Chaos.

That was the only word that could describe the pandemonium that followed the collapse of the eldest son of Baron Florian. Everyone was talking over everyone else, trying to take a look at what was happening. The closest to him at that moment had been his own manservant, who caught him before he could hit the ground.

Anyone close enough to the boy could see that he was almost as pale as a corpse, blood trailing down from his nose as he lay limp against his manservant.

The second son of the Baron, the illegitimate child who followed the legitimate one like a newborn chick, was frantically calling for his brother.

"Don't crowd him!" The manservant, Ronald, shouted as he picked the boy up. "I'm taking the boy to his room. Young Master Jeremiah, please go and inform the Baron about the situation.”

To his credit, the boy took the instructions seriously. He ran out of the room while Ronald easily lifted Emilio up and started to walk out as well.

“I’ll go with you,” the family Healer, Klein Straut, spoke up as he approached Ronald, who nodded back.

After they left, the people that had quietened down a bit started talking again. Wondering what happened, wondering why he collapsed, wondering if he was getting weaker by the day, wondering if he was dead.

“Enough!” Captain Killian’s voice boomed over everyone else’s. “Have some fucking decency, the lot of you. One of your masters just collapsed, Stop gossiping and go back to your stations. If I hear anyone gossiping and speculating - with each other and especially with outsiders - there will be hell to pay!”

It has been less than a decade since Captain Killian joined the Knights of the Barony and around six years since she took Captaincy. However, she had gained the command and respect of not only the Knights but also the rest of the household staff. So her words were met with mumbled apologies as they filed out of the room.

As the commotion died down in the hall, Edmund followed Jeremiah and rushed to his son’s room, where Klein was already sitting beside the prone boy in the bed, his hand glowing blue as he ran it over the boy’s body, flickering to a soft yellow when it reached the boy’s head, Edmund felt as if a rock had been lifted from his heart. Soft yellow, which meant that whatever was happening was something mild and curable.

“What happened?” He walked forward. The diagnostic glow could only give him so much information.

Klein was quiet for a moment before he sighed and pulled back. “From what I understand, he experienced some sort of migraine. It put enough stress on him to cause a nosebleed. Has he been under pressure the past few days?”

“No more than usual,” Ronald replied.

“Has anything new happened recently that might cause him stress?”

Ronald’s eyes flickered to Jeremiah for a split second but then he shook his head. “No.”

“I see,” Klein sighed and stood. “This migraine could be a result of over-excitement or excessive stress. There is nothing wrong with him at the moment. I have administered a soothing spell on him. His body needs to recover.”

“When will he wake?” Edmund asked.

Klein frowned thoughtfully. “I cannot tell. It could be tomorrow or it could be a week. However, once he wakes, he should stay away from any work or stress. He needs relaxation.” Klein leveled a look at Edmund, as if he was causing his own child stress. Edmund could not find it within himself to feel indignant, because he could not be certain that he wasn’t.

“Very well,” he sighed.

Klein nodded. “I’ll keep checking up on him every now and then.”

For the next few days, anxiety shrouded the castle. The masters of the castle were solemn. Jeremiah was distracted in his lessons, running to his brother’s room whenever lessons ended. If not for the Baroness who would throw a fit if she found out, the boy would have stayed with Emilio. Ronald stayed by Emilio’s side the entire time, only getting up to eat, bathe, or go to the toilet.

The staff witnessed the strange sight of a calm, almost nervous Baroness, who would visit her son every day after breakfast, and gently rub his head like she used to when he had been a child, before Jeremiah came. The Baron would come to him just before dinner when there was a lull in his work and watched the boy for long, quiet moments, the only indicator of his distress being his pursed lips and furrowed brows. It was a good thing that the two did not come at the same time; the Baroness was sure to quarrel with the Baron.

A week and a half passed like this.

And then, Emilio Florian opened his eyes.

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The first thing he noticed was the familiar ceiling of his room. The second thing he noticed was Ronald sitting on the chair beside the bed, dozing off.

Emilio tried to get up. But his limbs felt weak and heavy. He gritted his teeth and pressed his elbows onto the bed to push himself up. The rustling of the covers must have woken Ronald up because the next moment, Ronald was standing beside him, helping him get up and lean against the pillows behind him.

“You should have called me, Young Master,” the man scolded. “Do you need anything?”

“Wa… water,” he whispered, surprised at how raspy and hoarse his voice was.

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He felt Ronald move away from him and come back after a moment, a glass of water held to his lips. Usually, he wouldn’t allow his manservant to treat him like this - like a child. But he felt too weak and disoriented. He quietly drank the water from the glass and then wiped his lips once he was done.

He leaned back again. “What happened?” He asked softly.

“You don’t remember? You collapsed during the party.”

It was then that he remembered - the party, the headache, the voices….

He turned to Ronald. “Did you hear them?”

“Hear what?”

“The… voices. There was someone … a lot of someones talking all at the same time. In a strange way too….” He looked at Ronald, only to find him looking back at him with only worry. He sighed. “Forget it.” His words sounded crazy even to him.

Ronald was clearly not ready to forget the matter. But he did not pursue the matter.

“How long have I been unconscious?”

“10 days, Young Master.”

Emilio looked at him in surprise. “That long?”

Ronald nodded. “We have been waiting for you to wake up. I will inform the Baron now.”

Once he got a nod from Emilio, he bowed and, with one last glance at him, walked out of the room. Emilio sighed softly. It seemed he really had worried everyone. The more he tried to prove that he could live a good, happy life without magic, the more the universe seemed to do everything to disprove him.

He closed his eyes, needing a moment of rest despite having just woken up.

The next time he opened them, it was dark. Mostly. Moonlight filtered through the curtains setting over the door to the balcony. He slowly sat up, far more easily than he had the first time, and looked around. Ronald was fast asleep on the couch. Emilio couldn’t help the soft smile that came out. He truly was lucky. A Laik like him, having so many people who cared for him and cherished him so.

“Well, this one is awake!”

Emilio whipped his head around, looking to and fro. There was no one. Only Ronald. And he definitely wasn’t speaking.

“We didn’t even have to come. What a waste of time.”

The words were high-pitched and seemed accompanied by what seemed like the chirps of a bird. He frowned and stepped off the bed, stumbling a bit due to his wobbly legs.

“Careful, careful. I swear, why are humans so weak?”

He frowned. It seemed to be coming from outside the balcony. He glanced at Ronald and decided that it was better not to cause a commotion. Instead, he walked to the balcony on his trembling legs.

“Eh, eh, is he coming this way?”

There was no doubt. It was from outside. It didn’t take him long to reach the balcony and gently open the door.

And the sight in front of him took his breath away.

On the branch that extended over the railing of the balcony, there sat a bird with beautiful feathers whiter than snow. It was a bird almost as big as his arm, with pure blue eyes, and a beautiful comb on its head that seemed to dance in the air.

He knew what this was.

A white phoenix.

A legendary, mythical bird.

A symbol of magic and healing.

What was a white phoenix doing here? They should be creatures rarely ever seen. He knew of only one white phoenix that existed. But no… this one couldn’t be it. That white phoenix should be miles away from here. So where did this one come from? And more importantly….

“Were you the one talking?” He blurted out the question on his mind.

The phoenix seemed to straighten. Emilio had a feeling it was in surprise. It chirped. It sounded melodic. And he could somehow understand what it was saying.

“You can understand me.” It was a statement.

He nodded slowly. “I … I can,’ he frowned, a confused look on his face. “Somehow.”

“Huh. That’s new.”

“Tell me about it,” Emilio could not believe he was speaking with a bird, and agreeing with what it was saying. Was this a dream? He pinched himself in the arm.

“Ow!” Definitely not a dream.

“What’d you do that for?!” The phoenix seemed to yell at him.

Emilio tilted his head. “To make sure that this isn’t a dream.”

“Spirits, you humans are weird.”

He couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at that. It came out slightly hysterical. “Gods, am I going mad?”

“Definitely not, boy!” The phoenix huffed. “I can hear you just fine.”

“How on earth am I talking to a bird?!”

“Watch it, brat!” It puffed up. “I am not just any bird. I am-”

“Young Master?” Ronald’s voice came from behind him. Emilio turned to face him. “What are you doing outside? Who were you talking to?”

“Ronald! There’s a-” he whipped around to face the phoenix, only to find an empty branch, “bird…”

“There’s no bird here at this time, Young Master.” Ronald stepped forward, concern clear in his voice. “Are you quite alright?”

Emilio heaved a long sigh and ran a hand over his face. “Yes, yes, I’m fine.”

What else was he supposed to say? ‘I was just talking to a white phoenix but it vanished. It was here, I swear!’ That would go over well.

“Young Master, let’s go back to the room. You should not be outside this late at night.”

“Don’t treat me like a child, Ronald,” he grumbled but did walk back into the room, allowing Ronald to close the doors behind him. He lay down on the bed, unable to discern whether the past few minutes were real or an illusion.

As the eldest Young Master Florian tried to sleep, the white phoenix flew across the night sky, over the woods, and finally came down to settle on an extended arm. She looked up to see a beautiful man staring back at her. Those violet pools seemed endless and mesmerizing. Truly worthy of being her human, this one.

“What happened?” The man asked.

There was a long pause, during which the human and his familiar exchanged many thoughts, feelings, and images.

“I see. That is quite fascinating.” He smiled. “I have to see the young Florian myself.”