After classes ended, Quinn and Peter made their way back to the dorms, keeping their heads low to avoid drawing unnecessary attention. When they opened the door, they were surprised to find Vorden already inside, lying on his bed.
The moment they entered, Vorden sat up with a smile. "Hey, I've been waiting for you two. I wanted to apologize about earlier. I wasn't mad at you guys — just at this whole situation."
As Vorden stood, Quinn noticed a faint mark on the side of his face, red and swollen.
"What happened there?" Peter asked.
"Oh, this?" Vorden lightly tapped the bruise with a grin. "Just a little scuffle of my own. Don't worry, I didn't lose. I'm tougher than I look."
Then, almost too casually, he added, "By the way, I'm heading into town to grab some supplies. Want to come?"
Quinn hesitated. Back at his old school, friends had been a luxury he never had. But here? Things were starting to change, and that was exactly what he wanted."Sure, why not? I'm free. Peter, you coming?"
Peter nodded, and together the three of them set off. With time to spare before curfew, they explored the town. They caught a movie, ate at a fancy restaurant, and laughed over dishes more delicious than anything served at the academy. On their way back, Vorden suddenly brightened."Hey, I heard there's an arcade around here — with some really good games. Want to check it out?"
Quinn perked up at the idea."Oh really? Then let's go."
The moment they stepped into the arcade, they were greeted by flashing neon lights, loud chatter, and the electric hum of dozens of machines. Vorden wasted no time pulling them toward the games — old-school battlegrounds, futuristic space-racers, and more. They dove in, laughing and competing until Quinn, on his way out, noticed a row of massive pods lined up along the wall.
"What are those?" he asked, eyes fixed on them.
Vorden followed his gaze and smirked knowingly."Those are VR pods for Powerfighters, one of the most popular games in the world. Once you step inside, your consciousness gets pulled right into the virtual battlefield. I've been playing for years. The reason it's so popular? You can actually use your abilities in-game. Students use it all the time to train and sharpen their combat skills. It's so big that the military even runs its own servers, separate from the public ones."
Quinn listened closely, his curiosity sparking into something more. From his fights against Vicky and watching Erin's battle, he had realized that raw ability wasn't everything — proper technique and battle sense mattered more. If Powerfighters could teach him how to read abilities and find counters, it could become his greatest tool to grow stronger.
Yet a quiet sadness crept in too. He couldn't help but think about how oblivious he'd been — this entire world of opportunity had existed all along, hidden from him.
He walked closer to one of the pods and checked the price tag. His heart sank instantly as he counted the endless string of zeroes."…No way I can afford this."
Vorden laughed."You don't actually have to buy one, you know. The academy has its own VR pods for students to rent. Come on, I'll show you."
When they returned to campus, Peter called it a night and headed straight for bed. But Quinn, eager and restless, followed Vorden to a section of the academy where rows of the sleek VR pods waited.
----
The two of them went up to the front counter that was stationed next to the small cafe.
"Hi, we would like to rent out two capsules please?" Vorden asked.
"A single capsule will cost you 10 credits per hour." The female replied.
Hearing that number made Quinn gulp. For some reason, he had expected the capsules to be free but of course, they would have to pay to rent them. With Quinn's ten credits he received a day at most he could play the game for was an hour a day.
He didn't need the money for anything else, after all, the school provided the accommodation and three meals a day for them.
"Alright, are you ready?" Vorden asked.
"Huh, what did you pay?"
"Yeah, don't worry about it, come on let's go."
The woman at the counter handed out two tags numbered 16 and 17.
After reaching their assigned capsules, Vorden began explaining."These pods are linked directly to the military servers, so you'll be fighting students from other academies. You can't connect them to the public servers, though. For now, just log in as a guest. Once you're in, open the friends list and search for the ID: vbcopy. Join my room and we can play together."
The pods were surprisingly comfortable. As Quinn settled into his, the hatch closed with a soft hiss, and in an instant his consciousness was pulled into the game.
Following Vorden's instructions, Quinn searched for the ID and joined. A message appeared:
Transporting in 3… 2… 1…
Quinn's vision blurred, then cleared. He found himself in an endless white space — but what caught him off guard was Vorden. Or rather, someone who looked nothing like him. Standing there was an ancient ninja, dressed in traditional garb, blades strapped across his back.
"Uh… Vorden? Is that you?" Quinn asked, bewildered.
A second later, the figure shimmered and transformed back into the Vorden he recognized from school."Yeah, it's me. The game lets you change your appearance and outfits. Some are free, some cost credits."
Quinn couldn't help but smile. The detail was incredible, and it meant he didn't have to worry about his own identity being exposed here.
"Want to watch me play a few matches?" Vorden asked.
"Sure."
With a flick of his hand, Vorden created a party and enabled spectator mode. The white space around Quinn dissolved, and suddenly he was sitting in a gallery overlooking a massive arena. The immersion was so strong that even as a spectator, it felt real.
Vorden queued for a quick match, selecting the earth ability as his power. A countdown appeared, and an opponent materialized — a water user.
The fight began instantly. Quinn watched as their health bars hovered above them, glowing faintly. The clash was fast-paced and brutal, but Vorden fought with precision and confidence. He controlled the battlefield, using stone pillars and earth walls to counter the fluid strikes of his opponent. Within minutes, the match ended with Vorden's decisive victory.
"See? It's all about reading their moves and striking at the right time, and this opponent was also using beast gears to fight me. Did you see the side space next to the capsule, in there you can put your beast gears in, and the pod will analyze and then you can play with them too",Vorden explained.
He played a few more games while casually pointing out strategies, tactics, and tricks. Quinn listened closely, absorbing every detail, each fight fueling his excitement further.
But just as Quinn was itching to try it himself, the pods powered down. Their rental time had expired after an hour.
Climbing out, Quinn felt a pang of disappointment — yet it was quickly replaced by anticipation. He hadn't played tonight, but he couldn't wait for tomorrow.