CHAPTER 9

Hiroki rubbed his temple as he sighed in tiredness and frustration. Takahashi Misaki or he called brat is a little mystery that he tried to break. Having magic literally hummed around his body, his magic felt natural to him. And his core which could support all 4 main elements added his curious and puzzle. He scanned through the secret and old documents in the kingdom archive. After meeting the said boy and watched him going through his opponent with ease, he could not help to marvel at the boy's power. His aura seemed to web in complete pattern but flow with ease. People liked Misaki is rare and appear only a few times throughout the history. The latest before him is a woman named Kagamine Yuri. No one really knew what had happened to her and her identity remained mystery to them. She disappeared one day. Rumors said that she got pregnant but no one really sure about that.

Hiroki pulled a large old book from the pile. He looked to the book in puzzle as he did not remember taking this book form the archive. He ran his hands on the book spine, surprised with the smooth surface and dust-less cover. There is no title of the book written on the book, just weird patterns and symbol. Hiroki flipped open the book and was greeted by a picture of a beautiful black-red haired woman. She wore light blue robe and her long hair was let loose. Her emerald eyes shone with wisdom and power. Hiroki was stunned when the picture moved and spoke.

"It's being years since someone worthy found this book. What do you seek knowledge for?" The woman eyed the shocked Hiroki. Breathing in, Hiroki composed himself. He eyed the woman first before said:

"Nice to meet you, My Lady. I was searching for knowledge on person who could wield all four main elements."

The woman looked to Hiroki in surprise before she held her unemotional face again. She scanned the man, trying his intention. "What you want to do with the information that you gain?"

Hiroki was surprised to be asking with that question. "My King commanded me to search for the information. A boy in his teen came home with him from the Kingdom of Astra. The kid could use all four main element and really high skill in magic. He told me that he studied by himself and never had formal education. His aura also felt like it coiled around him but flow with ease." The woman arched her eyebrow before muttered: "Seem a Natural Crafter to me… A boy…? How old he is?" She looked up after having an internal thinking with herself.

"I think he is 18 years old." Hiroki answered.

The woman's eyes become wider before she asked in urgency: "Did he have brown hair and a paired of emerald eyes? Did he have a mark behind his neck in the shape of a crescent moon?"

Startled with the woman's question, Hiroki answered: "Yes, he has brown hair and emerald eyes. But I don't know if he has a mark behind his neck."

"What is his name?" The woman eagerly asked.

"Takahashi Misaki." With that answer, tears silently fall from her emerald eyes. Tears of joy and sad.

'I found you at last my child…'

Flipping through the pile of document on his desk, Akihiko sighed in tiredness. He already managed to go through three pile of paper works, leaving him tired and exhausted. He rested his back on the back of the comfy chair. He sighed and directed his vision through the tall window glass with ward layer upon layer of protective barrier and magical absorb spell. The clear glass gazed upon the lively city of the Antitheus Kingdom. Despite the godly late hour in the night, the city still shone with bright neon light from the magical lamp. Normal citizen enjoyed the peaceful and comfortable lives in the city while the army officer who in charge of the safety of the kingdom worked tidily through the hours. His thought ran to certain brunette. He hated himself for planting doubt and mistrust which he could see in the deep of the emerald eyes. He never once appreciated one declaration of love and affection simply he never believe in them. His only love was his mother who sadly left him alone in this cruel world in his early stage in life. He grew up to become cold hearted and cruel person just to conceal his venerable and fragile heart. Growing without love and people to depend, he understood the brunette feeling as he went through the same as him. Somehow, the fate brought two desperate souls together. His thought was ended as a knock echoed throughout his office. He raised his eyebrow, guessing who want to meet with him this late in the night. He commanded to enter and surprise to see Hiroki, clutching a thick black book, walked into his office and sat on the opposite chair.

"So what bring you this late in my office when you can use the time with your big blue bear." Akihiko smirked when Hiroki flustered in anger.

"WHY YOU! I don't come here for that. I found something that you be interested to knowing." Hiroki slammed the heavy black book onto the messy desk. "And try to tidy up your desk once in the while."

Akihiko lean backward and said: "I could if I finished the paper work."

"Judging from the experience, your work never finished. Anyway, I want you to meet someone." Hiroki flipped open the book and the woman earlier gazed to the two men.

"Well, meet Kagamine Yuri, one of the Natural Crafter in the history." Akihiko eyed the woman in surprise.

"Nice to meet you, My Lady." Akihiko bowed his head a little showing respect towards the powerful woman. Hiroki had put the book upright and lean towards a pile of other book and took a seat opposite from Akihiko.

"Nice to meet you also, King of Antitheus Kingdom. It's a pleasure to meet the descendent of the old and powerful vampire clan. It's being a long 20 years since I last met your clan. Tell me, is there anyone left beside you?" Akihiko's eyes were wide in shock before composed himself back. No one outside his family knew about their clan and to hear someone asked about it in complete awareness, made his heart beat faster. A glance to Hiroki revealed that he was as shock as him, maybe more as for large part of his life, Akihiko never told his childhood friend about his family as it was a very heavy guard secret.

"Pry to tell me, how you know about my family's secret?" Akihiko narrowed his eyes in cautious. Someone who knows about his certainly knew about their weakness and he could not afford for the information to fall to wrong hand. After all, there's still a few less known royal bloodline from his descendent that still alive out there.

The woman just released a small chuckle and said, "Don't be so tense. Yes I know all about your family but rest assure, I will not act on it. The information will be kept secret for as long as I live." Kagamine's words assured the king that it still a secret.

"Wait, what do you meant that you were still alive?" Hiroki caught up to the woman words and frown in puzzle.

"Well, that was the million dollar question? If I still alive, where am I?" Kagamine answered in riddle. Akihiko frown and his thought wandered. Thinking back in his past memory…

Then something clicked in his mind.

"Wait, I know. Mother told me about her best friend who suffered from losing her husband and my uncle cast off a spell and traps her soul in a red stone, one of the Jewels of life, the Ruby of Trapped Soul. It was said that the ruby was created by a man in late 50's when his wife was sick. To ensure that her soul was still with him, he created the ruby from an unknown material. However, he only managed to trap her soul in it, making her unhappy and when he died, greedy people started to fight over for the jewel. It was said, the soul that was trapped in the ruby still live in there, trapped without any way could get out. It was one of the curse items that were seal away in a dungeon to avoid anyone using it. Apparently, someone had managed to find it and used it." Akihiko mused over what had being told by his mother once upon a time. He still remembered how his mother told him with hatred and disgusts as many people fought to gain the Ruby for the purpose of power without thinking about how the soul trapped in the ruby, screamed in agony and misery.

"Yes, it's correct. And the answer to the question above, I was trapped in the Ruby after I manage to infuse my aura and magic into this book. It's allowed me to communicate with people like you. To make sure that it will never fall into wrong hand especially the one who held me captive in the ruby, I casted a spell." Kagamine had the distant look in her face as she remembered the suffer she had to endure from the greedy people who want powerful Natural Crafter like her. She once got kidnapped by others Kingdom's king and some were from the creature's leader.

Akihiko and Hiroki just let the woman to collect herself and understood that she needed the time to reminisce about her past. The sudden question startled them both.

"So… Where is Takahashi Misaki?" Akihiko tensed as he eyed the woman. One thing that the woman knew about his family but it was another thing if it's involved the brunette. There's nothing he would not do to make sure that Misaki save and alive. However, there's a flick of hope and happiness in her eyes that made Akihiko released his tense shoulder. Somehow he could see deep in the familiar emerald eyes that he could trust the woman.

~0~

Sitting by the bedside, Akihiko gazed to the sleeping form of his love. The peaceful and beautiful face made his heart beat faster. Kagamine's words run turmoil in his mind. He was startled when Misaki shifted in his sleep, lying on his right side, exposing his slender soft neck. In the moonlight, he could see clearly the mark of the crescent moon on his back neck. Akihiko traced the moon shaped mark and wandered in his mind.

Flashback

"We, the Natural Crafter had their bond mate or soul mate, depending on the mate's feature. Some were bonded with magical creature, some were bond with wizard. The mark on our back neck showed us the type of our mate. Like me, I had the shape of a lightning bolt, meaning that my mate was a wizard. It's rare for us to have more than one mate. However… Misaki's mark was a crescent moon, signaling that his mate was a dark magical creature."

'Misaki has a mate?!' The sudden thought filled him in jealousy. Kagamine observed the man and asked.

"What's the date is today?"

Startled, Hiroki answered "It's 20th of December."

"Had Misaki passed his 18th birthday?"

"Yes." Akihiko answered, puzzled in the direction of the question.

Kagamine's eyes were wide in shock. "Who is his mate?!"

"What are you talking about?" Akihiko asked, his heart racing.

"A Natural Crafter bonded on his or her 18th birthday. That's why the parents usually tried to find a suitable candidate for the Crater. On that day, their magic and aura matured and they needed their bonded mate magic to stabilize the magical's core. It's sort like a wedding for them but deeper. This will make the two magic bonded together and the crafter will be more powerful. So I asked again, if you didn't understand, who had bed him on his 18th birthday?"

End of flashback

Akihiko looked back to the brunette, lying on the bed peacefully. He caressed the soft cheek, his mind going on turbulence. 'I'm sorry, Misaki…' The guilt of trapping the boy in unwanted bond ached his heart. As he gazed to the brunette, he determined to make the brunette to fall in love with him. 'Only time will tell'

~End of chapter 9~

AN: Fewh~ finish writing. Sorry for the long wait. Being busy with college entrance plus with writer block. This chapter may be little boring but it was necessity. It explained why they two attracted to each other as they bonded without their knowledge. And for Kagamine, my OC, she will play important part in this story. Just wait and see. Sorry, for any mistakes in the chapter.

By the way, I'm on the hunt of good Japanese song. Please! Please! Share some of your favorite. I'm dying in boredom here. #haha#