Twenty-five minutes remained, and the best opportunity Ezra had seen so far was barely out of reach. A trap laid in circle thirteen stood between him and a hundred points. He focused on the air where the sizzling blue glow had appeared and traced it back in time. If I can hold it in a state before I toss the rock, I can get in and out in less than thirty seconds.

Despite his concentration, the air remained the same. Ezra could feel a slight warmth spread across his body that signaled he was using his skill. So, it isn’t set in the air above the circle. The trap must be attached somewhere else. Ezra approached one of the pools of water at the bottom of the towering wall of stone. Running his hand across the bottom of the pond, he scooped up loose pebbles. With a handful of damp rocks, he tossed them into the circle one by one and watched as localized lighting flashed around the tickets.

A blue bolt arced up from the edges of the circle and met in the center. He threw two more pebbles and noticed two electric flashes rising from the white ring. So, it’s localized to where an object crosses the circle. If I reverse the shock while just tossing one stone, I still run the risk of activating another part of the circle. Knowing this, Ezra realized only one path was available to him. Gathering another handful of pebbles, he positioned himself near the chalky edge of the circle. Three. Two. He swung back his hands, one, and flung dozens of pebbles in a wide arc across the circle.

The electric death trap sprung to life as light buzzed from nearly the whole circle. Ezra focused on the origin of the deadly energy and pulled it back in time. Along jagged paths, the neon glow wormed its way back into the ground. As the light disappeared into the circle, Ezra stepped through, still nervous that a scorching shock would shoot through his body. He took his beating heart as a sign his plan had worked. Quickly, he snatched the tickets and lept out of the circle. Violent electricity returned and dissipated into the air.

Ezra breathed a sigh of relief and stored the tickets out of sight. Opening the information screen, the time read twenty-three minutes and six seconds. Between the timer and the ticket color diagram, a counter ticked up to thirty-five. I haven’t brought the tickets to our circle. Why are we scoring points? Maybe Milo and Erik? No, they’re too busy taking out people on the walls, and any tickets in our circle don’t count toward the score until the end of the round. He gazed up at the transparent dome. Perhaps Jason has made it to the top. Maybe I was too apprehensive about that fool.

The game can still be won, Ezra thought as he jogged to the next circle. The backpack rattled as he ran, and the noise above only got louder. It was making him nervous. As a precaution, he pulled one of the newly purchased swords from the backpack. Rounding a jagged rock, about twice his height, two people surrounded the next circle. Purple tickets caught his eye, but the two guards made him hesitate.

A blond boy wearing a leather breastplate gripped a two-sided axe while the other reached for a sash lined with cylindrical canisters. Ezra had no idea what the silver canisters could contain. Two against one. Too little information. It’s too risky.

Ezra stepped back as far as he could from the circle and pointed his sword towards the ground, a passive position yet ready to raise at a moment's notice. “I’m just passing by,” Ezra said slowly.

The glare from both of them studied his every movement. Ezra shuffled across the dirt, each step producing a barely audible crunch, yet the sound was sharpened by the tension between them. The blond boy’s foot shifted across the chalky line, and their tickets fluttered in a brief breeze.

An explosion thundered from above, and the other boy, high on anxiety, flung a silver canister toward Ezra. He lunged for the ground as the canister flew past him and detonated into a putrid mist. Moss grayed and shriveled on the stone behind Ezra. Before he could get up, another boom rocked the arena.

Ezra covered his ears and shielded the back of his head. What is happening up there and how is Jason not dead?

Above something whistled through the air as a spear landed between Ezra and his opponents. Raising his gaze, more things were launched skywards, including other test takers. Among the chaos, Hana’s turquoise robe rapidly flapped in the wind. A tall man grabbed her by the waist and shot a grappling hook into the stone wall. As others fell, the pair arced down to the center of the wall. Some had more luck than others as people desperately searched for a way back to the cliff. Several bodies smacked against the ground, and Ezra’s opponents scattered to avoid anything falling on them.

“You all right!” Milo called as he and Erik sprinted around the corner.

Ezra pushed himself off the ground. “What happened up there?”

“No clue, but this gives us a chance to thin the competition. You see Jason on the wall?”

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Ezra scanned the mini mountain for a familiar face. He only saw Hana, nearly back on top. “No.”

“That means he’s still up there. He’s been scoring points, so whatever we can do to help we got to do it now.” Milo picked up a stone and held it out to Erik.

Erik touched the stone, and Milo hurled it at one of the Sky-seekers closing on the top. Instead of reaching the zenith of its arc, the rock continued upwards. Erik knelt on one knee and aimed for the top. As soon as the rock hit the target, Erik pulled the trigger and let loose a bullet with a perfect trajectory. Meeting its mark, the Sky-seeker’s grasp faltered and he plummeted with a vain cry for help.

Beside Erik, a pinpoint of dirt erupted as someone above returned fire. Erik repositioned and located the source as Milo tapped a rock against his shoulder. Ezra glanced behind and saw that now was his opportunity to obtain the tickets. Murky gas exploded across the rock face as the boy with the sash unloaded his canisters on the competition. Diving between the two, Ezra grabbed the tickets. Dirt hit his face as he slid through the circle. Whirling around, he slashed at the blond boy’s ankles. The boy screamed in pain as his companion turned his attention from the wall.

More fire came from above as Erik unloaded another bullet. Another person splashed into a pool of water, their limp body briefly going ridge as they broke the liquid surface. Ezra jumped on top of the boy with a sash. About to drive the sword into his chest, Ezra hesitated as he saw the toxic cans beneath the tip of the sword. Taking advantage of this moment, the boy drove a dagger into Ezra’s thigh. On instinct, Ezra brought down the sword onto the boy’s throat. Blood blossomed from his thigh, and Ezra grit his teeth. His mind faded in and out as he desperately shoved the shock into his subconscious. Not now! Not now! The sword was his only support as he leaned over. The battle for the top ragged on as projectiles pelted the ground, and loose stones shattered from the cliffside. I have over two hundred points I can’t stop now!

Hana was no longer on the wall, and the people left were dwindling fast. The test must be coming to a close. With his wound, it felt like time was speeding by. “I’m heading back to the circle,” Ezra said as he grunted through the pain.

Milo casually tossed another rock to the sky. “Are you sure you can make it back?”

Erik clicked his rifle to reload, and Ezra put a hand on Milo's shoulder as he limped past. “What other choice do we have? I intend to win today.”

“Be careful.”

Ezra nodded and picked up his pace. Past circle thirteen, then fourteen, and onto fifteen until he reached seventeen. The pain in his thigh almost seemed numb, deeper than the surface wound, but trivial to the task at hand. He focused on his breathing and pulled the tickets from his pockets. Looking down, he realized his hands were bloody, but that didn’t bother him. This time he was sure it wasn’t his blood.

Erza’s legs quivered, and he slumped against a smooth-faced piece of granite. He opened the information screen and saw that sixteen minutes remained. A special item fifteen minutes in, he remembered through the fog of discomfort. I wonder what it could be. He tried to keep his breath steady as he stared at the top. Jason, you better still be alive. I need to rest just for a moment. The crumpled tickets unfolded as Ezra loosened his grip on them, and he fought to keep himself conscious despite his fading energy.

One of the tickets slid from Ezra’s hand, and he felt the rest of them get pulled along with it. His drooping eyelids shot open, and he grasped the meager pile of tickets. The only hope of winning. Something’s off. It felt as though the tickets were wriggling between the gaps in his fingers. He pulled back, yet the invisible tugging sensation remained persistent. Wildly he scanned the environment for anyone. Anyone at all. Where are they? He lurched forward and nearly fell out of the circle as he spotted a silver shoulder guard peeking out from a bush.

That’s the person. Whatever they’re doing, they want the tickets without moving a muscle. No, Ezra realized as he yanked the unseen line. If they just wanted the tickets, they would have pried them from my hands the moment they had hold of them. They purposely pulled them slowly. It’s not the tickets they want but me.

As the force of the tickets continued to lure him to the bush, Ezra grabbed the shoulder strap of his backpack. They won’t have me, but maybe I can give them my tickets. He pulled a thin semi-transparent rod from the backpack. Milo, insisted on these heat rods, so might as well put them to use. A pop followed a crack as Ezra squeezed the rod. The liquid inside glowed a warm red as he felt heat spreading through his palms.

The announcer's voice boomed throughout the building. “Fifteen minutes has passed. A special item has entered the center of the arena.”

I can’t worry about that right now. I’ll have to time this just right. Once the heat edged on the side of unbearable, Ezra stuck the rod into his closed palm. Blistering pain bit his hand, and Ezra let go as the flaming bundle of tickets rocketed toward his mysterious opponent. The blazing death ball exploded across the bush as the Sky-seeker lept for safer cover.

“Now, Time…”

A deafening buzz echoed across the arena as the announcer came on. “Clement Altart has obtained the special item. All skills will be frozen for the next thirty seconds.”

“...scale!” Nothing happened, and the reality of the situation dawned on Ezra. Over two hundred points were gone, burned to ashes, right in front of him.