Arden dashed forward, trying to close the distance between himself and Lamorak as quickly as possible.

The Royal Guard was not going to give him that pleasure. Taking aim, he fired off a single shot from Lancelot, a ball of swirling flame that only grew larger as it travelled.

Arden twirled Lullaby in his hand and threw the Falchion far off to the side, pinning it into the ground, and yanked himself towards the the blade, dodging the fireball. However, neither of the fighters were spared from the effects of the massive ball of flame as it came into contact with the arena wall and exploded, covering the stage in a thin layer of smoke.

The stage was silent for a moment, then all of a sudden the sound of steel against steel could be heard. The spectators watched the scene anxiously as the smoke slowly dispersed. At first, the two fighters appeared as shadows; silhouettes against the backdrop of dust. Then little-by-little, as the smaller shadow continued to bounce towards and away from the larger shadow, the spectators were once more introduced to the battle. Arden was sporting a few recently gained bruises, but looked fine otherwise, and Lamorak's armour had been scratched in a few places but he was otherwise unharmed.

The Royal Guard batted the Hunter-in-Training away with his shield as Arden jumped forward once more. In order to lessen the impact, Arden quickly raised Lullaby and placed his right arm underneath as a support. The impromptu shield managed to lessen the force, but not by much. Even if Arden was utilising his Semblance, the Royal Guard's strength was simply ridiculous, and the teen was still swatted away like a fly.

While in mid-air, Arden once again flipped back and landed on his feet before dashing forward. Already used to the pattern, Lamorak thrust his lance as he stepped forward. The force behind the movement seemed to distort the atmosphere itself as a huge gust of wind pushed Arden back.

Undeterred, the teen flipped back and threw Lullaby directly into the earth. With the blade lodged tightly, Arden pulled himself towards it as the wind died down. Retrieving the blade and holding it with a reverse grip, Arden zigzagged towards and lunged at him.

Allowing his Semblance to manipulate his speed further, Arden managed to get within striking range and swung Lullaby in a wide, circular motion.

Lamorak simply blocked the blow once more with his shield, and swatted Arden away and but as he did, the teen did something surprising.

Utilising the momentum of his previous attack with the leverage gained by Lamorak's shield, Arden pushed off the shield with his blade, sending him up-and-over Lamorak. While suspended in the air, the distance between Arden and Lamorak was minuscule, and Arden used that opportunity.

Twisting in the air, Arden used his Semblance to harden the armoured plating of Ephialtes while increasing his strength and swung his arm like a hammer. The strange and sudden nature of the attack managed to catch the Royal Guard off guard, and the blow connected and caused him to stumble back.

Lamorak was still for a moment as he processed what had just happened. He slowly raised his hand to his jaw and felt a familiar sensation.

Pain.

Lamorak looked over at his opponent. The teen had been staring at him with a steady gaze. His hair was noticeably more dishevelled and unkempt than usual, and his clothes were covered in dust and bore tears here and there, but those eyes that flickered ever so slightly with defiance and determination only served to give him a wild and almost animalistic appearance.

Lamorak smiled. Even if this teen had desecrated his families graves, the Royal Guard could certainly respect anybody who could land a blow on him in such a fashion. The smile was replaced by a toothy grin as the teen dashed towards him, and for the first time, the Royal Guard responded in kind.

Dashing towards Arden, the Royal Guard was like a rampaging bull, kicking up dirt and dust with his single horn aimed at his target. His powerful legs hammered against the ground and his steps were the sound of crashing thunder.

Arden continued to run towards his opponent, lowering himself as to force the Royal Guard to have a harder target to hit.

Lamorak understood what the teen was doing, but showed no intention of stopping his frontal assault. Instead, he angled his lance slightly downwards, and put as much strength into the attack as possible when the two fighters entered each others striking range.

Of course, Lamorak's range was longer, and his attack hit first. Thrusting Lancelot, Arden only just managed to avoid being pierced by the weapon, before he was sent flying back by the shockwave born from the attack.

The tip of Lancelot struck the earth; splintering the ring like wood, and once again the arena become shrouded in a thick layer of smoke. The only visible thing to the spectators were the tips of several large pieces of earth that jutted out of the ground. They once more found themselves in the position of anxiously waiting for the smoke to disperse. A few of them wished to step in and call this duel to a close, but all were stopped by Vincent and Raymond.

The Royal Guard and Butler had insight on this duel that the others lacked. Vincent, who had an understanding of both fighters abilities, and Raymond, whose expectations had already been exceeded regarding Arden, knew that this fight was far from over.

With both individuals controlling the situation, none of the Hunters and Huntress'-in-Training moved despite their protests, and continued to watch the scene with anxious eyes.

Meanwhile, Lamorak had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Trusting his instincts, the Royal Guard swung his lance in a circular motion, the force of which caused the smoke surrounding him to be completely blown away, clearing the arena.

He observed his handiwork.

The once flat and even surface of the ring was no more. Save for the spot on which he stood, the ring had been turned into a field of spikes and jagged rock. The destruction caused by this attack was insurmountable, and would mean certain death for any that stood in its way.

So he wondered; why did he use it? Looking over his creation, with the teen seemingly nowhere in sight, he knew that he would usually never have used so much of his strength against one outside of the Royal Guard, yet he had just done so.

As he was lost in thought, it was only due to his battle hardened instinct that he raised his shield. However, he was stunned to find himself pushed back by the sheer force behind the blow which, while not equivalent to his own strength, was still comparable with that of one of the weaker members of the Royal Guard.

Jumping back and creating some distance between his attacker, Lamorak peered over his shield. Standing there, with his right arm crackling like lightning, stood Arden Cross. However, something about him was different, something that caused Lamorak to grin in excitement and realise why he had been putting so much effort into this fight.

Arden's eye colour had changed from a dull amethyst to a shining diamond in colour.

This kid is interesting!

This is where the real fight begins. Vincent thought when he saw that Arden had activated Ephialtes.

'Five minutes...' He murmured, causing the others to throw him a questioning look. 'The next five minutes will ultimately decide the outcome of this match.'

'What do you mean?' Zephyr asked. 'Arden's been putting up a good fight and all, but it's clear to me that that Lamorak guy is a helluva lot stronger than he is.'

As if in response to his question, the arena began to resound with the sound of battle once more. The spectators looked back and watched amazement as Lamorak tore the earth with heavy strikes while Arden cut through the debris like paper, before striking him once more with his lightning covered arm, once more causing the Royal Guard to stumble back, only to compose himself and begin the battle anew.

To those watching, it was like witnessing lightning striking a mountainside, slowly whittling away the earth. Lamorak, his strikes strong and powerful. Arden, his movements swift and wild. After Arden managed to land yet another blow on the Royal Guard, sending a large electric shock that sent him flying, Elaine spoke up.

'Is...is that really Arden?' She looked at the others when she received no response and noticed that Kitsune and Zephyr were just as shocked as she was.

'Why so surprised?' Fen asked, taking his eyes away from the scene of Arden ducking under the Lance and countering with an uppercut. The Wolf Faunus then recalled his brothers habit of not doing anything if he didn't have to. 'Never mind. Forget I asked.' Fen looked back just in time to see Arden jump and land on Lancelot and slash at Lamorak. The Royal Guard managed to lean back, placing him out of reach of the blade, before swinging the lance to throw Arden off. The Hunter-in-Training's response was to jump back off the lance and dash forward as soon as his feet hit the ground. 'Damn, bro looks so cool when he fight's.'

The Ex-Beacon Students found themselves agreeing with the sentiment. Kitsune watched the battle in awe. She still couldn't comprehend that this was the same Arden that rarely did anything, and found herself growing frustrated.

Damnit! Why is it that the more I learn about him the more questions are left then answers?!

'Where'd he learn to fight?' Elaine questioned, watching as Arden was blown away by Lamorak, only to twist on the air and land on one of the large pillars of jagged rock, utilising it as a platform and shooting off it with a great amount of force. Lamorak managed to dodge as Arden's fist crashed into the ground, creating a small crater, before engaging Lamorak in combat once more. 'Scratch that. HOW THE HELL IS THAT ARDEN?! HAS HE ALWAYS BEEN THAT FREAKING STRONG?!'

Fen frowned at the Lioness Faunus. 'Weren't you listening to me before?' Elaine looked at him in confusion. Fen frowned. 'Remember how I told you that Arden is overprotective.' Elaine nodded, and the other Ex-Beacon students listened in with interest. 'Think about it for a moment. An overprotective older brother with a family full of younger, Faunus siblings; targets of constant discrimination.' Fen gave a small smile. 'Arden became strong because he wouldn't allow anyone to make his siblings cry.'

There it is again. Kitsune thought. If I think about it, it explains a lot. Helping Amelia and that Rabbit Faunus girl. Does everything he do stem from him not wanting people to hurt his siblings?

Kitsune could understand that. She often got into fights protecting her little brother and sister from bullies. Maybe...we aren't too different.

Alexis couldn't help herself at that point and let out a small giggle. 'I bet a lot of people would be surprised to find out that 'The Sleeping Lion' is just a doting older brother.'

'The Sleeping Lion.' Vincent repeated, expressing a fondness for the title. 'Now that takes me back.'

Alexis gave a small smile and Fen grinned. The title had originally been used as a joke by Vincent to describe Arden's overprotective tendencies to kick in whenever his siblings were in trouble, and how he would immediately fall back asleep after the trouble had been dealt with. It was an inside joke, but by the time Arden was fifteen, the name invoked both fear and respect to the various gangs surrounding the area of Lyon. 'Yeah...'

Elaine was confused, as was Kitsune, and the Lioness Faunus was going to ask more about the topic of Arden's title, when Zephyr interrupted her. 'Still, that doesn't explain how he's THAT strong.'

Zephyr pointed in the direction of the battle to prove his point. The stage looked like a war had taken place rather than a duel between two. The jagged spikes had been all but destroyed, replaced by craters that painted the battlefield. The only place that remained untouched was a small patch of earth were the combatants were currently engaged in battle, matching each other blow-for-blow. The two of them were sporting a lot more bruises at this point, but neither showed any sign of giving up. As Lullaby and Lancelot collided once more, beginning yet another power struggle between the two, Fen spoke.

'That's true.' Fen admitted. 'I've always known that Bro is strong, but never this strong.'

Vincent let out a low whistle as Arden won the dead lock and punched Lamorak once more, sending the Royal guard flying into the stadium wall.

'It's because of his Semblance.' The Royal Guard said with certainty. Kitsune's ears perked up at this and she listened intently as Vincent began to give the simple explanation of Arden's Semblance, using the balloon as an example. While he did this, Raymond was continually observing the fight.

So this is the strength of an Ephialtes. The strength fight on equal terms with a Royal Guard. Not just any Royal Guard either, but Lamorak Galahad. I must inform Marcus of this later.

'So Arden is essentially a cheat character then?' Zephyr suggested, believing the term to be fitting as Lamorak charged at Arden and locked weapons with him once more.

Vincent thought for a moment. 'Yes and no.' He said, only causing mass confusion. Vincent began to give a more detailed explanation as Arden and Lamorak broke their power struggle and jumped away from one another. Arden began to run as Lamorak fired round after round of Dust shots. 'The term Potential implies room for growth. Think of it as a scale of one-to-ten. The more you train in a certain field, the higher up you go on that scale. For example, athletes standing at the peak of their perspective sports would fall into an eight or nine, while those who train very little would stand at a three or four.'

'So it's sort of like a game character then?' Zephyr questioned. 'You know, start off at level one and as you level up your stats raise?'

Vincent nodded. 'It's similar. Arden's Semblance allows him to manipulate his place on that scale. If we go by your game character analogy, then Arden's Semblance would allow him to max out any single or all of his stats at any moment, in theory.'

'In theory?' Zephyr questioned as Arden managed to close the distance between him and Lamorak, forcing the Royal Guard to engage him in close combat once again.

Vincent nodded once more. 'Arden's Semblance has three restrictions, three laws if you will, that work together to prevent such a thing from occurring.'

'Three laws?' Questioned Kitsune, speaking up for the first time since the match began.

Vincent tilted his head to the side in confusion. 'Why so surprised? Didn't you guys receive the manual?'

'Manual?' The three Ex-Beacon students questioned simultaneously.

In response, Vincent reached into his pocket and produced a small, leather-bound journal. The cover of the journal caused all three Faunus to gape in surprise.

Arden Cross Instruction Manual Version 3.2: The How to's of operating your Simple Sleepy idiot.

Vincent noticed their shock and shook his head. 'So you didn't get the manual.'

'Why the hell does he have a manual in the first place?' Elaine asked, still in shock.

Kitsune groaned. 'Never mind that.' She said, realising she could only take in so much confusing information in one day. 'Can we please get back onto the topic of the three laws?'

Elaine frowned at her friend, but refrained from saying anything when she noticed what she referred to as Kitsune's 'Leader face'. Her eyes were narrowed, her brows furrowed, and her manner indicated intense focus as her mind was storing away as much information as she could regarding Arden's combat abilities.

Though Vincent didn't understand the expression, he decided to speak anyway. 'Well the first law, is The Law of Limitation.'

Vincent directed their attention back towards the battle. When they did so, they saw Arden was again trading blows with Lamorak. 'The Law of Limitation, as it implies, means that their is a limit to where Arden can raise his attributes. A person can only be so strong, so fast, and so agile. Arden's Semblance may allow him to reach the peaks of his physical performance, but he can not move beyond that and it also means that not all of his attributes will peak equally.'

Vincent stopped to see if they understood, and when they indicated they did, continued. 'The second law is, The Law of Scale.' He watched as Arden was pushed back by Lamorak and managed to regain his footing in time to dodge yet another trust and resumed the battle anew.

'Unlike the scale of one-to-ten that I mentioned before, Arden's Semblance works on a scale of negative ten-to-ten.' Kitsune momentarily took her eyes off the battle and raised a brow at Vincent, who began to explain. 'It's like with a balloon. You can fill it with a lot of air, making it larger, or take air out, making it smaller. Likewise, Arden can peak his physical attributes, or make them decline to a point where even a toddler could beat him without issue.'

'That...seems kinda pointless.' Zephyr stated, mystefied as he watched Arden manage to finally land a slash on the Royal Guard, leaving a small cut just above the mans brow.

'True, but I have known him to do something along those lines when he wants to fall asleep instantly.'

Zephyr sweatdropped at that, but it did explain a lot. 'So, The Law of Scale essentially refers to Arden's ability to manipulate himself on that -10-to-10 scale?' Zephyr reasoned.

'Yep, exactly.' Vincent nodded. He let out a small whistle as Arden was unable to block Lamorak's attack in time and was batted away to the other side of the field. Unlike the previous times, Arden didn't manage to land on his feet and was sent sprawling across the ground. Though he managed to get to his feet, it surprised most of those watching, save for Vincent.

'So it's finally kicked in.' He said.

Kitsune locked her eyes on Arden. Noticing for the first time since the battle began how haggard and beaten he looked, struggling to grasp for breath. Zephyr and Elaine noticed this too.

'What happened?' Fen asked, just as confused as the others. 'What's wrong with Arden?'

'It's the third law.' Vincent explained, just as concerned as Fen, concern which only grew as Arden moved in to attack once more. 'The Law of Restraint.'

'The Law of Restraint?' Zephyr questioned, watching the scene before him with a worried expression.

Vincent nodded grimly. 'The Law of Restraint is what dictates the previous two laws. It is what determines where Arden's physical abilities peak, and how quickly Arden can manipulate his place on the negative ten-to-ten scale. Right now, Arden is at his peak and can't take his abilities any further.' A dark look adorned Vincent's face. 'Which is a good thing, considering it's also what prevents Arden's Semblance from destroying him.'

The sound of battle seemed non-existent to the spectators as Vincent's admission resounded in their head.

'W-What do you mean?' Fen said, hoping that he had heard wrong.

Unfortunately, he hadn't.

'Arden's Semblance could destroy him.' He repeated, the words leaving a bad taste in his mouth. 'You all have too understand that the body was never designed to forcefully bring out an individuals latent abilities. The reason for this is self preservation. Our minds purposely suppresses our strength until our bodies are trained to deal with it. So that we do not potentially injure ourselves beyond repair. However, Arden's Semblance ignores this. It brings out as much of his latent abilities as possible until it reaches a certain point. Thankfully, this is where The Law of Restraint kicks in. So no matter how much he tries and forces his Semblance to move beyond that point, it won't. On a subconscious level, Arden's mind prevents his Semblance from moving beyond that point that could result in deadly consequences.'

Fen dreaded to ask, but felt that he needed to know exactly how much his older brother was risking in this fight. 'What sort of consequences?'

Vincent remained silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts, before speaking. What he said caused almost everyone to cry out in shock.

'Loss of sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch. Loss of higher and lower motor functions. Loss of muscles and limbs. Loss of higher and lower cognitive functions. Organ failure. Muscle and bone decay. And in the most extreme case, death.'

Fen couldn't find the words to express how he felt and slumped back in his chair with glazed eyes. Alexis looked at her brother and didn't know how to take the news. If Vincent knew that Arden's Semblance could results in this, why did he let him fight?

The three beacon students had their own thoughts. All of which was summarised nicely by Zephyr.

'WHAT THE HELL?! WE NEED TO STOP THIS FIGHT NOW!'

Kitsune, Elaine, Fen and Alexis were all in agreement. When they were about to leave, however, Vincent stopped them.

'Don't.' He said, standing in front of them all.

Fen glared at the blonde-haired teen. 'Don't? WHAT DO YOU MEAN DON'T?! MY BROTHER, YOUR BEST FRIEND, IS FREAKING DESTROYING HIMSELF RIGHT NOW AND YOU WANT US TO STAY PUT?!'

Vincent's response was a stone cold stare that froze everyone in their tracks. Kitsune, Elaine, and Zephyr felt a pressure exuding from the man that caused their hair to stand on end and their fight-or-flight response was kicked into overdrive.

'I don't like it.' Vincent said, glancing over his shoulder to see Arden and Lamorak standing at opposite ends of the Arena. 'But I trust Arden.'

Vincent smiled, and that terrifying pressure simply vanished, though the Beacon students knew it was there. 'That guy, no matter what, wont be destroyed over something like this. Besides, weren't you guys listening? The Law of Restraint prevents those things from occurring. So the worse we have to deal with is muscle fatigue and extreme tiredness.' Vincent didn't tell the entire truth at the end. Fatigue and tiredness were just two, he purposely left out the fat that his veins and arteries could burst, if only to give the teens piece of mind.

The teens dwelled on his words for a moment and reluctantly sat back down. Vincent thanked and sat down alongside them. Checking his wrist watch, Vincent noted that their was only one minute left of the five minute period he had mentioned earlier.

Outwardly he seemed fine, but he was just as anxious as the others were.

The five minutes he had spoken about was in relation to Arden activating Ephialtes.

As Arden's body acted as the power source for his elemental attacks, it drained him of his energy at a quick pace. Combine this with the stress placed upon him by his Semblance, it would strain Arden's body immensely. Not to the point of death, but definitely somewhere close. So Vincent had decided that, as soon as five minutes had passed, he would stop the battle.

Now, only one minute till-hmm?

Vincent stopped his train of thought as he noticed that neither combatant had moved from their perspective spots. His gaze drifted between them.

Lamorak had lowered his body and was preparing to charge. His aura had begun to form thin streams that wrapped itself around Lancelot in layers; till the grey of the lance was replaced by a burning red. The earth around the Royal Guard began to melt, and the very air that surrounded him seemed to tremble. The Veteran of the Royal Guard had dents all over his armour, and bruises and cuts here and there, but the youngest Royal Guard was more focused on what Lamorak was doing.

It was a technique that he usually reserved for only the most dangerous of Grimm and the Royal Guard.

Why the hell is he using that?! He thought, but prevented himself from moving. A hard task, which eventually became easier when he saw what Arden was doing.

The Hunter-in-Training had responded by holding Lullaby in both hands. He was bruised, battered, and bleeding, but showed no intention of giving up just yet. Through experience, Vincent understood the action, and to those watching, they witnessed something they never thought possible.

Lullaby began to sing.

It wasn't truly a song. It was simply the sound of the metal resonating with the electrical current of Ephialtes as the lightning began to surge through the blade, eventually enveloping it in a pale blue light that crackled and sparked. The sound that it created was not at all unpleasant. Quite the opposite; it was as calming as it was beautiful, and when Arden moved the blade ever so slightly to get into a two handed sword battle stance, Lullaby produced different sounds.

The song seemed to increase in volume as Arden poured more and more energy into it; till the blade was like still lightning, contained only by the strength of its wielder.

This should be enough...I hope. Though Arden never let his gaze drift from his opponent, he couldn't help but sigh on the inside. His body felt like it was going to fall apart at any moment. Hell, what he was planning to do now was simply a desperation tactic to end this fight before he got any worse! I really should have thought this plan out better...

Arden dashed towards Lamorak as the Royal Guard began his charge.

To those watching, it all happened so quickly, but for the two combatants, it was like everything had occurred in slow motion.

The fighters met in the center of the arena for what was to be the last exchange of blows between the two.

Both had realised that the techniques that they were currently using were designed to end the battle with a single strike.

Lamorak's lance was a torrent of flame.

Arden's blade was lightning incarnate.

Lamorak thrust Lancelot.

Arden swung Lullaby.

Then the two weapons clashed.

Five Days after the Duel

Arden let out a groan as he slowly opened his eyes. His body ached all over and his head felt like it was being torn apart at the seams.

Note to self: Never, EVER, do anything, ever. Arden thought this with the utmost conviction, but understood that it wasn't as steel clad as he would've liked. Anyway, where am I?

As Arden's eyes opened completely, the first thing he saw was a white, chequered ceiling. Shifting around where he was currently lying, he realised that he was in a bed.

A comfortable, comfortable bed.

Well...that's all I need to know. Arden was going to take a nap, but was interrupted by the sound of a door opening as someone entered the room.

'Oh? You're finally up.'

Normally, Arden would've ignored whoever it was and fallen to sleep, but this particular voice caused him to blink a couple of times and question his sanity.

There's no way. Arden sat up in the bed and turned his head in the direction of the voice. Sure enough, standing there in her usual red jacket, orange shirt and black jeans, was Kitsune.

'You've been unconscious for a few days now.' She said, walking over to the seat by his bed, sitting down and placing the tray of food she had in her hands on a desk drawer nearby. 'Are you feeling alright?'

Arden didn't say anything. He silently stared at her, wondering if this was actually the Fox Faunus leader of his team. He was also questioning if his head was in worse of a condition than he thought.

'I asked you a question you know. The least you could do is answer after I came all the way here.'

The customary frown and the familiar tone of irritation which caused him to flinch a little that accompanied her words left no doubt in his mind that this was indeed Kitsune.

Seeing that she was still awaiting an answer, Arden gave a slight nod, which seemed to satisfy the girl. 'And your arm?'

My arm? Arden wondered in confusion, before looking down and seeing that Ephialtes had been completely wrapped in bandages, concealing it from view. Probably Vincent. Arden reasoned. He's the only one that would do this. I should thank him later. He then looked back at Kitsune and shrugged.

Kitsune frowned. What exactly is that supposed to mean? Tsk, I knew I should have read that manual. She was annoyed, but didn't do anything about it as Arden had taken his eyes of his bandaged arm and was looking at her.

He probably hadn't noticed yet, but he wasn't wearing his glasses, so Kitsune could easily tell that he was confused as to why she was here.

Well, here goes. Kitsune reached into her jacket pocket and produced two items. The first thing Arden saw was his glasses, which caused the teen to blush in embarrassment, however that momentarily faded when his eyes fell upon-

My journal!

Kitsune saw how Arden's expression indicated mass confusion and amazement at the sight of the small, red journal. She presented both items to Arden, and he accepted them readily.

How does she have this? He wondered, causing him to forget both items and give Kitsune a confused look, which quickly faded as he shot her a smile. That doesn't matter. It's here with me now.

'Thank you.'

Kitsune's eyes went wide in surprise, and she found herself suppressing the urge to blush when she saw the sincere expression that adorned the teens face.

You know...if Arden tidied up a bit, he wouldn't be half bad to-

'It's fine.' Kitsune said, cutting off her train of thought before it went anywhere else. She was wondering why Arden didn't bother asking her why she had the journal in the first place. It was the most logical thing to do after all. However, he seemed content with simply having it with him once more.

It must be really important to him. She thought, making her feel really guilty for keeping it from him for so long, especially after-

'Hey.' She started. 'Do you...remember what you said a few days ago?'

Arden cocked his head to the side and that confused expression returned once more.

Kitsune sighed. 'Of course you just had to forget...' She mumbled, purposely keeping her voice low so Arden wouldn't hear. A faint tinge of red dusted her cheeks as she recalled the exchange of words that occurred between the teen and Royal Guard after their weapons collided.

The arena and the stadium surrounding it was reduced to rubble.

The sheer power behind the two techniques was unfathomable to those that had not witnessed it first-hand. It was like a star had fallen from the heavens and crashed directly into the earth, with the two warriors standing at its epicentre.

The spectators had been spared from the destruction thanks to the combined efforts of Vincent and Raymond, who had used their auras to form a shield that protected them from the brunt of the blast.

The dust that was kicked up from the explosion dispersed, and everyone finally saw the result of the battle.

Arden was standing over the kneeling figure of Lamorak with his blade pressed against his neck.

'Apologise.' The teen said, barely able to remain on his feet. 'Apologise to Kitsune.'

Despite his position, Lamorak threw the teen an odd look. 'Is that why you fought so hard? To the point where your body can barely hold itself together.'

As if on cue, Arden fell to his knees and began to cough up a large amount of blood.

Lamorak, through great effort, got to his feet and stood over Arden. 'You fought well, much better than most could ever hope to against me, for such a foolish reason?'

Arden glared at Lamorak, and the Royal Guard noted that his eyes had returned to their original colour, but still burned with defiance. 'Call it what you will.'

Arden stabbed Lullaby into the ground and used it as a support to get to his feet. 'She may not like me much. Hell, she hates me, but I know that Kitsune isn't a bad person.'

Arden shifted into a loose battle ready stance. 'And I will be damned if I let someone think they can get away with hurting her while I'm around.'

Arden raised Lullaby and pointed it in Lamorak's direction. 'I don't care if you're a Royal Guard, I'll-'

Arden never finished his sentence as he blacked out.

After Arden had collapsed, Vincent had escorted him and the group via his Semblance to the Lyre residence, and tended to the unconscious teens wounds. He had also brought Lamorak with him, and had cleared up the misunderstanding that led to the duel in the first place. How it wasn't possible for Arden to have been the one to desecrate his ancestral grave site as Arden had been with him the entire time. He also showed him video footage he had taken of his Son's actions and why Arden had gotten involved. Lamorak assured Vincent that he would deal with that issue.

While Vincent was doing this, Raymond took Marcus aside and explained the details of what occurred during the duel. Not wanting any unsavoury information to get out, Marcus had Raymond cover up as much of what occurred as possible.

Especially the details concerning Arden.

The Royal Guard, as requested by Arden repeatedly, had also apologised to Kitsune, and as soon as he was fully healed (which took the course of two days) left the Lyre residence.

In the five days that Arden had been unconscious, Kitsune had been given the job of nursing him. To everyones surprise, she didn't protest, and in fact turned down Alexis and Fen's offers to take-over or assist. To her, Arden's situation was currently her fault, and seeing him end up in such a state because of her...

Let's just say that she wasn't THAT heartless.

'Kitsune?'

At the mention of her name, the Fox Faunus girl snapped out of her reverie, and found Arden looking at her with concern.

'Why do you keep doing that?' She asked, far more frustrated with herself than at the teen before her.

Arden tilted his head to the side in confusion. Realising that she couldn't find a way to explain her outburst without having to mention what Arden had said earlier, she changed her question.

'Why did you fight Lamorak? Vincent told everyone about your Semblance.' Kitsune balled her fingers into a fist as she felt guilt rising within her. 'Why did you get into a fight with him knowing that you would get injured like this?'

Arden thought for a moment. Is this why she's been acting so out of character? He noted her slumped shoulders and clenched fist. Damn...I have to say something.

As Arden gathered his thoughts, Kitsune awaited his answer. To be honest, she learnt that she couldn't categorize him. He made no sense.

He was weak, yet stronger than most. He was idle, yet acted in certain circumstance. He rarely spoke, yet his silence spoke bounds.

In short.

He made no sense whatsoever.

So Kitsune had to hear what his answer was. Hoping beyond hope that he would say something that would make any lick of sen-

'You know, when we first met in the Emerald Forest, I thought you were a demon.'

Kitsune snapped out of her thoughts and frowned at Arden. She wasn't expecting that, but had no time to comment as Arden continued. 'You woke me up from the nice nap I was having and then knocked me out as soon as I said something wrong. So you have to admit that it wasn't the best first impression.' Kitsune remained silent but her cheek puffed up in annoyance. 'Then I saw how you were around Zephyr and Elaine.' Arden paused.'The first time I saw you around them, when I saw you smiling and laughing, I didn't see a demon. I saw an angel. It may sound stupid to you, but at that moment, I couldn't help but think.'

Arden shot her a smile and a sincere expression. 'I wouldn't mind it if that angel would smile at me.'

Silence.

Awkward, deafening silence.

Kitsune's face turned a shade of crimson that she didn't believe possible, and so did Arden's as he realised what he had just said. It had absolutely nothing to do with what Kitsune asked, but it was the only thing that he could come up with to say.

Thankfully, the two were spared any further embarrassment as Arden's stomach growled.

Now that I think about it, I am rather hungry.

Arden reached over and was about to grab the tray, but was surprised when Kitsune stopped him.

'Y-your food has probably gotten cold by now so I'll go heat it up.' She said as she grabbed the tray and ran out of the room before Arden had any chance to protest.

But...I'm hungry...

As Kitsune rushed out of the room and headed towards the kitchen, three figures peered from the corner.

Each shot the other a look with an impish grin.

Vincent, Elaine, and Zephyr all had the same mischievous glint in their eyes as they had overheard everything that had been said between the two.

After exchanging looks once more, the three went off to make plans to annoy the pair as much as possible.

Lamorak Galahad stood in the private study of the Head of the Notus Royal Family. To the surprise of those that saw him enter, he was without his usual armour, but they said nothing on it.

Even without armour, he was still intimidating.

'Sir Galahad.' The Head said, in his usual jovial voice. 'To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?'

Lamorak bowed in respect towards the Head before straightening up. 'I have a request, your highness.'

The Head frowned. 'Please Lamorak, you know that when I am alone with my friends and family that there is no need for such formalities.'

Lamorak gave a slight grin. 'You do me too much kindness, Arthur.'

Arthur smiled. 'Good. Now, what request would you wish of me? It is quite rare of you to ask for something.'

'I am aware, but I believe that this will interest you.'

Arthur raised a brow. 'How so?'

Lamorak smirked. 'I have found someone that I wish to succeed me as a Royal Guard.'

Arthur went wide-eyed. Usually, the Head of the Royal family would decide who should become a Royal Guard. To so much as even offer a suggestion on who should become a Royal Guard was paramount to treason in the olden days. 'I am surprised Lamorak. Who is it that would cause you to ask such a thing of me?'

Lamorak crossed his arms and spoke.

'A young man that is currently residing with the Head of FRAME. Not only did he face me in combat, but I was unable to defeat him.' Arthur's eyes went wide. 'Also...'

The Royal Guard took of his shirt, revealing a hideous scar that cut diagonally from his shoulder to his hip. He then put his shirt back on.

Arthur understood why he had done that. 'This young man, what is his name?'

Lamorak gave a small grin, and uttered his name with the utmost respect.

'Arden Cross.'

Arden felt a shiver run up his spine as soon as Kitsune returned with the tray of food.

It feels like someone is expecting me to do something. He thought to himself, but shrugged it off and accepted the food gratefully.

'By the way.' Kitsune said, recovering from her earlier embarrassment (though she could still not look at him directly). 'I should tell you that we start our first day at Aspire tomorrow.'

Arden paused for a moment, shrugged, then went back to eating.

School is school and has its own troubles.

Right now, he preferred to eat.

Then sleep.

Arden sighed internally.

If only I could do both.