The Miracle of a Purple Trail.

The dagger flung away from Hitsuki’s eyes, and he fell down. He felt his heart stop beating.

In front of him was Chiyoshi, who had protected him.

“Why did you protect the criminal, Chiyoshi?” A voice spoke. Not from the assassins dressed in black, not from her.

The raven with human eyes landed from the tree and sat on the bench. It spoke with a human tongue.

“Answer me, Chiyoshi. Why did you help this criminal avoid punishment?”

Chiyoshi and everyone else felt a crushing gravity pulling them towards the ground. The trees and houses crumbled down.

Despite the horror in everyone’s eyes, they kept kneeling to the raven. Chiyoshi was a bit curious as well, though horror overwhelmed her just like Sol.

The raven looked keenly at Hitsuki, who didn’t seem to be intimidated at all. The buildings fell down, but he kept standing. As if its tricks did nothing to him.

“How disrespectful! But how astonishing.” The raven replied. “Nobody has been able to resist my power. But you don’t seem to be affected at all.”

“Chiyoshi.” It looked at her. “I don’t remember handing you the power to babysit a vampire.”

“Your highness, the Queen, please hear me out about my decisions.” She replied, looking at the ground. “This man can walk under the sun and moon. We could use him to scour over unseen Lunaris lands. This man is truly unique, and I believe he can be of use to us.”

“Your decisions contradict your actions, Chiyoshi.” The raven increased its gravitational pull on her.

Hitsuki heard a crunch, followed by coughs of blood from Chiyoshi’s mouth.

“What… the heck is happening…” Hitsuki mumbled.

The assassins stood circling the village, their black cloaks shrouding in mists. The day suddenly turned cold.

Chiyoshi, despite her fractured ribs, stood for a second and dragged Hitsuki down. He looked at her eyes, only to see pain and void. Everyone else had the same reaction.

“Why haven’t you placed the seal of obedience?” The raven asked. “There are enough in the treasury, are there not?”

“Yes, your majesty.” Chiyoshi tried to resist coughing. But blood still spewed from her mouth. “But the seal of obedience doesn’t work on this man. It’s as if he has a special ability to negate the seal.”

“How interesting…” the raven said. “Surely, how amazing it is to find someone so unique. I wish I could’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

The raven laughed like a maniac.

“Now, what shall I do with the other criminals?” The raven now averted its attention to the children. They were already on the lap of their mother.

“Knowing about the taboo or even interacting with it is punishable by law.” The queen, speaking through the raven, stated. “I decide what I shall do with these criminals, for truly they have committed the highest degree of offense.”

The children looked scared, and so did the mothers. Their eyes despaired, hoping for forgiveness. But the Queen’s heart is cold. For a warm heart is a living one, and a living heart can die. A heart that can die can never conquer new lands or rule existing ones.

“Go away from your children.” The raven ordered.

They hesitantly stepped back, their eyes filled with tears. Their hands trembled as they let go of their children. They covered their ears, their mouth, and cried till the earth soaked up their tears.

“Hesitation brings punishment.” The raven ordered, “Assassins, capture them.”

An order was an order. None of them moved; they only abided. More of those shadowy soldiers surrounded the women. Some held their hands, others their feet.

“Your punishment is because you hesitated to follow the queen's command.” The raven uttered. “Your punishment for fighting for the country, here in the frontlines.”

Hitsuki knew the atrocity. This queen does as she wishes. Masayoshi's way was way better.

He knew that the only reason this queen was doing this was to enjoy torture.

“Just the shitty place I knew and envisioned,” Hitsuki yelled, surprising everyone.

The assassins unsheathed their daggers, but Hitsuki only stood up.

“You haven’t talked to me, have you?” Hitsuki said. “Don’t you think this very capable man could be of any use to you?”

Everyone continued staring at the ground, but their expression changed.

The raven stared at him, surprised that someone would talk over its authority. “You seem like you have something to offer.”

“Haha! You sure are right!” Hitsuki exclaimed.

“Describe your offer, vampire-human.” The raven replied.

“You must have known by now that some suspicious people are trying to assassinate the royal family,” Hitsuki said. “I have some clues about it, and I am sure I can find the culprit for you. Providing you leave the kids and their mothers alone. They already went through a heartbreak.”

The raven laughed. “For once, I thought you were intelligent enough. But you seem to be a mere fool…”

“Don’t trust me?” Hitsuki asked. “The book I read to them was provided by a man. He wore a cloak. Don’t you think it’s suspicious that some people still have these?”

“Do you think I will trust someone with the life of my family?”

“Two- no, one month.” Hitsuki raised his index finger. “Give me one month, and I assure you that I will find you the culprit. That’s my offer.”

A moment of silence was presumed between them. Hitsuki was growing anxious by the second. His voice was shaky, and his legs were trembling. The assassins were standing with wide blades, waiting for the second their master orders a life to be taken.

“How amusing…” the raven laughed. “Make it 25 days. I will be returning by then. I will be watching you myself. If I don’t find the results, then you can consider yourself dead.”

“No worries, your majesty.” Hitsuki acted like a royal guard. “Rest assured, it’s either gonna be my head or the culprit’s head that will be served to you once you return.”

“I will be watching you…” The raven whispered to his ear.

“Hanahoshi, your fiancée would be coming very soon.” The Queen said before the raven flew away.

The assassins soon vanished within another blink, and Hitsuki fell down, unconscious.

The mental load to defy such a terrifying power was too much to handle.