The sun began to set upon the City of Hatlynshire. The shadows returned to the emptying streets as the light slowly faded passed the horizon. Lights began to appear all over the darkened city. And even in the lonely road of Allison Street, the lamps on either side of the road came alive and lit the sidewalks in a continuous, uninterrupted line.

Lucian watched from a window on the second floor lobby as a small band of soldiers went along both sides of the road using floating poles to light the street lamps. He now felt each second go by in his mind. The number of thoughts that burdened him had only increased since the arrival of the other House children. And now the thing he dreaded most was not humiliation at the hands of his own cowardice, but the possibility of death at the hands of an unknown threat.

He sat on a chair in the lobby next to the entrance of a hallway He listened carefully for the sound of footsteps. He had not seen or spoken to any of the others since the end of their argument a little less than one and half hours prior. He was still wearing his black waistcoat. He rested his head against the small table. He felt tired. Every passing moment he began to drift closer and closer into sleep. He tried to observe his surroundings to pass the time. But all he saw were the same mundane things he had seen a thousand times already.

“Maybe this is the last time I’ll see this house,” the pessimistic side of his mind whispered. Lucian tried not to listen, but these were of course his own thoughts. He considered asking Laura whether there was a way he could play deaf to his own mind. But at that current moment he wasn’t sure whether it was the right time to ask such a thing.

Suddenly, as he was calculating the appropriate time to ask his friend a question, he heard the sound of the wooden stair creaking, the sound of cloth rubbing against the floor and the sounds of shoes hitting the ground softly. As he watched he saw people come trickling down one by one from the stairs. This time however, they were all dressed in fancy attire. Lucian saw Joe come first, he and the other boys were all wearing white shirts under black waistcoats with the same patterns of tree branches weaved onto them. They all wore coats of black but Lucian could see the differences in the details. He saw Charles wear a pocket watch attached to a golden chain, he saw Benjamin wear a bowtie and Joseph a burgundy colored necktie. But perhaps it was the Morrows who had oddest outfits, for Charles wore neck ruffles that stretched down to his chest and Willow wore a thin circular ruff around her neck. Both of them had wavy white ruffles around their cuffs shaped like flowers. All these details and variety made Lucian feel quite plain.

“If we ever come back here, I am not sleeping so high up again!” Willow exclaimed as she made her way down with the others. “The climb so damn exhausting!”

“Count yourself lucky, Morrow,” said James. “Alice and I pretty much sleep in this house’s attic. The journey there is arduous to say the least,”

“And all those guards in the halls,” said Alice before shuddering. “I swear they all stare at me as though they think I have a knife in every one of my pocket,”

“Only the ones wearing brown do that,” James. “The ones in blue are all very well-mannered. At least the ones I’ve seen,”

“You’re right; I’ve read most of their minds. The blue ones all emanated some sense of loyalty in their thoughts. The brown ones are less so,” said Charlotte.

“What do the brown ones think?” asked Alice. Charlotte paused, looked at her blankly and shook her head. Alice seemed to have get the hint, as she did not repeat her question.

They all crowded into the second floor lobby in front of Lucian, who felt quite overwhelmed. Then followed an awkward second of silence as they all stared at him. Benjamin then walked up to Lucian and, to his surprise, hugged him vigorously.

“There he is! The man of the hour!” he said shaking Lucian affectionately, who felt too dazed to reply. He then swiftly grabbed Benjamin by the waist and gently pushed him aside before he got a headache. He then blinked several times and waited silently until he could regain his sense of perception.

“Well what’s with the silence, eh?” asked Benjamin, raising as Lucian tried his best to stay upright.

“That was…not what I expected,” he said has his dizziness faded.

“Well I apologize for the handsiness,” said Benjamin, brushing his hands against his coat. “But perhaps this may be the only time we’ll have to express our felicitations,”

Lucian looked at the others standing behind Benjamin. They all seemed…calm and united. He even saw the Morrows, Mornings and Venshires smiling at him. Even Joe seemed as though he had let go of his grievances as he too looked at Lucian plainly without any signs of anger or resentment.

“I see everyone is…together. Even after all the arguments,” he said with a small smile.

“We all made amends,” said Benjamin gesturing at the others and shooting a look at Joe, who scoffed in response. Benjamin then shrugged. “Morrow was right; if we’re all doomed then it’s better to be united than divided,”

Lucian smiled. It made him happy to see that everyone was together. And it relieved him to know that there were no more secrets left to hide. “Well are we going stand here all day? Our parents are going to come down any minute now!” said Evelyn suddenly. Lucian heard a whisper go amongst the crowd. “She’s quite right. I say we continue this talk downstairs. I’m famished and this dress is dreadfully hot. O Lucian, do you have anything we can feast ourselves upon before dinner?”

“Uh…” Lucian stuttered, he wasn’t expecting the conversation to be directed at him. “Dinner’s in less than an hour, can’t you wait that long?” asked Benjamin mockingly.

Willow huffed. “No,” she said plainly.

“Well if you’re looking for treats then your better off asking Lily,” said Lucian, trying to helpful. Willow looked at him and smiled before nodding in appreciation.

“I suggest we continue this conversation downstairs,” James interjected. “Lest we look like a bunch of gossiping little children when our parents arrive,”

“Hold on now, Venshire,” Charles then remarked, gesturing ambiguously to Joe’s side of the crowd. “Before we go, please remember that some of us are gossiping little children,”

Some people, including Willow, chuckled. The rest, including Benjamin, rolled their eyes. James put his hand over his face and even Charles seemed unsatisfied by the mixed response. Joe frowned. And Alice, once again, gestured towards the stairs.

This time the others complied without being distracted. They all began to walk down the stairs. “I’ll never understand the Morrows and their sense of humor. They seem take joy in petty insults,” said Benjamin the moment he saw both the Morrows disappear from view.

“I just assume they see it going well for them in the future,” said Lucian. Benjamin chuckled. He then patted Lucian on the back. “Well I too am famished; I suppose we should go down with the rest of them,”

Lucian nodded. He and Benjamin both walked down the stairs behind the others. As Lucian walked down the hallway and reached the living room door he could hear sounds of voices coming from inside. But amongst those voce he felt as though he heard a whisper. He turned his head towards the right and watched as the hallway kept going until it reached the large doors of the main hall. Lucian stopped and froze for a moment. Benjamin took a few steps forwards before realizing Lucian wasn’t following him. He turned and saw Lucian glued to his spot for some inexplicable reason. To Lucian though, the mere sight of the darkened hallway seemed to reignite his dread and panic. It was as if it was beckoning him to his doom, a killing chamber just waiting for its operator.

“Are you alright?”

Lucian immediately snapped out of his own mind. He turned to the source of the voice and found Benjamin staring at him with a worried. “Huh? Oh! Yes, yes I’m fine!” he said waving his hand in the air. He then turned back towards the hall. There was still something odd about it. He still felt as though it was calling him.

“Can you give me a moment? There is something I need to do,”

Benjamin raised his eyebrows, “The vagueness of that excuse doesn’t really inspire confidence,”

Lucian frowned. “Just give me a moment, I’ll be back soon. I just need to…check on something,”

Benjamin narrowed his eyes at Lucian. Fortunately, he then shrugged. “Fine, but return soon,” he said. Lucian nodded before swiftly and turning and walking towards the hall while Benjamin disappeared into the living room.

Lucian walked all the way to the hall. The doors were half-open. Lucian had never found those doors imposing before, but now he did. He looked above the door and saw the Blue Flame Lantern still burning with a mild blue glow.

Lucian touched the doors and pushed them aside, revealing the hall behind. Lucian was immediately hit with a blinding ray of evening light from the large Circular window at the back. As Lucian wiped his he looked around and saw the hall in all its glory. Each pillar and all the walls were decorated with a banner carrying the symbol of the House of Demon and a red carpet was placed down the middle of the hall. Each archway was adorned with fancy curtains and golden ornaments. However, aside from the decorations Lucian also noticed something else. He saw a banner float in midair near the back of the hall. He then saw a shadow appear and disappear from the floor. He looked over the pillars and saw two men in blue cloaks arranging the last row of curtains and banners. They had sheets of fine cloth in their hands as they levitated them onto the walls and archway. Both men seemed to notice Lucian immediately. They both stopped what they were doing and stared at him silently. Both of them then bowed while staying upright. Lucian felt quite awkward at that moment. He simply waved his hand while avoiding looking directly at the men. The men stopped bowing and returned to their task at hand while Lucian took a few steps back towards the way out.

“Don’t worry, they don’t mean any harm,” said a voice suddenly. Lucian flinched for a second. Then sighed and turned around. He wasn’t frightened, for he recognized that voice immediately. “You disappeared from their minds as abruptly as you appeared,” said Laura calmly.

“Well that’s good, it means I don’t make people dwell on me too much,” said Lucian as he walked up to Laura, who smiled in response. She then diverted her gaze to the hall.

“Did Benjamin tell you I was here?” asked Lucian. Laura shrugged, “No, Joe heard you tell Bernstein that you wanted to come here. He was about to confront you himself, but I volunteered in his stead,”

Lucian chuckled. “So he doesn’t trust me to be alone?”

“He doesn’t trust both of us to be alone. For all his amends, he still thinks you and I are hiding something. He thinks Morrow didn’t divulge enough information. His mind is a maze of conspiracies. So I think we can spare five minutes before we go back. Don’t you?” Lucian nodded. At this point he was not surprised by Joe’s paranoia. In fact, his mind told him that there was a good chance that he was listening from behind the hall.

“I see it’s all very…regal,” she said. Lucian could tell from her expression that it didn’t quite fit her taste. “Do you think it’s a bit much?”

“I was never one for noisy spaces,” said Laura. “They remind me too much of people’s thoughts. Most minds tend to be like horribly cluttered living rooms. So much chaos with no semblance of organization,”

Lucian paused for a moment, thinking about what to say next. “Well…I personally enjoy the details,” he said in the most casual way he possibly could. “It gives everything more…character,”

Laura chuckled. “I get enough of that from people. But I suppose Charlie would agree with you,”

“How are things between you and Charlotte? Has she forgiven you yet?” asked Lucian, changing the subject as swiftly as he could.

Laura’s expression darkened. “Like Bernstein said, we made amends. Yet she still refuses to talk to me. And maybe she’s right to do so,”

“She has to come around eventually. We have to work together if we have any chance of surviving whatever is coming,”

Laura stared at him. But her expression was not positive. “Why do you act as though that is a certainty? You yourself said that it is only a possibility,”

Lucian paused again. He knew she was right. “Well it’s better to be prepared right? In case of the worst?”

“Perhaps don’t remind always dwell on the worst outcomes. You could use a bit of optimism,”

Lucian sighed. “I’ll be optimistic once this ceremony is over and it is revealed that that the threat is not coming. Until then, I am nothing but worry,”

Laura grinned. “Although, if we are safe then that would mean all this strife and quarrelling was for nothing,” Lucian scratched the back of his head, realizing that that was also true. “I suppose you’re right,”

Just then, both of them heard the hall doors open. Lucian turned around and watched as the imposing figure of Lira, dressed in black with her raven perched on her shoulder, marched into the room. But as she opened the door Lucian saw Joe stagger into the hall beside her as though he had been pushed. Both Lucian and Laura took a step back as Lira entered. The two men in the blue cloaks saw Lira and bowed. Lucian looked at them, there seemed to be something different about them and they way they bowed to Lira. Even Laura stared at them a though their mind resonated different thought. Was it respect? Fear? Lucian didn’t think the Gratousy feared anything, much less one person.

Lira waved her hand in a rather authoritative way and the men once again stopped bowing and returned to their task. Lira then turned her attention to Lucian and Laura.

“There you are!” she said with a rough frown. “What are you doing here?”

“N…Nothing!” said Lucian, trying to be more confident. “We were just talking?”

“Well you and Hatly can go talk somewhere else, and stop pestering these men,” said Lira glancing at the Gratousy soldier for a moment. She then looked at Joe, who was straightening himself after seemingly being pushed aside by Lira, and smirked. “Not like your conversation was free from prying ears,”

Lucian and Laura put their heads down and slowly walked out of the room. But as he walked he went passed Joe, who despite being embarrassed by the fact he had been exposed by Lira, still frowned at Lucian.

“What are you looking at? Sad that you didn’t hear anything that proved you right?” asked Lucian. Joes took a deep breath and answered in a snarky voice. “No, just wondering why Hatly was so keen to talk to you in private. You all should at least try acting less suspicious, or is that too subtle for you?”

Lucian was about respond, but Lira then chimed in. “I can still hear voices behind me!”

Joe and Lucian went silent, neither wanting to anger Lira. They simply walked out alongside each other whilst staring at each other angrily. Once they were out Lira flicked her fingers and the door closed behind them. Once they were out, Joe did not continue with his insults, he simply scoffed before quickening his pace and walking away from Lucian. Lucian stopped walking and watched as Joe disappeared into the living room.

Once Joe was gone Lucian slowly walked towards the living room. His mind was preoccupied by why Lira had been so keen to get them to leave. But as he approached the corner of the hallway Lily appeared from hallway leading to the staircase.

“Oh good, there you are,” said Lily stopping once she saw Lucian appear in front of her. Lucian rolled his eyes.

“Why is everyone so keen to know where I am?” asked Lucian with a sigh.

“Well while it may not be a surprise in your case, I would wager it would be quite inconvenient to have an initiation ceremony without the initiate,” said Lily.

Lucian raised his eyebrow at Lily unimpressively; at that point, her mean humor did not even phase him. “Are mother and father still upstairs?” he asked. Lily shuddered, “Thankfully yes, I managed to escape mother’s clutches once she finally forced me this tight, drab excuse of formal attire!” she said whilst pulling on her grey waistcoat. “Hopefully Lucy and Lid prove to be more of a nuisance than me so I can rest before she starts pestering me again!”

Lucian raised his eyebrow and looked at Lily, “I doubt it, few things are as much of a nuisance as you!” he said in an attempt to mimic Lily’s method of insulting. Lily simply frowned. She was unimpressed.

“So, I imagine you’re here cozying up to the others after that whole debacle earlier?”

“We made amends,” Lucian said plainly crossing his arms. “We agreed to work together should the need arise and harbor no animosity,”

“Well it seems you forgot to invite me to this peace talk,” said Lily smugly with a wide grin. “Well I suppose it gave you more time to spend with little old Laura Hatly, didn’t it?”

Lucian blinked. “What is that supposed to mean?” he asked, confused as to why she would mention that name specifically. Lily glanced at him with narrow eyes, as if she was determining whether Lucian was lying to her, which made Lucian even more confused and uneasy. Then her eye glanced over in the direction of the staircase for a moment; she then simply smiled and shrugged. “Nothing! Nothing at all,”

Lucian looked at the staircase. He saw some people come scurrying down the steps, some little people. Lily quickly slid behind Lucian as the twins Lucy and Lid came barreling towards them. Lid immediately embraced him by grabbing his waist while Lucy slowed down and stopped about a foot away from him.

“Caught you!” he exclaimed as he tightened his grip on Lucian. But even at his full strength Lucian only felt mild discomfort.

“I wasn’t aware we were playing a game,”

“Well I say we are, so we are!” said Lid fiercely. Lucian simply shrugged accepted his little brother’s words without argument.

“We’re only a playing a game until he loses,” said Lucy spitefully under her breath. Lidian immediately turned his head and gave her a dirty look. “Well at least I don’t cheat, unlike some people!”

Lucy huffed and crossed her arms. “Bold words coming from a little crook like you!”

“Alright then!” Lily interjected before Lid could respond. “Putting aside our mutual dislike of following rules, where is mother and father? Shouldn’t you two be with her?”

“She told us to run along because she wanted to talk to Morgan’s mum,” said Lucy. “And father and Uncle David both went to get Grandfather. They said it might take some time,”

Lucian then realized he hadn’t really thought about his grandfather being at the ceremony. Frankly, he found it hard to imagine his grandfather leaving the library. Lily then escorted the twins to the living room, leaving Lucian in the hallway by himself. Lucian was about to follow them but a few moments later Lucian once again heard footsteps coming from the staircase. This however, sounded like a large crowd. Lucian then watched as the adults appeared from the top of the steps and started pouring into the hallway he was standing in. He once again thought of bolting towards the living room, but it was too late lest he wanted to look suspicious.

Leading this chaotic parade was his mother, Janice, who was in the midst of conversing with Mrs. Jeanette Bernstein, just as Lucy had stated earlier. With them was also the little one, for Lucian saw Morgan holding Jeanette’s hand, Oliver being held by Mrs. Morrow and Oliver holding the hand of his father Eustice. Once they were all in the hallway, they stopped walking and stayed as though they were waiting for someone. Meanwhile Lucian simply backed himself a wall next to the corner. But even his pathetic attempt at hiding didn’t seem to matter, for Janice noticed him immediately.

“Lucian? What are you doing?” she asked looked at him confusingly. Lucian immediately felt awkward. But he tried to act as casual as possible. “Nothing, mother. Just catching my breath,”

“Shouldn’t you be with the others? Where are they?” asked Janice. “They’re in the parlor,” Lucian answered plainly. Janice opened her mouth to say something to Lucian, but then Jeanette interrupted her, “They can wait,” she said softly in a low volume. She then gave Lucian a sympathetic look whilst Morgan stared at him blankly. “Had a little disagreement, eh?”

Lucian shook his head despite knowing Jeanette was partly right. But that didn’t seem to convince Jeanette. “There’s no reason to deny it, they happen all the time! You’re going to have to get used to arguing with those people once you take your father’s seat at the Table,”

Lucian chuckled nervously, for he did not like to think about how he was destined to one-day sit at the Table of the Great Houses, with thousands of lives resting on his hands. Janice seemed to sense that sense of uncomfortableness for she immediately directed Jeanette’s attention towards herself. “Perhaps we should not talk about the Table yet. Henry still has a good few decades in him, wouldn’t you say?”

“I could’ve said the same about old Uly,” said Jeanette in response. Janice paused. “But it’s convenient to be prepared,” Lucian became curious at the mentioning of Ulysses Everton. He also noticed Jeanette move her eyebrows at Janice in a rather odd manner. He leaned a bit closer in a way that wouldn’t appear suspicious.

“It is a shame though,” Jeanette continued. “No one seems to know where old Everton’s son had gone to. Leonard and the Gratousy had every member and official in the entire Circle interrogated! And yet no one knows!”

“The boy is probably still mourning, Jean!” Janice insisted. “He will come around eventually,”

Jeanette sighed. “Well he better, because I hear the Nobles over in Everton are in a bit of tizzy over this whole affair. That includes your own family, Janice”

Lucian saw Janice’s gaze stray away from Jeanette. Her face went grim. She still maintained her positive composure, but it was clear that she did not wish to talk about it. “Well, hopefully they’ll be fine!” she said in a much plain and subdued voice. Jeanette seemed to pick on Janice’s tone. For she did not go on with that topic.

“Oh that poor boy Marcus. He and Lira used to have such a friendship!”

“You used to train them both, if I am not wrong?” said Janice. Jeanette looked at her with a somber look. “Yes, when old Uly heard I was teaching my daughter the Gratousy way he insisted that his boy be taught the same. Oh, they used to be quite inseparable back then. He even gifted her a pendant for her initiation!”

“What ever happened to that friendship?” asked Janice, now thoroughly invested in Jeanette’s story. Even Lucian found it very intriguing, given what his thoughts on Lira. Jeanette paused for a moment, as though she did not want to say it. Yet before she could even open her mouth to reply, another woman approached them. She had bush-like hair that was platinum blonde, so Lucian immediately recognized her to be Marilyn Morrow, Willow and Charles’ aunt.

“Well what seems to be the discussion here?” she said. Both Jeanette and Janice got rid their serious expressions and replaced them with smiles. “Oh nothing! We were just talking about little Lucian’s future, now that he is about be initiated,” said Jeanette gesturing towards Lucian, who was confused as to why Jeanette would suddenly change the topic of their discussion. Marilyn gave Lucian a kind glance and Lucian replied with the same even though he did not mean it. He wasn’t sure what to do next so he just simply leaned against the wall and listened.

“And I was just stating that my son still has a long time left before becoming Baron. Henry still has some vigor left in him. And so does Leonard and Eustice, wouldn’t you agree?” said Janice, who also seemed to abandon the subject of Ulysses’s son.

“Why I would!” said Marilyn. “But I doubt my brother would be as effective as he is if I wasn’t by his side. And I could say the same for Henry,”

“What do you mean?” asked Janice. “Henry has David by his side,”

“David’s fine, yes,” said Marilyn hastily and uncaringly. “But I still think the Table would’ve benefitted if you had taken your seat with the rest of us,”

Janice sighed and rolled her eyes. “We have already discussed this; you know why I couldn’t accept it. There is no place in the Table for stray nobles with no experience in governance,”

“Don’t sell yourself short now, Jan” said Jeanette, who unraveled part of her coat revealing the hilt of a gun she had kept in one of the pockets. “Some of us come from much more…common places,”

Both Janice and Marilyn stared at Jeanette awkwardly. Lucian himself was starting to feel uncomfortable. As their conversation continued, he realized that they wouldn’t mention anything of importance while he was close by. So he silently tip toed his way to the corner of the hallway whilst leaning on the wall. Once he reached the corner, he turned and tried to go towards the living room. But to his dismay, the moment he stepped onto the middle of the hallway he immediately ran into Lira. Lucian was almost knocked over as Lira’s body bumped into him with a slight thud. Lira seemed to lose balance as well, for she took a step back in order to balance herself. Once they both did Lucian looked at Lira nervously, “Sorry!” he said weakly. Lira said nothing. She simply frowned and rudely pushed Lucian aside before making her way over to the adults. Lucian peeked over the corner and saw Lira whisper something into Marilyn’s ear. Both Mr. Hatly and Mr. Angelmore, both of whom had been talking with each next to the staircase; suddenly turned their heads towards Lira. Marilyn then whispered something to her in response and they both nodded. Mr. Hatly and Mr. Angelmore then whispered into the ears of the people around them. Lucian could almost feel the air around him becoming heavier. But just then, Lucian yet again saw someone come down the staircase. He watched as his father Henry, along with his Uncle David, walked down the stairs slowly. Walking between them was Wren, who had one hand on his walking stick and the other around David’s shoulder. His attire was completely different. Lucian had rarely ever seen him in anything other than his standard black robe. He now wore practically the same uniform-like attire as the rest of men. Lucian saw him talking to both his sons as they made their way down the steps but he could hear what the old man was saying. Janice then walked towards the slow-moving trio in order assist them and Lucian followed closely behind.

“You know, boy, you must really practice your footing. You remember what your Aunt Morticia said about your posture, don’t you?” Lucian heard Wren say with a mildly disappointed and judgmental look. “Yes I do, father,” said Henry swiftly. Wren then looked at his son’s face for a moment before shaking his head in deliberation.

“Although I must say you look quite good. Possibly even better than I was at your age! A strong and handsome young lad at least in image!” Wren continued with a laugh before patting Henry on the back with the same hand he used to hold his walking stick. Even Lucian could tell Henry was starting to feel quite awkward. Henry glanced at his brother, who himself did not seem to know an appropriate response as he simply shrugged blankly. “Uh…thank you, father,” Henry said with a half-hearted smile.

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Once they walked down onto the hallway Janice tried to help David with supporting Wren. But David simply waved his arm at her silently whilst holding Wren’s arm over his shoulders. Janice took the hint and backed away. She then walked around them to Henry’s side, where she leaned into his ear in order to tell him something. The other looked on as though the sight of such an ancient person intrigued them. They looked at Wren in awe and admiration, as though he were a rare relic of bygone era. Wren didn’t seem to take notice of anything that was happening around him for he seemed to be preoccupied by own thoughts.

“Now that I think about it, perhaps it is time you think about marriage, Henry. After all, you can’t expect me to last forever now can you?” he said whilst staring into the distance.

Janice paused mid-whisper, her eyes wide with sudden shock. Henry froze. Even David suddenly stopped walking and almost made Wren lose balance. Lucian could see the others in the hallway look away with expressions of pain and pity. Even the little ones like Mabel seemed to share the uncomfortable feeling. Wren seemed confused as to why David stopped. Henry gulped and looked over to his brother as they both exchanged glances, neither expecting that Wren would say such a thing so suddenly. David then mustered some quick thinking. “Well father, I think our Henry is not yet ready for such things. Give him time,”

Wren raised his eyebrow, seemingly perplexed by David’s words. “Hmm, perhaps you’re right, lad. Henry never did do anything well while in a hurry,”

David winked at Henry, who smiled sincerely in return. He then turned over to Janice, who seemed to have recovered from the initial surprise and shrugged whilst smiling in amusement. There moment was cut short however when Wren tugged on David and urged him to keep moving, “Come on, boy. I have a dinner to get to,”

David sighed before continuing to walk Wren down the hall. Henry and Janice both held hands as they walked closely behind. The rest of the crowd seemed to gravitate towards them as they formed into a group and continued with their chatter. Lira momentarily peeked her head into the living room and Lucian heard a her shout, “Get to dinner!” in a very authoritative voice. She then walked away coldly and a moment later, Lucian’s peers began to trickle out of the door. Lucian stayed near the wall, most of the others seemed to pass him by without so much as a glance as they were all preoccupied by their own conversations. But, as Lucian expected, Lily immediately came up to him with Lucy and Lid each holding one of her hands.

“What seems to be the matter?” she asked whilst nudging the twins towards the dining room. Lucian huffed and Lily gave him a fake sympathetic look. “Oh, upset that I left you here by yourself?”

“No,” said Lucian bluntly while wearing a fake smile. “Not at all,”

“Well then wh…” Lily began, but before she could continue with her snarky statements, she was immediately pushed aside by Luin, who came running at her from the hallway in the direction of the staircase.

“Out of my way!” he said after pushing Lily aside, sending her staggering forwards. Lily grabbed onto the wall and stopped her erratic movement before she lost balance and once she composed herself, she then gave Luin a very strong frown. Luin simply rolled his eyes and turned to Lucian with an ecstatic smile, which Lucian found very unusual.

“I DID IT!” he said with great enthusiasm. “Did what?” asked Lucian with his eyebrow raised. “I SOLVED IT! The code you gave me!”

It took Lucian a few moments to understand what Luin had said. Luin himself seemed so surprised by his own ability that he started rambling. “It was all so simple! Of course they’d only use the first variation because adjusting the series would make little to no…”

Luin went on and on in his rambling. Yet Lucian did not pay any attention. Once Luin’s initial words had sunk into his skin, he felt a wave of surprise and excitement wash over him. “Well do you have it with you now?” asked Lily hastily, she too seemed to forget her earlier anger towards Luin in favor of restless excitement similar to that of Lucian’s.

Luin paused, he then took a deep breath and opened his mouth to answer but before he could make a sound, they were all was nearly taken aback by the sudden sound of Lira’s booming voice. “WHAT are you all still doing here?” she asked whilst peeking her head out the dining room’s arched double doors. All three of them were rattled by Lira’s booming voice and her cold, angry expression certainly did not help. Lily immediately stopped abandoned their discussion and trotted her way to the dining room in a panicked haste.

“No, but I hid it in my room for safe keeping. I can’t simple wave it around here if you don’t want our parents seeing it. I’ll reveal it to all of you once this whole thing is over,” Luin quickly whispered before he too disappeared into the dining room. Lira then narrowed her eyes at Lucian, who tried his best to walk past her in a casual manner whilst avoiding her steely gaze. Once Lucian was inside he noticed two men in blue cloaks standing on either side of the door, Lira looked around the hallway one last time before walking back into the dining room. As she walked, she made a gesture with her right hand; the two men in cloaks then marched out of the room in unison and closed the doors behind them.

Lucian looked around the dining room as he made his way to his seat. The dining room was possibly the third largest room in the house aside from the library and the hall. It was a rectangular room with a curved ceiling. It walls were cream colored with dark wood trim. The walls were adorned with portraits of ancestors lost passed and ceiling was decorated with an elaborate mural depicting scenes of the Arylmoor from Circulion myths and tales. Lucian had been told a particular eccentric and fairy tale obsessed ancestor of his had painted that mural by hand more than a century ago, yet despite its age it still looks very exquisite.

However, the dining room’s most glaring feature was of course the dining table itself. It was very long, large enough to fit nearly forty guests. It was made of pure mahogany, covered by a white tablecloth and surrounded by cushioned chairs. Of course, Lucian could barely remember any normal occasion where such space was required. Yet throughout the past two days, as he looked at the table and saw nearly all the seats filled, it rather fascinated him. He walked to the middle of the table and took his seat next to Lily, who sat next to the twins, who in turn sat next to their mother, who sat next to Henry, who sat next to Wren. To Lucian’s other side was his Uncle David followed by Luin. He noticed a patter similar to this repeating across the table. Directly on the other side of the table to him was Alice.

Placed all along the middle of the table were a large assortment of large silver plates and cloches. At the very end of the table were two neat towers of plates and a neatly arranged assortment of silverware and wine glasses. Janice then stood up; she extended both of her arms before clapping loudly once. The plates at the end of the table slowly began to rise from the ground and float in the air. Janice then waved her hands around in the air and plates flew slowly in a line across both sides of the table, which each plate landing neatly in front of each person. She then clapped her hands again. The silverware then began to rise and again it obeyed the waving of her hand and came flying across the table landing neatly in all the correct places. Janice then proceeded to do the same thing with the glasses. Once she was done the rest of the table erupted in polite clapping.

Lucian and the others then took a linen napkin and placed it on his lap. Janice sat down and flicked her fingers. The silver cloches all opened and floated a few feet above the table. And as they flew upwards they revealed the vibrant, steaming dishes that laid beneath them. A very fragrant aroma filled the air; it was so pleasant that it nearly made Lucian drool out of impatience. But he tried his best to keep his composure as Henry then stood up. He took his wine glass into his right hand before summoning a bottle of wine with his left. As the bottle uncorked itself and tipped over, pouring wine into Henry’s glass at a steady pace Henry smiled at the table and began his speech.

“Um…before we begin I would like to toast to my son and the last dinner he shall have as a boy!” he said, he gave Lucian a passing glance as he then turned to the rest of the table. “For tomorrow he shall dine as a man! I hope that today serves as the beginning of a dawn of a new time for both the Great Houses and the Circle. I have no doubt he shall make a fine statesman,”

Henry went silent. Lucian began to lean backwards on his chair. In all honesty, he had expected more from his father’s speech. He put his head down and tried to avoid eye contact. Lily seemed to notice her brother’s pathetic display for she put her arm on his shoulder and shook him back and forth. “Come on! This is no time to hide and whimper!” he said. Lucian then realized he had not heard Henry sit. He lifted his head out and saw his father, still standing with his glass still full. Eyes glistening under the candle light. Lucian realized that he was not done.

“But perhaps more than this,” Henry suddenly started again. Lucian saw him glance over to Wren, who was oblivious to everything happening around him. His gaze then fell directly on Lucian. “I am very proud of how far my son has come. How far we as a family have come. And the thought of what great feats we are yet to achieve under my son’s watch only heightens my pride and my joy,”

Lucian went still, his mouth half open. He could see his mother Janice wipe her face with her linen napkin. Henry paused again, it seemed as though he didn’t know how conclude his speech. The entire table waited with glasses in hand. But Henry didn’t say another word. Finally, it seems as though Lily became impatient. For she swiftly rose from her seat whilst holding her empty glass in the air. “TO LUCIAN!”

There was moment of confusion in the table. But after that moment passed, they all lifted their glasses and yelled, “TO LUCIAN!” with laughter in their voices. Henry then sat down and dinner officially began.

Lucian often found dinner a boring affair. As he slowly made his through his meal, he was patted on the back by her uncle David and he received congratulatory glances from everyone who sat on the table. Even Joe, who sat near the edge of the table and stared at Lucian with a plain expression, gave him a small nod. And though he turned his face back towards his plate almost instantly Lucian could’ve sworn he had cracked a tiny yet sincere smile.

“Should we tell them now?” asked Lily. “About what?” asked Lucian whilst digging into a piece of lamb with his silver knife and fork. Lily gave him a flat book, “About the letter!” she whispered at him angrily.

Lucian looked around the table, particularly at the adults. They all seemed to be engaged in various conversations. Even his own parents were having quite loud conversation with the Bernsteins who sat directly across from them with all three of their ravens standing on wooden perches behind their seats.

“By the Moor, this is positively delicious!” said Leonard speedily making his way through a reasonably large slice of meat pie. He would occasionally float bits of it to his raven, who snapped it out of the air with almost supernatural precision. “Even Stygius likes it!” he said cheerfully. “It’s wonderful, Janice. Truly wonderful!”

“Why thank you for the kind remarks. Leonard, but I doubt you truly think it’s that good,” said Janice humbly with a blush.

“No, no dear!” Henry said chiming in. “You mustn’t underestimate such high praise! After all, this coming from the man who tastes Jean’s cooking every day!”

They all laughed. Lucian himself found the conversation boring yet fascinating. It was not often that he was able to see his parents acting like this. The day before, Henry had been absent during dinner and today he and the other adults had been notably more serious. To Lucian, this was first time Henry had shown visible, worriless happiness since he had arrived.

“Does he think nothing bad is going to happen tonight?” his mind pondered. “Or is he simply enjoying the moment before things get too hectic?”

Lucian’s mind drifted into a web of speculation. But it did not stay that way for long. For Lily’s voice rang in his ear just before his mind drifted too deep. “Well? Are you going to answer me anytime soon?”

“Can’t we wait until after dinner when our parents aren’t around?”

“I doubt we’ll have the time to talk before we’re all carted off to the ceremony. And once that is over who knows how long we’ll have before we leave to Moor knows where!” Lily whispered angrily.

Lucian once again turned his attention to the rest of the table. He could see Carlyle Hatly, who sat less than three seats across from him and Mr. Angelmore, who sat near the end of the table opposite to the one his own father was seating in. Lucian did not know whether he was mind was being read or his words were being heard. Mr. Angelmore didn’t seem to be listening to him as he seemed to be more preoccupied by his meal. Mr. Hatly was also listening in on Henry’s conversation with Mr. Bernstein.

“But we can’t just say it here!” Lucian argued. “Even if I whisper Joe’s father will definitely hear me. I can’t think it either since Mr. Hatly will know the moment he looks my way!” he said as he tried to think of other things that occupied his mind, like the meal which he aptly returned to enjoying.

“Neither of them are paying any attention to you!” said Lily gazing across the table. She then looked at the Hatlys, specifically at Laura. She then gave a swift glance towards David, who sat next to her. He didn’t seem to be paying attention to either of them. Lily then leaned closer to her brother and whispered in his ear. “Perhaps you can tell Laura by using your thoughts,”

“What?” asked Lucian with his mouth half full. Lily groaned, “Just get her attention. Once she looks into your mind, you tell her about the letter. See, simple!”

“And how am I supposed to do that?” asked Lucian. He gave a glance to Laura. Lucian’s concocted no method in which he could reasonably get her attention without Mr. Hatly taking notice. Lily rolled her eyes at him. She then glanced at the table and smirked. “Well maybe you can feign an accident,”

“Hmm?” asked Lucian. But before he could say anything else Lily directed her attention towards Lucian’s wine glass, which Lucian had filled with water. She then tilted one of her fingers from underneath the table. Lucian saw his glass sway and tilt for a moment. Unfortunately, he only had time to gasp and reach out as the glass fell on the table and made a distinct cling sound as it spilled its contents all over the table, including around Laura’s plate.

Laura let out a gasp and recoiled when the glass spilled all over her side of the table. Charlotte, who sat on the other side of Laura, was also startled and immediately took her hands off the table. Lucian panicked and paused for an awkward moment. He then swiftly pushed his chair back and stood up. Taking the napkin on his lap into his hand.

“SORRY!” he yelled whilst wiping the spilled liquid off the table.

Mr. Hatly swiftly turned his head; he did not seem too thrilled when he was met with the unappetizing mess in front of his daughter’s plate. “What happened, boy?” asked Mr. Hatly in a rough and angry voice.

Lucian’s mind unfortunately did not perform well when it came to last minute excuses. Luckily, Lily had his back. “His hand knocked down the glass by accident. You see, it was an ill-conceived attempt to reach for the meat pie. Unfortunately it was in fact, ill-conceived,”

Lucian gave his sister a very angry frown. But thankfully, his mother Janice seemed to believe her. “Oh it’s alright! It’s a just a silly mistake! The boy probably feels jittery from all the nerves!”

Mr. Hatly raised his eyebrow at Lucian. He then looked at Laura. “Its fine, father,” she said as she too started to wipe the water away with her own napkin. Mr. Hatly gave her a concerned stare before shrugging and returning to his meal whilst still giving Laura momentary glances. Lucian leaned closer to Laura as they both wiped the table.

“Sorry for ruining your plate, blame it all on my sister,” said Lucian, he tried to keep his mind as blank as possible when he noticed Mr. Hatly looking at him with his side-eyed glance.

“Don’t worry, it’s hardly any issue,” said Laura with a sincere smile. Charlotte huffed and rolled her eyes at those words. But she was ignored. Lucian then saw Mr. Hatly divert his gaze back to his plate. At that moment part of his mind flooded with doubts on whether his actions were further compromising the future. Should he tell the others? Should he tell the Hatlys? Lucian thought about all the people who sat on that table. And in that brief moment he mustered his courage and shook away his doubts as he stared Laura directly in the eye and thought in what he considered a low volume.

“Luin solved the letter,”

Laura’s eyes immediately widened. Charlotte also seemed to hear something. For she let out a surprised gulp before she stopped eating completely. She then turned her eyes on Lucian. But Lucian did not repeat his message.

“Tell the others once dinner is over,”

Lucian then swiftly wiped away the rest of the spilled water before sitting back down without a word. Mr. Hatly then turned to Laura and asked her something the moment Lucian sat back down. Lucian saw Laura smile awkwardly at her father before whispering something he could not hear. For a moment, Lucian thought Mr. Hatly had heard his thoughts. But thankfully those thoughts were dispelled when he saw Mr. Hatly shrug and return to his meal once Laura answered his question. As Lucian then proceeded to return to his meal, he saw Laura give him a wink once her own father was no longer watching her. Lily noticed this gesture as well.

“See? I knew it would work,” she said smugly. Lucian however did not see it the same way. “There were better ways in which you could’ve done that,” he said with a frown. Lily however, did not see it that way. “Well by the time it would’ve taken you to find a ‘better’ way, the ceremony would’ve been over. It’s better to improvise in the present,”

Lucian groaned. But Lily simply scoffed in return. Lucian then heard the sound of a chair rubbing against the floor. He saw Mr. Morrow, who sat several seat away to his left, suddenly get up from his seat. Lucian and the rest of the table watched in silent confusion as Mr. Morrow then walked over to where Henry and Janice sat. He then leaned in and whispered something into Henry’s ear. Lucian then saw Henry and Eustice bicker using quietly for a moment. Mr. Morrow then simply turned back and walked silently to his seat where he sat down once more as though nothing had happened.

“What happened?” Lucian thought as his mind flooded with dread. “Did the Morrows see something in the future?”

“What was that about?” asked Lily, but Lucian had no answer. Moments later, Lucian heard the sound of silverware tapping on glass. And when he looked at to where it came from he saw Henry tapping his spoon on his glass, calling for the attention of the entire table.

“Well now that we’re all gathered here I suppose I should make an important announcement,”

A few confused looks emerged from the table. The only people who seemed to know what Henry was talking about was Janice and Mr. Hatly. “But Henry, I thought you said we’d wait until after the ceremony,”

“Sorry, Carlyle. But Janice and I thought it best that we did this now since everyone is together,” said Henry bluntly. Lucian him gesture his eyebrows towards Mr. Morrow. A gesture, which made Mr. Hatly go silent and a gesture that, further deepened Lucian’s worries.

“What’s the announcement, Mr. Demon?” asked Willow as a light chatter sprang up across the table.

“Well, we were just thinking that…uh” Henry began whilst glancing at Mr. Hatly, Mr. Bernstein and Janice several times. “…You children have been all getting along quite well now, haven’t you?”

A room fell into uncomfortable silence. Which Lucian could tell definitely was not what Henry was expecting. He was starting to feel quite awkward. Yet, to the surprise of both of them, Willow spoke up. “Why yes, we’ve so far had a swell time here! Right, everyone?” she said whilst glancing around the table with a wide grin. Moments later, Lucan saw Benjamin stand up. “I say aye to that!” he said quite firmly.

“As do we!” said James and Alice suddenly. Lucian felt quite taken aback. “As do we,” said the Mornings.

“How wonderful!” said Janice. She then nudged Henry on the shoulder with a look of pride on her face. “That means our Lucian must be quite the host, yes?”

Silence came once again. But this time it seemed to last a lot longer. Lucian was looked at the expressions across the table, remembering all the arguments they had had over the past few days. He could only see conflicted faces. And as he silence persisted, he could tell even his own mother’s smile was starting to falter.

“I can vouch for that!” said a quiet, subdued voice. Lucian turned his head and Laura with her hand raised. “I think Lucian’s a wonderful host,” she said whilst giving a sincere look before turning to the rest of the table. “I mean, I would definitely call it an enlightening experience, wouldn’t you agree?”

After a quick moment of awkward silence, a wave of agreeable chatter enveloped the table. Laura once again gave him a sincere look. Lucian felt his worries completely melt away from his body. He felt as though he could blush.

“Splendid!” said Janice, who seemed more excited than Lucian. She then nudged at Henry, who had simply stayed paused up until that point, again. Henry jumped the moment Janice nudged on the shoulder, it was as though he had suddenly woke up from state of deep pondering. He looked at Janice with an expression of bewilderment. Janice gestured towards the rest of the table by rolling her eyes widely.

“Oh um… right,” Henry then said abruptly as his mind seemed to recall what he was supposed to do. “That is quite fantastic of you all to say. Mrs. Demon and I thank you all for your kind words,” he then paused again. It seemed as though he did not what to say next. “But…uh…what we were thinking of was…uh…”

“A holiday!” David suddenly said. Lucian saw his father let out a sigh of relief the moment his uncle spoke for him. “Your parents have been discussing on a little leisurely excursion to the countryside,”

“THE COUNTRYSIDE?” Lucy and Lidian exclaimed ecstatically at the same time. Unfortunately, that was not the feeling that resonated from the rest of the table. There was a confused silence from the children. Lucian knew that all of them understood what his uncle truly meant. Yet it seemed as though none them had quite expected him to say it in such a way. “But why?” asked Luin.

“Well…” said David turning towards his son. He clearly hadn’t expected such a drab response. “We thought why not spend these last summer days in the countryside, hmm? Now that Lucian’s initiation is about to come to a close tonight what better way to celebrate than basking in the sunny Baronies?”

Several of the children looked at David with doubtful faces. It was clear that none of them were yet to be particularly sold on his improvised pitch. Lucian was beginning to worry whether the adults were going to suspect them of knowing something they shouldn’t. Then Mrs. Morning spoke up. “Well, what’s with the silence? Is there a problem? I never thought I’d see a child who didn’t want to get out of these smoggy, pest-ridden streets, much less a table full of them!”

The children still stayed silent. Now it seemed as though no one knew how to reply to Mrs. Morning. “Well, not at all mother!” said Arthur. “It’s not like we do not want to go. It just seems quite…abrupt. That’s all!”

“Well it is happening, whether you like it or not,” said David taking on a stricter tone. “We already came prepared. All the cars have been fitted with the appropriate luggage and Mrs. Hatly, Mrs. Venshire and Mrs. Angelmore have all been sent ahead of time…”

There was small but audible gasp as Lucian saw the Hatlys, the Venshires and Joe all look at David in disbelief. He saw Laura turn towards her father with her mouth open. “You told me and Charlie that mother was feeling unwell, that’s why she didn’t come here!”

“I apologize dear, but that was a lie,” said Carlyle bluntly without looking his daughter in the eye. Before Laura could say anything David banged his fork on the table with a loud thud, which instantly brought the table’s attention back onto him. “That’s enough of that. There is no use arguing as it is already done. We will make our way to Direwood Station once this ceremony is over, understood?”

There was a reluctant yet collective nod from the children. David frowned but returned to his plate. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you all seem frightened for no reason. We know this trip is a bit uncalled for but it’s nothing to get so worked up over. Wouldn’t you agree, Meredith?”

“Wholeheartedly, David. Wholeheartedly” said Mrs. Morning whilst twiddling with her fork. None of the children said a word, none dared say what they truly knew. Lucian saw David gesture his hand towards Henry as though he were taking a bow whilst still being seated. Henry seemed thoroughly satisfied by his brother’s display “David was always one for pitches,” he said proudly.

Lucian and the rest of the table didn’t exactly feel the same way. For the rest of dinner there seemed to be an odd silence. Lucian felt an unnerving feeling almost the entire time. Even the adults seemed to feel the negative shift in the air for a few minutes later Mr. Bernstein called a triplet of fiddles from outside and had a blue caped soldier play them in midair while they ate. Yet the music, however pleasant it sounded, still did not dispel the feelings of suspicion and doubt. But despite the fact that those things persisted within the children, the adults seemed to have no such feelings.

“Oh I wish I could get down more than two glasses of wine tonight,” said Leonard rotating his half-empty glass while looking at the fiddles. “We all do, Bernstein, we all do,” said Harold Venshire.

“Well keep wishing, gentlemen. Because I will not have a pack of drunkards in my son’s ceremony,” said Janice while she too drank from her second serving of the red liquid.

“I’m not sure about you, Jan. But I plan to drink myself to sleep once we’re on that train,” said Mrs. Morning.

“Well, I think we can all be a part of that plan!” said Henry cheerfully followed by a wave of laughter. Dinner did not last too long after that. As Lucian finished his plate and put down his silverware Henry ordered the fiddle player to leave the room. Soon the rest of the table also finished out the last morsels of food left on their plates. The last one to finish was Oliver, the youngest Morrow child. And once they were all done they pulled back their seats almost in unison and stood up. They then slowly made their way out of dining room one by one in a semi-organized manner. The two guards who had stood outside the room go marching back into it once they all had left. Yet Lucian was only barely able to make his way onto the hallway when Laura, who approached him from behind, immediately grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed him aside.

“What did you say to me before?” she whispered hastily. Next to her stood Charlotte, who seemed equally as curious.

“Luin solved the letter we found,” Lucian whispered back. Laura raised her eyebrow out of intrigue, a expression riddled with questions. “Well did he tell you want it means? Does he have it with him?”

“No, he left it in his room. He can’t tell us all right now with Lira and the adults nearby. Can you two spread the word to the others while ceremony is still ongoing without Lira or any of the adults hearing you?”

“Without hearing what?” said a deep voice suddenly. The Hatlys both turned around as Lucian saw the looming figure of Lira slowly approach them with her raven perched neatly on her shoulder. “Is there something you do not want me to hear, Lucian?”

“N...No! Nothing at all” said Lucian. He then lightly punched Laura in the shoulder in order to divert her attention towards him. “Right, Laura?” he said with casual whilst in his head he muttered in his thoughts. “Tell the others to gather on the fourth floor,” he had no way of knowing whether the Hatlys received his message as Laura muttered, “Right!”, in a nervous voice. Lira then turned her gaze towards Lucian.

“If that is the case then I doubt it’s worth talking about at this time. Perhaps you’d accompany me to the hall; your parents have allotted some time for me to put you through some final preparations,”

Lucian gulped. “I supposed you’re right,” he said half-heartedly. Lira then turned around and walked slowly to the hall and Lucian followed her. Before he left, he gave Laura and Charlotte a swift nod. “Tell as many as you can!”

He did not stop to see whether they nodded in return. As he silently walked behind Lira he also walked past Lily and Luin, both of whom stood next to each while engaged in some sort of discussion. They saw him paas by but instead of stopping, Lucian once again only gave a swift nod before gesturing his head in the direction of the Hatlys. This seemed to confuse them at first but Lucian could not elaborate, for when he took a glance back towards Lira he saw her raven, Blackfeather, facing towards him with its black beady and abyssal eyes staring directly at him. Lucian gave the bird an angry frown in an attempted to mask the unnerving feeling he got. The raven simply tilted its expressionless head in response but Lucian assumed it felt the same way.

Lira led him into the hall and closed the doors behind her. And it was at that moment that Lucian got to see the room with all its decorations. It now seemed as though every arch, pillar and wall was decorated with banners, a large red and white carpet ran down the middle of the room and at the very end of this silk lined path was a stone pedestal, which had a golden chalice and glistening silver dagger placed it a neat fashion on top of it. But more noticeable than that was the long table which ran parallel to the entrance. The table had a large, neatly organized and towering pile of white cloaks on one corner while the rest of the table was occupied by a row of masks. Each with eye holes, no mouth and large, branch-like horns protruding out from both sides. Lucian had seen those masks before and they too slightly unnerved him. Alongside the masks were top hats with either a black or a grey strap running around the bottom of the crowns. Their mere presence seemed to add a bit of whimsy to the whole display.

“I assume you were taught the basic steps,” said Lira in a bored and uncaring tone. “Yes, I was. I’m supposed to walk up to the stone and cut my hand using the dagger. Then I’m supposed to pour the blood into the chalice, right?”

“Quite accurate, although you are supposed to paint the mark of your house atop the stone with your blood first. Like I showed you yesterday,”

Lucian stared at the stone pedestal. Part of it glistened due to the light coming from the large circular window behind it. “How long will this last? The ceremony?”

“That is difficult to say,” Lira said sternly. “Once you drink the blood it tends to have an odd effect which can last quite a while,”

Lucian almost hurled inside his mouth. He had been too focused on cutting with his hand with a dagger that he had completely forgotten that he had to drink his own blood. “What do you mean ‘odd effect’?”

“It is…” she began. It was as though she found it difficult to describe. Which Lucian found odd given Lira’s plainspoken nature. “…a confusing experience, to say the least. You will see things that you may not understand and things that may look frightening. But thankfully for you it is short and painless. It shouldn’t last more than fifteen minutes. The rest of the ceremony won’t last long after that. If we are fortunate we will done it less than an hour so we can make our swift leave,”

“To the countryside?” asked Lucian with false enthusiasm. A tone that Lira seemed to take notice of, “Yes,” she said in sterner voice than before. She then sighed before speaking in a calmer voice. “I suppose I don’t need to tell you why we are leaving. You already know that,”

“Yes I do. We’re running from something we’re not even sure is real,” Lucian said bitterly. Lira seemed to take offense with that statement. “Do not judge the future as though you understand it. What the Morrows see can be real. And that is all that matters!”

“Well it clear they can’t see everything, can they?” said Lucian raising his voice. Lira gazed at him with a surprised look as she seemed a bit taken aback. “They couldn’t see what happened to Mr. Everton, or his son! They couldn’t stop him dying to a bomb, how can you be sure they’re right now?”

Lira went silent. Once Lucian’s anger subsided, he saw the expression of pure fury in her face. She lightly took one-step forward. Lucian wanted to take a step back but he couldn’t move. “Do not talk about Marcus that way,” she said in a voice cold enough to freeze the very sun. Lucian wanted to run, but he decided to stand his ground and meet Lira’s star with his own. “How do you know that we won’t die tonight? How do you know that I and all my peers won’t end up like Mr. Everton?”

“How do you know about Mr. Everton? Is there something you are hiding from me?” asked Lira is return leaving Lucian’s questions unanswered. Lucian paused, his courage started to crumble at the sight of her imposing aura. “I…I…uh,”

Lira looked into the distance and scoffed. “We are wasting time! Just obey the instructions you are given! Do not compromise anything by revealing information you have no right to reveal! Am I clear, Demon?”

Lucian scoffed and crossed his arms before turning away from Lira. “I cannot understand how you can so willingly keep your own brothers in the dark,”

Lira paused again, “Its better if they did not know,” she said somberly. “I was taught to put the wishes of the Great Houses before my own. It would beneficial to everyone if you learned that as well,”

Moments later, as Lira and Lucian stood staring at different directions in total silence. Lucian heard the doors to the hall open. And when he turned to face them he saw his mother’s head poking out from the partially opened doors.

“Is everything going alright in here?” Janice asked with a smile. Lira gave Lucian a momentary glance before turning to Janice. “Yes, quite alright. Lucian here was just having some doubts about our course of action once the ceremony is over,” she whispered casually.

Janice turned to Lucian, her face radiating compassion with a slight but visible undertone of fear and worry. She pushed the doors open some more and walked to her son. She then placed her hand on his cheek.

“Oh I know it can be quite frightening. But if the time comes, I know you shall persevere! As long as you follow what the Morrows have said, everything shall fine. You just have to believe that, alright?”

Lucian felt his heart sink to the very bottom of deepest pit he could imagine. His mind was conflicted and he did not have the heart to tell Janice the truth. He did not have the will to say that he had divulged secrets that he shouldn’t have, that he had compromised every future the Morrows had seen prior to Lira telling him the truth. But part of him trusted both Willow and Charles. Part of him trusted his friends.

“Yes, mother. I do,” he said as he embraced Janice. Once he was done, he quietly walked away to the middle of the hall. He needed to compose himself. He needed to think.

“I did not wish to speak to him about this earlier. I was afraid it would worry him. Now I’m starting to regret that decision,” said Janice as a tear hung over the edge of her eye and Lira placed her hand on her shoulder.

“Do not worry yourself, Mrs. Demon. Lucian seems to have become far more…confident since yesterday. I’m quite sure he is ready for whatever may come our way,”

Janice smiled. “Thank you, Lira,” she said softly.

Lira smiled as well before he then swiftly turned her attention to the doors. “Perhaps you should call the others inside. I think Lucian and I are done with our preparations,”

Janice quickly compassed herself. “Ah yes, I should,” she said as she hastily turned around and made her way to the doors leaving Lira standing alone by herself.

Finally, there Lucian stood, gazing up at the intricately carved ceiling of the hall. His things he dreaded were now a little over an hour away and he felt the weight of uncertainty more than ever before. All his past talk and positive thoughts seemed to melt at the realization that there was no ignoring the situation now. No more time left to contemplate and reassure. He then thought about his friends and his family, and there he found his determination. Everything was going to be fine; he just needed to believe it. And he as he heard the sound of dozen feet pounding on the floor behind him he took a deep breath. Yes, he did believe it. The lives of his peers rested in his hands, and he was not going to disappoint them.