Abigail stood with her shield in hand prepared to block a blow from Jake. She actually had both arms behind the shield and turned her body slightly as if bracing for an impact with a bolder. Jake was a very intimidating person to get hit by. He was huge, and it was a wonder that she hadn’t noticed it before. His leather coat really does him a disservice as it hid his body-builder-level arms. His bicep might be as big as her head. She gulped, whispering a word to the shield.

“Negative.”

Her shield was a little strange and required verbal commands with her skill to operate. She had played around with her gift a bit, and it was certainly awkward. She could adjust the positive and negative charge of something through her voice. It was probably meant to be used for energy differentials and making static, but she found that it made her shield work like a magnet. Her arm was the object she had altered into a higher energy state, and the shield was at a higher one. A circuit was formed between her and the shield, sparks danced on the surface of her skin as the item activated. The magnetic effect was a function of the shield. The sparks were what usually happened when she used her gift.

“Are you sure about this Jake?”

She called out to him, transfixed by the visible sparks dancing on her skin. The way her gift worked, defending herself with the shield tended to be violent. Jake grinned.

“I’m good, you ready?”

He flexed his right arm, the bicep bulged like an angry buffalo. She really didn’t know who would be more worried here but nodded to him. He was a little over a dozen paces away, in order to give her more than enough time to properly defend. Once he got a little closer, she said another word.

“Negative.”

The target of her gift was Jake himself. Well, his fist in particular. She had done some research on her gift, and one of the things that would improve with the next upgrade was the coverage. For now, a single arm or leg was all she could manage. Jake’s hand didn’t visibly change from her word, but she could tell that it worked. Despite his beefy appearance, he closed the distance with surprising grace and speed. He swung his fist in an overexaggerated haymaker. When he got close, a circuit was formed between her arm and his hand. Sparks of bluish light scrambled around the shield striking Jake’s hand. A crackling popping sound filled the air. It reminded her of the kind of shocks she heard when she grabbed a wool jacket, except twice as loud.

Jake’s eye twitched, as a constant stream of blue sparks moved from her arm to his hand. That was definitely hurting him, but he seemed to ignore it for the moment. His first move was like a bullet as it approached her shield. Then before making contact with the shield, it slowed to stop a few millimeters from actually touching the shield.

In hindsight, they shouldn’t have made her hold the shield for this test. Her feet left the ground, as the force of the punch lifted her up. The repulsion between his fist and her shield amplified the recoil, and she flew to the ground. A panicked scream escaped her lips as she was launched backward. Her scream changed to a pained yelp as she landed on her back and bounced across the floor like a ball. She only stopped moving when her side hit the wall.

She lay on the ground for a moment. Everything hurt. The tumble left her ears ringing too, and she struggled to think properly. She stared at a plain grey wall and groaned loudly. Her arm felt like it was broken, though the shield was still attached and undamaged. How wonderful! The sarcastic thought made her groan even more loudly, at which point Maria called out to her.

“Are you ok?”

She was a fair distance away, still sitting next to all of their bags. Abigail turned her head to focus on Maria. The girl was eating something, and Gavin was in the process of closing his bag. Another bet? Seriously? Abigail was becoming very annoyed with her group.

“Do I look ok? Just give me my bag!”

Maria obligingly threw her bag across the room. Thankfully nothing inside would break from a throw like that. The bag slid across the floor and didn’t quite make it to her. She groaned again, but someone else came to help. It took her a second to realize it was Jake. He had walked over and walked over with hunched shoulders and a downcast expression. Wait, did he feel guilty? He certainly looked like a kid who knew they had done something wrong.

“Booster.”

Jake nodded and pulled out a thin metal box from her bag. He popped it open to reveal a very familiar metal tube. He knew what to do with it and pressed it into her neck. She felt a tiny prick as the needle punctured her skin, but it was well worth it. The relief that followed could hardly be described, and she sighed and melted into the floor. Jake stared at her.

“Sorry, I meant to hold back more, but the shocking thing surprised me.”

Abigail wasn’t hurting nearly as much and sat up to glare at him properly.

“I literally warned you!”

She growled the retort like a rabid dog. Inwardly, she knew that it wasn’t solely his fault. She had agreed to the plan and had done so thinking that she could hurt him a little. This was karma in a sense, not that she would tell him that. Jake’s head hung in shame, as Maria peeked around his back.

“What’s that?”

She was looking at the metal tube in Jake’s hand excitedly. Moving more deftly than Abigail had expected, Maria snatched the syringe from Jake.

“A high-end booster.”

Abigail replied simply, then began to stand slowly. She used the nearby wall to help her balance upright. Jake added more to her explanation.

“It’s a painkiller, plus some chemical that improves the body’s natural healing. I think it’s typically just meant for burns, cuts, and bruises. Although the painkiller in it is pretty strong.”

Jake hesitated briefly before continuing.

“Is your arm broken? Should we go to a healer?”

Abigail wasn’t entirely sure. It had felt broken before, but looking at it now it seemed fine. Much of the pain and discomfort was gone, and there was no noticeable coloration on her skin. Even if the booster had handled the worst parts of the injury, it would still leave some coloration if it was broken.

“I don’t think so, but I think we should call one here just in case.”

Jake nodded quickly. Then his eyes seemed to dart randomly, though she recognized the sign of an optical implant. He was probably requesting a healer as they spoke. He was being obedient, and she wished in vain that his new attitude would stick. She wouldn’t bet on it. Maria walked back over.

“That’s great and all, but how can I get one of these?”

Maria talked and acted like Abigail’s possibly broken arm meant nothing. Jake raised an eyebrow, and it took Abigail a second to realize what Maria was even talking about.

“The booster? Do you have half a million credits?”

Maria choked on her response, and Abigail noticed Gavin slip from his seat in the corner. Only Jake didn’t seem to gawk at the number. Maria opened and closed her mouth like some kind of fish for a solid five seconds. Abigail started recording it after the second. Maria eventually shut her mouth and glanced between the two of them.

“This request might be a little much, even for me, but could I have a few of these? I mean could one of you give me some tonight? Please.”

Maria for once didn’t sound completely obnoxious. That being said, it was a ridiculous request. She was basically asking for several million credits. While that was a small amount for her or Jake, they both knew just how much that was. It was not the kind of sum you just gave up. She shook her head, but Jake didn’t.

“Why? I don’t think it will help with…”

He trailed off, rubbing one of his shoulders uncertainly. It was a gesture that reminded her of Cain, Jake obviously didn’t like talking about Maria’s past illness. Maria eyed them carefully.

“You guys do understand what my gift does right? I can recreate and redistribute chemicals within my body. Well, to get it to work, I need to first get those chemicals in my body to familiarize them. And I’m not trying to fix the cancer. I can already stop that from growing.”

Maria’s mouth snapped shut, a panicked look crossed her face. Abigail didn’t miss the darting eyes or the meaning behind that statement. She couldn’t leave it alone either and spoke as gently as she could.

“Wait, I thought you said that the trial cured you?”

“Yeah, what do you mean by stop it from growing?”

Even Jake was trying his best to be gentle with his words. He exchanged a look with Abigail, and she gave him a slight nod of agreement. This wasn’t a topic they could just let drop, because it sounded like Maria might die if she fell unconscious or something. What would happen if she couldn’t use her gift? Maria hesitated briefly, before muttering something that only the two of them could hear.

“Promise me you won’t say anything.”

Jake and Abigail both nodded. Even Gavin, who was walking over, nodded eagerly though he probably hadn’t heard what she said. Maria shook her head though.

“No, say it. Say that you won’t tell anyone.”

“I promise to not say a word about this to anyone but us.”

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Abigail made the promise immediately. She felt like this was a mistake. That she was pressuring Maria into revealing something she shouldn’t. At the same time, she wanted to know. Needed to know. Just in case it might affect their performance in the trials. Jake and Gavin were quick to make the same promise, their voices blending together as they did so.

“I promise!”

“I promise too!”

Maria took a deep breath before responding.

“I have, or I had brain cancer. I stopped it from growing with my gift, but I can’t remove what’s there. If I did that, I would just be tearing out pieces of my brain.”

The entire group shared a collective shudder at the thought. Abigail knew what brain cancer was, but she didn’t think people could still get it. Didn’t every world check their babies for stuff like that? What was the point of gene modification if it wasn’t used to remove such things? She wanted to ask but had the tact to know better. Whatever Maria’s situation was, an interrogation about her origins wouldn’t help. Abigail had another question in mind, something that pertained more to their immediate future.

“What does that mean, and why is it such a big secret?”

Maria gave Abigail a scornful look, her eyebrows narrowing slightly. She responded with unhidden frustration.

“Because of people like you. People who will look at me like that.”

Abigail flinched, but she still needed Maria to answer the first question. That was the part that might affect them tomorrow.

“But what does it do to you?”

Maria practically spats her next words.

“What you want me to give you a list?”

Abigail didn’t do or say anything, but the look on her face must have given away her thoughts. She had to know, even if the question was a little cruel. Maria looked at Jake and Gavin, both of whom turned away at her glance.

“No. I don’t. Fuck! Fuck you all!”

The sudden shout made Abigail jump a little. Maria didn’t say anything else though her eyes visibly teared up; she ran away rubbing at her eyes as she left the training room. It wasn’t the furious run of someone in anger though. Abigail saw her more like a child fleeing from their punishment. She couldn’t help but look after Maria. Abigail thought about it for a second. Yeah, this officially made her a terrible person. She stood there and felt the sudden desire to cry. She felt scummy beyond belief and regretted almost everything she had done today. Jake and Gavin stood at her side. None of them said a single word. Abigail glanced at them, and then back at the empty doorway. Tomorrow was going to be awful, wasn’t it?

____________________________________________________________________________________

Clo P.O.V

Clo brushed the sweat off his forehead with this sleeve. A good amount of sand fell from his hair as he did so. Fighting in his training area tended to get sand everywhere. He honestly didn’t mind the feeling. Back home, the sand would be replaced by either freezing snow or metal dust that could cut his skin. The sand honestly felt like a luxury in that regard. Either way, it might be time to stop.

The others had all left a few hours ago to get some good rest before tomorrow. It was probably a smart decision, but he felt like he still had some room to improve. He couldn’t help but check his status, which almost always hung on the edge of his vision nowadays.

Name: Clo Vilnius

Home World: Atreus Academy World 3

Grade: E

Rank: 43

Physical Grade: 1.7

  Strength: 1.7

  Dexterity: 1.7

  Speed: 1.7

Mental Grade: 1.7

  Reflexes: 1.7

  Intuition: 1.4

  Fortitude: 2.0

Gift Grade: E

Gift (F): Emperor’s Personal Vault

Gift (F): The Brittle Blade

Gift (D): Command

Recognitions:

Emperor

Those improvements far outstripped his peers. It didn’t leave him feeling particularly satisfied though. It felt like he was the only one actually competing in this school. Everyone else seemed content to sit on their hands and do nothing. Cain had barely done any training prior to now, and Sabrina wasn’t much more proactive. Maya at least had done something, even if it was just to do some of the things that the teacher had recommended. Clo wasn’t the most social person, but Cain and Maya were despite their relative oddness. Apparently, a large portion of the class had only been doing the bare minimum by his standards. Maya had even said that most people don’t even bother trying the teacher’s suggestions, since a lot of his methods took more than a few hours.

Clo saw his own improvement as proof of the teacher’s methodology, though he had intensified some of the things. An example of which was the four combat dummies he had been sparring against. Most people with close-ranged skills could probably handle two like Maya did, but he pushed himself more. His reflexes had improved rapidly with each additional enemy. Either way, he doubted he would be seeing any more improvements before the trial. They had been stalling as of late, and he was fairly sure that he would hit the block again.

If only he could find some more live opponents. People who would go after him with the desire to kill. That spar had helped him improve like no other. Fighting with real consequences seemed to have been far more effective than days spent training. That was probably how people improved later. He realized that his thoughts were drifting away from the training and that doing anything else probably wouldn’t be effective.

With that decision made, Clo walked over to a nearby bench to collect his things. He never actually brought all that much with him. He packed a jacket and some deodorant and quickly sprayed it under his arms before putting on the jacket. It was more a sweatshirt than a jacket, but the material was thin and plasticky like a raincoat. He left the zipper undone, letting the cold air hit his thin undershirt. When alone, he preferred training in simple clothing which comprised of a thin black athletic shirt and dark shorts that ended just above his knees.

After cleaning up a little, he walked over to the exit of the room and touched his hand to the smooth metal door. An instant later it slid open, and he stepped out into the hallway. Only for someone to almost run into him. He was quick enough to react and spun lightly on his feet and shoved the person toward the opposite wall. He caught a glimpse of an odd green hoodie, as the person crashed shoulder-first into the wall. They practically bounced off it and stumbled to their knees. He looked down at them.

A bald girl with sunken cheeks and eyes sat on the ground and looked ready to cry. Clo had seen his fair share of pitiable children in the past and did not offer any sympathy to this person.

“You should watch where you’re going.”

He reprimanded her lightly, not in the mood to get into a shouting match with a random stranger. The girl panicked at first and pulled her hood back. She tugged at it until it nearly blocked her eyes. Then she turned to him and insulted him.

“Oh, look at the big man, pushing a sick girl into a wall.”

Clo kept his expression controlled as he responded to her.

“If you want someone to pity you, find someone else. You’re a student here, which means you are at least capable of something. “

“What do you know? You’re nothing more than a prince of trash. A lord of filth.”

Maria’s attempts at insults didn’t even make him flinch, but they did remind him of something else. Images flashed in Clo’s head. Armies comprised of the old, young, and sickly filled his mind. He remembered leading them, honoring and respecting their deaths. This girl deserved neither honor nor respect.

“I have seen sick people. They fought when no one else would. You’re better off than them, but rather than stand and fight, you chase insults. You know what that makes you? A coward.”

That comment actually seemed to hurt her. Her face twisted and the tears that she had tried to hide ran down her cheeks. They didn’t bother her. He had seen far too many tears to be affected by these. At least he acted like that. A part of him knew that he wasn’t being fair. He couldn’t expect these people to be like those in the trial. The people in this world wouldn’t or couldn’t be as desperate as them. He turned and began to walk away. The girl rose to her feet and shouted at him; she stomped after him too.

“You’re fucking wrong! I fought to be here, just like you did!”

She stepped close to him and tried to place a hand on his chest to stop him. He caught her wrist and swung her arm away.

“If you really fought like I did, then you’re still a coward compared to them. At least I’m improving, what about you?”

Clo didn’t know why but this girl had gotten under his skin. He poked her shoulder as he continued.

“Your past, your sickness means nothing to me. It’s not an excuse you can just throw around here. If you want to be treated like a sick girl, go to a hospital. You’re not sick here, stop acting like it.”

He poked her with each sentence until her back smacked up against the nearby wall. Clo realized why this girl made him so angry. Everyone here seemed to treat the trial as nothing more than a job or game. This academy was little more than a glorified school to them. To him, this was a new life. The trial and the academy were an opportunity and everyone else seemed blind to it. They found excuses to abuse it, and this girl was the same. And to make matters worse, she was like him in a way, but unlike him, she used her past to justify her weakness. He could’ve done that too and settled for some miserable life of indulgence. This argument reminded him of why he wouldn’t be like that.

He found his focus on the anger that thrummed within him. Sleep would not come easily, but he had a better way to spend his night. There was probably a lot of information on these simulated trials, and he had enough time to look into that. Humiliating this girl further was pointless. He looked at her. She leaned back against the wall and head down. He didn’t say anything else, just turned and left. Just before he left the hallway, he caught a glimpse of the girl one last time. She had slid to the ground, and she sat there with her head in her hands.

He turned the corner and stopped. That girl had gotten under his skin. He knew the people in his class vaguely, and he had somewhat recognized her. She was from an outer sector, almost as far as him, and he hated that fact. Hated the idea that someone in as bad a situation as him could waste this. This would be fucking bother him all night, wouldn’t it? Clo cursed and turned around. He walked over to her and towered over her for a moment.

“I’m at this damn academy to change my life, not for some stupid excuses. You should be the same, no one will ever help people like us.”

She didn’t rise, but she raised her head to meet his eyes. She wasn’t crying anymore, and he saw the fury behind that look. He didn’t hesitate and walked over to the door of his training room. He opened it and left it open.

“Give her permission to enter and use it.”

He spoke the words toward the inside of the room. This entire building had some kind of security AI that managed things like this, and it would respond to his command. He left it like that and started walking away again. She spoke up when he passed her.

“I thought you didn’t pity me.”

Clo glanced at her.

“You think this is a pity. I’m just giving you what I have. When you fail, there won’t be any excuse you can make then.”

It really wasn’t pity he was feeling. Clo was just angry, annoyed that this girl had the gall to act so arrogantly in front of him. He would surpass everyone at this academy, at every academy. He didn’t want to hear anyone make some stupid excuses about why they failed where he did not. Without any more hesitation, he walked away. Left the girl that chose to live a life that he would not. He would surpass everyone here, and tomorrow would prove that.