It was a brisk morning at Roma Manor. A man hurried through the dimly lit corridors, his footsteps echoing against the marble floor. Reaching the grand double doors, he pushed them open, revealing Takashi Roma seated comfortably, enjoying his morning coffee.
"It's bad, boss..." Will, one of Roma's trusted men, announced as he strode into the study, tossing a newspaper onto the polished desk.
Roma glanced at the paper, picking it up and skimming the front page. "Tragedy at Romeo Manor? Everyone, including the staff and residents, frozen in time?" He scoffed, setting the paper down before walking toward the large window that overlooked the estate grounds.
"Is this a declaration of war?" Will asked, his tone cautious.
Roma didn't turn, his eyes still fixed on the horizon. "No, Will. If Felix wanted war, he'd be disrupting our business, not pulling stunts like this. Besides, I doubt the boy is eager to see my face again."
Will frowned, a crease forming on his brow. "It's still strange, boss. We haven't seen any action from Spade in months. Doesn't that strike you as suspicious?"
Roma let out a weary sigh. "The last time we sent someone to gather intel, Felix made sure our man never made it back. He's changed. He used to thrive on entertaining his patrons, being in the spotlight. This... doesn't add up."
"So, you think something's different now?" Will pressed.
"Yes," Roma admitted, finally turning to face him. "But we'll worry about Felix later. What's the latest on our guest?"
Will straightened up. "Your 'student'? He's been awake for hours. In fact, he was up before you—one of the maids said he went out to the yard."
Roma shrugged off his suit jacket, draping it over the back of his chair before stepping out of the study.
Outside, Rei lay sprawled on the ground, surrounded by patches of frost and ice. "Why is coming up with new techniques so hard...? If only I could increase the output," he muttered, tugging at the black fabric wrapped around his right arm. "If only I didn't need this limiter..."
"And here I thought you were training, not napping," Roma said, suddenly looming over him.
"Ah! I was just taking a break, Roma," Rei quickly sat up, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Roma grimaced slightly. "You don't need to call me 'sir'..."
"Would you prefer 'Master' instead?" Rei asked with a raised brow.
"Heavens no. That's what the staff call me," Roma chuckled. "Just stick with Roma, like always."
Rei relaxed, shifting to his feet. "So, what's on the agenda for today's training? Now that I've passed—"
"Barely," Roma cut in with a smirk.
"Right..." Rei narrowed his eyes but didn't push it. "So, what are we doing today?"
"We're going to start by improving your control over mana output," Roma said, his tone firm. Rei nodded, listening closely. "Right now, your mana is like a dam. When you channel your magic, you only release it at one fixed level because you haven't learned to regulate the flow."
Rei nodded, listening intently. Roma reached out and gripped his forearm. "Right now, it's like a dam with no control over its floodgates—constantly wide open. If you keep pushing like this, your body will wear down until... it breaks."
Rei swallowed hard at the grim analogy.
"And sometimes," Roma continued, his voice softening, "you need an icicle, not an iceberg."
YOU ARE READING
The Apostle of Ruin
FantasíaFollow the Stories of Rei and Kisane as well as many others as they figure out themselves and their reason for fighting in this world, with the threat of another Millennium War brewing. which realm will come out on top Destruction or Creation? In t...
