Despite Wing's reassurances, the next two weeks were tense. The friction between the Shadow Runners and the Iron Hand continued to escalate. The first few days after the heist saw multiple confrontations in prison common areas. They were bloodless, but fraught with violent potential.

Han, in particular, continued to make it clear to Rix that his red-hot spite hadn't cooled at all. Wherever Rix was, be it the training yard, the mess hall, or the dive staging area, the man haunted him like a seething ghost, spitting threats and staring daggers. The Shadow Runners made sure that Rix was never alone, so these encounters never escalated, but they were intimidating all the same.

There was an irony to the situation that bothered Rix. He was the one who had come here with the express purpose of killing Han. He was supposed to be the hunter. And yet here he was slinking around, hiding his true motive while the other man stalked him.

But there was little to be done. Those dice had been cast.

After a week of stare downs between the two gangs, the feud finally turned bloody. Han led a small raiding party into the Shadow Runner quadrant. Where previously they'd come to steal and intimidate, this time they came with killing intent. The aftermath was a death on either side and several severe injuries.

"I underestimated him," Wing said that night in the mess hall. "I really thought he'd back down."

"Man's too emotional for his own good," said Huan. "He's like a big, angry baby."

"I'm sorry," Rix said with a sigh. None of this was his choice, but nonetheless, he couldn't help feeling a stab of guilt. The conflict had been benign until he joined the gang, and now people were dead.

Wing raised an eyebrow. "What for? Did you make the decision to let you join? Or to steal the pearl from him? Believe it or not, you're not responsible for the Shadow Runners. I am, and that makes this my problem. It's a poor leader who blames her underlings."

That helped a little, but the deaths still weighed on Rix.

Because the action happened away from the portal, there were no witnesses among prison staff. Rix saw the Divemaster giving both Han and Wing hard looks the next day, but they couldn't prove anything. The realm was a dangerous place, after all.

The tension wasn't exclusive to the two factions involved. Given their size and sway in the Farm, the rest of the prison population couldn't help but feel the animosity. Most of the common areas were noticeably subdued. Conversations were hushed, and people very much kept to themselves. The air felt primed for something.

Despite the ever-present threat of the Iron Hand, there were some positives to be taken from that period. Diving in Shadow Runner territory was noticeably better than it had been in the western quadrant. The fades really were significantly denser. He was earning about 7% of a rank up a day, and that was even accounting for the higher requirements that came with being a High Whisper and sharing his essence with Luna.

Their recent trials had cemented something between them. Every morning, the two of them would spar before their dive. Luna grumbled constantly about the imposition into mealtime, but it was good-natured, and with Tolson smuggling them what he could, she seemed to be willing to make the sacrifice.

Working with a partner turned out to be even more beneficial than he'd expected, particularly when she was so much better than he was. It didn't take more than a few minutes of weapon-on-weapon combat for him to realise that, despite them being the same rank, in terms of raw martial skill he was leagues behind Luna. Her sword was like an extension of her body. It really emphasised how important skill was in a duel. While their physical capabilities were vaguely comparable, everything about her weaponcraft was crisper, cleaner, and more efficient. It took more than a week for him to land a single blow.

"I literally can't touch you," he said after one such training session.

"I'll add you to the list," she said with a smile.

When he didn't perk up, her expression lost some of its levity. "How long have you been training?" she asked.

"I've used a staff all my life."

"But how long have you been training?" She swung her katana around her body in a figure-eight loop. "Since I was six, I've spent hours every day working on my forms. I'm guessing you didn't have that luxury in the city."

Rix furrowed his brow. "No."

"So, I bleeding well should be better than you. This is why we work. To improve."

"But if we're training together, how am I ever going to catch up to you?"

Her smile returned, full bloom. "Who said anything about catching up?"

Still, she was right. Dedication. Dedication was something even he could muster.

Weapons weren't the only way they trained. In fact, at Master Zhen's insistence, hand-to-hand actually took up the bulk of Rix's time.

"A true master's Path rests on granite, boy, not wet sand."

The difference between him and Luna was no less stark here, but Rix didn't feel bad about that. Unarmed combat had never been a focus of his prior to Spiritlock, so it made sense that he had much to learn. Once Rix started showing up regularly with Luna, the Weaponmaster took the opportunity to introduce new exercises into his program that took advantage of the ability to spar. Much of their time together was spent drilling combinations of blocks, blows and kicks, instilling his body with the instincts he'd need to further his journey. Luna seemed to enjoy it, despite not needing instruction herself.

In terms of his progression, his next big focus was lifting his style from Low to Mid Rank. Not only would this make him more potent in combat, but it was basically a requirement for when he eventually wanted to tier up to Spark. The Weaponmaster still insisted that diligence in his hand-to-hand training would be key to ranking it up, and at this point, Rix trusted his wisdom.

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It was the arena where his weapon skills were particularly found lacking. While he'd won his first bout through surprise, his tricks didn't work twice. His opponents were quick to adjust to his 'underhand tactics'. Each week he was forced into a brutal, drawn-out duel where their styles were brought to the forefront, and each week he came up well short. It was disappointing that even with Energy Surge he wasn't capable of hanging with them, but much like his training with Luna, his opponents were simply more skilled, with many more hours of practice under their belts.

The only solace he took from those fights was finding out that 'dying' in the ring wasn't as bad as it seemed. Martial Souls rarely did things by halves, and both his deaths were quick and clean. There was a flash of pain, then he was waking up with his face pressed into the sand.

Beyond continuing to improve his style, there was one other area he longed to improve: his qi. That was still an untapped well. Rix was somewhat frustrated that Breaker had yet to reappear. The initial high of all the things the man promised had given way to grim resignation. Perhaps he'd found another candidate or had somehow broken his chains himself. As the weeks passed, Rix had about given up hope that they'd meet again.

So, of course, that was exactly when he decided to reappear.

***

It turned out that the Iron Hand section of the Fractured Realm was not the only place with the remains of civilisation. The Shadow Runner territory was also peppered with patches of decaying buildings. One particular section, an array of smaller collapsed structures surrounded by thick jungle, had become Rix and Luna's preferred hunting ground. The Shadow Runners didn't divide their territory amongst themselves in any real sense, but there was a certain unspoken understanding not to infringe once people had chosen their preferred areas, and this one hadn't yet been claimed. It was towards the far side of the Shadow Runners' zone, where it bordered the western quadrant, placing Rix as far from the Iron Hand side as possible. Part of him hated that, the idea that he needed coddling, but he also knew he was far from ready to face Han. It was a fool who chose pride over survival.

The buildings of their area had the same heavy, squat architectural style as the temple they'd raided, though on a smaller scale. Given the higher entropy in this part of the realm, they encountered treasures much more frequently than Rix was used to. Every day, they'd find something new: silver-blue vines snaking their way up the walls, or strange, translucent fungus squeezing itself out from cracks in the stone.

Rix had asked Wing why treasures grew more frequently in areas of higher entropy, but the woman merely scoffed. "Smart divers focus on the 'where?' and the 'how much?'. The 'why?' just gets you killed while you're standing around wondering."

Still, the treasures fascinated him. When treated properly with alchemy, they were the source of so much martial power. Those sorts of pills and elixirs weren't available to him yet, but Spiritlock wasn't forever.

It had been weeks since Rix's initial encounter with Breaker. He and Luna were at the start of their dive. They'd reached their hunting ground and had just finished off their first group of fades — a pack of four lithe, feline beasts the size of large dogs — when Luna suddenly drew a startled breath. Rix spun to find her staring down Breaker with her sword raised. The man had once again adopted his fadeborn disguise, his scales shimmering strangely in that dull amber haze.

"Hells, this one looks like it'll be worth more than those four combined," she said to Rix, though there was a tiny tremor in her voice. Despite being invisible to their spirit eyes, Luna could somehow intuit Breaker's strength the same way Rix had been able to during their first encounters. The man exuded power.

Breaker stalked forward slowly, his gaze locked to Rix. "I'm disappointed, child. When I spoke with you last, I thought I was recruiting a lone wolf. Someone untethered by normal obligation." His eyes darted to Luna. "But ever since then, you've scarcely spent a minute alone in here."

Rix swallowed hard. "You've been watching me then?"

Breaker inclined his head.

"What the hells is going on, Rix?" asked Luna. "You have your own personal fade?"

Breaker gave no warning. Like last time, one moment he was a fade, the next, a man stood in his place.

Luna's eyes grew wide. "Heavens' blood," she hissed, her grip tightening around her weapon.

Breaker ignored her. "You haven't answered my question, boy. I thought you clever enough to understand that my existence was something best hidden. Not to mention the subjects we discussed that day. The things you were desperate to keep to yourself. How did you expect us to continue if you were not alone?" In a blink, he had crossed the gap and was inches from Rix's face. "Is this the way you reject my offer?"

Though his voice remained mild, there was a dangerous edge to it now that set Rix's blood pumping. "I'm sorry, Breaker. I didn't have a choice. If you've been watching me, you'll know I made enemies. I needed protection. If I'd kept diving alone, I'd almost certainly be dead by now."

The man considered him for several beats. "I did glean something of your predicament. I suppose I should not be surprised after the way we initially met. You seem to have a knack for trouble." The man's expression tightened. "You will need to end that foolishness if you seek my instruction. I will not invest time in someone only to have them killed in a petty squabble."

Rix hesitated. It didn't seem smart to reveal that things had only gotten worse with Han. "I'm working on it," he said eventually.

"Good," Breaker replied. His gaze snapped to Luna. "But that still leaves us with a problem. A secret between two is a whisper. Between three it's a shout."

Rix instinctively stepped back so he and Luna were side by side. He didn't know whether Breaker would actually kill her, but the threat was clear in his words. Rix was willing to do almost anything to achieve his revenge, but to sacrifice Luna was not a consideration. The girl had been nothing but kind and loyal since they'd met, and she deserved the same in return. He would not become someone who discarded innocent lives so casually. That would make him no better than his targets.

There was an alternative, but it involved a risk he'd hoped to avoid.

He looked at Luna. Despite the tension in her shoulders, her eyes remained sharp and focused, taking in everything. Would it be so bad to share his secret with someone? In some ways, it might feel like a burden lifted.

He drew a deep breath. "I trust her. Which means if you want this to work, you need to trust her too." Though it wasn't a threat, he felt a sense of trepidation trying to apply any leverage to the man at all.

Breaker drew a long breath, then another, his expression inscrutable as his eyes flicked between the two of them. "If I do as you suggest, does that mean you accept my offer? You will help me while I help you?"

Rix licked his lips. He'd thought this conversation through a hundred times in the intervening weeks. In his head, the answer was a clear yes. He didn't even really know what he was committing to, but in his position, any edge had to be seized, however unsettling the circumstances. Yet standing there in the ruins of a shattered civilisation, confronted by the sheer strangeness of Breaker's existence, he couldn't help but pause.

Mustering his courage, he nodded. "It's a deal."

Luna had observed the exchange with bewilderment. "Alright, enough with the mysterious bargaining. Either someone tells me what's going on, or I'm going to start swinging this sword at both of you until some answers fall out."

"That's…a bit of a story," Rix replied. And so he briefly recounted the battle with Yutaro and Kenzo, and their ensuing meeting, leaving out the details of his cultivation for now. Breaker seemed content merely to listen.

"So, let me get this straight," Luna said when he was done. "You meet a mysterious man who can turn into a fade, who lives in the Fractured Realm, somehow, and your first thought is 'yes, this seems like someone I should make deals with'?" She turned to Breaker. "No offence, but you have to admit it sounds a little suspect. You're basically a storybook villain."

The man spread his hands, a picture of innocence. "I assure you, you haven't read of me in any of your books."

"He has some…unique knowledge," Rix said to Luna. "Knowledge that can help me get stronger."

Luna wet her lips, eyes darting between the two men. "I'm guessing this is the bit where you tell me about this 'secret' of yours."

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