***NEED WORK

The silence that came over the Elder’s Hall all of the sudden was rather…erratic.
I don’t think any of us knew what to say or how to respond, but our minds were going nuts.

Speaking for myself, I was completely stunned, and my head was starting to go numb from the initial shock and from trying to comprehend what had just happened.

The strange breeze, rumors flying, meeting Mivian…okay, interesting. But it was nothing confusing.
Weird dream where I talked to an imaginary gal…really weird, but not confusing.
Seeing the Electus and the Supreme Elder come back from the mission…awesome stuff.
Got grounded in our rooms for three days…really elementary.
Almost got raped by Taeri in the Library… meh, nothing new.
Got Summoned… about time.
Started talk on the events of three days prior… yeah? I want to know more.

Then there was an interruption by Varsalo, Mivian combusting, small clash with the ass, talk-talk-talk, and then BAM!
What the hell? A PROMOTION?!

Normally I think I would be really excited about something like this but somehow, things didn’t add up. How the hell did the events of the past three days result in an advanced promotion of all things?!
To the Proeliator rank---

Now WAIT A MINUTE!

“WHAT?!” I practically bawled incredulously.

Someone who has an identical set of brainwaves as mine was yelling along with me.

I pointed, directly and aggressively, at Varsalo’s back.

“That ass is a Proeliator rank?! WHY?!” Zarda and I bellowed.

Varsalo stiffened and wheeled around, a vein practically bulging at his temple.
“What kind of fucked up reaction is that?!” he snapped back angrily. “I’m the one who should be pissed off and asking that questions!”
I felt my own head pulse with hot blood.
“You pissy, pea-brained, good-for-nuthin’ shit!” I spat. “What reason do you have to be pissed at us?”
Varsalo snorted, looking at me like I was an idiot.
“You piss me off, you cocky ape.” he sneered.

What?! A cocky ape?!

I didn’t realize my shoulders were curling forward getting ready to dive for it until I felt a hand grip my shoulder tightly. I turned to see Thya staring at me with a stern expression, silently ordering me to stay calm.

“As to the question why, that’s what I should be asking about you all.” Varsalo continued loudly. “What makes you so qualified for such treatment, such as an advanced promotion?”

“Do you doubt my judgment then, Varsalo?” Chief Elder Ravador asked in a soft yet clearly dominant tone.

Varsalo stiffened, and looked like he was going to protest, but stopped himself.
Without replying he turned away, grunting angrily to himself.

Sir Ravador breathed out silently, before returning his attention to us.
“I understand that all of you are confused, but please; allow me to explain. For this is not completely irrelevant to the events of three days prior.”

A slight jolt shot through my thoughts at his words.
Not completely irrelevant? Then what was the connection?

Ravador continued.
“To answer to the dissatisfaction to my decision, I have only one thing to say; what you have witnessed here is far enough to stand as part of my defense.”

I blinked, really confused. I glanced at Zarda, who was watching the Supreme Elder with intense focus.
“This is also not a rushed solution for any situation; this group I have Summoned has been already brought to my attention by number of high-ranking superiors for proper rank placement in the near future.” Sir Ravador was saying.
“Mivian has already had her rank on questionable hold for some time now; she has been under my guidance for number of decades.”

His guidance?

I looked back at Sir Elder, nearly jumping a mile when I realized he was gazing at me.

“Zavius, I have heard of your potential and skills, but you have surprised me even further than I had initially expected you to.” he said smoothly.
“Huh? Me?” I blurted out before I could catch myself.
Sir Ravador smiled warmly at my dumb reaction.
“Yes of course. I am genuinely surprised that you---do not take this the wrong way, Zavius--- are still standing in one piece after coming into contact with Mivian in the state she was in.” he said, rather straightforward. “Ah… regrettably, the same cannot be said about your gear, as it seems.”
“My gear?” I echoed, and looked down.

My jaw dropped when I saw that my training gear, both the jacket and the training top, had burn holes size of my fists and bigger on my sleeves and the front, revealing my unaffected skin.

“What the---oh, hell! I can’t walk around here looking like this!” I wailed.
I picked at the hole tentatively. Whatever was left of the fabric broke apart under my light touch, enlarging the hole so my whole stomach were out in the open.
“Gah! Mivian, you crazy pyromaniac!” I yawped.
“What? I’m no pyromaniac!” Mivian screeched back, angry in a flash.
“Are you kidding? Look at me!” I demanded, grabbing what was left of my top.

Forgetting to be careful, more of the burnt fabric disintegrated in my grip.

“Ah! Screw it!” I roared, yanking off the leftover shreds of cloths that was still clinging onto my shoulders and throwing it on the ground.
Mivian gawked at me, turning bright pink.
“Vardavit! Cover yourself, for fuck’s sake!” she howled.
"I would be covered, if my cloths weren’t burned off my very back!” I shot back. “By the looks of this, I say your pyrokinetic abilities are pretty well-developed!”
Mivian’s face became dark then, and her expression suddenly murderous.
“Call me pyrokinetic, one more time, and I’ll roast you like a chicken.” she snarled.

Someone grunted behind me, causing me to wheel back around.

“Ah Zavius, might I correct you, but Mivian’s unique ability is not pyrokinesis, or any ability that involves the use of fire.” Sir Ravador said to me.

“Huh?” I let out, confused.

“My ability is Emotional Energy Conversion.” Mivian huffed, sounding annoyed. “ I can take either my own emotions or of those standing around me to convert it to some sort of attack.”
“Oh…” I mused, trying to imagine this.
“…Could I possibly have an example?”

Mivian rolled her eyes and huffed.
I saw Mjoré step forward and approached us.
“Zavius, Mivian’s ability is derived solely from emotions.” she started to explain. “Let’s say the emotion nearby is fear. If her enemy feels fear, and the thing he-or-she fears most is water, Mivian can take their fear and turn it against them…in a water based attack.”
I whistled, genuinely amazed.
“That’s pretty awesome.” I admitted. “But if the emotion is anger…she combusts?”

I saw Mivian twitch, either out of anger, irritation, or both.
Mjoré smiled a bit, shaking her head.
“The grey flames are actually a result of her strongest emotion, and those around her: anger. Right now, she can only produce such power when her burning anger synchronizes with the people around her, but once she masters control, she shouldn’t be as dependent on others as much.” she explained.
Behind her, Mivian scowled.
“Oh ho hum, excuse me for having such a bad temper, Mjoré.” she grumbled.
Mjoré raised an eyebrow in response.
“Ha, you won’t have the problem if you learn to block out others’ emotions when you don’t need them, Mivian. It’s no wonder why you’re so stressed.” she scolded lightly. “And you best learn it soon, or something or someone is going to end up ‘roasted like a chicken,’ with or without your intent.”

“Speaking of which, why didn’t Mivian’s rage have any affect on Zavius?” Druce suddenly questioned, speaking out.
Sir Ravador blinked, as if to stir out of thought.
“Oh right… I had lost track in my explanation pointing something out.” he mused.
He then turned his gaze on me, smirking. Instinctively, I swallowed hard.

“Zavius, I congratulate you on obtaining your Seventh Sense.” he said simply.

A second wave of silence crashed over our heads then, except this time, I was the centerpiece of the whole show.

“…What?” I breathed.

I felt Mjoré step around me, coming into view in front of me. She took hold of my chin and I stared down at her in confusion. Her eyes went wide as she stared back at me dead in the eye.
“I don’t believe it,” she murmured.
“He is still far from mastering it and the form is unstable, as you can see, but it seems that he has fully grasped the ability of sight,” Sir Ravador noted. "With that combined with his rather excelling skills in Energy control, his defense against Energy attacks is already at a surprisingly high level."
I heard Druce grunt, and my eyes immediately flickered to him.
I saw him stiffen at my stare, the air around him shrinking back closer to his skin. He looked away, unable to hold my gaze.
“Hmph.” he grunted tightly in discomfort. “But he’s so young; too young to obtain such sight, no?”

Too young? I’m 86 years old, dammit.

I looked back at Sarvwen and Thya. The air surrounding them flowed and swirled curiously, shifting the open space around them like a mirage on a steamy hot day.
They both stiffened when my eyes caught theirs.

“What?” I demanded, hating their cold reaction.
I turned my head to Zarda. He stared back, worry in his eyes.

“What’s wrong with me?!”

Zarda glanced at Sir Ravador, concern sinking deep in his brow.
“Sir, is this…is this permanent?” he asked.
Sir Ravador smiled, his expression returning back to his gentle, comforting self.
“Do not fret, Zarda. The Seventh Sense is an ability that sleeps and stirs at the wielder’s command. Your brother just hasn’t mastered the ability enough to control it at his will.” he said.
A look of relief flitted briefly through my twin’s face.
“Then his eyes…”
Sir Ravador nodded.
“They will surely return to normal once he returns the ability to its dormant state.” he assured him.
“What’s wrong with my eyes?” I demanded, completely left out of loop.

“Don’t worry your small head over it,” Varsalo jeered coolly. “Like I said before, you’re nothing special.”

Before I could snap back at him, Sir Ravador intervened.
“If that is the case, Varsalo, why don’t you put his ability to a test?” he suggested smoothly, his eyes flashing.
“With your unique ability…”

HIS unique ability? What could he do?

Sir Ravador clapped his hands twice, calling attention to everyone present.
“So it is decided. Everyone, please stand back and give Zavius and Varsalo some space.”

WHAT?! What the hell was this all of the sudden? There was no way I could win!

Varsalo looked at the Elder, and then glanced at me.
He smirked.

“I guess there’s no other way to really see how right you can be,” he sighed, pulling out his bladed whip from his waist.

I took a step back into a defensive stance, alarmed.
Now, wait a minute! I haven’t said anything about agreeing to this!

Varsalo stepped towards me, holding his weapon taut in his grip.
“Alright, let’s see this supposed---”
Suddenly, I saw the air shift, pushing forward and at Varsalo.
He stopped moving, growing rigid.
“What---what is this?” he rasped tightly.

I didn’t need to follow the flow of the hypnotic vibes of the air; I recognized this reaction.
My eyes tore away from Varsalo.
“Zarda!” I yelled, shifting to look at my twin.
Just as I expected, Zarda’s gaze was unblinkingly fixated on Varsalo, his irises swirling placidly.
What I hadn’t expected was his eyes to be in that harsh green color…
…and his uncharacteristic murderous expression.

“Zarda!” I yelled again.
I grabbed him by his upper arm and pulled. Zarda tilted, losing his balance. I saw his eyes go wide and blink.
In that same instant, Varsalo’s stiff posture relaxed. He gasped in a breath, shock-written.
“What the hell was that?” he demanded.
His glare landed on me…and Zarda, who glared right back.
“Don’t even think about laying a hand on my brother.” Zarda snarled.

…Holy hell. What a chaos.
How did we get to where we are again?

“Zarda…” I muttered.
I saw Varsalo give him an incredulous look.
“You,” he said lowly.
I let go of my brother’s arm and stepped forward in front of him.

“Varsalo, back down,” Druce ordered, not moving and looking weary. “He’s not the one you’re supposed to test.”
Varsalo didn’t seem to care about that.
“What the hell was that?” he repeated.

“That was Zarda’s ability.” I said.

Varsalo looked at me, his gaze hard.
“His ability,” he echoed.

This guy…what’s wrong with him?

“Zarda’s unique ability is the ability to create illusions that affects the five senses. Not just sight, but hearing, smell, the sense of touch and taste, all in one illusion. What he wants the target to see is all up to his imagination.” I explained briefly.
I left out the part about his ability of complete control over the senses being still inconsistent.
“But that shouldn’t be important right now, anyways.” I reminded him. “He’s not your opponent.”
From behind me, I heard Zarda inhale sharply.
“Zavius! Are you seriously---”
“Zarda,” I started, glancing back at my twin. “Chill, it’s not like this is a death match. I’ll be okay.”
“As I said before, Zarda, do not fret.” Sir Ravador reassured him from the side. “Hold confidence in your brother’s skills…as I do.”

Zarda looked a little surprised, but still seemed conflicted.
But then he sighed, and nodded once.

“Zavius,” he called, unzipping his training gear jacket.
He tossed it to me, and I grabbed it out of the air.
Without a word, I swung it over my shoulders and stuck my arms into the sleeves.
“Alright, let’s do this.” I muttered, zipping the jacket.

Sir Ravador ordered everyone to give us space and they all backed up behind the safety of the Supreme Elder’s desk. Everyone’s eyes were on me, and nobody made a sound.
Varsalo smirked darkly as he stepped forward to face me.
“Alright, alright,” he sighed, sounding falsely exasperated. “Since your brother is so worried for your sake, let’s do it this way.”

With that, he threw his bladed whip aside and out of his reach.
He looked at me with a smart, cool expression.
“Do you need to borrow a weapon? I’ll give you time to find one.” he offered.

My muscles clenched and my jaws locked in anger.
“What’s that all about?” I spoke lowly.
Varsalo raised his empty palms up, shrugging innocently.
“Just thought I’d give you a little advantage here.” he said. “Can a man show a sincere gesture of kind generosity?”
I scowled, disgusted.
“Kind? Sincere? I’ve known you not for an hour, and I already know that your ego leaves no room for other such things.” I returned.
Varsalo shrugged again, looking very nonchalant.
“Nothing wrong with having a little pride in yourself.” he said.
I laughed.
“A little…how modest.” I scoffed. “Fine. Have it your way. I’ll tell you something special in return.”

Varsalo’s brow scrunched, looking confused. But he didn’t say anything.

I shoved my hands in Zarda’s jacket pocket, taking on a casual stance. Something was in the right pocket, the cold, hard object brushing against my fingertips. I gripped it tightly, and felt a sharp edge scrape against my palm.
It was a folding compact dagger.
Zarda…
I glanced at my twin, who was watching me intently. He pulled his chin back, silently nodding once.
In the pocket, my hand gave the dagger one last grip before relaxing.
Thanks, Zar, I thought, smirking. But…

My eyes were back on Varsalo, this time, with full resolve.
“Hey Varsalo, what would you say if I told you that I don’t have a special ability?”

Varsalo stiffened, his eyes growing wide with startled shock.
I couldn’t look at Zarda; I didn’t need to see his shocked and horrified disbelief to know.

Varsalo’s eyes hardened and he scowled, looking very troubled.
“What the hell is up with that?” he demanded, his voice low.
“What’s with the surprised look? I told you I’ll tell you something special.”
“But why would you tell me that?”

I scoffed, smirking.
“It’s common courtesy, you know. When someone gives or does something for you, it’s only polite to return the favor.” I replied. “Take it as some sort of friendly advice, or maybe a weird joke. That’ll certainly suit you better.”
Varsalo stared, as if to study me. His expression was stiff, telling me that I had somehow hit a nerve.
“That answer doesn’t really seem to fit as a satisfying answer to my question.” he said. “Are you possibly… confident that you can stand against me?”
I felt my smirk grow.
“Nothing wrong with being a little confident.” I sighed, just slightly exaggerating.
Then I dropped the act and became serious.
“Apparently, I could see things in ways I normally shouldn’t.” I said, staring Varsalo dead in the eye. “And you said you liked my eyes just a bit earlier.”
“What about that?” Varsalo returned coldly.
I just went on smirking.
“Well, let’s see how you like them in the next five minutes.”

Varsalo was frozen, his eyes wide. Then, his cool, false mask fell and revealed his true expression: he was pissed.
“That over-confident attitude; I will thoroughly enjoy gouging it out of you.” he snarled.
”And I’ll beat down that ego of yours a few good notches.” I sneered back.

Varsalo dove, his body blurring as he shot forward at me.
Immediately, the shimmering mirage around his body melted and revealed an explosion of a dark purple glow that practically screamed out in anger.
I didn’t move… I waited.
I could see it; his Energy, his body’s every movement, every chain of action he took---

Varsalo pulled back his right fist and shoved it forward at my face.

I came to life, bending into my knees in anticipation. I allowed my Energy to shoot through my limbs as I readied to counter.
As Varsalo’s fist closed in, my left wrist shot out, swiping out wide.
The timing was perfect; his shot was deflected by my back hand.
Varsalo staggered back, the force of my counter shoving him off balance.

…Chance!

I dove forward, my body lining up to the left of Varsalo’s falling form. He saw me from the corner of his vision. I saw his eyes grow wide.
I smirked at him briefly before sinking down to the ground. I kicked my left leg out and swung around clockwise---right at the back of his knees.
His knees buckled forward, throwing his completely off his feet.
I wasn’t done.
Following the motion of the kick, I swung myself halfway upright so Varsalo was behind me and I threw myself backwards.
Varsalo’s back hit the ground solidly, grimacing on landing.

Perfect.

I wrapped my hand around my left fist leaning to my left, falling and shoving my elbow back to strike my opponent right into the center of his sternum---

Varsalo smirked, and flashed out of view.

Disbelief shot through me like ice in my veins. Reflexes kicked in, my body twisting fully around to allow my hands to catch my fall before I broke my nose.
I froze, staying flattened on the floor, completely bewildered.

He teleported…he---

“What, is that all you got?”

My head snapped up at the shout that came from up above my head.
Varsalo was flying---no, practically diving down at me, a huge victorious smile plastered on his face.
His right arm was pulled back, ready to strike…and in his hand was his bladed whip.

I saw his arm swing down, and the whiptail blurring with speed---

I felt my muscle tense and extend, and a rush of air brushing against my skin. My vision blurred and I saw flying colors. Before my mind had caught up to the action, I found myself on my feet, safely yards away from Varsalo.
“It seems like your running legs are pretty strong.” I heard him mused.
I gritted my teeth, swearing under my breath.

That cheating bastard… couldn’t be surprised with such cheap, dirty trick.

“I don’t know---no, I don’t care what and how much of it those eyes of yours can see.”

I wheeled around to look at Varsalo---and another icy wave of disbelief shot through me.

Varsalo was glowing again…no, it was almost as if he was reeking with this dark purple, violent Energy. Strings of it splayed out from him like whiptails, all of them swinging and snapping in all direction. Its movement was as if it was hungry to snag up anything that dared to come close to its wielder.

“My ability…no one knows exactly what it is, or what it does…until it’s too late.” he jeered, bragging. “And that’s for a number of reasons.”
“Reasons?” I echoed, my eyes trying to follow the countless number of flickering Energy tails that danced around Varsalo.
Varsalo laughed gleefully, the sound of it rather chilling.
“One: No matter how skilled or able you are, you won’t see this coming. Two: By the time you’ve figured out something is up, it’s too late.” he said.
“And three--- well, it’s nothing you should worry your little head about.”

Suddenly, the purple hue of Varsalo’s Energy diminished, fading into nearly invisible, clear, churning tails in the air.

Like a hungry mirage.

Varsalo raised his hand, his open palm facing me.
“This is the difference between you and I.” he muttered.

My eyes fell on Varsalo’s face. His eyes were glowing with a swirling dark purple hue, his smile twisting.
“I win.”

His hand tensed and his fingers snapped closed into a tight fist.

Silently but surely, Varsalo’s Energy whips froze as if on command, its suddenly rigid point turned before diving down at great speed, right at me.