Jay felt the points leave his account like a punch to the gut. He knew the Pits were worth it, especially with what he had in mind, but that didn't make it any cheaper.

A few familiar faces turned his way as he weaved between the rings. People he'd trained with, people he'd watched tape on, and a few scouts that frequented the Pits. In a nearby ring, Jay watched Zara unleash a flurry of arrows at her opponent before immediately chasing after them. Her opponent easily blocked her attack, raising a wall of sand in front of him before pushing it towards her like a tsunami of crushed earth.

Jay walked away from Zara's ring. He wasn't here to train with her today.

He walked over to the manor house's gigantic entrance. Unfortunately, this was where his plan deteriorated into 'Eh just figure it out' territory.

Jay knocked on the huge oak entranceway. He faced the door head on, ignoring the eyes aimed at his back.

No point overthinking it.

"Is Cyrus in? What about Austin? Can I come and talk?"

Jay waited patiently for a moment before a small screen appeared in front of the door. It was slate grey instead of the usual coliseum gold.

Open the doors.

Some kind of test?

Without more information, Jay resorted to doing as the box said.

He planted his feet, stretched his arms, leaned forward, and pushed.

The door didn't budge.

Jay twisted his palms into the door. The woodgrain dug into his skin. He looked down at his feet, at the slight groove they'd left in the gravel. The only thing he'd pushed was himself. Backwards.

Realising that pure strength wouldn't get him anywhere, Jay stepped away from the door.

What do you want from me then?

He read the prompt again. It didn't have any specific instructions, so perhaps it was a more personal task? Perhaps he needed to lean into his own strengths to open the doors?

But what did that even mean?

He couldn't analyse the doors into opening, or run into them so fast that they'd be forced to open.

What could he do?

Jay wondered if challenging the doors to a fight might work but decided against it. Instead, he focused on a different facet of his Harmony. One that was slowly creeping through the cracks of his training, showing its face when he focused on both electricity and fighting.

Jay was far from understanding it, and he had far more to learn before he delved into its truths, but he was beginning to see how it underpinned both aspects of his Harmony.

Acceleration.

Electricity was mindless speed, but that didn't make it unchanging. Although it remained fixed to the path of least resistance, the way it achieved that path was ever-changing.

And acceleration is the driver of change.

Electricity could be caged, forced to chase its tail within its confines, but it never stopped accelerating.

During his trials under the storm sage, Jay had learned about the different manifestations of speed. A fighter didn't manifest acceleration like electricity did. He didn't mindlessly change his direction while maintaining speed. But a fast punch never lands if it's a predictable one. Acceleration solves that issue.

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This time, Jay didn't simply push against the doors with all his might.

He carefully placed his hands against it. His feet braced into the ground

He made sure he stood entirely still.

Then he accelerated.

The hard, weathered wood dug into Jay's hands. Determined not to give in to his push.

The resolute oak was the unmoving antithesis of acceleration. It stood tall before Jay, daring him to challenge it.

Jay's forearms spasmed, furious at their motionless inadequacy. He felt the cramping claws of overexertion dig into his body.

CRRRRK.

A waft of dust puffed from the door's underside, proof that Jay's push was working.

It's wor-

The door slammed shut.

Jay dropped to a knee, arms trembling with an almost existential pain. He'd fought with all his will just to open the door, but it had defeated him. It's indomitable presence standing strong against his urge to move it.

The door loomed over him. Not quite gloating in its victory, but lording over Jay like he'd never had a chance.

The tiny cloud of dust floated in the air for a moment before settling on the ground. The only evidence of Jay's push fading into insignificance.

Good effort. Try again next time.

Wait…

That's it?

Before he could lament his failure too much, Jay heard a rumble from behind the door. He waited, silently watching as the doors swung inwards.

At least that means I wasn't supposed to pull…

Austin stood waiting for him beyond the doorway. He gently smiled at Jay and gestured for him to enter.

"Great effort Mr. Leonard. I'm sure you'll have it on the next try. It's lovely to see you again, how may I help you?"

Jay nodded, he wasn't sure how great of an effort it actually was, but he appreciated Austin's politeness anyway. "Can you take me to Cyrus? I want to ask him for some help."

"Of course Mr. Leonard. Please follow me."

Austin led Jay into a similar training room to last time. This one was fully constructed from the moment they entered, however. Instead of walking into an eternity of white and grey, the hallway opened into an endless prairie.

Amber-green grass blanketed the landscape for as far as the eye could see, only met by the faint blue mountains blocking the horizon. A few small clouds ambled by, but a gentle sunlight showered the grasslands in warmth, only occasionally washed away by a breeze streaming from the distant mountains.

Ten paces in front of Jay, Cyrus sat cross legged in serene silence. He wore the same baby blue robes as the last time Jay had seen him, but he now let his long curly hair fall behind his shoulders.

Cyrus rolled his neck around with his eyes still closed, gradually rousing from his meditation.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he said, eyes still shut. "It's my home world, I miss it every day."

He paused, lingering in the moment.

"Why'd you come back here Jay? I didn't think I'd see your face for a few months at least." Cyrus spoke softly, although the winds carried his voice above the shifting swathes of grass.

"I came because you're the strongest person I know who's not off limits to train with. My old teacher won't train me until I advance into D grade, that just leaves you and Yagao… I don't think I need to explain that choice."

Jay caught the corner of Cyrus' lip twitch, but he stayed silent.

"I think I'm strong enough to advance, but I don't think I'm the best yet." said Jay.

He thought about his friends. Sure, he was catching up to them, the rankings told him that much, but was he on their level yet? Would he hold them back in the advancement tournament?

The thought scared him.

"Unless I train with someone far stronger than me, I won't truly know my weak points. Being a specialist is fine, but not if my weakness costs my team's life."

Cyrus slowly opened one eye. His sky blue iris quelled some of the stress still inside Jay, but the job wasn't done yet.

"So you want to train with me?" said Cyrus.

"Yes." Jay replied.

Cyrus opened his other eye. Both stared directly at Jay.

He raised his hands and tied his hair up in a bun behind his head.

"Why do you think you deserve to train with me?"

Cyrus' challenge sent ripples through the air, pushing away the reeds of grass closest to him. He slowly got to his feet, before rolling up his sleeves.

"Becau-"

A sudden gust of wind charged into Jay's face, smothering his answer before it could be heard.

Spiralling gusts surrounded Cyrus, flattening the nearby grass beneath their will.

His skin began to glow pale blue, but the light left almost as quickly as it came. It fled Cyrus' skin, separating from his body and floating slightly behind him.

The light coalesced just above Cyrus' shoulders. Shaped by the wind, it hardened into the image of a man.

It reminded Jay of Lyra's cloning technique, but the glowing figure wasn't a copy of Cyrus.

It only held its shape from the waist up, although its torso alone was larger than Cyrus. While the real Cyrus wore simple robes and held no weapons, his glowing form wore a segmented set of armour, its plates overlapping like scales. It held a curved, sickle-like sword in its right hand and wore a regal helmet, ornamented with golden horns and a radiant white mask.

The glowing form rested just behind Cyrus, almost overlapping him. Standing watch.

"Don't just tell me why you deserve it…"

Cyrus held up his arms, his right formed a fist that guarded his chest, while his left stretched out in front of him.

The glowing form copied his movements exactly.

His outstretched left hand waved Jay closer.

"…I want you to show me."

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