Tension buzzed in the training yard like electricity in the walls.
Edoran walked into the courtyard, still feeling the aftershock of the visit to Jason Faulkner's office from the last time he visited the place.
The images of the two-headed horse, the blade named Hala, the savage's eyes right before it died, and the flash of Jake screaming in the dark… they hadn't left him. He felt uneasy being there.
He spotted Kareem near the training ring, his arms folded as he talked quietly with Bacchus.
The albino man stood motionless, his expression unreadable as usual behind his dark shades. Lily stood nearby, watching trainees spar in pairs, while cheering on happily.
But it was Tobias who turned first.
He had just walked in, a duffel bag slung over his shoulder, violet energy seemed to flicker and hum around his arms. The moment he saw Edoran, his expression hardened.
He dropped the bag and raised his fists.
"Hold up," Tobias called, voice cutting through the courtyard loudly. "You."
Edoran paused mid-step.
He didn't even need to look to know who it was. But he turned anyway.
Tobias was walking toward him now, his eyes locked like crosshairs.
"You've got a big mouth," he said.
Edoran raised a brow. "You'll have to be more specific."
Tobias snorted. "Don't act stupid. The other day, in front of Jason, you think I forgot that?"
Harold, watching from the bench, flinched.
Edoran frowned. "You mean about your underground—"
Tobias shoved him.
Hard.
The contact wasn't enough to knock Edoran down but it sent a clear message.
"DON'T TALK ABOUT IT, YOU BASTARD!"
Tobias's eyes were wild now. "Do you have an idea what you are talking about, about the horrors that took place there!"
Edoran was stunned.
He hadn't seen the boy since that day in Jason's office—hadn't even known his name then.
Now, he recognized the purple lightning and the haunted look in Tobias's eyes.
"I didn't know it was a trigger," Edoran said. "I just said what I saw."
"And that's the problem," Tobias snapped. "You saw it. You shouldn't have."
"You think I wanted to see it?" Edoran asked, anger rising in his throat. "You think I asked to hallucinate about your past in the middle of running away from the Blazing Whale."
The two were toe-to-toe now.
Bacchus tilted his head slightly, observing.
Lily didn't move, but she was alert. Kareem took a step forward but said nothing yet.
"You're reckless," Tobias growled. "Saying names that haven't been spoken in five years, dragging up history that should've died in the dark."
"I didn't know what I was saying," Edoran said. "But maybe if you weren't so goddamn sensitive about it—"
Tobias swung.
Not a punch, it was just a feint, a lightning-fast movement to force a flinch.
Edoran didn't flinch.
That was what really seemed to piss Tobias off.
"You think you're strong just because you've got a new form and a few kills under your belt?" Tobias said, voice climbing. "You think you're untouchable because Jason gave you a pat on the head and a shiny knife?"
Edoran's hands curled into fists. "You don't know me."
"I know enough," Tobias said, stepping forward. "I know people who chase the Karoloung end up dead. I know that name has ruined lives. And I know you being curious about it makes you dangerous."
At the edge of the courtyard, a few other trainees had stopped what they were doing.
Whispers were starting.
Kareem finally spoke. "Enough."
The courtyard went still.
Tobias stepped back slightly but kept his glare locked on Edoran. Kareem walked between them and looked at Tobias first.
"You're not wrong to be angry," Kareem said. "You carry a scar most here don't understand."
Then he looked at Edoran.
"And you," he continued, "have no idea what weight that word carries. But you're not to blame for what you saw."
Edoran gave a stiff nod.
"So," Kareem said, stepping back and folding his arms, "you're both clearly still holding onto something."
Tobias scoffed. "What, you want us to hug it out?"
Kareem smiled faintly. "No. I want you to fight."
The silence was immediate and total.
"Excuse me?" Tobias asked.
"You heard me," Kareem said. "You want to see if Edoran deserves to be here? You want to show him what it really means to carry history? Then do it in the ring. Full transformations. Controlled environment."
Bacchus gave a small nod of approval.
Tobias clenched his jaw. He looked at Edoran—who met his gaze without blinking.
The anger between them had transformed into something sharper.
"Fine," Tobias said. "Let's see what the jungle boy really has."
Edoran gave a slow, confident nod. "Let's fight then."
"I accept," Edoran said.
Kareem raised one hand while smiling in anticipation. "Arena. Ten minutes. No interference."
The arena shimmered. Metallic trees twisted into towering jungle pillars, the air thick with simulated humidity.
Vines curled downward, and the floor became a dense bed of roots and moss.
A crowd formed in seconds. Shin leaned against a pillar, eyes narrowed. Harold watched from above, silent for once. Gary was cheering on for Edoran.
Edoran stood at the center, claws flexing. He closed his eyes.
Thick green armor bloomed across his limbs, layered like bark and scale. Vines snaked around his forearms and shoulders. Fangs grew long, eyes glowing golden.
His wings were replaced by an aura of wild energy, pulsing with life.
Wood Tiger Form: Active.
Across the arena, Tobias cracked his neck. Electricity sparked at his fingertips. He growled low—and then his body convulsed.
His skin hardened, shifting into dark emerald plates.
His limbs thickened, and jagged purple veins crawled across his form. A massive shell formed on his back, glowing with pulsing nodes of lightning.
His feet left the ground. He hovered just inches, but steady. A floating fortress of muscle and storm.
Thor Turtle Form: Active. 3… 2… 1…
The arena flared as the battle began.
Tobias struck first, purple lightning arcing from his palms. Edoran dodged left, a blur through the trees. The bolt exploded against bark, vaporizing a ten-foot oak instantly.
Edoran dropped low, claws digging into the dirt. He inhaled sharply and exhaled a green mist.
The toxic cloud spread fast, curling toward Tobias. It sizzled the leaves it touched. A paralyzing mix of pollen, venom, and spores.
Tobias laughed until the mist reached him. He coughed, retreating upward. His carapace crackled, repelling the edge, but his eyes watered.
Edoran pounced from the mist like a jungle ghost. His claws slashed—hard, fast, precise. They struck Tobias's shell with a metallic clang.
And jolts of electricity surged into his arms. Edoran staggered, muscles spasming. The shell's electrified. Every hit costs me.
Tobias countered. A sweeping spin mid-air—his shell glowing— And BOOM: a thunderbolt crashed down from the sky.
Edoran leapt, barely avoiding it.The explosion cracked the jungle floor. Rain started—artificial, but heavy.
"You hit hard," Tobias said. "But you're not getting through this." His shell shimmered, fully charged. Edoran didn't answer.
Instead, he roared.
It wasn't a sound. It was a force—deep, primal, and full of ancient fury. Trees bent from the pressure. The ground quaked.
Tobias flinched mid-air. His body jerked as if struck. His lightning flickered.
Staggered. Now. Edoran surged forward, claws glowing with verdant energy. He struck low, aiming for the exposed underbelly.
Tobias grunted. Lightning rippled across his body. One claw pierced through the shell's edge—sparks flew.
But Tobias retaliated instantly, slamming both fists down. Edoran was blasted back, skidding across the mud.
Smoke trailed from his arms.
He rolled upright, chest heaving. A vine lashed from his palm—snagging a nearby tree. He pulled himself up fast, gaining elevation.
Tobias rose higher too, now fully airborne. The storm above responded as the clouds darkened.
"You want wild?" Tobias growled. "Here's a thunderstorm!"
Six bolts of lightning rained down in a wide arc. Edoran zipped between them, breath ragged.
He landed behind Tobias again—this time not slashing. This time, he pressed a hand to the shell and unleashed growth.
Thick roots sprouted, winding across the armor, digging in.
Tobias shouted—caught off guard. The roots constricted, glowing green. Nature reclaiming tech.
But lightning surged outward. The vines caught fire. Edoran flew backward again, smoking. Both were breathing heavy now.
Tobias's shell was cracked at the seams. Edoran's arms trembled from repeated shocks. Still, neither gave ground. Not an inch.
Tobias hovered, fists clenched, electricity dripping from his limbs. "Give up," he said. "You're tough. But I'm a goddamn storm." Edoran raised his head, blood on his lip. "I'm the wild. And storms pass."
He slammed both hands into the ground. From the soil, vines and flowers erupted in a spiral—dozens of them. Some glowing, some pulsing, others hissing.
Tobias shouted and unleashed a full-body surge—A dome of purple lightning. It tore through half the jungle. But the vines held. Some caught his limbs. Others constricted his shell.
He roared—And Edoran launched one final move.
The Wood Tiger roar hit him close-range. Right into Tobias's face. The shockwave hit like a wall of pressure. Tobias's eyes rolled for a second. His lightning flickered out.
Edoran moved in. Tobias twisted, spinning with one last blast of thunder. Both struck at the same time—claw and lightning.
The arena shook. The trees collapsed. Smoke swallowed the fighters.
When it cleared, both were on their knees, gasping. Edoran's armor flickered, cracking at the shoulders. Tobias's shell had split slightly down the middle, electricity sputtering out.
Neither could rise.
Kareem stepped forward. His voice cut through the silence.
"Enough. That's a draw."
Edoran lay on his back, breathing in steam and ozone. Tobias sat slumped against a tree stump, still sparking faintly. Neither spoke for a moment.
Then Tobias chuckled. "That roar. That damn roar."
Edoran smiled through the pain. "Should've worn earplugs."
Tobias looked at him and extended a hand. This time, there was no hesitation.
"Next time," Tobias muttered, "I'm winning. No vines. No mercy." Edoran grinned. "You'll need a bigger shell." Lily approached, arms crossed, but impressed.
Bacchus nodded once. "Unexpected result."
Harold hollered from the sidelines. "That's my guy! Jungle royalty, baby!"
Kareem scanned the broken arena—light flickering, vines wilting, lightning marks still fresh. He smiled slightly, more to himself than anyone.
"There's potential here," he said. "Tournament potential."