"I might have to step in, Master Zeph."
Ahjma'il's arms flared with golden light, crackling up to his shoulders.
Zephyr didn't even bother to look concerned. He rolled his eyes.
"Sorren won't kill him. At most, he'll cripple him. That's a compliment."
His tone held no warmth — just flat certainty.
Down in the arena, Sorren chuckled. "Guess I'll end this quickly for you."
He extended his hand and clenched his fist. Nothing visible happened — but Jhenga's instincts screamed. A cold pressure wrapped around his gut, warning him a heartbeat too late.
Sorren appeared in front of him and drove a fist into his stomach.
This punch wasn't like the others. It landed with the weight of a collapsing mountain. Jhenga's torso bent inward; blood and spit blasted from his mouth as the air was knocked clean out of him.
Up in the stands, Zephyr's eyes brightened in amusement.
"Oh? Already picking up on older tricks? The new talents might actually make this Tournament entertaining."
Before Jhenga could fall, Sorren launched into a blistering hurricane of strikes. A gatling of punches hammered into Jhenga's body, each blow lifting him higher into the air until he was helpless in Sorren's rhythm.
The barrage stopped.
Jhenga dropped — straight onto Sorren's waiting fist. A sickening wet crack echoed through the arena as a bone spike punched clean through his torso. Sorren withdrew the spike and let him collapse onto the stone.
"You were using it unconsciously," Sorren said, hands sliding casually into his pockets. "It's the only reason you could touch me. Talent like that needs to be snuffed out."
He walked away without looking back as the crowd erupted — cheers, screams, disbelief all crashing together.
Ahjma'il immediately descended in a burst of golden light, grabbing Jhenga's limp body just as the announcer declared Sorren the victor.
Sorren Leos— mysterious, powerful, and impossible to ignore. Not much was truly known about him. Rumor placed him at twenty-one years old, supposedly from a continent outside Thalmyra. Facts were scarce; stories were everywhere.
He walked through the city streets, hands in his pockets, until someone stepped into his path. A man with serpentine skin, scales shifting subtly under the light, a metallic mask covering his lower face.
"Eh? They actually invited your sorry ass?" Sorren grinned, twisted and amused.
The masked man scowled. "Shut your damn mouth. I'll embarrass you the moment I see you in the ring."
"That supposed to be a threat?" Sorren tilted his head. "I could beat you in my sleep, Seven."
Seven's eye twitched. "Wanna test that, bastard?"
"I'd rather do it in public," Sorren laughed, walking past him. "Just wait for this ass-whooping."
He waved lazily over his shoulder. Seven scratched at his neck, seething.
"Fuckin' hate that bastard..."
...
"You're telling me I missed the first fight?" Erenyx asked, baffled at the front desk.
"Indeed," the receptionist replied. "It began almost forty minutes ago. The next match starts in twenty."
Erenyx clicked her tongue but didn't argue. She turned to leave — and immediately bumped into Loretta.
"Oh shit, didn't think I'd see you again, mate," he said, offering a fist bump.
Erenyx returned it with a laugh. "Not like I was just gonna go home because we got our asses handed to us."
They started walking together.
"How you holding up?" Erenyx asked, hands tucked into her hoodie pockets.
"Man... they ran hella tests on me, but they say everything's fine." Loretta still looked irritated.
"They only ran a couple on me. Maybe 'cause of that freaky shit with the lights," Erenyx shrugged.
"Funny thing—" Loretta frowned. "They kept asking me about it, but I can't really remember much."
Erenyx snorted. "Damn, you got fucked up that bad?"
"Hell no," he shot back. "Controlling chi like that is heavy on an Eternalist. Messes with my body, y'know?"
Before she could respond, someone appeared directly in front of them, blocking their path.
Court Angel Ragna.
"Ay," he said bluntly, already turning around, "you two need to come with me."
He didn't wait for an answer.
...
The two followed Ragna down the hallway until they reached Zephyr's office. Before Ragna could knock, Zephyr's voice cut cleanly through the door.
"Come in."
They entered — and froze. Heartz was standing, fully conscious, with Rui beside him, her eyes shadowed with heavy bags. Loretta's eyes widened and he rushed forward.
"How you feeling, mate? I heard what happened."
Heartz shrugged, smiling with a warmth completely unlike his earlier corrupted state. "Honestly? Better than ever." He glanced at his missing hand. "Only a minor setback if you ask me."
Before anyone could respond, Zephyr cleared his throat. The sound alone snapped everyone to attention. A bead of sweat rolled down everyone's foreheads as Ragna silently slipped out of the room.
"First," Zephyr began, "it's a pleasure to meet you all personally. Heartz. Rui. Loretta. Erenyx."
Hearing their names from him sent a strange blend of pride and fear through all four.
"I'm impressed by how well you all handled yourselves — especially while separated. The beasts you encountered were corrupted by an evil older than anything I can comfortably explain. By all accounts, those creatures were far beyond what young talents such as yourselves should've been able to handle, yet you defeated them without casualties."
His eyes flicked to Heartz — an unspoken acknowledgement that things had come dangerously close.
"I'd like to offer you all a small reward. Not only for placing first in the festival's Beast Hunt..." Zephyr paused, voice lowering, "...but for preventing what could've become a mass casualty event if those two creatures had gone unnoticed."
He gestured. "Check your phones."
Each of them reached into their pockets. A moment later:
"Fuckin' hell..." Loretta whispered, hand over his mouth.
"Holy shit..." Erenyx muttered.
Five million Kril had been deposited into each account.
Zephyr smiled proudly. "You four are brave beyond measure. You risked your lives for something that had nothing to do with you. From the bottom of my heart... thank you."
He opened his desk drawer and retrieved four rings.
"For you, Erenyx and Loretta — the Rings of Overwhelming Strength. For brute-forcing your way through a terrifying situation without ever considering to run."
He placed one ring into each of their palms.
"And for you, Heartz and Rui — the Rings of Manic Determination. For fighting through grievous injury and protecting each other with everything you had."
The last two rings were handed over.
The four exchanged brief looks before sliding their rings onto their right middle fingers.
Zephyr's voice softened, yet carried weight.
"You may have come to Arystel as strangers. But that is no longer true. Because you four are without fear. You four... are Visionaries."