Authors note:

This Chapter was finished months ago... i am sry for the reallly long delay. Thanks for all who still havent given up on this story and still believed that it wasnt dead^^". My school finished finally and i am free now for one year till i will go to uni~.

my thanks go to yui1808 who helped me when i started the chapter and to irina67, my dear, who (even if kind of forced) helped me with checking the finished chapter over and adding some details.

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Time line: year 1242...47 years after the death of the obsidian lord

Shadows of the Hearts 2: Asrael takes place 2 year after events on Kyoto

Chapter 1

-Small Village in the Artai Kingdom-

"Please Princess Nina." The blond haired boy begged his companion; the little girl named Nina was struggling against the boy's grip. Soldiers were scattered all around the area fighting the rebels, the sounds of their battle were reaching the two children's hideout. The boy hoped that they weren't searching for them yet.

He was sure that he would get killed if the soldiers caught them. He was a traitor, even if he was only fourteen. The consequence of disobeying the order of the king of Artai was still the same, age wasn't an excuse for getting away.

He knew it, but still... he couldn't have watched any longer the ongoing events. Stopping, the boy turned around looking at the princess. Her once so beautiful dress was torn by a high fall, dirty from the narrow street way they had to take to get away during the rebels' attack. She wasn't older than him; her medium long black hair was bount in two braids to keep it up.

"Please Nina trust me. I have to bring you back to Windbloom." He said, looking into her eyes and holding her hands softly. It was night and hard to see anything in the darkness.

Nina shook her head, too deep the threatening words of the King had engraved in her mind. "I can't."

"Nina." He made up his mind that no matter what would happen, he would bring her back. His heart was beating so loud that the boy was scared it could betray his calmness. He knew that he would have to leave his name behind and could never be called again as the son of the Knight von Arn like his brother... "I protect you I swear, but you have to trust me, I beg you."

"You promise Sergay?" Nina asked scared to lose the last hope still hiding inside her. Sergay nodded.

"We have to get to the east pass near the border of Artai." The young girl nodded, holding Sergays hand tightly as they made their way slow and carefully away, unseen by the eyes of the soldier. The spreading ash of the burning buildings sneaked in their throats and their eyes became teary.

The sound of some passing soldiers forced them to run into a narrow alley in order to hide there, but as they rushed in it something grabbed Nina's ankle, making the girl scream in surprise.

"Please Help Me!?" The bleeding man on the ground winced, crawling to the two kids who had moved some steps away. With horror the two kids looked down at the poor villager, a deep sword wound gaped on his back.

"WHO IS THERE?!" A Soldier wearing the armour of the Artai Army shouted into the side street as he heard the scream. With his torch he lightened the way in front of him, holding his sword out. Sergay and Nina stood both there frozen as the light of the fire reached them.

"We have to run Nina." Sergay whispered, while the soldier moved to them.

"Identify yourself!" The soldier ordered being only a few more steps away from the kids. The upper part of his face was covered by the helms eyepiece. He held his torch higher over his head to get a better view.

Nina was seen. Sergay could see the surprised look in the soldier's eyes which changed fast into a look of anger. Before the Soldier had time to shout again Sergay used the single moment of inattention and rammed himself against the soldier body, bringing him down.

"It hurts Sergay." Nina whined as Sergay was running away with her, his grip tightly around her wrist. They had no time to lose; the soldier who had caught them was already hard on their heels with two of his comrades. The Soldiers shouted for them to stop. Nina was never treated like that before by someone as it seems, natural for a princess but this moment was crucial for both of them and they had to push away any feeling of discomfort.

The young boy could already hear the water of the stream; if they would manage to pass the stream without getting caught they would be safe. Just a bit more… Hope welled up in his chest.

What Sergay didn't see from far away was the person which seemed to wait for them. In the last second Sergay managed to let go of Nina and fell back before the sharp swing of the sword which was meant to kill him. Unfortunate Sergay wasn't fast enough to avoid getting cut.

Sergay still didn't see who was attacking him even when he looked up. Only when the light of the torches of the soldiers who finally caught up to them came closer he saw and froze.

"Sergay von Arn you're charged of the high treason of the kingdom of Artai." The knight said having his sword pointed at Sergay.

"Brother…" The blond boy whispered to the man in front of him, the royal garment of the knight hood showing the high rank of Sergays brother. Sergay felt a warm liquid running down his face and a burning place between his eyes. His own brother…

"NO!" Nina screamed as one of the soldiers caught her by the arms holding her tight. Sergay looked behind him, seeing Nina struggle in the hold of the soldier. The other two soldiers stayed behind their comrade, lightening the area with their torches.

"What should we do Knight von Arn?" The soldier asked, waiting for a command if his superior.

No answer came and the soldiers looked at the knight. What the soldiers couldn't see from their point of view were the fine strings which had caught the knight like a fly in a spider's web. Only Sergay noticed as his hand accidentally touched one of the strings and cut himself on it. His eyes slowly followed the string which he only was able to see by the reflection of the torch light.

"Knight von Arn?" One of the Soldiers moved forth moving his arm down.

"DON'T MOVE!" The knight shouted and the strings on his body tightened from the light movement. But it was too late; the soldier's arm had dropped already on the ground and blood had splashed out of the arm stub.

Instead of staying still the wounded soldier panicked and made the mistake to move hectically which caught him deeper in the net of deadly strings.

"Foolish man." A woman's voice was heard and with a cutting sound the wounded soldier fell silent before he fell into pieces like a cut meat.

-somewhere else far away-

A thick layer of fog lay around the castle of the holy Island of Oblivion. The once magnificent resident of kings and queens was left on its own, abandoned from the eyes of the world. Once full of life, once seen as a place close to heaven.

The armours of Knights who were placed in the floors shined as if they were fresh poliished, no spider webs, not even a thin layer of dust. A breath of life swayed in the floors of the else wise silent castle.

Through the floors echoed Satoshi's steps. Never did he forget these floors, the memory of the place he wanted to turn his back forever on, nothing had changed since the day he went away. So many years had passed since that day... Slowly he walked until he was facing the large old portrait of the knight's hood.. His eyes were fixed on the knights' stem expressions, their figures looked so real as if they would just open their mouth and talk to him.

'What for a rare visit…'

If it would be someone else he would have believed that one of the knights in the painting indeed spoke but Satoshi wasn't so easily fooled. Besides it wasn't his first time at this place. The voice echoed directly in his head and even if it was sudden the old man didn't seem to be thrilled by it at all..

'What brings the one who turned his back on us here…'

Young and brave the voice echoed in his mind. Nevertheless, the tone of that voice betrayed the questions in the speaker's mind.

The corners of Satoshi's mouth turned up. Turned his back? How amusing it sounded, almost foolish. Satoshis smile lasted for only a single moment though; it disappeared and his face took back his serious expression as his hand reached out for the portrait, touching the dry paint lightly with his fingertips.

"I wish to see the oracle." His voice was calm and controlled. He had to make it sound this way. This was no time to waver, no time to regret.

'Why should we let someone who lost the way of our own believes in?!'

It was a different voice which echoed now in his head, a feminine voice. Satoshi recognised the voice at once, even if it was distorted by it's angry tone. She was displeased with him being there, but that was nothing he wasn't expecting.

"I don't have any bad intentions Marla."

Nothing else was heard. He wasn't sure if the oracle's guardians would let him enter but he had to try.

Minutes of silence passed before the portrait of the knights which sat together on a round table was disappeared and was replaced by a mirror. Satoshi's reflection looked back at him with a stiffened expression as he lifted his hand. His palm that was meant to lay on the cold surface dug into it, as if the mirror was liquid and his fingers slowly sank in it; first his hand followed by his arm and the rest of his body.

The passing through the mirror lasted for less than a second and Satoshi found himself into a sedately coloured room, almost still feeling the cold touch of the mirror's strange liquid on his skin. The first thing that drew his attention as he entered was the curtain of the balcony blown by the light wind from outside. On the attempt to follow that movement he turned his head to the right, but as he returned it to its original place and lifted his leg to make the first step he heard more than saw the air being sliced. His excellent reflexes warned him to stay still as a single centimetre was the only distance between the sharp blades and his throat.

"Is this how we greet old friends Marla? ..." Satoshi looked first to his right, where the female guardian was and then to the left, casting a fast glance on the second guardian as well. They were wearing identical white armours decorated by silver lines which seemed to run them all the way from top to bottom. The white masks were covering completely their faces, preventing anyone from recognising them, but that was hardly an obstacle for Satoshi who not only remembered their names but every detail of their faces as well.

"Long time no see, Shao…"

'Don't try anything Snake-charmer.' The guardian named Shao warned Satoshi, ready to cut the man's head off if necessary.

„I would prefer it if you wouldn't call me by that name." Satoshi said calm, his voice cold. His eyes rested on Shao who froze in surprise by the look in the old man's eyes. The edge of Marlas felt cold on the unexpected visitor's skin but that didn't change his deadly look at all. Snake-charmer, a nickname that was accompanying Satoshi for quite some years into his past, a nickname that he always disliked and hearing it now gave him a bitter taste. Could it be nostalgia for his past that he renounced?

"Come closer." The voice behind the curtain said.

'BUT??!' Marla couldn't believe what she heard. "Oracle-sama."

"Please leave us alone" The oracle said, both guardians let their weapons drop bowing in respect. They would never dare to disobey a command from the oracle. Despite the fact that Marla didn't trust Satoshi, both guardians left the room just as silent as they had appeared.

"Forgive my sudden appearance…" Satoshi walked up next to the bed looking at the curtain, a different colour, it always had been a light blue... not white. He drew the white curtain to the side. "… but I guess you know why I had to come, right Mashiro-san?" There was no need to hide it; the cold tone in his voice and the look of betrayal in his face were giving him away.

In the bed laid a young woman, her long white hair spread all over the pillow. Her eyes were black opals with which she seemed to stare at the ceiling of the room. These eyes that looked like bottomless black holes on the sweet face of the girl, Satoshi always seemed to lose himself in them... She, who was born under the red star and destined to be the oracle until the moment of her death, cursed with the heavy burden of the secrets of the old magic. Sometimes, she could see the fate. Visions of things that were to happen, things that could sign people's lives. Sad, happy, grieving, full of hope; the contains of her visions were random and that was nothing that she or anyone else could control.

And now she knew the reason that her visitor was there. She had seen it in a vision the same day he had left the circle. Mashiro's head turned to the side, her black eyes seeing deep inside Satoshis soul. "War or peace?" She asked him.

Her voice sounded so fragile, and at the same time so strong. He gave her a small smile. "The outcome isn't a concern at this moment, oracle."

"So selfish..." His hand went down, wiping the single tear away from her cheek. She was in pain.

"Selfish?" He sat down right next to her. "Your so called destiny is selfish, binding people from birth..."

Satoshi always hated to be like them. Accepting his destiny, his whole life already been planned, his actions foreseen and already expected. He would hate to be a prisoner inside the cell of his own life. That wasn't fair, it was just an illusion that you are free to make your own choices when everything is already decided… He couldn't accept such a lie and for sure he couldn't just lie down and watch his whole existence being controlled…

"You can't choose your destiny Charmer…" Mashiro lifted her palm and touching Satoshi's forehead, which had moved a bit closer leaning down. He held her hand in his own. His eyes closed but Mashiro's stayed open looking up into the emptiness as they were sharing the same vision. Pictures flashing in front of their sight, one after another. It was something so common for Mashiro by now, but nothing less than a thrilling experience for Satoshi. Past, present or future it was too blurry for him to make it out right. "Be aware of your actions. The sacrifice could be too big from the bitter fruit you try to aim."

"Nothing is for sure if we don't give it a try." Satoshi put Mashiro's hand down. "I have to go to the ruins of his grave." His mind was still spinning from the blurry visions which made absolute no meaning to him. Pieces of a puzzle maze, it would take time to order, to even get a meaning.

Sighing deeply Mashiro nodded. "The guardians will let you through, Charmer. But you aren't allowed to change anything nor take anything from there." Her eyes closed and her body relaxed. "If you do, your life will end there."

"I understand." By the time he stood up Mashiro was already asleep again. The aged man made his way back to the mirror. He got what he wanted and even more as it seemed. Before he reached the mirror Shao and Marla appeared again.

'Your visit will have consequence Snake-charmer.' Marla warned Satoshi before he left them alone.

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