Boris walked out onto the platform with nothing but the clothes on his back and a length of metal down his arm. Even from the booth, I could hear Major Shange having a field day, “And, as if to prove his eccentricity, the man who was spared by the general herself is using a shield! This has only been seen once before! Let us hope that it doesn’t end like last time.”

  She was referencing Stoyan’s first match in the ascension tournament, what seemed like so many years ago. The poor man had taken the shield out and then broken his toes right as the match started.

  “I would not call the boy eccentric. Just different. What do you think?” Mother said from right next to me as if appearing out of thin air.

  My heart tried to jump out of my chest at her sudden appearance, but the mask held firm. I took a moment to think about her question, ensuring my words carried no disrespect before I said, “He tried to assassinate me because I spared his life. I agree with your assessment, ‘eccentric’ doesn’t really describe it.”

  I glanced and saw Selena and Bongi nod to each other, before trying to sneak back to their seats. I was glad for the opportunity to enjoy this privately with my mother.

  She didn’t respond for a moment, before saying, “...I have not told you yet. But I was pleased you saw past your personal biases and helped find an adequate reason for the boy to be spared.”

  She pointed at one part of the booing crowd, and there I saw Colonel Walker lounging next to the lieutenants, captains and Major’s under his command. For some reason, he had Lieutenant Zenzele seated right next to him. I found his behaviour towards her strange. He seemed to hold her in high regard, and yet he had never messaged her. Not even once.

  “He contacted me the night Boris tried to escape and his punishment was decided. He praised you endlessly, and I must say. I agree with every word he said. I wish to see that behavior continue in the future child.”

  I turned away from her, unable to keep the tears out of my eyes. I shook them away. Mother had never praised me that way, and while I was irritated it was because of him… I wouldn't complain. I was almost thankful if I had to be honest.

  I turned back to the match, and I saw Major Shange was blatantly making fun of Boris to his face for using a shield. “...and I believe a nickname is in order! The township’s shieldman! How does that sound?” Major Shange finished, and the crowd laughed, mockery and more food being thrown down from the bleachers.

  …I hate to admit it, but besides the embarrassing nickname, I don’t think he would suffer the same fate as Stoyan’s opponent. Boris appeared comfortable with the shield, and its notorious weight didn’t seem to bother him at all.

  “Well, it’s the last match ladies and gentlemen! So I want fireworks from you two! Give these people what they came for!” Major Shange said, and the crowd roared their agreement as she stepped back, and started the match.

  I watched with bated breath, as the bubble started to close around them. About halfway through, I heard Boris’s voice echo off the walls, “Zach, I’m sorry! Please forgive me! But I need to—”

  The bubble closed before he could finish, and the match was on. Like a sprinter hearing a pistol, he raced forward as fast as possible, and it wasn’t two steps before his dice rolled, and he was running even faster.

  He crossed the entire platform in under a second, Zach’s eyes wide as he saw Boris racing towards him. But he didn’t tap his left shoulder. He simply raised the pistol and started firing meticulously, grazing Boris’s shoulder as he walked backward slowly, timing his shots nicely to make him slow down.

  The crowd roared their approval at Zach’s success, and I couldn’t help but agree with them. That allowed me a chance to glance at the opposite side of the stadium, and there I saw a man and a woman clutching hands. The man looked like the spitting image of Zach if he were a decade older and had a lifetime of experience under his belt.

  Mid-sprint, Boris activated his shield, cutting off Zach's line of fire. He stopped shooting and pulled out the knife as he tapped his left shoulder. A textbook response, preserving ammunition while preparing for close-quarters combat.

  Zach’s back was almost right against the bubble, and he seemed to be waiting there, watching Boris closely. Boris did not seem to share in this enthusiasm for tactics or control, simply trying to sprint into him with the shield, in some vain attempt in bulldozing right over his opponent.

  Even I couldn’t contain my amusement, snorting as Boris sprinted straight through him into the bubble’s wall. The whole stadium burst into raucous laughter. Clearly Boris did not know Zach’s ability made him intangible.

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  No sound left the bubble, but I swear I felt the impact even all the way up here. He rebounded off the wall and landed on his back, staring up at the sky as blood poured down from his broken nose. Zach simply stepped away from Boris, standing a little over him as he aimed his gun straight at his head as his tattoo stopped glowing.

  “Yes!” I celebrated, and the crowd roared approvingly as Zach pulled the trigger, everyone sure of his victory. But Boris didn’t get the memo, pulling the shield over his head so fast I almost didn’t catch the movement. Zach fired three more times, clearly growing frustrated as the bullets ricocheted off the shield before he switched targets and fired at Boris’s legs.

  Boris grabbed Zach’s ankle even as a bullet tore through his leg. He shot to his feet, making Zach dangle as he held him up with one arm before he looked down at the bullet wound in his calf. He seemed to just… growl at it like it was an inconvenience. He turned his head back to Zach.

  “Activate your ability, fool,” I said to the glass, and I stiffened as I felt Mother’s hand on my shoulder, a silent warning I was being too emotional in public. I slipped the mask on, heeding Mother’s lessons.

  “It is going well for you daughter. Do not be disheartened yet,” Mother said, clearly consoling me, but I saw her eyes were slits, never leaving Boris. Even with two bullet wounds and a broken nose, Mother thought the victory was assured.

  Boris was shaking Zach, demanding surrender angrily. Zach reached for his belt and pulled something, then held it towards Boris’s face. His eyes widened, bringing the shield back up to block as he dropped Zach.

  Zach landed on his head and immediately went to slap his shoulder just as the grenade went off, lifting Boris off his feet, straight into the bubble’s wall.

  He stumbled off the wall, and then I saw his face harden, his eyes change from rage to…something else. Something worse. He looked at Zach as he panted in the aftermath of the explosion, clearly having activated his ability in the nick of time.

  Zach had just risen to his feet when Boris started wailing on him, or through him, his arm passing through his head as if Zach wasn’t standing there.

  He punched so hard that he threw himself around like a ballerina. Zach took a step forward, raising the dagger like he wanted to use it, but before he could Boris flailed at him with his shield, spittle and blood leaking from his mouth.

  I saw that Zach tried to create distance, but Boris was always right there, slashing away and throwing haymakers like it was a rocky movie. I did not know why the idiot couldn't see that his plan weren't working, but it suited my needs just fine.

  The crowd was egging him on like this was a slapstick comedy, some of the crowd imitating Boris’s lack of technique and literally falling out of their seats laughing.

  Besides his earlier blunder, Zach was doing well as he watched and waited, letting Boris’s aggressive hits phase right through him. Then out of nowhere, Zach phased through the punch aimed at his face, deactivating his ability even as he put the gun to the side of Boris’s head and pulled the trigger.

  Boris moved so fast I couldn’t believe my eyes. He moved his head back a couple of inches, the bullet flying straight past the bridge of his nose. On the screen focusing in on the fight, I watched almost in slow motion as Boris grabbed a hold of his wrist, hitting Zach straight in the face with the shield, making him drop the gun even as his nose exploded with blood.

  I saw Mother clench her fist in celebration. I hadn’t even realized she was tense, but now I saw her entire body relax with relief.

  Boris held onto his wrist tightly, literally pulling him off his feet so that Zach couldn’t formulate a plan. But as Zach was being pulled, he slashed up with a knife. I had given him very sharp knives, so the knife made it halfway through Boris’s wrist before he wrenched it out of the way.

  Boris lifted him off his feet even with his wrist half attached, his lips growling, “surrender”. In response, Zach took the knife and jammed it straight into Boris’s side, screeching at Boris as he twisted it in deeper.

  Mother took a half step forward, her lips curling in anger, like she wanted to stop the match. I pretended to ignore this once-in-a-lifetime display of emotion as I looked at the couple that were clearly Zach’s parents, clutching each other's hands, certain their son had won.

  And… he should have. Boris should have surrendered, or dropped Zach, or… or anything but what happened. Boris just glanced at the knife sticking out of him, then locked eyes with the man he was holding. He let go of his wrist and grabbed his neck.

  Boris threw him six meters into the bubble’s wall, and I think I saw Zach’s shoulder dislocate from the impact. Boris didn’t give him a moment of reprieve, sprinting into him with his shield before he even hit the ground.

  Zach landed on the floor, his back leaning against the bubble. Boris ripped the shield off and then started punching him in the face with his good hand, and the thud, thud of his head hitting the wall quieted the crowd.

  No one was laughing anymore.

  “It is unfortunate,” Mother said, her eyes almost sparkling with triumph, “but, like I said, daughter. Nothing you do will matter.”

  I watched as Zach seemed to raise his arm in an attempt at surrender. Boris’s face was contorted with pure rage, his anger unyielding, and he just kept pounding away, not stopping for even a moment.

  The Major always gave a play-by-play, and even she had stopped talking. All we saw was blood pooling out from under Zach, and Boris just seemed to be getting angrier.

  And then, he leaned back and put his foot through Zach’s head, his boot going all the way to the floor.

  Boris was panting as he stumbled back from Zach's body, still gritting his teeth in sheer fury. He started frantically looking around the crowd as if searching for something.

  “He’s an animal. He will lose. I will make him lose,” I said quietly.

  “You will try,” Mother said as she walked away, and Boris finally found what he was looking for.

  His face grew from rage to grim determination the moment he spotted me. He pointed at me, and then Zach’s body, his threat deafening in the silent stadium.