When I killed the Prophet of the Valley, two of his disciples had immediately vied for power. This split the Prophet's loyalist between the camps, but kept them focused on each other, which had ironically helped us a great deal in the early days of the war. The struggle ended in both of their deaths because outsiders had crossed into the Valley and targeted those stepping into the Prophet's place.

I had been the one to kill those outsiders.

In the end, we'd been left with no leadership except what we pieced together ourselves. That didn't mean the valley was without order. It was my own chief who had inspired me to seek out those who lacked power to rise up in the power vacuum. The problem was that anyone with a neural implant could easily kill those without one. So, any kind of leadership in the Valley had to be backed by someone with power.

That had created this exhausting situation where I had to police the entire Valley. If anyone else had learned to teleport like I could, then it would have cut my work in half. At this rate, I would die of exhaustion. Of that, I was certain.

So, even though ordinarily I carved out what time I could between battles to either rest or train–considering I rarely managed a full night's sleep–today I had chosen, instead, to visit the students of the Sacred School.

Nash had gone in my place to a Council meeting where the heads of major villages in the Valley gathered to fight their own manner of battle–the political one that I wanted nothing to do with but understood would end this chaotic war. I was happy to have an excuse not to attend. Even though I had planned to periodically visit the students and help with their training, I'd been far too busy. I hadn't even met this new group that had started studying five months ago.

Right now, though, I needed to invest in something just as important. I joined Piercey and his students in one of the largest training rooms. Thirty or so students gathered before me, standing side by side, in three rows.

The students whispered as I walked across the room behind Piercey and sized them up. I couldn't make out what they said until I heard one girl whisper. "Eclipse."

I tightened my jaw. "My name is Max." When I stopped walking, they all straightened, like I'd suddenly issued the command to do so. "Max the Sharpshooter. Don't call me Eclipse within these walls."

"Yes, ma'am," one of the students shouted.

A chuckle broke free of my lips and I glanced over at Piercey. Things at this school had changed so much since my childhood.

"I don't have time to waste, so I'm going to be direct." I glanced from one end of the students to the other. Growing up, we were always in class with similarly aged students. Things were different now with Piercey recruiting people of all ages across the entire world. "If others cannot learn how to teleport then we're all fucked. We have warriors. We need travelers. That's why I'm here today, because you guys suck, and I need you to stop. Get better."

Piercey subtly turned his face to look at me, but I ignored his silent chastisement.

"Raise your hand if you're studying teleportation."

Every student lifted theirs, which surprised me, because I'd always learned to focus on my natural talents first, and there was no way all of these people were gifted with time and space manipulation. I'd stumbled into it accidentally and I figured others had as well.

"Well, most of you are wasting your time. Who actually shows promise? Yeah, put your fucking hands down." I walked closer and scrutinized their faces for any sign of either confidence or the self-consciousness of someone with an unrealized talent. "If there's real hope of you learning to do this, raise your hand back on."

The students were all looking at one another until finally three students raised their hands. I ignored them and instead watched a younger student who looked like he mentally wrestled with a powerful demon.

"You." I pointed at him. "Why didn't you raise your hand?"

Shocked eyes met mine. "I, well, I suck."

"Obviously. You all suck. That's not what I asked. I asked if you had potential with teleportation. Raise your hand kid. I can tell by the look on your face that you're debating whether you should, which means you should."

Beside me Piercey nodded and the teen lifted his hand while he averted his eyes.

"Anyone else?" I asked my friend.

"I'd say this is accurate for this skill. Although," Piercey leveled his look at a man at the end of the line who proudly raised his hand. "I'm not quite sure he should be lifting his hand so high."

"Have you shared how to transport through the neural connection?"

"Yes."

I turned my attention back to the students. "I need someone who can help to respond to emergency alerts from the villagers. I'm expending too much energy and spending too much time responding to every crisis. This is now a top priority, because it's distracting me from the larger war for this Valley." Their faces looked serious as I spoke. Good. "I know many of you are not from this Valley, but please know that anyone who helps us defend the people here will always have a home with us. We will send you back to your own people well-equipped for whatever you face there. For now, while you're our students, we need your help."

I stood back and surveyed the students one last time.

"Okay. Those of you who raised your hands, you start training with me in the evening. I need to check in on some business, but after that, this becomes your top priority."

"Yes, ma'am," they said together. So strange to hear them call me that because one of them was definitely much older than me.

"Yeah, don't call me ma'am either. You can call me Sharpshooter, Max, anything but Eclipse or ma'am."

"What about Commander?" The overly confident thirty-something year old man asked.

Commander. I didn't mind that. "That will do."

Piercey smiled and clapped his hands. "Alright, back to training. Max, I'll meet you outside."

I left for the courtyard to wait for Piercey. This place gave me such peace now. It was one of the only spots I could find rest when I felt weary or stressed. As a child, it had been a safe haven for me and my old friend. It was also the place where I'd spoken with my people after I returned from the after-life.

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When Piercey came out, I pounded my fist in my hand. "Did you see that kid? He can do it. I can just feel it."

"I hope so. It worries me that no one has been remotely successful."

"No, we've got this one. He reminds me of you with the lack of confidence but obvious talent."

"Thanks, I guess."

"Should we catch the end of the meeting and get filled in?"

Piercey nodded. "A few graduates shared some things with me during our neural connection. They're looking at leadership today."

"That one guy?"

"Yeah, the warrior that some of the villages like. But there's also the politician."

"Neither one of them can lead this valley."

"I know. We need someone who will not be mad with power, but also can stand up against the threats we face."

"We just have to keep searching," I said. "I'm nervous to look beyond the valley because they won't be committed to our people the same way, but we're running out of places to look."

Piercey's knowing look agitated me.

"Don't." I groaned.

"I didn't."

"You fucking did. You gave me a look."

"You're giving me a look now."

I shook my head. "I cannot lead these people."

"You already are. You're single-handedly protecting the villages. Just your name is enough to keep most threats out of the valley. Who better than you? You died for these people."

"That's why I can't. How am I supposed to protect people if I'm busy playing politics?"

Piercey lifted his hand. "You don't have to play politics. You'd have a council. You just have to step up as the head."

"No. I'm not the right person for the job. I need to be out in battle. I have enough getting in the way of me risking my life. I have to worry about Elsie and Nash. You and the others. I saw what dying did to everyone. How could I ever go into battle knowing a whole valley of people needs me to live?"

My friend's expression softened. "Oh, Max. You don't realize that it's already happened do you? We all need you. Whether you want to lead or not, you are. If you want to pass the job off, then find someone who can do better than you. Until then, the people will reject whoever tries to take your place."

I crossed my arms and looked to the tree we always used to sit in. "I miss when our world was as small as this courtyard."

He chuckled. "You do not. You hated it."

"I didn't know any better then."

"Whatever. Let's get out of here. We need to go size up those potential leaders." Piercey raised his hand. "Wait, I forgot my bag. I'll be right back."

I watched him sprint back into the school. I hadn't realized when I mastered my power over travel that I'd end up being a taxi for the valley. So wonderful. I began to pace.

Something flickered from the corner of my eye again. Before I could even question what I was seeing, a man stood only a few feet away. And he said my name.

"Max."

My heart dropped out of my gut onto my feet. Breath fled my lungs. I stared at this man, the one I immediately knew I had seen on the battlefield, unable to breathe or think or feel.

"I need your help." His serious eyes met mine.

In disbelief, my eyes fell down his form. Even as I stared, I couldn't accept what I was seeing. Piercey stood directly before me, when I'd just seen him go back into the school. His hair laid against his shoulders in long dreads and a full beard darkened his face. How the hell could that be when Piercey had his hair buzzed right now? He hadn't had dreads since we were kids.

"I know." Piercey lifted a hand and though he had the exact same voice as my friend, there was an edge to his tone that was different. A look in his eye that didn't quite match up. "You're in shock. It's like when you came back from the dead and didn't know how to soften it for your friends. There's really nothing I can do except for show up."

If he didn't look and sound–feel–identical to my friend, I might have blasted him with enough power to incapacitate him. As it was, my instinct screamed threat, because this was anything but normal.

I drew my energy bow and though I didn't point it at him, I had an arrow ready, aimed at the ground.

"Explain." I ground my teeth to cover how my voice wavered. "Right now."

"I don't have much time before your friend comes back. Come with me and we can talk."

"Come with you? Hell no."

"Please. You're more powerful than I am. You can kick my ass."

"That doesn't mean it's a good idea to go with you."

"Max." This Piercey look alike reached his hand out to me. "I'm begging you."

It might have been my own arrogance in my abilities, or my stupidity, or my naivety, or the fact that I couldn't help trusting Piercey, but against all my better judgment, I grabbed his hand. "You better not–"

My words were cut off by a force that felt like it tried to rip my body apart. It pulled at my joints, tried to pry my skin from my muscles. To shred each strand of muscle and separate each bead of blood. To rip me apart one cell at a time.

If it had lasted longer than a few seconds, I wouldn't have been able to endure it.

But in far less than a minute, we were standing in a field that I didn't recognize, with a bright sun overhead.

I stumbled back from this long-haired Piercey, gasping for breath.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't have time to warn you. I could feel him coming. It would have been too shocking for him to see me."

"Where are we?"

"Before you panic, time is relative. You won't lose any time back in the courtyard with Piercey. When I send you back, it'll be like you never left."

"Tell me where we are."

He quieted for a moment and then breathed in deeply. "We're in my world."

I leaned forward, feeling like a strong weight was trying to drag me to the ground. "You mean–"

"Not your world."

I was going to throw up. I'd always had a nervous stomach and this was too much. I leaned against my knees, but just as quickly as the sickness came, it turned into rage. When I rose up, he must have recognized it in me, because he lifted his hands.

"Stay calm. I'll explain. I'm on your side."

"Then explain!"

"Okay, you know that the gods have run experiments on other simulated realities."

My mind filled in the gaps. No, no, no. How many times would this happen to me? How many times could reality unravel before I lost my mind forever?

"You knew there were other worlds. You just didn't know they were filled with your people." Piercey's eyes looked bright. "It's us in every world, Max. They uploaded the same consciousness every time."

The truth of what he said resonated deeply within me, as undeniable as seeing Piercey's image in the courtyard, or even the flicker of him on the battlefield. I'd seen other versions of myself and Nash. This wasn't new to me. Not the difference in hair and look. The subtle changes to our person.

I was looking at Piercey. A Piercey born in another world to another experiment. It made sense. If the gods wanted our worlds for the data, then they'd use controls. Why not use the same people in every experiment? I should have thought of this before.

I turned around, dizzy and overwhelmed. Knowing that we'd lived multiple lives in our world had hurt badly enough. Now I knew that there were copies of me in other worlds? What did that even mean? Was the Max in this world still me? Or were we completely different people because we'd lived different lives in different worlds?

"I'm sorry, Max. There's no way to make this easier on you."

How had this Piercey learned to travel to my world when my Piercey couldn't even travel across the Sacred School. And how did he know so much about me and what I knew?

I turned back on him, dizzy from questions. "I need to hear everything."

Just when I thought I was at least figuring out what my people needed, everything fell apart again.