"Must I denounce myself as a monster while you still refuse to see the one growing inside you?"

FIVE YEARS AGO
08TH SEPTEMBER, 1998

Ivy Pearls never really understood just how much every bit of her people's workaholic days should have been more appreciated until September 9th arrived. Certainly, rights to many things, such as rest, could have been given to them, yet, when a brutal Powerless Tournament commenced out of nowhere for entertainment, every one of them yearned for the better days.

Yes, they were nothing compared to Holders, but, did things have to get this far?

"Psst! Ivy, come quick. Something's happening."

The day before, she was awoken by an unexpected commotion coming outside of her bedroom. Ivy idly left her bed and trudged to the small window a few feet away. She often made sure it was closed before falling asleep — those flies were a tremendous menace at night.

The night sky was aglow with bright lights, the pale crescent moon shining a silvery claw. As the occasional barking of faraway dogs broke the silence, Ivy looked up at the blanket of stars that stretched to infinity before gazing down.

Sighting her two best friends, Benecia Patel and Delyth Nguyen, on the other side of her window was not what Ivy anticipated. Unless given a cleaning job at night, those two were never allowed to leave their homes during such a late hour. Neither was Ivy. It was one of the rules of the kingdom they'd grown accustomed to.

Meanwhile, Holder children would consistently boast about certain night jamborees they'd taken part in everywhere they went. Ivy certainly knew the feeling of listening to another being speak about how astounding and better their lives were. She attended an entire school that was mainly filled with Holders, after all. And, as an after-school activity, she was to cleanse the inside of the entire building along with the rest of the Powerless children who'd been forced into the job, as well.

Her parents often spoke of how fortunate she was to even be attending an academy, at all. Time and time again, Ivy refused to heed what they had to say. Benecia was the fortunate one. She got to be home-schooled.

"What's going on?" Ivy questioned in a hushed tone from where she was still standing after coming to realize seconds later that dogs weren't the only ones ruining the peaceful silence. Was this another jolly Holders were hosting? Why did these people insist on doing such a thing in the middle of the night?

"You might want to see this for yourself, Ivy." Benecia gulped with a drained look, her voice edged with fear. Only when she glanced over at Delyth and noticed the girl fiddling with her fingers did Ivy's heart begin to pound.

With both girls there on the ground to catch her, Ivy managed her way down from the window without breaking a bone. Whatever the girls had come for must have been consequential enough to risk their lives being out here. That thought alone caused Ivy's body to go cold with dread. Delyth swiftly grabbed her arm before she could utter another word and dragged her away from the house, Benecia following closely.

The nearer the girls got to what Ivy speculated was their destination, the easier it was to perceive boisterous sounds of cheering. As much as she hated for it to be true, Ivy knew her previous jolly assumption was the only thing that could explain whatever was going on. Parties Holders threw never ended well for the Powerless. Holders were found to be much more brutal under the influence of alcohol.

"What have you led me to?" Ivy queried again, yet, neither of her friends gave a straight answer. Whatever it was they were doing out here better have been worth it. Ivy could precisely picture the wrathful looks on her parents' faces if they ever found out she'd snuck out. The punishments would be severe.

"It's best we don't get close," said Benecia. "We don't want to get involved in this."

"Involved in what?" demanded Ivy once again.

"During work, we overheard a Holder talking about an event happening tonight," Delyth replied. "An event that's got something to do with us. This won't end well, but if we can figure out what they're planning this time, we may have time to warn the rest."

Ivy winced at the idea. "Remember the last time we tried to do that?" No matter how positive she attempted to be, she knew, for certain, that this would not turn out well for any of them.

"That's what I said too," Benecia mumbled.

"That was back then. We should be over that," Delyth urged. "We can't let the Holders get away with whatever it is they're planning. We may have gotten caught last time, but not this time."

Regardless, Delyth's words did not erase either of her friends' concerns. "If this all goes wrong," Ivy voiced in an unsure tone, "I won't let you take the fall for us again. Never again!"

"Me neither," Benecia added. "What they did to you. . . Oh, Delyth. I'm so sorry."

"Let's not speak of it," Delyth insisted.

When Benecia and Delyth came to a halt, so did Ivy, all three girls cautious enough to hide their bodies behind trees of the small forest they'd entered. The night was alive, the roar of the crowd and music thrumming straight into their eardrums. With a glass of wine in one hand and their Amulets swaying this way and that, Holders moved their bodies like there was no tomorrow. It would have been beautiful — perfect, even — if not for the fact they were here for the sake of lives that were at stake.

Ivy wasn't sure how many times she'd wished she could be one of them. How wholly satisfying it would have been to dance her problems away. One night. That was all she yearned for. Just one night of the Powerless finally throwing their own jamboree without getting executed for it.

"Why did you bring me here?" came another question, Ivy's voice thick with distress.

Before either of her friends could give her an answer, the music came to an abrupt stop. Several whines were heard, angry shouts to bring the party back to life coming next.

One Holder stood tall on top of a boulder, holding his glass of red wine high and calling for everyone's attention. Once that was obtained, the man roughly cleared his throat.

"We did not just come here to dance. That much, you should understand. We're Holders, are we not?" he began, instantly receiving nods from the audience. "We deserve more entertainment, do you not agree? And, what's more entertaining than watching a bunch of incompetent Powerless beings battle?"

It was easy to remember the man as diabolical Bronn Erix, one of the main guards of the Royal Palace and a fearful, but overappreciated man in the kingdom. People often gossiped that he would make a better king than King Titus, and though both men were great friends, it wasn't hard to understand that Bronn agreed with the gossip. He was born for extraordinary things — to be a leader, he'd stated more than once.

"What day is it tomorrow?" the man questioned out loud, before bringing his glass to his lips.

"September 9th, I believe," another man replied.

"Right!" Bronn snapped his fingers with an elated sneer. "I now declare that every September 9th, a series of battles will be held, in which Powerless beings fight each other to the death for our entertainment."

"He's drunk!" Delyth hissed.

"So, what if he's drunk?" Benecia scoffed. "This was bound to happen. Admit it."

As the cheers from Bronn's announcement eventually died down, a new voice of a woman spoke. "But, hold on a second. Should you not receive permission from the Royals first?"

"Shut up, woman! Bronn jeered as he unsteadily got off the boulder. "We all know Titus would enjoy this just as much as us — possibly even more. There's utterly no need for permission."

Ivy gradually slid down to the ground, trepidation fluttering in her stomach as she peeled her attention away from the loud conversation. "The Royals always allow him to do as he wishes. This will be no different."

Delyth gasped lightly. "We must warn the others. We can at least try to defend ourselves."

"What's the use?" Benecia cried out. "They're always going to find a way to get what they want. If it's a gruesome fight they desire, a gruesome fight they will get. The best thing we can do now is find a way out of this kingdom."

"Then, let's do what we've always been best at doing," Delyth responded with determination, turning her head from one girl to the other as her hands fisted. "We hide."

---

PRESENT
07TH SEPTEMBER, 2003

A guard lifted the young girl up from the ground, and ignoring the small bruise she'd received on her left cheek from falling off her horse, the man's well-built arm forcefully positioned her face to stare directly at the Royals. Upon gazing at his face, Ivy recognized him, at once. The one and only Bronn Erix.

Even after all this time, he was still nothing more but a guard — a follower, rather than a leader. How could he have been born for great things when he could hardly get out of the Royals' control? How utterly humiliating.

Straight away, Queen Matilda faced the mumbling crowd, and just after a single word rolled off her tongue, the crowd fell into silence.

"This girl right here," she began to bellow, "is a thief! Such a shame for her that she wasn't as intelligent as she was valiant. She seized my Amulet, and then had the audacity to attend the new academy with it, believing with her mindless head that I would not find out. I owe a very massive thank you to all of you smart souls. You've just helped me capture a vicious criminal, and now, I'll be making an example of her as a warning to every other Powerless.

"Don't ever think to yourself that you will not get caught after you've stolen another Holder's Amulet, or committed any other crimes. You might go a few days without anyone knowing, or even a few months. But, do remember this. You will never be victorious."

The way the woman spoke made it seem as if she was referring to every being in the kingdom. Yet, Ivy knew better, and so did every other Powerless who'd stopped to listen. They were the only ones on the queen's mind as she uttered these words out. It was as though the Holders had never committed a single crime in their lives, when, in fact, that was not the case. The Holders had possibly committed more crimes than the Powerless themselves.

Ivy wasn't certain what it was, but several Holders believed with their incredible abilities, they could get away with anything.

"Right, right, right." Ivy chuckled to herself while rolling her eyes. She would have begun clapping to mock the woman if not for the fact Bronn was still clutching onto her tiny arms. "Make me the villain of the story. Lie to everyone, but don't think you can deceive me." She scoffed, sending the queen a nasty look. "I know the secret you've been keeping from this kingdom. Every detail of it. A secret I know — and you know — will most definitely destroy your life."

How had this so-called miraculous woman survived with her secret for this long? No, a better question. How had she deceived the kingdom for this long? Surely, there was no way she could have endured her unbearable private affair alone for years. She must have had help.

Ivy glanced at the king. To be fair, the man didn't seem to be completely certain of what was going on. A part of him wanted to believe his wife, Ivy could tell. Regardless, the other part of him was beginning to rethink every little thing Queen Matilda had told him.

Prince Tobias couldn't have been helping his mother, either. Yes, the boy was not pure, in the slightest, but, Ivy doubted he had the skills to protect the queen and keep her confidential matter hidden for so long. After all, Queen Matilda's secret should have already eaten her alive before she married and gave birth.

It was how the woman had showcased her powers that truly left Ivy wonderstruck. The young girl could still recollect memories of watching the queen perform miracles before she'd left the kingdom. During then, even she had believed the lie Queen Matilda was filling every ear with, especially after a Holder with unique abilities checked the pendant and confirmed it for everyone that it was truly the woman's name printed on the Amulet.

Until Ivy learnt of the full truth.

Once an Amulet appeared for a child or was passed down to a Powerless, deeming them new members of the Holder family, their full names were automatically engraved on the necklace as a way to symbolize that it belonged to them now. Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, the names always stayed invisible, making it impossible for everyone to see.

"How can we tell which Amulet belongs to whom?" people often wondered. "What if a person claims an Amulet belongs to them, when in fact, they stole it from someone else?"

All these questions stopped arriving centuries ago when a woman rose with a statement that she could see all engraved names on the pendants. Back then, it was quite easy to snatch a Holder's Amulet and get away with it, yet, as years passed, the crime grew difficult to commit. The worst punishments were served.

Not a lot of people held this remarkable ability to see inscribed names, and those who did were seen as extraordinary beings in the eyes of many Holders. These unique beings could not only see imprinted names but, held the power to allow others to see them too by making the names visible for a number of seconds.

While Holders celebrated this, the Powerless, on the other hand, saw it as a curse. To get away from penalties, wicked chores, and their harsh lives, in general, they would often seize a Holder's Amulet and pretend it was their own. With this special power a few Holders possessed, the Powerless beings were again forced to reveal what their true status was.

Many years after the first woman with this momentous power was born, the Holders realized there was one other way to figure out who the real owner of a certain Amulet was.

Only the true owner of an Amulet could use the pendant's abilities. If a thief stole an Amulet, they would be unable to use its powers as it wasn't their name engraved on the necklace.

From then on, it was announced that during every Amulet Assessment, all Holders were to showcase at least one power of their pendants to prove it, indeed, belonged to them.

Therefore, how then was no one willing to see past the lies and believe Queen Matilda was nothing but a fraud? Ivy frequently wondered this. How did this woman always manage to pass the Amulet Assessment with a fake pendant that possessed not a single power?

"I don't know who told you these things, but, you are losing your mind, Ivy Pearls," Queen Matilda attempted again.

"That Amulet you have around your neck is a fake replica of the real Golden Amulet!" Ivy sneered, disregarding the juvenile boos she received from the crowd. "You must have cheated all of your Amulet assessments. It makes sense, actually. You have power — of course, you would use that power to keep the assessments away from that fake Amulet."

Queen Matilda scampered back to the girl, this time, shockingly angry enough to raise an arm and slam it into Ivy's bruised cheek. "Why don't you do yourself a favour and stop digging a bigger hole for yourself, child." As she kept her eyes on Ivy, watching the young girl wince in pain, the woman took several steps away. "You dare create false stories about me? Stop speaking nonsense! You're absolutely done for!"

Eventually managing to shake away the pain of the tremendous slap, Ivy sent the queen another challenging look. "Then, why do you appear so nervous? Everyone here deserves to know what you've been hiding, Matilda."

"A Powerless idiot versus the queen." The woman cackled. "You really are a big dreamer, but, no one here is going to believe your childish stories, so just keep your mouth shut."

Ivy's attention diverted away from the angry queen to the puzzled crowd, who still was unsure of what was going on. A lot of them laughed amongst themselves, pointing at the girl mockingly. Some other Holders appeared to be busy piecing Ivy's face together in an attempt to recall where they'd seen her before.

"Think about it," Ivy pleaded. "Have you actually ever — even if it was just once in your entire life — seen this woman's Amulet glow? These special necklaces glow to show that powers are being used, so, how come whenever she's using the Golden Amulet's abilities, it does not glow. Yes, I understand the Golden Amulet is unique, but, it can't be that different."

"Then, you clearly don't know anything," Queen Matilda barked. "We've already gone through this, Ivy, even before you abandoned the kingdom. The Golden Amulet does not glow."

Ivy scowled. "Doesn't that sound strange to any of you? Hasn't it ever occurred to you that she does not possess a single power? The Golden Amulet she's got is a fake, and every miracle she's been performing for years has just been other Holders' abilities she's been using."

Yet, to her dismay, the crowd only roared with laughter, most of them now sending looks of revulsion toward the girl. She was the definition of insanity, they must have believed.

Bronn tightened his grasp around Ivy's arm. Compared to his, the entirety of her upper limb was just a mere stick, and so, the pain washed in quickly.

"That's alright." Using every freedom her arms still had left, the girl formed a small shrug. "If it were another being here saying all these things, I would have not believed her either." That wasn't the truth. Ivy knew it. She would have supported any word that was said against the queen, at once. "But, when I left this kingdom, someone opened my eyes to the truth."

"How dare you question the queen? Have you no manners?" Bronn howled.

Relief filled Queen Matilda's eyes after the words, most definitely glad that everyone was on her side. "You've become the laughingstock of this kingdom, Ivy."

"Just like the rest of them!" another voice thundered from the audience, earning a series of contemptuous laughter after his insult. "The Powerless beings are so full of it."

Ivy rolled her eyes, but, remained calm. She knew better than to lose her temper now, after all, Adora had warned her from the beginning that this would happen. The plan required great patience in order to be a great success.

"Without proof, your words will just be stories in their ears, no matter how true they are. Matilda will have these people on her side. It's your duty to make sure that changes immediately."

Woefully, despite her tranquil state, Ivy understood it would only be a matter of time before worrisome thoughts began to roam about in her head. A certain man she'd made a deal with wasn't showing up. She was given no time to select another person to assist her with the ploy, therefore, this man was now the key to it all. Without him here, all this may have just been a waste. An execution awaited her.

Even a hint of concern on her face could spoil the plan, so, she stayed as serene as possible.

To stall them all, Ivy made another attempt. At this point, it was quite possible that some of the people had caught on and noticed she was trying too hard. "Why don't you tell them what happened years ago?" Her tone came off as calm as she could make it. "Tell them how you first tried to manipulate your sister. How you weren't born with an—"

Queen Matilda stopped her from finishing the sentence with yet another slap to the face, which, even Ivy had to admit, stung more than the last. "I don't have to tell them anything!" the woman contended with a slight smirk. "Well, what are you all waiting for?" Next, she glared daggers at the guards. "This has gone on for too long. Surely, these people have better things to do than listen to some child's made-up story. Take her away and have the rope prepared!"

Where is that man?!

Queen Matilda reached forward and lifted the Golden Amulet over Ivy's head. Holders worked themselves into a frenzy as they watched their queen replace the fake replica she had with the real pendant she'd gotten from the girl.

Perhaps, Adora shouldn't have trusted that I could do this, after all.

No, Ivy! You cannot start regretting now!

Before the guards could begin dragging the girl back to the palace, a certain boy had already squeezed his way through the crowd of people and was now standing under the nose of the queen. Ivy was quick to acknowledge who the male was. It was the same student she'd used as a target during her presentation back at the academy — the same doubted boy who'd taken part in sticking up for her. Was he here to finally showcase his true colours to her?

The boy raised his arm, bringing more attention his way. The words that rolled off his tongue caused the entire crowd to pause for a second before they began to mumble amongst themselves once again. Even Queen Matilda appeared a bit shaken, as well.

"I hold the ability to see engraved names on Amulets."

For Ivy, his bold words were more than relieving to hear. However, the queen, on the other hand, was not as pleased, in the slightest. She stomped over to the boy, yet, he did not quiver in terror as Ivy had expected him to.

He's quite courageous.

"You dare call me a liar?"

"No," came his response. As one of the Holders, he knew the queen could not lay a hand on him. "But, if you're telling the truth, then you have nothing to worry about, Your Majesty. Right?"

Very courageous!

"Give everyone here a reason to trust you," the boy added, "because even if some of us don't want to admit it, the girl is correct. We've never seen your Amulet glow. In fact, back at the academy, she was able to splendidly use one of the Golden Amulet's abilities — Power Replication. How else could she have been able to do such a thing if it was your name engraved on that necklace? Only the owner of an Amulet can use the powers of that Amulet, isn't that correct, Queen Matilda?"

"What have you come here to do?"

"I will look at the Amulet and show everyone whose name is truly printed on it," the boy answered, holding out his hand. "Please."

Queen Matilda looked ready to reject the idea, but, staring back at all the judgemental faces caused her to stumble back. She wasn't sure if they were judging her or the boy, regardless, it didn't matter. Her entire reputation was on the line, and just when she believed she was going to make it through today, this boy had to show up. What else could she do, at this moment?

As the woman drew in a sharp breath, she handed the pendant over to the boy. Ivy espied the queen cross her fingers behind her back with pleading eyes as if she were still a child.

So, this is really happening? Ivy could hardly believe it. Just when I thought I'd failed.

It was finally the moment of truth.