After heading to another weapons shop, they went to the Subterris Office of Trainees. The building looked more like a monument than a place of business. Clear crystal columns flecked with red, to emphasize the Morltin theming, spiraled to meet a gleaming archway that flowed down to the ground. Hordes of people walked up the steps and into the entrance leading to an even bigger translucent dome. The entire scene made Ezra feel insignificant compared to the grand memories of sky-seekers before him. Along the top of the entrance, twelve names of the original Voyagers were engraved into the crystalline stone. Only one was still alive.

Nyxaldra Drakimir, the Void Caller. Rumored to be on the eleventh layer, Nyxaldra had found the secret to living three hundred years. The stories Ezra had heard ranged from saying he had embedded artifacts into his skin to drinking an elixir of immortality given to him by Elysia herself.

As they walked into the vaulted hall, Milo nudged Ezra and pointed to a crowd of people near the back. “Isn’t that Hana? You know, the Voyager’s daughter that took the test with us.”

Her ebony hair flowed over her shoulders and onto the same turquoise robes she had worn on the first layer. Pressed against a corner, all the attention made her force an uncomfortable smile.

“We’ll talk to her later,” Ezra said. “Let’s sign up for the test first.”

To the left, an employee in a black and green uniform stood behind a kiosk that was flush to the wall. After waiting in line for a few minutes, Ezra and Milo approached ready to fill out several forms.

“Morltin or Seeker test?” The employee asked in a monotonous voice.

“Morltin,” Ezra replied.

The employee stuck out his hand as he jotted something on a clipboard beside him. “Pockets please.”

Ezra and Milo handed over their Pockets. The staff member turned and slotted them into a black box with a small opening in the middle. A few seconds later, the disks popped back out. The man peered at the line behind them with an exhausted frown as he handed the Pockets back.

“Is that all?” Ezra asked. “No paperwork?”

“Almost, sir.” The man droned on as if he had given this explanation a thousand times already. “All your identification info is linked to your Pocket. By consenting to give me your pocket, you have agreed to all terms and conditions set forth by the Sky-seeker’s Office of Trainees. Therefore, there is no need for physical signatures. If you have any additional inquiries, please see our legal team in the building across the street.”

“One last thing,” the staff member continued. “You need four team members to take the Morltin test. Will you have two more registering in the next two hours?”

Ezra froze. This wasn’t something he had considered. “Uh, we…”

Milo leaned forward on the countertop. “Yes, we will have two more registering in the next two hours.” He pulled Ezra aside, and the staff member yelled for the next people in the line.

“What do you mean we have two more people?” Ezra retorted with a sharp whisper.

Milo leaned in and put his arm around Ezra. “This is our chance to get Hana on our team. A Voyager’s daughter has got to be like super powerful.”

“I don’t know. She didn’t seem that powerful on the first layer, plus we barely know her.”

“But, we know her better than everyone else that’s swarming her right now. Comrades through hardship and all that. Even if we didn’t get the chance to talk to her, we struggled together and survived together.”

Ezra rolled his eyes. “You make our connection sound more dramatic than it actually was.”

“I’ll do the talking. You just stand by my side.”

Before Ezra could respond, Milo was already marching over to the crowd surrounding Hana. Reluctantly, he decided to follow and picked up his pace to catch Milo. Comments of praise and adoration towards Hana filled the air as Ezra tried to pass through the crowd. Milo slid through the group of people with expert precision while bobbing and weaving like a master Lurer. Just in time, Ezra made it to the front of the mob as Milo spoke his first words.

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“Hana,” he said with the warmth of an old friend. “Seems like you're more popular than expected.”

“Who are you?” She asked.

Ezra would have slipped after such a pointed question, but Milo kept his composure. “We took the test down in Deepburrow with you. I gotta say your performance down there was impressive.” Ezra barely remembered what she did, and he doubted Milo recalled much more. “Of course, as a Voyager’s daughter that’s no surprise.”

She frowned at the mention of Voyager and looked over to Ezra. “I saw what happened during the test. Was he a friend of yours?”

Milo froze and looked apprehensive waiting for Ezra’s response. Ezra swallowed to prevent an emotional outburst. “Yes,” he said in an unsteady tone.

“Was his sacrifice worth it? Did he give you the future you desired?”

Her earnest question stopped the both of them from uttering another word. The future I desire? There was no way to justify Owen’s death. He refused to justify it. For him to lose his future so I can have mine. There’s no way that’s right. Why is she asking this question?

A group of armored Sky-seekers with grave expressions pushed through the crowd. A bulky man at the front spoke in a deep voice. “Hana it’s time to go. We have to strategize before the test begins.”

Hana’s eyes darted to the ground and back towards the man as she took a step from the wall. “Cherish it. I was given a future that wasn’t mine,” she said to Ezra and Milo before leaving with the group of Sky-seekers.

After the crowd had begun to disperse, Milo shrugged. “Well, I guess that was a bust.”

“Yeah.” Ezra wanted to be mad at her, but the emotion didn’t rise within him. In a way, she was right, no matter how bluntly she had put it. Owen had given him a future. A future he could decide. “So, do you have a plan B? We still have to come up with two more people before the two-hour limit.”

“I’m sure someone else is in the same situation. All we have to do is ask around.” Milo scanned the room. “You see anyone else from Deepburrow?”

“Nope,” Ezra sighed and slumped against the nearest wall.

Two guys in dented breastplates approached them as Milo continued looking. One had a long vibro-crystal rifle across his back, and the other carried a sword strapped to his side. They both looked barely above eighteen. “Hey, do you two know who that woman was?”

Milo grinned at the opportunity that presented itself. “Of course, we do. That's the daughter of Jin Bai Lou.”

The two boys excitedly whispered to each other and then the one with the sword stepped forward. “Do you like personally know her?”

“Yeah we do,” Milo said putting on an air of confidence. “We fought side by side with her during her seeker test.”

The eyes of the boy with the rifle widened, and the one with the sword quickly closed his gaping mouth. “Are you like on a team with her?”

“We are not,” Milo said.

At least he’s not lying about that, Ezra thought.

“But,” Milo continued, “to be honest we just split up to give the other teams a fighting chance.”

Of course, he can’t help himself.

The boy with the sword glanced at his friend and back at Milo and Ezra. He pointed to Ezra. “Is he your only teammate?”

Milo raised an inviting eyebrow. “Yeah. Are you looking to join a team?”

“If you would have us,” the boy with the rifle said.

“Of course we would.” Milo extended a hand to seal the deal. “How about we shake on it, and you go register under our team. I’m Milo and he’s Ezra.”

“Jason,” the boy with the sword said, “and he’s Erik.” He extended his hand a gave a firm handshake. “Sounds like a deal. We’ll get registered right away.”

The pair of them jogged to get in the registration line. They were both a little too eager for Ezra’s liking.

“Do you really think we can trust them? A team game like this could require a high level of coordination.” Ezra said as Milo slumped down next to him.

“I’m sure we’ll figure it out. Plus, if anything goes wrong, we always have your time scale skill.”

“You know it doesn’t work on living things. If one of them dies, I can’t bring them back.” Ezra hoped Emma wouldn’t remain the only exception. The dull sphere of metal in his backpack served as a continuous reminder.

“You wanted us to come here. Are you having second thoughts already?” Milo provoked.

Ezra chewed his lip and remembered the room filled with Sky-seekers at the Light Bearer’s guild hall. There was such a wide range of power. Marcus could fall into any of those categories, but knowing the brash and headstrong boy he was, Ezra knew Marcus wouldn’t settle for any less than the top.

“No, we must go higher.” As soon as those words slipped from Ezra’s lips, something in his backpack buzzed.

Quickly, Ezra threw open the pack and dug through its contents. It can’t be. He pulled the Thorin-sphere out and the small display on its top flashed blue. It kept buzzing for a few seconds, and then the light blinked out as it went still. He tapped the screen a few times hoping for another response, but nothing happened.

Milo leaned in. “Is it working?”

“No,” Ezra reluctantly admitted. “But it responded to something.” We must go higher. The strange vision flashed through his mind again. The sun, the field, the woman, the flower. It all meant something to this sphere. The words had pulled at someone. Ezra flipped the sphere over to see the inscription. ‘To Thorin.’ Perhaps they mean something to Thorin. Whoever he could be.