MIDNIGHT PRINCE: Empire of Sin

The steam coming out of a teacup rose lazily in the air as Adam and Yui gazed at each other in silence.

The stats he had observed from Yui had been nothing short of startling to him. It was the first time he had observed the power of a true supernatural creature outside of his own and he realized why they were so much superior to ordinary humans. At the end of the day, their unreasonably powerful bodies alone bridged the gap of Prana they had with humans.

What humans needed years to accomplish was bestowed to them simply at birth itself. It was a blessing that all supernatural beings shared and was something a human could never hope to achieve. He sighed under his breath and buried those morbid thoughts in the deepest recess of his mind and refocused. Now wasn't the time to think about such things… It was the crucial time for him to decide just what he would reveal to Yui, someone precious to his heart.

Their story was one that had started long ago. They supported each other when the other was at their lowest point and went from a mere business relationship to a more civil one before becoming friends then something akin to siblings. It was a transitional change that naturally transpired between the two, bonding them in a relationship that went beyond the limitations of blood.

"How is Tsubasa doing nowadays? Is she also involved in all this?"

Yui's eyebrows rose and furrowed at Adam's sudden question. Clearly, he was just stalling for time but she decided to humor him in this instance.

"Since you entered this world already, you should know that like me, my sister isn't exactly normal. The Hanekawa clan is a family of Shaman Exorcists; humans who have made contracts with the Yokai and the gods to keep the equilibrium between this world and the Astral World that hovers between the dimensions. She is the current Heiress of the clan."

Adam nodded at those words. He obviously didn't ask Yui why her little sister was the Heiress rather than her. This was without a doubt a loaded question that would only lead to further complications; complications that he was not willing to face at this moment.

"You don't have to look like that. Okay, let's do this then. Since I want to know what happened to you, I will tell you everything about me. I am sorry I could say nothing sooner but with the Veil in place, it would have been impossible for you to understand what I say about my origins or anything related to the supernatural world."

Yui smiled and proceeded to explain her story to him. It was a pretty simple run-of-the-mill story, but it was still loaded with its own share of pain and miseries— dark emotions that no one would be willing to face in their lives voluntarily.

"I am a Hanyo. A being born between a Yokai and a human. At the same time, I am considered to be a Cursed Child. Simply a sacrifice for the peace and stability of the clans."

The Hanekawa and the Feng family were both very powerful families and the current ones that took root in America were just branch clans of the original.

It was impossible for two such families not to enter a war for control and such a war would only result in useless deaths. As such, every few generations, the heir of the two families would have a child between them.

It was a child that would be considered the symbol of peace between the two families. The heir did not have to marry and, in fact, would not marry the other in normal circumstances. The families had no intention to form a true alliance with each other.

In the end, the child would be one with no right to inherit anything. One that would be imprisoned once they reached adulthood and would have no right to ever give birth and continue their bloodline.

"So you see… For my mother and father, I am just a child that was forced on them by the rules of the clan. My father already had a wife and my mom had someone that she loved dearly. But due to the rules of the botched alliance, they had to conceive me."

She chuckled under her breath, melancholy coloring her face, "Well, the good thing for them is that… nowadays, we have a way to create babies in vitros."

"You mean…"

She shrugged. "They simply gave the necessary component and the fertilized egg was given to a surrogate mother."

Adam had never felt so suffocated as he heard someone speak; never so angry that he wished to decimate something to put his mind to rest. But, he forced himself to calm down. This was Yui's story, not his own. However, there was something in that story that caught his attention.

"You said something about adulthood, right?"

She smirked at that question, "Indeed. If everything proceeded as normal I should have been imprisoned currently. Unable to leave until the day I die. Oh… Just to be clear, even though I say imprisoned it isn't some jail or something barbaric like that. But it would be house arrest in a large palace with everything I could ever ask for. A golden prison so to speak. It wouldn't have been that bad if I say so myself."

"This isn't funny."

"…Indeed… I guess it isn't… huh…"

Being in a place where all your desires were granted outside of freedom was certainly not the worst fate anyone could have. But for her, it would have been unbearable.

The proof was that many of her predecessors ended up taking their lives.

"But I was lucky. Or should I say it was destiny?"

Her eyes twinkled, "My surrogate mother wasn't human."

"So, she was a yokai?"

"A yokai? Heh, if that was all, my destiny wouldn't have changed. In fact, it might have become worse. No. My mother wasn't just any being."

She rose a finger and pointed at the sky, a subtle grin etched on her face.

"She was possessed by a god."

A laugh escaped her lips, "Technically speaking, I am the daughter of Byakko, the White Tiger of the myths."