As the group left the city hall just after eleven, the streets of Solmere felt… different.
Not louder.
Not quieter.
Just changed.
Word had already spread. It always did. Conversations followed them in hushed fragments as they passed. Merchants leaned together whispering beneath storefront awnings. Townsfolk watched from balconies and open windows with expressions ranging from admiration to concern.
Two weeks.
That was all it had taken.
Bunny finally broke the silence first.
"I still can't believe it."
Her voice sounded quieter than usual.
"In just two weeks… you helped abolish slavery in Solmere."
Jax exhaled slowly.
"I didn't abolish slavery," he said calmly. "The town did."
Nyxian snorted softly.
"You're allowed to take some credit, you know."
"No," Llandra said quietly. "He's right."
She glanced toward the streets around them.
"If the people hadn't chosen to support it, none of this would've mattered."
Zee walked slightly behind them, thoughtful.
"Still," she said softly, "someone had to give them a reason to choose."
Nobody argued with that.
They returned briefly to the hotel, changed into lighter training clothes, then left the city again not long afterward.
This time only Bunny accompanied Jax.
The others had already agreed the day belonged to her.
The open training grounds outside Solmere stretched beneath bright afternoon sunlight. Wind rolled softly through the grass while stone outcroppings and uneven terrain created natural obstacles perfect for movement drills.
Jax stopped near the center of the clearing and looked around approvingly.
"Good footing," he said.
Bunny hopped onto a nearby boulder and sat cross-legged, tail swishing behind her.
"Okay," she said excitedly. "Skill time."
Her translucent system screen appeared between them.
Jax stepped closer while she scrolled through options.
Unlike Llandra, Bunny's list felt less elegant and more… explosive.
Momentum-based abilities.
Shockwave skills.
Movement enhancers.
Aggro manipulation.
Very Bunny.
"I want your opinion," she said while scrolling.
"You'll make the final choice," Jax reminded her.
"I know."
She looked at him earnestly.
"But I still want to hear what you think."
Jax nodded once.
"Alright."
He studied the list carefully.
"Momentum Sovereign seems mandatory."
Bunny grinned immediately.
"That one sounds awesome."
It was.
Momentum Sovereign was a Legendary skill that amplified Bunny's physical power through constant movement. Every dodge, leap, sprint, pivot, or collision increased the stored force inside her body.
Even more dangerous—
damage that failed to critically injure her became stored energy as well.
Pain became momentum.
Momentum became devastation.
Jax whistled quietly.
"Honestly? This skill is terrifying."
Bunny looked delighted by that.
Next came Skybound Step.
A movement skill allowing limited midair repositioning by stepping against compressed mana itself.
"Double jumps," Bunny said immediately.
"Essentially," Jax agreed.
Then came Directed Seismic Impact.
Bunny's eyes sparkled while reading it.
"Oh I like this one."
Directed Seismic Impact allowed her to focus shockwaves into a chosen direction rather than creating uncontrolled tremors.
Precision destruction.
Very dangerous.
Jax nodded approvingly.
"That one has incredible battlefield utility."
The final choices narrowed down to four remaining skills.
Provoking Presence.
Titan Leap.
Preybreaker Instinct.
Veilstep.
Bunny wrinkled her nose at the last one.
"Stealth feels weird for me."
"Because it doesn't match how you think," Jax said.
She blinked.
"…Yeah."
Jax folded his arms thoughtfully.
"If I were choosing entirely for your survival, I'd pick Preybreaker Instinct and Veilstep."
Bunny tilted her head.
"Danger sense and stealth?"
"Yes."
He said it without hesitation.
"You naturally draw attention already. A stealth option could save your life someday."
Bunny's expression softened slightly.
"You always choose safety first."
"Every time."
But she kept staring at the list.
And eventually Jax already knew what she would choose before she said it.
"I want Provoking Presence."
Jax smiled faintly.
"Of course you do."
Her ears perked proudly.
"If something dangerous shows up while you're gone, then I want it looking at me first."
That statement carried zero hesitation.
Zero fear.
Just conviction.
"And Preybreaker?" Jax asked.
Bunny nodded.
"Danger sense plus movement speed increases while under attack."
She grinned wider.
"That sounds really fun."
Jax shook his head slightly, amused.
"I knew you'd choose to throw yourself directly into danger."
Bunny hopped down from the boulder and planted her hands on her hips defiantly.
"If you aren't around," she said firmly, "then anything dangerous has to get through me before it reaches the others."
Jax stared at her for a moment.
Then nodded once.
"Alright."
He stepped backward across the training field.
"Show me what you can do."
Bunny moved instantly.
Not aggressively at first.
Just constantly.
Step.
Pivot.
Hop.
Turn.
She kept her hammer resting casually against her shoulder while staying in motion.
Jax watched carefully.
"Feel anything yet?"
Her eyes widened slightly.
"…Yeah."
She bounced lightly from foot to foot.
"It's weird. Like pressure building up inside me."
"Good," Jax said calmly.
"Don't stop moving."
Without warning he tossed a small stone toward her.
Bunny twisted sideways instinctively and let it glance harmlessly off her shoulder.
"Ow."
Then she paused.
"…Wait."
The air around her subtly shifted.
Not visible exactly.
But heavier.
More dangerous.
Jax noticed immediately.
"Non-critical damage feeds the momentum storage."
Bunny laughed brightly.
"That's amazing."
"Again."
This time Jax threw three stones.
Bunny leapt sideways.
Then her foot hit empty air—
—and held.
Her ears shot straight upward.
"I DID IT!"
She kicked off the air itself, twisting midair before landing several yards away in a crouch.
Skybound Step.
Bunny stared at the empty air behind her in disbelief.
"Oh that's so cool."
"Again," Jax said immediately.
This time she jumped higher.
Then higher again.
Momentum began visibly affecting her movement now. Every leap became stronger. Every landing heavier.
The ground started cracking beneath her feet.
"Try Directed Seismic Impact."
Bunny grinned ferally.
She slammed her fist downward.
BOOM.
The earth exploded outward in a focused line instead of an uncontrolled burst. Dirt and stone erupted forward like a traveling shockwave.
Jax whistled softly.
"That was clean."
Bunny looked thrilled.
"Again."
The next several hours became chaos.
Jax attacked her constantly with controlled strikes designed to test reactions and force adaptation.
Every blocked hit.
Every glancing blow.
Every dodge.
Momentum Sovereign kept building.
Soon Bunny moved like a living avalanche.
Faster.
Heavier.
More explosive.
Provoking Presence activated naturally during combat, making her impossible to ignore once engaged.
Even Jax felt it.
Her presence demanded focus.
Demanded response.
By nearly three-thirty in the afternoon, Bunny slammed through an entire reinforced stone barrier using accumulated momentum alone.
The impact shook nearby trees.
Dust rolled outward across the field.
Bunny stood in the center of the wreckage panting heavily while grinning like a maniac.
Jax stared at the destruction.
"…You're a one-person siege weapon now."
Bunny looked absurdly proud of herself.
"Good."
She bounced lightly once despite being exhausted.
"Because I feel amazing."
And she meant it.
This wasn't just strength.
It was confidence.
The nervous bunny girl who constantly worried about keeping up with the others had changed.
Now she knew exactly what she brought to the team.
She was their shield.
Their frontline.
Their unstoppable force.
And she loved it.
Eventually she walked directly toward Jax while sunlight shimmered softly across her sweat-damp skin.
Then she grabbed his face and kissed him deeply.
"Thank you," she whispered afterward.
Jax opened his mouth to deflect the praise immediately—
—but Bunny pressed a finger gently against his lips.
"No," she said softly.
"You helped me become stronger."
Her ears stood proudly upright.
"You trained me. Believed in me. Helped me stop doubting myself."
Jax looked at her quietly.
Then Bunny smiled mischievously.
"And now…"
She tugged lightly at the collar of her training top.
"…we still have a couple hours before meeting the others."
Jax raised an eyebrow immediately.
"Oh no."
"Oh yes."
She kissed him again while stepping closer.
"iPoints don't earn themselves, Jaxy."
He laughed under his breath despite himself.
Bunny pulled back just enough to study him carefully.
Not just his strength.
Not just the man who punched dragons apart.
But the person underneath all of it.
Reliable.
Protective.
Warm.
The wind rolled softly through the open field while Bunny wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled.
For the first time in her life—
Aurabelle felt powerful.
And that feeling was intoxicating.