2025-12-29 22:11:29“Also, I'm enclosing a recipe in case you ever get access to cooking facilities. It's your favorite,the honey cakes I used to make for your birthday. The ingredients are simple enough that you might be able to acquire them, and the process isn't too complicated. Something sweet to remind you of better days.”
Asta looked at the bottom of the letter where Helena had indeed written out the recipe in careful detail, each step numbered and explained as if she were standing beside him in a kitchen, guiding his hands.
His vision blurred again.
“Write back to us, dear boy. Even a short note would mean the world.”
“With love,Helena”
“P.S Marcus says to tell you he's been practicing some new knife techniques and when you visit “notice I said 'when,' not 'if',I'm an optimist”, he'll teach them to you. They're quite impressive, if I do say so myself.”
The third letter was from Marcus, and it was much shorter.Marcus had never been much for writing, preferring to express himself through his cooking and his actions rather than words. But the message was no less heartfelt for its brevity.
*Asta,I'm not good with letters like Gregor and Helena, so I'll keep this short.”
“We're okay. Working hard, but okay. Don't worry about us.”
“You should know that everything they're saying about you in the mansion isn't true. You're not weak. You're not a failure. You're not cursed. You're just going through something difficult, and difficult things don't last forever.”
“Keep your head up. Keep training. Keep being you.
We believe in you.”
“From me, Marcus.”
“P.S. Your sword work was always better than most of the official guards at the mansion. Don't let anyone tell you differently.”
Asta carefully refolded all three letters, his hands trembling with emotions he couldn't fully name. Relief that they were alive and managing. Guilt that they were suffering because of him. Gratitude that they still cared.
Anger at Cassian for casting them out. Sadness for everything that had been lost.
He pulled out his own piece of paper from the small supply kept at each portal station,rough paper meant for replies, with a stubby pencil attached by a string.
The writing surface was just a small shelf that folded down from the portal compartment, barely large enough for the paper.
Asta positioned his paper carefully and began to write. His handwriting wasn't as elegant as Gregor 's or as friendly as Helena's,it was functional, slightly messy, the script of someone who'd spent more time training with swords than practicing calligraphy.
“Dear Gregor , Helena, and Marcus,
I don't even know where to start. Your letters... thank you doesn't seem like enough, but thank you. Thank you for writing, for thinking of me, for still caring even after everything that's happened.”
“I'm okay. I'm alive and healthy and managing. The work is hard,really hard,but I'm stronger now than I've ever been. Four months of physical labor will do that to you. My hands are covered in calluses, my muscles ache most days, but I'm surviving.
And I'm training. Every chance I get, I'm training with an old instructor here named Kael. He's been teaching me swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat. He says I'm good,really good.”
“Better than most of the guards at the mansion ever were, actually (don't tell them I said that). It's the one thing that makes me feel like maybe I'm not completely useless.”
He paused, staring at what he'd written, then continued.
“I haven't awakened the dragon flame yet. Or any flame, for that matter. The crystal stayed dark four months ago, and nothing has changed since then. I don't know if it ever will. Sometimes I think maybe I really am just flameless, that whatever power the Xavier bloodline is supposed to carry just... skipped me somehow.”
“But I'm not giving up.”
He underlined those words, pressing hard enough that the pencil tip nearly tore through the paper.
“I refuse to give up. I refuse to let Cassian or the
Empress or anyone else convinces me that I'm worthless just because I can't manifest flame.”
“I have other skills, other strengths. And if I can't lead the Xavier clan through flame power, maybe I can prove myself worthy some other way.”
“I joined a guild yesterday. We're called Ember Watch,four of us total. It's new, we're all still figuring out how to work together, but it feels like something good. Maybe I've found people who see me as more than just a flameless failure.”
“Don't worry about me. Yes, I'm eating properly (Helena, I can practically hear you fussing even through the letter). Yes, I'm staying safe. Yes, I'm keeping my spirits up as best I can.”
“And don't worry about yourselves either. I know work is hard and money is tight, but you're survivors. You've been through worse and come out okay. Just... take care of each other. Gregor , listen to Helena and take it easy on your back.”
“ Helena, don't work yourself too hard. Marcus, keep practicing those knife techniques because when I do visit (and I will visit…I'm an optimist too), I want to learn them.”
“I'm sorry. I'm sorry you lost your positions because of me, sorry you're suffering because you stayed loyal to a boy who couldn't even manifest a spark of flame. You deserved better than that. You deserved to finish your careers in the mansion, with proper pay and respect and honor. Instead you got cast out like trash because of your association with me.”
“But I'm going to make it right. Somehow, some way, I'm going to become strong enough to take back what's mine. Strong enough to ensure that people like you,good people, loyal people are rewarded instead of punished. I don't know how yet, and I don't know when, but I swear I will.”
“Thank you for the letters. Thank you for caring. Thank you for still believing in me when no one else does.”
“Write again when you can. Hearing from you means more than you know.”
“With love and gratitude,Asta”
P.S. Helena, I promise I'm eating three meals a day. The food is terrible, but I'm eating it. And thank you for the recipe,I'll find a way to make those honey cakes someday, I swear…”
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Chapter 45
Flora reached out and squeezed Asta's shoulder, then did the same to Jabber. "...whoever gets called first, remember we've got your back. You're not alone out there. You're representing Ember Watch, and we believe in you.""Hell yeah." Mira added with a fierce grin. "Go out there and kick ass."With that, they split up. Flora and Mira heading down one corridor, Asta and Jabber heading down another. The walk back to their room was quiet, both of them lost in their own thoughts, the earlier excitement giving way to a more contemplative mood.When they reached their door, Asta pushed it open and stepped inside. The room looked exactly as they'd left it this morning,unmade bunks, his practice sword leaning against the wall, the small window letting in weak afternoon light. Nothing special, nothing fancy, but it was theirs.He'd barely had time to sit down on the edge of Jabber's lower bunk when there was a sharp knock at the door."Come in." Asta called.The door opened and a higher o
Chapter 44
Old Man Kael stood on the platform, his weathered hands still resting on his walking stick, waiting for the excited chatter to die down enough that he could continue. The crowd was buzzing with energy, a tournament meant action, meant proving themselves, meant finally having something concrete to strive for instead of endless days of repetitive labor and training.When the noise level dropped to something manageable, Kael spoke again, his voice cutting through the remaining murmurs with that authoritative calm that demanded attention."Now, let me explain how this tournament will work." He said, his cloudy eyes sweeping across the assembled laborers. "You all will have the chance to see how strong your squad members truly are. How well you work together when pressure is applied. How you adapt when plans fall apart. And perhaps most importantly, you'll see how strong your opponents are,what strategies they use, what flames they wield, what weaknesses they possess."He paused, letting
Chapter 43
The gathering quarters continued to fill. More and more laborers streaming in, the noise level rising as hundreds of conversations overlapped. Asta recognized some faces from training sessions or work details. Others were complete strangers,the labor section was large enough that you couldn't possibly know everyone.Finally, when the space was packed nearly to capacity, Old Man Kael raised one hand. The gesture was small, but somehow it cut through the noise like a blade. Conversations died down in ripples, starting near the front and spreading backward until the entire room had fallen into expectant silence.Kael let the silence hold for a moment longer, his cloudy eyes seeming to see through and past the assembled laborers to something beyond. Then he spoke, his voice carrying clearly despite not being particularly loud. There was something about his tone,the weight of experience, the authority of someone who'd earned respect rather than demanded it,that made people want to listen
Chapter 42
Flora asked once the laughter had died down a bit. "You said you got letters from your butler? That's nice that they wrote.""Yeah." Asta said, touching the pocket where he'd stored the letters, feeling their slight weight against his chest. "Gregor was my family's butler for decades," he wrote about what's happening at the mansion. My half-brother Cassian officially became clan leader a few nights ago. There was this whole ceremony with all the major clans."He tried to keep his voice neutral, but some bitterness must have leaked through because Flora's expression softened with sympathy."They also wrote about how they're doing." Asta continued quickly, not wanting to dwell on Cassian. "They got dismissed from the mansion after I was sent here,Cassian didn't want anyone loyal to me staying around, I guess. So now they're working as day laborers. Gregor , Helena, and Marcus,they're all doing hard physical work despite being older, despite having given decades of service to my fam
Chapter 41
“P.P.S. Marcus, I'm holding you to that promise about the sword techniques. Start preparing your best teaching voice.”“P.P.P.S. Gregor , please tell me honestly how bad your back is. If you need money for a healer, I'll find a way to send some. The labor section pays a pittance, but I've been saving every copper.”He read through what he'd written one more time, checking for anything he'd forgotten or wanted to add. Then he carefully folded the letter, sealed it with the basic wax provided at the portal station, and addressed it with their names and the return address they'd included in their letters.Asta placed his reply into the outgoing section of his portal,a separate small compartment meant for letters to be sent out,then locked everything back up. His hands were steadier now, the act of writing having helped him process some of the overwhelming emotions.He gathered Gregor 's, Helena's, and Marcus's letters carefully, tucking them into the inner pocket of his tunic where they
Chapter 40
“Also, I'm enclosing a recipe in case you ever get access to cooking facilities. It's your favorite,the honey cakes I used to make for your birthday. The ingredients are simple enough that you might be able to acquire them, and the process isn't too complicated. Something sweet to remind you of better days.”Asta looked at the bottom of the letter where Helena had indeed written out the recipe in careful detail, each step numbered and explained as if she were standing beside him in a kitchen, guiding his hands. His vision blurred again.“Write back to us, dear boy. Even a short note would mean the world.”“With love,Helena”“P.S Marcus says to tell you he's been practicing some new knife techniques and when you visit “notice I said 'when,' not 'if',I'm an optimist”, he'll teach them to you. They're quite impressive, if I do say so myself.”The third letter was from Marcus, and it was much shorter.Marcus had never been much for writing, preferring to express himself through his cookin
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