"Gah!... Ha... I caught up!... I caught up?..." Rael slumped over as she propped her upper body on her knees. She shot her glance up to both Olicia and Bif. Bif had his arms crossed as he leaned against a tree. Olicia shook her head and sighed as she turned her head away.

"Yeah. We took a break to talk about some things. Figured we should wait for you to show up so Bitch here won't be so lonely." Bif didn't bother dignifying Rael or Olicia with his gaze.

"Ugh! Why would you say you're coming with us if you were going to ditch us?" Olicia placed her hands on her hips and slightly bent over towards Bif.

"I never said that. I said I was gonna follow you two to the city. Nothing more. Nothing less." Bif used his flat hand to slice through the air horizontally twice in order to emphasize himself.

"You are not doing this right now." Olicia shut her eyes and slapped her hand over her face.

"Doing what? Going on my own? Uh, yeah. I am." Bif chuckled as he pointed towards the city with his thumb.

"Do you even remember why we're going into the capital?" Olicia's hand dragged down her face at the pace of a snail.

"To go learn some things to get stronger. Duh." Bif shook his head and shrugged, a smug grin still sitting on his face.

"Uh-huh. Glad that part wasn't lost on you. We have a prime opportunity to learn from someone who's been doing this for way longer than us."

"Georgie!" Rael clapped her hands together with a beaming smile.

"Right. See. You two decided to learn from Air-head's pseudo-dad. Not me." Bif pointed back and forth between the bubbly Rael and the disgruntled Olicia.

"You-You don't even know what that means!" Olicia stepped forward and pressed her finger into Bif's chest.

"Yes I do!" Bif swatted her hand away, sporting a frown on his face with furled eyebrows. "Pseudo means "fake"... Or something like that."

"Fake dad? But he is my dad. I have his last name." Rael raised an eyebrow as she used a single finger to push a corner of her mouth up, pressing into her cheek.

"No, like. You look nothing like him... Like, you're adopted or something so he's not- Look, I don't have time to argue semansions-" Bif waved the two of them off as he started to step towards the city.

"It's "semantics"." Olicia gazed with contempt at the boy walking away.

"Yeah, whatever. Fuck off, Bitch." Bif threw up a middle finger casted back towards the two girls as he approached the gates of the capital.

"You know, this is going to end up turning out like the whole Magic thing again if you don't come learn with us." Olicia crossed her arms under her chest in a huff as she shook her head.

"Who said I wasn't going to be learning anything?" Bif stopped in his tracks. He didn't bother to turn around to address them. "You two picked your mentor. I have my own."

"Bu-Wha-... Why didn't you just say that to begin with?!" Olicia flailed her arms around as her brow furrowed and she gave an intense grimace.

"Do you really have to ask?" Rael leaned forward and locked eyes with Olicia, finger still pressed to her cheek.

"It's cause I love taking the piss outta you. You're an easy target." Bif twisted his head back and gave Olicia a coy grin. A coy grin that lit a small fury in her.

"Pf! Okay. W-what about Rael? How am I an easy target compared to her?" Olicia's grimace turned to a pout as she sighed.

"Air-head is... Well..." Bif rolled his eyes as he postulated the question posed to him. "She's too silly. If I tease her, she'll probably just agree with what I say and egg me on. That's not as fun for me. But you? Bitch, you take yourself too seriously."

"God..." Olicia rubbed her temples. "Whatever. Fine. Go away now, please."

"Heh-heh..." Rael covered her mouth to stifle her giggles.

"I don't need your permission, bitch. Now, I have a lady to track down..." Bif turned around and clapped his hands together. He rubbed his palms as he bit down on his bottom lip. He strutted away as he heard Olicia begin to enrage over his sly remark...

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"Aw man. How the hell am I supposed to find her?... It's been so many years." Bif scratched his head as crowds of moving people populated the roads and sidewalks ahead of him. He tried to peer through them to get a glimpse of the other side, but it was no use. Even with the constant shuffling, never did a clear path open. Though he knew most of the city like the back of his hand, finding one person among all of it seemed like a challenge. Then again, he knew her habits fairly well. Bif snapped his fingers and chuckled to himself.

"Duh! I know where she'll be..." Bif sped ahead to the first place that came to mind, shoving aside multiple people as they got in his way. He was shot angry glares and had expletives shouted at him as he continued to force his way through the city. Eventually, after some time, Bif managed to lead himself into one of the many back alleys of the city. Particularly, one of the routes that led to the old fighting square.

However, it wasn't just known for its small combat scene. It was also the center for an unregulated gambling hangout. And, Bif knew as much as anyone else, that the fighting was the main attraction for the gamblers in the first place.

And "unregulated" was the correct term for it. Though gambling was not illegal in Palmenae, there was a sector promoted by the government itself with rules, and then this sector which remained untouched by any laws. It was also considered the better and safer option in comparison to the sponsored alternative.

However, despite it being safer somehow than the promoted option, it often led to unruly and embarrassing sights that Bif witnessed regularly. And, as he moved from one alley to the other, he spotted a man walking in front of him, cursing under his breath.

"Thanks for the money, bro! Ha..." A voice mocked the retreating man, echoing farther down from where Bif stood. Obviously to Bif, someone just lost a little more than they should have bet in the first place. The man stopped in place and his hand twitched. Without any sort of indication, he threw his fist into the stone wall to the right of him with bundled fury. Bif reeled his head back slightly, though knowing how some people got, he hadn't expected someone to brazenly attack the wall.

"G-God-Goddammit!..." The man pulled the wrist of his punching arm to his chest. Bif whistled and sighed as he stared at the man's misshapen hand.

"Someone's got issues..." Bif blinked a few times in surprise and disappointment as he scooted his way past the man further into the alley. It was there he caught sight of the origin of the mocking words thrown out.

A dark-skinned man who looked fairly young, maybe only a few years older than Bif himself. He wore a black linen tunic with a "V"-shaped collar. Overtop of that, he sported a brick red jacket with diamond shaped stitching and a hood which sat lightly atop of his head. His white hair was still visible under the hood and his bangs sprouted out over top of his face. Some of his bangs were tightly held underneath a red headband sitting a few inches above his brow. He had thin, curvy eyebrows, and sharp scarlet-colored eyes. He had a small button nose, and his dark colored lips were thin and shaped in a way that seemed to always grin when resting. His face overall was thin and chin was sharp and pointed. And finally, Bif saw that his neck was adorned with jewelry. Necklaces, studded collars, and even rings sitting on his necklaces. Each finger of his hand held a different ring with a different gem. These gems all held some form of etchings overtop. The man also sported large, golden hooped earrings.

"Ay... Tryna make some easy money?" The man's sharp eyes drew Bif's attention before he had even spoken.

"What's the trick?" Bif knew the typical propositions professional gamblers threw out. The idea of an opening like this was to act like it was an errand or job. Then, he'd give the pitch of a game. Bif knew as well as anyone who's hung around this area enough that, once someone listens to the pitch regardless of what they originally intended, they are more likely to fall for the scheme.

Despite that he's never seen this man before, Bif made out all the hallmarks of a master trickster on sight. The only real difference being that it seemed he liked to wear his wealth. The key thing here was that Bif understood he was a trickster, knew he had a trick, and knew he was aiming to finesse him of his money... But, unfortunately for his own instincts and wallet, Bif loved gambling.

"Trick? Brother, I assure ya, there is no trick. And even if there were, it ain't like I'd tell ya." The man swung his arms out with his palms raised. The wood chair he sat on creaked a bit as he leaned forward over his table. "So... Interested? How much money you got?"

"Uh... Damn... How much do I have?" Bif had wised up a tad after the last time he got money. Instead of blowing it all immediately, he put around half of his contract gold into a bank. After all, that coliseum wasn't going to purchase itself. He took a gander at the small leather bag in his pocket... "About a hundred."

"Damn small fry... I guess we can play dice." The man rolled his eyes and outstretched his arms as he leaned back.

"Small fry? Do you see these pythons?" Bif scoffed as he curled his left arm up and flexed as hard as he could. His muscles bulged and twitched as the definition of them grew more intense. His veins practically popped out of his own arm.

"Talking about your wallet, man... I guess your brain now too." The man sat with his lips curled into an expression of contempt.

"Pf." Bif lowered his arm and mean-mugged the man as he strode over to the chair. Bif yanked the opposite chair out from under the table and plopped down in it. He yanked the small leather bag from his pocket and plopped it on the table. "Dice. Now."

"Aight aight... Let me get it." The man pushed against the bottom left corner of his mouth with his tongue as he finished speaking. He sighed and bent over, grabbing an open box beneath his feet and placing it on the table.

The box was an even square shape and inside sat four dice with twenty sides each. This was the standard dice game played all over. Each player started by rolling two dice. Then took turns rolling any amount of the dice from one to four of them. It was a "bet" to roll more dice, thus each roll cost money. The numbers rolled were tallied up. The goal was to either roll sixty in total, or as close to it as possible. If you rolled over sixty, you automatically lose. The player who rolls the closest or rolls a sixty wins.

"Alright, bro. Who goes first?" The man leaned forward once again, this time putting his elbows on the table and intertwining his fingers in front of his mouth.

"You. I like knowing what it takes for me to win. Also, twenty-five gold per… Sounds good?" Bif locked eyes with the man as he grabbed two of the dice and sat them to the side of the box. He then grabbed the other two twenty-sided dice and rolled them around in the palm of his hand.

"Fine. Let's see..." The man shifted his eyes to look up as he continued to shake up the dice in his hand. Then, he rolled them out by opening up his hand and letting them tumble off of his palm. They landed in the box and sporadically jolted around before finally stopping... A nineteen and seventeen. "Thirty-six. Your turn..."

"Let's go!" Bif scooped up the thrown dice and clasped his hands together, shaking them about. Then, without any more wait, threw them out... Seven and Eleven. "Huh..."

"Eighteen. Not bad. Let's see. Think I'll just use one here..." The man pinched one of the dice and set it outside of the box. He then grasped the other and rotated his wrist while holding it like before. With a quick release, the dice shimmied and floundered all over the board... Twenty. "Oo... Damn boy! Beat that! Fifty-six total!"

"Fuck!... Okay. Let's do three!" Bif knew he would have to roll extremely high for this to work against him. While he didn't care about the actual math itself, he was a high-risk person who wouldn't hesitate to throw it all on the line. The man stifled a laugh and turned his gaze away. He took the three dice and rolled them all about in his hand... Five, nineteen, and fifteen... Bif ogled the results as he brought his fingers up to do the math. "Fifty-five... Fifty-six... Fifty-seven... Fifty-seven! Alright! You're in trouble now, bud!"

"Huh?... Where did you get fifty-seven from?" The man refocused on the game and smirked.

"Look! Five, nineteen, fifteen... That makes... thirty-nine! That plus my eighteen is fifty-seven. Look at it and weep!" Bif crossed his arms and relaxed against the back of his chair, despite its painful creaks.

"Hey. Look, I hate to break the enthusiasm. That aint no five. Brother, that's a two." The dark-skinned man broke into a small, contained laughing fit. He snorted as he pointed right down to that very same die. Bif was taken aback. There was no way he misread the result... Was there? It clearly was a two... But that wasn't what Bif rolled. At least, he didn't think so.

Bif knew that an upside down two/five looked very similar to each other... But they also looked weird that way too. But, it looked like a perfectly normal five to him. Was this some sort of trick? Was this actually the trick?

"W-what?..." Bif's left eye twitched as he narrowed his gaze down on the dice.

"So, you ain't one ahead of me. You are two behind. And, I'm gonna hold. C'mon, small fry. Pay up. You lose." The man gave a sly open mouth smile as he held out his right hand. He beckoned with his hand.

"No way!" Bif swiped the die and observed all the sides... Bif didn't hear the die move or feel it on the table. So, the only thing he could think of was that it was magically tampered with. But, despite that theory, he had no answer looking at the other sides. They were all normal, and he couldn't sense the presence of any magic.

"C'mon bro. Let's not be sore losers... That is, unless you're gonna try to roll again." The man shrugged his shoulders with one of the widest smiles Bif had ever seen. Bif was astonished. How did he get it so wrong? But now, he was just angry.

"Fuck it!" Bif took out two dice. He placed the two-resulted die specifically upright outside of the box while disregarding the other. He picked up the remaining one. He had to roll between a three and six in order to win. Bif launched the die from his hand after a short bout of shaking... Thirteen. "Fuck!"

"Pf-Damn brother. Costly mistake... Aight. Pay up. That's three rolls, so seventy-five gold." He held out his hand once again. Bif relented and resisted. Despite how fair it looked, he felt cheated. Bif sighed, slowly reaching for his bag and beginning to count out the gold...

It took a few minutes, but a total of seventy-five gold was awarded to the fellow gambler by Bif.

"Aha... Well. I'd love to hang 'round ya and take some more of your money... But I got some more loose wallets to take advantage of. See ya, small fry." The man kicked up from his seat onto his feet. He jingled around the newfound coin in his pocket before strutting off in the direction Bif was originally going too...

"Pf... Fuck me..." Bif rolled his eyes as he planted his forward on the table. He sat motionless like that for a few more minutes until there was no one with him in the alley. Bif felt so incredibly stupid. He just couldn't help himself. Still, at least he had some money left. He planted his hands on the table and used the leverage to push himself up. After all, he still had a lady to find. He pulled away from the table and sought to move to the square. As he took his first step, he side-eyed the die... Five... Five!

"What?!" Bif shot to the side and put his eye inches away from the surface of the die. That was clearly a five. He plunged his hand and yanked the die off the table... No magic... "You have to be fucking kidding me..."

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"Boom! Rah!... Ha-ha-hah!" A woman slammed the backhand of her opponent onto the table below their arms. The woman had dark blue eyes and stringy black hair put back in a ponytail. Her skin had a slightly tanned color. Her face was pleasant looking even with spots of dirt all over and with only a few noticeable wrinkles. Her eyebrows were thin and pointed. Her lips were short but plump. Aside from the sudden outburst, her resting face seemed to be one of calmness and ease. She wore a brown leather coat and gray pants along with a pair of boots.

The man across from her who had their hand slammed into the table yanked their appendage away and rubbed it. He got up without saying a single word and stepped away from the table. The woman giggled to herself as she wrapped one of her arms around the small gold pile on his side of the table where he sat and scooped it up towards her own. The two piles merged, making a large sum of money just sitting on the table.

"Who's next?" She used her other hand to project her voice outwards, putting it up to the side of her mouth.

"I got-"

"Me." Bif pulled the man walking up to the table back by the collar of his tunic and tossed him backwards. Bif took the seat and planted his right elbow on the table.

"Woah-oh... Confident, are we?" The woman matched his energy and put her right arm on the table as well. They locked hands and stood still. Their eyes met... "Ahem..."

"Oh. Right." Bif used his free arm to grab for his coin bag. He plopped it onto the table and got back into position.

"Better. Ref!" The woman glanced over to a man who rushed up to the table and clasped his hands around their interlocked ones.

"Ready?..." The referee turned his head between Bif and the woman... They both nodded. He pulled his hands off of theirs. "Go!..."

The small crowd around their table went loud as they both put their might to the test against each other. The arm wrestling competition had begun. Bif and the woman stared at each other without wavering. Their hands and arms struggled against each other and shook. The force behind each of them was so intense that it seemed to thicken the air around them. Neither could make the other budge an inch.

"You're pretty strong. Do I know you from somewhere?" The woman smirked with her white teeth showing as a drop of sweat trickled down her face.

"Stop playing around. You know exactly who I am. I've known you for years..." Bif narrowed his intensity onto her.

"Hm. Is that right?"

"I tracked you down to ask for help."

"Okay okay... Here’s how it is. If you win... I will help you. If not, you go screw off."

"Sounds good to me."

"I wasn't asking. Now, let's kick it up a notch."

The table began to show signs of damage with slight cracks erupting from the center. Bif's eye twitched as the force the woman put out seemed to double... No, triple. Her hand grew to a blazing hot temperature, urging Bif to let go. But, he wouldn't falter. A little heat wasn't going to stop him.

Bif returned the favor as the temperature of his own hand dropped drastically. The woman's face took a surprised look as Bif gritted his teeth. He began to make headway as he forced her arm to start going down. However, despite that her hand was only a few inches away from defeat now, Bif couldn't seem to ride it all the way to victory. The deafening screams of excitement were overwhelming. Bif wanted to give meaning to those cheers, but no matter how much more force he applied, she wouldn't budge.

Then, the script was completely reversed. In the blink of an eye, Bif found himself almost nearing defeat. It was so fast it startled him. Bif was hardly able to even put up a last second defense. The crowd's cheering stopped at the drop of a needle. Bif strained with all his might, but the sudden shift left him too dazed and unbalanced. The back of his hand hit the table and it was all over...

"I'll be taking that. Yoink." The woman grabbed Bif's gold bag with glee and began to stuff all of her previous winnings into it. "Alright. Now scram."

"Right..." Bif had let his hand sit there in defeat as he bowed his head. He took a deep breath as he lifted himself from the chair. He didn't want to face the crowd or the woman. Bif meandered aside with his gaze centered on his feet. He hid his hands in his pockets and walked away from the table.

"That means all of you! I'm cashing out for the day!" The woman jumped up from her chair and stuffed the bag inside her jacket. This was much to the dismay of the entire crowd who began to boo her and throw insults. "Yeah yeah! I don't wanna hear it from a bunch of chumps!"

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"What do I do now?... This was a total waste of time and I'm basically broke." What Bif had thought to himself was merely a coping mechanism of distracting himself from the true reason he was upset. As he continued to dwell on his disappointment, he suddenly felt a stinging smack across his face. He reflexively curled up his fist and raised his head to pummel whoever was in front of him, but completely froze when he saw that woman again.

"Hey. Stop your fucking moping." The woman giggled to herself, delighting in the shock to the boy. "You wanted my help, right?"

"I lost... It doesn't matter." Bif uncurled his fist and rubbed the slapped side of his face.

"It was just a fun little game. And a way to get us away from the crowd. Do you really think I would leave you behind, Bif?" The woman worked her own hand underneath Bif's and held his cheek.

"No... It's just been so long. I just thought you didn't remember me." Bif's face turned a slight red as his one weakness surfaced.

"Heh. No, I most certainly remember you. After all, it was you who continued to remember me..." Her hand slid down his face with a gentle easiness that continued to make Bif's face flushed. "Now. What sort of help could this old woman provide to you?"

"I-... I... I still remember that one fight. From all that time ago... I-" Bif's usually casual and confident demeanor was nowhere to be seen as he suddenly found himself cut off by the woman.

"Ah-ah-ah." The woman put her index finger up to Bif's lips and silenced him immediately. She pulled her finger away and stepped back. Turning to walk away, she held her hand out behind her and made a grabbing motion. "Come."

Bif took a deep breath, trying to calm himself and show no signs of fluster. He reached forward, going for her hand... But, she grabbed him by his wrist instead and began to drag him forward. Bif had no option but to follow in suit as he nearly fell over from being dragged along.

Ducking into an alleyway and being pulled along across a multitude of streets, it wasn't long before they reached a quieter sector of the city. Not a particularly rich area, but not poor either. Compared to the other areas, the bustle and hustle was maybe around twenty people at a time. The woman let go of Bif's hand, and reached into her pocket. She pulled out a small silver key and walked up to the door of the house they stopped in front of. The house itself was a single story as far as he could tell, and could hardly be differentiated from between the rest of the houses. The creaked open the door and gestured for him to walk in.

Bif took slow, methodical steps into the house with the sort of respect he rarely afforded anyone else besides Lylas's grandparents. It was a small, homely living space. A kitchen, living room, bathroom, and bedroom. The door shut behind him as the woman crossed her arms and leaned against one of the nearby walls.

"What's with you? You look totally off kilter."

"I don't know. I guess I expected something bigger and more luxurious looking. I know you made a fortune." Bif turned and locked eyes with the woman.

"Yeah, but I also gambled a lot of it away. Here. Let's go downstairs where no one will see or hear us." The woman reached over to a painting a few inches away from her. Lifting it up slightly with one hand, Bif heard some sort of mechanism activate. Directly behind him, a set of stairs made themselves visible after some floorboards shifted and pulled away. "After you."

Bif sighed and walked down the staircase. Each wooden board that made a step seemed to creak endlessly. Still, it was only a few of them. Bif eventually set foot onto hard ground. The ceiling of this room, which was also the floor of the main room, seemed to hang around nine feet high. The floor was a mixture of hard stone and concrete. The woman followed in tow. The floorboards covered the staircase once again, and they were put into total darkness. Bif heard a snap, and suddenly, the room was lit by a series of warm, red flames. There were stone pillar support beams scattered all over the room, each one holding a small candle.

"If you wanna see my fortune. Take a look at the grate over here." The woman was now standing over top of a black metal piece with long rectangular holes. Bif put himself at her side and peaked over to look straight down. With the fluttering of a flame, he could see the tinge of pieces of gold, gems, and other jewelry.

"Wow... I thought you said you g-" He stopped when he heard the sound of crashing metal. Slowly peeking his gaze up, he saw the woman emptying the brown leather bag of all of its contents, littering the area below the grate with even more money than before.

"Hehe. It's all my winnings..." She dropped the bag, letting it fall into the grate after emptying it.

"There goes my money too... Great."

"You're right, Bif. That is a grate."

"You know. Maybe this was a bad idea-"

"No-no-no... Bif. Sweetheart, what do you need? I'm only messing around." The woman grabbed at Bif's shoulders and held him still.

"I-... Stop. I can't think straight when you're doing that." Bif swiped the woman's arms off of his shoulders.

"Oh my. What happened to you? You used to be so full of bravado when talking to me. You would come up to me with that mask I gave you and tell me about how cool you thought I was, and how you wanted to be like me... And even after that real bad match... You still approached me and proclaimed you still loved me even if I was a "magic-using bitch"." The woman put her hands together and rested them on the right side of her head as she reminisced.

"Well... You still were The Prime Owl back then. I was starstruck." Bif had made a horrible excuse for his real feelings. Guilt. He still remembered what he said to Olicia and Avures after losing that sparring match to Rael. Even though she had no way of knowing, it lingered in his mind. But his appreciation for her never did truly fade. And, thanks to them, Bif had found himself able to forgive The Prime Owl even if it was a prideful gamble.

"That's right... I suppose I've abandoned that name and life altogether. I couldn't keep being that character after that one match for much longer... And I especially couldn't be her now considering I'm not "Prime" anymore." She chuckled as her expression seemed to drop. "I suppose I'm just an old woman to you now."

"No. You're just as beautiful as you were the first time I saw you." Bif's eyes were focused on the floor. He placed his right hand over top of his heart.

"Oh. Bif... You're such a sweet boy. But I'm almost forty. I'm much too old for someone like you."

"That's never mattered to me. Do you remember how I told you I would marry you someday?"

"And do you remember how I said only if you could beat me in a fight?"

"Of course... To be honest, that's always been my biggest motivation... That and the love of battle you instilled into me." Bif raised his head to look the woman in the eyes once more. "I want to defeat The Prime Owl."

"Well. You'll have to settle for defeating an old lady named Eve... I'm not exactly the real deal anymore. Time caught up to me fast..." She gave Bif a soft smile as she crossed her arms under her chest.

"Eve... So, that's always been your name?"

"You never knew. No one had. To be honest, Bif. There's a lot of things you don't know about me. Does it make you feel special? Or does it make you realize that you might find out something you don't like about me?"

"Neither. It makes me want to learn more."

"Oh... Listen. I'm not sure if this is meant to be... You are most certainly going to outlive me. I don't want to leave you broken. And since I don't really fight anymore, I can't give you that condition... How about this? I'll give you new conditions. And if you pass them... Then, and only then, will I consider giving you a chance." Eve took one of her hands out and tapped her cheek with a single finger repeatedly. She turned her gaze towards the ceiling as she tried to think. "Seems like a lot of work for an old woman like me, huh? Not so interested now, are you?-Huh?"

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"Whatever you wish for, I shall provide." Bif was now only mere inches away from her on a single knee. His head was bowed and a single arm rested on his other knee.

"Whoa! Calm down... How about we discuss these conditions later? You came to me for help, right? Was it for actual help, or did you come here to try and woo me?" Eve giggled as she took a single step backwards.

"Actual help... Maybe both... Look." Bif rose back up to both of his feet and began to stretch out. "The more I thought about it. The more I realized you had always used magic in your fights."

"Correct."

"It became an unavoidable fact. One that I was angry about, but I've come to understand. But I don't understand what the hell kind of magic it was."

"So... You wanna learn what made me nearly unstoppable?" Eve closed her eyes and placed her hands on her waist.

"If it's something I can't learn because of types or Elements or whatever I won't bother... But you're the first person I wanted to go to for advice since I trust your word the most." Bif cracked his knuckles. He also had his Manadrosis still working against him to some degree. Although, with how much progress he's made with expanding his usage of Magic, it wasn't as limiting as before.

"Oh-ho... No need to worry about that. Anyone can learn this with enough training... Well. That is. The extreme amount of hard work it takes. Mostly in keeping one's body in complete shape." Eve pulled one arm out of the sleeve of her leather coat and threw it off to the side. Beneath it sat a white linen shirt, loosely fitting overtop of her. "I might be old... But..."

"Hey hey!... I don't know if this is-" Bif put his hands over his eyes, refusing to look at anything. He heard a small shuffling from in front of him. No doubt, she removed that shirt too...

"Oh calm down. Take a look."

Bif sighed and took a deep breath as he peeled his hands away from his face and opened his eyes...

Immediately, Bif's eyes had been drawn towards her chest by his male instincts... But, he was at least somewhat alleviated seeing how she had gray bandage wraps tightly wrapped overtop of her breasts. With that out of the way, he observed her entire upper body.

Her shoulders and arms were extremely muscular and defined. Despite her small size and feminine figure, she was very lean and built. Her arms threw him off the most. Even compared to the stronger women he had seen like Rael, Olicia, and Grula... None of them were as shredded and low in body fat as her, even by a glance. Her pectorals and collarbone stuck out, looking quite solid. Her abdomen and stomach area were devoid of any unnecessary fat, instead, she had a surprisingly visible six-pack of abs. Taking a stroll around her, Bif noticed that her back-side also held the same level of physical stature and care.

But aside from the obvious dedication put into maintaining her health and body, Bif noticed something that shook him to his core. Deep, abhorrently large scars that seemed to span all over her upper body. It was rare for him to feel so... Guilty and sorrowful. The scars all had different unique shapes and were strewn all about. But the more thought he gave it...

"I'm sure you get it by now, so I won't take off my pants despite how much you might like it. If I ever seemed invincible or unstoppable to you, that was never the case. I was just really good at hiding my flaws..." Eve's attitude seemed to drop as her smile faded out. Bif was left speechless as he observed the body of his hero... "This is from a lifetime of double-edged fighting and a routine that was only doable when I was still in my prime."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I was able to use a great power to win fights. But, when I got hurt... It was bad... Wounds left a much deeper impact on me, and though I could sustain attacks that would normally prove fatal through this ability's own drawback, it permanently scarred me and left me with near irreparable damage." Eve dragged a finger overtop of her skin, pointing out each individual scar she could on her stomach.

"And it's this ability you want to teach me?"

"Eh. Only half of it. It's a two-part ability. I learned about it from an old wise-man who's long dead by now. He called it "The Principles of Flourish". It's a power that requires you to be fully dedicated to the total care and well-being of your body."

"Wait. Why only half of it?" Bif crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

"There are two parts: "The Movement of Speed", and "The Movement of Power". Using both Movements can be extremely dangerous. If it goes wrong, you can end up like me... Or worse." Eve placed one hand over her collarbone, and another flat on her stomach. "Besides. I'm a lot better at the Movement of Speed than I am the other. That's the one I'll teach you. There's only one person I know of who's mastered the other..."

"Well. As much as I'd like both... I'll take whatever you can teach me. Where do we start?" Bif pounded his fists together as he locked eyes with Eve. She smiled.

"You've already experienced it first-hand once. But, I want to show you again while you're aware of it. Lock hands with me." Eve raised her right arm and held the palm of her hand out towards Bif. Her fingers were spread apart, waiting for Bif to follow. He did so with a slight bit of hesitation. As far as he observed in the moment, he couldn't find a noticeable difference in how she was a moment ago. Their fingers were interlocked... "Now, try to push forward like you're playing Uncle."

"Um. Okay..." Bif was still very distracted by the body of his hero in both ways. By the way she seemed to remain shirtless, and by how she implied that she wanted him to notice something different. If anything, he gave a half-hearted attempt as he pushed against her arm and wrist, trying to bend them backwards...

Then everything was different.

It happened so fast that Bif hardly had a moment to process. It was like before with arm wrestling. It was as fast as a single blink... No, faster. He felt a single tiny instance of opposing force. Then, he was pushed against a wall. His back was pressed against the stone walls and his arm was raised up with her own. She was on top of him, not giving him any room to breathe as she overpowered him.

"Did you see it?" Eve had a playful smile sitting on her face. As Bif's face grew much redder than she had ever seen. In fact, Bif knew he'd be downright embarrassed if anyone else ever saw him like this.

"Hey-Look... Can you... Back up? Maybe put your shirt back on too?" Bif closed his eyes and turned his head away. He could feel the direct warmth and heat coming off of her body.

"Hm... Fine. But tell me, did you see it?" Eve dropped her grip on Bif's hand and stepped back. She turned around to grab her shirt and jacket as the boy recovered by taking deep breaths.

"I saw... Something. Kinda like an aura. It was there for a moment... Then gone." Bif moved off of the wall and wiped off his face with his hand. "I have no clue what it was or how it worked."

"That was the Movement of Speed. Force isn't just about how strong you are, but how fast you are too. Let me think of how to explain what it is..." Eve put her shirt overtop of herself and grabbed her leather coat. While she was buttoning it up, the explanation came to her. "If there is a delay in how fast we can act... Or a wall that blocks how quickly we can move while in motion... It pushes back that limitation depending on your size and weight."

"Uh... So, is it like... An improvement in speed? Or reactions?" Bif crossed his arms as he darted his eyes off to the side, trying his hardest to think.

"Basically. It's not the outright speed that makes it special though. It's the fact that it lets you do other things faster. Like punching. And it's through only unlocking an inhibitor at a basic level."

"I understood about half of those words in the last sentence."

"It breaks your normal limits."

"Oh!... Okay. I get it." Bif uncrossed his arms and looked down at them. The way he visualized it, he imagined it like punching but with a faster wind-up and follow-up. "Wait. How is it based on size and weight?"

"Easy. The smaller and lighter you are, the more you can move around using it. It wouldn't work very well on someone who doesn't take as good care of themselves and who is hefty. But for you?..." Eve put her hand on her chin as she inspected Bif. She waltzed over and poked him in his arms, chest, and abdomen. Bif had a mix of embarrassment and curiosity as to what she was doing. "You're kinda bulky..."

"Well. I do work out..." Bif made a point to flex his body as he exhaled loudly. He even pointed his arms diagonally up and to the left, reeling back his right one in a sort of showman pose.

"It seems you do take care of yourself..." Eve rolled her eyes and gave Bif a quick jab to the stomach, causing him to bend over and catch his breath. "The Movement of Speed might not be too useful for you."

"Eh? Whaddya mean? Don't tell me you won't teach me..." Bif frowned as he clutched where Eve had knocked the wind out of him.

"I could explain to you exactly how it works, but I don't think you'd get it. I'll still teach it to you... But I-"

"I might not be smart. But I am not dumb." Bif crossed his arms in a huff, eyeing Eve as she darted her eyes off to the side.

"Hm... Okay." Eve shrugged and smiled as she cleared her throat. "The Movement of Speed is an aura conducted by your body by fusing Flow and Mana. You go to the Academy, so you should know what that is and means. This aura, when used by the Movement of Speed, constricts and compresses your body. It kinda feels like you're being squeezed all over. It can be used up to three levels. Each level past the first tries to smother you harder than the last. But, the purpose of it is two-fold. The aura exerts total control over all bodily functions, allowing you to accelerate or decelerate your entire body at will. The aura also eliminates outside factors from impacting your speed like gravity and wind. The harder it can compress you, the more impact it has at a basic level."

"Well... You were kinda right. I'm a little lost." Bif scratched his head and cringed as he released an awkward laugh. "But... From what I'm getting, you're saying I could probably never be as good as you at it."

"Right. At the most simple level, my usage of it will always be better than yours. But, it isn't just about the speed. The ability to control your body down to the very basic level is powerful. Even if you don't make full use of it, things like your five senses will be totally enhanced."

"So... What's the drawbacks?" Bif dropped his arms to his side. Though her coat and shirt were back on, Bif couldn't forget the scars on her. "It won't change my mind. But I wanna know."

"Using it too much will disrupt your body completely. Things like digestion, recovery, and even your own heartbeat can be thrown out of rhythm. Earlier, when I said you would outlive me, it's not just because I'm twenty-some years older than you... It's also because the Movement of Speed has ruined my natural cycle... I only have maybe a few years left in this world..." Any sort of spark or light that may have lingered in Eve's eyes died with a whimper as she seemed to stare past Bif. "It's my own fault though."

"I think I get it. The reason you always seemed invincible... Even when I saw you get cut or stabbed..." Bif remained frozen as he watched Eve's eyes dart away from his assessment. "I might not fully get it. But when you say you can control your whole body...-"

"Yeah. If I ever got a serious wound, I slowed down the rate it would cause me to bleed. Because of how long I would hold it like that, it left those permanent scars on me. It's the main reason I don't have much time left..."

"Right... I had no clue it was that bad..."

"I can't say I haven't lived a fun life though." The life seemed to return to Eve's eyes as she sighed and eyed Bif. "Being The Prime Owl, I was able to inspire a lot of young kids and give em something to cheer for."

"Whoa hey! Stop talking like you're dead already!" Bif threw his arms out to the side. He then brought his hands to his face and slid them down as he sighed. "God..."

"Oh... Hah. Right. I still need to teach you this I guess. Just promise me you won't be as reckless with it as I was... Alright?" Eve put her right hand into a fist and raised it up.

"It isn't just that. I'm gonna make you as happy as I can, even if you only have a few years left... So give me your conditions!" Bif curled his hand into a fist as his fierce gaze locked with Eve's.

"You shouldn't let yourself be this attached to me. You should find someone your age to-" Eve heard Bif give a single disapproving grunt and knew he wouldn't stand for any sort of suggestion like that. "Heh... Bif, you're so silly yet hard-headed. How about this? I promise to come up with some conditions later. But you have to promise me that you won't be reckless with this ability now. And, in return, I'll give you the best demonstration of it that I can..."

"Alright!... But I'm holding you to it!..." Bif bumped his fist against Eve's own, and formed their pact...

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"I'm still being watched?... This presence doesn't feel like anyone I've met..." Meius walked into a square that seemed too preoccupied with themselves and wasting money than paying attention to him, yet couldn't shake the stalker on his back.

"Is this place good to further discuss it?" Kataline had her head held to the side in a lazy manner as she sighed with great boredom.

"I suppose if I was being followed and spied on... It would most likely be by Academy staff... Meaning Zen or Grula most likely still completely distrust me... Regardless, what I have to say to Avura isn't anything that needs to be hidden from them for the sake of a smooth operation..." Meius meandered over to the nearest wall he could find and leaned against it.

"Hello? Is anyone home? Usime?" Kataline leaned over in front of Meius and waved her hand in front of his face.

"Don't call me that in public." Meius swatted down her hand without hesitation.

"Jeez... Not a big fan of your cult name I see..." Kataline rubbed her wrist as she joined Meius against the wall.

"Have some wit about you. You're no better than Korkolo..." Meius crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

"Hey hey. C'mon. I can't be that bad..."

"You're right. After all, even with all this attention on me, he's the only reason I can't feel good about any of this." Meius stared with a blank expression towards the stone pavement below him. "I might be acting a bit paranoid, but I'm starting to think it might have been a mistake to make him a part of the circle."

"What makes you say that? I remember you saying he was a useful tool."

"Was... Well, it was more about the fact that I could indirectly control him pretty well. But with this artifact stuff, I might lose my grip on him if I don't take action upon success. Especially since I'm forcing him to withhold violence. He still thinks I'm trying to resurrect Ozix... It's a fine line between stalling for time and giving him small victories... But the moment he wises up, the facade is over and I lose control..."

"So, do you want me to try and force a failure? Maybe I break the artifact? Or, maybe I just kill him?" Kataline turned her head to await an answer from Meius. He stood there motionless for a few moments before shaking his head.

"No. Any of us breaking the artifact will immediately turn him against us. And as for killing him... Even if I thought you could, Avura, it would only serve to destroy my hold over the cult. I wouldn't be able to control them anymore considering Korkolo is the reason I've been able to put them on a leash anyways..."

"Damn... Then what do we do?"

"You have your orders. Keep Korkolo in line. I have to keep making contingency plans for this whole thing. I can't have anything fall out of place while I'm setting up the rest of the dominoes. Otherwise, it'll all fall apart... Truth be told, the best case scenario is that Avures Kovar destroys the artifact or even kills Korkolo... The difference in him killing Korkolo versus you is that it would paint someone discernably as an enemy, and show Korkolo as incompetent. If you did it, it would be a mystery figure and could be attributed to me. In general, they wouldn't support me as hard. That's how I see it..."

"Hm. Maybe."

"I doubt Avures can kill Korkolo. But I think he's aware of his past. The first thing that will most likely happen is that he'll figure out what's going on there immediately. Beyond that, one of two things will occur. One: He will play along and pretend to be clueless up until the last moment, and then destroy the artifact. Two: Avures will refuse to help and be noncompliant, forcing Korkolo to have to force it out of him. Maybe Avures still finds a way to destroy the artifact. Regardless of your mysterious animosity towards this kid, should he come to destroy the artifact or attack Korkolo, you are to indirectly support him to make sure he doesn't die. Hell, even directly support him if it is needed. Although at that point, a large area of my setup does fall apart... Still, it's what needs to be done. That's an order to go along with the original one."

"I won't be happy about it... But I guess I'll do it..." Kataline crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Pf. I'm not doing that."

"Great. Anyways. I have a m-... Huh..." Meius lifted his head up, aiming to get moving when he saw a particularly odd sight ahead of him. A kid with long light-blue hair... That being Bif, some woman, and a dark-skinned man Meius personally knew. "Why is Trezz in the city?... And why is he taunting one of the students?... Well, actually, I have a pretty good idea as to why..."

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"Back again to lose some more money? Man. Lucky for you brother, I got a game for dip shits like ya." Trezz's massive confidence oozed out as he grinned ear to ear. He gestured to three cups in front of him that sat on his small wood table. "I know I know... Counting numbers must be pretty hard for ya, but this should be perfect. Can ya count to three? I gotta ask cause I'm not so sure ya can."

"You motherfucker! I'll kick your ass!" Bif lost his cool within a moment and began to storm to the table. But, Eve put her arm in front of him... Bif looked off to the side and huffed. He took a step back and allowed Eve to take a seat at the table.

"Aw man. Did ya go crying to momma?

"Nope. I'm here to play. How's this for a bet?" Eve reached into her leather coat. Pulling out her closed fist, she placed it on the table and then opened it up, letting the item she held leave her grasp. "Got anything to match?"

"Oh... Shit..." Trezz's eyes went wide, his brow furrowed, and his breaths became heavy as he saw the jewelry Eve put on the table. He felt a bead of sweat trickle down his face. "No way this bitch just pulled this out... Who the hell is she to just bet this?... Pristine golden chain, soft triangular socket with pre-Palmenae inscriptions and etchings, and a three inch diameter ruby gemstone!... If that is the legit Hema's Pendant... I-"

"Hey!..." The snapping of Eve's fingers broke Trezz from his trance-like state. She settled back into her seat and crossed her arms. "What's the issue?"

"My bad. Let me just check it real quick... If that's okay?" Trezz hovered his hands above the necklace. With a nod from Eve, he gently lifted the jewelry and eyed the gem closer... "T-that's definitely Hema's Pendant! Does she not know or does she not care?... This is something I've been wanting for a while..."

"Well?"

"Hm... How's this?" Trezz laid the pendant back onto the table as he reached into his red coat... Suddenly putting his hand flat on the table, he peeled away his appendage to reveal two platinum coins...

"Oh damn. Sure, sounds good to me." Eve shrugged and nodded, sealing the bet in.

"Great... Let's get started, shall we?" Trezz was almost taken aback by how easily she agreed. Two platinum coins were worth two-thousand gold coins. As a collector's item... Hema's Pendant was easily valued at twenty platinum, or twenty-thousand gold.

Without any further hesitation, Trezz placed a small, gray ball on the table. The surface of the ball had a slight reflective quality which was quickly swallowed up by a plain brown cup being placed overtop of it. With two more duplicate cups being placed on the table, that made for a total of three. The game was set.

"Watch closely, Bif..." Eve squinted her eyes as her focus narrowed down onto the cups sitting in front of her.

"Right... She wants me to watch her, not the cups..." Bif kept his eyes peeled on Eve...

"I'm all about putting on a fun little show from time to time... But, I'm playing for keeps on this one... No going easy..." Trezz interlocked his hands and pushed out, stretching his arms and cracking his fingers. Pulling them apart and back to the cups, he timed himself up... "Three... Two... One... Go!..."

Any passer by and spectator was instantly left in the dust as far as any ocular tracking went. The moment Trezz's mental timer went off, he got to work. The motion made his hands resemble a blurred mess.The speed at which he was able to shuffle the cups around made them practically invisible as far as anyone could tell.

However, even with this display of spectacular movement and hand-coordination, Eve remained unfazed. Bif watched her closely... And he saw it. That same aura from before. A dark green that ebbed and flowed at a controlled pace as it constrained her body. It was subtle. To anyone who hadn't been aware of it, they wouldn't have been able to spot it at all. The aura shrunk, scaling down and migrating to only her eyes. It was at that moment Bif understood exactly what was happening...

As the aura covered her eyes, Eve's perception of Trezz's movements equaled out. Just as much as he could accelerate his movements, so could Eve accelerate her sense of vision to match it. Trezz's hand moved in slow motion...

Left and right switched. Middle and right switched. Middle cup lifted so the ball was momentarily exposed, only for the left cup to swoop over and cover it again as it exchanged spots. Middle and left switched. Then, he lifted the left cup and kicked the ball with it into the right sleeve of his coat... It would then roll out the left sleeve of his coat and slide under the right cup after he lifted it. Finally, sitting the cups down again, he ended by switching the right and middle cups...

"Good luck. Unfortunately for you, I'm kinda like a master w-"

"Middle."

"Well. Sorry to say, but you lose. It's actually this one..."

Bif's vision was plastered to the table as Trezz lifted the middle cup... Nothing. Then, he lifted the right cup. The gray ball was revealed to the world once more. However, this didn't stop Eve. She reached her hand towards where the middle cup was pulled up from...

"Are you sure about that?" Eve grabbed it. She pinched it from where it sat on the table and clearly held it in her hands...

Bif watched on confused as it seemed she held up nothing at all...

Without any warning, Eve slammed her other hand down where the ball was in Bif's vision...

"What?!" Bif was stunned. It was as if the ball had no physical presence to it, only a visual one, as the ball seemed to phase through Eve's hand with the top half sticking out from the backside of her resting hand.

"She-... She can see through it?" Trezz couldn't seem to bring himself to move voluntarily, only the ever so slight chittering of his teeth was he able to do. "If I had known she could just see through my trick, I would have used a more refined Illusion."

"I'll be taking my winnings..." Eve reached for the two platinum coins, but was swiftly interrupted by Trezz slapping his hand down on the table overtop of the coin... Eve made a frown, holding a face of contempt and disgust... But changed her attitude when Trezz lifted his hand.

"Double or nothing." Trezz used his free hand to crack his neck. Not only were the two platinum coins there still, but now there were a total of four.

"Done deal. I hate to break it to you though... But Illusion Magic doesn't work on me. So, try to make it an actual challenge this time." Eve relaxed back and put her hands behind her head as she kept her eyes trained on the cups again.

"An Illusion... She could see past an Illusion by using Movement of Speed on her eyes?" Bif crossed his arms as he struggled to think of how she did it. "Perf-Perfect control over her senses! She could probably also easily keep track of all the shifting around..."

"Oh... This time, you ain't gonna win..." Trezz's eyes took a more sharp appearance as Eve placed the ball back on the table. Covering the ball with the cup once more...

And once more, the game began. And like before, Eve activated her ability. Trezz's patterns were mixed, different, and much faster than last time. However, the control over her own perception made Eve able to watch it as if it were in slow motion again.

Left to right to middle to left... Switch-up, fake-out... Every single sleight of hand trick and mind-game in-between... Then, it was over. The movements stopped completely and Trezz held his hands out to the sides of the cups.

"Huh?..." Eve kicked her right foot back, feeling like something had just wrapped around it. She didn't want to take her eyes off of the cups, lest Trezz try something tricky. So, she slid the affected part of her leg against one of the chair legs... "Nothing?..."

"Well?" Trezz nodded to the cups. Eve's eyes locked on to him. The red in his eyes seemed to shimmer like the air in cases of extreme heat. It looked uncanny... She forced herself to gaze back to the cups. In any case, it was the left one. She lifted up the left cup and threw it off to the side, swiping up the goal in her hands. The gray ball... She held it between her finger and thumb, showing it off for Bif and Trezz to see.

"No trick?..." Eve side-eyed the ball. The only idea that came to mind was that he was trying to fake her out. But, Illusions don't work when one can hold total control over their own senses. "Looks like I win again..."

"Damn!..." Trezz slammed his fist against the table, shooting up from his seat and storming off. Eve giggled to herself, seeing that she was now six platinum coins richer. Not only that...

"Hey?"

Eve hoped that this would serve as a prime example of what Bif could do with some practice.

"Eve?"

She closed her eyes and shone with a proud smile.

"Hey! Eve!"

"Huh? What?" Eve's eyes snapped open to Trezz sitting at the table again. She felt someone shaking her by her shoulder. She turned her head around to see Bif with a dumbfounded look on his face. Her head was filled with the sensation of tingling and a spinning feeling as she looked back over at her hand.

"Well... You lose. Tough break. Sometimes, the best trick is to not have one. How 'bout it? Hah!..." Trezz swept the six platinum coins into his hand and shoved them away before taking possession of the pendant.

"W-..." Eve started shaking her head as she looked at the ball in her hand... Except it wasn't the ball at all. It was a smooth, rounded rock. She changed her gaze to the table in front of her. All the cups had been laid on their sides. The ball was sitting there where the middle cup was...

"Tch. What an asshole..." Bif clenched his fist as he watched the dark-skinned man get up from his chair and equip the pendant around his neck.

"Hema's Pendant... Finally! I've been looking for this puppy for years!..." Trezz gazed down below his collarbone where the pendant now sat. He couldn't quite put it to words, but it definitely seemed to shine brighter than his other pieces of jewelry... Before either Bif or Eve tried to say anything else or do anything, he darted off in a random direction...

"Well..." Eve was still rattled by what just happened. Had she just experienced a moment of delusion or was that some sort of trick?... "You win some, you lose some..."

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

"Woo... He-heh... It ain't everyday you-" Trezz began making his way towards one of the alleys when an arm stuck out in front of him and blocked his path.

"Hello, Trezz." Meius gave a friendly smile as the gambler stopped in place. His eyes darted to the obstacle in front of him with no delay. Trezz became wide-eyed as a bead of sweat trickled down his face.

"Oh... Meius... Uh I-... Hi!" Trezz's hands trembled as he gave a half-hearted wave. "How's it-uh... How's it going?"

"Well. You know. It's going okay... Say!... Trezz..." Meius snapped his fingers as his smile grew wider. "Isn't there a meeting you should be heading to?"

"Hah... Ha... Ya know, the same applies to you too..." Trezz pointed at Meius's chest.

"Oh you're exactly right. However, that's not my concern. My concern is that, right before our meeting, you're out here indulging in your deep-seated greed." Meius held his hand up and rubbed his fingers together as his lips curled into a more wicked smile.

"Hey hey now... For your information, I didn't make that much money... The most valuable thing I won was this." Trezz pointed to Hema's Pendant sitting around his neck. "There's nothing to be concerned with."

"Trezz... My good 'ol friend. I'm not concerned with your habits and hobbies. But I am concerned about what could happen to you. I wonder... What would Dyzin think?..." Meius put his finger to his lip as he averted his eyes away from Trezz.

"Dyzin?... Wait... That's-!... That's who the General answers to. And this guy is a cultist... Which means-Which means!... He's the one who must have hired us in the first place! That must mean he is also a part of that group... The Forsaken. But from the way it sounds, he's two-timing the very cult he's a part of..." The Sergeant sat atop the rooftops and peered down, eavesdropping the conversation. He had heard all the previous chatter between this man and his actual target, but now it had raised an actual concern... One only furthered by what came next.

"Hold up. I know you wanna talk favors... I get it, I get it. But you know we're being watched, right?" Trezz put his hands up as he turned his head to the near exact location the Sergeant was nested at.

"As far as I'm aware, it's just an Academy spy making sure I don't step out of line." Meius shrugged, not bothering to turn his attention to the rooftop.

"Academy? Wait... He's not two-timing... He's three-timing!... I know the General said to watch for the girl... But is he even aware of this guy’s status?" The Sergeant locked eyes with Trezz. If he already knew he was there, there was no point in bothering to hide. That said, the Sergeant wanted to keep his distance at all costs.

"Either way, if you wanna talk distraction free... Well, you've already used your Vermilion once. Might as well use it again."

"Say no more... It's already done." Trezz chuckled and pointed up towards the rooftops. Meius didn't look... However, there was one person who got a front row seat to the endeavor... Grula.

She had still been sticking to following Meius around. So far, it seemed that everything Meius said fell in line with what he had said before. Nothing incriminating. In fact, it even seemed as though there truly might not be anything to worry about with his orders surrounding Avures. Still, he was aware of the man in front of her watching them as well. There was no denying, the person who had also seemed to be watching Meius was strange enough for her to want to keep an eye on them as well. And it seemed that this person had also taken the fall for her just now... It presented an opportunity to see if Meius was filtering himself or not.

"Oh. I see it now. Jeez... Just how far did you make Vermilion take root?" Meius placed his hand overtop of his eyes like a brim and scoped out the square.

"Far enough. Should be attached to every single person in the square. So, no one will be able to even perceive our conversation. Not even your lady friend here... Unless you want that changed." Trezz grinned as he placed his hands in his coat pockets and lowered his gaze to the ground.

"What? Every-!..." It had taken her a moment to understand just what exactly Trezz had said. But, it took her another few moments to understand what it meant. There didn't seem to be any signs of what this "Vermilion" was, but after adapting her Magic to help her sight... She was greeted by something horrific.

It was a night and day difference. She closed her eyes to the entire square and area ahead of her looking normal. And when she opened her eyes, it appeared as if red-orange roots and vines were completely sprawled out all over the entire square. From simply laying on the ground of the streets, to spanning up buildings and wrapping around them. Even the roof she stood on was covered by it. But the most terrifying aspect was those affected by it. Particularly, everyone besides Meius, Trezz, and Grula herself were physically attached to the roots. The roots were drawn to living beings and, rather than wrap themselves around a person, used endpoints to stick onto the skin of a person. From their foreheads to their backs, chests, arms, hands, legs, and feet... The roots were almost plugged in, and pulsed in a similar fashion to a heart. They seemed to more resemble arteries when directly attached to a person.

All of this, and yet, it was as if no one noticed. People moved and walked around just fine while the artery-like roots shifted and phased through one another. Unless one person specifically tailored their sight to try and view invisible things using Mana... They would be none the wiser. Even the person who got caught in front of her experienced the same thing...

"Anything that breathes is caught up in it now. This numb your paranoia at all?" Trezz looked towards Meius with a bored expression.

"Just about. Best to leave her in it too." Meius gestured with his thumb to a clueless Kataline. "She doesn't need to know about this."

"Pawns be pawns... So hey, before we get down to business... Tell me, is everyone gonna be there?" Trezz rubbed his hands together as he squinted at Meius. "Last I heard, it was supposed to be only half... Like the inner circle."

"That's what I thought too. But, from what I hear, Dyzin caught wind of Tobias's research and his son continuing it. They could be getting close to a breakthrough."

"How do ya figure that though?"

"Eyeless has a near unlimited range... But they destroyed my Shades a while ago. Rather, I have to surmise based on circumstantial pieces. For starters, ever since I "disposed" of their extra help, they've been near silent everywhere. I was hoping to get a true mole in asides from him... But it never panned out. Following up from that... Because of the lack of help, they can't make an attempt on Xilvas's life without fully committing to their plan. In other words, I expect them to be as quiet as possible until the moment where they are one-hundred percent ready.”

"Quiet before the storm then..." Trezz crossed his arms and looked out the corner of his eyes to the floor. "I don't like what that means for us."

"Agreed. Dyzin is of the opinion that what they're doing is going to be good for the world... However, his plans aren't going to change upon success or failure, nor does he plan on involving himself in the outcome. That much is clear. You and I both have a vested interest in preventing it. But, that brings me to my theory on what's going to happen... I think he's going to initiate "Auriel's Ultimatum"... Or, at the very least, it's going to be mentioned. That's my thought on why he's gathering everyone."

"Shit. Man... I swear I better have time to get this somewhere safe." Trezz grasped the pendant and held it in his palm. "Anyways... What is it you want from me? Ya got me fair and square."

"Yep... He-heh... Honestly, all I want is a single favor I can call on you for." Meius placed his hands on his hips and grinned.

"Hold up. I gotta know wh-"

"No no. That will defeat the purpose of it. I'll let you know when I need you. It won't be anything to put you in a bad situation. You have my word."

"Pf... Fine. You got a deal. Wanna head over to the meeting together?"

"Yeah. Let's go..."

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"Well, you got one good example, and you got to see me look silly. Hope that doesn't skew your choice." Eve leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms.

"I still want to learn... There's no one else I'd wanna learn it from." Bif shook his head as he waited for Eve to respond. She took a few moments, seemingly lost in thought...

"I know what your condition will be." Eve snapped her fingers and gave off a small smile. "After I teach you all I can... You gotta be able to win back that necklace. If you can do that... I suppose you can take this old woman out on a date..."