The next morning felt strangely normal.
Which was exactly what made it feel wrong.
Cars moved through the streets.
People walked to work.
Dogs barked.
The world continued as if nothing had happened.
Yet none of the boys could stop thinking about the previous night.
The explosion.
The crimson light.
The forest.
And most importantly...
The blood on the Vanguard's face.
A scratch.
That's what he had called it.
Nobody believed him.
Not for a second.
Because if something could make a man like that bleed...
Then what exactly had been hiding in those woods?.
Zeven's phone vibrated.
Dak.
Of course.
Dak:
"Get to the clearing."
Dak:
"We are getting answers today."
Dak:
"No mysterious mentor nonsense."
Dak:
"I'm serious."
A few seconds later:
Dak:
"Gravity still works btw."
Zeven shook his head.
An hour later the five boys stood inside the clearing.
The air was cool.
The forest was quiet.
Almost too quiet.
Then they saw him.
The Vanguard stood near the center of the clearing.
Waiting.
As if he had known they would come.
Matthew stepped forward.
"We have questions."
The Vanguard nodded.
"I expected that."
Dak pointed immediately.
"No."
The Vanguard raised an eyebrow.
"No?"
"We're not doing the mysterious old guy thing today."
Silence.
Dak pointed directly at the small mark near the Vanguard's cheek.
"We're starting with that."
The clearing became quiet.
Matthew crossed his arms.
"What happened in the forest?"
Kael nodded.
"What made you bleed?"
Ozias added:
"And don't say a scratch."
For several moments the Vanguard simply looked at them.
Then he sighed.
"A scratch."
Dak nearly exploded.
"Oh come on!"
For the first time...
The corner of the Vanguard's mouth twitched.
Almost a smile.
Almost.
"What happened?" Matthew asked again.
The Vanguard's expression returned to normal.
"Something dangerous."
Dak stared.
Several seconds passed.
"That's it?"
"Yes."
"That's your answer?"
"Yes."
Dak looked personally offended.
"I hate talking to you."
"Good."
The others laughed.
Matthew didn't.
"We deserve more than that."
The Vanguard's gaze shifted toward him.
"No."
The answer surprised everyone.
"You deserve the truth."
Silence.
"But there is a difference between truth and information."
The boys listened.
"The less you know about what happened last night..."
His eyes briefly moved toward the forest.
"...the safer you'll be."
The answer only made them more curious.
But something in his voice ended the discussion.
For now.
Matthew changed direction.
"Then explain us."
The Vanguard looked at him.
Matthew pointed toward Zeven.
Then Dak.
Then the others.
"Our powers."
The clearing became quiet.
For several moments the Vanguard said nothing.
Then he bent down.
Picked up a small stone.
Held it between two fingers.
"Everything in existence contains Nexis."
Silence.
Dak blinked.
"What?"
"Nexis."
"The energy that exists within all things."
Nobody understood.
The Vanguard continued anyway.
"The earth contains Nexis."
He tossed the stone lightly.
"The sky."
"The oceans."
"The forests."
"Animals."
"Humans."
Ozias frowned.
"So it's everywhere?"
"Yes."
The Vanguard nodded.
"Everywhere."
A faint shimmer appeared around his hand.
Like silver light beneath his skin.
Then vanished.
"Nexis exists within every living thing."
Matthew crossed his arms.
"Then why doesn't everyone have powers?"
"A good question."
The Vanguard looked at him.
"Because possessing Nexis and using Nexis are not the same thing."
Now he had their attention.
"Most people live their entire lives without ever touching it."
"Then what about us?" Kael asked.
The Vanguard's gaze moved across the group.
One by one.
"You touched it."
Silence.
Dak pointed at himself.
"So gravity is Nexis?"
"Yes."
Kael.
"Force Manipulation?"
"Yes."
Ozias.
"Hypercognition?"
"Yes."
Matthew.
"Future Sight?"
"Yes."
Finally...
His eyes settled on Zeven.
"The Black Lightning."
A brief pause.
"Also Nexis."
Nobody missed the pause.
Especially Zeven.
Dak narrowed his eyes.
"You keep doing that."
"What?"
"The pause."
Silence.
The Vanguard looked at him.
Then away.
He didn't answer.
And somehow...
That answer felt louder than words.
Dak crossed his arms.
"So how strong are we?"
The Vanguard looked at him.
"Weak."
Dak looked personally attacked.
"What?"
"Weak."
"I can manipulate gravity."
"Weak."
"I bent a tree."
"Weak."
Dak turned toward the others.
"I don't like him."
"Nobody asked."
Kael replied.
The others laughed.
The Vanguard drew seven lines into the dirt with his boot.
Spark.
Pulse.
Core.
Nexus.
Ascendant.
Sovereign.
Eclipse.
"You measure strength through control."
His finger touched the first line.
"Spark."
"The first connection to Nexis."
"Poor control."
"Unstable abilities."
"Emotions influence power."
Dak immediately pointed at Zeven.
"Definitely him."
Zeven rolled his eyes.
"Pulse."
"Nexis begins responding naturally."
"Greater precision."
"Less wasted energy."
"Core."
"The ability becomes part of the body."
"Like breathing."
"Nexus."
"The ability to influence Nexis beyond yourself."
"Ascendant."
"Near-perfect mastery."
"Sovereign."
"Absolute mastery over one's Nexis pathway."
Finally...
His finger stopped at the last mark.
"Eclipse."
The clearing became quiet.
Matthew frowned.
"What happens at Eclipse?"
Several seconds passed.
Then:
"No one knows."
The boys stared.
"You don't know?"
Ozias asked.
The Vanguard shook his head.
"I've heard stories."
"Nothing more."
Kael spoke next.
"What rank are we?"
The answer came instantly.
"Spark."
Dak groaned.
"Of course."
The Vanguard looked at him.
"You should be grateful."
That answer caught everyone's attention.
"Why?" Matthew asked.
The Vanguard's gaze hardened.
"Because many survive long enough to touch Nexis."
A pause.
"Not all survive becoming connected to it."
Nobody spoke.
Zeven remembered the bathroom.
The pain.
The burning.
The feeling that his body was tearing itself apart.
Slowly...
The pieces began fitting together.
"Nexis can be forced."
The atmosphere changed immediately.
Matthew frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"It means a Nexaris can draw more Nexis than they can safely control."
Dak grinned.
"That sounds useful."
"No."
The grin disappeared.
"It sounds stupid."
For the first time genuine irritation appeared in the Vanguard's voice.
"Nexis rewards discipline."
"It punishes recklessness."
The boys listened.
The Vanguard looked toward Zeven.
"If you force your Black Lightning beyond your limits..."
"The power will increase."
"But so will the damage."
"What kind of damage?" Zeven asked.
"Pain."
The answer came instantly.
"Burning skin."
"Physical deterioration."
"Loss of control."
His gaze remained fixed on Zeven.
"Darkening eyes."
Silence.
Every one of them remembered the bathroom.
Dak slowly raised a hand.
"What about me?"
"If you force your gravity beyond your limits..."
The Vanguard pointed at him.
"You may begin crushing your own body."
Dak immediately lowered his hand.
"Never mind."
The others burst out laughing.
Even Matthew smiled.
Then Matthew asked:
"How many people like us are there?"
The Vanguard became silent.
"On Earth?"
The boys nodded.
"Very few."
That wasn't surprising.
Then he continued.
"In Nythara?"
Silence.
Dak frowned.
"In where?"
The Vanguard looked at him.
"Nythara."
"The homeland of the Nexaris."
Nobody spoke.
The name sounded ancient.
Foreign.
Real.
Kael crossed his arms.
"Another country?"
"No."
"Another planet?"
Ozias asked.
"No."
Now everyone looked confused.
Matthew stepped forward.
"Then what is it?"
The Vanguard remained silent for several seconds.
Then:
"Nythara is another dimension."
The clearing fell silent.
Completely silent.
Dak blinked.
Then blinked again.
"Another dimension."
"Yes."
Nobody laughed.
Nobody made a joke.
Because after everything they had seen...
The answer sounded impossible.
Yet somehow believable.
"Nythara exists beside Earth."
"Not above it."
"Not below it."
"Beside it."
The boys listened carefully.
"Most humans will never know it exists."
"Most humans will never see it."
Ozias looked stunned.
"How many people live there?"
The answer came calmly.
"Millions."
Nobody spoke.
Millions.
An entire civilization hidden beyond reality itself.
Dak slowly sat on a nearby rock.
"What."
For once...
Nobody laughed.
Because all of them felt exactly the same.
Matthew looked toward the Vanguard.
"And you're from there?"
The Vanguard nodded.
"Yes."
The answer somehow made him seem even less human than before.
Not because of his powers.
Not because of his strength.
Because he came from somewhere else entirely.
The wind moved softly through the clearing.
Then the Vanguard spoke again.
"There is a place in Nythara."
The boys looked toward him.
"The Eclipsera Conclave."
The name carried weight.
Even if they didn't understand why.
Ozias frowned.
"What's that?"
For the first time...
The Vanguard seemed to think carefully before answering.
"An institution."
Silence.
"An institution for what?"
Kael asked.
"For Nexaris."
The Vanguard looked toward the distant forest.
"It is one of the oldest institutions in Nythara."
"It existed long before I was born."
"Long before many nations that exist today."
The boys exchanged glances.
"It trains young Nexaris."
"It studies Nexis."
"It prepares future protectors, explorers, researchers, leaders, and warriors."
Matthew crossed his arms.
"So it's a school."
"No."
The answer came immediately.
"It is far more than that."
The atmosphere shifted.
"Many of the greatest Nexaris in history passed through its halls."
"Some became Sovereigns."
"Some changed the course of history."
"Some saved entire civilizations."
Nobody spoke.
Even Dak seemed interested now.
"Can anybody join?"
The Vanguard looked at him.
"No."
Dak looked offended.
"I wasn't asking for me."
"You were."
"I was."
The others laughed.
The Vanguard continued.
"Thousands attempt to enter."
"Hundreds are tested."
"Only a few are accepted."
The laughter faded.
Suddenly the institution felt much larger.
Much more important.
Matthew looked toward him.
"Why are you telling us this?"
The Vanguard's gaze moved across the group.
Dak.
Kael.
Ozias.
Matthew.
Finally...
Zeven.
Then he answered.
"Because one day..."
A brief pause.
"You may have the opportunity to stand before the Conclave yourselves."
Silence.
The statement hung in the air.
An institution from another dimension.
A place where legends were made.
A place almost impossible to enter.
And somehow...
The Vanguard believed they could reach it.
For several moments nobody spoke.
Then Matthew frowned.
"When will we see you again?"
The Vanguard stopped.
"Two months."
The boys exchanged glances.
"Two months?" Dak asked.
"Yes."
"You have much to learn."
Ozias frowned.
"What happens after that?"
The Vanguard remained silent for a few seconds.
Then:
"If your progress is acceptable..."
The boys listened carefully.
"...I will return."
Matthew crossed his arms.
"And then?"
For the first time, something distant appeared in the Vanguard's eyes.
Almost nostalgic.
Then he answered.
"I will take you to Nythara."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Dak stared.
"No way."
Kael looked equally shocked.
"You're serious?"
"Yes."
The Vanguard nodded.
"The other dimension..."
Ozias whispered.
"Yes."
Then he looked at them one final time.
"You are Sparks."
"Nothing more."
Dak immediately looked offended.
The Vanguard ignored him.
"You have potential."
"Whether that potential becomes something meaningful..."
His gaze shifted toward the forest.
"...depends entirely on you."
Silence followed.
Then he turned away.
"Train."
"Learn."
"Survive."
He began walking toward the trees.
"The future will decide the rest."
Within moments the forest swallowed him.
Gone.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Because for the first time...
Their future had become real.
Two months.
Eight weeks.
Sixty days.
Then everything would change.
Somewhere beyond reality stood Nythara.
A world filled with millions of Nexaris.
And within that world...
The Eclipsera Conclave.
One of the oldest institutions in existence.
A place where legends were made.
A place that seemed impossibly far away.
Yet now...
It had a date.
Two months.
The boys stood beneath the gray sky.
Looking toward the forest.
Toward the future.
And none of them knew that the next two months would be the last truly peaceful days of their lives.