The backstage corridors felt like a strange dream with the roar of the crowd above still echoing faintly through the walls, the humming of Xana-powered lifts carrying fighters up and down and a lot of arenas with ongoing fights.
Radellei tugged me along until we turned into a smaller hallway that opened into a garden terrace. The four of them were lounged across a long curved bench beneath a canopy of bright green vines. They looked like they had been here forever, completely unfazed by the chaos of the tournament.
Hinesia was leaned back with her arms crossed. Phyri was scrolling through a tablet. Her expression was neutral but her foot was tapping in rhythm with whatever she was reading. Vilythe, the youngest, had her legs curled up on the bench with her head tilted curiously like a cat. And then there was Nefira with her bandaged shoulder.
"Finally," Hinesia said flatly as soon as she spotted us. "You two took your sweet time."
Radellei ignored her and went straight to Nefira. She crouched, laid a hand on her sister's wound and golden Xana light flared faintly across her palm. The bandages unraveled themselves as the gash sealed into a faint scar.
"How do you feel?"
Nefira flexed her shoulder slowly, then smirked. "Like I could take him again… blindfolded this time."
I almost choked. This woman just got nearly skewered and kicked halfway through the arena and she's talking like she wants seconds. Before I could even say anything, Vilythe scoffed.
"Wait. Hold on. We are literally with a man at a tournament."
That landed like a bomb. The bench went silent. Four pairs of eyes flicked to me.
"You know what? I completely forgot about that until you just said it."
They all stared harder. I glanced at Radellei.
"What? Are they… broken? Did I just trigger some secret message or something?"
She rolled her eyes, standing up.
"Ignore them. They do that."
But it wasn't over yet because she decided right then to casually drop the news.
"We registered as a duo team."
The words barely left her mouth before Hinesia snapped upright. Her glare could have melted stone.
"Excuse me? You what?"
Radellei met her gaze coolly. "You heard me. We are duo partners now. Team Neon Nomads."
Hinesia stood fully now.
"You're joking. I planned to train him myself. He doesn't even know Roborare yet. He's unshaped clay, Radellei."
Radellei crossed her arms, chin tilting up stubbornly.
"Which is exactly why he needs my guidance and not your endless lectures but practice and a partner."
"He needs discipline, not whatever chaotic nonsense you think passes for mentorship."
"You mean suffocating rules and chains? No thanks. He will never grow under that."
They went back and forth shouting snaps, retorts and flaring pride. The tension was thick enough to cut so I just sat down on the edge of the bench, watching them like it was the best entertainment I had all week.
I'll admit it. It was kind of amazing seeing Hinesia go toe-to-toe like this. She looked like she belonged here with them. She was an Outer, transmigrated into this world, dumped into the life of an Egyptian princess with a twin brother and four sisters. She must have had a family before or people who loved her and yet she blended in and assimilated so well you would think she was born in this House.
Meanwhile, I had nothing to blend in with. When I transmigrated, it didn't break me. It didn't even sting because there wasn't anything left to break. My best friend was gone. My old life was a graveyard I'd already stopped visiting. When the world ripped me out and threw me here, I didn't regret anything because my life was already trash.
I leaned back against the bench, listening to Radellei and Hinesia argue like real sisters. Phyri didn't even look up from her holo-tab. Vilythe was giggling into her hands, enjoying the show. Nefira tilted her head toward me, a faint smirk ghosting her lips despite her fresh scar.
Radellei had just thrown the big one out there, saying I'd surpass them one day. Not "maybe." Not "if he works really hard." No, she just dropped it like it was a fact carved into stone. And the scary thing is that she meant it.
"Also, I'm the one who can have a perfect elemental synergy with him!"
My ears perked up at Radellei's words.
"Okay, you can't just say stuff like that and not explain. What do you mean stronger than all of you? And what's this 'elemental synergy' thing?"
Phyri sighed from her end of the bench, her fingers still dancing across her tablet. She didn't even look up.
"Elemental synergy, is when two elements don't just coexist but enhance each other. When they combine, both users get stronger. And, more importantly, it improves Elemental Flux drastically. That's why some duos in history outclassed entire armies."
"So, like… a battle duet."
Phyri finally looked up just long enough to give me that classic flat stare of hers.
"If that helps your underdeveloped brain process it, sure. Anyway, out of all of us, the only one you have perfect synergy with is Radellei."
I blinked and glanced over at Radellei. She shifted in her seat, her eyes dropping to the ground like suddenly the floorboards had grown fascinating patterns.
"Wait, her? Why her?"
"Because you have Void, and she has Terra, which is neutral. It resonates with almost anything but Radellei is different from us. We all have three elements. She has one and because she has an Alteration Flux, she can't ever have more than one. That limitation makes her element… pure. And that means your Void doesn't clash with the other elements. it syncs perfectly."
"So you're saying she's basically the only one I don't short-circuit with."
"Exactly," Phyri said.
Radellei finally exhaled once her sister gave that elaborate explanation.
"That is why I said what I said, Phaser. You will surpass us one day but you can't do it alone. You need synergy and with me, it is not just possible. It is inevitable."
Hinesia, of course, had to chime in.
"She's right. Out of all of us, Radellei needs this. She only has one element. That makes her… limited, but also essential. You both gain from the bond. That's why it must be her."
I blinked, looking around at them all. "Okay. Do I get a say in any of this?"
"No," they all said, perfectly synchronized, like they rehearsed it.
"Damn, you didn't even think about it! Not even for one second! Not even a fake pause to make me think I had a choice!"
Phyri smirked, still glued to her tablet.
"Father gave the order. We're here to train you and ourselves. We can't exactly disobey him, can we?"
Vilythe leaned forward, all of fifteen years of smugness radiating off her.
"Besides, you should be grateful. Most guys would kill to be surrounded by sisters who literally argue over how to make him stronger."
"Yeah, yeah, most guys also aren't treated like a project at a crafting table. Lucky me then."
Radellei, finally lifting her head, gave me this soft, almost apologetic smile.
"Fine," I muttered, slumping back against the bench. "Guess it's decided then."
The others shared a look. I just sat there, staring up at the ceiling, wondering when exactly I stopped being the player in my own life and became everyone else's partner.
Guess being in another world gives you new experiences.