Chapter 2
"Mn...nnnn..."
Lance stirred in his sleep. He lay on top of a makeshift blanket that Ace had constructed from his spare set of clothes, Devi was lying next to him. Nearby, Ouka and Tamazo tended a small fire, over which Lance and Ace's clothes hung drying.
"Where am I...?"
Ace looked over wearily to see Lance finally awake, peering at him through half-closed lids. He had been healing Lance for several hours past the sunset, and the three moons hung overhead. Ace lifted his hand for a moment.
"Nishiki Temple. Or, well... next to where it is, or well...was. It looks like you're okay though." Ace looked forlornly at the crumbled temple a short distance away, but quickly returned his attention to his task. Somehow, he found he had quite a bit of his own healing power, though it seemed he could not use it upon himself.
Memories of the fall came flooding back to Lance, leaving him breathless and panicked. His pupils dilated, he clenched his hands and he tensed up, which aggravated his wounds and brought him pain again. He reached out as if to claw an unseen enemy.
"You're not healed yet, please stay still."
Lance snarled. "I'm... fine! I can... I have to..."
But Lance slumped back and fell unconscious again. Ace looked over him grimly and continued his healing.
[-One night later-]
Ace and Lance sat up against a boulder, the three moons bright as ever. A full day had passed, and Lance had visibly healed very well, although his movement suggested a few magic wounds persisted still.
"Ace."
"Yes?"
"Why did you save me?"
"Any guild dragoncaller would do the same."
"Don't give me that. If there's something you want from me, just spit it out. I can tell that you follow me, even if you are trying to hide it."
"You uh... well, how do I put this? You sparkle."
"What the hell...?"
"Back in Vienna City, I was told I was the best at picking out the best produce... but really to me, the tastiest things sparkled. I could just... see them. Even before I could see the clear shape of drops, I was able to pick the best things out of the crowd. And when you showed up that one day..."
"I sparkled?" Lance was bewildered, but a red glow had started its way from the tips of his ears, which were hidden by his hair.
"...Y-yeah. You glimmered unlike anything I had ever seen. I became both envious and... intrigued."
"I... I see."
"I wanted to know why you shined more than anyone else. I really wanted to understand you better."
"So you followed me?"
"It sounds kinda weird when you put it like that... but yes. I sought out opportunities where I could get to see you fight. I wanted to become stronger."
A red flush was also making its way across Ace's cheeks, unbeknownst to him.
"Not everything that glitters is gold, you know."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I'm not all that you seem to think I am. It's true that I possess a lot of power, and skill. But it didn't happen overnight. And I mess up as often as any guild dragon caller. I just have very dependable partners who make up for my own weaknesses."
"Your monsters?"
"Yes. Especially Devi."
Lance gestured to the sleeping devitama beside him. He began to secretly fidget with the grass beside him and tried to change the topic.
"Did you know that the three moons are shared? One is for humans, one is for monsters, and one is for dragonoids."
"Really? Or did you just make that up?"
"Sonia told me so, and said that King told her so."
"King...? My father?"
Ace looked up to the moons. They looked especially beautiful this night, for reasons he couldn't quite fathom.
They were even more beatiful reflected in Lance's eyes.
