Loosely Kept Secret

'Seems everyone is against me,' Noble shook her head with a weary smile.

She stared at the pleading eyes of her children.

Fort kept his face neutral, but now that even the Echo had shown interest in a match, he was watching the scene with an intensity that Noble knew meant he was curious too.

"...hmm..." Noble tapped her chin.

"PLEASE?!?" The twins pressed their hands together in silent prayer.

"Helios agreed. Why can't you?" Brock poured.

"I didn't think echoes had a mind of their own," Fort took a step back as Helios looked at him. "Of course, I could be wrong!" He added.

The Symncus grunted softly and turned back to his Master with a snort. Then he yawned, revealing a gaping maw of razor-sharp teeth.

"Look at that face! That right there is the face of a champion." Brock scratched under the creature's chin.

"You're going to be great!" Blaze assured the Symncus. "You'll knock 'em dead. I'm sure of it."

"Yeah, you'll murder them all without mercy!" Brock added.

"First Rain asked for familial carnage, and now you boys want to see the arena run red. I had no idea I raised such bloodthirsty children!" Noble scowled in mock severity.

"It's all for fun," Brock crossed his arms. "We don't want anyone to really die or anything, just their fake versions, like in the video game."

"Yeah, we don't want anyone to be decapitated in real life," Blaze nodded.

"Decapitated? You mean Fort-ified!" Their father winked.

All three children groaned in unison.

The Director sighed. "A man can't even make a good pun in his own home without being judged." 

"What do you say, Mom? Will you do it?" Brock turned back to the original conversation.

"....Fine..." Noble sighed. 

"Yes!" The twins bumped fists. 

"I'll make the popcorn!" Brock moved toward the kitchen. 

"I'll reset the projector!" Blaze went in the opposite direction. 

"I'll start searching to see which arenas are already on a live feed so we can catch it from the beginning." Rain pulled out her communicator and started clicking on the screen.

"Wait, you want me to do it right NOW?" Noble knew that her children were motivated to make this happen, but she had somehow thought that they would give her a little time to mentally prepare. 

Their hurried preparations suggested that they believed if they didn't act quickly, they might miss the event entirely. 

"Don't you all need to go to bed? Midterms start tomorrow!" Noble wanted to hit her forehead because of her own foolishness. Her timing with all of this information had been terrible for her children's educational careers. 

"We will go right to bed after the match," Brock assured her. "And the easy classes are tomorrow anyway. I could do them with my eyes closed." 

"That sounds like something you would try," Blaze rolled his eyes. 

"Be nice," Noble bit her lip. "As for the Dreamscape…I…" 

But the kids were no longer listening. Noble's shoulders drooped. 

Fort motioned for his wife to come close to him. Using the Symncus's body to give them some privacy, his voice dropped to a whisper. "You've had a long day..." 

Long didn't begin to describe it. Today alone, she had found out her father was likely murdered, gone to the government to be interviewed, spent lunchtime and her afternoon exploring her new home in the Dream Realm and making some startling discoveries. Then she had come home to sort through the emotions of her teenage daughter, sparred with her twin boys, and then laid bare all of her secrets before her family. 

 As if reading her thoughts, Fort nodded. 

"Beyond that, I know the past few days have been very emotional for you. If you're not ready for this, I'll be the bad guy and tell them they have to wait. You have been through a lot. Perhaps a battle right now isn't the best idea." Fort took his wife's hand and squeezed it softly. 

"I call dibs on the recliner!" Brock yelled from the kitchen. 

"Only if you don't burn the popcorn," Blaze answered. 

"Mom, I think I found the perfect spot!" Rain's voice called over the other two. 

Noble took a deep breath. Was she ready to go back into a real battle? No. 

But this wasn't a real battle. It was a skirmish between two Echoes. 

The bigger issue that Fort was alluding to was not her battle readiness, but her mental state. Noble had just seen Kosi die by her hand. What would happen if her Echo got injured or died in the ring? 

She would know it wasn't real in her head, but her heart might have different feelings. Noble looked at Helios with a pensive expression. 

The Symncus exuded a confident air. 

On the plus side, the Dreamscape would be a safe place for her to discover her Echo's skills. There was no threat of him getting permanently destroyed, so they could try things that she might not dare to do otherwise.

"You really want to do this, Helios?" Noble whispered. 

The purr of response was all she needed. The seasoned duelist gave a small smile to her husband.

"I think it will be fine. And it will make the kids happy. I owe them that after all the misery I have unintentionally caused them. But just one round, I think. Just to see what happens." Noble made the rule for herself. 

"Mhmm..." Fort pressed his lips together.

"What?" Noble furrowed her brow. 

"Nothing," he smirked before walking away toward the couch. "I just saw that shimmer in your eye. You are a little excited yourself at the prospect." 

"No, I am doing this for all of you." Noble protested. 

She was not bloodthirsty like her children! So, why were her cheeks burning?! 

"Of course. A Dreamscape Champion who doesn't want to take on a new challenge. That sounds just like you." Fort kissed his wife's forehead. "I'll see you eventually, my love." 

"I mean it! I am just going to do one battle!" Noble furrowed her brow. 

Fort walked toward the couch. "You hear that? Mom's only going to do one round, everyone."

"I am!" Noble started to defend herself. 

Did Fort not realize that she wanted to spend time with them more than in the Dreamscape? But the duelist realized it was no use. She would just have to show him. 

"Ok, Mom. I found it for sure." Rain hurried forward to take her father's place at Noble's side. "This one looks like the best option. It's a huge arena, but only a few battles are taking place there right now." 

Looking at the screen, Noble memorized the name. "Got it." 

"Yes, you do," Rain gave her mother a thumbs up.

After patting Helios one last time, Noble dismissed the massive creature from the room. "Alright, I guess I'm ready." 

"Go, Mom! You are the best!" Brock brought a bowl of buttery white pillows from the kitchen toward the couch. 

"We are behind you all the way!" Blaze pumped his fist in his mother's direction. 

"Thank you." Noble forced a smile. 

Somehow, the show of support actually made Noble more nervous.

Now that her children knew who she was, there was no longer a wall between Queen Bee and herself. 

Rain's affirmative gesture and the boys' raucous cheers made her feel an intense wave of pressure not to disappoint them.

When she was anonymous, it didn't matter if she won or lost. No one would ever attribute that victory or loss to the Memory professor who taught at the Awakened Academy. 

But those days were coming to a close—no they were already gone. Her identity was now a loosely kept secret at best, leaking out like a sieve with each passing hour.

Even if she asked Frey not to out her, some other reporter eventually would. 

Maybe not today or tomorrow, but very soon. When the story broke, all of her past and present actions in the Dreamscape would fall squarely on her shoulders. Noble wasn't ashamed of anything she had done there, but at the same time, it felt like another person had done them. 

So if her last time in the Dreamscape was a loss–even if it wasn't technically her loss– would be the thing that people would latch on to. 

Noble's eyes swirled with determination. 

'Then I better not lose.'