As the sun peaked its head out of the skyline of the cities. Its rays slowly began to fall upon the streets of Hatlynshire. They spread far and wide as they slowly enveloped the city in warmth.

Lucian felt that warmth as the rays reached his window and fell on his face. The intensity of the morning sun forced him to open his eyes. He tried to resist it but for all his power even he could refuse the sun. So he reluctantly unraveled his sheets and got up from his bed. Just as he did he heard a muffled sound coming from outside his room.

“Lu! Wake up! Please!” the muffled voice yelled.

Lucian yawned and then smiled. He knew exactly where the muffled voice was coming from. He quickly put on his brown shoes before turning his attention to the wardrobe he kept on the other side of his maroon colored room with light wood trim and hardwood floor. The wardrobe itself was made of mahogany. Lucian flicked his wrist and the wardrobe’s doors flew open and from within it came a brown coat. The coat floated in midair and into Lucian’s hand. Lucian then put it on and then yawned again before swiftly making his way out of his room.

“I’m awake!” he shouted so that the voice might shut up. And it did. Instead it was replaced by the faint sound of joy.

Outside his room was hallway with white walls with black flowers painted on them. He made his way down the hallway until it opened up into a large staircase that led both down and up. Lucian would have gone down the staircase regularly. But he hadn’t done that in years. Instead he found it faster and more fun if he stood on the banister and jumped. But he didn’t fall. The moment he took his foot off the top of the banister they went and stuck to the side of it. Lucian had found walking vertically quite difficult in the beginning but now that he had done it so often he was used to it. It’s only drawback, which he found both fair and disappointing, was that he could only do it on the wooden stairs lest he wished to have his footprints visibly marked on the various colorful, well-kept and ancient walls on the house.

“Its good practice!” he has always said when someone questioned why he did it. And in fact, he was not wrong.

Lucian took one vertical step and then jumped when he encountered the gap between the levels. He then landed vertically, took another step and then jumped again. It took three jumps to get from his floor to the ground floor. The last jump was so that he could once again land horizontally when he reached the bottom.

Lucian took this last jump and landed safely on the ground floor. The first thing he heard was the sound of faint clanging coming from the kitchen down the hall. He suspected his mother, Janice, was making breakfast. He then walked through another hallway decorated with portraits of his ancestors before reaching the living room.

“I just couldn’t resist the alluring sound of that sweet voice so here I a…” he began as he turned the corner into the living room. He then stopped mid conversation when he noticed something large and black silently waiting for him as he entered. He was so caught by surprise that he jolted for a moment before regaining his voice and shouting. “AH!”

The raven on the desk next to him tilted its head and let out a loud and annoying screech. Lucian glanced at it in confusion while it stared blankly at him. He then turned and faced the rest of room. The Living room had a sand green wall and polished wooden floor with a various furniture and a large fireplace at the front. One wall had more portraits while another was completely taken by a bookcase full of both books and other trinkets. In the room were two people. One was Lucian’s younger sister Lily, who sat in the corner reading a story book in her peach color dress. The other was Lucian’s younger brother, a dashing nine year old who went by the name of Lidian. Lidian stood in the middle of the room looking at Lucian with a very cheerful smile. Which combined with his green eyes made his almost irresistible in Lucian’s opinion.

“YES! You made it! I told you he can hear me!” said Lidian turning to Lily who merely grinned while reading her book. She then glance at Lucian.

“He wanted to wake you up so he can tell you about the raven. I told him it would be better if he just shouted you awake. He has been trying from the past half an hour. It’s been driving mother insane. I actually thought he might faint before you decided to get your lazy rear out of bed. You’d think someone whose about be initiated into the grand ranks of the Circle would be wake up earlier” she said in a condescending tone while reading.

“Well perhaps I’m not a judgmental posh twit who doesn’t know how to live” Lucian thought to himself.

“I would rather if you had woken me up the regular way” said Lucian straightening himself after recovering from his initial shock. “Because I would very much like to know WHY there’s a random RAVEN in the house! Does father know about this?”

Lily put down her book and looked at Lucian as though she were annoyed. “Yes, father indeed knows about the random raven in the house. He left for some business and told us not to hurt it or let it out until he returns. I suggest you don’t complain unless you want to endure mother’s wrath. Besides, do you not recognize it?”

Lucian turned to the raven. He had always been unnerved by ravens. He never knew why. It was something about their beady and still eyes and their sharp talons. He tended to avoid going near ravens as much as possible. He certainly didn’t find it comforting that one was standing freely in the living room.

“No, I do not see anything familiar about this…vermin” he said while giving the raven a disgusted look. Lily sighed in disappointment. But then Lidian chimed in with blissfully high pitched voice.

“Don’t you see? It’s one of the Bernstein ravens!” he said enthusiastically. Lucian glance at Lily saw her give him an amused smile and a side eye. Lucian was even less amused. But the mentioning of the name ‘Bernstein’ did make him look back at the raven. And now that he did he realized the odd things about it. Its behavior was peculiar as it had barely moved from where it had stood before Lucian had entered the room. It hadn’t flown around or attacked him yet it wasn’t frightened or intimidated by him. The raven was also large and healthy with little to no sign of injury. Its feathers were well kept and, most telling of all, Lucian noticed a small yet visible golden strap on its right leg. But even knowing where the raven came from still didn’t make Lucian detest it any less.

“Why is it here? Don’t they usually carry messages and whatnot?” he asked. Lily raised one of her eyebrows in an expression that indicated that she wasn’t at all impressed that Lucian had stated the obvious. Lidian then chimed in once more.

“It did have a message! It’s right there!” he said in his perpetual excitement. He pointed Lucian to nearby table with a lamp on it. Besides the lamp was a piece of paper that was slightly torn around the edges but otherwise completely intact. On the paper was a hand written letter.

“It’s a letter to father. Lily said I shouldn’t read it and that should stop Lucy from reading it too” said Lidian in a more gloomy voice. Lucian looked at Lily but she didn’t return the expression opting to stare at her book instead. Lucian then looked at Lidian who, even though erratic and simple minded in his young age, was still undoubtedly obedient to the whims of his older siblings. Lucian attributed that to all the stories their mother had told him about the Hunters and massacre of Avarier Theater and why even Great Houses are not safe. Lucian himself tended to enjoy his little brother’s obedience and respect even though he knew it might fade as he got older.

“Well, seems to me that I can read it” he said while taking the paper, smiling at Lidian and glancing briefly at Lily. The raven let out an infuriated screech as Lucian took the paper into his hand. Lucian ignored the ‘vermin’ and read the paper. The paper read:

To Baron Henry Demon from Baron Leonard Bernstein. Issued on the 281th Day of the year 634 AF and protected under decree of Great House Confidentiality in accordance with the Circulion Code of Law.

Dear Henry,

I hope dearly that this my raven finds you in good health. Knowing what we prepare for. I write this note in order to make the announcement that my family and I will be arriving in Demonum Borough to attend your son’s Initiation Ceremony in accordance to our pre-arranged plans. I suspect other Houses might also join as I believe it is a very special occasion for your family. On that note I would also like to bid you my utmost congratulation on our son’s incorporation into your fine ranks. If everything goes as planned then I expect that we’ll have a very joyous celebration to look forward to. I thank you once more and I sincerely hope to see you soon.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

-Leonard

Lucian took the paper and placed it on the desk. Lidian looked at him blankly. “Well what does it say? Can I see?”

Lucian paused for a moment as a few words caught his attention. Particularly the words my family will be arriving to witness your son’s initiation.

“They’re coming here…” he told himself. And while he was pondering Lidian continued to pester him.

“Well? Can I see, Lu?”

Lucian snapped out of his state of thought and looked at Lidian who gazed at him restlessly. Waiting for an answer. Lucian managed a smile.

“Why don’t you go play with your sister?” he said softly.

“But…” started Lidian who sounded let down my Lucian’s words. But before Lucian could say anything Lily put down her book and walked up to Lidian before grabbing his shoulder.

“Now that’s enough of you, little man” she said in a playful voice. “Like Lu said, go find your sister. I saw Lucy in hall planning decorations. Why don’t you go help her? And more importantly, keep her there. Lu and I have something to talk about. Privately”

Lidian opened his mouth to object but Lily’s commanding stare forced the ever loyal Lidian to relent. He nodded and left the room and went into the hall. Lily then closed the door and turned to Lucian.

“You seem nervous” she said with a slight. Lucian stared at her as though she had insulted him. Lily had told Lidian to leave because she didn’t want him to hear discussion of one of things Lucian feared most. His upcoming Initiation Ceremony. Even Lucian understood that, because he knew that Lidian worried too much about the people around him whom he respected.

“Yes, I am nervous. This says that all the Bernstein and possibly more houses will be attending my initiation ceremony!”

“So? It’s not as though it makes you any less of a coward about it”

“Father promised it was going only going to be OUR family attending. Only you, the twins, Uncle David and his family”

“We you can say that all the other Great Houses are our family. At least, in a technical sense” Lily argued.

“But…” said Lucian. He didn’t usually whine about many things. He was fifteen after all. But this was different and he knew Lily knew that. Lily let out an amused snigger as though her brother’s pleas were just a joke. Lucian frowned at her.

“Well I would tell you not worry. But that would be futile. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone so worried about a mere initiation”

“It is not a mere initiation. They call it a ‘Trial by Blood’ for a reason! It is biggest test I could ever take!”

“Well, if you’re so scared of little bleeding then perhaps you’re not ready to become a high Circulion statesman!” said Lily.

Just then, the raven on the desk decided to let out a screech s high pitched that it made both Lucian and Lily react in annoyance. Lucian had completely forgotten the raven was there due to its strange silence. The reminder that it was there made his jolt and hold his arms out as though he were evading an enemy. Something that Lily took notice of. She gave Lucian an ironic stare.

“Yes, quite the statesman you are”

Lucian was about to respond when suddenly the living room door opened and in came Lucy, Lidian’s twin sister, followed shortly by Lidian.

“Are both of you finished with your petty arguments yet? Because I have to feed the bird!” she said. Lucian looked at Lidia who gave him a defeated expression as he scratched his head in shame. “I tried to stop her from getting in but she insisted on feeding the raven”

Lucian gave him a sympathetic look for he knew Lucy was not like her brother. While Lidian was excitable and loyal, Lucy was excitable and less loyal. Which Lucian about appreciated and found annoying at the same time. He watched as Lucy as she held the ravens head and fed it something from her hand. Lucian did not know what she fed it, but whatever it was, the raven ate it joyfully. After she was done Lucian realized that he was tired of having to look at that raven, a bird that he partially blamed for all the bad things that had happened to him today. He looked around for something he could use, he found that something in an ornate decorative wooden box which laid unused in the bookcase. Lucian walked over and grabbed the wooden box from the bookcase and brought it over to the table where the raven was.

“I feel like our guest needs a proper place to stay” he said in a cheerful voice. Lily realized what he was about to do. And she did not approve.

“No! Father said not to hurt it!” she protested. But Lucian ignored her. He took the box and placed it on the table. He then took his and hand and waved it in the air above the box.

“I’m not hurting it, just confining it” he said. The box then began to move. The wood started to chip and tear itself apart. Within seconds the box had turned into nothing more than a mass of swirling wooden shards. Lucian then brought his hand down onto the swirling mass and with his hand movements and concentration he made the mass rearrange itself. The wood behaved as though it was water as it straightened itself and put itself back together in any shape Lucian desired. In this case, within minutes, the box had turned itself into a fully intact bird cage.

Raven stood still as did the twins, who looked on in amazement. The raven then started to move when it saw the shape of a birdcage appear. Lucian could tell it would try and fly away. So he extended his other hand and made it freeze in place. Once the cage was finished Lucian moved his hand and with it, so did the raven. The raven struggled as it gently glided above the surface of the desk directly into the cage without even lifting a wing. Once it was in Lucian let it go and closed the door before it could get out. Lucy tried to stop in a swift motion, but stopped midway when she realized she couldn’t. Lucian looked the cage and look at the now trapped raven with satisfaction.

“Well now you’re trapped, you feathered pest!”

Lucian then looked at his three siblings, Lily was a frowning, Lucy was staring at bird wondering assessing whether it was fine and Lidian was looking at Lucian in amazement.

“Oh Lu, you have to teach me how you do that!” he exclaimed. Lucian mere smiled and patted him on the head. “All in good time” he said.

“The bird doesn’t like being put in cage!” Lucy protested. “Look at it!” she said as the raven tried to move the heavy cage while giving desperate screeches.

"And mother wont be very happy once she sees that you've turned one of the living room ornaments into a makeshift prison" said Lily in agreement with Lucy.

“We’ll release it when it’s time for it to leave. And I will revert the cage to its original form. I swear” said Lucian. Lily didn't seem at all confident in his promises but Lucian didn't care. He cared more about calming down Lucy. Lucy gave him a saddened expression that Lucian always hated to see. He realized he needed a way to put this whole affair behind him. He then got an wonderful idea, and smiled at both Lidian and Lucy.

“Why don’t we all go frolic outside, hmm? I’ve heard the first winds of autumn are going to arrive soon. So I suggest we make the best of these last summer days”

Lidian nodded immediately. Lucy, while still sad about the raven, also nodded. Lucian then led them both towards the front door before turning back around and heading back to living room where Lily was still waiting with her arms crossed.

“I’ll be along shortly!” he shouted to the twins as he turned to Lily. “So, are you coming as well?”

Lily smiled. She the flicked her wrist and the wooden cage the raven was in shook loudly next to Lucian. Lucian didn’t see this coming and so he immediately recoiled back into a defensive position when he saw the cage move. His reaction only made Lily smile more.

“You know, if you wish to be the next head of the illustrious Demon family. Then I suggest you first removed your fear of little birds”

Lucian straightened himself again. He was annoyed but he also knew Lily was right. Yet he didn’t want her to know that he knew that. “Well until then I’ll be happy to see these foul beasts in cages” he said while avoiding her gaze. “Besides, unlike you I don’t dream of being a public figure”

“How bold of you to assume what I dream” said Lily in response. Lucian knew that Lily, unlike him, was more adept with social life. Even though they rarely left the house for safety reasons. Lucian only ever felt comfortable around his family. And Lily knew that. And even though often argued Lucian knew that both Lily and the twins would always be there for him. Lucian then smiled at Lily while still avoiding her gaze.

“Well as of now you have two options, dear sister. Either you accompany me outside to sunny bliss or you go to the library and give Grandfather Wren some company. I suspect Luin is already there”

Lucian saw Lily contemplate what he had just said. He knew she found the first option better than spending time with their bookish cousin Luin and their ancient grandfather Wren. Both of whom shared the same interest of staying in the library on the second floor in utter silence. Lily then smiled. Lucian had already guessed her response.

“Well then, I suggest you wait for me while I get my hat.” she said. Lucian smiled at her and she smiled back before swiftly turning around and leaving to her room. Lucian then left the living room and went to the front door. He stepped outside the house and embraced the sunny bliss of morning. Their house labelled No 13, Allison Street. And from the outside it looked like regular three story house packed together with the rest of the neighborhood. With brown walls and quaint arched windows. He watched as Lucy and Luin played with little sticks on the side walk from up on the small staircase that led to the front door. He was nervous about many things, particularly his Initiation and why his father wanted other houses to come considering it was considered risky and unsafe. But at that moment he tried to forget that and just enjoy the warmth of a sweet summer morning before he had to go back inside for breakfast. For he knew soon autumn and then winter would come.