Chapter IV : Wishes

The girl smiled sweetly at the creature that seemed to have completely healed from its wounds, it jumped to the ground but rather than a silver paw, it was a black shoe that reached the terrain.

In astonishment, Astellyah observed what was in front of her, the little beast of fangs and claws seem to had been transformed into a young boy who seemed to be her age.

Taller than her, the young man had jet black hair, tousled they barely fell on the back of his neck, he was dressed in a rather loose blue tunic which was tightened at the waist by a wide belt of white fabric tied to his back, and he had black pants with a silver hem.

The girl's gaze then fell on the young man's face, delicate and elegant, his skin seemed to be of satin, strands of hair fell deftly on his forehead and he wore a silver earring which was a small diamond surmounted by a long vertical bar.

His gaze was as mesmerizing as his appearance, his left eye was golden, like the sun while the right was a dark red similar to the color of blood, a mole was also found below his right eye.

The child brought up a smirk, as he dusted off his clothes and stretched, without the shadow of a grimace from the possible pain his injuries would cause him.

"Do you appreciate what you see ? Are you done eyeing me?" He laughed playfully.

"Colleen?" She asked in awe, as her face flushed.

The man just looked at her with astonishment, what a strange reaction, she who had been so sure of herself moments before looked like a melted tomato and now uncertain.

"Correct ! So now if you're done drooling over the magnificence of this body, could we start? Besides, you who criticized my manners, you didn't even introduce yourself, that would be a good start if we have to share our life, don't you think?" His tone was a little impatient, the clock was ticking after all.

"I am Astellyah Déliane Roselia, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Roselia, fiancée of the second prince, in the service of His Majesty the Emperor of Osternam, I'm currently close to my sixth birthday." She then bowed, having added as much detail as possible so that he could get a feel for the timeline.

He made a vague gesture with his hand as if annoyed by the overly formal greeting but his eyes sparkled with a strange light, after a moment of silence, the young man spoke again.

"I haven't officially introduced myself so I will, I'm Emerys Colleen Astefiros, Second Prince of the Kingdom of Astefiros and Guardian Heir to the Great Tribe of Rij-Woh, it's a pleasure to meeting you. "

Astellyah's eyes widened in surprise, this arrogant brat was a prince? Besides that of the mighty Kingdom of Astefiros, it was amazing.

A legend said that in the heavens, the supreme ruler was the King of Astefiros, his role was to make peace between the Gods and maintain the balance between the mortals and immortals, guided by the Tribe of Rij-Woh, guardians spirit people who could transform into beats to watch over the men and animals living on earth.

If this boy was heir to both titles, he must have been very powerful, influential and talented, making a contract with such a person was almost inconceivable for the young girl, she looked pale in comparison, the young boy must probably regret his choice, she had nothing but her bloodline.

"It's also a pleasure to meet you, it looks like we don't have time left, how should we proceed? "

Colleen raised an eyebrow at the change in the attitude of the young girl, she was much more respectful but that didn't suit her, her slightly childish and confident attitude was much better in his eyes, now she looked like everyone else, some of the malicious people who had tried to win his favor, respectfully, running around him with their tails between their legs in an attitude both respectful and fearful, he hated this and had offered this girl to collaborate partially because she seemed more honest than others.

"No need to change the way you act, it's unpleasant, I know I'm exceptional but we will have to hang around for a long time, make yourself comfortable, eternity is pretty long after all. Let's cut to the chase, to accomplish the ritual I would need something to draw on the ground, an olive branch, the symbol of forgiveness, fidelity, hope, and wisdom, it will represent the heart. The petals of a lotus flower, the symbol of purity and rebirth, will represent the body. Finally, we will need a blossoming blue hyacinth symbolic of sincerity and love, it will represent the spirit. Without them, it is impossible to perform the ritual, these items are the center."

Astellyah was bubbling, those ingredients, she knew them all very well, too well indeed, this coincidence didn't leave her indifferent, maybe it wasn't even a coincidence but she has no time to think about it further.

While searching in this place, she found three plants carefully arranged in glass boxes, she knew that they had been present for a long time since the dust accumulated on them, however, the three plants were perfectly preserved, as picked just a few minutes before.

Also, a white chalk was in a desk drawer, conscientiously draped in a linen handkerchief.

Without a word, she went to the cupboard and took out three large boxes which she put on the table not without difficulty, outwardly looking at the Prince, the girl blandly opened the left drawer of the desk, pulling out a large fragment of white mineral which she placed near the central box.

Finding herself up to the boy with an embarrassed smile, she said slowly, "I think that's all you said right? "

"Has your goal always been to come to terms with a Sacred Beast? Why was this stuff ready in advance? It is sort of difficult find them so I thought it would be hard to get, plus they are perfectly well preserved, have you just purchased them?" He suddenly sounded suspicious.

"This place is not mine, I discovered it while fleeing the Imperial Guard in the past, I had time ahead of me so I searched what was there. Actually, this is the first time I've been back since then, I wasn't even sure if it would already be there or if I could go in, maybe even the supplies would possibly not be there yet? But none of that happened, so I guess it's been uninhabited for a long time, and before you ask, no, I haven't solved the mystery of why it's here, who built it and laid it out, and for what purpose. "

The beast in human form gave her a satisfied grin, with the conviction that he would probably get along well with the young girl, for the moment, he still had many things to accomplish and the ritual could fail, costing them the life, however, he preferred not to mention it, under the pressure the girl might make mistakes, plus he was sure she would do just fine, the heavenly prince could not waste anymore time but was aware of the fact he was no truly honest and had to explain fully if they survived the contract.

The young boy was puzzled, after all, he was ready to sacrifice his destiny along a unknowns little girl, the more he was thinking and the less sense that was making but deep down, he already felt connected to the child, so confortable than he may seems they were acquittent since early childhood, maybe they were more behind this strange encounter ? Nothing was certain but he had to wait and be believed into his feelings no matter what.

Without wasting any more precious minutes, he explained to her the unfolding of the custom and what she would have to do, of course, it was only the action and the formulas, some things should come from her, just like from him, unfortunately she was a novice, not trained and with a short knowledge, given short explanation without the absolute reach of her comprehension and he was not exaclty trained and in the rush, the situation was really upsetting but they really were in a hurry.

They quickly finished setting up the ceremony, three circles had been marked on the floor, one large in the center and two smaller ones, one to the northwest and one to the southeast of it.

Various symbols that only the boy knew the meaning of, were also carved, along with other lines, triangles, squares, and circles that formed a sort of large pattern.

The hyacinth was placed in the middle of the large main circle, which must have been an olive branch in the center of the one to the northwest and the lotus flower to the southwest. Lyah still wondered about the reasons which had pushed the human-beast to take the whole bud rather than a few petals, the same for the olive branch which became a small complete specimen, that is to say, a young olive tree, same treatment for the hyacinth which was an entire bush, wasn't that an exaggeration? Without her realizing, all the preparations were completed and the beginning of the magical procedure was close.

The two children placed themselves in the center of the large circle, on either side of the hyacinths, face to face with a serious air, each one was a little tense.

The noble lady glanced uncertainly at the young boy who reassured her with a confident smile, then she took a breath, the doubt on her face soon replaced by determination, she had to succeed.

"At the first light of the rising sun, it is with the star as a witness that I wish to take an oath. Before my eyes stand the murmuring water, while in the distance the wind sings beyond every borders. The sky, the sea, and the earth are my guardians, they belong to the land where I come from. Far after this earthly paradise dwells the Gods, they observe mortals and watch over them. My heart now has only one being to love, it is to him that I wish to be linked, my Gods and the land from which I come, I beg you to be my only spectators. If the distant horizon listens to my prayer, I wish to go beyond all limits. I defy prohibitions and deadly laws so that my heart may blossom in eternal love and care. I would dedicate my life to him even if I must die of it, that is what my soul longs for, I beg you to send a blessing for this vow which we both take thus. "

The nobleman looked at her with amusement, she was swearing words so strong and borrowed from fervor to someone she barely knew, the more powerful and sincere was the oath, the stronger the bond between them would be, he didn't think that she would really promise from the bottom of her heart, condemning herself at the same time but he expected no less from his new other half, smiling, he said to himself that he really was starting to like her, so he would take example on her for his allegiance.

"The moon calms the sky with her pale rays, it is in front of this queen that I wish to lead this union. The stars are twinkling and in the distance, as the sun is setting at the horizon, it is before the borderless celestial that my gaze inclines. The echo of creation, leans over two peoples in harmony, while the turmoil of my soul, the earth, and the heavens are burned. Guardian of the two kingdoms such is my way, I watch over the mortals and immortals without making my voice heard. I now defy the laws of heaven in the hope of bonding with this mortal, if the skyline can meet my wish, I only want us to be happy. If the price to pay is to lose oneself or to be dismissed, may the celestial body forgive me because in front of her eyes my heart flutters, as our trust turns into faith, I year for the association of our destiny. You, my comrades in heaven, beyond the eternal circle of the seasons, I ask for the blessing of the Gods."

The two then grabbed each other's hands, a soft glow filling the room, an unearthly wind stirring their clothes, caressing their skin, as it seemed like fireflies filled the air, next came the second part of the oath, the terms of the contract, they weren't at the end of their sentences, it was only the beginning but the first part had at least worked just fine, which was a good consolation if they were to failed at this point onwards.

"I am Astellyah Déliane Roselia, daughter of Duke Vincent Frédéric de Roselia and Duchess Catarina Lise de Roselia. My wish is this, I want to save my family from a tragic and imminent death, prevent the Great Magical Terror and end the actions of my half-sister. With this, I wish to save the Empire from destruction and prevent the heavenly people from suffering because of human violence and the scourge of black magic, for achieving my goals, I am willing to abandon myself at the hands of my contractor."

"I am Emerys Colleen Astefiros, son of King Zephonis Edmund Astefiros and Guardian Emerys Kôrah Rij-Woh. To prevent the Kingdom of Heaven from being invaded by black magicians, to stop the great massacre that will follow, to save the thousands of lives lost, and to prevent the Tellurian Kingdom from succumbing to black magic, this is my wish and what I lead, even if myself had to falter, in the hands of my contractor I forswear my existence.

"Our wishes are now sealed with our feelings, it is through this union that we will fully satisfy them; even if the celestial vault should crush us, we are forbidden to give up, forever our destinies are intertwined and this is how our fates will extend. Banned from falling up, our lives are endlessly intertwined and this is how we tie the common thread of our destiny." They uttered ferociously, spoking at the same time.

Finally, after muttering something in a language the girl didn't know, Colleen smiled at her again, his heterochromatic pupils reflecting the white light radiating from circles, chains materialized under their eyes, wrapping around their wrists, necks, then their bodies before rushing inside their chest and head, they were now chained to each other... quite literally.

When the light went out, everything was gone, the only thing left being a small, light blue jewel that was in the palms of their hands.

"What is that?" Astellyah asked curiously.

"This is a Stone of the Spirits, which seals our mutual promises, in reality, I just know a little about them since I was told that I would hear in due course, I know that it contains an immense power, that we must have it constantly on us and avoid showing it, otherwise we are at the same point for the usefulness."

"I don't see much difference from before." The young lady remarked, examining the stone.

"Patience is a virtue." He retorted with amusement.

Gently, he took the stone she was holding, revealing a thin silver chain and pendant, then hung the necklace around the girl's neck before doing the same for him.

Now that they had more time, a long, long discussion was called for, they also had to decide what to do next. The hardest part was not behind them.