Tucker watched the flames surrounding his mentor settle around him. Something had changed. The spirit essence around Alex roared as if it had come to life. It wasn’t the kind a low-tier spirit could emit, but one that was far greater.

  “Well, seeing as how Salamander isn’t moving a muscle, he probably passed out while standing,” Ray said, holding his ribs. “Not surprised considering the damage done to the arena.”

  “It doesn’t seem like he’s passed out, but more like he’s in a trance.” Tucker helped Ray to his feet before reaching for a crimson vial in his pouch. “Do you think you’ll be fine?”

  “Depends, am I gonna get hit by something like that again?”

  Tucker chuckled. “Hopefully not.”

  Ray accepted the vial before downing it in one gulp. He wiped the crimson liquid from his lips. “The hell? Is this strawberry flavored?”

  “Charles started experimenting recently with healing potions, and that’s something he cooked up.”

  Ray froze. “Wait… am I the guinea pig?”

  “I would have tried it if needed,” Tucker answered. “But… since you were injured, and this was something Charles created, I figured it would be fine.”

  Ray stared at him. “That’s… kinda underhanded, sir.”

  “I’ll give you a warning next time.”

  Ray snorted before putting the vial in his pocket. “Much appreciated.”

  Tucker stepped to the side to get a better look at Alex’s face. There weren’t any visible injuries, but as for internal ones, it was hard to tell. He examined the flames from afar, noting the steady embers swirling into the air. None of the essence clinging to his body showed signs of backlash. Instead, it seemed like it was wrapping around Alex’s frame like a suit of armor.

  “Alex? Can you hear me?” Tucker called out but didn’t get so much as a whisper from the veteran.

  He glanced over at Ray before taking a step closer, inching ever so slightly towards Alex. Sally, his companion, was nowhere in sight, and the hair on the back of Tucker’s neck stood on end. There had never been a case where someone could channel their essence unconsciously especially not without their companion.

  “Should we get closer?” Ray asked.

  “We could, but I’m just worried we might get an ass whooping,” Tucker replied.

  “An ass whooping? Really?” Ray shook his head. “He’s unconscious for crying out loud! What could he possibly do?”

  And those were the words that made Tucker worry. He had fought alongside Alex several times, but the veteran had never fallen behind. Back when Pyron was in front of him, Alex wasn’t just fighting the Empire’s covert forces. He was pulling them away.

  “Look, just watch.” Ray approached Alex from the side, but once he was an arm’s length away. Shivers raced through his spine.

  In a heartbeat, Alex’s fist shot out with flames tugging on the fabric of his dark green sleeves. Ray’s eyes widened in shock, tilting his chest to the side while narrowly avoiding the attack aimed at his skull. A draft of searing hot air whistled past his ear only for him to drop to his knees as the wide swipe of Alex’s arm cut through the empty space above his head.

  “What—” Ray felt a crushing blow land on his chest. A solid crack ripped through the air at a speed he couldn’t comprehend.

  But Tucker, who stood on the sidelines, saw it all. The moment the first attack missed, Alex had used the momentum to spin on his heel, carrying the full force into a powerful back kick aimed at Ray’s chest. He quickly channeled the wind essence through his left arm and sent it towards Ray, catching the watchman before he could slam into the wall.

  Yet, the moment Tucker looked away—Alex had vanished. His eyes swept through the arena, unable to find the mentor through the thinning dust clouds. And once that realization had dawned on him, Tucker pivoted on his heel, catching the fist aimed for his jaw.

  Tucker’s left hand sizzled as blood gushed out from his cuts. “If this is some kind of joke, you’ve made your point, old man.”

  Pain coursed through his fingers. Scorching heat cradled him from all directions, but before it could consume his flesh—a burst of aura rushed forth from his stars. Using wind essence this close would only be suicide, and if he gave Alex the slightest opening, then he would immediately take it.

  Tucker redirected the fist aside as Alex shifted the weight in his body. A lightning-fast front kick cracked through the air, striking Tucker’s chest and pushing him back several feet. The kick nearly knocked his breath out of his lungs. If it weren’t for the thin layer of aura, then his chest would have erupted in flames.

  But the veteran didn’t stop there. In a second, he closed the gap, mixing aura and essence in unison. Tucker hid his surprise while trading a series of punches just within arm’s length. The space between them erupted with raw might ripping through the air. Bursts of flames and emerald aura clashed as knuckles thudded into flesh. Breaths slipped out of Tucker’s lungs in sharp grunts.

  The empty gaze in Alex’s eyes was enough for Tucker to realize that his mentor was fighting based on pure instinct alone.

  I’ll have to wake him up.

  Tucker narrowed his eyes, examining Alex for the slightest weakness. They were both unarmed, but if his mentor was unconscious, then that meant he wasn’t fighting with reason.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  There was only one way to end this without hurting Alex. Tucker retreated one final time with his mentor closing in. But as Alex lunged forward, Tucker’s hand shot out, catching the incoming fist by the wrist with a sharp twist. He took a deep breath, using the veteran’s momentum against him, yet the moment he pulled, a shocking realization hit him.

  The old man’s stance was planted firmly on the ground, refusing to yield to the youngster like an immovable mountain.

  You can’t be serious.

  Tucker thought, clenching his jaw while forcing a smile as the flames clawed at his aura. The world should have flipped for the old man. Instead, the two were locked in a standstill with their legs striking each other on the midsection of their shins.

  His leg trembled in place. The move should have been clean, but he would have never expected Alex to have predicted it. Now Tucker was out of ideas. He didn’t know what he could do next to knock some sense into his mentor.

  They were locked in place with the slightest mistake causing grave injuries to both sides. It was only after Tucker noticed the dwindling flames leaving Alex’s body that he didn’t need to incapacitate the veteran. He only needed to buy time.

  The flames grew stronger, brighter, but smaller with each passing second. As if the fuel igniting the embers were being consumed at a rate that couldn’t be sustained.

  Tucker held on, refusing to let go as Alex struggled to break free. A minute had passed before the flames finally died out, and the veteran, finally clear-headed, came to his senses.

  “It seems I’ve caused some trouble while awakening my spirit band,” Alex said, clearing his throat. He lowered his leg, causing Tucker to exhale slowly.

  “I thought you had gone crazy for a moment.” Tucker released his grip. “It was like you were in a trance.”

  “You could say that.” Alex glanced over at Ray sprawled on the floor. “Is the lad alright?”

  “Well…” Tucker followed Alex’s gaze. “He got caught off guard by your sudden attack, but a kick isn’t enough to end him.”

  “Oh.” Alex blankly stood there. “So I caused that…”

  Tucker nodded. “If you were in a trance, that means you discovered something new, right?”

  Alex thought back to his conversation with Sabrina and tightly clenched his hands. “Yeah, I have. The other elements have their own unique methods of forming the bands, and there are certain conditions to trigger it.”

  “That means we’re on the right track.”

  “Right, but there’s something else that is even more important.” Alex’s tone grew far more stern. “It’s possible for our spirits to evolve.”

  Tucker didn’t move a muscle before focusing on the veteran. He spoke with firm disbelief. “What?”

  “You heard me correctly. It’s possible for spirits to ascend to the next tier.”

  Tucker couldn’t believe it. “How come we’re figuring this out now? Why wasn’t this discovered sooner?”

  “Because I met an echo of my previous mentor. A ranger who was the best in the field,” Alex said firmly. “She’s the one who told me it was possible.”

  “Do you know how crazy this sounds?”

  “I can understand why you don’t believe me, but I speak the truth. We just need to prove it.”

  Tucker ran his hand through his hair, pulling it back while sighing softly. “You’re my mentor, of course I believe you. But if you couldn’t discover this until now, that means what we need to do isn’t in the kingdom.”

  “It isn’t. We would have to go beyond the seas to the Elven Kingdoms.” Alex adjusted his leather hat. “It’ll have to be something we do after the war.”

  “No.” Tucker met Alex’s gaze. “We can’t wait for the war to be over. You need to prove this now.”

  “It’ll take months at least, a year at best,” Alex protested. “Do you have any idea what’ll happen to our nation by then?”

  “I do, because I’ll still be here while you and another team of watchmen head to the Elven Kingdoms.” Tucker glanced over at Ray. “Besides, it’s nothing the two of us can’t handle.”

  “There’s no guarantee that what I saw was real—”

  Yet before Alex could finish his sentence, he saw Tucker’s stern expression. It wasn’t the kind that spoke of false confidence but one that had made up its mind.

  “We lost all the watchmen at the Aegis Bastion, two at Stafford, and three in Alexandria,” Tucker said. “And that’s only what I’ve heard. I get you want to stay, but what is it really for?”

  He looked at himself and then Ray. “Because if it’s to keep us alive, then forget about it. There’s more you can do for the Order, and you know that.”

  “Tucker’s right.” Ray sighed, ignoring the stiffness in his shoulders. He sat upright from the floor and focused on Alex. “I wasn’t planning to say anything… but I know at least ten others that have fallen since I went to Stafford. If you can make it to Elarindor. Convince the elves to allow us to train there. Then, our entire Order would reach new heights. One that those bastards could never contest.”

  Alex stared at them as guilt pulled at his heart. “I would be gone for far too long.”

  “You said at worst a year,” Ray pointed out. “We’re not so weak that we would fall by then.”

  “Don’t look down on the legacy you’ve built,” Tucker added. “You’ve constantly raised the bar for the Order and will continue to do so, Alex. A few months could mean two or three. If you can prove that spirits can evolve… then you’ll save more lives than you could imagine.”

  “But would you two be fine in that time?” Alex asked, hiding the worry in his voice.

  Ray scoffed while shaking his head. “Three months is nothing for us. Just don’t be surprised at our list of achievements when you come back.”

  Tucker held out his fist. “It’ll be over before you know it, and when we look back at this time, we’ll all have a good laugh.”

  Alex stood there unable to argue with the two. They were right that it would save many more lives if he pulled it off. The only problem was that it didn’t sit well with him to leave the two behind. If he could, he would try to bring them along, but Tucker was already dead set on taking down the Emerald Tower.

  The only thing he could do now was hurry and get stronger. Once he had done that, he would return to help them.

  “I hope so,” Alex replied, lightly tapping Tucker’s fist with a smirk. “I formed my spirit band, and right now we can assume that’s one requirement. I’ll have to speak to the Head Administrator, but once I get his permission, I will return as soon as possible.”

  “And we’ll be waiting.” Ray walked towards them with a wide grin. “It’s been a pleasure fighting alongside you, despite how short it was, Salamander.”

  “The same to you,” Alex said. He exhaled slowly before smiling. “Odds are we won’t see each other, but I’m sure you two can handle whatever’s in Gravecourt by yourselves.”

  The three bid farewell to each other. Tucker watched in silence as Alex made his way out of the training room, pushing the steel doors that sealed the chamber open. The metallic groan echoed in the crumbling room. Once he was out of sight, Tucker put his hands in his pockets.

  “If you want to do another mission instead, I won’t stop you,” Tucker said.

  Ray chuckled. “Are you insane? You saved my life once. I owe it to you until the end of the war, and I intend to keep my word.”

  “You’re one stubborn guy, you know that, right?”

  “I hear that a lot.”

  They both laughed, but soon their voices slowly grew quiet. The smoke had settled, and with the damage done to the room, odds were they wouldn’t be allowed to use it again for any other training. Tucker took a deep breath, burying the worry on his mind about Alex. If they could ascend their spirits, then a whole new line of progression had opened before them, but this was something that only Alex could figure out.

  He stared at Ray, who kicked the loose fragments of stone to the side. “Just so we’re clear, you still have to form your spirit band.”

  Ray’s gaze slowly drifted over, trying to brush the matter aside, but upon seeing Tucker’s serious expression, he knew that wasn’t the case. “Fuck.”