Letting out a long breath Jack sank into meditation. His skill was unique in its nature and Jack was still grasping at it like a toddler wielding a hammer. For it to work, Jack had to sneak a bit of his specialized mana into all of his targets. After that, he could know virtually everything about them. Their location, their mana levels, and fighting abilities were one of the few things that he was privy to.

Hovering between sleepfulness and wakeful clarity his subconscious accessed his skill. The fuzzy forms of the stars appeared in his mind’s eye, representing all of the people he had been tracking.

The ground shook again and Jack had nearly lost his connection to his skill. Letting out a deep breath, he determinedly kept his focus and tried again. Jack held on to his gift subtly guiding it to take him deeper and the stars slowly swam into focus as he concentrated on his skill.

The stars glittered in his mind's eye as they appeared in a dizzying array of sizes and patterns as they arranged themselves according to their location. They twinkled in his mind's eye illuminating his soul with their brilliance. When they were finally in front of him in full clarity, Jack immediately noticed that something was off.

All of them were racing up the hill at a breakneck speed and it looked like the target of their race was the waterfall at the hilltop. The stars were burning up at an incredible rate as the users behind them used more and more of their mana. More than a few of them looked like they were on the verge of being snuffed out as they brightened and dimmed at an alarming frequency like a candle about to be put out.

Everyone was firing their aura at Its maximum as they raced uphill. It was highly unusual. Why the rush? There was plenty of time for the exam to end. He expected everyone to proceed cautiously towards the end. There was something that he was missing. A crucial part of the picture that he wasn’t seeing.

Something had gone seriously wrong in the test. All of the people that he and Tanner had marked were candidates who were in the top percentile of the roster, the best of the best and now all of them looked like they were fighting for their lives.

The ground rumbled and Jack felt it race up his spine even in his meditative state. Jack was left in a cold sweat watching all of this unfold getting a bird’s eye view of the carnage.

The million dollar question that could solve this puzzle was the identity of their opponents. Who or what could threaten even the top candidates. Jack racked his head as he watched the stars burning in front of him. It looked like everyone was being herded up the hill for some epic final confrontation.

‘Was this all part of the test?’ wondered Jack.

Did the examiners make the exam stricter this year? He couldn’t think of anyone else strong enough to force the top students to fight at full power. The missile carrying the green gas flashed through his head. He did remember talks about increasing the standards for the tests to combat the growing Telaran threats, but this was way over the line. Was this their way of giving them a taste of the front lines?

If this was indeed part of the test then that meant that his team just got left behind. He didn't know exactly what kind of scoring system the examiners used but he knew that he had to be up there in the next few minutes or he would have to kiss his admission into Eaton goodbye.

It looked like he had no other choice. There was one last trump card within his arsenal that he hadn’t revealed yet and was hoping that he would never have to use. It was an aspect of his gift that he had revealed to very few people.

Time was of the essence and every second counted. Jack was about to cut his connection to his skill when he noticed one of the stars lighting up in his head. The mana flowing out of the star was building up at an alarming rate and the tiny white dot in his head was soon outshining all the stars in the constellation put together.

The star in front of him had gone berserk. Someone had completely lost control of their aura. The ground rumbled once more, but he tried his best to focus and not lose sight of the star he had his eye on. The star was now glowing brighter and brighter. It was blinding to look at as the person behind the star used up more and more of their energy. This amount of mana usage wasn’t sustainable.

“Jack!” He heard a distant shout calling for him but he was too focused on the star.

The ground shook one more time and the star disappeared in a blinding flash of light.

“Scheiße!”

He looked for the star but he couldn’t find it.

“Jack, Wake up!”

He opened his eyes to find Soja looking at him, worried. Tanner was squatting beside him with a hand on his shoulder, trying to shake him awake.

"What happened?" asked Soja.

Jack’s heart was racing, threatening to burst out of his chest. The exploding star was still fresh in his mind.

"Benji, Soja. We got to move now. Get out of here before it's too late," said Jack. He held out his hands towards the both of them.

“Boost time?” Tanner had one eyebrow raised as he took Jack’s hand in his.

Soja was still looking quizzical when he held Jack’s other free hand. “Is anyone going to tell me what happened?”

Jack took a deep breath as he channeled his mana. "We need to get up the hill ASAP."
He tightened his grip on both of them. "Something out there is hunting the participants."

"What?!"

Soja didn’t have time to voice his concerns. Jack’s hands glowed as he pushed his skill to its maximum. It was only when he pushed his skill to Its utmost limit that the customary blue glow when a skill activated was visible.

His gloves came alive as the skill got boosted through them. The white gloves looked completely different from its previous disguised version. Being a Refiner, he was intimately connected to his tools and he could suppress their nature and hide their strengths. Lines and lines of thread got illuminated for brief flashes as his mana passed through them. It flowed faster and faster till his entire hand was glowing blue.

“Shit!” Soja screamed as the skill took hold.

The Infiltrator!

He forcefully pushed his mana into the both of them, and the two were left gritting their teeth to contain all of it.

"Damn!" Tanner cursed. He tried to hold as much of the mana as possible but there was only so much that his body could tolerate. Absorbing foreign mana into one's body in such a reckless fashion was exceedingly dangerous. It was only because of Jack’s Gift that such a scenario was even possible.

Blue light was coming from their hands as Jack channeled more and more of his mana. Inside his mind, two new suns took form beside him. Even with his eyes open, Jack could see Soja and Tanner being added to the constellation of stars in his mind's eye.

Tanner’s mana control became erratic and very soon his whole body was glowing. Gritting his teeth, he tapped urgently on Jack's shoulder with his free hand. His mana channels were now burning up with the excess load.

Jack let go of his arm and started concentrating on Soja.

Soja was fairing a lot better than Tanner. He had a much larger capacity from being a Caster. It took a lot more mana to fill him up, but very soon he too was glowing. Both of his friends looked like miniature suns in his mind's eye. They were exuding so much of his mana that he didn’t even need to sink into meditation to see their fiery forms.

Jack let go of Soja’s hand and nearly collapsed to the floor. He was panting heavily and his hands were trembling. He gasped for air as he tried to bring his chaotic mana under control or whatever that was left of it. He had used up a lot of it in such a short period of time. Being a Refiner, he had the fastest recovery time among the three of them but it didn’t negate the physical exertion.

"Alright.” He gasped, straightening up. “Let’s get moving.”

“Could you just pause for one second and tell us what happened?!” said Soja.

“That happened!” said Jack pointing towards the distance. The ground shook hard. Soja and Tanner looked up the hill from where the sounds were coming from.

Grabbing both of them, Jack forced them to break into a run. He dragged the two boys to run beside him and slowly ramped his speed till they were racing through the forest. The three boys were now zipping through the trees, recklessly moving at an incredible speed.

“Eaton decided to throw another curveball at us,” said Jack as he ran. “I think they deployed their own forces blocking the way up top.”

“Forces that shoot missiles?” muttered Tanner. “Great, just what we needed.”

“Don't be pedantic. It wasn’t a warhead.” Jack looked at his watch. Nearly an hour had passed since the start of the exam and they had another hour to clear the test.
“We have to get up that hill now. Looks like everyone is gathering there to take out the Eaton guards.”

“Woah, Woah! Hold up!” objected Soja waving his arms. “If everyone is going there then why are we going too as cannon fodder. That’s stupid.”

“The longer we delay the worse it will get. I thought we could wait it out for the herd to get thinner, but the more we wait the harder it will be to get past the guards.”

Soja slapped his forehead. “More the players, more the distraction.”

“That’s right. At least in the chaos, we can look for an opportunity. If we wait too long then we will be fighting the whole platoon by ourselves.”

“Shit!”

“I think everyone else figured out what’s going on. No one wants to be the last one facing the fire. Better risk going up the hill early than face what the examiners have got planned for us.”

“Right,” said Tanner, uncertainly.

Jack remembered the armed personnel that he saw when all the kids were gathered around the stage. All of them were armed to the teeth. He figured they were there for the participant’s protection but it seemed that he was wildly off base. They were still waiting for the two proctors to arrive then. The blonde woman had come with much pomp and flair bringing two flagships as an escort.

He did think that it was odd at the time considering that they brought two airships just for the examiners, but now he knew that he was being stupid. The ships were there to transport the extra troops they needed for their little surprise and not for any political posturing.

Thinking about it now this situation was inevitable. It was only natural that everyone would have the bright idea to avoid fighting until the competition was a lot lesser. Everyone would be holding back until the very end. This was how the game was meant to be played but Eaton didn’t want that. Eaton wanted them to fight.

“Something about this, don’t add up,” said Tanner, frowning.

“What? Why?” asked Jack. “This is the only reason I can think of that will cause all the students to book it.”

“I don't know. Call it gut instinct.”

“In either case, we need to be up that hill. Whatever is out there we have to face it eventually.” Jack was all nerves. He had made an error in judgment and his entire team was going to suffer for it. He frantically checked his watch again. “Too slow, guys. Don’t hold back. Full Power.”

“Right!”

Both of the boys still had torrents of mana coming uncontrollably out of their bodies. They zoomed up the hill dodging trees and bushes and, in some cases, just bulldozed their way through the obstacles.

The three were running at full speed now. They were going so fast that they were bouncing off trees as they went, their feet barely touching the ground.

Soja was having difficulty keeping up, but he compensated by releasing small jets of fog from his hands to push him forward anytime he fell behind.

Another rumble came from the depths of the forest. It was now a constant drone that was just near the edge of Jack’s hearing. He shook his head to clear his ears but to no avail.

“You guys hear that?”

Tanner nodded. “Yeah, It's been going on for a while now.”

“Where the hell is it coming from?” asked Soja, worried.

Tanner tilted his head left and right but soon gave up. “I …. can’t tell. It seems like it is coming from everywhere.”

Jack felt a chill go down his spine. Even he could tell the sounds were steadily getting louder. Whatever it was, it was headed their way.

“Alright!” said Tanner. “I’m taking a different path. Keep up.”

Tanner changed his route and Jack and Soja followed him. The mist was getting thicker as well the deeper in they went. It still clung to the ground, roiling and churning as they passed through and made it very difficult to maintain their footing.

Jack's eyes widened as his boots met the marshy ground. His boots squelched as they started threading water.

“Be careful and watch your footing,” said Tanner. “We are very close to the river now.”

The rumbling was ever present but the trio raced ahead without looking back. Soja was staying half the time in the air with his fog, not wanting to slow the entire team down. He was scared that he would be the one that ends up falling in the river. His plump face was scrunched up in concentration as they made their way ahead.

Jack checked his watch again. They had been running at full speed for about fifteen minutes. Time was slowly ticking by.

The rumbles and shakes were getting louder now. Occasionally they would hear screams in the distance, but they were so low that one wouldn’t be sure that they had heard it.

Jack looked back at Soja. He was panting slightly at the pace they were going but the plump boy had a determined look on his face. He soldiered on, not wanting to hold back his friends. Up ahead Tanner was nearly flying through the trees with his long coat billowing behind him.

The rumbling in the distance was steadily getting louder. Whatever it was, it felt like it was coming straight for them.
“Tanner!”

“I know.” He slightly tilted his head to the side trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. He listened intently for a few seconds before quickly making a decision.

“This way.” He led them off the trail and through a copse of trees. The mist was still ever present but it was thinning out a bit.

The trees ahead of them suddenly dropped off and Tanner spoke hurriedly.
“We are at the river. Watch your feet.”

They heard the river before they saw it. When they finally broke through the trees, they saw the river raging downhill. It crashed through rocks making small rapids and eddies as it went down.

The trio ran across its banks as they made their way uphill. The slightly open field and the river might give them a slight advantage but there was no way to be sure.

“Okay.” Soja panted. “Now we follow the river?”

“That’s the idea,” said Tanner.

Jack strained his ears. The sound that was following them was still there but it was masked by the river rapids. He had to do something. They can’t keep running forever.
“Soja, Tanner,” Jack called out. “You two keep a lookout. I’ll do a quick recon.”

“Right. Don’t go too long.”

Jack grinned and half closed his eyes. This will be a tough one. Using his skills while on the move. He was still running but he trusted his mates to keep him from falling into the river.

He placed one hand on his forehead and concentrated. His mana was still churning with the reckless overuse of his skill and he found it very difficult to sink into meditation. Keeping his breathing as even as possible, he tried to calm down his mana circuits.

The ground shook again, breaking him out of the trance and he had to redo his efforts.

Jack was left gritting his teeth in frustration at the interruption. Trying to calm his beating heart, he breathed in again and emptied his mind. Frustration and intense emotion will only rile up his aura more. Letting go of all his distracting thoughts he focused on his Skill, trying to reach for his gift. It was a lot more difficult this time because his targets were expending their mana at an incredible rate. The little bit of his mana that he managed to sneak into their system would end up consumed if he wasn’t careful. All this put a tremendous load on his already taxed Gift that was tracking more than fifty people at the same time.

Jack had calmed completely, losing all track of time and space as he sunk into this skill. He had almost reached his Gift, passed all his unstable mana. He just had to reach a bit further.
He felt himself sink deeper and deeper. A little bit more and he would reach his skill.

“Incoming!”

Jack’s eyes snapped open and found Soja grabbing him by the arm. Still groggy from being woken up so violently, Jack’s eyes were still unfocused and blurred out. He felt his feet moving on their own, running at an incredible pace.

“Jack, wake up!”
Jack gasped coming back to the world of the living and he finally saw where they were headed. They were running straight towards the river. Still half asleep from his meditation, Jack was greeted by the churning rapids of the river, ready to devour him whole.

“What the hell?” Jack screamed as he was pulled towards the raging waters. He half expected to be drowning, but found himself stepping on a rock in the middle of the rapids. Soja jumped again and Jack had fully come to his senses. He landed on the next rock and managed to keep his footing.

“How is he?” Tanner yelled looking behind. The river water sprayed and splashed around them. They were lucky that the mist around the river was negligible. Otherwise, their little stunt would have cost them a broken foot or something worse.

“He is okay! He is back!”

“What happened?” Jack asked groggily.

The ground shook in answer. The steady rumble that had been following them all this time, suddenly transformed into a loud roar. Jack strained his ears over the din of the rushing river to hear the steady sound of hoofbeats that was quickly getting louder.

A dust cloud bloomed near the river banks up ahead and Jack saw a herd of animals charging their way. Their tusk gleamed in the night and their raging bellows filled the air. A herd of Bisondon was charging across the banks. It was a stampede. They snorted and roared, frosting at the mouth with a crazed look in their eye. They looked like the hulked out version of an ox with tusks as long as your arm, and all of them were covered with a glowing green haze clinging to their bodies.

They came out in droves running over everything in their way. Jack watched the herd charge past where they had been seconds ago. If they had been at the banks any longer, they would have been trampled flat.

“We need to cross the river!” Tanner yelled. “There is no way we are getting past that!”
Few of the Bison were charging into the river, nearly knocking the boys over. Dodging left and right, the kids were running on the many rocks that dotted the river surface, desperately trying to keep their balance on the slippery rocks.

Tanner moved swiftly. He was almost gliding across the river surface, stepping off one rock on to the next with effortless ease. There was a passing log that was flowing downriver which caught his eye.

“This is our chance,” he yelled over the din. Stepping off the rock with explosive speed he landed on the log and ran across its length. He reached the other side of the bank in a flash. The log barely reacted to his passing.

“The hell!” Soja screamed. “There is no way that we can do that.”

“Use your skill, Soj,” yelled Jack. “The timing has to be just right. Ready?”

“Fuck no!”

It was Jack who was dragging Soja across the rocks now. They jumped through to the last one and the log was coming at them fast. It skipped across the water wildly as it neared the rapids. They had to jump on before then, or they would have to keep their balance on a spinning piece of wood.

“Jump now!”

They leapt across the raging waters and on to the approaching log. They landed on just the edge, splashing water all around them. Their combined weight was too much and the wood started going under.

“Soj!”

Jets of fog came out of Soja’s hands and Jack was flying with him. The log slammed back above water at the sudden disappearance of the weight. Soja couldn’t carry Jack for long and they landed on the other end of the log before jumping again.

They sailed above the river and reached the other end. Tanner was there to help Soja who was looking exhausted. Jack landed on the rocks on the other side of the bank and grabbed Soja by his free hand. Tanner and Jack dragged the plump boy out of the river.