Duke Evermoon could not help but ntally shake his head at the strained, oddly stiff air surrounding his daughter and Michael.
It had not always been like this.
Before the revelation of Michael's possible background... before it was revealed that he had a Great Being-level bodyguard... before it beca apparent that he himself was already touching that sa realm...
The two of them had actually shared a good relationship.
They spoke naturally.
Even laughed a few tis.
There had been mutual respect then. A comfortable distance, but not
an awkward one.
But suddenly...
Everything had changed a week ago.
And Duke Evermoon knew exactly why.
His daughter did not feel herself worthy anymore.
Not even worthy, in her own mind, to call herself his friend.
It was not sothing she voiced aloud.
But a father did not need words to see what weighed on his child's heart.
And if he was being honest...
Even he, her father, felt sothing similar.
At this point, Duke Evermoon had already given up on pushing anything further between them.
Relationships could not be forced.
If it was ant to be...
It would be.
If not...
Then forcing proximity would only create resentnt or discomfort. So he let it be.
He allowed the silence to hang for a heartbeat longer before deciding he had said everything that mattered.
"You two should start heading out. Do not be late."
Arianne's Fla Lion rumbled low, its paws scraping against the stone as it shifted.
Michael gave the Duke a short nod.
Arianne did the sa, her posture stiff with restrained excitent. Then they left.
There was no escort.
None was needed.
Only the participants mattered.
Arianne rode forward first, her Fla Lion stepping into motion with a controlled, heavy rhythm. Its mane trailed fire behind it like a banner, and the mont she entered the open streets, heads turned. Michael followed behind her.
He rose into the air in smooth silence, black armor cutting through the morning light like a shadow.
They moved through the city toward the palace.
And of course...
They caused commotion.
People pulled aside.
Guards stiffened.
So citizens stared openly at Arianne's beasts, at the Fla Lion's
disciplined ferocity.
Others stared at Michael.
At the black armor.
At the fact that a young man was flying.
Whispers spread in their wake. Speculation. Awe. Fear.
But it was not anything major.
The guards on the main streets did not stop them. They only watched.
Soon enough, the palace walls rose into view.
Arianne slowed her Fla Lion as they approached the main gate.
Michael descended slightly behind her, hovering just above the
ground now, his boots never touching the stone.
The palace guards recognized them imdiately.
The gates opened without delay.
A steward soon t them and led them toward a gathering area where other young participants had already assembled.
And there...
Michael saw two figures he had both expected and not expected to
see again so soon after the banquet weeks ago.
"Mic, my friend!"
"Pretty boy!"
Two distinct voices called out at the sa ti.
A faint smile appeared on Michael's face as he recognized them
instantly.
Renn.
And Uga.
One a freakishly talented swordsman.
The other a beast in human flesh, or at least what Michael suspected
was close to it.
Compared to the feeling they had given him months ago...
Both had grown considerably stronger.
Michael's gaze first settled on Renn.
The young swordsman stood straighter than before. His presence felt
sharper. More condensed.
Michael did not sense threat from him.
The gap between them was far too vast for that.
But the fact that he could sense anything at all...
Said a lot.
Months ago, Renn had already been capable of using Sword Qi. A rare
feat for soone at his stage.
Michael wondered what level he had reached now.
Whether his Sword Qi had deepened...
Or if he had begun touching sothing even closer to Sword Intent.
His gaze lingered on him a mont longer before shifting.
Then it landed on Uga.
The bronze-skinned youth looked exactly as Michael rembered...
And yet completely different.
His build had grown even more monstrous.
Muscle layered over muscle, thick and dense like carved stone. His
shoulders were broader, his arms heavier, veins faintly visible beneath
sun-toned skin that looked closer to tempered bronze than flesh.
Yet his face...
Still carried that sa baby-like innocence.
The contrast remained jarring.
A bear's body.
A child's face.
His presence felt heavier than Renn's.
More primal.
More oppressive in raw physicality.
But not necessarily stronger.
Renn's presence cut.
Uga's presence crushed.
Two different paths of strength.
Their appearances had changed as much as their auras. Uga especially.
Months ago, he had looked almost feral, walking around in little more than an animal hide skirt, completely unbothered by exposure or decorum. He had looked like a wild man dragged into civilization by
accident rather than choice.
Now...
He looked far more civilized.
He still wore minimal armor, but it was tailored. Reinforced leather
wrapped around his waist and thighs, layered with processed beast hide. tal bracers encased his forearms, and a heavy mantle of fur
draped across one shoulder like a warrior's cloak.
It did little to hide his overwhelming physique.
If anything, it frad it better.
But the difference lay in presentation.
He looked less like a forest brute...
And more like a tribal champion. There was awareness in his posture now.
Growth not just of body... But of self.
Michael noticed it imdiately.
Then his gaze returned to Renn.
If Uga's change was refinent... Renn's was elevation.
He looked like a true noble now.
Not just by birth.
By presence.
He wore a fitted dark-blue combat coat lined with silver threading. A high-collared mantle rested over his shoulders, bearing his house insignia.
His sword hung at his waist. Everything about him spoke of restraint and discipline.
From the way his hair was tied neatly behind his head...
To the calm steadiness in his eyes.
He no longer looked like a talented young swordsman trying to prove
himself.
He looked like one who had already begun walking the path of
mastery. Standing there beside Uga's overwhelming physique... Renn did not look overshadowed. Michael evaluated them both in a single glance.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Just enough to break the usual flat calm of his face.
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