Location: Fenwick District — The Crucible Grounds — Neutral Zone — The Cafeteria
The silence stretched like a wire pulled taut.
Every eye in the cafeteria was fixed on Elijah. His hand was still raised, his palm still tingling from the impact of Ransom Vale's face. The sound of the slap echoed off the chrome walls, lingering in the air like a ghost. The fluorescent lights hummed overhead, casting everything in that cold, clinical glow that made the space feel less like a cafeteria and more like an operating theater.
Elijah's expression didn't change.
His face was Leo's—sharp, forgettable, invisible. But his eyes were his own. Dark. Calm. Seeing. His breathing was slow, deliberate. His body was still, but his mind was racing. The weight of the moment pressed against his shoulders, but he wore it like a familiar coat.
Through his perception, the world shifted.
Not visually—not entirely. The cafeteria was still there. The crowd was still there. Ransom Vale was still there. But something else had layered itself over the surface.
A wholeness, he thought.
A complete picture.
A finished puzzle.
Like a sphere of pale ghost-light, dense and unyielding, hovering at the edge of his awareness.
Like something that shouldn't be possible.
And yet it is.
His eyes moved across Ransom Vale.
He must be some amazing prospect, he thought.
To reach such a level—
—the heavens must be blind.
If I hadn't acquired the Mandate—
—I would be nothing in front of someone like him.
His internal thoughts churned.
And yet—
—and yet he's standing there.
With his hand on his face.
Looking at me like I just insulted his entire bloodline.
He almost smiled.
What a world.
---
Daria watched from across the room.
Her eyes were fixed on Elijah, her lips curved into a thin smile. Her hands were clasped in her lap. Her posture was relaxed, almost lazy. The light from the overhead fixtures caught the edges of her face, casting long shadows across her features.
Finally, she thought.
That unkillable cockroach is going to get some.
And his friend—
—he didn't come back alive.
This Leo must have something to do with it.
But I don't have to get my hands dirty.
His dumb interaction with others—
—will do it for me.
---
Three figures sat together at a nearby table.
Their names were Cassian, Caius, and Caelus.
Cassian leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed, his eyes fixed on Elijah. His face was sharp, his expression unreadable. The silver-trimmed coat of his facility caught the light, its symbols seeming to shift and move.
"My, my," he said.
"That Jerkin kid is becoming more reckless."
"Adding such a foe—"
"—isn't exactly wise."
Caius nodded. His voice was flat, almost bored.
"Let him dig his own grave."
"That's his problem."
"Not ours."
Caelus sighed, shaking his head. His movements were slow, deliberate.
"I kind of liked the guy."
"But it's too bad."
"He's too naive."
He made a gesture—a slow, circular motion near his temple.
"Too dumb."
The others laughed.
---
Grace's voice cut through the laughter.
"Zip it."
Her eyes were fixed on the speaker—a woman with sharp features and sharper eyes. Her name was Yelena's companion. Her voice was cold, cutting through the noise like a blade.
"Zip your bowl full of rotten eggs mouth."
The woman's expression shifted.
Not much. Just enough.
"Little girl—"
"Be careful not to fill your brazen mouth in one basket."
"It might cause it to suddenly break."
Grace's lips curved.
"And you—"
"You're the one who's always yapping."
"Like a lost bird."
The woman's face flushed.
"You—"
"You—"
Grace laughed.
"You what?"
"Trying to spit more of those worms in your mouth?"
The others laughed.
---
Yelena leaned toward her companion.
"Should we help her?"
"Maybe," her companion replied.
"But this time—"
"—she needs to get some of it into her."
"She's the most immature of us both."
---
Zhang Fei turned to Brenda's sibling.
Her voice was quiet, almost a whisper. Her eyes darted across the room, as if she was afraid of being overheard.
"How nice it is to be like her."
"With that fresh bearing."
"And not our always fabricated facade."
Brenda's sibling sighed.
"You're wrong."
"Her situation—"
"—is rather interesting."
"Why do you say that?"
"Apparently—"
"—she was raised by the Vetranni."
Zhang Fei's eyes widened.
"The Vetranni?"
"The ones who run the booz industry?"
"The ones who have been in control of it for two centuries?"
"Yes."
"And the ones who are known for their suits and silence?"
"Yes."
"But she—"
"She doesn't seem like that at all."
Brenda's sibling nodded.
"Well—"
"—times have changed."
"Maybe they did it their way."
Zhang Fei nodded slowly.
"Point taken."
Her eyes moved to Elijah.
"Is it just me—"
"—or is this Leo rather odd?"
"You're not the only one who feels it."
"Apparently—"
"—the only reason this tournament exists—"
"—is because of him."
"My elder sister issued the challenge to the facility itself."
"I heard her on the phone."
"Conversing with that Kael bastard."
"About issuing the challenge."
"And my other sister asking why she was doing it."
"Her reply?"
"Chuckling."
"'Because of some kid.'"
"'Who really got her in the mood to do it.'"
"My other sister put two and two together."
"And found out it was this Leo guy."
Zhang Fei's expression shifted.
"Didn't the old Jerkin only present himself as having two children?"
"Well—"
"—when another ignored child starts performing well—"
"—things change."
"And you're apparently remembered to be existing."
"You know how that feels."
"You don't have to tell me twice."
---
Ransom Vale opened his mouth.
Elijah's hand shot out.
His palm pressed against Ransom's mouth. The gesture was fast, precise, final. The sound of skin meeting skin echoed off the chrome walls.
"Hold your cowboy apron."
His voice was flat.
"It's hanging out right now."
"And I don't swing that way."
"So you better back away—"
"—or I'm going to turn your insides out."
"And reattach them."
"Where you would really start calling yourself—"
He paused.
"—Valeria."
The others laughed.
---
Ransom's body began to shift.
Not visibly—not entirely. But something was happening beneath the surface. The air around him grew thick, heavy, pressing against the space like the weight of a mountain. The light around him flickered, dimmed, then flared again. Pale ghost-light bled from his edges, curling around his shoulders like smoke.
Through his perception, Elijah saw it.
The wholeness spectrum was shifting.
It's about to manifest, he thought.
It's about to—
—to attack.
Nol appeared beside them.
His face was still open, his posture still relaxed. But his hand was raised—a gesture of restraint. His eyes were calm, but there was something behind them—a steel that hadn't been there before.
"Fighting is prohibited," he said.
His voice was calm.
"Anyone who does—"
"—will be taken care of."
Behind him, figures emerged.
Tall. Silent. Menacing.
Ransom's eyes narrowed.
"You better make sure—"
"—we don't cross paths together."
Elijah's lips curved.
"Oh, I'm so scared."
His voice was flat.
"I'm so, so scared."
A few people chuckled.
Ransom's expression shifted.
---
Michael Snovidenie approached.
His movements were fluid, unhurried. His eyes were fixed on Elijah. The dark coat of the northern continent seemed to absorb the light around him, making him seem larger than he was.
"I heard nice things," he said.
His voice was quiet.
"About some oddity conflux way practitioner in Crestwood."
Elijah's expression didn't change.
But his internal thoughts churned.
It can't be, he thought.
I've been found out.
Diego and Leo—
—completely different individuals.
How—
—how could he—
Michael's voice was flat.
"The air around you that day—"
"—when I was there with Viktor Volkov."
"I saw the fellow."
"Something about him—"
"—reminds me of you."
He paused.
"Of that Mexican guy."
He turned and walked away.
---
Elijah's internal thoughts churned.
Wonko, he thought.
"You better be careful in the next round."
"Don't expose too much."
"I don't need you to tell me twice."
---