Chapter 4

Zhiyu looked at Xin while yawning and blinking strongly.

He was always tired when Celen took blood from him.

He didn't want to go to work. He just wanted to sleep.

A wet glove passed against his groin.

Zhiyu had told Xin that he could wipe himself because it looked difficult with his big belly but Xin didn't want to let him.

Xin was very weird in Zhiyu's opinion.

At first, he didn't like Xin, because Celen was always cold with Zhiyu and always said that he didn't like humans but kept Xin close to him.

So one day, he had set her pretty hair on fire. It was really funny to see her pretty caramel eyes getting big and round.

Zhiyu didn't think it was very mean and Xin wasn't someone who had to die like his sister or father, so he just set his hair on fire.

Celen had just told him that he didn't need to be jealous of Xin, because he didn't make love to him.

Then he didn't feel mad at Xin anymore, and actually Xin wasn't mean.

It's just that he lied to everyone all the time.

Zhiyu didn't understand why he needed to lie all the time. And why he smiled if he was sad.

Xin had hit him and cried with his bald head and afterwards, Xin became very cold to him and didn't want to talk to him anymore.

He looked even sadder so Zhiyu tried to be nice to him by sharing his food and giving him presents.

Then Xin was still lying.

But at least he didn't force himself to smile anymore when he was sad and he had become kind to him with Zhiyu.

Soft lips landed on his lips, and Zhiyu snapped out of his thoughts to look at Xin.

Xin often did that, kissing her.

Zhiyu had told him several times to stop because he was not lovers but then Xin told him that he was kissing Celen when he was not lovers either.

Zhiyu couldn't answer that.

And Celen didn't care when Xin kissed him in front of him.

Zhiyu didn't really like it but didn't really hate it either.

Because Xin was handsome and kind.

Xin tried to deepen the kiss, adding his tongue and Zhiyu left him passive.

It was nice.

It just didn't put butterflies in her stomach like it did with Celen.

Zhiyu pushed Xin away when he felt her hand stroking him, annoyed.

- Don't kiss me.

- Do you like Celen?

- I love it.

- Like a lover?

- I do not know.

- What about Darcy?

- I love it.

- Like a lover?

- I do not know. He's the one I love the most.

- And-

- Xin you're boring, you always ask the same questions.

Zhiyu stood up and took the wet washcloth from Xin's hands, finishing washing himself. He didn't like talking about Darcy. Those feelings were still all tangled up afterwards and he felt sad and angry.

Xin approached Zhiyu and kissed her cheek.

- Sorry Zhiyu.

Xin always apologized. It was boring too.

- I'm not angry.

- Zhiyu, I love you.

- I know. You tell me that all the time.

- It's good as long as you don't forget it.

Xin came out of the bathroom and Zhiyu finished rinsing off before joining him, naked.

Xin had his clothes ready, and Zhiyu dressed diligently.

Once ready, Xin grabbed his hand.

They passed Celen's closed office and Zhiyu let his gaze trail for a moment.

Xin couldn't drive because he was pregnant, so Celen had hired a driver who was waiting for them at the bottom of the Manor steps.

The driver was a bald, muscular man with scars on his face.

He looked like a villain from a TV series.

He had told her his name several times but Zhiyu couldn't remember people he wasn't interested in.

The driver held out his big hand, and Zhiyu grabbed the candy in a bright orange wrapper.

Zhiyu put it in his pocket still not understanding why this man gave him candy every time he saw him.

Xin and Zhiyu got into the back of the car, and the driver drove off, the car slowly driving away from private property.

The sky was full of clouds and the sun couldn't be seen, so Zhiyu instead looked at the woods around them trying to see animals.

Xin was on his phone, his hand still in hers.

- Can I have a phone?

Xin looked up at him, his caramel eyes confused.

- Who do you want to call?

Zhiyu remained silent and returned his attention to the trees which thinned out to reveal the city.

Xin didn't insist as he returned to his screen.

There were a lot of people in the streets.

But for Zhiyu, they were all alike.

The only thing that differentiated them was the white or black aura.

Celen, Xin, the Driver and everyone in the Manor had a black aura.

When he was younger he had been told that it was better to have a white aura. That the Sun God was benevolent and only bad people were blessed by the Moon God.

He still wasn't 100% convinced but it was true that Celen and Xin were bad people.

Celen was selling humans and Xin was manipulating people.

Zhiyu couldn't see her own aura but Celen told her that she was unique. It was silver and very beautiful.

Zhiyu could see everyone's auras. And they were just black or white. it had never changed for humans.

The car stopped in front of the workshop, and Zhiyu felt his mood lighten.

The workshop was called L'atelier with a wooden front and a showcase displaying the elementary stones for sale.

Zhiyu really liked this place, it was pretty and full of wooden furniture and plants. The displays were pretty and the colored stones were placed on small cushions.

It was his idea the small cushions.

He felt a little proud every time he saw them.

The manager, a woman with a blonde braid, although sometimes she didn't have a braid, walked up to them with a smile.

- Zhiyu, we were worried about you.

- Everything is fine.

Zhiyu's answer was succinct but the manager stuck to it.

- Xin, I already told you that you don't need to come back to work for now. You're 7 months now, right? You should rest.

Zhiyu frowned and looked at Xin's big belly. It is true that it looked heavy and tiring.

- It's okay, I'm not going to make an effort, I'm just going to keep Zhiyu company.

Zhiyu nodded.

- I'll take care of your rest.

Xin looked a little surprised and a soft smile lit up his features. Xin's hand tucked a lock of Zhiyu's hair behind his ear.

- Thank you Zhiyu. I count on you. He said in a soft tone.

The manager laughs, waving her hand.

- Don't flirt in front of single people, you two.

She moved and the three of them went back to the back of the store where young women and young men each worked assiduously in front of a work table.

The majority had animal appendages.

This was not surprising since only this race had elemental power.

Zhiyu liked to come here, because they were all colorful. They were the only people Zhiyu had met who didn't have a white or black aura.

It was like a rainbow and his body felt more relaxed or peaceful as the energies weren't calling him desperately.

The sun and moon mana stones weren't of much use to humans, except for those who might be low on energy.

Comparatively, elemental mana stones served many purposes and even a Sun and Moon Mage could use them.

It wasn't difficult to make a mana stone.

It needed a Mana crystal, usually from the mountains. Then it was necessary to make its energy flow into the crystal which stored it, which allowed it to be reused later.

The employees of the Workshop had all been recruited for their phenomenal amount of elemental energy.

Then, Celen paid them well and they were also fed and housed, so they wouldn't go to the competition.

Zhiyu had only seen these different people at the workshop. There were only white and black auas in town.

Celen had said he had brought them from another country.

Zhiyu thought it would have been better to leave them in their country and make Mana Stones there.

But then Celen said that if he did that, Zhiyu would lose his job and Celen would lose money.

The only reason the Atelier was doing well despite the exorbitant price of elemental mana stones was because unlike others sold on the market, the Atelier stone was of superior quality.

The common Mana Stones were enough to light a barbecue, fill a glass of water, or create a draft.

The stones in the Workshop had spells embedded in them.

For example, one could attach a stone of fire to a coat so that a comforting heat diffuses continuously or one could attach a stone of water to it to make the fabric waterproof. There were all sorts of side uses.

Perhaps because Zhiyu could see auras that few could see, it was easy for him to properly attach an energy to a spell inscribed in stone.

It was like a puzzle each time and it was fun to do.

For others the only thing he could say was that when they tried to draw the energy to a spell, the energy ended up scattering as if something was missing.

Zhiyu was the only one who could do it and that's why the shop was so small.

When Xin was working in the Atelier, his aura would turn purple.

But it looked more difficult for him than the others.

Even though he never gave up and his stones were less powerful than the others,

Zhiyu thought he was brave and it made him want to try even harder.

Celen had always told him coldly that he had to live on his own and not rely on others.

And it was a job only he could do, so he was pretty proud of it.

He didn't really have any expenses because even though Celen had allowed him to fend for himself, he provided for all of his needs, not letting him buy anything.

Celen was full of contradictions.

But that didn't really bother Zhiyu. He had a project with the money he was saving.

He wanted to build a house. But for the moment he was still very far from the amount he needed.

He sighed weakly and settled down at his workstation, picking through the pile of blank manastones.

He picked up the engraving pen, and checked the spell he needed to apply, concentrating on not making mistakes and gently guiding the energy emanating from the stone into the gaps. It only took him a minute and he moved on to the next, satisfied.