October 18, Year 776

The cool autumn air traveled through Oak Town, the streets littered with tourists and locals alike. The trees had lost their green leaves and gained the orange tint that made the hill look like a forest of pumpkins. The streets were busier than they had been all year, even during summer months, when Oak Town was supposedly at its best and brightest. A phenomenon that two of the newest residents, who had been living in the town for a few months, didn't understand.

"Hey, Vera. Do you know why there are so many people here?" Siegrain asked, fighting back a frown as he shimmied past a small group. Vera did the same behind him as they made their way toward the edge of town for afternoon training with Totamaru. Vera shrugged as he passed a group that seemed to be from the capital, "No clue. You think there's a celebration or something?"

Siegrain tilted his head in thought, frowning as he was shoved into the crowd shuffling through Oak Town. Siegrain's patience fell away as he flicked a thread over the nearby rooftop and shot toward it like a slingshot. Siegrain scaled onto the roof with ease as he heard Vera jump out of his shadow a few moments later, the two giving a small breath of relief at not being packed like sardines anymore.

The two then started jumping casually across the cool roofs of Oak Town, their conversation entailing most closely to the new flood of people in their town. Siegrain, giving the first swing at why he thought they might be out here, right next to the middle of nowhere, said, "You think they're here for the guild master? He's the only reason Oak Town would be on anyone's radar."

Oak Town, for as pretty as it was, was a relatively quiet city by any means. It was also out of the way, so there was only reason to visit the old town if one planned it or was unlucky enough to end up there after hitchhiking a train security detail.

Jose Porla, and by extension, Phantom Lord's main guild hall, were the only reasons most would associate with visiting Oak Town. The title of Wizard Saint was prestigious, and the fact that one of the few who ever held the title ran a guild considered the best in the country was as good an incentive as any to visit the sleepy town. Siegrain figured something must have happened to get so many people interested in the guild master and his guild.

Vera, on the other hand, wasn't sold, "I doubt it, nothing has shown up in Sorcerer Weekly. As far as I know, this should be a normal week for Phantom Lord," Vera tilted his head, humming as he tried to remember anything else he might have seen in the most popular magazine in Fiore, "Yeah, nothing about Phantom Lord. Hey Sho, you see anything?"

Sho, with a slight shimmer into the container of Vera's shadow, shook his head. The shadow glanced at the crowd below them before shrugging and using shadow puppets to explain his guess as to why they cared about dreary Oak Town.

"Seriously? I don't think they're here for the trees. Sho," Vera said skeptically, holding his hands in innocence as Sho leveled him an annoyed, silent look, "Hey, I'm just saying. These trees are always here. Besides, this place looked way better in the summer; they should've come then if they wanted to admire nature."

Oak Town had been brimming with animals and beautiful trees in the summer. Flowers were growing throughout the hillside in cracks and crevices the old stone buildings had forgotten, and the river was teaming with fish and deer. If any time of year was meant to be a tourist attraction for Oak Town's natural landscape, it was summer, which had come and gone without too much fuss.

However, Vera's astounding logic didn't appease Sho because his sassy shadow only gave a silent huff. Tilting his head and crossing his arms as if to say, 'You have a better idea?'

"I do, actually; I'm pretty sure they're here for the S class trials."

That was the only thing Vera could think of since the S-class trials were only held when Jose thought someone with S-class potential was present. The fact that he was planning one for Totamaru and maybe Sol, if he were lucky, would be enough to get people interested in Oak Town. Even though it was a usually private affair and Vera hadn't seen anything about it in Sorcerer Weekly, he thought it was still more likely than the other options.

Although, going off the disbelief etched on Siegrain's face and Sho's blank expression, even his flawless idea had some holes in it.

"Oh, come on, it's not that unbelievable..." Vera muttered, his eyes twitching as he saw Siegrain and Sho share a look that could be summed up as 'sure' before dashing ahead. The betrayal Vera felt immeasurable as his best friend and his shadow left him in the dust.

Damn traitors.

Vera would be gunning for Siegrain during practice.

Vera gasped as he landed on his back, the air rushing out of his lungs as he forced his body to roll out of the way of the incoming dagger. His breath was raspy and struggling as he messily scrambled to his feet, dirt from the riverside flinging into the air as he got his wooden training sword in front of him.

Siegrain's so fucking annoying...

Less than a second later, a threaded dagger slammed against it; the skilled hands wielded it and pushed the blade against Vera's bokken. Vera gritted his teeth as he heatedly glared at Siegrain, who met his anger with cold, uncaring eyes. Siegrain flicked a second threaded dagger into existence that shot out like a viper, clipping past Vera's guard and cutting his cheek.

I have to slow him down.

Vera used his slight strength advantage to push Siegrian's arm out of the way and throw a front kick, which Siegrain blocked just as quickly with the flat part of his other blade. Vera's attack was unsuccessful, but he still pushed them apart to get a breath of air from Siegrain's attacks.

Then drag him to my level.

Vera purposely retreated, waiting until Siegrain shot towards him to kick up the surrounding dirt like a smokescreen. Vera's eyes narrowed like a wolf as he saw Siegrain's eyes widen a fraction in surprise before they were forced close to prevent the stray flecks from hitting them. Siegrain forcefully stopped his charge and squinted through dirt-stained eyes as he gazed at the bokken falling like a sledgehammer toward his head. Siegrain's vision was blurred, but his mind was clear and focused as it always was, his parting gift from the lab.

Slightly to the left...

Siegrain shot forward and tilted his dagger so the falling blade skidded past his neck. His eyes were cold as he took the opening created by his unexpected move and slid a dagger between Vera's wrists, forcing Vera to choose between dropping the bokken or losing a hand. The decision was made instantly as Vera growled and dropped his sword before he grabbed Siegrain's arms with his free hands and threw a headbutt that Siegrain met with his own instinctively.

'Crack'

The two kids were wincing as their foreheads rang like bells, but Siegrain recovered quicker, breaking Vera's hold on his arms and throwing him over his shoulder. Vera landed heavily on his back, and his breath ran from his lungs like they had escaped a jail cell. The fight ended a second later as Siegrain got on top and held the edge of a threaded dagger point at Vera's throat. Vera breathed heavily as he looked back up to Siegrain, who was looming over him with a cold expression.

"Yield."

"Make me." Vera spit out, his eyes narrowed as he saw Siegrain grit his teeth in annoyance, his legs holding Vera's arms down as he hovered over him. Siegrain's dagger pressed ever so slightly into Vera's neck as Vera glared brazenly, refusing to back down even though he knew he was outclassed. Their friendly game of chicken halted as Totamaru called amusedly from his place, leaning on a nearby tree, "Alright, Siegrain wins. That's it for the day."

Totamaru watched as Siegrain numbly nodded and stood up, dismissing his dagger with a wave. The cold, eerie look in Siegrain's eyes faded almost instantly as he held out a hand, which Vera took immediately, the earlier look of stubborn defiance gone in an instant as Vera stood up and gave an exaggerated, almost playful groan, "Ugh, and I was so close this time..."

Vera stretched his arms, rubbing his forehead with his dirt-covered sleeves, the same dirt that covered clothes in perfect contrast with Siegrain's near-spotless outfit. Vera put an elbow on Siegrain's shoulder and turned to Totamaru with a smirk, "If you hadn't stopped us, I would have tripped Siegrain-"

"I would have seen it coming."

"Then I would have thrown him off me and stolen his dagger-"

"I would have stabbed you with it."

"Then I would have beat him to a bloody pulp."

"You would have tried," Siegrain said with a slight twitch of his lips, doing his best to fight back a smile before his attention was taken as he heard Totamaru give a dry chuckle from his place nearby, "Cute, but as," surprisingly morbid was Totamaru's first thought, "unique, as your friendly banter is I'll have to agree with Siegrain on this one."

Totamaru watched as his two students, well more like his one student and the prodigy accompanying him, turned to him. Totamaru went into teaching mode since this was what his guild master had asked him to do, and he wasn't one to disappoint, "Okay, let's start with Vera."

Totamaru pointed at Vera, "You suck."

Totamaru smirked as he watched Vera narrow his eyes and Siegrain attempt to smother a laugh. The blue-haired boy's trembling shoulders were pinched by Vera, who eventually gave up and rolled his eyes as Totamaru began his lecture. "You use the sword like a bat. There's nothing sound or solid behind your strikes; you're just going off instinct."

Vera frowned, his tone not accusing, confused, "Last time you said that doing that was one of my strengths?"

"I did, and I still mean it. The only problem is you're not covering for your weaknesses," Totamaru supplied, his words echoing as he drew his sword with a single hand and walked towards the fallen broken. Totamaru flicked the burnt wood up with his foot and sliced it in half with his sword in a show of grace and talent, "You're treating the sword like a stick. It's not, it's a weapon. It's meant to kill and meant to maim, but for you, it's supposed to protect your weak body while your shadow fights."

Totamaru then sheathed his sword and tapped his foot on the broken training sword Vera had lost. The unsaid criticism that Vera had lost his only weapon rang through the air as Totamaru spoke bluntly, "Defensively, you are the most lacking; that's the whole point of learning from me; my sword is mainly a last resort in case my enemies get too close."

Totamaru's fire magic covered him on the long and medium-range front, and his new eye magic only furthered its effectiveness. That's why Totamaru's sword style was mainly meant for defense, which he aptly named Totamaru Style Swordsmanship. Totamaru couldn't use fire at close range because it would burn him, so he developed a sword style to combat that, one that focused on blocking, dodging, and creating distance when necessary.

He figured that if he tweaked a few things, it would be enough, like making it suitable for two-handed swordsmanship since Vera couldn't generate enough power with only one. However, one look at Vera made him reconsider. The boy's frown showed he wasn't exactly enjoying the constructive criticism, "I don't want to stay back while Sho fights..."

Vera wasn't planning to run away while Sho protected him for the rest of his life. Even if what Jose told him was true, and his body couldn't match Sho, he still wanted to fight with him. Vera refused to be a little cub that Sho always had to protect, "I want to get to the point where I can fight with Sho without being a hindrance. Can't your stupid sword training do that?"

"First of all, it's not stupid," Totamaru grunted in defense of the swordsmanship that he came up with, but did mentally concede to try and find a middle ground with his stubborn newbie, "Also, even in the scenario you are describing having defensive swordsmanship is beneficial. With your logic, there's a good chance you and Sho will have to fight simultaneously, in which case whoever your opponent is will target the weaker one."

Who the 'weaker one' was didn't need to be said, and as much as Vera tried, his discomfort at the idea must have shown since Totamaru continued reaffirming his teaching methods, "It's not like I won't teach you offensive swordsmanship. It just isn't that big of a hole right now. Your violent nature is enough to cover for lacking skill in that department."

"Gee, thanks. Your praise is appreciated," Vera said sarcastically, ignoring the playful shrug from Totamaru in response. Vera hummed slightly as his mental tally returned positive since Totamaru made some pretty good points, although Vera still wanted to try and learn how to fight with Sho as soon as possible. Since learning that from Jose still wasn't an option, and Totamaru seemed to be focused solely on Vera's improvement, Vera would have to carve out some time to improve his and Sho's teamwork.

What do you think, Sho? Do you want to be my sparring buddy later?

Vera glanced at his shadow, who gave a noncommittal shrug in response. Vera took that as a 'yes' before returning to Totamaru, who now told Siegrain what he needed to work on. Which included pretty much nothing since Siegrain already had a practiced fighting style from years at the lab, and he was pretty damn good with it.

"Yeah, sorry, Siegrain, I can't help you much. You already have a good thing going, at least skill-wise," Totamaru said with a slight tilt of his head, choosing to add on as an afterthought, "Although I would suggest looking into some other magic to accommodate it since threads can only take you so far."

Totamaru chose not to comment on the frown on Siegrain's lips; he was just here to give advice. It was up to the little ones to take advantage of it, especially since he wasn't getting paid in the traditional sense.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me," Totamaru said with a small smile, letting a fireball light his left hand as he turned it to the two boys, who stiffened in response. Their reflexes were better than most as they dodged out of the way of a flame that took out a few trees. The crackling of smoke wafting through the air and probably being seen from Oak Town as Totamaru chuckled, using his new eye magic to help move the flames into the river before turning back to the two kids flaring murderous looks his way.

"Hey now, relax," Totamaru said with a slightly nervous chuckle, holding his hands up in the show as he explained, "Jose said to go hard on you guys. He'd be pissed if I didn't try to maim you guys at least once during training."

Thankfully, that entirely plausible explanation appeased his two murderous students. Totamaru took that as his sign-to-call training for the day to get some practice of his own in. If his guess was accurate, he only had a month or two before the trials; he had to get ready before then. Especially since he would be busy during the-

"Hey, samurai, why are so many people in town?" Vera asked as Totamaru turned to leave, pulling the fire mage out of his thoughts as he turned back with a slight gape. His eyes widened as he saw Siegrain nod supportively, meaning that the little gremlins didn't know about the biggest week of the year for Oak Town.

"Seriously? No one told you guys?" Totamaru asked in disbelief, unable to hide his shock as the two mages shook their heads. Totamaru momentarily forgot his previous ideas as he got a slight, admittedly childish grin and pointed back to town, "Since the guild master of Phantom Lord has always been able to use Shade Magic, Oak Town is known as a 'ghost' town to the rest of Fiore. That's why we take advantage of that and throw the biggest festival of the year during the last week of October."

Totamaru got a grin as he saw the two kids, as scarred as they were, light up with interest and excitement. His eyes matched as he let orange fire move in his palm and used his eye magic to mold it into a cackling pumpkin blazing in the air, "Halloween is coming to Oak Town."

In a week, Oak Town would become a town of haunted celebrations.

Jose needed to get new locks on his doors.

"Why are you two here?" Jose asked with a slight scowl, his disdain making Siegrian look away guiltily while Vera shrugged it off. Vera slammed his hands on the desk in a show of force that everyone knew he was unable to back up, "Why didn't you tell us about Halloween!? It sounds awesome!"

A whole week of dressing up as monsters and scaring people. It ended with a day where you could go around and get free food from strangers for the small price of 'trick or treat?' That sounded like the best holiday ever; Vera was pissed he hadn't been told about it until now.

"I only have a week left to plan my costume! Plus, Sho's costume! This is bullshit!" Vera said dramatically, possibly taking more enjoyment than he should at the way Jose scowled in disappointment. Vera smirked as he saw Jose pinch his nose and shake his head with a low murmur, "Here I thought you were going to be a good student and report on how your training went..."

"Siegrain kicked my ass."

"I did," Siegrian added proudly but unhelpfully, watching as Jose seemed to contemplate every life choice he'd ever made. Jose gave them a passing glance before wallowing in defeat and taking a flyer from the stack of papers that littered his desk.

"Here, this is a flyer for the festival. Ask it for answers, not me. I'm busy." Jose said with a dismissive wave, Siegrain taking his chance to escape peacefully while Vera rolled his eyes and left the room with a parting shot, "You're just lazy."

"Training begins early tomorrow."

"And evil!" Jose heard the last words from beyond the door before the two young ones ran off to prepare for their first Halloween. Jose huffed as he shook his head and leaned back in his chair, taking a much-needed rest now that the two gremlins had interrupted his work.

"Halloween, huh..." Jose muttered, looking out towards the townside with a slight huff. His eyes lingered on the destroyed tower while the day of ghosts and goblins lingered ever closer on his mind. It was a holiday that only lasted in Oak Town because of him and his accursed Shade Magic.

"What a funny thing to celebrate."

Jose controlled enough ghosts to know the last thing they wanted was a festival.

Vera and Siegrain knew they had to get ready for the festival, so the first thing they did was throw themselves into the fire. They visited every magic shop in Oak Town, and all the clothing shops were converted to costume shops for the upcoming celebration. The first one they saw had a head start on the competition with aisles of ghost skins and costumes galore.

"Okay, what are we going to do, Sho?" Vera asked, glancing at his shadow, who only shrugged in response. Vera's disappointment was immeasurable as he scowled and began searching for a costume he could use. He would prefer one that would go with Sho's, or at least somewhat with Sho's.

Evil twins... no, that's dumb. Vulcans... no, they're annoying. Lizard men? I could do like a head lizard and one of his soldiers...

Vera hummed at the thought, shaking his head as he moved on to the next section. His attention was fully invested while Siegrain followed his path on the opposite side of the store. Siegrain's head tilted as he tried to figure out what he wanted to do for this new holiday that had fallen on his lap.

I have to dress up scary... scary? Is it my 'scary' or other people's version of it?

Siegrain considered a quiet room scary, a large crowd threatening, and a robed man terrifying. The store only had monster costumes from books or real life; he didn't consider those dangerous.

People consider monsters scary... why though? Only the B rank and above ones are dangerous.

To Siegrain, not to ordinary people. That was the disconnect he hadn't understood yet, which was why he ended up only skimming through the selection. He decided to go to the library later and ask Pause for help with ideas. Pause was always at the library, usually with Doronbo; one was bound to have ideas he could use.

Oh wait, they might be on a mission. Doronbo just turned sixteen, so-

"Do you need any help, little child?"

Siegrain flinched violently as a voice, thickly Romanian, sounded from right behind him. Siegrain acted instinctually and flicked his hand back to attack the person who had snuck up on him. Siegrain's eyes were icy until his arm was caught mid-swing in an iron grip, as effortlessly as one would see a ball tossed to them. The magic thread he planned to use stalled in the middle of creation as a single finger flicked his forehead, and the accented voice sounded again, "I would appreciate it if you stopped. I don't come to these places often, but I doubt the clerks would enjoy you destroying their store."

Siegrain gulped as he dulled his magic container, his eyes wide as he got a good look at the one who caught him. A man tallish build with muted blue hair, short and slicked back. With a trimmed mustache on his face and a Red Cross on his forehead above his left eyebrow, the man had his eyes continuously shut; his brows furrowed lightly before letting go and smiling with fanged teeth, "Sorry, I should have known not to startle such a talented wizard."

Siegrain blinked in surprise, glancing at the man's apparel—a black suit with a red tie and a long black cape behind him. Siegrain looked at the fanged teeth and couldn't feel the man's magical presence, as if it was muted, before concluding.

Vampires are real?

"I'm not a vampire, by the way. This is my costume for the festival."

He can read my-

"I can't read your mind. You're just oddly expressive." The man spoke with what looked to be a roll of his eyes from behind his closed eyelids, his covered gaze turning back as he heard another boy call over, this one with black hair and red eyes. The man stiffened as he watched the boy turn the corner with a knife, "Hey, Siegrain, I found a bunch of props. We could use these to..."

Vera stopped as he saw the vampire turn towards him, his head tilted analytically. The man seemingly looked through Vera from behind his eyelids before he muttered under his breath, "Interesting, maybe I should come to these human festivals more often..."

Vera shivered, an eerie feeling washing over before it disappeared instantaneously. Vera blinked in surprise as he shook off the strange sensation before glancing over to Siegrain, who was currently holding a blank expression that made him look as thoughtless as a doll. Vera knew that look; he did it during sparring when he wanted to guard his intentions.

This guy must be bad news...

Siegrian wouldn't do that for no reason, and even if the man didn't give off the pressure or presence of a mage, at least any powerful mage, it didn't hurt to be careful. That's why Vera acted as if nothing was wrong, calling over to Siegrain with a casual tone that was only half forced, "Hey Siegrain, who's this guy?"

Is he a salesman or something?

Vera could see it; the man's suit was legit, and his vampire costume was cool. It also gave Vera a chance to shift the topic away from the man and away from this store, "Come on, Siegrain, we can go to a different shop. We don't want to disturb the guy."

Or piss him off...

Vera smiled calmly as he pushed past the man, who only tilted his head with an amused expression. Vera grabbed Siegrain's arm and pulled him towards the exit, dropping the toy knife on his way out and turning as he waved goodbye to the stranger, who only watched through closed eyes, "Nice costume, vampire! Oh, stop by the guild hall next week if you have time! We have a cool thing going on for Halloween!"

Vera had read in the flyer that Phantom Lord hosted plays for the rest of Oak Town. Afterward, a haunted house-style path could be taken through the castle for any brave enough to do so. Vera didn't know the weird guy, but he seemed like the type to like one of those things. Plus, it was better to leave on a good note than a bad one.

Vera was proved right since he heard the man politely say he'd consider it. Vera took that as a win as he left the store with a stunned Siegrian in his grasp. The two immediately moved towards another store as they shook off the strange encounter and began preparing for the Halloween festivities.

October, 24 Year 776

The Hallows Eve festival was a festival that ran from the week before Halloween night to the early morning of November 1. It was the most significant event in Oak Town, bringing in more tourists than ever. The crowds were huge, the spooky atmosphere was tangible, and the decorations ran rampant throughout the town. In a week, the old castle town had turned into its own Transylvania, where ghoulish decorations hung about, and the walls were lined with cobwebs and jack-o lanterns.

With nothing more dramatic than the castle on top of the hill, which had become a haunted fortress that Dracula would be proud of. The windows were daunting, with insight into the cackling ghosts and shades mulling about the castle halls. The walls were lined with blood, scratches, and webs of spiders, with the ground littered with jack-o'-lanterns and various creepier creatures. The entrance was highlighted with an orange hue and was open to all visitors, the ultimate 'haunted house' of sorts for all to visit during the week they were in Oak Town.

It was a week of frights, fun, and passionate activity, with none more into it than the two newcomers who had never seen anything like it.

"This is awesome," Vera murmured excitedly as he and Siegrain jumped across the dimly lit rooftops. Their eyes alighted with excitement as they saw the streets burst to life on the first night of the week-long festival. The crowds wore various costumes and hats, danced and sang, and the moonlight enveloped the town in its natural glow.

The blue moonlight highlighted the food stands, the soothsayers, the fortune tellers, the spiritual mediums, and the most popular of the bunch, the actors who set up a haunting play in the middle of town. Right in the center of the guild hall, everyone was gathering to kick off the extravagant celebration with a show that was supposedly done by Phantom Lord wizards and a few from other guilds who came around this time of year to show off their acting skills.

"Hurry up, Siegrain, we're going to be late!" Vera called back to his friend, who was dressed unsurprisingly like a mummy. The threads of his makeshift costume trailed behind him as he tried to keep them from snatching onto every stray tile he stepped on, "Hold on! I'm almost there!"

Siegrain grunted with effort as he compacted his admittedly loose costume with some magic. His eyes narrowed in concentration as he jumped behind Vera, dressed as a spooky vampire. Vera's excuse for the boring costume was that he already had red eyes, so he had a head start. The fact that Sho had his werewolf costume stored away in his shadow made for a fantastic duo costume.

"Next time, I'll just be a statue..."

Siegrain grumbled remorsefully as they got to the end of the rooftops. The two jumped towards the crowd, pushing through the annoyed pedestrians. Their newfound clothes and identities as a stray mummy and a wandering vampire help them escape their distaste for busy spaces.

"Ow! Hey watch it!"

It also made it harder for any pedestrians that Vera stepped on to identify him as he pressed on, shoving his way through the rest of the crowd. They were clawing their way up the hill with a line of expectant and excited residents and tourists, all waiting for the show Phantom Lord would perform.

They passed a final mulling group of witches and a solid Frankenstein costume before they reached the open gate. The two immediately went to the rafters, where Totamaru, the SAMURAI, was waiting with a few lacrimal spotlights pointed towards center stage, "Vera! Siegrain! What took you so long? They're about to start!"

"Siegrain tripped on his toilet paper, sir!" Vera answered immediately with a salute at the ready, wincing as Siegrain smacked him upside the head, "It's made of threads! Not toilet paper!"

"Same thing," Vera muttered unapologetically, smirking as Siegrain punched his shoulder before the two turned back to Totamaru. Totamaru took their undivided attention with grace as he handed Vera and Siegrain a microphone and a switchboard, respectively, "Whatever, you two take these! I have to work the lights, so one of you has to be in charge of narration; the other will be in charge of special effects!"

Totamaru watched as the two boys blinked in surprise, their eyes narrowed at the devices in their hands before Vera raised his hand in question. Totamaru's patience nearing zero as he panicked, trying to get at least a decent play going so Jose didn't skin his hide for messing it up.

"What!"

"I don't know what the play's about." Vera said honestly, undisturbed by the comical way Totamaru's jaw dropped to the floor, "What do you mean you don't know what it's about!? Everyone knows what it's about! It's A Bad Dream Before the Holidays!"

"What's that?" Siegrain asked with a tilted head, watching as Totamaru looked at him wide-eyed. Totamaru gritted his teeth as he looked up at the high ceiling, hoping it would collapse on him, before shaking his head, grabbing the mic, and pushing Vera toward the spotlights, "Ok, change of plans! I'll be taking over the narration since I read the book. You two will handle the practical stuff; I'll tell you two when to do it. Now hurry up; we only have ten minutes left!"

Vera and Siegrain hurriedly set up their stations, only waiting a moment before the torch lights in the guild hall dimmed. The audience that had taken up the makeshift booths quieted down. Vera concentrated on working the lacrimal spotlight as Totamaru tapped him on the shoulder, his cue to turn on the spotlight and begin the play. The crowd went into a hushed silence when he heard a familiar French voice cut through the background noise.

"Arevoir! It is I, Jacques Skellington!" Vera turned to the stage, watching in slight disbelief and budding amusement as Sol appeared on the stage in a puff of smoke and sand. His costume was a skinny black suit with face paint that made his head look like a skull. The entire ordeal was completed with a swoosh of the curtails of his suit as he walked up the stairs made of ever-bending sand, "I am the Pumpkin King!"

Sol's introduction was followed by a flood of fake bats made of folded black paper, meaning Pause was also behind the stage working on the production. Vera flicked the lights to the dimmer, orange-tinted settings as Siegrain pressed a button randomly, and the sound of lightning struck through the audience. The flashing lights roared through the guild hall before Sho, in a stroke of genius, stretched to the wall behind Sol.

Vera grinned as he saw Sho mold himself on the wall, the audience gasping as they saw Sol's 'shadow' grow along the wall. Until it was towering over them with a set of thin, skinny arms and a crooked smile, its skeleton head in its hand in a theatrical pose as it pointed itself to the moon like an old Shakespeare.

"Twas a long time ago, longer now than it seems, in a place that perhaps you've seen in your dreams. For the story you're about to be told took place in the holiday worlds of old."

Siegrian and Vera glanced at each other with matching smiles as Totamaru began narrating the story of a lonely skeleton who wanted to capture the essence of a new holiday.

"Now you're probably wondering where holidays come from. If you haven't, I'd say it's time you began."

They watched the story unfold of a villain with a sparkle in his eyes and a penchant for perfume, a sobbing gift giver that gave more tears than gifts, a group of mischievous children led by a shifty-looking pajama-wearing teen, a dog crafted of paper, and a woman with lime green hair who could open doors to the spirits.

"This is Halloween."

Vera and Siegrain had the time of their lives.

November 1, Year 776

Jose sighed tiredly as he watched the festivities finally start to trickle down. The week of Halloween celebrations was finally coming to a close around 3 AM in November. The streets were dying, and the crowds returned to their homes or hotels.

About time...

Jose had been up for days, making sure everything went smoothly. This was the one time of year when Oak Town was its busiest. Any attacks from dark guilds would be made within the week, and since he had his shades out almost constantly for the 'haunted' effects, he had to keep an extra eye out for any possible attacks...

It looks like he finally left.

It didn't help that a surprise visitor came to Oak Town and had Jose on high alert the entire time he was there.

Now I can finally sleep. Maybe I'll let the brat off tomorrow, so I don't have to wake up early.

It was a tough decision because Jose was dead tired on one hand, and the other, he knew that the brat had eaten enough candy to hibernate till winter. That meant it would be excruciating if Jose had him train tomorrow, and that was always a treat to watch.

Hm... decisions, decisions.

Jose would have to sleep on it, preferably in his chambers, away from the desk of paperwork waiting for him. Tonight, thankfully, there was little left for him to do, barring a slight wait for Aria to report to him on anything important those eyes of his had noticed over the week.

Ah, there he is.

Jose turned behind him, watching as the air stirred and buckled, leaving his ace flying in its wake. The red costume fluttered in the wind as Aria spoke with a hint of a smile, "Hello, guild master. How did you enjoy this year's festival?"

"Same as any other year, a good excuse to milk tourists dry."

"How sad..." Aria said with a sniffle, watching Jose roll his eyes and cross his arms. Jose's 'costume,' a pair of bat wings and a stupid hat he'd thrown on to save time, fluttered in the wind as he grunted, "You can cry later. Anything you notice, especially about 'his' activities."

Jose watched Aria's smile fall, light falling from behind his blindfold as he spoke earnestly, "Nothing too important; only one thing came up that was strange."

Jose tilted his head, his eyes widened imperceptibly as Aria spoke quietly, his uncertainty present in his voice, "I'm unsure, but I think his control slipped for an instant... almost as if he was surprised."

Aria frowned, his unease reflected in Jose's expression as he reiterated what he had seen.

"I think I saw Vera and Siegrain with him when it happened."

It's funny how the scariest encounters seemed reserved for this haunted time of year.