The Evil Emperor's Fragile Heart

Mana and Raven hadn't intended to reveal the existence of the holy sceptre or the fact that Raven was the master of the holy sceptre – however, they were simply too frustrated with their conversation with Head Sage Yue and it was a spur of the moment thing for both of them.

"How…" Head Sage Yue was still trying to gather himself. His mind was reeling in shock. "Raven – you – you – how did you get the holy sceptre? Where – where did you find it?"

Naturally, neither Mana nor Raven (or little Azar, for that matter), would ever tell Head Sage Yue about Azar's Elf Buddy!

"I didn't find it," Raven said lightly. "It came to me by itself."

"Can I – may I – may I touch it?" Head Sage Yue asked hesitantly.

Raven frowned. "I'm not sure," he said. "So far, other than me, the sceptre doesn't let anyone other than Mana or Azar touch it."

And, as if to prove Raven's point, the sceptre immediately shrank to toy size in his palm, and without missing a bit, the little dragon, who was still sitting in Raven's lap, grabbed it and started playing with it.

Mana and Raven watched their dragon child play with an invaluable magical artefact with fond eyes.

Head Sage, Yue, on the other hand was stunned. So…Raven really was the master of the holy sceptre! Only his soulmate and the heir of his bloodline could touch it! But…the dragon…Head Sage Yue had barely become used to the idea of his twelve year old son – a mere child himself – being claimed by a dragon as its "Daddy" – and now, this baby dragon was even going to be the chosen inheritor of the holy sceptre?!

Did that mean that they would change from being the Moon Temple to the Dragon Temple? Or the Moon Dragon Temple…?

He watched the little dragon play with the holy sceptre as if it were an ordinary toy, and complicated emotions reared up in him. This holy sceptre – how many generations of the sages of the Moon Temple had searched and searched for it? How much wealth and resources had been wasted over these extensive searches – and still no one had been able to find it – and here it was, after centuries, simply appearing in front of his son of mixed blood who had been condemned by the Moon Temple for years – and the holy sceptre had suo moto accepted him as its master!

Once the holy sceptre had made its choice, no one had any right to interfere with it – and if the holy sceptre didn't even let anyone other than Raven and his future wife and son touch it, then it was absolutely set in stone.

Whether they liked it or not, those who were opposing Head Sage Yue's decision to acknowledge and accept Raven as his son and admit him into the Moon Temple as well as the royal family of the Pearl Kingdom – they didn't even have a single rock left to stand on to argue against his decision now!

Raven – his son Raven – was the master of the holy sceptre!

Head Sage Yue could barely bring himself to believe it. His eyes remain fixed on the little dragon playing with the holy sceptre in Raven's lap, and he completely missed the frown that appeared on Mana and Raven's faces when they saw him staring a little too hard at their baby dragon. Both Mana and Raven were as protective as King Jaren when it came to their little Azar!

Head Sage Yue, however, remained completely oblivious. His entire focus was on the holy sceptre, and he had to admit that he was shocked and delighted in equal measures with this new development. His mother had been right – but even a prophet of her calibre hadn't been able to gauge the extent of Raven's powers! The Holy Sceptre that had been lost for centuries…! That holy sceptre had not only appeared in their world, but Raven – his own son, his own flesh and blood – was the master of the holy sceptre!

No one in the Moon Temple could question his authority anymore! Head Sage Yue had been a little apprehensive when he had released the decree, actually – he wasn't sure if Raven would be able to enter the Moon Temple with his mixed blood. But if Raven was the master of the holy sceptre – then Raven's status was not in question anymore at all! Raven's status would be equivalent to that of a holy saint or a living deity. And, he, Head Sage Yue, was the father of this miracle child!

While Head Sage Yue was in a daze, Mana and Raven exchanged a look and rolled their eyes, half in contempt. Both were beginning to regret showing the holy sceptre to the man in front of them. 

"We don't want anyone to know about me being the master of the holy sceptre," Raven said firmly. He narrowed his eyes at his birth father. "Can we trust you with this secret, or would you want me to erase your memory of the holy sceptre?"

Head Sage Yue snapped out of his daze. "What…?" he murmured in confusion, his pale eyes clouded with incomprehension.

Mana huffed. "Raven asked you if you are trustworthy enough that you would be able to keep the secret of the holy sceptre for us, or would you want your memory of the holy sceptre to be removed from your mind?" she asked archly.

Head Sage Yue went as white as a sheet. "You…you can actually remove people's memories at well?!" he asked. He trembled – whether with fear or excitement, it wasn't clear to Mana and Raven at all.

"Yes, of course," Raven said lightly. "It's rather basic magic, and it's the first thing I learnt after the holy sceptre came to me."

Head Sage Yue leaped up from his chair. "Fantastic! Magnificent! Amazing!" he cried out loud. His pale face almost glowed like a lightbulb and he smiled so widely that his lips almost touched his ears.

Mana and Raven stared at him in askance.. Even Azar, who was chewing on the holy sceptre, stopped doing so and gave the man a strange look.