He couldn’t ignore them forever. He could feel their eyes burning holes in his back. His magic was a distraction from it all, but there was going to come a time when it would no longer work. He understood that. He didn’t have to accept it though.

That was it. He ignored them by focusing on his magic, using it to unclog what knots had formed from unused and to relax his racing thoughts.

A finger snapped.

“Come here.” Iza’s voice was a razor cutting through his thin walls. Down came his isolated kingdom and everything he build came crumbling down.

It was more than annoyance. It was just hatred he felt.

He drew in his energy. It shut off like a tap, the magic building up in his veins like a clogged pipe. Instead of exploding, it absorbed into his body, traveling back to the source. The Dissipater buzzed a warning and flashed red once. He ignored it and focused on the magic. He didn’t want to take his mind off of it, just in case it built up too fast. There were stories, ones he can’t remember where he’d heard them, about uncontrollable magic. What they taught him here was only the surface of what magic could do. The stuff they hid from him would eventually fall into his hands. From the mouths of strangers and from his WASP, he could piece together bits of information.

That’s how he knew he shouldn’t be able to connect to the Third Eye.

Once the magic died down to a soft hum, he felt the full effects of Rexton’s energy. It consumed him, thumping at the back of his head like a strong bass. He couldn’t turn back. The closer he walked, the heavier the magic sat on his mind. It made him feel sluggish, like he was walking through fog and mud.

When he looked up and met Rexton’s brown eyes, he felt the magic pierce through him. Every nerve in his body screamed in pain, pleasure, and in nothing. It was all still after that, nothing like before. The overpowering and suffocating energy fell away to silence. For a moment, he could breathe again.

But he ran into a much bigger problem. Once the magic was gone, he could focus on Rexton and not be influenced by the energy he was putting off. The images the Eye pushed out were only captions of the past. They couldn’t capture the feeling of the true presence of meeting someone. There was power behind Rexton, more than Cassius had assumed. He had to be something else. To be a Remu with so much power was dangerous. Not just to himself, but to everyone around him. Remu could store magic. They were walking vaults of it, but they could barely use it.

Cassius stood at attention. His legs and feet came together and his arms were pressed straight along his legs. He looked forward, eyes relaxed but alert. The blank expression on his face hid the many emotions rolling inside him. He was surprised he could wear the look for so long. He was getting better.

“At ease.”

Iza stepped around him. His eyes were burning into him, leaving itchy patches across his sweaty skin.

Cassius placed his right leg to the right to form his at ease position. His eyes flickered to Rexton’s face and back.

“This is General Rexton from Keshtin. He’s the supervisor on our last mission.” Iza stopped in front of him. He looked at Cassius’s face. Just staring. “He will also be conducting your evaluation.”

Cassius could have broken. He kept it buried inside, every single thought.

Iza knew what he was doing. He knew he was trying so hard to keep his mouth shut and not get himself in trouble. Rexton was higher than Iza, higher ranked than anyone he’d met at this base in the last twelve years. The fucking vulture was going to pull it out of him. He was going to try and make him look like a fool, like a Mekiah that didn’t have any manners.

I can do it on my own, you pig.

A smile pulled at the corner of Iza’s lips. “You may speak.”

Cassius’s fingers twitched.

“Yes, sir.”

He caught Rexton’s eyes once more. There was nothing on his face, but the fire in his gaze gave away more than Cassius liked. He saw the hunger for power and the addiction to the fight. It wasn’t much to say he liked competition and a challenge, but when he saw an opportunity, that was the golden ticket. It wasn’t luck that got him high. It was knowing that he’d set this up.

Cassius glared.

You fucking cunt.

Iza’s hand hit him from the side of his head. The pain blossomed. The hand came down again across his face. Blood pooled in his mouth and ran down his chin. Hit after hit rained down on him. He fell to one knee, eyes fighting to stay open. His mouth went slack and the blood gushed out. He looked up and was taken back by what he saw.

The hits had stopped and Iza’s hand was inches away from his face.

“That’s enough, General.”

Rexton held Iza’s hand in a firm grip.

“I’ll take it from here.”

The tension in the air was thick. Cassius gasped for breath and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He saw the anger on Iza’s face, as always, painted like a portrait. He’d seen that look so many times before, it didn’t surprise him in the slightest. The reason behind it could be a combination of things. His blatant disrespect or punishment for the Dissipater going off. It didn’t matter anymore what it was. Just seeing Iza angry was pleasant in itself, but the consequences that came after weren’t fun.

“Can you walk?”

Cassius didn’t like his voice. Or the fact that he was asking him like he cared.

“Yes, sir.” He rose to his feet, shaky, but he didn’t fall.

Rexton save him this time, but as soon as he was back in Iza’s hands, he would be a goner.