Quinn wakes up and stares at an unfamiliar ceiling. He sits up and notices slight pressure on his forehead. He brings a hand up and feels a bandage tightly wrapped around his head, and it wasn’t just there. Quinn moves the covers and inspects his body; his arms and chest are also wrapped in bandages.

  “She really did a number on you, didn’t she?” Quinn turns and sees Phiona sitting on a chair right next to his bed.

  “Where am I?”

  “The infirmary. So, how are you feeling?” Phiona gets up and closely looks at Quinn.

  “Exhausted,” Quinn says, as he pushes her away using one hand and the other to undo the bandage wrapped around his head.

  “That’s it? Your body was in shambles when Louise called me. I thought you were dead.” To her, Quinn’s recovery is nothing short of a miracle. When she first saw his condition, she nearly fainted. Phiona immediately began healing Quinn. How can he still be alive after such injuries? She thought. In her eyes, Quinn should be dead, but instead, his body was repairing itself right in front of her.

  “...”

  Quinn just sits there, staring at his bandaged hands. He almost lost control again. He could have died, throwing away the second chance at life his father had granted him.

  “Are you sure you're okay?” Phiona leans on the bed. She reaches her hand out and starts poking at Quinn's cheek.

  “How long was I out?” Quinn swats Phiona’s hand away. He looks out the window and notices the sun has started to set.

  “Geez, you really are worrying about the wrong things, you know that?” Phiona sighs as she sits back down, crossing her arms. “It’s only been a few hours. But seriously. I can’t believe Ellen beat you so senselessly. Doesn’t she know she could have caused serious damage to your cute face? I swear, next time I see her I outa.” Phiona begins throwing jabs at the air, bringing a small smirk on Quinn’s face that quickly fades.

  “Forget it. She was right. I’m too weak to join you guys.”

  “...”

  Phiona stays quiet, just staring with a disheartened look. With nothing left to say, Quinn hops off the bed and walks out the door.

  “Wait! Where are you going?” Phiona stands up in a panic.

  “The training grounds.”

  “What?”

  ***

  Back at the training grounds. The area was already repaired thanks to the enchantments placed on it.

  Quinn walks up to the center and sits down.

  Phiona didn’t know what Quinn was up to when he said he was headed to the training grounds, worried about the reckless things he might do, she decided to follow, but instead of training, Quinn just sat there. A few minutes go by, and nothings changed.

  “Umm, what are you doing?” Phiona finally asks, scratching her head in confusion.

  “I’m trying to remember that feeling I had back during my duel with Ellen.” Quinn keeps his eyes closed as he replies.

  “What could you possibly want to remember? How it feels to have your face caved in?”

  “No!” Quinn clicks his tongue. “Right before I lost, I unconsciously tapped into a strange power I awakened some time ago. Each time I use it, I feel myself growing stronger. I think if I can activate it on comand I can prove to Louise I am strong enough.”

  “That's amazing, Quinn. So as long as you can consciously bring forth that power, you can come with us.”

  “Yeah… The thing is that every time I use that power, I also feel as if I am losing myself. Before the power consumed me, I managed to regain control. The next thing I knew, I woke up in the infirmary.”

  The last time Quinn used the power, he lost control, killed Viktor, and Zeke sacrificed himself to bring Quinn back to his senses. There’s no telling what will happen if he loses control again.

  How many more people will he kill before someone can stop him? He has no intention of finding out. Just the thought alone fills him with immense fear.

  He has to learn to control his power before it’s too late. He saw a ray of hope whenever he managed to bring himself back during his match with Ellen, proving it is possible.

  “Are you sure your head healed properly?” Phiona asks. Quinn stares daggers at Phiona.

  “Look, you didn’t have to follow me. I only have a couple of days at most to change Louise’s mind before you guys leave. So just leave if you aren’t going to be useful.” Quinn goes back to training in silence, and Phiona leaves after determining that Quinn was fully healed.

  Hours go by, the stares are out, and Quinn is still going at it. Sweat drips from his brow as he focuses, and his legs are numb from how long he has been sitting. Yet no matter how hard he tries, he makes zero progress.

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  Quinn grows increasingly agitated as each passing second drags on, and now all he has to show for his efforts is a bit of sweat and an empty stomach.

  Tired and annoyed, Quinn stomps off and returns to his room. He immediately hops in the shower, washing away the accumulated fatigue and dirt. After cleaning up, Quinn contemplates going to bed hungry. Just before he gets into bed, there is a knock on his door.

  Who would see me this late? Quinn opens the door, but instead of seeing a person, there is a single plate of steamed vegetables with meat and a glass of water set on the floor.

  He pokes his head out and scans the area. Whoever it was didn’t want to be seen. He is thankful for the food nonetheless. At least this means he is still being treated like a guest.

  Quinn thinks back. I guess she really did mean what she said? Although he had been rude to Louise, she still intended to keep her promise and had no intention of kicking Quinn to the streets before he was ready. After finishing his meal, Quinn decides he has no time to spare and goes back out to train some more.

  Since his previous attempt had failed, this time Quinn tries the training dummies. The Verdeys are a very wealthy family of warriors. As a result, they spend most of their money on state-of-the-art equipment to support their training. The training dummy Quinn walks up to is one of those expenditures. That said, it is more like a golem than a dummy. It has a core and can move on its own. The only problem is that Quinn has no idea how it works.

  “Where the hell is the on switch for this thing?” Quinn roughly inspects the golem to no avail. He lets out a sigh and kicks the golem's foot. “Stupid heap of junk.” The golem's eyes flicker on. “Hmm?”

  A blue light shines from its core. The surrounding dirt and rocks form a protective layer around its body. The small golem, which reached Quinn’s chin, triples in size, towering over him. The golem extends its palm. The blue light grows brighter and brighter as sparks begin forming around its hand.

  “I hate this place.”

  -Boom

  A dark figure watches the absurdity unfold at the training grounds from the second-floor window of the main house. They eventually close the curtain, and their silhouette shows them walking away.

  ***

  The next morning, Quinn wakes up in his bed. He sits up and places his hand on his head. “Agh, wha-what happened?” The last thing he remembers is a bright flash. “Ahh, right, that stupid golem. Well, since I’m here, I guess someone found me and brought me to my room. Damn, thats emberassing.” Quinn falls back into his bed in shame. Quinn knew training wouldn’t be easy, but he didn’t expect it to go nowhere.

  He wasted an entire day doing nothing but sitting and searching for a feeling that never came. And when that didn’t work, he got knocked out by a golem he struggled to activate.

  At this rate, the expedition will be over before Quinn can control his power. “Ahhh! Thinking about it isn’t going to get me anywhere.” Quinn gets out of bed and heads out the door. As soon as he steps out, he runs into something soft.

  “Huh?” Quinn bounces back, stopping himself just before he falls.

  “Whoa. You okay there?” Phiona stands outside the door, holding a plate of food and a glass of water.

  “Ye-yeah. What are you doing here?” Quinn asks, his face flushed. Phiona tilts her head at the question.

  “Hmm? Isn’t it obvious? I’m bringing you your breakfast.”

  “I could have just gone to the kitchen myself.”

  “Umm, Ellen and Louise are currently eating there. I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable after what happened, so I thought I would bring the food to you instead. Should I not have?” she explains.

  “Ah, no, it’s fine. I don’t really mind. Thanks anyway.” Quinn gently takes his meal and sets it on his desk. Phiona’s face beams with joy.

  “Hehe. You’re welcome. So what’s your plan for today? More training?”

  “Something like that.” Quinn pokes at his eggs with his fork, testing their consistency, then takes a bite. His eyes lit up. They are just how he likes them, silky smooth and buttery.

  “What, is it not going well?”

  “Far from it,” Quinn admits, scarfing down his food.

  “Want some help?”

  “I mean, if you’re offering, I won’t say no.”

  “Good, I’ll make sure you achieve your goal. When do we start?”

  “Right now.” Quinn licks the plate clean and heads out the door.

  “Already?” Phiona hurries behind him.

  ***

  Quinn returns to the training grounds, which has become more of a personal space for Quinn since Albert is away, spending time with his family, and the other soldiers are with Louise’s parents. Quinn and Phiona go to the center of the training grounds.

  “Alright, go ahead and start meditating like last time,” Phiona instructs.

  “Well, it hasn’t really done anything except waste time, so I was hoping to try something different.”

  “It’s fine, trust me,” Phiona says with a smile. Quinn begrudgingly sits down and focuses as he had on the first day, trying to remember the power coursing through his body. Minutes pass, and nothing. Quinn grows impatient and is about to lash out.

  Then a slight cooling sensation spreads through his body. Something is happening. The feeling is a bit different from what he remembers, but something is clearly happening. The cooling grows stronger and stronger… Too strong.

  “Huh?” Quinn opens his eyes as Phiona unleashes a strong gust of wind that knocks him down. “What the hell are you doing? You, crazy, brainless buffoon! I thought you were going to help me, not mess with me and waste my time!” Quinn flares up, screaming at Phiona.

  “I am helping,” Phiona claims.

  “You’re insane.”

  “How rude. If anything, you’re the crazy one. What kind of idiot tries to remember how the power itself felt instead of what feelings they had when it happened?”

  “What? My feelings?”

  “Yes, your feelings. All forms of power, whether it’s magic, aura, or gifts, have a trigger or a combination of them. For some, it’s words or drawings of symbols, and for people like Louise or me, we rely on our feelings. ‘I want to live, I want to kill, I want to protect.’ The stronger the feeling, the stronger the power we bring forth. Considering I’ve never seen you draw or yell out your moves, I assume you’re the latter.”

  “What did I feel?” Quinn thinks back to those memories and realizes that Phiona is right. The first time his power emerged, he was on the brink of death and wanted revenge on those who had hurt him and his father. He placed his hand over his heart and searched deeper. There it was, the familiar feeling.

  “How is it? Feel any different?”

  “Yeah. I think I do.”