7 years ago, four teens sit on a corner in the dirty and chaotic Lower Ward.

  The four are going between conversations, before one sticks.

  The white-haired boy says something.

  "So, Madison, if you and Cyrus broke up, you'd date me, right"

  Madison, who's hair is cut short then responds.

  "Hell no, Warren, no offence but you're way too unserious."

  Warren looks dejected before making his rebuttal.

  "B-But we've already kissed!"

  Madison looks at him, like she's disappointed.

  "I only did it because I was drunk and lost a bet."

  Warren sighs deeply and looks into the sky before the muscular, black-haired boy sitting across from him speaks up.

  "Well you should've won the contest if you wanted to be with her that bad."

  "Couldn'ta been that hard to beat me."

  Warren looks angry.

  "You really wanna go again?"

  "We could go over to the courtyard right now, Cyrus."

  The third boy then steps in.

  "Woah now, let's not get too carried away, wouldn't wanna have to get taken in by the Knights for recovery."

  Warren sighs again.

  "Yeah, I guess you're right, Riley, I did hear that the new High Commander is really cool though."

  Madison puts her finger on her chin.

  "What was his name?"

  Warren quickly answers.

  "His name's Jermaine, he's really cool, and he's really strong!"

  Warren punches the air as he says it.

  Cyrus chuckles.

  "I guess someone has a new role model."

  "You really shouldn't be looking up to Knights like that, you know that right?"

  "Whole thing's corrupt, from the base."

  Warren looks down at the floor.

  "Well... Maybe someone could change it from the inside... Maybe make it better..."

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  Cyrus looks offended.

  "You really think you could do that?"

  "You're crazy, man. Really fuckin crazy."

  Warren then drifts back awake for a moment, the room is pitch black, and Madison is still next to him in bed.

  Warren then drifts back into sleep after changing positions in bed.

  Warren stands in a crowd in the courtyard of the Lower Ward, where Jermaine, the brand new High Commander stands at a podium.

  Jermaine starts his speech.

  "So, uhh..."

  He quickly exhales.

  "I am here because, later this year, the Knight's Exam is being help at the Knight's Fortress."

  A deep scoff is heard by most of the crowd, as most of the group leaves.

  Jermaine sighs, prepared for failure.

  Until he sees one bright-eyed, white-haired boy standing in the center of where the crowd used to be.

  Jermaine then begins his speech again, with a new wave of confidence.

  "So, if you want to stand on the battlefield with the likes of me, come to the Knight's Fortress in one month. I'll be waiting."

  Warren looks ecstatic, leaving the courtyard with a brand new dream; fighting alongside Jermaine Lionsheart.

  Warren wakes up again, stirring a bit, which wakes Madison.

  She then talks, groggy but light voice cutting through the darkness.

  "You keep waking up, you good?"

  Warren is slightly startled.

  "Hm?"

  "Yeah, just thinking about new training routines."

  Madison makes a small noise before turning over and going back to sleep.

  As she goes to sleep, so does Warren.

  Warren drifts into another dream.

  This time, him and Cyrus stand opposite to each other, engaged in an argument.

  Cyrus gets in the first word.

  "You really went behind my back and joined the Knights, huh?"

  "You know how I feel about them... You'd really do that?"

  Warren gets a jab in.

  "You think I'm gonna change my dreams because you don't like them?"

  Cyrus gets in his next word.

  "We've known each other since we were six, you really want to throw that away over some dreams?"

  "You got Madison, you got your dream, now you joined with the same people who've hammered us into the ground for decades."

  Warren clenches his fists.

  "Maybe we should settle this, old fashioned."

  Cyrus grins and clenches his fists.

  "Maybe we should then, we both know who's gonna win."

  Warren's face is still serious.

  "Yeah, we do."

  The two walk outside the city, immediately starting their fight.

  Warren makes barriers around his hands, aiming to toughen the impact of his punches.

  Warren goes for a jab, which is blocked by Cyrus.

  Cyrus kicks the inside of Warren's leg, making Warren fall flat on the floor.

  Cyrus goes to stomp Warren's head into the dirt, before Warren rolls quickly to avoid the foot coming down.

  Cyrus goes to grab Warren by the collar.

  Warren attempts to dodge to the side, leading to him being grabbed.

  Cyrus then lets his aspect out; Aspect Nullification.

  The barriers warren makes are now no better than glass, easily broken by just a hand.

  Cyrus then begins to beat Warren.

  One punch to the forehead, another to the jaw, a third to his eye.

  A fourth punch then goes to Warren's gut, sending Warren reeling back, air blasted out of his lungs.

  As Warren tries breathing, he catches a knee to the face, a deafening crack is heard through the small field.

  Warren is sent back, now laying on his back.

  Cyrus stands on his stomach, pushing down hard.

  Until Warren summons a solid ball behind his head, sending it flying into the back of his head.

  A deep thud can be heard as the ball hits Cyrus in the back of the head.

  Warren then stands up, punching Cyrus, which sends him backwards.

  The ball then flies back around to hit Cyrus in the stomach.

  Cyrus then catches a fist to his face, while the ball shatters on the back of his head.

  Cyrus falls to the floor, exhausted, before Warren hobbles back to the gates.

  Warren collapses, while Cyrus stands back up, slowly walking away from Elaria.

  As Warren hits the ground, he quickly rises from bed.

  As Warren sits up, he feels the sunlight on his bare chest.

  He then lets himself relax, hanging his head low.

  Madison looks concerned, she had been getting dressed in the clothes she'd left on the floor the night before when Warren woke up.

  Before she pulls her shirt over her head, she sits by Warren.

  "You good, Warren?"

  "You barely slept."

  Warren sighs.

  "Yeah, just nightmares."

  "You should put that shirt on, I told a couple of my rookies to stop by this morning."

  Madison rushes to put the shirt on as knocking is heard at the door.