"It's my turn now." Said Tione as she walked forward

"What about the democratic vote?" Asked Tiona in frustration

"Buwahaha! Just let her! It's not like the boy is going anywhere." Said Gareth

"Even if we tell her to come back she won't listen anyway, so it's best to leave her to do her thing." Said Riveria

"I agree with Riveria on this, let's just see how this rolls out." Said Finn

"..."

'Tione stopped right in front of Silver, she had a smile on her face as she did so.'

'Silver noticed the daggers on her waist, so he pointed at it and asked:'

"It seems you brought your prized daggers with you."

"Aren't they beautiful?" She said as she caressed her Kukri knives

"And deadly." Added Silver

"... True."

'Tione's fighting style is very similar to her sister… Aggressive.'

'In fact, their skills are exactly the same.'

'Tiona's pair of daggers are named Zolas… Silver didn't remember how much they cost but he thinks they cost at least several dozen million Valis to make…'

She has several of these knives, using them as throwing knives in some situations and as replacements, in case her main pair broke.

But it's clear she is not taking this super seriously… As she should.

She is not like Ais, she does not treat me the same as her.

In the original show, she was one of the people to underestimate Bell when he fought against the Minotaur...

But even Ais fought me by using her sword sheath, it would be overkill if she brought all of her knives with her.

'Tiona smiled when she heard Silver's opinion.'

'She took her daggers out and said:'

"Let's start then."

"What I want this fight to be is simple, the closest to the real thing as possible." She said smugly as she looked at Silver

"Care to explain?"

"You already had a hand to hand and a normal spar against my sister, and you even had a combat spar against Ais…"

"Repeating that would be pretty boring don't you think?"

"..."

"You came here to learn and the best way to do that is by giving your all." She said in a serious tone

'But she smiled again.'

"So it's pretty simple, I do not want you to hold back at all. Your magic and full combat power."

I want to see the warrior who fought in the war game!

"Just throw it at me. Don't be shy, I won't get hurt…" She said as she did a cute pose

"... You do have a point." Said Silver as he cracked his neck

I came here mostly to have myself challenged…

Just like when I fought the Captain of the Tityos Familia.

Of course, I don't expect a growth nearly as big as what I had against him.

But I did want to experience the feeling of clashing against the very top of Orario…

Or what will one day be the very top…

"I'll be going."

"I'm wai~ting…" She replied

'Suddenly, white vapor started to form on Silver's left hand…'

"That is…" Said Riveria

He's doing it again, using magic without chanting…

Truly, how unusual...

'Although it is true that magic granted by Falna is very individual, in most scenarios, such magic can be studied and analyzed in order for theories and formulas to be derived.'

'It isn't impossible for a Sage like Riveria to copy someone else's magic if she is given enough time to study and analyze it.'

"..."

'As the seconds passed, the vapor completely covered his body…'

'It eventually dispersed, and now, on his hand, there was a black halberd!'

/Clang!/

'Silver threw his sword aside.'

"I'm not as skilled with this as I am with the sword, but I am sure I won't disappoint…"

"And isn't this cool?" He said as he lifted his halberd

"?"

'This action greatly confused Tione.'

What is he doing in the middle of a fight?

It is a bit interesting but it's nowhere near as cool as the Captain…

'But while Tione was distracted thinking, Silver suddenly appeared in front of her!'

"?!"

'Tione instinctively took a step back, but Silver wanted that.'

/FLASH!/

'He lifted his right hand which was free and snapped his fingers.'

'That was the last thing Tione saw since everything was suddenly filled with pure white…'

"!"

My vision!

He got me...

'Tione immediately realized what happened, but she didn't panic.'

'In fact…'

"Oh crap…" Said Tiona as she saw her sister's angry expression

She's remembering something she shouldn't…

'Tione focused, even though she was temporarily blind, her combat power had barely diminished.'

'But her anger…'

/CLANG!/

'After making Tione blind, Silver didn't take a step back, instead, he used telekinesis to fly away without making any sound.'

'He pointed towards the ground, and soon enough, the entire arena was covered in a thin layer of ice.'

'He disappeared from his location once again, appearing above Tione, and swung his halberd down!'

'But Tione easily blocked it, taking a step forward, cracking the ice as she did a high kick!'

/Swush…/

'But she only felt air…'

'As her daggers cut the air, she started to get irritated...'

"This is getting annoying…" She said as she turned her head

'It was the direction where Silver had teleported to.'

"Your senses are insane…" He said as he stepped onto the ground

Her vision will return soon…

In that case…

'Wind started to revolve around Silver's legs as he got in position to dash.'

/FWUSH!/

'In one swift motion, Silver ran and pierced with his Halberd!'

'Tione barely parried the blow, being sent sliding on the ground.'

'Silver took this opportunity to use telekinesis and pull her legs!'

"?!"

'Tione suddenly felt a strange force on her legs…'

'As if mud was slowly enveloping them…'

'She hated this feeling!'

/CRACK!/

'Tione angrily kicked the ground, breaking half of the arena with the impact.'

'But she successfully dispelled Silver's power and the ice on the ground.'

"... Sigh…" Exhaled Silver

Overwhelming physical power…

And not only that…

"I can finally see again." Said Tione as she rubbed her eyes

'Her smile twisted, a mix of anger and a bit of... Amusement?'

"That was unpleasant!"

'Tione suddenly vanished from Silver's sight!'

"Shit." He said as he teleported

/SWUSH!/

'Tione knives pierced the air in vain… The same place where Silver's head once occupied.'

"?"

Where is he now?

'When Tione looked around, she noticed that Silver had completely disappeared.'

'She couldn't hear his breathing, nor any sort of smell.'

"I think I was pretty clear with what I wanted." She said as the veins on her head started to resurface

/BANG!/

'Tione angrily punched the ground!'

"She lost it."

'Tiona saw how her sister punched the ground and realized she was lost in anger... Again...'

"And that arena had just been recently repaired…" Said Finn as he frowned

"There is no point in this spar if Tione can't control her strength, I will call her…" Said Tiona

'But Riveria interrupted them.'

"No, wait a bit more."

'Finn also smiled.'

"That's right, trust your sister a bit more."

"... Alright." Said Tiona, trusting Riveria's and Finn's judgment

…

'The arena now looked nothing like its previous splendor…'

'All stone blocks were now broken, their pieces scattered around the place.'

'Some were even turned to dust.'

'Such was the strength of a Level 5 adventurer.'

"You finally decided to face me normally dear." Said Tione in a serious tone

"You wanted me to show my abilities, but being honest, 90% of what I have won't have any effect on you apart from being annoying, so pardon me from trying this." Said Silver as he lifted his halberd

My magic stat is very high for my level, but it's still not high enough to make my Plasmids deal significant damage or influence her... Unless I use a lot of mind at once or use my abilities several times...

Instead of using offensive tools, I opted to use crowd control abilities...

"I'll be facing you like this from now on."

'As he said that, Silver's muscles started to glow slightly... It was very faint and no one there knew what that meant.'

'Tione smiled, her annoyance had diminished considerably after she trashed the arena.'

'But she was still greatly annoyed.'

/CRACK!/

'Tione stepped on the ground, cracking the stone as she rushed at Silver.'

'But he did not flee, instead, he spread his legs entering into a stance, waiting for her to arrive.'

/CLANG!/

'Tione slashed her two daggers at the Halberd!'

"!"

His strength... A bit higher?

'Silver barely blocked the strike, but their strengths were pretty balanced.'

'Using his Plasmids, Silver pushed Tione back with a gush of wind while he swung his Halberd at an unprotected point!'

/CLANG!/

'Tione skillfully spun around and blocked the halberd.'

'And they continued clashing like this non-stop.'

'One tried to get close while the other tried to maintain a certain distance.'

'It was tense! For Silver at least…'

'But as time went on, Tione's opinion of Silver continued to rise.'

/CLANG!/

/CLANG!/

/CLING!/

/CLANG!/

'The continuous flurry of attacks made Silver drop with one of his knees on the ground.'

'He wasn't hurt, but he was getting tired.'

'His arms were heavy…'

'Tione on the other hand, hadn't even broken a single sweat.'

'Seeing this Tione sheathed her daggers and said:'

"I would like to continue this, however, we still have the others."

"Okay." Said Silver as he got up from the ground

"... The problem is that… The arena is now broken though." Said Gareth

"Considering the time we have left, it looks like we are going to have to stop for today." Said Riveria

'Tiona's eyes almost fell out of her head when she heard that.'

"EH?!"

But I barely even started!

"It's a shame, but it looks like we are going to have to stop for today Silver." Said Finn

'Silver heard what they said, brushed the dust off his pants, and replied:'

"I don't mind it, as I said, I came at a bad time, if you are free any one of these days, make sure to call me and we can continue from here."

"Of course." Said Gareth with a smile

Its a shame, I was itching to test his skills myself…

No matter, I will have my chance after this expedition.

'Gareth picked his large two-handed ax and got up from his chair.'

"I will go find someone to clean this mess, Tione, Tiona, would you mind?" Asked Finn

'The sister nodded and called for Silver.'

"..."

'Ais looked at the trio as they left, her expression was the same as always...'

'But who knew what was on her mind.'

"Ais?" Asked Lefiya as she tried to get her attention

'Ais turned around and smiled at Lefiya.'

"Let's go." She said as she went back to the manor

…

'Silver and the sisters could now be seen making their way across the gardens of the Manor.'

"If you don't mind me asking, how is it? Going on an expedition?" Asked Silver

"Hum?"

'Tiona turned around to face Silver as they walked.'

'She didn't realize before, but now that they are like this walking side by side calmly, she has come to realize the height difference between them…'

'Her face was just a bit above his chest…'

"Tiona?" Asked Silver

"?! Expedition? It's mostly a way for us to make money no?" She said awkwardly

"..."

'Tione looked at her sister with a pensive look and said:'

"Not just that, it is also a place for us to find opportunities for leveling up and acquire rare materials."

"Well… Exploring the Dungeon is one of the Loki Familia main objectives." She said

"How deep are you guys planning on going this time?" He asked

'Tiona thought for a little while before she replied:'

"On our last big expedition, we went past the 43rd floor. This time, we are planning to go beyond even that, perhaps the 45th or even the 46th..."

"It must be pretty hard." Said Silver

"Not really, the problem is not the monster's strength, but their amount." Said Tione

"They come in the hundreds and we can easily tire under their relentless charge."

"Monsters everywhere? Seems like a fun place." Silver said jokingly

"Isn't that right? I love that place! But getting there on the other hand…"

'The three continued to talk until they arrived at the gate, Silver left the Loki Familia home with a thin smile.'

'Tiona waved at him like an excited kid, and he did the same.'

…

/At the same time in the Office of the Loki Familia house…/

"... Looking at your face it seems you expected this." Said Loki to Finn

"Is it so obvious?" Said Finn with a smile

"You brought your spear, even though you had no intention of fighting him." Said Loki

"Initially, I thought Tiona would completely break the arena on her own, but we somehow managed to see not only Ais but also Tione's display." She said

"Tiona was pretty excited while Tione's opinion about him seems to have changed, while Ais…" Said Finn as he thought deeply

"Its just a shame that we only managed to watch him, there are many things I want to ask him…" Said Loki

"And I am sure I am not the only one." She said as she looked towards the door

"True…" Said Finn as he thought of Ais

Although... I am a bit worried about Bete's reaction when he comes back.

'He stopped for a moment and said:'

"Don't you think it's impressive? Seeing Ais' growth over the years already made my mouth open in awe, and never did I expect that I would one day meet someone just as…"

"Monstrous?" Said Loki

"Well… Not that word specifically, but that's pretty close."

'Finn smiled and said:'

"His actions made me remember when I had just joined the Familia…"

"Oh? How so?" Asked Loki

"How can I put it…"

'And some Finn started to narrate his past to Loki, who was more than happy to hear it…'

'As long as she had her bottle of Soma wine in her hands of course.'

...…

/Swush…/

'The cold wind brushed through Silver's face, making his body tremble a bit.'

"It got cold so suddenly… These past few days were just chilly…"

Is it going to snow today?

'Seeing the thin ice on the windows of some of the houses, Silver pulled out his scarf and placed it around his neck.'

"It has been a while since I pulled you out." He said as he placed the fluffy scarf around his neck

About two weeks?

/Sniff sniff…/

At least it doesn't smell.

I will clean it again when I get back home.

'Silver made his way across the narrow roads and alleys of Orario.'

/THUD!/

'Silver suddenly bumped into a man as he made his way back.'

"Ouch…" Said the man

"Are you okay Mr? I was a bit distracted." Said Silver as he helped the man get up from the ground

"Oh no… It was my fault for not paying attention." Said the man as he lifted his hood

'It was a middle-aged Elf with green hair.'

'The Elf's eyes suddenly locked on his scarf.'

"That's a well-made scarf you have there young man." Said the Elf in a friendly tone

"Hm? Thanks. My grandparents gave it to me some time ago, it's very comfortable." Said Silver

"Were they adventurers? I can see this Scarf is made from a monster material."

"Yes, they were. Although, even after looking around I have yet to figure out what this scarf is made from." Said Silver awkwardly

This Middle-aged Elf sure talks a lot with a stranger... A retired adventurer?

But that seems quite wrong... And an Elf of all species...

He probably left his home forest before the Elf king made it legal to do so...

And he is still too young to talk like an old man… Unless he is... Even older than Riveria?

… Damn…

'The Elf man smiled, but his eyes sharpened as thought about something.'

"Sorry for this kid." Said the Elf

"?!"

I can't move?

'Silver immediately tried teleporting away…'

'But his hands just flickered in magical light.'

'While this happened, the Elf removed the scarf on his neck.'

"Finally…"

'He looked at Silver who had already created a large ice spear in his hand.'

'So he said with a smile:'

"Next time you meet Saphos and Ullia, tell them that I failed them."

"Although, it is indeed refreshing to see their grandson like this." He said as he punched forward

/CRACK!/

'His fist was so fast that Silver only had the time to move the spear via telekinesis to block the strike.'

'But surprisingly, the Elf stopped right after he broke the spear.'

'And Silver suddenly found himself free.'

/FWUSH!/

'So his first course of action was to disappear.'

"You are fast, but don't worry, I won't do much more than this." Said the Elf with a smile

'But then...'

"Impressive." Said the Elf as he noticed that the Scarf had disappeared from his hand

Perhaps... It wouldn't do much to have a small talk with him.

"I do believe I owe you a brief explanation for this, so if you don't mind…"

"Care to hear me out?" He said to a dark spot

'It was the place where Silver was currently hiding!'

...

.

.

.