Mason found himself in a familiar white void, face to face with himself.
“Back here, huh?” Mason asked. The other Mason nodded.
“So I'm unconscious then…” Mason looked at his skin. His body was healed from the surge. Lucky, he thought.
“Alright, I'll be on my way now…” he turned to go, but he was stopped.
“You have to stop activating your powers.”
Mason stopped. “Hey, you worried about me?”
“Using your powers drains your lifespan. How do you not get that?”
“Relax, okay… Besides, I had to. Jett was gonna kill me.”
“Don't make me put a limiter in you.”
Mason eyed him. “What's that s’posed to mean?” he asked, but the other Mason ignored him.
“You can't put a limiter on me… you're me! I'm you!” Mason said and punched himself.
The other Mason vanished as soon as he made contact. Then he started hearing a beeping sound.
It was getting louder…
And louder…
And louder…
Mason covered his ears. “Hey, quit that!!” he yelled. “I said…”
“...QUIT THAT!!!” Mason opened his eyes and saw himself in a medical room.
“You're awake.” Levi closed his book.
“Mason!!” Keisha yelled and hugged him tightly.
“...my ribs…” Mason hugged her lightly. “I'm fine, I'm fine.”
Keisha released her grip and sat on the bed. “I was so… so—”
Mason held her shoulders. “Don't worry, Kei,” he said and looked around; Levi was sitting next to his bed with a pile of books laying on the floor. Liv was next to the bed and her eyes were red; Keisha was on his bed, and Alya was present as well.
“Dummy.” Liv wiped her eyes. She had been crying…
“C’mon guys. I'm good, okay?” Mason assured them.
Jett walked in and looked at him. “Oh…?” he simply said. Then he tapped his watch and spoke into it. “He's awake now.”
Mason raised his brow at Jett, who spoke up. “Everyone move to the debrief hall. There's a new update. Now!” he said and walked out.
No one moved until Levi cleared his throat. “You guys go ahead; Mason and I will catch up.”
They reluctantly left, and Mason stood up. “Yo, how long have I been out?”
“Three weeks.”
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Mason paused.
“The eliminated ones have long left. Thorne and the rest of them, long gone,” Levi said.
“What?”
“Mason…” Levi stood up and walked up to him. “You almost died.”
Mason avoided his best friend's eyes. “I was fine.”
“... ‘quit that’?” Levi raised his eyebrow. “Who were you talking to?”
“Pssh…” Mason swallowed. “Can't a guy talk in his sleep?” he said as he got dressed.
“You were in a coma. Not sleeping,” Levi walked to the door. “You're draining your lifespan by using your powers.”
Mason wasn't shocked. “Yeah, yeah, clairvoyant piece of—” he looked at the empty room. “Screw you, Levi.”
Mason stepped into the debrief room and froze. The commander and generals were already waiting.
“...in the flesh?” he muttered to Levi, who didn’t respond—his eyes locked on ahead.
A stern voice broke the silence.
“Mason Ramirez. After your fight with Jett, I suppose there’s no further objection to your retainment here,” Commander Darren said.
The room was still. Not a single murmur. Just a heavy, collective breath held in the air.
“Let’s move on,” he continued, pressing a button on the console in front of him.
The lights dimmed. A holographic video flickered to life—it was a planet.
“This is Solenthra, a planet in universe twenty.”
Mason’s brow creased. Universe twenty? Another universe?
“A few days ago, it was struck by an invasion, a scout ship. Their response was swift—they dispatched a team of five to neutralize the incursion…”
“Teenagers. Just like you.”
Mason’s chest tightened. There are more of us… trained like this? In other universes?
The commander’s voice dropped.
“They were under-prepared. The team was incomplete. And they were… eliminated.”
Silence fell again—this time even heavier.
Five teenagers. Gone. Mason felt the air catch in his throat.
“Before their deaths, they managed to transmit key intel. The enemy was a scout ship—searching for the ideal location to begin—”
“Begin what?” Jett cut in, his voice slicing through the tension.
Everyone turned. Even Mason.
The commander’s eyes narrowed.
“The Emperor’s plan.” A beat passed. Then he pressed forward. “Earth Twenty's Order sent out an emergency signal, a distress call… to The Order.”
Wait, Universe Twenty has an Order? Mason wondered. Do other universes have Orders as well?
“The Order has given us instructions to proceed; hence, we're deploying a team of five to respond.”
“With all due respect, sir,” Jett interjected again, stepping forward, “why are we being sent to defend their universe? Don't they have others to send into battle?”
A quiet pause. The commander's jaw tensed.
“Earth Twenty sent out their best team of five, and they were incapable of defeating the enemy. Sending out others in their universe will simply be fodder for the enemy,” General Helen spoke up.
General Ralph stared straight at Jett. “It's a direct command from The Order.”
Mason looked at Jett and saw him clench his fists.
“The following five will go out to Universe Twenty and eliminate the threat…”
All twenty-one of them held their breaths in anticipation.
“Jett Kaimana.”
“Olivia Robyn.”
“Keisha Elaris.”
“Vey Amarin.”
“Mason Ramirez.”
Mason's jaw dropped. He looked over to Levi, whose name wasn't called.
“That concludes the five who will be sent out. General Helen will assign you your duties and battle equipment. You leave at sunrise.”
“Commander!”
The commander stopped.
It was Nolan. “Why was Mason chosen? Based on the numbers, I should be third in line! Why is he in?!”
“I advise you to watch your tone when addressing your superiors. This decision was made a long time ago, and it was made by The Order… you may all return to your quarters.”
The commander left. General Helen stepped up. “Alright you five, let's go!” She smiled and turned around.
Jett followed her. So did Liv, Vey, and Keisha. Mason turned to Levi.
“I…” What could he say?
Levi was silent.
“I gotta…” Mason pointed at his leaving teammates. He jogged after them, seeing that Levi wasn't looking at him.
