Chapter 310: You’re Everywhere

Jin’s phone had forty-one messages when he woke up, and thirty-eight were from his sister.

The first was a link. The next thirty-seven were Elsa’s commentary on it, including one message consisting entirely of the word WHAT repeated until it wrapped.

He scrolled to the top, still lying down.

[Highmarch Regional League — Novice Revival Final — Highlights]

[Meridian’s Astor: Three Straight]

Somebody had cut it to four minutes. The kite coming out of its glide. The jackal going over the boundary. The boar sliding on its chest with grit furrowing beneath its tusks.

Jin watched the last exchange twice. He remembered being frightened and desperately tired of making decisions. On the recording, he looked as though he had known what he was doing all along.

Please don’t put my face up close.

The editor put his face up close.

He buried it in his pillow, then reached for the phone again.

Glitch was asleep in the adjoining stall when Jin went to check him. Usually breakfast brought at least an accusing stare. This morning, only the tip of his tail moved.

Jin set the feed down and crouched beside him. Most of the fourteen small wounds had closed to dark lines, helped by Lesser Regeneration. The deeper foreleg cut remained dressed. When he touched the tight muscle above Glitch’s hind leg, the lizard shifted away.

"All right. Sorry."

The medic arrived at eight and examined him before allowing the morning walk.

"His Core readings are settling," she said. "The wounds are progressing well. That doesn’t mean he’s ready for another match."

Jin glanced at the untouched breakfast. "He gets three full days before the semifinal."

"Starting today. Short walks, ordinary care, plenty of sleep. I’ll reassess him during that time and check him again before competition." She put away the scanner. "If he looks bored tomorrow, let him be bored."

"And if he isn’t ready?" Jin asked.

"Then he doesn’t fight. I expect him to recover, but I’m not promising you clearance."

Jin nodded. He would hate withdrawing after everything the team had done. Looking at Glitch, though, he couldn’t imagine dragging him onto an arena floor this morning.

The lizard finally lifted his head toward the feed.

"There you are," Jin murmured, moving the bowl closer.

By six that evening, Elsa had sent three more messages asking whether he was awake.

Jin called before she could send a fourth.

His sister appeared at an angle, apparently walking with the terminal held in front of her.

"Jin."

"Hi."

"Don’t just say hi! The bird fight—when it comes down and suddenly hits the ground—what was that?"

"Gravity Press." Jin leaned back against his pillow. "The caption says it."

"I know. I wanted you to tell me." Elsa stopped walking. "You got a gravity skill?"

"Glitch did. It increases the downward pull in a small area. I only needed a short pulse during that glide."

Elsa replayed the motion with her free hand and nearly dropped the terminal.

"That is so cool."

He smiled before he could stop himself.

"Bel from downstairs asked if that was my brother," Elsa continued. "When I said yes, she asked, ’The lazy one?’"

"That’s fair," Jin said.

"It is not fair. You won three times without leaving! The commentator called you someone to watch in the semifinals."

"He also said something about keeping me upright."

"He was joking." Elsa frowned at the screen. "You were upright, weren’t you?"

"Mostly."

"Jin!"

"I’m sitting on a bed. I’m fine." He turned the camera briefly to prove it, enjoying himself now. "You can stop looking for a stretcher."

Then he heard his mother asking who Elsa was talking to, and his sister shouted loudly enough that he held the phone away from his ear.

Elena sat beside Elsa. Arthur came into view a moment later, adjusting his chair so he could see the screen.

"We watched it four times," Elena said. "Your father kept going back to the jackal."

"Twice properly," Arthur said. "The other two were Elsa explaining it over the commentary."

"You were explaining it too," Elsa objected.

Arthur ignored that. "You waited a long time while it was shooting at Glitch."

"I needed to take away its retreat," Jin said. "Chasing straight after it was what they wanted."

"I saw. It takes patience to keep doing that when your beast is getting hit." His father paused. "You handled it well. I’m proud of you."

Jin had been ready to explain the firing stance. Instead, he looked down at a loose thread in the blanket.

"Thanks, Dad."

"We both are," Elena said. Her smile trembled a little. "I’ve wanted to tell you since last night. And then I watched that boar come at you, and all I could think was how far away you were."

"It was going for Glitch," Jin said, then wished he hadn’t. That would hardly make her feel better.

"How is he?" she asked.

"Tired. Lots of little cuts, one that needed closing. He’s getting checked, and we have three days to recover before anyone competes again."

"And you, Jin?"

"Scraped my hand. Nothing serious." He showed her the dressing, keeping it in frame long enough that she wouldn’t think he was hiding it. "I was scared during the last one. I knew we could finish it, but knowing and waiting for it to happen were different."

Arthur nodded without interrupting. Jin was grateful for that.

"Just take care of yourself," Elena said. "Please. If you’ve had enough, you’ve had enough. Winning doesn’t change that."

"Coach Marris can pull us out," Jin said. "She made that very clear before I stayed for the third bout. I’m listening to her."

"Good," Arthur said. "Keep listening."

Jin saw his father shift his injured leg beneath the table. He didn’t need the rest explained.

"I will."

"Can we watch the semifinal properly?" Elsa asked. "Without somebody cutting out half of it?"

"They’re starting the public livestream for the semifinals," Jin said. "I’ll send the link. It’s three days from today."

"Live?" Elsa immediately reached for something off-screen. "I’m telling everyone."

"Please don’t tell everyone."

"Too late. I’ve decided." She looked back at him, grinning. "I’m going to make you a celebrity here. People will stop Mum in the corridor to ask about you."

"They already stop me about the hydroponics rota," Elena said.

"About Jin, Mum."

His mother laughed, and Jin felt himself relax. He wanted to remember this part of the call, with everyone crowding into the frame and Elsa acting as though the entire shelter had been waiting for her announcement.

"Send the link," she insisted. "And don’t pretend you forgot."

"I won’t," Jin promised.

Afterward, he saved the highlight instead of deleting it from his messages. He might watch it again when nobody was around.

Glitch was awake when Jin returned to the stall. Flicker stood on her perch beside the doorway, turning her head as he came in.

"Apparently we’re famous," he told them.

Glitch pushed his empty bowl with his nose.

"Yes, your career is going very well." Jin fetched the remainder of his evening ration and sat nearby while he ate.

The notification arrived before the bowl was empty.

[Novice Division — Semifinals]

[Meridian Academy vs Sablecourt Academy]

[Highfen Academy vs Stonemarch Collegiate]

[Reporting: Arena 1, 11:00 — three days from today]

[Public regional livestream. Semifinal continuation and nomination regulations attached.]

Jin stopped smiling.

Sablecourt had beaten them 3–1. He remembered each teammate coming back through the gate, and how little comfort his own solitary win had offered by the end.

Glitch nudged his knee. Jin rested a hand on the broad skull without looking away from the opponent’s name.

This time, Sablecourt had recordings of Gravity Press.

He opened the attachment.