"And the lightning we’ve seen from him fighting it’s not normal."

"What do you mean?" Emma asked curiously, "Isn’t that how second order skills are meant to be? An advanced element like lightning will naturally get some sort of special effect tied to it after evolution."

Alaric turned to face Emma, shaking his head. "His special effect is different. When he used his lightning, did you notice that he never used it much?"

Emma played the moment back in her mind, before nodding her head, "Now that you mention it, he did. But couldn’t that simply be because it’s extremely taxing on the body to use? He may have been trying to conserve mana or spiritual energy and avoid exhausting his reserves."

"No, he had plenty of mana. If you watched his fights, he was never out of breath, or mana. I believe that his lightning has a very dangerous effect, hence why he never used it on anyone."

"You might be right, but it sounds like an exaggeration. A skill so powerful that he is afraid it might permanently hurt the competitors? That’s like...as powerful as your light element. He is strong, but I don’t think he is that strong."

Emma’s playful smile had long since faded. She was listening intently now.

Alaric shrugged his shoulders, "That’s what I truly believe. Also, I believe that he may have touched upon the same discovery as me...I don’t know, but there is an aura around him, something that makes me feel that he is different."

Hearing that, Emma’s expression immediately grew more serious, no longer treating it as a joke. "That’s...interesting to say the least."

"Yeah."

"Also, Selene trusts him." He said finally. "Completely. I could see it in the way she stood next to him. The way she touched his arm without thinking about it. The way she looked at me when I approached, like she was worried about what I might do to him, not what he might do to her."

He exhaled slowly.

"Selene doesn’t trust people easily. You know that better than anyone."

"I do."

"So if she trusts him." Alaric continued. "Then he’s earned it. And if he’s earned it, then he’s worth taking seriously."

He looked back out the window.

"Whether I like him or not is a separate question."

Emma reached across the small space between their seats and rested her hand on his.

"And do you?" She asked gently. "Like him?"

Alaric was silent for a long time.

"I’m not sure yet." He admitted. "But I respect him. And for now, that’s enough."

Emma squeezed his hand and smiled.

"That’s a start."

♢♢♢♢

After the tournament ended, Moon’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen.

Tom Glassy was calling him.

He accepted the call, placing it on his ears..

"Moon!" Tom’s voice came through louder than necessary, practically vibrating with energy. "My boy! You absolute legend! I just watched the whole thing! Purple lightning! Purple! And the Elephantos, oh, the Elephantos! Tell me you’re somewhere I can find you because I’m sending you my coordinates right now!"

Moon held the phone slightly further from his ear. Tom was going to turn him deaf at this rate.

"I’m still at the central arena."

"Perfect! Perfect! I’m parked at Exit 25. Private orbital. You’ll know it when you see it. Come over right now, son. I want to see you in person and I have some things to discuss. Oh, and I have some drinks. Don’t worry, the legal kind, you’re old enough. Probably."

"Do I need to be there?" Moon sighed.

"Yes, you do!"

"Fine, I’ll be there in a few minutes."

"Excellent! Hurry up! Don’t keep an old man waiting! My old bones hurt from sitting for too long."

The line cut.

Moon sighed once again and pocketed the phone.

There was a part of him that wanted nothing more than to find a quiet room and lie down for some time. But meeting with Tom wasn’t optional. The old fox had backed him, sponsored him, and given him a direct entry pass over his own son.

Showing up when called was the least Moon could do. And honestly, this was a good opportunity. Moon had questions of his own. About the Floating Island Book. About the language inside it. Tom’s connections might be exactly what he needed.

He decided on opting out from asking Alaric for now, if Tom couldn’t provide help now, he would ask Alaric when they spoke later.

He turned toward Selene.

"Tom wants to meet me. Want to come?"

Selene tilted her head. "Sure. But let’s bring Yara with us, she is still waiting."

"Of course." Moon nodded. "I was planning to do that."

They walked together toward the spectator stands. Yara wasn’t hard to find. She was already heading down toward the main entrance, her eyes scanning the crowd for them, her new bow strapped securely across her back.

The moment she spotted them, she broke into a run.

"Selene! Moon!" Her voice rang out as she crashed into them like a small whirlwind, throwing her arms around both of them at the same time in a tight hug.

She squeezed Selene first.

"You were amazing! Third place! Third! I knew you could do it!"

Then she turned to Moon and hugged him a little less tightly.

"And you! First place! I was screaming the whole time you guys fought the Elephantos! And then the purple lightning, where did that even come from?! You didn’t tell me about that one!"

Moon laughed softly and returned the hug. "I’ll tell you everything later."

"You better." Yara pulled back, beaming up at both of them like an overexcited little sister. "I want every detail. Every single one."

"Tom wants to meet us." Selene said. "We were heading to his orbital. You’re coming with us."

"Oh good! I get to ride in the Ascender orbital. I’ve been waiting for this." Yara grinned.

The three of them began walking toward Exit 25, weaving through the thinning crowds of departing spectators.