The night was clear and starry when a roar of soul power shattered the silence. Soul rings flared, and the street erupted into chaos as Kael and Kieran wove through the crowd like shadows. A line of soul masters gave chase, their martial souls blazing as shouts filled the air.
Arthev had just turned onto the road, minding his own business, when a sharp, high cry cut through the noise, closing in fast.
"What the....!" Arthev swerved as he spotted it.
From behind came Lira's voice, sharp and furious. "You! Get out of the way!"
Instinct took over. Arthev's first soul ring flared purple. A thick dome of sand rose around him, blocking the attack.
He had already shifted the color of his red soul rings to purple, so that was all anyone saw.
Gasps spread through the line of soul masters.
"He blocked it?" one soul master shouted.
Another hissed, "He must be with them!"
"Did you see that? His soul ring is purple!"
Lira stood there, stunned. Her soul skill had fizzled out against some kid. But what really shook her was the color of his soul ring, purple, and she could tell it was his first one. She was terrified. His first soul ring is purple, she thought.
Up ahead, Kieran slowed for a second, his eyes narrowing. "Who is this guy?"
This kid....have I see him before? Kael wondered. He must have spotted him during that circus act.
"Forget him," Kael snapped, not breaking his pace. "We will finish this tonight."
The brothers pushed on.
"Some of you, come with me," Jain ordered a few of the soul master officers.
He led them after the brothers, leaving the unknown kid to Lira and the rest.
It seems Lira's plan to subdue Kieran had failed. But now, armed with solid information and renewed confidence, she had returned to the nobles and been granted another chance. Yet, somehow, the final vault had been robbed right under their noses again, and the chase was on again.
Lira watched it all unfold, then turned her full attention to Arthev.
"You, kid," she said, her eyes sharp as a falcon's. "Who are you? And how did you defend so easily against my fourth soul ring? What about that first soul ring of yours being a thousand years old?"
"What?"
"First soul ring as purple?"
"Am I hearing that right?"
Her words about the purple first soul ring caught everyone off guard. The soul masters stared, throughly surprised.
Lira kept her sharp gaze locked on Arthev, waiting for an answer.
"Inspector, he must be with the robbers," one soul master said.
"I am not," Arthev defended, his voice steady.
"Then clarify yourself," Lira said right away.
Arthev realized how bad this looked and sighed.
"Ha ha ha ha. Now you are in a problem, Stunned Face. You should clarify yourself carefully. She is quite sharp."
Shukaku laughed inside Arthev's mind, watching the scene from there and having a good time. Matatabi just sat silently, figuring it was not worth getting involved.
"Shut up, Shukaku," Arthev snapped back in his thoughts. Then he sighed again, putting on his most sincere face and tone.
"Madam, I am just a person who is... ah... well, wandering the city. As for your first question, I have trained my physique for many years. And for the other, you can say I was very lucky during the soul beast hunt," Arthev said, a carefully crafted note of reminiscence in his voice, though it was all a performance.
"Ridiculous!" a soul master officer cut in.
"Even if you somehow hunted a thousand-year soul beast, it is impossible to absorb its ring. Miss, do not believe him. He must be lying."
Arthev fell silent, offering no further defense.
Lira studied him, her expression unreadable as she processed his words. She had worked tirelessly on this case, from uncovering Kael and Kieran's secrets to formulating the plan. According to all her intelligence, there was no third party involved with the brothers. That alone made her willing to hear him out.
"Your name," she demanded suddenly. "You haven't given it."
"Arthev."
"Just Arthev?"
"It's enough."
Lira's eye narrowed."Ok. And yes, mere luck alone does not allow someone to absorb a soul ring beyond their limits," Lira stated, her tone flat. "Care to explain further?"
"Kid, she is being very generous," Shukaku said inside Arthev's mind. "Just repeat the same thing you said at the academy before."
Arthev explained how he trained, detailing not just his soul power cultivation, but his intense focus on physical conditioning and mental fortitude. He described pushing his body to handle more, which let him absorb a ring beyond the usual limits.
Lira listened, her sharp eyes never leaving his face. The explanation was coherent, but it challenged everything she knew to be true. It was difficult to accept.
After a long moment of silence, she made a decision. "Alright. It is all clear now. He is not with them," she announced to the other officers. "Let us go. We are wasting time here."
Just as Arthev thought he was free to leave but Lira's voice stopped him.
"You should help us too."
"Ha! Why should I?" Arthev replied.
"You must not only a single soul ring master," Lira said. "You must be very strong, since you can easily block my fourth soul skill. You could be useful."
"But I have no stake in this," Arthev countered.
"Your stake is clearing your name," Lira shot back. "Or would you prefer I bring you in for obstructing an investigation? Helping now would make that... unnecessary."
"That is threatening."
"It is being practical."
"Let us go," Lira cut in. With that, she and the others took off running toward the direction Jain and his group had gone.
She pulled out a communication talisman and got the exact location from Jain through it.
Arthev watched them go, reluctant at first,then with a sign, he started moving anyway. His pace picked up slowly, then faster. In no time, he caught up to Lira and the rest.
"You are quite fast," Lira commented, noting with surprise how the boy easily matched the seasoned officers' speed. She herself was flying low, aided by her Jade Falcon martial soul.
In response, Arthev's first purple soul ring lit up. The ground beneath his feet shifted, and a platform of solid, swirling sand lifted him into the air, carrying him forward.
"Officers. Madam. Hop on," he said, not turning to look at them as he focused ahead. "Save your soul power for later. I will not intervene in combat, but I can get us there faster."
After a moment's hesitation, Lira gave a sharp nod. The officers jumped onto the shifting platform.
One of the officers, a burly man grunted as he landed. "This thing is quite stable?"
"Then would you prefer to run on it?" Arthev asked without looking back.
After hearing the words, the man fell silent.
With a surge of power, the sand platform shot forward, its speed far outstripping their previous pace.
The sand platform moved with startling speed, surprising Lira and the officers. It kept pace with Lira's Jade Falcon flight, and that was with Arthev carrying several people.
"By the ancestors, he's fast," the same officer muttered.
Lira didn't reply, her mind racing.Just who is this boy? And what else is he hiding?
But they had no idea this was not even his full speed.
To be continued....