Wynne had never seen a fire demon before, so when the new creature emerged into Lily's exquisite mansion, she focused her attention entirely on him. He was stunning, so breathtaking that the little witch girl continued staring like the demon was an animal at the zoo. His green and purple colors glistened like starlight falling from the heavens, and she almost wondered if this was a fantastical dream.

But it was true - a real, living fire demon burned proudly across the room from her. This was a once in a lifetime experience.

Wynne beamed as she leapt forward.

"Wait." Kenta reached forward to grab his daughter, but her tiny legs were quick to evade his protective grasp. Such premature excitement was difficult to mute, especially for a young magician keen on learning all there was to know about magic. However, she was completely unaware of the potential danger that lay ahead of her.

Fire demons were creatures of improbable consequence, Kenta thought, and he believed even Calcifer would agree with him.

Nevertheless, as Wynne drew closer to the fireplace, Gwenda was agile as she clutched her shoulders with a firm grip. She halted the girl from taking another step.

Wynne groaned as she nearly tripped. "Aunt Gwenda, wha-" She paused when she faced her. So suddenly her aunt's face deepened in a paralytic trance, her frozen eyes immovable from the demon sitting properly in his extravagant fireplace. It was like watching someone fall into a hypnosis, though Wynne hadn't known of any magicians who could perform such a magical feat. And yet, her aunt was suspended in petrified fear, staring at the newest arrival.

Her grip remained firm on Wynne's tiny, bony shoulders - Aunt Gwenda would not let her move another inch closer.

This left Wynne entirely confused. Uncle Calcifer had been a fire demon once. She had been told countless stories of his life when he met Uncle Howl and how he met Aunt Gwenda years ago. They were friends for the longest time before he became human. Why would she look so scared of meeting another, especially when finding one was the plan to save her uncle from the beginning?

The demon's fiery face contorted and jolted sporadically. His chuckle was low and sent shivers down Gwenda's spine. "Hmm, I can't quite tell if you're happy to see me or terrified. Or maybe just a little bit of both, eh?"

There was a strange tone in his voice. It was modulated, controlled, like every single word was part of a formulaic plan. Yet so far in the three times Gwenda had heard this creature speak, his words spat out in a low, twisted lullaby.

The fire crackled on the molten firewood and Gwenda jolted out of her trance. Even the demon's teeth were as vibrantly purple as his eyes, and he was a strange mixture of boldness and crudity. "So I take it this isn't your first encounter with a fire demon."

Kenta cleared his throat. "Well, we've never seen one of… this color."

The demon narrowed his eyes. "Oh? And what is that supposed to mean?"

Gwenda cocked an irritated glance toward him. "It means we've never seen a green fire demon before, obviously."

His laughter bellowed lower and higher all at once. "All right, all right. Sheesh. I knew you were from Ingary, but I didn't think you'd have a stick up your ass like those Kingsbury folks."

Lily snapped her fingers at him, her head gesturing toward Wynne. "Excuse me. Language."

"Oh, of course. Can't taint the little one's mind just yet."

Lily sighed and rubbed her tired eyes, turning her attention back to their guests. "I know how some people feel about fire demons, and I completely understand if you're not entirely comfortable with him, but he and I are connected for life. We're contracted together through-"

"We know how it works." Gwenda interrupted.

The wooden logs beneath the fire cracked and some withered into ash. Wynne shuddered closer to her aunt, yet the fire demon appeared placid and collected. "Well then, isn't this a surprise? A human with a deep knowledge of fire demons and fallen stars. How did you become such an expert on creatures like me?"

Wynne shrugged. "Well, that's because-"

"Half of my family comes from magic," Gwenda stopped her, "it's only natural I learn a little about their lifestyle."

The fire demon met her gaze, eye for eye and suspicion for suspicion. Gwenda wasn't so naive as to think she could reveal such sensitive information, especially to a fire demon with whom she was barely acquainted.

In all the years she'd known Calcifer, he most often warned her about fire demons and their tricks - their cryptic word choices, one-sided deals, and self-centered exploitations of anyone simple enough to manipulate. Naturally, she didn't trust him in the slightest.

However, even with that in mind, Gwenda also wasn't about to dismiss the potential he had to assist in her original quest. If she wanted the advantage over this demon and the secrets buried deep inside his history, she needed the upper hand.

"Well, that does seem like the logical response, doesn't it?" The fire demon burst a little flame that rose into a slimy green spark. "I guess even someone as simple as you would come to that conclusion."

Gwenda dropped her jaw in anger while Lily waved a stern finger toward him. "Perseus, you invited them into our home. Now show some manners."

"Why us?" Kenta asked as his attention piqued. His arms were crossed over his broad chest and his downward eyes cast directly at the demon. "Why are we so important?"

Perseus, the fire demon with his slanted, crafty smile and oozing, green flames, spoke in a casual, lackadaisical tone. "I just have a good feeling you could be useful for us; and we might be useful for you, as well."

✧ ･ * ✧ ･ * ✧

Lily spoke of her life like it was a fantasy story - born to one of the wealthier, wizarding families in Ingary, raised in Kingsbury almost her entire life, and traveled to magical realms like they were weekend vacations. It was rather a surprise to Kenta that she was from their world, since she'd been in Wales for nearly five years now. He wasn't very familiar with Kingsbury's hierarchy, so she spoke of things that were foreign even to him. His only real experience in the grandiose capital was his apprenticeship and their final battle - and neither were memories he looked back on fondly.

Though not quite Kenta's age, Lily was still old enough to remember Suliman's reign and the stain she left in Ingary. Her own family fought in the Magicians' War, and like so many not everyone returned. Had Suliman not started the first war all those years ago, Lily most likely would have trained under her, wholeheartedly believing in her power - just like him.

Kenta leaned back on the velvet couch next to Wynne, rubbing his rich beard. "If you're from a world with magic, why even come to Wales? No offense, but a witch of your caliber should have never left home in the first place - nor should you be making deals with a fire demon, nonetheless."

Lily's eyes watered as her cross-legged body floated ever so slightly off the ground next to the glowing fireplace. She wiped her eyes with close precision, careful not to smear or smudge the subtle eyeliner around her eyes. So far, Lily had only spoken of her own life before making a deal with him, and had only revealed the demon's name as Perseus.

The green and purple fire glistened brightly next to her, his eyes playing around with their three visitors, scanning them with a certain mischievous gaze. Kenta was not so candid as to fully direct his attention away from the creature, yet the appearance of a fire demon most certainly piqued his dormant curiosity.

He'd only known a handful of people who contractually bound themselves to a fallen star, and of those he knew, Howl and Calcifer were the only pair with an honest and healthy relationship. The Witch of the Wastes connected herself to a star turned demon eons ago, and that became the source of her rage and vengeance against the land of Ingary.

Naturally, Kenta was skeptical of this demon far more than his human counterpart.

Perseus scoffed. "My, my, aren't we a little judgmental." Kenta scrunched his nose at the green fire, who merely chuckled in reply. "Demons are only as beastly as you make them out to be. And, it's as if you think we chose to come to this human world."

"I don't know," Kenta said with bitterness, "Might be why I asked the question."

Perseus was unfazed. Rather, his smile sharpened. "Hmm, judgmental and sensitive. You two must be so happy together."

Gwenda rolled her eyes in sync with her brief laughter. It wasn't the first time people had confused their relationship as romantic, but at this point, it was just humorous that anyone saw them as a lovey-dovey couple. No matter how many times she and Kenta were stuck with each other, everyone thought they were together.

As relieved as Kenta was at the fact that they weren't romantically involved - and quite thankful he'd met Lona before meeting her obnoxious sister - he still grew irritated every time Gwenda laughed at the mention, like she directed it more at him than the pairing.

Lily rubbed her temple, her cheeks reddening from embarrassment. "Perseus, they're not married."

"Hmm, well probably for the best then."

Lily ignored him and returned to Kenta's first question. "I didn't choose to come here. It was after the Magicians' War. I played my part and fought for my freedom - our freedom - but Suliman's magicians were more ruthless than I thought. Even after she died, they never stopped terrorizing people who just wanted to be free."

"I remember that, too." Kenta replied, "Howl and I scoured the entire Wastes ridding Ingary of whoever was still aligned with that evil woman. It was years before we had some actual peace."

"Howl… Howl Pendragon?" Lily gawked in surprise. She glanced quickly between Kenta and Gwenda, almost as if comatose memories had just resurfaced. "That's right. You all were at the forefront of the battle; I remember now. You brought the downfall of Madame Suliman and King Rolland. You're legends to magicians in almost every world."

Kenta shrugged with a prideful smile, while Wynne looked up to her dad like she had witnessed a whole other life of his. She knew that he had fought in a war, and had heard a couple of stories from that time, but hearing that magicians in other worlds knew of him was a wonderful revelation.

Gwenda, on the other hand, frowned. She never thought of herself as a legend, even if she was the one who forced the sword into King Rolland. If she were totally honest, she expected to die right then and there at his hands. At that point, though, she hadn't cared about the outcome. As long as she protected her family and didn't just stand there like a frightened mouse.

A legend - she didn't feel worthy of such a title.

Lily droned on about how she got mixed up with some greedy magicians and something about these magicians casting a transportation spell between worlds that led her to Wales. Gwenda sat with her chin in her palm, however, as her mind moved farther away from the conversation at hand. It wasn't that she was entirely uninterested in Lily's life - actually, it quite saddened her to hear of such trauma the witch had gone through - but Gwenda was far more captivated by the glowing, green flame in the fireplace.

She tried to mask her excitement when he first appeared - how strangely coincidental that the one witch living in Fishguard, Wales was contractually bound to a fire demon. She couldn't decide if it was a stroke of luck or a suspicious irony.

Maybe it was both.

Perseus noticed her spacy staring. "Hmm, evil magicians and magical portals too much of a bore for you, human?" Gwenda widened her eyes when he spoke, causing him to laugh heartily. The sound echoed throughout the room. "Don't look so flushed, I'm only joking. Yet, something does appear to be on your mind."

Gwenda scoffed. "What, so you read minds now?"

"No, I'm just a people person. I have good instincts." He replied, his voice low and filled with a mysterious poise. Gwenda examined him further. He wasn't like Calcifer as a fire demon - that was obvious in the stark difference in color - but even his demeanor diverged from the lovable fire demon she knew. There was something in this demon's vibrant, purple eyes that screamed a cryptic enigma, waiting to be unraveled.

"Perseus," Lily said in her sing-song voice, like a mother about to discipline her child. "Do you have to be so brazen all the time?"

"Well, we never get visitors here!" His fire gently expanded to match his thrill. "Never magical ones, anyway. It's exciting! I apologize if I'm a little entertained by the idea of having… guests."

Kenta leaned forward. "We're not staying long. Just the night."

Perseus cocked a devilishly curious gaze at him. "Oh? And why the rush?"

"If you hadn't realized, we don't belong in this world." He turned to Lily. "And you don't either. Have you ever tried returning to Ingary?"

Lily tilted her head to the side, her visage passive and skeptical. "I do have one transportation spell that's supposed to move between worlds, but it's extremely ancient and I've never been able to cast it. I haven't even been able to translate it."

She stopped floating and gracefully tapped her feet on the whimsical carpet. Wynne kept a close eye on her as she walked over to one of the bookcases, watching as she waved her fingers in an erratic motion between the books she had perused earlier. She hid behind the couch, only her eyes catching a glimpse of the pretty witch as she pulled a hefty book from one of the top shelves.

She waved her hand and whispered a few words, then the pages flipped open to a specific spell. She returned to the group. "The entire spellbook is in High Elven, so I can only make out a few words. That's why when Perseus and I sensed there were magicians from Ingary around, we knew we just had to find you."

Perseus chimed in. "I'm an expert at finding things I want."

"And what we want is to get home as well," Lily whispered. "It's been far too long since we were in the comfort of a magical land."

Kenta reached forward and took the heavy spellbook from her. He beamed at such archaic language and exceptional witchcraft, like a child receiving a long-awaited sugary treat. "Well, you're in luck. My grandmother was fluent in the language and she taught me from a young age. It's been years, though, since I studied High Elven, so I'll do my best."

"I guess it's true what they say - use it or lose it." Lily breathed a laugh. "I haven't found a single book that teaches the language. Honestly, it was a miracle I even found this spellbook in Wales."

He released a gruff sigh. "I doubt you'd find books on High Elven translation in this world." Kenta turned several pages, keeping his index finger on the transportation spell. He had never seen a text so rich in ancient wizardry, so full of vast spells beyond just the typical. From the few words and phrases he could make out, he noticed that there were different sections on source magic, all kinds of sources from his own verdant to light even to lunar.

He wondered why she would need such spells, given that she was a Seer. Dabbling with other source magic had the potential for severely dangerous consequences, and a witch of her studies should have been aware of that concern.

He tried not pondering on it for too long - they had a critical mission to complete.

Lily smiled softly. "Do take your time. It's not like I'm in a rush or anything. Personally, I wouldn't be able to leave until the school year is over, and I'd have to straighten some affairs in Fishguard before even considering-"

Kenta interrupted her. "We don't have the time to spare." He analyzed the transportation spell with stark precision, his mind wrapping around every single word and trying to decipher as many as possible from the beginning. Being so engrossed in the spell, however, left him oblivious to the discomfort stares around the room.

Lily crossed her arms. "Well, if you want to leave sooner, I understand. Just remember, I am the one who gave you the spell, so I'd like to be able to use it for myself."

"Yes, and we're grateful," Kenta said, his eyes not daring to move from the book. "But we have families to return to and they need us home… like yesterday."

Lily gaped at him. "So, what? I don't have a family to return to in Ingary?"

Kenta barely glanced his eyes up, noticing Lily standing directly in front of his seated position. "Well, it does seem like you're pretty cozy here - nice home, steady job, almost like Ingary and your family never existed at all."

Lily's eyes grew darker and her temper more infuriating. "Well, considering everything I had ever known was ripped away from me in a matter of moments, sorry I tried to find some comfort living in this magicless world." She shouted as her tiny hands formed minuscule fists at her side. "You cannot begin to imagine how agonizing it is to exist in this place every single day. And it is not for you to decide my reasons for the way I live."

Gwenda noticed the heat between them - knowing very well it was not coming from the eccentric and bold fire demon - so she stepped up. "Please don't take anything he says personally. Sometimes he doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut."

Kenta crinkled his eyebrows. "I take offense to that."

Gwenda rolled her eyes, ignoring him. "We just want to get home to our family as soon as possible. They're probably all worried sick and no one even knows we're here."

Lily bit her lip with pinching teeth, glancing back to Perseus. He merely shrugged his fiery shoulders. "Hey, you're the Seer, not me."

Gwenda, Kenta, and Wynne stared in confusion, hoping Lily would explain whatever secrecy they'd hidden away.

She breathed in deeply. "Your family actually does know that you're here. At least, I think they're your family. I witnessed the event when you all entered through the portal. Three wizards were on their way to save you, but didn't make it in time."

Gwenda's hands quivered - three wizards.

"Who were they?" Kenta asked with urgency in his tone. "What did they look like?"

Lily closed her eyes, recalling the memory much like Martha Hatter had done during her time as a Seer. "One had long, dark hair and very expensive jewelry. Another had short brown hair, pretty bulky in size. And the last had bright orange hair and dark skin."

Gwenda froze, but the name escaped her lips before she could stop herself. "Calcifer."

Perseus caught her eyes, as if they both were thinking the exact same thought. He looked at her as though he actually could read her mind, yet she hoped he didn't see all that existed inside her plethora of thinking. She couldn't be sure, though, with that sharp, prying smile indefinitely plastered to his flames.

"Calcifer, eh?" He elongated the name, holding each syllable on his fiery tongue until he absolutely had to let go. "Now that's a name I haven't heard in a very, very long time."

Gwenda twiddled her fingers and licked her lips, afraid of what the answer to her next question might be. "You… you know him?"

Perseus' fire glowed brighter, slimier, as he gestured a nonchalant shrug. "Let's just say Calcifer and I are… old friends."