5 The Strings of Fate

While the woman in red kimono was still absorbed with the cold feeling that the rain droplets gave her, the sliding panel to the room slowly slid open to reveal a kneeling young servant girl in a black yukata printed with white cherry blossoms.

She greeted the woman inside with a slight bow of the head and came into the room carrying a tray with a Japanese teapot and teacup. After closing the sliding panel once again, the young girl approached the woman in red kimono who remained lounging beside the large open window.

"My Lady, I have prepared a hot green tea for you. Please, have some." Setting down the tray close to the woman in red kimono, the young girl poured the hot tea into the teacup and served it to her Master.

The woman in red kimono took back her right hand from the window and then turned to accept the tea from the young girl's hand. "Thank you, Saaya."

Saaya smiled and dipped her head respectfully in return.

Seeing her Master savoring the hot green tea, Saaya turned to look out the window.

"It sure is pouring today, My Lady."

"Yes, it sure is," said the woman somewhat solemnly, before turning back towards the window — once again she gazed out to the pouring rain outside.

"It was raining heavily that time too," whispered the woman softly to herself as she reminisced back to a time long ago — back to that fateful night...

******

It was raining heavily that night.

The Shopkeeper had sensed a customer's presence in front of the Dream Star Shop. Like any good shopkeeper, she went to greet her Customer at the front door.

However, as she arrived at the shop's entrance, the Shopkeeper let out a soft sigh at the scene she witnessed.

There, on the muddy ground in front of the shop was a cloaked young man. His head was bent down and he was sobbing, all the while clutching tightly onto the woman in his arms, unwilling to let go.

Based on the pointy ears that she has, she was no human.

The woman has long silver hair and blood-red lips. She was wearing a black tight leather clothing which showed off all the sensual curves of her body. Beyond the cuff of her jacket, her wrist was exposed, showing a tattoo — a black four-pointed star crisscrossed by two arrows. The tattoo belonging to the immortal beings of a certain clan — a vampire from the Black Blood Clan from the [Saksaar World].

Immortal beings of the vampires species were known to possess exquisite beauty, making them amazing enchanters and enchantresses — combined that with their preternatural grace, elegance and rapid movements, thus making them one of the [Worlds] deadliest predators. Vampires from the [Saksaar World] similarly has such deadly charms, but theirs' was the most enthralling of all. However, the beauty in the young man's arms right now was probably the most breathtaking one. With this kind of beauty, any mortal or immortal would willingly be victimized by her.

But, sadly...

"If only she could still open her eyes and her body wasn't as cold as ice," thought the Shopkeeper shaking her head regretfully.

The Shopkeeper decided to approach the young man — who was already completely drenched from head-to-toe in the heavy rain. In her hands, a white paper umbrella had suddenly appeared out of thin air. Stepping through the front door, just as the first drop of rain was going to fall on top of her, an opened red paper umbrella had appeared, thus sheltering her.

As she reached the young man, the Shopkeeper opened up the white paper umbrella in her hands and held it up above the young man who was still sobbing on the muddy ground — completely oblivious to her approach.

Despite the obvious display of grief by the young man, the Shopkeeper didn't bother herself with it and continued to welcome the customer in front of her, "You've traveled long and far to reach the Dream Star Shop. How may I help you, Dear Customer?"

It wasn't that she didn't sympathize with the scene in front of her. After all, in the long years since she became the Dream Star Shop's shopkeeper, she had received quite a fair share of customers with the same consequences. However, the Shopkeeper must abide by her work etiquette at all times and treat all her customers equally and professionally.

"The lost of loved ones can surely give birth to a heart-wrenching feeling, doesn't it? Whether they are a mortal or immortal, once they exposed themselves to this fragility, even the strongest man can be taken down with a single flick of a finger. These people are truly pathetic — to have known that much and still condemn themselves to such obvious entrapment. Still, it is exactly feeble personalities that makes them all the more interesting." The Shopkeeper quirked her lips in amusement at these thoughts.

Lifting up his head slowly, the young man looked at the Shopkeeper standing patiently in front of him.

"Please... Please help Akane-san. Sh-she's not breathing! I'm begging you! I'll give you anything..." while still sobbing, the young man begged the Shopkeeper.

Hearing her Customer's request, the Shopkeeper became silent for a while and simply stared at the tear-streaked face of the young man.

"This boy, he had only barely reached the twentieth year of his life. Even at this young age, I can clearly see that he will become a charming man in the years to come — able to woe many women at once. Furthermore, that golden locket he's wearing — a crescent moon and a sun — that is the emblem signifying a royalty from the [Mithleen World]. Interesting... How did these two get mixed up?" mused the Shopkeeper silently in her mind.

"Ah, wait...! Yes... I do remember the Black Blood Clan vampires came to this shop quite some time ago. They were searching for something in the other [Worlds]. If I remember correctly, I granted them a three days time each in [Rainth World], [Coral World] and-" The Shopkeeper smiled as she remembered that she had also granted the Black Blood Clan's the ability to use <Travel> to go to the [Mithleen World].

"However, this wish-" The Shopkeeper furrowed her brow as she thought silently in her mind about the young man's request.

She glanced once again towards the Black Blood Clan's tattoo on the female vampire's wrist. She had noticed that it was similar to the Clan's usual marking, but with only one difference. All the members of the clan must pen their names on the middle of the tattoo — where the arrows intersected — using a holy man's blood which signified the vow of loyalty to their Clan. However, on this female's tattoo, her name hadn't been penned on — the middle part had remained blank. This difference alone told the Shopkeeper all that she needed to know about the female vampire's identity.

The Shopkeeper had a trace of pity in her expression as she turned her attention once again towards the young man.

"I'm sorry, Dear Customer. However, I have to reluctantly decline your request this time," the Shopkeeper said regretfully.

Hearing the Shopkeeper's rejection, the young man grabbed onto her arm, as he begged for her reconsideration. "No! Please, I'll give you everything I have. So-"

Before the young man continued his words further, the Shopkeeper had cut in and patiently explained the reasoning behind her rejection, "Child, even if you were to give up everything you have for her life, it will still be not enough to even pay for a quarter of the payment. This lady, she's the Queen of Night, isn't she? Her life's price worth too much."

As the last word of the Shopkeeper's explanation fell to his ears, the young man's heart was filled with misery. He looked up to the sky above and let out shouts full of sorrow, as the last hope that he held onto vanished.

Shouts after shouts were roared out...

All the while, the Shopkeeper kept quiet as she stood by the young man's side, holding out the umbrella above him.

After some time, the young man's voice was hoarse with all that shouting — even then he had still refused to stop shouting.

He had only stopped when his throat had become too sore, that he could no longer shout anymore.

Then, he looked down once again to the female in his arms. The young man caressed her face lovingly. Hugging her tightly in his chest, he began to cry even harder than before as the reality of the cold body in his arms became a certainty.

A shred of pain rose in the Shopkeeper's heart at the sight of the young man's frustration — though that feeling appeared and disappeared in a split second and she regained her composure.

Despite whatever personal feelings she might have regarding this current situation, as the Dream Star Shop's shopkeeper, it was her 'sacred' duty to fulfill her Customers wishes to the best of her ability — her pride was hanging on the line here. She felt that she must grant this child's wish no matter what, even just a part of it would be better than nothing.

"Hmm... What should I do? This wish of his is definitely an impossibility."

Thus, the Shopkeeper began to brainstorm for other possibilities.

After a while, a stroke of an idea reached her thoughts.

"Perhaps if we were to do it that way... Yes! At the very least a part of his wish will come true." The Shopkeeper truly felt delightful for having thought of this solution.

However, at the same, a trace of bitterness had taken place in a small corner of her heart.

Out of the ordinary, the Shopkeeper kept having a moment of weakness that night. These useless feelings were keeping her from performing her duties to the utmost.

The Shopkeeper shook her head trying to keep her mind straight. She reminded herself that she needed to remain impartial at all times. "It must be the weather tonight, it has been affecting my mood."

Turning her attention to the young man once again, with a gentle smile on her face, the Shopkeeper said, "Dear Customer, I could not grant you the Wish of Life that you had requested. However, perhaps there is another wish that you could request, but with a hefty price to pay."

At the Shopkeeper's words, the young man looked up at her. His expression clearly told her that he would grasp onto to whatever small hope she could give him.

Looking at the young man's hopeful gaze, the Shopkeeper could no longer deny herself from the feeling of guilt.

This was the first time that she had ever felt this way.

Usually, as long as she received the payment, the Shopkeeper will grant any wish they requested — regardless of the consequences it held. She had never once stopped to care whether the wish will do anything good or bring harm to her Customers themselves or even others. After all, her Customers' business was never part of her job scope.

However, this time, she really couldn't help but feel the need to stop this child from making the wrong choice. "Maybe, I really shouldn't suggest this wish to this child," thought the Shopkeeper.

"No! This is wrong. I shouldn't get myself too attached to any customer." The Shopkeeper's heart was filled with a dilemma.

"What wish should I request?" Completely oblivious to the conflicting feelings within the Shopkeeper's heart, the young man began to ask full of conviction — there was no doubt that the young man was willing to risk skin and bone for the female's sake.

"T-this-" The young man's question perturbed the Shopkeeper for a second.

Then, with a slight shake of her head, the Shopkeeper shook herself out of her messy thoughts and told the young man what he wanted to know.

"The Wish of Time."

******

"You look rather happy today, Shopkeeper Yume." Suddenly, a deep and melodic voice could be heard coming from just outside the room. Behind the sliding panel which Saaya had come in before, a man's shadow wearing a hakama can be seen settling himself down on the floor.

The Shopkeeper's thoughts returned back to the present time when she heard that familiar voice.

"It has been a while, Rafael," Shopkeeper Yume greeted her old friend.