Chapter 26: Arbiters of Fate

  “You guys can go first.” Leonhart leaned against Gauss. Her chest rose and fell as she caught her breath after yet another intense training session under Lady Meng.

  “You okay?” Jude asked as she crouched down next to her.

  Leonhart waved her off. “I just need a bit more practice. Just go, I’ll join you later.”

  “Don’t push yourself too hard.” Kazuya's grey eyes brimmed with concern. Leonhart nodded and gave him the toothiest smile she could manage.

  A few moments later, she was alone with Gauss and Lady Meng. “It’s been a long day, you should rest instead of staying back for extra training,” Lady Meng said, handing her a bottle of ice-cold water.

  “I’m destined to be an Ancil, right?” Leonhart blurted, her voice wobbling.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “I’m never going to get my parents’ abilities because of this! Stupid! Head!” Leonhart stabbed herself in the centre of her forehead with her thumb. “Can’t visualise anything! No mental image! Nothing! They didn't pass their Wills down to me! Kazuya got his through a dream, but I…”

  She kicked her legs out and huffed. “If I had either one of my parents’ abilities, then maybe things would have turned out differently that day.”

  “It’s perfectly fine to feel like that,” Lady Meng sighed. “And it’s better for you to talk about it if it bothers you.”

  “I guess…”

  “Leonhart, since you’ve been around Felix for a long time, you should be familiar with what he does during his free time…”

  “Women.”

  “Let’s not talk about that.”

  “Well, he likes to listen to K-pop and that one slow song, ‘By the Light of the Silvery Moon’, I think. Spends most of his time at the dance studio or the gym,” Leonhart lay down on the soft grass, using one hand to boop Gauss's metallic nose repeatedly. “Sometimes he says he likes to do some stargazing, but I think it’s just an excuse to shield his flirtatious ass.”

  Lady Meng smirked. “He stargazed a lot back when we were still training. Leonhart, what do you think makes the night sky so beautiful?”

  Leonhart was caught off guard by the sudden question. Her fidgety hands stilled. “Uhm… The stars and the moon?”

  “When people talk about the night sky, they rarely talk about the clouds. Why? Because they know that beyond it, the stars will still be there, shining on,” Lady Meng said. “Stars can shine anywhere, and clouds do not get in the way of people’s vision of the perfect night sky.”

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  “Uh-huh.”

  “Collectively, these stars make the night sky bright,” Lady Meng went on. “Sorcery is both a team and an individual sport. You fight for your survival and ensure the safety of others; it goes both ways. Everyone plays their part.”

  “Why are you telling me all this?”

  Lady Meng exhaled. She pulled out a white dandelion and blew on it gently. Feathery seeds lifted into the air with the gentlest evening breeze. “It is true that your parents’ Wills sit inside you. They are indeed very formidable abilities. However, due to circumstances that we cannot control, you may never be able to reach the height of sorcery.”

  Leonhart bit her lower lip and chewed on it.

  “But Felix thought differently. He knows your limits. You know, he could have easily transferred you to the Ancil course, but have you thought about why he is still putting you through the same training regimen as the rest?”

  Leonhart remained silent.

  “Because you have potential,” Lady Meng said, gesturing towards Gauss. “Your ability may not be working, but you still have these. Even if the system decides to give you the label of an Ancil, why does it keep you from realising what you are truly capable of? Look at Shun Wei Teng–”

  “Not that hobo,” Leonhart griped. Shun often looked like a walking pile of dirty bedsheets.

  “He’s not a hobo, even if he dresses like one.” Lady Meng wagged her finger reproachfully, despite her lips pulling back into a slight smirk. “He does not involve himself in combat, but he’s not an Ancil either.”

  “He’s not?”

  “Nope, he has made a name for himself,” Lady Meng said. “A title that I am sure he would be eager to pass on.”

  The shadows of doubt in Leonhart’s heart dissolved like mist under the warmth of newfound inspiration. She could be the one to inherit that title, given that there were major overlaps in what they enjoyed doing. “What is it?” she asked.

  “He’s the Arbiter of Logic,” Lady Meng answered. “The Arbiters are a name given to those in the generation above mine who have an absolute grasp over their domains. Wanna know the others?”

  “I wanna know! Tell me! Tell me!” Leonhart squeaked excitedly. “Do I know them?”

  Lady Meng held up two fingers. “You know two of them very well.”

  “Uh… Well, the first name that comes to mind is Dr. Farid,” Leonhart guessed. “Oh, he’s definitely one of them.”

  “That’s correct,” Lady Meng said with a nod. “Dr. Farid is the Arbiter of Knowledge. There is a reason why he was my teacher. What about the other Arbiter?”

  “Dr. Lee?”

  To this, Lady Meng shook her head. “It’s Chakrit. He’s the Arbiter of Craft.”

  “Huh?!” Leonhart exclaimed. “The Weaponmaster? Isn’t he just a smith?”

  “A smith he is,” Lady Meng said. “Though he lacks an ability, his craftsmanship is unrivalled. It was absolute and of the highest standards anyone could ask for.”

  “That’s a lot of work for a title.”

  “So you see, everyone started from somewhere. Everyone’s a work in progress, but…” Lady Meng sighed wistfully as she lay down on the grass. Leonhart tapped the toes of her boots in anticipation, wondering what else Lady Meng would say.

  A long silence stretched before Lady Meng finished her sentence. “... a complete work is different from a concluded one. Remember that, Leonhart.”