CHAPTER 8 (PART 2): KILL MY PATIENCE

"Okay. This is a common technique for everyone, but only a few can master it. It will take so much time and patience to create a perfect copy of a weapon with matching strength and durability. It’s a simple spell, but if mastered, it’ll definitely dominate in every battle.”

Arth nodded. So those cleaning tasks earlier must’ve all been a part of this. She’d been testing him if he had enough patience to learn the technique.

"Now, give me your hand with your palms open upwards."

Arth did what she had said. A sudden chill ran through his body when Alice’s soft hand touched his. It was his first time to hold hands with a girl. To hide the awkwardness, he bit his lower lip and looked away from her.

"Let's start with the basics," Alice said, not noticing his reaction. "I want you to create a small ice cube on your palm."

"Uh ... how exactly?" Arth asked.

"Close your eyes. Can you feel your alar within you? It’s the second pulse you feel, flowing through your entire body."

"Yes," he whispered.

"Remember, the result of this depends on how well you visualize your desired material," Alice instructed. “Now … try to control the direction of your alar … guide its flow towards your hand.”

Arth took a deep breath, his eyes still closed, visualizing the simple structure of an ice cube inside his head. A few seconds later, a bright light shone through his eyelids as he could feel the energy coming out of his hand.

When the light faded, he opened his eyes, and there he found a cube on his palm, the exact cube he had pictured out in his mind. "How's that?"

Alice picked up the ice cube, studied it, then she pressed it between her fingers. It easily shattered like a fragile glass. "It's too weak," she shook her head. "You need to strengthen its material. Or else it won't rival the actual weapons of your opponents."

Arth nodded and tried it again many times.

"Remember, the more you create a stronger material, the more alar you consume. So be careful," Alice reminded him as he created another ice cube; bigger than the previous one.

"This is fine," she said, nodding. "Now this time, try creating an ice weapon."

Arth closed his eyes again, visualizing his own Blackwinter sword, trying to copy every detail of its form. It took him a lot of time, considering its size and shape.

After a few moments of silence, he brought it out, now holding the sword made of ice.

"Heads up!" Alice said as she cast her own frozen sword, then swung it to him.

Arth used his own to block, but it broke so easily, shattered into pieces when the two weapons met.

"What? It didn't even last a second?" Arth gave a sigh.

"I told you, stupid-head. Don't just copy the outside. The internal parts are the ones making it strong," Alice scolded him as if he was a kid. "Try again!"

Arth made another sword.

"More strength!"

Arth created another one.

"The edge and the point aren’t sharp enough! This can't even scratch me!"

And then another one...

Arth had tried a few more times but it's just not strong enough for Alice. With every ice he materialized, the weaker he felt, as if all his energy had been sucked out of his body. Arth sighed, raising a hand for a time out. "It's so hard, Alice. I'm running out of alar."

"Forget it. It's fine if you can't do it," Alice replied, her tone hinting disappointment. "As what I’ve said earlier, only a few can actually master Glacies Materia. I'm only teaching you this, because I thought it might help you in your future battles soon. It's all up to you. If you really want to master it, then practice by yourself."

The skies had grown darker, so they decided to head back to their hideout.

"How exactly did you learn that, Alice?" Arth asked while they walked together. "I mean, did you just discover all of that on your own?"

"I studied in the Standard Mage Academy in the kingdom capital,” Alice began. “And every student there is taught how to materialize ice for the purpose of self-defense. So we're not only trained in spells and magic, but also in close-combat. We needed it to survive."

“I see.”

"I was a prodigy in magic, so I stood out among all the students in the academy … while my brother, on the other hand, took the path of knighthood in the capital.”

Arth nodded slowly. "So how did you get yourself into this guild?"

Alice sighed, trailing off for a moment, before she could answer. "I was born from the Veillantif family, one of the nobles living in the Crown Galacer. We’re a well-known house, a great friend of the royal family as well. But I guess you’re not familiar with our name since you’ve lived your entire life under a rock."

"So your family's rich?" Arth gazed at Alice from head to toe, both shocked and amazed. She did look like a noble, spoiled little lady.

"Yes, we have all the fortune we wanted. But I ran away from home.”

"Why?" Arth quickly covered his mouth. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to … it’s fine if you don’t want to tell me.”

Alice studied him for a moment, then she looked down. "I was very young when my mother died from an assassination … well, at least that’s what they’ve told me at that time. My mother wasn't really that close with my father, because they were only arranged, noble practices you wouldn’t understand," she shrugged, "That time, even I never knew about my father's evil business, until this guild came into our mansion one night and my father …"

"I'm sorry."

"Don't say sorry. He deserved it. I found out about his hidden trades, drugs, human trafficking, slavery ... But the worst was when I discovered that he was the one who ordered to kill my mother … because she found out about his business, and she was about to report it to the authorities."

"Wait …” Arth’s eyes widened, not believing it. “Your father ... killed your mother?"

"He's a monster … every noble in the kingdom is. In the end, I killed my father with my own hands. Then I joined the guild," Alice said. "My older brother replaced him after that and took on my father's establishments. And now that he’s a high-ranking knight in the capital, he can always defend his business against any filed cases."

"But what if …” Arth paused, choosing his words carefully, “What if you'll meet each other soon?"

"Then I will eliminate him without hesitating," Alice told him, more determined than before. "I'm just waiting for the boss to give the mission with my brother as our target. But if there’s none, then I’ll have to go face him myself."

Arth’s eyes fell to the ground, his lips pursed while walking. He didn’t understand. Could she really do that? Could she really kill her brother?

They reached their hideout by nightfall, climbed up to the tree house, and then stopped in front of the main door.

"Thank you…" Arth said, scratching his head, "for the training."

Alice avoided his eyes as she began caressing her long hair. "Don't thank me. You’re my subordinate today. It’s my job."

"And thank you also for this." Arth raised his hand to show his blue ring. But then the door suddenly opened, revealing Robert who was about to step out.

His hazel eyes widened as he saw the two together, then he found Arth’s ring, causing him to step back, his hands covering his mouth.

"Robert,” Arth said. “It's not what you think—"

"BOSS!" Robert screamed as he stormed towards the dining room.

Arth cursed under his breath, before he stepped inside the door and headed through the halls. When he entered the dining area, he found Lucas, Luna and Janshai at the table. Robert stood beside the boss, pointing at Arth while ranting what he’d seen earlier. Janshai kept his attention on his plate, eating his raw meat again, ignoring the talk.

"Just let them be … They're teenagers, Robert," Luna said, shaking her head. "You're just jealous."

"What?!” Robert crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not jealous!”

"Shut up, big-head," Arth heard Alice's high-pitched voice behind him. She walked towards the table, then sat beside Janshai. "You just misunderstood what you saw."

“Of course, I did,” Robert said sarcastically.

Arth helped himself on his seat beside Luna, then started eating his dinner.

"Well, I hope you two had good time training," Lucas spoke up, putting down his wine. "Because Arth, you will have your next mission with Robert tomorrow."

Already? Arth sighed. "Where, boss?"

Robert suddenly tapped his shoulder. "We're heading to Crown Galacer, bro!"

Arth's face brightened up. ‘I'm finally going to the capital?!’