The crown.

"Cheater! Fucking cheater!" A lean boy with round glasses yelled at a fat girl across from him.

The boy wore a messy fringe cut. He was lean and had glasses similar to the girl across from him. The girl abruptly stood up, seemingly charging for him when the other lean figure close to her held her hand.

She scoffed, and glared at the lean boy with vibrant blue eyes. "Want to repeat that, Howard?" She said through gritted teeth.

"I-I said you cheated, CeCe!" He stuttered, his bony trembling finger pointed at the girl in a coward like manner.

Her eyes bore new fire, and she fumed at that. CeCe- Was Celina Cruze, a twenty two year old two hundred level university student in the city of Memphis. She was renowned for her anger underneath that innocent and defenseless exterior of hers. Most of the people who had heard of her feared her for her easily roused anger, and her ability to take down others even if she broke her bones while doing so.

The lean boy; Howard Sanchez, was visibly shaking. His anger from losing at Vampire Elites to Celina more than ten times after betting his treasured savings for the summer had led him to forge who he was against and yell at her. Howard, though, knew very well what Celina was capable of. She had once fought with an athlete senior at their university. It was outside the school and he had groped her and called her a Bitch in heat. Celina had smashed four bottles on his head. She had walked out of the fight with a dislocated shoulder but the senior had walked away with a broken head.

It was clear that Celina Cruze was a crazy woman in the body of an angel. "Let me go, Cherry, let me slap him, I promise it'll only be one slap."

Cherry shook her head while holding her friend well. The circle of four were best friends so she couldn't understand why Howard was stupid enough to rouse Celina like this. "Calm down, CeCe, Mason, tell her to calm down." She looked at the boy holding her other arm.

Mason, who had known Celina the longest, spoke. "CeCe people are watching. Maybe you can do this later?"

Celina finally stopped gritting her teeth. She looked around her to see the people staring at them outside the museum. Celina was a careless woman sometimes but she wasn't a savage. She calmed down. "Fine, but he has to apologize. I would never cheat at Vampire Elites, gamer's honour!" She balled her fist and pounded it on her chest.

Howard scratched his messy hair and replied. "I know, CeCe, it's just I wanted to use the money to buy Andrea some chocolates for our anniversary."

Andrea was Howard's girlfriend. The girl was a part of a group students had labeled Black Cats. These students had free passes others could only dream of. The group were smarter than most, athletic than most, and especially prettier than others. They were held in the highest esteem by students. It was still a wonder to most how Howard had become Andrea's boyfriend.

Celina on the other hand felt nothing but bad blood for the group. It wasn't that they were bad people, Celina just never felt comfortable with them around, especially Andrea.

Celina's lips twitched at the mention of Andrea. "How bout this Howard….. You can buy Andrea flowers and chocolates while you give me an IOU?" She offered Howard.

Howard broke out a relieved laugh. "Shit thanks CeCe!"

"It's fine, you broke man," she playfully punched his arm.

As if on cue the lecturer came about. "Alright students, follow me." He ordered the students, walking into the building.

The foursome followed the lecturer into the building. "So how was your night, CeCe? Dreamt of Mr.Charming again?" Mason asked Celina.

His muscular arm swung around his girlfriend Cherry and his brown eyes stared mischievously at Celina. Mason was different from the other members of their squad; he was built differently too. The man was tall, with bulging muscles. His social life included being a member of the football team. Frankly by social standards he was way past the other members league. But he loved his girlfriend, he also loved his best friend- Celina, and Howard…. Well Howard was the buy one get two extra.

"Mr.Charming? More like Mr.Crazy. I thought you dreamt of him killing a village of people last time?" Howard butted in.

Celina breathed in. "It was different this time. He was the one trying to calm me down while I was going on a rampage."

Celina frowned, remembering her dream from yesterday-

A silver haired lithe girl fumed, her chest was rising up and down while her blue eyes widened. She stood up from her throne opposite another throne. Adorned in a golden crown, and golden jewelries as well as the finest of yarn she looked like an angry goddess.

"I refuse this decree, my King, this man insulted me, the Queen. If his head doesn't fall to my feet I will assume you chose him over me!" She yelled, glaring at the man on the ground who had dared to offend her.

The silver-grey eyed man smirked softly, while his eyes were focused on the lithe girl. "Very well, my Queen, your word is my law. Guards, cut his head off." The man who looked like a King finally agreed with the Queenly woman.

Celina shook her head from remembering how the man's head was cut off. The woman in her dream looked a lot like her but Celina knew such a wicked person could never be her. Celina's anger was a story to tell but she wasn't a wicked person that would kill people so easily.

"It was horrible." She muttered.

"And I take it you still can't remember Mr. Not so Charming's face right?" Cherry asked.

Celina shook her head. No matter what she did, she never remembered the face of the man in her dream whenever she woke up. There was one thing she remembered though. He has silver-grey eyes.

"Andrea!" Howard yelled with a happy smile. He immediately ran to the lithe beautiful girl with a group of others. The girl looked just as happy to see him, opening her arms to him.

Celina cringed at the sight. She couldn't put her finger on why she didn't like Andrea. Perhaps she was jealous of her? Andrea had everything she didn't. Though Celina didn't feel jealous and she knew.

Subconsciously pondering where her bad blood with Andrea had emerged from, she had kept her eyes glued on a particular artifact for quite some time.

"It is a pretty Crown is it not?" She heard a deep hoarse voice twisted with a British accent.

She jolted before darting her eyes to the man standing just opposite her. A silver haired man.

...•••...

"I'm not a child, Yomi," a silver haired man spoke into a phone. "Need I remind you I am millenniums older than you, thank you very much, Yomi."

A voice came from the phone as the silver haired man walked into a museum. "I know you're not a child, but that's not what I am saying. This should be one of the few times you've woken from your coffin and gone out into the 21st century world."

This silver haired man was of course Ju Bal who seemed somewhat offended by the words that Yomi spoke. "Good bye, Yomi." He responded, before swiftly cutting the call.

He sucked in a breath. Staring at the big building. Ju Bal took a step before pausing and frowning lightly. The smell of acid and dirt invaded his nose, and naturally his eyes followed the trail of the familiar smell. He caught sight of a group of young adults. They looked very much human but human but Ju Bal could tell from a glance that the group were….

"Werewolves." He muttered, and the ears of one of the members of the group twitched. The man with the lithe muscle build of a swimmer amongst the group frowned, his eyes looking around to find the supernatural being that had an aura powerful enough to raise the hair on his skin.

"Monster," the swimmer-looking boy whispered, still looking for whom he had smelt.

Ju Bal took his eyes away from the group intending to mind his business and find what it is he had come for. He began walking, ignoring all the other attractive artifacts and continued looking for the Phoenix totem….. Then he saw something.

It was a battered washed out crown. The crown had dents shaped like a diamond around it. It looked worn out but one could still tell it was gold. In a glass casket the crown laid a beautiful mess.

Ju Bal's legs carried him to the crown without his permission. He shuddered internally while looking intently at the crown. A certain memory overwhelmed him.

"Do I really need to wear the crown?" A lithe beautiful girl asked while staring at a crown with beautiful blue eyes.

The crown was golden with diamonds trapped around it. It was so beautiful she feared putting it on. "Of course, my love, I had the finest forger and beautician make it personally for you. It is imbued with white magic to keep the wearing vibrant forever." The man behind her answered.

She stared at the crown with innocent eyes. "But it is so beautiful. What if I ruin it?" She snapped her neck at the silver haired man behind her.

He gave her a teasing laugh before he grabbed her shoulders and spoke into her ear. "Do not worry, love, the magic in it will make sure it will never be ruined."

"Swear?" She asked, her cheeks puffing cutely.

His lips twitched at the adorable sight before he nodded then answered. "Yes, love."

Ju Bal's heart thudded at the memory as he stared at the heavily battered crown. His hands balled, and his jaw ticked.

"Andrea!" He jolted from his trance at the sudden yell.

He blinked and looked in the direction of a lean boy running to a brown eyed girl. He easily ignored the scene and turned to someone else.

A plump girl who had been standing next to him all this while. He had stared at her from her snickers, her baggy jeans, her huge hoodie surpassing her build, then her face. Her face was plump. Her eyes were bluer than the sky, her blonde hair, short and let down, and her fringe covering her black eyebrows. She pressed her lemon colored pouty lips into a thin line, her cute round cheeks were beat red, and there were lines on her forehead like she was in deep thought.

Ju Bal's heart slammed against his chest. T-this…. Is this an imagination? The thought couldn't he helped. Even though their build and shape were different, her face resembled the dead lover he couldn't forget…. Emilia.

Although they seemed different if one knew Emilia enough you would realize this girl resembled her a lot. He blinked and tried to compose himself even though he felt like grabbing her jaw tightly so he could examine her face better.

With a breath out he spoke with a double smile. "It is a pretty Crown is it not?" He asked, grabbing her attention.

She jolted before realizing herself and turning to him. She looked up at him as he was way taller than her short self.

Ju Bal felt his heart squeeze as the scene in front resembled a particular memory in his mind.

The white haired girl gasped, and her bell blue eyes widened comically that the scary man had seen her. Despite her shivering form and her fearful expression she boldly yet so timidly stepped away from the tree and revealed herself to the bunny killer.

He gulped, trying to calm himself. Occurrences with doppelgangers/look-alikes were rare but not impossible.

"What's pretty?" She asked.

He inhaled. Her voice sounded just like Emilia's. "The crown?" He replied.

Her eyes flickered to the crown. She cocked her head to the side, she squinted her eyes, and the lines on her forehead deepened. She seemed to be examining the battered crown with eyes. "Hmph, my burger king crown is prettier." Was her response.

Ju Bal felt somewhat thrown off by the answer. "Seriously? That is real gold right there."

"So, it's still old and ugly." She said, her button nose scrunching up in dissatisfaction.

"I suppose someone tilting away from the pretty side wouldn't understand what is beautiful and what isn't." Ju Bal couldn't help the words that left his mouth. The girl had blatantly disrespected an object that held so many close memories to him. If it weren't for the people around, perhaps he would have snapped her little neck already.

A fire lit on her bell blue eyes. She tilted her head one side before taking a step close to him. She looked calm even though her eyes were already angry. Her blue eyes looked directly at his silver-grey ones, seemingly searching for something.

There were very few people who could look Ju Bal in the eyes. Even those who didn't know who he was avoided his eyes as they felt the evil aura coming from him.

She left his eyes, roaming around his face. "I thought you looked handsome for a second there. But everything is a little too average." She gestured with her hand as she spoke before walking away without another word.

Ju Bal felt a headache at the moment. What just happened? After a long time of not being confused, he was confused.

...

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