Blood Moon
Chapter 7
Ken warily eyed the castle from the carriage. The last time he had been to this castle he had been accompanied by his friend from whom he hadn’t heard anything. That had been almost three years ago, not even Master Reimel was able to find him. His Master wouldn’t say it but he thought that Ran was dead. Sighing Ken looked away from the carriage window to look into the crystal that was embedded into his staff. The golden staff had been a gift from Master Reimel to commemorate the end of his studies. It was a simple staff that resembled a golden snake in its mouth was embedded a red crystal. The red crystal showed at what level he was as a mage. All elemental mages sported some sort of colored crystal to show at what level they were as a mage. Only the ancients knew about the system with the exception of Ken. Reimel had explained that the power of the crystals depended on the mage, and as power increased the color of the crystal would change. So even if a mage had a yellow crystal, which was the lowest color there was no telling if the mage was stronger until fighting him.
This worried Ken, but Reimel had told him just in case he ever came across another elemental mage. The colors of crystals were yellow, which was the lowest color followed by orange, green, red, amethyst and black. Every mage aimed to get the black crystal. According to Reimel, Ken had done well, usually when mages finished their studies they sported a yellow crystal. Now Ken was a Master of the Red Crystal. Not that it helped much since the young mage could not find the person for whom he had become an elemental mage.
"We’ll be there in about ten minutes Master Hidaka," said the driver
"Hn."
Sadly one of the consequences of being made a Master so soon was that you had to sacrifice something in order to attain that level of power. Ken could still remember that day, the ceremony day. Dressed in a plain white robe, barefoot as he kneeled before the niche where the sacred fire of the Corner gods was. Thru the fire, the gods had asked him what he was willing to sacrifice in order to have the power to protect and heal people. When the question was asked, the thought crossed Ken’s mind that his surrogate family was dead, his best friend more that likely was also dead. He had nobody to mourn him if he ever died; he was alone. That was the moment he decided that he would never feel happiness again. If he could cry he would’ve cried at that moment. That’s when he decided that he would sacrifice his emotions, his happiness, anything not to feel pain again. A request of a coward but it pleased the gods. Of course Reimel had been angry when Ken stepped out of the ceremonial chamber saying that Ken now bared the dark mark. Ken didn’t understand what his master talked about, but from that day every time Reimel saw him there was deep sorrow.
The way Ken perceived the world had changed making him see everything from a gray perspective. There was no black or white, nothing was as simple as that there was only gray, and as such there was no thing as complete happiness or complete pain. There was tolerance and caring but the kind of love in which you gave your heart to someone else did not exist, at least not for Ken. He had lost everything and now his only aim was to keep on living to leave a mark before he died. He had given up on everything else. Part of him knew that it was the gods doing that he felt this way but he had no regrets, he had power and with it he would help others to live happy lives.
"Master Hidaka, we’ve arrived."
Turning toward the driver, Ken blinked noticing that they were inside the castle. It was stupid of him to stop paying attention to his surroundings like that. If Zawquir ever got notice that an elemental mage was in Libertas, he was sure the Prince of Zawquir would send someone to get rid of him. It was just the type of thing that man would do.
Walking down the carriage, Ken noticed the castle façade, a simple stone surface with red mosaics under the archway that led into the castle. There were flowerbeds on either side of the main entrance as well as in the small rotunda that held a fountain. There was nothing extravagant of the castle since the outside had been made to withstand attacks not to be aesthetically pleasing. Stepping down the carriage into the cobblestone ground, Ken made sure not to trip on his robes. He now wore black robes embroidered with red and silver thread. For mages robes were very important, they were a symbol of his station. It showed other mages that had not gone to Sorcerers Mount that he was superior to them as bad that sounded.
Mounting the dark marble steps, Ken came face to face with a dark haired man who was maybe in his early thirties dressed in brown robes. Ken guessed it was a messenger. The man showed no emotion except to bow and quietly motion him to follow.
"Master Hidaka?"
"Yes."
"The King awaits your presence. Your bags will be taken to your quarters."
"Thank you."
They both silently walked through the echoing halls. The palace was conservative if compared with other castles. Many said it was the late Queen’s influence, because the new Queen was very extravagant with her tastes. The palace hadn’t changed very much, the double vaulted ceilings and paintings were the same except for some new addictions here and there but the impact was the same. It didn’t surprise Ken in the least.
"The King is at the war room."
Ken acknowledged the statement with a slight nod as he followed the messenger using his staff as leverage. A small smile escaped his lips; Reimel had gotten so angry with him when he saw the brunette use his staff as a walking stick. When confronted by the angry mage Ken had answered that all the old mages leaned on their staff. Reimel had blushed before saying that Ken was young and shouldn’t act as the old mages did. Almost like a parent telling their child not to do as they did but as they said.
The messenger stopped in front of a pair of marbled arched doors. There was some type of iconography that Ken knew to be a protective spell against attack. This room was a safe haven in case the castle came into attack. Quietly knocking, the messenger leaned a bit to inform Ken that the King was in a meeting with his advisors as to what strategy they would take if a war erupted after meeting the Prince of Zawquir.
Once he was led into the room, the brunette blinked at the amount of papers and advisors that were in the room. The Prince was also in the room sitting beside his father and if he was there it meant his young brother was not far. He spotted the blonde bent over some maps with a frown marring his features. Everybody in the room seemed a bit angry.
"Master Hidaka," said the King. "Master Reimel said you would join us."
Ken bowed slightly before sitting on a chair that had been reserved for him right across the King.
The Prince narrowed his eyes when he looked at him. "How was your trip?"
"Tolerable, thank you. I was made to understand that the kingdom was in need of the services of a mage."
"Yes," drawled the King. "We have received accounts that Zawquir has an elemental mage on their side."
"That complicates things."
"Yes, as you can see we have less troops than Zawquir and if they also have an elemental mage then we need one ourselves."
"I just became an elemental mage a few months back. I could help but it depends on how old the mage is."
"Young according to my sources. Yet, I’m confused as to why you look normal."
Ken blinked at the question.
"You look the same way you did when you left," supplied the Prince.
"I see. It could be that the mage sacrificed his body in order to obtain power. All mages that hope to receive elemental powers must sacrifice something of themselves in order to receive that kind of power."
Everybody in the room seemed to ponder on the question, until the Duke of Salapis broke the silence. The duke looked a bit thinner, but that could’ve been because he was growing. His hair was a bit darker than what Ken remembered it to be and the clothes we wore suited his frame enhancing his body.
"May I ask you a question? It might be a bit personal." The Duke’s stare did not waver when he said it. It sounded more like an order than a request.
" As you wish."
"What did you sacrifice in order to become a mage?"
Ken smiled a bit. Ironic that he had been thinking the same thing on his way here. The room grew silent as they waited for him to answer. Taking off the glove from his right hand Ken saw how the mark of the gods showed. It was a dark circle that showed the universe as the gods saw it, as a big star. Lightly skimming his fingers over the mark, the young mage nodded before lifting his hand to show the room.
"My emotions."
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Ran almost jumped out of bed when he heard a branch hit against his window. Bloody weather. Pressing a hand against his chest the redhead tried to get his breathing back to normal. He hated this place. Hated it with everything he had, which wasn’t much. The place was too unpredictable. Thankfully the Prince was currently entertained with his new wife and didn’t have much time to torment him. Yet, that did not apply to Lord Schuldich who at night liked to sneak into Ran’s bed in an attempt to bed him. It was bad enough that he had to endure the man’s company most of the day, but now the Lord also wanted his company at night. Last time the redhead had tried getting into his trousers had been during the Prince’s wedding and thankfully the Prince had stopped the lord. Now Schuldich was prohibited from going into Ran’s room at night. As long as Ran cooperated the Prince would be generous with him. Ran still remembered the last time he had disobeyed; Crawford had released the power of the crystal within his body. Painful torture.
Just the thought made Ran shiver, not that he would show it. He thanked Taeba for that. All that time under the control of the goddess allowed Ran to control his emotions.
Sighing, the redhead left his bed to look out his window. Outside these castle walls was freedom.
[I’ll go crazy at this rate.]
A light knock at his door made the redhead turn from his contemplation. Walking silently toward the door Ran laid a hand over the cold wood of his door so he could scan the presence outside. If it was that damned Schuldich…thankfully it was not. Opening the door Ran bid Nagi to enter the room. The boy was the only link Ran had with the outside. Nagi would get him news about Libertas.
"Hello. How are you holding up?"
A light chuckle escaped Ran at that. Nagi smiled a bit before sitting on a chair facing Ran’s bed where the redhead was sitting.
"You didn’t come last week."
"I was a bit detained by our Prince. I believe he is starting to suspect."
Ran gave a wry smile. "He does have powers of precognition."
Nagi sighed a bit before getting some scrolls out of his robes to look at them.
"Well as you know I went through all the records I could find in the library. Berzerker even helped."
Ran’s eyes widened at that. "What?"
Berzerker was a knight that had gone rogue and Crawford’s personal assassin. Every time someone stood in the Prince’s way, Berzerker took care of it as a consequence his mental health was not getting any better. The only time Berzerker had talked to him was to warn him that Schuldich might try and bed him. The young man was too unpredictable making it a trial to try and have a normal conversation with him. Only Nagi understood Berzerker.
"He won’t say a thing. He wants you out of here as much as you do."
"Why?"
Nagi shrugged not looking up from the papers on his lap. "He says you have the curse on your skin, whatever that means."
"Hn."
Finally looking up, Nagi gave the scrolls to Ran pointing out key parts in the texts. "The only thing I managed to find out was that in psychic surgery, the patient or you in this case feels like their body is out of their control but it is only temporary. With practice you can break off the hold your surgeon has over you."
Frowning the redhead read over the paragraph Nagi quoted. "So Crawford telling me that I will not remember anything that happens once I turn into his little puppet is wrong?"
"More a distortion of the truth. You might not remember most of what you do when you become an elemental mage but that is only a side effect of unleashing so much power at once. Normal elemental mages are not as strong because they only use as much power as their body can take. Crawford inserted that crystal into you so your body could withstand more power as a consequence your body changed in order to house all that power without falling apart."
"I see. Is this all you uncovered?"
"Well, yes. It is hard to work under pressure. But I might be able to get more information from the library in Oedgar. The King collects all kinds of ancient texts."
Ran sighed. Another thing that was worrying at him. Why was Crawford taking him to that meeting? Ran knew that Crawford was planning some kind of stupidity and with him not being able to control his body it was going to be a bit of a problem trying to prevent it.
Nagi seemed to read him. "As long as you concentrate you should mostly be aware of what’s going on around you. It won’t be easy but it is preferable to waking up and finding out you killed a child."
Narrowing his eyes, Ran lightly pulled at his nightdress, "Would the Prince ask me to do that?"
Nagi played with a feather pen smiling wryly, "Of course not. That would be Berzerker’s job."
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Omi leaned against the window in his brother’s room that overlooked the flowerbed the Queen used to love. When Yohji had come of age he had asked his father to move him to this room, which had been the Queen’s. It was the only thing Yohji had asked and the King gave it to him.
"You look sad. What’s wrong?"
Omi sighed against the window. Ken had changed so much. The mage had barely acknowledged his presence before leaving for his quarters.
"Nothing, just thinking."
"About a certain mage?" Omi could feel the blush spreading throughout his face. It was annoying that the Prince could tell what he was thinking by only looks.
"Well he seemed strange."
Yohji sighed before leaning on the window, "People change. I’ve heard that the training they give mages on the Mount is very stressful. Besides Hidaka lost everything it’s enough to make any man bitter."
"How do you know that?"
"His eyes, they were those of a defeated man. He achieved what he wanted but he’s alone."
"You don’t believe that. Neither does he."
"Sometimes I wonder."
Looking at his brother, the genki blonde decided it was about time he talked to Ken. He didn’t want to have the regrets that Yohji had. It was a bad excuse but one that would work for him. Bidding goodnight to his brother, Omi left the Prince’s quarters walking in the opposite direction toward the mage’s room. All the way there Omi kept thinking on how much he had wanted to talk to Ken, how foolishly he had sent letters in an attempt to get the mage to reply. How much his fascination had grown to the point that Omi no longer knew if it was obsession or love. Arriving at Ken’s doors, the blonde knocked before fear slinked in and he decided to flee the situation. Movement could be heard before the door was cracked open showing a bleary eyed Ken.
"Hello, I…I just wanted to talk." Right about now Omi was wishing Yohji had talked him out of this.
"My lord? It’s a bit late…"
"I know but…were you sleeping?"
Opening the door Ken beckoned the Duke to come in as he walked to pour himself a glass of water. Taking a deep breath, Ken turned to face the Duke who looked a tad nervous.
"My lord, how can I help you? Is there something wrong?"
"Stop it," snapped Omi turning furious eyes at Ken. Ken’s eyes widened a bit before sitting on a chair opposite Omi.
"As you wish, but could you first tell me what do you want me to stop doing?"
"This - - - this formality. As if were strangers."
"Ah, but we are."
Omi closed his eyes trying to get his body under control. He would not show the mage how much those words had hurt him, but Ken had become keener to sensing things. He could read humans better than he used to.
"This offends you. Why?"
"I had thought we were friends. I hoped that you were thinking about me wherever you were. That you missed me."
"I did." Omi’s eyes brightened, but not for long. " But that was before the ceremony. We must be logical, I am a mage and you are a Duke. There is no mixing of this two, it is the way politics work. You will become heir to the throne when your brother assumes power. I am the guardian of the state, there’s nothing else."
"But…"even though Omi agreed with that logic his heart would not allow it. It begged for Ken. It wanted the mage to hug him and whisper to him that everything would be all right. That the war would not affect him. That he loved him. It was a stupid wish but one the Duke clung to with all his might.
"I missed you so much and you say this to me? How can you be so cold hearted?!?" There was wetness trailing down his cheeks. Ken seemed astonished by his outburst before averting his eyes.
"I am truly sorry. I never meant to hurt you in any way."
"But you did! You did …" It sounded more like a whine but at the moment Omi didn’t care. The outburst had taken too much out of him. So it surprised him when he felt Ken enclose him in a hug.
"Omi you should let go."
"But I want you," said the blonde clinging to Ken’s plain nightshirt and breathing in the scent. How he had missed the brunette’s scent!
Stepping back from the hug Ken held Omi at arms length. The blonde looked up to meet his eyes and was startled by what he found. There was so much emotion in those eyes making a part of him wish he could still feel something.
"Omi…" taking a deep breath Ken at the blonde. There was so much simmering in those blue eyes; so much the young Duke was willing to give. Shaking his head, he let go of the blonde steeling himself for what would come next.
"Omi, has it ever crossed your mind that I might not want anything to do with you?"
The look of betrayal was there as he had expected, but the worse thing was that Ken felt nothing. He was empty of emotions and the thought that this was what the rest of his life would be made him wish he could feel misery.
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Ran always woke up with the sun. Ever since he was a young boy his father would wake him up at sunrise saying that productive men rose with the sun. Sighing, the redhead passed a hand through his hair attempting to put it in some kind of order. He didn’t know why he bothered there was nothing he had to do.
Walking to look out his window he noticed a figure crouched over a flowerbed. Narrowing his eyes to make out the figure he was surprised to see that it was the new princess. The princess walking through the garden in her white nightdress, her hair picked up in a braid that reached her waist. The picture caused Ran some pain but he couldn’t remember why. Ever since marrying the Prince, one hardly saw the princess. Holding a tulip to her nose the princess smiled before noticing Ran watching her. Afraid that he had startled her, Ran was about to move from the window when he noticed that she was waving at him. Sighing the redhead stepped out into his room balcony.
"Milady, did you sleep well?"
A wry smile. "As well as you can having my husband. You are a prisoner here as well as I am. Is that right?"
"I see nothing escapes you milady."
"It’s not that, but misery always finds company."
"Pardon my forwardness but may I ask why you married him?"
Sakura walked closer to the balcony as she held up the flower to give it to Ran.
"What is your real name?"
"Ran Fujimiya."
"May I call you Ran? I am tired of all the formalities I have to go through when speaking with a person."
Ran smiled, "I would like that."
Sakura nodded before smiling. " Well to answer your earlier question, I was never given the choice to refuse him. As you were never give the choice to being held prisoner."
Sighing Ran held the flower up to his nose before whispering, "Two of a kind."
Sakura nodded slightly as she left to her own quarters leaving Ran to think if a woman like Sakura who had lived all her life in Zawquir was held prisoner there was not much hope left for him. A sad turn his life had taken, maybe Nagi would find something that would help him.
That’s all his life had become, a multitude of maybes.
"Maybe you would like to join us tomorrow on our trip. It ‘may be’ a bit entertaining; at least for me."
Ran forgot to breathe.