"S—… S-rank…" Heath stammered, taking a couple of steps back from the decidedly non S-rank-looking man. Despite the air of authority and power that Eik had immediately been able to sense emanating from the man's entire being, he still looked like just a man.

They had all always imagined something like an S-ranker to look like an S-ranker, and to act like an S-ranker — whatever that meant. This was just a parent who was grateful to a D-ranker for helping his daughter survive a couple of dangerous situations.

Eik felt the breath catch in his throat. The thought alone of facing a man such as Andihar was intimidating to a petrifying degree. Right now, the man was clearly relaxed and in a good mood. But what if he changed his mind? If he ever went to Earth with bad intentions, not even bones and ashes would remain in the wake of his deeds.

"Is something wrong?" he asked with an expression of innocence the sincerity of which it was difficult to discern.

"It's just…" Eik said with hesitation. "It's just that you're the first S-rank Awakened any of us have ever met."

"So you are from a new world!" he said, clapping his hands together. "I thought you seemed to be. Earth, was it? What's your ceiling?"

"I'm sorry?" Olivia asked. Used to being peerlessly powerful no matter where she went, Olivia also seemed to have been thrown by the revelation of Andihar's strength.

"Your ceiling. That is, how much power does your world currently allow?"

"We're not really sure," she said. "But we think it's at least A-rank. We've only just recently become aware of the existence of the Unified Mass and all the worlds within."

"I see," he said, stroking his thin beard. "Then it's no wonder that you're not sure. What rank is your strongest Awakened, then?"

All eyes flitted to Olivia, something that didn't escape Andihar's notice. "You're the strongest?"

She shrugged. "It's not only me, but I suppose I'm up there."

"And you are?"

"B-rank."

"High B-rank, she means," Eik corrected. "She's on the cusp of A already."

"Quite impressive," the older man said. He gazed at Eik steadily, appearing to be lost in thought. Eik felt sweat break out on his forehead. His fingers sought the collar of his shirt. Was his pyjamas crooked or wrinkled or something? Ah, shit, what kind of dumb moron wore pyjamas the first time he met an S-ranker anyway, by Odin's greasy fuckin' beard…

"Do you have a credit slab, Eik?" he finally asked.

Taken aback by the unexpected question, Eik took a couple of seconds to answer. "I— Ah, yes! Yes, I do. I do!" He fished it out from the depths of the rucksack of holding and held it out for the S-ranker to inspect. "But Earth hasn't really gotten to the point where we're trading or dealing much in credits yet. It's really only me and these gu—"

Before Eik could react, Andihar's own credit slab was in his hand, pressed against Eik's with a hollow clack. That unreal speed made Eik jerk back with a gasp of surprise. "A small token of my gratitude," the man said with a cheeky grin. "The first of many, I can promise you."

Heart racing away in his chest, Eik looked down at the little bar. From one moment to the next, that racing heart stopped dead in its tracks as Eik's jaw fell open, his eyes growing as wide as tea saucers. Heath leaned in to sneak a peek at the number displayed on the credit slab. He inhaled sharply, looking like he was about to fall onto his ass.

"S-S— Seven—… Seven million credits…?" the beefy tank stammered. Eik felt lightheaded as he stared down at the unbelievable number.

"What?" Michael exclaimed. Olivia looked confused and leaned into quietly inquire with Sonja.

Her eyes widened when the archer whispered into her ear. "What? That much?"

"Your friends told me that you're trying to get a business off the ground that could not only benefit you, but radically increase the survivability of everybody around you with the potions you would make. But it costs money to really get going, doesn't it?"

"I—… Yes! Thank you!" Eik said.

"This was nothing compared to what you have done for us. You saved our daughter twice and this is not the last you will see of my gratitude."

"I really appreciate this," Eik said with sincerity. "You have no idea how much this will help us."

"You're very welcome," Andihar said with a smile. "Now, if I could have a moment of your time, Eik." He put a hand on Eik's shoulder and led him further out onto the lawn.

The man held up a hand toward the group and a shimmering ward sprung into existence as an extension of his palm. It hung there, the view of his friends behind it distorted to the point where it was difficult to tell what he was even looking at. "What's that?"

"A simple sense blocker. It's not going to do anything against a powerful sensory specialist, but it is enough for all of your friends. One of them in particular, who should not hear what I have to say."

Eik's stomach tied itself into a knot at those words. "What is it?" he asked.

Andihar sighed. "We found Bin's parents."

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"And?" Eik asked, although he had a pretty good guess.

"Their bodies where collected and left in the morgue. I'm sorry."

Eik put his hands on his knees. "Fuck… That's what I was afraid of. Are you sure?"

"Their identities were confirmed by an alliance official on site, so it's as good as certain, I'd say."

"I don't know how to tell her. Should I take her to see them? Won't that just traumatize her?"

Andihar chewed on that for a while. "I think you should. A child deserves to be allowed to say goodbye to her parents if she's never going to see them again. We can make sure their bodies are presentable and free of any visible wounds before she sees them," he said and tears trickled lightly down his cheeks. "Just imagining my own daughter in Bin's place fills me with sorrow."

Eik didn't know what to say to the crying S-ranker. "That sounds like a good idea," Eik nodded.

"Is it strange to see an S-ranker crying?" he asked with a chuckle.

Eik huffed a laugh. "Hah, no. Truth be told, it feels like you're one of the most normal people I've met here, funnily enough. You just… seem to care a lot. It's nice."

"We're not all heartless, I promise," he chuckled and wiped his eyes.

"I get why we had to pick our best. This tournament was one of our best opportunities to make a name for ourselves—"

"Which you certainly managed to do all on your own. People will be interested in you and your world from now on," Andihar broke in.

"Thank you," Eik smiled. With a Worldbreaker ability it was dangerous to be too well known too quickly, but propelling Earth toward a favorable position in the alliance was a bigger matter than just his safety. "So I get that, but why do established civilizations sacrifice their talent?"

"First of all, most don't choose their very best talent. Good talent, yes, but seldom the best. It's a game of power and status, really. These events are moderately good indicators of the potential of the next generation in a world where a single super high-ranker can change the tides of historical issues. There's a lot of national pride and honor for the individual families."

"It's just rather..." Eik hesitated.

"It may seem twisted, but what is the loss of a few lives in the face of uplifting the entire world even just a little? That's how most civilizations think. Did your world never fight wars among yourselves, slaughtering the young by the thousands for complicated goals that should have been devoid of value when compared to the losses? The loss of life in the Championships is nothing when you look at the scale of our society." Andihar's own expression revealed that he too had mixed feelings about it.

"And you daughter?" Eik asked.

The S-ranker's jaw tightened and Eik suddenly feared he had said something he shouldn't have. "She's full of pride, that one. She would stay home all the time if I had anything to say, but she is desperate to prove herself and our extended family is more than happy to cheer her on as she risks her life." His pained frown made it clear just how much he hated it. "Hence my gratitude to you. Twice you stepped in to prevent what I fear the most. Thank you.

Eik was at a loss for words. Wanting to neither deny nor embellish, he simply said nothing, offering instead a warm smile and a nod.

"Anyway," Andihar said. "I'll take you to her parents personally. Let me just say hi to my daughter before we leave," he said and clapped Eik on the shoulder with a hand that could have crushed him into a singularity. "I think I'm going to like you very much... son," he said as he walked away, winking.

…

…

… Fuck.

***

Bin cried. Clinging desperately to her father's torn shirt as he lay lifeless on a thin mat on the ground, most of his lower body carefully covered by a cloth to conceal the wounds that had killed him, she cried. For so long she cried, that Eik couldn't quite believe her little body was capable of holding enough fluid to produce so many tears.

It ripped at his heart to see her grieve so deeply. She was just a little girl and it wasn't right that she should experience something so terrible.

More than anything he wanted to go to her. To comfort her in her time of sorrow. And he would do, just not quite yet. Even if it hurt her, and even if she felt alone right now, this was a moment between her and her mother and father. The last moment they would have together. And Eik didn't fit into this picture. She deserved to see them off without him hovering over her shoulder.

Eventually her sobs subsided into silence and her ragged, disharmonious breathing settled into a steady rhythm. Quietly Eik approached and lifted her gently into his arms.

"Can you make sure her parents get proper burials so she can see them off?" he asked Andihar.

"I am told there are no burials in her local culture, Eik. I'm not sure she would like to see them put in the ground."

"Really? What do they usually do then? Burn them?"

"Goodness, no. Well, I can't exactly identify with the custom either, I must say."

"Why, what is it?"

"Well, the family consumes a part of the body of the deceased."

"Wow," Eik said, glancing down at the corpses of Bin's parents. "That's a little…"

"Much?" Andihar finished for him.

"I was going to say unhygienic, but that fits too, I suppose." Despite his S-rank, Andihar had quickly become a person Eik felt comfortable speaking to. It would seem even S-ranker were still people. What about X-rankers then?

"As far as I know, they believe the physical consumption of the flesh allows those left behind to have the essence, or soul, of the dead stay with them even after they're gone."

"And what do they do with the body afterward?"

"They leave the remains in the wild to become food for flora and fauna, I believe."

Eik chewed on it. "Is she going to want that too?"

Andihar shrugged. "She is very little. But I'll be honest, Eik, I don't think you have a place to make a decision like that for her."

"N-No… No, I know I don't. It's just…"

"You want to be there for her."

"Yeah."

"Well, in that case, could I ask you to look after her for a little while? Just until the alliance can track down any living relatives of hers."

Eik felt a sense of relief settle in his stomach. Without realizing it, Eik had been dreading the thought of sending away this little girl to some place where she didn't know anybody and where she didn't feel safe, even if he had barely known her for a single day. She probably wouldn't even want to stay with him even if she could. "Of course! I'd love to!"

***

Despite how overwhelming the invasion had initially looked to Eik who had been caught smack dab in the middle of it, it would seem it had actually be quenched rather quickly by the forces of the Nidafjeld Alliance.

Many people had died, certainly. A frightening number in fact — on both sides. But apparently there had been no S-rankers or stronger among the cultists, and only a minority of A-rankers to command and take on stronger opponents. Although to Eik and his friends, a so-called "minority" of A-rankers sounded pretty damn horrifying in itself already.

That meant that when Andihar arrived with his personal troops it had been a massacre. Other terrifyingly powerful high rankers had been present as well to watch friends and family participate in the Championships and had quickly stepped in to exterminate any remnants of the cult on the premises of the headquarters.

There was a lot of chatter going around wondering about the goals of the Moon Shall Swallow cult and their relatively moderate attempt at an assault. There were many theories, some sounding more plausible than others.

They were about to head back to the elven estate when crucial news reached them. Mikla found them after what would seem to have been an extensive search. He was frantic.

"We need to go back! Now!" he hissed the moment he was within earshot.

"Go back?" Heath asked. "Go back to where?"

"Earth! The cult didn't just invade headquarters! Many newer worlds were targeted! The raids were a distraction!"

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