Limpid Stream

"A White Raven."

Ethan looked at her clearly dazed by her beauty. He is sure she loses a little in term of appearance compare to Chloe but there is something about her that is attracting him to her. He deduced that it may be reason why he followed her without a question?

Her words, actions and gait…everything about her attracts eyes of other like they are screaming for attention. Her honey-coated words makes an person compelled without resistance as they are nothing more than slave of this beauty and they must do everything they can to please her. Ethan found himself lost in her. Her presence itself is like a magic!

"Follow me."

She smiled and turn around went toward the entrance of club. Ethan just watched her leave when she was 5m away from him; He jerked out of his flowery fantasy and paced behind her but his foot staggers when he noticed the guard watching him. Guard was a tanned bald man with huge build and sunglasses. He was staring right at Ethan as he was walking forward even though many people were coming in and going outside from the bar.

Many thought crosses his mind. What if guard just grab him on the way and throw him back? What if the guard ask him for money? What if guard just ripped his clothes and have in dance in front of entrance? What if guard just drag him toward the narrow alley and have him bend over?

As he was thinking, Ethan was making his way toward the entrance and guard was still staring at him while Ethan was trying hard to hide behind Raven as both of them walks but it was a futile effort due to her tall, slender yet voluptuous build.

He was prepared to get thrown out as guard refuse to look other way around until both of them pass through entrance.

Ethan finally breath a relief when he passed through the entrance. He looks forward and Raven was standing in front of him but something was weird. Her shoulder was shaking unstably. Did something happened? He can't help but…

"YOU…You read my mind again!"

"..Haaa."

She finally staggered sidewise and covered her small face with her hand and laugh uncontrollably. Her cute action to cover her face and her laughter can make anyone smile but Ethan never felt this much anger toward anyone. He would have attack her already if not for people around!

"Just..Pfft…what is going through your mind?..Pfft…Take you to the alley…Pfft…and bend over…Pfft…"

She was laughing between her speeches. Ethan face turn red from embarrassment. He just wanted to dug the ground below and hide in it.

"Ethan…I don't regret bring you back at all. It's my first time I laughed so heartedly in a long time."

"Good for you, but I hope you won't laugh again in your life."

"Maybe or May not."

Ethan frowned at her answer. He doesn't mean anything serious before. He wants to ask her what does she means; when she suddenly gestured him to follow.

Ethan follows her and suddenly scenery change like he pass through some kind of portal. Loud music resounded inside the whole room. Smell of alcohols became stronger. Many people were dancing in drunk on the center, rainbow-like stage. A group of people were hitting glasses with each other and where screaming "Cheers". Some couple were kissing each other…wait a min. they doesn't really have to be couple. It's a club after all.

Raven led him to edge of the room where way was opened in this crowded place.

'Is it me? People seem to be giving way to us?'

Ethan just notices that but he again forgot to ask her about what they are doing here? He just sighed and waited for things to unfold.

We stood on the corner of the room where two more guards were guarding a pillar…wait a minute guarding a pillar?

It didn't take long for Ethan's query to be answer. Raven walked and went inside the pillar. Ethan was taken back but quietly followed her in hopes for not hitting his face.

He closed his eyes and pass through pillar. He opened his eyes and found himself in double square area room or more precisely an elevator.

Raven was standing in front of him, waiting for him with a teasing smile. Ethan has already given up about her teasing. He knows that the more he reacts, the more actively she will read his mind again.

Elevator moved up taking them along with it. Ethan just stands silently but there was suffocating silence between them. He just took the silence this time since he knows that she was only going to make fun of him. Elevator was moving faster than he thought.

He though about the 3D magic diagram below his feet before. It was Rune. Runes are basics of mana technology in Human Domain. Satellite and Networks had long lost their use in this world. Now all that is replaced by Runes. Runes are closed magic diagrams in which mana circulates and produce desired effects. All technologies in Human Domain are empowered by Runes, from smallest things to largest things; it is impossible to not found a rune in one of them.

Elevator door opens and Raven's smell penetrated his nose from everywhere. Wait a minute…

"Is this where you live?!"

"Is that your question?"

Raven just rolls her eyes at him. Ethan had many question to ask but he just doesn't know where to start.

It was a penthouse. A penthouse above a club! Is that really a normal thing? Lucas once told him that there are women who are interested in young boys and they mostly live above the club and called boys from club below and tied them up to the bed and have their way with him. Their houses are more like sex dungeon. Is she really one of those women? Her personality or gestures looks too noble for him to believe it.

"I will say this again but I have no such fetish as you imagine."

"Raven, I think we should have some rules between us if I am going to work for you. First, No mind-reading!"

She moves toward the bar. The bar was located just along the wall of elevator. She took a glass and made a drink for herself.

Ethan move forward and head toward the couch on the center of the room. Ethan looked around the room.

"Raven what about Charon? Won't his family chase you?"

Charon…well, Late Charon was from Nix Family. Raven is strong but there are many S-Ranks in their family. Ethan was seriously worried about her.

"I don't really think you should be worried about me. No…You do remember I want to slave you just a minute, right?"

"But you didn't, right?"

Raven makes a drink for herself move toward the couch. She sit across Ethan put the glass down. She withdraws a can of drink from her storage and slid across the table toward Ethan. Ethan barely managed to catch and look at her.

"What will you do if it was just another one of my plan to subdue you?"

"Then that is that, I will just resist with all might. I don't believe it though. Something is telling me that you aren't interested in enslaving me anymore."

She just touched the glass with her lips and looked at him, who is trying to open the can with all his might.

'This guy…he is strangely pure yet warped.'

"Raven…just open it, damn it...so what is this job you talked about?...Finally."

Drink finally opened and he hurriedly sticks it to his lips so it won't spill. He took his time to drink and Raven just watched him drink with a smile.

"So what is this job?"

"For now, I think I will give you a job to sleep."

"Sleep…"

His head starts to spin. He lost his body balance and fell on couch and looked at her with tilted vision.

"Why…?"

"I don't mean any harm but I will just need you to sleep for a while."

Ethan was unable to hold for any longer. His body was already tired previously. Potions don't just miraculously heal any injuries but increases regenerative powers for limited time. It enters the blood streams and enhances the wound healing process, resulting in high speed regeneration. It also skips the blood clotting process since it is not necessary due to its high speed.

Body still gets exhausted as it took stamina in exchange though. Ethan had consumed an advanced potion that will clearly exhaust away all stamina due to its high potency. He was only able to hold on by will until now. He wants to ask her why now but he can't as his blurred vision darkens.

"Sleep for some time, we will talk at morning as it is adult turns to talk now."

*

(Piano Playing- Limpid Stream)

A melody whose beauty Ethan can't explain was ringing in his ear, it was so beautiful that it even light up the dark abyss he was sleeping in. It was slow and rhythmic like water falling down the stream.

Ethan nestle himself in couch and curl up more with the blanket above him. He just wants sleep eternally in this heavenly peace when suddenly an image flashed through his mind. It was an image of brown hair lady with long sleeveless dress playing a black piano. It was image from behind but he can tell she was a beauty without even looking at her face.

"Hmm."

His eyes opened and piano music was still ringing in his ear. He looked around and tried to find the source of music. His eyes traced toward the front of the penthouse. He caught sight of piano, which was located just before the mirror door of balcony, played by a brown hair lady. Raven in her red velvet night gown is playing piano with dawn blue of night sky and multiple tall building behind the mirror door as the background.

She looks so mesmerized that it feels like she and piano had merged in itself. Her hairs were not tied up currently. She has a smile on her face, different than any smile she has shown to anyone until now. Her hairs were disheveled and fell down but it only increases her beauty in different ways and makes her look extremely seductive. She looked so irresistible and tempting that any men can't help but pop a boner at her sight!

He looked at her for some time and raised himself while keeping the blanket wrapped around him. He didn't ogle her or anything. His eyes were less focused and he looked more daze by music to pay attention to anything.

He moved toward her until he stands just a meter away from her. He just looked at her for some time until he lower himself and sit on ground. He shifted himself and used the black box stool, on which Raven is sitting, as a backrest and tilted his head slightly opposite to the piano and wrapped his body tightly with the blanket.

Raven noticed him but didn't pay him any attention but focus on playing her piano. Her smiles suddenly widen and as she blend more into the tune.

Whoosh.

Wind blows strongly. Raven hairs fly sidewise while Ethan frowned and shivers in cold. Raven taps her toes on the floor and a circular rune lights up below her feet and expands outside covering both of them in it.

Temperature in room increases until it stabilized at normal temperature while Ethan expression relaxes. Both of them just stay like that until sun rises and sends its first rays of light to both of them.