Act 7 - "Flickering Flames"
Ignia Castle.
Courtyard.
It is early in the morning, the time of day when the knights have their daily morning routine of honing themselves. Every member is required to participate as to maintain the discipline of Ignia's knight order which is quite known all over Mesgaea as the mightiest army in the land.
Their drills consists of running three laps down the hill, then back to the castle gates. After that, they are subjected to multiple grueling sets of workout routines such as push-ups, sit-ups, and sword-swinging practice.
The morning workout then ends with a one-on-one sparring session with their chosen partner.
Ever since he was accepted into the royal palace, Fuubuki has also been a part of these training sessions as an honorary member recognized by the king, and the knight captain. Compared to the others however, he has shown great promise as he clears the daily routine with little to no difficulty. Not only that but among the others, he was the only one who has the capability to challenge the captain in their duels.
"Urk!"
However, that doesn't usually mean he is of equal match to him.
The bout for the day is finally over as Fuubuki is struck down once again by the mighty Griffon. He sat in the arena ring with his wooden sword disarmed from him.
"Well done young Fuubuki. That was a lot more impressive than our bout yesterday. Your rate of improvement is almost scary to be honest," the humble knight captain applauded as he offered his hand to assist the young knight up.
"Is that some sort of pity praise?" Fuubuki snapped back with a doubtful face as he reached out for the captain's hand.
"Not at all. Honesty is among my best qualities. I don't just give out compliments that easily," Griffon replied, maintaining his stoic expression.
"Really now? How was that good?" Fuubuki tilts his head in curiosity.
"Well, I am actually using my full strength now. And you're making me sweat up a storm. Now if that isn't good in your eyes then I guess I'm just that weak huh?" Griffon laughed at himself despite the self insult.
"Also, young Fuubuki, you look a lot livelier these days. Did something good happen?" he added with a subtle smile.
Fuubuki innocently tilts his head as if saying he has no idea what Griffon is talking about.
"I don't think I haven't changed at all," Fuubuki insisted.
"Are you sure? It's not just me that noticed it you know?"
"No really... I don't know what you're talking abou--"
Fuubuki is cut short as they hear someone calling his name.
"Fuubuki! Over here!"
The two of them turn their heads to the source of the voice. There stood Akagi with a lively smile on her face as she waves her hand enthusiastically.
"Ah, just a moment," Fuubuki excuses himself from Griffon and jogs towards Akagi.
Griffon watched from afar as the two greet each other casually. That isn't usually how a hired knight greets his mistress, which piqued his interest.
"Since when did those two became so close?" he mutters to himself.
Meanwhile, Fuubuki is wiping his sweat with a small towel provided by Akagi. His early morning routine has now concluded and he's now back on his guardian duties.
"You're quite early today, Akagi," Fuubuki remarks. Indeed, it is still quite early for Akagi to wake up. Usually she's still asleep for an hour or two more from this time.
"Hehe, well I wanted to fetch you from your training and have you join me for breakfast," Akagi replies lovingly as she let out the cutest giggle.
"Is that an order?" Fuubuki smirks.
"If you say no, I'll make it one," Akagi snaps back with a smug face.
"If you say so..."
The two of them then leave the knights' barracks and proceeds to head into the dining hall. Along the way, Akagi made several attempts to reach out and hold Fuubuki's hand, but she knows better than to expose their relationship out in the open.
Though Akagi and Fuubuki had agreed to have a relationship as lovers, they still cannot carelessly show it in public. Akagi, after all, is still the heir for the throne of Ignia and so whoever she's in a romantic relationship with is important for everyone to know. One careless mistake, and things might turn out for the worse, especially for Fuubuki who already had a notorious reputation before being a guardian to begin with.
The morning breakfast passes by peacefully...
Usually at this time, Akagi would be heading off for her magic lessons, but since old man Marcellus has left for a trip on foreign lands and is yet to return, her lessons are put on hold... or so that was how it was supposed to be.
"No, not like that! the stroke goes the other way!"
Akagi and Fuubuki are now in the library. However, it was not the usual activity for Akagi. Instead of self-studying, she dedicated her study time to teaching Fuubuki to read, and write.
His words from when she confessed stuck to her, and she decided to at least give Fuubuki some basic education. After all, if she really wants the relationship to continue, she has to mold her partner into someone that her people would accept to be at her side.
The first order of business is to make sure he at least has the intellectual capacity of someone his age. The more difficult ones like etiquette training, and teaching him to speak in a way befitting of a noble comes later.
Meanwhile...
A lone girl is walking in an empty hallway. Her dark hair flows behind her like a magnificent cape. A serious expression is painted on her face as she looks outside the window, observing the patrolling knights outside.
The window fogs up a bit as her breathing got too close. She then wiped the window clean with her hand. As the window clears, instead of her face being reflected back to her, what she saw was the lower half of a face that she's quite familiar with.
"How's my little Kuroe doing?" it says as its mouth curved into a smile. Its voice and tone was like that of a mischievous, young girl.
"What do you want?" the girl, Kuroe, replied with a blank expression. Clearly she's not amused by the sudden appearance of this entity.
"Aww. Is that how you greet your master? I feel hurt," the face replies although her voice doesn't show the least hint of sadness.
"... the attempt failed," Kuroe sighs.
"Oh? Whatever do you mean?"
"The poison was wasted. I still haven't awakened the Fire Primordial."
The face pondered for a second, breaking her smile but returned it shortly after.
"Oh my, it's rare for you to deliver a bad news."
"Something unexpected happened."
"Mhm... no wonder Koyome had to act."
"As I thought, she was the one who did that huh?" Kuroe mutters as a certain incident at the dungeon flashes through her mind.
"In any case, should I be lending a hand for you over there? I can let Koyome run wild juuu~st a little. You know, a little help from your lovely master. Aren't I just the kindest?" the face giggles.
"Wait! That's unnecessary!"
"Ah come on, it'll be fine. But well, I guess I'll save that for when you really need it. I'm expecting some results on our next talk. Bye now~"
The face finally disappears from the window. The view on the other side, along with the reflections have returned. Kuroe's face scrunched up as an unneeded assistance was about to be given to her.
"Damn it," she curses silently as she continues walking down the hallway.
"What a blunder. I have to act quickly before things get worse."
A few days later...
"Huff, huff..."
It is early in the morning. Fuubuki is currently in the middle of his daily hike as part of his knight training.
As usual he finds himself way ahead of everyone as he is the first to make it down to the bottom of the royal plateau. The commercial district that he used to terrorize is just a few jogs ahead on the other path.
As he turns his head to that direction, a certain wave of nostalgia washes over him. His days as a thief is long gone, but there is still a part of him that misses the freedom he had back then.
However, despite his mind thinking that way, he also cannot deny that the changes that happened to him made him into a better person. Not only that but he is experiencing a lot of new things in his life rather than just staying as a fruit thief for who knows how long, surviving on stolen goods.
And also... this... love that he still can't fully grasp. So far this has been the biggest mystery among the strange things that have happened to him lately.
As his mind is busy wandering...
"?!"
A masked entity suddenly attacked him out of nowhere, landing a kick just where he was at before he dodged away.
The masked person was tall, and had a dark mantle covering their entire body. The mantle's hood was covering their head along with the mask which made identifying even the gender quite impossible.
"Who are you?!" Fuubuki asks warily.
"..."
"Not the talking type huh?"
Fuubuki prepares himself into a fighting position. Due to his training, he currently does not possess his sword on him, which leaves him unarmed against this mysterious foe. However, the same is true for the other person, so both of them are now facing off bare-handed.
The masked person then, in a swift motion, leapt towards Fuubuki and delivers a kick to his side. The young knight quickly defended himself, blocking the attack with his arm.
He quickly tried to grab the leg with his other hand but the assailant quickly withraws their foot and tumbles a few steps backwards.
The assailant then leaps forward once again, delivering a series of kicks. Fuubuki however, managed to deflect every single one of them. He's finally seeing a pattern to this person's movements, aside from their strange inclination to kicking attacks.
The masked person then prepares to deliver a heavy kick which Fuubuki preemptively block. However, the masked person feints their movement and instead strikes him with a punch to the gut.
The fake out made Fuubuki misdirect his guard which allowed the punch to connect to him at full force. The attack strangely felt heavy for the size of the attacker's fist. He doubled over in pain as he got hit in his solar plexus.
The masked person then used his weakened state to deliver a kick to the face that sent him flying to a nearby tree.
"Tch! That was cheap...." he says standing up as he shrugs off the attack despite the bleeding on his nose.
"Leave the castle, Child of the Wind. It is not a place for you to hang around," the masked person finally spoke. The voice was muffled by the mask but Fuubuki could clearly tell it was feminine.
"What are you talking about?" Fuubuki replies, seemingly surprised by her demand.
"Akagi is dying no matter what you do. I suggest you leave the castle and your position so your life would be spared."
Fuubuki's eyes widens. Now that Akagi's name was mentioned, his protective instincts kicks in and he starts viewing the stranger as a threat that must be dealt with swiftly.
"You'll have to get through me first before you get to Akagi!"
"Foolish. This was an act of mercy for you. My only target is Akagi. I would like for as less people to be involved as possible, but if you're going to stand in my way, so be it."
The masked person began raining blows on Fuubuki once again. This time, the attacks are getting faster, making it difficuly for Fuubuki to keep up with his battered state. More attacks are now reaching him compared to before.
'Damn it! I need to counter attack somehow!' he thinks in his mind as the blows keep on coming.
"Now!"
Upon seeing an opening, Fuubuki tried for his counter, however the masked person's skill and finesse allowed her to quickly defend and retaliate. She sends another kick that sent Fuubuki backwards.
Bruised and battered, Fuubuki tried to rise up from the ground. The masked person stood before him, looking down on his pitiable state.
"You're not fit to be a guardian anyway. Now, leave the castle and never show yourself over there again," the assailant demanded once more. She then places her foot on top of Fuubuki's chest and pins him down.
"N-never!" Fuubuki growls as he held her ankle.
"You think you can protect Akagi like this? You'll just be throwing your life away. I'm telling you, leave and do not waste your life over something like this."
Fuubuki's grip tightens, yet the assailant pays it no heed.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure Akagi dies a painless death. That should be enough for you right?"
Fuubuki grits his teeth hard. The gnashing became audible with how hard he was biting. He can feel his blood boiling as the masked person keeps on threatening Akagi's life before him.
"Stay away from her..."
"?!"
"Stay away from her!!!" he growls again, however, something the assailant didn't expect happened.
She feels a sudden surge of heat from where she is being held. The temperature rises gradually until...
"STAY AWAY FROM HER!!!" Fuubuki boldly shouts with such vigor as a pillar of fire bursts out of his palm, engulfing the masked person.
The assailant tries to get away on time but Fuubuki's hold is too tight. With a strong kick, she frees herself from Fuubuki's hold. She then hops onto the branch of a nearby tree to distance herself away from him.
Although she escapes barely unscathed, her mantle managed to caught fire, burning off a major region. The dark, skin-tight clothing she has underneath was exposed before she managed to put out the fire.
"That bastard... how did he..." she mutters in disbelief.
Fuubuki slowly raises himself up after buying himself enough space away from this mysterious assailant. He kneels on one knee as he gives a challenging glare to the masked girl.
"Hey! Young Fuubuki! Are you here?!" a voice suddenly rang out.
Realizing that her time has run out, the masked girl gave one last look at the weakened Fuubuki.
"Think about my suggestion carefully. I do not wish to take more lives than necessary. However, do know that the next time we meet... if you're still by her side... well, let me apologize in advance," she says before she hops away, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
As soon as she left, Griffon, who is ahead of a small group of knights sees Fuubuki kneeling on the ground.
"I heard an explosion here a while ago. What was--" Griffon pauses upon seeing Fuubuki's state.
"What happened to you?! You're all beaten up!"
Fuubuki tries his best to stand up from his position, but the injuries he sustained hurt him quite badly. Griffon lends his body for Fuubuki to lean on, taking his arm around his shoulder.
"Let's get you back to the castle," he said briefly before assisting him in his steps.
The words of the mysterious assailant lingered in Fuubuki's mind for quite some time. What he did get from that exchange was that someone is actively aiming for Akagi's life.
First the poisoning attempt during the banquet, and then this. No... even before that. He remembered back when he saw Akagi for the first time while he was still in the slums. She was abducted, stored in a sack before her kidnappers mistakenly swapped her with Fuubuki's sack of fruits.
But then, if the goal was to kill her, why didn't they do it back then?
There was a lot of questions hanging in his mind as they made their way back to the castle.
"What happened back there?" Griffon suddenly speaks, interrupting Fuubuki's thoughts.
"I got attacked by someone," he replies.
"That's quite obvious enough already. That's not what I'm talking about. There were a lot of burnt marks from the grass, to the trees, and even the pathway. I also heard something explode, and saw a bright light from where you were," Griffon clarified as he recollects the sights from the scene earlier.
"I... I don't know... while I was fighting, something strange just happened. Fire... came out of my hands..." Fuubuki replies as he looked down on his palms.
"Fire?"
"Yes. But it didn't didn't burn me. It affected only my attacker."
"Fire... impossible..."
Griffon's eyes widens in shock as a hypothesis formed on his head.
"Fire magic... did you just cast fire magic?!" he exclaimed, temporarily stopping in his tracks.
"I... I don't know..."
"Hm... In any case, let's get you patched up first."
They then continue to make their way uphill, back to the castle gates. As the entrance comes into view, to their surprise, Akagi is there, waiting on the front entrance.
"Lady Akagi! Why are you out here?!" Griffon asks in surprise.
However, his concerns were ignored as Akagi rushed towards Fuubuki.
"W-what happened to you?!"
"Pardon me, my lady, but we should get him treated first before we ask him questions," Griffon quickly cut in.
"Ah! Right right!".
The three of them then made their way to the barrack's recovery area. Griffon performed some basic first-aid procedures on Fuubuki, wrapping his injuries in bandages, and using a healing stone to tend to his body.
"Wait, I'll be right back!" Akagi says before running off to somewhere. She then returned with a glass vial in hand. The vial contains a green fluid that looks as if it was teeming with energy.
"Drink this."
She then quickly offers the vial to Fuubuki which he drinks without hesitation. After a while, his expression tells that the substance worked on him fine as his facial softens from the pain leaving him.
"Was that a healing potion?" Griffon asks.
"Yes. Professor Marcellus brought some from his trip."
"What? Father's back?!"
"Just a few minutes ago actually. Why?" Akagi tilts her head curiously.
"Well, there's something I need him to check on about Young Fuubuki."
"That so? Oh yeah, what DID happen to you? You haven't told me anything yet!" Akagi voices out her worries.
"Well..."
Recollecting the events from earlier, Fuubuki told them about the mysterious assailant, and her ultimate goal of taking Akagi's life. He also mentioned about how she was pushing him to leave Akagi's side, yet finds it strange how she was suggesting that despite being able to easily handle him in combat.
With all that out of the way...
"And then... there was that..." Fuubuki says, stretching his right arm and pointing his palm forward.
"As I was fighting, fire came out of my hand. The fire burned a huge part of that person's cloak. And then... that was it. She left before the captain arrived."
"Fire?! Wait, as in, you casted fire magic?!" Akagi gasped in bewilderment. Her amazement was more evident than her surprise.
"That's the only logical explanation, your highness. I usually strip my soldiers of their weapons before our morning hikes. Not like we have any weapons that can produce fire..." Griffon replies.
"Since when have you been able to do this Fuubuki?!" Akagi presses on as her interest kept growing.
"Just now... this is the first time I've experienced this..."
Fuubuki brings his palm closer and tries to recreate the fire from earlier but fails to do so. He imagines himself producing a ball of fire in his palms but it ceases to produce any results.
"Come on! Let's take you to the library! Maybe Professor Marcellus can explain what happened to you!" Akagi says excitedly as she pulled Fuubuki by the arm.
"Ah! Wait! Let him rest first, your highness!" Griffon tries to stop them but his attempt was futile as they were already halfway across the barracks field.
A few minutes later, Akagi bursts in the library, dragging Fuubuki by the arm behind her. The doors swung open and crashes on the library walls. The noise sprung Marcellus awake from his slumber.
"Zzz...woah! What in the-!"
"Professor! Professor! It's urgent! We made a discovery!" Akagi screams enthusiastically.
"Can't an old man get some quiet rest? I just got back from my journey..." Marcellus yawned as he approaches the two youngsters.
"Well? What is it this time?" the old man grumpily says while rubbing the sleep away from his eyes.
"It's unbelievable! Fuubuki just used Flame Magic! Well, that's what we thought happened anyway, but there's no other way of explaining it!" Akagi reported. Her excitement still surprised Fuubuki as she was strangely elated about all of this.
"The lad used... magic, you say?" Marcellus asked. The news sent him fully awake as his eyes were now wide open.
"Hmm..." the old man scruffed his beard as he began to think.
"That can't be... only those possessing the bloodline of the Ignia family can cast magic..." he muttered.
"Then, that must mean he has the Ignia blood right?! A very distant relevant?" Akagi asks with a hopeful tone.
"Why are you so excited about this?" Fuubuki says, finally voicing out his curiosity.
"Because if that's the case, then we won't have to hide our relationship anymore! Only those with traces, even a miniscule percentage, of Ignia blood is allowed by the country monarch to take as their spouse," Akagi explains.
"That can't be. I've kept track of the Ignia family tree strictly throughout my years here, and there were no mentions of a missing child from a family branch. Even your father's side was documented properly, and he was found in the slums. Also, did I hear you correctly just now?" the old man turns his head towards them in surprise to the unexpected revelation.
Now that the cat's out of the bag, at least to Marcellus, Akagi decides to come clean.
"Yes... we're um... we're in a relationship But please, don't tell father yet! I'll be the one to break the news to him, I promise!"
"Honestly, I'm just surprised that it took this long. Congratulations to you both...but putting that aside... Young Fuubuki, can you try and do it again? Producing fire magic from your hands?"
Marcellus gives Fuubuki an inquisitive look. His curiosity is being piqued right now, and he won't be able to sit still until he sees it with his own eyes.
"But... I don't even know how I did it... I just-"
"Whatever you were doing, or thinking back then. I want you to repeat them. It's going to take me a whole day to explain to you the foundation of magic casting. However, you do not necessarily need the basics to do what I am asking since you've already done it. Trust your feelings," Marcellus instructs.
"Just remember how you felt back then. About why you were suddenly able to do such an absurd feat. Remember, and regain that passion."
As instructed, Fuubuki then closes his eyes and recollects what he did back then. He imagines the scene of him fighting, him being beaten senselessly.
What was it that drove him to unleash a hidden power that even he was not familiar of. Was it the danger? The thrill of the battle? Fear?
Or perhaps...
"Don't worry. I'll make sure Akagi dies a painless death. That should be enough for you right?"
He remembers the words of the assailant back then. The words that triggered his anger, and his willingness to protect Akagi. The burst of emotion from within him, that was the source of his strength. His passion.
Suddenly, a huge ball of flame appears from Fuubuki's hand. Akagi, and Marcellus were forced to back away to prevent themselves from being engulfed by his flame.
Fuubuki raises his hand up in the air as the fire continued to grow in size.
Marcellus stares in awe at the size of the flame ball before him. Such power can only be produced by a person with a huge pool of mana.
Has he somehow missed a point in history where Fuubuki's family branch might've connected to? No, that can't be.
Questions flooded the old man's mind as the fireball grows some more.
Have they somehow discovered a prodigy?
The old man knelt on the floor and spread his arms wide as if worshipping someone.
"O' Great White Sovereign! What exactly is this young man?"