Cross’s thoughts raced as he recalled another key detail: if you joined a Familia, you had to give up your last name. Your identity was absorbed into the Familia’s name. So if someone named Matthew Smith joined a Familia called Poison, he’d become Matthew Poison. Your identity was subsumed into the Familia, and the name carried a weight of obligation and expectation.

And leaving a Familia? Almost impossible. The consequences were brutal.

First, you’d have to pay an exorbitant amount in reparations. Whether it was money, equipment, or even Fiend Cores, the cost of breaking ties with a Familia was crippling. Worse still, you’d be blacklisted. Your reputation would be tainted, making it nearly impossible to join another Familia, as you’d be branded a traitor—like how professional athletes were shamed when they switched to rival teams in the middle of a career-defining season.

But the most crucial thing Cross remembered was about the top Familias. In the United States, there were the "Ten Wings of America"—the ten most powerful and influential Familias, each dominating different aspects of Ranker society. The ‘King’ Familia, the one Bronx and her sister were a part of, was ranked tenth among them.

But that tenth-place ranking was misleading.

The only reason the King Familia was ranked tenth was because they only had five members. That’s right—five. While other Familias boasted twenty to thirty members, the King Familia maintained their place with just five Rankers. And all five were ranked as some of the most talented individuals in the world.

The world had over seven billion people, but only about a million were Rankers. Out of that million, maybe 100,000 had the distinction of being Talent Holders—people with rare, unique abilities that went beyond the standard classes of Body, Mind, Will, Soul, Domain, and the mysterious Unknown. Talents were rare. You had a higher chance of dying in an airplane crash than meeting a Talent Holder face-to-face.

And the King Familia? They had five of them. Five Talent Holders, including Bronx.

No wonder she could lift me so easily, Cross thought, looking over at the heartwarming yet bizarre scene of Bronx being scolded by her much shorter sister. He didn’t need his Heavenly Eyes to sense the sheer power radiating off Bronx. He could feel it in his bones.

Intuition.

That was Bronx King’s Talent, and it was infamous. It allowed her to master anything she set her mind to with unnatural speed and precision. Whether it was combat techniques, strategies, or even complex puzzles, she could grasp it with intuitive understanding, earning her the title of "Titan" in the Ranker community. In a recent interview, she had revealed that she had ascended to Stage 3 in both Body and Will in just five years—an achievement most Rankers would take decades to accomplish. Her natural affinity with both classes was considered borderline unfair by her competitors.

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Bronx was a monster in human form, and yet, Cross found himself oddly intrigued by her.

He watched as her sister continued to berate her, the younger girl gesturing wildly as she spoke. “And, what do you have to say for yourself?!”

Bronx gave her sister a casual shrug. “I was just testing him.”

Bronx remained silent, her expression calm and unaffected, though her eyes flicked toward Cross as if studying him further. It made his skin tingle uncomfortably. She’s testing me, he realized. Why?

Cross shifted his weight, pretending to brush the dust off his clothes, though his mind was racing. The more he stood there, the more he understood the gravity of the situation. The King Familia wasn’t just any Familia, and Bronx wasn’t just any Ranker. If he had somehow caught her interest, that could be a game-changer. But it could also be incredibly dangerous.

He’d heard enough horror stories about powerful Rankers taking a "personal interest" in younger, weaker ones. Sometimes it led to mentorship and growth. Other times… it led to disaster.

He wasn’t sure which path this would take, but one thing was clear—he needed to stay sharp. The last thing he wanted was to be drawn into something he wasn’t ready for.

“Testing him?” The younger sister threw up her hands in exasperation. “You can’t just go around testing random people in front of the W.R.O. building!”

Cross took a step back, now feeling a little out of place in the conversation. He didn’t really want to get involved in a sibling spat, especially between two Rankers from such a powerful family. But before he could slip away quietly, Bronx turned her sharp gaze back on him.

Finally, Bronx’s sister sighed, throwing her hands up in exasperation. “You’re impossible, sis. I give up.” She turned to Cross, flashing him a brief, apologetic smile. “Sorry about that. My sister’s… well, she’s got a habit of being a little intense.”

Cross gave a weak smile in return, trying to hide the fact that his brain was screaming RUN! “No worries. Happens to the best of us.”

Her eyes flicked back to Bronx. “Anyway, let’s go. We’ve got a meeting with Dad in thirty minutes.”

Cross’s mind raced. I have to get away from Bronx, he thought. He didn’t fully understand how her Talent, Intuition, worked, but he had a sinking feeling that the longer he stuck around her, the more she would be able to sense his potential. And if she figured out the full extent of what his Heavenly Eyes could do, he’d lose any leverage he might have had. He didn’t need that kind of attention just yet—not from someone like Bronx.

So, while Bronx was distracted, being scolded by her younger sister, Juliet, Cross decided to make his move. He slowly and carefully began to sneak toward the massive glass doors of the W.R.O. building. His heart pounded as he took each quiet step, inching closer and closer to the entrance.

Just as his hand reached for the door handle, he froze.

“Where are you going?”

The voice was calm but firm, and Cross felt his stomach drop. Of course. He should’ve known that trying to sneak past someone at Stage Three in Body and Will was a fool’s errand. He turned around, putting on a sheepish grin, and met Bronx’s piercing gaze.

“Oh, me?” Cross stammered, rubbing the back of his neck. “I was just, uh, heading inside to register as a Ranker. You know, like a normal person.”

Juliet arched an eyebrow, crossing her arms. “Register? You mean you’re not part of any Familia?”

Cross forced a grin. “Nope. Just Cross, no Familia. I was planning to keep it that way, too.”