"How much did you earn?" Blake asked as Cameron looked through the bills in his envelope.

"About four hundred."

"Not bad for the first fight," Blake commented. "That's around a hundred per fight, and four hundred bet on you each."

"You?"

"Two grand," Blake grinned. "I told you I was looking to make a fair amount. If Nat and I fight, there's always a big payout for the winner. In the brawler section, there are six big names, and winnings are always in the grand-plus category when two of us fight."

"Shut up and let me heal you," Greyson grumbled, walking over to Blake, who removed his shirt.

Cameron watched as Greyson ran his fingers over Blake's bruises and cuts. He took around thirty seconds to heal the lighter ones, and up to three minutes for some of the worse ones.

"Someone was watching us when we left," Cameron told them once Greyson finished, and the other two tensed up, and he felt panic in their minds. "I let them know I saw."

"Did you hurt them?"

"I don't have to hit hard," Cameron said, then blushed. "Okay. Maybe I do. That was… new to me. I almost passed out from the effort of not ramming into his mind."

Blake laughed as Greyson rolled his eyes.

"That was stupid," Greyson said. "You going into the matches like that. You're lucky you were able to take them out fast. What if you'd gotten hurt?"

"It wouldn't be my first time," Cameron grunted, then blushed again as his stomach growled.

"I'm ordering pizza," Blake said. "What kind do you like?"

"Pepperoni."

"Same for us," Blake chuckled. "Good fighting, Cameron, but do be careful, okay?"

Cameron nodded, then looked around the hotel room uncomfortably for a minute before pulling off his sneakers and the hoodie he was borrowing. He then climbed up onto Greyson's bed and lad on the side furthest from the door.

He was exhausted and had barely laid down before it caught up to him. When he woke, Blake and Greyson were eating. Cameron joined them for some pizza before curling back up on Greyson's bed and passing back out.

Cameron slept for most of the next day and the day after that. That night, he stayed at the hotel when Blake left for the fighting, Greyson staying to play cards while Blake made them money.

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

"Hey, Blake," Natalie greeted Blake as he joined the spectators watching a werewolf and an enchanter who enhanced his strength spar. "No Cam this time?"

"He hadn't come to fight last time," Blake snorted. "He just came to watch, then decided to fight Eden."

"Speaking of Eden," Natalie said. "They haven't showed up since that fight."

"Seriously?" Blake asked.

"Yep," she said. "Seems they weren't happy they lost, since hey wasn't here last night or the one before. Whoever Cam is, they're good. There's been some decent fights, since."

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

It wasn't that I wasn't happy, Eden thought to himself from just a few steps away. It's that I finally found someone who could take me out in a fight.

Eden was still there during the fights, but solely as a spectator. No one ever knew how he showed up or left, as no one ever saw him do so. He let them continue thinking he was an enchanter, even though his roots were firmly in spatial magics.

It wasn't distorting space, though that was something he'd been practicing, in the arena. His roots started with teleportation, which was how he came and left. Until he started fighting, he was there without his hoodie and mask. Tonight, he was dressed in his usual pants and boots, with a red button-up tucked in.

Since the person he wanted to fight wasn't there, Eden didn't bother leaving to pull on his hoodie, mask, and gloves. The purpose of fighting every day was to find someone who could test him.

Though he had been tested rather harshly. He hadn't expected to face a mind mage. Glancing at the undercover federal agent, Eden wondered what DoSS thought of the two of them. He knew the agent was there to look into him, due to his rare magic and the high risk of a fae attempting to take him.

When the matches for the night ended, Eden made his way into the restroom, and after ensuring no one was around, teleported to the apartment he called home. Not two steps later, he heard the sound of paws on the wood flooring and turned just in time to catch the mutt, who tackled him to the ground and licked his face.

"Hey, Soldier," Eden ruffled the dog's fur. "He wasn't there tonight, either."

"Woof!"

"Yeah, I know," Eden smiled. "He might be a 'she', too. Come on, let's go potty."

Soldier ran to the door, and Eden walked over, grabbing the leash for his dog and clipping it on, then the two of them went downstairs and to the plot of grass behind the building. Soldier took a minute to sniff around before peeing, then the two of them returned to the apartment.

When he opened the door, there was someone waiting inside. A tall women with unearthly beauty, her fair skin smooth and flawless, her long, green hair sleek and glossy, falling nearly to her waist. Her emerald eyes watched him intently.

Eden let out a sigh as he entered the apartment and closed the door.

"Quiet, Soldier," he said as his dog growled. "It's just a fairy."

"So you know what I am?" She asked with a melodic voice.

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"Yes," Eden answered. "And I know why you're here."

If only the agent knew they already tried.

Several times.

"Will you come-"

Before she could finish, she found herself being thrown to the ground by the human mage.

"Sorry," he said, a gun aimed at her forehead, his hand on her throat. "But I don't have any intention of becoming a tree."

Eden fired three shots into her head. Had she been fighting a different mage, she probably would have had a chance, but the inhuman speed of the fae was nothing against his ability to distort space when he put a lot of effort into it.

It was one of the reasons he'd started training in the fighting ring.

Letting out another sigh, Eden realized that the cops would probably be showing up shortly because of the gunshots. He should have grabbed a knife, but the bullets were more efficient. He'd bought the special anti-fae bullets from a black market seller who'd succeeded in scoring a shipment of the government ammunition.

One shot would slow. Two would cripple. Three guaranteed death.

Lifting the fae's head, Eden confirmed that the bullets were still in her brain. Faes had horribly tough skulls despite having weak bodies. Their might came from their magic.

Tucking the gun back into his belt and concealing it with his shirt once more, Eden placed a hand on the deceased fae and looked at his dog.

"I'll be back in a minute," he said. "Don't lick up the blood. Or do. It's up to you, but remember the last time you drank fae blood, okay?"

Soldier barked, and Eden sighed, knowing he'd probably come back to blood being missing. With a flex of his powers, he teleported so that he was in the woods at the local park. Checking to make sure no one saw him, he left the body, teleporting home, promptly shooing Soldier away from the blood.

Hastily, Eden began cleaning up the blood, just finishing up spraying air freshener when someone knocked on the door.

He teleported to his room and swiftly pulled off his clothes, wrapping a towel around his waist, listening to the knock again and the officer calling out that they were the police. He teleported back to the foyer and reached for the door, opening it just as the officer went to knock again. There were two standing on the other side, Jenkins and Jones.

"Morning, officer," Eden yawned. "I just got back from a late night, and was going to take a shower. Is there something I can help you with? I'd rather not pass out in the shower again, and I kind of need one."

"How old are you, son?" The officer in front, Jenkins, asked.

"Fifteen," Eden answered.

"Are your parents home?"

"They're on a business trip," Eden answered. "Did something happen?"

"Gunshots were reported in your apartment," the officer told Eden. "Did you hear anything?"

"No," Eden answered. "You think… someone else was in my apartment?"

"May we look around?" The officer asked. "Just in case?"

"Um, yeah," Eden said, then stepped over to block the officer attempting to enter. "Can I see your badge, first?"

The officers pulled out their badges and showed them to Eden, who nodded and stepped to the side, letting them in.

"Were you cleaning in here?" Officer Jones asked.

"Soldier crapped on the floor," Eden gestured to the dog, who had come up to his side, watching the two officers with suspicion. "I guess he couldn't hold it until I got home. Stank pretty bad, so I used some air freshener after scrubbing the spot."

Jones nodded, and the two officers looked around the apartment, then left. Eden locked the door, then sighed.

"That was a close one," he told Soldier, who woofed in response. "I'm going to go take a shower, okay?"

Soldier woofed, then the two of them went to Eden's room. Soldier jumped up onto the bed, and Eden took a shower. After drying off, he went to bed, and went back to his usual routine, working out and training in a room in the apartment during the day, wandering the streets in the afternoon, then heading to the fights, keeping an eye out for Cam.

After around a week and a half, he saw Greyson again, though Cam wasn't with him. While Blake was fighting, Eden walked up to Greyson and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey," Eden said when Greyson turned around. "You were the kid who was here with Cam, right?"

"Maybe," Greyson responded.

"Do you know when they'll be fighting again?" Eden asked.

"No," Greyson answered.

"Were they actually here with you?" Eden asked.

"Yes," Greyson answered.

"Are you friends with them?" Eden asked. "Or just someone he met on the way here or something?"

"I'm not really sure," Greyson answered. "I kind of want to be their friend, and-how are you doing this?"

"Doing what?" Eden asked innocently.

"Making me answer," Greyson growled. "Do I need to sic Blake on you?"

"Sorry," Eden smiled. "I guess I let it slip it, it's hard to reign it in sometimes. I've got silkspeech, though it's my only magic. I only started learning about it recently, and when I get carried away with my curiosity, it slips out without me realizing. Sorry 'bout that."

Eden felt bad lying to the kid, but he hadn't expected to be found out immediately. He'd been a mage for over two years, though had only recently learned the silkspeech spell. It came in handy, he'd discovered. Especially living on his own.

"Well, keep it in," Greyson told him. "Or I'll sic Blake on you."

"Sorry," Eden help his hands. "Again, just curious, since I saw Cam with you last time. I'd been hoping to see them fight again, and thought if I saw you, maybe they'd be here."

Greyson glared at him, and Eden backed off, returning to his usual routine. He saw Greyson twice more over the next two weeks, and the second time, he noticed the agent following.

Sighing, he teleported home, changed into his brawler outfit, then teleported back, making his way to the agent and clearing his throat. The agent continued walking. Eden tapped him on the shoulder, and the agent turned around. As he did, Eden slammed his fist into the agent's nose, sending him down.

Making sure the agent wouldn't be getting back up for awhile, Eden teleported home.

A few days later, he was watching a match when he noticed Blake and Greyson show up – this time, with a figure wearing an oversized hoodie and a black mask. Smiling, he knew his target was back.

Teleporting home, Eden went to Soldier.

"He's back!" Eden ruffled his dog's fur. "I'm going to see if I can beat him this time!"

He quickly pulled on his gloves, hoodie, and mask, then teleported back and watched a few fights, knowing that as soon as he'd approached the crowd, he'd been spotted. The atmosphere became tense as fighters waited for him to enter the arena.

Eden let seventeen fighters pass before he stepped into the arena, taking on six before no one else wanted to continue. Just as the ref was beginning the final call, Cam stepped into the arena.

"And we have it again!" The ref called out. "Eden against the sole person who has ever bested them, driving them into a yield! What will it be this time, folks? Place your bets! Will Eden reclaim their title? Or will Cam prove that their victory against Eden wasn't a fluke? Three minutes to bet!"

The ref continued calling out until bets had closed, then stepped out of the arena and let them fight. Cam immediately bent space, but before he could step forward, a sensation like a sledgehammer slamming into his head sent him reeling. A much stronger attack than last time.

The next attack occurred immediately and felt like a battering ram. The assault continued, giving Eden no time to recover, and in the brief moments he was able to think, he realized that the assault felt furious. Angry.

As if Cam was letting frustration at something out on him.

Nearly a minute passed, and Eden barely held onto consciousness. As soon as the assault let up, he knew he couldn't win. Not that time. He needed to figure out how to create a mental shield to defend against that attack.

Cam didn't stop because he was done. He stopped so that Eden could give up. Testing to see if Cam would continue, Eden attempted to move through distorted space, only to find himself being pounded for another twenty seconds.

When that assault let up, he stepped out of the arena. While it was a loss, he'd still won. Not just previous fights, but in getting to fight Cam again.

After collecting his winnings, Eden teleported home to change, then returned to watch the fights. Cam fought nine more matches before no one else wanted to challenge them.

As he went to teleport home, Eden felt a sharp pain in his skull.