The bond snapped into place at once.

Golden light sparked between them, thin strands of warmth that curled around Sera before sinking into her skin. She sucked in a breath, hands lifting instinctively as if to catch something invisible.

[SUBORDINATE BOND ESTABLISHED]

[SERA AZURE — SUBORDINATE]

[BOND STATUS: ACTIVE]

[EFFECT: +4 MAG]

"Oh," she exhaled. "Oh, that’s... that’s something."

"Good something or bad something?"

"Good. Definitely good." She flexed her fingers, and faint arcs of electricity danced between them. "It feels like I just downed three mana potions at once. My channels feel... wider? Is that the word? And I don’t seem to be falling madly in love with you, so that’s a plus."

"So," he said, "are you willing to become my subordinate, then?"

Sera didn’t answer immediately. Her status screen shimmered into view, and as soon as her gaze landed on the number, her eyes went wide.

Four points. Four full points added to her MAG.

The math took no effort at all. If the bond gave her a share of his stats, and that share came out to four points, then the guy standing beside her was sitting at a MAG of at least twenty.

And if he kept rising, so would she.

The conclusion followed on its own.

Sera let out a disbelieving laugh and shook her head.

"With bonuses like this, I’d call you boss in public. Hell, once you get your Solo Authorization, how about we form a party?"

Damon glanced over. "Then you’re in luck. I’m about to get mine."

Sera’s smile faltered. "Wait. Already?"

"The dire wolf you saw? That was my requirement." He hesitated. "Though... let’s keep the part where you helped between us. My condition was a solo kill."

She stared at him for a beat, then gave a short laugh.

"You’re asking me to lie to a professor?"

"I’m asking you to omit. That’s all."

She folded her arms, though the look she gave him was more amused than offended.

"Fine. You stopped the howl, and I didn’t lay a finger on it. Still your kill."

"That’s all I need. That and your loyalty, of course."

Sera shook her head, that half-incredulous smile still tugging at her mouth. "You’re going to be unbearable once you hit the higher ranks, aren’t you?"

"After years as a dud? Yeah, expect a little flaunting."

"At least you’re honest about it." She swung her pack over one shoulder and tipped her head toward the tunnel. "Come on, boss. Let’s get you that authorization before your internal bleeding catches up with you."

Damon fell into step behind her, his ribs aching with every movement. The recovery draught was working, sped up by his system’s override, but even at twice the pace, internal injuries needed time.

He’d be paying for this fight for at least another day.

The tunnels felt different on the way out. Quieter. The parties he’d passed on the way in had either wrapped up their runs or pushed deeper into the cave network.

Bioluminescent moss pulsed softly along the walls, the only sign of life in the empty passages.

Sera walked a half-step ahead, glancing back now and then as though checking he hadn’t keeled over again.

She’d slipped into the subordinate role faster than he’d expected, though he doubted it had much to do with affection. More likely, the +4 MAG was doing the heavy lifting. That was fine by him. Loyalty earned through results was still loyalty.

"So," she said as the tunnel widened toward the portal chamber, "what happens after you get your authorization? More solo runs?"

"That’s the idea. Isn’t that what most resonators do?"

"Well, yeah." She shrugged. "I’m just trying to fill the silence. Can’t blame me if some of my questions are a little basic."

***

The portal chamber was quiet when they emerged. The automated system chimed to acknowledge their return, and the mana barriers hummed on, a steady, familiar note in the background.

Professor Voss wasn’t waiting for them this time. The prep chamber stood empty, save for the equipment racks and the faint smell of burnt electronics clinging to Sera’s robes.

"He’s probably in his office," Damon said. "I should report the kill before the adrenaline fully wears off and I collapse again."

Sera gave him a look that suggested she was already reconsidering this whole subordinate arrangement.

"Do you need me to come with you?"

"No. He said solo. If I walk in with you, he might think I needed help." Damon hesitated. "Which I did, technically. Just not with the alpha."

She shifted her pack more comfortably onto her shoulder.

"I’ll wait in the dining hall. You can find me after you’re done getting grilled by your professor. Only if you still want to party up with me, of course."

Damon watched her go, then turned toward Voss’s office. The walk across the arena floor felt longer than it should have, each step sending a dull ache through his ribs.

The recovery draught had blunted the worst of it, but his body hadn’t forgotten that he’d taken a direct hit from a D-Rank boss and kept fighting anyway.

He would pay for that tomorrow.

Professor Voss’s office door was half-open. Damon knocked once.

"Enter."

Voss sat at his desk, the same tablet from earlier propped in front of him. He looked up as Damon stepped inside, pale gray eyes sweeping over him with the now-familiar, clinical sort of assessment.

"You’re still standing," Voss observed.

"The alpha’s dead." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Voss set the tablet aside. "Sit. You look like you’re about to fall over."

Damon sat. The chair was hard and unyielding, but it was still better than staying on his feet.

"Report," Voss said.

"I entered the dungeon and fought a dire wolf scout first, just to test myself. Then I went on to the alpha’s chamber and engaged it alone. I have the alpha fang and pelt in my inventory if you need proof."

Voss leaned back slightly.

"Inventory proof isn’t necessary; I trust you." He studied Damon for a long moment. "How injured are you?"

"Internal bruising, and maybe a cracked rib. But I took a recovery draught."

"The infirmary would be better." Voss didn’t push the point, though his eyes made it clear he suspected there was more Persival wasn’t saying; he hadn’t seen Damon go in with a recovery draught, after all.

"You killed the alpha with a borrowed longsword and no support. That’s impressive, Persival. It’s also reckless."

"You gave me the test."

"I gave you the option to take the test tomorrow morning, after rest. You chose to take it immediately after a boss fight and a nest clear." His tone wasn’t angry, but there was an edge beneath it. "That kind of decision-making gets Resonators killed."

Damon didn’t argue. Voss wasn’t wrong.

"But," the professor went on, "you passed. You met the conditions. You entered alone, killed the alpha alone, and returned alive. The authorization is yours."

He pulled up a new screen on his tablet, tapped through a few menus, and then turned it toward Damon.

[SOLO AUTHORIZATION — APPROVED]

[RESONATOR: DAMON PERSIVAL]

[RANK: LEVEL 3]

[AUTHORIZED PORTALS: D-RANK]

[ISSUED BY: PROFESSOR MARCUS VOSS]

"Level three already?" Voss raised an eyebrow. "You were level one this morning."

"The alpha gave good experience."

***

The dining hall was crowded when Damon arrived. Lunch service had started, and students filled the long tables in clusters that naturally divided into combat-track and support-track groups.

The noise rolled through the room in a constant low roar, forks clattering, voices overlapping, the occasional burst of laughter cutting through the rest.

He spotted Sera at a corner table near the back, her pack propped against the chair beside her. She’d saved him a seat.

"You look worse," she said as he sat down.

"Appearances can be deceiving."

He wasn’t lying. Between his recovery bonus and the draught’s normal effect, he’d bounced back to something close to normal. Not perfect, but nowhere near the collapsing mess he’d been inside the portal.

"Anyway." She slid a tray toward him. "I got you food. You need to eat something before you pass out."

Damon looked down at the tray: grilled chicken, rice, steamed vegetables. The same meal he’d eaten a dozen times over the past month.

She chose the best meals for recovery.

"Were you expecting me?"

"I’m not answering that."