Ace wasted no time.
He told Darian everything—the truth about Vargan, the ritual, and the name behind it all.
"…Vaelros," Darian repeated quietly.
Ace nodded. "And he's far more dangerous than we thought."
---
They traveled to Eldoria together.
Inside the castle, Amagi stood waiting as Ace entered—with Darian behind him.
Tension filled the room.
"This is Darian," Amagi said after a moment. "An ally… for now."
Before anything else could be said—
Norio stepped forward.
His gaze locked onto Darian.
"…We've fought side by side once," Norio said.
Darian didn't look away. "…Yeah."
Norio's expression hardened slightly.
"But now… Vaelros is my enemy."
The meaning was clear.
Whatever stood between them before didn't matter anymore.
---
Soon, everyone gathered in the hall.
The air was serious.
Ace spoke first. "Vaelros steals from the soul. Power, traits… anything."
Murmurs spread.
"But," Ace continued, "if he steals from the same person twice… he takes their burden too."
Silence.
That changed everything.
---
Amagi suddenly froze, as if something clicked.
"…Ace."
Ace looked at him.
Amagi's voice lowered.
"Your heart… it's chained."
Ace's eyes widened slightly.
"If Vaelros steals your power twice…" Amagi continued, "he won't just gain strength—he'll carry everything inside you."
The weight.
The restraint.
The pain.
---
Darian stepped forward. "Then that's it. That's our strategy."
Ace didn't respond immediately.
He already understood.
"…I become the target," he said.
No one disagreed.
---
After a moment, Ace nodded.
"…Fine."
His voice was calm—but firm.
"If that's how we win…"
A small flame flickered in his hand.
"Then I'll make sure he takes it."
---
The plan was set.
Not to overpower Vaelros—
But to break him.