"Sir Alaric?"

The group turned. Marcus stood a respectful distance away, his posture straight, his expression warm. Sarah stood beside him, her face as unreadable as ever.

Emma tilted her head, looking at the two newcomers with polite curiosity. "I don’t recall meeting you before. You are?"

"Marcus Miller. I work under Sylvine’s guidance in the Second Sanctuary. We’ve recently joined the team."

Selene’s brows rose slightly. Marcus Miller. She felt like the name was in some way familiar, but she couldn’t quite place where she had heard of it. The connection just couldn’t surface.

Emma’s face lit up in recognition of Sylvine’s name, "Ahh, you’re working under Sylvine. I see. I see." She smiled. "Well, it’s nice to meet you, Marcus. How can we help you? Do you need anything?"

Marcus shook his head. "Not at all. I simply wanted to come and pay my respects. It’s not every day you find yourself in the presence of greatness."

His gaze shifted to Alaric, and he nodded his head once more. "It’s an honor, Sir Alaric. Your achievements have inspired many of us in the lower ranks."

Alaric gave a short nod in acknowledgment but said nothing.

Marcus gestured to his side. "This is Sarah, my companion. We’ve been working together since our awakening ceremony."

Sarah offered a small nod to the group.

Marcus’s eyes then moved to Selene. "And may I ask your name?"

’Anyone standing beside the Light Sword Saint himself must be someone worth knowing. Having her as a connection could never be bad. She is also quite beautiful herself...’

"Selene." She said simply.

"A pleasure to meet you, Selene." Marcus smiled. "Are you participating in the tournament?"

"I am."

"Oh, wonderful!" His smile broadened, genuine enthusiasm behind it. "Then let’s compete fairly. May the best Evolver win."

They exchanged a few more words of small talk. Marcus kept it light, asking about the tournament structure, commenting on the size of the crowd, mentioning how impressive the grounds were. He was careful not to linger too long, not to ask too many questions, not to push his presence beyond the point of welcome.

After a couple of minutes, he took a half-step back and placed his hand over his chest.

"We won’t take up any more of your time. It was a genuine pleasure meeting all of you. I hope we cross paths again soon."

Emma waved. "Good luck in the tournament, Marcus."

"Thank you. Seen you around...Selene," He smiled, turned, and walked away with Sarah at his side.

Once they were out of earshot, Marcus exhaled quietly.

’That went well. No need to rush. A few more interactions like that, and the name Marcus Miller will stick in their minds.’

Marcus turned toward Sarah, offering her a soft smirk. "I think that went quite well. Don’t you think?"

Sarah shrugged, not entirely convinced.

"The Sword Saint you admire didn’t seem to take your presence in a positive manner. He glared at you for a moment when you spoke to that young lady."

Marcus’s eyes widened. "Are you serious? Selene?"

His face darkened immediately. The confident, calculated demeanor he had been wearing cracked as the implications hit him. If he had just unknowingly flirted with the Light Sword Saint’s woman, then his careful networking had just become a very different kind of introduction.

"Shit." He muttered under his breath. "No. That’s impossible. Knowing his character, he would have said something. He’s not the type to stay quiet about things like that. You must be overthinking it."

Sarah said nothing. Her expression remained perfectly neutral as she walked ahead toward the next testing station.

Marcus stared at her back for a moment, waiting for reassurance that didn’t come.

He hurried to catch up, the smirk long gone from his face.

Meanwhile, Emma sighed.

"Alaric. If looks could kill, you would have murdered that boy several times, where he stood." She shook her head. "He was just trying to introduce himself. I don’t think he meant any harm to Selene."

"Doesn’t matter." Alaric said flatly, his arms crossed. "Selene would have spoken to him if she wanted to. He didn’t need to initiate."

"He was being polite."

"Who cares. Besides, his name is the most generic name in the entire kingdom. Named after the founding father of New Avalon...there is plenty of nameless people like him around on the streets."

"He just asked for her name, Alaric. Her name." Emma pinched the bridge of her nose.

Selene smiled wryly at the exchange. "It’s okay, brother. I really don’t think he meant anything by it." She waved a hand dismissively. "Anyway, I have to go. There’s more testing ahead. I’ll see you guys around!"

She grabbed Yara’s hand and pulled her away before Alaric could say anything else about the perfectly innocent young man who had committed the unforgivable crime of asking his sister’s name.

Yara followed obediently, glancing back once at Alaric’s still-frowning figure before turning to Selene.

Once they were safely out of earshot, Yara spoke.

"Your brother is really protective."

"You have no idea."

"How are you going to introduce Moon to him?"

Selene’s stride faltered for half a step. The wry smile on her face twisted into something closer to a grimace.

"About that...Honestly, I’ve been trying for find answers for some time now...and I still don’t know."

She stared ahead at the path leading to the next testing station, but her mind was clearly somewhere else entirely.

"They are both monsters, Yara. If a fight breaks out between them, how could I possibly stop it?" She paused. "Moon would say something blunt. Alaric would take it the wrong way. Then lightning and swords everywhere, and I’m standing in the middle trying not to get killed by my own brother and my own..."

She trailed off, her cheeks coloring slightly. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Your own what?" Yara asked innocently.

"Nothing. Let’s go. Testing. Focus." Selene walked faster.

Yara’s lips curled into a small, knowing smile as she kept pace.