Thankfully, it seemed that Togai’s promise of reinforcements was a bluff. When Will made his way to the cafeteria with the intention of making himself some breakfast, it was to find half a dozen of the Fire Nexus sitting, bleary-eyed and yawning, at the large table, mugs of coffee in hand. Some of them looked up, hopefully, as he entered. One or two even greeted him.
“Morning,” he muttered, feeling just as tired. “Where’s Edward?”
“He’s still out patrolling,” Angel said. They stifled another yawn. “He and Noratuk were patrolling all night.”
Will felt a little guilty at that information. “Sorry you guys had to be up all night. I appreciate the help you gave me yesterday.”
Angel waved a dismissive hand. They leaned forward, suddenly alert. “How’s your dad?”
“He’s fine,” Will replied. He’d woken a few hours ago, and had quickly rushed to check on his father’s condition. “Just a little dinged up and sore. I’m about to make some breakfast. Want some?”
He addressed them all, and they responded enthusiastically. Smiling, Will went into the kitchen. After pouring himself a cup of coffee, he went to work making pancakes and bacon. As he worked, he saw more of the Nexians enter the cafeteria, claiming coffee for themselves and settling around the table. Quite a few gave hopeful sniffs, then made noises of excitement. Will didn’t make them wait long before putting out large platters of food, and they all dove for it. Taking his smaller plate, he moved to the quieter side of the room and sat down.
As he ate, he found his mind drifting to the stranger, as it had all night. Tobias, he remembered. If that was even his name. Will prided himself on being quite skilled at detecting lies, but even he couldn’t be sure with that one. It could have been a ploy to distract him long enough for an escape. But something deep down told him that it hadn’t been a lie. He didn’t need to distract Will to escape, he had enough power to bring an Alpha down. So then, why did he share his name? Will continued to ponder the question as he moodily ate his bacon and pancakes.
Eventually, his thoughts turned to the upcoming tournament. It was a month and a half away now. He still trained his hardest every day, but he felt as though his growth had slowed a bit. He wasn’t picking up new skills as he’d done at the start, which could only mean one of two things. Either he was starting to get to the more advanced things that took longer to master, or he was starting to plateau. He hoped for the first option but feared the second.
Edward and Noratuk appeared in the cafeteria as Will was taking his last bite. They both looked dead on their feet but relieved. Will gathered that they’d confirmed the safety of Fairbanks. He rose quickly to pour them both a cup of coffee. After a quiet word of thanks, they joined the other table, now much quieter as the breakfasting Nexians had moved off to do other things. Will debated between sitting with them and leaving but ultimately decided on the latter, wanting to check in on his father.
He heard quiet conversation on the other side of the door to his father’s temporary room, then a laugh that was unmistakably his father’s. Will opened the door, curious, to see a small crowd gathered. His father was in the bed of course, and ranged around him were Rachel, Felix, Olivia, and Charlisa. Cameron looked up and brightened considerably when he saw Will, grinning widely.
“Morning son!” He said jovially. “You finished making breakfast?”
“Yep,” Will said, closing the door with his foot. “I brought you some.”
His father’s grin widened as Will revealed the plate he’d been carrying, and gave a not-so-discreet fist pump. He almost snatched the food out of Will’s hand and started digging in at once. “Ohh, that’s good stuff. I’ve been seriously jealous of you guys, getting to enjoy my son’s cooking.”
“We don’t make him cook every day,” Charlisa said with her trademark coy smile. “Sometimes we give him the day off.”
Cameron chuckled merrily at that, his mouth too full to speak. Will rolled his eyes as he moved to Charlisa’s side, resting one hand on her shoulder. “Looks like you’re feeling better, Dad.”
“Much,” his father agreed with a nod, speaking around a mouthful of bacon. “Those bastards can’t take me down so easily.”
“I tried to tell him that,” Charlisa said, nudging Will. “But he was worried.”
“That’s a son’s job,” Cameron said, smiling fondly at Charlisa. The two of them seemed to have grown much closer. “I did such a good job on him, don’t you think?”
“Definitely,” Charlisa said. Will grinned at her and leaned down for a kiss. “Almost too perfect a job.”
Cameron and Rachel guffawed, but Will ignored them. “Well, Dad, I can give you a tour in a while if you want.”
“Sure,” Cameron said. “I think a walk in the sunshine would be just perfect.”
“Cool. Well, I got another thing to take care of, then I’ll be back.”
He hugged his Dad, glad to see him recovered, then left the room. Charlisa excused herself too, following him out. “Hold on Will. I know what you’re going to do. I’m coming with you.”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
He didn’t say anything, but he appreciated her gesture. They both left the main dormitory, cutting across the green lawn to the building opposite. In the days before the Nexus, it used to be the college book store. It had even gone unused in the past eight years but now, it served as a makeshift prison. They’d put Togai in there, and had two people watching over him at all times. Already, Togai had tried to escape twice, and he’d been subdued by a torrent of flame released into his cell.
“Remarkable that none of the buildings here are fireproof,” Will commented, holding the door open for Charlisa.
“We don’t need it,” She reminded him. “When we can snuff out any flame near us, you don’t need fire safety procedures. Plus, even if the building burned down on top of us, we’d be fine.”
“Oh right,” he said with a laugh. “I forget sometimes.”
Strangely, her words sparked a memory in his mind. Hitori had told them to start doing things to improve the relationship with the communities around him. Something about that and what Charlisa had said just clicked in his brain. Fires were already well-handled in Alaska, but what if… He put the thought to the back of his brain for the time being. He had to focus now.
Togai’s room was torn up pretty badly by the flames that had been sent in, Will noticed. The man himself, still wearing his badly scorched white robes, was sitting in the corner, meditating. He glanced up, however, as he heard the door opening, and smiled at Will. “Will-san. How lovely to see you.”
“You can drop that,” Will told him. “You don’t get to feign pleasure at seeing me after what you did to my father.”
Togai didn’t reply to that. He looked to Charlisa instead. “You’re looking more beautiful every day, Charlisa-chan. Your father must be so proud.”
Charlisa ignored this jibe, leaning against the wall. Will stepped in front of her, forcing Togai to look at him instead. “Where are your companions?”
“My companions? I have many, so you’ll have to be more specific. I’m quite a likable fellow, after all.”
“The reinforcements you threatened us with!” Will exclaimed, suddenly getting louder and stepping invasively close. Togai gave no reaction, not that Will had expected one. “We’ve looked all night, and they’re nowhere to be seen!”
After a few seconds, Togai hummed thoughtfully. “So they’re hidden. Excellent.”
“They’re not there,” Will said. “You’re not going to fool us with your empty threats. If Edward and Noratuk haven’t found them, then they don’t exist. You’re alone, and nobody knows you’re here.”
He said the last bit as a test. They did need to know if anyone knew of Togai’s location or his plans. If Hitori had sent the man, then they were in trouble. Hitori and the rest of the Soul Nexus would come, and Will knew that they couldn’t hold them off forever. But as he watched Togai’s face closely, he couldn’t pick out any sign of meaningful reaction. He suppressed a growl of frustration and turned away from the man.
“Interesting bond, that, between Edward Ambrose and Noratuk,” Togai said. He talked casually as if he were doing nothing more exciting than commenting on the weather. “It is remarkable what a man will do for the woman he loves.”
Will turned to face him again, just in time to catch him glancing between himself and Charlisa. “Even more interesting how easy it is to control a man by threatening such a woman.”
Will had crossed the room and kicked Togai in the face before the other man could even take a breath to speak more. Togai’s head snapped to the side, and Will saw the flicker of electricity run through his body, stunning him. Togai could only grunt in surprise and slight pain. But when he turned to face Will again, smiling for the first time, there was no trace of the injury. He looked exceptionally pleased about something. Furious, Will kicked him in the chest, slamming him against the wall of the room.
“You’re very fast,” Togai said, after coughing to refill his lungs. He still spoke casually. “Not much power, of course, but I can barely keep up with you. Were you holding back at the assessments, then?”
Will didn’t say anything in reply. Togai didn’t seem to expect him to. “Of course, this presents a problem. Hitori was wrong to assess you as C-Tier. You’re clearly a B, maybe even a B plus. Once you get the hang of that power, I expect you’ll rocket to A-Tier.”
“I’m flattered you think so,” Will said venomously. “Now, one more question.”
He hadn’t planned on asking this question when he’d first arrived, but it occurred to him now, and he wanted to know. He leaned closer, even coming down on one knee so that he could put his face an inch or two away from Togai’s. “How did Bai Jian die?”
“Hitori killed him,” Togai answered. “This is known.”
“But how did he kill him?”
For a small moment, Togai’s mask of calm slipped, revealing a flicker of fear and uncertainty. But it was gone even more quickly than it had appeared, and he looked up at Will with indifference and even a small amount of disdain. “I haven’t the tiniest clue.”
“Good to know,” Will said, rising to his feet. As he turned to move away, Togai suddenly lurched forward, coming to his feet in a single heartbeat. Unfortunately for him, Will was expecting the attack, and, with the speed that his new power allowed him, spun on the spot, slamming his heel into the man’s chin and throwing him sideways. Togai hit the wall and crashed into a limp bundle, truly unconscious.
“Nice shot,” Charlisa said. She sounded pleased. “He’ll feel that when he wakes up.”
“Here’s hoping,” Will said, giving her a brief hug. “Alright, that’s the chore done. Time to show Dad around.”
“Sounds good,” she said cheerily, following him out of the room. Sean and Clara Jameson, the twin natives who Will had only briefly met, quickly looked inside, their eyes widening as they saw the unconscious figure. Charlisa patted Sean on the shoulder. “Make sure to lock up. Oh, and I suppose have some food waiting for him when he wakes up. We’re not evil.”
“Fortunately for him,” Will growled. “Keep up the good work, guys.”
When they exited the building onto the yard, they saw a group of Fire Nexians outside, warming up. They were grouped around Michael, the man that had turned against Togai’s followers to help the Fire Nexus. Michael was demonstrating his explosive power to the others, much to their enjoyment. A few of them attempted to copy his action but only succeeded in shrinking their flames down to a small point, then giving up.
“He’s really good,” Will observed. “When did he get his powers?”
Charlisa shrugged. “You’d have to ask Dad. Only he and Nora knew about him. But it can’t be that long. Nora only started going out like this a few weeks ago.”
“Damn,” Will said