I know it’s the wrong color, and seeing red instead of gold makes my stomach churn in a weird, homesick kind of way. But at the same time, the feeling is momentous. I’ve spent my whole life thinking I was devoid of magic. Now I know—no, now I can see—that I am gifted, too.

“Congratulations,” Austin says. “You are now officially biochipped.”

Taeyo grins and claps his hands. “Congratulations, Riley! Now all you have to do is channel your inner dominant element, and you’ll be able to wield it.” He studies me curiously. “What is your element, by the way? How rude—I never asked you.”

For a moment, I recall my Gi ceremony. The way my elemental profile of four fires had branded me a freak of nature. Then I remember what Sora said—that the Horangi cared about what I had in abundance, and not what I lacked.

I puff up my chest. “Fire,” I say to Taeyo. “My dominant is fire.”

“Cool!” he says. “Uh, I mean hot.”

I groan and then ask, “But how exactly do I channel it?”

“Well, everyone activates their chip a little differently, so you’ll have to find your own way of making it work. But for me, I think of floating in the sea and feeling completely weightless. Like I’m a part of the current. Then I just relax and put my mind to what I want the water to do. Then bam, it yields.”

As Austin ushers us out of the room, he says, “For me, it’s single-mindedness. I laser my focus on the metal and imagine my hand around it, melding it, shaping it, moving it the way I want it to act. The more I concentrate, the more effective it becomes.”

I must look concerned, because Austin pats me on the back. “Don’t worry too much. It might not happen on your first go, but you’ll figure it out. We all have.”

A flicker of anticipation passes through me. A part of me is excited for the challenge. I’m eager to try out my new gift.

But as Hattie’s rapidly cooling heart vial rubs against my skin, I also think of everything that’s at stake—my sister’s life, my parents’ gifts, the prophesied end of days…. The burden feels like too much to bear. What if I fail? What if, no matter how hard I try, it’s not enough?

As Austin leads us to the lakeside, where the challenge will be held, Taeyo takes something out of the pocket of his yellow chinos and slips it into my hand.

“This is for you,” he whispers. “For good luck.”

I open my palm to find a beautiful round compact made of shiny gold. Cool and heavy to the touch, it reminds me of how my onyx teardrop stone used to feel in my hand.

“What is it?” I ask.