setting the record for “youngest to manifest as a Telepath”—until Sophie Foster revealed that she’d manifested when she was five human years old. Some people occasionally get confused and think that Fitz was actually “the youngest to manifest an ability—period.” But that is simply not accurate. His own sister (Biana) manifested younger than that—as have several others. Nevertheless, Fitz’s youth, and the strength of his telepathy, earned him the title “Alden’s Golden Boy” (which is occasionally used less-than-kindly, particularly by Councillor Bronte). Fitz’s academic record at Foxfire is also considered exemplary (despite his brief attendance at Exillium—and a somewhat suspicious number of absences during his first few years at the academy). And when he was descried by Councillor Terik, the reading was incredibly promising. Fitz excels in all areas of study, often receiving the highest grades out of everyone in his level. And he was the reigning Foxfire splotching champion until Sophie beat him with a brain push during her first time competing—though many consider that match to have been a tie, since both of them were thrown backward against the wall and knocked unconscious.
HIS FATHER’S UNAUTHORIZED QUEST:
Alden Vacker has long had a reputation for occasionally pursuing investigations without the Council’s approval, and the largest proven example is the twelve years he spent secretly searching for the source of a strand of unregistered DNA. The Council had deemed the DNA to be a hoax after it was recovered during a memory break performed on Prentice Endal (a convicted rebel). But Alden was convinced the DNA belonged to a female child created by the Black Swan (an organization no one believed existed at the time) who’d been hidden somewhere among the Forbidden Cities. And in order to avoid the Council’s suspicion or interference, Alden enlisted the help of both of his sons (who were also better able to approach the children that Alden was investigating without frightening them). Alvar—the elder of Alden’s sons—was the first to assist with the project, but he was replaced by Fitz as soon as Fitz was old enough to take over, presumably because Fitz was closer to the girl’s estimated age. Little is known about how Alden chose which “leads” to investigate or where he got his information from, or how many places his sons visited (though rumor has it that Fitz collected small souvenirs from each of the Forbidden locations he was sent to). But eventually all the searching paid off, and Fitz located Sophie Foster and brought her to the Lost Cities—technically twice. The first time was the day he met her—which was not what his father had instructed him to do. He was only supposed to observe and report back. But Sophie’s eye color confused him, so he approached her to investigate further and realized she was definitely the girl he’d been looking for. And when she refused to believe what he was telling her, he brought her to the Lost Cities as proof—then took her back to her human home and made her promise not to tell anyone about anything she’d seen. (He’s very lucky that she kept her word.) The next day, after the Council had been properly updated, Fitz was sent to retrieve Sophie and bring her to the Lost Cities permanently.
A LOYAL FRIEND:
There is some debate on this issue, but many consider Fitz to be Sophie Foster’s “first friend,” since he was the one to discover her and also helped her settle into her new life in the Lost Cities. Despite the difference in their grade levels, Fitz also did his best to look out for Sophie when she first started attending Foxfire, and their relationship has only grown stronger since. Some have tried to claim that Fitz’s friendship was initially only motivated by his father’s encouragement. But the connection between Sophie and Fitz has stood the tests of both time and trial. Fitz even chose to follow Sophie to the Black Swan when she had to flee the Lost Cities after “losing” her ability restrictor, and Fitz has fought by her side in numerous confrontations with the Neverseen.
HERO MOMENT:
As previously mentioned, everyone believed that Sophie Foster and Dex Dizznee were drowned by a tidal wave after their registry pendants were found at the bottom of the ocean. And Fitz was no exception. He attended both of their plantings and was seen grieving intensely at each. But Fitz was also the first to suspect that Sophie and Dex were still alive. He’d initially thought he was imagining Sophie’s transmissions