Once John led Carson to an empty grassland next to Ironport, he looked around. It was large enough to have a picnic comfortably in this spot, with the sun shining from above. But for a place to fight... "Do you think this was wide enough, for a battle?"

"Yeah. I wouldn't even call this spot cramped. Say, how far do you want to take this fight?"

"Hmm. How about… until one of us got outside of here?" John traced his finger along the sight of trees surrounding the grassland. He knew he could've knocked someone out with his Gold Magic, and Carson's Wind Magic was capable of a similar thing, yet even better than his.

"Sure. I'll let you count then."

"Alright. Three..." Even if John felt silly as he counted down the number, he couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement for the incoming fight. Carson's magic aura breezed from his body, and John could feel his own magic running along his veins—emitting a faint glow from his fist.

Carson sprung towards John’s direction, prompting John to summon and launch his magic blast back—it missed, with how swiftly Carson dodged it. But even if Carson's magic attacks came with superior speed, John's reflexes were fast enough to avoid his attacks—albeit not perfectly. And John took his time watching, as he dodged Carson's incoming moves.

"Come on!" Carson yelled, as his magic flowed past John’s hair.

After what seemed to be a game of tag, at last, John could finally predict where would Carson head next. Carson would aim for him from behind, and then—

A gold magic blast struck Carson in his stomach—as shock flashed in his eyes. And John didn't hesitate to attack Carson again and again with his magic—only to be hit by Carson's wind blast. As John caught his feet flying by Carson's gale, he pulled himself downwards with his magic—making sure this fight wouldn’t end just yet.

Once John knew he hadn't landed outside of the grasslands, the fight continued on—as they took turns being the pursuer and the pursued, trying to attack at moments of weakness. John hadn't run around like this for a long while, and surely, Carson would feel the same way too—as Carson's movements and expressions were much more energetic and lively than what he had already gotten used to in the past few days. Hell, Carson even had the energy to taunt John—even after being hit by his Gold Magic for quite a good amount. John couldn't muster the same energy and the same excitement as Carson, but at least, he had already figured out when to attack, and when to not. He had read Carson's movements.

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But as John timed himself to throw a larger attack toward the cornered Carson, Carson had also fired his larger magic attacks toward him.

Before John could glimpse his attack landing on Carson (that would eventually knock him into the woods), he had already been flung sideways by Carson's winds. And he crashed into a tree, as his body fell limp for a moment.

Guess he had already lost.

After taking a bit to muster his energy from literally crashing into a tree, he got up and searched for Carson—who was lying down on the grass beneath a tree, his eyes closed. And John sat down next to him, shaking Carson's body. "Carson?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm still alive... Just missed lying on the grass, haha."

"Are you sure? Did I go too far?"

"Eh, it just hurts, especially that last one. Don't worry." Carson quickly got up, quickly shaking off any signs to be concerned about. "Up for another round?"

John’s instinct first said no, but his inner child said otherwise.

"Sure."

----------------------------------------

Virgil placed an ice pack on Carson's arm, then he handed the bandages to John. "It's just you two fighting, right? Was there anyone else?"

"It's just us, don't worry," John replied, as he patched himself up.

It had been an awkward moment since both John and Carson dragged themselves home after their fights, and Virgil spotted them.

Virgil nodded in acknowledgment, not saying anything.

"Yeah, we got a little carried away—" As Carson tried to ease the awkwardness, Virgil chuckled. And it wasn't just his go-to chuckle to ease the tension. Rather, it seemed as if Virgil had genuinely found something amusing.

Surprised by Virgil's unusual reaction, John asked, "Virgil?"

"It's nothing. Just some unrelated thought I had."

John quickly accepted that, but Carson didn't, as he blurted, "You want us to invite you next time?"

"Why'd you ask?"

"Dunno, you acted weird all of a sudden."

"Huh… I mean, why not? Oh, wait. Did you get any wrong ideas—"

As John let Carson and Virgil talk, he thought about the fight he had earlier. He hadn't felt this alive for a good, long while. And yet, it eventually ended with Virgil getting worried over them. Not an ideal outcome, but at least, he had caught a glimpse of his past—running around like kids, and feeling as alive as he could feel. He knew he went a bit too far in indulging his past self, but at least, he remembered he actually had a knack for fights.

Knowing that John had nothing to add to Carson’s and Virgil’s friendly exchanges, he could use some time alone—just being with himself.