"How I feel?" Jordan stumbled on his words, not knowing what his father meant by it.
"Come on, Jordan, don't play stupid. You've been through a lot—all of you have, actually. But you know what I mean. Have you been able to tell anybody, or at least let it all out? How do you feel about everything that's happened to you?"
After finally understanding what his father meant, Jordan thought back on everything that had happened in the span of around two months. They'd been through a lot. Even though they hadn't known each other long, the group held together surprisingly tight—tighter than most.
But when he really thought about it, only one person came to mind: Riven.
He was the reason the group was still alive. Him and the system and its strange abilities. Without them, they likely all would've died.
"I feel like I now know the true meaning of life," Jordan finally answered.
"Oh really? And what's that?"
"That life is truly unfair. No matter how innocent you are, or how much you have nothing to do with something, somehow, some way, you'll get dragged into it. And if you're not in a higher position, you'll have to do things you never wanted to do just to survive."
Kaden hadn't expected this answer.
"Is all this trauma from the beast raid? But even then… what does that have to do with beasts randomly attacking the academy dome?"
He wanted to ask more, but he could see his son was in a vulnerable state, so he held back.
"Dad, I want to talk, but please… don't ask questions."
Kaden nodded.
"Dad… we've all technically killed before."
"Yes, I know—you had to kill beasts to survive."
"Only that second part is true. We did it to survive."
Kaden's confusion deepened until realization hit him. His expression shifted sharply.
"…You're talking about a person."
"Yes. We didn't have a choice. They were on the side of the beasts. If we didn't act, we would've died. Everyone there would've died. But looking back, the fact that we didn't hesitate… it just shows that no matter how innocent a human is, being a murderer… it's in our DNA."
Kaden's face turned serious.
"Who else knows?"
"Only the teachers and the students who were there. Maybe the teachers told the higher-ups, but nobody did anything."
"Good. That means everything will be fine. But Jordan…" Kaden leaned closer. "This doesn't make you a murderer. You had no choice. That's the truth of this world. 'Choice' is just a word. Look at me, son."
Jordan lifted his head, and Kaden pulled him into a hug.
"No matter what you or Riven do, the first people you can come to are me and your mother. And don't blame yourself for doing what you had to do. They made their choice, which forced your hand to make yours. Don't beat yourself up over someone else's decisions. Out there, it's kill or be killed. Do you hear me?"
Jordan nodded as Kaden backed away. They both sat in a meditative position.
"Now, another question: how do you feel about the others in your group?"
"The others? I think they're cool. We still haven't known each other long, but because of what some of us have been through together, it strengthened us. That's why we made it this far."
"Is that how you solemnly feel?" Kaden chuckled.
"Yes."
"Then I only have one last thing to ask you. How do you feel about Riven?"
"Riven?"
"Yes, Riven. As we all know now, he's the reason for all of this. His power is a great one indeed."
"But why are you asking about him?"
"Because his ability is better than yours—ten times better, maybe even a million times better. If I asked a million people to choose between your ability or his, they'd pick him."
"So what? Riven is my brother. Sure, sometimes I get jealous of his ability. And yeah, sometimes I wonder what I would do if I had what he has. But in the end, I don't care. He has his and I have mine. He even gave me abilities to help me grow. He's kind. He's helped all of us unlock great power. So no, Dad—I'll never betray him."
Kaden chuckled, realizing Jordan saw straight through him.
"Well, that's all. Bring in whoever you think should come next."
As Jordan walked back toward the house, he thought about what his father had tried to plant in his mind.
I would never betray him. Never.
But… I can't help but see he's beyond me. If we went ability for ability, he'd win without a doubt.
But that's even more reason to push myself. I will not be Riven's shadow.
I can tell how Dad looks at him. Maybe it's because they're both conductors, but… I feel neglected compared to him.
All the more reason to surpass him.
Little did Kaden know, this conversation awakened a battle spirit inside Jordan, allowing him to unlock the true power of a flowor.
As he walked inside, the person he chose next was Wren. Out of everyone, she needed this the most. As Wren stepped forward, Nico pointed something out.
"Jordan, your qi… it's in your eyes. Why?"
"I am?" Jordan blinked, confused. He hadn't realized he was doing it.
What no one caught was how Jordan's pupils shifted from black to violet for a moment—what looked like a petal briefly forming inside them before disappearing.
Wren walked into the training room. Just like the others, she assumed Kaden wanted to fight.
"So why did you want me next?" Wren asked.
"I didn't. Jordan chose you."
Wren frowned. Does he think something's wrong with me?
"To be honest, you were the first person I wanted to talk to," Kaden added.
"Why?" she asked with attitude.
"You're the most outspoken of them all. When they wanted to do the raid, you shut them down—and I don't blame you."
"So why am I here then?"
"Good question. One you've been asking yourself since you got on that bus."
Kaden smiled as he saw her eyes waver.
"What I want to talk about… is your honesty."
"My honesty? I'm always honest. I've never lied to any of them. I haven't done anything to hurt them. What's so funny?" she asked angrily as Kaden smiled.
"It's not about them. This is about you—your honesty with yourself. Wren, why do you do this? Why do you stick with them? Why did you come here?"
"I did this for Jude. I knew she would want to join them, so I just—"
"Lie."
Wren froze.
"Lie?"
"Yes. A lie. You're honest with everyone… except yourself. Look at me and tell me why you came here."
"I came because—"
"Lie."
"I came—"
"Lie."
"I—"
"Lie. Are you going to be honest?"
"I am being honest! You—you fart!"
Kaden raised an eyebrow.
"I'm a fart? Really? You can do better than that. Which proves I'm right."
Wren looked away, her face heating.
"Fine. Let's say you're right. How am I lying to myself?"
"By the way you carry yourself. By how you talk to the others. You make it seem like you're doing this only for yourself. But from what little I can sense from my son's power, all of you are connected. And it seems like you can't cut that connection no matter what you say. But the truth is—"
"Then what's the truth?" Wren snapped, defensive—not because his accusations upset her, but because they were true.
"You care about them—all of them. Not just Tessa. You care about Riven, Jordan, Jude, Nico, Leo, Skye, Harkel, Joey, Luka, and Kira. You're not here for your own survival. You're here to protect theirs. That's why you didn't want to go into the raid. You were scared for their lives. You're scared that at some point Riven will get himself into something that puts everyone in danger—including himself."
Wren looked him in the eyes—and for once, she didn't look away. Something in his expression—steady, patient—made it easier to speak.
"I never really… had a friend group," she whispered.
"I was always alone. Not because I hated people. I just didn't know how to start anything. Being alone was easier."
She hesitated, then continued.
"A lot of that came from home. My mom was always busy—meetings, traveling, work. She wasn't bad, just… never there. So I got used to being alone. Didn't expect anyone to stay."
She swallowed.
"But then Tessa talked to me. She was kind. Gentle. She talked to me like I mattered. And then later… the boys didn't force their way in, but they didn't leave either. They stayed. Before I realized it, they'd become my first real friend group."
Warmth entered her voice.
"And because of them, I met even more people. I still like my space. I still like a little distance. Not because I don't care—just because I'm still figuring things out. Still learning how to be around people. But… I like being with them. Being part of something. That's enough for now."
Kaden rested his hands on her shoulders.
"I can't tell you how to overcome your sorrow right now. But I can tell you this: follow what your heart tells you, and don't waver in what you believe in."
Wren could tell the talk was wrapping up.
"And if Riven gets you all into a dangerous situation," he added, "give him a good smack and tell him it was from me."
Wren smirked and gave him a thumbs up.
"Got it."
The next person to walk in was a blue-haired boy.
"Ah, Harkel. You were probably the second person I wanted to see the most," Kaden said.
"Alright, let's fight!" Harkel bounced excitedly.
"No," Kaden repeated, just like before.
"Okay… so why me?"
"Because you're in the same boat as Wren—just different."
Harkel leaned forward, intrigued.
"I won't talk about what Wren and I discussed. That stays between us. But you… you have a conflict. So tell me—why do you want to grow stronger?"
"Good question. And before I answer—none of this leaves the room, right?"
Kaden nodded.
"I want to grow stronger so I can hear my father say, 'I am proud of you, son.' You don't know our code or what we believe in in the Voss Clan. My father is the head of the clan, and he's led it since before I was born. He rules with an iron fist. He's respected by all. And yet… compared to him, I'm seen as a failure."
"I want to stop you right there," Kaden said gently. "You've grown a ton. Sure, we didn't know you before the academy, but we've watched you grow. Why do you still have that same mentality?"
"My father is a specialist—or at least that's what the clan calls him. In his generation, he was in a league of his own. Before he turned ten, he naturally evolved. But it wasn't his evolution that made him so strong—it was his talent. A year later, he awakened twice, completing two awakenings in one year. He was seen as a prodigy. Some of my siblings showed signs of talent too, but none of us matched him."
"Hm. And what is his ability?" Kaden asked.
"My father is a fiction evolver."
"A fiction evolver? That's a rare breed."
"There are three types of evolvers:
• Forced evolvers awaken from stress.
• Natural evolvers awaken between 10 and 16.
• And fiction evolvers—who awaken abilities from fictional worlds."
He explained everything to Kaden, who listened carefully.
"So," Kaden stretched his legs, "who is he based off?"
"You know that anime with a good first season, but the rest of the seasons were kinda bad?"
Kaden nodded.
"He's based off the guy who gets powered by the sun."
"Ah. The Sin of Pride. No wonder he's the head. But that's even more reason not to blame yourself. He has an incredible ability. And fiction evolvers can awaken faster because they already know how their abilities work. You couldn't help falling behind."
Harkel had never thought of it that way.
"But I can tell that still doesn't satisfy you. So tell me—how do you think you can grow stronger?"
Harkel thought hard.
"Other than these cuffs, maybe combining my ability with qi? Even though I don't think that's right for me. My main abilities are air and lightning. But it might work?"
"That's a good idea," Kaden said, chuckling. "But I think we found an even better way during this talk."
Harkel blinked.
"What do you mean?"
"What did you use to train your air abilities?"
Harkel thought back. As a kid, he watched tutorial videos. Beginner guides. His father hired instructors from the clan and outside the clan.
"And what do you think they used to learn their evolutions?"
"They probably made up their own techniques."
"Exactly. Training based on instinct. Something my father left me was an old DVD player and some discs. You probably don't know what that is—heck, I barely knew. But there was one show on those discs that I think you'd love. Something I think you should watch to improve your air evolution."
Kaden smiled.
"It's a show called Avatar. Trust me—you're going to love it. Maybe Nico and Wren can watch with you, since their elements are in the show too."
Harkel kept that in mind as he stood up. Kaden repeated the same closing words he gave the others.
"Trust me—you're gonna love that show."
Harkel ran out to get the next person.