“Faster!” Nar said after he faded from view. “Do you truly think a real opponent would wait for you to discern their location?”
Finn’s head swiveled in the direction of the voice just a second too late. He tried to pivot only to receive a kick to the stomach for his troubles, sending him bouncing across the floor like a pebble on a lake. The training field may not have had pain settings turned on, but that blow was definitely beyond human limits. Either Nar was copying a warrior power, or he was just that strong.
He rolled back to his feet and spotted Nar immediately this time. He moved in with his own camouflage and lunged. The junior hero team leader dodged with ease, but he had timed it precisely so he could duck to let Lyra jump over him and fire a shockwave point blank.
Nar evaded the attack in an instant. “Hah! Your synchronicity is as good as I thought. But oftentimes, teamwork isn’t enough. You need the battle sense to go along with it.” He grabbed Lyra’s arm and threw her into Finn, sending the both of them sprawling.
They tumbled over the training field, quickly disentangling themselves and getting back on their feet. The jester’s movements were as fluid and unpredictable as his taunts, leaving them scrambling to adapt to his relentless pace. A few fruitless exchanges later, Finn charged in again to challenge Nar up close, his body colored to hide his approach and Lyra silencing his steps.
“That technique has limited utility when I can simply do this,” Nar explained as he waved his hand and turned the entire training field stark white, putting Finn in plain view of everyone present. Finn tried to turn the field black, but his power was locked in a struggle for dominance against this copy of it.
Now that he was seeing it for himself, he’d be lying if he said he didn’t feel some measure of frustration at the fact that Nar’s mastery over his power matched his own after having possessed it for less than ten minutes. He supposed there was a reason this guy was so highly coveted by the top brass of Apexia.
Putting all his strength into his legs, he sprinted forward, all attempts at stealth completely abandoned. His fist flew at Nar’s face, only to be deflected with a forearm and countered with a palm strike to the chest. Finn staggered back for a brief moment but recovered and redoubled his efforts, trying for a low sweep followed by an elbow.
“Hmm,” Nar hummed, adopting an exaggerated thinking pose while swatting away Finn’s attacks with one hand and hopping away from Lyra’s, every landing silent. How the bells on that costume didn’t make any noise in battle was a mystery. Finn feinted a jab then went for a hook. His target just swerved out of the way and looked at him. Finn got the impression he was smiling under that mask.
“How to best phrase this? Ah, yes. It’s akin to a pair of circus animals that aren’t fit for performances, no matter how well they’ve been trained to work in concert, because of their bad individual habits,” Nar lectured when Finn threw another punch. “Shade, your power is misaligned with your intent. You aim to strike me down, yet you’ve only attempted to conceal your approach so far. You aren’t terrible at executing some of these martial techniques. Your movements are very textbook, but they don’t flow into each other. In fact, there’s hardly any rhythm at all. The problem here, ultimately, is that you haven’t mastered your own body.
“And you, Calliope, have the opposite problem,” he said, the comment drawing her out of whatever she was going to do and causing her to pause and watch him with a wary posture. “Though it isn’t as detailed as direct power copying, I’ve acquired enough information about your power to form a decent understanding of its mechanics. As for what I have to say about it? Nothing. You’re using it correctly in the technical sense, and it’s served you well enough so far. But let's be honest—the real hurdle isn't about limitations, is it? No, any boundaries you face are ones you've set for yourself.”
“I don’t understand,” Lyra replied.
“Despite already knowing how to wield your ability, you simply don’t. The barrier you're encountering is psychological; a fear of your own potential holds you back.” Nar shrugged. “You have an understandable reason for it, of course. But ask yourself, is this restraint sustainable? Eventually, circumstances will push you beyond your breaking point, and the dam will burst. And even if you somehow do manage to contain it indefinitely, will you not regret it when you face a moment of dire need, yet never learned to fully harness your strength?”
She said nothing in response, instead taking over for Finn again with more aggressive movements.
“It's quite the conundrum, isn't it? I've faced similar challenges in my own journey. Not identical, but nonetheless akin enough to understand. What I would recommend is this: on the field, never stop confronting that edge of how far you’re willing to go, keep facing it and see if you can push yourself just a bit further each time. Off the field, confront your mind; discern what sacrifices you're prepared to make to surmount this mental block,” the jester finished, twisting around another attack and roundhouse kicking Lyra in the same motion.
She flew past Finn, and he didn’t waste a second before going in. He was considering Nar’s advice. He just didn’t know how to apply it, even as his kicks and punches flew past his target again. Rhythm? What did that mean, and how did his power have anything to do with it? Lyra was the one with the sonic powers. All the moves he used were ones he’d learned. Was that the key here, learning?
He’d been observing Nar’s style this whole time, but he couldn’t map other people with his colors, so he was limited to sight. The movements seemed clear enough, yet became more complicated when he tried to mimic them. Nar countered with another backhand, and Finn copied the dodge he saw against Lyra earlier, twisting to the side and swinging his leg up toward that smiling masked head.
His shin was caught in a gloved hand, and he heard a low chuckle coming from his instructor. “A novel approach, certainly. But I said to master your body, not mine.”
Then the world spun and he was on the floor, for the umpteenth time.
Pushing himself off the dark metallic surface, Finn wracked his brain. His body, his power, his body… What was he missing? He shook his head upon seeing his teammate take another hit.
He and Lyra kept fighting and kept being beaten back. One at a time, both at once. Solo or combined attacks, it didn’t matter. They didn’t stand a chance at scratching this monster, let alone beating him.
Taking a deep breath, he approached Nar, cautiously this time, camouflaging only his arm to try and distract his adversary. The colors flowed and rippled to match the environment, clinging to him like a second skin.
Wait.
He withdrew the power from his costume and channeled it underneath, on his actual skin. He focused on his senses and discovered the details there in his mind. Describing to him the different layers, the tiny hairs, the sweat glands, the nervous endings, all of it. Pushing deeper, he encountered blood, muscle, tendons, and finally bone.
Noticing a slight error in his arm’s positioning, he corrected it. Eager with his new discovery, he spread the colors throughout his entire body, drinking in the sensations of all its functions and gathering as much information as possible from his toes to his legs to his torso and the organs therein to the spinal cord up to his entire head. Thalamus, hypothalamus, pineal gland, cerebellum, pituitary gland, cerebral cortex, frontal lobe, parietal lobe, corpus callosum, every individual neuron firing off electrical signals in a network so complex its intricacies eluded—
He felt a pair of hands on his shoulders. “What happened!? Are you hurt?”
The words caused him to look up, which made him realize he was on his knees and panting like his life depended on it. Calliope’s bird mask stared back at him, concern evident from her tone and position.
“This was to be expected,” Nar assured, leisurely strolling up to them. “He’s sensing his own brain for the first time. With such heightened precision, it's quite overwhelming, far too much to simultaneously maintain awareness of the outside world or his own physical form.”
Lyra looked at Nar for a few seconds, then back to Finn. “You’re okay?” she asked.
“I’m fine,” Finn said. Only a bit of nausea that quickly faded as he stood up. He nodded at her. “Let’s keep going.”
And so they did. Whatever program the training field ran on apparently also tracked their vitals, which confirmed that he was indeed fine. After that, they wasted no time getting back into the swing of things.
Avoiding his brain this time around, Finn mapped out his body and corrected every flaw in his stance that he could find, resulting in a far smoother opening. Once he was satisfied with his position, he used his power to determine the most efficient way to move his limbs with minimal energy expenditure.
The difference was immediately noticeable. Nar pressed him with a counter, but Finn merely bent one knee and tilted his head to the side, causing the punch to miss by millimeters.
He wasn’t done. No need to foolishly ignore his momentum when every part of his body was telling him where it was going. He leaned into his evasion and threw a hard left. Nar weaved and threw a jab. Finn stepped around it to counter, causing Nar to spin and kick.
It landed on two blocking arms and pushed him back. Nar followed up but Finn once again leaned into his movement and did a back handspring, hands hitting the floor and easily supporting his body as his legs flew over him. He was aware that he was still being chased, so he did another. And another. And another.
When he came back up, he saw Nar retreating from a shockwave Calliope had thrown. His eyes narrowed. He knew he wouldn’t have made it out of that exchange on his own. This wasn’t enough. He needed to be better.
Nar’s opinion differed. “Fantastic, Shade! Absolutely fantastic. Your application of increased proprioception is even better than I hoped!”
They engaged in a two-on-one, Finn taking point now because he was able to hold off Nar for far longer than before. That allowed Lyra to take advantage of openings and deter Nar from punishing Finn for leaving openings.
Granted, none of this actually brought them any closer to landing a hit or causing this rising star to up his speed, which Finn was sure he could. However, they were able to force him to reposition somewhat consistently.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Throughout their fight, Finn kept pulling out new moves. Nar was still beating him back, but the exchanges lasted far longer. Everything he’d drilled was coming to the forefront. Weeks of training culminating in this moment. Backflips, cartwheels, various martial techniques, it all came to him like breathing. Natural and easy, almost subconscious.
The rest of the fight passed in a blur, much like the rather inventive exercises that came after. Finn was too caught up in his new epiphany to think about more than carrying out instructions. Before he knew it, the lesson ended.
Lyra was sitting next to him, her breathing heavy. He was similarly exhausted, focused on getting more oxygen in his lungs while Nar talked with their spectators. It was such a strange yet calming sensation, being able to track every single one of his bodily functions. Those anatomy textbooks Jack had made him study were coming in handy here, though he was surprised how well he remembered them.
“Calliope,” he said.
She turned to him. “Hm?”
“You can hear every sound being made inside of your body, right? Is it always this…”
“Gross?”
“Meditative,” he finished.
“Uhh, maybe? I don’t think I’m a super zen person or anything, but I can get lost in the sounds sometimes. It just gets weird for me when I think about it too much. Does that make sense?”
Finn nodded. “Yeah.”
They lapsed into silence until Nar came up to them with Moonflower and Casey in tow. He noticed Azur leaving through a side door.
“I have something to show you,” the hero declared, gesturing towards the entrance. “If you’ll follow me.”
That was how they ended up walking through the halls of the complex in a group of five. Finn was at the front with their new host at his side.
Said host addressed him, bells jingling. “I’ve been meaning to ask. How do you feel about machine operation?”
“Using my power? I’ve considered it,” he answered honestly.
“But you haven’t found anything worth spending time on? Well, I would strongly recommend exploring it further. Your ability to convey information compared to an unpowered human is frankly astounding. There's a whole realm of possibilities you can unlock when combining your powers with technology. Precision, efficiency, enhancement. It’s a different form of mastery.”
“I’m plenty impressed already,” interjected Moonflower, who had fallen into step with them as well. “It’s like night and day, Shade. I remember when you were gawking while Sphinx and that water guy handled some thugs, like it was the wildest thing ever. Feels like yesterday. Next thing I know, you’re taking on Homeland executives, turning whole neighborhoods into massive mirrors, and moving like balance is just an afterthought.”
“And I’m suggesting ways he could continue climbing the ranks. What he’s accomplished up to this point is, of course, admirable,” said Nar.
“Totally! I'd be lying if I said he couldn't wipe the floor with me in a fight,” she added.
Assuming she didn’t have anyone too powerful under her control, Finn would agree. Then he wondered if he could use his power to break psionic effects.
“Here we are,” Nar announced, stopping in front of a pristine white sliding door. It opened to reveal an additional set of doors with icons distinguishing them as designated male and female entrances, respectively. “Showers with a costume cleaning area attached.”
Why were they being told about this now? Were they just not expected to stay before, or did these people have something else planned for them?
He didn’t get any more time to think about it, because Calliope took off her mask, revealing a sweaty Lyra with hair plastered to her forehead. “Thank you, I really appreciate it.” She seemed to realize what she’d done afterwards and sheepishly lowered her head. “I’m Lyra.”
His eyes widened at the cavalier unmasking of his teammate. He’d told her Moonflower and Cyrus knew her identity, and there was a good chance Nar did too, but from the weird look Casey was giving her, she definitely hadn’t known.
“Is this really…” Casey trailed off.
The jester watched the scene unfold with a tilted head. “It seems so.”
Nar reached up to his own mask and Finn was instantly on guard. He was revealing his identity to them? For what reason? They hadn’t even known each other for a day. Was he trying to bait Finn into revealing himself while using some copied disguise power to cover up his true face? Were they about to reveal critical information about themselves as collateral for some binding contract? He was abruptly starting to wonder if his initial paranoia hadn’t been right all along. He checked for cameras, but there weren’t any observing them.
The cap and mask were removed to bare a familiar face, one Finn had thought he would encounter again but not in this context. Not in the least. And now that he knew who he’d been exchanging blows with this whole time, all he could think was that it made sense. There was really only one person Finn knew who had this level of uncanny insight, and he was right here.
Aiden smiled. “Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lyra. My name is Aiden.”
Moonflower was next. “Colette,” was all she said, spinning the helmet in her hands. He had suspected it was her as soon as he saw Nar’s real face, but it was good to have confirmation. This explained her deep involvement with Cyrus’ organization, what with her being involved with the Wardell family in both parts of her life.
Everyone was looking at Finn, now.
“Shade,” Lyra tried.
“Please, don’t feel pressured to unmask just yet,” Aiden said with his characteristic calm and inviting demeanor.”I understand we caught you off guard, and it's perfectly reasonable to keep your identity under wraps if you prefer.”
"Seconded!" Colette chimed in with a playful grin. "And don't worry, I promise I won't tease you too much if you've got some seriously oversized ears or something."
“What the hell is going on?” Casey demanded. She looked at her brother, pointing an accusing finger at him. “You planned this, didn’t you?”
Aiden held his hands up. “I did no such thing.”
Finn took the time they went back and forth to think. He was fairly sure Aiden was telling the truth, considering Lyra had been the one to initiate this whole thing. And he had no clue why she’d done that, but if he was going to ask, it would be when they were alone again.
The only question he needed to answer right this moment was whether or not to show these people his face. And he could come out with countless reasons not to. First off, the security risks. Anything that led to Finneas Allister would lead to his mother, which was dangerous for obvious reasons. Second, he would never be safe from reprisal in the event of betrayal unless he used his power to disguise his identity. But again, his mother would be vulnerable.
Third, he barely knew these people as heroes, but at the same time had already interacted with them in his civilian identity. And if he revealed himself here, those two parts of his life would meld together irrevocably. Jack was one thing, but to involve so many people who knew Finn with Shade? It seemed ludicrous.
Although, this might be the next step in his plan of taking risks wherever he could afford to in order to gain power. If he revealed himself to these people, it would allow him to interact with them with or without a mask and improve his relationship with them. Yeah, he rarely cared about what others thought of him, but he could tell they were all hoping he would just introduce himself, even if they were nicely pretending it wouldn’t matter if he didn’t.
Besides, he hadn’t forgotten about that perception manipulator or whatever Cyrus’ hidden subordinate had used to keep him from being noticed while standing around in public. That power had probably been turned against Finn already, as much as he hated the idea. He always made sure he wasn’t followed when he went home, and the thought that someone could’ve been staring him in the face while he was none the wiser…
He sighed. No more stalling.
The head covering of his suit took a bit more time to remove with his visor, but he knew the ins and outs of his costume since he’d done this quite a few times. Just not in front of other people.
And when he did, everyone went quiet.
The air in the room cooled his face, which made him realize he was still sweating, too. He brushed his hair out of his face with a glove.
“Finn!”
Aiden was beaming.
“Casey, look! It’s your boyfriend.”
Colette smiled, her expression a touch incredulous.
“Allister, what?”
Casey was gaping at him, her face the picture of shock. She was giving him the look you might expect a child to have when their parents flushed their favorite goldfish down the toilet bowl. Her face morphed from dismayed shock to disbelief, her mouth opening and closing, trying to form words but unable to decide which ones made sense in this moment.
Her eyes darted between Finn and the rest of the group, searching for some sign that this was all just an elaborate joke, that they were in on it, that there was a punchline waiting somewhere. But no one was laughing. It was all real. Her gaze then locked onto Finn again, her brows knitting together in confusion as she stared at Finn with narrowed eyes like that would suddenly change the fact that her classmate and Shade were the same person.
“Allister, what?” she repeated, her voice higher-pitched than usual. She took a small step back, perhaps in an attempt to get some space to regain her composure. An unsuccessful attempt, it seemed, as she still stood there shaking her head and mouthing slow, inaudible “no’s” in a vain attempt to reset reality itself.
He raised an eyebrow at the spectacle, not having expected such an intense reaction. It wasn’t like he was particularly close with any of them.
“What does she mean, boyfriend?” Lyra was looking between him and Casey.
“Is that competition I’m hearing?” Colette crooned.
“I’m not anyone’s boyfriend,” Finn said, exasperated. He directed his attention at Aiden. “So why did you lead us here? You could’ve just had Azur show us this place if the group unmasking really wasn’t planned like you said.”
“Indeed I could have! However, I saw an opportunity to discuss our expectations for the upcoming mission with you directly,” Aiden replied with a wide smile.
Finn perked up at that. “Upcoming? How long?”
“A week, give or take. It's a minor operation, laying the groundwork for something substantial. I can't reveal too much, but my father will brief you on the finer details soon enough.”
That was sooner than expected. “What skills do we need?”
“It’s mostly things you’re already proficient at, such as stealth, for insta—”
“No one told me about any of this,” Casey interrupted, frowning and glaring around at them.
“Because you weren't part of the grand design, were you? Worried I might charm your friends away, dear sister?”
The other Wardell sibling drew herself up to give a retort, then huffed and rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
“Oh, here's a thought! Why don’t we all get together and hang out sometime? It’d be a blast!” Colette spoke up.
“I think it could be fun,” Lyra said, nervously looking at Finn. It made sense, he supposed. She’d been isolated from people her age for a while, and she wanted him to come along.
“It could be,” Casey conceded, though she still appeared distraught and agitated.
“Sure,” Finn said. He’d already anticipated something like this when he took his mask off. It was odd how surprised Lyra seemed at his agreement, though. It wasn’t the first time he had said yes to this sort of thing.
“Great!” Aiden said, clapping his hands. “We should probably exchange contact information to coordinate and plan something worthwhile.”
And thus, Finn had yet another social occasion marked on his schedule. Just a scant few months ago, he never would’ve thought he would be associating with this kind of crowd, but now that he was, he found he didn’t entirely hate it.
Time would tell if this would last.