It took some time before Alex could open his eyes, longer still before said eyes stopped watering and he could see with them.

"You should all get back to creating the light skill, I want you all to have it floating beside you," Kael told them.

Alex flinched when he heard that and he turned pleading eyes to Kael. "Can’t we try another time?"

Kael turned to him and his voice was serious. "The worst thing that could happen is you fearing essence and formation. I’ve seen that destroy bright Hounds. Don’t fear it; instead, embrace the uncertainty that sometimes comes with skill usage."

Alex laughed uneasily, avoiding Kael’s eyes. He rubbed his palm on his clothes and concentrated, then he shut his eyes tightly and leaned back. A wriggling ball of white energy burst into being above him.

Alex opened one eye and then started grinning as he saw the light ball. "I knew it! This is the real beauty, Stallus. See!"

Stallus rolled her eyes and created her ball, hovering it gently on her outstretched hand. "You almost didn’t get to see that beauty, you know. You didn’t want to channel to your formation."

Alex drew himself up from his sitting position. "I’ll have you know that I’m the best when it comes to formation!"

"And where would you put Catena and Azaroth?" Stallus asked.

Alex looked at the two of them, at Azaroth’s red ball floating around him and Catena’s ball that was just sitting there in the air.

"I’m better than you though," Alex insisted.

Stallus nodded slowly. "You know what, I agree," Alex’s eyes widened, then turned to a glare as she continued. "I agree that you are good at blinding people."

Kael clapped, stopping Alex from retaliating to the smug Stallus. "Let’s continue. Normally I would leave you here for today with the instructions to let your light ball hover, but we don’t have time. I have to make sure your mind adjusts to holding and channeling as soon as possible."

"Why don’t we have time?" Stallus raised her brows.

"Have you forgotten? You are having a duel in two weeks—next week, I might say," Kael said.

"Oh, that," Stallus said, her tone dismissive.

"No ’oh that’." Kael snapped. "You issued the challenge; you must win the duel." Kael’s voice was flat and final as he turned to Azaroth.

"I will," Azaroth returned in a cold voice.

"Good. Because this is the Hounds and once they smell weakness, the dogs will be all over you. And since you were the one that called for the challenge, you must win it," Kael warned.

"But why? I get that it’s a duel that we must win, but isn’t it just a fight? It’s not like our life is on the line," Stallus frowned as if there was something she wasn’t getting.

"It is," Azaroth said.

"What?" Stallus stared at him, baffled.

It was Catena who answered. "A duel is usually to know two things. One, who the stronger one is, and two, who is the weaker one. It’s a dangerous thing to be known as the weaker one. As a weak person. That’s why a lot of thought goes into issuing or accepting a challenge."

"Yet you issued one," Alex accused.

"Because I know who the stronger one is already." Catena opened his eyes fully and looked at Azaroth before turning away.

Stallus snorted. "I still don’t get it about here in Hound. Maybe to the outside world, yes, but isn’t the Hound a fighting force?"

"The Hound is more of a reflection of the outside world as you can get. This place is brutal. Of course, you were not given leave to fight freely but... ’accidents’ happen. During training, missions, and people die in their sleep," Kael said.

"You knew all this was going on and you didn’t put a stop to it? You are a superior!" Stallus hissed.

Kael shrugged. "It’s the nature of things. What do you expect? This is the Hound. You can’t put people together into a fighting force again and expect them not to find ways to amuse themselves."

Stallus’s eyes narrowed, then she gently relaxed until her face was smooth again. "They are all the same. Everywhere, people are the same."

Azaroth understood what Kael was saying perfectly. The Hounds were finding ways to fight back even if it was killing each other. How did they get it past their mask enchantment though? That was something Azaroth would like to know.

"The Hound is not like any other force. There’s not much rank to climb and to climb one you must be leagues above everyone. The only way to get noticed here is to stand out and people tend to do that in different colorful ways," Kael said.

"If you lose this challenge they would see you as weaklings and they might not touch you now because of the Yama Project, but the news would carry through all of the Inferno Legion and that’s where the trouble begins," Kael said.

Azaroth could hear it in the Captain’s voice; there was still a reason why he didn’t want them to lose this challenge. Something he wasn’t telling him. Was it because he was their instructor? Azaroth doubted that. Kael Hound wasn’t a proud man.

Azaroth asked him, "Is there another reason for not losing this challenge?"

"Of course not! Anyway, since Azaroth is your group leader this might gather some attention. Two group leaders fighting a duel." Kael looked away from Azaroth.

So he was right, Azaroth thought. There was a reason and it must be a very important one too that Kael Hound didn’t want them to lose this duel. Azaroth could see the way he changed the conversation.

Azaroth thought about it. It couldn’t be because he was their instructor; could it be just that he was paranoid that they would lose and leave a bad reputation for him or themselves? Azaroth doubted that was it.

No matter how he thought about it, he didn’t get it. He frowned. Two group leaders fighting... wait. Group leader?

"Since when am I a group leader?" Azaroth demanded.