Dan didn't slam his fists. Didn't shout. Didn't flip the table. He sat there, staring at the empty Active Spot on his monitor like it owed him an explanation. Like the holograms might glitch and bring Terrotruth back from the digital graveyard. They didn't.

  The match was over. Dan Doom… defeated.

  "YES!" I blurted. A little louder than I meant. "I mean… yeah. Good game." I tried to smooth it over, but my grin was probably splitting my face. My knees were jelly, and I could barely feel my fingers. That was too close.

  Dan stared at the table, unmoving. His lips were tight. His eyes didn't meet mine, but I saw something shift in them. Not fury. Not really. But something else. Grit? Frustration? Embarrassment? Or maybe all three.

  "Whatever," he muttered. He reached over and tapped his console to finalize the results. His team dissolved from the holographic field in a glimmering swirl of blue light.

  The points registered as a ding rang from my phone. I checked and there it was:

  Jake Garm's ZP: [10] → [30]

  Jake Garm's Ranking: [199333] → [196542]

  I opened my mouth to say something—maybe thank him for the match, maybe throw in a tiny jab—but I didn't get the chance.

  Because the doors to the tournament room slammed open. A gust of air swirled through, sending everyone's coats and hair fluttering. All eyes turned toward the source of the noise. I turned and felt the energy in the tournament room drain like someone pulled the plug.

  A woman. No. Something more than that. Her heels clicked sharply against the polished floor as she strode inside, tall and composed, in a long, tailored black coat with subtle golden trim. Two horns curled from her blonde hair like elegant antlers, and a long, whip-thin tail flicked behind her as if annoyed at the mere air itself.

  Behind her, four figures followed. Broad-shouldered men in sleek, angular techwear suits. The kind that looked like they came with neural feedback circuits and anti-matter lining. Their eyes scanned the room like drones. All of them wore the same triangular emblem on their chestplates: a silver phoenix encircled by crimson circuitry.

  Gasps rippled through the crowd.

  "That's Ravia Guant,” someone whispered. "They're all from the Guant Conglomerate."

  The company behind half the core Zeldritch patents. Manufacturing. Research. Tamer licensing. Even regulatory control in certain districts. They didn't just send people here. Not without purpose.

  Dan's voice was barely above a growl. "I told you not to come."

  "Obviously," the woman spoke. "You weren't cleared to enter the Underground Bracket, Daniel."

  I blinked as I registered how she strung out the name, Daniel. Wait—did she just—

  "His older sister." Sarah breathed beside me, eyebrows practically touching her bangs.

  Dan didn't confirm it. He didn't need to. His silence said everything. That, and the fact his tail was coiled tight behind his boots.

  "I warned you. This childish game of yours—this little rebellion—is over." The woman stopped right beside our table, her amber eyes flicking to me, to my Leotyrex card still glowing softly in the console. Then toward Spade and Alf, both monsters recoiling and whimpering. Her gaze lingered for a moment before trailing back to Dan.

  "You've already caused enough media headaches."

  He grumbled, eyes darting toward the table as if he'd fight this out literally if it came to that. "This is ridiculous. They don't know anything. This is just a mini tournament. I haven't even—"

  "You have no idea how delicate this is, little brother." Her tone never rose. That made it worse. She nodded once to the tech-suited guards. "Retrieve him."

  Dan jolted back, but didn't fight. The guards approached with that cold, professional efficiency that made it clear they weren't used to being told no. And behind her, one of the enforcers cracked his knuckles.

  I stood to my feet. I shouldn't have, but I approached Ravia—his sister—while holding out a hand to the woman who could've gutted me with her tail if she wanted to. "Wait."

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Sarah gasped behind me as she reached out to pull me back, but I shook her off.

  Ravia's head turned toward me. Slowly. "And you are?"

  My hand dropped. "Jake Garm." I gulped as her slit pupils impaled me. "I'm—"

  "The rookie that just humiliated my little brother."

  I paused. "Um… yeah?"

  Dan's tail lashed, like he was going to fight after all, but his sister didn't look at him. She held my gaze. "Move aside," she said, voice soft. Deadly soft. "I have no desire to make a scene. This is family business."

  I looked between them. "I enjoyed my match against him. He's actually really good at this."

  "This is not up for debate."

  Dan's head jerked toward me. "Don't. Get out of here." He didn't say it like he was mad. More like he was warning me away to seriously move my feet.

  Ravia sighed. "Please don't make this harder than it needs to be. I already have quite a mess on my hands from this incident."

  "What's the harm?" I asked.

  Her eyes furrowed. "You dare argue with me? Do you know who I am?"

  "Um. Ravia Guant? President of Guant Conglomerate and my friendly neighborhood local snake—er. No offense. Scratch that last part, and—yes, I guess."

  Ravia Guant's mouth twitched and it almost looked like a smile. But a different smile. Not pleasant, exactly. She flicked her wrist, and her Sync Band erupted with sinister light, blinding everyone in the room. When I recovered, my vision sparkled from that dazzling flash. A beast stood at her side—it had the appearance of a silver-fox with horns—one towering beside her.

  "And here's my friend and ace," her face shifted with a stoic expression. "Sobriquet: Regisia, the Progenitor Fenrisu. I am a decade-year pro. Now, I am inclined not to see what happens if you dare to provoke me once more. Watch your insolence, human."

  The Fenrisu sneered as its gaze swept to everybody else, hissing as everyone quaked in terror. Except, Dan, who merely grumbled as his attention fluttered toward his older sibling.

  Now, it was worth noting that Fenrisu were an upper-tier Apex-Rank Zeldritch species. One that was known as one of the most vicious, bloodthirsty monsters to ever roam the world. And yet, as I observed Dan's sister, I felt the same sort of fear that I felt whenever my mom got mad at me.

  I knew I should've just stepped back. But my mouth flapped. I really had to say it. "How about a card match between you and me?"

  My statement was met with gasps and some of the crowd murmuring and whispering. That was when a lot of the players started to gather around. Some of them looked intrigued, and others looked terrified.

  Ravia's eyes widened as her head tilted toward me. She scoffed. "Excuse me? You wish to challenge me?" Her tone carried a bit of disbelief.

  "This joker!" One of the enforcers roared as he stepped up. "Miss Ravia, allow me to put this—!"

  Her hand lifted up and the man quieted down instantly. She then looked at me, as her head tilted to one side and she chuckled. "You would have a Zeldritch match with me?" She then paused for a moment before saying, "If I win, you will hand over your entire deck to me, your tamer's license, and Dan is to immediately cease his hobby and focus on his education."

  "That is?" I raised my brow.

  "Conquest," Ravia stated simply as she flicked her fingers and a small tablet appeared in her grasp.

  I swallowed. "Fine."

  "Very well," she nodded as she turned around and snapped her finger. The guards approached her. "Take Daniel to the limousine. I'll be there shortly."

  Dan gave me one final look and said, "Jake, I—"

  A light shimmered across the room. Not flashy. Not loud. But noticeable.

  Riggs Park had raised his Sync Ring.

  And with it, an unmistakable whine of calibration filled the space as an emerald rift shimmered behind him. The vague outline of a monster stirred inside.

  Everyone looked at him. Even her. Ravia and her guards froze mid-step.

  Riggs didn't look at her. Not directly. He kept sketching with one hand, Sync Ring raised with the other, fingers lazy against its haptic pad like he was just thinking about summoning something.

  But it was enough.

  Her eyes furrowed. Her tail twitched.

  "I wasn't aware you were here, Riggs."

  He finally met her gaze. Calm, cool, and untroubled. "I came to watch some matches. The bracket was interesting this year."

  A beat of silence. Then Ravia said: "Do you intend to interfere?"

  He shrugged. "I intend to play fair. But I don't like when matches end because someone's scared of a little paperwork."

  Her jaw tightened. Then her gaze flicked back to Dan—who looked very much like he wanted to crawl under the table. But she didn't say anything. Just gave Riggs a stiff nod, and moved to leave with her guards.

  Before she did, she paused right beside me, her voice dropping as she spoke. "My offer stands. If I win, I take everything. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into, Jake Garm."

  "I guess I'll just have to take my chances." That came out more confident than I expected while I screamed, internally.

  "So be it." Ravia strode from the room, tail snapping behind her. Dan followed with the guards, head down. I wondered if I'd ever see him again.

  Riggs lowered his Sync Band, calmly tucking his sketchbook into his bag. "Play better, Doom."

  Dan clenched his jaw, his gaze darting between me, Riggs, and the crowd still buzzing around us. But even he knew when the leash was being tugged as he left the arena without a word.

  The moment they were gone, the crowd erupted into whispers. I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a surge of pride. The way everyone was looking at me? I was a celebrity. And not in the way Dan had been. I'd actually won a match. An important one. But I needed a seat to process this.

  "Woah," Sarah breathed beside me. "You alright there, champ?"

  "Yeah," I laughed, but my knees were jelly. "Just didn't expect to win and survive an executive extraction."

  Riggs sat back down, eyes flicking to his pen. "Well played," he said, without looking up. "But now you've got a bigger problem."

  I blinked as my mind short-circuited, barely recuperating from the previous horror show. "What?"

  He finally glanced at me. And smirked.

  "You're facing me next."

  I gulped. Well, that just happened.