The Evil Emperor's Fragile Heart

King Jaren was absolutely thrilled to see the holy sceptre in Raven's hand – and he was extremely tempted to send word to Head Sage Yue about this new development just to see the look on his sour face. But then, he realised that if Head Sage Yue and the others of the Moon Temple got to know about it now, they would all descend upon the Emerald Kingdom and bug them until Raven agreed to go with them at least for a visit. And King Jaren had absolutely no intention of allowing that. In his heart, Raven was already his child and he wouldn't let anyone else covet him!

"We should keep it a secret for now," Jules said with a frown.

Bella nodded. "The Moon Temple will become desperate to take Raven away if they learn about this," she added.

Mana crossed her arms, and hovering just above her shoulder, Azar copied her action. "Let them try if they want," she said, her eyes glinting dangerously.

"Moon Temple become Dragon Temple," Azar said, nodding his head seriously. "No one takes Daddy away!"

Jules couldn't resist taking out his modified copy machine and taking a picture of Mana and Azar like this.

In her world, this Big Brother of hers would have definitely been a photographer – be it professional or amateur, Mana thought to herself.

"No one is taking Raven anywhere," King Jaren said firmly. "Do they think King Jaren of the Emerald Kingdom is a joke? Raven stays here with us until he comes of age, and after that, he will choose his own path, and this will always be his home, even if he and Mana choose to live elsewhere later."

That was Raven's plan as well, even after he became the king of the Obsidian Kingdom one day, he and Mana would still live in the Emerald Kingdom for at least a few months every year. He wouldn't keep Mana away from her family – the family that was now his, too.

"This is my home," Raven said quietly. "I know that now."

King Jaren beamed at him like a proud father and ruffled his hair affectionately. "You know, son, with you being the master of the holy sceptre – you are now the highest ranking authority of the Moon Temple," he said.

Jules, Bella and Mana were stunned.

"Does that mean Raven actually outranks Head Sage Yue now?" Jules asked in astonishment.

King Jaren nodded.

"Wow, that's impressive, little bro!" Jules said cheerfully, thumping Raven on the back. "You're just too cool!"

"Big Brother! Be gentle! Raven is still recovering!" Mana scolded Jules and dragged Raven away from him. "Are you all right?" she asked anxiously. "Does it hurt anywhere?"

"I'm perfectly fine," Raven told her with a smile. "The holy sceptre made me better than before, remember? You checked yourself, right?"

Mana bit her lip and nodded, but she still took Raven's hand and sent a tendril of her own magic to check over him once again.

Jules rolled his eyes. "As if I'd ever hurt Raven," he murmured, annoyed. "Mana, you're becoming like a mother hen, clucking all over Raven all the time."

It wasn't that Mana didn't recognise this fact. In fact, she was quite aware herself that her overprotectiveness over Raven and fussing over everything was quite annoying. However, she couldn't help it. Raven collapsing like that the other day had scared her more than she could have imagined, and now, she couldn't help but keep an eye on him all the time, even though she knew that was really irritating. It was only because Raven was exceptionally sweet-tempered when it came to her that he hadn't erupted like a volcano yet. Mana was actually trying to tone it down these days now that Raven had fully recovered, but sometimes she impulsively burst out like what happened just now.

"I know," she said, looking away. "I know I'm being annoying, but I can't help it! What if something happens to Raven again?" Tears pooled in her eyes.

Jules panicked immediately. "Hey, don't cry! It's not like I was scolding you or anything!" he said quickly, trying to appease her. "I know it's only because you really, really care for him that you are so worried about Raven – and to be honest, I think that it's really cute when the two of you are together like this. It's just that I thought you could maybe tone it down a bit?" he spoke in a rush, bending over and peering at Mana's face apologetically. "Don't cry, little sis. Big Brother's heart hurts to see you upset."

Raven, too, had thrown an arm around Mana's shoulders. "Don't be upset, Mana," he said gently, wiping the tear that had rolled down her cheek. "I'm very happy that you care for me so much. No one has done that for me in my whole life."

King Jaren sighed. "Mana's had a big scare," he said quietly. "She's still very young, and it is natural for her to be traumatised by such an incident."

"I'm sorry," Raven said miserably.

King Jaren sighed again. "Why on earth are you apologising? None of this was your fault in the first place," he told Raven. "I know you lost your temper because Mana was threatened, and I think it is wonderful that you and Mana care for each other so much. There is nothing for either of you to apologise for!"

Mana buried her face in Raven's shoulder. "I think something may be wrong with me," she murmured. "I don't feel very stable right now."

The group immediately rushed to the medical wing. Imperial Physician Kale and Junior Imperial Physician Vale were surprised to see them rushing in yet again.

"What happened?" Imperial Physician Kale asked anxiously. "Is Prince Raven feeling unwell again?"

King Jaren shook his head. "It is Mana this time. She said that she feels unstable," he said anxiously. "Could you check her?"

Imperial Physician Kale didn't waste any time at all. Quickly and efficiently, he examined Mana.

"This is too early," he murmured to himself. Then he beckoned Junior Imperial Physician Vale over. "Vale, examine her and tell me what you think," he instructed.

Junior Imperial Physician Vale also examined Mana quickly. He frowned deeply. "How is this possible? Isn't Princess Mana only ten?" he wondered out loud.

King Jaren and Raven looked ready to tear out their own hair with anxiety.

"What's wrong with Mana?" Jules asked nervously.

"She seems to be showing the initial symptoms of a magic surge," Imperial Physician Kale said, stroking his beard. "She has not gone into a full fledged magic surge yet, but from her current situation, it seems probable that she will enter her first magic surge within a couple of days," he said with a frown. "But she is too young for this, and that's what is causing her to be unstable."

"Raven had his first magic surge a few months ago," King Jaren said. "And so did Jules – but neither of them were unstable. They just ate a lot. Why is Mana having a reaction like this?"

"Although a bit younger, Crown Prince Jules is still closer to the regular age for a magic surge," Imperial Physician Kale replied. "So there wasn't any problem with him. Prince Raven is a little too young, but he is an exceptional case, since he possesses the entire gamut of elemental magic, so it would work differently for him," he explained. "However, Princess Mana is even younger than Prince Raven, and quite far from puberty. She also possesses three magical elements, which is quite unusual. I would have expected her magic surge to occur early, may be at thirteen or fourteen – but the age of ten is just too young. I don't recall any precedent of such a magic surge in any of the cases I have seen or read about." He shook his head sadly, but his eyes gleamed with curiosity. "Princess Mana is setting a new record!"

King Jaren waved his arm impatiently. "All that is fine, but what can you do to make her feel better? I don't want my little Mana to be feeling unwell the entire time she is in a magic surge!" he said.

"Some people experience mood swings and a little physical discomfort when going through their magic surge," Imperial Physician Kale said. "I believe Princess Mana could be one of those. I can only suggest that you all be a little more tolerant of her mood for a bit, until her magic surge finishes its course."

"Can you gauge how long it will last?" King Jaren demanded. "It was very long for Jules, and he has two elements, and it was even longer for Raven, who has five."

Imperial Physician Kale shook his head. "Princess Mana is too young.. I think her later magic surges will be longer – at least as long as Crown Prince Jules's, but this one should be only about ten or fifteen days."