Wynne Lee had an especially curious mind. Being the eldest of four - and knowing how quite lucky she was not to be the eldest of three anymore - presented her with a particular conundrum that only a child of her age would dare to conjure up. If being the eldest of three meant she was doomed if she ever sought out her fortune, what sorts of misfortune lay in her future for the eldest of four? There were no such tales for any number of siblings except for three - aside from being the youngest of identical twins, though Wynne could never remember what the downside was of that.

Nevertheless, she grew a curious mind as to whether she should ever seek out her fortune in the future, having been the eldest of three for over two years before Sora was born.

Wynne sighed a heavy breath as she stared out the window. These were the oddities that scattered around her brain as she waited for her dad to come home from work every night. She couldn't help half of the thoughts that crossed her, nor could she honestly piece together what they meant. But they made life more interesting and gave her something to think about as her brothers tormented their mother yet again.

Lona grabbed both boys by their ears as the shrilling yelps from their lips brightened Wynne's spirits ever so slightly. "I swear, if I have to chase you two down one more time, I won't need a spell from your father to punish you."

Ryo glared at Griff. Like a curse or some repetitive series of misfortune, any time he interacted with his little brother resulted in disciplinary action from mom. Griff simply smiled and jeered at him, like a jester who knew how to pull off a good scheme. How a three-year-old could outsmart an almost five-year-old was beyond Ryo's minuscule and premature mind.

A distant cry erupted from one of the bedrooms, a muffled wail from behind the closed door. Lona rubbed her temple with sore fingers, as if she should have expected another outcry of attention. "I need a babysitter."

Wynne turned around at the sound of that. "I could always help, Mom."

Lona smiled. "That's very sweet, honey, but you're still too young to take care of your siblings on your own."

"But I have magic." Wynne demonstrated her skill with a simple wind current. She spun a mini tornado around Ryo's head, twirling his curly black hair with her spell. Ryo clutched onto his frenzied curls, but Wynne's amateur power was too much for the boy.

Wynne gleamed. "See, Mom?" But as she looked up from her magical creation, her mother had already vanished. She returned from the corner bedroom holding baby Sora. She coddled her and bounced her up and down as the baby cried on a repetitive track. Wynne frowned and stopped her spell - much to Ryo's relief - and sat back down by the window, pressing her cheek down on her open palm.

She felt like she had learned so much from her dad since they started training last year. When they found out she was a verdant source like her father, she could see the light sparkle in his eyes. Even still, no one seemed impressed by the novice spells she enacted. Wynne wanted to learn more, to experience more - to be more.

And as her sixth birthday quickly approached, her mind explored all sorts of strange, magical gifts she might receive from her family to help with her skill.

Minutes passed on as her brothers' fighting dwindled and they helped Mom clean off the table from dinner. Wynne kept staring out the window, wondering why Dad was taking so long to come home from work. He hated working over the weekend to begin with, but dinner had come and gone, and now the sun was on its way out as well. Yet no sign of him. The ticking cat clock in the kitchen sounded louder and louder in her ears, as she sat waiting and wondering.

Wynne turned her gaze away from the path, like her eyes were a compass arrow and were magnetically pulling toward the north. She was now completely drawn to the mystical realm of the Wastes nearby. The dark clouds circled in the evening sky and in the far distance, a crackle of lightning sparked atop the mountain peaks. She felt her arms growing goosebumps, yet she smiled through the uncertainty. Even though she had never stepped beyond the tall wheat crops that grew along the border, she yearned for answers to the mysterious world that resided so close to her.

Then, out of thin air, it seemed like the wind had magically picked up speed and tossed the dirt path in a miniature twister. It spun quickly for a moment and just as quickly died, breaking her trance. As the dust faded, her father stood directly outside their door wiping away the excess dirt.

Wynne pushed up on the windowsill. "Dad's home!"

Ryo and Griff smiled and dropped their dishes on the countertop, racing Wynne to the door as their father opened it wide. The boys grabbed a hold of each leg and clutched on like he was a tightrope.

"Dad's back!"

"Are we going to play twister outside?"

"No, Dad's teaching me a new spell tonight. Right, Dad?"

He stuttered and faltered in speaking; there was hardly a way to get a word out with three of his four children vying for attention. Lona watched the onslaught of requests as Kenta struggled to close the door. His beard was coated in a light brown trail of dirt, as was his jacket, and his eyes bore a heavy exhaustion as they slowly darted from each child as their desires exalted higher and higher.

"All right, that's enough." Lona said in a feathery voice. "Give your father a chance to breathe, why don't you."

The boys released their grips as Kenta bent down to their level. "I saw Alby and the other boys playing that game you all like. They asked me if you both could join them. What is it… cradle ball? Toss ball?"

Ryo and Griff gawked. "Cradle Toss!" Immediately, they rushed out the door as Lona shouted for them to be home before it got too dark. However, her words were lost to the boys as they could only think about how far along their friends were into the game.

As Kenta stood up, he and Lona shared a brief kiss. She wiped the dirt from his beard as she said, "Rough day, huh?"

Kenta sighed. "I need to find a spell for those farmers, and fast. Otherwise, this season is not going to be promising for them."

"How much longer do you have?"

"A couple weeks, maybe." He said. "I may enlist Howl on this one. He hasn't spent as much time with the farmers as I have, but it's worth a shot."

Lona nodded. "Hopefully then you won't have to use the weekends anymore."

Kenta sucked in an elongated breath. This was the third weekend in a row he had been away, helping humans or other magicians with their problems. His reputation, as well as his magic source, made him well-known in areas that needed a little mystical encouragement to help the environment. While he was fairly skilled in advancing nature and adjusting the physical planes, lately their requests were asking far more than his power allowed.

Sora reached for him with tiny hands as Lona grasped her tightly so she wouldn't fall over. He tickled her smooth cheek and she giggled with pure innocence. All the exhaustion he had dealt with earlier vanished the moment he saw that pristine smile. There was nothing Kenta loved more than being home with his family.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Wynne standing nearby with her arms held behind her back. The light reflected off of her dark, black hair and fiery red eyes, and she balanced herself on the back of her heels, never parting her gaze.

Kenta had promised her a spell; he remembered their brief conversation before he left for the farmers near Upper Folding. And frankly, he wasn't sure how to deny those eager eyes.

Lona walked to return Sora to her crib as Kenta knelt down equal in height to Wynne. "This is a spell that all verdants learn, and it's one of my favorites. I'm going to teach you how to find water in thin air."

She clapped her hands and giggled with excitement. She couldn't contain her joy. Kenta held her hands gently in his, positioning her palms upward.

Kenta mimicked his hands in the same way as he twirled his fingers in the air. Wynne did the same. "It's all in the way you move your fingers. You need a graceful rhythm, like you're dancing with the air. You're feeling for something that doesn't appear to exist, but when you find it…"

Inside his palm, small droplets of water materialized and pooled together. He cupped his hand to contain the water, careful not to let any spill. Kenta matched his daughter's smile. "You're absolutely certain it does."

Wynne stared in awe. There was nothing her father couldn't do that wasn't impressive. What appeared as a simple, beginner spell was utterly alluring to her. She practiced moving her fingers the same way, though nothing came.

She huffed. "It's not working."

"It'll take time." Kenta said, making sure to keep his smile to encourage her. "I bet if you keep practicing in your room, you'll do much better."

Wynne stared at her hand, analyzed the movements of her fingers, as she took gradual steps in the direction of her bedroom. Though she did not materialize any water, she made it her goal to complete it by the end of the night. Lona returned and watched as her eldest daughter danced her fingers in the air, waiting for something that didn't quite exist to her yet.

As she closed the door to her bedroom, Kenta wasted no time in wrapping his arms around Lona and carrying her to the empty couch. Now that the room was empty, he and Lona were finally in peace.

Lona exhaled a soft gasp as she pushed her blonde hair away from her face. "You know one of them is going to barge in at any moment."

Kenta chuckled. "Oh, I'm counting on it. I guess I was hoping for at least thirty seconds alone with my gorgeous wife."

As they embraced for a passionate kiss, one that was so enamoring it was a lightning strike of affection, a light knocking on the door startled the couple. Even thirty seconds was too much to ask for with so many kids.

Lona sighed as she pushed on Kenta's chest. "Ryo? Griff? Is something wrong?"

"Um, it's not the boys this time." The door creaked open, welcoming a chilling gust of wind and an unexpected visitor. Kenta immediately jumped off of his wife when he noticed her sister standing over, observing them with the same judgmental glare she had used years ago when they were first dating.

Gwenda dropped her gaze as she curled her short hair around one ear. She clutched onto her overall suspenders, refusing to even look at Lona or Kenta. "Do you mind if I stay here tonight?"

(-)

Morning had turned into evening just as Calcifer felt like giving up on finding Howl. With a vague location and their connection severed, he was at a loss. There was only so much he could control, and he worried how sporadic his magic might be if he continued their conversation any longer.

The cold, stone path was an eerie reminder of the last time he stepped foot in the capital city. The buildings reached into the skies and bore extravagant banners of the new royal family sigil - a blue background shining a crescent moon with the full sun behind it. It seemed like a dream when this place was engulfed in flames and terror, and while Kingsbury was on the rise once more with a new line of power, Calcifer still never expected himself to return.

The city bustled with cars and trolleys and pedestrians on foot. Their glamor and flamboyance were as promiscuous as ever, and it made Calcifer gag inside. He never understood the desire of fanciful attire or things beyond necessity, yet this city was coated in wealth and prominence. It was a perfect hideout for Howl back in his youth, but he questioned why Howl was here now.

Did he honestly believe Markl would be here somehow?

Calcifer continued walking along. Howl had warned him of creatures still lurking around, yet it was an abrupt end to their conversation. He had no time to further probe him for information, so he decided to take his chances. Markl was worth the risk - as was Gwenda.

Many of the magicians after the war had either sided with Howl or disappeared into Ingary, haphazardly reappearing to cause havoc in Market Chipping or Porthaven or Upper Folding. Even still, they spent the majority of their chaos in the Wastes, where the environment was to their advantage - but Howl and Kenta were quick to put an end to their misery.

They had often asked Calcifer if he wanted to work with them, help them chase away the evil that still resided in the world. He hadn't ever truly accepted their proposal, saying he would think about it - but he never did. For some reason, destroying evil just didn't seem like his calling.

If he even had one.

The trolley bell ring jolted him awake and his muscles tensed around his neck and shoulders. Had he closed his eyes while he was walking? He couldn't remember, though the awkward stares from the people nearby was a stark reminder that he definitely stood out in a way. The waving banners were a stunning line of hypnosis and seemed to go on for miles down the street, like a repetitive sea with no end beyond the horizon. The fierce sun was burning low in the sky, nearing its nighttime ritual, and he wasn't any closer to finding Howl.

Calcifer craved the relaxation of a restful sleep, even as he took laborious steps toward the unknown. Maybe if he rested on a bench for a moment. His eyes desperately ached for a pause. Outside one of the street shops, he found his seat and immediately shut his eyes.

The background noise was loud and obnoxious, especially as bourgeoise women walked by in their clanky heels and high-pitched laughter. It was almost impossible to drown out their sound, as several of these groups popped out of nowhere and walked by him. He overheard short snippets of boring conversations about how the Duke of Who-Cares finally proposed to Lady What's-Her-Face and how swimmingly things seem to be now that Queen Felicia Fitzpatrick was in power. Some even dared mention the name of the great and powerful Madame Suliman, some even sharing slight slanders against her reign.

Calcifer snorted to his lonesome self - no one would have dared spoken that way seven years ago.

Clink, clink. More laughter. That was one thing he admired about Gwenda so much - she didn't bother with the fanciful lifestyle or spend time with people who used money as a shield. She was honest with the world and if they didn't accept her, she didn't bother spending her time there. While these women laughed with a certain graceful facade, Calcifer always smiled whenever he heard Gwenda's genuine laughter. Sometimes, if the joke was especially funny, she'd add a quick snort and immediately cover her mouth. It was beautiful to him.

He smiled at the thought, then slowly, his face dropped. He wanted to see that smile again; he wanted to hear her laughter again. It hadn't even been a full day since he last saw her, and the various thoughts that raided his mind were agonizing. He just wanted to know what to do to make everything right again - he needed to right his wrongs.

And fast.

I wish for a date with Duke Collins.

Calcifer seethed and opened his eyes wide. One wish and his nap was officially over.

And perfect timing.

Calcifer rubbed his raggedy eyes to clarify his vision. Was he seeing things? Amidst the crowded sidewalk, between dukes and duchesses and the fanciful citizens of Ingary, a young man with bright red hair conformed to their stances and movement and walked alongside them. His downcast eyes faded into the euphoria and jubilance of the crowd, but they were not unnoticed to Calcifer.

"Markl…"

"It's not him." As Calcifer jumped out of his seat to run across the street, that grieving voice stopped him. He turned to his side, only to witness a dark-haired wizard he had known all too well. As Calcifer looked through his vacant and dejected eyes, he wasn't sure if this was the same great and magnificent Wizard Howl he had come to know.

"What do you mean it's not him?" Calcifer said. He pointed toward the crowd as the image of Markl turned into a violet cloud and dispersed into the air. "I-I just saw him."

The once boisterous magician stood frozen, stern, as he kept his eyes forward. Howl held his head down in defeat. "It was a tracking spell. He was here, but he's not anymore."

After a long moment of searching and waiting and wondering, Howl finally faced Calcifer. Though he presented a warm smile, the old fire demon knew Howl's heart more than anyone - and that smile was just as phony as the fanciful people he mocked.

Howl's eyes dripped with bittersweet tears. "It's good to see you, my friend."