Nil woke alone and, while making his bed, found red, lacy underwear in it. He folded them neatly and left them on the nightstand. He was sure their owner would come by later to collect them.

The Sunday night didn’t turn as wild as he had expected. Most of Mayfair’s best restaurants were closed, and he struggled to find a booking at first. Then, an old colleague who was now a sommelier at one of London’s first Michelin-starred Indian restaurants hooked him up with a table. Nil had personally distanced himself from the cuisine after had old employer had told him he would only grow and progress with Indian food and had no talent for anything else.

After a two-and-a-half-hour tasting menu meal consisting of some of the best Indian kebabs and bread Nil had ever had, the trio ended up hanging out in the establishment’s bar room. His prior connection to the staff and the trio’s growing fame got them custom cocktails, vintage bottles at an excellent rate, and even a flight of desserts. Nil was sure to tip extra when they finally left at closing time. Shawn called it a day, thanked him for the evening, and left.

“I told you he’s a great guy,” Selia had said once they were alone. “He just needed some time to warm up to you. It's understandable, given his past. I imagine it's difficult for Shawn to trust people and open up to them.”

Selia nodded. “He was convinced you were one of Symbiotech’s lackeys, too, and they helped you get into the arena to expand their fucked up enterprise. It took a lot of convincing and Layla saying it before he believed you were a Nexus agent.”

“That makes a whole lot of sense,” Nil stated. “I enjoy sparring with him. Shawn is one of the most challenging opponents I’ve ever faced. If not for tricks I devised to counter him, the fight against Klocky Kennit would be far more challenging.”

The trio had caught their performance on the Highlight Reel channel earlier in the evening. It also showed clips of Kennit’s harem of Amazonians crying over his passing. Nil didn’t quite understand polyamory and felt guilty about wondering whether he attracted his partners with his wealth.

The pair planned on wandering aimlessly around Sloane Square and neighboring streets until they found a quiet venue for a few more drinks. Then, doormen at a private members club recognized Nil from Festus The Creator’s channel. It took them a moment, but they identified Selia too. She resembled the woman from the qualifiers less every day. The sickly complexion and pallor rapidly faded every day after the ascension, and her body attributes gained ranks.

The men pulled strings and got the couple into the secluded top-floor bar. Famous actors and television personalities, Summoned athletes, politicians, other arena fighters, and more occupied the space. The pair received acknowledging nods, but no one approached them or tried to start a conversation as they faced on the street or at Benares’ bar.

It was well after midnight before Nil had the staff call them a taxi, and they returned to the ludus. He decided to sleep in and skip a day of training. Selia had other ideas. She seemed to have helped herself to one of his more oversized hoodies and left her clothing lost among the sheets.

She didn’t want to disturb me.

The thought brought a smile to Nil’s face. He knew what his family would say if they found out. It was far too early to jump into bed with someone so soon after his relationship ended. However, Nil believed that he and she were never earnest, and what little they had fizzled out long before the official end date.

Katherine hadn’t stuck around when Nil disappeared during the Symbiotech sabotage. She didn’t reach out to him even after Susan informed the former police officer that he had returned. Nil contacted her, feeling that it was the right thing to do. He didn’t hold the lack of communication against her but believed he was free to jump into something new without guilt or a second thought. Since Nil worried that his family would feel differently, he planned on not telling them about the latest developments. Besides, the pair hadn’t defined their relationship yet. In fact, Nil wasn’t sure whether ‘relationship’ was the correct term. He just knew that they enjoyed spending time together, and that was alright.

Because of the visage, Nil had lost seven years of his life in loneliness and misery. He didn’t want others' opinions to get in the way. However, Nil cared about his family and didn’t want them to think he didn’t value them or their thoughts. Keeping everyone happy was a delicate balance and tiring. It felt good to be selfish.

Meatball squeaked excitedly when Nil entered the garden. It felt too soon to release her in the arena, and she was unhappy about cooped up. So he left her free to play in the dirt. Her nose twitched excitedly when he pulled the Death Gauntlet’s bonus from his pocket. The fruit resembled a nectarine. The gold sections almost felt luminous. Nil could sense vast quantities of warm gold and green pulsing deep within the fruit. He only wondered what would happen to him if he ate it but then handed it over.

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The mammalian ankylosaurus's face flashed an almost canine smile before she carefully took the fruit in her forepaws. Meatball awkwardly waddled to the mound that acted as her bed before taking a small bite out of the gift. She displayed far more restraint than Nil had ever seen or expected from her. He watched her eat for a few minutes before visiting the cafeteria.

Nil’s Body of Bronze still retained the ability to get drunk but didn’t seem to suffer hangovers. Or he hadn’t consumed enough to discover his limits. He didn’t intend to find out and visited the cafeteria for a hearty breakfast. It was just past eight in the morning, and he bumped into Emily and Sam just as they were leaving for school. The pair hugged him tightly before speeding away. Both appeared happy to see him, leaving him glad. He guessed his family had skipped the previous evening’s match.

When Nil sat down and ordered his breakfast, his father joined him.

“Good morning, son,” Udit said, placing two steaming cups of milk tea on the table. The aroma carried hints of cardamom and ginger. “No training sessions today?”

Nil shook his head. “Last week was intense. I decided to give myself the morning off. I’ll probably just swim and then call my media man. Then return to personal training this afternoon.”

“It's good to take time off.” Udit nodded. He had a brief word with the server while she laid out soft-boiled eggs, smoked fish, toasted sourdough, a gravy boat of hollandaise sauce, and half a melon on the table. The man only continued after the woman had left. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” Nil answered, eagerly digging into his breakfast. He cut a soft-boiled egg in half, loaded it onto a piece of toast, piled smoked salmon on top, and then poured hollandaise sauce over it all. “How are you liking the new job? Is Layla taking good care—”

“It’s all fine.” Udit moved his chair closer. Unlike his usual, collected self, he appeared awkward. It was the man’s body language, and something seemed off. “Are you really okay, though? I noticed you went out last night. The receptionist claims it was almost morning when you returned, and I can still smell the vodka on you. Is everything alright?”

Nil nodded. “After everything that happened with Adam and the match, I just needed to blow off some steam with my friends. Its not anything worth worrying about. And—” He paused. The look in his father’s eyes told him there was no hiding it. “You saw last night’s match, didn’t you?”

Udit nodded.

“Do you know about the Death Gauntlet?”

“Working for the Nexus opened me up to a lot of information I didn’t have before.” He glanced at the staff and neighboring tables. “I’ve also overheard your friends talking. The two you went out with last night are far less discreet than you. Or they don’t care if the staff and ludus members hear them. Are you on the same quest?”

“I am,” Nil answered honestly. “Do Sam and Emily know as well?”

“I don’t let them watch Apocalypse Arena matches. They’re far too violent, and I’ve blocked the relevant feeds on all their devices.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they found a way around your controls either.”

“Neither would I,” Udit replied. “It's probably easier to watch them on one of their friends’ devices. I knew what you were getting into with this whole Apocalypse Arena thing. Death is a regular part of it. It's difficult to breathe whenever you have a match. That’s not what this is about.” Udit paused, looking into his son’s eyes. The man fidgeted, moved to the chair next to Nil, and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You killed a man yesterday. Are you okay?”

“No,” Nil replied. He didn’t see any point in lying to his father. “But I’ll cope. It might not be today or tomorrow, but I’ll find a way to live with it.”

“This is a heavy weight you’ve taken on, Sunil. I know why you must do this, and it's clear there’s no talking you out of it. I just hope you’re ready to carry the burdens that come with all of this. Promise me that you won’t do something you’ll regret for our sake. You’ve done enough already. Our lives are great already. We’re satisfied with this and want nothing more from you. Anything you do henceforth needs to be—”

“For me and no one else. I get it. I promise that I won’t.” Nil smiled at his father. “Thank you, Baba. It means a lot coming from you. I was worried you wouldn’t see me the same way anymore.”

“I don’t,” Udit replied, “but not in the way you think. You’re doing what is necessary for our world and people at significant personal cost. It takes a special kind of person to do that, son. Not everyone will see it the same as me, but they don’t realize that we don’t live in a world of absolutes. There are real monsters out there; far too many live in human shells and outside of our law’s reach. Someone needs to take care of them.”

“I hope Emmy and Sam see it the same way.”

“You’re worried they won’t want to be around you?” Udit asked.

“Moral objection isn’t my concern,” Nil replied. “I’m more worried than them being scared of me.”

“Sammy won’t care. He’ll probably think you’re a superhero. I can’t be sure about Emmy. She likes to put on a strong front, but she’s more than your mother than she’d like to admit.”

“Since you’re all under the Nexus’s protection, maybe we should have a sit-down and lay it all out in the open? The truth about what I did and why I had to do it might help.”

“I’m not sure about that,” Udit said. “Not with Sammy, at least. He worships you and has a big mouth. Before we know it, you and the Nexus’s secrets will be the talk of the playground. But when you find the time, maybe take her out and have a private word.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, Baba.”