Smoke, fire, the smell of charred and burnt paint. Kyle threw the canvases carrying his works of art into the ever growing bonfire of blinding light and heat. He was no longer an artist. Im never going to be one, and now I have a kingdom to take care of anyway. He thought angrily, cursing the glorious times when his dream seemed to be able to become a reality. But now, Margret, his teacher, his angel, was dead. Now, critics ridiculed his works and told him time and time again how horrendous his works had become. Now, he was to become the king of Marlon, of The Blue Country. He brushed his bright blue hair out of his face as he watched the paintings burn, every single one of his works were now gone, and he intended to keep it that way. Except for one. One last piece lay on the ground far away from the blaze, in a golden frame with intricate carvings of vines and flowers lining it. That was the one Margret loved the most, his master piece. Kyle walked over to it, his face red and sweating from the heat given off by the flames nearby. The canvas was covered in paint creating a portrait of a young girl, around the age of five. She had long golden hair tied up in a ponytail on the side of her head, and her yellow eyes stared mysteriously at whoever viewed the painting. He was told many times that that piece alone was one of his best creations, and some even said that it was one of the best pieces they've ever seen. He smiled at the only painting he's ever gotten praise for. Kyle barely remembered the girl he painted in the portrait, only recalling that she was one of his many sisters and that she was an extremely weird girl, which made for a great person to paint due to her character. There were steps on the ground behind him, and he turned around to see his mother walking towards him.
"It's such a shame to see all those years of appretienceship go to waste, you know. I thought you would turn into such a wondrous painter." She said with a loving yet taunting tone, and Kyle blew a lock of hair from his face and rolled his eyes.
"No you didn't. You never wanted me to become a painter. You're getting what you wanted, ok?" But the woman just smiled and shook her head.
"No, I didn't want you to be a painter. But that didn't stop me from expecting you to be." She looked over to the canvas on the floor and snickered. "I remember how much Margret loved that piece, is that why it doesn't burn?" She asked, grinning with her head tilted to the side. Kyle nodded, and she sighed but kept her smile. A breeze began to flow by, making her curly gray hair and blue gown fly in the winds direction, adding to the woman's unnatural beauty. She looked up at the black smoke dying the clouds and sky an ashy like black, and her eyes began to water from it. Kyle turned and looked to. "Next time, you should think twice before burning that much paper so that the air doesn't turn completely black, then there would be no one left on the island due to suffocation." She said smiling again.
"You're such a flake." Kyle grunted, and his mother laughed.
"Come now, you have much work to in the palace. Take that painting and we'll hang it up somewhere in a hall." She turned around into the castle again, and her son followed with a 'yes mother', hoisting up the portrait in one hand before walking away from his life's work. Smoke, fire, the smell of charred and burnt up paint that was once his pride and joy. But now he was a king, and he had to be there for his kingdom. Once they went inside the palace, his mother turned him over to one of her advisors, now his advisor, and the two went on their way in transitioning power over to him. The woman, Prim, smiled at her son's passiveness. I've made a good choice in who would succeed me, he'll follow any command of mine with no retaliation, she thought, and walked up a cold marble staircase, her steps echoing through the grand room. Her smile turned into an angry glare down at the floor when she couldn't see anyone in sight, and Prim gripped the skirts of her blue-gray dress. Everyday I come closer to the fall of Lucifenia, my goal is almost reached. Prim was smiling again as she thought of what it'll be like once she succeeded, when The Yellow Country has fallen and the royal family destroyed. Just you wait Anne, I'll make you pay for abandoning me. And you'll never be able to forget me again.
*
Michaela floated above a large branch, staring boredly at the ground with nothing o do. Usually, this would be about the time when she would see out Gumillia, and the two would talk for hours, sometimes until the sun passed over the horizon. But ever since she had been turned into a human to be Elluka's apprentice, the robin spirit didn't have much of anything to do during the day. She heard leaves crunching, and looked up from her sulking to see the flowing gray cloak she knew all too well. Immediatly changing into her robin form she flew after the mage, shouting at her to get the woman's attention.
"Ms. Clockwork! Ms. Clockwork, I need your help!" She shouted and Elluka turned around to face Michaela who had almost flown straight into her face.
"How many times have I told you not to call me that?" She scolded, but she ignored her.
"Never mind that, I need you to turn me into a human!" The mage stepped back in surprise, and cocked her head to the side with a half glare.
"You know Held would kill me if I did that, and I need his permission even is you just wanted to leave the forest. Why do you even want to be human, to be with Gumillia?" She shook her head and opened her mouth to explain, but then she saw that her green haired friend wasn't with Elluka at the moment, which was very unusual for them.
"Where are they?" she asked suspiciously, landing on her shoulder as the woman yawned.
"I sent them ahead to collect some roots for me. Now, answer my question." Michaela sighed.
"That Netsuma girl. I want to help her. Please, I don't want her to suffer anymore" She turned her head towards the bird perched on her shoulder with an inquisitive look.
"And what will you do to help her exactly?" She asked.
"Become her friend!" The bird chirped. Elluka sighed, and pressed a pale hand to her chin in thought. "Well?" she pried, and she swished her hand in the air as if to swipe away an imaginary bug flying infront of her.
"There might be a loophole in the deal I made with Held. He said I could turn a spirit into a human if it were for capturing or destroying a vessel of sin, but he didn't say any specific spirit or how many." Michaela's feathers stood up and she flapped her wings slightly in excitement.
"So, you can do it?" She nodded.
"Yes, but you have to do as I say. My original plan was much more intricate, but this makes things much simpler now." She turned to the bird, who's eyes looked as big as acorns now. "In about seven years time, a man with blue hair will visit the mansion of Keel Freezis for dinner. No matter what, you must attend that dinner an speak to the man. Now comes the hard part..." She sighed, and Michaela hopped closer to her face.
"What? What do I have to do?" Elluka turned to her.
"You must fall in love with him, and he has to fall im love with you, understand?" Michaela hopped back, how could she fall in love with someone purposely? What if he was some selfish lord? What if he didn't like her? She saw her scared expression, and gave the bird a comforting smile while scratching her chin. "Don't worry, I looked into the future just now. He will fall for you."
"And that's all I have to do, attend a dinner of Keel Freezis?" Michaela asked, and the mage nodded.
"When it becomes close to the date I'll meet with you and give you more details, but this is all you need to know for now." Michaela nodded and flew off her shoulder to hover in front of her. "You want to transform now?" She asked, and the robin nodded.
"Turn me into a human."
