Kawzir was rarely greedy and never asked its patron much other than a cool place to live and nectar to eat. When it asked Shasarab to help him find a part of the Divine Scriptures, the Messenger was more than happy to assist the Ahmaqkin to its destiny.

However, the silly, naive animal had every intention of giving its 'destiny' to Saminfir resting back in the oasis, which made the King of Mirages furious. He told the Ahmaqkin that he wouldn't allow it to give such a gift to the Aqrab, and scared that the Divine Messenger might take the piece of parchment away from it, Kawzir ran.

It made Shasarab even angrier but then the Ahmaqkin kept going until it was out into the open desert and the Messenger couldn't be angry anymore. Instead, with the morning sun already above the horizon, the King of Mirage tried to coax the little furry animal back into the shade, but Kawzir refused and instead trudged on towards the direction of the oasis.

Like a rebelling child, the Ahmaqkin single-mindedly and clumsily traveled through the desert even as its soft feet began to blister and sweat started to weigh its thick fur down heavily.

Despite living its whole life in the desert, Kawzir's kind was not fit for life in the sandy tropics. Its fur was too thick, its feet soft and awkward for a decent grip even on land, and unlike the other desert animals, it cannot retain water for long periods of time.

Not even halfway to the oasis, the Ahmaqkin collapsed into the sand with a piece of the Divine Scriptures stuck in between its teeth.

Shasarab despaired. He lacked the power to do anything to help his chosen one. He could give the Ahmaqkin all the riches it wanted, shield its eyes and heart from the ugliness of the world, but the King of Mirages was unable to bend the sun and the desert to his will. He could create an illusion trick the Ahmaqkin's mind into thinking that there was moisture in the air or that they were walking alongside a lake, but that could only work for so long. His mirages needed the sun and the heat in order to function and for some reason, the Kawzir had always been able to see through his mirages. In the end, Shasarab could only watch helplessly as his beloved creature fell still.

Then, as if granting Kawzir's last wish, the desert winds picked up and took the piece of the Divine Scriptures towards the Blue Jewel, where the scorpion had found it that very same morning.

The Aqrab was disquieted by the Ahmaqkin's sudden passing and Dhat-Noura didn't wait for it to adjust to the information before continuing with her explanation.

Shasarab wanted to punish the Aqrab that convinced his Ahmaqkin on this fool-hardy journey, but the scorpion was one of Himasamm's creatures and the Divine Messenger of Venom was a gentle soul by nature. Himasamm didn't have the heart to lay a heavy hand on any of his creations.

But before the King of Mirages could take more drastic measures, Dhat-Noura appeared on behalf of Kawzir and discouraged him from taking revenge against the Aqrab. The silly Ahmaqkin did not want its friend to be hurt or punished. Its death was its own fault; the scorpion did not ask it to leave the oasis and traverse across the desert. There wasn't even a time limit and it did not have to take the piece of the Divine Scriptures to Saminfir that very same day, but it was too eager and too impatient.

The Ahmaqkin wanted to make the Aqrab happy so stupidly, without thoughts of its limits, it went out into the desert and died.

Regardless, Shasarab refused to believe that the Aqrab was uninvolved in Kawzir's death and still wished for retribution for the Ahmaqkin. Dhat-Noura decided to intervene and became the presiding judge over Saminfir's fate.

In light of the situation, Dhat-Noura gave the scorpion a choice: serve Kawzir in the stars until Shasarab was content with its service or spent more than half of a millennium in the oasis where the Ahmaqkin once called home.

Amir then stopped the story right there and it took a while for Tanaka to realize that the older man wasn't continuing.

The story ended with an open ending-- or so it seemed since Amir stayed silent, his gaze facing the heavens and his expression hidden from the young boy. Tanaka wondered what the older man hoped to see and quietly glanced up at the stars as well. Once again, he tried to find those very same set of stars that the Zafarian had described early and tried to see the four-legged figure of the Ahmaqkin and the long-tailed Aqrab, but they were lost in the vast glittering sea. Only the Eye of Dhat-Noura, a bright star that stood out among the splendor. It may be even brighter than Sirius and bluer if possible.

Tanaka then remembered the choices that were given to the Aqrab and never had a doubt in his mind what the scorpion had picked.

"I hope they're happy together..." was what he wished for them, which Amir didn't seem to expect since the older man looked down at Tanaka with dark, unfathomable eyes. The Zafarian's expression was unreadable, but that didn't make his gaze any less intense.

Suddenly, a humorless smile graced the other's dark lips. "Young Master Thomas is too soft-hearted," Amir commented, his tone mocking and insincere. Tanaka could read in between the lines and understood that 'soft-hearted' was the same thing as being 'foolish' to the Zafarian.

Tanaka honestly had nothing to say to that because maybe he was being too 'soft-hearted'. After all, the Aqrab was not portrayed as a kind being and didn't hesitate in taking advantage of the 'soft-hearted' Ahmaqkin as well, but...

"...You don't think they would be happy together?" he couldn't help but ask, fearlessly returning the butler's frigid stare with his own clear and strong brown eyes.

In response, Amir's own eyes had narrowed, and a slight tilt of his head caused some loose bangs to brush against his forehead and over his void-like orbs. "Young Master thinks they would be?" the Zafarian asked slowly and almost rather cautiously, the question rolling out of his throat in a low tone.

Tanaka blinked once before nodding slowly, not moving his sight away from the other. "I would like them to be happy," he told the butler truthfully. Wouldn't most people wish for a happy ending for that kind of sad story? If one read in between the lines, obviously the Ahmaqkin was lonely; it was obvious by the way it was so eager to please the Aqrab. And the Aqrab was the same as well-- why else would it travel outside of the oasis, without the piece of the Divine Scripture, while being well aware of the fact that he wouldn't be able to come back without the Ahmaqkin's guidance? Weren't the both of them just lonely? Or... maybe he was just actually projecting and the story had nothing to do with loneliness.

There was a moment of silence as a faint, cold breeze blew into the garden before a chuckle escaped from the butler's lips, but the sound was anything but amused. The older man's mouth remained unsmiling and there was a tinge of cynicism in the depth of his eyes. "Young Master Thomas should be careful," Amir suddenly warned, his eyes curving into a more friendly expression even if the tone of his voice didn't really match. "Young Master Thomas might end up being tricked into an unfortunate situation like the Ahmaqkin, if the young master gives someone like the Aqrab pity." As if to agree with the Zafarian's words, the lamp's light dimmed, creating darker shadows and painting a sinister look to Amir's sharp features.

The eerie atmosphere would have most people cowed or even wary, but Tanaka never flinched from the other's imposing aura. Instead, he continued to stare up at the older man, his gaze unwavering and clear. The black shadows only seemed to make his bright eyes stand out, which locked onto the butler's own.

"...It's not pity," Tanaka disagreed quietly, yet determinedly. "Saminfir is not undeserving of happiness..."

Amir released another chuckle, the sound sharper and more scornful than the last. "That's because Young Master does not know what he did to gain such happiness."

At this point, Tanaka figured out they weren't precisely talking about the Aqrab now. The statement sounded slightly too personal for the smaller male to think otherwise. Though the butler's expression gave nothing away, as usual, his posture, while intimidating and powerful, seemed... tense. And weary.

Tanaka wasn't sure how he could tell, other than the fact that he could actually sense the older man's magic fluctuation in the air. Since the day he had first met the butler, Amir had kept his magic controlled and locked up tight within his body, only letting a certain amount slowly flow out in mimicry to a third-tier magician's magical aura. But this time, the Zafarian's magic displayed signs of agitation and the adult-turned-child finally realized the time.

Amir was human after all; of course, being up so late at night would make anyone weary and irritable. And it probably didn't help that he had to stop to make sure Tanaka wasn't dying of hypothermia while he was on his way to his bed.

Finally moving his gaze away from his looming companion, Tanaka fidgeted with his blanket out of guilt. He then remembered something that he used to do with his friends and family, especially with Basim whenever the other came back from an especially long overseas business trip. They always looked so happy and energized when he did it, so maybe...

"Amir," the small boy called out quietly, moving onto his knees as he looked up to the butler with big, imploring eyes. "Lean down."

The older man seemed to pause, returning the little one's pleading gaze with a raised eyebrow. Nonetheless, Amir seemed to have decided to indulge the youngest Rosetta and bent down closer to the younger's height. As soon as he did, the Zafarian saw the child reach a hand towards him from the corner of his dark eyes and restrained himself from jerking back. A second later, his head was given a soft touch from those thin, fragile fingers.

Amir froze, utterly baffled by the... it couldn't be anything but a head pat, though the gentleness of the motion made it feel like a light caress more than anything else.

Not discouraged by the butler's reaction, Tanaka continued his mission to give the Zafarian his well-deserved pat while telling the older man in a solemn tone, "You have worked hard."

There was no feedback to his actions and Tanaka didn't expect any, oblivious to the other's stiff and bewildered bearing, and continued trying to soothe his companion with words of praise. "You have worked hard for a long time. You have done well."

After all, Amir was already out this late, probably doing some background stuff for Edward, and knowing his brother, the assignment wasn't easy if it had to be done at this time of night. And knowing the butler's perfectionistic attitude towards his job, the task was done with the utmost perfection. While these were all admirable traits, they were also very tiring to imagine. The Zafarian should try to be lazy for once. "It's okay to rest now," Tanaka added soon after as he was thinking of all the possibly tiring things the older man had to do for the eldest son of the Rosettas. "Please take your time to rest."

"...Young Master Thomas, your hand is hot." The comment from the butler was rather sudden, making Tanaka blink several times in surprise, but when he felt a large, bare hand touching his forehead, the young boy then realized that his fever had probably risen again.

The older man said nothing about the pats he was given and only adjusted the knitted blanket over the little one's shoulders before picking up the youngest Rosetta with an arm underneath the child's knees. Tanaka did nothing more than adjust his position in the Zafarian's hold and automatically tuck himself against the other's chest, trying to hide from the light of the lamp still held in the butler's other hand. Though Amir was not as cool as Edward, his main ice pack, the butler was comfortable to lay on nonetheless.

"I don't want to sleep by myself," Tanaka then childishly protested even as he practically draped himself all over the older man. Obviously, he would be put back into his room, but he doubted he would be able to sleep alone.

Tanaka wasn't able to see Amir's expression from his position, but he could somehow feel the other's amusement at his sulky statement.

"Then this servant will stay with the young master until he is deep into sleep," the older man offered indulgently, but Tanaka shook his head in disagreement. Amir needed to sleep as well! As someone who was asleep 18 hours of the day for the past few weeks, he had no right to ask the butler to accompany him just so that he could sleep again.

Regardless, Amir continued to carry the child towards the direction of the manor and away from the gardens, "Or," the Zafarian then continued with some mirth beneath the soothing rumble of his chest. "I can wake Miss Baker up to accompany the young master to sleep instead."

Tanaka: "......" The adult-turned-child pouted in response, his cheeks a little puffed up as he sulked even further into the butler's arms. Well, that's not fair and Amir knows it. Clarisse has been taking care of him endlessly, without rest, since he has become ill and tonight is supposed to be her night off-- everyone's night off really. Amir is really unfair.

Knowing that the little one would not protest any further, the dark-skinned man allowed the corners of his lips to perk up. As he moved further out of the gardens, instead of heading towards the manor's back doors, he arrived in the area below the youngest Rosetta's bedroom.

Generally, the little one's room would have been locked with both physical and magical locks, as per the eldest son's instruction, and while no one from the outside would be able to get in, considering the child's lazy and lethargic disposition, no one also thought that the youngest would escape from the confines of his room, much less his bed, either.

It was all too easy to see where the youngest master had escaped from since the little one's bedroom windows were wide open. If it had been anyone but Amir who had seen those flowing, translucent curtains drifting in the air because of the late-night breeze, they would have a heart attack and then woke up the whole entire estate as they were panicking.

To the Zafarian, it was more of an amusing rather than a worrying thought, but he concentrated on making sure to brush whatever blades of grass or leaves still clinging onto the little one from his adventure and made a note to clean the child's dainty feet before settling him into his bed.

With a whisper barely heard from Amir's lips, the Zafarian's magic stirred, causing Tanaka to sigh out of comfort. Even as that magic began to wrap itself around the two of them, the youngest Rosetta only seemed to be lulled by its presence.

They rose up, safely cradled by Amir's skillful handling of the winds, and landed onto the windowsill as quietly as a fallen petal. Stepping into the room, the older man carelessly placed the lamp onto the nearest surface, its light brightening the stalks of lavender overtaking much of the space, before putting down the child into a chair. Afterward, he reached for the basin on top of the dresser, which was usually used for face washing, but the butler knew that right after dumping out the dirty water, Clarisse could just replace it using her magic.

Using a handkerchief, Amir dipped it in the water and placed the basin beneath the child's feet. The older man took his gloves off by the tip of his fingers, putting them aside, and grabbed one of the little one's thin and delicate ankles, keeping them still as he scrubbed the soles with the cloth. The small toes curled in reaction but otherwise remained inert, the young boy blinking sleepily with half-lidded eyes now that he was out of the cold air and within the warm walls of his bedroom.

By the time his feet were soft, cleaned, and dry once again, Tanaka was nodding off and barely staying conscious throughout the butler's care. He offered no resistance as the Zafarian picked him up into a princess-carry, rubbing his face into the arm hold him, and was asleep before he was even tucked in.

Seeing the child's prone and defenseless figure, Amir lowered his abyss-like eyes, concealing the depth of his thoughts.

Originally, when he was first hired into the Rosetta Household, while he had never directly interacted with the youngest child of the Rosetta Family, Thomas Rosetta was a bitter child and took his bitterness out on everyone around him. Whether it was his siblings, his so-called friends, the servants, or even Clarisse, he looked upon them hatefully and with contempt.

This small, fragile child, whose eyes held an openness and a kindness that bordered on foolishness, was not that Thomas Rosetta. Maybe the others could accept the young master's sudden change, because there were no reasons otherwise, but Amir had his reservations.

Admittedly, he found the majority of the rumors and fables about Zafaran's 'dark magic' to be distasteful and cliche, but some of them were not without basis. Possession Magic belonged within the same branch as Blood Magic, and sometimes, depending on the spell, they would intermix in the most horrifying ways possible. But unlike Blood Magic, which -while terrible- was rather simplistic in nature, Possession Magic was much more complex and complicated.

Amir did not know the details of it, if only because what little text that existed of the subject were scattered and locked away never to be seen in the light of day, but from what he heard in Zafaran's and Astria's underbellies, this type of magic was notoriously difficult to control with unreliable and inconsistent results. Of course, that wouldn't stop people from experimenting regardless of its complications, and since his country was thought to be the origin of Possession Magic, a lot of the illegal experimentation happened within Zafaran's borders.

Though it was unlikely, considering the unreliability of the magic, Amir, at first, was under the suspicion that the youngest son of the Rosetta family had been successfully possessed by another soul. He took the initiative several times to get close to the child and had prodded the little one with his magic from time to time, but found nothing out of the ordinary. The young master's attitude wasn't right either. If someone tried to deliberately possess Thomas Rosetta, wouldn't they stay close to his original personality as much as possible? Unless it was an unwilling possession, but would the possessor be foolish enough to stay with the likely danger of getting caught?

As a final check and to lay his suspicions to rest, he personally investigated the identity of this 'Basim', and much to his frustrations, so far that his contacts were aware, it seemed that 'Basim' did not exist. Obviously, since he determined that 'Basim' had learned Zafaran's Noble Language, and therefore had to be part of Zafaran's nobility, Amir double-checked to see if there were any nobles or exiled nobles that had crossed Astria's borders and had made contact with the youngest Rosetta in the past several years, but his search came up empty so far.

Then how did this child know their Noble Language? Who was this Basim? If not by possession magic, what caused such change in Thomas Rosetta?

Though the little one's nature was simple, the young boy brought up a lot of questions and very little answers.

The lamp's light flickered