The Crimson Eagles sensed the fight shifting. Their sole Cultivator looked between me and Eve before turning around and booking it. Bruno’s one remaining enemy saw his only support flee and followed suit. Like that these punks abandoned four wounded gang members at our feet. The thrill still burned in my blood.

It wasn’t enough, the fight didn’t reach that same edge of life and death my Soul Seed craved. I scanned a dark alley, but there weren’t any more of the fuckers tucked away. I needed to test my luck again, see how far it might carry me.

Eve snapped me out of it with a loud laugh, skipping over to the guy with the nail in his gut—then kicking him directly in the wound.

“Don’t do that!” Bruno warned, the flames coating his arms brightening further.

My head swam and I groaned. I let that addicting need to chase the thrill vanish. I narrowed my eyes at the poor bastard she kicked. Wasn’t fair. But they didn’t exactly play fair against Bruno. “Why do ya care? Didn’t they gang up on ya before we got here?” I asked, choking down a weird sense of disappointment in my gut. Trying to remind myself that it was good there were no more Crimson Eagles. That I should be happy things didn’t escalate to a more dangerous fight. Immortals, something was wrong with me.

“That was an equal fight for them! As if one man of their caliber poses a challenge to me!” Bruno grimaced, digging his oversized fingers around the head of one of the nails in his knee. With a tug, he yanked it free. “However, there is no honor in kicking a fallen enemy.”

“What the hell are you on about?” Eve shook her head, then kicked the Crimson Eagle again. “This is New Valentine! Honor? There is no honor here, we’re the lowest rung on the ladder, and they hit my friend in the head with a fucking piece of cement, I’m not letting them off easy.”

“Do. Not. Kick. Him,” Bruno warned, removing the last nail. They traded a heavy stare. Eve flicked him off but backed away from the Crimson Eagle on the ground. She looked at one of the other Crimson Eagles, now climbing to his feet.

“Grab your buddies, and get the fuck out of here,” she said. We watched in silence as he gathered the other less wounded Crimson Eagle—then two of them hoisted up the guy with a nail in his gut and fled.

I winced when I tried moving. The pain came back in full force. From the nails sticking out my side and the ache from the Crimson Eagle bashing my face into the toilet. Bruno had no trouble pulling the metal out of himself, but I could scarcely stand to look at the nails wedged into me. Eve noticed and scowled.

“Sit down.” She commanded, striding over. I continued standing and shot her a glare. She reached me and yanked my arm out of the way—then jerked out a nail and tossed it behind her. Then another. Then the last. Her bedside manner needed some work. “Stubborn asshole.”

“Thanks.”

We jolted as someone began clapping, I turned, expecting more Crimson Eagles. Instead, it was just Kayson, appraising us with bright eyes. Suzaki at his heel. “Well fought! Though, as expected you lacked cohesion—Eve, when you used your Soul Seed it affected Bruno and Luca, warn them first next time. As for you Luca, you did well targeting the biggest threat to your strongest fighter. Next time coordinate with Eve to overwhelm the Cultivator together. Especially when they have that kind of range. Bruno, you need to stop intentionally leaving openings in your defense.”

“If they don’t hit me, how will I test their strength?!” Bruno laughed, sporting a black bruise on his head from the concrete.

“Think about it this way, if they fail to break your defense, then they aren’t strong enough to be worth your time. That was a sloppy fight, and the alcohol is only partially responsible for that.” Kayson summed up.

Suzaki was already rushing to Bruno—that strange Soul Seed of his already activating to dish out healing.

“Ya were watching just watching, why didn’t ya help?” I asked a couple of seconds later.

“He set us up, dumbass.” Eve spat on the ground, shaking her head. “I already told you.”

“That was the point of this exercise; I wanted to see you in action together. Though, I didn’t know it’d be with the Crimson Eagles. Let alone that one would ambush Luca in the bathroom. Even while they attacked Bruno. I knew there would be a fight when Bruno got drunk enough to stir up trouble. But I’ve seen what I needed to, there’s potential here. But please, Luca. Explain to me what exactly your Soul Ability is, and what those flashes of blue and red are doing for you?” Kayson asked, tilting his head.

I worked my jaw. Aside from the blatantly rude question about my Soul Seed, I wasn’t sure how pissed to be about the manufactured situation. Because of this lieutenant, I had my head shoved in a goddamn toilet. Which, he apparently knew about, did he just watch the entire time that Crimson Eagle tried to drown me? What was his Soul Ability anyway?

“Naw, I think I’m keeping that card up my sleeve.” I scowled at him. It wasn’t right to manipulate us into a fight. If he wanted to know what I could do in a battle, he could’ve run us through some trial instead of this roundabout bullshit. Even if it was kind of fun. I admitted to myself part of my reluctance to cooperate was due to having my face shoved in a dirty club toilet.

“Let’s find another fight!” Bruno yelled, the holes in his knee starting to close. He pointed at me and Eve. “It was unfair! They got involved! Those guys were mine to take out!”

It was weird to see Suzaki’s ability take its toll on someone else. Worse, hearing my desires echoed by an off-the-rails Bruno made me feel ashamed I had them in the first place.

“The point of tonight isn’t to go and run a gauntlet of battles. I just needed to see one to get a sense of how I’m going to incorporate Luca into the group. It’ll be a bit more difficult since he refuses to reveal exactly what he can do, but I’ll manage. I suppose.”

“Then learn! We’ll track more Crimson Eagles! Keep fighting!” Bruno argued, his temper suddenly vanishing as Suzaki shattered the emerald halo. Bruno blinked. Less aggressive, but not deterred. His eyes settled on me. “Luca! I can see it in your eyes, you want another fight, don’t you!?”

My face hurt, my side still had holes in it. Even knowing that Suzaki would wipe that all away in a minute or two, wandering around meant more pain. Yeah, I was still angry. One of them shoved my face into a toilet. But more than anything, I wanted to take more risks, to see how far we might push ourselves. “I wouldn’t mind.” I finally admitted.

Suzaki reached me and reactivated his Soul Ability and placed his emerald halo above my head.

It was like looking through a new set of eyes. The way this group stood, how Eve’s attention never left Kayson even when I spoke. The hopefully disgusting and futile expression on Bruno’s face as he begged. All of them focused on Kayson, the leader and one who had the say in everything. But me? They tiptoed around me, unsure how to feel or act. I was the outsider thrust into the group. I wasn’t one of them.

Anger burned away in me as the holes in my side closed. Kayson clapped his hands, and I wanted to sock him in the face for having what I’d always wanted. “We’ll not be finding more fights tonight. We will go back to my apartment, to discuss some details of this fight, and how to improve. Then you will all be dismissed to head home.”

They were lucky, to have one another. But they’d never care about me. I wasn’t one of them. And should I care? Why would I want to be Seventh Division trash? Better to narrow my focus on myself. Earn strength for myself. They weren’t my friends, and never intended to be, likely they just wanted to use me and—

The halo broke above my head as the rest of my wounds closed. The vile thoughts vanished from my head. At some point, I’d balled up my fists—hard enough for my nails to dig into my palm. I gasped, looking at Suzaki. Damn. His ability was dangerous.