A/N: Thank you SO much for everyone who made my story their favorite, viewed and reviewed it! Sorry it's all taking so long, I'm trying to write more than 9000 words if you didn't notice my fic's chapters increasing in length as it goes on. Though this one is at least 1000 words less than the previous, but I'm just tired so maybe next time could have more chapters

Sunrise has always been his favorite part of the day.

Antonio sighed happily, breathing out long enough for him to see his own breath in the cold wind, he closed his eyes for a brief second to enjoy a moment of peace then opened them once more to see the steady rise of the glowing sun in the distance. The cave they were in was one of his personal favorites, mainly because of the spectacular view it had and the lush greenery surrounding it, he breathed in and caught the scent of the dew covered grass which smelled heavenly in the morning, his bright olive eyes lit up happily when the rays of the sun started to reach him, giving his skin an almost angelic glow. His soft smile grew wider as he basked in the soothing warmth, the sun hadn't fully risen yet so the sky has taken on a mix of blue and orange, somehow it reminded the centaur of a sandy beach, a sight seen only by those who looked. Antonio always believed that even in a world full of magic there are some wonders people miss everyday, it was such a shame, frankly he also believed that he himself had missed many things as well.

The centaur yawned and stretched his arms up until he felt a satisfying pop, he slowly stood up from his position on the ground and walked a bit to get the numbness out of his legs, once he finished he turned to look inside the cave to check on their guest. Antonio quietly walked inside, as much as he could considering the soft clip clop of his hooves, and stood over the still resting mage once he was close enough, the centaur frowned and reached down to touch one of the bandages he had just replaced hours before, already it was dyed in a deep red, he was deeply concerned about the mage ever since Lovino had first brought him here, after sensing that the mage was also affected it only brought his worst fears to life. Kiku was only human, if the humans were also affected then it's worse than they thought it was. Antonio coughed a few times and shook his head as if trying to be rid of it, he had the same problem as Kiku only it didn't affect him as much, he was still an able centaur but of course creatures like him wouldn't be weakened by something like this, humans on the other hand….

"Ay, amigo…I'm sorry this happened to you" Antonio sighed and brushed away the strands of hair covering Kiku's face. The mage had gotten worse, as far as even gaining a fever, and with some of his wounds refusing to heal Antonio didn't know if he'll be able to save him by then. The centaur clenched his fists in distress, the humans weren't supposed to be involved! It was supposed to be just them, the fey, what had the humans done? They were such a young and curious race, all they've ever done was learn from them, magic was never theirs so why had this happened? "Antonio" Said centaur looked back and smiled at the newcomer "Lovi, back so soon?" Lovino rolled his eyes and set down a basket full of berries and fruits "I couldn't find anything else…how's the mage?" Antonio shook his head sadly and knelt down to Kiku's level, the centaur placed his hand over the mage's chest and closed his eyes "Not good, his heart skips a beat a few times…" Antonio's hand dropped to his side and he sadly looked over the suffering human. Kiku's face scrunched up in pain as he whimpered a few times. Lovino's expression grew grim, he helped his caretaker up and joined him in silently mourning about the inevitable "You can't save them all you know"

"I have to try Lovi, I'm not giving up on him. He saved you, we can at least try" Lovino bit his lower lip, both of them knew it was a lost cause but he really was grateful to the mage for saving him, if repaying him means letting him live a little longer then he's alright with it "How long do you think..?" He hated having to ask that question but he wasn't going to be taken by surprise anytime soon. Antonio's sorrowful expression never left, as did his eyes on Kiku "With the curse spreading so fast? I'm too scared to tell you…I'm sorry" The younger centaur sucked in a breath, he glared at Antonio and turned his back on him "Don't apologize for something you didn't do bastard" He said as he walked out of the cave in hopes of getting a brighter mood.

Antonio never looked up from the mage, in fact for the past few days all he ever thought about was the mage, Kiku was too weak to do anything on his own, Antonio was surprised when the mage told him he had been like this for a month, the centaur was always looking out for the mage when he was awake but Kiku never really did much but sit up to look outside ever so often before laying back down to rest. Antonio shook his head and moved to the side, he took out an old wooden box and opened it to take out the contents inside. He pulled out a few pieces of cloth and a bottle containing a liquid of some kind, he glanced at Kiku until his eyes trailed until they found the blood stained bandages peeking out from under Kiku's shirt, Antonio quickened his preparation. After gathering what he needed he set the materials near the makeshift bed and knelt down, he lightly touched Kiku's shoulder and shook him gently "Kiku…Kiku please wake up" He urged "I need to replace your bandages amigo, I'm sorry that I have to wake you but I can't work properly like this"

Kiku mumbled something and slowly blinked his eyes open, he turned his head to look at the bright eyed centaur beside him "g..good morning Antonio-san" The mage said it close to a whisper. Antonio smiled warmly at him, masking the worry he felt and greeted back "Good morning Kiku…" He trailed off. He wanted to ask how the mage was doing but the answer was obvious already, but the mage might be feeling better than how he looked? Antonio pursed his lips, no, of course not 'The curse hurts more than it really looks' He thought, thinking about his own experience with it "It..hurts" Kiku winced as he tried to sit up, for a moment Antonio thought that the mage read his mind, the centaur gently guided Kiku so that he leaned on the wall behind him "You'll be fine Kiku, just a bit sore that's all" Antonio smiled, hoping to lift the already dreary mood that settled in the mage as he woke up.

Kiku looked down to the floor, as if he didn't hear the centaur talk to him, he didn't do anything as Antonio removed his shirt to take care of the bandages that was surely sticking to the fabric of his clothing before, he could feel it. Now it was Antonio's turn to wince, the blood had indeed seeped through them, he feared that it may have dried overnight and had started sticking the bandages to Kiku's skin. He'd hate to have the mage feel discomfort when he was already in so much pain.

"It's alright Antonio-san" Kiku coughed, sounding far too saddened. Antonio half nodded and began to unwrap the reddened cloth, Kiku gasped a bit when the bandage didn't come off very well from his skin. He bit his lip and gripped on to the animal pelts under him as he felt the stinging sensation that came with removing the sticky cloth. The centaur had noticed Kiku's reactions and made sure to try every way he could to keep the mage from feeling anything remotely close to pain, aside from a few small reactions he was glad when the bandage was finally gone from the mage's chest. He inspected the wound that had formed there days before, luckily it didn't gain any infection but it worried him, the curse was already spreading too fast, Kiku's body was beginning to collapse on itself "I won't…last long..." Antonio's head snapped up at the statement. Kiku looked back at him with hopeless eyes that seemed glazed over, the mage shuddered and looked down again "I wish I could have said goodbye.." Images of his friends flashed through the mage's mind, he had accepted the fact that whatever it was will kill him someday and that someday was closer than he thinks.

"No no no, Kiku don't…don't say that" Antonio frowned at him and picked up the bottle and new bandages that were placed close to him. The centaur added the clear liquid from the bottle to the new bandages and urged the mage to sit straight again "We'll find a way through this okay? You'll be fine, you'll see" The centaur smiled softly and began to wrap the new bandage around the mage's chest. He felt something drip into his arm and looked up to find the mage crying, Kiku closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing "Antonio-san….I can hear it, always..telling me to leave..that I'm hurting it..." The centaur's eyes widened 'Kiku can…?' He stared in disbelief "…..I just want it to leave me alone" Kiku sniffled and buried his face in his arms. Antonio, though still shocked, finished wrapping the bandage around the now silent mage, but the way his shoulders were shaking Antonio knew he was still crying.

The centaur wordlessly got up, knowing that he should leave the mage alone right now, he stepped out of the cave and glanced back a few times. Only then did he notice that the sun was being covered by clouds.

"Damn!" Arthur glared from his position on the ground at the scurrying fluff of white fur, the rabbit sat up when it was far enough and wiggled its nose at him before jumping away again. The mage huffed and pushed himself back up, dusting off the dirt that clung on to his cloak 'Damn rat, if only it would stay still for a while' Alfred chuckled, walking up next to him with the white sword he had bought from Agnes, he smiled at the sort of pouty expression Arthur was sporting as his eyes stayed glued to where the rabbit once was as if willing it to come back so he could hopefully impale it with his stave. The swordsman clasped a hand over his shoulder which was enough to make Arthur turn to look at him "I know you volunteered to help me catch breakfast Arthur but…" He trailed off, unwilling to face the mage's wrath.

"Don't even finish that sentence Jones, I know how to hunt! Besides I want to help around here as much as I can!" Arthur defended once he picked up on what Alfred was implying, he can hunt thank you very much! Alfred in turn chuckled and shook his head "M'kay but I think you could use some work on melee weapons Artie" Arthur glared at him and threw his stave to the ground so that the tip was partially buried in the earth for it to stand without the mage's help, Arthur crossed his arms "Why don't you let me use my magic then?!" Alfred walked closer, Arthur twitched a bit but relaxed when the swordsman just came to pull his stave from the ground. It was one of the staves he received when he joined the palace mages, it's blade was made of iron which always made Arthur uncomfortable since they were told that at some point they'd have to face off with the fey, that didn't sit well with him as iron burns all fey. The stave's blade also had three edges that twisted to the tip, Arthur knew that this was fatal since it can cause internal bleeding and if twisted it could tear at the flesh more violently than a single-edged blade could, the wound would be nearly impossible to heal. It made him wonder about the other weapons that kingdom created "Because your magic could attract attention, we might be far from the kingdom but the news about us might've spread already" Alfred replied.

Alfred also noticed the stave's blade, he gently pressed his finger on one of the edges and a cut formed almost instantly. He frowned at the blade's design "This uh…this came from the kingdom right?" Arthur nodded "..About this weapon Artie. It's a bit….much" The swordsman was also familiar with what the blade could do, frankly it made him uncomfortable, but he expected this kind of thing from the kingdom, it gave him another reason to despise them. He looked back up at Arthur, expecting the mage to retort, but what surprised him is that Arthur also had the same look as he did, uncomfortable and mildly angry "I don't and won't use it in battle if that's what you're thinking. Slash wounds are bloody but stab wounds can kill, this particular stave was designed for both…." Arthur eyed the weapon in Alfred's hand then glanced at the white sword on the other, comparing them both "I don't use melee weapons you know"

Alfred scoffed "Really? Remember when we met the first time? That weird shadowy thing you did with a sword? That counts as a melee weapon Artie" Arthur rolled his eyes and took back his stave from the grinning swordsman "I don't use melee weapons often…" He paused "…I suppose magic just makes it easier for me to look away….." Alfred stopped grinning at this point once he noticed Arthur's drop in mood. The swordsman wanted to ask so many questions but he feared that the mage might take it the wrong way, especially when it concerns that kind of subject. He understood what Arthur was talking about, so he didn't want to have to bring it up when the mage looked uncomfortable about it, instead he prompted to switch the subject completely "…We could just gather some berries and fruits for breakfast y'know, we have to keep moving anyway so a quick breakfast will do" Arthur let the smallest of smiles slip and slipped the stave back into his satchel.

"Yes, that could be better, a rabbit would be bad for breakfast anyway. Come on, I think I saw an apple tree somewhere"

After gathering as much as they could to feed five people, the two walked back to the camp where the others were already up and about, going on their usual business. Gilbert was content with practicing with his new weapon on one edge of the camp, he looked like he was having a bit of trouble with it since he kept pointing the axe to a tree to let the lightning strike it but the bolt would buzz around uncontrollably and arch away from the tree, leaving Gilbert to try again. Yao was sitting close to where their campfire was, testing out the medicine and supplies they attained from the market, Arthur had already assured him once that the supplies weren't cursed in any way, but the good doctor wanted to see for himself so he had been at it since yesterday, he was also keen in experimenting with some of the new medicine. Matthew was studying a map as usual, just across from Yao, marking out possible entries and exits near Avia, he was in deep concentration that he didn't even notice the two walk up to him and set down the fruits. Yao looked up "Couldn't catch anything aru?" He smirked.

"Nah too lazy" Alfred replied back and sat next to his brother while Arthur decided that he'd rather not sit next to anyone. The swordsman noticed and tried to make him sit next to him but Arthur still refused and sat down a bit far from the group, Alfred frowned but respected what he wanted "That'll have to do, the faster we get to Avia the better" Matthew grumbled, eyes still focused on the map. A loud groan from Gilbert made Alfred and Yao look up to see him walking towards their camp, dragging his axe behind him "Okay so I said this was awesome before but now its more of an 'eh' for me" He sat down next to the doctor and leaned the weapon on the log he was sitting on. The comment made Arthur look up "Excuse me? I had to give up half of my phoenix ash for that! It's not just an 'eh' you just don't know how to use it properly!" Gilbert shrugged and tapped the side of the axe, sparks flew "Fair point" Arthur paused, he didn't expect the warrior to agree with him rather he thought he'd defend himself with some sort of absurd response "'Fair point'? no insults? You agree with me?"

"No shit. I don't use stuff like this, I know when I can't use a weapon" Yao nodded his head in agreement "I feel the same aru, I'm not sure about this dagger" He lifted up the seemingly empty hilt and slashed at a twig that was growing on the side of the log they were sitting on, nothing happened, he slashed again and this time the twig was cut off "Sometimes it cuts and sometimes it does. Plus I don't know its actual length, my hand always goes through" He made his point by trying to grip the supposed blade but ended up only clenching his hand into a fist. Arthur listened carefully and made up his mind "Right, I think its about time you lot got to training" Matthew, hearing this, looked up and rolled the map he held as quickly as possible "Arthur, I've been letting you do what you want since yesterday but now is really not the time. We need to get to Avia and that's that" The mage turned to glare at the summoner and marched up to him "And if you get to Avia what then? Fight your way through it? Actually correction, fight your way through it inexperienced and without a plan" Matthew returned his glare "I do have a plan, and for your information we've been fighting this battle long enough to know how to swing a blade unlike you who so obviously likes waving his hand around as if swatting a fly, it's a wonder you're not flabby"

"H-hey guys!" Alfred stood and went in between the two, sensing the impending struggle between them "Let's eat already! I mean me and Art spent a hell of a long time finding these! Come on!" The two ignored him and continued to stare each other down "And I'm surprised they aren't tired of having a control freak for a leader" Arthur spat. Matthew stood up and discarded the map in his hands "We're a team, there is no leader" The mage scoffed and crossed his arms "I see, so you bossing them around and making every decision without a group vote is being a team. And for your information this isn't just 'swinging a blade' its about swinging a magic infused blade" If looks could kill Arthur would already be a bloody mess on the ground. Matthew clenched his hands into a fist and controlled his breathing "And what of you? As far as we're concerned you're still a royal mage, a stranger, someone who infiltrated the group and just won't leave" Arthur suddenly felt cold. Yes he always felt like he was outside the loop, that he wasn't welcome, but hearing someone voice out his fear was something different from suspecting it. Even after helping them he still felt that they didn't want anything to do with him, it made him feel alone. The feeling of sadness changed to that of anger when the mage spoke again "And if it weren't for me your stupid little resistance would have been hanged by now! I-"

"What? You 'gave up everything'? became a traitor? So what?" Matthew sneered, finding his self-control hard to reach by this time. Arthur's hands dropped to his side and he paled, he blinked furiously when he felt his eyes start to dampen, he gritted his teeth and scowled at Matthew "Yeah, 'so what'" The mage turned abruptly and marched to the forest. Alfred gaped at his brother then at Arthur's retreating back "Wait Arthur! M-Mattie didn't mean it!" Gilbert and Yao had stayed silent the whole time, Yao even tried to say something to the mage when he passed him but he decided against it, Gilbert frowned and looked at Matthew "That was unawesome man" Matthew glared at him "Shut up" And marched to the other side of the camp and into the forest like Arthur had. Alfred turned his head to find his brother leaving as well, the swordsman felt torn, before he knew it his feet started to run towards the direction where Arthur left.

Matthew looked over his shoulder and saw him run after the mage, he scowled.

"Arthur!" Alfred called when he came to the forest, the swordsman looked around frantically until he spotted a mess of blond sitting under a tree. Alfred bit his lower lip and slowly walked towards the mage, the soft crunch of grass assuring him that it wasn't completely silent in the forest, the swordsman knelt down in front of the mage when he was close enough. Alfred frowned when he saw how Arthur was holding back his tears, he mage was gripping on to the kingdom's coat of arms that was close to his chest "Arthur..hey Matt didn't mean it…" Alfred reached out to touch him but the mage flinched away, the swordsman retracted his arm and swallowed, how was he gonna do this? "Look, I know you and Mattie said some things but that's not important-"

"Not important?" Arthur finally looked up and scowled at Alfred, his hand tightening on the coat of arms, it was then the swordsman realized he made a grave mistake "I see, so Matthew was right, you lot don't care. You don't care that I left my home, that I betrayed my friends, that I have NO ONE anymore!" The last part was close to a scream, and it tore Alfred's heart into pieces. The swordsman's hand twitched to reach out to the mage, but he knew better than that, Arthur didn't want any physical contact at the moment, he'll have to settle with using his words, and hopefully he'll be careful this time "That's…that's not true Arthur, I'm here right?" Arthur scoffed and looked away from him "Because you pity me you mean, you have a knack for being the 'hero' this is a perfect opportunity for you" Alfred shook his head and this time he reached out to grip Arthur's hand that was on the coat of arms, it started to bleed slightly, at least Arthur didn't shake him off "I'm here because I'm your friend, we're friends right? friends look out for each other, I'm trying my hardest to look out for you Artie" Arthur's glare softened, his eyes flickered towards the swordsman "Friends?" He laughed half heartedly "Alfred I've known you only for a week and a few days, most of it was spent with either of us tied up, I'm not sure about what you consider us to be"

For some reason that made the swordsman's heart thump, he finally realized how long he's been holding Arthur's hand, how close they were, how pretty Arthur's eyes looked under the sun…..'Whoa there Alfred, you're trying to comfort him here' The swordsman took in a deep breath to calm himself before replying "Well, friends meet, they talk and learn about each other, sometimes they fight, but in the end they help each other and stay together. I think we've done all that" Arthur half smiled at him but still kept a tight grip on the coat of arms sewn into his black cloak, Alfred noticed "What I'm trying to say is Arthur even if the other guys don't give a crap, I do. I know how much the kingdom means to you, believe me you've made your point" He chuckled and touched his healing eye to which Arthur gave him an apologetic look for "I get you now, I mean my village has a special place in my heart too, the people especially. If that's what the kingdom is to you…then okay, I guess I can adjust to that thought, but Artie? Sometimes…" He eased the mage's grip off the coat of arms and held his hand in between his own hands "Well, sometimes you have to look at other people, not just the kingdom, look at me"

Arthur did, and he couldn't believe someone like Alfred was born into such a dark world. Alfred and his kind smile, his understanding nature, his gentle yet strong voice, Alfred….The mage found himself wrapping his arms around the said swordsman, Alfred was taken aback momentarily but soon hugged him back, he was happy that Arthur didn't really mind physical contact between them anymore, it meant that the mage was getting comfortable around him, he smiled. Arthur on the other hand tried his best not to let the positive atmosphere be ruined by his heavy heart, forgetting everything you've done is hard to do, even what he did before he met Alfred and his group and 'Oh god…Michelle….' The mage had yet to tell Alfred that he had gotten rid of his little guardian, Alfred was obviously fond of the faerie and thankfully the swordsman hasn't been asking much of her yet, but there will come a day that Alfred will realize that Michelle's long absence has a reason. But at that time he had no choice, Michelle would have seen through the ambush, he had to 'Will he still be by my side by then?' He buried his face in Alfred's shoulder 'Alfred, please forgive me'

After a while the swordsman separated from the mage gently, he smiled at Arthur and Arthur tried his best to smile back "How about that training you mentioned? I bet the guys would appreciate it" Arthur sighed and stood up, helping Alfred up as well "Not everyone Alfred…But I am serious about it, magic infused weapons are hard to control, if you lot actually decide to still go to Avia it's going to give you a lot of trouble" Alfred clapped his back and grinned in response "Then I guess you're just gonna have to be a good teacher"

The two walked back to the camp and found Yao and Gilbert talking about something in hushed whispers, Matthew wasn't there but it didn't surprise Arthur. Once they were close enough the warrior and the doctor stopped talking "Arthur" Yao spoke up first "What Matthew said, it was going too far aru, on his behalf we apologize" The doctor even bowed and smiled at him, Gilbert nodded "Yeah it wasn't cool of him to say that, but don't be so pissed at him he's just stressed. He's trying his best" Arthur sighed and closed his eyes "I know…I'll try to talk to him when he comes back, but right now we really have to start your training, the basic part anyway" He stopped and glanced at all of them "If you're all okay with that" Alfred naturally agreed with him while Yao and Gilbert looked at each other first for confirmation "I'm up for it" Gilbert said, picking his axe up from the ground "If I'm gonna fight with this thing, I wanna do it right, and awesomely!" Yao chuckled at him "I suppose I have no choice aru, I'll be crushed by peer pressure" Arthur grinned and motioned for them to follow him to one side of the camp "Alright, Gilbert let's start with you"

The warrior stepped forward with the axe at the ready "Stay right there" Arthur ran far from the warrior and stopped at one point, he flexed his arms out "HIT ME!" Gilbert gaped and looked at his team members beside him "You guys heard him say 'hit me' right? not just me?" Alfred was also as shocked as Gilbert, he nodded dumbly in response "Are you crazy mage?!" Gilbert replied. Arthur shook his head "No! JUST HIT ME YOU BLOODY GIT!" Gilbert fidgeted, he really really doesn't want to be responsible for some dumbass murder, but he'll just have to take the mage's word for it "Fuck it, kay here I go!" Alfred's eyes widened "GIL WAIT-" The warrior swung his axe and a bolt of lightning instantly escaped the blade, zooming towards Arthur in blinding speed. Alfred and Yao couldn't do anything but watch helplessly as the mage stood there, arms wide, as the bolt came in for a deadly blow. It didn't. Instead the blot quickly arched to the side and missed the mage entirely, hitting a tree behind him instead. Gilbert shrugged "That happened the first time too" Arthur let his hands drop and quickly walked back to the group "I think I understand why that happens now" He looked the blade over and thought to himself for a while "You see the axe arches, so when the lightning leaves it does so like its being peeled off from the side and it goes straight forward, this confuses its movement, and since the lighting is fast and sporadic it takes a while for it to understand movement again so it corrects its direction later, also its pretty weak for a bolt, just by being close to something it avoids it completely as if repelled. Try swinging it down this time and focus"

Gilbert got none of what Arthur had said, though he did catch 'swinging it down', the warrior focused on one tree and swung down as hard as he could. A brighter bolt of lightning left the blade and zoomed towards the targeted tree, but as it did it glowed weaker, Gilbert watched it anxiously as if it wasn't fast enough, he expected it to arch away from the tree but the sound of thunder and crackling got him to stare wide eyed at the black singe spot that formed on the tree "HOLY SHIT! I HIT IT!" Arthur nodded in approval "Yes so that's aim down, power on the other hand will need a bit of work. You noticed how it faded a bit yes? You need to focus a bit more, if you had that tree would have been flaming and on the ground by now. And when you're ready I'll teach you how to perform a group strike using multiple blots of lightning" Gilbert grinned at his axe "I'm going to be so fucking badass with this thing!"

Arthur moved to Yao next "Yao, take out your dagger" The doctor did just that, Arthur 'inspected' the hilt and hummed in thought "Agnes said it was an air dagger" The mage looked around until he found a fallen branch "Try to cut that BUT-!" He stopped the doctor before he moved closer to the branch "Do it from here" Yao's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, the space between them and the branch was too far for the dagger "Are you sure aru?" Arthur crossed his arms "I have a theory, try it" Yao sighed and looked at the branch again, he shook his head and half-heartedly swung the dagger down, feeling a bit silly. He even heard Gilbert snicker beside him only to be silenced by Alfred. As expected the branch stayed as it is, Arthur sighed "I mean really cut it, do it like you're going to try to cut through rock" Yao raised an eyebrow at him and shrugged, swinging the hilt a bit harder, his eyes caught a part of the branch getting nicked and he stared down at the hilt disbelievingly "Did that just…?" Arthur smirked "I knew it, would you mind if I borrowed that for a bit?" Yao wordlessly handed him the dagger and Arthur swung as hard as he could, it was close to hitting the ground, the branch suddenly split into two "WHOA" Alfred stared at the chopped branch "Friggin cool! YAO SWITCH WITH ME!" Gilbert scoffed "Can't strike lightning tho"

Arthur gave Yao back the dagger and began his explanation when he noticed the doctor's mildly shocked expression "I've handled air 'daggers' before but not very long that I can show you anything other than that. You see the dagger's blade length and weight will depend on how much air the hilt will hit, the weapon will measure the air resistance and strength of the swing to construct a blade accordingly. All you have to do is pretend you're either swinging an axe like Gilbert's or a sword like Alfred's"

Yao looked down at the hilt in his hands, he smiled and moved it around like he was cutting something "This could be pretty handy aru" Arthur nodded then turned to Alfred, he glanced at the sheathed white sword and furrowed his eyebrows "Alfred, when you got that sword did it do anything in particular?" Alfred unsheathed the sword and twirled it around "Not really, it felt like a normal sword to me, kinda like my dad's sword" The swordsman's eyes trailed down to Arthur's satchel where his sword would most probably be. Arthur moved his satchel away from the swordsman's gaze "Are you sure?" Arthur walked closer "Could I take a look?" Alfred happily gave the sword to him. Arthur turned it around in his hands, he ran a finger on the blade's surface and even felt around for any infusion, he did feel something but he wasn't sure what it was "That's a bit strange…" He handed Alfred his sword back and the swordsman pouted "Aw man, so did I get like the only normal sword in that shop? That blows, maybe I should've looked around more or at least got that weird snake thing" Arthur suddenly pulled out a sword, the same one he used against Alfred when they met and charged at the swordsman without warning "WHOA!" Alfred shielded himself against Arthur's blade, and just as the two sword's blades touched Alfred's sword did something unbelievable. In the blink of an eye the sword mirrored that of Arthur's own, the mage smirked "Gemini sword" And pushed Alfred off, it was enough to make the swordsman lose balance and fall to the ground with his sword.

"Looks like you'll have to train harder Alfred" The swordsman blinked and looked at his hand, the sword slowly reverted itself back into its pristine white "Train harder?" Arthur returned his own sword into his satchel and helped Alfred back onto his feet "Your sword may be able to mirror your enemy's own but the battle will depend entirely on your strength and abilities, sometimes mirroring isn't all that great since you'll be on even level when it comes to your weapon. But if you're stronger there's a higher chance that even with the same weapon you'll be able to overcome who you're fighting" Arthur let go of his hand and looked at all their weapons "Those are the basics you'll need to know about your weapons, from here on out you'll have to train to master it, once you've all done so I might teach you another thing or two about your weapon, but for now this is what you'll have to work with. It's not a set back though, you've all been fighting with normal weapons up until this point, I don't think you'll get any weaker just because these are infused with magic" Arthur pulled out his sword "So, how about we spar?"

After quite a while of sparring the group was exhausted. Yao still had a bit of difficulty controlling the right amount of strength and air resistance to construct the blade he wanted, sometimes it was too long, short, heavy or light for him, it lead to a lot of confusion during the spar since neither Arthur nor Yao could see the blade, Arthur almost got cut twice but he trusted the doctor, plus the fact that Yao could probably help him heal later if needed. Gilbert on the other hand was good with is aim, the only problem is that he swung too slow so if he ever wanted to strike two bolts he'll have to use a lot of his strength to swing the second time, although he was still top notch when it came to fighting without the magic, Arthur found himself on the ground at least thrice. Then came Alfred, their sparring match wasn't as far from when they faced off the first time- at least this time there were no bears or annoying faeries-and as expected Alfred was stronger than him but he was still faster. Alfred's only problem is that he panics, whenever the swordsman looks down on the mirrored sword on his hand he gets freaked out, especially since he copied Arthur's sword so his was also leaking out shadows from time to time, and hesitates when his sword does something other than cut, for example becoming a shadow and going through something solid. It surprised Alfred and distracted him too often for him to focus on the match.

"You really shouldn't mind your weapon" Arthur shook his head at Alfred who was on the ground with his sword far away from him "How can I when it goes through everything?!" Arthur picked up his sword for him and offered it for the swordsman to take "If you keep staring at everything it does you won't even be able to see your enemy's sword come until its gone through your back. This isn't your dad's sword Alfred, it's a magical weapon, it won't just be a white sword and you'll have to accept that" Alfred sighed and reluctantly took the sword back, he stood up and sheathed his new sword, its weight on his side suddenly felt alien "I'll try Artie" Arthur returned his own sword and walked back to the middle of the camp with the swordsman where Gilbert and Yao were busy preparing brunch since they never really got around to eating breakfast and it was too late for that now "Matthew hasn't come back yet?" Gilbert questioned as the two blonds sat down with them "I haven't seen him aru, I just hope he didn't trip and hit his head somewhere" Yao sighed, stirring around the soup in the pot that they were cooking. Alfred looked into the forest where Matthew had stormed off in, he really did worry about his brother "He's just cooling off, this isn't the first time he acted like that"

"Maybe I should find him? It's my fault anyway" Arthur suggested, looking at the forest as well. Alfred patted him comfortingly on the back to keep him from getting any closer to guilt tripping himself "Hey, you knew we didn't know how to handle our weapons so all you did was say what you thought was right, a bit of basic training didn't hurt, I mean at least we know what we can do now" Arthur glanced at Gilbert and Yao who nodded at him as thanks, he smiled back at them sadly "I know but I've really upset Matthew. I shouldn't have acted so childish just because he didn't agree with me" With his mind made up Arthur stood "I'll go find him" Alfred tugged at his cloak "I'll go with you"

"No, you stay here, this is between me and Matthew, I want to do this alone" Alfred knew Arthur was determined to do this, he let go of the mage's cloak and jerked his thumb to the forest "Okay, but if Mattie starts acting up you can come back, he'll need some space" Arthur breathed in deeply and set off to find the summoner and hopefully Matthew had calmed down enough for him to have a decent conversation without finding an arrow shot into his head.

The mage looked around the forest for any sign of the purple eyed summoner "Matthew?" He called, walking deeper into the forest. It wasn't long until he spotted a slouched figure near a tree with a little white polar bear resting on the person's lap, it was definitely Matthew. Arthur knew that the summoner could hear his footsteps approaching, Matthew didn't look up, Kumajiro got a whiff of him and started to growl, bearing his teeth at the mage as he approached. Arthur held his hands up and walked cautiously towards the summoner without alerting the familiar of any hostile movement from him. Once he was close enough he decided to speak "Hello…Matthew.." The summoner patted Kumajiro on the head, the bear stopped growling and looked up at him "You think I don't know?" Arthur's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at Matthew's rhetorical question, he stayed silent "'Why did Matthew do that?' 'Matthew's just stressed' 'Matthew shouldn't have said that' BAH!"

Matthew's eyes looked up at the mage in the most sinister scowl he could muster, Arthur stepped back a bit from the anger he could see in Matthew's eyes "I heard Arthur. Look at you, waltzing in here like nothing's happened, I understand that you want everyone to work better with their weapons but every second we spend here whatever the kingdom is building back in Avia is close to getting finished! My plan was to sneak in there and meet up with our other branch, we don't even have to fight our way through. But you..you just immediately assumed that we'd look for a fight didn't you? And I didn't appreciate that" Arthur bit his lower lip, Matthew was right, he expected them to just muscle their way through, maybe he really should have listened to Matthew's plan first "Matthew, I-I'm really sorry that I've upset you"

"I don't want your apology" Matthew snapped, causing Kumajiro to growl at Arthur again. The mage stood his ground "Then don't take it but I will still be offering it to you" Matthew looked away from him and continued to pet the familiar on his lap, Arthur knelt down to his level "Matthew please, I know you don't want me here" A snort "But I know your friends mean a lot to you, so you'll just have to stomach my being here, or at least pretend I don't exist, right now I think your group will need you more than ever, trust me" Matthew never looked at Arthur "How can I?" He sighed and waved Arthur off "Just leave, don't try to speech your way out, just go" The mage pursed his lips and stood up, he opened his mouth to say something else "JUST GO!" Kumajiro jumped and slashed at him, Arthur jumped back just in time before the bear's claws got to him, he sighed and turned back to the camp, leaving Matthew alone for now.

Alfred watched Arthur come back from the forest, he had heard Matthew shout something so that would probably mean that it didn't end well. Arthur sat down next to him and hung his head "He's really mad at me" Alfred smiled sadly and nudged him with his elbow "It'll be okay, Matt's just tired, he'll come around eventually, you aren't the first royal mage he treated like this" Arthur arched an eyebrow at him and thanked Yao when the doctor handed him a bowl of soup "I'd think so, as rebels you encounter a few royal mages or two do you not?" Alfred scoffed and ate a bit of his soup "No I didn't mean that kind of encounter, there was a royal mage before you who was with us, Kiku. Do you know him?" Arthur's eyes showed recognition "Not personally but I've heard of him, he's the kingdom's biggest traitor" Then his eyes became saddened "Though, I suppose he's not alone anymore" The swordsman regretted bringing it up now, though Arthur wasn't sad for long "Where is he then?" He asked, curiosity getting the better of him. Alfred shrugged and looked up at Yao who was talking with Gilbert about something, good he wasn't paying attention "Kiku just disappeared one day, we don't know where he is. We're still looking"

Alfred sighed "I just hope he's okay…" Arthur looked down at his bowl of soup, all this sad talk was really ruining his appetite "Who knows, maybe we'll run into him?" Alfred chuckled "Maybe"

Vlad paced around the megaron as Ivan watched him. The mage mumbled to himself and ever so often gripped at his hair when he gets too frustrated. Ivan sighed "Vlad, you should be calming down now" Vlad snapped his head up and glared at him "How can I?! Arthur is gone Ivan! How could he?! How DARE HE?!" Vlad continued his pacing and tried to keep his stress at bay, he couldn't believe Arthur would just leave like that, after all they've been through…

Ivan secretly rejoiced the fact that Arthur was able to escape, it was about time he did "Lucky…" He mumbled. Vlad heard this and chuckled "What did you say Ivan?" The royal advisor held a steely gaze towards the mage "I said Arthur is 'Lucky'" Vlad walked up to him with a calm smile "And why is that lucky?" Ivan clenched his fists "Because he is free" Vlad hummed and turned around, only to face Ivan again with his fist flying towards the man's face. Ivan was immediately slammed to the wall, he slid down with a gasp and coughed as he tried to rid himself of the pain, it would have been surprising to others since Ivan obviously towered Vlad and was visibly more muscular than the mage, Ivan knew different.

"Are you implying that you played a hand in Arthur's treason?" Vlad asked, his voice never giving out just how pissed he was. Ivan grunted as he stood back up, using the wall for support "I did nothing comrade" Ivan decided that today he'll be bolder, screw Vlad "I just let him open his eyes" The mage didn't like the answer, Vlad threw glowing orb of energy at him and watched as Ivan got blown to the other side of the room, the advisor shouted in pain and looked down at the burning wound in his chest "You incompetent" Another fire, a scream "Worthless" The floor was stained red "Disrespectful" Ivan coughed and weakly tried to crawl away from the angered mage, Vlad stepped on his fingers and crushed them hard enough to make the advisor scream again "Bastard" Vlad reached down and snapped one of Ivan's fingers. The advisor shouted in pain and cradled the broken finger as Vlad pressed his boot against this face "Arthur was meant to stay here. Now that he's gone who knows what he'll find out" The boot slipped to Ivan's neck and the Russian man started choking "V..Vlaaah..hlk" Vlad pressed harder "Do you know how long it took me? How hard it was to make Arthur stay?" Ivan could see black dots dance around his vision, but the mage still kept at it "That son of a bitch was hard to tame. But it was worth it~" Vlad sang. Ivan glared at him and spat on his other boot "Sc..ew…you…..mons…ter…" He gasped. Vlad scowled at him "You've forgotten your place Ivan"

He gripped on the arm he was sure was broken, the advisor's scream was proof of it "I think another lesson is in order" The mage harshly pulled the advisor out of the megaron, screming for help, and to a long walk into the dungeons. The servants watched the mage wearily, looking away from their bloodied royal advisor who had fainted from the pain. It was a dark day in the kingdom indeed.

When will the royal family wake?

"Everyone ready?" Matthew called over his shoulder as he adjusted his hold on his bag. Yao finished packing up all their supplies and they were about ready to go, only it'll be harder this time since they'll have to travel on foot. Arthur watched the summoner as he began to give everyone instructions while purposely avoiding eye contact with him "Hey no sweat remember?" Alfred walked next to him with the same smile he always had. Arthur smiled back "Yes I know"

"Alfred!" Matthew called from the front. Alfred glanced at Arthur but the mage waved him off "Go on" He said. Alfred frowned but went up to his brother anyway, leaving Arthur alone at the end "I've told Lukas about our arrival to Avia, word will probably reach him one day before we get there if everything goes as planned" With that the group left their camp and prepared for a long journey ahead of them. Arthur watched while Matthew and Alfred continued to talk about something up front, he looked down on the ground and just tried to keep his mind busy since there wasn't a blubbering idiot beside hi- "Yo" Gilbert lagged behind enough so that he would eventually be walking side by side with the mage 'Nevermind' Arthur thought "Hello" The albino swung his hands behind him and looked up at the front of the group "Matthew steal your boyfriend? Are you jealoooous?" He joked. Arthur's face turned a twinge of red and he huffed "Nonsense, I'm nothing of the sort"

"Yeah suuuure"

"Stop that"

"Stop what?"

"That"

"What's 'that'?"

"Don't play dumb!...actually nevermind"

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" Arthur chuckled and waved off the albino, something that Gilbert didn't take so lightly. The noise from behind was enough to make Alfred look back, he frowned when he saw Gilbert seemingly trying to get Arthur to tell him something, the albino started to poke and get way too close into the mage's personal space, Alfred found himself glaring "Al!" Matthew called him back, Alfred blinked and looked at his brother "Oh sorry what?" Matthew rolled his eyes at him and continued their conversation "I said that Vash recently sent me a letter, he said that he was leaving the resistance to look after his sister" Matthew expected some sort of shocked reaction from his brother, but when he heard none he looked back at him to find Alfred glaring at Gilbert and Arthur at the back "Alfred!" The swordsman nodded "Yeah yeah, that's great Mattie…" He said absentmindedly, still keeping an eye on the two behind them. Matthew growled and shook his head, maybe he really should have just looked for another way into Avia from the start. At least by then they wouldn't have met Arthur at that dragon's keep….

"What? No way…" Gilbert stared ahead in disbelief, Arthur didn't know how to comfort him so he just patted the albino's shoulder "I'm not lying Gilbert, your brother's been serving the kingdom for four years now, don't tell me you haven't noticed anything" The albino groaned and shook his head "Well he did get pretty buff in like a short time, I thought he just worked out a lot, I didn't think it was…but he'd also be gone for a few days sometimes…" Gilbert rubbed his temples and clenched his fist "I'm such a fucking moron….four years…bruder…" Gilbert sighed and half smiled at Arthur "Not being too awesomely manly right now, sorry I'm depriving you of my awesomeness" Arthur chuckled "Apology accepted but you better stop depriving me of that soon, I don't think I'll last" Gilbert grinned at him and dug his shoulder "You're alright mage, you're alright" Alfred gritted his teeth, what was with that look Gilbert was giving? What the hell was that look Arthur was giving?! Out of all the people Arthur would get along with in their group he never ever thought Gilbert fucking Beilschmidt would be one of them. They weren't anything alike! They even fought once! What the hell?!

"If you want to go to Arthur then just go already" Matthew said so suddenly that Alfred was surprised, he felt a bit guilty for paying no attention to his brother, heck he even forgot he was walking next to him "What? No! Matt, I'm walking with you right now" The summoner scoffed "Sure you are" And walked faster, Alfred frowned and picked up his pace, did he just get in the middle of something?

Jason smirked down at the old lady who glared daggers at him, such a shame she lost those teeth, she needs them more than ever to compensate for that thing she calls a face "So old lady, lets try again" He took out his jagged dagger, pressing it close to Agnes' neck, the woman growled "Have you heard of a guy named Alfred?" Agnes spat at him "Go to hell" Jason tsked at her and sighed "You know I don't like doing this to old ladies" He handed his dagger to another person "That's why someone else will do it for me" Agnes scowled at him "You will meet a horrible fate" Jason arched an eyebrow "Oh really now? Wow I don't think my knees can hold me anymore" His group laughed. Agnes however simply smiled "I can see it in your soul young man, such a terrible fate, but fitting. Rest assured, old Agnes is never wrong" Jason rolled his eyes and turned to leave the tent "Blah blah blah, yeah okay I think I'll be going now" The marauder caught a glimpse of a red blade, he walked over to the barrel full of weapons and pulled it out, the sword instantly burst into flames. He smirked "Aaand I think I'll be taking this for free, it was a pleasure doing business with you"

He left the tent and listened. A scream. He smiled and sheathed his new sword "Excussssse me" A brunette haired girl approached Jason calmly, her eyes were slit and her tongue forked. Jason smirked at her "Yes? What can I do for you?" The girl chuckled and batted her long eyelashes at him "I think I know of thosssse that you sssssseek"