It began with something small.
Too small to panic over.
The Minotaur returned to the workshop, skirt swishing proudly…
then stopped mid-step.
"…Ace," he said carefully.
"My skirt feels… wrong."
Ace looked up from his worktable.
The skirt—once glowing with soft courage—
flickered.
Just once.
Ace frowned.
"That's not normal."
Ravenna fluttered closer.
"Emotional enchantment instability?"
Ace ran a paw over the fabric.
The magic was still there.
But it felt… thin.
Like a thread pulled too tight.
"I'll recalibrate it," Ace said calmly.
"No big deal."
Except—
When he stitched the enchantment back in—
Nothing happened.
The thread refused to glow.
Ace's whiskers twitched.
"…Okay. That's new."
---
Failure #1: Magic Doesn't Respond
The Minotaur shifted nervously.
"Am I… less brave now?"
Ace forced a smile.
"No. This is on me. Give me a moment."
He tried again.
Different thread.
Different pattern.
Different emotional anchor.
Still nothing.
Ravenna went quiet.
"That shouldn't be possible," she whispered.
Ace swallowed.
---
Failure #2: The Dragon's Hoard Reverts
By afternoon, the dragon arrived in a panic.
"ACE!!" he roared.
"My hoard—!"
They rushed to the cave.
The neat sections Ace had designed—
collapsed.
Gold piles slid together.
Labels peeled off.
Artifacts tangled.
Worse—
The mimic intern was asleep.
Completely inert.
Ace shook it gently.
Nothing.
The dragon's voice cracked.
"I did everything right… I followed the system…"
Ace stared at his reflection in a pile of gold.
"…It's undoing my work."
---
Failure #3: The Scarf Goes Cold
That evening—
The boy returned.
But this time…
The scarf was gray.
No glow.
No warmth.
The boy's voice trembled.
"It stopped responding."
Ace touched it.
Cold.
Dead.
The girl stood beside him, worry etched on her face.
"It's like… it's gone."
Ace's chest tightened.
He tried to activate the enchantment.
Nothing.
For the first time—
Ace felt powerless.
---
The workshop was silent.
Ravenna hovered low.
"This isn't random," she said quietly.
"Someone is interfering."
Ace clenched his paws.
"Not me," he muttered.
"Not my work."
The boy looked at Ace desperately.
"Did I do something wrong?"
Ace snapped his head up.
"No."
His voice was sharp.
Absolute.
"You didn't."
He looked around the room.
At the people he'd helped.
At the stability he'd built.
Then—
He felt it.
A pattern.
A deliberate unraveling.
"They're not breaking things," Ace said slowly.
"They're removing… meaning."
Ravenna's feathers bristled.
"That's… advanced interference."
Ace's tail lashed.
"This is targeted."
The relic in the corner—
pulsed.
Once.
Ace turned.
Staring at it.
"…You know something."
The relic vibrated.
And for the first time—
Ace didn't feel chosen.
He felt challenged.
Ace inhaled deeply.
"Alright," he said quietly.
"If someone wants to test me…"
His eyes hardened.
"…they just escalated this project."