I stepped out from the river, droplets sliding down my skin, then clapped my hands.
"Let's have a spar."
This wasn't just for training—it was to understand their abilities, their strengths, and their weaknesses.
As I spoke, my clothes materialized, covering me from the waist down, and Cil was gently on my hip like a loyal blade waiting to be drawn.
I waved my hand. "Let's go somewhere private."
In a blink, the world shifted—we arrived in my lab. Bain was already playing with the maintenance bots, pouncing and chasing them with childlike wonder.
I kept walking, leading the group into a massive white room—the Testing Chamber. The same place where Dian had once launched her elemental spear.
"We've arrived," I said.
This place was designed for stress testing powers, and today, I had one incentive.
"Whoever forces me to draw Cil will receive a special reward after their breakthrough."
Their eyes lit up. It was the kind of motivation that meant something to each of them.
In an instant, they took their positions.
"Don't hold back."
I extended my hand and signaled them forward.
Tina and Frida erupted with aura. The air grew heavier as Frida's transformation began—black, metallic armor erupted from her limbs, sleek and lethal. In a flash, she vanished and reappeared inches from me, her speed astonishing.
Tina wasn't idle either. She mirrored Dian's velocity, her limbs folding into a tight formation as she glided low across the ground. the Guillotine Glide.
Her body shimmered with an emerald glow, the surface of her scales shining like precious jade.
My eyes sharpened, tracking both of them. Tina darted toward me like a torpedo. But Frida beat her to it—her fist stopped just short of my face.
In my eyes, though, they were slow. The Amantian body had elevated my senses far beyond that of the Gagarion.
I dodged with ease, spinning between them. My elbow slammed Tina down into the floor; and a kick sent Frida hurtling toward the ceiling.
And then—
A shadow stirred.
Bain emerged from Frida's shadow… then from Tina's.
Shadow-travel. I was marvelled.
I barely had time to react before a black beam exploded from his mouth, screaming through the air. But something was off—a thread of shadow clung to mine, like a mark.
My instincts flared. I blinked out of the way using Echo Step, leaving behind an afterimage.
In a heartbeat, the beam skewered the spot where I'd just been. My afterimage was shredded.
I laughed.
"Hahaha! Bain… this is fascinating. Show me more."
Bain's eyes shone bright.
I held my arms wide, welcoming the chaos.
"If the rest of you don't start fighting like Bain, he might just earn the reward all by himself."
My words lit a fire in them.
"Fight to kill." I said coldly
Frida hesitated at her master's words—but Tina didn't. Her body moved before her mind could catch up.
Tina dropped to all fours. Her aura thickened, twisting into something darker, more feral.
Even Bain—who had just been purring and licking my face hours ago—now growled, his mane thickening, claws sharpening, his playful eyes replaced by predatory hunger.
BOOM.
They vanished. Tina moved first, lightning crackling over her dark green scales, blinking in and out of view. Bain followed, diving into her shadow.
"Frida!"
A soft voice echoed in her mind, snapping her from momentary awe.
She moved instantly. Silken threads burst from her fingertips, weaving through the room until a thick web blanketed one side of the chamber.
As Frida laid her trap, Tina skidded across the ground, sweeping her tail toward me.
Thunder.
I leapt backward—right into the web.
It clung to me. Too sticky to shake off.
Then—pain.
A searing burn spread across my back. Poison.
Tina's eyes locked onto me, her body pulsing with intent.
They were learning.
I smiled inwardly. "They're growing fast... especially Bain."
A cold numbness spread across my limbs—petrification. My body began to lock up. Tina my gaze lingered on her but then.
A shadow latched onto mine.
Bain emerged from Frida's web and fired another beam, this one carrying a terrifying force.
My mind raced. I couldn't move.
I called upon my armor. Black spider carapace surged up and encased me, leaving only my face exposed.
BOOM!
I coughed blood as the beam smashed into me, drilling into the armor, not throwing me off—but digging deeper, penetrating layer by layer.
CRACK.
The beam vanished. I looked down at Bain, stunned.
How?
"How is he this strong?"
I frowned. A realization hit me—if this had been a Recognition Realmer… they'd be dead. Even a peak Realmer might not have survived unscathed.
I tried moving.
Nothing.
Then—crack—my index finger twitched. Then my arm moved. Slowly, my body adapted to the petrification. I forced my way free.
Above, Frida clung to the ceiling, upside-down like a proper spider. The web trembled, then launched her down like a slingshot.
Her claws gleamed like honed daggers.
Below her, Tina and Bain charged—no longer as individuals, but as coordinated predators.
Frida didn't glide like before. Now she ran like a beast.
Their auras grew thicker.
Bain didn't hide anymore. His instincts had already taken over.
Two predators… acting as one.
I stood still and grinned.
"They've inherited… my nature."
Impressive.