Chapter 212 - It Won't Be Long
With his eyes about to pop out from their sockets and a series of curses about to escape his mouth, Elliot relaxed when he saw the following message.
'Artifact effects converted.'
'You gained the skill [ Wind Slash ].'
[ Wind Slash
Cost: 500 MP
// Wind Slash allows the user to slice their blade in the air, creating a slash in the air that would have 200% the force from the slash. ]
Elliot smirked, feeling good about his new skill. He was worried that Lotus Blast was the only long-ranged attack he could actually use but now Wind Slash is available for him. The cost is almost the same as the Lotus Blast but he could enhance this skill.
He could use Hasty Aspire and use this ability. This would destroy his enemies. Or he could annihilate them by fully maximizing Supreme Malevolence and use Wind Slash.
The small smirk was wiped off instantly from Elliot's face when he remembered the day with Florencia. He scarred the girl's mind after reacting to her words, unconsciously activating this kind of attack without swinging his sword.
He walked to their table and slumped on his seat, thinking how he could let Florencia forgive him. Sure, the girl told him that she forgave him, but he risked her life. The weight of still being called as their mentor was bringing him down.
"I think there's too much going on right now."
–
The next day, Viper and Florencia had visited Christina. She was staying in Josephine's shop in the meantime. Florencia offered to let her live in their castle, but Christina declined saying she has had enough of castles for now.
Elliot was right behind them, watching them talk and laugh. He was with Midnight while they visited Josephine for a dress Midnight was going to wear when they saw the kids inside.
"Go to them," Midnight said. Elliot turned to him but saw that Midnight wasn't looking at him. For a moment, he thought he was hearing things when Midnight repeated. "Go to them. You're their mentor slash teacher right? Won't you say 'hi'?"
"O-Oh," Elliot scratched the back of his head. "I don't have the guts to look them in the eye. You know what happened."
"So, you're just going to run?" Midnight finally glanced at him, quirking his brow up and expecting Elliot to answer.
"It's more complicated than that," Elliot said. "I don't know if I have the audacity to put one of them at risk and then still call myself their mentor, and actually train them. I mean, can you do that?"
Midnight put down the fabrics he was looking at and fully turned to Elliot. "Sun is my younger brother, did you know that? We also have a younger sister and one day, an accident happened. Our village was attacked and my younger sister died. Every day, every second of my life, I live on with that guilt in my heart."
"B-But if your village was attacked, then it wasn't your fault," Elliot said.
"Then did you hack your blade in front of your student yourself?" Midnight said back. His words cut deep and the words had the effects that cut deeper.
"The thing is, Elliot. Sometimes, we want things to go this way, but they just can't. And sometimes, accidents can happen and no one should be blamed for an accident. Well, unless you're an idiot and didn't actually do your best to do anything about it. And now, you're being one," Midnight finished with a shrug.
"But why do you live with the guilt?" Elliot asked, feeling bold of himself to do so.
"Because I couldn't forgive myself for not visiting her grave since," Midnight confessed. "I'll see you at the guild. You know what to do."
With a heavy gulp, Elliot watched Midnight walk out the door. The latter quirked his brow at him one last time before he finally disappeared in his vision.
"M-Mr. Elliot."
Elliot jolted when he heard Christina's voice behind him.
"Hey," he greeted, brushing his hair just to lessen the tension in his body. "How are you guys?"
"Upset," Florencia answered that made Elliot gulp in worry.
In his mind, thoughts started running. He was thinking about how Florencia might have never had forgiven him at all.
"Uhm, Florencia–"
"Why didn't you tell us you were at the Palaces?" Florencia cut him off. Elliot turned to her and for the first time in a while, their eyes met. "Can we go there sometime? We should go there. I wanna go there."
"What?" Elliot exhaled, taking it back when he saw the confused expression on their faces. "I mean, yeah. If I win this Championship and free Christina, which is going to happen, I will take you there. Which Palace do you want to go first?"
"Purple Palace!" Viper cheered.
Florencia gasped, "Sun Palace!"
"Azure Palace!" Christina suddenly said that made her friends turn to her. "I-I know it's a dead Palace, but I still want to go there. I heard the Azure King had the ability to turn seas into ice. I don't really know how they knew considering it never went out of its throne room, but I still want to go there."
"Actually," Elliot scratched his nape and looked away. "The Azure Palace isn't as dead anymore. It was declared not long ago that, for reasons unknown, the beasts inside the Palace are back. And the ice that melted has covered the grounds once more. The endless snow of the Azure King has reigned once again."
"That can't be real," Christina gasped. "But it was cleared by Pentos."
"Yeah," Elliot sighed. He opted not to tell them about what exactly happened. He knew he could trust his students but they were still too young for this.
Elliot looked at the window, eyes widening when he saw a familiar speck of white fragment. With a gulp, Elliot ran to the door and opened it, only to be greeted with a blast of cold air.
"Oh, my goodness it has started," Josephine said. "The snow is starting."
Elliot turned to them with a grim expression, "W-We have to fight in snow?"
"You don't know?" Florencia quirked her brow up. "The Championship of the Greats is also known as the Winter Festival of Strength."
–
A man was sitting on a cliff not too far from Alorde. His long hair was brushed by the wind, waving in the air as he felt the cold breeze of the approaching winter.
"It was winter when we first met, APRIL," he said to the wind.
"Hello you big man," a woman with short hair that was tied to her side chimed. She was skipping as she approached the man, seemingly having a happy-go-lucky attitude. "It's cold outside. Let's go."
"Let me enjoy the calm winds, Sabrina," the man replied. "Go to the cottage. Baron is waiting for you there."
"And the Demons?" Sabrina's expression changed, suddenly she now held a serious look. "Do we kill them?"
"Soon" the man said. "For now let's not rush things and just hide their presence. Hell is probably looking for the Prophet too. And the well we put in their home was perfect to limit their movements. Everyone is blaming hell and Inferno will declare war sooner or later."
"Gaston made that well," Sabrina chuckled. "I will go on first, okay? Welcome back to the club."
"Thanks," the man smiled and turned back to the cliff.. "It won't be long until we reunite once more, APRIL."