Nikki

I had ducked out of the meeting before it was even over. Something was picking at me from the inside and the feeling was over whelming.

It was like I wanted to have a vision, to see what was making me to anxious and afraid but I could not make the strings in my mind pull the way they needed too. I was frustrated and angry and wanted to punch something really bad.

I felt like going home would only make things worse so instead I stopped at Brandon's world on the way home.

I remembered how he had backed me up when we were trying to take Cade's body back to his world and something about how he knew that and wanted to help made the gears in my mind turn a little.

When I reached The land of Mazes and Mirrors I shivered a bit, I had not been here since I had hurt my ankle and Lofton had discovered her powers. I stood in the clearing trying to ignore my reflection from the mirror hanging on the maze wall across from me. The lighting did not help either, the sky was pitch black as always and there was not a single sound; it was a recipe for my anxiety.

Brandon burst through his gate, face red with anger. He stormed a couple steps and I thought he was going to run me over before he noticed me but luckily he stopped a few feet in front of me.

His face went from angry to confused, "Nikki? Um what are you doing here?" He asked roughly, his glasses askew with his angry eyes behind them.

I eyed him curiously, "You alright Brandon? I know we aren't like close but if something is wrong it would be good to tell someone," I stated carefully, I knew the meeting was a little intense but he had not looked this angry when I had left.

Brandon groaned in frustration, "It is Mimi, she said some stuff that got on my nerves is all," He said running a hand through his already messy hair.

I gave a sympathetic laugh, "I know your pain," I said and he nodded in agree meant.

"I mean, it is obvious Rylan acted in self-defense as well as your defense and honestly Cade is a dick! Did you see how he was boasting at the meeting? How could she be okay with killing Rylan that is just dumb we can't just start killing people because they make us angry." He vented.

I cringed a bit; this is exactly what I did not want to happen. "Try not to be too mad at her Brandon, like I said they were both wrong." I told him carefully.

Brandon just nodded, but I got the feeling he was not going to take my advice.

He suddenly seemed to remember that I was here for an actual reason. "Would you like to come inside? My home isn't much but yeah, you wanna talk about something right?" He asked.

I nodded and smiled, "That sounds wonderful," I said.

Brandon's home made me smile. It was nothing large by any means, one story with a small entry way and a little living room with a TV off to the side. Through an archway was the kitchen with a table by the window, we sat at the table. Dishes were scattered about and everything was a sort of mess and it occurred to me that Brandon had lost his family as well when this all started.

He looked at me from across the table, "So, what's up?" He asked, his eyes focused.

A little chime in my head went off, but this was not like the warnings I got or a vision but more of a feeling, that Brandon had something more than I had previously thought of.

"Umm, yesterday when we were arguing about Cade's body, you supported taking him to his world. I was curious on how you knew." I said simply.

Brandon bit his lip and laughed a little, "I have only talked to Mimi and Bryson about this so get prepared." He said and I raised an eyebrow.

"We think it is part of my powers, I am a mage of void right. Well I am not like mages in stories or anything like that but the void thing is starting to make sense I guess. At first I thought void meant nothing but I have realized that it also means unknown and what is the number one thing that people don't know?" He asked me.

I started to try to piece together what he was telling me, "I don't know," I sighed.

He smiled again, "Secrets," he glowed at me.

Before I could ask more he launched into it, "It is actually really frustrating and it was actually you who made me start figuring it out. Every time we were around each other I got this weird feeling that you were hiding something, and I had another even stronger feeling that it was more than one thing. I started focusing on that feeling during group activates and stuff and finally like a light bulb in my brain I knew what your secrets were about. Your powers," He said.

I felt a bit of anxiety resurface, "And why didn't you say anything then?" I asked him.

Brandon shrugged, "I thought I was going crazy honestly, you were an honest person as far as I knew. Then all that happened yesterday and truths came out and stuff and then I got another feeling about the body thing and that was right too." He finished

I gaped at him, "Why have you not told anyone about this yet Brandon!" I breathed.

He shook his head with a sarcastic laugh, "Nikki I like you, I like to think we are friends but if this power has taught me anything it is that no one really means what they say and the best of us are hiding things," He sighed and looked down, "It sort of hurts, so many of us have all these secrets locked up inside of us but we don't trust each other to say anything…It is not my place to tell anyone's secrets and I don't know what all of them exactly are so that would cause problems too," He finished explaining

I sighed a bit, understanding what he meant, thought I would have to remember he had this power at all…it was a tricky thing to have for the rest of us.

No secret was safe.

It occurred to me, Cade said his powers got stronger when he reached god tier, did that mean the same for the rest of us? If say I did it, would my visions make sense? Or even Brandon, would the secrets offer themselves up to him?

It made me see that we could be, and would be dangerous beings.

I stood up and thanked him for the hospitality and for trusting me, but as I turned to leave Brandon grabbed my wrist.

"Nikki!" He said quickly, his eyes taking on an almost conflicted look from behind his glasses, "You might wanna go talk to Rylan, I know he is pretty hostile but he is not a bad guy. Also he seems to not hate you as much as everyone else," He said, choosing each word carefully.

I raised an eyebrow for an explanation but he just shook his head, "Please don't ask me to explain, honestly I am not even really sure it is just kinda telling me you should," He said hopelessly.

I only nodded in response, and Brandon sighed and nodded his head in thanks, "Also don't stop at his land, he is probably at yours already," He finally finished with a shrug for good measure.

I gave Brandon one last nod in thanks, as I left my mind reeled.

I was not sure what to do about it and I could feel the migraine in the back of my head begin to build.

When I reached my land the atmosphere seemed different. Instead of the usual peaceful undertones things were tense and it was like the air was full of electricity.

I had the sneaking suspicion it was Rylan's fault.

Of course my suspicions were confirmed when I saw Rylan sitting on the steps in front of my home.

"If you keep showing up all the time people will begin to think we are a thing," I said with a laugh but apparently he was not in the mood for jokes.

Rylan closed the space between us with a few quick strides, his brows were furrowed in frustration and his eyes were full of intensity.

I felt a chill involuntarily run down my spine, I was intimated but I was not going to let him see that.

He seemed to stop himself where there was only a foot in between us, he chewed the inside of his cheek, seeming to be thinking and I waited, holding my breath.

"I don't need you to protect me," He finally spat out.

My eyebrows shot up and I scoffed, "You are kidding me? That is what you are mad about?" I asked incredulously.

"We are not friends and I don't need someone like you defending me from things I could handle," He said with an almost snarl.

I took a step back at that and he seemed to flinch as I did. "What are you even talking about? Just earlier this morning you were thanking me, I am not defending you Rylan I was being fair," I growled at him, trying to seem unmoved by his sudden aggression.

Rylan laughed a bit, "Yeah? That is what you thought you were doing? Well now half of the group feels the need to pity me, including Mark, who I never wanted to be involved in the first place," He declared and ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"No one pities you! In fact almost none of this is about you or me or Cade or anyone! Can you just get the fuck over yourself for a second Rylan? You are like a teenage girl right now." I yelled at him, he opened his mouth to come back at me but I was ready to let loose.

I jammed a finger into his chest "What this is all about is a bunch of terrified kids, cause when it comes down to it that is all any of us are! So yeah what happened caused some rifts that we have to fix but all of that only happened because we are all scared and upset and are going to be set off by practically anything and that is human nature!" I practically screamed at him.

"Yeah, people tried to be your friend's, now I don't know anything about your life but I know a lot about theirs and trust me when I say that not a single damn one of them pities you Rylan, they were just doing what they thought was right so take this self-loathing bullshit somewhere else because I do not have time for it." I had quieted down by the end of my rant, and stepped back away from him.

Rylan seemed speechless; several emotions flickered across his face. Frustration seemed to be the dominate feeling and as I expected, he did not say a word as he turned to leave.

"Run away then, don't face any kind of problem because I am sure if you ignore it, it will go away!" I yelled at him, he only flipped me off in return.

I watched him disappear through my gate and in my own frustration I kicked a rock that was nearby, unfortunately it was larger than I thought and I ended up hurting my foot.

I cursed Rylan again, blaming him for it.

Bryson

I was pacing at this point, my feet shuffling back and forth as I stood outside of Mark's home. I needed to speak with him desperately, but he seemed to be taking forever.

I was also irritated at Nikki, which added to the shuffling.

I should also go talk to Cade while I was out. God knows what he was up to.

Finally after what felt like hours, Mark walked through his gate and I nearly ran him over.

"Thank goodness! I have been waiting on you," I said with a cautious smile.

Mark's eyebrows raised but his eyes seemed miles away as he gave me a small, halfhearted grin, "Hey," was all he said.

I felt suddenly awkward, but we needed to talk. I did not want to apologies for wanting some kind of punishment for Rylan, but I did want him to see my point. "Um, can we talk?" I asked him, my voice coming out hesitant.

Mark chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment as he looked down at his feet, "Um yeah sure," He said after a moment of consideration. He led me back into the apartment that he had. His parents were still knocked out, they hit their heads too hard but out healers of the group said they were fine and would wake up eventually.

We sat on the couch in the living room and I glanced over at Mark, full of uncertainty. "Look, I know it got a bit heated at the meeting. I know this sounds harsh but I am not going to apologies, I care about you a lot but Cade is one of my best friends and I think he is right," I said quickly.

Mark took in my words for a second then gave a bitter laugh, sweeping his hands through his dirty blond hair, "I never expected an apology, in fact you are proboly right Bryson…but he is my cousin and I love him, he does not have any family left and we have to stick together," He said and shook his head.

I sighed as well, I was going to speak again but the door slammed open with a resounding SLAM the moment the words went to leave my mouth.

Rylan came around the corner in an instant, his eyes were dark with anger and the way his fists clenched and unclenched gave him away as well.

He took a quick glance between Mark and I and gave a bitter laugh, "Seriously? Come on Mark," He practically growled.

Mark frowned and stood up, facing Rylan, "Ry, stop it. You are mad," Mark said calmly but that only seemed to stoke the flames.

"No shit I am mad Mark, the guy you want to get with is a piece of crap that hides behind his friends because he is too much of a coward to do anything about anything!" Rylan shouted.

I stood up quickly, the couch squeaking as it was scooted back from the force. I balled my fists and opened my mouth but one pleading look from Mark made me bite my tongue so hard I could taste blood.

Rylan laughed at the exchanged and it felt like my blood was on fire, "Rylan this is not about Bryson," Mark said a bit forcefully, capturing Rylan's attention.

I frowned, but let Mark continue, "Why did you go talk to her?" He asked Rylan.

I felt even more confusion, who did he go an talk to.

Rylan seemed to get even angrier if that was possible, the dark haired boy may have even snarled a bit "Don't worry about it," He told Mark through gritted teeth.

Mark gave an audiable sigh, "She did not give you the reaction you wanted did she? What did you expect her to do Rylan, you have no right to be mad at her for standing up for you," Mark coaxed.

I suddenly connected the puzzle pieces, he had gone and talked to Nikki.

That was my last straw.

I lunged past Mark and knocked Rylan down to the floor. I settled my weight on his arms and I glared down at him, my anger seeming to give me extra strength, "What did you say to her?" I demanded.

Rylan was obviously shocked, but recovered quickly and gave a wicked grin, "Wouldn't you like to know? I bet you thought that she trusted you right? That you were so close and she would never hide anything from you?" Rylan was talking in a low volume.

I heart was pounding as I tightened my grip on his wrists, Mark had not intervened but I could see him fidgeting out of the corner of my eye.

I was seething at this point, glaring at Rylan but he seemed undisturbed, "Well, guess that why she did not tell you about her powers. I knew," He laughed,

Before I could say anything he spoke again, "Bet she also did not tell you I was at her house last night," Rylan's voice was like a snake in my ear and that was my breaking point.

I slammed my elbow down intending to rebreak his nose but he caught my arm and rolled us over so that he was on top, he jammed his knee into my ribs and I coughed out in shock and pain.

Not to be over taken I brought my own knee up into his groin, he gasped out in shock and his grip loosened. Taking the opportunity I pulled my fist back to punch his but someone else had grabbed me.

Mark quickly yanked me out from under Rylan, who now stood and continued smiling at me. I pulled against Mark, screaming at him but Mark finally grabbed my face forcing me to look at him.

"Bryson, you need to go right now!" He shouted at me.

I tried to protest but I had already been shoved out of the door.

I was too angry to go home, plus I did not want to explain to my mom and Drew why I looked so ruffled, so I went the only place that would understand how angry I was.

I went to Cade's world.

I stepped into the dark city, it was buzzing with energy in the now night air. I stormed and scared some of his consorts into their homes. It did not take be but a moment to find Cade's home.

I knocked heavily on the door and waited, foot tapping with impatience.

Cade opened the door with a confused look on his face; he had changed out of those weird pajamas looking clothes and was in a white t shirt and black basketball shorts. His usually styled blonde hair was a mess; he had obviously been getting ready for bed.

"Bryson…Everything okay?" He asked me.

I pushed passed him and into the house, he only stared at me in confusion. Jokersprite cackled as I passed my "Someone's a little upset,"

I ignored it and threw myself into Cade's couch. The taller boy walked into the room and leaned against the door frame, "You done?" He asked.

I sighed and nodded, forcing my anger to calm for the moment. I looked at Cade who finally sat down; eyes locked with mine and ready to hear what I had to say.

"We have to do something about him, or I am going to kill him," I grumbled out.

Cade knew exactly who I was talking about.

"You are preaching to the choir man, remember he did kill me which was not a pleasant experience," Cade said with a little laugh, but the way his eyes darted said that it was still a bit touchy.

I nodded, "I am serious Cade…I just came from Mark's, Rylan showed up pissed off about something Nikki said," I explained.

Cade frowned, "Nikki? Why was he talking to Nikki?" he asked, the tension becoming clear in his voice.

I gave a bitter laugh, "Apparently he has been spending a bit of time there," I spat out and Cade's frown deepened.

"You talk to Nikki about it?" He asked carefully as he sat down, elbows resting on his knees and hands clasped together.

I sighed and shook my head, "At this point I don't know if she would even tell me the truth Cade…she has been so distant lately like she is folding in on herself. She has always been quiet about her personal life but it is like now it is totally off limits." I bumbled out.

Cade hummed in thought, "So…do we confront her about it? Or him," He asked.

I picked at the skin of my nail, "Him…I can't believe everything he said. Most of it was just to make me angry," I exhaled.

Cade raised an eyebrow, "What happened exactly?" He asked.

I told him about how Rylan was already upset, then how he insulted me, then finally about his comments about Nikki.

Cade was not sure what to think about it either, "He could be lying, but Nikki is too nice for her own good. Maybe he did go and see her and he was just making it sound bad. Knowing her it was just talking," He offered to me.

I nodded in agreement, the anger finally seeping out of me. Sure she had kept some secrets but all of us had…

"I will talk to her tomorrow before the meeting to figure out everything," I said to him and myself.

"Good, wanna crash here?" Cade asked with a smile the reminded me of before the game.

I nodded, "Sounds good,"

In the Land of Cadmium and Discord

"It is alright Brandon…we were both pretty upset," Mimi sighed as they walked toward their destination.

"Yeah I still feel like crap though, shouldn't have yelled at you," He fixed the glasses on his face as he looked down and the considerably shorter girl, "Even if you were being dumb," She punched him in his arm.

Mimi had warm honey skin and thick black hair, her eyes dark against the moonshine on her cadmium rivers.

Both of them had a tick of nervous energy as the approached the quest bed in the middle of a temple on Mimi's land.

The two teenagers were terrified but they made a pact with one another, they would ascend to god hood with the help of the other.

When they finally reached the quest bed Brandon tried to rub his nervous energy out of his hand, while his mind was telling him he was doing the right think it did not make it any easier.

Mimi gave an encouraging smile but he could see the nervousness in her eyes.

"What were you even again?" Brandon asked, admittedly trying to stall the situation.

"A Rouge of Rage," She stated as they both stared at the purple stone slab below them. Mimi sat down on the edge and looked up at Brandon.

"I know this is a lot to ask, but just remember that I will be okay. In fact I will be better than okay I will be like a god," She informed him even though he had told himself this a million times.

"I don't know Naomi, I don't think I can do this." He used her real name, trying to get through to her.

She shook her head, "I know, but we have to Brandon," She sighed.

Brandon only nodded, still not fully convinced. Sure his head said it was okay but how in the world did that make any of this okay even in the slightest.

After a long bit of arguing the mage finally if not reluctantly agreed to end his friends life.

I was a short process that ended the way the expected it to.

By the end of the night two more had ascended to their full potential now there were only 9 left to do so.

With the threat of conflict emerging it may happened sooner than anyone expected.