1202’s shoulders rippled, the usually soft muscle tightening around his lean shoulders. His tatau flared, pulsating light thumping like a racing heartbeat. He exhaled, cracked lips shivering. He popped the knuckles of his right hand, flexing his fingers open and closed as he tried to work out the numbness and pain from the heavy punch he’d just landed.

“Haaaaah,” he opened his mouth to speak and a long, drawn-out groan slipped out. Saliva dripped out the corner of his mouth, dribbling over his parched lips.

“Ugh, that hurt boy,” a voice drifted up from the destroyed ground. The dust cleared as the woman, the instructor, stood and dusted herself off. “I was sure you guys were both knocked out properly.”

She rotated her neck, leaned back and forth, and sighed as she finally achieved what she was aiming for.

“Look, it’ll be better for all of us if you two just give in and go to sleep,” she motioned at 1202, dismissively waving at him. “I’d rather not accidentally break you.”

All the young man could manage was a pained groan. His twitching muscles answered. Without warning, he dashed forward and sprung through the air. He reached out and grabbed the back of the woman’s head, swinging a knee up at her face. His knee landed against something hard and unyielding as he was stopped mid-strike. A rough hand curled around his knee and held him suspended.

“Boy, you don’t wa--,” he interrupted her with a wild, unruly slap that rang through the arena.

The tattooed woman smirked as the tatau on her lower jaw flared brilliantly. She let go of his knee, letting him drop. With a short, quick thrust of her neck, she headbutted him as he fell. Blood rained down on the woman’s face as his nose crunched painfully.

1202 groaned, glowing eyes rolling back into his head. Instead of falling over unconscious, his leg shot out in an oddly angled kick as he bent over backward. The crook of his ankle landed on the woman’s neck, thudding hard and causing her knees to buckle. She grunted under the weight of the kick.

“This fuckin’ kid,” she growled as she lashed out, throwing an ugly punch that connected with the young man’s bits and pushing him back and away.

1202 groaned, eyes widening as he stumbled and slid backward. It didn’t seem to hurt but he still reacted, doubling over and cupping his injured privates.

The instructor stepped forward and threw a downward elbow at his head. She ground her teeth as his hard skull repulsed her vibrating arm.

The force of the elbow blew 1202 off his feet, face planting into the ground. Blood leaked from beneath his face, pooling in the small depression his head had made in the dusty ground.

“Fuck,” the muscular woman growled, rubbing at her elbow. “Hard-headed kids these da--,”

A kick rocked her jaw, teeth chattering as she nearly bit off her tongue. The strike lifted her off her feet, neck extending painfully as a wild, ululating screech broke the relative quiet that had settled over the spacious area.

A second kick landed, shin-first, on her exposed midriff. Another kick followed, quickly striking at the other side. Each attack was accompanied by a bright flash and a low groan.

715’s face glowed brilliantly, her eyes a clear white. Just like her brother, every fiber and muscle on her body was tense. Her sinewy shoulders pulsated with each attack she made, alternating between a kick and punch and a combo. Blue streaks of mana ran up and down her body like streaks of lightning on a dark, cloudless night.

Her speed grew with each punch, her strength with each kick. She continued her onslaught, taking no time to breathe and giving the instructor no time to recover. Each strike resounded, thudding pleasantly with a slight report. It was like she was running drills, hitting every point perfectly. She twisted her hips into a deep, shoveling uppercut, grinding her knuckles into the side of the woman.

“Hrrrrrrrghhh,” she groaned, unable to speak through the ecstasy that flowed through her veins. She twisted again, leaning all her weight forward as she threw another looping uppercut into the woman’s gut. As if her body were springloaded, she lashed out with an opposing low kick. The thick, tree-like leg gave way as the instructor stumbled and fell.

715 landed a couple more punches before the defenseless woman hit the ground. She dove on top, pinning the woman’s brawny arms to the side with her knees as she dropped elbow after elbow. The young woman reared back, winding up with a twist of her hips and smashing down with all the force she could muster from the awkward position. The elbow landed with a satisfying crunch, dust puffing up and around the struggling pair.

She wound up again, twisting her hips further this time. The elbow wooshed, splitting the stagnant air as it descended.

“Tuku ia,” a deep, guttural voice cooed. It filled the expansive arena, making the space feel small and minuscule. A weight seemed to descend on the crazed 715 as her shoulders slumped, head snapping to the side. Her falling attack abruptly halted, tense muscles held in place as they twitched and jerked.

“Get up,” the voice rumbled, dust swirling violently as the words were released. Waves of mana pulsed through the room, pushing the ‘Afu’ia young woman to her knees.

715 sneered as pain twisted its way through her body. The sound of her grinding teeth accompanied the buzzing from the swells of colorful power that swept through the grounds. She strained, muscles and veins pulsing under her thick skin.

“Mohe,” the voice thundered. A wave of black, ichorous mana swept over the struggling 715. The way it moved made her stomach churn, even in her stupefied state. It grumbled in protest as the ugly thing swept over her. The black clouds touch made her skin pucker and tighten as she shuddered. It crept up her neck, prickling every inch of skin as it clawed its way up. Slowly, agonizingly slow, she felt as the tiny fingers and tendrils of the mass coiled up under her chin. It tickled her throat, feeling like millions of tiny legs were churning their way up her face. She felt something wedge itself between her lips, smoothly sliding between the tightly pressed folds. It parted her teeth and filled her mouth.

Saliva pooled beneath her tongue as the roiling mass hit the back of her throat. Her jaw flew open as the black mass rushed forward. It filled her, howling and screaming as it twisted its way deep into the young woman. Her eyes rolled back as a sweet nothingness reached out and grabbed her.

Laying on the ground, her brother convulsed as the same cloying appendages reached down his throat.

---

“Tu’u,” a voice growled at the pair. They knew who it was that spoke to them. Every fiber in their being felt alive, synapses firing on all cylinders.

The girl felt the boy. The boy knew the girl. Every beat, every movement, every breath was inextricably linked. A thumping, low and rhythmic, filled the emptiness. It felt familiar, it felt safe. They both knew what it was and yet they couldn’t find the right words. Thoughts bubbled and popped over their heads, living and dying within the same moment in time.

“Tu’u, ‘unu,” the voice said.

It felt as if life itself were speaking to the confused pair. Every word, what few had been spoken, exhilarated and scared them. The boy felt the existential dread that coursed through the girl’s body. The girl felt the ecstasy and bliss that sent shivers down the boy’s spine. They both wanted more and yet couldn’t bear further.

The boy opened his mouth and the girl spoke.

“Haaaa,” she groaned, unable to form the right words. Her body betrayed the boy’s will, refusing to utter even the simplest of words. He knew what he wanted to say yet she refused to be his microphone.

The girl grit her teeth, brittle ivory clanging loudly in the silent landscape. The boy yelped as the girl bit down on the tip of her tongue, moaning as the pain twisted through his body.

“Tu’u, ‘unu, lea,” the voice boomed once more.

The dull space sharpened. Light and dark, red and blue, black and white, they all burst into the pair's understanding. At the same time, they both clutched their stomachs, groaning in the same fashion. The boy's deeper voice came out of the girl's mouth. The girl’s higher-pitched one fell out of the boys.

Their scream filled the suddenly bright and colorful, yet empty, landscape. A double voice, rising and falling, lilting and wailing. They sank to one knee, exposed flesh thumping hard against the cold ground.

“Wwwwwwaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!” screamed the girl, her brother's voice cracking as it spilled forth.

“Hhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaawwwww!” the boy screamed, his sister’s husky voice sounding like it was being sucked out of his voice box.

“Tu’u, ‘unu, lea, mate,” the voice boomed. The colorful landscape splintered, cracking like a mirror flung aside carelessly. Tendrils of the deepest black seeped out from between the fissures, oddly shaped and hard to look at. It slithered, shifting side to side as it squeezed its way out. Hundred, thousands, millions of billowing tendrils struggled to free themselves, swaying in their gut-churning way.

Black ichor dripped from the girl's nose as the color drained from the boy's face. It moved like the billowing smoke, languid and disgusting. The boy, eyes shut tight, griped at his nose. He could feel it, the way the thing slid out of his nose. He fought the rising bile that threatened the back of his throat. His hands found nothing.

The girl turned her sharp eyes on her brother, squinting as she tried to arrange her muddled thoughts. Ichor continued to drip down her face, swaying as it plopped onto the smashed ground beneath her. It stacked on itself rather than spreading out into a pool.

Smoky black hands, finally free of their captivity, spread up and wrapped their tiny fingers around the sibling’s legs. They layered on themselves, growing and thickening as they spread out.

Neither of the siblings felt the disgusting touch as it crept up their bare flesh.

“Tu’u, ‘unu, lea, mate, mo’ui,” the voice thundered. Time halted as the last word was spoken.

“Mo’ui,” the deep voice repeated.

The thumping from before came back. Their chests ached as they simultaneously clutched their left pec. It started slow and weak. Bump-thump. Bump-thump.

The girl felt color. She heard the rank hands, frozen mid grope. She smelled the heated wind and it reminded her of the sweet breath of a newborn.

“Mo’ui,” the voice spoke again, this time not as loud as before.

The thumping and beating grew, gaining speed. The boy felt it, felt something. His temple ached as it pulsed to the beat set by the beating. An ache grew in his throat like he had been running and running and the simple act of breathing burned icy cold.

Darkness descended, blooming over their heads. They hadn’t seen when it had begun and they had the feeling they’d never see the end. The darkness moved, spreading out and engulfing the encroaching tendrils and hands and claws.

“Mo’ui,” the voice whispered.

The siblings blinked, the girl for the boy and the boy for the girl, and time resumed its ineffable march.

—-

1202 stirred, taking in a stinging breath. His chest ached, so did his head and his ass. Everything hurt. And then it didn’t.

He shot up, covers falling away. The slight pudge on his stomach jiggled as he moved. For someone who trained so much, he found it surprisingly hard to get rid of that pesky belly fat.

“Sis?” he croaked. He licked his lips, tongue scraping like sandpaper. He looked around the room and finally realized that he wasn’t sure where he was. “Sis?!”

A hint of confusion and fear tinged his cry.

“She is resting in another room, candidate,” a slightly high pitched voice rang out. Out of the shadows stepped the largest man 1202 had ever seen. He gasped as the rough taste of cotton grew in his throat. The giant person loomed, streaks of colorful mana dancing across his face in a show of his awesome power. The black vestments of the Faifekau clung to the man’s huge body, straining against his mass.

“You must rest as well, candidate.”

1202, mouth open and lips twitching, let out an awkward squawk. He coughed, slapping his chest with a limp, fuzzy hand.

“I just,” he wheezed as the coughing continued. “I just wanna make sure she’s ok.”

The huge man nodded, jaw set and flexing. 1202 couldn’t help but notice the way the man’s face shifted as he breathed. It was like the giant was a bundle of energy that was having a hard time staying contained.

“Understood,” the Faifekau nodded, turning smoothly on his heels. A door opened before the man even reached it and warm sunlight beckoned at 1202.

“This way, please. If you need assistance walking, cling to my back.”

The young man rose, a bit faster than he’d intended. His head swam as the blood rushed up and swirled about, vision dotting and popping. His knees clanked beneath him as he stretched both arms out to steady himself.

“I’ll be fine,” he managed through a cough. Pain ran up his exposed arm as the smell of charred skin circled him. He wrinkled his nose and recoiled as he held his arms up. The edges of some of his tatau glowed like the dying embers of a campfire. The pain punched through the mental fog, clearing his sinuses and causing his nostrils to run.

“Ah!” he let out a whimper, adrenaline barely keeping him upright. “What the fuck’s happening?”

“‘Afu’ia.”