Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters.


-The Enchanter of Fairy Tail-

Chapter 73: Heartfelia Troubles

Year: X760. 24 years till Canon begins.

Cade POV:

The new year had came down upon us in a flash. We seemed to speed through the months of October, November and December. They are some of the busiest months of the year after all. My birthday was in October, and the S-Class trials were in December. Not to mention the Harvest Festival.

I found myself quite occupied and busy during these months. I had great fun on my birthday, with me and Lilly going to eat at the restaurant that we went to before I confessed to her in the park. It was a rather wonderful evening. I hadn't received anything that spectacular during then, but I wasn't disappointed.

As for the S-Class trials? Well I took part in them, trying to defeat and stop the wizards that had been selected, but much to their disappointment, we S-Class wizards were too much for them to handle. Perhaps next year they would have better luck.

I had also managed to make progress with Malvel's spell book. One new page had been deciphered, and it was a spell that was called Rays of Fury. This was a spell that let me summon several beams of magic downwards towards my opponent from the sky above them. This move was quite powerful, as if it was able to hit my opponent successfully, it could knock them off balance. The beams were also fast and strong, with them being at a difficult position for the opponent to see. It was a good way to attack them from behind when they were focused ahead on me.

As for everyone else in my life? Well, Lilly, Gildarts and Cornelia had been not that busy over these last few months. Gildarts was busy with the stuff going on at Fairy Tail, so Cornelia didn't get much time to spend with him. Cornelia always liked it more when Gildarts could spend more time with her, but Gildarts always made it up to her when he could. Meanwhile I had also made sure to make some time for Lilly whenever I could.

But mother had been quite busy these last few months. She had been busy getting into contact with Lyra Heartfelia. Apparently, some big event was happening soon, that mother is quite interested in. She never told me what it was though, why she want to keep it as a surprise?

This brings me to where I am today; mother had called me to the lounge in the mansion. But what had surprised me the most is that she had asked me to bring Lilly! What did she want?

I had asked Lilly to come up with me to the manor, and she was more than happy to accept and see what my mother wanted. She too was curious about this. As we walked up, Lilly did occasionally speculate what it was that mother wanted from us both – many of these ideas she had made me blush in embarrassment, with Lilly laughing afterwards. Still, I didn't think how off we would both be from guessing what it was that she wanted.

As we entered the manor, we both headed straight to the lounge to see mother. As we entered, I saw that she was reading over a slip of paper in her hands.

"Well that's us here." I greeted mother as she raised her head to look at us both.

"Ah, Cade, Lilly. Good to see you both." Mother smiled as she lowered the paper. "I have an important announcement to tell you." She began, as she placed the slip of paper on a table next to her. "You remember Lyra Heartfelia, don't you?"

"Oh! She's the nice lady that came over here a few years back, right?" Lilly piped up upon remembering her. I nodded alongside her.

"Yes that's right." Mother confirmed. "Well, it will be her daughter's 11th birthday tomorrow. She has given me an invite to come, but she has also given you one Cade. And I might have asked her if you could bring Lilly along as well."

"Really?" I was a bit surprised to hear this. "So, what's her daughter's name?"

"Layla." Mother answered with a smile. A cute name don't you think? It's going to be a huge party that includes a big feast of food and a ball for everyone to dance in!"

Lilly gasped with excitement, while I was taken aback. There was going to be that much for a single birthday party?

"We're going!" Lilly cried with enthusiasm.

"What?" I blurted out with shock. "I mean, yeah, sure, but there was no hesitation there."

Lilly turned to look at me with a raised eyebrow. "You're telling me you don't want the free food and dance?"

I scratched my chin in defeat, giving a small smile. "Ok, I'd have to be a madman to refuse that..."

"That's wonderful!" Mother said with a big smile. "You'll both love it I'm sure! They'll have everything that you would want from a party!"

"I know!" Lilly beamed. "That why I can't wait! What time is it at?"

"Tomorrow at 4:00 PM. The party will last until 10:00pm, with the dance just before that." Mother answered. "We'll have plenty of time tomorrow to get ready."

"Alright then!" Lilly broke away from beside me and headed towards the exit of the lounge. "I'm going to work on my dance moves!" She proclaimed as she ran out of the manor.

"Wait how do you-? Oh she's already gone…" I muttered as Lilly exited the manor. "Heh, I don't know how you can work on your dance moves alone, but I'm sure she can find a way."

"I bet Lilly will practice with Cornelia." Mother then gave me a sly grin. "Maybe you could practise with Gildarts?"

"Oh, absolutely not."


The next day came as quick as I felt it would. My morning went as normal as it usually would, with me more or less waiting for the eventual ride on the train to the Heartfelia Mansion.

I did do a bit of research from some people at the guild, and found that the Heartfelia's have been a vast and wealthy family that have always been high up in Fiore. They apparently have lots of land that they owned for several years now. Currently the family were going through a rather rich period with lots of flourishing within the small companies they own. Many newspapers and celebrities are saying that the family are entering a golden age. Some go as far to say that Layla is looking to heavily invest into it all when she inherits the family.

I did read some more on the family and saw just how rich they really were. With a net worth well over 50 million jewels, the Heartfelia's have been labelled as one of the richest families and organisations in all of Fiore.

With how rich they were, I was expecting a very high-quality birthday party. My expectations had been raised quite a bit. I think Lilly's had been as well due to how excited she was.

As the time grew closer to 4:00 PM, I made sure to wear some nice clothing and have lots to eat, so that I wouldn't be hungry coming up to the dinner there. Lilly had came over to the mansion to be with me leading up to when we would be taking the train to the Heartfelia residence. She, as well as mother had been wearing some rather nice and fancy clothing for the occasion.

Eventually, when it cane time to head to the train station, mother told Pierce and Charles before leaving that we would be home late tonight, and that they could lock up the manor as they were finishing up with their duties. After that, we then headed down to the train station, and the three of us booked tickets to head to Heartfelia Grounds.

Yup, the Heartfelia's had an entirely separate train station just for them. I suppose that signifies what real wealth is.

It took around 30 minutes to get there on the train, and as we were pulling up to the land that the Heartfelia's owned, I got to see just how much land they owned.

All the land that they owned equaled that to the size of Magnolia itself – if not larger! There were a few trees and smooth stone pathways that led into various different parts of the grounds. I could a few small buildings here and there. For the most part, the land was all smooth and grassy plains. I may have been slightly more wealthy than the other people in Magnolia, but I could never understand how empty land was worth so much.

As the train was coming to a stop, I could just make out a gigantic mansion in the far distance. As I squinted my eyes more, I could see many well dressed guests making their way across the pathway that the train was just stopping at. 'Those must be the rest of the guests. There are so many!'

Eventually, the train came to a stop at the station that led out into Heartfelia Grounds. The three of us exited the train and we began the walk towards the enormous mansion in the far distance.

'I can't believe that the Heartfelia's own this much land! It just goes on for miles and miles.' I thought as my eyes scanned the vast grassy fields.

'I guess all the houses belong to the people who tend to the fields here. Not to mention the servants of the mansion.' I reckoned as I turned my gaze back to the huge mansion that we were approaching.

As were getting closer to the mansion, I could get a better look at how well designed and constructed it was: It was a gigantic and massive building that completely dwarfed our home. The main building that we were walking towards seemed to connect to other large buildings to the left and right. There were many rectangular windows, with lots of them having balconies for people to step out on. There were also a few well-crafted towers with pointed tile roofs. The roofs of the mansion were also well tiled.

I was blown away at the detail that was to be seen on the mansion, I turned and saw that Lilly was also at awe with the size of the mansion. What were all these extra rooms for?

As we got closer to the grand doors that led into the mansion, I saw that the path we were on went onto form a crossroad with a fountain in the center. Flanking the roads, I saw were well-kept bushes, and similarly well-kept hedges. Many of the guests that were ahead of us were moving forwards into the huge mansion. Me, mother and Lilly headed across the final stretches of the path and came to the huge open doors for us to walk in.

The three of us walked in through the doors ready for the party!

But then we were stopped by a hand that blocked us from going any further in.

"Invitations please." Came the voice that the hand belonged to.

Standing to our right was a man who was clearly making sure that the right people were getting into the party. He wore a butler suit and had some shades on. My mother was about to answer the man, but a familiar voice cut her off.

"Oh, June!" There you are!" Came a voice from inside the mansion.

Out walked Lyra Heartfelia. She was wearing a pretty pink and fluffy dress, with her hair in a bun. She seemed happy to see us here at the mansion.

"It's ok. I know these people quite well. They can come in." Lyra nodded to the man.

The man gave a small smile as he then turned to us. "Well then please allow me to take your coats." He offered.

The three of us kindly obliged, and removed our coats, handing them to the man. As we finished this, Lyra turned to face us.

"Ah, it's good to see you here June. Now come in, come in! There's so much to see and do!" Lyra smiled as she led us all into the mansion.

We had entered into a massive and majestic hall that all the guests were gathered in. It was huge, with the wall going up several meters. The walls were decorated with lovely wallpaper that looked quite expensive. There were also several chandeliers that were hanging from the ceiling, all lit up. There were no windows in the huge room, this clearly being in the center of the mansion. Across the wide room, I saw many tables of food that many guests were helping themselves into. There were countless options available for us all to have.

"Wow, this looks great!" I said with amazement at the huge party. "It must be great for Layla to have so many people here for her."

Lyra smiled at me. "Thank you Cade. I've heard that you've been doing well for yourself. I'm glad that you were able to make it here, as was your girlfriend. I'm sure that Layla would be happy to meet you both. Unfortunately though, she is managing with trying to see everyone else here, so it might be a bit tricky to see her."

"Well if I see her, I'll be sure to say hello." I nodded, interested to see what the 11-year-old Layla would be like.

Lyra then turned to Lilly. "And it's been a long while since I've seen you Lilly. June told me that Cade had a lovely girlfriend in his life. I could hardly believe that it was the little girl I met when I came over to your place years ago." She gave a giggle after saying that.

"Thanks for inviting us here! I'm so excited for the dance and all the food that there is!" Lilly said with gusto, looking she was close to running off to explore the party.

"I hope to see you all then. We have plenty dresses for the girls to choose from." Lyra spoke. "I felt it would be awkward if everyone wore big fancy dresses for the whole party, especially when they were eating. I felt it would be best for everyone if they got changed when there was only an hour before the dance."

I turned to mother. "So that's why you didn't want us coming in big fancy suits and dresses. Thanks for reminding me today." I thanked her, happy that I wasn't spending the evening with a tight suit on.

"Anyway." Lyra cleared her throat. "I have summoned some of Layla's Celestial Spirits to help with the party here. I may no longer be contacted to them, but Layla does not yet have the strength to summon as many Zodiac Spirits as she wishes. Aquarius is helping out, along with Cancer and Leo is… somewhere." Lyra cringed a little as she mentioned the last Spirit.

"Now then! I have to be getting away! Enjoy yourselves here!" Lyra smiled kindly, as she began to move away.

"Do you mind if I come with you Lyra? I have lots to tell you about!" Mother offered as she moved next to Lyra. "Quite a lot for us to catch up on, wouldn't you say?"

"Oh, that'd be wonderful! There is lots I have to tell you as well. Come along June, some more of my friends are here, so they'll be excited to meet you!" Lyra said with happiness as she and mother moved away into the huge crowds of people to catch up.

'Heh, there they go. Hope they have a good time.' I thought with amusement as they moved off. As they left, I was reminded of a humorous memory.

"Say Lilly. Did you hear what Lyra said just then?" I turned to Lilly with a smug look. "She said that Aquarius is around here. Maybe you can ask her 20 questions like you did before."

Lilly gave me a hard glare, a little embarrassed. "S-Shut up! I was just an excited kid back then. I'd never act like that now... Um, anyway! Are you excited for the dance?" Lilly asked me, breaking away from the previous topic.

Now I was the one to falter with my response. "Oh… W-Well I… never normally dance… so I guess it'd be a good experience…" I muttered as I looked away.

"I can't wait! Make sure you don't forget me out there!" Lilly requested with a smile, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey! I'd never forget about you!" I defended with a huff. "If this dance is happening, then you better not forget about me! Me and you are dancing!"

Lilly was a bit surprised by my eagerness there. She blushed a little. "O-Oh! Well… I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do Cade…" She smiled with a giggle afterwards. I felt like I had made a big decision just there. I could almost hear a gong go off in my head to signify it.

*dong!*

Wait, was there an actual gong going off?

"Attention everyone!" Came a loud voice that was addressing the entire room. All the talks and whispers in the room went silent to listen to what was going on. "I am happy to announce that the buffet is now available for guests! Make sure you eat responsibly due to the dance later in the evening. This is a reminder that VIP guests are entitled to the mega buffet." I saw that a well-dressed man had addressed everyone from a distance.

After he finished saying that, many of the guests sped off towards the buffet and the mega buffet to eat all the food that was there. Me and Lilly were left puzzled.

"Mega buffet?" Lilly questioned to herself. "Wait, are we VIPs or not?"

"Excuse me sir." I heard a male voice from behind me. I turned and saw a butler walking towards me. "You are Cadewell Philipe correct?" He asked.

"Hm? Yes I am." I confirmed as I saw the man reach into his pocket.

"Ah, excellent. Please take one of these VIP badges." The man handed me a small square badge that was coloured gold, with a black outline.

"Oh! Is this just for the buffet?" I asked with intrigue.

"Well, we have been told to hand them out to the people that Lyra personally invited here. In your case, you and your mother are to receive one." The man turned to Lilly. "I'm sorry young lady, but I'm afraid I have only so many badges." He apologised as he moved away from us.

Lilly looked defeated by that there. "What?! I don't get to eat at the mega buffet…!?" She collapsed on her knees in sadness.

'Man... it's a shame Lilly doesn't get a badge. She said that she didn't get that much to eat on the way here. I bet she was waiting to eat away at all the food here.' I thought with shame at her position. Sighing, I did what I felt was best at the moment.

"Here." I bent down to hand Lilly my VIP badge.

Lilly looked shocked to see me offer it to her. "What? You're giving me your badge? But don't you want it?" Lilly said with confusion as she looked up at me.

"Eh, if the only real thing that's being offered is the buffet, then don't really care. I was just planning on going with the regular one." I shrugged as I answered.

Lilly's eyes went wide with shock. "Really? You'll let me have it?"

"Sure. Like I said I don't care-"

I was immediately cut off by Lilly taking the badge from my hand and leaping to her feet. "Thank you Cade!" She gave me a big kiss on the cheek as she ran off towards the buffet.

I smiled as she ran off. 'Heh, hope she doesn't eat too much. Else she'll be vomiting during the dance.'

'Thought it is strange… Didn't Lyra also ask for Lilly when she sent us the invite? Wouldn't that make her an invite as well?'

'Hm… Strange.' I thought for a moment, before I shrugged the thought off and moved through the crowd.


No POV, Lilly Evans:

Lilly had practically skipped to the mega buffet that was packed full of different sorts of rich food. With excellent smell coming off of them and the fact that they looked delicious in of itself, it was clear at an observation that this food would be some of the best that she had tasted before.

Making her way over to the table, Lilly grabbed a plate and filled it with many different foods that she could find. She even filled her plate with some that she had never had before! She wanted to experiment, to see if she would the foods here.

Oddly enough, she didn't need to show her VIP badge to anyone as she came over here. Well if anything, that meant that Cade could come over here as well!

As Lilly was putting some food on her plate, she heard a voice from her right.

"Well, what do we have here? I didn't think a beautiful girl like you would be alone at a party like this." Came the smooth voice of a young man.

Lilly turned in confusion and saw who said that to her. "Listen, I... oh."

He was a young man of average height and had orange hair. The hair in question was long, and kept in many more, comparatively larger spikes jutting in every direction, with a pair framing his face. He had teal eyes and wore some light sunglasses. He wore an elegant dark suit, with the jacket left unbuttoned and the loose trousers held up by a light-coloured belt, over a lighter shirt with a zebra-striped tie around the neck, plus dark shoes.

The man gave her a wink. "So. What are you doing out here? Catching a break from the crowded areas? Or was someone appealing for you?"

Lilly was taken aback by this man's sudden attitude. "I'm just getting some food over here." She said before she turned back and took some food for her plate.

The man only snapped his fingers as he grabbed Lilly's attention again. "I'd be more than happy to help you with that. I love all the foods here. After that, maybe we could find a nice quiet spot and eat together." The man suggested as he offered his hand to Lilly.

Lilly was a bit nervous about the sudden advancements of the man before her. "Oh I'm flattered…" she replied with awkwardness, trying to edge away from this line of conversation.

"Now come on, from what I've seen at this party, you're the most radiant women here." The man complimented as he held out his hand again.

"I'm sorry… but I already have a boyfriend…" Lilly said with an honest chuckle.

The man suddenly lost all his cool as he nearly collapsed on his feet. "You do?!"

Lilly was even more confused now, showing a hesitant smile. "Is that rare for you?"

The man regained his footing and readjusted his jacket. "Well most of the girls I talk to are normally single. I don't often find many girls saying that they already have their special someone." He explained. He then gave a smile to Lilly. "Aren't I more impressive than him?"

Lilly smirked as she held her free hand on her hip. "Not even close."

The man faltered again. "Argh, really?"

Lilly reached into her pocket and pulled out a photo she always kept that had her and Cade standing together. She showed the photos to the orange haired man.

The man looked at the photo and raised an eyebrow. "I don't know… doesn't seem all that impressive to me." He said with skepticism. Lilly only huffed at his casual disregard of her boyfriend.

"My boyfriend is an S-Class wizard I'll have you know. He's easily more powerful than you." Lilly said with pride as she put away the photo.

The man chuckled. "Well they get younger everyday. I remember when you apparently had to be at least over 20 years old to become S-Class."

"Hmm? What?"

"Oh, it's nothing." The man smiled as he waved away what he said earlier. "Well I'll be going now." Lilly saw that the man noticed a nice young lady with a red dress drinking some wine. The man smiled as he moved over to her.

Lilly rolled her eyes as she left. 'Can't believe I got hit on by a playboy of all people.'

'I wonder what Cade would have done if he heard him flirting with me like that.' Lilly giggled as she thought of several different scenarios through her head – none turning out well for the ginger haired man.

'Well I've got enough food here.' Lilly thought as she looked at her plate. 'Time to find a table somewhere.'

"OOF!"

What happened?' Lilly quickly turned and saw that the man who had flirted with her earlier just got kicked by the lady in red. It seemed like she had kicked him where it hurt the most – the family jewels. 'Yikes...'

The man was hunched over and was quietly hissing to himself. "Think I… bit off more than I could chew there with her… I gotta head back and recover for a while…" He muttered as he disappeared into golden particles, causing Lilly to blink twice.


No POV, ?:

A few hours had passed and all the guests had arrived at the mansion by now. It was now turning sunset, and the sun was shining its last light for the day. But unfortunately, rather sinister forces were at work.

On the hills that were not too far away from the mansion, a rather short, middle-aged man was plotting, rubbing his hands together. He was almost completely bald, with only thin rounds of hair that were around the bottom of his scalp. He had black eyes and no more distinctive facial features. He wore some basic clothing; with boots, a long-sleeved shirt that was a big ragged, with some worn out trousers. All were mostly coloured brown. He was a simple man with a simple goal - also he had a habit of repeating the first word he said.

He gave a mutter as he looked down the hill towards the Heartfelia mansion. "Gah… this is taking too long! Why can't it be nightfall already?!" He cried with annoyance as he saw how long it was taking for the sun to set.

"Trust me. It'd be better if you took your time here. We can't exactly gamble this."

"She's right. We have nothing to lose by waiting an hour more or so."

From behind the short-tempered man, walked two more people.

The first was a decently heighted woman that had black eyes like the man. She also had long dark brown hair, that was curly and came over her shoulders. She wore a black tank top, and was wearing a red scarf just above that which covered her neck and came down over her back. Over her tank top, she wore a red jacket. Underneath that, she wore some red tights and some black boots.

The second person was a taller man that had black eyes like the other man. He had light red hair, that was somewhat scraggily. He wore a short-sleeved purple shirt and wore a silver jacket which he had loose at the back. He also wore some grey trousers and some brown boots. He was grinning to himself, as he approached the smaller man.

The short man muttered to himself as they came behind him. "Yes I know we'd be best to wait, but this tension is killing me here! I just want this to be over and done with! Then we'll be richer than we could ever hope to be!" He said as he rubbed his hands together gleefully.

"That is IF this plan of your works Vicini." The woman said as she looked away. "These other plans of yours these last few years have all ended up fai-"

"Don't finish that sentence!" Vicini snapped at her. "What did we agree on? They all came close to being successful plans. I kept telling you two, if you both hadn't been ill that week, then the Justice Minister would have relinquished his power and status to me. I nearly had it all! I was so close… He was at his breaking point, I swear! But then some irksome guild wizard found me and rescued him… Gah if only he hadn't been there."

"You mean if WE had been there." The taller man stated crossing his arms. "We'd have all been richer if you had us to help you."

"Enough Maximilian. It's all in the past now. I guess what matters now is that we have the chance here." The women remarked as she also looked down at the mansion. "So many rich playboys and playgirls... all in the one building."

"Correct you are Lynne, correct you are!" Vicini said with a smirk. "I've been able to get a guest list from some outside help. So many rich and influential people down there. Come tomorrow they'll have signed away all of their money and status due to my special Contract Magic."

Vicini chuckled menacingly as he pulled out a lacrima from his pocket. He then activated it and spoke in it. "Tell me, have you completed the preparations yet?"

"We have." Came the voice from the lacrima. "All the high ranking and personally invited people have been given badges so that we can recognise them."

"Good, good!" Vicini grinned. "What about any Zodiac Spirits? Has Layla or Lyra summoned any of them?"

"They have. However, if we make sure to kidnap Lyra first and knock her out, then the spirits will be sent back to the Celestial Spirit World."

"I see, I see." Vicini said satisfied at the answer. "Have you found an opportune moment to strike yet?"

"There will be a huge speech before the guests will be getting changed for the dance. That should be a good moment to strike."

"Excellent, excellent! Make sure you and the others bring all the guests out here where we arranged. Also, if you can find anything else in the mansion that is valuable or precious then I wouldn't say no to that!" Vicini cackled with excitement as he deactivated the lacrima.

"So we just need to be ready for the speech? I'm guessing that'll be in an hour or so." Maximilian said as he grinned. "Well, I'm looking forward to see if there's anyone that'll put up a fight in there. Preferably not though, its a huge loss for us if we get beat up."

"As long as you get everyone out, then I'm fine with whatever else you do. Just get the guests safely out!" Vicini demanded to the two of them.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Maximilian said rolling his eyes at how frantic his boss would be sometimes.

Vicini turned his attention back to the mansion below him.

"Soon… It'll be soon now. I'll be rich beyond my wildest dreams!"


Cade POV:

I had really enjoyed myself at the party so far!

The food was very nice, I had eaten quite a bit at the buffet, but not enough to where I would be barely moving around afterwards. Night had fallen, so the dance would be soon. I had seemed to have lost Lilly while moving around the room which was a bit strange. As long as she showed up for the incoming dance, I would be happy. Mother and Lyra had also talked to me for a bit whenever I saw them.

Currently I was against a wall in the large hall and was staring at all the guests that were moving around the room.

I was thinking to myself casually, when I heard a voice from just below me.

"Hey, Mister!"

I looked down and saw a young girl with soft brown eyes and blonde hair that was tied up in a bun; a pink ribbon holding it together. She wore a nice blue dress, with some bits of white across the dress here and there. She wore some nice pink shoes with her dress.

'This girl…? Could she be who I think she is?' I thought with intrigue. She certainly has her face.'

"Hey there kid. What's your name?" I asked with some small idea as to who she is.

The girl gave a shocked face. "What?! How can you not know who I am? I'm Layla!" She announced as she spun around, showing off her dress.

'So this IS Layla Heartfelia. The birthday girl herself.' I smiled when hearing that from her.

She definitely inherited her mothers looks and appearance. I bet she would look just like Lyra in a few years.

"Ah, sorry. Was just making sure I got the right person." I chuckled sheepishly. "So have you enjoyed your birthday so far?"

"Yes I have!" Layla cheered with a nod. "I've made lots of new friends, and I got to meet lots of my mother's business partners as well!"

'I guess that is something that she would need to learn at a young age.' I reckoned as I thought that through.

"So who are you Mister?" Layla asked as she looked back up at me. I grinned as I answered.

"My names Cadewell, but you can call me Cade. I'm from a wizard's guild."

Layla looked excited to hear that. "Whoa, a wizard's guild? I've never met a wizard from a guild before! Is it fun?"

"You bet it is!" I smiled. "You get to make lots of new friends and go on fun adventures. Though they are often dangerous." I said with caution towards the end.

"Have you met any Celestial Spirits before? I love the Celestial Spirits!" Layla spoke with happiness.

"Oh, I've met a few. Some tried to beat me up on my first job as a matter of fact... Erm, I've met Aquarius before on more pleasant circumstances, though it was years ago. I think I met one while moving around here. And there have been… many more interesting encounters that I've had." I chuckled as I thought back on all the memories – some more pleasant than others.

"It must have been fun meeting them all. I always like spending time with them now that I have my mother's Gate Keys. I don't have them on me right now, she has them so she can summon all the spirits for the party." Layla explained to me. "Though I'll get them back at the end of the night!"

"Hey Layla? Do you know when the dance is starting?" I asked with a bit of nerves flowing through me.

"Oh the dance? It's starting after the speech. I think that's just coming up." Layla answered as she looked forward.

I looked forwards and saw that many of the guests had moved aside somewhat and had quieted down to allow Lyra to come forwards and give the speech.

The room was now suddenly silent as Lyra opened her mouth to speak.

"Thank you everyone for coming tonight. Tonight, it is my daughter Layla's 11th birthday!"

Many cheers and applause could be heard as Lyra said that. She looked ahead and saw Layla standing next to me. Lyra gave me a smile as many of the guests looked back and saw Layla smiling. She in question, was giving huge waves to as many people as she could see as fast as she could.

When the cheers and applause died down, Lyra opened her mouth to speak again. "Now then Layla. Would you do the honours of coming forward and cutting the birthday cake we have here?"

Lyra stepped to the side and revealed a huge birthday cake that was very thick and tall. It was a pink colour and had some white spendings across the top of it. I also counted 11 candles lit up on the cake.

Layla beamed as she moved forwards to cut the cake open. It felt like the rest of the night would be a good time to remember. But I felt something that made me spring to attention and my eyes wide with alert.

I focused my magic, and sensed something that scared me immensely. Instincts kicked in and I leapt forwards to tackle Layla to the ground.

"EVERYONE GET DOWN!" I shouted as loud as I could.

And then the walls behind me exploded.


One more chapter done and dusted, feel free to leave a review of your thoughts if you wish to do so!

I have been looking forward to writing this small mini arc for a while now. Ever since it's been in my head, I've been eager to get it done, and now here we are! What was once a calm and peaceful party, has now erupted into a huge fight that will be a dangerous one for any non-wizards to be involved in. We shall have to wait and see how Cade will handle this.

Oh, and I also went back and edited some previous chapters! Chapter 1 to Chapter 6 have all been edited and hopefully fixed up. It irked me how many embarrassing mistakes I made, but I fixed many, and improved upon some of the fight scenes that Cobalt was in! I actually feel rather pleased by what I did, mainly with the fight scenes. I recommend you check them out, but you don't have to if you don't want to. I plan on editing more chapters in addition, so stay tuned!

Now then, take care, all of you and I will see you in the next chapter! I hope you enjoyed this one!