As we approached the island, it seemed much bigger than I originally thought. Guard towers lined the coast, made of wooden poles with tiki hut-style structures atop them. They were spaced apart in such a way that there were no blind spots. As we got closer, the man spoke.

  "So, I have to let one of the guards know what happened. They’ll take you to Darian, and he’ll decide what to do with you."

  I nodded in response.

  When the boat made landfall on the beach, the man jumped out and waved his arms at the soldier. "Hey, I need help now!" he yelled.

  I glanced down at the man whose arm I had broken. He was passed out cold, probably from the pain. I looked back at the tower, and a soldier quickly descended a wooden ladder. He wore simple clothes, similar to mine, but on top, he had leather armor—complete with a chest piece, shoulder guards, and leg coverings. He carried a long spear and had a wooden shield on his back.

  He approached the man, and they began talking, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. The man turned and pointed at me, so I decided to introduce myself. I hopped down from the boat and made my way toward them.

  The soldier immediately pulled his shield from his back and assumed a defensive posture. "Stay where you are," he commanded.

  I stopped and raised my hands in the air.

  "Easy now, I’m not here to start trouble. My name is Ryker. I came to meet with Darian."

  The soldier whispered something to the man, who immediately started running up the beach.

  "You just stay where you are and no sudden moves," the guard instructed.

  I sighed but ultimately complied. I watched as the man ran past small tiki huts where people were doing chores outside. He kept running until he reached a giant fence made of long wooden poles, about 15 feet high. He began banging on a gate, and soon it cracked open. He was ushered inside. I noticed a palm-thatched roof of a building within the walls but couldn’t make out anything else.

  I glanced back at the soldier guarding me. He seemed focused and ready for action. I began to lower my hands and walk over to him.

  "I said don’t move!" he commanded.

  I stopped walking but kept a relaxed posture.

  "This is not necessary, sir. I didn’t come to start trouble. I just seek an audience with your leader, Darian."

  The soldier remained fixed on me. He then glanced at the boat, then back at me.

  "You hijack one of our boats and nearly beat two of our people to death—one of them looks like he might be dead—and you expect me to believe you don’t want to cause trouble?"

  I sighed and looked at the boat. I could see the back of the man leaning against the railing. He hadn’t moved since we arrived.

  "It was in self-defense. They attacked me first."

  The soldier just kept his gaze on me saying nothing.

  Just then, I noticed the large gate opening, and about a dozen soldiers came running out in my direction. They held spears in one hand and shields in the other, as if preparing for battle. All of them had white hair and tan skin, which seemed to be a distinguishing characteristic of the Stormkin. I slowly raised my hands as the men approached. Before I had a chance to say anything, they surrounded me and slammed me face-first into the sand.

  "Hey!" I yelled as they tied my hands behind my back with rope and put a blindfold over my eyes. They lifted me to my feet, and I continued, "I’m just here to speak with Darian. I don’t mean anyone any harm."

  Suddenly, someone landed a hard punch to my stomach. I fell to my knees, coughing and struggling to catch my breath. As I gasped, someone grabbed me by the hair and yanked my head up.

  "You should've never come here, Chosen," a voice said, and I was lifted to my feet. The soldiers had a firm grip on both of my arms and quickly began leading me up the beach. I could only assume we passed through the gates I had seen earlier, and we seemed to climb some steps before entering a building.

  I stumbled and lost my footing, trying to navigate while blindfolded, but the strong grip of the two soldiers holding me kept me from falling. We made our way through what seemed like a series of hallways before entering another room and stopping. I waited for a moment, then someone ripped the blindfold off my face.

  As my eyes adjusted, I saw a man sitting on a throne of sorts. The room was simple—wooden floors and walls with a palm-thatched ceiling—but decorated with items such as a red rug that stretched all the way up to the feet of the man's chair. He wore armor similar to the other soldiers, except his was much more colorful and adorned with jewels. He also had a spear and shield, but they rested against the side of the chair he was sitting in.

  "Darian?" I said, but the man just continued staring. Another man stood next to him and whispered something in his ear. He nodded, then focused his gaze back on me.

  "You attack peaceful messengers on the shores of the mainland. You beat them within an inch of their lives, and then you hijack their boat and intrude upon my lands." He paused for a moment before continuing. "You're lucky we didn't kill you on the beach where you landed."

  I sighed, trying to control my breathing, as anger began to cloud my judgment.

  "I defended myself. Your men attacked me first. I came here just to talk to you. I didn't realize my presence here was such an insult to your people."

  I had barely finished speaking before he stood up and began shouting.

  "Your very existence is an insult to my people! My soldiers train day after day, month after month, until their skills are honed and they can bravely defend their land from invaders, standing tall and proud. Then a chosen one shows up, spends a day or two training, and soon he can defeat dozens of soldiers without breaking a sweat!"

  The leader stood for a moment longer, then took his seat.

  "Now the question is, what to do with you?" He stared, contemplating for a moment before motioning to another man beside him to come closer. They whispered for a few seconds, and then the leader waved his hand, dismissing him.

  I waited in anticipation.

  "You're going to spend the night in the dungeon, tomorrow you will be publicly executed."

  My anger boiled over at that point, and for some reason, I felt like a different person. I started laughing—not just a standard laugh, but a loud, obnoxious one. Everyone stared, a bit confused, and I just kept laughing. The soldier next to me gave a me a strong punch in the stomach again and yet, I continued laughing he placed his hand on my shoulder and began pumping electricity into me. It shot through my body, forcing me onto my face. I lay there for a moment, and a notification popped up:

  Lightning magic skill increased to level 2.

  The soldiers lifted me back to my feet, and I could feel the energy inside me flowing. The electrical current and my anger were one and the same. Darian, the leader, stood up and looked closely at me.

  "His eyes, you fools! Cover his eyes now!"

  Without even seeing myself, I knew exactly what he was talking about. My eyes must have been shooting lightning bolts, just like the Stormkin did. Darian was now realizing that every time they attacked me, every time I was beaten, every battle I fought only made me stronger by leaps and bounds.

  The soldiers quickly blindfolded me again. Instead of holding my arms and helping me keep my footing, they just dragged me. I was dragged through what seemed like endless hallways and down a long flight of steps. Even though my shins and feet were aching from hitting every step, I made sure not to help them. I stayed as limp as I possibly could, and by the time we reached my cell, I could tell the soldiers were exhausted. They threw me inside and slammed the metal barred door closed.

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  waited until it sounded like they had all left, then rolled over onto my back. From there, I sat up carefully and stood. I tried to lift my head and peek under the blindfold, but I could see nothing. I snapped my fingers and lit a flame. I waited as the ropes binding my hands snapped and burned, and soon I broke my hands free.

  I quickly pulled off the blindfold and inspected my surroundings. I was in a middle cell, surrounded by bars on all sides. It seemed to be underground, but the sand had been sculpted in such a way that it looked as hard as rock. I rubbed my hand on the wall and knocked on it a couple of times. It definitely was solid.

  I turned around and sat on the floor. I needed to figure out my next move. It seemed like it was time for me to stop playing nice—nobody else was. I was going to use my powers to make sure I got what I needed. I just needed to figure out a way to escape and corner Darian somewhere, so it was just me and him. I smiled a bit, imagining the fear in his eyes.

  Then, I could talk to him like I wanted to in the beginning—without worrying about being hauled off to a dungeon by a bunch of soldiers.

  "That's a neat trick," a woman's voice said, and I jumped a bit. I looked around and noticed a figure in the cell next to me. She had been so quiet and still that I hadn't noticed her before.

  The entire room was dark, except for a single torch hanging from the wall directly across from my cell. It lit up my cell very well and parts of the other two, but she was standing in the corner covered in darkness. I stared in her direction for a moment, waiting, but she didn’t move or say anything else.

  I stood to my feet and walked over to the bars separating us. I put my hands on the bars and focused on the figure, but still couldn’t make out any details.

  "So, what did you do to end up in here?" I finally asked.

  She stayed motionless but answered, "You first."

  I sighed and made my way back to my spot on the floor, leaning against the bars.

  "I don’t have time for small talk. I need to figure out a way out of here."

  The only thing I could come up with was to wait. If I waited until the guards came to give me food, or when they came to take me for execution, I could make my escape. I would need to take out the soldiers and put on one of their uniforms. Then I could sneak out of here, find Darian, and make him listen to me.

  My thoughts were interrupted again.

  "Why did they have you blindfolded?"

  I looked over at the cell next to me.

  "Because I am a chosen," I said. The woman then stepped out of the shadows and moved against the bars that separated us. She had white hair and tan skin, just like the rest of the Stormkin. However, she had what looked like tattoos covering her from head to toe. They were a light blue, resembling continuous lightning bolts all the way down.

  "Why are you here?" she asked.

  Without meeting her gaze, I begrudgingly answered.

  "I came to seek aid for a war against the Warden. I was hoping the Stormkin could help, but no one will listen to me. So now I have to figure out a way to get out of here and make Darian listen."

  The woman nodded and continued.

  "Why do you seek war against the Warden?"

  I just looked up at her and sighed. My patience was reaching its limit.

  "Because he is not a good person. He is a tyrant, a leader who threatens the lives of people I care about." I turned, facing the direction opposite of the woman, hoping she would take the hint and leave me to my thoughts.

  "Will you take his place as ruler?" she asked.

  Without looking, I answered.

  "I just want to save the innocent people he threatens. I have no desire to rule."

  It was silent for a moment before she responded.

  "Maybe we can help each other," she said simply.

  I turned my head sideways to catch a glimpse of her.

  "How is that?"

  she continued. "Help me escape and kill Darian and then you will have your soldiers."

  I stood up and approached her. Her eyes were so blue they were almost white. They looked like a thunderstorm in themselves—mesmerizing, as lightning bolts shot from her pupils through her irises, around and behind. I could swear they glowed a bit with each strike.

  "What say you?" she asked, snapping me out of the trance.

  "I don't understand. How would killing Darian help me get his soldiers to fight with me?"

  She smiled. "It won't be his soldiers fighting with you; it will be mine."

  I stared, a bit confused, and she continued.

  "The Stormkin are not ruled by just one leader. The fractured isles are made up of several islands, each with its own ruler. Some rule multiple islands, and some, like myself, rule only one. Darian is the ruler of this island called Voltaris, and I rule the island just next to here, called Stormpeak."

  I felt a glimmer of hope flow through me.

  "Darian challenged my rule and laid claim to my island. Our ways, when two people lay claim to something such as this, are simple: they settle it with a duel. I arrived with a small envoy of soldiers to settle this duel, and instead, Darian sent his soldiers to do his fighting for him. They imprisoned me and killed my men. Now, I await my execution tomorrow alongside you. He will tell my people that he won the duel and rule Stormpeak without ever having to get off his throne."

  I nodded, starting to see where this was going.

  "You help me escape and make sure we find Darian so I can kill him. Then, help me return to my island, and I will repay the favor by joining you in your fight against the Warden."

  I couldn't help but smile. I stuck my hands between the bars and grasped hers.

  "You have a deal," I said, shaking her hand firmly.

  She nodded, "Do you have a plan?" I started pacing a bit as I knew this was going to be tricky.

  "Well, I was thinking we wait until a guard comes to feed us, or—"

  She lifted her hand, motioning for me to stop.

  "They will not feed us. I've been here for two days and haven't eaten anything."

  I nodded and continued. "Well, when they come to take us to be executed, we can attack them."

  She raised her hand again. "When they come to take us for execution, it will be a dozen soldiers or more. They aren't going to risk sending one or two to try and control a chosen."

  I nodded. That made sense. They’ve already demonstrated this when they came to arrest me the first time. Not only was it about a dozen soldiers, but they had me blindfolded as well.

  "Well, what do you suggest?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

  She looked down at my hands for a moment before looking back up at me. "Can you do more than light a single flame?"

  I nodded, still not sure what she was getting at.

  "If you can get the bars hot enough, they will weaken, and you can try bending them."

  I couldn't help but laugh. "I don't think I can get the bars hot enough to bend, but even if I did, I’d burn myself badly trying to bend them."

  "I can heal you," she said quickly. "I am adept in healing magic, and I can heal your hands just as quickly as they get burned."

  I thought for a moment. I guess it’s worth a try.

  I inspected the bars of my cell closely. It wasn’t much, but I could see they seemed to have been built decades ago. Then I examined the latch that secured the door in place. That could work, I thought.

  "Stand back," I said as I positioned myself about two feet away from the latch and locking mechanism. The woman stepped back, and I clenched my fist, focusing. I opened my hand, and a flame glowed in my palm. I raised my hand toward the door, and a stream of fire shot out, hitting the latch. I held it there, feeling the energy release from me.

  Several minutes passed as I continued blasting the lock with flames. The room was heating up quickly, and the door latch started glowing a bright orange. The woman, seeming to have heard something, ran to her door and tried peeking at the stairway.

  "Someone’s coming! Hurry!" she yelled.

  I tried to focus as hard as I could. The room was almost unbearably hot at this point, but I forced myself to keep the energy flowing, as condensed as I could.

  Soon, a soldier emerged from the stairway. "Hey, what are you doing?" he called out, lifting his hand to shield himself from the sudden wave of heat.

  I immediately stopped and kicked the door as hard as I could. It only gave a little. I kicked it over and over again, feeling sharp pain in my foot with every blow.

  The soldier started making his way toward my cell door with his spear in hand. I continued kicking, feeling the door give a little more with each strike.

  The soldier jabbed his spear through the bars at me stabbing me in the shoulder. I screamed in pain and with one final kick the door finally flung open catching the back of his spear and ripping it away from the soldier's grasp, Inadvertently this caused the spear to rip out of my shoulder taking a large chunk of flesh with it.

  I held my shoulder trying to slow the bleeding and started limping toward the soldier still trying to free his spear from the door.

  I moved next to him and stuck my still scolding hand underneath his leather armor and against his bare stomach. The guard screamed in pain and began slamming his fists into my arm trying to break it free. I focused and sent flames into his stomach and watched as he desperatly tried to escape, and then went limp and fell to the ground as the life left him.

  I started searching the soldier’s body for a key, but found nothing.

  "The keys will be at the top of the stairs!" the woman yelled. I winced and began limping toward the stairway.

  "Wait!" she called out, and I turned to see her hand outstretched toward me. Her eyes were closed, and a green, smoky vapor emanated from her hands, surrounding me. It was so thick that for a moment, I couldn’t see anything.As the smoke began to dissipate, a notification popped up:

  Healing magic skill increased to Level 1.

  Fire magic skill increased to Level 4 to reach Level 5 kill 5 enemies with fire magic.

  I looked down at my shoulder; the bleeding had stopped. I put some weight on my foot, It was still sore, but it seemed mostly healed. I nodded at the woman and ran up the stairway.

  The room at the top was empty, with a desk in the corner. I rushed over to it, searching through the drawers until I found a ring with three keys on it. Just as I grabbed them, I heard a soldier entering the room. He was halfway through the doorway when I charged, slamming my shoulder into it with full force, pinning the man.

  He screamed as his arm and spear remained stuck in the doorway. Without hesitation, I lifted my hand and blasted him with fire. The man shrieked in agony before abruptly fleeing, and I quickly slammed the door shut behind him. A small wooden latch clicked into place, locking it, giving us a brief respite—though I knew it wouldn’t hold for long.

  I dashed back downstairs, unlocked the woman’s cell, and she quickly emerged, sprinting up the stairs. Grabbing the dead soldier’s spear and shield, I followed her.

  She was scanning the room for something when I caught up to her.

  “What are you looking for?” I asked.

  She turned around, now holding a spear with a golden tip and a shield adorned with golden linings—though the shield had clearly been repaired countless times, losing much of its original design.

  Just then, the door shuddered, and we heard pounding from the other side as someone tried to force it open. The woman tilted her head from side to side, loosening up, then took a position about five feet back from the door. Shield raised, spear ready, she stood in a defensive stance.

  “Are you ready?” she asked.

  I simply nodded.

  “Well then, open the door and get out of my way.”