Kyrion and his friends were parked outside one of the rooms early in the morning, each child carrying their own wrapped parcels. Cheery grins were plastered on their faces.

Kyrion Knocked on the door before taking his position on the far left side, and they waited. A minute passed, and he repeated the Knock before retaking his spot.

A yawn could be heard. “Gimme a minute!” Said a high-pitched voice. Before a soft pitter-patter could be heard approaching the door.

The door opened to a squinting Asela, who seemed to be half asleep. “What do you want?”

“Happy Birthday!!!” They all said together.

“What? Whaaat?!” The girl’s eyes widened as she began to rapidly wake up. “Yay!”

“Today is your day so what do you want to do?” Kyrion asked his sister.

“Ummm… I don’t know? We aren’t in the same place now.”

“Everest, do you know the city outside?” Kyrion asked Everest.

“I say we go get a teacher first. It’s dangerous to wander around in this country, those who became spirit masters are of relatively great power here. After that, there is a traveling Carnival, this country has quite a few attractions but I feel most of us are either too young or broke to participate.”

“Too young for what exactly?”

“Fighting in one of the various blood sports, gambeling, other things?”

“Like what?”

“Auctions houses, dungeons, contract work. There are a few parks, not fun parks though. More places with big grass patches.”

“Breakfast, then carnival, then back here for presents, lunch and cake.”

“Cake?” Kyrion asked, a bead of sweat going down his forehead.

“Cake.” Asela looked at her brother. “You do have a cake right?”

“Sure do! We’ll be waiting in the breakfast area then. Come down when you’re ready and we can start.”

“I see.” Asela closed the doors.

“How did you forget the cake?” Nico chided.

“I forgot it seems. Presents took priority on my end and I hadn’t had cake until we got to Limguard.”

“No cake? What do you have on your birthday?”

“Some sort of loaf of bread with pieces of fruit and other things in it. Never liked it, was murder on my poor little tongue.”

“Why is that?”

“My mom can’t cook. My sisters seemed to have figured something out. Cake must have been hard to make.”

Wura nodded in understanding. “As someone without the gift of cooking I can understand the pain.”

“My ma, can cook just fine. Makes the best smothered steak I’ve ever tasted.” Noah was confused. “She isn’t a chef but it’s good.”

“Both of my parents are what you would call Pescatarians. Only fish, vegetables, and fruit. It’s a balanced diet. They were also a bit, health nuts, so no cake for me growing up.”

Nico looked at Damian, pity in his eyes. “Ability to cook seems to inversely apply to how effective some people are in a fight.”

Kiara looked at the others. “We need to go find a cake real quick. One group will find a teacher while another will go find a cake.”

The group split. Kyrion, Nico, and Damian made up team one, while Kiara, Noah, and Wura, made up team two. Everest was tasked with keeping Asela busy, and he plotted while the others rushed.

After an hour and a half of labor, both groups had made their way to the cafeteria. Master Gan ended up becoming the group’s chaperone while the rushed cake was made to look pretty good.

Though Noah Wura and Kiara looked as though they were covered in some sort of white powder. Their clothes were bedraggled, and Kiara had burn marks on her sleeves.

“You did get a cake! So what do we do now?”

Kyrion’s stomach growled, vibrations shaking the utensils on the table. “Breakfast.”

Asela looked towards her older brother. “Fine. Eat. I’ll just wait another whole year for my next birthday.”

“Shouldn’t take that long.” Kyrion stacked three breakfast sandwiches on top of each other before smushing them down a bit before consuming them. He repeated the process a good five more times before he felt satisfied.

The others watched as Kyrion the All-Consuming devoured tasteless, soggy egg and sausage sandwiches.

“He makes them look better than they are.” Nico sat a half-eaten sandwich on a plate.

“Yeah…” Kiara pushed a plate away.

Damian stoically ate a sandwich, a single tear going down his face.

Kyrion patted his stomach a few times before he stretched. “Ok, I’m ready.”

----------------------------------------

The group made it back from their exciting day of adventure and exploration. Only to find that their cake was gone.

“My cake! Someone stole my cake!”

“Oh no… Who could be so heartless?” Master Gan said in a monotone as he looked at a fanciful envelope on the table.

Nico pointed at the envelope moments later. “It must be a clue!”

Asela read the note aloud. “Sorry to inform you that this cake has been disposed of for hazardous content. A kid who will not be named tasted it and had to be treated for poisoning. There is another cake located in the eastern auditorium prepped for your consumption. XOXO -C.”

“What does XOXO mean?” Noah asked.

“It could be some sort of code. Does anyone know of a C?” Nico looked around.

“Could it be a name?” Kiara chimed in.

“That would be too easy. Who names themselves C.” Damian stated.

“I see.” Kyrion stroked an imaginary beard.

“What do you see dear brother?” Asela looked at her brother in suspicion.

Kyrion looked towards Gan, the chaperon. “A note. Maybe we should go find this place and ask them. Master Gan, as our guide, lead the way!”

Gan shrugged. “Follow me then.”

After a few minutes of following, the group arrived outside the ballroom. Giant colorful bubble-like orbs floated around the entrance. Music seemed to be coming from inside the room, while streamers and other decorations made it clear that this must have been some sort of trap.

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“They must be holding the cake at knife point. Asela we’ll go in first, count to one hundred and then follow in after ok?”

“Why Its my birthday? I should be fighting the hardest for my cake.”

“On your birthday you’re a princess. That’s what mom says right? No chores on birthdays. Going in to get your cake is a chore and you are?”

“A princess today! Noah, grab me a chair.” She said to the older boy.

Noah stood there in confusion for a second, looking at Kyrion, who mouthed the words play along. “Yes, your highness? Majesty?”

Noah grabbed a chair and brought it to Asela. For him, it was a regular chair. To her, it was one of the big kid chairs.

Asela examined the chair that was a bit larger than the ones she was used to. Sadly it was higher than her waist. “Help me in.”

Noah hid a chuckle as he lifted her into the chair.” Anything else your highness?”

“That will be all. All the power and the world and I still can’t reach the top shelf.” Asela muttered to herself.

“I think it has something to do with age.” Nico started. “Kyrion is taller than you because he’s older.”

“Thats not how it works. We were the same height until he cheated!” Asela stated.

Kyrion slipped into the room along with Everest, Damian, and Master Gan.

“What did you mean by cheated?” Nico looked to where Kyrion was standing a minute ago.

“When did Kyrion get so sneaky?” Noah asked.

“They just walked through the door. Nothing stealthy about it. You all just weren’t paying attention.”

“And someone must have been paying too much attention.” Wura entered the room as well.

“Oh yeah. You all go find the scout while I count to a hundred.” Asela started counting.

The others soon followed behind while Asela counted aloud.

The ballroom was filled with more bubbles, which seemed to glow various colors. The cake sat alone on a table surrounded by some wrapped boxes. The music seemed to be being played by a blue-haired man, wearing a black mask with an absurdly long mask that hid everything above the nose. A headdress clad in colorful feathers covered his head. Two hands were used to play the violin while the piano in front seemed to be playing itself.

“Where can I learn that trick?” Everest looked at the person in interest.

“So it is you.” Kyrion muttered to himself.

“So you did know them. Are you in on this?” Master Gan crossed his arms.

“Who knows. My plans shattered when we ended up over here.” Kyrion stated matter of factly.

The group made their way to the Musician. “Charles. What are you doing? Did anyone else come along?”

“Ah, young master Kyrion. Well I guess you’re just Kyrion now aren’t you.” Charles stated.

“Didn’t answer my question.”

“And you have gotten sharper. What are they teaching you at that school?”

Kyrion gave Charles a stern look.” I’m not getting an answer today, am I.”

“You even know when to fold.”

“I’ll take credit for that. You’d hardly guess he was raised on a farm.”

“Kyrion I heard that there is a large tangerine tree in the garden here.”

A bead of sweat slowly began to pool on his forehead.” That is good to know. Gardens are relaxing.”

“I mean its really big. I’m sure the best fruits are at the top and no one would care if they went missing. Since they are really high up, an expert climber could get there pretty easily.”

Kyrion’s foot began to face the door as his body moved before his brain could tell it not to. “We don’t have time for this.”

“Eighty -Eight!” Asela yelled from outside.

“Do you need to hide?” Master Gan sat down in a chair.

“We have a good half a minute until Asela finishes counting. Everyone hide!”

The people who entered much later had finally heard the command and hid behind various tables, chairs, and decorations. Fog Filled the ballroom covering everything.

Asela made it to a hundred and hit the doors to throw them open. They moved a few inches, and fog rapidly rolled out. “Eeek!” She jumped back in surprise.

Asela waited a minute before she decided to push one of the two doors open with both hands. She then entered the misty room and wandered about. Headed in the direction of the music. The fog faded utterly after arriving in what would probably be the center.

“Happy Birthday!” Everyone cheered. Well, everyone except Master Gan, who was drinking a purple liquid from a fancy glass.

“My cake! And presents!” Ashley ran towards the cake in a hurry.” Its so pretty!”

“It is a decent cake.” Wura muttered. “Not better than the one we made but it should suffice.”

“This was actually made by your father.” Charles stated aloud. “And no he couldn’t make it.”

“Charles!” Asela turned away from the cake and ran towards the butler. “Where’s grandpa?”

Kyrion noticed it, a sad expression on the butler’s face. “He wasn’t fit enough to make the trip.”

“Because he’s old?” Asela asked.

“Something like that. Anyhow, presents and cake time!”

Asela ran over to the biggest present in the ballroom; it was around her height in size and seemed pretty heavy. She ripped off the paper, revealing a wooden box. She incarcerated the box in irritation, showing two gauntlets, a breastplate, and greeves, colored crimson in color with a flame-based aesthetic.

“Uhhh… It’s too big. I can’t wear it.” Asela stated, a little distraught.

“It’s runed. Invest some of your mana into it and it will bind to you permanently. Adjusting to fit your size. Its Spirit Armor, as you get stronger so will it, and you can even upgrade it when you reach a new rank. Though enchantments like that tend to require lots of materials to do so. Right now I should protect you from most mundane dangers, and fire up to the practitioner rank. I even supplied the basic materials for your first upgrade. I’m not good enough to do that upgrade yet.” Noah explained his gift.

Asela invested mana into the armor and began to put it on over her clothes as it resized to fit her. “I like this. I feel like a fiery knight of justice!” Asela posed in the fancy armor, a ball of fire shooting from her hand.

“Huh. Noah, I think you outdone everyone here.” Kyrion pats his friend on the shoulder.

“You said you wanted something to protect your sister, honestly the experience helped quite a bit. It works the way my armor does when it grows to fit my new size.”

Nico’s gift was next. It was a heavy book clad with a red and black cover.

“What is this?” Asela asked, looking for a title.

“Its a book on Wards, Runes and other spell structures. You have great control so this should come easier for you.”

“I see. I will read this one day.” Asela sat the heavy book back down. She seemed thankful for the gift, but it wasn’t exciting as a magical suit of armor as a young child.

She moved on to the third gift, which seemed to be a fancy bottle of perfume. Which was given to her by Kiara. “Smells good.”

“That’s a popular fragrance back home.” Kiara told her.

“Makes no sense to me.” Kyrion muttered to himself.

Kyrion looked to Damian, whose gift was next. Asela opened up the small box that contained a small figurine that resembled a cat with nine tails, a collar around its neck connected to a silver chain.

“.What is this?” Asela asked, looking at it with curiosity.

“There is a story that my mom used to sing about, it involved a nine tailed cat. It was extraordinarily lucky. The item is a good luck charm.” Damian took a step back to let her examine the gift.

“Thank you. I’ll keep it on me at all times.” Asela told the boy politely.

Asela opened the last box on the table. It contained a box of chocolates.

“One of my brothers is a maker of spirit candies. Those chocolates are capable of refilling your mana pool in a pinch and taste good too.”

Asela started drooling a bit. Wondering if she should eat candy now before remembering that there was still a cake left. She then looked to her brother and then Everest.

“Oh. Forgot to put mine on the table.” Everest walked to another table, picked up a gift-wrapped item, and handed it to Asela.

She opened it revealing three outfits. “Oooo. Are these made from good stuff?”

“Yes yes they are. Very practical and in my opinion very stylish.” Everest said smugly.

“I can’t wait to use these in combat.” Asela said.

“I see.” Everest took a seat.

Kyrion produced a potted plant. “This holds something called a Teleflower. When it fully blooms you should be able to communicate with anyone who has a seed from the same flower. They are really easy to raise and require minimum water and sunlight if fed mana. They would have been fully grown already but it seems my mana isn’t working right at the moment.”

“If it works as you say then its the best present ever. Who has the other seeds? I have one and you can hand out the rest.” Kyrion handed her a bag of seeds.

Asela went around and passed one to everyone in the ballroom except Master Gan.

“I don’t really know you.”

“That is pretty fair. I am here as a chaperone anyway.” Master Gan wiped away an imaginary tear.

“Young master Asela, your grandfather tasked me with watching over you for the the immediate future. I do have gifts for both of you however.” Charles produced a small sword and scabbard and handed it to Asela.

“I don’t know how to use a sword.” Asela said.” What even is it.”

“Its a cutlass that used to belong to your mother. Before that it was your grandfathers signature weapon. I hope to help train you in the off time.”

“But I already have a weapon.”

“The wooden one that you don’t have on you at the moment? Did you train with it after the first few weeks?”

“No.” She sighs.

“Well I’ll make sure you can use this one properly in the near future should you need it.”

Charles moved on to hand Kyrion a small box. “I hope you won’t need it but chances are you will one day.”

Kyrion opened the small box revealing an eyepatch and a small orb.

“Why? What is this?”

“It’s an eyepatch and a spirit core. The eyepatch belonged to your grandfather. It has a legacy per say.”

“I really hope I won’t need it. But why is this spirit core here?”

“It’s a replacement for said lost eye. It can become a spirit limb. In this situation it would replace one eye but alter both, as well as grant you another spirit. Though this spirit isn’t capable of using cores until you surpass the rank of the creature it belonged to.”

“I really hope I don’t need to use this.” Kyrion looked around, a bit paranoid.

“It would be a failure on my part if you do.” Master Gan told the boy. “Though better to have and not need than need and not have.”

Charles nodded along before breaking out a cake-cutting knife.” Now who wants cake!”

The room grew happier after the cake was mentioned and the party truly began.