"Those are quite so requirents," she muttered, arms crossing over her chest. "The first one is manageable. The second… slightly surprising, but considering that you aren't entirely human, not shocking."
"What I don't understand is the last requirent. How in the world do they expect you to defeat an off-worlder?" She muttered to herself.
Leo exhaled slowly, running a hand down his face. "Yeah. That's been on my mind too."
Tatiana's frown deepened. "You might not realize this, but the lowest-ranked off-worlders here are at the Exalted Rank. That's two whole ranks above you. Do they want you dead?"
Leo grimaced. "Feels like it."
Tatiana paced slightly, lost in thought. "Fighting across rank is nearly impossible, Leo. It's not just a matter of skill—it's the sheer gap in stats, abilities, multipliers, everything." She paused, then turned to him. "Even I can't defeat soone a rank above , right?"
That sent a chill down Leo's spine.
"So you're saying I have to do the impossible," he muttered.
Tatiana regarded him for a long mont before sighing. "Not exactly impossible. Just... very unlikely."
Leo let out a humorless chuckle. "Oh, that's so much better."
Tatiana smirked. "You'll just have to find a way to make the impossible possible."
Leo shook his head, his exhaustion settling in again. "You really love saying ominous things, don't you?"
Tatiana shrugged, a small grin on her lips. "It's part of my charm."
Leo rolled his eyes, but a faint smirk tugged at his lips.
Tatiana let out a soft chuckle, clearly pleased with herself. "Well, I suppose I've taken up enough of your ti. You have a long day ahead of you, after all."
Leo gave her a deadpan look. "You an after you scared awake for your own amusent?"
Tatiana smirked. "That's beside the point."
She turned toward the window, gazing out at the pale sunlight creeping over the ruined skyline.
"You should start working on your evolution requirents soon. You don't have much ti before the tournant begins."
"I know." He ran a hand down his face, still processing everything. "I just need to figure out where to start." Leo sighed.
Tatiana turned back to him, her crimson eyes gleaming with sothing unreadable.
"You're resourceful, Leo. You'll figure it out. Just don't die, ok?"
Before he could respond, she disappeared, leaving behind a faint whisper of her presence and a lingering feeling of amusent.
Leo sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah. No pressure."
He stretched, pushing aside the remaining exhaustion from his body. There was no point in lingering in bed any longer. He had work to do.
****
Tatiana reappeared in the penthouse suite she had claid as her temporary residence.
The suite was as grand as expected, situated in one of the tallest surviving buildings in the city.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the ruined streets below, providing an unparalleled view of the changing world.
The furniture was pristine, untouched by the chaos outside—luxurious chairs, velvet curtains, and a grand chandelier that still glead despite everything.
Elda was already there, standing near the window, her sharp eyes fixed on the distant horizon.
The faint glow of the portals from the previous night had long since faded, but the presence of off-worlders still lingered in the air, a suffocating reminder of the war brewing beneath the surface.
"You took longer than expected," Elda noted without turning around.
Tatiana shrugged, making her way toward the plush seating near the center of the room.
"I was having fun."
Elda turned to her, raising an eyebrow. "Fun?"
Tatiana smirked, reclining into the chair with ease.
"I gave Leo a little morning wake-up call."
Elda sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You truly enjoy ssing with him, don't you?"
"He reacts well," Tatiana admitted, stretching her arms above her head. "And he's entertaining. But that's not all."
Her expression shifted slightly, becoming more thoughtful.
"I learned sothing interesting."
Elda tilted her head.
"Sothing about the boy?"
Tatiana nodded. "His class. He chose sothing called Warden."
Elda frowned. "Warden? I've never heard of it."
"Neither have I," Tatiana admitted. "It was marked as unique, and there was a glowing star behind the na."
Elda's frown deepened. "That's not normal."
Tatiana chuckled. "That's an understatent. And then there are his evolution requirents."
She quickly recounted what Leo had told her, watching as Elda's expression grew more serious with each detail.
"Defeating an Evolved Rank monster is already difficult enough, but taking down an off-worlder?" Elda shook her head. "Even for a prodigy, that's beyond absurd."
Tatiana leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand.
"It's almost as if sothing—or soone—is guiding his growth. Shaping him into sothing more than just another contestant."
Elda t Tatiana's gaze. "Do you think the Council is involved?"
Tatiana considered the question for a mont before shaking her head. "If it were the Council, I don't they will be so subtle. No, this feels like sothing else."
Elda crossed her arms. "Then what do you plan to do?"
Tatiana smirked. "Isn't it obvious? I plan to keep watching. Leo is proving to be far more interesting than I first thought. And… I did give him my word that I would help him."
Elda sighed. "You do realize this attachnt you're forming is dangerous, don't you?"
Tatiana's smirk faltered slightly before she waved a dismissive hand. "It's not an attachnt. It's an investnt."
Elda gave her a knowing look but chose not to press further. Instead, she turned back toward the window, watching the world beyond.
"Things are moving faster than we anticipated. More off-worlders are arriving each day. Alliances are already forming."
Tatiana's gaze sharpened. "And Lucien and Liliana?"
"They've arrived," Elda confird. "And they're already making moves."
Tatiana's expression darkened. "Of course, they are."
Elda turned back to her. "What do you want to do?"
Tatiana exhaled slowly, a wicked smile curling at the edges of her lips. "Nothing
Elda nodded, her expression unreadable. "Then let's get to work."
As the morning sun climbed higher, the city below stirred with unseen tensions. The tournant had yet to begin, but things were already falling into place.
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