As Randidly walked onto the set, he looked around at the lights and electrical equipment that hung over the small, staged area where they would be sitting. With all the additional equipment and people present, the normal-sized banquet hall quickly became cramped. He knew immediately that he likely wouldn’t enjoy what was about to happen.

A number of individuals dressed in dark clothes were hurrying to and fro, bringing cords or carrying clipboards or various drinks, but they all stepped respectfully out of the way as Randidly passed amongst them. They were extremely obvious about it, too. Which only magnified Randidly’s sense of being out of place here.

The citizens of Kharon had a peculiar way of looking at Randidly. But ultimately, the dominant ideology of the city meant that Randidly was primarily a mirror to the people who followed him. They looked at him and saw the best features of themselves: willingness to embrace danger, ingenuity, and independence. In the same manner, his continued success was a constant reminder that this wasn’t a perfect outcome. That this state of being was shaped by hard-working hands and a better future could be found by following this Path.

But these people… Randidly’s emerald eyes slid sideways as the people continued to freeze up and stare at him as he passed. There was something worshipful in their gazes. They did not, in Randidly’s mind, get the whole point of his message. They admired his results, not his outlook.

Randidly Ghosthound as an individual became the integral component in this grand equation that resulted in his power. Rather than focusing on the effort or the time training or the near-death experiences, Randidly could sense very clearly that these people attributed his success to near-unparalleled personal exceptionalism that was present within him.

Heh… unfortunately, that sort of attitude got beaten out of me by Shal very early on… Randidly suppressed a smirk after he shook his head when someone offered him a bottle of water. But… feeling these images, I can at least get a good look at why the image from Earth might stagnate...

Randidly’s gaze finally settled on a woman who fit Tatiana’s description. The host of the show was having an extremely rapid and low conversation with a production assistant regarding the quality of the food for this important recording, but her expression brightened immediately as she noticed Randidly. She threw her sandy hair over her shoulder and walked forward with clicking heels so evenly timed that the woman could have served as a metronome.

She offered her hand forward for a handshake and graced Randidly with a curved, open mouth full of very white teeth. “Mr. Ghosthound, I presume? I’m Amelia Skyne. Wow, it really is true what they say about you; just standing near you feels different, haha. Please try to control your presence around the staff.”

Who has been talking about me, I wonder…? Randidly carefully shook Amelia’s hand then glanced around at ‘the staff’. The people who had been awkwardly dragging their feet and listening in to the conversation jumped into the air like they had been prodded with a molten spear. Then the only portion of them that Randidly could see was their backs as they hurried away.

Randidly turned back to Amelia and offered a wry smile. “...I guess I will keep that in mind. Is this where we will be talking?”

He pointed off to the side at two comfortable looking green love seats were angled slightly apart from one another. Considering the fact that there was a woman meticulously shifting roses in a vase on the table in front of them so that they were in the most appealing arrangement, Randidly believed that this would be a location that would be broadcast.

Amelia nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! Let me know if you have any questions. This is your first time on television right? Not so easy as just fighting someone, huh? I’ll try to keep the questions easy and strick to the talking points I discussed with your assistant.”

Randidly smiled like a wolf. He didn’t release his image at all, but he did allow some of the influence from his Nether Nebula to leak outward. “I think I will be fine.”

Randidly’s training with Nether recently meant that his touch was much lighter than anything he had been capable of in the past. He didn’t use brute force to completely dominate images in the enclosed area of the studio, although it would have been relatively simple for him to do so. Instead, he used that thin disc of Nether to steadily erode the base images of the people around him. Randidly wouldn’t do it for long enough to have a lasting effect, but the people of Earth only just discovered images. They hadn’t yet realized how much they rely on them.

The sensation was a lot like a person’s first time standing on a boat in the deep sea. They would feel the movement beneath them without completely being able to adjust. Instead, they could only endure their uneasiness while hoping for land.

As Randidly watched, Amelia’s face slowly shifted. “Ah? O-oh. Well… I’ll let you settle yourself then. The broadcast will start in fifteen minutes.”

Then she hurried off, heading into the cramped halls that Randidly had walked through to get here. Watching her, he shook his head slightly. Tatiana is so much more than my assistant. And I don’t think being on television will be any harder than speaking in front of thousands of people to start the tournament… just more annoying.

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As everyone in the surrounding area was pushed away by the inexplicable heaviness that they felt when they were near him, Randidly was left alone by the two comfortable chairs. He calmly walked behind them and looked at the board that showed the bracket of the duos tournament. From thirty-two, they would narrow it down to one. Even Randidly wasn’t sure who would win in the end. His eyes calmly traced the various lines until it was time for the show to begin. Then he took his seat and rolled his shoulders.

Gradually, people came together. The movements of the production assistants stilled as the tasks were steadily completed. The small live audience that would be in attendance sidled into the recording studio and took their seats.

When everything else was ready, the director raised his hand and voice. The lights were brightened and the cameras and mics drifted inevitably forward to absorb the two individuals lounging in the green chairs.“Five, four, three!”

For the final numbers, he just raised his fingers. Two. One.

“Hello Earth, I’m Amelia Skyne and we are broadcasting LIVE from the location of the pulse-pounding duos tournament in the beautiful Orchard! At the moment we’ve narrowed the most powerful partnerships on Earth down to just thirty-two! From within this group, our champions will emerge, who will officially name our planet in the eyes of the Nexus. It’s a great honor and a heavy responsibility. The only question is who will seize it?”

Very naturally, Amelia shifted position from the camera right in front of them to one off to the left. She uncrossed and recrossed her legs, allowing her bright red dress to catch the light the material shifted and fluttered. Somewhere during the shift, her expression had changed from wide-eyed delight to solemn contemplation. Even Randidly was rather impressed by how smooth the transition was. It didn’t even take a second before she soulfully spoke to the other camera.

“But since today is a break day, we here at WGNS thought it was a great chance to sit down and look at the current favorites for the tournament. Not only that, but we have a special guest here in the studio to weigh in. Please everyone, give a warm welcome to… Randidly Ghosthound!”

The twenty-two individuals in the live studio audience began to fervently clap and cheer as the production assistants raised signs with the words ‘cheer now’ written on them. The corner of Randidly’s mouth twitched upward. There was a flash of purple-black fire in his eyes. Truly, so much of our world is artifice, isn’t it? But if people believe in it, there is power here. That what it means for image to be valuable...

Randidly had agreed to come onto this show in part because he wanted to offer a gentle reminder to the people of Earth about images. As such, he would participate in this whimsical program in order to get his message across. So he nodded lightly. “Thanks for having me.”

He had been given some other suggested lines for him to open with that would bring up other topics at the jump, but he didn’t bother to pander that much to the producers of the program. At the same time, he was quite pleased with the way that Amelia noticed his refusal and quickly moved onto the next issue.

“Mr. Ghosthound, you can see here our predicted top 4 finishers for the tournament. Beyond that, things get a bit dicey, but we are relatively confident that these four are the most powerful groups on Earth. From Block A, Alana Donal and her Frost Dragon Wivanya seem almost guaranteed to win. From Block B, we have Hank Howard and, a fan favorite, his horse Ancho. From Block C, Richter and Blackhand. And finally, from Block D, we believe that Lucifer and Guiliana will make it to the semi-finals. Not to put you on the spot, Mr. Ghosthound… but I can see in your eyes that you don’t agree with our choices. Which one is the problem?”

Randidly had been rather worried when he was informed that he was supposed to disagree with at least one of the stations four picks. But they were truly making it too easy. “I think your inclusion of Richter and Blackhand in the final four.”

Honestly, I could argue against most of these. Alana is likely the most powerful, but Block A also has Lyra and Stan, and I can tell that they have been hiding their actual strength. Meanwhile, Block D probably should go to Lucifer and Giuliana, but its the murkiest of the remaining blocks. Tykes and Dinesh and the ogre team are all very capable… But definitely Block C will be the most interesting.

“Ahaha! I think a lot of people agree with that, Mr. Ghosthound,” Amelia said with her trademark smile. “Block C also includes Paolo and Kayle of Donnyton. But from all accounts, they are using each other’s weapons and have no intention of changing, even if they start to struggle in the tournament. Compared to that, Richter and Blackhand seem very reliable.”

Randidly’s eyes drifted over toward the bracket. “Block C is honestly quite deep. But… to your point about Paolo and Kayle, I want to say that you forget how important images are, Amelia. The weapons are just tools. But the images that they both wield are extremely pure. As long as they have those, the weapons won’t matter much.”

“Are the images so powerful that even you, the Ghosthound, need to pay attention to them?” Amelia teased.

Randidly ignored the question and rubbed his chin as he looked at the bracket. “Richter and the so-called ‘Blackhand’... I’ll say this. Their image… isn’t quite there yet. They are relying on other forms of strength. And because of that… I don’t even think they will make it through the next two rounds to face Paolo and Kayle.”

Amelia studied Randidly’s face for several seconds, as though the secret machinations of his mind would be revealed in his expression. “Is that so? If you are going to stake your reputation on it… I suppose there is nothing I can say-”

“I am,” Randidly replied with a short glance. “And do you want to know why I’m so sure?”

“Of course! Please elaborate; you are the expert,” Amelia replied coquettishly.

“Because they put in the work,” Randidly said in a low voice. “Because of time and effort. Those two materials are the only guaranteed methods to strengthen yourself. And for those of you out there who have let yourself get carried away by emotion or shallow epiphanies… just watch. It isn’t easy to bridge the gap of repetition.”