The walk back to our quarters after the match feels different than our previous victories. There's a heaviness to our steps, not from defeat, but from the weight of what just happened. Three consecutive arena wins, each one pushing us further along the victory pathway. But this one came with revelations I'm still trying to process.

  We enter our common area to find Zix already there, bouncing with such enthusiasm that he nearly collides with the ceiling.

  "MAGNIFICENT PERFORMANCE!" he squeals, his frill expanded to its maximum size and flashing vibrant yellows and oranges. "Team coordination absolutely perfect! Victory against faction representatives! UNPRECEDENTED for team at your development stage!"

  "Thanks, Zix," I say, wincing slightly as I lower myself onto the couch. The medical staff patched up my wounds, but the soreness remains, a reminder of how close this match was. "That team was stronger than expected."

  "Multiple family branches pooling resources," Zix explains, his bouncing slowing slightly. "Not just Nexor's team, entire alliance of relatives! Combined assets, shared enhancement technologies, unified training protocols. Very determined to win tournament."

  Sera drops into a chair across from me, extinguishing the small flames that still dance between her fingers. "Well, their investment didn't pay off today." There's a satisfied edge to her voice that I haven't heard before.

  "Indeed!" Zix's frill flashes with pride. "Team Exodus performance exceeded all probability calculations!"

  I glance at Desta, who's removing her power armor piece by piece with practiced precision. The battle damages are minimal, superficial scratches rather than the structural damage one might expect after facing multiple A-rank opponents.

  "You took down two A-ranks simultaneously," I observe. "I didn't see much of that fight while dealing with Riven, but it must have been impressive."

  Desta smiles, a genuine expression that still seems novel on her typically reserved face. "The merger with Xaelon has increased my combat effectiveness beyond what I anticipated. Their technician and gravitational manipulator were skilled, but predictable."

  "Predictable is an understatement," Xaelon adds through his android body, which stands nearby, showing minor battle damage across its chassis. "They relied too heavily on standardized combat algorithms. No creativity, no adaptation."

  "Whatever they were using, you handled them both," I say. "I'm not sure I could have done the same."

  Lyra bounds over, her silver hair catching the light as she moves. Despite the intensity of the match, she seems energized rather than exhausted. "You should have seen it, Gary! Desta was amazing! She had these little drones flying everywhere, and her armor kept changing configuration to counter their attacks. It was like watching ten people fight at once!"

  "Quantum computation allows for parallel process management," Desta explains with a modest shrug. "The spatial compression device provided access to specialized equipment on demand. The combination proved effective."

  "Effective is putting it mildly," Sera snorts. "You destroyed them."

  I rub my shoulder, still feeling the phantom pain from Riven's strikes. "There was something strange during my fight," I say, deciding to share what's been troubling me. "When I pushed my telekinesis to its limits against Riven, I felt... a barrier of some kind. Like a thin film I couldn't break through. I could sense more power just beyond it, but couldn't reach it."

  The room falls silent, my teammates exchanging glances of surprise. Zix's bouncing stops completely, his frill shifting to deep blues of interest.

  Xaelon steps forward, his android features arranged in an expression of scholarly interest. "You've experienced something quite significant, Gary. Something few assets ever perceive, let alone at your current development stage."

  "What was it?" I ask, my curiosity piqued.

  Zix and Xaelon exchange a glance that seems loaded with meaning before Xaelon continues.

  "That 'film' you felt is what some call the Veil," Xaelon explains, his artificial voice taking on a teaching quality. "It's not widely known information, but that sensation marks the threshold between A-rank and S-rank abilities."

  I sit up straighter despite my soreness. "The barrier to S-rank?"

  Stolen novel; please report.

  "Precisely." Xaelon nods. "You would need to be extraordinarily strong to even feel it, and stronger still to break through it. That's why truly S-rank assets are so rare. Most never even perceive the barrier, let alone transcend it."

  "So how do I break through it?" I ask, unable to hide my eagerness. If I felt the barrier already, perhaps S-rank is closer than I thought.

  "There are several paths," Xaelon replies, his android features shifting to a more thoughtful expression. "One way is through items of power, which you're already pursuing with the Crown of Mental Superiority. When completed, it would significantly enhance your potential to breach the Veil."

  "But not ideal approach," Zix interjects, his frill pulsing with cautionary oranges. "Artificial enhancement creates dependency. Power tied to object, not asset."

  Xaelon nods in agreement. "Zix is correct. While the Crown would help you channel enough power to push through the barrier, it wouldn't fundamentally change your relationship to that power. The best way, the true way, is to break through naturally, through understanding."

  "Understanding of what?" Lyra asks, her curiosity piqued.

  "Of Vara," Xaelon answers simply, the word hanging in the air with unexpected weight.

  "Vara?" Sera repeats, frowning. "What's that?"

  "The energy that powers all enhancements," Desta explains, her eyes briefly flickering with code as she accesses shared knowledge from her merger with Xaelon. "The fundamental force that allows telekinesis, elemental manipulation, shapeshifting, all abilities."

  "If that's true, why haven't I heard of it before?" I ask, skeptical despite my interest.

  "Because knowledge is power," Xaelon replies. "Particularly in the arena system. Why would the major sponsors share the true path to S-rank with every asset? It's carefully guarded information, passed only to their most promising investments."

  I consider this. It makes sense. If every asset knew how to potentially reach S-rank, the sponsors would lose a significant amount of control. "So if Vara is so important, how would I even begin to sense it?"

  "I know a basic technique that could help you start that journey," Xaelon replies. "It's relatively simple meditation practices that open your awareness to Vara's presence. But that's just the beginning. The truly valuable knowledge, the techniques for actively harnessing and directing Vara, that's typically guarded by existing S-ranks and major sponsor conglomerates."

  Zix bounces forward excitedly. "Grandfather's inheritance definitely contains such techniques! Family archives include ancient training manuals, recorded methods from previous S-rank assets sponsored by family! Comprehensive Vara manipulation protocols! Part of what makes tournament prize so valuable!"

  I exchange glances with my teammates. Now Zix's desperate rush to prepare us for his family's tournament makes perfect sense. This inheritance isn't just wealth or prestige, it’s power. The knowledge to reach S-rank, the tightly guarded secrets of Vara manipulation.

  "Can you teach me the basic technique?" I ask Xaelon, deciding to focus on what's immediately accessible.

  "I can," he confirms. "But it requires concentration and a quiet environment. Perhaps after you've rested from today's match."

  "And what about the Underground Zone?" Sera reminds us. "We were supposed to start mapping the tunnels today."

  I'd almost forgotten our original plan in the excitement of discussing the Veil and Vara. "We should still proceed with that. The Hive Queen's brain is the next component we need for the Crown."

  "Hybrid approach seems optimal," Desta suggests. "Underground Zone expedition during primary arena hours, Vara training during rest periods. Maximizes efficiency."

  I nod in agreement. "That works. We'll start the Underground Zone tomorrow as planned."

  As the team disperses to rest and prepare for tomorrow's expedition, I find myself alone with Xaelon. His android body sits across from me, the artificial features surprisingly expressive as he studies me.

  "You're closer than you realize, Gary," he says quietly. "Most assets train for years before they even perceive the Veil, let alone come close to pushing through it."

  "Is it because of the neural accelerator?" I ask, touching the crystal embedded in my forehead.

  "Partially," he admits. "But technology alone doesn't explain it. There's something unique about your connection to telekinetic energy, to Vara. Something that was likely present even before you received enhancements."

  The suggestion that I might have some innate affinity for this power is both flattering and unsettling. "You think I was chosen specifically?"

  Xaelon's mechanical features arrange themselves in what approximates a thoughtful frown. "The selection process for Earth assets isn't random, despite what most believe. Certain genetic markers, neural architecture, latent potential, all are screened for."

  The implications of his words sink in slowly. That my entire journey, from abduction to enhancement to my current path, might have been predetermined based on some inherent quality I never knew I possessed.

  "Get some rest, Gary," Xaelon suggests, rising from his seat. "Tomorrow we begin two journeys: one into the Underground Zone, and one into the nature of Vara itself. Both will challenge you in ways you haven't experienced before."

  As he leaves, I remain on the couch, my mind racing despite my body's exhaustion. The Veil, Vara, S-rank, all suddenly seem within reach, if I can master this mysterious energy that apparently flows through everything.

  Whatever lies ahead, one thing is certain. Team Exodus is evolving faster than anyone expected, myself included. Three consecutive arena victories, components for the Crown steadily accumulating, and now a path to potentially reach S-rank naturally.

  The question is whether we'll be ready for the challenges, and enemies, that such rapid advancement inevitably attracts.