《Woah, That's Life》 Chapter 1 It was a time not close to any holiday in the year, but the children in the small rural town were more excited than ever. Gathered by the town hall that doubled as their classroom, the kids eagerly pushed desks and chairs outside with family members, leaving a large, brightly lit space indoors for only a pair of adults to occupy. The two adults, dressed in matching dusty traveling clothes, were skillfully assembling a variety of odd equipment that attracted many glances from the outside. As all of the regular classroom furniture were cleared out, the pair had successfully set up a podium, a door-like stone slab with markings that resembled a giant ruler, and a watermelon-sized transparent orb that wobbled slightly upon its metallic stand. As one of the adults moved in to adjust the orb stand, the other walked to the doorway of the town hall, and called out to the crowd: ¡°Attention please, everybody!¡± Everyone immediately quieted down, giving full attention to the somewhat tired looking traveler lady, even though she appeared to be younger than most of the grown members in each family. ¡°We¡¯re just about ready to begin, but first, could all of the attendees for the ceremony line up right in front of me here? No shoving please!¡± The children from every family ran out nearly in unison, and quickly formed a single line while squealing in anticipation. The traveler lady then gave instructions for them to move inside in an orderly manner, which were followed precisely, resulting in an array of noisy happy kids all facing the podium. ¡°Good job everybody!¡± The traveler lady complimented the children, then turned towards the remaining adults outside. ¡°Parents and guardians, please remain calm for a moment, we will be calling you in when your child¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°WAIT!¡± A tanned man with gray hair sprinted down the road leading to the town hall¡¯s doors, dragging a child along with each hand. The crowd parted in front of him, allowing this man to stop just in front of the traveler lady, gasp loudly, and say: ¡°Sorry for bein¡¯ late, I was tryna find these two.¡± ¡°No worries. And you are¡­?¡± ¡°The mayor.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The traveler lady moved aside, then gestured for the man to enter: ¡°Please come in, Mr. Mayor, we¡¯ve been expecting you.¡± The mayor nodded, then dragged the children he was holding into the town hall, his hands firmly grasping their wrists. ¡°Apologies. As I was saying, we will be calling out for family members when it¡¯s your child¡¯s turn for the ceremony. But first, we need to have the speech that hopefully all of you have had back in the day¡­¡± While the traveler lady spoke to the families, her partner, a stocky man with a bushy beard, managed to fix the orb stand in the corner. He then faced the mayor, and reached for a handshake: ¡°Good to see you again, Mr. Mayor.¡± ¡°Thanks for droppin¡¯ by for another year, Nick.¡± The mayor pulled one child around his body, adjusting to grab two wrists on one side, then completed the handshake with his one free hand. ¡°¡®Tis gonna be one heck of a busy year for ya.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I called in backup.¡± Nick pointed his chin at the traveler lady. ¡°New grad, came along for experience, already taking over half my job.¡± The lady walked up to them just as Nick spoke his last sentence. ¡°Please just call me Kaylen, Mr. Mayor.¡± ¡°Good to meet ya.¡± The mayor replied as he let go of the two children he brought along. ¡°You mind if I let these two sit up front an¡¯ go last in line?¡± ¡°Of course, but why?¡± Kaylen looked puzzled. ¡°Troublemakers, the two of them.¡± Nick chuckled. ¡°Even I¡¯ve heard of them.¡± The mayor sat the kids down onto the floor right by his leg, then said to Kaylen: ¡°I just got ¡®em away from scissors n¡¯ me best wool socks, ya know. Anyhoo, we startin¡¯?¡± ¡°About time.¡± Nick looked around the room and noticed the children were getting impatient. He immediately approached the podium in quick strides and cleared his throat to quiet the hall again. ¡°Hello there everyone, my name¡¯s Nick. I know you¡¯re all very excited today, and that¡¯s for a really good reason. Does anyone know why?¡± ¡°IT¡¯S TALENTS AWAKENING DAY!¡± The children screamed together. ¡°And why is it important?¡± The answers were less in unison, but they were all some variation of ¡®once in a lifetime¡¯. ¡°Very good! Now, can anyone raise their hand and tell me, why does a Talent matter so much?¡± One kid raised his hand and said: ¡°It shows the best thing you can do in life!¡± Another replied: ¡°It gives you superpowers!¡± ¡°You live longer the better you get at it!¡± ¡°You can slap your uncle if your Talent is better than¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°Now, now, that¡¯s all accurate answers,¡± Nick hurriedly cut off the last response. ¡°But that¡¯s not all there is to Talents. Kaylen over here is a really good expert on the subject, and I¡¯ll let her explain everything. How¡¯s that sound?¡± Kaylen took her spot behind the podium amongst screeches of excitement. ¡°Now, I do see that all of you know a LOT about Talents already, and that is awesome!¡± Kaylen¡¯s first sentence sounded a little shaky, but she quickly settled into a more steady tone of voice as she began to talk about her area of expertise. ¡°However, even though everybody in the world has a Talent, it doesn¡¯t mean that everyone will like what they have, and it doesn¡¯t mean that they can be really really good at using their Talent like a superpower. People can be good at many things after all, and not being able to just focus on one isn¡¯t an issue.¡± ¡°Besides all that, not every Talent is a skill, because people are different. Some people have objects as their Talent, some people have animals or even concepts as a Talent, and some Talents are things we¡¯ve never ever seen before. Because there are so many different types of Talents, not all of them can make you live longer, but if you have one, better be sure to stay healthy, and eat your veggies.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. When the wave of groans and whines subsided, Kaylen continued on: ¡°As a way to tell how good you are at using your Talent compared to other people, we also use what¡¯s called a point system to make things clear. Do note that it¡¯s not a competition and it doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re the best, but we¡¯re also going to test you on it today, so here¡¯s a question: can everyone count to a hundred?¡± ¡°YES!¡± ¡°Great job! Now, if you look around here, you can see this big round orb. When you come up later, please put both hands on the orb, and it¡¯s going to show you what your Talent is. After that, come put your hands on the big big block of rock here, and it¡¯ll tell you a number, and that¡¯s your starting Talent point. We won¡¯t tell anyone else your score besides your family, and you can tell your friends later only if you want to, okay?¡± ¡°YES!¡± ¡°Okay, now I¡¯ll start calling out names, and please come up if you hear your name, does that sound good?¡± Kaylen then stepped back from the podium and looked nervously at Nick. ¡°Was that talk good enough?¡± ¡°Not bad for your first full speech.¡± Nick patted her shoulder. ¡°I would use even easier words for the kids though, but you covered enough technical information, so just remember to be more relaxed and friendly, alright?¡± ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± Kaylen sighed in relief, but just as she turned around to look at the name list for the group of children, the mayor reached it first and swiftly crossed out two names with a prepared pen. ¡°Sorry lass, but I need two of ¡®em lil buggers to go last, it¡¯s punishment.¡± The mayor explained. ¡°W-why? Was it the two that you brought along?¡± Kaylen stuttered. Nick took one meaningful look at the mayor, then took the name list for himself. ¡°Aye, gotta keep ¡®em in sight as long as can do, the whole town¡¯s gon¡¯ appreciate it.¡± ¡°They can¡¯t be that much trouble, right? They¡¯re just kids.¡± Kaylen asked in a low voice, as Nick began to beckon the first child and their family members toward him. ¡°Stole every denture in town n¡¯ threw ¡®em in the pig pen, they did.¡± The mayor replied. ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°Also started growin¡¯ weeds in my yard, said it¡¯s for ¡®experimentation¡¯ n¡¯ whatnot. Spent all fertilizer on their lil¡¯ dirt patch, ended up havin¡¯ a half dozen houses rebuilt n¡¯ all¡­that ain¡¯t even the worst parts.¡± The mayor grumbled, appearing to Kaylen as if he could start an hours-long rant right then and there. She muttered a brief apology and retreated towards Nick. ¡°...and now, keep looking at the orb like that, and take deep breaths, as slowly as you can.¡± Nick was directing the first child in line on what to do. ¡°Now look at that, what¡¯s the thing in your hand?¡± The child, lifting both hands up from the surface of the orb, had somehow pulled an object out from within. ¡°It¡¯s a¡­a piece of folded¡­tablecloth?¡± Nick, who had been acting as the mature experienced figure throughout the day, looked visibly confused by this strange revelation. He cleared his throat several times, then blinked very rapidly, eventually accepting the reality that he had been presented with. ¡°Very well then, it is still something that can be useful to you in daily life. Now come towards this slab, yes. Both hands on the surface¡­good! And here¡¯s your Talent point score.¡± He had taken the pen from the mayor a few moments earlier, and was now scribbling something on a blank strip of paper. He folded the paper into quarters, then handed it to the child¡¯s family as he led them all out of the town hall. ¡°Next!¡± Kaylen took advantage of the temporary pause and called out to the next child. She had glimpsed at the name list and remembered a few names near the top. This child had awakened the Talent to levitate their body exactly three centimeters off the ground, and instead of providing a tangible product, the orb simply reflected a vision of the child performing this skill. Again, their Talent point score was written on a piece of paper and given to the family on their way out of the town hall. The third child received a singular carrot as their Talent, and had to be physically carried out by Nick as his clothes were smudged with tears and snot from the child¡¯s hysterical crying. The town hall became emptier as the children all completed their Talent awakening. Although it didn¡¯t take long for an individual to go through the procedures, the entire group still took a significant amount of time altogether. By the time there were only two kids left, the sun had already begun to set over the horizon. The two kids were the ones specifically left until the end by the mayor. Due to the fact that their names were crossed out on the name list, Kaylen hesitated while trying to think of a way to call them over without sounding impolite. ¡°Oi! Come¡¯ere!¡± Luckily for Kaylen, the mayor did the calling before she continued to trouble over pronouns. ¡°Get this done quick, then we gon¡¯ have a LONG chat back home.¡± The two kids cowered in guilt. Kaylen, sensing their emotions, decided to step in and distract: ¡°there¡¯s no need to be scared, the awakening ceremony doesn¡¯t hurt at all!¡± ¡°I know, otherwise every single one of them that did it before us would¡¯ve started crying.¡± One of the children, a boy that looked to be about seven years old, said loudly. He had a head of sandy brown hair that resembled a bird¡¯s nest, and wore a pair of glasses that had no lenses. He was missing a front tooth, and made no effort to hide the gap when he spoke. The mayor stomped towards them rather grumpily. ¡°What¡¯s holdin¡¯ y¡¯all up?!¡± ¡°He wanna cry!¡± The other child, a girl that looked no older than five, pointed a finger at the boy. She had her dark hair in a messy hairdo that appeared likely to be a former braid, and wore a pink dress that would have complimented her bright blue eyes, if it wasn¡¯t covered in dust and mud stains. ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡± The boy immediately shouted at her. ¡°Totally did!¡± ¡°Amara!¡± The mayor yelled at the girl. ¡°Behave!¡± ¡°So your name is Amara?¡± Kaylen asked before any more yelling could take place. ¡°Yeah.¡± The boy answered. ¡°And my name¡¯s Pauley! Because my dad¡¯s Paul and mom¡¯s Ashley!¡± The mayor sighed, then ran his fingers along the lines on his forehead. ¡°That¡¯s¡­interesting!¡± Kaylen forced a smile onto her face. ¡°And why were you with Mr. Mayor?¡± ¡°Amara¡¯s from my house.¡± The mayor stepped in to explain. ¡°Me n¡¯ my wife¡¯s known Pauley¡¯s family for years now, and his parents asked me to look after him while they worked me yard. These two are just trouble together, ask anyone in town and you¡¯d know.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± The pair of kids apologized in perfect sync. Both hung their heads low, the angles exact, almost as if they''d rehearsed and practiced this pose for a long time prior to this moment. Kaylen has now learned the reason why the mayor had to keep a close eye on these children. She coughed awkwardly, then remembered what her original intention was. ¡°Now, who wants to-¡± ¡°NO!¡± The mayor tried to stop Kaylen from finishing her sentence, but he was too late; the pair of children already charged towards the orb stand, while hitting each other simultaneously. Amara nearly ended up yanking Pauley¡¯s shirt into a dress, and Pauley had one middle finger inside Amara¡¯s ear. Fortunately for the adults, Nick¡¯s instinctive expertise kicked in just on time, and he took hold of the orb milliseconds before the kids knocked the orb stand to the ground. Pauley eventually used his age and relatively bigger physical size to his advantage, and smacked his hands on the orb first. The orb almost instantly deposited something tangible into his hands, but before anyone had the chance to take a good look, he tripped on Amara¡¯s foot and fell, sending pieces of the object flying everywhere. ¡°ENOUGH!¡± The mayor was genuinely angry. ¡°Sit down, right now, and don¡¯t even try to say a word!¡± The kids hung their heads low again, once more moving with perfect synchronization. Nick picked up the orb stand, and returned to orb to it. He then bent down to pick up a few pieces of the object smashed by Pauley, but as soon as he did so, he uttered a startled noise out of a mix of surprise and confusion. ¡°Are these screws?!¡± Nick tried to speak again and managed to form words with his mouth. ¡°...I have a pair of pliers here? And a hammer head?¡± Kaylen looked at the nearest fragments by her feet. ¡°I got the box.¡± The mayor said. ¡°¡­Wait, what does that mean?¡± ¡°Looks like a toolbox to me,¡± Nick replied. ¡°Still gotta test the points though.¡± ¡°Pauley.¡± The mayor held an empty tool box with one hand, and used the other hand to yank Pauley upright by the back of his shirt collar. ¡°You¡¯re grounded til I say you ain¡¯t, but be good now n¡¯ test your Talent points, n¡¯ your parents might get real happy.¡± Pauley responded with a simple nod, obeying the mayor¡¯s earlier command of silence. He walked quickly to the stone slab, and, with more caution this time, put his hands steadily on its surface. The three adults immediately gasped together, as Nick dropped his handful of screws for his pen, but the mayor stopped him from writing anything down: ¡°Just tell ¡®em both, they ain¡¯t gon¡¯ keep secrets from one another.¡± Nick then turned his body fully to see Pauley face to face. Unlike before, he had lost his air of calmness, and instead looked quite stern. Pauley, who obviously had little regard for adult authority, was turned into a attentive and serious person under this new interaction. ¡°Pauley¡­McCarthy,¡± Nick began to speak. ¡°You have scored a perfect 10 in Talent points.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Pauley wasn¡¯t sure what the number meant, and didn¡¯t know why Nick was being so serious all of a sudden. ¡°It means you have the highest possible starting Talent point.¡± Kaylen began to explain. ¡°And what that means, is that you should be able to achieve anything you want in regards to your Talent, should you choose to explore its full potential. According to the latest research and guidelines for Talent classification guidelines, this means you could possibly create¡ª¡± ¡°Whoa, whoa, slow down! ¡± Nick cut her off, ¡°don¡¯t forget the kids aren¡¯t going to understand all that technical jargon.¡± ¡°My apologies.¡± Kaylen took a deep breath and backed down, leaving an utterly confused Pauley glancing back and forth at the three adults, while Amara walked towards him and took his hands off the stone slab. ¡°Mr. Mayor, you¡¯d want to know this, but none of the kids from earlier scored higher than a five, like the last batch. Actually, like the last three batches from these parts. ¡± Nick said, clearly no longer addressing his words to the kids. ¡°So¡­¡± The mayor furrowed his brow, as if he¡¯s already lost in thought. ¡°This kid¡¯s got to be one in a thousand, no, more than that¡ª¡± ¡°Roughly every one individual in every fifty thousand people scores a ten while awakening Talents, Mr. Nick. This would require¡ª¡± ¡°Excuse me!¡± A shrill voice interrupted the uncoordinated conversation. Amara stepped boldly out between the adults, and looked up at them confidently as she expressed her feelings. ¡°I think that Pauley¡¯s real special and he¡¯s got y¡¯all excited, but this is still about him, so can y¡¯all tell us what¡¯s going on here?¡± Kaylen looked shocked by her actions. Nick froze for a brief moment, realized what he¡¯d just done, and hurriedly adjusted his attitude: ¡°Yes, sorry, you¡¯re correct. So Pauley, what do you want to know about your Talent right now?¡± Chapter 2 Pauley blinked, his mouth hanging half open, his mind still in confusion. ¡°Is his Talent a toolbox?¡± Amara asked for him. ¡°Yes.¡± Kaylen snapped back to her earlier self, and put her smile back on her face. ¡°He has¡­what we would call an utility type Talent, which means that it¡¯s going to be helpful in his day to day life.¡± Amara nudged Pauley with an elbow, but didn¡¯t receive any reaction. She then decided to speak on his behalf again: ¡°And why is ten the biggest number for Talents?¡± ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s not the biggest.¡± Nick said. ¡°Kaylen? Care to practice your speech again?¡± ¡°Yes, mister.¡± Kaylen replied. ¡°So Pauley¡ªand Amara, the numbers we use here aren''t quite the same as what you might have learned about before. Talent points are a rough way to measure how good someone is at using their Talent. For example, a person who has a gardening Talent with three Talent points is usually less good at gardening than someone who has five Talent points, do you understand?¡± ¡°Because five is bigger than three?¡± Amara asked. ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°So Pauley¡¯s better because he got ten, and ten is bigger than five?¡± ¡°Uh, yes and no¡­¡± Kaylen answered vaguely, but before she could adjust the small misunderstanding, Pauley came to his senses, and asked: ¡°So what can I do now?¡± ¡°Well, you see, everyone has a different take on their Talent, and I can¡¯t say what you can and can¡¯t do before you figure it out for yourself.¡± Kaylen answered again patiently. ¡°What I can tell you though, is that you have the best score out of everyone that was here today, and if you want to put your mind into using your toolbox Talent, you¡¯ll be great with it in no time.¡± Pauley gave her a somewhat toothless smile, then said: ¡°So can I have my things back?¡± The mayor wordlessly stuffed everything he collected off the ground into Pauley¡¯s arms, then gave him a light slap on his head: ¡°You¡¯re still grounded.¡± ¡°NOOO¡ª¡± Nick awkwardly cleared his throat while Pauley was screeching in anguish. After the lamenting noises were over, he gently put one hand on the mayor¡¯s shoulder, and reminded him that there¡¯s one more child that has yet to have Talents awakened. Amara took a look at the mayor, and smartly pressed her lips together to stop herself from screaming out loud like Pauley. She walked to the orb stand by herself, her steps even and steady, but her fingers were pinching the fabric on her dress, exposing how nervous she felt. ¡°Just relax now, nothing to worry about.¡± Nick followed her to the orb, leaving Kaylen to observe this final ceremony process and the mayor to silence Pauley using the hand-over-mouth method. ¡°You saw how everyone else did it today, right? There¡¯s nothing to be scared about.¡± ¡°B-but¡­¡± Amara stuttered. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°What if I have a bad Talent? W-what if Pauley¡¯s Talent is better than mine?¡± Amara said, almost on the edge of tears from nerves. ¡°Amara, dear.¡± Nick smiled. ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as a ¡®better Talent¡¯. Working hard with what you¡¯ve got and persevering are a lot more important than the number of points you start with.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t be more honest. Are you ready?¡± Amara nodded, then put both her hands on the surface of the orb. Almost immediately, the orb began to emit a faint glow of light from its center. Amara felt the orb tremble underneath her palms, its surface turning from a cool, smooth texture into a hot soft material that sank underneath her hands and burned her skin. Through some strange force, she couldn¡¯t resist pulling away, or even blink as the orb glowed brighter and brighter in front of her eyes. ¡°¡­unheard of¡­ almost petrified¡­listen¡­pull her back¡­¡± Nick¡¯s voice sounded distant, and Amara could barely understand the words he was saying. Finally, after what seemed like both a minute and an eternity, Amara could feel her eyelids drooping, and she closed her eyes without a second thought. ¡­ ¡°Hello? Uh, anyone home?¡± Amara had no idea how much time had passed since she last saw anything, but when she opened her eyes, she was staring at a seemingly endless gray void, instead of the town hall¡¯s patterned ceiling like she¡¯d expected. There were no differences in the color and direction within this peculiar space, and she felt that she wasn¡¯t standing on anything, even though she was staying upright. She held her breath for a moment, then discovered that she didn¡¯t need to breathe. She was certain she had never been in this place before, and the feeling of missing certain senses appeared to be quite fascinating to her. Before the novelty wore down, however, Amara noticed that the void in front of her seemed to turn to a shade of light green, except a silhouetted area of herself. Assuming that there¡¯s a light behind her, Amara turned around to look behind, and was almost blinded by a bright orb of green light that hovered right around eye level. ¡®Ow!¡¯ Amara stumbled back, shielding her eyes with her arm. Tears streamed down her face from the shock, and she could still see spots of flashing green light behind her eyelids. My apologies. The orb of light shrunk in size, dimming down its brightness to a more eye friendly level. Amara, after rubbing her face with her sleeve and recovering from the flash, finally realized something was off. ¡®Did¡­did you just talk to me?¡¯ With one eye carefully squinting at the orb and the other still covered with a hand, Amara asked aloud. Yes, I did. The orb pulsated at a steady pace, matching Amara¡¯s heartbeat perfectly. The voice it emitted was less like a voice spoken out loud, and more like an audible thought sent directly into Amara¡¯s head. It did not have a tone that could be described as feminine or masculine, though it sounded quite pleasant regardless. ¡®Who¡¯re you? Why¡¯re you here? What¡¯s this place?¡¯ Upon finding something to talk to, Amara immediately jumped to asking questions, as she tended to do so normally. Well, these are all good¡ª Before the strange orb could finish another sentence, a loud whooshing noise interrupted it, followed by a dull thud as Amara felt something bounce off her head. Another orb of light, similar in size to the first, zoomed into sight and came to a sudden stop in midair, right beside the other orb. Unlike the first orb, however, this one emitted a dark purple glow, and was thus easier for Amara¡¯s eyes to adjust to its light. Hey there, nice to meet you. The second orb also had the ability to ¡®talk¡¯. Its voice was also androgynous in timbre, though somewhat harsher than the first¡¯s, making their voices easy to distinguish. You¡¯re here too? Don¡¯t you hate these long talks the most? The first green orb sounded surprised as it addressed the second. Can¡¯t miss the first day. The second purple orb replied. ¡®You know each other?¡¯ Amara asked. Why, yes. The green orb said. Actually, I believe that you deserve a long explanation, and a long overdue one at that. ¡®¡­Me?¡¯ Yes you, Amara. Do you like stories? ¡®Yes! Wait, how did you know my name?¡¯ That¡¯s where the story comes in, kid. The purple orb said. It¡¯s a little too long for me to explain it all, though. Look at the other orb. So, do you know about deities? The green orb took over the conversation. ¡®Like, gods?¡¯ Amara thought for a moment. ¡®I hear gramps say please ¡®n thank you to ¡®em a lot.¡¯ ¡­Interesting. Anything else? ¡®They¡¯re people that¡¯re the best at their Talent, and live long enough to be the best at it no matter how many others have the same thing?¡¯ That¡¯s enough knowledge for your age. Now, for a proper introduction¡ªI¡¯m the Deity of Life. Or used to be. ¡®¡­What?!¡¯ Amara dropped her jaw. ¡®You¡­deity? Life? Am I dead? Did I go to¡ª¡¯ Hey, hey, you¡¯re not dead. Yet. The purple orb chimed in. Also, I was the Deity of Destruction. You¡¯re going to scare her. The green orb, or the self-proclaimed Deity of Life, said. You said your title first! ¡®Why¡¯re you two here?¡¯ Amara was more curious than terrified. Two orbs of light that could float and talk to her didn¡¯t seem threatening, and were just strange enough for her to believe they were at least related to deities or gods. Well, to put it mildly¡ªwe¡¯re dead. Mildly? Would you like to do this talk then? No thanks. Anyway, Amara, the lights you see in front of you right now are just¡­thoughts that our own selves saved up before we were gone. The reason why we are here is because this place is your own mind. ¡®I have a big brain?¡¯ Amara reached upwards and touched her head. It felt normal to her, with no signs of swelling or growing a second head from her neck. ¡®How am I here then?¡¯ You were awakening your Talent, right? Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡®Yeah.¡¯ Something is¡­wrong with your original Talent because of us, and so we wanted to meet you first and let you know, before you go back to reality. ¡®Something¡¯s wrong?! Where? Why?!¡¯ Amara panicked. She wanted to know her Talent ever since she¡¯d known about them, and she was not ready to hear that her Talent wasn¡¯t going to show up. So¡­ The Deity of Life hesitated at its word choices. We came to you just when you¡¯re about to be born, not on purpose¡ªand, well, you had a Talent. ¡®Had?!¡¯ It was¡­not good. The Deity hesitated again. It¡¯s completely gone now. Amara stared at the green orb with wide eyes, her entire being frozen still. Then, without warning, she started bawling her eyes out. Oh, great. I thought you were going to be gentle. The Deity of Destruction spoke up again. Because its voice seemed to be sent straight into Amara¡¯s head like an actual thought, the words were not interrupted by crying sounds. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve dealt with a child, alright? Feel free to speak more, if you think you can help her more. Both orbs remained silent until Amara was exhausted from her sobbing. She sniffled, wiped her face clean by herself, then with a few hiccups, breathed out some words: ¡®What¡­what happened to it?¡¯ I think you can do better, actually. The Deity of Life made a noise that sounded like a loud sigh, then went back to explaining: As I said, this place is your mind. When we got here at first, you had something that was eating this place away, so we had to fight it out. ¡®Really¡­?¡¯ No lies. We both worked to make this place bigger after it was gone, but it looked like it was the only other thing besides us three in here, so it was definitely your original Talent. ¡®Why are you guys in my mind then? And¡­and, don¡¯t I have a Talent anymore?¡¯ Amara calmed down enough to ask questions again, even though she can¡¯t really understand everything the Deity has said. We are not sure why we are in your mind, or even why we haven¡¯t disappeared. From what I could tell, we can exist like this as long as we¡¯re with you. The Deity of Life told her. As for your Talent, well, you now have two. Amara was dumbfounded. Yep, that¡¯ll be us, two godly beings and powers instead of one something. Aren¡¯t you excited? The Deity of Destruction said. Give her time to think. ¡®¡­Why?¡¯ Amara felt her mind becoming fuzzy with the mess of information and emotions that she had been taking in. Whatever the reason, you still lost your Talent because of us, so it¡¯s only natural that we both give you one back. Also, we¡¯re probably going to disappear if we leave your mind anyway, so consider it as us paying rent, if you know how that works. Amara sat down and put her head in her hands¡ªshe willed herself into a sitting position, and somehow managed to do so without lowering her body down to a surface of some kind. After what seemed like hours of thinking, she finally felt like she had an idea of what had happened. ¡®Okay, so, I have two Talents.¡¯ That is correct. ¡®I saw two gods and they talked a lot to me.¡¯ Fragments, technically, but yes. ¡®I have them in my brain.¡¯ If you must put it that way, also yes. ¡®They made my mind really big.¡¯ It¡¯s for your Talent points and future educational sessions¡­actually, whatever. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Nothing you need to understand right now. Do you have questions, though? Amara stared blankly at a random spot in front of her. ¡®I don¡¯t know if I can remember all these¡­¡¯ No problem, we¡¯re here all the time, literally. Unless you want us to go. ¡®No, no.¡¯ Amara may be overwhelmed, but she knows she wouldn¡¯t miss out on two Talents or have the guts to chase out literal deities from her own mines . She hasn¡¯t seen or heard of anything remotely close to what she¡¯d experienced, and she¡¯s decided for now that the two orbs were honest. ¡®Can I leave, then? Gramps ¡®n Pauley¡¯s gonna be worried.¡± Of course, just try to picture yourself opening your eyes and waking up. When you want to be back, imagine how this place looks like right now without thinking about anything else, and you¡¯ll be here. Amara didn¡¯t forget her manners. ¡®Thank you.¡¯ You took this better than I expected. ¡®Oh! Do you guys have names?¡¯ Right before she decided to go, Amara remembered something really important. ¡®Or something I should call you?¡¯ The two orbs suddenly turned dimmer. No. We once had many names, but as mere remnants of thoughts, we don¡¯t remember any. ¡®Can I call you Princess Hog?¡¯ Amara turned to the purple orb. Rejected. Do not. Why do you even have such ideas. We are but mere ideologies, but worshippers used to believe that Destruction was a male deity, so he was used to not being a Princess. The green orb quickly explained to Amara before she had time to be upset. Life was a different story, but that¡¯s for another time¡ªyou should return to reality now. As soon as that sentence was completed, Amara found herself suddenly sitting upright in her own bed, with several worried yet surprised faces staring at her in unison. ¡­ A brief moment of stunned silence later, everyone began to talk at the same time. ¡°Lie down! Lie back down!¡± The mayor yelled in panic. ¡°Are you feeling alright?¡± Nick asked. ¡°Are you okay?!¡± Kaylen¡¯s higher pitched voice pierced through the others¡¯ voices. ¡°You look weird.¡± Pauley commented. ¡°What?!¡± Amara noticed the last sentence first. The mayor resorted to actions and tucked Amara back into bed, forcefully interrupting any conversation straying further from the important issue: ¡°How ye head feelin¡¯? Ye just collapsed on the floor n¡¯ got us all waitin¡¯ for ye to wake up!¡± ¡°I¡­how long¡¯s it been?¡± Amara was about to confess about her two new acquaintances, but as soon as she had the thought, she heard a voice in her own mind stopping her: Don¡¯t talk about us. ¡°It¡¯s almost midnight.¡± Pauley said. ¡°This is the latest I¡¯ve been up ever!¡± ¡°This is serious.¡± Nick said. ¡°You not only passed out from just awakening your Talent, but you also managed to break the equipment with it as well.¡± ¡°Right, ¡®bout that. How much do I¡ª¡± The mayor asked as he reached for his pocket. ¡°No no, the cost is covered, and we have a backup.¡± Nick hurriedly rejected the mayor¡¯s attempt at compensation. ¡°We do need to know the reason why this incident occurred though, and we need to report it to the higher ups.¡± ¡°Of course, of course.¡± ¡°Could it possibly have something to do with her age? She¡¯s pretty young on the age spectrum.¡± Kaylen asked. ¡°Probably not. There¡¯s been cases of children who have awakened earlier than she has, and were completely normal during and after the process.¡± Nick frowned. The mayor followed up with more questions: ¡°Did they look different though? Nick, have you seen anythin¡¯ like this?¡± Pauley grabbed a small mirror and held it up above Amara¡¯s face. The latter gasped in shock. I really didn¡¯t mean for it to happen. I promise we¡¯ll explain, but for now, please still don¡¯t mention us, especially to those two strangers. Amara¡¯s messy bed hair had grown a few noticeable strands of purple, in the exact shade as the orb who claimed to be the Deity of Destruction. Her eyes, which were blue before, are now bright green, just like the orb that¡¯s the Deity of Life. ¡®Why?¡¯ She thought to herself. It may be¡­or definitely because of us. We might be just a tad bit too self aware after the Talent awakening, and it changed you¡­a bit, physically. Free protagonist upgrade. The Deity of Destruction quipped. Zero side effects too. Now¡¯s not the time, Destruction! As Amara¡¯s mind held a small group chat, the adults¡¯ discussion continued as well. Nick had produced another transparent orb, although smaller than the one that Amara had used before. ¡°¡­so it seems like the best thing we can do now is to have her try again. Amara, if you can, could you try to put your hands on this?¡± Although Nick was simply asking with his words, his actions were straightforward, and he had already put the orb into Amara¡¯s hands before his sentence was finished. The orb lasted for about two seconds, flashing a weak light from its interior, before breaking into two pieces. The whole room fell silent once more. Oops. Destruction¡¯s voice rang in Amara¡¯s head, though without much sincerity. ¡°Ahem.¡± Kaylen broke the awkwardness by bringing out a smaller version of the stone slab used for testing points. ¡°How about we try this instead?¡± Amara put down the remnants of the orb, took the stone slab with both hands, then noticed that the adults were staring at the surface using identical vacant stares. ¡°¡­what¡¯s going on?¡± She asked both in her head and aloud. The slab, as if it had some sort of director¡¯s cue, broke into pieces in her hands right then. ¡°This¡­has to be impossible, right? It¡¯s a technical malfunction, right?!¡± Nick muttered under his breath as he continued staring. ¡°I¡¯m not going to be fired, right?¡± ¡°A score of twenty?!¡± Kaylen scratched her head while maintaining eye contact with the broken shards on Amara¡¯s bed. The mayor instinctively swept the sharp pieces away from Amara with a hand. ¡°And how much will these two things be?¡± ¡°No.¡± Nick said. ¡°I mean, no need to worry. I mean, it¡¯ll go on the reports and, and then the authorities¡­¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t do anything else wrong!¡± Pauley objected while waving the mirror in his hand. ¡°Why¡®d you report her?¡± ¡°Oh, she¡¯s not in trouble.¡± Kaylen comforted him. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­she has a really special case going on with her Talent, and we¡¯re going to need more help figuring out what it is, so we have to tell other people about her.¡± ¡°Right, right.¡± Nick still seemed to be in a daze. ¡°Me and Kaylen would need to leave soon.¡± ¡°Now? ¡®Tis too late for travel now, innit?¡± The mayor said. ¡°We still have five towns to go around here, and we also need to get new equipment before going. The sooner we go, the faster we can get back and let specialists come here for diagnostics too.¡± Nick explained. ¡°Stay the night, it¡¯d be no hassle, me wife¡¯s comin back any time now and we¡ª¡± ¡°Thank you, mister, but our next ceremony is scheduled tomorrow morning, we really need to go.¡± Kaylen explained. ¡°Then get a ride from us, it¡¯s prolly past the time for anythin¡¯ else!¡± ¡°Thank you again, but we¡¯ll be fine, mister.¡± Kaylen smiled at the mayor, then turned to the kids. ¡°Sorry to keep you up, Pauley, and rest well, Amara. May both of you sleep tight tonight.¡± The kids muttered goodbyes, and the mayor escorted the duo out of the room. Pauley took advantage of this opportunity to whisper to Amara: ¡°What did you go through? I saw you go quiet, I know you¡¯re hiding something.¡± Amara widened her eyes. After a brief pause to check if anyone in her mind was going to stop her, she leaned towards Pauley and told him: ¡°I got two voices in my head.¡± ¡°Is that it?¡± Pauley asked. ¡°That¡¯s it, young man.¡± The mayor came back into the room and picked up Pauley by his clothes. ¡°Time for ye to go home, you two¡¯s gon¡¯ talk tomorrow, no matter what it is.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡° ¡°I know your bedtime!¡± Amara curled up in her bed as she watched Pauley get dragged away by the mayor. She waited until the footsteps faded, then closed her eyes, and imagined the void space where she saw the two mysterious orbs. She soon felt a sense of being pulled down towards the ground, and as she opened her eyes, she did indeed see the two different orbs of light again. However, she also noticed that there were two new puddle-like areas within the void, each seemingly filled to the top with the same glowing matter the orbs consisted of. As Amara looked at them, the puddle with green matter expanded in size, growing until it was roughly the size of Amara¡¯s bed in reality. The purple puddle simultaneously shrunk down, until it was no bigger than the size of her own hand. ¡®What are these?¡¯ Your Talents. Don¡¯t be so vague on her. Life chided. Amara, these are your energy resources for when you use your Talents. ¡®What does that mean?¡¯ Amara isn¡¯t shy about asking questions. Remember Talent points? Those are just numbers to roughly describe how much of these energy resources you have. That¡¯s why the more points you have, the stronger and better you are at using your Talent, because you have more energy to spend on it. Normally you¡¯d have to let someone guide you on how to find it within yourself first, but we just decided to pool up your energy right here so you can skip the process. As it explained, the green orb floated right over the green puddle, and seemed to have pulled up a small stream of the liquid-like energy. Want to try using some of it first? Amara walked towards the puddle expectantly, then gasped as soon as she touched a drop of energy. It felt like she just poked herself on her arm, except that she knew her other arm wasn¡¯t made of green water. With that thought popping up in mind, Amara then imagined that she was going to move this new, green water ¡®arm¡¯ like she would with her real limb. To her surprise, the little stream of energy really waved like an arm; but unlike the actual thing, the drops splashed unstoppably onto her face. Not bad, you already figured out how to make use of the power. Destruction commented, though the orb sounded like it was holding back a laugh. ¡®But I didn¡¯t want to get it on my face!¡¯ Amara complained. It¡¯s your first time after all, you¡¯ll get better. Life is notably more gentle in its use of words. ¡®What about this energy, then?¡¯ Amara wiped her face, then reached for the smaller puddle of purple energy. No no! Destruction¡¯s voice immediately sounded anxious. You shouldn¡¯t touch that yet! Amara pulled her hand back with a shudder. ¡®Why?¡¯ Did you not remember my name? Don¡¯t meddle with stuff related to me, unless you want to lose a hand for free. Destruction! Be nice. Life scolded again. He¡¯s correct, however, you¡¯re not going to be able to control that energy, Amara. None of us here want you to get hurt. Amara backed away from the fist-sized purple puddle. And since we¡¯re talking about this, Life continued. It¡¯s probably for the best that you don¡¯t mention us, or the fact that you have a second Talent, to anyone. ¡®Why?!¡¯ Amara gasped. ¡®I thought you¡¯d want to meet Gramps and¡ª¡® Well, about that¡­ We only exist in your head, and can¡¯t really go anywhere. You probably don¡¯t want to look weird telling everybody that you hear voices that can only talk to you, right? It¡¯s also for safety. Unfortunately, not everyone in the world will like that you have two Talents. You¡¯re also not able to fully control two Talents yet either, and it¡¯ll be dangerous if you accidentally hurt someone you don¡¯t mean to. But on the other hand, when you can control both Talents, just imagine using both at the same time, and imagine how many praises and¡ª Stop giving her the wrong ideas! Life sounded exasperated. Amara blinked in confusion. Excuse me. What I¡­we are trying to say is, there¡¯s nothing good out of revealing everything about yourself right now. So, can you keep a secret? ¡®Did you mean¡­you two don¡¯t want me to tell people ¡®bout you two? And only say there¡¯s one Talent? That¡¯s all?¡¯ ¡­if you put it that way, yes. ¡®Okay!¡¯ Amara didn¡¯t quite understand the reasons the orbs gave out for her to keep quiet about them, but she knew that they were nice to her, and they didn¡¯t want to be known; that was all the reasons she needed to comply with what the orbs asked. Plus, at her age, the idea of knowing something nobody else could was novel enough to make her stick to her word. Chapter 3 ¡®So what am I supposed to do now?¡¯ Since you were already doing it earlier, how about you keep learning energy control? Life suggested. We¡¯ve put most of the energy into your Life Talent, and you can show this to your family and friends if you like. If you can learn a few tricks before then, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be extra impressed. Oh yeah, go get those¡­alright alright, I¡¯ll leave. The purple orb floated away, as the green orb shined a little more in brightness, presumably doing an orb form of a glare. ¡®Can I beat Pauley if I learn fast?¡¯ Amara asked the green orb. In a fight? ¡®Yeah!¡¯ ¡­sure. Isn¡¯t his Talent just a toolbox though? ¡®I¡¯ll beat him!¡¯ Amara is fixated on the idea.¡¯He said that¡¯s the only way I can make him make a teapot for me!¡¯ Why would you want¡­never mind, let¡¯s focus. Life began to teach. The core idea behind energy control is knowing it¡¯s always a part of you, just like a limb or organ, so starting with control is like learning how to crawl or walk¡­ ... Amara didn¡¯t realize she had fallen asleep until she woke up to the noise of something scraping on her bedroom window. Half groggy and half terrified, she got off her bed and went to investigate the sound, and came face-to-face with Pauley waving a long broomstick, one floor below her. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Pauley smacked the broomstick on the side of the house, until Amara got the hint and opened her window. ¡°My ma said you¡¯re gonna need this!¡± A full plastic bag came flying into the room, and narrowly missed Amara¡¯s head as she ducked down. The bag hit the ground with a dull thud, and what appeared to be an apple rolled out. ¡°Aight, bye!¡± Pauley then dashed out of the yard with skilled fluidity. As soon as he charged out of sight, Amara¡¯s bedroom door was knocked on, and the mayor walked in after a brief pause. ¡°Gramps?¡± Amara was sure she looked strange, standing by an open window with scruffy hair and a mystery bag laying by her feet. ¡°I can explain¡ª¡± ¡°What did you do this time.¡± The mayor didn¡¯t even bother to phrase his sentence like a question. Amara then described everything that had happened since her waking up, making sure to put as much blame on Pauley as possible. The mayor walked over and picked up the bag as he listened halfheartedly, then his expression changed to one that was usually shown at a table of paperwork. ¡°Aight, get ready for the day n¡¯ get downstairs for food. There¡¯s somethin¡¯ serious we gotta do today.¡± The mayor then left with the bag without another word. Amara was puzzled, but she obeyed the mayor¡¯s words and got ready for breakfast. At the kitchen table downstairs, multiple plates were already stacked with steaming food, even more than what Amara expected from the usual. A curvy woman in her late fifties was still hustling in the kitchen, wiping her brow with a towel as she set down one more full plate. The mayor sat at the table, his cutlery untouched, as he stared at nothing with a big frown. ¡°Gran, what¡¯s with these foods?¡± Amara asked loudly, trying to be heard over the busy sounds of the kitchen. ¡°Ask ye Gramps!¡± ¡°Come ¡®ere.¡± The mayor came back to his senses and patted at the seat by his side. Amara sat down, feeling uneasy at the sudden formality of everything. She couldn¡¯t recall anything that she had done recently, except for the mess that was her Talent awakening, and maybe accidentally stepping into the concrete by the street down east, or trying to convince the younger kids in the neighborhood that mud was a healthy nutrient source¡­ The dread only grew as she watched her Gran also sitting down at the table with a solemn expression. Nobody was touching the breakfast, and Amara was getting certain that she would be grounded until she became an adult. ¡°Amara.¡± The girl shuddered: ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°There is somethin¡¯ that me n¡¯ your Gran need to tell you.¡± ¡°¡­oh.¡± At least she¡¯s getting the reason. Or reasons. ¡°You¡¯re adopted.¡± ¡°What?¡± Amara¡¯s expectations were wrecked.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°It¡¯s shocking, I know, but we reckon that you¡¯re old enough¡ª¡± ¡°I knew.¡± The mayor was now the one to be taken aback. ¡°I saw y¡¯all got white hairs n¡¯ I don¡¯t, so I knew it for a while now.¡± Amara explained her thought process honestly. ¡°¡®Cause everybody else¡¯s got the same hair colors as their family.¡± There was a long, awkward pause where the only thing moving in the air was the steam from the food. ¡°So, these extra food¡¯s gonna be for your ma.¡± The mayor¡¯s wife finally spoke. ¡°Me n¡¯ Pauley¡¯s parents cleaned her up a bit yesterday, so she¡¯s gon look better for ya to meet.¡± ¡°My ma? She¡¯s here?!¡± Amara jumped out of her seat excitedly. ¡°I¡¯m meetin¡¯ her?¡± ¡°Yes and no. We can pack the food up and go now, if ya want.¡± The mayor¡¯s frown didn¡¯t leave his face. Amara immediately dashed off to grab some boxes. Now, now, I wouldn¡¯t be so happy if I were you. Destruction¡¯s voice suddenly sprung up in her head. ¡®Why?¡¯ Amara thought back a response, while her actions barely skipped a beat. Well¡­if she had an easy time with you, we¡¯d probably not be with you right now. Life said vaguely. Just brace yourself. Amara knew enough to have a slight idea about what happened to her mom now. The food was packed up quickly, and the family set off for the hill just outside of town. Amara had been there a handful of times, but the path she took with her grandparents was different than what she¡¯d been following before. The mayor had brought along the bag Pauley threw into the house, and he was staring down at it nearly all the way to their destination, not speaking to either his wife or Amara. The mayor¡¯s wife, who was more widely known as the town¡¯s head nurse, was more attentive to the child they brought along for the trip. She called for Amara to stay close to the adults every now and then, but she didn¡¯t look much more cheerful than the mayor. Just as Amara was starting to lose her energy, the mayor paused before a small stone slab by the side of the dirt road they were following, and said: ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± ¡°¡­this is her?¡± Amara pointed at the slab in mild disbelief. ¡°She¡­passed, not much longer after she had you.¡± The nurse said as she began to set out the food they¡¯d brought in front of the slab. ¡°I was the one who found her, right at this spot.¡± The mayor finally spoke. ¡®Is she dead?¡¯ Amara thought incredulously. Great diagnosis. Destruction heard her thinking. Now is NOT the time! Life hissed. The mayor handed Amara a small container and a spoon: ¡°Sit n¡¯ have a bite, if you¡¯re up to listenin¡¯.¡± Amara sat down instinctively, her eyes fixated on the stone slab. It was smooth, a little shinier than everything else surrounding it, presumably because of the cleaning mentioned earlier by the nurse. There was no writing carved into the stone, but there was no mistaking it as anything other than a headstone. ¡°Me n¡¯ your Uncle Kai from three streets away were out here for some wood, ¡®bout¡­six years ago now.¡± The mayor began to speak. ¡°Just about to bring down the first tree when there¡¯s a scream. Sounded like someone was hurtin¡¯, and it wasn¡¯t anyone from town. Your Uncle Kai¡¯s got faster feet, n¡¯ he blasted straight up the slope behind us. Haven¡¯t ever heard him sound so afraid before n¡¯ since, screechin¡¯ there was a bloody woman swellin¡¯ like nobody else, lookin all bruised of all things¡­¡± He gulped, clearly reliving the moment again through his own words. ¡°Knew ¡®twas gonna be a big deal, so I stayed here n¡¯ sent Kai back for help. She didn¡¯t look good at all, n¡¯ I tried all that stuff your Gran¡¯d told me, but she kept sayin¡¯ she¡¯s hurtin¡¯ all over, so I just let her be ¡®til your Gran got here.¡± ¡°You alright, kid?¡± The nurse asked. ¡°You¡¯ve not been blinkin¡¯ for a whole minute.¡± ¡°Hm? Yeah, yeah.¡± Amara didn¡¯t quite know how she felt at the moment, so she just scooped a spoonful of food and chewed it. It was lukewarm and tasted like paper, very much unlike her Gran¡¯s usual cooking. ¡°Right. So I was yelled here with a cart, your Auntie Ashley n¡¯ a few tools, and soon as I saw your ma I knew she¡¯s gonna give birth. I wasn¡¯t gonna let nobody be goin¡¯ through the hassle in dirt, so I had your Gramps load her on the cart¡ªsurprised he made it through, ya know how bad he does with blood.¡± The mayor nodded weakly and looked away. ¡°And¡­none of you knew who she was? Where she came from?¡± Amara blankly shoved another mouthful of food into her mouth. ¡°No idea. She landed right in town all tattered, barely even had time to say what got her all beat up before she started havin¡¯ you.¡± The nurse shrugged dejectedly. ¡°By the looks of her, you¡¯re her firstborn, ¡®cause she had it real rough, but I s¡¯pose all the bruisin¡¯ got to her too. It was definitely the worst birth I ever had, both of you were almost gone at some point, but you were an extra tough nut.¡± ¡°I could hear ya kickin¡¯ n¡¯ cryin¡¯ across the main road.¡± The mayor added. ¡°Really?¡± Amara asked. ¡°Healthier than a horse, you were. Your ma though¡­she probably knew what was coming, ¡®cause she kept asking for someone to care for ya. And I figured since I helped get ya to the world, I might as well help some more, cuz we wouldn¡¯t be starved out by an extra mouth anyway.¡± Amara sheepishly shoved more food into her mouth. ¡°This is all a lot to take in, but me n¡¯ your Gran figured you ought to know anyways, and your ma should know that you¡¯re done gettin¡¯ your Talent now. I¡¯m sure she¡¯d have been more happy than you ¡®bout it.¡± Amara swallowed. ¡°I dunno how to feel, Gran.¡± ¡°That¡¯s normal, hon.¡± The nurse reached over and patted Amara on her shoulder. ¡°You only just knew her. There ain¡¯t no time for you to get used to her, and you can¡¯t love a stranger right away, that¡¯s all.¡± What I can tell you though, is that if we didn¡¯t manage to find you on time, you probably would¡¯ve been here with her for a while now. Life quietly added. I remember seeking out an individual with extremely strong emotions, so I could say that your mother cared. It was an one or the other situation, and I think you can guess who we decided to stick with. Amara felt like she had a giant tangled bundle of strings as her brain, and there was only an unrelated matter that she could grasp: ¡®Could anyone else hear you two talk?¡¯ No, unless you are willing to lend some vocal cords. ¡°We got all the time in the world though,¡± The nurse continued speaking like she really didn¡¯t hear anything or anyone strange. ¡°And we can stay here much as ya want today. The whole reason why we talked this much was to get you to know her, least from what we remember anyway. It ain¡¯t no anniversary for anyone, but you just crossed a good important bit of life by getting a Talent, and me n¡¯ your Gramps think this is a good enough time for y¡¯all to meet. Oh, she¡¯s also left some stuff for you too, I have ¡®em along, if you wanna see.¡± Amara¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°¡®Course she did, whose ma wouldn¡¯t?¡± The nurse took out a handbag. It was mostly made of white cloth, but embroidered with blue threads the same color as what Amara¡¯s eyes used to be. The embroidery patterns were prettier and more complicated than what anyone in the town could make, but the handbag itself looked quite worn, making the designs a little difficult to be properly recognized. The nurse first took out three jewelry boxes, each containing a full set of matching earrings, bracelets, necklaces and anklets. Amara didn¡¯t know what materials these decorative items are made of, but she could confidently say that those things are prettier than any jewelry she¡¯s ever seen before in her not-so-long life. ¡°These¡¯re a bit too big for you now, but they¡¯re gonna look great when you¡¯re older. Even if you don¡¯t wanna keep ¡®em, they¡¯ll sure fetch a good sum on the market.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep ¡®em!¡± The nurse then took out a metal button pin showing a design that appeared to be a flying bird. ¡°This probably shows where your ma¡¯s from, looks like a crest from some big clan, but nobody knows who. Wherever they are, they¡¯re definitely a rich bunch.¡± Amara shrugged; she doesn¡¯t really have a sense for the importance of currency yet, and to her no family is better than her grandparents. The nurse finally took out the last object in the handbag: a palm-sized transparent gem, with a smooth surface and rounded edges, as well as a small hole carved out near the top, presumably for ease of stringing through threads and hanging onto other objects. Before Amara could say anything, the mayor exclaimed in shock upon seeing this gem: ¡°You had it in that bag for all these years?!¡± Chapter 4 ¡°What ¡®bout it?¡± Amara was startled. ¡°This¡­this alone is worth buying out everything in our whole town thirty times and more!¡± The mayor¡¯s eyeballs looked like they could pop out of their sockets. ¡°PUT IT AWAY!¡± The nurse hastily albeit confusedly followed her husband¡¯s instructions. ¡°What¡¯s so pricey about this thing?¡± ¡°Pricey? It¡¯s practically priceless. That thing¡¯s called alternative storage, and having a pinprick of it can store our entire year¡¯s worth of crops! The fancy tech involved is so complicated that people who can make it are going extinct. THAT¡¯S how pricey it is!¡± ¡°Then quiet down!¡± The nurse scolded. ¡°You¡¯re begging people to come rob us!¡± The mayor immediately clamped his mouth shut with both hands. ¡°So¡­my ma really was rich?¡± Amara asked in a small voice. ¡°Never ever imagined there could be alternative storage that big.¡± The mayor spoke through his hands. ¡°Who could¡¯ve that lass been? Where¡¯d she get it from? Don¡¯t tell anyone about it, especially you, Amara.¡± Amara nodded. The mayor took a few deep breaths, then reached into the bag he brought along and pulled out some fruits. He grabbed a plate, stacked a few apples on it into a neat pile, and set the plate down in front of the headstone. ¡°Lass, you¡¯re really made of surprises. I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d bring this many questions to our town, but here we are. I might have to run back to town to hide your stuff now, ¡®cause there¡¯d be too many preyin¡¯ eyes.¡± The nurse wordlessly handed him the handbag. The mayor stood up from the ground, stared at the stone slab for a few moments, then continued on: ¡°Ashley n¡¯ Paul couldn¡¯t make it to ya today, lass, but they sure didn¡¯ forget ya. Their kid¡¯s pretty much settled as a genius, and so is yours, once we get the lil¡¯ hiccups straightened out and pinpoint what her Talent is. She gon¡¯ have a good life ahead, so you should rest easy now, eh?¡± Amara swallowed her last bite of lukewarm food somewhat nervously. ¡°Wait..how would you¡ªwe¡ªfigure out my Talent?¡± ¡°Well, we can¡¯t just ask your ma and hope she¡¯ll answer,¡± her Gran said. ¡°Your Gramps¡¯ gon¡¯ have some ideas, but he¡¯s gotta run back to town for a bit to keep your ma¡¯s stuff safe.¡± ¡°Right, right. I¡¯ll be back!¡± The mayor hurriedly walked away. Amara helped her Gran clean up the leftovers they had, both of them not speaking much in the process. The nurse was likely mulling over the idea that she had kept something so precious for years without a clue, but Amara was having a conversation which literally took over her mind. Alternative storage isn¡¯t that much of a rarity to us, but for you mortals it¡¯s definitely a different story. Life commented. ¡®What even is that?¡¯ Amara asked. It¡¯s a product of certain dimensional warp techniques, where the amount of space taken in this plane of reality is imbalanced on the receiver end, creating an unequal portal of entry for items and relatively stable exit point to correspond. Big pocket that looks like a pocket but can hold things like a backpack. After an evening of interacting with a kid, Life has clearly grasped the essence of explaining things simply. It¡¯s hard to make because it¡¯s hard to make a backpack look like a pocket. ¡®Thank you.¡¯ Amara knows she has to be polite after someone helps her. ¡®But what do I do if Gramps ask about my Talent?¡¯ Life went silent for a few seconds before responding. I suppose we¡¯ll have to see what your Gramps is planning on doing, but my guess is in the end you¡¯ll let them know that you have the Talent of life itself. ¡®But wouldn¡¯t that make you¡­?¡¯ You can just say you felt it or something. Destruction chimed in. You don¡¯t have to say you have voices in your head too. ¡®I just wanted to keep a promise¡­¡¯ Be nice. Life sounded displeased. Amara, thank you for remembering to keep us unknown, but there¡¯s absolutely no need to hide your Talent of life. ¡®Okay.¡¯ Amara agreed in her head. ¡®What about my other Talent?¡¯ Before either deity could reply, Amara¡¯s attention was drawn back to reality by a hand on her shoulder shaking up her entire body. ¡°Amara!¡± The nurse yelled into her ear. ¡°Your Gramps¡¯ comin¡¯ back!¡± ¡°What?!¡± Amara was dazed. ¡°He¡¯s fast.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been an hour, what are you daydreamin¡¯ about?¡± ¡°Really?¡± Amara¡¯s heart sank like every time she¡¯s been caught doing something she wasn¡¯t supposed to. And like every time before, her brain raced to come up with a plausible excuse, except this time she actually thought of something that worked: ¡°I was thinking about my Talent, Gran.¡± That instantly caught the nurse¡¯s attention, alongside the mayor¡¯s as he walked up to his wife with a stranger by his side. ¡°What good timin¡¯, kid.¡± Amara nearly bounced off of the ground. ¡°Gramps! Who¡¯s this?¡± The stranger, who wore a dusty brown cloak and a pair of battered hiking boots, took off their hood to reveal a weary but smiling face. ¡°Nice to meet you too, Amara. My name¡¯s Helena.¡± Helena looked to be around Kaylen¡¯s age, perhaps just a year or two older. From what could be seen under her cloak, her garments also looked similar to what Kaylen wore before as well. They appeared to be from the same place to Amara.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The child¡¯s intuition turned out to be correct, as Helena continued to speak about herself: ¡°Kaylen was really concerned about you yesterday, and she called me over to check on you. My own Talent has the ability to check on other people, so both she and I hoped that we could help you figure out what your Talent is. ¡° ¡°Oh, that¡¯d be wonderful!¡± The nurse answered delightedly. ¡°Thank you for comin¡¯ all the way to here just for our kid, first of all, and I must apologize for not seein¡¯ you in town¡ªI¡¯ll just clear things out real fast here in a moment¡ª¡± ¡°Amara.¡± The mayor squatted down to look at the child eye-to-eye, as the nurse hurriedly gathered up leftovers with extreme gusto. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect anyone to be visitin¡¯ ya today, and we might have to head back home. Sorry that it¡¯s happenin¡¯ all so fast, but if you wanna stay with your ma more¡ª¡± ¡°I think I know what my Talent is.¡± Amara blurted out. The adults fell silent. Amara gulped. ¡°So, uh, I had a dream¡­¡± The Deity of Destruction¡¯s laughter rang loudly in her head. That was so obvious. I didn¡¯t expect you to just use that excuse. Life¡¯s voice sounded worried. Do you still remember what we had gone over yesterday? ¡®I think so. ¡® Amara thought in her head. ¡®Should I try practicing it?¡¯ Of course. Showing your Talent is better than just saying it out loud. Amara then closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and concentrated on the feeling her feet felt standing on the ground. She imagined grasses and flower seeds growing underneath the soil, then popping out into the surface, and reaching higher and higher up. In her mind¡¯s eye, she could vaguely see the little green pool of energy beside the orbs in her head drain out. Three gasps simultaneously broke Amara¡¯s concentration. She opened her eyes, just in time to see the ground burst into color. The piece of land she stood upon visibly grow a patch of grass between her shoes; the tree behind her Gran¡¯s back blossomed pink right before her eyes; a vine curled around her mother¡¯s headstone, its tip pausing briefly at the top of the stone, then exploded into bright yellow pedals, gently reaching down to hold the flower right at the center of the slab. The mayor fell down from his squatting position in shock. A patch of daisies caught him from below right before he touched any dirt, but he was too stunned to acknowledge the minor miracle. The nurse stared motionlessly as twines lifted up all the cutlery and boxes off of the ground as they grew, halting at waist level, positioned just enough for her to easily collect everything without taking another step. Helena broke through the silence first: ¡°So¡­this is a form of plant control.¡± Amara sheepishly scratched the back of her head: ¡°I dreamed I could do all of this in my dream so I just tried it.¡± ¡°Incredible!¡± Helena exclaimed. ¡°Judging by what you just performed, I can confidently say that your starting Talent points are indeed maxed out.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°Kaylen told me that you had an¡­unusual Talent score. Higher than usual, to be precise.¡± Helena glanced over at the mayor couple. ¡°Shall we head back to town? There is still much to do.¡± ¡°Oh! Yes, yes.¡± The mayor snapped out of his trance. He crawled up from the ground, gathered the items held before his wife, then mumbled: ¡°What is this power¡­?¡± ¡°To explain briefly, Amara has had an unknown unnamed Talent, and an unusual starting Talent point score.¡± Helena began to speak as the family slowly started walking back. ¡°My initial plans were to first check over the testing equipment that she used, but they have been destroyed. My next step was to try and detect what her Talent is, to see if I can reverse the process and theorize for her actual score from her type of Talent, since I was called here rather quickly and didn¡¯t have specialized equipment prepared.¡± ¡°Thank you again for being so swift.¡± The nurse said, only having just recovered from her surprise. ¡°No need, ma¡¯am. I am but a researcher dedicated to discovering the origins of all Talents, and simply ignoring such a special case for study is not an option for me. In fact, I¡¯d have to go thank Kaylen later for still remembering me from our school days¡ª¡± ¡°School days?¡± The mayor asked. ¡°She and I were in the same academy, I graduated three years before her. Honestly speaking, I didn¡¯t expect her to pick this unconventional career path for our education¡­Anyway, I am very impressed by Amara.¡± ¡°You are?¡± Amara gently grabbed onto Helena¡¯s cloak. ¡°I am. It¡¯s not common at all to see someone do things as impressive as you just have, especially since you¡¯ve only had your Talent for one whole day.¡± Helena smiled down at the child. It¡¯s not common for someone to have fragments of deities in their mind and Talents either. Life said, her voice sounding just a tad bit smug. Amara was noticeably overjoyed. ¡°I can do more!¡± ¡°Really?!¡± The nurse gasped. ¡°I think you can too.¡± Helena replied, then turned to the adults to explain her reasoning. ¡°Plant control as a Talent is fairly normal, and it can easily branch off¡ªpardon me¡ªinto skills ranging from gardening to agriculture support to combat. However, in the hundreds of cases I¡¯ve researched, none of them has ever reported a starting score of ten, much less over. In fact, never in my career have I ever heard of a starting score higher than ten, nor has anyone else, from all the people I have interacted with.¡± ¡°I definitely remember seein¡¯ a twenty on her yesterday, there¡¯s no chance of mistakin¡¯ it.¡± The mayor frowned, the creases on his face deepening. The nurse patted him quietly on the back. Helena nodded. ¡°I have my speculations about this. Scenario one, it could¡¯ve been a simple equipment failure, seeing how it broke down right after testing. It would be the simplest explanation, but I personally believe it the least.¡± The words piqued Amara¡¯s interest. ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°The chances of two different tests failing are not impossible, but really, really low.¡± ¡°...right.¡± ¡°Scenario two, which I am slightly more inclined to believe, is that you¡¯ve held back from showing your full potential.¡± Amara turned her head sideways to hide her surprise, and almost tripped over a rock. ¡°And scenario three is related to scenario two, but instead of you holding back, it¡¯d be an error in the awakening process itself.¡± Helena paused briefly to collect her breath. ¡°You could have two Talents instead of just one, and both would have starting scores of ten, adding up to twenty.¡± Amara¡¯s jaw dropped. She knows her theories alright. Destruction commented with audible surprise. The nurse looked worried. ¡°Is that normal? I¡¯d not heard of anythin¡¯ like that before.¡± ¡°Having more than one Talent is nearly a guarantee in every human, since everybody can be adept at more than one skill or area of expertise. However, the vast majority of the population only possess one tangible and measurable Talent that needs to be awakened instead of discovered.¡± ¡°The majority of the population?¡± The nurse repeated rather confusedly. ¡°Oh, please, let¡¯s go inside first before talkin¡¯ more.¡± The mayor reached for the keys he held in his pocket. The group had reached town while Helena explained away, and now the mayor was opening the door to his home to accommodate the knowledgeable guest better. After everyone was seated in the living room, Helena looked Amara directly in the eye. ¡°Yes?¡± Amara cowered slightly under the intense gaze. ¡°Do you feel comfortable being honest with me?¡± Helena inquired. Even though Amara didn¡¯t say anything in response, her body language clearly gave the answer to this question. ¡°No need to be scared to tell me no, dear. Everyone has their limits and boundaries, and my job lets me understand that fact well. Are you okay with me asking questions? You don¡¯t have to answer anything you don¡¯t want to.¡± Amara nodded. Helena smiled at her. ¡°Thank you. Now, as we were saying before, most of the people in the world only have one Talent that they can awaken, and that will be the one they can clearly measure their progress in. However, in rare cases, certain individuals can awaken two Talents, and I believe there is a high chance that you are one of these special people. Have you felt anything¡­that¡¯s different? Any skills that you feel like you can naturally understand?¡± ¡°No¡­no.¡± Amara gulped quietly. ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± Helena kept smiling as she reached underneath her cloak and pulled out a long, rod-like object. ¡°I have this Talent detector that has a newer design, and it should be quite a bit sturdier than what you¡¯ve been using. Do you mind holding onto the other end of this?¡± As the nurse and the mayor watched nervously on the couch, Amara reached over and grabbed the rod Helena offered to her. The rod lit up with a faint white light from within, then increased in brightness, appearing almost like a glow stick for a few seconds. The light then shifted into a light green color as it dimmed down, eventually forming into the shape of the number ¡®11¡¯ on the middle of its surface. Helena frowned. The mayor frowned as he looked at Helena frowning. The nurse quickly poured herself a cup of water as she clutched the clothes over her heart. Amara also stayed silent on the outside, though inside her mind she¡¯s back to hearing the now familiar voices. Be not afraid, I hid your extra energy very well. Destruction was saying smugly. Right, right, now the humans are going to wonder how she got yet another Talent score. Life sighed. Blame the technology, those things never work right. Twenty, ten, now eleven? Having the child growing a whole point in energy overnight is not suspicious at all. Of course not, anything can be a miracle after it happened. That was sarcasm. Chapter 5 While the deities continued to bicker, Helena snapped out of her trance and carefully took the detector out of Amara¡¯s hand. ¡°How was that? Was it serious?¡± The mayor immediately asked. ¡°This is¡­complicated.¡± Helena paused for a moment before speaking again. ¡°Amara, do you mind if I use my Talent on you?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Amara took a moment to recover from hearing the argument in her head. After she realized, she became extremely excited: ¡°YES! Can I see your Talent? Please?¡± Helena snapped her fingers. Out of seemingly nowhere, a black and silver stethoscope appeared in midair, then swiftly dropping into Amara¡¯s hands. ¡°Wow.¡± Several amazed touches later, Amara exclaimed: ¡°This is just like what Gran uses!¡± ¡°Ain¡¯t no way, no average tool can compete with a Talent.¡± The nurse said matter-of-factly. ¡°If you didn¡¯t know, there are several different types of Talents.¡± Helena took her stethoscope back and began to use it on Amara. ¡°Roughly speaking, there are Object Talents, where the Talent itself is some sort of object, and the person increases in Talent energy by getting to use the object. I have an Object Talent.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your Talent score?¡± Helena snapped her fingers again and her stethoscope disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. ¡°Fifty.¡± The other adults also looked surprised. ¡°Anyways, I can give a rough diagnosis now. Unfortunately, it may not be as precise¡ª¡± ¡°We trust a fifty points professional! We trust that anythin¡¯ you say¡¯s more accurate than anyone in town can do.¡± The nurse interjected. ¡°You flatter me, madame. Back to the right topic, I can now say that Amara¡¯s Talent certainly isn¡¯t limited to simply plant control.¡± The mayor sat up straighter on the edge of the couch, focusing intently on what Helena has to say next. ¡°It ¡®s highly likely to be a form of life force manipulation, and having it manifest as rapid growth in plants is just step one of many towards what she could possibly do in the future. As for her Talent score, I can confidently say she has a minimum of ten points, though it¡¯s unclear if the extra points are caused by her improving already from her natural Talent progression, or if it¡¯s manifesting from a second Talent that she hasn¡¯t discovered yet. I predict she¡¯s going to be extremely adept at plantology, zoology or anthropology if she chooses to pursue careers in those fields. She might even be excellent in healthcare, and even if it¡¯s somewhat counterintuitive, in a combat related role in the military.¡± There were way too many words outside of Amara¡¯s vocabulary, but this didn¡¯t stop her from understanding she¡¯s been rated extremely highly. She felt giddy for a second, before noticing her Gramps didn¡¯t look happy for her. ¡°The military?! Excuse me, but are you kiddin¡¯ us?¡± ¡°No, Mr. Mayor, as a military school graduate, I am certain of her prospects.¡± Helena replied, unfazed by the mayor¡¯s sudden change in attitude. ¡°Where¡¯d ya study in?! Ain¡¯t nowhere¡ª¡± ¡°The Consonants Academy.¡± The mayor fell into an awkward silence. ¡°I work as part of the relief program there as well, and I sincerely believe that Amara would benefit greatly if she considers joining¡­¡± ¡°Amara, Amara!¡± The nurse leaned over and whispered to the very confused child. ¡°Just so ya know, even if you¡¯re adopted, you¡¯re still a part of this family and me n¡¯ your Gramps wouldn¡¯t ever not want ya, understand?¡± Amara nodded, even more confused as to why her Gran would say something like that while her Gramps was being angry out of nowhere. ¡°The grown-ups are gonna talk ¡®bout some grown-up things now, so don¡¯t ya wanna go ¡®cross the street to Pauley¡¯s for a bit?¡± Right after that, Amara found herself sent out the front door alone. She stood on the porch, hesitated for a moment, then decided to sneak to a window and eavesdrop. ¡®So why¡¯re Gran n¡¯ Gramps actin¡¯ all weird just now?¡¯ As she moved carefully around to avoid being noticed, Amara thought of this question. As far as I know, that Helena human wanted to bring you to some academy she was in, and your grandparents probably didn¡¯t want you to leave them so fast. ¡®WHAT?!¡¯ Do you want to leave is the question. ¡®No no no! I don¡¯t wanna leave Gran n¡¯ Gramps!¡¯ Why not? ¡®If¡­if me leavin¡¯ is because of my Talent, then¡­¡¯ Amara¡¯s brain scrambled to put together a coherent thought. ¡®Talents ain¡¯t worth Gran n¡¯ Gramps. If I gotta leave, then I don¡¯t want Talents.¡¯ ¡°Why are you leaving?¡± Amara jolted back from her inner world only to see Pauley sauntering towards her. His eyes immediately lit up when he noticed her pose, and he began whispering: ¡°Where are you gonna go? Who are you listening to?¡± After not getting an answer, he then hurried around to face her properly: ¡°What were you doing with that bag of stuff? I didn¡¯t look in¡ªwhy are you crying?!¡± Amara¡¯s response was to bury her face on his shoulder and wail. Pauley froze in place, awkwardly letting her tears stain his shirt. After a few minutes, Amara managed to regain a bit of control over herself, and she began to tell her story of the day through sniffles and hiccups. By the time she was finished, the sun was close to touching the horizon, yet nobody else was coming out of the house to check on her. Pauley was listening the whole time with wide eyes and an opened mouth, and he seemed oblivious to the passing of time. ¡°Hold on.¡± he eventually spoke after Amara paused to adjust her breath. ¡°So you also have ten points to start off your plant control Talent but it¡¯s not just a plant control Talent and you¡¯ve gotten to eleven points already? I know you¡¯re also adopted but the bag was for your MOM? And then you had someone from the Consonants Academy? THE CONSONANTS ACADEMY? Saying you¡¯d fit in?¡± ¡°Yeah, sounds ¡®bout right.¡± Amara sniffled. ¡°What¡¯s the conso-something Academy?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡± Pauley gasped. ¡°It¡¯s one of the best, if not THE best military academy in the world!¡± ¡°And? Why¡¯s it called that?¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I heard the full name¡¯s something like Academy For Military Training and Preparation For Combat Related Situations, but the short version is too hard to say, so they just call it the Consonants Academy. All I know is they¡¯re really hard to get into and the people that make it out are all freakishly good at fighting, and they¡¯re cool.¡± ¡°Really? Do you wanna go there?¡± Pauley rolled his eyes. ¡°Nah you know me, I won¡¯t even make it past day one.¡± ¡°Then I don¡¯t wanna go there.¡± Amara felt like she wanted to cry again. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t anyone want me here?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you wanna go out and see the world then? It¡¯ll be fun and I know I¡¯d go explore.¡± ¡°Because¡­because I won¡¯t know anyone.¡± ¡°But you¡¯ll know more people! And if you go to the academy, you¡¯ll be really cool too.¡± Pauley scratched his head while trying to think of more positive things to say. ¡°I wanna go to a design school that makes cool weapons for cool people, so if you end up as a cool fighter, make sure you use my weapons.¡± ¡°Really? Are you sure?¡± Amara asked again. ¡°Yeah duh.¡± At this moment, the front door of Amara¡¯s house opened, and the three adults walked out. Upon seeing the two kids huddling together in the yard, Helena was the first to make a comment: ¡°Hello there, are you Pauley?¡± ¡°Hi!¡± Pauley jumped up excitedly, then decided to act more mature by offering a hand for handshaking. ¡°Are you the one from the Consonants Academy?¡± ¡°Yes I am, and I see Amara has told you about me already.¡± Helena noted. ¡°What¡¯re you two doing¡¯, hangin¡¯ round here?¡± The mayor quickly jumped towards suspicion. The nurse elbowed him and subtly gestured to Amara, whose eyes were still puffy and red from crying. The mayor then awkwardly cleared his throat and stepped back. ¡°I had a good chat with your grandparents.¡± Helena turned to Amara just in time to redirect the conversation. ¡°While we agreed that you¡¯re still too young for the Consonants Academy, I would still like to invite you to try and apply for us when you¡¯re old enough. Before then, I hope you can learn well in school and from your grandparents, okay?¡± ¡°Does that mean¡­I can stay?¡± Amara wanted to confirm. ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Pauley gave Amara an envious look, before getting distracted by a paper envelope that was put just in front of his face. ¡°I have heard that you may have a Talent in crafting things, so I wrote a letter of recommendation for you, if you want to apply for higher studies in the future, that is.¡± ¡°This is just for me? Thank you!¡± Pauley took the letter with both hands. ¡°This probably work the best for Rivenrook, since I have a few acquaintances there¡ª¡± ¡°Rivenrook!¡± Pauley practically squealed as he almost passed out from happiness. ¡°That¡¯s where I wanted to go!¡± Helena chuckled at him, before turning her attention back to the adults. She put up the hood on her cloak, then said: ¡°I¡¯m glad that I came today, and I¡¯m glad these kids will be in good hands. Now it¡¯s time for me to say goodbye, but I hope we¡¯ll meet again sometime.¡± ¡°Are ya sure you don¡¯t need a ride?¡± the mayor asked her. ¡°No need, thank you.¡± Helena answered politely. Then, right in front of the others, she took a great leap, and flew up straight into the distant setting sun. The two kids were flabbergasted. ¡®Ya see that Pauley? That¡¯s the stuff ya learn to make if you get accepted to that Rivenrook school.¡± The mayor told the kids. ¡°And you¡¯ll learn to do that too, if ya study hard.¡± Amara and Pauley looked at each other, each seeing the determination in the other¡¯s eyes. They both then turned to the mayor in unison, and exclaimed: ¡°We¡¯ll study hard!¡± ¡°Study what study? Go have dinner first! ¡®Specially YOU, Pauley! Your ma¡¯s gon¡¯ be worried sick if ya don¡¯t go home now!¡± the nurse shooed them. Pauley dashed away with his letter held firmly in front of his chest. Amara sniffled one last time, then followed her grandparents back into the house, her mind now calm and focused on one idea. ¡®I¡¯m going to study hard, then Gran n¡¯ Gramps won¡¯t be disappointed in me. I¡¯ll go to the Consonants Academy when I¡¯m older, so Pauley won¡¯t be disappointed either, and I¡¯ll be cool too!¡¯ We wish you luck, Life told her. We¡¯ll watch you all along the way. Destruction told her. ... The seasons rolled around over and over, and life followed the cycle rather unpredictably. In a certain little town, the residents have learned to cope with surprises through sheer experience. Be it finding a full class of students from the only local school collectively on the roof without a ladder, or discovering their crop fields conquered by dog-sized amphibians, most people could easily identify the source of the problems in the span of a single breath: ¡°Amara!¡± Each time such an event occurred, a certain other individual could usually be located within the vicinity, commonly declaring his innocence regarding any mishaps to anyone who noticed him. Several similar scenarios later, the town¡¯s denizens had begun to identify him as Pauley, and his coincidental appearances eventually led to him being convicted as certified troublemakers alongside Amara. Luckily for the town but unluckily for the pair¡¯s partnership status, Pauley eventually graduated from the local school, and in pursuit of higher education, decided to move out of town for his new academic institution. ¡°You¡¯ll still be back for vacations, right?¡± Amara asked this question on the day Pauley was scheduled to depart, under the united glares of adults from both families. ¡°Where else would I go to sleep when the dorms close?¡± Pauley replied to his younger companion. ¡°And don¡¯t worry, when I come back from Rivenrook, just imagine all the things we can do with the gadgets I¡¯d be¡ª¡± ¡°Son, you¡¯re gonna miss the next ride outta town!¡± Pauley¡¯s father sternly interrupted the scheming, before forcibly shoving his son towards the fate of completing homework and conducting academic research. After the pair was forced to separate, the town has seen no lesser amounts of unconventional events, though the nature of such instances leaned more into the supernatural than before. Two months into autumn, the town broke the world record for growing a single kernel of corn that weighed more than an average cabbage. The following spring, during a brief visit from a few scholarly presences, the town had produced a full fruit orchard overnight. While irrigating a new water source, a wave of edible fish flocked into town from downstream, and flung themselves onto land, without any active intervention. After the surge in near uncanny activities, the town¡¯s mayor couple began keeping close supervision on the only minor in his home. Just as the town appeared to ease into a phase of relative peace, a student who studied afar had arrived back home. Instead of the anticipated increase in inconveniencing events, the student had eagerly brought back many new tools, which were then distributed across town under the name of ¡®newest technology advancements¡¯. Time seemed to flow particularly fast during this period, as residents underwent a mass upgrade as a whole. After the student departed once more for schooling, nearly everybody in town was too absorbed in the novelty to notice the level of underage supervision in the mayor''s family. By the time residents could remark on the calm quality of life in town, a new batch of students had graduated from the local school. On the day these students were released for one final time from classes, the mayor¡¯s family trekked out of town to a nearby hill, where they settled down for a picnic in the sunset. ¡°...and that¡¯s what we¡¯ve been up to with ya kid ¡®til now.¡± The mayor concluded his long speech as he sat facing towards a wordless headstone, with one hand holding a cold slice of bread. ¡°Right, right, now don¡¯t ya dare waste my food, old man.¡± The nurse removed two cotton balls from her ears. Amara half-laughed, half-snorted into her plate. ¡°Whatcha laughin¡¯ at, lass? Ya done with the daily workouts?¡± The mayor stared at her. ¡°Oh c¡¯mon Gramps, I just survived a whole ceremony!¡± Amara complained jokingly. ¡°Can¡¯t a gal get a break ever?¡± The mayor wasn¡¯t as carefree. With a completely straight face, he turned his body so that he was facing Amara directly, and said: ¡°Ya can laugh, but that trainin¡¯ was what got me stayin¡¯ alive out here today.¡± ¡°What does that mean¡­?¡± The nurse looked confused. ¡°Did ya Gramps never say he¡¯s a vet in all the trainin'' sessions y¡¯all¡¯s done?¡± Amara was also confused. ¡°A vet? But I didn¡¯t see him cure any animals?¡± ¡°Veteran, lass.¡± The mayor corrected her with a glare. ¡°I¡¯ve been tryin¡¯ to get some basic military skills in ya, so the whole town could live easier without shenanigans.¡± Amara opened her mouth, tried to think of something to say, realized she didn¡¯t have anything, and then decided to seek help from the nurse: ¡°Gran! That ain¡¯t true, right?¡± ¡°¡®Twas as true as sayin¡¯ two plus two equals four.¡± The nurse did not spare the truth. ¡°And also cuz I wanted ya to make decisions.¡± The mayor declared before Amara could speak. ¡°Now that the school¡¯s done with your batch of kids, you gotta think on where you¡¯d wanna go next in life.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t I s¡¯posed to go work in the orchard now?¡± Amara asked. ¡°I know a few people were talkin¡¯ bout it too in class¡ª¡± ¡°But you had an offer they didn¡¯t, remember?¡± The nurse said. Upon hearing that sentence, Amara¡¯s mind immediately jumped to a memory that occurred right on the spot her family was sitting on. ¡°Wait, Gran, ya don¡¯t mean¡­the somethin¡¯ somethin¡¯ academy, do ya?¡± ¡°She does and so do I.¡± The mayor spoke. ¡°Now, we certainly don¡¯t want ya to feel pressured, but the academy is more prestigious than you¡¯d imagine, and even goin¡¯ to the entrance tests is¡ª¡± ¡°But why!¡± The nurse noticed the distress in Amara¡¯s voice. ¡°Are ya okay, lass?¡± ¡°No! Yes! I¡­I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°Me and your Gramps know you didn¡¯t like the idea back then, but we never really knew why you¡¯d hate it outta nowhere. It ain¡¯t common that some family like ours could meet someone from there, much less get an invitation from ¡®em. And before ya complain, we reckon money¡¯s not gonna be too tight with the extra crops we had for the last few years, and you can just leave with Pauley, his school ain¡¯t too far from yours.¡± Amara found her potential protests suddenly refuted, and she had to think hard. The more thought she put into the matter, the more she realized she was being unreasonable. First of all, she¡¯s confident that her grandparents wouldn¡¯t simply send her off somewhere to get rid of her. She¡¯s also not opposed to spending some time with Pauley after not seeing him for almost a year, and going to a new place sounds¡­interesting? ¡°Is the money really gonna be alright though? Ya said it¡¯s a prestigious school and I remember Pauley sayin¡¯ it¡¯s real famous and all, so wouldn¡¯t it just end in me takin¡¯ a trip for nothin¡¯?¡± Her grandparents could already tell from her tone that she¡¯s not so against the idea of studying anymore. The mayor broke into a small smile, and answered her question: ¡°Just think of the trip as a grad gift from me and your gran then. And, lass, have some confidence in yourself and your Gramps¡¯ teachin¡¯, ya might just end up kickin¡¯ competition to the curb. We also told Pauley that he should go back to school early this year to bring ya along, so don¡¯t ya fret bout that part either.¡± Amara blinked in surprise. ¡°Ya finally learned how to make a call without turnin¡¯ on the TV?¡± The nurse saw her husband¡¯s expression change and hurriedly joined in the talking: ¡°Aye, ain¡¯t that just hittin¡¯ the remote control telecom thing button and unplug the physical keyboard, and, and¡­¡± ¡°...ya mean making a long distance voice call with a registered contact number? Why use the keyboard for touch screen, Gran? Did¡­did y¡¯all actually find and talk to the Pauley we know?¡± Amara was then grounded on the night of her school graduation. Chapter 6 Several weeks later on a bright, sunny morning, two minors were sent off tearfully away from home. Through instructions of safe travels for the older and multiple orders to behave for the younger, the kids set out for a brand new location in pursuit of growth. After a long trek on a winding dirt path, a short horse carriage ride, a taxi trip towards the nearest train station, the now weary pair of young travelers finally had a chance to settle down once they boarded their final vehicle. More accurately put, only the older of the pair had settled down ¡ª the younger, a preteen girl with shoulder length black-and-purple hair and startling green eyes, was excitedly zooming around the seats and baggage, questioning everything she set her eyes upon as she moved. ¡°What¡¯s that thing on that guy¡¯s wrist?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the pole looking thing called?¡± ¡°Do you think Gran and Gramps can handle the harvest this year by themselves?¡± ¡°Are we supposed to keep the, uh, tickets in our hands until we arrive?¡± ¡°What¡­¡± The older companion, who had a full head of bed hair and wore a pair of lopsided glasses, grew increasingly agitated as he was pestered by the stream of endless noise. Eventually, he yanked on his companion¡¯s arm as she dashed past him once again, and tugged on her arm forcefully: ¡°Amara, you¡¯re gonna make everybody hate us!¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because¡­because we¡¯re gonna leave the station soon, okay? So sit down and make sure your suitcases don¡¯t start ramming people.¡± Amara begrudgingly sat down in her seat. ¡°But Pauley¡­¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a suitcase?¡± Pauley¡¯s gaze immediately landed on Amara¡¯s hands. She was holding a palm-sized gem in her hand, which looked mostly transparent, save for a slight sliver of darkness that seemed to float freely within. Quickly holding back a gulp of nervousness, Pauley covered the gem under his own hands, and whispered: ¡°Are you crazy?! Put it out of sight! Fast!¡± Shocked by his sudden change of attitude, Amara put the gem inside her pocket. ¡°And keep it hidden! You don¡¯t want your storage stolen on the train, Miss Richness!¡± Pauley grabbed a jacket and covered Amara under it. Amara was annoyed and threw the jacket away from herself. ¡°Okay, fine! You didn¡¯t need to suffocate me too!¡± ¡°Alright, how ¡®bout this? If you can keep it down until we get to our stop in the capital, I¡¯ll buy you something there.¡± Pauley bargained. ¡°Like I¡¯d need your money?¡± Amara grumbled, but she did stay seated and quiet¡­until she realized she had other options for chatter. ¡®Hello? Anyone awake?¡¯ Years of having other presences inside her mind has taught Amara how to be aware of her consciousness. In her current level of awareness, she¡¯s capable of only letting her thoughts be known to the two other occupants when she thinks in full, complete sentences. As a result of decreased mental interaction, the deities now spent most of their time in a dormant state, becoming active usually when Amara seeks their advice or company. What do you want today, child? The Deity of Destruction was the first to respond this time. New training regime? My special pesticide recipe? Prank ideas? ¡®I¡¯m bored.¡¯ Amara yawned at the scenery outside. The train had just left the station. Oh, right, today¡¯s when you leave town. Destruction said. This view is awful. Despite not having any control over Amara¡¯s body, the deities are capable of sharing her senses. At the moment, Destruction was seeing exactly what Amara was seeing. ¡®I know right? But the ticket prices were cheap. I specifically picked a time in the middle of summer break too.¡¯ Got snacks? Amara put her hand in her pocket, where the alternative storage gem was resting. A few moments later, she pulled out a small bag of carrot chips. Disgusting. Has that one kid not given up on his carrot cult? ¡®Nope, and this is all Gran packed for me.¡¯ Amara thought as she put a chip in her mouth. ¡®Suffer with me?¡± How dare you offend me so, mortal? Destruction said. Offer your measly goods to someone with poorer taste. Hm? The Deity of Life came out of the dormant state. I said nothing, I pro- Minutes passed by as the two deities said no words, but a few yelps could be heard every now and then inside Amara¡¯s mind. When Amara finished eating her carrot chips, Pauley had already fallen asleep in his seat, using her abandoned jacket as his makeshift pillow. Attempting to find a garbage can somewhere, Amara carefully snuck out of her seat, and silently moved away without waking Pauley up. On her way back, Amara glanced outside the train window using the corner of her eye, only to be shocked to the core at what she saw. The train was rapidly approaching a grand city, with multiple buildings taller than Amara had ever imagined buildings could be. Gigantic vehicles not only weaved through each other on the ground, but also high up in the sky; As Amara watched, another train zoomed past hers traveling in the opposite direction, taking off into the air right as she blinked. Mouth wide open in surprise, she turned her head around, just to see a row of trees blossom in unison along the train tracks.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Human society has progressed quite significantly. Life suddenly spoke, breaking an hour-long silence.. Amara snapped out of her trance. ¡®How so¡­?¡¯ I hope their weaponry has improved like this as well. Destruction added to Life¡¯s comment. Before Amara could ask them to elaborate, a hand seemingly appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her by her shoulder. Whipping her head around to see who it was, Amara stared right into Pauley¡¯s widened eyes. ¡°Where¡¯d you just go? You scared me!¡± ¡°And you scared me! I was just tossin¡¯ out trash.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be murdered back home if I lost you on the way.¡± Pauley breathed out a sigh in relief and put his hand down. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to our seats.¡± Amara felt confused. ¡°Wait¡­ain¡¯t we already gettin¡¯ close to the capital?¡± Pauley glanced outside. ¡°That¡¯s the wrong city.¡± ¡°You¡¯re kidding me.¡± Amara stood still in the walkway, staring outside in disbelief. ¡°All that fancy tech n¡¯ trees around and it¡¯s not the capital?¡± ¡°Nope, and we gotta stop blocking the way for other people. I got something for ya if you¡¯re bored.¡± Amara followed Pauley, taking a look outside the windows every few steps or so. True to Pauley¡¯s words, the train did not slow down at all as it approached the settlement. By the time the pair sat down again, their vessel had already left the city behind. Pauley started to rummage through his many suitcases, eventually yanking out a piece of something that resembled a strip of black cloth. He then took one of Amara¡¯s wrists and wrapped the cloth around, before trying to grab his other possessions that were starting to roll away on the floor. ¡°What¡¯s this thing?¡± Amara looked down at the mysterious object, while simultaneously catching a stray wrench with her free hand. ¡°Infoportal.¡± Pauley answered as he hunched down. ¡°Help me get my¡ª¡± The train suddenly shook as if it was going over a bumpy road, causing more of Pauley¡¯s property to fly out. Just as things began to tumble out of their section of the carriage, several rope-like plant vines shot out through the air and wrapped around each individual item, pulling them back towards their owner in an organized and unusual manner. ¡°Thanks.¡± Pauley started shoving the contents that remained in his suitcases to make more space. The items that were pulled back to him remained wrapped, and managed to form into a line while waiting for their owner to pack them again. Amara leaned towards the nearest window to see if she could spot what caused the turbulence, completely ignoring the surprised stares from passengers around her. ¡®I can¡¯t see behind the train.¡¯ She thought as she nearly strained her neck. Beware! Life¡¯s voice warned her. ¡®Beware of what?¡¯ Amara barely finished her thought before a sudden force threw her back and pinned her to her seat. Without any time to react, her entire carriage tilted upwards, then flipped upside-down as it was lifted cleanly off the railway. As bodies and possessions flew towards the ceiling, Amara managed to kick off of her seat handle, and slammed her body sideways into a window. You¡¯re not strong enough to break it like that. Destruction¡¯s presence reminded Amara. With a slight glint of purple light, she quickly channeled a little bit of energy from the pool within her mind, and successfully melted a hole in the window glass to let herself out. Now dropping through the air, she then instinctively tapped into the other pool of energy within, and sent out even more plant vines behind herself, controlling them to grab onto anything they touch and to pull them out of the train. Just as she landed on solid ground, another blast of force knocked her off balance, causing her to fall and tumble through dirt, barely able to avoid tangling herself inside her own plant vines. Amara stopped rolling once her back slammed into a boulder, just in time for her to see the now airborne train carriage cast a shadow upon her head, its trajectory ending right on the spot where she was at. Before she even had time to blink, something¡ªor rather, someone¡ªswooped in from her side and scooped Amara up, taking her out of danger right before the train carriage crashed into the ground. ¡°Pauley!¡± Amara screamed. While she was saved, the plant vines she had conjured were also pulled out of the landing zone. However, while she saw plenty of travel bags and a few confused passengers tied at the other end of her vines, Pauley was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Miss! Are you alright?¡± the individual who had saved Amara asked. They were covered head to toe in a hazmat suit, and their voice was muffled behind several layers of masks. ¡°I¡¯m okay! But I can¡¯t find¡ª¡± Behind you! Amara instinctively tried to drop to the ground in defense. However, she was still half-hugged, half-carried by her savior, who was yanked downwards by her sudden movement. Once they managed to straighten up, the back of their head was smoking. ¡°What was that for, miss?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Amara hesitated from the ground, then pointed at her own head. ¡°The back of your head is¡­¡± Her savior reached behind their suit and patted a few times, then froze as they touched the spot where smoke was coming from. ¡°Also,¡± Amara continued rather timidly, ¡°There¡¯s a¡­thing behind you too.¡± Her savior did a full body turn to face down another train carriage that was quickly rising by itself into a vertical stance. Within the time span of a blink, countless metallic tendrils protruded from said carriage, and came flying towards the pair of humans. Without time to form a single coherent thought, Amara rolled on the ground again, then sent out more plant vines to attack the strange tendrils coming her way. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her savior complete several nimble turns in midair, avoiding the surprise attack with far more grace than she could muster. ¡®What is that thing?¡¯ With her vines successfully blocking off the tendrils, Amara finally found the time to stand up. Brushing off a few pebbles, she reached into her mind and asked the residents within for information. A piece of human technology gone very, very wrong. Destruction replied in a serious tone. ¡®Thanks.¡¯ Amara thought somewhat sarcastically. She then dipped into her inner pool of energy and created several longer vines, and attempted to wrap them around the train-carriage-octopus monster. Meanwhile, she could hear her savior loudly shouting: ¡°Team Four, member Noah speaking, two new mutative entities observed¡ª¡± An even louder rumble covered over the rest of the words. Glancing over to the source of the sound, Amara saw the train carriage she jumped out of rise up in a very familiar motion. More tendrils protruded out of that carriage, and were swiftly moving toward a few injured passengers laying on the ground. ¡°Sir! Can I call you sir? Noah?¡± Amara turned to her savior, who was just about to dash and help save the civilians. ¡°Yes?¡± Noah paused and looked at her in a mix of anxiousness and confusion. ¡°Do you smoke?¡± ¡°WHAT?!¡± Before Amara could elaborate, the second monster suddenly swelled up like a balloon. A large popping noise and a great flash of heat and light followed, then a large cloud of smoke covered up the aftermath of these changes. Blinded by the smoke, Amara hurriedly drained out every last bit of energy she could wield, and created a cocoon of plant vines around herself to prevent being attacked. Another muffled popping noise sounded as soon as she finished making the cocoon. At the back of her mind, Amara could vaguely feel through her plant vines that the tendrils she was wrangling with were heating up, likely being set on fire by some unknown source. Though some of her vines were also burned up, she wasn¡¯t able to be harmed, as her plants were connected to her mentally rather than physically. After what seemed like hours, something knocked on the outside of Amara¡¯s cocoon. She immediately paused her breath, while quietly reaching within for any leftover energy she could have left. This cautiousness, however, quickly evaporated as a familiar voice rang through the layers of plants: ¡°I¡¯m gonna count to three before I start torching again! One, two¡ª¡± ¡°Pauley!¡± Amara clawed her way out of the remains of her cocoon. What met her eyes was a metallic suit covered with soot, with Pauley¡¯s face peeking out from underneath the hood. He held what looked like a nozzle in his right hand, and had a scythe laying by his left foot. ¡°No time to explain.¡± Before Amara could even breathe in relief, Pauley interrupted her. ¡°How much more fuel can you make? There¡¯s another one of those train-gone-rogue things that we should burn.¡± ¡°Not much.¡± Amara replied. ¡°Wait¡­where¡¯d it go?¡± As soon as those words were spoken, a loud explosion nearby masked up any words that could¡¯ve been uttered after. The ground shook violently, toppling both kids while opening up a huge crack that perfectly swallowed Pauley¡¯s scythe. Gigantic clouds of smoke soon followed, causing coughs and removing the possibility of recovering possessions. By the time the pair recovered from the blast, they were met with a group of uniformed adults, all ushering them onto stretchers and towards vehicles flashing red and blue lights. ¡°Hey, please! I¡¯m FINE! No, don¡¯t take my helmet off¡­and I lost my stuff!¡± Amara laid on her stretcher, dazedly getting carried into a car, but through her still ringing ears, she could faintly hear Pauley struggling. She vaguely thought about what had just occurred, until a loud screech scared her back to her senses. Hopping off of her stretcher like she would a garden fence, Amara dashed toward where Pauley was speaking, pushing adults aside with adrenaline-fueled ease as she ran. As the other stretcher came into view, Amara saw a fully masked person holding something that looked like a sharp blade directly above Pauley¡¯s head, and Pauley was holding his helmet in place with trembling arms. Without thinking, Amara¡¯s body automatically jumped off the ground, leaping through the air and delivering a flying kick right into the malicious person¡¯s chest. Before she landed on the ground again, she yanked the blade away from her target, then slashed downward at the knees of the adult carrying the front of Pauley¡¯s stretcher. The carrier dodged away instinctively, though the temporary imbalance was enough to cause Pauley to slip off. Amara managed to slide an arm under him before he landed face first, and Pauley was able to regain balance and stood up back-to-back with Amara. ¡°I think we¡¯re surrounded.¡± Amara said in a half whisper, eyeing the circle of people that were closing in on them. Chapter 7 ¡°Should I make a plan on the spot? Right now?¡± Pauley answered while he began producing gadgets out of his suit. ¡°Hey, um, before you two make a plan, can we try talking it out?¡± Amara looked around and recognized a familiar set of gear amongst the adult figures. ¡°Noah? Sir? Is that you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me, miss.¡± Noah took off the face mask of his hazmat suit, revealing a tired, sweaty looking man in his late twenties. ¡°And before we try talking, could you kindly stop scaring these poor first responders?¡± ¡°Me? Scaring?¡± Amara was still processing the sentence, yet Noah had already gestured all of the other adults to leave. Strangely enough, the others did what he ordered. ¡°Now, can you please put down the pair of scissors?¡± Amara looked at her hand. Sure enough, what she thought was a blade was, in fact, a pair of closed scissors. She then glared back at Pauley, who shrugged sheepishly and said: ¡°...I thought the medic was going to stab me.¡± ¡°They probably assumed your helmet was stuck on.¡± Noah explained as he stepped closer towards the pair. ¡°Anyways, I should introduce myself. Feel free to call me Noah, and I currently work as a security enforcement officer, specializing in dealing with, uhm, supernatural affairs.¡± ¡°Like the train things just now?¡± Amara asked. ¡°Exactly, and you two have my sincerest thanks for helping out other passengers on the train. If you two don¡¯t mind, can I ask who you are?¡± ¡°Oh, uh, I¡¯m Amara.¡± Amara awkwardly scratched her head. ¡°And he¡¯s Pauley.¡± ¡°We¡¯re just heading for the capital so she could apply for school.¡± Pauley added. ¡°I see.¡± Noah nodded. ¡°In that case, would you two like to share a ride to the capital with me? Assuming neither of you are in need of medical care of course, all things considered.¡± Amara blushed as she remembered her earlier actions. ¡°We¡¯re okay, but the capital is still a few days¡¯ ride away, right? How do you plan on managing that?¡± Pauley took off his helmet as well, proving that his head was indeed not stuck. ¡°A private vehicle is the answer.¡± Noah said. Pauley¡¯s eyes lit up with hope and joy. ¡°That kind of private vehicle?¡± Noah nodded. Pauley turned to Amara: ¡°Please, please, please, I NEED to see it!!!¡± Amara had no idea what Pauley was talking about, but she wasn¡¯t about to burst his bubble. ¡°Sure? But I should go say sorry to the stretcher people first. Oh right, and don¡¯t forget your bags.¡± Pauley¡¯s face paled as he was reminded. Noah chuckled at the sight, then offered to regroup at this location later after they all took care of their business. Later, Amara had managed to apologize to everyone, and was able to confirm that most passengers weren¡¯t seriously injured. Pauley found most of his luggage, though his scythe remained tragically unfound throughout the mess. Noah appeared to have spent most of the time talking to various individuals, presumably to make reports and to provide information regarding what happened. When most of the passengers were safely directed away to either the closest train station or the first responders, Noah trudged over to the pair of minors, and asked them to wait for him while he went to fetch his vehicle. ¡°I really was just driving by for a work trip, you see, and now I have to go back to the capital to report to my boss.¡± He told the duo right before heading off. ¡°The local law enforcement should have already sent the paperwork, but I still have to show up in person¡­¡± When waiting for Noah to retrieve his vehicle, Amara took on a zoned-out look, but was in reality reaching out to the presences in her mind. ¡®You guys knew what happened, don¡¯t you? It might¡¯ve been my first time on a train, but I sure know they ain¡¯t supposed to start growin¡¯ limbs and explode.¡¯ Life made a long, drawn out sighing sound. I know you¡¯ll hate to hear this, but you¡¯re really, really too young to know about the reason behind why. ¡®So why is that?¡¯ Okay how about this? Destruction said quickly. I¡¯ll tell you why, and the answer is¡­we don¡¯t know why it showed up on that train at all. ¡°Hey, you good?¡± Pauley elbowed Amara lightly. ¡°You¡¯re looking real mad.¡± ¡°All good.¡± Amara breathed in very deeply. Don¡¯t listen to him, you know how he¡¯s always been over the years. Life tried to de-escalate the situation. I can say this; although we don¡¯t know why this¡­let¡¯s refer to it as an energy. Although we don¡¯t know where this energy came from, the truth remains that it shouldn¡¯t have existed anymore, and the fact that it does is concerning, to say the least. ¡®You¡¯re giving me more questions than answers.¡¯ Amara complained. It¡¯s not good for you to know things this early on. ¡®Why?¡¯ How¡¯s ¡®psychological damage¡¯ for a reason? ¡®Terrible. I¡¯m not that fragile.¡¯ Then how about knowing that this thing¡¯s what caused us two to become the way we are now? Mostly dead and barely hanging on to the world like parasites?Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Amara nearly couldn¡¯t hold her mouth shut. She had never heard Destruction use language like this before, and she knew she¡¯d pushed the subject too much. See, it¡¯s way too early for you to meddle in this matter. Questions aside, if you accidentally attract this energy again, there¡¯s no guarantee you¡¯ll be let off easy next time. If there¡¯s one thing we have discovered in the past, it¡¯s that the more someone knows of its existence, the easier it would be for it to hunt down the individual. Also, friendly note, we both would be done for along with yourself. Three lives on the line here, girlie. Destruction seemed to have calmed down as rapidly as he had bursted out just moments before. ¡®Alright. But I¡­I can¡¯t just pretend like nothing happened!¡¯ No, that¡¯s not what we meant. Life explained patiently. This Noah person you just met, he should be able to let you and Pauley know a bit more about this incident. You can trust him, and if he¡¯s dishonest, we¡¯ll tell you. Okay? Amara rubbed her forehead as she felt a headache set in from the collected stress and confusion she¡¯d experienced in the day. ¡®Mkay.¡¯ ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡± Pauley tapped her lightly on the shoulder. ¡°I saw you go from angry to scared to whatever you¡¯re doing right now, so don¡¯t you lie to me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Amara squatted down and buried her head between her arms. ¡°It¡¯s been a long day.¡± ¡°It¡¯s noon.¡± Amara groaned. ¡°How¡¯s your Talent energy level?¡± Pauley changed the subject. ¡°Pretty low, but not ¡®gonna pass out¡¯ low.¡± Amara reached into her mind again for a quick checkup on her energy levels. If her green life energy source were a swimming pool at its fullest, then her current pool would be the size of a dinner plate. Her purple destruction energy levels were pretty high, but the overall size of the pool was barely larger than the life pool. Due to the directions of both deities, Amara had been primarily practicing and honing her life energy usage. At first, it was evident that the avoidance was for safety reasons; but as she grew more powerful and confident in her skills, she was still not allowed to practice both powers. Whenever she asked for another reason, the deities¡¯ responses were not dissimilar to what they had just told Amara. Maybe the mystery incident and the reason for why she¡¯s not allowed to use destruction energy are related? Amara genuinely zoned out as she considered this possibility. She tried her best to think in emotions and pictures rather than words, thereby not letting the deities know what her thoughts were about. Pauley poked Amara on the back after she stopped moving and speaking. Determining that she¡¯s simply unfocused, he decided to just let her be¡ªand instead direct his attention onto the flashy ride Noah had just driven to him. ¡°What¡¯d you do that for?¡± Amara snapped back to reality rather angrily. ¡°Is that the Turbospin model from last year?¡± Pauley asked Noah with pure enthusiasm. ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡± Noah asked back with surprise. Pauley flashed a wide smile at him. ¡°I just like to do research on my car models. Anyway, is your offer to drive us still valid?¡± Noah simply waved his hand and gestured to the back seats. The vehicle itself had a matte green paint on its exterior, with tinted windows half rolled down for its driver to converse. To Amara, the black car seats looked unlike anything she had seen on the transportation from her hometown, and seemed a little excessive on the amount of cushioning they provided. But before she could voice her doubts, however, Pauley had silently elbowed her in the ribs to prevent her from talking. The pair opened one door and entered from the same side of the car. As soon as Pauley helped them both secure their seat belts and his own luggage, the entire vehicle jolted upwards and began to hover momentarily in midair. Amara barely had time to open her mouth for a scream before her entire body was pinned back into her seat from momentum, and the windows began to reflect blurred patches of color instead of regular scenery. All was quiet in the car as Noah focused on driving, and the two unfortunate passengers were preoccupied with adjusting to physics. Luckily, the vehicle seemed to have continued with airborne travel, as the ride did not feel as bumpy or noisy as the train. After an unknown amount of time, the vehicle suddenly came to a complete stop. Without a deceleration process, Amara was thrown forward, and nearly got strangled by her seat belt as it tightened over her body. Beside her, Pauley has received the same treatment. Since he was taller than Amara, he had the misfortune of possessing a longer upper torso, thereby having his forehead connect with the front seat and produced a very audible thud. ¡°I¡¯m so, so sorry. Are you two okay?¡± Noah likely felt the impact on his back and definitely heard it as well. ¡°I¡¯m used to driving alone and I got carried away¡ª¡± ¡°Down. Bush. Please.¡± Pauley spoke through gritted teeth. The car descended much slower than the speed it was moving at. As soon as the vehicle touched the ground, Pauley tumbled out of the car, and began to dry heave at the nearest patch of grass. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry.¡± Noah said again, this time directing his words at Amara. ¡°Will your¡­uh, him, need help?¡± Amara shrugged. ¡°Sometimes he does this when my Gran drives him around too.¡± ¡°Not everyone¡­has a strong¡­stomach!¡± Pauley shouted between retching noises. He had turned away from the car, so that the contents that were coming back upwards could not be seen properly. ¡°I¡­I¡¯m¡­¡± Noah awkwardly trailed off. In an attempt to change the topic, he then asked Amara: ¡°What school are you applying to?¡± ¡°Me? Hold on.¡± Amara frowned and stared down at her fingers. ¡°I think the full name is Academy For Preparation Training¡­no, wait¡ª¡± ¡°Consonants Academy!¡± Pauley howled. ¡°I see¡­¡± Noah coughed exactly twice into his fist to relieve the awkwardness. ¡°Well, good luck with your entrance exam, it¡¯s pretty difficult to pass.¡± ¡°Oh? How¡¯d ya know?¡± Amara had done the bare minimum amount of preparation before leaving her home. Off the top of her head, she only remembered that the entrance exams for the Academy changes every year, but could roughly be separated into three parts: a written exam to demonstrate basic academic knowledge, a practical demonstration of student Talents, and an interview section with instructors to determine whether the applicant would be a good fit or not. ¡°I know it¡¯s hard because I graduated from there.¡± Noah said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Amara didn¡¯t know how to respond. An awkward silence ensued as both of them observed Pauley from a distance. Somewhere between the twenty-third and twenty-sixth heaving noise, Amara suddenly remembered what she wanted to ask: ¡°Sir¡­Noah, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve gotten word ¡®bout the things that wrecked our train. What¡¯re those things?¡± Noah whipped his torso around to look back at Amara. ¡°It¡¯s not something you should know yet.¡± Amara¡¯s voice had a tinge of frustration in it as she spoke: ¡°But shouldn¡¯t us get an explanation for why we went through all that in the first place?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Noah thought for a moment. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t let anyone else besides you two know, but those things were probably remnants of the Old Terrors.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Amara asked wholeheartedly. Noah stared at her, and then stared at her some more. ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m turning twelve this year.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Noah commented. ¡°Well, if you pay enough attention in history class if¡­when you¡¯re accepted to the Academy, then you¡¯ll learn. Time sure flies, can''t believe it¡¯s been that long ago now.¡± ¡°What? I mean, pardon?¡± Amara tried her best to be polite in an attempt to get more information out of Noah. ¡°My colleagues are tracking down the source of those creatures as we speak. Once a final assessment is complete, you should be able to reach out and ask for compensation for property loss.¡± Before Amara could say she didn¡¯t lose anything herself, Pauley had returned to the car with a pale face and asked calmly: ¡°How much longer do we have to go?¡± ¡°We¡¯re about halfway¡ª¡± Noah began to explain. Pauley collapsed towards Amara, who caught him by the shoulders and dragged him back inside the vehicle. ¡°...I can slow down if you want to?¡± Noah wiped his forehead nervously. Amara straightened Pauley into an upright position in his seat in one smooth motion, and rearranged his own baggage to help his limbs stay still. After clicking his seat belt in place, Amara turned to face the front seats, and flashed a grin at the windshield. ¡°I think he¡¯d wanna get it all done with fast.¡± Noah started the engine without another word. By the time Noah had driven to the destination, Pauley¡¯s face had turned into a light shade of green, and he had all but crashed out of the vehicle alongside half of his belongings. Amara helped ease him to the ground, with a genuinely concerned Noah following quickly out of the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°Amara¡­¡± Pauley half whispered as he laid his head on a suitcase. ¡°Remember¡­to tell my parents I¡­love¡­¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Amara rolled her eyes. She reached into her pool of life energy from within, and drew out a thin stream that gathered on her fingertip like a speck of light. Amara then tapped her finger on Pauley¡¯s forehead, pressing the dot of green light into Pauley¡¯s skin. The latter¡¯s eyes immediately fluttered open, his breathing no longer shallow and ragged, and color returned to his face. Pauley then bounced off the floor with renewed vigor, and screamed: ¡°I¡¯M ALIVE AGAIN!¡± Noah, after observing the entire interaction from his driver¡¯s seat, asked in amazement: ¡°Amara, your Talent can heal people?¡± ¡°A little, yeah.¡± Amara said. ¡°I really just gave him a boost of energy, so he¡¯s not feelin¡¯ down n¡¯ dramatic no more.¡± ¡°In that case, you¡¯re going to be accepted¡ª¡± A loud, sudden beep rang out from Noah¡¯s shirt pocket, cutting him off mid-sentence. His face turned into an ashy color as he scrambled to dig out the source of the noise, then paused mid-action to ask the confused children in front of him: ¡°Are you two sure about where you¡¯re heading to?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Amara replied with a puzzled expression on her face. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Work call, I have to go.¡± Noah hastily ramped up his engine as he spoke. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I might have you drop you off here, but this shouldn¡¯t be too far from the Academy campus. Stay safe!¡± ¡°Thank you! For the..ride.¡± Amara tried to call out after Noah, but the vehicle had already zoomed out of sight. Pauley, who had time to simply take a breath, decided not to let the air go to waste: ¡°Alright, care to let me get off the ground now? We should get there before the campus closes down.¡± Amara moved back to give Pauley space as he pulled himself up. As he did so, Amara couldn¡¯t help but vaguely think about how little information she ended up receiving from Noah regarding the strange ¡®accident¡¯. Her dissatisfaction quickly disappeared though, as her attention was redirected elsewhere. Chapter 8 Pauley had carefully pulled out a piece of something that resembled a piece of black cloth. He waved it obnoxiously close to the tip of Amara¡¯s nose, who successfully identified the item after several moments of thought. ¡°¡®Tis the info¡­infoportal thing, innit?¡± ¡°Oh my, so you DO remember what this is.¡± Pauley rolled his eyes and began to pull his luggage away. ¡°I¡¯m gonna take it back cuz you dropped it!¡± Amara sprinted and caught up to Pauley with ease. ¡°No take backsies!¡± Pauley rolled his eyes again as he stopped walking, but still eventually wrapped the infoportal on Amara¡¯s wrist again. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare lose it another time.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Amara promised. ¡°Good, and I¡¯ll teach you how to use it on the way. You really don¡¯t want to be late¡­¡± Pauley quickly explained the basic functions of the device, such as the method to add in people¡¯s contacts and how to check for battery power. Amara nodded along for most of the way, internally thinking that this device is but a smartphone with a projectable holographic interface instead of a touchscreen. Despite Pauley¡¯s energetic comments about how much more advanced this technology was, Amara still couldn¡¯t tell much difference between the two; however, she¡¯s long been used to this situation, as the two of them had determined long ago that Amara had little affinity for the technically complex concepts. Pauley eventually went for a long pause to catch his breath, right after explaining in detail how to encrypt text on the hologram screen to protect user privacy. Amara stared blankly ahead of her as she continued walking, brain filled with nothing but jumbled thoughts, and the persistent screams from a certain purple orb: Which blasphemous scoundrel had invented these torturous chants?! ¡®Not me.¡¯ Amara thought halfheartedly. I am certain these are entry level knowledge for existing in mortal society. Life commented with a bare hint of smugness in her voice. Perhaps Death was not as detestable as I had believed. Amara dear, Life suddenly addressed Amara. You¡¯re about to walk into¡ª Amara walked nose first into a brick wall. Pauley¡¯s panicky voice could be heard loudly behind her as Amara came to her senses rather painfully: ¡°We didn¡¯t mean to squeeze into the line! No, she¡¯s just zoned out¡­I¡¯m so so sorry!¡± Amara turned around to see a long line of families all staring angrily at Pauley, who was sheepishly trying to move his possessions out of their way. By the looks of these strangers, Amara had managed to walk straight between two pairs of parents, and Pauley had unintentionally caused a blockage with his luggage while trying to chase after Amara. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Amara dashed towards Pauley to help him out. Unfortunately, the strangers weren¡¯t very forgiving towards them; as Amara shoved a suitcase away, she clearly heard a mutter: ¡°Kids these days¡­running wild without any manners¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯d you say!¡± Pauley covered both hands over Amara¡¯s mouth. ¡°Ahaha, don¡¯t mind her, we¡¯re sorry.¡± Before Amara could shake him off, Pauley quietly tapped a finger that was covering her cheek. Receiving the signal, Amara stopped trying to struggle, and simply let Pauley pull her behind his back. As they traded places, Amara quickly slipped something into Pauley¡¯s hand. ¡°We¡¯ll move to the back, I promise!¡± Pauley proceeded to declare his statement to everyone who was looking towards his direction. He waved several times somewhat dramatically, then gestured for Amara to follow him with a simple head tilt. As they both moved, Pauley said in a half whisper: ¡°It¡¯s the beetle, right?¡± ¡°Right.¡± Amara answered in the same hushed tone of voice. ¡°Who¡¯s it for?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see, duh. For now act like nothing happened, because this is the application queue for the Academy.¡± ¡°What?¡± Amara lifted her head to gaze around, but the lineup seemed endless. ¡°Keep your voice down!¡± Pauley hissed. ¡°We¡¯re just broke, sorry countryside kids with no sense of the big city!¡± Amara gave him a thumbs up as she turned her gaze down towards her shoes. Oh my, incoming soap opera. Destruction¡¯s voice spoke with unmasked glee. By the time Pauley had dragged Amara to the end of the lineup, the people behind them suddenly erupted into chaotic gagging noises and shuffling movements. With a wordless glance towards each other, the pair began to hold their breath at the same time. No sooner had they done this, there was a cloud of visibly yellow gas wafting up through the air, its source precisely being the few people that had given Amara a hard time just earlier. Though these people managed to remain standing, all of them looked clearly like they were trying their hardest to hold in their stomach contents. Other people nearby were quick to distance themselves from the evidently repulsive gas; a few were gazing around for signs of Amara and Pauley, though the pair had expertly hidden themselves behind a few adult figures to effectively disappear from sight. Just as the gas was spreading outwards toward innocents, a transparent ripple in the air suddenly came into existence, and the yellow color of the potent gas was swiftly sucked into the ripple, becoming similar to a dust whirl in appearance. The unnatural sight caught the attention of Pauley and Amara, alongside most other people that were in the queue. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Under many different gazes, the yellow air swirl rose steadily upwards, dissipating in midair at approximately the height equivalent to a three-story building, dispersing the yellow gas within as if it had never existed to begin with. After witnessing this event, Amara dropped her gaze down, just in time to notice that a new person dressed in a sleek gray business suit had appeared amongst the crowd, and was politely giving a nod to someone covered head to toe in a black cloak. The two were too far away for Amara to hear what they were speaking, but after a brief exchange, the cloaked figure was gestured by the suited person to head towards the front of the line. ¡°Excuse me, both of you.¡± Amara had no more time to watch strangers; right in front of her and Pauley¡¯s faces, the adult figures they were concealing behind was replaced by another person dressed in a gray suit, who looked to be a grown man with dark eye circles and beard stubble, but was still forcing a smile on to his face. ¡°Are you the two of you applicants for our school?¡± The man spoke in a hoarse voice. His facial muscles barely moved when he talked, making his smile seem even more stiff and fake. ¡°No¡­no, I¡¯m not the one applying.¡± Pauley quickly denied. The man looked at Amara. The latter gulped in nervousness, fearing that their antics had been discovered. Her fear almost immediately came true as the man spoke once again: ¡°Miss, if you don¡¯t mind, can you please follow me to the school gates? We have some concerns regarding your actions. And you too please, sir.¡± Pauley began to follow the man forward on shaky legs; Amara, after a brief moment of mind blanking panic, trailed after them. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that most of the gassed strangers were invited towards the gates too, albeit on the other side of the queue. About three minutes of wordless walking later, everyone that got brought forward was gathered by the corner of a long row of reception booths, which were all active with applicants. The man who had led the way for Amara and Pauley directed them right in front of several other individuals in professional looking gray suits, all of which had stoic expressions on their faces as the pair were brought in front of them. The other party was brought in almost at the same time. A quick glance showed there were five children around Amara and Pauley¡¯s age, and eight adults, who were all throwing furious looks at the pair. ¡°Thank you for joining us here.¡± Out of the people in gray, one lady who looked to be in her forties stood in the very middle, and broke the uneasy silence first. ¡°We have noticed there had been conflicts between both sides, and it has resulted in a rather¡­hazardous situation. I hope that all of you understand that we are a Military Academy, and we take public health and safety extremely seriously. So, is anyone willing to explain¡ª¡± ¡°IT¡¯S THESE KIDS!¡± One red-faced father cut off the lady in rage. ¡°They thought they could cut into OUR line and get away scot-free! I say ban them right here and RIGHT NOW!¡± Woah, not cool. Life said as Amara instinctively cowered away slightly. ¡°Please calm down¡ª¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you all some officials with some rankings? Why can¡¯t you see how TERRIBLE these two would become?!¡± ¡°Enough.¡± The lady was visibly displeased with being interrupted twice. She looked at another lady who stood beside her and instructed: ¡°Please bring this parent and child to the very end of our lineup.¡± ¡°Wait, WHY?¡± The father barely had time to raise a fist before he was swept away in a gray blur. His child, who was a dejected looking boy around twelve years old, disappeared with his father without ever looking away from the ground. The lady in charge returned her to her remaining audience. ¡°As I was saying earlier, could anyone explain what had happened?¡± The other adults froze in a mix of fear and shock as to what had just happened. Their children, seeing their parents keep quiet, didn''t step forward either. Amara looked at the situation, decided to take a deep breath in , and took a small step forward. ¡°I am sorry, madam.¡± The lady watched her with a gaze that made Amara feel like she was being analyzed like some sort of a lab specimen. She took yet another deep breath, and said in a shaky voice: ¡°I was the one who was applyin¡¯ for here, and, and Pauley here is just to bring me in town cuz my grandparent¡¯s ain¡¯t have time with harvests at home. It¡¯s my first time in the city, so¡­so I ended up walkin¡¯ into some people here.¡± Amara pointed at the parents, who all showed varying levels of disdain or scorn at her accent and her description of family. The lady¡¯s gaze remained fixated on her with no show of emotion. ¡°Me n¡¯ Pauley said sorry when we tried to go to the right place, but then I heard someone say we¡¯ve no manners¡­so I gave ¡®em a beetle that I made that work like a stink bomb. I didn¡¯t mean to make anyone panic and make y¡¯all worried, I¡¯m so sorry.¡± ¡°Beetle?¡± The lady blinked slowly. ¡°What do you mean, you made it?¡± Amara peeked back at Pauley, who gave her a small head bob of encouragement. She then proceeded to take her third deep breath, and continued: ¡°I saw dung beetles before, and I was inspired to see if I can combine ¡®em into a walkin¡¯ tickin¡¯ stink bomb and give us, uh, me more time to run before it goes off. It¡¯s never hurt anybody, I-I promise!¡± A small snickering noise could be heard right then. Both Amara and the lady turned their heads to the group of parents and their children, but none of them gave any clues as to who made the sound. ¡°Does anyone have disagreements regarding what this young miss has said?¡± The lady asked in a flat tone, but no one spoke up to confirm or deny. ¡°In that case, I shall take this miss¡¯s word as the truth.¡± The lady then declared. ¡°I believe that this was an incident that both sides are responsible for, and hence, all of the applicants within this group should be penalized in the entrance examinations. Does anyone disagree?¡± A few parents looked upset, but again, no one spoke up. ¡°Then I shall announce the penalties. Each applicant shall have thirty minutes deducted from the allowed time in their written portion of examinations, and their Talent demonstration time within the interview portion will be reduced from five minutes to three. Now, please return to your original spots in the lineup¡ªyoung miss, follow me.¡± The others in gray began to direct the different families back towards where they came from, while Amara¡¯s mouth hung open in surprise and a sense of impending dread. ¡°Go! Just go in!¡± Pauley reached out and patted her on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting, okay? When you¡¯re done just send me a message on your infoportal, okay?¡± Amara nodded quickly as she saw the lady in charge begin to walk into campus. She muttered a goodbye to Pauley and sprinted to catch up. She caught up to the lady in the midst of a concrete-built, empty square, where most other buildings were sprawled all away. She peeked around as much as she dared to, but all she really saw was a blur of gray in every direction, save for some trees and shrubbery that lined up two sides of the clearing. ¡°What is your name?¡± Just as Amara was getting immersed in looking around in her surroundings, the lady she was following spoke, taking her attention back to her. ¡°Amara, madam.¡± ¡°I meant your full name.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± Amara stuttered. ¡°I¡¯m Amara Amberwood, surname¡¯s same as my town.¡± The lady looked back at her with a small frown on her face. ¡°Interesting.¡± Amara could feel herself break into a cold sweat. ¡°Where are your parents?¡± The lady asked as she turned her head back. ¡°I¡¯m adopted, madam.¡± One small and somewhat uncomfortable pause later, the lady said: ¡°You can refer to me as Ms. Vexpley.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡­Ms. Vexpley.¡± The two of them took a slight left turn into a smaller clearing that branched away from the main square, and had a small cluster of low-rise buildings arranged in a semicircle shape, which were all painted a dull light gray color, just like the rest of the campus. Ms. Vexpley picked up her pace as she continued to question Amara: ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°Eleven.¡± ¡°Are you aware that our oldest admission age for new students is thirteen?¡± ¡°Yes, Ms. Vexpley.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re confident that you¡¯ll be able to complete our entrance exams?¡± ¡°Yes, Ms. Vexpley.¡± The pair now headed towards the front doors of a sprawling building that sprung open as they approached. Amara barely spent any energy marveling at the automatic doors, as she was nervously following Ms. Vexpley down a narrow hallway that was predictably gray colored in decor. Their final destination was the very last door in the hall, which was pushed open to reveal a rather large space behind, with several dozens of delicate machinery that made Amara¡¯s eyes hurt just to look at them. ¡°Where¡¯s Montrose?¡± Ms Vexpley called into the seemingly empty room. Several seconds later, a lanky, bespectacled main in a brown coat rose up from underneath a table. Chapter 9 Amara looked up to inspect this new stranger, who returned her gaze with a look that¡¯s reminiscent of a startled rabbit. The man hastily shifted his gaze to Ms. Vexpley, and spoke in a timid, high pitched voice: ¡°Who is this?¡± ¡°Amara, an Academy applicant with something you¡¯ll be interested in.¡± Ms. Vexpley turned towards Amara, and explained: ¡°This is Dr. Montrose, one of the leading researchers into weaponry development this nation has to offer, and I believe that the, uh, stink bomb you produced would be of great inspiration to him.¡± Dr. Montrose reached up to scratch his nose, but Amara still saw his uncovered ears turn crimson. ¡°Of course, it is entirely up to you if you¡¯d like to let the Academy know of your own methods, as we do value effort and creativity.¡± Ms. Vexpley continued. ¡°If you do choose to let us know about the designs, the Academy¡ªin fact, just myself has enough authority¡ªto offer you monetary compensation, as well as the removal of one of the penalties I gave earlier. Does that sound like an equal offer?¡± Amara¡¯s eyes widened as she mulled over the opportunity. For the benefits, she¡¯d obviously caught the attention of some highly positioned individuals while other applicants haven¡¯t, and the method to make her beetle stink bombs isn''t particularly difficult or important to her. She¡¯d be easily gaining favor and goodwill which would put her at an advantage, but the downside¡­ ¡°I can show and explain how I make them, but it¡¯s related to my Talents, so I can¡¯t guarantee that others can make it like I do¡­¡± Amara decided to be honest. Ms. Vexpley frowned at her once again. ¡°Would your Talent be related to scents?¡± ¡°No!¡± Amara quickly denied. ¡°So, it started when I was seein¡¯ some dung beetles one afternoon, and I saw how their little balls get bigger n¡¯ bigger until it looked like they were rollin¡¯ themselves by the end, so I decided to see if I can modify them into dung balls with beetle legs that can move by themselves. I began by making a few more too see if they can just carry the dung¡ª¡± ¡°Hold on! One, one second, please.¡± Dr. Montrose interjected suddenly. ¡°You made a few more of¡­?¡± ¡°Beetles?¡± Amara responded. ¡°Is that your Talent?¡± Ms. Vexpley¡¯s brows furrowed deeper. ¡°No no no, my Talent is the concept of Life.¡± Before either could ask more questions, Amara extended her hand out, while simultaneously tapping into her energy pool. Just a hint of green flashed across her palm, then a black insect occupied what used to be empty space. Dr. Montroses¡¯s jaw dropped. The young, freshly existing beetle waved a limb at him. Amara exhaled a small sigh of relief. Over the years, she had come to the realization that showing people what she¡¯s capable of doing is much easier than describing, and often turned frustration into various degrees of surprise. However, she knows that this very moment isn¡¯t the time for shock or confusion, so she proceeded to use a version of explanation that she had perfected in the past: ¡°My Talent allows me to create organic matter or whole organisms that aren¡¯t bigger than me in size. Plants are easier for me to control because they don¡¯t have sentience, but for animals like beetles, I can still create them, but they¡¯d have a mind of their own and I can¡¯t order them around like grass or a grape vine.¡± Complete silence followed after Amara finished speaking. The two adults stared at each other, unblinking, while Amara grew increasingly nervous with each second of inactivity. ¡®Am I screwin¡¯ this up?¡¯ Eventually she had to turn to the presences in her mind for confirmation. I sense their vital signs, they¡¯re likely in shock. Life said. ¡®Is that a bad thing?¡¯ I can sense if they¡¯re healthily alive or not, but I unfortunately cannot read the minds of mortal creatures. Life replied somewhat exasperatedly this time. Well if things don¡¯t go well, there¡¯s always another school to go to. Destruction made an attempt at comfort. Just don¡¯t forget the money. ¡®What money?¡¯ You- Dr. Montrose saved Amara from whatever Destruction was going to tell her by speaking up in time: ¡°Pardon me for the rudeness, but¡­but can I take a closer look?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Amara was eager to have the topic changed. She gently transferred the beetle into Dr. Montrose¡¯s hand, then told him: ¡°You can have it, if you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± ¡°Of course. It¡¯s probably not goin¡¯ to live as long as a regular beetle, but a few months shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± Dr. Montrose held the beetle between his hands like he was cupping a soap bubble. Without taking his eyes off of the insect, he spoke to Ms Vexpley: ¡°This is going to be worth oh, oh so much!¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t even ask for the rest of her invention story yet.¡± Ms. Vexpley said in an annoyed tone, but her words were promptly ignored. Amara coughed a few times to mask up her urge to smile. ¡°Well, in the end, I just decided to get really good at makin¡¯ insect legs that could attach to anything that smelled bad. The end product is just a dung bomb that could run on its own while I run the other way, and not be caught setting them off.¡± ¡°Did you hear what she¡­never mind.¡± Ms. Vexpley grumbled. ¡°He¡¯s not going to understand a word from anyone in this state. Anyways, I thank you for your information; What would you like to name the price for it?¡± Ask for a mansion and lifetime supply of carrots. Destruction chimed inside Amara¡¯s head. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. No! Have you never learned how to time your comments properly? Life chided him. Then ask for instant admission, I suppose. Have you also not learned how to avoid possible academic dishonesty? Is that recyclable? Amara¡¯s head ached as the two deities proceeded to quarrel. On the surface though, she tried her best to look hesitant, and thus caused Ms. Vexpley to change her stance: ¡°Would you like me to make an offer instead?¡± ¡°Please.¡± Amara pressed a hand to her forehead. ¡°Our average prices for live specimens lie around 2,500 gold pieces each, and a minor technology discovery averages between 500 to 1,000 gold pieces. Would you take an offer of 3,000 gold?¡± Amara stumbled from being startled by the price. She knew that the gold did not mean the metal, but rather a unit of currency, equal to ten silver pieces or one hundred bronze pieces ¡ª which are terms that also meant currency and not the corresponding metals. To the best of her knowledge, 3,000 gold pieces is enough to keep her family fed and sheltered comfortably for around a month; her usual pocket money consisted purely of silvers and bronzes, so to hear that a simple trick of hers fetching so much gold was beyond her imagination. ¡°Yes! Wouldn¡¯t that be too much, though?¡± Ms. Vexpley seemed to be fond of frowning expressions. ¡°That would be a fair price by Academy standards, and the funds would be given to you by cash, considering you¡¯re still too young to have an individual financial account. Which penalty would you like to remove from the examination process? Written exam time deductions? Or the interview limitation?¡± I recommend removing the written exam deduction, since we all know how fast you can be at that. Life spared just enough time to give Amara a suggestion, before going right back into bickering with Destruction. Amara decided to follow Life¡¯s words, and was then directed by Ms. Vexpley to leave the lab room they were standing in all this time. Before the door was shut behind her, Amara tried to say a quick goodbye, but Dr. Montrose¡¯s figure had disappeared behind the labyrinth of equipment. Due to the ongoing godly quarrel, Amara remained wordless as she followed Ms. Vexpley on the way back, as she focused most of her attention on nursing her headache. Therefore, it was only when they were stopping at the entrance to a crowded assembly hall did Amara notice they were trudging down a different path all along. ¡°Excuse me, where are we?¡± ¡°The hall for written examinations, of course.¡± Ms. Vexpley looked back at her with yet another frown. ¡°Unless you¡¯ve decided to not apply after all.¡± ¡°No, that''s not what I meant! Sorry.¡± Amara was flustered. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be back in the lineup, though?¡± ¡°It would have been your turn to this hall anyway.¡± Ms. Vexpley gestured behind Amara. The latter spun around, and sure enough, about a dozen children around her own age had appeared with a leading teacher figure at the front. Ms Vexpley swiftly walked towards the teacher and pulled them aside for a quick hushed conversation. Afterwards, the new teacher led the other children to Amara, and told her: ¡°Ms. Vexpley is going back to the entrance to help with other teachers now, so can you please follow me? Everyone else here is also going to take the exams with you.¡± Amara nodded and fell behind the new teacher when she entered the hall. The space had room for approximately hundreds of students and dozens of unoccupied desks, though nobody was speaking. Amara and the others were each led into a seat far away from each other, and was directed to look at their test instructions carefully in a hushed tone before the new teacher rushed back out of the hall. There were still plenty of teachers in gray suits around the hall, so nobody was daring enough to cheat. Amara simply tried to wait for a pen and paper when the whole desk in front of her lit up like a gigantic screen, and slowly displayed words at an easily readable pace: Welcome To The Academy For Military Training and Preparation For Combat Related Situations (AFMTPFCRS)! This is the Written Examination portion of the Entrance Exam, where there are MULTIPLE sections for questions that you¡¯ll see. For the General Questions section, you¡¯ll be expected to answer each question as truthfully and honestly as possible. Do not worry about marks or time limits on this section; your answers will be provided to the interviewers as a reference. For the Basic Knowledge section, you¡¯ll be expected to answer each question to the best of your knowledge. There will be a total of 200 marks, and you will be expected to complete this section in 150 minutes. This section will directly present as your Written Examinations final grade and be reflected as a percentage score. Good luck! Amara¡¯s head gradually stopped hurting as the tenants in her head stopped infighting to focus on the exam requirements with her. However, after she finished reading, their verbose natures resurfaced extremely rapidly. I suggest¡ª Life began. Do the Basic Knowledge first! No, clearly the General Questions first, as that will impact the interviews. ¡®And this is why I¡¯m awful at writing exams.¡¯ Amara complained internally as her headache returned. She tapped on the desk-screen a few times, revealing that the General Questions section appeared first. As I was saying¡ª Do the General Questions first! That¡¯s what I said! Shameless. Amara clicked on the question one. Why did you apply to The Academy For Military Training and Preparation For Combat Related Situations (AFMTPFCRS)? Trying her best to ignore the chatter that ensued, she answered ¡°Because my family wanted me to, and because I think my Talents would help.¡± What do you expect to learn? ¡°Basic knowledge, better uses for my Talent, and a purpose in life.¡± What is your desired career path? Amara paused for quite a bit on this question. Oddly enough, even the deities quieted down at the back of her mind, almost as if they¡¯re waiting for her to respond. Eventually, Amara wrote down something simple: ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± The deities remained silent, which would¡¯ve unnerved Amara otherwise, but for now she was just glad there weren¡¯t any distractions to fend off. A few more similar questions later, Amara clicked the screen to reveal the next section. Well, if it¡¯s BASIC Knowledge, it shouldn¡¯t be as hard to answer right? Destruction finally piped up. As if you could answer anything. Life said. Hah! I¡¯m going to answer whatever question that comes next! Amara, don¡¯t listen to me until you do your own problem solving! ¡®Alright.¡¯ Amara sighed as she anticipated another headache, then tapped on the screen to reveal the next question. Let f(x)= x3 ? 6x2 + 9x + 2.
  1. a) Find f¡ä(x) (the first derivative). b) Determine the critical points by solving f¡ä(x) = 0. c) Use the second derivative test to classify each critical point as a local maximum, local minimum, or point of inflection.
Amara stepped out of the assembly hall without much of a headache. In fact, her head had been eerily silent for over an hour, without so much as a breathing noise from the tenants inside her mind. ¡®Is everything okay?¡¯ she thought to the deities as her body numbly followed the flow of other people towards a large building that looked like a gymnasium from afar. Oh, I am perfectly fine. Life answered smugly. If you¡¯re asking about a certain other individual, he is not. Blatant lies. I am also perfectly fine. Destruction appeared with a calm speaking tone. ¡®So did you solve the problem? I left it completely blank.¡¯ Amara asked. Do not invoke the wrath of a Deity, mortal. Life¡¯s chuckling sounds felt like it was reverberating inside Amara¡¯s skull. ¡®On a different note,¡¯ Amara winced from the sensation. ¡®I think the next part is physical combat related.¡¯ Excellent. Let the might of Deities be known across the land once more, chosen one. You have been trusted to champion¡ª We better stay forgotten and unknown if her fighting skills are as good as your mathematics. Life interrupted. Amara preemptively started to massage her temples, and her foresight did not disappoint. She kept her head down low as she half-walked, half-squeezed into a different interior space with plenty of seating, though instead of desks and chairs, this location had benches encircling a grand empty area in the middle of the room. Chapter 10 Following the general direction of the small crowd around, Amara found a spot on the third row of benches, with a decent view of the central arena-like space. She settled into her seat and tried to focus her attention on her surroundings for once, as more people filed into the room. The faraway walls of this space were smooth and gray, matching the exterior appearance of almost every other building on campus. The benches were made of a hard material, colored to match the looks of hardwood, and could easily hold hundreds of audience members. The middle area seemed to be matching the size of a sports field, large enough that the people on the opposite side of the benches from Amara seemed like animated flecks. There was exactly one gray-suited figure in the arena, standing in the middle of the empty space, presumably waiting for the benches to be fully filled up before making a speech. ¡®Hey, I think I should use this waitin¡¯ time to recover some energy.¡¯ Amara quickly became bored after sitting still for several minutes, and reached into her mind to give a heads-up. ¡®Now that I thought about it, I think it¡¯s the first time today that I''ve got some time for breathers.¡¯ Just keep an eye out for the upcoming exam instructions. Life immediately responded to her and paused the godly squabble that had been ongoing. She and Destruction then phased into silence, letting Amara have her break in peace. ¡®Thank you.¡¯ Eyes now closed in reality, Amara turned attention to the green pool of energy in her mind and began to take deep breaths. As she gradually cleared her head of stray thoughts, she could slowly begin to ¡®see¡¯ tiny sparks of green light floating around her. She knew that these small clusters of green light were representations of life around her, and most¡ªif not all¡ªliving organisms are able to produce such energy to signify their survival. The first time Amara was capable of sensing these energy clusters, she almost burst into tears until Life explained to her that absorbing these wouldn¡¯t cause anything to die; from bacteria to fungi to animals, anything that is alive could and would produce energy, and she¡¯s unique in having the ability to grow her Talent by replenishing her power with this type of energy, as well as wielding it to grow and enhance pre-existing life forms. Now, after years of experimenting on crops and learning from the Deity of Life, Amara is fully confident in her ability to absorb life energy without bringing harm to the subjects she was taking said energy from. However, with dozens and dozens of living humans around, Amara hesitated as she was about to fill up her energy pool. ¡®People¡¯s energy clusters are so much bigger than potatoes¡­would this be alright? I don¡¯t want to accidentally cause anything bad.¡¯ I am glad you have this concern, Life answered Amara. But you should not be afraid. Think of what you see as excess energy that human bodies do not need to keep themselves alive, otherwise these clusters would not be hovering around for you to take as you please. ¡®That makes sense, thank you.¡¯ Amara felt relieved. She continued taking in deep breaths, with each inhale drawing in small streams of energy that flowed naturally into her green energy pool, in a process that only she herself could sense. Barely five minutes later, Amara¡¯s energy pull was back at full capacity once more. Even though she still avoided draining entire energy clusters, the sheer amount of people in the room with her still provided her with an abundance of supply. Opening her eyes, she did a quick scan around her, and sure enough, nobody seated nearby seemed to be affected in any way. This is a brand new experience for you, correct? ¡®Yeah. I¡¯ve only had this many trees around before, this is definitely a first for me. I feel like I could grow in power at least twice as fast as before if I¡¯d meditate here every day instead of in the corn fields!¡¯ Amara thought to her ¡®tenants¡¯. All the more reason to pass this entrance exam, right? Life responded again. It would be good for you to familiarize yourself more with the workings of human bodies, and explore more venues for power usage. After all, I¡ªlife¡ªis anything but limited to helping plants grow. Amara suddenly had a question. ¡®Can I start a weight loss program by constantly takin¡¯ energy from specific people?¡¯ Child, you ought to spend less time observing Destruction. Oh, sure, and miss out on listening to the next bit of instructions. Destruction answered sarcastically. That statement shocked Amara back into reality. Sure enough, the lone gray figure in the arena opened its mouth to speak: ¡°Welcome to the academy, everybody!¡± Amara sat close enough to see that the figure did not hold anything that resembled a microphone. Despite that and having their back towards Amara, she had no problem hearing the person¡¯s voice. Assuming this to be some secret auditory technique, Amara had her eyes fixated on the figure, trying to see if there was anything special to the way the person was speaking. ¡°First of all, congratulations for making it past the written tests. My name¡¯s Jason, and I am¡ª¡± Another gray-clad figure sprinted out from the audience and dashed for Jason, then firmly shoved a stack of paper to the latter before sprinting back with equal speed. ¡°...Pardon me, I forgot the script.¡± Jason cleared his throat, and proceeded to read off of the papers in a deeper, slightly raspier tone: ¡°My name is Jason, and I am delighted to see so many young faces eager to join us. Welcome, again, and reaching part two of our entrance exams means that you have proven your skills¡­¡± Amara¡¯s face flushed red as she remembered how many blank spaces she had left on the test earlier. Focus. Destruction¡¯s voice sounded as if it came through gritted teeth. ¡°...And for this section, the Academy would like to test your familiarity with your Talents. Of course, we¡¯re aware that not everyone¡¯s skills are convenient for indoors places like here, and so we offer two modes for you to demonstrate. It¡¯s easy! Just come up to the stage whenever you feel ready, and either choose to show us what physical forms your Talent has, or use our specially made simulators to show what you can do!¡± As Jason continued to speak with his face turned away from Amara, a translucent projector screen materialized on his right hand size, while the floor on his left split open to reveal a metallic object that resembled a human sized pill capsule. ¡°No need to fight anybody here, and please be civil and line up if someone¡¯s faster than you. This will be the easiest part of the exams, and I¡¯ve already explained everything! Oh, besides the fact that the first ten up on the stage would be offered five bonus marks of course, once I say the word ¡®ready¡¯!¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Amara¡¯s entire body tensed up, ready to pounce onto the stage. She knew she needed the bonus marks to make up for her written exam, as well as the penalty for the interview section that was made by Ms. Vexpley. ¡°Rea-¡± Jason only spoke one syllable before Amara moved. She launched herself right over the people sitting in the first two rows of benches, landing on the ground with an impact that numbed her ankles. Without wasting any time for pain to follow, she sprinted as fast as she could towards Jason. ¡°STOP!¡± Amara skidded to a halt right before she was about to tumble face-first into another person. She wobbled, nearly crashing into Jason before regaining her balance, and felt her heart sink as she looked at at least thirty others present on the stage. ¡®Did I make it?¡¯ Amara thought weakly as her legs began to ache from her rough landing. Before either deities could form a reply, she saw Jason point a finger right at her. ¡°You, miss.¡± ¡°Y-yes?¡± Amara gulped. ¡°You¡¯re the tenth.¡± Jason flashed a small grin. He was a muscular man that was at least twice Amara¡¯s height, with a clean shaven head and crooked teeth. His attempt at appearing friendly made him look even more frightening to Amara. Between feeling relief that she got her extra marks and feeling uneasy by standing in a spot surrounded by spectators, Amara decided to look down at her shoes. Barely a second later though, the person in front of her spun around to face her directly, and hissed: ¡°You again?¡± Amara immediately looked up and first noticed that Jason had begun to walk away to other applicants who were also on stage. Then, her vision was filled with an angry face that looked oddly familiar as the boy stared her down while pushing his face closer to hers. ¡°Do you know how many marks I lost because of you? You almost RUINED my life!¡± The boy screeched at Amara, his voice cracking as he shouted louder and louder with each word. He was already a little taller than Amara, and having his anger adding to his presence nearly made him seem like he towered over her. Amara¡¯s memory was refreshed as he spoke. This was one of the children in the families that got penalized alongside her. By the sounds of it, he probably didn¡¯t do well on his written exams either. ¡°Maybe you shouldn¡¯t have bad-mouthed people then.¡± The boy¡¯s face turned beet-red and his facial features all but crumpled into one mass from rage: ¡°And where did-¡± ¡°Alright, we have our order ready!¡± Jason¡¯s voice boomed loudly, covering over whatever else the boy was going to say next. Amara took the momentary distraction to roll her eyes at him and shuffle to a different spot further away, while he was turning his attention towards Jason. ¡°Starting with our fastest applicant, please introduce yourself a little and tell us which way you¡¯d like to show your Talent!¡± The girl standing next to Amara¡¯s new spot stepped towards Jason. She¡¯s nearly a full head taller than Amara, lanky with long limbs and her hair in a short bob. She moved without a sound and looked almost blurry from speed as she walked at a seemingly normal pace. Jason gave the girl a strong pat on the shoulder, with the sound being audible even to Amara¡¯s ears. The girl herself dipped to the side, but righted her body in one fluid motion that nearly created motion blur. Afterwards, when she began to speak, her voice also rang out across the room: ¡°Uh¡­my Talent is related to electricity, should I be on the safer side?¡± ¡°Oh? Do you have any skills you can demonstrate without causing harm?¡± Jason asked, as several more adults dressed in gray dragged a wooden podium towards them. ¡°Yes.¡± The girl answered. Amara blinked once, and suddenly the girl was on the ceiling, hanging off an uneven chunk with one hand while touching a light bulb with the other. Without giving anyone else a chance to react, the bulb she held burst into eye-blinding light. The crowd burst into chaos as people were not prepared for the change. There were a few screams here and there, a lot of waving arms to shield eyes from the light, but surprisingly enough, the chaos only lasted a few moments and the audience was once again back to a normal level of noise. Amara shut her eyes as fast as she could, but still didn¡¯t fully avoid the flash of eye-watering light. She turned her head down and wiped off the tears on her face, but the discomfort in her eyes was nothing compared to the pit of dread and familiarity that opened in her heart. ''She''s also one of the people I crossed, isn¡¯t she?¡¯ Amara asked inside her thoughts, hoping for one last shred of denial. Yep. Destruction was always quick to give her the truth. Attagirl, now you¡¯ve got at least two other kids hating on you, and you didn¡¯t even make it past all the tests yet. Life was no more comforting. These two are clearly strong contenders for admission spots for you, even after penalties. My estimate for their Talent points are in the high twenties at least, and factoring in their age¡­prodigies, indeed. ¡®High twenties¡­not the worst case scenario, I can take ¡®em in a fight.¡¯ Amara winced. Don¡¯t underestimate them, that girl definitely has plenty of tricks up her sleeve. Destruction told her confidently. ¡®Even more tricks than you?¡¯ Nonsense. How could a half-grown mortal ever compare- She¡¯s goading you and you fell for it. Life interrupted. And stop zoning out, Amara. ¡®Right, right.¡¯ Amara gathered her thoughts. The girl was already heading off the stage with a card-like object in hand, and she was definitely moving unnaturally fast compared to a regular human using her movements. The light bulb on the ceiling returned to normal levels of brightness, but many people in the audience were still covering their faces. Jason, now with two suspiciously puffy eyes, smiled as if he was being paid to act content and beckoned the next person to go up to his podium and demonstrate: ¡°Now for our runner-up, please come out and introduce yourself!¡± Behind Amara, A figure in a hooded black cloak glided, or rather, floated towards Jason. The cloak fully covered the person from head to toe, but it was evident that the edge of the cloak material was simply not touching the ground, along with the rest of their body. As they passed by Amara, the latter felt there was an unnaturally strong gust of wind blowing past, much more powerful than a normal amount of airflow generated by someone else moving by. She was momentarily reminded of being in a storm, though all traces of the winds disappeared as the mysterious figure moved onwards. Despite what she experienced mentally, her clothing didn¡¯t even get a crease from the drastic change in air pressure. The figure was floating above Jason¡¯s head by the time they reached Jason¡¯s podium. Before Jason could change from a gawking expression, the figure slowly descended to the ground, landing soundlessly with indescribable grace. Jason had no time to make a comment about the figure before they took the chance to speak first. ¡°Can I go now?¡± Strangely, their voice was capable of projecting out loud and clear as well, without any assistance from Jason. Jason was clearly taken aback. ¡°Do you have, um, anything else¡­?¡± The figure extended a hand out, and one massive fireball was forming rapidly atop their palm. Amara counted just three seconds before the flames were nearly the size of Jason himself, before vanishing into nothingness with a simple finger snap from the cloaked figure, along with all the heat produced by the fire. ¡°Can I go now?¡± The figure repeated. Jason, with mouth open and puffy eyes as large as they could open, wordlessly handed a rectangular wooden object to the figure, and continued to wordlessly gaze as the figure returned to his seat in the benches. The entire room went deadly quiet for several moments as Jason remained petrified. Finally, the third applicant stopped waiting, and approached the podium by himself. This was someone who clearly began puberty, as he stood almost as tall and wide as Jason, though clearly many years younger. He kept a straight face as he spoke with no voice amplification: ¡°I want to use the simulator.¡± The applicant crossed his arms as he waited for a response, flexing his muscles in the process. If Amara had to guess, his Talent would certainly be related to physical strength. ¡°Ah? Of course, yes.¡± Jason forced a smile onto his face halfheartedly, possibly still trying to process the emotions each contestant had brought to his mind. ¡°Welcome to our first applicant who¡¯ll try out our simulators! Don¡¯t be afraid, I promise under the Academy¡¯s reputation that the process in one hundred percent harmless¡ª¡± ¡°I know how to use it.¡± The third applicant responded as his feet already moved towards the metal pod off to the side. From Amara¡¯s angle, she only saw him open some sort of latch on the simulator¡¯s surface, before opening up a door-like space that he squeezed himself into. Jason had his mouth hanging open throughout the time the applicant took to get himself ready, only to realize his slip-up and coughed away his awkwardness after the metal pod had been shut closed. ¡®This might be a good time to see if the simulator would give better marks? I¡¯m not quite sure what this part of the whole exam was supposed to do anyway.¡¯ Amara thought to herself, even as she pondered why this third applicant gave her a feeling of familiarity. ¡®Ain¡¯t this just gonna be a weird useless show-n-tell game?¡¯ My bet is that this Jason mortal does not know what he was supposed to do anyway. Destruction complained. He does seem quite inexperienced. ¡®Really?¡¯ Amara tried to see why the deities reached this conclusion. Instead, she fetched another memory from her head: ¡®Wait¡­isn¡¯t this guy¡­also¡­?¡¯ Oh. I believe yes, he is indeed another one that you have not exchanged pleasantries with. Life¡¯s green orb pulsated several times in Amara¡¯s mind, which meant that she was taking a look at the outside world through Amara¡¯s eyes. Destruction was cackling in glee. ¡®There were five of them right?¡¯ Even Amara¡¯s thoughts had a tinge of despair as she tried to see if anyone else currently on stage was also a familiar human. Luckily for her, the rest of the applicants were all strangers. While she was peeking around, the metal pod containing the third applicant began to spin and shake around. Meanwhile, a spatter of colors was beginning to be displayed holographically, right on the projector screen that was generated alongside the pod. The screen showed an image of the third applicant in a mountainous area, with about a dozen boulders nearby. As the colors solidified, the applicant was then shown to be lifting up multiple rocks with clear ease, then hurling them one by one out of frame without breaking a sweat. Amara gulped as the last boulder disappeared from the screen. ¡®I gotta admit, I don¡¯t think I can take all three of ¡®em in a fight.¡¯ Oh come on, if I were you I¡¯d have- A bloated ego. Life skillfully intervened. A bloated- HOW DARE YOU! Destruction nearly went off the wrong track. Chapter 11 But you should think in a different way, Amara. Life changed the topic with equal expertise. What if you have friends on your side as well? ¡®You¡¯re saying, I should make friends? Right now??¡¯ Not quite what I was suggesting. I meant to say that, before you enter a possible confrontation¡ªsince you seem to think that such a scenario is bound to occur¡ªyou should be prepared to have aid on your side as well. After all, one of the reasons me and Destruction hoped you would be able to find in this Academy would be trustworthy allies. ¡®Neither of you told me that before.¡¯ Amara was surprised. ¡®The Academy part, I mean. Both of you sorta just told me to go, like my grandparents.¡¯ Did we? If Destruction had a hand and a head, he probably would¡¯ve been scratching the latter with the former. The insomnia is getting strong. ¡®Insomnia?¡¯ One thing at a time, my former colleague. Life sighed. Destruction¡¯s dark purple orb shrunk a little in size. Fine, you do it then. Life sighed once more. Apologies if we had been confusing you, Amara. We assumed that, by letting you join the academy, you¡¯d have a more stable education first and foremost. Then there would be other perks, such as meeting peers that are of more similar interests and capabilities as yourself, as¡­well, Amberwood was too small for you, to say the least. Your grandparents would agree with us about these reasons. ¡®Gran and Gramps did say similar things¡­¡¯ Amara admitted. ¡®And honestly, it¡¯s been kinda fun seein¡¯ some different stuff, but also scary.¡¯ And on our own note¡­ Life suddenly trailed off. ¡®Yes?¡¯ Hopefully you remember that we¡¯re just fragments of our former glory. Destruction picked up the conversation. And we¡¯ve been conscious in your head almost nonstop. We want a nap too. One of the perks of talking to the deities is that Amara doesn¡¯t have to try and be subtle with what she wants to convey. ¡®Gods need naps too?¡¯ Back then no, for now yes. Don¡¯t you worry, we¡¯re not gonna say good night until you start taking math classes. Before that happens, though, do either of you remember that there is an ongoing exam? Amara jumped back to reality with a shudder, just as the eighth applicant was about to head off the stage. ¡®Thank you!¡¯ Amara thought, as she watched the ninth applicant, also the first boy she crossed, walk up to Jason¡¯s podium. ¡°I¡¯m going to fight this girl right here!¡± The boy quickly declared to the whole audience, including Jason, as soon as his voice could be heard by everybody. ¡°I want to start a challenge!¡± ¡°You can do that?!¡± Amara blurted out in surprise before her brain could stop her. She simply assumed that this portion was a massive show-and-tell process, therefore she was not prepared for a potential combat scenario. The boy turned to stare at Amara face-to face, one finger pointing directly at her nose, clearly seething with anger as he continued to have his words broadcasted: ¡°Nobody said it¡¯s in the rules, but nobody said it isn¡¯t allowed! I, Ramir, shall challenge you to a duel!¡± Amara felt her own temper rising. She did indeed feel regretful about the extent of her actions, but she did not consider herself the kind of person to forgive being repeatedly targeted over an incident where both sides held responsibility. She had said her apologies and never got any in return¡ªwhich she was willing to look past¡ªand was just going to forget the incident. Now with such a feud being publicized though, she was not planning to back down. ¡°Wait, wait, about the rules¡ª¡± Jason attempted to step in and intervene, but barely got two words in before several adults in the benches started to gesture at him. Looking blankly at the adults off the stage, Jason stayed completely still as he took in the body signals his colleagues were giving to him. After a few moments he began to mouth a few words quietly, as if to confirm the information he¡¯d received through lip reading. Finally, Jason backed off and stepped back onto his podium, and asked Amara: ¡°Are you okay with this? This is technically allowed, but you have full right to refuse the challenge if you aren¡¯t comfortable with combat.¡± ¡°If he wants a fight, I sure ain¡¯t gonna say no.¡± Amara answered, already tapping into her energy pool, her eyes fixed on the boy who referred to himself as Ramir. ¡°W-well then, in the simulator or¡ª¡± Jason stuttered while raising an arm in the general direction of the metal pod. ¡°You¡¯re not that wimpy, are you?¡± Ramir taunted, not even letting Jason complete a full sentence. Amara smirked. ¡°Of course not, ya borin¡¯ name caller.¡± She would rather prefer to not use a simulator, as all of her past experiences with using her Talent had been in real life, and at the back of her mind she was also afraid to break some equipment from not knowing how they worked. Out of the three people that remained on stage, Jason appeared to be the most panicked, despite being the largest and the only adult. He glanced around at the benches for a few quick moments, then resorted to declaring a few loose rules: ¡°If you¡¯re both going to duel, t-then I¡¯ll step in as soon as I see one of you in danger, alright?¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Ramir narrowed his eyes. ¡°Alright.¡± Amara spared a fraction of a second to give Jason a look to confirm she understood him. Jason then grabbed onto the edge of his podium and managed to drag it to the side all by himself, hiding his trembling lips and nervousness from the upcoming duel behind the wooden structure. As soon as he reached the front row of benches, a slight warp in the air appeared all around the benches, covering the audience members in a net-like structure overtop, seemingly like some sort of transparent protection over every spectator. Stolen story; please report. Amara saw the whole process out of the corner of her eye, before she suddenly felt a chill down her back. Without thinking, she immediately dropped to the ground and rolled to the side, missing the flash of a projectile by mere millimeters. When she was getting up, a shockwave from behind knocked her down and sent her tumbling on the ground once more. Blasts of heat and the smell of something burning soon reached her senses, and this was not to be mistaken: whatever projectile she just dodged had exploded. Was that a grenade? That looked like a grenade. Destruction helpfully provided context while Amara herself still had the taste of floor in her mouth. Receiving the shocking information, Amara didn¡¯t try to get up again, and instead angled her head to see where Ramir was at. Ramir indeed had a suspiciously round object in his hand. Meeting Amara¡¯s gaze from the ground, he grinned rather haughtily: ¡°Want another one?¡± Amara muttered things under her breath that would make her Gran have a heart attack. She didn¡¯t know if the explosion was from Ramir¡¯s Talent or some other source, but he was evidently not limiting himself to the rules of a simple duel, or even to the rules of general safety for that matter. This is the very first time Amara¡¯s facing a complete stranger in combat, who wouldn¡¯t hesitate to make sure she wouldn¡¯t be seriously hurt like her Gramps, or hide away half of his gadgets to keep the explosions small like Pauley. This time, her opponent is someone with plenty of rage, and not a shred of caution or control. Once she came to that realization, Amara decided that there¡¯s no need to hold herself back at all. Amara clapped her hands together. Without any warning whatsoever, multiple plant vines burst out of the floor around Ramir, and swiftly wrapped him tightly inside a cocoon of greens. One of the tendrils shot towards Amara, wrapping around her arm and yanking her off the ground, flinging her semi-airborne as she put as much space between herself and Ramir as she could. As she did so, she eyed her plant cocoon, imagining what Ramir¡¯s body positions could be underneath all the plants. If she aimed off to the side or just the lower half of the cocoon, Amara definitely could take out a chunk of Ramir¡¯s body that would make the boy deeply regret his attitude problem. But why should she do that? She could easily aim for the very middle, or even slightly higher up, right in the position where Ramir¡¯s neck should be. Amara fixed her gaze on the precise location she intended to strike, and instinctively reached¡ª NO! Destruction¡¯s orb moved to block off her attempt to channel the purple energy pool. Due to the unforeseen interruption, Amara almost lost control of her movements, nearly tumbling to the ground once more. ¡®WHY?!¡¯ She screamed inside her mind at the meddling orb. ¡®HE DESERVED IT!¡¯ You have no idea what you¡¯re tampering with, child! Destruction¡¯s voice was a mix of anger and¡­fear? You are NOWHERE near ready to use this force like you think you are! ¡®But he could¡¯ve KILLED ME!¡¯ Amara kept screaming, but tapping into the green energy again to produce more plants to add to Ramir¡¯s cocoon as she did so. That doesn¡¯t warrant you retaliating with guaranteed murder! Life joined in. Her voice was full with genuine anger, which was a rare occurrence in and of itself. ¡®What am I s¡¯posed to do then?! Sit back and explode? I ain¡¯t trusting anyone all the way in the seats to teleport ¡®n save me in time!¡¯ Listen, Amara! Life commanded. What this Ramir child is doing is completely wrong, but his actions have absolutely nothing to do with YOUR own decisions! For you and you alone, you simply cannot control yourself properly! Not only would you end up regretting your choice in the heat of the moment, but you may very well end up harming yourself as well. The outside of Amara¡¯s plant cocoon was rapidly turning brown and emitting smoke. Amara pumped out as many more vines as her energy channeling would allow her, while still fuming with pure rage internally: ¡®As if letting him bust through right here wouldn¡¯t harm me! I thought the both of you would at least care enough about me to not let me get splattered everywhere!¡¯ Seriously? Are you crazy? You think we would be any better off if you turned into a blotch?! Destruction was agitated. Both of you! Life raised her voice. Now is not the time to fight each other! Amara, you of all mortals have not one, but TWO deities on your side, and you can¡¯t even find a way to overcome such an average opponent? Think! Amara stared as her cocoon started to have small flames burning holes through the plants. ¡®He¡¯d just burn through everything!¡¯ Why limit yourself to just plants? I thought I taught you better than this. Life replied. Something about the Deity of Life¡¯s words sent Amara into a momentary pause. The cocoon continued to burn down as she temporarily stopped to let her brain process a whirlwind of ideas, and Ramir emerged, coughing and covered in black soot, his haughty attitude toned down significantly. ¡°Is that the best you¡¯ve got? If so, I¡¯ll¡ª¡± Ramir began to speak, ¡°Hold on.¡± Amara cut off Ramir¡¯s words right before his most threatening comments. ¡°I¡¯ve a question.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Amara took a long moment to examine her opponent. ¡°Where¡¯d you get the grenades from?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my Talent, idiot!¡± The color on Ramir¡¯s face reminded Amara of an overripe tomato under the sunset. ¡°I¡¯m gonna blast you til you regret ever coming to the city!¡± ¡°How do you even do that?¡± Amara was genuinely intrigued, anger temporarily making way for curiosity. Ramir sneered, flashing teeth that were surprisingly clean and straight despite his soot-covered visage. ¡°I want to have grenades, I get to have grenades. Any other words before defeat?¡± Amara had absolutely no clue what Ramir meant, but decided against asking him another question as she already anticipated more insults. Agitated once again from the brief interaction, She channeled half of her remaining energy into producing more vines, but instead of making a second cocoon for Ramir, she controlled the plants to bear fruit as fast as possible. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Ramir backed several steps away from a vine that tried to wrap around his ankle. He had one more grenade in his hand, though he did not try to detonate it. Judging from his hesitant expression, he was probably worried about getting caught in an explosion as well. Amara didn¡¯t bother to answer, instead focusing on channeling all of her energy into more and more fruits, until there was a mini orchard separating her and Ramir, forming a semicircle shape around the latter. Likely seeing a possibility of having another cocoon around him, Ramir decided to throw his grenade high over the plants, attempting to burn the vines from behind and as far away from himself as possible. Right at that very moment, Amara finished channeling the last of her energy into creating fruits. She snapped her fingers just as Ramir¡¯s grenade was about to land, and called out: ¡°Fermentation!¡± A force akin to a large invisible hand grabbed around Amara¡¯s body and pulled her backwards before she had any time to react. When she could feel the ground underneath her again, she found herself getting pulled inside the protective bubble covering the audience members. Just outside the barrier, the arena space was fully ablaze, her plant vines and cocoon remnants being the fuel to the flames. The room remained silent until the fire gradually died out by itself, leaving the whole empty space charred black and uneven. Miraculously, the transparent protection barrier remained perfectly unchanged, still as transparent as clean glass, putting the wreckage on full display for everyone to see. Amara spotted Ramir under the barrier as well, seated on the first row bench right beside Jason. Half of his hair was burned away, his shirt full of holes and burn marks. In comparison, Amara only had some soot on her clothes and hands. Jason awkwardly began to speak again through the dead silence: ¡°Well, congratulations to the two applicants for a, uh, spectacular show of Talents.¡± A few adults on the sidelines started to wildly gesture at Jason again, their movements contrasting against the rest of the stunned and silent audience. However, Jason had his back turned against them and therefore missed out on every single one of these attempts at communication. ¡°Unfortunately, both parties had to be removed from the stage to prevent injuries. Now, could all of the top ten applicants please move toward the exit that is flashing green to proceed to the next section of entrance exams? The rest of you will be called up by name, after a short maintenance of¡­facilities.¡± Jason directed his arm towards his side, the forced smile on his face returning once more. A small door with its frame fitted with flashing lights opened up following his words, right in the wall furthest from where Amara was at. She was about to take the long way around the arena to the door to avoid walking past Ramir, before he shot her a menacing look and ran towards the exit before she did, creating as much distance between them as possible. Now feeling multiple gazes upon her, Amara quickly turned her head down, letting her hair cover her face. She walked at a speedy pace, moving fast enough to escape the stares but not enough to accidentally catch up to Ramir. Her head was spinning with multiple emotions and fragments of thoughts, not only for the explosions she experienced, but also for how she should face the deities. Both had been quiet for a long time by their average standards, and Amara isn¡¯t sure what their present reactions would be. Angry at her for being brash? Disappointed because she didn¡¯t fight as well as they expected of her? Or were they shocked because she showed off a brand new side of irrationality to them? We can hear you. Life commented, startling Amara out of her daze and almost had her trip over herself. ¡®This is going to be awkward.¡¯ Out of all of Amara¡¯s thoughts, her first reaction was to state the obvious. She stepped through the flashing exit and into a large, rather dimly lit waiting room, where the other eight applicants were situated. A different doorway led to a brighter area, where Ramir¡¯s sooty hand could be seen shutting the door behind him. Did he run away because he¡¯s scared or angry? Amara didn¡¯t know, for her brain power was mostly used to be anxious about the deities¡¯ responses. Out of what little thought she could spare though, she had decided that no longer detested Ramir, for he had already suffered a loss against her; despite that, she was certain she still didn¡¯t like Ramir in the slightest bit. Chapter 12 Amara found a seat in the corner as far away from the others as possible, in order to have some private time to sort out the mess inside her brain. She picked at a loose thread on her sleeve as she began her inner statement: ¡°I did wrong. I shouldn¡¯t have tried to use Destruction energy, and I shouldn¡¯t have talked to you both that way.¡± Are those your genuine thoughts? Destruction asked her. ¡®Yes.¡¯ Amara confirmed. ¡®But I don¡¯t regret trying to retaliate. If there¡¯s ever a next time, I¡¯d still make the same decisions.¡¯ We were not trying to fault you for fighting, or retaliation, if that is the word you are going to use. Life said, her voice sounding somewhat exasperated. We did not agree with you being reckless about your actions. It might not have gone as deeply in your thoughts as we¡¯d have liked, but what I bring to the table is much, much more than breaking windows and cutting your snacks. Destruction added, his tone sounding uncharacteristically serious. You also might be thinking about how much control you have, but really, you don¡¯t even hold enough of a fraction of what¡¯s sufficient. Amara twirled the loose thread between her fingers and snapped it, then rolled the thread into a tiny ball and began to fidget with it. Going off topic. Life continued. Holding your emotions in check is very important as well. We know you¡¯re highly capable of doing so, so if there ever is a next time, you should pick better steps to achieve what you¡¯d want. Having someone mutilated or killed from your power may be temporary satisfaction, but any regret afterwards will be permanent. ¡®I¡¯m really sorry.¡¯ Amara thought, no longer able to act tough and keep her eyes from welling up with tears. I¡¯ve had worse days. Well actually, MANY worse days, so don¡¯t think your woes are the biggest deals ever since the beginning of time. Life sighed. I do hope you can take this experience to heart, though. What you should do with that boy can come later; For now, take a quick break and get ready for your turn at the next section. It is supposed to be an interview, right? ¡®I believe yes.¡¯ Amara wiped her face in one swift motion, then looked around the waiting room to see if anyone had noticed her. Nobody seemed to look her way. Get yourself prepared then. Amara nodded, then realized how futile it was. She gazed at the door where Ramir went through, and saw it open up again, this time without anyone in the doorway. ¡°Amara Amberwood?¡± a voice called out from behind the door. ¡°Please come in.¡± Walking over on shaky legs and a mix of nervousness and lingering unhappiness, Amara stepped through the door as she held her breath and closed the door behind her. What welcomed her was a long wooden desk stretching from one side of the room to the other, forming a barricade that separated the room into two alongside multiple stacks of paper piled on top. Behind the desk, five adults dressed in gray uniforms sat in matching wooden chairs, all examining Amara visually as she took in her surroundings. The leftmost interviewer was a man that looked to be middle aged, with a pair of black framed glasses and a stoic expression. The second left and the rightmost interviewers were both blonde women in their thirties that looked similar to each other at a glance, but looked quite different upon closer examination. One had piercing green eyes and her hair in a high ponytail, while the other had brown eyes and her hair untied. The man sitting in the chair second from the right hunched somewhat uncomfortably, for he was quite a bit taller and muscular than what the seat was intended for. The man sitting in the very middle appeared to be the oldest. He had a full white beard and eyebrows matching in color, but was completely bald. He stared straight at Amara, who found that she somehow couldn¡¯t gather enough strength to meet his gaze for more than a second in return. ¡°Welcome, young lady.¡± The old man in the middle was the first to speak. He had a rather calming, quiet voice, but had an unexplainable quality that commanded the listener¡¯s full attention. ¡°No need to be nervous here, we¡¯re just going to ask a few questions, and you can respond however you prefer. Feel free to call me Silas, by the way.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± Amara thought of nothing else to say on the spot. ¡°Shall we start?¡± The blonde lady on the right looked at something that resembled a pocket watch. ¡°Our first question to you is: why did you apply to us?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t feel pressured to respond right away, take some time to think.¡± The other blonde lady smiled slightly. Amara instantly felt more pressured. I¡¯m curious about your answer too. Destruction said in a quieter voice than usual. Don¡¯t distract her! Life scolded. Amara gulped and clenched her fists, as she felt a streak of cold rolling down her spine from nerves. She attempted to calm herself down a little with some rhythmic breaths, then remembered that she still carried a time deduction penalty. In the end, she just ended up speaking the first thing that came to mind: ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Two synchronized sighs echoed inside Amara¡¯s brain as she faced the unified stares from five stunned and silent interviewers. Knowing she had to recover from the blunder fast, her tongue seemed to suddenly develop the ability to move on its own: ¡°...I mean as in, I have many different reasons for why I applied to the Academy, and I don¡¯t know which reason is the most important.¡± That sentence seemed to open up a single consistent flow of thought inside a jumbled mess that was Amara¡¯s brain. Physical exhaustion, energy depletion and anxiousness combined made her have no other choice but to follow this single stream of hope, as she appeared to continue her speech without a pause. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°When I had my Talent awakened, I had the chance to meet Helena, whom I believe is a graduate from the Academy. It was she who first recommended to me that I can try to apply here, and my family agreed that it¡¯s a place with great education. I also have companions that suggested the Academy to me.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The middle aged man sitting on the far left answered, his expression unchanged, emotions in his eyes hidden from Amara behind his lenses. ¡°Are you referring to Helena who is working in the psychology program?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡ªI mean, I remember her havin¡¯ a stethoscope Talent.¡± Amara quickly stopped herself from blurting out another ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯. She has no idea which department Helena worked in, so all she could provide was her memories of the woman. The woman with brown eyes leaned forward in her chair, putting elbows on the desk, and crossed her fingers in front of her face in a typical pensive pose. Her movement caught Amara¡¯s eye, and as their eyes met, the woman spoke: ¡°So, the next question is, what do you hope to learn and acquire in the Academy?¡± ¡°Ways to use and control my Talent better, and of course, for an education after graduating from the school in my hometown.¡± Amara paused to think about what else she can add to her answer to make it sound more professional, but the blue-eyed blonde woman, the one who held the watch, cut her off short: ¡°Considering that we¡¯ve received notice of a penalty regarding you, miss, I¡¯m afraid that will be all the long-form questions we can ask of you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Amara¡¯s lips automatically curled upwards as she relaxed at the news, then she tried to mask her change of expression by pursing her lips. Even if she¡¯s not had an interview before, she naturally felt that acting happy at ending the talking early did not make her look sincere. ¡°There is one major question, though.¡± The large man sitting on the right side of the room spoke in a deep voice that reverberated inside the room. ¡°Can you tell us what your Talent is?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the concept of Life, s-sir.¡± Amara stuttered on the way to address this interviewer. ¡°A Conceptual Talent?¡± The old man in the very middle spoke. His voice was hoarse, almost raspy, and he immediately frowned at Amara¡¯s response. Strangely enough, despite his demeanor, he didn¡¯t make Amara feel judged or disliked. ¡°Can you come forward and let me test your Talent points?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Amara hadn¡¯t had her Talent points tested since her Talent awakening with Helena, due to the reason that the testing equipment cost a hefty amount of money, and the fact that her score had fluctuated far beyond what was considered normal. Her grandparents eventually decided to not spend the money, which didn¡¯t bother Amara much; her own ¡®tenants¡¯ could easily provide the numbers far more accurately anyways. The old man gently tapped two fingers on Amara¡¯s wrist as she approached him by the desk. He closed his eyes while still frowning, as if he was trying to find something in Amara¡¯s pulse. Waiting for a reaction felt like it had taken hours for Amara, but eventually, the man began to speak in a half whisper, as if he was trying to not startle Amara: ¡°And you are thirteen years old?¡± ¡°Eleven.¡± Amara corrected in as deep of a voice as she could muster to sound a bit more mature. ¡°You do know that our age limit for first-year applicants is thirteen years old right?¡± The middle aged man chimed in. ¡°You might be a bit too early for¡ª¡± ¡°No, she¡¯s right where she should be.¡± The old man interrupted, opening eyes to look right at the middle aged man. ¡°I, personally, strongly urge every one of you to agree with my decision.¡± ¡°What?¡± The blonde woman with blue eyes objected immediately. ¡°Pardon me, but I do believe Miss Amara¡¯s written exam scores are still waiting for further review, and her¡ª¡± ¡°Her Talent score is thirty-three. Age eleven.¡± The room fell into complete silence, where not even the sound of breathing could be heard. The other four interviewers displayed various expressions of disbelief, but none disputed the old man¡¯s claim out loud. Amara herself was surprised as well. She anticipated her score to be solidly above thirty, but her actual score was still higher than her expectations. Just a week prior, the deities had measured her to be around thirty-two points in mortal human metrics, but she had no idea she had grown more in such a short timespan. Advancing from thirty-one points to thirty-two had taken her four months, and moving from twenty-nine to thirty had taken nearly a full year for her. He rounded up. Destruction delivered a dose of bluntness right on time. ¡°Are¡­are you certain?¡± The middle aged man eventually questioned. The old man replied: ¡°Before any of you ask further questions, no, I am confident I am not mistaken, and there are no suspicions with the result.¡± ¡°This can¡¯t be!¡± The woman with brown eyes exclaimed. According to the admissions requirements that Amara had vaguely remembered from reading with Pauley, the maximum age of applicants should be no older than thirteen, and the minimum Talent score should be twenty points. Because Amara herself was well past the Talent score minimum and still had more than a year to go until she¡¯s thirteen, most of her attention was spent fretting over the exams instead. Amara nearly strained her neck trying to look at every interviewer as they each spoke. Seeing the doubt on the other four adults, she scratched her head a little sheepishly, and asked: ¡°Is there a way for me to prove¡­?¡± ¡°If the Headmaster is vouching for you, then we doubt we¡¯d need to have extra verification.¡± The woman with blue eyes answered, her tone oddly disgruntled, though Amara can¡¯t quite tell why she¡¯d sound that way. The old man shot her an disapproving look. ¡°Ahem, I agree to accept and welcome Miss Amara to our Academy!¡± The large man rushed to pronounce his words, declaring his stance before any of the other interviewers could. ¡°I, too, agree to welcome Miss Amara.¡± The woman with brown eyes quickly followed up. ¡°Well, then it doesn¡¯t matter what my vote would be.¡± The woman with blue eyes said while putting her watch inside her pocket. ¡°This young miss would be welcomed regardless.¡± Amara still couldn¡¯t see why the blue-eyed woman would sound so negative, but she vaguely knows that it was an issue that extended far beyond her presence. Therefore, she chose to not raise any questions for the woman, and instead focused on thanking the other interviewers: ¡°I really appreciate this opportunity!¡± ¡°Welcome to the Academy.¡± The old man¡ªor as he should be called¡ªHeadmaster Silas, extended his arms while giving Amara a warm smile. ¡°If you have no other arrangements for the day, do feel free to ask for a guided orientation on our campus. Simply turn right once you exit this room, continue all the way down the hall then turn left, and there should be a booth with older students to welcome you. If you do have other plans, tomorrow is also available for tours.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Amara said with a small bow to all of the interviewers. She had no idea about what to say next, so she just turned around and left the room as fast as she could manage without appearing like she was trying to escape. As soon as Amara took in her new surroundings, she realized that she had not returned to the dim waiting room, but a completely new and empty hallway. The door she went through closed behind her with a click that echoed off the walls, confirming that it was not a hallucination, but the reality: somehow, by going through the very same doorway, Amara had landed in two entirely different locations. Having no choice but to follow the Headmaster¡¯s words, Amara turned right and walked down the hall, each step along the way being multiplied by the eerie acoustics. The hall was the same shade of gray as the uniforms worn by the Academy staff, the only difference in color being the light bulbs that hung in a straight line along the ceiling. There were no signs of other life and no signs of an end to the hallway, which only contributed to the uncanny atmosphere. Amara got increasingly creeped out the further she walked. Luckily, before she could regret her choice and turn back to the door she left behind, a thin rectangular opening in the wall to her left caught her attention. Not only was it a change in the surroundings for Amara, but it also emitted sounds that sounded like human chatter, which were enough to convince her that it was the right direction to go. Squeezing past a few more meters of concrete wall, Amara was greeted by a few rays of sunlight; miraculously enough, the sun was still up in the sky after all the time she had spent on her exams. ¡°AH!¡± Someone let out a short yelp of surprise when Amara stuck her head outside. Amara put on her best apologetic smile at the person she startled. She knew she probably didn¡¯t look her best at all, with what used to be shoulder length hair tangled and burnt shorter from her duel earlier, now mixed in with mystery flakes off of the walls when she tried to squeeze her way back into the outside world. Her clothes were crumpled and covered in soot, with her face likely just as dirty as the fabrics on her body. ¡°Are-are you a newbie?¡± The person Amara startled was a short-haired girl in her late teens, who had been leaning against the wall for rest. She wore the same gray uniform as other staff members, which seemed to be the standard outfit for all personnel on campus. ¡°Yes¡­? I¡¯m sorry if I scared you. My name¡¯s Amara.¡± Amara pulled the rest of herself out of the wall crack as she tried to introduce herself. Sadly for her, the first impressions she gave out were less than stellar. ¡°Did you know there¡¯s a door right over there?¡± The short haired girl pointed behind Amara with a still shocked expression. The latter¡¯s eyes followed the direction and found a proper double-door exit, only about twenty meters away from the crack she squeezed through. Chapter 13 ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Amara could feel her cheeks burn with embarrassment. ¡°No worries, I don¡¯t know what they were doing when they renovated this building anyway.¡± The short haired girl shrugged. ¡°Are you here for an orientation?¡± Amara nodded. ¡°Alright, give me a moment to see¡­¡± The girl stood on her tiptoes and looked around the vicinity. ¡°Just got out of the exams, didn¡¯t you? The orientations usually happen in the mornings, so it¡¯s a little late for getting volunteers to start you on a full tour¡­hey you! Can you come over?¡± The girl began to wave her arms frantically at someone behind Amara, who spun around and saw that the target was a teen who had been walking towards the doorway nearby. There were no words, nor a single coherent thought, inside Amara¡¯s mind as she practically goggled at the boy who approached her and the short-haired girl beside her. Even the deities remained silent as he walked closer and closer, letting Amara have a full moment of wide-eyed wonder, even though she was certainly beyond the point of politeness in her unblinking stare. The teen had neatly trimmed hair, which was in such a shade of light blonde that it appeared almost white where the afternoon sun shone on the strands. His eyes were his most striking feature, being a dazzling shade of unusual aqua blue, easily capable of captivating the attention of anyone who took a glance at him. He looked around fourteen years old, and puberty was very much working in his favor; his jawline was already quite defined, his physique was that of someone who was gaining height but without much of the awkwardness often associated with growth spurts, his features seemed to settle in just the right shapes and places on his face, and¡ªperhaps the unfairest trait of all¡ªhe had perfectly clear skin. Besides being the one of the best, if not the best looking person Amara has ever seen, the teen also had impeccable taste in clothing. He wore a simple long-sleeved white shirt that both broadened his shoulders and complimented his hair color, alongside brown dress pants that accentuated his body proportions while emphasizing on his long legs. He held a jacket that matched the color of his pants, tidily folded over his arm, which was held steadily at a textbook-worthy right angle. Even though he physically looked like he¡¯s already gone through a long day, his clothing remained wrinkle-free, hinting that he wore either humble-yet-expensive items, or had his clothes custom tailored for his body, or maybe even both. ¡°Hello. Do you need something from me?¡± The teen politely asked the two girls with a small smile when he approached. His voice was the ultimate blend between youthfulness and maturity, surprisingly smooth and pleasant to hear for someone that should have been stuck in an unfortunate phase of voice changing. There was not a sliver of doubt that he was the popular boy in the school, not just in his own grade. Amara blinked frantically in a mixture of embarrassment, shyness, and extremely dry eyeballs. Her state of being star-struck did not escape the notice of her ¡®tenants¡¯, as her subconscious thought exposed her true feelings: ¡®Is this what being blessed by the gods looks like?¡¯ Destruction was the first to deny his involvement: Look at me, I¡¯m the Deity of literal DESTRUCTION. Me blessing things almost always ends with the things going boom crumble splat. I have not interacted with him either. Life was quick to follow with her own denial. Pay attention to reality now, Amara. ¡®Right, right.¡¯ Amara refocused her attention. Luckily, she didn¡¯t zone out for anything important, as the short haired girl was simply filling the boy in on information. In fact, Amara had caught on in time to the last half of the very last sentence: ¡°...and I hope you¡¯re okay with taking one last tour for the day.¡± ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t mind.¡± The teen boy replied with a practiced smile, lips curling upwards enough to convey politeness, but not so much to be considered truly joyful. He turned toward Amara, tilting his head slightly to not appear like he was directly looking down at her, then introduced himself using a soft, gentle tone: ¡°Pleased to meet you. My name is Caspian Delmar, and I¡¯ll be a third-year student in the upcoming semester.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m¡ª¡± Amara flushed crimson from the direct eye contact. ¡°My name¡¯s Amara!¡± Right after she spoke, Amara¡¯s face burned even more red. She felt like there was nothing she could say that would make her appear as composed as Caspian, and this made her highly self-conscious of her appearance. Now standing side-by-side, he looked like a prince on a white horse, and she was a dirty gremlin some castle servant dug out of a mud pond. Either through top-notch expression control or a genuine disinterest in external appearance, Caspian¡¯s smile didn¡¯t waver a single bit, contrary to the many shades of scarlet that Amara¡¯s face was flashing through. He looked briefly at the short haired girl and asked: ¡°If you don¡¯t have anything else to ask of me, I¡¯ll be heading out. Amara, would you follow me?¡± ¡°Y-yes.¡± Amara replied in almost a whimper. The short haired girl wordlessly waved them goodbye before leaning against the wall again for supported rest. Caspian led the way before Amara as she waddled after him, keeping several steps of distance away to not accidentally smear dirt on him. By the time they passed the proper entrances to the building, Caspian seemed to notice something off of the glass doors¡¯ reflection, and stopped walking to look behind him. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± He asked, tilting his head the exact same way as before out of courtesy, considering Amara was only as tall as his shoulders. ¡°No! Yes! I mean I ain¡¯t¡­I¡ª¡± Amara stuttered harder than she had ever stuttered in her entire life. ¡°Are you perhaps exhausted from the exams?¡± Caspian asked again, looking concerned for Amara. ¡°...Sorry!¡± Amara¡¯s brain puddle could only conjure up this response. Caspian glanced at her face and seemed to realize something. ¡°I can turn and look away if you need a breather.¡± ¡°Please.¡± Amara shut her eyes tight, forcing herself into taking deep breaths through clenched teeth. She tried to clear her thoughts, maintaining an empty mind for around a full minute before feeling herself beginning to calm down. Caspian¡¯s entire existence reminded Amara of her originating from a small town. She¡¯d not seen anyone like him before, someone who felt was better than her in almost every aspect. The way he kept his posture made Amara instinctively want to straighten her back; the way he dressed made Amara obsessively think of how many patches she had sewn into her clothes; even the way he articulated his words made her self-conscious of the way she spoke. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Amara knew she had an accent, mostly from hearing her grandparents talk, but it hadn¡¯t troubled her much until this moment¡ªCaspian¡¯s way of speaking sounded pleasant, both in the words he chose to use and in the timbre of his voice. In comparison, she thought she talked like a squeaky duck that had a terrible lisp. Being in proximity to him was a trial to her own confidence with every passing second. Being older and going through puberty does wonders to a human. Life had overheard the flood of negative thoughts and tried to intervene. Look on the bright side. Destruction joined in. He definitely doesn¡¯t know how to grow carrots like you do. What is it between you and carrots?! Amara finally broke into a small grin with the deities¡¯ distraction. Her face now gradually returning to a normal color, she finally felt she could talk in full sentences again. Opening her eyes to see Caspian respectfully gazing at the wall, Amara balled one hand into a fist behind her back before speaking: ¡°I¡¯m sorry about earlier, I didn¡¯t mean to behave that way.¡± ¡°Oh, no need to worry.¡± Caspian turned to face her properly before answering, angling his head as to not seem like he was looking down at Amara: ¡°Back when I passed my entrance exams, actually, I had my eyebrows ripped off and my shirt torn to shreds in front of everyone that applied to the Academy with me.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Amara opened her eyes wide in shock. Caspian¡¯s expression didn''t waver for even a fraction of a second as he revealed this information, making her question if it was the actual truth, or just something he made up in order to comfort her. ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth.¡± Caspian used his polite smile again, identical to how he did so just a few minutes earlier. ¡°I also had most of my luggage stolen from me as a prank. That reminded me¡­I presume you¡¯re not a local student?¡± Amara first felt a slight shock as she wondered if her own expressions gave any clues away to her earlier doubt, then shook her head no as an answer, finally peeking down at her own dusty and unflattering outfit, as she felt conscious of her appearance once more. She eventually decided that he was just trying his best at comforting her, after all. ¡°Do you have a place to stay overnight then?¡± Caspian¡¯s smile disappeared as he asked, now showing signs of concern rather than casual politeness. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to carry many things on your person, and it¡¯s getting late in the day.¡± ¡°I forgot about that!¡± Amara gasped. With everything that she had gone through in the span of one day, the last thing she had been thinking about was where she¡¯d go for a good night¡¯s sleep. Caspian frowned. ¡°Is there anyone that accompanied you here for your entrance exams?¡± Amara¡¯s eyes felt like they¡¯d be popping out of their sockets at any moment. She had also completely forgotten about Pauley after they separated at the Academy¡¯s front gates. ¡°There¡¯s someone I left by the gates!¡± Amara practically was bouncing on the spot from panic and guilt over her forgetfulness. ¡°Can we go there? Please?¡± ¡°This way.¡± Caspian headed in the complete opposite direction from the doors they¡¯d been standing near. He had sensed Amara¡¯s anxiousness and picked up his pace as well, traveling at a speed that Amara needed to jog to keep up. Time seemed to flow extra slowly for Amara as she hurried to the front gates. Ignoring everything else that she passed, it still seemed too late by the time she could see the gates: the massive lineup of applying families had mostly dissipated, a few last-minute applicant stragglers were led into the campus, but the majority of remaining staff were busy wiping down tables and folding up chairs. Amara sprinted at full speed to the nearest adult, barely skidding to a halt by their side and without even taking a breath in, she started spewing words to the adult figure¡¯s ribs: ¡°Excuse me have you seen a boy with glasses and sandy hair anywhere he looks about thirteen or fourteen and had three suitcases all by himself?!¡± ¡°Hm?¡± The person had to look behind their back twice to find who was talking to them. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t seen him.¡± ¡°Thank you and sorry to bother you!¡± Amara immediately dashed over to the next person. After asking another half dozen people in a similar fashion with no results, Amara finally had to slow down to breathe in a corner, physically recovering from the strain caused by running around while mentally trying to calm down her panic, and to a certain extent, fear of being lost or forgotten. Caspian silently caught up to her, hovering behind Amara until she stopped gasping, saying nothing as he patiently watched over her. After she could straighten herself again, he then reminded her: ¡°Do you have a way to message or call the person you¡¯re looking for?¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Amara frantically clawed at her wrist, fumbling around until she got her infoportal to project a screen in front of her eyes. Despite his current absence, Pauley¡¯s choice of device was excellent and heavily reliable; even after all the rough physical activities Amara herself went through, the infoportal was still fully functional without a single scratch or dent, and remained firmly attached to Amara. Her sentiments only lasted momentarily as strange symbols and colors began to appear on the infoportal screen. Mumbling things that she herself doesn¡¯t even quite know the meaning of, Amara tried to recall as much of Pauley¡¯s speedy technology guide as she could, but her poor brain was well past its prime operative time and she wasn¡¯t even able to remember how to keep her screen encrypted from others. Caspian initially had backed away to give Amara some privacy, but as she struggled more and more, he decided to step in at last: ¡°Is there any way I can be of assistance?¡± Amara whipped her head around with tears on the verge of spilling out and cheeks burning red in awkwardness: ¡°I¡­just got this thing today¡­I don¡¯t know how to use it.¡± ¡°May I?¡± Caspian glanced at Amara¡¯s wrist instead of directly at the screen, but the meaning of his gesture was clear. Amara willingly raised her arm so the screen could be at Caspian¡¯s eye level. The latter made a few quick taps on the projected screen, different hues of lighting shining on his face, flashing with a frequency that Amara could only assume was him trying not to linger on any private information. He frowned deeper and deeper with each tap of his finger, before coming to a sudden stop with his hand held up in midair, then inquiring hesitantly: ¡°There seems to only be one contact here. Are you trying to reach¡­ this [BuildeyPauley] individual?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± No amount of deep breaths could save Amara from her own embarrassment now. ¡°Can you please call him?¡± Caspian nodded as he tapped once more on the screen. A loud ringtone beeped out several times from the infoportal wrapped around Amara¡¯s wrist, before returning to complete silence. ¡°It didn¡¯t go through?¡± Amara stated it like a question, though deep down she already was certain of the answer. ¡°No. Would you like to try again, or send a message?¡± Caspian removed his gaze from the screen as he asked Amara on what to do next. He seemingly attempted to help Amara put her arm down so she could look at her own screen, but decided against making physical contact, as his hand made a near miniscule grasping movement over her forearm. ¡°Can you please send a message sayin¡¯...saying that I passed the entrance exams?¡± Amara pleaded, not forgetting to make a tiny effort to ¡®correct¡¯ her own accent as she spoke. Caspian ¡®s finger swiped twice over the screen, then he began to tap rapidly for a few seconds. After one final, extra forceful tap, he put both hands down by his side and told Amara: ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± ¡°Thank you so much.¡± Amara¡¯s legs almost gave out from the stress as she lowered her arm with a swinging motion. ¡°Would you like me to take you to the dormitories, then?¡± Caspian gracefully sidestepped away from Amara¡¯s screen. ¡°I¡¯m certain they can provide you with a room for tonight, at the very least.¡± Amara nodded, speechless now on what kind of words to say in order to fully express her appreciation. Caspian then led her back into campus, this time mostly staying on the right side of buildings. Amara could only hope to remember her way around by the patterns on different paths and the occasional road sign, as every structure she¡¯d seen so far appeared identical in shape, size and color in her eyes. Five right turns, one middle option and one left turn later, Caspian stopped just within sight of a wide unit with multiple balconies on the exterior. Although just as gray and plain looking as every other building, this particular structure was almost twice the height of other buildings, which helped Amara identify it in its uniqueness. ¡°If you continue straight ahead, you should be able to see a cubicle on the first floor, on the left side of the main stairs leading inside.¡± Caspian told Amara as he did not take another step towards the direction he referred to. ¡°There should be staff on shift there to help you confirm your identity and arrange a dorm room.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Even Amara herself felt the words to be too bland to convey her true gratitude. ¡°But, why aren¡¯t you goin¡¯...I mean going forward?¡± Caspian smiled in a way that bordered on an ungentlemanly grimace. ¡°It¡¯s designed to only house first-year students, but it is the girls¡¯ dormitory after all.¡± Amara clamped both hands over her mouth. ¡°I will stay right here if you need me. No reason to rush, though; making sure you have everything properly set up and settled is more important.¡± Caspian managed to ¡®fix¡¯ his expression into a much friendlier smile. Reusing a weak ¡®thank you¡¯ again, Amara made a mental note to improve her vocabulary as she sprinted to the dormitory building, determined to keep Caspian waiting for as little as possible.