Even though the arena construct had fixed Shawn’s injuries and removed all poison from him, he still felt rough after the experience. He accepted his congratulations and departed. Nil saw pink and purple flecks around Shawn after the match. He breathed it, and the same presence polluted the channels in his body. It didn’t take Nil long to deduce that Furball had somehow poisoned Shawn using toxins formulated from Cursed Energy. Nil hoped his friend wouldn’t struggle too hard to purge it from his system, and whatever his power seed absorbed would get him to a new trait sooner.

Since Nil wasn't due to train with Watcher the following day—he had one session left before the Shredder Match, so he spent the night with Selia. Shawn’s close call and sudden victory only reminded the pair of their mortality. They could get crushed by their opponents or fail at the brink of victory. Cramming in additional hours of training wouldn’t help them so late in the game. So, the pair chose to enjoy themselves.

They slept late. Woke late. Ate brunch instead of breakfast and lunch. Neither felt in any rush to leave Nil’s suite. It was comfortable and private, and they got great views of the training grounds below and London’s skyline in the distance.

“So?” Nil asked. “Boyfriend and girlfriend?”

“I think it's not the right time for such a declaration,” Selia answered, giggling as she forked a big chunk of scrambled eggs into her mouth.

“Oh, no!” Nil feigned horror. “Did I jump the gun?” Nil got a hearty laugh when he mashed a bit of egg on his face, making the popular saying literal. “Well, that’s embarrassing.”

“No egg on your face.” Selia leaned across the table and wiped his face with her napkin. “It just might be a bit early to use such a label. What if I fail against Shervon or the next? Can you handle another dead girlfriend? We’ve not really been together for long, and this is my first go at..” She paused as if struggling to articulate her thoughts. “..all of this.”

“It’s going to hurt the same no matter what I call you,” Nil replied. He took the hand currently cleaning his cheek and held it in place. He knew their relationship had progressed much too fast. He believed Adam’s passing and fighting in the Death Gauntlet had a lot to do with the rapid developments. “It's the danger of the job, isn’t it? If not here, either one of us could get killed while out on a quest. Arena fighter or not, Summoned with abilities like ours have a high mortality rate.”

“Okay. I’ll say yes, but only one condition.” Selia sat back in her chair and crossed her arms.

“Which is?”

Selia grinned. “I get to be the girlfriend.”

“Deal.” Nil offered her a hand, and they shook it. “As much as I’d like to celebrate, I think it's best if you go after we’re done eating.”

“Agreed. Or we’ll get nothing done.”

The television interrupted the new couple’s banter. It showed the Metropolitan police transporting a handcuffed Shina.

“After weeks of searching, the Metropolitan Police finally found and arrested Dr Shina Patel late yesterday evening. Arthurtech has reported recent thefts from their storage facilities and she was caught trying to break into one of their warehouses. She’ll be held in a secure Summoned containment facility until a preliminary hearing and for the rest of the investigation. Reliable legal sources claim that it’s unlikely she’ll ever walk free again.”

The report went on to detail her suspected crimes. A clip of the Met Police’s new Summoned Task Force Leader played next. He detailed how they intended to crack down on all parties running illegal experiments on Summoned or using otherworldly technology.

The report included talks of the company’s failures and its confirmed crimes. Selia stiffened when the channel moved on to talk of the company’s former juvenile test subjects. The channel had the decency to blur their faces.

“We can’t name or share any identifying information about the children rescued from Symbiotech for their safety. Social services report successfully placing them in permanent or temporary homes. Several Summoned with healing abilities have stepped forward to assist with their medical needs and recovery. The state is also providing them with the best pediatric psychological care.”

The channel mentioned nothing about Summoned or arena fighters involved with Symbiotech, even though Nil was sure Andrew had leaked all the appropriate information. Only a handful of channels spoke about it. None of Nil and his friends blamed anyone for the silence. Several influential people were clearly involved, and no one wanted to risk their hide. Only the foolish fame seekers and individuals who excelled at maintaining their anonymity dared to dip their feet in the mess.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Nil and Selia sat with their eyes glued to the screen. The report tied several cases of crazed rampaging Summoned on Symbiotech. Unfortunately, their timeline only went back to the inception of the story, which meant they left out Aisha. All the blame fell solely on Shina and a handful of members of the board. The rest claimed ignorance. There was talk of Shina going to a special prison for dangerous Summoned, and the report ended without a satisfying conclusion.

The couple sat silently, staring at the screen for a long time after the report ended. The channel moved on to political topics, then super sports, and also Apocalypse Arena. After a brief mention of recent deaths—including Alex ‘Furball’ Maher—the screen flashed, showing Nil on one side and his upcoming opponent on the other.

Jaqueline The Shredder was more than just a Death Gauntlet star. She was a media personality, a sex symbol, and on the verge of becoming a movie star. Despite her viciousness in the Iron Gauntlet, she had a positive public image. Nil couldn’t be sure how she managed it with almost ten matches worth of blood on her hands. It could only mean that she had friends in high places.

“Holy shit,” Nil whispered.

“It means nothing,” Selia said, dropping her fork and pushing the plate away. “Shina is just a cog in the machine. The real bastards. The ones who’re pouring money into these projects, trying to create an army of fucked up super people, are still running free.” She rose from the table and scraped the rest of her brunch into a tub by the bin. “This is why I work for the Nexus. The government is just going to call it a day. They’re not going to do anything about it. You know why?”

“Because it's likely they’re involved in all of this.”

“Someone has to be. Nexus tech. Arcane resources. Summoned soldiers and investigators.” She noisily dropped her plate in the sink, and Nil heard a crack. He knew Selia didn’t mean to break it. She was a victim of the mess. Selia had a right to be mad and upset. “They have everything, and after all these months, this is all they have.” She sighed. “I know I sound like a crazy conspiracy theorist and am probably talking out of my—”

“You’re not.” Nil rose from his seat, rushed to his girlfriend, and turned her around. “Look at me, Selia.” She resisted at first, but Selia met his eyeline after some coaxing. “You’re not crazy. This is not a conspiracy theory. Someone wants an army. They don’t trust the Nexus. They’re unhappy about the rationing of power and withheld magic, power seeds, weapons, and everything in between. So they’ve taken it upon themselves to take it into their own hands. I might be wrong about how things work, but maybe this is how worlds get tempted and lured into the Scourge.”

“So you get it.” Selia wiped away the moisture gathering in her eyes. “It's up to us to fix things. This is why I want to work with Nexus. They’re doing good. They want to fix what’s broken. Look at all they’re giving us. If the world cooperates, does good, and walks the path the Nexus lays out in front of them, they’ll grow. They’ll ascend. They’ll get the necessary tools to fight the Scourge and not become one of them.”

“As far as we know.”

Selia frowned, leaning away from Nil. “You don’t trust the Nexus?”

“I trust Layla, but I don’t know her higher-ups. It’s not them I have a problem with.”

“Then what is it?” Selia asked.

“It's the Control Worlds. They’re trying to do the right thing, but aren’t you curious about their agenda? It's not like they’re a single faction but countless, and they’re the losing side. Bad decisions. Bad management.”

“Where there is power, there is corruption.”

Nil nodded. “You heard what Carmen said. What if it's the same with the Control Worlds but on a bloody monstrous scale?”

“There is a lot more going on in that pretty head than you let on, isn’t there?”

Nil shrugged. “I’m a complicated individual with layers.”

“Like an onion.” Selia’s eyes narrowed.

“Indeed.”

A soft chuckle escaped Selia. Her arms wrapped around Nil, and she tucked her face into his chest. “Do we have to get back to training?”

Nil nodded. “No big breaks until this quest is done. We’ll come out on the other side alive. All three of us.”

“You can’t know that,” Selia said. “I can’t, but I believe in us. There’s not much else we can do, is there?”

The pair spent another hour in Nil’s suite, discussing things and doing their best not to plan for the future. They discussed their doubts and concerns about the current government and the powers behind the Nexus. Their loss of control over the arena construct and the organization behind it was also a mark of their failure. They were far from perfect. Otherwise, they wouldn’t need Summoned to rescue the cargo or protect their interests. They’d send their own elite to resolve things when it really mattered.

Selia didn’t like Nil’s use of the word callous. However, the pair agreed that it was okay for individuals in a couple to have differing views and opinions as long as they were open about it and communicated. Despite their decision not to, they ended up in bed again before returning to training. Nil had one and a half days until his next fight. Selia had two and a half. There was no learning new techniques or mastering new ones now. Instead, they prioritized staying limber and keeping their instincts sharp.