The legendary heroes were enjoying their dinner break when Monk burst out laughing, unable to contain himself. The other three looked over at the dragon fountain in the courtyard. Someone had put a pair of giant googly eyes, a stick-on mustache, and a silly-string wig on it.

Behind the statue's tail, four kids hid (though not very well). A half-elven teen boy wearing origami armor grinned. "See, Cerene, I told you they'd love it!" Cerene (the boy's twin sister) rolled her eyes, her comment true to her name. "Justin, I love you, but you jinxed it. They're probably already right behind us, right, Zavier?" Zavier silently held up a calendar, showing that they were on school break. Justin turned to a 4-year-old who was trying to hide in her much too big wizard hat and cape. "Magenta, don't say anything. They might put us in adult timeout!" Cerene miffed, "For what, protesting boredom due to having the adults who assign us chores get yeeted into jail this morning? What other parents are they supposed to call until further notice, the invisible tickle monsters running the local orphanage?"

Magie curled up, transforming into a ball of pink dragon-kitten fluff. "WAIT, so when you said the meanies tried to make Mommy join Daddy on his milk crusade, you meant she's gone FOREVER?!"

Justin and Cerene reached out in unison. "Magenta-" She turned away, almost unreachable inside her cape. "No 'Magenta'!" Zavier turned to the adults as if to ask for help.

Apprentice had a plan. He took off his height enhancement boots, kneeled (adjusted his hat so she could see his face), and set down a handful of licorice. "Hey, uh, your mom doesn't happen to still love me after all the mean things I've done, does she?" Magie nodded, calming down and deactivating her Special Ability. "Yeah! Mommy says to remember that 'Even The Most Apprenticed Of Love Is Adept Enough To Make A Way If It's True Love!'" Apprentice stood up, having a literal breakthrough. Did I spend an entire decade working for the bad guy and tearing my self-confidence apart all over anxiety about a girl raising her fatherless kid in my name?! I'd better calm down before getting to work on my apologies. Donning his boots, he put Magie on his shoulder, all remaining evil within him melting away from his daughter's sheer cuteness. "Come on, sweetie, I have a huge stack of licorice, and the Hardy-Har-Harbinger doesn't care how I get rid of it as long as he doesn't have to see or smell it!" "Yay! But wait, what about my friends?"

Zavier smirked. "Well, the Legendary heroes always stick together, so… wait for it, any second now"...

Boom, Crack, Chink, Etc! The tension in the air ceased. Huntress handed Cerene a pair of medieval headphones. "Here, take these! Your sanity will thank me later." Squire high-fived Landon, gifting him an armor kit with a teddy bear. "You have found me, bravo! Your origami armor is epic, but tis no match for the legitimate thing!" Jing and Monk shared a look, leaving any onlookers wondering if Monk had been an undercover "agent" for the Grand Council (Of Etherian Defense) the entire time.

Adept looked at the clock, wondering where "Doctor Occurse" was. He never came. Instead, a hopeful pair of voices arose from the other side of the lab. "Daddy, I don't think Mommy'll be happy when she sees the mess we've made!" "Oh, believe me, sweetie, the mess goes throughout Etheria! We have a lot of tidying up to do!" Little did he know that soon, he'd have even more.

Adept peered around a corner for a closer look and accidentally knocked a deadly-striker tower into the lava. "Mommy, daddy's cape is shaking from his expanding back when he coughs. Is that a bad thing?" Hearing that, Adept transformed into a royal purple dragon cat, grabbed Magie by the scruff of her neck, and stood back at a carefully calculated distance. You can imagine what happened next. Within seconds, manna crystals scattered everywhere. "Mommy, look, Dad Magus unlocked his special power!"

Apprentice blinked, having another crisis. This time, however, he had become the draton with shaken-up thoughts. "That has happened countless times in the past decade. Why was this triggered now?" Adept set Magie down, pointing out, "You weren't under Hardy-Har-Harbinger's direct influence this time."

Magie couldn't help but feel like it was part of something much bigger. "Are you sure it wasn't because it was a Zapy-Zap tower? Harbooger has frightening lighting like Deadly Striker Tower, can make crystal spears like Harpoon-Turret, steals power like Strength Drain Aura, and even makes darkness, like Darkness Trap!" Adept wrote that down in her notebook. "Yes, sweetie, it is odd when you put it that way. We'll have to tell Etherian Council that. I'm curious though. Why did you pick the nickname 'Harbooger'?" "Because he's nasty, snotty, and needs to go away!"

Apprentice laughed to himself. He didn't care that he'd get fired sooner or later. He was long overdue for a day off, considering all holidays were banned.

Zavier was far better at Dama (Eastern Chess) than he looked. Don't be surprised. Defeating your enemies with a mix of "Dama and Go in real life" is my entire career. Zavier got a sudden mischievous grin. Monk raised an eyebrow as his son set down a Suno Reverse Card, unintentionally lowering the mini ensnare aura on the floor. That's not going to help- Zavier seized his chance, flipping the board.

Monk grinned, telekinetically ruffling Zavier's buzzcut. Man, I haven't remembered that trick in forever. You got me there. Zavier paused his psychic cleanup. Hey, father, it is 3:33 AM. I highly doubt Harbidiot doesn't expect us to break-out Aunt Initiate right now of all times we'd be lying awake. Monk levitated a ring of keys. Or, we could use these since I'm the prison warden. Both manly boys mirrored each other's mischievous facial expressions.

A familiar 3rd voice chimed in. I'm here. You forgot to recharge the Lock Aura on my cell door. I did manage to reactivate the spying Auras, so we can see what the others are up to, though. I can't imagine Justin and Chevalier (Squire) going without a pillow duel the entire night.

The tavern fell into a commotion of whispers when Squire and Huntress entered, holding hands and with a pair of children behind them. "Is that a wedding ring on the Conqueror and the Predator's held hands?"!