Roke's grandfather was looking for his grandson, but it was hard to move through that crowd. He finally managed to break free and started heading down to find him.
That was when he saw Roke talking back to the masked man.
Ignoring the warning, Roke tried to use 10 of his CEF potential to sprint away. But the moment Roke tried to dodge, the third masked man snatched him by the collar and flung him across the ground.
Then, Number 3 launched a ball of fire at Roke. He could only close his eyes and brace himself for whatever came next.
But nothing happened, and when he opened his eyes, Roke saw his grandfather lying on the ground, badly burned, with black flames consuming him.
Staring at the scene, Roke slowly made his way to his grandfather's side and sank to his knees, starting to sob.
He glared at Number 3, his eyes blurring with tears of fury. Then, without warning, his CEF started flashing red.
CEF: 50/50
40/50
30/50
20/50
10/50
00/50
Then, before Number 3 could even notice, Roke appeared right in front of him, landing a punch so powerful it sent him flying into the wall, shattering it.
Immediately after, a white light began to emanate from his body and exploded. The sound was so deafening that everyone, from those in the arena to those outside, stood in shock at the noise.
Roke then slumped to the ground, blacking out.
Meanwhile, Acedia was fast asleep.
"What was that?" He woke up with a start.
One of the messengers knocked on the door to Acedia's room.
Kneeling with reverence, he said, "Forgive me for entering without permission, my lord. But the city is in danger; please, go to the tournament."
"Don't worry, I was already awake." After that... Acedia yawned.
"Ah, forget it." Acedia got up, climbing out of bed.
Suddenly, Acedia began to glow as a white flow of energy surged around him, and he vanished.
He reappeared instantly high above, in the bleachers.
There, he saw the four masked men.
But as soon as they saw the god, a black flow surged around them, making them vanish and leaving only a dark mist behind.
The mist was fading away when Sevin found Roke and his grandfather on the ground.
"Hey, wake up!" Sevin pleaded, but they remained unconscious. Right then, Acedia reached them as he made his way down.
He spotted Roke, the grandfather, and the masked man against the broken wall.
"Whoa, what went down here?" Acedia asked, his interest piqued.
"I don't know, but I'm sure he's the one who caused that whole explosion," Sevin stated, pointing at the masked man in the wall.
"Is that so?" Acedia replied, as he walked slowly toward them.
However, once he reached them, he scooped up both Roke and his grandfather and disappeared.
He reappeared instantly at the nearest hospital.
The following day…
Roke opened his eyes to the sight of a nurse checking his vitals.
"Awake already, honey?" she asked, looking over him.
He didn't answer; he just kept his eyes fixed on the ceiling, his vision still hazy.
Suddenly, a blurry memory of his grandfather lying on the ground rushed back.
Roke lunged out of bed, ignoring the nurse, and bolted for the door.
"Wait, stop!" she yelled.
Roke glanced over his shoulder.
She shouted: "Room 302! Head to Room 302!"
He rushed up the stairs, still a bit lightheaded, passing rooms 300 and 301 before finally reaching room 302.
When Roke burst through the door, he came face to face with his grandfather's nurse.
"How is he?" Roke asked, pacing back and forth.
The nurse looked at him while checking his grandfather's heartbeat.
"Well, he's alive, and that's a start. It could've been a lot worse," he said, his voice low and his face grim.
"What? Much worse? What do you mean?" Roke's breath hitched.
"This poison is unknown to us," he said, his face falling.
"What?" Roke rushed to his grandfather's side, grasping his hand.
"The black flames are slowly spreading through his body."
"Huh? And that means...?" Roke struggled to breathe.
"It means he needs the antidote found in City 5," he said, looking skeptical.
"Will it bring him back?" Roke asked, his hand still gripping his grandfather's.
"It will. But that's the City of Lust. You'll have to work your tail off, kid, to scrape that kind of money together," the nurse said, reaching for the door handle.
Before the door could close, Roke spoke up: "How much time is left?"
"With the flames spreading at this rate... you have a year, maybe two." The nurse turned away, disappearing into the hallway.
Meanwhile, Roke's nurse rushed into room 302, a look of panic on her face.
"Hey, we just got your CEF results," she said desperately.
Roke blinked in total confusion.
"You no longer have a CEF." She looked away, unable to meet his eyes.
"What?" He opened the menu.
CEF: 00/00
Falling into the seat next to his grandfather, he could only whisper, "How is this possible?"
He still needed money, but the guild was out of the question now.
He couldn't tear his eyes away from the screen. He just couldn't believe it.