Leif POV

I did not expect to see a lot of people. Well, actually.. I never seen a lot of people. Not in one place. Perhaps the most before was 4? 

But I nearly forgot how to count past that, though if I were to guess, at least 15 kids around me,

I suppose a decent number of kids in our town were Powerborn, all here now since the tournaments were government hosted and mandatory to attend if you were a power user, weapon or natural ability. I think the spike in powerborn came from the odd incident from 8 years ago. What the town called the Taking, since the event defying rules of reality took many residents of the town, though a few reappeared in the years that followed, majority remained missing. Including my parents and brother. 

The radiation from where our reality tore apart to steal our neighbours and friends seemed to have odd effects on the rest of us who remained. I haven't seen too much of its results, but I do know a good portion are powerborn, carrying a gene of unlimited possibilities. This way any child born through someone exposed and affected by the radiation, could have a completely different set of abilities than their parents.

Storm was one of those who got powers from the radiation. Though at first only managing to generate and release small sparks of electricity and static, the choice to climb a tall tree on a fateful stormy day lead to my Best Friend getting struck by lightning. Which instead of majorly wounding her, super charged her abilities to more destructive levels, much to the town, and her mother's, dismay. 

However, some of those affected by the radiation didn't walk away with amazing abilities or an additional mix to their genes. Those, are the cases I have never seen in person, though perhaps that is a good thing. From what I've heard from Storm and Sward when we were younger, they became monsters. They changed, deforming and losing themselves to the odd mix they had become. Some wood cutters began calling them Inbetweens. Something between human and mindless beast. 

"Match ups are about to be announced! Kindly provide us your attention!"

Storm eagerly gathered among the other kids, waiting to see what unfortunate kid would be facing her. I scanned through the crowd, marvelling at the varieties of supposed power users.

A heavy feeling dropped slightly in my chest. 

Sward used to come to these with Storm. 

I wonder what made him leave.

And join...

"Would our first match up please approach the designated spot marked? Storm Endspark and Saurus Deltri!" 

I could see the literal sparks shining off her tousled hair as she approached the stretch of grass cleared for a small battleground. She cracked her knuckles and neck, letting more sparks dance around her jerky movements in intimating delight as she sized up her opponent. 

Saurus was a shorter red boy, a black cap held in his shaky grip, pressing on his head. It almost seemed to hide his nervous expression, that uncertainty in large brown eyes.

I felt sorry for him. I knew firsthand what it was like on the receiving end of Storm's fists. But even then she held back on me. Here, she would give it her all, and have all the fun she desired.

He took a few deep breaths to perhaps steady his beating heart. He hesitated before tossing his cap aside, outside the line that bordered the fighting area. Beneath, he had hidden two pearl white horns on his head. They were small and dull, but.. wow..

I've never seen horns on a person before.

"You will be given 5 minutes to wear down your opponent. Fatal blows are prohibited, serious injury of organs is prohibited. Dismemberment is prohibited. Should the fight escalate to a dangerous level of concern, our staff will disrupt and end the battle." The announcer waved in gesture to the soldiers blocking off the other participants and spectators a good distance from the area. "Victory goes to the last one standing or strongest after 5 minutes. If your opponent is unconscious, you win immediately. However, if both sides remain fresh enough to battle, will continue for another 5 minutes after brief check up from our medics. If you sustain serious injury or feel too unwell to continue, shout for a medic. Now that the rules and conditions have been stated, are both sides ready?"

"Heck yeah!" Storm grinned, already shifting the weight on her feet in eager anticipation to tackle the boy.

Saurus gave the announcer a small nod and a stuttering "Y-Yes."

"Your 5 minutes start now!"

The moment those words left the announcer's lips, he was drowned out by the cracking of lightning as Storm streaked towards Saurus, fist raised and charged, aimed straight for his head.

In what seemed to be a second too close, he spun to the side, letting Storm's fist duck past. However he did not anticipate the foot she had twisted in his direction, catching him in the flat of his back. He pitched forward, horns digging into the dirt as he rolled and slid to a dusty halt. 

He shook the dirt off his head, raising it to receive the blow from Storm's charged fist. He yelped as lightning stung at him and dropping him back onto the ground. I winced.

I almost begged silently he would do something to defend himself, even though I knew it would only push Storm to hit harder. She was ravenous for victory, only success could feel her competitive spirit.

I noticed the glinting of light off his fingertips. Squinting, I realised they were claws. Black pentagonal plates pushed in two rows on both sides of his spine, like.. what was that dinosaur in that book I saw? Stake oh saurus? Stef leg oh saurus?

His claws closed around the dirt they pressed upon and threw the handful at Storm's face. The cloud of particles pricked at her eyes and she yelled in surprise and frustration. 

"Cheater!" She hissed before slamming the ground with electrical discharges.

Saurus soared above, his arms stretched out at his sides, flaps of thick skin forming bat like wings. Like a.. um.. pete oh saur?

He glided a moment, angling himself above her before tucking into a dive, rolling as he dropped and catching Storm around the abdomen with his clawed feet. Spinning, he threw her over him, watching her hurtle into the ground meters away. 

She coughed and spat the dust from her mouth, grumbling as she wiped her eyes. "Aughh!"

She tackled him, the two tussling on the ground before rolling back onto their feet, exchanging clawed and lightning charged punches, Saurus gaining a few scratches on her. The air reeked of burnt flesh as Storm send a surging amount of electricity through his body. His agonised and shocked cries grew guttural, a beastly growl as he staggered back.

A club like knob appeared at the end of a tail he suddenly grew, which he slammed into Storm's gut with a curving momentum. He twisted around and lunged at her while she gathered breath back into her battered lungs. She grappled with his scrabbling arms, trying to push him off as his jaw widened, revealing rows of long sharpened teeth. 

A roar rambled out of his throat as he snapped in her direction.

"Euwww.. gross!" Storm gagged before pummelling his abdomen with lightning charged kicks.

The stuttering boy from earlier seemed to have been replaced, changing into this reptilian of the past. His anatomy had morphed over the course of the battle. His snout had stretched, his legs animalised, his back bent over to accommodate the weight of his lengthened body. 

His size had increased, he now towered Storm, rancid drool sobering over his arsenal of fangs. His eyes were but slits against a pale orange. He bellowed a monstrous cry before gambling towards her.

A sight I never imagined to see despite my infamous imaginations. A tyrannosaurus rex charging towards my Best Friend. And even more unimaginable : Storm being stunned.

Yay I remembered the name of that one!

Clouds of dust blinded those watching from the happenings of the fight. Cries of blows being thrown and struck reverberated with thumps and sparks. 

I caught glimpse of Storm attempting to choke hold him, though he seemed to have grown get again in the few moments. He reared onto his back legs, thrashing his head in effort to shake her off his neck. He dropped to his side, crushing her into the ground with his weight pinned against her. He rose, dirt falling of his scaly skin as he roared, widening his jaws to lunge at her.

"Five minutes are up!" The announcer decreed, summoning a sigh of relief from my lungs. "How are you two feeling?"

"Depends! Who won?" Storm leapt back onto her feet, causing Saurus to snarl, but backed away.

"It seems to be a tie!"

"WHAT!" Storm scowled, obviously displeased at this verdict. "Then we'll continue! 10 minutes!"

"Saurus? Do you consent to resuming?" The announcer faced the reptilian beast. 

He replied in a ground shaking roar that caused a few people to jump in surprise. 

"Alright then! Approach the medics for the brief check up and we'll resume with an additional 5 minutes!"

I "excuse me" ed my way through the chattering spectators towards the medic tent the tournament had set up.

"Storm? Are you okay?" I poked my head through the flaps of the opening. " How was it?"

"Did you see that guy? He's a beast! A literal, dino thingy!" Storm marvelled as the medic poked her over in brief inspection for serious injury. "Of course, I'm still way cooler."

"Did you see him grow?" I asked.

"YEAH! Right before my eyes! It was crazy! Once I get back in there, I'll really unload the big guns on that sucka!" 

Another bone rattling roar startled me as I turned out to look at the medic tent on the opposite side. The medic was frustrated, yet also slightly wary as he tried to examine Saurus. He remained as his monstrous form, growling and jerking away from the medic whenever he got close.

Why isn't he turning back to human for his check up? Wouldn't it be easier? Maybe he wants to be at his maximum strength and powerful form for the second round. But.. then why can't he let the medic examine him?

Observing from the other side, I watched him pace, sniffing the ground and air. Occasionally he turned and snapped at the medic who eventually gave up and probably reasoned if it could be so resistive and active in warding him off, he had no major injury to be concerned with.

He pawed the ground, mindlessly roaming about, growling at the people on the other side of the border.

That odd warmth flooded my chest again. Again I became hyper aware of the lives around me. I could feel their energy pulsating all around. I could feel Storm's sparky attitude through her energy behind me. I could feel the lazy energy of the grass I stood upon. 

Gem shifted slightly from her nestled spot in my hair, as I moved a hand to stroke her for reassurance, my vision of energy fell upon Saurus. Or.. what I had been calling him despite his current form.

But the energy I sensed was cold, cruel, hungry. A dominance swallowing up a smaller warmer.. terrified energy. 

Souls... I was seeing their souls. 

"Life energy." The voice from that day resounded in my head. The voice that.. was it that tree? Grenendaris? "The energy that fills and enables all things that live to sustain in the world of living. A part of the soul."

Saurus's soul.. it wasn't his alone, it seemed to be dwarfed by this monstrous projection, a larger mass of fossilised energy.

I stared at him, my vision through this magical lens shutting off, his energy of cruel red gnawing the small flame of brown faded to his physical appearance. 

That wasn't Saurus. But a beast that resided in his very life force.. Perhaps what he borrowed though dinosaur like abilities from.

Did.. a dinosaur know it was in a tournament. Would it know just to knock out its opponent, no fatal injury? Would it know not to kill or devour its..

Terror constricted my throat.

Would it..

Kill Storm?