Do you know what I hate about training? It’s a lot of things, really. But it’s mostly the fact that I am irreparably and embarrassingly worse than Sarina is at everything. And I mean everything. She even makes strapping on her armor look sexy and effortless. Okay, that one I can give to her. She’s tall, toned, gorgeous, and moves as gracefully as a watersnake in… well, water.

Not that I’m jealous of her looks. No. Well, I mean, I’d rather not be a scrawny boy shorter than everybody around, including Sarina. And I’d kill for just a little more muscle mass. Like, come on! I’ve been working out and training with weapons since I started walking! Don’t you think I would have buffed out a little by now? And not to mention the fact that I was inexplicably different from every last Edronan. “Pale Skinned” and “The Weak One” are just two among many of the hard-earned, adorable nicknames I’ve had graciously bestowed upon me (cue my eye-roll).

But the worst part was, they were all right. All those insults, nicknames, and jabs directed at my incapabilities were all called for. Something was different about me, and not in a good way. Maybe I was crippled? Maybe my growth spurt was late? Only the goddess could know.

But no, it was not my looks and not my obvious strangeness–though I’ve dedicated many nights to wondering why I was cursed with such awful luck–none of that irks me more than this: I can’t seem to excel better at anything Sarina can.

Yeah, I know. I’m such a baby. But you’d feel the same if you’d spent all 16 years of your life trying to prove to your entire city that you’re more than they’ve pegged you for.

“Rayden! Are you paying attention?”

I shook myself out of my reverie, realizing I had been staring a little too long at Sarina as she laced on her armored boots. Her thick, dark locks danced over her eyes with the wind. As her curls shifted, so did the colors–hints of auburn, honey, and bits of bronze made their way into the spotlight as sunlight radiated off of her locks. And the way her long hair caressed the sharp angles of her face accentuated her beauty all the more.

I cleared my throat and pretended to brush a stray piece of dirt off my sleeve, but not before I caught the hint of a smile on Sarina’s lips, indicating that she had definitely noticed my stare.

“I’m sorry, Drayek. I was a little lost in thought. What was it you said?”

Drayek grumbled deep in his chest, the sound accompanying an exasperated eye-roll. He folded his arms across his shining silver breastplate–Drayek’s favorite armor. Its metal surface was lined with blood-red gems that circled each other, creating the shape of a dragon with swirling scales. His breastplate matched the red greaves and gauntlets on his legs and arms–a shiny, impressive armor set typical for a Tier 3 Hunter.

“I said you’re taking much too long to strap on your armor. The suns are already starting to sink lower in the sky. We don’t have much daylight left, and we must get some training in.”

I squinted my eyes into slits to take a look at the two suns that decorated the skies of our planet, X-47-14. They, indeed, were making their way behind the craggy rock mountains in the distance.

I nodded in response to Drayek’s glare and slid the cold metal of my rusty thigh armor over my greaves, then an equally aging breastplate over my chain mail. My training armor wasn’t nearly as glamorous as Drayek’s Tier 3 set. And it had, in fact, once belonged to Drayek when he was a trainee. Meaning, it was old. It was the last set he’d owned before breaking through to Tier 1, so that made it 30 years old. Hence the copper rust growing along its once shiny silver surface.

Granted, Sarina’s armor wasn’t much better, but at least it fit her. My head looked like the hammer of a bell once I wiggled into my outfit. Just another of the many things that made me so much different from the rest of the Edronans–I was much shorter and less built. Edronans were all naturally toned and lengthy–I was scrawny and had yet to grow into my big ears.

“What are we doing today, Drayek?” Sarina stepped over to the rack of weapons lining the end of the makeshift training arena. She ran a slender hand along the hilts of the broadswords, then made her way through the small selection of bows and spears.

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Drayek had built the humble arena, about 36 feet long and wide, just for me. It resided at the back of Drayek’s and my wooden dwelling. He had started preparing a space to teach me within minutes after learning the Elders and the rest of the Edronans wouldn’t allow me to train with the other children. Though most children started their training around six years old, I had to wait until I was seven while Drayek created a plan to train me himself. But I considered myself lucky. Having Drayek, the best Hunter in all of Edrona, as my personal trainer was better than anything I could have asked for. No matter how grumpy he could get.

Sarina joined our little training group when she and I were about 10 years old. Though her dark skin and slender, tall build matched the rest of the Edronans, and she didn’t come into the world out of nowhere (like I did), she was still ostracized. After their Marking Ceremonies, both of Sarina’s parents had come out UnMarked. Though this was rare, it still happened occasionally. And UnMarked people could not contribute much to society. Jobs demanding manual labor, farming, and assisting those who were Marked with menial work are just a few examples of the positions the UnMarked had to choose from.

And because of her parents’ isolation from the rest of the city, and their inevitable shame, Sarina had met with more than a few bullies during her time training with the others. So, Drayek offered her a spot with the two of us.

“Archery today, Sarina,” Drayek responded with a knowing grin.

Sarina’s brown eyes, fused with flecks of gold and orange, lit up with excitement. She scooped up a longbow and strung it along her armored back, then bundled up some arrows and packed them into a quiver.

I groaned. Archery was definitely not my strong suit–forget about the fact that Sarina was still better at everything. But I at least could hold my own with a spear.

Drayek caught my eye and gave a subtle wink. He knew what I was thinking, and that’s why he had chosen archery for today’s training. He wanted me to become well-rounded in all weaponry. He didn’t want me to rely on one thing and meet with my doom because a spear wasn’t available for a fight. I knew he was right about that, but still….

I trudged over to the weapons rack and procured my own bow–a simple weapon carved from a dark oak. It was not a longbow like the one Sarina had chosen; her superior strength allowed her to handle a longbow better than I could. Not to mention, her stupid bow was almost as tall as I was. But the one I’d chosen was still a good weapon. Most bows and other wooden-crafted weapons in Edrona were carved from lesser woods, like from the trunks of the dead pine trees dotting the landscape of our craggy rock desert. But Drayek had his own way of procuring weapons:

Drayek had once saved the life of the best Blacksmith in Edrona. His name was Gerald, and he was intent on repaying Drayek for saving him from being surrounded by Nagari during that first great battle against the creatures over 20 years ago. So, he and Drayek had struck a deal. Gerald offered Drayek weapons at half the price that he did everyone else. Drayek eventually didn’t need to purchase any weapons for himself–more on that later–but it came in handy when he needed to procure non-Tiered weapons for his trainees, Sarina and me.

After Sarina and I situated our bows and faced Drayek in anticipation of further instruction, he nodded approval at each of our choices. He then closed his eyes. I watched as he stretched out his thick arms and circled one hand around the other. Within half a second, his own bow appeared out of nowhere and landed in his grip as gently as a silent breeze. The longbow sparkled in the light and bore images of long-tailed dragons carved into its white wood, matching the dragons dancing along his armor.

I never grew tired of watching Drayek use his Tier 3 Skill; his weapon and armor creation was my favorite. The ability to form any level-appropriate piece of armor or weapon from the banks of one’s essence was more than appealing. I mean, imagine all of the beautiful and sharp spears I could make….

And Drayek never had to rely on finding or purchasing his own equipment, which was an incredible advantage. Drayek’s Tier 3 Weapons Cache Skill allowed him to keep 10 weapons and 10 pieces of armor out at once, then he could switch them out as needed.

Of course, his Skill had its limits. He couldn’t give any of the equipment he created with his Skill to someone else. And he had tried. Many times. But each time a sword, helmet, breastplate, or anything would touch someone else’s hands, it would disappear in a waft of smoke.

Drayek tucked his bow under one arm, then snapped his fingers with his free hand. A line of five massive targets appeared at the end of the round arena. His Weapons Cache Skill didn’t just limit Drayek to creating weapons and armor….

The targets hovered above the ground as if lighter than air. The target in the center loomed twice the size of the others and displayed a blue-colored bulls-eye, unlike the red of the others. Sarina glanced in my direction with a grin. We both knew what game we were about to play.

Drayek snapped his fingers again, and the cloth-covered targets began dashing about various spots of the arena, prepared to dodge any oncoming arrows.

“You both know how this game works,” Drayek bellowed over the loud swishing of the targets dancing back and forth. “Once the targets fall to the ground, in two minutes, the game is over. May the best man, or woman, win!”