// Chapter 29 \\

It had been awhile since I visited Spring Court. I'd only visited when it was slightly being rebuilt years ago after the Court almost collapsed. Everyone had thought of it to be a dead Court. However, that could not be said at what I saw.

My eyes looked beyond the castle walls to meadows filled with a multitude of specks of color rushing over the valley. I knew every individual speck was a flower, blowing in the fresh scented breeze of the place. The sun beamed down on the flower meadow and the villages beyond it along with the colorful forests and flower trees and rivers and lakes beyond— there was so much to see from here. So much color, my eyes could barely take in the brightness from staying in Night Court all these years. Despite the clarity of my eyes, I still had a hard time taking in just all of the color. I turned my head forward. That wasn't even the palace.

The palace was large and grand, each sector being made up of one color, a palette of flowers growing on the walls and from the windows. Along with that was the subtle change in architecture in each of those sectors. It was almost as beautiful as the flower valley below with the subtle difference. The pink rose sector greeted me with a large dark cherry oak door which swung open almost immediately when I looked at it. Out of those doors came a familiar face.

Yeosang walked towards me, arms spread out, and a smile graced his face. He wore a rosy pink suit with a vibrant zesty yellow border to the sleeves. He brought his hand out to me as a bouquet of lilacs formed within it, bringing a smile to my face.

"Welcome, Star, to my Court," Yeosang spoke smoothly.

I grinned broadly as I took the flowers, "I wasn't expecting this kind of introduction."

Yeosang laughed a bit, "Well, it's been the first time you've visited in a while. I wanted to make it grand."

"The scenery is already grand," I peered out to the landscape of flowers once more. To think at one point those flowers had ever looked dull and almost wilted away.

"It has been that long, hasn't it?" I gazed back to find Yeosang smiling at me.

"It has," I nodded, "Give me a tour while I'm here?"

Yeosang's smile faltered then, "Another time."

My heart panged for a moment. No, I was suddenly snapped back into the doubtful thoughts I had before I came here. What did Yeosang think of me? My face fell as I looked to Yeosang and he returned my look with a more serious one.

"There was a reason I brought you here." Yeosang spoke.

"Why is that?"

"A meeting. I've had more findings on the Crescent abilities... I believe your help can raise our chances of success. You are a wielder yourself."

I nodded with what he spoke and he gestured for me to follow him inside, making a brief joke of how he could give me a some-what tour of the palace. And he did. He spoke briefly of all the different sectors of the palace we walked through and what they all represented. I'd only hear one of passion fruit relating to Dusk Court's passion hall before I'd completely zoned out. The doubtful thoughts from earlier had come on full force from earlier, ringing in my head and making the vein in my back throb—

"Do you trust me?" I asked.

We walked for another moment before Yeosang paused. He looked down at me and I could've sworn there was a sliver of softness before his eyes became unreadable.

"I told you my research of the Crescent, did I not?" Yeosang replied. But he left it at that, turning and continuing his walk down the hall.

I could almost hear his true words: I'm trusting you as much as I can. I grimaced and quickly followed after him.

We walked for a bit longer before I was taken into a cream colored wing of the Spring Court Palace. There we entered into a light brown and cream room. It was a large rotunda with a large circular table in the middle, holding a large map of all the different Courts. On top of it were piles of books and papers, wooden pawns and navigation tools, among many things. Surrounding the table were eight chairs and only two were empty. It wasn't even a moment after we walked in that all the individuals from the other chairs stood.

"Star, I would like you to meet the Rose Sanction," Yeosang waved his hand to the figures who had just stood as we made our way around the table to our seats.

I didn't respond with words, just a simple nod of my head. I looked in awe at the rainbow of color that was made up of the six characters. I continued to gaze and take in their features until we made our way around the table and Yeosang offered me a chair to sit in.

Yeosang then gestured towards the first figure who appeared to sat next to him, "Theron should be familiar to you."

That he was. I remembered him too well. Well enough that seeing that same smile on his face rubbed off the wrong way to me. But there it was, a self assured smile plastered on the face of the guard. He gave a salute— a friendly gesture— but it only made me bristle more.

"You have not met his brother, however. My top spy, Thelon Taurus." Yeosang gestured to the other tall man standing next to Theron. It didn't take a second glance to tell that they were twins. His skin was as dark as his brother's, his hair was as red as his brother's, and his eyes were hazel like his brother's as well. His hair was curly and shaven to appear as a blooming rose atop his head. Unlike his brother, however, Thelon wore a long red jacket with rose gold and white trimming, accompanied by a dark grey under armor as the jacket was undone. There was a belt with many decks of cards attached to it, but I didn't focus my eyes there for another moment, raising them back up to his face. He was the same height as Theron, but did not share the same smile. His face was neutral, his gaze pinned on me in such a prying and observing manner that I almost liked Theron's smile more. Almost.

Suddenly, rose petals whirled out from behind him. I couldn't stop my shock as those petals formed together into a striped feline form. A tiger prowled next to Thelon's chair, growling as it glared at me.

"Calla, down," Thelon spoke, his voice deep. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Star of Night Court. Deep apologies if my rose tiger, Calla, alarmed you."

I was in a bit of shock for another moment, staring in fear and fascination at the large creature of petals. Calla blinked, white rose lashes hiding the red pupil rose petal facets of her eyes for a single moment.

I began to shake my head and looked back up to Thelon, speaking quietly, "It's alright."

Yeosang then gestured to the next figure. This man was tall, but short in comparison to the Taurus twins. The next thing I noticed was a scar through one of his eyes, permanently closing it while the other amber colored one watched me. He had quite the muscular build as well, broad shoulders and buff chest. His vibrant orange hair was pulled into two tight braids that lined either side of his square face. His arms were crossed over his chest where he wore a plain brown tunic.

"This is Ginyar Blackeye." Yeosang introduced, "Mercenary and weapons designer for the Spring Court guard as well as the custom weapons of the Rose Sanction. A great fighter."

The man gave a curt nod, "A pleasure."

I gave a nod in return with a faint smile.

Yeosang gestured to the next person. It was a woman, slightly shorter than Ginyar. However, she held a completely different appearance. A jade hood and cloak covered her figure to a tight fit, designed to wrap comfortably around her body and be flexible enough to fight in. Her hair wasn't even visible. She was slim, a bit broad at the shoulders, but her skin was a vibrant dandelion yellow. Petal-like scales lined her cheeks and auburn eyes— with more of a hint of red— looked into mine. A glare from her would have been intimidating if she hadn't smiled and given a bow.

"Daniel Daysugov" Yeosang spoke, "One of my spies but she is quite more of an assassin if assigned the job. She specializes in stealth fighting."

"It's an honor, Star of Night Court," Daniel rose from her bow, a smile still prominent on her yellow-golden lips.

I gave a smile back, "The honor is mine." I bowed my head in return.

"She also has quite the deceiving manners. Her smiles aren't genuine like mine." Daniel's smile faltered before me, her nose twitching slightly before she looked across the table. I followed her gaze to Theron who was looking back at her. I was surprised to find him not smiling. In fact, it was a hostile scowl of sorts. But that changed within a second as he smiled a grin to Daniel, "But I guess we all have our jobs, don't we?"

I looked back to Daniel to find her glaring Theron's way before she looked back at me and gave another heart-warming smile. This time, I didn't quite return it.

Yeosang did not make a comment to this as he guided me to gaze towards the next figure. This man was shorter with dark skin and vibrant blue hair. His wavy hair cascaded down to his shoulders and covered most of his face. However, that still didn't hide his sharp pointed nose and his dark eyes hidden behind a pair of circular glasses. He wore robes and armor that were a dark blue color. He offered a slight smile to me and a nod, despite how stiff and awkward he made the gesture.

"Azraq Azul, spy, organizer, and second in command to the Keep which is where the information we collect is stored and documented. He is also a scholar and historian."

I gave a nod in return as we turned to the final person. What first caught my attention was the large light lilac braid of hair that swung from the short figure. It wasn't natural— it was like the hair had a mind of its own. The braid moved like a cat's tail, moving from side to side in a content rhythm. What held the braid together was a large lotus blossom. The short girl wore royal purple and rose gold armor with a few white accents. Her skin was a light cream color and her almond eyes a dark purple. Wavy bangs came out from either side of her braid but they neatly followed the path of the other hair follicles that had been pulled back. The woman's arms were folded as she gazed up to me, but she appeared unfazed. She didn't even offer a smile. However, that now seemed better than whatever Daniel had offered me.

"Lastly, this is Don Yona. She is my second greatest spy and my specialist in elixirs and other chemicals. She is also second in command of the guard."

Yona only offered a slight and curt nod.

I offered an awkward one in return.

"Then, of course, you know me." Yeosang gestured towards himself as he looked my way with a slight smile. He then gestured towards me as he looked at the Rose Sanction, "And you all know who Star of Night Court is."

A few offered some nods or hums of confirmation as others stayed silent.

"Alright then," Yeosang gestured for everyone to take a seat, "Let's get this meeting started then."

Everyone sat down in their chairs before they all gazed expectantly to Yeosang. He clasped his hands neatly on the table as he looked at every individual before he spoke, "Our enemies want more from us now than they ever have. The Takers have proven themselves to be smarter than we had previously thought and they might be geniuses if my recent findings confirm that it is believed they have been searching for the Crescent power for centuries. I have reason to believe that they are now closer than ever, or they wouldn't be rash to send out their forces the way they have."

I furrowed my brows, "But the Takers haven't attacked in months."

"Not in the way we've thought," Thelon spoke up. "Granted, there was your most recent endeavor in Eastern Court, but from the brief overview I received, that attack was centered at the problem we found."

"Which is?" I asked.

"Spies." Daniel spoke, "Many of them, however none have been Taker like the one at Dawn Court. They have all been human. We have obtained six so far. Two from Southern, one from Northern, one from Spring, and three from Dusk."

"They're trying to breach our Courts like they did with Dawn," Yeosang spoke once more. "I am not completely sure how that would connect with the Crescent powers. However, I believe it is mostly due to the events we have with large gatherings of people from many Courts. This may seem like a great source of prey to them but I also believe it is their key to finding the Crescent wielders."

Thelon nodded before he added, "And it is perceived that they will attack at High Monarch Trials."

"So you mean to tell me they're after the Crescent abilities as well and that's why they attacked Dawn Court? And what they will attack Dusk Court for?" Yona asked.

Daniel grinned with a bit of a laugh in her voice, "Three spies in Dusk Court out of the probability of six? These spies were found within the past couple of months when High Monarch Trials were well known across the Courts."

"Not only that," Azraq added, "But the ancient documents that Yeosang has allowed me to examine depict graphics of beings in black robes reaching up to a white ring in the sky. It's too evident not to mean something."

I couldn't quite believe what I was hearing, "So the Takers are going to attack at High Monarch Trials?"

"Not exactly," Theron answered, "Their movements right now indicate they're trying to stay under the radar. With a theory on Crescent wielders being what they're after, there's a high chance they won't be out in the open and they won't deliberately attack."

"But how could you know?" I asked, "The hunger is in their nature."

"The Taker at Eastern Court didn't take anyone's powers." Yeosang spoke. My attention went to him and our eyes connected, "He was just trying to take you. Because you are a Crescent wielder."

Somehow, his words clicked. Somehow, they brought reason to his trust in me, making my heart swell and my shoulders relax with relief. What Yeosang spoke of San tried to do at Eastern Court almost sounded right. But that's when my shoulders went rigid once more and my heart dropped. Something in me thought and I didn't want to admit it: I couldn't help but think Yeosang was wrong. The pulse in my vein throbbed.

I began to shake my head, "But what if— I don't think—"

"They hunger strong magic. The Crescent is the strongest they could ever have, I've concluded," Yeosang answered me. "To get it, they'd need all the wielders alive to activate and use it. They would need to take the wielders alive. It would make sense for them to not be conspicuous. And they can't risk the attention at a large event like High Monarch trials. They will be quiet about this, so we're going to have to be quiet as well."

Anyone and everyone from the Courts will be there," Thelon spoke. "Those who wield the Crescent abilities will surely be there as well. Along with the spies or Takers there to capture them."

"Jung Wooyoung," I pointed out and quickly clarified, "The Taker I have captive in Night Court. He is a Crescent wielder."

Yeosang nodded, "So the Crescent should not be active during the ceremony as there will be seven present at the trials. However, that will make it more difficult to ensure that the others with Crescent abilities are there. We do know that the Taker is one, I'm one, and Star is one. There should be five more for a total of eight."

"So we're looking for five individuals then," Ginyar concluded.

"We won't be the only ones, though." Yona inched in.

Azraq nodded before adding, "Takers."

"I have informed Mingi of a recommendation to up their guard for Takers. Not the reason for the Crescent, though." Yeosang answered them.

I furrowed my brows, "Why not tell him?"

Yeosang looked my way with a quick shake of his head. My mouth opened slightly in silent question: Why? Mingi was a friend. He deserved to know.

"Star, you are the only outsider who knows about the information I have found on the Crescent. My trust doesn't come lightly."

"I know."

"So, were the defenses raised?" Theron asked.

"He gave word that he received my message, but he said nothing of anything else. Thelon informed me that it looked much the same."

"That it did," Thelon chimed in, gazing his brother's way, "But we know that the guard's aren't posted for these kinds of ceremonies until the last minute for optimized protection."

"Let's hope he got the word in then," Yeosang nodded.

Daniel added herself into the conversation, "So how do we find these individuals with Crescent abilities?"

"That is where it's complicated" Yeosang sighed, "I'll need you all split up and searching for any signs during the ceremony. I doubt there will be much luck, considering there won't be much magic use of the masses during this. But I believe the wording I have for the different abilities is quite literally a type of wording for whatever the powers are. I'm the Ticker, as I hear ticking like a clock when I manipulate the speed and course of time."

"I'm the Reader because I read minds," I spoke, "And Wooyoung wards and warps a person's actions."

Yeosang slightly furrowed his brows, "He's the Warder?"

"He used manipulative powers on me." I frowned as I admitted. It wasn't something I was proud of.

Yeosang blinked, his mind deep in thought, "I could've sworn he was the Protector with how he made magic disappear..."

I paused to think for a moment before shrugging my shoulders, "He must simply ward off the magic?"

Yeosang thought for a moment before he nodded, "That could make sense." He directed his attention to the others, "We are looking for the Protector, the Imaginer, the Balancer, the Jumper, and the Brawler. Identify their magic by the titles I gave, they should symbolize them as much as Star and I symbolize ours. There's a low chance that they all won't be there."

"This is our only chance to obtain them. Save them all. And have access to the Crescent," Theron spoke."

"What will we do with them once we find them?" Yona asked.

"Report back to me with them before we send them off to the protection of Spring Court. There, we can inform them of what we believe to be happening." Yeosang gazed at us all as the room went quiet. "Are there any questions?"

No one spoke.

Yeosang scanned the room once more before he nodded, concluding the meeting, "We have two weeks until High Monarch Trials. Prepare for the Takers we may face and the magic we may witness."

REMEMBER:​​​​​​

1. Smack dat butiful star

2. Leave a comment talkin abt dis tea

3. Share dis tea induced book with yo fwends

WHY? Because I appreciate it 🥺

\\ See u in the next chapter! \\