Book 2: Chapter 20 – Right Beside You

"Hahaha, excellent!" Mathias declared cheerfully. "I wasn't expecting little Kong to take his job as a recruiter seriously, but he really did a great job this time!"

"Speaking of recruitment," Venerin suddenly interjected. "There's a child from my city that I'd like to recommend for your Yin-Yang Pavilion."

"You better than most should understand the recruitment standards I've set for the Pavilion," Mathias replied.

"I do – Kimika told me a few months ago," Venerin replied. "She said that the standards require potential students to be both a warrior and mage.

As a warrior, they must be ten or under, haven't begun cultivating their battle qi, and be on track to reach the second rank by their eleventh birthday. As a mage, they must have an exceptional-grade affinity to at least one of the laws and have a minimum of 20x as much spiritual essence as the average person of the same age.

The only exception to this rule is if a student shows overwhelming talent as either a mage or warrior, like an eight-year-old mid-rank two warrior who has comprehended one with a weapon, for example."

As Venerin said that, all three adults glanced towards Ace, who could only smile sheepishly in response. Though he wasn't usually the shy type, he also wasn't used to this kind of flattery by people so much stronger than him.

That being said, he couldn't help but be shocked by the entry requirements for this new institute. Of all the children at the Fenlai City recruitment process, only he, Kil and Alissa actually made the cut. Even Wharton, who shocked all the recruiters with his talent, would've failed to make the cut due to his "low spiritual essence".

Though his status as a Dragonblood warrior might be enough for him to be accepted into the pavilion as an exception.

Either way, for any academic institute to set their entry requirements so high would be shocking in and of itself, but for these to be the standards of a newly established institute was outright insane. Or so he thought until Ace remembered the monsters that would be instructing them.

Wukong was just an eighth-rank combatant and could already jump ranks to fight saints. He'd just seen Lauriella wipe out an army of magical beasts with one attack. He doubted Mathias was any less impressive, and apparently, there were others whose talents were just as monstrous.

If anyone had the right to demand so much from their students, it was them.

"Since you know that, I'm interested in the child you wish to recommend to us," Mathias said with an intrigued smile.

Though he wasn't willing to budge on the entry requirements, as the principal of the pavilion, Mathias still wanted as many students as possible.

"His name's Kannal. Although he's not quite as talented as young Ace here, I assure you, you won't be disappointed," Venerin explained. "But let me speak to him first. As his older sister was my disciple, I should be the one to let him know about her passing."

.

.

.

Over the next few hours, grey clouds seemed to hang over Silverlight City as news of their tragic win spread.

Ace, though, was fast asleep in the Venerin's manor. As soon as he was shown his temporary accommodation, he immediately lost consciousness. The events of the day had taken him far over his limits.

Unfortunately, even after getting some well-deserved rest, his head was still pounding, but the roars of his stomach prevented him from going back to sleep. 'Food… I need food!'

Upon exiting his room, Ace found himself in an extremely lavish and well-decorated stone corridor, but he was far too hungry to pay the castle's interior design any attention.

Just as he was preparing to go hunting for the kitchen, the sound of whimpering entered his ears.

Following the sound, he found himself in what appeared to be a small study, judging by the library of books that were oddly scattered along the floor and the broken desk and chairs on the floor. It almost looked as though a small tornado had been let loose inside, but the thing that caught his eye was the young brown-haired boy who appeared even younger than him.

He was sat curled in a ball with his head buried in his knees, sobbing his eyes out.

"You must be Kannal – Hysode's little brother," Ace said softly upon noticing the resemblance between him and the deceased young general.

The boy's head snapped in Ace's direction, clearly not expecting anyone else to be around.

"Leave me alone!" He barked before turning away so Ace didn't see him crying.

A helpless sigh escaped Ace's lips as he walked towards the window to look out at the night sky.

"Your sister was an incredible warrior and an even better leader," Ace said sincerely. "It may not help ease your pain right now, but you should be proud. She died a hero."

"You're right. It doesn't help," Kannal snapped back between sniffles. "I don't care about that. I just want my sister back! I wish she had never joined the army. It's a job for suicidal and selfish idiots!"

"It's hard to believe you two are actually related," Ace said as he turned back to face the snivelling boy. "She was a valiant warrior who died to protect those she loved, and you're a pathetic crybaby who'd rather shit on her memory than honour it."

"What did you just say?!" Kannal screamed as he charged at Ace as if to tackle him.

But how could Ace be caught by such a trivial attack? As soon as the boy got close enough, Ace's hand moved like the wind.

CLAP!

"She and many other brave men and women gave their lives so that the citizens like you could live in peace, and here you are, shitting on their sacrifices.

If you want to mourn, fine! If you want to cry, fine! But don't you dare spit on the faces of those brave soldiers. If it weren't for them, you and every other civilian in the city would've lost their lives today!" Ace coldly stated as he glared at the boy holding his cheek.

"I…

I di…

didn't mean it." The brown-haired boy said softly as his body trembled, still looking down at the floor as if he were too ashamed to look up. "I just miss her. I miss her so much it hurts."

The truth was, for as long as he could remember, he too had wanted to follow in his sister's footsteps, join the army, and eventually become a general, but the pain of her death had hit him like a tonne of bricks.

"You want to know how you can honour your sister's memory?" Ace asked as he placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.

Hearing that, the boy looked up with his big brown eyes hanging on to Ace's every word. "How?"

"Live well!" Ace stated. "It doesn't matter if you want to be a soldier, scholar, or even a painter. If you really wish to honour your sister, you simply need to live life to the fullest. That way, no one will be able to say that her sacrifice will ever go to waste."

Hearing that, Kannal's eyes momentarily brightened before they darkened once more. His fists clenched, and his body trembled once more.

"What's wrong?" Ace asked, not understanding what just happened.

"I…

I want to get revenge for Hysode." Kannal explained.

"The beast that killed your sister was killed by her," Ace explained, thinking that the boy didn't know the truth behind what had happened.

"I know," Kannal admitted as he looked up at Ace, his eyes burning with anger and resolve. "But the beast that caused the tide is still out there."

"So you wish to kill a saint?" Ace asked directly.

Kannal didn't answer directly. Instead, he looked down at the ground expecting to be mocked for his desires.

"Then you better hurry up and become a saint!" Ace declared.

"You…

You're not going to laugh at me?" Kannal asked in shock. "You don't think it's impossible?"

"Why would I laugh?" Ace asked back.

"Because the chances of becoming a saint are less than a million to one," Kannal replied dejectedly.

"Why are you suddenly doubting yourself?" Ace asked with his right eyebrow raised. "I don't know about the ratios and percentages, but I know Venerin thinks highly of your talent."

"You don't understand. Even for those who're born with talent higher than mine, the chances of becoming a saint are still slim."

"No, it's you who doesn't understand. If others can become saints, then so can you. The only thing that can stop you is you." Ace explained encouragingly.

As he heard that, the resolve in his eyes returned, burning brighter than ever before.

"I understand. Thank you," Kannal said slowly. "In the future, I'm going to complete my sister's dream of becoming a saint and leading Silverlight City!"

"And when you finally become a saint and are ready to avenge your sister, I'll be right beside you," Ace added.

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P.atreon.com/AceInCoilingDragon: Book 2 - Chapter 30