Peacekeepers have found a culprit for the three-year string of robberies all throughout the city. Last week, Morgan Hudson was detained when he “forgot to disable cameras.” The Court is scheduled to judge whether Hudson will be granted the chance for rehabilitation. Given the span of his crime, the likely result is incarceration. After receiving the Class I status at his Assessment, Hudson fell relatively out of the public eye. Some claim he wanted that attention back and others believe he simply wanted unimaginable wealth. Whatever the case, the city can rest peacefully knowing this criminal is off the streets.– Julia Nash 673 Anno Imperi Ortu

My eyes burn with the sudden influx of light as I pull them open. Unwilling to accept that pain, I hold tightly close my eyelids again. Slowly, I try to ease the transition between darkness and light. When I’m accustomed to the brightness, I sit up. My head is pounding and the wounds feel tender, but I’m okay for the most part.

I look around the room. Someone had brought me back to the foyer, but it seems more people from other brackets had come and gone in that time. Johnathan Haley stands alone in a corner, and on the other side of the room are eight individuals grouped together. Clearly, the final bracket seems to have bonded through the ordeal.

I wonder if that means Johnathan has already finished his bracket. For a flyer, that’s impressive. He must be an incredibly skilled fighter.

The doors burst open and Phillip confidently walks in. The slamming doors worsen my headache, but I try not to wince. Phillip says two names which mean nothing to me before going to stand with Johnathan. The Council has found their first two new PeaceKeepers.

I try to remember what had happened. I must not have lost or I wouldn’t be in this room. As I rack my brain, it starts to come back to me. I remember winning the battle and collapsing to the ground. I remember the stage disappearing as I fell toward it. Alistair had lifted me before I passed out.

Suddenly, I remember his conversation about Round 4. I’m not done yet. Looking to my left, I see Danny leaning against a wall. When he notices I’m awake, he smiles and nods toward me.

“You must have taken quite the beating,” he greets.

“I guess I did,” I admit. Defensively, I add, “I still won.”

“Maybe, but it won’t happen again.”

I’m not ready to fight him – neither physically nor verbally. I shake my head and fall silent. I have to focus on resting. Maybe I can remember the fight more and try to find a clue. If not, at the very least least I can walk into that arena as well-rested as possible.

“Hey, Carson,” Danny says. His words catch in his throat and he hesitates. “I wish I could have seen it.”

“It was something,” I laugh.

“You know I can’t take it easy on you just because I’m impressed, right?”

“You know I can’t either?”

“I wouldn’t expect any less.”

“Then we’re good,” I assure him. “As long as you give me my time to rest.”

“Take all you can get,” Danny agrees. He stands up and intermingles with the shrinking group of students from the fourth bracket.

I remember fighting Jade. She was powerful, and she pummeled me. My face must look like a mess right now. Somehow, I broke out. I pushed her out of the ring.

I close my eyes and try to relax. Slowly, the pounding in my head fades away and the air stops stinging my cheeks. The memories come back to me. I remember seeing a gap between my hand and hers when I stopped her punch. Something strange had happened – I know I couldn’t have overpowered a Brawn.

My eyes shoot open and I sit up. I don’t need memory of my last fight. I need my power if I want any hope of defeating Danny. I saw it again in its most powerful display yet against Jade. Somehow, I have to figure out how to intentionally make it happen. I have less than an hour to learn to channel this new and mysterious power. I wish Rhett were here; I’m sure he would have insight.

I can’t think about that. I’m on my own for this one. I think back to the slew of emotions I experienced while fighting Jade. I was angry. I fought for my pride as well as my own personal struggles. In the moment my power activated, I felt helpless.

I’ve been Powerless my entire life, and I’m tired of it. I don’t want to feel that way anymore. When Jade forced me to, I think she finally broke the dam. There is nothing holding my powers back.

Even as I think that, I tease myself quietly. It feels so poetic, and I’m sure there are more factors that I don’t understand. Maybe my self-preservation instincts just kicked in. Maybe I was so delirious I didn’t put up any mental blocks of my own. Whatever the case, I can no longer deny that I indeed have a power. I can’t deny that it is something new – unseen by my peers. If I can access it, I may stand a chance.

I inch my way to the stairway, using the banister to mostly conceal myself from the other competitors. Too focused on the current fight and their own conversations, none of them notice a half-asleep peer crawling away.

When I feel comfortably hidden, I search for anything on the floor. I don’t have any coins with me, but that would be the perfect option. Patting my pockets, I fail to find anything helpful. With a groan, I take another look at the floor.

Finally, I notice my bloodied shirt. It’s already ruined anyway, what more harm can I cause? I grab the top button on the chest and tear it from the shirt. With high hopes, I set the button on the ground.

I stare intently at the plastic, willing it to move. I feel silly. Only one external power has ever been reported – it’s ridiculous to assume I am the second. It’s even more ridiculous to assume the Council missed something as major as a world-changing power.

Regardless, I stare. I push the doubts out of my mind and focus on my hopes. I hold my hands over the button like some gaudy magician trying to woo a crowd. I don’t know what I expect – maybe a feeling of energy leaving my hands. Maybe a thought extending from my mind like an arm to physically alter the world. I wonder if I’ll be able to feel the button.

Nothing happens. I sigh, dropping my hands down. Suddenly, the button shakes. My heart skips a beat before I realize that the ground shook. The fight outside is over and a heavy shifter must have fall to the floor. This brings me closer to my altercation and still nowhere near having the means to hold my own.

The victor comes in and sends forward the next two. Their numbers are dwindling – there are currently four in the room – but I still have time. Including the current fight, there are still two more fights in round two, two more in round three, and of course the finals.

I take a deep breath and steady myself. I try to be present, bringing my mind to this moment. Nothing else matters, just this moment. The only thing of importance is that button on the floor in front of me. It matters that it twitches. Every twitch is an improvement. It matters that if flips. Every flip is progress. It matter that it levitates. Levitation is a power. Finally, it matters that I set it down on the stair beside me.

The activity hurts my brain, but I’m not sure if that’s exertion or the trauma done to my head. Most likely, it’s a combination of both. After giving myself a moment to settle down, I mentally lift the button again and place it one stair higher. Laughing to myself like a maniac, I stare at my work in awe. All I want to do is tell the world, but I know I have to keep this secret.

I distract myself by bringing the button all the up and back down the stairs. Fighters come and go, lowering the buffer before my battle. I can move a button, but that’s nothing more than a start. It’s more than I had yesterday – now I have a name and control over a fresh power. Still, some people had more control at their Assessments. I have years of progress to catch up on and minutes to do it.

Carefully, I climb the stairs with the button once more. This time, it’s fast and methodical. The button steps down the staircase and lands before me, picking up speed as it does so. Taking a risk, I raise the button into the air and hover it as high as I can.

I throw the button, which flies across the room. A few of the competitors turn their eyes toward the sound as it ricochets off the stone wall, but no one seems concerned.

I carefully control my laughing and cheering. The time of celebration has yet to arrive, but there is hope now. I don’t have to go into my last fight powerless.

Finally, a voice calls out my name. I stand shakily to my feet. I feel as though I haven’t moved for ages and my legs are asleep. I don’t see how this is going to be a fair fight, but I have to do my best. I’ll save my power for a time when it’s absolutely necessary. I only have one chance to surprise him so I have to use it efficiently.

“You ready for this?” Danny asks, intercepting me on my way out the door.

“Of course,” I lie. Together, we walk toward the arena. I seriously consider stepping down and giving the position to Danny. I can’t bring myself to do it. I don’t want to lose. I want to prove that I’m powerful – if only to myself.

Shakily, I stand across from him on the battleground. The stone beneath us is perfectly intact – as if none of Jade’s destruction had ever happened.

“This is the final battle of this year’s Recruitment,” Alistair announces. I take a deep breath and try to steel myself. Clouds move slowly through the sky, covering the sun. Any motion of the air is blocked by city hall, so I stand in the stillness and wait. My headache is going away, but I have no doubt that’s temporary. My legs aren’t shaking anymore.

“Begin,” Alistair orders.

Without hesitation, Danny races toward me. As he runs, his arms begin to change shape, sharpening into blades. I spin to the side, avoiding him and pushing him forward. Catching his balance, Danny stops himself and slowly turns around. I don’t have much experience fighting, but I have learned from the previous rounds. Alexis and Jade shared the same offensive strategy as Danny. I have to be defensive and stay on the move.

Danny’s demeanor completely changes as he turns to run at me again. His grin is menacing – almost bloodthirsty. It’s as if he becomes a different person when he fights. Once again, he charges and I avoid his attack. This time it’s by a much narrower margin.

As I roll away, I feel a breeze on my ribs. Glancing down, I see a gash in my shirt. The razor-sharp blade has sliced through the cloth without alerting me. This is supposed to be a test – I don’t understand why everyone else is treating it so seriously. Getting into a good school is important, of course, but didn’t they assure all of them that we’d get into a good school regardless? Unless that conversation was only between Dante and me. Why would the Council have such an interest in me?

I don’t have time to stay locked in my mind. What’s more pressing is the maniac with swords for arms chasing me down. Danny turns and laughs at me.

“Come on, Carson, let’s just end this,” he sighs. “We both know you don’t have any hope.”

“I don’t know, maybe you’re slowing down,” I taunt.

“Maybe,” he admits. I realize I can’t use the same strategy for every opponent. Danny doesn’t seem to be taking my bait. As demented as he appears, he is able to hold onto his sense of rationality. I can’t just wait for Danny to make a mistake – I have to act.

I run forward and throw a punch. To block, Danny raises his sword arms to cover his face. With my other hand, I open my palm facing upward. Channeling my energy into that as best as I can, I release a surge of power. If this doesn’t work, I’m too committed to the punch to give up. I’ll end up cutting my own hand on him.

Danny’s arms fly into the air. Losing his stance, he staggers backward. When my fist collides with his nose, he almost loses his balance entirely. Quick to recover, he slashes his arm toward my neck. I duck down quickly, but I hear the slash through the air.

The other arm follows up and I’m unable to avoid completely. I push myself backward, trying to arc my back. The blade leaves a thin gash across my stomach. My enemy’s onslaught isn’t over, it seems. He slashes the other hand downward, trying to catch me off guard. I drop to the ground, avoiding that attack. Desperately, I roll away, trying to put distance between Danny and myself. He’s more in control of his motion so he is easily able to keep up.

He kicks my, knocking the wind from my lungs. Exhausted, I stop rolling and collapse onto my back. To keep me in place, he slams his foot down on my chest. Danny holds a sword over my eyes.

“Yield,” he orders.

“You’d be disqualified,” I choke.

“Not if I don’t hit anything vital,” he argues. Suddenly, the sword is plunging downward toward my right shoulder. I raise my left hand, facing it toward the blade. A burst of energy redirects the blade slightly, knocking Danny off balance. As his sword plunges into the ground, his foot slips. I use this opportunity to push his foot from my chest and roll away, hopping to my feet. By the time I’ve recovered, so has Danny, so I’m unable to claim the advantageous position.

“What are you?” He mutters.

“Surrender,” I command, trying to sound confident. I stand tall and puff my chest out. I’ll stand my ground. He has no idea what my power is, and anyone would be terrified of it. An external power? He won’t want to fight me. All I have to do is carefully avoid faltering. I won’t show him that I’m still barely learning to control it.

“Surrender?” He asks, laughing maniacally. This isn’t the reaction I expected, and it’s far from ideal. Turning his head to face me, his grin only grows wider. “This is the most fun I’ve had in ages!”

Danny rushes toward me. I try to sidestep, but this time he compensates for my motion. He aims his strike to his left slightly, so when I step to the right he manages to slash my left arm. The wound is deeper than the one on my stomach and blood begins pouring from the wound.

I start to feel dizzy. I don’t think I’ve lost enough blood to warrant the reaction, but the pain alone is starting to get to me. Regardless, Danny refuses to let up. He slashes again and I’m too dizzy to dodge. Instead, I lift my forearms to take the brunt of the damage on a less sensitive area.

With my arms crossed in front of me, I back up and try to avoid his attacks. Danny switches one blow to a low sweep which will effortlessly cut through my leg. If he lands that attack, this fight is lost. Turning my hands around, I face my palms toward him. I need to blast him away. I summon all of the energy I have left and channel it into my palms. One quick burst will be enough to push him from the stage.

I feel the sword cut through my leg. Why didn’t it work? I fall to the ground, unable to support my weight on only my right side. I hit my head on the stone and my vision begins to blur.

“Yield,” he tries again. I try to argue, but my words are slurred. I’m only able to babble nonsense. Danny sighs, dropping his shoulders as his smile fades away. Shaking his head in disappointment, he shifts his swords back into arms. He bends forward and lifts me up. I can’t do anything to struggle as he carries my limp body toward the edge of the stage.

A surge of adrenaline gives me the strength I need to push against him. I drive my palm into his nose and he staggers backward, dropping me. As I collide with the ground I exhale, trying to minimize the pain of the impact. I struggle to my feet and face off against Danny, who is covering his bloody nose.

“That’s it,” he growls. Danny runs toward me, but I step to the side and nudge him with a light energy blast. I need more power than this. I don’t know what happened or where my power comes from, but it shouldn’t be fading. I’m growing weaker, but that doesn’t mean I can’t channel my full potential – whatever that may be. I step my right foot forward, favoring it as my left leg continues to bleed. Steeling myself, I dig into the earth, searching for my strength.

Danny quickly shifts his arms back to swords and runs at me with fire in his eyes. I hold both my hands in front of me and commit completely to my last-ditch effort. Danny grows closer, but I can’t back down. I’ll lose if I let go. I’ll look weak in front of the Council again. I refuse to allow them to see me with the same eyes – to use that same gaze they adopted all those years ago. I will win.

He’s getting closer. It’s not working.

I don’t stop trying. I can’t. Suddenly, Danny slows down. His feet stop moving entirely as he presses against an invisible force. He struggles against me and I feel every muscle in my body straining. The tension seems to shift to my head, as if I’m exercising muscles in my brain by holding him there. My head is pounding, but I continue to hold him. Angrily, Danny presses against my power, but he can’t break it.

With the last bit of strength I can muster, I thrust my hands to the left. Danny is sent flying in that direction. He soars over the arena and almost collides with the wall of city hall. The arena expands, creating a barrier with which he collides. It then retracts, dropping Danny to the ground and avoiding damage to the building.

“Congratulations,” Alistair starts. I don’t hear him say my name. I’m not sure if he says anything else at all. A pervasive ringing is all I can hear. My head is pounding, my arm hurts, my leg is screaming in pain. I’m fairly certain my nose is bleeding. I can’t handle this must stimulus at once.

For the second time today, I feel the world fading from my view.