Evay Maver: The induction wasn’t anything crazy. It was just a small private meeting with the school staff where we received a wreath of gold and an entry I.D for the championship. But the press room, the press room was crazy. I saw hundreds of reporters, all dressed in beautiful formal robes and vests. Each was carrying notepads and quills and all came rushing towards us with questions. We hastily answered and pushed past the crowd as we made our way to the other side of the building. The shouts and hands and questions were all overwhelming as I felt dizzy with the constant stream of attention. We finally got to the other side of the press room where there was a student bar with drinks.Thankfully, the reporters turned their attention towards the school staff who were coming behind us. I sighed and Geon did the same. Geon looked at the drinks and smiled, “Can we get four of the cherry elixirs, thanks.” I saw the young bartender hastily give us our drinks. The cherry elixir looked unnaturally smooth and very red. It had chunks of ice in it and a small little slice of lemon on top of it. I saw everyone else take a sip and I did the same. The cool sweet drink hit my tongue and I immediately fell in love with its taste. I began to drink more and more until I had run out. I stared into the cup wanting more….

Geon tapped me on the shoulder and motioned for me to follow him out of the building. Geon walked out the door and I saw a group of girls our age walk up to me. I stopped and they all giggled a little before pushing one of their friends towards me. She stopped and looked embarrassed but she looked me in the eyes with a shy smile. She looked like one of the girls that always hung out at the beach during the weekends. Her face was tan and her body was slim and her light brown hair flowed gracefully down her body, “Um..we saw you and what you did at the qualifiers and…we think you’re really….strong! Um yeah strong,” she had a slightly dreamy and dazed look on her face before she continued, “Um…we were wondering if you could sign this for us?” She gave me a dress folded into a small square and I smiled and took it in my hands.

“Sure. Here.” I wrote my name on it and I gave it back to her. She looked happy and I gave them a wave. She blushed slightly and spoke.

“Also…um are you free anytime toda—“ I felt a powerful and slightly aggressive hand come onto my shoulder and I was pulled back towards the doors.

“No, he isn’t,” A cold voice rang out next to my ear and I looked over to see Aurora dragging me towards Geon and Lila, who were laughing at my current situation. I looked at Lila and she giggled and Geon whistled and looked away in the other direction. I gave him a dirty look.

Oh so now you decide that you’re not going to help….

I looked at Aurora and she gave me a smile while she was still dragging me. I also smiled but I felt fear creep into my heart since her smile looked so….deadly. It was like she was forcing me into submission with her facial expressions. If looks could kill…..I’d be dead. I gulped slightly and Aurora finally sighed and let me go. She grabbed her upper arm and looked sideways with a slight blush. “Sorry,” she whispered and immediately kept walking by herself. I looked at her auburn hair swing in the sunlight and her tall, slender, and strong frame gliding along the ground. I clenched my fists and calmed my beating heart. First win the championship, then risk messing things up..you probably will….she won’t like you anyway. I looked at myself through the pond’s reflection. I was still a little scrawny but I had put on a lot more weight and muscle. I could see my arms were much more toned and my overall body looked better. But I still looked like a kid, my hair was still choppy and messy, and I was still short….really short….Geon and Lila walked past me and Lila gave me a small pat on the back, “Evay, Aurora isn’t really…..good at this type of stuff. So don’t lose her, okay?” I nodded and Geon tossed me a green ball that gradually turned blue as it rested in my hands.

“This is something that I’ve had for over ten years. It’s the only birthday present I’ve ever gotten, but I want to give it to you.” I looked at it and rolled it in my hands.

“What is it?” We kept walking and talking. If it was so important, but he wanted to give it to me?

“It’s called a Lover’s Coin, I don’t know why, it’s not a coin. But, it turns a certain color based on how someone feels about another person. It should probably be called a heart coin or something like that, because it doesn’t just show the emotion of love, it shows every emotion. The person who first touches the coin can give it to someone else. When the person that receives the coin touches it, the coin will glow a certain color. The color tells you how the recipient of the coin feels about the person who gave the coin to them.” Geon smiled, “So I suggest you give this to the miss in a subtle way and see how it works out.” He winked and kept waking, “For a Lover’s Day gift”.

“What’s Lover’s Day?”

“A day where you celebrate, or try to celebrate, with your love. Of course you make a move whenever you’re ready, and Lover’s Day is after the championship so…go get her.” Geon winked and both him and Lila zipped past me.

I laughed and tossed the coin in the air and caught it.

Love….

Is this what Amie meant….

Is this what love is?

Aurora Maple: Lila sat across from me as we relaxed on a small outdoor table alongside a cafe wall. The fall vacation was upon us and classes were out of session, and the chilly autumn air prompted us to wear scarfs and gloves to keep us warm. But my mind wasn’t too relaxed. Obviously we still had the tournament, and I was stressing as it got closer…but something else was off. Evay….he was such an interesting boy. He was the first boy that I had ever thought off for an extended period of time….Lila looked at me across the table and smiled. She leaned her elbows on the table top and put her face close to mine. “So, you want to talk about it?” She smiled wickedly as I snorted weirdly while drinking my coffee.

“About what?” She smiled even more.

“Him,” I put my cup down and looked at her hands.

“He’s….been on my mind.” Lila smiled and leaned back in her chair with a triumphant grin.

“Heh, heh, heh….I knew it,” her devious smile radiated across the air as I felt myself fall into a state of weird embarrassment and amusement. I sighed.

“He’s….someone I care about. But I don’t think it’s what you think. I never really cared or paid attention to the romantic side of love, but I don’t think this is really….that. Or it may be, I don’t know.” Lila took a sip of her coffee.

“Continue.”

I took a deep breath and spoke, “Evay is a kind and caring person..He always thanks me, and treats me well, and always gives off a good vibe. I like him for that and I really think he’s someone that I can trust.”

“But I feel like I’m not really…ready for that type of love yet. Unlike everything I’ve ever done I probably shouldn’t tackle this problem with speed, and I don’t want to rush things. I mean, it wouldn’t be very considerate of me if I jumped into something involving Evay that I wasn’t ready for, right?” Lila put down her coffee and nodded.

Stolen novel; please report.

“Yeah….yeah that’s actually not a bad reason….You’re not terrible at this kind of stuff I guess.” I threw a napkin at her which she caught and threw back at me.

She smiled and stared into her cup, “It’s nice of you to think that rushing things would also not be good for Evay, but if you do really like him I think you need to try and let him know that slowing things down isn’t a sign that you hate him. Just try to make that clear and maybe you have the right read on this one.” She looked out into the sky as we both pondered.

Love, such an interesting idea…

Evay Maver: Oh shi—-

Geon flew into me as a massive chunk of stone roof came crashing down upon us. We heard the startled yells of the students and I looked up to see the entire sky cast in a red and orange light. Students ran and cast their abilities as crashes and booms littered the campus. Massive crowds of bodies rushed to and away from the scene as more buildings spontaneously combusted or broke down. “Thanks!” I yelled to Geon as he helped me up. “Geon! What the shit is that!” Geon looked up and he shook his head.

“No clue!” I could barely hear his voice over the extreme wind and screams of several students. “I can’t sense an element or any natural activity coming from it!”

“Does that mean it’s something like….aliens!”

“No! Or wait…I don’t know? Just run for a second!” I summoned Gold’s Veil and Geon rose up into the sky as we both ascended, “Look for a solution while I get the school staff!” I nodded and flew towards the cafes on campus. I looked over the campus and it wasn’t in terrible condition just yet. The red glow of the sky cast an eerie look on the place, but the overall condition wasn’t too terrible. I saw a massive fire on the right side of campus and more crumbling buildings by the second. The fountains stopped working and the ground started to shake and rumble. Never mind…. I looked up in the sky and got a weird sense of…amusement.It was strange….In any other circumstance I wouldn’t be so calm. I would’ve been rushing around in a panic looking at the destruction and scrambling to find my friends…But the sky just didn’t seem that threatening to me. I don’t know if it was because of Gold’s Veil but it more or less felt like ... .a younger sibling throwing a temper tantrum…Which was weird since I never had any siblings at all.I looked dismissively at the sky and flew on. The rumbling and the random combustions got worse as I heard screams and yells coming from below, and even more explosions in the distance. I scanned the grounds and I saw Lila and Aurora helping to evacuate all the older staff, and helping students to clear rubble and save lives.I flew down to them and they each gave a surprised yelp as they saw me in my bright white and gold robes. No one had any time to say or do anything and they just gave me a nod. I knew what it meant.

You guys are good.

I looked up at the sky and felt slightly annoyed..It wasn’t me…I never felt these things….it was something else…someone else…Then I started laughing..it was a good laugh..a laugh that I felt really needed to come out of me. I couldn’t stop it…I didn’t try to either. I listened to myself laugh maniacally and as my laughter got louder and more intense, Lila and Aurora looked at me with concern. Lila grabbed me, “Evay! Get your head right! Help us..Evay?” I moved away from her and flew up into the sky. My face was laced with a crazy smile as I flew with confidence. I stopped in mid air and held up my hands in a shrugging motion. “So….happy?” My heart was torn in two.

Why am I talking to the sky?

It wasn’t me…I wasn’t saying these things…the words coming out of my mouth….they weren’t mine. But my heart and soul felt it…wanted it….craved it. “Listen…don’t be too mad..I just think that all of you are so weak…I can’t have weak people inherit my things. Call yourselves gods but let’s be real here,” My smile widened so much that my face looked inhumanly psychotic.

“How can you be a god, when no one kneels before you.” The sky exploded with a mighty crack of thunder that shook the ground and the Earth. I heard screams and panicked cries as I looked below and saw all the students disappearing in flashes of purple light.

Professor Vylen….

I looked back up to see a plasma like beam of red glowing and getting brighter as it was aimed directly at the school. I smiled once again and raised my hands up. I laughed once again. “I dare you to try,” The massive beam roared and blasted towards me while blinding the entire surface of the Earth with its light. I put up my shield and a warmth of yellow light appeared in front of my face.

I smiled and looked towards the sky,

“Nice try, Kessler.”

The light hit my shield and the world seemed to explode in a flash of bright light. I opened my eyes and the red glow was gone. I looked up at the sky and it was calm, and the campus was damaged but nothing was out of the ordinary anymore. I flew down towards the ground and I deactivated Gold’s Veil and suddenly I felt like an entire lifetime's worth of energy had been drained from my body. My eyes felt weary and my legs gave up and I felt my body collapse. I saw a flash of electricity and Aurora ran by me in an instant and caught me on my way down. “Evay…what the….how..” I smiled.

“Surprise.” Gold’s veil disappeared and I felt my body completely shut down as I collapsed on the ground.

Savian Yelenta: “Stop, fuck off! Please don’t, why…why…aren’t you on our team!” I saw the pitiful face of a young teenage boy stare up at me. His eyes were full of fear like a wild animal cornered at the hands of its hunter. His face was covered with massive cuts and his skin was chalked with dirt to the point that it was entirely black. Tears and snot came out of his eyes and nose as he held his shaking hands up to me. “WHY? Don’t please, please, please, don’t, ple–” I thrust my hands through his chest at sonic speeds and his eyes widened with pain. He let out a scared and pitiful whimper as blood soaked his battle vest. He gently touched my arm and I felt his body drop. I pulled out my hand and I looked upon his lifeless corpse. He looked so…peaceful. I heard bags and explosions, flashes of red, and yells of begging and pain as I heard screams of battle and death. I looked around my room and the walls surrounding me were huge. I braced myself and sped out of my area. I felt the ground tear under me as I reached the outdoors and felt the trees and dirt fly around me as I reached the top of a hill. I scouted out the area and saw the palace–my target–in flames. It was massive, so massive that its base was the size of a mountain. Its walls were high enough to tower over any tree, and the entire thing was made of gray crystal and beautiful lumber. The top of the palace exploded in an impossibly bright light of fire and exploded. It caught fire and I heard screams and glass shattering. A boy flew out of the top window and his body fell endlessly into the darkness of the forest floor. Well, so much for the beautiful palace….I cracked my knuckles and stretched out my limbs. I gazed thoughtlessly into the destruction as my mind went other places. I hadn’t ever got to think about our loss in the tournament….It kind of sucked that we didn’t qualify but that was the least of my problems. I felt bad for Shane and Rivera, but they would probably get over it. I hadn’t seen them in forever, but…they were probably alright. I never knew Akasa very well but we worked well together. I kind of wished we could’ve stayed together and developed our chemistry on the battlefield, but well….I was here. In this pit of misery…..

I sighed and prepared to attack again as I felt the world slow down to a halt. I sprinted over to the palace doors and saw people frozen in time. The soldiers of Taegan were in a furious battle as I saw their desperate faces in the midst of their cries–half filled with fear and half filled with desperation. I saw every soldier's face caked in blood and dirt. The walls were painted red with blood. The mahogany wood color could only be seen on the higher parts of the walls. There was a painting in the midst of its fall, a vase used as a weapon with pieces of its porcelain stuck in a soldier’s head. Fire seeped into the floors and walls, flaming bodies both alive and dead heated the room to an impossible degree. I turned and saw soldiers hanging dead over the balcony rails, young boys hunched over, some dismembered, some killed by fear. I had dealt with them already but a lot of soldiers were hidden in bunkers under the palace. I had missed them….

It all stood still, so still, with no one to bother me. Sometimes I wondered if I even ran fast, or if I just made everyone around me just run really, really, slow. I could always see it, all the details, all the events, every death, and every battle. Time was my ally, but it also just made everything so much worse. I began my trip around. I saw a Taegan soldier floating in the midst of a crushing jump, ready to obliterate me. I jumped up and my hand moved at rapid speeds in a slicing motion right through his neck. I felt it go through and moved on to the next. I saw a line of soldiers and rushed forward. I punched a younger looking boy in his abdomen, he started to slowly fly back. I kicked one into another soldier–whose face was partially ripped to shreds. I picked up a fallen painting and flung it towards a soldier on the high balcony as it spun slowly toward his torso. I saw another soldier, no, many young enemy soldiers ran to the door–all desperate to get away. So desperate, a look only a man in the face of death could have. I dashed forward…My hand thrust through one of their chests, I threw one into a soldier that was farther ahead of the pack. I flew forward and kicked an enemy soldier’s legs out, and his legs slowly started to separate from his body. I saw the remaining three. I ran in front of them and finally came to a stop. It all caught up to the world in a millisecond. The enemy soldiers in the palace all dropped dead. Soldiers flew into the walls from my blows and the painting I threw sliced the enemy on the balcony clean in two. The men behind the three remaining deserters blew into pieces as red exploding chunks of body flew into the night. The remaining young soldiers looked terrified. They couldn’t move a muscle, and their eyes lacked the light of a youth in his prime days. It was weird, they couldn’t have been much younger than I was…but it didn’t matter.The night had gone quiet. All the soldiers in the palace were dead. The boys in front of me relaxed their bodies as the burning palace lit up the dark and cold night. They had accepted their fate….they were ready to die.

I held up my hand and gave them all a look of grim despair. I hated this part, no matter how many times I did it. “I can’t let you live–I’m sorry.” With one swift swipe of my hand, their three heads went rolling. I looked back at the palace—there were no survivors. I had all of the intel and now I knew that all we needed to do was cross the mountain range. Nobody would've guessed a big ass fortress—filled with guards—would be right in the middle of a completely desolate forest. It’s ok, I took care of it, it's fine. It’s fine….it’s..not fine.

I had fucked up, I had been seen, I had left too much evidence, it was always like this. What was the point of being a spy if I couldn’t ever get in and get out? I needed to destroy all the witnesses—so much unnecessary death…What was it all for? When did this all happen? What was I supposed to do again? Every year, day, month, minute, hour it was like I kept forgetting…something.

Oh right, I’m supposed to keep carrying on…

I wished I hadn’t picked this path. School would’ve been better. Anything would have been better.