As Drakara dissolved into golden moats of light, I turned and calmly walked out of the arena under the barrage of cheers and applause. Within moments, I reached the tunnel I needed to exit the arena and found a side passage that nobody appeared to be down. I took two steps down the passage and flipped out.

WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?! How?! Why?! What?! Who?! When?! Where?! I clutched my chest as I tried and failed to calm my breathing and heart rate. I slammed my back against the nearby wall and slowly slid down it as I did everything possible to calm down. Is this what a panic attack feels like? I feel like this is what a panic attack feels like. How did I do that?! Whenever Drakara attacked, I felt my body move on its own. I could barely see Drakara as she attacked, and I know I couldn’t get out of the way in time, but somehow … somehow… I won. I won the fight with barely any chakra. I … won.

I let that sink in momentarily and felt my heart rate slow. I won. Against all odds, I won with some skill I didn’t even know I had in my arsenal. I tapped my head against the concrete wall a few times before marching out of the tunnel and up to where Haze and the rest of my team sat. They all looked shocked at me as I approached, except for Haze, who looked smug and exceptionally pleased with my fight.

I marched down the row and stood directly before Haze and mirrored Drakara’s sentiment, “WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?!”

Haze smiled at me, not even raising her head to smile smugly at me as I am still short, and said, “You noticed what happened, huh?”

“Yes, I noticed! How could I not notice!?” I said, exasperated.

Haze gestured to the empty seat between her and Cami, and I sat in it. She then turned to me and asked, “What do you receive with each core you fill?”

“What?” I asked back, cocking my head and having my ears flop to one side.

With a sigh, Haze asked the same question again, but with more context, “What do you receive when you unlock a new core and put any amount of chakra into it?”

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I cocked my head to the other side, my ears flopping over, and I asked again, “ What? I have no idea. I get something whenever I unlock a core?”

Haze nodded, “Yes, you do. When your core is full of chakra, your soul slowly fills. The more chakra in your body, the more soul you gain. That is why when you cycle all your cores at once and manifest your presence, you are able to feel it. The more cores you have, the better. However, according to Master Shi’en, it has other benefits. Such as enhancing your ability to see, hear, lift heavy objects, and your will to survive.”

My ears perked up as Haze stated this tidbit, and I asked, “So it gives me spidey senses?!”

Haze hesitated, looking a little confused, then looked behind me at Cami before looking at me and saying, “Uh … yes, it gives you spidey senses.”

I felt my face light up as I turned to Cami, who looked equally excited, and together, in perfect unison, we said, “Spider fox! Spider fox! Does whatever a spider fox does! Can she swing from a web? No, she can’t ‘cause she’s a fox!”

We both laughed, unable to go on. After a moment, we got each other under control, and I turned back to Haze and asked, “When did you learn this? And why are you teaching it to me now?”

Haze didn’t answer as Felix, the announcer, began introducing the next fight for the day. Once he finished, Haze answered, “While you all were fighting, eating, and being kidnapped, I was busy training with Master Shi’en. He taught me all that and said I should only teach you as everyone else doesn’t have enough power. And I taught you this now because …”

Haze trailed off as she mumbled something, and the crowd cheered. I leaned closer and asked over the crowd, “What?! I couldn’t hear you?!”

“I told you now because …” Haze trailed off again as the crowd roared again, and the fight far below began.

“What?! I still didn’t hear you!” I yelled over the cheering crowd.

“I said I taught you that now because I didn’t know if it would work!” Haze yelled just as the crowd quieted and everyone heard her explanation. They all slowly turned toward her, and her already dark skin turned darker as a red blush slowly filled her face.

“You didn’t know if it worked?” I asked incredulously.

Haze scratched the back of her head, “Well … you see … it’s hard to explain. Ummm, it’s not exactly something you test on a battlefield without safeguards … so I figured I’d have you test it out here. It worked, didn’t it?!”

I glared at Haze, shook my head in disappointment, and turned away from her, crossing my arms over my chest. Cami did the same, mirroring my actions perfectly. Haze made a few sounds like she wanted to say something but inevitably said nothing, leaving me to shun her for as long as I pleased.