Leona settled comfortably on my shoulder as a round ball of yellow fluff. She was so light I barely felt her there.

I smiled.

No one would ever imagine this yellow fluff ball to be an actual phoenix.

"Fiona, about Leona—" I realized I had one witness to Leona’s proper form. If this information got out, it would be one severe headache.

"Luca, I assure you, I have seen far stranger things in this household. I'll keep quiet on this matter as well." Fiona waved me off. "Now, please leave."

She was busy sweeping up her kitchen and not even looking in our direction.

"Thank you."

I nodded towards her and walked out into the hallway.

Henry turned to greet me and did a double take when his eyes fell on Leona.

"Young master Luca, why do you have a baby bird on your shoulder?" he asked.

"Don't ask silly questions, Henry. Why shouldn't I have a bird on my shoulder?" I waved him off and walked away.

I didn't feel like coming up with some excuse and trying to keep track of all my lies.

Two guards rushed past me in a hurry, but they still took the time to skid to a stop and update me. "We believe we've had every cat removed from the grounds' premise, young master Luca. We're just finishing up."

"Thank you." I smiled awkwardly at them. "Carry on."

I hoped the chaos I created was worth the trouble.

Well, I suppose it's not as bad as the last time I gave an order using Micah's name. Nothing has blown up after all.

They nodded and ran off.

Leona stirred on my shoulder.

Do you not like cats?

No, I just don't want to get killed by one.

But I couldn't answer her out loud. Henry was already giving me an odd expression, as it were.

I turned the corner and staggered back in surprise. Leona fluttered in the air and nestled in my hair from the sudden stop.

A warning would be appreciated next time. I do prefer this view, however.

On the other side of the corner stood Remlend. He seemed to have been waiting for me.

"Ah. Young master Luca, will you be getting dressed soon for the ball?" Remlend asked. He had his usual ordinary expression. I just noticed that even his clothes were hardly memorable. They were a dark color, without any notable features.

"Is it already time?" I glanced out one of the windows facing the outside. The sun was further down in the sky than before. The sky was still a bright blue, but the evening was nearing.

Time had passed by faster than I expected.

"You still have a head start, but it would be wise to get ready soon," Remlend suggested. "Ah, a gentleman from The Gilded Siren is in the courtyard waiting for you. He has been waiting for some time now. He has something for you. It requires you picking it up yourself, however, and thus I could not collect it on your behalf."

"It must be your winnings!" Henry excitedly spoke.

That's right. I had won quite a fortune today. I had nearly forgotten about my good fortune gambling with the appearance of Leona.

"I will go see him," I said. "Remlend, can you please go upstairs and pick an outfit for me for the ball? One that isn't too flashy, preferably."

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Remlend's eyes glanced at my current attire.

"Most certainly, young master Luca." He bowed his head and hurried away.

I suddenly became acutely aware of how ridiculous I currently looked. Fiona had thrown me a pair of pants and a shirt, and in a state of urgency, I threw them on, but it was an unfortunate combination.

The pants were a flowing silk material in a soft yellow color. They were extremely comfortable, but were an odd combination with my grungy black tunic and its array of metal studs.

I had half a mind to go upstairs and change right now but decided it honestly didn't matter in the grand scheme. It's not like I care to impress anyone right now.

I walked out the front doors and into the courtyard. A carriage with The Gilded Siren insignia on its side and a well-dressed man was in the middle. He wore a well-tailored dark purple suit with golden detailing and had both of his ears pierced with different colored mana stones.

"Ah, you must be Luca Frey!" the man called out with a bright smile.

"Indeed." I nodded and walked down to him.

A guard ran between us, a kitten in his arms.

“This must be the last of them!” the guard called out to another guard and ran out the gates with the kitten.

"Say, is there something going on with cats today? Is there some sort of disease?" he asked. "I've been noticing people chasing around cats since midday."

I stared blankly at the gates.

Just how many cats did we have at the manor??

"No idea," I lied. Why even bother explaining all this to a complete stranger? I didn't even understand how I was killed by a cat in the previous round.

"I presume you are here to drop off my winnings?" I changed the subject.

"Ah, yes. You are most correct." He smiled and turned back towards the carriage. He tapped the door. "Young lad, bring it out!"

A young boy stumbled out of the carriage. He looked to be the same age as Jarvis and Elda, but he looked worse for wear than my siblings. He was probably twelve or so, but his brown hair had already turned half-grey.

His expression reminded me of the one Fin sometimes had when he gazed out. It didn't fit a child.

In the boy's hands was a locked container, one that not even a mana stone could open.

"Is he a mage?" I asked.

It explained why The Gilded Siren was comfortable leaving the winnings to be delivered by a man and a child. The boy reminded me of Fin.

When I had met Fin, his hair was completely white. It had lost all its color from the inhumane procedures done on him as a child to increase his mana abilities.

"Ah yes, we managed to snag this lad for a good price. This boy here is quite an impressive mage for his age." The smiling man patted the child on the shoulder.

The child flinched.

My jaw tightened.

Mages were rare. Good mages were even harder to come across. However, recent techniques by one particular underground faction were developed to increase one's mana level as long as the individual was young enough. They were the sort of techniques no sane parent would want their child to undergo. According to Fin, more than half of the children that underwent the mana enhancement treatment with him died.

Thus the only ones that ever underwent the treatment were orphans, the unwanted, and children no one was around to protect.

Fin still had Denise at this time, but with her death, he was taken and subjected to inhumane treatment by the faction that developed the procedure.

He became an exemplary mage, one that managed to live nearly as long as me against the Kobar Empire's invasion, but at what price? He was a nervous wreck during all the time I knew him.

"Was this lad developed under the Spiders?" I asked.

The man smiled knowingly. "Who else? Why? Are you in the market for a mage? Prices are only going up."

The Spiders were considered to be the most powerful and scariest of the factions that existed. Their web of influx extended beyond Adovoria and across the entirety of the continent.

Mages were in high demand, and the Spiders had a monopoly on the market. Any nation that wanted to obtain mages had no choice but to play nice with them. The Spiders were practically untouchable because they were the only ones that could turn out mages consistently like cattle.

It was disgusting.

"Lad, open the container," the man ordered.

The young mage placed his hand over the container and the shell unraveled to reveal a small chest.

"Thank you," the man took the chest and provided it to me. "I believe you had received the keystone to open this?"

"I have it." I put my hand out towards Henry. "The key?"

Henry rummaged through his pockets and delivered a golden mana stone that matched the indent in the metal chest.

I clicked the golden stone in place, and the chest let out a small ring.

"Please inspect and ensure it is the correct amount of phoenix eyes," the man said.

I opened the chest, still held by the mage child, and grinned at the extraordinary number of phoenix eyes.

Phoenix eyes? These gemstones are considered 'phoenix eyes'?

Leona spoke into my mind for the first time in a while. I had initially presumed she had fallen asleep atop my head.

My fingers ran through the golden gemstones.

It was a ridiculous fortune.

What am I going to do with all of this?

Hah! Back in my ancestors' time, these weren't called phoenix eyes.

Leona fluttered down into the chest and inspected the gemstones.

Her fluffy yellow feathers felt soft against my hand.

"Is this the right number of phoenix eyes?" the man asked.

"Yes," I replied, having done a rough count.

Strange. 'Phoenix eyes' thousands of years ago referred to a rare type of eye color. Only phoenixes and a few unusual humans had it.

Leona perked up her little head and looked at me. Her golden eyes, the only part that didn't change with her transformation, gazed at me.

Precisely my eye color. And your eye color.