Reid watched as the world seemed to slow down around him. Alex was mid-motion, his fist arcing toward Damien, while Damien remained seated, his expression calm and unbothered.
But Reid wasn't fooled.
In the slowed perception, he could see Damien's subtle shift—a slight twitch in his hand, a glint of readiness in his cold green eyes. The moment Alex's fist got close enough, Reid knew, he'd lose it.
Now, Reid could have easily let Alex lose his hand, but he didn't. For one, Damien was only here because of him, and more importantly, Scrappy would be disappointed if he ever found out Reid had allowed this to happen.
In an instant, Reid intercepted the punch, grabbing Alex's wrist mid-swing and restraining him with a firm grip.
"What the f*ck do you think you're doing?" Alex raged, struggling against Reid's hold.
"As much as I'd love to see your ass handed to you," Reid said evenly, his grip tightening, "trust me, this is a fight you're not ready for."
"What the f*ck does that mean?" Alex snapped, his anger flaring even more, convinced Reid was looking down on him as usual.
Reid sighed, his tone calm. "This guy," he said, gesturing at Damien, "is from one of the great families. Like me, he's been trained to handle primals from a young age." He leaned closer, locking eyes with Alex. "So tell me, what the hell do you think a wannabe goon from the Scrapyards can do against him?"
"Besides," Reid continued, a hint of sarcasm in his tone, "he's like those annoying villains in cultivation novels. Even if, by some miracle, you manage to defeat him, you'll then have to deal with his older brother, his uncle, his cousins, and finally the family head. As I said, it's not a fight you're ready for."
Alex calmed himself a bit and sat back down while glaring at Damien.
"I see you got yourself some do—" before a punch landed on his jaw, causing him to fall from the chair.
Everyone else at the table was stunned. One moment, Reid was calmly convincing Alex not to throw the punch, but in the next, he delivered the punch himself, his fist connecting squarely with Damien's smug face.
"Ooh, that felt f*cking good," Reid said, putting down his fist. "Do you know how long I've been wanting to do that? I'm glad I don't have any family rules to abide by now."
"Besides, you're too prideful to run for help to your family," he added, looking at Damien, who was still on the floor, "especially by someone who you guys labeled as a failure."
"Hahaha," Damien burst out in a maniacal laughter, "I'm glad you haven't grown soft after all these years. But punching me... That was a mistake."
His aura descended as soon as he finished speaking. He was a Gold-ranked Tamer with the potential to reach the platinum rank.
He slowly stood up, cleaned the back of his pants, and started walking towards Reid.
It looked like a serious fight was about to happen between the two at any moment.
But before it could escalate, Elizabeth, who had been quietly enjoying her meal, clapped her hands together.
"That was some good food," she remarked casually, wiping her mouth with a napkin before turning her attention to the two. "Now, now, boys, why don't you take this somewhere else? You're scaring the lovely customers."
Though her words were light and accompanied by a smile, the aura she directed at both of them was anything but.
"Y-yes ma'am," they replied in unison.
"Great, let's head there then," she said and stood up, turning to the shaken customers. "I'm sorry for the trouble caused by my subordinate. I'll make sure to discipline him."
Reid didn't appreciate being called a subordinate, but she was, in a way, right because she was of a higher rank than him.
The customers returned to their meals, but rumors had already started to spread. After all, everyone recognized the young genius from the Blackwood family, and some were also able to identify Reid as the failure from the Fletcher family.
Not long after, a man who looked eerily similar to Reid had heard the rumors.
Back at the restaurant, Elizabeth left with Reid, Alex, Damien, and the twins. They headed toward a place where they could rent a forged-beast battle arena.
It wasn't far from the restaurant, and Elizabeth took care of the fee. When they arrived, the trio—Alex and the twins—couldn't help but be awestruck by the sight before them.
The arena was shaped like a perfect circle, with a wide battle ring at the center surrounded by tiers of seats that rose gradually. The seating was arranged to provide a clear view from every angle.
"Alright, I'll be the referee," Elizabeth declared casually. "The rules are simple: no killing each other and no permanent injuries. Besides that, feel free to go crazy".
Alex and the twins took a seat, which provided a clear view of the fight, while Elizabeth and the two stood in the middle of the arena.
"You will be considered to have lost if you are knocked out, surrender, or if I say so," she said and stepped back.
'Now show me why grandpa has taken such a liking to you, Reid, ' Elizabeth thought to herself, preparing to give the signal.
Both fighters summoned their forged beasts. Reid only summoned Rusty, while Damien summoned a serpent-like forged beast with a reddish-orange glow all over its scales.
"Well. That's an improvement," Damien stated, getting into a battle stance.
If Reid was being honest, he was a little nervous. Damien was a rank above him and well-trained. He had gotten rusty in two years due to him barely ever training. But he was still confident in finding a way to come out on top.
"Ready?" Elizabeth asked, and when they both nodded, she dropped her raised hand and signalled for the fight to begin.
"Fight!"