The Will of the Many

Vis lives in an orphanage, working at the prison during the day and fighting in an underground fighting ring at night. That night, the owner of the ring tells him he will be fighting a Sextus (Sixth). Catenan hierarchy is built on ranks from Octavii (Eighth) to Princeps (First), underpinned by how much Will they receive from others. Each level offers increased levels of physical strength, mental skill, and the ability to use Will as magic. Vis, who refuses to either receive or cede Will, has never fought a Sextus before and will likely be severely injured.

Vis enters the ring to fight the Sextus. Despite the mismatch in power, Vis is faster and smarter. He is also angry. Vis attacks the Sextus in a frenzy, knocking him unconscious. The crowd is shocked: He should not be able to win. As Vis’s rage clears, the owner drags him away.

Vis thought he had learned to control his anger after the Catenan Republic conquered his home and is shocked by his loss of control. The owner claims that Vis cheated, which is the only reason he could possibly beat a Sextus. Vis loses his money and is not allowed to fight again.

Vis returns to the orphanage and runs into the Matron in charge, who routinely whips him for his refusal to cede his Will. Traditionally, teenagers are required to go to the Aurora Columnae, a device like the Sappers, where they voluntarily join the system of ceding Will. Vis refuses to do so. Will is not a Catenan native, and he looks different from most Catenans, so he claims to be from Aquiria, a country conquered by the Republic years before. Vis is 17 and will be forced to comply when he turns 18.

The next day, a Quintus arrives to adopt an orphan. Vis recognizes the Quintus as the stranger from the prison. His name is Ulciscor Telimus. He knows that Vis could understand what he said to the prisoner. He also noticed that Vis was not affected by the Sapper, indicating he has not yet Ceded to the Aurora Columnae. This makes him useful to Ulciscor.

Ulciscor tests Vis’s knowledge. Vis is highly educated, as his mother was a scholar and his father gave him the best tutors, training him to be a diplomat and leader. Satisfied, Ulciscor offers Vis a deal: He will be officially adopted into the Telimus family and given all the benefits that warrants; in exchange, Vis will be Ulciscor’s tool.

Ulciscor explains they are going to the capital City, Caten. To travel the enormous distance, they board a Transvect—a large flying machine powered by Will that moves at incredible heights and speeds. In a private compartment, Ulciscor explains more to Vis.

Ulciscor is a Military senator of the Catenan Republic (which is ruled by three “pyramids”: Military, Governance, and Religion). Ulciscor plans to send Vis to the Catenan Academy, a prestigious school for senators’ children, run by Religion on the island of Solivagus. Ulciscor believes Religion is plotting to overtake Military and wants Vis to be his informant. The island is home to several ancient pre-Cataclysm ruins. Ulciscor believes the Principalis of the Academy, Veridius Julii, has found a weapon among the ruins.

Vis must attend the Academy and uncover the truth. If he succeeds, Vis will graduate from the Academy and gain the full benefits of a high-ranking position. Vis accepts, secretly planning to find a position where he can escape the Republic entirely.

An explosion rocks the Transvect, and the compartment catches fire. Ulciscor lifts Vis and jumps out to the forest below, using Will to protect them from the fall. At the crash site, people pick through the wreck. Ulciscor realizes they are raiders and kills one man. Ulciscor is shot by an arrow from an unseen assailant and instantly collapses, though a normal arrow should not harm a Quintus.

Vis protects Ulciscor from the attackers, realizing they are Anguis, a resistance group. Though Vis and the Anguis share a hatred for the Republic, Vis does not approve of their infamously brutal methods. He fights them off, though he is wounded. Then a woman appears out of the woods with a bow, calling herself Sedotia. She calls Vis “Diago,” revealing that she knows his true identity as the last surviving prince of the royal family of Suus, a small island kingdom that was conquered by Catenans. The attack on the Transvect was organized specifically to capture him. Just like Ulciscor, the Anguis want Vis to attend the Academy, but for their own reasons.

Sedotia hopes Vis will want revenge, but he refuses her offer. She gives him a month to reconsider. She knows he will be in training at Ulciscor’s private residence before entering the Academy at the start of the next trimester. He must come to Caten for the Jovan Festival in one month to speak with her, or she will reveal his identity, ensuring that he is either executed or put in a Sapper. Then she retreats and Vis drags Ulciscor’s unconscious body into the Transvect compartment. He finds an emergency lever that makes the machine move again and passes out.