The tension in the air was approaching its zenith, the air laden with the contrasting force of two elements.
The crowd was on their feet, the anticipation for what was to come running through deep.
Wynn and Xavier stood poised, each ready to unleash their final struggle.
he two warriors charged, the sheer force of their energy threatening to collapse the arena walls—
BOOM!
Before their attacks could connect, a broad man dropped down between them, landing on the arena floor with a thunderous impact, the overwhelming disparity in his and the boys' presence easily dissipated Wynn's hellfire and Xavier's Dawnshiner in an instant.
Both boys staggered back, falling on their knees with Wynn's katana flung aside, sliding across the arena.
"Alright, kids, that's enough!"
Jaxon.
His brown hair was swept back roughly, and the familiar smugness and playfulness from before the spar were still prominent in his expression.
"Ugh." Xavier groaned
"What the hell was that for?" Wynn complained clutching his head,
Xavier's gaze locked onto Wynn and he laughed, a booming noise spread across ceasing all chatter in the audience.
"The two of you idiots were meant to Spar. SPAR. NOT bloody try to kill one another." He barked, his expression much sterner—though Wynn could swear he saw a flicker of concern on the bastard's face which fled as swiftly as it appeared.
"Tell that to Him," Xavier said, cocking his head in Wynn's direction while collapsing onto his back, his arms sprawled out.
"Me!?" Wynn croaked, still clutching his head,
"So Mr. Rainbow Flashlight here is completely scotch-free?"
"Enough! Dipshits," Jaxon's voice cut through, he pulled out a pack of premium cigarettes, lighting one with the flick of his finger. He took a long puff as he continued. "I would've loved to stick around and entertain both of your antics, but—"
His fingers pointed at the two boys, now motionless as had their adrenaline ebbed away.
"I'm afraid you two don't realize how little time you have left before you pass—Oops, I guess it came a bit sooner than expected."
The two boys—one with brown hair, the other with white—had passed out.
"And YOU LOT." Jaxon's gaze turned to the crowd, his tone commanding.
"The Battle's over get back to your rooms."
The crowd albeit reluctantly began to disperse.
*********************
As Xavier and Wynn passed out, Jaxon's amused expression faded, replaced by a sharp coldness that was highly uncharacteristic of the gentle giant.
He took another deep smoke of his cigarette, his gaze drifting to his hands—particularly his right hand, bearing the marks of being scorched.
It wasn't that the injury was irreparable, but what truly caught his attention was the fact that Wynn had managed to inflict physical damage—even if it was minimal—on a Mana Core Rank 5 warrior like him, who could be said to be amongst the top fifty strongest awakened in the Empire.
Jaxon's gaze lingered on the burn for a moment longer before shifting back to the two unconscious boys. With ease, he hoisted them both onto his shoulders, his mind drifting back to the intense fight he had just witnessed.
If I had intervened even a second later, we'd be burying Xavier's corpse tomorrow.
*******************
The Duke of Helios's heterochromatic eyes lingered on the debris left behind by the now-empty arena. Beside him, the Leader of Silent Dawn also scrutinized the scorch marks of Hellfire etched into the battle platform below.
"Aldric."
"Edward."
"Starting tomorrow, have that boy learn swordsmanship from Luminaire Mizashi Katagiri."
Aldric's violet gaze, still fixed on the burn marks, shifted to meet the Duke's blazing orbs.
"I would've had the Eastern Blade teach him even if you were against it."
*******************
The faint almost inaudible humming of medical equipment greeted the Boy with Pale hair as his snow-like eyelashes fluttered open, enabling light to seep into his eyelids, exposing his doll-like silver-white irises.
"Damnation….." He groaned as he pushed his torso up, eyelashes fluttering as his dark pupils got accustomed to the white lighting.
"About time you woke up," came a now familiar voice.
The boy turned his head to see the "ordinary" Xavier lounging on the neighboring bed, his body wrapped around in bandages with multiple bandaids plastered across his face.
"How long was I out?" The Pale-haired boy croaked, his throat dry.
"Not long...I'd say around about a couple of hours since I woke up…. I think?" He grinned.
"A couple of hours, huh? So it's been that long since I beat the shit out of you," Wynn smirked,
Xavier chuckled, "Sure Snowflake, but next time, try dodging instead of tanking everything with your face."
Wynn leaned his head against the headrest, wincing under the pain, "That's rich coming from the guy who looks like he got deep-fried in Hell."
Xavier rolled his eyes, retorting with mock indignation, his lips curling, "Not my fault you pulled out that cheat code of an element."
"Hoh? And what about those flashy disco lights of yours?" Wynn shot back clearly enjoying himself.
The two exchanged laughter, as they slipped into a rhythm that felt oddly natural.
Wynn snorted, slyly grinning. "And here I thought you were supposed to be the pretty boy Jaxon wouldn't shut up about."
"What was it again? 'god-tier good looks and the moment he steps into a room, every girl within a five-mile radius starts fainting..'"
Xavier groaned, dragging a hand over his face,
"Oh, come on! You're gonna trust Jaxon? That bimbo exaggerates everything. Next thing you know, he'll be saying absurd shit about me lifting buildings."
Wynn's grin widened. "Funny hearing you say that because that doofus did say that. Apparently, in his mind, you're some sort of mythical badass who carried the entire orphanage on your back while saving kittens from a burning spaceship with five bloody minutes to spare."
Xavier jerked his head back, laughing painfully. "BWAHAHAHA! Right. That geezer probably Did say something like that"
They both burst into laughter, all that tension from their earlier fight melting away into the absurdity of Jaxon's bullshit.
Knock Knock
A light knock on the door interrupted the banter between the two, a new voice chiming in,
"Awwwww, look at you two bonding together. I'm sorry did we just interrupt the birth of a beautiful bromance?"
Wynn cocked his head to see a tall girl with bronze hair and cyan eyes, casually leaning against the door frame.
"Oh, Alyssa how are you?" Xavier grinned, clearly unbothered by her interruption.
"Me? I'm great," Alyssa said, flashing a grin. "But you, Wynn..." She turned to the snow-haired boy, her cyan eyes glinting with something between surprise and approval. "You really did do a number on Xavier here didn't you?"
Wynn smirked, leaning back as he crossed his arms, the little rat trying to look cool in front of the opposite gender, placing his hands behind his neck and sitting as smug as if he were the Human Emperor himself, "I may or may not have given him a few pointers."
Xavier snorted somewhere in the background.
Alyssa raised an eyebrow. "That was seriously impressive, Wynn. I've never seen anyone take on Xavier like that. Everyone's still talking about it in the halls, you know?"
Xavier scoffed, "Yeah, yeah. But Wynn don't get too carried away. That wasn't a win."
Wynn opened his mouth, a retort already finding its way to his tongue, but before he could speak–
A piercing, mechanical wail tore through the air, shaking the walls and silencing all conversation in an instant.
BWAAAAHHHHH! BWAAAAHHHHH!
A cold, robotic voice echoed over the orphanage intercom, loud and unrelenting:
"TIER! TIER! TIER!"
The unfamiliar phrase sent a jolt of alarm through the room, but the warning wasn't finished.
"Emergency Alert! Emergency Alert! An SS-Rank Forgotten Realm has been detected in the vicinity. Repeat: SS-Rank Forgotten Realm in proximity. All personnel are to follow designated evacuation procedures immediately."
***************
Far away from Helios, on the distant sixth planet of the Human Empire, a certain girl sat alone in her room.
Her short black bobbed hair framed a pale, delicate face, but it was her unique eyes—pitch black, fathomless voids—that held a haunting weight. A solitary candle cast flickering shadows as her quill scratched across a sheet of parchment, the ink flowing in deliberate, precise strokes. And then.
The pen stilled.
Her head jerked up suddenly as if she could see things no one else could see.
"And So it begins."
Her expression twisted into a subtle smirk. With calm precision, she tapped the ornate silver bell at the edge of her desk.
TRING.
The sound echoed, in the silent room. the heavy wooden door creaked open. A senior butler, clad in a flawless black suit, stepped in, bowing as low as he could as he entered.
"At your service, Young Lady Sothis," He said in a measuredly.
The girl's eyes—dark starless orbs, locked onto the man.
"Caster,"
she said, her voice unnaturally calm.
"Tell me."
"How is the maid from Zerith I hired recently?"
The butler's gaze flickered for a moment before returning back to normal.
"Young Lady, she appears to be suffering from recurring panic attacks. However, she performs her duties flawlessly without fail."
The girl's lips twitched,
This wasn't a smile.
No.
Could a person as twisted as this even smile?
Perfect. Everything is going as planned.
"Caster. Inform Leora and Kai that they are to accompany me on my ventures starting tomorrow. Make the necessary preparations."
The butler bowed again, his movements graceful and precise. "At your command, Miss." Without another word, he turned and exited the room, the door clicking shut behind him.
The girl remained still for a moment. Then, with deliberate intent, she looked up. The dim light from the candle caught the edges of her face, casting deep shadows under her sharp cheekbones.
She whispered, her voice like the brush of cold wind:
"Status Window."