Bound innocence

His eyes burned as he was now looking through someone else's eyes. His vision encircled with purple flashes. It was the neener.

He took the arrow once again and held it tightly in between his fingers. He closed his eyes and concentrated. There had to be a way to reach her, if not see her. This time though he went in deeper, deeper than he had ever tried.

Devon felt an odd sensation. For a while he felt like a free spirit floating in the air, like nothing ever would bother him and next he was being sucked into the past with an impatient pressure. A scream might have escaped his lips for he felt someone put a hand on his arm. He did not open his eyes though.

This time he had skipped backwards in a much older time frame. Devon was now standing in front of three men. Neither of their faces could be seen but Devon already knew who they were. Aces. Rogue Aces. That's what they were called when they broke their oaths.

Devon remembered when he had taken all these oaths, it had been a painful day. Devon shook his head. He had to focus.

The figures were standing inside the wards of kingdom Oakrien. The events that occurred before that had somehow been blocked. Devon could feel the magic used run in his veins. It wasn't Ace magic though.

"Alright," the first man was saying. Devon tried to look at their faces but it felt like looking into an empty void. "we will send for the troops if we fail"

Fail in what?

The other man shook his head "We won't know if anyone of us has died." the second ace said, his voice gruffer.

The first man said "We won't, but the Aces of Oakrien will. We have spies in this kingdom, they will take the message."

The third men suddenly looked alert "We cannot speak of our plans this freely outside the shields, Aces might hear what we have to say by parelthon."

The first ace bowed his head in disapproval "A lot would have happened until any ace could get hold of us. No ace can jump so deep into the past."

"Where are the Darklands?" the second man questioned.

"At the south-east border." the third ace pointed.

As the second ace started moving towards the Darklands, Devon followed him. After a long night, Devon finally felt a strong ray of hope in him. Though it had been the same every time his hope was crushed.

They were in the Darkland now. Devon avoided leaving the side of the ace or he would be stuck inside this timeline forever. Dark shapes moved across the forest, beasts parted around the Ace and passed right through Devon.

Who was this Ace?

Ace stopped behind a tree as he looked at the neener open the door with a bang and run with beasts pouring out of the house behind her. She looked neither terrified nor confused.

Self reliant. Resilient.

Devon could see the Tavros beast emerge out of the river of hatred. His gaze was suddenly snapped to the neener. Meilie clenched her jaw but kept running. Devon followed after the ace who was already running behind the girl.

Devon felt something was strange. He could feel it in the way these men moved. The neener was running fast. Faster than anyone Devon had ever seen, faster than even an ace. Devon was not surprised. She was carrying a red Ace's coat in her hands. The coat was wet and it was stripped of its badges. He remembered now, she'd been wearing the same coat when she had met him outside the castle too. How had Devon not noticed until now. She always wore an ace's coat. He cursed himself.

Devon opened his eyes slowly. He could see Guilford and Audrey starting at him with a very newfound interest. He wondered what they thought of him.

"What—" Guilford started and abruptly stopped when he was engulfed into a hug by a very impatient Devon. Devon hugged him as a child would to his brother. He could feel Guilford relax against him.

"Areyouallright? I saw you covered in blood last night andihonestlythought that-that youweredead!" Guilford chuckled.

"what? No! I am not that fragile!" Devon hmmed.

"Alright please stop acting like girls you two. Cuddling time is over. Devon tell me why you were screaming at that thing?" Audrey piped in pointing at the crossbow arrow.

Devon sighed and told the two of them everything. Including what had happened last night.

"So you lied to me!" Audrey yelled after he was done.

"What—" she took the book kept on the desk behind her and threw it at Devon, leaving his sentence unfinished.

Devon caught the book with ease and kept it in his firm grasp. "I was only trying to not jump into conclusions. But the girl is special. I am pretty sure. These Aces are after her, not anyone else in the kingdom"

Guilford's eyes were wide as big seeds "And how do know that?"

"First of all, the man I followed was specifically interested in her. Which is why he decided to go to the Darklands at all. He knew who was staying there and he wanted that person." Devon looked out of the window "Second of all, the small beasts inside her house were specifically sent to lull her out."

Guilford and Audrey looked at each other as if just realising.

Devon continued "Don't you find it odd for a beast to be inside a house. Such small beasts usually don't have an idea of these kinds of things. If they see a block in their path, then they would move away from it, not jump into it. Third of all, " now Devon was looking eye to eye at both of them "He was analysing her. He saw what she is capable of—" going arm to arm with an ace. But he couldn't tell that to them. No. Meilie lives on the edge of all of it. After finding out all that he could almost figure out why she lived in the darklands.

Audrey and Guilford looked at him like he was crazy. "You know where she lives now. Go to her house and use parelthon. Devon, you are the only one who can combine such old timelines."

"what do you mean?"

Audrey rolled her eyes "What I mean is that the rogue aces had a completely different timeline. They took care of it before they even entered Oakrien. Somehow they divided the timeline where they met us from where they came in. But now you have combined them. And I think if you use the first timeline then maybe you could jump into the events that occurred before it and find out how exactly they got in"

Devon considered that.

Guilford only sighed. "What do you think about the Barren problem"

"well, either he was killed or he was the spy. The spy statement seems to fit it" Devon shrugged.

"One more question" Audrey stood up with a determined look "why didn't Barren take Guilford with him?"

Devon looked at her like she was the craziest person on the planet, which she was "What would they do of Guilford?"

Guilford snorted. With great disappointment, Audrey settled back on Devon's bed next to Guilford.

Guilford frowned "It all doesn't quite seem to fit though," he said.

Devon raised his head "What doesn't?"

"Whoever is playing all these games, why would they attempt to kill Aces. And even after they had found the girl why attempt to kill her." Guilford grimaced.

Devon leaned in "That my friend, is what we have the torture chambers for" he said.

"What about their plan of sending more killers to our kingdom?" Audrey questioned.

"We will repeat what we did last night. In fact, many of the aces are still guarding. The one-eyed royals have ordered the people to stay inside their houses." Devon said.

The door was suddenly barged open and in came Foyer. "Someone wants to meet you, Devon."

Devon looked at Guilford. Guilford understood what he was requesting and agreed to come with him.

"I'll stay here," Audrey said. Devon shrugged and moved out with Foyer.

"Why do you always come in such a hurry!" Guilford asked as they followed Foyer. The hall considered of beautiful paintings of the ancestors of the one-eyed royals. It had a glory of its own, R burned on all of their temples. Devon smiled to himself.

Foyer turned read at Guilford's odd question "because when you do my job, there is no time to wait for what occurrences happen in the room of two people"

"at least knock"

"It is better to take people by surprise, they always give you what you want" Devon took that. That was nice advice.

Devon patted Foyer on his back "I'll remember that" he said and moved to the room they had stopped in front of. It was the library. If not anything Foyer looked wildly worried and regretful for saying that. Devon knew his worry was right.

"You know the whole kingdom avoids giving you advice?" Guilford asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Mm-hmm?" Devon walked through the rows of the library towards the room sustained with creepers full of beautiful flowers of neon blue and pink. "I wouldn't ask 'why?'"

"well, the whole kingdom is worried about the way you interpret the advice." he shrugged.

Devon gave him his I-am-so-angry-yet-so-hurt.

"Don't show me that face. That trick stopped working on me long ago" Guilford chuckled.

Inside, on the wooden floor lit by the fire sat the Fool on a wooden chair. His old face was wrinkled severely, even in the way he read through the books desperately, his days seemed to be coming to an end. His hair had turned white centuries ago and was leaving his skull bare. Even his legs looked unsteady and fragile. They shook as he stood up to great the aces, his thin white gown did not look enough to prevent the cold. He was trying to bow

"Don't bother. You are an ageing man, we wouldn't want you to die here. It's pity no one else would come to give you the funeral you so expect." Devon said firmly. Guilford elbowed him from his side.

The Fool only chuckled "Bold Ace, your words might be capable of creating a deep wound, but I see your heart, fragile as it is, you would fall from grace for those who you love only hold the power to shred your heart to pieces. You wouldn't survive half as much as the people you wound do." the old man said.

"If you have nothing else to say, I request for your dispersal" Devon said sternly.

"Very well," The old man said "I will. But first, you have to listen to what information I have brought you" he said as he removed his glasses and moved towards Devon with a heavy codex balanced in his hands. The codex seemed to be weighing on him for he was bending to a wild level and his knees seemed to work like a broken chariot.

Guilford being the nice Ace he was took the codex in his own hands. The fool dragged the chair on the wooden floor and sat across the table where Devon and Guilford stood. The Fool made an impatient gesture with his fingers stating he needed his codex back. Devon's hands itches in ire but Guilford patiently placed it in front of him, his face unreadable. When he looked at Devon he just shrugged.

"Have you ever dreamt of a life Ace, " he was talking to Devon. Devon rolled his eyes "where those superior to you punish you for being someone you cannot have control. Calling you a mistake, isolating you. you ought to know better Ace, you have been a neener before yourself." Devon's body froze. Fuck, this is bad. Guilford and Foyer had both heard this. His hards first at his side. This was confidential information the fool had just vomitted.

Devon ignored the confused look Guilford gave him. "Is that what you wasted my time for, Joker? If your rant is done now, may I go back to doing the important tasks at hand?" Devon hummed slowly. But he knew his express did not tally. And he knew that the fool knew you too.

The fool quickly got to work realising he had spoken too much. He hummed then pointed to the page he had opened. devon and Guilford both bent down to read.

"This one," the fool said "At the very beginning, 400 years ago or so, Charlemagne Charles created the first Ace ever, his book was called 'the frisk'"

Devon frowned "That's history. We all know it. The Ace killed the king and used the Frisk to create more of his kind. Then he used the book to create other kinds but very different ones, the ones, twos, the neeners and more."

"Yes, they were soon termed as spades, diamonds, hearts, and clubs based on what they did. But there is a very important part of history that no one knows" he turned the page "That at that time, the neeners were most powerful among the living" he said. Devon's eyes widened.

He wanted to accuse him of being wrong, but it was clearly stated on the codex too.

Guilford bends down. "What is this?"

"The neeners had magic capable of creating portals, joining two different timelines, taking a being's terms away from them. The most powerful race was of the neeners."

"I don't believe you," Devon said.

The Fool tapped the codex "Have you ever wondered why the Aces are forbidden from falling in love?" he asked. "That is because, in the olden times, Aces were drawn to the neeners. When their powers combined, they were capable of huge destruction. The other races felt that unfair. The neeners were locked and caged, if any neener was ever seen using their magic, they were killed. The Aces then swore an oath that until the neeners are free again, they would not marry or fall in love. Soon the memories of every neener were removed and stored into the castle, a part no one has ever talked about. Over time the magic of the neeners also faded. They were soon nothing but a slave. However, even after these occurrences, the aces have remembered their oath."

Devon's lips parted "So you mean the neener—"

"Is one of a kind, yes, very rare" he completed "But so are you." he looked at Devon dead in the eye "think of all the things you can do. You can combine two timelines, run faster than any ace in this kingdom, and you certainly fight better. Never in the history has it happened that a neener survived being turned to an ace. You did. Which is why the one-eyed royals made you swear to keep your identity a secret. A swear you broke confessing to a neener. You only have to let your magic flow." his voice darkened.

Devon looked up, amazed "You are not the Fool, are you?"

"No." the voice was suddenly feminine, and so was the smile curving on his lips. The Fool was now standing straight in a stiff posture. Devon blinked and the next second he was staring at the Lady of Diamonds.

She was smiling at him.

"Lady Diamond," Guilford whispered.

The Witch turned her gaze to him. Her black eyes which had a moon for the pupils observed him. Devon could see the Queen of diamonds burned above her breast as she inhaled. Her black gown floating irrespective of the wind's direction spreading golden sparkles. She touched Guilford's cheek "You are not alone."

She said and vanished.