Promethia was frustrated. As the caretaker of her family’s nearly forgotten kingdom, she was only given a few opportunities to work with disciples. More often than not, those she came across fell short of not only her expectations, but also weren’t qualified due to a lack of a widened skill base.

Now however, she had not one, but two individuals that matched her needs perfectly. She didn’t want to have a favorite between the two, but…

“Don’t you dare tap out, don’t you sparking dare tap out,” she yelled at the screen with Arson in a cage match against multiple opponents. The young Cultivator was in a resort that was filled with challenges more likely to kill the vacationers than relieve any kind of stress.

Arson decided to join a survival cage match that only paid out once the previous record was broken. This would normally be an effortless situation for Arson, except her senses told her that the young man’s mana was being completely blocked; leaving him completely mortal and without skills, only able to rely on his body.

Promethia paced, completely enthralled by the senseless violence, ignoring any screen beside the one Arson was on. She stood atop a balcony the size of a football field, watching her disciples traverse the trials as well as possible, yet since Arson had departed to finish his matters left uncompleted in his home realm, Promethia had been glued to the screen displaying him.

Symphony Omen was an equally amazing young Cultivator, with one exception. His genius was so identical to her own, she was never surprised by his next decision. Which left her feeling as if she were watching herself move through trials she long ago completed.

Arson on the other hand, was currently in the middle of fighting two skilled fighters. One who had him in a rear naked choke, while the other pummeled him in the ribs with devastating punches and kicks.

Promethia’s hair rustled in the breeze of her current altitude in Endless. The majestic sensation of the warm air brushing across her face made her smile as she took in the young Cultivators eyes.

Who am I kidding, you’d die in that bloody cage before you’d tap…

Arson smiled, and Promethia felt bad for his opponents, knowing the calculating Godling was plotting nothing less than revenge and bone breaking carnage.

She glanced at the adjacent screen, and shook her head. Symphony stood amongst his siblings in the Skyscraper of Survival within Endless. The group was developing a new weapon to break down the walls of a Kingdom they were on the verge of besieging.

The testing of the prototype that the young Godling had used to storm a keep had worked flawlessly, leaving Promethia waiting to see the end results of the weapon’s completion. The prototype only working on a small scale, while the finished product would need to be used on a scale that some would deem impossible.

As far as the difficulty of that in particular skyscraper, it was in some portions easier than the Runic skyscraper Arson had entered, and at other points far more fearsome.

Promethia looked away from both screams and out toward the view considered to be what the heavens themselves were made to emulate. The countless skyscrapers meant to train the strongest powers born across all existences flickering the light cast by Endless’s 21 suns. The structures all moving as the trials offered within the aspects of reality shifted in scale and measure, appearing to move like the tides of oceans in the distance, stealing Promethia’s attention until a roar was heard’ her head snapping back toward Arson’s scream as the Cultivator made his move.

“Ahhh!”

…

Arson roared in the face of the young woman punching him, causing her to jerk back just enough for him to move. He leaned forward slightly, creating a gap between the head of the man choking him, and his own. In an incredibly quick movement, he smashed his head backward, while jumping.

In one smooth motion, he wrapped his legs around the neck of the woman before him, while grabbing the arms of the man whose grip loosened as blood sprayed from his nose.

Not wanting to fall, Arson gripped the man’s arms, yanking the man forward, pulling the man down as he rotated his hips.

In a mere blink, Arson contorted himself, wrapping his own arms around the man’s neck; angling himself above the man to choke both him and the woman who’d just been viciously attacking him.

Both of his opponents squirmed in his grip, dropping to their knees in the same moment, Arson squeezed the muscles of his arms and his legs as much as possible. The crowd erupted as the cameras showed the purpling faces of the pair that had just attempted to get Arson out the way, as he had been in the ring the longest, and all new entries normally did their best to get rid of the longest standing fighter in the cage to increase the odds of their own victory.

The tactic was sound, as normally the fighter that managed to stay in the cage the longest was the most skilled fighter. His title triggering and taking away his ability to use mana and skills also gave his opponents the upper hand. Yet for Arson, the scars of his past were bubbling just beneath the surface.

Memories of times before his cores. Times when he hadn’t been taught to throw a punch or kick. Only to still be thrown into a cage, and forced to fight equally abused children. He hadn’t given in when he’d been unequipped and unsuited for the fight he’d been thrusted into. Nor would he now as he actively decided to face his inner demons.

“I’ve been forced to use the bodies of demons as pillows, and been blanketed in their blood in realms without suns, this… is a place of entertainment, don’t force me to take this any further, just give in,” whispered Arson just loud enough for both of his opponents to hear him. The pair shared a look at his words, both of their faces falling even further than their breathless bodies had been but a blink before Arson had spoken.

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“Thank you…”

The pair tapped simultaneously, and Arson pushed off of both just enough to return to his feet without touching the ground, glancing at both as he landed. He shook his head at their fearful gazes; each of them temporarily frozen as he made eye contact with them before they both scrambled free of the cage.

“Carter Gestalt is stretching his lead even further folks,” screamed Bobby the announcer. Arson had been surprised that he’d been given the same announcer for a different event, until the announcer himself had informed the crowd that he’d chosen to work the event after hearing that Arson was participating.

“At this rate, folks, I believe that without a doubt we will have a new record holder!”

“I’m in here getting my rear handed to me, Bobby, don’t hype them up, you’re just making things worse for me in here!”

Cackling laughter came from the announcers booth within the large nightclub, and Arson couldn’t help but smirk at Bobby’s response.

“Yeah yeah, tell that to the last 70 people that lost to you kid!”

…

“You know what Arson wanted to meet up for?” asked Xani, walking into the conference room where Troy and Khalif waited for the rest of the Builders of Godhood.

Xani and the others loved this space, not that it was more or less comfortable than Jade’s villa, but was perfectly suited to fit their needs while they were in RaidCorp Coliseum on vacation.

Even the conference room’s walls were painted with majestic murals. The cotton floors were runically charged to fluff themselves after every step taken upon them. As well as the large pleasant water fountains and aquariums that burbled in nearly every room brought a comfort that their guild found rewarding all by itself.

Xani took in the room’s features as she strolled to one of the many open chairs. Every seat as lavish and plush as its companions, all lining the incredible station table that was framed in an intricately carved char blackened wood.

Khalif sat upright as always, his eyes glued to the wall screen. Arson’s event extending toward those in the room as if they were in the cage with him.

“What, he is still in there?” asked Xani, receiving a nod from Khalif, while Troy leaned back further in the comfortable office chair she sat in, kicking her feet up onto the long wooden conference table before answering Xani’s previous question. Troy’s crossed-arm position as familiar to Xani as Khalif’s straightened pillar of a spine; both young women sharing knowing smiles as they spoke.

“No, but Arson will be late, I assume,” said Troy, gesturing toward the screen that showed Arson fighting a multitude of opponents inside a large cage. Xani’s eyes went wide at the incredible reversal Arson had just pulled off, and Troy chuckled.

“That dude’s nose is never going to be the same,” said Xani with a sigh, taking a seat and pulling out her flatscreen tablet to read.

“Yeah, I know, it’s scary, right? I thought things were bad when he was talented, short, and scatterbrained, now he’s tall, smart and deadly, don’t know which version I like more,” said Troy with an accompanied chuckle.

“Let’s be honest, Troy, he’s still scatterbrained, but you know this more focused version has you completely enamored,” said Khalif, before he jumped to his feet.

“Kill ‘em, little buddy, break his sparking neck!”

The room went silent, and Khalif looked back to see Troy and Xani looking at him wide eyed.

“My bad…”

Khalif sat down, fixing the buttons of his suit’s jacket. The entire room now silently watching their leader as he choked two opponents at one time.

“How bad do you think you and Troy would do in a fight against him,” came from the doorway. Everyone turned to see Rob enter the room, looking at Khalif as he took a seat.

“With or without him using mana?”

“Without.”

“Probably worse than if he used mana, but neither situation would end well for us.”

Rob looked at Troy and Xani.

“You two agree?”

“Yeah, with mana he could more than likely take us both out rather quickly and without causing any pain, but without, we’d be able to push him, and that may result in lots of blood and broken bones if he was truly trying to win, that is,” explained Troy.

“Agreed,” added Xani.

“With how much mana it took to charge this block, Arson could probably take on all of us and his siblings without breaking a sweat with the use of mana,” said Xani, looking at a flatscreen tablet in her hands, long ago growing bored of watching her friend fight. She’d watched the first fifty or so encounters in the cage, but after that many wins, she grew bored.

“Hmmm, not going to lie guys, this is going to be harder to get used to than I thought,” said Rob.

“Yeah,” said everyone else in the room at the same time. All there battled their own feelings about the changes to Arson in their own ways.

Troy, felt odd about her attraction to his now tall smart and deadly as she’d described him. Xani was frustrated that she’d struggled to keep up with his mind when he’d been far younger, only to be dazzled by the books he’d collected for her to read while in Endless. Books she was coming to realize he’d long ago read through and now found to be trivial concepts of science and magic; which made her feel as if she was playing catch up, rather than growing alongside her peers.

Rob had learned a lot from Jade while Arson was gone, but had noticed that Arson’s joy for cooking had somehow been tainted. Even his love of food had dwindled, and Rob didn’t know if he was imagining things, but it often seemed like Arson forgot to eat, his stomach grumblings loud enough for everyone around him to notice, while Arson often looked down at his own stomach in confusion.

None of these small changes mattered to Khalif, but what was absolutely apparent to the former Scapegrace leader, was that Arson’s every movement was now silent. His presence when he wasn’t using mana was completely undistinguished to any senses magical or mortal, and to top matters of change with a nice cherry, Arson was in fact deadly.

Khalif could see the same look in Arson’s eyes that he’d only seen in the eyes of trained killers. Cultivators whose killing intent was powerful enough to become tangible. The metaphysical energy of his will so ferocious and deep that his will itself could suppress, suffocate, and kill even. All by itself.

There were moments where Khalif thought everything was in his mind, only to see Arson’s gaze shift in ways that made Khalif aware that he’d missed potential danger. Danger that Arson himself had not, no, could not, let slip by unnoticed.

This above all else made Khalif want to hone his skills in a way that made his blood boil. Thinking back on the majority of his life, all of his greatest triumphs were the result of not his own desire to become better, but a sensation of unyielding envy that drove him to want to be better than those around him. Not in any category, but more in the regard of his own talents and chosen skillsets.

Arson by far was one of the individuals that had pushed that envy to new heights. Many around him were capable of enormous achievements, but most if not all of those people in his life at least, had one thing in common. Sovereign Arson Omni.

Watching Arson fight in that moment showed all gathered, just how far their leader had come. His journey and time away came with many secrets, but the Builders of Godhood somehow knew that all of those secrets would come to light, and even in an appropriate time if their revealing was driven forward by Arson’s very own decisions.

The station table rang, and Xani looked up to see a picture of Jasmine beside a picture of Lane. She looked over to Troy; her friend giving her a nod of confirmation to answer the call.

“Hey you two, what’s going on?” answered Xani after she waved her hand through the air to answer the pair.

The living space that the duo was occupying on a higher floor was seen by Troy and the others for the first time as it materialized before them all. A hologram of the entire space stretched across the end of the table, allowing all in the conference room to face the young women sharing a couch. Rob tore his eyes away from the screen displaying Arson long enough to wave at Jasmine and Lane, taking a seat in another chair.

“You guys seeing this?” asked Lane. The sound of the cage match echoed slightly between the holo-call and the wall screen the rest of the builders watched. Silence following for a moment before all those in the conference room spoke at once.

“Duh,” said Khalif.

“Always,” said Troy.

“Trying to take my eyes off it,” muttered Rob, taking out his alchemy kit piece by piece to begin working on potions at the conference table.

“Nope, I’m over it,” said Xani, glancing at her friends on call with a shake of the head as she rolled her eyes.

“Does he really expect me not to use this content, we’d make a killing on this footage for the app,” said Lane.

“I say you use it and then ask for permission, girl,” said Jasmine.

“Agreed,” said Troy with a smirk.

“Noted, def going to try and make a page for him and Micro as some sort of profile introduction as new members of the BHC on all the Holo-web social media platforms, add a crap load of clips and watch the numbers roll in,” murmured Lane as she peeled her eyes away from the screen in front of her and started her work on her flatscreen.

“Micro too, what’s she doing that you need to make an entire page for her too?” asked Troy, taking her feet off the table, and sitting up straight. Every bit of her casual and relaxed posture gone at the briefest mention of Micro.

“You guys haven’t seen the highlights of her event?” asked Jasmine. Troy looked around at the others in the room, receiving nothing but blank stares of confusion and shaken heads as responses before she looked back at Lane and Jasmine.

“What event?” asked Troy before all the flatscreens in the room rang with a link before Troy could even finish speaking.

“Yo, Khalif, split the wall, I wanna see this…”