After exiting the forest, everyone had officially crossed into the Kingdom of Atlas’s territory. The land was cracked and parched, devoid of any signs of life, save for the occasional dried remains of trees accompanied by racing dust devils.

“Uh, this heat’s unbearable,” Lily said, fanning herself off.

Rai, lifting a water pouch to his mouth, waited patiently, but only a few drops fell. “Practically empty…” They had been traveling through the wastelands for a few hours, and their water supply had finally run out. Tofi unknowingly removed a large supply of their water when making room for herself and Fu. “Here Tofi, you can have the rest,” Rai said, handing her the pouch.

“Mm m,” Tofi stated, shaking her head. “I don’t need it.”

“If you say so,” Rai said, passing it to Lily.

At the helm of the carriage, Eiji, squeezing a sponge, uttered, “Water… I need it…” Not a single drop fell. Dropping the sponge, Eiji scanned the horizon, and upon noticing a canyon cutting through the terrain, he said, “Hey guys, I think we’re approaching that dark line in the map, which means… we’re almost there!” he shouted, immediately coughing after. “Ahem.. dry throat..”

Fu, sunbathing on top of the carriage with a healthy amount of sunscreen along his wooden face, said, “This is the life, ain’t it Plu.”

“Plu…” It replied in a relaxed tone; they were each sporting a pair of black shades.

Approaching the canyon, Eiji spotted a wooden bridge spanning the divide, and at the foot of the bridge, a lone figure lay slumbering, his worn helmet slightly misaligned on his head.

As the group approached, the old man stirred, hastily scrambling to his feet with a sense of urgency. “None shall pass!” he declared firmly, despite his frail appearance.

Confusion spread across their faces as they exchanged uncertain glances.

“You need a secret password or something?” Rai said.

The old man adjusted his helmet, which had slipped further during his abrupt awakening. “Payment is required,” he replied.

“Why is payment required… the other sides right there,” Eiji asked, sweating profusely.

“It’s the rules. Can’t let anyone through without payment,” he explained, scratching his butt.

Rai narrowed his eyes, “That’s a stupid rule…”

“Who do you work for?” Eiji pressed further.

The old man straightened his back, puffing out his chest, “I am a loyal soldier of the Kingdom of Havoc,” he declared.

“Great, we’re from the empire and we’re in a rush, so we’ll be seeing ya,” Rai said, looking to walk past the man, but he blocked his way, again.

“Not without payment,” he said.

“Let’s tie him to the post,” Rai muttered.

“Seconding,” Eiji said, startling the old man.

“We’re not tying anyone up,” Lily said, shaking her head.

“I’ll double knot it, he’ll get out, eventually…”

“What are we supposed to pay,” Lily said, taking out her badge in case she needed to transfer funds.

“Luminites, of course!” the old man exclaimed. “The only currency accepted here.”

“Oh…” Lily slowly put her badge away.

“And how are we supposed to come by luminites?” Rai asked.

The old man leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. “There’s a village south of here,” he smiled, revealing many missing teeth. “You’ll be able to collect some there.”

“Well, thank you for the information,” Lily said politely. “We’ll see what we can do about collecting these luminites.”

“Willing to trade for some luminescence?” Eiji asked, pulling out the glowing vile from underrena.

“Nope.”

“Meh, worth a shot,” Eiji said. Taking out his scope, an outline of a village in the distance prompted him to say, “We might be able to restock our water supply… Could be worth it.”

The old man nodded, his expression shifting from defiance to joy, “Sure can,” he said, reaching for his pouch of water. The three watched, desperation apparent in their faces as the sparkling water graced his mouth.

Once they arrived, everyone got out to explore the place.

“You coming Fu?” Eiji said.

“I’m staying right here,” Fu stated, still bathing in the sun.

“I’ll stay with Gumball,” Tofi said.

“Why’re you staying?” Fu said.

“Because I left last time.”

Imaginary tears welled in Fu’s eyes.

“What about you Plu?” Rai asked

“Plu,” Plu said, digging into Rai’s coat hanging outside the carriage; it was too hot for Rai to wear right now.

“Guess Plu’s staying too,” Rai said.

“Water!” Eiji shouted, darting off.

“Right behind ya!” Rai yelled, racing after him.

“Hey, wait up!” Lily shouted.

At the fountain, after consuming her fill of water, Lily steadily slumped against the stone well, taking a moment to breathe. “Ahh, that was amazing,” Lily said, slightly hiccupping.

“Water never tastes so good…” Rai said, sprawled out next to her; meanwhile, Eiji was still guzzling some down.

After a moment, Lily said, “Guess we better start looking for someone who knows about the luminites.”

Eiji, falling to his back, belly protruding from the water intake, said, “I think I’m gonna rest here for a bit.”

“I’ll go with you,” Rai said, rising to his feet.

Walking through the village, Lily couldn’t help but notice some similarities between this and where she grew up. “It’s like a miniature version of home.”

“Talk about a ghost town,” Rai said. The village was empty, with only a few cottages around.

“Not fair!” Not far away, children were arguing over a game.

“Give it back, that’s mine! Cheryl shouted.

“You want it, come and get it!” Steevie said, running away.

“Give it back fat head!” she shouted, running after him.

The boy turned around, “You’re a fat hea-” before tumbling across the floor, scrapping his knee.

“Gimme!” Cheryl said, attempting to tear the card away from him; unfortunately, she did just that… With a twist of her hands, the card in the boy’s hand was torn in half. Tears started to glimmer in her eyes.

Lily approached them with a friendly smile. “Hey there,” she greeted, catching their attention. The children paused their game, gazing at Lily’s with wide eyes.

“Whoa, you’re a Neffirin…” Steevie said.

“Nefarian, but close,” Lily said playfully, but then the girl started to cry.

“Hey, what’s wrong,” Rai said, leaning over, and she revealed to him her torn card.

“Oh, so you like playing Minus Wars too?” Rai said. “I’m not half bad myself,” shuffling through his back pocket, Rai pulled out a deck of cards.

“Do you carry that with you everywhere you go?” Lily said.

“Sure do! Here,” Rai gave the girl a shiny card.

“Green Eyes… Rooted Dragon…” she murmured.

“I want a card…” Stevie wined, seeing the wicked holographic.

“And here’s one for you too,” Rai said.

“Why did he get a card?” Cheryl asked.

“Here… have another,” Rai said.

“Can I have another?”

“You’re pushing your luck kid…” Rai muttered.

Also, crouching down to their level, Lily said, “Would any of you happen to know where we can find luminites? We’re travelers passing through.”

Steevie, no more than six years old, stepped forward eagerly. “You mean the shiny rocks?”

Rai nodded, “That’s right. We need some to continue our journey.”

The boy glanced at his sister, who seemed to be a year or two older, before turning back to Rai. “I know where you can find some,” he said, and the sister nodded in agreement.

“Follow us!” she said.

After a short walk, they arrived at a secluded spot on the outskirts of the village, where the children pointed excitedly to a large rock protruding from the earth. “There!” they said.

Scanning the large rock for any sign of luminites, sure enough, nestled within it, a healthy deposit of luminite; though their glow was faint, a dull copy of the ones they saw on the way to the ritual sitting within the woods of Kalumi.

“So, this is what it looks like up close.” It resembled a giant slab of jade, extending like a wart from the surface of the rock.

“We owe you one,” Rai said, turning to the children with gratitude. “Thanks for showing us the way.”

Anytime!” the oldest sister said, and the two ran back to the village.

“So, are we supposed to start whacking away?” Lily said.

“Yeup!” Rai said, swinging a flux-backed punch at the gem, but upon impact, Rai’s hand immediately swelled pink as he hastily shook it off in pain.

“You can’t break it with your hands so easily,” someone behind them said. Turning around, a male around the age of 16 faced them, along with the two kids from earlier.

Elsewhere, Eiji exploring the village, saw clouds of smoke appearing from the corner of a cottage.

Taking in a deep breath, Lisa exhaled slowly. “It’s just, I feel like we can talk about anything, you know?”

“That’s good sis, I’m happy for you,” Ramon, her older brother said.

“But the other guy, I know he cares about me and he tries, don’t get me wrong… but I just can’t see myself with him, in the long run,” Lisa noted. “I don’t know.”

“Well, what are you looking for in another person?” Ramon asked.

“Someone who’s all about family, someone who’s just honest and real, being unconditional even when it’s hard… Just people's betterment, to be honest, humanitarian views you know?”

Eiji, listening from around the corner, smiled, nodding his head in agreeance.

Meanwhile, Rai and Lily had just arrived at Donnie’s home.

“Heather, I’ve brought guests, can they come in?” Donnie hollered.

“Of course, the more the merrier,” Heather hollered back.

The cottage was a small little home, coated in brown paint and dead trees to the right of it; lizards raced across the rocks that wrapped the home. There was a little seating area by the front door with a large window peering into the living room on the left. In it, two couches, one of which was up against the window, the other facing the tv. Behind the couch, is a small circle dining room table with many portraits on the wall. Entering, another sitting area stretched across the hallway right in front of them; it also had a couch that was against a glass sliding door leading to the backyard – a picket-fenced dirt lot. The hallway, extending to the right; led to three bedrooms and a bathroom, while the living room on the left, was attached to the kitchen. There wasn’t too much space in there, since the kitchen countertop blocked most of the walkway, but it reminded Lily of home. A door opposite the kitchen led to a large garage, but they admitted it was more of a storage center at the moment.

Everyone gathered in the living room attached to the kitchen, enjoying a nice cold beverage, when Donnie said, “You picked a good time to stop by. We were just discussing what to do for Mother’s Day.”

“What do you have planned,” Lily said excitedly.

The siblings exchanged a knowing look before Heather spoke up, “We thought it would be nice to plan a surprise picnic. Mom loves spending time outdoors, and it would be the perfect way to show her how much we appreciate her.”

“In this heat…” Rai said.

Her younger brother nodded, “Yeah, it cools down pretty quick around here; we’re each bringing one of her favorite dishes to share. It’ll be a real feast!”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” Lily said. “I’m sure your mom will love it.”

In the meantime, Rai noticed Steevie rubbing something along the floors of the kitchen, snickering as he did. The boy, peering around the corner of the kitchen, exited slowly, before racing down the hallway. What’s he up to?

“Unfortunately, I’m afraid we won’t have enough time to set it all up before they get back… So I’m working overtime,” Heather stated, wiping sweat from her forehead. A ding went off in the kitchen, prompting Heather to say, “And it’s done.”

Running down the hallway, Stevie, yelled, “What’re you gonna do about it!”

“Stevie!” the little girl known as Cheryl shouted, twisting around the corner of the room and chasing right after him; her face flushed red with anger.

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“Steeeviee,” Stevie mimicked his sister, mocking her as he ran away. Quickly wrapping around the corner at the end of the hallway, he rushed to the kitchen, but the moment his feet left the carpeted floor and graced the tile of the kitchen, he came to an instant standstill, instead, carefully wrapping around the edge of the countertop and leaving an open alleyway for his sister to come barging in.

“You’re so annoying!” Cheryl screamed, running into the kitchen; immediately her legs flipped to the sky, colliding heavily with the floor while sliding straight into the drawers below the sink.

Gasping, Heather rushed to the kitchen.

Steevie, laughing uncontrollably, said, “It worked!”

“What worked?!” Heather said, before almost slipping, though she kept herself standing with the counter. Noticing the butter, she shouted, “Stevie! Did you butter the floor?”

“Yeah…”

Rai held his hands over his mouth, tears rising in his eyes as he tried to not burst out in laughter.

“If mom were home, you would be in so much trouble,” Heather said, using her elbow on the counter as a means to balance as she leaned down toward Cheryl, who began to cry. “It’s okay sweetie,” getting on her knees, she crawled over, cradling Cheryl. “There there, it’ll be alright.” Glancing angrily at the boy, Heather shouted, “Stevie! What were you thinking!” His smile quickly vanished.

“H- He hit me,” Cheryl cried, one hand over her puffy eyes.

“No, I didn’t!” Stevie quickly responded.

“That’s enough!” Heather said to Stevie. “Go wait outside the kitchen, right now! And in front of our guests too boy, woo, so help me!” Being the oldest sibling, at twenty-six, it was her duty to keep the young ones in line when the parents were away.

“Ok…” and Stevie quickly scurried to the living room.

“Sorry guys,” Donnie said, sitting on the couch watching the other two.

“I’ll help clean it up,” Lily said.

Back in the carriage, Eiji was sitting with the siblings, Lisa and Ramon.

“Aye, open up!” Fu shouted from outside, knocking on the door.

Eiji opened the door, revealing Plu, the stuffed animal, and Fu, the puppet.

“Whoa… Are these, Plu and Fu,” Ramon said.

“Plu’s adorable,” Lisa said.

“Plu, you stay outside and keep Tofi company,” Fu stated.

“Later, Plu,” Lisa and Ramon said, and the door shut.

Eiji, pulling out a shirt, said, “If you like them, wait till you see this” he held a shirt out that read ‘Plu’s Legion.’ Flipping the shirt around, he gestured proudly to the Plu’s Legion logo. “Featuring your very own Plu, Fu, and of course, the star…”

“Manty!” Tofi shouted from outside, startling Eiji.

Eiji, slamming his face against the carriage window curtains, stated, “Tofi, you got see-through vision girl?”

“No, I saw the shirts in the bag earlier… and why can’t I come in?! I’m six!”

“Plu!” Plu said.

“Sorry Tofi, grownups are talking,” Fu stated.

“So, are you like… rechargeable…” Ramon said, poking Fu.

“Don’t touch me!” Fu said, instantly wrapping Ramon’s entire body in a series of threads. He tried to speak, but he could only mumble.

“Relax Fu,” Eiji said. “This is a place, of love.”

“Hm,” Fu said, unwrapping Ramon.

“That… was kinda cool…” Ramon said.

“Can I go next?” Lisa asked.

Back in the home, Heather was lecturing Stevie, “Did you think this would be funny?! She could have hurt herself, Stevie!”

“He thought it was funny,” Stevie said, pointing at Rai.

Rai burst into laughter, unable to hold it back anymore, but Lily swiftly reprimanded him with a smack across his head. “Ow! Hell was that for!”

“Manners,” Lily muttered.

Rai crossed his arms while a new bump emerged from his head.

“Now, say you’re sorry,” Heather said to Stevie.

“I’m sorry…”

“Good, now go to your room,” Heather said, and Stevie ran to his room, slamming the door shut. “Uh, that boy…” Leaning down to Cheryl, she asked, “Are you okay?”

“Mhm,” Cheryl replied.

“Alright then, dinner will be ready soon. You get an extra scoop of ice cream,” Heather said, tapping Cheryl’s nose, and a smile spread across the girl’s face. Facing Rai and Lily, “Sorry about all that.”

“It’s not biggie,” Lily said, before gazing at the portraits on the wall. “Are these your siblings?” All the siblings were lined up, one behind the other, smiling for a picture. They wore the same outfit, matching for Autumn no doubt.

“Yeah, those are them,” Heather said. “And right next to that is the village, in all its glory, at one point…”

In the portrait, the village looked vibrant, many plants and lights were strung across it with many people present.

“What happened?” Lily said.

“Our kingdom lost the war to the Kingdom of Atlas. We may not have much, but we consider ourselves lucky,” Heather said.

“We got pardoned from enslavement because we were on ‘vacation’ for a few years while traveling Cronos; and so, we were deemed by the Axien Church as a family that could not be bound to the consequences of our kingdom losing the war with Atlas,” Donnie said.

“Laid the axe down, huh,” Rai said.

“The axe?” Lily said.

“It’s a term used regarding the Axien Church. Because whatever they say normally becomes law. Even the empire has to pay their due respects in adhering to the Axien Church; though they don’t make much requests of any.”

“How do you know this?” Lily said.

“How do you not?” Rai said. “The Axien Church runs all of the Holy Land of Cronos; practically a third of the world, almost bigger than Asceria. How did you guys even manage to get in there? It’s supposed to be super difficult to be granted a visa to go there for a few months, let alone a few years.”

“Our parents won it in a raffle when gambling at the casinos in Keltzer,” Heather said.

“Ah, that makes sense,” Rai regarded. “Still, that’s pretty lucky of you.”

Gael, the one in charge of Keltzer, happens to be connected with someone in the church, so the only kingdom capable of distributing such prizes, though they normally only ever hand them out to members of their kingdom, and never really any other.

“In the famous words of my father, ‘Just keep on rolling and eventually you’ll hit the pot’,” Donnie said.

“So, what brought you guys so far out? Do you live nearby?”

“Actually... We’re here because we need some luminites to get to Atlas,” Lily said. “I know you probably don’t have the best opinion of them…”

“Atlas?” Heather said.

“Donnie told us we could borrow some special sort of pick axe. If it costs anything, I know the currencies are different here, but we’re willing to find a way to compensate for it. The empire is pretty capable,” Rai said.

“You’re from the Empire?” Donnie gasped.

“More or less…” Rai said.

“I’m from Celestria,” Lily said. “But I grew up southwest of Keltzer.”

“Neat,” Donnie replied.

“So, what’ll it be?” Rai said, taking out his badge now.

“No compensation’s needed,” Heather said happily waving it off. “Donnie, would you mind grabbing the pickaxes from the shed in the back.”

“Course, but after I’m going to jump online for a couple of hours of Eldin Root; the new DLC is insane! Neil and I are going to stream it live, so I won’t be able to help with too much more.”

“That’s fine. Are you going to be there for Mom’s surprise?” Heather asked.

“Course!” Donnie replied with a smile.

As he left, the front door suddenly swung open, and Eiji came in.

“Eiji?” Lily said, seeing him casually walk over to the kitchen, and open the fridge.

“Hmm, let's see here, ah, there we go,” he pulled out a leftover platter of ham, crackers, and cheeses. Walking out of the kitchen, he said, “What up everybody,” before heading for the front door.

“Eiji! You can’t just take someone’s food without asking,” Lily said.

“I asked Ramon and Lisa, and they said it was chill,” Eiji replied, holding up the okay symbol with his hand, before closing the door behind him.

“What’s that smell,” Rai said, sniffing the air.

“I’m so sorry,” Lily said.

“It’s okay,” Heather said. “Looks like Donnie’s back.”

“Here you go,” Donnie said, handing over the pick axes. “Good luck. Might take you a couple of hours to even get a chip.”

“We’ll manage,” Rai said.

“Maybe if we finish early, we can come back and help you set up,” Lily said, looking at Rai to see what he thought of the idea.

“I don’t see why not,” Rai said.

While Rai was swinging away at the luminte, wiping sweat from his face, he said, “You need help finding something?”

“I still don’t get how this works?” Lily said, gazing at the empty pages in his finitypad.

“It’s simple, I pull memories up by thinking about the time I wrote them,” he said.

“Well, yeah, but can anyone do it, or just you?” Lily questioned.

“Technically anyone can write in the book and store their memory. It’s a bit more complicated if we’re really getting into the details of it all…”

“I’ll trade you,” Lily said, grabbing the pick axe and handing him the book and his deck of cards. “Go ahead, I’m listening,” she said, swinging and taking out a larger chunk in one hit than Rai did in seven.

Sipping some water, Rai said, “Say you try to pull a memory of something I wrote yesterday, assuming you weren’t around that day, nothing will appear, but if I try, something will; though, if you had interacted with me at all that day, you’ll be able to pull it up as well. It seems to narrow down by the twenty-four-hour mark, meaning, you don’t have to nail the exact minute to pull up that day’s entire list of notes, or whatever you put in it.”

“It belonged to your dad, right? Have you ever tried to pull memories up from your family?” Lily said, and with a deciding swing, she chipped off a decent chunk of the luminite.

“I’ve tried but nothing comes up,” he said. “I even used the little amulet Birchet gave me to see if there was some sort of hidden clue, though the result was the same. But, doesn’t matter much to me anways, I’ve just got to focus on finding a way to wake Taka; and being the number one elite is the first step to doing it. The clearance levels within the elite's top-ranking five are much better than apprentices; I’m sure I can find answers’ once I break in. Plus, once you’re a hall master, you can normally come and go however you see fit. It’ll give me way more time to explore and find answers, and, maybe find it…” Rai said, furrowing his brows and clenching his fist.

“We’ll, when you do, we’ll be there beside you,” Lily said, pumping her fist.

After the mining of the luminite, Rai and his companions joined forces with the siblings to bring their vision to life. Running around the village, they gathered supplies, prepared food, and coordinated the details of the celebration.

The youngest siblings, along with Tofi, full of enthusiasm, took charge of decorating the picnic area with colorful streamers, their laughter filling the air as they raced around in excitement.

“Weee,” Tofi said, turning on the gas, and rapidly circling the picnic table in streamers, accidentally tying up the other two children. “Whoopsie…”

“We should put some banners over there!” Lisa said, pointing to a nearby tree. “It’ll look nice, I think.”

Donnie nodded, already unrolling another banner. “Yeah, and maybe if we have time, we can hang the lanterns from the garage!”

“Maybe? We’re making amazing time as is,” Lisa said, watching everyone help.

“And all thanks to our new friends,” Donnie said, gazing up.

Meanwhile, the older siblings focused on the culinary aspect of the celebration. Heather took charge of preparing beef stew, while her brother Ramon whipped up a batch of homemade bread.

“We’ll need plenty of food for the picnic,” Heather said, her brow furrowed in concentration as she chopped away at lettuce. “Mom always says she has a big appetite.”

Her brother chuckled, reaching for more dough. “Don’t worry, sis. I’ll make sure we have enough bread to go around,” he said, laying it out.

As the preparations continued, Rai and his companions lent their assistance wherever needed, eager to contribute to the success of the surprise celebration. Lily helped set up tables and chairs, while Eiji and Tofi gathered firewood.

Surprisingly, the parents weren’t back yet, and the sun was beginning to set; so they were squeezing in as many last many things as they could.

“Do you think we could place the table over there,” Lisa asked of the boys.

“Don’t worry I got it,” Lily said. Already being by the table, she gripped the end of it, dragging it with ease to where she wanted it.

“Whoa…” Donnie said.

“We’re lucky to have so many helping hands,” Rai remarked, surveying the activity around.

“Yeah, but at this rate, we may have bit off more than we could chew…” Eiji noticed, having pulled out everything from the homes, the village now looked like the garage storage.

“Do you think we should use flux force?” Lily said, walking up to the two.

“I don’t know, I don’t want to freak them out if they’re not familiar with it…” Rai said.

Eiji saw Fu, and an idea spurred in his mind. “Ahem, everyone if I could please have your attention,” he announced, and everyone walked up to him. Behind the group of people, Fu started to move everything around with his strings, quickly placing them in the correct spots around the village. “In honor of Mother’s Day, I’d like- whoa that was fast,” Eiji said, stepping down and walking away. Fu had finished placing everything where it needed to be.

“Huh? What was that about?” Lisa said.

Turning around the family jumped back in shock.

“B- But…” Heather said.

“I’ve got to cut back…” Ramon said.

“With everyone pitching in, this place looks completely changed,” Lily said, nonchalantly waving off the obvious change in scenery.

Lights, fountains, ornaments; the village was dazzling.

“Are you guys like, traveling magicians?” Lisa said.

“No, not at all,” Lily said.

“Just tell them it was your Nefarian ability,” Rai muttered.

“I’m not lying to them. I don’t see why we have to hide it in the first place anyways, don’t people love the elites?” Lily said.

“You’ll be surprised…” Rai said.

Tofi, walking forward, tripped on a small rock, saying “W-whoa.”

“Not sure what just happened, but it’s starting to get a little dark,” Heather said, gazing at the sky. “I say we hit the lights,” and she turned to Lisa, who nodded happily, flipping the switch on.

Suddenly, the village was bathed in a warm, radiant glow as the lights illuminated every corner.

Plu and Tofi gasped in delight, their eyes wide with amazement as they took in the magical scene before them.

Fu, standing beside the small children, including Plu and Tofi, stated, “Would you look at that.”

Everyone was momentarily captivated by the beauty of the transformed village. The streamers danced in the gentle breeze, the lanterns cast a soft, enchanting glow, and the decorations sparkled like stars against the darkening sky. It was a breathtaking sight.

“It’s... it’s...,” Heather uttered, her voice filled with awe. A tear fell from her eye, and then another. “Thank you all so much.”

Lily nodded, smiling happily.

As the day turned to night, the preparations for the surprise Mother’s Day picnic, even the village itself, were ready for their arrival. The picnic area was complete with delicious food, festive decorations, and plenty of good company.

And so, everyone remained standing behind the table, waiting for their parents’ arrival, when suddenly, the sound of galloping drew their attention.

“They’re here!” Tofi shouted.

The parents approaching in their carriage, hung halfway out the window, gazing in awe at the lights surrounding them.

“Stop here,” Lucy said, and the rider slowed. Getting out, she placed her hands over her mouth. “I can’t believe it… Hunny,” she did a series of mini hops, gripping his coat.

“Just like… in the photo’s…” Reno said, equally distracted by the scenery.

“Exactly like it,” Lucy said, and tears fell from her eyes.

Hand in hand, their faces alight with surprise and delight at the sight before them, they made their way to their children.

“Happy Mother’s Day!” the children shouted in unison.

“This is amazing!” the mother said. “I can’t believe you did all this for me.”

Her husband nodded in agreement, “I can’t believe you did it at all. How’re you able to accomplish such a feat in a day?”

Rai and his companions exchanged knowing glances.

“Mom, Dad, I’d like you to meet our guests, Rai, Lily, Eiji, Tofi, and last but not least, Plu,” Heather said, and Plu jumped happily.

“Hey, what about me!” Fu shouted.

“Oh yeah, this is their rad little toy thing,” Ramon said.

“Holy, y-you’re an Abminus,” Reno said, pointing with a shaking finger at Rai.

The siblings all jumped in shock, saying, “WHAT?!”

Later, eating at the dinner table outside, Lily said, “Sorry for hiding the fact Rai was an Abminus from you, we weren’t sure how you might take it.”

The parents had recognized Rai from the apprenticeship, seeing as they follow Neptus’s journey over the radio, and Rai, the one who beat Neptus in the placement exam as told in the newspaper (though the details of the battle weren’t given), was just as the radio described.

“I get it,” Heather said. “But that explains earlier; for a moment I thought I was going crazy.”

“So, Neptus was from the kingdom that Atlas had taken control of,” Rai said, bringing up an earlier conversation.

“Neptus grew up in the Kingdom of Havoc, like the rest of us, but he’s originally from Atlas,” Lucy said.

“Then why was he made a slave?” Rai asked.

“He was made a slave because he fought against his kingdom, to help us,” Reno said.

“Worlds a lot crazier than I thought, outside the walls of the empire…” Lily mentioned.

“Not as crazy as the woods of Kalumi,” Eiji muttered, taking a large bite of a turkey leg. Still chewing, he said, “I once… almost got... aten…”

“…eaten,” Lily muttered.

“…by a hammerhead raptor,” Eiji continued, swallowing his food and reaching for the mashed potatoes. “And while trying to use the restroom of all things, unbelievable,” he said shaking his head.

“What’s that?” Stevie asked looking up at Eiji.

Eiji, turning to the boy sitting next to him, curled his fist into a ball, placing it on his forehead and stating, “Hammerhead… Raptor!” Eiji pretended to slam his head into the table, though he stopped short only lightly hitting it.

Stevie giggled at the display.

Just then, the old man from the bridge appeared, his wrinkly smile, spread wide as he said, “It appears there’s a celebration going on,” his eyes twinkled with curiosity as he licked his lips. “Mind if I join in?”

“Hey, it’s the guy from before,” Eij said.

“Here,” Rai said, tossing him a pouch with luminites in them.

The old man’s eyes lit up as he accepted the pouch, but before he could respond, the mother, Lucy, stepped forward, her expression stern. “Father,” she said, her voice firm yet gentle. “Were you at the bridge passage again?”

The old man blinked in confusion, his brow furrowed. “Of course! I’ve got a duty to the kingdom!”

The mother sighed, exchanging a look with her husband. “Swore we locked the door to his cottage… It’s your turn,” she said.

“Denis, get over here and get some food. You were released from duty twenty years ago.”

“Was I?” Denis said.

“Yes, you know this. We tell you this every day…” Slightly riled, Reno stated, “Dad, I’m trying to be nice, because it’s Mother’s Day, and I don’t want to get upset. Come sit and celebrate with us. Donnie, scoot over.”

“Okay,” and he made room.

Denis’s face fell, “I... I suppose you’re right.”

The mother nodded sympathetically, reaching out for her father’s hand. “Come, this way,” she said, her voice filled with love as she guided him to his seat.

“Sorry, I should have known when you asked for the gear that it was my grandpa,” Heather said.

“Grandpa,” Cheryl said in a high pitch tone, scolding him for running off again.

“He was doing fine this month, up until now,” Donnie said.

“Recently he’s been wandering to the bridge acting as the guard between the canyon,” Reno said. “He did work a similar position for our Kingdom, Havoc, before leaving for vacation with us.”

“In case you didn’t know, Atlas is also surrounded by a large moat, the only way in or out is through a bridge they lower,” Ramon said.

“You guys are going to Atlas?” Lucy asked.

“Yeah, we’re to meet up there with Neptus,” Rai said.

“We’ll let Neptus know, Lucy says hello.”

“We will,” Lily and Rai responded.

“Make sure to watch your backs, that Chancellor Plut guy is a real nasty fellow, nothing like how King Venitus was, from what I hear..” Reno said. The apprentices nodded in agreement.

“So, Lucy, is that short for Lucille?” Rai asked.

“It is, why, do you know a Lucille?” Lucy replied.

“Yeah… though you’re definitely the better of the two,” he said with a smile.

“No kidding,” Eiji said. “Cheers! To Lucy for being such a cool mom!”

“Cheers!” everyone shouted.

The night proceeded with laughter and joy, until eventually, it came time for them to go.

“Mmm, I don’t want to go,” Tofi said, standing with the other two children.

“When we get older, will come visit,” Cheryl said.

“Promise!” Stevie said.

“Okay,” Tofi said, smiling and giving them each a hug.

“Thanks again for everything,” Heather said.

“If you’re ever around, stop by, maybe I’ll get you to help me out with crops out back,” Reno joked.

The family waved goodbye as everyone departed. They gave them all the supplies they could ask for, including a lantern to see in the dark.

Crossing the bridge, at the helm of the horses, Eiji, Lily, and Fu took the carriage through the moonlit night. They had some time to make up for, and so Eiji volunteered to drive while everyone else tried to get some sleep, though Lily wasn’t tired, so she stayed up with him.

“Who would have known Neptus was from the same kingdom, sorta…” Eiji stated as they departed the village.

“Yeah… Makes me all the more worried, however,” Lily said.

“He’ll be fine,” Eiji said. “Eloise will be there; I doubt he’ll be getting into any sort of trouble.”

“True,” Lily said.

Stretching his arms, sitting atop the carriage, “Boy, was that a day,” Fu said.

“You get tired?” Lily said.

“Course, how do you think I utilize flux?”

“Huh. You know Fu, that might have been the nicest you’ve ever responded to me.”