Chapter 237: 237
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Raine looked around her and found that she didn't have a chance if she wanted to run away from this place and from both of Aeon and Lucifer.
Moreover she didn't really know how to escape this place.
"Come with me." Aeon still held out his hand for Raine to take. His voice was firm and this time he looked Raine warmly, sensing her hesitation. "I will show you the grimoire."
"The grimoire?" Raine frowned.
"You are looking for the grimoire with that witch right?" Aeon asked a rhetorical question. "I found it." He said simply.
Raine was surprised when she heard that. "But how?"
Aeon didn't immediately answer her question, he glanced at Lucifer, who kept quiet while looking for books on the shelf. "You don't need to know, all you have to do is come with me to retrieve the book."
Raine stared at Aeon's hand, hesitated to believe him.
"Raine, you know you will be safe with me. I will not do anything to harm you." Aeon kept repeating the same sentences, so Raine could stop fidgeting toward him.
Hesitantly, Raine took Aeon's hand.
His hand was cold, not like Torak's warm one. She missed him again…
Raine and Aeon walked through row after row book shelves, the place was exceptionally huge and a little bit cold.
Raine held her bunny tighter against her chest and let Aeon led the way.
"Aeon, even though I have the book, I don't know what I should do with it." Raine confessed, the idea to find this book was Serefina's idea. "I have to bring it to her."
Aeon didn't reply to her, his eyes were focused to lead them somewhere.
"After I retrieved the book, you will send me home, right?" She asked to make sure that Aeon wouldn't keep her here, though the possibility of the other option was still big.
"Why do you want to return to that Lycan?" Instead of answer Raine's question, Aeon posed another question. "He is a murderer and he will always be like that."
Raine gritted her teeth, just like when Serefina was badmouthing Torak, she also felt the urge to slap Aeon's face.
Yet, giving to her current situation, she couldn't do that, because there was no one who would save her if Aeon went berserk.
She needed to try to control her emotion and start to use her brain over her feeling, this wasn't the right time to blow up her top at him.
"He kills if necessary." Raine mumbled as a reply.
Aeon sneered when he heard that. "Kill if necessary?" He reiterated the words in disgust. "He kills whenever he wants, and that necessary. You will be better without him."
"No, probably I will have died by now if it's not because of him." Riane said firmly. She was sure with this. "He was the one who takes me out of the orphanage and has been treating me like no one ever did in these past nine years."
Raine could feel the grip around her wrist was tightened, but still bearable enough so she didn't scream out of pain.
"How about me, who had kept you safe for those nine years?" Aeon stopped walking and faced Raine directly. "How about me? Don't you consider me?"
Raine was startled when Aeon stopped abruptly and bumped onto him. Hastily, she put some distance between them, though it wasn't far enough because her hand was still on his firm grip.
When her mind started to process Aeon's question, gradually her brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"Those nine years, when you kept your mother's diary… I was there to protect you from those supernatural creatures that wanted to tear you apart." Aeon stated, emphasizing every words for Raine to understand.
"What?" Raine was utterly shocked and had a hard time to digest what Aeon said. "You had protected me for nine years?"
"Have you never asked yourself how can you escape from every attacks? And how some of those supernatural creatures acted like they didn't see you whenever you avoid eye contact with them?" Aeon stared deeply at the girl in front of him.
Another shock crept on Raine's eyes as she felt her heart tightened by this revelation.
"It wasn't because of you were avoiding to see them in the eyes that turned you invisible." Aeon inched close to Raine. "It was me, who kept you safe. As long as your mother's diary was with you, I was able to protect you."
Raine remembered how she thought she was lucky enough to avoid those supernatural creatures and escaped each of their attacks.
"No…" Raine was in denial, she didn't want to believe it was Aeon who had been protecting her during that period of time, but she couldn't find a reason to support her rebuttal.
All this time she thought it was only a sheer of luck.
"So, tell me how you can escape all those attacks? Luck?" Aeon said with grimace, as if he could read what was in Raine's mind. "There is no consecutive luck in this world Raine."
Raine was at lost for words and when she found them, the questions that escaped from her lips sounded harsher that she intended. "If it was really you, why don't you come out?"
"I can't appear all of sudden in front of you at that time, you are too young to understand and I am afraid you will not believe me." There was regret that laced in his voice. "I was planning to take you away from that wrench orphanage when you turned eighteen…"
This time, Aeon's face turned ashen because Raine also knew what happened before he could carry out his plan.
"The Lycan came and took you away." Aeon gritted his teeth to suppress his regret. "Only if I had come sooner, then you would be with me now."
Both of them stared into each other eyes, while Raine looked at him in disbelief and was shocked, Aeon looked at her with regret for not taking action sooner and let the Lycan took away his chance.
"Raine… I was the one who opened the door at the dark alley when you were eleven years old, when a kanima was trying to attack you, so you can escape him."
Aeon reminded Raine at the attack that night when she wanted to go home from school. Raine remembered that clearly.
"I was the one who pushed you to the river when you were facing the same attack at the same year." Aeon inched close to her as he caressed her cheeks. "You can't swim, so I took you to the river bank and called people to help you."
Raine remembered when she got attack and felt there was someone pushing her to the river. She thought she would die when the water filled her lungs, but then she woke up inside the hospital.
Afterward, Aeon kept reminding her about all the attack that she had received during those nine years and tore one by one Raine's belief of the thought of how lucky she was back then.
That wasn't luck, that was Aeon who kept her safe.
In the end, Aeon was so close to Raine until she could smell his musky scent.
"Now, you believe me if I say I will never hurt you?" Aeon asked, pleading with his dark eyes. He watched how the eyes of the girl in front of him started to turn softened. "Say something Raine."
Raine shook her head. "I don't know what to say." She bit her lips that made Aeon wanted to kiss her. "I just don't get it, if you had been protecting me, why you had never appeared in front of me even once."
"I know…" Aeon felt dejected. "I regret it now."
There was silence that stretched out between them, as they were busy with their own thought.
"Can we… can we just get the book so I can go home?" Raine stammered as she backed away. Put some distance between her and Aeon.
Aeon looked at Raine impassively, it was palpable to see that he was disappointed by Raine's action.
"You still want to go back to that lycan after what I said." Aeon stated bitterly and Raine couldn't see him in the eyes as she knew, she had treated Aeon unfairly.
After some time, Aeon decided to not pursue the matter further and resumed to walk to their destination with Raine followed two steps behind him.
Aeon took her to another room with huge golden door, which strange alphabet was engraved on its surface.
The door was three times bigger than normal door with height that reached to the ceiling.
Raine was stunned because it was beautifully carved, but wondered how many people that needed to open this door.
Yet, when Aeon opened it, like it was weightless, Raine thought, it was only needed a supernatural creature to open it.
Aeon held the door opened and let Raine and the bunny entered first.
Inside was another spacious room with very high ceiling and bookshelves around the wall, but in the center of the room was ample space that could fit hundreds of people.
Aeon took Raine's hand to the middle of the room right under a beautiful crystal chandelier and when they were standing there, the chandelier lit up, illuminated the whole room brightly like the light of the afternoon sun.
"What is it?" Raine looked around, afraid that she would suddenly teleport to different place, but she was still there, inside the huge library.
And when the brightly light gradually ceased down, in front of Raine was a black worn out book, floating in the air.
"Is this the grimoire?" Raine asked in small voice, feeling the sudden urge to touch it. "Can I?" She raised her hand, only a few centimeters away from the book.
"Sure." Aeon nodded to encourage her. "This is the grimoire that you have been looking for."
Gingerly Raine took the floating book and felt the gravity started to affect the book when she grabbed it with her left hand while her other hand still holding the bunny that looked docile.
"But, how can you find it?" Raine asked, puzzled.
If this book existed in the present times, so why Serefina needed to go to the past to retrieve it? Or, maybe Serefina didn't know about this?
"If the book existed in past, then it will exist in the present too. Don't you think so?" Aeon stared at Raine's surprised expression softly.
"I think the same thing…" Raine mumbled. She caressed the book with her thumb and felt the roughness of its cover. "Serefina will be ecstatic when she sees this." And then, the questions. "Can you take me out of here?"
Raine hoped Aeon wouldn't keep her there, though she wasn't sure if he would take her back to Torak's place, but everywhere was better than here.
The quietness of this place started to make Raine felt uncomfortable.
"I can, but I don't want you to go back to that Lycan." Aeon stated. "I will not allow you to go back to him since you are here with me now."
Raine gritted her teeth and tried to find another way to escape from Aeon,
"But this book is useless without Serefina." Raine was trying to reason with him. "I don't even know how to use it."
"Then, you don't need to use it." Aeon stated callously. "Just keep it with you as a reminder that I will do anything for you."
Raine was unease when Aeon took her hand again, but she pulled her hand back. "I need to meet Serefina to give this book. This book belongs to her."
"No." Aeon shook his head firmly, his eyes hardened when Raine stubbornly trying to get away from him and met the witch. "This book belongs to you now. I found it and I give it to you."
Raine bit her lips, fidgeting. "But, Aeon… auch!"
Out of the piercing pain that Raine felt from the tip of her fingers, she threw away the book abruptly.
"What happened?" Aeon approached Raine immediately and tried to pull her finger out of her mouth. "Don't suck it."
That was a habit of her to lick her wound, no, actually most of people would do that. "My finger was pierced by that book." She frowned.
Raine pulled out her forefinger from her mouth as she saw blood was gushing out of the wound.
"The book?" Aeon frowned he had never heard that a book could bite. Afterward, he tore the edge of his clothes into a small piece and wrapped it around Raine's forefinger to stop the bleeding.
Then he walked to pick the book from the floor to scrutinize it.
From the corner of the black cover of the book, there was indeed much darker spot, where Raine's blood was absorbed.
"Well, you are indeed a guardian angel, even a book wants to take a bite of you."
Suddenly from the direction of the door, Lucifer had been standing there, observed the situation inside with his golden eyes and mocking smile that grazed his lips.
"What do you mean with that?" Aeon glared at the devil.
Actually, Lucifer was the one who told him about the book and the theory behind it, which was, if the book existed in the past, it should be exist at the recent time too.
Afterward, he brought Aeon to visit this library and declared the black covered book was the grimoire that Raine had been looking for, of course, Aeon believed him because of the deal between them.
The deal that had sealed his soul.
Therefore, Lucifer wouldn't deceive him because of it, would he?
Yet, before Lucifer could say another word, a sound of chirping bird echoed through the bookshelves- wall before a beautiful small bird appeared out of nowhere and flew toward Raine.
The bird was as big as a falcon with majestic plumage that grew brightly like a bonfire.
It flew above Raine's head before it perched on her shoulder.
"What is that?" Aeon frowned, because the bird wasn't a usual bird.
Meanwhile, Raine was stiff, surprised because the bird chose to stay with her and looked well- behaved. She glanced at its fur and was amazed by its beauty.
"That is firebird." Lucifer uttered in resentment. "The Alpha's pet."
After he said that, there was thunderous sound that echoed through the wall, not only that, the sound was so powerful until all the books fell down from the bookshelves.
"What is going on?" Aeon ran toward Raine to shield her from the falling books.
But, Lucifer looked unfazed. "Of course, he will come, she is the Luna of the Lycanthropes after all."
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Raine looked around her and found that she didn't have a chance if she wanted to run away from this place and from both of Aeon and Lucifer.
Moreover she didn't really know how to escape this place.
"Come with me." Aeon still held out his hand for Raine to take. His voice was firm and this time he looked Raine warmly, sensing her hesitation. "I will show you the grimoire."
"The grimoire?" Raine frowned.
"You are looking for the grimoire with that witch right?" Aeon asked a rhetorical question. "I found it." He said simply.
Raine was surprised when she heard that. "But how?"
Aeon didn't immediately answer her question, he glanced at Lucifer, who kept quiet while looking for books on the shelf. "You don't need to know, all you have to do is come with me to retrieve the book."
Raine stared at Aeon's hand, hesitated to believe him.
"Raine, you know you will be safe with me. I will not do anything to harm you." Aeon kept repeating the same sentences, so Raine could stop fidgeting toward him.
Hesitantly, Raine took Aeon's hand.
His hand was cold, not like Torak's warm one. She missed him again…
Raine and Aeon walked through row after row book shelves, the place was exceptionally huge and a little bit cold.
Raine held her bunny tighter against her chest and let Aeon led the way.
"Aeon, even though I have the book, I don't know what I should do with it." Raine confessed, the idea to find this book was Serefina's idea. "I have to bring it to her."
Aeon didn't reply to her, his eyes were focused to lead them somewhere.
"After I retrieved the book, you will send me home, right?" She asked to make sure that Aeon wouldn't keep her here, though the possibility of the other option was still big.
"Why do you want to return to that Lycan?" Instead of answer Raine's question, Aeon posed another question. "He is a murderer and he will always be like that."
Raine gritted her teeth, just like when Serefina was badmouthing Torak, she also felt the urge to slap Aeon's face.
Yet, giving to her current situation, she couldn't do that, because there was no one who would save her if Aeon went berserk.
She needed to try to control her emotion and start to use her brain over her feeling, this wasn't the right time to blow up her top at him.
"He kills if necessary." Raine mumbled as a reply.
Aeon sneered when he heard that. "Kill if necessary?" He reiterated the words in disgust. "He kills whenever he wants, and that necessary. You will be better without him."
"No, probably I will have died by now if it's not because of him." Riane said firmly. She was sure with this. "He was the one who takes me out of the orphanage and has been treating me like no one ever did in these past nine years."
Raine could feel the grip around her wrist was tightened, but still bearable enough so she didn't scream out of pain.
"How about me, who had kept you safe for those nine years?" Aeon stopped walking and faced Raine directly. "How about me? Don't you consider me?"
Raine was startled when Aeon stopped abruptly and bumped onto him. Hastily, she put some distance between them, though it wasn't far enough because her hand was still on his firm grip.
When her mind started to process Aeon's question, gradually her brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"Those nine years, when you kept your mother's diary… I was there to protect you from those supernatural creatures that wanted to tear you apart." Aeon stated, emphasizing every words for Raine to understand.
"What?" Raine was utterly shocked and had a hard time to digest what Aeon said. "You had protected me for nine years?"
"Have you never asked yourself how can you escape from every attacks? And how some of those supernatural creatures acted like they didn't see you whenever you avoid eye contact with them?" Aeon stared deeply at the girl in front of him.
Another shock crept on Raine's eyes as she felt her heart tightened by this revelation.
"It wasn't because of you were avoiding to see them in the eyes that turned you invisible." Aeon inched close to Raine. "It was me, who kept you safe. As long as your mother's diary was with you, I was able to protect you."
Raine remembered how she thought she was lucky enough to avoid those supernatural creatures and escaped each of their attacks.
"No…" Raine was in denial, she didn't want to believe it was Aeon who had been protecting her during that period of time, but she couldn't find a reason to support her rebuttal.
All this time she thought it was only a sheer of luck.
"So, tell me how you can escape all those attacks? Luck?" Aeon said with grimace, as if he could read what was in Raine's mind. "There is no consecutive luck in this world Raine."
Raine was at lost for words and when she found them, the questions that escaped from her lips sounded harsher that she intended. "If it was really you, why don't you come out?"
"I can't appear all of sudden in front of you at that time, you are too young to understand and I am afraid you will not believe me." There was regret that laced in his voice. "I was planning to take you away from that wrench orphanage when you turned eighteen…"
This time, Aeon's face turned ashen because Raine also knew what happened before he could carry out his plan.
"The Lycan came and took you away." Aeon gritted his teeth to suppress his regret. "Only if I had come sooner, then you would be with me now."
Both of them stared into each other eyes, while Raine looked at him in disbelief and was shocked, Aeon looked at her with regret for not taking action sooner and let the Lycan took away his chance.
"Raine… I was the one who opened the door at the dark alley when you were eleven years old, when a kanima was trying to attack you, so you can escape him."
Aeon reminded Raine at the attack that night when she wanted to go home from school. Raine remembered that clearly.
"I was the one who pushed you to the river when you were facing the same attack at the same year." Aeon inched close to her as he caressed her cheeks. "You can't swim, so I took you to the river bank and called people to help you."
Raine remembered when she got attack and felt there was someone pushing her to the river. She thought she would die when the water filled her lungs, but then she woke up inside the hospital.
Afterward, Aeon kept reminding her about all the attack that she had received during those nine years and tore one by one Raine's belief of the thought of how lucky she was back then.
That wasn't luck, that was Aeon who kept her safe.
In the end, Aeon was so close to Raine until she could smell his musky scent.
"Now, you believe me if I say I will never hurt you?" Aeon asked, pleading with his dark eyes. He watched how the eyes of the girl in front of him started to turn softened. "Say something Raine."
Raine shook her head. "I don't know what to say." She bit her lips that made Aeon wanted to kiss her. "I just don't get it, if you had been protecting me, why you had never appeared in front of me even once."
"I know…" Aeon felt dejected. "I regret it now."
There was silence that stretched out between them, as they were busy with their own thought.
"Can we… can we just get the book so I can go home?" Raine stammered as she backed away. Put some distance between her and Aeon.
Aeon looked at Raine impassively, it was palpable to see that he was disappointed by Raine's action.
"You still want to go back to that lycan after what I said." Aeon stated bitterly and Raine couldn't see him in the eyes as she knew, she had treated Aeon unfairly.
After some time, Aeon decided to not pursue the matter further and resumed to walk to their destination with Raine followed two steps behind him.
Aeon took her to another room with huge golden door, which strange alphabet was engraved on its surface.
The door was three times bigger than normal door with height that reached to the ceiling.
Raine was stunned because it was beautifully carved, but wondered how many people that needed to open this door.
Yet, when Aeon opened it, like it was weightless, Raine thought, it was only needed a supernatural creature to open it.
Aeon held the door opened and let Raine and the bunny entered first.
Inside was another spacious room with very high ceiling and bookshelves around the wall, but in the center of the room was ample space that could fit hundreds of people.
Aeon took Raine's hand to the middle of the room right under a beautiful crystal chandelier and when they were standing there, the chandelier lit up, illuminated the whole room brightly like the light of the afternoon sun.
"What is it?" Raine looked around, afraid that she would suddenly teleport to different place, but she was still there, inside the huge library.
And when the brightly light gradually ceased down, in front of Raine was a black worn out book, floating in the air.
"Is this the grimoire?" Raine asked in small voice, feeling the sudden urge to touch it. "Can I?" She raised her hand, only a few centimeters away from the book.
"Sure." Aeon nodded to encourage her. "This is the grimoire that you have been looking for."
Gingerly Raine took the floating book and felt the gravity started to affect the book when she grabbed it with her left hand while her other hand still holding the bunny that looked docile.
"But, how can you find it?" Raine asked, puzzled.
If this book existed in the present times, so why Serefina needed to go to the past to retrieve it? Or, maybe Serefina didn't know about this?
"If the book existed in past, then it will exist in the present too. Don't you think so?" Aeon stared at Raine's surprised expression softly.
"I think the same thing…" Raine mumbled. She caressed the book with her thumb and felt the roughness of its cover. "Serefina will be ecstatic when she sees this." And then, the questions. "Can you take me out of here?"
Raine hoped Aeon wouldn't keep her there, though she wasn't sure if he would take her back to Torak's place, but everywhere was better than here.
The quietness of this place started to make Raine felt uncomfortable.
"I can, but I don't want you to go back to that Lycan." Aeon stated. "I will not allow you to go back to him since you are here with me now."
Raine gritted her teeth and tried to find another way to escape from Aeon,
"But this book is useless without Serefina." Raine was trying to reason with him. "I don't even know how to use it."
"Then, you don't need to use it." Aeon stated callously. "Just keep it with you as a reminder that I will do anything for you."
Raine was unease when Aeon took her hand again, but she pulled her hand back. "I need to meet Serefina to give this book. This book belongs to her."
"No." Aeon shook his head firmly, his eyes hardened when Raine stubbornly trying to get away from him and met the witch. "This book belongs to you now. I found it and I give it to you."
Raine bit her lips, fidgeting. "But, Aeon… auch!"
Out of the piercing pain that Raine felt from the tip of her fingers, she threw away the book abruptly.
"What happened?" Aeon approached Raine immediately and tried to pull her finger out of her mouth. "Don't suck it."
That was a habit of her to lick her wound, no, actually most of people would do that. "My finger was pierced by that book." She frowned.
Raine pulled out her forefinger from her mouth as she saw blood was gushing out of the wound.
"The book?" Aeon frowned he had never heard that a book could bite. Afterward, he tore the edge of his clothes into a small piece and wrapped it around Raine's forefinger to stop the bleeding.
Then he walked to pick the book from the floor to scrutinize it.
From the corner of the black cover of the book, there was indeed much darker spot, where Raine's blood was absorbed.
"Well, you are indeed a guardian angel, even a book wants to take a bite of you."
Suddenly from the direction of the door, Lucifer had been standing there, observed the situation inside with his golden eyes and mocking smile that grazed his lips.
"What do you mean with that?" Aeon glared at the devil.
Actually, Lucifer was the one who told him about the book and the theory behind it, which was, if the book existed in the past, it should be exist at the recent time too.
Afterward, he brought Aeon to visit this library and declared the black covered book was the grimoire that Raine had been looking for, of course, Aeon believed him because of the deal between them.
The deal that had sealed his soul.
Therefore, Lucifer wouldn't deceive him because of it, would he?
Yet, before Lucifer could say another word, a sound of chirping bird echoed through the bookshelves- wall before a beautiful small bird appeared out of nowhere and flew toward Raine.
The bird was as big as a falcon with majestic plumage that grew brightly like a bonfire.
It flew above Raine's head before it perched on her shoulder.
"What is that?" Aeon frowned, because the bird wasn't a usual bird.
Meanwhile, Raine was stiff, surprised because the bird chose to stay with her and looked well- behaved. She glanced at its fur and was amazed by its beauty.
"That is firebird." Lucifer uttered in resentment. "The Alpha's pet."
After he said that, there was thunderous sound that echoed through the wall, not only that, the sound was so powerful until all the books fell down from the bookshelves.
"What is going on?" Aeon ran toward Raine to shield her from the falling books.
But, Lucifer looked unfazed. "Of course, he will come, she is the Luna of the Lycanthropes after all."
Raine looked around her and found that she didn't have a chance if she wanted to run away from this place and from both of Aeon and Lucifer. Moreover she didn't really know how to escape this place. "Come with me." Aeon still held out his hand for Raine to take. His voice was firm and this time he looked Raine warmly, sensing her hesitation. "I will show you the grimoire." "The grimoire?" Raine frowned. "You are looking for the grimoire with that witch right?" Aeon asked a rhetorical question. "I found it." He said simply. Raine was surprised when she heard that. "But how?" Aeon didn't immediately answer her question, he glanced at Lucifer, who kept quiet while looking for books on the shelf. "You don't need to know, all you have to do is come with me to retrieve the book." Raine stared at Aeon's hand, hesitated to believe him. "Raine, you know you will be safe with me. I will not do anything to harm you." Aeon kept repeating the same sentences, so Raine could stop fidgeting toward him. Hesitantly, Raine took Aeon's hand. His hand was cold, not like Torak's warm one. She missed him again Raine and Aeon walked through row after row book shelves, the place was exceptionally huge and a little bit cold. Raine held her bunny tighter against her chest and let Aeon led the way. "Aeon, even though I have the book, I don't know what I should do with it." Raine confessed, the idea to find this book was Serefina's idea. "I have to bring it to her." Aeon didn't reply to her, his eyes were focused to lead them somewhere. "After I retrieved the book, you will send me home, right?" She asked to make sure that Aeon wouldn't keep her here, though the possibility of the other option was still big. "Why do you want to return to that Lycan?" Instead of answer Raine's question, Aeon posed another question. "He is a murderer and he will always be like that." Raine gritted her teeth, just like when Serefina was badmouthing Torak, she also felt the urge to slap Aeon's face. Yet, giving to her current situation, she couldn't do that, because there was no one who would save her if Aeon went berserk. She needed to try to control her emotion and start to use her brain over her feeling, this wasn't the right time to blow up her top at him. "He kills if necessary." Raine mumbled as a reply. Aeon sneered when he heard that. "Kill if necessary?" He reiterated the words in disgust. "He kills whenever he wants, and that necessary. You will be better without him." "No, probably I will have died by now if it's not because of him." Riane said firmly. She was sure with this. "He was the one who takes me out of the orphanage and has been treating me like no one ever did in these past nine years." Raine could feel the grip around her wrist was tightened, but still bearable enough so she didn't scream out of pain. "How about me, who had kept you safe for those nine years?" Aeon stopped walking and faced Raine directly. "How about me? Don't you consider me?" Raine was startled when Aeon stopped abruptly and bumped onto him. Hastily, she put some distance between them, though it wasn't far enough because her hand was still on his firm grip. When her mind started to process Aeon's question, gradually her brows furrowed. "What do you mean?" "Those nine years, when you kept your mother's diary I was there to protect you from those supernatural creatures that wanted to tear you apart." Aeon stated, emphasizing every words for Raine to understand. "What?" Raine was utterly shocked and had a hard time to digest what Aeon said. "You had protected me for nine years?" "Have you never asked yourself how can you escape from every attacks? And how some of those supernatural creatures acted like they didn't see you whenever you avoid eye contact with them?" Aeon stared deeply at the girl in front of him. Another shock crept on Raine's eyes as she felt her heart tightened by this revelation. "It wasn't because of you were avoiding to see them in the eyes that turned you invisible." Aeon inched close to Raine. "It was me, who kept you safe. As long as your mother's diary was with you, I was able to protect you." Raine remembered how she thought she was lucky enough to avoid those supernatural creatures and escaped each of their attacks. "No" Raine was in denial, she didn't want to believe it was Aeon who had been protecting her during that period of time, but she couldn't find a reason to support her rebuttal. All this time she thought it was only a sheer of luck. "So, tell me how you can escape all those attacks? Luck?" Aeon said with grimace, as if he could read what was in Raine's mind. "There is no consecutive luck in this world Raine." Raine was at lost for words and when she found them, the questions that escaped from her lips sounded harsher that she intended. "If it was really you, why don't you come out?" "I can't appear all of sudden in front of you at that time, you are too young to understand and I am afraid you will not believe me." There was regret that laced in his voice. "I was planning to take you away from that wrench orphanage when you turned eighteen" This time, Aeon's face turned ashen because Raine also knew what happened before he could carry out his plan. "The Lycan came and took you away." Aeon gritted his teeth to suppress his regret. "Only if I had come sooner, then you would be with me now." Both of them stared into each other eyes, while Raine looked at him in disbelief and was shocked, Aeon looked at her with regret for not taking action sooner and let the Lycan took away his chance. "Raine I was the one who opened the door at the dark alley when you were eleven years old, when a kanima was trying to attack you, so you can escape him." Aeon reminded Raine at the attack that night when she wanted to go home from school. Raine remembered that clearly. "I was the one who pushed you to the river when you were facing the same attack at the same year." Aeon inched close to her as he caressed her cheeks. "You can't swim, so I took you to the river bank and called people to help you." Raine remembered when she got attack and felt there was someone pushing her to the river. She thought she would die when the water filled her lungs, but then she woke up inside the hospital. Afterward, Aeon kept reminding her about all the attack that she had received during those nine years and tore one by one Raine's belief of the thought of how lucky she was back then. That wasn't luck, that was Aeon who kept her safe. In the end, Aeon was so close to Raine until she could smell his musky scent. "Now, you believe me if I say I will never hurt you?" Aeon asked, pleading with his dark eyes. He watched how the eyes of the girl in front of him started to turn softened. "Say something Raine." Raine shook her head. "I don't know what to say." She bit her lips that made Aeon wanted to kiss her. "I just don't get it, if you had been protecting me, why you had never appeared in front of me even once." "I know" Aeon felt dejected. "I regret it now." There was silence that stretched out between them, as they were busy with their own thought. "Can we can we just get the book so I can go home?" Raine stammered as she backed away. Put some distance between her and Aeon. Aeon looked at Raine impassively, it was palpable to see that he was disappointed by Raine's action. "You still want to go back to that lycan after what I said." Aeon stated bitterly and Raine couldn't see him in the eyes as she knew, she had treated Aeon unfairly. After some time, Aeon decided to not pursue the matter further and resumed to walk to their destination with Raine followed two steps behind him. Aeon took her to another room with huge golden door, which strange alphabet was engraved on its surface. The door was three times bigger than normal door with height that reached to the ceiling. Raine was stunned because it was beautifully carved, but wondered how many people that needed to open this door. Yet, when Aeon opened it, like it was weightless, Raine thought, it was only needed a supernatural creature to open it. Aeon held the door opened and let Raine and the bunny entered first. Inside was another spacious room with very high ceiling and bookshelves around the wall, but in the center of the room was ample space that could fit hundreds of people. Aeon took Raine's hand to the middle of the room right under a beautiful crystal chandelier and when they were standing there, the chandelier lit up, illuminated the whole room brightly like the light of the afternoon sun. "What is it?" Raine looked around, afraid that she would suddenly teleport to different place, but she was still there, inside the huge library. And when the brightly light gradually ceased down, in front of Raine was a black worn out book, floating in the air. "Is this the grimoire?" Raine asked in small voice, feeling the sudden urge to touch it. "Can I?" She raised her hand, only a few centimeters away from the book. "Sure." Aeon nodded to encourage her. "This is the grimoire that you have been looking for." Gingerly Raine took the floating book and felt the gravity started to affect the book when she grabbed it with her left hand while her other hand still holding the bunny that looked docile. "But, how can you find it?" Raine asked, puzzled. If this book existed in the present times, so why Serefina needed to go to the past to retrieve it? Or, maybe Serefina didn't know about this? "If the book existed in past, then it will exist in the present too. Don't you think so?" Aeon stared at Raine's surprised expression softly. "I think the same thing" Raine mumbled. She caressed the book with her thumb and felt the roughness of its cover. "Serefina will be ecstatic when she sees this." And then, the questions. "Can you take me out of here?" Raine hoped Aeon wouldn't keep her there, though she wasn't sure if he would take her back to Torak's place, but everywhere was better than here. The quietness of this place started to make Raine felt uncomfortable. "I can, but I don't want you to go back to that Lycan." Aeon stated. "I will not allow you to go back to him since you are here with me now." Raine gritted her teeth and tried to find another way to escape from Aeon, "But this book is useless without Serefina." Raine was trying to reason with him. "I don't even know how to use it." "Then, you don't need to use it." Aeon stated callously. "Just keep it with you as a reminder that I will do anything for you." Raine was unease when Aeon took her hand again, but she pulled her hand back. "I need to meet Serefina to give this book. This book belongs to her." "No." Aeon shook his head firmly, his eyes hardened when Raine stubbornly trying to get away from him and met the witch. "This book belongs to you now. I found it and I give it to you." Raine bit her lips, fidgeting. "But, Aeon auch!" Out of the piercing pain that Raine felt from the tip of her fingers, she threw away the book abruptly. "What happened?" Aeon approached Raine immediately and tried to pull her finger out of her mouth. "Don't suck it." That was a habit of her to lick her wound, no, actually most of people would do that. "My finger was pierced by that book." She frowned. Raine pulled out her forefinger from her mouth as she saw blood was gushing out of the wound. "The book?" Aeon frowned he had never heard that a book could bite. Afterward, he tore the edge of his clothes into a small piece and wrapped it around Raine's forefinger to stop the bleeding. Then he walked to pick the book from the floor to scrutinize it. From the corner of the black cover of the book, there was indeed much darker spot, where Raine's blood was absorbed. "Well, you are indeed a guardian angel, even a book wants to take a bite of you." Suddenly from the direction of the door, Lucifer had been standing there, observed the situation inside with his golden eyes and mocking smile that grazed his lips. "What do you mean with that?" Aeon glared at the devil. Actually, Lucifer was the one who told him about the book and the theory behind it, which was, if the book existed in the past, it should be exist at the recent time too. Afterward, he brought Aeon to visit this library and declared the black covered book was the grimoire that Raine had been looking for, of course, Aeon believed him because of the deal between them. The deal that had sealed his soul. Therefore, Lucifer wouldn't deceive him because of it, would he? Yet, before Lucifer could say another word, a sound of chirping bird echoed through the bookshelves- wall before a beautiful small bird appeared out of nowhere and flew toward Raine. The bird was as big as a falcon with majestic plumage that grew brightly like a bonfire. It flew above Raine's head before it perched on her shoulder. "What is that?" Aeon frowned, because the bird wasn't a usual bird. Meanwhile, Raine was stiff, surprised because the bird chose to stay with her and looked well- behaved. She glanced at its fur and was amazed by its beauty. "That is firebird." Lucifer uttered in resentment. "The Alpha's pet." After he said that, there was thunderous sound that echoed through the wall, not only that, the sound was so powerful until all the books fell down from the bookshelves. "What is going on?" Aeon ran toward Raine to shield her from the falling books. But, Lucifer looked unfazed. "Of course, he will come, she is the Luna of the Lycanthropes after all."
