--- Mary

The girl's hands touched the surface of her prize for the first time, and her heart skipped a beat.

Incredible... It's definitely the same as before, but it also feels different. Maybe it's just an impression, but the result doesn't change. This thing's got a low more power now.

Mary was finally holding again her rune-staff, freshly modified with the third ring she had studied so hard to obtain. She could barely contain her excitement, in front of the new possibilities that instrument could provide her.

"I'm trusting you on this one, miss Wilmore. No one among the students has ever carried this amount of rings in the last five hundred years. With your knowledge, that staff can be a formidable ally. Use it wisely."

She replied, with a faint voice, "Thank... Thank you, Archmage. You can rest assured, I would never use it outside of the regulations."

The old man took a deep breath, sitting back at his table.

"You are allowed to experiment with it as much as you want, as long as you don't do anything dangerous," went on Sartan. "Still, be careful. Mixing harmless spells together can bring surprising results, and not all of them could be considered... Safe. Please stick to the tower's training halls if you are trying something for the very first time."

"Sure... I'll be careful, Archmage."

I can't wait to use it! How should I start? Shapes? Energy manipulation? I already read six books on various techniques for a three-ringer-

"Marianne," the elder scolded her. "You heard me?"

"I... I... Yes!" exclaimed the young apprentice. "I promise, I won't let you down!"

She had never been so happy in her whole life. That day, her career as a Mage had moved one step further towards her final goal. A single thing, however, troubled her mind.

I only wish Roric could be here. Maybe when he returns I could ask him if he's willing to show me his powers again. We already have ways to replicate lightning, but what he did back then was... Perfect, the real thing. If I get the chance to observe a true Elemental, I'll surely find a more efficient method to...

Like every time she thought about him in those terms, Mary was filled with guilt. Her Mage side would have loved to study his friend, sure, but other feelings had started to show up lately. The girl had realized she really enjoyed Roric's company, because he was the only one outside of the Circle who treated her like a normal person.

We are both special, after all...

Since their return in Cassidia Elise had often invited her to her room, but their relationship didn't look as natural. There was something forced in the attitude of the princess, like she had some sort of hidden goal and she was trying to know her better only to decide if she could be trusted. The boy, on the other hand, was so different.

Archmage Sartan, who was still there in the room, spoke again. "I don't want to take up too much of your time, but I have one more question, before you go."

Mary nodded affirmatively.

"We already spoke about the incident in Norburg more than enough, but there's an issue the Circle is still investigating. Since you were there and helped checking the wards, miss Wilmore, I'd like to hear your opinion on the matter. How do you think the necromancer got past them?"

"They were too old and weak, Archmage. The work of a beginner at most."

"Yes, I read it in your report," the man continued. "Yet, arcane wards are usually more than enough to alert about the presence of an intruder. And those in Lord Isaac's villa were functioning perfectly, despite their crudeness."

The young Mage answered, "If you are asking if they were operational, I can't deny that I found it weird that the alarm didn't activate. For what I could see, they were even laid around the perimeter properly. Maybe there was another entrance His Lordship didn't consider."

"That was my first hypothesis, but then I went through the rest of the documentation and I discarded it completely. There were many guests and guards, but nobody seemed to have noticed the necromancer until he arrived in the dining hall. For that reason, after seeing how Isaac had organized his patrols, I reached the conclusion that our enemy came and went from the main door."

Yeah, that's the only plausible scenario. The problem is...

"Even if he entered the same way as everyone else, Archmage... I don't have any clue on how he eluded the wards. It would be impossible for anyone who doesn't-"

As the words took form in her head, Mary realized the meaning behind Sartan's insistence in uncovering that mystery. If an intruder had invaded Lord Isaac's home such easily, he possessed at least some technical knowledge on those countermeasures.

"You... You are not suspecting anyone in the Circle, right?"

"No. For now. But it's been a while since we put under evaluation our headquarters in Norburg. Either this Rickhart has been told about how to fool an arcane ward from one of them, or there's some outside source we don't know of."

***

--- Roric

Before falling asleep, Roric couldn't help but thinking about the message behind his master's story. Having met Elise when she still wasn't the princess of Cassidia, the boy clearly couldn't share the same views as the old royal guard on what was the proper way to be loyal to her. Their relationship was different from the one between Barden and Horatius. They were just two friends who had been forced into an unexpected situation.

That situation, however, wasn't normal at all. It involved heavy responsibilities for both parts. Was there a way to be a good servant for her... And something else at the very same time? Roric sure hoped it existed.

I promised I would follow her to the other end of the world if necessary, but I refuse put on blinders like Barden did. I must find a reason to live that comes from myself and myself only.

Motivation. That was what he lacked, after all. The young warrior reached for his mother's necklace, which he still carried even after so many years, and wondered what kind of advice she would have given him.

***

The next morning, Roric faced the course with renewed determination.

He had yet to entirely figure out the source of his own motivation, but a good night of sleep had cleared his mind enough to know that he could find it somewhere deep, buried inside his heart. As the boy climbed one of the obstacles, with some difficulty, he was suddenly reminded of a moment that dated back to his first days as a mercenary. When he was just a child, and he thought that the world was much simpler.

What did I want for myself back then? I remember there was a reason why I decided to become as strong as possible. Was it related to... Protecting others? No, that wasn't necessarily it. It was more like... Stopping bad things from happening all together.

How naive he had been. That memory embarrassed him a bit, but he couldn't deny the fact that it was probably the only idea in which he had ever believed.

Is this... My motivation? My drive? My reason to move forward?

"Boy!" yelled Barden, who had appeared in a clearance a short distance away. "On your guard!"

Roric didn't need to be asked twice. Without even stopping, he threw his cloak to the side and readied his weapon, charging his master like he was just one of the many obstructions on the course.

He is the barrier I have to overcome... The problem is, how can I do it?

As usual, the old man obliterated him in a couple of moves. The sheer difference in speed was so frustrating that in more than one occasion the young warrior had asked himself if Barden was even human.

"Too slow again."

"Damn it," the boy complained, from the ground. "I still can't keep up. Have I improved a bit, at least?"

"Not nearly enough," replied the elder. "And yet, by now you should totally be capable of beating me. Maybe it's not motivation you lack, but brains."

Roric wasn't exactly in the mood of laughing. He sighed, mortified for yet another failure.

I can't get it either. Tolwin told me I was an Elemental, a force of nature. Someone who could become incredibly strong. What's wrong with me? It's almost like I'm defective...

"Oh, come on. What's with the depressed face? Just because you were beaten by someone of my age... You are truly pitiful," said Barden, putting his blade away. "It would only take a glance with those reflexes of yours to figure it out."

My... A glance? Was there something special I couldn't see?

"I... Come again?"

"Listen, boy... Giving you the solution off the bat isn't really my style. Still, I know you are in a hurry. Did you at least find a reason to train harder?"

"I think I did," replied Roric, cautiously. "It's something related to when-"

"Not interested. If it works for you, it works for you. I didn't ask you this by chance, your eyes are a bit different from yesterday. You definitely understood a little part of what I told you."

Was that a compliment? The young warrior couldn't say so.

He stood up, recovering his weapon, and commented, "I don't know if I'll ever see the world in the same way as you, but... I'm ready to work hard if it means besting Rickhart. No, not only him. All those who prey on innocent people, using their strength to make them their slaves or worse... Is this a valid motivation?"

For the very first time, the boy spotted a half smile on Barden's face.

"Nice. It took you less than I expected."

"Really? I mean... It was a dream of mine when I was a kid. I didn't think it could actually be it."

"It's good enough," answered the master. "Now that we are finally speaking the same language, you want to know why I'm able to beat you this easily, do you?"

Without losing any more time, Roric nodded affirmatively. The man invited him to sit down, and resumed talking.

"Let me tell you another story, boy. As a child, I had an exceptionally powerful spirit. Do you know what that means?"

"That you could... Become a priest, or a paladin?"

"Yeah, pretty much," replied Barden. "My father, a very religious person, was overjoyed when he discovered it. He wanted to put me into the care of the Order of the Light so I could become a member and build a bright future. The only problem was that he died before he could inform the local temple. I was left with my mother, who I had to support, so at first I worked in a shop and then I became a humble guard for my town. My old man had brought his dream of seeing me as some sort of holy warrior in the grave with him."

I... I know something similar, personally. My father would have wanted me tending to a farm, after all...

"Then, a couple of years later, my mother too passed away, and I decided it was time to explore the world. I traveled a bit and found out that I was very good at fighting. At first, I thought it was because of my training with the guards but then I realized that it just couldn't be possible. I hunted wanted criminals, living on their bounties. It was fun."

"You were a bounty hunter?" said Roric. "But wait, it must have happened before you met King Horatius. Right?"

"Yes. One day, however," went on his master, "I woke up with the wish to understand what was the secret behind my strength and speed. And after speaking with a couple of experts, without revealing myself of course, I concluded that it had to be related to my spirit. They told me that paladins had the ability to boost their body with magic as they fought, and that also applied to me."

So, he has a special gift as well. One that he didn't even need to develop. That's why he is being so harsh towards me once I said I was an Elemental.

"You are... A paladin, then? I have already met one, but you didn't give me the impression-"

"Says the lightning Elemental who wants to be a normal human."

"Sorry. Go ahead, please, master."

"I can't heal wounds. No other form of magic either," explained Barden. "The only thing I trained was my skill in combat, and the rest has always been unknown to me. By the time I realized it, it was already too late to receive an education in the Order, but I still had a part of my original power. And guess who possesses the very same strong spirit?"

The young warrior replied without even thinking. "Rickhart."

I should have noticed. He is way faster than a normal person and uses spiritual magic. That must be why he had it so easy against Tolwin... Who had lost most of his strength. And by the way, it also means that...

"That guy is dangerous. He is the kind of person who likes to toy with his victims. The reason why you are still alive after meeting him is that he was playing with you."

"He... He wasn't serious?"

"He could have probably killed you whenever he wanted."

I... I already knew that. Last time, my powers were enough to scare him off... Or so I thought. Why did he run? Was his plan just to kill the King and take advantage of the chaos to make his escape?

"It doesn't matter," said Roric. "I have to become better than him. He took everything from me once, and I won't allow him to do it a second time."

The old man took a deep breath. "And what makes you think that you have a possibility?"

"I... I am an Elemental. If I don't have the strength to face such a monster, who will?"

I don't care if it's not my true motivation. It will have to suffice for now.