Chapter 1 Highlighted Beginning
Their world wasn't bad, if one really thought of it.
Taniyama Mai existed in a world where magic was an average means of achievement. Social structures were strict, but if one had the power, they could do literally anything. Women were generally treated inferior to men, passed on as the belongings of fathers to husbands. Most divisions were overseen by nobility, which was overseen by the King, who was overseen by the Five.
The Five.
Mai supposed that she should have felt fortunate, having had been born into one of the five most influential psychic families in the world, and the Caecilius Clan at that, which was the only organisation that was led by women instead of men. The Five was the title dubbed to the five oldest and most powerful families in the world: The Caecilius Clan, the House of Alexandria, the Miharu Family, the Ramirez Family, and the Wycombe Family.
These five families practically ruled over magical practices in their realm; people borne from this family had more magic than everyone else, more abilities than everyone else, and even more political influence.
The leader of one of them was sitting right in front of her at the moment.
Crystal green eyes blinked back at Mai when she turned over and Mai knew that her cousin had something to say. The warm light of the sun drenched into her companion's Oriental skin and her beautifully structured face screamed arrogance from all angles. As she moved, light glossed from her incredibly dark hair that at first, seemed black, but in the light, seemed to carry every colour of the rainbow. They might have been in the slums of Kentworth – which was ruled by the Underground – but she managed to stand out like an angel in hell.
But then Domjouji Ayami would look beautiful no matter where she was.
From where Mai stood, she watched her amazing cousin, Imperial First Lady of the Caecilius Clan, Duchess of Lamia, and Countess of Carveli.
Next to her, Mai felt like the ugly duckling beside the swan.
And a Golden Swan at that.
"This is so boring," Ayami said finally. She looked up towards the perfect sky and squinted as the rays attacked her green eyes. They were seated at a balcony in one of this slum's finest restaurant – which wasn't saying much, in Mai's opinion – as they overlooked the neighbourhood beneath them. Down there, Mai watched one of the little boys carefully pick-pocketed an unsuspecting passerby.
Mai's dull-shoulder length brown hair bobbled blew slightly with the wind and she couldn't be bothered fixing it up. Ayami half-rolled her eyes and she leant over to straighten Mai's hair. The truth was, Mai wasn't sure why she'd been chosen as a companion for the First Lady. She had no psychic abilities to speak of, she wasn't overly intelligent, nor was she a spy for the Elders. Ayami had laughingly joked once that Mai was the only person she would never kill, so Mai suspected that might have been it. With the antics Ayami played up, it was a wonder how she'd made it to the stone age of seventeen.
Coming here was the perfect example. Both of them were dressed rather grandly for this area –yet casually for them – and apparently, Ayami had come here because she was expecting someone. Not only were they in the slums of Kentworth, they were also in the country of Ryome, which was the grounds overseen and made home by members of the House of Alexandria
And had Mai mentioned that the Caecilius clan was currently at war with the House of Alexandria?
"We shouldn't be here, you know," Mai said quietly. "We're in Ryome, Ayami," Mai said, careful not to let the winds carry her voice. Ayami had probably shielded them already, but it was better to be careful. "This country is owned by the House of Alexandria; we're at war with them, remember? And you didn't bring any further protection. Perhaps we should head back."
Ayami smiled and continued straightening up Mai's collar. She folded it over delicately, but Mai could feel the slight magic the girl was spilling into her clothing.
"I wasn't the one that caused that huge racket at the inn last night, remember?"
Mai's face flamed when she remembered back to what she'd done.
Last night, she had tried to save a boy who'd been obviously enslaved by two noblewomen of their age. When Mai had first seen him, they'd been beating him and she'd interfered to stop them. The girls had sneered at her and beaten the boy even harder. That night, Mai had snuck into his room to try and see how he was and the memory of that would probably linger in her mind for a very long time.
"It's a good thing that I had Octavia trail you then, or you'd probably dead by now. Why did you go after him, anyway? You know this country and you know this division. You're lucky you got out on time."
"I just feel bad, for him, you know?" Mai murmured. "I was going to try again tonight," Mai added, almost grimacing at her words. To think that she'd just being going on about Ayami. It wasn't as though Mai could just leave the slave there though; the Gods only knew what kind of abuse he was getting now.
"They way you almost got him out before?" Ayami asked, her eyes narrowed slightly in amusement. She gave the collar a final pat and sat back against her chair. Mai rolled her eyes at her cousin.
"Not like that," Mai said, slightly insulted by Ayami's reaction. But how could Ayami not want to help the boy? He was an innocent, and he certainly did not deserve to be abused in the manner that these people used him in.
"How do you know he's even in trouble?" Ayami asked, stretching comfortably across the settee in a most regal manner.
Mai frowned, remembering back to his handsome face. Besides the fact that she'd seen him beaten, his navy blue eyes had been pensive, almost as though he'd shut himself completely away from the world. He was incredibly handsome – the most handsome Mai had ever seen, yet he seemed so sad.
"I could see it in his eyes," Mai answered quietly. The navy blue globes had been emotionless, but hidden even further behind that was bleak emptiness that had immediately called to her pity. Mai had been like that once, before Ayami had come along. This boy, whoever he was, didn't choose his path. No one deserved to live like that, and Mai would help him no matter what.
"You know, if you're so keen on getting this boy out, why don't you ask me?" Ayami asked. "I am the First Lady of the Caecilius Clan for good reason."
Mai's eyes brightened at the thought of Ayami participating. "You'd help him?" she asked.
Ayami shrugged. "You seem so incredibly adamant in protecting the boy, so I see no reason not to. Besides, the Jambolee family are full of idiotic, misogynistic morons that think that they're above all others just because they happen to be in contact with the Alexandrians. I'd like to teach them a lesson, really, just to pull them down a few notches."
Mai frowned. Clearly, Ayami was talking about the girl's that owned the slave boy. "You know who they are?"
"I know a lot of things."
Mai's confidence slipt a few notches too when Ayami told her what she intended. Oh, boy. In her three years of reigning, Ayami had managed to diminish more alliances than any other leader of the Five had in their entire lifetimes.
And that wasn't counting the number of adversaries she'd accumulated along the way.
"Oh, don't worry. I won't do anything rash."
Mai had definitely heard that one before.
"My name is Domjouji Ayami," Ayami greeted. She held her hand out to the owner of the division.
Jambolee's eyes frowned at her. "A leader of the Five?" he questioned suspiciously.
Ayami's eyes narrowed, though Mai wasn't sure why she cared so much. A lot of people doubted her because of her age. Mai still couldn't believe that that'd gotten in here.
Ayami, through mystical ways, had managed to locate the owners of the slave. Her cousin had not been joking when she said that she 'knew a lot'. Apparently, the two girls that Mai had come across in the inn had been the daughter of Jambolee family, rulers of the Red District. Approximately three days after Ayami had promised to help she had managed to come directly into the household that owned the slave. Apparently, the owner of the house had been having problems with a demonic presence and somehow, Ayami had managed to contact the mediator in the case and had booked a passage as the exorcists. Mai didn't need to ask why a demon would oh-so coincidentally bother the Jambolees now. It was quite obvious, in Mai's opinion, where the demon had come from.
When one felt that they had a supernatural problem, they spoke to a mediator, who would normally dissect the main essence of the presence. After that, the mediator would contact the exorcist most suitable for the case who would in turn deal with the presence.
For a price, of course.
And right now, Ayami was demanding it.
"I want," Ayami's fingers swirled round and round the room she moved her body, her eyes swimming around the room.
"I want him," Ayami concluded, pointing right at the boy that Mai had seen yesterday. He looked up at them, his face slightly impassive now, and Mai almost missed the quick glance he sent her way.
"You can't have him!" the daughter snarled.
"Well then you can keep your demon for a very long time then."
The mediator laughed uneasily. He'd thought that he'd struck gold when Ayami had agreed to do the exorcism. Right now, he probably regretted letting her do it. "Now, now, Ayami-hime, there's no need to be so hasty. I'm sure we can compromise in some way."
"Of course we can. I can be a reasonable person." Mai resisted the urge to cough and looked back at her cousin. "Now, do I get what I want, or do you get to keep the demon for the rest of your lives?"
"You're not the only exorcist in the world!" the other daughter snarled.
"Naturally, but I am one of the five most powerful in the World. If I say I want to keep this demon here, do you think anyone could stop me?"
Oh, God. This was not compromising. Although Mai didn't mind Ayami threatening people like this, her cousin did seem to forget where they were. On enemy grounds.
Where they were meant to keep a low profile.
Jambolee stared right into Ayami's eyes. Her perfect, angelic face was a complete contrast to Jambolee's aged and scared skin. He looked incredibly ghastly when he stared over at her and Mai turned to look from Jambolee to Ayami.
"You're threatening me?" he growled.
Ayami leant even further in towards the man, completely without fear. "You could put it like that," she purred.
Jambolee leant back. He obviously knew that Ayami couldn't be intimidated. She wasn't known as the Peerless without reason. If he offended her, it was in her ability to destroy the entire division and make sure that the Jambolees were completely eliminated from history. Mai would know: she'd seen it happen.
"Fine," Jambolee said finally.
Mai's heart leaped. The girls were horrified.
"How do we know she didn't put the demon there herself?" one of the girl's cried.
"Be careful who you accuse," Ayami said sharply, turning now towards the girls. "I am a Leader of one of the Five. I have more than enough power to make sure that you are completely swept from this planet. And it wouldn't be done in a pretty fashion either."
"Shut up, girl!" Jambolee snapped at his own daughter. He then turned to look back at Ayami. "We'll give you the boy," he said, "but no silly business, Domjouji. And you have to get rid of the demon now."
Mai looked at Ayami. That was definitely a fair trade. Her cousin, however, didn't seem appeased. Instead, she watched Jambolee hand her the small glass of wine to seal their deal and took it, her face entirely unimpressed.
Ayami looked at the man in front of her and for a moment, Mai could even see how she was dissecting his thoughts. When the man raised the drink towards Ayami, a slight, amused smile curved her lips and the brightness of her eyes diminished, leaving only the cool, cold expression of a powerful ruler.
"You want to use me as leverage against the Alexandrians."
Mai's eyes widened.
Ayami pointedly dropped the cup onto the floor, the same, calculating smile not leaving her face. Not even once.
"You're going to need a lot more than poison to subdue me, Jambolee. What you gave me in the drink would only have served to annoy me."
Her words were spoken and immediately, they were surrounded. Men ran out from almost all angles of the house and effectively surrounded them as Jambolee's daughters were moved inside, leaving only the slave, Mai, Ayami, and Jambolee in the centre of the room. Mai's eyes scanned the area and she realised that Jambolee must have had this all planned out already. Why else would he have been so accommodating earlier? And they'd obviously brought the slave boy here because they knew that he was the perfect bait for Ayami, since Mai had wanted to save him.
They'd walked right into a trap.
"We were trying to be discreet, Ayami-hime. The House of Alexandria wants you there in one piece, though I have no idea why they would. Personally, if it had been up to me, I'd have reached over and tugged your head off that neck a long time ago."
Ayami laughed, completely unfazed. "You underestimate me," she drawled. "If we were to fight, what makes you think I'd lose?"
Now, Jambolee snorted. "You're a female," he grunted.
"Try me," the girl said.
And then everything exploded.
Mai gasped as she landed on the ground, somehow managing to drag a sedated slave along with her. Ayami had cast a spell around all three of them and somehow managed to teleport all of them out of the house just before everything went off. They'd landed in a forest close to the district when the slave – Mai was getting rather sick of calling him that – had suddenly began to panic. Naturally, Ayami, being the reasonable person that she was, immediately cast a spell of sleep over him before setting herself calmly onto the ground.
Ayami brushed the invisible dust off her clothing. "Well, good thing we got out of that one alright," she said brightly.
"Alright?!" Mai screeched. She had the boy's arm set over one of her shoulders and her entire body was sagging towards the ground. "Ayami, you blew up half a division."
Ayami shrugged delicately. "It was wreaked in sin anyway," she replied, winking. "Take it as my divine obligation, seeing as I am sometimes revered to as a Goddess."
Mai shook her head. She didn't know why the Elders believed that Ayami would become less destructive if they let her see the big world. In Mai's opinion, she just got worse and worse.
Mai took a breath and tried again. "That was not the way to do things—"
"No one told you to come with me," Ayami reminded her. And if Mai hadn't come to save this boy, Ayami probably wouldn't have wrecked havoc anyway.
Had it been anyone else that nagged at her cousin, Mai knew that Ayami wouldn't have been so accommodating about it. But Ayami didn't get angry at Mai. She never got angry at Mai, and Mai had no idea why. Instead, her cousin just seemed amused by Mai's worries.
Mai didn't find it amusing at all.
"Come on," Ayami said. She gestured towards the boy that half swung over Mai's shoulder and Mai felt his weight lifted from her almost immediately. Mai didn't have to look down to know that there were slight glows of will-o'-the-wisps now supporting the boy. "Let's do something about him."
Mai nodded quickly, quickly remembering back to the person they'd just saved. She tilted her head over slightly and saw that he was slowly regaining consciousness.
Ayami's eyes widened.
"Let go of him, Mai!"
Her cousin reached for her and Mai looked towards Ayami. There was evident fear in her cousin's face though Mai had no idea why.
And then, for the second time that night, everything went white.
26 January, 2009: Happy Chinese New Year, guys! Okay, so I know I'm pretty slow at the moment with Vesta's Bonds, but this current case is pretty uninspiring. LOL. Anyway, Eternus is kind of the redux for Eternity, which is the sequel to Vesta's Bonds. A warning: this story is not for the light hearted. It may/will contain prostitution, adult themes, torture, etc. etc. If you're against that stuff then I wouldn't recommend you reading this story. These are more of the preview chapters; I will still be focusing on Vesta's Bonds more. Tell me what you think ;)