Preparing for the Finale

Oli looked up and was surprised to see that he wasn't alone. "Netra, what are you doing here? This is supposed to be a private room."

"It was a good fight," that was the only response that Netra could think of.

"What do you want to talk about? Is it my dark essence?" Oli didn't want to waste any time at the given moment. "You already figured me out, so what else is there to talk about? I'm still not going to admit having it to anyone else, so please don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Why not?" Netra was confused by Oli's frankness, not understanding why he would hide half of his abilities due to her lack of a larger perspective.

"I have my reasons okay, you wouldn't understand right now," Oli knew that she probably had no clue about how the world worked outside of her clan. He was lucky to have been a nomad and have his horizons broadened by everything new he experienced. The opposite of was true for Netra, who had only ever traveled once, and it was to relocate to Iron Town.

"Well… Can you at least explain why?" asked Netra.

Oli sighed, "That would take too long. Just know that I have to keep it a secret or things will get difficult for my clan, okay?"

Netra didn't like being blatantly left in the dark, but she understood that it wasn't her business in the first place. She swallowed her desire to know more and accepted his plea. "Okay, I won't tell… But only on one condition."

"What's that?" questioned Oli.

"You have to let me train with you," Netra insisted.

Oli was surprised by Netra's sudden stubbornness and was at a loss for words. He always preferred secluded cultivation, but he didn't want to leave any chance for his secret to be leaked out. "Is there no other—"

"Nope, you have to let me cultivate with you," Netra dogged him and didn't give him a chance to refuse. "Besides, everyone in my clan knows that I like to sneak off and train alone. If you're always in that cave anyway, who would know I'm there?"

"Fine," Oli agreed to her terms, thinking that in the long run, it would have the least effect on his current lifestyle. "But we'll have to talk about this later. For now, I need to recover and get ready for my fight with Karos."

"Good luck," Netra showed a small smile before she left the room.

Oli took some deep breaths to help calm his mind after the unexpected conversation with Netra. Sinking back into concentration, Oli greedily took in as much energy as possible from the core in his hand.

In the corridor Vloz, Rathe, and Ania were making their way to visit Oli after Karos had almost instantly defeated his opponent with an overwhelming barrage of electrically charged attacks. They wanted to inform Oli of the result and help him refocus or set his mind at ease before the big match.

To their surprise, they all noticed Netra walking in the opposite direction. No one said anything as their paths crossed and went their separate ways. They were curious why she was there, but that wasn't very important at the moment. It didn't take long for them to reach Oli's private room and enter it without giving notice.

"Yo, brat, that was some sh—" Rathe blurted out his words without even noticing Oli's state of concentration. Vloz and Ania noticed and both took a jab at Rathe to shut him up.

All three of them were impressed by Oli's ability to stay calm and focused on the current situation. They nodded to one another and quietly left, giving Oli all the time possible to recuperate and prepare himself for the final match.

In a private room on the other side of the arena, Karos was resting and mentally preparing himself for the final match. Though Oli was only a mid-novice, the young lynx wouldn't forget how Yeter praised him highly and was even defeated by Oli in the semifinals. Karos guessed that the next match would be the most difficult of them all but was fully confident in his ability to win as long he treated Oli seriously and didn't underestimate him. He was always confident yet careful in his approach to things, that's why he had always excelled at almost everything he did.

Chief Gar had already visited his son and praised him heavily. He made sure to offer his son a core to help him replenish his energy, but Karos didn't need it since the young lynx hadn't needed to push himself during the entire competition. After giving Karos some tips, Chief Gar left his son alone to prepare for the fight and returned to the audience to brag about his genius son.

Karos was focusing on his breathing, clearing his mind completely in order to visualize his future fight with Oli.

Unknown to him, he was being watched. In the back corner of the room, there was a man hidden within the shadows. He showed a sinister smile even though no one was able to see it.