The sun rose slowly over Crescent City that morning. Awoken by rays of sunlight hitting his face, Ezra sat up and stretched. He threw himself to the other side of his bed to retrieve the shirt he took off in the middle of the night and slipped right back into it. Yawning, his feet scrambled throughout his bedside to find his slippers. A gentle knock was heard.
“Hey, Ezra?” a feminine voice called out, “Mom said to hurry up… She wants to make sure we all eat before we leave today.”
“Don’t worry about me, alright?” Ezra responded.
Ezra examined his dark and messy room, trying to identify a quiet buzzing. He then noticed he had left his gaming console on all night but only turned off his TV instead.
“Damn…” Ezra slowly walked to his gaming console and turned it off.
He walked into his bathroom and flicked on the light, briefly blinding himself. He then turned to the mirror and examined the marks on his face left by the pillows. He turned on the faucet and waited for the water to run warm.
Like his two siblings, Ezra Morningstar had recently graduated from Crescent City High School. Although he was no star student like his triplet brother Abel or as popular as his other triplet sister Acacia, he was very proficient in drawing and painting. Although he dabbled in playing the guitar, his strength lay in drawing. Ambitious as he was, he spent the majority of his time playing video games, smoking, and talking to friends online.
Ezra finished brushing his teeth and washing his face and quickly moved on to adjusting his ear piercings.
“Please, please don't smell funky, I cleaned you last night with that new solution…” Ezra complained.
Before getting to finish, Ezra received a text from his friend Rin reading “don’t forget about tonight ezra! i want to see you after our offerings before i have to host that event with my mom”
“Right… Ezra said, debating if he should text back or not.
Eventually, Ezra made his way downstairs and greeted his siblings at the breakfast table.
“All that time and you couldn’t even change, huh?” Abel joked.
“It’s barely eight okay? I’m still half asleep…”
Even though they were all the same age, Abel acted as if he were older. He would tease Ezra and Acacia over the smallest things and find any way to push their buttons. Additionally, acting older came with a feeling of responsibility. He is very family-oriented and cares about his family more than anything. Before graduating, Ezra was well-liked by all of his peers and teachers respectfully. He was the definition of a star student and aced every assignment he was given. Some would say it was his biggest downfall, though. Ezra criticized Abel for this because Ezra always felt that Abel relied too much on order and structure.
From across the kitchen, their mother and home chef prepared fruits and pastries for breakfast, “Sorry, I know I woke you all up expecting breakfast to immediately be ready. Give us a minute okay?”
Sat in between Abel and Ezra was Acacia, the third triplet and only girl. Like Abel, she was very well-liked at school, but for different reasons. With a growing blog and popular profile on social media for her cosplays, Acacia was a popular online teen sensation. With her love for fashion, makeup, and pop culture, she gained a lot of attention and fans from all over the world. Because of the constant attention, she grew very self-conscious. Additionally, she and Abel are both family-oriented and always fall back on each other and Ezra. The Morningstar family had experienced a lot of trauma during their adolescence, so there’s no question as to how close they’ve stayed throughout their lives.
Their mother brought over a board of delicious fruits and warm breads ready to eat.
“Thank you, Mom,” Acacia said, pouring more water from a crystal pitcher into her glass.
“Woah… this looks great,” Ezra grabbed pieces of fruit and quickly placed them onto his small plate.
Their home cooks served the family plates of grilled meat, eggs, and grilled potatoes.
“Please, eat well. We won’t eat until before the performances tonight, alright?” Their mom said.
“Oh, about that. Rin texted me this morning. She wanted to meet with us before the performance as well. Do you think she can join us to eat, then?” Ezra asked.
“She reminded me as well to pay her a visit last night too!” Acacia said.
Their mom nodded while drinking her coffee.
“Will Nova be coming?” Abel asked, trying to cut his grilled red meat.
“I haven’t talked to him since we graduated. He even left early from our graduation party,” Ezra said.
Acacia tilted her head and chewed her food, “Well, he might be busy with the ceremony after all.”
“Rin would be too, but she’s making time for us,” Ezra replied.
“All this talk about a ceremony just reminded me today was Dream Day. June sixth already, huh?” Their mom said.
Dream Day was a holiday in celebration of life and The Savior. Acanthus flowers are offered to The Savior during the day (or offered to statues or shrines around Crescent City). In comparison, asphodel flowers are offered to fallen Conscript Members and soldiers at night. Typically after honoring fallen soldiers, performances and songs are shared at the palace as a societal and cultural celebration before the day ends.
The Savior is a light-aspected being who is worshiped like a God by everyone on the planet. The Conscript is a group of combat retainers who fight alongside The Savior. During the Rite of Inception, the Conscript is selected from the Order of the Asylum, a combat-oriented program for children and teenagers. This program is mandatory for all children in Crescent City whether or not they have the ability to cast elemental powers or not. The Order of the Asylum graduates have the choice to enter the Asylum of the Garden, the militarized authority in charge of maintaining order within the city walls, or live a normal life. The Conscript is elected through the Right of Inception and it is their diligence to serve under The Savior.
“Did you get any sleep last night?” Acacia asked her mother.
She sighed, “I… Did not, no. I watched the news again before bed and it made me paranoid.”
“Is it the whole hallucination thing?” Abel asked.
“Yeah, another person from the district over went mad. The hallucinations are getting a new person every day it seems,” Their mom sighed again, “The demons are also appearing more frequently outside the city walls. The AOG are practically going to war with the demons trying to make sure they don’t appear in the city, but they’ve been struggling.”
Acacia took a sip of her water and looked over to Abel with a worried expression, “Do you think what Instructor Nemesis told us will come true?”
“What did he say?” Their mom asked
The triplets looked at each other, “He explained to us that if the threat of the demons grew stronger, we’d have to be drafted to fight against them,” Abel explained.
Their mother looked away and leaned back in her chair, visibly appearing stressed.
“But we didn’t think it would happen.”
Their mother grabbed her mug and hesitated to drink from it, “And if it got to that point? You couldn’t refuse. Then how would you defend yourself? The demons are attracted to darkness and what are we again? Right…”
“Mom…” Acacia muttered with a frown.
Ezra scratched his head, trying to think of something to de-escalate the coming lecture.
“Before we give out offerings today, I wanted to remind you all to be careful, okay? I’ve already told you once before that I have a theory,” Their mom said.
“Oh Gods here we go…” Abel cringed.
“Listen. It’s a very necessary precaution. We can get deported out of the country! I fear that because we’re from Hell the demons are clawing at the walls because they’re attracted to us”
“Listen, Mom,” Ezra said sarcastically “I understand where you're coming from but it just doesn’t make sense.”
Abel chimed in, “We’ve lived here for more than a decade already. If they were really attracted to us, they would have been clawing at the gates for more than just a couple of months like they have been now.”
“I’d also like to bring up the fact that we haven’t cast any dark powers while we were inside the city. Like you said…” Acacia added.
“If you are going to practice your darkness casting, take it into the forest where nobody can see you,” the three said in unison.
“Good. I’m glad you three at least remembered one thing I told you,” Their mother said with a laugh.
The four finished their breakfast, got ready, and prepared for their offerings. As Ms. Morningstar drove the triplets around the city, their goal was to stop at certain shrines and statues of the current Savior, Rosalia Mnemosyne.
“Mom, you never finished, you said someone had another hallucination?” Abel asked from the front seat.
Their mom looked tense as she sped through the Crescent City streets of the residential district. The white paint glared into her dark sunglasses as she relived the horrors of watching the people on the news experience grim hallucinations.
“...Mom?”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” She repositioned her hands on the steering wheel, “It was an older woman from downtown. She was screaming the same nonsense they all do. Her body was moving and jerking in all kinds of gross ways trying to break free from the straps on the stretcher, it was gross.”
“Did she have bruises like the rest of them?” Acacia asked.
“Some of her body looked like it was deteriorating. That’s a new one.”
Ezra closed his eyes and shook his head, “I don’t want that image in my head, I hate gorey stuff, Mom.”
“I’m sorry sweetheart. They just look like they’re getting worse and worse.”
“Any news on the purified ones?” Acacia further asked.
“I heard that people are getting purified but falling right back into that state like their soul is refusing to be purified,” Abel said, “Oh, that’s another thing! I was questioning whether the hallucinations were a symptom of being in close proximity to demons like the authorities had led us to believe, but I saw last night on social media that the hallucinations are not darkness attributed, which may further explain why once they are purified using light casting…”
“Oh Gods Abel it’s like your brain never turns off,” Ezra joked.
“At least mine is on unlike you two.”
“I didn’t even say anything!” Acacia said.
“Okay, you guys stop it. We’re about to stop at our first shrine,” Ms. Morningstar pulled over to the side of the road and gently parked one of her expensive cars, “Go on, go offer your flowers and say your little prayer.”
“You’re not coming with us?” Abel asked.
“I’ll just keep the car running so we can make it to the next stop quicker, now go one,” Ms. Morningstar said cheerfully.
As the triplets walked to their first shrine holding their acanthus flowers, a warm breeze blew through them, holding the sweet scent of local flora. Although it was almost mid-day, the summer heat had not come out to play, just yet.
“Can you guys believe the Rite of Inception is just four days away? I feel like it’s way too soon. Has it ever been this close to a holiday before?” Acacia asked.
Ezra slightly moved over to the side and back to avoid stepping over a pothole, “I think last Prophecy it was literally on War Horse Day.”
“Who do you think is going to be elected? My bets are on Primrose, Elias, and Mei. They were the absolute top of the class.” Abel said.
“Well, it can’t be Primrose or Mei, it’s a requirement to cast an element to be a part of the Conscript,” Ezra explained.
“Oh you would know Mei can’t cast huh,” Abel joked, nudging Ezra’s arm.
Mei was Ezra’s middle school and high school crush. Although nothing happened, Ezra was obsessed with Mei. Unfortunately, they stopped talking after he confessed his feelings for her the week of graduation.
“Oh shut up, I just paid attention.”
“Yeah, extra attention,” Acacia added to the joke.
Ezra sighed and rolled his eyes, slightly separating from the two.
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“Oh come on, we’re only joking,” Abel said.
“Okay then, who do you think it’s going to be, Ezra?” Acacia asked.
“Nova and Rin, because obviously, nepotism. Imagine being the Prince and Princess of Light and your own mom doesn’t choose you to fight alongside her in the war.”
Their mother honked the horn of the car, trying to get them to hurry up.
“Damn, we just got to the statue,” Acacia said.
The three placed their flowers on the foot of the statue of The Savior and made their way back to the car.
“You know what I always thought was cute? That mom’s name is Acanthus, just like the flower,” Acacia said.
“Your name is a flower too, dumb-dumb,” Abel teased.
The three got in the car and were quickly off to their next location, which happened to be downtown. To get to downtown Crescent City, they would have to exit the residential district by going through the Gate of Patience, into central Crescent City, and then through the Gate of Temperance.
“We’ll be able to see the palace from downtown!” Acacia said excitedly.
“More like the walls guarding it,” Ezra said.
Crescent City is divided into five districts, two residential districts, the royal district, central Crescent City, and downtown Crescent City. However, one of the residential districts has been abandoned for twenty years and has made very little progress in its restoration. All districts are surrounded by massive walls in which clearance must be provided. For the Morningstar family, clearance is never an issue because money talks. Unfortunately, many citizens of Crescent City struggle to earn enough clearance to travel freely within the city walls.
Ms. Morningstar merged through residential traffic without her blinker as if she and the kids had nine lives.
“Mom, where did you learn how to drive?” Acacia asked.
“I taught myself, needed to in order to get you guys to school and back.”
“Hey… Now that we’ve graduated high school, when are you getting us our cars? You said once we graduated you’d buy us each a car!” Ezra complained, “It’s been a week already!”
“Well, it takes more than that to buy a car. You kids are so pushy…”
“I already know what I want. It’s not my fault Acacia and Ezra don’t know what they want,” Ezra said.
“I actually do,” Acacia said, “It’s six hundred thousand though…”
“Yeah, no. Since I’m getting you three a new car each, the limit has to be three hundred thousand.”
Acacia sighed and groaned, “But it would literally be so cool!”
“I don’t want to hear it. You’re lucky you’re getting a new car and not one of my other ones,” Ms. Morningstar said.
The Morningstar family drove through central Crescent City and straight into Downtown, estimating that about thirty minutes passed.
“Why didn’t you want to take us to the central shrine? It was probably the most packed but still,” Abel asked.
“The traffic sweetheart. We need to have enough time to visit the shrines in downtown and the graveyard and still have time to find a place to eat,” Ms. Morningstar explained.
Meanwhile, Ezra texted Rin “Hey! So my mom is going to take us to the shrines in downtown and we’re going to visit the graveyard there. It should be past 12 by the time we get to the graveyard. Do you want to grab something to eat with us around there? 0_o”
“well i wanted to do some prayers with you and your brother and sister first but.. yeah !! i can do that, just send me the place and me and nova can mae it!! XD” she responded.
“**make…”
“Hey, mom?” Ezra asked, “Where are we going to eat? Rin wants to know so she can meet us. She’s also going to bring Nova.”
“We can eat at Le Chat Noir or La Petite Palourde Décadente et Glissante! Those are my absolute favorites!” Ms. Morningstar recommended.
“Or, how about a place we don’t need a reservation? Like Dead Ends Diner?” Abel suggested.
“I think that’s a much better option,” Ezra agreed.
“You guys used to love that place growing up, all five of you. Every time I took you guys to a fancy dinner, you always wanted Dead Ends instead.”
“I remember always busting a mission after school to come to downtown before we had training to eat, it was so hectic,” Abel said.
“Yeah, and you were almost always late!” Ezra replied.
The Morningstar family made it to their next stop which was a run-down and dirty park where a crowd stood around the statue of The Savior.
“This shrine is a bit crowded. Be careful guys!” Ms. Morningstar said.
Across the street was an active protest outside an empty warehouse with people chanting “End discrimination now! Non-casters are worthy too!”
“I wonder what all that is about…” Abel questioned.
Acacia was the last to get out of the car. She slowly lifted her head above the car and watched the angry protesters march and chant to the beat of their oppression.
“They’re upset that non-casters can’t be a part of the Rite of Inception? But it’s always been like that. Plus, if it’s so much of an issue, why not learn how to cast an element then?”
“Acacia, come on,” Ezra grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the crowd.
“You know it’s not that simple to just immediately learn sorcery and start casting away. It takes so much time to develop. You learn this in regular school, Acacia. Try not to be so close-minded,” Abel scolded his sister, trying to not sound prejudiced.
“I’m just saying, it’s not impossible. Technically we’re non-casters.”
“Yeah… secret darkness casters” Abel whispered.
“Both of you stop it. We’re not supposed to mention it outside of home,” Ezra interrupted.
The three grew quiet as they approached the crowd. Chatter, gossip, and more importantly fear were spoken amongst the civilians.
“Can you believe we had another hallucination incident last night?”
“I know and now we have to deal with another protest from the non-casters, give me a break!”
“I don’t even think it matters, as a non-caster, who cares? Why would you wanna be indoctrinated into some stupid military law enforcement anyway.”
The triplets quickly offered their acanthus flowers and ran back to the car.
“That protest… Interesting…” Ms. Morningstar said as her kids entered the car.
“What if we were elected? Would we have to hide our powers forever?” Ezra asked.
“Yes. But you three and I know that's not gonna happen. None of you were proficient in your training enough to even be considered,” Ms. Morningstar joked.
“Scarily enough… we actually were. We were fourth through sixth on the leaderboard. Thankfully the city doesn’t recognize us as casters though. Imagine if we used sorcery of any other element though?” Abel explained.
The Morningstar family visited a few more shrines, chatted about nonsense, and finally visited the graveyard to honor the previous Conscript members who died in battle during the last Prophecy. This time, their mother got out of the car with them.
“I love that we’re the only people at the graveyard because it’s still so early in the day,” Acacia joked.
“We’ve never honored the past Conscript members at night before, it doesn’t make a difference.” Ms. Morningstar explained.
“It’s tradition though…”
“Well, it’s our tradition to not do it at night!”
Ezra examined the large coffins on display of the two previous Conscript members with a statue of The Savior in between them.
“It’s crazy to me that Adam and Eve fought alongside Rosalia and the previous Saviour, but only she survived,” Ezra said softly, “And to think they only put her generation of the Prophecy in our history books until a couple of years ago.
“What was the previous Saviour’s name again?” Acacia asked, stepping right beside Ezra.
“Ezekial. Saviour Ezekial,” Abel followed, standing on the other side of Ezra.
“Have either of you ever asked Rin or Nova about why their mom has always put herself in between the other two Conscript members? Isn’t the graveyard and the asphodelus flowers supposed to be for honoring them as dead members?” Ezra asked.
“I think she’s just honoring her dead friends.”
Their mother approached from behind, “Are you guys ready? This place always makes me unnecessarily sad.”
After some time had passed, Ms. Morningstar dropped off her triplets at Dead Ends Diner where Rin and Nova waited for them. Naturally, they requested a private room to not be bombarded by crazed fans, paparazzi, and the occasional extremist.
They sat in their secluded room and ordered their childhood favorites; Abel had a grilled meat platter with a side of white rice, Acacia had a roasted poultry meal with pan-fried potatoes and Ezra had a fried poultry meal with french fries.
“What should we have to drink?” Rin asked.
A pitcher of iced lemongrass water and iced barley tea were brought to the table. Rin ordered the same meal as Ezra, both always being teased for their very simple taste, and Nova ordered his spicy noodles. Sometimes, however, he preferred for them to not be spicy.
“Are you guys excited for the Rite of Inception?” Rin asked, “Nova and I have been talking about it nonstop thinking about who our third would be.”
“I don’t feel as anxious because I know we’re not going to get it. But it does feel overwhelming. We just graduated high school, just graduated from the Order of the Asylum, it’s Dream Day today, and now the Rite of Inception in literally less than a week? I feel like too much pressure,” Acacia complained.
“Don’t forget possible college admissions,” Abel added, eating his rice with a large spoon.
“I’ve already decided on Fra Angelico, but that’s only if the war in the east calms down. I hear the school is making preparations to evacuate just in case it comes to it,” Acacia said.
“I’m not sure. We’ve been writing letters to our father but he hasn’t responded. We can’t send a text or call due to security issues but we’ve received word that they’re fine, it’s just really tense over there,” Nova explained.
“Is it the same demons that are just outside the city?” Ezra asked.
Rin and Axel looked at each other with worry in their eyes.
“We… actually don’t know. It started off with the demon outbreak in Garza, and then in the east near Crystal City. And for months we haven’t had an update until a few weeks ago saying that they’re alright but the battle is getting more and more tense, no specifics,” Rin further explained.
“But regardless, I’m sure Crystal City is doing just fine,” Nova reassured Acacia.
“I’m not gonna lie, I’m pretty worried about what’s happening with the hallucinations and the demons. It sounds like it’s just getting worse and worse,” Ezra stopped eating and took his hands off the table, expressing his fear, “I just feel like right now is such a bad time for all this celebration and honoring.”
“Once the sun sets, we’ll be going to the palace courtyard for our speeches. We’d like you guys to be honorary guests on stage. Maybe that will help ease your tensions?” Rin said with a slight smile.
Nova gestured for the waitress to get another pitcher of barely tea. She quickly grabbed the pitcher but accidentally spilled some on Nova’s left shoulder.
“Dude? Be more careful!”
“He doesn’t mean that I’m so sorry,” Rin comforted the waitress, “Nova, don’t act like that or I swear to the Gods…”
Nova and Rin Mnemosyne grew up even more affluent than the Morningstar triplets. Being the Prince and Princess of Light, they are expected to be prim and proper at all times. However, since meeting the Morningstar triplets at a very young age and becoming best friends, they always felt they could be at ease around them without reprimand. Outside of combat training and homeschooling, Rin loved painting just as Ezra loved drawing. It was one of the first things they bonded over. Aside from that, Rin was a bit of a history nerd and loved learning about the history of her continent. She would constantly bore everyone with her fun little facts so she tried to not give them too much. Nova on the other hand loved the thrill of combat and loved the art of war more than anything. Wanting to grow up and be just like his father, Nova aspires to lead the Asylum of the Garden one day. His aspiration is more just a game of patience however, because of the two, Nova was more spoiled and got everything he wanted growing up, so his wish may just be his future if he waits long enough.
“Sorry… Sorry, I’m trying to work on my manners more. Mom has always told me to,” Nova apologized.
The five chatted the evening away and finished their meals quickly before the sun officially set. The five exited the diner and paced the dirty streets of downtown without their bodyguards.
“So… You’ll accept our offer to be on stage with us tonight, right?” Rin asked.
“We’ll think about it, okay?” Ezra responded.
“Don’t worry, if anything we’ll be in the front row!” Acacia said.
“Hm, I don’t like that answer,” Rin joked, “I think you meant to say you’ll be on stage with us no matter what!”
The five laughed together and spent the last few minutes together enjoying each other’s presence.
Night fell on Crescent City quickly and the summer festivities had begun. Fireworks sparkled in the sky and music could be heard along many corners. The people of Crescent City celebrated the past Conscript and eagerly awaited the new Conscript, and finally, Rosalia’s true reign as The Savior.
At the Palace of Light, a large stage protected the front doors, and on it sat Rin and Nova with three empty seats beside them. In front was a podium for The Savior to speak.
Rin checked her phone consistently for the time and texts from any of the Morningstar triplets, “I hope they come… They said they would.”
“I don’t see any of them in the crowd.”
“We have a couple of minutes,” Rin continuously refreshed her messaging app, “Maybe they’ll arrive on the dot?”
Within a few breaths, the Morningstar triplets entered the stage and sat beside them.
“You guys came!” Rin jumped out of her seat and hugged Acacia, the the other two.
“We said we would!” Acacia said.
The three changed their appearance into more mature attire but still appropriate for the hot summer night.
“Seven p.m., just in time!” Rin said, slowly walking to the podium.
The crow cheered for the princess as they saw her adjust the mic.
“She has a lot of fans,” Abel whispered to Nova, causing him to roll his eyes and smirk.
“Good afternoon everyone!” Rin announced with her cheerful voice, “I know you guys must be eager to watch the idol performances and dance until midnight, and maybe even for the flower toss, but allow me to get some formalities out of the way first, okay?”
The crowd continued to cheer and Rin’s fanboys went crazy for her.
“I’d like to thank everyone for coming tonight and also acknowledge everyone’s efforts to keep our wonderful tradition going. Thank you kindly from the bottom of my heart for your continuous support for my mother,” Rin said.
The Savior walked onto the stage, causing the crowd to roar even louder. As she walked closer to the podium, she bowed to the Morningstar triplets causing their jaws to drop, not expecting to even be acknowledged.
“Good evening everyone. My name is Rosalia Mnemosyne, Savoir of Asphodel, and Queen of Crescent City. I join you here tonight to bless our city once more on this celebration as well as ease any concerns you may have about our current situation involving the hallucinations.”
The crowd slowly calmed down and grew quiet, not expecting to hear about the hallucinations.
“Mom? We’re going to talk about that now?” Rin asked.
The Savior gestured for her daughter to sit down and immediately she did as she was asked.
“I need you to understand this threat will not reach us no longer. We have concluded that the hallucinations are caused by the demons being near us. Thankfully, my Asylum has shed blood outside our city walls to quell the calamity, and have made significant progress in fighting back. I am extremely proud of our soldiers for keeping you safe. Tonight, may you honor them in your dances and festive fever.”
The crowd cheered and applauded the good news.
As they applauded, the five behind the Savior grew a confused look on their face.
“We know that’s… not true? So why would she say that?” Abel asked quietly.
Nova shook his head, “Crowd control. Fear was running rampant downtown, which you wouldn’t have seen since you live so far away.”
Abel and Ezra side-eyed each other and continued to give applause.
The night was still young. The Savior stepped off the stage and back inside the palace she went. The stage was cleared and an idol performance immediately started, hyping up the already ecstatic crowd. The five watched the idol performance just as fireworks went off in the background. All was well in Crescent City that night, as just outside the city walls, demonic entities and beings ruthlessly tore apart the very Asylum The Savior swore was protecting the innocent people from death.