Chapter One: The First Misty Night
He began to hum random notes as he strode down the road – empty, quiet, tranquil. The moon was starting yet another cycle, a new moon, casting a soft and barely visible light unto the stone pavements and the tall, brick houses. There was not a single being in sight, not a single lit light. Midnight was just around the corner and the citizens of District 3, 'The Magician's Quarters', were already fast asleep.
The heels of his boots clicked on the road, rhythmically dancing to his strange little melody. A wide grin was pasted on his lips and, feeling unusually upbeat, began to hum louder. And then, he stopped.
A light. There was a light coming from one of the houses. The boy frowned. How strange. Magicians were known for being very punctual, and were rarely seen to stay up late (except for when they're extremely focused on research). The boy took a step closer to the brightly lit window, gazing up at it with a mix of emotions.
He was not supposed to be here. That was a fact. But this arose a perfect opportunity for him as well. He heard a soft whirring noise and quickly turned around, body poised in defense, ready to counter. He saw a black, robotic creature, hovering in midair just inches before him, its two lance-like arms pointed directly at him, although not a single bit of hostility could be sensed.
"…Oh. It's just you." The boy clicked his tongue. He had completely forgotten about the creature – an assistant, per say, given to him by his mentor. What was its name again? Moody? Roby? He couldn't remember, not that it mattered anyway.
The robot turned to face the lit window, then turned to face his grouchy owner. The boy relaxed his body and combined his hand through his long, blond hair, letting a soft sigh escape from his lips.
"Yeah, I know. She'llget pretty pissed if I ignore this chance huh?" The robot seemed to nod.
Without a single sound, the robot conjured up multiple spears at a rapid pace – each long and sharp on all ends, colored a deep abyss black, intricate white designs covering up one side of the blades. It continued to create more spears, five, six, seven…Twenty, thirty, maybe even forty, the boy lost count after seventeen. The blades positioned themselves in front of the blond haired boy, creating a staircase to the brightly lit room above.
"Oh. Thanks." the boy muttered, as he placed a foot on the first step. The blades were surprisingly sturdy, though, that was to be expected, considering the material they were made out of. He continued to climb up the path, but was soon interrupted by the knightly robot once more. It held a pair of brilliantly crafted silver pistols in its lance-like arms.
The boy's eyes sharpened upon seeing them.
"I don't need them." He hissed, brushing the robot aside as he continued to ascend the stairs.
He recalled the day he met her, dark and pouring rain on a moonless night. He was bewitched, there were no other possibilities. He had fallen for her in his desperate state and while he appreciated her care, he hated her. She was a cunning witch, a true demon, going around and taking all sorts of valuables for her twisted collections – the dreams of a fallen soldier, the loving emotions of a young wife to her husband, the intelligence of a proud scholar, the hearing of a blind violinist, the list was endless. She took him along for many of her 'missions', teaching him her ways and the true nature of humans. It was all so fascinating. But nonetheless, he still hated her. He was jealous of her powers, her abilities, her strength to conquer any and everything without a single hint of fear. He desired her strength.
Giving him a pair of guns to protect himself… It was like a slap to the face. He could not forgive her for such an insult.
"I don't need them," he hissed. "I'll show you that I'm strong, I'm not the pathetic little boy you first met."
Gritting his teeth, he climbed the final stairs with an eager spring to his steps. The robot followed closely behind, whirring softly as if it were a purring cat. The boy quickly relaxed and put on his best business smile. He leaned on the windowsill and knocked sharply, once, twice.
He leaned back as the windows swung outwards, revealing a small girl no older than twelve. She wore a pink, kitty nightshirt and matching pants, and her messy violet hair was tied in two low pigtails. Upon making eye contact with the tall boy, she let out a gasp.
"W-What are you doing here?!" She called out, evidently surprised that a stranger was standing right outside her window.
"You called me." The boy replied matter-of-factly, rudely making his way inside. He glanced around the room – white walls, white carpets, a desk with a lamp, overflowing with books, and a simple bed donned with frilly heart covers. He refocused his attention at the little girl, and smiled. "You can't sleep, can you?"
The girl's eyes widened, clearly amazed.
"Yes, but… Wait a moment! How did you know? Are you a telepath? Oh my gosh, I'm so jealous! I haven't mastered telepathy yet. …What's your secret?" She beamed, her body quivering slightly like an excited child on Christmas morning.
The boy merely stared, his cerulean eyes dull and unamused.
"Let's see… You live in the Magician's Quarters, whose residents are known for never staying up past the twentieth hour. And you're not in bed." He gestured his hands out, upturning his palms as if to say, "It's so obvious. What other conclusions can you make?"
The girl's smile immediately disappeared, morphing into a childish frown.
"Well, excuse me Mister Know-it-all!" She then proceeded to fold her arms and sharply turn her head away, cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk.
The boy let out a sharp breath. He shifted his weight, charmingly placing a hand on his hips as he continued to speak,
"So, what do you need help with?"
Out of the corner of her large eyes, the girl stole a glance at the intruder. Noticing her gaze, he smiled back, causing her to get just a little bit flustered. She revered her eyes as she opened her mouth, responding in a loud and confident tone, stuttering every other word, like a child pretending to be an adult.
"W-Well, since you're already here, I might as well get your help."
'Good grief. Just get on with it already.' The boy thought to himself, letting the corners of his lips fall, now that the girl's back was facing him.
"You seem pretty mature, so I'm sure you know what I mean by…" The girl clasped her hands together, fiddling with her fingers as she continued. "T-That is, since I'm already an adult, I wanted to try f-falling in love for once… You know?"
By the time she finished speaking, her voice had shrunk to a tiny murmur and her face was as red as a ripe cherry. The boy coldly glanced over her small body. Wanting to fall in love? He wanted to laugh.
"Is that it? I can grant that wish. But first, let's get you to bed; children shouldn't be staying up this late." Forcing yet another smile on his face, he gently picked the girl up and tucked her in, patting her head afterwards.
"H-Hey! Wait a moment! What are you doing, you dummy?!"
"Oh, you're right! What am I doing?" Responding in a playful tone, the boy sat down on the edge of the soft bed, turning to face the purplenette. "Chung. And your name is?"
"Huh? Oh… Aisha, elemental magician." The girl replied, constantly surprised by the boy's straightforward nature.
"'Aisha'? What a weird name…"
"Hey! I heard that!" Without thinking, the purplenette threw a pillow at her blond companion, though he merely laughed it off.
"Sorry, sorry." He raised his hands in defeat, though his lips threatened to break out into laughter at any second. With yet another huff, Aisha continued to speak,
"How are you going to grant my wish anyways? Are you one of those potion makers? Fortune tellers?"
"That's not important. What is important though, is this: within seven days, I'll let you experience love, okay?" He extended his right hand, fingers curved in save for his pinky.
Aisha stared at the boy in front of her, hesitant, but, deciding to trust her guts, extended her right hand as well, wrapping their pinkies together in what was commonly known as a 'pinky promise'.
"Okay, seven days. You better keep your promise, or else big sister Aisha here will hunt you down!" Chung merely rolled his eyes in response, earning yet another pillow to his head. He then got up and patted the girl's head once more, before making his way to the open windowsill.
"For now, go get some sleep. I'll come again tomorrow."
Without waiting for her response, the blond male leapt out of the window, leaving behind a very confused magician.
"…What the heck was that…?"
Deciding to trust his words, Aisha snapped her fingers, closing the window and turning the lights off. Fluffing her pillows quickly, she laid down and prepared for a peaceful rest.
Outside, Chung casually strolled away from the purple magician's house, a little robotic knight trailing closely behind him. It made a whirring noise, seemingly pleased with the boy's actions. Hearing no response, the robot made its way beside its master, sounding out a few trills. The blond didn't even spare a glance. Determined not to be ignored, the robot flew right in front of Chung, forcing him to stop, and materialized a small, white flower pin in its pointed hands. The boy's face twisted in mild anger and disgust.
"Yeah, I know. You don't need to remind me." He stepped aside and continued to walk, robot following silently behind him.
The moon was still high in the air, and although the streets of the Magician's Quarters were silent and peaceful, the boy was no longer in a mood to make any noise. With a grunt, he began to speed up his pace, not exactly eager, but not exactly reluctant either, to return to his mistress' side.
Author's Notes
I said I wouldn't make a sequel, but here it is, ahaha~. *Casually abandons JTF for the second time* /shot
I really like the idea of IP being a cold, violent, yet extremely charming character (hence, Kiss for a Bullet, haha). I hope I was able to convey this ideal personality well~. But that aside, so, here it is, the sequel to my Moonlit Nightmare, starring Aisha and Chung. I wonder how things will turn out~?
I realize though that I have been very inactive on FF, and I apologize for that. No motivation mainly. /shot
This story will be my main focus now, followed by JTF. FTT is still ongoing, but will be updated less often. Maybe one chapter per every few chapters of MN and/or JTF.
But for now, as always, comments and advice are always welcome. Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you again next chapter!