[18th June]
The battle between Rey and Raviel had finally come to an end.
But the scars left behind by that match still remained carved into the stadium itself.
The arena floor was completely devastated.
Massive cracks stretched across the ground like broken rivers. Entire sections of stone had collapsed inward while scorch marks, shattered debris, and ruptured walls stood as proof of the monstrous clash that had taken place there.
The audience still hadn't fully recovered from the shock.
Especially the final moments.
The image of Rey standing unconscious after taking Raviel's full assault had already burned itself into the minds of countless people.
Meanwhile, Raviel had already left the stadium under Duke Ashcroft's orders.
As for Rey—
His condition remained unknown to the public.
Only rumours spread.
Some claimed he was crippled.
Some said he might not survive the night.
Others believed the Dragonstorm heir had merely exhausted himself.
But the truth was far worse.
Inside the medical hall, the atmosphere had become tense and suffocating.
Hosric rushed through the corridor without slowing down for even a second.
Several contestants injured in today's matches were already receiving treatment throughout the hall.
Rylen himself occupied one of the isolated recovery sections.
But compared to the chaos surrounding Rey's bed—
Everyone else looked minor.
At the far end of the corridor, over a dozen doctors surrounded a single patient while moving frantically.
That patient was Rey.
And his condition was horrifying.
Four deep puncture wounds remained across his body.
Several medium injuries covered his torso while countless smaller cuts spread across his arms, chest, and legs.
Bandages stained red had already piled beside the bed.
The marks around his throat looked especially terrifying.
Dark bruised finger imprints wrapped around his neck like someone had tried to crush his windpipe alive.
If not for the faint rise and fall of his chest—
Some would've mistaken him for a corpse already.
Hosric's expression darkened heavily.
His grip tightened around the phone in his hand.
The call connected to it hadn't ended for several minutes.
Jasmine.
Her anxious voice continuously came from the other side.
"How is he?"
"Is Rey okay?"
"Say something, Hosric!"
Every question carried panic she could no longer hide.
Hosric looked toward Rey silently.
Doctors continued stitching wounds together while cleaning blood from his body again and again.
Cotton patches soaked red were discarded endlessly.
But among all the things shocking the medical staff—
One detail disturbed them the most.
Rey's blood.
It was darker than normal.
Not black.
But unnaturally deep in shade.
The doctors eventually concluded that the poison affecting him from earlier matches had likely begun affecting his internal system.
Thankfully, no fatal organ corruption had been discovered yet.
That alone was considered a miracle.
After nearly an hour of nonstop treatment, the smaller injuries were finally stabilised.
The doctors then focused entirely on the four severe wounds left by Raviel's blades.
Those injuries had nearly torn through Rey's body.
Yet with advanced treatment methods and continuous healing procedures, they finally managed to close the wounds enough to stop further danger.
Throughout the entire process, none of the Valemonts stepped closer.
Not because they didn't want to.
But because everyone feared interrupting the treatment even slightly.
Meanwhile, Hosric continued feeding Jasmine half-truths through the phone.
"He's fine."
"He's resting now."
"The injuries look worse than they are."
Even he hated saying those lies.
Because the truth was that Rey's condition had terrified even the doctors.
Jasmine had watched the entire match helplessly.
She had seen her son pinned to the ground.
Seen the blades piercing his body.
Seen him refuse to surrender even while being tortured publicly.
At one point, she had begged Hosric to stop the match somehow.
But neither of them possessed the authority to interfere under Duke Ashcroft's presence.
All they could do was watch.
And pray.
Only after the battle ended were they finally allowed near him.
Even now, Hosric avoided revealing the full truth.
Not until Rey stabilised completely.
The doctors eventually stepped away after finishing the emergency procedures.
"He'll survive," one of them finally said.
"But he has lost a dangerous amount of blood."
"He needs complete rest."
"And no unnecessary movement."
The entire Valemont family visibly relaxed hearing those words.
Rey now lay motionless beneath layers of bandages.
Most of his upper body had been wrapped completely.
Blood packs connected through tubes fed slowly into his arm.
His face looked frighteningly pale.
Exhaustion and blood loss had drained all colour from him.
Still—
He was alive.
And that alone surprised many of the doctors.
"With injuries like these," one physician muttered quietly, "someone his age should've either collapsed permanently… or become crippled."
Yet Rey's body somehow continued enduring.
It was abnormal.
Even among all the contestants treated throughout the tournament, none had shocked them this much.
Eventually, the doctors ordered everyone except one guardian to leave.
Too many people inside the recovery hall would disturb the other injured contestants.
Hosric stayed behind.
The others silently left.
Only after everything had settled did Hosric finally call Jasmine again to reassure her properly.
The moment she heard Rey was sleeping peacefully under medication, her trembling voice finally softened.
Still, she didn't fully calm down.
Not until she heard him breathing faintly through the call.
Only then did she quietly hang up.
Silence returned to the room afterwards.
Hosric pulled a chair beside Rey's bed and sat there quietly.
Watching over him.
Waiting in case anything changed.
But deep inside—
He strangely wasn't afraid anymore.
For some reason, ever since the beginning, he had always carried a strange certainty regarding Rey.
A feeling he couldn't explain.
Like the boy simply refused to die.
Meanwhile—
Far away from the medical hall.
Far away from reality itself.
Rey slowly drifted through endless darkness.
Silence surrounded him completely.
Oddly enough, after the brutal battle against Raviel—
This darkness felt peaceful.
His memories after activating the final skill were blurry.
He only remembered charging forward.
Then everything had gone black.
Now he floated endlessly inside the void without direction.
He tried searching for the White Room.
Tried calling out toward the spirits.
But nothing answered him.
"What am I supposed to do now…" Rey muttered while staring into the endless darkness.
"How long have I even been floating here?"
"Did I get trapped again…"
His voice disappeared into the void without response.
Still, he continued drifting forward aimlessly.
Until finally—
A tiny light appeared somewhere in the distance.
Rey's eyes widened slightly.
Hope.
For the first time since awakening here, he saw something other than darkness.
He immediately forced himself toward it.
The closer he got—
The clearer it became.
A white door.
The very same door he had been searching for all this time.
Relief instantly appeared across his exhausted face.
Finally.
Without hesitation, he reached forward and grabbed the handle.
The moment the door opened—
A hand suddenly shot out from inside.
GRAB!
Before Rey could even react, the force yanked him violently inward.
His eyes widened in shock.
But the strength behind that pull was overwhelming.
And the next second—
The darkness disappeared completely.
The moment Rey crossed through the white door, a violent force threw him forward.
BAM!
He crashed onto the cold floor and instantly rolled back to his feet, every nerve in his body tightening as his guard rose instinctively.
His eyes swept the surroundings sharply.
But the moment he recognised the place—
His tension faded.
The endless white space.
The silent floating atmosphere.
The familiar pressure lingering in the air.
The White Room.
And standing before him were the four spirits he hadn't seen together in what felt like forever.
"Oh… " It's just you guys," Rey exhaled while rubbing the back of his neck. "I thought something else dragged me in here again."
"Who else would even enter this place besides us, you idiot?"
SMACK!
"AOW!"
Aiden's hand struck the back of his head so hard that Rey nearly collapsed again.
"You trying to kill me now?!" Rey barked while clutching his head in pain. "I literally just got turned into minced meat out there!"
Aiden folded his arms coldly.
"Someone who loses composure that easily deserves worse."
The words instantly wiped the smile off Rey's face.
He already understood what Aiden meant.
The promise.
The warning before the match.
Don't use the sealed abilities.
Even in danger.
And yet the moment Raviel crossed the line…
Rey broke.
"…Yeah," Rey muttered quietly. "I know."
He lowered his gaze slightly.
"I'm sorry. I just…"
The words stopped in his throat.
Even now, remembering Raviel insulting his father made something dark twist violently inside him.
Aiden stared at him for several seconds before sighing.
"Forget it."
"You still lost anyway."
The blunt response made Rey twitch.
"Thanks. Very motivational."
"The tournament is over for you now," Aiden continued calmly. "So there's no point keeping your abilities sealed anymore."
Rey blinked.
"…Wait."
Aiden raised one finger.
"And honestly, your body would probably take forever to heal naturally after the stupid stunt you pulled at the end."
"So this is the only reason I dragged you in here instead of letting you float in darkness for another few hours."
Before Rey could reply—
SNAP.
Aiden flicked his finger.
The instant it happened—
Something inside Rey shattered open.
BOOOOOOM!
A terrifying wave of energy exploded throughout his entire body.
His eyes widened.
It felt like chains had been ripped apart from his veins.
Mana surged violently through every pathway inside him.
The hollow emptiness he had been feeling ever since the seal was placed disappeared instantly.
Power.
Pure overwhelming power.
For one brief second, Rey genuinely felt like he could destroy everything around him with a single movement.
Then the sensation gradually stabilised.
The eruption settled.
But the feeling remained.
Whole.
Complete.
Alive.
Rey immediately opened his status panel.
And the moment he saw it—
His breathing stopped for a second.
Everything had returned.
His mana pool had gone back to its monstrous size.
Triple what it was before the seal.
Abilities that previously appeared faded and locked now glowed normally again.
His mana regeneration had returned as well, refilling rapidly at a terrifying speed.
Confidence instantly flooded back into his chest.
Outside the White Room—
Inside the medical hall—
Changes had already begun.
Mana quietly circulated through Rey's unconscious body.
The wounds across his body slowly started healing at a visible speed beneath the bandages.
The severe injuries from Raviel's assault began mending rapidly.
Even the effects of the painkillers and sleeping medication were being forcefully adapted and neutralised by his body.
Hosric suddenly frowned.
For a brief second, he felt a strange fluctuation move through the room.
Like something invisible had shifted.
But when he looked around, nothing seemed unusual.
Eventually, his eyes landed on Rey.
Still unconscious.
Still bandaged heavily.
Hosric simply shook his head and dismissed the feeling.
Back inside the White Room—
Rey clenched his fist slowly.
The sensation of strength rushing through his body again made him grin unconsciously.
"Damn…"
"Now this feels right."
He flexed his fingers again, enjoying the returning flow of mana.
"It's perfect."
"If your little celebration is over," Aiden interrupted dryly, "can I continue now?"
Rey coughed awkwardly.
"Right. Yeah. Go ahead."
Aiden narrowed his eyes slightly.
"With the seal removed, don't go running around carelessly like usual."
Rey immediately looked suspicious.
"…Why does that sound like trouble?"
"Because," Aiden replied flatly, "that little stunt you pulled at the end of the match attracted attention."
"Big attention."
"The kind that feeds on bloodlines and talent."
Rey's expression slowly shifted into confusion.
"What are you talking about?"
Aiden instantly understood from his face that the idiot still had no clue.
So without another word—
SNAP.
He flicked his finger again.
A massive screen appeared across the white wall beside them.
Footage from the final moments of Rey's battle against Raviel began playing.
The explosion.
The reinforcement.
The charge.
The punch.
The terrifying burst of power at the very end.
Rey stared at the scene silently.
Then—
His eyes slowly widened.
A grin spread across his face.
"Oh…"
The grin became bigger.
"Oh HELL yeah."
That was all he managed to say while watching Raviel get blasted across the arena.
Aiden immediately looked done with life.
For several long seconds, complete silence filled the White Room.
Then Victor quietly turned his face away, trying not to laugh.
Meanwhile, Aiden simply stared at Rey in silent disbelief.