THE DIVISIONS OF TRAUMA

Milo scooted around the massive bulk of the round dummy, Tiny, and moved closer to the inside of the platform. He stood hunched over, gripping his chest as his heart punched against his ribcage. The back of his legs still burned with the heat of the bed of lava churning beneath them. Lucianna ran and leaned over him, putting a hand on his shoulders. Fists clenched, she wheeled toward Riosae, who floated on a chair made of stone, sipping on a refreshing iced drink.

"Isn't that going too far?! Milo could've died!"

Riosae scratched her chin.

"Yes, and?"

"How can you call yourself a teacher if you put your students in danger?"

"Simple. While you may never be suspended over a river of lava in your travels, you will certainly face obstacles that will make your normal strategy of…running in guns blazing…completely useless and foolhardy." She set her drink down on the arm of her chair and leaned forward. "I realize you inherited that massive power, that magic that makes whatever you wish come true. The Hands of God, I believe? That's what your grandmother called it back in the day. But without your gems of power, you can't just have whatever you want. Think. Plan. Act accordingly. You can't lash out every time something doesn't go your way."

Lucianna huffed. "Are you done?"

"I am. For now. You may continue with your challenge. Unless you'd like to skip to cleaning my collection room?"

Lucianna flipped her the bird and turned back toward Milo. He had straightened up, his breathing returning to normal. His heart still pounded, but he could think clearly now. He wiped sweat from his brow and looked at Lucianna. Her eyes downcast, she had dropped the air of confidence she normally held.

"Are you okay?" she said without looking at him.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry if I worried you."

"Why are you apologizing? I should apologize to you."

"It's…fine. I'm fine."

"Are you though? I…don't know if I believe you."

Milo opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. How could he respond? Lucianna's shoulders drooped, and she hugged herself. Her eyes squeezed shut. Milo didn't remember any time a girl had worried about him. Most of them had treated him indifferently, like a trip to the bank. Purely transactional. The more aggressive girlfriends had yelled and called him names. Usually right around the time he would break up with them, because despite craving the company only a girlfriend could provide, he never built up the strength or courage to allow them into his apartment, let alone do anything beyond going on dates.

To see Lucianna so broken up over his wellbeing, a gross, slimy sensation built in his stomach and chest, as if all his insides were turning to liquid. Part of him desired to reach out and comfort her, but he couldn't bear it.

(Hey, can you hear me, Luci? Are you okay?)

But he heard nothing.

(Is our bond on such shaky ground? Does she…just see me as useless?)

Lucianna continued to stand there, her shoulders shuddering.

He gulped, trying to swallow down that sickly feeling in his chest, and turned toward the small mannequin Lucianna had been trying to lift. He had hoped to be useful, but what was he supposed to do? He was a damsel in distress, always relying on others to help him out of situations.

(Dammit!)

He cocked his foot back gave the little mannequin a small kick.

And the mannequin toppled over, as if it were light as a feather.

His eyes bulged, and a gasp escaped his throat. Lucianna rubbed her eyes and opened them to see what had upset him. She blinked and rubbed her eyes again. Slowly, she walked toward the mannequin. Milo jumped as she appeared beside him, acting like a kid caught red-handed breaking something.

"How did you do that?"

"I-I don't know! I just kicked it! I didn't even kick it that hard…"

She looked back and forth between the mannequin and Milo. Carefully, she approached the mannequin and tapped it with her foot. She leaned in with all her weight, but the little dummy wouldn't budge. Her brow furrowed, but a light sparked in her eyes.

"Hey! Try picking it up!"

"Eh? You couldn't lift it!"

"Just try! I've got a funny feeling."

He grimaced, but after a moment, moved toward the dummy. The dummy wasn't huge at all, about a third of Milo's height and half the width. A deep breath helped Milo calm his nerves, and he wrapped his arms under the fallen mannequin. He prepared to heave and ho, expecting it to weigh hundreds or even thousands of pounds.

But as he stood up with such force, he flung the mannequin into the air above him.

"Oh, shit!"

He scrambled, arms outstretched as the mannequin fell back down, landing right against his chest with a soft plop.

(So light! It barely weighs anything!)

Lucianna smiled at him. "Heh! I don't understand it, but…I thought it might be some sort of trick."

Riosae clapped her hands. "Bravo! You figured out Behemoth's secret! His weight scales to the innate power of the person holding him. Though you're still a long way from getting all of them across…"

"Okay! This is good! We know how two of them work! So then…"

They both looked at the third mannequin. Lucianna approached it, gulping. What strange and wild ability might this mannequin possess? Instead of rushing to grab anything, she circled around the person-sized statue made of wood and cloth. As she investigated its back, she paused, tilting her head, and motioned for Milo. He stood next to her and looked over what she had found: a single switch, with the word "On" on one side, and "Off" on the opposite side. Lucianna read aloud the text printed beneath the switch: "While on, this dummy becomes resistant to lava." She cocked her head back and looked over at Milo.

"It becomes…resistant to lava?" His eyes trailed over to the edge of the platform. He looked back at the mannequin, examining its top and bottom.

"What are you thinking?"

He set down the Behemoth mannequin and motioned for her to help him pick up the switch mannequin. She nodded and helped him move it over to the edge of the platform that faced the opposite platform. They set the mannequin down, and Milo flipped the switch on its back. After a moment, a thin golden light appeared around it like a glowing outline.

"Okay, we're going to use this guy as a bridge."

Lucianna cocked her head. "A bridge? Oh, because we have to go over the chain. Why can't I carry you over the chain? I can jump pretty high."

"Yeah, but I have to carry Behemoth. And I can only assume Behemoth's weight will change if you try to carry us together."

Riosae laughed. "Wow. Color me surprised, little Milo! You're smarter than I gave you credit for."

"Okay. That makes sense and all, but…" Lucianna's eyes flicked to Tiny, who still stood at the edge of the platform facing the lava pool. "What about that one? I doubt we'll be able to get it over without both of us."

"I have an idea for that. But first, let's get the bridge set up."

They lifted the mannequin up and carefully pointed it toward the edge of the other platform. With both of them gripping the mid-section and legs, they carefully lowered it down to avoid getting caught on the chain, but not letting it fall into the lava. Milo's arms trembled as they lowered and lowered it until finally, the mannequin rested on both edges perfectly, forming a bridge between the two platforms.

Lucianna cheered, pumping a fist. "Woo! It worked!"

"We're not done yet." Milo walked over to the tiny mannequin Behemoth and scooped it into his arms. "Now I've got to get over the chain with this guy…"

Milo tested the bridge with his foot first. Whatever materials constructed it, the mannequin held fast and didn't bend or wobble under his weight. He breathed a sigh of relief, then ventured out to the chain. Lucianna fidgeted and twirled a lock of hair around her finger.

"Oh be careful, Milo…"

(Don't worry, I got this!)

Lucianna's eyes lit up. The corners of her mouth tugged up. She had heard Milo's thoughts as clear as a whistle. She wanted to say so much, but bit her lip, and instead focused her mind.

(I believe in you. You can do this.)

Milo reached the chain, which came up to his stomach. He could easily get over the chain. The tricky part came as he balanced the mannequin on his arm, and his hands glistened with sweat as the lava boiled and churned beneath him. The stench of sulfur and char coated the back of his throat, and he pushed past the urge to cough.

(Just gotta get over this. First one leg, then the other…)

The chain had enough slack that he could slip his right leg over, clutching the mannequin like a football in his left arm. Once his right leg touched the bridge, he shifted the mannequin slowly, as to not have it slip out of his hands. He swallowed the lump in his throat.

(Deep breaths. Square breathing.)

Gripping the chain with his left hand, he swung his left leg over and gently set foot on the bridge. His legs shook with anxious energy, his armpits and chest soaked with sweat partly from the lava, partly from the stress. He steeled himself and walked the rest of the distance, safely reaching the second platform.

Lucianna hopped up and down, clapping her hands.

"Way to go, darling! One down, two to go!"

Milo carefully set the Behemoth mannequin off to the side and moved back toward the bridge.

"Okay, why don't you cross over?"

"Huh? But…what about Tiny?" She looked over at the large and round mannequin. "We have to get her across, too."

Milo nodded. "I have a plan. But I think it'll work best if you're over on this side. Plus, it'll make it easier for us to pull up the bridge…"

"Good point! Okay!"

Lucianna stepped onto the bridge and effortlessly jumped over the chain, landing on the other platform only feet from Milo. She grinned at him, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"You know, you deserve a reward for all this effort~"

Milo cleared his throat. "Let's, uh, worry about actually finishing the challenge first."

"Oh, right. Sorry!"

They went and reversed their process, carefully pulling up the bridge mannequin so it didn't fall into the lava. Once they had it up on the platform, he told her to place it off to the side next to the Behemoth. She did so, and came running back to his side.

"Okay, what next? We still have to get Tiny across…"

"I need you to use your power and lift me straight up into the air."

Lucianna froze, her smile becoming strained. "What?"

"You have to be quick, though. Lift me up just so I'm above the chain."

"W-wait, hold on! If I activate my power, Tiny will come flying at you! What if you get knocked into the lava?"

"Yeah, but how else are going to get it over? That thing is pretty damn heavy, so I doubt you can just carry it. I know I won't be able to. This is our only way."

Lucianna shook her head. "No. Too risky. I'm won't let you put yourself in danger like that, just for this challenge."

"Then what should we do? If we do nothing, we lose."

"I know that! I just…"

"You don't want me to get hurt?"

"Well, yeah! It's my job to protect you!"

Milo clenched his fists. "Oh yeah? Why's that? Is it because you think I'm weak? Useless? A loser?!"

Lucianna winced. "N-no! It's nothing like that!"

"Oh, really?"

Milo turned from her, walking toward the edge of the platform. Lucianna reached out and grabbed him by his shoulder.

"What are you doing?!"

"I'm just trying to think! What are you doing? Getting all up in my business?"

"I don't understand…it's like you hate me."

"I don't hate you. I hate myself."

"Oh, Milo…"

"Don't 'Oh, Milo' me! How could you understand?"

"Then help me understand."

"Why? It won't do any good. You only keep me around to access your power. I'm just some tool for you."

Her eyes narrowed. "You don't honestly believe that, do you?"

"What if I do? No one could like me for who I am. I'm just a pathetic weakling being tossed around like a hacky-sack between those more powerful than me."

Riosae cleared her throat. "Okay, that's enough."

Milo wheeled on the dragon. "Shut up! No one asked you!"

"M-Milo…what has you so worked up? You know what? I'll do what you asked."

"No! Don't think you can just wave your hand and make things better! My whole life I've been used and pushed around. No one had my back. You have this whole crew. You had your sister and my father. The same father who should've been there for me growing up. But because he was sucking face with your sister…"

Lucianna's face paled, her eyes glazing over. "How…how do you know about that?"

He froze. The words had slipped from his mouth in a torrent of rage he had built up over so many years. And while the anger still seethed in his body, making his shoulders and stomach tight, a heavy regret settled in his chest, making it hard to breathe. He dropped his gaze, his lips moving, but no words coming out.

Tears rolled down Lucianna's face, snot bubbling from her nose.

"How the hell do you know that? Who told you, Milo?"

"I…I saw a video. In your room."

"You…what?"

"It was the video of my father and your sister. You were there, too. Before you lost your arms…"

She lowered her head. A lump formed in his throat.

"L-look, I'm sorry, I meant to say something but…"

A pressure pushed in on him. Milo could only liken it to ascending in an airplane, the air becoming thinner and thinner until every breath was a struggle. The diamond in his wrist throbbed with extreme pain that brought him to his knees.

A dark purple energy swirled around Lucianna, sucking in all the air and steam. While the energy possessed a glow, it didn't shine like her normal energy. Instead, the immediate space around darkened as her power expanded out.

Milo's eyes widened. "L-Lucianna…"

(I'M THE MOST POWERFUL BEING IN THE UNIVERSE.)

Each word struck him like a hammer nailing a railroad spike, clanging and reverberating throughout his bones. He grabbed the side of his head.

(I WILL LET NO ONE ELSE BE TAKEN FROM ME.)

She lifted her head, her eyes ablaze, the dark energy rolling off her and turning into flames that trailed toward Milo. He fell back on his ass, scuttling backward on his hands and feet. His head spun and his chest burned. Lucianna reached out a hand toward him, and fiery tendrils of dark energy snaked toward him.

(I WILL MAKE YOU A PART OF ME FOREVER.)

"Enough!"

Riosae appeared behind Lucianna, delivering a swift chop to the Pirate Queen's neck. Lucianna's eyes rolled back in her head as she collapsed. Riosae caught her and softly set her body on the ground. The energy dissipated, and as it did, Milo found it easier and easier to breathe. He fell onto his back, his chest heaving.

Riosae shook her head. "This is some shit."

"What the hell just happened? Is…she okay?"

"She's unconscious. But…that gathering of energy…Lucianna was seconds away from leveling the entire planet."

She sighed, raking a claw back through her hair. "As it stands, it will be impossible to train you both."