Disclaimer: I don't own Divergent.

His throat is a deep red, the color of a bad sunburn, and his voice is so hoarse it sounds like he's been smoking cigarettes for years. But he feels victorious. His final trial in the combat stage was mainly emotional, not physical. And he passed it with flying colors.

"Eric! Congrats," Amar shouts, a wide grin on his face. "You aced your test."

Eric acknowledges Amar with a quick nod, but once he looks down, he feels himself smiling, from ear to ear. He's redeemed himself at last. Surely, they bumped his rank back up, despite his humbling defeat to Jason. Winning the fight was much easier than he anticipated.

Much easier to tune out his doubts, and think solely about the outcome of the match - victory. Much easier to overlook the fact that the "final boss" was also his girlfriend. Much easier for his mind to fixate on his own breathing, his own rhythm, and his determination to not let Mia throw him off balance.

One punch. Two punches. Three. Eric remembers vividly, three images. Mia's - no, his opponent's - knees buckling, a gasp of pain exiting her mouth. A sudden sunburst of blood, erupting over her lip. Her hand going to her right ear, which is probably still ringing.

But Eric's opponent is as shrewd as she is small. She knew to exploit Eric's greatest weakness. Halfway through the bout, she put both her hands up, her eyes like those of a fawn in headlights, and shrieked, "No! No, please! Please don't hurt me!"

Eric missed the sly glint in her eyes, and it - almost - cost him. Mia lunged at him, wrapped her arms around him, and put him in a strangulation hold.

Luckily, Eric had long since learned his lesson. There was no desperate gasping for air this time, no need for his eyes to focus on the paper tacked to the board. No need to be reminded of his falling rank. He didn't hold back, simply brought up a hard elbow and slammed it right into the underside of Mia's jaw.

And to make sure she stayed down, Eric hit her several more times, until Amar officially confirmed his win. Now he barely feels the tenderness on his neck, doesn't even care that he had to cough violently to regain his voice.

He lets himself hope that maybe, by some stroke of luck, he's risen to the highest rank in their class. Then all the pain he'd endured, in that hospital bed, would've been for a greater purpose. As for his relationship with Mia? Well, when he passes initiation, he'll have all the time he needs to figure it out.

Tobias, Year 2143

I'm three minutes late, but I push my hand into my forehead and continue running, to the training room. My feet hang halfway out of my shoes. When I burst through the doors, the transfer initiates and some of the Dauntless-born initiates look up. They're standing around the edge of the room. Amar's in the center of the arena, checking his watch. He gives me a questioning look.

"Nice of you to join us," he says, more admonishing than inviting. I guess the camaraderie of the night before doesn't extend to the training room. He points at my shoes. "Tie your shoes, and don't waste any more of my time."

Across the arena, Jason cracks each one of his knuckles, arrogantly, staring at me the whole time. I see greed in his eyes. He really can't wait to claim his next victim - the Stiff kid.

I tie my shoes in a hurry and tuck the ends of the laces under, so they won't get in my way. As I face Jason, I can feel only the pounding of my heart, the throbbing of my head, the pins-and-needles pain in my side. Then Amar steps back, calling for the match to begin. And Jason throws himself forward, fast, his giant fist hitting me square in the jaw.

Ow, that hurt! I stumble back, almost tripping over my own feet, my hand shielding my face against a further attack. All the agony runs together in my mind. I thrust my hands up to block the next punch, my head singing with pain. I see Jason's foot move, but I don't dodge it quickly enough. The kick hits me hard in the ribs. I feel a sensation like a high-voltage shock, through the left side of my body.

"Aw, yeah!" Jason gloats. "This is even better than I thought!"

I'm red-hot with embarrassment. Then, foolishly basking in his own confidence, Jason leaves me an opening. I don't miss the opportunity. I uppercut him in his belly.

Thump! I feel a heavy blow against my ear, making it ring, and I lose my balance. My fingers tap the ground, to steady me.

"You know," Jason says, smirking, "I might not even need to go all the way."

I'm not really listening. My eyes are blurry with half a dozen different kinds of pain - so many varieties, like flavors, barbed edges and bee stings and a vice-like grip on my skull.

Jason hits me again, aiming for my face but nailing me in the collarbone instead. He shakes out his hand and says loudly, "See what I mean? You can barely even stand. You're done, Stiff, face it."

And then the most baffling thing happens. Jason lowers his defenses and stands almost completely still, his arms at his sides. The only discernible expression on his face, is that stupid smirk. At that instant, I know what's going to hinder him the most, in Dauntless. His arrogance. The belief that he doesn't need to work hard, to take down his opponents, because he's already got all the skill sets he needs.

He doesn't believe I can hurt him, as much as he can hurt me. He believes that I'm everything an Abnegation kid should be - humble, selfless, and passive. Well, I might as well show him he's wrong.

My pain turns into a primeval rage, and I launch myself forward, grabbing Jason's arm to keep him there as I swing at him again, and again, and again. I don't even see where I'm hitting him. I don't see or hear anything, I just let myself feel that intense rage.

This is for Eric, and for Mia, you evil bastard.

I keep punching him. Again. And again. And again.

Then I finally hear his wails, his pleas for me to stop. Bright crimson soaks his chin, covers his once-white teeth. He tries to escape my grasp but I'm holding on as hard as I can, wanting with every fiber of my being to exact revenge.

Finally, Amar yells out that I'm the victor. I kick Jason hard in the groin, so he falls over. I make sure to meet his eyes, let him know I meant to do that. He whimpers a little, like he's in a state of shock and he can't speak. His nose is newly displaced, and I've added to the assortment of cuts on his face.

My knuckles throb, and I walk out of the arena without even being dismissed. And then Eric's pounding me on the back, and expressing his congratulations into my ear.

I should feel amazing. And I do, to some extent. But that old feeling of fear is already snaking back in - the fear of letting out the Marcus inside me, the fear of becoming an abuser and a murderer.

I smile tiredly at Eric, then I sneak out of the room. The number one thing I need to do right now, is get away.

AN: And there you have it. A sneak peek at who Eric's gonna become, in the next few weeks. And like I said, Tobias may not have fought his best friend, but he's gonna do it at some point. Hope you enjoyed. Next chapter you'll get to see what Mia's thinking, and the implications of her and Eric's relationship.