"Don't give up!" I yell, forcing the words out even though my lungs are burning.

My boots slam into the dirt as we push through another lap around the clearing. Hopes face red, echos hair sticking to her forehead, Gabriel already lagging behind.

"66, 67"  echo pants out, voice ragged. We all slow, doubling over, catching our breath while we can.

"Still not fast enough." Hope mutters, frustration in her tone.

"We don't kill anyone, you get your people, and you get out." Orlando says, stepping out of the shade like he's been there all along, watching.

"Best efforts. You're a soldier, you know that in battle things can-" I start

"Done. I've got 4 years, 8 months, and 17 days to turn you into disciples. If you survive, you may be ready." Orlando cut me off

"Start by teaching me that move." Echo said, forcing a smirk as we step forward.

"Get some rest. We start at dawn." He said, then turned back to the cabin.

A year later

We're all sitting in the cabin. Orlando is explaining more about bardo, tracking symbols on a small map. He was teaching us how to draw them.

"Okay, who's next?" Orlando asked

"You go. I'm eating" Gabriel says without looking up

"You're always eating" I laughed, rolling my eyes.

Echo walked and Orlando helped her trace the symbols.

I shift a little, eyes scanning the cabin and the surrounding forest. A faint sound- almost like a whisper- catches my attention. It's subtle, barely there, but it tugs at the back of my mind.

"I'll be right back" I say softly, more to myself than anyone else.

"Diana?" Hope called out after me.

I don't answer, I just walk out.

I step into the shadows, letting my body melt against the trees. The ground feels different under my boots tonight, almost like it's guiding me. The whisper grows stronger. My heartbeat matches it, steady, insistent.

Without another word, I began to walk again. Quietly, methodically. Deep into the forest- where their voices behind me fade away.

I reach a clearing- where we would train- and everything feels....Thin, stretched, like the world itself is waiting for me to walk through. One more step closer.

And just like that, I was gone.

I blink awake, the world coming into focus in slow, stabbing increments. My head pounds, my eyes sting, and the room around me is unfamiliar- white walls, harsh light, cold metal beneath my fingers. I try to move, but my arms are restrained in a chair. Panic rises, sharp and immediate.

Where the hell am I?

The door slides open before I can figure it out, and a man steps inside. His presence is deliberate, measured. Calm. Too calm.

"Ah" he says, smiling faintly.
"You're awake. Good. I'm Anders. Shepherd" he nods

I study him, trying to figure out what type of game this is. But then i remember, Orlando told me about him. 

"Why am I here?" I demand, testing my voice. It's hoarse, like I've been unconscious for days.

"You are exactly the kind of person I need. Strong, capable, disciplined. You could be....unstoppable, with me" he says

I sit up as best I can, ignoring the tight straps cutting into my wrists.
"I'm not joking you" my voice was sharper than a sword.

He tilts his head, studying me like some specimen.
"Not joining me.... Is going to hurt. Quite a lot" he replied

I grit my teeth.
"Do your worst" I say

Another man, walks over to me- with only a nod from Anders. He hold a device above my head.

The device hums before it even touched me. Pain erupts through my body, sharp, electric fire burning into my skin. I bite back a scream, refusing to give him that satisfaction.

"You beat a Level 12. So you should understand by now. Strength isn't just muscle. Strength is compliance, understanding control. You resist... and you lose everything." He says

I froze myself to breathe through the pain, forcing my mind to focus. Stay awake.

Then he walks out without another word.

Days passed. Weeks maybe. Time blurred together. 

They placed me in the m-cap. Pain shoots through me.

Memories flash like broken film rolls. My first day on the ground, the wars, Bellamy's laugh, Madi's  smile, my family gathering around me. I try to pull back, to resist. The pain claws at me as I do.

"You can't hide from me forever, Diana. I can see every thought, every fear. Let me in. Just me give access, and I'll show you power beyond imagine" Anders says

I clench my teeth, head pounding, sweat dripping from my temples. No. Never. Don't let them in. Don't give them anything.

The memories twist together, nothing fully clear. Bellamy captured, Octavia screaming, friends falling one by one. Pain sliced through me, the device hisses, responding to my resistance.

"Strong. But stubborn. You think defiance will save them? Watch" Anders spat

The device shuts off.

I gasp a breath in.

I slowly turn my head, to the screen playing a video.

Octavia being held by guards.

Bellamy holding one of their guards with a knife to his throat.

He was alive.

And the next second.

He was gone.

I heard Octavia's screams in the video. Before the man shuts it off.

I stare at the ceiling. Tears starting to form.

Bellamy was dead.

"See? Resistance is expensive. Pain, loss....death. I'm giving you a choice" Anders says

I grind my teeth, staring straight at him now.
"Bellamy...might be gone. But you will not control me. Not my mind. Not my will. Not my life" I rasped out

He tilted his head.
"You'll understand in time. For now, remember Diana: defiance has a price. And you've already paid far more than you know" he said.

Then walked out.

I turn back to the ceiling. I choke back a scream, but I couldn't hold it back.

Tears flooded down my face. Coating my cheeks.

Bellamy was gone.

And there was nothing I could do.