Marcus leaned back in his chair until the front legs lifted slightly off the floor, then rested his feet on his desk. He seemed remarkably comfortable for the Vice President of the American Guild.
Nova settled into one chair, examining the lavish office, while Adam perched stiffly on the other. Adam kept glancing toward the door as if the boys from downstairs might follow them inside. Marcus noticed, but addressed Nova first.
"First of all, congratulations," Marcus said. "You almost defeated an Awakened individual without being awakened yourself. Pretty fucking impressive. And you stood up for someone else, knowing the boy comes from a powerful family. Wealthy, influential, but still beneath me. You saw how the staff reacted to him."
"His father has enough influence to cause trouble for ordinary people," Marcus added. "You knew you were taking a risk, right?"
"I noticed," Nova said. "But I do what my gut tells me. He was harassing Adam and the receptionist, and everyone let him. I couldn't understand why a mortal would treat another mortal like that."
Marcus laughed. "A mortal? You sound like some ancient man talking about humanity from a distant mountain."
"I'm old," Nova answered honestly.
"You're funny. I like you," Marcus said, laughing harder. "Most boys would be bragging about that fight. You talk like my grandfather."
Nova smiled without correcting him. His true age was not something he intended to explain.
Marcus turned to Adam. "I've seen those three push you around before. Why do you still follow them? They're a bad crowd."
Adam's fingers tightened together. "I-I don't... It's not as easy as it sounds."
"I know it isn't," Marcus said. "But do you even want to be their friend?"
"N-No," Adam whispered.
"Then there has to be a reason you stay. And I can't help you if you refuse to tell anyone what it is."
Adam shook his head, then fell silent. He thought of his mother, of the trouble that might reach her if he tried to leave the boys behind. He had no ability, no powerful family, and no guarantee they would leave him alone afterward.
"Life isn't easy," Marcus said bluntly. "If you let them decide everything for you, they'll keep treating you like their pet until they get bored and abandon you. You'll be left with the fear and regret. You have to find a way out. What do you want your life to look like a year from now?"
Adam stared down at the floor. "I don't want to spend another year like this."
"Then start with that," Marcus replied. "It's a decision, even if you haven't worked out what comes afterward."
"I'm not asking you to throw yourself into a fight you can't win," Marcus continued. "But you need to start working toward a different future. Otherwise, nothing will change."
Adam turned away as tears slipped down his cheeks. It wasn't only the bullying that frightened him. His mother meant everything to him, and he couldn't risk making her life harder. He wished he had something, anything, with which to defend himself.
Nova watched him in silence. Adam wasn't simply afraid of another beating. He was afraid of what might happen afterward, something Nova hadn't considered when he told him to stop following the boys.
"You think being unawakened puts you beneath them," Marcus said. "That you're too weak to stand up for yourself. Look at Nova."
He gestured toward Nova. "He nearly defeated an Awakened boy without an ability. Determination and ambition matter. Though I'd prefer you learn to use your head before you get yourself injured."
"I certainly got injured," Nova said, touching his recently healed side. "I'd prefer not to repeat that part of the experience."
"Then try using your head before your fists next time," Marcus replied. "Courage is useful. Recklessness is expensive."
Adam glanced toward Nova. "Y-You weren't scared? When he used his ability?"
Nova remembered the earth-manipulation attacks and the pain of his own body failing to keep up.
"I knew I might lose," he admitted. "And I learned how much training I still need. But I would have regretted doing nothing."
"Y-You make it sound simple," Adam replied.
"It wasn't," Nova said. "I just knew what I wanted to do. You don't have to make the same choice in the same way."
Adam looked at him, surprised. For the first time since entering the office, he seemed to be listening without waiting for someone to insult him.
"There's something I want to show both of you," Marcus said, rising from his chair. "Come on. We're going to the Amplitude Sphere."
Adam straightened so abruptly that his glasses slipped. "T-The Amplitude Sphere?"
"The very one," Marcus replied. "I want to see your chances of awakening. It won't decide your entire future, but it will give us something to work with."
Nova stood as well. "It tells you whether someone will awaken?"
"It measures potential, not the exact date or type of awakening," Marcus explained. "You get a number from one to a hundred. Let's see where the two of you stand."
Adam followed them out of the office, wiping his eyes. Even a fifty-percent reading would give him hope. He was willing to take those odds and work to improve them.
The elevator descended from the fortieth floor to the twentieth. Nova asked about the tournament as they rode.
"Tomorrow, yes," Marcus told him. "Be on time, and pay attention when they announce the rules."
"I know how to listen," Nova replied.
"Good. I wouldn't want to discover otherwise in the middle of the first stage."
The doors opened onto a corridor lined with testing cubicles. People waited outside, some talking nervously, others staring at their phones. Marcus passed them and headed for a private room.
"Those are the public spheres," he explained. "Mine is reserved for me. One of the few advantages of being Vice President."
Adam glanced at the people waiting along the corridor. He had heard about the Amplitude Sphere before, but testing it himself had always seemed like something meant for other people. The private room felt even further beyond his reach. He followed Marcus inside anyway.
White marble covered the room. A smooth blue sphere rested on a pedestal in the center, faint currents of light moving beneath its surface. Nova approached, curious about a mortal invention claiming to measure a person's potential.
"Place your hands on it," Marcus instructed. "Stay still until the number appears. Don't try to force it."
"I-I'll go first," Adam said. He stepped forward before he could change his mind.
He placed both hands on the sphere.
Blue-white lightning sparked inside, brightening until restless currents filled the glasslike surface. Adam held his breath as the light gathered into two glowing digits.
98.
"N-Ninety-eight?" Adam whispered. His hands remained on the sphere until Marcus gently told him to step away.
"Is that good?" Adam asked, afraid he might have misunderstood the display.
"Good?" Marcus repeated with a disbelieving laugh. "No one has ever scored higher than ninety-five on this sphere. And you're asking if ninety-eight is good?"
Adam looked between them. "S-So... I actually have a chance?"
"A remarkable chance of awakening," Marcus said. "Perhaps an unusual ability, too. But potential doesn't replace training. You'll need to earn whatever comes next."
Nova patted Adam's shoulder. "Congratulations. You deserve to be happy about this."
Adam blinked away fresh tears, but his expression was different now. He wasn't crying because of something those boys had done. "T-Thank you," he said quietly. "Both of you."
Marcus gave him a brief nod before pointing to the pedestal. "Your turn, Nova. Let's see if you give me another surprise."
Nova stepped forward and put his hands on the blue surface. He waited, but the sphere did not respond.
"Strange," Marcus muttered. "Keep your hands there."
"Did I do something wrong?" Nova asked.
"No. It's supposed to react immediately." Marcus frowned at the sphere. "Unless it's malfunctioning. I had it serviced recently."
Nova was about to reply when he felt the faintest pressure beneath his palms. A crack rang through the room.
The sphere exploded.
Blue fragments flew in every direction. Adam covered his face and Marcus stepped back, but before any piece touched the floor, the fragments turned to ash and vanished. The pedestal stood empty.
Nova lowered his unharmed hands, suddenly worried. He had only recently begun understanding the value mortals placed on their possessions, and the sphere had looked expensive.
"I didn't mean to break it," he said.
"Break it?" Marcus echoed. "You turned the damned thing to ash."
"Do I have to pay for it?"
Adam let out a startled laugh before covering his mouth. He looked almost as surprised by his own reaction as he had been by the explosion. Marcus, however, seemed far more interested in Nova than in the missing equipment.
"Forget the sphere. Adam scores a ninety-eight, higher than anyone I've tested, and you touch the device only for it to explode? I've never seen anything like it."
"So what does my result mean?" Nova asked.
"I haven't got a clue," Marcus admitted. "Perhaps your potential exceeds its limits. Perhaps the device couldn't interpret you. Either way, I'm interested."
Nova examined his hands. He had deliberately restricted his divine nature before arriving in the mortal realm. He had no idea whether the sphere had sensed something beyond those limits or had simply failed to understand him. For now, the mystery was another reason to continue his experiment.
He looked at Adam, who was still smiling. "And don't let one number go to your head. Tomorrow's tournament will tell me what you're prepared to do with your potential."
On the way back to the office, Marcus asked Nova about his life in Boston. Nova admitted he had little money, no work, and relied on the kindness of a woman who helped him find an apartment. He also mentioned the kittens waiting at home.
"You nearly beat an Awakened boy, destroyed my sphere, and you're worried about feeding kittens?" Marcus asked.
"Of course. They depend on me."
Marcus watched him for a moment. The reply had been immediate, without any attempt to sound impressive. He had expected Nova to ask for special treatment after the testing incident, yet the young man seemed more concerned with whether he had enough food at home.
"You are an odd one," Marcus said, shaking his head.
Back at his desk, Marcus handed Nova some money for food and clothes. Nova initially refused, insisting he had done nothing to deserve a gift. Marcus pressed it into his hand anyway.
"Consider it an investment. Get yourself fed, and arrive tomorrow ready to compete. Both of you."
Adam left with an unfamiliar smile, reassured that his future wasn't already decided. Nova was eager to discover what his mortal life might bring. Marcus watched them go, a devilish grin on his face. Two promising young men had fallen into his lap, and he was already considering what he might do with them. If they had noticed his expression, they might have found it a little creepy.