“Kyrie, you’ll need to do the facial expressions and tonal control, as it seems I can’t express myself as much as I want.” Kyrion muttered softly.

“Abyss no. I’m on vacation.”

“Vacation from what! It was two days.”

“I almost died quite a few times during those two days.”

“Who tried to kill you?”

“I mean, there was Lin, Cecil, Viole, and Minah. The usual people you rub the wrong way.”

“Surprised Ander isn’t on that list.”

“He’s too exhausted to try and kill me with any real danger.”

“How did you rub them all the wrong way?”

“To be fair, Viole needs only to see me to desire my death. Kyra managed to say something that set Lin and Cecil off and I may or may not have made an inappropriate comment about Marigold. I thought it was what we were all doing, cause she was doing it.”

“What did you say?” Kyrion raised an eyebrow.

“Promise you won’t strike me down.”

“I would never.” Kyrion outright lied.

“You remember meeting Imala in that dungeon?”

“Of course. She lied to me.” Kyrion replied.

“Yeah yeah. Well Cecil was going on about how similar they were and I said. I knew those hips looked divine. No wonder she kept rubbing me the wrong way.”

“Those, were they the exact words? You aren’t censoring anything?”

“Pretty much.”

Kyrion couldn’t figure out what was wrong with that statement. “It’s just an observation, maybe don’t say they look divine. Maybe familiar, would have worked better.”

“No…If I said that I get the feeling Lin would have joined in.”

“The giant form definitely looked like how I remember that snake.”

“Think we should ask Kyra?”

“You think she’d know what you said wrong?” Kyrion raised an eyebrow.

“I mean, she was a girl.”

“She also seems to like antagonizing my friends using my face. Any help would need to be scrutinized.” As Kyrion said that, he felt an eye-roll somewhere within his mind.

“Maybe we could ask Tiffany.”

“She will not go over any problems related to girls with me since I asked her to tell a stalker to leave me alone. Ended in a messy bout and misinformation.”

“Would Lin, listen?”

“Maybe, but I’m going to need to be very careful If I hope to not make things worse.” Kyrion sighed as Kyrie went to sleep within his psyche.

With Bastion gone, Kyrion decided to go for a walk. Opening the door out of his room, he encountered Maximus. His eyes were red and puffy as though he had been crying recently. Although it wasn’t in sadness or hurt, these were tears of frustration and rage. He hadn’t done so for years, and last time, it was also related to his family situation.

“All that work building factions, gaining supporters, poloticing, training. All those expensive training aids, used so that there was little left. And the bastard just abdicates for no reason.” Max shook his head and tried to calm down.

“Do you want to, you know, talk about this in my room or somewhere you can scream in peace?” Kyrion asked.

Max seemed to remember himself. “I can’t take any more gifts from you. I already owe you too much.”

“More than you’ll ever know if I can help it. But friends don’t count favors. Goldilocks has a bit of a head start. But these should help.” Kyrion looked into his sack of currency again and slapped himself.

“What?”

“Close your eyes. Otherwise this is going to give you vertigo.”

Kyrion swept Max’s legs with a quick kick, opening a portal right under him, causing him to fall through and reappear next to the ice cream shop. He was sitting in an awkward position, but he was safe and had all of his limbs.

Kyrion then fell through his portal, reappearing in a rose made of red flames that he dismissed as it arrived. A torrent of warm air pushed outwards, creating a miniature whirlwind as it moved against cold air.

“Burning petals technique.” Kyrion said as he struck an odd pose, his feet apart, his left hand with one finger pointed towards the sky, and his head tilted downwards. His expression was still monotonous.

Max realized Kyrion was still doing the Rion thing. Which explained the fire magic being used, but the pose didn’t make sense.

Damian hadn’t gone too far, but he also wasn’t alone. A kid with white hair sat next to him with a paper cup holding his ice cream. Followed by an irritated Nicole.

“Eyyyy! It’s the man, D-man! I heard you helped out Bastion. Good on ya.” Kyrion had forgotten what Rion sounded like, so he decided to be more chaotic than usual. As he handed Damian a few gold coins. To anyone else, it looked like he was trying too hard to sound normal and failing.

“I mean, you should always treat your friends’ kids well. Even if they are adopted. Or else they won’t trust you when you try to be nice.” Damian handed the coins to Nicole, who sighed.

“Are the two of you…” Max started before he felt intense pressure from Damian, of all people.

“Just old friends.” Nicole sighed.

“I mean. We do kinda look like a happy family. They do seem to fit well together.” The white-haired child said. The facial structure, however, was quite different from Nicole’s and Damian’s. But at a glance, they could be mistaken as a family.

“D-man, do you want to fight Maxi boy?” Rion pointed at a currently sweating Max. As he pretended not to notice Nicole’s right eye twitch.

“Stop giving people nicknames.” Nicole looked to Rion and scowled

“Not quite. Mind if I shake his hand?” Damian answered.

“Maxi is a bit shy around strangers, like some other friends I have. But it’s up to him.”

Max shook his head to clear it. “Sure.” Max held out his right hand.

Damian held out his left hand and shook it. “Interesting. Rion, your next.”

Kyrion sighed and shook Damian’s hand next.

“Uh huh. How long have you both been training with swords?”

“Since I could hold one.” Max answered.

“Somewhere between six months and four years I believe.”

“Why didn’t you enter the solo tournament?”

“Well Damian, I believe the only one willing to give you a good fight is Cecil. I’m sure you’re aware of your first fight with Ander and how it ended.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about K…Rion.” Damian stumbled on purpose.

“Damian, please don’t make that mistake again. Rion can’t be Kyrion. He’s too much of an arrogant prick.” Nicole stated.

“Right to my face. Harsh.” Rion held his wounded heart with his right hand before he noticed the white-haired kid slip past him. A sheet of paper carefully passed into his left hand.

When this conversation ended, Kyrion slipped it into his domain and mentally commanded Kyrie to read it.

“Another time then. I have something to do. Although next time we meet. Max will be on your level, or at least on the level you are at today. Don’t pull any, I’ve been using only 5% of my full power, stuff on me. Else I’ll have to body you myself, my team isn’t weak. “

“I look forward to crossing blades.” Damian bowed.

“Alright. Max. We have one more stop. I may or may not have left bad money at a restaurant.” Rion didn’t use a portal this time. Instead, he summoned feathery wings of fire and grabbed Max like he was a parcel. From there, he jumped towards the restraint using wings of flame to push him forward with powerful flaps. Eventually, landing with a powerful gust of wind. A few passersby looked at him in horror before noticing no one was around.

From there, he entered the restaurant despite a closed sign in front of the door. Chances are it had to do with him not using the currency. What were the chances a place like this used soul coins?

From there, he approached the counter where his waiter was stationed. Max followed a reasonable distance behind. The waiter had a powerful aura that radiated outwards. Almost as though it sanitized all bacteria that entered its range.

“That’s new. Are you also using magic to keep things clean?”

“Also?” Max looked about.

“I’m killing all minor pests in this restaurant. It’s a mana exercise as I do not yet have powers like you all. Us elves can naturally use mana, but are incompatible with spirit mastery for a long time. Thus we practice from a young age in preparation for the things to come. However this exercise was given to me by the one called Cecil.” The waiter adjusted his glasses.

Kyrion pulled out a sack of coins. “It appears I left some junk here instead of the money I meant to leave behind.”

“I know what they are, Rion. Do you want to pay with one or use gold instead?”

“Oh? They have a use here? I need about seven of those coins as they are potentially needed for training.”

“You only want seven back?”

“They are my lowest purity coins. They have one use and that’s awakening the power of one’s soul, whatever that means.” Kyrion scratched his head.

Kyrion took a square purple coin with an octagonal hole in the center and flicked it onto the counter. “I wouldn’t touch that with my hands. It’s about fifty units of power, just taking it out fills my body with power that I have to shunt out soon.”

“Did you make these?” The waiter concentrated and moved a plate under the coin using a form of telekinesis.

“Kind of. They were made in something that I own, in factories that I own but I didn’t refine the technique to create that specific coin alone. Oddly enough, the hole helps form the coin and apply more power. It used to be only worth ten units.”

The plate holding the coin cracked and began to shatter as it was filled with power before a sphere of solid mana encased both the coin and the plate. Moments later, the elven chef left the back room and sighed. “Fifty. Do you know how dieties make these?”

“I bet they’re stingy. Doesn’t take much effort to create these and I somehow managed to create quite a few.”

“I believe the deities have a limit on how many they can make. As you are a mortal, their rules don’t affect you. That’s how I imagine you got away with smuggling them in. Do you know about the monoliths, rankers have access to?” The chef asked curiously.

“Monoliths?”

“You know that thing you’re fighting for a chance to gain access to in that big ole tournament? Although It’s one belonging to a member of the top 5 on the planet, rumors say it even belonged to the current rank 1. The owner will fit the bill for one wish. I.e. One use of their tablet, for free. The higher one’s rank the more options appear on said tablet. While I may not be the number 1, I’m sure it could be useful for someone with your funds. For example, I can use the coins you dropped off to upgrade my restaurant’s tools quite a bit. Allowing for the food I cook to provide even more benefits. Or increase the size of this building despite its size on the outside. If I’m feeling festive I could buy livestock and ingredients from the monolith, some of which could have been extinct.”

Kyrion was only half listening until his mind clicked. “I won’t have to worry about eating creatures into extinction with one of those tablets. I could bring back rare spices, or grow rare herbs for seas…alchemical purposes.”

Max shot Kyion a concerned look. “For your sister right?”

“Sure…” Kyrion had tried alchemy once. He mixed water, a drop of his blood, and Ixian flower extract. None of those components should have been explosive, yet the regeneration ointment he had been making had exploded, destroying a lot of lab equipment. Max had been in said room with him and had gotten knocked out by the explosion of healing energy. Both had been ravenous for days after that incident.

“Can I get seeds?”

“Yes. But I don’t see why you would want those. You’re a fire user after all.”

“That’s just what I want people to think. No, I’m actually my team’s healer and a plant specialist with a few techniques that can distract from my main style of combat. Although my newer fire affinity has finally caught up with everything else.”

“Wait. How did you get a fire affinity? I thought you were faking it?” Max exclaimed.

Kyrion pointed to his prosthetic eye and then at his core. “Apparently I had it removed when I was younger. It flared up badly enough to leave me comatose prior to my awakening. It healed while I was eating here and began to grow.”

“That’s the true power of soul food.”

Kyrion summoned a recipe book he hadn’t recognized and scowled. “Cronicles of Kyrion, side story, A multiversal cookbook. Volume one, A strange blue marble.”

“You spelled Chronicles wrong.” Max said as he looked over his shoulder.

“I know. Although I don’t remember writing this.” Kyrion opened the book to a random page and saw something called a burrito. The instructions listed everything from making a tortilla to filling it with anything he craved. “A truly mobile sandwich.”

Kyrion flipped through the book, glancing at the various pictures before scowling and quickly closing the book.

“What does multiversal mean?” The chef asked.

“No idea. Sometimes I wonder what goes through my head.” Kyrion handed the book to the master chef.

The chef took the book. “What’s this for?”

“Make something from here for tonight’s dinner. I want to see something.”

“I’ll do my best.” The expert looked through the book and nodded as he found a section on pasta.

“Odd how he isn’t asking any more questions.” Max said.

“It’s because I know someone tried to mess with time and ended up breaking things. The rankers were immune to the effects but couldn’t stop it, so we spent most of the time trying to find the cause only to figure out who the solution was when your headmaster said that you’d been acting weird the past few days. As well as revealing that Ander had killed a dragon and the bloodline magic was going to leave him messed up for a bit as he adjusted.”

“Wait… Why didn’t you help during all that drama?” Kyrion felt his eye twitch.

“During the incident our memories of the previous days had been stored and removed. Before being gifted back to most of us through the current lord of time. We were only allowed to remember when the dust settled. As experts tend to cause ripples in timelines when they act. Like when the Beast Blood Emperor killed you, doing so went against the arbiters as well as the lord of time, resulting in the destruction of their memories.”

“Interesting point but I should get my few coins and go. There are a few things I want but nothing I need immediately comes to mind.” Kyrion stated. He had a goal, after all.

“Rion, why waste the chance?” Max asked

“If those coins are as valuable as he says, then chances are I’ll have time later to get my things settled with a higher-tier monolith. You are supposed to be my royal pain today.”

“Fine. What now?”

“Since I doubt the chef is the type to talk about this aspect of my power, I can use this.” Kyrion opened a visible portal linked to his dungeon’s entrance. From there, he took a step into a large underground church. With the statue of a man on a wooden cross as a centerpiece. Over his head was a crown of thorns. Kyrion’s rebellious thorns were arrayed in a crown formation.

“Who is that supposed to be?”

“No idea.”

“What about that guy?” Max pointed to a mosaic of a guy in a black suit holding a sizeable curved wand with a big hole at the end. A large scar went from his right eye and diagonally across his face, ending at the top of his lips. As though needed for bigger spells. The mosaic trailed to show many people lying in ambush outside of said door. Then it moved to another scene as a fireball shot into the door, blasting the ambushers away.

“Karl is a bit weird.”

Max pointed to a statue of a man in robes meditating in a corner. “What about him?”

“I think that’s a golem.”

“Uh huh. And that’s a fancy candle holder?” Cecil pointed at a nine-branched candelabrum sitting on the pedestal in front of the statue of the man on a cross.

“Something feels quite wrong about this.” Kyrion looked upwards, noticing that there was a mural on the ceiling. A crescent and star were situated in the top left as a huntress pulled them across the sky in a mechanized carriage. Meanwhile, a man on the right pulled the sun across the sky in a bright red pickup truck with wings. In the truck with the man was a black-haired woman in a sakura pink robe and an imperial look about her riding along. In the center, two figures were apparently having a drinking contest, one shrouded in lighting in a robe of white, while the other was an elderly man with excessive muscles and an eyepatch. Near the bottom left, a man with a jackal head held out a heart to another man holding the reins of a three-headed dog.

Kyrion looked away from the Mural as it was too much, and he was starting to get a headache. He swore there were a lot of things off with the interactions. It was as though someone had thrown many things at the ceiling, most of them stuck.

“Uh. Your nose seems to be bleeding.” Max informed Kyrion.

“Karl? Why does this place give me a sensory overload?”

“Because you can only remember bits and pieces at best and this is all the information I gathered from your mind before it was purged.”

“So you’re saying this chaotic mess is my fault.”

“I mean. I’m not not saying it.”

“Max. Take this coin and put it in your mouth. I taste copper, and everything smells burnt.”

Kyrion tossed Max a blue coin and left the room. Passing out in the dungeon town proper.

A four-armed buck picked Kyrion up and brought him to the monster hospital, where he would nap before leaving on business.

Max looked at the coin and felt nothing. He smelt the coin and felt a few nose hairs disintegrate. Placing the coin next to his ear let him hear a crackling sound. Finally, Max licked the coin, feeling disgusted, but not for long, as a shock left the coin and flowed into his system like a bolt of lightning. The power snaked and spread until passing all over his body, settling moments later as his chains instantly went from silver to golden in his core.

“What was that?” Max felt his body grow more sturdy as it adapted to the power, and everything else grew slightly. It wasn’t much now, but he could feel what the others talked about. Through his bonds, Max could feel their power and connection grow. His body could now match the technique and training drilled into him since he could walk. However, now, this was just another beginning.

“H-hello?” Max heard another voice in his head.

“Who are you?” Max asked.

“I don’t know. But it’s been dark here for a long time. It seems you’ve finally broken free of your bonds and have gained access to our birthright.”

“Our?”

“Yes. If you let me, I have a lot to inform you about our powers as a golden dragon knight,”

“That sounds awesome. And too good to be true. What about my other companions?”

“Like the owl? We should be fine. Your chains come from your Ruler ability. This is from your soul. I am your spirit.”

“Ey?” Max was perplexed for a multitude of reasons. At least he knew why cores hadn’t worked before. And why, despite training hard, he had been stuck at peak fledgling despite lying to his friends about being a practitioner.

“Why did I get chains instead of you when I touched the awakening tablet.”

“I was too strong for your weak body; you are just starting to meet the requirements, Maximus. Cursed you have been, but now, you stand at the edge of greatness. Combined with our powers, we could become quite strong.”

“I see.” Max sighed. “I guess Midas can’t be the only one to face such revelations. Does Minah have a second ability?”

“Your sister manipulates potential and kinetic energy. The potential aspect is not from a spirit, yet she hasn’t realized that yet. Unlike you, her power suited her form but is tricky to master. Although had she been wiser, maybe she’dshe’d have realized how your powers interact with each other in a feedback loop. Your chains increase the potential of those bound while absorbing a little, while she can raise a power’s power’s potential. With enough time, I’m sure you could power each other up quite a bit.”

“So my sister doesn’t have a dragon.”

“Those with dragon spirits are usually fragile or easy targets until their powers bloom since we get stronger with time. Now go on. Bring out my divine form.”

Max felt the world around him shift briefly before he was brought through a portal into a white room with lots of space. “I need to reach the practitioner tier. For that, I’d need a core.”

“Whooops.” Said a voice around them as a gold marble with a dark, thorny tortoise shell on it rolled in front of him.

“Island colossus core? And it’s just rolling across the floor.” Get it, master. That’s a powerful one that will make us even more durable.”

“You just happen to have a core. I need to fall out of the sky. Kyrion, how many priceless treasures do you have on you? Aren’t I supposed to be a prince?”

“Did Kyrion drop eight or nine island tortoise corpses in here? I must be getting senile in my old age, as I can’t remember. I count eight…” Said the odd voice.

Max sighed, picked up the core, and brought it into himself. His body became tougher, and his strength grew exponentially as his trained body was further enhanced upon entering the practitioner tier. He no longer had to lie about his tier and depend on his contracted partners. Although he did wonder how much stronger Brion could make him now.

“My reins of gold call upon thee,

The lord of dragons born from the tree

Through time we will grow

Where we walk golden rivers flow

Through light and golden flame

We fight to protect our progenitors name

Reborn first son of Tellistarian come to me,

Your name is now Ao, short for Aonostarian.”

Max chanted, and a golden dragon reptilian creature hatched from a shell within Max’s core. The dragon appeared in front of Max and began to grow until it went from the size of a salamander to the size of a golden retriever. It wasn’t suitable for riding yet, but it was plenty strong.

“After 2000 years of slumber I have been.” The dragon coughed.

“So.. Do you breathe fire? Can I breathe fire?”

“No. But, you can manipulate the laws of causality for luck.”

“So, not an attack.”

“Oh, if you’re talking about that then you can manipulate radiant, holy, or healing mana. Which means you can turn light attuned creatures against their masters, pact with light attuned monsters better and deal lots of damage to dark, death, or shadow aligned creatures and magic. You still need to work hard but the time dilation for this room is convenient. One minute outside is a day here. Dungeon! We need to do some training!”

“Fine. I’ll start sending out monsters. Try not to stay here too long. Kyrion would be hurt if you got older than him and thus were kicked from the tournament.”

“So long as I was under 20 when I signed up, we’re fine. As a practitioner, I won’t age past twenty until I’m fifty anyway.

“I see. I’ll Inform the others of your training.”

“Thanks?” Max said before a sizeable bovine-like creature with long white horns, orange and white fur, and a giant orange greatsword that seemed to have drastically reduced cutting power. It wouldn’t kill him, but it would hurt quite a bit.