With the reinforcement Dragon Fury gave their bodies, Seiji and Cora reached the gazebo in less than a minute. When they arrived, Seiji wasn’t surprised to find four competitors, two Servants and two Cadets, waiting for them both with weapons drawn and aura gathering around them. Judging by her smile, Cora wasn’t surprised either.

“Alright, you get the Servants. I’ll handle the Cadets, then we’ll wait for the rest.” Cora said, blue fire gathering around her hands.

“Got it,” Seiji responded, suppressing his own Dragon Fury. During their training, he’d learned that keeping it sustained for too long tired him out like he’d been running a marathon. All the more motivation to reach Tier Two, Seiji had thought.

With a nod, Cora kicked off to the left of the gazebo. The two Cadets – both armed with white swords – gave chase, leaving Seiji alone with the two Servants.

The Servants turned to one another and mumbled something Seiji couldn’t hear. Then, they attacked. Seiji couldn’t help but feel a bit disrespected as they attempted their flank. On the one hand, it was the smartest course of action – surround and overwhelm the enemy. On the other hand, there was no way they thought running up to him would work.

Seiji leaped back with a light touch of Dragon Fury in his legs, then lunged at the Servant to the right. The Servant, a frail man with thick glasses, raised arms covered in white mist in a defensive stance.

Your sides are exposed.

Seiji kicked the man in his side with as much force as he could muster. The Servant crumpled to the ground, but Seiji didn’t relent. He pelted his opponent with punch after punch of Dragon Fury until he finally stopped moving.

One down.

“I-If you withdraw from–” the remaining Servant began.

Seiji kicked off with Dragon Fury, using the momentum to strike the man’s chest. The Servant staggered back, clutching at his chest with his right hand. In his left, an invisible mist-like heat haze gathered in an extended palm. Seiji crouched out of the way, carefully avoiding the man’s outstretched hand. Seeing a new opportunity form, Seiji ran behind the Servant, wrapping an arm around the man’s chest and gripping his extended wrist with considerable force.

“What are you doing?!”

Seiji turned the man in the direction of the only battle he could hear. The Servant continued to gather aura into whatever attack he was forming, clearly unable to stop it. Cora was locked in combat with a single Cadet, the two attacking one another with more speed than Seiji could even register. Under normal circumstances, he’d feel a bit of guilt interrupting a fair fight, but they had a competition to win.

He pointed the Servant’s palm of gathered aura at the Servant fighting with Cora.

“Stop! I can’t–”

Seiji gathered Dragon Fury in his right arm and squeezed down on the man’s chest.

“Finish the attack, or I will kill you. I will give you three seconds to decide.”

He wouldn't have, but there was no harm in a simple bluff.

The Servant groaned, but he knew what the correct choice was. A bar of barely visible aura shot from the man’s palm and connected with the Cadet fighting against Cora. The woman cried out in confusion, turning to the source of the attack. Cora took advantage of the opening immediately, blasting the girl with a massive Dragon Burst. The Cadet fell to the ground as the explosion dissipated, leaving a heavily panting Cora.

“Thanks for the help,” Seiji whispered.

The Servant turned and swung, but Seiji blocked it with ease. With a regular punch, Seiji sent the man to his knees.

“Don’t get up. You know what will happen to you if you do.” Seiji said in a low tone.

“I can’t… let my–”

A ball of blue fire shot from the distance and detonated upon impact with the Servant. He lay on the ground limp, his mouth still agape. When Seiji looked up, Cora was right there – munching on an aura fruit. She tossed him one, and Seiji happily ate it.

“That second girl was tough! Thanks for the help. I didn’t think I’d need a Dragon Burst, but she was a bit too fast for me.”

“At least you had a competitive fight.” Seiji sighed, nodding to the limp Servant on the ground beside him. “He and his friend were pathetic. I thought Servants were supposed to be strong?”

“They are, but… well…” Cora shrugged. “Not everyone grew up an assassin. Some of them were just regular people with high magical prowess or something.” She crushed the pit of her fruit in her hands, scattering the dust into the dirt. “Besides, they’re supposed to train. This was that opportunity for them. If you really look at it, we’re being pretty mean here.”

Seiji laughed, nearly choked on his fruit, swallowed it, laughed some more, then spoke up. “You say that now? I thought you were all fired up!”

“I am!” She tried, raising her arms in a placating gesture. “It’s just… I wish Selene was here or something, you know?”. Seiji raised his eyebrows. “She can be annoying, but she pushes me. I guess she didn’t think there’d be much competition here, so she didn’t come.” She sighed, staring off into the distance. “As soon as she learns we won here, she won’t let me live it down.”

“Even so, Bond Events are important both for the advancement and the opportunity to fight alongside one another.”

“I suppose.” Cora agreed. “I think I’ll ask Endora about–”

Cora’s words were cut off by a chorus of loud shrieks sounding from above them. Seiji looked up to find a flock of light blue opaque birds circling them from above.

“Coat yourself in Dragon Fury and guard!” Cora shouted.

Seiji did so as the birds sped up their flight. They shot into the distance before circling back toward Cora in a furious column. She stood in front of Seiji, spreading her arms wide as she roared. The birds collided with her, detonating on impact not unlike her own blue fire bombs. A few of the birds made it through Cora’s defense and struck Seiji, the impacts carrying waves of piercing pain.

Strangely enough, Seiji found himself enamored by the attacks. When the birds exploded, they made sounds like boulders being dropped in water, not the bomb-like booms he’d expected. They even splashed on his skin like they were made of water, but they didn’t leave any moisture behind. Seiji compared it to Endora’s Aqua Silhouettes – the aquatic clones of Endora that were made of water. These birds were like cheap imitations of Endora’s power in comparison. They lacked the power of an Aspect. Silently, Seiji resolved to meditate on his potential Aspect whenever this was over.

“Show yourself!” Cora roared. “If you wish to become a Valkyrie, fight me like a Valkyrie! I will not honor those who cower before true opponents!”

Cora turned her head furiously in search of their attackers, her fury evident on her face.

“There is no cowardice in strategy!” A feminine voice shouted from behind the gazebo. “I hope the princess of Haven is pleased to–”

Cora jerked her head in the direction of the noise, cloaking her entire body in Dragon Fury, and pounced toward the nose…

…through the gazebo.

Seiji tried to see what happened next but found it hard to see through the rubble and debris of the crumbling gazebo. All he could do was listen. The Cadet screamed, apologized, screamed again, then stayed silent. A moment later, a young man ran from behind the gazebo toward Seiji, his eyes filled with fear. Seiji prepared to attack, but Cora leaped through the gazebo once again to strike the Servant in his back with a knee. Seiji winced as he heard a loud crack at the impact.

Cora slinked to Seiji’s side, eyes still blazing with anger.

“I hate cowards.” She spat. “If you’re going to fight someone, face them.”

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In truth, many of the people he’d killed he’d done so under the stealth of the long nights of The Ardor. He hated those kinds of jobs, but they usually paid the best.

“I mean…” Seiji shrugged. “I had that Servant shoot your opponent in the back, didn't I?”

Cora glared at him but sheepishly looked away after a moment.

“Don't make a habit out of that,” she muttered.

“No promises.”

Cora shook her head, turning to the Servant on the ground.

“He’ll be fine, right?”

I’m pretty sure he’s dead.

“If they can teleport people across space, I think they can heal a severed spine.”

Cora sighed. “I need to repair the gazebo now, too. Can you help me–”

Two human-sized balls of fire slammed into Cora, the impact loud enough to pop Seiji’s eardrums. The flames dispersed, revealing a blonde-haired Servant and a red-haired elvish Cadet.

“Sorry to keep ya waiting, princess!” the blonde-haired Servant shouted.

“We were gathering all the stuff!” the red-haired Cadet continued. “Once we beat you, we’ll pass! We were gonna capture you, but…” She nodded to the broken gazebo.

Seiji coated himself in Dragon Fury and leaped at the newcomers, but they turned to him and kicked him to the ground with kicks of fire. Actual fire. Seiji’s skin burned as the realization hit him – this was a Fire Aspect. Seiji looked again at the blonde-haired Servant and recognized him as one of the first ones to awaken at the System Ceremony.

“Wait your turn, dude!” The Servant said. He nudged upwards. “You have some friends on the way, but for now we’ll be beating up your girlfriend for a little–”

Cora launched a punch at the Servant’s head, but the red-haired Cadet caught it in a fire-coated hand. Cora narrowed her eyes as she looked into her opponent’s gaze.

“I thought you wanted people to face you!” the Cadet challenged. “He wasn’t even looking.”

Seiji stood to his feet, ready to face down the blonde-haired boy, but was immediately dragged back to his feet by black rope.

“Ah!” the Servant cried. “They’re here! Have fun, buddy.”

Seiji was pulled away from Cora and the newcomers by the black rope tying his feet. He flew through the air for a brief moment before slamming against the grass with an audible thud.

“Are you ready?” a feminine voice called from behind him. “I will ensure he cannot attack you. Use this as an opportunity to test the capabilities and limits of your Black Impact.”

“As ready as I’ll ever be, Cadet Lyssa.”

Before he could react or respond to either of the newcomers, he was dragged to his feet as if pulled by an invisible string. When he stood, he was faced by a Servant with scruffy hair and a muscular build and a brown-skinned Cadet with a short afro and black gauntleted gloves.

“Servant Otsuki,” the woman, Cadet Lyssa, began. “You are the ideal training partner for my Servant, Servant Julian. I apologize for placing you in such a position. When this Bond Event is over, I would be more than willing to reimburse you for your trouble.”

“And what makes you think I’ll let you make me a training dummy?” Seiji growled.

“You may begin.” Cadet Lyssa said, ignoring Seiji’s question.

Seiji lunged for the girl, but with a clap of her hands, Seiji was held in place.

What are you doing?

Though Seiji heard his own voice, it wasn’t him speaking. Rather, it wasn’t the current him. He heard a younger, cockier, colder Seiji speak.

The Servant punched Seiji in the stomach with a fist coated in what looked like black lightning, and the impact disoriented Seiji more than Cora’s first Dragon Fury did. He fell to his knees and gritted his teeth, Dragon Fury gathering in his hands. With a clap from Cadet Lyssa, Seiji stood to his feet.

Is this what Fate has decided for you?

“Four seconds,” Cadet Lyssa called. “Next stance.”

A fist of black lighting struck Seiji in his face, landing him on his back.

“Seven seconds, next stance.”

You were made to destroy. You were not made to be a target.

Seiji wrestled with his own thoughts. While there was a silent part of him that wanted nothing more than to rip these two apart, there was another side of him that’d begun forming after the System Ceremony. He didn’t want to be that person anymore. He didn’t want to be a mindless killer. He wanted to be something different. Something better.

I would not have found myself in such a position as this. I would have killed my opponents and left with their spoils.

“If you’re going to fight someone, face them.”

Cora’s words filled Seiji’s mind, arguing with his own thoughts. There was something there. Something deeper. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he agreed with his younger self. He would have never ended up in a position like this. If everyone was dead before they could compete, there’d be no competitors to hold him back. Cora’s words, though, resonated with the person Seiji wanted to become. What would Cora do in a position like this?

She’d curse and rip these two apart.

The realization struck him just as the final attack from the Servant did. When Seiji fell to the ground, he knew he wouldn’t be getting back up.

“Thirteen seconds. This is over. What have you learned?” Cadet Lyssa called.

“I can take opponents down easily if I attack the right places with Black Impact. Thank you for the opportunity.”

“Thank Servant Otsuki, not me.”

The Servant met Seiji’s eyes and bowed. “Thank you.”

Seiji smiled, though his mouth worked to form it. His mind was still whirling.

This new person. This new Seiji and the old one were not mutually exclusive. He was the old Seiji. That arrogant assassin still existed in conjunction with the current him. Both of them were Seiji.

Cora doesn’t need a helpless Servant.

Seiji gathered the little energy he had and stood to his feet. He immediately fell to his knees and hacked up blood. Seiji gripped the grass in his hands in frustration.

This is not who I am. I don’t get dragged by the whims of Fate. I enforce Fate’s whims.

This wasn’t a grand mission like the Hidden Hand told him it was. It was the truth of Seiji’s existence, as fundamental to him as his own name. It wasn't his justification, it was his reality. Seiji took a deep breath, raising his head to look up at the heavens.

“Carry me forward, so that I may enact your will.”

Power surged through Seiji like it did at the System Ceremony. Seiji closed his eyes and immediately began his Mist Breathing technique. When he started, he actually saw mist swirling uncontrollably inside and around his body. With deep, controlled breaths, Seiji guided the aura through his body. After a minute of meditation, Seiji opened his eyes and was met by a blue screen.

ADVANCEMENT COMPLETE.

NAME: SEIJI OTSUKI

TIER 2 MAGE

HEALTH: 20

STRENGTH: 10

STAMINA: 10

MAGICAL STRENGTH: 25

MAGICAL STAMINA: 25

AVAILABLE SKILLS: DRAGON FURY, DRAGON SHOT

When Seiji willed the System away, all that remained in his line of sight were two slowly retreating figures. He looked into the heavens once again and whispered.

“I see. Thank you.”

Seiji coated his entire body in Dragon Fury, launching himself at the Servant. Much like Cora did, Seiji kneed the man in the back, sending him to the ground with a loud crack. When he fell, Seiji met the eyes of his stunned Cadet before launching an unrelenting flurry of attacks at the girl. For what it was worth, she adjusted quickly, no doubt due to years of combat training. She deflected Seiji’s attacks, and Seiji did the same, avoiding fists of black lightning and striking back with fists of blue fire.

“How are you still conscious?” Cadet Lyssa shouted through a flurry of kicks.

“Fate,” Seiji responded calmly.

She sneered as she punched down with black lighting. Seiji caught the attack in a fist coated by Dragon Fury and spared only a moment of surprise when he heard a loud crash sound behind him – followed by a loud yell from Cora.

This is my opportunity!

Though Seiji was able to match the Cadet in speed, he couldn’t match the woman in strength or stamina. She could fight longer than he could, and her attacks would wear him down faster. Compared to Cora, though…

Seiji backstepped with kicks of Dragon Fury toward the sound of Cora’s voice.

“Cora!” Seiji shouted.

“On it!” She responded immediately.

Cora shot from behind him, her entire body coated in Dragon Fury as she barreled into Cadet Lyssa. In just three swift punches, the Cadet was down. Just as quickly, she stood at Seiji’s side.

“Took you long enough!” She said through panting breaths. “What was the holdup?”

Seiji did his best not to show much excitement he truly felt, but he couldn’t help it in the end. He laughed as he spoke.

“I was advancing.”

Cora turned to him, her eyes filled with joy. Seiji felt a strange amount of pride upon seeing her reaction, and he smiled even wider.

“Give me your hand! Those two are tough so let’s hope you got… yes! You did!”

Cora squeezed his left hand as she stared at the slowly approaching team cloaked in fire.

“Dragon Shots!” Cora shouted. “Mist Breathing, mist ball in your hand, make it blue, throw it like a water balloon. Aim for the blonde one. Ready? Go!”

Seiji did as he was told. When the final Servant and Cadet approached, Seiji made eye contact with the blonde Servant as he prepared his Dragon Shots. They were surprisingly easy to form.

“Glad you made it out, man! We were having a ton of fun over–”

Cora unleashed a flurry of Dragon Shots at the blonde boy, and the red-haired elf girl at his side ran to block them. Seiji dashed to flank them, throwing his own Dragon Shots at the boy’s exposed side. Seiji felt lightheaded as the blasts left his hands. They took considerable energy to aim properly.

Forming them is easy, so I should focus on that.

Thankfully, Cora closed the distance between herself and the Cadet, leaving Seiji to face the blonde Servant on his own. Seiji sprinted forward, Dragon Shots forming in both of his hands. The Servant in front of him smiled wide as he formed pillars of fire in his own hands.

The Servant released two thick bars of fire at Seiji’s feet. Seiji dodged with speed enforced by Dragon Fury, closing the distance in moments.

“Hey, bro. You think we can… uh… talk about–”

Seiji released the Dragon Shots formed in his hands into the Servant’s chest, the explosion sending the boy flying into the distance. Pain soared through Seiji’s arms, but Seiji didn’t have time to think about that. He turned to the red-haired fighter, still locked in combat with Cora. The sight reminded him of earlier in the Bond Event as he noticed his opportunity.

Cora caught his eye for a moment, her understanding clear in her gaze. Gathering the last of his energy, Seiji kicked off and gathered a final Dragon Shot in his right hand.

“You can’t beat me alone, princess!” The Cadet shouted.

“You’re absolutely right!” Cora responded, a wide grin forming on her face.

The red-haired Cadet hesitated for just a moment, and Seiji seized the opportunity. He closed the distance and released his Dragon Shot into the girl’s lower back. At the same time, Cora struck the girl with a fist of Dragon Fury in the girl’s stomach. The Cadet lurched forward and gasped for air, fire gathering in her hands.

“Get back!” Cora shouted.

When Seiji backed away, Cora attacked the Cadet hunched on the ground with a Dragon Burst. When the blast dissipated, the Cadet fell limp to the grass.

“And then, there were two.” Cora panted, gathering herself. “I feel bad for beating her like that, but a win is a win! Let's just take it and leave.”

Seiji nodded.

“I wasn’t able to say it earlier, but congratulations on your advancement!”

Seiji smiled.

“Also, Dragon Shots take a lot of aura to aim. It’s best to throw them in a straight line, but I didn’t have time to say anything! Using them as punches can work, but it hurts like hell. Sorry I didn't say anything! There wasn't any time.”

Seiji chuckled.

“Are you alright? You look kinda–”

Seiji passed out.