Present day.

The next morning, Lleyton found himself at the pier on the south coast of Orconia City. Scores of young people had flooded through the south gate, some wearing matching clothing to indicate partnerships, cheering and celebrating as they climbed their way down the back cliff to the hot sandy shore, salty air and humid heat causing Lleyton's skin to glisten with sweat. Lleyton realized the Games were more of a celebration for many rather than a competition.

A long, dark pier jetted off into the light blue ocean, with skinny golden pillars holding it slightly above the water which Lleyton was at the foot of. Off to the right and left of the pier were great silver nets extending from the cliffs down into the water all the way to the south island, which Eeva had told him kept Creatures of the Night from frequenting the water directly south of Orconia City.

At the end of the pier was Aimos, his silver crown shining in the sun, as he waited for the partnerships to crowd around. Calysa saw Lleyton close to the pier from the back of the crowd, and giddily waved at him. She was dressed in dark green camouflage and black lines were under her eyes and above her cheeks.

Lleyton couldn't help but laugh to himself at her childish waving while dressed in war apparel. The juxtaposition between her competitiveness and lighthearted personality were laid bare for everyone to observe. Maybe I should have dressed more appropriately, he thought to himself, looking down at his light blue robe which made him feel more of an outsider than he already was.

"Welcome, everyone, to the sixteenth installment of the Island Games," Aimos began to the cheer of the crowd. Lleyton looked around at hundreds of citizens, many of whom were parents attending to their sons and daughters who were entering the games, and young children going to watch their older siblings.

"A quick recap of the rules before we send you off: If you or your partner are eliminated, stay where you are and game wardens will come find you. Then you can proceed to the landing zone of the island to begin with your binge drinking of Sweet Beer and partying or whatever you young folk do nowadays," Aimos announced loudly to everyone, the contestants laughing but their parents rolling their eyes.

"We will also be having a small feast immediately after when the sun starts setting, which all contestants are required to attend. This is not to be confused with the Festival of Champions we will have a week from now in honor of the partnership that wins today. Lastly, please have fun. This is a time to come together and compete as fellow Orcas. Those are the only rules, now please enjoy yourselves, and I wish you all good fortune in the Island Games."

With a large cheer, the contestants began sprinting into the ocean, gracefully swimming through the salt water at a speed which had to be seen to be believed, towards the island south of the city. Lleyton stood still as he watched everyone piling into the water, and caught a glimpse of Eeva and Julien slashing through the water in front of everyone. Calysa grabbed Lleyton by the shoulder.

"Don't worry, you can ferry across with Aimos," Calysa said to Lleyton, who couldn't remember if he could swim or not. Definitely not like the others. "Aimos might be a Six, but he's definitely no Orca. Come to think of it I don't think he can swim at all. I'll see you at the island," she said sprinting into the water.

Embarrassed, Lleyton made his way down the pier to meet Aimos, who was now piling into a small motorized boat latched to the pier along with older citizens who apparently preferred not to swim the length to the island.

Aimos smiled at Lleyton, who he could tell was embarrassed and feeling like he didn't belong. "Special qualities come in many different forms, dear boy. Never believe you are inadequate just because you are different."

The boat was the last to arrive of the spectators and combatants, and Lleyton unloaded on the silver shore. Aimos, along with the non-contestants, began setting up great tables and chairs which were waiting in the landing mouth of the island for the celebration that followed the games, as contestants outfitted themselves in shock vests and grabbed sparring swords and shields from a pile of material.

The island was rich and green, the water as clear as a window, the white sand that met the trees was fine and shining. The trees were so thick that Lleyton couldn't see an opening inwards.

Calysa ran up to him, with a fist full of mud and clay and began smearing Lleyton from head to toe without warning. He spat out a mouth full of dirt, his clothes now forever stained. He let out a sigh after Calysa finalized her makeover of him.

"That's better," she said to Lleyton, handing him a long sword, a short sword, and a vest as she strapped a shield to her back. "When Aimos gives the signal, we'll have five minutes to find a good place in there, hopefully not in the middle of everyone. A bang will signify when we can start attacking others. If the island looks big to you, it's not. The games haven't lasted past mid-day in over seven years. Everyone finds everyone eventually. And remember, if one of us loses we both lose, so we gotta stick together. There's thirty-eight total couples. Let's be stealth and only fight when we have to."

As if on cue, Aimos yelled go to the crowd of contestants, and they began rushing into the vegetation of the in-land, swarms of swords and shields swallowed up by the vibrant green.

Calysa grabbed and held his arm as he tried to run in. "Wait," she said to him, pointing at Eeva and Julien who were sprinting into the left half of the island. "Let's not go near them. Julien will take care of most of the teams for us. Then we can finish them off at the end if they're still around."

Calysa tugged on Lleyton's hand as they broke through the island brush to the right. It felt like he was in a new world. It was more hollow inside than he thought, still bright somehow even though no rays from the sun could creep their way through the thick canopy. The sound of rushing water of streams and the bristling of branches by the running contestants was all Lleyton could hear.

Lleyton was impressed with Calysa's mind, as she naturally sprinted upwards towards the highest part of the island up a slight hill, searching for high ground and a vantage point. They disappeared together into a patch of trees which circled a pond, right as a bang came from the landing zone signalling the start of the games. Lleyton immediately heard cries of pain, shocks, and laughter as teams clashed and struck early.

"We'll stay here, let teams come to us," Calysa whispered to Lleyton, her breath hot on his ear.
Lleyton nodded as he scanned his surroundings. More cries and yells were heard in the distance.

"How do we know how many are left?" Lleyton whispered to her, who was crouched in a fern looking down into the middle of the island as Lleyton was watching their flank. A man in bright blue, a game warden, was passing below and held up a sign that flashed a number.

"Twenty teams left," Calysa whispered at him.

"Already?" he replied unbelievingly. "That was easy."

"Some teams are reckless and don't take the games seriously. Only here for the beer. The remaining teams are professionals. Now shh."

Some time passed. Then, Lleyton's heart began to race as he saw movement in the tree canopy behind. He tapped on Calysa's head, who turned and saw what he saw.

Two shadowy figures moved their way through the trees, swiftly and silently, leaping across thick branches and partially concealed by the thick canopy.

"Goddard. I think they've seen us," She whispered into his ear quietly, her breath sending a chill down his spine. "I have an idea."

Calysa propped up her shield in the fern she was in, making sure it was clearly visible from the impending attackers. Lleyton understood what she was doing, and hid behind a rock off to his right, being careful to avoid the line of sight of the two figures rushing through the treetops.

Calysa silently and gracefully crept into the pond off to the left, amazing Lleyton with the absence of ripples she caused. Right before her head submerged, she held her finger to her lips in Lleyton's direction, and silently ducked into the water. They waited.

And waited. And waited.

Lleyton's breathing slow, calm. His heart rate slowing but his brain racing in anticipation and anxiety.

Then a flurry of green and silver erupted as the couple sprung from above, drawing their swords and slashing at Calysa's shield through the thick brush.

Before confusion even arose in their opponents, Lleyton and Calysa sprung from their hiding spots and slashed their assailants in the back of their vests. A blue glow lit their surrounding as the shock vests surged, both players falling to the ground in a shock and with a thump. After several seconds the two players were laughing as a game warden made their way over.

"Wow Calysa, that shield trick was clever even for you," Goddard said, taking off his vest and rubbing his numb back muscles. "Good luck you two. Don't lose to Julien, for all our sakes."

A part of Lleyton hoped he was already eliminated.

Calysa silently laughed to herself, picking up her prop while wringing out her black hair. "Nice try with the tree climbing, you sure you aren't Bears? Last place we'd expect a couple of Orcas to be lurking. I think you would have had us if Lleyton didn't spot you. Lleyton, we have to move."

The two men waved goodbye and made their way with a game warden to the landing zone, as Lleyton and Calysa sprinted down the hill, knowing their battle had just given away their position. Then they heard Aimos's voice somewhere from the middle of the island.

"Two teams left," They heard, echoing loudly through the jungle, and they looked at each other with excitement. It appeared the other remaining team had made quick work for them.

"Come on, there's an opening in the middle of the island where we can't be snuck up on. I'd rather lose fighting than by getting stabbed in the back."

They ran inwards, carefully examining their sides and behind to make sure the other last team wasn't sneaking up on them. They burst through a wall of green vines and emerged into a sun lit opening of sand and water. Lleyton realized the island was a thick ring of vegetation, and they just arrived in the middle of the donut-shaped mass.

Two figures waited in the middle of the clearing for them, evidently sharing Calysa's idea of meeting the last team in the open.

Calysa's skin went hot. Lleyton's heart fell to his stomach. Both Lleyton and Calysa stopped in their tracks from their sprint, skidding through the hot sand beneath their feet.

Eeva and Julien stood before them, Eeva with a shield and sword and Julien with two long blades. Although a part of Lleyton wanted to meet Julien in battle, another part of him was scared of the confrontation.

Julien made him feel sick, the one person in the colony that he met that made him feel completely unwelcome, and hated, and reviled. Lleyton hated him. And he was scared of him. But something within him made he's feet stride forward, dagger and sword somehow comfortable in his hands. The Island Games no longer felt like a game to Lleyton. He sunk his sword into the sand as Eeva and Julien approached them slowly.

By now, hundreds of people were on the perimeter of the opening, awaiting the conclusion of the Games with mugs of beer in hand, cheering. Aimos was there too, unabashedly excited and swigging from his mug, cheering against his own daughter in favor of Lleyton and Calysa.

Most of the people were cheering for them. He realized they were the underdogs.

"I'm disappointed Calysa, teaming up with a Sub," Julien strategically called across, audible enough for Lleyton and Calysa to hear but not the spectators. He wanted to get a reaction out of Lleyton, but he would not get one.

In times of stress, Lleyton was realizing, he had remarkable control over his emotions. Where Julien had an advantage in height and physical prowess, Lleyton made up for it in mental fortitude. Julien and Eeva whispered to each other, discussing a strategy. Calysa did the same with Lleyton.

"Julien is arrogant, he's going to come at you. Eeva and I are evenly matched. If you can somehow back Julien into Eeva and I, I can quickly disengage with Eeva and take Julien down while he thinks he only has you to worry about," She whispered to Lleyton.

Lleyton nodded and stared down a smirking Julien. Lleyton and Calysa spread out and readied for battle.

The two teams ran towards each other with a roar as Lleyton redrew his sword from the sand. Eeva and Calysa smashed shields together, sending sparks of blue, while Julien shouted out a beastly yell, slashing horizontally towards Lleyton's neck who ducked and stabbed, Julien deflecting it effortlessly downwards. Julien swung ferociously again, this time sending Lleyton's small sword into the air and sticking into the sand, Julien's strength overpowering Lleyton's grip. Lleyton dodged Julien's second sword, and rolled towards his small sword. Julien swiped at the small sword in the ground, launching it further away while he laughed.

"I'm glad we have an audience. Should I behead you for everyone to see?"

Lleyton had no doubt Julien could accomplish this even with a dull blade. He tried again to run down his second weapon but Julien jumped in front, wagging his finger at him. Lleyton's mind raced as he deliberated how get an upper hand, keeping Eeva and Calysa in his peripheral vision.

He ducked and rolled away from Julien, grabbing a hand full of sand as he sprung to his feet.

"Face me, coward," Julien spat at Lleyton, his face red with rage, lunging towards him, both now mere feet away from Calysa and Eeva who were fighting to a standstill. Lleyton blocked Julien's two swords which came down on him like a hammer with all his might, stepped sideways, caught Calysa's eye, and nodded to her.

Lleyton threw his hand full of sand into Julien's eyes, who cried out and held his swords up in a defensive position from Lleyton, coughing out the grains of rock and mud and grit. Lleyton furiously slashed at Julien, backing him towards Eeva and Calysa.

Calysa disengaged with Eeva, releasing her shield, and jumped into the air towards Julien's back, parallel with the ground, smashing his lower torso in one fluid motion with her blade.

Julien writhed in pain as a shock moved through his vest, falling to the ground with a yell of frustration.

"It's over," Aimos yelled from the perimeter, cheers erupting all around Lleyton and Calysa.

Calysa stood, arms in the air, and hugged Lleyton after throwing away her gear, laughing and jumping up and down, as hundreds ran to the middle joining in on the cheering.

The two of them were lifted into the sky by the people, the crowd chanting Calysa's name.

While the two of them were suspended in the air, Lleyton glanced over at her, and realized how important these games were to her and the people, a celebration of competitiveness and tradition. A tradition he himself now felt cemented to.

Lleyton and Calysa were carried back to the landing zone of the island, another tradition Lleyton had assumed, where long tables and music and crates of desserts and rich dishes of fish and mugs of beer awaited them.

After Lleyton rid himself of his mud camouflage in the ocean, he was bombarded by fellow combatants and spectators until the sun went down, introducing themselves and admiring his trick with the sand, asking about his sword technique. This was especially true among the young children who got their parents' permission to speak with him. He often had to repeat himself that he hadn't any Gifts like them, and that he was just 'a normal person'. Everyone cheered as they forced him to bite into his first whole raw fish. He faked a thumbs up and smile as he forced the scales and cold meat down his throat while people cheered.

Before dinner began, Lleyton had a chance to reconvene with his teammate before sitting down at their assigned table as the winning couple. They were at the edge of the ocean which sparkled in the red sun, the gentle tide caressing their bare feet in the cooling sand.

Her war paint was washed off now, her dark hair was let down. She was beaming at him as he approached her with a hand on his neck, after rewashing the dirt off that she covered him with.

"I guess I should've mentioned how important these games are to me," She said to him, folding her arms bashfully. "My father, a Host, invented the games sixteen years ago. I don't remember him that well. He passed away when I was young," She said, looking to the ground. "This is my first championship. I think he'd be proud of me. I have you to thank for that."

Lleyton gave her a reassuring smile. "It was all you, Calysa. I know what it's like to feel disconnected from your past." He struck a more light-hearted tone and said, "Could have told me how serious this is for you, though. You've completely ruined my robe, I think Aimos is going to kill me."

She laughed genuinely at him, and then she redirected her dark eyes up into his.

Her face turned serious when she noticed him looking at her lips, prompting her to look at his. Their faces moved slowly towards each other, Lleyton's heart beat quickening and fluttering in his chest, Calysa's beating even faster. Is this right? Is this smart?

"Hey you two, I wanted to wish you congratulations."

It was Eeva, somewhat startlingly, and Lleyton and Calysa swiftly moved away from one another. Both were redder than the sun dipping below the horizon.

"Father would like to get the ceremony going, if you could grab a seat."

Lleyton and Calysa sat down next to each other at the main table next to Eeva who took a seat as a finalist, as they waited for Aimos to provide the concluding remarks of the games.

Before he began, Julien came over to the table directly across from Lleyton, smiling, and extending his hand, in front of everyone.

"Impressive, man. You have my respect."

A good sport? Lleyton thought to himself, looking at Julien's outstretched hand, confused. Calysa and Eeva looked on uncomfortably and questioningly as Lleyton reached to shake it.

Julien's smile transformed into utter contempt in an instant.

He ripped Lleyton from his seat across the table, gold plates shattering and mugs spilling, Lleyton's shoulder almost leaving its socket. Lleyton was tackled to the ground, stunned, by the much more powerful man, fists starting to pummel into his face before he could react.

"Throw sand in my face again, you dishonorable Sub," Julien sneered at him, cuts opening up on Lleyton's cheeks and forehead as he was punched over and over and over. Lleyton managed to get his arms up to his face, helplessly. Julien was now standing, and began stomping on Lleyton's arm, his right forearm shattering and bending as he yelped in pain.

Aimos sprung to action as Calysa and Eeva and others close by yelled at Julien to stop his assault. All tables were on their feet now, trying to see the commotion, many trying to wrestle the strong man off of Lleyton.

Aimos got between them, throwing Julien backwards as inadvertent punches ricocheted off of Aimos's steel-like skin. "That's enough!" He yelled at a cowering Julien.

"He cheated," Julien pleaded to Aimos the Six, as others came in to restrain