/~Contrario~/
The knock on my door was very sharp and confident, but I swear I wasn't expecting anyone that early, and it pissed me off when the person didn't just go away after I refused to answer the first few times they knocked.
I was grumbling as I stood up, rubbing sleep away from my eyes as I walked across the polished floors of my new apartment. The air still smelled like fresh wiring and synthetic pine.
As I got to the door, I adjusted my robe before opening. Tapping the interface, the door slid open with a hiss.
Renn Cyrus stood there and somehow I felt my anger increase. In my head, I was like, "Don't you have somewhere else to be this early in the morning?"
He was dressed in a matte-black training jacket. He had his usual lazy grin pulling at the corner of his mouth.
"You look like hell."
"Good morning," I muttered, stepping aside. "Nice to see you too."
He didn't wait for an invitation and just walked right in like he owned the place.
"I figured you'd still be recovering from yesterday's raid," he said as he inspected my minimalist setup. "But since you're still alive, how about a little combat simulation? The clan's training ground just got upgraded, we might as well be the first ones to check it out."
"Training?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. You and me. One-on-one. That way, we get to know each other's strengths and weaknesses, and we can battle well during raids."
I hesitated, putting my milk down. After thinking it through, I nodded in agreement. "Give me five minutes."
---
Irish Valley's training facility was nothing short of breathtaking.
As we stepped in, it looked massive with polished obsidian walls surrounded by a sprawling digital terrain. The digital towering screens displayed live performance stats of different players for different training sessions. It had AI-generated projections and damage assessments. Different simulation pads hovered in neat formation across a battlefield that shifted in real time, from stone to forest, forest to cityscape and then to molten wastelands.
Above us, there were auto-drones buzzing silently. They were in charge of adjusting the holographic environments. Clusters of players trained in sections, some training in hand-to-hand combat and others syncing with their avatars in full-dive simulations.
"Welcome to The Crucible," Renn said, with pride in his voice. "This my friend, is where bad habits go to die."
As he tapped his HUD, a golden notification shimmered between us.
> DUEL SIM REQUEST – Renn Cyrus vs. Contrario Williams
> ACCEPT - REJECT
*Oh, it's on now, Renn," I said as I accepted his invitation.
Stray immediately materialized beside me in a beam of cool blue light, already synced and humming with energy from last night's upgrade.
"I'm ready when you're ready, master," Stray said.
The terrain then shifted into a broken cityscape with dusk light shining across shattered towers and rusted roads. Rubbles were everywhere, with dirt fluttering in the wind and the air buzzing with energy.
Renn's avatar, Zephyr, dropped beside him. It was a sleek, wind-based striker class with twin plasma daggers and a shimmering trail that followed his every step.
"Now let's see what that grit of yours really looks like," he said, cracking his knuckles.
---
We clashed in the middle of the street with Zephyr moving like a fast storm, she was precise.
"This is beautiful! Just elegant" I shouted out.
But Stray wasn't a pushover anymore. His Kinetic Lunge made him a wall of pressure, slamming through energy barriers and pinning Zephyr down more than once.
I stayed sharp. Fighting while observing and calculating.
For me, it wasn't about winning. It was about lasting long and increasing my endurance level. It was also about earning respect one strike at a time.
By the end of the session, my lungs were burning, and sweat trickled down my brow. Renn dropped to a knee. Looking at me, he was panting and laughing at the same time.
"Damn Cee," he said between breaths. "You're better than I thought."
I didn't answer. I just reached out and helped him up.
He gripped my hand tight. "Now I get why Jennifer picked you. You've got grit. And you know the thing about grit... grit wins battles people don't think are winnable."
I nodded, a small smile forming on my lips. "That's the whole idea."
---
We took a break on the upper deck while we watched others spar across the arena.
That's when I felt it, Eyes. It felt like someone was watching me.
I turned slowly to scan the rows of benches above. But by the time I focused, the shadow was gone. All that was left was just the distant flicker of a cloak slipping out of view.
"What's up, Cee? Are you good?" Renn asked, tossing me a cold water pack.
"Yeah bro," I lied. "I just thought I saw something."
"Ghosts of the Crucible," he joked. "It happens to all of us, it's just fatigue."
But there was something about the way the air felt… it wasn't just my nerves.
Somebody was watching and I was sure they weren't part of the sim.
---
Later, as we walked out of the Crucible under the fading light of the artificial sky, Renn slapped my shoulder.
"Next time, we're doing a full raid simulation Cee. It's you and me against the world."
I nodded.
As we left, my eyes drifted back toward the shadows. Someone was there. And I had a feeling…
They weren't watching just for fun.