Chapter 29 — The Letter

With the last of the bandit corpses reduced to embers, Ace straightens up, dusting her hands off.

"That's taken care of," she says, her voice matter-of-fact but with a hint of satisfaction. "Let's head back before the village chief sends out a search party for you."  

Maya nods and falls into step beside Ace, her ears still drooping as she scuffs her boots against the dirt path.

The village chief is an elderly demi-human bunny man with silver-white fur, dressed in simple yet dignified clothes. He has a serious expression on his face, with a furrowed brow and arms akimbo as he admonishes Maya and Ace.

"Where have you two been? You were supposed to be back hours ago! We were worried sick, and for what? Chasing after bandits in the woods without telling anyone?"

Maya shifts uncomfortably under the village chief's critical gaze, her ears flattening against her head.

"We, er... ran into some trouble back there. But it's alright, we took care of—"

The village chief cuts her off with a derisive snort.

"Trouble is right! Running off into dangerous situations alone without telling anyone. You're lucky both of you returned unharmed, but don't think for a second that excuses your reckless behavior."

Ace, meanwhile, stands beside Maya with her arms crossed, expression neutral as she listens to the chastisement. She meets the village chief's stern gaze without flinching, though her eyes show a hint of irritation.

"We can take care of ourselves," she says curtly. "And we were dealing with criminals. Shouldn't you be thanking us for saving your village?"

The village chief shakes his head, his expression unamused. He steps closer, fixing Ace with a disapproving look.

"Saving this village is our duty, not playing hero every time something goes wrong. Not to mention, you both are still young and inexperienced. A few bandits are one thing, but what if you'd run across something more dangerous?"

The village chief's stern expression softens just slightly as his gaze lingers on Maya fidgeting nervously, though his tone remains firm.

"Especially you, my daughter. I don't care if you're the brightest mage in this province—there are rules for a reason." He sighs heavily, rubbing his temples before crossing his arms again. "You could have at least sent word or taken backup! What if something worse had happened? You think I'd survive losing you too?"  Ace watches the exchange with quiet amusement but wisely keeps silent—for once not adding fuel to the fire. Though she does shoot Maya an almost-smug look. The unspoken message is clear: even fearsome kitsune warriors aren’t immune to parental scolding.

A figure leans casually against the wall nearby, watching the scene unfold with a quiet intrigue. He's a young man, maybe a few years older than Maya and Ace, with dark hair and sharp eyes. His clothes are dark and practical, the cloak around his shoulders hinting at a life spent traveling. He speaks up now, his voice cool and measured, with a hint of an accent.

"I wouldn't worry too much, elder," he says. "These two might be young, but I've seen their skills in action. Given master has been training them for a while. They can handle themselves better than most veterans I know."

Ace's eyebrows twitched in confusion as she expressed her thoughts. "H-how long has he been standing there?!" 

The village chief sighs again, pinching the bridge of his nose before turning back to Maya and Ace with a weary but resigned look.  

"Fine," he grumbles, "but next time you pull something like this—send word. Or I swear on my whiskers, I'll lock both your tails in storage for a week."

Maya nods quickly, ears flushed pink with embarrassment as she murmurs an apology. Ace, meanwhile, grins slightly at the threat.

"Understood, chief."  

As the village chief walked away, the figure in the shadows uncrosses his arms, pushing off from the wall and striding forward with the fluid grace of someone used to moving quietly. He glances between Maya and Ace, a hint of curiosity in his eyes as he speaks directly to Ace this time.

"So you really took on a group of bandits alone, hm? Bold move."

Maya turns to him, her expression softening as she offers a grateful smile—though there’s still a hint of lingering nervousness in her voice.

"Thank you for the save... Erebus," she says quietly. "We appreciate it."  

Ace rolls her eyes but smirks, resting a hand on the hilt of her sword with practiced ease. "Yeah yeah. Would’ve handled them fine even without backup," she adds confidently,"...But sure. Let's call it 'easy.'"

Ace exhales sharply through her nose, arms crossing as she glares up at Erebus. "Fine. It was a little less than easy," she admits grudgingly, "...but only because one of them had a poisoned dagger and the other tried to stab me in the back while I was finishing off his buddy."  

A pause. Then—

"Still didn’t need help though."Erebus raises an eyebrow at Ace's stubborn insistence, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Sure," he says, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I didn't doubt your skills for a moment."  

Erebus’s smirk deepens as he watches Ace—her confidence, her sharp reflexes, the way she carries herself like a blade honed for war. His thoughts drift briefly to their shared past: the training under their mentor’s ruthless guidance. The corners of his mouth twitch at memories best left unspoken. 

"Ace is getting stronger by the day," he muses silently, "just as expected from one trained by our savior."

A moment later, he reaches into his shoulder bag and pulls out a folded note sealed with familiar wax—one that makes even hardened warriors tense on sight. "Your master left this for you," he says flatly before tossing it her way without ceremony. Because of course, Erebus would never do anything so sentimental as hand-deliver anything.

Ace catches the note deftly and unfolds it, eyes scanning the familiar script. A small crease forms between her eyebrows as she reads the words—a mix of disappointment and resignation. Even the toughest warriors can feel a pang when their mentor leaves suddenly without much warning.

Maya, standing nearby, watches quietly, her own ears drooping as she senses Ace's shift in mood. When Ace finally looks up, her expression is mostly neutral, with a hint of the usual snark in her eyes. 

"So that's why he wasn't here to stop us from leaving the village."

Ace exhales sharply through her nose, the corner of her mouth quirking in a wry smirk. She tucks the note away with practiced ease before turning to Maya— pink-ish eyes glinting with challenge.

"Guess that settles it," she says, shrugging. "Time for us to go cause trouble somewhere new."  

Erebus watches them both from where he’s leaning against the wall again—arms crossed and expression unreadable. After a beat of silence: "Don't die out there." Because Erebus would never say anything as soft as 'be safe'.

Erebus pushes off from the wall, straightening up as he fixes Ace and Maya with a solemn gaze—the closest he'll ever come to an emotional display.   

"If you get into more trouble than you can handle... just call my name and I'll be there in an instant."  

There's no trace of smugness in his voice this time, no hint of a smirk. For once, he sounds deadly serious. In that moment, the weight of his promise isn't lost on either Ace or Maya.

A beat of heavy silence passes as Ace and Maya digest Erebus's serious tone and the weight of his pledge. Ace is the first to break the quiet, her voice carefully cool as she nods.

"Not planning on getting into trouble we can't handle," she says, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword with easy familiarity. "But... thanks."  

Maya echoes that with a slightly sheepish smile. "We'll be careful, I promise."

Ace’s eye twitches as Erebus vanishes without so much as a dramatic flourish—just gone, like he was never there. She exhales sharply through her nose and mutters under her breath:

"Of course, he'd pull some stupid teleportation stunt just to show off."  

She crosses her arms, glancing at Maya with an exasperated smirk. "There's no reason for him to abuse his power like that... except maybe because he can."

Maya can’t help it—she bursts into laughter, her ears perking up as she covers her mouth with one hand. "He really does love showing off, doesn’t he?" she says between giggles, "But I guess... if he wasn't like that, we wouldn't have gotten to know him in the first place."  

Ace rolls her eyes but smirks anyway. Maybe Erebus’s theatrics are annoying...