Akari sat in the darkness, surrounded by a ring of glowing monitors. Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she tried to hack the Archipelago’s most secure databases.

The Martials’ mainframe was still off-limits, of course. That thing was ancient, and you had to go through a physical terminal in their Shoken Port office.

Instead, she searched for weaknesses in their satellite offices. Jared had known about this secret prison in Mt. Khasa. That meant the other Martials knew about it, too. And if they knew that much, then maybe she could find answers to her other questions. How did they contain Relia’s master? What cell was he in? What poison did they use? What about that classified crystal they used in his cuffs?

They’d already been in this cabin for twenty-four hours, and they had another twenty-four before they launched their attack. Every answer she found today might save lives tomorrow.

Relia had apologized for overworking her, but this was nothing compared to Akari’s time in house arrest. She’d just spent the past two months feeling helpless and alone, with only a sliver of hope for her future. Now, she was surrounded by like-minded people, working toward a common goal. She also had unlimited access to a computer, and all the coffee and snacks she could want.

Eve of battle or not, things could be much worse.

And so she kept pushing for weaknesses, using a combination of Jared’s entry points and Relia’s list of exploits. It was slow, monotonous work, but—

Akari jumped when footsteps echoed from the nearby staircase. Her eyes flicked back to the clock on her center monitor. Just past midnight. Must be Relia heading to bed. The garage took up most of the cabin’s bottom level, and they shared the only bedroom down here.

Still, Akari couldn’t relax until she knew for sure. She rolled back her chair on the hardwood floor, peeking around the corner.

Sure enough, Relia stumbled down the stairs a second later. Was she drunk or something? Akari hadn’t known Relia for long, but the other girl normally moved as gracefully as a dancer. Now, she gritted her teeth in pain, and she barely caught herself on the bar’s granite surface.

Akari was about to go out there when Relia flipped open a small metal case, placing it on the bar. Akari couldn’t see the contents from here, but a blue light shone from within, illuminating Relia’s face in the dim lighting.

Some kind of alchemy pill?

Relia grabbed a glass from a nearby cabinet and filled it with water from the faucet. Then she eyed the open box as if torn between two tough decisions. Several heartbeats passed, but Akari couldn’t pull her eyes away from the scene. They were all placing their lives in Relia’s hands tomorrow, counting on her to handle most of the fighting. If these secrets endangered their group, then that was her business, too.

Relia pulled a glowing blue pill from the case; it must have been half as big as her thumb. Then she threw back her head and downed the pill in a single swallow. A golden-green light burst from her core, spreading through her channels until her body shone like leaves in the summer sun.

The glow faded a second later, and Relia closed the metal case. The only light source came from the orange lightbulbs that hung over the bar.

Akari chose that moment to step out of the office.

“Oh, hey!” Relia stuffed the case into her pocket and grinned over at Akari. Her smile looked so real, as if she hadn’t been struggling a few seconds before.

“What’s up with the pills?” Akari asked.

Relia shrugged. “Nothing.”

Akari raised an eyebrow. “You a drug addict or something?”

“Of course not! They clear out my channels. That’s all.”

That’s why you stumbled down here like a drunk person? And since when do channels need clearing out? But Akari kept those last few questions to herself. She could have pried further, but she had more important questions. Best not to piss off the one person who could help her.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Instead, she unclipped her mana watch and placed it over her chest.

Relia took a step closer, narrowing her eyes to make out the screen. Akari already knew what it said—that same number had been taunting her for the past thirty days, stubborn as a brick wall.

“You’ve been working hard,” Relia said when the watch finished measuring her soul.

Akari just shrugged. “There’s more than one way to train.”

“Did it hurt?”

Like hell, Akari thought. For the first few days of her house arrest, she’d tried pushing mana past the restraints, hoping she could break through with willpower alone. That was stupid in hindsight. Especially if these same cuffs had worked on Relia’s master.

Eventually, she’d gotten creative and focused on other parts of her body. Hands and feet were the easiest way to release mana, but they weren’t the only way.

It was painful, but she’d pushed through it. She’d trained under her blankets when she should have been sleeping. She’d trained while walking to school and while sitting in class. Despite her restraints, she’d trained several hours every day until she reached the peak of Bronze.

49/49, her mana watch said. One point away from Silver.

She should have broken through by now, but it hadn’t worked. She’d removed her cuffs, but she couldn’t shake these invisible chains around her soul.

Akari took a deep breath as she refastened the watch around her wrist. “I’ve been stuck at this number for a month.”

Relia winced. “I’m sorry. Reaching Silver is supposed to be effortless, but this island is different. I don’t know why.”

“Why blame the island?”

“Viv has the same problem as you.”

“Really?”

“Jared’s been training her,” Relia said. “She hit forty-nine last year.”

Akari rested her elbows on the bar, considering the possibilities. Before, she’d worried that she’d been born defective, or that she’d somehow damaged her soul while training. Knowing that someone else had the same problem lifted some weight off her shoulders.

Unfortunately, she was still no closer to Silver.

“How do I fix it?” Akari asked as a dozen new fears raced through her mind. What if a Bronze from these islands could never advance? What if they were biologically different from Relia’s people, and this was as strong as she’d ever be?

“I don’t know,” Relia admitted.

Akari glanced down at Relia’s pocket. “You said that keeps your channels clear. Do I need something like that?”

Relia shook her head. “Alchemy won’t fix this.”

“Says the girl who’s popping magic pills.”

“These don’t help me advance,” she said. “Any pill that gives you power today will stunt your growth in the long run.”

Kalden had said something similar once: “All alchemy comes with side effects. The more you meddle with nature, the worse those effects are.”

Relia reached into her jacket and pulled out the container. “These pills are for a nasty condition I was born with. Trust me—I wouldn’t take them if I had a choice.”

“Oh.” And Akari had just accused her of being a drug addict. “Sorry . . .”

“No worries.” Relia shoved the container back in her pocket with her usual smile.

“Running low?” Akari asked. She hadn’t seen inside the container, but half the light had vanished when Relia swallowed the pill.

Relia patted her stomach. “This one will last me a couple weeks, and I have one more after that. If all goes well, we should be safe in Espiria by next Talekday.”

To Akari, Espiria was a continent from history books. Now, it was about to become a very real place. A place she could live, and study her mana arts without restrictions.

If she could actually advance. That remained to be seen.

“This doesn’t just affect Bronze,” Relia said. “The Silvers and Golds can’t advance, either.”

That made sense. Maelyn’s own parents were trapped at the peak of Silver. Akari had known this from the start, but she’d ignored it, hoping it wouldn’t apply to her.

“So you have no idea what’s causing this?” she asked.

Relia gave a helpless shrug. “This whole place is weird. Some of your timelines don’t match up with the outside world, and you all have those weird dreams and lost memories.”

“The dreams are an island thing?” Akari asked.

“Maybe.” Relia tilted her head from side to side. “But my master had dreams like yours.”

“Oh yeah? What about?”

“Old friends and students. He just sees bits and pieces, though. He thought he’d find answers here.”

“So these dreams show us our past?”

Relia pursed her lips, not answering.

“Because mine feel more like the future,” Akari said. “I can’t tell for sure, but I swear I’m older in some of them.” If nothing else, she was certainly more powerful. Maybe even more powerful than Relia.

“It’s complicated,” Relia said. “My master can explain it better.”

“What? Is he a dream expert or something?”

“Actually, yes.” Relia moved her hand across the bar and let it rest on top of Akari’s.

Her muscles stiffened at the sudden contact, but she resisted the urge to pull away. Relia’s skin was soft, and her touch was gentle. It felt nice—like the night Kalden had hugged her in Phoenix Park.

“Whatever this is,” Relia said, “we’ll figure it out together.”

Her enthusiasm must have been contagious because Akari found herself nodding.

Relia squeezed her hand, then pulled away. “Try to get some sleep, okay? We have a big day tomorrow.”