"First of all, what made you lit your flames for the first time?" Caelum blinked a few times as he sat on the sofa opposite of Daemon. He tilted his head, eyebrows furrowed. It was a good question. One he didn't know exactly how to answer.

He remembered feeling desperation and despair, along with anger and the next, Death and Judgement appeared in front of him. A moment later, he felt a surge of strength and before he knew it, he was already dominating over those people. Right, a shield. There was a shield. He wondered if he had put it up himself or if it was the two being since he has no recollection of doing so. 'Was.. Was that my flames?'

But it couldn't have been... Could it? Giotto's flames were different. Giotto's was actual flames, not a shield or anything.

He tried to make sense of it but the more he contemplated, the more confused he was. He must had taken too long trying to figure it out that Daemon could tell he was having trouble with it. So, the man changed his question. "Alright then, tell me what do you think flames are."

Caelum paused for a moment. Not what he knows, but what he think it is. Okay. ".. A mirror of someone's soul." Daemon hummed.

"I see." The ginger wasn't right, nor was he wrong as well. It's true that flames represent someone's personality in a way, but it doesn't always match. One could end up being a Storm even though they have a personality of a Rain. And it was an interesting choice of word. Soul. That was the first time Daemon had heard of it. None of the researchers had related flames to someone's soul before.

'... Perhaps he will figure out the flames more than any of us combine.' Daemon was exhilarated for what the man would achieve. "Now, try lighting it."

Caelum stared blankly at him. "... How?"

"However you did it in the first place." Daemon, for a good measure, tapped the side of his head. "Do it instinctively instead of thinking. Close your eyes and try."

Caelum nodded slowly and closed his eyes. He tried to clear his mind and focused on his feelings, focus on his awareness, focus on himself. He curled both his hands slowly into fist as he drowned out his surroundings, trying to pull out the flames. When he thought he had a grip on it, he tried to force it out, scowling.

He.. He couldn't.

He opened his eyes and narrowed his eyes at his hands in confusion. He tried again, trying to approach it in the same matter as Daemon told him to, but he couldn't.

"Why..?"

"Well I'm not surprised. Trying to lighting it up for the second time and maintaining it is always harder than the first since the will isn't as strong." Daemon would be lying if he say he wasn't slightly disappointed, but he had expected it. It wasn't an easy task to light it up in the first place, what more second? Well, unless they were a natural, that is. "Or," He folded his arms and leaned back onto the back rest. "perhaps you should study first. Understand more about the flames first, and then we will continue."

He stood up just as someone knocked on the door to the study room. Elena peeked in and smiled at the both of them. "Good morning!"

Caelum greeted back softly, still wondering about what Daemon had said as the Mist head over to his lover and pecked her on her forehead. "Everything written in this room is about the flames and the recent researches. Read all of it first. Don't worry. It's mostly in English." And the ginger was left alone in the room.

Caelum stared blankly at the door with his mouth slightly agape. He mechanically turned to the shelves to see scrolls and books all stacked up neatly on it. His mouth snapped shut as he scanned it. His shoulder sagged as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, knowledge comes first rather than action."

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Asari blinked and looked around the dining room, chewing on his breakfast. He swallowed and tilted his head. "Where's Caelum de gozaru?" Lambo shrugged, slumped on his chair as he yawned. "Who knows." He muttered while G grunted. "Maybe he ran away."

Asari frowned at G's hostility. He understood where the man was coming at and he wasn't going to condemn him. That would be hypocrite of him but Caelum, Asari felt like he was different. Not because of his flames, but perhaps his presence, his eyes. Maybe. Asari wasn't so sure. The ginger wasn't like any of their subordinates or recruits.

Asari might be wrong, however. "I should go find him. It's not good to skip breakfast de gozaru." He said his prayers and set his cutlery down, since he had already finished his meal.

He headed down the hallway to Caelum's room, but the man wasn't there. He tilted his head and headed to Alaude's instead. From yesterday's interaction, Caelum and Alaude clearly knew each other. He wasn't there as well, neither was Alaude. The skylark was probably in a more secluded area of the mansion, as he usually did. Asari sighed. Alaude wasn't around during breakfast as well. Neither was Knuckle, Giotto, Daemon and Elena.

Knuckle and Giotto had went downtown to Talbot's shop, something about their mission while Daemon and Elena were having their date. At least he knew the four of them were going to have breakfast. He had hoped that the skylark would take care of himself more.

That was probably a useless prayer since it was Alaude he was talking about. That man was a monster in a lot of aspects. Even health.

The Japanese shook his head and walked around the mansion, seeing if he could find Caelum. It was when he was near the other end of the mansion did he felt a foreign flame in the air, faint. No, not foreign. Caelum's. He followed the flames and ended up in front of study room.

Asari hummed in curiosity as he knocked on the door. There was no answer, but he could tell that the other was inside, so he twisted the knob and pushed open the door. Stood by the shelves was one Caelum, holding onto a book as he read, clearly deep in concentration.

Those were the researches about Flames. 'He must be studying.'

Asari was almost remorseful to break him out of it. Almost. "Hello." Caelum jumped and almost dropped the book. He blinked rapidly at the Japanese. "O-oh. Hi."

Asari smiled at him as he walked nearer, leaning over to see which book Caelum was reading. 'Oh. The history of civilization.' "Studying about Flames?"

Caelum returned the smile, albeit sheepishly as he nodded. "Yes. Daemon told me to. For.. Controlling my flames.." He trailed off. Asari was amused, noting how the other was holding the book with careful hands, gentle, as though he was scared to accidentally ruin it.

"Hm~ That's good de gozaru, but you shouldn't skip a meal." Caelum looked puzzled. "It hasn't start, has it?" He asked, to which Asari raised and eyebrow. "It has." How long had he being like this, standing here and read?

"Oh. I.. I didn't realize." Asari wasn't exactly impressed. He was worried. (Although, he wasn't going to deny that he was a bit amused at his reaction.)

"You should take care of yourself more, Caelum. It's not good to neglect your health de gozaru." Caelum laughed sheepishly, closing the book and placed it on the study table a few step away. "Yes. I'm sorry. I'll go eat now." Asari's lips tugged up slightly. "Good. Let's go."

As they walked to the dining room, Asari could actually feel Caelum's minuscule fidgets. "Is something wrong?" Caelum tensed up a second before relaxing. "Uh well, do you mind if I ask something?"

"No, I don't. Please, go ahead." Caelum nodded sharply, eyes shining slightly. "Where did you come from, Mister Asari?"

"Asari is find de gozaru," The man chirped. "I came from Japan." Those metallic blue eyes shone brighter in curiosity. "Japan." He sound a bit breathless, excited even. Asari was immediately reminded of those children that ran and played around in the streets. "It's oceans away, isn't it? Did it took a long time to arrive here?"

Asari chuckled, more than happy to answer the other. "Yes. It took about two months to arrive here." "Wow." Caelum kept on asking questions about Japan, the culture and everything as they walked. He didn't ask anything personal, which had Asari grateful yet intrigued.

In fact, Asari was delighted, as he heatedly explained about the Japanese culture, specifically their music. Caelum soaked in everything like a sponge as he listened. "Ah, that's right. Since you'll be staying here from now on, you'll need to learn Italian. How about I teach you both Italian and Japanese?"

Caelum's eyes widen. "I don't want to trouble you!" Asari shook his head. "No, it is no trouble at all! In fact, I'd love to teach you." Caelum hesitated for a moment before he let the grin he had been holding back took over. "Then, please teach me!"

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G had to say, that Caelum guy was a really good actor. For seven days straight, the ginger did nothing other than coping up in the study, with Alaude or Asari, or with Daemon for whatever reasons. Something about his flames, apparently. He had seen him with Knuckle and Giotto once or twice as well. The ginger, he was as distant as the rest of their subordinates to all of them guardians, minus Alaude, of course, and yet, he was.. There.

To G, those who lived under the same roof as they did, but weren't the guardians, had a very faint presence. Not that they weren't worth noting, just, more invisible than the rest of them, not one dared to get any closer to them than their relationship of bosses and subordinates. Caelum was just like them, but he wasn't as invisible as they were. He was, for the lack of better word, tangible in a metaphoric form.

However, G wasn't going to start trusting him just yet even though he did nothing so far. Not even when five out of seven of them guardians trusted him. (Or maybe they just believed that he could easily be dealt with if he was to do some shit.) After all, one must gain another's trust to betray them. So, in current conclusion, (because, no. It was still too early.) all G could say was that he was a really good actor.

Whilst keeping an eye on the ginger the whole week whenever he could, G had multi-tasked between looking through the legal and 'illegal' paperworks and making sure that none of the guardians did shit, including Giotto. They were having this sort of honeymoon period from any missions or work since there was a new member. Someone who all of them had a gut feeling that wouldn't be like any of their subordinates. To know the man more and get along, as Giotto had said. Which was sort of useless since it was the ginger himself that didn't approach them.

"G, a penny for your thought?" The said red haired man blinked out of his train of thoughts and squinted at the smiling blonde. He shook his head and returned his gaze to the report he was holding, casually leaning against the selves beside Giotto's table. "Nothing." He slowly raised his eyebrows as he read the report. The more he tried to process those words, the more confused he was.

He flipped to the front page and frowned at the name before flipping back to the page he had stopped reading and reread. A few seconds later, he gave up on trying to make any sense out of it and closed the report. He then promptly dropped the report in front of Giotto, the one who wrote it.

"What is this?"

Giotto hummed, not even bothering to even cast a brief glance at it as he continued reading another set of report. "A report about Talbot's mission, G."

"No shit, genius, but what's with the grammar? Also it isn't complete."

He finally looked up and placed down the papers. He leaned back, hands intertwined on top of his abdomen. "It is complete."

"Well why didn't you state what happened to the findings? What it is, and was it what Talbot wanted-" G paused and narrowed his eyes at the blonde, who wasn't fased by how G was sizing him up. He was probably desensitized by that look even though it would've sent someone else running or stuttering stupid excuses. (Mainly Lampo and some of their subordinates.) "Talbot gave it to you?"

Giotto smiled as though he was proud of how easily G could pick up pieces and put them together without any help. "Correction; he never belonged to Talbot."

G groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Of course it was that guy." (Giotto tutted at that but G didn't care.) "Why?" Giotto hummed again, pausing as he shifted slightly in his chair. "I don't know, but he must be important, if Talbot was the one who requested us to find him."

He tilted his head back, remembering how excited Talbot was. When he and Knuckle went to clarify about Caelum being what he wanted them to find, he was genuinely happy. He had said offhandedly to bring him along the next time he visits. "I don't think Talbot know who he is actually." He paused. "No. I think Talbot knows who he is, but has never seen him before."

G's nose scrunched up. "What does that even- You know what? I'm not even going to question. That old man is a weird and tricky one." Giotto laughed, agreeing. He glanced back at his childhood friend, amused. "So what do you think of Caelum after a week?"

"Too early. Don't ask." He shook his head at that as they both went back to their report, or they attempted to do so when they heard a loud wail from the other side of the mansion. The two jolted and exchanged a look. That sounded like Lampo. While G would suggest to just ignore it since it was a rather usual thing, but the teen was shouting for help.

They both ran out to the direction of the sound.

"Help!" Lampo wailed as the two burst into the room the teen was in. He was shaking, curling into a ball at a corner with tears running down his cheeks, pointing at the center of the room.

Their gaze shifted to what, or to be exact, who Lampo was pointing and froze.

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Caelum rubbed the back of his head, hissing at the pain as G patched him up, Giotto smoothing one traumatized Lampo. G was grumbling, begrudgingly wrapping the other's torso in bandage. "Honestly, what the hell were you doing?"

"Ah, um." Caelum said intelligently. ".. I was trying to.. bring out my flames."

"And ended up half dead on the ground bleeding?"

He laughed sheepishedly. "It's just, one of the books mentioned that stabbing yourself might force your flames out to protect yourself."

Giotto frowned at that. "You tried that? That was one of the method, yes, but that only works with Lightning. And it is actually an outdated one with less than 5 percent of success!" Caelum tried to shrug, only stopped moving when G glared at him. "You're lucky that Lampo found you or else you would be dead! Don't laugh it off!"

Caelum looked down, shoulders sagging. "I'm sorry." He turned to Lampo. "I'm sorry for scaring you as well, Lampo." The said teen huffed. "You owe me one!"

Caelum smiled, nodding. "Yes." G grumbled even more in Italian. "Why are you so stupid?" Caelum pursed his lips for a moment before he lighted up, understanding what the other said. "Oh- I admit I didn't exactly think it through."

All of them paused. "Wait you understand what he just said?" Lampo's eyes were wide as they stared at the ginger. Caelum, upon noticing that all their attention was on him, tried to make himself smaller, hunching slightly. "Yes. I've been studying Italian with Asari."

The teen narrowed his eyes at Caelum, leaning away slightly. "Then do you understand this? When Knuckle and Alaude met for the first time they had a brawl for two days straight with no winner." He said it quickly. The ginger furrowed his eyebrows, muttering each word in English once before he finally finished processing the sentence and understood. He gaped. "Wait what? Really?"

"Oh my god!" Lampo shrieked. "Just- How?!" Giotto laughed while G groaned at the lost. He no longer could insult the ginger in front of him. A real shame, but that wouldn't stop him from calling out on him in his face, however. G doesn't care after all. "You sure are a fast learner, Caelum." The said man hummed. "I guess?"

"B-b-but a week! I took two years before I could even communicate fluently in Japanese!"

"That's because you're dumb." G deadpanned but all of them could tell that there was no heat in it. "Hey!" Lampo said indignantly. G ignored him as he finished wrapping the bandage and patted harshly on the spot of the wound deliberately. "Next time, don't do stupid things, got it?"

Caelum winced at that, a hand protectively placed over the spot. "Yep. Got it. Thank you." G grunted and left. When he passed by Giotto, he muttered lowly into his ears. "I still don't like him."

He didn't need to turn to see Giotto shaking his head at him exasperatedly, he could feel it, but he didn't care. It was true that he still doesn't trust Caelum, but Caelum was an idiot. Idiot enough to inflict injuries on himself for the sake of- what? Trying to find his flames? Just so he could control it? (Daemon had told all of them with something akin to glee. Why was he that excited, no one knows, and no one wanted to find out.)

G felt that Caelum was the similar kind of idiot to Giotto and their red-haired friend. No, he wasn't going to trust him yet, but there was progress regarding that. G smiled to himself as he walked back to their office.

He was actually looking forward to it.

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"Oi." Caelum jumped and whirled around, clutching the book to his chest and back to the shelves, breathing heavily. He sighed in relief when he realized it was only G, shoulders relaxing. "You scared me." G raised an eyebrow, amused nonetheless, and scoffed slightly. "You're just too lost in your own brain to hear me. 'Scuse me."

"Oh! Sorry." The ginger moved away and G started looking through the scrolls and books, each one labeled. He paused when he couldn't find the book he was looking for and shifted his gaze to the one Caelum was holding. He squinted his eyes at that. "How many books have you gone through already?"

Caelum looked up at the taller man and blinked. "Uhm.. Including this, 59 books and 80 scrolls?" G's eyes widen. "Including the multiple books on History of Civilization and the War?"

"Yes."

"... Just how fast do you read?" Caelum laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly as he shrugged. G pursed his lips. "Nevermind. Let me see that for a second." He took the book from the ginger who handed it over and started flipping through it.

"... What did you work as before?" He asked, not because he was curious or anything. No, he was just checking his background. Yep. Caelum, unfased and hummed as he plucked out another book from the shelves. "I helped out in my father's shop. He was a blacksmith."

G paused in his reading at the past tense. "Was..?" Caelum winced, smiling wryly, eyes dimming. "Yes. Was. He-...." He took a deep breath and continued before G could even stopped him. "He was murdered, along with the rest of my family. My two younger sisters and I were the only survivor."

"... I'm sorry about that."

"Oh there's no need to be." His metallic blue eyes met red eyes. "There was nothing anyone could do about it." G scowled and closed the book. With one free hand, he grabbed the collar of the ginger's shirt and pulled him close, snarling. "I know that you're an idiot, but I don't know you were this stupid. What 'there's nothing anyone could do about it'? Bullshit! Death is an option!"

"It isn't!" Caelum yelled, cutting him off. "It isn't an option. It wasn't. They were fated to die there! There was nothing I could do about it because Fate decided that their time ends there!" Pain and sorrow and anger, all present in his eyes as ghost tears welled up at the edge of it.

"Then that means you didn't fight hard enough!" Something flashed in Caelum's eyes and he pushed G away, ripping his hand off his collar. "How do a mere human fight Fate?!"

"Stop using Fate as an excuse for your sorry ass!" G's voice boomed, resonating and vibrating, harshly and loudly. "What kind of fairy tale mind do you have?! Fate?! I say that's all because you didn't want to admit that you are weak!"

"Shut up! You know nothing!"

"Yeah, I don't! I don't know anything, but that doesn't mean that you can use that kind of crap for your short-coming! What kind of twisted pride is that?! Where is your honor?! Where is your honor towards your family?! Stop shaming your late family members!"

Words were stuck in Caelum's throat as droplet of water flowed down his cheeks. "Saying that they die because of Fate is just as saying that they didn't fought hard for their lives!"

Caelum choked as he slid down onto the ground. He dropped the book he was holding and buried his face in his hands, sobbing. He hated how G was right, hated how G could saw through him so easily. For his own sanity, for his own sake, he had dismissed how they had fought for their lives and their loved ones. He was so weak. Compare to all of them, anyone at all, he was so weak.

He should've fought harder.

He should have denied Fate.

He should have been stronger, for their sake.

He should be stronger, to never let it happen again.

I'm sorry.

G scoffed at the pitiful sight and was about to leave when he saw the flames. His eyes widen at the flames that somehow surrounded the ginger, Misty Sky, protecting yet not. He pulled his lips thin. 'So that was why he couldn't light up his flames. He was suppressing them unconsciously because he was in denial.'

Sighing, G crouched down and patted him on his head. "Grow stronger, fight for them, fight for yourself, fight for us." Caelum sniffled and nodded, scrubbing his face. G twitched at that and bonked his head hard, eliciting a yelp. "Go wash your face!"

Caelum rubbed his head, tears stopped from the pain and nodded. He unsteadily pushed himself up and wobbled out of the room, heading to the bathroom. G stood up and sighed again. 'Well, at least he's pure enough.' He shook his head and continued reading.

Alaude stared up the sky, watching the clouds rolls by as he sat on the roof, a hand over a knee. He had heard their conversation, could feel the steadily calmer flames from Caelum. He closed his eyes.

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"Hey." Caelum blinked and turned to see Alaude coming towards him, his hand around his mug filled with tea. He smiled at the beige-haired man, eyes returning to his tea, watching the steam disperse as Alaude took a seat opposite of him, arms propped on the table.

"Why are you still awake?" Alaude asked, indifferent as he observed, the last bit of tension on Caelum's face disappeared. "I could ask the same to you, honestly." The ginger chuckled. When Alaude gave him a pointed look, he shook his head slightly. "I can't sleep." He looked off distantly. "I've been... Thinking. Lucien."

Alaude stayed silent, leaving the air empty for the younger man to continue. He knew that Caelum had looked up to his brother silently even if he doesn't say, knowing the soft, fond look he gave to Lucien, the genuine happiness as they bantered and teased each other. If watching his family killed tore him apart, not knowing what had Lucien said during his dying breath must be killing him.

"You know, when I was younger, when no one would play with me or Uncle wasn't around, he would take me on many adventures. Well," Caelum laughed a little to himself. "If you count pissing the baker off as an adventure." He remembered running from the angry baker, Lucien tugging and pulling at his hand so that they could outrun the man, laughing loudly and obnoxiously. They were scolded, of course, but it was fun.

"When things got boring, he would make it interesting, sometimes scary. I loved playing with him even though we didn't always have the chance. When I was sad, he was always the first to realize if Uncle hadn't. He would try his best to cheer me up, and he always did at the end of the day, reducing me into nothing but a laughing mess.

"He... He was the closest person I could open up to after Uncle. And now.." He closed his eyes, lowering his head. "... You know, I wondered what he was thinking of when he died. I wondered if he was happy with his life, if he had any regrets."

His voice cracked slightly.

"I hoped- wished­- he didn't have any. I wished none of them have any. Leaving a life with regrets sounds... Sad." He pursed his lips and sigh. "Well, I shouldn't mope, should I? I don't think he would want to see that- any of them actually." He smiled wryly. "I just miss all of them a lot."

Alaude said nothing. He didn't need to, since he knew the ginger himself had the answer. He nodded instead and Caelum grinned.

"Hey Alaude? Thank you."

"... Anytime."

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Daemon had a surprise the moment he stepped into his study, where Caelum had been for the past two weeks, studying. A pleasant surprise. He folded his arms as he smirked from the doorway, flames danced playfully on Caelum's fingertips, orange-indigo. He had almost thought that the younger man would take more than a month, but apparently not.

Caelum turned to him, unfased by his sudden appearance even though he was in a sort of trance while watching his flames. Daemon noticed that his metallic blue eyes were glinting, that he seemed to have gotten pass a mountain inside him.

His lips tugged up an inch more, baring his teeth.

"Well, then. Shall we get to the next step?" The glint in his eyes glowed brighter.

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A/N= Almost two months. Ugh. Kill me. This chapter is actually written with the idea of wanting Caelum to slowly get to know the others. But this happened. Oh well, at least I got him to interact with them. (My brain is slowly dying rn egah.)

Fun Fact= 'Knowledge comes first rather than action' is what Caelum's uncle had said before.

I really don't know what else to add here HAHA- *Slapped*

I'm gonna hit a major timeskip to maybe two years later in the next chapter? I'm still not sure two or three years. A certain redhead might show himself~~ :3c

Soo--- This chapter concludes as the first arc then. I think.

If there's anything that you guys don't understand feel free to ask!! Updates will still be slow though!! [I'm legit not editing this chapter arrghh]

Edit: I knew I had forgotten something. 
Fact= Currently, Caelum's 21. Knuckle's 24, Daemon and Alaude are 23, Giotto and G are 22, Asari's 21 and Lampo's 19.

[I apologize for any grammar, spelling, etc. etc. mistakes]