Ran became aware of his surroundings by degrees. The first thing was hearing birds; it was an odd feeling since it had been a long time since the singing of birds had awakened him. The in was the feel of silk bed-sheets. He had never slept in silk since it had always bothered him to be so indulgent. Maybe he was in Aya’s room, she slept in silk, but then maybe not. But, then there was still a part of him that wondered why his body felt like a horse had dragged it.

" Ugh." Slowly opening his eyes, started to make up the blurry surroundings. With a small groan, he quickly closed his eyes against the light and put an arm over them. His brain was slowly working to come up with an explanation as to why his room had so much light in it. The redhead was used to sleeping in complete darkness and the only reason he ever woke up was because his father never failed to get up when he heard the first rooster sing. It seemed a quaint practice from Ran’s point of view but it was a good wake up call. It was either that or sleep with open curtains. He rarely did that unless his room was extremely hot at night, but he couldn’t remember leaving his curtains open. Opening his eyes once again, the first thing Ran saw was that the curtains were completely white. His room had never had white curtains and the ones he was seeing were white and had a red emblem in the middle…it looked like a golden dragon with a sword in one of its legs.

A dragon? And then he remembered. He threw of the bed covers to find himself wearing some white almost translucent silk pajamas. The next few minutes were filled with absolute panic: panic at not knowing where he was, why he was wearing clothes he had never seen before, and what he was doing asleep in the first place. A small whimper escaped him as he tried to calm his breathing. There had to be a way out of this situation and none of them involved him walking around in transparent nightclothes.

"Where are my bloody clothes?" whispered the redhead, throwing bed covers and looking for his clothes. When he spotted a white armoire in the corner of the room, a small chuckle escaped him. The room was grating on his nerves, not only because he didn’t know where he was but also because the room was completely white. It hurt to look at it; it could make a person crazy just by looking at it.

Opening the armoire, he saw that his clothes had been cleaned and hung neatly besides some other clothing. He had barely finished putting on his clothes when there was a small knock on the door. His heart started beating faster for he was unarmed, and even though he still had Ken’s staff, the room had a damping field against magic. Ran wasn’t very good with magic but he could still feel it. A stronger mage might have been able to break through the field but not him; he wasn’t strong enough. He was better at swordplay but his sword was nowhere to be seen.

" Kuso."

An orange haired young man that hit him entered the room. Ran didn’t with what the bastard had hit him but it sure felt like hell. He seemed to be a lord or someone of a high position; it could be seen in the air with which he carried himself. It was the same guy he had come across when trying to cross Zawquir. Oh, damn…he was in Zawquir.

" Hello, I see you have found your clothes. I hope you liked the nightclothes and room we provided."

Not bloody likely, I was half-naked and nearly blinded to death but Ran didn’t say that. Instead, he simply nodded.

The other guy smiled, lifting a hand to tap at his head. " I can read minds. You might want to keep in check what you say."

Ran’s eyes widened as he put two and two together. Now it all made sense. He had heard that man in his head and now he was a bloody prisoner. He had to get out of here; he had a very bad feeling about this place.

The guy still stood there in the middle of the room watching him, a small smile spreading over his features.

"Oh, but where are my manners? I’m Lord Schuldich of Mistda, right hand advisor to the royal prince of Zawquir and who might you be?"

" Fujimiya, Ran," answered the redhead.

" Well, Sir Fujimiya, I am sure you will find your stay with us quite interesting. I know I will."

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Ken was having a hard time making it to the top of Sorcerer’s Mount. Once a sorcerer or mage got to the vicinity of the mount, they would lose their powers no matter how powerful they were. That was one of the reasons why the mount had gotten its name. The mount was usually used as a pilgrimage point that mage masters gave their pupils to see if the young ones had potential. If a pupil managed to make it to the top, they were worthy of the training provided by the mages living in the Mount. Mages that were trained in the art of sorcery of old passed down through generations. Usually the mages that never tried to climb the Mount where either not strong enough or were training mages, like his master. Those mages in the Mount were the strongest mages of all. Yet, even when Ken felt like giving up, the promise he had made to Ran kept him going. He was not one to make empty promises and he would not start now.

The brunette’s hands were bloodied; not even the gloves that he usually wore helped. He had to take them off since they were making him slip up because of the soft cloth they were made from. And that was not to mention the fact that he felt like an idiot holding onto the rocks of the mountain for dear life.

" Kuso!…"

It didn’t matter; he was going to make it to the top and become the most powerful mage. Then he would be able to face Ran and show him. Everybody would then know that Ken never broke promises.

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Ran kept looking out the window. He just wished that he had the power to be able to break through the barrier. He had been trying for most of the day, gently testing the barrier to see if it would hold against his sorcery. As he sat in a chair overlooking outside, the redhead had to admit the barrier was at least strong enough to prevent any escape on his part.

" Goddess...I’m stuck" whispered the redhead while he racked a hand through his hair. Noticing what he was doing, Ran stopped. His father had always gotten after him when he messed with his hair, saying that it was not how a lord behaved. So much for that. Closing his eyes, the redhead wished he could go back and stop his father from speaking such nonsense. Yes, stealing from the King was wrong, but sacrificing your life for a stupid ideal and not caring about your own family was worse. Fisting his hands until the nails dug into his palms, Ran tried to rein the anger that threatened to take control of him. It was sacrilegious to hate the dead but right now, he hated his father. He hated him with all his being because pride had interfered with his father’s ability to see reason. Ran had warned him, had told him to leave it alone. Why did his father think it was going to be easy to report the King to the council? For all Ran knew, the King himself could’ve ordered the death of his father. Ran blinked when he felt a tear fall onto his hand; he hadn’t even noticed he was crying.

" Forgive me Father..." Lifting his eyes to look out the window, his gaze lingered on the garden of purple hyacinths. They were beautiful; he just wished he could get out of this room and see them up close.

" I could let you go out."

Startled, the redhead turned to see a brunette man wearing some spectacles standing beside the redhead who had entered his room earlier.

" Who are you?"

" I am the prince of the land you are in, Prince Brad Denier Crawford of Zawquir."

Ran simply stared at the man. What was he supposed to say? That he was glad to meet him? He was not. He was a prisoner in this damn place when all he wanted was to leave.

" It’s an honor, Prince Crawford. Now may I ask what I am doing here?" Mentally, Ran winced. He hadn’t meant to sound so defensive, but his patience had been worn thin. The redhead had never been in this kind of situation.

The redhead beside the prince smiled. How he hated that man. If he was strong enough, he would make the bastard swallow his smirk.

" I think our guest is getting angry. Do you wish to leave here? You need to do something for us before you can leave."

Ran frowned. Was the man mad? Why would he need something from him when they had just met?

" What is it you want?"

The brunette lifted an eyebrow. " Are all the lords in Libertia this forward?"

Ran met the Prince’s gaze without flinching. " We do not kidnap our guests."

Surprisingly, Schuldich laughed. " My prince, if I may say so, I like the boy. He has some spirit."

Ran was about to open his mouth to respond when a young boy peeked in the door. The boy could not be more than sixteen seasons old. He had short brown hair and clear blue eyes. He carried himself the way a lord would, which made Ran believe that the boy was a young lord, or at least somebody of importance. Also the fact that he wore clothes that no slave boy would wear. Black trousers with a white silk shirt and a black cloak lined with silver. It made the boy look paler than he really was.

Seeing where Ran’s gaze rested, Schuldich turned to see the young man standing behind them.

" My lords, the King requests your presence."

The Prince nodded and turned to smile at Ran. " Please make yourself comfortable. Tonight, we will discuss what you must do in order to leave the palace. Please do not cause any trouble." And with that, Crawford left with Nagi, leaving Schuldich alone with Ran.

" Do you really dislike your room that much?"

Ran did not bother to respond; instead, he turned to look out the window. He missed his family, he missed Ken, he missed his own country, and he missed his prince. He wished he did not have to be here in a strange land. Closing his eyes, Ran sighed, feeling the wetness behind his eyelids. Part of him wished he could have cried at his family’s funeral as Ken had done. The brunette at least did not have the regret of being a cold bastard.

" I see. Your family was murdered." Ran had forgotten the man was in the room. Schuldich walked to stand beside him, looking out the window.

" A sad thing to go through." Ran could almost believe him. The man seemed honest about that. "Pay close attention to what I am to tell you for I will not repeat it. Let them go. You are here now and sadly, there is no way to get out unless the Prince wishes it so. His father may be King but Lord Crawford pulls all the strings."

Ran turned to watch the redhead. " What is that supposed to mean? That I am never to leave this place? That I am a prisoner?"

Schuldich gave him a wry smile before turning to leave; reaching the door, he turned around and said, " Not yet." And he left the other redhead cursing his fate.

Crawford was talking to the young boy, Lord Naoe Nagi, when Schuldich joined them.

" What kept you?" asked Crawford with an amused smile.

" Nothing, just giving our guest some friendly advice." Nagi eyed him suspiciously before speaking.

" He is taken with the boy. Lord Schuldich, you should know better."

Schuldich‘s eyes narrowed. " I will ask for your opinion when I need it."

Crawford was silent as the two lords fought. They always fought, yet usually the one that began the fights was Nagi.

" Nagi, Schuldich, be silent. I do not need this at the moment." Turning to Schuldich he added, "If you behave, I might let you have him."

Schuldich grinned before bowing.

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Ran woke up to the sound of somebody entering the room. He had fallen asleep while he was trying to get rid of a headache. It was still there but no longer as insistent, he concluded when he noticed somebody standing beside the bed.

"Awake? Lord Crawford wants to speak to you."

It was that boy again. The redhead got up, glaring at the boy from under his red bangs. He just wished people did not feel the need to talk to him as if he were a servant of the bloody prince. Grabbing his black cloak, the redhead nodded and followed the youth toward the prince. The young boy knocked before opening the door to a brightly lit room. Ran stood near the door in case he needed to flee. A moment later, he felt like laughing at his situation. Where would he run? He was trapped in this cursed place.

" Lord Fujimiya. I am pleased you could join us. Please have a seat," said Crawford, motioning the redhead to sit in a chair in front of where the Prince was sitting. Once he was seated, the redhead noticed that the bloody redhead was sitting beside him.

" Do I make you that uncomfortable?" Ran did not think that question needed an answer, and instead, chose to focus on the man in front of him.

" Your highness, what is it you need of me?" The redhead figured that maybe if he was polite, the guy would let him go, or at least consider letting him go, but the only answer the redhead received was a cryptic smile.

" Have you ever heard of elemental mages?"

Ran blinked. That was not the answer he was looking for or even expecting. He nodded.

Leaving his seat, the Prince picked up a crystal ball as he stood giving his back to them. The crystal looked like a small crystal egg that changed color depending on the angle the Prince moved it.

"If we had been alive four centuries ago, we would not be having this conversation. Our ancestors who were able to study the ancient texts of the gods knew about elemental sorcery. It was the purest type of sorcery as well as the strongest. These mages could control all the elements of the Earth. Only those chosen by the gods were able to control it. Have you heard this before?" said the Prince, turning.

" Yes, but those are myths. I have never seen a text that stated that an elemental mage ever existed."

Crawford smiled. " That is where you are wrong. I have read ancient texts all of my life. I know about your gods and the blood sacrifice that your goddess Taeba imposed on your people. Yet, I never understood why the goddess would want redheaded youths as sacrifices. Then, about three full moons ago, I came across this book. I had never seen it before because some other books had hid it. You see, my great-granduncle had been an avid intellectual, always trying to search for answers to things he could not understand. He kept all his findings in a journal he later hid. I found it and it said that the reason the goddess wanted all the redheaded youths to be sacrificed was in order to prevent an elemental mage from being born. All redheads had the potential to become elemental mages but only that youth with blood red hair had the raw power and innate ability to become an elemental mage."

Ran stared. What could he say? The Prince was spouting nonsense. Mages? Raw power? The only reason Taeba wanted that sacrifice was to have her revenge on the Libertians for killing her son.

"My prince, I believe our guest doubts your word."

Crawford smiled. " I am an elemental mage myself but I know I can never be as strong as a redheaded mage. My only ability is that of predicting the future. Lord Schuldich is a telepath. He is able to read minds as you have experienced. Lord Nagi is a telekinetic; he can move things without the aid of any sorcery. I have seen the future and I knew you were coming. Did you not wonder how Schuldich knew you were crossing the border? Or did you think we guarded our border so zealously?" At that last comment. Schuldich laughed.

Everything was starting to make sense. The only reason they kept him a prisoner was because the Prince believed in a crazy myth about mages. He wanted the power he thought Ran could have, the simple thought of it making him laugh.

" Forgive me, but this is nonsense. Have you not felt my level of sorcery? I am not powerful, nor will I ever be. I was born to be a swordsman. The only sorcery I know is basic defense spells."

The Prince’s eyes narrowed but said nothing. It was moments later when Ran sensed that his body had gone numb. When he tried to move his hand and it would not move, he started to panic.

" See? You are feeling the effects of the crystal. Only an elemental mage is sensitive enough to feel his body drawn to the crystal." The Prince walked to stand in front of Ran, placing the crystal in the redhead’s lap. Ran felt like he was dying. " Ever since I was young, I have been fascinated with psychic sorcery, the ability to do surgery without using a blade or instruments. Thus, I learned the craft."

The brunette spoke as he started removing Ran’s cloak and opening his shirt.

" The ability to amplify a person’s power with psychic surgery. You are an elemental mage even if you refuse to believe this. This crystal is an amplifier. It allows a person to reach their full potential and helps to keep that power under control, under my control. So if I were to put this crystal inside you, you would truly become an elemental mage and be under my control. If I have you under my control, I can finally become King of Zawquir, conquer Libertas and become ruler of all. You are going to help me fulfill my dream."

Ran‘s eyes widened. " Are you mad? A person like you should never have power."

Picking up the crystal, Crawford’s hand began to glow before he said, " Well, we shall soon learn who is right." Before Ran knew what was happening, he saw the Prince’s hand enter his chest. He screamed.

Schuldich jumped out of his seat when he saw Crawford place the crystal inside Ran’s chest. It was disturbing to see. No one should be able to do that; it was the perfect ingredient for nightmares. Crawford got up and put some space between him and Ran. Turning to Nagi, he told the youth to pin the redhead down. Ran seemed to have fainted, but then, he opened his eyes and screamed, clutching at his chest. He scratched at his chest, trying to get the crystal out of him but to no avail.

" My Prince...I can not...he is too strong..."

" Put up a barrier around us and let him go." Nagi did as told. Once he released Ran, the redhead sank to his knees, clutching at his head. His skin was glowing, changing colors as well as his hair. The trio saw how Ran’s hair started to grow and stop just below his waist. It was no longer red, but became blue almost turquoise. His skin became almost translucent with a hint of olive coloring. It was an interesting thing to watch if you were into making people look like characters of children stories. Afterwards, Ran just fainted.

Lowering the barrier, Crawford walked to crouch beside Ran and caress his cheek. He was so hot, causing the Prince to hastily remove his hand.

Ran groaned before slowly opening his eyes. You could no longer see the whites of his eyes. His eyes had become completely amethyst, making Ran’s features become almost elfin.

" Who are you?"

Crawford smiled. " Your Prince who you must protect."

Ran blinked processing this information.

" Who am I?"

" My Dark Knight."

TBC

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