Light the Way
The struggle of the rose knights has ended. Decades have already passed in which Mutsuki has slept peacefully until he is abruptly awakened by a new evil that calls upon the power of a rose knight and a new contract. Mutsukixoc
Prologue:
Decades have passed since the calling for the four rose knights. Kaede had been chosen as the true rose by Anis, leaving the other three roses to remain as knights. After the hostile conflicts had been resolved among the fake roses, the demonic seal was destroyed, bringing peace and normalcy upon the world. As a result, the contracted role of the rose princess was terminated.
No longer having a vital role as a knight, Mutsuki chose to return into a deep slumber… He awaited the day when he would be called upon again as a knight.
.
.
.
…Elp m…
… Help…. Me…
Somebody help me!
Velvet red eyes appeared swiftly beneath the lids that had shut them out for so long. The owner of the eyes held a placid face on as he stirred and sat up from his bed. How long had he been asleep?
The man, Mutsuki, placed his head in his hand as he tried to remember all that had happened. Anis and the other rose knights were undoubtedly either dead or old by now. It felt like he had been slumbering for quite a while. But what had awoken him from the slumber? He tried to remember. Did he have a dream?
Impossible.
Night stalkers do not dream. They hunt the night under the cover of the stars. But then what had he just been seeing? Mutsuki tried to dig in his memory for those last few minutes before his eyes had snapped open. But it seemed like the more he thought, the further he was getting. What was going on?
Mutsuki rose from his bed and walked to the mansion windows. It was night out and the moon was nowhere to be seen. It looked so serene outside of his room. Not a single blade of grass stirred. Not even a cricket's chirp sounded in the night.
The man frowned. Something wasn't right. It was too quiet.
"Bastard!"
The darkness that Mutsuki had been so comfortable with dissipated as a flame appeared in a street in front of the mansion. He looked on with mild interest.
It was a young woman. It looked like she was wielding some type of fiery katana in her hands. She had been driven back by an opponent and fell on a knee in order to stabilize herself.
The young woman's hands were shaking with adrenaline. Her legs were so tired from running around that they could barely manage to hold her up anymore. Her face scrunched up in pain and a small dribble of blood escaped her lips.
"Enough. You bore me, girl."
"Tch." The young woman got back up on her feet and aimed her red hot katana straight at the man in front of her. "I will only ask once more, demon. Give me your fragment."
"Ahahaha. Don't make me laugh. You took the words right out of my mouth, little girl."
"I'm… Not… Little!" The young woman jumped up and swung her katana straight down on her opponent, effectively destroying a mere illusion. The woman's eyes widened at the realization of her error.
But it was too late. The real body of her opponent was already inches behind her. Her body froze. He raised his claws to drive through her heart. Just as the claws were mere millimeters away from the young woman's back, the man disintegrated in a gust of glowing lights.
"Akane. You are too reckless."
Another man with short auburn hair landed just next to the young woman. He blood that had stained his blade just moments before also disappeared with the orbs of light. The woman didn't bother to look at him.
"Onii-san… I could have handled myself."
"Clearly."
"…"
"You are not to leave our premises for the next month."
"What? You don't control that."
"As both your brother and guardian, I do."
"Why are you doing this?"
"You act too recklessly, endangering not only yourself but our race as well. Do you realize that?"
"It's my own life to do whatever I want!"
"Akane."
Her older brother's commanding voice silenced her. Akane hated being told what to do. She had never asked for any of this. She glanced back at where her opponent had once stood. In his place lay a single pure red rose petal. She didn't even bother to pick it up. She merely glared at the petal, turned, and left for her home.
Her older brother, Koichi, knelt down and scooped up the rose petal, carefully tucking it away in a handkerchief. He then sheathed his short sword and followed Akane to their home outside of the city.
Mutsuki watched on from his window with very vaguely interested eyes. What had happened to the world while he had slept? The fiery katana that the young woman wielded caught a little of his interest. But what had piqued his interest the most was the strange red rose petal that the disintegrated body had left on the ground. He felt a strong sensation of familiar power drawing him to the rose petal.
Did this have something to do with his abrupt awakening? What had happened to the world while he slept?
Mutsuki left the window to the world. He looked back at the large gloomy bed. He wanted nothing more but to return to his sleep. Yet something tugged at him to stay awake. It felt almost as if he would soon be needed as a rose knight once more. It was a vague shred of a feeling, but the intuition was still there.
The black haired night stalker traversed out of the mansion, leaving it behind and promising his bed a date at a later time. He had to find out what was going on with the roses.
The first logical plan would be to follow the young woman and her brother back to their home where the rose petal was held. A simple task for the well-trained and conspicuous night stalker.