Poppy.
An elegantly furnished room lit with oil lamps that radiated a warm glow in the cold night. A soft swish of silk on thick carpets echoed in the room as the lady walked slowly back and forth, her eyes wandering to the table every so often.
From the look of fear on her face, one would assume something dangerous sat on the varnished wood. Waiting to strike at any moment, but it only held a letter, carrying a name written in elegant script.
Whatever was inside could destroy everything, again. All her hopes and dreams would vanish if he saw it. Wasn't she entitled to love, wasn't she entitled to have her dreams come true? That little girl had her chance and she didn't want him. Why would she write it now?
Poppy walked to the table, taking the letter she threw it in the fire. She was done waiting, now it was her turn. They would leave, never to meet again, he would never know she wrote to him. The last remnants were gone when the Master returned. She welcomed him, saying nothing more.
Poppy sat up abruptly, looking around the dark for something. Her flailing hands caught; her figure enveloped in a familiar embrace. A voice reassuring her all was well.
"There was a letter, she told you..."
"Poppy, it's okay..."
"There was a letter... she told you about Yo. I...I burnt it..."
"You didn't..."
"I... he would have been with you sooner. I stopped it..." Her voice panicking.
"Poppy listen to me. The moment you found out about Wayo; you went to save him. If you didn't, Wayo wouldn't have made it. I wouldn't have my son."
"But I..."
"It's a lie Poppy. It's the demon's trick."
"Demon...?"
"You would never do anything to hurt the boys. No one knows that better than me."
"But...I..."
"He's trying to plant a seed; you know what that is."
"A...false memory to control someone..."
She saw it then, the Masters eyes were red, the mist surrounding them both as he fought the hold. A lie. She didn't hurt Yo, she couldn't. She closed her eyes, holding onto him as the fear began to ease. The scene playing in her mind, slowly beginning to fade. As she slept, it disappeared from her mind, the lie being replaced once again with the truth.
The same scene played again, the writing on the letter changing to Poppy's, who contemplated her next move. She couldn't be selfish, she had to try. Mind made, she called a servant to deliver it to Mei. A way for the young girl to find them, if ever she truly needed to.
~~~~~~~~~~
Nami & Grandpa Kongtanin
"Nami...Nami...wake up."
She sat up, drenched in sweat. A voice still whispering into her mind.
Your fault. It was all your fault.
She held onto the strong arm, letting the powerful presence reassure her and fill her with its warmth.
"My fault..."
She whispered, the scene still playing in her mind. It felt real but she knew it wasn't what really happened. It was distorted, making her watch as P'New called for her help but she stayed hidden. It made her watch as they turned him.
"It isn't your fault." Her grandfather reassured.
"But if I wasn't kidnapped..."
She was becoming strong but looking at her he saw the small child she really was. Still needing comfort, who still needed to be told, it wasn't her fault.
"You couldn't have any control over that, no one could."
"P'New..."
"It was Sing's neglect to hide himself that brought vampires to his and New's door." Grandpa gently stroked her hair. "It's something your brother must deal with."
After Nami's kidnapping, Sing's anger took a deep hold. His hunts became more vengeance then protection, he made a terrible mistake. They came looking for a hunter but found, New. He was fortunate, Ming was still looking for the ones responsible and came upon New.
Not wanting his hunter boyfriend to know what he became, knowing the man he loved would be racked with guilt, New left with Ming. Nami had told her grandfather when she knew, blaming herself.
"..."
"Listen to my voice, nothing else."
Grandpa Kongtanin spoke softly to his granddaughter, his voice shaking the last of the hold the demon had on the child. Dreams were the third Demon Lord's trick, how the hell did that bastard get a hold of it.
~~~~~~~~~~
Blood Prince (Arthit's Grandfather)
A pair of crimson eyes snapped open, filled with pure rage. A face he had not seen for so long, a face he didn't want to see. That bastard would die painfully for showing it to him.
The prince focused, finding the thread linking them and took hold. He poured his power into it, letting it run back to its source. He heard the shrieks of pain before the thread cracked apart, the owner breaking his link.
He silenced his mind, letting his senses flow. Most of the children were close by, he snapped the threads trying to force their way in. It didn't take him long to find it, the real one. So that's what he was after.
He left the mansion, heading for the source but stopped long enough to send a message. Get to Rome.
~~~~~~~~~~
Granny POV
"You don't understand what I'm trying to do." He looked scared. "I'm trying to protect my son. Din's family goes way back, they have old connections. You don't know what's going on..."
The announcements had been made, the date set, and they weren't even consulted. She tried talking sense to her son, but he thought it was a good idea. She told him about Bright and Rome, but he wasn't listening. She waited until Rome was asleep to have it out with her son.
"I know more than you think." She told her eldest. "Stop hiding things from me."
"It's not easy to say."
She was done waiting.
"Let me, a demon wants something from our family."
"How...how did you know?"
"It came to see me."
He hurried over, taking his mother's hand. "Are you hurt? What...why didn't you tell me?"
"Same reason as you." She told him. "I know you think me foolish for still believing your father will come home, you may think I've lost it if I say anything about a demon."
"I don't think that, I'm trying to protect you. Please listen to me, we are running out of time."
"What's in that box?"
"I don't know, father never said." He thinks back. "But the family has been guarding it for a long time. What's inside, he can't have but that's not all, it's how he will get it."
"What do you mean?"
"It must be freely given. I never understood but father said it was old magic, but the box has a seal that was placed by our family. It requires something from the owner of the box."
"Your father gave that box to Rome, why?"
"I asked him to give it to me, he said no. It had to go to Rome."
They both stopped talking when they heard strange music and then the scream, running upstairs to Rome's room. They opened the door, thrown back when they tried to go inside. A purple light shining around the entrance.
Rome lay in bed, twisting in pain as something dark hovered around him. The box on his bedside table, the jade symbols on the lid glowing. A figure appeared out of thin air in front of them.
"We can't get inside, Bright." She told him.
"Stay back." Bright told them. "Don't let the mist touch you."
They watched as Bright's eyes turned blood red, his body becoming hazy as smoke curled around his feet. His hand hitting against the light, going through more with every hit. Blood dripping from the wounds every hit also caused, but he didn't slow a moment. Rome screamed Bright's name in his sleep.
"Do not touch him."
Bright yelled, the mist becoming smoke as it encased him. Tendrils hitting into the light and breaking through. They watched as Rome's hand moved, hovering over the box. A knife appearing, slicing a cut on his palm. The blood fell onto the box, a hand appeared in the purple smoke, taking the box and vanishing.
Bright was there before the knife could do more harm, holding Rome close as the black smoke surrounded them both. Everything stilled, the music stopped, and the light vanished. They walked in cautiously, the smoke slowly subsiding, and the two figures could be seen normally.
"That was the demon?"
"Yes." Bright answered licking Rome's palm.
"I think it got what it came for."
"Rome is safe, that is all that matters."
Bright once again held Rome close, who opened his eyes and looked around dazed. Bright's eyes still crimson, alert, in case it wasn't over. Rome's father watched the two. His mother was right, this guy was a much better choice for Rome.