“A request?” Julian said. “Like, ‘please pick up some bread on the way home’ kind of request?”

Ryu shook his head. “It’s a bit more urgent than that.” He flipped the image around, both Julian and Felix leaning closer as Ryu pointed to each symbol, sliding his finger around gently as though reading from a book.

“Speak the words only you know, for the Godheart will not recognize any other. Protect as I have done…I couldn’t figure this one out. Probably a pet name or something…take this and bind it with the other. Touch it not or death befalls you both…this one can have two meanings. Either celestial light, or star birth.” He shook his head. “It may be a combination of the two. At least, that’s the assumption I’ve been going with. Perhaps ‘born of celestial light,’ or ‘bearer of stars.’ Anyway,” he pointed at the next symbol. “Sole handler of his birthright. He is born to rule the…again, this one could have many meanings. The closest one is universal powers.”

Felix and Julian shared a look. 

Ryu’s finger slid to the last two symbols on the bottom of the image. “Created for you, an eternal soulmate.” He sat back and shrugged. “I never got a chance to read the rest of it. Natsu walked in right at that point and I never gave it another thought. Plus, this is only half of it. Whatever the ‘words only you know’ are, they’re probably on the back.”

Julian sighed, sliding the photo off the desk with his fingers, his eyes roaming over each symbol and image carved carefully into the box. “Well, I now have answers to two questions I had. The first is the Godheart itself, and why I’m the only one that can open the damn thing.” He looked up at Ryu. “So, where is it?”

Ryu shook his head. “I’m not sure. A lot of things were shuffled and moved around after Hawk and Hero stopped searching for Toji full-time. Much of it was taken to the Veil, the rest scattered throughout the house and Kanaki Valley.”

“What was taken to the Valley besides med supplies and weapons?” Felix asked. “Isn’t that where a lot of the training goes on?”

Ryu nodded. “Yes, but many people have made it their home. There’s even a few farms out there now.”

“Oh,” the demon said, obviously impressed. “I did not know that.”

Ryu smiled. “It’s been a while since you’ve been out that way, I’m not surprised. Not to mention, Natsu’s army was disbanded following the Reconstruction. Megura found that it was redundant as there were no more exiles to protect or rescue, and no one to fight on such a large scale. That isn’t to say that they don’t train at all like you said, but that’s not the primary function of Kanaki Valley any longer.”

“I’m actually glad to hear that,” Julian said, folding up the photo and placing it back in his jacket pocket. “There’s been far too much fighting going on, and we’re trying to prevent it from starting up again. This is going to help with that. We just need to find it.”

“When was the last time you saw the box?” Felix asked.

Ryu thought for a moment, pursing his lips and lowering his gaze. “Maybe two, three years ago? I didn’t miss it when it was gone and it wasn’t like it meant much to me to begin with.” He gave Julian a sheepish grin. “That must sound cold to you.”

Julian shook his head. “Not really. I always thought it was just a regular desk ornament, nothing special. I’m sure most of us thought that.”

“Do you think it could have been stolen?” Felix asked.

“Not likely,” Ryu said. “From what I understand, the staff respected, and still respects, the Helman family a great deal and would never stoop so low as to steal from them.”

“Yet, there was a traitor in their kitchen and they never even knew it.”

“I heard that, too,” Ryu nodded. “Anyone Gabriella hires now goes through a much more thorough background check, and she is extremely picky about who she selects. She still places the blame on herself for hiring that demon. No offense,” he added.

Felix shrugged. “We’re a fucked up race, I don’t blame her.”

“Okay, so if it wasn’t stolen, then it must have been moved somewhere,” Julian said, scratching at the side of his neck. “With your permission, I’d like to go through the entire house, including all the rooms; staff and family.”

There was a slight tick under Ryu’s eye. “I will allow it,” he said. “Except one.” 

Julian didn’t even have to ask which room he wanted them to avoid, and his reasoning was valid. He didn’t like the idea of invading his uncles’ room, especially since it was the only room in the entire manor that Hero and Hawk ordered to be left alone. But they had a job to do, and no corner could go unsearched.

“We understand your hesitation,” he said gently. “But we have to search them all.”

Ryu tapped nervously on the desk, his gaze falling to the side as he swallowed hard. “Julian,” he began softly, “I’m not simply refusing that room based on the orders given by his fathers. It’s also because that door has been locked and completely untouched since they left. They locked it themselves…from the inside.”

“Are you telling me not even Hawk and Hero have stepped foot in there?”

“Not once. They want it to remain as is for when…if…they ever come back. The only reason we know it’s locked at all is because Hawk tried to open it not long after they disappeared. He almost broke the door down but Hero stopped him.”

“Has anyone tried the window?” 

“And don’t think it isn’t possible,” Felix said before Ryu could respond. “Too many of us have wings.”

“At the least.”

Ryu exhaled softly, a small grin on his lips. “I wasn’t even going to suggest it. But, yes, a few people have tried the window. It’s been sealed with some sort of magic no one can break.”

Julian ran a hand through his choppy brown hair. “It isn’t just Hawk and Hero that want to keep people out of that room, it’s all four of them.”

“And if you’re saying the box disappeared after that,” Felix said, glancing off to the side, toward the wall of books and other artifacts, taking in each item carefully before turning back to Julian. “Maybe we can overlook it, boss.”

There was something in his expression Julian caught but Ryu missed entirely. Julian nodded his understanding. “Yeah, there’s no point going in if we can’t. Plus, the two of us canvasing this entire house is going to take a lot of time as it is.”

Ryu sat forward. “If there’s anything I can do to help, I’ll be happy to. Perhaps I can offer the assistance of a few people.”

“Do you have anyone in particular in mind?”

“I do, actually. They’re regular staff and highly trustworthy. They’ve also been here since the beginning.”

Julian smiled. “I think I know exactly who you’re talking about.”

-*-