It's been a week since I decided and embraced my new life. Gabriel left us to check on matters as soon as we arrived, and I haven't seen him since. The door we walked through led to a castle, where I've spent all my time. Helena told me that I could not leave the grounds until my body had finished changing. That's fine by me; it gives me time to relax and come to terms with all I've been through.

I have my own room, and it's pretty lovely as well. They don’t have electricity here; they use oil lamps. Thankfully they have showers so I can clean myself off after the journey. Wherever we are is less technologically advanced than the empire, but it's still comfortable. I was worried that we'd be living in mud houses and pooping in holes. That's my old way of thinking. The thought that everywhere else is savage and lesser is wrong, and I need to adjust my worldview.

My room has a nice bed with wonderfully soft sheets, and every time I look at it, I want to take a nap. I have a desk with a chair and a small clock on top. The rest of the furniture is an empty bookshelf, a full-body mirror, and a dresser. I have two windows that face the courtyard, and I can see a sizable town surrounding the castle. Beyond the town was a dense forest that I couldn't see the end of it even with my improved eyesight. I'm again in awe of how different the rest of the world is.

Stepping away from my window, I noticed it was 6:32 AM, which means I'll be expected at breakfast soon. Each bedroom has an attached bathroom, so I don't need to go far to get ready. Stripping out of my pajamas, I make my way to the bathroom. The hot water feels terrific against my skin, and I block out everything except the sound of the running water. I stand there for almost ten minutes until I begin the routine of washing. As I'm drying myself off, I take a look at myself in the mirror, and I'm amazed at the difference. My curly blonde hair falls past my green eyes to a face a bit more striking. I’ve always been middle of the pack in terms of everything. No more baby fat on my cheeks, no muscles yet, but I'm lean now. Helena said that I'd look even more handsome and refined by the time I finish puberty. Hopefully, I’ll get taller as well; being five foot four sucks. There doesn't seem to be any ugly Forchunae. Yet another advantage we have over regular people. I'm hopeful about today; maybe Helena will allow me to go outside.

I walked over to my dresser and opened it to figure out my outfit for the day. Marissa had come by the day after we arrived and took away my old clothes. She said they would be getting rid of it; something about throwing away my old identity. She seems far more relaxed than she was throughout our journey here, still unfriendly towards me, but at least she isn't so tightly wound. They provided me with a significant amount of clothes to wear. I decided on wearing a long-sleeved black shirt and tan pants that were easy to move around in. The last thing I wanted was to be uncomfortable if I’m finally allowed outside. While I was given multiple outfits, they gave me a single pair of black boots. Turning to look at myself in the mirror, I admit that I look pretty nice. I noticed it was 6:50 and rushed out of my room.

The dining area/kitchen is on the ground floor, and my room is on the third floor. I don’t even think I’ve seen a third of the castle in my week here. Three stories and two separate wings are attached to the main building. Helena told me there is a whole library, a ballroom, and many other wonders. This castle is enormous, and that's without even including the dungeon where we arrived from through that door. There aren't any castles in the Strakken Empire. Everyone lives in tall, uniform apartment buildings. Smoke from the industrial plants fills the air, and loud noises from all the machinery echo out. After seeing the grasslands and this place, I'm forced to face the facts. My home wasn't lovely compared to everywhere else.

As I walk down the hallway, I pass countless paintings. Beautiful men and women, gorgeous vistas, and fantastical creatures, the likes of which I've never seen. I quickly make my way down the grand staircase and can already hear people talking. Entering the kitchen, I can see Gabriel cooking over at the stove. I walk past him and wave, trying not to disturb him, entering the dining room. Veaos, Marissa, and Helena are all sitting together at a ridiculously long table. I sat beside Veaos and waited for breakfast to start.

"There he is! Are you excited? Today's the day!" Veaos roared as he clapped me on the back.

I couldn't help but smile at his declaration.

"Yeah, I am. I've been counting down the hours".

"Food's here," Gabriel said as he walked into the dining room holding two giant serving platters. One was a heap of bacon and sausages and the other with fried eggs. He plopped the plates down and went back into the kitchen to grab the rest of the food. He emerged with a plate piled high with pancakes, and the other was an assortment of fruits. Veaos reached for some food and had his hand smacked by Marissa.

"You know the rules. No eating till everyone has sat down. We're still missing the others," Marissa said.

"Others? Who else is joining us?" I asked.

"There are three other Forchunae who live here. They were out on a mission and are set to arrive today." Gabriel answered as he sat at the head of the table.

"And they have arrived," Helena said.

A couple of minutes later, three people appeared in the kitchen. The first was a sharp-featured woman with short trimmed dark purple hair. She wore a deep blue suit complete with matching gloves and a tie. The second was a pale-skinned person with buzzed hair and wearing goggles. Final was a rogueish-looking man wearing a tarnished cloak and a sword at his side.

"I'm glad you're back and just in time for breakfast," Gabriel said.

"Yes, Master Sol." Replied the woman in the suit.

"Aren't you going to introduce everyone to our new charge?" Helena said.

"Ahh, forgive me. Tyler, this is Elle, the butler of this castle. Next to her is Sam, they're our information gatherer and how we knew you needed help. And finally, we have-"

"CJ, the swashbuckler! International rogue extraordinaire. Everybody loves me, and everybody wants to be me." The dark-haired man I now knew was called CJ interrupted.

"Quiet CJ, you're ruining breakfast," Marissa said.

He responded by leaping across the room and tussling her hair. "Relax, kiddo. I know you missed me."

Elle and Sam took their seats, and CJ sat down next to Marissa. Finally, Gabriel took his spot at the head of the table. We all dug into the food like starving wolves. These morning meals have become a pleasant staple of my life. Helena has a rule that we’re not allowed to talk until everyone has finished eating. She says a good meal is ruined by commentary. I’ve found myself slowly beginning to agree with her. Without the small talk, I can fully appreciate how good Gabriel is at cooking. Everything he makes is far tastier than anything I've had before. I finished my meal after Veaos had devoured his third plate. That man can seriously just consume monstrously. I have always been a fast eater, but he ate three plates when it took me to eat one. I sat quietly while the others finished their meals. Gabriel put down his utensils and addressed the room.

“First, let me say that I’m happy that everyone made it back safe and sound. The last thing I ever want is for any of you to be hurt. There aren't any pressing matters to attend to, so for now, everybody is free to do whatever they wish. Sam, you and I will talk later about how your mission went. Tyler, please stay after everyone else leaves.”

Everyone filed out of the dining room with the dirty dishes in hand. I remained seated, waiting for him to speak.

“Today marks one week since you arrived here. And you’ve stayed out of trouble and respected our wishes about not leaving the castle. In light of that, you will accompany me outside. I’m glad you’re dressed comfortably because we will be out for a while. We leave in five.”

He got up and left me alone at the table. I’m giddy with excitement, and I can’t wait to explore. I walked out of the room and headed towards the foyer where Gabriel was waiting for me. He’s wearing open-legged pants that end before his ankles, a dark green shirt, and a gray cloak over the outfit. I walked over, and he handed me a matching cloak. I looked at him confused because it looked nice out currently.

“It’s always better to be prepared. And I have a feeling that it will rain today. Now let’s go. We’re going for a stroll through the forest.”

He opened the doors, and the sunlight poured in. I walked out after him, and the sun felt so nice against my face. I took a deep inhale and just let myself enjoy being outside. He snapped his fingers at me and told me to follow him. I quickly put the cloak around my shoulder and clasped it tight so it wouldn’t fall off. Gabriel took off as soon as it was on, jogging towards the nearby tree line. Unfortunately, it looks like we’re not going to the town. It feels great to stretch my limbs and move. I’m slowly catching up to Gabriel, and just as I get within a couple of feet of him, he speeds up. He keeps repeating this, and it’s forcing me to push my new body to its limit. Then he changes it up by increasing his speed and now swerving between trees. He’s narrowly avoiding each tree right before he runs into it. I am not coordinated enough to do that, and I’m trailing farther and farther behind him. I have no idea how long we’ve been running, but I’m exhausted and losing steam.

A couple of minutes later, I finally catch up to him. We’re in an open clearing, and Gabriel sits on top of a large rock. I stop and start panting as I’m bent over, trying to catch my breath. My whole body feels like it’s on fire, and I’m sweating profusely.

“Do you know why I brought you out here?”

“Wha-what? No, I don’t. I thought you just wanted to go for a run.” I responded.

“No. We’re out here because you need to figure out what your Word is. Whatever it is, it’s a combat ability and dangerous. To figure out what it is, we’re going to fight.”

“I don’t want to fight you, Gabriel. I don’t want to fight anybody.” I said.

“This isn’t a choice. I can’t protect the people close to me if I don’t know what you can do. No more words, get ready.”

And then he was right in front of me with his left hand swinging right at my face. I wasn’t ready, and he cracked me in my cheek. I rolled onto the ground as I spit out blood. Before I could even think, he was at my side, drilling a kick into my stomach. I screamed in pain as my whole body was lifted off the ground by his kick.

“GET UP, TYLER! IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE FROM HERE! STAND UP AND FIGHT”

I looked at him through teary eyes, wondering why he was doing this. Why did he save me from death if he would just finish me off himself? Why aren’t the others helping me? What did I do wrong? I couldn’t even stand; I was so sore. He gripped me by my hair and lifted me off the ground until we were eye to eye. Punch after punch hits my face and chest. I feel my back slam into the boulder. He must have thrown me. My entire body aches, and my left eye is swollen shut. I want him to stop, and I’m just praying I pass out. I have never felt pain like this. I’m somehow still standing, but I lack the energy to even raise my fists at him as he slowly walks over to me.

His face is a mask of nothingness. He portrays no emotions; this is just something he has to do. Part of me understands he’s doing this to help me find out my power, but the other part hates him for it. Is there no other way to figure it out besides beating the crap out of me? He doesn't give me a chance to continue those thoughts as he kicks my knee in on itself. The sound of my knee snapping is drowned out by my screams. The pain makes intelligent thought or speech impossible. I collapse like a puppet with its strings cut. My face hits the ground. I feel him step on my back, pushing me deeper into the mud. I’m drifting, and I can feel my consciousness slipping away. He pulls my wrist back while keeping my arm straight. He starts bending it over my back slowly. The agony keeps bringing me back from the darkness. I can’t breathe out of my nose anymore. I start trying to beg him in between, choking out sobs.

“Sst-stop it. Please, Gabriel. PLEASE! STOP IT!” I scream out.

He doesn’t stop, though, and rage is bubbling inside of me at him. White-hot anger at the older man who said he’d help me. Who said he’d always be there for me. That same man is now bending my body in ways it shouldn’t go. No longer do I only want him to stop. Now I want him to hurt the way I hurt. The rage is overflowing, and my face feels like it’s burning. I want him to stop, I want him to move, I want him to get the fuck off of me. At that moment, I feel it; my Gift, my Word. The pressure on my back and arm vanishes. My body aches, but I roll over onto my back to see where he went. Looking around, I don’t see him anywhere.

Gabriel has always hated this part of his job. He takes no pleasure in pushing a person to their breaking point. In the two millennia since he started his quest, he had a couple of students who didn’t know what their power was. Gabriel had tried tons of different ways to figure out their Word, but none worked half as well as this. To make a person so desperate that their Word was forcefully manifested. The only good thing about this method is that it always seemed to result in multiple abilities forming due to the stress.

As Gabriel looked down at the clearing from about 100 feet in the air, he had to wonder what Tyler’s Word was. It could be Move, Teleport, maybe something more abstract like Switch. If he was going to find out, he’d have to keep the pressure on. He kept cycling the possibilities in his head as he quickly fell out of the sky. He landed feet first, exploding his legs on impact. It took only a second for his power to activate, and his limbs repaired themselves. Gabriel could see the anger in Tyler’s single undamaged eye. Good, the boy still had some fight left. Tyler’s unbent arm stretched out towards Gabriel, and he felt his shoulder tingle. His shoulder began to burn and heat up before it twisted out of its socket. He felt the skin rip to shreds as blood burst out. Gabriel kept a cool head as he advanced on the boy. This kind of wound was nothing to him. The same tingle as his shoulder suddenly appeared in his knees. Gabriel fell to the ground as Tyler's Word slowly bent his knees forward. They kept bending until they tore.

His shoulder had already fully healed, and his knees weren’t far behind. Was this the extent of Tyler’s powers, or was there more? Only one way to find out. He advanced, and Tyler began shaking as blood dripped out of his eyes and ears. Whatever the kid was trying to do would be big. The giant boulder Tyler was leaning on disappeared and crushed Gabriel beneath it. Tyler passed out immediately following that.