Damon had done this while risking his reputation and career a lot, but risking his life, was a whole new level to what he was used to.

His reflection had been begging him to ask for forgiveness, but it was too late for that, and if he did that, his bluff would be seen through much too quickly, and his death might be more painful.

Philip and Thalia were already closing their eyes to ignore what was going to happen if Damon were to die there and then everything that would happen.

But they didn't hear anything, even though they had been waiting for half a minute, not a single word was muttered.

Phillip opened his eyes and saw the confused look on Astirix's face as he started inspecting the ring closer.

Xandra drew closer to Astirix, "What is it?" She asked, not knowing why her grandfather stopped.

"That ring… It's strange…." He whispered as he looked at the ring before looking at Damon, still looking confident in the power that the ring held. The high mage then manages to deduce a few things from this situation.

Firstly, whatever the ring was changed, Damon. Secondly, whatever ability it held made Damon so confident to disrespect a High Mage like him alongside two of one of the best sword practitioners. And lastly, he also felt a strange power that the ring held. It wasn't filled with mana or overflowing with power, but the energy that it emitted was utterly different from the energy he knew.

The High Mage of Uldron sat down, not muttering another word. If Xandra weren't here, he would have probably rained hell upon Damon and this whole mansion, even if it meant risking his life, but with her here, she couldn't risk having her precious granddaughter even getting a scratch from his anger.

Damon smiled even though inside; he was thanking the god and his angels that he was still alive, not burnt to a crisp. "I would also like to announce who I will be fighting at the end of the week." Damon continued.

"And who would that be?" Phillip asked, hoping that all of this would end, or else he might die of a heart attack.

"You." Damon said while looking at Phillip, "And considering the power that the ring holds, I would be putting a restriction on myself so I do not accidentally kill you." He continued, trying to sell the effectiveness of the ring, which he had no idea how even to use.

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Philip looked at the ring, wanting to know what it was and what made his meek and weak brother suddenly so confident.

And why was Damon so confident of beating Phillip even without the ring? "Do you even know how good I am? I am a graduate, unlike you. You are not even at the age to be qualified to study at the fighting academy, so how are you expecting to fight against me in a swordfight?" He asked.

Damon shook his head, "I don't want to fight in a sword fight; let's fight fairly, with only our hands and legs and what has been given to us by nature. Of course, you can always decline since you can always *cheat* by using a sword." He said.

Phillip was about fuming on the inside and was about to blow up but controlled himself in front of the guest, "Whooo… Fine. I hope you don't regret all of your big talk when we fight."

Damon nodded before standing, "Well, I guess my job here is done." He continued before walking out, leaving the guest and his siblings at the table.

As he walked up the stairs, Astirix turned to Phillip, "When did he get the ring… No, where did he get it?" He asked, highly interested in the origin of the ring.

"The last time I saw him using the ring was yesterday," Thalia said before leaving the table.

Phillip coughed to fill the awkwardness in the area, "I am very sorry for the extreme inconvenience and the disrespect that Damon has given to both of you. I truly am. He has been acting differently since yesterday." He added.

"So it's true…" Astirix muttered, as what Phillip said confirmed his suspicion; the ring indeed did change Damon's demeanour. "Phillip, can we stay till the end of the week? I would like to see the fight."

Philip nodded, "Of course. And I guarantee that you wouldn't have to deal with whatever that happened today."

Xandra remained quiet and agreed with her grandfather's decision, as she was also wondering why Damon had changed.

#

"Are you crazy???!" The reflection shouted at Damon.

"I have it under control," Watts replied, sitting down on the bed and taking off his suit.

"No! You have just challenged Phillip!! And why are you lying!!! If one of your lies is proven wrong, everything else will crumble!" The reflection continued, scared at what was going to happen next.

"In this situation, I can either play it safe, or I can play it dangerous and reap better rewards." Damon continued.

"But this involves your life!!!" The reflection shouted, scratching his hair as he couldn't read what was on Damon's mind even though the both of them were somehow connected to memory.

"Trust me… I know what I am doing." Damon continued before taking a bottle of wine and putting it beside him before taking out a long rope and hiding it under his blanket.

The reflection shook his head; he couldn't trust a word that came out of Damon, "I need an explanation."

Damon sighed, trying to control his anger, "Fine… If I were to live, it would be better that they think highly of me than me being useless, and this would also give me a bit of protection. Why would they try to kill someone that they think would kill them?" He explained.

"But that would only work if you survive the fight with Phillip! How are you supposed to fight anyone, especially Phillip!! He is an academy graduate!!"

"I have already told you. I know what to do. And I would like you to leave me alone for a while because I think that Phillip would want me to be punished for what has just happened, and since he is probably too tired… Edmund is probably on his way here." He said before he heard steps getting closer to the door of his room.