It was the day after they had their first lesson in Celestine's home. Stella wished that she had used the magical book earlier—it had helped her greatly with her shield summoning. Just last night it taught her how to warp shields and bend them into different shapes. Though she did not manage to do it to the level that José did, it was still considerable. She managed to turn a flat and rectangular force field into one that was oval and a bit curved. Stella wondered how far she could have progressed if she had worked with the book since the first day.

The clock chimed 8:00 a.m., an hour before their morning lessons were scheduled to start. Stella was in the middle of combing her hair when she heard someone knocking on the door. Who was that? She quickly tied a short ponytail and hurried down the staircase. Celestine had already opened the door. Helene went inside, clad in the same plain clothes that she wore the day before.

"You're here already! It's still quite early," Celestine remarked.

"Better early than late," Helene responded, sitting on an armchair. She reclined in her spot and glanced at Stella. "Good morning, Stella."

"Good morning, Helene," Stella said. She walked towards the shoe rack, placed her slippers on the shelf, and retrieved her shoes. She sat on a nearby stool before putting them on.

Celestine sat on the other armchair and faced Helene. "Where are the boys?"

"I don't know. Aren't they here yet?"

"No, not yet."

"Of course." Helene rolled her eyes. "I tried calling José three times and he did not answer at all. They better not be late."

"But they weren't late yesterday. And besides, it's still quite early."

Celestine and Helene resumed chatting while Stella remained silent. Though she held no ill feelings towards Helene, Stella was still hesitant to talk to her. Perhaps the fact that they were about fifty years apart played a factor in her shyness. Her hazel eyes paid closer attention to Helene's thin arms. A tiny tattoo of some sort was drawn into her right shoulder. She could not tell exactly what the drawing was, but it did not look like other tattoos that she had seen.

Helene glanced at Stella. "You're probably wondering what this is, right?" she asked, pointing at her right shoulder.

Stella nearly jerked her head back. How did she know? "Ehm, what does it mean?"

"It's a magical tattoo that all Gatekeepers have. In my case, since I'm human, it's the thing that gives me my powers. Oh, I forgot, I haven't told you what they are. I have"—she extended her fingers as she listed her abilities—"pyrokinesis, electrokinesis, hydrokinesis, telekinesis, force field summoning, and healing."

"Wait, you have six superpowers?"

"Yup. Some of us even have ten powers, but I think that's too much. Most of us have just three or four," she said. "By the way, how's your training been going?"

"It's good," Stella replied.

"She's doing great," Celestine chimed in. "She finished all the main force fields yesterday."

"Already? That's good. What about her electrokinesis?"

"She's also doing well there. Her aim can use a little work, but other than that she's fine," Celestine said. "What about your student?"

"He's actually quite talented," Helene answered, beaming with pride. "I actually had to add more to my lesson plan after I started teaching him."

So he really is that good, Stella thought. Her mind went backward in time to the day she and Edmond were in the same class. She remembered seeing him shoot each lightning bolt with impeccable aim, and execute each task without breaking a sweat. It was as if he was bred to be perfect. And her? Even with all the effort she put in, she seemed unable to match his level. Why do some people have it easier? To her, it was almost unfair. A heavy feeling weighed down her heart as she pictured his face, but she could not pinpoint what it was. Envy? Admiration? Inferiority?

Stella remained silent as she watched her aunt and Helene chat eagerly. She thought of heading upstairs to retrieve her phone and play games on it, but dismissed the idea. That would be rude of her. But at the same time, she was not in the mood to talk to them. She gazed at the coffee table. A thick novel laid on its surface, its spine showing signs of wear and tear. She picked it up. She did not feel like reading, but at least she could occupy herself while waiting for the others to arrive.

Knock, knock. Stella rose from her seat and glided towards the entrance, the book still in her hand. She opened the door. Edmond was standing in front of her, wearing a simple t-shirt and a pair of close-fitting chinos.

"Uh, good morning," he greeted, his voice soft as usual.

"Good morning. Ehm, come inside."

She let him enter the house before closing the door. They sat on the sofa together, though at opposite ends. She did not feel close enough to him to sit right next to him, and he likely felt the same way.

Edmond glanced at the book in her hand. "That's a good book you're reading."

Stella glanced at him. "Uh, sorry?"

"The Count of Monte Cristo," he said, gesturing to the cover. "I read it last month. Finished it in a week and now it's one of my favorites."

"Oh, cool. So, what's it about?"

"You don't know what it's about?"

"I literally just picked it up. I was about to read the description when you knocked."

"Ah." He nodded his head in understanding. "It's about a guy who was thrown into jail because he was falsely accused of treason. He then escapes, gets rich, and exacts revenge on those who wronged him."

"Oh, I see."

"Yeah."

An awkward silence swept between them, just like the day before. Edmond turned his face away while Stella reached for the book. She cracked it open and turned to the first chapter. From the first few paragraphs, she figured that the book was a historical novel. She preferred stories set in modern times, but continued to read nonetheless. Besides, Edmond said it was a good book. She raised her eyebrows the moment she first read the main character's name—Edmond Dantès.

"There's a character with your name," she told him.

"Haha, yeah," he said, chuckling. "It took me a while to get used to that. It felt like I was reading about myself."

"Is he like yourself?" she asked.

"Well, we share a few similarities. We have the same name, we're both French, but it pretty much ends there."

Knock, knock, knock. Celestine got up and answered the door. Jon and José had arrived!

"Good morning!" José grinned widely. He and his son entered the house and Celestine closed the door behind them. Jon half-walked, half-jogged towards Edmond and Stella, and sat between them.

"Hi!" he greeted them.

"Hello."

"Hi." Stella closed the book and set it aside. "You seem pretty excited."

"I'm always excited," Jon said. "Guys, check this out."

He cupped his hands. Fwish. Bright blue flashed from between his hands, and a cold puff of wind soon followed. Jon then opened his hands to reveal an ice sculpture in the shape of a ship.

"Whoa..." she breathed. "That's amazing!"

"You mean, it's so cool?" Jon winked. He twisted and turned his fingers as he toyed around with his ice sculpture, morphing it into different shapes. "I wish my dad told me about my powers earlier, you know? I could've been mastered it already."

"Mastered it?" Edmond repeated. "Wouldn't that take years?"

"Well, my dad's been living with me for years, so..."

The three of them continued to talk, though as time went on their conversation more closely resembled a debate. Jon insisted that had he been learning since the age of eleven or earlier, he would have mastered his abilities before his eighteenth birthday. Edmond disagreed, stating that no matter how early any of them started, they could not expect to become an expert during their teenage years unless they were prodigies. Stella kept quiet for the most part. On one hand, she was able to learn many techniques in just a couple of weeks, so perhaps mastering her powers in a few years did not sound too far-fetched. On the other hand, she also felt that it did not make sense. I've been practicing the violin since six but I'm not that good. If she were not yet a virtuoso after seven years of playing an instrument, how could she expect to master her abilities within a similar timeframe? Learning how to control lightning was far more complex and demanded much more effort than learning how to slide a bow across a string. She watched the two boys as they exchanged thoughts. She felt that there was no point in joining the discussion if she did not know what to contribute. And besides, debates were never her cup of tea, no matter how civil they were.

"I still consider it improbable," Edmond said. "Sure, you can get good after a few years, but there's a difference between good and great."

"Aren't they the same thing?" Jon asked.

"No, they're completely different. People who are good at something are above average, but they're not super-talented or anything. Masters are those who are a league above everyone else. That's why they're called masters."

"I think you just need to be able to—este—do all techniques correctly to become a master. Like, if you learn a technique, and if you practice it many times and always get it right you've mastered that technique. We already learned a lot of techniques, so we just need practice to master them. Right, Stella?"

"Actually, I—"

"It's almost nine," Helene announced, her eyes still glancing at her wristwatch. "Come on, let's go downstairs."

Stella breathed an inner sigh of relief. Helene stood up and walked towards the basement's entrance. She merely glanced. The door to the basement instantly opened and the lights switched on at once. They followed Helene downstairs and into the Portable Practice Room. José began walking towards Chamber One while Celestine headed to Chamber Three.

"Not so fast." Helene pinched the air. José and Celestine were stopped in their tracks, held back by something tugging at their shoulders. They glanced at Helene.

"What is it?" José asked.

"The new trio are going to spar today, remember?"

"Today?" Celestine asked. "Isn't that tomorrow?"

"I sent you text messages earlier. We're doing it today."

Helene let go of them and walked through the door to Chamber Two. They exchanged looks. José and Edmond seemed rather delighted; Jon and Celestine appeared rather anxious; Stella was a bit hesitant. One by one, they entered Chamber Two. Located on the left side of the room was a glass enclosure, a small doorknob marking the entrance. Helene was standing at the center of the room, gesturing to the glass box.

"José, Celestine, you can wait in that room," she said. The two walked towards the glass room. José placed his hand on the doorknob and pushed it. Bang!

"It says 'pull.' " Celestine pointed at the word that was printed above the doorknob.

"It's not that visible," he muttered. He pulled the door open and the two entered the room. Helene turned her attention to the trio.

"Before we start, you'll have to wear something first," she said.

She pulled out four metal chokers from her pockets. Two of them were painted ruby red, while the other pair had a shiny purple coating. From a distance, she began fastening them around the trio's necks. Stella wore a red one; Edmond wore a purple one; Jon wore the remaining two. They tried glancing at their necks.

"What's this for?" Edmond asked.

"They make sure you don't get killed. The red ones protect you from fire, while the purple ones protect you from lightning," Helene answered him. She then asked the three, "Who wants to go first?"

The trio exchanged looks. Silence. Jon placed his hand on Edmond's back and shoved him forward. Edmond glared at him in return.

"Maybe Jon can go ahead," he scowled.

"Great idea! You two boys will go first!" Helene said. "Stella, wait in the viewing chamber with your aunt and José."

Stella walked towards the viewing chamber and entered it, standing between her aunt and José. Helene waved her hand. Jon was flung to the far side of the room. Edmond, meanwhile, remained at his spot. Helene bent her hand upwards. A near-transparent force field formed around herself.

"Before you two fight," Helene said, "here are a few rules. First, whoever gets knocked down ahead loses. Second, don't aim at the face. Third, don't kill your opponent. Okay?"

"Okay," the boys said simultaneously. Helene held up one finger.

"You will start after the count of three. One."

Edmond readied his stance, his two fingers extending from each hand. His eyes narrowed at his target. Helene held up two fingers.

"Two."

Jon hung his hands in front of his chest, his fingers naturally spread. He placed one foot behind him and leaned forward. Helene held up three fingers.

"Three."

Zap!

It happened too quickly. The fight started with two opponents still on their feet, and just a split second later, one of them had already collapsed. Jon laid spreadeagled on the floor, his body spasming from electric shock. Stella dropped her jaw—he did not even last a second against Edmond.

"No puede ser!" José exclaimed. It can't be!

Stella barely listened. She darted out the viewing chamber and rushed to Jon's side. He spasmed less by the time she arrived. She helped him up. "Are you okay?"

"He's fine," Helene said, "he can heal himself. Anyway, Jon, join your dad and Celestine in the viewing chamber. Stella, you're next."

Stella felt chills running down her spine. Her? Against Edmond? What were the odds that she would win? Jon had better reflexes, and yet Edmond beat him in no time. She would be lucky to last as long as Jon did. The odds were simply stacked against her.

Jon half-walked, half-staggered towards the viewing chamber, his body beaming bright blue as he healed himself. Meanwhile, Stella felt a force shoving her to where Jon once stood. She looked ahead of her. Her opponent's eyes had already narrowed into slits. She gulped. Her eyes averted his intense gaze and lingered at the purple neck ring that he was wearing. Wait a minute, she thought, he's not immune to lightning?

"You will start on the count of three," Helene said. She held up one finger. "One."

Edmond put one leg in front of the other and slightly bent his knees. He held his clenched fists in front of his torso and leaned forward.

"Two."

Stella put one foot behind her and extended her two fingers from both of her hands. She aligned her right fingers with her eyes.

"Three."

Crack!

Fwoosh!

Reddish-orange fire billowed from one side. Lightning streamed from the other. Stella widened her eyes. Looked away. Crossed her arms. Fshh. The incoming blaze died upon touching her shield.

She glanced in front of her. A dark spot formed on the wall where her lightning struck, missing his neck by an inch. I missed! She split her arms, the shield disappeared, then thrust forward two fingers. Crack! He ducked. She missed him again.

The next moments played like a loop. Stella kept thrusting her fingers forward. Throwing bolt after bolt of lightning. But he always evaded her, jumping, ducking, and swerving just in time. She raised her other arm. Fired with both hands. Crack, crack! He leaped. Avoided them. She fired again. He dodged them too.

Then he sprinted towards her. What's he doing? She fired. He ducked, extended his leg, and did a leg sweep. Fwoosh. Fire rolled across the floor towards her.

She stopped. Swung her arms in front of her chest. A shield appeared right in front of her, blocking only some of the flames. The rest passed by her on her left and right, paying her no attention and crashing into the wall behind her.

And then those flames rose. Towered over her. Before she could react, fire came crashing down on her from three sides.

"AAAH!"

She screamed as she was burned alive. Scorching heat seared her body and penetrated deep below her skin. She collapsed.

"Stop!"

Hiss. The fire that was consuming her dissipated in an instant. Stella heard quick and light footsteps approach her before feeling two firm hands grasping her arms. She glimpsed her arms. Though they seemed like nothing had happened to her, an intense pain still lingered. She lifted her gaze. It was Helene who was holding her.

"Don't worry," she said, "it'll be gone quick."

Bright blue light glowed from her hands before seeping into Stella's body. A cool and calming sensation permeated her whole being, as though a mist had engulfed her. She felt tingles on her skin as the pain fled from her body. So this is what Jon can do, she thought. Healing. After a few seconds, the pain had completely subsided. Helene released her grip and her hands stopped glowing.

"Okay, now for the last fight. You against Jon," Helene said, helping Stella to stand up.

She did not know what to feel. She thought she might have a better chance—though both of them lost to Edmond, Stella lasted far longer than Jon did, so by that logic she should win. However, when the two of them had lessons together, Jon proved to be more skillful than her. Nevertheless, Stella prepared her stance and took a deep breath. I can do this.

Jon dragged his feet across the floor as he left the viewing chamber, still in shock over his first fight. Edmond walked in the opposite direction, eventually passing by his first opponent. Stella saw him utter something to Jon. Though she could not hear what he said, she supposed that it was an apology.

Jon stood at the opposite end of the room. Helene returned to her spot and held up one finger.

"One."

Jon put one leg behind the other and raised his forearms. His fingers were bent and spread apart as if he were about to catch something.

"Two."

Stella placed one foot in front of the other and raised both arms, her fingers curled as though she were holding a ball.

"Three."

Stella thrust both arms forward and twisted them while Jon crossed his arms.

Fwssh!

Two shields surrounded Jon. One was a flat shield conjured by him to protect himself; the other was a sphere shield Stella used to trap him. He widened his eyes. Split his arms. Only one shield disappeared. He widened his eyes even further—he was trapped!

Stella exhaled in disbelief. She didn't expect to catch him successfully. She positioned her hands so that their palms would face each other and gradually brought them closer. The shield shrunk a bit. It's working. Jon formed icicles out of thin air and struck the shield with them.

Stab! Stella flinched as a sharp pain ripped through her palms. She glimpsed them. Not a cut formed on her skin. She looked again at the force field. It faded a bit. She repositioned her arms and brought them closer once more.

Jon slashed and struck the shield with ice as its walls closed in on him. Stabbing pains sliced through Stella's palms. She ignored them. If I can keep up, I can win. Veins bulged out of her forearms as she strained them. She forced her hands closer to each other. At last, Jon fell to his knees as the shield shrunk to half his height.

"Stop!"

She let go. Jon dropped to the floor while Stella supported herself against the wall, both of them catching their breath.

✧ ✧ ✧

Question Time! If you had to fight against Edmond and could choose between Stella's bracelet and Jon's ring, which piece of jewelry would you pick, and what's your strategy?

I hope you liked this chapter! If you did, please vote by pressing the star-shaped button on this chapter!

Thanks!