Chapter 27:

  It must have been another day before he woke up; he'd been fighting nonstop for hours. When Shogai's eyes opened, he recognised himself to be on the ground floor of Headquarters. He was in a bed, and a million wires were connecting him to some kind of box. On his left, he found Kiara and Jade in two more beds, with just as many wires on them. They were both awake and upright. Kiara had ear mufflers on and was reading. Jade had her eyes closed, but noticed Shogai was awake and waved.

  "Hey, you feeling any better?" Her voice was quiet and subdued.

  Shogai sat upright and felt his head spin. Kiara noticed him and pointed wordlessly to a bin beside him. He vomited.

  "No. Not really."

  Jade’s attempt at a smile didn’t reach her eyes. "Zinnia did the best she could, but she's hooked us up to these machines to keep us stable. I think they measure our heart rate and alert her when we need support."

  There was an awkward heaviness in the room. An absence no one wanted to address.

  Shogai rubbed his eyes. "What happened?"

  Kiara looked back at Jade, who stared at her for a second. Kiara answered with a weirdly loud voice. She sounded exhausted, so why was she shouting?

  "Xero told us everything! You killed Sekara! It's over!"

  Shogai had to cover his ears at that last part, and Kiara looked at Jade again.

  "Kiara still can't hear; she's been relying on me to speak to her so she doesn't go insane. She can't safely rewind her ears to the state they were in an entire day ago. But she's right. You did it. It’s done. You killed her."

  Those last three words were obviously referring to Sekara, but that’s not the person whom Shogai associated them with. He felt no relief or satisfaction from Jade’s attempt to comfort him.

  This didn't feel real. Shogai couldn't focus on what he'd won. Only who he'd lost.

  "Oh…" Jade said as she realised what he was thinking. "Mira…"

  “The power of protection. To be able to prioritise losing nothing over winning everything.” Shogai quoted Jade’s words from back then. “Well, we lost her. I failed. I promised and I-I couldn’t even-”

  He couldn’t finish that thought. What was there left to say?

  A tear slid down Jade’s cheek, "I heard how she protected me until the end. I'll never be able to thank her…"

  That was when Shogai remembered what Mira had said to him in his head. Don’t make this more miserable than it needs to be, yeah? He reached a hand out to Jade’s shoulder with confidence. To make her feel better. To protect her. “It’s okay.” He echoed her words, and Jade looked up at him, her eyes watery.

  “How do you know that, though?” She sniffed. Shogai was blinking back his own tears, but he had to look confident. That’s how he reassures the people he’s protecting. “Just trust me.”

  Raven walked into the room at that moment.

  "Oh, good, you're all finally awake. Come along now, we need to talk."

  She set off without waiting, downstairs to the Outer Ranks.

  Shogai stood, wobbling to his feet, and fell.

  "Ow."

  Jade stood up and helped him to his feet, letting him lean on her. Kiara took the hint that they were leaving and followed them as they slowly headed downstairs.

  All the Outer Ranks were present, and three stools had been pulled up to the side of the table. Kiara, Shogai and Jade all took their seats. Most of the Nexeans were smiling warmly at them. It felt like an honour to even sit at their table.

  "Outer Ranks." Valerie announced, "Yesterday, we survived an encounter with two Deviant Primes. And we killed a Deviant Prime. Nobody expects that from us, but we've all proven to be worthy fighters of this army."

  A couple of Nexeans glanced at Scott at this comment, but he didn’t notice.

  Valerie's voice was measured. Professional. Not celebratory.

  "But survival came at a cost. We lost people we should have protected. The trial system didn’t protect us. People died who shouldn't have been in that fight."

  A heavy silence settled over the table. "We'll do better. We have to." She straightened. "Now, let's address those who made survival possible."

  "Zinnia. Your support was a necessity for us to even stand against not one, but two Primes.

  Xero, you fought Sekara and protected the newcomers. I do not doubt that she would still be alive without you.

  Ryukyu, as much as I… disapproved… of your appearance on the battlefield, it would have been difficult to stop Vera.

  And Shogai, Xero has spoken highly of you. He also seems to believe you awakened Elano’s Heart in the battle. Is this true?”

  Shogai had no idea what Elano’s Heart was, and didn’t respond. Valerie turned to Raven expectantly, who rolled her eyes.

  “He’s not a Nexean yet. He doesn’t need to know.”

  “It’s for his safety.”

  “Fine. Shogai, whatever you did, never do it again. If you become a Nexean, I’ll tell you more.”

  Shogai nodded. They must have been talking about his power boost, the one that let him kill Sekara. He didn’t know how he did it, but apparently it came with a cost. He looked at his hands, as if expecting them to be withering away. They were fine.

  "Which brings us to the matter of recruitment." Valerie's eyes moved to the three of them. "The trials were disrupted, but you've proven yourselves in ways trials never could. You fought two Primes and survived. More than that - you protected each other when it mattered most."

  She leaned forward, her expression serious. "But before we proceed, I need you to understand what you're accepting. Being a Nexean isn't a reward. It's a responsibility. It means watching people you care about die and fighting anyway. It means sacrificing everything - safety, comfort, normalcy - to protect strangers who'll never know your name." The weight of her words settled over them. "Mira understood that. She chose to stand between death and the people she cared about, even though she wasn't a Nexean. Even though she could have run." Valerie's voice softened slightly. "If you join us, you're choosing to make that same sacrifice. Over and over. Until it's your turn to fall." No one spoke. "So I'm asking you now, with full knowledge of the cost: Do you accept? Can you protect the people of this island?"

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  This was it. The end of his mission. Sekara was dead. The village was avenged. Mira's sacrifice had meant something - he could make sure of that by continuing what she'd started teaching him. But could he do this? Watch more people like Mira die? Stand by while friends fell and keep fighting anyway?

  "I accept," Jade spoke first, her voice steady despite her red-rimmed eyes. Shogai looked at her, surprised. She'd completed her mission - gotten him to Nexus. She could go home now. Back to Armison, to safety. Why would she choose this? She met his eyes, and something unspoken passed between them. She wasn't leaving. She was staying. They'd do this together.

  "I accept as well." Kiara's voice was firm. Resolved. Ryukyu nodded expectantly in response. That left Shogai. He thought about Mira. About her smile as she taught him to fight. About her belief that he could be more than just destruction. About her final words: *Get it done, Nexean.* He'd promised to make her sacrifice mean something.

  "I accept."

  Valerie clapped her hands together with a wide smile. “Perfect. Well, traditionally, a Nexean would need to beat Outer Rank 8 in their most proficient talent, be it combat or support, to take their place.”

  Valerie side-eyed Scott at that comment before continuing.

  “But we now have three challengers. I propose we trial all three at once, challenging Outer 8, Outer 7 and Outer 6.”

  The table went silent in thought. Clearly, this had never happened before. Scott, Zinnia and Xero were each going to be going against one of Kiara, Shogai and Jade in an attempt to keep their spot. Surprisingly, Xero laughed, all for the idea.

  “Let’s do it. We’ll get a higher rank to fill the three of them in on what they need to know. Ryukyu?”

  “Sorry, Xero, I need to get back on patrol. I’m done resting.”

  “I volunteer,” came a voice. It was Tina. “Tomorrow we’ll hold the trials. I’ll prepare them in the meantime.”

  “That’s settled then,” Valerie said. “Good luck, everyone. That wraps up the meeting, I believe. I’ll patrol with Ryukyu. Have fun!”

  They were outside in the sun. Tina had led them to a quiet spot away from headquarters - a place where they could speak freely. She studied each of them for a moment.

  "Before we get into logistics, I want to say something. What you went through yesterday... that was hell. Most Nexeans don't face Primes in their first year, let alone their first week. You lost someone. That doesn't go away just because Sekara's dead."

  She spoke softly but also firmly. She had good experience with people’s emotions, clearly. Just... steadying them. Keeping them functional. "If any of you need more time before trials, say so now. There's no shame in it." Shogai, Jade, and Kiara exchanged glances. Each of them shook their heads. "Alright then. Let's talk about what you're getting into."

  “First things first, supposing you fail, you’ll be sent away. I understand if one of you might want to spread the word of Nexus out of spite, but good luck sabotaging us. We’ve left minimal signs of our existence, except for the occasional sighting. At worst, you’ll be called mad and banished from wherever you end up. So don’t bother trying to sell us out.”

  “Here’s the rundown on what you need to know about our organisation. 16 Nexeans. Our job is to protect people. And, for the most part, the stronger you are, the higher your rank.”

  “What do you mean, ‘for the most part’?” suggested Jade.

  “Well, take Ryukyu as an example. Outer Rank 2 suggests he’s a weaker fighter than Valerie. But he’s far stronger than her. I’d say he’s Inner Rank level. But he can’t beat her in a head-on fight because she manipulates flames, including his. His biggest weapon is useless against her.”

  “Can’t he just… hit her? I mean, his flames aren’t his only weapon.”

  “...yes. You’re right. Keep this between you and me, but I don’t think Ryukyu wants to outrank Valerie.”

  “Why not?”

  “Not relevant. My point, and how this applies to you, is that you can’t outrank a Nexean without beating them. So if you can't surpass Outer 8, you aren’t a Nexean.”

  Shogai remembered Outer Rank 8. The young boy called Scott. Something bugged him.

  “Why didn’t Scott help in the battle yesterday? He went to get the Inner Ranks, who didn’t even show up. He’s a Nexean, I’m sure he would have been of some help.”

  Tina looked around, as if to be sure no one was listening.

  “Scott is Outer Rank 8, but he isn’t combat-ready. I don’t mean to disrespect him, but he lucked his way into becoming a Nexean. Mark my words, whichever one of you challenges him will win without any difficulty. All the Nexeans know he’s not helpful, but don’t say that to him. He’s young. We don’t send him on missions, but he doesn’t seek to get any stronger. He admires us, but he doesn’t seem to realise that he’s frankly wasting a Nexean slot.”

  “What’s his power?”

  “Some kind of wind control, but it only affects people lighter than him, and even then, it only pushes them back a bit. Not many people are lighter than a skinny 13-year-old boy, especially Aberrants. He lucked his way past the trials, then past Outer 8. The last Outer 8 had a bone-marrow deficiency, so Scott was able to knock him down, and he hit his head on a rock. It wasn’t a good performance. That’s enough of that. One of you is challenging Scott, one Zinnia and one Xero. Decide amongst yourselves, and I’ll give you a quick pep talk tomorrow. Understood?”

  The trio nodded. Tina remembered one more thing,

  “Oh, and whoever challenges Zinnia will need to surpass her in support, not combat. It’s not fair to judge healers on fighting. Especially since she’s the only healer of the Outer Ranks. Now come with me, it’s getting late.”

  Tina led the group back to the Outer Rank’s room, and for the first time, Shogai paid attention to the rest of the room, besides the table. There were 2 doors.

  “Shogai, you’re on the left. Katro should be waiting for you. Girls, you’re with me.”

  Tina went through the door on the right of the table, and Kiara and Jade hesitantly followed her. Jade waved goodbye to Shogai as she vanished.

  Shogai walked up to the door on the left and knocked on it. Katro, Outer Rank 5, immediately opened it.

  “Shogai, hello! We haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Katro. Good to meet you.” Katro warmly shook Shogai’s hand.

  “The honour is all mine, sir-”

  “Hey, what’s with that tone? I’m not some royalty that you need to bow to. Out there, we may all be fighters, but trust me, that’s not what it looks like in here. I hope you become a Nexean. I’d love to get to know you!”

  Katro let Shogai in. He was in a corridor with 4 doors on each side and one at the far end. Each door was labelled O1 to O8.

  “I see where this is going. These are the rooms of all the Outer Ranks?”

  “Almost. This is the boys’ dorm. Half the rooms are empty, since not all the Outer Ranks are male, but we keep all the rooms tidy in case they ever are. With Valerie and Raven, though, I don’t see that happening any time soon. Anyway, you can stay in room O1 for tonight, since it’s unoccupied. The empty rooms are all identical. Ryukyu and Xero are both patrolling right now, and Scott’s asleep. If you need anything, I’m in O5. Come find me.”

  “Got it, thank you, Katro.”

  Katro withdrew into his room, and Shogai entered O1. At some point, a Nexean had been in this room. The strongest of the Outer Ranks in his time. Whoever that was, Shogai swore he’d live up to him.

  The room was simple, but cosy by every definition of the word. There was a bed on the side, drawers and a table. There was even a personal bathroom and shower. The ceiling had stars on it, and a thin window on the very top of a wall let in some natural light. Shogai looked out of the window and saw that he was eye level with the outside grass.

  It was nicer than anywhere he’d been before.

  Shogai closed the door, and it had a lock. The bed was also more comfortable than he’d stayed in before. He sorted himself out, however, and was sure not to get too used to it. If he failed, it was back to face the village, he supposed.

  Shogai lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. The stars painted there reminded him of that night on the cart with Mira - the way she'd traced constellations and talked about all the people she wanted to help. She'd never help anyone again. And he was sleeping in a room meant for heroes, pretending he deserved it.

  I forgive you. I never blamed you. Don’t make this more miserable than this needs to be, yeah?

  She didn’t hate him for lying to her. Or maybe she did. Shogai still wasn’t sure if the vision was all in his head or not. His eyes burned, but no tears came. He was too exhausted to cry. Too numb. Tomorrow, he'd face the trials. Tomorrow, he'd prove he could be what Mira believed he could be. Tonight, his only job was to fall asleep. He closed his eyes. Sleep took hours to come.

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