[Changing Room—After Katie's Fight]
"Hey, are you alright?" "An?" she asked as she opened the door, her sharp eyes immediately scanning Katie from head to toe as though expecting to see her collapsed on the floor. Her posture was stiff, shoulders raised just slightly, betraying the worry she tried to keep hidden behind authority.
"Yes, Mother. They already healed me," Katie replied, sitting upright on the bench with only a slight wince as she shifted her weight. Her hands were pressed to the edge of the seat, fingers curled white-knuckled, but she still gave a faint nod, her voice steady. The usual fire in her gaze was dulled, like embers after the flames had already burned themselves out.
Ann stepped fully into the room and shut the door with a decisive click. The sound echoed in the small space, cutting off the murmur of the arena outside. She folded her arms tightly, eyes narrowing. "Why were you so reckless about it?" Her voice was edged, but not with raw anger—more with that mixture of fear and frustration only a mother could wear convincingly, the tone that lived halfway between scolding and desperate relief.
Katie shrugged, expression utterly unapologetic. Her lips tugged at a smirk that didn't quite take. "It was a good plan."
"It was," I chimed in from my post against the wall, arms crossed loosely over my chest. I leaned there casually, one ankle hooked over the other, playing the part of the bystander. "Worked like a charm."
"You shut up," Ann snapped immediately, her head jerking toward me with a glare sharp enough to slice steel. Her eyes narrowed into slits, and her voice cut like whiplash. "You're the worst influence here."
I raised my brows and lifted both palms in an innocent shrug, though the corner of my mouth tugged upward despite myself. She wasn't wrong. I didn't mind taking the blame—hell, I probably deserved most of it.
She turned back to Katie, exhaling through her nose with a long, controlled breath that trembled at the edges. "It was a good plan, but far too reckless. If that person had released one more burst of mana…" Her tone softened at the end, the sharp edges melting away, but the weight of her words hung thick in the air.
Katie lowered her eyes, her shoulders sinking under that pressure. She didn't apologize, but she didn't argue either. Silence stretched, and in it, guilt pooled quietly.
'Well, she's not wrong,' I thought, teeth pressing against the inside of my cheek. I wanted to make a quip, something to cut the tension, but I bit my tongue before the words slipped free. I'd have stepped in before Katie actually got crushed… probably. Maybe. The thought alone wasn't comforting enough to voice.
"Oh. "You're still here," Mom said as she walked in, her presence like a cold wind that shifted the entire air in the room. She folded her arms, her eyes sweeping across the three of us before settling on me, her gaze steady. Too steady.
I looked up quickly, my posture tightening instinctively. Her tone was calm—too calm. What struck me more was her composure. No fear. No stress. Nothing that even hinted at panic. And this despite the fact she knew her parents' killer had been nearby. She hated that man more than anyone—had every reason to lose control—but here she was, standing steady, a pillar of icy control.
"I need to talk to you," I said seriously, pushing off the wall. The humor drained from me instantly, replaced with a tight seriousness. I braced myself for whatever storm might follow.
"It wasn't him," she replied immediately, halting me mid-step like a blade to the throat.
"…What?" The word slipped out before I could cage it, shock slashing through me sharper than steel.
Mom's expression didn't waver. "That wasn't him. Or at least, not the true one."
I felt my frown pull deeper, suspicion crawling under my skin. "Then who—?"
"He never sends his real body," she continued, her tone flat and steady as if she had rehearsed this truth in her head a hundred times before. "He's a coward in many ways. Besides, our royal guard's top enforcers are still stronger than him."
I blinked. "Wait, hold on. You're saying… a Sin Holder isn't even the strongest thing out there? And how do you know it was a fake?"
She turned away from me, resting one hand lightly against the wall like it helped anchor her thoughts. Her fingers pressed so hard her knuckles whitened. "He wasn't fat."
"…What?" My confusion must have been plain; the words fell flat out of my mouth.
"Every sin has a price," she said, her voice taking on the cadence of a lecture she'd given many times but never wanted to. "His gluttony is always active. He gains mass from his magic. If he's slim, he's suppressing it. Or it's not him."
"Oh… right," I muttered, the explanation slotting into place in my head like gears turning. "Like how I'd destroy myself if I overused Wrath."
"Exactly."
"So he gets fat," I echoed, nodding slowly.
"His sin makes him fat," she confirmed without hesitation, each word heavy with certainty.
"Well, that explains the pudding-like aura," I muttered, recalling that grotesque spiritual weight I'd sensed earlier. My nose wrinkled just thinking about it.
"But don't underestimate him just because he's a clone," she warned, her gaze snapping back to mine, sharp and dangerous. "He's still a god."
"Sure. Wasn't planning on fighting him anyway." My smirk returned faintly, but it was more armor than amusement, a mask to keep anything else from showing.
"That's why I came looking for you," she said, stepping forward, her tone hardening like she was drawing a battle line in the sand.
I blinked, momentarily thrown. "Oh, so we're on the same page?"
She nodded once. "Yes. You do not engage him. And don't get clever—we've already killed one of his clones before. This won't be our first time."
"…Great," I muttered, dragging a hand through my hair and letting it fall back against my neck. "No pressure or anything."
"Kayda will be fine," she added, then paused as if steadying herself. "And I will too."
"Kitsuna, you show worry in the weirdest ways," Katie said with a grin that was far too smug for someone who'd just been scolded. Her teeth flashed, and it was pure mischief.
"Shut it," I growled, shooting her a glare sharp enough to cut granite. My tail twitched behind me, betraying the flicker of irritation.
"Anyway," Mom cut in firmly, unwilling to let the conversation spiral further, "let's focus on the real problem."
"Yeah. "That Logan kid," I said, turning serious again. My jaw set, and my smirk vanished.
Ann rubbed her chin, thoughtful. "You should pull Amari out of tomorrow's match."
"She won't like that one bit," Mom said, already shaking her head with certainty. She knew Amari too well. The image of her throwing a tantrum was already alive in her eyes.
"Nah, I'm sure I can get her to drop out," I said, smirking slightly again. Confidence dripped from the words, but even I knew it wasn't going to be that simple.
Ann's narrow-eyed look cut across the room like a knife. "Don't even think about hurting her to force a withdrawal."
"It's nothing like that," I replied quickly, raising both hands as if surrendering. "But… she's been itching for a proper duel with me. One without Zagan hovering around."
Ann tilted her head slowly, suspicion still written across her face, but there was a faint flicker of curiosity too. "So you want to satisfy her, and then she'll step aside willingly?"
"Exactly." I gave a little shrug as if the answer was obvious.
"Well, tomorrow's quarterfinals should go quickly then," Ann said at last, finally conceding with a shake of her head. Her lips pressed tight, though, the worry was still there.
"I'll blast through my opponent," I said casually, leaning back against the wall again like none of this was a big deal.
"Don't be cocky," Ann warned, her voice tightening further. "This guy has some real tricks up his sleeve. And the one after him will be a genuine challenge—even for you."
I shrugged, rolling my shoulders in a loose circle. "Just a challenge? I'll be fine."
She sighed deeply, pressing two fingers against her temple. "You're giving me gray hairs."
"You're not even forty, Mom. Chill," I said, grinning slyly.
"Don't talk about my age!" she snapped instantly, her cheeks coloring just slightly.
"…Alright, I'm going to find Amari," I said, pushing off the wall and heading for the door, waving them off over my shoulder. The door creaked under my hand as it swung open.
"Don't push her too much!" Mom shouted after me, her voice echoing as the door closed behind me.
[Hallway Outside the Arena]
'Is she still in the stands?' I wondered as I turned the corner, my eyes flicking over the crowd thinning from the last match. The scent of sweat and mana still clung to the air, thick enough to taste, the arena humming faintly with lingering energy.
I collided with someone hard. The impact jolted me and sent them stumbling onto the floor with a grunt that echoed in the hallway.
"Ah—sorry about that," I said quickly, offering my hand without hesitation.
"It's alright. I wasn't looking where I was going," the man replied, gripping my hand firmly as I pulled him up.
I held his hand a little longer than necessary, scanning his face closely. Every angle. Every flicker of his expression. Testing. Measuring. My eyes narrowed, my smile faint.
He didn't break eye contact. Not once.
Neither did I.
My lips curved into a grin, slow and sharp. "Take care."
And then I walked past him, the grin never leaving my face. My footsteps echoed behind me, steady and controlled, but the tension coiled in my chest like a spring.
'I think he used my own trick on me. I'll kill him tonight.'
I looked down at my palm as the skin began to darken faintly with lingering frost, the residue of power brushed against me. With a soft sigh, I dissolved into ice particles, scattering into nothing as the hallway fell empty.
[30 Minutes Later—Rooftop Overlooking a Forest Clearing]
"So Katie actually lost?" Amari asked, her arms crossed as she stood on the edge of the rooftop, her hair swaying with the night wind. The moonlight caught in her strands, giving her silhouette a faint halo as I landed beside her with a soft crunch of gravel.
"Yep," I said with a pop of my lips. "And you need to pull out of tomorrow's match."
"No!" Amari spun toward me immediately, eyes blazing hot enough to burn the night away. "I can beat that guy!"
"You probably can," I admitted easily, with no hesitation in my tone. "But someone's going to make sure you don't. We just want to avoid serious injuries in the process."
"Ahhh!! No! I want to fight you!" Amari yelled, stomping once like a frustrated child denied candy, the sound echoing across the rooftop.
"I know, I know. That's why we're having this talk," I said, palming my forehead with a groan. The beginnings of a headache pressed behind my eyes.
"Then why ask me to give up at all?!" she shouted, fists clenching at her sides.
"Because I'm planning for us to have our fight tomorrow morning in the woods outside the capital."
Amari blinked, caught off guard, her anger pausing mid-flame. "What? Why there?"
"Because then I can go all out," I explained simply, my tone flat and serious. "You know I can't show my tails in public."
She grumbled under her breath, shoulders tensing. Then she muttered reluctantly, "...Fine. Tomorrow morning. Early. In the woods."
"You don't need to hide your happiness, you know," I called after her as she stormed off, her shoulders stiff but her grin tugging at the edges of her lips, betraying her excitement.
She didn't turn around.
I smiled faintly, shaking my head. 'Alright. Time to kill that little shit.'
I flash-stepped away, dissolving into sparks of frost and light.
[Ten Minutes Later—Forest Clearing]
"Hehehe… the Saintess is never wrong," the man said from the center of the clearing, stepping into the moonlight with a grin too wide to be sane. His golden eyes glowed faintly, unnaturally, lighting his face with an eerie shimmer.
"So Rachel told you, huh?" I asked, perching on a branch above him, the moon casting long shadows beneath us. My tail flicked once, restless.
"Yes. And she told me something else, too," he replied, tossing a small, glowing ice crystal to the ground where it pulsed faintly with captured power.
I looked at it, then blinked. "Oh, so they did extract hers."
"Yes, yes—but that one's not Rachel's," he said, his grin stretching further until it looked like it might split his face. "That's mine. The one you put in me earlier."
"Huh?" I blinked, taken aback, my head tilting slightly. "Wait… what?"
"Hahaha! Surprised, aren't you?"
I smirked, leaning forward lazily, letting my claws tap the branch beneath me. "Yeah. I'm surprised how stupid you are."
His grin faltered, lips twitching.
"You think I didn't learn anything from Rachel's case? You really think I only planted one?"
The man stepped back, his confidence cracking like thin glass. "W-What do you mean?"
"I'm a fox," I said, leaping down lightly into the clearing, eyes glowing bright enough to burn through the dark. My voice dropped into something low and dangerous. "There's always a trick in our tricks."
His eyes widened. "Wait, you—"
BOOM!!
The clearing was instantly swallowed in a burst of frost and shattering light.
[Next Morning—Forest Outside the Capital]
"You're late," Amari grumbled as I walked up the dirt path, rubbing sleep from my eyes. She tapped her foot impatiently, arms folded, looking like she'd been standing there for hours even though she hadn't.
"To be fair, we never set a time," I replied with a yawn, stretching out my shoulders and tail until the joints popped.
"Whatever," she huffed, spinning away with a flick of her hair. "So how are we doing this?"
"First, we wait for Kayda to set up the barrier," I said, nodding toward the floating sigils already forming above the trees. The air hummed faintly with their energy. "Then we go all out."
"Hmph. You mean I go all out, and you hold back to match me."
"If that's what you want," I said with a shrug, utterly calm. "But remember—I still have a tournament match after this."
She grinned, sharp and eager, her teeth glinting in the morning light. "Yeah, yeah. It's as if you need only half your strength to handle those angels."