Fighting Past Pain

Life changed the moment the Heavens granted Benedict his Regeneration Sphere.

Stepping out of the abusive cycle he'd known all his life, Benedict entered the Gilfle Academy. Getting help from his therapist, Agatha Carper, he was ready to try his new lease on life. It wasn't without its bumps and setbacks, but he wasn't going to give up on this second chance.

Benedict's first bump was his new roommate, Atropos Foxglove. The young woman had a painful past that'd colored her view of life, especially when it came to men. The two stumbled and even argued but eventually found their footing to coexist. That coexistence even turned into a friendship that grew as the semester went on.

It was the second bump that almost ended Benedict's new life prematurely. Ellen Rox had long hated Atropos, and she wasn't above hurting others. Seeing Benedict with Atropos, Ellen chose to use him as her pawn and bring more grief into Atropos' life. That all culminated in Benedict being accused of sexual assault, a fabrication put on by Ellen and her cronies.

The false charges were stopped only with some help, but they also led Atropos and Benedict to become closer. Friendship forged through adversity—including their own past traumas—made for a bedrock to build on.

They wouldn't be building their friendship alone, though, as they'd both found peers who they could count on. Their best mutual friend was named Sadie Somnius, a slightly older woman who was also their gym coach. She might be brash and far more aggressive than either Benedict or Atropos, but she also helped bring the two of them closer.

With the semester at an end, the three friends were separated for the tournament that the Academy held with its contemporaries. Benedict and Atropos would be facing the best of each Academy in a mock war. After that, they'd strive to delve into the Pockets and pull out more rewards than anyone else. Winning one or both could propel them farther along their path of ascending to the Heavens.