The Moonlight Swordsman

They continued talking amongst themselves, mostly about their current lives; Irene and Sherlyn mentioned their jobs and everyday happenings. Irene also inquired about Aizel's situation, who was currently jobless.

She was curious about how Aizel was handling it. He told her there was nothing to worry about. He lied about some savings and that from time to time he was able to find some freelance work.

Alora was taking care of everything with her power, which saved them a lot of money. He didn't like it, but he also knew he couldn't offend Alora.

Sherlyn and Aizel exchanged phone numbers and the group then left the shawarma shop.

Aizel and Alora parted with Sherlyn and Irene and went their separate ways. Now that they were alone, it was time to eat some ice cream and talk about the more important questions he needed to be answered.

Aizel and Alora arrived at the ice cream shop. It was only a short walk away from the shawarma shop.

They ordered their favorite flavors and found a quiet spot to chat. Aizel took a deep breath and asked what he had been meaning to.

"I want to know more about my mental core and mind potion.

"I recently used the mind potion during a fight, and it was of great help. It created a small protective layer around my mind's consciousness, allowing me to focus and concentrate more effectively.

"Does it also help improve my mental core, and are there more upper-grade mind potions available?" Aizel finished. He waited for Alora, who was savoring her ice cream, to respond.

"Yes, there are upper-grade mind potions available, but they are only made by a few famous or noble potion masters. You would have to find them on your own.

"But it will not help you increase or heal your mental core; it can only relieve pain and calm your mind, which can help you focus better and increase your thinking power." Alora finished her explanation. Aizel was now in deep thought.

"So can I increase... I mean, heal my core then?" Aizel asked. He was puzzled.

"The more magic you use, the more imagination you use, and the more knowledge you acquire of magic in Xelgar, coupled with mana; your mind core will heal on its own.

"But be very careful, Aizel; never try to use a power your core can't handle under any circumstance. It's already cracked, and it won't be able to handle more. If you do that, your core will burst along with your head." Alora warned Aizel. It made him disturbed how his life was hanging by a thread.

"You mean I was close to death before I lost my childhood memories? How did that happen? There is no mana in this world, so how would I have been able to use my power here?" Aizel bombarded Alora with one question after the other.

He wanted to know just what the hell had happened to him.

"It is not the right time; as I said before, you will know everything when the time comes. For now, just focus on healing your core and try to make some new friends, go on dates, and fall in love with someone. Enjoy the life you've never had and only dreamed of."

"How...How do you know all this?" Aizel was startled.

"Did you forget already?" Alora smirked.

"Damn it, that means you knew everything about me from the start; this... this is not acceptable. Just forget about everything now." Aizel said in anger. He couldn't believe Alora knew everything about him. He felt naked in front of this loli.

"Shut up, idiot, I have helped you more than you can imagine. When the day comes when you realize that, you will treat me like your queen." Alora said with pride, licking her chocolate brownie ice cream.

"Yeah, yeah." Aizel sighed. He knew if she said no, nothing could change her mind.

"Just let me get stronger, and I will show you who's the boss." Aizel thought. Alora simply chuckled, which sent a shiver down his spine.

"Uh, one more thing. How will I know if I advanced or healed my core to the next grade?" Aizel asked. He wondered if system-type information would show on some magic screen or if some kind of number or power would appear in his mind.

"Normal ways don't work on you; you will not know whether you have advanced to grade II or not," Alora said.

"Then?"

"Your mental core works differently. I'm sure you have noticed it is shaped like a circle that looks like a moon.

"It will start to glow slowly as your core heals; in the first stage, it will glow a crescent shape, just like the crescent-shaped moon. That means your core has been healed up to Grade III.

"In the next stage, it will glow like a half-moon, which means it has healed up to Grade V. When it glows like a waning gibbous moon, that means it has healed up to Grave VII.

"And then the full moon glow. You know the rest." [ Look at the end of the chapter for the note]

"So, it works just like the phases of the moon; that's pretty interesting, but how do you know about this,"

"It was you who told me about this," Alora answered.

"Damn, who the fuck was I before?" Aizel murmured.

"An idiot."

Aizel ignored Alora and pondered over other questions he might have had for her.

"So, I will be able to use more power when it reaches the crescent-shaped glow, right?" Aizel asked with excitement. He was getting goosebumps just knowing how much he would be able to accomplish with his powers.

"Yaa, about that, don't get drunk on your power; you know what will happen, right? Try to keep your power a secret no matter what; do not tell anyone about it; even Daisy." Alora warned him again.

"I know, I don't want to become a lab rat for some powerful old mage stroking their long beard and experimenting with my head."

Author's note: To imagine better about the mental core of Aizel, try searching for different moon phases on Google. Peace out!