Chapter 343
The biting wind, thick with the scent of baking bread and driven snow, whipped around Ais, tugging at the edges of her cloak.
She stood before the gates of the Bahamut familia home, a stark, almost ethereal figure against the swirling white canvas.
Her petite frame was now a portrait of stillness, her golden eyes fixed on the man who stood on the opposite side of the barrier.
Outwardly, she was unyielding, a statue carved from ice and will, yet within her, a tempest brewed, a conflict so deep it threatened to shatter her composure.
‘Draco’
The name echoed in the silent chambers of her mind, heavy with an unspoken weight.
Just minutes prior, the hushed tones of Riveria and Finn, had carried an unwelcome truth through the walls of her own familia manor.
Draco was leaving.
The city, Orario, would soon be without him.
The reason remained a mystery, a gaping void in her understanding, but the implication was clear: he would be gone for a long time.
The thought, cold and sharp as the winter air, pierced through her heart.
Three months.
Three months ago, under a sky far less grey, Draco had made her a promise: defeat him in combat, and he would reveal the location of the One-Eyed Black Dragon.
It was a simple challenge, a straightforward goal for a girl consumed by a singular, burning quest.
Yet, in the weeks that followed, this simple promise, born of a thirst for knowledge and vengeance, had subtly, almost imperceptibly, transformed.
It had become something… more complicated.
Hence her confusion, a tangled knot of emotions she possessed no words for.
Almost every day since that promise, Ais had journeyed to these very gates.
Each time, she was defeated, often with a casual ease that stung her pride yet ignited a spark of determination.
But with every loss, a new lesson took root.
A slight shift in footwork, a subtle variation in attack patterns, a nuanced understanding of an opponent's intent.
She grew stronger, if ever so slightly, each encounter a stepping stone on her relentless path. Draco wasn't just an opponent; he was a catalyst, a mirror reflecting her own potential. Unbeknownst to her, a quiet reverence had begun to bloom in her heart, drawing him into the company of Riveria, her mentor and surrogate guardian.
Her mind drifted back, further still, to their very first meeting, many months before any promise, any challenge.
It had been brutal, impulsive, a primal reaction.
She had seen him then, near the Guild headquarters, a figure unlike any she had encountered: dragon-kin.
The first.
His form…..the obsidian scales glinting, the horns curving from his temples, the cold red reptilian eyes that held a chilling gaze…….had triggered a memory, dark and suppressed, buried deep within her subconscious.
A memory of fire and ruin, of overwhelming power and inescapable grief.
In that instant, pure instinct had taken over, overriding logic.
She had attacked him, consumed by a rage she barely understood.
A horrible first meeting, indeed.
It would have been understandable, even expected, if he had harbored hatred for her, for that unprovoked assault.
Yet, in all their subsequent interactions, she had never once detected it.
Not in his voice, not in his eyes, not in the subtle shifts of his expressions.
If anything, he treated her with a gentle patience, an almost brotherly affection.
He would offer her sweet treats after each rigorous training session, their flavors a welcome reprieve from the bitter taste of defeat.
He had taken the time to unravel the intricacies of her magic, helping her to channel her wind abilities with greater precision and power.
He had even, surprisingly, convinced her to exchange her broadsword for a rapier, a weapon that, in his words, better suited her speed and agility, transforming her fighting style entirely.
She didn't feel as though she had the right to ask anything more of him, to demand deeper explanations or to plead for him to stay.
Her connection to him was indirect, derived from a shared promise and the mentorship that had unfolded around it.
And yet, here she was, having run through the snow-laden streets, a frantic urgency she couldn't name propelling her forward, only to arrive at his gate, utterly paralyzed.
She didn't know what to say, what to do, how to articulate the complex swirl of emotions churning within her.
As if sensing the maelstrom of her inner turmoil, a subtle shift in the air caught her attention. Draco moved.
He approached the wrought-iron gate, his gaze, which seemed very troubled earlier, softening as it met hers.
Then, with a light swish of his tail, he delivered a gentle, yet firm, smack to her head.
A jolt, like a tiny electric current, ran down her body, shaking her from her mental paralysis.
"Ouch," Ais exclaimed, a small, involuntary sound escaping her lips, her head tilting in genuine confusion.
The pain was negligible, but the action itself was disorienting.
Draco sighed, a sound like rustling leaves in a deep forest.
He extended a hand, large and surprisingly tender, to lightly caress the small, invisible bump on her head.
"Sigh. I don't know exactly what's running through that small head of yours, but after the time we've spent together, I can make some educated guesses."
His voice was clear, resonant, a comforting rumble that always seemed to cut through the noise. "I know I should have said something long ago," he continued, his thumb gently stroking her temple, "but knowing your personality, I wasn't sure how to bring up the topic."
Ais leaned into his palm almost imperceptibly, the warmth seeping into her skin, a small anchor in the storm of her feelings.
"But why are you leaving?"
The question was a whisper, barely audible above the wind, yet it carried the full weight of her unspoken anxieties.
"Hmm, it's a bit complicated," Draco murmured, his gaze drifting towards the distant peaks of the Beol mountain range, shrouded in mist and snow.
He contemplated his answer, weighing his words.
He had only shared a vague explanation with his closest friends and acquaintances…..a personal matter requiring his absence from the city…..and had offered no further details despite their pressing inquiries.
He trusted them, yes, implicitly, but revealing the full truth was a different matter.
He was sick, afflicted by a systemic malady that demanded treatment beyond the capabilities of Orario's healers.
This was information he could not afford to leak.
The political landscape of Orario was a treacherous one, rife with factions holding grievances against the Bahamut familia, especially after their rise, during the war with the evilus.
Information, particularly about a leader's weakness, was a potent weapon.
He needed the lingering fear of his retribution, to persist as a deterrent for as long as possible. His goddess, Bahamut, was powerful, true, but within the labyrinthine depths of the Dungeon, or in the shadowy corners of the world beyond her direct reach, anything could happen.
Forces that wished his familia harm might seize upon his vulnerability, taking advantage of his perceived absence or weakened state.
The threat of his eventual return, healthy and vengeful, had to be a more terrifying prospect than his current absence.
After a moment of contemplation, Draco settled on an explanation tailored for Ais, one that resonated with her own intrinsic drive.
"I am going on a journey to become stronger than I am now, Ais. The means to achieve this lie far outside Orario's walls, hence my departure."
He paused, observing her.
Her golden eyes, usually so placid, now sparkled with an almost childlike wonder, a silent plea for him to take her with him, to include her in this epic quest for power.
"Sadly, it is a journey that I must undertake alone," Draco continued, his gaze tender as he watched her immediate deflation.
Her shoulders slumped, the light in her eyes dimming, a flicker of disappointment crossing her face.
‘Cute’ he thought, a wisp of amusement warming his chest.
Ais, for all her outward impassivity, was an open book to those who knew her intimately.
Her emotions, though rarely voiced, were vividly broadcast across her face, a clear window into her pure heart.
"Don't be disappointed, little one. The means for you to continue growing lie right here, within this city. Besides," he added, a playful glint in his eye, "Riveria would kill me if I took you with me."
Ais blinked, her head tilting once more.
"But, aren't you stronger than her?"
Her expression was a canvas of pure confusion.
In her mind, strength equated to dominance, and she had certainly witnessed Draco's overwhelming power.
Draco chuckled, a low, amused sound.
"Hmm, physically and magically, perhaps. But close your eyes and think about it carefully, Ais. Which of us do you find truly scarier when angry?"
Ais, accustomed to following his instructions without question, closed her eyes.
She focused, drawing upon her memories, her subconscious mind conjuring an image.
Not of Draco, but of Riveria.
Riveria, with her emerald eyes blazing, her voice a whip-crack of frosty displeasure, her aura radiating an unspoken threat that promised dire consequences.
Immediately, a visceral shudder ran down Ais's spine, a wave of apprehension washing over her. Her hands flew up, hovering defensively above her head, and she instinctively began to apologize, her voice small and trembling.
"I am sorry, I am sorry, I won't do it again."
A single tear, cold and crystalline, escaped the corner of her eye, quickly followed by another, threatening to cascade.
She crouched low, a picture of abject fear and remorse, as if the furious elf stood before her right then.
"It's okay, it's okay, she's not here right now," Draco said, his voice soft, moving to kneel beside her, gently coaxing the scared girl.
"It's all in your head, Ais."
He stroked her hair, his touch calming.
‘Just how much trauma has Riveria given this girl?’ Draco mused internally, a wry smile playing on his lips.
‘Well, it's probably Ais's own fault. She does tend to be very impulsive and gets herself into extremely dangerous situations, so it's understandable why Riveria disciplined her so thoroughly.’
He suppressed a laugh.
‘Thankfully, this vivid memory will stop her from trying to follow me.’
The thought brought him a measure of relief.
In a few short seconds, Ais had calmed, her breathing evening out.
The tears vanished, and she slowly straightened, her stoic demeanor returning as if a mask had been perfectly reset.
"So, now you understand?" Draco asked, a hint of amusement in his tone.
Ais nodded vigorously, a small, almost imperceptible quiver still running through her.
The message had been received, loud and clear.
"Anyway," Draco continued, rising to his full height, "as long as you use all I've taught you over the past three months, you will get stronger quickly, maybe even more than me. Just don't overdo it, alright?"
He offered her a genuine smile, one that reached his eyes, crinkling the corners.
He lightly patted her head, a familiar gesture of affection.
"Hmm," Ais replied, her voice still soft, but a rare, equally bright smile bloomed across her face, transforming her features.
It was a smile so luminous, so unreserved, that it momentarily stunned even Draco, a flash of pure joy.
"Good girl," Draco said, his voice full of warmth, though he carefully retracted his hand, a small pang of regret for doing so.
He noticed the slight dip in Ais spirit, the fleeting shadow of disappointment.
"When will you be back?" Ais asked, her voice imbued with a fragility he hadn't heard before, a quiet sadness that tugged at his heart.
"Hmm, it's difficult to say," he admitted honestly.
"Probably before or by the time you meet a certain white rabbit." He said it half-jokingly.
In truth, neither he nor Aasterinian knew the precise duration of his recovery or the path it would take.
So, he had simply offered a whimsical, almost random, date.
Hearing his reply, Ais was quite confused, the image of a 'white rabbit' conjuring no immediate meaning.
Yet, she didn't question him further.
There was an unspoken understanding between them now, a silent acceptance of the unknown.
She knew, instinctively, that he would return.
And until then, she would continue to grow stronger, until the day she surpassed him.
A/N: It wasn't my intention to make the chapter all about Ais, but two thousand plus words in, and then I realized that it was all about Ais ..
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