Chapter 49

"I'm telling you, it's not like that!" cried Kyoko, tears of frustration threatening to fall. "I just needed help with my magic, and then it got late and I fell asleep. I don't even remember getting into his bed."

"You were in his bed?" said Kanae, eyebrow raised.

"Not like that!" said Kyoko. "He slept on the chair, I think at least. We didn't do anything indecent."

"Mmm hm." hummed Kanae, still looking skeptical.

The two of them were standing outside of Kuon's room, waiting for him and his adviser to come out. The body guards at the harem had sent Kanae this direction to pick up Kyoko, who was now vehemently denying all the accusations Kanae's face was making.

"You don't believe me?" said Kyoko softly

"Your relationship with the prince isn't my business." Said Kanae stiffly. "I don't want to hear the details."

"There are no details! Nothing happened."

"That's not what everyone else is going to think." Said Kanae. "Don't you realize you've just created even more rumors?"

Kyoko raised her eyes to the ceiling, mouthing wordless curses to whatever power put her in this horrible situation. Why did everyone have to assume her and the prince were doing indecent things? Sure, she was a concubine, and she had come into his room late at night, and there were rumors everywhere about her, but that didn't mean anything.

Okay, so it sounded really bad.

"I wouldn't worry about it." Said Kuon, who had obviously heard their conversation as he stepped out of the room, Yukihito right behind him. "Most people are distracted with the rumors of the accursed. Something like this won't last long."

Kyoko grumbled, unable to help the pink that dusted her cheeks. He was used to the rumors, especially since he was the one with a harem. She, on the other hand, didn't appreciate being looked at as such a loose girl.

"Could I speak to you privately for a moment?" asked Kuon, motioning Kyoko over.

Curious, Kyoko nodded, walking a short distance from the other to talk to Kuon. They left behind Yukihito and Kanae to talk amongst themselves. Once they were out of ear shot, Kuon stopped.

"I have a favor to ask of you." He said. "Since the curse has been acting up more often, I was wondering if I could have you sooth it for me?"

"You're talking about with the massage?" said Kyoko. "Of course! Would you like me to do one for you now?"

"No, I don't need it at the moment." Said Kuon. "But I'm sure I will in the future. When that happens, would it be alright for me to come to your office?"

"Of course. You don't need to ask me that. I'm a physician Prince Kuon, it's my job."

Then he looked a little sheepish. "Yes, but I also know how you hate the rumors going around, and going to visit you is sure to make them worse."

Of course, especially since she had just come to his place. How would that look? The two of them going to meet each other at work and home. No wonder there were rumors. It was infuriating how paranoid she felt. No one should live like this, unable to visit a friend for help just because of the rumors that would start. Who had the time to gossip about other people's lives?

"It seems like we can't talk to each other without those horrible rumors going around." muttered Kyoko. "It doesn't matter at this point. They'll be there no matter what we do and I wouldn't want to deny you treatment just because of them."

"Thank you." He said. "I really appreciate it. I always feel better after seeing you at the end of the day."

Had Kyoko been a love sick girl, she might have taken the comment as an attempt at flirting. Instead, her rational mind sorted through his playboy ways and found his true meaning. There was no way Kuon would flirt with her. She was just a plain normal girl. Surely he meant he enjoyed her company because she wasn't expecting something from her. They were friends, and as such enjoyed each other's company as normal friends did.

That was what he had meant.

"Maybe not so late in the day." said Kyoko with a grimace. "I doubt you got much sleep your highness."

"I got enough, but you are always welcome to come and visit me Kyoko, no matter the hour."

Kyoko bit her lip. Had this been earlier in their friendship, she would have taken his words and empty offer, something he said, but did not mean. She knew better now. She couldn't deny that he cared for her, not after the evening in Corn's treasure room where he had admitted to pushing her away for her own safety. That he worried about her.

And that was the reason she had been hesitant to come in the first place. All her indecision came back as she realized she was indulging her feelings instead of suppressing them.

"Thank you Prince Kuon." She said. "But I hope I don't have to come to your room late at night again. I'm trying to get rid of the rumors, not make them worse."

"Of course." Said Kuon.

Then he did something complexly not helpful to her nerves. He bent forward, coming closer to her face, which made her immediately freeze up. He placed a kiss on her forehead, tender and sweet. Her eyes were budging as he withdrew, smiling at her.

"Good luck today in class." He said. "I have complete confidence in you."

Then he left with Yukihito before Kyoko could even respond. She just stood there, the heat slowly creeping up her neck.

That was a second time. The second times he had given her a kiss! How could he do something so embarrassing so easily and without a second thought? He was such a flirtatious playboy. Didn't he realize that a kiss was a big deal? And what was up with kissing her on the forehead! Did he think she was a child that needed comfort or something?

"I'm not a kid!" called Kyoko finally, angry.

"Are you sure about that?" said Kanae in a mildly amused voice. The hall way was empty except for the two of them. Prince Koun was long gone.

Kyoko hurried back to the harem before going to her lessons. She had to change quickly and grab a few things. More than anything, she prayed that the other concubines were still asleep. They would eventuall hear about Kyoko's visit to Kuon last night, if they hadn't already. Though she would deny any feelings or relationship with Kuon, she wouldn't be able tod take the confrontation at the moment. Especially from a certain beautiful, busty concubine.

"Wait here a moment." Said Kyoko at the entrance of the harem.

"Sneaking back in? You're making yourself look doubly guilty." Said Kanae.

"Shhh! I don't want them to know I'm back."

Kyoko didn't see Kanae roll her eyes, instead slipping into the concubine quarters. She could hear talking, some of the women already awake and getting ready for the day. Kyoko reached a corridor, then darted back when she saw two women talking in front of the bathroom. She peered around the corner, watching as they left.

Kyoko raced to her room, hurrying inside and closing the door.

Safe! She was safe.

Kyoko let out a long sigh.

"We wondered when you'd get back."

Kyoko jumped, banging her heel against the door. Seated through the room were three concubines. Utako was resolutely reading a book, not yet dressed for the day. Yumi sat on the edge of Kyoko's bed, playing some sort of card game against Risa.

"Ha!" said Risa, throwing down a card. "Duke of sands makes 13! I win so cough up!"

Yumi clicked her tongue in annoyance, shoving a pile of her cards towards Risa. For a moment Kyoko was lost, standing there while the other three of them engaged in their activities. None of them had acknowledged her past her initial entrance.

Maybe they would let her pass without asking anything?

Kyoko crept towards her wardrobe, pulling it open to find a change of clothes. She let their chatter fall into the background, quickly changing as fast as she could.

She had just pulled her blouse over her head when Yumi's voice made her freeze.

"How was last night?"

Kyoko's mouth went dry, staring at Yumi, who was now looking at her. Risa was counting her cards, evidently adding something together.

"What do you mean?" said Kyoko

"You went to Kuon's chambers last night." Said Yumi. "Everyone's talking about it."

So it was as she feared. They all knew, somehow or another they knew and they were there to question her about it. Maybe even haze her in some way. Forget the accursed, these women could be terrifying.

"It's not what you think." sputtered Kyoko. "I just needed help with my magic. Nothing indecent happened, honest! We just finished so late and I fell asleep while we were working and I have no idea how I-"

She cut herself off, realizing how it sounded. That she had fallen asleep on the cushions and somehow found herself on the bed the next morning. That had given her quite the scare. Poor Yukihito had been surprised at her reaction while Kuon had just laughed.

Yumi's lips thinned into a line, apparently displeased with the answer.

"Has Kuon lost all his sense as a man?" she said. "Or perhaps you were unwilling to sleep with him."

"Of course I am!" said Kyoko, her face on fire now. "I will only engage in that sort of thing with my husband, not that I'll ever have a husband. I don't want to get married or fall in love or any of that sort."

"Told you." Said Risa, grinning at Yumi. "The girl is as straight-laced as they come. I doubt anything would have happened even if they had confessed their mutual love."

Kyoko scowled. Obviously they had come in here just to gang up on her.

"There is nothing between us." Said Kyoko firmly, finishing putting on her clothes. "And there never will be."

Yumi and Risa exchanged looks, Risa giving a shrug. It was obvious from their faces that they didn't believe her. How preposterous. Especially their deluded notion that Kuon liked her as well.

That was a fantasy she would never indulge in.

"I'm going to be late for class." Said Kyoko. "I'll see you guys later."

"Can you tell me this at least?" said Yumi, making Kyoko stop. "With all the rumors and envy that will get worse because of this, was it worth it?"

Kyoko paused, thinking about last night and everything she had learned. It had been hard to learn so much in one evening, but it had also been fun. A lot of fun. She'd forgotten the thrill of leaning something new, something that challenged her like this had. The company had been a plus. She'd stopped analyzing her every move around the prince, throwing herself into the lesson and enjoying his presence.

A smile slowly crept across her face.

"Yes, it was." Said Kyoko.

Kyoko entered the classroom that morning, tired but excited. She slipped into her seat just as the teacher walked in.

"We're going to be reviewing mostly today." Kazutoyo said. "We've covered a lot in a short amount of time, and I want to address any questions you might have before we move on to more complicated procedures. This is the time to ask questions and practice anything you feel you are weak on."

This situation will work in my favor. Thought Kyoko. The class was already talking and moving, getting ready to practice their individual tasks. She would be able to adjust the magic circles in the tools, replacing them with the one she and Prince Kuon had designed specifically for her. Hopefully she could remember it.

Kyoko pulled out a surgical needle, one of the first tools they had started with. She pressed on the center of it, channeling carefully to show the spells inside the item. It gave a light shimmer, the runes appearing above it in soft glowing lights… except there was only one circle.

That's not right thought Kyoko. The needle should have three. The light circle, an arcane circle, and the ignition spell. She meant to remove the arcane circle anyway, but the fact that they were missing was disturbing. How did this happen?

Then she heard the slight sniggering behind her.

They tampered with the tools! Kyoko realized, not looking behind her. Of course they would. Too bad for them, they didn't know that Kyoko now knew how to install the ignition spell.

She was about to get started when Kazutoyo noticed her.

"What happened?" said Kazutoyo, coming to her table. "Where did the arcane spells go? Did you get rid of them?"

"I didn't." said Kyoko. "It was like this when I got here."

Kazutoyo frowned before grabbing some of the other tools that were with Kyoko. A roll of bandage, surgical clamps, heart monitors, they all had been wiped of their arcane spells. Thankfully the light circles were still present, but everything else was gone without a trace.

"How did this happen?" groaned Kazutoyo, "It's going to take a while to reinstall all those spells, and I don't have time to do it today. You took some tools home to practice. Did you have any luck with them?"

"I did." Said Kyoko, "But I left them in my room." She'd wanted to be able to practice recreating the ignition spell on her own. If only she'd had the foresight to bring them today.

"Then just go home for today." Said Kazutoyo, shaking his head. "There's no point in you being here. I'll get someone else to reprogram them by the time you return tomorrow."

Kyoko opened her mouth to tell him that she could reprogram the spells herself, but someone called Kazutoyo over. He hurried away without hearing Kyoko reply. Instead she was left alone, aware of the tables around her that had heard the exchange. She didn't need to look to know that they were relieved that she had been told to leave.

She could hear the snickers behind her, thinking they had tripped her up. In truth, they had made her job easier. Now she wouldn't have to erase the arcane circles herself.

She took a deep breath, then pulled from her beaded bag a thin tool. It was silver, with the end tapering off to form a point. It was a stylus, used to install runes into items. Prince Kuon had been kind enough to lend it to her yesterday.

The light circle was still hovering above the surgical needle, waiting for her to reprogram.

Sucking on her teeth in concentration, she pressed the tip of the instrument in the air right below the light circle.

"What are you doing?"

Kyoko paused. One of the other students, Maru, was looking over Kyoko's shoulder, eyebrows raised. He was young, with fine features and a soft face. His hair hung forward on either side of his face, tapered so that the front pieces were longer than the back. Eyes full of genuine curiosity were looking at Kyoko's project. He hadn't been one of the one's tormenting her so she planned on answering him.

Unfortunately, the lad had brought the attention of his friends. The other men at the table had looked up from their work, wondering why she hadn't left. There were about five in total that were looking at her now, including both Chris and Horiuchi, the one that had sprayed the gunk in her face yesterday.

"I'm reprograming the needle." Said Kyoko, holding up her stylus.

"Reprogram the needle?" Horiuchi said with a shake of his head. "Just how desperate are you? The teacher told you to go home. Stop embarrassing yourself and just leave."

Based on the expressions of his friends, they agreed with him.

"I will not." replied Kyoko. "I can do work here. Though it is not my mess to clean up, I will not push it to others to fix it."

"Right, because you're a great noble woman with high morals." mocked Horiuchi. "Tell me, do whores even understand the concept of honor?"

Kyoko's face turned pink in humiliation, her eyes flashing a bright gold as they glowered. The other men laughed, all save Chris and Maru. Both looked unsettled by the comment. Kyoko was unable to reply as Kazutoyo arrived and interrupted their conversation.

"What is going on here?" he asked, looking between Kyoko and Horiuchi. "Didn't I tell you to go home?"

Horiuchi rushed ahead to answer. "Kyoko here was just telling us about how she plans on reprograming the spell on this needle."

"Excuse me?"

Kyoko sent a brief glance at Horiuchi before turning her attention to the teacher. "It's true. I learned how to program the ignition spell and figured out a better way to use it for me."

She heard a few groans from the group, but she ignored them, along with the anger starting to rise to her cheeks. If they would just give her an opportunity, she could prove that she was not making a wild claim. She was suddenly having flash backs to when she tried to tell someone she had been the one to invent the new medicine, not Sho.

They had all mocked her, told her to stop trying to take credit for someone else's work. No one had been willing to listen to her. So she'd left… and eventually found someone that did believe in her. Someone that had helped her create the very circle she was going to use to prove her competence as a physician. How could she back down when she had not only herself, but Kuon supporting her as well?

Her hand gripped the stylus tightly, resolute and unwilling to back down.

Kazutoyo's response to her declaration was not encouraging. He gave her a sympathetic grimace, shaking his head slightly.

"I'm sorry Lady Kyoko, but just leave them be." He said. "I'll get someone to reprogram them later. It would be better than having to undo whatever you put on them."

"You won't have to redo anything." Said Kyoko. "I promise that I am competent when it comes to making a circle that works for me."

The teacher gave her an impatient look, one that said he was done with her. Done with all the problems she had caused and was ready to move on.

Kyoko's heart dropped.

He wasn't going to listen. He was going to send her home.

"Why don't we let her have a go?"

Kyoko looked around. Chris had come forward a little, his young face impassive. He wasn't looking at Kyoko, instead concentrating on the teacher.

"There's no harm in letting her try." he said.

"And waste even more of our time?" interrupted Horiuchi, folding his arms. "I came to learn and study, not stand around and watch some girl play with magic."

"Then I will be sure to take up as little of your time as I possibly can." Kyoko snapped back. "If you are really here to learn, then perhaps you would be a little more sympathetic at those trying to do the same as well."

"What you are is a waste of time." Said Horiuchi, and he stood up in his seat now, hands pressed on the desk as he leaned forward to sneer at Kyoko. "It would be better for you to leave and save yourself the embarrassment."

Kyoko didn't even blink. She just returned the glare, still seated, her heart strong. She would not be intimidated by people like this anymore.

"Then how about we make a deal?" said Chris. "If Kyoko can reprogram the spell, she stays. If she fails, she promises to leave and not come back."

Kyoko turned her head slightly to look at Chris. He gave her a shrug.

"That sounds like a great idea!" said one of the other men, thumping Chris on the back. "Get the girl kicked out and see her embarrassed herself one more time. Genius."

As the others laughed, Chris sputtered, saying that he hadn't meant it like that. Horiuchi didn't listen, too busy explaining his joy at seeing Kyoko kicked out of the class.

They all expected her to fail.

Too bad for them, Kyoko didn't plan on losing.

"What do you say girlie?" said Horiuchi. "Care to bet your career on your shoddy magic?"

"I've had higher stakes before." Said Kyoko smoothly. "Kazutoyo, is this alright with you?"

The teacher gave a shrug, indicating he didn't care. "It's your career."

"Then I accept." Said Kyoko. "If I fail, I'll leave, but if I succeed, you will stop calling me a whore. I am a physician of the kingdom, and I hold that title with honor."

Horiuchi let out a snort at the comment.

Kyoko turned back in her seat, repositioning herself. Their confrontation had caught the attention of the entire class. There were sounds of shuffling, and Kyoko watched as everyone literally gathered around her table, each curious to see what she was going to do.

Her eyes flitted between them for a moment before they returned to the needle on the table. The light circle was still hovering in the air.

This was not a moment she planned on wasting. Summoning all her knowledge from last night, Kyoko raised her stylus and pressed the point in the air beside the circle

Magic sparked from the point, burning the rune into the air as she wrote. The purple light trailed after her stylus, occasionally being pulled back to indicate a break in the trail. Slowly, careful not to write the wrong rune, she reproduced the ignition circle and installed it into the gem. Combinations of runes and lines began to form, connecting together in an intricate weave. She didn't understand what most of it meant, but it didn't matter. The spell would come out the same as long as the runes were all in the correct place and order.

Then it came to make the changes. To implement her and Kuon's new addition to the circle. She hesitated for a moment, just to catch her breath. Then she began writing again.

She heard Kazutoyo shift as he stood. No doubt he had seen her deviation from the original spell. Thankfully he didn't say anything, just watching as she wrote.

Finally, the circle was complete. She put down her stylus, her heart still hammering as she pressed on the needle. The newly installed spell sank into the needle, along with the light spell.

"I'm done." Said Kyoko. "Let's see if it works."

"You forgot a circle." Said Horiuchi, his voice brash and full of triumph. "Idiot girl. Didn't you realize that two arcane circles were installed?"

"I didn't forget." Said Kyoko, raising her hand. "Watch."

Carefully, she channeled her magic, weaving it through the needle. Instantly she met the ignition spell. It transferred her magic, wove it through the light circle and transferred her efforts. She could now control it, the light magic. It really did feel like she had a glove over her magic. A little less precise, but manageable.

The needle rose, moving towards the skins they had used that day to practice stitching. It pressed through the skin.

A thin thread trailed behind the needle, leaving a row of perfectly spaced precise stitches.

The group around her began to murmur. Some were skeptical, others impressed, and still several were confused. Horiuchi looked like he had swallowed a lemon, his two other friends also appearing resentful. Chris, she noted, just stared.

"How did you do that?" said Maru, the younger man. He was looking at her as if she was the strangest thing he had ever seen.

"I changed the ignition spell." Said Kyoko. "We tweaked it so that I could freely channel without any restrictions or circles to hamper my magic."

Kyoko had never received formal trained when it came to magic, learning most of what she could on her own. She had become so used to using pulse magic, that runes and circles become a nuisance. Her and Kuon had taken away the unneeded circle and modified the ignition spell to suite her.

"We realized that the other spell was hampering my ability to use the tools." Said Kyoko. "So we took it out. Now, I can manipulate any light circle no matter the construction, as long as it doesn't need the actual light magic to power it."

"Why didn't I think of this before?" said Kazutoyo, smacking himself on the forehead. Kazutoyo picked up the needle bringing up the new ignition spell as he rambled. "It makes so much more sense. We've become so dependent on circles… oh interesting choice of modification. How did you figure this out?"

"With help." Said Kyoko. "I don't have the knowledge to do it on my own."

"Yes, but who? They'd have to be knowledgeable on runes and circles."

Kyoko hesitated.

"From Prince Kuon."

"So you went and cried for help from your prince." Said Horiuchi, the envy obvious in his voice. "You are so fortunate to have such a caring teacher."

"And what's wrong with using every resource we have available to us?" said Kyoko, ignoring her tightening stomach. "Horiuchi, you said that you came here to learn about healing. Well I came for a slightly different purpose. I came to not only to learn, but to prepare myself for the war that is upon us. I plan on helping to defeat the accursed in whatever way I can. If it is in healing and saving people, then I will expending every resource available to see that just one more person will live. My pride is not so much that I cannot seek help when I know I need it."

Horichui just rolled his eyes at her.

"Which is why all of you are in this class." Said Kazutoyo, the teacher bringing the attention back to him. "Warriors, magicians, and physicians." He nodded to Kyoko on the last one. "We are all here to prepare ourselves. Today is a review not only to learn, but to prepare for when these will be used out on the field of battle, so everyone get back to work. I want to review everyone's progress today to determine where we should go from here."

The group slowly dispersed. A few came by Kyoko's table, asking to see the spell she had modified. Maru was one of them, squinting at the magic circle.

"I can't tell you changed it." He muttered. "Cool."

Maru, Kyoko realized, was a little dim, but it was endearing all the same.

Still, the best thing from this was the relief that she felt. She could finally use the spells needed to further her ability to heal. The dark looks from her classmates had finally softened and the huge stress was gone. Not everyone would be able to accept her yet, but it was a great first step.

This was not what Chris had planned.

Kyoko was supposed to fail spectacularly, not successful change the circle. This was supposed to expose her for the waste of space that she was, and he was supposed to enjoy watching her fail. A woman had no place in medicine or magic, and that stupid teacher had changed his attitude towards her so quickly. What had happened to excusing her from class if she messed with the spell? Somehow, instead of getting her kicked out, Chris had managed to give her the idea she needed to stay. How!

The girl was now carefully installing the same spell onto all of her tools, the dimwitted Maru watching and asking her questions. It was annoying how quickly some of his classmates attitude towards her had changed just because she had finally managed to stop being a nuisance. Chris hadn't forgotten how inconvenient her whole presence had been, and nether had some of the others. At least there were a few in the class with brains.

As soon as class was over, Chris made a b-line for the door. He didn't want to keep up his façade a second more than he had to. As he walked to his chambers, he continued to seethe over that one trick pony of a useless physician.

"Chris."

He stopped, looking back

Dyrus was standing by the entrance of the arcane syndicate. He was wearing his usual uniform with thick boots and a sword strapped to his side. That, and his scowl. Would it kill the man to look happy for a moment of his life?

Immediately Chris's mood worsened.

"What do you want dad?" said Chris, impatient to leave. He didn't need to deal with family drama on top of this fiasco. Dyrus stalled, his frown deepening.

"I came to talk to you." Said Dyrus. "You heard about the king's declaration about the champions?"

"I did."

Dyrus continued to stare, not elaborating. Slowly, it sunk in.

"You think I should try for the position of a champion?" said Chris.

"It would be a great opportunity for you." Said Dyrus. "The title of a champion is a high honor, and I believe Rosa would approve."

"I'm not interested." Said Chris, turning away. He had enough going on with being a double agent as it was. Dyrus knew that. Was he trying to say that Chris couldn't handle it? That he couldn't handle the danger of being around the dark followers? The job was dangerous, but that would never stop him. He was determined to see it through.

His father's next words made him stop short.

"I think it's something your brother would be proud of."

Irritation flared hot inside of Chris, burning his lungs. He whipped around, storming up to his dad and getting close. Everyone else in the corridor passed them by, their forms lost to Chris in his anger.

"Yes, and it's all about what you think Chris would do isn't it?" spat Chris, keeping his voice low. "Because in the end, it was Chris you wanted to live wasn't it?"

Dyrus's eyes sharpened, his voice a low rumble of thunder. "I never said that, nor will you ever hear me say that."

"Well it's a little late for you to be play the caring father role and care about my welfare. I've already sacrificed my entire life to bring this family honor. Is it still not enough? What more do you want from me?"

He didn't answer.

Neither of them moved, both waiting for the other to speak. To say something to get rid of the horrible atmosphere. It hurt, this space between them, but Chris couldn't break through it. Instead, he stood opposite his father, the wall fortified with every bit of frustration and guilt he could muster.

Chris looked away, his throat burning.

"Your mother," started Dyrus slowly, his voice perfectly level. "She invited you to come eat with us tonight."

"I'm not going."

"She'll set you a place."

"I'm not going."

A pause.

"Then I will take my leave." Said Dyrus, nodding his head to Chris.

Chris didn't return the gesture, only looking back to his father when the man was almost out of sight. Chris watched him walk away, watched that back leave, waiting, hoping for it to turn around and ask him one more time to come home.

It never did.

Kyoko stumbled out of the classroom, desperately trying to get away from her teacher. The man had been talking to her for the last twenty minutes about the modified spell. She'd finally managed to shake him off by saying she had to leave for work. Which wasn't true, but he didn't need to know that.

Still, she couldn't help smiling as she walked among the crowd through the large entrance room. A few of the other students had come and apologized to her about their behavior and attitude towards her. Other's had even indicated that they now looked forward to working with her in the future!

She couldn't wait to tell Kuon and Kanae about it. She was practically skipping down the hall, pulling strange looks from her goofy grin. Maybe she could go visit Kuon before she made her way to her office. He had said that he might need another massage. It was a perfect excuse to go talk to him and tell him all about toda-

Kyoko paused, then back peddled. She stopped just at the mouth of a corridor.

She couldn't remember ever seeing this hall here before and she'd passed through here every day for class. The place gave her a strange feeling. Not a single person passing gave notice of the area, or went anywhere near it. The corridor felt off, her senses telling her there was something dark down there. She felt drawn to it, curious, as if she was meant to venture down it.

Her body moved on its own. She hurried down the empty corridor, towards the single door at the end.

She stopped, finally a little nervous. The dark feeling was stronger now, coming from inside the room. She reached for the handle.

The door was pulled open from the inside and Kyoko jumped in surprise.

A man stood before her, probably in his mid-fifties. He had a distinctly unkempt look, like he had slept in the same clothes more than a few days. Even so, his bright blue eyes were sharp, and seemed to take in her every detail.

"Umm." Said Kyoko, unsure what to say.

"Lady Kyoko, now this is an interesting guest." He said, smiling. "Please, come in. Come in."

He gestured with enthusiasm, and Kyoko feeling obligated, entered the room. She'd barely squeezed in when the door snapped shut. The man had to shuffle around her, careful with his steps since the place was a mess. Every inch was covered with different gadgets and heaps of parchment all threatening to topple.

She nearly jumped when she noticed a guard by the door. He was looking at Kyoko, distrust evident in his features. Kyoko gave a small wave and halfhearted smile before following the man further in. He was jabbering nonstop, insisting that she come in.

"Don't mind the mess now," he said. "All of the gadgets should be pretty stable, none of them have spontaneously gone off for a while anyway. Here, please sit here."

He grabbed the wobbling pile of parchment from the chair, placing it on his desk and brushing off dust and other knickknacks. Then he gestured enthusiastically at the chair while calling to the guard.

"Go get us some tea, or better yet, some food. I've got to be a good host for my guest now don't I?"

"Oh, no that's fine." Said Kyoko, but the guard had already exited the room. She sank into the chair as the man walked to the other side of his desk, still talking.

"Don't worry, it's just an excuse to get the grouch out of here." Said the mage. "It's much harder to concentrate when you've got a pair of eyes watching your every move. If the king didn't insist on him being here I would have cleared the whole lot of them out a long time ago."

"I see." Said Kyoko.

The man took a step back, putting his hands together as he held them up, eyeing her with excited attention. His lips pressed against the laced finger, examining her again. Kyoko couldn't help squirming at his odd interest in her.

"Now then." He finally said. "What brings you here to my study Lady Kyoko?"

"I um, am actually not sure." She said, giving an apologetic smile. "And I'm sorry, but while you know me, I am not sure who you are."

The man clicked his tongue in exasperation, not truly upset. "What are they teaching you youngsters? So disappointing. I'll have to talk to the staff. I'm Archmage Hirotaka Ogata, head of the arcane syndicate, at your service."

"You're an archmage?" said Kyoko, disbelieving. An archmage was the highest rank one could achieve in the hierarchy of magic. Probably up there with being a champion, except archmages got their magical abilities from talent and success rather than inheriting it from a mystical creature. Not only that, but the man was the head of the arcane syndicate. A very influential and powerful man! She couldn't reconcile this man with the image of an archmage in her head. He seemed flighty and completely unorganized. Nothing like a leader or powerful politician.

"You sound like you don't believe me." Said Hirotaka.

"Not that." Said Kyoko, feeling a little uncomfortable. "You just don't match the image I had in my head of an archmage."

Hirotaka chuckled, apparently amused by Kyoko's initial assessment of him.

"Appearances can be very deceiving." He said, holding up a finger. "Take this room for example. Normally you wouldn't notice it, but today you did. You found yourself drawn to it, no?"

"I did." Said Kyoko. "How did you know?"

"Because there is a spell on this room and corridor." Said Hirotaka proudly. "To protect this place from other prying eyes, only those that I allow can enter this place. But those aren't the only ones. Every now and then, the room invites others to come here. Beckons to them. It's no coincidence that you walked down this corridor Lady Kyoko. You were meant to be here."

Sure I am. thought Kyoko sarcastically. Like destiny had ever done her any favors. Hirotaka didn't seem to notice her indifference, continuing with his questions.

"So tell me," he said. "why did you come down to my office?"

"I thought I felt something." Said Kyoko. "Something dark. Evil. Like the accursed…"

Hirotaka straightened, glee erupting on his face.

"Fascinating!" he said, turning and walking to one of his many book shelves. He shoved aside a statue and tomes before pulling out a metal square box. It was strange in that the metal was black, so dark that she imagined it was part of the night sky. She couldn't even begin to make headway of the runes and spells inscribed around it.

Then she noticed the aura around it. She knew what was inside.

Hirotaka came over, placing the box on the desk. She stood up to get a better look. In the center was a raised circular design, the emblem of the phoenix blazed into the surface.

"There's a relic in here isn't there?" said Kyoko, her brows scrunching together. "The one that Reino had. I can feel it."

"Oh ho! Just as I thought." Said Hirotaka, rubbing his chin. "Since you've held the relic, you can sense it. Fascinating! Magic does strange things to people who are exposed to it. I wonder if you can sense the others as well or just the one you've held."

"There are more in there?" said Kyoko with a flare of panic. "Why haven't they been destroyed?"

Just being so close to the thing made her panic. Each relic was another potential accused to be created. Each one increased the Dark Djinn's power and became a threat to the kingdom.

"Research." Said Hirotaka simply. "It's too good of an opportunity to just throw them away. Remember Lady Kyoko, you shouldn't act rashly when it comes to the unknown. We've been able to lean a lot about our enemies and their magic from these items. Especially about the young prince's curse."

"You've learned more about his curse?" said Kyoko, latching onto that piece of information. "What did you find out?"

"What exactly!" said Hirotaka, eye gleaming. He began pacing, arms gesturing in the air as he started to ramble. "There is still so much that we don't understand about the accursed, or about the Dark Djinn. These relics have been the first step in understanding their magic and how it works. We know now that all relics are unique, suggesting that each offers the user different abilities. One set ability from the relic, and one from the Djinn. Of course we knew that from fighting the accused, but even among the accused they have different levels of power. Why is this? Is it based on the number of wishes the user has fulfilled? The innate ability of the user? Oh, and the similarities to the phoenix's own contract and the Djinn's cannot be ignored."

Kyoko just watched, slowly deflating from the stream of information issuing from Hirotaka. None of it actually answered the question she had asked. The man obviously only talked about what was currently on his mind, and she didn't have the heart to interrupt him. He might have forgotten about her completely.

"The champions offer up their arcane magic, but what is it they offer?" he was saying. "Is it their soul, like everyone suspects? Then when they make a wish, do they have to offer something every time, or does it cover all of their wishes?"

"This is all very fascinating." said Kyoko, finally interrupting him. "But should you really be talking to me about this? Isn't this sensitive information?"

She already knew a great deal about the accursed thanks to Lory and Shadow. They kept her up to speed about much of it. While she was thrilled to learn more, she was also cautious. People like Kuu and Lory did things for a reason, and she trusted their judgement. There was probably a reason she hadn't been told everything.

She did not expect Hirotaka's answer.

"Why?" said Hirotaka, raising an eyebrow. "Because you my dear, are connected to all of this. It is indisputable."

What?

"I think you've lost me there Archmage Hirotaka." Said Kyoko. "I can't possible connected to all of this. I'm just a simple physician who happens to be a concubine to the prince. It's been a complete fluke that I've crossed paths with the accursed."

"Do you truly believe that?" said Hirotaka. "Do you really think that all of this has nothing to do with you?"

Kyoko paused, searching inside of herself. The more she thought on it, the more her heart sank. She remembered Reino had said something about the Djinn having plans for her. Then there had been his odd fascination with her to begin with. Kyoko had been conveniently involved in so much that had happened. Was it conceited to think that she was connected to this war? Was that why she instinctively had such a strong desire to fight the accursed?

The implications of such fantasies made her head hurt. Mostly because they made no sense. How could she have anything to do with what was happening? She wasn't anyone important. She had never been.

"You are involved in this." said Hirotaka, bringing her out of her thoughts. "The fact that you are here in this room proves it Lady Kyoko. There are many mysterious things in this word, and we have barely begun to scratch the start of it."

She shivered, unable to banish the thoughts from her. The feeling of being targeted, watched, involved in something she couldn't control.

There was the sound of the door opening, making Kyoko jump. The guard from before had come back, carrying a pot of tea and cakes.

"Ah perfect timing." Said Hirotaka, hurrying over to snatch the tray from him. He held it up to her, all the mysterious aura gone. "Would you care for a biscuit?"

"No thank you." Said Kyoko, standing. She felt a little shaky, desperate to leave. "I uh, actually should be going. My guard will be wondering where I went."

"Leaving already?" said Hirotaka, half a biscuit already in his mouth. He shrugged, going back to digging into his snacks. "Oh well, I can understand that. You don't want to worry Lady Kanae too much. Guards are so uptight, it's bad for their blood pressure."

"Then, if you'll excuse me." Said Kyoko giving a curtsy. She waded as best as she could through the mess, trying not to topple anything.

Just as her fingers touched the door knob, she heard Hirotaka speak again.

"Make sure to watch over Prince Kuon."

She paused, looking back over her shoulder.

Hirotaka was happily stirring some sugar into his drink, a smile on his lips. His actions were nonchalant, but his tone was serious. The two didn't match.

"Don't let him fall to the curse Kyoko." He said. "You and him are pivotal in all of this, I can feel it. And I am rarely wrong."

His eyes flickered up to her, the piercing blue that seemed to see straight through her. His aura was strange, bright, and overwhelming, the casual attitude from before gone. She knew in that moment that she was talking to a man of strength. An archmage of Ashuron, a mighty man with powers she didn't understand. How had she not sensed it before? She felt small compared to his oppressing aura.

Kyoko swallowed hard. She gave a stiff nod before quickly hurrying out of the room, her mind buzzing.

Thanks for reading!

And gosh, thank you all for your reviews and thoughts! I would give you all cookies if I could, but I can't.

Imouto wanted the chapter title to be "Defense Against the Dark Arts" or "Ominous Prophesy Type Thing."

Needless to say neither were chosen.

devnick16, it is a fantastic thought, one I will definitely implement when I write my own story. Thank you!

Sorry if some of the magic is confusing. I kind of did that on purpose, to give you the idea that magic is not easy and that not everyone can learn it because it is hard, like any other subject you study. That being said, if it's too confusing, it's annoying for you as the reader to deal with it. blah.

See you all in two weeks. Hope you're all still enjoying it. We're nearing some of the really fun stuff. ;D

-Blushweaver

Ogata reminds me of Doctor Obleck from RWBY, I totally read his monolog in his voice lol. (Side note, if you don't watch RWBY, you're missing out) Thanks for reading!

-Imouto