The Vail mansion was beautifully decorated with streamers and balloons. Hanging from the grand staircase in the entryway was a large sign that read, 'Happy 5th Birthday Elianna!'.

Everything was set up for a perfect child's birthday party. However, not one child could be heard laughing. In the dining room of the mansion, Elianna sat in her seat and picked at her spaghetti with her fork. She was dressed elegantly in a small pink floral dress, and her hair was neatly braided into a bun with a small pink flower barrette.

Lucian, who was dressed in a suit consisting of a white button-up shirt, green blazer, and black pants, sat beside his daughter. Lucian mentally sighed, knowing his daughter was in a gloomy mood. Today was her fifth birthday, a day she had been excited for. But, her excitement had faded away when none of her friends came to celebrate with her. Lucian had hoped Isabelle and the other parents would see reason and attend the party, but their not showing up and disappointing his daughter angered him.

Lucian gave his daughter a small, loving smile, "How's the spaghetti?"

Elianna shrugged, her eyes downcast, "It's okay." She poked her spaghetti a few more times before she looked at her father with a saddened gaze. "Why didn't they come?"

Lucian's heart cracked when he saw his daughter's teary eyes. He gave her a comforting smile, shifted his chair closer to her, and gently rubbed her back. "I'm sorry, munchkin. I know you wanted to see your friends today."

Elianna looked down, "I guess they really do think I'm a freak."

Anger flared inside Lucian, but he kept his composure and spoke softly, "It doesn't matter what they think." Elianna's gaze flicked back to him. He smiled at her, "You are Elianna, my special little girl. Don't worry about what those other kids say."

"But they're my friends," Elianna sniffled. "I just wanted to play with them."

Lucian sighed, reassuringly rubbing his daughter's back, "I know."

Lucian and Elianna looked toward the double doors leading to the kitchen when they heard them open. Katarina, wearing an elegant and beautiful purple dress, and Justine, wearing a bright yellow dress, walked out with loving smiles. Behind them were a few maids and butlers, including Augustus, who were smiling brightly, with one of the maids carrying a large pink cake.

"Happy birthday!" The mansion staff cheered in unison.

Elianna smiled slightly after seeing her cake and sat straight in her chair.

Katarina walked around the table, approached her daughter, and gave her a loving kiss on her forehead, "Happy birthday, sweetie."

"Happy birthday, young lady," Justine said with a warm smile.

"Thank you," Elianna said softly to Justine and her mother.

Lucian stood up from his chair and stepped back as the mansion staff walked around the table. One of the maids stepped up to Elianna and removed her plate of spaghetti while another placed the cake on the table in front of her. Elianna smiled at the cake, thinking it looked delicious, and couldn't wait to eat it.

Katarina stood beside her husband, smiling lovingly at her daughter, and whispered to him, "How is she doing?"

Lucian sighed, keeping the smile on his face, trying not to look sad, and whispered back, "She's still sad that her friends didn't come."

"I don't blame her," Katarina said, sounding upset. "This was a big day for her. I was hoping the cake would put her in a better mood."

The human maid who placed the cake in front of Elianna placed five individual candles on top of it.

"One, two, three, four, five!" Elianna counted out loud excitedly. "Five candles!"

"Very good," Justine complimented as she and the mansion staff chuckled warmly.

Lucian smiled, seeing his daughter a little happy, "Good idea."

Lucian approached his daughter, who looked at her father curiously. Lucian raised his left index finger, igniting it in a small flame.

"Woah," Elianna said, mesmerized, as she stared at the fire with awe.

Lucian chuckled at Elianna, thinking it was cute how she was always intrigued when he or Katarina used magic in front of her. Lucian lit the candles individually with his fire-coated finger before dispersing the fire magic.

Lucian stepped back and nodded to everyone, who began to sing her a happy birthday simultaneously. Elianna sat there with a gleeful smile, looking around at the mansion staff, her parents, and Justine. But as she looked around, her smile slowly began to fade, and she looked back at the candles burning before her.

Once the song was finished, Katarina said cheerfully, "Make a wish and blow out your candles, sweetie!"

Elianna sat there for a moment, thinking about what she wanted. And right now, she just wanted one thing. Friends. She leaned forward, took a deep breath, and blew out her candles.

With the candles out, the mansion staff, Justine, and Elianna's parents clapped happily.

"We'll take the cake back to the kitchen and cut it up," Augustus informed.

Katarina nodded, "Thank you." She looked at one of the maids, "Can you also bring out Elianna's present?"

The maid nodded, and she and the other mansion staff proceeded to walk back into the kitchen. One of the maids took the cake with her.

Lucian watched the mansion staff walk off, and when he looked back at Elianna, he grew a little concerned, seeing her sitting there, her smile now gone. "Elianna? You okay?"

Justine and Katarina followed Lucian's gaze, seeing Elianna shrug.

"I'm okay," Elianna said, looking at her father with a saddened gaze. "I just wish I had some friends here. It's what I wished for—friends." Her gaze fell, "But I have no friends here. And I'm stuck in here."

Lucian, Katarina, and Justine's hearts cracked. They hated seeing Elianna like this. She was usually energetic and joyful. But now, it's like her happiness was extinguished.

Lucian stared at his daughter, trying to think of a way to cheer her up. She was correct; none of her friends had attended her party, and she had been stuck inside the mansion for the past few days. He thought about maybe taking her out somewhere to get some fresh air when his eyes widened as an idea came to mind.

Lucian smiled, "I'll be right back."

Katarina looked at Lucian curiously, "Where are you going?"

Lucian grinned, "You'll see."

Katarina raised a brow, seeing her husband was up to something, and watched him as he walked out of the dining room.

The kitchen doors opened, and a few of the maids walked out, one carrying a large present while the others carrying pieces of cake. The maid with the present placed the present on the table, and the other maids distributed the cake. Justine and Katarina thanked the maids when they received their pieces of cake, while Elianna was too distracted by her large present to notice when one of the maids placed the cake beside her.

There was one maid left who held a piece of cake and looked around, confused.

Katarina smiled at the maid, "My husband stepped out. You can place the cake on the table. He will eat it later."

The maid nodded, "Yes, My Lady." The young maid placed the cake on the table, and the staff members returned to the kitchen.

Elianna looked at the large box-shaped present with interest, "Can I open it?"

Katarina chuckled, knowing her daughter loved presents, "Not yet. Wait for your fa-" Katarina's eyes flicked to the dining room entrance, seeing Lucian walk back in. Katarina smiled, "Okay. You can open it."

Elianna didn't wait a second as she reached out and began to tear away the pink and yellow wrapping paper. Katarina and Justine laughed comically, seeing how eager Elianna was to see what she got for her birthday.

Lucian chuckled and smiled warmly as he watched his daughter tear off the wrapping paper. He grabbed the piece of cake on the table that he assumed was his and stood beside his wife.

As she watched Elianna, Katarina leaned close to Lucian and whispered, "Where did you go?"

Lucian took a bite of his cake and whispered back, "I made a call, and I'm having the staff prepare one of the carriages."

Katarina looked at her husband, confused, "Who did you call? And what for?"

Lucian grinned, "You'll see."

"Woah!"

Lucian and Katarina looked at Elianna, seeing her stare at her present with wide, gleeful eyes. The wrapping paper didn't stand a chance against her, as it was now scattered across the floor and table.

On the box was a painting of a pink toddler's tea playset. Elianna wiggled happily and looked at her Mom, "We can have tea parties!"

Katarina laughed and smiled jovially at her daughter, knowing she loved playing tea party. She had seen this toy set at the market and knew it would be perfect for her daughter. "Yes, we can, sweetie."

"Can we play now?!" Elianna asked energetically.

Katarina was about to answer yes when Lucian said, "Not yet, munchkin." Katarina looked at him, confused.

"Why not?" Elianna asked, looking a little disappointed.

Katarina also wondered why when Lucian smiled and said, "Well, do you still want to leave the mansion? We can go somewhere."

Elianna's face lit up with excitement, "Where?!"

"It's a surprise," Lucian laughed, seeing how excited his daughter was getting. "Go ahead and eat your cake, then we will leave."

Elianna nodded energetically and began to eat her piece of cake.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"I believe I should get going," Justine said to Katarina and Lucian, and they looked at her. Justine smiled, "I have things at home I need to take care of."

Katarina smiled, "That alright. Thank you for coming."

Justine returned Katarina's smile, "Of course." Justine approached Elianna as she took a bite of her cake and gently grabbed her shoulder. Elianna looked up, her mouth full and frosting coating her lips. Justine laughed lightheartedly and smiled, "I'm going to get going now. Happy birthday."

Elianna chewed and swallowed her cake before smiling, "Thank you!"

Justine gave Elianna one more pat on the shoulder before she left the dining room, leaving Katarina, Lucian, and Elianna alone.

Lucian and Katarina finished their pieces of cake and placed the small silver plates on the table.

Elianna finished hers soon after, jumped down off the chair, and smiled excitedly at her father, "Okay! I'm ready!"

Katarina and Lucian smiled humorously at their daughter, seeing she had frosting on her mouth.

Katarina chuckled, "Hold on, sweetie." She grabbed a napkin off the table and dampened it with water magic. She knelt in front of her daughter and wiped her mouth with the napkin, "You got frosting all over you."

"I take it you liked the cake?" Lucian jested.

Katarina finished cleaning off Elianna, and Elianna smiled and nodded, "Yeah! It was my favorite!"

"It's why I told them to make strawberry cake," Katarina said warmly and poked Elianna on the nose, getting a giggle out of her.

"Alright," Lucian said, seeing that Elianna was now cleaned up and ready to go. He approached his daughter, and she laughed as he picked her up. "Let's get going," he said.

"Where are we going?!" Elianna asked excitedly.

"I told you, it's a surprise," Lucian chuckled.

"Should I change?" Katarina asked, gesturing to her dress.

Lucian shook his head, "No, it's fine." He smiled warmly, "Besides, you look beautiful."

Katarina returned his smile, "Thanks, sweetheart."

Katarina gave Lucian a quick kiss, earning an "Eeeww" from Elianna.

Katarina followed Lucian as he carried Elianna out of the mansion, her eyes falling on a carriage that was waiting for them in the driveway. The young human male coachman bowed respectfully to the three of them as they approached, and he opened the door for them.

They entered the carriage and sat down on the elegant red leather seats. Lucian and Katarina took the window seats, and Elianna sat in her father's lap, as she excitedly looked out the window.

The coachman closed the door and took his seat at the front of the carriage, which jerked as they set off. Lucian and Katarina were silent as they warmly watched their daughter as she looked out the window. They knew she loved watching the world go by whenever they were in the carriage.

They rode in silence, watching the mansions go by until they left the nobility district. The scenery changed from mansions to different-colored brick buildings. The buildings varied in size, some bigger than others, with some two stories and others only one. Signs were nailed on the front of the buildings, indicating what it was, with some being restaurants and some stores. The area was well kept, with gray cobblestone roads clear of trash or debris.

Sidewalks were on either side of the gray cobblestone road. Elves, humans, and dwarves alike, all dressed differently, occupied these sidewalks as they walked throughout the city, heading toward their destination.

"There are so many people!" Elianna commented.

Lucian chuckled and nodded, "Yep. Tri-Union City is the biggest city on the continent of Zaraemar."

"Tri-Union City," Elianna whispered to herself.

"That's right," Lucian said, looking out the window and seeing the different individuals on the sidewalk as they rode by. "It's called Tri-Union City because it's home to the three races of elves, dwarves, and humans, who all live in harmony."

Lucian's eyes flicked to one small group of individuals, and he pointed to them, "Elianna, you see those people?"

Elianna looked to where he was pointing and saw a group of eleven people walking together. They were a mix of humans, dwarves, and elves, ten of whom wore similar apparel. The apparel was military, consisting of a black and gold leather sleeveless top with two gold diamond-shaped clasps on the front. Both arms were covered in a black and gold forearm sleeve, which covered their arms from the elbows down to their wrists, leaving their shoulders and biceps exposed. They had shin-high black leather boots, which matched their black pants that had a gold stripe running down their side.

The eleventh person was a young elven female wearing different apparel who walked behind the rest. She was wearing a deep brown shirt that was covered by a deep brown robe with a golden trim connected at the waist and open at the bottom. A gold sash wrapped around her waist, and she had deep brown pants, shin-high deep brown boots, and a white cloak snapped together with an elegant golden chain. While the ten people in front of the female had more utilitarian apparel, her clothing was far more opulent.

"Woah! They look cool!" Elianna expressed.

"Those are Tri-Union soldiers," Lucian informed. "The ones in the sleeveless leather armor are knights. They're wearing the knight combat uniform."

"Knights," Elianna repeated, looking at the group in awe.

"Correct," Lucian nodded. "The one walking behind them is a mage. She's wearing mage apparel."

"Mage," Elianna reiterated and looked at her father with a sparkle in her eyes. "Daddy! They look so cool!"

Lucian smiled warmly, "I'm glad you think so. Because we are on our way to see more of them."

Elianna's expression lit up, "Really?!"

Lucian nodded, "Yep."

"That's where we're going?" Katarina asked curiously. "To the garrison? To see the Tri-Union forces?"

Lucian looked at his wife and nodded, "Yep. I thought getting Elianna out of the house would be good."

Katarina looked at Elianna, seeing how excited she looked as she peered out the window. She smiled warmly, "Good idea."

"I just hope she'll like it," Lucian admitted.

Katarina took Lucian's hand reassuringly, "I'm sure she will."

Lucian and Katarina smiled lovingly at each other and silently enjoyed each other's company as they continued their carriage ride. They soon approached a large brick wall, which seemed to extend far and wide. The carriage followed the wall until it arrived at a large golden gated archway, which was guarded by several individuals in knight and mage uniforms.

The carriage stopped at the entrance to the archway's gated entrance, and one of the knights, a dwarven male in his late twenties, approached it. On the collar of his leather top were two golden discs, showing his rank. The dwarf looked at the carriage and said, "Identifica—" The dwarf stopped and went wide-eyed with surprise. They snapped to attention and saluted, "Good afternoon, Commander Vail! Apologies! We were not expecting you today!"

Elianna looked at the dwarf curiously, seeing him salute like her mother sometimes did.

Lucian saluted the dwarf back, "No worries. Carry on, sergeant."

Seeing Lucian salute, Elianna followed his lead and saluted the dwarf as well. The dwarf smiled a little, trying to keep his composure, thinking it was cute. Lucian dropped his salute but looked at the dwarf curiously as he held his. Lucian looked at his daughter, seeing she was still saluting, and he smiled.

"Put your hand down, munchkin," Lucain said softly.

Elianna did as her father said and lowered her hand. The dwarf dropped his salute, and Lucian nodded to him in thanks.

The dwarf returned Lucian's nod and looked at the other soldiers, "Let the commander through!"

The knights moved out of the way and opened the gate for the carriage, allowing it to pass through.

The area they entered was vast, with a single white brick road lined with trees and bushes. This road led straight to a significantly large palace made of white stone with gold trim. The palace looked like multiple buildings in one, in the shape of a square and three stories high.

Lush green grass grew throughout the area, and to the far right side were several gray stone buildings. The gray-stoned buildings varied in size and shape, with some being three stories, some two, and others only one. One of the one-story buildings was different from the others and was made of brown wood. It had carriages surrounding it, signifying it was a large stable.

Once they passed the gate, the carriage immediately made a right turn, heading directly toward the gray stone buildings. Elianna looked out the window and stared at the palace in awe, seeing it was significantly larger than her mansion.

Elianna pointed toward the palace, "What's that?"

Katarina looked to where she was pointing, "That's the palace. It's where the regent lives."

"Regent?" Elianna said, confused.

Katarina chuckled and nodded, "They're in charge of Tri-Union City."

Elianna blinked before looking back at the palace, "It's so big and pretty!" Elianna looked at her parents excitedly, "Are we going there?"

Lucian shook his head, "No. We are going somewhere else."

"Where?" Elianna asked eagerly.

Lucian smiled, "You'll see. We're almost there."

Elianna nodded and continued to look out the window. After some more time passed, Elianna watched out the window as the carriage stopped in front of one of the gray brick buildings. The three of them exited the carriage and were greeted by noises of people yelling, swords clashing, and distant explosions.

Elianna looked at the noises curiously as her father carried her, and her gaze fell on dozens of knights and mage uniformed members who were training throughout the area. Some were using target dummies, some were training with each other, and others were running around doing physical exercise. Her eyes flicked to one location, seeing more knights running around on an obstacle course, jumping over barricades, climbing walls, and using rope swings.

"Woah," Elianna said, completely mesmerized by everything around her.

"So this must be Elianna."

Lucian and Katarina looked toward the voice and smiled, seeing a male approaching them. He wore formal military attire similar to Lucian's, except he had three gold stars on his collar instead of four. He was an older human male with black graying hair and brown eyes.

Katarina smiled at the male, "Good afternoon, Hector."

Hector returned Katarina's smile and gave her a hug, "It's good to see you, Kat."

They broke the hug, and Hector nodded to Lucian, "I canceled the inspection as requested, Commander."

"Good," Lucian said and smiled at Elianna. "I was hoping to show this little one around and show her the troops as they trained."

Elianna didn't pay her father any attention, as her gaze was locked on the knights. Her eyes were wide and gleaming, seeing the knights training together, alone, or with mages. Their bodies were covered in a white translucent barrier, which stuck to them like a second skin. Their swords were coated in magic, varying between the elements of water, earth, air, fire, ice, lightning, plant, and lava. When their swords collided, their magic exploded, which Elianna thought was beautiful.

"M-Magic," Elianna whispered.

Lucian followed her gaze, chuckled, and nodded, "Yep, that's right. They're using magic."

"Elianna," Katarina said, trying to get her daughter's attention. Elianna looked at her, and Katarina gestured to Hector. "Can you say hi to Hector? He's your dad's second in command. He's the lieutenant commander of the forces here in Tri-Union City."

Elianna looked at Hector, gave a small wave, and smiled, "Hello! I'm Elianna, and I'm five years old today!"

Hector chuckled and returned her smile, "Hello, Elianna. It's a pleasure to meet you. And," He placed his hands together, and Elianna watched him curiously. An icy wind coated his hands, and Elianna's eyes widened with awe. He separated his hands, showing a small icy ball. He held the ball in one hand when Elianna jolted with surprise as lighting enveloped the ball. Hector tossed the ball high into the air, and it exploded in the air safely above them in a beautiful display of icy and electric blue mana. "Happy birthday!"

Elianna gasped and yelled excitedly, "Woah!" She looked at her father. "Daddy, did you see that?!"

Lucian laughed warmly, glad to see his daughter was already having fun, "Yes, I did, munchkin."

"Would you like to see some more magic?" Hector asked, and Elianna nodded energetically. Hector smiled, "Follow me."

Elianna watched with anticipation as her father held her, and they began to walk toward the knights who were training. They trained in between the buildings, where wooden practice dummies resembling a man's torso and head and obstacle courses made of wood and metal were set up. In front of the buildings, more wooden practice dummies were set up.

Hector gestured to the buildings around them and smiled at Elianna, "Welcome to the garrison."

"Garrison," Elianna whispered in awe.

"This entire area is known as the garrison," Lucian explained to his daughter. "The different buildings are for the five battalions which are stationed here. The taller buildings are the barracks that house single soldiers with no families. There's also a supply depot, armory, infirmary-"

"And a mess hall," Hector cut in.

"Yes, eating is important," Lucian jested.

Katarina chuckled, "Guys, she's five." She looked at her daughter with a loving smile. "And I don't think she's listening."

Lucian and Hector looked at Elianna, seeing she, in fact, wasn't listening. Her eyes darted around, smiling wide, as she watched the knights train and the explosions of magic.

Mages were training in the same area together, casting spells of different varieties and manipulating the mana around them in a beautiful display. Some even shot spells at each other, with their training partner either blocking it with a white translucent rectangular-shaped shield, or they disappeared in flashes of green light and appeared a short distance away. And others trained with knights, practicing different tactics and working together.

However, Elianna seemed more interested in the knights than the mages as she watched them dash around. She saw how they moved, jumped, and twirled swiftly and clashed their swords against each other and the dummies.

"They're all so cool!" Elianna expressed, pointing to the knights.

"Yes, they are," Katarina said, happy to see her daughter smiling.

Elianna watched the knights and noticed the white translucent light coating their entire bodies. "Daddy!" Elianna said excitedly, recognizing the light. "Mana!"

Lucian chuckled and nodded, "That's right. Mana."

"I-I have mana too!" Elianna said, looking at her father brightly. "Can I play with them?!"

Hector looked at Elianna and smiled, unsurprised. Lucian had already informed him of Elianna's awakening and was admittedly skeptical at first. That was, however, until Hector scanned Elianna's core moments ago and saw her mana core.

Katarina looked slightly concerned about the idea and shook her head, "Uh. Not right now, sweetie."

"Can I later?!" Elianna chirped. She looked back at the knights and started to wave her hands around like she was holding a sword, mimicking their movements. "They look so cool! I wanna do that too!"

"You know," Hector began and looked at Lucian and Katarina. "Since Elianna is awakened, you could begin her mana training now." Hector smiled at Elianna, thinking her mimicking the knights was cute. "Besides, there is no safer place than around here. We could all keep an eye on her."

"Uh, I don't know," Katarina said, a little hesitant. "She just turned five."

Lucian looked at his daughter, contemplating. He was joyful seeing how she was acting now, happy and excited. It was like she was back to her usual self. He would do anything to keep his daughter from being sad again.

Lucian smiled, "We'll think about it."