“Wipe that smile off your face, you look ridiculous,” Draphen LightLord couldn’t stop smiling at Jade. She’d contacted him and to both of their surprise, he’d been excited by her proposition.

 

“I mean, come on, beautiful. When is the last time you think I have gotten to mash something up for the purpose of mashing something up,” asked the king.

 

“I don’t care. Momma Almarine paid for an accident, and she’s going to bloody get what she wants, and I don’t need your rookie energy fumbling the bag, Sir Arsenal,” said Jade. The two crossed the street toward the event center held in CloudLake City’s core. The stadium, as large as a vast desert, closed in on all sides by seating and additional attractions, was physically expansive enough to be seen in almost every direction they could turn as they approached.

 

A meeting was being held to prepare for the two gatherings being hosted at CloudLake’s MegaPlex over the following fortnight. Both Jade and Draphen wearing the clothing given to the mortal cleaning staff, was enough to make many disregard their presence, but their exceptionally enthralling visages still drew the occasional eye.

 

Jade felt lucky that the regal man at her side was blind, as it was his ignoring of the other staff members while the pair fake cleaned alongside the Stadium’s staff that sold their disguises. Jade couldn’t help but make eye contact, a problem she’d always had, but Draphen’s lack of eye contact was enough to strike the perfect balance of shy and confident to embody the timid nature of mortals the pair were trying to emulate.

 

They worked alongside the cleaning staff, kitchen aids and even the hired hosts for the event. The pair's endless energy and willingness to help regardless of the assigned task quickly ingratiated them with all parties involved with the tournament.

 

“Hey, where are you two going,” asked the head of the stadium’s cleaning staff, catching the two trying to slink off into a small passageway that led into another corridor, off limits to non-staff members.

 

Draphen made a set of hand signs, and Jade returned the sign language smoothly and without hesitation.

 

“We believed him to be of the community. Are you his partner, or just a friend helping a friend? He seems to really need to use the bathroom,” said the woman obviously understanding what Draphen had signed to Jade.

 

“Friend of a friend, I should probably get him to the bathroom as soon as possible though. It's this way, right?”

 

The woman shook her head at Jade, which was no surprise to her having memorized the layout to the stadium just before entering, but the woman's next words were completely welcomed.

 

“No, only things that way are the master elevator for the building, and a few sections the staff aren’t allowed to enter. But if you follow me, my boss gave me a badge that works for the elevator, I’ll get you sent up to the main floor, no problem,” said the head of staff as she walked by the pair. A few yelled commands over her shoulder and the hardest part of their plan was made simple.

 

Jade looked into Draphen’s eyes, and he smiled back at her. The two followed the woman, and just before they made it to the elevator, Draphen extended an arm to stop Jade.

 

“Get ready…”

 

The head of cleaning staff, glanced at the unmoving pair, and darted off as fast as her mortal legs could carry her. She ran clear past the elevator that opened up with a smooth separation of glass doors. The segments of the lavish elevator rippled and right before their eyes groups of guards started to flow free of a space that had to be larger internally than it appeared externally.

 

“By the embers of the sparking maiden, can I have just one job in this sparking realm go as planned,” grumbled Jade, her entire outfit changed in an instant. Red sneakers, a pair of baggy black sweats and a crop top white t-shirt, donned in a blink as the woman began to stretch.

 

Draphen growled and Jade glanced his way when she felt the entire area heat up. His clothing was also changed, only a pair of pants left on his body. Blue and green flames beginning to roil in his chest with an intensity that could be seen grow through his skin as if his body’s outermost layer was transparent.

 

“Hey now, you think you need to go all out like that, it's just a few-“

 

Draphen roared and many of the charging guards rethought their actions. Mana shields were raised by the men and women, who’d all stopped running toward them. A group of guards behind the vanguard lifting shoulder-mounted mana cannons, aimed the mana based weapons as Draphen widened his stance and took a deep breath.

 

Son of embers… I already lost him.

 

“Run, you idiots!” Her warning was washed out by a wave of flames and fired mana cannons. Draphen’s flames collided with the beams and though the mana cannons did create both an explosion and a vacuum of pressure and heat, the flames consumed everything touched.

 

The king's small exhale was enough to set the entire corridor ablaze. An inferno of explosive cinders annihilating everything in line of sight faster than any of the guards could even think to react or flee.

 

“Really….?” Jade looked over at Draphen, who looked as if he’d grown taller, barely able to keep his inner beast contained. He growled at her and she scoffed before she flicked him in the forehead and gestured all around the area.

 

“Really?”

 

Draphen looked around, and the electrical system that housed the elevators battery like mana stones exploded. The shaft that led to higher floors shattered, raining glass all around them. The man’s face distorted in temporary embarrassment before he composed himself and sighed.

 

“Aren’t we here to destroy the MegaPlex anyway?” The far deepened voice of Draphen showed how far gone his mind must have drifted into his powers uncontrollable nature. His rage as sentient as any other living being, or lifeform.

 

“Yeah, the stadium, not the city, if those flames reach the sewer we’ll have a much more combustable issue on our hands,” said Jade. A small storm cloud pouring free of the pores of a single extended hand; her opposing hand pocketed as she spoke to Draphen and put out the flames.

 

“The plan was to get in as silent as possible and cause an accident worthy of destroying the MegaPlex. Is this what that looks like to you, this feel stealthy to you?” Draphen frowned as the storm cloud summoned a hurricane of gravity defying rain, which quickly condensed into waves that washed away the flames even as they rode up the walls and toward the ceiling like the area had been flipped upside down.

 

“No…”

 

“So what the sparks is this about then?” Jade once more gestured at the blue and green flames that raced down the length of the corridor where they still stood.

 

“I apologize, I don’t get out much these days…”

 

…

 

“I apologize, I don’t get out much these days,” said the winded Professor Vellum. Xani had led the woman back to the underground construction site by flying through the tunnels, leaving the woman to chase after her on foot as quickly as possible. She was supposed to help the professor, but after hearing what Arson said the potion he’d left with the pair did, her attention was far more encapsulated with thoughts on what she may have missed while being at the school.

 

Xani landed in a run once they made it to the main section of the schools underside. She’d uncorked the potion before she’d even truly touched down and took an immediate sip. Arson assured them they wouldn’t need any more than the slightest bit.

 

“Bottoms up,” said Professor Vellum. The woman lifted the potion in Xani’s hand, and took a swig without taking the bottle from her.

 

At first there was nothing. They stood in the large cavernous open space, surrounded by darkness, the trenches of refined waste being fed back into the planet's core, and a silence Xani felt would be all that remained if all life on the planet was wiped away in an instant.

 

“Well, that was rubbish, I thought—" Xani didn’t even have to shush the woman. The sights and sounds actually held around them sprang into reality as if teleported. The room’s activity instantly magnified by multitudes as the potion slowly wiped away all the limits being forced on their perceptions by the runic formations that spanned the entire school.

 

“Sparks and embers,” said Xani. The construction teams could now be seen, and Xani knew something was wrong. She’d originally brought them down into the sewers for Arson, but hadn’t thought of the workers she’d left down here, nor been capable of seeing them at work until a fraction of a breath earlier.

 

“Well this is a rather interesting problem to have,” said Professor Vellum. Xani looked over at the woman, who now looked far younger to her than she had previously. The bags underneath her eyes the only aspect of the woman’s appearance that aged her.

 

“What?” asked Xani, who had to forcibly pull her vision away from the giant towers being rebuilt to fly high above them. Professor Vellum’s upward gaze told Xani to look above herself,. The sight held there completely took her breath away.

 

“Yes, it is astonishingly impressive, but for some reason I feel I have seen this before, somewhere else maybe,” contemplated the professor aloud to herself after a glance toward Xani.

 

Both their minds raced in circles for similar reasons. Xani’s mind wondering what else she missed while at the academy, and the professor's own dilemma lay in the familiarity of the massive runic systems above them.

 

“Where would you have seen a runic system this complex, it couldn’t have been somewhere simple, I mean these formations all come together and what, form a single cohesive rune right, or am I missing something?”

 

“No, you aren’t missing something, but I believe that I am, child,” said the professor.

 

“So the idiot didn’t want to make a homunculus really, he wanted to heal a living mountain from the inside out. Why would he think it would be as simple as linking the transformation stones to the base of the new platforms,” said Xani with a laugh. Professor Vellum looked at Xani and smiled.

 

“What if I told you that it just may be that simple?”

 

…

 

Arson walked confidently toward CloudLake City’s MegaPlex. He had some pent up aggression he needed to get off his chest and looked forward to the 1000 competitor Royale he headed toward.

 

He didn’t know if he would be able to give the event his full concentration as he wanted, thoughts of the BHC’s defense from a literal army had almost caused him to miss the event.

 

It hadn’t been until the invading force was assaulted on all sides by the Dump itself that Arson had even contemplated going to the MegaPlex. Autumn and Aura had relayed their confidence in their defense alongside the rest of the BHC’s available guard team, and then Almarine showed up, and Arson rolled his eyes and stopped his sprint toward home.

 

He was late by the time he stepped onto the stage. The stadium wasn’t filled for the private event, but still most of the flying suites were occupied. A large array of building-sized yachts circled above; their glass bases allowing many more guests than Arson believed would come, to look down on the event casually and comfortably.

 

It took Arson a handful of breaths to sprint toward the group of 999 of his competitors centered at the square mile stage. An announcer just beginning to state the rules as he approached the back of the group.

 

“Cutting it close, huh,” said a young man nearby. Arson gave a customary nod and an even bigger smile.

 

“Just in time. Did I miss anything important?” The young man’s brow furrowed, but then he shook his head.

 

“No, just the usual political speech. Respect your fellow Cultivator, bring honor to your realm, so on and so forth, but—“ The young man pointed in the air when the announcer’s voice boomed throughout the entire area.

 

“For this event, we have upgraded the stage this year and hired the realms best runic masters, hard-light specialists, and illusionists to create what we think will manifest the best event our realm has ever produced!”

 

While the man spoke a jungle was built from thin air all around the competitors. Arson and the young man who’d spoken to him on his arrival shared a look, their brows raising as very lifelike water pooled at their feet.

 

“You will be teleported randomly before the match begins to your starting positions, as all 1000 have arrived from our systems scans, all the positions will be taken, and if you started in the tower I apologize, you just have bad luck,” explained the announcer. Murmurs began, until an eleven floored open air tower grew from the ground in the distance. Each floor separated by fancifully carved pillars, and sets of randomly placed spiral staircases that led up or down.

 

From the murmurs he noted he wasn’t the only one who saw the chest on top of the 11th floors ceiling, so wiped actually receiving whatever it was from his mind then and there.

 

“Good luck,” said Arson to the nearby young man. The young blonde looked at Arson and gave him a nod in return, before Arson used the ranking system within his Overlay for the first time.

 

“Same to you,” said the young man named Orbit Crown. Arson’s Overlay identified Orbit for Arson and gave many basic characteristics alongside a few things Arson didn’t expect.

 

 

Name: Orbit Crown

Height: 6’11’’

Given/Registered Age: 21

Registered Bio One of the Seven children of the Crown Family, Orbit Crown is one of the most skilled spearman born in the

last 100 centuries.:

Registered Skillsets: The spear, Plasma Lightning manipulation

Kicker rank: Mach 2

Personally known info: None…

Threat Level: Maximum* As a Level 0 Godling, it is recommended that you level before facing any supernatural dangers.

 

Arson scanned a few more people and most of the threat levels were the same. From the Overlay’s opinion, his peers all lived an entire scale above Arson.

 

Relics given by family members. Children known to be heirs to prominent potion making companies, or the rare Alchemical master's child were seen. As well as the even more prevalent threat level, his Overlay designated as, unfathomable opponent.

 

I guess I can’t count myself outside of that group at this point, I do have my watch from Mom. He glanced down and smiled before being teleported to a new location.

 

“Finally, there are no boundaries, run in any one direction and you will find yourself running toward the opposing side of the area, much of these zones are forested, and considered heavy terrain areas, we wish you the best of luck,” said the announcer with an expressionless tone. Arson pulled a single propeller palm drone from his inventory and started a live feed connected directly to Lane. He threw the drone in the air, Looking around to find himself directly in the middle of the jungle when the comms clicked on.

 

Just as Lane spoke her introductions, Arson got a notification. He took a deep breath before he read the words for his triggered title becoming more and more familiar with its brand of trial.

 

*Title triggered: Vitality regeneration reduced by 99%. Mana regeneration 100% of available sealed mana. Bloodline seal active: 99% suppression.*

 

*Survive, child of Ikarus. Show your true potential.*