Will wouldn’t know-how for nearly a week, but Togai managed to escape the same day the entire Nexus left for the tournament. They were barely in the air for an hour when he made his move. Will was right in assuming that he’d been keeping track of the passage of time, and knew exactly what day it was. The tournament was two days away, which gave him just over forty-six hours to travel. No better time than now, he’d thought.

Outside his makeshift cell, where there would normally be two members of the Nexus standing guard and ready to attack should he look like escaping, there were dozens of explosive devices set. They were arranged in such a way that he couldn’t pick a safe path out of his room. He saw them as soon as he broke the lock of the door with one well-placed, powerful punch. He grinned, amused at the effort they’d taken. He couldn’t waste his time on such trifles.

He could see the camera pointed at his door, and gave it a sardonic wave. His first instinct would have been to simply run at the wall, using the momentum to propel him onto the next wall, repeating until he was free of the landmines. But they’d thought of that as well, and had attached several explosives there as well. No way for him to accurately avoid all of them. He’d almost certainly set one-off, and that would detonate the rest. He couldn’t heal if there was nothing left of his body to repair, of course. It was certainly a challenge, but not one he couldn’t beat. He retreated into the room, looking for the answer.

It turned out to be his bed. A sturdy thing, made out of thick wood. Just thick enough that it could protect him. Of course, the force would still kill a normal human, but he was anything but normal. He flipped the bed onto its end, pushing and rotating it so that it was nearly flush with the wall across from the bed. Just enough room to shelter him, but not enough to turn the bed into a projectile. Then he removed one of his sandals, took careful aim, and threw it, quickly darting back behind the bed.

The explosion as nearly seventy land mines were destroyed in rapid succession could be heard throughout the quiet city of Fairbanks. It destroyed the building completely, sending the rubble flying across Nexus Hill. All who hear it froze, knowing the source and terrified as to what it could be. Some even saw the roiling fireball that was thrown into the sky. It was a vivid image against the night sky. Shortly after that, there was more light. A fire had spread across the entire hill, quickly claiming the entire property. It was nearly an hour before someone thought of sending help. It took another hour for such a party to be made, and yet another hour before they worked up the courage to make the climb. By then, it was too late to hope to salvage anything.

Before the search party had even been formed, a lone figure stumbled into the Fairbanks International airport. He was dressed in what looked like tattered white robes but was immediately recognized as a member of the Soul Nexus. The nervous clerk hurried to give the man a seat on the next flight to Seattle. He had an important meeting to attend, and couldn’t be delayed. By law, he couldn’t be refused. He thanked them politely, finding a fresh set of clothing before settling into his flight in a first-class seat.

-

Will sighed as he put down his book, rubbing his temple with his free hand. For some reason, he’d developed a migraine the instant he’d stepped foot on the shuttle train that would take the Nexus to the tournament site. It would be a long trip, he thought. It would not be improved by a splitting pain in his head. He let out a groan as another wave of pain racked him, and reached desperately for his water bottle.

“Is it acting up again?” Charlisa asked concern written large on her face. Her forehead had been wrinkled in a frown since they’d departed Seattle, and that had been nearly ten hours ago. “I can try again if you’d like.”

Gritting his teeth, Will shook his head as gently as possible and forced himself to speak. “You tried already. It didn’t work.”

For she had indeed tried, several times, to cure his headache. Not only her. Noratuk and Angel, the two other gifted healers of the Nexus, had tried, in vain, to eliminate this pain for him. It was unusual, as Noratuk had said, for it not to work. Their healing abilities had never failed before, even for severe conditions like diseases. Anything could be burned out of the body, they had said. But not this.

The bullet train they rode in turned sharply, and the movement jolted Will, making the discomfort and pain ten times worse. He let out a long groan, abandoning the water bottle, and clutched his head. He gripped it firmly as if it were possible to crush his pain away. He curled up in his seat, sweating profusely, his temperature soaring, for nearly an hour. He wasn’t aware of Charlisa hugging him, whispering words of comfort, nor of the other Nexians, James, Edward, and Noratuk watching him in concern.

Finally, the wave of pain faded, and he relaxed, collapsing back into his seat. He had no strength left in his body, and he was drenched in sweat from the burning temperature of his body. He tried to reduce his heat field, but couldn’t accomplish even that small task. He drifted in and out of consciousness for another hour or so, completely oblivious to what was happening around him.

“What’s wrong with him?” James asked, turning to Edward. “Have you seen anything like this?”

The Alpha shook his head slowly, his face unnaturally pale. It paled further as Charlisa suddenly bent over, seizing the bucket in front of her, and vomiting. He rushed forward to rub her back, pulling her hair out of the way. “I’ve never seen that happen. Are you alright, dear?”

“I’m f-fine,” she spluttered, taking a sip from Will’s abandoned water bottle. “I think it must just be motion sickness.”

“But you’ve never had a problem in the car or on a plane,” Edward said, one hand resting on her shoulder. “Maybe this is just too fast for you.”

“Maybe,” she replied weakly, leaning back into her seat. “I’ll be alright, Dad. You should get some rest. I’m gonna take a nap while Will sleeps.”

He looked like he didn’t agree with that plan, but accepted. “Alright. Rest easy, dear. Let me know if you need anything.”

He made his way back to the compartment he shared with Noratuk, chivying the others out before him, then closing the door. Will stirred at that exact moment, coming awake and looking around through bleary eyes. He saw how pale Charlisa was, and reached out one hand to grip hers. “You were sick again?”

She nodded without speaking, her eyes shut tight and breathing heavily. He tried to grip her hand reassuringly but was alarmed to find that he didn’t have the strength to do so. His entire body ached, and he was sore like he’d just finished an intense workout using every muscle in his body. “What in the world is going on? Why are we in such bad shape?”

“I don’t know,” she finally said, visibly repressing the urge to throw up once more. “I think I’m just motion sick. I have no clue what’s happening to you.”

His mind felt like mud as he leaned closer to her, resting his forehead against her shoulder. “I’m sorry I can’t do anything for you.”

She ran one hand through his hair in a comforting way. “Don’t worry babe. You need to rest. I’m sure that whatever it is, it will pass.”

“I hope you’re right,” he groaned into her shoulder. “I can’t fight in the tournament like this.”

“We’ve still got two days,” she reassured him. “Plenty of time for you to beat it and be in top form.”

He lifted his head enough to smile at her. “Thanks for believing in me. I love you.”

She returned his smile, albeit a bit tiredly. “I love you too. Now go to sleep, love.”

She pushed him back down in his seat, then pulled the lever to make the back fall, turning it into a small bed. She wriggled over until she was pressed against him, then pulled a blanket over both of them with one hand. With one hand under her head and the other wrapped around her, he let out a long sigh, already feeling himself start to slip away. He just hoped he could get enough rest before the next wave hit him. He hoped even more that there wouldn’t be any more pain. Ten hours had been enough.

-

He was alone again, in that wasteland, surrounded by his fallen family. Charlisa sobbed nearby over the body of her father, and he screamed for Togai, his voice rippling into the stormy sky. The lack of mountains on the horizon provided no echo, but still, his voice rippled. The sheer range and grief contained in his voice shook the air. Then, once again, he was pushed from himself, to watch from the outside. This was exactly where the dream had ended last time, he thought. But it didn’t end now.

Before his eyes, a new figure appeared, virtually out of thin air, beside his screaming form. It was Tobias! Will watched as he rounded on the man, his fury even more evident. He grabbed Tobias by the collar and shook him. “Look what’s happened!”

“I see,” Tobias said. His voice was quiet, but for some reason, Will could hear it as if it were right next to him. There was genuine grief in his words. “I’m sorry, Will. I’m so sorry. I couldn’t do anything to stop this.”

“But you can do anything!” Will screamed at him. He felt the surge of grief in both his body and the one grabbing Tobias. “You’re the most powerful of us all!”

“Power isn’t everything!” Tobias snapped, and he stepped back, breaking Will’s grip. “I’m not perfect!”

Will, the one in the dream, snorted angrily and stomped away. Even Charlisa looked up at him as he paced, her face twisted by fear. Finally, the dream Will snapped out, “Where is Togai? He needs to pay for what he’s done! I will kill him!”

“You know where he is,” Tobias said. Again, the voice was barely above a whisper. “It is time, Will. You have to stop him if you want to save everything.”

Will let out a furious yell, and electricity appeared around his body, crackling violently. In the blink of an eye, he was gone, leaving only a cloud of dust that marked the point from which he’d disappeared. The real Will looked on in horror, then switched his gaze to Tobias. The man was dressed in dark black robes now. The symbol for each Nexus was arranged in a line down his back. He turned, and, to Will’s surprise, looked directly at him.

“I told you it wouldn’t be easy,” he said, his voice full of grief again. “You will lose a great deal on your path.”

“This,” Will began, but his voice faltered. He cleared it again and choked out the words through a throat closed tight with fear and grief. Even if all his loved ones were alive in reality, it still tore at his heart to see this devastation. “This isn’t a dream?”

Tobias shook his head slowly. “I wish it was, young Will. It is nothing more or less than your complete destiny. You are meant to arrive at this point. I can only guide you, and give you the power you need. I have done so now. I can only hope that you reach this point. It is the worst pain I could inflict on you, but with it, I have the greatest chance of saving us all.”

With a snap in the back of his mind, as if his Condition had just broken a thousand times at once, his vision went dark.