Chapter Seventeen : A Missing Book

Yijoon went back fast to meet king Wanglei who was out of the capitol already when he caught up with him. The night land was divided into five districts. The capitol was the main district while the others were divided just like the Ziran elements: The North district was for the water element, the South for earth element, East for fire and West for air element. Demons were well-organized with politics, society rules and being carefree to let people set their own limits under few rules. Unlike the light land which had big households and mansions of nobles surrounding the light palace in the capitol, while other cities were for ordinary people and poor ones with no abilities. They had a severe rule that no knight would use his abilities against those ordinary people and are forbidden from living outside the capitol or their heixin would be taken off forever from them. Because in the light rules, nobility was not equal to an ordinary powerless and crippled person.

"You failed? How did that happen? You've never failed a mission I gave before," The great king inquired calmly as Yijoon was bowing on one of his knees, lowering his head.

"It was the night leader, Ixin. He defended her and attacked me. His appearance was unexpected that I couldn't stay there to fight and reveal my undercover," he explained as his king hummed.

"That brat needs to be taught a lesson." He evilly smirked as he turned to face him. "He defended her because she couldn't defend herself?"

"She is powerless, your highness. He punished her by taking off her heixin," Explained the knight spy.

"Ironic! He punishes her then defends her! Why did he do that?" Chuckled Wanglei sarcastically as the other explained what had happened.

"She was in the Lunar Eris all this time, beside practicing and reading books, nothing special," Yijoon explained further.

"Hmm, I see. Keep watching over her and report to me anything unusual, especially if Ixin is around her. We can't get her without her heixin after all," He ordered, sitting back on his desk as the spy dismissed himself, going back to the Lunar Eris for his mission.

Juli had been locking on herself in her room for days. She wanted to learn more about how the kingdom was functioning and what would a light queen do in her daily life, duties she would have and affairs that were hers to deal with. She was determined to be the best and prove herself to Julian who had hurt her unintentionally. Meanwhile, he was anxious about what had happened at the restaurant and wanted to find a good way to apologize and make it up for her.

"I guess you need to get her some gifts and you apologize without explaining yourself," Ethan suggested when the light leader was overthinking.

"What does she like? I don't even know her that much," he stated and sighed deeply as he was sitting in front of his desk. His subordinates were few and he wasn't focusing much on the kingdom affairs since he had been troubled and distracted from the Peace Era day.

"Your highness, you're thinking too much. I think you're smart enough to guess what knight Juli likes," Optimistically, Ethan cheered then took a sip of his drink.

"What do you mean?" As Julian questioned, his friend sighed in disappointment, lowering his head and stayed silent for a while.

"She's an air diva, Julian. She wants to improve her abilities and becomes better. Didn't she say that many times at the light chambers?" Reminded the dark brown-haired knight as his leader agreed happily.

"But, what should I offer her from the air element to help her? I'm a water knight."

"Julian, I know what you should give her! There's the air restoration formula book! The one that her father has created when he was cultivating his abilities."

"It's in…!" Yelled the light leader, widening his eyes and was stunned for a while. "It's in the forbidden garden of the Lunar Eris. How am I supposed to go there? It's enchanted and I can't break the formula myself," he sighed, looking away.

"How about we ask the masters about it. They must have an access to it. Even though it's forbidden to go there but it's needed," comforted him as they fell in silence.

"I wonder why did knight Maxim throw his book in that garden," Julian was curious and he had every right to. Knight Maxim's cultivating book was a treasure that every air knight or demon was looking for it to gain the most powerful air element superpowers. However, nobody could get their hands on it only few. Those who had succeeded to cultivate such strong powers had ended up dead mysteriously.

The two of them decided to go back to the Lunar Eris after taking permission from queen Anna. Julian wanted to persuade her to postpone the wedding as he knew she was not going to agree. On their way to the main palace, they eyed Juli getting there for unknown reasons. So, they followed.

"Greetings to the mother queen," Juli bowed in front of her as Anna approached her smiling happily.

"Get up, darling. You're becoming the next queen sooner," she spelled, holding her hands and leading her to sit down for a meal.

"Thank you, mother queen. Honestly, I'm here for a favor and I really hope you would accept it for me," gently demanded the blue haired girl as Anna allowed her to speak. "Ever since I entered the Lunar Eris, I only had one and only friend by my side who defended me and was there for me. However, through some sudden circumstances, she was punished on the day of our graduation together. She is not as everyone else in the light land assume. And I don't want to get married without her being around. So, please, may your highness allow to postpone the marriage until her punishment period is done?" Juli continued, looking down as the queen stayed silent for a while. By then, Julian and Ethan were entering the light hall when they eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Did you inform the crown prince about this matter?" Questioned the flora diva who got curious about the matter.

"The light king, crown prince Julian is entering!" Announced the guardian at the door while Juli's heart started to race.

"Greetings to the mother queen." He bowed, entering while leaving his subordinate at the gate. He, then sat down on Anna's left side, facing the future queen.

"You came in time. We were discussing about the wedding ceremony. What do you think about it, son?" She questioned.

"Um. I think whatever princess Juli thinks right, should be done," he expressed when he eyed her with regretful eyes as she stayed silent and looked away.

"Well, princess Juli wants to postpone the wedding since her friend is punished and can't attend the ceremony. Do you want to fulfill her wish, Julian?" As she questioned, he looked at her widening his eyes slightly, feeling surprised by how bold she was to ask that from the mother queen.

"Mother, I know the court's decisions should not be changed unless there is a strong reason for it. If they get to know about this matter, then, they'll think both me and princess Juli are not reliable to hold the light land responsibilities. So, please, forgive me for being careless before blaming her," He bowed on his knee, begging for her forgiveness while Juli was shocked and followed.

"Please, forgive me for being careless!"

"Ah, you are still young both of you. Rise," The flora diva spoke gently. Julian rose then held Juli to help her do the same. "Princess Juli. I am fully aware what it's like to treasure friendship and to be indebted to someone. However, you're becoming the next queen within three weeks, my dear. I treat you as my own daughter, so, I'm going to let it slide this time. Next time, be careful of these things and focus more on the kingdom matters and your duties as a wife and as a queen. As for you, Julian. Take care of your to-be-queen and stand by her. Teach her things when she needs to know. You're responsible on her, alright?"

"Yes, mother queen," They bowed next to each other, then went outside silently, finding Ethan surprised for the short time they spent inside.

"That was quick! Did you tell her?" Questioned the dark brown haired knight as Julian said no.

"Let's go in a hurry and be back," He suggested as the air diva understood nothing from their conversation.

"Knight Juli! It's good to see you again," Ethan smiled at her when she nodded without saying a word. "How have you been?"

"I'm alright. Thanks for asking," As she replied with a fake smile, she turned to go back to her mansion.

"Wait!" Julian stopped her when his subordinate pushed him to go after her. "I'm sorry for not defending you about postponing the ceremony."

"It's alright. I knew I'd be refused anyway," Juli answered quietly. "Excuse me, your highness. I have to study more before the coronation." She bowed and left him there speechless.

"Did you try to explain to her?" Ethan questioned as his leader sighed deeply.

"It's okay. Let's go to the Lunar Eris and get that book first. I don't know if the masters will allow me or no. But, gonna try for her," He expressed, was still glancing at her leaving the main palace as his subordinate tapped on his shoulder comforting.

The sun had shined again for another day. Sinian and Jaelin were cuddling on bed as sunshine sneaked to touch their skin. He opened his eyes finding her sleeping like a peaceful baby, on his left arm, and kept staring at her smiling. He re-winded the bitter scenes of yesterday which turned out to be sweeter than honey. He approached her more to cuddle her tight as she opened her eyes slowly.

"Good morning," He started whispering with his deep sleepy voice as she smiled with half closed eyes. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes. How about you?" She replied with a sleepy voice, smiling at him when he nodded. "What did you do to me last night?" She, suddenly, jumped, getting up from bed clenching Ixin's top she was wearing and covering the upper part of her chest, flashing red, realizing that she was sleeping with him for a whole night.

"I just shared my qi with you," he smiled, brushing his hair with his hand. "In another fast way," continued looking away.

"Another way, how?" She confidently glanced at him with curiosity.

"It's the Relixue process. Didn't you read about it in the book I've given you? Did you not study while I wasn't here!" He chuckled, getting up, was shirtless with a messy hair, teasing her as a former teacher of hers.

"I did study! But I didn't pass by this formula or name. I also lost the second book. It's why I came here to get it back because your brother took it!" She cried, blaming sarcastically as he wondered how had it happened.

"What happened?" He questioned with a serious voice tone as she sat down on the bed taking a deep breath.

"When you left, I took back those two forbidden books and wanted to study them in my room without coming here and going back. I practice the morning and read the books at the end of the day. I hid them well and nobody knows about it. But, yesterday, when I went back from training, I found the nebula message from Ixin and the second book was missing. The letter said that I'd only get it if I come here. So, I decided to do so, but, on the way, I felt someone following me and I was right because he attacked me with rockery walls to hold me down. I wasn't fast comparing to his ability, I guess he was a high-tier. I fainted and when I woke up…" As Jaelin was narrating, she paused by the flashbacks of what Ixin had done to her. Had gone absent-minded.

"You found Ixin?" Sinian spoke waiting for her to finish. "Jaelin?!" He called as she turned back to face him.

"Yes! Yes, he was there and Jasper too."

"Jasper was with him?"

"Yeah. But he left before we arrived here. He knew I was poisoned and he was applying a healing formula to take off the poison, it's when you arrived here," she continued then sighed for feeling messed up in her head because of what had happened.

"Don't worry, it wasn't Ixin. He wouldn't do such thing. Someone with an earth element and an ability of poisoned rockery walls, wouldn't be demon," Sinian was right when he concluded that.

"Wasn't a demon? How can you know?"

"Because some abilities aren't meant for demons but knights and also the opposite," As he was explaining, she was curious more about it. "It's why I told you to read Breathings of Ziran first. It's a key for the main knowledge of these things.

"Then, if it's not a demon, means he's a knight and he was after me for something that I don't know about?" She thought as he chuckled, getting closer to her.

"Don't worry. I'll investigate this matter and look for the reasons behind this incident," Sinian comforted, hugging her.