Sakura (I)

Fuyuki, Hotel.

"Is this the little girl you were talking about?"

Kayneth asked while stroking his chin, his gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny as he looked at Sakura.

Seeing this somewhat stern-looking man, Sakura's face couldn't help but show a bit of timidity and fear akin to a startled little animal. She tightly grasped Arkhan's clothes, not daring to let go for a moment.

Arkhan ran his fingers through her soft and smooth black hair to ease her fear. Though he didn't understand why that old man hadn't modified and corrupted her, it was evident that the year spent in the Matou family had left significant psychological scars on her. It made her deeply fearful and resistant to everything beyond the Matou residence.

"Hollow... I never expected to find someone with this element in this rural corner. If those people find out, escaping a sealing designation would be impossible for sure..." Kayneth thoughtfully commented while circling around Sakura.

As a Lord in the Clock Tower, Kayneth was well aware of the rarity of 'Imaginary Elements', which were independent of the 'Five Great Elements'.

There were two known imaginary elements, 'Hollow' and 'Nothingness'.

Mages who possessed 'Hollow' were the only ones who could enter the 'Void Space', a world that didn't exist but was believed to exist. It held a fatal allure for all mages, second only to the Root.

It was foreseeable that if this girl named Matou Sakura were exposed, all the Lords of the Clock Tower would go mad.

Upon hearing the words 'Sealing Designation', Sakura instantly trembled all over.

Even though she had left the Tohsaka family a year ago, she still hadn't forgotten the ugly expression on her biological father's face when he mentioned sealing designation. It was as if those two words represented an infinite abyss.

For a six or seven-year-old girl, the term abyss was still quite an abstract concept, but after witnessing the Matou family's den of worms, Sakura had a profound understanding of its meaning.

'Did I jump from one abyss to another?' Sakura's eyes gradually dimmed as she silently let go of Arkhan's clothes and lowered her head in silence. 'Perhaps, this is my fate...'

"That's why I brought her to see you." Arkhan chuckled. "For Lord El-Melloi, the ninth head of the Archibald family, what does a mere seal designation mean?"

Kayneth visibly enjoyed Arkhan's praise. He nodded approvingly with hands behind his back.

"Of course! Throughout the Clock Tower, no one dares lay a finger on anyone under Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald's custody." Kayneth said with a proud tone.

'What an easy guy...'

Arkhan shook his head with a smile, then crouched down and gently patted Sakura's head.

"Sakura, meet Kayneth, one of the Lords in the Clock Tower. We've discussed it and from now on, he'll be responsible for being your guardian and teacher. With his protection, you don't have to worry about sealing designation anymore."

Sakura stared at Arkhan in a daze, her large eyes gradually misting over.

"From now on, you can truly have a home of your own. No one will use you as a tool, and no one will abandon or force you. You can grow up happily, do what you want, and become anyone you want to be." Arkhan said in a soothing tone while gently holding the girl's petite body.

"Hiks... Uwaaahhh—!"

Sakura finally couldn't control her emotions as tears welled up in her eyes. She tightly clung to Arkhan's neck, crying loudly. It seemed like she wanted to release all the fear, grievances, bitterness, and suffering from the past year.

After about ten minutes of crying, her voice gradually quieted down, her eyes closed, falling into a light sleep.

A six or seven-year-old girl with a naturally weak body, coupled with a year of living in a mansion infested with bugs and almost being thrown into a pit of worms for modification, such experiences were unimaginably terrifying for a young girl.

If Arkhan hadn't stepped in to pull her out of that abyss, she might have already completely collapsed.

Arkhan gently lifted Sakura and placed her on the bed in the inner room. Looking at the tear stains on her face, he couldn't help but sigh softly.

As he was about to get a towel to wipe her face, he noticed that her delicate hands were still tightly wrapped around his neck, akin to someone clinging to the last piece of driftwood, unwilling to let go.

"Don't... go..." Sakura murmured softly in her sleep, like a fluffy marshmallow, soft and tender.

His eyes showed a hint of pity and tenderness. 

"It's okay, Sakura. With me here, no one will hurt you anymore..." Arkhan whispered and gently stroked her face.

As if hearing his assurance, a sweet smile soon appeared on her face, and she finally let go of her grip.

Arkhan quickly entered the bathroom, took a new towel, soaked it in warm water, and carefully wiped away the tear stains on Sakura's face. Afterward, he covered her with a blanket, then gently closed the bedroom door and walked out.

"I didn't expect you to care so much about a child." Kayneth elegantly sipped the tea that he specifically brought from England.

"I have a daughter." Arkhan replied simply and sat on a single sofa, gazing at the night scenery outside the window. A rare hint of melancholy appeared in his eyes. "Around the same age as Sakura."

Hearing that unexpected reason, Kayneth's movements hesitated for a moment.

"I'm sorry to pry, but I still want to ask, your daughter is..."

"Mordred."

Hearing that infamous name, Kayneth's hand trembled slightly, and his expression instantly became peculiar.

"Ahem! Speaking of which, now that you've brought Sakura out, why not send her back to her original family?" Kayneth cleared his throat lightly, immediately deciding to skip the topic.

"I can't trust Tohsaka Tokiomi. Perhaps, as a mage, he might be right, but as a parent, he's just too awful." Arkhan paused, then continued. "If Sakura continues to stay there, she'll never be able to move on and escape the past. That's not a good thing."

"So you want to send her to the Clock Tower and let her start a new life from there?"

"Finish what you start, see it through to the end. Since I've decided to take on this responsibility, I won't abandon it halfway." Arkhan answered casually.

"So you're okay with entrusting her to me?"

Kayneth asked as he looked at Arkhan with a playful expression.

"You know that I'm a mage purer than her father. With such an excellent specimen, whether as an experiment or a breeding body, it's a good idea. If I can uncover the secrets of hollow from her, my position in the Clock Tower will surely rise again."

"Because I know very well, for the head of the Archibald family and the genius of the Clock Tower, hollow is nothing. What's truly worth exploring is the apex of Mystery, which is the Root." Arkhan smiled calmly.

Hearing that, Kayneth nodded approvingly, once again marveling at how Arkhan truly understood him.

He must admit that Arkhan was the perfect Servant for him.