Chapter Eighteen: A Friendly Battle

Ixin was sleepless that night, as usual. He got up from bed by dawn and decided to go to the secret cabinet where both his brother and the knight girl were found asleep in each other's arms. He exhaled hatefully for what he had been watching. As they woke up and had that little conversation, he decided to interrupt their sweet moments.

"You! Get up now or else you're in trouble," Ixin entered the cabinet without knocking, holding her arm and pulling her to his side.

"Let go! What do you mean!" Jaelin shouted as he kept staring at her silently not letting her go.

"Brother, what are you doing!" Sinian stood up, feeling annoyed about the way he was acting.

"You better get back to your duties, Sinian. She's coming with me for now," He clarified, taking her thrown clothes from the ground and teleported with her directly to her bedroom at the Lunar Eris.

"I said let go of me!" She screamed as he hurried to cover her mouth. She grasped widening her eyes for feeling his perfume in that small distance he left when he got closer to her.

"Shh. Don't make any noise or else you'll be punished by your foster father. Only I have the right to punish you," He whispered smirking evilly as he kept his dark purplish eyes fixed on hers. "Wear your clothes fast and hide those of mine before Jin comes over." As he was explaining, he saw Sinian's marks on her neck and felt so annoyed.

"How do you know he's looking for me?" She asked, hiding behind the folding panels to change as he turned to look away.

"I came here after saving your life and he was looking for you."

"Did you tell him about what happened!" Questioned the diva surprisingly.

"You both are annoying with your questions. Hurry to change, I'll get him here now," The night leader hissed, leaving her with a hateful face expression.

In a while, master Jin hurried to enter her room anxiously. Jaelin was already on her chair meditating, feeling calm but pretending not to be concerned for what her foster father had known about her.

"Jaelin! Where have you been! Did you get hurt?" He got closer to her checking while she smiled.

"Yes, I'm fine! I'm sorry for worrying you, master," answered Jaelin comforting as Ixin entered with his cold resting face glancing at both of them.

"Where were you last night?" Jin interrogated as she turned her head to look at the night leader.

"I.. I was.." Speechlessly was the fire diva since she wanted to lie to him because he warned her before not to accompany Sinian. As she looked at Ixin seeking help, he rolled his eyes and looked away.

"I told Jasper to send her to the night capitol to rest and ordered Zelo to keep an eye on her," The demon explained coldly, not looking at both.

"Yes! When I was attacked in the secret forest, Ixin saved me then Jasper took me to the night capitol and he brought me here this morning!" Explained Jaelin while Jin turned to glare at Ixin furiously.

"The secret forest? Did he tell you to meet him there!" Shouted the master while the demon leader was calm and had no reaction toward his statement.

"Yes. Is something wrong with that?" She curiously looked at both of them as her foster father glared at her. He usually was the calm type and nothing would get him mad easily. It was surprising for her to see him that way.

"Why would you call for her to go there? Who told you you've got the permission to enter the forbidden forest!" Roared master Jin in Ixin's face as he chuckled.

"Are you afraid someone would break into the secret garden? If that's the case then, I'm telling you, I broke the spell two hundred years ago and casted my own spell not to be entered only by those I allow them to. However, you need to ask your guardian if she's been there or no with my dear brother. Don't blame me for your carelessness about her actions," The night demon smirked when he spilled all the tea. Jaelin widened her eyes for the shocking answer she had just heard from the most evil demon she'd ever met.

"What did you say?" Jin spelled in shock then turned to Jaelin. "Is that true? Is it why you're having fun with the next night king? Have you been there with him?" He anxiously interrogated as she kept a fierce eye contact with the one she hated mostly. "I'm talking to you! Were you going there all this time!" Her master grabbed her from the shoulders shaking her as she freaked out for a while.

"Yes, I did! So what! What's the use of staying here punished unfairly by him! Not even having my own freedom. And when I'm having the best company, I find you guilting me for that! Why! What have I done wrong!" She shouted not holding it back anymore as she glared at him hatefully.

"Jaelin. You're not going out of this room until you reflect on yourself!" The master scolded angrily as he got closer to the night leader. "You better keep them away or else, your nightmares become real," He murmured when he stood up at his right side, looking at him fiercely as the other chuckled.

"Master! Why are you doing this!" She kept shouting when he ignored her, leaving them both alone there. He created a protected space on her room so she wouldn't even try to escape.

"You need to stay here for the rest of your punishment period. Don't get yourself more troubles," Ixin advised in a cold way as she glared at him hatefully.

"It's all because of you! Now, even the least company, I have got, is taken away from me. I don't wanna be stuck here!" She kept making a fuss when she approached the door to open it, but the space formula had her down on the ground as the night leader sighed from her stubbornness when she kept trying.

"Enough!" He cried, pulling her from her arm then held her from the shoulders. "Stop your foolishness. Just stay here for what's left then you'll be free," Continued when he looked her in the eyes confidently as she gave him the hateful look again.

"You, in the first place, have no right to tell me what to do!" She spelled as she took off his arms from her shoulder to try again but he pulled her again, carried her and put her on bed, held both her arms up her head with his left hand, and staring at her eyes confidently as he was all up on her. He blocked her movements when he used his ability with his other hand. Jaelin widened her eyes when her senses were all guarded up. Her heart was bumping with a troubled speed. She was always careful around him and had no restful mind as if he was her wrecking point.

"What are you doing?" She was frightened from what he had just done. Her mind was messy for a while but tried to stay tough.

"Hush," whispered the demon, drowning his foxy looks in hers. "You're innocent. Have some rest," he continued, applying the sleeping spell as she fell in a deep sleep. He caressed her face with the back of his fingers, adjusted and covered her, then left.

Meanwhile, Zelo and Yeona were trying to cover up for Sinian and practicing to cultivate their abilities. It was cold in the night land. Usually, it would be all covered by snow, but was not the time for it yet.

"You seem down today. What's wrong, demoness?" Zelo questioned when both of them were having a midday meal.

"Nothing," pouted the flora diva, not wanting to express.

"Your face doesn't say that. What's going on?"

"I'm just thinking about older brother. He had not showed up for days. Like ever since my father came back, he wasn't around, not even for a while. I miss him," Yeona spoke sadly and started to play with the spoon.

"Maybe he's got some business outside the capitol," he stated trying to comfort her while he wasn't sure if that was helpful.

"I don't know. I always feel happy whenever he's around. He's the only one who knows what I like and what I want. Even though he was against me being one of his subordinates, but he let me be at the end," She sadly expressed, losing the mood to eat.

"I'm sure he wouldn't wanna see you sad like this and not having your meal. Dig in little demoness," joked Zelo when he was trying to raise her mood up but she just gazed at him madly.

"Are you making fun of me?" She pouted and stood up leaving while he hurried to grab her arm. "What are you doing?" Yeona shouted angrily as he sighed and stood up.

"I didn't make fun of you, demoness. I'm trying to tell you that not having your meals won't make him come right away just because you miss him. So, eat well until he comes back to see you in a good health," He seriously clarified then let go of her and left the room.

Sinian was in the garden feeling anxious about their sudden departure. He trusted his brother's kindness but not when he was with Jaelin. He had been questioning himself, why would he act and react that rudely with her specifically. Was it because she had been sticking around him? Even though it was him sticking around her. His messy thoughts were growing slowly but he stopped thinking about the whole matter since he knew she'd be safe in the main Lunar Eris headquarters. He decided to wrap the mess caused in the cabinet and wait for Jaelin to comeback.

It was midday. Ixin had not left the headquarters of the school but decided to spend few days with Jaelin. Ever since he saw the fiery wildflower shape on that ancient box, which was the same as her superpower core, he wanted to make sure of the thing he had on mind. In addition, he intended to, personally, stop his younger brother from seeing her for the moment. Their obsession about each other was growing slowly that time and he didn't want to witness any disaster for that time being.

"Greetings to the night leader!" The demon guardians, who were training there, greeted when Ixin entered their training field. He was bored from being in the main hall, so, he decided to roam around and think of his upcoming plans.

"They remind me of my days in here. I can't believe few weeks have already passed from the graduation," Jasper expressed, joining his leader.

"Have you enjoyed your stay in here?" Questioned Ixin randomly, standing on the masters' stand.

"I had no mates. If it wasn't for master Lu who pushed me and had me sticking around Zelo and Yeona, I wouldn't have talked to anyone," he explained coldly, then remembered his first time interacting with them.

"How did you get to know them?"

"I was practicing alone when Yeona wanted to escape that day. She succeeded to hide from others, however, I eyed her climbing the wall. She thought I'd stop her but I didn't care. So, she told me to keep it a secret and I just looked away. After few hours, when everyone else was alerted to her disappearance, I told them she escaped from the northern gate walls. Zelo got mad and almost fought me, until then, I heard the masters mentioning that she is the night clan princess and they have to be more careful with her because her elder brother is the scariest," Jasper narrated, rewinding that scenario then glanced at Ixin, referring to him.

"Am I scary, Jasper?" Chuckled the evil demon, looking away proudly.

"I don't think so. However, you're the toughest and strongest demon I've met so far," admitted the air demon.

"We haven't had a battle yet. Shall we?" He suggested smirking even though he knew he wasn't fully recovered.

"My pleasure. But, your injury.."

"A minor injury is nothing. Or are you making excuses, demon Jasper?"

"Let's battle!"

The two demons took the side area, that was empty, beside the guardians who were training and faced each other confidently. It was a cold day and they had nothing to do beside having a battle for practicing. However, it wasn't Ixin's intention. He only wanted to test how far Jasper had gone in controlling his abilities. It was an all or nothing battle for trusting one another. They had only spent few days together and he only ordered him for his personal matters to test him, but that was the last one.

"Are you ready, Jasp?" The night leader started.

"Always," he smirked charging his hand slowly with a stormy wind and raising it. His hair was moving with its motions as he got prepared for the attack position. Ixin smirked and had not used anything else yet. "How many rounds?" he questioned as his windy charge was getting faster in its movement.

"As much as you like." As the tall demon replied, Jasper ran toward him and in a blink of an eye he was attacking Ixin, who was faster to avoid it, till he was behind him not reacting or attacking.

"You ain't that fast, Jasp." Ixin was being arrogant and confident. He didn't want to attack until he would see how much he could be patient with his defensive strategy. The guardians gathered to watch the battle. They had never seen two demons fighting before. So, they were cheering for both of them. A team supporting Ixin since he was the most popular while another one supporting Jasper because he used to be a part of them.