I eventually came to in not my room. I flexed my knuckles, and it felt good. I twisted and stretched a bit. My body was fine. The same awkward sore and stiffness that followed that much exertion and healing were present. Mom healed everything for me. She’s usually less kind when I spar Lux. I looked around, and Lux was staring at a figure who was in the room with me. Wait, that was Ekard.

“You’re finally awake.” Ekard snapped at me.

“Why are you watching me sleep? That is creepy.” I retorted. I beat you. I beat you. You’re a loser. Is my physical age affecting me mentally? Has Lux rubbed off on me? I have moments like this with Luna too. I need to keep an eye on this.

“Our parents left us together with the furball.” Ekard explained while pointing at Lux.

“You mean gluttonous furball.” I corrected.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lux asked, looking offended.

“Wait, its name is gluttonous furball?” Ekard checked. Someone as socially skilled as me. Finally.

“No, her name is Lux. She just loves eating fish, hence why she is the gluttonous furball.” I explained. I could tell the point went over Ekard’s head.

“I do not like eating fish that much.” Lux defended herself.

“How many have you begged me to acquire in the last two weeks?” I snapped back. Lux dropped the argument.

“How did you beat me?” Ekard asked, staring at me intensely.

“By the way, Lux, this is Crown Prince Ekard.” I introduced them, ignoring his question.

“How did you beat me, Crown Prince Nil?” Ekard corrected himself. He called me Crown Prince.

“. I reinforced my attacks with and used to make them hit harder.” I answered as I stood up.

“ isn’t that useful.” Ekard snapped. I literally just beat you with it.

“It’s incredibly useful. is the greatest thing on Tenebrae.” I declared with a victorious pose.

“Sure. I’m bored, is there anything to do?” Ekard inquired, looking around.

“So? How is that my problem?” I taunted. Wait a second. We have a three-man crew. Luna would never approve of this sort of idea.

“I am a guest. You are supposed to be the host.” Ekard told me.

“If we were to do something against the rules, how okay with that would you be?” I checked with Ekard.

“Rules are for chumps.” Ekard said with a smile. Good. Mwahaha.

He is physically stronger than me, and has a body built like a tank. What could we do? Mom did ask me to stop tormenting Helga. Think Nil. Think. Both sets of grandparents were here, my uncles were, both sets of parents, Cesar and his family were out of the castle for a couple days, and Luna was on a trip with her dad. We could play a normal game. No. That’s not anywhere near as fun. What could we do with the assistance of Ekard we normally were not supposed to do? Wait, there was a solution. I needed Ein.

“I got it. We need to go get my little brother.” I told Ekard, feeling myself smile.

“Why?” Ekard whined.

“Because we need one more person to make it work.” I explained. He and Lux both looked at me funny but said nothing else.

We wandered the castle looking for my little brother. He was quickly found, as I did happen to have a rough idea of his schedule. He was with my Uncle Nez. How do we get him away from Nez? Uncle Nez will know something is up. He might cooperate with it.

“What is it you three?” Uncle Nez asked without even turning around from the board.

“We were looking for Ein. We wanted to play some games and see if he wanted to join.” I lied to my uncle. Ein leapt up excitedly.

“I am sure. Try not to get in too much trouble.” Uncle Nez replied, signaling Ein could join us with a smile.

“We would never, Uncle Nez.” I insisted. He just laughed before vanishing, probably to spend some time with Uncle Nox.

“What game are we playing brother? And who is this?” Ein asked excitedly.

“Ein, this is Crown Prince Ekard. Ekard, this is my little brother Prince Ein.” I introduced. They shook hands and then looked at me.

“What are we going to do? I am so bored.” Ekard whined impatiently.

“Here is the plan. With the four of us, we can breach the outer storage room.” I explained. That door is so forling heavy.

“I thought we were playing games.” Ein replied. This is why you’re needed.

“What’s in there?” Ekard probed.

“Fireworks; minor explosives, and other fun items we really shouldn’t touch.” I answered. Ekard, Lux, and Ein were on board.

The merry band and I headed to the destination, which had only two guards, and some minor defensive . Time to storm the Bastille. Okay, maybe a bit less grand, but dang it, this was our moment. It would at least be fun. And we can celebrate after.

“How do we get in?” Lux asked, eyeing the guards.

“We need a diversion team, and an extraction team.” I explained.

“I do not know any of those words!” Ein chimed happily.

“Neither do I.” Ekard added, glaring at me slightly. Thank the Lords for , I suck at acting like a kid.

“Two of us make the guards follow them. The other two get the goods within.” I simplified myself.

“What are the teams?” Ekard probed.

“Lux and Ein distract the guards. Ekard and I breach the storeroom.” I answered.

“Why do Lux and I have to run?” Ein asked, looking a bit disappointed.

“Because you are sweet and innocent, and less likely to get yelled at for long. Plus, Lux is fast, so the lighter the better.” I explained. We need your innocent face and demeanor to get away with this.

“So, he rides on me.” Lux said, eyes narrowing. I know, you’re a , not a pet.

“Yes. The two of you run towards there, then run away after accidentally attacking near the guards while playing. Ekard and I will enter the storeroom and get the goods.” I continued.

The three of them were clearly apprehensive, but it would work. The guards have been told to stop our play in the outer portions of the castle. Ein hopped up on Lux, who immediately tore off. The two of them executed their part perfectly, and soon the guards were after them. Now is why I needed Ekard to breech this stupid room. I can’t open the dang door. It is made out of metal and is super heavy. I quickly got Ekard and I to the massive metal door. I used to open the locks and motioned to Ekard to open. Ekard was ridiculously strong, as he opened that door like it was made of paper. Plan success. The two of us dove into the treasure trove. Our eyes went wide looking at all the fun we were about to have.

“I have a small amount of space in my . How much do we want?” I asked Ekard.

“All of it.” Ekard answered immediately. We raided exclusively the fireworks, and quickly made our escape. Now time to help out Lux and Ein.

Lux, bring them back. I told her.

I felt her acknowledgement. Within thirty seconds, Lux was visible. The two guards were sprinting after Lux and Ein. I prepared the and used to get the four of us to the outer courtyard. Those guards will probably inform our parents, but by then we will have had our fun.

What was Ein for? Lux asked, clearly annoyed I had her carry Ein.

They wouldn’t have chased just you; Ein and I aren’t supposed to play on the outer portions. Plus, we’ll get in less trouble with him around, and look at how much fun he is having. I explained, motioning to Ein who was beaming.

Ekard and I displayed our acquisitions to the two of them. We all were giddy with excitement. I took out the Nez gave me and started making a bunch of little to light them with. Ekard and Ein were arranging the fireworks. After about ten minutes, we were done with the set up. Thankfully, it was sunset, so we would be able to see them well enough.

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“Go team!” I cheered. We all were high fiving each other on a job well done, until we heard someone clear their throat behind us.

“What is that?” my on-the-fence grandmother asked us, indicating our impromptu fireworks display.

“Fireworks.” I answered. Please don’t ruin our fun.

“Where did you get the fireworks?” Grisbane pressed. The other three were looking at me, trying to see if we were busted or not.

“We found them. We were going to set them off.” I lied. I can tell by her tone this is not going to go well.

“Put them away, those are too dangerous.” She ordered. We are too close to give up now.

“Do we have to?” Ekard pleaded, deploying some good puppy dog eyes. Good man.

“I am not going to be responsible for any of you getting hurt. Now put them away.” she demanded. How would we get hurt?

“Please can we light them off.” I begged her.

“No, now is the end of discussion. Do you know how much trouble you four caused?” She snapped back. I figured. Well. Only one solution.

“Run.” I yelled as I activated all the .

All the fireworks were lit, and my grandmother looked furious. None of them ran though, they were there to back me up. If the four of us work together, we might be able to get away. Go team! We were a united front. The fireworks launched up, in an incredibly haphazard arrangement as they all went at once. That was my grandmother’s cue to try and catch us. I immediately used to move Ein away from the wayward fireworks, as Ekard and Lux both attacked my grandmother. My was much shorter than I intended as my grandmother was glaring at me. How did she do that? Thankfully, they were coordinated enough to make her dodge back. We have the advantage of her not wanting to hurt us. But how did she shorten my ?

“Ein, what all do you know?” I asked him. He has mom’s , so what all can he heal?

“!” he answered quickly. Minor healing effect and slight exhaustion recovery. Nothing much but would work if need be.

“Stay back, we will defend you as we try to deal with our grandmother. Use as needed.” I told Ein. He nodded enthusiastically.

Between Lux, Ekard, and I, this was not entirely hopeless on the castle grounds. We just needed to get a large enough gap for me to use . My grandmother grabbed Lux out of the air, and immediately started to use some to try and imprison her. Lux turned to light and shot to the ground, barely escaping in time. Ekard was thankfully ruthless; he kicked my grandmother in the back of her knees. She barely budged, turning to glare at him. This was going to be difficult. Stupid adult. Able to use a lot more than us. I launched myself at her, trying to kick her while Ekard had her attention. The instant I got close, she turned and almost caught me, but a sweeping kick from Ekard gave me the opening to pivot to safety. She tried grabbing him, and his reaction to dodge seemed extremely sluggish. She can’t use time , so what is going on? Why are we moving so sluggishly near her, and how did she shorten my so much? Being nice was not going to get us free.

If I took out my sword, I had the distinct feeling my grandmother would crank up the lack of understanding. The fireworks detonated above us. We aren’t even getting to enjoy them. Thanks grandmother. The plan went off too smoothly. I quickly made some knives of and threw them at her. She immediately dodged them, but Lux took the opportunity to kick her head towards the ground. Ekard seized the moment and tried tackling her legs out. Despite all of that, she hardly moved. This is not fair. I threw a few more knives, trying to get some momentum for us going, but she easily dodged them while taking Lux and Ekard along for the ride. Two of us alternated attacking and dodging her, while the third was being healed by Ein. Even using as much as our bodies could handle was only ending with us bruising and hurting ourselves. At least we weren’t losing ground. This will end in our defeat though. This her patiently waiting for us to tire ourselves.

This isn’t working. Lux told me like it wasn’t obvious.

I know. I am thinking. She is not taking it easy on us at all. I replied.

Any ideas? Ekard asked.

Unless I almost shatter my body with some I can’t think of anything. I shot back.

What if I eat most of the for you? Ekard inquired.

You can do that? I probed. That would be nice.

Yes. Ekard answered.

Buy me five seconds. I told him. I dodged back to be healed by Ein, and Ekard took my place.

I took some deep breaths, calmed down, and focused. I activated my and was ready to use some pretty dangerous . My grandmother sensed it immediately lunging at me. Lux had grabbed Ekard, barely beating her to me. Ekard did something in an instant, and my body felt charged. I brought time to a crawl. A deafening silence overcame us, as the world turned to grayscale. My grandmother could not stop this thankfully. I used to move us from where we were into the courtyard into one of the prime hiding spots Lux and I liked. I immediately resumed time. My body was screaming from the exertion, and Ekard did not look too good. Lux and I quickly used to hide. Ein mimicked us. Ekard touched me, and then immediately mimicked the . How did he do that? We hid there for easily fifteen minutes as we all recovered. We did not even risk Ein healing us. Ein was panting from healing all of us. Lux was tired from the running as she was the one who did most of the saving of that odd sluggish sensation my grandmother was causing. Ekard looked like he was quite sore. I know I was not feeling good from the .

That was fun. Ekard told me.

Wish we got to see the fireworks go off. I moaned.

Still fun though. Lux chimed in.

Are we in trouble? Ein asked, clearly nervous.

I’ll take the heat, so you’ll be fine. I told him.

Thanks brother. Ein replied.

How do we get from this hiding spot to somewhere else? Ekard asked.

The instant I use , she’ll know where we are. I answered.

Can we go somewhere and not get in trouble? Ekard checked.

Maybe. Can you eat a little more with me? I probed.

Nothing close to whatever that was. Ekard stated immediately.

It’s not. My body is just screaming despite how much you took for me. I told Ekard.

Fine. Ekard replied begrudgingly.

He did whatever that link was, and I used to move us all into Uncle Nez and Nox’s private study. Please be clothed. Please, please be clothed. Please be here as well. The two of them were sitting all lovey dovey, with Nez perched on Uncle Nox’s lap, with his arms resting on his shoulders, as they were discussing something. Why do couples do that? It’s so sweet I might get sick. Focus Nil, we need their help.

“Nil, thirty or so minutes ago, did I not tell you to not get into too much trouble?” Nez sighed, giving us a minor glare.

“Grandmother overreacted.” I told him. Ekard, Ein, and Lux were nodding furiously in agreement.

“What did you four do?” Uncle Nox asked with a sigh of his own.

“We took some fireworks from the outer storage room and were going to light them off.” I confessed. Both of them gave us unamused stares.

“That’s all?” Uncle Nez inquired.

“We also might have tried fending off grandmother while she was trying to catch us before we escaped.” I added, looking around sheepishly.

“How did you four get away?” Uncle Nox probed, looking a little proud of us.

“I helped Nil use some pretty strong .” Ekard answered. My uncles looked at each other amused.

Before we could do anything, Uncle Nox moved the four of us behind the desk, and Nez quickly covered us with some . These two are the best. Ekard was originally panicking slightly, until he realized the two of them were hiding us. I heard the study door get thrown open.

“Where are they?” my grandmother growled; her tone was clearly not amused.

“Where are who?” Uncle Nez asked back, feigning ignorance.

“Nil, Ein, Lux, and Ekard.” my grandmother clarified, sounding exasperated.

“I saw them thirty minutes ago. Why, what happened?” Nez lied. You’re the best!

“They stole fireworks and were going to set them off. And then when I told them to pack it up and come quietly, they fought back and got away.” my grandmother snapped.

“Did they take any large or dangerous fireworks?” Uncle Nox checked. No, we kept them small.

“All fireworks are dangerous.” my grandmother retorted.

“I fail to see the problem.” Uncle Nox replied with a dismissive tone. I could feel how much Grisbane hated it.

“They were disobedient, stole, and attacked me.” my grandmother snarled.

“So, Nil entertained his guest Ekard by taking minor fireworks from the storage, while including Ein and Lux so they could all have fun, and then they joined forces and worked together to get away from you? I fail to see how this is a large issue.” Uncle Nez clarified. Go Nez! You’re the best!

“That is not proper behavior for a prince.” my grandmother explained.

“Since when were you the authority? Emperor Azzeck and Empress Senna do not mind Nil’s antics, and I do not either. He is a young boy, and so are Ekard and Ein. Add in Lux, some minor troublemaking is to be expected.” Uncle Nox snapped at her.

I could feel her anger level rising. Why was she getting so angry? I needed to make sure to thank and make it up to my uncles; they were saving our hide’s big time. Go uncle team! They are on the squad!

“Why do none of you care about his troublemaking? And he added his younger brother and Crown Prince Ekard!” my grandmother roared back.

“We do care, and we all agree it’s okay to let his minor stuff slide that way if he does mess up, he is more willing to come to us and not fear an immense punishment. Nil also barely pushes the rules and tests the boundaries; he keeps all of his mischief beneath a certain threshold especially if Luna is nearby. This is well beneath what he has done to the incredibly patient Helga. He is a generally well-behaved kid so letting him have a little slack is fine.” Uncle Nox explained.

For some reason, I felt warm. I could feel myself smiling. What is this feeling? Was this what families were supposed to be like? I felt some unpleasant thoughts creep into my mind, which I quickly suppressed. Realizing she was getting nowhere, my grandmother left in a huff. After a few moments passed, Nez undid his . I immediately ran up and hugged them, followed by the rest of the team.

“Thank you.” I told them. One of them ruffled my hair in response.

“It’s fine. She has good intentions but is not going about them the right way. Now it’s time for dinner. Let’s go you four.” Uncle Nez informed us.

We followed my uncles to the formal dining room. We all took our proper seats, and my grandmother was giving the four of us a stern glare. I had the distinct feeling our parents had been informed of our actions. Uncle squad should be able to save us, slightly.

“So, did you all have fun?” Vauzu asked us with a malicious smile.

“Mostly.” Ekard answered honestly.

“So, whose idea was it to get fireworks?” Mom asked us, but looking directly at me. The four of us looked at each other.

“It was mine.” I confessed. I did promise I’d take the fall for Ein.

“And mine.” Ekard added without hesitation.

“And mine.” Lux added.

“Mine too!” Ein chimed excitedly.

“Then no dessert for any of you. Is that fair Azkar?” Dad declared, smiling a bit.

“Sounds good.” Azkar answered as dinner began being served. Oh, thank the Lords.

“Someone better not go pilfer any from the kitchen tonight either.” Mom added while continuing to look at me.

Thanks team. I told all of them.

I want a rematch. Ekard demanded.

Tomorrow. I’ll gladly beat you again. I taunted with a smirk.

I want to spar too! Lux whined.

Can I try? Ein asked. We all nodded in agreement.

The adults were discussing politics and shifted to what they all had been up to. It was pretty clear our dads were long time friends. My grandmother unsuccessfully tried raising the issue of our behavior, but our parents pretty much ignored her efforts. On her second attempt, my mom shot her an incredibly cold gaze. I think we are in the clear. We discussed what we wanted to do these next few days. Spar was on the top of the list for virtually all of them. Why am I not surprised? We also made an agreement not to cause much trouble for a few days, to play it safe. These next few days before my birthday were looking like they were going to be fun.