28th Festive Moon, 908 – Morning in Castle Foirbeis

With their limited freedom around the castle, all the Foresters and bounty hunters could do upon waking was wait out in their room until they were called for. Fortunately, the king was kind enough to have a servant deliver food to their room, giving them time to eat and strategize how they would proceed. Only Lillia was left out of the discussion as she continued slumbering away in bed, not once tempted by the delicious smell of pastry goods wafting through the air.

Jason tore a bite off his toast as he sat against the bedframe. "Tadhg will summon us any moment now, and hopefully with an answer to our proposal."

Shale cracked her knuckles and snickered. "I say we put a sack over his head and force him to comply!" she exclaimed with her eyes shimmering in a bright orange and red.

Casimir glared. "You are not allowed to speak at all during negotiations. Ever."

"Bah, why does this political crap need to be so boring?"

Melissa giggled uneasily. "That is less to do with politics and more just…an unprofessional way of establishing bonds of friendship."

Tank glared. "He didn't outright reject us, so we should take that as a sign. Do you suppose I'll still have to help him with his…experiments if he says no?"

Jason shook his head. "Not if I have anything to say about it."

Petra nibbled on her seventh piece of shortbread before saying, "I couldn't help but notice those two girls looking surprised when Tadhg changed his mind about helping us. Do you suppose that means anything?"

Casimir scratched his head. "The prince is remarkably stubborn about what he wants. Most rumors about him state he is nearly impossible to debate with when he desires something. Either Harlow's speech moved him to tears, or he's hiding something."

Jason scoffed. "So, he might be more of a conniving genius than we realized."

"He's something, that much is certain."

Tank scratched his chin. "Brooklyn divulged as much as she could about the prince from her time growing up in Umbra Clock. He was stated to be a precocious child always studying anything that caught his eye. There was no limit to the knowledge he craved. He simply wanted it all. That is why they called him the Avaricious Prince."

Melissa glared. "So, perhaps he wanted the rest of the night to give the alliance more thought?"

"After listing all your crimes back at you, I'd say he gave it a thought way before you all showed up at the castle," Shale said, slapping her knee and bursting out into laughter.

Casimir rolled his eyes and swiftly slapped the young Cinderace upside the head, ceasing her laughter. "I'm starting to think King Tadhg had a response to your proposal already assigned, but he needs something else from you all to finalize his decision."

Petra finished her shortbread and asked, "What more could he want? We're already selling Tank's body to him!"

Tank facepalmed. "Petra. Phrasing."

Before further thought could be put into their questions, they wouldn't have to wait much longer. A knock sounded off the door, and Leitis let herself inside. Arms tucked behind her back, she glared down at the group and said, "Foresters, King Tadhg has summoned you to the royal family's training hall. Please follow me."

Jason glared before picking himself off the floor. "No better time for answers than the present." He grabbed Melissa's hand and helped her to her feet.

She smiled briefly at his kind gesture before looking over his shoulder to the sleeping Meowstic still curled up in bed. "Should we wake her?"

"…" Jason shrugged. "Eh, let her sleep. We'll fill her in on the details afterwards."

Shale sprung to her feet and raced to the door. "Let's get this party train a-moving!"

"AH!" Leitis ducked as the Cinderace leapt over her head. She spun around and shouted, "Don't run off on your own, you twit! I'm in charge here!"

Casimir groaned. "I am so sorry for her."

Melissa took a deep breath before nodding her head to the door. "Alright everyone, let's see if our journey here was worth the wait."


The group followed Leitis through the stone castle, traversing deep into the back halls. At the end was a set of double wooden doors surrounded by a golden arch. As they neared, they took in the swords and shields mounted across the walls, each showing their age and scars from years on the battlefield.

Upon reaching the doors, Leitis pushed against the doors, showing their weight as they groaned opened. A burst of light erupted out from the other side, briefly blinding the group. After their eyes adjusted, they stepped inside after the Buizel.

They entered into a large room with a skylight giving them a view of the morning sky. The walls, unlike the stony texture of the castle, were layered with marble-like tile. The floor beneath their feet was made up of a soft, smooth wood that looked to be recently polished. Weapon stands and storage closets sat along the walls, wrapping all the way back to the entrance.

In the center of the room was a rectangular perimeter of white line indicating the battlefield. Standing in the dead center of the battlefield was none other than King Tadhg, naturally joined by Una who happily waved to the arriving party.

Tadhg smirked. "Thank you for answering my summons. We have much to cover today."

Jason glared. "What's this about? Why call us down here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" the king asked. "This will be the stage that'll determine the future of the Umbra Clock Kingdom and the Foresters."

Leitis stepped away from the group and joined the king's side. "The king has put much thought into your request for an alliance. However, circumstances dictate that we cannot abide by such treaties without a test of assurance. You all are still considered criminals in the eyes of the region, thus you are here to prove your worthiness to the kingdom."

Una snickered. "In less fancy speak, one of you will be dueling the king to earn the right to an alliance with us."

The group's eyes widened. "What?!"

Tadhg pulled his jacket from his shoulders, fully displaying his armored chest plate, pauldrons, and bracers. He handed his jacket off to Una while Leitis walked over to the weapon stands. "Though we don't look the part, the Umbra Clock Kingdom is a warrior kingdom from the days of its founding. Two warriors clashing together in combat speaks their goals and aspirations more than simple words ever could. To wield one's emotions through their skills and techniques. The depths they must go for victory. What drives the Foresters to take on such an extreme risk?"

Melissa frowned. "So, this is all a test to see if you can trust us?"

"Precisely."

"This feels rather improper of a king."

He laughed. "You'll find I don't follow regulation like my forefathers."

"Your Majesty." Leitis returned, carrying a sheathed claymore in her arms. "Your sword."

With a snap of his fingers, the claymore ejected from its sheath in a purple aura, spinning through the air before landing in Tadhg's awaiting hand. The sword carried considerable weight as he struggled to hold it up. The tip settled against the floor. From the hilt to the tip of the blade, it was almost double the height of the Meowstic king.

Tank glared. "That sword looks a bit heavy for you."

The king chuckled lightly, picking the sword up with some effort and settling it over his shoulder. "A good eye. This was actually my father's sword. It will be the weapon I use in our duel."

Shale scoffed. "You can barely hold it. How do you expect to win a swordfight like that?"

He smirked. "You'll find that won't be an issue for me. Now then, as for my opponent…"

Jason glared and stepped forward. "Very well." He reached over his shoulder and gripped his sword. "As the leader of the Foresters, I'll gladly accept your duel—"

"Actually…" Tadhg lifted his hand and pointed directly at Melissa. "My opponent will be Skill Hunter Harlow."

His and Melissa's eyes widened. "Huh?!"

"You were the one who proposed this alliance in the first place, correct?" Tadhg asked. "Thus, I wish to see the depths of your determination, Skill Hunter. If you can best me in combat, I shall gladly accept an alliance with the Foresters."

Jason growled. "Are you serious? You can't just—" He stopped as Melissa held her hand out in front of him. "Huh?"

"…" Melissa sighed before pulling off her cloak, revealing her multi-purpose weapon. "I accept your challenge, King Tadhg."

Jason glared worriedly. "Rookie…"

She flashed a smile at him. "I've got a lot stronger in the year I've been with you guys. Let me show you what I can do on my own. Besides…" She clenched her fist and nodded determinedly. "This is my dream, and I have to see it through no matter the obstacles."

"…" He sighed. "Alright. I trust you."

"Hmph." She glared at Tadhg before stepping forward. "King Tadhg, I humbly accept your challenge. I hope my skills will be enough to forge an unbreakable alliance between us."

His smirk grew. "I've decided I like you, Skill Hunter, but we'll save the pleasantries for later. This is a duel now, and I won't go easy on you."

Melissa twisted her sheathed baton sword and pulled it from its scabbard. She unhooked the blocky scabbard and handed it off to Tank. "No tricks or anything. Just our swords and our techniques. That sound fair?"

A mischievous glint twinkled in his eyes. "That's more than perfect."

Jason felt a worrying chill of doubt as he studied the king's unwavering confidence. I remember him briefly showing us that psychic cube he conjured yesterday. He must be hiding a dangerous technique to use against us. Melissa, I hope you know what you're doing.


Meanwhile…

Rising out from her restful slumber, Lillia sat up in bed and stretched her arms with a yawn. "Wow, that…was the most comfortable sleep I've had in forever. I missed mattresses."

As she blinked the sleep out of her eyes, she looked around the guest room and noticed that she was the only one left. The beds were empty, and only a single plate of three slices of shortbread and lukewarm tea were left out for her.

Pulling herself out of bed, she grabbed a slice of shortbread and tore a bite out of it as she gazed around the room in confusion. "Curious. I appear to be alone." She tapped her chin with the bread. "Either everyone was abducted in the middle of the night, or they went on ahead to meet the king without me while I slept. Hmmm, so many possibilities."

With a shrug, she ate the last of her bread and drank the lukewarm tea before stepping out into the hall. After a quick glance, she made her way down in hopes of finding the others.

"Well, I'm grateful they let me sleep, though I wish someone left a note telling me where to go," she mumbled aloud. "Oh spirits, I suppose I'll have to risk a maze of turning passages to fund my way to them—" Upon turning a corner, someone collided into her stomach, knocking her on her rear. She winced and massaged her aching tailbone. "Oof, that smarts."

"What the…?"

Lillia looked ahead, meeting eyes with a confused Brionne in a bed robe. The two stared at each other in contemplative silence, studying each other with their curious, roaming eyes. Neither were sure how to continue on with the awkward collision, though Lillia had only just woken up.

"Uh…" The Brionne rubbed the back of her head. "Who are you?"


With the agreements settled, Melissa and Tadhg took their positions on opposite sides of the battlefield. The rest of their groups joined at the back wall to observe the duel with Leitis acting as the judge. Melissa clutched her baton sword, glaring determinedly, while Tadhg rested his claymore over his shoulder with an unwavering, confident grin.

Casimir glared. "You sure she can keep up with him?"

Jason nodded. "I've known Harlow for quite some time. I can attest that her skill is beyond what appearances dictate. It's a matter of what the king has up his sleeve."

Petra excitedly waved her fists. "Come on, Harlow! Kick his butt!"

Una jumped up and down. "You can do it, Tadhg! Show these chumps why you're the king!"

Leitis took a deep breath before raising her hands toward both duelists. "This will be a one-on-one duel between Skill Hunter Harlow and King Tadhg Foirbeis. The rules are simple: you are restricted only to your swords and the use of your techniques. In addition, both duelists are restricted to the boundaries of the battlefield. Going beyond the perimeter will be grounds for instant disqualification. Is that clear?"

"Aye!" Melissa and Tadhg answered.

Leitis nodded, then raised her hand above her head. "In that case, let this duel commence! Standby, and…!" She swiped her hand down. "Begin!"

In a flash, Melissa tensed her leg muscles and rocketed across the battlefield. Alight in the aura of her Quick Attack, she charged toward Tadhg in a zigzag maneuver, clearing the distance in less than a second.

I'll just knock him out of bounds and end this in one strike! Tightening her grip over her weapon, she put one last burst of speed into her foot and launched at the king, swinging for his chest.

CLANG!

She connected, but Tadhg remained firmly rooted in his spot. In a flash, he raised his claymore and countered her strike. His sword was wrapped in a purple aura of psychic energy, matching the fiery glow blazing out from his eyes.

He smirked. "You didn't even hesitate to go first. I like that." He leaned forward and swung, knocking Melissa across the battlefield.

She dragged her hand against the ground and landed back on her feet. She glared at his glowing sword. "So, that's how you're compensating for your sword's weight. You're just overlapping your Psychic over it. You sure you can handle keeping it active? That might tire you out."

Tadhg rested his sword back over his shoulder. "Psychic-Type moves are strengthened by the will of the user's mind, and you'll find mine is an infinite well of energy to exploit." He extended his hand out. "Still, I can't have you running around all over the place. Psychic Terrain!"

A ring of psychic energy opened up on the floor and expanded across the room. Melissa shielded herself as a curtain of energy passed over her, then watched as a purple hue overtook the entire training hall. The sunlight coming from the skylight radiated in a brilliant shade of purple.

Jason winced. Suddenly, me going out there and fighting looks like a bad idea. Psychic Terrain nullifies any speed control. Not only that, his psychic attacks…

Tadhg raised his sword, which channeled a greater psychic aura around it. He extended this aura over himself. "I hope you weren't planning to just outpace me, Skill Hunter, because you'll find I can be quite adaptable myself." With that, he sprinted forward with the aid of his Psychic.

"Bounce!" Melissa sprang off the ground, dodging Tadhg's swing. She landed on the ceiling and kicked off, diving down onto his position. "HA!" She swung her baton sword down.

Tadhg spun around and parried her downward strike. His smirk grew. "Now, Expanding Force."

Energy erupted from the floor, launching a rectangular pillar of psionic power into the Buneary. She gasped out in pain as the attack launched her back into the air and slammed her against the ceiling.

"Don't get too comfortable. There's plenty more where that came from." Without even moving his hands, several pillars of Expanding Force fired from the ground toward the pinned Buneary.

Acting fast, Melissa pressed the tip of her foot to the ceiling and kicked off before the Expanding Forces connected. She glided across the ceiling before diving back onto the battlefield's edge. She nearly slid over the boundary, but quickly rebounded and dashed for Tadhg's back.

"Super Springy Kick Move!" She flipped onto her hand and launched into a dropkick. The Quick Attack in her technique fizzled out, but she was primed to deliver a swift and critical strike while he was unguarded.

Tadhg, however, remained confident. With a snap of his fingers, an Expanding Force opened up behind him and intercepted Melissa's attack. Feeling the psychic energy grinding into her foot, she kicked off and safely landed away from it.

"Super Springy Kick Move?" He turned around and laughed. "What an adorable name."

Melissa growled. "Shut up! I like it!"

"I wasn't being sarcastic."

"…Well, shut up anyway!" She launched forward again, channeling a blue aura through her sword. "Try this! Faithless Imitation! Jet Style: Icy Razor Shell!" She summoned an icy blue blade from her baton which emitted a misty aura around it.

Tadhg swung and blocked her attack. He glared as ice started forming along his sword. "So, this is the technique of your namesake. Even when your target's no longer around, you can conjure whatever technique you witnessed before."

Melissa growled, putting more pressure on his sword. "That's right, so you better be careful with whatever techniques you show me!"

He smirked. "I think you'll find mine are a bit above your skill level." He shoved her back and jumped out of her reach. "Expanding Force!" Pillars of psychic energy erupted from the walls this time, aiming to smash Melissa between them.

"Fabrice Style: Mud Dive!" Melissa punched the ground, causing the wooden floor to soften, and dove below the battlefield as the Expanding Forces collided into each other.

Una gasped. "Hey, that's cheating! She's out of bounds!"

Leitis glared. "No, she's still within the perimeter of the battlefield."

Tank smirked. "She even learned how to use Fabrice's Mud Dive indoors. Looks like she's been practicing."

"Go Harlow!" Petra cheered.

Tadhg stepped back carefully, his eyes roaming across the surface. "Now, where are you?" He scanned the floor meticulously before smirking. "There you are."

He jumped back as the ground opened up under him. He narrowly dodged Melissa's swing and immediately countered with his own. The blunt side of his claymore connected with her chest and sent her flying across the floor. She dug her hands through the floors, softening it bit by bit until she had handholds to grip into. She barely caught herself before she could slide over the perimeter.

Shale stomped her foot. "How the hell did he know where she was going to pop up?! I call foul!"

Casimir glared. "Don't tell me he's using…"

Melissa picked herself up and glared, taking note of the psychic aura permeating from Tadhg's eyes. He smirked upon noticing her quizzical expression. "See something you like?"

"…" She gripped her sword in both hands. "I've never seen a Miracle Eye like that before."

He laughed. "You've got a good eye. It's a necessary tool for my fighting style against Dark-Types, but it's particularly useful once I've amplified it with Psychic. It allows me to peer ahead into the future and foresee the route of your fate."

Melissa smirked. "You sure you want to be divulging that information to me?"

"Why not? I just love talking about the different ways you can combine moves, and you're a treasure trove of techniques to explore." His smile grew, brimming with confidence and excitement. "I want to see what other techniques you've taken for yourself!"

Leitis facepalmed. "Annnnd that's the other reason he wanted to duel her. Of course." Una fell over on the floor, holding her stomach as she busted out into laughter.

Melissa chuckled. "If that's all you wanted, you should've asked. Alright then!" She sprung forward with her natural speed. She sheathed her sword inside her jacket and clapped her hands together. "Let's see you escape this. Althalos Style: Abyss Clouds!" Dark clouds spawned around her fists, and she fired black tendrils at the blue cat.

Tadhg's smile grew. "Yes, yes! Now this is getting interesting!" He swiped his hand across his blade, causing a geyser of psychic energy to erupt from it. "Gravity Blade." He raised his sword high and slashed down at the black tendrils.

A rippling force scarred the air in front of the tendrils. Upon connecting, the tendrils disrupted and slammed into the floor with an immense weight holding them down. Melissa cut off the tendrils and stepped back. "Crap."

Tadhg dashed around the gravity scar and charged her down. "So, which direction will you move, Skill Hunter?"

Melissa clenched her teeth. If he really can predict my movements, this is going to make things difficult. I just need to study how he moves a little longer and I'll have a counter to his future vision. But first…

She slammed her hands down and summoned a wave of Abyss Clouds in front of herself. "Dodge this!"

Tadhg laughed and sliced down the middle of the black wave, slamming a cluster of dark clouds into the ground. Right as the wave was split open, Melissa lunged at him with her sword in hand. She gripped it tightly as a coating of electricity sparked off the baton.

"Jason Style: Plasma Cutter Z-Strike!"

Tadhg swung and defended against her attack. The psychic energy coating his sword protect himself from any runoff electricity, but his fur stood on end from the proximity of the attack. "Oho! A lightning sword?! That is so cool!"

Their swords remained connected in the intense clash before both duelists were blown apart by the force of their strikes. Melissa recovered first, digging her heels down and immediately springing back at the king while he was off balance. Got you!

Tadhg, however, remained unwavering. "Heh. Trick."

Melissa went for the attack, but suddenly stumbled over herself as soon as she swung. Her baton sword had switched places with Tadhg's claymore. The unaccustomed weight of the weapon threw her off balance and sent her faceplanting into the floor.

Tadhg rushed her down as she tried to stand and struck her across the chest with her own baton sword. "Gravity Blade!"

The forces emitting from the weapon struck into Melissa and sent her sailing across the battlefield. She tumbled and rolled, nearly flying over the perimeter, but managed to drag her fingers through the floor enough to stop herself. She winced from the searing pain in her fingers.

Tadhg's claymore bounced off the ground and flew back into his hand. He channeled his psychic flow through both weapons as he slowly approached the downed Buneary. "I've faced many talented instructors, but I've never had a real duel before with a skilled opponent." He chuckled. "Still, I was hoping it would last a little longer. I dearly wanted to see the rest of what you had to offer."

Melissa pushed herself up to her feet, taking a moment to catch her breath, before smirking. "Don't count me out just yet. I believe I'm done with the warmup."

Tadhg burst into laughter. "Spectacular!" He catapulted himself forward with Psychic and crossed his two swords together. "Then let's see what you can accomplish!"

Through his advanced Miracle Eye, he could see the flow of Melissa's intended actions and his own. He will perform a feint with his claymore, causing her to dodge to the right, thus leaving her open for a direct counterattack with her own stolen sword.

I have you now.

He saw Melissa tensing up, preparing to dodge, and went for the attack. As he predicted she dodged…

To the left?!

Tadhg's eyes widened as he saw two different scenarios playing out in front of him: the future vision of Melissa dodging to the right and the real time Melissa dodging to the left.

"What the—"

Before he could react, Melissa flipped onto her hands and bucked both her feet into his side. The dual kick knocked him across the battlefield, disarming him of his weapons. Melissa's sword twirled through the air before landing directly into her open hand.

Tadhg caught himself with Psychic before he flew over the boundary. He gripped his aching side and glared at the thief with an intrigued smile. "What's this? How did you…?"

Melissa rested her sword over her shoulder and chuckled. She opened her eyes, revealing their blue glow. "I guess you're not the only one who can predict another's actions."


"Here is your tea."

"Thank you, Moira."

"Any sugar?"

"No thank you."

After the awkward interaction between Lillia and Moira, the princess invited her down to the dining hall where hot tea was prepared for them. Moira finished pouring her guest a cup before pouring herself one and adding a couple cubes of sugar.

She mixed the sugar in with a teaspoon and said, "Some would say adding a sweetener is disgraceful, but I prefer a little something in my tea."

Lillia giggled. "I do not mind either way. I enjoy many varieties of tea." She blew on her cup before taking a delicate sip.

Moira chuckled dryly. "I'd offer you more, but my brother has decided to limit snacking around the castle until we get internal trading back in order. We're not even that deep in a crisis, and he's already rationing our meals."

"Well, I'd say it's the mark of a caring king."

She sighed. "I suppose." She sipped her tea before glaring at the Meowstic. "Though, he has a tendency to bring home strange company, like say a thieves guild."

Lillia giggled. "Ah, you know of our visit."

"I nearly strangled my brother for even daring to entertain the idea, much less let you stay overnight." She groaned and shook her head. "But seeing as I'm not sharing a cup of tea with you, I'm not one to argue anymore. Dining with the enemy, as they say. Or ally depending on what that scatterbrained cat is up to right now."

Lillia glared softly. "Do you envy your brother's position?"

"With his plate of responsibilities, I'll take caring for my heartbroken mother over managing the kingdom's crippling assortment of problems. Besides, I was never in line to take the throne. I'm a couple years younger than Tadhg, so it was decided upon his birth he would be king. Not that it would matter either way given our customs, though ruling a kingdom isn't my style."

"So, what do you do around the castle besides take care of your mother?"

Moira glared. "Mostly keep an eye on the castle staff. With so much going on, everyone needs jobs to maintain their homes. I give jobs around the castle so everyone has money to go home with. I do occasionally assist Sir Neil."

Lillia smiled. "Ooh, work in the knighthood?"

"I dabble. I'm no soldier, but I'm often the one who has to fill in the gaps for my brother's manic tendencies. I'm the common sense to his superior genius." She sighed. "He worries me sometimes with how much he's doing. He's either decompressing after a long day or spending every waking second running the kingdom on his shoulders. He was always an impulsive kid. Could never stop obsessing over science and knowledge. He once locked himself in the royal library, and he read through all but ten books in the fourteen hours it took the staff to get through his improvised barricade. That was when he was nine, I should mention."

The Meowstic giggled. "Oh my. He sounded like a handful."

Moira smirked. "He was my amazing older brother during those days, but the rest of the world saw him as an unstoppable nuisance. Still is, but respected more." She groaned. "Though, as you get older, you see those irritating flaws with better clarity. He never listens to anyone but himself."

"You almost say that like you hate him."

She sighed. "Don't get it twisted. I still care about Tadhg. He just gets under my skin sometimes. He has everything under control, though sometimes it just looks like he's goofing off like he always did. I get caught up in the moment trying to keep up with his shenanigans, but…I can't deny he's supporting the weight of this kingdom on his shoulders." She looked aside, mindlessly stirring her tea.

Lillia frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"…" She sighed. "Tadhg's going through a lot, and I'm worried he is taking on too much responsibility. He was always a workaholic, but this is different. I think he's just trying to distract himself."

"From…what?"

"…" Moira set her teaspoon aside and covered her face, hiding the tears brimming at the edge. "From our father's death."


Silence brewed between the two duelists as they caught their breath. Tadhg picked himself up, massaging his side, and grinned at the shining blue glow radiating from Melissa's eyes. He could sense her focused state as he gazed upon the shining beacons of light.

"You managed to counter the Temporal Eyes," Tadhg said. "I've perfected that technique to guarantee the future I see is definitive." His grin grew. "But your eyes are something else, aren't they?"

Melissa smirked back. "I'm quite skilled at reading my opponent's movements. No future vision required."

"Spectacular…"

Una stared at them in confusion. "Wait, what's going on? How did she dodge Tadhg's attack? I thought he could see the future."

Jason glared. "It's just like when Storm Breaker battled against God Eyes."

Shale shot him a weird look. "The who fought the who now?"

Petra giggled. "Jason's geeking out again, that's all!"

Jason winced. "I'm not—" He shook his head and returned to observing the battle. "Tadhg can peer into the future with his vision, but Harlow's Adaptive Foresight can study her opponent's movements and accurately predict how they move and attack. It's her own form of future vision. Both moves are enhanced from Miracle Eye and Foresight. What do you suppose would happen if two opponents with the power to predict an opponent's movements clashed?"

Shale's eyes widened. "Wait, are you saying…?!"

"They're cancelling each other."

As he listened in on Jason's explanation, Tadhg reached out and called his claymore back to his hand. He chuckled mischievously at Melissa. My Temporal Eyes are much weaker without the other half of my technique. I can only process the environmental information around me. Normally, my predictions are flawless, but I've never had an opponent who could run thousands of battle simulations on me in an instant. I can see the road to a determined future, but she can see thousands of possibilities at once. Seems my eyes aren't as flawless as I thought, but that's the nature of trial and error. Further analysis required.

Tadhg swung his claymore down and shouted, "What's say we test the limits of our eyes, Harlow? My Temporal Eyes against your Adaptive Foresight! I want to see if I improve the processing power of the futures I peer into!"

Melissa smirked. "You're enjoying this a little too much. I thought this was a test."

"This is a test." He tightened his grip, his eyes radiating with a strong glow. "Now let the experiment commence!"

He rushed forward, surfing across the floor on a wave of Psychic. Peering ahead, he saw Melissa dodging out of his sword's reach. He motioned into attack, causing the Buneary to react, and propelled himself further with an extra boost to get back into range.

For Melissa, however, she foresaw the ghosts of the Meowstic's attacks, analyzing each one at an accelerated speed until his chosen path was clear. Even before he moved to attack, she ducked her head back and let the sword fly over her face, shaving but a few hairs off her chin.

Tadhg grinned excitedly. She dodged!

Melissa sprung off her hands and landed into an immediate charging sprint. Her eyes flickered rapidly, deciphering the many paths Tadhg will take in response to her attack before peering beyond the clutter of ghosts. The king would react to her attack with a parry and attempt to blast her with Expanding Force.

She went in for the attack and baited out the sword strike. She felt the air rising under her as a well of energy opened up under her near instantly. She reacted promptly and dodged to the left, avoiding the rising pillar of psychic energy.

However, Tadhg foresaw this outcome and used his Psychic to torque his body and spin his sword all the way around himself, aiming to deliver a heavy strike to her torso.

However, Melissa saw this as one of his many maneuvers. Ducking her head, she kept her balance and surfed across the smooth floors with her momentum carrying her. She placed pressure down through her right leg and launched herself back at Tadhg, aiming to strike him back with her baton.

However, Tadhg foresaw this vision as well and activated a preset Expanding Force to block her incoming attack. As he ceased his spinning, he reared his sword back and channeled a vast amount of psychic energy through it.

"Gravity Cleave!" He swung and fired a blade of psychic energy at her.

Melissa quickly processed the incoming attack and reacted accordingly. "Brooklyn Style: Ascending Gale!" She released a sudden burst of wind under herself and threw her body to the left, narrowly dodging the attack. As she did, her eyes rapidly flickered and studied the projectile slash until it was thoroughly studied.

Tadhg grinned. "Spectacular! Even against attacks you've never seen before, you can still react in time! I'm impressed!"

She stumbled over her heels before regaining her balance. She gripped her baton sword in both hands and glared at the king. "You're a remarkable fighter, King Tadhg. I hope you're not taking it easy on me."

"Why would I do that? There's still more tests to conduct!" His eyes blazed wildly. "Come! I want to see how far we can push our eyes!"

Melissa's eyes blazed in a wild blue aura. "Very well!"

Both fighters glared each other down. The world vanished around them as their focus reached its peak. For all they could see, they were in a black void illuminated only by the auras they perceived. For Tadhg, Melissa was cloaked in a crackling wildfire of purple aura. For Melissa, Tadhg shined a majestic blue.

With breaths drawn, they went on the offensive. The tips of their weapons dragged across the black void, leaving trails of bursting aura behind them.

They went for the swing with Tadhg ducking under Melissa's first. He increased the psychic flow in his sword and went for the critical blow, only for the Buneary's body to vanish into a puff of smoke. Instantly upon the vision's destruction, Melissa appeared directly above Tadhg and swung for his neck. His form burst apart in an explosion of sparkles.

In an instant, hundreds of copies of both fighters spawned through the infinite darkness, charging into each other at breakneck speed. They struck and collided with each other. Each vision dealt a critical blow to each other, felling in one strike while another assumed the defeated copies place and resumed the battle uninterrupted.

Every possibility played out at once, sending their eyes into overdrive. Whatever one tried to do, the other would anticipate and counter, only for a counterattack upon their counterattack, and a counterattack to the counterattack's counterattack. No matter how many times they perceived the dozens upon hundreds of possibilities and outcomes, the other would see a path forward to be spared of defeat.

In the center of the visionary clash, two visions of Melissa and Tadhg charged each other down with reckless abandon. They struck hard, their weapons clashing and ripping through the void in a blaze of colliding auras. As the army of visionary copies defeated and adapted to each other, these two were learning at an accelerated rate.

They swung their blades with incredible brutality and grace, spinning and weaving through each other's attacks as their weapons clashed nonstop in an endless barrage of sparks. Unlike the visions falling around them, neither of them could land a decisive blow on each other. It was a dance of purple and blue in the shape of a whirlwind. Not a single pause was given in between clashes.

Eventually, delivering one final strike, their weapons reverberated with intense force and shattered the void around them.

To Melissa and Tadhg, they stood hunched over and winded from an exhausting duel with their eyes straining from overuse.

To their audience, however…they were confused and stunned.

The epic clash shared between Melissa and Tadhg wasn't one of physical force, but a mental game between their accelerated states of vision. They each foresaw thousands of fights being waged, outcomes where either they lose or they win a single exchange. The exhausting storm of outcomes withered upon their physical bodies, hence why they looked like they were breaking out in a sweat just from standing still.

The brief battle that took place in that dark void…was nothing more than a shared simulation of outcomes.

"What the hell happened to them?!" Shale gasped. "Is this world's most intense staring contest or something?!"

Jason gripped into his arm, shaking as if the sight of the outcome angered him. In actuality, he was quivering with a childlike joy he dared not let anyone see. It really is like Storm Breaker vs. God Eyes!

Tadhg panted heavily before staggering forward. He dug his sword down to keep himself upright. Clutching his chest, he grinned at Melissa. "Spectacular. Skill Hunter, you are my first real opponent, and I'm honored to call you my greatest rival!"

Melissa smirked weakly. "You are…incredible as well, King Tadhg. I never thought someone could push my Adaptive Foresight like this." She winced and covered her nose, feeling a small trickle of blood leak out. Guess I overdid it a bit.

Tadhg took a couple more breaths before straightening back up. He slicked back a few strands of fur atop his head and laughed. "…I'm going to be the one to overthrow the New Chariot Empire."

Melissa perked up. "H-Huh?"

"I admire their endless greed for conquest, but no one's greedier than me, and what's greedier than wanting to protect my land?" He smirked as a crystal-like flash of purple shimmered across his eyes.

Melissa glared suspiciously. What the…?

After collecting himself, the king held out his hand. From it, a purple cube appeared and hovered above it, gently spinning in place. As Melissa studied it, she noted the crystal-like texture refracting off its sides. It was like a block of crystal itself.

"The people of Umbra Clock are placing their hopes and dreams onto my shoulders," he said. "They're sacrificing their happiness now to preserve their futures. This region doesn't belong to New Chariot. It belongs to the people who want for freedom. I will never bend the knee to anyone for I foresee my future clear as day." His smirk grew. "I am King Tadhg! I am the King of Everything, and I shall conquer the very principles of this world and wield them as the tools of liberation!"

The cube picked up speed, spinning wildly in his hand. Melissa shielded her face as a strong force emanated from the violent cube. All but Una and Leitis shielded themselves against the strong forces permeating across the room.

Una clapped excitedly. "Here it comes!"

Leitis smirked. "Now you'll see what makes our king an unparalleled genius. The culmination of his brilliance and dedication!"

The speed of the spinning cube soon shifted it into a sphere of refracting light. The light expanded out from Tadhg's hand and spread across the training hall, enveloping everything in the crystal-like glow. Tadhg's laughter echoed over the deafening boom of energy.

"Now, come forth! Domain of Space-Time!"


Moira soon collected herself and wiped her tears with a napkin. She sighed and glared wearily at Lillia. "I…assume you're aware of what happened last year."

Lillia frowned. "I heard. The king decided to go into combat himself and take on New Chariot's invading forces."

"He went into battle to stop them from taking another of our towns." Moira glared down at her tea. "It was during the Wisdom Moon when New Chariot launched an attack to capture one of our towns. They coordinated attacks across Umbra Clock to spread our forces thin in a deliberate attempt to guarantee capture. My father, upon realizing this, went into battle himself. Tadhg had…reservations about this.

"I don't remember much because their screaming was making it difficult to pay attention. I just know Tadhg was greatly opposed to my father going out into battle instead of taking care of his kingdom, but Father wasn't a man to leave his people in danger while he did nothing. That was the last time they spoke, and…" Moira closed her eyes and sighed. "I think Tadhg regrets that being his final interaction with our father."

"Oh. I'm…so sorry."

Moira shook her head. "Tadhg hadn't spoken a word about it when we got the news. A few days after, he started taking up his role as king. He still hasn't talked to us about it, not even our mother. Not even Una and Leitis know what's going on with him. It's not like Tadhg to not speak plainly about what he's feeling. Sometimes it feels like he doesn't care that our father died."

Lillia glared. "But you still think he does care."

"It's hard to say, but it's wishful thinking." Moira closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "You Foresters. You're here to lend us aid in our war."

Lillia nodded softly. "We're here to inspire peace across Virdis. To unite the ten kingdoms."

Moira smirked. "You're all a bunch of loons, then. Who'd be crazy enough to think that could ever happen?"

She smiled warmly. "You'd be surprised. You have faith in your brother, and I have faith in the one who brought us here. If we do form an alliance, a gang of thieves allying with a kingdom, isn't that itself an insane idea?"

"…" Moira chuckled. "Knowing my brother, he's not going to make good on that request easily. If I had to guess, he's testing to see if he can trust you lot or not, and that's not going to be an easy test."

Lillia frowned. "What do you mean?"

"My brother is an unparalleled genius when it comes to the science of moves. If any idea crosses his mind, he'll find the right combination to make it come true. He'll spend an unfathomable amount of time working out a theory. Sometimes, his genius terrifies me."

"How…so?"

She glared at the Meowstic. "How much do you know about gravity?"

"I know it exists."

"Hmm. Then let me ask you this." Moira leaned forward on the table, her glare dipping further down. "Do you believe it fate?"


The blinding light filling the training hall soon adjusted. Melissa, disoriented from the dramatic activation of the king's technique, opened her eyes to see what transpired.

To her amazement, the hall that was once surrounded in the purple hue of Tadhg's Psychic Terrain had been completely overhauled in a space composed of crystal-like walls. The space extended and overlapped over the training hall itself, the crystal-like texture shifting and glimmering. It didn't feel like much of anything against her feet other than the odd sensations of energy coursing through the floor.

Her friends, too, looked upon the domain in awe. "What…is this?" Tank asked.

"So pretty~," Petra gasped.

Casimir grimaced. "Anyone else getting a bad feeling about this?"

Jason glared worriedly at Melissa. Careful, Rookie.

Tadhg, sighing in satisfaction, rested his sword over his shoulder and smirked. "You like? This is months of development and years of research you're standing in. My masterpiece diving into the realms of our full potential."

Melissa glared. "What even is this?"

He chuckled. "Oh, you'll find out."

She raised her baton sword cautiously, unsure of what to make of the king's warning. As soon as the strain on her eyes eased, she focused on the many branches of action he will take. Every possibility appeared before her. Every movement he could make, every response he'll counter, and every exploit she'll capitalize on. Whatever this domain of his truly did, she'll have to move fast before he could properly use it.

Taking a deep breath, she tightened her leg muscles and sprung into action. Keep your guard up, Melissa. As soon as he tries anything, you'll—

"Tempus Destruitur."

BAMF!

counter and strike…back?

It was a 'blink and you'll miss it' sensation for Melissa, yet she could've sworn she had her eyes on the path ahead. One moment she was charging down Tadhg, the next she was…just finishing a downward strike with her sword? She had reached Tadhg's original position in an instant and already attacked.

But…when did she?

"H-Huh?"

"Harlow, behind you!"

Jason's warning shout didn't reach her soon enough as a brutal strike impacted her left side and tossed her across the battlefield. She tumbled and skidded off her back, nearly flying over the perimeter. She dug her sword down, dragging the blunt tip until she caught herself. She rose to her feet, still shaken by her lapse in memory.

D-Did I teleport midway through that attack? N-No, I didn't teleport. I was definitely performing my attack. But…I don't remember? I don't remember actually performing the actions. When did I…? What's going on?

"You seem puzzled." She turned and saw Tadhg standing across the battlefield with a relaxed smile. Behind him, he could see her friends were staring at the scene in similar confusion to her.

From their perspective, it looked as if Melissa teleported partway through her charge, then suddenly appeared finishing an attack on the air. It happened so suddenly that none of them could figure out what transpired.

Tadhg breathed a sigh. "You're quick, Skill Hunter. That only costed two seconds."

"T-Two…what?"

He raised his hand and beckoned her forward. "Don't tell me you're giving up already?"

Shaking off her confusion, she used Bounce and propelled herself forward. I don't know what he did, but I'm not taking my eyes off him again. I just need to strike him down faster before he—

"Nondum Tempore."

Melissa felt something suddenly snagging her baton sword and flipping her in the air in the sudden stop. She collapsed onto her back and looked up to see what caught her sword. To her confusion and horror, nothing was actually holding back her sword. Or at least anything she could physically see.

Her baton sword was coated in the same crystal-like textures making up the domain, and it kept the weapon suspended right where it suddenly ceased moving.

She stood up and tried to pull on the weapon, but to no avail. She dug her heels down, using all her acquired muscle to rip it from its fixed position, even going as far as jumping on it. No matter what she did, it remained fixed in the air. "What's going—"

Tadhg snapped his fingers, and the crystal texture disappeared off the baton sword. Melissa and the sword dropped out of the air and collapsed to the floor. "Ten seconds. Probably a bit too much, but I'm just so giddy showing you this."

"Ow…" she groaned. She picked herself up and looked at Tadhg in disbelief. "What…is all of this?"

Tadhg chuckled. "I told you. This is years of research coming to life. A tiny fraction of the universe compressed under this domain and my complete authority. You will be my first test subject to experience the mind-boggling power of my Domain of Space-Time."

Melissa staggered back, gripping her baton sword unsurely. Something like this…I remember reading in one of Jason's books.

Jason clenched his teeth worriedly. It's impossible, but I'm witnessing it with my own eyes.

As much as they couldn't believe it, they both came to the same horrifying conclusion, and now they were wondering how she was going to adapt around something like this.

Don't me…this guy actually has complete dominion of space and time?!