"First thing we need to fix is your confidence," CJ said.

"My confidence?" I asked hesitantly.

"That's exactly what I'm referring to. You are a Forchunae now. Act like one. We are enhanced humans in every way, and regardless of what Gabriel believes, we are better than regular people." CJ said.

"But he said that we-" I said before CJ cut me off.

"Relax, I'm not saying let's start cleansing the countryside. You need to face reality, though; we are superior to them. Already you are physically superior to a grown adult that is in shape. Imagine when you finish puberty and after you’ve trained for a year or two. Peak Forchunae have to restrain themselves constantly. If Veaos isn’t conscious of himself, he will rip a door off its handles by opening it. All of us had to get used to the increased physicality we have been granted. I say all of this to impress upon you that we are better. We must act like it."

I hadn't thought about it that way. His warning about strength hits far too close to home. My Word has already claimed the lives of three people. The reason I'm here is to prevent that from happening again. Now I have to manage my body as well as my abilities. It's a lot, but I have to do it if I don't want to hurt people accidentally.

"Alright. I didn't know that, about the strength thing, I mean. And I'll be better. I want to be better," I said.

"Good answer," he said with a smile. "Tell me about yourself. Who is Tyler Everfell?"

We just talked over the next couple of hours, and he listened. He only spoke to ask me to elaborate on a topic. It felt nice to be able to talk about my home without feeling shameful about it. By the time our lesson had finished, I felt lighter in my steps. I went to bed that night happier than I've been since arriving.

A cold shiver goes through me as I wake up. Today is a Veaos day. It's also a day spent practicing my Word with Helena, which is the favorite of my four lessons. It's probably why it's paired up with the training from hell that Veaos puts me through. I found Helena sitting in the courtyard but with the addition of several tables that were covered in tarps. I greeted Helena and sat across from her.

"How are you today, Tyler? You've now completed your first class with the four of us." Helena said.

"Good, very good, actually. The classes are going well. I think. It feels weird to call them classes, though. Elle's is the only one that actually feels like a 'class.' Veaos' feels like what I imagine soldiers go through, CJ's class felt like therapy, and then there's your class which is too unique to describe. Sorry for rambling." I said.

"Well, all of us have very different teaching methods. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, and no class is more important than the others. It does warm my heart to see you adapting to your environment, sweet pea. We're just going to pick up right where we left off. We spoke about the ranks that different Forchunae fall under, and today I'll be giving you known examples of each rank." Helena said.

"Sounds awesome. If I may ask, what rank am I?" I asked.

"You would be a Scion, for now at least. Scion is the designation used for Forchunae who have a single low impact ability. I'm aware you have two, but you haven't mastered either of them as of right now. Before you get sad, you should know that most of the house falls under that category. Elle, CJ, and Marissa are also Scion ranked." Helena said.

It's like she knew what I was going to say before I even voiced it. Knowing that those three are the same rank does make it sting less. It does make me wonder why I even care what I'm ranked. I'm here to get help and training, not wage war. I'm curious what their Words are now that I know my own. "Wait, then what about the rest of you guys?" I asked.

"I told you before that your ranking is based on destructive ability and how much they can affect the world. Because of the latter, Sam and I are considered Transcendent. Neither of us has combat abilities, but we are both ranked higher than Veaos, who does have one. He is ranked Ascendant but do not take that to mean he is weaker than Sam or me. Veaos could single-handedly take on the whole house, excluding Gabriel." Helena said.

"Ahhh, I wish it wasn't considered rude to ask people. My curiosity is killing me. Oh, and yesterday Elle told me about the four dukes. Do you know what they're ranked?" I asked.

She laughed, and as always, it soothed me. "Yes, I do. Duchess Willems is a Scion like you, but I believe she'd give Veaos a run for his money. Duchess Raiya and Duke Farnsworth are both Ascendant. While Duke Farnsworth only has one ability, it is so expansive and powerful he has to be put into Ascendant. Duchess Raiya has manifested at least two abilities as far as I know. Duke Frostforne is an Archon." Helena answered.

"Archon? Isn't that the highest rank? He's that strong? But he has the smallest territory; shouldn't he have the largest if he's the strongest?" I asked.

"Might doesn't make right Tyler. Do not forget that. It is the duty of the strong to protect those weaker than themselves. And he doesn't want a bigger territory. Make no mistake. If that man wanted to be king of this country, there are very few who could stop him. Archons are a different breed. Unlike every other rank, Archons are judged by a single factor; destructive ability. A single Archon is worth more than a hundred Transcendents. Any Forchunae that shows the potential to become an Archon is closely watched over. If you ever meet one, be sure to treat them with respect." Helena said with a more serious tone than before.

"Okay, I will." We sat silently for a bit after her warning. It didn't last long before I had another question. "Are there a lot of Archons?"

"No. Archons are very rare. You already know one, Gabriel," Helena said.

Suddenly my interactions with Gabriel were far scarier than before. Thinking back to our fight, was he even trying? If he is considered that powerful, how was I even able to hurt him? When I angered him on our way here, how close was I to dying? Calm down, Tyler.

"Tyler, relax. Gabriel is the nicest person I've ever known. He truly just wants what's best for all of us, you included. His word is his law, and he told you you'd be safe here and get the help and training you needed. Trust in him, and if you can't, then trust the rest of us who trust him." Helena said once again, reacting to my mood.

"Is one of your abilities to read emotions, Helena?" I asked.

"Sort of. I can Connect with others emotionally. I can't affect them in any way, but I am aware of them. It's not something I actively do; it just happens passively. Sorry if that makes you uncomfortable," She said.

"It doesn't. I just had a hunch about how quickly you seemed to react to the changes in my emotions. And I'll believe in you guys and Gabriel. It's the least I can do after everything. So besides Duke Frostforne and Gabriel, are there any other well-known Archons?"

"I told you before that the world keeps tabs on them. So Archons tend to be known due to that. There are probably a couple who aren’t on anybody’s radar. For instance, Gabriel likes to stay in the background and doesn't get involved in the wider world's politics. Our town of Sheira has access to knowledge no one else does, and I'm sure there are Archons we don't know about." Helena answered.

"Well, how many are we aware of?" I asked.

"We know of thirty-one: Gabriel, Duke Frostforne, the four Primentals, the Eight Calamities, High Priest Donovan, the three Hex Queens, Kingmaker, the ten Veldori Knights, the current leader of the Kehlari Nation, and the Cyrrule Alliance Protector," Helena said.

Thirty-one Archons. The strongest rank of Forchunae that have to be shown respect by leaders of nations. I wonder what it feels like to be universally respected. Could I be a potential Archon? I doubt it, but it would be nice.

"Wow, those sound like some scary people. I wanted to ask you if it's possible to change rank? I know you said that I might change once I've gotten a hold of my powers but is that something that can happen?"

"It's rare, but yes. Occasionally a Forchunae will go through something that deepens their understanding of their Word, which can grant them a new ability. Or maybe they train their ability enough to become far stronger than previously. I want you to know that it is very, very unlikely. Most Forchunae awaken a single ability and have that for their entire life. You are already lucky to have two. Let's move on to the more practical part of our lesson." Helena said as she walked over to the tables and pulled the tarps off.

On the table are all sorts of items and materials. There are tools and chests and buckets filled with various liquids.

"I want to test if your ability to Warp objects is limited by anything. I want you to try both abilities on different items. First, we will start with these five rods. They are all made out of different materials. Begin once you're ready," Helena said.

I walked over to the table and took a look at the five rods. There's one made of wood, another of stone, one of glass, and the final two are different metals. The wooden rod was just a stick. I stared at it with my hand stretched out and felt my Word activate. It Warped straight into my hand with almost no effort. When I moved Gabriel or that large boulder, I could feel that it had taken a lot of energy, for lack of a better word. This feels like I could do this forever. I started to Warp it back and forth from my right hand to my left and then to the table. I kept doing this for a couple of minutes before I remembered Helena was next to me. I placed the stick down and tried using my other ability. It quickly started bending before snapping in half. It happened so fast that I couldn't stop it from breaking.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to break it." I said.

"It's fine, hun. It's why we got them. How's your energy doing? Are you good to continue?" She asked.

"I'm full or very close to it. I still find it hard to gauge that. I can only tell whether something takes a little or a lot. Sorry if that's not helpful, ma'am." I responded.

"Don't worry, Words and the powers they grant us can be ambiguous at best. Over time you should begin to understand how to gauge your limits better. It is different for everyone. Marissa has always known her exact limits since she first awakened, and it took me several years before I was able to know my own," Helena said.

Years. It could take me years to fully comprehend my Word. That's longer than I thought it would. But it could also be shorter.

"I'm going to continue if that's okay," I said. She nodded her head, and I picked up the stone rod. Looking closer, it's smooth and feels like pottery. It's not a rock as I thought. It's a clay of some kind. Just as easily as the stick, it Warped straight to my hand. I repeated my previous exercise of going from one hand to another before sending it back to the table. I flexed my other power, and it started to slightly bend before it exploded. I checked to make sure that any shrapnel hadn't hit Helena and me before moving on.

Next up is the hollow glass rod, which Warps to me even easier than the stick or clay. It shatters like the clay one before it when I attempt to bend it. Thankfully both Helena and I decided to move farther away before I started. All that leaves are the two metal rods. I recognize that one of them is steel, but the other is some kind of deep black metal I've never seen. I try to Warp the steel rod to me, but it doesn't instantly appear in my hand. It takes a second before Warping to my palm and back to the table. I continue to the second test, and nothing happens at first. It feels like the object is resisting me, not in the same way that Helena does, but as if it's harder to manipulate it with my Word. It takes a minute before the rod begins to glow orange. Slowly but surely, it curls like a finger. Weird, it didn’t take more juice. It just took longer. Maybe a relation between the size or weight of an object and how hard it is to interact with it.“I assume this will be the hardest one?” I asked.

“Just try it out. The test will work better the less you know.” Helena responded.

Looking over the final rod, I try to see if there are any details about its kind of material. Deep black, with a purple tinge to it. No better time than the present. My Word has gotten a lot of use today, and I feel like my tank is roughly half full. It takes a chunk out of me when I try and move it. Nothing happens. Maybe it’s delayed like with the steel one. I waited ten minutes, and still no change—time to switch it up. I channel thoughts of it breaking, bending, twisting in on itself, and I can tell this will take all I have. After a minute, the black rod starts changing color, going from the deep black to a slightly brighter black. It doesn’t move, and the glow stops as I fall to my knees, drained.

“Sorry, that’s all I got. What the heck is that made of?” I asked while panting.

"Do stop apologizing so much, you have nothing to be sorry for. You did remarkable, dear. The final rod is made of Mithruen, the strongest material. It is unbreakable no matter how small or thin it is and is far denser and heavier than it appears. Very pricey to have anything made out of it because very few blacksmiths can even work with it. But back to the tests; what did you learn? Helena said.

Instead of immediately answering, I walked over to the table to get a closer look. Picking up the two ends of the stick, I notice they're both slightly wet where the break occurred. Weird. The clay chunks are moist as well and basically mud. I can't tell anything from the glass tube because it's just in tiny pieces all over the ground. When I reach for the steel rod, it feels hot against my hand. Not just from being outside in the sun either, but warmer than it should be. I understand that Warping something means bending or twisting it using heat, but why is only the steel hot?

Helena listened as I explained what I was struggling with.

"You're confused about why only the steel one is hot while the other two are wet. That's because warping is caused by heat or dampness. The more interesting thing is that your Word automatically knows which method will work better without your control. That means it chooses to either apply heat or liquid to help the process. It's incredible," Helena said excitedly.

"I had no idea that that dampness could also cause something to warp. Or that my Word could do something without me knowing. That’s kind of crazy but is it really that incredible? You've said before that our powers are vague and extraordinary. Why does it make you so happy?" I asked.

"Because I love a mystery, Tyler. From the day my parents told me about Forchunae, I was fascinated. I heard every legend, read every book I could find, and chased down every member of my village who had ever met a Forchunae. And what I learned was that most people just accept that one in ten people gain supernatural abilities. There's no research, and nobody bothers with any kind of study. So I thought, why can't I be the one to start it all? When I reached eighteen, I left my village behind and began my journey. I traveled for years and met many Forchunae who helped me figure out a couple of ‘rules.’ I am the one who figured out what affects the powers your Word can grant. After two decades of traveling and researching, something clicked, and I was able to Connect the dots.” Helena said with an enthusiasm I’d never seen from her.

Wow. I had no idea how smart Helena was. Makes sense why she’s the one helping me flesh out my Word. I bowed to her before speaking. “Thank you, ma’am. I realize how lucky I am to be learning from you, and I wanted to give you my sincere thanks.”

“Stand up, hun. All of us here are like a family, so please don’t bow. You’ll have to forgive my outburst from before. I can get excited about my passion.” Helena said with a chuckle.

“Don’t worry about it. Was there anything else I missed about my tests? I used up all of my energy on the Mithruen rod.” I said.

“The practical portion of the lesson is over for today. There is another aspect of your Word I noticed. My theory is that the harder it is for you to bend something, the harder it becomes for you to teleport it. Obviously, we will have to run quite a lot of tests to verify this. It’s almost time for your meeting with Veaos. Are there any questions you have before we stop?” Helena asked.

I thought it over, and one question does come to mind. “Can you tell me more about the Archons? They sound so exciting, and I want to know more.”

She paused before answering. “Sorry, sweetheart, but no. I only told you about Archons to show you the different ranks of Forchunae. Our lessons are focused on helping you explore the full power of your Word. Anything beyond that, and you should be asking Elle. She is your general knowledge teacher, after all. With that, we're done for today. We'll meet back in two days." Helena said before leaving the courtyard.

I walked over to the door I used last time, and it was still Connected to where Veaos was. There are zero clouds above, and it's a gorgeous sunny day. This is going to suck. At least it’s nice out.