The Colonel thought he could just get away with this? This absolute stupidity? Risking my entire brigade just to elevate him?

The Colonel did not seem to be an incompetent man. Quite the contrary, besides the execution he seemed almost exceptional in his skill at leading. So was allowing Boris to be elevated some ploy I did not see? A request from some mysterious sponsor? Or was it purely out of spite?

It doesn't matter. Boris will stay a B-ranker. Oh, how I wish I could make his rank lower.

Enough. Focus. What can I do?

I need to be thorough. I need to pay even closer attention to the B-ranks—who has which weapon, who has the best chance against him. I sat down the moment the Colonel left, running through every B-ranker in my mind, trying to catch what I might have missed.

Richard and Marnus. They need to win. Which means I can’t risk them early. I paused, irritated as the thought crept in—what if one of them lost to him? I shook my head. Even if they had a ninety-nine percent chance of victory, that one percent? Unacceptable. Not when I could throw other strong contenders at him first.

I studied them all again, this time focusing purely on ability. Diana and Kate had good matchups against him, and Abigail’s bone-making ability could work—but I only gave each of them about a seventy percent chance of winning.

Nina’s ability to withstand damage was outrageous, but she didn't have the raw destructive power that could guarantee a victory. Her opposite, Richard’s friend, Liam, whose ability to create shockwaves everytime he threw a punch, seemed to have great destructive potential, but I believe either could only beat him eighty percent of the time.

Richard and Marnus were almost guaranteed to beat him, but I couldn't risk them in the first match. I huffed, scanning the B-ranks, frustration creeping in. Eighteen competitors, and only seven had better odds than a coin toss? I gritted my teeth—until I saw Zach sparring. I wanted to chastise myself for not thinking of him sooner.

Of course.

Boris’s ability only enhanced his physical attributes. So what happened when he fought someone he couldn’t touch? Someone who didn’t need to be near him to fight?

Zach wouldn’t even have to engage—just keep his distance. A gun, a few well-placed shots, and it would be over.

And if somehow, somehow, he failed? Then Liam, Abigail, Nina, or Kate would beat him. No one could escape odds like that, after all. And if even that failed? I’d have Richard handle him. Marnus was my number one pick, after all.

Satisfied, I smiled to myself and stood.

I made sure Zach was alone before I approached.

He sat on a bench outside his personal training quarters, wiping sweat from his brow, rolling his shoulders. He hadn’t noticed me yet.

I hesitated before I cleared my throat. He was exhausted—shoulders sagging, breath uneven. I had read that fatigue made people irritable, prone to snapping. Would he react poorly? Should I wait? No. This was necessary. I braced myself for resistance.

Instead, he jolted upright, saluting like a soldier caught slacking. “Ma’am!” His voice carried something close to reverence. “Uhm, hello! What can I do for you?”

Fantastic. I had worried over nothing.

“Hello, Zach.” I let him stand at ease. “I saw your sparring session today. You’re getting faster.”

I stood a meter away, meeting his eyes, though he did his best to avoid mine.

He nodded, eager. “I’ve been working on it. My ghost still needs work, but I—” He stopped, then flushed. “Uhm, my ability still needs work. But I think I’ll have a fantastic move to use against the others.”

“Good. Because I may need you to use it soon.” I tilted my head slightly. “To put it succinctly, I have come to ask you to do something impor—no. Vital for the brigade.”

Zach blinked, momentarily lost, as if expecting me to say more. Then, he snapped another salute. “Of course! Whatever you need, consider it done!”

I nodded. “You will face Boris in your first match. You will win—with my assistance, of course. And if you do, I will help you win the tournament. I will help you earn the black cloak.” My voice sharpened, letting him know the great honour I was bestowing upon him.

His eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. Then, just as quickly, his excitement faltered.

“Uhm, Sofia, ma’am…” He hesitated, looking down. “I’d gladly accept your help, but—I’d feel like a liar. Even though he's evil, Boris told me he doesn’t want to win. I caught him sleeping once, and he said he’d rather do that than train.”

He looked genuinely conflicted, glancing between his shoes and me.

“So, uhm… no, ma’am. I don’t want to take advantage of you. You don’t have to help me win when he’s going to let himself lose anyway.”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I filed every single word away for future use.

A loyal man like this would be extraordinarily invaluable.

“Recent developments have come to light, and I believe he was lying,” I said, my tone measured. “I’ve seen him train. He almost trains as hard as you.” I tried to flatter him like I had seen on one of the serials that River had helped me watch.

Zach puffed his chest out, then his expression twisted into something close to betrayal. “First he lies to me, then he enjoys watching people die? What a bastard,” he muttered, shaking his head.

I narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean? Tell me exactly.”

He flinched slightly at my tone but obeyed nonetheless.

And so he told me. About how Boris had enjoyed the execution. The sick man. About who agreed with him. Who didn’t. How the B-rankers had split nearly down the middle, raging debates breaking out in the aftermath.

Incalculably valuable information.

When he finished, I let the silence stretch between us before speaking.

“Zach. For what you’ve given me, I will reward you tenfold.” I met his gaze, unwavering. “Tell me what you need to beat him, and it’s yours. Tell me you want the black cloak, and it’s yours.”

I needed his help with this. And I’d need his help after the tournament, too. I would make sure he rose high—after beating the civvie, and then ultimately losing to either Marnus or Richard.

“I will find you again before I leave. Prepare. Tell me exactly what weapons you need, and they will be waiting for you. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am! Thank you! You won’t regret this!” he said, beaming.

I only nodded before turning and walking away, gritting my teeth so hard my jaw ached.

Marnus and Richard agreed with Boris about the execution. Unfathomable. Did they not see what I saw? The begging? The thrashing? The outright cruelty?

I caught myself.

This is what the civvie is. He hides behind a mask of kindness, flaunting his little orphans, but underneath? A monstrous psychopath.

I shook my head sharply. No. Don’t think about the civvie.

Marnus and Richard… Even though this revelation about their character gave me pause, their abilities were too useful to ignore.

On the way to dinner, I decided to rearrange the town—put everything back how it was the other day. A chance to use my ability, even if just once. It had been too long.

I had found, in the brief time with my ability, that when I used it, all negative thoughts simply left my mind. He left my mind.

I watched as the hospital slid neatly back into place, this time avoiding the building it had scraped against before. A clean correction.

I missed using my ability.

I can’t believe the Colonel would rather force me to do exercise than allow me to train with this.

The roads narrowed back to their ‘natural’ width, and with that, I was done. Satisfied, I hurried off to dinner.

As I sat down, I noted the silence. Everyone was quiet. Watching them, I considered something I had thought about earlier behind the monitors. Trusting them is dangerous. They could use the information against me. Run straight to the colonel and ruin any plan before it was set in motion.

But—this was a calculated risk.

Because if they did not do as I said now, all my plans for the entire year would fall apart. Because it would mean they did not respect me.

I made my decision.

“I need your help,” I said to the table.

Every single person froze. Every eye snapped to me, wide. Good reaction. But now I needed a yes.

Calder and Viktor exchanged glances. Bongi didn’t look away from me. When I turned to Selena, she looked outright shocked.

“With what?” Calder asked carefully. “Do you want to speak to the low-rankers again?”

What do I say? Tell them I’m openly disobeying the Colonel?

Give them what they need to know—but not enough to hurt me.

“I wish to make one of the B-rankers—the one I suspected of being a traitor—lose. I have been watching them closely. And it seems someone is backing him, trying to make him win.”

I paused, letting the weight of my words settle. Every eye at the table stayed locked on me.

Perfect.

I smiled inwardly before continuing.

“That will not happen. If you’d pardon my language—the civvie does not deserve to even look upon the black cloak, let alone wear it.

“So.” I met each of their gazes in turn. “I need help. Your help. Do I have it?”

For a long moment, stunned silence.

Then—

Bongi leapt at the chance. “Of fucking course I’ll help you.”

Viktor grinned, rubbing his hands. “Hell, I think it’ll be fun to actually use our powers for something instead of just training.”

Calder looked downright ecstatic. “A chance to fuck over that arrogant bastard? You can bet your ass I’m in.”

I turned to Selena. She watched everything with a small smile, then rolled her eyes. “Yeah, okay. Count me in.”

Do you see? The usefulness of respect? The power of one small speech, prepared on the way to dinner, to make them all obey?

As I said—respect is the only thing that matters.

Nothing had made me happier to hear their responses, listening to them all fawn over how to help me. They hung on my words, eager, willing. Not because they had to. Because they wanted to. Not only was this fantastic for all my plans for the rest of the—no. Not even the rest of the year. The rest of my time leading my brigade, until I ascended to becoming The General. It also meant that they cared about me.

I wanted to kiss each and everyone of them, but I kept the mask on, simply nodding. “You do not know how much it pleases me that you will assist in this endeavor. Now. This is what we’re going to do.”