There will be consequences.

Although Ace had his own way of negating the icy chill of the rain on him, it was more labourous and downright uncomfortable compared to using spirit mold to shield his body.

An influx of vitality flowed through him, increasing his blood flow and body temperature.

A faint steam arose from him, making him feel light headed.

His brain couldn't adapt quickly to the rise in temperature and blood flow in him.

'This is why I don't like doing this!'

Ace complained, his thoughts muddled by the burning sensation in his head.

"We're done here Aequs, isn't that right?" Ace said, more than eager to escape from the relentless patter of the rain.

Aequs looked him up and down, slightly raising his eyebrows at the steam coming off Ace. "sure!"

Ace wasted no time, he turned around as fast as his muddled brain could let him, without tumbling on the ground.

Ace walked a few steps, before a faint voice, choppy and intermittent, resounded in his ears.

"There . . . will . . . be . . . consequences . . . if you disobey our contract . . . Ace virvitanima."

Following that statement Ace felt an invisible chain tightening across his heart.

Goosebumps rose all over his body, he felt like he was dipped in an ice cellar.

"No!" Ace exclaimed as he turned around —uncaring about the perilous status of his brain — Thankfully he didn't stumble.

"That . .that . ." Ace struggled to speak, his teeth gritted gritted against each other.

Right behind him,

Where they had stood previously,

Aequs had disappeared!

Ace eyes filled up with hatred, Making his amethyst eyes, invisibly turn into a shade of red.

Gone was the fear he felt towards the strange chains that bound him, only a searing hot rage blazed through his heart.

His clenched arms squeezed even tighter his piercing red eyes seemed to burn a hole in the space before him.

"I'LL KILL HIM!" Ace roared in anger.

Through his clouded mind Ace felt an uncanny feeling of discordance.

There was something wrong with him!

"Why do I feel so angry?"

That realisation poured a bucket of cold water on him.

He repeated "Why do I feel so angry?"

"Sure! Aequs laced my heart with a something ominous." Ace shivered, recollecting the blood red chain he saw tightening around his heart.

'but that wasn't the worst that could happen, He didn't in no way harm me, even if he did, I'm still alive, I shouldn't be reacting so intensely and immaturely, I'm a fifty five years old man, for god's sake! if subtracting the time I spent in the void, My emotions shouldn't be this vigorous, it's meant to be as calm as a lake, It's been turbulent ever since I got into Culmen city.' But that was to be expected.

Whose heart could stay calm when the power to grasp the the stars was within reach?

Ace frowned in deep thought 'But this . . .this was something more,'

He felt emotions were overflowing and his heart was leaking.

'I feel like a cracked bowl!' he said, rubbing his hand over his face.

'bowl'...'cracked'

Those words reminded Ace of the mental exercises he did daily, one of which he had to mold his spirit into a bowl scoop water.

'Spirit' that train of thought took his his mind to another direction.

"That's it! Spirit! My soul injury!" Ace exclaimed.

He recollected the gruesome state of his soul after the soul of injury, fine cracks littered across the faintly translucent skin of his soul.

"Is my soul injury related to my chaotic emotions?

Does the cracks within my soul, let my emotions burst forth?"

Now that Ace thought about it that way, he seemed to feel an invisible cloud of emotions drifting off him.

But when he looked closer it was gone.

'What was that? Does my soul injury truly have a relation to my recently chaotic emotions? If so then the consequences of having an injured soul might be greater than expected.'

And that was just the consequences Ace knew of, who knew if there were any other adverse effects to having an injured soul.

He really needed to be careful about anything soul–related next time.

'Great! don't I just love the problems when they roll in!"Ace said sarcastically.

This day had been a bummer so far, from the horrible weather, to the newly discovered adverse effects of having a fractured soul.

Ace breathed heavily with frustration thinking about it.

'Uggh! ~ it's happening again!' Ace took a deep breath to clear his mind of any negative thoughts, filling them with positive ones instead.

'At least I got the information I wanted from aequs, all be it with a strange price to pay, but I'm alright! right?

All I need to do is to try and get Emilia onto the the same team as Aequs during the academy exams"

"which is not that bad all things considered, all I have to do is to get closer to her while also extracting sweet juicy tasty knowledge about the path of bestowal from her, the only sour spot is that she's from the holy order, but a thirsty man will drink the deadliest of poisons to quench his thirst."