Chapter 18: Make them love you

The next morning and afternoon were spent securing the remains of the temple. Albaric and Ace went in first to clear the place, then the wizard and Bird followed at length, investigating what might have been stolen.

The place was too large to cover in one day, so they spent a prolonged time in each section. The days were spent in the dregs of the ruin. The weather continued to occasionally dip into a clouded cold subterfuge. The hollowed passages of the temple were an unwelcoming dark and cold refuge.

After the morning and the afternoon yielded few insights, Ace came to look forward to when they set up for the evening meal. With Bird's odd quips and observations, they were well entertained. Ace felt strangely renewed since his first taste of magic. He felt unusually carefree, joining Bird in frivolous laughter as they had done before.

However, what had promised to be days, turned into weeks at the mountain ruins. No useful discoveries appeared to be made. The wizard was able to catalogue what had been stolen, all of the items were old relics. Otherwise, nothing of value was taken and the rest was burned.

Despite this conclusion, the wizard persisted in continuing the search with alarming alacrity. Though Albaric said they had enough information to make their report, the wizard delayed for as many days as he could.

Finally, the wizard conceded and they began to back their things. They began the trip back to the Empire. It took another few days, but they arrived back just as the fall season had begun to mature.

Their return was drenched with the early tidings of autumnal leaves and withered flowers. Ace didn't feel glad to be back. He was just beginning to enjoy the invigorating air of the mountains. He scarcely felt able to breathe in the palace, even less so in the tower.

He found little time nor sympathy from the wizard who implemented a strict training schedule upon their return. Yet far from complaining, Ace pushed on with the lessons. The sword saint at first showed some apprehension but nevertheless, never said another word on it.

They had reached an understanding during their time on the mountain, which had resolved as quiet and unspoken clemency on each side - neither spoke of what had transpired again. The wizard, on the other hand, had no such patience. Still, Ace persevered.

He wanted the magic more desperately than ever. If only he had it, he imagined things might be different. He might become someone who could stand at Lord Clover's side. Within a month he saw the first fruits of his labour.

"Again!" The wizard barked. It was the words Ace had heard repeatedly and which to the wizard's annoyance had not produced results.

Ace held out his hand and with sweat-breaking focus commanded the flow of mana to his palm as he had been shown. His muscles trembled from the strain. Yet, once more nothing happened.

"I said, 'AGAIN'!" The wizard yelled.

Ace felt his blood rise. He had borne the lessons well enough so far but the wizard's manner was escalating. Every mistake aggravated him. So far, Ace had managed to suffer it, but his tiredness was bringing him close to his limit.

The wizard went on berating him. The words rang in his ears deafening him. For one moment in time, he could hear nothing but the sound of his own blood pumping. His vision blurred and his hands trembled.

Ace couldn't help but recall another time not dissimilar to this. He remembered how he had been screamed at before. One of the lowly demons who had entrapped him for all those years had relished in abusing him with vicious words.

Over time, he had learned to grow accustomed to the beatings but nothing hurt so much as the words. In such instances, he had never felt so full of hate. His heart had never seen purer rage than those times. It had been a dream of his to stab that demon through the heart.

He imagined in great detail how it would have felt to feel the blade slice the skin and plunge below, the blood and the guts spilling everywhere. It wasn't a thought he had had for some time. Yet it came back with ferocious clarity. For, just below his hip, he had the means to commit such a crime.

Suddenly, on Ace's outstretched palm, a sword fell into his grip. For a moment he stood confused, as his sense sharpened, bringing the outside world in. The cold steel and the protruding sting was enough to flood his lungs with the breath he hadn't realised he had been holding.

Ace speculated on the plausible explanations for the sword coming to be in his hand. He reasoned that he may have taken the blade in hand to raise against the wizard in his state of extreme agitation.

He looked up to confirm if this was true. However, the wizard's astonished expression relieved him of that notion.

"You..." The wizard's jaw clenched. But Ace still didn't understand what he had done to garner such a reaction. The wizard gave him the answer at length, after recovering from his apparent disapproval.

"Aportation is the ability to bring an item from one place to another. It's the school of... dark magic," he sighed, "but we shall have to suffice. Go rest. We'll take this up again tomorrow,"

The wizard retreated to the upper echelons of the tower. Ace watched him go with a mixture of disappointment and anger. He still felt his nerves exposed. All he wanted to do was rest. He didn't feel he could rightly celebrate this victory. His mood prevented it.

He initially considered going to tell Albaric but remembered he was once again in court. Ace decided he might wander the palace gardens while he waited for him to come back. He wondered if the sword saint would be happy. Surprised, maybe. But happy for him?

As usual, the palace was bustling, perhaps more so as there were now foreign dignitaries wandering the grounds for some gathering. Albaric mentioned it before with some annoyance. It appeared to have been used as an excuse to keep him in the capital longer and he resented it.

Since their fall out, strangely they had both become more open with one another. Though for Albaric's part, he still kept a distance from the wizard and never revealed the cause. Ace could tell he had reservations about their lessons but decided to ignore them, lest they came to blows again.

The sun was shining when Ace arrived in the palace courtyard. It wasn't cold, though also not particularly warm. The trees were coated in shades of brown. Ace started to walk through the gardens. It had become his new habit. Since the beginning of fall, the students had started to return and he hadn't been able to spend as much time with Bird.

The students were not as he expected. They seemed suspicious of the wizard's particular interest in him. He suspected they might think he held some kind of special favour because of his relation to the sword saint. They were cold and unwelcoming.

However, Ace never made any attempt to correct them nor extend the hand of friendship himself. Their behaviour barely surfaced in his mind. He was still occupied with other thoughts.

In particular, now he had his inkling of magic, these thoughts came more often than not. The possibilities rendered his soul alight. However, a calculated fear contrived a reason against each. No sooner had he imagined one means of reuniting with his master, another frightful thought rose to speak, 'you can't go back now.'

He sat in this contemplative state on one of the garden benches. He scarcely realised another presence approaching until the voice said his name.

" Ace?"

Ace looked up in the direction of the voice. His eyes met the familiar black garb and as he panned up, a small white face tucked into loops of braided black hair.

"It's been some time," Sister Leila clasped her hands together with a smile.

Ace nodded slowly, still not sure what to make of her. She herself down beside him all the same, once more without invitation and continued to chatter frivolously about the gardens and the foreign dignitaries. All the while, Ace hardly said a word, until finally, she came to a topic of interest.

"I've heard you're training with the Grand Wizard. They say he's a very strict teacher. It must be gruelling work,"

"It's worth it, "Ace answered.

"But you look so pale. Are you sure you're not pushing yourself too hard?"

"Thanks for your concern, but no. I'm not going to stop now,"

Leila went quiet for a moment, then with an astute stare, she added, "The Grand wizard is lucky to have such an assiduous student. Though I doubt it is for him you have been working so hard,"

Ace met her gaze. She had intervals between the vapid small talk, where he saw a complexity that belied the former and drew him in. Though, his mind rose on such occasions to counter.

"Who told you that?" Ace questioned.

"Noone told me!" Leila laughed," I could tell. I've been in love before myself,"

Ace didn't correct her, instead, he listened intently.

"My father disapproved, of course. The relation was broken off and it never amounted to anything, " she said with a sad smile.

At first, Ace hesitated to respond. He still wasn't sure she could be trusted. Still, he had yet to find someone with which he could tell things like this. The sword saint's obvious disapproval prevented him from raising the subject. Bird, likewise, had no interest in such things.

Most of all, more than to be listened to, Ace wanted some advice. No matter how he posed the question to himself, the answer never became clear.

"There is...someone. I didn't realise it at the time, at first I thought just being with them would be enough, but then I started wanting more and..." he paused unsure how to proceed.

"Go on," Leila gave a reassuring smile.

Ace nodded, "I...don't know. I feel so uncertain, but I can't stop thinking about them,"

"That's love,"

"It is?"

"You think about them all the time. You want to be around them, right?"

"Yes, but I don't know if I should. I'm starting to think it's a bad idea to chase after them again. We didn't part well and I don't know if they will even want to see me again,"

"Ace, I always regretted parting with my love. If you think there's any chance of resolution you should pursue it. Show them how much you mean to them. The sooner, the better,"

"I don't have anything to offer them right now,"

"Of course you do,"

"How so?"

"It's simple. When you can either offer neither money nor power, there's only one thing left to give,"

"What is it? Tell me," Ace demanded petulantly.

Leila laughed, "Isn't it obvious? Give them your heart. Make them love you. If you truly succeed, neither money nor power will be enough to separate you. They will be yours,"