Scene 1 — Tickets
"Anak… Endorsi, why are you two here?"
They weren't wandering.
They were at the transit counter.
Buying tickets.
To that island.
The same island we just returned from. The same place hiding the entrance to the tunnels Ras uses.
Regulars nearby began backing up the moment they realized who stood at the counter. One dropped his pocket outright. Another turned around like he remembered an urgent appointment elsewhere.
The clerk behind the glass looked like he wanted to evaporate.
Endorsi tapped the counter once.
"Two tickets."
The clerk swallowed. "M-Miss, that route is restricted—"
"I didn't ask if it was restricted."
Anak pulled her hood down, eyes scanning openly.
"Khun? What are you doing here? And who are these people?"
"I thought your group was rushing to the Workshop," I replied casually.
"We were," Endorsi said.
"Tunnels," Anak added with a grin.
My Lighthouse hummed once.
"You look tense," Endorsi said.
"I'm always tense," I replied.
"You've been there," Anak said. "Take us."
I considered it.
"Fine," I said. "But not through the public gate."
My Lighthouse flickered.
Private channel.
Family encryption.
STOP.
NOT HERE. NOT NOW.
PRINCESS KHUN MASCHENNY ZAHARD — ON THIS FLOOR.
The channel closed.
"My sister's here," I said quietly.
"…Maschenny?" Endorsi whispered.
"If you walk into those tunnels right now, you won't meet Ras."
"Then who?"
"Attention," I replied. "The kind you don't refuse."
"You were going to take us."
"I was."
"Then why aren't you?"
"Because I'm adjusting."
Endorsi stared at the half-printed tickets.
Then she shoved them back.
"Cancel it."
The clerk nearly collapsed.
"Yuri already moved," I said.
"She's back with Urek," Endorsi replied.
"Yes."
Anak rolled her shoulders.
"So we go for Baam."
"Baam is accounted for," I said.
"Meaning?"
"He's the item."
Silence.
"The Workshop isn't a tournament," I continued. "It's a market."
Scene 2 — Route Correction
We left the transit district.
The city thinned into something industrial.
Then the skyline opened.
Archimedes hovered above everything.
Not a ship.
A floating district of metal and intention.
Anak stopped walking.
"…That's excessive."
Endorsi didn't speak. She tracked patrol patterns instead.
Rankers moved like staff. Lighthouses floated in clean grids. Sealed cases passed between handlers with quiet efficiency.
No cheering.
No banners.
Just infrastructure.
"Welcome to the Workshop Battle," a neutral voice echoed.
No hype.
Procedure.
"Registered participants proceed to assigned zones. Safety fields disengage at the start of the first round."
My Lighthouse expanded.
Baam's ID surfaced too quickly.
"They didn't bury him," I murmured.
Endorsi glanced at me. "Why would they?"
"Because if they wanted him removed quietly, they would have."
His bracket was clean.
Balanced.
Manageable opponents.
Dangerous names routed elsewhere.
Observer clusters hovered near his arena.
Family encryption tags.
And beneath it—
FUG marker.
Subtle.
Hidden.
"It's rigged," I said.
"For us?" Anak asked.
"For him."
Endorsi went quiet.
"They're not trying to kill him," I continued. "They're staging him."
"Like a show?" Anak asked.
"Like an investment."
Baam's safety window extended slightly longer than adjacent lanes.
Minor.
But consistent.
"They're protecting his growth curve," I said. "And displaying it."
"So he really is the item," Endorsi said quietly.
"Yes."
Scene 3 — Market Conditions
The announcement voice returned.
"First round begins in two minutes."
Participants moved toward their assigned sectors.
Guards pretended not to watch.
Sponsors didn't pretend at all.
My scan picked up Princess-level observer nodes anchored in higher viewing tiers.
Maschenny's encryption flickered at the edge of my Lighthouse.
Present.
Watching.
"Everyone's moving," Endorsi said.
"Yes."
Anak cracked her neck.
"Who's winning?"
"The Ha family moved first," I replied.
Endorsi didn't need clarification.
Ras.
Yuri.
Urek.
Shadow war above our weight class.
"This isn't about winning," I said. "It's about compatibility."
"Compatibility with what?" Endorsi asked.
"Ownership."
The final countdown echoed.
"Safety fields disengaging in thirty seconds."
Baam's arena flared in the distance.
Red Shinsu pressure rose.
The Red Thryssa stirred.
Anak grinned.
Endorsi's aura sharpened.
I stepped forward.
"Stay close."
Because the moment the safety fields dropped—
The market would open.
And everyone would start bidding.