“This. Is. The. Best. Day. EVER!” Brooke yelled, pumping her fists into the air.

“Take it easy, Brooke,” her older brother said, pulling her hands down. “They do this every year.”

“Yeah, but I never get to come, Sabir.” Her eyes scanned through the fairgrounds. Everywhere she looked, there were stands selling food, drinks, and souvenirs. All of that was good, but it wasn’t what had Brooke so excited. She was excited by the students fighting in small arenas, each vying for only a few spots in the Sentinel schools. Even though there were a lot of great schools, everyone was secretly hoping to be accepted to Diamond Hope Academy.

“Keep your head in the game,” Sabir said quietly. “You still have to fight.”

Brooke’s stomach dropped. She shrugged the feeling off and stuck her tongue out at her brother. “You’re no fun.”

The siblings continued across the grounds. A casual observer might not recognize they were related. Brooke was only two years younger than her brother, but Sabir looked significantly older. He had a wispy beard, but it was more a product of laziness than style. His clothes were excessively simple, a black t-shirt and jeans. Everything about him screamed to leave him alone. He brushed his hair out of his eyes, which had gotten a little too long. It was a dark black, although hints of gray were already starting to settle in, despite him being only eighteen.

Brooke’s entire existence looked like she was asking for a hug. She walked with a giant grin on her face, in stark contrast to her brother’s neutral face. Giant, bright eyes took in every sight like it was the first and last time she would see it. The only similarity the two had, if you could call it that, was that neither seemed to care much about style. Where Sabir went for simple, Brooke obviously dressed for comfort, with simple jeans and a soft sweater. The only thing that didn’t look comfortable on her was the pair of metallic goggles on her head, pinning her bright red bangs in place.

“Are you ready?” Sabir asked.

“So ready.”

“Do you remember your stances? And the advanced Wolf Style forms? You always stumble halfway through form seven. And your ground rolls are still sloppy. Maybe if you try to keep the fight higher it’ll—”

“Sabir, breathe.” He exhaled slowly. “Feel better?”

“A little.”

“Good. There’s nothing to worry about. You’ve been training me all summer, and I’ve been working on my own for like a year now. I’ll ace this.”

“Most people train for a few years before they’re ready to apply,” Sabir said. “I trained for four years.”

Brooke’s voice dropped. “Which is why I’ll use my secret weapon.”

“You have a secret weapon?” She nodded. Sabir leaned in. “What is it?”

Brooke looked around, keeping an eye out for any potential spies. “My secret weapon is… my A+ winning attitude.” Before Sabir could say anything, she flicked him in the nose and sped away towards the arena.

She walked quickly up to the testing area before Sabir could catch up. A woman sat at a desk with a smirk, like she was always on the inside of a joke. The desk was set up with a number of small electrical appliances that would help her monitor the fight. Each one shone with polished bronze and a small crystalline battery. “Name?”

“Pembrooke Canin,” she replied.

The woman checked something off. She held out a device that looked like a miniature computer. Brooke looked at it in confusion. “Have you never used an Analyzer before?” the woman asked.

“Analyzer,” Brooke said, realizing she should recognize it. “My brother uses one. I think he showed me a few times.” That was generous, and Brooke knew it. Sabir went over using an Analyzer at least a dozen times, but she never wore one regularly. And she didn’t remember how to use it.

“Strap it onto your wrist,” the woman said, a slight concern forming in her eyes. “Are you sure you’re ready to try out for Sentinel school?”

“I’ll be fine,” Brooke replied as the Analyzer clicked into place on her wrist. As it clicked, she felt the technology link with her body, like tiny wires were swimming through her arm. She held it up, and a screen projected into the air.

Analyzer Status Report:

Name: Pembrooke (Brooke) Canin

Current Potential: Level 15

Core Ability: Dangercore

Proficiencies:

* Basic Combat (Moderate)

* Wolf Style (Basic)

* Combat Strategy (Minimal)

* Sword Combat (None)

* Spear Combat (None)

* Shield Combat (None)

* Ranged Combat (None)

* Cooking (Basic)

Brooke nodded at the results. She had to admit that she was a lot less impressive than Sabir’s Status Report, but she also knew her brother was a lot stronger than she was. She could only hope that those numbers were comparable with the other applicants. She was confident that she was.

“Are you sure you’re ready to compete today,” the woman at the desk asked again, a pressing look of fear in her eyes. “Maybe another year would be better for you.”

“I’ll be alright,” Brooke assured her quickly. The woman hesitated for a moment before shrugging. Brooke was quickly ushered her inside the arena. She looked across the arena and saw her opponent, a girl with nun chucks. The official looked them over. “The fight starts in thirty seconds.”

“I’ve got to say,” Brooke’s opponent said, “I’m excited to see what you can do. You don’t look like much, but I’m not one to judge a book by its cover.”

“I’m excited to see you too,” Brooke said, falling into a martial arts stance. She felt the two white Cells growing out of her forearms ignite with energy. They looked like elaborate batteries, with metallic weavings that grew directly out of her arms. In the center was the source of the bioelectricity, the crystalline core. As soon as she tapped into it, Brooke felt it energize her body like she just drank a dozen cups of coffee. Having a Cell allowed people like Brooke to fight stronger and faster, heal at superhuman speeds, and do feats that people born without a Cell simply couldn’t do. “I think this is going to be fun.”

The girl laughed. She had similar cells on her biceps, except hers were a deep orange. “I think so too. Don’t think I’ll be going easy on you though.”

“I won’t go easy on you either.”

“Begin!”

The fight lasted all of ten seconds. Brooke took several hits to the head immediately, tried to go for a kick, fell short, and then blacked out a moment later when her opponent’s weapon clocked her in the side of the head. She found out later her opponent had a Potential at level 25.

“Good work!” Brooke congratulated her opponent a few minutes later as Sabir helped her out of the arena. The other girl tried to smile, but she clearly felt bad.

Sabir let his sister fall onto a bench a short distance away. She rubbed her head, a bruise on her skull slowly healing as she pulled energy from her Cell. Normally the healing would be almost instant, but taking so many hits so quickly had depleted her Cell’s battery. If she took any more damage, the Cell would have shattered. If that happened, Brooke would have to spend the next few hours growing a new one.

“That was not your best work,” Sabir told her.

“But it wasn’t my worst work, right?”

“It might have been your worst work.”

“Shoot.”

Sabir lowered himself next to her. “They’re not going to let you into any of the schools if you can’t show them that you can fight. Especially not Diamond Hope Academy.”

“I can fight!” Brooke shouted defensively. “I can be a Sentinel!”

Brooke spoke as confidently as she could, but there was a lingering doubt in her mind. Sentinels were some of the best warriors in the world. Their ability to use their Cells was incredible, both to stop dangerous criminals and other threats to the safety of others, like the robotic warriors that would attack cities. However, just being born with a Cell wasn’t enough. The Sentinels only took the best, and Diamond Hope Academy trained the best Sentinels.

“I know you can, but it didn’t look like it back there.”

“I…” Brooke stammered. “You know I can’t fight unless I’m in danger.”

Sabir frowned. “I know. When you’re in danger you can tap into your Cell’s Core Ability, the most fundamental part of its core, and then you get scary and can fight better than ever, but that isn’t going to work here. You’re not really in danger. Maybe you can trick yourself into thinking you’re in danger. In danger of not getting into school?”

“I don’t know how to do that.”

“Maybe we should just go home. Another year of training might be what you need.”

“No way! I’ve got three more fights today. Let me just rest up. I’ll show them I can fight!”

Over the course of the next few fights, Brooke definitely ended up showing them. She showed them that she could take a hit, that she wouldn’t withdraw from a fight until she couldn’t get up, and that she could congratulate someone who came close to breaking her bones, but she did not show them that she could actually fight.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Maybe next year,” Sabir consoled her as they left the final match. A cut was bleeding down into her eye, but she’d burned through so much energy that it wouldn’t close.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“What do you mean I didn’t get accepted?” someone yelled.

“I’m sorry, sir, but we cannot extend an invitation for you to attend our academy at this time. Perhaps next year.”

“This isn’t fair,” he muttered.

A man strode up to the young man. He wore a black cloak with accents of red and a tall top hat. He looked like a cross between a magician and an old-fashioned gentleman. “It isn’t fair,” he agreed. “Not fair that you’re asked to risk your lives, to break your back slaving away, to obey their every command, only to be told you aren’t enough.”

Sabir’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t like this.”

“Who are you?” the boy asked the man.

“You may refer to me as Leopold Iculus. I come bearing the offer of a lifetime, from my benefactors, The Call.” As soon as Brooke heard that name, she felt a bolt of fear. The Call was a small group, but they were already making their name as a bunch of terrorists. “I’m looking for gifted young people, just like you. People that have been thrown away by the big academies. People looking for… revolution.” He ended on the last word with a tip of his hat and a dark smile.

An official walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Sir, I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

“Oh, yes. Here is a guardian of the system which oppresses you. Hear the call! Reject the Sentinels, who ask you to fight and turn their backs on those who don’t meet their standards. Take refuge in our shade.” With a flick of his wrist, he pulled out a series of colorful balls. The balls flew through the air smoothly, exploding in the official’s face with the force of a bomb.

She collapsed to her knees, badly hurt. Clearly, she had been brought in for logistics, not because she was trained to fight. Thankfully, she had a Cell on her back, which shattered the instant the balls exploded. If she didn’t, she would have died on the spot.

Brooke didn’t decide to move; her body did that on her own. It was the moment that would change her life forever. In an instant, it felt like her every molecule had been energized. The screen on her Analyzer lit up.

*Analyzer Updating*

Core Ability activating… Dangercore at 15%.

Current Potential Increasing: 15 -> 23.

Proficiencies updating:

Basic Combat (Moderate -> Advanced)

Instinctual Reactions (None -> Advanced)

Fallen Leaves Style (None -> Moderate)

Pivot Forms Style (None -> Moderate)

Closed Fist Style (None -> Moderate)

Brooke dismissed the notifications as she let her steps carry her forward. With the surge of power she felt, it only took a moment to close the gap. Behind her, she vaguely heard Sabir. “Brooke! Don’t!”

She didn’t slow down. The Cells on her sleeve started glowing a bright white as she pulled back her fist. “Oh? What’s this?” Leopold asked. He waved his hand, throwing a shower of playing cards into the air. Brooke’s fist hit the wall of cards, which blew apart under the force of the impact. In the chaos of cards, Leopold weaved away. “A new challenger?”

“I’m not going to let you hurt anyone,” Brooke said through gritted teeth. Her arms shook from the power surging through her Cell. Power she could barely contain.

“Dear girl,” Leopold chuckled, “I saw your performance today. I’m afraid you’re not quite the material that the Call is looking for. We don’t take weaklings.” He flexed his arm and a magician’s wand emerged from his sleeve, tipped with a small knife. He swung at Brooke’s throat.

If this had been another spar, Brooke wouldn’t have even seen it coming; thankfully, this was real danger. She ducked, grappled Leopold’s arm, and elbowed him in the chest. He grunted, but as he did, a flash of light erupted from the Cell on his breast pocket. It absorbed part of the impact.

Leopold switched the wand to his other hand, taking several more swings at Brooke. Each one she weaved to avoid, refusing to let him put any distance between them. With an explosive leap, she tackled the magician, flipping over him as she pummeled him into the dirt. The look of shock on his face told her he hadn’t seen it coming.

Brooke was winding up for a kick that would knock him out for good, when there was another explosion from Leopold’s chest, most likely him reaching for his own Core Ability. This one wasn’t just light. In fact, it looked more like a puff of confetti. The tiny reflective shards blinded Brooke, and Leopold took the opportunity to jump to his feet and jab forward with his wand.

“I should have put the goggles on!” Brooke cried, reaching for the eyewear she was still wearing above her bangs. She was still rubbing glitter out of her eyes when she heard the sound of metal on metal. She took a blind step backwards, cracking her eyes open, although she wasn’t confident she could dodge an attack.

She watched in awe as Sabir spun a spear, holding Leopold off. Leopold struggled to stop Sabir from stabbing forward. He pulled another deck of cards out and threw them in Sabir’s face. A few cards cut across his check, but it didn’t do much more than distract him as they scattered around his feet.

Sabir took the opportunity to fall back beside Brooke. “What do you think you were doing?” he demanded.

“I was just trying to help.”

"You could have gotten killed.”

Brooke grinned. “Not with you watching my back.”

“Don’t play cute. You had no plan, did you?”

Leopold straightened his jacket and laughed. “You know, she wasn’t doing half bad. Most fully trained Sentinels would struggle against me. I’m surprised she got some hits in.” His eyes locked on Brooke. “Bold move, by the way. I didn’t expect you to hide your true fighting potential at an entrance exam.”

“Would you believe me if I said that wasn’t my plan?”

That just made Leopold laugh even louder. “You’re an interesting one. Brooke Canin, correct? I may have to keep an eye on you. Still, I’m not interested in drawing out this fight.”

“Too bad,” Sabir growled. “I might not be a full Sentinel, but I’m a fourth-year student at Diamond Hope Academy with the authority to put you under arrest.”

“You misunderstand,” he replied, taking his top hat off with a flourish. “I’m not particularly afraid of either of you. I haven’t really given this fight my real attention. But it seems our little spat has attracted the attention of more… aggressive law enforcement.” His eyes flicked to the side, where a small group of Sentinels were approaching. “I think I’ll be heading out now.”

“And what makes you think we’ll just let you?” Brooke asked, falling into her fighting stance again.

“Nothing.” He took a bow. “You know, most people are so easily distracted.” While still bent over, he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a playing card. “All it takes is a little wave of the hand, and no one sees the real trick.” With a twist, he revealed a fuse on the playing card, already lit.

Brooke gasped as she heard the sizzling fuses of a dozen playing cards scattered around their feet. Sabir was slower to respond. His eyes flicked from Leopold to the ground a second too late. Brooke jumped forward, tackling her brother to the side just as they detonated. The explosion carried her off a short distance, but other than that, her Cell was able to absorb the damage. The moment she landed, she looked for Leopold, but he disappeared.

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

A half hour later, Brooke and Sabir were resting in one of the medical tents. The medic looked them over, but, other than a few cuts, they were totally fine. She was still sitting on the examination table, with Sabir in the chair beside her. As soon as the medic left, Brooke smiled at her brother. “Well, I might not have gotten into Diamond Hope Academy, but I got to fight my first villain, so that’s pretty cool.”

“Why do you say that like it’s a good thing?”

“You’re just jealous because I got to him first.”

Even Sabir couldn’t help but crack a smile. “I don’t think you realize just how strong you are when your Core activates. Or how fast.” Brooke just laughed off the compliment. Everyone with a Cell had a Core Ability, but she knew hers wasn’t normal. Most people could use their Core whenever they wanted, but hers packed much more of a punch. “I’m surprised you had that much energy after getting beaten up all day,” Sabir added.

The Cell on Brooke’s arm flashed. The white light coming off of it had been slowly dimming ever since the fight ended. A quick glance at the Analyzer confirmed that her status was back to normal. Her potential dropped and her proficiencies were like they were at the start of the day. “One second I didn’t have any energy left in my Cell, and then as soon as that wizard guy showed up, it felt like my Cell was supercharged. And it felt like my body knew how to fight in ways my brain didn’t.”

“I don’t think he was a wizard.”

Brooke decided that she didn’t hear that part. She sighed. “Still, it would have been nice if I could have used that power during the exam.”

Motion in the corner of Brooke’s eye pulled her attention towards to the front of the tent. She heard a muffled gasp. “Fala, wait!”

A young man was thrown forward into the room, with a tall woman following close behind. “Come on, Gyr, we don’t have all day. I’d like to meet this girl.” The woman had silver hair that looked like it could act as a mirror, despite not looking a day over twenty-five. In her wake, a mousy man struggled to keep up with her confident steps. “Miss Pembrooke Canin?” the man asked.

“That’s me. Can I help you?”

The woman pursed her lips and scanned Brooke over. “Very interesting,” she muttered, nodding to herself.

“Uh…” Brooke was about to repeat her question, when the woman snapped her fingers at the man. “Give it to her.” The man pulled out a piece of paper, but the woman snatched it from his hands and practically threw a piece of paper in her face. The sudden movement startled Brooke, and she toppled backwards off the examination table. In the chaos, Sabir snatched the paper out of the air.

“What’s this?” he asked, glancing at it.

“Just an acceptance letter,” the woman said causally, already walking away. “Let’s go, Gyr. We have places to be.”

“What!” Brooke was on her feet faster than when she was fighting Leopold. She took the paper from Sabir too quickly, and it tore in half. “Wait, no! Please!”

The woman sighed, seemingly torn between genuine annoyance and comical joy. Before she could say anything, the man pulled an identical paper from his binder and handed it to Brooke, much gentler than the woman did. “Try not to destroy that one,” the woman suggested.

“I… I don’t understand,” Brooke struggled, her eyes flicking between the confusing pair in front of her and the piece of paper that was about to change her life. “I didn’t pass the entrance exam.”

“Ugh!” the woman yelled. “Do we have to spell it out for you?”

“A little bit,” Brooke agreed sheepishly.

The woman was about to say something else when the man took hold on her arm. She looked at him, and something silently passed between the two before she backed down. The man smirked and turned back to Brooke and Sabir. “Hello, Miss Canin. Please excuse my wife,” he said, much calmer than the woman behind him could have ever managed. “My name is Professor Gyr, and this is Professor Fala. We’re Sentinels and professors at Diamond Hope Academy. Pembrooke Canin, we’d be thrilled if you would attend this coming semester.”

“I thought you looked familiar,” Sabir said. “You’re the combat strategy professors.”

“But…” Brooke struggled with what she was hearing. “I didn’t pass the exam. I failed really badly.”

“And then you fought Leopold Iculus to a standstill,” Professor Fala said. “If a student could do that when they graduate, I’d consider them a success.”

“But…” Brooke babbled. “But he said that he wasn’t really trying. I just caught him off guard.”

Professor Fala pointed in Brooke’s face before Professor Gyr could stop her. “Okay, first thing we’re doing is working on those confidence issues,” she barked.

“Fala,” her husband admonished.

She let out an exaggerated groan, like she was a teenager who wasn’t getting her way. “Fine. Here’s the facts, Brooke. No one else made a move against Leopold. Every student who ‘passed the exam’ hesitated. Fully trained Sentinels hesitated. Even your brother,” she pointed at Sabir, who did not look like he wanted Professor Fala’s attention on him, “who’s one of the best in his year, hesitated.” She turned back to Brooke. “You didn’t.”

Professor Gyr put a hand gently on Professor Fala’s back, which seemed to make her pull back. “Miss Canin,” he started, “it would be irresponsible of us to not offer you a position at the academy after everything we’ve seen here. Especially after we learned how your Core Ability works.”

Brooke looked at the duo and back to her letter. “I—”

“If you say one more problem, I will tear that letter up myself,” Professor Fala snapped. Brooke’s mouth clapped shut. “Better.”

“Thank you,” Brooke said. She passed the paper to Sabir, who was still scanning it over with a look of shock and pride. “Thank you so much!”

“Don’t thank me yet, sweetie,” Professor Fala said, walking out of the tent. “If you thought today was rough, you’ve got quite the storm coming.”

“Take care, Miss Canin,” Professor Gyr said, falling in step behind his wife. “We look forward to seeing you in a few weeks.”

For a few minutes after they left, Brooke didn’t do much besides gape at where they left, unsure if she had hit her head and imagined the whole thing. She didn’t come back to reality until Sabir punched her on the arm. “Well, it looks like we’ll be going to school together after all,” he said, neatly folding the letter into his pocket.

“Whatever,” Brooke said, trying to maintain some modicum of coolness after everything that just happened. “You’re a fourth-year. I’ll probably never even see you around.”

Sabir just smirked. “We’ll see about that.” His face slowly went back to his classic Sabir serious face. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

Brooke clenched her fist. The memory of fighting Leopold was still fresh, as was the terror that she wouldn’t be able to beat him. But more than anything, the feeling of protecting someone else rang through her brain. For the first time, she made a real difference. “I’m ready.”