Troy was by Arson’s side in a literal flash of movement. The meeting was practically over, when Arson randomly spoke her name, and a flare of warning came between their bond like a good gate of power had been opened. “Khalif, Rob, defensive measures, Xani air lift him back to the suites now!” Troy looked over at the man that had crawled from Arson’s back and noted that he wore a strange smile. She was going to let the man climb back in without a word, but as Arson lay slumped on the table and the man started to descend, she couldn’t help but speak up. “Is he okay?” The man nodded and laughed heartily. “He’s better than okay, he may be a real user of magic soon, or at least he may start on his journey, don’t worry young mistress,” said the man as his head disappeared into Arson’s shadow. Troy didn’t know how she felt at being called young mistress, but pushed the thought aside. “What were your names again?” The three Raid Corp representatives were sent for a loop over the duration of the meeting, and now looked drained and ready to dart away. “Umm, Jennifer, Leon and Venn, my lady,” said Jennifer with a bow in her direction. Troy: Hey guys why is everyone using titles in my direction. The room stirred as Troy stared down the Raid Corp members, their entire group in the middle of an odd fear induced sweat while she waited for one of her team to answer in their chat. Khalif: Boss literally just became a weapon master, whatever that means, it’s a big deal I guess. Troy, yeah, but what does that have to do with me. Xani: Arson called you his love during the meeting, that isn’t going to make people treat you like dirt, if anything I bet you could start making demands right now and they’d do whatever you wanted… “I need you three to handle our lodging and accommodations for the next 4 to 7 days, we may be here longer, but I will let Sprinter know if anything changes, and whenever our boss is done with his… upgrades, and is ready for his own meetings,” said Troy before she turned to leave. Xani’s propeller hand drones lifted up Arson into the air, but Troy didn’t make it a step before a question was asked of her. “And what about the meeting for Ms. Lane and Ms.Jasmine of the BHC,” asked Leon over Jennifer’s shoulder. “It's postponed, basic contracts they already have in place are fine until Arson wakes up,” said Troy. The next question made Troy want to rip her tongue out of her mouth and throw it away. “Who is Arson my lady? Did you mean sir Carter?” The question came from Venn, and Troy had to keep her movements free of signals or flares that could direct the people there closer to her mistake. “I’m sorry, tired and missing a friend dearly, he wasn’t old enough to come with us, and Carter reminds me of our leader Sovereign Arson Omni quite often,” said Troy with a dismissive wave over her shoulder, and not a single look backward. If she would have looked back, she would have seen the various perceptions and opinions of her and her friends play across the faces of those who observed them leave in a hurry. Troy: Can’t believe I sparking said that, I did so good the entire time! Xani: Don’t trip girl, you did just watch one of the strongest people we know pass out seemingly in pain, and you do kinda have feelings for him, right? So no one can give you backlash for being rattled, you're fine, I doubt they will even acknowledge what you said all that much. … “What’s got your head in the clouds,” said Alexander to Ash. The sibling group sat in their suites watching Axis’s character beat up ninjas while her voice made karate combat grunts in a soft and sensual voice. Ash wanted to give her sister’s work her full attention, and had to admit that the episodes were actually truly hilarious, but… “What do you think of our little brother, Arson?” Ash's question was odd for her, unlike her character to the point that Aura turned off the wall screen holograms and turned to her. “You okay, Ash? I know that the loss really does bother you, but you seem to be giving an unhealthy single minded focus toward Arson, don’t you think?” asked Aura. Ash couldn’t tell, but felt that Aura was in defense of her youngest sibling, and couldn’t see why. “No, I feel like I’m defending our family from a stranger with a direct claim to our livelihoods.” Ash’s siblings looked at her, but none with the same intensity that she felt internally about the subject. She felt they couldn’t see what she could, and were being hypnotized by the allure of the corrupted. An heir without ties to their family was infiltrating their peace and balance, something Ash worked hard to maintain. “Carter and the others don’t seem that bad,” said Auto. He had new opportunities because of his youngest brother, and even wished to touch base with the little boy as soon as possible, Arson may be young, but had done much for Auto to be grateful for in his direction. Especially after the deal Raid Corp offered him. “He abducted me and had my downfall broadcasted for all to see, how isn’t he a threat to us,” asked Ash seriously. Only for Aura to bark a laugh back in response. “Ash, you do this all the time, and this time, I honestly have no sympathy for you and your drama,” said Aura while she rose from the couch they all shared and rolled her eyes. She hadn’t even made it half way to the door before Ash got to her feet. “How dare you disrespect me when all I am doing is protecting our family!” “Protecting our family? You almost ended the lives of our youngest brother and his friends half a season ago, and now wonder why he and his very powerful friends, if I may add, are treating you without honor or respect,” said Aura as she poked a very stiff finger into her own temple, and scoffed in Ash’s direction. Ash could barely speak, mouth open in shock after what Aura had done and said, she floundered for anything to say. “I, I, This is not my—“ “Gotta stop you right there, sister, most of the things that have plagued us recently, have been a direct result of you trying to get rid of your competition,” said Autumn, while she and Axis joined Aura in her exit. “But, I—“ Ash tried again to defend herself, but found that the mood toward Arson had shifted drastically; to the point that Ash realized that she’d never asked her siblings how they felt about their newest addition. “He’s not even part of the family,” roared Ash, and Auto shook his head before he too walked out of the room. Alexander turned back toward the wall screen holograms, in an obvious attempt to ignore Ash’s outburst. “You can’t possibly be taking their side too, you sparking runt,” said Ash, truly submerged in the sensation of loss as her brothers and sisters either left or ignored her. “Never been on your side Ash, you're kinda a *****,” said Alexander. His watch’s censorship function bleeped out his profanity, and Ash had half a mind to torch the little boy, but knew with his abilities that nothing would occur. “You, ok,” asked Axis with an accompanied sip of her new favorite drink. The giant star on the bottle glowing brightly as she hugged Ash and forcibly stroked her hair. “I’m fine!” Ash leaned into her sister and felt tears fill her eyes. Then Axis patted Ash on the head, rose to her feet, and winked down at her older sister. “Goodbye, sweet boy,” said Axis to Alexander with an accompanied slap to the boy’s rear end; something a normal child would feel, but not Alexander. “Wait, where are you going?” asked Ash. “Toodles, got some business!” The words echoed back into the room after Axis exited with a graceful swish of her hips with each step. “Later,” yelled Alexander. He turned up the volume on the show he watched, and Ash knew it was to keep their interaction minimal. The situation left her feeling empty and more alone than ever before. Without family, at least I have friends…, thought Ash in the same moment that she pulled her flatscreen from her pocket and dialed a familiar number. “Hey Seven, you got a second to talk?” … Amorra Glory was finally ready. She’d figured out the realm her chosen husband lived in and was moments from closing the gap between them. Yes, it was illegal to own, operate, or even discuss the Starship she now sat in the captain's seat of, but Amorra didn’t care, she was a queen. Who was going to stop her? The giant black tree that was her vessel, started to pull its roots from the ground and form monstrous wings up the body of the ship. Meanwhile the branches at the top of the tree pulled downward, transforming the top of the tree into a sharpened point. By the time the transformation was completed, the ship was indistinguishable from ships made from metal and technology. The silver leaves at the top of the ship, drank in sunlight greedily, and filled the entire ship with power and prepared the now queen Amorra and the army she gathered for takeoff. The ship was large enough to house more than 100,000 cultivators and the ships entire crew comfortably. This was a Titan steel tree. The most prominent tree in all the realms, for two reasons. One, was that its wood was harder than any alloy known to cultivators; while its leaves and roots are as rigid as stone or marble… And two, was that the Titan Steel trees were alive, had cultivation systems of their own, and could be taught to do anything a powerful cultivator could, even realm jump. “Begin the count down!” The entire ship’s crew counted down in the runic language from ten. A ritual that promoted good luck and prosperity to any launched vessels journey. The leaves grew to be a pure white color as more and more sunlight was infused into the body of the tree, and before they knew it they only had a breath between their count and the launch. A powerful pressure could be felt when the sun’s energy made it into the tree’s once roots, now wings. Amorra’s grip tightened on her armrests, and she prepared as the realm tear opened above them. “Here we go!” Amorra yelled in excitement, only for nothing to occur. Nothing at all. The rip in the realm didn’t open, the ship didn’t lift up even the slightest bit, nor did anyone have an explanation. “What’s going on here?” asked Amorra. She’d unbuckled herself from the chair and rose to look to the members of her flight crew, to see every member just as confused and on their feet in alarm. Then the sky ripped open and painted the vibrant blue held by the air above Amorra’s kingdom with colors unseen by anyone there. Without pause or warning, the ship was propelled at such speeds that everyone there was taken off their feet, regardless of the runes in place to keep all aboard unaffected by motion. The ship tore through a tunnel of twisted light, with enough upward thrust that Amorra felt her body being separated by pressure. Literal atoms rippled throughout her body, only held together by her mana and the physique she trained relentlessly since she’d met Arson. Now, they would meet once more. “By the—“ Amorra wasn’t able to finish her sentence. All that was experienced for the passengers on her ship, was a blur of colors, blended into unfathomable images of lands they’d never experienced. … Troy paced at Arson’s bedside as he slept. The mana had become visible as it entered his body; the golden white light unlike what Troy had seen before from Arson. “Is his mana supposed to have runes within it,” asked Troy. Jade smiled in the hologram above Troy’s flatscreen. “No, but only because it is dangerous for a body so young to ingest Univers, but there is nothing that can be done, it has already begun.” Troy nodded back, and the two hung up their call after Jade advised Troy further on how to help Arson if need be. She couldn’t help but pace. Her mind was in a hundred different places at once and she felt lost in a sea of her own thoughts. The thought of time without being able to speak to the young man next to her began to feel foreign in a way she couldn’t quite explain, even to herself. She never wanted to be the type to fall for just anyone, and didn’t believe she had. Every sensation felt foreign or unexplored. It made her wish that she had at least dated before experiencing something so grand and overwhelming. No… this works better for the both of us somehow, we wouldn’t be growing so close so quickly if it didn’t. Arson had told her stories of his trials, and Troy had come to love each and every one of them. Even though she knew he kept the darker times of his adventures to himself. He’d never spoken about how he’d gained his skill with a scythe, but something told her that she wouldn’t have believed the story without seeing his skill first. Nor did he use mana, a detail that spoke volumes. Yet, even his skill with the scythe paled in comparison to what Arson’s mana did in front of her while she watched his evolution. Objects moved throughout the room unaided by muscle nor grip. Gravity distorted to the point that Troy was forced to tie herself down after a while. Come on Arson, how long is this going to take!” The room caught fire in areas to then be doused by the roaming clouds that raced rather than drifted through the room. At one point she thought she’d be frozen to death when she watched ice crawl up the length of the bedsheets she’d used to tether herself to Arson’s bed frame. “Well that’s cool,” said Troy. The ice had stopped a mere handspan away from her. This made her wonder if the energy in the room could even truly hurt her. In a moment of fearlessness, she reached out toward a cloud filled with golden white light, and watched as it burst into a sporadic halo of golden white sparks and bolts that darted through the room. The collection of energy made her body vibrate at a frequency it never had before. Because of Arson’s mana both being touched by many realms, and having had experienced the effects and natural changes that had on the body, the impact of the sensation felt by Troy through their connection was incredible . The process had been slow and was considered a part of the benefits of trials within Endless. None of these factors Troy was aware of, so she’d made a game of flying through the air and bursting every cloud she could touch. Her own body changed by the foreign light mana both permanently and rapidly. Most of the energy, even the light mana she was capable of ingesting was lost while her mana pool expanded slowly to support the unsafe levels of mana she unknowingly cultivated. This would have continued for as long as Arson was under; Troy exhilarated to the point that she managed to knock Arson’s Pocket Apartment off a dresser when she’d kicked off the furniture in pursuit of another cloud. The Energy within the room was enough to trigger the portals opening on the device, and before Troy knew what was happening, she was no longer alone in the room with Arson. “What in the sparks are you doing…” Troy turned around to see Micro climb out of the portal of the Pocket Apartment. Her features draped in a cowled hood that reminded her of Arson. “Not that it is any of your business, but I’m waiting for Arson to wake up,” said Troy. She couldn’t see the girl’s eyes but felt watched and analyzed in the same way she did when in the contenders ring. “Not any of my business, you're funny… but I am his shadow regardless of what you think you are to him, Miss Queen of Troy, whatever the sparks that means,” said Micro with a laugh. Troy looked between her and Arson and scoffed before she stared Micro down; the sensation she’d grown used to began slowly at first. A slight vortex caused friction as her own energy absorption and expulsion battled against Arson’s projected energy system. “I’m his coveted, he chose me as I chose him. Do you dare refute my claim?” said Troy. The pressure her power thrust on the environment caused her to return to the ground with a weighted thud. The distorted gravity less able to effect her the more she focused. “I do…” The response was enough. Enough to distort her vision of what may have occurred between the two during Arson’s travels. Enough to push any anxieties or insecurities she felt about how close she could see Micro and Arson were even through the short interactions she’d witnessed between the two. Enough for Troy to know, just because Arson had chosen her, didn’t mean that others wouldn’t try and take him from her. She watched as two swords grew from the shadows of Micro’s open sleeveless hoody and fell into her palms. Even more excitement could be felt in that moment for both young women than any before. This was no simple love triangle, or emotional teenage jealousy. This was a true rivalry being born, not chosen as Arson had done to others in his youth, but a natural culmination of events that resulted in two cultivators unwittingly being pitted against one another.. “Well, let’s see if you are truly even worth his time…!” Troy’s words were quiet, but enough to trigger an eruption. The two sprang toward each other, and before Troy knew it, she was being pushed to her limits. Micro seemed to be a perfect counter to her style of combat. Her hard-light clones were slashed through before they could form fully. The power of her mana suppressed by the superiority of a realm traveler. Micro’s movements were polished by battlefields rather than training rings. A detail that showed Troy the real value of her time at the Dump. She felt toyed with, as her opponent wore a ear to ear smile that grew with each slight knick or cut landed on Troy’s skin. “You know I often dreamed of this happening,” said Micro. Troy blurred with speed, and seemed slow in comparison to Micro that continuously appeared behind Troy. She felt as if she fought a far more deadly version of Khalif, but knew that she was nowhere near to her opponent's skill when she too began to summon shade-clones and miniature dragons that swarmed her. “Oh yeah, well too bad for you, I want this more than anything!” Troy exploded with light. The illumination bright enough to force Micro to cover her eyes, which Troy capitalized on. She dove toward Micro with a superman punch. A light infused fist that shown like a multi-colored star streaked between the distance, only to be caught in Micro’s open hand. One of her swords vanished, and Troy’s fist had been stopped a finger width away from Micro’s face, a shadow covered hand enclosed around her own. “Stop… can’t you hear that,” said Micro with a look around them. Troy’s focus was so lasered into their fight she couldn’t hear. Screams could be heard from all around them, and a vibration grew through the frame of the 100 floor hotel they fought in. Still,Troy pressed the advantage given to her by the distracted Micro, her fist trembled until her fist touched her opponents face, and a hard-light clone was summoned. "Raah!” The secondary punch smashed against Micro with a gravity that should have sent her flying off her feet, while instead, Micro stared as if she could see directly through a nearby wall, unaffected by the attack. “What the sparks is that?” asked Micro seemingly to herself from Troy’s perspective. She’d thought the young woman was trying to trick her into looking away, but after her attack brushed ineffectively off the back of her skull, she knew who was truly in control of the encounter, so decided to look. Troy used the hand not locked in Micro’s grip to quickly pull out her flatscreen and use the room controls to turn the nearby wall into a floor to ceiling window. The sight before their eyes made Troy’s mouth drift open and Micro drop her fist. A giant ship moved like a slow motion wrecking ball directly toward the floor they were on midway up the hotel’s tower. Somehow both girls knew… “It’s not going to stop, is it?” asked Micro. “Nope…”
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