“Gold Root, derived from Treasure Threads. A special type of fern buries into the wall of caves; should the right nutrients be present within the environment they grow, in time they become strings laced with gold. Enough of them could decorate an entire tunnel, making someone a very wealthy man…” Alan said.

Everyone at the water park was watching the fight take place on TV.

Duke, seeing Knox activating his root abilities, did the same.

Smirking, Knox slammed his fist into the earth, keeping eye contact with Duke the entire time.

Duke glared at Knox, contemplating why he hadn’t moved yet. Is he trying to bait me into attacking?

“An interesting choice of arena,” he said, “Had you chosen another, I might have felt slightly more obligated to hold back!” In an instant, he ripped a large portion of the ground right from under Duke, stretching from where he stood, tossing it into the air, behind him.

Duke, suspended in the air, furrowed his brows. I thought the distance between us was fine…

“Welcome to Final Valley,” Knox shouted, just as the mass of dirt slammed into the earth. A thin layer of dirt shifted to the floor, revealing a gigantic mound of gold in its place.

“When did he make this!?” Duke said; it didn't long however for Duke to tie in the moment Knox placed his hands in the ground as the time he created this mountain of gold.

Using his boxing stance, Knox punched the mass of gold beside him, and with each hit, his fist sunk in, just as if it were putty.

Falling, a barrage of fists emerged from the colossal block of gold beside Duke, smashing first into his stomach, then his face. Each time Knox hit the gold block, Duke took another hit, all while falling towards the ground. Kicking off the slab of gold, an arm extending out from it, forming a hand which tightened around his ankle.

“Leaving so soon,” Knox said, his entire arm was inside a large mound of gold; quickly pulling his arm out, above, Duke was simultaneously pulled toward the gold wall, slamming heavily into it.

“My armors impeding my movement,” Duke said, tossing it aside. “That’s better,” he stated. Swiftly maneuvering around another attack, Duke outstretched his arm, focusing on the earth at Knox’s feet, and soon red sunflowers emerged. “Let’s see you handle this!” The red sunflowers blasted a heat wave directly into the body of Knox, even peeling back the dirt on the floor at his feet from the pressure of the heat. Pushing off the large golden block, he landed behind Knox.

As the debris cleared, Knox walked into view, sporting a white gym towel he somehow came across. His body was drenched in sweat, but he didn’t look phased one bit. Dripping in sweat, many girls around the kingdom almost fainted seeing Knox. “Sauna’s do wonders for one’s recovery,” Knox said. “Is that the best you can do?”

Duke realized a large shadow looming over him, and upon looking up, his eyes widened in shock. The giant chunk of dirt Knox tore out and turned into gold was falling over, threatening to crush them.

“Eyes on the prize,” Knox said, appearing behind Duke.

Duke threw his arms up as Knox's gigantic fist smashed into him. The sound of cracking bones reverberated in Duke's ear. “So… heavy!” Duke stated. Knox narrowed in, delivering blow after blow, breaking Duke's guard.

“Heads up,” Knox said, smashing his fists down, though Duke dodged it.

The shadow looming over Duke’s head, quickly closed in, enveloping his entire surroundings.

Back at the water park, Tofi shouted, “It’s going to squish them both!”

Yuta closed his eyes, as did Plu.

Suddenly, Knox burst out from the back end. “I can deform any part of the gold, bringing it back to its normal state, though, it only works on non-living objects.”

“Sun Blade!” Duke roared. Bubbles started to expand in a vertical line along the entire mass of gold, and soon, incredibly hot air exploded out, splitting the giant structure in two, and slicing directly across Knox's chest.

Knox, landing in between the split mounds of gold, stated, “Would you look at that,” examining a wound extending across his left peck.

“How’s that level of heat for you,” Duke stated.

Gazing at Han in the Audience, Knox said, “I’m sorry Han, it would seem I don’t have the luxury of holding back against your son.”

“Maybe you should focus on the battle,” Han declared proudly.

Knox, turning, witnessed Duke searing through the air with another sun blade. Being as durable as he is known to be, it only cut the surface of his arms, but the mound of gold behind Knox received a deep cut in it. “It was stronger the first time…” Knox said, swinging a miss as Duke retreated. “Did you already use your ace in the hole?” Knox questioned.

Duke’s body started to turn a shade of pink, as the last remaining red petals merged into his skin. “I’m just getting started,” Duke stated. His body, now a steaming hot pink, quickly appeared before Knox, punching him in the stomach, causing him to wince, slightly. As Duke’s onslaught continued, his body became a darker shade of red, and his punches became much heavier.

While munching on a snack, Daichi muttered, “Knox went on the defensive…”

“Duke is impressive, no doubt. But Knox is just getting warmed up,” Jack said, confidently.

Eiji, glaring at the tv, waved a flag with an image of Knox wearing his Mr. Illumina gold medal, “Boo! Come on Knox!”

Lily furrowed her brows, “Eiji, don’t you think we should be supporting Duke?”

“Sorry Lily, this bond goes way back—here’s us in Keltzer; before a psycho chef locked me up…” In the photo, a younger Eiji seemingly photobombed a couple with Knox in it.

“Did you pay for this?”

“Yes…” Eiji said, glaring away, causing Lily to squint.

“There it is. Knox’s champions barrage,” Jack stated.

While enduring some of Duke’s hits, steadily, Knox's fists became engulfed with gold; when the opportunity arose, he slammed them onto the floor, breaking Duke's momentum. Entering a boxing stance, Knox threw a punch. He wasn’t close enough to land a punch, but a large gold fist shot out, hitting Duke in the stomach. Knox continued to throw punch after punch, each sending a golden fist shooting forward like a missile.

“He’s boxing—from a distance.” Duke tried to block the incoming attacks, practically slipping into the gaping hole Knox created earlier. Knox mixed up the punches by sending his attacks not only at Duke but at the gold rubble lying nearby, causing cannon-shaped fists to emerge from them as well. Duke was being attacked from multiple angles. One smashed into his shoulder, dislocating it. “Solar Flare!” The dirt shifted beneath Duke's feet, and soon, a large red sunflower decorated the floor like a carpet might, blasting an incredible amount of heated air toward the sky.

The pressure pushed Knox back a little, even making him fall to a knee. He was breathing heavily, the heat finally affecting him, however, bit by bit, he pressed forward, pushing against the pressure emitting from Duke’s attack. A smile spread on Knox’s face as he neared. Duke, rescinding the chaotic heat wave, attempted to retreat, “I don’t think so,” Knox shouted, shooting two golden fists at Duke’s feet, which slapped around them like glue, cementing him to the ground.

“What?!” Duke said, attempting to break free.

Knox grabbed Duke, yanking him–the earth, and the gold pinning him down, right from the floor, before slamming his knee into Duke’s stomach, causing him to spit blood. Knox then pulled back, thrusting Duke with all his force.

“Daul Sun-Blade,” Duke yelled, flipping mid-air, and thrusting two heat blades back at him. The attacks slit the surface of Knox’s chest, causing some blood to drip down. Duck dug his feet into the ground, stopping his motion; lunging forward, he attacked Knox with one heat slash after another.

“This guy’s heating up…” Knox said, bit by bit being pushed back from the attacks. He didn’t bother blocking them, there was no need; instead taking the hits directly to the chest.

The heat building up was so intense, that those viewing started to sweat profusely.

Suddenly, a shimmering forcefield materialized around the viewing area carved into the mountain; it prevented the ‘lingering’ effects from flux-based abilities, like the heat that was infused with flux.

“Lulu Tech never ceases to amaze me, ever since Shen took the helm,” Marco said, the air immediately cooling down.

“How Knox can withstand fighting in such heat, is beyond me,” Mu said, three magically floating fans were waving him off.

“It affects Duke too, unfortunately,” Han said.

“How so?” Tanabe asked.

“Abminus, as you know, can fuse with special roots. Take my Silent Root for example,” Reezo said, “When I utilize my ability, I can create pockets of air where sound is non-existent, great for misdirection on the battlefield, among other things… What do you think happens if I use it on myself, Tanabe?”

“I imagine, you’ll still be able to hear since it’s your ability after all.”

“Wrong,” Reezo said. “If I were to use it on myself, I’d be unable to hear as well. In the same way, in theory, if there was an Abminus with the ability to use fire, they would still be in danger of burning themselves. Duke’s ability to merge with the petals of his root, seems to give him an immunity to the heat he’s emitting, however, without it, he would surely die of heat exhaustion.”

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“To sum it up, Abminus aren’t immune to their ability; if used incorrectly, they may end up taking their own life,” Han said, still keeping a close watch on the fight.

Marco, turning to Tanabe, stated, “Only Nephilim are born with complete immunities, towards the ancient root they bonded with that is.” Holding up two hands, each with a single finger pointed up, Marco said, “A fire Nephilim, in theory, should be completely immune to fire, whereas an Abminus would likely burn if they weren’t careful.”

“Tanabe! Seriously, how many times do they need to spell it out for you? You’re making me look bad as an ex-elite,” Sheena said in frustration, having lost her spot in the duel to Tanabe, consequently bumping her out and him into the tenth rank.

“Sorry…” Tanabe said, his hand nervously rummaging through his hair.

Back in the library, Rai shouted, “You got to switch it up man, that ain’t cutting it!”

“Wow, the elites are no joke.”

“It’s no wonder they so few have ever made the jump…”

Duke’s attacks were barely phasing Knox, and soon, his sun blade vanished.

“It was a good push,” Knox said, looking down at Duke. Slowly, his flaring red skin returned to normal.

Even so, Duke smiled, eyes swiftly locking onto Knox’s. “Heat-Blitz.” Pressing his foot firmly into the ground, the hot air rapidly sucked into a single point, forming a transparent blade glowing in shades of orange. With a deciding upward thrust, a bright light and a large explosion blinded the outcome of the fight. Duke was breathing heavily, barely able to keep himself standing as he waited for the dust to clear.

“I see you… young sap,” Knox muttered. When the dust settled, Knox was standing strong. A wound stretching from his leg, all the way across the lower half of his chin, oozed with blood. Even the bottom portion of Knox’s ear was severed. “That was a fine attack!”

“But… How…” Duke said, grimacing in pain.

“Right before you attacked, I sucked all the gold around, back into my body. When mixing it with flux force, for a split second, my entire body becomes impenetrable. Although…” Gazing at his wound, bound to scar, Knox said, “It would seem I have to up my training regime.” Knox began massaging the kinks in his neck again, before doing stretching, as if the fight were just starting.

Duke, astonished by his endurance, frowning, held his hands together, shouting, “Sun Bla-” A fist crashed into the stomach of Duke, twisting upward; Duke rocketed into the sky, and after a moment, his body collided heavily with the ground.

As a duel between Elites must have the emperor present to declare the outcome of the match, a duel in which an apprentice attempts to jump must have another Elite present to declare the outcome of the match. In this case, it was Duke's father, Han.

Han’s eyes fell onto his unconscious son.

Knox, furrowing his brows, couldn’t help but wonder why Han was taking so long to call the fight.

“Ahhh!” Duke, reappearing behind Knox, swung another red energy blade, however, it fizzled out moments before it hit Knox.

“Knox was just standing there?!” Tanabe said.

“You had him!” Rai shouted at the projector, practically tipping over the edge of the railing.

At the water park, everyone was in shock. “Did Knox just lose?” Daichi said.

“I don’t think so…” Jack said.

Lily, easing up after the tense fight, gulped. Can I make the jump?

Within Final Valley, Duke's head hung low, uttered, “Heat-Blitz… Has a delayed effect… Causes… the opponent to momentarily lose sense of reality…

“Once he landed on the floor, Knox fell under the effects of Duke’s heat-blitz…” Reezo said. “The Duke Knox saw on the floor, was nothing but a mirage, when in reality, Duke was aiming for an attack from behind.”

“Why didn’t you follow through,” Knox asked.

“You can’t protect… the empire… when you’re dead,” Duke said, collapsing on the floor.

“Winner, Knox,” Han stated.

Knox, glaring at the unconscious Duke, stated, “If you had challenged maybe, one or two ranks higher, you might have made the jump. Still, you’ve earned my respect.”

Back in the library, the entire place was buzzing with conversation about the recent match. The librarian, failing to quiet everyone now that the live recording had ended, threw her hands up, saying, “They don’t pay me enough for this,” before going home.

“Not even Duke was able to make the jump,” Rai said, clenching his fist. “That reminds me. Kiku, we missed you in class today…” turning around, Kiku was sleeping. “Yeah, that explains it.”

***

Sunlight crept through the curtains, waking Rai who blinked groggily, rubbing his eyes. His room was dimly lit, with the only sound breaking the silence being the snores emanating from Eiji, who lay sprawled out on the floor of his room. Rai had a decent-sized spot, but for some reason, Eiji would always end up on his bedroom floor. Locking the door, propping a chair against it, tying it shut; he tried everything, and yet, each time he woke up, somehow, Eiji always ended up on his floor. One night, he attempted to stay up to see what was going on, however as the sun rose, the banging of pots and pans revealed Eiji cooking in the kitchen. That day’s combat class was rough… Since then, he’s given up on the matter. A faint buzzing coming from his badge on his bedside table was what awoke him earlier. Rai’s brow furrowed, “Tux is calling?” he muttered to himself. In curiosity he reached for it, noting the urgency in the vibrations. Tux rarely contacted him directly unless it was a matter of importance. With a sigh, Rai tapped the badge to accept the call, preparing himself for whatever news awaited him.

“Rai,” Tux’s voice crackled through the device. “Do you have time to stop by the station?”

“I’m supposed to be heading out on a mission in a little, but I should have some time. Why what’s up?”

“Are you familiar with Dr. Metzuki?”

Rai’s eyes widened. Later that morning, he was looking through a one-way mirror at the man who had him strapped to a table and sold him off to Rena. “Yeah, that’s the bastard.” Lily and Chozu stood beside him. Rai, pulling up both his sleeves, stomped over to the door of the room holding the doctor, but Tux grabbed his collar, preventing him from moving any further. “I just want to say hi,” Rai muttered, frustration etched on his face.

“Not a chance,” Tux said. “He stated he knew you, so we thought we bring you in to verify what he said was true. I trusted you… She tightened her fist, gazing at the man in the other room.

“Is there anything you might be able to tell us about Dr. Metzuki? Does he have any family? Another surname perhaps?” Chozu asked.

“I don’t know, you’d have to ask Lily. I was out cold the entire time. But I will say this, I saw the man bring a rat back to life with some strange black spit; right before he plopped its leg into his mouth like a friggin’ lollipop,” Rai said, shuttering at the thought.

“I can’t say I know much about him either, other than the fact that he’s a collector, at least that’s what he said,” Lily stated.

“A collector of what?” Tux asked.

“Nothing normal, that’s for sure…” Lily said.

“Ganesu,” the doctor spoke, causing everyone to gaze at him. He lifted his head, looking directly at Lily, almost as if the wall were never there. “My name is Ganesu.”

“Ganesu…” Tux said.

“How’d you catch him anyways?” Rai asked. “Reel him in with a dusty book from grandma’s attic?”

“We didn’t, he turned himself in. Stated he was guilty of capturing and extorting an apprentice. When he brought your name up, after the Underrena incident, it was hard to deny he was telling the truth.

“Would you mind waiting outside while I speak with the Chief,” Chozu said, and Rai and Lily left the room.

“Does he seem like the type of man who’d enjoy spending the rest of his life behind bars?” Tux asked.

“Not in the slightest. However, that is where he will be spending it.”

“Yeah… I’d like to think that too. But why does it feel like I’m the one in the box, and he’s the one looking in.”

They looked over at Ganesu, who was looking right at them, faintly smiling.

Chozu and Tux walked outside of the room, addressing the two apprentices.

“Thanks again for stopping by,” Chozu said.

“I’d get moving if I were you. Sorry, we kept you longer than intended. The ports to Keltzer aren’t scheduled for maintenance for another, so you should be able to make it.”

“Alright, be seeing you,” Rai said, running off.

“Bye,” Lily said, chasing after him. They were both set to go on the same mission, along with another apprentice and Elite, but they weren’t told which ones.

***

“Seriously?!” Rai and Neptus both hollered simultaneously.

“Oh, come on guys…” Lily said.

“Can’t believe they’re making us work together," Neptus muttered.

Rai scoffed, his lips twisting into a sneer. “Believe me, feelings mutual.”

Neptus clenched his fists, “Hall point padder…”

“Hey Plu, did you hear something?” Rai held his hand to his ear.

Plu, on the ground, lifted its arm, pointing at Rai.

“No, you’re supposed to act like you didn’t hear anything!” Rai said.

Lily, rolling her eyes, said, “Enough! You two need to put aside your differences and focus on the mission. I won’t tolerate any more bickering,” Lily said, crossing her arms.

“As she said,” Eloise stated.

“Eloise,” Neptus uttered, seeing the third-ranked elite.

“Hey… guys!” Eiji shouted, appearing beside Eloise with a very large bag strapped to his back.

“Let me guess, you’re a steward now…” Rai muttered.

“Nope, I realized I wanted to see the world, not stay couped up in some empire distributing water,” Eiji said.

“So, what’re you doing now?” Lily inquired.

“I, am a Gearbearer,” Eiji stated, proudly.

“That word doesn’t exist,” Rai said.

“Yes it does!” Eiji argued, but the weight of the bag caused him to fall backward onto the floor. Quickly getting up, he rummaged through the bag – which was nearly half his height – pulling out a dictionary. Flipping through the pages, he stopped, saying, “Gearbearer: This role entails physically bearing the burden of the gear and ensuring it reaches its destination safely and efficiently; often carrying the burden of the entire group, should there be a need for it,” Eiji looked up, “and there usually is.” Glancing at the book again, “A Gearbearer is someone responsible for carrying and transporting various types of equipment, gear, or important items for different individuals or organizations within a fantasy setting- whoops…” Eiji took out a pencil and started ferociously rubbing away with the end of the eraser.

Leaning over Eiji’s shoulder, Rai noticed the penciled definition, saying, “You wrote that in!”

“Titles, schmitles,” Eiji said, throwing the dictionary away. “Gearbearer, lugger; even the Sultan of Sacks! Pause… Maybe not that last one, but hey, they’re all just fancy made-up words, right?”

“I mean, technically he’s not wrong,” Lily said, trying to defend him.

“Eiji, would you load the carriage,” Eloise said.

“Right away,” Eiji said, yanking the bag away. “Atta girl,” he said, dragging the bag bit by bit. “Don’t mind me.”

Rai, shaking his head, smiled and said, “What Alan wouldn’t do to be in his place right about now…”

Eloise, glaring at the three apprentices before her said, “Let’s get down to the mission details.”

“Right!” Lily, Neptus, and Rai straightened up, ready to hear the report.

“As you’re aware, you will be traveling to the Kingdom of Atlas, far west of Keltzer.”

“Atlas?” Lily gazed over at Neptus. Isn’t that where Neptus escaped from?

“King Venitas has been missing for nearly a month. He, along with one of his royal guards disappeared during an exploration into the mines in search for the rumored primordial; and to make matters worse, their tunnels are crawling with ghouls.”

“What’re ghouls?” Lily asked.

“Nasty carnivorous creatures, found in coastal caves where luminites grow in abundance,” Eloise said. “What they’re doing in the depths of mines outside Atlas is another mystery.”

“Do you think King Venitas accidentally stumbled across them during his venture…” Rai said.

“It’s likely so, which is why Atlas has requested our aid. We’re to assist in locating the king, exterminating any ghouls along the way, but, keep your guard up. Atlas hasn’t always been fond of the empire, nor the kingdoms. Especially you Neptus. You may be pardoned from your enslavement the moment you become an apprentice, but this doesn’t mean your life won’t be in danger.”

“I’ll make sure to watch my back,” Neptus said.

“I also expect you to keep your emotions in check as well. Is that understood?” Eloise said, in a firm tone.

“Understood,” Neptus said, gazing away.

“Why doesn’t the empire just free Neptus’s people, they can do so, don’t they?” Lily asked.

“We cannot. During the Jade Wars, that may have been an option, but since the tokens had been claimed, the empire swore to never retain complete control over any neighboring kingdom, as long as they weren’t a threat. If we were to storm over and free every slave, we’d only be sparking the flames for another war, and putting us in direct conflict with the Axien Church. The same goes for the five kingdoms that have joined with the empire. Because of this, each kingdom carries laws that may slightly differ from the other, and they must also carry down their penalties, as does the empire. The more serious cases, however, are handled in the Lulaw courthouse.”

“I see... Sorry Neptus,” Lily said.

“It’s alright. When I become the number one elite, I’ll be able to change that.”

“For that last time, I’m going to be the number one elite!” Rai shouted.

This is going to be a long ride, Lily thought, sighing.

Eloise, continuing, said, “I’ll be meeting up with you guys later, until then, safe travels apprentices.”

Eiji, slouching over, raised his hand saying, “Man, that bag was way heavier than I’d expected.”

“Gearbearer,” Eloise said with a smirk, nodding at Eiji who saluted her.

As Eloise left, Eiji faced everyone, saying, “You guys ready?!”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Lily said, and the other apprentices nodded in agreement; though, when Rai and Neptus caught each other responding similarly, they turned away from one another, stubbornly crossing their arms.

“Alright, the gangs are all back!” Eiji, dramatically pausing, deepened his voice, saying, “Stay tuned next time, as our trio of heroes embarks on their next thrilling adventure.”

“What about me?” Neptus said.

“And Neptus,” Eiji added.

“Plu!”

“You too Plu…”