[ Northleaf Timberland Forest… ]
Cleo guided Natasha and Enrique in doing the ritual. The siblings were indeed the descendants of the Zhou Family Gatekeepers. The book of rituals lit up the moment they touched its pages.
For some unknown reason, Enrique and Natasha could read the ancient texts in that magical book. The Zhou Siblings found it amusing when the book sparkled as if there were different lights attached to it.
This was the first time Natasha and Enrique experienced such magical moments like this. They could hardly believe what they were seeing.
This scene was something they could only see in the movies in the fantasy genre. Who would have thought that they would encounter this in real life?
Their minds were automatically absorbing the chants written in that book. The thoughts and meaning were registering in their mind like a computer absorbing inputs and processing information. Those ancient texts were made to be read and internalized by them.
Their bodies also recognized the actions they needed to do. Enrique and Natasha were now sitting at the center of the two circles, with their eyes closed.
A magical barrier was formed around them, not allowing Cleo and Vladimir to see what was happening to the Zhou Siblings.
This barrier would serve as their protection as they continued the ritual. No creatures could interrupt them– not a vampire, not a werewolf, not a witch. Only the Moon Goddess could enter that magical barrier.
Different colors of lights were spreading around them. The birds and animals near the vicinity started to move. Some looked happy with the ritual. But there were some animals who chose to hide and stay far away from the location of the ritual.
They could feel an immense amount of energy around the barrier. This was a remnant of the Moon Goddess' true power. She made sure to protect ordinary humans, especially the gatekeepers.
As the Zhou siblings continued their chants, the Ametiz Protection Stone started to form in front of them. The purple lights surrounded them.
Natasha and Enrique stayed on their spot for several hours, doing the ritual. They could feel their body getting hot. Then a powerful energy was being absorbed by their bodies.
It did not take long before the warm atmosphere around them was replaced by a cold one. Hot and Cold. A combination of Yin and Yang.
Enrique felt so strange but he couldn't stop himself. Enrique and his sister, Natasha, seemed like they were possessed as they were mumbling different languages which they heard for the first time in their life.
While doing this, Enrique was still thinking of Marceline. He wondered if Marceline already knew about these 'unbelievable things'. The revelation shook him a lot. Kira was a vampire! And he had become Marceline's husband.
'What should I do now? Does Marceline really have something to do with what happened to my mother?' Enrique's concentration was getting distracted by these thoughts.
As much as possible, he didn't want to think badly of his cousin, Marceline. He refused to believe that Marceline could do such a thing to his mother. He chose to blame Kira. He thought Kira was being a bad influence on Marceline.
'Now that I gain the power to protect myself from those creatures, including Kira, I will make sure that Marceline will stay away from that monster. She needs this protection as well. She has to undergo this ritual as she is part of the Zhou Family!' Enrique made a mental note, already planning how he would convince Marceline to do this ritual and become a gatekeeper.
Meanwhile, Kira who was roaming around the Northleaf Timberland Forest had seen the magical aura coming from the portal gate. He spent his time in that forest to clear his mind last night.
He was about to go back to the Zhou Ancestral Mansion when Kira sensed that powerful aura. Out of his curiosity, he followed the source of that power and saw Vladimir and Cleo near the barrier.
"This is the gatekeeper's ritual. Don't tell me Natasha and Enrique have become official gatekeepers?" Kira asked himself as he watched them from a distance.
He could smell Enrique's and Natasha's scent so he knew that the Zhou Siblings were there, currently performing the ritual of becoming gatekeepers.
"If Marceline didn't become a werewolf, she could also become a gatekeeper… Now she can no longer do it." There was a hint of disappointment in Kira's tone.
"I have to protect Marceline from Natasha. Now that she has become a gatekeeper, she possesses the protection stone which is harmful to Marceline."
Kira knew that this was an all-out war. Natasha already knew that Marceline had something to do with her mother's incident. She would never stop until she avenged her against Marceline.
Kira heaved a deep sigh before turning around. He couldn't stop the ritual so his presence was not needed there. Besides, he was worried that Marceline was already looking for him.
He had lost track of time just thinking about his next steps so he failed to notice that it was already late in the afternoon.
With his vampiric speed, Kira reached the mansion in no time. Marceline and Little Lowell were already preparing food for their lunch.
Marceline tossed a look at the entrance door of the kitchen when she sensed Kira's presence. She was already familiar with his scent. Her sharp nose smelled Kira's masculine fragrance as soon as he entered the house.
"Where have you been?" Marceline asked Kira when their eyes met.
"In the forest…" Kira responded awkwardly. He was still guilty of hiding the truth from Marceline. But he didn't have the courage to tell her about Selene and the revelation he learned from Gisel.
'It's best for them not to meet…' Kira thought to himself so he decided not to inform Marceline that his first love was currently in the human world… specifically in the Golden City.
"Come, let's eat." Marceline simply invited him. She didn't notice Kira's troubled expression as she was focused on serving the food on the table.
Meanwhile, Little Lowell was staring at Kira intently. The young hybrid boy could feel that something was bothering Kira. He didn't look well today.
'Why am I worrying about him?' Little Lowell mumbled to himself. He could see that Kira was not in his usual self. He was in a low spirit.
Kira tried to mask his trouble with a smile. Then he walked over to join Marceline and Little Lowell at the dining table.
"Are you not going to the company today?" Kira asked, sitting next to Marceline. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer.
"I'm not. Enrique is there. I already assigned Xyon to monitor the happenings in the company. Grandpa and Uncle's absence affected the stocks. But two days ago, we recovered our loss with the help of Xyon."
"I think I have to promote him to a higher position. He is a great asset to the company," Marceline expressed her opinions.
Kira just nodded his head. He didn't want to admit but Xyon was really useful to Marceline. 'If I hadn't come, would Marceline fall for him?'
Kira was checking his own feelings. Would he be fine if Marceline fell in love with another man, aside from him?
'Damn! I don't want to imagine it,' Kira massaged his temples. He still couldn't understand his own feelings.
Falling in love with someone right now was not in his plan. But Marceline had become close to his heart unknowingly. However, things got more complicated because of Kira's first love. He was being swayed by his first love.
"Ki? Is there something wrong? You zoned out a while ago." Marceline's voice snapped him out of his deep thoughts.
"Oh, I'm sorry. It's nothing. What did you say?" Since Kira's mind was wandering off somewhere, he didn't hear Marceline's words clearly.
"I'm asking you if you are available tonight. Remember the guy who protected me from Natasha? He wants to have dinner with us tonight. He will bring his wife as well." Marceline informed Kira, anticipating his response. In fact, she was interested in meeting Dominique's wife.
"Oh, yeah. I remember. We should go and meet them. I am also dying to see the man who took that knife on your behalf. I will definitely thank him." Kira smiled faintly.
"That's great! I already booked the restaurant for the four of us. I think it's going to be fun. Don't you think?
Kira just let out a soft chuckle. "Don't be too excited, my Lady, or else, something might not go smoothly during our double dinner date." He was obviously teasing her.
Little Lowell tugged Marceline's shirt, gazing up with his adorable look. His expression seemed to ask them 'How about me? Will you bring me too, Mama?'
"You too, cutie. You are coming with us," Marceline uttered, pinching his chubby face.
Little Lowell's face brightened up when he heard that. He was so happy that he would be able to tag along with them.
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