Chapter 25: The night of decisions part 2

He had the intruder now.

That was how it was supposed to go, Keito gaining victory over the intruder while his claws made quick work of the intruder but the reality was often disappointing.

Keito had jumped down, his legs bent to support his weight and he had actually landed quite near the intruder too who had not noticed him yet.

His right claw quickly approached the intruder's, almost touching the shoulder to grab the other when his own arm had been snatched away in a tight but small grip and he had been flipped over a relatively small body.

The realisation of what happened came far too late and by the time the young king realised what had happened, he was lying flat on his back with his face facing the night sky.

"What were you thinking, your highness? Please don't try and scare others like that or next time you won't get this lucky. I almost mistook you as an assassin" Those were Keito's words. Words he had said to this very person just a few hours ago.

And now they were being said to him back in an almost flat voice without emotions, still muffled behind the mask. Keito had to suppress the growl building up inside him and the expression on his wolf's face was, no doubt, of amusement.

The fox mask was an annoyance that prevented him from seeing much and combined with the darkness of the night, it was difficult to make out. But the armour should have alerted him with its noise.

It must be some kind of magic, a temple branch even if he did not know it at all. Just how much had Keito missed in his last life?

"What are 'you' doing here this late in the night? Why are you so strong anyway?" Keito grumbled as he picked himself up. It was a humiliating experience for him, a general and trained soldier to be bested by a child.

The other just tilted his head aside, the body language portraying clear confusion before something seemed to shift and the other let out a deep sigh.

"I was appointed into the palace by the temple master as a guard. I'm just pertroling as my job describes. If your highness has no other questions, then I must leave now" the child seemed to be confident in his words but Keiot felt suspicious.

No matter how good the other was and how much experience the child had, the fact remained that he was still a child. There was an age limit inside their kingdom pertaining to child labour and under that, the other should not be appointed here at all.

"Go back. You're far too young to work here kid. And anyway, I don't need your protection at all so go back now. Unless its answers you are willing to give, don't appear in front of me" Keito's tone was biting but his appearance contradicted him a lot.

His clothes were ruffled, his hair out of place and even the ornaments had fallen off in the tussle. It was an almost sorry sight for anyone looking on.

"I'm sure your majesty can but I can't shrink my duties. Please take it up with Master Ryu if you have a problem" Keito quiet down at that. The incoming headache was not worth the fight and effort.

Well, there were worst things than being followed by an oracle who was somehow trained as an assassin he supposes. And anyway, the child was on his side right now which was a good thing. Alienating him and the temple was not a good strategy on his part.

He had paid the price in his last life after all and he had learned from those mistakes.

"Fine, follow me and inform me if you see something happening in the future. At least there are worse things than an oracle following me around all the time" Keito did not wait to see if the child would follow.

He just moved on, his head filled with thoughts and strategies he needed to implement.

'Go easy on the kid. Just because you lost doesn't mean the kid is a threat' his wolf sounded far too smug and irritating. Keito had gotten better at ignoring the wolf but this was an almost insult.

'Are you on the kid's side? What, now you like this kid too? I thought you liked Noah? Had a change of hearts?' Keito knew he was being petty. The child was still following them, his body tense and ready for action.

Keito approved but that did not mean he liked it. He still felt the child was far too young and needed to be protected inside. He did not particularly care for others but somehow this child seemed to pique his interest.

'Don't be a sore loser and learn to accept defeat. You also never did accept it when Noah beat you. You're prone to losing focus easily' the wolf was right but Keito could not even accept it within the deepest part of his conscious.

The smug energy his wolf radiated did not help the situation at all. This was a stalemate where his wolf knew that he was right but Keito's inability to accept it meant that there was no verbal confirmation.

"Your highness, the assassins are here" the child had stopped walking, his body going tense and his face turned toward the direction of the castle before those words were uttered.

A certain type of thrill seemed to go down Keito's spine, his claws coming out of their own violation and his eyes shining an unholy gold.

This had been a regret of his, one that had plagued him all through his life. This attempt could have been prevented and avenged if Keito had paid more attention to it. Noah had advised him again and again but he had ignored him then.

This had, thus become another divide in their relationship. One, people had not shied away from taking advantage of in the past.

"Lead the way and be quick about it" Keito gave the other orders and he did not care how much the other respected those orders. The nod of agreement came quickly before the other was scaling the wall with tiny claws.

Keito shook off the shock he was feeling. It was not impossible with claws at all, he had just never thought about it before.

The old castle was made up of lime and rocks making the surface rough and irregular. While it might be almost impossible for normal human hands to climb up, sharp claws had no such problem.

It did not take long to cover the 26 foot (8m) climb to the window sill of the upper floors and the entry was smooth. But it did make it evident to Keito that their security was almost non-existing now.

He would have to have the talk with those war generals and security ministers if this was the outcome they came up with. And maybe, just maybe would take this child along with him during the meeting.

At least someone would have a good head on their shoulder other than him.

"They're this way and they have magic powers. I would advise your majesty to brace yourself" the child cautioned, his tone so much muffled that it was a wonder he could even be understood.

"I'll be careful, eh, what was your name again?" had the other mentioned his name at all? Keito only knew the other as the 'oracle' and even Ryu had introduced the other as such. There was a certain feeling of shame he was faced with.

If even he had become that discourteous, then what was the difference between him and the other nobles who saw others as beneath them now? Keito was sure he was better than them.

"We should hurry up your majesty. My name and identity can wait but the intruders cannot" the child was deflecting but the guilt Keito was faced with did not allow him to look further into the whole thing at all.

He silently followed the other, his mind now prioritizing safety before anything else. The child was fast but his small legs were no match for Keito who found it no problem to keep up with the other at all.

And as soon as they entered the next wing, he knew exactly where they were for he had seen this wing more times than he could count. This was a wing even he, as the crown prince and the almost king had no access to.

It was the royal wing only for the king and queen. It was an enchanted place where only specific people could enter and only with prior permission.

Kaito could explain his own entry but even if even the child had managed to enter this place then it was clear that things were not as right as they had seemed. This proved that even now the seed of discontent and betrayal had been sown in the minds of the people.

The betrayal was real and it was an internal job. How else would the royal wing have its defences breached then?

There was a glint in the corner of his eyes, one he was too slow to counter and he saw the blade make contact with something and sparks flew in front of his eyes with a pained grunt reaching Keito's ears with a final cry.

"Your highness"