Asher stared at the block of ice for what felt like hours when only a few minutes had gone by. The sound of Pithos' claws scratching at the door made him snap out of his daze. He stood up, his legs being able to barely carry his weight, and opened the door as fast as he possibly could with his shaking hands.
Pithos stood outside the door while in the middle of his transformation. His fur had stood on edge as it crackled with dark energy and his body had grown into a third of his panther form. His blood-red eyes looked more animalistic than ever before; he didn't even try hiding anger. Thankfully, he managed to keep his anger at bay even after he saw blood flowing from Asher's wound.
For the time of being, Pithos could only wait until a certain ice freak got here. He must've gotten a message via the ring regarding Asher being in danger. Noticing that his furry companion was waiting for something, Asher didn't say anything and only leaned onto Pithos for support. Pithos' warm body reassured Asher that yes, he was still alive and breathing. He had only suffered from a cut.
Only a few minutes had passed when someone burst through the door, panting slightly. Asher, who was still suffering from the aftereffects of the attack, was greatly startled. The young teenager had widened his eyes in fear as he subconsciously got behind Pithos. Once seeing that it was Kio, he was finally able to breathe freely.
Kio wasn't alone. The blond and meddlesome second prince was standing behind Kio in a crouched position while panting heavily. They were at the edge of the small forest inside the school while sitting under a tree. They were reading the books that they had recently borrowed from the library that was on the second floor. However, Kio was up and running towards a certain direction unknown to Silas after the ring in his hand shone dimly. Who would've thought that Kio would run all the way from the forest to the boys' dormitories?
Kio took a step inside the room before rushing towards Asher. Pithos only closed his eyes and allowed him to make his way to his little human.
He had no idea how to calm his younger brother down. Seeing Asher so shaken up reminded him of the day Asher had been attacked by their father. Kio felt useless after thinking that, just like last time, he was unable to protect Asher.
Shaking away his thoughts, Kio began to pay more attention to Asher and his condition. He wanted to ask what had happened to make Asher this shaken up and how did he receive his wound. Was it his roommate? A self-inflicted wound? Despite his curiosity and growing worry, he decided to treat Asher as if he were treating himself. He sat Asher down on the bed closest to them and went through Asher's cabinets until he found a first aid kit that had been put together by Zara herself.
The kit contained what any other kit would, band-aids, rubbing alcohol, roller gauze, Zara's own handmade pain medicine, and a few other assortments of items. Kio thought that it seemed rather weird that there were no dangerous things there until he noticed that the kit had a hidden compartment underneath the basic supplies. Hidden there was a different assortment of illegal drugs and a note from Zara detailing which drug was which and their uses.
Kio sighed and hid them away before returning to Asher with supplies at hand. First, he rubbed alcohol on the wound. Then, he spread an antibiotic cream that was made by Zara before using the rolled gauze to cover it up. Finally, Kio used adhesive tape to secure the gauze, making it unable to fall or slip. Having completed the process of taking care of Asher's wounds, he proceeded to gaze into Asher's eyes.
"Are you okay?"
Asher's eyes watered as he trembled. He was so close to dying just now. He felt the coldness of the knife and its sharp edges against his skin. He shuddered as he subconsciously raised his bloodied hand to place it on his neck before having his wrist grabbed by Kio. Kio opened another packet of rubbing alcohol and used it to clean Asher's hand. He took the ring he had given Asher, cleaned it, and placed it back on his finger.
Asher rested his forehead on Kio's shoulder as Kio kneeled in front of him. Silas, who had been observing for a while, was confused about what was happening. They had just got here and there was already an emotional scene happening right in front of his eyes? Silas thought that this was kind of weird. Personally, he thought that Asher had caught on to his suspicions and was deliberately making himself appear more vulnerable in front of Kio. It was also a way of showing Silas that Asher had full control over his dearest friend.
Silas frowned and began to walk towards them. He might've felt that this scene was suspicious, but he couldn't stand there and wait for things to resolve themselves on their own. Besides, he was also a prince and had to take responsibility for his citizens, so he had to make sure that Asher was actually okay.
Pithos growled at Silas in warning, basically stating that he wasn't allowed to get any closer than what he already was. Silas took a step back in shock as he realized who the beast in front of him was. Was this beast, perhaps, the adorably-interesting little cat that had communicated with Kio through his eyes? Why was he in the middle of his beast transformation?
Then, Silas noticed the dark energy surrounding Pithos. The energy was crackling like thunder, expressing Pithos' current emotions of unquenched anger. Silas wasn't a stranger to magic and the individual energy they posses, so he was able to recognize the dark energy that was surrounding Pithos after questioning himself and his knowledge.
The only thing running through Silas's mind was the different misconceptions about Asher that had been formed by various misunderstandings. The way he changed overnight, his sudden closeness to Kio, his subtle confidence, and the beast's energy; it wasn't all just a coincidence. Something was happening behind the scenes on the inside of his nation, and Asher is the main lead. Silas swore to himself that he would figure out who Asher was working for and what his objectives were. As a prince, he wouldn't let this danger run rampant in his country; and as a friend, he wouldn't dare allow Asher to corrupt and break Kio down, not when Kio was this mentally unstable.
Silas glanced towards the two brothers who were sharing a harmonious moment with cold eyes. This action was noticed by Pithos who was warily glaring at the second prince. Pithos then glanced at the bathroom that still held the assassin. Silas' eyes brightened as he saw Pithos furtively glance at the bathroom and started making his way there.
Growl...
Kio's and Asher's attention was captured by Pithos' low and menacing growl. The beast that was guarding Asher was now guarding the way into the bathroom. Seeing this, even Kio couldn't help but feel a bit suspicious as to why he was guarding that room in particular.
Kio turned to look at Asher and said: "What's inside?"
Asher trembled slightly as he avoided Kio's gaze. He stared at Pithos for a few seconds to think about what he should do. Should he tell the truth? Should he lie?
"Do you trust me?" asked Asher. He wasn't stupid enough to involve his brother in this situation. This also included Silas. While having more talented companions would be a good thing, Asher's and Zacharia's safety still hadn't been secured. If he did end up telling them what was happening, the Rising Faeries might just use them to their advantage. The brother of the person they failed to reel in and the second prince of the country; Asher couldn't serve them up on a metal platter just like that.
Kio's eyes darkened as his fists tightened. "... yes."
Asher smiled. It was a smile that was a mixture of anxiety, fear, and relief. "Don't look at what's inside the bathroom. Neither of you can look."
Silas' gaze hardened. He was about to disagree but Kio beat him to it by nodding.
"Will you be safe?"
"I will."
Kio stood up while holding Asher's hand. He closed his cold, emerald green eyes as he whispered something under his breath. The ring in Asher's hand shone in a light blue color before turning green; the same color as Kio's eyes.
Asher noticed Kio's pale complexion as he opened his eyes, but he didn't ask anything as to why. Asher saw how Kio let go of his hand, ruffled his dark hair, and turned to leave.
"Where are you going, Kio? Something is going on here!" Exclaimed Silas as he followed behind Kio. He grasped Kio's shoulder, making Kio slightly turn his head to look at the blond prince.
"We're leaving. Now."
Silas' mouth was shut after listening to Kio's tone. The prince turned around and met Asher's eyes for a split second before following behind his friend.
Once they both left, Asher let out a sigh. He surely wasn't going to have a break anytime soon, wasn't he? He asked Pithos to stand guard while he went up to the third floor to fetch Zacharia, to which Pithos nodded. Asher then ran up the stairs as quickly as he could and knocked on Zacharia's door.
"Why have you come looking for me so quickly?" Snarled Zacharia as he opened the door with a scowl. However, upon seeing Asher's bandaged neck, he frowned. "What happened?"
"Come with me."
Zacharia followed Asher and they quickly arrived back in Asher's room. Noticing Pithos guarding the bathroom, Zacharia immediately headed there. He peered his head into the room at first, feeling slightly uneasy, before fully entering the bathroom. Zacharia smirked in delight.
"Well look at this. Who do we have here?"
Asher walked behind Zacharia as he placed his hand on the big block of ice. Zacharia stared directly at the man trapped in the ice that was holding a bloodied knife in one of his hands. He could already imagine what had happened here.
"You did a good job for almost having been killed," said Zacharia as he glanced back at Asher, making the younger one flinch. "This magic doesn't belong to you. Who else was here?"
"Kio and Prince Silas were here just a few moments prior to me bringing you here. I kicked them out once my wounds were dressed, so they saw nothing."
Zacharia nodded and then asked his next question. "If only you and the beast were here, who caused his?"
The question made Asher stare down at his ring. He wasn't completely sure about what had happened, but there was something going on with the ring Kio had given him via Pithos. Asher opened his mouth to state what he knew, Pithos interjected him.
"Ice freak gave Asher a ring that stores elemental magic power. It usually responds to the wearer's will to use the power stored inside of it, so that must've been the reason why the ring activated itself in the first place." Pithos then added, "It must've been wired by someone to give Kio Asher's location if he ended up using it. Hence why he came over so quickly."
After listening to Pithos' explanation, Zacharia took out a communication device. The communication device was a pale-yellow tablet that was made out of a rare stone that stored the power of the basic elements and the power of elemental mages themselves. People said that the earth created the stones, the fire molded them together, the water cooled it down, and the wind carried the message across.
"You have called, master?" The yellow stone shone dimly as a voice unknown to Asher was heard.
"Zelron. Go to room 000 and carry out what's inside the bathroom. Don't let anyone see you."
"Yes, master."
Zacharia cut the call and placed the yellow tablet into his pocket. "It seems like we must act quickly."
Asher nodded quietly as he observed Zacharia who was deep in thought.
"To think that I'll have to ask for help this early on," said Zacharia with a scowl. He turned to leave the bathroom with the yellow tablet in hand. "You'll have a private teacher. You can't and won't object to it. Asher Pierce is too much of a burden right now."
"Wait, what are we going to do now?"
"Nothing much. We just have to speed up the process of your becoming strong enough to protect yourself. You are an important card in this game, so I'll have to treat you accordingly. Don't you think?"
Asher didn't know what to reply with, so he just stayed silent. He smoothed down Pithos' fur as he listened to Zacharia's conversation.
"It's time to repay your debt, old man."
"I already repaid that stupid ass 'debt'. Stop calling me whenever you need help."
Zacharia laughed to himself as he listened to the old man's rough language. His eyes glinted in a strange light as his smooth voice flowed from his lips. "I found a good candidate for that weird art of yours. Didn't you want an apprentice?"
The person Zacharia spoke was silent. After a while, his hesitant voice was heard. "Did you really?"
"Would I lie to you, old man? He is the best candidate. Small build, and weak in every aspect, including his foundation. His life is also on the line, so you don't have to worry about his motivation."
Asher couldn't help but frown as Zacharia described him. The boy gave him mixed feelings. He was both thankful and afraid of Zacharia.
Zacharia quickly finished the conversation and turned towards Asher. His eyes stared at Asher's bandaged neck for a few seconds before glancing back up to his eyes.
"If you can't handle this then you'll die in the near future," started Zacharia. "Be sure to get stronger. I hate burdensome people."
The young boy in front of him nodded his head firmly. Thankfully, this near-death experience didn't affect Asher as much as he had originally thought. If anything, he would use this as motivation for when he goes through hell with the old man.
"You did well in surviving."