A faded voice could be heard in the distance. For once something he wasn't used to. It was not a threat, but a soothing, charming voice. One he felt the warmth upon hearing of.

"Up!" the soft voice came closer, "Come on!" it kept approaching.

His fear took over once again. He refused to open his eyes and give in again. He knew the tricks. He had experienced it before. He was once again afraid.

"Come on!" the tiny voice grew closer, "Wake...up!" the tiny voice giggled as a touching sensation came over his body.

Not being able to avoid the feeling no more, he opened his eyes, taken by the gentle yet eager sensation of the touch. He faced the source of the voice it was a cute little girl, pulling his arm. He once would not know why...just why. But that was before. The familiarity of the face of the little girl only helped to piece something he had lost long before.

The little girl giggled, "Big bro! Come on! You'll be late, everyone's waiting!"

"He slowly got up as an overwhelming sense of both familiarity and sadness took over, only further contained by sheer curiosity and confusion.

"W-Wait uh...little sis? What's happening?" Dante said.

He did not know why those words came out of his mouth. Neither did he really know what he was witnessing. But instead of fighting it like he always did, he chose the option he once feared would let him drown. He went with the flow. The girl slowly backed away, covering her hands both behind her back.

"And now...I think I'll be the one to have a go first." the girl ominously approached Dante. "And..."

He closed both his eyes again, trying to regain some control over the situation. He almost broke in spirit, fearing to relive the same fate he was used to experiencing. Death. He did not fear the act itself. He did not fear the state after. He just couldn't figure out yet, why something that he thought to be the natural cycle he had experienced multiple times would mean that he was to lose more than he ever could afford. And then, the girl swiftly thrusts her arms forward, and him managing to close his eyes and preparing for it to happen. But then...nothing. He couldn't feel the pain. He couldn't feel the wet tripping of his own blood.

"Well, what are you waiting for?! Come on, open it!" his little sister urged him to do it.

He slowly opened his eyes, only to see a smile from the little girl, and both her hands holding not a dagger, but a neatly prepared, handmade present.

"A...present?" Dante took the present.

"Oh, come on, even the leader of the Silver Lances would remember their birthday! Now open it!" his sister urged him further.

He opened his present. A beautiful amulet layered with both gold and silver, it sparkled the faint, reflecting sunlight off their small bedroom window.

"Wait, where did you...get this?"

"Well...just don't tell Mom. Yeah, I took some of the old jewels and took them to Mr. Lancet. She did take me off your amulets, so it's only fair! I hope you like it..." She fidgeted with her fingers.

"It's perfectly fine, don't worry."

A big bright smile came across her face. "You said 'perfectly fine'?! Yes! I knew it! Leave it here for a bit, we don't have much time, you need to come down quick!"

"All right. Let's move."

"Oh come on, it's not an operation, we both know that!" the girl giggled, "It's breakfast, but a big one for the three of us!"

The two of them quickly tip-toed down the stairs at a two-by-two-phase, her dragging him by the arm and leading the way. They made their way to the kitchen for him to see two more familiar figures waiting for his arrival. One was another young one, a boy resembling the girl and the other was a tall, beautiful brunette woman with an apron, facing backwards towards the kitchen counter.

"Hey little bro..." the little boy on the table said. "How are you?"

"Fine.", Dante answered in a bold manner.

"Oh come on now, no need to go at it today as well. It's your brother's birthday!" the female figure said. "Let's get you all something to eat, shall we?"

On the table were laid a bunch of different flavored foods, eggs, cereal, sweets and most outputting, spices and seafood. It was a colorful bunch of festivity-based food that filled the table as if a splash of rainbow went over it.

"Don't worry Mom, I got this! No fighting today, on everyone's part, promise!" Dante's little sister put her arms around her waist and pumped her chest full of air.

"I agree, let's eat and get out, the others will be waiting anyway." Dante sat on the table across from his brother.

Cecilia turned around and placed the final bits of food on the table. "So? How does everyone like it?" she smiled.

"Mom, it's amazing! How did you get the time for all of this?! And it smells amazing too, did dad teach you?!" Dante's little sister smelled the food.

"Hea ihts amhazing lhookhing, thastses ghood thoo! (Yeah its amazing looking, tastes good too!)", Dante's older brother said with a full mouth.

"Hey, don't talk with your mouth full!" Dante's little sister scolded her older brother.

Dante's older brother gulped the food down. "Oh come on lil' sis, birthday only happens once a year, let me have it!"

"Good table manners happen all year long!" she kept scolding him.

"Haa-a! Scold lil' bro about it better, you always do so!"

"Hey, just because I care doesn't mean that I yell all the time!" she yelled.

"Actually, I could use a breather," Dante whispered.

"What?! Jeez, you guys!" Dante's little sister kept whining and yelling.

Cecilia broke their bickering with a giggle and a gentle laying of the final plate on the table.

"I swear, you three never change. But you don't need to look at each other's mistakes or flaws for the day. What do we always say after all?"

Everyone but Cecilia sighed. "Fear not the mistakes of the past, but build on them a future that will last. The light was meant to lighten the darkness, not to erase it and with it comes balance." they all recited.

"You have us say that thing almost every year now. What does it really mean?" Dante's older brother asked.

"It means that you should get a couple more brain cells to figure it out." Dante boldly answered.

"Heh! I'm always the one with the handsome face. Behind it is all the brains you need and in front all the muscles you'll ever need." his older brother flexed his muscles.

"I could beat your ass into submission right now if I wanted to." Dante began to get eerily mad.

Cecilia cleared her throat, cleaning the atmosphere. "All right, I think you guys should dig in! After all, the rest of your crew will be here shortly! And don't worry about the front, Dante, I already forwarded you a day of absence!"

Dante got up from the table. "What?! Mom, you're kidding! Today are drill exercises which I must definitely attend to, it is one of the most important duties of the Commander!"

"So is the exercises of the Golden Lances lil' bro, but that doesn't mean-", Dante's older brother was stopped.

"As you'd ever know what shouldering anything would mean. You're just another bully with a head bigger than his sword, if you ever think you'll ever make a half-decent leader of anything, let alone the Golden Lances!", Dante snapped at his older brother.

Dante's older brother's face turned from a cocky smile to a worried frown. "I-I...I know. And I..."

"Stop it! Both of you!", his little sister got in the way. "Geez you guys!"

Cecilia masterfully took back control of the situation, maneuvering around the subject and calming everyone down.

"On a brighter note, I know we're opening presents in the night, but guess what. Daddy is coming to visit!" Cecilia happily said.

"What?!" Dante's older brother said in surprise, "You're kidding! I thought he was stuck at the front lines!"

Cecilia giggled. "I told you he wouldn't miss your birthday for anything in the world now, didn't I?"

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"Daddy is visiting?! I've got so much to show him, my skills with everything grew so much since I was accepted in the Remedy Knights!"

"I did miss Dad a lot...what about big sis though?" Dante asked.

"Well, she's, unfortunately, a little bit stuck where she's at. Remember, she might be your age but she's blessed to be in the university she's at. We will have a call and a chat with her later though, so don't worry!" Cecilia reassured him.

"I see...well, back to eating it is then. I've gotta say, Mom, you've drastically improved. I never expected Dad to be this good a teacher!" Dante praised his Mother.

Cecilia started to sweat. "I-Uh. Yeah. Thank you, son!"

"Oh, we should keep some for the others too! Where's the Guardians too?!" Dante's little sister looked around.

"Easy there. It's not easy to attend to Hyrusa's business. Despite the age, they're like you. Complicated and busy." Cecilia giggled. "Now off you go, everyone will be gathered at the plaza already!"

"That being said...when will I get to see my Guardian, Mom? It's been so long already, everyone besides me has gotten one..." Dante frowned.

"Hey now." Cecilia patted Dante's head, "No one knows when it will happen, but one thing for sure: you will meet them eventually.", she smiled.

Dante relaxed. "Hmm. I see..."

Dante's older brother laughed. "Ha! You like head pats!"

Dante blushed. "No, I don't!"

"Hehe, I think you do big bro, I always calm you down that way!" Dante's little sister giggled

"No, I don't", Dante blushed further. "Cut it out!"

Cecilia laughed. "All right you guys, stop teasing your brother. And besides, I think it's time to go! Seize the day!"

"All right! Come on guys, we can take some on the go too!" Dante's little sister grabbed them both from their arms and dragged them out of the house. "It's our day today!"

"Watch out everyone! Easy by the stairs and don't be late for later!" Cecilia yelled at them while moving away.

Just as they all began to fade between the buildings and the distance, two little Hyrusas came from behind Cecilia.

"Miss Cecilia, should we help you with the cleaning?" the red Hyrusa said.

"Yeah, I'd like that." Cecilia nodded.

"Mrs Viola sends her happy birthday as well. She's also asking about how did you like the food." the blue Hyrusa said.

Cecilia stuttered. "Uh...tell her it was amazing." she wiped the sweat off her face. "Thank goodness Viola opens her restaurant early for delivery on Saturdays. Without Ray, I would have choked back there. At least everyone believed it and was happy, so it's a win nonetheless!" she whispered.

Down by the plaza, the three siblings roamed around the white marble-layered floor as they approached the fountain. A lush green and the rainbow color of the blooming flowers, they were happy and in a Trans to be engulfed by both the sounds of nature itself and the roaming musicians.

"We can all agree that Mom did not make any of that, right?" Dante said.

"Absolutely.", both his big brother and little sister said.

"Yeah. No hate towards her but...Mom is honestly better on the battlefield." Dante sighed.

"No joke she is! Just look where we are now thanks to her!" Dante's big brother said.

"We wouldn't have gotten far either, were it not for lil' sis." Dante said.

"It's fine, really! I love cooking for everyone at home, Dad taught me how to make a lot of dishes, so no shortage of anything!", she smiled.

Moving to the plaza's centre, the three siblings met with three very familiar figures that Dante swiftly realized.

"Yo, big guy, how's it going?" young Anya said.

"Hey, Nya. How's everyone?" Dante said.

"We're perfectly fine Dante! And happy birthday!" young Terna happily said.

"Man, you beat me to it!" Anya kicked some dust off the floor.

"Hehe, sorry Anya! But I'll make it up to you later, I promise!"

"Well...unfortunately there ain't gonna be a later. I barely managed to convince Dad to let me come for a hello and a happy birthday...", Anya frowned.

"Business again?" Dante's little sister said.

"Yeah. Big one too...he wants to take me to Reingard to get a feel for the headquarters of the company so, sorry big guy. I won't be able to make it to this year's birthday."

"Don't worry, no offence taken. I know you're quite busy anyway."

A loud voice could be heard in the distance.

"Anya! It's time to go, come on!

"Coming!" she yelled and turned around to face Dante. "Yeah...thanks. I'll be seeing you, all right big guy? And I'll return with a big present, so don't worry!"

"Everyone has their jobs, don't they?" Hikari politely said.

"Especially Dante and Anya!" Terna said.

"Not for today. Mom apparently made a note for me asking for a day off which was, unsurprisingly, granted." Dante said with a faint annoyance.

"I mean, we've known Sisi since when? Her father really likes us anyway, given what we do, so it's natural." Dante's big brother said.

Terna giggled. "All right, I'll leave you guys alone too! Sorry for the sudden move, but there's a lot I need to do to prepare your present! It's a big one as well, worth thrice the original value!"

Terna ran away quickly, laughing along the way while moving towards the direction where most musicians were looking at.

"And then there was one." Dante's big brother said.

"I'm sorry everyone left..." Hikari shyly hid behind her hands. "I don't think it was on purpose."

"Well, you don't have to be sorry for them. And besides, it's our day today! We can't ponder on anything at all!" Dante's little sister said, "Come on you guys, let's go visit Sisi!"

They all started running around the marble plaza, feeling the breeze on their young skin and removing all care in the world.

"Nice tunes Mr. Halo!" Dante's little sister commended the musician.

"Why thank you! This one is for you, little ones, happy birthday!" Halo said.

"Nah! Eat your words Halo, the tunes you boast about were stolen from me!" another musician said.

Halo gritted his teeth. "Shut it Haly! I'll show you some tunes!"

The two musicians got down from their spots and moved closer to each other. What followed was a powerful mixture of aggressive tones, disrupting the flow of nature's solace.

"Yeah, those two never change, do they?" Dante's big brother said.

"Yeah...tell me about it. But it does remind me of a certain couple of...individuals." Dante's little sister nudged them both.

"I have no idea what you mean," Dante said.

"Yeah, me either." his big brother followed.

"Yeah me three. I wonder why even brought that up, there's nothing to compare with here." his little sister said with a straight face.

"We should go to Miss Viola. She told me that she had something ready for you." Hikari suggested.

"We should probably go, yeah. My ears are starting to bleed anyway, Halo and Haly are going at it harder than usual." Dante side-stepped away.

The three of them moved towards the location of the restaurant that had brought them forth their breakfast, eager to see the surprise ahead. In front of them was the famous restaurant that fueled their breakfast and many others. However, a worried soldier seemed to be looking around in front of the restaurant, asking for information.

Dante approached the man. "Something wrong, officer?"

"Oh, if it isn't our cute little Dante. Hello mister Silver Lance Commander!", Viola giggled.

"Ah! Commander Dante!" The soldier saluted, "Officer Gaz from the third division of the Dirunon Police Department!" he saluted.

"At ease. What seems to be the problem?" Dante asked.

"I am looking for a certain person the name is Terna Matune. I have a special business I need to attend her to. Have you perhaps got any leads for me to find her?"

"Last time we saw her, she was running towards the Auditorium Del Gran Sonetto. She was awfully excited too, so I think she's got something in store for us!" Dante's little sister giggled.

"Why wouldn't she? A rising talent like her would always push herself to the limits." Dante's big brother said.

"Ah, I see. Thank you a lot! I will be seeing you later at the birthday ceremony! Happy birthday to you all and may your lances drive you to greater heights, Commanders of the Silver and Golden Lances!" Gaz hurried to Terna.

"Hmm. Such a weird circumstance. But I will be, when has this city ever been uneventful? So what brings you here, little ones?" Viola smiled at everyone.

"Nothing much, we just wanted to thank you for the meal!" Dante's little sister giggled.

Viola sighed. "Yeap...no problem. You figured it out that easy, huh?"

"It's Mom." all three siblings said.

"Yeap. For all the skills Cecilia has cultivated, she is absolutely a horrible liar." Viola giggled, "Nevertheless, I hope you didn't go hard on her for it. You could say she made it for you, she actually came by before I officially opened and helped me with the cooking!"

"Wait, Mom cooked with you?" Dante said.

"Uh...yeah. She was my uh...chef's assistant?" Viola awkwardly smiled.

"Miss Cecilia keeps trying every day anyway, aside from Mr. Ray being away," Hikari said.

Dante's little sister giggled. "That said, Dad is visiting today!"

"Oh! Ray is coming as well? Huh...that's surprising! Well then kids, you go along then, I'll have a lot of cooking to do. With everyone in the Elisia household here, I'll have a lot to prepare!"

"All right, thanks. Let's go to Sisi after this, we have some plans with her anyway.” Dante said.

The three of them then quickly made their way to the royal palace, ignoring further distractions along the way. Before the gates of the golden palace, a few gold armored soldiers with their massive lances made a V shape before the gates. The light reflecting off the palace walls and on their armor, it was a sight of the mightiness that illuminated the world's most powerful army.

Dante’s older brother raised his hand. “At ease.”

In an instant, the soldiers broke formation and stood in upright positions next to each other on the left and on the right of the massive red carpet. Their stance was rock solid and their measurements flawless like their march, they waited for the passing of the three siblings.

Dante scoffed. “Done showcasing your parade?”

“Pretty much…now come on, at least cheer up a little, lil’ bro.”, Dante’s older brother frowned.

Going inside the glorious golden palace, they were greeted by the long hall that showcased pictures and treasures of glory, as well as massive paintings of maps from all over the three regions of Aleria, Veryta and especially their own, Victoria. However, to him unknown, thee more regions labeled as Fariy, Letzeri and Viavartze were shown. They kept moving before two more golden knights opened another massive door that led to a massive throne that stood empty in a room with multiple different flags and banners layered around. A massive table that held a hologram version of a map above a paper version of it.

“Hmm. An empty room. Where’s the king?” Dante looked around.

“Hey, you hear that?” Dante’s little sister said.

From the side door of the throne room, two voices came closer and closer.

“Cecilia, there’s no way I don’t trust your judgment, but do you really think Ray can handle it on his own.”

“Frederick. He’s my husband. He retreated from the front solely to see his kids on their birthday, and nothing will stop him at all. He will take care of it swiftly and be here by nightfall.” Cecilia said.

Another voice came closer to them, yelling his words out.

“You really don’t think we’re going to let that happen, right?! How can one Diru take care of everything by himself?!” a general said.

“Have a little more faith in the house of Elisia, Kagh.” Frederick said.

“Faith?! Preposterous, with no prior military background, you set two of the heirs to the biggest roles in here!” Kagh yelled.

“Beat it. Cecilia said. If you clearly remember, they rightfully earned their positions, not like your sons with their background, but their skills.” Cecilia angrily said.

“Yeah right. That’s why one of them “went” to college at the ripe old age of twelve! Couldn’t even use Obsulyte like the rest…unlike their skilful mother-ghk!”, Kagh got punched while trying to make a move on Cecilia.

“Disgusting vermin.” Cecilia gritted her teeth.

“Both of you, seize this bickering at once,” Frederick demanded.

As they all moved to the main hall of the throne room and turned around to face three kneeling siblings and a small bowing priestess.

“Ah, you’re all here.” Frederick sat on his throne.

“My king, can I request an audience with your daughter?” Dante said.

“That can be easily done. She as well has requested your audience. However, she wanted you to go alone.”

The three siblings looked at each other with dismay, never before having to separate themselves from their friend's audience like so.

“Then you three can come to help me at home, right? There’s a lot more left to be done!” Cecilia suggested.

“Sure, Miss Cecilia. Can I come too?” Hikari politely asked.

“The more the merrier sweetie! Of course!” Cecilia said.

As such, Dante climbed the stairs to the princess’s bedroom. Sisi looked out from her balcony, zoning out with her worry on the horizon. Dante slowly approached the worried princess, curious to see and remember her words…