Celica's tenth birthday was marked by a crackle of electricity that seemed to hang in the air across all of Hyland. Even in the town of Ladylake, far away from the birthday girl and the spot where her parents worked frantically to prepare for the party, there was an excited tension in everyone's movements. This was the biggest party not ordained by the government in history, and even the people who refused to attend knew about it. Most people were going - not just friends, or even friends of friends, but also acquaintances and relatives of acquaintances and anyone who felt remotely curious about what had become of the "ancient monsters". Those who still held misgivings were, of course, not required to attend, but some were going to, if only because their children begged to be able to go and they wanted to keep their young ones safe.

When school finally ended, and Edna, Zaveid, Eizen, and Niko began the journey home, they were joined by Sorey, Lailah, Mikleo, Eizen's best friend David, and several other classmates, as well as a couple of concerned parents. Along the way, about every ten steps or so, Edna summoned spires of rock on either side of the group to mark the path, so everyone coming later would be able to find their way - spires of rock she would return to the earth once every last guest had gone home. The adult humans, those old enough to remember a time when seraphim were but a legend, seemed unnerved by this casual display of power, but Edna ignored their flinches.

By the time they got to the treehouse, the clearing had been transformed; multiple seraphim were already there, putting the finishing touches on the various games and decorations and hanging up the strings of colored lanterns that were strung across the area from poles erected solely for this occasion, just so there would be enough light even after night fell. It was an appalling number of lanterns, and coloring all the paper shades must have taken half the pigment on the continent. Not to mention how we've taken half the food on the continent, Edna thought, eyeing the many, many long tables laden with dishes of all sorts.

"Eizen!"

A frazzled-looking Velvet ran to the small group clustered at the edge of the trees.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "I wasn't expecting you back so soon!"

"Yeah, our teachers knew no one would be able to focus with the party coming up, so they let us go a little early," Eizen told his mother.

She sighed, though she smiled. "And here I was counting on you being late."

"How are you feeling?" Edna asked, remembering her nightmare.

"Overwhelmed," Velvet replied honestly. "Guests are already coming, and I still have several more dishes to cook!"

"And just who are you?" demanded David's mother Rho, a plump, arrogant woman whom Edna had never liked.

"Oh! My apologies," Velvet said quickly, bowing a greeting to the crowd, from which Sorey, Lailah, Mikleo, and Eizen and his friends had already detached to dig into the food. "My name is Velvet Rangetsu-Crowe; I'm Eizen's mother. This party is for my youngest daughter Celica's tenth birthday. Thank you all so much for coming-"

"And you expect us to eat food you cooked?" Rho exclaimed. "The nerve! Forcing your party guests to - to eat hellion food!"

"Velvet's not a hellion," Edna stated, rolling her eyes. "She hasn't been one for about eighteen years."

"But she was," Rho huffed, crossing her beefy arms.

"The opportunity to taste Velvet Rangetsu-Crowe's cooking is a tremendous honor," Edna told the incredibly thick human. "I've dined with her every day since before Eizen was born, and not once have I regretted it. Here." Reaching for the nearest buffet table and grabbing the first thing her hand found - what looked to be a small hand-pie - she thrust the food into Rho's unwilling paw. "Eat it. You'll see."

"Er…" Rho eyed the morsel in her hand nervously, as though afraid it might bite her first.

"You know, you probably have several ancestors who were hellions," Edna remarked; "you just wouldn't know it because no one but the Shepherd and a handful of others would have been able to tell. The calamity opened everyone's eyes to what was always there, nothing more."

"How dare you?" Rho yelped.

"How dare I?" Edna repeated, fixing her with cold eyes. "I'm a seraph who's lived over two thousand years. I know a lot more than you. That's how dare I."

"Come on, mom!" David piped up from where he was filling his plate, stuffing every third handful into his mouth. "You'll love it!"

"I…" Rho withered under Edna's glare, and her son's call made her flinch. Grimacing, she put the tiny pie into her mouth and chewed.

Edna smirked.

"Oh!" Rho's face transformed in an instant, her chewing growing enthusiastic. "Oh my…!" Swallowing, she looked at Velvet. "What on earth is this?"

"Sweet potato and kale hand-pies, with a cheese-enhanced crust," Velvet replied with a nervous smile. "I tried to stretch the dough a little since I had to make so many, I hope it came out okay…"

"Vala, you must try this," Rho declared to another of the mothers who had held back, grabbing another of the hand-pies. "Tell me if some sort of illusion is being cast on me."

Vala hesitated less than Rho had, and her expression lit up with delight almost as soon as as the hand-pie was in her mouth. "If this is an illusion, it's an excellent one," the second woman declared. "Here, Stu, try this."

My work here is done, Edna thought as the handful of concerned parents finally made their way into the clearing, sampling the food and making small talk, a few of the men heading for the table of alcohol that Rokurou and Zaveid were already commandeering, and she walked away as Velvet blushed and hurried back to her work. At least humans have herd mentality going for them; convince one, convince them all.

Around a few clusters of seraphim who were putting the finishing touches on the party area, Edna found Eizen standing in front of his youngest sister, who was seated on a very plush throne that Rokurou had sent Zaveid all the way to Pendrago to buy.

"Happy birthday, Celica," he told her, handing her a plate with several of his mother's treats.

"Thanks, big brother!" Celica squeaked. Her hair was the same dull, sickly brown as ever - not black, like everyone else in her family, as though it simply couldn't muster the strength to fully color itself - but her golden eyes were bright and excited; mercifully, her birthday hadn't coincided with one of her fevers. "What'd you get me?"

"Oh, uh, your present will be here in a little while," Eizen told her.

"You could consider this whole party a present," Edna remarked, joining him, "since we're bringing half the kingdom here for you. Happy birthday, Cellie," she added.

"Stop calling me Cellie," Celica grumbled. "I'm not a little kid anymore, auntie Edna, I'm ten years old today."

"Indeed," Edna agreed, "and I am wishing you a happy birthday."

Just then, a seraph started playing a flute, and Celica lit up, her attention entirely captured by the sound of music, which she almost never got to hear all the way out in the far eastern forest. Relieved of her obligation to remedy what only a child would consider an unforgivable mistake, Edna wandered off to keep an eye on the goings-on of the night, occasionally sampling the various foods that were laid out. Parties weren't her scene, but she wasn't going to retreat into her room, either, not when her whole family had worked so hard for this.

More people slowly trickled in as the sun set, all the incoming wary humans quickly assimilated into the masses of people already charmed by Velvet's culinary mastery; Edna didn't have to intervene again. At a certain point of darkness, several of the fire seraphim in attendance lit the lanterns in unison, illuminating the massive clearing with festive colors, and the party seemed to pick up. Adults were drinking and talking and laughing, while children played the various games Rokurou had set up, half of which Edna was sure he had invented himself. Eizen and his group of friends never left Celica's side, Eizen refusing to partake in anything his youngest sister couldn't join in too.

When the moon finished clearing the treeline, Edna stepped forward to help clear a large circle for Rokurou and Eizen in front of Cellie's birthday girl throne. Murmuring well-wishes under her breath to Eizen, Edna retreated to the front of the crowd that had gathered, as everyone realized something important was going on.

Eizen drew his katana, and Rokurou drew his odd short swords; both took a defensive stance, and Edna noticed, as always, how Rokurou stood poised exactly as Rose used to. The son was the one to make the first move, taking a step forward and to the right in what even Edna could tell was a feint, and Rokurou darted forward. Blades clashed, and from there, Edna lost the ability to keep track of the goings-on with her eyes. The Rangetsu style was too quick for an onlooker to even make sense of; half the time, one of the combatants ended up in a different spot from where they had been moments before without Edna even detecting any movement on their part. When various humans started cheering, Edna wondered what they even thought they were looking at, but Celica had her hands clasped and stars in her eyes as she watched the contest.

One thing Edna did slowly come to realize, though, was that her baby brother had improved quite a bit over the years - two minutes in, he was still holding his own against his father, dancing around the blades just as quickly as the elder swordsman. Whatever was happening, at least the fight lasted longer than it ever had before, which left Edna smiling despite herself. Little Eizen is growing up.

At last, with a flurry of metal that Edna didn't even bother trying to follow, Eizen's katana ended up knocked to the ground, and Rokurou's knives circled his son's throat. Both held the position for a minute, their chests heaving, before Rokurou withdrew and sheathed his knives and they clasped hands, smiling at each other.

The resulting cheer was deafening, and Celica clapped so hard Edna seriously wondered if her palms would start bleeding. Several human men plowed forward to start praising Rokurou's skills, and Edna approached Eizen cautiously.

"You did well, baby brother," she told him. "I've never seen you last so long."

"Yeah," Eizen sighed, sheathing his katana. "I think I could've won…but I'm not sure I want to, really."

"If you say so," Edna shrugged; "I couldn't make any sense of the fight, myself." At the back of her mind, a memory nagged at her, of Velvet begging Rokurou not to raise his child to kill him, and she wondered if Eizen's inclination to not defeat his father would offend the ancient swordsman if he knew.

"Still?" Eizen chuckled. "You've watched my training from the beginning."

"Swords are overrated," Edna dismissed. "Watching swordfights isn't for me."

"Suit yourself," Eizen said, and he walked over to continue indulging his little sister.

Sighing, Edna walked back towards the edge of the clearing, only for another voice to speak up as soon as she had a bit of space to herself.

"Oh Edna, darling!"

Heaving another, much heavier sigh, Edna turned. "It's that time of year again, huh?" she resignedly asked the unwelcome interloper.

"Sure is!" Zaveid replied with a cocky grin. "So, whaddaya say? Will you be my girl, or do I have to beg?"

"Before we get started with whatever nonsense you have prepared this year, can I ask you a question?" Edna inquired.

Zaveid spread his hands in a welcoming gesture. "Shoot."

"When did we go from you hitting on me to you asking me to be your girlfriend?"

"Uh…" Zaveid's smirk faltered slightly, and he shook his head. "I…I don't know."

"Because I've noticed it for a few years now," Edna went on.

"Babe, I really don't know when that started," he told her.

"Then maybe you can tell me why?" she pressed.

"That, I can do!" Zaveid grinned. "It's simple, really. Edna, sweetheart, we're family - the girls already call you 'auntie Edna'. Plus, we've been through so much together, and your brother was one of my best friends…who could ever understand or respect you like I do? And who could ever understand or respect me like you do?"

"That's your reasoning?" Edna asked cynically. "If that's your idea of romance, you really are beyond hope."

He winced, and in that one, wordless gesture, Edna heard a multitude of sentiments. It's not, but it's safer than romance. You're the only one I know I can trust not to leave me. You're the only one strong enough to survive the curse that is my life. Anyone else would get hurt, or hurt me, or both. You're the only one I can turn to safely.

Maybe we do have some understanding between us, Edna admitted to herself, though she kept her face neutral. "In any case, my answer is no," she stated.

"Well, you might change your mind when you see what I brought you this time," Zaveid smirked, the moment of poignancy gone, and he reached to his side and produced a small pouch. "Boom!"

"What is this?" Edna asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Open it and find out," he replied; he had always been a master of self-satisfied smirks, but the one he wore now threatened to split his face in half.

Cautiously, Edna reached forward and opened the pouch with one hand, her other hand keeping a careful hold on her umbrella. Inside, she grasped a small lump and pulled it out to observe in the lamplight, a brown shape coated in something clear and shiny.

"Is this…?"

"Marrons glacés, the snack of kings!" Zaveid declared proudly. "I made 'em myself, just for you, baby!"

"You made marrons glacés?" Edna said incredulously.

"All by myself!" Zaveid repeated, still grinning.

Edna glared at him for a long minute.

"…Alright, I had Velvet show me how it was done first," he finally admitted. "But these, these right here, the ones I'm giving you, were made with my own two hands and no one else's."

"Then they're probably inedible," Edna dismissed.

"Oh come on, don't be like that!" Zaveid protested. "At least try one first! It doesn't mean you're saying yes, but I worked really hard on these! Hell, I burned the first three batches!"

"That much, I would believe," Edna said tonelessly, but she found her curiosity piqued. If he'd tried three times and failed before making these, they couldn't be that bad, surely…

With another sigh, Edna popped the sugared chestnut into her mouth and chewed, slowly, thoughtfully. The fact that she didn't immediately feel an urge to gag was a marvel in and of itself.

"So?" Zaveid questioned, his red-brown eyes oddly bright. "How are they?"

Edna chewed a little longer, then swallowed. "The flavor's too strong, and the texture is tough," she told him at last.

"Too strong?!" he exclaimed. "How can flavor be too strong?!"

"The whole point of marrons glacés is that they are a delicacy, to be enjoyed at leisure and appreciated for their subtlety," Edna informed the hapless wind seraph. She hesitated a moment, then added, "But besides that, they're okay. They're not really marrons glacés, but they're not…not marrons glacés. In fact, if you really did make them yourself, then I would even go so far as to say I'm impressed."

A wide grin split Zaveid's face again.

"But my answer is still no."

"Oh come on!" he shouted. "You're killing me, baby!"

"Good effort, though," she went on. "Keep this up, and you might actually wear me down one of these years."

"Ugh…" Zaveid's shoulders slumped in defeat, though he still proffered the pouch. "At least take the rest," he pleaded. "Please? It doesn't mean yes, I just…I worked so hard on them…"

Somehow, Edna managed to muster enough pity to grab the little bag. "Fine," she grumbled. "Now get out of here."

Tipping his hat at her, Zaveid smirked. "Until next year, gorgeous," he told her, and he walked away.

Despite herself, Edna found her hand reaching into the pouch and popping more sugared chestnuts into her mouth one at a time as the party continued. Zaveid put on his usual illusory arte display for the birthday girl, heavily featuring swordsmen he'd seen himself throughout the ages, and Celica laughed with delight. She really is almost as sword-brained as her father, Edna mused from the sidelines. Shame she hasn't been able to start training yet.

Then, at last, another small figure entered the clearing, wearing a puffy white tunic and marked by his signature curl of hair that stood up like a halo over his head.

Edna was the first to notice Maotelus as he uneasily made his way into the crowd of humans and seraphim of all ages. For a Great Lord, he looked nervous, as though he'd never seen so many people before. Maybe he hadn't, Edna realized, at least not in person, and she quickly jogged forward to catch him.

"Hey," she murmured, taking his side.

"Edna!" he exclaimed, lighting up. "I came, just like I said I would!"

"So you did," she remarked. "Come on, the birthday girl is this way."

Eagerly, the divine seraph followed Edna across the clearing and through the crowd, until at last they reached Celica, who was playing with one of several presents she'd already received.

"Celica," Edna announced, getting the girl's attention. "I want you to meet someone very special."

"Hi!" Maotelus said brightly, stepping forward. "My name's Laphicet. You can call me Phi if you want."

"Laphicet?" Celica repeated, her eyes widening. "But doesn't that mean-?"

"Shhh," her brother hushed, appearing at her side and putting a hand on her thin shoulder. "Not in front of everyone."

Celica gasped as Maotelus sat down beside her, wearing a cheerful smile.

"So you're Velvet and Rokurou's youngest daughter," he said. "I've heard a lot about you. You're name's Celica, right?"

"Uh-huh," Cellie confirmed, nodding. "After my aunt."

"Yeah, I've heard a lot about Velvet's sister, too," Maotelus said. "She was my mom, you know. That makes us cousins!" His smile faltered as he added, "I, uh…I heard you have the Twelve Year Sickness. Is that true?"

Immediately, Celica's smile faded, and she nodded grimly. "Uncle Zaveid's gathered four of the five ingredients for the Omega Elixir, but we can't get the fifth," she told him. "Are you going to cry for me?"

"I'm sorry you're sick," Maotelus told her gently, "but…crying doesn't come easily to seraphim as old as me. I would if I could, I swear. Don't worry, though," he added, brightening up again, "your brother showed me those jars you all carry around just in case you find a seraph crying. I'm sure you'll be all better soon."

"So you really made an Omega Elixir once?" Celica asked.

"Yup!" Maotelus replied brightly. "For a friend of mine named Videl. He was the one who translated the ingredient list, and my friends and I went and found them. He was always reading books, and his dream was to see the world someday." Maotelus's jade eyes fixed on Celica eagerly. "What do you want to do, once you're all better?" he asked. "What's your big dream?"

"My dream is to be a master of the Rangetsu style, just like my dad!" Celica replied enthusiastically. "I'm gonna be a great swordsman, just like him!"

"I've seen your father in battle; he's amazing!" Maotelus exclaimed. "He moves so fast you can't even see him!"

"I know!" Celica said proudly. "I haven't been able to start training yet, but I watch my brother and my sister train with him every day, and I know I could do the moves if I had the energy! Once I do, I'm going to train harder than either of them, and someday, I'll beat my dad!"

"I'm sure nothing would make him happier," Maotelus laughed.

Satisfied that the two cousins across time were getting along, Edna slipped away and gently nudged Velvet, who was dancing with a slightly tipsy Rokurou to the music that had slowed down as the night wore on.

"We have a visitor," she informed the couple, gesturing to Celica and Maotelus. "I'm sure he'd love it if you said hello."

Velvet gasped. "Phi…?" she breathed.

"Eizen thought he should come, since he was your family," Edna said, "so we asked him to join the party yesterday. He said yes."

"Well, come on, what're we waiting for?" Rokurou grinned, taking his wife's arm and stepping towards his youngest child. "Let's have a big family reunion!"

Watching them go, Edna smiled, then stepped away from the party again, still occasionally eating from Zaveid's gift.

With the lanterns so bright even as the moon traveled across the night sky, it was hard to gauge how much time was passing. Edna guessed it had been about an hour before Maotelus left as silently as he'd come, though the party was barely starting to slow down. Even the most conscientious of parents hadn't started dragging their kids home yet, instead enjoying the party as though the night would last forever. And somehow, Edna couldn't blame them. There was a…a sort of energy, to the party, that she had a feeling was only noticeable to seraphim - it felt like the opposite of malevolence, refreshing and invigorating. Everywhere she looked, people were smiling, talking, and laughing, and though she didn't really partake in any of the festivities, she found herself enjoying the joy and lighthearted fun that surrounded her.

But among all the smiles, there was one, singular frown.

Edna wasn't sure when she started really paying attention to Niko, who was sulking on the outskirts of the party, not talking to anyone, her shapeless black dress making her look even paler than she already was. Every laughing partygoer who passed got a glare from her copper eyes, and Edna felt an odd twist in her gut. Maotelus had remarked that she looked like a young Velvet, but in the shadows, with her pigtails, Edna couldn't help but think she seemed more like Symmone…and not just in appearance.

Eizen's right, she thought; something has to be done about that kid.

All of a sudden, she knew exactly what to do. Walking up to the sullen girl, Edna poked her in the arm with her umbrella.

"Niko," she grunted.

"What do you want, auntie Edna?" Niko glowered at her.

"Come here," Edna told her, turning her back. "I want to show you something."

Grumbling under her breath, Niko mercifully followed.

Under the shade of the trees, just outside the lamplight, Edna turned back around, and gestured for Niko to do the same. "Look at all this," she told the girl; "what do you see?"

Niko didn't respond.

"Look at your mother," Edna pressed, gesturing to where Velvet was talking with several smiling women, presumably about recipes and cooking. "And your father." Not far away, Rokurou appeared to be boasting to several men, presumably about swordsmanship. "Look at your brother and your sister, and how much fun they're having. Look at everyone else, human and seraph alike. What do you see?"

Still no answer.

"I'll tell you what I see," Edna sighed at last: "I see a bunch of people who are happy. All these people are having fun together, smiling and laughing and sharing in each other's company." She turned on Niko. "Do you think a world completely consumed by malevolence could have this much happiness in it?"

"This happiness is a lie," Niko growled.

Edna blinked.

"All those women smiling at my mother? They're all judging her, for who she used to be," Niko said. "Those men laughing with my father are judging him too. And my parents, and my brother and sister? Their laughs are the most fake out of everyone here, because they all know full well what this party really is: another tick of the clock, as my sister's death grows closer." She turned to Edna then, her copper eyes blazing with fury. "My sister is dying," she said, "and everyone here knows it. That's what all this happiness is based on. All those smiles, all that laughter? They're not real. Everyone's just trying to distract themselves from the fact that Cellie's going to die soon. Do you think my family will still be smiling and laughing two years from now, at my sister's funeral?"

"Niko…" Edna said slowly.

"Happiness is a waste," Niko spat. "It doesn't last, and it doesn't mean anything; it just covers up sadness so everyone can pretend life is okay. But life isn't okay, it never is! My sister will die soon, and the rest of us will die eventually, because everyone tries to make happy lives and get drunk on as much happiness as possible instead of embracing the one thing that can save them!"

"Malevolence isn't salvation, Niko." Edna told her firmly. "Malevolence is-"

"Yeah, yeah, it's a curse, right?" Niko interrupted contemptuously. "I'll tell you what's a curse: life. Life, with only death to look forward to, and happiness to carry people along to their end. This, all this?" She gestured at the party. "It's a lie. It's empty, it means nothing, and it disgusts me! So don't go trying to preach to me, auntie Edna. The sooner this nonsense is over, the better."

And before Edna could even muster a reply, Niko stormed off.

For a long minute, Edna stood rooted to the spot. Niko was wrong, of course she was wrong, but…but somehow, in that moment, Edna couldn't articulate why. There was an unsettling amount of truth to what Niko had said, and Edna turned her eyes on the party again, only to notice things she hadn't picked up on before: the tightness of the muscles around Velvet's smile, the worry lines creasing Eizen's forehead even as he laughed, the sweat beading on Celica's brow as she tried to keep playing with her brother and his friends.

Shaking her head, Edna forced herself back into the lamplight to observe and, in her own way, enjoy, the rest of the party.

~o~

Finally, people began to trickle out of the clearing and follow the path Edna had left for everyone who hadn't been this way before. At first, it was only a few, but then a spell seemed to suddenly break, and people were leaving all at once, bidding cheerful farewells and (in some cases) grabbing napkins full of leftover treats to take home. Velvet and Rokurou saw everyone off, Zaveid left with Sorey and his seraphim, and Eizen put Cellie to bed. Niko had vanished somewhere during the night, but when the last guest walked away - a fire seraph who extinguished most of the lights on his way out - no one felt like searching for her. While Velvet and Rokurou started on the cleanup that absolutely had to get done before they went to bed themselves, Edna started walking down the path of stone spires she'd made, returning each one to within the earth and leaving no trace behind.

By the time she finally managed to get back to her room, there had to only be a couple of hours before dawn. Unable to muster the strength to bathe, Edna simply sat down by the stream just outside of her room, unlaced and removed her boots, and dipped her sore feet into the cool water.

What a night. I could sleep for a year.

As she watched the water play over her dainty feet, it crossed Edna's mind, not for the first time in the last couple of years, to maybe consider aging a little. Not a lot, just enough to go up one shoe size; surely she could find a way to make her brother's boots still fit her. As always, though, she dismissed the idea; she was perfect as she was.

Her mind hazy with fatigue, Edna found her thoughts drifting back to Niko. She's wrong, she thought. Happiness isn't a waste. It's the only thing that makes living worthwhile. Without emotions, we might as well all be dead, like when Innominat's Suppression ruled the land. But we can't tell her anything we haven't told her before on that front…

Oh well. The purity of her belief is what keeps her from becoming corrupted. Better to not convince her at all than to convince her just a little.

It was at that exact moment that what felt and sounded like a lightning bolt struck the ground a ways behind Edna, back in the clearing around the treehouse. Turning around, she just barely didn't have time to brace herself before a wall of malevolence slammed into her and knocked her on her back; she curled up beside the flowing water, trying desperately to maintain her sanity as darkness clawed at her being.

A malevolent domain, stronger than even Heldalf had generated.

Sick to her stomach from the corruption in the air, Edna forced herself to pull her boots on and rise to her feet, though she struggled to stand under the crushing weight of all the malevolence. Smoke was rising over the trees in the direction of the treehouse, and Edna had a feeling she knew what had happened.

Nothing I can do, she thought, dragging one foot to her left, away from where she had last seen her family. Not like this, not without a vessel…I gotta get help…

At the painfully slow pace she managed despite mustering all her strength, though, Edna knew she would be too late to help anyone.