Chapter 288: Rejecting the Offer
"You want Adyr to join your team?" Liora asked again, thinking she might have been misunderstood.
Her surprise was natural. First, when she looked at the area where the Aqualeth Practitioners had gathered, she saw that aside from the Rank 3 Elders, there were only 19 Rank 1 and Rank 2 Practitioners with Maruun; which made 20, a perfect number for forming 4 teams. Inviting Adyr would mean dropping one of their own, which would be unusual.
There was another reason. Although alliances between races were common, Velari and Aqualeth did not have especially deep ties. The Legacy Domain was important enough that even races who trusted one another would hesitate to accept an outsider into their teams.
"I understand your confusion and suspicion, Lady Liora. I was also very surprised when my son first asked me," Balech Aqua began, noticing the doubtful looks.
"But Maruun was raised with a trader’s mindset and has a talent for understanding people and assessing their worth. When he told me this young man, Adyr of Velari, is his friend and he wants to invite him to his team, I did not question his decision; from what I can tell, the two already share a solid friendship."
Liora listened with quiet satisfaction, acknowledging Maruun’s talent as well. If anyone here understood Adyr’s potential and the vast future awaiting him, it was her—and to see a Rank 2 Practitioner recognize it too was both rare and striking.
Her gaze lingered on Adyr. The thought came naturally: if Maruun possessed the talent to read people and forge the right bonds, then Adyr was certainly his equal in this matter. Perhaps more. For him to establish a connection with the Aqualeth without anyone noticing was no small feat—so much so that it had moved the heir of the Aqualeth kingdom to stand before all eyes and openly extend an alliance.
He has more than power; he carries an aura that sways others, the kind of presence that bends others toward him, the sort only rulers and kings are born with. Liora kept the thought to herself, certain the young man before her still had many talents she had yet to discover.
"What do you say, Adyr?" She placed the choice entirely in his hands.
Balech Aqua blinked, momentarily taken aback. A Titled Practitioner leaving a decision of this weight to a Rank 2 spoke volumes—it showed how much she trusted him, just as Balech trusted the judgment of his own son.
Adyr stepped forward with a faint, friendly smile and a calm demeanor. "Hello, King Balech Aqua. It’s a pleasure to meet you." He greeted the elder with respect first, then turned to Maruun.
"Brother, thank you for your offer. I know how difficult a choice this is in a situation this dire, and I’ll remember your thoughtfulness," he said, his smile steady, voice sincere. "But I refuse. Don’t worry about me; just wait until we meet again inside the Legacy Domain."
Hearing his words and seeing his composed expression, the brief unease Maruun felt at the rejection faded as quickly as it came. Adyr was openly declaring he could reach the top 200 on his own.
"Maruun, your judgment is on point, as always," Balech Aqua sounded clearly impressed.
There was no arrogance or empty bravado in Adyr’s face or manner. Every word landed as a simple fact, making those around him believe without question. Liora’s trust only reinforced that.
"I see," Maruun exhaled, choosing not to press.
If Adyr was this confident, he has to have a plan. The last few days had shown it: he kept returning to the shop to sell the Sparks he hunted, steadily building his energy-crystal reserves for this moment. He couldn’t have been acting on impulse, not after working so hard, and it was clear he hadn’t rejected such a major offer out of pride.
"Okay then," Maruun added with a smile that stayed serious, "if we face each other in the tournament, we won’t take it easy. We’ll fight with everything we have."
"That’s what I would wish." Adyr matched the smile, fully agreeing. Maruun wouldn’t throw a match because of friendship or a potential alliance; he had his own duty to push his team into the top 200.
When the small talk ended and Maruun and his father left to finish their team’s final preparations, Mirela approached.
She slipped her arm through Adyr’s and spoke in a low, playful voice. "So you were making connections while saving the Velari Kingdom at the same time, huh? What a hardworking man." The height difference brought her mouth level with his neck, and her warm breath brushed his skin as her soft chest rested lightly against his arm.
She has all the tools making her dangerous, Adyr thought, suppressing his urges as he answered with a quiet chuckle. "I was just selling my Sparks and met him by chance. Nothing more."
Mirela didn’t look convinced. "I doubt that," she teased, but let it go.
In her eyes, the harder a man worked and the more he stayed a step ahead of the future, the more suited he was to father her children. Each time she weighed Adyr, he seemed increasingly like the ideal husband, both for herself and for Velari’s future.
—
The front of the great tent teemed with activity. Every race was carefully arranging their teams with meticulous planning, yet the noise and movement were greatest around those with the most Rank 1 and Rank 2 Practitioners. Among them, the Umbraen race stood out, boasting more than a hundred candidates.
High above the commotion, Sevrak the Dragon Rider remained unmoving atop the colossal head of his Black Dragon. Like an immovable mountain, he gazed down with cold, jet-black eyes, watching as the elders organized the Umbraen Kingdom’s most gifted youths into groups.
His expression showed nothing, yet his eyes flicked to the side, catching sight of something on top of Collossith.
"Are they planning to form an alliance?" His gaze lingered on Balech Aqua, and a faint glimmer of killing intent sparked in his eyes.