After a few minutes of walking, Vektor and his mother arrive at Wind Hills, where they can see from afar the various tables with snacks in the backyard of Master Noogard's house. Vektor can't contain his excitement:

"Oh...! I can smell it from here! Let's go!"

"Hey, no need to hurry. We'll be here all afternoon, there's no need to be in such a rush."

"Fine, but let's hurry. Before everyone else gets there."

It doesn't take long for the two to arrive at the party location. Vektor's eyes can't stop shining and his mouth starts salivating:

"Ahh, everything looks delicious... Mom, can I-"

"No way. We just got here, we need to make our presence known before touching any food."

Master Noogard appears in the distance walking towards them, saying:

"Ah, let him enjoy... The party is his after all."

Vektor's mother reacts calmly:

"Ah, it's you..."

"Welcome back. Make yourself at home!"

"You're still as short as ever..."

"...Okay, now you're exaggerating."

Vektor tries to get out of the interaction somehow:

"Ehm... So, mom, can I...?"

"You heard him, just go."

"Hehe... So, if you'll excuse me..."

Vektor then begins to enjoy the food on the table, disconnecting from reality around him. His mother continues to talk to Master Noogard:

"No, but seriously, it's really amazing that you don't age at all."

"Whose fault do you think it is?! Besides, you're not even that much taller than me!"

"Hey, calm down, it was a compliment! I also wanted to give myself a little rejuvenation, but unfortunately that potion was a miracle that I'm not able to repeat."

"That means still no antidote...?"

"Not for the time being..."

"Well, it is what it is..."

"By the way, didn't you say you would invite the other families here?"

"I did. I don't know about the Kageki, but the Haidora assured me they'll come soon, and it seems the royal family has been quite busy since the castle was destroyed last month, so the king and the princess won't come."

"I see. That's unfortunate..."

Meanwhile, Vektor continues to eat non-stop, until he is surprised by Mitsuko's voice:

"Enjoying life like there's no tomorrow, aren't you?"

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Hm? Oh hey, Mitsuko! Sorry, I didn't see you there..."

The two move away from the snack table to talk. Mitsuko begins by saying:

"So, it's been a while since I last saw you, you've been fine? From what I've heard, you had fainted..."

"Try to forget that detail, please. The important thing is that I won, and besides, not only I got better but I'm in an even better condition, since I'm on vacation now."

"If you say so..."

"By the way, didn't your parents come with you? I thought I would find them here."

"My parents are busy protecting the Arsenal of Shadow, so I had to come alone. I don't really know why they're so worried, it's pretty rare for that place to receive visitors."

"I see... But what about the island? Has anything happened around here since I left?"

"Since you left, things have been much calmer here. The people of Etykiran City were on alert with that accident with the top of the castle, but the royal family managed to calm everyone down in their own way. From then on, things became even more monotonous than before, since you broke that guy's toys..."

A frustrated voice interrupts the conversation:

"Hey, I can hear you two, you know?"

Vektor expresses genuine surprise:

"Hayato?! Even you came to the party?!"

"Of course not! There's no point in going to a pointless party like this."

"Then why are you here?"

"I live here, you moron! You thought I would get another fortress in a month like magic?!"

"Sorry...

(Well, I wouldn't be surprised if it was actually magic...)"

"That said, you better enjoy your passing days of peace while you can! For soon, I will be reborn! And when that day comes, this entire island will bow before my power!"

"Okay dude, good luck to you...

(This one is a lost cause...)"

Hayato heads to the table and grabs some snacks before heading back inside his house. Meanwhile, the Haidora family finally shows up at the party. Master Haidora and her husband chat casually with Master Noogard and Vektor's mother, while Yuko greets Vektor and Mitsuko:

"Hello, everyone... I see you're doing well, Vektor, glad to know. Great to see you too, Mitsuko."

"A- Ah! Yo, how are you, Yuko?"

"I'm fine, thanks. Ever since that incident at the Ice Palace, I've been focusing on avoiding risky situations."

"T- That's good, safety in first place!"

"I'm also spending more time with my friends."

Mitsuko complements:

"Mostly with me."

"Yes, Mitsuko is one of the people who can best accompany me in the sports I practice."

Unable to add anything further, Vektor simply comments:

"Sometimes I forget that I'm the only one out of us five who procrastinates..."

Yuko instantly refutes:

"Don't say that! You worked really hard during your stay here."

Mitsuko reaffirms:

"Exactly, I dare say the four of us were the ones who procrastinated that time. We must make up for it someday. We'll fight in your place to protect you and then we'll be even. Only then you'll be able to say that you're the one who procrastinates the most out of us five."

Vektor is not as enthusiastic as expected:

"I don't think that's how things work..."

Another familiar voice emerges:

"It's good to see you again, Vektor Drenn."

"Kder?! Wait, you were invited too?"

"Let's just say I invited myself."

"Wait, is that allowed?"

"An event like this with several Etykiran apprentices gathered requires my presence. I need to ensure that everyone is safe. Master Noogard has also allowed my stay here from the moment I arrived."

"(If I knew that was possible, I could convince Master Noogard to allow Sych to be here...)"

The celebration party then continues. Vektor continues to fill his belly with food and treats while chatting with Kder and the other apprentices. Hours pass. Everyone has as much fun as possible, with some games and challenges, including a chess match between Vektor and Kder in which the swordsman intentionally lets himself be defeated.

Sych spends the entire afternoon watching the party from afar. Everything seems to be going peacefully, and the party finally seems to be coming to an end, indicating that his work is coming to an end. However, a discomfort suddenly hits his body. An invisible pressure being exerted like a kind of wind that does not affect the world around him. A feeling that Sych is already familiar with:

"What is this... evil presence...? It's coming from the Dawn Plateau... and it's very powerful... No, wait... There are two... No, three presences?! What's going on up there?!"

Before he can do anything, one of the evil presences approaches the edge of the plateau, revealing its silhouette from afar. Sych is unable to identify who that person is, but the only thing he can notice is that:

"It's looking at me..."

Without wasting any other second, Sych sends a telepathic message to Vektor's mother:

"Ma'am, it's an emergency! Three signatures of dark energy have appeared on the Dawn Plateau! I've just been found by one of them! Please evacuate everyone from Wind Hills!"

But unfortunately, it is too late. The words sent by Sych were received by the unconscious mind of a woman lying in a hallway...