The Creatures Series

Ninth Night

Ninth NightCreatures of the Night

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##### Ninth Night #####

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He looks about ten years old. Still so young, yet he must be so powerful. So powerful that I can’t even feel aura.... Or those are just fake. It could be. It’s very easy to manipulate looks with the modern inventions.

As he walks closer to the center of the ballroom with calmness, I can see that he has a very smooth and cute childish face, that I might mistake him as a girl wearing casual clothes instead.

“So nice to see you joining us,” the elder, Freddrickson says with a smile for the first time to the boy. The boy walks closer to him and smiles a faint smile back. Freddrickson stroke his hand.

For an instant, I can see the resemblance between the two despite their different ages. They both have very light skin, pure white hair and blue glows. This boy must be his grandson.

“What were you discussing?” The little boy asks, speaking for the first time.

And from his voice, finally I am sure that he is who I think he is. His voice echoes through everyone’s head. Even mine, even though I’m not really in there.

“Just some family business,” his grandfather answers lightly. “What do you think we should do to the Noirmelns, V-” He stops to look at the boy. He’s not making eye contact with him anymore. Instead, he faces to another direction in the sky.

“What is it, my grandson?”

For a split second I thought he’s just looking through me. But his eyes, they look so.... blue.

So.... true.

He’s looking at me. He knows.

Right at that moment, I feel my body jolt. I shift my eyesight back a hundred meters in a second, with my eyes pounding fast again. With real rush this time. The black fog is framing my sights, backing away through the forest, reaches the corner of the city and streets, before back to the view from the balcony. My breath is heavy because of all the tension I just went through.

If I had wait for another second to lose, he would have told everyone in the room about me spying on them. I can’t risk another second for that to happen. They’ll suspect me. They’ll suspect my family.

Even the fresh air from outside can’t help me restore my condition. So I just pull my illusion mask before I walk back inside.

Like the Broadway’s way, the show must go on. Me and Link are back to the judging table. My mask shows my usual expression, while in the inside I actually can’t concentrate on anything anymore.

That kid, my thoughts go back to him. He can sense that I’m watching them even though no one can in the room. He must be really powerful.

More powerful that the legendary Freddrickson dé Blancort from the Blancort family.

*

The competition is over and I can’t even really remember the face of the winner. Link mostly took care of the course of the competition after that break.

My friends join back with me after it and even invite me to go to DeLaurens with them, but I regretfully tell them that I can’t come with them to eat at a restaurant outside Sorcier Tower.

I’m too tired. And I rarely do. They are concerned about me, but I tell them that it’s okay and go have fun. I walk back to my own room after they leave.

Feeling the need to clean all the sweat away from my body, I open my bathroom door. I fill the bathtub with cool water, having the mood for something cold. I strip in front of my laundry basket, which placed right beside the 5 meters-tall mirror. Once I’m bare, I can’t help but notice my body.

Two years ago, I’m still so thin and childish. Now, I look like a grown up. I might be inheriting Sorcier one day.

Sighing, I slid into the porcelain bathtub, mixing silky expensive soap and roses inside.

Feel the comfortable of the tub, I can’t help but drift off into sleep....

*

When I heard footsteps, I open my eyes and look around. No one is here. And I’ve locked the doors. But I can’t keep the feeling that somebody else is here.

I scan my bathroom once more, but find no one. Yet, I can feel the aura. It’s so light. It’s so bright.

“Hello?” I ask my silky voice echo through the room.

“Hello? Is someone there?” I repeat when he or she didn’t reply me.

Then, a figure appears. No way!

It’s the kid from Blancort’s residence. But how come he’s here? How is that possible? I didn’t even hear him come.

My body jolt in a split second. I stand feeling the waterfall from me and pose myself in a ready-to-fight pose.

“How did you get in?” I ask him.

He blue glowing eyes are staring at me blankly.

“I asked you: How did you get in?” I repeat. But he doesn’t answer.

So I walk out of my bathtub and head to where he stands. My hands reach him, but it just went through him. I stare at my hand.

He’s just a projection.

*

I wake up with a strong jolt at my body. It feels right waking up after a bad dream. Good! Not only that he just creates a fake dream in my head, but he also pretended that he’s a projection.

The Blancort must be planning something against me right now. They know.

I stand up from my bathtub, have a quick shower to wash away the roses, before getting dress with my nightgown.

*

He appears again before me after jolting me from my fake dream, which he also manipulates. In there, I was swimming inside a lake when he shows up behind a tree, still dry. After I tried to touch him once again and have my hand stroke empty air, he lets me wake up. Now, his real projection is standing before me.

“What do you want?” I ask-groan at him, feeling tired.

He’s still as silent as ever, but holds his hand for me.

“What is it?” I ask.

First, I hesitate. But thinking that I have nothing to lose, I accept his hand. Suddenly, he pulls my right hand to his lips and plants a kiss on it. I pull away immediately. But once I do, I feel my eyeballs fall to the floor and my heart shrink because of dryness.

Finally, I scream.

“Oh My God! What did you do to my hand?!” I demand him while screaming. I can’t help it. I’m freaking out here! On my hand, there’s an ornamental tattoo made of snow, with a circle on it. It’s a freaking engagement ring!

I scream again, sending my room door jolt open. My friends, even Shara, is in the other side of it even though they all are still wearing their pajamas.

“What’s happening? What’s going on? Why are you screaming, Arsene?” Banri ask me with concern. He approaches me and I show him my hand. He gasps and looks at me in the eyes, holding the horror expression that I’m having now.

“What’s wrong?” Shara ask catching up with the others. He looks at my right hand and nearly loses their breath along when they gasps.

“OMG, who gave you that?” Shrade ask.

I gulp before answering, “He’s a Blancort.”

The next morning, everything goes peacefully as if nothing ever happen last night. We all are gathering at our dining room, with many delicious foods placed on the table. We all eat peacefully before I crack.

“No! I can’t take this any longer,” I yell pointing at my hand. I’d wrapped about my exact whole palm just to cover the sight of that cursed ring tattoo. But I still can’t help but feeling its presence above my very skin. It's like thumping on my skin with its warmth underneath the bandages.

“Please, someone. Anyone! Get me a sword. No! A saw. No! An axe!” I yell, freaking out. I feel so itching to cut this thing out of my moving body part.

My friends approach my sides and try to calm me, while Shara keep drinking her English rose tea.

We all had tried to do our best on removing this ring tattoo. We've try from the softest methods up to the most extreme ones (as extreme as my friends allowed me, anyway). At first we just use water in attempt to wash the possible another illusion away. But we failed. Then, I decided to used my power to remove it. But the tattoo seemed too magic-proof for me to do anything to it.

My friends volunteer to help with their power, but I don't think they'll be much help after the ring almost zapped me, despite as much as I want to get rid of it.

At that point, we, especially me, are desperate for help. We must tell someone who know more about engagement matters, but the only two wizards we know are in the other side of the world. I can teleport too, but not as far or fast as them. Besides, China is large. How are we supposed to find them once we arrive? That leaves my other family member. But I don't think he knows anything that can be use to help us.

Then, Arch, who usually doesn't talk much, suggested that we find a way to get the ring out from my finger by searching through the library. It's containing two levels inside Sorcier Tower. A lot to go through, but might be hopeful of we can find the right section. I used to roam around the place when I was small, but it's been years. So this will be quite a challenge.

Then suddenly, the screen of our flat TV changes from a lovely garden view to a chocolate cream color with a white envelope on the center. New mission. Maybe this will help my mind to stop freaking out and distracted from the.... it.

Shara walks to it and touch the envelope with her finger. The letter move out into an animation and show us the details to our new mission.

"Not anything that involves the Blancorts, but good enough for me,” I say standing, ready for preparation when Shara stops me by saying.

"That's not necessary, Arsene. Because you're not going with us,” she say in final. "You're not in the state of mind to think straight right now. Get some rest. Try to relax and get your mind of too many dark things to the Blancorts. I'm sure some of them are already chilling from your aura intensity, but you need to stop it before you cause war among wizards,” she advises me.

"But me being involved in this mission can get my mind out of it,” I protests.

She looks at me, this time, without trying to avoid my eyes. It's like she just reveal her feelings for me when she looks at me directly. That she still cares and worries about me. The she that didn't turn to stone on me.

"I've seen what'd happen when you lost your control, Arsene. And I don't want to risk any of us for that,” she says softly.

I only sigh and walk out of the dining room silently so that they can discuss their next mission.

Back to my room, I try to sleep. But I can't since I'm too aware of things. It's been like that since Fredderickson's little grandson planted a kiss on my finger. And thinking about it only makes me more awake.

Frustrated, I do something unexpected and unwrapped my palm, revealing the white snow ring tattoo. It's functioning. That means the engagement is set.

Despite the fact that it's from that Blancort kid, the ring is actually beautifully breathtaking. Circle is pure white and craft with symbols—the Blancort's ancient language. The borders that frame the center are a combination of snow and tendrils, moving slightly and softly as if there's wind hitting it. And the middle is a stone of ice, but radiant warmth on my fingers, and eventually my entire body.

It makes me calm, now that I realize it. I never feel this kind of feeling before. It feels like I'm being hugged inside the embrace of radiant icy fog.

And finally, I fall asleep.