Mystic Falls, 2011年1月6日

Her prized leather boots clacked on the old-looking highway, leaving faint footprints over the thin layer of humid soil. She breathed in the winter air, the smell of rain filling her senses. Expanding her magic around her like a trained muscle and reaching for the woods beside the road, she felt her connection to her gods muted, but still there, firm as an immovable rock. She had arrived in town that morning and decided to do a bit of reconnaissance for the sake of her coming mission. The familiar tickling of another supernatural presence behind her back had her turning around, only to see a dark-haired young man staring at her, curiosity overriding the wariness on his brown eyes.

Apparently, he noted her tense stance, to which he responded with a smirk. "Well, hello there, new face. May I get your name, pretty one?" Voice flirty and husky, confidence rolling from him in waves, Yaeko could tell — it is exactly how her older cousin Osamu would talk when trying to entice the girl next door to be his date for the night.

"And who might be asking?" Yaeko merely raised an eyebrow. Vampire. She sensed he was a vampire right away, and an old one if her instincts were to be believed. She would never admit to being interested in anyone outside her family, but this stranger had an air around him that just… appealed to her. She mentally shook the thought, she was here for her duty, not for personal affairs.

He sized her up, wandering eyes roaming from her face to her hips without an ounce of shame. He must have also noticed she was not human, or at least not entirely, because he introduced himself by his full name.

"Kol Mikaelson, at your service." When he made a move to take her hand, she had half a mind to disregard it entirely but a part of her was curious. So he was the Original who used to run with witches. She thoughtfully hummed under her breath as he pressed a light kiss on her knuckles, caressing them a second too long, before letting her hand fall. "Do I get to know your name now, darling?" He questioned once again, the former smirk morning into a cheeky grin.

She was feeling unusually playful and could not help the coy undertone that flavoured her response. "It sure is a pleasure to meet you, Kol. And yes, it's Yaeko. Charmed."

"No family name?" Suspicion dripping into his query. She had thought about it briefly before arriving, whether she should spend the whole time incognito and trying to pass as an ordinary human with some knowledge on vampires and the likes, or make an entrance and establish herself as a fairly neutral party. Now faced with a Mikaelson, she knew the first option was no longer viable, so she went with the other.

"Depends on what you would want it for. If you mean to find out whether I have to do anything with that remarkably sought-after cure of yours, then I must say that though I find my interest slightly picked, I intend not to involve myself in the issue." Her heartbeat remained steady-paced and calm. After all, it was no lie, and should he attack, she could perfectly defend herself, vampire or not. Raising an open hand, she carried on. "I swear I mean no harm to you or yours, Old One. As a sign of trust, I'll tell you that my full name is Inazuma Yaeko, but I believe here in the West you'd say Yaeko Inazuma instead."

She let a few moments for her words to sink in, and she could tell he had been able to piece some of her background together due to the knowing look that appeared behind his eyes when she mentioned her Clan name. Even if he was not as well-versed in the comings and goings of the Eastern supernatural world, he sure should have heard of the sorcerer clans at least once or twice during his long lifespan. Which was exactly what she was looking for. Recognition. That way, he would be fairly certain she was, indeed, as neutral as she claimed. She snapped back to attention when she heard him exhale, a cue that marked his having processed what he had just been told.

"So what, pray tell, is a servant of the Demiurges doing so far from home?" He appeared to have calmed down, even if only slightly. She would not bet too much on it, though. She has heard plenty of rumours after all. Like how the fearsome Klaus Mikaelson was as paranoid as they come, how the rest of the Old Ones were not much better in that regard, or how Kol Mikaelson, the very Original before her, is well-versed in magic despite being unable to practise himself. Combine deep knowledge of her craft —even if it was not her specific branch— with an unhealthy amount of weariness and you get one very unpredictable, very dangerous potential hostile.

"My Patrons need me to be here and supervise the events. I am to interfere if they wake what should not be awakened. That is all I will disclose." Yes, sincerity was the way to go.

"So you also need Silas to stay down", he asserted, gaze turned contemplating.

After a few beats of an invisible clock ticked, Yaeko finally saw his posture sag the tiniest bit. He was still tense, but it was because of her no longer. It probably was due to the bunch of teenagers on the other side of the town meddling with forces totally out of their league.

"Fine", he relented. Though it was obvious he did not trust her as far as he could throw her. It didn't matter anyway, she already got what she was aiming for. "You are a witch, aren't you? There must be a spell to wipe out their memories on the issue. I personally don't know any, but you may."

She let out a soft scoff of offence at that. As if she was a Wiccan. No thanks. "I am no witch, my dear, I am a sorceress. Considering your knowledge on the Demiurges, I would have guessed you knew as much." When he merely sent her a glare, she deigned to answer. "As a matter of fact, here is. But I also just mentioned how I was not supposed to interfere unless needed."

"Sorceress. Of course you are one. Seems like my extended stay at a coffin courtesy of my dear brother has messed up my brain." Grin long gone, he muttered quietly to himself with a grimace, tone scathing. "Well then, dear, tell me, how will I know when you will involve yourself?"

"When you meet the divine messenger, your destiny will once again run apace." She was in a trance, one she knew all too well had to do with her Patrons. "Though no saints, the Layered Child and the Old One shall right the wrongs and maintain the balance, for the gods have decreed it." With a few rapid blinks, she snapped out of it and was met with the intense stare of the vampire before her.

His eyes hid an undecipherable emotion behind them, yet scrutinising as he pondered on her premonition. He seemed to be satisfied by it, and the confident smirk came back to his face. "You are more than you appear, aren't you, darling?" Pointed, deliberate words delivered by a saccharin voice, yet there was a trace of childish enthusiasm intertwined. Which she outright ignored.

"If you are so curious, keep doing what you were doing before I came here. All shall be revealed in due time." Now assured that her reconnaissance had bore fruits, she turned around, intent on going back to her hotel and calling home.

She did not see how he watched with a predatory gaze, thirst for knowledge once again ignited, nor heard the next few words that escaped his mouth. "Indeed, darling, indeed. We will meet again."

• • •

Once the Inazuma was out of sight, Kol went on with his search for the compiled knowledge about Travellers he had collected over the centuries.

Kol Mikaelson has always prided himself in being as knowledgeable as they come. He rarely got genuinely blind-sided, so imagine the shock that struck him to the core when, out of nowhere, an Eastern sorcerer appeared, claiming to aid him in his quest to prevent Silas from rising.

Never before had he encountered an Eastern sorcerer, to tell the truth, they've probably never felt the need to meddle in his business, so what was different now? He had heard stories, rumours, but they were even more reclusive than the sangomas of Central Africa, and it had taken him almost a full decade and a half to gain their trust —or at least enough for them to show him the basics of their arts.

If Mesopotamia was the cradle of civilisation, Central and East Asia were, without a doubt, the cradle of the supernatural. So up to a point, it was clear that the Inazuma Clan did indeed have the means to prevent Hell on Earth.

He would need to brush up his skills and contact some covens, if only to make sure he does have some kind of back-up, even if he didn't trust it completely. Humans only saw what they wanted to see, and would always remain blind to what does not fit their vision. People only wrote him off as a simple psychopath, an unredeemable and impulsive killer, the lesser of all the Originals —if they even knew of his family and did not consider them to be mere myths, that was. He was a killer all right, but they tended to conveniently forget just how clever and calculating he could be when properly motivated — like when there was magic involved.

Considering how he'd always made a point to keep gathering knowledge, it was glaringly obvious he'd know best when matters of mage craft were concerned. It was honestly pretty insulting the extent to which his siblings would disregard both his knowledge and his dedication, and he would find it more insulting had he not known how little he mattered when it came to their loyalty vow, as demonstrated time and time again whenever they would dagger him without a hint of hesitation.

( Good news was that, entirely on his side or not, there would ultimately be a new player on the board, and the rest of them would be so busy running around like headless chickens that they would not notice until it was too late. It would surely make for an entertaining display. )

Location unknown, 2011年01月04日

The young man raised an arm to sweep off his forehead. His usually bright, fair skin was glistening due to the sweat, short night-black hair drenched as well, but the relieved exhale that escaped his lips signalled that whatever had caused the tremendous effort, was all well and done.

Endless pride started bubbling from deep within his chest, rolling off him in generous, smug waves. He had finally done it. After over four moons pretty much in the middle of nowhere, learning about the different African shaman arts —of which there was aplenty—, he had achieved to complete the 'Hafl Muqadas Lilmuealijin', which to the local healers of the area meant that he was officially one of them, despite being originally an outsider.

They have made it very clear that after passing the ceremony, there would be little to nothing left for him to learn, and so he would need to look elsewhere. At first he intended to go back to his mother's hometown for a couple of days, maybe more, and then go visit for a bit his father's side too. That changed, however, when the local soothsayer told him of important events to come, and to go look for the Eastern Oracle if he dared to learn more.

He couldn't contain a little smirk at that — certainly, it was time for him to reunite with his favourite relative. After all, the rest of the family were not the priority, in that comparison. Wouldn't want to keep the Oracle waiting, would they?

Kyoto Prefecture, 2011年1月3日

The sight that greeted her was one to behold, only second to when the bronze leaves of autumn would take over the forests that surrounded the compound in a magnificent display of natural beauty. Most of the trees may have already shed all their foliage, but there were many which started to bloom in the midst of the cold season —totally unrelated to the amount of ambient magic in the air, of course.

As she got closer to the main entrance of the compound, she caught the eye of Uncle Masaru, current Clan Head of the Hanarashi family. He was clothed with silk robes in the traditional style of their family — handmade and embroidered with the sigil's colours —, and was accompanied by his never-absent guards. Once they stood in front of each other, a respectful bow was the only warning that hinted to the startling break in formality that followed. Uncle and niece both shattered the delicate semblance of protocol that permeated the air just a few seconds prior.

「 おじさん！お元気ですか。大丈夫であることを願っています〜。 」 They separated from the embrace he had pulled her in, and he ruffled her hair, making her preen — Masaru had always been Yaeko's favourite uncle. (TL: Uncle! How're you doing? Hope everything's all right.)

「 ええ。大丈夫ですよ。心配しないで、子ちゃん。 」 He chuckled lightly, eyes creased and looking only slightly weary. She knew that's the best she would get out of him. (TL: Aye, I'm all right. No need to worry, Ko-chan.)

「 ああ、よかった〜 」 (TL: Ah, just as well.)

With a soft shake of her head, they entered the compound, guards trailing after them. A comfortable silence settled between them, only interrupted every other second by the chirping of the few birds that remained in the region despite the cold. Yaeko looked at her surroundings, noting there didn't seem to be anyone else at home besides entourage members here and there.

"Where are Osamu and Yuki?" Question directed to her uncle.

"Yuki's in Bulgaria with Yosuke, taking care of some matters concerning one of our estates over there. Osamu is inside with Min-Qiu —she came over a couple of hours ago—, he's finishing up with some spells he needed to do for her, so he'll join us shortly", he informed her, beckoning her to follow him to the kotatsu in the main parlour.

Satisfied with his answers, they sat, and after serving tea and a few pastries, she folded her arms on the table and raised her head to look at him in the eyes, chestnut facing caramel.

"Well, let's talk business."

Mystic Falls, 2011年1月6日

That evening, Yaeko was going to the Grill when she face-planted into someone's chest. Ready to give an apology for her distraction, she had to do a double take at the sight of the stranger's face. She must have got a gobsmacked expression on hers, because the other just burst out laughing.

"Is this how you greet me, o' little cousin, after coming here for you, Eko-chan?" He mercilessly teased her, leaning over her and ruffling her hair, which she failed to prevent while she was trying to regain her usual composure.

"Kai! 你好！What are you doing here?" Engulfing him in a tight hug, she too laughed mirthfully. Surprise did not even begin to cover how simultaneously dazed and utterly delighted she was feeling. Last she heard, her cousin Kai was lost amidst the blistering sands of Egypt and under the scorching sun of the Great Desert, being taught by the local shamans about their ancient craft. That had been about two weeks before, and then he appears out of the blue in a no-name town in Virginia. (TL: Hello!)

"Well, when I heard my lovely Eko had been tasked with supervising the events of some random American town, and with no close back-up, no less, so I thought: 'Why not pay a visit?' Who knows, I may be able to help", he shrugged nonchalantly, but Yaeko could see through the indifferent façade — he had missed her, the secret softie.

"Sure…" She sang out, feigning as if she believed him, brow arched challenging. "So, you're all caught up with what's going on?" She glanced at him curiously, as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and continued making their way to the Grill.

"About the bunch of idiots trying to awaken Silas? Yeah, I heard. Really, the world's gone mad and the people in it even more," he complained with a gruff. "As if it wasn't bad enough that the creator of vampires wanted to extinguish an entire race just a few months ago. I mean, I myself am not too much of a fan of those bloodsuckers, but even I've got to admit that they're a necessary evil. Population control and whatnot." He made a careless wave with his free hand, as if in dismissal, to which she had to stifle a chortle.

Shaking her head fondly, she observed her cousin, and took note of his unusually tanned skin —he must have come straight from Africa. She inwardly thanked the deities for it. It was truly reassuring having him supporting her, as he always did.

( That's Hanarashi Kai-Jun to you, or simply KJ to Yaeko. When it was declared that she would be the Eastern Oracle for the times to come —the former one had passed away just about a year prior— a guard of sorts had to be appointed. Being only three years apart, Kai was one of the main prospects to form part of it, but due to the intense wanderlust and want for knowledge he ended up growing through the years —of which there had been a hint ever since learning to perform his first spell—, different people were selected for such a purpose. This did not mean, however, that Kai wouldn't pledge his loyalty to her anyway.

As a member of the Hanarashi, he had no obligations towards Ryūnosuke-dono or Minato-sama, considering they were the Inazuma Head and Heir respectively. The only ones he would have had to defer to were the current head, Masaru-dono, and the Hanarashi Heiress, Min-Qiu. Masaru-dono rarely concerned himself with the clan matters anymore, as opposed to Min-Qiu, who had practically inherited the position already. She was not only older than Kai, but she also had inherited the Hanarashi potential in full. Furthermore, she had been born with a certain sense for bonds, soul and magical alike, which was why she let him off the Clan's vows and allowed him to swear to Eko after being a witness herself of the strong soul bond that linked the two of them. )

They spent the whole evening catching up, about all the knowledge Kai had acquired in the last few months, as well as any news Yaeko had for Kai regarding clan affairs. Afterwards, Kai escorted Yaeko to the flat where she was staying, and promptly followed her inside. This made her shoot him a questioning look, only receiving another that seemed to say 'are you going to kick me out? yeah, didn't think so' in response.

Both sat down in seiza, one in each end of the low table in the living room, and it was almost tangible how the previously light air turned sombre. Yaeko served tea, and once she was done, she looked at KJ. No smile was worn on either of their faces any longer. Instead, matching solemn expressions had replaced them. It was KJ who broke the silence first.

"What would the Eastern Oracle have for this guard?"

In front of him there was little trace left of his cousin Yaeko. The trance-like state said it all. This was the Eastern Oracle, the current link between the sorcerer clans and the Eastern gods. And with its ominous words, a mixture of excitement and anxiousness washed over Kai.

"This one shall only disclose the entirety of the message's content once the Old One has made his decision. 'Though no saints, the Layered Child and the Old One shall right the wrongs and maintain the balance, for the gods have decreed it', is the sole verse he shall know for the nonce." Golden glowing gems replaced her eyes and pierced him, and a shiver travelled up from the base of his spine. "To you, Hanarashi Kai-Jun, the words are these: 'Moon after Moon the Eagle you will protect, Sun after Sun to her side you will remain. The doors to the Heavens you shall pass twice — one to enter, and one to part. A hydrangea of wisdom must be collected while in the Heavenly Planes. Only that way, shall your path carry on, only that way, you shall endure'."