For what seems like an eternity, Tess watches as the whole amphitheater is suspended in complete silence, everyone around seemingly frozen in disbelief. However, the illusion of peace is eventually broken by a sharp whistle, signaling the end of the match, and the environment quickly erupts into chaos.
First, a number of bystander Academy staff, including its resident Paragon healer, rush to the aid of Rain's opponent. At the same time, frantic gossip breaks out around the room, the emotions spanning a wide range of shock, amazement, confusion, suspicion, fear, anger, and even excitement. Tess catches a few nearby students darkly joking that it was good to see a Legacy humbled so quickly.
Meanwhile, Tess can partly overhear a heated discussion at the judges table, as several of them glance between a monitor and Rain with confused expressions. From what she can gather, they're debating whether he activated a physical enhancement Talent. In essence, the strike he just displayed was far stronger than what any student exhibited in the qualifiers, and yet Rain's monitoring device didn't flag any Talent use.
Of course, Tess knows the reason why...it's because Rain is just that strong. He hasn't broken any tournament rules, and it's expected that students participating in the tournament can get hurt...sometimes seriously. However, she still feels apprehension tightening her chest as the severity of the situation sinks in.
'Rain...he's in trouble either way...'
That's the only conclusion she can come to. Either is abilities will be exposed, which carries significant risk, or the judges will conclude that he somehow cheated and used a Talent, in which case he may face official consequences from the Academy for using excessive force to harm another student to this degree.
She's admittedly ignorant about the internal politics of the clans, the government, and Legacies in general. But she does know that, between Rain and his opponent, the latter is significantly more likely to be given preferential treatment. As the implications of that weigh on her mind, she hears Ronin's voice beside her, urgent and troubled.
"They're about to take Rain..."
Tess's eyes dart to where Rain is standing, and she sees that his terrifying appearance and aura from before has dissipated. He's just staring off to the side, a grim expression on his face, his eyes back to their normal silver color and full of concern. She also notices a couple of Academy staff arriving near him.
They direct serious expressions at Rain, one of them placing their hand on his shoulder, and they gesture toward the exit of the amphitheater, obviously urging him to follow them. She watches as Rain nods solemnly, and the three of them begin walking towards the exit. She glances back at Ronin, a touch of franticness invading her voice.
"Wait, where are they taking him? What's going to happen?"
Ronin purses her lips, her blue eyes narrowing as they continue to study Rain's departure. After a moment, her tone becomes...frustrated.
"They're probably taking him to one of the Academy administrators to discuss the incident. They'll want to determine if he violated any of the tournament rules, and discuss what disciplinary actions may need to be taken."
Her heart immediately starts racing, her imagination running rampant after hearing Ronin confirm her own fears.
'Will they send him back onto the streets? Arrest him? Turn him over to one of the clans to keep the peace? Nobody's going to prioritize some orphan like him...I have to do something...'
Without another thought, she places her hands on the wheels of her chair in a panic, preparing to follow after Rain. However, as she starts to roll away, Ronin places a firm hand on her shoulder, holding her in place. Tess whips her head to glare at Ronin in bewilderment, her eyes narrowing and her tone becoming threatening.
"What do you think you're doing? Let me go right now...he needs help..."
Ronin stares back at her with a relatively calm expression, her tone remaining even.
"Yes...but he needs calm assistance, and you don't seem like you've thought this through. What do you intend to do? Use your Talent on the Academy staff?"
Though she recognizes on some level that Ronin may have a point, Tess's frustration is only building. Rain is in potential trouble, and she can't very well sit around and do nothing. Her eyes look back at Ronin with a new flicker of hostility, her voice becoming even more resolved.
"I don't know yet, but I have to do something. That guy he hurt is a Legacy, but Rain's just some nobody orphan to you people. If the Academy wants to avoid antagonizing a clan, I'm sure they won't hesitate to toss Rain aside, regardless of the reasons for his actions. Him and I are the only two people I trust to look out for us. So...yeah...if necessary, I'll use my Talent on anyone it takes to do that...I don't give a shit if you think it's wrong. Don't try and stop me..."
Ronin looks back at her for a moment, seemingly studying Tess's expression, the thoughts behind her pale blue eyes indecipherable. When she eventually responds, Ronin's voice is once again calm.
"Your concerns are valid, but you're misguided about a few things. First, I don't see Rain as some nobody orphan. Though my circumstances are different, I'm an orphan, too. As far as I'm concerned, he's my equal...and my ally. Second, your Talent is widely known by and weak against Paragons of the Academy staff, and against any Legacies with appropriate protective Relics. All using it would do is put Rain and you into deeper trouble. I also want to help Rain, but I'm worried that your impulsive actions may ultimately detriment him."
Tess feels a spike of anger as she stares back at Ronin, but there are conflicting emotions raging inside her as well. Namely, the rational voices in her head are telling her that Ronin is once again bringing up good points, and she feels inexplicably guilty for implying that Ronin would look down on Rain, a fellow orphan, like the other Legacies. Finally, her Nature makes Ronin's words about supporting Rain ring true to Tess's ears.
Gritting her teeth, Tess contains her frustration and disdain towards the blonde girl and simply responds in a terse voice.
"Fine...what the hell do you suggest, then?"
A trace of relief emerges in Ronin's eyes, and she releases her hold on Tess's shoulder. Then, her eyes become thoughtful for a few seconds, eventually speaking absentmindedly.
"The situation may not be unsalvageable. You may not know this, but Legacy families and powerful clans have a warrior mentality about Legacy children, and prefer them to be forged under harsh conditions. As long as that boy lives, they are unlikely to seek retribution over him being bested in combat. If the Academy can be assured of that, they won't punish Rain proactively on behalf of the clans.
"As for the Academy taking action of their own accord, that's only likely to happen if they deem Rain to have broken tournament rules or intentionally tried to kill or seriously injure his opponent. If they could be convinced that neither occurred, without revealing too much about Rain's abilities, then he may weather this crisis."
Tess feels her anxiety lessen slightly at Ronin's seemingly calm, informed assessment. However, she can't help but doubt some aspects of the girl's rather ambiguous 'plan'. She directs an incredulous gaze at Ronin.
"Okay...that makes sense, I guess. But how exactly are they going to be convinced that Rain managed something like that without a Talent, and without exposing his strength? And how is Rain supposed to convince them that his opponent's clan won't be a problem? If I didn't even know that's how the clans operate, then he definitely won't know. Even if he did, the Academy administrators would never take his word for it that the Legacy's clan won't be a problem."
Ronin's eyes seem to become tired...heavy...and she sighs quietly as she turns to look at Tess. Tess sees an expression on Ronin's face that's far too serious for her age, her blue eyes carrying the confidence of someone much older, her tone full of authority.
"I'll handle it..."
*****
Rain is taken inside a small office in an unfamiliar part of the Academy, led by two staff that he's never interacted with before. One man, one woman...both of them Paragons, appearing to be in their early thirties. The man leads Rain to a couch in the office, situated across from the room's only desk, and they both take a seat. The woman comes over and takes his Talent monitor from him, then quietly departs the room, leaving Rain and the man alone.
As silence descends, he's occupied with thoughts of his recent match...what he did. His opponent's comments had elicited such deep desire for the guy to suffer at Rain's hand that Unhinged had been triggered. In the moment, his only focus was hurting the guy so terribly that he'd no longer be able to speak...his enemy's death was neither something he sought or avoided.
After the whistle starting their match, most of his memories are a blur. He remembers launching himself towards the Legacy, bloodlusted, his sword bearing down one-handed on the guy's neck with speed and power that Rain didn't even know his body was capable of without his Talent. To his opponent's credit, the guy managed to barely slip his sword into a position to block Rain's opening strike.
However, it was completely useless.
The force of Rain's strike shattered both of their weapons instantly, the momentum of his superior strength carrying his fist directly into the guy's chest. He can still feel the ease with which his enemy's armor crumpled under his fist like paper...the warm, wet sensation of blood on his hand as the Legacy was crippled and launched across the room.
Truthfully, even he didn't know that was the full extent of his strength with Ichor reinforcement. Rag-dolling a Legacy like that...it's a little terrifying to see just how much he's been holding back.
Rain glances down at his hand, studying the light blood stains on his fist, and he feels a pang of regret. Not over what happened to the cretin by his hand...no...that memory causes dark glee to envelop his heart. Rather, he regrets that he was so careless...so hotheaded. At the end of the day, the actions he took were severe...potentially lethal. He's not opposed to such actions, but he thinks such cold-bloodedness should always be rational...not impulsive.
In this case especially, his actions were reckless, even if they were guided by Unhinged. He has exposed himself, and more likely than not caused trouble for Ronin. Ultimately, he forgot for a moment that the situation he acted on in anger is much more personal to her than it could ever be to him. He didn't even have the right to take such unilateral action.
Rain sighs deeply, and glances over at the male staff member sitting next to him on the couch. He has light brown hair, brown eyes that seem simultaneously warm and hardened, and an olive skin tone. The man seems to be studying him with a mix of curiosity and concern. Rain raises his eyebrows inquisitively, deciding to address the man with a lighthearted tone.
"So, uhm...how much trouble am I in for that guy getting hurt like that?"
The man looks back at him with widened eyes, seemingly surprised by Rain's decision to speak. The man's expression becomes thoughtful, and he responds in a hesitant tone.
"That depends..."
Rain purses his lips, his tone becoming a bit nervous.
"On...what?"
The man's voice becomes flat, his eyes a bit saddened.
"Well, if the boy lives, that's good for both of you...it seems like he will. If you cheated in the match, that won't bode well for you. If you can prove that you didn't...well. Then it honestly just depends on which clan you're a Legacy of. The Academy likes to stay out of inter-clan grievances in general, though, so I'd say you're fine if you didn't cheat."
He feels a sense of unease wash over him, his body tensing. He stares back at the man, openly nervous as he responds.
"Uhm...what if I'm not a Legacy?"
The man's eyes widen in surprise, his tone becoming a bit incredulous.
"You're not? The way you handled that other guy...I just assumed. Er, how high is your family's citizenship status?"
He feels dread wash over him as the man watches with an expectant expression. He lets out a small groan, and responds to the man in a dejected voice.
"I'm...uh...actually an orphan, and I don't have any citizenship status."
The man's face contorts in complete shock, and it takes him several moments to get his expression under control. When he does, his demeanor is mostly calm again, but his eyes are full of sympathy...like he's looking at a dying animal. When the man speaks again, his voice is low and deflated.
"Oh..."
Rain winces at the obvious implication, and an awkward silence falls over the room once again.
Several minutes later, the door opens, and the woman Paragon returns with another, mid-60s man who seems to be a normal human. He's a slim, pale-faced man wearing a nice shirt tucked into slacks, with a sports coat over it, and his silvery hair is combed to the side neatly. The gentleman makes his way over to the desk and takes a seat with a heavy sigh.
The elder man turns his gaze to Rain, his eyes full of exhaustion, and he speaks in a measured voice.
"Hello, Champion...err..."
The man glances at the monitor on his desk briefly, squinting to read something, then turns back to Rain, his voice becoming slightly confused.
"...Rain...odd. Regardless, I'll get right to the point, Champion Rain. I am Dean Felt...the head administrator of this Academy. I'll be personally handling the investigation around the incident that took place today in your most recent tournament match."