Do not fuck around with the Mark of Force! Yeah, that's one thing to remember.

If blocked by an obstacle, whatever it pushes ahead will come back with a vengeance. If I don't fancy myself flying in the opposite direction, I better be sure to keep it away from walls, ceilings, floors, boulders, and heavy objects in general.

And there is more. The symbols need some kind of energy. The more you charge it, the stronger it gets. A small charge looks bright green and pushes the dust away from the floor; nothing to fear. A blue charge is no joke. If close enough, the backblast alone will knock an adult human down.

The red charge is a different beast entirely. Once overcharged, the Mark of Force transforms into a giant rocket launcher, an artillery gun, a bomb, all of them combined! Whatever the hell that thing is, I better not fuck around with it. Point it far away, avoid any kind of obstacle, make sure the target really really deserves it, and there's no one I care about anywhere near its blast zone. Aim and... pray? Oh, and still expect a strong backblast!

Hmm, what else? The riding beasts, yes. Those are some damn tough creatures. They can dig themselves in the sand, resist pressure and wind that can rip adult humans apart, just to get back on their feet as if nothing happened. I've seen them before, sleeping half-covered in sand, not giving a shit about the raging desert storm, yet I've never thought them to be so damn resilient. Good to know.

Lessons given, lessons learned. How many other lessons will this world teach me?

As soon as the beast finishes watching over those below, she turns towards me, pointing at the bracelet. I raise my arm and give it to her. Apparently, once spent, she's the only one to charge it back. That's another lesson to be learned. Is there a way to charge it by myself?

She lets go of my arm. The symbol is ready again, blue-green, low power. I feel safe.

"Ank'en'th," she speaks, pointing at the wall across the terrace.

I smirk confidently, barely hiding my disappointment. There is little sand left; this won't be much of a show, I think, raising my arm, ready to blast away.

Wait... this is... not right! A solitary thought passes through my adrenaline-hyped brain, slowing me down to a halt. I'm still near the edge, and the wall is facing me. If I'll push the air ahead...

This is another test! And I almost fell for it... almost!

But I'm too smart! I already learned that lesson, I think, proud of my judgment. I will get closer to the wall, leaving plenty of room behind for the imminent pushback. Not too close, though, since I don't fancy getting knocked off my feet by the returning air. There, just in the middle of the terrace, it's the perfect spot. I nod and head towards it.

Or at least wish to.

But no, I can't. The beast grabs hold of my shoulder and stops me near the edge, barely a step away from my last position.

I stare back at her, trying to explain myself. I got it already; there's no need to get myself hurt! I'm smart, you know, a wizard and all that...

And yet I can't say a word to her. Her eyes are dead serious as she points toward the wall. There won't be any negotiation and no delay. I swallow thickly. She's one fucked up creature, that's for sure. I stare at the wall, trying to think ahead. Once the backblast hits, I'll anchor myself onto her. She's one massive beast; she probably weighs a ton too, nothing can move her. Also, the symbol is barely glowing. I don't need to worry so much; it won't even have too much of a pushback, right?

"Ank'en'th," she commands, slapping my back gently, almost knocking me over.

A deep breath, aim, and touch!

"Ank'en'th!"

"Aaa... gghhh...aa!!!" What the?....

My body moves... forward!?

I try to speak, but I can barely manage a grunt. Even my frightened squeals get muted as most of the air rushes out of my lungs.

Vacuum? My mind suddenly lights up! The bracelet forced the air sideways, somehow creating a low-pressure area pushing the wall and me toward each other. The wall stood still, as expected, and I got sucked in. It's the reverse of the push; it's some kind of pull now! And there it goes, just as expected. The air rushes back in, dust and sand filling the void and my opened mouth.

First a push, now a pull... interesting...

A new word, slightly changed, same symbol, and a completely different effect.

"Ank'en'th," I hear her repeat the new word as she grabs onto my arm and keeps the bracelet in front of my eyes. Damn, it burns!

The symbol... glows red!

"Ank'en'th," she repeats, letting my arm go.

I'm speechless! I now know what that means, and... I'm afraid... really, really afraid!

A vacuum, an overcharged vacuum! I look around, holding my hand away from me, afraid to touch it somehow, even by mistake. A vacuum of this strength can easily crush my lungs or blast me toward a wall with such force that I'll become an instant impressionist painting, and not a very good one, I may add.

My brain rushes ahead, filling my mind with all kinds of monstrous simulations. Such a strong force can pop out my eyes, suck my brains out through my ears, spill my guts through my mouth, break me apart, make my blood boil, turn me inside out...

But then, how the hell can I use this thing without... dying?!

I move towards the edge and look down. If I aim there again, I will get dragged out, sucked towards the sand. I'll be dead on impact. I turn around. The back wall is out of the question. I've already thought about it; I'll end up as a painting, a red blob of blood and bones. It's a terrible idea. The floor, nope, same thing. The ceiling, maybe? Higher, but deadly still. I wonder how my guts will look up there, slowly dripping blood down the floor... oh God, I better look away now.

I turn around again, holding my arm raised, far away from my body, searching for the right place to use the deadly overcharged power. Should I aim at the sands in front? A vacuum will suck me ahead over the edge; I'll fly forth for a while, and once the momentum stops, I'll fall like in a cartoon character. Maybe a bit of the momentum will be preserved... a falling cannonball then? Funny? Maybe. Deadly? Most probably.... yes.

Another bad idea. I'm running out of options. Damn! There's nowhere to use this! Wherever I point, the result seems to be the same; a quick and most horrifying death.

I look back, almost begging for an answer.

The beast's eyes are glowing. She's smiling, grinning, waiting for me to...

My blood freezes!

Fear! I feel it again, rushing through me, grabbing hold of my mind. She waits there, expecting me to... fail?!

This is just another test! She won't help! I'm all by myself! If I choose badly, I'll... die! My hand feels heavy; the bracelet feels menacing now. A bomb! I have a fucking bomb strapped onto my arm, waiting for a wrong move, ready to take me apart! Can I even get rid of it? No, I doubt that, but even if there is such a way out, I don't dare touch it while it's overcharged and ready to blast away. No, I better focus and find a solution. Come on, I'm smarter than this! My world has smartphones, damn it!

Top, bottom, left, right, front... there's no way! Every single direction will lead to disaster. No! There must be a way! Once more! Think, damn it! My mind goes wild, brain searching, eyes seeking, looking for answers. Cold sweat runs down my back. How the fuck do I solve this? Wherever I point it, whatever I do, I'll die!

Wait!

The beast!

She must know the answer!

I turn and look at her once again. Her eyes still burning, looking towards.... me? The answer is me?!

The time stands still.

The answer.... is... me?

S... sure... I think that could be, somehow. I'm the one tested. The one that decides when and how to use the powers given. I'm somehow the master of this damn thing. Am I? But right now, there is no good "how", I checked, and all the options are bad. If there's no "how"... then all that's left is the "when"...

Wait a moment!

I know it!

The answer, the answer is NOT NOW!

I must NOT use this thing right now!

And if that's the answer... it means.... it means all I have to do is power down the bracelet! The bomb will be defused. Yes, yes, that's it! Don't touch the top red symbol, and don't use the force! Find a way to shut it down!

I look at the bracelet, ignoring the burning red top mark. Down, the bottom ring, the light green symbol shining, barely a glow, that's the power symbol. All I have to do is to...

Just... calmly... power... it... down...