CHAPTER 13: The Red Night

"So what do you say?" Samuel leaned against Batuhan's ear mid-class.

"We can go to the library after lessons but, before that, I have to find Jun. Haven't seen him since last night's patrol." Batuhan whispered back.

Bell rings.

"He didn't attend a single class." sighed Batuhan as he and Samuel went down the hall towards the library.

" Neither did Aleena nor did Josh . Bow went to look for Aleena, I am sure she will find the rest as well. Don't worry ."

They headed towards a big door at the end of the hall, which opened on its own as if to welcome them. Like any other library, the library was surrounded by massive shelves with books on almost every topic, but the size of it was huge. Batuhan was in awe. Samuel looked at him and chuckled.

****

"Here we go!" said Samuel as he dropped a huge pile of books on the table.

"We can't possibly go through all that...!" said Batuhan , freaked out by the size of the tower..."How about we just study something about the red nights? Yo..you got a book on that??..aha..ha.."

Samuel nodded and stared at the pile, his gaze got sharper and with a swift movement of his hand he took out a book from the middle of the pile without dropping it on someone's head. Batuhan applauded.

"Here you go .." Samuel said as he sat down next to Batuhan and opened the book. It was a big book, with a black leather cover and a red moon at its center.Batuhan started reading ,

"The red night, though now a rare phenomenon, was a regular in the dark ages. The first red night that appeared was 300 years ago when a fight broke out between children. In which a Blackwing child murdered a human child (killer). The night took on the color of the child's blood. Following the event, the elders of the village decided for the BlackWing child to be executed, thinking it would relieve them from the cursed nights and it did. However, a fire of hatred was lit inside the BlackWings and they relentlessly attacked killing all of the family members of the murdered boy. The night turned, again, red and never returned to the way it was for the next 200 years until one faithful day, a human, a Yosei and a Blackwing came together to stop the killing once and for all. They were supported by many people who had lost their loved ones and hence the killing finally stopped but at the cost of more blood... the forces created and their leaders, were killed, one by one until finally, the nights turned black again. " Batuhan stopped.

"This...doesn't make sense..." Samuel shook his head.

"What do you mean?"

"It's like any typical bedtime story... I bet it isn't even true"

"What kind of bedtime stories did your mom read to you...."

"Better than this ..."

"What's your problem with it?"

"Well, the first, it refers to us as humans. We aren't humans. Humans have a soul no one can touch, our souls are red, with a crystal embedded in our hearts. That's the source of our life and of our powers.."

"Is it natural to have an actual crystal in your heart...." Batuhan said thoughtfully.

"Yes, its.....not..." Samuel stopped.

Samuel and Batuhan looked at each other, neither of them saying a word.

Samuel finally spoke,

"No that's not possible...."

"You don't think...we really were humans ? Adding something to your body artificially during wartime isn't something impossible." Batuhan said, leaning back against his chair, "Humans have a talent for being crazy you know."

"It is plausible...but does it have anything to do with the assassination of your parents..I am not sure." Samuel said

"Hmmmm...well there is no rush, and there is only so much just two people can do. How about we share our thoughts with the rest of the gang. Why stay alone when we are not" Batuhan patted Samuel's back hard. Samuel took a deep sigh and nodded.

"The dark ages though" Samuel said looking at the book , " How many people do you think were executed, to be able to take revenge for every innocent life taken and how did they even locate every single one of them...its too...."

"Its impossible to locate a dark heart so easily , it takes another dark heart to take one out . " said a voice behind the two boys. Both of them turned around to find a boy , in academy's uniform, staring at the book with his brown ,honey-like, eyes , brown straight hair neatly cut above his shoulders.

"The only possibility that exists is that..." he leaned forward on the table, " is that a homicide was carried out."

"A homicide...." Batuhan and Samuel said in unison.

"What you should be looking for....is why it was so important to get rid of the Red Night in the first place." the boy said that and left, leaving the two of them staring at his back and then each other.