"My body bears soil and my spirit bears the sun, my words carry the seeds, sprouting a will that lives on."

His voice strained as the final chant escaped his lips. Those within the banquet watched silently as Arnos stood tall, alone.

The girl smiled once more, her smile icy and devoid of warmth, subtly eyeing Ceru, who let out an uneasy smile in return. "With a display like that, it's hard for me to dislike you," she laughed, her cold playful gaze back on Arnos.

"However, I can't say the same for the rest," she said, glancing around the hall where many seemed hostile, but an equal number were curious, anticipation etched into their expressions.

She looked towards Arnos again. "We are the proud Omari. You must earn your keep if you want to survive," her playful tone grew colder, and her expression hardened.

Pointing to the seat next to her, she commanded, "Now sit. You are the guest of Adar Azuras Omari. Standing meekly is beneath you."

The girl's pressure was astounding, her presence felt by all around her. Arnos walked towards her and sat beside her, with Wendall and Ceru behind him. He let out a sigh of relief as he sank into the chair.

The girl stood up and looked around the silent hall, eyeing the servants and guests who had stopped due to the commotion. She clapped her hands twice. "What's with all this silence?" Her expression was lively again. "This is a banquet, not a funeral."

Servants rushed to deliver food, musicians entered and played beautiful pieces. Those from the 'Five Great Families' looked around cautiously until a boy from the Saphira family rose, smiling. "LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!" he roared, his amulets shining a beautiful red.

Carmine also rose with a smile, and with him, the rest of the Saphira dispersed amongst the hall, some dancing and others eating.

The doors burst open as young members of the Empyreus Family entered, their laughter and chatter filling the hall, oblivious to the previous tensions.

The Saphira and Empyreus Families mingled and danced together, and soon those from the Beryl and Meras Families joined in, the scene transforming into a beautiful celebration.

Arnos looked towards the girl, shocked by the scene before him. As he was about to raise his questions, she smiled at him. "This is the Omari way," she said, looking over the bustling banquet. "Blood trumps all. We may be our own worst enemy, but also our most loyal companion. We are all one in name, 'through life and death'," her gaze distant, almost reminiscent.

Arnos wondered what kind of life this young girl could have led to utter those words. He looked towards the crowd again, and a sudden yearning slowly crept into his heart. The laughter and cheers of others, combined with the music that filled the room, created a blissful atmosphere that starkly contrasted his inner turmoil. His time alone within the Azure Family was finally taking its toll, exposing the cracks of solitude. He stared longingly, remembering her words, "we are all one in name," slowly realising she had not been referencing just the clan, but him also. He looked towards both Ceru and Wendall, who noticed this sudden change in his demeanour.

"Is it safe for me to go?" Arnos asked meekly, glancing between Ceru and Wendall, who stood beside the girl. The two exchanged uneasy glances and looked at the young mistress, who smiled at the question.

"No harm will come to you as a guest as long as I am present," she said. "Now go enjoy the banquet." She said, signalling him to leave.

Arnos got up and slowly, cautiously, walked towards the rest of the clan members. As he moved out of earshot, Ceru leaned down to the girl, "Erza, why'd you help us?" he asked softly.

"Do I need a reason to help my own family?" she replied, her tone playfully sarcastic.

Wendall looked down towards Erza, puzzled by her comment, "I wonder what could have melted your heart of ice".

Erza smiled, her eyes briefly falling upon the throne within the hall, reminiscently. "Repaying a debt."

"To whom?" Wendall asked.

"And what debt?" Ceru added, both staring at the girl in confusion.

"Who knows," she said wistfully, watching Arnos clumsily walk off into the distance.

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Arnos weaved his way through the tables, feeling almost invisible now that the attention was no longer on him. He continued walking until he saw a familiar face: it was Seira.

She had been dancing with those of her family towards the centre of the hall, she was surrounded by boys and girls alike, each enjoying themselves.

Seira had noticed Arnos and moved away from the group, signalling him to come to her. The two stood in silence, consumed by awkwardness.

"Well… that was intense," she laughed, attempting to break the tension.

Arnos looked at her, "Remind me to never open another one of Ceru's letters again," he said playfully, subtly eyeing Ceru from across the hall.

"You handled it well, though," she smiled. "The Sicarians have paid with enough blood; the cycle of hate should end with you." Her smile slowly faded.

Arnos looked up to the ceiling, memories flooding his mind. He stared at the inscriptions, paintings, and gemstones plastered on the walls, tears slowly filling his eyes as he reminisced, his heart aching at her words.

"Are all our sins hereditary?" he asked melancholically. "Or is it just me?" A tear slowly trailed down his face.

Seira looked around to see if anyone was watching before quickly wiping away his tear. "Let none see your weakness," she softly whispered.

Arnos nodded and proceeded to leave Seira, who watched over him with concern. She opened her mouth to say something, but Carmine, who appeared behind her, shook his head in disapproval.

She could only watch as Arnos trudged along, feeling further and further away with each step. Surrounded by many, yet feeling as lonely as ever.

Arnos reached a door at the end of the hall that led to a beautiful courtyard. Flowers of every type and colour bloomed in all directions, sectioned between two large paths that led to a grand fountain, where water sprouted from the fingers of a statue. The statue was elegantly carved from a piece of alluring stone, depicting a lady with every feature exquisitely detailed. Arnos stood for a second, taking in its beauty, before recognising a boy no older than he, sitting at the foot of the fountain.

The boy was adorned in Meras Family robes, but Arnos did not recognise him from the banquet. The boy, who also noticed Arnos, got up, curious about the intruder in the courtyard.

The boy had dark hair, with noticeable tufts of grey. He was no taller than Arnos and had a singular scar running down his eyebrow. His grey eyes were full of warmth at the sight of a new companion.

"I guess you hate crowds too?" the boy smiled, playfully eyeing Arnos.

Arnos looked into his deep and grey eyes for a moment, washing away his prior sense of grief, the kind gaze almost absorbing all negative thoughts within his mind.

"Yeah, I find them suffocating," Arnos smiled, instantly feeling a connection with this boy.

The boy looked towards one of the flowers, picking it out of the soil near the statue, and held it out to Arnos. The flower had grey petals with small thorns jutting from its stem.

"Plants interest me," the boy said, eyeing the flower, then subtly eyeing Arnos.

"Why?" Arnos asked, puzzled by the topic of discussion.

"They bear many resemblances to us humans," the boy continued, now picking out more flowers from the soil.

His soft tender hands aggressively plucked the thorny flowers by the roots.

"They are beautiful, but, weak to external pressures," he said, plucking another flower.

Arnos smiled and plucked out a flower of his own. "However, once plucked, they leave space for other seedlings to grow."

The boy looked towards Arnos, surprised by his answer, and smiled. "Good point," he laughed, plucking out another flower. "Why do you think plants need both the sun and rain to grow?" he asked, testing Arnos.

"The same reason humans need both trials and fortune to grow," Arnos answered, plucking out another flower.

"Into what?" the boy asked, smiling as he plucked out more flowers.

"Better people," Arnos said resolutely.

"And how would you feel if someone entered your garden and plucked away your most prized rose?" the boy asked, plucking another flower.

"The same way I would feel if someone burned down my entire garden," Arnos replied, no longer plucking flowers. "Rage."

The boy looked up at Arnos, then at the bouquet of thorny roses he had created. "If only life were that simple," he smiled with deep melancholy.

"If only..." Arnos smiled, resonating with his melancholic tone.

"What is your name?" Arnos asked, his curiosity piqued as he watched the boy.

"Mitir," the boy answered. "And what about you?" he asked.

"Arnos," he replied.

Mitir walked towards Arnos, handing him the bouquet of thorny roses with a warm smile, "although our interaction was brief, I had fun".

Arnos accepted the flowers, whilst handing his own to Mitir, "I had fun too," he smiled warmly.

"Well, it's time for me to head inside. I could hear my older brother causing a commotion earlier," Mitir said. "It was fun meeting you," he smiled, walking past Arnos towards the door to the hall.

Arnos turned back, looking towards Mitir with a sense of camaraderie. "It was fun meeting you too," he replied. "Who is your brother?" he asked as Mitir opened the door to the hall.

"Melivora," Mitir answered, before closing the door.