Prismarine (POV)

The garden is devoid of any natural aura. As Prismarine paces down the tidy aisles, she studies the nearly identical flowers growing in neat rows. Their petals are an impossible mixture of white and iridescent gold.

A voice calls out from up ahead. “Can I help you with something?”

Prismarine glances up, not appreciating the accusatory tone. “No. Return to your duties.”

Instead of listening, a woman wearing a lab coat hurries over. She recognizes Prismarine almost immediately. After all, it would be hard to miss the many military medals decorating her chest even if someone missed her distinct black hair and stark red eyes.

Yet even seeing all that, the scientist apparently feels like throwing her weight around. “Part of my duties is to ensure nothing happens to the magic flowers. This isn’t a supermarket. This is a restricted area, and only those with level four access are permitted. May I see your ID? Actually, who let you inside? I’ll need to report them.”

Prismarine pets one of the flowers, ignoring the scientist woman’s clear dislike for the action. “It seems you have some misconception about my authority. I am not allowed to go anywhere. I go where I please.”

With a small gesture, a square pyramid of red energy appears around the scientist woman, trapping her inside. The woman tries to break her way out of the barriers, but not even a C4 explosion would be enough to shatter it. She says something to Prismarine, but no noise leaks through.

Prismarine continues as if the woman can still hear her. “I will not be told where I can and can’t go. And you’re sorely mistaken if you think you’re untouchable just because you can grow some flowers.”

With that, Prismarine clenches her fist and the prism of energy collapses in on itself, crushing the woman instantly. The energy disappears, leaving a mess on the floor.

Prismarine steps around the scientist’s remains. “Clean up on aisle four,” she tells the subtly shaking guard posted at the door.

Despite his fear, the soldier forms a crisp salute. “Yes, ma’am!”

Leaving the flower cultivation center, Prismarine heads toward the troop training facility. Today is the day new recruits will be granted abilities, and she demanded to be present. When she nears the building, she creates a series of cubic barriers to stand on as she walks up to the third floor window, as if climbing invisible stairs.

From the vantage point of a catwalk near the ceiling, she has a great view of the entire facility. Men and women in uniform are being led through the process of power manifestation.

First, they are given shots that dampen the chances of the flower being rejected by their bodies. A civilian nurse stabs each of the recruits’ left arms with a needle, while a male nurse holds the box of needles and a trash bin for the used ones.

Next, the recruits are sent to the flower distributor. A man wearing white gloves hands each recruit a magical flower. As soon as the flower touches the recruit’s skin, the energy within is absorbed.

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Even with the shot to reduce the chances of rejection, there are always a few who fail to absorb the energy properly. A standby medical team rushes forward as two recruits drop to the ground and start spasming, the energy running rampant in their veins.

A good 80% of the recruits pass this trial, and move on to the testing area. Most of the abilities are lack-luster. Prismarine observes a woman who can create water droplets from thin air. One man can jump a little higher, as the energy empowers his legs. Another claims to see everything in greater detail. Roughly 90% of the successful recruits will have basic abilities like these. However, they aren’t useless, and will be sent to departments that can utilize them.

The woman who can create water will likely be sent to the flower cultivation center. The man with detailed vision might be sent to security system monitoring.

But 10% of the recruits gain powerful abilities.

One woman can create a stream of flames like a flame-thrower, and is even protected from the heat radiating from her hands.

One soldier levitates off the ground with enough control and speed to be considered flying. He would make a good scout or border patrol.

Another controls the very blood within a person. He tests it on a prisoner, and immediately bruises start appearing on the prisoner’s body as the flow of blood is reversed. Veins and capillaries burst, resulting in internal bleeding. Then he orders the blood out of the man’s body, resulting in the prisoner instantly dying as blood gushes from his very pores.

A veteran soldier to the side instantly executes the recruit with a shot to the head.

Prismarine nods her assent. He was too dangerous to be left alive.

More abilities are revealed, and a few veterans with powers related to energy observation reveal the abilities of those too fearful to explain them fully, despite the flowers giving an innate understanding of their capability.

Only one other recruit reveals a dangerous ability. Her power is something like a death curse. She makes eye contact with the prisoner and wishes for him to die. A few seconds later, he keels over.

When the woman sees the veteran soldier raise his gun, she instantly uses her newfound ability on him. He falls forward without getting a shot off. More move in and the woman curses them too, before Prismarine intervenes by expanding a dodecahedron of energy inside the recruit’s throat, instantly decapitating her.

The recruits look up for the first time, seeing Prismarine observing them all.

A few whisper to each other, the word “Prism” reaching her from a few groups. She loathes that nickname her brother gave her years ago, but it became popular with the public, enough that most people only know her as Prism.

The tests continue until all the recruits’ powers have been observed and recorded. Next comes the marking.

Each member of the military is assigned a number at random. Most are over three digits

long. Now that these recruits have powers, they must receive a new mark below their number to denote that they have an ability. This mark is shaped like a small magical flower.

Not all recruits are lucky enough to be chosen to receive abilities. Only the best recruits over the age of 18 are selected, as the number of flowers that can be cultivated is limited. Even if the military had enough flowers for everyone, it would make it difficult for the military to control them. And of course, giving them to civilians is out of the question, so civilians are to be killed on sight if they are found to have an ability.

At the end of the demonstration, the veterans with energy sensing abilities scan the area. One of them raises a hand. “Found one!”

The flower distributors rush over and extract a small stone from the pavement. It’s glowing faintly with white-gold energy.

A magic seed. The magic flowers don’t grant abilities for no reason. The powers are only a method for the plant to spread its seeds via energy expenditure, like a dandelion floating its seeds on the wind or burrs sticking to clothing. Any large expenditure of energy can result in a seed forming, and from that seed another flower will grow.

The seed is taken back to the cultivation center, and the recruits are ordered back to the barracks.

Prismarine decides she’s seen enough, and she has a scheduled meeting with her brother. She leaps off the catwalk and wraps an octahedron barrier around herself. She doesn’t even feel the impact. Releasing the barrier, she ignores the sensors checking her impact location for seeds and makes her way towards the Commander’s Office.