Chapter 10: Humans

The door shut behind and Ace could hear no more. He was relieved when he heard footsteps in the corridor and Bird once more came up the stairs. He had stepped out during their conversation to finish an errand and was just returning.

"Done already?"Bird called up.

"No, they're still talking. I'm just waiting,"

"They have a lot to catch up on, I suppose," Bird said thoughtfully when he reached him, "Come, I'll show you around while you're waiting,"

They went down to the lower parts of the tower. Bird whizzed Ace through room after room: libraries, laboratories and student halls were breezed past following Bird's excited pace.

"What do they teach here?" Ace asked curiously.

"Magic. All sorts of things. It's mostly a research school," Bird replied, he glanced at Ace then said, "Can I ask you something? I don't mean to offend you but I've been curious about something for a while now,"

"Yes?"

"What manner of person are you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You have a strange presence. Maybe it is because you train with the sword saint? I don't sense your aura at all,"

"My aura?"

"You know, like the energy of your mana. I think the sword saint must have trained you well. It's like you are invisible or a demon," Bird laughed.

Ace gave a wayward smile but quickly changed the subject.

"I've only been training with the Sword Saint for three months," Ace smiled, "What about you? How long have you been assistant to the Grand Wizard?"

"It's been a long time now," Bird contemplated, "I was the first student here. The rest of the school was only built a few years ago,"

"That's incredible," Ace remarked, "How did they build such a place in only a few years?"

Bird went quiet for a moment, "Actually it was the Emperor that commanded it. The school has another purpose besides research,"

Ace glanced over observing a marked strain on Bird's face which only lasted for a second before he answered with an unnaturally reserved smile:

"It also trains mages for the royal army. We have a magic division in the Capital,"

"I thought the knight's of the Empire already used magic in battle?"

"They do, but the Emperor felt we need a specific division to tackle our...other problems,"

"Other problems?"

"Demons," Bird said flatly.

Ace's heart sank, he suddenly felt quite numb. As they kept walking he kept his eyes dead ahead. Of course, the humans and demons had been at war for hundreds of years, the most recent war racked up thousands of casualties. However, the demons were indifferent to their human enemies. Their war wasn't with humans, it was merely for the exertion of their own will.

"I thought there were no more Demons in the human world," Ace added drily.

"That's what we thought too," Bird's features hardened, "but it seems that's not the case,"

Ace had never given much thought to the idea of how much humans might hate demons. It seemed obvious now though seeing Bird's reaction. Ace felt suddenly nervous to be in a school specifically designed to kill his kind. He took a sharp breath in like a fish out of water. His childish admiration was replaced by trepidation which he hid with a blank expression as they continued walking.

"Ace?" Bird yelled in a loud voice.

Ace flinched and turned startled. Bird watched the reaction with a curious smile, then repeated:

"I said we're here,"

Ace hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings. He turned and found himself back at the Grand Wizard's door. The door opened and the Sword Saint came out. His expression changed from severe to relaxed upon finding Bird and Ace in the hall.

"Ah, boys! Good timing," Albaric smiled.

"Bird," came a voice from behind, the Grand Wizard followed, "Find them a room in the halls," he cast a wary glance in Ace's direction before meeting Albaric's hard stare. There was an awkward pause. Bird cleared his throat with a smirk and began to lead the way.

When they turned the corner, Bird whispered to Ace, "You'll have to forgive my master. He's under a lot of pressure right now. It makes him cranky,"

Ace nodded slowly but said nothing. He knew that the Grand Wizard's manner was more than just a bad mood. He had seen that look before and he knew what it meant.

They were led to a student's halls. The students had apparently left for the summer so the rooms were empty.

"It's just like being back in barracks again," Albaric laughed upon seeing the box rooms.

They were simply furnished. All had a desk, a bed and were housed along a long corridor. Once Bird left them, Ace recounted his tour. He really wanted to ask what the Sword Saint had talked to the wizard about but he hesitated to do so. Albaric seemed to anticipate him and said:

"We'll talk tomorrow," he paused, "I need to prepare for my meeting with the Emperor tomorrow,"

"What time will we meet with him?"

"Actually, Ace," Albaric paused, "I'm going to meet with him alone. I want you to stay here in the tower. The grand wizard has agreed to take a look at you. He might be able to help you with your magic problem. He'll send for you when he's ready,"

"Okay,"

Ace felt too anxious to sleep that night. He was kept awake by the prospect of discovery. Not to mention the idea of spending time alone with the Grand Wizard left an empty feeling in the pit in his stomach. At least Bird would be there, but he too must be busy with his own work. He tossed and turned until the light outside became too bright to ignore.

Ace expected word to be sent that morning and sat up dressed and ready in anticipation. However, to his surprise, half a day passed before so much as a soul entered the halls. It was Bird excitedly rushing towards him. He rose stiffly, bracing himself to be taken up to the wizard's room.

Instead, Bird offered him lunch and they went and sat out in the courtyard. As they passed the sword saint's empty room Ace couldn't help but wonder what he had said to the wizard before. Surely, he must know now that Ace was a Demon. Still, Ace couldn't bring himself to ask Bird.

In the afternoon, Bird proposed Ace could entertain himself in the library and so he did. It was a massive room filled with three levels. Each filled to the brim with books. Ace riffled through a couple but found them too heavy to read in his current anxious state.

In the evening, he returned back to the student halls. A little after dark, the Sword Saint returned. He looked even more dispirited than when he had left.

"It looks like this is going to be drawn out," Albaric sighed, "I'm due back in the Emperor's court tomorrow," he explained as they ate supper.

"Will you be okay here?" Albaric asked. His voice betrayed an unusually timid tremor.

Ace said he would. A few more days passed. Still, the wizard did not call for him. What's more, each day, the Sword Saint was called away to court. Luckily, Bird's company worked wonders to dispel Ace's misgivings. The more Ace got to know him, the more sincere his good nature appeared. They spent lunches laughing and talking in the courtyard.

On the fifth day, Ace felt comfortable enough to pose the question that had been on his mind.

"Is something going on?" Ace asked, "It's just the sword saint has been in the court several days. I was supposed to meet with the Grand Wizard but I haven't seen him at all,"

There was a pause. Bird continued to nibble on his sandwich, his eyes fixed on it as though he hadn't heard the question. Ace was about to repeat it when at last he answered.

"Mmm, something has happened I suppose," Bird said.

Ace had noticed Bird would often give vague answers or appear seemingly oblivious to his hints when he didn't want to answer something. He had hoped this time, the directness of his question might evoke a real answer.

"That's why they called the sword saint back," Bird added in his matter-of-fact way.

Ace decided to use the opportunity to satiate his curiosity. It didn't matter if Bird gave the full answer or not. Anything would do.

"Why did the Sword Saint leave in the first place?"

Bird stopped eating and observed Ace shrewdly. His eyes seemed to tender the question deeply, almost painfully.

"His sister died. After that, he didn't want to fight no more,"

Ace nodded quietly feeling he had asked something he shouldn't have. He tried to change the subject.

"Bird, you have magic, right?"

Bird grinned at this question.

"You want to see?"

Ace nodded eagerly. Bird gestured for Ace to rise and he did. Suddenly a gush of air flew up seemingly out of nowhere. Ace felt himself grow lighter. For a moment his feet hovered above the ground as he was propelled up by a strong current of air.

Just as suddenly as it had come, it dissipated and Ace was softly brought back to the ground

"How'd you do that?" Ace asked excitedly.

"That's nothing," Bird said smugly. He sat back down satisfied with his demonstration, then sprawled out on the grass with his eyes shut. However, Ace was far from finished.

"Can't you show me more?" He pestered.

Bird opened one eye to find Ace looking down at him with pleading eyes. He sat back up and let out a laugh.

"Okay. Okay," Bird yielded, "but you must have seen magic before?"

"A couple of times. The Sword Saint explained it to me but it's different seeing it in person,"

"But you've seen the old man's magic?"

"He told me he's using it but I've never seen him actually do it as you do,"

Bird's lip trembled.

"Never seen him use it?" Bird bent over giggling, "Master said he was a useless teacher but I didn't think it would be this bad!"

Ace's brow furrowed. His lips were drawn up in a pout. Bird glanced over stifling another laugh before adding:

"He does! Of course, he does," Bird said his voice still belaying a mischievous treble which he tried to smother, "Let me tell you the first thing the knights of the Empire learn in training. The sword saint told you about mana, yes?"

"The life force energy that humans have?"

Bird raised an eyebrow as if he were temporarily distracted by something Ace had said but eventually answered:

"Right. Mana is the source of all magic. Well, the first thing knights learn is to temper their bodies with it. It protects them from attacks, increases strength and speed. In fact, the sword saint can use this magic constantly. It would be more accurate to say, you've never seen the sword saint not using magic,"

"Really?" Ace sat back in surprise. He knew that the Sword Saint seemed unusually strong for a human but he hadn't realised magic could be used in such a way. He was following this line of thought when he realised Bird had been oddly quiet.

"Let me ask you something Ace," Bird said suddenly, "If you didn't see the Sword Saint use magic, where did you see it before? You said you've seen it a couple of times. Where? They don't use magic outside of the Empire"

Ace swallowed, averting his gaze. His mind ran over a few answers he might give, but the pressure was building with Bird's eyes still on him. Everything he had seen so far had made it seem like Bird could be trusted. After all, the Sword saint probably told the grand wizard where he was from. However, what if he was supposed to keep it a secret? Clearly, the humans were still hostile to demons.

"They use magical items in the Elf country," Ace said with a shrug.

"Ah!" said Bird seeming to accept this answer without any further questions.

The rest of the day passed as uneventfully as the others. However, the next morning, Ace was awoken by a hurried knock at his door. The next few minutes passed in a blur. Before he knew it, Bird was whisking him up to the Grand wizard's room. Ace was still half asleep in the raptures of a familiar dream he had the night before when a voice snapped his attention back in front of him:

"Why are you just standing there?" The Grand Wizard observed Ace with an impatient glare.

Ace hurried forward to the Grand Wizard desk. This time the wizard was standing by the window with a book in hand looking down on the courtyard. Ace glanced over. He could see Bird below scurrying across.

"You're quite absent-minded" the wizard stated in the same accusatory tone as the first time they had met. Ace was reminded of the cold interaction that evoked his earlier sense of dread. Once more, he felt a pit at the bottom of his stomach.

He pulled his eyes to the wizard. He had faced intimidation much worse than this in the Demon world. If the wizard intended to scare him, it wouldn't be so easy.

"It depends on who I'm talking to," Ace replied flatly.

The wizard smirked, "If my company bores you, then why did you come here?"

"The Sword Saint said you can fix my problem,"

"Yes, you have no magic," the Wizard returned in a brisk, disinterested tone. He placed the book down on the table then posed his next question, this time sharply focused on Ace. "And what will you do if you get magic?"

Ace grew rigidly still, "I want the power to protect myself,"

"Is that all?" the wizard leant back against the wall with a dark grin. Before Ace could answer he added?

"Let me ask you this then, how did you convince a Demon Lord to teach you?"