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Eventually, the announcer came back, “Let us all give the top four finishers a warm welcome!”

From the wings, first walked up Voldar and Bing. Voldar was wearing a light shirt and loose pants, and waving to the crowd. His weapon was nowhere in sight, but the ring on his finger glinted in the afternoon sun and almost certainly contained his trusty hammer. Bing skipped behind him, making a bit more of a show about it, moving around, and waving to the crowd, letting forth bursts of air as she did so, smiling brightly, though perhaps a tad forced.

Then, from the other wings, Bodeir and Feng came from the other side, Bodeir was marching forward without glancing at the crowd, but every step he left summoned up a statue of a mountain elf waving, though to save on energy they weren’t particularly detailed but the crowd roared in appreciation. Feng, apparently not one to bring the mood down despite the flat expression on his face skated around these statues performing a few minor pieces of acrobatics and showing off for the crowd.

When the contestants reached the centre, the arranged themselves in the way that had been previously arranged. Bodeir ended up in the centre, with Feng to his left, with Bing on Bodeir’s right, and Voldar to the left of Bodeir. The ground beneath them shook slightly, and Bing whispered something to Bodeir with a cheeky grin as the ground started to move. The ground beneath all four contestant’s feet started to rise, taking them up to about the middle of the stands and stopping. Bodeir stood at the top, clearly denoting his first-place finish, with Feng just a head below him. About a metre below that stood both Bing and Voldar on the same level.

Then, with what seemed like remarkably little fanfare, a figure shot across the sky and started to come down from the air slowly, medals made of jade hanging from her hands. They had a hole cut in the centre with a precious medal for their place, one with gold, one with silver, and two with bronze. The figure was quite clearly a woman now, with short black hair and a simple outfit. She floated down to the contestants, and started to speak, “Hello, winners of our little tournament. I’m pleased to see my children amongst the winners, though I can’t say I’m disappointed in any of you. It was a wonderful display of what Rank 2 cultivators can do, and I’m happy to award you with these jades…”

The woman handed off the jewels, starting with the two third place winners, and working her way up, until gently putting the jade around Bodeir’s neck and stepping back, though Bing did sneak in a kiss when the woman got to her “… these jades will impart upon you all the recordings of your respective fights. In addition to that, once the ceremony is over, I will have you all follow me to have a chance to pick out your real prizes, congratulations on a wonderful performance,”

There was much clapping and cheering, but it wasn’t long before the platforms holding the performers started to lower themselves. The woman summoned up a gold sigil on the ground and gestured for the group to follow through, each stepped forward proudly, displaying the medals on their chests with the woman leading up the rear. *Well. That was… a bit lacklustre for a reward ceremony. I mean, the rising stone was nice, but it was all a bit simple otherwise.*

[What are you talking about Kat? It was very impressive to my eyes.]

.....

*Huh?*

[The massive wind dragons? The steps made of condensed air? The way she summoned those jades from within a glowing portal? That was all pretty cool wasn’t it?]

*Lily I didn’t see any of that.*

[Huh… weird. She must have been using illusions then. I suppose that makes sense. Still quite impressive.]

Does it make sense though? Kat couldn’t supress a foreboding feeling that was rising within. Her. “Lian… what kind of cultivator is Bing’s mother?” asked Kat.

“Meng? She’s a wind cultivator like Bing why?” asked Lian, confused.

“Would you say she’s good at illusions?” asked Kat, not answering just yet.

“I mean… as good as anyone at her level is I suppose? Not horrible, but nothing major why?” asked Lian, growing concern.

Kat bit her lip, “One final question… how similar do Meng and Bing look?” asked Kat warily.

“Oh? Well not that much alike,” Kat breathed a sigh of relief… “Meng has blonde hair, and was hailed as ‘the golden child’ for her beautiful looks growing up. She has the same nose as Feng, but that’s it, their father, Bang apparently has strong genes. Bing looks more like her grandmother on Bang’s side of the family apparently,”

Kat’s mood crashed, and worry burned throughout her mind. Lily looked with growing horror as she managed to bring up Kat’s memories of the event. “Oh no…” whispered Lily.

“Lian… THAT WASN’T MENG!” hissed Kat, “It was some black haired woman I’ve never seen before! She was using an illusion across the stadium!”

Lian’s eyebrows shot up, “WHAT! Then where are the contestants going!”

“I don’t know!” said Kat through clenched teeth as she tried to feel the Contract she had going. It was still active clearly… and it wasn’t pushing her just yet so Bodeir wasn’t in immediate danger… but that was sure to change and she didn’t have a good idea of where the bastard was. Not to mention their new friend Bing who… might be safe? *If someone is impersonating her mother… I don’t know if they’d break cover for this, or NEED to break cover for this. Shit.* “I need some way to find them… they could all be in great danger,” said Kat.

Lian eyed Kat warily, “Um… look… not that we haven’t had a nice time… but why should I trust you? I’ve known Meng for a long time… and I… I mean I trust her!”

“Yes but I’m saying that wasn’t Meng!” insisted Kat, “So we need to find them, and fast, do you have a way?”

“N-no, and I wouldn’t hand that sort of thing over anyway. I don’t really know you and you’re a demon, just because you’ve said you’re here to protect Bodeir doesn’t mean it’s the only thing you’re here for. I can’t risk it,” said Lian as she summoned her zither and raised her hands.

Kat’s eye twitched as she glared at Lian, until Sue piped up, “She’s lying, she must have a tracker. Bing said she was tracked in countless ways because of how bad she is with directions. Either Lian has a tracker, or she knows someone who does,” Sue paused, standing slowly and walking over to Lian, then kneeling at her chair. “Please Lian, Bing is… perhaps it’s a bit early to say she’s a friend but I DO care. We NEED to track them all. She could be in just as much danger as Bodeir,”

Lian’s hands shook over the zither, her expression betraying her concerns. Even as she tried to steel her resolve, Sue seemed to be genuine in this… and the whispers of ‘what if, what if, what if they’re telling the truth?’ rattled around her mind. She had never heard of the curse that forced demons to tell the truth… but as a curse master herself, it might be possible to confirm… if she thought to ask. “Please, Lian,” whispered Sue, pushing all of her sincerity into her tone and posture.

Lian’s hands wobbled for a second longer before they slammed down onto the instrument. Lian had tears in her eyes, overwhelmed by emotion as she let her instrument, her weapon, return to her storage ring. “I… I don’t know if you’re telling the truth… if you really mean that… but… but the butler outside of the door. He… he should have a tracker,”

Sue nodded, “Thank you.” With that, Sue strode over to the door, throwing it open and checking the hallway… the empty hallway. “SHIT, Kat the butler is gone!” Lian reacted instantly, she bolted up over to Sue, uncaring of the proximity she had to go into to pass Kat, and fearing the worst now. She slammed herself into Sue’s back and peered around the corner… to see an empty corridor.

“No… no-no-no” whispered Lian in horror as she dashed down the hallway until the corner and looked down it, to no avail. Kat sprinted down the other one, before turning and shaking her head, nobody was there.

“I…” Lian started, and then stopped, taking a deep, shaky breath as tears started to fall, “I… I have a way to track Bing still… but… but I literally cannot give it to you… I… it’s a curse that tells me where she is… I… I need to go with you… and… and I’ll help if you promise to save Bing too!”

Kat smiled, “Of course. I’ll even help at Feng if necessary!” Kat finished with a grin that she had to force, but one that she meant.