Song recommendation: Spiders (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqZNMvIEHhs)
"Ace, did you get your answer ? " the wizard smirked cruelly. He stared down at Ace's tear stained face.
"I told you this would happen. I don't blame you. When you're young, it's never enough to simply be told. Well, what will you do? Keep begging for scraps from someone who will never love you, someone incapable of loving you? Or will you finally come home to where you belong?"
Ace looked at Clover one more time but there wasn't so much as a glance his way.
"Come here, Ace," the wizard beckoned.
Ace shook his head frozen in place. Nevertheless, the wizard kept his eyes on him, compelling him forward.
"Come," the wizard instructed, "Don't worry. Clover and I are only going to have a little chat,"
Ace flashed the wizard an unconvinced glance. His whole body rattled with hesitation. It took all his strength to take the first step. His body took over mechanically walking through the dark.
"Good boy," the wizard laid a hand on his shoulder with a satisfied smile. In the same instance, the wizard turned abruptly on his heels, with his free hand he opened a portal. Before Ace could protest, the wizard pushed him through. The portal closed instantly behind him.
Clover had watched the interaction with an unreadable yet undeterred smile. The wizard likewise, let out a derisive laugh.
"Have you finished having your fun?" the wizard enquired.
"Hmm, I could say the same to you. I don't think I've ever seen you so pleased with yourself," Clover returned with a disparaging smirk.
"I don't need a lesson in ethics from you," the wizard retorted.
"I don't know about that. Perhaps not before. Now, I think the tedious tether of morality is close to the brink, no?" Clover chuckled, "Gods forbid it snaps and you come hurtling down into the mud with the rest of us, Michael, "
The Grand wizard shot a contemptuous look toward Clover. He circled Clover like a beast of prey.
"You would love that, wouldn't you?" the wizard rejoined with barely contained agitation, "Fortunately, you're so far beneath me, it would take some time to reach you,"
"Is that so? Then I wonder what we can have to talk about."
"You and I?" The wizard laughed, "we have nothing to talk about."
The wizard summoned a ball of water to his fingertips. He launched it at Clover. It shot out at such speed, it whistled through the air like a blade. Clover held out a hand. On impact, the wizard's magic instantly disappeared.
At that moment, Clover threw their head back and laughed ranciously.
"Oh little wizard, it's a hundred years too early for you to challenge me!" Their held tilted back with glaring, merciless eyes.
"You know, today has been a really...bad day. In fact, rather it's been a bad few years. Being chased around the Empire by your minions has left a bitter taste in my mouth. I think some misplaced nostalgia put me off killing you until now. So consider it an honour, you've worn the limits of my patience. Now you get to die by my hand,"
Clover closed the gap between them in an instant. The wizard was hoisted from the ground by his neck, unable to break free. A demonic grip tightened around his neck. He clawed at the hand that held him there, struggling for breath.
His hands dropped by his side. Then a hideous smile came over his face. From underneath his cloak, he thrust out a metal necklace with an open lock around the front. He shackled it around Clover's neck. It clamped shut.
Clover threw the wizard back, he hit against the trunk of a tree and slid down. As the tree shook and a cloister of birds flew out. Once more there was silence. Clover stared down at the ring binding their neck and shook it fiercely. It rattled wildly but remained in place.
Clover's eyes panned down to the wizard who was still, against the foot of the tree. At first there was a chuckle, barely a whisper. Then followed a gradual ascent into deafening embittered laughter.
The wizard met Clover's eyes with perverse satisfaction. He slowly came to his feet. Clover remained uncharacteristically still, rigidly glaring. Their red eyes were subdued, turning a light pink.
"I wondered how your face would look in this moment," the corner of the wizard's mouth flickered into grin filled with dark delight, "It's even better than I imagined,"
"This thing won't hold me," Clover snarled.
"That's where you're wrong. True, this used to be just a regular magic vessel, but with my tireless effort, now it is so much more," the wizard gave a theatrical bow.
"Not only does it bind your human magic but your demonic magic as well,"he gleamed.
He leaned in and yanked Clover's face to his like an animal on a leash.
"You know, I've been nostalgic too,"the wizard pulled back his fist and punched Clover straight in the gut. The demon lord let out a cough and fell to their knees.
"Before I met you, I was just a lowly knight. But you taught me..." the wizard kicked Clover to the ground.
"You showed me the meaning of magic,"the wizard forced Clover up, yanking the demon Lord's face up to his by their hair. Clover's jaw clenched as blood ran down from their nose. The demon lord stared the wizard down unflinchingly as he knelt down beside.
"Without you, we wouldn't be here. So thank you, master. Thank you for giving me the power to destroy you," the wizard added coldly. With that, he stood grabbing the back off the metal collar.
The portal opened and he dragged Clover through by the neck.
Smiling, the wizard glanced down and said, "The Emperor awaits."
-----------------
Ace stumbled into the tower in a daze. His eyes fell on the messy piles of paper on the desk in front of him. He was in the wizard's office. The confusion began to wear off and a frightful realization took hold.
Ace rabidly turned around but the portal was gone. For a moment he was frozen in place, his mind in utter chaos and panic. There was no way the wizard was telling the truth. What had he just done?
He threw himself into his hands, doubling over. He shook terribly as the immensity of the situation hit him. He began to try and rationalise :There was no way that the wizard could defeat Lord Clover. No, that couldn't happen.
Nevertheless, he had to go back. But how? He glanced at the window. It was still dark out. Everyone must still be asleep. Ace took a breath to calm himself. This was his fault. He had to remedy it somehow. Still, even if he set out on a horse, it would take hours to get back to that forest.
Then he had an idea. He quickly descended the flight of stairs back down to the student halls. He raced through the halls till he came to the door. He knocked desperately hoping for an answer.
The was only quiet and so he knocked again. This time he heard a rustle. At length, Bird opened the door. He rubbed his eyes while still half asleep.
"What's going on?" He said in an irritated and sleepy voice, "Ace? "
"I'm sorry," Ace stuttered, "Bird, I need your help!"
In a scarcely intelligible ramble he recounted what had happened. Bird listened, still looking as though he might fall back to sleep. However, the moment Ace mentioned Lord Clover, he was suddenly revived.
Bird grabbed Ace by the hand dragging him into the room. He motioned, now wide awake, for Ace to go on, entreating him to tell the story in full. And so, Ace recounted the demon world and how Lord Clover had saved his life, the confession. Everything. As he finished the story, Bird shook his head in disbelief.
"Oh Gods!" He lamented, "What have you done? I knew there was something strange. I knew it, "Bird said, biting anxiously at his nails. He cast a wayward glance to Ace who was waiting with baited breath for the answer.
"I can't do anything now!"Bird exclaimed, throwing his hands up. Then catching himself, he lowered his voice back to a whisper, "It's too late now. The Demon Lord will be brought back to the palace for trial,"
"Trial?"Ace stared back incredulously, " Not even the wizard can bring Lord Clover back here. That's what I've been trying to tell you, Bird. We have to stop them,"
"No, Ace. You're the one who doesn't get it,"Bird frowned gravely, "For some time, the grand wizard has been working on a weapon against your demon lord. We couldn't do it before because mana and demonic energy are so repellent. But when those demons raided the northern temples, we realised there was another way. The items from that time are older than any magic we have now. The grand wizard had theorised it was possible long before that, but he couldn't prove it was possible until..."
"Until what?"
"Until we found you Ace," Bird outstretched a hand and tapped him on the chest, "your necklace confirmed it was possible: the two magics could be bound. It means your demon lord won't be able to fight."
Ace's eyes widened, he blinked rapidly. His head began to shake.
"No, that can't be," Ace muttered. For a moment he was rung with shock. Then he turned to Bird sharply. Anger took over.
"You used me to get to Lord Clover," his jaw clenched with anguish, "I thought you were my friend,"
"I am your friend!" Bird protested, "I didn't know about your...history. All I knew is that we were looking for a way to capture that demon."
"And my necklace? "
Bird averted his eyes, "I didn't ask. You don't understand. We've been working on this since before we met! "
However, Ace's features had hardened and he wouldn't hear anymore.
"Just tell me what's going to happen now,"
Bird hesitated, "the Demon Lord will be brought before the Emperor. They'll say it's a trial, but that'll just be for show,"
"What are you saying?"
"I'm sorry but your master is going to be executed."