Troy was surprised. She’d honestly wanted to go on a date with Arson, just the two of them, for as long as they’d been at the resort.

  Only to find herself more than a little nervous.

  Calm down Troy, it’s just dinner… It’s not like he asked you to be his wife, you’re just dating now. Just a simple date with food and music and soft kisses…

  Her mind froze at the thought. Her face awash of growing heat as she blushed uncontrollably.

  Where in the embers did that intrusive sparking thought come from. I mean, of course you want to kiss the man but thinking of that right now, you’re in a public place, woman, calm down…!

  Arson smiled at her, glancing up from his menu to see Troy staring at him.

  “Is everything okay? Have you figured out what you want to eat yet?”

  “Umm, yeah, I think so, struggling to pick between the Aspire poultry salad, and the dragon filet, which I’m pretty sure is twenty one kinds of illegal, which makes me want to try it that much more,” said Troy, trailing off as she looked back down toward the menu.

  “It’s good I bet, I doubt they’re using actual dragon meat, but with who owns this resort, you never know, but we are on the lowest floor of the whole amusement park so the odds are in favor of it being a kind of beef, I bet, regardless of how nice this place looks.”

  Troy nodded.

  “How did you find out about this place anyway,” asked Troy, setting her menu down once she decided to try the salad rather than a potential mystery meat.

  “The bounty I worked on while you and the others were out this morning was raving about it all the way up until I stuffed him into a bag.”

  “Hmm, they must have good taste. Never been to a betting bar before, but I love the environment, everyone in here seems to be having a blast,” said Troy; she and Arson both looking around to see what appeared to be a well organized rave. The interior of the drinking establishment somehow keeping chaos sectioned off without the use of walls to separate the wild from the timid.

  “We should bet on something while we are here, right? I mean, it is part of the whole experience“ said Arson, pointing over toward a small screen at the end of their table. Troy thought it weird that the establishment had paper menus, but still had access to enough resources to have a flatscreen tablet for every table within the bar to place bets on.

  Maybe it’s just a part of their overall allure…?

  “Why not, what should we bet on?”

  “I think there is a dungeon ball game on that is supposed to be good,” offered Arson, flicking through the betting options.

  “Sounds good to me,” said Troy until she heard someone call her name.

  “Holy sparks, is that you, Seven? What are you doing here?” said Troy as she stood to hug the young man as he approached their table.

  “A close friend of mine actually owns this bar chain. My dad is down here on business, and my friend prefers the lower floors, less people know her down here and she can hide out from all the snobs as she calls them,” said Seven with a smile. Troy turned back to see Arson glaring at Seven, frowning slightly as she saw him take a deep breath, visibly forcing himself to open his clenched fists as he looked up at Seven.

  “Seven, this is my boyfriend, Carter Gestalt. Carter, this is Seven,” said Troy, putting on a smile to try and diffuse the situation, unsure what could have happened to make Arson suddenly so tense.

  “Nice to meet you, Seven,” said Arson, reaching out for Seven’s extended hand after he stood to introduce himself.

  Wait a minute… Is the last time Arson saw Seven when Mr. Kim ignored him in Jade’s villa? Embers, why does that feel so long ago now…?

  Troy stepped between the pair, nudging Arson back into the booth they sat in to sit next to him, gesturing for Seven to sit down with them. It wasn’t until Troy grabbed his hand that the tension on Arson’s face visibly diminished, once again making Troy blush explosively.

  What is wrong with me, we are just holding hands, Troy, calm down!

  Troy took a deep breath as Seven sat, waving for a waiter to come and help them.

  “Hey Jenny, look who it is,” said Seven gesturing across the table from himself. Arson’s face as confused as Troy’s when the waiter’s big brown eyes went wide in their direction.

  “Oh my Maiden, it’s your lucky charm, have you gotten an autograph yet,” said the waiter in a near squeal.

  “Way to call me out, I only just met the guy and you are making me look like a crazy fan boy,” said Seven with a laugh.

  “Lucky charm,” said Troy and Arson in question at the same time.

  “Oh yes, any event that Young Master Gestalt is in, Seven makes everyone place a bet on him, and let me tell you, we have all won tons of credits because of it,” said Jenny excitedly.

  “Is Vivi here yet,” asked Seven, quickly shifting the conversation away from its current direction before Troy or Arson got a chance to ask anything further.

  “What, did you miss me,” said a beautiful young woman as she walked over, sliding into the booth next to Seven, kissing the young man on the cheek. Troy couldn’t help but smile seeing how happy the young man seemed in that moment.

  Wow, happy for you, Seven.

  “Of course I did. Vivid, meet an old friend of mine, Troy, she is an up and coming fighter in Maelstrom, and her boyfriend Carter Gestalt,” said Seven with a nod toward Troy and Arson.

  “Nice to meet, oh my Maiden, it’s your lucky charm. Jenny, please bring us a celebratory round of drinks,” said Vivid, smiling toward the waiter, who gave a nod and disappeared.

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  “Look, one time I could ignore, but twice, what is this lucky charm situation all about Ms. Vivid, your boyfriend here doesn’t seem to willing to share, maybe you can,” asked Troy.

  “Oh I see, he must be embarrassed by how much he sings your praises, Carter. You’re all he can talk about, he even paid the event board a decent bribe to be given advanced notice for any and every event you participate in, and trust me, it has paid off. We even had dinner with the announcer Bobby, you may have heard of him, and he too says that any event either you or your team are a part of is going to be of higher quality than anything else going on in the coliseum currently.”

  “Oh wow, well I appreciate that,” said Arson, Troy only then realizing all tension had left him completely by that point and his smile was genuine, touching his eyes as he seemed to glow.

  “Hey, buddy, that smile is for me and me alone,” said Troy poking Arson in the cheek, only to flush crimson when he pulled her in smoothly and pecked her on the cheek.

  Oh my Maiden… Troy you are a strong, independent Cultivator. Remember, strong, independent Cultivator!

  The conversation came easy from that point on and Troy was amazed at how casually Arson got Seven and Vivid to share details about themselves. She noticed how he managed to keep the conversation away from the topic of Seven’s family beyond his mother, but knew why.

  I guess you are trying to be nice. I love you for that Arson, I don’t know why but I can tell that his connection to Kim is a real struggle for you.

  The group ate amazing food, that Troy found out was indeed genuine after Vivid convinced her to try the Dragon steak; shared a bottle of Rob’s liquor, and even convinced the shy pair of young men to dance, which Troy didn’t think would be as difficult as it actually ended up being.

  Troy was having the time of her life in a way that she’d never experienced previously. It wasn’t until they were dancing that she recognized that this was truly her first date. A real date, not just some street boy’s attempt to sleep with her, but spending time with someone she cared about for nothing more than the experience.

  Do you feel the same as I do in this moment Arson, I hope that I’m enough for you…

  “Troy,” said Arson, lifting her chin as they danced, making her look into his eyes.

  “Yes,” answered Troy, smiling up into eyes that held her in place, making her feel as if she was moments away from stepping into a new world.

  “Thank you for being my favorite person. I hope that I can become a man that is enough for you to be happy forever,” said Arson, pulling her in closer, making Troy’s head spin as they swayed to the music.

  I wish this moment would never end, thought Troy, only for the sound of swords being drawn from their sheaths all around them to make her grit her teeth.

  “Are you sparking kidding me,” cursed Troy, but Arson continued to sway to the music.

  “Hey, you know we are being surrounded right,” asked Troy, once more closing her eyes. Arson nodded, and she could tell he was smiling as he spoke to her.

  “Anyone who gets in the way of this moment is going to regret it when I take their lives,” said Arson, kissing Troy on the forehead before he lifted his head to look down at her.

  Troy looked over to see Seven and Vivid still dancing, both of their eyes closed as they two seemed lost in each other’s embrace. Arson sighed, whistling sharply, causing Seven to open a single eye and look over at him.

  “What,” asked Seven.

  “Friends of yours, or are they here for me,” asked Arson. Seven looked around, and cursed, pulling away from Vivid slightly.

  “You know my dad will kill you all for this,” said Vivid and Seven at the same time that Arson chose to address all the assorted gangsters around them.

  “You picked a bad time for revenge, you dirty…”

  Arson’s brow furrowed as he trailed off, realizing what Vivid and Seven had both said.

  “What,” said both couples at once. All confused for various reasons. Only for Troy to sigh again, widening her stance enough to rip her dress.

  “Jasmine is going to kill me for ruining this dress, but I’m not the type to get hit first.”

  “What,” said Vivid and Arson, as Seven chuckled, putting on a pair of leather gloves.

  “Me either…”

  …

  Arson felt a rage unlike any he’d felt before. He thought he’d known anger when he was trapped in Endless. Thought he’d known anger when he’d nearly died countless times, all the way back to his first true near death experience with the Primes or at the hand of his now loyal Wretches.

  Yet as a young woman charged toward Troy, swinging a katana toward her, his heart pumped like a war drum, and his growl froze many of the gang members that rushed toward them in that moment.

  “I am sorry for the choice I have made, for violence is easier than peace,” mumbled Arson as he moved. The next few moments were filled with absolute chaos.

  Troy, was absolutely relentless. The young woman’s movements reminded Arson of his own. Swift, deadly and efficient.

  She broke down the gang members with full body clones made of hard light, summoning her doppelg?ngers with ease.

  Summoned clones appeared behind opponents, kicking their knees out from them, before stomping their attackers into unconsciousness.

  Some were tripped as they rushed toward them. Others were clothes-lined, and some were simply struck with Troy’s favored spin kick to the temples.

  Arson at first brutalized everyone who neared his love, until he saw her smile. A pure joy-filled smile that calmed him enough for him to realize that Troy was having an absolute blast, and looked amazing while doing it.

  Calm down Arson, if she is still having a good time, then so should you!

  Their eyes met and he gave her a nod, before spartan kicking a gangster in the back toward her, only for Troy to spin gracefully through the air in a pirouette, extending her leg a blink after the man flew by her, kicking the man in the back of head. The man instantly knocked out cold, sliding on his face as he dropped his sword.

  Arson turned to see Seven pick a man up, slamming him bodily into the dance floor, as Vivid began smacking the man with her purse, repeatedly.

  “You stupid stupid, ruin my new friends’ date, for what? I’ll kill you, stupid, stupid, stupid!”

  Each word spoken by Vivid was accompanied by a purse swing. Arson couldn’t help but smile seeing the couple, as Seven continued to laugh with each person he threw around for his girlfriend to abuse with her handbag.

  Hmm, I hope Troy and I can become that happy, thought Arson as he ducked under a young woman that Troy kicked toward him. Arson quickly grabbing the female gangster by the ankle before she could even fall to the ground, swinging her bodily into a young man that tried to rush Troy from behind.

  “Best date ever,” murmured Arson to himself, smiling as Troy screamed in excitement.

  “Best, date, ever!”

  …

  I can’t believe you convinced me to do this,” said Xani, munching on popcorn with the rest of the builders.

  “I can’t believe you weren’t already doing it when we got here,” said Jasmine, sipping a wine cooler through a straw.

  “I can’t believe you convinced me to join you all,” said Khalif, reaching over Jasmine to grab at the large bowl of popcorn.

  “You should have given me a heads up that we were going to do this, I’d have made better food,” said Rob through a mouth full of candy.

  “Shhh, it’s getting good,” said Lane.

  “Best, Date, ever!”

  The words came through the wall screen. The hacked camera of the betting bar, playing every moment of the chaos for the builders; who all sat comfortably in the conference room, squeezed onto a large couch dragged into the room by Khalif and Rob at Jasmine’s request.

  “Should we not go help,” asked Micro truly sounding concerned for their safety as more and more gangsters rushed from every direction into the bar.

  “What, no way, they are having a blast, and if we all of a sudden show up, Arson will definitely know we were watching,” said Jasmine.

  “Yeah,” said everyone else at once.

  “Well then pass the popcorn,” said Micro with a chuckle.

  “Yo Micro, don’t you owe us a story,” asked Khalif.

  “What, right now, mid brawl,” asked Micro with a glance toward Khalif.

  “Trust and believe that Xani is recording this, we will be able to watch this until the end of time if we want,” said Khalif, waving a hand through the air, causing the scene on screen to be paused.

  “Oh, you’re serious,” said Micro, looking around to see everyone now looking at her, none seemingly annoyed that the video stopped playing.

  “Okay I guess, where should I start,” said Micro nervously, suddenly intimidated by the eyes of everyone now on her.

  “We were in a lower realm, and a merchant king was trying to stop his daughter from getting married to a prince from another nation.”

  Micro looked around, seeing nothing but everyone’s completely engaged faces and sighed, committing herself to telling the story.

  “So you stopped a war by exploding a damn, hitting an army with a Cultivator made tidal wave, and flooded a large portion of a kingdom, for peace,” asked Rob. His gaze wide and his laughter barely contained.

  “Yup, and I got to be a bridesmaid for the first time in my life, while Arson managed a peace talk, making the new prince one of the wealthiest men in the realm in a matter of a few ideas that he delivered in a way that seemed simple,” said Micro.

  “Wait, why do you say it like that,” asked Lane, struggling to breathe as she and Jasmine couldn’t stop laughing.

  “Because we ended up being taken back to the realm later on another trial, where we had to spy and fix all the mistakes that were made by the princess, but that is another story entirely.”

  “Wow, you make me want to go to Endless,” said Khalif.

  “Hmm, I miss it all the time, feel like I’ve stagnated completely since coming back,” said Micro in a near whisper, looking away from everyone as she spoke.

  “Does Arson ever plan on going back,” asked Rob; Micro simply nodding, knowing that she wasn’t allowed to share any of the details of his inevitable return.

  “What , what aren’t you telling us,” asked Xani. Micro frowned, coming to her feet.

  “I wish I could share more, but I can’t, and it’s been a blast, but I should probably get back to work, especially after all this,” said Micro, gesturing toward the screen that still held a smiling Arson and Troy as they battled dozens of gangsters.

  “Thanks for hanging, don’t be a stranger,” yelled Lane as Micro disappeared into the hallway.

  “Thanks!”

  “What do you think that was about?” asked Jasmine.

  “I have no idea, but we are obviously missing something,” said Khalif.

  “Would you all go with him, if he went back to Endless I mean,” asked Rob.

  “Yeah, definitely,” said Khalif.

  “Yup,” said Xani nodding in agreement.

  “I wish I was a Cultivator, I’d definitely want to go,” said Lane.

  “Could you imagine all the footage I could get for the BHC, I mean come on Jazz, we could see fashion in realms we’d never been before, Rob, you’d get to try food you’ve never experienced, Xani, I know your jealous that Arson seems to have gotten to build things that you can only imagine while he was gone, sounds like an absolute blast, I mean Micro left and came back on a completely different level,” said Lane excitedly.

  “Yeah,” said Rob in agreement.

  “If I can figure out how to become a Cultivator, I definitely will do whatever it takes, I don’t want to get left behind, I mean I know that Arson didn’t leave us on purpose from the little he’s shared, but no matter what happens in the future, I want us all to be able to stay together, we are family right, Micro included,” said Rob smiling.

  “Looks like she isn’t the only one who has work to do,” murmured Jasmine.

  Micro pushed herself off the wall just outside the conference room, wiping away tears, smiling to herself.

  “Family huh, you better all get to work then,” whispered Micro as she walked off.

  “… because none of us are strong enough to stay at his side for what is to come next…”