The Gamer's POV

There was a long moment of silence between the two friends.

Eventually Cedric looked away from him and just stared blankly at the ground. He seemed to be lost in quiet contemplation. But after only a few seconds, he raised his hand and a black feather appeared between his fingers. Then, he turned the dark feather over in his hand for a moment before he began in a low voice.

"It took me a long while to understand a few truths about this life."

He paused for a moment, before adding, "You see, someone can be very lucky, yet still get bested by someone who believes he has not had a moment of luck in his life. Someone can be really powerful, yet still get killed by someone who is not. Finally, someone can have the blood of kings in their veins and still die at the hands of a lowly commoner."

He looked up from the feather to Dion, who was now looking at him. Then he said bluntly, "This life is not fair, Dion. Everyone knows that. But what everyone does not know is that it is exactly because life is unfair that everyone has a chance of winning. If life were to be fair, not everyone would have that chance because life would be defined. The weak would never beat the strong, and the one with luck would always stay on top.

"But because the world is a mess of broken rules and unexpected turns, a commoner can trip a king. A man with a simple power can outsmart a genius. The unfairness is the only gap wide enough for someone like you to slip through and change the ending."

He paused to let those words settle, before continuing.

"Everyone is powerful except those who believe they are not.

"A sword may seem to have more of an advantage than a dagger, but in reality, the strength depends on who wields them.

"What I am trying to say is that push and pull can be really strong in the hands of a skilled person. From what I have come to understand, the limits of all powers lie in the imagination of the wielder.

"Yes, you are weak, Dion, but only if you see yourself to be so. Do not say, ’just’ push things far and pull things close. That undermines that ability. Instead, imagine how you can push people to their death, and how you can pull people from it.

"When you figure this out, you will find that you are stronger than you think you are."

Dion blinked, and at that moment, the memory faded, returning him to the battlefield.

’Imagination...’

His eyes widened.

’...you can push people to their death, and you can pull people from it. That’s it!’

Suddenly, it felt like Dion had a moment of enlightenment.

In that moment, two Nagas were slithering toward him with their claws aimed at him. Swinging his spear, he slammed the butt of it into the stone ground then yelled, "Lock!"

Instantly, the two Nagas froze in place as if the air around them had turned solid. Dion then swung his spear again with a grunt of effort before throwing it high into the air.

The spear shot into the air and when it was high enough, Dion yelled, "Lock!"

The spear ceased its movement entirely and remained suspended in the empty air high above the bridge. In the same breath, Dion touched his chest then roared, "Pull!"

Like a stone caught in a sudden vortex, Dion’s feet left the ground as he was reeled upward toward the spear. When he reached it, he locked himself in place high above the bridge. He didn’t need to worry about the Lake of Eyes because the Nagas were no longer just staying in the lake as they had done before, but were all rushing up the bridge.

From this distance, he could see everything as if he were a god looking down at a broken chessboard.

"My power has always been about total field control. How did I not notice that until now?"

He turned to his spear then commanded with a newfound confidence, "Ino, bring the cadets in this space up here."

As he spoke, he pointed to a desperate spot on the bridge among the chaos where the cadets were being overwhelmed. Almost immediately, Ino took her human form beside him. She then raised her hand to the side and yelled, "Pull!"

Instantly, all the cadets were suddenly yanked upward into the air and as Ino yelled "Lock!" they all froze in place in the air beside them. It was as if dozens of cadets were suddenly suspended by invisible hooks. Unlike before when Dion froze the entire person, this time the cadets could still move parts of their body.

They began to wonder what was happening and it took them a moment to gain their bearings.

Meanwhile, Dion raised both hands up toward the sky and with all his strength and mana, he brought them down as he yelled, "Push!"

Instantly, as if gravity had suddenly tripled in a single heartbeat, the Nagas that were on the bridge slammed down so hard their bodies burst against the cold stone. The bridge began to groan and spiderweb as more and more Nagas were flattened into the masonry like insects.

Dust rose in a thick and choking cloud from the ancient stone while blood sprayed across the side in a dark and rhythmic patter.

To Dion, the sight was so beautiful that it was splendid.

He couldn’t help but smile because at this moment, he finally realized just how powerful he could be.

’See this, father?’ he thought as he began to make new affirmations for himself.

He was not useless or a burden, like people made him out to be.

He was capable too in his own right.

His eyes darted to the side, where he could see Audrey shooting arrows at a flying Naga. Without breaking his grin, he extended his right hand to point at the serpent soaring through the air, then said coldly, "Lock!"

The Naga’s movements slowed down and Dion could feel his mana core emptying as the invisible chains of his will tightened around the beast. He then yelled as he quickly redirected his hand toward the bridge below and just as his palm snapped downward, the creature was dragged along with the motion. It slammed onto the bridge among the mangled remains of its kin.

It tried to rise but the crushing weight of the push pinned its skull to the masonry. Then, its bones gave way with a series of sharp, wet cracks that sounded like dry wood snapping under a heavy boot.

As the area of effect of the Push spread, Ino did her part by bringing more cadets into the air while Dion yelled his battle cry and pushed more Nagas down to their death.