Nova and Anna stepped out of the arena grounds, the noise of the crowd fading behind them.
The streets were crowded with excited spectators and vendors shouting about last-minute bets for the final round.
The air was filled with the scent of grilled ats and exotic spices, and Anna eagerly scanned for a place to sit and eat.
"I’ll ask Nyx to search for any data on that kid."
Nova said, keeping his tone low as he walked beside her.
"I was about to ask the sa. There’s sothing really wrong with him."
Anna replied, her eyes scanning the crowd.
Nova opened his internal system, and Nyx’s voice answered in his mind.
[Already searching. But there’s not much. He’s listed as an orphan humanoid, went missing about a year ago. No na, no official ID, nothing in the galactic archives. It’s like he was wiped.]
She said.
"Could he have bribed his way into the tournant?"
Nova asked, glancing back to make sure they weren’t being followed.
[Highly probable. But whoever tampered with the registration was careful. No traceable code, no hacking signature. Clean.]
Nova sighed.
"Keep digging. Sothing doesn’t add up."
As they turned a corner into a quieter district with food stalls lining the stone-paved street, Nova slowed down slightly. His senses sharpened—he felt it imdiately.
They were being followed.
He didn’t say anything out loud. He just gave Anna a quick glance.
"Go back to the inn. I need to take care of sothing."
Nova said quietly.
Anna frowned, but she read the tension in his shoulders and gave a subtle nod.
"Don’t take too long. And... be careful."
She turned and blended into the crowd while Nova slipped into a narrow side alley, empty and quiet save for the hum of electric lamps.
The footsteps behind him quickened.
Nova stepped deeper into the shadows, drawing the pursuer in.
The mont he passed a broken drainpipe, the humanoid boy appeared—moving faster than most eyes could follow.
His hand shot forward, black claws forming from his fingers, aid directly at Nova’s spine.
But the strike never landed.
A ripple of aether shimred between them, and the claws scraped uselessly against the shield Nova had ford around himself.
"You really thought that would work? You’re trying to take out before the final match? That’s desperate."
Nova asked calmly as he turned to face the attacker.
The boy didn’t speak at first. He took a half step back, the black mist swirling off his shoulders like oil in water. His face was pale, expression blank—but his eyes were full of hunger.
Then he spoke, his voice distorted and echoing, as if sothing else spoke through him.
[You... must not reach final. You are... threat.]
"So you’re not alone in there."
Nova muttered, eyes narrowing.
The boy’s body twitched again, violently this ti. His head snapped unnaturally to the side, and when he looked up again, his voice was clearer—more human.
"I don’t know what’s happening. It keeps—"
He said, panic flashing in his eyes for just a mont before it vanished.
Then his mouth snapped shut, his jaw locking, and he let out a growl as the black mist surged again.
Nova didn’t move. He didn’t draw his weapon. He just let his aether pulse outward in a sudden burst—forcing the other back.
The humanoid paused, his fingers pressed against Nova’s invisible shield, shadowy wisps of smoke coiling off his skin like vapor.
His face remained emotionless, but his eyes twitched—slight, but noticeable. The sa black aether that had erupted in the earlier matches now flickered at his fingertips.
Nova stepped back, lowering the shield with ease.
"I’ll ask again—are you that afraid?"
The humanoid tilted his head slightly, as if confused by the question.
Then, without a word, he lunged again, faster this ti—his hands clawed into unnatural shapes, sharp and jagged, more like blades than fingers.
But Nova wasn’t standing still anymore. He pivoted around the humanoid’s strike with a short sidestep, grabbed the attacker’s wrist, and twisted it.
The movent was fluid, decisive. The humanoid’s body contorted under the force, but he didn’t grunt or scream—he simply reacted, disengaging, flipping backward midair, and landing crouched a few ters away.
"You’re not talking. Fine. But you’re not normal, are you? That wasn’t you in the arena. Not entirely."
Nova said, eyes narrowing.
The humanoid’s body trembled for a brief second, and a dark mist leaked from his mouth. Then he straightened up and spoke for the first ti, his voice hollow, as if spoken through a dozen cracked mirrors.
[Not afraid. Not weak. Must... prove.]
The way he spoke—halting, broken—only confird what Nova already suspected. There was sothing else in him.
Sothing parasitic, or maybe symbiotic. Either way, it wasn’t just the boy fighting anymore.
Nova’s hand twitched near his side, close to summoning his weapon before he stopped.
"You better get yourself together before the finals. Because next ti we et, I won’t hold back."
Nova said, voice cold.
The humanoid stared at him, panting quietly, before he turned and vanished into the shadows.
Nova stood there for another minute, then finally turned back toward the crowded streets. The final match couldn’t co soon enough.
Nova walked through the thinning crowd, slipping back toward the food stalls where Anna was waiting.
As soon as she spotted him, Anna stood up from the bench, her eyes narrowing in concern.
"You’re back. What happened?"
She said, her voice tight.
Nova shrugged as he approached her, brushing dust off his sleeve.
"A bug tried to take out before the competition."
Anna’s expression darkened imdiately.
"You were attacked?!"
"Everything’s fine."
Nova said, waving her off as he sat down across from her.
"That didn’t answer my question. Did you get hurt or not?"
She said, leaning forward.
Nova tilted his head, considering whether it was worth the explanation. Then he smirked faintly and replied.
"Let’s just say... it’s better for your ntal health if you don’t know the details."
Anna stared at him for a second before sighing and sitting back down.
"You’re impossible."
"Not the first ti I’ve heard that."
The food arrived monts later—stead dumplings, roasted at skewers, and a bubbling soup Anna had picked out while waiting.
They ate in silence for a while, Anna occasionally sneaking glances at Nova’s face for any signs of strain. There were none.
Whatever happened, he really was fine.
Still, she hated how used she was getting to all this.
Once the plates were cleared, Nova stood up and stretched.
"We should head back."
"Right. Final match. You ready?"
Anna said, brushing her hands clean.
Nova glanced at the darkening sky above them. The noise from the stadium was already picking up again, a hum of anticipation that never quite settled.
"I’ve been ready."
He said.
They turned and began walking back together, steps steady as the final storm waited just ahead.
Nova turned to look around at the guards following him and the humanoid who tried to kill him. They had not interfered, but he has no doubt they would have if things got worse.
’I see. So the champion also senses that sothing is going to happen and she is taking precautions. I have to say that I am impressed by her foresight.’
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