Tale of Eldramir

After quietly explaining what was happening to Warren, Ezekiel and his family fell into silence. Utterly stoic as they awaited the rest of the Guild representatives. It ended up being nearly ten minutes before Kameira and Reginald returned, each with their own assistant.

The two representatives entered the meeting room silently, while both pointedly looked anywhere that wasn’t in each other’s direction. The scuff marks on their assistants showed that they were clearly involved in a physical dispute that had to be broken up, but luckily there didn’t seem to be any injuries.

They both sat down next to each other, seeing as there weren't any other spaces where they could sit apart at the table.

Allon, being right next to Reginald, as Kameira sat right across from Warren, who sat next to Ezekiel, who was squished between his parents. The far end of the table had but one seat remaining, as it seemed like Kameira would rather sit next to her opposing Guild representative than next to Warren.

“Well then,” Gerome opened up the conversation as everyone sat down, “let’s get down to business. These fine folks know why we’re here now, but let’s figure out whether or not this will actually be done, as well as how we can ensure the boy’s safety if he agrees to come on the expedition.”

Reginald and Kameira both looked disgruntled at Gerome’s words.

“What’s there to discuss? The boy will obviously be coming on the expedition.” Kameira said. “The fact that we are even informing his family of this is a courtesy. Besides, the fact that we are allowing him to accompany us means that he’ll have a purpose in life, unlike all the other Void Mages in the world.”

The other representatives all glared at Kameira as she spoke. Warren and Evelyn looked like they were seconds from diving across the table and snapping Kameira’s neck. Allon and Sherra both winced as they saw the look on their friend’s faces.

“While I don’t agree with Kameira's words, exactly, I do believe that Ezekiel does, in fact, need to come with us, if only to help us recoup the cost of the Relic that he destroyed.” Reginald said. “While it was a mistake, and Ishkel had been punished for his mistake, it doesn’t change the fact that the boy used and destroyed a Relic that was acquired by our Guild.”

Warren and Evelyn looked like they disagreed, but still didn’t say anything, knowing that now wasn’t the time. Allon also looked disgruntled, as he knew it was the Roaring Ruins Guild’s fault but couldn’t say anything as he was the one who had brought Ishkel and Ezekiel together.

“Oh please,” Naeri said as she turned to both Regional and Kameira, “Kameira, we all know you’re full of shit, and given Ezekiel’s history and the information that was released, it’s highly likely that he’ll suffer an ‘accident’ if he goes with you on this excursion.”

Kameira didn’t say anything to dispute that accusation. If anything, she looked almost happy at the thought of Ezekiel suffering.

“And you, Reginald,” Naeri continued, “I’m sorry for your Guild’s loss, as I know that several members were lost during the last excursion to these Ruins, but that doesn’t give you the right to demand anything from Ezekiel. It was entirely Ishkel’s fault that the Relic was activated, and given what we know, it was a one-time-use Relic anyways. So, it doesn’t matter if it was an accident or not, the fact remains that it wasn’t Ezekiel’s fault that the Relic was destroyed.”

Reginald’s face pinched in frustration. He was hoping no one would point that out so he could play the role of wronged party, but it was apparent to him that the Church was throwing in more support than he had expected.

“Given we don’t even know what the Relic did, I still believe that my guild has suffered a lost opportunity at the boy’s hands.” Reginald said.

“You still approached a child, without his guardian’s permission, with the intent to have him use an unknown Relic. One that knocked him unconscious. What if it had been a weapon Relic, or one that was more destructive. Ezekiel could’ve died!” Naeri exclaimed.

“Good riddance.” Kameira muttered under her breath.

Everyone else, except her assistant, glared at her as she wasn’t even trying to be quiet.

“Excuse me,” Warren said as he’d finally had enough, “but you still haven’t explained what exactly is going on here. We get that you want our son to go on an expedition to the recently revealed Ruins, but why exactly are all four major factions here?”

Gerome and Naeri had the decency to look bashful at the question, while Reginald looked annoyed, and Kameira looked indignant.

“You don’t need to know. In fact, why are they even here? We’ve already told them that we’ll be taking their kid. It’s not like they still need to be here for anything else.” Kameira said.

“That’s enough!” Gerome stated, his voice rattling the windows as everyone else flinched in surprise. Allon and Sherra actually turned to make sure the windows hadn’t shattered, and Kameira found it difficult to move as Gerome glared directly at her. “I don’t care what Tier you’re at, nor do I care who you’re related to. You will never speak of taking a child away from their family, in front of me, ever again. Am I understood?”

Kameira didn’t say anything for a moment, even as Gerome’s pressure began to let up.

“AM I UNDERSTOOD, LITTLE GIRL!” Gerome shouted, this time cracking the windows with the force of his words.

“Yes...” Kameira said as she leveled a glare of her own at Gerome.

“Good.” Gerome said before turning back to Warren, eyes raised as he looked at him and Evelyn, before nodding his head, as if suddenly realizing something. “Now, to answer your question, if you agree to it, we'd like Ezekiel to accompany one of our Guilds on the next joint expedition to the Ruins. He cannot join the Church, as they are not permitted to interfere in the affairs of the Guilds, and they themselves will be an accompanying force, also split among the Guilds, but given his involvement with the Church, it seemed best that they have a representative present for these talks. Especially since the information recently released has some potential impact on the Church’s affairs.”

Gerome’s explanation shed some light on what Ezekiel was being asked to do. But it didn’t make things any better in Evelyn and Warren’s eyes. If anything, they seemed even more frustrated at what was going on.

“The actual expedition will occur in a month, roughly two weeks after the open recruitment for prospective members is finished. So, about three and a half weeks from now as the testing will begin at the end of this week and will go on for all of next week. The two-week time period will be for the successful tryouts to attempt to find and bond with a Spirit.” Gerome further explained. “Those kids won’t be coming on this particular expedition, but that’s not something you need to be worried about.”

“What happens if we say no?” Warren asked.

“Things.” Kameira said in a threatening manner. “Cowards like you don’t get a say. You both have Spirits, but here you are playing house with a worthless Void Mage, instead of bringing glory to humanity by fighting the Cruor and reclaiming our ancestral Relics.”

Gerome actually face palmed at that, as he couldn’t believe that someone like Kameira could actually reach the fourth Tier, and Reginald also looked frustrated, but didn’t seem to disagree at all.

Warren and Evelyn turned to Gerome and Naeri.

“I’m laying this out right now. If we agree for our son to go with you, he will not be having anything to do with this bitch or her Guild. So, get rid of her. There’s no reason for her to stay.” Warren stated with finality.

“You insignificant-” Kameira stood up in indignation as Warren finished speaking, only for her movements to halt as she found herself restrained by shadows.

Kameira’s falcon let out a shriek as she and Kameira both started sparking with electricity in response, only to wince as a bright, glaring light temporarily blinded them. Followed by a sickening ‘crunch’ as Warren’s closed fist met Kameira’s face, breaking her nose, and his hand, from just how hard he punched her.

“Guh!” Kameira grunted in pain as she was thrown backwards from her seat. As she tried to stand, he found herself pushed down as Reya, in her full-grown bear sized form laid a paw on her chest and kept her pinned.

Her falcon Spirit was unable to help, as she was currently trapped between the jaws of Theo’s also full-grown bear sized form. His main was sparkling just as Reya’s rosettes seemed to suck in light.

The aura of a mid-Tier four Spirit emanates from the both of them. Proving that they are both more than capable of dealing with the low Tier four Kameira and her similarly low Tier four falcon Spirit.

Reginald stands up in shock, even as Gerome waves him down. Neither Gerome nor Naeri show any surprise at the situation.

“Calm down, Reginald.” Gerome said with a flat and calming tone. “They won’t be going after either you or myself. So, sit down and watch the show.”

Reginald reluctantly sat down, his own bonded Spirit digging its claws into his shoulder as its hackles were raised in the presence of two Spirits that were ever so slightly stronger than it.

“You-you’re... both... Legend Hunters?” Kameira barely managed to grunt out as Reya kept her pinned. Shadows ran up and down Kameira’s body like countless knives gently sliding against her skin without cutting her.

“No. We’re just lucky enough to be bonded with Legendary Spirits.” Evelyn stated quietly. “Now, why don’t you, and your pants wetting assistant get out. You’re no longer welcome here.”

Reya roughly raised her foot off of Kameira’s chest, tearing through the enchanted armor she was wearing with little difficulty. Theo, likewise, spat out her bonded Spirit, taking off a couple of feathers as he did so. Both were in fairly rough shape.

Standing up and turning around, Kameira saw that her assistant had, indeed, wet his pants in fear of the two Spirits' appearance.

“Let’s go. Clearly, we have better things to do.” Kameira said as she tried to get the last word in before leaving.

“Yeah. Like getting a new set of clothes, so that the only people you flash are the ones in the manor. Now run along and complete your walk of shame. I’m sure Alexandria is looking forward to your report.” Warren said as he covered Ezekiel’s eyes.

“What-?” Kameira started to say in confusion, mostly wondering how Warren knew the name of her fellow Rising Spires Guild leader, only for a draft to blow across her body as the rest of her clothes began to fall apart. Miniscule cuts revealing her middle-aged body to the occupants of the room.

“Raaaggh” Kameira shrieked as she darted out of the room, tearing off the cloak her assistant wore and wrapping it around her as she fled. Her half bald falcon Spirit chased after her, as did her assistant and his bonded Spirit, after he had regained his bearings.

Warren removed his hand from Ezekiel’s face with a chuckle as Evelyn straightened out her clothes and gave the once again shrunken Reya a couple of pets and a hug. Theo, also small once again, stood imperiously on the table in front of Ezekiel, also demanding pets, which Ezekiel was happy to give, much to Theo’s purring enjoyment.

“Well, now,” Warren said as he sat down again, “since the rat winged pest is gone, perhaps we can continue.”

“That sounds good to me.” Gerome said with a small laugh. “The questions from before still stand. Will you let Ezekiel come with us, and who will he go with?”

“Wait, that’s it?” Reginald asked, incredulously, “You’re not surprised? Wait, did you already know?”

Evelyn and Warren looked frustrated at Reginald’s questions, while Gerome and Naeri looked like they didn’t care.

“No, I did not know, but I figured out that they had their own assurances from how they behaved in the face of seven additional Tier four beings, four being we representatives, and three being our bonded Spirits.” Gerome explained as he gave his ferret Spirit a few pets of its own. “Naeri likely knew beforehand, as I knew that these two have connections to some fairly important Church Scholars, but honestly, it’s not like being bonded with a Tier four Spirit is illegal.”

“Even still, it would be nice to know how important these two were before we got started.” Reginald said in exasperation.

“Why does it matter if you knew beforehand or not?” Naeri said with a raised eyebrow.

“Because power matters in this world. For many, power is the only thing that matters.” Reginald explained with no shame, and no care. “Had I known they were actually worthy of my respect, rather than just being a couple of lucky Mages with a kid, then we could’ve finished this a while ago.”

Ezekiel and his family bristled at the uncaring tone as Reginald continued to speak as if they weren’t here. Reginald seemed to ignore them, but Warren and Evelyn could see a small sheen of sweat appearing on his brow.

“As it is, I apologize for my previous act of blaming your son for everything, and I will not be demanding that he accompany my Guild on this expedition, but I cannot take back my demands for recuperation for the cost of the Relic we lost. Reginald further stated. “At the very least, I cannot leave here without an explanation as to why the Relic was destroyed, and what exactly the Relic was.”

Naeri and Gerome just sighed at Reginald’s pushy behavior but were at least pleased that Reginald wasn’t being as forceful as before.

“If you must know, after speaking with Ezekiel, we have confirmed that the Relic inquisition was an information deposit. It held a record and a message from the Ancient Void, accessible to only the Void Mage who activated it.” Naeri explained. Reginald was surprised, and even Gerome looked interested in what exactly the Roaring Ruins Guild was so worked up over. “As it is, this is directly tied to the information regarding Ezekiel’s breakthroughs in Void meditations and his skill in accumulating Void mana. Apparently, the Relic showed him images of the Ancient Void using magic, and he managed to make his own interpretations and discoveries using it. It was destroyed due to the knowledge no longer being inside it, and the now empty vessel lost its energy before turning to dust due to time.”

Ezekiel and his family didn’t say anything, as they knew the truth, but this was the story that had been created to keep the dangers coming for Ezekiel in the dark regarding his actual capabilities. Only Lina knew the actual and full truth, but she had also conveyed this story to the Church to keep the family’s secret. It was likely that Naeri also knew the truth but given that she had just told Reginald and Gerome the altered story, she was likely siding with Ezekiel in this situation.

Ezekiel was the only one looking at Gerome, trying to see if he could find any indications that he knew if Naeri was lying, as he knew from Garrad that high Tier Cavern Mages could sense lies through vibrations and heartbeats.

Seeing nothing, Ezekiel decided that he would leave it be, as he knew he wouldn’t be able to do anything about it anyways.

Reginald, after hearing Naeri’s words, let out a sigh of frustration.

“So, the Relic really was worthless to us.” Reginald said. “Well, even at the worst price imaginable. It would’ve still been worth at least a thousand gold coins to a collector at the auction.”

“You just admitted that the Relic was worthless, and you’re still trying to get money from us?!” Warren cried out. “How greedy can you people be?!”

Reginald looked put out at that accusation.

“It’s not a matter of greed, mister Luminance. It’s a matter of respect and debt.” Reginald said. “Yes, your boy fell unconscious after activating the Relic, but he ultimately recovered none the worse for wear, and in fact, came out of things quite well off, given he has revolutionized Void mana accumulation.”

Warren and Evelyn winced at that, knowing they couldn’t dispute it without putting Ezekiel into harm’s way.

“Meanwhile, not only did my Guild lose an, at the time, potentially priceless Relic, but you also beat one of my executives into the ground and broke every bone in his body before giving him some healing and calling it even.” Reginald explained. “The situation is anything but even, and the Roaring Ruins Guild insists on repayment.”

Warren and Evelyn were silent, and they gave Naeri, and Gerome, looks as they tried to figure out what to do. Unfortunately, it seemed like now that Reginald was actually making a point with his arguments, neither Gerome nor Naeri were willing to step in once again.

Naeri clearly wanted to, but had closed her eyes in frustration, seeing as how Reginald was no longer demanding Ezekiel himself pay for everything, nor was he blowing things out of proportion when it came to being a victim. Ultimately, in her eyes, one thousand gold was not too big a price. Ezekiel no longer being directly blamed for the problem was also a factor in her allowing Reginald to ask for repayment.

Gerome only cared about whether or not Ezekiel, as a child, was being abused or mistreated. After seeing the power that Warren and Evelyn actually had access to, he felt that they could take care of this themselves now. If push came to shove, they would both be able to do something that would get them out of debt. It would just take some time, and perhaps interest payments.

“We don’t have that much money saved.” Warren said through gritted teeth. “Nor do we have anything of equal value to provide.”

“Then the Roaring Ruins Guild will be going to Count Harkem, and you and your family will be fined appropriately for your actions.” Reginald said in a matter-of-fact tone. Suddenly, he gave a smile as something seemed to occur to him. “I believe the property of your shop and home should be able to pay off most of your debt. Unless one of you two are willing to go on this expedition instead?”

The room was silent as everyone inside the room pondered as to what they could do. Neither Warren nor Evelyn wanted to lose their home and business, but it didn’t seem like there was much they could do.

The only other option they could think of was what Reginald had said. Either Evelyn or Warren would need to go on the expedition, but there was no way they’d be permitted on the expedition without a contract, to ensure that people as powerful as them couldn’t betray the Guild they worked for, which would be the Roaring Ruins Guild since it was that Guild they were indebted to, which would certainly lock them into service with the Roaring Ruins Guild for at least a few years.

Given that Evelyn and Warren were both nearly Tier four Hunters, who were already bonded with Tier four Spirits, it was obvious that the Roaring Ruins Guild would be getting more out of this deal than a mere thousand gold.

Finally, just when it seemed like Evelyn and Warren were going to speak up, Ezekiel voiced a different option.

“Excuse me, mister Gerome.” Ezekiel said, drawing the attention of the room's occupants to himself. “How much money would I get if I accompanied your Guild on the expedition?”

Evelyn and Warren looked shocked, while Reginald looked dumbfounded. He had not expected Ezekiel to speak up at this time and was fully expecting Evelyn or Warren to offer to join his Guild in exchange for removing the debt.

“What-?” “No!” “Ten thousand gold.”

Warren, Evelyn and Gerome all spoke up at the same time, only for everyone to turn to Gerome in shock. Ten thousand gold was more money than any of them were expecting and was likely more than what this expedition was actually going to get any of the Guilds, even if they found another Void Relic.

“In fact, if you are willing to sign a contract, right now, stating that you will join my Guild on the expedition in several weeks, I am willing to pay your family ten thousand gold right here, right now.” Gerome further explained. “You will, have to turn over at least half of whatever you find within the Ruins over to the Guild, as we will be protecting you, since we can’t expect someone who hasn’t even opened their first Chakra to be able to defend himself from the Cruor and Umbrals we are likely to run into, but I believe that this arrangement should be more than fair.”

“Now hold on just a minute, Gerome!” Regional exclaimed as he stood up. “You can’t just go paying off their debt. That’s illegal according to the regulations that limit Guild and commoner interactions! The Guilds aren’t even able to interact with nobles when it comes to that much money!”

Gerome just gave Reginald a side eyed glance before turning back to Ezekiel, who hadn’t turned away from Gerome this entire time.

“You would be right, if I was paying off their debt, but I am not. I am paying Ezekiel for services rendered towards my Guild. If he wished to use what would be his money, and his alone, to pay off his debt to your Guild, then there is nothing wrong with that.” Gerome stated, with a tone of finality. “And given that the Church itself has witnessed you stating that the debt is one thousand gold, do not try to weasel out any more from them, else you really do make enemies today.”

Reginald flinched back in shock before looking over at Naeri, only to see her glaring at him with unforgiving eyes as she knew the full extent of Reginald’s attempted extortion. Any forgiveness she had felt for him after he smartened up when Evelyn and Warren’s power was revealed had disappeared.

Reginald could do nothing but grit his teeth in regret. He only hoped that Evelyn and Warren wouldn’t be willing to let their son go on the expedition. Otherwise, he would have to report a failure to add two Tier four Hunters to the Roaring Ruins’ Guild. Worse yet, they both had feline bonded Spirits. Something that the Roaring Ruins Guild always looked out for when looking for prospective members.

Evelyn and Warren were silent for a while due to shock at the amount of money that was being offered to them to have Ezekiel go on this expedition. This much money was more than they had ever thought that they’d have in their entire lives since coming to settle in Harkem.

“I’ll do it.” Ezekiel said as his parents remained silent.

Their son’s declaration snapped Evelyn and Warren out of their thoughts fairly quickly.

“Ezekiel! No!” Evelyn exclaimed, having no desire to see her son involved with the Guilds. Especially when he hadn’t even become an official Mage yet.

Warren didn’t say anything as he continued to think about what had been happening. Ever since that Relic had spoken to Ezekiel, there’d been more and more things happening surrounding his son than he’d ever have expected of a child who grew up as Ezekiel had. Nowhere near as tough as what he and Evelyn had been through when they were his age, but the circumstances were too different to truly compare.

Worse yet, thanks to his patrols as a Guard Captain for Harkem, he knew that the city was becoming less and less safe for Void Mages. The Cult of Light had been more vocal recently, and with the information regarding Ezekiel coming to light, perhaps it would be best for him to be away for a little bit. Just while things cool down.

“Honey,” Warren finally spoke up, “stop for a moment, and let Ezekiel speak.”

“Warren, what are you saying?” Evelyn asked. “You can’t seriously be thinking about letting him go on this expedition? He’s not even a Mage yet! Even if an entire Tier Four Guild is supporting him, that doesn’t mean that he’ll be safe!”

“Being in this city doesn’t mean that he’ll be safe!” Warren said as he raised his voice. “You haven’t seen it, since we’re lucky to live quite close to the Cathedral, and the patrols are mostly regular, but in the past month the number of crimes involving the mistreatment of Void Mages has increased exponentially, and the past couple of days alone have seen that number increase even more!”

Evelyn fell silent. Warren had never yelled at her before, and even now his anger wasn’t directed at her, but to see him this frustrated and helpless had clearly shocked her.

“Has it really gotten that bad? I know there was the incident yesterday, but I thought that it was a one-time thing.” Evelyn said, now worried that things were much worse than she had thought.

“It’s been isolated to the higher-class residential areas and the slums near the docks, so we haven’t seen much, but it seems like it is getting more and more common. I don’t know what the Count is doing right now, but it is known that he’s been speaking regularly with a man wearing clothes with iconography depicting the Ancient Radiance.” Warren explained. “I don’t know what’s going to be happening, perhaps these people do, but for now, it might be good to get Ezekiel away from the city for a bit. So long as a few guarantees are met.”

Reginald didn’t look surprised at what Warren had been saying about incidents with Void Mages. He had still been looking down at this point, more so since Warren seemed to approve of Ezekiel joining the expedition, he also didn’t care one way or another what happened to Void Mages, but upon hearing that there would be conditions for allowing Ezekiel to join, he perked up a bit, hoping that they would be too outrageous for Gerome to follow.

“First of all, I want all agreements to be signed via Spirit Covenant. One that will be witnessed and recorded with the Church of Ten.” Warren stated as he stared directly at Gerome and Naeri, knowing that at least one of them would have made and kept one.

Gerome and Naeri both looked briefly surprised at this request, but their expressions quickly turned serious, knowing that anything else moving forward would no longer be just talks about possibilities.

Reginald’s jaw dropped open as he stared in shock at the audacity that Warren was displaying in making such a demand.

“What's a Spirit Covenant?” Ezekiel asked, not knowing what this new term was, but understanding that it was clearly a big deal given the expressions on everyone’s faces.

“A Spirit Covenant is a magically enforced contract between two parties. Both parties must have bonded Spirits, as the cost of breaking this Covenant is not a loss of material wealth or health, but the total severance of the bond between Spirit and Mage.” Warren stated with a solemn tone. “Given the sanctity of a Spirit Bond, Only Tier four Hunters are even capable of making such an agreement, although lower Tiered Hunters can still sign it once made. As well, the agreement cannot be signed unless both the Mage and their bonded Spirit agree to the conditions of the covenant. If there is any disagreement, then the contract cannot be made.”

After explaining the specifics to Ezekiel, Warren fell quiet as he stared down both Gerome and Naeri. Behind them, Garrad was starting to sweat in nervousness.

“Boss...” Garrad said, knowing that Gerome was not necessarily opposed to this condition, so long as the contract wasn’t too restrictive.

“... What would be required of me?” Gerome finally said after some thought.

Reginald slumped in his chair, knowing that there was no way that he would be getting Warren and Evelyn now. Worse yet, he’d only be leaving here with a mere one thousand gold. Such a loss was not what he was expecting for today.

“Only that you will personally do your best to protect my son.” Warren stated. “I know that he will be in danger, so I won’t ask that you keep him out of it, but I will only feel confident in his safety if a full-fledged Tier four is directly looking after him.”

“I can agree to that.” Gerome said, feeling that this was not at all beyond his means. Playing the role of bodyguard for an asset on this expedition was certainly something simple for him to do.

“Even if it means prioritizing his safety over your Guild’s?” Warren asked. “Even over your own family?”

Warren looked directly at Garrad as he said this.

Gerome’s hackles were now rising, and a weight began settling on the occupants of the room.

“Honey...” Evelyn said quietly, not sure if this was a good direction to be taking things.

“Dad, that’s-”

“No, Ezekiel, this is one of my conditions, and it will be met before you go on this expedition.” Warren stated firmly as he stood his ground and didn’t look away from Gerome’s gaze.

Finally, Gerome relented.

“Fine. I will prioritize Ezekiel’s safety over all else, to the best of my abilities, while we are within the Ruins.” Gerome said.

“While you are outside the city, and until he is returned to the city.” Warren countered. “We both know that there are dangers out there that have nothing to do with the Ruins.”

“Fine.” Gerome said with frustration in his voice. He couldn’t help but feel both happy and annoyed at Warren’s behavior. Happy because it was always good to see a father doing what’s best for his child, but annoyed that what’s best for Warren and Ezekiel might not be what’s best for Gerome and his Guild. “What are your other conditions?”

“Those are not for you.” Warren said as he directed his gaze towards his son. “Those are for Ezekiel.”

The room all looked at Ezekiel as Warren spoke, curious as to what was going to be expected of him. Ezekiel was also curious and turned to his father with a questioning look on his face.

“You want to do this, don’t you.” Warren stated. It was not a question. “You want to go to the Ruins, and you want to see what’s out there. I’m sure you’re worried about the debt, but you and I both know that you have other reasons for wanting to go.”

Ezekiel couldn’t help but look down in guilt as the rest of the room, barring Evelyn, looked on in confusion.

“If you want to do this, then you need to prove to me that you can survive out there.” Warren said as Theo approached, sitting in front of Ezekiel on the table. He had grown in size to that of a large dog, but his mane and appearance were just like when he was at full size.

“How will I do that?” Ezekiel asked as he nervously stared at Theo’s partially full powered form.

“You will fight with Theo for real, and win.” Warren stated, sealing Ezekiel’s fate.