“What’s this job, Sunil?” Udit asked when he and his son were alone. A door separated them from Emily, but both men knew that it wouldn’t keep her from eavesdropping if she wished.

“I’ll be moving to a new ludus soon,” Nil answered. “It's a brand new outfit created and operated by the Nexus for its Earth-side agents. They need civilians for some staff openings, and since they don’t have any recruiters or connections for references, they need people like me to ask around.”

“I don’t know the first thing about Summoned, Apocalypse Arena, quests, aethertech, or any of that nonsense. I’m a humble civil engineer. That’s worked most of his career overseeing sights or doing admin. What would I do in a ludus?”

“Manage. Someone is needed to coordinate staff, ensure everything is functioning, maintain the schedules, and do all the boring things. It won’t be taxing, but it will involve a lot of sitting or walking around the property. It will pay well, and you can take life a little easier.”

“That sounds good and all, but would you be okay with it?” Udit got two beers out of the mini-fridge under his garage workbench. He popped them and handed Nil one. Drinking with his father was a rare privilege, so he accepted it.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Nil asked, raising an eyebrow. “I want nothing more than to make things easier for you, Baba. You should’ve retired years ago. This feels like the best option since you won’t do that and won’t let me just pay for everything. The role will come with housing on the premises. It will be on the opposite side from where I stay—separating Summoned and civilians and whatnot.”

“I don’t think you remember when you moved out of the house, Sunil,” Udit said after taking a long sip of his drink. “You couldn’t wait to get out, and I know a good deal of it was because you wanted to get away from me, your mother, and Emmy. Don’t you think whatever happened back then might happen again? Do you want us that involved in your life?”

While in pursuit of making life more pleasant for his family, Nil hadn’t stopped to think how having them so close would affect him.

It doesn’t matter. I'll barely see them between training, working for the Nexus on and off Earth, and the arena.

“There was a noisy five-year-old at home, and I’d rather not speak ill of Mum, but she favored Emmy,” Nil said. “My comfort, peace of mind, and privacy came second.” He held up his hand when Udit tried to interrupt. “It's fine, Baba. There was no resentment or ill feelings there. There was a surprise baby who needed a lot of attention, and there wasn’t much anyone could’ve done in a two-bedroom bungalow. Short of turning the garage into a bedroom, which neither you nor mum wanted. Besides, Artisans hadn’t ruined the market, and I was excited to start my own life.”

Udit’s eyes narrowed. “I can see how you try to keep your mouth shut when Emmy goes off. She’s as hot-headed as your mother was and even more hard-headed. Are you sure you want her so close?”

“I’ll barely see her and Sam. They won’t be allowed into the ludus, and the staff quarters will have their separate exit. Golden Aegis is a small ludus, and I rarely see the staff outside of the cafeteria, lobby, and medical center. It's possible you and I will seldom bump into each other. So, it's not a big deal. Although, it will be a pain with you guys knowing when I go on quests or have matches.”

“Living together or not, there’s no keeping us in the dark,” Udit said, chuckling. “Sam is tracking all of your activity. Festus the Creator’s channel is almost always available when he has free screen time.” He drained his beer and sighed. “Letting go of the house won’t be easy. What happens when I die or retire for good.”

“Baba, you have me for when that happens. Think of this as a transitionary phase before you retire. We won’t need the ludus to house you because I’ll be rich enough for you to get a house near a ludus or plenty of security forces. You know I’m making more than I know how to spend—”

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

“You don’t have to answer this, but how much do you currently have in your savings?”

“It's fine.” Nil pulled out his phone and showed his father the current balance. He had a thousand Schema Credit—the recent ludus fees had cut his savings by a hundred—and ten thousand Great British Pounds in gold. “The Nexus Market will probably drain some of the Credit, but it shouldn’t be much. I might get some clothing to protect against extreme temperatures and magic attacks and medical supplies, but that’s it. The money is just going to sit in my account, doing nothing. Perhaps investing some will do me some good, but since gold and Schema Credit values don’t change much with inflation, I think I’m fine in that regard.”

“Leave as much as you can as Schema Credit. Or far too much will disappear in taxes.” Udit shook his head. It was as if getting materials and aether crystals from the Nexus wasn’t enough; they needed to take a fat chunk off of you as well. Doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, does it?”

“Governments are going to government.” Nil shrugged. “So you’ll consider this?”

Udit nodded. “I still need to see a genuine offer and contract, and I’m not sure about leaving the house, but it's good for Emmy and Sam. So if it's as good as you say, I’ll do it.”

After dessert, Nil hugged his family goodbye and called a taxi. The Earth-side quest let him visit the Nexus once a week. He had already discussed the matter with Layla. It took a little bit of convincing, but she agreed to arrange housing and lucrative work for his family as long as he exclusively worked for the Nexus on Earth. It would limit the type of sponsorships and partnerships available to him, but it was still better than nothing.

Since Nil couldn’t use weapons and Expend destroyed most of his garments, working with Earth-side companies wouldn’t help him in Apocalypse Arena. Only companies like Symbiotech that made living equipment and medical supplies would help him, and they were few and far between. None had contacted him for partnerships or sponsorships. Nil could only see long-term partnerships with companies like Garuda Systems working out. He would love to get his hands on one of their new Levibikes. Riding it around the city and appearing in a few commercials would earn him a tidy buck, and he liked the thought of it.

Convincing Layla to hire someone like Isabella was a much harder task. The Nexus had plenty of accomplished Summoned on Earth who were willing to work as trainers. Nil hoped the fact that Isabella had been doing the jobs for years and had experience as a teacher would help her case. The ample arena experience was a big selling point. Layla hadn’t shared much information about the Nexus’ other agents, but Nil got the impression that they mostly did quests, many of which weren’t overly combat-focused. She promised to discuss the matter with her superiors, but he couldn’t ask for more from her.

Instead of going to bed after returning to Golden Aegis, Nil changed and went down to the obstacle course. His mind was abuzz, and he needed to sweat and clear his head. Toggled Supercharging and Absorb training followed. As an Iron Realm, he could now activate the moving elements of the field that involved shifting floors and swinging wrecking balls. They added to the challenge but also helped him keep Brutal Battery topped up, letting him push harder and longer at little more than double his ordinary speed.

It was the topic of Katherine that left him restless. Nil agreed with everything his family had said. It was for the best if they ended things and went their separate ways. However, he enjoyed the decreasingly frequent good times they had. She was excellent company when not upset about her job and in bed together. However, it was clear to him and probably to her that they had no future. Nil currently thought of nothing beyond his quests and the next arena event. Relationships and similar topics were not among his concerns.

Is it wrong to just have a good time without the promise of more?

Then he worried about Katherine not being in the same head space as him. She was a few years younger and seemed content being casual and having fun. However, that wouldn’t go on for long. There was a chance she could want more from him.

Nil sighed, glancing at the visage. Aisha’s face smiled at him. He wanted to think that he had grown since becoming a Summoned. There was a chance he could make a relationship work despite its presence. It wouldn’t be easy, but he was sure he could do it as he got better at ignoring the annoying presence. Nil hoped that building a soul weapon would help him suppress or contain the visage, making his life easier. However, none of that changed the fact that he wasn’t ready or interested in a relationship and especially not in one involving Katherine.