Some years ago, the Spooner Continent was divided into two; those born with the natural ability to use magic, the Sorcerers, and those without, the Parsoners.
This situation came about from a time deep in the past, where the people on the Spooner Continent were under the absolute power of the Kingdom of Ridella, the ruling family of which was that of the Stella family. The youngest son, Shallot Stella, had the potential power to rid the Spooner Continent of the demons and ghosts that plagued it, at the cost of his own life; Shallot was unwilling, Shallow was scared, but it was his fate in life; he couldn't escape that fate. That fate and his own fear had met head-on, and the Spooner Continent was plunged into an age of darkness and despair, the physical manifestation of Shallot's inner pain; those connected to Shallot and the Stella family became Sorcerers, able to use magic; those without this connection became the Parsoners. At that time, Shallot locked himself away in the ruins of the Mirage Palace, the old palace of the Stella family. Kanure Stella, Shallot's elder sister, and the other subjects of the castle, were transformed. Kanure became Big Mama, the worshipped center of the Stella Church, the new form of the former ruling body. Big Mama recognized the struggle of power between the Sorcerers and the Parsoners, and set up her own organization on behalf of the oppressed Parsoners, the Sorcerer Hunters. Those who had been trapped in Shallot's anger with Kanure became Big Mama's personal guards, the Haz Knights; the duty of the Haz Knights was to protect Big Mama, and fight on behalf of the Sorcerer Hunters when the Sorcerer in question was too powerful, even for them.
Big Mama didn't realise her sleeping brother's potential fear. In the darkness of the Mirage Palace, Shallot was gathering the lost souls of the Spooner Continent, creating a manmade God of Destruction who would one day be unleashed by he who carried the soul of the God of Destruction, Hakaishin, within him. Big Mama also didn't realise that Hakaishin's soul slept inside the body of one of her beloved Sorcerer Hunters, one Carrot Glacé.
Eventually, the worst happened; Hakaishin was unleashed, the world was on the brink of destruction - but the spirits of four gods rested inside those closest to Carrot; his brother, the two girls in love with him, and his best friend. The battle raged until Tira Misu - the goddess Apros - sacrificed her life for Carrot's sake. Hakaishin's spirit was broken, the world was no longer at risk, Tira and Carrot came back alive and married (much to the consternation of Tira's sister, Chocolat), and with the fall of Shallot Stella, magic suddenly vanished from the world. Parsoners and Sorcerers were no more, replaced by a worldwide equality... the Spooner Continent was, finally, at peace.
At this peace, Big Mama realised that, with the sudden absence of magic in the world, there was no need for her protection anymore. She sealed herself away in the Mirage Palace with her brother and her Haz Knights, who had long ago sworn that they would protect her forever. And so, Big Mama, Shallot, and the Haz Knights, slept in the Mirage Palace.
However... one soul couldn't find it within himself to stay asleep.
Somewhere on the Spooner Continent, the Mirage Palace lay, swathed in darkness, sealed away from the eyes of those on a normal plane of existence... it was quiet, it was undisturbed. Within it, the sleeping bodies of six figures lay.
Big Mama, formerly Kanure Stella, lay in a sleeping embrace with her brother, Shallot Stella. The former Goddess of the religion of the old world of the Sorcerers, and her brother, he who had threatened the existence of everything, he who'd had the power to obliterate magic from the Spooner Continent.
Those two resided in the center chamber of the palace, sleeping, silently protected by the four that slept nearby. 'Protected' by former spirit as opposed to physically protecting.
The former Haz Knights Mille Feuille, Cinnamon Tea, Chiffon Cake and Kahlua lay sleeping also. Big Mama had decided that the Spooner Continent no longer had any place for her, the Haz Knights had followed her unquestioningly. The former grave of the victims of Ridella, that tomb that had echoed with the pleas and the cries of the dead awoken, now echoed only with the memory of one conscious. One sleeping mind that found it impossible to sleep. One mind caught in a personal hell, no longer able to explain or justify his own existence... his thoughts echoed, but there was no-one there to hear them.
"... The raison d'etre of being a Haz Knight..."
Mille Feuille, called Milphey in his past life by those who knew him best (but least... Carrot and the others called him Milphey, blissfully unaware of his double life as an escorting Sorcerer Hunter protector and as a Haz Knight) lay on a shining surface on the ground; blue light glowed around him, raised above him, almost as if he was resting in some kind of coffin. The other Haz Knights were in similar positions - Cinnamon Tea lay to Milphey's right side, and Chiffon Cake and Kahlua to his left. All four of them seemed asleep; Milphey wondered what the others thought about... if they thought... Milphey's thoughts continued.
"... To stay with Big Mama... to protect Big Mama... to be willing to die for Big Mama..."
Images flashed through Milphey's mind. For all intents and purposes, he had died before, when the first of the four Lords of Darkness had appeared. Cool Mint had caught him by surprise, and Cool Mint had killed him. His inner power for Big Mama enabled him to rise again, though. Milphey fought with the power of the phoenix, and he rose with the phoenix's power. It'd take more than Cool Mint to destroy Milphey's spirit.
Milphey thought of Big Mama, where she rested with Shallot.
"This world has no place for her, she said. No place for Lady Mama, and she no longer has place for Kanure Stella within her heart. It's been too long."
Big Mama hadn't been Kanure Stella since Milphey was a child, unimaginably long ago. The moment Shallot had released his powers, their lives had been shattered; their lives were never peaceful, being of the ruling body in the battle against the ghosts that plagued the Spooner Continent, but once Shallot was unleashed, things could never return to how they were; Kanure and the others left those lives behind, almost as if they'd been reborn in a new life. Such had been the power of the fallen lord, Shallot Stella.
"So now she sleeps deeply with Shallot, comforting and protecting him for all the times she never did. Abandoned in life, reunited in sleep. Lord Shallot..."
Milphey almost wanted to think 'reunited in death', such was their current existence.
Suddenly, though there was no-one to feel it, the balance inside the Mirage Palace shifted. Only slightly, but enough to be noticeable, if only there had been someone to notice it... the balance changed because Milphey had opened his eyes.
"Kahlua... Chiffon... Cinnamon... I cannot... I can't sleep..."
The other three were unaware of Milphey's thoughts; Milphey glanced to each side, then sat up, blue light shimmering and melting around him. The light went out - his coffin was reduced to darkness.
Milphey felt but one thing as he stood up; he wanted - no, he needed to see her. He needed to see Big Mama. He stood up, an unbearable silence biting deeply into him. He ascended the stairs, walking to the chamber where Big Mama resided.
She was sleeping... but beautiful. She was his Lady Mama. She was always beautiful. Shallot lay in her arms, also sleeping, also beautiful, in his own way.
Milphey walked close, putting his hand up against the invisible barrier that protected Big Mama and Shallot from outside influence. It waned slightly as Milphey touched it.
The spirits of the Haz Knights kept the barrier strong; Milphey knew that just the fact that he was now awake had reduced the barrier's power by one quarter... Milphey ran his hand down the barrier... there was a barrier around Big Mama, barriers around the Haz Knights, a barrier around the Mirage Palace...
Barriers. Protecting. The long potentially eternal sleep. Milphey scowled slightly - what was it all for, anyway? What was the point in all of this protection, when there was no longer anything to protect against?
Milphey's hand clenched into a fist against the barrier.
"When did we sign our lives away? When did we give up the right to live, in exchange to be a Haz Knight?"
Milphey's eyes darted to Shallot's sleeping form; his eyes narrowed.
"We lived to protect Big Mama. And now there's nothing to protect against... do we stop living? Because she decided to seal herself away? Because she wants to comfort he who made us like this?"
Milphey fell to his knees, pressed against the barrier, separated yet bound to the fallen Goddess behind the invisible screen. He put his hand to his heart, his eyes closing, tears silently falling as his thoughts continued. He looked at Big Mama with eyes that shone.
"Why..." Milphey turned away.
"Why am I no longer... why am I not content to blindly follow her lead anymore?"
Milphey looked up, as if expecting some kind of reply. Big Mama was, of course, silent. Silent and asleep. Silent, asleep, holding Shallot to her... Milphey realised he was knelt before Big Mama, a sign of respect that went by un-noticed. Milphey realised his gesture and quickly stood up, scowling, still crying.
He spoke aloud now, his voice sounding loud and harsh in the silent chamber.
"There's no place in this world for Big Mama... our reason of existence is Big Mama..."
He took a step backwards, staring downwards, purple hair ringlets obscuring his eyes.
"... if there's no place for Big Mama, then..." his voice was a whisper, "... there's no place for us..."
Milphey's breath caught in his throat as he realised this line of thought.
"If there's... no place for us..."
He walked backwards, eventually reaching the steps that went back to the chamber of the Haz Knights.
His tears were gone; he simply glared at the unmoving forms of Big Mama and Shallot.
His voice was an angry whisper.
"... I want a place..."
He turned on his heel, storming through where the other three Haz Knights still slept.
"I WANT A PLACE IN THIS WORLD!"
He went through that room, through a corridor, then found himself at the entrance to the Mirage Palace; the entrance looked free to pass through, but Milphey knew better; the same kind of barrier that was generated by the sleeping Haz Knights to protect Big Mama was protecting this entrance.
Stopping a few meters away from the entrance, Milphey brandished one of his black attack feathers. He threw it with a practiced stance, it hit the barrier, stuck there for a few moments, then bounced away, unaffected. The barrier was harmless, but with the other Haz Knights sleeping, it would be almost impossible to penetrate.
Almost.
Milphey had been one to power this barrier; he figured that he should at least be able to do something about this barrier... he recalled how Big Mama's shield had reacted when he'd touched it. Milphey glanced down at the feather on the ground. He picked it up and ran a finger down it, displacing the downy tendrils. He looked from the feather to that barrier, and smiled strangely. He wanted to escape Mirage, he'd expressed anger at Big Mama, of all people... he wanted to live. It was either stay in the Mirage Palace for all eternity, silent and unseen by human eyes, remaining the same while humanity rose and fell outside Mirage, not being there as the people he knew and cared for grew old and died... or...
Milphey suddenly thought of them. Those who'd been the Sorcerer Hunters, back when there were Sorcerers to fight... those he'd always protected. His old friends, Onion and Apricot. Their children, Carrot and Marron... those who were Sorcerer Hunters alongside them... Carrot. Marron. Tira. Chocolat. Gateau.
The thought of those five to Milphey was the thought to live... Milphey wanted... Milphey wanted to live. It'd be hard, it'd be almost impossible, but... Milphey didn't want to give up. Milphey, he thought, wasn't content to live eternity out in a silent palace with people so motionless they might be dead... people always said it about him, he was always so happy, he never got depressed, he'd flirt with anyone and anything, Milphey was gregarious, he...
Milphey stopped. What was he doing? Paramount to standing around and getting nostalgic about the past was getting out to experience the future - he didn't even know if time flowed the same in Mirage. The thought 'what if I get out and they're already long gone?' niggled at him, but he'd never find out if he didn't at least attempt to escape. His life, or most of it, had been dedicated to Big Mama... he wanted out, he thought to himself. It sounded harsh, but it was the bottom line...
Milphey stood in front of the invisible wall; outside was murky and dark... was that really the outside world? Or was it a reflection of what the Mirage Palace contained?
It was either... stay in the Mirage Palace, or... live.
"I want to live."
Milphey suddenly forced himself against the barrier, pushing, forcing, fighting, determined. The barrier didn't want to let him leave, but Milphey didn't want to stay. He tried to recall the feeling of the barrier's power within him - perhaps barrier against barrier would cancel each other out for long enough for Milphey to escape. Milphey found it ironic - the Spooner Continent was now one without magic, but still there were trials like this to overcome. The Spirits of the Haz Knights were like their own magic.
It happened gradually. First, a finger worked it's way through the barrier. One finger was joined by the corresponding finger on the other hand, and with a loud cry, for a second, the barrier bent to Milphey's will - it shattered, just enough, and he fell forward, free from the Mirage Palace. He felt suddenly tired, but also drained, as if there was something suddenly missing from his body... or spirit.
He glanced up at the barrier, and saw something that he wouldn't think strange until later.
He saw Big Mama there. Big Mama, Lord Shallot, and the three other Haz Knights - no. There were four Haz Knights there. Chiffon Cake, Kahlua, Cinnamon Tea, all in their armor...
The Haz Knight Mille Feuille was also there, also in his armor... Milphey stared at... himself for a few moments. The other him just watched back cautiously. He looked at Big Mama, who's look softened. All six of them looked ethereal, shimmering softly, almost as if they were ghosts... or spirits...
Big Mama didn't smile, but she wasn't angry. She just held Shallot to her, watching Milphey with sad eyes... her voice touched his heart before it reached his ears.
"There will always be a place for you here, Milphey-Yu. The Spirit of Mille Feuille will reside here, and it will call your body if required..."
"La-Lady Mama..."
"Milphey... live."
The shimmer seemed a little too intense... and then they were gone.
Milphey fell onto his back, his arm over his eyes, his tears renewed at hearing that voice...
"Was my anger because... I thought I'd never see you alive again?"
Milphey's voice was spoken normally, but it sounded empty to his own ears now... not just because he lacked the aural magnification of the Mirage Palace. He moved his arm from his face, remembering the darkness he'd seen outside from inside the Mirage Palace. Was that darkness here? He blinked, his eyelids feeling heavy. For a moment, he found it hard to focus on anything... when he did manage to see what was above him, he was bemused to see a face above him. A familiar face.
"M... Milphey?"
Milphey scratched his neck, sitting up. "Y-yeah... w-who...?"
At sighting the wings on the person's back, Milphey realised who the figure was; it was Dota, Big Mama's ex-handmaiden. Dota threw her arms around Milphey, almost knocking him down onto the ground again... Dota's boyfriend, Sirius, the only other surviving member of the Winged People, smiled.
"Hey, Dota... don't kill him, he looks tired..."
"Milphey, Milphey, Milphey, Milphey! I'm so happy happy happy, I can't believe it! I never thought I'd see you again! How come you're here? Are the others with you? I thought Mama sealed herself away with you... is Mama here? What happened? Did something bad happen? Is Mama okay?"
Sirius pulled Dota away from Milphey, she regretfully let go of him, sitting down in front of Milphey. He smiled, a tired smile.
"It's... complicated. Lady Mama sealed us away, but... I was selfish. I couldn't stand the thought of... no, that's unkind. I couldn't stand the thought of being sealed away in the Mirage Palace for the rest of my life, but said like that, it sounds like I didn't want to protect Lady Mama anymore... that's untrue. It's just... magic doesn't exist anymore, does it? We said we'd protect her, but... there's nothing to protect against anymore..."
Milphey winked, smiling cutely. "Most of all, I couldn't stand the fact that I might never see you guys again. Guess I got a bit too attached to ya. I'm sure that, if Lady Mama was awake, she'd understand... nothing bad happened, though. Lady Mama's still asleep in the Mirage Palace, along with the others..."
Milphey glanced around, realising for the first time, that he seemed to be in some kind of forest; wherever he was, he didn't seem to be near the Mirage Palace, not where he'd seemed to be before, at least.
"... wherever they are..."
Dota just smiled and nodded. "I see, I see... as long as they're safe, that's okay! I... still miss Mama, but as long as she's safe, that's the most important thing. I never thought I'd ever see any of you again, it's the best thing just to see you again! Are... you here to stay?"
Milphey picked himself up off the floor, dusting himself off as he looked around. "As far as I can see, yes... it's... a little hard to explain, but... I think that..."
Milphey recalled his escape of the Mirage Palace, when he'd seen Big Mama for that final time, and he'd seen... himself...
Milphey sighed. "... y-yeah... I'm here to stay."
"Milphey? Are you okay?"
"Hm? Y-yes, I'm okay. Just... thinking about something that happened earlier... nevermind about that, though." Milphey's face brightened, he clapped his hands together, rubbing them. "So! What have I missed? Anything important? How's Carrot-dearest and the others?"
Dota flew in a tight circle around Milphey, then hovered in front of him, smiling with excitement.
"Oh yeah! You've got a lotta catching up to do, Milphey! C'mon, let's go!"
Dota grabbed Milphey's hand; he let himself be dragged. "Sure, but where are we going?"
"We're going to where Carrot and the others are! 'Cause... well... after the thing with Shallot, Tira and Carrot realised how much they loved each other, and Tira and Carrot got married-"
"Wow, Chocolat can't have been too happy about that..."
"- that was what I thought, but she seems okay about it... the three of them are living together now, doesn't seem like anything's changed, except for Tira's family name. Chocolat's determined, 'Tira, I let you marry darling, but I'll be the one to bear his first child!'... Tira always gets angry whenever Chocolat starts acting like that, but she knows Chocolat's not serious... well, we don't THINK she is, anyway... oh yeah, those three are living together, Marron's also living with them, we think it's so he can be close to Carrot."
Milphey smiled. "Can't break those brotherly bonds. What's Gateau got to say about that?"
Gateau's crush on Marron had been going on since the two had first met; Gateau always flirted with Marron, but Marron never reacted. Marron was an enigma to anyone who thought of him in that way; he didn't react to pretty women, he didn't react to handsome guys, the only person who seemed to be able to coax any kind of emotion out of him was Carrot... but Marron was Marron, and that was just how he was.
"Oh, Gateau's living with Eclair now..." Eclair being Gateau's sister. "... they've taken it upon themselves to help fix up the place after Hakaishin wrecked it, they're getting everyone together to help. It's pretty good, it's upping the community spirit..." Dota giggled. "If you ask me, I think Gateau's gonna ask Marron to move in with him before the year's out. But that's just me. Oh yeah, and after the whole thing with Almond Rassell taking over Apricot's body... she came back to life! She was dead but now she's alive now, Onion's happy about that, and Carrot and Marron are too, never thought they'd have their mother back like that..."
Milphey gasped, looking at Dota in surprise. "Apricot's back?"
"Yeah! Looking healthy as ever. Gotta show ya 'em when we get there... come onnnn, hurry up! It's okay me telling you everything, but it'd be better for you to find out yourself!"
Milphey smiled contentedly. He hadn't been gone for long, but it seemed he'd missed out on quite a bit during his absence... still, he had the chance to catch up. He still felt guilty at leaving Big Mama, but... he was sure that she would have approved, had she been awake. Milphey realised that he no longer had the power of a Haz Knight within him - the part of him that was a Haz Knight was still at the Mirage Palace, protecting Big Mama. However, that was almost how it should have been... the part of him that was a Haz Knight only came about because of Shallot. Had the whole incident with Shallot not happened, Milphey would have grown up being as he was at this moment - only, he wouldn't have had the extended lifespan to be there at that moment. And if not for that, he would never have met any of the people who meant so much to him... now he no longer had the spirit of the Haz Knight within him, Milphey supposed that he'd grow old and eventually die, like everyone else. But after centuries of living, centuries of constant vigilance over Big Mama, this was a great relief to him; for all that time, he'd had his duty to fulfill, and that had been the one most important thing in his life... but now, he didn't have to worry about that. He didn't mind growing old and dying, because he had the chance to do so alongside Carrot and the others... he no longer had the responsibility he'd carried for so long... he could finally enjoy life as he'd always tried to, and that thought brought him more happiness than anything else.