The moment Ace woke, even though he had been travelling through the Forest of Darkness for training, Leo had sensed it via their bond.
Ace’s being put in a coma was hard on everyone, but Leo was actually one of the ones who took it hardest.
He was supposed to be his partner, but aside from the first few months of being together, where they were around the same strength still, Leo hadn’t truly been of much actual help. Whenever there was a truly strong opponent, Ace would always be the one to face them by himself, whilst Leo was forced to bring up the rear.
To make matters worse, there was nothing he, Leo, could say as he knew that if he tried to stay and help, nine out of ten times, he’d only end up making things worse and getting in the way.
As such, after Milianna repeatedly assured Leo that Ace would be okay when the power of his will eventually recovered, Leo, along with his father, who had barely, but thankfully survived that day, ventured off into the Forest of Darkness to temper themselves.
After a year, Leo had matured into a genuine high-ranking divine beast reaching the seventh rank. He had also grown to the size of a small building.
Even before Ace had slipped into a coma, Leo had struggled to find opponents in the ninth rank, but now, forget the ninth rank, Leo had to challenge magical beasts at the early stages of the saint rank to find a challenge.
Leo let out another excited roar when his human partner entered his sight, but he showed no intention of slowing down.
In fact, not only did he seem to be speeding up, but a blazing crimson aura also coated his paw as he charged at Ace.
“Come!” Ace grinned when he understood his familiar’s intention. “Let’s see just how strong you’ve gotten in this last year.”
Ace took off like a bullet, this was his first time taking action since that day, and despite being in a coma that whole time, the speed he showed was enough to make the him that fought Olivier that day look like a snail.
His foot was like a blur as it kicked off against the ground over 50 times instantly, leaving a fire trail in his wake as he shot into the sky like a flaming arrow.
His fist was jet-black in colour and also coated in flames, with a jet of fire shooting from his elbow to enhance the speed and power of his strike as he met Leo’s strike head-on.
A giant explosion sounded for miles as the two separated. But whilst Leo took three steps back before stabilising himself, Ace only managed to stop after ten.
After coming out on the losing side of that exchange, although he wasn’t jealous or angry, Ace would be lying if he said his competitive nature hadn’t been ignited. An emotion that only served to excite the obsidian lion further.
Finally, he had gone from only being able to bring up the rear to finally being able to stand shoulder to shoulder with his partner – how could he not be excited?!
Both Ace and Leo took off at the same time, about to clash for the second time.
“Did you already forget?” Amira said, her figure moving like a flash of light at a speed that caught both Ace and Leo by surprise. “I already called first!”
Ace and Leo had been over 100 meters away after their first clash, and neither had been holding back when they moved. Still, by the time they were in striking distance of each other, Amira had already arrived, holding a silvery-white treasured katana in each hand as she slashed at both Ace and Leo, her sword gracefully arcing through the air whistling as it moved.
Both man and lion had to go from attacking each other to evading the swords aimed at their napes at the last moment.
“You…
Your comprehension…” Ace stammered as he looked at Amira in disbelief.
“You underestimate me if you thought a year wouldn’t be enough time for me to start comprehending a profound mystery,” Amira smirked as her Spiritual Manifestation appeared behind her.
“A Profound Mystery?” Ace asked back. “I’m pretty sure I sensed you using two profound mysteries there.”
“You’re not the only genius in the Pavilion,” Mira grinned.
“Clearly,” Ace said, his lust for battle growing with each passing second.
The bodies of all three youngsters tensed at once as they prepared to fight when a chilling, but angelic voice entered their ears, sending shivers up each of their spines. “I know you three aren’t about to make a mess of my home now, are you?”
Just like that, the raging battle intent of all three was doused like a flickering candle thrown in a river.
“No, Mom,” Ace gulped as Amira and Leo looked away, pretending to be innocently minding their own business.
In the end, Milianna glanced lightly at the three young troublemakers before shaking her head with a gentle sigh and turning back in.
Carter, who had accompanied his son back from the Forest of Darkness, could only stare at Milianna.
No matter how many times he saw her, it never got any easier to believe that frail, fragile woman from before was the same woman before him now. The difference between the two of them was like night and day.
Even he felt a hint of awe in front of the regal yet warm aura she subconsciously radiated.
“Uncle Carter,” Ace called out respectfully after his mother had gone back inside. “I can’t thank you enough for everything you did for us in the O’Brien Empire. If not for your help, I don’t know what would have happened.”
“I was only repaying my debt to the Pavilion for all the support they’d given me,” Carter snorted. “You have nothing to thank me for.”
“Still,” Ace replied, smiling in response to his familiar’s father’s abruptness, taking no offence. “If there’s ever anything I can do, please don’t hesitate.”
“Hmph, you’re still way too weak to be of any help to me, brat!” Carter snorted. “If you really want to pay me back, then just promise to take good care of my son in the future!”
“That goes without saying,” Ace replied sincerely. “Leo’s like a brother to me, and as long as I’m alive, I will continue to treat him as such!”
A low grunt escaped Carter’s lips, but he was no longer bothered with Ace as he turned back to his son. “I’m guessing you’re going to stay with your human from now on?”
“Yes, Father,” Leo growled back, with only Ace and Carter being able to understand him.
“Okay,” Carter nodded, having no intention of standing in his way, knowing full well that the place Ace held in his heart was incomparable to even his. “I’m heading back to the Forest of Darkness to continue training with your brothers and sisters. I’ll see you when I return.”
“I understand,” Leo nodded, hiding the hint of unwillingness as he saw him off.
“Ooh, and father,” Leo called out as Carter was flying off. “Thanks for everything.”
Carter was right, Ace was still number one in Leo’s heart, but after all the time they’d spent together since reuniting, especially over the last year, the love Leo felt for his father was undeniable.
“So what do you intend on doing first?” Amira asked after Carter left.
“You should head over to the Pavilion,” Milianna suggested as she returned back outside. “Without the help of Master and the others last year, things would’ve ended a whole lot worse than they did. The least you can do is thank them all personally.”
“You’re right,” Ace nodded. “Let’s head to the Pavilion first.”
“Hmm?” Ace sounded when he noticed Milianna turning to head back inside. “Aren’t you coming, Mom?”
“You don’t need your mother to hold your hand,” Milianna jokingly scolded. “You kids go on; I’ll be waiting for you here when you return. Ooh, and if you see that stubborn fool, Lance, tell him it’s time he came home.”
“Uhm, okay,” Ace replied in confusion as he leapt into the air with Mira and Leo following.
“Did something happen between my mother and Lance?” Ace asked when he was sure his mother was out of earshot.
“It’s complicated,” Mira sighed. “After everything that happened, we were all worried, but if I’m honest, the person who took it hardest was Uncle Lance.”
“He did?” Ace asked in surprise.
“It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise,” Mira replied as she flew alongside Ace and Leo. “Not only was he ultimately unable to protect Aunt Milli, she ended up being the one to protect him and the rest of you. Then, to add insult to injury, he had to live with the fact that his choice, choosing to prioritise your mother over you, resulted in you ending up in a coma.”
“He has nothing to feel guilty about,” Ace voiced resolutely. “I was the one who told him to do that should a situation like that arise.”
“Im a situation like that, it doesn’t really matter if he obeyed your wishes,” Mira shook her head. “After all, in his eyes, it was his decision that led to things ending up the way they did.”
Ace could only sigh because he knew that if it had been him in that situation, he would probably feel no different. “So what happened after that?”
“As you can imagine, your mother didn’t hold it against Uncle Lance,” Mira explained. “Still, the guilt and responsibility he felt was too much to bear to just go back to how things were.
Uncle Lance vowed to spend every day until you woke up in training so that in the future, he wouldn’t be so useless to you and your mother.”
“Stubborn fool!” Ace sighed.
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Book 12: Part 3 – Aiden’s Revelation
