Nil woke alone from the best sleep he had in a long time. A note lay next to him.

  I believe in you.

  He started his day with a broad smile on his face. The recent victory had won him a couple of tokens, a voucher, and a couple of hundred credits. When Andrew asked for five thousand—more than half of his savings—Nil handed the money over without a second thought. He trusted his best friend and was in too good a mood to worry. Andrew demanded that he ask no questions, and Nil complied.

  Nil was pleased to find that Iris had covered for him by whipping together porridge for Master Seer and his students. He left a thank you note for her before going shopping. The markets were as pleasant as ever. No one watched the canopy, and everyone seemed extra cheerful. Nil couldn't tell whether spirits were still high following the leaf rain or his mood was infectious. A new pink and orange flower glowed directly above the market. He detected no new energies raining from it but still suspected it played a role.

  The previous evening's brief punctuating conversations repeated in Nil’s head as he went about shopping. Selia summarized almost eleven months worth of adventures. The Weave didn't have a base and operated out of temporary safe houses and in the backrooms of events hosted by powerful people. The spiders only knew their direct superiors and juniors and the local chapter's president and functioned under several layers of secrecy. Often, they knew nothing about the purpose or consequence of their task and only found out about what they had helped accomplish after all the dominoes fell.

  Nil didn't particularly like their methods. The system left too much room for internal deception and corruption. There was the risk of Spiders unknowingly doing something that did more harm than good because of incorrect, incomplete, or altered directives. He worried that the organization ran the risk of pulling Selia into something dangerous that could potentially ruin her chances with the Nexus or Control Worlds. However, the organization had stood for thousands of years and apparently only done good, foiling Void cults and the Scourge's plots. Selia was also there to learn from them and not a permanent member, so he convinced himself not to needlessly worry about the matter. The Weave had kept her from him for most of their time on the Control World, but they had made up for lost time the previous evening, and the memories fueled him through the rest of his shopping, journey back, and meal prep.

  It wasn't clear whether Iris had heard them the previous night. A hallway separated their rooms and as far as Nil could tell, sound didn't travel far across it. However, she seemed different. He couldn't tell whether it was paranoia or she had taken the previous evening's rejection to heart, but the woman treated him professionally and gave him a wide berth. Nil didn't mind or care.

  He went down to the academy's mess hall after lunch and watched the Apocalypse Arena feeds. Digging through the archives for any recordings with ‘Chase’ or ‘Hunt’ in the titles. He studied the arenas, the format, and strategies of winners and runner-ups.

  Watching the tournament’s earlier rounds had helped Nil identify his opponents and make rough guesses of their abilities. Nil would need to challenge the following events with minimal such knowledge. But if he understood the events and style of arenas well enough, Nil believed his chances of victory would be higher. Wilson Luduses did more than just weapons, ability, and team-fight training. Since they took large cuts of their members’ arena earnings, the organization also provided strategy classes. They ranged from talks on how to get the advantage in specific match formats to more focused sessions to discuss the best tactics used against an appointment.

  Lily went into detail about the amount of preparation she had gone through to face him. Wilson Luduses didn’t worry too much about her fighting Rattler Butch. The man lacked the power and ability to get his toxins through the stone armor. Instead, Adrian had a team break down Nil’s ability and then had Lily learn strategies to defeat him in a variety of event formats. She expected similar lessons just before the Cleansing.

  Nil had tried to get information regarding the people in the ‘Chase’ and ‘Hunt’ out of her. Even though Lily was forthcoming about how Wilson Luduses functioned, she refused to share information about her colleagues. Her issues were exclusively with the organization. Most of her contemporaries were in the same position as her, and she sympathized with them. Nil respected the loyalty.

  As the afternoon went on, Nil found himself with unexpected company. A handful of ‘Seniors’ of Onyx Dragon Academy joined him to watch the arena recordings. Despite their title, the students were mostly older teens and young adults. Unlike the planet’s older generations, they didn’t seem to find Apocalypse Arena distasteful. In fact, they found the fights thrilling, bet on them, and even used it as an opportunity to find new techniques and strategy ideas.

  “If you don’t quest with the Nexus or fight in the arena, what’s the point of all the cultivation and training?” Nil asked one of them. “Is it just for the sake of pursuit of power and immortality?”

  “Only in part,” one of them answered. “There are far more realms and worlds struggling against the Scourge and Void than there are Control Worlds or Seed Worlds. You’re sent where rituals and wards keep us from entering or when our efforts are best focused elsewhere.”

  “So, we Summoned take on issues that are generally too small for you?”

  “More or less?” The woman shrugged. “If two worlds are in danger, one only has Wells of Power, and the other has the same but also technology or magic that the Scourge could use to lay havoc on several universes, which do you think we should prioritize? In most instances, a Control World Bronze Realm fighter is superior to one from a Seed World. We’ll take on the latter world, where our strengths are best utilized. You’ll be sent to the former. There will almost always be a couple of troubled worlds, if not more, that go ignored because they’re lowered in the priority list.”

  “Despite what many of you Seed Worlders think, the Control Worlds don’t exist to suppress, control, and limit you,” another student added. “It's in our best interests to grow you, safely guide you to the status of Control World, and invite you to the Coalition so we can take care of the threats of the multiverse together. Unfortunately, your kind often tries to rush it or prioritize supremacy over unity. The advanced magic and technology end up becoming your doom.”

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  The company proved far more educational than Nil expected. Both sides generalized a lot since they had limitations on what they could discuss and divulge. Nil talked about his world’s barren nature and reliance on technology. The locals told him about similar Control Worlds, which had developed artificial Wells of Power and paired them with native technology to gain power and status in the multiversal platform.

  The conversation got Nil wondering whether the same was possible for his world. He didn’t know what an artificial Well of Power would look like, and his new acquaintances refused to elaborate. Nil expected to gain favor with more Control Worlds and planned to push for time on them as well. He wanted to see how the advanced society worked. It would help him decide whether to stay and improve his Earth or leave it when the time came.

  It was idealistic, but Nil wanted to do good for his world. He didn’t like how the Wilsons and other Gold Realm Summoned were currently using their power to accumulate wealth and power. They all appeared to desire their version of a Control World instead of emulating the likes of Ashe Fall. Ruling and controlling the masses seemed a greater priority than the good of all.

  It somewhat made sense to Nil, and he blamed the government’s decision to segregate Summoned and civilians. The limited freedom and separation limited crime and accidents but also bred animosity.

  Nil was locked in a conversation regarding politics and philosophy with his fellow Onyx Dragon Seniors when Iris interrupted them.

  “Master Seer wishes to see you,” she told him. “It's important.”

  “Thank you for your time,” Nil told the trio that kept him occupied for the past several hours. “This has been enlightening.”

  “Maybe we can get together again before your time in Ashe Falls is over,” said the young woman who approached him first.

  “We’ll be sure to cheer you on during your next match. May the odds be in your favor.”

  “Don’t hesitate to take limbs next time,” a third added. “Despite what everyone says, murdering fellow warriors against the Scourge isn’t necessary for victory. Just remove a limb or two. The arena healers or Fountain of Pyrene will fix it up for them.”

  Iris and Nil walked mostly in silence. It wasn’t particularly awkward. In fact, he did his best to avoid prolonged one-on-one time with the woman because of how comfortable she made him. After becoming a Summoned, Nil observed a strange attraction to powerful women with a warrior mentality. Iris was an attractive woman and fit the brief. In fact, if he were single, Nil would give her offer serious thought. But that was also the reason why he needed to keep her at arm’s length.

  When Nil reached Master Seer’s chambers, he was surprised to find Andrew present. The pair sat together, drinking tea. Iris bowed and excused herself, giving them privacy.

  “Is everything alright?” Nil asked, concerned.

  “Yes,” Master Seer replied. “Your friend came to me with a request.”

  Andrew pulled up his left sleeve, revealing his storage tattoo. He withdrew two chunks of metal from it. One was silvery, while the other was black and matte, like the charred sections of the Source Gauntlets.

  “After a fair bit of haggling, I managed to score star metal slag and an ancient wyrm’s scale,” he said. “They’re pretty powerful and will result in a decent chassis upgrade while linking beautifully with the current abilities, but I need something more to pair them with Essence of the World Tree.”

  Nil glanced at Master Seer, wondering why the man had been brought into the conversation. “What is it? What will it do? How much money do you need?”

  “I’ve been studying the new technique you’re trying to develop, and it's not going to work,” Andrew continued. “The silver Source energy is too rigid and the polar opposite of the red. They can’t function together.”

  “He’s right. Unless you maintain a degree of separation between the two, they’ll eventually neutralize each other,” Master Seer said.

  “So, what’s the solution?” Nil asked.

  “I need the essence of a primordial. More specifically, it is the energy of something that transcends the universal laws. Then, the Source Gauntlets will let you tap into a third form of the source. You need something more stable and unreactive as red but not as rigid and focused as silver.”

  “Young Andrew Harper desires an ingredient close to the Source.” Master Seer’s form blurred for a moment. Nil almost missed the phenomena and couldn’t tell whether it was rage or phenomena. “He wants a piece of me.”

  “We can’t ask for that!” Nil frowned. “I appreciate you for humoring him, but—”

  “Did you tell him about who I really am?” Master Seer asked Nil. Even though Watcher had no eyes in his current form, Nil could feel his glare.

  “No,” Nil quickly said. It was the truth. Andrew had inferred it, and Nil never denied or confirmed it.

  “Samara told me,” Andrew replied. “She’s known ever since she started here.”

  “She isn’t supposed to discuss it. Knowledge and conversation can disrupt my life and work here.” Master Seer sighed, his form blurring again. “Nil. Are you okay with tying yourself to me for as long as you live? A fragment of me would live within the Source Gauntlets, and it would become one of my many eyes in the multiverse.”

  “Does that mean you’d be in my head?” Nil asked. “Will you know my thoughts and read my mind?”

  “Nothing so invasive. I’m an observer. Occasionally, I might push mortal kind in certain directions, but I never get involved.” Watcher hesitated, returning to his stable form. “I can’t.”

  “I understand this is a big gift and ask. Perhaps we shouldn’t tie ourselves to each other so intimately and permanently.”

  “But it’s the only way you’ll make it into the Cleansing,” Master Seer stated, sounding resolute. He held out his hand, forming a Source Sphere of his own. It manifested almost instantly, unlike Nil’s construct, and was pure black. It was like staring into the nothingness of space. Then, a mote of light blue and purple formed within. “My contemporaries might not look at you favorably, but they’ll appreciate it. The probabilities say it's one of the few ways the Scourge and Void might fail.”

  Nil glanced between his friend and enigmatic teacher. Hesitation and fear left his chest and temples tight. It was a big step, and despite their time together, he knew little about the Watcher. However, the possibility of power and breaking through his current limitations was tempting.

  Even though no one instructed him, Nil knew what to do. He kneeled before his teacher manifested the Source Gauntlets. Master Seer—or more accurately, the Watcher Beyond The Stars—released his hold on the alien Source Sphere, and it drifted into Nil’s control. He claimed it and slowly used cultivation techniques learned since meeting the Immortal Song Yi to channel the energy into himself. It circulated through him, collected in his core. The imaginary metal sphere that hung from the network of mangrove vines trembled as the bud fed on the energy, darkening and adopting a metallic sheen.

  “Let’s get started, Sunny-boi,” Andrew said. “We need to be quick about this.”