Killian and his friends were woken at the crack of dawn by smiling children perched on top of their beds. Killian assumed they'd been sent to wake them. Some of the kids played with Dre's locs, fascinated, while others barely paid Killian any attention at all. Instead, they stared at Silas, his pale blue eyes and white hair clearly something they'd never seen before.
A woman stepped into the room. She was strikingly beautiful, with a small mark near her lips, light brown eyes, and black hair with a faint blue sheen that flowed down her shoulders. She spoke softly, introducing herself as their guide for the day. She explained where the washrooms were, told them fresh clothes would be provided afterward, and mentioned breakfast would be served in the mess hall once they were ready.
The boys headed to the washroom and were surprised to find no showers. Instead, they were given buckets, hot water, and towels. It felt strange at first, but once they were clean and dry, they returned to their rooms.
Fresh clothes had already been laid out on the beds.
Deandre received snug-fitting shoes and socks, Gi pants, and a tank top. It seemed everyone had been given the same shoes and pants, but different tops. Silas was given a long-sleeved shirt that bordered on baggy, while Killian received a simple white short-sleeved shirt. Each of them was also handed a pair of wraps, which the woman helped them put on.
After breakfast, she led them toward the training grounds.
The village was far larger than they'd expected, and far more alive during the day. Street vendors crowded the walkways, villagers danced in groups, and children played games in the open spaces. For the first time since arriving, things felt almost normal.
At the gated entrance, the woman stepped aside and opened the doors.
Inside was a raised platform surrounded by weapon racks, hanging striking bags, and rows of seating. Liwei Zhang stood atop the platform in his training attire, flanked by two men, one short and scrawny, the other large and burly.
"These recruits are fairly new by our standards," Zhang said. "They've only been with us for a year, but they've shown great promise. This big one here is Li Hong, the scrawny one is Zhi Yu. They'll be worthy opponents."
Silas was first. He was matched with the scrawnier man, who happened to be nearly identical in size and height. Both requested wooden swords and stepped onto the platform.
"Silas is gonna kick his ass," Deandre whispered to Killian. "All that sword training his dad put him through had to pay off."
Killian nodded, cheering quietly as Liwei signaled the start.
The man charged immediately, fast on his feet, but Silas stayed calm. His eyes tracked the movement easily, and he blocked the opening strike. The opponent retreated a step and closed his eyes, gripping his sword tightly. Flames suddenly flickered along the wooden blade.
Silas swallowed and circled, trying to keep his distance. The man rushed him, anyway, catching Silas off guard. Each swing forced Silas back, the heat scorching his blade until it finally caught fire itself.
Silas dropped the sword and raised his hands.
He surrendered.
Deandre was next, matched against the larger man. It wasn't that Deandre hadn't fought bigger opponents before, it was just rare to find someone bigger than him.
"Wish me luck," Deandre said, high-fiving Silas as they switched places.
The fighters locked eyes. Deandre settled into a boxing stance while the man rooted himself solidly. At Liwei's signal, they exploded into motion.
They traded blows immediately, but Deandre clearly had the edge in speed, head movement, and counters. He broke the man down, at least, it seemed that way.
Then the man caught Deandre's fist.
In one brutal motion, he swung Deandre into the air and slammed him onto the platform.
Deandre rolled and recovered quickly, backing away, clearly hurt but unwilling to give up. He barely had time to catch his breath before the man charged again. Deandre looked up just in time to see a punch aimed at his head.
He couldn't move.
He raised his guard, but it was a feint. The real blow slammed into his body. Killian and Silas were forbidden from speaking. They wanted to shout a warning, but all they could do was watch as the man's massive fist crushed into Dre's gut.
Deandre coughed up blood and dropped to his knees. The man wound up again. Liwei's expression changed. "Stop!" he shouted.
The man didn't.
Deandre looked up at the incoming fist, rage surging through him. "The fight's over," he thought. "Why is he still going? Does he want me dead?"
Something snapped.
Energy surged through Deandre. The punch landed, but it didn't hurt. Instead, the man cried out in pain.
Deandre grew larger and larger, until he towered over his opponent. As the man tried to retreat, Deandre reached forward, his arm stretching unnaturally as it expanded, grabbing him.
It was over.
Deandre shrank back to normal size, exhaustion crashing over him. Silas rushed to help him off the platform as Liwei and Killian carried the unconscious man away.
Liwei applauded.
It was Killian's turn now.
And his opponent? Liwei himself.
They locked eyes as the Abbot stepped forward to observe. He raised a hand and signaled the start.
Killian moved first. Liwei mirrored him. They circled, studying each other's breathing, footwork, every twitch and tell. Killian waited.
Liwei blinked.
Killian launched forward, speed exploding beneath him, and drove a punch straight into Liwei's chest, sending him flying backward. Or at least, it should have.
Liwei didn't flinch. He didn't move. Instead, he punched Killian square in the face and sent him flying.
Liwei used his wind powers to lift Killian off the ground, whipping him through the air at terrifying speeds. Liwei hurled him upward, then smashed him back down. Killian bounced hard, and before he could recover, Liwei rushed in and kicked him in the stomach, launching him off the platform.
"If this is all you have," Liwei shouted, "you won't survive the trial!"
Killian scrambled to his feet, barely dodging the follow-up. He ran to the far side of the platform, gasping for breath.
He needed an idea.
His mind flashed to his favorite comic, the way the hero stored energy in his legs and unleashed it in one devastating burst.
Pegasus Burst.
Killian dropped into a sprinter's stance and closed his eyes, visualizing energy building in his legs. Electricity crackled wildly before settling. Liwei was already halfway to him.
Then Killian launched. He tore through the air, electricity surging, and strangely, wind too. His fist ignited as he swung.
The Abbot's eyes widened.
Killian flew past Liwei and slammed into a wooden gate that barely managed to stop him. The good news is Liwei hadn't even realized what happened until Killian was halfway across the grounds.
The bad news? He missed.
By the time Killian stood, Liwei loomed over him, hand raised.
"I yield," Killian said quickly.
Liwei had all of them stand in the center so he could explain their battles.
"Good news everyone. All of you pass. You all showed potential, specifically Deandre. Now I'll explain why you either lost or won, and what you did to get to that result. First, Silas, you rely too much on the sword, think of it as an extension of yourself, another limb. Don't be afraid to throw in some kicks, or grab your opponent, whoever said there were any rules in a swordfight?"
Silas nodded his head, "yes sir."
"Everyone listen up, this is important. As the Abbot explained, Ether powers our magic ability, however we are not all created equal, and some have greater potential than others. The man Silas faced used a technique called Verteh, where he visualizes his blade being enveloped with Ether, then he transformed that Ether into flame. You can take the same concept and apply it to many things. Like so," Liwei pulled out a short blade, and focused his Ether into his hand, then transformed it into wind, enveloping his blade with wind magic. He turned around and swung at the air, and a sharp gust of wind struck a training dummy, cutting it in half.
"Now for Deandre. I'm sure you're wondering what exactly happened to you in that battle, to tell you the truth, I don't exactly know when it comes to being able to change your size. It must be a unique blessing, which is a rare ability that manifests randomly and is one of one. Meaning, you're the only one in this entire world with that ability."
Deandre flashed a huge grin.
Liwei continued to explain further, "Now for the other ability, that one I can explain. When Li Hong punched you, instead of you feeling pain, he was the one who felt it. The reason behind that is because of the blessing called reinforcement, where you can harden a point on your body for defense, or even use it to produce harder attacks. I noticed you needed help to exit the platform because you were so exhausted," Dre nodded, "I felt like all the energy had been drained out of me." he said. "That's because you exhausted all the Ether you were capable of using, trying to continue to use magic after you've used up all the Ether, you're capable of using can lead to fatigue, drowsiness, and laziness. In some cases of people pushing too hard, it could even lead to death. Lucky for you, you had a decent amount of ether to be able to simultaneously use two blessings at the same time."
Liwei finally turned to Killian.
"Last but not least, Killian. You showed promise, you were able to use your electricity throughout the entire battle, which is very impressive for someone who just received their powers and hasn't done any ether training. But, simply put, you're reckless, and for today, it would've paid off, had you aimed correctly. But you didn't, and that sealed the deal. I could talk on how you need to improve in close quarters combat, and play mind games with your opponent more, but you were up against me. So, I understand." Liwei explained.
He dismissed them and they walked to the Abbots home. They freshened up and went to their rooms to talk about their fights and new abilities, Silas felt left out but didn't think about it too much.
"We're like superheroes now!" Dre said.
"You guys are like superheroes. Not me. I haven't got a blessing yet." Silas said.
"You'll definitely get one soon Silas, you're one of the most talented guys I know." Deandre said.
He just nodded. Eventually Killian's friends started to fall asleep, but he couldn't. Killian couldn't stop thinking about his fight with Liwei, and the trial. He knew he would have to get stronger if he stood any chance at the trial.