“You know, I always had faith in you Jay!” said Akira. A radiant grin beamed across his face as he greeted Jay to the square with open arms. “That’s why I signed you as my client all those fights ago! I saw the potential was there, and you just needed to realise it!”

Where was this before the fight?

Only Akira and the twins waited to greet him after this fight. The lack of a crowd meant Jay got to take in the vibrant plaza in all its glory. The late morning sun bounced off the buildings and washed the square in warm light. Birds chirped from within the citrus trees and perched along the sun-baked rooftops, like nature’s soundtrack to his victory march.

The central fountain that once confounded Jay now bubbled in the background. Jay smiled as he consciously gazed at the spear-wielder’s domain, regarding it for but a moment before facing his friends.

“Sorry I made you worry.” Said Jay, sincerity gripping his face for a second before the smile returned. “Where’s everyone else? I thought I’d earn a few more fans after that performance.”

“Hate to burst your bubble but they weren’t fans, they were recruiters. They’re not here because they know they can’t get you to join them.” Akira replied, still grinning as he walked over and leaned in for a bear hug.

“They’re not bothering because they know you’re with us now.” Lyra added. She sounded proud, and her face looked far more relieved than the last time Jay had seen her.

Jay gasped for air as Akira hoisted him up off the ground, he didn’t bother resisting the young man’s intense grip. After he finally touched the ground again, Jay walked over to properly greet the twins.

“Nice performance kid.” Said Vega, although not as energetically as she usually would. “Drinks are on me tonight.”

Jay could hear the stiffness behind her voice, although he didn’t prod at it. “They better be. You owe me 500 points!” He embraced both twins in a hug and the four made their way back to the Celestial Swords tavern.

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

A half-full pub greeted Jay as he entered the Celestial Swords. There wasn’t nearly the excitement of the twins’ previous fights, but Jay still earned a few cheers as he walked between the gently glowing posts towards his favourite corner booth. He recognised a few of the unnamed faces that congratulated him and made an effort to remember the ones that tried to shove drinks into his hands.

By the time he’d sat down, Florian had already placed four more beers onto their table.

“First round’s on the house! Here’s to many more!” He said, the metal handles clinking into each other as he dropped them onto the table. The friendly bartender congratulated Jay, before quickly returning to the bar.

Akira raised his mug into the air.

“To the third of many!”

Man, he must really love that sword.

While Jay was still mid-sip, Akira excitedly slammed his mug down. Beer sloshed onto the table and Jay noticed the mug was still almost full.

Hope he likes his new one just as much.

“So what did you get?”

Jay placed the shield and the quiver on the table, stopping to look each of his friends in the eyes before slowly putting his hand inside the quiver.

“So first I got this arrow…” Jay withdrew the arrow and unhurriedly laid it by the shield. Akira nodded eagerly while both twins rolled their glossy eyes back.

“… then I got this bow…”

Even the stony-faced Lyra couldn’t hide her surprise when Jay pulled Davad’s bow out of a quiver half its size. They had to have been expecting something, since Jay didn’t exit the coliseum laden with weapons. But, based on what Akira had told him about spatial essence, this quiver could be worth more than any of the things inside it.

“Oh my god! A spatial quiver!” Akira grabbed the quiver off the table and leaned in, holding his eyes less than an inch away from the quiver’s shadowy insides. “How big is it? Is there an organisation system? How much would you sell it for?”

It took a few seconds of awkward silence, and the combined stares of the rest of the table, for Akira to sheepishly place the quiver back down. His enthusiasm was infectious however, and both twins looked expectantly at Jay as he reached into the quiver again.

“I’m not sure how big it is, but it’s at least big enough for me to wave my forearm around inside without hitting any walls. As for an organisation system, I instinctively know what’s inside the second I place my hand in there. I just focus, grab, and by the time I pull my hand out I’m holding the item.”

Jay pulled out the silver dagger to prove his point.

“This was Davad’s reserve weapon.” he said, cautiously placing it down next to everything else. “Do you know anywhere where I can learn about what all these things are?”

Vega picked the dagger up, twirling it around her fingers before shrugging and handing it to her sister.

“Tinker’s Avenue is probably your best bet. Or Hawker’s. I know a guy on Scholar’s that could do it for you too if you want. He’s a bit weird though, name’s Arlie.” Vega looked like she was about to give away more, but she stopped herself with a satisfied smirk.

Lyra carefully inspected the dagger, taking her time while furtively glancing at Akira. He seemed determined to wait patiently. Although, judging by the restless fidgeting, Jay didn’t know how long that would last.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“Not too sure either. If it was his last resort, it’s probably dangerous. Be careful.” Lyra gently placed the dagger back inside the quiver before nodding at Akira. “Now go ahead and pull out the sword, I think he’ll explode if you make him wait any longer.”

Jay chuckled and looked over at Akira, continuously nodding while desperately trying not to look desperate.

He placed his hand inside the quiver, focusing on the sword over the dagger, and pulled.

Jay had already seen the sword, but even he was surprised by its length as he pulled it from the makeshift sheath. He had to ask Lyra to pull the quiver away just to unsheathe it since he was backed into the corner.

The almost-black blade stretched closer to two metres than one, and the warm glow from the pillars shifted slightly green after it bounced off Ezekiel’s old weapon.

Remembering the replays of the Soulsnatcher’s fights, Jay made sure not to touch the edges as he handed Akira the sword.

“There you go mate. Sorry I made you stress over it.”

The pure elation across Akira’s face brought Jay as much relief as it did joy. The young samurai stood up, closing his eyes and gripping the handle with both hands. He launched into a string of positions barely a few metres from their table, whispering under his voice after he entered each one.

“HEY! No swords inside!” Florian yelled from across the room. Pointing at Akira with his left hand as he filled up a giant mug with his right. “If you want to test it out you can go up to the roof.”

Jay couldn’t imagine many bartenders on Earth needing to say that, but ‘No swords allowed.’ was probably standard fare among Arenara Fortunis taverns.

Akira sighed as he put the sword back down. He tried to look nonchalant, but his rebellious eyes betrayed him. He wanted to leave the tavern as soon as possible.

“You three can go up if you want.” Said Vega, uncharacteristically slumped in her seat. “I think I’ll stay down here.”

Akira only had eyes for his new sword, but both Jay and Lyra anxiously studied Vega.

“Are you okay?” Lyra asked.

“I’m fine. Just… Not really feeling it right now.”

Vega put on a brave front, although her empty smile wasn’t as convincing as her sister’s.

Jay nodded, sensing his friend wanted some time alone.

“We’ll be back down in a bit” said Lyra, keeping her wary eyes trained on her sister. “Go home if you’re not feeling it. We’ve got all afternoon… unless Jay wants to get straight back to work?”

Jay chuckled. Today’s calendar had ‘do absolutely nothing’ penned in. The fight hadn’t physically taken a toll on him, but he needed to decompress after the nonstop pace of the last few days.

“Yeah… Maybe.” Vega managed to return her sister’s look and give a slightly more honest smile.

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

From its base, the Second Chance Coliseum rose higher than Jay could ever imagine. He thought it might just be a trick of the eyes, an illusion designed to give the coliseum an extra bit of grandeur. Staring from the tavern’s rooftop, which had a small flat area with three tables and a smattering of chairs, Jay felt the same awe as each time he’d admired it from within the pavilion.

It rose beyond the atmosphere, piercing all clouds that dared challenge its ascension. Jay squinted at the spear of marble, but he could sooner spot stars in the midday sky than the top of the coliseum.

Jay withdrew his eyes from the coliseum and gazed over the red-brown roofs of Arenara Fortunis. He couldn’t spot the sea from here, the Celestial Swords was far too central, but he could see the large artery that was Reveller’s Avenue spanning from left to right. The rooftop lounge overlooked a few of the octant’s ravine-like alleyways, although Jay could only make out the top few stories before shadows shrouded the streets.

A flock of pigeons squawked and scattered as Akira launched into a rooftop kata. Jay wasn’t sure whether to laugh or gasp as the green-tinted blade narrowly missed one’s wing. The bird obliviously flapped its wings and flew over Jay’s head, seemingly unaware of its brush with death.

Close call buddy.

“So, do you have any idea how that shield works?” Lyra asked. It seemed she’d given up any hope of talking to Akira. Jay understood why as he began acrobatically jumping from rooftop to rooftop, scything his new sword in sweeping arcs.

“I felt something when I punched it mid-fight. Some sort of connection. I felt a similar thing when I first touched it in the post-fight room, but it’s been quiet since then. Hopefully it’ll start flying soon.”

“It needs to attune to you.” Said Lyra “The best magical items grow with their user, adapting to their personal essence over time. It’s still purging itself of Davad’s essence so it can embrace yours. Although, just like the dagger, you should probably get it checked out. Head over to Arlie’s down in Scholar’s in a few days and see what he has to say.”

Lyra also looked like she was holding in a smile.

What’s up with this Arlie guy?

“Will do. Hopefully it’s up and flying by next week.” Said Jay, looking down at his new shield.

Akira had the world’s largest shit-eating grin as he hopped back onto the Celestial Swords’ rooftop seating area. He deftly slid the sword into a loop by his waist, and practically skipped over to Lyra and Jay.

“Careful out there Mr. Parkour. Don’t want to nick yourself and get your soul snatched!” said Jay.

Akira laughed. Although right now he’d probably have laughed at anything Jay told him, regardless of how unfunny it was.

“No worries on that front. It’ll be at least a week before it attunes to me. But, since I’m the owner, the sword’s ability will probably change slightly. My soul’s gonna remain firmly within my own body, regardless of how badly I fuck up using this thing. Not that I’m gonna do anything like that of course. But I am gonna have to learn how to dual wield. I could just switch out my swords, but I don’t want to just leave Juryoku…”

Jay let Akira ramble on, nodding and damn bro-ing as his friend’s words barely breached the surface of his mind. He leaned on the sun-kissed stones, letting their warmth wash through him.

“What’re you gonna name your shield?”

Akira’s question cut through to Jay’s drifting mind. He hadn’t thought about a name yet.

“Does it really need a name?” Jay said, looking down at the blue tinged iron. “It’s just a shield.”

“Sure, if you wanna be boring! But where’s the Romance in that? If you want to have a connection with your weapon, it needs a name. If it doesn’t have one, then you get to make one. How about something cool, named after the gods like Loki, or Poseidon?”

Jay waited a few seconds, wondering whether Akira was serious, before responding.

“Maybe, but why would I choose those gods? It’s a lightning shield. Shouldn’t it be Thor, or Zeus?”

“That’s how you get them!” Said Akira, pointing to his forehead as if he’d just said the smartest thing in the world. “Your opponent walks into the coliseum thinking it’s an illusion, or water-based shield. Then BAM! Lightning!”

This guy…

“You might have to change your alias though.” Akira added after a moment of thought. “Kinda ruins the surprise.”

Akira continued about the importance of names, as well as the element of surprise. Even though Jay wasn’t particularly listening. Lyra’s polite nods kept him going, but Jay was more focused on his new shield.

It didn’t look like a Loki, or a Poseidon. Zeus might work, but Jay held out on a name until he came up with a better idea.

Eventually, Akira left. Retreating down into the tavern after realising his rambling was, if not strictly unwanted, somewhat unnecessary.

Lyra remained by Jay’s side. The pair leaned against the warm, sunlit stones in silence. Neither wanting to break the quiet ambiance. It wasn’t silent, being within a few hundred metres of Reveller’s Avenue meant the occasional scream and the more-than-occasional cheer of joy. But they enjoyed the peace, and didn’t let the occasional gust of wind or obnoxious pigeon disrupt their quiet.