Sunlight streamed through the blinds, painting stripes of gold across the tangled sheets.
Arthur blinked awake to find Gwin still curled against him, her breathing slow and even. He gave her shoulder a gentle shake, "Oi. Wake up."
Gwin groaned, burying her face deeper into his chest with a muffled protest, "Five more minutes…"
"Miles isn't here," Arthur noted, glancing at the empty bunk across the room, the silence unusual, "I'm surprised we didn't hear him leave."
Gwin slowly opened her eyes, blinking away sleep, "Maybe he's training in private."
Arthur snorted, rolling out of bed, "Speaking of which, I'm hitting the gym. Tomorrow's the tournament and I need to prepare some tactics against you guys."
Gwin stretched, "Have fun. Can't wait to kick your ass in the finals."
Arthur smirked, tossing a pillow at her face, "Dream on."
Before he could step off the bed, Gwin whispered quietly, "Thank you for being here with me. It means a lot."
"We're all friends here, right? So I want each one of us to feel comfortable enough to be vulnerable in our presence. Sometimes talking is the best way to help a troubled mind," Arthur calmly explained.
Gwin blushed, leaning in closer, "There are other methods for healing a troubled mind. Filling it with a different type of emotion. The one I feel right now." She attempted to kiss him, but Arthur stopped her with a gentle finger to her lips.
"Sorry, I only kiss after the second date. You need to earn these lips if you want them for yourself," he said with deadpan look.
Gwin embarrassedly played with her hair, a furious blush spreading across her cheeks, "You're right, and we might potentially fight each other, so I don't want our emotions to cloud our minds."
Arthur laughed, and hopped off, "Glad you understand. Well, I'm off." He left the dormitory with a blushing smile tugging at his lips.
Then, from the other side, "I FUMBLED! HOW DID I FUMBLE SO BADLY! NOOO, I'M GOING TO BE SINGLE FOREVER! I MIGHT BECOME FAT AND TURN INTO A KAREN!!!" Gwin's voice erupted in a crisis-fueled wail.
Arthur sighed till he noticed Miles returning with a bowl of berries, "Hey there, what's going—"
But immediately Arthur speed-walked away and shouted, "YOU DEAL WITH HER!"
At first, Miles was confused, but once he entered the room, "BEST BUDDY, I FUMBLED HARD!" He was greeted by a tearful Gwin.
Immediately, Miles guessed what she was referring to and asked, "Want to talk about it over some berries?"
---
Arthur moved through his drills with Galahad, the spectral knight mirroring his strikes with lethal precision.
Left hook. Right cross. Spinning kick.
Sweat dripped down Arthur's temples as he pushed harder, faster, until a memory flickered at the edges of his focus.
(Flashback: Two and a Half Weeks Ago)
Arthur lay sprawled on a concrete training floor, his body covered in bruises.
His laughter echoed through the underground gym.
"MORE! HIT ME HARDER!" he wheezed, dragging himself up on shaking limbs.
Across from him, Hans stood with his arms crossed, "You're pushing too hard, young master. I believe we're done for today."
Arthur spat blood, "No, I need to experience that sensation again."
"And your bones will snap like twigs, young master," Hans' shadow clone emerged from Arthur's shadow and uppercut him off his feet, sending him crashing to the floor. "Complex users like you? Have three evolutions a month. Any more, and your body will need rehab for months."
Arthur scowled, his voice a growl, "Power… I NEED MORE POWER!!!"
Hans' expression softened, "You've already learned three new abilities, a feat many can't confidently obtain. Which means you're perfect as long as you practice them. I fear your body has a weaker tolerance to the side-effects. Who knows, maybe you won't be able to develop your skills any further than this."
(Flashback Ends)
Arthur's fist was countered by a sweep from Galahad that sent him to the ground with a grunt.
He kicked up to his feet with a flip and prepared a spinning side kick, which was blocked by Galahad's gauntlet.
Arthur backstepped to return to his stance, his breath tiering, "Galahad, I have undergone my evolution during the final two weeks of last month. Am I correct?"
Galahad kneeled on one knee and nodded his head.
"So I haven't recovered, so that means if I happened to evolve if the conditions were met, I might lose myself to the fever," he asked.
Galahad nodded again.
Arthur then said with a serious look, "Can I beat the others with my level of strength?"
Galahad slowly shook his head, which caused Arthur to bite his thumb, "Well, damn. Looks like we need to work on something. Stand up. I want to work on some tactics."
Galahad rose to his feet, emitting a dangerous blue flame aura that pulsed with power.
A smirk appeared on Arthur's face, "A knight that's not stronger than his king shouldn't be permitted by his side. Do your best, because tomorrow, first place is the only acceptable outcome." He entered his stance before charging straight toward him.