“I will, there is no reason not to,” Claire nodded. There was no hesitation in her voice, a fact that shocked even herself as they only met a few days before.

Again, the clouds of dust started to stir, a sign of an incoming attack. Fiora carried her and jumped again, a gust of strong wind blowing onto the place they stood on mere miliseconds before. They landed not too far from the attack, and Fiora stared at her intently.

“Then, leave the restraining chain right here,” Fiora pointed at the ground they stood on, “Try to find the opposing partner, but keep out of sight until my signal.”

To avoid the relentless clouds of dust and Fiora’s chains, Trosker flew upwards, causing the chains to be stretched taut in an attempt to reach him.

There was no time to explain. Every moment they waste was a moment they could lose.

In response, she clenched her right hand, causing the crystal claws on each fingertip to glow red. She jumped back and extended her chains to the sides of the arena grounds, using them as a makeshift catapult to propel her upwards.

Within half a second, Fiora has launched herself up and already in front of the golden eagle, red-hot claws extended and ready to strike.

Shocked for a split second, Trosker was unable to dodge.

"Argh!"

From the ground, a pained, strangled scream echoed through the arena, right as the claws singed off the feathers on Trosker's face.

"Now, Claire!”

Claire nodded and ran towards the source of the voice, while Fiora landed and took the chain lying on the designated spot. Realizing what had just happened, Trosker turned away and dashed towards Claire, turning into a golden-brown blur in the process.

Then, a single chain, glowing in red with heat, extended and restrained the hawk. The putrid scent of ash wafted in the air, as Trosker’s healing ability struggled to close the wound inflicted by the persistent heated metal.

"Do not avert your eyes from your opponent." Fiora held the chain with her bare left hand, while her left hand was still covered with a gauntlet. Even as her armor started disappearing from her left side, she remained calm, not even the slightest twitch of muscle giving her away.

“Did you just… What the hell are you? Risking your own life like that…” Trosker hissed in anger, his eyes narrowed. “You’re little more than a guard dog. I can sense the power you’re hiding, and your strength is wasted against a rubbish without conviction like you!”

Fiora stared at him, as if daring him to continue. "One more thing, pay attention to your surroundings. Claire! Take it now!”

"Argh! Get off of me, you bitch!"

It was a struggle of power, the two looking more like stray dogs fighting for territory. Were they not under the cover of the dust, they would have looked so silly.

For a moment, Claire was losing, before she gritted her teeth and forced herself to move, move and reach out and grab-

As if responding to her thoughts, a column of flame shot out from Claire’s hand, agonizing heat searing off the skin from her right hand along with half of her opponent’s face.

Calm rage swirled on Trosker’s eyes as he flexed his body, crushing Fiora's binding chain into splinters and rushed towards his partner. His body turned into an almost invisible blur. Fiora released the small chain, letting her armor return, and ran, trying to keep pace with the hawk.

Trosker stopped in front of Claire as she managed to yank away the pendant, and he spoke.

"Enough. It's your win, missy. There's no need to hurt my handler any more than he already is." Trosker said, his voice solemn.

Bam!

Claire was thrown off Reyvan and sent flying, the pendant of her opponent’s necklace safe in her death grip.

Right before her back hit the force field wall, Fiora ran and shielded her.

Still, it was a hard impact.

Claire saw stars, her vision almost blurred, and her head throbbed as her back hit the warm metal of Fiora’s armor.

Still, she held the small crystal from Reyvan's necklace, a proof of her victory, her knuckles white as if her very life depended on it. She reached into her pocket, and sighed in relief upon touching the object within. Her own pendant was safe.

Proof of her first win is safe within her grasp.

--

“-was amazing! I mean yeah he’s also a newbie, but she thought of using the contract to get him while the Incarnation is distracted and everyone was-“

“Okay, wait a second, contract?” Claire cut in, her voice a bit louder in an attempt to match Mel’s enthusiasm. As Mel kept talking, the sparkle of happiness in her eyes became more evident, while her voice gets louder. Meanwhile, Fiora was asleep, using Claire’s right shoulder as a makeshift pillow. A quick glance was enough for Claire to tell that Fiora was comfortable.

“… Wait, you don’t know that you are under contract?” Mel stared at Claire incredulously.

“That I know, still doesn’t explain the fire,” Claire stared at her right hand. Mel had split the earnings with her, but some of it would probably have to go to fixing her hand, which considering Halia Federation, would be a significant chunk. “I mean, I did win, but…”

“Hmm, how do I tell you…? You know that when you contract with an Incarnation, a piece of their soul gets in you, and that is where their power is stored?”

“That much I know,” Claire nodded.

“Well, in simpler terms, from what the clash enthusiasts found, the power in you wasn’t put under lock and key, so you may be able to access it if you’re put under enough stress. The thing is, you’re not the correct hardware for that.”

Claire stared at her and raised one eyebrow, urging Mel to continue.

“Like, you can jam a disk in a player not designed for it and get some blurry random images or sounds, but your machine may just turn into a smoke machine and explode. Your hand being like that is proof. Don’t worry about your share, I’m going to get you fixed up.”

“This?” Claire stared at her bandaged hand.

“Yep, we’re going to my house.”

Before Claire could say anything, the car stopped in front of a mid-sized house, and Mel gestured for Claire to go with her. At the slight turning motion Claire did, Fiora immediately woke up, her eyes as alert as usual as if she wasn’t sleeping for quite some time at least.

The house was well-maintained, while the lawn was filled with various plants, from flowers, fruit trees, and even vegetables, all were meticulously taken care of. Claire could recognize spring onions planted right in the middle of a few different vegetables.

When Mel opened the door leading to the house, a soft voice greeted them from inside.

“Welcome back, Rachel Meliora.”

Mel sighed, clearly exasperated, “Elizabeth, I told you not to call me that. Anyway, we have guests, can you help?”

Claire stepped into the house first, followed by Fiora, and they saw a beautiful girl wearing a lolita dress in black, purple, and white color scheme. A hat, decorated with a purple ribbon, rested atop her head. One thing they couldn’t help but notice was her eyes. Elizabeth’s eyes seemed to constantly shift, turning into shades of purple, blue, or just inky black when looked at the right angle.

When Elizabeth smiled, her smile was an infectious one, and Claire couldn’t help but return the favor.

“I guess some introductions first. Okay, Claire, Fiora, this is Elizabeth, and she’s my contracted Incarnation.”