After Noah's reply, a brief silence settled between them.

The park's bustle suddenly seemed more distant. Some children were playing ball on a nearby lawn while the wind gently made the branches above their heads tremble.

Then Angel burst out laughing.

"I knew it."

Noah raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"That I hadn't hallucinated that night. It was indeed you who injured the mutant rat's flank, wasn't it?"

Noah let out a slight sigh.

"Yes. It was indeed me."

Angel shook his head.

"And to think you swore I had too much beer."

"Sorry, man."

An embarrassed smile appeared on Noah's face.

"It just wasn't the right time to talk about it yet."

"I see."

Angel leaned back against the bench.

"How long have you been an Ascendant?"

"About two months. After my father died."

Angel's expression softened.

"That couldn't have been easy."

Noah simply nodded.

Between the mourning, the appearance of the Decomposition, the research, the experiments, and the recent dangers, his life had completely changed in a matter of weeks.

"And you?" he finally asked.

Angel looked up at the sky.

"About a year and a half."

Noah remembered immediately. During that period, Angel had dropped off the radar for several months.

"I remember. After your accident, I just figured you needed time."

Angel let out a bitter, short laugh.

"It's a little more complicated than that."

Then his gaze drifted into the void.

"It's a long story."

Noah shrugged.

"Talk. We have all the time in the world."

Angel remained silent for a few seconds before starting.

"About two years ago, I went to spend a few days at my grandmother's to enjoy the quiet of the countryside."

His face darkened.

"Then a hole appeared."

Noah said nothing.

"Mutants came out of it. They attacked the village."

His voice grew lower.

"My grandmother died that day."

Noah felt his heart tighten.

He remembered her very well. A kind woman. Always smiling.

Angel's parents had died in a car accident when he was a child. She was the one who raised him. Who supported him. Who believed in him when he dreamed of becoming a professional football player.

"I remember her."

Angel nodded.

"Yes."

He took a deep breath.

"That day, an Ascendant saved me but the house collapsed during the attack."

His gaze dropped to his legs.

"My knees were severely injured."

"I thought you recovered from that."

"Physically, yes."

A bitter smile appeared on his face.

"But getting back to my level was much more complicated."

Noah understood perfectly. For a professional athlete, losing even just a few percent of their abilities could be enough to destroy a career.

"I trained like a madman."

Angel's fists clenched unconsciously.

"I wanted to get back to the top."

"But my manager told me the club was considering transferring me."

Noah remained silent. Sometimes, there was nothing to say.

Angel continued:

"So I kept going."

His gaze hardened.

"Maybe that was my way of venting the frustration."

"Or the sadness. I still don't really know"

The wind blew softly.

"Then one night, When I was doing my usual workout..."

He paused.

"I hit my limits."

His eyes lost themselves in his memories.

"I realized I might never get my old level back."

A slight grimace crossed his face.

"And that's when it happened."

"The Ascension."

Noah listened attentively.

"A pain surged through my entire body."

"Then my first node formed."

A slight smile appeared on Angel's face.

"My physical resistance increased."

"I became stronger."

"Sturdier."

" and a little faster."

'I understand.'

Noah immediately thought back to their clash against the mutant rat. Angel's strength, his resilience and especially that mere scratch he received where a normal human would have lost their arm.

It all made sense.

"But the most ironic part..."

Angel let out a joyless laugh.

"...is that an Ascendant isn't allowed to play professional football."

"Yeah."

Noah nodded.

"It's one of the clauses in the Ascension Control Act."

Sports competitions were reserved for ordinary humans. Ascendants were considered biologically different. Their participation would have been unfair.

Angel let out a sigh.

"I spent several months wandering without a real purpose."

Then a sincere smile appeared.

"And I saw the man who saved me again."

Noah looked up.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"He offered me to join his agency."

"So I changed careers."

A flash of pride crossed his eyes.

"I became a Stormshield Ascendant."

Noah blinked.

For the first time since the beginning of the story, he seemed genuinely surprised.

"Stormshield?"

Angel nodded.

Noah knew that name.

The whole country knew that name.The agency had exploded in popularity in recent months. It now held the third spot in the national rankings.

A meteoric rise.

"Wait..."

Noah straightened up slightly.

"The Ascendant who saved you..."

"Don't tell me it was Logan."

Angel burst out laughing.

"The Slashing Gale?"

"No."

"It wasn't him."

"Then who?"

"The vice-captain."

Noah frowned.

"The vice-captain?"

"Yes."

Angel smiled.

"Liam Heartwood."

The name meant absolutely nothing to Noah.

"Liam Heartwood?"

"Never heard of him."

"That's normal."

Angel shrugged.

"Unlike Logan, Liam is discreet."

"He avoids the spotlight."

He thought for a few seconds.

"But when you take the time to get to know him..."

A sincere smile appeared on his face.

"...he's a good guy."

Then his gaze turned admiring.

"And above all, he's a monster."

"An eight-node Ascendant."

Noah let out a low whistle.

Eight nodes.

He already had trouble imagining the power of a three-node.

So eight...

It seemed almost unreal to him.

"He often reminds me of you."

Noah burst out laughing.

"Of me?"

"Yes."

"You have that same weird way of thinking."

"That doesn't reassure me."

Angel smiled.

"I find it reassuring."

Then his eyes lit up.

"By the way..."

"Stormshield's rise to third place in the national rankings is largely thanks to him."

Noah leaned in slightly.

"How so?"

"He defeated the vice-captain of the Wild Beasts in an official duel."

This time, Noah was genuinely intrigued.

A duel between high-ranking Ascendants. That was something he had never heard recounted before.

"And?"

Angel burst out laughing.

"The fight itself was normal."

"But the way it ended..."

He shook his head.

"Completely absurd."

Noah smiled.

"Absurd? I want the details."

Angel took a deep breath.

Then began his story.

...

Three weeks earlier.

At the HMA headquarters.

Several black cars were parked in front of the building. Men in suits stepped out one after the other. Their destination was the same. A training hall specially arranged to host an official duel.

In the corridors crossed representatives from various agencies.

Vice-captains. Supervisors. Government observers. A few members of the Celestial Wardens.

And several representatives of the Wild Beasts, recognizable by their leather jackets emblazoned with a lion's head.

At one end of the hall stood Logan. Hands in his pockets. Calm gaze.

At his side stood a man with short-mid length hair gray despite his young age. A slender build. A flawless suit. A perfectly fitted black vest. Liam Heartwood.

Logan was already observing the arena.

His gaze was fixed on the man waiting on the other side.

Mason Mounthill.

Vice-captain of the Wild Beasts. A literal mountain of muscles. A thick beard. An almost arrogant confidence.

Logan slightly turned his head.

"How are you feeling?"

Liam followed his gaze.

"Do you think you can handle him?"

"Mason is an eight-node."

Liam remained silent for a few seconds. Then calmly replied:

"Impossible to know before the start of the fight."

A slight smile appeared on his face.

"But I'm confident."

Logan sketched a smile.

"That's all I needed to hear."

Liam then removed his jacket. Underneath was a perfectly ironed shirt and a black vest. He handed the jacket to Angel.

"Hold this for me."

Then he also handed him his firearm.

Angel blinked.

"I understand the jacket."

"But are you sure about the gun?"

Liam began to roll up his sleeves.

"It's not a death match."

His voice remained perfectly calm.

"I will only use my dagger today."

Angel nodded.

"Good luck."

Liam smiled. Then he headed toward the arena. Without the slightest hesitation. Without the slightest nervousness. Like a man who was simply going to an ordinary appointment.

And before entering the combat circle, he calmly said:

"luck hmmm... I will create my own luck."