Lexie remained frozen as the applause thundered around her. Tank was still on the floor. For a second, she was concerned she'd done something to seriously hurt him. She'd tried to properly modulate the card, but in the rush of activity, she feared that she had not paid enough attention and had accidentally tuned up the attack, adding too much force.

She rushed over to him, worried, and leaned down to whisper, "Hey? You okay?"

He let out a groan, and his finger moved to make a thumbs-up sign. She smiled in relief. Good. She hadn't hurt him.

Just then, she turned back to the crowd, who were now chanting her name. She spotted Abernathy and Doyle waving their sign. She smiled and glanced around. She didn't know if it was just her, but there seemed to be more people here than she'd thought. Had more arrived during her fight? The stadium hadn't even been close to full, so anyone could have bought tickets and walked in at any point.

Lexie thought they might have done it to watch her, but that was probably just her ego talking.

It had gotten ginormous from her win. She would temper it later, but for now, she just enjoyed it.

As the PHORB zoomed over to her, Lexie took a second to think of her finishing move. Having nothing else in mind but Tate's horrible finisher, Lexie simply winked at the crowd and gave them a peace sign. They cheered louder, and Lexie smiled brightly. Ha. That's how you do it, Tate.

As she skipped off the field, she thought to herself, That was fun. Winning was especially fun, especially winning without getting hit. Not every fight would be like that, she knew. It was only this easy because of the nature of Tank's fighting style and the fact that he was such a good sport who didn't want to beat up a little girl.

If she were up against a ruthless long-range fighter though, or even a faster brawler, she might have been in trouble.

Lexie was also still disappointed by her endurance. Her time was on the extremely low end for fights, and she was held back by her low mana capacity, the fact that all her cards lasted about thirty seconds or less, and also the fact that she could only use a few of them within a certain time, or she would burn out.

It sucked and that very limitation would certainly pose a problem in any subsequent fights. She needed to find a way around it, but so far, Isaac hadn't yet figured out how to create a rechargeable source of mana to which she could link a Land Card. Even if he had, she wasn't even sure it would work.

Speaking of Isaac, she needed to visit him soon and figure out where he was at with the Undernet stuff. She'd put that on the back burner while focusing on training and crafting cards, but now that she was done with her first battle, she wanted to know.

Her thoughts continued down that trajectory as she met the usher at the edge of the tunnel.

The other woman gave Lexie an impressed look.

"That was pretty sick," she said.

Lexie beamed at her. "Thank you,"

"You're really a card mage?"

"Yeah." She materialized a card in her hand to prove it.

"Nice," she chuckled. "Well, I've never seen a card mage that had those skills. I think you're certainly going to be one to watch."

"Thank you," she said. Though Lexie still didn't plan on joining the circuit, it was still nice to hear. She didn't think the woman's prediction was accurate, though. If her next match was against another long-range fighter or a faster opponent, Lexie probably wouldn't make it, not without using the full potency of her cards, which she didn't want to do.

While the loss would sting, she was happy with how far she'd come with her card magic. That was enough.

The rest of her team met her at the doorway. She squeaked as Boris picked her up and swung her in the air.

"That was amazing, my little dancing bird," he said, and Lexie laughed at his boisterous embrace but also kicked her legs to be let down. "That aerial cartwheel was excellent. Your pirouette needs work, but you sure had the spirit of it!"

Conrad was smiling just as widely as Boris and picked her out of Boris' arms, swinging her around too.

"Let me down, you two!" she said laughingly. "I'm not a little girl."

"You sure acted like one out there," Cara said. "Crazy good performance, Lex. Now, I'm really nervous about going on after you.

"You'll be fine," Lexie said, finally managing to shuffle down to her feet. "Just remember to activate the card I gave you at least twenty seconds before you land the punch." Lexie had made Cara's specialized <Windbreaker> and helped Cara practice activation back at the dojo. Cara's starting activation time was thirty seconds, which was good for someone who didn't use cards daily. Lexie had helped her work it down to twenty-five and had also made the pathway as simple as possible, which was easy since it didn't require that much power. "Oh, and make sure you hit as hard as you can."

Cara nodded, and Lexie winked.

Urmas, Lane, and Ken also came over to congratulate her. Shadow managed to nod in her direction also, which must have taken a lot out of him. Lexie nodded back.

Lexie met Tate's gaze across the room.

She waited for him to say something, but he only loudly complained, "Why is it that no one said anything about Lexie's wink, but when I do it, it's a problem?"

"Because Lexie doesn't wink like a robot serial killer," Conrad said, and Lexie snorted. Tate smiled too and winked at her. She made a gagging noise, and they both laughed.

Everyone was in a good mood. Lexie was in a really good mood.

Cara's fight was next, and she ended up not using the card. The fight was against a warrior-type fighter who set traps along the way, little explosives that would go off if Cara so much as touched them. Very unluckily for him, Cara's feet barely touched the ground. She danced around the field, avoiding the many pitfalls that he set for her. In the end, she managed to lure him into one of his traps, effectively taking him out.

The whole thing lasted a respectable ten minutes.

Urmas went on soon after her and struggled to win his first fight due to his balance problems. He was up against a speedster, and while he was ahead during most of the fight, his leg would sometimes randomly glitch when he tried to run, sending him sprawling. Once, it glitched him right into his opponent's fist, and everyone in the room gasped as he went down.

Once he did, the speedster climbed on top of him, ceaselessly battering him. Thanks to his military training, Urmas blocked, found an opening, and delivered the edge of his palm right under his opponent's chin. That stunned him and Urmas followed up with a headtrike using the butt of his gun, effectively knocking him out too.

Eleven minutes.

Urmas got to his feet and his leg glitched as he walked off to moderate applause. Lexie wondered vaguely if she could make him some kind of card that would help with that. She didn't know exactly what the problem was with his prosthetics, having never paid much attention to it before. She knew it was mostly fine until it was put under a lot of stress, like when he had to run super fast, or when he'd been fighting for too long. She wondered exactly where the problem was, and thought maybe she could figure it out from reading his pathways.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

After Urmas returned and received his accolades and a private talk with Conrad, he retired to the couch. Lexie sidled up next to him.

"Hey, Urmas," she greeted.

"Hey." He smiled, though she could tell from his eyes that his match weighed heavily on him. "What's up?"

"I think I might be able to help you with your balance."

His eyes widened. "Seriously?"

She nodded. "But I'll need to get a feel for your mana first."

"Do it," Cara said to Urmas. "Trust me, it's so super worth it, honestly. The card she made for me helped."

Lexie gave Cara an air-fistbump in thanks, and Cara air-fistbumped her right back.

Urmas looked between them and said, "Well, in that case, I would be honored. Thanks."

"Shadow," the usher was back knocking on the door. "You're up next."

"Good luck," Conrad said.

"I don't need luck."

"Just take the fucking encouragement man."

Lexie shook her head because Conrad sounded like he was getting fed up with Shadow, and probably everyone else in the group was too.

While Shadow's fight played in the background, Lexie held Urmas's hand and closed her eyes so she could feel around his mana. Like with Cara, she flowed with the mana all the way down to his legs, identifying the pathway changes and shifts.

When she got to the spot where his leg had been amputated, she detected something strange. At the point where his leg stopped, his mana was…busy. Busier than normal, almost like the mana in Tate's body.

What was going on?

Lexie had learned in school that mana did not necessarily get along well with mechs, although they could be forced to while making certain tools. In some medical devices and even with teleportation orbs, binding agents were used to force the mana to be motionless and not interfere with the machine's actions. Too much interaction in a busy mana environment could cause technology to glitch, like a transplant rejecting its host. That could be what was happening with Urmas' leg.

Lexie doubted it was a common problem since medics would have probably identified it earlier if it were. As to why the mana at his legs was so much busier than the rest of his body, Lexie could think of a couple of reasons.

"Did you awaken as a C-Rank mana-user?" she asked him. "Did you transform your mana points to physical points and affix a bunch of that mana into the muscle in your legs?"

"How did you know?" His voice sounded surprised, and Lexie smiled as it was confirmed.

"Because I can read it." She could see that affixed mana wasn't the same as the mana readily built into his muscles as a physical-type ranker. That affixed mana had been free mana previously, and it showed. It was very similar to his physical type mana, but it was slightly more unstable, the buzzing more erratic, and that was the mana fighting the interference of the prosthetic.

Lexie didn't know if there was a medical way to unaffix the mana, but she'd probably need to talk to a medic about it. Maybe Emma would know. Or the Saintess, if Xena was still in contact with her.

Lexie was suddenly very interested in figuring out how to fix it. She'd wanted to make a medical deck anyway, so she might as well get started. As she continued to investigate his pathways, she thought about all the medical books she would borrow and who she could talk to.

She may not be powerful enough yet to make a deck for mundanes, but she could make one for people like Urmas, who faced unique medical challenges.

She let go of Urmas' hand and opened her eyes. "Thanks. I'll start reading into it."

"Thank you for trying," Urmas said, but he didn't sound like he had much faith. She wondered how many times he'd heard that phrase before, how many times he'd had hope only to be disappointed. Lexie didn't plan on disappointing him, too.

Shadow won his match to no one's surprise. As he walked in, Conrad and a few in the group, like Lane and Ken, clapped, but Shadow ignored them. He sat at the back, cool as a cucumber on the floor, and stared into the air. His gaze flickered to Lexie for a split second before fixing forward again.

All in all, it was a sweeping success of an afternoon. Everyone on Lexie's team won their match. On the way out, she caught Conrad winking and smiling at the man who'd entered their backstage room.

"Better luck next time, Zane," he called.

Lexie could see the other man's stormy expression from across the hall.

The Eldritch Lord came over for dinner that evening. Lexie hadn't told her father yet about her match, and he hadn't asked probably since he was so busy. At least he hadn't forgotten about the Eldritch Lord's visit.

Aiden told Lexie that he gave Naem a bunch of rules for attendance, including that he couldn't say or do anything that would spook his daughter, like commenting on her soul again. Naem also had to promise to suppress his pheromones, and most importantly, he had to disappear at the first sign of anyone coming. Only after the Eldritch Lord agreed to all those terms was he allowed to come over.

Lexie wondered why Naem was being so compliant with Aiden's demands. Technically, he was more powerful and had more influence than Aiden, but seeing them interact, it felt like it was the other way around.

The Eldritch Lord emerged from a swirling black pool of nothingness in the kitchen while Aiden and Lexie were setting up the table for dinner. He showed up in his usual human mask, but instead of his normal long black coat, he was wearing a bright green coat, like something someone would wear on Saint Patrick's Day.

Aiden gave him a disappointed look when he saw it. "Really?"

"I thought I should wear something to match the festive occasion." He said the words in his usual deadpan voice, but he was clearly joking. Lexie smiled. She thought she was starting to see the playfulness Aiden told her about. She avoided looking directly into Naem's eyes as she gave him a short wave. "Hey, Naem."

"Hello human [untranslatable]"

"Just Lexie is fine," she said as she moved around to place the forks by each of the plates.

"Just Lexie then."

"Have a seat, Naem," Aiden said as he brought the casserole and snickerdoodles to the table. "How long is your trip? Has it been extended again?"

"No, I should be going back soon. I think the ambassador and I have more than overstayed our welcome."

"Did the ambassador just come because of you?' Lexie also wanted to ask if it was this Ambassador's key she was using to make cards and if he knew about it. But of course, she couldn't ask those questions in front of Aiden.

"Yes," Naem said.

"Why?"

"Do I answer that?" Naem asked, and Aiden sighed.

"I guess. Otherwise, she's just going to try to find out for herself."

"I have a fully binding soul contract with the ambassador. He's mine to command."

Lexie's eyes widened.

"If it makes you feel less fearful, it was completely his idea," Naem said. "He wanted something from me, something that was considerably risky on my part. I would only agree to undertake that risk with a full-soul binding, knowing that I could ask whatever I want from him. Of course, it is all still within reason. Mostly, I use him to shield my activity on earth and borrow his power so that I can get around more easily."

"Is that how you can use some magic on earth even though you're not supposed to be able to?"

"Yes," he said. "Not to my full capacity, of course, and I can't use most Eldritch magic. But it works enough that I can conceal my identity and look more inconspicuous."

Lexie and Aiden shared a look. Did the Eldritch Lord think a seven-foot-tall mobster-looking human disguise was inconspicuous on Earth? If so, she would hate to see what he thought was conspicuous.

As they settled in, with Aiden serving Lexie and Naem their casserole, Lexie got to the point of the visit.

"I wanted to ask something about Lightlarks," she said.

Naem picked up a fork. "What about them?"

"What exactly are they used for on the Fae Planet?"

"They're used for several measures. Their power, both literal and metaphorical, is extremely useful for running the cage the Fae call a government. They're used to curb Eldritch activity too, for which they're more than effective." He took a spoonful of casserole in his mouth and hummed thoughtfully. "After all, nothing chases the dark away quite like light."

Lexie already suspected something like that, but she felt like there was more to it than that. If not, why did they keep it so secret?

"Are they ever trapped there?" Lexie asked, and Naem shook his head.

"Can they leave?"

"They can, but they're given a lot of incentives to stay," he said. "The Fae, like the Eldritch, are very good at figuring out your deep desires and offering them to you. Often, they have the power to make your dreams come true. You just need to be careful."

"Of what?"

"Though the Fae are honor-bound to be honest with humans, it's just as easy to deceive with the truth as it is to deceive with a lie."

That didn't make Lexie feel any better. Aiden noticed and cleared his throat. "Naem."

"If you're worried about your friend," the Eldritch Lord continued, "You needn't be."

"You've seen her?"

He nodded. "She seems unharmed. Simply visiting her family there and learning about their sacred duty. The human [Heroes] will ensure she returns if she wishes to, and the Fae are not allowed to force any humans to stay."

"I see." A stray thought still haunted her. What if Xena wants to stay?

To distract herself from that and the silence that descended, and add a bit of levity to the situation, she mentioned, "Dad said you saw him naked in his dreams. Is it true?"

Aiden choked on his casserole. "Lexie!"

Naem twittered like a bird. "Yes, I remember that. He made such a big fuss about it, although the view was wholly unremarkable."

"I was a child." Aiden looked so offended as Lexie laughed.

Naem spoke more about the various meetings he'd had with Aiden as a child and how Aiden had freaked out nearly every time. It was clear that a young Naem did not understand what made the [untranslatable] human so afraid of him when he was trying his very best to be friendly. Lexie truly enjoyed the stories and her father's discomfort. Besides the secret looks she shared with the Lord of the Eldritch, making sure he kept her little dungeon-crafting secret, it was an almost pleasant family dinner.

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