They decided to head back to Brunya City, hoping they could find one of Brex’s followers there. Though the morning had started out light, the mood shifted back to edgy annoyance as the day wore on. It hurried their pace and they made it back to Sera’s house. By the time they arrived, Tess and Matt were at each other’s throats. Again.

“Oh, just grab your weapons and get on with it,” Sera muttered, rubbing her temples.

Matt shook his head. “I don’t trust myself to hold back when I’m like this.”

She nodded, feeling how angry he was, just as Cael walked into the room. He studied Matt for a moment, assessing him, then gave a nod of greeting.

“You’re home early,” Sera noted.

“Change of plans,” he said simply. “Is everything okay?”

“Fine,” she said, forcing a smile. He gave her the I know better look but said nothing. Instead, he kissed the top of her head as he passed her and went into the kitchen.

“How about we see you guys tomorrow?” Sera suggested to Tess and Ayden.

“You’re kicking us out?” Tess asked incredulously.

Ayden took her hand. “Come on.”

She ignored him.

“It’s been a long day, Tess,” Sera replied wearily.

“But I wanna fight,” Tess grumbled.

“No,” Matt said through his teeth.

“Why not? 'Cause you’re being all broody again?”

“Because I’m not in the mood to be nice.”

“Then be mean,” she told him. “I want you to hit me not kiss me.”

“Tess, knock it off.” Sera sighed and put her hand on Matt’s forearm comfortingly.

“You’re different. I liked you better when you were tough,” Tess mocked. It was a line he has said to her once. She was trying to provoke him by reminding him of a time he didn’t want to remember.

It worked. His hand shot out and grabbed her by the hair. “You want to piss me off?” he demanded. “You got it.”

She actually laughed. “Ah, there he is,” she said, then tried to punch him, but he blocked. He let go and backhanded her, causing her to stumble into the couch.

“Take it outside,” Cael called from the next room. “Lotus will kill you if you break anything.”

“Gladly,” Matt growled. He grabbed a fistful of her hair again and dragged her outside.

“Always with the hair,” Tess said as soon as they were in the backyard, “Isn’t that a girl thing?”

“Yeah,” he replied gruffly, “works great on girls.”

Ayden and Sera stepped out after them and stood against the wall. It was only a few moments before Ayden started getting angry. Matt was being much harder than usual. “Lighten up,” Ayden said, but he was ignored.

A couple minutes later, a strike from Matt sent Tess flying back. Ayden’s hand rose and ball of energy hit Matt, knocking him back. “I said lighten up!”

Sera gasped in surprise at Ayden, then her eyes widened when Matt’s heated gaze turned on the mage, his ice blue eyes furious.

Matt stood and started for Ayden who shot another energy ball but Matt ducked. Tess ran at him from behind and kicked him. He spun and the back of his fist hit the side of her face with such force that she flew back again, then he returned his attention to Ayden.

“Mind if I cut in?” Cael asked from the doorway.

Ayden and Tess immediately backed off.

Matt’s jaw clenched as he grudgingly took a step back himself. “I’m fine,” he growled.

“I am not trying to stop you,” Cael said calmly. “I am simply offering a change of opponents.” He grabbed his sword from just inside the door and moved down a step. “I figured you could use a challenge.”

Matt glanced at Sera. When he saw the worry on her face, he shook his head. “I can’t.”

Cael gave a very small smile. “She is worried that I will hurt you, not the other way around.”

Matt scoffed. “Fine.” He rolled his shoulders back and drew his sword.

After a moment of staring, Matt finally attacked first and the match began. Just a minute later, Cael landed a blow that made Matt stumbled back a few feet. Suddenly the dynamic of the fight changed, and when Matt attacked again it was full force, he wasn’t holding back anymore.

It went on for a while. Matt held his own pretty well, but the half-elf finally kicked the sword out of Matt’s hand, then swept his legs out from under him. Matt fell onto his back, but he didn’t hesitate like a lot of people do and he kicked out, his foot connecting with Cael’s stomach, shoving him back. He immediately rolled to the side where his sword had flown and retrieved it just in time to block Cael’s next attack.

It was a while before Cael got him down again, but this time he was faster. Cael held his sword to Matt’s chest as if he was ready to plunge it in. They held each other’s gaze for a moment before he pulled back and offered a hand. Matt took it and got to his feet.

“Good,” Cael said approvingly, and walked back into the house.

“That rocked,” Tess said happily. “You seriously got your ass kicked.”

“Tess,” Sera warned sharply as she crossed the yard.

Matt glanced down at her when she got to him and smiled. “I’m okay,” he said a bit breathlessly.

“Good to have a challenge?” Tess asked.

“Tess,” Sera said, sighing. “Stop it.”

Matt put an arm around her, pulling her to his side. “It’s okay, Angel,” he told her, then to Tess said, “Yeah, it feels good to not have to hold back for a change.”

“You like losing too?” she asked, obviously thrilled by his defeat.

He shrugged. “He’s a challenge and it’s refreshing.”

Tess laughed. “It’s not a challenge for him.”

“Tess, seriously!”

“It’s okay,” Matt repeated to Sera. “I already know, Tess.”

“Oh yeah?” she ask skeptically. “You know he was holding back? He could have even used nature magic cuz he’s a ranger.”

“I know.”

She frowned. “How?”

“You can be really stupid sometimes,” he told her. “He’s famous, you know.”

“You don’t read stuff like that,” Tess shot back.

“No, not usually,” he admitted. “But do you think I’d set up and plan to sacrifice you and her”—he motioned to Sera—“And not check up on your parents? The Kelstone champions themselves? You think I didn’t grow up knowing all about them? They killed my mother, remember?”

Tess only frowned in response.

“So you’re really okay?” Sera asked him.

He smiled down at her. “You can feel it for yourself.”

“I know, but I’m just… surprised.”

“Because I lost and I’m not upset?” he asked. “Winning every single fight gets seriously boring, especially since I rarely get to let go like that.”

Tess huffed. “You don’t win them all.”

Sera sighed again. “Tess, he’s better than you. You know that. Let it go already.”

Tess bristled. “He’s not better then me,” she argued. “It’s never actually been tested because he holds back. Always having to call it a tie.”

“Because I’d just win,” Matt said without any smugness, it was just a fact. “What do you want?”

She glanced at the house and back. “What you gave him,” she demanded. “Full force. I want a real chance.”

Matt met Ayden’s pleading gaze and felt Sera stiffened beside him. He looked back at Tess. “And when you end up getting your ass kicked? Then what? You’ll try again? What about the people who don’t want to watch you get pummeled?”

“They can leave if they don’t wanna watch,” she answered. “But I want my chance.”

“Tess, please—” Ayden started.

She shot him a glare. “Don’t.”

“Ayden and I don’t want you to get hurt, Tess,” Sera told her. “Please, just let it go.”

Her words only fueled Tess’s fire. “I’m not talking to you or Ayd, so both of you stay out of it,” she practically hissed. “Well?” she asked Matt.

He met her gaze evenly and they stared at each other for a long moment. Finally, he sighed heavily. “Okay.”

“Matt!” Sera gasped. “No.”

He ignored her. “But we’ll fight until someone submits, so there will be no argument about who’s better. Then it’s over. That’s it. No more competition between us. Agreed?”

Sera and Ayden both stared at him with pleading eyes that threatened tears, but he didn’t look away from Tess.

She considered his offer for a moment, then nodded. “Yes.”

“Tess, please,” Ayden begged again.

“You won’t be watching, Ayd,” she told him. “I don’t want you interfering.”

“Why are you doing this?” he asked. “It’s stupid.”

“I have to know,” she said simply. “I have to try.”

He turned to Matt then. “Why?” he ground out. “You’ve hurt her enough.”

“I know,” Matt said solemnly. “But this needs to end, and this is the only way to end it. She’s too much like me. It’s an obsession and she won’t be happy until she knows the truth. If I say no, she’ll just continue with this, and I’m not going to take it anymore. You can try to stop her but she’ll just wait until we’re alone and she has her chance.” His tone was hard, but his eyes told Ayden exactly how sorry he was.

Matt looked back at Tess, they understood each other in this. If it had been the other way around he would be asking for the same thing. He couldn’t remember how many times he’d picked fights with people who were supposed to be better then him. He had egged people on like he had a death wish. That was how he got to be as good as he was. He and Tess were both fighters by nature; they were the ones who couldn’t back away from a challenge. The one major difference between them was that he had spent years being a cold-blooded killer. It was the reason why he didn’t want to do this—because he knew what he would have to do to win, especially because she was very tough and very stubborn.

“I’m scared you’ll hurt her,” Sera told him.

“I don’t want to, but I will,” he said honestly. “Maybe it’d be better to get a different healer so you don’t have to watch.”

“I will do it.”

Everyone turned to gape at Cael who was standing in the doorway again. It was a while before anyone spoke. “You could stand to watch and not interfere?” Matt asked skeptically.

“Yes,” he said simply, his demeanor was calm and focused, as always. “I can also stop you if you go too far.”

“That’s interfering,” Matt pointed out.

“The rules are submission,” he said and no one was surprised that he had overheard everything with his elven ears. “I will make sure that it stops when someone submits.”

“You think I’d continue?”

“Yes. I understand what you are capable of,” Cael said neutrally. “And you will not be in your normal mindset.”

“You’re right,” Matt told him, glad that someone actually understood. “I’d like you to be there, but I’m not sure that I believe you’ll be able to watch your niece get beat like that.”

“Dad, not too long ago you wanted him dead,” Sera pointed out.

“He hurt my daughter,” he said simply. “This is different.” Tess frowned at him and he turned his gaze to her. “You are asking for this match, and you are a fighter, Sera is not. This is premeditated. You already know you will get hurt. And I will be there to make sure that you come out alive.”

“But you’re going to be able to watch her get that hurt?” Matt asked again. “I won’t stop until she gives. No matter what.”

Cael gave him a level stare. “I have watched far worse, and I have known worse people than you.”

Matt’s gaze faltered for a second.

“Yes, your mother was one, but she was not the first of her kind, and I know from personal experience what people like her are capable of.”

“I was there when she tortured you,” Matt admitted.

Cael nodded. “I know.”

“You never told us that,” Tess said.

“I was the only one who saw him,” Cael replied. “There was no need to tell anyone else, especially your mother and Lotus. The knowledge of a child seeing that would only cause them grief.”

“I won’t say anything,” Tess agreed.

“Why didn’t you leave me there to die at the temple?” Matt finally asked. “Why would you save her son after what she did to you? And after what I did to Tess?”

“You are not your mother, just a child shaped by her. And I believe people can find redemption, if they choose to.”

“He saved me,” Tess put in.

“One act does not outweigh years of evil,” Cael told her.

“No, it doesn’t,” Matt agreed.

“But it was a first step,” Cael said. “At the temple, I saw that you had mercy in you, something your mother did not have. That was enough to hope that you could become something better than the monster you were.”

“What happens when you see that monster hurt your niece?”

“Imagine if it had not been me that you watched being tortured, but your brother and the woman you loved. Imagine if it was your own mistake that led them there,” Cael said evenly. “As I said, your mother was not the first of her kind, and I have seen far worse than a submission match, regardless of the participants.”

Matt glanced down at Sera.

“No, it wasn’t my mother.” She told him. “Uncle Vaeryl and Celeste didn’t survive.”

Matt nodded and looked back at Cael, no longer in any doubt of his capability. But he had to ask, not wanting any ill will between him and his girlfriend’s father, “No matter what happens between me and Tess, you’ll be neutral in this?”

“Completely,” he said, then added for clarity, “I will not seek any vengeance on you, regardless of what happens during the match, even if I am forced to restrain you. Tess is an adult and she has made her choice.”

“Oh, she can, but I can’t,” Sera said, rolling her eyes.

“This is different,” he repeated.

She just smiled and shook her head at him.

“Are you upset with me?” Tess wanted to know.

Cael looked at her now. “It is who you are. I understand. I was much the same at your age.”

She looked surprised. “You were?”

“Yes. However, your way of going about this does upset me. You should have asked for what you wanted in the first place. Trying to provoke him into fighting you when he was angry was not a wise thing to do. It could have had a very bad outcome,” he chided gently and she gave a solemn nod in return. He smiled then, letting her know they were okay, and she smiled back. He returned to a business-like tone as he looked at Matt. “When and where will this be taking place?”

Matt looked to Tess, letting her decide. She studied him as she thought. “Tomorrow morning, in the clearing,” she said, motioning toward the forest beyond the yard.

“Good,” Matt said, and Cael gave a single nod in agreement.

“Why?” Sera wanted to know.

Matt answered for Tess. “Because the one thing she has that I don’t is her acrobatic abilities. Being surrounded by trees gives her an advantage.”

“Exactly,” Tess said with a smug smile.

“I still have strength,” he told her plainly. “Plus more experience, and I can put away my feelings.”

“What does feelings have to do with anything?”

“Because he will not care about you or anything else,” Cael answered. “All that will matter is winning.”

“Sounds very Malluk,” she commented. “No heart, no weakness, right?”

“Yes,” Matt agreed. “In a real fight, I’ll always be heartless, that’s a big part of why I win.”

Cael nodded to him then looked at Tess. “Before you enter this fight, you would do well to remember who he is.”

“I know who he is,” she said easily.

“Malluk’s people are taught to fight to the death,” Cael said. “To never show mercy or ask for it. He would let you kill him before he submits. That is the true Malluk creed—to be truly heartless, not just to others, but to yourself. When they fight they care nothing for their own life, they have no fear of dying.

“Yes,” Tess agreed. “But he’s not with Malluk anymore. And I think death probably becomes pretty scary when you’re on the wrong side of the God of Darkness.”

Matt was a little surprised at her having thought of it. He remained silent, not admitting to it, though it was true—he did feel fear now, but he wouldn’t let that stop him from fighting at his best. He would rather be in hell than be a coward.

When no one else said anything more, Cael spoke, “Very well. We will meet in the clearing at ten in the morning.”

“How can you act so damn casual about this?” Ayden cried, uncharacteristically raising his voice, and at Cael of all people.

Cael turned to him, his face softening. “What would be helped by any other demeanor?”

“You should be talking her out of it,” Ayden told him angrily. “She listens to you. You’re supposed to care, but you’re just gonna let her get hurt.”

“Her mind is set,” Cael said.

Sera moved across the yard to Ayden and held his hand, bringing him within her comfort aura. “It’ll be okay, Ayden,” she told him gently. “He’ll make sure everything is fine. She’ll come home in one piece, I promise.”

“Can someone have a little faith in me?” Tess grumbled.

Ayden shook Sera off and went to Tess, pulling her into his arms and burying his face in her neck.

Tess sighed as she ran her fingers through his short brown curls, and kissed his head. “Come on, let’s go home,” she murmured. “Matt… see you tomorrow. And thanks.” He nodded and she turned to her uncle. “You too. I’m glad you’ll be there. Ayd and Sera need to stay away.” Ayden mumbled something but she shushed him as she took his hand and led him through the side gate.

Sera and Matt looked at each other. She gave him a loving, supportive smile as she walked to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

He hugged her to him, stoking her hair, and met Cael’s gaze once more. The half-elf held it for a minute. Cael eyes didn’t show anything, unless he wanted them to, and when he did, they said a lot. Just then, they held true understanding, not like Sera who wouldn’t see any bad. Cael was someone who knew just how much of a monster Matt could be and saw that he still had journey a head of him. People did not change overnight.

Knowing all that he did, the fact that Cael let Matt be with his daughter, that he would treat him with such civility, save his life and accept him into his home, astonished Matt. Cael was extremely tough, it was obvious he had been through plenty in his lifetime. He was undoubtedly courageous, and an amazing fighter, but what surprised Matt was that he was that he was also very compassionate, that he genuinely cared about people. Respect wasn’t a feeling that Matt often had, but he felt for this man.

Knowing Cael would answer honestly, Matt took a deep breath and asked, “After what I put Tess though, after everything I put your daughter through, with everything you know about me now… Do honestly believe I can do it? To not be that person again. Or will I eventually fail? Am I fighting in vain?”

Cael’s look was understanding. “Everyday we wake up with a choice, an opportunity to be the person we want to be, to be good. And if you do not succeed today, then tomorrow you will have that choice again, and the next day and the next. But there is one thing that makes that choice easier, and that is support from people who love you. That is the importance of friends and family.” He looked at his daughter. “Because we all fail sometimes, and we need them to help us see what is right, so that we can learn to be better and try again tomorrow.”

Sera beamed at her father and went to hug him. She smiled up at him, her eyes showing him her love. He smiled back and then kissed her forehead.

All at once Matt realized how truly alone he had been his whole life. Sera and Tess had grown up surrounded by people who cared about them, who hugged them, and kissed them. People who would do anything for them, not out of fear or duty, but out of love.

Matt hadn’t been born into a family like theirs. His childhood had been anything but light and happy. His mother had only wanted him for her puppet, to rule her world and give her what she desired. And after she died, his father never hugged him, he had beat him with his fists or whatever object was within reach.

His whole life no one cared like that. Then came Tess. That one hug from her when they were in the temple had gotten to him so much. And Cael, who had every reason to leave him there to die, had care enough about a stranger, about the son of an enemy, to save him. And Sera, whose unyielding faith and love was unfathomable to him.

Suddenly it was all too much and his chest hurt. And he felt angry at them for having what he didn’t, just because he happened to be born to the wrong people. And he was angry for them caring about him now. He couldn’t understand how they could care about someone like him. They shouldn’t care. It didn’t make sense.

Sera touched him, startling him out of his thoughts and he reflexively jerked away from her. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. When he opened them, he found Cael looking at him.

The half-elf gave him a small knowing smile. “Do not hold on to the past, it is over. Hold on to now, because now is the only thing you have any control over,” he told him, then returned to the house.

He was right, Matt thought. It did no good looking back or being angry about things he couldn’t change. He took another deep breath and grabbed his silver case. But as he got out a cigarette and lit it, he remembered what the immediate future held. He gave a heavy, smoky sighed as he thought of Tess. He understood her, but he hated what she was making him do. He didn’t want to hurt her, but at least it would be over and he wouldn’t have to worry about it ever again.

Sera stepped closer and slid her arms around him. “It’ll be okay,” she promised.

He took her chin in his hand and lift her head up. Her blue eyes were filled with that warm adoration they always held for him, shining with her complete faith in him, silently telling him that she thought he could do anything. She was too good to be true. And regardless of how much he didn’t deserve her, she was his.

“I love you, Angel,” he murmured. She smiled at the words he had never said before, but his lips silenced her before she could reply. She opened to him, gave herself to him, told him everything in her loving kiss.