I made my way to the staff floor in the central building and reached cabin two hundred and eleven where Professor Everhart sat with a massive stack of books on the table in front of her. Her gaze was fixed on what seemed like a thick book lying open on the desk, her irises shifting as she read intently. Her head snapped up as I entered and she gave me a curt nod, gesturing for me to sit in front of her.

"Ezekiel," she began, shutting the book and placing her palms flat against the table as she took a deep breath.  "I have been trying to do some extra research and to me, it turns out that you must be a Dormant." I nodded as she explained further, still wondering what the term meant. 

"You do have the power inside you, but due to remaining in the mortal world for a long time, they have been suppressed." She stood up and started pacing around the room. "One of the ways to explore that power is to call it from within yourself."

I nodded again as she closed her eyes and gestured for me to stand up. "Now, close your eyes and concentrate. Look for the hidden power within you. Trust yourself."

I closed my eyes and tried to do as she instructed. I could feel nothing except pangs of hunger from a scarce dinner an hour ago. Even though her explanations were vague, it wasn't much different than what the professors had instructed me already. It seemed like it was all pivoted around the brain, rather than the body.

"Try to reach deeper. Into your mind. Into your self. Call for it."

I focussed on my breathing, trying to reach into the depths of my mind. I felt lost. Darkness, however, seemed to be my only companion in the pursuit of what largely seemed like emptiness. I  was unsure what exactly I  was reaching for. Was it possible to tread a path without knowing the destination?

I felt an inkling of a strange enigma, almost magnetic and yet elusive. Calling to me and repelling me with parallel force and rivalled passion. I was aware of an obscure unearthly entity and tried to reach for it. My heart seemed to pound in my ears, a monotonous metronome in the deathly silence of my own mind. I was scarcely aware of my own body, a strange fire kindling in my chest as I wondered if I was closer than I had been before. 

And at the very last moment, it slipped away from between my fingers. Seductively elusive, frustratingly obscure. A strange warmth, fading. As if a flickering flame vanquishing the darkness around its own insignificant self. 

We worked in vain for about a quarter of an hour before she sighed. "I suppose your powers lie deeper than I anticipated." She pursed her lips. "Perhaps, it is time to take a more offensive approach."

She stood in front of me, facing me. "So Ezekiel, what is your favourite colour?"
  
I blinked rapidly at her unexpected question. "Er...pur-" My words ended in a yell as I felt a sharp sting on my face- as if the wind was slapping me. My legs gave way under me as I felt my body rise into the air. Gravity lost its fickle hold. I was merely a foot away from the ground when my brain sized up, and everything came back to me.

I just want to play.

Powerless. Weak. Pathetic. Everything that I knew I was.

Vivid memories passed by me in a blur of colours. I was sucked into a vacuum, shrouded by burning paranoia that seemed to tear away at my skin and singe my very core. Pain shot up my legs, stemming from my knees as I slowly became aware of the hard ground underneath my open palms. I realized I was lying on the ground on my knees, pressing my palms flat against the floor. I felt dizzy, my brain incoherent as the violently vivid images of my past slowly faded into the background, leaving my lungs constricted.  

"This...approach should work." Everhart's voice floated to me as if from a great distance. Once again, I felt like I was pulled out from under the depths of an icy lake as I slowly gazed up at her, my vision hazy. I rubbed my eyes, trying to reestablish my working senses. My heart jumped to my throat when she finally materialized into my comprehensible vision.

Half of her face seemed to be sunburnt. Angry red patches ferociously marred her dark skin. Hot shame and torturous guilt bubbled in my stomach. The irrational sense of no control returned to me. I couldn't remember when I had attacked her and I hated that I couldn't control it. As if my body was too weak  a vessel to confine my mind.

She waved a hand as her face healed itself magically and smiled at me. "That was a display of your powers."

I shook my head in disbelief. "Fire?"

I supposed that could make sense. Both my father and Meredith were fire Nuvues. 

She nodded. "Perhaps. Although, we require more training-" she winced, and I realized that the healing hadn't completed yet. "I think it is best if we continue this after Wednesday. I hear you have an important match coming up."

I nodded, feeling bewildered by the sudden burst of power. I hadn't even felt the fire as it had attacked her and silently wondered if she was mistaken. Her hasty reproach also told me that maybe she was hesitant. Scared even. Or was I just being paranoid?

"Take some rest, Hunt. Goodluck. I will see you again soon in a better arena, which will help you express your powers more." She quickly went and sat behind her desk, reaching for her drawer. I watched in silence as she took out what appeared to be a chilled bottle of water. The droplets of condensation were stuck on its surface and she placed her hand on it before placing it on her face, trying to relieve the burning sensation.

My stomach turned in guilt. The obvious reason for the training to be cut short was my unpredictable powers. Of course. 

I apologised to her, to which she simply waved a dismissive hand. After bidding goodnight to her I left her office. A part of me was hoping that I had finally expressed my powers, the other half was in disbelief. My previous outbursts had simply been light. How come I had suddenly revealed fire? Or was I mistaken, and it always had been fire? I would be in Incandesco, the fire guild. Just like my father.

I had never really imagined which Guild I would be in, even though I had imagined studying at Asteria countless times. Guilds were supposed to be extremely close-knit and the idea of being a part of such an intimate community made my stomach fill with lead.

I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, my mind already panicking at the possible situations. I found that I had strayed off course and reached the southern wing of the central building. To reach the floor below, I would either have to walk back to another side, or walk a few meters deeper into the secluded building and take the other exit.

It was late, and the staff had already left for their own rooms in the faculty block. The deserted corridor was half-hidden under the shadows as I walked on pensively. I stopped dead in my tracks when I passed a seemingly empty hall, voices floated out of the slightly open window. Not just voices but moans.

I gulped and deliberated if I should turn and walk back the way I had come, but the familiar voice made me stop.

"He's such an idiot," Beer's strained voice said. "If there's a voting tomorrow, he'll be out of the team faster than he can say 'Skyline.'"

A girl's voice giggled and whispered, "Good. He needs to be called out. Not to mention that you would look sizzling with that captain's badge."

She squealed as Beer continued. "And you'd look sizzling without this top."

Erotic moans started emanating from the windows as I made a split decision and ran back the way I had come, my stomach uneasy. Many times I had deliberated if I should tell Elijah about Megan. However, I reminded myself that there was no way he would believe me. Nonetheless, it was difficult to see her talking and laughing on his arm the entire day while she and Mitchell secretly revelled in his distress. 

*

Monday and Tuesday passed quickly. Both the days saw intensive practice sessions on the pitch. Elijah remained mostly quiet. His well-maintained physique seemed to be slightly lankier as if he was barely eating. His hair was often a mess, his eyes sunken. He looked permanently stressed and perpetually agitated. In all honestly, I felt a little bad for him. Aris and Hector had to majorly take charge of the team. 

Tuesday evening it was decided that the team would consist of Elijah and Aris, Hector, Benedict, and Raine as the playmakers and Justin, Isaiah, and Maddison on the offence. With Elijah quiet, the team's coordination had improved immensely. Even though his silence was unsettling. I was a little relieved that I was not part of the team just yet, not sure how to play in an actual polo match, never having played a professional one before.

Wednesday arrived as a clear day. The team decided to skip classes as we practiced on the pitch, around which a large row of seats had been erected to represent a makeshift stadium. The main stadium was reserved for matches of greater importance. This match, however, was of much greater significance than the authorities were deeming it to be.

The rival school was called Evermore. A southern school that arrived with their own band of cheering. This was Elijah's first match as the captain which meant more pressure on him.
While our team's uniform was not much different than our academy uniform, with the exception of a black jacket replacing the blazer, their's reminded me more of baseball uniforms in the mortal world. 

Nia and Aris walked over to wish us luck and took their seats at the very front row. Aris bit his lip, his eyes darting around nervously as he glanced at the increasingly thickening crowd. Once again I was glad that I wasn't playing just yet. The euphoric excitement in the air felt infectious and my anxiety was crippling me, rendering me unable to think of anything else. The air seemed too solid to breathe and the thunderous din from the cheering crowd caused the knot in my stomach to twist painfully. Collapsing onto me as if determined to suffocate me. 

"I have a bad feeling, Zeke," he said. I glanced over to where he was looking and saw that the entire team was clustered in a huddle while Elijah stood a good five feet away from there and stared into nothing. 

"It'll be over soon," I said, stating the single certainty in my mind. I was unsure, once again drowning under a deluge of worthlessness. As if I had no control over my raging, irrational fear. "And then we can sort this shit out properly."

Aris nodded and shot me another glance. His eyebrows creased in worry as he spoke, "I hope it's not too late."

He moved towards the ground where the others had taken their position, and I sat on the sidelines, watching nervously. Loud cheers and applause rang out as people took out banners, the dark green and black of Evermore and the golden and black of Asteria. 

"Welcome to the annual inter academy polo tournament!" A disembodied voice yelled as loud noise burst from the speakers. Raucous cheer sounded as it continued, "Today, opening the tournament we have Evermore-" a section of the stadium stood up and performed a well-coordinated wave as Asterians let out shouts of disapproval, "and Asteria!" 

A louder cry rose from the crowd as there were bursts of shooting light in the sky. 

"Standard rules apply. Two fouls beget a penalty. The game will be played in three periods of fifteen minutes each. Let the games- begin!"

A loud din sounded from the stands as the game finally began. Maddison from our team had possession of the ball and marched confidently up to the opponents' half. She was intercepted by a lithe girl who sent a deft pass to a blonde guy who expertly sidestepped a distracted Elijah and slipped the ball into the net as cries of disappointment went up from the Asterians. Elijah's eyes widened as he glanced behind him. 

The scoreboard read one, zero in favour of Evermore. My heart hammered wildly at the lightning-fast goal which was sure to hamper our teams already sinking morale.

He seemed to curse under his breath as the game resumed; this time, Hector took charge and started making his way to the opponent's end. The air felt electrified with excitement and energy. My heart was racing faster by the second and I vaguely wondered if it would be able to survive the match after all.  

Hector and Aris left their defensive spot as if coming to a resolve as chaos spread on the ground. The back end of our side was left open as Elijah left his post, charging offensively onto the opponents' court. Maddison seemed to be yelling desperately at him to retake his spot but he didn't seem to listen. Our defence was crumbling and icy cold panic encased my heart.

My heart jumped into my throat in anticipation as he advanced close to the net but was overtaken at the last moment by a burly guy who took the ball from him and sent a long shot towards the lithe girl who was standing without any opponents right at the end of our half. With a cry of joy, she sped up- her horse galloping faster and effortlessly slipped the ball into the net, making the score two to zero. Silence had fallen on the Asterian's side as Evermore jeered relentlessly. 

There were yells as Aris bounded up to Elijah, who ignored him and moved back to his defensive post. 

I glanced nervously at the clock and saw that there were three more minutes before this torturing third came to an end. The rules of polo in Obscura were a little different and seemed somehow more drastic to me. It was faster. And somehow, I watched transfixed. 

Aris did an expert sidestep against the burly guy and managed to intercept the ball, sending it flying to Isaiah, who took control of it effortlessly. Together, the offensive trio of Skyline marched confidently towards the opponent. The others tried to intercept them, but their defence seemed impenetrable. 

"Come on. Come on," I muttered under my breath as I glanced again at the time. Another two minutes, and we would end the third at two zero and be at a massive disadvantage. Maddison aimed for the net and shot with fierce strength. The ball, however, was stopped by a pale guy with great difficulty as Asteria remained scoreless. I swore under my breath as another cry of disappointment went through the crowd. 

A tiny, sharp crack snapped me out of my reverie and I gazed at my hand where my fingers had subconsciously started peeling the plastic off the wood to reveal the splinters that my nails were scratching against. I consciously made an effort to disengage, fixing my eyes at the horror unfolding in front of me. I winced and balled my hands  into fists, aware of the little scratches the abused wood had left on my fingertips.

Another minute passed, and the referee blew two short and one long whistle as the third came to an end. The team assembled near the sidelines as people tried to cheer them up. Some yelling abuses while others were trying to be optimistic. Aris walked over to me and sat on the bench.  My blood ran cold for a moment and I hoped he wouldn't see the splintered bench.

"I don't want to go back there." He shook his head; his hair was dishevelled. "We suck." 

I bit my lip nervously. "Yeah, you do."

He messed his hair up and gazed at me for a few seconds before he chuckled and punched my arm playfully. "Wow, thanks."

I smiled sympathetically at him as Maddison came to pull him away into the ground. The break lasted for three minutes before the game resumed. Our team continued miscommunication and chaos, resulting in two more goals as horrified silence fell. We were down four goals and had only twenty-three minutes to salvage the game, a task that seemed impossible, especially with the kind of play that was being seen on the field. 

I let out a breath, glancing at where my fingernail had engaged in an unconscious battle with the splintered wood. I sighed in relief, thankful that Aris hadn't noticed it.

Elijah missed another easy save as the rest of the team yelled out in frustration. Justin walked up to him, and they exchanged heated arguments as the referee blew his whistle for calm to be restored. I had never seen Elijah so out of his element. Frustration mounted higher and higher as our team neared the end of the second third. Finally, Aris and Maddison managed to break free of their bickering teammates and score a goal, which reflected inwards from the corner bar. 

There was a half-hearted cheer, but both of them exchanged a dark look. Too late too little.
As the volley of whistles sounded, we were at a despondent score of five versus one. 

The break before the third half was longer, spanning twelve minutes in a bid to let teams strategize before the last leg of the game. I followed the rest of the team into the locker room, where we sat in deathly silence. 

"We ought to declare," Justin said, shaking his head. "It's too bad. We can't go on."

"No way," Elijah said. "I don't care if we lose."

"If?" Isaiah said, "if? We are fucking losing, Ellerman!!"

"Iz," Maddison said, taking a deep breath. "We can't turn on each other."

"We don't need to turn on each other. It is his fault." He gestured at Elijah, who for once seemed at a loss for words. 

"We are not declaring the match." Elijah finished. His eyes flashed, some unseen emotion brimming behind the grey. He turned around and walked out of the locker room, leaving in his wake an uncomfortable silence.

"I'm going to kill him," Isaiah declared, balling his fists.

Aris exchanged glances with me and shook his head regretfully. It looked like Skyline was going to be roadkilled today.