(A/N Big thanks to everyone for the Power stones and Golden tickets, they mean a lot. As usual, please don't hesitate to comment or drop a review. ENJOY)

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Orion stopped in a narrow glade, the silence pressing in from all directions.

The final compression had shrunk the battlefield drastically. The remaining signatures were clustered closer now—dense pockets of mana and noise. Perfect.

He exhaled once. "Let's finish this."

Protocol activated to its maximum range, every thread of mana converging into a lattice. His senses expanded in a precise, geometric web. The forest unfolded in his mind—every heartbeat, every breath, every fluctuation in mana density.

Then came The Seer. His vision shifted gold. Layers of distance peeled back, merging with the mental map of Protocol.

'With the field this small, he should be close.'

Now that the field had shrunk, there was a chance for him to find Erevan. He truly wanted to compete and fight with the boy despite how much disparity there might be between them.

Besides, his gut was telling him the boy might prove a challenge, and he wasn't above handicapping himself for the sake of thrill.

He began moving, the world a blur of folded light and spatial distortion. Each step carried him hundreds of meters forward—Aether Step refined by temporal distortion. The space behind him closed cleanly, leaving no ripple.

Five minutes.

The data stream condensed into focus. One signature stood apart—steady, powerful, and composed.

Erevan.

Orion's lips curved faintly. "Finally."

[When exactly did you turn into a battle junkie?] The system's dry voice cut in.

"Since people started being boring," he muttered.

"It's entertainment."

He accelerated. Each jump became faster, smoother, and his control over time micro-shifting his entry and exit points. The landscape warped around him, compressed by precision rather than force.

Then he saw it.

Through The Seer's vision, the forest opened into a clearing—a clash already in motion.

Three opponents surrounded Erevan, each moving fast, coordinated, and aggressive. Erevan met them barehanded. No spells, no enhancements, no hesitation. Just movement.

Orion stopped on a branch, silent.

It wasn't brute power; it was structure. Every step Erevan took fed into another, a seamless rhythm. His attacks weren't flashy, but they were absolute. A parry became a strike, a strike became a redirect. The entire fight was a flow—mathematical precision in motion.

It was art.

Orion found himself watching longer than he meant to. He'd seen countless fights—stronger, faster, louder—but none as balanced as this. Every motion Erevan made was necessary. Not an inch wasted.

One of the opponents tried a feint. Erevan read it before it formed, his hand snapping forward with perfect timing. The boy flew backwards, dissolving into light.

The remaining two hesitated. Erevan didn't. His elbow struck one's guard, his foot swept the other's leg in the same second. Both fell before they could react.

Silence.

The entire sequence had taken less than twenty seconds.

Erevan straightened, adjusting his sleeve calmly. He didn't even look tired.

Orion exhaled quietly. "He's better than I expected."

Erevan crouched to pick up a sigil stone. As he did, his voice carried across the clearing—steady, unhurried.

"I was worried we wouldn't get to fight. I guess my worry was unfounded."

"You remembered."

Orion dropped lightly from the branch, landing soundlessly.

"Of course I did," he said, smiling faintly. "You carry my father's name, after all. I'd never forget you."

"So you searched for me?" Erevan asked, finally turning to face Orion, his demeanour unhurried.

"Yes. You aren't escaping me that easily." Orion replied.

"Escaping? Never." Erevan said with a smile.

"I promised you I'd defeat you and make it to the top," Erevan said, cracking his knuckles and stretching his body.

"I intend on keeping that promise."

"It's convenient you're currently at the top. Makes the aesthetic all the better." He finished, straightening his body and taking a stance.

Orion dropped down from the branch.

"Right," Orion said with a chuckle.

"Someone's pretty confident," Orion said.

"I have no reason not to be," Erevan replied without missing a beat.

"If I were to go by your confidence, I'd go all out, but no. I wanna enjoy this." Orion said with a grin on his face.

"You might regret that," Erevan said, walking forward.

"Trust me, I won't," Orion replied with a smile.

-DETECTED HOST'S RESOLVE

-QUEST GENERATED

-Moderation:

Emerge victorious in your fight against individual Erevan Chronos without

-Using up to 50 % of your mana.

-Using Protocol

-Using ETF

DURATION: 25 minutes

REWARD: +50 random stat points.

ACCEPT/DENY?

'Accept, of course.'

"I've been ordained to the mission of defeating you," Orion said with a chuckle.

"Make it worthwhile." He said, his expression becoming serious.

Erevan didn't wait.

The moment Orion's boots settled on the ground, he moved — fast, direct, and grounded in form. His fists came low and sharp, a clean hook to the ribs followed by a snapping elbow. Orion blocked one, missed the other, his shoulder jolting back from the impact.

Erevan pressed forward. There was no wasted movement — every hit flowed into the next. Orion raised an arm to parry, but Erevan changed rhythm mid-swing, turning a feint into a knee that drove into his abdomen. The blow forced air from Orion's lungs.

"Still breathing?" Erevan asked lightly.

Orion coughed once, chuckling. "Barely."

He went for a counter, but Erevan was already inside his guard, cutting angles clean. His movements were compact — elbows, knees, low kicks — built for efficiency, not show. Each step pinned Orion's escape tighter, forcing him backwards.

Orion ducked another strike, tried to grab his arm — Erevan twisted instantly, reversing the grip, his heel slamming into Orion's sternum. The impact echoed. Orion slid a few meters back before regaining balance.

He exhaled slowly, eyes narrowing. "You're good."

"Obviously," Erevan said, tone calm but sharp. "You've been relying too much on spatial tricks. You can't read this pace."

Orion didn't argue. Erevan lunged again. This time, Orion tried to meet him halfway, but Erevan's shoulder crashed into his chest, forcing him down. A sharp strike followed — palm to the jaw, knee to the ribs, and a sweep that sent Orion to the dirt.

Erevan stopped just short of striking again. "Still enjoying yourself?" he asked, expression unreadable.

Orion's grin returned, even from the ground. "More than you think."

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