"Don't, you idiot!" Angus tried to stop Damien by grabbing his shoulder.
But it was too late.
Damien had already turned the black cube over in his hands.
The box clicked open.
Light burst outward.
Not blinding destruction.
Not terrifying energy.
Just light.
Pure, brilliant, impossible light that washed over them both like sunrise pouring through closed eyes.
Jennifer vaguely registered the sensation of wind without wind — like standing on a mountain peak where reality itself was breathing.
The air shimmered.
For a moment, the world seemed to rearrange itself around the two boys.
The light swelled.
Shapes formed within it.
Not quite wings.
Not quite armor.
Not quite anything Jennifer could describe without feeling like she was writing a bad transformation sequence from a magical girl anime she watched in middle school.
Damien stood in the center of the brilliance, head tilted back, teeth slightly bared in something between a grin and a snarl.
Angus stood a step behind him, arms still half raised as if he had wanted to stop the opening but had already accepted it was pointless.
The light pulsed once.
Then it folded inward.
Like a flower closing at dawn.
The box snapped shut.
Silence returned.
Damien blinked once.
Angus exhaled slowly.
They both looked… slightly stunned.
Then Damien must have dropped the box, because it fell to the stone floor and bounced once off its corner before landing on its side.
Once again, it was just a mysterious black cube.
"You idiot," Angus said. Those were his first words. "Look what you've done!"
"What?" Damien took offense. "What did I do?"
"How would I know?" Angus snapped back.
Adrian stepped between them.
"Alright. Break it up, you two."
And that was how the Young Alpha Damien of The Curse of Drakefall and Crown Prince Angus of Help! The Prince Won't Stop Following Me! opened Pandora's Box, gained Awakener powers, and joined the Destined Hero Quintin in Pandora's Box Unleashed.
And they all lived happily ever after.
The End.
That was NOT how any of their novels were supposed to go!
What the heck?!
Jennifer just wanted to go back to her apartment and never come out again.
She tuned out most of Adrian's explanation about Pandora's Box — something about it occasionally teleporting to random locations and turning those places into portal hotspots for a few months.
It was probably going to be half-baked, unscientific, extremely convenient plot lore.
Which, to be fair, was exactly the kind of thing she would have written.
"It is believed the invaders are searching for something," Duke Chevon divulged.
"Or someone," Frank added.
Then he cleared his throat.
"Of course, that is wild speculation on my part. I clearly had no reason to know anything about its existence."
Anyway.
Every now and then this happened.
Someone found the box. Someone opened it. Someone awakened a random power.
Many people sought its powers. Countries tried to keep the box for as long as possible to produce Awakeners for national power and prestige.
Adrian kindly used his Identity Ability on the three boys.
His eyes glowed faintly for a moment.
Then the light dimmed.
"I see," Adrian said.
"What is it?" Quintin asked eagerly. "What did I get?"
"The Flame of Vengeance."
Adrian held up Quintin's hand.
"I think you should try to envision a flame."
A faint purple fire flickered to life on Quintin's palm when he flexed his fingers — but it flickered out almost immediately.
Even so, in that brief moment of its appearance, the air above it wavered as if heat were distorting reality itself.
"This flame may be ignited on any object or person whom you perceive as having wronged you," Adrian explained. "The intensity of the flame scales with the strength of your desire for retribution."
Duke Chevon touched his chin thoughtfully.
"So… if vengeance is his motivation?"
"The flame grows stronger," Adrian confirmed.
Damien thought about that.
Then he said, very seriously:
"Do you remember your grand speech about repaying evil a hundredfold?"
Quintin nodded.
"Try a thousandfold," Damien said with a wolfish grin.
Jennifer made a small, strangled noise of horror.
Adrian ignored them and continued.
"Now. Young Alpha… Your Highness."
He turned slightly.
"The Yin–Yang Life Bond."
Silence fell.
Damien's face darkened instantly.
"What the heck is that?"
Yes. Jennifer nodded to herself.
Why were the Awakener powers suddenly taking a zen philosophy vibe?
Adrian remained calm.
"The Young Alpha's power is Lifesteal. If he successfully lands an attack that causes bloodshed, a portion of the opponent's life force will be transferred."
Damien's expression twisted.
"And that goes to—"
"Your Highness."
"Why would I need extra life force?" Angus asked, unimpressed.
"For healing," Adrian explained patiently. "The life force the young alpha steals will power your healing ability."
"That sounds appallingly lame," Angus said miserably.
"Wait," Damien said. "So all the lifesteal I get goes to him?"
"And my only power is healing?" Angus added.
Adrian nodded.
"Correct."
Damien looked like he wanted to punch something.
"Why are we paired?"
Jennifer would just like to point out that she did not write this.
If she had, the recipients of this ability would definitely have been a pair of lovers.
Preferably some dark-horse assassin type and a beautiful white-winged angelic princess.
She looked at the young alpha werewolf.
Then at the golden-haired prince.
"…Idiot!" Angus punched Damien in the shoulder. "I told you not to open the box! I told you not to jump into unknown basements! I told you—"
"Well next time tell me BEFORE I do it!" Damien growled back.
Bastien stepped forward.
"Well," he said casually, "my turn."
The black box was now in his hands.
"No!!!!" everyone else shouted.
But they also all stepped backward at the same time.
Apparently nobody wanted to risk another Yin–Yang situation.