The Moonlight Swordsman



"Ahemm.. I have already decided what I want to ask," Aizel said.

"I want Fairy Dust Potion."

"We don't have that potion... but I have a way to acquire the Beast Fairy; the rest of the ingredients can be found easily," Zareena replied.

"How?" Aizel asked.

"There is a friend of mine who lives in the Beast Kingdom. She can help you get the Beast Fairy easily. but...

"To do that, you have to go there alone. I won't accompany you."

Aizel started to ponder deeply while rubbing his chin.

[Master, we can ask that kitty for help there, and Grandmaster Gogo is also there]

"Okay, I will go there."

"I will talk to her after the tournament, but it may take some time." 

Aizel nodded.

Daisy tugged on his shirt and slowly asked, "You really don't have to do this for me."

"I want you to see the kid's faces with your own eyes. I want you to see the moon, which you always gaze at night. I want you to see my face and this world," Aizel replied.

"AWWW...look at you, so lovey-dovey," Hazel commented.

"It's bad manners to listen to someone who is talking privately," Aizel replied, which made both Daisy and Hazel chuckle.

"Sparring Partner, you are already in Grade III now," Soren entered the dining hall and said.

"WHAT!" Everyone said it at the same time, looking towards Aizel.

"Why are you all surprised? I thought you guys must have noticed."

"Even I didn't notice, it was Yongiri who informed me," Soren replied.

"That must be because his core energy is totally drained so we couldn't tell," Zareena said.

"Why are your eyes so weird suddenly? Were they like that all the time?" Raven asked.

"Yes, they were like this; you must have noticed a little late." Aizel lied.

"No, I am sure it wasn't. Your pupil...

"It's enough, Raven. Don't pry into his life," Edumont said.

"For today, you won't be able to fight."

"Why?" Aizel asked.

"Idiot, how can your core energy be filled today? Even with the potion, it will take time," Zareena said.

"Oh, I completely forgot about that. So I have to watch from the balcony... it will be boring," Aizel said, with an ugly expression.

"How about I go and fight 100 mages this time? It will be interesting, and I am sure I can finish it much sooner than my sparring partner," Soren said.

"I am excited for the upper-grade Mage battle," Raven said, her dark eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Who do you think will fight from our side?" Edumont asked while stuffing his mouth with food.

"It was decided that Elric will fight this time, but it can be changed depending on the opponent or Kingdom," Zareena replied, sipping alcohol slowly.

"I want to see my father participate in that," Edumont said.

"I wished the War Goddess would be here. Seeing her fight is always my dream," Raven said.

"One second, now I remember, what about the other bets? Do we win all of that?" Aizel interrupted.

"Yes, with your effort, we have successfully won the bet. Now we have got the entry to travel in the tombs of Zulievender and five mages from our Kingdom can also take part in the ancient trials of Theodora." Zareena replied.

"Are they both that great?"

"Well, it's always a mystery as we don't have any information on both of them. But if Father agreed to that when he put the Book of Nature as a bet, then we can say that they must have the same value,"

"I can participate in both of them, right? I mean, I was the one who did all the work." Aizel said.

*Tsk* You are the only one who can participate in both of them for now. After the tournament, it is up to the father to choose who he wishes."

"Hehe, I don't care about that stuff. Where are the others? Aizel asked.

"Day 2 has already started; everyone is already in the Colosseum. For now, the Kingsley family group is taking part in the battle. 

"We will head there in the evening," Raven replied.

"Well now excuse me, I would like to sleep till then," Aizel said, as he stood up.

"Softie, didn't you wake up just a few hours before?" Hazel asked.

"Yes, but I kind of feel a little tired. Maybe the battle took a toll on me."

"Okay, then have rest, see you in the evening,"

Aizel left the dining hall.

"You are staying here," Hazel said, looking toward Daisy.

"I am don't worry," She replied.

*****

[Master are we really doing this?]

Why not? We don't know when we can be up to some ridiculous setup or bet once again tomorrow. It's always better to be prepared."

[I am so excited right now]

Hehe, me too."

Aizel finally made his way to his room in the castle.

He quickly lay down on his bed, and with his imagination, he set up a 5-year loop until the evening in his dream consciousness.

[What are we trying first, Master?]

"Hm... ARISE." Aizel said while raising his hands and trying to summon something.

"It seems I still can't summon. Let's try this..."  he conjured a rock out of nowhere and threw it.

He tried to stop the time to make it freeze, but nothing happened.

"Still can't use time power like Shelly...then maybe this..

He tried to open portals like Ashlyn but still failed.

"My Ass First Major Core Upgrade. I still can't use the power, which makes me too op."

[Master try creation magic]

"Hmm, what should I create? How about this then?"

Just as Aizel thought, a revolver appeared out of nowhere in his hand.

Aizel stared at it for a few seconds without speaking.

[Don't tell...]

"Hihihehehahahahahaa...."

One by one, he started to create grenades, flashbangs, smoke bombs, and more guns.

"I can make a full fucking arsenal like this. I bet I can even make a rocket launcher now."

[Master, how about you mix them with magic?]

"Yes, I can do it. It seems we have got yet another trump card, but we can't use this in the tournament.

"I have to upgrade our magic and spells for fire, lightning, and water first. I have to see just how far I can go with their imagination.

"Then with you too, can we make more forms, mix them with magic, etc. 

"And one more thing, see this Sekki."

With a small movement of her hand, Aizel's fingers danced in a beautiful way, making a spark of magic appear in the air. In a flash of brightness, a gleaming gold coin appeared between his fingers, as if out of thin air.

[Wow Master! You can now create gold coins. Try creating magic crystals too]

"I tried, but it seems I can't do that for now. It appears they are not as simple as I thought."

[At least now we don't have to worry about earning money, fufu]

"Now let's focus back on powering up, and one more thing.. These eyes of mine, I feel like there is something hidden in it.

"I can feel it, if I can grasp it maybe we can have some type of hidden trump card."

[Don't tell me, Master, you got Mangekyou Sh..]

"Aye aye, that's not what it is. The feeling is way different."

All of a sudden, Aizel made Sekki turn into a mirror.

He positioned the mirror carefully, allowing it to perfectly capture his pupils.

"Right now it looks like a black full moon. But at that time, it was like a crescent moon, and it was white and glowing a little.

"That was nighttime, so does it mean it only activates at night when the moon is out? Will it change like a crescent, half and full moon and all?"

[We can only try these theories for now, Master]

"Yes, most importantly, what can it do? I don't want them just as a showoff type thing."

[Master, can't you use your imagination power and make it act however you want?]

"No, I tried, but it seems nothing seems to faze them, or the Grade III core is not high enough.

"For now, let's test and create more things and utilize this loop properly; we still have a team battle."

[Yes Master]

With a new sense of purpose, Aizel went deeper into his magical training, and every day brought new difficulties and new things to learn. 

The magical loop became his safe place, a place where time seemed to bend to his will and where he could try out new things and get better at his craft without any limits.

And just like that, the evening arrived, and the 5-year loop ended.

Aizel's eyes flickered up, and he stretched his arms and legs with a gentle groan as he gently got up from his loop.

"I think I can cast longer loops from now on."

*Knock Knock*

"Aizel, are you up? Everyone is waiting."

Daisy was standing on the other side of the heavy wood door when Aizel turned the brass handle.

A warm smile spread across his face as he greeted her with a nod of acknowledgment. Together, they left the room, and their footsteps could be heard echoing through the castle hallway as they headed for the castle's main hall.