'Hmmm?'
Felix had a peculiar sensation that felt like prickling needles at the back of his neck, a shivering echo of being observed...He was too familiar with it.
He paused, his every instinct on edge as he swiveled around to face the window. His eyes scanned the area, focusing on the edges of his view, but there was nothing - no one - there.
'Were my senses wrong?'
His gaze lingered on the seemingly innocuous scene before him, but finally, he turned back, shrugging off the fleeting feeling as nothing more than an overactive imagination.
The moment he had dismissed his suspicions and continued eating, a shadow detached itself from the deep corners of a narrow alley.
The figure was slender and moved with a fluid grace that echoed the movements of a feline. A set of cat ears perked up from beneath the hood of her cloak, swiveling attentively.
'Kikiki, as expected, his senses are quite sharp. But, let's see how he fares first in the tournament.'
The cloaked female lingered for a moment more before slipping back into the depths of the alley, a wide grin etched on her hidden face, exposing two gleaming fangs.
...
One Week Later...
Life took an unexpected turn for Felix and his servants.
The bustling city of Astralis, its neon lights and crystalline structures, was replaced by the calming tranquility of the national garden.
For a little over a week, they made their home in a small tent, surrounded by an array of colorful flora and ethereal wildlife.
During the day, the garden shimmered with vibrant colors, the sunlight diffusing through the foliage and casting patterns of light and shadow on the emerald grass.
At night, bioluminescent plants and insects would light up the landscape, an eerie yet enchanting spectacle that captivated them all.
Felix and Sekiro spent their days searching for a new place to stay, approaching each apartment complex and renter they came across.
But time and time again, they were met with locked doors and dismissive glances, their pleas drowned by the invisible wall erected by his blacklist order.
Felix was placing his hopes before on staying in one of Elder Kraken's apartment districts, but it turned out that using his name on his servants brought him more trouble.
That's because Elder Kraken didn't dare tell his servants to give Felix a break as he knew that Lord Hade's orders must be taken like royal verdicts.
If he dared assist Felix in the shadows whether directly or indirectly, he knew that it wouldn't end well for him.
If Felix was any random spirit, Lord Hades wouldn't have cared less, but the fact that his existence was linked to Asna made him a target.
Despite the looming sense of isolation and countless rejections, Felix bought a tent and settled down in the national garden with the rest of the homeless spirits.Right now, he was training in silence under a serene tree while Karra and Sekiro were watching him from a distance.
"You think his plan will work?" Karra asked softly.
"Well, whether it works or not, it's not like we have any other alternative." Sekiro smiled wryly.
When Felix realized that it was a mere waste of time to seek out a home while blacklisted, he dropped the thought and came up with a different strategy.
It was simple really, acquire enough Lumus to build his own small house in the suburb of the city!
Each spirit had the right to build a single house with a mere permit from the government and no one could take this right away from them.
Though, building a house whether small or big was extremely expensive and almost 90% of spirits never use this one-time permit.
"Our hopes on him winning the tournament if we don't want to live in the streets forever." Sekiro could only wish Felix the best of luck.
As for the thought of leaving Felix behind after a year? It wasn't an option unless Felix couldn't afford to pay his monthly salary.
While servants had laws and rights, resembling workers, they were still called servants for a reason.
The only way for them to be dropped was through either the owner releasing them or one of the conditions in the contract wasn't fulfilled...Until then, the servants must be loyal to their master for eternity.
***
Days went by and before long, the day of the spectral tournament arrived, brimming with a raw energy that filled the air.Hundreds of fighters of all shapes and sizes stood in the Colosseum's grand arena, their varied colors blending into a kaleidoscope of vibrant hues...Felix couldn't be seen, but he was amidst them.
An excited murmur flowed through the crowd, anticipation palpable as they awaited the start of the mayhem.As the murmurs gradually gave way to a sea of silence, a tall, silver-skinned figure ascended the stage.
Dressed in an emerald tunic and with silver hair falling in waves over his broad shoulders, Mr. Sogrus, the beloved host of the annual tournament, carried an air of calm charisma.
His captivating presence had everyone's attention locked onto him, hanging on to his every word.
"Ladies and gentlemen, spirits of Astralis," he began, his voice resonating across the vast arena.
"We are gathered here for the most exhilarating event of the year, the grand Spectral Tournament! I, Sogrus, am honored to be your host once more!"
As Mr. Sogrus wrapped up his introduction, an energetic hush fell over the audience.Suddenly, the colossal screen at the center of the arena flickered, and a series of lines began to divide the hundreds of fighters into four distinct groups.
A deep boom echoed throughout the Colosseum as Sogrus announced, "Now, for the initial stage of our tournament - the Battle Royale! Each group will engage in a massive brawl, with the aim to be among the last four standing in their respective groups."
With a grand gesture of his hand, a series of barriers lit up, separating the groups from each other.
Each barrier pulsated with vibrant hues corresponding to the colors of the groups: cobalt blue, fiery red, luminous yellow, and deep emerald green.
The fighters within each barrier eyed each other, tension simmering as they sized up their competition.
"Roll the dice!" Mr. Sogrus shouted as he eyed a massive holographic dice with all of its facets having only one to four numbers, rolled on the ground.
After a couple of spins, the dice stopped at number three.
"Group three! Prepare yourselves!"
As the last syllable of Sogrus's announcement faded, the barriers around groups one, two, and four flickered and vanished, freeing the fighters within.
His voice, magnified to reverberate around the entire Colosseum, instructed, "Groups One, Two, and Four, you may now vacate the arena. Your battles will commence shortly."
Within seconds, the arena was cleared, leaving only the luminous yellow barrier of Group Three shimmering. A hundred fighters from various walks of spirit life stood inside the barrier, their auras mixing to create a beautiful spectrum of colors.
Felix ended up being among them! He could be seen standing at the edge of the arena with a few fighters holding his sides, giving him solemn looks once in a while.
Felix's perfect performance in the trial had gone viral in the city in the past weeks amongst this tournament contestants, making him get put on their radars.
While no one showed it, Felix could tell that many fighters seemed to have a personal beef with him as their eyes never left him.
'Looks like the red fangs are still splurging their money on me.' He sneered, his eyes as indifferent as ever.
Mr. Sogrus raised his hand, quietly descending upon the Colosseum. His voice, filled with anticipation, echoed through the silence. "Ladies and Gentlemen let the Battle Royale... begin!"
At his command, the last barrier vanished! The tension exploded into motion as fighters lunged at each other, their unique abilities illuminating the Colosseum!
Suddenly, a group of six spirits separated themselves from the melee. Their forms hardened with the distinctive glow of telekinesis barriers, a shimmering layer that enclosed them like a second skin.
Their predatory gazes fell on Felix, and almost immediately, they veered toward him, cutting a path through the chaos!Each one of them had an impressive display of raw power, their bodies illuminated by the swirling energy of their respective abilities.
One swirled with a vortex of wind, another's form crackled with electricity, while a third was coated in a layer of frost.
"Damn it! Will they ever give it a break?!"
Sekiro gritted his teeth in anger while Karra showed a worried look at the sight of Felix being rushed at by multiple fighters at the same time.
Even the crowd gasped as the group of hired spirits lunged at Felix.But Felix stood his ground, his face as calm as still water.
'Show me what you got.'
The same stalker from that night was seen blended in the crowd, her golden eyes affixed on Felix, refusing to have him leave her sight.
Suddenly, Felix turned to stare at her directly while his extended hand in front of him merely closed into a fist.
'Huh?'
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶