Rix froze. His proximity to Han had somewhat inured him to the man's presence at this point, but unexpectedly seeing someone else from his list sent a cold spike of rage through him. He wasn't prepared for this moment.

"As impressive as that…unconventional display was," said a voice to the side, "it's probably best not to stare at an Omen like you want to cave his head in next."

With a start, Rix pulled his eyes away and glanced to his left to find he was being addressed by Goro, the Spark who had advised him on his thousand blows. Though they were separated by the shield array that kept the Farm and the Cauldron apart, they could apparently still talk.

"I didn't realise I was," replied Rix.

Goro glanced towards the group, where Sho and Scarface were now sharing a laugh. "I understand the sentiment, believe me," he said, dropping his voice low. "Honestly, I find their whole family somewhat…offputting. But we must keep such opinions close to the chest, especially in here."

"What is he doing here?" asked Rix. He still didn't know much about Goro, but by the way he spoke, it was pretty clear the man had, at some point, moved in important circles.

Goro gestured to the ring. "He's one of the key sponsors for our little spectacle. Today, it's his mana that will stitch back together whichever poor soul is forced to step into the ring with me."

Rix felt a shiver roll through him. Though the array hadn't done any work on him today, just the notion that he'd passed through a field of Xu Sho's mana made him feel deeply uncomfortable.

"I had no idea," Rix said. "Why haven't I seen him before?"

"He's not in the city often," Goro replied. "He's the First Master of the Horizon Exchange. They're traders, which means he travels a lot. But he does occasionally grace us with his presence. Not many Omens are willing to sully themselves lending their strength to a place like this, but Sho's family have something of a financial interest in Spiritlock, so he deigns to do his little part to keep things moving down here."

That was terrible news. In Rix's head, Sho had very much been filed away as a bridge to cross later. But if he actually held sway within the prison, the man could become a problem much sooner. He doubted someone with such an important relationship with Spiritlock would sit idly by after someone killed his son.

"If Sho has influence here, why is Han even still a prisoner?" asked Rix. "Why hasn't he pulled some strings and just got him released?"

Goro's expression darkened. "There are some laws that even the Thousand Year Families must bend to." The man stared off into the distance for several moments before regaining his composure. "Han's in here for technique theft, which is a system transgression. It doesn't matter how ancient your bloodline, those debts must be paid." Though he seemed to be trying to disguise it, a hint of bitterness bled through into his voice.

Rix looked back towards Sho's group. Okay, so he couldn't save Han entirely, but he was still looking out for him. Though there was little outward affection between the pair, the way Han stood indicated a level of deference Rix had never seen him exhibit before. The man clearly respected his father.

Seeing two members of the Xu family interacting so casually set Rix's blood boiling. Despite them knowing nothing of who he truly was, it felt like a direct slap in the face, a purposeful reminder of everything they'd taken from him.

Goro studied him. "That fire in your gaze, Rixian, I dare say it burns too hot to be just idle anger. That's quite the personal vendetta for one of your…humble station."

Rix flinched and glanced away once more. It was a mistake to let himself be so transparent, but seeing Sho had rattled him. "I'm not sure what you mean," he said, keeping his voice neutral.

Goro let out a soft laugh. "Oh, I'm sure you're not. But a word of advice, nonetheless, little Whisper. Some dragons are best left slumbering. Unless you have a very, very big spear you haven't shown anyone."

The man left him be after that, but Rix's mind was churning. This was a new complication in what was already a complex situation.

***

When the day's battles were done, he eventually met up with Luna. "That. Was. Awesome! You bonked him like you were splitting a melon. He didn't even see it coming."

Rix grinned. "It was pretty awesome."

"And that flash, was that your new technique?"

He nodded. "[Sunspot]."

"Not the sort of thing I thought you'd pick. A lot of fades don't even seem to have eyes."

Rix shrugged. "I'm not just here to fight fades. It was quite effective, really."

He was already thinking about other applications during duels.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Luna grinned. "If only you'd taken my bet, you'd be eating good this week. But alas, my food will remain my own."

"That's fine by me. You're going to need your energy tomorrow. Speaking of which, we need to make a plan."

***

Thinking about the entropy pearl heist took Rix back to his time on the streets and the sort of petty crime that had put food in his mouth for so long. While that life had been a means to an end, he'd learned to take some joy in a perfectly laid plan and in the act of getting something over somebody. The fact that the target was the Iron Hand made this all the sweeter. Nothing would tip the scales of justice back to even until he had Han's head, but in the meantime he could settle for causing the man as much pain as possible.

Rix and Luna spent the afternoon after the arena plotting. Without seeing the place where the entropy pearl was stashed, they couldn't work out all the details, but Wing had given them everything she could, including a few tips that might prove useful.

The next morning, Rix skipped his usual training to have breakfast with Luna in the mess hall. As before, they sat apart from any of the factions, and it didn't take long for the Iron Hand to find them.

Only this time, it was what looked like the entire gang.

When Han approached, he was backed by close to twenty people, all of whom surrounded the table where Rix and Luna sat. A hush filled the room as the majority of eyes turned their way.

Tension gripped Rix's body. Somehow, Han seemed even more pissed off than he had been the previous day. Rix actually felt like there was a reasonable chance he was going to commit cold-blooded murder right there in front of everybody and simply suffer the consequences.

Han dragged the moment out, revelling in Rix's discomfort, before stepping forward and slamming both palms down onto the table. "I hear you begged the Shadow Runners to save your pathetic skin and they sent you packing." Rix glanced over at Wing's table, where the Shadow Runners were pointedly ignoring them.

He swallowed hard and did his best to look afraid. It wasn't hard. Being surrounded by a group of Martial Souls who meant you harm was intimidating, even if you'd been expecting it. Up close, he could feel the collective weight of their Paths through his spirit eye. It was almost suffocating.

"Here to gloat?" Rix asked, with all the bitterness he could muster.

Han snickered. "I just wanted you to see what would be waiting for you when you step through the portal later today. You'll get the full welcoming committee this time. Then we'll see if you manage to run."

Rix looked around at the overwhelming force surrounding them. "Do you think I'm stupid? I'm not going back in there without support. You win, Han. I'm done diving."

Han took a moment to process that, then bared his teeth. "I win when I have your head!" he snarled. Everything in his posture said he was primed to attack. Rix pushed his feet into the ground, preparing to leap away, however fruitless the gesture would be.

But at that moment, it seemed like the guards had taken notice because several materialised around the standoff, including Scarface, who laid a hand on Han's shoulder.

"Now, now, children," Scarface said, "what have we told you about squabbling at playtime?"

Despite the way the guard had treated Rix in the past, at that moment, he was thankful to see him. Though Scarface's tone carried his typical joviality, Rix could see his fingers digging into Han's skin.

The Iron Hand leader sucked in a deep breath, his nostrils flaring. "We're just having a conversation," he growled.

Scarface clicked his tongue. "All twenty of you?"

Han seemed to realise the moment had passed. He drew himself up from the table. "Fine, we're going." He shot Rix one final deadly look. "In the realm, in here, it doesn't matter. Spiritlock's a dangerous place when you're alone."

Rix sagged back into his seat.

"You seem to enjoy collecting enemies," said Scarface.

"So people keep telling me," Rix said.

"Well, if you're going to let them kill you, have the courtesy to do it out in the realm, would you? You wouldn't believe the paperwork I get when one of you dregs offs another inside prison walls."

Rix let out a wry chuckle.

Scarface's eyes narrowed. "Why is that funny?"

"Oh, nothing, sir. It's just that the Divemaster told me to die in here."

Scarface paused for a moment, then grinned. "He would."

And with that, the guards dispersed.

Rix shared a look with Luna.

"So, ten each?" she said.

"Seems reasonable," Rix replied. "Do you think they bought it, though?"

"We'll find out, I guess," she replied.

After breakfast, while all the other divers were headed for the portal, they headed to the training cells. This was partly for show, but also partly because Rix couldn't bear to waste the morning, even while in the middle of a scheme to preserve his life.

They'd barely been in the training cell two minutes when Rix noticed an Iron Hand member leaning against the wall outside, watching them. She stayed for at least ten minutes, well past the time of the portal opening, before eventually disappearing back through the yard. Reporting back on their whereabouts, Rix assumed.

While having Luna there meant he could inject some variety into his training, he wasn't in the headspace for proper sparring. That could come later, when he was safe in the Shadow Runners' protection. For now, he simply ran through his normal training regime — the thousand blows, then five hundred more in motion, and rounded it out with several katas.

For her part, Luna spent the entire time doing her own katas.

"That's your sect style, right?" Rix asked at one point while they were both taking a break.

She grinned. "Whipping Vine Style," she said proudly.

"But when you arrived, you were a fresh Whisper, right?" he asked. "You had to do the Fadeborn trial just like me. So how is it that you've got an outside style?"

Luna's expression fell, and she opened her mouth once, then closed it again. "I…I'm just special, I guess."

It was a flimsy lie, and they both knew it immediately, but Rix didn't press. Apparently, her situation was more complicated than it seemed. It was easy to forget that everybody here had a life prior to Spiritlock. Grinding in the Fractured Realm, battling in the arena, jostling for position and safety — those things became your whole world in here, but they weren't without context. And, given that they had all committed crimes, that context was likely painful.

By the time they'd finished training, several hours had passed and Luna's usual ebullience had returned. The other inmates would be deep into their dives at that point.

This was their window.

They stowed their training weapons and headed down to the dive site. The area was empty, save for a single guard and the Auditor who were chatting in the antechamber. They shot Rix and Luna a strange look, but didn't object as they strode toward the portal. Divers weren't forced to dive the full six hours; it was just what most chose to do.

"Good to go?" Luna asked him.

Rix nodded. "Let's go give them something to actually be angry about," he replied, managing a grin.

They stepped through into the Fractured Realm. On the other side at the dive site stood the Divemaster and two guards, who looked up in surprise.

And nearby, sitting on a rock, was one bored-looking member of the Iron Hand.

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