Gabe Couldn’t remember the last time he’d worn such pompous clothing, he looked at himself in the mirror with a biter smile. This look just wasn’t him. At least not the him of today. Ten years ago maybe, but he’d lived poor for so long since then that it just felt silly. The long black tunic, with silver sleeves and small Deity beasts Embroidered in gray along the length of them. the pants also black with silver hems and the delicate Embroidered runic designs that were just for fashion not function on the seams. It was all made from quality smooth material, and felt very comfortable to touch but… he hadn’t picked any of this out for himself it was bought for him by the Greenwood family servants so he’d have something to wear at the family dinner without an input from him about it. Gabe liked to make his own decisions not just follow someone else’s plans for him and if it wasn’t for the fact that Seygo was gonna be at this dinner he would likely have thrown this little get up off and chosen to wear his most basic poor boy clothes with all the tears and dirt and everything. Gabe came out of his room with a thoughtful expression and was led by a House servant to the dining hall. His first sight of the large room made him pause. It was hands down the most expensive and extravagant room in the whole Mansion even more so than the main hall or any of the countless other rooms he’d seen in this mountain of a mansion. There was gold statues and beautiful expert paintings along the walls, with a beautiful mural painted on the roof of a thousand dragons and a single phoenix bowing their head to the empty forest. Gabe wondered what master artist had made this wonderful scene, it carried such intent that it made him feel like he should also bow his head to this powerful forest. Only the masters of masters could put such an intent in their painting.

The floor was carpeted with plush velvet and seamed to hold an energy of it’s own that comforted the feet of those walking on it like a gentle massage, the chandelier hanging from the middle of the high ceiling had lit candles With six different colors of fire that shown together lit the room with warm white light that made the whole atmosphere feel gentle and like a dream. The candles were forever burning candles, expensive well made objects that would burn for centuries sometimes even millennia without going out or stopping. So this room would always be lit like this. It was a wonder to behold.

The table in the middle of the room was long and ornate with a beautiful green table cloth that had gold lacing on its edges and solid Oak legs each carved to look like a different Deity beast holding the table up for their masters. There were fifteen people sitting around the table. All were even more extravagantly dressed then Gabe, some in royal blue silk, some in dresses that glittered with actual gold dust powdered on them. most of these well adorned Channelers were Matthew's family that had met him at the door and been introduced to Gabe. But Three were new to Gabe. There were two stiff backed Men on each side of Gelgar who sat at the head of the table. and an old white bearded man that all the way across at the foot of the table, Gabe made note to be especially respectful to this man since he was sitting in a seat of honor. All three men were Even more powerful Channelers then Gelgar which was to say they were extremely high realm experts. But the old man, who looked wrinkled and ancient was by far the strongest at this table. Waves of power radiated off of him like uncontrolled tides. And he grinned like a maniac as he looked at Gabe, his level nine Avatar Realm of power clear for anyone to feel only Two steps away from the almighty Deity realm. Most who passed the Totem realm sealed their Power levels so that no'one below them could see it. Like the two other men at the table who only gave off vague felling of strength so this old man was strange from the start. Gabe was led by the house servant to a seat in the middle of the table across from Seygo and beside Matthew who looked at him with a proud smile. Why he looked that way Gabe wasn’t sure, they were of course well on their way to being friends but for Matthew to fell proud about him?…. Gabe just shrugged it off and thanked the heavens for his Good fortune about sitting so close to the young lady across from him. "Hello there." He said to break the silence that had filled the room since he entered. The old man at the end of the table looked to Gelgar. "My son, who is this?" He said amused. Gelgar smiled politely. "This is the young guest Matthew has invited to stay with us for a while. His name is Gabriel." Gelgar looked at Gabe. "Gabrial, this is my great ancestor Vernon. He was in meditation when you first arrived so you haven’t met." Vernon nodded at him. "Nice to meat you young man." Gabe nodded back surprised to discover such a powerful Channeler lived in the house, but now it was made clear why this mansion was so wealthy it was built on such strong shoulders. "Likewise Sir." Gabe said with a polite smile. Gelgar gestured to the two men to his left. "And these are our relatives visiting today. Afrie and Thompson." Gabe nodded at them too. And they looked at him without speaking. "Now that we have the introductions out of the way, we can begin." Gelgar said loud enough that the servants waiting for the signal Poured into the room one after the other from a dozen different doors. The well dressed servants in gray and black uniforms Surrounded the table and didn't say a word as they began to lay down dishes in front of everyone. Gabe noted that he and the service were the only ones wearing Black and gray around the table although he was more in silver than gray. All the others wore ether their family colors of green and amber or some other bright and cherry look. Like Seygo who was in a beautiful Red Gown with roses on the sleeves and a low neckline that Made Gabe's hands sweat.

The starting course was a delicious Cold soup with Specialty beast meat and Strong Treasure land vegetables with spirit energy still flowing in them. Gabe was surprised for a moment at both the cost and the taste. But began to understand why it was the Greenwood family held this dinner. Not only was it a way to kept the family close, but eating treasures even raw without alchemy or herbalists to purify them was still healthy for Channeling and to strengthen the body. Gabe began to admire this family's non stop attitude even while relaxing with each other they made it about their training. "So, how exactly do you know this boy Matty." Vernon asked while spooning some soup into his bearded mouth. Matthew smiled, only his Great ancestor called him Matty, he would never accept it from anyone else. "He beat me in a match Grandfather." Vernon's eyes rose he had not been out of meditation for some time. "Really? Interesting. When has it been since you were beat by someone in your own realm? Six years or so?" Matthew swallowed a bite of his soup trying not to clench his teeth a little. "Five Grandfather, and never by someone even a level below me." Vernon nodded. "That's a sad record to be broken. But an impressive one non the least with all the fights you've been in boy." The old man looked at Gabe. "And you have no family backing? Extraordinary!" Gelgar spoke up. "The boy was once a member of the HellVine family, but was Disbanded for private reasons. He Has Two soul-beasts with Two different Elements. As Seygo does." When a Channeler had an affinity for more then one element their Signature and mark muddled so that all you could tell was that they were a channeler and not which elements they carried, this happened whether or not the Chaneler had activated his second Element so you could never be sure if he could actually use it which was rare outside of Family houses. Unless on rare cases like Seygo where a Channeler had two different Elements from two different energy sources such as Geo and Chaos, then the signature was easy to differentiate because the elements didn’t mix with each other. "Is that so? Well then perhaps the odds were stacked against you Matty. Maybe Seygo should have a go at him." The young women grinned from ear to ear and stared at Gabe with a predator's glare. "I would love that." She said, her voice like honey to Gabe's ears. He smiled back just happy to have her attention, he’d never had an infatuation like this before but ever her voice was like music to him. "I never turn a challenge down." He said. Then he looked at Gelgar. "If of course that is okay with you sir." The man nodded. "It is fine, as long as it's in the Ring and not a brawl the family encourages fair Competition." Seygo brushed her deep brown hair back over her ear. "It's set then. I challenge you to a Fight. And I'll be expecting you at the beginning of the new day tomorrow." Since the sun never set on Primeway, unless you were over the ocean where the edge of it's influence was. the days were measured by the circle it made in the sky. Starting at the westward most position and ending when the circle completed. "I will be there also. Any man that can out do Matty is worth watching in a fight." Vernon said with cheer, while wiping his beard with a napkin. Gelgar laughed. "It will be good for you ancestor Vernon. You spend too much time in meditation." Vernon rose his eyebrows. "Do I? I was thinking perhaps I should focus more on my cultivation since I’m so close to a breakthrough. But I wouldn't dare miss these dinners. Especially with a new guest in the house." the Two men at Gelgar’s side seamed slightly taken aback. One of them spoke up. “Oh is the mighty Vernon so close to another breakthrough after just a hundred years since your last?” they figured it must have taken several treasures to move his cultivation along at that pace. It would not be long before he would make the Deity realm at this rate as long as he didn’t run into another block in his cultivation. Vernon slapped his hand on the table. “Darn it I let it slip, I wanted it to be a surprise. I suspect I’ll be able to ascend in less than a thousand years.” the two guests were pretty surprised and very skeptical. Vernon was plagued with blocks, and had cultivated much slower than most. He was almost the oldest member of the entire family. And while he was hands down the richest man in the region you could not buy your way to the Deity realm or else people would be ascending every day. But they didn’t say anything about it just ate their meal next to Gelgar.

The dinner continued for six more courses, and the talk divided into small chat between smaller parts of the table. Gabe was surprised by the way the little kids talked politely and well mannered among even each other. There were three under the age of ten. Matthew's little brother and Seygo's two younger siblings but they acted at least a hundred years old while at the table it made Gabe chuckle to himself. Gabe took every chance he had to talk with Seygo and made her laugh at least once at one of his jokes, which he considered a sign of his Success. He knew some of his stories about Colin being Colin would pay off one day it almost made their ten year sentence together worth it just to hear that laugh. "But how did you even get a Channeler servant in the first place." She asked. Matthew who had been chuckling at the story of Colin being forced to give piggy back rides at the risk of his life also nodded. "Yes, I've only ever seen a few other bonded Chaneler servants, the resources it takes to make that bond are way to expensive." Gabe scratched his head. "When I was Disbanded, my parents Pulled strings to get the Family to give me a guardian. Colin had been in trouble at the time and wasn't powerful enough to get out of it. So he agreed to service for a thousand years and the rune was drawn." Seygo frowned. "And you were Disbanded at only six?" Gabe nodded silently. Seygo looked aghast. "I couldn't imagine not having my family. What did you do at such a young age to be put away?" At that question Gabe heard the conversation between Gelgar and his other two guests quiet, it was a sure sign that he was also curious about the reason, it seamed the whole room had quieted to hear it. Gabe wondered if the the Greenwood family would actually look into it, and he was a bit apprehensive of what would happen when they discovered he was bonded to a weak Ship in a bottle, and not born with his talent. Would they make the connection. "Well, I don't think you want to know most of it. But I was a very bad kid. A very violent kid. Twice I almost killed someone in anger. two kids my age were nearly crippled, one lost his left hand though I’m sure his parents had it restored." Seygo looked very surprised. Gabe pushed away the memories of him as a little kid using his tiny Channeling ability to harm people. Sisfar was in complete control at those times, and the only People weak enough for him to harm were the other kids younger then him. One of which had been the great grandson of a very high Family official. The poor kid had been beaten to an inch of his life before Gabe stopped himself. It was the beginning of two things in Gabe's life at that second. The first was the beginning of his disbandment, as this was the final deed that put him before the family counsel. The second was Gabe's fight. It had been the first time Gabe had been able to gain back control when Sisfar was scaring him. Seeing where he was going, knowing that he was about to kill a boy, he had forced the fear down and kept it there long enough to stop himself. It was just a tiny bit, but it was proof that it could be done. From then on he fought it. Every waking hour of every day he fought the fear. Six years of that and one day it wasn't so hard anymore. He took the fear standing and Didn't back down. He took any risk he could to prove it to himself that fear was not in control. To prove he had overcome it. Anything that scared him had to be taken Face first and boldly, this mindset had become a part of himself forever. "But can't you go back now? You aren't the same are you? You seam gentle now not wild and violent." Gabe looked at the young girl with a sad smile. "No, of course I’m not the same. But I don't want to go back anymore. They don't get to kick out the Cat, and keep it's tail. I'm not giving them any more of my time." For Gabe he had always felt the brutal irony of it all, he had been kicked out only days after he had learned that he could control his fear.

"Well, I can understand that." Matthew said. "But I think I could never turn against my family. Loyalty goes beyond treatment." Gabe shook his head. "I'm not against them. I just don't want anything they have to offer. Maybe it's because I was so young when I left. Colin doesn't feel that way he would go back in a heart beat. But I struggle sometimes to feel anything for them. I do miss my brothers but it’s not enough." Gabe though of the past he'd lived. His siblings had been his only defenders. Mostly his older brother Dan and his eldest brother Burnaby. They were many years older then him, but were very close. They cried when he left, unlike his father. "On a lighter note though, I don't suppose you'll tell me what your soul beasts are before we battle?" Gabe asked his soon to be opponent in the ring. She shook her head. "Greenwood's never give up an advantage." Gabe pursed his lips playfully. "I'll tell you mine." He offered. She scoffed disdainfully with a flick of her hair. "Ha! I already know yours. What would be the use of that." Gabe turned to Matthew with a look of betrayal. Matthew just shrugged. He rolled his eyes and turned back to the pretty girl. "I suppose he's already told you my moves too. along with my fighting style, techniques, weaknesses and given you a hand written manual on how to destroy me in the ring. With hand drawn diagrams of my vital organs and pain centers too." She nodded vigorously. "Oh, he's told me everything I need to know. You aren't going to get me with a surprise like you did Mathew. Prepare to bow down to the Greenwood family comeback."