“Damn it!” I cursed. My power didn’t work in that state.

She smiled apologetically and put me back down. “Almost. I let my guard down for a second. Did you do that?”

 “Not really,” I said. “Ivory’s influence calmed you and lowered the temperature of your soul light. I tried to take advantage of it.”

Marrow patted me on the back with a rough hand. “You’re already learning. The more we practice, the more you can explore the nuances of your power and hone your instincts. Take a break, and then it's my turn.”

‘Wound’ was the name of Marrow’s Variety. Not only could he survive the most gruesome bodily trauma, but he could perceive me with all senses in both dimensions, dissolving my advantage. When it came to a test of physical strength, he overpowered me in less than a minute.

“Get it together Badgey!” blurted Willow, sitting cross-legged in a patch of sunshine at the end of the Meadow. “You’re the Reaper!”

I gave him a weak thumbs up, face down in the grass. Marrow lifted me off the ground, mumbling an apology.

Sharp, as always, had opinions about my performance. “In battle, you must always understand your advantages and disadvantages. That's just how it is. Start training with a weapon if you can't be evasive in every fight.”

I looked at my feet. “I’d rather run away than hurt anyone.”

“Weapons aren't always for hurting,” she asserted, drumming a melody on her armored skirt with the dull sides of her bone-blades.

Not for hurting? A new cog turned in my mind. I would have to ask Olivine if she could make it for me.

Marrow pointed a crooked finger at my Warrior friend. “You ought to fight him next, City girl. It would be a great privilege to learn from your expertise.”

“Was taking her blade to your heart a privilege too?” Willow dared to joke. Mercury gave him a sour look, but Marrow only laughed. It was a rough sound but pleasing to the ear.

Undaunted, Sharp moved to the center of the Meadow and assumed a fighting stance. “This won't be the first time we fought, but it could be the first time you win.”

I glared. Maybe my new power could turn the tide, but my instincts screamed otherwise. Sharp was the only one in our group who wasn’t born with a natural power, and yet she was the scariest in a fight. Especially now, after the doctor confirmed the Wild Fruit granted her a rare side effect called Divine Ear, making her even stronger against my stealth. She could hear my footsteps, even in the Unseen.

Sharp smirked and twirled her blades, hitting the sides of her armor to create an eerie tune. “Ready when you are, little chameleon.”

Catchherbysurprise, I thought. I ran headlong, but she was stone-still, ready to strike. I disappeared just out of range of her weapons, then retreated at once. My plan was to keep my distance but make her think I was nearby. If I could make her frustrated, she’d lose focus enough to give me an opening.

In the Unseen Dimension, the blades took the shape of beams of light, moving in sync with their real counterparts, allowing me to tell where Sharp was facing. She remained motionless, listening.

“You can trust me. I won't hurt you. Just go to sleep,” I said aloud, feeling idiotic. When my hand touched her light, there was no heat to burn me, only soothing coolness. Could this be because I had known her for so long? There was nothing she had to hide from me, and when things were real, she was the closest thing I had to a sister.

But this wasn't real, it was training. The cool light became so boiling hot that I leapt backward, instincts returning me to the real dimension. I hit the dirt, and felt the cold, cruel metal of her blade flat against my sternum.

“Can't believe that worked! I won!” she taunted, looking like a smug giant from my place on the ground. “What did my soul feel like?”

“Like cold gelatin,” I snarled. “Up until you tried to burn me to death.”

“So it did happen the way I intended.” She flipped the blades back into their holsters. “That proves the theory I was testing.”

“What theory?” asked the doctor, pen hovering over paper.

She stretched her arms to the sky and yawned, bored of being so insufferably clever. “He said Olivine's soul temperature changed based on her emotional state. I took note of that and used it to trick Badger into getting close.”

“Yeah, noted,” I grumbled, brushing the dirt from the back of my shirt. I hoped to at least prolong the fight, but it ended up being my quickest loss yet.

“Maybe we should call it a day,” suggested Mercury, making himself small in the shadows. Something told me he didn’t want to get roped into fighting Sharp as well.

Ivory stepped up, her aura thick with tension. “Not so fast. What about our challenge?”

Willow raised his head, surprised, like he'd already forgotten. “Oh, that’s okay. We don’t have to.”

“Don’t be a coward, Strawhead,” teased Mercury with a swagger of his head. “Are you afraid of my tiny mother?”

“I’m not,” he argued, but I sensed he wasn’t sure. “Let’s go then. Show me what you can do.”

On the surface, Willow appeared to have the advantage. Charm wasn't meant for fighting, and Ivory was smaller and thinner. Neither of them had a weapon, but Willow’s natural ability to fly gave him the edge. However, the amused faces of the Topaz Clan made me think my friend would regret this.

“Same rules?” She faced him at the center of the Meadow. “You win if you subdue your opponent or get them to admit defeat?”

“Correct.” He started to rise from the tree, like invisible clouds were taking him to the sky. “I’ll warn you, I’m just as hard to catch as Badger.”

“Let's begin,” she said, standing completely open. After about ten seconds she asked, “What are you waiting for?”

Willow wasn't the only one that looked uncomfortable. The mood was growing more tense with each passing second. Even in this context, attacking Ivory didn’t feel right, like attacking a defenseless bystander.

“What's wrong?” she questioned after more time passed. “Aren't you trying to prove something here?”

“I'm just… thinking.” A sheen of sweat was forming on his face. “You must have something up your sleeves.”

She looked with innocent skepticism at her bare arms. “My power doesn't work if I try to lie or trick you. I just don't want to make the first move.”

“I know…I just…need to think for a second.” He was gripping his hair and subconsciously descending back to the Meadow floor. “Maybe there isn’t a point to us fighting.”

Ivory tilted her head. Her voice was the wind in the leaves, quiet and all around. “Come on, you're already giving up?”

As soon as he landed, he was fidgeting with his wind scarf, more uncomfortable than I’d even seen him. “No, I just don't see the point of doing this anymore…”

“Stick to your word!” Sharp cupped her hands around her mouth. “Give up if you can't do it!”

“I can but… it doesn't feel fair…” he stuttered, shrinking at the attention for once. He positioned himself to move but was frozen in place. After another moment he blurted, “Fine! I give up!”

Ivory giggled and flipped her golden hair over her shoulder. “Looks like I’m the winner.”

“What? We didn't even fight!”  

“You gave up. I won,” she said, using Charm to pull back the tension. “Did you forget the parameters we agreed to?”

Piranha fell backwards laughing, kicking their cat legs in the air and clutching their stomach. “Dear Creation, she's right! She beat you without even touching you!”

Willow didn’t know if he should be embarrassed or impressed. He shook his messy hair and mumbled, “I can't believe you just got away with that.”

She shrugged. “This is the power of Divine Seven, and why the burden of being king has fallen to me. I could bring down an entire army without a single casualty.”