Xerxes' eyes continued to follow Tristan as he left. As Leiya tapped his shoulder once, she then spoke his name, "Xerxes?"
Only then did he respond, because in his mind, he was focused on absolute victory. But without any more delay, he cut back to reality. "Yeah, I'm fine, Leiya. I mean, everything is sorted now, isn't it, Thornfum? Claudia?"
Thornfum agreed. "Yeah, I'm as good as I could get. All I need now is a generous donation of two gold, one from each of ya. I'ma try find an alchemist who can make some potion for Claudia to prolong her sleepiness."
Xerxes and Leiya looked at each other. "I mean, it couldn't hurt, could it, Leiya? It's only going to benefit us."
Leiya agreed. From a pouch, she pulled out a golden coin—worth four days of work—and handed it to Thornfum, as did Xerxes.
It wasn't that grand of an issue. After all, over the time they had been spending at the tavern, Xerxes and Leiya had accumulated a decent amount of money. And without the expense of having to buy a new sword, Xerxes and Leiya's combined amount would increase sizeably.
Once recieving it, Thornfum began to leave the guild hall, Thornfum waved them both goodbye, "Executioner, I'll ave' a sword ready for you when we next meet, come to my place 3 hours before the tournament date!"
He then began running off, back to his house, ademant to start on work similarly to how Xerxes and Leiya were, thus making them head back to the tavern.
**A while later**
They had both reached their rooms. Airi, in an orderly fashion, flew to her designated spot, which was now the windowsill, as Leiya sat down on her bed, Xerxes sitting on the opposite side.
Xerxes then spoke. "Leiya, I think today we gained enough knowledge so far. Still, I'd be lying if I weren't admitting that Tristan's power hasn't made me a bit shaken. To think he's been able to come so far without any training from the people we had the privilege to be trained under."
Leiya nodded. "I doubt he'll be an easy fight. That anyone, for that matter, will be an easy fight. They're all fighting with some sort of purpose, and that is what takes someone far."
Xerxes began to rest his head backwards, getting one of his pillows and resting it on his back. "Still, we need to win. I need to see them all again, Leiya. I need to let them know I'm okay—Dorian, Aya, Vanessa, Tully, the rest of the guild."
Leiya had been dwelling on that outcome. If they succeeded in returning to Layne, if all went well. She gulped slightly. "Xerxes, I don't mean to sound selfish, but have you thought about what happens then? What becomes of the Embered Flames once you reach the Crossed Seas Guild? And… what happens to you and me?"
Airi interjected, her voice measured. "It's a question you've pushed to the back of your mind—perhaps not even considered. Best give her an honest answer now."
Xerxes heeded Airi's advice, nodding as he took in the faint worry etched on Leiya's face. After everything, could he simply walk away? Abandon the party? Abandon her?
For Thornfum and Claudia, it was simpler, their alliance had been one of convenience, although who knew what the future held. But Leiya? She was different. In many ways, she had saved him.
He owed her more than her anxious mind could fathom, more than everything. Her family had sacrificed themselves for their safety; Aemon had entrusted him with her protection. The weight of that promise was etched into his bones.
Xerxes sat up, resting a hand on her arm. "Don't think like that, Leiya. Like Aya and Dorian are my family, so are you—but more. Even if I was that useless kid who couldn't decide left from right without doubting myself…" His voice softened as he glanced at Airi. "I owe you more than you realise. And maybe I'm selfish, but even now, I find peace in this, in you, me, and Airi being here, even if we have the bullshit of the past at our door."
His cheeks flushed as he shook his head. "What I mean is, it's not just about my promise to Aemon, or returning to Layne. I want you here even if that wasn't in the picutre. Through every argument, every victory, every hardship. I won't abandon you. Never."
His words tumbled out, awkward yet earnest. "You had a place to belong. I know what it's like to lose some sembelance of that. So focus on finding yours—whether it's with me or elsewhere. But know this: you're someone I could never leave behind. Not now, not ever."
Every syllable was truth. However clumsily spoken, his heart was laid bare. Whatever path she chose, he would stand by her—always.
A gust of wind brushed through the window, tousling Leiya's sapphire hair. She tucked some hair behind her ear. "Even if the roles were reversed as well, Xerxes, know that despite my anger, I—I couldn't ever leave you too. You mean a lot to me, and right now, it feels as if you're all I have. So please, keep your words a promise to me."
Xerxes stood up and hugged Leiya tightly, holding her, knowing that through anything, he wouldn't let go—because he understood Leiya, her needs, and her perspective. She planted her arms behind Xerxes' back as well.
Xerxes slowly pulled back. "Now that we have that clarification, Leiya, let's discuss strategy. Also, I've gotten quite good at cooking from the tavern, so I'll make you dinner after the tournament. How about that?"
Leiya sighed. "Yet you forget, Bertha almost wanted to fire you twice after you asked Airi to use her flames to cook steak. I think I'll handle that."
Xerxes began laughing, knowing he was bested.
He pulled the table closer towards him and her as they began noting down different profiles of the people they had noticed. Xerxes began thinking.
"I think a few of our advantages are that no one knows I have a second element, nor do they know what me and Airi are capable of. And if training goes well with Airi, I'm confident I'll have enough power to go against any opponent."
Leiya agreed. "There's also something I've been meaning to tell you—a trick that Grandfather Aemon had told me, which we can utilise in moments where there is poorer visibility."
"Of course, we cannot base a strategy upon the fact that each battle will be a four-on-four match of strength, because I believe the tournament is more intricate than that. But when there is, I can definitely help."
"I didn't want to tell you about this ability—reason being, I know the type of person you are. Your attention would be divided, and you'd be so hung up on learning the ability that it would drive you nuts. Secondly, it isn't something you can easily learn within a few weeks."
"From the books I read in the library, Indonyia Magic Academy also teaches this form of mana. It is called 'transference mana'."
Airi, gaining more interest, looked over. It was as if she was trying to recall something—something very vital about its name, about the mana's origin—but she held her breath. She first decided to wait and listen.
Xerxes noticed, looking over to Airi, and gently patted her while looking back to Leiya. He didn't get annoyed because it was pretty accurate of himself to do exactly what she said he would do.
"Transference mana is the act of utilising your mana and passing it to someone else—similarly to how you imbue your weapons with mana. And if I had to guess, it may be similar to how you and Airi's mana converge when entering that unified form."
"Not only can I assist in strengthening spells, I can also distract opponents, throw off the release of a spell as well—because what differentiates us from the rest of the opponents is that we have incantationless mana."
"And we know the incantation has to match what someone is attempting to release. And if I was to get close enough to disrupt that balance, then you know what that means."
Xerxes not only thought Leiya was a badass, but she was a genius. "You could prevent someone from firing a spell at a key moment. And if we were able to do that, if me and you work together, I can get close enough to deliver a heavy enough blow."
Xerxes face went bitter for a moment though, as he understood something that could have been easily overlooked, "but the only problem is, it's limited."
Leiya nodded. "Your right, I can't amplify the strength of others within our party—only you, because your body naturally acclimates to the level of strength when releasing mana, with incationless mana. So if I poured you with strength, then you would be able to release it without a problem. However, when it comes to the others, it's not a possibility, so that's one of the only downsides."
Xerxes nodded. "Well, even with that, it still adds to our favour."
"I'm not finished," Leiya said adamantly. "It seems after training, I've been able to adapt in my own way, just like I've been told to do by my family's methodology of training. Close your eyes for a moment and just focus on the pure mana around you."
Xerxes closed his eyes and did exactly that. His focus narrowed as he tried to think of mana as a singular sense. He voided all sound, smell, touch, taste to the best of his ability, focusing on the ambient mana, noticing subtle rises and decreases.
Then, besides Leiya's strength, he sensed something else. It was as if someone was appearing next to her, it had its own mana, residual and flowing, just like a human's would.
"You can open your eyes."
Xerxes opened them and saw the faint glow of mana warping around the cabinet.
"You see, without a mentor to guide me in my combat training, I've been doing all I could. That goes without saying, but I've mainly been focusing on stamina and mana capacity training—and this is why."
"When the battle is obscured, which we can do with the combination of fire and water, we can create sensory illusions for our opponents. That is what I have been able to develop."
Based on Leiya's words, on her discovery and her amazing ability, Xerxes finally realised something he has been overlooking all this time, something that could turn the tide of his most difficult battle yet.