and whispered to each other.


    Hunter quickly turned back to them, "Shut up!" He snapped, whirling back around to face Colson.


    Hunter lifted his fists as he got into a boxer''s stance. He walked towards Colson, who was slowly circling him. Hunter rushed forward, taking a wild swing. Colson ducked over the wide haymaker; with all his might, he slammed the bokken into the side of his ribs, causing him to grunt in pain. Colson backed up quickly as Hunter kicked out, barely missing him. Taking a few steps back, he punched the air in the direction of Colson. A piece of the purple aura surrounding him detached itself and flew at Colson, grazing his right arm, causing searing pain to shoot up it. Idris'' warning playing in his head, ''you never want to take a contact hit from anyone who utilizes energy if you can''t use it yourself.''This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "You like how that felt?" Hunter sneered. "I''ve got a lot more where that came from!"


    Colson, whose back was to the broken bar, backed up, using the table as a springboard to launch himself into the air, bringing his sword down on Hunter''s head.


    Narrowly missing, as Hunter swiftly moved to the side. He grabbed Colson by the back of his shirt, tossing him across the room.


    Hunter laughed, "I thought you''d do a little bit better than that! You too scared to try and win?"


    Colson grinned, "Well, that just confirms it right there," getting to his feet.


    Hunter faltered, seeing Colson''s confident smile, "What''s up with him?"


    Colson tossed his bokken to the side, strolling up to Hunter with a confident gait. Before Hunter could react, Colson reached back and punched him as hard as he could right in his stomach. He hunched over, coughing uncontrollably.


    "Why, you little idiot!" He screeched, reaching for Colson. Colson grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his back, and slammed him to the ground. He set his knee on the center of his back while still having a tight grip on Hunter''s arm, preventing him from moving. "Get off me, kid!" He screamed.


    "How many villagers did you kill here, again?" Colson asked, grabbing onto one of the fingers on his bent hand.


    "Uh, n-nine," he stammered.


    "Okay, well, that''s going to be nine broken fingers."


    "Wait, hold on, alright."


    "Why should I wait?"


    "Because¡­because I was lying, okay!"


    "Lying about what?"


    "The people," Hunter muttered.


    "What? I can''t hear you."


    "Sheesh, kid, I didn''t kill anyone alright? Just let me go! You win, alright," he cried.


    "Yeah, I know," Colson said, getting off Hunter''s back. Poatan''s group burst out in laughter, throwing things at Hunter, and jeering. "I was just kidding; I wasn''t actually gonna torture you."


    Colson turned and walked back across the room to pick up his bokken. He heard a growling behind him; as he turned around, he saw Hunter charging at him with a wild look in his eye. His dark purple light enveloped him.


    "I''m gonna kill you!" He screeched.


    Catching Colson completely off-guard, all he could do was hold his arms in front of him to try and block any incoming hits. But they never came.


    He slowly opened his eyes to see Poatan standing a few feet behind Hunter, light blue energy surrounding him. His right arm had developed a thin, sharp layer of stone, and he placed it on Hunter''s shoulder; the sharp fingers nearly punctured his skin.


    "You said you lost. Don''t go breaking your own rules," Poatan said sternly; his eyes bored into Hunter''s, who looked away quickly.


    Hunter took a deep breath, calming his nerves, turning to look Poatan right in the eye, "I don''t care! This whole thing''s bullshit! I don''t wanna join your little group anymore!"


    "Well, either way, you''ve failed," Poatan said, letting go of his shoulder. "I suggest that you leave."


    "Whatever! That little kid thinks he''s gonna humiliate me and get away with it? Hell no!" He turned back to glare at Colson, who stood on the other side of the room, unsure what to make of the situation. "Hey! You! Outside! Now! Let''s finish this!" The angrier he got, the more his energy grew stronger. Everyone could feel it. As if the room turned into a pressurized cabin.


    Colson smirked, "You wanna lose again, huh? Alright, let''s go."


    Behind Hunter, Poatan balled up his fist, stone spreading across his arm like creeping moss, hardening. "The game''s over," Poatan growled.


    Hunter''s skull crumpled under the impact before exploding outward in a spray of bone fragments, brain matter, and blood. Chunks of grey and red splattered across the wall, some bits sliding down, leaving trails of blood. The sound was wet, like a sledgehammer obliterating a watermelon.


    Hunter¡¯s body collapsed onto the floor. Blood poured from the stump where his head had been, pooling across the floor. The remains of his neck twitched, and a faint gurgling noise bubbled from inside.


    A silence fell over the room as the entire bar froze. The coppery tang of blood filled the air.


    Colson''s face went pale, looking at the gaping red maw. Not being able to take his eyes away from it. The dread returned, reminding him just like when Jashin pushed his malice toward them. His legs felt like they would go ajar at any moment, shaking uncontrollably beneath him.


    Zoe let out a strangled gasp, and slammed her hands over her ears, not wanting to listen to the gurgling sound trickling from Hunter''s esophagus. Her face was covered with flecks of gore. She crouched down, squeezing her eyes shut as tears streamed from the corners. She could feel the viscous warmth of the blood on her skin, her breaths coming fast and shallow as panic threatened to overwhelm her.


    One of the men in Fuji''s group had tears in his eyes, turning to Fuji, "This is bad! We can''t win against that guy! Even if we all jump him at once!"


    "Yeah," another said, his voice almost too shaky to understand, "H-he just killed him! Just like that, he just freaking killed him!"


    Fuji composed himself, wiping the cold sweat from his brow, "I need you all to listen and stay calm, alright? We''ve prepared for death." He looked down, putting a hand on Zoe''s shoulder, "I need you to take a deep breath and stay calm, okay?"


    She didn''t respond. Her face was mute, but tears streamed down her face.


    Fuji looked up towards Poatan, who stood over Hunter with his arms crossed. "This is gonna be tough, maybe nigh impossible. That guy there¡­His energy is too strong. The ''KTA'' tattoo, and the way he''s ordering them around¡­." A lightbulb clicked in his head. He stood up, facing Poatan. "May I ask you something?" He tried to keep his voice steady.


    "Okay."


    "You''re a part of that group, aren''t you?"


    Poatan''s face displayed something other than total disinterest for the first time. A slight smirk crossed his lips briefly, "Yes. Yes, I am. Is that an issue?"


    Fuji gritted his teeth, ''Well, that settles it. That''s why he''s so strong. Is he here by himself? Why is he here at all?'' Fuji shook his head, removing the thoughts, "So what now? Why are you here."


    Poatan looked back towards his group, "Well, I guess we take our leave. Everyone else here has already passed. The whole reason I came here was to get rid of the trash. Burn the dead wood. Part one of an initiation ritual. I sent these guys to help those three with whatever they''re doing here. But now, since they''re MIA, I thought I should weed out the weak. We''ve got our money, and we''ve done what we were hired for¡­Alright, we''re leaving," he said, gesturing at his group. "We shall leave this farm as agreed."


    "Oh," Ivy said, "I forgot that''s what we were fighting about," she massaged her wrist, glancing at Zoe, who stared blankly ahead at a wall, unreactive.


    Within a minute, Poatan and his group packed up their things, left the bar, and walked straight out of the farm. One of them had produced a blanket out of thin air, tossing it onto Hunter''s body. When he removed the cloth, the body was gone; the only thing remaining was the tiny bits of brain matter dripping from the walls and ceiling.


    Once they had cleared out of the room, Fuji exhaled, "We were lucky," he muttered to himself.


    "Wow, that was gnarly," Colson said as he walked up to Zoe and Ivy. He noticed Zoe''s ''thousand-yard stare.'' "You okay?"


    She looked at him, her eyes glassy and red. Zoe tried to open her mouth and say something, but it was as if her body or brain refused to work.


    Colson watched her for a while, before turning to Fuji, "Well, I guess we''ve done our job, so now what?"


    As he looked on at the now mostly empty bar, Fuji''s usual cheerful eyes were dim.


    Zoe shuffled over to Ivy, grabbing her hand and intertwining their fingers.


    The trio walked to the set of wooden doors, out the doors, down the road, took a right, then stopped. Letting go of her hand, Zoe collapsed against a nearby tree, her vision blurry and feeling as if she would be sick. Muttering to herself, wiping her eyes.


    "That was the first time I''ve ever seen something like that," she hollowed.


    Colson shook his head, forcefully attempting to remove the memory from his mind, "yeah, that was bad. But I don''t think we should think about it too much," watching Ivy pace back and forth.


    Ivy looked to Zoe, "I just realized you didn''t get to fight anyone. Maybe if Colson went first, and then you. Shame, I think you would''ve won," she said disappointedly.


    "Imma be real," Colson said, "like, no offense or anything, but I don''t think you would''ve survived. Based on how those other guys were acting, they seemed to at least think they were stronger than those two."


    "Yea probably," Zoe said, "but then again, maybe not. I am pretty powerful," she said dryly, holding up her arms as if she were flexing.


    "I don''t know what I would''ve done in your situation, probably just run away, honestly. Ivy, don''t say anything, ''cause I know that you would too; don''t play."


    "I would not!"


    "Would too!"


    "But the werewolf didn''t get as strong as he was by running away, right? He didn''t leave at the slightest danger; he fought till the very end," Ivy said. "He showed no weakness at all," she trailed off, "I kind of admire him for that, you know? Taught me a lot."


    Colson gave her a sideways look, "No, I don''t know."

 Chapter 28

    Four days later.


    Through the forest and the decorations of shade and autumn leaves, Cahya and Colson walked to their usual clearing, holding up his bokken, staring at the minor dents and blemishes from its months of use, imagining it as an extension of himself. Cahya, seemingly more distracted than usual, looked off into the distance, the waterfall''s mist barely visible over the trees. Turning to Colson, asking if he had seen or felt any improvements.


    He didn''t answer. She smiled, brightly commenting on how he would figure it out in no time.


    Carefully placing the bokken back in its sling, sighing with annoyance as he did so; the day before, he had stopped his training out of pure frustration. Her green blouse, and bronze hair in a bun with the rest going down the length of her back, Cahya sat back, leaning against the oak tree, most of the trees in Cassius she''d grown herself. The days before, her attitude had been different.


    "You''re gonna have to try harder than that," she said the day prior, her tongue flicking with impatience.


    "You really aren''t being helpful," Colson growled back, opening one eye to glare at her. Earlier she had told him to cross his legs and meditate; think back to Jashin''s energy flowing in your body, how all movements felt light and easy.


    "You aren''t very good at being taught, then."


    After watching Colson start to walk away, she jogged after him, not quite knowing if he was serious.


    "Are you leaving again?" She asked incredulously as Colson slid the bokken across his back. She gave him a sad, wide-eyed doe look that constantly peeved Colson.


    "I mean, clearly, this isn''t working," he shrugged. "I''ll just figure it out myself. Go help Ivy or something; I''m sure she needs it."


    "Colson, look, I''m sorry, alright? It''s just, I''m just teaching you how I was taught¡ªthe only way I know how," it was met with a scowl from Colson.


    "Why don''t you make them meditate?"


    "Well, everyone learns differently; from what I could tell, you''d benefit more from how I''ve learned it. Plus, you need all the help you can get, with the other guys effectively going into hiding¡­."


    He answered with an eye roll, "cowards are what they are," he thought. She removed the bokken from his back, holding it straight in front of her¡ªchest level; with a deep breath, tan aura flowed from the sword, dripping off it.


    "If clearing your mind doesn''t help, try thinking of something that scares you, perhaps. Fills you with anxiety. Or maybe attach your thoughts to an event or a person; imagine them in danger," eyes flitting to the waterfall, "There''s no real right answer for any of this¡ªAt least, I haven''t been told it."


    "A person," Colson echoed quietly.


    The contralto voice of Cahya, who was now staring at Colson waiting for¡ªshe didn''t know what, but she felt as if he were close to a breakthrough, "Yea, any person. One that''s really close to you or means a lot to you¡ªgood or bad, I should add."


    "What will it feel like when I get there?"


    "It''s hard to convey as it occurs in such a deeply altered mindful state; language ceases to apply. The best I can say is that you have to look for it. You either find it or you don''t."


    He closed his eyes and saw faces swimming around him: Zoe, Pearson, Ivy, Neph, Reiza, Nilson¡ªhis father.


    Cahya sat at the base of her usual tree, near her several browned apple cores from the days prior, watching his unusual stillness and even breaths expectantly.


    Pearson, a reoccurring face. Colson''s active mind imagined him standing by his side, focusing on him. A brief acquaintance with another face started a train of thought that led him back to the bar. The man with the face tattoo, the fragments of skull and brain matter scattered across the room. Her scared eyes, staring right at him, walking forward demurely, ending up the same way seconds later. His mind shifted again to the rotten house, its smell so rancid that he could smell it even now. What if Zoe had won the game, gone in the home instead, met the tall, dark man with legs like tree trunks and a face like a grinning mask. The beast in the crawl space, the screams like nails to a chalkboard. Reiza standing next to him, the long dyed hair draping over her shoulders. Both staring out over the forest, with the dark skyline of Crater behind it.


    Noticing his mechanical breaths had stopped, Cahya glanced up from her comic book, hearing an almost silent hum, a glint in her eye with a satisfied smile.


    Colson stumbled backward, landing on his butt as his eyes shot open, "Wha-what was that? What just happened?"


    "Looks like you did it¡­kind of."


    "So now what do I do?" He asked, looking up into the sky, seeing the sun had moved.


    "What were you thinking about?"This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Uhh, you know, just¡­stuff," glancing away awkwardly, feeling his cheeks heat up, avoiding her curiously skeptical eye contact. A knowing smirk crossed her face.


    "Which one was it?"


    "Was what?"


    "Ivy or Zoe?"


    "I-I wasn''t! Shut up!"


    "Oh-kay, if you say so," exaggerating her steps as she walked over to him, once she was next to him, asking, "can you do that again?" Her eyes blinked softly with mock innocence.


    "I ''really'' wasn''t."


    "Okay, okay," she held her hands up with exaggerated surprise, trying hard to keep a straight face, "let''s just see if you can do it again."


    Colson stood tall, each breath filling his lungs completely before being slowly pushed out through his nose, getting back into the same rhythm. Finding it harder to focus on the same things, this time letting his mind wander, stirring up memories, seeing Pearson and their father¡ªup to his usual habits. Finished with his bottle, glaring at it, he held it up to the boys, questioning if either had drunk from it¡ªboth denied it profusely. He flung it across the room, grabbing Pearson by the shirt and pinning him to the wall, hot spittle flying from his mouth as he screamed. Nilson''s mind that night had clearly left him as it did most nights. During the daytime, he was well-mannered and well-dressed, even if he was a large cog in Crater''s underground.


    Colson gritted his teeth, pushing the drunk off Pearson; in return, he received a heavy fist to his temple, tripping backward, hitting his head on the corner of a coffee table. Picking up a nearby pan, Nilson limped over to the boy; the floor was stained red. Without thinking, Pearson pushed their father out of the way, grabbing Colson by the hand and sprinting away as fast as possible, knowing there would be an expected and inevitable return. Hearing the words behind them, "Take him and don''t come back!" He doesn''t remember any of that.


    That''s what he always said. Take. All he ever did too. At the time, they had a lot, more than most. It was never earned, only taken. All he taught the two was how to take. Taking money through cheap tricks or mind games.


    Years prior, Nilson had almost crippled himself before a high-paying mission, expelling him from any future missions and glory, leaving a scar and anger as a reminder of what could have been¡ªhe''d burned the bridge with just about everyone, leaving him to heal alone.


    Coming to into the hospital''s waiting room, Colson sat, watching a girl a few years younger, blonde hair, wet cheeks, red eyes, her forearm bent at an impossible angle, causing him to retch and have to look away. The whole display seemingly cheered up the girl¡ªmaking her laugh, distracting her from the pain.


    "That was the first time I had experienced a lack of reality¡ªnothingness. When I''d first conceptualized ''nothing'', when I was a kid, it was a legitimately scary feeling. It was as if I was submerged in the ocean on a pitch black night. Suspended in a void of nothing. Feeling nothing. Thinking nothing.


    "I don''t remember much of my mother''s funeral. But I remember what my father said. He''d shown up late. He''d shown up drunk. He had stepped in between Pearson and me, his heavy hands placed on our shoulders; steadying himself so he wouldn''t fall. ''There she is! Nothing!'' he said.


    "Ever since then the thought was always at the back of my mind. What if that''s all there is? I wouldn''t classify myself as a nihilist per say. I''d say I''ve witnessed miracles and the like; but still the thought persists. But that night; the first time I''d ever experienced that, I wouldn''t say I''d mind. Peacefully floating in void forever."


    He opened his eyes and felt as if he had stepped back from an abyss. As he took a sharp inhale, the world seemed to regain its color. A radiant glow surrounded his frame¡ªa green cocoon made of light. The tension in his bones and muscles dissolved. A glowing tingle worked its way up from his feet to his head. He glanced to Cahya, seeing her surprised face, not hearing a single word she said¡ªno longer reaching his ears but watching her lips form words. At that moment, he felt the cool confidence blow into him like a breeze, a wide toothy grin on his face, embracing the upgraded consciousness and newfound freedom.


    Standing next to him, a satisfied smile on her face, surrounding herself with her own sea-green aura, nodding in the direction of Cassius, "Shall we see what they''re up to?"


    Feeling the wind rush through his hair as he sprinted through the forest, Cahya was close behind him, holding his forgotten bokken. Through the woods, taking a right at the cobble silo, a mile-long sprint along the dirt road, turning left, and they were looking right at Cahya and Jashin''s house, startling Zoe when they walked inside; her eyes widened with surprise and envy when seeing both of them stand there draped in energy. Closing her book, hopping up from her chair, circling around Colson, fastidiously studying him, poking at his aura.


    "Did you just get that?" Totally awestruck.


    "Yeah! Just figured it out a little bit ago. Pretty cool, huh?" Colson held up his hands in front of him, still not totally believing he had done it. "Anyways, Ivy''s gotta see this; where''s she?"


    "She should be back¡­." Zoe glanced behind her, seeing the backyard completely empty, "Uhh, well, uh oh."


    "Where''d she run off to now?"


    "She was just here."


    "I swear I told her to stay here," Cahya hummed.


    "Don''t swear," Zoe mumbled


    "What?"


    "Never mind."


    "So, how''d you get it?"


    "Well, she helped me, but it was like a mix between meditation and thinking about stuff," Colson said.


    "Stuff," Zoe said quizzically.


    "Well, you know, just things and people that are important, you know," both glanced away, turning to Cahya, "is it normal to feel this tired after activating this?"


    "Mhm, they call it energy for a reason. What you''re looking at now is your life force leaving your body, so yeah, you''re going to feel a little tired. I''m honestly surprised you''ve had it activated this long; most can only hold it for a few minutes their first time."


    "Oh man," feeling light-headed, he deactivated it, catching his breath.


    "Don''t worry; the more you practice, you''ll learn to pace yourself. Your brain is gonna feel pretty scrambled, though."


    Zoe''s eyes turned glassy, "my brain¡­."


    "So we gon'' find that girl or what?"


    Ivy''s clothes were draped over a tree branch, her boots placed neatly on top of a heavy flat rock next to its dark orange roots. A few feet away from the north bridge, it spanned the gap between the east and west halves of Cassius. Colson walked over the bridge from the opposite side of the farm, noticing something hanging in the branches.


    "What the" Colson muttered, walking over to pick them up and examine them, glancing around, then calling Ivy''s name again.


    He heard a splash; turning around and leaning over the railing, he saw Ivy swimming against the bone-chilling current of the river.


    "Ivy!" He screamed, taking the bokken off his back, climbing down the riverbank, holding it out to her to grab onto. He took out his walkie-talkie and yelled "north bridge" into it before tossing it to the side. Opening her mouth to yell something back, water rushed inside, causing her to choke and briefly submerge under the water.


    Cahya appeared above her on the bridge, looking down, bewildered, "Is she good?" Her face turned from concern to confusion, seeing Ivy only in her underwear.

 Chapter 29

    Zoe ran past her seconds later, ducking under the railing and sliding down the river bank next to Colson.


    A whiteout of bubbles surrounded Ivy as she silently sank to the bottom, her bare feet finally touching the slimy concrete bottom, her cheeks puffed out, holding in as much air as she thought possible. Squeezing open her eyes just a bit to see a fish about twice the size of her jet past, its tail fin almost whipping her in the face. Looking up, she saw the sun-refracted rays and the head of Cahya from the bridge, the water so clear she could make out her distorted face.


    Crouching down, using the bottom as a springboard, she attempted to push herself to the surface; the muscles in her arms and legs burned as she propelled herself upwards, the current holding her down as if it wanted to drown her.


    The water surface broke as Ivy''s head popped up, squinting at them, her vision blurry.


    "Huh?" She could see their mouths move, but their voices were drowned out by the roar of the water. Swimming ashore, she flopped down on her back, shivering uncontrollably; her body slowly being heated by the rocky shoreline under her, staring up at the sky.


    "Oh wow," Colson said, putting his hand over his eyes.


    "What?" Ivy asked through chattering teeth, Zoe entered her line of sight, peering down at her with a concerned look.


    "Why?" Was all she could think to say. There was a long pause as Zoe listened to Ivy''s teeth clang together; behind them, Colson jogged to the tree to grab Ivy''s clothes.


    "T-training." Ivy stuttered through a clenched jaw.


    "Hypothermia is training?"


    Ivy struggled to her feet; turning to face the sun, Colson hopped over the railing and handed Ivy her white jacket while his other hand covered his eyes.


    "Here, take this," he said, Zoe elbowing him in the ribs when she noticed him peeking through the gaps of his fingers. "Ow! Why''d you just hit me?"


    "You know what you did."


    "T-t-thanks," Ivy shivered as she wrapped the jacket around herself.


    "There''s easier ways to kill yourself if that''s what you were trying to do," Colson said.


    Ivy answered by sticking her tongue out at him.


    "To be fair, it''s not a bad way to try and unlock energy," Cahya said, sliding down the riverbank next to them. "Pushing your body to the brink through pure exhaustion and stress, then forcing it to unlock energy to save itself; pretty smart. Very dangerous, but smart."


    "You''ve gotta be kidding me," Colson grumbled, "why didn''t I just do that instead of meditating in a forest like some hippie."


    "It worked, didn''t it? So stop complaining," they glared at each other for a few seconds.


    "What worked?" Ivy asked.


    "Nah¡­I just- well, you guys have been working hard, and I don''t wanna come off like I''m tryna brag or something," he said.


    "Huh?" Ivy said, eyes widened with curiosity, standing on her tippy toes, leaning forward, looking straight into his eyes, "What? What? I wanna know! Come on, pleeeease!"


    "Woah, Woah," Colson said, stepping back, "it''s like¡ª" he glanced at Cahya, who shrugged.


    "Do what you want," she said.


    "Well, alright then, stand back and behold!" He grinned, making a show of it, hands clasped, feet wide apart, a few seconds later, a hum barely audible over the roar of the river. A pale aura surrounded him.


    "His aura is already stronger in this short of a time. Maybe there''s hope after all," Cahya thought, a fond look crossing her face.


    Ivy''s jaw hit the floor, "Whoa! You did this just now?"


    "Yup, pretty cool, huh?"


    Cahya scoffed, "Where was this against those thugs you guys let go a few days ago?"


    "I dunno; where were you, period?" Colson snapped back.


    Cahya turned her nose to the sky, "I told you, I''m not a battle type! I''m smart and don''t need to degrade myself by being a brute."


    "Oh please, you just seem mad. It''s okay, I can protect you if you''re scared," Colson had a sly smile.


    "Ha. Ha. I ain''t scared; I just don''t fight cause I don''t have to."


    "Whatever you say, but if you get scared again, just grab on to me. Big strong Colson will protect you."


    "Ugh, why did I bother teaching you anything, Colson?" Stomping away up the riverbank, Colson watched her go with a satisfied grin.


    "Hey, I know we aren''t in school, but I think there''s chemistry coming up."If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    A day later. The ropes chaffed Ivy''s shoulders and torso, grunting with exertion, "How far have I gone?" she gasped. Cahya, who sat on top of the boulder, looked back. There was a large groove in the dirt spanning several feet.


    "About two or three yards, give or take."


    Again, Ivy strained as hard as she could, the ropes feeling as if they were choking her. Taking a few steps before falling backward in exhaustion, barely able to catch her breath.


    "Take a thirty-second break, and try again."


    Ivy nodded, wiping the sweat from her eyes. After removing the rope harness, she walked over to see what her friend was doing. Zoe glanced up from her breathing control meditation and sat several meters away, looking down at the book in her lap¡ªCahya had recommended it to her. Earlier that day, Cahya had Ivy give Zoe a piggyback ride as she sprinted around the perimeter of Cassius. Flipping the pages and reading through different technical explanations of bringing out energy seemed to lead nowhere. She reached to her right, grabbing onto a large tree leaf that floated down. After closing her fingers around it, she opened her palm, and it disappeared. She made a fist with her hand once again. When she released it, the leaf appeared again in perfect condition. Zoe smiled internally.


    "What are you reading?"


    "An old book on meditative energy."


    "Does it work?"


    "You can read it if you wish. The prose, well, it''s a bit King James-y, but from what I understand, getting into a state of meditation is the easiest way to reach energy enlightenment. As of chapter one."


    "Are there books like this back in Crater?"


    "Maybe. They''d probably be vaulted somewhere though."


    Ivy hopped to her feet, seemingly re-energized, ready to go again, dragging the rock another few feet with every slow step. Cahya fidgeted, glancing back in the direction of the waterfall.


    She stepped off the boulder, "alright, new plan. We''re gonna go back to your original idea, but we''re going to up the ante, alright? We''re gonna go to the forest and then to that river."


    Zoe looked up, her brow furrowed, "are you sure that''s safe? I mean, there is such a thing as training too much¡­." Thinking back to earlier in the day when Ivy mentioned she had been drooling blood during a particularly grueling workout. "Shouldn''t she rest more?"


    Cahya gave a passing glance to Ivy, her eyes quickly flitting to the waterfall, "Ehh, she''ll be fine. If anything happens, I''ll be there to save her, alright. You just focus on yourself, alright? You think you almost have it done, or?"


    "I don''t know; I feel like I''m close. Just on the precipice of something, but I just need a small thing to get to where I need. I just don''t know what that is yet. The book you gave was helpful, but¡­I don''t know."


    "Hmm, well, I can tell you what I told Colson, even though you''re using a different process than him, but at this point, it won''t hurt to try. Try connecting it with a strong emotion¡ªlike something or someone, an event that affected you positively or negatively; the same goes with people¡ªsomeone who had a positive impact or a negative; maybe you''ll bring out your energy if you have a burning hatred for someone, and you imagine smashing their face in or something, I dunno," she shrugged.


    "Well, I don''t really hate anyone," Zoe said, thinking.


    "You''re smart; I''m sure you''ll think of something!"


    "Okay," she said reluctantly, as both Ivy and Cahya jogged off into the distance.


    Ivy balanced on the rail of the southern bridge, her bare feet curled around the iron rods, staring down at the crystal clear river below, wheeling her arms for balance; Cahya grabbed her jacket tail, holding her in place.


    "Make sure to stay within one hundred yards, or I can''t get you. Alright, now jump!" Cahya said gleefully, shoving her off the railing while still holding her jacket so it wouldn''t get in the way of her swimming.


    "Wait whaAAAAAAAA," there was a big splash below. Cahya glanced over the side, briefly seeing Ivy before she disappeared under the water. She thought back to all she had Ivy do over the past few days; Cahya knew she wasn''t a training expert by any means, but was told to help them, so she was doing what she thought was best.


    Ivy was swallowed by a whiteout of bubbles. The icy river spun her like a rag doll, her body flipping uncontrollably.  She nearly cracked her head on the concrete bottom, feeling the water''s power spin and maneuver her through the canal. Ivy was able to steady herself after her fingers caught the edge of a brick along the riverbed. Her vision blurred as her retinas began to freeze; her muscles tightened as she propelled herself forward, the current keeping her in place as if a million hands were pushing against her.


    Her head broke the water''s surface, taking in a large gasp of air.  Her teeth chattered violently as she turned toward the bridge, now a daunting hundred yards away. Her limbs felt impossibly heavy, her legs like anchors dragging through the icy depths. Even her arms betrayed her, a dull clicking sound accompanying each stroke as though her body were on the verge of collapse. The freezing water burned against her.


    She squinted up at the bridge, a familiar figure silhouetted against the backdrop of the sky. A faint yellow light surrounded the figure, glowing like a halo, as if the sun itself framed them.


    Ivy¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. That wasn¡¯t Cahya. But despite the unfamiliarity, she didn¡¯t feel afraid¡ªonly compelled to keep moving. She swam harder, her throat raw and lungs screaming with every sharp inhale. As the distance shrank, details sharpened: the figure was female, radiating warmth in stark contrast to the frigid surroundings. The light shimmered around her in vivid, almost surreal colors, as if Ivy were staring at an oil painting come to life.  "Is that...?" Ivy whispered, her heart pounding. The figure¡¯s gaze seemed to lock onto hers. The resemblance was undeniable¡ªan impossible vision of her mother.


    A sudden wave surged over Ivy, submerging her completely. She thrashed against the water¡¯s power, clawing her way back to the surface. When her head broke through again, the light¡ªand her mother¡ªwere gone. "Mom!" she shouted hoarsely, spinning in frantic circles, letting herself be swept back by the water in her desperate search. Her wide eyes scanned the bridge and the riverbanks, but there was no trace of the figure, only the empty, grey stretch of concrete looming farther away.  She gritted her teeth, realizing she passed her starting point, the current moving her back over thirty meters. Normally, this distance to the bridge would¡¯ve been nothing for her. But today had been grueling¡ªhour after hour of relentless, high-intensity training, pushing her body farther than she thought possible. For days, she had done that. Her body was stronger, but she felt no closer to where she needed to be. But at that moment, it took everything she had and more. Another current pushed her under the water, slamming her against the concrete wall of the river. The taste of iron flooded her mouth, mingling with the brine of the river water. It was like something had rotted and died inside her body, something snapping¡ªa quiet, almost soothing sensation that rang through her ears, a deep, resonating hum. She paddled forward, almost effortlessly gliding through the water, the drone in her ears seeming to vibrate the surrounding water.  Ivy glanced at her arms. Tiny white bubbles rose from them, escaping through her pores like they were part of her own body, her skin exhaling the pressure of the current. She shot off the riverbed like a spring unleashed, breaking the surface and gasping for air. Treading water, Ivy''s gaze darted around, searching for Cahya. Her eyes locked onto the bridge.  Cahya stood on the far side, leaning over the railing. A proud smile stretched across her face, and she gave Ivy a thumbs-up.

 Chapter 30 Solipsism City

    Zoe was motionless in a cross-legged seated position; her posture was perfectly straight, her breathing was flawlessly rhythmic, and her eyes were closed.


    Colson plopped down next to Zoe in the grass, breathing hard. Zoe stayed undisturbed, not reacting to a single sound around her. She registered Colson existed, but at that moment, it was as if he was a leaf slowly falling from a tree¡ªtotally oblivious.


    Images floated from the subconscious to the forefront of her mind. Embarrassing moments and events that she''d spent months trying to forget. The harder she tried to push against her thoughts more memories flooded in. That feeling she felt from Jashin''s energy, Ivy telling her what happened earlier that day. The bar. Her stomach felt like it was twisting into knots and her airways closing. The sound like a hammer hitting a watermelon, the way the man''s body went limp¡­She opened her eyes, sniffling, her cheeks wet. She glanced away and wiped her eyes when she saw Colon watching her, eyebrows raised with surprise.


    "You good?"


    "Yes," she sighed.


    "Alright," Colson shrugged.


    "I just don''t get it. Doing this is like trying to solve an unsolvable math problem."


    Colson thought for a moment, "I could try doing what Jashin did. Just shoot my energy at you and see if that helps."


    "No, I''ll figure something out. Plus, I don''t want to be any more brain-dead than I already am."


    "Oh yea, I forgot about that," Colson said, staring wistfully into the afternoon sun. "Well, if you need anything¡­Do you think that both you and Ivy can figure it out in the next day or so? Cause I think it''s almost been a week, right?"


    Zoe nodded, "Tomorrow will be seven days, but I think they said they could get us two weeks at most. It''s just¡­Ugh!" She let herself fall backward. Colson looked over, seeing she had placed both hands over her eyes.


    "Umm."


    "I don''t know why I''m here, Colson! Okay? I knew this whole thing was dumb. You guys are always so far ahead of me, and I can barely focus for two minutes without thinking of that guy''s head exploding!"


    Colson looked ahead silently, not sure of what to say. Zoe''s voice was shaky.


    "What am I supposed to do against any of those three? I don''t care about this mission! I don''t want to die for some place I barely knew existed! I don''t care if I''m being selfish, but I just don''t wanna die for this!"


    "You know¡­" Colson said after a long silence.


    "What?" Zoe mumbled, her hands still covering her eyes.


    Colson got to his feet, "Here, get up," he said, leaning over her and extending his hand. She removed one hand from her face and begrudgingly grabbed onto his, getting to her feet, stretching as she did so.


    "Now what?"


    "I''m just saying, if a dumbass like Reiza can do it, you should too. Probably due to teacher error," he said, smiling to himself.


    "I don''t know. I''ll figure it out, though," Zoe thought for a moment. "Idea: so what you were saying earlier about what Jashin did; what if we do that again, but different."


    "Different how?"


    She sat back down in a meditative position, "Just use like a small bit, maybe."


    Colson glanced warily at his hands, "I mean, I can try. I don''t really know how to do that. I know I suggested it, but I''m not actually sure how to do that yet."


    Zoe twirled her white-blonde hair in her fingers, thinking back to the theory notes Cahya had her read. "See if you can ''push'' your energy at me."


    "Um, alright," Colson closed his eyes; his body was surrounded by the aura a few seconds later. He shoved his right hand forward, inches away from Zoe''s face. His aura stayed steady, not moving. He tried again, this time yelling, "PUSH!" Still, nothing happened. "Well, I tried," he shrugged.


    "I feel like I''m on to something here," she got to her feet, copying the stance Jashin had been in when she first saw him manifest the aura around him. Squeezing her eyes shut, she extended her arms forward, her palms facing the sky, telling Colson to have his hands hover slightly above hers. Slightly grimacing at the feeling, "It feels like thorns are pricking me all over my hands." Her hands were in contact with his thin aura, "Alright, now let''s see if this works," completely emptying her lungs, waiting several seconds, inhaling through her nose, then exhaling through her mouth¡ªmaking an almost silent humming sound as she did so, repeating the process over and over.


    Her world went dark¡ªtotally silent.


    "Zoe?" a voice sounded as if it were underwater. Not sure who it was exactly, but knowing it was familiar.


    As if all function in her body ceased, her brain, lungs, heart. Her own self felt weightless. Pillars slowly erected themselves in the surrounding darkness. Behind them, proud buildings¡ªeach window illuminated by light from inside. Feeling the urge to walk, Zoe glanced around at the nothingness around her before moving to nowhere in particular. Every thought she had appeared in the surrounding void¡ªsome loud, some nigh invisible.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    She walked until the buildings and pillars disappeared, replaced by black street lamps, each one alternating between a dark blue and a blood-red glow, casting colored shadows on her face as she glided past. Noticing each luminary cast an odd outline on the ground. A heart, a spade, a club, and a diamond.


    Not being sure how long or how far she had walked, a few blocks? Several miles? Crossing the distance of a small country? Seconds could have passed or months. She may have fallen asleep a few times; she couldn''t remember.


    The vast black expanse continued forever, now surrounded by a forest of dead scraggly trees, the same shade as everything else around her.


    Sensing something was flying at her, Zoe threw herself to the ground as a small black shape whizzed overhead.


    "A memory?"


    A younger Reiza ran to her, grabbed her hand, and pulled her to her feet. The muffled voice of Colson behind her. Turning, she saw him block an incoming strike and kick the person away.


    "Run! Go!" Reiza yelled, shoving her forward, "You got this!" she grinned, "Just keep going!" Taking a large dagger from her shirt, she stood next to Colson, ready to stop anyone who dared approach. The black forest loomed before them. Evil eyes seemed to peer out at them from behind the trunks. The skyline of Crater''s city, its buildings jutting into the sky, like it painted on a large canvas placed behind the forest.


    As she ran, she felt something heavy in her grasp, a large metal pole with a green rag on the end.


    Sprinting for some time, the landscape faded and bled away into another. The flag had melted in her hands, turning to nothing.


    ''Petrvs eqves crvcis Christi. In festo sacti venceslai martyris anno domini.''


    A memory from years in the past. From the sky, a massive luminary swayed. Thinking at first, it was this twisted world''s version of the sun, but as she walked closer, she recognized the chandelier.


    Zoe sat in her parent''s living room, reading a passage from a book over one hundred years old in their original language.


    As she trudged forward, a light orange orb appeared in the distance, its radiance catching Zoe''s eye. She ran towards it; the closer she came, the slower she felt.


    Within one hundred feet of the orange sphere, she began to hear whispers around her. Humanlike shadows appeared. It looked like she was wading through a crowd surrounding the orb. It was elevated on a dark stage. Some voices she knew, others she didn''t. The silhouettes didn''t move; they stood in their place, quaking and shivering, their hushed tones sounding like feverish ramblings. The figures closer to the orange light were more defined, almost like statues of black smoke than blobs of shadow. Zoe noticed a particular one, a mean sneer etched on its face; long wavy hair in a wolf cut going the length of its shoulder blades and long and styled nails.


    Trudging past the last row of ''people,'' she walked up the stage, glancing back to see the sea of swaying shapes. They whispered expectantly as if they were waiting for her to start performing. Usually, with this many eyes on her, she''d wish to be only an inch tall. But as she stood, her eyes danced over the crowd, and a sudden calmness washed over her. As if a weight came from her shoulders.


    She realized the ball of light was held by two figures, a boy and a girl. She grabbed the orb, taking it from their hands, a familiar feeling. It gave off the same warmth as her mom''s cookies after she took them from the oven¡ªa similar smell, too. As she held it, the ball warped and melted in her hands, wrapping around her until it encompassed her whole body.


    Zoe gasped, her eyes shot open.


    "Yo! What the¡­" Colson took a quick step back.


    Zoe looked around, noticing she wasn''t in the same spot as before. The clearing had morphed into dense woodland; the already setting sun mixed with the canopy of leaves overhead would''ve made it hard to see, bar the orange light that emanated from around her.


    "W-where? What happened? Where am I?" She asked, looking around in circles.


    "You did it¡­that''s amazing," Colson''s eyes were wide with awe, holding his hand out, touching her aura.


    Zoe looked down for the first time, her eyes widened with surprise, "I did it! I really did it!" She slowly waved her hands in front of her face, then pinched herself, ensuring she wasn''t dreaming. "This feeling is so weird. It''s different than before with Jashin tho, almost mechanical," she muttered.


    "Mechanical?"


    "Yea, I can''t really describe it more than tha¡ªWhere am I?"


    "I dunno," Colson shrugged, looking around, not seeing any landmarks in the nearby area.


    "What do you mean? Didn''t you carry me here?"


    "Nah, after you told me to do that thing, you almost like fell asleep in some kind of trance, then after a few minutes, you just turned around and walked into the treeline. I tried to stop you, but you didn''t say anything; you just kept marching, so I followed. After a while, you stopped and asked what happened, and now we''re here."


    "Alright," Zoe said, sticking her hands in her pockets, taking out her deck of cards, "So then Ivy is the last one of us who needs energy. Huh," a small smile crossed her lips.


    "What''s so funny?"


    "Huh? Oh, nothing," Zoe said quickly. "I can actually be of some use now. I can help her do something for a change."


    Using their energy to illuminate their way through the dense part of the forest, they broke through the tree line and made their way back to the center of Cassius and into Jashin and Cahya''s home. The house was pitch black from the outside.


    Inside, Ivy sat cross-legged on the table, holding a spoon in one hand and a box of ice cream with the word ''Cassius'' on the side. Her hair was still matted and wet from her earlier swim. Cahya was standing on that same table barefoot, an ice cream scooper in one hand and one of Ivy''s knuckle dusters in the other¡ªspinning it around on her index finger.


    The room was dim, only illuminated by several candles scattered haphazardly around the floor.


    "The hell''ve you been?" Cahya asked through a mouthful of ice cream, turning to Colson and Zoe as they entered the front door.


    "In the forest," Colson said, tossing his shoes to the side.


    "Hey Ivy!" Zoe said excitedly. "I got something to show you!"


    "Oh, what?" Ivy mumbled through bites. Zoe crawled onto the table and stood next to her, closing her eyes, and concentrating on the feeling she had felt before.


    "Hey!" Cahya snapped. "If you''re gonna be on the table, take your shoes off!"


    Zoe didn''t seem to hear her over the low drone that filled the room, an orange glow splashing against the walls, her wavy energy pattern making the shadows of the room dance. Cahya and Ivy''s eyes widened with surprise and glee.


    "So you''ve all done it," she had a proud smile across her face. "What''d I tell y''all? Am I a good teacher or what?"


    "All?" Colson asked, then glanced to Ivy, who was still staring at Zoe.


    "Your energy is so cool looking," Ivy said in awe.


    "I just figured this out a few minutes ago. I figured out a technical way to do it, so I can teach you, and you won''t end up accidentally killing yourself."


    "I already unlocked it a few hours ago," Ivy beamed proudly, getting to her feet, staring forwards, clenching her fists. Small white bits of energy bubbled from her skin, creating a glowing white aura.


    "Oh." Zoe said, sounding disappointed.


    "I gotta get in on this," Colson said, hopping up on the table. After a few seconds, his own green energy surrounded him. All of them stood, their energies making a kaleidoscope effect around the room.


    An odd feeling of dread washed over Cahya as she looked on. ''I should feel good right now, but why don''t I feel happy? We may now have a real chance to do something; to save Cassius. I might''ve just led them to their deaths too¡­.''

 Chapter 31

    The trio had found a small office room in the leader''s house, the first home they came to when they saw Marlin and Kurt-Adam for the first time. It was a cramped little room with a big wooden desk, a scuffed black leather office chair, and two green file cabinets on either side of the room. An enormous window with the blinds pulled was on the wall, surrounded by portraits of random people they had never seen.


    "Alright, so now the easy part: thinking of a plan," Colson mused while pacing back and forth. He''d been so focused on training and helping Zoe that he hadn''t spared a thought for how they were actually going to fight those three.


    "Element of surprise!" Ivy shouted, jolting Zoe out of her morning sleepiness. She held her hands over her ears. She had slept horribly that last night, tossing and turning while the rest seemed to fall asleep in seconds.


    "Nah, that won''t work. It''s not like we''re gonna one-shot ''em. Like, we may be able to get a lucky hit in, but after like a second, they''ll realize what''s happening. Oh yea, another thing, we don''t even know where the door will pop up at."


    Ivy thought for a minute, then sighed, slumping onto a nearby office chair. The morning sun streamed through the window blinds, the shadows leaving lines on her face. Zoe''s eyes drifted around the room, focusing on the portraits of the different people, some young kids and some old farmer types. She wondered if any of them were still alive or able to escape. Deep in thought, she leaned against the wall, only half-listening to their conversation. She glanced up; Colson leaned on the desk with both his hands. Ivy was slumped, bored in the chair, fidgeting with the drawers on the desk.


    ''What does this remind me of? Oh yea,'' she thought, thinking back to one of her favorite movies. An old black-and-white detective noir. The room looked almost identical to the lead detectives from that movie. As she looked on, she heard the slow saxophone with a melancholy tune and a jazzy rhythm playing.


    Colson''s blue sweatpants darkened and changed as they morphed into black dress pants, and his tennis shoes changed to dark leather brown loafers. A grey suit vest over a white shirt, with a long striped tie hung down.


    "Bah!" He growled, turning to Ivy. "Listen, Captain, we''re this close to catching these boys, alright?"


    Ivy sighed, taking a long drag from her cigarette with her right hand. She got out of her chair and walked to the window, her empty, seen-it-all eyes staring lazily through the blinds. She reached over with her left hand, absently snapping one of her black suspenders. Attached to her black pants was a brown leather gun holster on her left side, a small black .38 revolver¡ªthe handle barely visible in the oversized strap. She tapped her foot with annoyance. She turned around, looking Colson straight in the eyes.


    "Hold on, what''d you just say?" Ivy asked, pointing the end of the cigarette at him."


    Colson waved his hand in front of his face, dispersing the smoke, "I''m just sayin'', chief, that we got these guys right where we want ''em see? Like, I got the perfect plan; if you just sign off on it, me and the boys can¡ª" There was a light knock at the door; both turned to look.


    Cahya slowly opened the door, wearing a revealing low-hanging white blouse with bright red lipstick that cut through the darkness that had overtaken the room. She had that wide doe-eyed look on her face, her lips slightly parted, holding her cat-eye glasses to them.


    "Oh, it''s just awful!" she said in a painfully forced Southern accent. "Truly, it is!"


    "Not now, Cahya!"


    A slow smile crept across Zoe''s face, "I''ll be honest with you, Collie, you''re too close to this case."


    Everyone in the room stopped talking and looked over at Zoe. Colson squinted at her, giving her an odd look, "What the- Zoe, are you good?" He asked with an accusatory tone¡ªThe illusion broke, and the whole room shifted back to normal.


    "Uh, yea," Zoe said, trying not to smile. "It doesn''t matter," she said quickly. "Anyways, though, I think I have a base of a plan."


    Cahya smirked, looking at Colson''s confused face, "Yea, ''Collie,'' she''s got a plan." Colson gave her a sidelong glare, ''One of these days,'' he thought. "So, what''s your plan, Zoe?" Cahya asked.


    "I seem to have found it," Marlin said, patting down Jashin, whose charred body lay in a heap on the ground. Cuts and gashes covered what was left of him. Marlin reached into Jashin''s back pocket, taking out a large coin the size of his palm. "They used one of these to get in here, so if I''m correct, this is how we''ll leave this hellscape." All three had thoroughly explored the void they were in; nowhere did they find the temple they were searching for or the Angel''s Ring.


    Kiari took the coin from Marlin''s hands, scrutinizing it, "This is the only one, correct?"


    Marlin nodded, "this is the only one I could find on either of them."


    "Hey, Marlin," Geier grinned, "I bet there''s more. Maybe you''d need to do a deep cavity search." Geier snickered at the thought, "I bet you''d like that."


    "You are really pushing it," he snarled.


    "You know I''m joking," Geier said, avoiding looking at the bodies as he stepped over them.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Kiari wiped the sweat from his forehead. All three were breathing hard; he noticed that he and Marlin seemed the most exhausted as they expended the most energy during the fight. "Let''s see¡­how''d he do this? He yelled the name of someplace, then threw the coin, and a door appeared. Am I right?"


    "Yup."


    "Well, here goes nothing," Kiari said, taking one last look at the dingy dimension. It''s black swirling clouds and cracked brick; he''d seen enough. "Cassius farm, California Island!" He concentrated as he did so, imagining the place he had made his home for the past couple of weeks. He threw the coin at a nearby pillar; it clanged against the side; instead of ricocheting, it stuck to it, slowly absorbed by the dark marble. A few seconds later, a door shimmered into existence, an oval black metal door. A rusted red valve handle with a murky porthole a foot above it.


    "Are we going to a farm or a submarine?" Geier asked.


    Marlin looked at it skeptically, tapping it with his long nails, squinting to see through the window. Geier walked next to him, attempting to spin the handle, exerting a slight bit of energy for it to give way. Marlin covered his ears from the horrendous screech of the doorway as it swung open. It was as if someone were scraping two jagged metal sheets inside his brain.


    Through the doorway was a flowing white wall. Maybe it was his imagination, but if Kiari looked hard enough, he could make out faces and objects in the whiteness.


    "We gotta go now!" Geier shouted, pointing to how the bottom of the doorway had become translucent.


    Marlin took a deep breath and walked through the doorway. He looked around, his brow furrowed with confusion. Where were they? The first thing they all noticed was that they were high up, on top of a building.


    "We were only in there for about forty or so minutes, right?" Kiari asked, staring up at the sky. The sun was at high noon.


    "About an hour, I''d estimate," Marlin said, following Kiari''s gaze, realizing what he was looking at.


    "That''s far," Geier noted, peeking over the roof''s edge and looking down the building. "Well, we''re in Cassius, at least."


    "I suggest we find those kids and that one other girl that was with Jashin a while ago. I''d bet they know where the temple is. They won''t put up much of a fight."


    "Uh oh," Geier said, wide-eyed, looking at Kiari and Marlin.


    "Yea?" Marlin said.


    "Something weird is happening. My two hawks are gone, out of range. I can''t control them."


    "Why would they do that?"


    "Hmm, I don''t know. Even if the connection was somehow ''broken'' from the distance, we weren''t gone long enough for them to just leave. They''d still be in the area."


    Kiari crouched down, placing his flat palm on the house''s roof, "I think it''s been a lot longer than we think. Do you still know where they could be?" He asked, looking at Geier.


    "Let''s see," Geier closed his eyes in concentration; with much exertion, a flickering yellow glow surrounded him. His eyes flashed open, "I feel something. Three energies, I don''t know them, but it''s all I feel. They''re a little less than a quarter-mile across the farm over there," he pointed to the east. "Kinda near the entrance sign of the place near that forest." While most energy users could only sense people from at most a few yards away, Geier had mastered long-range sensory.


    "Alright, let''s go," Kiari said, closing his eyes as an explosion detonated under his palm, blowing a massive hole in the roof.


    The sound of multiple people running through the field of tall grass made Ivy, Colson, and Zoe turn. Behind them, several yards away, Kiari, Marlin, and Geier appeared.


    The first thing that Zoe noticed was their clothes. Small and large cuts were everywhere, and all three were drenched in sweat. A dark pit slowly filled her stomach, the fate of Jashin and Idris being realized in her mind. The feeling made her want to vomit, but she did her best to hold her composure.


    Colson''s fists were clenched, and he mumbled through gritted teeth, "I swear I''ll kill them!"


    "If we end up fighting them, the girl with the black hair is mine," Kiari said, out of earshot of the three colonists. "Geier, you can have the one with white hair, and Marlin can take the kid with the stick." They both nodded.


    "Can we help you?" the tall kid, Colson, asked, scowling at the three.


    "It''s okay," Kiari said, "I just want to make a deal. Is that alright?"


    "No. Sorry."


    "Also," Ivy spoke up, "we''re leaving."


    Zoe smiled internally, ''This is good. They have no idea.''


    "Aw, come on," Geier whined, "you aren''t at least gonna hear us out?"


    "No," Ivy said, eyes jetting to each of them.


    "Listen here," Kiari said, his tone cheerful, "Money isn''t an issue for us, right? All those little grunts that were running around, I paid for them out of pocket. The point I''m getting at is, if you tell us how to get into the temple, you''ll be rewarded¡ªhandsomely." He elongated the last word.


    Colson stared at him with suspicion, "You haven''t given us any reason to trust you''ll hold up your end of the deal. You guys almost killed us at one point. Actually, you''ve tried to kill us every time we''ve met!"


    "We decided to forgo the violence and bloodshed."


    "Quite," Marlin added. "It''s all so¡­barbaric. Especially against children."


    "Okay. That''s not proof."


    Kiari gritted his teeth, "so would you rather we beat the answer out of you? Fine!"


    "Time to go!" Zoe said, backing up quickly.


    "Yea, let''s do this!" Ivy said, sprinting into the forest. Colson wasn''t far behind her.


    "My, my, they can move fast," Marlin noted, watching the two scurry into the tree line.


    "Good, they''re both after us," Colson said, glancing back behind them through the trees. "You remember where to go, right?"


    Ivy nodded in response. They continued running until they reached a tree with a jagged marking. Ivy skidded to a stop. Colson leaned on the tree next to her, breathing hard.


    Geier looked at Zoe, a twinge of suspicion on his face as he walked forward. "Why didn''t you run like your friends?"


    Zoe didn''t respond. Her eyes went wide with fear, and she slowly took a step backward for every step Geier took forward. "Stay back, or you''ll die," she said with no ounce of authority¡ªit ended up sounding more like she asked him a question.


    There was rustling in the bushes; Marlin and Kiari broke through the shrubs. Stopping a few feet away from the two.


    "This is pathetic; they''re already exhausted," Marlin laughed.


    Kiari smirked, "what''s your endgame here? You can''t run from us forever."


    "I know!" Ivy snapped back, an angry look on her face, "If you want the ring, you''ll just have to fight us then!"


    "Ivy, no!" Colson yelled. He looked up at the two. Kiari and Marlin looked at each other and started chuckling. ''Now, if all is good, the proud one will follow me,'' Colson thought.


    Ivy cut a hard right, running deeper into the forest toward the outer homes of Cassius. Colson sprinted right past the marked tree. Kiari growled, flying after Ivy, while Marlin continued to follow Colson.


    "You got this," Ivy said, looking back toward Zoe and Colson. Her breath caught in her throat. Barely rolling out of the way of a hand that swished over her head.


    Standing above her, hand outstretched inches from her face. A dark smirk stretched across his lips. "That''s enough running."

 Chapter 32

    The trees and shrubs were a blur as Colson sprinted past. ''I never thought I''d think this,'' Colson thought, ''But I''m actually worried about Ivy¡­ maybe more than Zoe.''


    Marlin was close behind, elegantly hopping over roots, ducking under branches, and leaping over downed trees¡ªnot missing a beat.


    After a few more seconds of running, Colson crashed through the treeline into a clearing. He stopped in the middle and turned around to face Marlin, who glanced around the clearing, a slightly nervous look in his eye. ''I don''t think there''s anyone around here; this isn''t an ambush, but I can''t shake this feeling.''


    Colson removed the bokken off his back. He pointed it forward, his stance widening as he steadied his breathing. His mind raced, his focus locked on Marlin., ''Every other time I activated energy, I had to close my eyes for a few seconds, but now I don''t think I can afford to do that. If he realizes what I''m doing, he doesn''t seem like the type to just wait around for me.'' His knuckles tightened on the bokken¡¯s hilt, the wood almost creaking under the strain. His gaze didn¡¯t waver, his unblinking eyes fixed on Marlin¡¯s. A ray of sunlight pierced through the thick canopy above, cutting across Marlin¡¯s face. ''This would be the perfect picture,'' he thought. The water dripping from his face caught the light, shimmering like scattered diamonds.


    Marlin looked on, unphased. ''Fighting experience and normal physical strength, he''s a lot weaker. But¡­my energy is almost entirely depleted; too many mistakes could make this turn sour.''


    Colson marched forward, swinging downward, with Marlin easily evading by stepping to the right and charging his fist with all his might at Colson''s head.


    Lunging to the side, Marlin''s fist grazed the side of his cheek. He followed it up with a forward kick into Colson''s chest. Letting the blow connect, it almost knocked the wind out of him, but he wrapped his arm around the leg, tucking it under his armpit, walking forward, and using his leg to trip Marlin.


    The blonde man crashed to the ground, his leg still held by Colson. He looked up to see the bokken inches from his face, too close to dodge or block. It hit him over his left eye, and a loud thwack rang out. Lifting the wooden sword, Colson brought it down again, point first, aiming for the other eye. Marlin was ready this time. Slapping it mid-trajectory. The tip of the bokken stabbed itself into the dirt next to his head.


    "I''m about to break this thing," he snarled. His hand shot out to grab it before Colson could release it from the dirt. His left cheek was bruised and swelled, slowly forcing his eye closed.


    Colson moved backward, attempting to yank it from Marlin''s grasp, but his grip strength was too tight.


    Grasping the bokken with his other hand, Marlin attempted to snap it in half. ''What?'' he thought with a grimace. ''What the hell?''


    Colson ripped it from his hands with a big tug, "It''s made from a rare strain of Buloke, considered to be the hardest wood in the world. You aren''t going to break it that easily." A confident smile crossed his face, "that''s also why it hurt so much."


    Marlin rolled to his feet and sprinted towards Colson, lunging at him. Colson struck his jaw with an upward swing, jarring him. As the bokken connected, a slight smirk crossed Marlin''s face.


    Colson felt a crunch and cold pain as Marlin''s fist connected with his cheek. He lay on the ground, sprawled, groaning and holding his cheek. Marlin stood over him, "give up."


    Kiari''s hand extended towards Ivy''s face, just inches away. Ivy kicked out, her foot knocking his forearm away. The determined look on Ivy''s face told him everything he needed to know. Before he could follow up, Ivy rolled out of the way, getting to her feet, taking off her jacket, and revealing a black t-shirt underneath.


    "Ivy is your name, correct?"


    Ivy didn''t respond.


    "So, Ivy, this wasn''t a spur-of-the-moment thing. Your plan was to split us up. You also seem to know about my ability as well. I didn''t think there were any survivors left that could give information about it, but oh well. You really don''t want to do this. It''ll end badly for you; I can promise you that."


    "I don''t like you. I''m not gonna make any deal like that with you. You can attack me all you like, but you aren''t getting anything from me," she said, placing her knuckle dusters over her fingers.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    "You''re gonna fight till the very end, huh? We''ll see how long that mentality lasts because, frankly, I don''t believe you." He crouched down to the ground, setting his hand on the dirt for balance. A second later, a booming energy surrounded him¡ªa deafening drone. It spread larger than Ivy thought was possible; instead of surrounding his body a few inches, it was three feet. "After she sees this, she won''t act so tough. Though this takes almost everything I have."


    Ivy didn''t move. She didn''t blink. There were no outward indications that she even saw anything.


    ''Damn, nothing?'' he thought, an intrigued look crossing his face. ''I think I like her.'' He let his energy subside to its standard size.


    Ivy closed her eyes; a few seconds later, the white aura bubbled from her skin; as if milk bubbles floated from every pore.


    ''So she was able to figure out how to do it. Based on its formation, I can tell it''s just been developed; still, though; it''s strong enough that I can''t screw around too much.''


    Ivy sprinted forward towards him. What Cahya had told her earlier, coming to the surface, ''The aura surrounding your body is a good defense against most things. Hell, it may be a good way to stop his explosions from hurting you too much, depending on what ratio of energy he''ll put into them.''She leaped, twisting her body midair, and drove both legs forward in a double-leg dropkick aimed straight at him. Kiari ducked just in time, the wind from her movement ruffling his hair as she flew overhead. Ivy landed in a crouch, and without missing a beat, she lunged at him again, throwing a flurry of punches. Each strike was precise, calculated¡ªbut none of them found their mark.


    Kiari sidestepped and deflected her blows with an almost lazy efficiency, his expression calm yet focused. ''She''s definitely trained, but she still can''t land a single hit on me. Below me in fighting experience and energy.'' His eyes narrowed, scanning their surroundings. ''She knows that if she keeps going as she does, she''ll be seriously injured or die, right? She can¡¯t win this head-on. So why is she so relentless? There¡¯s got to be a trap, an ambush, something I¡¯m missing. I''ve got to keep my awareness up.''


    Ivy shifted, pivoting on her back foot, and launched a kick toward the inside of his knee. Kiari caught her ankle mid-strike, and flung her into a nearby tree. The wood splintered where her skull hit. Ivy slumped briefly, the world spinning, but she forced herself upright, her eyes never leaving him. Blood trickled down her temple, and her breaths came in sharp, ragged gasps. Still, she charged again, closing the distance between them in seconds; before reaching him, his fist cracked her across the head, sending Ivy several yards away. She hit the ground hard, her body rolling limply before coming to a stop. The shimmering veil of energy around her flickered and died.


    "You know," Kiari called out to her, "I was slightly nervous at first. Learning your shimmer in such a short time is nothing short of a miracle; you clearly have a talent for this. I didn''t want to have to use my ability against a child, but now I see that I won''t even need to use it."


    Ivy opened her mouth, letting the blood drip out of it onto the ground. Slowly, she raised a trembling hand to her ear, feeling the warm trickle of blood oozing from it. Her gaze drifted forward, past Kiari, through the line of trees. Thirty yards away, she spotted it¡ªthe old village convenience store.


    "I hate this," she growled through gritted teeth. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. Closing her eyes, she drew in a breath.


    When Ivy opened them again, her energy flared back to life, a new veil forming around her. She pushed herself to her feet.


    Kiari raised an eyebrow, a flicker of amusement crossing his face. ¡°You aren¡¯t done yet?¡±


    Kiari was on top of her before she knew it, driving his knee into her stomach with crushing force, knocking the wind from her lungs. She doubled over instinctively, only to feel his fist collide with her throat in a brutal uppercut that sent her airborne. Ivy¡¯s vision blurred as her body left the ground. His other hand caught the back of her head. He drove her face-first into the dirt. The impact left a shallow crater in the packed earth, dust rising around them in a suffocating cloud. Ivy groaned, dazed, barely able to lift her head before Kiari¡¯s foot connected with her ribs in a powerful kick. She was sent skidding several feet away, her body tumbling across the ground before she somehow managed to catch herself on her hands and knees.


    Coughing, her chest heaving, she wiped at the blood dripping from her nose and mouth. Her ribs screamed with every breath. He walked over, his open palm extended, glowing with energy. His swipe came quick, like a cobra striking, aimed to end it all.


    But Ivy moved, dodging the strike by mere centimeters. She felt the wind of his attack brush her cheek, the raw energy crackling in the air where her head had been moments before.


    ''That was the perfect opportunity right there. Why? Why did I miss!''


    Geier walked forward; he was slightly taller and a few years older than Zoe, about six inches taller and five years older. He extended his hand in front of him, admiring his nails¡ªsharp claw-like things, able to slice through bone. He looked up, noting the girl in front of him. She gave off a nervous vibe, not unlike the last time he saw her. Now, her hair was tied back tightly, and her clothes were small and athletic.


    Zoe thought back to her conversation with Cahya several hours prior, "You know, I know you don''t like to be seen and all, but if you''re going to fight someone, wearing baggy clothes like that will be a death sentence. Someone can easily grab it, or it can get snagged on something. Also, pull your hair away from your face; minimize blind spots, as little as they maybe.'' She steadied her nervous breath, slowing her heart rate, ''Well, If I''m lucky and everything goes to plan, I won''t need to fight him for more than a few seconds. In one motion, this''ll be over! I won''t even have to kill him." She took another deep breath, composing herself.


    Geier was within arms reach of her now, his fingernails inches from her face. Her eyes shifted from the ground to his eyes. A smug look was plastered on his face.

 chapter 33

    Zoe realized pretty quickly that even in his exhausted state, Geier would have no issue in a fight with her. His sharp nails, his tall, muscular frame¡­ ''I''ve completely underestimated this. I''ve learned a lot intuitively from the time I came up with this plan until now, and I don''t think I can do this. But if he beats me, then we basically lose. I''ve got to think of something.''


    "Hey, so, um, can you keep a secret?"


    Geier paused, his eyes narrowing, and his body language changed to a defensive stance. "A secret?" he tried to sound dispassioned, but his voice oozed with curiosity.


    "Yes," Zoe said, a slight shake in her voice. She didn''t account for it, but it was almost impossible not to give in to the urge of her fidgeting¡ªshuffling her cards or twirling a strand of her hair between her fingers. It felt like a part of her brain was itching, and it wouldn''t go away until she scratched it.


    "Sure, why not?"


    "Well, we had this whole plan, and I won''t be able to do it. You''re too strong for me. If you don''t tell anyone that I told you, I can show you where the ring is."


    An enormous grin crossed Geier''s face. "Alright, where is it?"


    "I''m going to have to show you."


    "I''m not stupid. You''ll tell me. Now."


    "I¡ªalright," Zoe pointed a shaky hand towards her right, near the direction of the waterfall. "It''s over there, but you can''t just walk over and get it. I''m gonna have to show you. It''s a very specific place; I can''t quite describe it with words."


    Geier thought for a moment, looking into Zoe''s eyes, seeing no hostility there, "Fine, let''s go. But if I find out you''re lying, I''ll kill you on the spot."


    Zoe nodded.


    The peregrination from where they were to the waterfall was a quiet one. Suddenly stopping, Geier turned, "Actually, do you actually need to come with me?"


    Zoe clenched her jaw. ''He''s getting suspicious, and I have about two minutes before we reach there; I''m going to have to do this fast,'' she thought. "Well, there''s something I should probably tell you."


    "Okay."


    "Well, if I may ask, you have energy, right?"


    "Of course."


    "So that''s why you felt so strong. That''s the only way to gain access to the temple. Energy, and a lot of it. You seem strong enough."


    "Is that the secret?"


    "Part of it," Zoe said. ''So far, so good. A clever lie.''


    "So, why would someone like you know? You just got here, didn''t you? From that colony up north."


    ''Not clever enough, but he gave me enough information. It doesn''t seem like he knows much about the Crater¡ªhe doesn''t even know the name; I may be able to use this,'' she thought, her heart rate quickening. Her voice was slow and deliberate. "Well, there''s more to it than that. The guy that was around me, the taller boy with brown hair, I''ve known him for years. His family actually lives here, and he visits often. He kinda tells me everything, maybe even things I probably shouldn''t know."


    He turned and continued walking towards the waterfall, a single monotone, "okay."


    "Yeah, that''s why we were picked to come down here. They knew we could be trusted. This also isn''t our first time coming down here."


    There was a long pause; Zoe wanted to say something but knew it would seem suspicious if she talked too much. ''Okay, this is bad. It''s going off-script. From this point on...I haven''t thought this far ahead. Talking isn''t exactly my strong suit, and if things go south, there''ll be no way I could beat him in a fight. Even with him in his exhausted state and with my knives and energy, I don''t stand a chance. Think! Think!''


    "So, would they just let anyone in?"


    "I think it depends. You''d need to be useful to them."


    "I might know someone from there. ''Know'' might be too strong of a word. I knew them from an acquaintance. They had me do a mission of some sort. I only followed their orders."


    "I''m not surprised. They would only choose someone like that who''s really good. From what I''ve heard, your skills are far beyond what ninety-nine percent of people your age would be. I''m sure lots of people in Crater would love to learn from you."


    They walked through the treeline, reaching the waterfall.


    "That seems a bit unrealistic. Though, it would be...well." He paused, his attention shifting, "We''re here. What do I do?"


    ''If only I had one more minute!'' She glanced from him to the waterfall, "behind there," Zoe said, pointing. "Can I ask you something?"


    "Okay."


    "There''s no question that you''re some type of prodigy, so why are you here doing this?"


    "It is what it is."


    ''I''m going to have to say something. It''ll be risky, but if the Barnum statement works...It''ll be audacious for sure, but at this point¡­.'' Zoe thought. "I can tell you aren''t happy being both of their lackeys. They constantly talk down to you, especially the blonde one in the robe. Marlin, I think?"If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Geier had walked behind the waterfall and placed his hand on the rock over the same spot the door had opened for them. He turned and scowled at her. After a second, his eyes softened.


    "What do you know?"


    "Am I incorrect?"


    "I mean, I never wanted to do this. I just had nowhere else to go at a time, and Kiari helped me. I never really cared much for the other two¡ªI guess it''s one now. But he¡­ he''s never wronged me. I owe them. Though, I understand why we''re here."


    "You don''t have to do this, though; what''s stopping you from leaving right now?" Zoe noticed her fingers had instinctively wrapped around her necklace.


    There was a long pause; he glanced from her back in the direction of Cassius, specifically the library. "Addilynn''s gonna die if we don''t do something. I owe it all to her just as much as Kiari. They gave me everything."


    "Oh, right," Zoe said, her eyes fell. A twinge of guilt bubbled in her stomach. "Well, here, I''ll tell you how to get in now. From what I was shown, you need to put both hands on the rock in front of you and put as much energy in it as you can, and it''ll open."


    "Okay, like this?" He asked, leaning both his hands on the boulder; energy surrounded him as he did so.


    "Yea, I think so," Zoe said. She could tell it took a lot of effort for him to even activate his energy.


    He gritted his teeth, feeling a bead of sweat run down his face, "it''s not opening," he growled.


    "Well, that''s to be expected. If you don''t use a certain amount of energy, I don''t think it''ll open. So try putting as much as you can." She changed her posture and body language to mimic Ivy''s; her feet were wide apart, her shoulders rolled back, and her head high.


    His jaw muscles hurt as he clenched them harder, feeling the energy in his body flow to his hands, trying to open the passageway he thought was there.


    "Will you come back to Crater with me?"


    He glanced over, almost losing all his concentration, "huh?"


    Zoe''s eyes sparkled with a confident endearment. "You should. I think you''d be very valuable to them. I''m sure you know already that not anyone can just walk in. They''ll probably remember you from the last time you worked for them, too. You can do so much more than hanging around criminals all day. They seem to trust you because you are skilled and smart. You could join really easily," her heart felt like it would explode, and her vocal cords felt strained.


    "You''d really want me to join? I don''t think they''d want me there, well after¡­this."


    "They won''t know unless someone tells them, and I can keep a secret."


    "And your friends?"


    "They''re easily convinced."


    "Huh," he said, his eyebrows furrowed in deep thought.


    "I could even recommend you. Maybe both of them to recommend you. We could say that you helped us beat the others."


    "You really think they''d believe that?" he asked. His voice layered with anticipation.


    "Well, truth be told, my dad is actually the chief of staff in Crater. If his own daughter were to recommend someone, and you already have some kind of record there, they''d probably be begging you to join. Roll out the red carpet and everything! You know; I can''t help but think this isn''t just serendipity or a fortuitous incident¡ªThis was meant to happen."


    "Wow, that''s¡­well, I don''t know."


    "Just a little more pushing," Zoe thought. "What were your plans, normally? What would you be doing?"


    "My plans? I never really had one. Just go day by day. I never really knew what to do, honestly. I just kind of existed."


    "You''re only a few years older than me, right? If I were you, I wouldn''t want to waste my life doing this. Crater can give you purpose. A new start. Live a dignified life."


    "I don''t think I deserve that," he said quietly, turning back to stare at the rock face in front of him.


    "Everyone deserves a second chance."


    "Mine came and went long ago. It''s a bit too late."


    "I don''t think so."


    He looked her directly in her eyes, no, through her eyes, directly into her soul. "Can you promise me that?"


    It took all she had to hold that gaze, "of course," she said.


    "Well, what about other colonies?"


    "What about them?"


    "Would you be able to go to different ones? And what about the Outback?"


    Zoe thought for a minute, "He knows about that?" She looked up at him, "How do you know what that is, if you don''t mind me asking?"


    Geier took a deep breath, the memories surfacing. He told the story of how he first met Addilynn and the book she read.


    "Yeah," Zoe said, a bit too fast, "people move from colony to colony all the time. You''d probably start out at a higher rank than most, so you''d be able to travel¡ªbasically for free too!"


    "Well, that''s some of the few good things about this; I get to travel all over the world, especially restricted countries which Kiari and Addilynn taught me how to get in."


    "I should''ve known," Zoe smiled, "I had a feeling you weren''t from around here. Your worldly knowledge is unique. I''ve always wanted to travel and go abroad. From what I heard, those countries are very hard to get into. I''d love to learn from you one day." She paused, noting his expression, "Sorry, maybe I jumped the gun a bit."


    "Oh, no, you''re fine. I''m just thinking about things," Geier stated. "I can''t leave Kiari or Addilynn," he decided.


    "They can come with you."


    "Tch," he scoffed. After a second, he turned, "yeah?"


    Looking up at the cascade of water above them. The light mist of the water hit his face; the cold water felt good in the California Island air.


    A smile crossed Zoe''s lips, "Well, first, we gotta get the door open, right?"


    "Yeah, right," he said with a bright smile, wiping sweat from his face. He took several deep breaths. On his fourth breath, he pushed as hard as possible, his aura spiking around him, its radius growing. A loud hum could be heard even over the waterfall, crashing several feet behind them.


    "Like that, just a little more!"


    Zoe thought back to what Idris had told her, "It''s basically your life force. You have to always manage it; it can''t be used indefinitely." She asked what would happen if it ran out. "Ran out completely? Like a hundred percent out? Well, you die. But that''s very rare for that to happen. Usually, what''ll happen if you use too much is that you''ll just collapse, be unable to move, or can barely move for about a couple of hours or so¡ªtotal exhaustion. Let''s call that stage one of energy fatigue.


    "If you make it to stage two somehow, you''ll pretty much just pass out on the spot. You''d just go catatonic, face-first on the ground, have a nice little nap for eight hours. When you wake up, you''ll be fine.


    "Stage three is when shit gets gnarly. That''s when permanent damage and death come into play. Like, you ain''t really coming back from that. It really shouldn''t be possible to make it to stage three, but it does happen. Maybe people get their energy siphoned or something, I dunno, but if you somehow survive that, you''re pretty much a vegetable for the rest of your life."


    A small surface of the rock cracked and split from the force of the aura. Geier''s eyes widened briefly before his energy flickered out. He stumbled back; his hands covered his mouth as he started coughing uncontrollably. He removed them, looking at down, seeing they were stained red. He felt his legs were about to give out, but he pushed himself forward, placing his hands on the same spot as before.


    "What''s wrong, Geier?" Zoe leaned in; her tone rippled with innocent derision.


    He couldn''t do anything. His muscles failed, his elbows buckled, and he fell forward, hitting the rock, sliding to the side, and falling to the ground.


    His eyes widened with shock as he watched Zoe put her foot in the center of his chest. An evening orange energy swayed around her. She gripped her wavy silver dagger so tightly that her knuckles turned white, holding it inches from his throat. His pupils dilated with fear and confusion.


    "Don''t move, and don''t say anything either!" Her voice was shaky and quiet, barely above a whisper.

 Chapter 34

    Several hours earlier.


    Zoe jammed her short golden blade into the side of the tree, wiggling it, careful not to warp or break the knife. The sap oozed out in a thick stream, its dark red color glinting with golden flecks. They shoved the small iron tap into the open wound. The liquid flowed steadily into the red metal bucket Ivy held steady beneath.


    Ivy crouched by the bucket, watching it fill. She glanced up at Zoe, catching the way her friend¡¯s blue eyes kept darting down at her, giving off her usual nervous energy. ¡°What?¡± she asked, cocking her head.


    she said finally, her voice low but firm.


    Ivy smirked, brushing a strand of her messy black hair out of her face. ¡°I¡¯m always careful.¡±


    Zoe¡¯s expression didn¡¯t soften. ¡°No, you aren¡¯t.¡±


    Ivy shrugged, pulling the bucket away once it was almost completely filled.


    The weight of the sap tugged at her arms as she steadied it, the golden flecks swirling lazily in the dark red liquid. Cahya had suggested they each drink a cup of the sap, claiming it would make them feel rested and energized before their confrontation.


    Zoe straightened, slipping her knife into its sheath and wiping her hands on her pants. ¡°I was thinking,¡± she began, her tone cautious, ¡°the power that guy chose¡ªKiari¡ªhe¡¯s the most dangerous one.¡±


    "More than Kurt-Adam?"


    "His whole ability revolves around explosions and such. There''s no real utility with a power like that. It''s meant for destruction and killing. Truly repugnant."


    "The jig is up. You have a zero chance of winning," Kiari said in a bored tone, watching Ivy struggle to her feet again.


    Her voice was raspy. It hurt to breathe, much less talk. "I don''t care," she spat. "I''m still standing." Her clothes were caked with dirt and blood. When she opened her mouth, Kiari noted that several teeth were missing.


    Kiari looked down at himself. His clothes were torn, and his skin was scratched. No new wounds had been made from Ivy''s attacks. He looked her in the eye, her aggressive stare never leaving his. Her hands rested at her sides, tightly gripping the brass knuckles.


    It was almost comical how she left herself so open, as though inviting him to end this quickly.


    They stood several yards apart.


    "Alright then, I guess I was wrong. I may have to try after all," he said, holding his hand out in front of him, fingers wide and extended. "Though I am curious¡­. How did you manage to unlock your energy in such a short time?"


    "Jashin¡­he helped." Her throat burned with every word. "And I worked... until I was almost dead... then my body activated it to save me."


    ''She used the same method Kurt-Adam used,'' he thought.


    Before she could react, he closed the distance between them in a blink, his hand hurtling toward her face. Ivy¡¯s body tensed, her instincts roaring to life. Out of the corner of his eye, Kiari caught the motion of her arm winding back for a strike. He jerked backward instinctively, avoiding her fist¡ªbut it wasn¡¯t aimed at him. Her knuckles slammed into the trunk of a nearby tree with a deafening crack. Bark and splinters exploded into the air, catching him off-guard. Kiari stumbled back, blinded by the sudden flurry of debris. His vision blurred, and he swung wildly toward where he thought she might be, but his strikes hit nothing but air.


    A sharp pain shot through his abdomen. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he doubled over, gasping. ''Ugh, right in my stomach. Damn, she can hit!'' He looked around, finally spotting her. Back in the same spot as before. Several yards away. Behind her, the glare from the store windows threaded the needle through the trees, shining right into Kiari''s eyes. ''I guess I''ll just kill her then. I''m sure the other ones will give up some information once they see she died.''


    He calmly strutted towards her. Feeling more confident with every step. He reached forward, only able to snag the front of her t-shirt. Using it to toss her through the clearing into a row of nearby houses.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ''What the hell! I''ve blown multiple chances to off her! Is something distracting me? Maybe I''m too tired; I used too much energy against those two. No¡­that''s not it,'' Kiari thought. Ivy looked on, noticing that the man''s entire demeanor seemed to change in under a second. He looked down at her, a dark shadow over his face.


    For a split second, his energy flared up. In a blink of an eye, his palm was wrapped around her face. He held her high into the air with one arm. Struggling, she punched and kicked, trying to force him to let go. "What do you think would happen if I were to activate my ability right now? If I quite literally blew that smile off your face? If you were to somehow survive¡­hundreds of thousands of dollars for reconstructive surgery. That wouldn''t be the worst of your issues. Your eyes will be obliterated; no hope of ever seeing light again. You''d never be able to breathe normally again¡­not that you''d know, the brain damage would most likely leave you in a place of¡ªAh!"


    Ivy wriggled from his grasp, biting down on his hand as hard as she could.


    He had to punch her several times for her bite to loosen.  Ripping his hand away, he sent out a kick, pushing her back.


    "What the- what the hell is wrong with you? You''re a little monster; you know that?" He screamed, massaging his hand.


    The next hit sent her airborne through a home''s front yard, ending next to the small convenience store that Zoe and Colson had been at several days prior.


    She slowly got to her feet, an enormous grin on her face. She had long since forgone Zoe''s plan, but a new idea had popped into existence, remembering something Colson had mentioned earlier. Opening the door of the store and walking inside. Seeing cans of gasoline litter the shelves and floor. Her own idea slowly formed, but she finally understood. She let out a breathy laugh, her grin growing wider.


    An explosion of boiling water erupted where Colson was standing moments ago. He was pushed back, further and further away from Marlin. Every time he got within a few yards range, Marlin would zone him out with super-heated water.


    ''How is he doing this?'' Colson thought, ''Is he conjuring water from thin air? He only seems to be able to use it when I get too close, or if I''m standing in one spot for more than three seconds at a time.''


    Marlin grinned, "Colson, you won''t be long for this world if you keep this up. Tell me where it is, and I won''t have to embarrass you any further."


    The clearing had turned muddy. The ground seemed to grab at his shoes, making it ever so slightly harder to move.


    Colson lunged forward, purposefully missing Marlin with a wide swing of his bokken. Grabbing a large rock on the ground, flinging it as hard as he could at his head.


    A small wall of water exploded in front of Marlin''s face, slowing the stone''s trajectory so he could dodge it.


    Colson was able to skirt to the side, using the rock as a distraction so he could attack Marlin''s blind spot. Slashing as hard as he could, a loud crack echoed through the forest as the sword hit Marlin in the back of the head.


    He whirled around, staring Colson in the eyes. Colson jumped back too late as hot water engulfed his arms. Searing them. Leaving them pink and blistered.


    "Ah!" He screeched in pain, stumbling backward, tripping over a root, falling down. ''He''s only used his ability when he''s making direct eye contact with me. So if I stay out of his line of sight¡­or actually, that gave me another idea as well,'' he thought. ''I wonder if he gets affected by his own hot water.''


    Colson scrambled backward, getting to his feet. Just in time, Marlin''s hand shot out, closing in a fist. Water where he just lay exploded from the ground, leaving a hot muddy puddle. As he did so, Marlin stumbled, his head feeling light; the veil of energy that surrounded him cracked and wavered briefly. He shook his head, clearing the mental fog.


    He held up his hand, examining his forearm. The water that normally dripped from his pores had mostly dried.


    "You''re all dried out," Colson said.


    Marlin sneered. He lunged forward, water exploding at his feet, propelling him forward. His hand outstretched, aimed slightly above Colson''s head, where water slowly formed. The liquid turned sharp and cold. The icicles fell from several feet above Colson.


    He barely had time to react as the first of the barrage grazed the top of his energy''s aura, only a few inches above his head. He quickly shifted to the side, the frosty spear stabbing into his left leg. It shattered once it buried itself deep inside, leaving its sharp shrapnel to frostbite him from the inside out.


    Colson dropped to the ground, grabbing at his wound, sticking his dirty fingers inside, screaming in pain, trying to pick out the pieces of ice. His vision went double as he did so, the pain almost making him pass out.


    A few yards away, Marlin stood. His hands on his knees, catching his breath. Sweat dripped from his face onto the ground. ''Changing the properties of the water to make it ice¡­ I can''t do that anymore. I didn''t realize how much energy I''ve used up. I''m going to have to pace myself from now on.'' He reached up, touching his cheek. His eye had almost completely swollen shut.


    Colson used his bokken to stand himself up. He removed most of the ice chunks, but some were too deep to be taken out at the moment. ''His eyes are still on me,'' he noted. ''Time for idea number two.'' He took a few steps forward, his leg hurting more with every movement.


    Before he could convince himself otherwise, Marlin was several feet below him. Colson had used all his strength to launch himself above him, thrusting the bokken down as he fell. The muddy dirt around Marlin began churning as he fell faster towards him.


    When he was just a foot above Marlin, the ground exploded, with water launching at him. "Piss off, kid!"


    Blasting Colson backward, with him landing on his back.


    ''The water was lukewarm. So that means he can get hurt by his own water. I''ll definitely win this now!''

 Chapter 35

    "Are you ready to give up?" Even to Kiari, that didn''t sound convincing. Ivy stood outside of the store, not saying a word. Her eyes had a dark determination in them. ''I don''t think I can do this.'' He looked down at his hand, and his conviction wavered with every passing second. His breath quickened as he looked up at Ivy. He felt tears stain his dry cheeks as he watched her march towards him.


    ¡°Please,¡± he murmured, his voice barely audible.


    Ivy heard him but didn¡¯t stop. The white veil around her shimmered and bubbled, pulsing.


    "Please. Don''t make me do this. Please!"


    Her fists were clenched tightly around the brass knuckles.


    He bared his teeth, "Really?" he cried, "Is some artifact really more important than your life? You''re so young. You have your whole life ahead of you!"


    The same look returned to her eyes, "I want to see my mother. It''s been a long time. I want to meet her. I think I will someday."


    Kiari blinked, his grip on reality loosening. ¡°I just want to save Addilynn,¡± he blurted, his voice raw and shaking. ¡°That¡¯s all I¡¯ve ever wanted. She¡¯s innocent. She doesn¡¯t deserve this. I just¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish, Ivy surged forward, winding up a massive swing aimed at his head.


    Reacting on instinct, Kiari¡¯s hand shot out, catching her arm mid-swing. With a roar, he lifted her into the air. His free hand pulled back before slamming into her stomach with bone-crushing force. A guttural gag escaped her throat before her mouth opened as his fist pushed into her gut, puking all over him.


    A blinding glow erupted from his hand, energy surging violently. The explosion¡¯s sound was enormous. Light engulfed them both, and for a moment, Kiari¡¯s vision was consumed.


    When the flash cleared, he saw Ivy crumpled on the ground, writhing in agony. Her body convulsed, dry heaves wracking her frame as she screamed through clenched teeth. Kiari¡¯s breath hitched as his eyes fell on her right arm¡ªor what was left of it.


    The forearm was gone, reduced to a charred stump. Blood and soot painted the ground around her. Ivy clutched her ruined arm just above the jagged edge, her shoulders shaking.


    "Say, you know what?"


    Kiari froze, his ears catching her raspy voice. Slowly, his gaze lifted to meet hers.


    Her eyes burned with an intensity that shouldn¡¯t have been possible after what had just happened. No fear. No hesitation.


    ¡°For the sake of Zoe¡¯s plan,¡± she continued, her voice rough but steady, ¡°none of this should¡¯ve happened. I wasn¡¯t supposed to fight you this long. I know that.¡±


    Kiari¡¯s mind spun as Ivy pushed herself to her feet, a faint, defiant smile tugging at her bloodied lips.


    ¡°But all of this?¡± She tilted her head, her voice stronger now. ¡°This is my plan.¡±


    Kiari wiped his face, noting that the bile had an odd, pungent, but recognizable smell. ''Is that¡­'' He sniffed the air again, unable to recognize what it was. ''This kid is insane. She admitted to knowingly sacrificing her arm. And then she just puked all over me for some reason!''


    The aura around Ivy flared, bubbling higher and brighter, as if feeding on her reckless resolve. She bent down, picking up her lone brass knuckle with her remaining hand. Without hesitation, she launched herself forward, her heel connecting squarely with Kiari¡¯s sternum. He stumbled back and fell. Ivy didn¡¯t let up. She followed with a flurry of kicks and punches, most landing with brutal precision. Kiari raised his arms to block, but the force of her relentless strikes drove him further into the dirt.


    ''She''s really not stopping! What is wrong with this kid? I''m gonna have to do it again!'' He let a kick snap against the side of his head, seeing his chance. His hand shot out, grabbing her leg. He closed his eyes.


    ''Gas.'' The word slipped out, barely a thought. His eyes widened in disbelief, and it was as if time stopped in that moment. The realization hit him like a thunderclap. ''She drank it.'' He stared at her in stunned silence. ''She drank gasoline, knowing her body would force it back out. My punch helped her. I¡¯m completely covered in it.'' His gaze darted down to his soaked clothes and glistening skin, the sheen of the fuel unmistakable under the glow of their energy.


    He closed his eyes again. His palm began to glow, a blinding white-hot light searing the air. The explosion ripped through the clearing.


    The sensation came quickly.


    Kiari''s eyes shot open. His whole body was ablaze. He tried to quickly pat out the flames, but it was no use. The Gasoline had seeped into his clothes and covered most of his exposed skin. In his panic, he couldn''t take off his outfit; the plastic in his clothing melted on his skin. All he could do was roll around on the ground, the smoke and flames growing the more he struggled. His skin turned red and started to blister and boil. Eventually, all he could do was scream. His howls of pain being heard by everyone around them.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Ivy looked down at her left leg. The flesh around her ankle was charred, the muscle and tendons exposed beneath the smoldering blackened skin. A faint crackling sound rose from the wound, like pop rocks snapping, as the white phosphorus still burned into her skin. Ivy¡¯s expression was blank, her vacant eyes fixed on the man before her. Then a sensation she''d never felt¡ªit was deep, below her stomach, warm, and rhythmic¡ªlike a steady pulse. It radiated outward, flooding her body. It was the first time she''d felt anything like it.  Her breath hitched. The feeling was almost intoxicating.


    Marlin whirled around. The distant sound pierced through the forest. ''Is that Kiari? What happened to him?''


    While Marlin was briefly distracted, Colson sprinted up behind him. He readied his bokken, about to swing down on him. As he attacked, Marlin ran forward, the wooden sword slicing through the air right where he was. Colson watched as he kept moving, disappearing into the treeline.


    He conjured small blasts of water around his feet, propelling him forward, making him run just that much faster.


    The forest was a blur as Colson sprinted after him. He followed the sound of snapping twigs and rustling bushes the best he could. The harder he pushed himself, the more pain shot up his leg.


    Marlin charged through a bush, breaking from the forest treeline and ending up at the edge of Cassius'' town. He stood there¡ªbriefly. His heart sank in his chest at the sight in front of him. The man was set ablaze. Fire seared through his skin, billowing around him. The sounds that came from him were inhuman.


    ''Why isn''t she doing anything?'' Marlin thought, his eyes moving upwards towards the girl who stood a few feet away, blankly staring at the man burning to death. ''She''s done this!''


    He lifted his hand, and water blasted from beneath Ivy, throwing her to the side. She landed in the front yard of a nearby house, falling onto a large fern the size of a car. With his other hand, he quickly did the same to Kiari, dousing him with as much cold water as possible.


    Colson arrived moments later, seeing Marlin on his hands and knees, barely able to stand. He was leaning over Kiari, who''d seen better days. His skin was dry and red, with multiple burn scars covering his body.


    Colson looked around; Ivy was nowhere to be seen. Anger was slowly bubbling up inside him as he gritted his teeth. He stomped over to Marlin and delivered a swift kick to his ribs. He collapsed to his side, looking up at Colson, who had the point of his bokken inches away from his face.


    ''I can''t do anything here. I''m completely at this kid''s mercy. It''ll be too long of a wait to get enough energy back. I don''t even have enough to activate it,'' Marlin thought, staring into Colson''s eyes. His light green energy confidently pulsed around his body.


    "What happened to Idris and Jashin?"


    There was a long pause. Marlin broke eye contact briefly, taking as long as he could before responding, taking the time to catch his breath. "I think you know what happened."


    Colson looked down, muttering a curse under his breath. Before Marlin could stop him, Colson slammed the hilt of the bokken against the side of his temple. Knocking him out instantly.


    Marlin''s good eye fluttered open. He found he was lying face down on a patch of grass. He must''ve been out working, taken a break to sit in the sun to relax, and dozed off. Marlin tried wiping the drool from his cheek with his arm but couldn''t move. He heard voices from a few yards away. He strained his neck to look in their direction, squinting his eye. The harder he tried to make sense of everything, the more the world spun around him. He felt as if his brain had been rattled; if he tried to open his eyes, a pounding headache would tear through his psyche.


    "Oh, he''s awake. Zoe, let''s put the other guy next to him real quick," a male voice said.


    He listened as two sets of footsteps placed something heavy in the grass next to him. He turned his head, squinting and seeing the silhouette of a person lying next to him. Two kids stood over him, a girl and a boy. As his vision slowly adjusted, the memories came flooding back.


    Zoe looked down at Geier; he had been awake the whole time. He didn''t say a single word as Colson and Zoe dragged him to Cassius'' outskirts from the waterfall. The more she looked at him, the worse she felt. Her eyes glided to the side, looking to Kiari. His eyes were cracked open, looking up towards the sun. Most of his clothes had burned away; his flesh was charred, red, and blistered. Burn scars slowly forming.


    ''How did that even happen?'' Zoe thought, unable to look away. ''Where is Ivy, anyway?'' She glanced around, noticing Ivy sitting on a barrel, leaning against a wooden house with a cobblestone underpinning a few feet away. Colson had told her to sit in the shade and to wait. She looked exhausted, her head slowly shifting from side to side, her blinking slow. A big grin crossed her face when she saw Zoe. The sight of Zoe snapped her out of the daydream. Ivy skipped to her.


    "Hey, it''s Colson," Colson said, holding the walkie-talkie to his face. "Uh-huh, yeah. They''re tied up right next to us," he said quickly and urgently, glancing back to Ivy. "Yeah, but listen. Bring as much healing stuff as you can carry. Something for severed limbs specifically."


    Zoe smiled, looking at Ivy. "Hey, Iv-" she abruptly stopped talking; her eyes had swayed downwards and fixated on Ivy''s arm, then lower to her ankle.


    Zoe took a step backward, her eyes widening with shock. Her hand shot to her mouth. "Ivy¡­" she said, looking on.


    Ivy¡¯s skin was alarmingly pale, her gaunt figure almost ghostlike in the sunlight. A thin trickle of blood slipped from a gash on her forearm, catching the light as it dripped steadily. Zoe¡¯s eyes darted to Ivy¡¯s ankle, watching the muscle twitch and flex with every step.


    "No, no, no,"


    Zoe muttered, her voice cracking as tears welled in her eyes. She staggered back, shaking her head.


    Ivy glanced down at her own arm, then back at Zoe with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she said hoarsely. Her voice was raw, but her tone was cheerful. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt that much. And we did it, Zoe. We won!¡±


    Before Zoe could respond, a quiet voice cut through the moment.


    ¡°How long has it been?¡± Kiari asked.


    "What''d you say?" Colson asked, annoyed.


    "How long has it been since we went into the doorway?"


    "About a week and a half."


    "So then my Addilynn is most likely¡­" he trailed off, his eyes closing. "I let her die."

 Chapter 36

    "Ivy, I''m so sorry," Zoe said. Ever since she saw what happened to Ivy, a deep pain had rooted in her stomach. It felt as if she had ingested molten lead, and it was slowly burning a hole through the lining of her abdomen. "My plan was what caused this," she said through dry heaves.


    Ivy shook her head. "Not at all. I meant for this to happen," she beamed with pride, holding up her destroyed arm.  Zoe froze, her expression caught somewhere between horror and confusion. There was a long pause, "What?" Ivy asked, looking at Zoe''s face.


    "You meant for him to blow up your hand?" Zoe''s voice rose with disbelief, her gaze darting between Ivy''s face and the mangled remains of her arm.


    "Mhm," Ivy said nonchalantly, taking a big gulp of water given to her by Cahya.


    "Oh¡­" Zoe said, her eyebrows furrowed. "You aren''t just telling me this to make me feel better?"


    Behind them, Cahya looked down on the three who were tied up. Her face was twisted with disgust. "You guys actually did it. I''m kinda proud, to be honest."


    "Just kinda?" Colson scoffed, "You really didn''t think we''d do it? C''mon now." He held an ice pack to his face, pressing hard over his broken cheekbone, feeling a tear in one of his eyes form as he did so. Rolling down his freezing cheek.


    Cahya looked back and smiled. ''I taught them the wrong method to learn energy, and they still won. Well, maybe not a wrong method, but an inefficient way. They were still able to learn it in that short of time. Nothing less than incredible.'' She turned to Colson, ''I was wondering why I did that¡­But I think I know now. I honestly believed they would die fighting. Maybe that''s why I did it. If they never were able to learn energy, then they wouldn''t bother fighting them, so he wouldn''t have to die.''


    Ivy walked over next to Cahya, looking down at the people tied up below her; a curious look crossed her face. "So, what''re you gonna do with them?" She asked. Her voice was back to normal, fixed by the healing products Cahya had brought.


    "I''m not sure. That''s up to the leaders of the village. I''m not sure who that would be at this point. If one dies, the leadership role goes down the line to the next person. They''ll probably be put to death if I had to guess." Cahya said. "Probably get strung up in the town square for everyone to laugh at!" She said pointedly, glaring down at them.


    "Really?" Zoe asked quietly, looking down at Geier. "Does it have to be like that?"


    A shadow crossed over Cahya''s face, "Idris, my brother. Jashin... Who knows how many others. That can''t be forgiven. Or have you forgotten about that?"


    Zoe was silent.


    "Besides. You guys have beaten all the odds. You should be happy."


    "I''m just hungry, honestly," Ivy said.


    Kiari lifted his head up and stared right at Ivy. Her wide stance. ''It''s all symmetrical. Like poetry. It rhymes,'' he thought.


    Later that day. Zoe and Colson sat outside the doctor''s office. It was a long, low-hanging metal building about a quarter-mile to the north on a slight incline overlooking Cassius. Ivy had been inside for almost thirty minutes.


    "Hey, did you hear what Ivy said earlier? How she lost her arm?" Zoe asked.


    "I think so? She said something about how she wanted to lose it?"


    "Yea¡­that''s weird, right?"


    "Yeah, that is pretty out there."


    Zoe wiped her eyes, "I doubt it could be fixed. We couldn''t even find her arm or anything, so it can''t be reattached. It was probably completely disintegrated," her voice was hollow as she spoke, her eyes fixated on the wooden floor of the windowless hallway.


    "I mean, the only hope is that maybe someone at Crater can do something. Maybe they have a room full of severed limbs, match the blood type, and sew it on."


    Zoe let out a small laugh, "Yeah, well, I''m sure with this energy stuff, someone has an ability that can do something."


    After a few more minutes of waiting, Ivy hopped out of the door. Zoe turned, her face bright at first but quickly saddened when she saw Ivy''s arm was completely bandaged. Her ankle had been gelled and taped.


    "They couldn''t do anything?" Zoe asked tentatively.


    Ivy shook her head, "No, but they directed me back to Crater''s head nurse." She lifted her arm to put it around Zoe but forgot that it had been blown up. She glanced down at it, a deep frown briefly crossing her face; her face quickly turned back to its usual goofy smile.


    "So now what do we do?" Asked Colson. "Do we just leave?"


    Zoe walked over to the door of the building, glancing outside. The whole town seemed to be alive. Fireworks crackled and sparked in the pink evening sky.


    "Seems like they''re having a good time," Colson said, standing behind her, looking out the door.


    "I don''t think there''s anything else we can do here, so I guess so. Maybe have them contact Crater if they haven''t already. Tell them we''re on our way back."


    "So that''s it then. We won."


    "Yeah. We won," her voice sounded hollow as she stared out the windowed door.


    Cahya was leaning against the building, waiting for them outside. She had a satisfied smile on her face, watching the light show from below. The sounds of celebration emanating from Cassius.


    Her smile grew when she saw the trio exit the office. She glanced down, seeing Ivy''s arm. A twinge of guilt ran through her, but she ignored it.


    "So, what''re you gonna do now?" She asked the question to the group but was looking at Colson.


    Colson shrugged, "I don''t know. Is there anything else for us to do here?"


    "I guess not," she said, looking back toward Cassius. "Since there''s no one to guard the towers anymore, they should be able to fix it in a few hours. We''ll send something to Crater and tell them everything''s all good now." She pointed towards the village, "It''s not very often people are this happy. Not much to celebrate lately¡­You guys wanna go check it out?"


    "I barely even recognize this place!" Zoe shouted. Her eyes were wide with awe. The village square was filled to the brim with people. In the short time since Kiari''s defeat, the residents of Cassius had put in work. An earth-shattering boom could be heard every few seconds as a firework went off overhead. Zoe noticed out of the corner of her eye that Ivy seemed to flinch every time she heard an explosion. "Why is everyone so happy? I thought people would be sad after what''s happened."


    "If you''re referring to the deaths," Cahya started, "We don''t really see death the same way most do, I think. Instead of being miserable, we celebrate their life. Have a celebration so loud, they can hear it wherever they are. So they know their life had meaning."


    "How does this small village have this many people?" Colson asked; he looked deeply uncomfortable as he picked at his clothing. He wore a bright blue long-sleeve fishnet shirt and incredibly baggy white cotton pants.


    "You''d be surprised," Cahya yelled, "this is only about half of the population. Not counting, well¡­just relax," she laughed, pulling at his hand to stop him from accidentally ruining the clothes.


    "Oh wow!" Colson shouted back, jumping out of the way of an approaching stampede of kids with sparklers. ''She hasn''t let go,'' he thought. "Well, you look better at least. Before you were dressed like some hippie that babbles about crystals all day."


    Earlier, Cahya had told them about the traditions and dress codes of celebration. All the Women wore headbands with long patterned robes, and the men wore fishnet shirts with white pants.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    "What''s that?" Ivy asked, pointing with her good arm to a cart that had roasted food on sticks.


    Cahya glanced over, "That''s purple Megakeet meat. It''s really good. Wanna try?"


    "Yeah!" Ivy said, bounding over to the stand. A large flame crackled behind the station as grease and fat from the cooking meat fell into its inferno. She looked over every item displayed, finally finding the cut. "Hey, mister! How much for this?" she asked, instinctively trying to grab the metal stick with her bad arm, but quickly grabbed it with her other and held it up, so the man could see.


    He had a warm grin on his face, "for you, my dear, it''s free!" he yelled over an explosion from a firecracker.


    "Oh, cool! Thank you so much!" She said, running back into the crowd of people to find her friends.


    Zoe was fiddling with her gown when Ivy seemingly materialized next to her, making her jump.


    "You want some?" Ivy asked, waving the Megakeet in front of Zoe''s face. The sweet smell made her realize how long it has been since she had anything to eat. Even Ivy could hear her stomach growl over the teeth-rattling booms overhead.


    "Wow, this really is good," Zoe said through a mouthful. "It has the consistency of chicken, so I can actually eat it."


    "I know, right! He''s cooking the stuff back there." She glanced back at the cart, the fire crackling tall over the heads of everyone. She looked back down at the skewer, the cooked skin of the bird.


    "You okay?" Zoe asked, noticing the expression on Ivy''s face. It was her usual goofy grin, but something was off, Zoe noted. There was a long pause. Ivy stopped walking, talking, and possibly even breathing. "Ivy¡­"


    Ivy''s eyes rolled up at Zoe, "this reminds me. Kiari, when he was burning in front of me. When I was watching it¡­." There was another long pause as they continued to walk behind Colson and Cahya, who were absorbed in a conversation. "It wasn''t the heat of the fire or energy. There was a feeling, a weird warmth under my belly."


    Zoe thought momentarily, looking down, asking, "Under your belly?"


    "Yeah, like a warm heartbeat."


    "I don''t know what that means. Maybe Cahya would know what that is."


    "Maybe¡­" Ivy''s eyebrows knit together.


    "There you guys are! Y''all are slow as hell," Colson said, appearing in front of them after wriggling through the dense crowd. "Follow me real quick, though," he said with a mischievous smile.


    "Alright!" Ivy said with glee.


    "Yeah, Cahya is waiting for us over there," he said, distracted as someone walked up, shaking his hand, thanking them all profusely.


    Cahya was standing to the side of the street, guarding a small rickety table with several cups stacked on top of each other.


    "Ta-da!" Colson said, holding his arms out towards the table.


    Zoe walked over and picked up one cup, sniffing it curiously. She brought it to her face, sniffing it, "what is it?" she asked, scrunching her nose at the smell. It was almost saccharin how sweet the liquid was.


    "Just drink it," Colson urged, "This is the only time we''ll be allowed to drink this stuff anyways."


    Ivy walked over, examining the table.


    "I can hold that for you," Cahya offered, reaching for Ivy''s Megakeet skewer.


    Zoe had a nervous look on her face, "I don''t know," she said hesitantly.


    "On three!" boomed Cahya.


    Even though the drink was lukewarm, Zoe felt a comforting heat flow down her throat and into her stomach. A bitter aftertaste caused her to uncontrollably pull a face in disgust. She felt the sensation flow from her stomach through her body, eventually reaching her fingertips.


    "Woah," Colson said, slowly waving his hand in front of his face. "Everything''s all bright and shifty."


    Zoe laughed; as she did so, she felt a euphoria. A feeling so intense that it muted every bad thought she had. It was a burst of almost uncontrollable laughter, a contagious one.


    Ivy''s smile grew wider. The explosions of the fireworks and the loud chatter of the surrounding people disappeared.


    As if the circle they were standing in was in their own void of space-time where only they existed.


    Colson looked to his right. Zoe''s body¡­no, her soul was made up of a kaleidoscope of vibrating and rotating colors. The same with Cahya and Ivy. Leaving him completely hypnotized.


    During that time, each of them had forgotten that they had even ingested anything at all. To their brains, it just felt like this is how life and the world always had been and always would be. A euphoric void.


    What felt like hours was gone in a few minutes.


    Colson winced, "Oh man, what was that?" he shook his head; the feeling slowly clearing.


    "Psilocybeer," Cahya grinned. "They only make it for special occasions."


    "What is it actually made of?" Zoe asked. She looked down at the table, the lines on wood flowing and bending in and out as if it were breathing.


    "I dunno," Cahya shrugged. "But it''s supposed to mimic the experience of awakening energy. Getting closer to the universe or something like that."


    "Was that alcoholic?" Colson asked, peering at his empty glass. "If it was, I probably shouldn''t have drank that."


    "That''s just what they call it. It''s not actually beer."


    "That was awesome!" Ivy said, "Is there more?"


    "I had to order these in advance, so I doubt it, but since you guys are heroes of the village, someone would probably give you theirs if they haven''t drunk it all yet. But the feeling will stay for a while."


    Colson looked around the area; the glow of the drink and the accompanying warmth still hadn''t faded. ''This would be perfect for a camera¡ªeverything''s so dreamy. Everyone''s skin seems to bloom with warmth¡ªas if the colors are singing.'' He felt loose and energized as if all the muscles in his body had been properly stretched. "How long does this last?"


    "We drank it all at once, so it''ll just be a buzz for the next few hours. If we were to slowly drink it over time, a semi-intense feeling over a few hours."


    "I wanna run somewhere," Ivy said, striking some kind of yoga pose.


    Zoe had to stop herself from staring at her, "It''s like I''m looking at a painting." Her skin had become pastel-like. Slightly blending with reality around her.


    "Ah, the kids of the hour," a voice said from the crowd. They turned to see Pai and Challen walk over to them. Both had identical cups in their hands. "This village owes you all a lot," Pai said.


    Challen smiled, "I''ll make sure to hype you guys up when I call Crater in a little bit."


    "She''s in charge of communications if you guys didn''t know, so they''ll listen to her."


    "Oh, cool," Colson said, "thank you. We couldn''t have done it without you guys, though." As he looked at her, the size of her eyes seemed to shift and move around her face.


    "Pssh," Pai scoffed, "You guys didn''t need us," his words were slightly slurred.


    "Oh, by the way, Cahya," Challen said, "in a bit, meet us by the waterfall. We have something to discuss¡­."


    Cahya nodded, understanding what she was referring to. "Yeah, alright. I''ll be there," her gaze wandered as she was deep in thought. Challen and Pai said their goodbyes and wandered back into the crowd. Cahya turned to the rest of them, "I guess I gotta go soon, but there''s another thing you should see real quick."


    While they walked, Ivy and Zoe had fallen back. Zoe was helping Ivy tighten the bandages on her arm. Colson and Cahya were talking and laughing a few feet before them. He put his hand on the small of her back and leaned in to tell her something. Cahya leaned into him. Colson pointed at someone a ways away into the crowd; they both looked at each other and started cracking up.


    "Well, that is something," Zoe said, glancing up after finishing the wraps.


    "What is?"


    Zoe pointed at the two, "I thought he was joking when he said that before, but I guess he was right."


    "Do you hear that?" Zoe could barely hear her own voice. Colson and Ivy looked at her strangely.


    Colson looked around, listening intently, "What am I supposed to be hearing?"


    Ivy cocked her head to one side, "Are those bells?"


    "Is this some kind of thing only girls can hear?"


    "I didn''t hear it at first, but it''s pretty loud," Ivy said, her face scrunched in mild discomfort, placing both her hands over her ears.


    They stood on farmland in the heart of Cassius. It was as grey and lifeless as the overcast sky above them. As Zoe looked around, she realized they were far above the whole of Cassius; as if a mountain had erected itself in its town square. Zoe had an odd sense of deja vu as she watched Colson look down the hill, trying to locate the source of the chimes.


    "There!" Zoe said, pointing to a smaller building in the distance. It seemed to be the only building that had any life to it in that small village. A glow surrounded it as if every light in the building was turned on. Zoe heard no response, so she turned to tell them again, but things were different.


    Kiari, Marlin, Geier, and Colson all stood on the mountain next to her. Behind them, a woman who Zoe could only guess was Addilynn. She stood turned away, looking off into the distance with her hands on her hips¡ªa confident stance.


    "I hear it too," Geier noted, holding a hand to his ear.


    Behind them, Kurt-Adam materialized into existence from the surrounding farmland.


    "Maybe they''re clock tower bells?" Kiari pondered.


    "Not quite," Marlin corrected, "They have a certain tone to them. Perhaps church bells?"


    Ivy turned to Kurt-Adam; in a blink of an eye, she was across the clearing; her fist inches away from his head. He blocked the punch, retaliating quickly, smacking her away.


    "Lord almighty, it''s happening again," Marlin rolled his eyes, turning away from the scuffle.


    "They''re just messing around. No need to worry about it," Kiari said.


    Zoe had a confused look on her face, "What are you guys doing here?"


    Besides Colson, none of them acknowledged what she had said or even her existence. The whole time Colson''s gaze had been on Marlin. When Zoe spoke up, his eyes shifted over to her before returning to glare.


    "Colson," Zoe said sternly, "We need to take Ivy and go."


    They all stood silently, the bells drowned out by the rain drizzle and the wheat rustling all around them. To Zoe, it seemed like several minutes had passed before anyone did anything.


    "Are you guys going back to Crater?" Geier''s face broke out into a hopeful smile.


    "You aren''t coming. Sorry," Zoe couldn''t meet his eyes as she walked to Colson, grabbing him by the wrist, attempting to lead him away from them and off the building. It was as if he was an animatronic statue. His movements were normal, but no matter how hard she pulled, he didn''t budge. She knew he was physically stronger than her by several times, but he didn''t move. She hung off him at one point, but it was as if she were weightless to him. "Come on!" She yelled, tears building up in her eyes, "I don''t want to be around them anymore!"


    "They could be funeral bells," Colson suggested.


    "Yeah, that must be right," Geier said, his voice a sad monotone. Zoe studied him; as she looked closer, she noticed his eyes were puffy with dark bags under them. His skin had turned a sickly gray. The smell of cooking meat wafted around the roof. To her right, Kiari''s skin started to bubble and blister, turning an impossible red.


    "You guys lost," Zoe said dryly. "That''s all there is to it."


    Geier''s face turned even darker. His eyes had a glassy look as they drifted downwards to the floor. His posture slouched. "I see¡­So this is my fate, then?"


    A smug smirk crossed Zoe''s face once she recognized that look of defeat. "I won. I beat you."


    "I¡ª"


    "Can you promise me that?" Zoe mocked, her small smile turned into a devilish grin.


    The loud gongs from the building below came back, louder than ever. With each ring, each of the five became ghost-like. They lost all solid definition and detail until they faded to nothing.


    "Goodbye, Geier."

 Chapter 37

    "Ave, Jashin et Idris, in morte salutamus te." Colson and Zoe both chanted as they stood beside the two fresh graves. Sitting next to them, Ivy watched silently, looking down at the sites, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.


    The villagers had scattered memorabilia across the freshly packed dirt of all the recently dead: pictures, cherished heirlooms, and old weapons.


    When the solemn ritual concluded, Ivy sprang to her feet with an unexpected burst of energy. ¡°We get to go back to Crater now, right?¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± Colson replied, stretching his arms over his head, "Today''s the day. We should probably confirm with Cahya that everything is all good before we go."


    Zoe looked at Ivy, "We should ask the doctor to give us some stuff for Ivy''s arm just in case." She glanced at her watch, ''Seven-thirteen. If something happens to Ivy, none of us know anything to help her¡­.''


    "We literally have pennies to spare," Colson grumbled, looking at the receipt.


    "Well, we have good seats, at least¡ªbooth windows!" Zoe bubbled, looking out the window, watching the aircrafts enter and exit their respective hangers. "You still have your wedding ring money."


    Colson sighed, looking around the area. The three were sitting in a large open concourse. Ivy was tinkering with a cheap plastic toy from a fast-food restaurant while Zoe was distractedly playing along. Zoe bought Ivy the most oversized shirt with the longest sleeves she could find. It was an ugly, itchy, and cheaply made sweater, the top half a dark brown and the bottom half a bright blue. It almost hurt Colson to look at.


    Colson reached into his pocket, grabbing onto a small piece of paper. Right before they left, Cahya slipped into his hand. He took it out and read it for what felt like the thousandth time. ''I guess I have someone to call now.''


    A monotone female voice came over the loudspeakers, "Flight crew at Gate C, prepare for boarding."


    "What do you think will happen when we get back? Think we''ll be famous?" Colson grinned as he sat down in their seats. It was a half-circular booth; the couches were a dark purple, facing the line of windows that went along the upper deck along the outside.


    "What normally happens after missions?" Ivy asked.


    "From the few I''ve done, you just go to the quest master, and they''ll confirm that you actually completed the job, and that''s it. After a day or so, you''ll get paid."


    "Why would this be different?"


    "I dunno. I doubt most of them have done anything like we just did. Think about it, Ivy; we''re heroes!"


    "Heroes¡­" Zoe echoed, her voice full of lament. "I don''t know about that."


    His voice started to vibrate and shake as the aircraft''s engines shuttered to life. "If saving a village full of hundreds of people doesn''t make us heroes, then I guess that bar is set pretty high."


    "We''ll be there in four hours," Zoe said, changing the subject.


    Colson looked to Ivy, whose eyes glinted with amazement.


    "So this thing can actually take us to Crater?"


    "Wait, hold on," Colson said, "You''ve never seen one of these before?"


    "No," Ivy shook her head. "I thought I saw some flying in the sky, but nothing like this."


    "I''ve never been on one either," Colson admitted, "But I''ve seen them plenty of times. Occasionally, a private one will land in Crater."


    "Oh yeah," Zoe remembered, "My mom said that Orion''s was solid gold."


    "Yeah, I was there when it landed¡­never seen anything like it."


    Two hours later. Both Colson and Ivy were completely passed out. Every time Zoe would slip into unconsciousness, her mind would wander, thinking back to Geier and Ivy.


    Zoe sat across from her; Ivy occasionally tried to scratch her face or arm in her sleep, being unsuccessful since she was missing her dominant hand.


    Zoe brought her knees to her chest, her eyes started to water as she stared out the window. Everything over the past few weeks hit her all at once.


    She glanced around; the third floor of the aircraft was relatively empty. It was only them and a few other people. They were either sleeping or reading. She got up from her chair and stuck her head into the walkway, looking up and down¡ªno attendants in sight.


    She sat back down, closing her eyes. When she opened them, an orange haze surrounded her. The drone of the engines overpowered the hum of her energy. She watched her aura follow her as she moved her hand back and forth in front of her face. She was still in awe and amazed at how anything like this could be possible. ''Thinking about it now, I''m almost one hundred percent positive this is what they''re talking about when you become a triple-star. This must be what they teach you.''


    Colson shifted next to her. He leaned forward, suddenly looking at her, "Oh, that''s what I was sensing. ''Bout gave me a heart attack," he chuckled, leaning back on the couch. "You wanna fight some with that or what?"


    "No, I was just¡­ I don''t know, honestly. Maybe just seeing if I still have it."


    "Why wouldn''t you?"


    Zoe shrugged, "I dunno. This just seems so weird. These past few weeks have just flipped my whole worldview upside down," she stared out the window. "Besides that one time a few years ago, Crater is all I''ve ever known," she said. ''Even that small little stint we just did was too big. I feel microscopic on this planet.''


    "Yeah, I get what you mean. That whole ''trip'' was wild."


    "Remember what Jashin said? About how this stuff was secret."


    "Mhm," Colson nodded, "What about it?"


    "Well, once we get back, and if they know, do you think they''ll be mad?"


    Colson thought for a minute, "Maybe," he said hesitantly, "I don''t think Neph would care, but Reiza''s dad, Aye¡­that dude gets mad at just ''bout everything. I guess it would be a good idea to not flaunt it around."


    "Yeah, that''s what I was thinking. I was also thinking about the star ranks. The triple-star rank¡­."


    "Ohhhh," Colson said, his eyes lit up with the realization, "The ''secret information,'' that makes sense. That would make sense how Reiza would know about it too. I bet her dad told her!"


    "How many people do you think would know? My mother is a triple-star, and my dad is a four-star. I''m sure he''d have told her about it at some point. So if I''m right, they would know about it and possibly have learned it."


    "I think there''s about forty or fifty four-stars, at least in Crater. Who knows about the other three. I don''t know why they''d keep it a secret, though. Do you think it''s like that in other colonies? Maybe Neph or Lummock put a restriction on us."


    "Hmmm, I think so. I know Orion has the final say for all laws put in place."


    Colson scoffed, "From what I hear, that dude''s a little nutty. Speaking of parents, though. What happened to Ivy''s?"


    Zoe leaned back into the couch, "She hasn''t shared much. But I haven''t asked either. I guess she disappeared and then left her a letter to come to Crater. I''m pretty sure her mom was never a resident."


    "Do you believe that?"


    "That her mom isn''t a colonist?"


    "No, the whole letter story."


    Zoe''s eyes flitted to Ivy¡ªshe was still fast asleep. Her gaze shifted to the ground. "I don''t know," there was a long pause, "I think Ivy fully believes that. She may be wrong, but she isn''t lying. She showed me the note that her mom supposedly gave her¡­It wasn''t in Ivy''s handwriting, and it didn''t seem like something she''d write. Also, she sent her some kind of map."


    "A map? A map of what? When was this?"


    "I don''t know where she got it from, but it was probably a few weeks before we left. It was called¡­Isle of light? Isle of Skye? Something like that, but she seemed pretty excited when she showed me."


    "She always is excited about something."The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    "Yeah," Zoe smiled. She reached into the bag at Ivy''s feet, fishing around until she found the box of cards. She took a stack of twelve, spreading them across the table in the center of the booth, all facing up.


    "I just have a hard time believing what the fortune says. I just can''t really see her doing anything like that," Colson pondered.


    "Maybe, but didn''t Pearson tell you that he mixed up the definition of ''raze''?"


    "Yeah, but I meant ''raise.''"


    Zoe had an annoyed look on her face, "You still think so after all of this?" She waved a hand over the line of cards. After her hand passed each card, they somehow changed to a new one.


    "Just hear me out, alright. She just seems to¡­I don''t know how to describe it, really. Maybe it''s just a gut feeling, but it''s a feeling that''s persistent."


    "A feeling?" Zoe monotoned, clearly not convinced.


    "I don''t know, I''m not good with words, alright. But just listen, alright?" Colson took a deep breath, "I like her and all, right. She seems¡­normal, I guess; all things considered, she could be a lot weirder. But then she''ll do or say something, and then alarm bells start going off in my head.


    "It gets me thinking. Remember like half a year ago when Orion seemed to disappear off the face of the earth? Ivy told you that''s when her mom disappeared. Maybe it''s a bit of a stretch and a long shot, but those two events are connected. Like, why did she send Ivy here instead of¡ªoh, I don''t know, a babysitter or something. And ever since she arrived, weird stuff has started to happen. They don''t really seem that connected to her, but hey, it''s like you''ve told me many times before, ''there''s no such thing as a coincidence; everything happens for a reason,''" Colson sat back, watching Zoe''s reaction.


    There was almost a full minute of silence as Zoe took it all in. "Well, let''s say you are right," Zoe said quietly, barely audible over the buzz of the engines, "What would we do? I can''t imagine how she is now, that she''ll be able to do much."


    "Oh yeah, I kinda forgot about that. I mean, who knows. Do the fortunes have a time limit?"


    "I''m not sure."


    "I hope Crater can do something about that," he said, gesturing to what was remaining of her right arm.


    "Yeah. She seems to be in good spirits about everything."


    "Definitely. If that happened to me, I''d be absolutely miserable. Especially losing my right hand¡ªthat would be a true tragedy."


    "I feel like it''s my fault that happened."


    "Didn''t she say that was her plan?"


    "If I came up with something better, she wouldn''t have needed to do that." Zoe sighed, "I think you''re the only one that my plan actually worked for."


    "You can''t blame yourself for someone else''s choice. I mean, she didn''t even use the fallback plan. It''s not like we would''ve come up with something better."


    "I guess you''re right, but even beyond that."


    "So you''re still feeling bad about Geier?"


    "Yeah, a little bit." Zoe muttered.


    "To be honest, I can''t really say I blame them."


    "Yeah, they didn''t really seem all that bad."


    "The werewolf, though, that dude definitely deserved it."


    "Yeah," Zoe smiled. "But to a certain extent, I think that everything happens for a reason."


    They sat in silence for a while.


    "It sounds kind of stupid," Zoe said, "Considering what we''ve been through, but I don''t think I could''ve done this alone."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Flying. I''ve never done it before¡ªalone, at least. I don''t know if I could''ve managed it without you guys here."


    "Uh, yeah, it''s all good," Colson said, confused.


    Zoe continued flipping through her cards, pressing down several times on the ''attendant'' button while Colson stared out the window¡ªlost in thought. They were currently passing over a massive city. It held the second tallest building in the world, ''La Colonne d''infini.'' One hundred and thirty-seven floors. Colson had read in the past that the skyscraper held businesses, apartments, restaurants, and pools. The top penthouse floors have sold for over two hundred million dollars.


    ''It''s odd,'' Colson thought, his eyes staring forward, ''I never thought all that much about what the outside world was really about, and the people in it. I don''t think my previous assumptions were so wrong per say, but most of these people outside Crater seem absolutely unremarkable. Disgraced themselves in so many ways. Cassius at least has the courage to fight for themselves. These people would let themselves be taken and turn in their own mothers to their new leaders for their own safety.'' While deep in thought, his eyes wandered, ending up staring at Zoe. An attendant walked by, handing her a package of food. Absently, she started eating, only after a minute she picked up on the fact that Colson was staring at her.


    Her dilated eyes stared back as she casually shoved chicken nuggets and grapes into her cheeks.


    "Is something wrong?" Zoe asked through a mouthful of food. "You''ve been staring at me for several minutes."


    "Huh? Oh, no, I was just zoning out. Thinking about stuff¡­ You know, it''s like my whole perception of reality has flipped upside down."


    "I feel the same way," Zoe said, shuffling her deck with one hand and poking at the food with her other.


    "Do you believe in fate?"


    Zoe paused, looking up at him, "In a God''s plan sense? Or like a quantum sense?"


    "Either."


    "I think certain things are bound to happen one way or the other. Who''s to say what''s pushing things to occur. I''d say to a certain extent, we all have free will; but I would say there are certain things that may be destined to happen."


    "So our prophetic, she is able to see the future. Being able to look into something that hasn''t happened yet¡­so the concept of a ''future'' would mean that things are destined, no? As in, us existing in a time that hasn''t happened yet¡­Do you think that reality itself is energy? Maybe the energy of reality is doing it."


    Zoe said, "I''m still trying to wrap my head around what exactly is energy, and what it means. I can''t answer that."


    "The thing I''m curious about are the coins Jashin had. It''s crazy to think that someone out there has the power to send you wherever you want. When we get to a higher rank, we have to ask them about how it''s possible."


    "I was actually thinking about that a lot. I have a few theories that back most of what they said up; well at least I''ve found a way to rationalize it. The law of conservation of energy: It basically says that energy can''t be created from nothing or reduced to nothing. That lines up with what Idris and Jashin said. We''re just using the energy already inside us."


    "Yeah, I think I follow you."


    "A theory I have for the coins is quantum tunneling."


    "Quantum tunneling?" Colson said the words slowly as if they were alien to him.


    "Yeah," Zoe nodded. "I was reading something about this phenomenon a while ago. To go into more detail, every particle in the universe has a chance to be anywhere in the universe at any time." Colson always found it humorous when Zoe got like this. She would stare wide-eyed at whoever she was talking to, speaking very quickly but somehow never seeming to run out of breath. "That can also be your own particles as well. When the phenomenon occurs is when that particle chooses to be somewhere else.


    "Everything in the universe has a wavelength of possible locations it can appear at. Occasionally the wavelength can be inside an object that it doesn''t have the kinetic energy to pass through or exist in. It''ll appear at the end of the barrier at speeds faster than light can travel."


    "Okay," Colson said, trying to keep up. "Isn''t it like impossible for anything to go that fast?"


    "It''s tested by having two tracks. One with a barrier, and one without a barrier. They then test the location of the wavelengths after the test, when quantum tunneling goes faster than the wavelengths moving at the speed of light due to teleporting through an area."


    "So, if I''m understanding this correctly, it''s like a glitch in physics itself?"


    "You could say that."


    As they flew past the building, he could make out the people through the windows. Small dots moving wildly. Ants scurrying back and forth from one room to the next. The dull bronze and black glass that was plated on the outside sparkled beautifully at the angle Colson was looking.


    He didn''t realize that he''d fallen asleep until he awoke to Ivy poking him in the cheek with her fast-food toys.


    They stood outside the aircraft hanger, staring at the map Zoe held in her hands. In front of the main building, taxis lined up bumper to bumper, as a crowd of people entering and leaving clogged the sidewalks and streets. Occasionally, Zoe had to duck or jump out of the way of someone as they barreled past, late for a flight.


    "We only have about .47CC of the main fund left!" Zoe had to yell over the noise. "There''s no way we can afford a Taxi all the way to Crater."


    "How far is it?" Asked Colson, squinting at the map.


    "I can''t tell exactly, but a bit over one hundred and fifty."


    "One hundred and fifty what? Miles?"


    Zoe nodded. "Yeah," she said glumly.


    Colson yawned, stretching his arms and reaching down to touch his toes, "I guess there''s only one thing we can do. Unless we start begging, which y''all are on your own for that."


    "That''d take all day," Zoe complained.


    "I don''t mind running," Ivy said.


    "Over one hundred miles?" Zoe asked skeptically.


    Ivy shrugged, "It''s a bit more than what we''ve done. Silas had us run a distance similar to that."


    "Yeah," Zoe hollowed. She felt a shiver run down her back at the memory of Silas screaming at her and her classmates.


    "Also," Ivy grinned, "There''s this!" She closed her eyes; a translucent veil started to form around her a second later.


    "Ivy!" Colson snapped, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her, "Don''t do that here!"


    "Honestly," Zoe said, looking around to see if anyone had noticed. No one seemed to pay them any mind as the crowd continued to flow around them, most not acknowledging their existence. She let out a long sigh, "Alright, Ivy, do you remember what Jashin and Idris said about how energy was secret?"


    "Uh-huh."


    "So I think it''ll be a good idea to not ''show off'' or do anything in places like this or back in Crater."


    Ivy thought for a moment, "That makes sense."


    "I don''t think we have the energy stamina to keep it activated for the run either," Zoe noted.


    "So we''re gonna have to do this the old-fashioned way," Colson muttered. "Alright, which direction is it?"


    "We should stay away from going too far into the forests," Zoe said, wiping the sweat from her forehead. At this point, it had been almost two hours since they started running. They ran beside a large road identifiable on the map to keep their bearings. They were to keep following the road until it eventually split into a fork near a small river.


    The sun beat down on them, the only shade coming from the trees on the side of the winding road. Ivy wrapped her jacket tightly around her waist, exposing her bandaged arm. Colson had taken off his shirt and wrapped it around his head.


    Cars would fly past them on the highway next to them. Some would slow and give them odd looks. It wasn''t every day they saw kids running on the side of the road. Colson would occasionally need to gesture that everything was okay and for them to keep driving.


    ''It must be quite the sight to see some shirtless kid chasing a girl with one arm and some other girl on the side of a road in the middle of nowhere.'' The thought made Colson smile. He ran past Zoe and Ivy, making it a few feet ahead of them. He had been pacing himself for most of the run, ignoring Ivy''s suggestions that they race. "You have an advantage now. Because of your arm, you''re a lot lighter, so you''d be quicker now," was his answer.


    Zoe put two fingers to her neck, feeling her pulse. ''I''m surprised. By this time, I would''ve normally felt like passing out, but I''m only a bit winded. I''m actually able to keep up with both Ivy and Colson now; I''m sure they could run a lot faster if they wanted. Am I just getting stronger, or is this just a byproduct of activating energy?'' She looked to her left; Ivy seemed as carefree as ever, bouncing along beside her.


    They continued sprinting along the road. Once activating energy, they could keep pace with the cars next to them. The sparse houses disappeared and were replaced by dense forests. The occasional beast would cause them to veer off-course.


    -----


    Spotted Otter-Waheela¡ªThe Spotted Otter-Waheela is an omnivore native to central and northern forests of North America; typically found in regions where it snows frequently and there are lots of rivers or bodies of water. It is a quadrupedal beast standing over fifty inches tall at the shoulders, and the fully grown adult females weigh in at one ton, with the males being in the eight-hundred-pound range. It is wholly covered with sleek dark brown hair with dark spots sprinkled on their hide. Scientists and those who study these animals have found that just like human fingerprints, no two Spotted Otter-Waheela have the same spot patterns.

 Chapter 38

    After another two hours, the three arrived. They followed the winding highway, taking a right at the fork, and continuing along until they reached a town so small that it was only a couple of houses. The Crater mountain in the distance, cutting through town and reaching its base. The trio then ran up the side until they saw the path that turned into the cracked and mossy road which led to the stone gates.


    The gates screeched open as they approached.


    "Well, this is anticlimactic," Colson grumbled, looking around once inside. He wasn''t sure what he expected; a red carpet? A parade in their honor? Maybe even someone waiting on them to give them an ''attaboy?'' No one even looked in their direction as they walked past. Some did a double-take as Ivy walked past, her sweater still around her waist.


    "I have to say, nothing''s really changed around here," Zoe noted, the disappointment evident in her tone of voice. "I guess we should go turn our stuff into the quest master or maybe Neph."


    "Alright. We should go together, just in case."


    Zoe turned to Ivy, almost forgetting what had happened, "I''ll bring you to the nurse''s office right after. But you''re okay now, though?"


    Ivy nodded, looking at her bandaged arm, "It doesn''t even hurt anymore."


    Colson knocked tentatively on the door.


    "Come in," a tired voice sighed from behind it.


    "Stay out here," Colson told Ivy, who nodded and leaned against the wall.


    The door of the office creaked open. Inside the long room, behind what looked like a maze of filing cabinets, sat a skinny tired-looking man with clothes too big and wire glasses too wide for his face. Next to him, leafing through a large data book, was Neph. He didn''t notice them enter, as he was busy talking on the telephone simultaneously.


    "What can I do for ya?" The man asked.


    "We just completed a mission," Colson said, rifling through the backpack Ivy was wearing, fishing out the ''signed'' paper, and sliding it across the desk to the man.


    He looked it over a few times, "Ah, so you''re who I heard so much about."


    "Oh yeah?" Colson asked excitedly, "People are talking about us?"


    "Phone calls and messages from Cassius." He turned to a computer monitor on the edge of his desk and started hammering away at his keyboard. "Anyways, how''d it go?"


    "Hard as heck, honestly. But we''re alive."


    "Apparently so, since it was supposed to take under a week to complete¡­."


    "They didn''t tell you what happened?"


    "Not for me to know," he stated. "Alright, the system won''t update for a bit, but everything has been input. You are free to go."


    "Criminy," Neph sighed, setting the phone down on its receiver. "Now onto the¡ªoh, you''re back!" He stood up, having to duck slightly to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling. He looked them up and down, "Where''s Ivy? Everyone is supposed to be present for this, by the way," he glared at the other man in the room when he said that last part.


    Colson nodded toward the door, "She''s in the hall."


    "Why?"


    Zoe and Colson exchanged looks.


    "I''ll get her," Zoe mumbled, leaving Colson to explain. As she walked away, Neph looked at Colson, expecting an answer.


    "So...uh, well," He began to ramble, "We completed the mission...as you know...but it was hard, and there were...well some things went bad-"


    Zoe returned with Ivy, and Neph''s eyes widened when she came into view.


    "Look-" Colson said, trying to get his attention, but Neph sighed.


    He then spent the next few minutes lecturing them, starting off by saying, "Now, I''m not mad; I''m just disappointed¡­" He went on to explain the multiple hoops he had to jump through for them. How if he hadn''t been the first one to get the info of their departure, they all could''ve been banished. "Just so you know," he scolded, "I already had someone in mind to do the mission." After looking at her missing arm once more. He concluded the reprimand with another, "I''m not angry; I''m just disappointed." But he continued, "Especially with you, Zoe."


    He ordered one of them to bring Ivy to the nurse IMMEDIATELY. As they walked away, he turned back, saying, "But good job."


    "Well, let''s see here," the head nurse, Terra, said while removing the bandages wrapped tightly around Ivy''s arm. Ivy sat upright on the examination table, her legs swinging over the edge as if she didn''t have a care in the world. Once the bandages were fully unraveled, Terra adjusted a ring light mounted on a metal pole, angling it closer to inspect the arm. The treatment done in Cassius had healed it well, ''No infections. No bleeding. It''s been cleaned. If she''d kept the arm with her, With the expertise I have, I may have been able to reconnect it,'' she glanced up at Ivy, giving her a knowing look, ''I sense that I won''t have to hide anything from this one.''


    "Alright," Terra said suddenly, straightening up. She strode to the door, locking it with a decisive click. Near the entrance, shelves lined with jars of sea moss and dandelion tea gleamed under fluorescent lights. Leaning casually against the counter, she crossed her arms. "So¡­Ivy, how''d you learn energy?"


    Ivy''s mouth opened, but she quickly remembered what Zoe had told her. "I don''t know what you''re talking about," she shrugged.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Terra exhaled from her nose in a breathy laugh, "Oh yeah?" The room began to hum, the sound low and deep, vibrating in Ivy''s chest. A warm, tan glow spread across the walls. From the floor, something began to rise¡ªa creature. Its massive frame contorted awkwardly in the cramped office, its body too large for the space.


    In the waiting room, Zoe shot to her feet, startling the people around her. She didn''t know what she was feeling, but it was intense. ''What is this?'' She turned to the wall; on the other side was the room Ivy and Terra were in. ''It has to be some kind of energy. But whose? It definitely doesn''t feel like Ivy''s. So that leaves the nurse.''


    "Are you alright?" The hospital receptionist noticed her staring intently at the wall after launching to her feet.


    Zoe looked at her, attempting to force a smile but probably gave a wide-eyed toothy grimace instead, "Yes. Of course."


    "Are you sure, dear?"


    Zoe glanced into the hallway, past the reception table. She knew they wouldn''t let her back there. She took a deep breath and sat back down in the red lounge chair, trying not to let the odd stares of the people around her bother her.


    Back in the office, the creature stood in a frog stance. Its slimy, dark gray skin glistened under the ring light. Most of its body seemed to be dominated by its enormous mouth, which hung open, revealing a pink, pulsing maw. A thick, fleshy tongue flopped out lazily, twitching now and then.


    Ivy rolled backward off the table, landing on her feet. Inside her pocket, she still had the last remaining brass knuckle. The fingers of her left hand had wrapped around it. She held her hand in a defensive position in front of her, ready for the animal to attack.


    It cocked its head to the side; the large, golden cat-like eyes looked at her with curiosity. It reached a muscled arm up, scratching its head. Its fingers like that of a human, small and delicate.


    "Well, that proves it right there," Terra said, a gleam in her eye, "If you couldn''t access energy, then you wouldn''t be able to see this guy right here," she patted the massive creature on the back. It responded with a low, rumbling purr, its eyes narrowing in contentment. "Unlocking your energy opens up some things in your brain¡ªthese things here exist on a different frequency of light, so the normal person couldn''t see it. I call him Dr.Arret."


    Ivy lowered her hand slowly, her eyes flitting back and forth from Terra to the massive thing that took up half the room. "Is it gonna attack me?"


    "No, quite the opposite, actually. Since you didn''t have energy when I first saw you, I''m guessing you just learned it. So how''d you manage it?" She noticed Ivy''s apprehension but reassured her of the doctor-patient confidentiality. "I''m not going to disclose anything you say to me. It''s just between us."


    Ivy recounted the past few weeks, her awakening of energy and her fight with Kiari. The whole time, Terra didn''t say a word; she sat back and listened. Dr.Arret quickly grew bored and reached a hand out, fingers delicately playing with strands of Ivy''s hair like a curious child. Once Ivy had finished the story, Terra paced around the room, thinking everything over. She turned to a large filing cabinet and rifled through it until she found what she was looking for. She took out a folder with the name ''Ivy'' written on it.


    "Well, I''m not surprised you were able to access it so easily," She flipped to another page.  Her eyes lingered on a section of the report, her brow raising slightly as she traced a line with her finger.  She glanced at Ivy, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully before returning to the report. Finally, a faint nod, as if confirming a silent hypothesis.


    "Easily? I had to almost die to do that."


    "Well, maybe. Most people wouldn''t have gone that far in trying to unlock their potential. It takes years and years for the average person to accomplish what you''ve done in just a few weeks. What about your friends? You said they unlocked it too?"


    Ivy nodded, "Yeah. Colson was able to unlock it faster than I was able to."


    "Really?" her eyes were bright with interest. "That''s fascinating," she licked her lips. "At your age, if someone is able to learn it in a year''s time, we say they''re a one-in-a-million talent. So he would be¡­ Well, I''m not nearly gifted enough to do that calculation off the top of my head. Do you know the method he used to unlock it?"


    Ivy thought for a moment, wincing as Dr.Arret''s hand grabbed a big clump of her hair. "I don''t think he ever told me. But Zoe said she had to ''find'' her energy. She told me she went into a dream world and walked around until she found it."


    "So she used a logical approach to it. Is she the girl out there with white hair?"


    "Yeah," Ivy nodded.


    "Ah, that explains it. Well, I guess we should stop wasting Dr.Arret''s time and get you healed." When she said that, the creature''s ears perked up. His eyes narrowed in on Ivy. Before Ivy could react, he grabbed her and tossed her into his open mouth in one swift motion and began chewing.


    The world around Ivy turned dark and slimy as she was swallowed whole. The creature¡¯s jaws clamped shut with a wet snap, and she found herself trapped in a hot, constricting tunnel. It felt like being stuffed into a sticky, squirming sleeping bag that was two sizes too small. Ivy struggled, her left hand pinned at her side as the fleshy walls pulsed and contracted around her. The more she fought, the tighter the grip became. Then, an itching sensation spread across her right arm, growing sharper by the second. She tried to reach it, but the suffocating tunnel made it impossible. Just as the sensation became unbearable, the esophagus around her heaved violently, and she was spat out onto the floor with a loud, wet splat.


    "Jeez," Ivy said, wiping the slime from her eyes.


    Terra stood over her, a slight smirk across her lips. She held out her hand to Ivy, who took it, pulling herself to her feet. It took Ivy a second to realize she had used her right hand. Ivy held both hands in front of her face, wiggling her fingers. She closed her right hand, making it into a fist, punching the air a few times. She ran her fingers along almost everything; it felt as if she had never lost her hand in the first place.


    "I never get tired of seeing that look on people''s faces," Terra smiled. She patted Dr.Arret on the back. She grabbed a nearby chair and stood on it, reaching up to scratch the creature behind the ears.


    "How much CC is this?"


    "It''s on the house every time," she said, wiping her eyes quickly.


    It was an illness, but not an incurable one. Terra was only ten when her mother fell ill from a deadly disease. She wasn''t native to Crater; she grew up in another colony across the seas, the colony of Virtue. Her father was not around, and her mother had been bedridden, unable to walk, eat, or do much of anything without pain. Some days were better than others. She would be able to get out of bed, make herself a cup of coffee, and sit outside and watch the sunrise before being carried back inside. Since she couldn''t work, they quickly ran out of money, with Terra taking odd jobs and doing as many missions as possible to support them.


    Medical bills started to pile up. Things around their house needed to be sold. The medical specialists at Virtue had one care; money. One day, they came to them, offering a surgery that would cure her mother, but they were just short of the down payment. She was too young to realize that every cured patient is a customer that is lost. Terra set her goal on becoming a doctor. Her dream was to tell every cured patient who entered her office that she wouldn''t charge them a thing. Terra took many years to research. Traveling the world, finding many different natural and home remedies that outclassed what was being sold in world markets.


    Ivy hopped into the waiting room several minutes later. Her hair was wet and dripping, having just taken a shower to rid herself from Dr.Arret''s slime.


    Zoe was absolutely speechless. She stared at Ivy''s arm, looking for stitches or scars, but it was as if time had reversed, and she had never lost it in the first place. ''So it was what I felt earlier. It had to be some type of energy that did this.''


    Ivy told her everything that happened, confirming Zoe''s suspicions.


    "I''m getting that feeling of deja-vu. I guess it''s nothing," Zoe said, talking to herself almost. "Your arm actually works?"


    "Yeah!" Ivy nodded, "It''s like I never lost it." She took out her remaining brass knuckle from her pocket and spun it on one of her fingers.

 Chapter 39

    Ivy carefully studied the menu taped to the side of the small shop. Inside it was only big enough for maybe two people. It seemed to have a tropical theme as most of the drinks were served in hollow coconuts, and the barista was always made to wear a tiny, brightly colored bikini. The menu was full of different fruit-flavored smoothies and drinks, along with what Ivy assumed were tropical snacks based on their names. One called a ''fried sugar ball,'' a raw donut the size of a baseball, fried until it had been expanded and browned, covered in sugar sprinkles, and filled with cream cheese.


    The glass window slid open, and a young woman wearing a bright green bikini leaned her elbows on the windowsill. She had a nonchalant look in her eyes, slowly chewing a piece of gum. She had long dark brown hair that reached shoulder blades; the very tips of her hair were dyed green. On the right strap of her bikini, a name tag read, Sausa.


    "What can I make you?"


    "I want the Pink Fruit drink in the biggest bowl you have!"


    "Alright," she smiled, "Coming right up." She turned around, rummaging through cabinets, and turned on the mixing machines. "So," she called out over the loud whir of one of the appliances. "I haven''t seen you around before."


    "I was gone on a mission for a few weeks. Also, it''s my first time here."


    "Oh yeah? When did you get back?"


    "Two days ago," Ivy leaned into the window, curiously observing Suasa use all the gadgets in the kitchen.


    Sausa glanced over her shoulder, noticing Ivy''s interest. She explained to her the basics of what everything did and what went into making the food. She found it amusing how invested Ivy was, her eyes never leaving hers, except the few times when her gaze tended to drift southbound.


    "So, what''re you doing after this?"


    "I have one more class, and then after that, I''m going to the promotion ceremony."


    "Ooh," Suasa sounded intrigued, "It''s been a while since I''ve been to one of those. What rank are you gonna be?"


    "A second star!" Ivy thought back to earlier that day. Neph had called everyone who was up for a promotion to his office. He would interview each of them one at a time, testing to see if they were ready.


    "Next person!" Neph''s voice called out as the kid in front of Ivy walked out of the door. It was the first time Ivy had ever been in the oval-shaped building before. She had asked Zoe about it previously, but said they weren''t allowed inside without an audience.


    "Good luck," Colson said from behind her as she sauntered into the room.


    Her footsteps echoed as she walked to the small padded purple chair in front of Neph''s desk. In the corner, Lubbock leaned against the wall, a notepad in his hand, though at the time, Ivy didn''t know who he was. He wore a bulky suit. It was such a dark shade of purple it almost looked black.


    As she sat down, Neph ruffled through some papers on his desk, finding a file labeled ''Ivy.''


    "This has been an interesting couple of months, I would say¡­How is your arm?"


    "It''s good," Ivy said, holding up her hand, and wiggling her fingers.


    "Are you making a lot of friends?"


    "Some."


    "Here you go; this''ll get you right." Suasa handed her a coconut the size of a fishbowl¡ªa striped straw was sticking from the top. Inside was a mixture of pink and white swirls. "Some advice from a third star since it seems like you''re new¡­it gets better, don''t worry. But yeah, come on by if you need anything, though."


    Ivy held her gaze as she took it, "Thank you."


    "Yeah, enjoy," Suasa winked.


    "Oh, there you are; I was wondering where you''ve been."


    Ivy turned, seeing Herald walking beside her on the cobblestone path. The red and orange October leaves crunched under their feet as they walked. "I just got back!"


    "Someone said you got kicked out. Honestly, I kinda missed you," he smiled. "So, where''s my hug at?" They walked a little more, and he asked about how her mission went.


    Ivy told him about their mission, excluding the parts about energy but mentioning the fact that her arm was blown off.


    Herald gave her a bewildered look, "Oh yeah," he said when she mentioned her arm. "I heard people around here saying that you messed your arm up, but I didn''t know it was that bad." He glanced down; she still cradled the hollowed coconut drink with both her arms. "Wait, hold up¡­."


    "I had it fixed," Ivy laughed. "The nurse, Terra, reattached it." She held up her recently fixed arm.


    "I never knew she could do all that...But truth be told, I''m surprised you all made it...well, not you or Colson, but y''know."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I''m just saying, I''m glad Zoe is good."


    Ivy frowned, "Why wouldn''t she be?"


    Herald paused, a mischievous grin crossing his face, "Did you ever hear about the squirrel thing? Did Zoe ever tell you?"


    "The ''squirrel incident?'' No, I haven''t asked and I''m not going to. Zoe seemed like she didn''t want me to know, so I don''t need to know."


    "She was tricked into eating a dead squirrel." Herald blurted.


    "Wait, what?" Ivy''s face scrunched with confusion.


    "I wasn''t there, but the story is: a few years ago, Reiza saw a dead squirrel near the soccer fields, and tricked Zoe into eating it. It wasn''t cooked or anything. At least a day old too, probably¡ªfur and all. She just ate it right there."


    Ivy was visibly trying to wrap her mind around what he just said, "How does someone get tricked into that?"


    "Exactly! There was a video too, but I think her parents got it taken down pretty quickly. There''s something wrong with her!" He laughed, but seeing Ivy''s expression, told him she didn''t find the story as funny as he did. Herald quickly changed topics, "So where you headed to?"


    Ivy took a long sip from the coconut before answering, not looking at him, "I''m going back to the school district. I have one more class before the ceremony."


    "Ah, I forgot that was tonight.  I was planning on being there. Maybe we''ll see each other."


    "Yup." Ivy walked off.


    "Hey, well, I''ll see you there!" he called after her, but she didn''t react. The leaves crunched under her feet as she walked away.


    The ceremony was held in the northern district. The space reminded Ivy of a stereotypical place where someone would be married.


    The event was set in a rectangular-shaped garden. Rows of chairs led up to a platformed stage at the very end. Vines and trees on either side created a tunnel, making it look like nature''s bunker.


    Everyone who had earned a promotional ranking for that month was sitting in the very front row. There were about a dozen colonists, all older than the trio by a year or two. Behind them in the stands were their friends and family. They would call by the date of completion, with the promotions closest to the start of each month going first.


    Colson, Ivy, and Zoe all had seats next to each other. Ivy wore her usual white jacket with camo shorts. Colson had a black long-sleeved buttoned shirt with black jeans. Zoe''s mom had purchased for her an entire outfit for the occasion. She had bright gold-toned glitter fabric sandals with a quarter-inch heel height. To compliment that, she was made to wear an ivory silk Charcat and rose print dress that went down to her shins. Since the dress was pocketless, she had nowhere to hold her cards. One of her hands subconsciously twirling her hair, and the other tapping a light rhythm on the chair on which she sat.


    As the event''s start time got closer to beginning, the garden filled up with people. Zoe''s parents, Pearson and Mason, all arrived at a similar time, sitting in their assigned seats. Colson glanced back, seeing Reiza waltz in after Mason.


    "Ugh," he rolled his eyes, turning forward in his seat. To his right, Zoe looked very uncomfortable; since she was wearing a dress, she couldn''t sit the way she usually felt comfortable.


    It took about ten minutes for the remaining attendees to trickle in. In the end, they filled the garden to half its capacity.


    The buzz of the crowd died down as Neph stepped onto the stage. Next to him, someone wheeled a large cart with a machine on top. The lights in the trees'' branches dimmed as spotlights shined down on the platform.


    "Citizen''s of Crater," he started. He went on to list the prerequisites for gaining promotions. "In the front row today, we have Crater''s youngest, strongest, and brightest. They''ve worked to be where they are now, overcoming impossible diversity and challenges. Each of them has proven their worth and that they belong. I''m delighted that we have five rookie promotions this month. Quite the improvement from previous quarter.


    "It''s times like these where I think back and reflect on how blessed we all are to have been born here. Well, most of us. Never forget, we are the only place like this in the world¡ªthere''s no one else like us. There are other colonies; some legitimate, some not. They walk like us, talk like us. They copy our bylaws, our logos, our currency; they pretend to be us. But they''re not us. We are the real ones in all of this. The torch bearers. We are the authentic ones, the fighters, the truth-tellers. We''ve been here from the beginning. That''s us. Never let anyone take that away from you.


    "Never let anyone tell us who we are. They say: ''Oh, they''re this way. They''re whatever,'' all the lies and whatnot, and we cut through that with our weapons and knives. We keep true to ourselves."


    After a long speech that left Ivy half asleep, Neph started calling them to the stage one by one. For each person who stood on the platform, he read out their accolades and gave a summary of what they did to deserve their promotion. They would run their colony ID through the machine, imprinting a holographic star on the side.


    One of them went on a C-rank mission to escort government explorers to ancient ruins in a faraway land.


    "The farther you go, the more opportunities will open for you. What you put in is what you will get out."


    A group of two was commissioned to lead a group of government-paid citizens across the border of one country to the next, walking through deserts, wading across rivers, and protecting them from bloodthirsty beasts with a taste for human flesh.


    "You may have noticed most don''t make it past being a triple-star. That isn''t by design; the only barrier to entry is hard work. Each of you has the opportunity to do something great with these cards. For most, it''s nothing more than a hobby. But to others, the stars are more important than their lives."


    A group of four walked on stage. As they did so, Mason and Reiza cheered them on. Their mission was to gather information on a political group based in South America, learn whether or not they were a threat to the South American government, and determine the level of influence over the citizens. They killed the leader¡ªover one hundred and thirty stab wounds.


    "When you are outside of Crater''s walls, you''ll learn the effectiveness of these cards. The special technology inside of which can''t be faked or replicated; an object like no other. Be careful who you show these marked cards to; if it is stolen, it will be your job to track it down and find it yourself."


    After a few more groups went up, Neph gestured for Zoe, Colson, and Ivy to come to the stage.


    Zoe''s mother gave Zoe her card before going up. They walked on stage, inserting their IDs into the machine, which whirred and coughed. Neph seemed to have the inherent ability to time each of his speeches as they ended right as the cards were spat out of the device.


    Colson took his card, tilting it back and forth, admiring the shimmering stars that reflected in the spotlight. Zoe snatched her card and walked off the stage as quickly as possible.


    Ivy lifted the card to her nose, sniffing it, "Why does it smell like that?"


    "Come on," Colson mumbled, grabbing her by the arm, "sit your weird-ass down."


    Once they had taken their cards, they sat with their respective friends or family members who came to see them. As Colson and Zoe walked back to their families, Ivy moved back to the chair with her nametag and sat down in the front row.


    Just as Neph finished his speech, a light so bright it was blinding flew from the trees behind the stage, arcing into the sky. It exploded into a million colors; the sound was enormous, the flash of colors turning night into day for a brief time. Colson felt the force of the explosion rattle his teeth.


    Ivy flinched hard, instinctively grabbing onto her right arm and jumping from her chair, a wild look in her eyes. She reached in her pocket for her weapon but remembered she had left it back on her bed in Zoe''s dorm room. Another loud mortar went off in the distance. Ivy whirled around, again grabbing her right arm below the elbow. All the talking stopped abruptly as everyone in the garden stared at her.


    Ivy looked around the forest. Her heart hammered in her chest as the air around her seemed to grow thick and hot. She could feel the phantom pain in her arm, her fingers curling around a hand that wasn¡¯t there. The light blazed again, and suddenly, Kiari loomed over her, his hand twisting around a ball of light. The crowd was gone. The forest was gone. There was only him. Her skin around the wound bubbled as white flecks seared deep into her skin.


    Her eyes washed over the crowd. As if a spotlight shined right at her face. The firework¡¯s glow lingered, and in the haze of light, a silhouette took shape. Ivy squinted, raising a trembling hand to shield her eyes. "Mom?" she whispered, her voice cracking.


    The figure moved closer, warmth spreading through Ivy¡¯s chest. "Mother," she called, a smile breaking across her tear-streaked face. But as the light faded, so did the figure, leaving only darkness behind.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there."Uh oh," Mason said.


    "Mother," her voice cracked.


    "Ivy¡­" Zoe whispered.


    Ivy''s eyesight fell as she slumped back in her seat. The light disappeared. "Oh jeez," she mumbled, putting her head in her hands.


    Reiza had a knowing grin on her face.


    "Oh yikes," Pearson whispered to Colson. "What even was that?"


    Colson looked back over his shoulder¡ªpast Zoe, past everyone else. Seeing Reiza''s face made his blood boil. "Come on, let''s move up seats real quick," he said to Pearson.


    "Huh? Why?"


    "Just come on," Colson said, walking up the rows. Pearson shrugged and followed.


    They sat on either side of Ivy. "Oh, hey," she murmured, barely looking up from her hands. With every explosion of light in the sky, she flinched.


    "You alright?"


    "She was there. I saw her."


    "Who? Your mom?"


    Several rows behind him, Zoe tried getting to her feet, but her dad pulled her back down.


    "I guess so," Ivy sighed, her eyes shifting to the stage. Neph stood on the edge, staring down at her. "Is everyone watching?"


    "No. No. They''re doing their own thing. Don''t worry about them."


    "Well then," Neph cleared his throat. "The promotional ceremony event has now concluded. This space will stay open for another few hours; specialty drinks and food will be served in the back. Now that everyone is officially over the rank of one, you can now go to bed anytime you''d like."


    Most of the crowd seemed to forget about Ivy and started getting out of their seats to mingle.


    "You think she''s alright?" Mason said, looking back as Reiza grabbed his arm, dragging him with her.


    "She''s fine," Reiza said impatiently. "Who cares? Let''s go."


    He glanced back once more; he caught the eye of Pearson, mouthing the words, "Is she okay?"


    Pearson shrugged in return.


    Zoe looked around, noticing that her parents were preoccupied talking with others. She reached into her mother''s purse, took her card box, and slipped away from their sight.


    Ivy looked up, somehow hearing the familiar sound of shuffling cards over the fireworks and the conversations of the party behind them. Zoe moved up the aisle, walking towards her and Colson.


    "We could all go somewhere else," Colson suggested once Zoe was next to them.


    "Yeah, that''d be nice," Ivy said, getting up from her chair.


    "Where are we going?" Zoe asked.


    "I dunno," Colson shrugged. "You comin'' with us?" He asked Pearson.


    "Eh, I''m good. I should probably study or something, but I''ll see you around."


    "Fair enough," Colson said, following Ivy and Zoe as they walked out of the garden¡ªthe pavilion of trees.


    Ivy kept walking until the fireworks were only small pops in the background. She turned back; the explosions looked like they created multi-colored stars in the sky before disappearing.


    The three were walking and talking, not really paying attention to where they were going until they ended up at Crater''s front door¡ªthe stone gate. The ordinarily busy export area around them was now completely silent. Only the occasional person would go by, either walking a pet or on a late-night run.


    Ivy walked up to the door, placing her hands on it, feeling the cold stone. She pushed slightly. The gate didn''t budge. Zoe always hated how the cracks and bumps in the stone made the entrance look like it had a demon''s face staring down at her.


    Colson looked up at one of the nearby towers¡ªtotally empty. "No one is gonna be here at this time. Also, we don''t have an access key to go up there."


    Ivy glanced around, making sure no one was in the area. "Help me with this," she said, pushing against the door, using all her might.


    "You can''t be serious," Colson laughed.


    "One hundred percent," Ivy said through gritted teeth.


    Zoe opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by the slight sound of grinding metal. She squinted at the door hinge, noticing it had shifted ever so slightly.


    "Woah," Colson said. He looked around, making sure no one was in the immediate area. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath; a hum could be heard echoing through the small exportation neighborhood when he exhaled. A second later, he opened his eyes, seeing the surrounding area bathed in a green glow.


    "Colson," Zoe warned, "I don''t know if we should¡­."


    "There''s no one around. Plus, if we all push against it with energy, then we surely can crack it open enough."


    "That door has to weigh several tons at the bare minimum. There''s no way we could¡ª" She stopped herself. ''Well, Ivy did just make it move without energy. Was it my imagination? Maybe I''ve underestimated how strong energy has made us,'' Zoe thought. "We should do this quickly."


    "Finally!" Ivy said, taking a deep breath in; a white veil bubbled from her skin as she did so. Surrounding her body.


    Zoe followed suit, her aura flowing like water over her skin.


    "Alright, push on three," Colson instructed. He set his feet wide, putting his hands on both gate doors. Zoe moved to the right side while Ivy walked to the left.


    The drone from all three of their auras synced and harmonized. As they pushed, the entrance squealed and screamed. Sparks flew from the door hinges as they were forcefully pushed open.


    They were able to push it open just enough to all slip through.


    Zoe flopped to the ground on the opposite side, her face covered in sweat.


    "I should''ve stretched," Colson said, rubbing his arms.


    Usually, the outer woods would''ve been alive with activity. But as they wandered through the forest, Zoe realized how cold it had become.


    The trio walked through a particularly scraggly patch of tangled trees and vines. It would''ve been pitch-black had it not been for their glowing auras lighting their way. Beyond the few feet of vision their energy granted them, it was as if all light was swallowed up by everything around it.


    Colson ran his fingers over the trunk of a nearby tree; a massive symbol was cut into it. A triangular shape with three dots in the middle and a line going through them all.


    "Has this always been here?" He asked.


    "I''ve never been this far, so I wouldn''t know."


    They eventually broke through the shrubs and entered a long clearing. It was as if the trees on either side were walls, creating a tunnel leading them forward. They were so deep into the woods that all sounds from Crater were muted.


    "Huh," Colson muttered, studying the surrounding area. ''This is kinda what Pearson talks about whenever he goes to the fortune-teller. I wonder¡­'' After a few more minutes of walking, Zoe pointed out something ahead.


    "What is that?"


    "Stairs?" Ivy squinted.


    "We should probably not get too close. I know where we are," Colson said.


    Stepping closer, Zoe looked up. Above the winding metal stairs, a small cottage home sat. A small break in the trees above let blue moonlight shine down as if beckoning them forward.


    Ivy''s eyes were wide with awe. On top of the stairs was a silhouette, staring at the sky and holding what looked to be a notepad and a pen. Before Colson could convince her, Ivy bounded up the stairs, taking them two at a time.


    Zoe looked to Colson, "This is Aca''s den, right?"


    "It''s almost exactly how Pearson described it. Wow."


    Colson walked to the stairs, tentatively grabbing onto the metal railing. He heard Zoe''s cards shuffling nervously behind him as they moved up the steps.


    "What are you doing?" Ivy asked, peeking over the woman''s shoulder, looking at the notebook. It was a light sketch of the stars above, replacing each ball of light with a unique symbol. One was almost identical to the triangle cut into the tree.


    "Drawing," she said, not taking her eyes off the sky. "I had a feeling that I should stay up and wait."


    "Oh."


    "Yeah," she said, closing the notepad. She waited until both Colson and Zoe reached the top of the staircase. She silently gestured for them all to enter her home.


    "You don''t seem surprised at our energy," Colson noted once they were all sat around the table.


    "It''s not too surprising. I''d be more surprised if you couldn''t."


    Zoe''s gaze was unblinking and skeptical. "You''re Aca, the fortune teller?"


    "That is correct."


    "You knew we were coming."


    "Somewhat yes. I didn''t know it would be you exactly, but I knew three would arrive here tonight."


    "How?"


    "Future sight based on causality."


    "So, why are we here?" Colson interjected.


    "I have a warning for each of you."


    Hearing the word warning, the three colonists perked up in surprise and a slight hint of worry.


    "Nothing bad is gonna happen, right?"


    "Uh," Aca mused, looking up, "Maybe ''warning'' was too dramatic of a word. More of a ''reading.''"


    "Okay¡­"


    She got up from her chair, walked to a nearby cabinet, and retrieved a sizeable faded-gold urn. While walking back to the table, she picked up a large kitchen knife. "Don''t be alarmed," Aca said. She sat down, taking the blade, making a small incision in her wrist, and used her other hand to squeeze a line of blood into the pot.


    A wispy teal-green veil surrounded her; as it did so, the urn glowed red, the blood in its bottom bubbled and evaporated into a smoke, being inhaled by Aca. She closed her eyes, holding the smoke in her lungs for as long as possible.


    "Woah, what the¡ª" Colson said, staring at the mouth of the urn. After the smoke was inhaled, a small grey bug-like creature climbed from the vessel, crawling up Aca''s arm, plopping itself down on her head, and grabbing onto her hair.


    When she opened her eyes again, a bright green color had replaced the whites of her eyes. The thing sitting on top of her head mimicked every one of her movements, or maybe she was mirroring it.


    They turned to look to Colson first. Their two voices overlapped, "Boy. Your life branches. You are the freest, only bound by your volition."


    Turning to Zoe, they had very little to say. "Girl¡­the relationship between you and Crater¡­comparable to a bird and a gilded cage. No matter how big a cage is, it will still limit how high one can soar. But, beware what comes from below."


    Lastly, Aca''s green eyes shifted to Ivy. The creature on top tilted its head curiously; its cold beady black eyes studied her. "You who is Emily... Every choice made from this moment must be in service of your goal. Though," she paused, her lips curving into a faint, enigmatic smile. "You carry within you a balance¡ªcreation and destruction, masculine and feminine, past and future, all exploding into one. Some would call it a contradiction, but in truth, it is potential." Her voice dropped lower, almost a whisper, as if only wanting Ivy to hear, "Thou art ordained with the body of Attis. In time, what you are will become clear." She looked at Ivy, Colson, and Zoe, "Entropy is what bounds us all to this reality."


    She fell back into her chair; the small beast on her head hopped back into the vessel, dissipating along with Aca''s aura. The urn dimmed back to its regular dirty gold coloring.


    "Dear lord," Aca coughed, the last bit of smoke exiting her lungs.


    "Wait," Zoe considered. "What did you mean by¡ª"


    "Listen, I''m gonna have to stop you right there. I tend not to discuss these things after the fact."


    "But¡ª"


    "Sorry, but it''s just something you''ll have to figure out on your own. With most fortunes I give, I know just as much as you do. Actually, less."


    "Well, that doesn''t make any sense," Colson said. To his side, Ivy was peeking into the urn, looking for the little creature. "You give us this vague fortune and then don''t even elaborate?"


    "I didn''t ask for this ability," Aca muttered, getting out of her chair to put the urn away.


    "Emily?" Ivy repeated, her brow furrowed with confusion, "That''s not my name..."


    "I didn''t say it was," Aca said. She quickly bit her tongue, wishing she hadn''t said that.


    "What do we do now?" Ivy asked.


    "Before you leave," Aca cautioned, "just know that the advice may not be useful today or even tomorrow; eventually, though¡­well, you may have forgotten, but fate doesn''t."


    As they walked through the front door, Aca called out from behind them, "Ivy, hold on one sec."


    "Hm?" Ivy turned around. She was beckoned over.


    "Both of you can wait outside for a few minutes. I must speak with her in private."


    Colson and Zoe exchanged looks but didn''t argue.


    "We''ll be right out here," Zoe said.


    When they were both alone, Aca looked at Ivy, really looking at her, studying everything about her.


    Ivy pointed above her head, "That guy that was there. How''d''ja do that?"


    Aca shrugged, "I''ve gotten better at controlling it. It''s just something I have."


    "You didn''t have to almost die to get that?"


    "Nope."


    "Aw man," Ivy grumbled. She looked at her hands, "I had to so I could get this. Everyone else didn''t need to do that. Is there something wrong with me?" She wondered aloud.


    "If it makes you feel better, it isn''t a common thing. I''ve only seen it once before."


    "Seen what?"


    "Innate energy. When you''re either born with the ability to use your shimmer, or it randomly activates at some point in your life without your knowledge. Though mine is an extreme case¡ªMost with an innate shimmer don''t realize it. Outside of here, it''s common for people with that to become world-class athletes, ''superheroes,'' or people who are very influential. But anyway," Aca said, "I wanted to tell you this personally; I''m not sure exactly what it means." She took a deep breath. "To reach your goal, you must fight. Never take the easy path. Every challenge must be passed. On your adventure, you will encounter danger, darkness, and monsters."


    "Monsters? Challenge? What do you mean by that?"


    "Call it a fortune teller''s hunch."

 Chapter 40 Death Week

    Every colonist, ages eleven to eighteen, must participate and pass the ''skill test.'' All classes of the participants will be paused. The test lasts for one workweek; each day is a new phase of the trial, with the last day, day five, being a culmination of everything they''ve learned up until this point. As they would train most days, they''d only have twelve hours of sleep total for the entire week. On average, two colonists per colony die yearly due to the difficulties of the test; hence, the residents of Crater renamed it ''The week of death'' or ''Death week.''


    Twenty years ago, Orion created the test. Each year, he would evaluate the progression and status of each colony and build their tests around that. Since no one has seen him or had any contact for some time now, they must go back to the first-ever test implemented as default.


    Lubbock stood tall, his eyes scanning the crowd of kids in front of him. Most had heard the horror stories of this week; highly exaggerated, most likely, but almost all of them were on edge. It was this year''s first time. They were all standing near the front gate, the cold fall morning making them all bunch together.


    They split up the colonists by age group for this section to make things easier. Eleven to twelve were with Sylas¡ªGroup A. Thirteen to sixteen were with Lubbock¡ªGroup B. Seventeen and eighteen joined Amelia¡ªGroup C.


    He glanced to Neph; he sensed they both had similar thoughts running through their heads. ''Who''s going to die this year?''


    "The fact that this is still allowed¡­" sighed Lubbock. ''Orion is a crazy, senile old man! If he were here, he''d have that look he has every year at this time. Absolute glee.''


    Zoe awkwardly maneuvered through the crowd. The loud buzzing and murmuring of the group made her wince as it seemed to slowly go up in volume the longer she paid attention to it.


    Finally spotting the familiar faded white jacket, she walked towards it, seeing Ivy talking to Herald and some of his friends. She had just finished explaining where she was for the past few weeks.


    "There you are," Ivy grinned, turning around.


    "Wussup," Herald yawned.


    "Man," one of his friends said, "I dunno about all this."


    "This is all of our first times, so they''ll probably go easy on us."


    "Maybe," his friend said, not sounding too convinced.


    "What about you?" Herald asked Zoe, "This is the first time you''ve done it too, right?"


    "Quite honestly, I''m a bit afraid," Zoe said colorlessly.


    "Colson said we''d probably get through it pretty easily," Ivy chimed in.


    "My dad told me that it''s more about mental strength than physical," Herald mentioned. "Just gotta keep pushing forward."


    Next to Lubbock, Sylas stood, staring at his watch. "Just one more minute." He unhooked the giant megaphone that was strapped around his chest. "What do you think of the warmup, pushups, and crunches before the run?"


    "Adding stretching before all that would be beneficial."


    "Hm, yeah," He turned on the megaphone, lifted it to his mouth, and took a deep breath. Lubbock quickly plugged his ears with his fingers, bracing himself. "On the ground! Now! You''ll do push-ups for a minute and thirty seconds. You have to do a minimum of sixty, and you''ll count off as you do them!"


    There was a collective grumble as everyone got down in the plank position, counting aloud. Afterward, they did as many situps as possible in that same time.


    Sylas looked to the wall that surrounded Crater. Ropes had been fastened at the top, dangling down until they touched the dirt floor.


    When it was her turn, Zoe stepped towards the rope. She glanced behind her, Ivy gave her a thumbs-up of encouragement. She looked to her right; Sylas watched her with a pencil and clipboard while an injured kid beside him held a stopwatch. He nodded, indicating her start. Taking a deep breath, Zoe gripped the climbing rope, pulling herself up with surprising ease. Before she knew it, she had reached the top of the seventeen-meter wall, then started her descent back down. ''That was really easy.''


    "Impressive, Zoe. Great improvements. Keep up the good work. Next!" He shouted, pointing at Ivy. She bounced towards the rope, eagerly grabbing it and shimmying up and back down in less than twenty seconds.


    Once everyone had completed the rope climb, Sylas yelled at them to get in several lines. When he blew his whistle, they would all sprint around the inside perimeter of Crater''s walls, reaching the back gate, which would bring them to the next section of their course.


    When they arrived, most of Group A was covered in sweat and breathing heavily. Ivy walked to the front of the crowd, seeing hundreds of large rocks spaced apart in several rows in front of them.


    Herald moved beside Ivy; just like her and Zoe, he''d barely broken a sweat from the run. He glanced at Zoe, ''Kinda surprised. She kept up pretty well. She always seemed weak.''


    "What do ya think we''re gonna do?" Ivy asked.


    "Some kind of lifting," Zoe mused, brushing her long white hair from out in front of her face. Her dilated blue eyes watched as a sweaty Sylas lumbered over to one of the rocks. He squatted down, grabbing it, holding it close to his chest; he exploded upwards, pushing the rock high into the air before dropping it down.


    "That''s how you do it! Each rock is basically the same weight. We''ll all do forty of these at the same time!"


    "You''re on my team," Reiza said, walking up to Colson.


    "Ah, my best friend in the whole wide world, what a pleasure," Colson smiled, pushing himself off the wall from which he was leaning.


    Group B was located in the inner wall with over one hundred members. Colson noticed that with Lubbock training them, it was more relaxed than in previous years.


    Lubbock had randomly assigned each colonist with another, making several groups of two. They''d be together for the rest of the day, helping each other train.


    "Ugh, not this again," Reiza rolled her eyes as Lubbock led them toward a training building. "This about to be real easy," she told Colson. "The trick to this one here, is we need to pace ourselves the entire time."


    "Wait, you''ve done this before? I thought this was for triple-star training."


    "Maybe a month or two ago. Sylas got real mad one day and made us all go through it."


    "Huh, alright."


    Lubbock cleared his throat and spoke over the noise of the crowd. His voice was calm, commanding attention from everyone in the room. "The course in front of us is what you''ll have to complete. They give you an hour and fifteen. Those who cannot complete it in that time will be sent to an extended group called Group X. You will remain in that crowd for the remainder of the week and beyond that. I suggest you work hard; otherwise, I can''t say your future here in Crater will be very bright."


    He let the thought linger in everyone''s mind for a few seconds before speaking again. "Line up, and we shall commence in a few minutes."


    Herald let the mini boulder drop at his feet. "Screw this," he exhaled loudly, plopping down on the rock. His vision blurred slightly, and his head felt like it was slowly filling with helium.


    "You get a minute''s rest and we run again!" Sylas screamed.


    "They really are trying to kill us," Herald''s friend gasped beside him.


    "Not too bad," Zoe looked to Ivy, "I''m glad I listened to you back then."


    "What do you mean?" Ivy breathed.


    "When we got to Cassius, I wanted to leave, but you made us stay." She paused, her eyes studying her briefly. "I wish I was more like you."


    Ivy looked up, a bit shocked, "Why?"


    "Sorry," Zoe looked away, "I didn''t realize I said that out loud," she monotoned.


    "Wow, that sucked," Colson said, tossing his food tray onto the table and sitting next to Zoe.


    The cafeteria was unusually quiet. As if everyone in the room was about to fall asleep. A constant wave of exhaustion permeated. The clattering of the tray echoed throughout the hall.


    "What''d you have to do?" Ivy asked.


    "They made us do some obstacle course. Legitimately awful."


    "We did that before, right?" Ivy asked, looking at Zoe, who nodded in confirmation.


    "I have to concur," Zoe said, "Legitimately awful."


    "What about you guys?"


    "Running. Lifting rocks. Running. Climbing. Running," she sighed, looking at the clock on the wall. They had less than thirty minutes until they were back outside training again.


    A few minutes later, Reiza strolled into the food hall with a large group. She pointed to Ivy at the back of the room. Leaning towards Herald, a wicked grin on her face, "You wanna see something funny?"


    "Huh?" Herald looked to where she was pointing, "sure?" Not sure what was going on.


    Her friends all giggled as Reiza casually strolled over to their table, taking her phone from her back pocket. She tried to keep a blank expression, but the closer she got the harder it was to maintain.


    Colson glanced up, seeing someone approach from the corner of his eye.


    She brought the phone up to Ivy''s ear, tapping the screen as she did so. Ivy glanced up just as a loud boom came from the speakers of the phone.


    Ivy jumped back, tripping over her chair, crashing backwards to the ground.


    "Reiza, what the hell is wrong with you?" Colson yelled, getting up from his seat. His fists balled so tightly that his knuckles turned white.


    "Whoops," she shrugged, an innocent smirk on her face. She looked down at Ivy, whose eyes had a wild glazed look.


    The cafeteria was ?somehow even more silent than before, as if everyone collectively held their breath, waiting for something to happen.  Hundreds of eyes bore into Ivy, some wide with concern, others glinting with cruel amusement.


    Zoe crouched down next to Ivy; not sure what to say. ''That look in her eyes,'' she thought.


    Ivy stared at the floor, her vision blurring as tears stung her eyes.  Her fingers trembled as they brushed over the brass knuckle in her pocket. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zoe''s mouth moving, telling her something, but Ivy couldn''t hear a word she said. A layer of white noise. The roaring of water. Her heart pumping over a million times a minute.


    "Uh oh," Reiza grinned, watching Ivy get to her feet. She slipped the phone back into her pocket, waiting for Ivy to move.


    It was Colson who stepped forward, his fists still balled. "You know, Reiza," he growled.


    "Oh yeah, what?" her eyes shifting to him.


    Looking around the room, the hundreds of wide eyes staring back. "You really are lucky." He glared back at Reiza, "Nepotism really is a wonderful thing," he mumbled, taking a deep breath to calm himself, turning back around. ''If anything happens, I''ll be in deep trouble for the rest of my life. It would be bad enough to hit someone in here, but the fact that she''s a girl makes it that much worse!  The worst part is she knows I can''t do anything!'' He took another slow breath, remembering the breathing exercises Cahya had taught him. Almost instantly, he felt his anger subside.


    Reiza seemed to sense this. "Aw, well," she said with a pouty look. She turned around, waltzing back towards her group of friends. Most had covered their mouths, trying not to laugh.


    Herald glanced from her to Ivy and back to Reiza again as she strolled past him, "Come on," she said, walking to the food line as if nothing had happened. The others around followed her, laughing about what happened.


    Seeing that the entire exchange was over, the low hum of chatter started back up.


    "Uh, Ivy?" Zoe asked tentatively.


    There was a long pause before she got a response.


    "What."


    Zoe didn''t say anything. Not sure what to say or if there was anything she could say.


    "I''ve got a good feeling. These kids have really improved this year," Lubbock yawned, looking over several pieces of paper. Each one had the stats of each colonist taking the test. He was laid back in a large brown chair. Incense and warm-scented candles littered his office.


    "I bet that at least four will kick the bucket," Amelia smiled, looking over his shoulder at one of the pages. "That kid right there," she pointed to the name of a girl. "I had her earlier; she barely made it through the warmup run. She ain''t gonna make it too much longer." To her right, leaning against the wall, a man named Phillip Sherve; an administrator in Crater''s school.


    "I don''t like thinking about that stuff," Lubbock said.


    "Fair enough," Amelia yawned, waving some smoke away from her face. "Did you peep the new kids at group A? Some of them have pretty promising auras."


    "Yeah, I noticed that. The weird brainy one, Zoe, she''s caught my interest the most."


    "A night and day difference from when I last saw her," Amelia noted. "From what I heard from Sylas, Herald is killin'' it; more than usual. What do you think, Sydney?" she looked down at one of her two dogs lying by her feet. "How ''bout you?" She looked to Sherve.


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it."My money would be on Reiza, Colson, or maybe the new girl. Hard to say, haven''t seen much of her, though."


    "Oh yeah! I heard a lot of people were steaming over that mission incident she had," Amelia let out a small chuckle.


    "I must''ve missed that. What happened?"


    "Well, I don''t know everything, but I guess Colson, Zoe, and the new one went on a mission a few weeks back. They forged Neph''s signature on it and sent it in acting like he signed off on them to go."


    "Oh, yikes, that''s bad."


    "Yeah, even worse when you realize the mission they forged was for an emergency call to one of our farms down in California."


    "Yeah," Lubbock interjected, "Neph told me he was able to calm them down. I guess the farmers there all had good things to say about them."


    "Interesting," Sherve said, "So, they were able to complete it?"


    "Apparently so," Amelia shrugged.


    "They''re just on very thin ice when it comes to Crater. Well, two of them are, anyways." Lubbock said. "I think Zoe''s father, Joel, was able to pull some strings and get her out of trouble, but the other two¡­They should hope to not get into any more issues. Otherwise, we may have to call for-"


    "Lubbock!" A voice came from behind the door, followed by several knocks.


    "Come in," he yawned.


    A man wearing a suit walked in. He held a large, corded phone in his hand with a muffled voice yelling from it. "Well, it seems like we have a problem with ''Princess'' again. This time in ''meal hall one.'' Well, actually," he held the phone back to his ear.


    "Oh man," Lubbock sighed, getting to his feet. "Not surprised in the slightest. If I was Aye, I''d keep a leash on her twenty-four-seven. He''s right when he says parents should be strict, and usually are, but he just can''t seem to apply that to her."


    "Well, the problem seemed to have taken care of itself," the assistant said, putting the phone down.


    "I''m already up," Lubbock said, stretching. "I should get over there and see what''s up." He walked to the large window in his office, looking out over the eastern districts. "Cancel all meetings and appointments for the next hour," he clicked the latch, opening the window and taking a quick glance down. They were about ten stories up.


    A light breeze entered through the opening, blowing some loose papers around the office.


    "Uh, sir?"


    "Close the window," Lubbock looked down once more, clearing himself. He took a step back, leaping out.


    Only Neph noticed his quick descent, who scowled as he watched Lubbock fall past his window.


    "Oof," he groaned, landing hard on the ground below. Without missing a beat, he ran towards the cafeteria.


    A few minutes later, he arrived, walking inside, scanning the whole place. It was easy to spot Reiza; she wore a bright pink and sky blue outfit. ''Hmm,'' he thought. ''Everything seems normal, but I just have this sneaking suspicion¡­'' As he paced through the dining hall, he felt an odd tension. It was as if he were one of the Crater police officers, and every kid in the room had something illegal on them.


    "Oh well," he mumbled; about to turn towards the door, he saw three kids sitting at one of the back tables.


    The following two days were fairly uneventful for them. Colson, Zoe, and Ivy easily breezed through most of the activities that had been set for them. The fourth day, Thursday, was what Colson was excited about. They set the whole day for sparring.


    Pearson always found a way to win whenever they''d have familial fights. Colson was confident that with everything that''s happened in the past three weeks, he''d easily knock him out.


    On Wednesday, each test taker who hadn''t given up or been bedridden from strain had received a slip of paper under their door. It had the colonist''s name on the top in bold letters, and in the middle of the page, two lines. The instruction for the top¡ªWrite the name of the colonists you would most like to fight. For the bottom line¡ªWrite the name of one colonist you would least like to fight.


    ''Hmm,'' Colson thought with a grin, looking at the paper. "Pearson," he wrote in large letters on the top line. "Least like to¡­" he thought for a while. ''I''m assuming they''ll be segregating the spars by gender, so I don''t think I''ll need to worry about having to fight Zoe or something. It''s also a shame cause I won''t be able to get Reiza back for what she did.'' He wrote the name Herald. ''If she was suffering from a severe nut allergy and I had an epipen, I''d probably use it on myself in front of her. Ha, imagine the look on her face when she realizes she won''t be getting saved.''


    Zoe looked down, seeing the pieces of paper being slid under her door. Picking them up, she read them carefully, tossing Ivy''s on her vacant bed. ''Probably with Herald,'' she sighed, taking out a pen and writing only one name. On the bottom line, she wrote Reiza.


    It took almost all night, but the brackets were made. Lubbock, Neph, Amelia, and Silas all stood in front of the large whiteboard.


    "I don''t know¡­" mumbled Neph warily.


    "Oh, I do know! It''s perfect!" Silas'' eyes glittered with glee.


    "Some of these guys are about to have one helluva time," Amelia yawned. "Back to back, to back."


    Lubbock just grunted with dissatisfaction.


    "To be fair," Neph said, "Orion would be proud."


    "Since when have you cared about holding to his vision?" Amelia cackled.


    "Once they see this; that''ll really put a pep in their step. The bunch of lazies is what they are!" Silas said.


    "You really made us stay up this long for this convoluted list. I hate you."


    They meticulously placed each colonist in one of ten groups. Every other group alternated between the genders, making it so five groups comprised of only boys, while the other five were girls.


    ''Just my luck,'' Zoe walked into the small circular room. The first person her eyes were drawn to was Reiza. She stood tall, studying a canvas on the wall. Several feet away, Ivy stood, looking at the same piece. ''Of course, they''re both in my group. It''s like the universe just keeps putting us together.''


    Ivy glanced over, seeing Zoe walk towards her. There was an odd look on her face, an expression that she couldn''t understand.


    "Hey," Ivy said, a forced smile on her face.


    Zoe looked at the canvas. Names were scrawled in neat lines, but her eyes skipped past most of them until they found hers. She was paired up to fight Ivy, with Reiza fighting the loser of the two. "If I had to guess, this wasn''t solely based on who chose who, but also how well we all did in the previous days."


    "No hard feelings, alright. Whoever wins, wins, and we move on."


    "Ain''t this great!" Reiza said, walking up to them. She put her arms around both their shoulders.


    Zoe flinched hard, moving out from under her arm. "Don''t do that," she snapped, a bit too loud.


    Ivy didn''t react. She looked towards the referee, who was standing next to the canvas. "What are the rules?"


    "Uh," his eyes swept the room, taking a quick head count. He pointed towards bleachers nailed high on the wall, having to take a ladder to sit on them. "Now that everyone''s arrived, we can start early. Sit up there and I''ll explain the rules."


    Reiza smirked, "You know, Ivy¡­I''d die before I let you win over me."


    "Be ready to do that," Ivy said with a humorless smile.


    Once everyone had sat, looking down at him in the middle of the circular building.


    "It''s very simple. Once you hear the whistle, you fight. To win, the other person must be unable to defend themselves, either tap out¡ªverbally or physically; if your opponent is knocked unconscious, that would also award you the win. Also, there''s a no-stalling rule. If thirty seconds go by without action, I''ll be forced to step in."


    "Wait, hold on," a girl said, "What about weapons?"


    "All weapons are allowed."


    A nervous murmur erupted throughout the group. "Isn''t that, well, dangerous?"


    "The world is, well, dangerous," the referee mocked.


    "Hey!"


    "Any more questions?"


    More chatter in the crowd. "Why is it made like that?" One asked, "Like, why are some fighting the winners of other matches first? Can only one person pass and everyone else fail? It''s barely even a bracket!"


    "Good question! To answer the first questions; the wonderful chairmen made the brackets, and they saw to see fit ?we did them in this fashion. The other question; there will only be one ultimate loser of the group. Everyone but one will pass this day of the test." After a relieved sigh came from the crowd, he spoke up once more, "We will conduct the first matches ASAP. There will be a twenty-minute break, and the second half of the matches will begin; starting with Zoe and Ivy."


    By the time the last match of the first half had arrived,Ivy was completely out, her head tilted back against the bleachers, snoring softly. Zoe, meanwhile, sat forward with her elbows on her knees, her sharp blue eyes glued to the arena. She had been analyzing every single match, trying to pick out every small pattern in each person''s movements, and any possible exploitable weaknesses.


    The fight didn''t last long. It was clear from the start who would win. The taller girl¡ªolder by at least a year¡ªmoved with calm precision, while her opponent, smaller and visibly trembling, could barely hold her knife properly. Her fingers gripped the handle like she¡¯d never wielded anything sharper than a butter knife.


    Her grip on the blade was loose and shaky; anyone could''ve easily slapped the blade out of her hand.


    That''s exactly what happened. After a long period of pacing, her steps erratic and unsure, there was a burst of desperation, she rushed forward, her knife slashing wildly through the air. The older girl sidestepped easily, her movements smooth and deliberate. With one swift motion, she knocked the weapon from her, putting her own knife to the girl''s throat.


    After that, there was no fight left in her. ¡°Stop! I surrender!¡± the smaller girl cried, her voice cracking with fear. Her hands shot up in surrender, her face pale.  The taller girl lowered her weapon, the fight already forgotten in her eyes. But Zoe couldn¡¯t stop watching. Her mind churned, replaying the sequence over and over, noting the hesitation, the flailing, the wide-open gaps. ''That could¡¯ve been me,'' she thought, a chill running through her.


    During the short halftime break, Colson found both Zoe and Ivy outside their building.


    Zoe had her usual blank expression, crouching down, staring at several cards laid on the grass in front of her. Tentatively, she flipped each one over. Next to her, Ivy was happily munching on hidden snacks in her backpack.


    "Have you guys fought yet?" Colson asked, walking toward them.


    "No," Ivy said through a mouthful of food, "We both fight in a few minutes."


    "Oh," Colson said. After a pause, he looked back at Ivy, "You mean, fight each other?"


    "Mhm," Zoe said, waving her hands over the cards. As she did so, they miraculously flipped over, revealing them to all be jokers.


    "Yikes, that sucks. Do you think they''ll let people watch other fights while waiting?"


    "I dunno," Ivy shrugged, "I can ask the ref."


    "My fight won''t be till a lot later today, one of the last ones."


    "I don''t see why not," the referee said, "as long as you''re back in time for your match, you''re good. Also, I''d tell your ref, so he knows."


    "Cool, thanks!" Colson said, walking back towards Ivy and Zoe. "He said I''m all good," he said when close.


    "We have about a minute left," Zoe said, looking at the clock tower in the distance.


    "You ready?"


    "Not really. Nervous, maybe."


    Reiza sat on the bleachers; her eyes following them as they walked in.


    Colson climbed the ladder, sitting in the back row, getting the best view.


    After a few minutes, the remaining girls trickled in through the entrance.


    The referee called Ivy and Zoe to the starting areas on the floor. The room was completely silent. As they walked to the starting spots, their footsteps echoed on the blood-stained checkered concrete tile.


    As they stood across from each other, their eyes never shifted away, nor did they blink.


    ''I honestly don''t know who''s gonna win this,'' Colson thought. His heart beat nervously, but he wasn''t sure who he was nervous for. Glancing around, it seemed as if everyone was just as interested as he was; their eyes glued to the floor below them.


    The referee held his hand high, turning to Zoe, "ready?"


    She barely heard his voice over her heart pounding in her chest.


    "I am," she nodded. Her hands drifted to her sides, where she had her two daggers. She quickly recoiled once her fingertips made contact with the hilts. ''I don''t think I could use these. I don''t think I could ever hurt her. Maybe if I really, really had to. Would she even hesitate to attack me?''


    Looking to Ivy, the referee asked, "Ready?"


    "Yep."


    "Fight!" He dropped his hand, taking a big step back.

 Chapter 41

    "I surrender."


    "What?" The referee sputtered.


    "I said that I surrender."


    "A-are you sure?" Confusion written all over his face.


    "Yeah, I''m sure. She''s too strong."


    "Okay¡­then. Well, in that case, the winner is Zoe!" The referee lifted ?Zoe''s hand high into the air.


    As Zoe walked back to the bleachers, she stepped next to Ivy. "Thanks," she said.


    Ivy who had been staring at Reiza, barely glanced at her. "Yeah," she replied, her tone distant. Reiza sat with a mask of indifference, holding her eye contact.


    The ref called for the next fighters as a wave of displeasure and annoyed murmurs rippled through the crowd. Some accusations of cheating were also heard.


    "What just happened?" Colson asked Zoe once she sat next to him. "Why did she do that?"


    "You really don''t know?"


    Colson followed her gaze to Reiza, who had risen from her seat. "Yeah¡­Yeah, I get it." He watched as Reiza hopped off the suspended bleachers, landing with an effortless thud ten feet below.  ''Okay, that was actually kinda smart. If I was in that situation, and I thought of that; I''d do the same thing.''


    Stepping onto the starting area, Reiza stretched her arms back, never taking her eyes off Ivy.


    Ivy stood in the same area, her fists balled, one clasped around her remaining brass knuckle.


    "Who do you think has it?" Colson whispered.


    "I''d think that Reiza would have more fighting experience; I''m not sure if that''s the case or not," Zoe whispered back.


    "Yeah, I''d say they''re about similar in strength. Ivy definitely has her beat in endurance, though. She got winded pretty quickly when we did the training course on Monday."


    Again, the referee put his hand in the air, "Are you ready?" He looked at Ivy.


    She said nothing; she only nodded.


    "Ready?" He asked Reiza.


    "Of course," she grinned.


    "Fight!" he yelled as his hand fell. He quickly hopped backward, giving them space to attack.


    Colson leaned forward, biting one of his fingernails, ''Why am I so nervous?'' He looked to Zoe. She was watching even more intently than he was, a bead of sweat coming off her forehead, her hand nervously fidgeting with her necklace. ''Yeah, honestly, if I were to bet on this, I''d say Reiza definitely has an advantage; not impossible for Ivy to win, though.''


    Ivy walked forward until she was only a few feet away. As she moved, she studied her. Reiza was taller¡ªabout three or four inches. She didn''t look as strong; the muscles on her arms and legs weren''t as toned or large as Ivy''s. From what Ivy gathered, Reiza had a slight reach advantage as well.


    Reiza didn''t move an inch as Ivy walked towards her.  Reiza¡¯s smirk widened.  She scanned Ivy¡¯s broad shoulders, her solid frame, and her face, ''She looks like a man.'' Reiza''s expression never changed from the slight smile on her lips.


    In a flash, Ivy jumped to her side, throwing an overhead right at the side of her face. Reiza quickly ducked under the strike, planting her elbow directly into Ivy''s ribs. Using her other hand, she pushed against her chest, launching Ivy across the room.


    She hit the ground several yards away, landing in a crouched position. "Dammit!" she said through gritted teeth, holding her side.


    Reiza put a hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing, "Is that it?" she snickered.


    She slowly got to her feet, a look of dark determination on her face.


    Reiza started to walk forward, ready for Ivy to sprint at her again, but what happened threw her off-guard.


    Ivy slowly closed her eyes, her face scrunched with concentration. She took several deep breaths.


    "Wait," Colson said, "Is she about to¡ª" He was cut off by the quiet hum emanating throughout the building.


    "What the-" Reiza''s smile inverted, ''Is she really about to do this? In front of all these people!''


    When Ivy opened her eyes, she was completely covered in an angry white veil. Confused murmurs spread throughout the crowd watching. The referee looked absolutely flabbergasted; his mouth hung open as if he couldn''t believe what he was seeing.


    Zoe looked at Colson, a look of total dread on her face, "Should we¡­do something?"


    "I-I''m not sure. They aren''t gonna like this." He looked to see the referee''s reaction.


    Reiza shook her head, composing herself, ''I''d better use mine as well. No one can blame me, either. It would just be self-defense, right? I''m totally in the clear here.'' Her smile returned to her face. She put her hands down by her side, taking a deep breath, and puffed her chest out, flexing. A second later, the hum in the room multiplied; a jagged blue aura surrounded Reiza.


    The two stood in that same position for what felt like an eternity for everyone watching. Simultaneously, they took one step forward. Then another, and another. With every step, Ivy''s energy bubbled more intensely.


    "Hey!" the referee snapped out of his stooper. "Stop this now! This match is over!" He stepped into their path, holding his hands up.


    "Shut up!" They both said in unison, continuing marching forward.


    "I¡ª" he was at a complete loss for words. ''What do I do? Should I call someone? Neph or Amelia? How the hell do these kids have mastery of energy? I still haven''t gotten close to that point!''


    When they got within a substantial range of each other, Reiza and Ivy launched themselves forward.


    The referee flung himself to the ground, at the same time looking up, seeing both their fists connecting into the other''s face. ''If I didn''t move, they would''ve decapitated me.''


    Brushing off the hit, Ivy spun around Reiza''s kick, sending a flurry of punches toward her face with only a few connecting.


    Lurching backward, Reiza held her hand to her nose, pulling it away, seeing a dark red liquid drip on her palm.


    Ivy ran towards her, her brass knuckle ready to dig itself into the front of her skull.


    Reiza barely had enough time to react; all she could do was cover her face with her arms. When Ivy''s weapon connected, she heard a snap internally in her right forearm. The lightning-blue aura around her flickered slightly, pain shooting through her whole body, almost causing her to cry out. ''If my energy wasn''t activated, that bone would''ve turned to dust.''


    Ducking another punch, she spun, sweeping Ivy''s legs from beneath her. She gritted her teeth. Holding her hand out, a bright light appeared, and when it dissipated, she was gripping a crude combat knife¡ªjagged, warped, and cold. She was panting heavily, ''I gotta finish this now!''


    Ivy quickly rolled to her feet, unphased by the knife being held just a few feet away. Reiza moved quickly, stabbing forward, aiming for one of her eyes.


    Ivy tilted her head to the side, the knife cutting her cheek; leaving an odd sensation as a line of blood dripped from just under her eye.


    She grabbed on to Reiza''s extended arm, kicking upward into her forearm, the heel of her boot digging into the bone.


    The action caused Reiza to screech out in pain, forcing her to drop the knife. She kicked out, kneeing Ivy in the stomach; causing her to slide several feet away.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ''Incredible,'' Zoe thought, ''They''re moving so fast it''s hard to keep up.''


    Ivy lunged forward; Reiza had once again moved out of the way of the attack. Ivy had swung so hard that she knocked herself off balance, giving Reiza the upper hand. With a slight push, Ivy was on the ground. Zoe looked away just in time. All she heard was Ivy''s screams as she felt Reiza''s thumb being shoved into her left eye.


    She struggled to get free, wrapping her leg around Reiza''s arm. She yanked her hand from her eye socket and rolled and twisted, wrestling her until she ended up with Reiza on her back, with Ivy having a tight arm-lock on her.


    Colson knew instantly what Ivy was going to do. "A ''Kimura,''" he said.


    Ivy cranked Reiza''s arm back, grabbing onto her own wrist for support. Without hesitation, she pulled, feeling Reiza''s shoulder pop as she did so.


    Reiza contorted her body; the leverage Ivy had on her loosened as she did so. When she saw the opening, she took it. Using her legs, she rolled out from under Ivy, getting to her feet with one swift move.


    "Dang, Reiza''s flexible. She woulda broken her arm instantly if she wasn''t."


    Ivy looked up and noticed Reiza''s eyes flicking to her knife; it had slid a few yards away, landing at the feet of the referee, who was still in shock, fumbling through his pockets for his phone. He took several steps back, seeing both Ivy and Reiza were staring at it.


    Reiza sprinted for it; at the same time, Ivy jumped high into the air, plummeting down right as Reiza reached the knife. She landed right over the blade, the stone tile cracking beneath her feet. Her white aura ferociously bloomed outward.


    Under her, Reiza''s fingertips were less than an inch from the knife. She stopped, looking up at Ivy, who stared down at her, her fists balled. She tried evading, but it was too late.


    A wet thump echoed throughout the building as Ivy drove her fist into Reiza with all her strength.


    "Damn," Colson winced, watching what was unfolding.


    Reiza collapsed to the ground, her blue aura fading.


    Ivy stood over her, looking on with detached ennui. She hauled back, the heel of her boot snapping Reiza''s jaw. A river of blood poured from her mouth, permanently staining the stone floor.


    "Is she dead?" One girl in the bleachers said.


    "I''m leaving!"


    Almost everyone in the crowd got up, running to the door, screaming; running past Ivy, Reiza, and the referee; stampeding towards the door.


    Ivy crouched down, looking at Reiza''s broken head.


    Aye unbuttoned his undershirt, revealing the shredded muscles below. He ran a hand through his spikey orange hair. He turned, walking out of the dressing room, and into his own personalized gym.


    The dark red glow from the lights above, the broken air conditioning, and the music that played just a bit too loud ¡ª "Perfection," he grinned.


    Several of his unit had already started working out, training, and sparring. Most of his crew comprised men who were not citizens of Crater, but could legally stay under his order.


    After dawning a weighted vest and heavy iron chains, he walked to the back of the gym. He walked around the boxing ring set in the middle of the room. He moved toward the weight lifting area of the gym. He put as much weight as possible on the hexagonal deadlift trap bar.


    Because of the music and his heavy focus, he couldn''t hear his phone going off in his pocket.


    Several minutes later, a nervous and panting woman sprinted through the front door of the gym. Clamping her nose shut from the smell, she quickly strutted in, wandering until she found who she was looking for. She walked over to Aye; he was in the middle of doing weighted pullups. She nervously tapped her foot, waiting for him to finish. He noticed her waiting for him. An annoyed expression crossed his face.


    "Your daughter, Reiza, something happened to her. I think you''d want to go see her!" She screamed over the music.


    "Reiza?" he gritted his teeth, "If you come at me with some erroneous accusation¡­"


    "No," she shook her head. "Can we talk outside?"


    "What''s happening?" Aye said once they were both on the gym floor balcony.


    "Well, I don''t know everything that transpired, but your daughter is in critical condition," she said cautiously.


    "What!"


    "Well, normally, this is to be expected since the death week, especially today''s event, can be a little¡­well, anyway, I digress."


    "Get to the point!"


    "That one girl, I''m positive her name is Ivy. I think she''s new. Well, they were set to spar today, and things went awry quickly..."


    After learning what happened, Aye slammed his fist down on the steel railing, bending it as if it were a pipe cleaner.


    "Where is she?" His voice was calm, but an uncontrollable energy sparked and cracked around his muscled frame. His fists shaking.


    "Reiza is¡ª"


    "Not her!"


    "I¡­I''m not sure," she lied. "They didn''t tell me."


    He took out his phone, holding it to his ear. "Neph, I''m calling a meeting. I want everyone back here by tomorrow."


    Zoe poked at her food. Her appetite was wholly erased by that day''s earlier events. She''d much rather prefer going back to her dorm room, but knowing that there was another event happening tomorrow, she''d need the fuel.


    The cafeteria was alive with the usual laughing and talking that filled up the room.


    Putting her mind on a fresh track, she took her cards out of her pocket. As she slowly removed one card, she looked up, noticing someone sitting down across the table from her.


    "Hey, Col¡ªoh."


    "Uh, hey," Herald said. "I''ve been hearing some crazy shit that went down."


    "Okay."


    "Do you know what happened?"


    Zoe stared at him.


    Herald instinctively leaned back slightly. ''What the? Why is she looking at me like that?''


    "There''s a lot that happened. I''m not so sure myself. It all culminates into a bit of a blur."


    "Ah. Where is she? Also, where''s Colson?"


    "He''s always late getting here, but I''m not sure where Ivy went. She just¡­disappeared."


    She thought back to a few hours earlier. Walking into her dorm room, she instantly knew something was off. She had a method, inconspicuous to anyone but herself.


    Since she had a carpet covering the floor, she would always take her hand, brushing it in a particular direction so it was a darker shade. The door would scrape along the rug, removing the shade when opening inward.


    Aye swung open the door to the meeting room of the chairmen. He looked uncomfortable in his tight blue suit. Walking across the mirror-like marble floor to his seat. His footsteps echoed off the quiet walls. Glancing at the clock on the wall, it read six o''clock.


    "Keigh still hasn''t shown his face?"


    "Nope," Amelia said, spinning circles in her chair.


    Neph and Lubbock sat quietly; one read through a document, while the other stared blankly ahead.


    "We all know he ain''t comin''. Let''s hurry this up," Amelia said, stopping her chair from spinning; the room swimming around her as she did so.


    "We all have a good idea of what happened?" Lubbock asked.


    Neph spoke up, "In front of you all is a document. It details everything that transpired. Including quotes from witnesses and the like."


    "Where is the girl now?" Aye asked, leafing through the pages.


    "A holding cell," Amelia said. "She''s been there since yesterday. She was acting kinda erratic, so I had them put the ''green smock'' on her." The green smock referring to a tear-resistant garment put on at-risk prisoners to prevent them from committing suicide.


    Neph had everyone read through the document. As they did so, they occasionally called in the people who gave statements, having them elaborate on what they saw. Every story told matched with no competing claims.


    Aye stood from his chair. "We know what Ivy did. We know she''s guilty. I say we end her."


    "I won''t stand for that," Lubbock said, shaking his head.


    "Yeah," Amelia said, "that seems kinda¡­extreme?"


    "Listen," Aye growled, "We''ve all heard the fortune. We all know who that''s about. I told you a year ago, letting that thing in would only bring trouble; and here we are!"


    "That is true¡­." Amelia mused.


    "Hell, Reiza told me when she first arrived, one of her friends saw Ivy walking into the forest with the other two. Then, all of a sudden, there''s a monster that appears and attacks us."


    "That''s not good," Lubbock muttered, "Have we found out any more about what that was?"


    "Nope," Amelia sighed.


    "You seem to be forgetting the first part of the fortune," Neph said, walking to the bookshelf on the far side of the room, taking out the binder for that month. "In an oval room, you must decide. She shall return to raise the colony with a woman from an eastern pantheon by her side." He read aloud.


    "My point exactly! We kill her now, so we don''t have to worry about this and we can move on!"


    "That would be easier," Amelia said, "But I''m with Lubbock on this one."


    "She broke several of the taboos of Crater," Aye retorted.


    "I get that, but I don''t think capital punishment, especially for a child who probably didn''t even know, is fair."


    Aye tightened his fist, "So that''s your excuse? Ignorance. Of course you''d be protecting her. Why am I not surprised?"


    "The hell is that supposed to mean?"


    "You''re not made for this type of work, Amelia."


    "I gotta ask, how did Reiza, your daughter, know energy? From what I understand, breaking the secret bylaw of teaching someone who isn''t at least a three-star energy is very," she put emphasis on the word, "Illegal." Amelia raised herself from her chair, a dark smirk on her face. Her two dogs, which moments ago were slumbering at her feet, stood up in unison. "How is your daughter doing? It''s gotta be depressing seeing her all mangled up like a¡ª"


    In a flash, Aye towered over her. Both her dogs barked and growled, ready to attack at her command. His suit looked as if it were about to be torn off his back. "One. More. Word!" He held his right hand out, his left hand grabbing onto his wrist. The hum of energy activation echoed through the room. "One more word, and you will cease to exist as a human!" As he said that, something large started shimmering into existence behind him. The checkered floor and the bland walls warped; the paint on the walls bubbled.


    "Enough! Both of you!" Neph commanded. "If we''re to make any progress, we''ll need to keep calm."


    "Absolute children," Lubbock muttered.


    Amelia sat back down in her chair with a huff, crossing her arms. Her dogs relaxed, but still their eyes watched Aye as he walked back to his seat. The thing behind him disappeared, the hum going silent.


    "Now," Neph sighed, "I say we put this to a vote. All for capital punishment for Ivy?"


    Aye was the only one to raise his hand.


    "One vote for, three votes against, and one not applicable," Neph wrote ?on a document page. Passing it to everyone and having them sign.


    Aye threw his hands up in indignation, "Great! So I guess the kid who almost murders my daughter gets to walk free. Oh boy!"


    "We never said she wouldn''t receive punishment," Neph corrected, "She just wouldn''t be killed."


    "There is one thing. We could exile her," Lubbock hypothesized. There was a long silence that hung over the room. ''Plus, if we keep her indefinitely, I fear that Aye may be rash enough to stage her death. Wouldn''t be the first time someone has ''accidentally'' killed themselves.''


    "I mean, I guess that''s not a bad idea," Amelia said carefully.


    "What would be the alternative?" Neph asked. "I doubt any of us would want to imprison her permanently."


    Lubbock looked at Aye, "What do you think?"


    He took a deep breath. "Sure, whatever. I just want her far away from here."


    "Alright," Neph flipped the page in front of him, "All for the expulsion of Ivy."


    Everyone had their hand up.


    "Four voting for, zero against, and one not applicable," Neph wrote. "Well, that settles that," he hollowed, getting up from his chair. "I''ll inform her of our decision. She will have till midnight to leave. Does that sound reasonable?"


    No one objected.

 Chapter 42

    Looking through the glass into the small room, Neph saw Ivy sitting cross-legged on the floor, idly bouncing a tennis ball off the wall. The rhythmic thud echoed in the otherwise silent, grey windowless cell. A few colorful posters hung on the otherwise barren walls.


    Someone had stripped her of her usual clothes; now she was barefoot, wearing long purple pajama pants and a white t-shirt. On top of that, she wore a heavy green smock.


    Neph hesitated, lightly tapping on the window. He winced as her face lit up when she recognized him. She scrambled to her feet, the ball slipping from her hand and rolling away, forgotten.


    "Yeah?" she said eagerly, grinning.


    Neph took a deep breath, "So, we''ve come to a decision." He hesitated, the words heavy on his tongue, "We''ve decided to expel you."


    Her head tilted slightly, confusion flickering across her face. "What does that mean?"


    "It means you''ll have to leave." Neph glanced at the clock on the wall, avoiding her gaze. "You''ll have two hours to collect your things and say your goodbyes. At midnight, you need to be outside the gates."


    The grin vanished. For a moment, her face was unreadable¡ªthen it sank. "Oh," she whispered, her voice cracking.


    Neph moved to the door, scanning his ID card. The light above turned green; a loud click broke the silence, signaling it was unlocked.


    "Here," Neph said, his voice low. He gestured to a table nearby. Her clothes and shoes were neatly folded on top. "We¡¯ll give you your weapon and card once you¡¯re ready to leave."


    Ivy didn¡¯t respond. She walked to the table, running her fingers over the fabric of her clothes. Her shoulders slumped, and for a moment, it looked like she might say something¡ªbut instead, she just nodded.


    Reiza sprung forward. She felt like her heart was about to explode. She looked around wildly, calming down slightly after realizing where she was.


    Sitting beside her hospital bed was her dad''s assistant.


    Her breath hitched as memories rushed back in¡ªa whirlwind of images: the fight, the shouting, Ivy¡¯s face, the pain. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, stumbling to the bathroom.


    Leaning over the sink, she stared at her reflection. Her hands trembled as she touched her face, her neck.   ''I don''t look any different.''  Relief washed over her in a shaky sigh. ''It doesn''t even look like I''ve been in a fight.''


    "Do you feel okay?" The assistant''s voice came from the other room.


    "Yeah, I guess," she mumbled. An odd feeling bubbled in her stomach.


    "Well, there''s some good news. A little bit ago, your father called, and told me that Ivy is leaving!"


    "Leaving?"


    "They voted on it, and she''s gone¡­But, um, don''t tell anyone, alright? You''re not supposed to know that, but I knew you''d love the news!"


    Reiza hunched over, a sharp pain surged in her stomach as she doubled over, clutching her side. Her breaths came shallow and fast. "Why did he¡­ where is he? Where''s my dad?" she demanded. She felt the room slowly spin. The more she thought about it, the worse her stomach felt. "I gotta see him!"


    "It doesn''t look like you''re in any shape to go anywhere," she observed, "Are you sure you''re okay?"


    "Please," she begged, tears appearing at the corners of her eyes. "I really gotta see him."


    The assistant had a shocked look on her face. "Uh, I think he''s at the oval building."


    "Thanks," Reiza said as she sprinted out of the room.


    "Where''s my dad?" Reiza demanded. Sprinting through the sliding glass doors of the oval building.


    The worker at the front desk looked up, surprised. Seeing Aye''s daughter running through the front door, barefoot, and wearing a hospital gown, wasn''t a sight he expected to see at that time of night. "Umm, try the roof. If not there, maybe the third floor."


    She took the stairs three at a time, rocketing up to the top.


    "Dad!" she said, swinging open the roof entrance.


    Aye looked back, slightly startled, "huh?" He was leaning over the railing, watching the nightlife below.


    "Ivy," she said, breathing hard, holding her stomach. ''This pain. I''m not injured there. So what''s it from?'' She moved next to him, looking him in the eye, "You''ve gotta make her stay! I¡­I think I messed up."


    Aye scoffed, "you can''t be serious."


    "I am!"


    "Wow." He chuckled, shaking his head. "That girl almost kills you, and you want her to stay?" He turned away, gazing out over Crater once more, watching the quickly dimming sky.


    Zoe walked past the front desk, her heart hammering in her chest. Her gaze stayed low, fixed on the floor, but her thoughts were racing.''If I''m honest, everything will be fine,'' she kept repeating.


    She reached the elevator, hesitated for a moment, then stepped inside. With a shaky finger, she pressed the button for the third floor. The ride up was silent except for the faint hum of the machinery. When the doors opened, Zoe peeked out cautiously.


    The floor was eerily empty, the air heavy with stillness. She wandered down the corridor, her footsteps soft against the polished floor. The dim lighting made the emptiness feel even more pronounced¡ªlike the whole space had been forgotten.


    Just as she began to feel uneasy, a sound broke the quiet. A boy was pushing a janitor¡¯s cart down the hall, his sneakers squeaking faintly with each step. He stopped outside a door, propped it open, and slipped inside with a trash bag in hand.


    Zoe approached slowly, watching as he bent down to empty the trash can beneath the desk. When he turned back toward the door, he froze. His breath hitched as his gaze met hers, and for a split second, he thought his head was about to hit the ceiling from how hard he jumped.


    Zoe stood there, her ghostly white hair catching the faint light. She tilted her head slightly, her blue eyes steady but unblinking. "Do you know where Aye is?"


    The boy stared at her, wide-eyed, as if he''d just seen a specter. It took him a moment to process her question. "Uh...yeah," he stammered, pointing upward. "Last I saw, he was up there. On the roof."Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Reiza w


    waited, fists clenched, for Aye to say something more. Anything. "Dad!" she pleaded, her voice cracking.


    "Why are you still talking?" Aye snapped, his tone sharp and cold.


    Reiza stamped her foot, frustration boiling over. "You¡¯re not listening! I need you to bring her back! I think I¡­" Her voice faltered, eyes darting away. "I think I kind of deserved it," she mumbled, shame weighing on her words.


    Behind her, the soft ding of the elevator echoed across the rooftop, but neither noticed.


    Aye turned to face her fully, the last sliver of sunlight disappearing on the horizon behind him. His face was unreadable, but his words cut deep. "Reiza¡­have a nice night." He turned and began walking toward the stairs.


    Reiza¡¯s anger flared instantly, a red aura crackling to life around her. "Don¡¯t walk away from me!"


    Aye paused, glancing back with a smirk. "You know," he said, his voice low and taunting, "back in the day, if I¡¯d done even a fraction of what you¡¯ve pulled today, my father would''ve beaten me within an inch of my life."


    Reiza¡¯s breath hitched, her aura flickering. "Is that what you want to do?"


    He stepped closer, towering over her. "He also wouldn¡¯t have put everything on the line to cover for me." His hand shot out, grabbing her forearm. He twisted it until she just couldn''t take it anymore. Her red aura sputtered out, leaving her feeling small and exposed.


    "You really aren¡¯t doing yourself any favors," he murmured, his voice like ice. "You can¡¯t keep¡ª"


    "Cover for me?" she spat, yanking her arm away. "I didn¡¯t ask for that! I would¡¯ve been fine!" Her voice wavered, but her glare stayed firm. "Why don¡¯t you just leave me alone?"


    Aye laughed¡ªa hollow, humorless sound. "Lucky you," he said, stepping back. "You have no idea how lucky. The amount of money I¡¯ve spent, the strings I¡¯ve pulled¡­ If it weren¡¯t for me, you¡¯d end up just like her. Just like Ivy."


    "It''s not like you''d care!"


    He looked down at her, his expression hard and unrelenting. "You couldn¡¯t possibly understand anyone else¡¯s point of view, could you? Not mine. Not your friend¡¯s. Definitely not Zoe¡¯s or Ivy¡¯s."


    Reiza¡¯s lips trembled,"Go kill yourself, you fa-"


    He interrupted, his voice cutting like a blade. "Because in your head, everyone around you¡ªall these people¡ªare just dust. We¡¯re nothing but your maids, your servants, here to clean up your messes." He jabbed a finger at her forehead, his words growing harsher with every syllable. "You think you¡¯re untouchable. But you¡¯re not. And maybe it¡¯s my fault for making you think you were."


    Aye let out a long breath, attempting to keep his voice level, "Maybe it''s me. I''ve paid so much. Your energy trainers, do you know how much it costs? To teach someone energy who is unranked is, one, a big crime¡­and two, very expensive¡ªand still, you lost to someone who just learned it. Wow! You know what," he turned back towards the stairs, "I''m gonna stop. Since you say you don''t need me, I''ll stop protecting you. After today, you''re off my payroll. Forever. No security. No safety net. No more." Without waiting for a response, he walked down the staircase and out the front doors of the building.


    Reiza stood frozen, her chest heaving. She then lashed out, kicking the railing as hard as she could. The metal bent and crunched under her foot, leaving it bleeding from a jagged edge. She swore loudly, looking at the dripping blood.


    S


    She cursed loudly, her anger mixing with the sting of pain. But when she turned at the sound of a soft shuffle behind her, her fury ebbed.


    Zoe peered out from behind the elevator, seeing that Reiza had noticed her. Her ghostly white hair catching the faint glow of the rooftop lights.


    She had seen and heard most of the conversation. In her hands, clutched close to her chest, was her wavy silver blade.


    She stepped out from behind the wall, standing nervously and avoiding her gaze, not knowing what to say.


    Finally looking up, Zoe noticed the wary look in Reiza''s eye as she looked warily at the knife clutched in her hand.


    "Oh, sorry," she slid the knife back into its sheath, "I-I thought he was going to attack you, so I¡­" she trailed off. It was hard to see, but with what little light was available, she could see tears streaming down Reiza''s face. The dim fluorescent light bulb on top of the stairs bathed the roof in a lambent purple shade.


    Reiza wiped her eyes and looked back to Zoe, "Yeah? What do you want?"


    "Uh," Zoe mumbled, shifting awkwardly. "I was here to ask your father about something. I just didn''t-"


    "But you decided to watch!" Reiza cut her off, "Did''ja enjoy the show?"


    Zoe flinched, but held her ground. "I was surprised. I thought you hated Ivy," She said, stepping forward.


    "I don''t," Reiza muttered, sliding down to sit with her back against the damaged railing. She cursed under her breath, burying her face in her hands. "I don¡¯t hate her. I just¡­"


    Zoe crouched down in front of her, studying her carefully. "Do you hate me?"


    Reiza looked up, startled. She blinked at the question, then shook her head. "No," she said, almost too softly to hear.


    "I don¡¯t hate you, either," Zoe replied smiling.


    "I just didn''t want her to get kicked out."


    "Wait," Zoe crouched in front of her, "They''re making her leave?"


    "Mhm," Reiza said. Reiza let out a bitter laugh, wiping at her face again. "I didn¡¯t want her to get kicked out," she admitted, her voice cracking. "I was just messing around. I didn¡¯t think¡­ I¡¯ve done worse, and nothing ever happened. I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d actually¡­" Tears spilled over, and she pressed her palms into her eyes, her voice breaking. "I didn¡¯t mean for this to happen."


    Zoe felt as if all of reality was cracking apart. In that moment, it was as if all the pressure from the sky above was pushing down on her.


    She took a shaky breath, trying to calm herself, ''I''ve got to do something. I just need to think.''


    They continued talking for a while longer. Though Zoe was only half-listening to Reiza; in her head, thousands of thoughts flowed a second.


    "This isn''t going to be the last time I see her," Zoe said after a long silence, getting to her feet.


    "What?" Reiza looked up, confused.


    Zoe shook her head, walking toward the stairs, "Goodbye, Reiza."


    Ivy opened the door to Zoe''s room, flicking the light switch. The desk lamp flickered on, casting a dim glow over the empty bed and untouched desk. Zoe wasn¡¯t there.


    Behind her, one of Crater¡¯s security guards leaned lazily against the doorframe, his arms crossed. His shadow loomed across the room, a silent reminder of why Ivy was here.


    She walked over to the backpack, which was tossed haphazardly on her bed. She rifled through it, removing binders and loose pieces of paper until it was empty. She opened up her desk drawer and saw the letter that her mother had written her, and the map she''d sent her. Quickly, she folded them up, stuffing them in her pocket.


    She picked up the golden horn on her desk, studying it in her shaky hands. Sighing, she placed the object on Zoe''s desk next to the glass case.


    Turning to the closet, Ivy grabbed whatever snacks and clothes she could fit into her bag. When it was full, she slung it over her shoulder and glanced at the guard still watching her. "Do you know where she is?" She asked, her voice flat.


    He only shrugged.


    "That''s it. Since I''m not allowed to be in the boy''s dorm, I can leave."


    "Okay," The man said and gestured for her to follow him.


    While walking out of the room, the guard stopped her, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Stay composed, alright. Don''t try anything. Keep your head held high, chest out, shoulders back, and we walk out of here."


    When they reached the elevator and stepped out into the main hall, every colonist in the House of Seeley seemed to freeze, eyes locking on her as she passed. Whispers swirled in her wake, and a few dared to point or gesture, but Ivy kept moving, her face unreadable. She did as the guard said¡ªhead high, shoulders back, unyielding.


    By the gates, Neph sat slouched in a chair, absently spinning her remaining knuckle duster in one hand while holding her Crater ID in the other.


    As Ivy approached, he rose to his feet and walked toward her. She didn¡¯t meet his gaze, simply holding out her hand, waiting for him to place the two items in it.


    "Listen, Ivy," Neph said, holding the brass knuckle inches above her hand, "I wanted to see you off before you go."


    Ivy stayed silent, her eyes focused on the ground.


    "You ?know why this is happening, correct?"


    "Whatever," Ivy sighed, her hand still extended.


    Neph opened his mouth, looking like he wanted to say more; but thought better of it. He placed the brass knuckles into her hand, signaling for the gate to be opened.


    As the stone doors cracked open, Ivy looked back to Neph. "Can you promise me one thing?"


    "What would that be?"


    "Make sure nothing bad happens to Zoe."


    "Zoe? Yeah, you have my word."


    "Thanks," she turned, slipping through the gate and disappearing into the night.


    Her boots echoed faintly on the mossy stone tiles as she walked. Behind her, the heavy gates of Crater closed with a slow, finality. A narrow beam of silver moonlight streamed through the crack before it vanished.


    ¡°Well, Mom,¡± Ivy murmured, glancing back at the now-shut doors. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll never see you again.¡±


    She walked a few more steps before a rustling from the bushes made her freeze. Her hand flew to the brass knuckles, gripping them tightly as she scanned the darkness.


    ¡°Hello?¡± she called, her voice sharp.


    ¡°Hey,¡± came a familiar voice.


    A figure stumbled out of the shrubbery, brushing leaves from her long white hair.


    Ivy ran up and hugged her, "I was looking for you!"


    Zoe stiffened at first, her eyes wide, before awkwardly patting Ivy on the back. "I was waiting for you here," she said once Ivy let go.


    "You could''ve just waited for me in your room. I would''ve said bye to you there." she looked past Zoe, "I bet sitting in a bush wasn''t so fun," she laughed.


    "I''m not here to say goodbye. I''m coming with you."

 Chapter 43 Monsters

    Ivy looked up at the starry night sky, then back down at Zoe. Her serious expression hadn''t changed. "You''re serious?"


    ¡°You¡¯re serious?¡± Ivy asked quietly.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t lie to you right now,¡± Zoe replied, her voice steady, but her hands fidgeted at her sides.


    Ivy wanted to say yes¡ªwith all her heart she wanted to¡ªbut the words caught in her throat. She forced herself to think. To be practical. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    "W-what?" Zoe looked surprised. She hadn''t expected that to be Ivy''s response. "What do you mean?" Her voice was shaky. "After all of this¡­"


    "I don''t know, Zoe," she hesitated, trying to find the right words, "I want to still be friends¡ªI do, but you shouldn''t come with me."


    "Why?" Zoe¡¯s voice quivered as tears welled in her eyes. ¡°If you¡¯re leaving, then I¡¯ll go find Colson and we can all¡ª¡± She stopped mid-sentence, catching the pained look on Ivy¡¯s face. ¡°Did they say you could ever come back?¡±


    Ivy shook her head, "I don''t think so."


    They stood there in the silence, the night sounds of the forest wrapping around them. In the distance, nocturnal creatures howled their mating calls, while oversized insects buzzed lazily through the canopy.


    ¡°Will I ever see you again?¡± Zoe finally asked, her voice barely a whisper.


    ¡°One day. For sure.¡± Ivy forced herself to sound confident, though the promise felt fragile.


    Zoe let out a shaky breath, nodding. ¡°I think you¡¯re right. If I came with you, they¡¯d probably think you kidnapped me or something.¡± She tried to laugh, but it came out uneven and weak.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Ivy¡¯s voice was tight, strained.


    ¡°Do you know where you¡¯ll go? Or what you¡¯ll do now?¡±


    Ivy shrugged, exhaling heavily. ¡°Not really. I¡¯ll probably just sit here and think for a while.¡±


    Zoe reached up, her fingers brushing the chain around her neck. She unclasped the necklace, holding it out to Ivy. The pendant caught the faint moonlight, glimmering softly. ¡°Here.¡±


    Ivy hesitated but then took the necklace, fastening it around her neck. She looked down at the pendant, fingers brushing against it.


    "I left that golden horn with you," Ivy said, taking the necklace and fastening it around her neck. "This way we''ll never forget."


    "Thanks," Zoe stared at Ivy. Not sure what else to say. ''Well, if there''s anyone who''d find a way to survive on their own, it''d be her¡­that was such a cope; I hate this! I hate everything about this! Crater, I hate the most!''


    "You should go back now." Ivy said, breaking the silence, "Y''know, before they know you''re gone."


    "Yeah, I should," Zoe said, turning around quickly.


    "See ya around," Ivy said, waving as Zoe walked away. Her face was back to its usual bright cheerfulness, but Zoe only heard her voice''s hollow timbre.


    After a few seconds, Zoe''s figure disappeared into the night. Ivy stood staring for what felt like hours, hoping to see her run back through the darkness, refusing to go back to Crater.


    For a long moment, Ivy stood frozen, staring at the place where Zoe had vanished. A part of her waited, hoping against hope that Zoe would come running back, refusing to leave her behind. But the night stayed still.


    Finally, Ivy closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, and turned away. She picked a random direction and started walking, her boots clicking softly against the moss-covered stones.


    Walking off the path, the trees of the forest made everything impossibly dark. Using the white glow from her energy, she maneuvered through the woods.


    The dark jungle felt as if it were going to devour her whole the deeper she trudged. Not being able to see the sky above her, it simultaneously felt like hours had passed and time had frozen. The more she walked, the more confused she became. The sameness of it¡ªthe trees, the sounds, the circling thoughts of Zoe, Colson, and everyone she¡¯d met¡ªgnawed at her.


    A tiny clearing appeared ahead of her, a felled tree trunk blocking her path. A large enough ray of moonlight illuminated the small area. She felt tired, not just physically. A cerebral muscle ache ebbed throughout her body. Ivy sighed, sinking down on the log, her shoulders sagging under the weight of her thoughts. She sat, staring forward, blinking away tears.


    Ivy stared forward, her chest tightening as she blinked away tears. Then, in a flash of frustration, she lashed out. Her fist slammed into a nearby tree. Splinters erupted as her hand blasted a hole clean through the trunk.


    Her breathing slowed as she stepped back, staring at her handiwork. Eventually, she began gathering stones, stacking them into a circle at the center of the clearing. Snapping off small branches and twigs, she piled them into the ring.


    When she stood back, staring at the unlit bundle, realization hit her¡ªshe didn¡¯t have a way to ignite it.


    "You need help with that?"


    The voice startled her. Ivy¡¯s head snapped up, searching for its source. A man stood in the trees above, perched casually on a thick branch. He grinned down at her, his expression relaxed and amused.


    She hesitated, unsure. "If you want," she said finally, turning and sitting back against the log.


    With a small jump, the man landed lightly in the clearing. "There you go," he said as he flicked a lighter to life, touching the flame to the twigs. The fire caught quickly, crackling to life and illuminating his face.


    He looked to be in his mid-twenties, with messy brown hair poking out from under a beanie and a mischievous gleam in his eyes. A shadow of stubble framed his face, giving him a rugged appearence.


    "How''d you find me?"


    "I sensed your energy," he replied, as though it was obvious. "I got curious," he shrugged.


    "My ener¡ªoh," Her eyes widened, glancing down at herself. Her energy still shimmered faintly. She''d completely forgotten that it was still active. Her aura quickly dissipated.


    "Yeah, that." he chuckled. "Do you mind if I sit with you?"


    "I don''t care," Ivy said, wiping her eyes with her jacket sleeve.


    He sat on a log across from her, absently poking at the fire with a stick. "I''m not trying to intrude, but you seem¡­down. What''s your name?"


    "What''s yours?"


    The man smirked, "Keigh."


    "Wait," Ivy said, the name ringing bells in her head¡ªher face lighting up at the realization. "Keigh¡­like¡­were you the one that made the CraterCoin?"


    "Yeah, that''s me," Keigh said, grinning, feeling his ego rise.


    "Zoe thinks you''re really cool, by the way," Ivy said, her expression softening.


    "Oh? Who''s that?"


    "My friend. My name''s Ivy."


    "Ivy," he repeated. His eyes widened, remembering what Neph had told him over the phone yesterday. ''So that means she''s¡­''


    "She also said you''re one of the Hounds."


    "That is also true."


    "So then you voted to have me expelled."


    "Well, for what it''s worth, I never voted either way. I wasn''t there." He leaned back, looking through the small break in the trees above. His voice softening, "Truly, it is a nice night. Not too cold for this time of year; and no clouds to blind the stars."


    Ivy followed his gaze, "I guess so."


    "If you don''t mind me asking, why were you removed?"


    "It''s a long story," Ivy was about to say; but she realized she didn''t have anything else to do. "I think¡­I think it''s because I''m not really from here."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I wasn''t born in Crater. I kinda got the feeling that I wasn''t really wanted," she reached into her pocket, digging out the letter her mom had given her all that time ago. "My mom told me to come here, so I did. Now I let her down, and I won''t be able to see her ever again."


    ''If I was there, would I have been able to convince them otherwise? Would I have tried to convince them?'' He leaned forward, "So, I wanna hear from you; what actually happened?"


    Ivy explained everything that had happened since she had first arrived at Crater, leaving no details out. She took out the other letter Lilith had sent her, "I ''surfed'' it, and she wanted me to go to this place here," she pointed on the map, "It didn''t let us learn anything about it."


    "The Isle of Skye¡­Interesting," Keigh said, his eyes glimmering with interest. "This is the training area Crater sends you to once you reach four-stars. It''s not exclusive to citizens of the colonies. So, your goal may not be at an end quite yet."


    "Really? Are you sure?"


    "Yeah," he nodded, "But before you get your hopes up, the cost of being trained is very steep for those who aren''t citizens. A little over a million dollars was the last price I saw."


    Keigh sat silently, listening to the rest of her story. Only interrupting to ask her to clarify her experience with energy.


    "Now I''m here," Ivy said, concluding her story.


    "Wow, quite impressive. The talent between you and your two friends is pretty amazing," he said. ''I still feel kinda guilty about not being here. Punctuality isn''t really my strong suit¡­'' he thought. "Why didn''t you want Zoe to come with you?"


    "I did want her to come."


    "But?"


    "I was thinking about a lot of stuff. Like what Aca told us. Mostly, I think it''d be selfish to drag her along¡ªshe told me she wanted to have five stars, and she isn''t going to get that by coming with me."


    ''Maybe I could teach her something about energy. So she''s able to defend herself,'' he thought. "If you want, I could help you out; teach you what they wouldn''t at Crater."


    "Really?" Ivy got to her feet, her face glimmering with interest. "You''re gonna teach me how to get real strong, right?"


    "Something like that, sure."


    "If you can teach me¡­Why didn''t they teach me energy while I was there?"The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "So, the reason they keep it a secret is because energy is a dangerous tool. A real dangerous tool. If everyone and their mother knew about it and knew how to use it, the world would be an absolute disaster. Just look at what happened in Cassius; that was just on a small scale. A couple of guys were able to do all of that."


    "Ohhh, okay. Yeah, that makes sense."


    "That''s why they take this stuff so seriously. If you were to hit the triple-star rank, you would have the option to learn it. Well, after some psychological tests to make sure it''s safe."


    "So then, you''re like a master at energy? Like, you know everything about everything?"


    "Oh, definitely not," he chuckled. "I''ve learned a lot more than most people. Maybe I''d be in the top ten of most knowledgeable. But the human race as a whole knows so little; we''ve barely scratched the surface of what energy can do. If I had to guess, we probably know less than ten percent."


    Ivy''s mouth hung open with amazement. "That''s so cool! So then, can you turn all big and make yourself into a werewolf or make your hands explode too?"


    "Uhh, I mean, maybe? It''s not that simple. There''s a lot of factors and rules that go into something like that. For one, you can''t just think up an ability and ''poof,'' two seconds later, it appears. It has to be personal to you. Energy is basically a representation of your wants and desires. It works best when you are true to yourself and your skill set."


    "Hm," Ivy hummed, sitting cross-legged on the ground, thinking hard. "My skill set?"


    "What those three had were energy abilities. They created them. Let''s say you wanted to create an ability. Let''s say that you''re really passionate and have a deep interest in music. You should focus your efforts on something surrounding that. Or better yet; If you''ve never shot a bow and arrow before, it''d be a terrible idea to make an ability that centers around archery unless you have something very specific in mind. You get what I''m saying?"


    "I think so¡­"


    "I''m getting a bit ahead of myself; for starters, I should probably teach you how to hide your energy. Since, well, I can still sense you."


    "Huh?" Ivy looked down at herself. She knew for a fact that she''d deactivated her veil long ago.


    "This is the most important thing I want you to master. Think of it as the finale of learning the basics.


    "Even though your energy is essentially deactivated, it''s not ''off.'' I can still feel your presence. It''s in more of a sleep mode, is the way I''d describe it. Learning to turn it off is a great tool. Though, it''s very rare for someone to be able to sense ''sleeping energy,'' it does happen. They''d need to be an expert. But, what you should be worrying about is beasts. Especially in places like this¡ªdense forests."


    "Beasts?"


    "Yup," he nodded. "From my travels, I''ve noticed that a lot of animals, especially beasts, seem to be drawn towards energy. Some are curious and friendly, others are very angry and very hungry."


    "Alright, so what do I do?"


    "Imagine all the energy in your body. Flowing like water, sloshing around."


    Ivy nodded, her eyes screwed shut from concentration.


    "Now, think about sucking all that water in and holding it in your inner core. It may also help to be in a meditative state."


    Ivy opened her eyes, pulling a face and rubbing her stomach. "It feels weird. Like, I ate too much."


    "That¡­wow," Keigh shook his head. "Learning that usually takes someone weeks to get right. Well, damn," he grinned. "I expected that to take all night. You wanna learn some other cool stuff?"


    "Hmmm," he got up, pacing around the clearing. "Where to start¡­I guess the next step would be learning about abilities," he mumbled. "When creating your abilities, you''ve gotta keep a few things in mind: your energy pool, allocation, category, and intent or mindset. That''s why Marlon, Kiari, and that Kurt-Adam guy lost. From what you''ve told me, they each misunderstood one of the core parts. For that Geier guy, well, he was just a na?ve kid, it seemed like¡ªthe lesson there is to never be too trusting, even if the person seems harmless.


    "From what you described, Kurt-Adam was an absolute powerhouse. His issue was that he put too much of his energy into the wrong things. Abilities involving metamorphosis can be very taxing depending on how you do it. His especially. Since all he did was increase his strength and possibly speed with the form he took, he wasted a lot of energy on the look which could have gone towards more strength. While aesthetics are important for a cool factor, there is a limit."


    "Okay, that makes sense," Ivy said. She clicked her tongue in thought. "Would Marlin''s weakness have been controlling something as difficult as water?"


    "You''re not far off. He seemed to be using two different energy categories: manifestation and manipulation¡ªmaking the water appear and controlling it. To me, it sounded like he also had a small energy pool. An ability like what he had would be very draining; combining that with his fatigue from the earlier fight and his energy pool, he was bound to lose. If he''d made his ability a ''quick-shot'' type, like some type of water bullet, I''d say it would''ve worked a lot better.


    "Now, Kiari¡­.that is an interesting case. I would say that he failed because his abilities didn''t match who he was."


    "Who was he?"


    "Kiari didn''t have it in him to kill you. He didn''t want to; he couldn''t bring himself to murder a kid like you. From what I gather, anyway. Basically, he was hindering his own power output. When two people are in a fight like that, the mental is just as important than the physical¡ªmaybe even more so. You may be stronger than the other person in every way, but if you aren''t there mentally, that could be it. The reverse is also true; if you''re weaker than the other person, depending on the situation, your mind can ''amp'' your energy, giving it more power¡ªLike how the human body can run twice its normal speed when being chased by a vicious animal."


    "How many categories are there?"


    "Yeah, there are a total of five. Manifestation, manipulation, alteration, enhancement, and the special class, oddities. I can give you a general run-down on each.


    "We can start with manifestation since it''s the easiest to explain. When you were sparring with Reiza, and she made a knife appear in her hand. That was a use of manifestation¡ªan early form of it, though. My guess is that she''s only just learning the basics so far. That''s what she chose to manifest as practice.


    "For starters, you can''t manifest anything fantastical or out of your power range. For example, you won''t be able to make a laser sword from your favorite movie appear in your hand unless you have the knowledge of how that would function in real life. You also won''t be able to conjure a nuclear bomb since your energy won''t be able to output as much power as that will generate."


    "If I did have the power?" She asked slyly.


    "If you were able to become that strong, then yeah. That''s a prime example of why they don''t let just anyone know of energy''s existence.


    "To manifest something, you need to have a perfect idea of what you''re conjuring. You must be able to perfectly visualize it in your mind. You need to know the shape, the color, the taste, its weight, the material it''s made from¡ªas much detail as possible."


    "Wait," Ivy grinned, a funny thought crossing her mind, "Reiza had to taste knives?"


    "Yeah, that''s one of the many unfortunate aspects of this. But, for the most part, you don''t want to manifest something that already exists, like a sword, since in my opinion, it''s a waste of energy. If you want a blade, you can just go out and buy one. The main things people create are animals, objects, and weapons."


    "Animals? Like a Charcat?"


    "If you want. But that leads into the other category, manipulation. Because you want to control what you manifest, so if you were spawning an animal, you''d need to be proficient in both manifestation and manipulation. Through this second category, you can control living things and inanimate objects."


    A dark purple veil surrounded Keigh. He held out his right hand, his palm facing the sky. The aura that surrounded him seemed to fall off of him, running across his body and collecting itself into a sphere the size of a basketball in his hand.


    "How did you¡ª"


    "This is alteration. It involves changing what your energy is made of, or being able to remove it from your body like so," The purple ball got brighter. "I''d cover your ears," he warned. Ivy did as she was told, watching as Keigh turned, quickly flinging the sphere at the biggest tree he could find.


    The explosion that followed rocked Ivy, knocking her on her back. The ground shook, and the trees rustled; some weaker ones collapsed nearby. The blast of air from it immediately snuffed out the small campfire, scattering the small twigs.


    "Also, allowing you to change the properties of your energy," he said, fumbling around, placing the sticks back into the rock circle, and relighting them. "You can also change and strengthen an object as well, like a sword or something."


    Ivy looked absolutely stunned. Her eyes wide with admiration. "That was so cool! Can you do it again?"


    "I could, but it''s not a good idea," he said, looking in the direction of Crater. "They ain''t gonna be happy about that one," he grimaced. "Enhancement is a fairly straightforward combat-oriented category. Using fortitude, you can strengthen or defend certain aspects of your body. You can greatly increase your punching power through an ability if you want.


    "Transformations or metamorphosis can also be put into the enhancement category.


    "Lastly is the oddities. Those are tricky since they are the ones that don''t fall into any of the previously described energy categories."


    "Huh," Ivy muttered, taking it all in. She sat silently for a while, contemplating everything. "So what am I?"


    "I dunno," he shrugged. "You can go down any type you want, really, but your body will be efficient at one or two categories. If your body is made for manipulation, then going down the manifestation route would be pretty difficult but not impossible. You''d just have to work a lot harder than someone who''s naturally good at manifesting."


    Ivy closed her eyes, activating the veil of energy around herself. She imagined all her energy moving to her outstretched hand.


    "It won''t be that easy," Keigh yawned, sitting back down. "To make things easier, people will put restrictions and rules to their ability."


    "What do you mean?" Ivy asked, opening her eyes.


    "Think about Kiari. He had to grab onto you for his white phosphorus to activate. What it sounds like was that his rule was he needed to touch you with all his fingers and his palm for his ability to activate. He couldn''t just look at you and make you explode on the spot."


    "If he was stronger, he could''ve done that?"


    "Perhaps. The weaker you are, the more restrictive your abilities have to be. To maximize efficiency on an ability, you''ll need to add restrictions and limitations to said ability, especially if you don''t have a lot of energy to begin with. Putting limitations and restrictions on your ability is a straightforward multiplier on the ability in question. The more severe the restriction, the more powerful the ability will be. Minimizing generalities is the best move; the more specific it is, the better."


    "The exploding basketball was your ability?"


    "Eh, kinda. I don''t discuss what my actual ability is. If someone knows my ability, they won''t know it for long. And that''s another thing, never ever trust anyone with the knowledge of your ability; in fact, make it a rule to let no one know you even have knowledge of energy."


    "Can I ask you something?" Ivy asked after some time had passed. The sky had turned from black to a dark blue.


    "Go ahead."


    "What were you gone for? Zoe told me that you''re never at Crater."


    "Well, now," he paused, a dark shadow crossing his face, "I''d call myself a monster hunter."


    "A monster hunter?" Ivy repeated with awe. "So, like, you fight dragons and trolls and stuff?"


    "Ivy, you may be too young to realize this, but a lot of sick things are happening in this world. How old are you now, eleven?"


    "Yeah," Ivy nodded.


    "Well, that was the same age I went on my first out-of-wall mission. During that mission, I was exposed to a lot of depravity. I was the only one who made it out. My two friends weren''t as lucky. I wouldn''t say I''m a victim per se.


    We live in a fallen world. I know what monsters look like and how they act. I know how they seek positions of unquestioned authority; how they live in the upside-down world that I see more and more of as I live and travel. A world where lies are truth. Apologies are a submission. Questions are tyranny. Curiosity is unscientific. Progress is destruction, and destruction is progress. Tradition is slavery, and love is oppression.


    As I get older, I feel the ancient drive to protect. Seeing what openly happened to kids like me, and especially you, sent me on a warpath. I''ve been fighting a war for over five years now. I won''t stop, even if it kills me or I am long dead. There have been many casualties, opportunities, friends, and alienation of family, but I''m not going to stop, even if I''m dead.


    Many years ago, I was at the time, maybe five years older than you. I was on a mission for a company in a faraway country. Deep in an underground lab, I saw a famous, world-renowned scientist. At first, I thought the kids they were experimenting on were runaways or lost; but he''d convinced parents to give their own kids to him. Right at that moment, I saw the flash of a monster that I hadn''t seen in many, many years. It was as clear as day. Seeing parents break their protection instincts and serving their children. It reminds me of the old stories of Aztec and pagan child sacrifice.


    Reading about that in the class halls of Crater, I always wondered how people could do that. How they could offer up their own flesh and blood to some great pyramid?


    I read a lot back then. Particularly books on science. One experiment I learned of recently was the Milgram experiment, proving the human submission to authority. In this moment I saw something new emerge. A science not based in fact, but based in the occult, and ritual, and pain, death, and abuse.


    The monsters seek authority. The Aztec priest ripping out the heart of a baby and eating it on top of a pyramid. Indoctrinating masses. That''s the thing about monsters, Ivy; that''s the thing about evil. Evil makes you love him as he takes everything from you.


    For years now, I''ve cut off the heads of thousands of hydras. City after city, country after country. I put it into existence. See, but like myth, the hydra keeps regenerating more heads because I haven''t been attacking it correctly; I wasn''t going for its heart.


    Most people don''t see it because they don''t understand the nature of monsters. Pedophilia isn''t about sex; it''s about control. It''s about continuing the cycle, so you don''t have to face the reality that this world is fallen and entropic. It''s exhausting and full of snakes. In a never-ending war to spot out and kill the snakes that want to eat your kids.


    I understand why people ignore this, and pretend it isn''t happening. It''s tiring. When you have to face what has happened to you in the past, and realizing that''s happening to others on a daily basis, it hurts horribly bad.


    Everywhere I go, I just ask people to protect the children, because that''s all we''ve got.


    Traveling around the world has changed me. Learning of these things, learning of energy has changed me in very profound, deep spiritual ways¡ªall for the good. If we as humans can''t use what we have to protect each other, then what''s the point?


    If you sacrifice what you have to the snakes'' altar; that''s the lowest form of cowardice. The monsters will eat you. They''ll come for everybody. They have no allies, no allegiances. Snakes have no friends. They''re cold-blooded; they seek warmth, and they''ll suck your blood dry. Trust me, Ivy," he let out a dry laugh. "I know monsters. I''m not gonna stop, either. Once I enter Crater and get what I need, I''ll be back out. Fighting."


    For the next few hours, Keigh used the time to help Ivy practice throughout the night. Noticing her progress with every passing minute.


    Once the sun had lifted above the horizon, he turned to leave, moving towards Crater. Looking back, he said, "I''ll see what I can do. I''m sure the decision may be final, but I''m pretty convincing. If you stick around for a while, I''ll see if I can get you back in," he smiled.


    Twelve hours later, he walked through the gates, down through the forest towards the clearing. He looked around. The clearing had been vacated a while ago; no signs of her anywhere. The clearing had been vacated a while ago. There were no signs of her anywhere. He noticed muddy boot-shaped footprints that led down the mountain.


    Ivy and Keigh did not end up meeting again. She, hours prior, had left Crater''s surrounding mountains and disappeared somewhere.


    End of Book One

 Last time(Recap)

    Last time: After a vague but ominous fortune, a girl named Ivy appeared at the front gates of Crater. Quickly, she met and made friends with two kids named Zoe and Colson. Around the same time, they came face to face with a strange beast¡ªone of unknown origin or roots. It terrorized the colony briefly before being subdued and taken away for research. Ivy, Zoe, and Colson managed to get their first real mission. What was to be only a simple wellness check turned into a life-or-death contract to save the farming village of Cassius from Kiari and his people.


    While there, they learned of a power allowing whoever has learned energy to do almost anything their heart desires.  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    After completing their mission and returning to Crater, they expelled Ivy from the colony after almost killing Reiza, Aye''s(one of the five Hounds) daughter.


    .


    .


    Author''s Note: ''Will be used for character''s inner thoughts.''


    "Normal dialogue tags will be used for speech."


    Bold text will indicate a scene change at the beginning of a sentence.


    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Track 1 Run Cried The Crawling

    Five months, or perhaps eight, had passed since Ivy left. Maybe it was eight. At the moment, Zoe couldn''t recall; the days had melded together, with the past two months, in particular, forming a melancholic blur. The days blended together in a way that was unsettling yet comfortable, like watching the same gray film play on repeat.


    She sat on the edge of her bed in her new room, staring absently at her hands as she shuffled a deck of cards. The cards slid against each other with a soft, rhythmic sound, but her mind wasn¡¯t focused on them. Her room was slightly bigger than the one she had shared with Ivy back in the House of Seeley, though it felt emptier. The old, thick wooden walls creaked occasionally as if they were alive. The carpet beneath her feet was worn, its faded floral patterns frayed at the edges. Above her, a string of lights cast a soft, faux-natural glow, but they didn¡¯t brighten her mood. On her desk sat the golden horn Ivy had left behind, its polished surface gleaming faintly in the filtered light. Zoe''s eyes lingered on it, the memory of Ivy showing this to her for the first time flashed in her mind. Ivy had left it for her before her expulsion from Crater.


    Zoe glanced up at the clock on the wall. It ticked steadily, indifferent to her musings.


    ¡°It¡¯s Tuesday,¡± she muttered to herself, her voice low and flat, ''She should be back soon.'' Sliding off the bed, Zoe pocketed the cards and grabbed her keys from the desk. She unlocked her door with a deliberate motion and stepped out into the long hallway of the house. The air was cool, the scent of varnished wood faintly present. She passed other doors, some slightly ajar, others closed tightly, but no sounds came from within. At the end of the hall, she opened the front door and stepped out onto the wide porch. The afternoon summer sun blazed above. She leaned back, the shade from the overhanging roof covering her face with shadow.


    She scanned the scene before her: three houses arranged in a triangular formation around the massive fountain in the center of the courtyard. Across from her stood a sprawling, multi-story brown house, its windows catching the sunlight. To her left, the third house was painted a pale blue, its shutters slightly crooked but still charming.


    Children shrieked and laughed as they splashed and jumped through the water. Parents sat on benches, chatting idly as they kept a watchful eye on their kids. Teenagers Zoe¡¯s age either bustled about on errands or lounged near the fountain, their feet dipping into the cool water.


    "No classes today?" Zoe heard a voice come from her left.


    The voice startled her out of her thoughts. Zoe turned her head to see Reiza hopping over the side railing with casual grace. Her backpack hit the porch with a dull thud as she tossed it aside and flopped down next to Zoe.


    Zoe tilted her head slightly, letting her long white hair fall like a curtain over her face. ¡°I just didn¡¯t go,¡± she mumbled.


    Reiza raised an eyebrow, a playful grin tugging at her lips. ¡°How many times have you skipped now?¡±


    "Well," Zoe thought back to the letter she saw earlier that week, "My attendance in the last few months has gone from one hundred percent to a low seventy percent."


    "Ouch. You okay, though?"


    "Sure," Zoe monotoned. "I just didn''t feel like doing it."


    Reiza stretched out, propping her feet up on the porch railing. The designer logo on her pristine sneakers gleamed obnoxiously in the sunlight. She leaned back, her straight newly dyed bright red hair, and long colored nails. This look was usually against Crater''s rules, but despite the earlier warning from her father, Aye, she still could get away with things others couldn''t. "Hey, yo, is that¡­" she squinted. Abruptly, she stood, leaning over the railing, pointing to a group of girls walking toward the home.


    "And that''s it," Reiza concluded. Her pacing back and forth stopped. She looked at the group of girls sitting in the home''s living room. "What do you think I should do?"


    Ten girls sat listening to her story. Each lived in the house, along with Reiza and Zoe.


    "I mean," One girl, started cautiously, she was leaning back against a beanbag chair, "Mason shouldn''t have done that, but technically¡­no offense or anything¡­you did kinda start it."


    Reiza stopped mid-step, and glared at her, "You''re taking his side?"


    "You asked me what I thought about it."


    "No. I asked you what I should do. I don''t care if it''s my fault!" she paused, "Even though it definitely isn''t, of course."


    "You could just talk to him about it," another girl offered.


    "Pfft," Reiza scoffed. "Oh wow. Didn''t think of that one. Great idea!" her voice was dripping with sarcasm. Under her breath, she muttered, "Useless."


    Some of the other girls in the room cracked up hearing that.


    Reiza looked over at Zoe, who sat crouched in the corner of the room. Plastic noise-canceling headphones covered her ears, and a deck of cards was sprawled out in front of her on the floor. "Whatever, never mind. I''ll figure it out," she sighed, sitting in the closest chair to Zoe.


    Zoe looked up from the cards sprawled in front of her on the floor.


    "You heard me with those on?" Reiza asked.


    Zoe glanced up, brushing a strand of white hair from her face. "I can hear people fine with these. It''s easier to focus."


    "Okay, what do you think I should do?"


    Zoe looked down at the cards, flipping a few over before looking back toward Reiza, "I wouldn''t know anything about this. We both know I''ve never had a boyfriend."


    "Yeah, but you always seem to have good advice on stuff," Reiza smiled.


    "I haven''t thought about this kind of thing before, so I don''t think I qualify to give advice."


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation."Never?" Reiza''s mouth hung open. She turned, beckoning another girl to come over to them. "Why?"


    "Well, I figured no one is interested in me," Zoe said. She paused for several seconds, "If someone was into me¡­I don''t think I could be with anyone with that low of standards," she monotoned.


    The other girl stifled a laugh.


    "Probably because you say stuff like that," Reiza rolled her eyes.


    "I was joking. Somewhat."


    "Also, you''re shy."


    "Zoe, don''t take this the wrong way," the other girl spoke. "You''re pretty weird."


    "I''m aware."


    "It''s like your facial expressions don''t match the tone of your voice," she added, biting back a smile.


    "Well, I''m not shy," Reiza said proudly. "That''s why once I''m done with this next mission, I''ll go out there and be a model¡­maybe an actress. Whichever comes first."


    "What about you?" The girl said, looking at Zoe.


    "Do I want to be a model? I mean-"


    "Uh, no," Reiza interjected, half laughing, "Like, what are you gonna do?"


    "I don''t know anymore," Zoe mumbled.


    "It really does baffle me," Colson commented, staring across the cafeteria at Reiza. "Of all people, that''s who you''re friends with?"


    Zoe shrugged, whatever.


    "She didn''t even do much to me personally, but damn. If I were you, I''d be plotting murder," he said, sticking his fork into the cooked eye on his plate. The eyeball was the size of a ripe orange. Kovujin was the animal that the eye belonged to¡ªan invasive species to the surrounding mountains. A massive six-legged herbivore that could eat up to nine trees a day; if one were to view it from a ways away, they''d think it was just a large mound of dirt with plants growing on top. Despite its size, the Kovujin is known for its quiet nature, so those from afar may not even hear it.


    "I guess I''m not one to hold a grudge."


    "True. How''s living with her?"


    "I wasn''t sure at first. I think I like it about as much as House of Seeley. Also, I didn''t want to stay in my old room anymore; Keigh suggested I move into one of the smaller private homes."


    "Oh yeah, I heard that you met him. Your hero," he scoffed. "¡­I don''t know, I think he''s smart and has done a lot of good and said some interesting things, but then I''ll hear him talk about seeing lizard people or reptilians, and it just kinda ruins everything."


    "What do you mean?"


    "It''s like he just takes a shit in the punch bowl, ya know?"


    Zoe looked at him as if he were growing another head. "When did he do that?"


    "Zoe, no," he shook his head, half chuckling at the thought. "He didn''t actually defecate in a punch bowl. It''s an expression¡ªyou have a good thing, and you self-sabotage and ruin it."


    "How is he self-sabotaging?"


    "He may have a lot of valuable knowledge on things, but he goes off into crazy conspiracy stuff, and it just kinda ruins his credibility for me, is all. But you talk to him a lot, right? You''d know more than me."


    "A lot," Zoe repeated. "Well, we talk a lot about CraterCoin and stuff like that."


    "Isn''t he only a four-star as well?"


    "I don''t think he cares enough to take the rank-up test. But trust me, he definitely could."


    The teacher paced back and forth as he spoke, pointing to the board at the front of the room. In the seat in front of her, Herald leaned over his desk. He pointed at the teacher and whispered something to his friend. Both tried to stifle their laughs but were quickly glared at by another student. She turned around and angrily put a finger to her lips, "Shhhhh!" she hissed. In response, she received a middle finger from Herald. His friend rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath as they both went back to talking.


    Zoe swiveled in her chair, peering through the rear windows of the classroom. From her spot in the back, she had a perfect view of the schoolyard and one of the many running tracks. A group of kids sprinted across the lanes in the distance, their figures small but clear against the midday sun. Silas lagged behind them, his arms flailing as he likely barked orders for them to run faster.


    The classroom door creaked open, cutting through the dull hum of the teacher¡¯s voice. A tall woman strode in, dressed head-to-toe in black. Every inch of her skin was covered except for her sharp, pale face. White leather straps were wrapped tightly around her forearms and ankles. Behind her, two massive black mastiffs padded into the room. Their heavy paws thudded against the tiled floor as they followed her. The whole room fell silent. All eyes turned to her.


    The teacher paused, marker hovering mid-air. "Oh, Amelia," he stammered, his voice tinged with confusion.


    "Good afternoon, Amelia!" the class called out, their voices slightly uneven.


    Her eyes scanned the class, eventually spotting a girl sitting in the very back with long white hair, turned the wrong way, staring out of the window. "I''m here for Zoe."


    The teacher straightened, frowning as he turned toward the back of the class. "Zoe!" The teacher barked.


    "Hm?" Zoe turned around towards the front of the room.


    "Amelia is here to see you. Have some respect!"


    "Good afternoon, Amelia," Zoe mumbled, her tone flat.


    Amelia smirked, gesturing for Zoe to follow her. Telling her to bring her backpack with her as she wouldn''t be back. The room buzzed with murmurs as Zoe slung her bag over her shoulder and followed Amelia to the door.


    Amelia''s shoes clicked loudly over the bustling hallway. Flanked by her two dogs, she guided them alongside Zoe, traversing the corridors of the school building. Children of various ages and colony ranks darted through the halls, making way for Zoe and Amelia, giving them a wide berth.


    "Alright, look here," Amelia turned to Zoe once they found a hallway with very few people. She fished in her pocket and handed out a sealed envelope to Zoe.


    "What is it?" Zoe asked after studying its outside¡ªcompletely blank.


    "They''ve got a mission for you," she grinned. "You''ve been hand-picked!"