Huh...where am I? This isn't my bed...and that's not my ceiling. As I sat up with a groggy yawn and rubbed my eyes, it all came back to me...oh, right, the exhibition match against my sister...I lost, didn't I?

Looks like I'm in the infirmary...I don't think I took any significant damage during that fight, which means I'm here because I passed out after using every last drop of XFE I had in me.

Normally, when running low on XFE, the energy circuits inside a Paragon's body will constrict when it's down to about one percent of total XFE, to prevent the body from losing consciousness, kinda like an electronic device that's out of charge...but with XFE, it is possible to force that last drop out, though if you do, you'll pass out almost instantly, like I did.

I tapped on my I-Watch with another yawn...more messages, but not as much as I received after I won the final...though I imagine me not replying to most of the people who messaged me after that is probably a part of that.

I then let out a shudder of horrified disgust as I read through one of the messages, sent by the same person whose message I opened when I ran into Suri earlier today...oh, God, this is a nightmare right? This...this can't be real! I shut off my holoscreen with a sigh...for now, I'll just pretend that I saw nothing. I saw nothing. I saw nothing. I saw noth-.

My potential mental breakdown was then interrupted as the door opened and someone walked in...it was my sister, along with one of the organizers and Director Silva.

"Oh, good to see that you're finally awake, Zax! That was such an awesome match!" Exclaimed Kilella, bounding over to me and ruffling my hair with a grin.

"It certainly was, and you've marked yourself as quite the celebrity thanks to this tournament," Remarked Director Silva with a smirk, "The first student to win the X-Warrior Championship, that unexpected reveal that you're an Anomaly that literally broke the internet for a good ten minutes, there was so much web traffic that our servers straight up shut down. Oh, and then there was that 'interview' this morning, and for the cherry on top, fighting an Ace to a tie...yeah, I think it's safe to say that you've made quite the lasting impression with the citizens of the Sanctuary."

...when she puts it that way...ah, shit, I've attracted way too much attention over the past couple of days, haven't I?

After I revealed my Anomaly powers, I guess I just sort of abandoned my 'fly under the radar' mentality entirely, since my powers were pretty much the only major reason why I wanted to stay unnoticed for the most part.

Well, guess there's no going back now. Okay, I mean, literally speaking, yeah, I can go back, though since my last Save point was set a few minutes after I arrived at the stadium, the only things I'd be able to redo are that interview and the exhibition match...and honestly, I'm okay with how both turned out-...wait a sec, what did she just say!?

"Hold on, a tie!? I thought I lost!" I exclaimed in surprise.

"Hm? Oh, well, you did pass out pretty much the instant you got teleported out, so I guess you didn't see...Kilella got teleported out at the same time," Explained Director Silva with a smile, "And thanks to that, everyone else in the Sanctuary now knows what I've known for a while...you're one of our most valuable assets."

"Yeah, well, I highly doubt that the X-Warriors who despised me are going to change their tune so easily," I responded with a shrug.

"I'd say that before this tournament, public opinion about you was fairly negative, but now, I'd say it's more mixed, plus there's a whole lot more of it now...before, it was just public opinion among X-Warriors and maybe a handful of civilians...and now, it's the majority of the Sanctuary," She pointed out in reply.

I...don't like that. Yeah, no, I don't like that at all.

"Uh...so how long do you think it'd be before the attention on me dies down?" I inquired warily.

"Hm...I don't know, though even when that does happen, I'm sure you won't be forgotten just like that...like I said, you've made a lasting impression on pretty much everyone who watched the tournament, I can guarantee that much," She replied with a shrug.

Ugh...just kill me now, this is the worst-...wait, hold on a sec...

"Huh, if that's all true, guess I can't be doing any more of those investigative Missions in the South Quadrant, right? I mean, a recognizable face snooping around is bound to capture plenty of attention," I pointed out.

"Ahem, in case you forgot, those were confidential," Frowned Director Silva, glancing at the tournament organizer who'd come in with the director and my sister.

Oh, right...I forgot.

"I, uh, should probably leave," Said the organizer, before handing me a medal and scanning my I-Watch, "There, that's the prize and medal for finishing the exhibition match on a draw. Alright, now, um...please excuse me."

And with that, he left in a hurry, shutting the door behind him without a second glance.

"So, wait, you've been sending Kilzachs on secret Missions?" Inquired Kilella, looking intrigued.

"Yes, but he was supposed to keep that between us," She sighed in reply.

"Well, yeah...but the only reason I agreed to those Missions was because I wanted you to keep my powers a secret...and that's no longer a concern, so...," I trailed off sheepishly, "That said, I just sort of forgot that it was supposed to be a secret, my bad."

"No point crying over spilt milk, I suppose. Oh, and as for what you said about a 'recognizable face snooping around', don't worry about that...we can think of a disguise," Suggested the director with a slight smirk.

"Uh...I'll think about it," I replied warily, averting my gaze, "By the way, how long was I asleep for, anyway?"

"About five hours, not that long, but the stadium is pretty much empty now," Replied Kilella.

"Well, anyway, I should get going, I've got some work to do," Said Director Silva, standing up with a sigh, "Oh, I almost forgot...tomorrow morning, I want you and Katie Cummins to come to my office at 10 AM, I already informed her about it. She told me something pretty interesting today, something she apparently realized during her fight against Yugi Suzuki in the semi-final."

"And that is...?" I asked curiously.

"She's apparently figured out a way to counter an Anomaly's powers, she didn't go into the details though, since she wasn't a hundred percent sure herself, but I have a good feeling about this...we can give our forces a way to counter any Wight Anomalies," She responded with a gleam in her eyes.

"Okay...but what makes you so sure that she's really onto something?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Call it a gut feeling...but that's not all there is to it. This girl just might be a genius when it comes to controlling her XFE, she's the only one to really master Manifestation Overdrive so far, and early in the tournament, when she damaged herself...she manipulated her XFE manually to run lightning through her limbs for a speed boost...and if she's right about this too...," She trailed off with a look of excitement.

"Gotcha, and yeah, now that you mention it, she is pretty sharp, deceptively so for someone who comes off as kinda blank for a first impression," I added in agreement.

"Exactly! Well, anyway, I really have to go, so I'm off now. I'll see you tomorrow, Kilzachs. See you later, Kilella," Called out Director Silva, as she headed for the door and left.

That left me in the infirmary with my sister, and...I don't really need to be here, do I? I mean, I'm not injured or tired or anything, so...

"Guess I'll go home too. What about you, sis?" I inquired, as I stood up and stretched my arms up.

"Hm...not really doing anything, I took the day off from any Missions or anything since they asked me to participate in the exhibition match today. Mind if I come over?" She asked, before adding, "We can pick up some treats from Delectables, my treat."

"You had me at Delectables."

"That was right at the end of what I was saying though," She replied with a laugh, smacking my shoulder.

"Exactly. Before that, I was trying to think of an excuse to say no," I responded with a stifled smirk.

"Wha-...hey, that's mean, Zax!" She exclaimed indignantly, putting me in a headlock and ruffling my hair wildly.

"Hey, cut it out, Ella, you're messing up my hair, sis!" I said as I tried to break free of her grasp.

"Hmph, that's what you get!" She huffed, not stopping.

"No, seriously, cut it out or we're not doing this."

"...fine, I'll stop," She relented, letting me go.

"Wow, sometimes I can't believe that you're older than me," I sighed in exasperation.

"Hey! I ain't gonna take no disrespect from ya, little bro!"

"Okay, first off, never talk like that again. And second...why would you even talk like that in the first place? I literally cringed," I groaned.

"So, what? No one else is around, so it's not embarrassing or anything...come on, little brother, let's engage in sibling cringe!" She responded with a grin.

"What does that even mean...? Just...never say that in front of other people, they'll get the wrong idea for sure. You know what, whatever, just forget it, let's go," I sighed, giving in, "Well, on the bright side, even if we do attract a lot of attention and people take pictures of us or whatever, I won't have to worry about what happened yesterday repeating itself, at least..."

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