1 month later...
One month had passed since the Dalki incident.
The military school was in session again, and Quinn now stood before the academy's test grounds.
"I believe we have a Level 1 user here," Jane announced, scanning the students. "Quinn, is it? Step forward... now state your ability."
Quinn obeyed, stepping into the open. He couldn't help but think the whole procedure was ridiculous. The tablet Jane was holding already contained every bit of his data from his previous school — including the part where it clearly stated he had no ability. This felt like nothing more than a pointless formality.
In truth, Quinn was stuck in a strange predicament. The tablet on the island had given him an ability — or so he thought — but he had no idea how to use it. At first, he had been overjoyed… until he realized the bizarre condition it came with. His power could steal another person's ability. But using it would instantly draw suspicion, because in the entire world there was only one known person who could do such a thing: the infamous Truedream.
That wasn't even the biggest problem. The biggest problem was he didn't even know how to activate it. And unlike others, he hadn't received an ability book to guide him. That damned tablet… No wait, it was his own greed that got him here. He bit his lip at the thought.
"I don't have an ability," he said aloud.
"Very well," Jane replied, and gestured to the man beside her. He repeated a practiced motion, and in an instant an ability book materialized in his hand. Jane held it out toward Quinn.
Quinn stared for a moment, then shook his head. "Sorry… I don't want to take the ability."
Gasps rippled through the crowd. A weak, pathetic Level 1 refusing an Earth ability? It was unheard of. For the first time, Jane's usually expressionless face showed emotion — the faintest frown.
"Wait," she said, touching the earpiece at her side. "Sir, a student by the name Quinn Talen has refused the Earth ability. What should I do with this… outlier?"
A man's voice replied over the comms. "If he doesn't want the book, let him take the test. If he shows any promise, report to me."
The man then pulled out a file on Quinn Talen. No ability… yet refuses one when offered. Let's see how you survive in this cruel world, boy.
Jane received her instructions and looked back at him. "Fine. Proceed to the test."
Quinn was baffled. What's wrong with these people? I already told them I don't have an ability — so why make me take the test? To him, it felt like the military wanted to humiliate him for refusing the book, hoping the shame would bring him crawling back to accept the "gift" they were so generously offering
Jane then took Quinn a little further out onto the field where Quinn noticed that there were huge craters in the ground, burn marks, and all sorts of things. This was all done from the previous testing contestants.
"Proceed to destroy the targets in front of you as quickly as possible," Jane instructed. "The test begins now."
The moment her voice faded, three targets sprang up at random points across the wasteland. They were heavy metal discs, each with a glowing red dot at its center.
Quinn dashed forward, weaving through the dusty ground to reach them one by one. Without an ability to assist him, he was forced to rely on sheer speed and stamina. By the time he struck the last target, more time had passed than he would have liked. His score appeared on the nearby display: 10
Two more trials followed.
The second was a raw strength assessment. A large, drum-shaped machine waited at the center of the field. Quinn stepped up, planted his feet, and swung with all the force he could muster. The machine shuddered from the impact before emitting a low chime, a number glowing faintly on its panel.
"Strength: 10," Jane read aloud, tapping the result into her tablet.
Finally came the agility test. The proctors rolled out a large, circular device riddled with small openings across its surface. At Jane's signal, holographic spikes shot out from the holes, each strike faster and more unpredictable than the last.
Quinn twisted and dodged, doing his best to keep pace as the machine increased its speed. Eventually, one spike grazed him — the signal to end the run.
"Agility: 10," Jane announced, her voice flat as she entered the last score.
Once the scores were tallied, Jane glanced at her tablet and for the second time that day she showed a hint of surprise.
"Interesting," she said. "Your file states you're an ability level one, yet you managed to score the equivalent of a 1.5."
Up front, Jane quietly touched her comms again, noting something for the record.
Vorden gave Quinn an approving nod. " pulling off a 1.5? even without an ability That's impressive."
Before Quinn could respond though, another voice cut in."Of course he did," Vicky said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "He's been training with me for a whole month — what did you expect?"