The Earth was covered in human waste.

  Fallen skyscrapers laid like carcasses across the surface. Vines wrapped their husks, squeezing the life out of the rusting metal and breaking what windows were left intact. Trees covered every flat surface. They spread like wildfire across the forgotten metropolis. Billboards pierced by hover cars and street signs twisted into disfigured people.

  So that’s what the Ruins looked like. Ava rarely left the Capitol. She’d only seen it on the newsfeed or during her academy years. This city was near the starting point of the war, the place where Primordial set off their bomb and killed billions of humans, and they never stopped. A barrier surged from the Earth, flaring from the crater and high into the skyline. It was never-ending, rapidly changing the planet’s weather, making it worse.

  And today, it was so much worse.

  Thunder crashed in the distance, roared up the skyscraper and to Ava’s position at the top. It was both beautiful and terrifying. She twisted her fingers around the wind, begging to call forth her ability to use nature and control what little she could—to harness that destruction and make it hers.

  If only she wasn’t broken, then she’d have that power in her grasp.

  Static crackled in her earphone, interrupting her concentration. This better be good.

  “Ava, I think I found something,” Gio quickly whispered. “To the north. Past the carnival rides. Near the entrance to the park.”

  She unsnapped the binoculars from her waist and zoomed in. One boot dug into the vines to steady herself as she kneeled on the metal frame. When the shakes simmered, she made out a picture perfect scenery. Past the park's broken archway was a man-made hill. Man-made because it was too perfect and symmetrical to be Mother Nature's doing.

  Ava zoomed in further, past the overgrown grass, and found a faded logo of the Earth on a metal door. That was the UFE symbol. The research facility was hidden so well from the public eye, no wonder Ava couldn’t find it.

  This was really happening. This was it. Thank the stars, we finally found it.

  It took Ava two years to get to this point. She had to rely solely on her lowest grade weapons and what little ability she had left. She thought by now she’d find the missing birth record, but everywhere she searched led to a dead end. Until now.

  Her sixth sense went off. Like an alarm, a faint ting buzzed in the back of her head, picking up activity from the east. She zoomed the binoculars in, back on the carnival rides.

  Screeching howls pierced the air, echoing across the terrain. Hundreds of gulls took flight from the trees below, leaving behind an eerie silence. Lightning crashed not far behind, flashing a bright light across the terrain.

  Wolf demons stepped out of the shadows, their glowing serpent eyes a beacon in the darkness and obsidian fur spiked in sharp needles, ready to attack. They crawled over broken carnival swings and fading plastic tracks, stopped on a fallen Ferris wheel. They sniffed the air, searching for their prey—for any humans lurking about.

  This wasn’t normal. There were twice as many demons than she predicted. But it’d be fine. She just needed to concentrate on getting inside. That was it. All those years of training would finally pay off. Gio would use his abilities and take care of the rest.

  Thunder crashed closer, ten kilometers out. Tremors ran up her grip. Ava was surprised the skyscraper’s windows remained intact after collapsing nearly a century ago. She had to be lucky. Let’s just hope my luck hasn’t run out.

  Ava tapped her earphone. “Get ready.”

  Gio’s wary voice came in so crystal clear, she heard his frown. “Hey, are we really going to do this?”

  “When have we ever backed down from a mission because of some demons?”

  “Some?” he scoffed. “I’m counting fifty-six. That’s not just some, Ava—it’s suicidal.”

  She wished he was standing next to her, so she could slap him on the arm and yank down on his messy bun. They didn’t fear death. They didn’t run from it. They faced it head on. Instead, she had to settle with glaring at him through the binoculars.

  He was positioned on a short, stilted building. Flat roofline. With his tall frame, crouching did little to hide him from the demons, but that didn’t stop him from returning Ava's glare. Sometimes she just wanted to pluck those blueberry eyes from his pretty face.

  “Yesterday, you promised you’d help me,” Ava said. “This is what we’ve been searching for. My birth record has to be in there.”

  He stayed silent.

  “Gio, don’t you dare back out on me now,” she said, whispering, “I need your help. I’m so close to fixing myself.”

  “Dude, chill out. Of course I’ll help you.” A grin formed on his conniving lips. “I’m just saying that my pay’s been raised from lunch to dinner.”

  He can't be serious.

  “I thought the whole point of you being my second guardian was to have my back. Not force me to fill your stomach, Sloth.”

  “Then consider it part of my duty as your older brother, Pipsqueak.”

  Ava and Gio were only a month apart—since Ava was adopted. They'd been together since infancy. Yet even during the most critical times he never failed to remind her how he was older, thus somehow wiser. At this point there was no use arguing with him. Ava needed his help. No matter how stubborn he was being.

  “Fine. You win,” Ava said. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

  Rustling noise came over the connection as the slick sound of a sword rang in her ears. Gio began their lucky chant. “May the stars be on your back.”

  “And on your fight.”

  “And on your shoes, as you take flight.”

  “Let’s kill us some demons.”

  Squinting her eyes, Ava focused on the creatures, waiting, watching for Gio to strike. Wolf demons stepped into the park, noses high in the air. Obsidian hair spiked, moving with their carnivorous growls. They found Ava and Gio’s scent and howled.

  This is it. Everything is riding on this mission.

  It was nerve wracking, watching from the sidelines, but Ava would only be in the way. So she waited, prayed to the stars her brother lived another day. Ava blamed Primordial for the demons, though no one truly knew where they came from. They appeared one day, in the midst of Earth’s final world war. Like an ultimate weapon, they unleashed themselves upon the human race and devoured every soul until the remaining humans fought back. Now they were just a pest, like a grub worm, destroying their crops one at a time.

  They normally weren’t dangerous when fighting in groups. But alone… that was a different situation entirely. Gio better be okay.

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  Gio teleported to an open spot on the field. His arm sparked with electricity, an inferno consumed the curve of his scimitar blade. The wolves pounced towards him. They were like a raging pack of wild dogs, serpent tongues lashing out, anticipating their next kill. Gio honed in on the demons and waited.

  Their paws pounded the grass into dirt. When they reached him, they didn’t stand a chance. Gio sliced down a handful at a time with the blast of his electricity. They growled, snapped at him, with their claws outstretched in savagery. And each time, Gio attacked, killing them one after the other, luring the rest out into the open like cattle.

  Spider demons crawled out of the trees, body as big as the trunk. Their mouth dropped venom, ripping away the bark. Trees crashed to the Earth. Ava felt it all the way up on the skyscraper. Like pointy toothpicks, the spider legs stabbed through the mud, scurrying over the wolves trying to get Gio. They surrounded him.

  Lightning struck across the sky. Gio looked up. Rain dripped on his forehead, slid off his chin. He raised one hand and tried harnessing the bolt, calling it to his palm. Thunder rumbled, answering his call. A bolt struck hard, searing between the clouds, and crashed on Gio’s body. He grasped it as if he were Zeus himself and plunged it into the ground.

  His wicked smile lit like fire. Demons disintegrated into ash, flew into the breeze to be forgotten, erased. He killed them all in one strike.

  Gio suddenly waved his hand around the hair like it was on fire. “Damn that’s hot!”

  Ava snorted. “You think? Pretty insane, if you ask me.”

  “You’re just jealous of my awesomeness.”

  He was right. Ava was jealous of his ability. She could’ve easily controlled the lightning with her nature ability. She could’ve killed all the demons without Gio having to go down there. But since she lost control it was impossible. She could barely change the wind.

  A roar broke through the remaining trees. Giant glob demons rose out of the ground, covering their molten lava in clumps of mud and grass. With each stomp they scorched the land, leaving a trail of sludge behind.

  They pushed over the trunks and stepped out into the smoke and soot. There were hundreds of them. That wasn’t normal. They never traveled in packs like this. Based on research, they’d kill each other before teaming up. That wasn’t happening.

  Gio took the scimitar blade and prepared to fight. There’s no way he’d kill them all, not even with his lightning ability. There were too many of them. They’d just melt. Shit.

  At this rate, Gio could be devoured. There was no other option. Ava needed to intervene, yet she still hesitated. Her hand shook as she put away the binoculars. She just needed to concentrate on the demons. Don’t use too much energy. Don’t go crazy.

  She stood at the top of the skyscraper, no longer hidden between the vines. Glob demons picked up her movements, shifted their target in her direction. No turning back now. A warm pulse circuited from the core of her body to the center of her right palm. Energy flowed deep from within and sparked to life, calling forth her weapon.

  Darker than night, the weapon's sleek metal pole appeared in her grip. Reminiscent of a Bō and light as a feather, the length stretched out, tall, it reached the tip of her nose. And out by her side, its own energy surged with hers. They became one mind.

  She morphed the weapon into a bow and arrow, winding curves like a C-clef, and aimed for the forest below.

  Her breathing slowed, harmonizing with the air. The Earth’s soft whispers caressed her skin, tangling her hair. The wind struggled against her hold, pulling and pushing from the east, whipping at her body and leaving the aftertaste of ocean salt on her tongue.

  Ava drew the string back, an energized arrow appeared at her fingertips. And as she stood still, listening to the wind die, she strained for control. She could do this.

  The wind gave way.

  Breathe in…

  The wind seized.

  Breathe out…

  She let loose the arrow. It soared like an eagle through the air, and in a blaze, burned the forest down. Glob demons hardened and crumbled away. It was glorious. The amount of power this weapon stored was immeasurable. But it wasn’t enough.

  Four demons rose from the mass of bodies and stomped towards Ava’s position. Crap. She needed to catch her breath. Just that one arrow took too much energy. Not enough time.

  She shifted her bow into two separate blades. It was time to fight.

  Ava took a deep breath and jumped off the skyscraper.

  She hit the surface with a thud, the aches barely registered. She slid down the thick glass with ease of her combat uniform, hoping to the stars it remained intact. The wind whipped her hair back, and gloves helped navigate her down the front of the steep skyscraper’s walls.

  Glob demons ran at her. She charged at them.

  She took off. Her shoes went from running to gliding in seconds—an ability that allowed her to skate above the surface, slowing down everything she passed by. Ava was a leopard ready to strike and this open field became her hunting ground.

  Ava cut down the first demon without a fight and crumbled to the Earth. She cut three more demons down in quick footing. The ones after were harder to kill—they stood in her path to the laboratory, dripping paws swiping at every turn.

  She didn't stop. She didn't hesitate.

  Ava sliced through the next four demons before they even had a chance, bulldozing and dodging through the mass. There wasn’t time to fight. Her sole focus was on the door just up ahead. Its lush vines were within sight.

  Lightning struck behind her as Gio continued to fight.

  Ava glided faster. She was almost there. Just a few feet ahead.

  Thick, green vines interlocked together, keeping the door securely locked shut, surrounded by dirt, trying to topple over from its hilltop. Ava swung the spear around, cutting the vines down until there was enough space to access the control panel.

  Rust chewed at the metal casing, showing that after twenty years this laboratory was weathering faster than Earth scientists predicted. An image flickered on. The UFE’s logo sat across the cracked touch screen, identical to the patch on the top right of Ava’s sleeve.

  Its outlined image was iridescent of what the Earth looked like today. The shifted landmarks. The crater where the Pacific Ocean used to be. If this explosion never occurred, if millions didn’t die back then, they wouldn’t be at war today.

  Sometimes Ava wished the war never existed, but then she remembered, she never would have been born.

  Her wristwatch lit, connecting with the system, and approved her status as a UFE citizen. If her research was correct, then she’d have to go through three steps.

  A ping went off, flashing a green check mark across the screen.

  Ava’s sixth sense picked up Gio appearing behind. His breathing labored, hitting the back of her hair. “Is it working?” he gasped.

  “Yeah, I’m unlocking it now.” Ava ripped her glove off. He told her to hurry it up as if she could make the system move any faster.

  Swiftly, she placed her palm on the screen, praying to the stars it picked up her prints after sitting abandoned for so long. A strip of blue light scanned down her palm. Tingles pressed into her skin until the scanning stopped.

  Another ping went off with a message appearing on the screen: Welcome to the AVA Projects Facility, General Avalyn Concerto.

  It faded away, showcasing the silhouette of a bird in flight and the words Aegis Vitale Armament. Protection of Life by Arms. A logo stitched into Ava’s team uniform. Seeing it on the screen reconfirmed her birth wasn’t natural. Just like the multiple sword marks dented into the door from the rebellion of those who rejected her creation.

  Too many people died while bringing Ava into this world. She couldn’t let their deaths go in vain.

  Numbers popped up onto the screen. It wanted a passcode and she knew the exact sequence. With this last step, she'd finally have her birth record. She’d finally gain control.

  Ava’s swift to type in the seven-digit code, but once she pressed the last number, it blared out a dull, annoying error sound. Thinking she switched a number around, she typed it in, again. Error. She searched the wristwatch this time where she saved the code in her notes. Typing it, again. Error.

  Ava hit the door. “You have gotta be fuckin’ kidding me!”

  After everything she went through these past months. The past two years. This fight. She just couldn’t believe she was this close and couldn’t get inside.

  Maybe she wrote it down wrong? No, that wasn’t right. She triple checked the records before they left. So that meant someone deliberately changed the passcode and didn’t update the records. And she knew exactly who would do such a thing: The Council. They’ve had it out for Ava since the moment she was born.

  Gio called out her name, but he was too late.

  A dark shadow loomed over Ava, showcasing the mounds of dirt and tar of a glob demon. It stood as tall as any thriving tree. So close, the smell of sour, spoiled milk poisoned the space between them. Disgusting. Acid rode up her throat, trying to force its way out. Ava morphed her weapon into a sword, but she was too slow to react.

  Its giant paw headed straight for her head.