Skyfire Avenue

The Gourmet was just as taken aback by Jun’er’s sudden change. The others were unaware – her brief power had been weak enough so that only he and the Terminator in the first row could see it.

Just like the Northern Paragon, the Gourmet’s expression was strange. It matched the peculiar thought that tickled at his mind.

In a sweet voice, the Terminator spoke to the little girl. “Jun’er… can you see what’s going to happen? If you really think hard, can you know what’s in the future?”

Jun’er canted her head and thought. “I guess so. But I can’t tell if it’s real or not. I didn’t used to, but it started ever since I started weapon daddy’s helmet. Since I could see what was happening outside, maybe I could start seeing what was going to happen.”

The Gourmet looked at the Terminator, his eyes sharp and full of unspoken meaning.

Jun’er, perhaps sensing something, snickered girlishly. “You don’t need to be scared, Uncle Gourmet. Big Uncle wouldn’t hurt me, he’s a good man.”

The Terminator heaved a sigh at her words before handing the child back to the Gourmet. He shook his head with a rueful chuckle. “The Avenue will be the Avenue, I suppose. As leader of the Conclave the last thing I want is for Skyfire to have another Eye of Tomorrow, but from a human perspective there is no better news. Especially since…” he trailed off.

The two old Paragons had exchanged only a couple words with the young girl, but it was clear to them her Discipline had awakened. She was an Adept with an amazing and rarely encountered gift of prediction – just like the Clairvoyant.

More importantly, Jun’er was only five or six. For her Discipline to awaken so early meant it was destined to be strong. With the Avenue’s help, it was certainly not unthinkable that little Jun’er would grow to become another Clairvoyant!

This was precisely the reason why the Gourmet was nervous. They were in Northern territory against a an enemy they maintained a cold war with. The Terminator was staggeringly powerful and on home turf – there would be little chance the Gourmet could protect Jun’er if the big man really wanted to hurt her.

It was an irrational fear, though, as he well knew. The Terminator wouldn’t hurt a small child, by virtue of his reputation alone.

The Gourmet was still agitated as he embrace Jun’er. There was a lot to consider. An awakened Discipline meant years of careful training and great expense of time and resources. However things might be different for the young seer, since the Clairvoyant was still alive in his state of suspension. With his help and guidance, it could save her untold amounts of effort. The Clairvoyant would be passing soon as well, and would need to find a new owner for the powerful Astrum he bore.

That was getting ahead of the situation, though. An Astrum had to resonate with an Adepts’s Discipline before it could be used properly. If that turned out to be true though, then this little girl’s future was limitless. This instantly made her priceless to the Avenue.

The Gourmet struggled with the desire to bring her back to Skyfire immediately. For every day they delayed, the Clairvoyant could pass and all that potential wasted. The loss would be catastrophic.

The Vanguard could no longer pay attention to the splendid display of Discipline below. All of his thoughts were now on the small girl in his arms.

Jun’er somehow knew. She looked at the Gourmet, then to the Terminator. Her lips were pursed in admonition. “What’s wrong with you two? You’re acting weird.”

The Terminator smiled at her. “It’s because of what we saw you do. You can relax, Gourmet – we wouldn’t dare do anything to the little one. When you leave I’ll have a small contingent of ships lead you safely from the system. We’ll make sure Jun’er remains safe and happy. Humanity needs unity now, not conflict.”

The Gourmet allowed himself a relieved sigh. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

The action continued below. The Pharmacist was part of the day’s second batch, so it was her turn to enter the arena. Her opponent was no slouch, this time.

He was tall and stocky, and where he stood reality seemed to warp around him. He was like a black hole that drew in all, and it felt like things were collapsing around them.

“Absorption Discipline,” she muttered.

Her foe gave her a thumbs-up. “Good eyes. They call me the One Who Eats the Sky. I’m looking forward to an illuminating fight.”

“The One Who Eats the Stars? That’s certainly a mouth full. Clearly we aren’t afraid to boast.” The Pharmacist’s face was cold and hard. She’d learned from Lan Jue that the Star Alliance team had been led by the Clairvoyant. This man’s name offended her.

“I suppose we’ll see if it’s a boast or not in a second,” the man arrogantly replied.

“Three, two, one. Begin!”

The Pharmacist thrust out a hand, and a beam of golden light fired out. In this way she’d begun the same way as her last two fights. It was an attack like a blitzkrieg, full of force and grandeur. It made the whole arena shake.

The Star-Eater knew his opponent before they’d started, as all the competitors did. Knew, however, was used loosely. What he did not know – nor anyone for that matter – was what her Discipline actually was. The anxiety ate at him, and it made refining tactics difficult.

What he lacked in knowledge he made up for in self-confidence. His power had spiked ever since breaking through to ninth level first rank. His Discipline was also uncommon, which threw a lot of his foes off.

He spread his hands, and between them a small black hole was birthed. The Pharmacist’s screaming ray of light was swallowed right in to it and disappeared.

The One Who Eats the Sky grinned at the Pharmacist, and then he shoved his hands out with a grunt. At his action the hole grew, and with it the vacuum force that surrounded it.

The Pharmacist seemed mostly unfazed by the counter, except to curl her mouth down in a disdainful frown. She brought her hand up in a sweeping motion, and from within the black hole a light twinkled. Impossible as that was, the light grew until the hole split cleanly in two.