Ace hit the top of his bed with a loud thud. He heavily tumbled over the sheets as he tried to incorporate in his dreams. The blue haired mage was exhausted. Through and through. It had been a while since he had been so worked up. In fact, he couldn’t remember a single time ever since his swordsmanship training days when he had been so tired. His body hurt sore as the amniotic acid began working its way up through the torn muscles. It was a fun thing. Even at this time, hours into midnight the only thing he could think about was how his bodily functions managed to regenerate his torn and tired tissues. It was during these small philosophical thinking moments when he actually wondered if humanity was just the work of casualty. If it was, casualty was then quite the mighty bastard. How had nature managed to create beings with sentient soul and awareness was beyond him. Personally, he preferred to think that there had been some kind of divine intervention. Perhaps it was more convenient that way. Otherwise, the problems of the world wouldn’t have an object or being to blame for. On the other hand, Ace would sometimes wonder if religion was actually a thing that benefited humanity more than it had hurt it. After all, there had been many wars that were waged only for the sake of the faith. Deeper into that, Ace was also distrustful from it as an institution. In specific, the Church of Illumin was a critical matter for him. It wasn’t all that much that he had a grudge against the faith itself. Ace was someone that had yet to learn how to hold grudges. However, what he couldn’t forgive was the day when it messed with his family. He could be wrong though. He was not sure if the Church was indeed culprit for the Lyon’s destitution. For all he knew, the person that had brought along him the decree from the King of Peregrande could be an impostor that hid behind the name of Illumin. Either way, one thing was certain. Ace had been powerless that night. The thing that hurt him the most were his sister’s tears. Azura looked beautiful in her wedding gown. She was the most noble, refined, kindhearted and intelligent woman he had met so far. To see someone that had never once showed weakness, never once lost her composure and never once desired any harm for anyone lose her spirit and break in tears during her wedding was heart shattering for him. As a younger brother, Ace had fawned over her for most of his childhood. She was somewhat of an ideal figure to the young swordsman. As he turned around in his bed trying to find a good position to sleep, the only thing playing on his mind was that fateful night. ”BROTHER!!!!!! Please! Stop it. Don’t let father get hurt!” Tears rolled down her cheeks as rage build up inside him. His heartbeat incremented, and a feeling of helplessness inundated every corner of his body and mind. Could he really no do anything?

Ace jumped out of bed covered in cold sweat. His head was hot, hurting as if a thousand needles had impaled his forehead. As he reclined on the base of his mattress, Ace took his right hand to his face. He was startled by the memoirs of his failure. It had been a while since he had seen flashbacks from his sister’s wedding. Almost as if whispering to himself, Ace instinctively muttered something almost inaudible. ”I need to get stronger…” He stood a couple of minutes like that. Motionless, without making a single sound. Ace couldn’t quite understand how he felt. He was… He was…. Sad. Not in a way that meant defeat. But instead in a way that made him lament his weakness. However, that didn’t mean he had given up. That word was something almost foreign to the Lyon male. Instead he was one to rise up to the challenge. Even if he knew that the odds were against him, he couldn’t care less. He knew that he had nothing now. So perhaps it was not such a stupid thing to rise and obtain something that seems impossible, rather than remain inert and stagnated. That was the reason he was so tired now. He had spent the whole day training. The Rune Knights had assigned him to an important mission. One that he hoped he could comply with. Even if the exact details of the task were not completely briefed to them, the information he received was more than enough. He had been tasking with protecting the magister’s index. A tome full of Era’s magic secrets. Apparently, it was a simple job, and it was expected that no trouble arose. However, the upper echelons of the Rune Knights couldn’t afford to leave the Index unprotected. That was why Ace had been summoned. He was part of the Rune Knight squad in charge of assuring its safety through transport. As he incorporated on himself once more, he decided to stand up. It was easily past 3 o’clock in the morning. The barracks were dead quiet. Only the occasional snore here and there could be heard. Apart from that, it seemed as if the whole city was dead in slumber. However, Ace was far from joining them for now. He had to train. Urgently. He had to get way stronger. And he had to do it now. Walking up the room’s door, he quickly gathered his gear before heading out. Doing so carefully, he slowly closed the door trying not to wake his roommates. ”Hopefully we don’t have tomorrow any early drills. I’ll be fried in tiredness.”

As he slowly made his way through the empty halls of the building, the only company Ace had was the light of the moon. The hall was elegantly adorned. A fine, maroon velvet trailed through the hall’s length. It was beautifully embroidered with golden and silver threads. The sides of the velvet had an intricate design made in fabric. It truly was a masterful piece. What made the hall beautiful though, were the forged iron frames of the windows next to it. With a height of around 3 meters, the light of the moon gleamed beautifully as it reflected from the metal surface and into the braids of linen in the velveted rug. At the end of the hall, he had to take a right turn. As he did, Ace noticed a couple of guards by the exit door. Freezing in his tracks, the Lyon swordsman wondered if it was impossible to escape for the night. As he debated in his mind whether to stay and go to sleep was the best, or if he should find an alternate route to the outside, he heard a sound that immediately gave him the answer. It was a snore. And a pretty heavy one at that. It came from one of the guards standing at the door. Ace couldn’t blame him. After all the day had been pretty tiring for the Rune Knights. As he carefully placed his ear next to the wall to see if he could still hear him snore. A second reply came from the other guard. They were both completely knocked out. A small sigh of relief escaped Ace’s lips. It seemed that after all he would be training some bit more that day. Making his way carefully between the sleepy guards, Ace opened the heavy entrance doors as slowly as he could. Trying not to make a single sound, he found himself helpless as the heavy wooden door creaked with every inch of movement. Now with a worried smirk on his face, Ace couldn’t do a thing but pray to the gods that their slumber was heavier than the squeaking tremor the door seemed to do. Once it was wide enough for he to slip through, Ace quickly got outside. He didn’t want to risk any more time inside. They could wake up in any second and explaining what he was doing out of his room, completely geared up and trying to sneak out was something he didn’t quite fancy doing at the moment.

Now finally outside, the fresh air of Era was like a stream of light that tore through a maddening darkness. He hadn’t noticed yet. But for some reason, the fresh breeze of the night caressing his face was exactly what he needed. He was beginning to be bottled up in his room after all. But it was perhaps the memories of his happy past in Peregrande which invigorated him so much. He used to go to the fields at night. It was something he shared doing with his father. Ragar the Fourth of Lyon was a man of unique tastes. He was strong and respected, but even if he had every responsibility in the world he had the strength to decide what he wanted to and not to do. Staying awake at nights was a thing that not many understood. After all, discipline was what maintained an army. As a general, Ragar was supposed to preach with the example, but he was quite the controversial one. He would decide to ignore some rules if he didn’t quite like them. So for someone as him that had to make sure that his soldiers had enough rest and were ready for the battles of the next day, Ragar preferred staying up enjoying the stars. This was a thing he had in common with Ace. Ever since young, Ace had naturally developed a liking to this activity. He wasn’t introduced by anyone to it. Just with time, he would gradually escape every night to the house’s roof and stare at the stars silently for hours. It was in one of these escapades that he and Ragar met each other. Neither of them said a thing, and instead sat next to each other, contemplating the celestial beings of the night. Now, as he contemplated the starry knights of Fiore, Ace couldn’t help but wonder what was his father doing. He knew that somewhere, thousands of miles away from him, his father waited for him patiently in a cell. They had promised each other. Once Ace was strong enough he would go back to Peregrande to reclaim what was his by right. Free his father and restore his family’s honor for good. But above everything else, he would finally be able to save his sister Azura from her forced marriage. “Don’t worry… I’ll go back. I promise.” As he made this promise to the air, in hopes that it would reach his family, Ace proceeded to venture deep into the woods near the headquarters.

The blue haired mage had previously found a perfect spot for training. It was just a couple of minutes’ walk from the entrance of the woods. It was a cleared spot with big enough space to train whatever he needed. The training he had done that day though, had been like none he had done before. Ace usually trained in the art of the sword whenever he could. He would practice every single stance he had learned and reviewed the movements to the Lyon sword style. Even among the noble warring society of Peregrande, the Lyon were renowned for their swordsmanship. What he did practice that day was still unique to the Lyon clan. However, it came from within a completely different universe. It had been a bit more than a whole year since he had obtained his magic for the first time. The trial to the mountains where he had to find a legendary cave where the secrets of the Lyon lineage laid was not an easy one. He had to fight and struggle daily for survival. The mountains were infested with magical beasts. Dangerous creatures that roamed in look for nothing more than killing. After months of fighting and looking for the cave, he finally stumbled with it. Once inside, the real test began. It was said that the spirits of the ancients of Lyon dwelled within that portal. Even if Ace was a bit skeptic at first, he had no option left but accept it as the truth. After all, he had seen it with his own eyes that day. Even his magic was now a testament to the truth in those words. The Lyons have existed for dozens of generations in a span of history of centuries. However, each and every different member now rested eternally within the portal of Souls. That place where the young heirs of the Lyon surname had to test their courage was the place where they received the blessings of their ancestors. After being interrogated by their spirits, the candidates received power from their ancestors themselves. There were countless numbers of power that one could receive in that cave. Each and every different from the other. However, what the candidates receive was always something tailored specifically for them. The souls of past would never grant a power to someone that was not ready to wield it. They would never gift a strength to one that could not carry it. And they would never offer glory to one that didn’t deserve it. In Ace’s case, the strength he was imbued with was the known as the Réquiem of Blades. Even among Lyon history, only 5 members had ever been honored with the power of the Requiem. Even more, each of its wielders had never appeared with less than a century of difference from one another. However, Ace was a different case. He received the precious sword magic of Lyon at the age of twenty. As so did his father before him. Father and Son both possessed the secrets to the Réquiem; a unique kind of magic that gave the caster domain over the sacred weapons and heirlooms of the family. It was indeed one of the most precious gifts that a member of the family could ever receive. The responsibility of mastering it though, was a completely different matter.

Hours before, Ace had devoted himself to unlocking some of the virtues of the Requiem. The four different stanzas of the requiem all lead up to the final verse, the Consummatio. It was the true nature of that magic. The Consummatio was nothing more than the literal consummation of the Requiem. Developed specifically as a combat magic, the consummation was nothing else than the offensive power it brought along with it. Divided into 13 different virtues, the spells of the consummation were powerful abilities that provided enough firepower to even challenge armies at higher levels. For Ace as a novice though, this ability was still years away. Either way, everyone had to start from the beginning at some point right? Ace was no stranger to the virtues by now. The pace at which he progressed was one that worried him. For the last year, he had only been able to unlock two of its virtues. Yet even less master them. The first virtue Pericia and the second virtue Templanza were ones that he started to get familiar with. Even with 11 more to go, Ace still felt that he could strengthen these two even further. He wasn’t satisfied at all with their strength. He could feel that deep within the secrets of the requiem, these two virtues had much more to offer. It was as if the true nature of their powers rested within a completely different dimension. Specifically, Templanza was a virtue that Ace had a special interest in. He had previously used it many times. He really enjoyed the combat possibilities that it offered him. He had even used it in one of his fights throughout the requests he had completed as a Rune Knight in Crocus. Even if in the end he was able to defeat the mutated rat that had stormed and terrorized part of the population of the Holy Capital, Ace knew that its real offensive power was still to be seen. Perhaps it was this dissatisfaction what brought him to train before that day. He had spent all afternoon looking for ways to improve Templanza and how his fighting style could be complemented by it. Even if its nature was not of a straightforward offensive, Templanza was a virtue that really only shone with those that had a strategic mind to put it to good use. The chain it materialized posed a problem for Ace. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t manage to summon a chain with a different length. Since Templanza’s offensive powers only activated after the chain’s length had been surpassed, 5 meters was quite a long distance. Ace preferred fighting in the close quarters, so that meant that his enemies could freely move within his area without being affected by Templanza at all. Even more, he could only summon one chain. Even as he tried to cast the second virtue again, he was unable to. From what he had learned so far, he was not able to cast a virtue a second time unless it had previously ended. This posed a problem, the strategical capability that Ace saw in the second virtue could only shine brighter with the addition of more chains. Even if he was unsure if it was possible, Ace could still feel that it was. He couldn’t quite explain why though. Deep down there was a feeling that told him it was. Ace didn’t sweat thinking about it. He didn’t have time for that. For him, that feeling was called gut, nothing else. For the short lived time he had lived at the moment, Ace had learned to listen to his gut. Others could fail him, and even his plans could backfire, but so far, his gut had never lied or failed to him. Not even once. In the eyes of an expert in investments, it could be said that listening to it was a safe bet.

A couple of hours had passed. Ace started his training to master Templanza at around 3 in the afternoon. It was now 7 o clock and there was still no signs of improvement. ”GOD DAMN IT!! THIS IS FUCKN HAARD!” Ace was desperate. For the hundredth time in the day, the summoning of Templanza he did ended up in a single chain appearing. A single chain, with a set length of 5 meters that didn’t seem to increase or shrink at all. What was he doing wrong? He could feel that he was close to achieving his goal. But for some reason, the secret to doing it eluded him. He finally tumbled himself to the ground. Flailing both arms at the sky in resign, Ace tried to catch his breath back. He had been the whole day expending Magical Power. It was a hard thing to maintain. He was sure that he would reach his daily limit soon. As he stared at the clear sky of Era, he went again through all the information he knew about the Requiem. “I’m sure I’m missing something. But what is it??” For Ace it seemed that he was leagues away from finding an answer. The reality though, was quite different. He hadn’t noticed. But all the training he had done was beginning to take a toll in his body. The strain that his magical circulatory system had underwent was making him leak mana. Ace was tumbled in the ground, so he didn’t notice when it started to emanate from him. As he wondered what he had to do, the leaked mana began gathering. It took shape of its own, almost as if it was a sentient being. For some reason, the mana did not dissipate as it normally does once outside the caster’s body. Instead, it began to gather more and more into a compressed flow. At some point, it became so big that Ace noticed it in through the corner of his eye. “What the-?” Turning around, the swordsman saw that the cloud moved by itself. He couldn’t quite put it into words, but for some reason he felt a connection with it. Almost as if it was a part of his body. Ace tried to touch it, feel how it was like to be enveloped by it. What he felt was something he was really used to. It was different in nature. However, it was fundamentally the same as when he gathered magical energy on his hands to place a Locis seal. Ace knew that Locis Primus was not the only kind of seal that the Requiem of Blades unlocked. After all, he needed to have an arsenal of them to be effective at battling. The virtues could be only summoned through them in the end. “Is..Is his a Locis?” The question formed from his lips almost instinctively. ”Of course it is you brat. Can’t you even notice such a fundamental thing?” Ace was startled. He was really caught off guard this time. ”Huummm… D-Did you talk to me?” Perhaps he was hearing things. For a second it appeared as if the cloud of leaked mana had spoken by itse-.”You bet I did.” ”Shit” The situation couldn’t weird Ace more than it already did. ”Who’re you?” Ace asked to the cloud doubtingly. He wasn’t sure if he was hallucinating due to the exhaustion. Waiting for an anwer, Ace was greeted with a prolonged silence. Perhaps it was just an illusion after all. Just as he was going to shake it all off and pass it as a dream, the energy cloud spoke once again.

”My name is Lexas the First of Lyon. It looks like this time is my turn to show you the ropes Ace.” Ace’s interest was instantly piqued. ”What do you mean?” Ace tried to sound as polite as he could. However, it was inevitable that a certain tone of anxiety and excitement escaped his voice. “Well it was about damn time you summoned me! But of course to teach you how to use your magic you blockhead.” The voice seemed irritated for some reason. Clearing its voice, Lexas continued talking. ”Alright..Aheem..So. I’m sure you’re aware now of the nature of the Requiem. Right?” Ace nodded in agreement. Could the cloud even see him nod? ”Good. So as you know, the Requiem is a power that lets you channel the strength of your ancestors. I myself am a Lyon that lived several centuries ago. As you are also aware, the Requiem cannot be performed without the help of a Locis. This one you see here, is a type of Locis called Tempestas. It seems that all your mindless training helped you summon it. It was also damn time. I as the appointed to teach you of the requiem could not manifest myself until you did.”

The talk that followed between Lexas and Ace was a straightforward one. Lexas explained that the reason that he could not grasp the secrets of the requiem was because he was trying to make his own a power that wasn’t his own. After all, the requiem was the collective strength of all those that came before him. ”Think of it as you letting us the work for you. Templanza is not your virtue. Yours is yet to be known. Templanza is Kain the Second of Lyon’s. His knowledge and power dwell within you. As so do the ones from everyone that also came before you. Just let them flow, unrestricted by your will and you shall achieve what you look for.” With those words, his afternoon training was complete. He was sent back to rest by Lexas. The Lyon ancestor prohibited him from getting any more done until he replenished his stamina and mana. Well… Now he had. After escaping through the front door, Ace was now fresh to train some more. He now knew what to do. He was too restless to settle for the night and sleep. He needed to try out the hints that Lexas gave him. Finally arriving at his training spot, Ace quickly warmed up before starting. ”Here it goes then…. Réquiem of Blades, Second Virtue of the consummation: Templanza!!!” Instead of the usual 5 meter lone chain, a set of 4 appeared. Not only that, but Ace could feel through his senses that they had now completely surrendered to him. He could manipulate them at will, including their length. ”Cool.”

A year had passed ever since Ace the Ninth of Lyon had become the fifteenth member of Lyon to wield the powers of the Requiem. Thus far, he had only been able to summon two of the virtues of the requiem. A whole year of training was traded for him to be able to barely summon them. However, it was deep in the night that day, training secretly within the woods of the outskirts of Era, that he finally uncovered the secret to the Réquiem’s real power. Lexas had given him the key to his own power. Ace’s late night training, the second round of that day only lasted for about 2 hours. However, in only that short time he was able to do what he thought possible. Not even mentioning how he managed to master Templanza, Ace unlocked the secrets to two more Virtues; The Seventh: Valor, and the Ninth: Poderío. With a face of satisfaction, Ace left the woods completely burnt out. As he made his way back to his room, he couldn’t help but maintain a smile thorough. He knew it wasn’t much, and that he still had ways to go. But for now, he could finally sleep knowing that he was now getting closer to his goal.

-EXIT-

Ninth Virtue: Poderío [1900/1900] Done!
Seventh Virtue: Valor [950/950] Done!
Second Virtue: Templanza [950/950] Done!
Locis Tempestas [493/475] Done!
5% Wordcount Reduction from Intelligence lvl.