Chapter 684: Challenge

"We just have to head over to our security center and report what happened," the hall master said as he walked through the exit of his hall. "That shouldn't take too long, but with things like this, the report will go wide, and everyone will have a summary of why we lowered the protocol. Which means..." Hall Master Sheen paused and gave Derek a look.

"Which means that the guy from the same branch that you are from will see and start looking for me the second that he does," Derek said.

"Exactly!" the hall master replied with the same grin as usual as the trio left the hall and entered the lobby once again.

"Hall Master Sheen!" the clerk, who had tried to leave Derek her contact information before, bowed deeply to the hall master. "Is there anything that you need that I can help you with?"

"No, just monitor the guard who is perusing the memory stones and report back if he tries to access anything that he clearly isn't supposed to access," Sheen replied. "And don't let anyone else into the hall until I return. It shouldn't take too long. My young friend and I have a little business we need to take care of."

"Y-yes, Hall Master Sheen!" she half-muttered and half-shouted as she glanced at Derek once again with an even more interested expression on her face. "I will see to it that Captain Hawthorne only accesses what you have allowed him to as a reward, and I will put a hold on any entries to your hall while you are away. Is there anything else?"

"That's it," Hall Master Sheen said. "You are doing a fine job, Teresa."

"T-thank you! Hall master!"

No longer responding to the clerk, the hall master led Derek and Alex out of the building, then started along the street. He moved casually and drew eyes from everyone he passed. First, the eyes fell on the hall master, then they fell on Derek—whom the hall master had urged to walk beside him.

"You are very popular, young friend," the hall master chuckled.

"I think walking beside you like this is drawing more attention than the badge is," Derek said.

"It is drawing attention, and then the badge is confirming that the attention is well deserved," the hall master said.

"If you say so," Derek replied. "I haven't really done anything."

"Ah, but you have," the hall master said as they kept walking. "You have somehow remained hidden and grown in an affinity that is practically taboo outside of that old coot's minions and himself. You have drawn the attention of one of the great houses in the universe—particularly from their newest Transcendent, whom everyone thought was lazy before he surprised the entire universe with his Transcendence. None of that is nothing."

"But I haven't done anything for you—for this clan," Derek said.

"Young Derek," the hall master stopped walking for a moment and turned to face Derek—his smile gone, his eyes serious. "If you somehow survive to reach the point where that bastard can no longer kill you, you have the potential to upset the balance in the System Universe for the good. Helping you, even if only this much, is worth it if you are able to. If you die trying—which I very much hope that you do not—then there is nothing lost for me or my clan.

"However, if you succeed and we are on friendly terms with you because of this or anything else we can help with, then the gains could be great. Either way, we don't really lose anything, and I am the only one who knows your secret, other than Young Alex," Hall Master Sheen said. "And you don't strike me as the kind to spit on or step on those who helped you in the past. Yes, it is for my own selfish reasons."

"No, I'm not that kind of person," Derek said. "Unless someone makes me that kind of person. And I understand where you are coming from."

"Yes," the hall master said as he turned to keep walking. "Before, you were worthy of that badge in my opinion. You were worthy of help from this old man. But after learning—or verifying—your secret, your worth has risen exponentially. And that flame, I have seen nothing like it in all my time. That is what happens when you have an old bastard controlling the entire affinity—it doesn't allow others to experiment with it and push it to see what it can really do. It is a travesty."

"Yeah," Derek said. "Can't argue there."

"Ah..." the hall master suddenly stopped, then turned toward a large building with the main branch's crest on it. "We are here," he said. "If the two of you will please wait here, this should only take a moment."

"Okay..." Derek said, and then the two waited.

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Alex had been quiet the entire time as he trailed behind the two. But once Hall Master Sheen disappeared into the building, he said, "It boggles my mind that the two of you are able to just walk around and speak to each other like you are old friends or of the same standing. Do you not feel any fear?"

"There are only two things that I fear," Derek said. "And that man is not one."

"Then what are they?"

"My friends and family getting hurt because of me, or because I am unable or not strong enough," Derek said. "And my affinity."

"Your affinity?" Alex looked at Derek with wide eyes. "How does one who fears their own affinity even have that affinity?"

"I think it's healthy to have a bit of fear related to your affinity," Derek said. "Mine is not nearly as bad as it was when I chose my first class based on it. I think it may even help because I'm choosing to push through my fear. If your affinity had done to you what my affinity did to me... you would understand. So yes, I have a healthy fear—or maybe you could consider it respect—of my affinity. But I have also grown to like it as well."

"I... see," Alex said, and then he went quiet again. He didn't speak another word before Hall Master Sheen came walking out of the building with another old man in tow. "Vice Patriarch..." Alex muttered as he stared at the two.

"High Ascendant?" Derek asked in a whisper.

"Yes," Alex answered.

"Got it..." Derek said and prepared for the two to reach him.

"My young friend, Derek," Hall Master Sheen spoke once they were there. "I happened to run into my old friend while I was inside. Derek, this is Bastian. Bastian, this is Derek. Bastian happens to be the Vice Patriarch of our little family here."

"It is nice to meet you," Derek said. This time, he clasped his fist in his palm and bowed lower than usual. He still wasn't sure about the exact etiquette, but it would have to do.

"Mhm..." the Vice Patriarch nodded at Derek's bow. "Very good," he said. "I have been wanting to see the young man this lunatic sponsored for a VIP Badge." He looked Derek up and down. "You do not look like much," he said, then grinned. "But I know more than most... looks can be rather deceiving."

"I agree," Derek said. "My looks have helped me on more than one occasion. When people don't take you seriously, it is very detrimental to their health."

"Oh?" Bastian turned and looked at Sheen and saw his grinning face. "I see... so that is why you like the boy. Just what the universe needs... another one..." the man muttered. "Well, Derek. It was nice meeting you. I am unfortunately a busy man, so I must be off."

"It was a pleasure," Derek replied.

"Perhaps our paths may cross again," Bastian said, then turned and walked back into the building.

"Boy!" Hall Master Sheen clicked his tongue. "Where was that respect when you were talking to me?"

"Uh... I left it in the wrong storage ring," Derek replied with a half grin.

"You left it... in a storage ring..." Sheen shook his head, then burst out laughing.

"I don't know," Derek said with a shrug. "You didn't seem like you cared about any of that stuff... that man... does."

"You are correct!" Hall Master Sheen said. "On both counts! You did well. I did not know that idiot was going to be in there. But, in the end, it simplified things."

"Idiot..." Alex muttered in a whisper.

"Hmm?" The hall master turned his gaze—and smile—toward Alex. "Did you say something, Young Alex?"

"N-no, sir!" Alex muttered.

"I have no fear of Bastian. We were friends at one or two points in our lives. He pulled ahead in his affinity and got cocky... I went another way. I am ahead of him in battle by thirteen victories. There is a difference in High Ascendant and Mid Ascendant, but our affinities aren't too far apart. I have the upper hand in combat experience. He has the upper hand in pencil-pushing. I prefer it this way."

"Me too..." Derek said. "But, uh... what did he mean by 'another one'?"

"Oh, that is nothing you need to worry about. You just reminded him of someone that he used to know," Sheen said.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Derek asked.

"It is what it is," the hall master replied. "Nothing more, nothing less."

"Gotcha..." Derek said.

"Oh, look!" Hall Master Sheen suddenly faced a completely opposite direction and stared into the distance.

Derek and Alex both looked that way, but didn't see anything that really stood out. "What is it?" Alex asked.

"Just wait. Be patient," the hall master said.

Finally, after a couple of minutes of waiting, a small group appeared through the bustling crowds. The crowds parted like water as the group walked through. "Oh..." Alex said.

"What is it?" Derek asked.

"Your duel has arrived," the hall master said. "Interesting. He was about two minutes quicker than I thought he would be. Having to leave training must have agitated him something fierce."

"So that's..." Derek started.

"That's Garrett Loomis of House Warp," Alex finished. Then, he brought his wrist up before his face and started flipping through something that Derek couldn't see. "Protocol 2 again," Alex said. "That was fast..." he muttered, then continued reading. "Derek Hunt... VIP guest... Amber Tyrant... yeah... that's about what I expected from the summary."

With a full head of steam, Garrett and his retinue finished pushing through the now sparse crowd and appeared only a couple dozen yards from Derek, Alex, and the hall master. He covered about half the distance quickly, then stopped suddenly in his tracks when he saw the hall master. After pausing for a couple of seconds, he continued forward until he was only a few feet away. His posse stopped well behind him—not one of them daring to get too close to the hall master.

"It is an honor to see you again, Uncle Sheen," Garrett bowed deeply at his waist as he greeted the hall master.

"Uncle?" Derek asked nobody in particular.

"Oh, we have some relation," the hall master waved Derek's thoughts away before they even appeared. "Everyone in the clan can find some kind of relation if they dig hard enough. We marry outside the clan—or at least far removed—to avoid certain problems. My late wife was actually a water affinity user. I suppose I may have a brother who is the grandfather or something of the sort to this boy."

"Great-grandfather," the young man corrected. "And it's a sister... on my mother's side... Honored Sheen."

"Yes... something like that." Sheen shrugged. "And call me Hall Master Sheen. None of that honored or uncle stuff."

"Yes, Hall Master Sheen," Garrett bowed again. "Apologies."

"Nothing to apologize for," the hall master said. "What do you want?"

Garrett straightened his back, then looked at Derek, then at Alex. His eyes stayed on Alex for a moment, and he said, "You seem to be from the clan. I don't know you." Then he turned to Derek, where his eyes landed on the VIP Badge. "Derek Hunt! I challenge you to a duel!"