Chapter 11

Betrayal of Blood

Without a second thought, I selected Gold Valkyrie's name -my sister's name- and initiated a duel. I hardly paid attention as the frozen world fell away and changed, my mind frozen. Unable to accept the horrible truth. Vaguely, I noticed that the environment had become a much more worn and decrepit version of the hospital. The floor and walls were all cracked and in various stages of decay. The ceiling had caved in at places, revealing a smoke choked sky.

The familiar weight of my duel avatar's relatively bulky form settled over me, but the feeling of comfort that I got from being in such a powerful body was non-existent. All of my strength, the confidence that I had gained over my short time as a burst linker, it all left me at that moment.

Instead, I was a kid again. A small seven-year-old who could only stare helplessly up at my sister as she held me close, telling me how everything would be alright. Yet, as I slowly came back to myself, I was not staring at the rare, caring smile that warmed her entire face. Instead, was staring at the cold, metal visor of Gold Valkyrie.

"So, we meet again," Phoebe drawled. She would have sounded disinterested had I not noticed her grip on her spear tighten minutely. "I thought I told you to sever your ties with Knights of Dawn."

I didn't respond. Or rather, I couldn't respond. I couldn't get my mouth to work properly. To form the words needed to ask-no, to demand an explanation, but it felt like my throat was stuffed full of cotton. Any words I could even think of speaking were almost instantly smothered before they could even make it past my lips.

I can't believe I didn't see it before. The way she spoke, the way she held herself. It was her, it had to be her. Phoebe was Gold Valkyrie, she was working with Advent's Fall, and, worst of all…

She had tried to kill me.

"You should have heeded my warning," Phoebe continued, seemingly unconcerned by my silence. "Now, you will have to—"

"Phoebe," I managed to croak out, effectively silencing her tirade. Even without a face to look at, I could feel the shocked look on her face. She took half a step back before tensing.

"So, you figured it out," she said, her voice unnervingly calm. "I can't say I'm surprised. Even when you don't apply yourself, you always were incredibly perceptive."

There were so many things I wanted to say. I wanted to shout at her. To yell and scream at her, to vent all of the pain and fear that I had gone through in the past eight hours. I wanted to demand she tell me how she became a burst linker and what she was doing working with Advent's Fall. To understand why she was doing what she was doing, but I could only say one thing.

"Why?"

"'Why?'" she half-laughed. "Why what? Why am I a burst linker? Why I'm working with Advent's Fall?"

I swallowed thickly, words failing me at the moment. I could only nod, silently begging her for an explanation. I had to know. I had to understand why she was doing this!

Phoebe gave an exasperated sigh. She tilted her head up and began muttering under her breath, pacing back and forth in the ruined hall. "…not supposed to happen…complicated…worst outcome…" I caught a few words from her muttering, but I couldn't make any sense of it. Eventually, Phoebe ceased her pacing and turned back to me. Immediately, I had the feeling of being pinned by and intense glare.

"Why I'm here doesn't concern you," Phoebe said coldly.

If I had a mouth, I probably would have been gaping. Doesn't concern me? Doesn't concern me?! Immediately, anger coursed through me like a raging storm. "How the hell does this not concern me?! You literally attacked me!"

"I warned you!" she hissed angrily. "I warned you to stay away from Knights of Dawn, so you wouldn't get involved in all of this. So you wouldn't be involved with Ashton Calloway."

So, she did know about Ashton. I filed that information away for later. "Well it's too late now!" I stretched my arms out, gesturing to the world around us. "I'm pretty sure I'm involved!"

"But you don't have to be!" Phoebe argued, sounding desperate. "There's still time for you to distance yourself from him and his guild."

"But why?!" I demanded. "Why do I have to distance myself from him. Why is Advent's Fall so hellbent on hurting Ashton?! What the hell is going on, Phoebe?!"

Phoebe's demeanor seemed to darken and I could practically feel her expression close off. "I told you, you don't have to concern yourself with these things. Now, step aside," she said far too calmly. My blood boiled.

"Don't have to concern myself-Phoebe! Do you hear yourself right now?!" I shrieked. "Do you have any idea what you're doing?! Ashton nearly died! You and your 'little buddies' poisoned him!"

"He would have been fine," Phoebe said dismissively. "The poison was harmful, but it wouldn't kill him."

"Bull shit!" I roared. "If the doctors hadn't been able to pump his stomach in time, he would have—" The words got chocked up in my throat, but I refused to be silent. "He would have died…"

Phoebe was silent for a moment. "No…no that's not possible," Phoebe said. "The poison he used was non-lethal."

I frowned minutely. Was that uncertainty in her voice?

"He assured me that there would be no lasting damage," Phoebe continued, seemingly forgetting that I was there. "That poison shouldn't have done more keep Ashton unconscious long enough for me to drain his burst points."

"Believe me when I say whatever that crap was did more than just 'keep him unconscious'," I said bitterly.

Phoebe shook her head. "It was only supposed to be a sedative," she insisted. "He was supposed to fall unconscious randomly, causing those around him to panic and call for an ambulance."

"And, once admitted, he'd be easy picking for your guild," I snarled. "Is that how you justify murder? The poison wasn't supposed to kill him? Is that how you justify almost killing…me?" I asked, my voice hardly above a whisper.

Phoebe took a step back, nearly dropping her weapon. "What?" she asked, sounding genuinely horrified.

I knew Phoebe. While she didn't wear her heart on her sleeve, whatever emotions she did show were always authentic. She wasn't one to put on a mask of emotion to charm people. She was always upfront with people, telling them how she truly felt. She wasn't faking her shock. She really didn't know what happened.

"The officer said that they found traces of the same substance on all of our cups," I said.

"But it was just supposed to be Calloway…" Phoebe muttered. She shook her head, clearly confused. "That doesn't make sense…He told me it would only be Calloway…"

"Who's 'he'?" I asked. "Topaz Warlock?"

My voice seemed to jolt Phoebe back to reality. Even without having a visible face, I could see the way her body tensed up, a clear indication that she had schooled her emotions. "You don't need to concern yourself with that," she said monotonously.

"Are you kidding me?!" I roared. "They're using you, Phoebe!"

"And Calloway isn't doing the same?" Phoebe countered. "He is using you to reach his own goals, yes?"

"Yes, but he hasn't asked me to kill anyone!" I snapped accusingly.

I swore that her lance would break from how tight Phoebe was gripping it. "I told you before, that wasn't supposed to happen."

"And that makes it okay?!"

"I will do what is asked of me."

"Even at the cost of other people's lives? At the cost of my life?"

"You would have been fine if you had listened to me and distanced yourself from Ashton and his guild!" she shouted, her anger seeping through her mask.

"So, I'm to blame for almost getting killed?!" I asked incredulously.

Phoebe gave a sound that was halfway between a growl and a shriek. "I don't have time to argue with you, Cadmus."

"Really?" I exclaimed, a bitter laugh escaping me. "I'd say we've got all the time in the world here!"

"Get out of my way, Cadmus," Phoebe demanded, suddenly cold. "I don't have time for you right now."

I ignored the stab of hurt that shot through me and steeled my nerve. "No."

Phoebe froze, her entire being screaming 'surprise. At the same moment, I felt a ball of dread form in the pit of my stomach. If there was one rule that Phoebe enforced above all others, it was to always do what she asked without question. Saying no to her was a death sentence.

"What was that?" Phoebe asked, the underlining danger in her tone cause an involuntary shiver to run down my spine.

I winced, years of conditioning screaming at me to apologize and comply to Phoebe's demands, but I held firm. "I said no."

Phoebe's stance shifted almost imperceivably. Her left foot shifted outward while her right slowly slid backwards in preparation to launch herself forward. She raised her lance ever so slightly so that it hovered an inch or two above the ground.

"I won't ask you again, Cadmus," Phoebe said, her patience clearly reaching its end. "Step. Aside."

It felt like I had swallowed an iron weight. "No. I won't let you hurt Ashton."

Phoebe inhaled sharply. "So be it," she whispered, raising her lance so that it was pointing directly at me. "If you won't stand aside, then I will make you."

I tensed, my body slipping into the basic fighting stance that Barnaby taught me. I didn't want to do it. God knows I didn't want to fight her, but I had to. For Ashton.

With that last thought, I steeled nerve and rushed forward, my claws bared to strike my sister.

As expected, Phoebe blocked my attack, bringing up her lance catch my hand before my claws could reach her. I struggled against he, pressing down on her weapon with all my weight. To my delight, I appeared to be stronger than her as she visibly struggled to keep me at bay. A strained, yet clearly displeased, grunt before the lance was no longer in my grasp. With nothing to hold up my weight, I stumbled, nearly falling flat on my face. Before I could fully recover my balance, Phoebe had smashed the base of her lance against my temple.

Dazed and hurting, I collapsed to the ground, my vision momentarily swimming from the hit. The moment my vision returned, I was forced to roll out of the way as Phoebe's lance came down upon the place I had just been.

Scrambling to my feet, I attempted another strike, a straight punch to her unprotected side, but Phoebe was too fast. She leaned to the side, causing my arm to overextend, before kicking me in my chest. The kick didn't do much in terms of actual damage to my health bar, though it did cause me to stumble back slightly. The following slash from Phoebe's lance, however, did considerably more damage.

Wincing in pain, I still refused to back down. My mind was desperately working on some semblance of a plan. She was incredibly fast, something I knew all too well from our first fight, but that didn't make her unbeatable. I just had to fight smart.

She wasn't the first speedy enemy that I've encountered. They were tricky to hit, but, like in normal video games, the trade-off was typically in the form of weaker attacks. Because of this, speed-based characters had to rely on dealing a multitude of hits to whittle down an opponent's health. Gold Valkyrie was no different.

While her attacks were fully capable of doing quite a bit of damage, they weren't really as devastating as an attack from Turquoise Sentinel. Thinking back on it, during our first fight, Phoebe always kept me at a distance, skirting around my attacks and blindsiding me with a swift flurry of her own. It was a difficult strategy to overcome, especially with her ability to keep me at bay with her weapon.

Lances, by nature were mid-range weapons designed to pierce through armor while simultaneously keeping an opponent at bay. However, this made them lances all but impractical at close-range as one wouldn't be able to get enough thrusting power to do serious damage. Phoebe's lance, while not the typical shape and design of the more European style weapon, worked along a similar principle. In order to do the most damage, she would need room to swing and thrust her weapon.

My best bet would be to stay as close as possible to keep her from using her weapon to it's fullest, but she wasn't making it easy for me to do so.

Phoebe seemed to realize what I was planning in an instant and tried to put enough distance between us so she could use her weapon effectively. I stayed on her the best I could, an incredibly risky tactic as she would thrust her weapon at me whenever I got too close. I almost always avoided her attacks and immediately moved again, refusing to give her any breathing room.

This cat-and-mouse game lasted for almost a full minute and I could tell Phoebe was getting frustrated. Her attacks were becoming more and more sloppy, slowly changing from her aimed strikes to seemingly random thrusts of her lance. Eventually, after such a thrust, I managed to grab onto her lance, just below the spearhead. Surprised, Phoebe was blindsided by my fist impacting against her face.

I was just as stunned as she was. I had hit her. I had hit Gold Valkyrie.

Oh shit. I just hit my sister!

Phoebe wrenched her weapon from my grip with a surprising amount of force. I could feel the anger and indignation coming from Phoebe, her blank, metallic mask almost darkening under her fury. A dull red glow began to encompass the tip of her lance. Before I could comprehend what was happening, a dark, burgundy flame erupted along the glowing area. Wordlessly, she brought her now burning weapon back until the tip was next to her breastplate, the lance parallel to the ground. It was only at her enraged shriek that I recovered from my stupor in time to realize that her weapon was racing towards my face.

Time seemed to slow as the burning weapon inched closer and closer to me. Instinctively, I recoiled away, leaning back to avoid the attack. As the lance head inched closer, the fire surrounding it burst forth, extending the lance's reach. The flames missed my face by millimeters, but sheered off the horn on the right side of my head.

I cried out in pain, the searing heat of Phoebe's weapon leaving the stub on my head white hot. Fueled by pain, I ducked under the still burning lance and slashed at Phoebe's chest. Sparks flew as my claws raked across her stomach, causing my sister to cry out in pain before jumping back, the flames surrounding her weapon dispersing as she did so. I didn't follow this time, instead choosing to use that time to catch my breath.

We both stared at one another. Neither of us speaking. The only sound coming from the ever-counting-down timer above us and my own ragged pants. Phoebe appeared a little worse for wear. She had a few scratches, most notably the fresh set of claw marks that I had just left across her stomach just moments ago, but she looked relatively unharmed if her health bar, which was still sitting well over half, was anything to go by. Glancing up to my own health, I saw that I was sitting just a little way past half health. I was losing, but it wasn't as one sided as last time.

"This is pointless, Cadmus!" Phoebe called, a noticeable edge of annoyance in her voice. "You can't beat me! Just give up!"

"Not happening, Phoebe!" I replied, pushing past the fatigue and pain to bring my arms up once more. "I won't let you do this!"

Frustration seemed to come from the gold colored avatar in waves. Gripping her lance tightly, she seemed to grow solemn. "So be it." Before I could respond, Phoebe was already in front of me. Eyes widening in surprise, I tried to jump back, but Phoebe was already in the process of pushing her weapon towards my stomach.

A chocked shout tore through my throat as her lance carved through my side. Due to my timely movement, her weapon hadn't pierced through my chest like it had intended to, but it had torn off a piece of my armored body.

Reeling in pain, and more than a little bit desperate, I unleashed my special attack, hoping to at least clip her with the beam before she could get away. Unfortunately, Phoebe was just too fast. Before my attack had even fully formed, she was already moving. The deadly beam of energy exploded from my maw, but there was no target in front of me other than the ground. The ground in front of me exploded, pieces of rubble flying in all directions. Cutting off the beam, I spun around to face Phoebe as she was coming in for another strike and unleashed another blast.

Just as the beam was about to hit, she suddenly changed direction, avoiding my second attack and skirting around me once more. Again and again I tried to hit Phoebe with Platinum Roar, cutting it off and in rapid secession in an attempt to keep up with her speed, but it was all for naught. Phoebe was moving too fast for me to track.

My mind was in full panic mode. She was moving faster than before and I could no longer keep up. Currently, my special move was the only thing keeping Phoebe at bay but I wouldn't be able to keep it up for much longer. I needed a plan. I needed a plan. I needed—

My thoughts came to a crashing halt as, instead of dodging my special move, Phoebe suddenly charged straight into it. Flames once more erupted around her lance as she thrust it forward into my attack. To my horror, like she had done just two days prior, Phoebe's weapon cut through the beam like it was nothing. Cutting off my attack out of surprise, I was unable to stop the lance from piercing straight through my chest, right where my heart would be.

I gasped, both in shock and pain. Looking down, a sudden wave of nausea hit me as I stared at the lance resting firmly in my chest, the other end poking out my back. The lance was still on fire, the flames biting fervently at my metal body, the game's pain dampeners keeping it from being overwhelming.

"It's over, Cadmus," Phoebe said, though it like she was speaking through water. "It's done."

My mind struggled to process what she was saying, but I could hardly hear her through the annoyingly loud beeping sound. My mind struggled to comprehend what the sound was until I realized it was the sound of my health bar depleting at a rapid pace, the still burning lance stuck in my stomach causing constant damage. My time was running out and I was out of options.

"You shouldn't have stood in my way, Cadmus," Phoebe continued on, speaking as calmly as if she were talking about the weather. Not at all like she was stabbing her brother in the heart. "I am sorry it had to end like this, but I have my orders and I will do what is necessary to complete them."

I struggled just to lift my head to meet Phoebe's eyes, but all I saw was the cold, golden faceplate of Gold Valkyrie. This wasn't my sister. My sister, for all her aloofness, was not heartless. She wasn't this…monster.

"Try to understand, Cadmus, I am doing this for your own good," she said, her voice a mockery of true sympathy. "I'm sorry for doing this to you, but it's for the best."

"I'm sorry too," I rasped out, shakily lifting my hand to grab onto hers. Emotion chocked my voice as I struggled to keep it together. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Imsorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsorry!"

"Cadmus," she said, her voice softening.

"I'm sorry," I whispered one final time before my avatar's mouth snapped open and I used the final bit of my special move gauge to unleash Platinum Roar at point blank range. The tight grip I had on her hand keeping her from escaping.

-Rise of the Dragon-

I gasped loudly as I was suddenly shunted into my body. The ground spun underneath me and I would have fallen had I not been able to grab onto a nearby chair to steady myself.

I stayed there, kneeling on the floor, one hand on the plastic chair's armrest, for several seconds. I took slow, deliberate breaths, forcing my rapidly beating heart to return to a normal, steady beat. Shakily, I pushed myself to my feet.

I had lost.

It had been close, incredibly so. If I had fired my attack just a little sooner, I would have won. I lifted my head, my gaze finding my sister's.

Phoebe stared right back at me, eyes wide with shock. Slowly, her surprise morphed into anger, her steely blue eyes narrowing into a heated glare. I determinedly stared back at her, silently proclaiming that I wouldn't back down.

We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, neither one of us so much as blinking. Eventually, Phoebe's glare vanished, replaced by her cool, dismissive mask. Without so much as a single word to me, she spun around on her heel and marched out of the hospital.

I stared at the spot where she once stood for several seconds before collapsing to my knees, a broken sob escaping my throat. The hospital staff rushed to my side, alarmed that I had just collapsed seemingly for no reason. They tried to ascertain what was wrong, but there wasn't anything they could do.

There was no cure for a broken bond.

-Rise of the Dragon-

I sat silently next to Ashton's bed, allowing the older teen to digest what I had just told him. He had awoken just an hour after my confrontation with Gold Valkyrie. I hadn't been allowed to see him at first, that right had been reserved for Ashton's parents. I met the two of them briefly as they were leaving the hospital.

They seemed nice, or as nice as two concerned parents could be in such a situation. His father gave me a suspicious look when he saw me waiting to see his son, but his mother was welcoming. She expressed how happy she was that Ashton had such a loyal friend like me and thanked me over and over again for helping him at the café.

I tried to tell her that I didn't really do anything, but she would hear none of it. It was more than a little overwhelming, especially after what had just happened. Thankfully, Ashton seemed to notice my distress and was quick to divert his mother's attention.

Eventually, the two of them left, promising Ashton that they would see him later in the day. As soon as they left, Ashton instructed me to retrieve his direct wire connection cable from his bag and connected the two of us. I quickly informed him of Gold Valkyrie's identity and the plan that had led to Ashton being poisoned.

"This is all very troubling news," Ashton said.

"Yeah," I replied, wincing as even my mental voice cracked with emotion.

Ashton looked at me sympathetically. "I am truly sorry about your sister, Cadmus. I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through right now." I didn't respond, forcing my thoughts to remain silent. Ashton sighed over the link. "Cadmus…"

"Can we…just not talk about it?" I interrupted. I couldn't. The hurt was too fresh. Ashton nodded mutely, his brown eyes simmering with what I could only assume to be pity. I cringed away at that. I didn't want pity. I didn't even want sympathy. I just wanted my sister…

"Dark times are upon us, Cadmus," Ashton said suddenly. "I never could have imagined that things would turn out the way they have. Had I known the direction in which these events would take place, I would never have brought you into the fold. For that, I am truly sorry."

"There's no use worrying about it now," I replied, a tad of exasperation coloring my voice.

"Very true," Ashton said. He sat up in his bed, his expression becoming grin. "I'm sending you, as well as the rest of the guild, a set of coordinates for the Unlimited Neutral Field," he said, fiddling with a tab through his neuro linker. A second later, my own neuro linker pinged, indicating that I had a notification. "Be there at 7:30 tonight."

"What's going on there?" I asked curiously, opening the notification.

"A council," Ashton replied grimly. "It's time to for me to address the other members."

-Rise of the Dragon-

When I arrived to the location, I could immediately tell this meeting wouldn't be like his first introduction to the group. The location, I'm not a hundred percent sure as to where it translated to in the real world, but whatever it was it appeared to be a large, table-like altar of sorts in the middle of thirteen spires. Currently, the transition of the field was currently that of some kind of mountainous area, making the altar and spires appear to be made from dark stone. Oddly fitting considering the mood of the group.

A somber air seemed to hang over those assembled. Even the twins Gemini twins weren't their normal over enthusiastic selves. Everyone just stood around the 'table', unmoving and silent. Barnaby was there, unlike last time, and greeted me with a small nod of acknowledgment. That was the only greeting I got from the group.

Taking a place beside Barnaby, I took a moment to observe the group. I blinked slowly. The group seemed larger than last time. No, it was definitely larger. Larger by two people to be accurate. There were two members that I didn't recognize standing among us.

The first figure, a female if I wasn't mistaken, looked like a bipedal shark of all things. Her head was that of a bull shark head, rows of sharp teeth welded together in the parody of a severe smile. Her body was a deep blue in color with lighter blue, almost real, highlights running down her biceps, inner thighs, and chest area. Along her forearms were matching, razor-sharp fins, that extended just past her elbows and jutted out nearly a foot. On her back was an equally sharp dorsal fin. A rather long shark tail swung lazily behind her.

The second figure stood, or rather floated, next to the shark-like duel avatar. They, because I honestly wasn't sure what they were, floated in the air, legs crossed underneath them as if they were sitting on the ground. Their primary color seemed to be a dark yellow almost bronze color with their chest and legs, which were stylized to mimic a shaolin monk's garb, being a burnt orange color. Around their next hung a red, oversized, bead necklace and a large, straw colored, mushroom-like hat reminiscent of those samurai are always depicted to wearing when not in armor (a kasa if that documentary I saw a couple weeks ago was true) on their head. A singular blue eye rested in the middle of their face.

I was about to ask Barnaby who the two of them were when the sound of encroaching footsteps reached our ears. I turned towards the source and saw Ashton approaching, still in his normal network avatar, though he did have a rather ornate masquerade mask over his eyes. It was odd, seeing someone with a human appearance walking around when everyone else looked like a robot, but no one else seemed to think that this was odd.

Calmly, Ashton approached the table, his expression unreadable. "Thank you all for coming out at such short notice," he said as he came to a stop before us.

"What's the big idea calling us all like this, Paladin?!" the shark-like burst linker demanded harshly, crossing her arms across her chest. "I've got crap to do!"

"Perhaps if you would remain silent, he would tell you, Navy Shark" the floating burst linker commented, sounding more than a little exasperated, like they've been saying the same thing over and over again. "Honestly, think before you speak."

"What was that?!" the now named Navy Shark snapped, whirling towards the monk-esk burst linker.

"I don't believe I stuttered," they commented dourly, seemingly rolling their eye.

Navy Shark looked like she was about to say something but a cacophonous gunshot interrupted her, and served to give me a minor heart attack. Cherry Marksman stood impassively, her gun raised in the air, a trail of smoke curling from its barrel.

"How about we don't start another argument. There are obviously more pressing matters at hand," Cherry Marksman said dryly, eyeing her two guildmates. When she was sure that neither burst linker would comment, Cherry Marksman lowered her gone and nodded towards Ashton.

"Thank you, Cherry Marksman," he said, giving the red colored burst linker a grateful nod "There is indeed a reason as to why I called you all here. While I would have liked for everyone to be here, I am grateful that you all were able to come."

He glanced around at all of us, his expression becoming grim. "The situation pertaining to Advent's Fall has advanced far beyond what I expected. Yesterday, I was attacked. In the real world."

The effect was immediate.

"Are you serious?!" Honey Spider practically shrieked. Others too expressed their own disbelief and alarm. In a matter of moments, the entire group had devolved into a series of shouts and exclamations.

"They actually went after one of us in real life?!" Navy Shark openly gaped.

"Unreal!" Pine Gemini shouted.

"No way!" Aqua Gemini exclaimed.

"To think that they would go so far," Burgundy Arrow growled angrily.

"Someone really went after you in real life?" Fuchsia Thorn asked, fear edging into their voice.

Ashton turned to the rose-themed burst linker, his expression softening. "I'm afraid so," he said. "One of their members poisoned me and I would have died had it not been for Turquoise Sentinel and Platinum Dragon. What's more, as I was in the hospital, Advent's Fall sent one of their own to repeatedly challenge me and drain me of my burst points. Had it not been for Platinum Dragon, they would have succeeded."

I felt the eyes of everyone save Barnaby fall on me. Not only had Ashton put the two of us in the spotlight but, by mentioning that we had in fact saved, he showed that he trusted the two of us immensely. Enough to divulge his true identity, an unspoken taboo among burst linkers. My guess was that Ashton said this in order to get the group to trust me, as I was the newest member of the guild, but not all of them were convinced.

"You held off a burst linker sent by Advent's Fall?" the monk-like burst linker asked, suspicion coloring their voice.

"I did," I said, meeting the monk's intense stare.

The monk was unimpressed. "If they were seeking to end Ivory Paladin's career as a burst linker, they would have most likely sent someone that could have handled him should he awake before the job was completed. If memory serves, you are the most recent addition to this guild, meaning you are most likely the lowest level out of all of us. That being said, I find it rather difficult to believe that you defeated someone sent to beat our leader."

"Is there something you're trying to say, Amber Sage?" Ashton asked, a slight twitch of his jaw was the only sign of the dark-skinned boy's annoyance.

"I'm just saying that it's rather…convenient that rookie was able to take down an assassin sent after you of all people, Paladin," Amber Sage said, raising their hands in a placating gesture, though the accusation in their voice did little to placate Ashton.

"I don't think I like what you're implying," Ashton said, his voice dipping into dangerous levels. "I personally gave Platinum Dragon the Brain Burst program, so if you are insinuating that he is in anyway affiliated with Advent's Fall, I find that incredibly hard to believe."

Silence fell over the group. The relationship between a parent burst linker and their 'child' was sacred. To go against the one that brought you into the fold was worse than taking all of a level one's burst points. By making it known that he was my parent, Ashton essentially deified me in the eyes of the guild, cementing the fact that I would never do anything to harm him.

Amber Sage's seemed to scowl. "That doesn't mean that—"

"Enough!" Barnaby snapped. "Platinum Dragon has nothing to prove to you. He has Ivory Paladin's trust and that's enough for me."

I blinked owlishly. I never thought I'd see the day where Barnaby of al people would stand up for me. His words had the desired effect as murmurs of ascent rippled through the group. All doubts about my authenticity brought up by Amber Sage dispersed as if they never existed in the first place. The yellow color burst linker looked put out, and I honestly thought they'd argue, but they remained silent.

"Thank you," Ashton said to Barnaby, nodding in appreciation. "As I was saying, the situation regarding Advent's Fall has changed. I'm not sure why they are fixated on our guild or why they chose to attack me like they did, but they've crossed a line. No longer will we just stand passively by. It's time to act."

"Act? What do you mean by that?" Fuchsia Thorn questioned.

Ashton closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Without responding, Ashton brought up his arm and seemed to open a tab. He fiddled with whatever it was for several seconds before his entire form erupted in a bright white light. We all were forced to look away as the light became blinding. When it finally died down, Ashton's avatar was gone. His duel avatar having took his place.

Standing there, almost six feet tall, was a knight. Their armor was a pristine white with gold accents stylized throughout like vines of ivy, encompassing their joints and chest. Their helmet consisted of an opaque visor that blended in with the rest of the armor, several swirls of golden ivy trailing along its surface, their mouth a steel gray and shaped like a human mouth. A long white cape with a cobalt lining flowed behind them, fluttering in the non-existent wind.

The knight, no, Ivory Paladin raised his hand and summoned an equally white greatsword. Ivory Paladin stabbed the blade into the ground, resting both of his hands on the hilt of his weapon in a regal pose. "Now," he finally spoke, his very voice speaking of power and strength, "we fight back."