Gifts are a cheat code to life, an easy path to power. No matter the type of gift, it was sure to give an edge over anyone without one. There was never any question about that.

“But Ava’s gift is just self healing, and she can barely do that. It’s probably most comparable to the lowest tier of potions. It’s fine in keeping the cost of such potions low, and I guess she doesn’t have to worry about building a tolerance to them. But man she’s a fucking princess, with access to healing magic and… I mean she can fucking use that type anyway because of her affinity. It’s a shit gift… Though I’ll admit I may be prejudiced. It’s fun to shit on a gifted every once and a while, with most of them being rankers and all”

“Is that so…”, ‘ I think I was no better once upon a time’

Silas found himself walking next to Tendan of his own accord. He was a useful tool after all, and it helped that he was easy to talk to, even if he did that a little too much sometimes.

“Anyhow, I think I’ll have to charge for more, I didn’t expect my services to be so popular”

“You do that and I’ll just ask other people”

“What? Does our friendship mean nothing to you?”

“Friendship?”, Silas scoffed, but with a second thought he figured he was just being sarcastic, so he answered with a question of his own.

“Doesn’t it mean nothing to you? You sold off your friends' information, you even helped damn Phil to me”

“Nah man, I’m just thinking outside the conventional box”

“You’re disloyal”

“Nah, I’m loyal to the goal. They’ll see that upon witnessing the final result. Why, think I’ll betray you too?”

“Without a doubt. But I know what to expect of you”

“Then it’s time to expect the unexpected”

“I expected as much?”, but on realising he played into his game, Silas sighed.

“Heh, that's so? Then I guess I need to step up my game…”

“Sure…”, he rolled his eyes.

They dawdled like that for a while, walking along the outside pathways connecting building from building. They passed by a few students, grass patches, hedges and fountains, it was really quite scenic as they strolled around without any real goal.

With the tall buildings providing much shade on their trek, they were only ever accompanied by the pleasant breeze, which briefly made him wonder how sparse particles needed to be to bypass the mana barrier that protected the city.

While Silas would normally have decided to hit the library or train following such a thought. He instead persisted with his stroll, deciding it best to remain in top condition for the next event.

So all he bothered attempting was to wean out any information out of Tendan, though the price for the pink haired girl was all that he ended up paying for. It seemed their ‘friendship’ didn't provide him any freebies.

Ding… Ding… Ding…

When the bell finally rang, the pathways bustled with a horde of activity. Students erupted from buildings to enjoy the rest of their day off, or to make their way to other training centres; some even found an empty grassy area to sit and chill.

“He did tell Kiyah they would drag me over today right?”, Silas piped up while examining faces from the crowd.

“I think so?”, Tendan replied.

“That doesn’t instil confidence”

“Nah, he’d do it… I mean he has classes together with her today. Though in so saying, I should probably meet up with them so nothings amiss”

“Mm”

“Ah, then beatcha later I guess”, Tendan waved as he took off to a jog ahead.

Silas decided to head towards the destination to be the first in wait. That way he could perhaps reinforce the stage for the trial to come. But while left alone with his thoughts, he couldn’t help but steel his resolve.

‘Todays the day I knock out half my opposition and take my first step on the ladder. But is the demi-human faction really the right choice to turn them in to? Or could I employ a more permanent solution… No, there’s no way I’d get away with that’

It only took a few minutes before he neared his destination. But in that time he had always kept an eye out amongst the crowd around him. Amidst the noise generated by the foot-traffic, he couldn’t help but notice a group following a similar route to him. Which made it difficult to contain his eagerness when he noticed Kiyah amongst them.

‘Guess there’s no need to be hasty’, though he disregarded that thought as she scanned his way, ‘or rather to be slow’.

He strode towards her and her posse of guys. They seemed to be the same gang that jogged with her the other day. The only exception being the plus 1 headcount of the feminine figure that walked alongside her.

‘Actually wait, why are they the only ones she’s hanging out with? Didn’t Tendan meet up with Cyanide to join them?’, doubt flashed across his mind as his brows knit.

But he quickly eased them to remain stoic. She was the type to prey on his emotions, and he didn’t wish to indulge her with such satisfactions. Not until he reversed their roles.

Kiyah had long since stopped to examine his bravado, but her gang finally turned to give him the same attention on noticing her movements stop. Silas stood a few metres from them while wondering what that meant for him.

Though his thoughts took another direction on realising who the extra person was. It helped that he’d seen her not long ago in the dorms. And that she wore the same coloured, pair of ears as someone held with such high authority - The Master.

‘Fuck, that’s right. Even if apart of Grismere, wasn’t she hanging out with a dark elf back then? Perhaps while alone, but when surrounded by her faction members, there’s no way a demi would interact with Grismere nobility unless…’

“Why is she with you?”, he decided to directly confront his growing concerns.

But the girl in question only pointed to herself questioningly while Kiyah couldn’t help but giggle, her lips curving up into an alluring smile.

“Does it matter what company I keep? I’d have thought you’d been more worried about the others anyhow”, she waved her hand towards him.

“Speaking of, boys”

A pair from in front of her took a step forward. In response Silas took a step back. He couldn’t help but question if this was the right time to stand his ground or not.

‘Did he betray me? If Kiyah can work with the elves then it’s possible for a faction change. But even if he has, he’s an egotist, he’d have been here for it. Perhaps he’s gathering some guys? Either way if I stall they should come…’

He took another step back. He was uncertain. He couldn’t act if he didn’t know. But he couldn’t ask in case he was thinking too much into it, and ruined the plan.

“No more bravado? Bravo, but you're still much calmer than normal. Tell me, are you a mimic?”

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So stall it was. He turned around as he took to a sprint. He didn’t bother to run down a pathway, avoiding the traffic altogether by jumping onto the grassy fields that divided them.

“Boys?”, following her command the boys sprinted after him, but he had a head start.

“What’s even the point?”, Kiyah gave an exasperated sigh, “Sultrah could you please?”.

“Why do you always ask the incompetent men firs-”

“Please, without the backtalk. They barely listen anymore as is”

“Fine”, Sultrah grumbled, a runic circle having tethered to her hand since seconds ago.

She concentrated for a few more seconds while closing her eyes, before opening them and clasping out with her hand. A root struck out from the ground, clutching at Silas’s foot unexpectedly, tripping him over immediately.

The guys that followed behind him easily bent down as they lifted him from under his armpits, but before they could report back to their leader, she walked right on by them without a word. While Silas struggled, the 2 chiselled boys couldn’t help but look at each other before confirming with Kiyah.

“Ah, miss? Weren’t we, no. Don’t we normally go over th-”

Kiyah only sighed, but didn’t bother to respond. It was her friend who decided to do so instead.

“If she walks, you follow. If she speaks, you obey. You never ask questions, she decides how much you know. Got it?”

“Sure, I guess”, the first mumbled.

“Ha~a, Adrian doesn’t talk down to us like this”, the other murmured.

‘No, Adrian would speak with his fists instead’, Silas couldn’t help but compare him to his other lifes abuser, and grimaced as a result.

‘But he’s a pup compared to him. He’s just another puppet bound by her strings’

He glared at Kiyah walking in front of him. His legs dragged against the ground due to their similar heights. But he stopped bothering to resist understanding the futility of the situation. Had he any reputation, his pride would have shattered. It was not a good look, nor feeling to be manhandled. But it was merely an uncomfortable taxi ride to where the real damage would begin.

He would have been thankful that it didn’t take long to get to their destination, if he wasn’t busy trying to remain calm and collected. Had it been a real service, he’d have given it a 1 star as a result.

It was behind a building they stopped. And before a second group he’d been dropped. While he collected himself on the ground, he realised the next instant that everyone, be it the ones who brought him here or the group he was brought before. Everyone was looking down on him. And his face finally distorted as a result.

Though the man at the vanguard of the other group was the first to look away from him, his piercing amber eyes replaced their attention with the girl before him.

“This is two days in a row Kiyah, I thought you wanted to keep distance from me?”

“Hmhm, nur”, she chuckled, before tilting her head, “you’ve just been too busy acting nice to everyone all of a sudden”, her playful smile vanished as her eyes emptied, “now I wonder why that is?”

“Pfft”, Silas watched as the boy’s lips trembled before his reciprocating giggle, “you’re thinking too much into it. You always do”.

“I doubt that, but if you’re going to bloat your balls, at least be entertaining before they burst”

“Hah, Kiyah what are you implying? It’s simple, I’m simple, you know that. I can’t always protect you from your shadow, that’s all it is”

“Hm”, she turned her head to her friend, whereby she opened her mouth as if to say something but closed it and sighed.

“Why did you bring him here? I thought you were done with him…”, he suddenly gestured with his head towards Silas. Again, looking down on him.

Silas stood up to face him. His expression had calmed since earlier, but he still winced at the boy that used to torment him daily. If Kiyah abused him mentally, he did it physically. They worked as a pair, partners, because they were one. Or at least that’s how it was always presented as. It was hard to be a partner when one was not an equal. He was more of a guard dog than anything intimate.

“But have you lost your collar now?”, Silas couldn’t help the urge to whisper.

“My collar… Are you trying to confuse me?”

“Oh, you really underestimate how much he’s grown”, Kiyah leaned against his back, as her breath touched Silas’s cheeks, “he’s really only shrunk with other areas”.

She hugged him from behind, peering at the estranged expression on the other boy's face. But her face tilted so she could watch the other while ensuring Silas could hear her up close.

“Remember how we used to greet each other? All those foreign etiquette lessons you endured with me at my place”, she whispered into his ears.

“My parents wouldn’t teach me it”, Silas squinted.

“The fuck you doin-”

Kiyah glared at her boyfriend, which shut him up but made his face wrinkle.

“You know Addy, balls are one thing, but I much prefer this”, she tapped Silas’s head as he tried to pull away from her.

“He’s a plain fricking face Kiyah. There’s a reason we were considered a power couple”

Her face seemed to droop as she leaned away from him and sighed.

“Maybe you have a point”, she exclaimed to her elven friend, which seemed to make the other’s face light up in an unusual display of delight.

That expression vanished however, as Kiyah turned back around and gave a pecker to Silas’s cheek.

“Mm, not a mimic”

He couldn’t help but turn his head at her with a clear frown evident on his face, while he scrutinised her unusually gleeful expression as she leaned back. But he knew her well, almost too well. He knew she would never make a face just from a small frown of his. So he tensed his own as he ducked his head.

Woosh

A fist appeared from whence he ducked. He tried to take a step back but was pushed by Kiyah with a force he couldn’t resist.

“Good luck”

He stumbled into Adrian but immediately pushed off with his hands. Because his head was low, and he could clearly see the knee striking towards his face. But momentum was a bitch to reverse while utilising his meagre strength. He dodged backwards, yet the knee still managed to nick his chin.

“Argh”, Silas couldn’t help but grunt as his teeth clenched and his head arched back wide. He recoiled hunched over before looking back to his assailant and realised he was in for another round.

He dodged another fist, then another and slapped the last one. There were no weapons with their exchange which made it easier for him to keep up, even if his opponent was both faster and stronger.

“The hell you think you’re doing with my-!”, he arched his head up as his nostrils flared.

But despite the onslaught of fists, Silas decided to take an exchange when realising the unusual complacency his opponent had to expose his neck. So he made a simple uppercut into his Adams apple, his arm being hit in the process as he felt one of his bones crack as a result.

They both staggered back, but while Adrian hunched over to cough for a bit, Silas only gripped at his arm before jumping towards him again in a fury. He knew of the disparities between them, as Adrian was last to be qualified as a ranker. And if he couldn’t even beat Cyanide in a fair duel…

He used his injured right hand again as it was his dominant one on Earth. Leoghan was a left hander, but considering he was more versed with his right, the moment came naturally to him.

Bam

So he gnashed his teeth and resisted the pain, feeling a snap when his fist made contact with his opponents face. Though that only angered him more as he seemed to will for the coughing fit to stop, glaring at him with a side eye instead. Yet Silas didn’t stop, preparing to kick him again. Only to be pulled back instead, his kick hitting the air.

But considering he was being dragged back forcefully, he refused to let go of the chance.

“Were you always this weak?”, he taunted, intent on dropping down his opponents guard, perhaps using the inevitable rush to his advantage and escape from whomever gripped him.

Alas such an attack never came.

“Pfttt, bwahahaha”, Adrian laughed instead.

Silas turned to look at Kiyah who seemed to be in thought, stroking her chin, then to the chiselled guy who was holding him back. He tried to headbut him to let him go, but the guy only leaned his head back.

“When did you learn to do that?”, he asked while rubbing his cheek.

“Maybe there’s a reason she sees something in you. You’ve got some balls after all”

“Bigger than yours”, Silas continued to taunt, hoping to still pull off his original plan.

“Indeed, I think maybe too big”, but all he did was walk closer.

“It’s a shame, but is this what you wanted to see Kiyah?”, he turned to her but she was busy whispering into the ear of her friend, before they both giggled.

“Well in any case, let’s deflate it to a fitting size”

He kicked Silas in the only place that was fitting. Such that he keeled over, clutching his gems.

“So you know”, he clutched Silas’s hair, dragging it up to meet his own.

“Maybe keep your eyes off my girlfriend”, he turned to witness the growing tint that flushed her cheeks, which only caused the smirk on his face to enlarge.

“After all, if you have sight but cannot see”, he yanked his hair down while bringing his leg up.

“Your date will await the fate of my knee”

Silas’s vision went in and out of darkness. His every facial orifice bled as his plain face turmoiled in pain. It’s state, no better than it looked by the time he was done, his vision hazier than a car’s window in a thunderstorm.

“How’s that for boring?”, he could hear a voice while his body was carried further downward by gravity, his face suffered as it was afflicted from contact with the hard and rigid ground.

“Is that not entertaining enough for you?”

“It shall suffice”

But something boiled within him as he felt the fluids leak from his face. He could feel it. The blood. And it vibrated against his skin as it threatened to refrain from his restraint. It trembled with an unbridled resolution, intent on shooting forward. Had he let it, he knew what would ensue.