Things are beginning to ramp up... glad y'all are getting hyped! Oh, and thanks for all the awesome reviews! Tell y'what, OreosAreYummy... just for you, here's the next chapter a couple of days early :).

Chapter 8

1 Week Later

Day 278

Reinard stared at the prison door uncomfortably. He wasn't sure how long he'd been standing here, but it felt like an eternity to his tortured mind, and once again he couldn't believe how much of a coward he was.

It had been a week since Reinhard had been unable to free Subaru, and every day since then had been torture. He couldn't stop thinking about what he might have done differently, of what possible action he could have taken to convince Julius. These thoughts continued to strike him, regardless of whether he was resting in his mansion or out patrolling the city.

Taking yet another deep breath, Reinhard reached out for the door. His hand froze inches from it, his cowardice halting his path yet again.

'No. I need to do this. I need to do everything I can for Subaru, even though it will never be enough. I can't let my flawed nature stop me in this! This is not only my duty as a knight- but it's something even more than that. It's something that I need to do.'

Reinhard opened the door, hoping that the anxiety wasn't showing on his face. He was met with the sight of Subaru, standing with his back to Reinhard, in the middle of the chamber. He was wielding a wooden mock sword in his right hand, which he swung around in a frenzied, somehow familiar pattern.

To a trained swordsman like Reinhard, his movements were almost comically slow, and the technique was certainly lacking, signs of an individual who had only recently begun learning the art of the sword. Despite all that he fought with an undeniable strength, his every movement coursing with a primal resolve.

At the sound of the door opening, Subaru swung around. His eyes narrowed as he saw Reinhard, and in a smooth motion he shot out his left hand and launched a razor sharp wind blade straight at him.

Reinhard didn't bother to dodge. As soon as the spell reached the open doorway, a line of runes flared to life alongside the doorway. With a sharp 'hiss' the spell fizzled and vanished, not a breath of wind exiting the room.

Reinhard raised an eyebrow at the boy, who was breathing heavily, sweat running down his body. Reinhard shuffled his feet, unsure of how to initiate the conversation. Remembering a conversation with his father- before there relationship had forever been destroyed, that was- he decided to start with a compliment.

[Reinhard] "A most impressive attack, Subaru."

Subaru shot him a look, seeming to be unsure if Reinhard was complimenting or mocking him. Eventually he appeared to decide that it didn't matter, and responded with a bit of a scoff in his voice.

[Subaru] "Yeah right. We both know that attack had no chance of leaving this room."

Subaru eyed Reinhard cautiously, then continued.

[Subaru] "Crusch mentioned you might be stopping by. So, why exactly are you here?"

[Reinhard] "Sir Subaru, I came to apologize- no, to use my actions to show my sorrow for past actions. Lady Crusch was kind enough to inform me that you were interested in improving your combat prowess, and I am here to offer my services, meager as they are."

Reinhard gave a deep bow, glad to avoid the boy's judgemental eyes, if only for a moment.

[Reinhard] "It would be an honor if you would allow me to assist you, Sir Subaru."

Subaru studied him closely for a long minute, thoughts whirring through his head. Reinhard felt a single bead of sweat begin to creep its way down his back, though it was gone almost as soon as he'd noticed it due to his Divine Protection of Perspiration Evaporation.

Seeming to make up his mind, Subaru finally responded.

[Subaru] "Fine. Come in then. This doesn't mean that I've forgiven you, however."

Subaru grimaced momentarily, then continued.

[Subaru] "Also, none of this 'Sir Subaru' stuff. Just feels wrong."

Reinhard bowed his head, grateful for the chance to help. He moved inside the cavern, looking around at it and getting his first good look at the interior. Last time he'd been a bit preoccupied, but now he had a chance to more fully study the dungeon.

The cavern was composed of rough gray stone cut unevenly from the bedrock itself. It was perhaps a 100 feet in diameter, the floor cut into the shape of a perfect circle, though the same could not be said of the roughly hewn walls. The side of the cavern nearest the door, where Subaru had been training, was completely empty, cleared of all obstacles and debris that could distract from training.

The other side of the cavern looked to be the living area. A small though well-crafted bed lay next to the wall, and beside it was a writing desk covered in several papers and a small stack of books- one of which had a very distinctly raven black color. To the side of the desk was a single bookshelf, partially filled with books whose appeared to vary wildly, though history composed the majority.

The entire area looked comfortable, if a bit spartan. Reinhard was surprised most at the books, many of which showed signs of having been read completely. He hadn't been aware that Subaru had such an intellectual interest in reading.

His attention snapped back to Subaru when the boy spoke up while studying him.

[Subaru] "So, you're the Sword Saint. Fantastic. You should know that I don't care one bit about how fancy your titles are or how lofty your social status is. The only thing that matters is how well you can train me. So if you're expecting deference or respect, hope you're prepared to be disappointed."

Oddly, Reinhard felt a bit uplifted by the boy's matter-of-fact, almost harsh statement. Ever since he'd been cursed with these powers at the age of six, everybody always looked at him and saw only the Sword Saint, most powerful and terrifying being in Lugunica. Nobody ever saw him as Reinhard- not even his family anymore.

[Reinhard] "Thank you."

Subaru looked confused at the response, but his expression quickly lapsed into one of apathy as he decided Reinhard's weird mannerisms didn't really matter all that much.

[Subaru] "So, what can you teach me?"

[Reinhard] "My skill lies primarily in the sword. With my Divine Protection of the Trainer, I vow to teach you to the best of my limited abilities."

Subaru grunted, looking unimpressed though slightly intrigued at the mention of yet another of Reinhard's Divine Protections.

[Subaru] "What about magic? I've been using it for months now, and I still can't cast besides the weakest level of magic, 'El' class spells. Crusch's been telling me that my mana pool isn't all that great either."

[Reinhard] "Unfortunately the Od Laguna determined that I be born with a defective gate, and am therefore unable to use magic. However, I do have several Divine Protections that are related to magic and may prove to be of some use."

Subaru nodded, his expression still serious. Reinhard offered him a smile, which Subaru ignored. Reinhard didn't feel offended. It was only natural, after all.

[Reinhard] "First let's figure out why your mana pool is so low."

Reinhard approached Subaru, who glared at him with intimidating eyes. Ignoring the look, Reinhard held out his hand and drained a small amount of Subaru's mana. He intentionally slowed down the process, using the amount he'd withdrawn to measure how much remained.

[Reinhard] "That is odd…"

Despite himself, a sliver of anticipation slipped into Subaru's expression. Becoming strong and smart enough to protect Crusch had been the only thing that had been able to get an emotional response out of lately… well, a positive emotional response, at least. The thought of finally being able to discover why his magical prowess was so limited was an exhilarating one, particularly if it allowed him to break past his limits.

[Subaru] "Well? What is it?"

[Reinhard] "The average person begins with an extremely small mana pool, which gradually grows stronger with use, like a muscle. From what I can tell, your mana pool is perfectly average for someone who has been using magic as long as you have. You should have enough mana to cast 10-15 'El' class spells before exhausting it."

Subaru frowned, his expression perplexed.

[Subaru] "That can't be right. On a good day I can eke out 5 spells before dropping. Most days I can only manage 3 if I still want to be standing by the end."

Reinhard joined Subaru in frowning, their brows scrunched up as they tried to figure out the answer. Then a thought hit Reinhard.

[Reinhard] "Subaru, you specialize in wind magic, correct?"

[Subaru] "Yeah. That's Crusch's school of magic is, so it's only natural I follow."

A wry grin split his face for a moment.

[Subaru] "Plus, it's not like there are any others lining up to teach me magic."

[Reinhard] "Am I correct in assuming that wind magic matches your affinity?"

Subaru frowned at that.

[Subaru] "Affinity… Crusch's mentioned that word before, but since neither of us have a way of figuring out what mine is, the discussion didn't go anywhere."

[Reinhard] "That is likely the problem. Allow me several seconds to uncover your affinity and I believe we will have the answer."

Reinhard looked closely at Subaru. His eyes glazed over with a pure blue color as he activated the Divine Protection of the Visionary, and after several seconds of that unnatural gaze, the conversation resumed.

[Reinhard] "It appears that your affinity is not focused around around wind magic. Instead, you have a yin affinity."

[Subaru] "..;. And that's supposed to mean what, exactly?"

[Reinhard] "Everyone is born with an affinity, which is the type of magic that their body is naturally skilled in. While it is possible to cast spells outside of your affinity, as you've been unknowingly demonstrating, it takes a much greater amount of magic. This would also explain why it is more difficult for you to cast higher class spells."

Subaru deflated, his eyes echoing disappointment.

[Subaru] "So, I'm stuck then. You're telling me that all the training I've been doing is useless? That some cosmic quirk decided I would never be good at wind magic? Hah, this world is such a piece of garbage."

Reinhard looked down, feeling some of the frustration resonate with his own soul. Then he looked up, interested to tell Subaru the good news.

[Reinhard] "There's good news as well, I promise!"

Seeing he had regained Subaru's attention, Reinhard continued, much more enthusiastically than before.

[Reinhard] "It appears that you also have a very high Spirit Affinity. If you are able to find some wind spirits, that would largely negate the difficulties you have with casting wind magic."

Subaru thought back to the meeting with Emilia so many months ago and groaned inwardly at the thought.

[Subaru] "What, you're telling me that I've got to find a bunch of floating cats to make my wind magic stronger? Where would I even go looking for those anyways?!"

Reinhard stared at Subaru, completely dumbfounded by his unexpected response.

[Reinhard] "Subaru… do you think that all spirits look like tiny floating cats?"

Subaru looked at him in confusion.

[Subaru] "... yes…"

Reinhard couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. Despite the gravity of the situation, something about the image of Subaru being followed around and harassed by a horde of floating cats struck him as unbelievably funny.

Subaru, completely confused and a bit annoyed, decided to wait until Reinhard was done with whatever the heck he was laughing about.

Eventually the conversation resumed after almost a full minute of barely suppressed, very manly giggles and apologies for his unknightly behavior from Reinhard.

[Reinhard] "As I'm sure you figured out just now, most spirits do not take the form of floating cats. Instead, they most often appear as small orbs of light, visible only to those who they wish to see them. You might have noticed that Juli-"

Reinhard cut himself off abruptly, wincing as Subaru went rigid at the words. Except that Subaru hadn't seemed to react to his almost mentioning Julius.

[Subaru] "Little glowing spheres that just kind of float around and glow with a green light?"

Reinhard paused, taken aback by the description.

[Reinhard] "So you have seen spirits before. From your description, they sound like wind spirits given their green light."

Subaru looked down, a complicated expression on his face.

[Subaru] "Yeah, I've seen them. To be honest, I didn't think they were real. Figured it was just my mind going crazy and seeing things that weren't there."

Subaru looked up at Julius, his expression hardening.

[Subaru] "Tell me. Do you know what happened to me in the months after you falsely arrested me?"

Reinhard looked down, the shame clear on his face.

[Reinhard] "... I have heard some of what transpired."

Subaru nodded.

[Subaru] "Good. You deserve to know. During the first three months, I was tortured every single day. The Surgeons- the monsters who call themselves human- took turns, and I was lucky to be left alone for long enough to fall asleep."

Subaru looked down, his expression hard, almost cruel.

[Subaru] "When they left, they took the light with them. I was left in the pitch black; complete and utter isolation. Eventually they stopped coming altogether. So did the light. I was left there, stranded in a murky ocean of darkness, for months. It's there that the lights first showed up. At first there was only one- a gentle green light. After I don't know how many weeks, more many began to show up."

Subaru looked up, forcing Reinhard's guilty eyes to meet his accusing stare.

[Subaru] "They were the only things which kept me sane. Their light kept me from losing my mind entirely. If they are truly living beings… then I owe my life to them. Tell me more."

Reinhard took the opportunity to look down, unable to banish the guilty tone from his voice.

[Reinhard] "As you wish. There are five ranks of spirits, each one more powerful than the last. Minor Spirits are the least powerful, and are little more than pinpricks of light. Then there are Lesser Spirits, Quasi Spirits, Full Spirits, and Great Spirits. The ones you described just now sounded like Lesser Spirits, the most common type."

[Subaru] "You mentioned they can help me master wind magic. How? Tell me."

[Reinhard] "Of course, Subaru. Individuals with a high Spirit Affinity, such as yourself, can form Contracts with Spirits. The higher your affinity, the more spirits you can form Contracts with. In addition, Spirits that are contracted are able to grow up, advancing to higher forms of Spirithood. Several factors influence this, although the most prominent factors include the amount of time spent contracted, the amount their power is used, and, to a lesser extent, the prowess with which their Contractor wields the mana that they provide."

Subaru studied the air around him, his eyes searching for the elusive Spirits that had proved such a powerful boon. Reinhard watched with a small smile, happy to see a more lighthearted expression on the boys face, even if that emotion was buried deep in his hardened self.

[Subaru] "You mentioned Contracts. How do I form them, and what exactly are they?"

[Reinhard] "Contracts are magical promises that bind two individuals together with a power that transcends both space and time; it is a pact upheld by the Od Laguna itself. They are most often made after creating a written list of rules that both parties prime to abide by, but it is also possible for contracts to be made by more subconscious means during moments of extremely high emotion, such as what you described earlier."

Reinhard hesitated, then continued.

[Reinhard] "Subaru… If you would like, I can examine your soul to discover if you have already formed a contract with these lesser spirits. It is an extremely private matter, please forgive me if I have overstepped my bounds."

Bowing his head to show that no ill intent was intended, Reinhard waited for the response. He felt Subaru's eyes upon him, weighing the request. When the answer finally came, it was in a tired tone, a voice that seemed to express all the weight and exhaustion of the life that Subaru had been forced to lead thus far.

[Subaru] "If it will help me protect Crusch, then fine, do it. It's not like there isn't any part of me that you people haven't already violated. This will barely make a difference."

Reinhard reluctantly stepped forward. Activating his Divine Protection of the Arcane Eye, he peered deep into Subaru's soul. He was interested to note that there were six small contracts in place, each with a Minor Wind Spirit. However, he also noticed something much more surprising.

[Reinhard] "Subaru, would you mind rolling up your right sleeve for a moment?"

Subaru looked at him in surprise, then did so. A small, softly glowing symbol, barely larger than a thumbnail, was visible in the middle of the back of his wrist. Reinhard looked worried, his suspicions confirmed.

[Reinhard] "I have finished. It appears that you have indeed formed a Contract with six Minor Wind Spirits, although the contract is relatively new, no older than half a year. To be honest, I'm surprised that they haven't grow yet, considering what I've seen of your training regimen. It's possible that you haven't been using their mana due to not being aware of their presence."

Subaru looked up, a flicker of hope mixed with determination in his eyes. This was a start- no, it was a huge leap forward in Subaru being able to protect Crusch! His flicker of enthusiasm was dampened at the sight of Reinhard's solemn expression.

[Subaru] "What's the catch?"

[Reinhard] "I discovered something else while examining your soul. It appears that, in addition to having a Contract with the Spirits, another Contract is also in place."

Reinhard took a deep breath before continuing.

[Reinhard] "Subaru, when did you form a Contract with Lady Karsten?"

Author's Notes

Hey everyone! Thanks for all the support so far! This is my first ever published fanfic, and it's been great hearing from all of! Just finished writing Interlude 1 and Chapter 9, and let me say, I'm REALLY looking forward to publishing that one- it turned out perfectly! (You'll especially enjoy it R0gerR0ger- thanks for the review btw!)