"Even, may I have a word with you?"

It was that question from Lord Ansem that gave Even pause, made him stop what he was doing, and face the ruler of Radiant Garden with the utmost solemnity. It wasn't often that Lord Ansem came into the library. The only reason he came in the past was some sort of breakthrough, or some emergency, or if Ienzo had eluded the castle guards and was running around town again. The boy was sitting in a particularly fluffy chair near the window at the moment, a good distance away from Even as he read. He was either pretending he didn't see Lord Ansem come in, or he truly was not aware of the man's presence; knowing him, it was the latter.

"Of course, Lord Ansem," Even finally replied, "Is there something the matter?"

Amber eyes passed over Ienzo in the distance before returning to Even to answer his question. "How is he fairing?"

It made sense that he was asking about Ienzo. Even hadn't kept track of the time, but the boy had been here for at least a couple of months now. "He's been making slow progress. The trauma he experienced was severe. He hasn't spoken yet."

"What about the nightmares?"

"Almost every night without fail. He wouldn't verbally tell me what they were about, but I had him illustrate a few days ago. They're the same each and every time."

"About the fire, I presume." Ienzo glanced up from his book. They were speaking about him—that much was obvious. They were talking about events that Even had pushed him for, and he wanted nothing to do with that. He needed to continue reading his book, not be interested in their conversation. Besides, if they knew that he could hear them, they would leave, and he would not be able to eavesdrop.

"Yes. I believe they are symptoms of a stress disorder. I did some research, and that was the only conclusion I could come to. For now, I, and Aeleus, are doing all that we can to ensure that he is comfortable. One of us has been staying with him each night."

"Has that been helping?"

"Between that, the tutoring, and the reading, somewhat. As you can see, he enjoys reading. It takes me a fair amount of effort to pry him away from his book." Even paused, his gaze dropping to the floor for a moment before apprehensively looking back up. "There is something else."

"Yes?"

Ienzo could tell that Lord Ansem was just as curious as he was. The book was in front of his face, but his eyes weren't taking in the words in front of them. Why did Even's voice drop like that? Everything else he said was already bad. There couldn't be much worse that he had to say, not that he knew of.

Even took his time to choose the right words before he spoke. "At your request, I have been tutoring him since he has arrived. Despite the trauma he has been through, the progress he has made is extraordinary, and I do not use that term lightly. I started with simple concepts and what children at his age should be learning. He has progressed far past everything that I have given him, and we have moved on to more difficult concepts. There wasn't a hint of jealousy in his voice like Ienzo thought there would be. There was pride, and it was swelling to the point where it was filling up the whole room. He had thought Even was growing frustrated with their tutoring and how his student was moving too quickly through the material. He was wrong.

"Suffice to say, Lord Ansem," he went on, "The rumors surrounding Ienzo are true. He is a prodigy."

Cerulean eyes peeked over the book to see how Lord Ansem received that information. His face showed surprise, his eyes widened. It wasn't normal to hear Even speak with that much pride or enthusiasm, and Lord Ansem knew that better than anyone. There wasn't any other indication of surprise, not even in his reply. "And you're sure of this?"

"He was able to solve the equation you gave me last week within minutes, and others like it. Also, if you haven't noticed, he is currently reading The Aeneid in its original Latin form."

That was enough to make Lord Ansem pause and look at Ienzo, who promptly went back to reading his book. His gaze on the boy lasted a good minute before he went back to Even. "I see. This is more promising than I could hope for."

"What do you mean by that?" Even's question echoed in Ienzo's, both of them looking earnestly at Lord Ansem for a reply. A bit of a smile crept onto the man's face before he gave the answer that would change the lives of everyone in the castle.

"It means that he will be an excellent apprentice."