The crowd’s excited chatter faded over time. Mark and Sarah played as bumpers for Alex and Olivia, helping to give them some space from the crowd. Even though the crowd had thinned by half, there were still a fair number of people keeping their distance and watching them with interest and casting glances at Alex.

Olivia caught his eye and gave him an apologetic smile. “Duty calls,” she said and leaned over to give him a quick peck on the cheek.

“Uh… aren’t you at work?” Alex felt his face flush.

“Well, yeah. But they’re not going to get mad at me for showing you affection. Besides…” She looked around conspiratorially at those men and women standing around, watching them. “I’ve got to stake my claim on you, so none of those other girls get the wrong idea.”

Alex relaxed a bit at the joke and smiled down at her, “Uh-huh, sure. Get out of here. Aren’t you at work?” He asked the same question again, but with the change in tone, it sounded very different.

The corner of her mouth turned up as she started to walk away. Looking back at him, she called, “Try not to cause any more riots, okay?”

“Yeah, because that was totally my idea.”

Olivia’s laughter trailed behind her as she wove through the crowd with practiced ease. Alex watched her go and admired her graceful movements, still impressed by what a high agility stat could do.

“Well, well. Hey, Alex! If it isn’t the man of the hour.”

Alex turned to see Rylan striding toward him, a broad, genuine smile on his face. The taller man extended his hand to shake as if they were old friends.

Just like at the bar, Alex tried to scan the man but wasn’t able to see anything at all. Oddly, when he pushed with his will to break through the barrier like last time, he was unable to. The mental wall seemed significantly stronger than before.

“Quite the fan club you’ve got there, Alex. Didn’t realize you were such a celebrity.”

“Don’t come over here and act all buddy-buddy,” Mark said while stepping closer to Alex.

Rylan’s smile didn’t falter. “Always time for old friends, right?” He turned and spoke to one of the potential Guild recruits, who was still standing close to the group. “You know, Alex here was one of the first to really get crazy strong. Did you see him in the tournament? He even beat me.”

A murmur of excitement rippled through the small crowd that was still gathered. Someone from the group Rylan had been teaching followed him over and spoke up, “Hey, you two should spar! Show us how it’s done!”

“Oh, that would be so cool!”

“Now there’s an idea,” Rylan said with an eager shine in his eye. “What do you say? Give these people a show?”

Sarah moved to Alex’s side as several people cheered and spoke in a quiet voice. “Alex, you don’t have to—”

“Now, now,” Rylan interrupted her. “Let the man speak for himself. Unless…” He glanced at Sarah, then Mark, and his smile took on a sharper edge. “Well, I suppose it’s natural to want advice from your friends… Even if they are weak. You guys are- what? 5? 6?”

Mark bristled, not rising to be bait to correct the warrior. He and Sarah had continued to gain levels during the last several weeks, and Mark was level nine, while Sarah was just behind him at level eight. He ignored that in favor of challenging the man more directly. “What does that have to do with anything?”

Rylan spread his hands, speaking loudly. “Seriously, I didn’t mean anything personal by it, of course. It’s just, well, in this new world, strength matters. If you want to protect people, you need power. Real power.” He turned back to Alex. “Right?”

From the corner of his eye, Alex saw Mark wince at the statement and knew that it hit a bit closer to the big man’s feelings. All Mark ever wanted to do was to protect people, especially his friends.

Some of the younger people in the crowd murmured in agreement, though, and nodded along with Rylan’s words. However, at a glance, Alex could see a few of the older people or current Guild members furrow their brows. He felt a flicker of anger at how easily Rylan swayed them and how he’d dismissed Mark and Sarah.

To people who didn’t know their history and didn’t know Rylan outside of this event, he likely seemed very reasonable.

Before Alex could respond, Rylan was speaking again. “So, what do you say? Let’s show these people what some real Awakened combat looks like. For their own good, of course. It would serve them well to see what higher-level fighting looks like. Last time we fought, you were a good bit higher level than I was. Now that we’re more even, why don’t we go all out? The training facility is enchanted for such things, and the potential recruits and new members could see what two different combat archetypes look like if you use your magic.”

The crowd grew more excited by the description of a potential all-out spar. Several people called out encouragement for the fight, and many more people began to return to the area.

Valtherion tightened slightly around his shoulders, and Alex could feel his bond’s tension and uneasiness at the number of people and noises around them. The skittishness amplified as a loud sound on the mats caused Val’s tail to twitch. Alex took a deep breath and centered himself while sending feelings of that same calm reassurance and confidence to Val.

“Look, Rylan,” Alex said, keeping his voice level. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m not here to put on a show. There’s nothing to gain from us fighting.” He looked at a few people in the crowd who seemed disappointed. “If you want to see what Awakened can do, join the Guild. Train. Grow stronger. But do it to protect people, not for attention.”

That’s about all of this game I’m willing to play.

He began to step away, Mark and Sarah flanking him. Suddenly, a loud crash echoed through the hall as a demonstration of an ice skill shattered two mats over. Valtherion, already on edge, flared his wings in surprise, ready to fly up to the rafters if needed and create space.

The illusion of Alex’s cloak shimmered and broke, revealing the evolved wyrm.

Gasps and screams erupted from the crowd nearest Alex. In a blur of motion, Rylan charged forward, his greatsword already loaded on his shoulder for a heavy downward slash.

“Monster!” he roared as he swung down.

Alex’s hand flew to his spatial pouch, drawing his jian in a fluid motion. His body slipped into the Willow Branch Sways, and metal rang against metal as his blade connected with the heavier momentum of the greatsword. He was able to redirect the blow by several inches rather than stop it, letting it slam into the unprotected wooden floor of the training center.

Vibrations were sent up his arm at the clash, and Valtherion screeched but pulled his wings down and made himself smaller, rather than flying away.

“What the hell!?” Mark shouted, stepping between them in the brief pause. Mark was slightly taller than Rylan and more solidly built, but the rich man seemed to be more muscular in his shoulders and arms compared to their tank. “You know that’s Val! We all met at New Year’s, and you saw him, remember? You even tried to call him a monster then, too.”

Rylan blinked in confusion. “Val? But… wait. It’s so much bigger now. And it didn’t have wings, did it?”

“Bullshit,” Alex growled. His anger flared, and his grip on his sword’s handle tightened with his enhanced strength. He clenched his jaw further and had to force down the anger as he felt his bond quiver and glance back and forth at the crowd and Rylan.

Valtherion’s wings ruffled, and there were feelings of fear, shame, and anger coursing through their bond from Valtherion.

“How was I supposed to know?” Rylan said. “I saw a monster and reacted. That’s what we’re supposed to do. Protect people and fight monsters!”

There were some murmurs of agreement and shrugs from the crowd, and Alex wanted to yell at them all.

“You’re so full of it,” Sarah said with narrowed eyes. “You’re trying to provoke Alex. I’m shocked, seriously- did you get this bit from some B-rate villain movie? Grow up.”

Rylan shrugged his large shoulders, unbothered, and set his greatsword’s point on the floor. “I’m just doing my job. If he can’t control his pet, maybe he shouldn’t have it out in public.”

Valtherion bristled at being called “it”, and his leathery wings rippled once more as he adjusted his shoulders.

Alex felt his anger rising. He knew Rylan was manipulating the situation to play on the crowd, but that attack was strong enough to cause real damage to either Valtherion or himself. There was no doubt that Rylan was just a petty and cruel person. The dismissal of his friends and the attack on Val caused his blood to boil, but he pushed it down.

Forcing himself to take a deep breath, Alex rallied his enhanced Willpower and pushed the feelings to the back of his mind. He was surprised at how easy it was to do. He wanted to think through the provocation clearly, and let his thoughts run through the scenario quickly.

Walking away was clearly the safest choice. There wasn’t really a question there. There would be some repercussions from going that route, but if fewer people paid attention to him, he didn’t really care. Being a popular public figure wasn’t something Alex had ever wanted. The largest downside to this was that ignoring Rylan and trying to do his own thing was clearly not working, and this would only add fuel to the fire and allow the obnoxious warrior to continue doing what he was doing.

If I walk away, he’s going to just keep harping on our difference in strength, the benefits of melee, and more people are going to follow him.

Alex considered his own capabilities honestly and thought through their last fight. Alex had won, and even though it had been close, he hadn’t been using several of his largest strengths. Since returning home, his level might have plateaued, as Rylan liked to point out, but his skills had sharpened. He’d developed new rituals and been in more combat while getting to test out the newly developed abilities.

The risk came with losing. It would not only strengthen Rylan’s position, similar to walking away, but would weaken his own. But Alex felt that the risks were minimal. Rylan was loud and aggressive, pushing others around and generally barking at people about how strong and fearless he was.

Alex had a feeling that he was greatly overestimating his skills, while underestimating Alex’s from not seeing him fight all out.

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“You know? I really hate a bully. I think a demonstration would be pretty good for these new people.” There was a satisfying hint of surprise on Rylan’s face, as if he hadn’t been counting on Alex accepting the invitation to spar.

Alex put away his jian and pulled out the wand and notebook he’d been using over the last few weeks. Valtherion seemed to sense the shift in mood and uncoiled from his shoulders while taking off into the air.

“Uh— yes. Let's move to the mats, then,” Rylan said and gestured to the nearby training area. “Someone activate the protective enchantments. Fight is to three strikes, lethal damage, or yield,” he called out.

A shimmering dome of magical force sprang up around them as they squared off on the mat. Alex felt a surge of determination through his bond, who circled overhead.

Are you okay, buddy? You don’t have to fight in this one if you don’t want to.

“Fight prick.”

Alex nodded and sent through feelings of approval.

Together, then. Let’s see that new skill of yours in action, huh?

As the shield pulsed three times before flashing green to signal the start, Alex’s mind raced through combat scenarios. Unlike their first encounter, he now had a better read on Rylan’s style. In terms of raw stats, Rylan now had the advantage, and that favored his aggressive, momentum-based fighting style with his enormous greatsword. The training area offered limited space, which favored Rylan’s direct approach and worked against his own hit-and-run, trap style.

All right, Val. Two fronts of attack, okay? You focus on keeping your distance and wearing him down, I’ll trap and finish him.

Alex activated [Parallel Mind] the moment the barrier flashed green. With one focus, he tracked Rylan’s movements, and with the other, he began sketching a concentrated heating ritual to aim at the warrior.

High and low attacks, so he has to divide his attention.

Val screeched in acknowledgement and sent through feelings of fun and enjoyment as he shot several mana darts down at the big man.

Rylan blocked the first bolt and charged forward with surprising speed, marking the use of a movement skill. His greatsword was held low, positioned for an upward slash. Instead of moving backward, though, where his long weapon would have an overwhelming advantage, Alex stepped into the space at Rylan’s right side while stowing his notebook. Now, on the weak side of his sword grip, Alex twisted his hips quickly to strike forward with his shoulder and an open palm directly into the man’s solar plexus.

That made the large man stagger back several steps, and a faint aura around him shimmered red, acknowledging the first strike for Alex.

But that wasn’t what he’d been working toward. Instead, it was the two staggered steps back that Alex had been patiently waiting for. He removed a small pouch from his waist and tossed it with his free hand onto the waiting ritual under Rylan.

The man’s eyes widened as it lit up in Alex’s mana sight, and a concentrated beam of high energy shot out from under Rylan’s feet, creating a pillar toward the ceiling. Due to the dome-like enchantments, it stopped several feet short of causing any damage.

Confident that he’d caused lethal damage, Alex slowly lowered his wand. This proved to be his first mistake, as the warrior came barreling out of the fire, completely unscathed and covered in a perfect, golden bubble of light. A shield of some kind had activated and blocked the attack.

On the back foot, Alex activated [Feather Step] and dodged at the last moment as the heavy greatsword carved through the air where Alex’s neck had just been.

“Running and shooting? That’s all you’ve got?” Rylan said through gritted teeth as he recovered his stance. He glanced sideways at the crowd, seeing many of them cheering or watching on with muffled noises.

Alex sent a wand bolt toward his head during the momentary distraction, though it was deflected with ease. “Just being strategic,” Alex replied as he stopped moving and maintained spacing between the two of them.

Rylan’s eyes narrowed and he let his eyes flick to either side, where there might a another invisible ritual in waiting. He recognized the danger of letting Alex finish what he was crafting and charged forward once more. He feinted left and then spun in a tight circle, using his shoulder as a point of leverage to hinge the greatsword on.

Alex wove between the following attacks, using his split consciousness to weave his next ritual on the ground. It was challenging to stay within reach of the large blade, dodge, and slowly move in a desired direction so that the hulking opponent would follow.

“Getting tired, yet?” Alex asked with a teasing smile, hoping to bait Rylan. His swings were becoming increasingly aggressive as Alex dodged, and he was trying desperately to end things quickly. Alex waited and watched for the moment when he’d overextend.

Val swooped in again and forced Rylan to divert his attention. The moment he swung upward to ward off the amphiptere, Alex completed his ritual and pulsed his mana through it with satisfaction.

Threads of mana sprang up from the ground and wrapped around his feet and calves. Unlike the previous time he’d used this against Rylan, it now incorporated elements of Alex’s advanced [Mana Thread] skill. This caused more than double the number of threads to emerge and ensnare the other man’s feet, legs, and even his hands, pulling them down toward the ground.

Rylan strained against the bindings, and his face went red with the effort of breaking out. Despite his enormous Strength, the threads held him firm, and he couldn’t escape.

Alex saw mana gathering in the man’s body and raised his wand to point at Rylan’s head. As he’d promised him before, Alex didn’t offer the larger man the chance to yield. The bout would be decided by lethal damage, and Rylan would be forced to admit he lost, publicly, to a mage who was lower leveled than he was.

As he pushed mana into his wand through [Mana Infusion], however, Rylan’s expression shifted from anger and frustration to smug calculation. He stopped struggling and instead planted his feet firmly on the ground, activating a skill that went off instantaneously.

A flash of crimson and violet energy pulsed from his body. Through the Celestial Eye, he saw mana patterns that seemed abnormally chaotic. Whatever it was, it disrupted his own mana in the threads, and Rylan’s hand flashed up to hit Alex’s arm.

Some kind of skill that breaks restraints?

Alex reacted instantly and activated his movement skill to create distance. But Rylan had been anticipating that, using his own skill, which had much faster movement at the start of the skill, to cover the ground between them.

The fist connected with Alex’s stomach. It was placed so that the air was knocked out of his lungs and disrupted his concentration.

“I’ve been trading and training, too,” Rylan said malevolently. “I’m impressed with your strength, considering your Levels haven’t really moved, but I keep telling you… Mages are weak.” Rylan’s voice held a note of genuine superiority.

Gasping for air, Alex tried to recalibrate his mind. He had committed to an attack, and the bindings had failed, but he still had options. He reached for—

Val screeched overhead and dove toward Rylan with a glowing body. The bonded creature sensed Alex’s distress and moved to attack Rylan.

Alex saw the danger too late. As Val approached, Rylan’s eyes and main arm flashed with the use of a skill in his mana sight. The greatsword flashed upward.

Time seemed to slow for Alex. He saw the blade arcing toward Val’s outstretched wing. He tried to shout a warning, but his voice didn’t seem to work with the lack of air in his lungs. His mouth opened, but all that came out was a ragged gasp, and he could feel his face turning red as he tried to suck air into his lungs.

There was a sickening sound of tearing flesh. Valtherion crashed to the ground with a screech of pain that reminded Alex of the impossibly loud noises that the boars in a Rift had made. He felt like his heart might stop at the sound, and as he tried to call out again, only a groan escaped.

Rylan’s boot caught him in the chest before he could reach his companion, pushing him back to the ground. The larger man positioned his greatsword just above Alex’s throat, easily maneuvering it with one hand.

“Yield,” Rylan commanded. His voice carried across the silent training facility, and everyone watching the exchange was in shock at how quickly it had started and ended.

The impossibly smug smile on Rylan’s face may have sent Alex into a fit of rage, but Alex barely heard him. His eyes were fixed on Val. “I yield,” he croaked, a bit of spit escaping his lips as he pushed the words out.

Before Rylan removed his blade, he crouched down, still one foot on Alex’s chest. “Oh, I almost forgot.” He showed Alex the necklace he was wearing, with a large sun emblem around his neck. Up close, Alex could see complex designs of runes and patterns inscribed on the surface. “Magic does have its uses… I bet you couldn’t even see my status this time. But here- I actually want you to see this.”

A small window appeared between them for a brief moment, so only Alex could see the words.

"See what real dedication can do?" Rylan smirked. "You've plateaued, Moore. Better step up your game.”

As soon as Rylan removed his blade, Alex rolled over and used [Feather Step] to quickly cross the distance to his bond.

"Here," Rylan said while pulling a health potion from his pouch. "For your pet-"

Alex ignored him, reaching for his own potion.

He went to pull off the top, but Mark's hand caught his wrist.

"Wait," Mark said urgently. "The potion will heal it, but it’ll be scarred. The membrane- if it heals wrong, he might not fly right again. We need Sam."

Sarah was already moving. "I'll find him!"

Val keened loudly, and the pain came through their bond clearly. As Alex came closer and touched his scales, he hissed and jerked reactively. Despite his reaction to pull away and the pain, the wyrm was sending worried pulses through their bond, more concerned with Alex's defeat than his own injury.

“Tsch. Sore loser,” Rylan scoffed before walking away. The crowd began to disperse, and several people stayed near, seeing blood on the mat and the group with a reputation defeated. “Can’t even accept help gracefully.”

Alex ignored the words, focusing on Valtherion. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, carefully examining the torn wing. This time, his companion didn’t pull away. While the wound was bleeding, a deep red that almost seemed purple, it wasn’t bleeding too heavily. Still, even the sight of any blood on Val’s new and beautiful wings made his stomach churn. The guilt at staying, accepting a fight, and Val getting hurt was heavy.

"Not fault," Val said out loud.

Mark squeezed Alex's shoulder. "Sam will fix him up. He's tough, aren't you, Val?"

Val's tail flicked in agreement, though Alex could feel his pain through their bond. They waited together, Mark keeping the remaining onlookers at bay while Alex comforted his injured friend.

Rylan walked away, and a large group of people gravitated after him. Alex felt a mix of anger and burning shame in his chest. He looked down at Val as his blue tail curled around Alex’s wrist.

“We should go,” Mark said. “Get Val somewhere a bit quieter and where it will be easier for Sam to find us.”

Alex nodded, “I’m going to pick you up Val. Be strong, okay? We’re going to take you to Sam for some healing.” Carefully, he gathered the injured creature in his arms and made his way toward the exit of the building. He could feel the eyes of others on them as they went and knew that whispers followed after them.

"I'm sorry, Val," Alex murmured. "I shouldn’t have agreed to a fight. This was stupid."

Val's tail was still wrapped around Alex's wrist, and he squeezed it gently. "Fight okay. We stronger and get stronger."

Alex felt a lump in his throat. Even injured, Val was trying to comfort him. He realized then that it didn't matter what anyone else thought. The shame of a public loss hurt his ego, but the thought of Val being injured or permanently crippled pushed all thoughts of himself aside.

Sam and Sarah arrived moments later. In a heartbeat, Alex could see multicolored, ethereal leaves falling around the baby dragon as Sam activated his [Rejuvenation] skill. He rested his hand gently on Val’s scaled back near the shoulder joints and whispered to the beast.

After a moment, mana sight showed mana pulse brightly from Sam’s hand and Alex knew that it was his [Healing Touch] skill also going to work healing the wing. He could see the webbed material of his wing get gradually stitched together by bright green mana that seemed to pull and mend simultaneously. Valtherion was restored to almost perfect condition in less than two minutes thanks to Sam’s healing. Despite his frequent work with the hospital and experience healing warriors from battle in the Rift, Sam was visibly shaken at seeing the amount of blood on Alex from Val.

Tentatively, Val flew in the air, stretching his wings. After a few exploratory flaps and an offered Mana Stone, the little glutton was cooing happily and twirling in circles in the air as if nothing had happened.

Sam shifted uncomfortably as he stood and moved next to Alex’s side. “The podium part of the event is starting soon. Elana asked earlier if you guys were going to be there…”

“No,” Alex said firmly while he watched Val stretch his wings in another loop, holding the Mana Stone in his mouth. “I don’t need to watch Rylan’s team get their first-place trophy. Our contribution points are already in the app— and honestly? I’d rather spend the time training.”

Mark nodded, his usually easygoing manner replaced by a hardened and serious face. “Yeah, watching that guy get congratulated after the crap he just pulled? Hard pass.”

“We earned fourth place fair and square,” Sarah added, “but I think we’ve all had enough ‘celebration’ for one day.”

"You're right, buddy," Alex said, managing a small smile while he continued to watch Val fly around. "We'll get stronger together. And it starts with me pushing myself.” He felt determination well up in him. It quickly overtook and squashed down the guilt. With it came a renewed surge of anger at Rylan and a plan to push his powers to a whole new level as soon as they got home, even without gaining levels.

“Sam… are you still coming back with us?”

Sam nodded. “Yeah, my parents still don’t want me coming to the Safe Zone yet or working at the hospital until some of this stuff blows over with the murders.”

“Are you sure we can’t talk them into coming and staying with us?” Alex pressed.

Sam shrugged. “My mom actually wants to. She thinks it’ll be safer with you guys, but my Dad keeps saying everything will be fine. The only people being targeted are Awakened, so he says they’re not in any danger. Just me. But… why do you ask?”

“Hmm, okay. Well, let them know the offer still stands. And… I have an idea on how to gain power and I want to try it. I want you to watch out for me just in case it doesn’t go well.”

“I- I don’t like the sound of that,” Sam said.

Mark and Sarah looked at each other.

“Alex…”