CJ doesn’t wake up until a few hours after sunrise. Unlike me, who’s strung up like a cocoon, CJ slept perfectly still and soundly. His eyes shot open, and he stood up on the branch to stretch. I watch him as he does a backflip to land on his hands. He springs back to his feet in an incredible display of athleticism.

“You good to get out of there yourself?” He asks.

“Uh, y-y-yeah, I should be good,” I say as I begin to pull the straps loose. In my jostling and unhooking, I get tangled up. They constrict my arms to me, and I panic and thrash around. This causes me to fall off my spot on the tree and plummet to the ground. I hit nearly every branch on the way down. I scream out in pain and fear, and just as I’m about to hit the forest floor, a hand grabs me, stopping my momentum.

“Gotcha. Do not fret, my young charge; I’ve got you,” CJ says.

I stumble, getting to my feet. “I was wrong. I was not capable of untangling myself. Thank you for the save.” I say as the tension leaves my body. Everything hurts so much. Now I’m sleepless and hurt. Veaos’ training will be hell.

CJ leads the way back to the castle in time for breakfast. Everyone is there except for Gabriel; he’s still away doing something. The others still won’t tell me what he’s up to. Everybody looks well-rested, and I’m feeling irritated and grumpy. Sam surprises me after breakfast, emerging from a nearby room.

“Hey, Tyler. Bad night?” Sam asked.

“Yeah. It sucked.” I replied gruffly.

“You didn’t sleep a wink, huh?” Sam said.

My eyes narrow as I look at Sam. How do they know that? I didn’t see Cj talk to them at any point. “I know it’s rude, Sam. But what is your Word? Something about our interactions seems off. The last time I felt this way was about Helena reading my emotions.”

Sam smiles and pauses before answering. “I don’t mind the question. It’s understandable given what my Word is. My Word is Aware, and it passively feeds me the thoughts of everyone around me within a vast area. Unfortunately-”

I cut them off immediately. “YOU’RE READING MY THOUGHTS? That’s so fucking invasive. That’s not right.” I feel so angry and betrayed. The others knew and didn’t warn me. I can’t believe they didn’t say anything. I bet they’re laughing at me when I’m not around. I’m getting angrier and angrier. I don’t want to be here anymore—time to leave.

“Tyler, stop. I’m trying to explain. I can’t turn it off. I’ve never been able to ever since I awakened. I’m here because the others trump my power, and it doesn’t work on anybody except you and Marissa. I’m sorry for not telling you sooner,” Sam says apologetically.

They seem genuinely sorry, but I’m just so angry. It's bad enough that I’m in an unfamiliar place surrounded by strangers, but now my thoughts aren’t even safe?

“I know you’re angry. I wasn’t trying to deceive you. I’m never sure how to broach the subject when a new person shows up. I understand that you’re mad and feel betrayed, but there’s no way for me to shut it off. My Word is more of a curse than a blessing most of the time,” They say to me sadly.

“I’m sorry for you, but that’s not my prob-” I get cut off by someone sweeping my legs out from under me.

“Quiet in the hallways. Gabriel doesn’t like us fighting with each other. And don’t yell at Sam.” Marissa says to me before leading Sam away.

Great. Now I’m exhausted and sore. My day cannot get any worse. I lay there for a bit, calming myself down before heading off to meet Helena. I arrive in the courtyard and find a couple of buckets sitting on a table. Helena is standing next to a large wooden wall that hadn’t been there last time.

“You don’t look so good, darling,” Helena said.

I find it hard to stay mad when talking to Helena. She gives off a comforting aura that reminds me of my family before I awakened.

“Are you okay to continue testing today? It’s never good to practice while distracted or angry. It can lead to severe injuries,” Helena asked.

“I’m fine, thank you for asking. I’m ready whenever you want to start.” I answered.

“I’ll trust that you know what you’re doing. We’re going to continue to test the limits of your ability to move things. Those three buckets each contain a different element. The first bucket has water, the second has sand, and the third one is dirt. I want to see if you can Warp these without the bucket,” Helena said.

I walked over to the table and stood in front of the bucket of water. I feel my Word in the back of my mind as I focus on the water. I try and separate the water from the bucket. It doesn’t work. No matter how hard I try, I can’t Warp it. Unlike the Mithruen, it isn’t that it requires more energy. It feels like it’s impossible. No matter what I try, I can’t grasp it. I tell Helena, and she instructs me to forget the water and move on. The dirt and sand tests fare the same. I spent over an hour attempting to get any buckets’ contents to move.

“UGGGH. Sorry, ma’am. It’s not possible for me to move any of them.” I said.

“Relax, hun. I figured as much. Now try to Warp the bucket of water to yourself,” Helena said.

I nod my head and activate my power. The water bucket instantly Warps into my hands without spilling a drop. I send it back to the table and then try it out with the dirt and sand. It works flawlessly, and I’m baffled as to the reason. Why can I move the buckets with their contents but not the contents themselves? Helena looks like this is what she expected to happen. What has she figured out that I haven’t? Think it through, slowly figure it out. Is it because the bucket is counted as one object? I haven’t tried Warping multiple things at a time, but maybe the water isn’t considered one singular item. Is it that water isn’t counted as water but as hundreds of water droplets?

I begin to explain my thoughts and try to gauge what she thinks of my idea.

“Right on the money. Let me first say that I didn’t know what would happen going into today’s test. We haven’t tried whether it was possible for you to Warp multiple objects at once, so that was what I was hoping to discover today. Your Word seems to recognize certain things inherently. It knows whether to apply heat or moisture, and it recognizes a bucket of water as one item instead of two separate items. Over time we will explore these limitations. The next test is for you to Warp one of the buckets through that wooden wall,” Helena said.

I should probably try it out with the dirt first, so I don’t get water everywhere if I mess up. Picking up the dirt bucket, I walk over to the wall. My power thrums to life, eager to be used. Helena and I quickly learn I cannot Warp through solid objects. For the rest of the lesson, Helena has me attempt to teleport myself and whether I can move multiple things at once. We discover that it costs almost zero energy for me to teleport myself and that I am limited to only being able to move one thing at a time. However, if I’m touching someone or something, we count as one item and can Warp at a higher cost to my reserves. Interesting how complicated the rules of my abilities seem to be.

I dragged my feet when it came time to meet with Veaos. Helena told me ‘a gentleman always respects his commitments’ and sent me on my way. I feel so much dread at the thought of today’s training on no sleep. If I voice a complaint or excuse, he’ll rip me a new one. I shut my brain off during the workout, and the moment we finished, I told Veaos I’d be missing dinner. That night I slept like a bear during winter.

Elle has brought a chalkboard out for our lesson in the library. On it is one word underlined and circled; artifact.

“Today, we’ll be talking about another thing you will know nothing about. Artifacts are items of great significance. Only Forchunae can create them, and each Forchunae can only make one. They are items that contain a portion of that person’s Word, and they continue to exist even after they die. They can be used by both Forchunae and ordinary people as well,” Elle said.

“What do you mean by containing a portion of their Word? How do you make an Artifact?” I asked excitedly. I wonder what an Artifact made by me could do?

“Quiet down and do not interrupt me. I am teaching you at the behest of Master Gabriel. You are here due to his generosity, but you will show me and everyone else the respect we deserve. If you have a question, wait until I finish my thought, and then you can ask. As I was saying, Artifacts contain a part of your Word, but it doesn’t take it away from you. It’s more like you imbue your power into the item. Don’t get your hopes up at making one because the method has been lost to time. There hasn’t been a single new Artifact made in the last thirty-five hundred years, according to Master Gabriel. Theoretically, there should be several hundred of them, but no one knows. Most Artifacts have become family heirlooms passed down through generations, but occasionally people will discover one. When that happens, a bidding war the likes you can't imagine commences."

"Wow, they sound incredible. But wait, how do they work? It costs us energy to use our abilities, so how can regular humans use them?" I ask.

"Before I answer, let me correct you on something. The 'energy' you speak of to use your abilities isn't necessary for all of us. Master Gabriel, for instance, doesn't require any. His healing activates without his control. Also, I'm not sure why Helena hasn't told you, but the common name for our energy is Aether. As I said, the method to create Artifacts has been lost, causing our understanding of how they work to be shallower than we’d like. But Artifacts tend to work like the power they come from. If the Word required Aether, then the Artifact also does," Elle said.

I raise my hand, not wanting to interrupt her again. She gives me a nod to ask my question.

"Forgive me for being rude, but you didn't answer my question. How can regular people use Artifacts?" I ask.

"Artifacts that require Aether work by passively creating it, the same way you or I would. And just like us, if it runs out, it has to regenerate the lost Aether slowly. Unfortunately, we don't own any for me to show you firsthand how they work. There are a couple of well-known Artifacts in the Kingdom of Telusia. There is a royal knight who guards the king. He is known by the moniker 'Radiant Blade’ due to the Artifact he wields. It is a sword that can shine brighter than the sun, capable of blinding anyone who looks too closely at it. The Word it gets its power from is Bright. Another is called the ‘Cloak of Reflection,’ which the current king wears. It reflects projectiles away from the wearer. The final items are the ‘Communication Rings,’ a set of four rings that allow the wearers to communicate regardless the distance. The royal family owns the rings, so, unfortunately, we don’t know what Word they use,” Elle explained.

Something sparked inside of me, a sense of purpose. The idea of ancient Artifacts hidden away interests me. The world is far larger than the empire led me to believe, and I want to explore it and see all it offers. Everyone said they’d give me the skills to do whatever I wanted to do. I know what I want to do now. I want an adventure. “Hopefully, I can find an Artifact one day. Since I was rescued, I’m thinking about the future for the first time. Your teachings so far have been beneficial. You’re right that I don’t know anything, and I will work hard to fix that.” I proclaimed.

A sad look passes across her features for a brief moment. “Sorry for being weird. I know you don’t like outbursts during the lesson.” I said quietly.

“I’ll allow it if only because I’m pleased with your renewed dedication to learning. It is the duty of the ignorant to correct their inadequacies. If there are no other questions about Artifacts, I will permit you to ask me something since we finished early,” Elle said.

“Truly? No, I have no questions about Artifacts currently. Ever since Helena spoke about the ranks of Forchunae, I’ve wanted to know more about the Archons.” I said.

“Everyone is interested in the Archons, and for a good reason. As the most powerful of us, they tend to fascinate people. Do you have a specific Archon in mind you want to know more about?” Elle asked.

The names and groups of the Archons passed through my head. This is your chance Tyler. You may never get to ask her about this again. I wonder if she means I can only ask about an individual Archon or if I can ask about a group of them.

“If it isn’t too much of a bother. Could you tell me about the ‘Eight Calamities’?” I asked.