Chap 13

'What now, Ace?' Cinque asked through the radio.

Ace, who was tearing a portion of his cloak to use as a bandage for his wounded shoulder, replied dryly, 'we head for Arkham. I hate the idea of defecting to another country, but once our mecha armours run out of energy, we'd be powerless. The least we can do is try to help Rubrum take Cid down.'

Silence ensued until Queen asked worriedly, 'how's your wound, Ace?'

'I'm not dying yet, that's for sure,' Ace replied.

'Don't you go dying on us!' Nine shouted over the radio, causing it to buzz.

'I'm not going to,' Ace asserted, although his head was starting to feel light from the loss of blood. The least he could do was to make sure that the group's morale remained high, even when he personally felt bleak about their future.

…

The moment they closed in on Arkham, hundreds of Rubrum soldiers rushed out and held them at gunpoint – or rather, magic point. Their hands glowed dangerously as they landed on the fields ahead of Arkham and disembarked their mecha armours, with Ace leading the way.

'We mean no harm!' Ace announced to the soldiers, holding up both hands, 'I need to speak to the Chancellor.'

'Heh, you dirty Militesi scumbags,' one Rubrum soldier scoffed, 'we're not buying your dirty tricks. You're dead!'

He was about to fire the spell he was charging when a familiar voice stopped him.

'Hold it!' A candidate riding a chocobo had dashed forward to the scene, past the wary soldiers and stopped right in front of Ace. Ace immediately recognised the black hair and blue mantle.

Machina Kunagiri got off his chocobo and approached Ace. 'You're the prince of Milites, aren't you?'

'Yeah,' Ace said, 'we've met before.'

'Yeah, thanks for before.' Machina replied, smiling. He then caught sight of Ace's bloody shoulder and his eyes widened in horror. 'What happened!?'

'I need to speak to the Chancellor,' Ace repeated, clutching his bleeding shoulder.

'You need to be treated!' Machina said frantically. 'Soldiers,' he commanded, turning to the Rubrum soldiers who had been watching with utmost interest, 'these are political guests! Alert the Chancellor at once! I'll bring them to the Peristylium.'

'But Machina, you don't know what they're up to…' the first soldier said, evidently convinced that all these was a dirty ploy by the Milites Empire.

'If you are concerned you can watch over them,' Machina replied, 'but do not harm them.'

The soldier fidgeted, apparently not buying Machina's words, but nevertheless motioned for a few more soldiers to follow behind Class 0 as Machina led them towards the Suzaku Peristylium.

…

Ace was brought to a cosy lounge whilst the remaining members of Class 0 waited in another heavily guarded room. Machina sat with him, eyeing his wound with a concerned look. A short while later, a girl with auburn hair entered the room.

'Ah Rem,' Machina greeted the girl, 'Just in time. Please help me treat the prince.' The girl nodded firmly and sat down beside Ace. Rem began untying the piece of cloth that Ace had haphazardly tied to stop the bleeding.

'It seems that the bullet is still inside,' Rem said as she examined the wound. 'I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I'll need you to remove your shirt and cloak. And this might also hurt.'

'Please just call me Ace,' Ace said as he took off his blood-soaked shirt. The wound was still bleeding furiously despite his earlier attempts to stop it.

Rem's hands began to glow as they hovered above the wound. And a sharp pain, reminiscent of the one that caused the wound, seared through his flesh. The bullet stirred within his shoulder as Rem's magic attempted to draw it out.

Noticing his pained expression, Rem gently said again, 'Please bear with this for a moment, Your Hi- Ace.' And without warning, a pain tenfold the one earlier pierced through his shoulder as the bullet burst out of the wound and dropped to the ground ahead of him. Ace gasped in pain as Rem quickly cast healing magic on the bleeding wound. Slowly, the hole covered itself up.

'There,' Rem said happily, 'it's done now. You still need plenty of rest though, Ace. My magic cannot replenish loss of blood.'

'Thank you,' Ace said gratefully as he draped his cloak around his bare shoulders.

As Machina got up and brought Ace water, the door opened again, and this time a wizened man with grey hair and beard stepped through the door. Despite his age, the man stood proud and tall, and his eyes seemed to emanate wisdom and charisma. Ace immediately recognised the man as the Chancellor of the Dominion of Rubrum, Khalia Chival VI.

'Rem. Machina. Thank you for your help,' he said to the two candidates. 'But I would like to speak with the prince in private if you will.'

Rem and Machina bowed in respect and left the room.

Khalia sat himself down on a plush chair opposite the sofa where Ace was seated. 'Now Your Highness, if you would please explain your predicament.'

'I'm not much of a prince now, sir,' Ace said wryly, 'I am but a mere traitor to my country now.' He proceeded to explain everything to Khalia, including Cid's words and motives, his conspiracy with the Concordian King, as well as Andoria's warning. Khalia listened intently at his words, never once interrupting.

When Ace had finished his story, Khalia finally asked, 'What is it that you hope to gain by coming here?'

Ace smiled bitterly as he replied, 'I know that we're not fit to be coming here after all that we have done – conquering your towns and all. But still, I refuse to sit back and let Cid do as he pleases.' Ace stared down at his own hands, angry at his own failure at finishing Cid up earlier, angry with himself for having to resort to plead for help from an enemy nation to bring down a villain from his own. 'I… I want to bring him down… but I need your help.' His voice quivered angrily as the blood inside him boiled at the thought of Cid's ruthless actions.

'I… I will stop him!' he proclaimed loudly. And suddenly, his clenched fist lit up with magical flames. He eyes widened in shock as he stared at the burning fire; they weren't harming him. It was… magic.

Khalia raised his eyebrow as he eyed the miracle happening right before him before finally smiling. 'Well,' he said amusedly, 'it seems that the decision does not lie with me after all. You who cannot return to Milites would not be able to recharge those mecha armours of yours. But it seems that the Suzaku Crystal has provided you with new means to fight.'

Khalia stood up and walked towards Ace. He placed one hand on Ace's shoulder and gently said, 'Welcome to Rubrum… Ace.'