Supra gave Elena a small shining crystal, and the birthday girl pretended to cry in pure joy and bliss. Rongie passed a small, thin tool which she thought could be useful in her everyday life, without adding too much information, and Elena hugged her. Finally, it was Sneak's turn, and she took out another shining crystal, but this one could create fires when rubbed on its side.

Morio sighed, and Ambrosia looked at the Morian who lay on the flowerbed while they sat. "It's so cool, isn't it?" Morio rubbed his eyes. Ambrosia didn't answer, and Morio continued. "The things they do to find joy. It must be amazing to live a life without worries so much that you step into danger for a little fun."

"I'm not sure that's what witches do." Ambrosia put their hand on their lips, scratching a little. "At least that's not what people believe in."

"How much do you know about witches?" Morio sat up. "You've said a lot!"

"Not too much, except the obvious." they scratched their left cheek. "Obvious..." they muttered. "Some people don't even know witches exist." Ambrosia raised a finger. "But, I have the right to believe that something about all of this is a little curious and strange. You don't see a Malikan rabbit jumping into the water, right? It's only grass that they like." Ambrosia blinked a few times.

"Maybe they're just different witches?" Morio waddled over to Ambrosia. "Like, Idalia didn't have wings, but they do."

Ambrosia raised their eyebrows. "Who's Idalia?"

"L-Long story." Morio rolled his eyes, taking a flower out of the rosy field, and putting it into his mouth. "Maybe another day." he spat the flower out, complaining about its strange taste, but no one answered his gripes.

Suddenly, the coherent, joyous and hopeful melody of the harp dimmed like the sparkling light that the witches created. Simultaneously, they all turned to the two new guests, politely beaming.

"What about you?" Elena asked, closing her sparkling eyes and putting her soft, translucent hands on her lap, before moving them up to her face. "What have you brought me as a gift?"

Morio made a strange face, scratching his head and turned to Ambrosia who shrugged, as if annoyed. "Uhh! It was a party at such short notice! We didn't know we were invited!"

"Haha!" Hexia chuckled, although the sounds she made were rather pleasant and comfortable, there was a sinister tint to everything that unfolded. "You don't come to a party without a gift..."

The witches nodded, looking at each other.

Ambrosia first pulled out one part of her Guardian Demon, putting it behind themselves and then reached into their handbag. "Here." Ambrosia took something out of the said pocket, that being a half-empty flask of pure water from Magna, and handed it over to Elena.

"What could this possibly be?" the witch in question asked.

"It's for curing wounds." Ambrosia closed one eye.

"Oh, thank you, my dear." Elena spoke, putting her hands near her heart, and all the others made a few 'grateful' noises. Then, they turned to Morio, with big expectations.

"Um!" Morio kept scratching any part near his head that desired to be scratched and looked around nervously. "I can give you my cloak!"

"No, Morio," Ambrosia whispered, blinking with one eye, constantly.

"I..." Morio gulped. "I'm sorry, sisters. I don't have anything on me. I can go back and find-"

"No, it's okay. I have an idea." Hexia raised a finger. "Our cake... the flowerbed that you're standing on, it doesn't have candles, does it?" she asked, and all the other witches nodded, even agreeing verbally.

"I don't have candles on me either. Do you put those small things on cakes?" Morio squinted his eyes.

The candles used on Lignorian birthday cakes were a little different than the typical wick and wax trapped in triangular glass.

A few witches laughed and Ambrosia stood up as if alerted.

"You don't need to find any candles." Elena laughed, her smile growing and growing. "You're good enough on your own."

***

Anna sniffed, pushing her hands around the rocks, digging further into the small corridor that kept opening up. She swore she felt a faint, metallic smell, combined with something she had felt only once beforehand, something that reminded her of the past, as well as struck fear into her heart. That combination of oozes, obviously resembling blood and the other, a faint, flowery tint didn't colour anything positive.

She used her Rhapsody Rope, opening up boulders that seemed too conveniently placed in her path and destroying formations that, frankly, didn't make sense. The corridor opened up, and the smell lingered, with a quiet sound coming from the distance.

Anna made haste, before crouching and feeling an object in the darkness. A very dim light shone, creating a white, beautiful aura that gasped for air and life, before facing Anna.

The woman's eyes shrunk, and she clenched her jaw, seeing as there laid a witch before her, desperately clinging to life, with massive wounds all across her exposed stomach and on her face. But, before she could do anything, that light disappeared in an instant, and her pinkish blood splattered all over Anna's clothes.

The woman immediately stood up, gulped and turned. "Shit!" she yelled out.

***

On the rather humid and warm morning, Eryk had to navigate through Magna without the usual help of his trusted companion. Although he took his time last night, by yelling his name out of the balcony like a princess in a witchtale looking for her loved one, Lamon didn't appear the next day, and every guard that Eryk spoke to had no clue what happened to him either.

With a bit of an attitude, the Nuil left the castle on his own, holding onto a wooden crutch, which slowed him down immensely. He yelled out for people to help him, but they either ignored him or pretended not to hear his desperate pleas. All in all, he quickly gave up, and vowed not to be a weakling, eventually getting the hang of walking on his own.

He stopped by the fountain, sitting down for exactly thirty minutes, before he continued towards the boats, pushing through the line of seven people and ordering the person behind the oaring to speed up as he had places to be.

Finally, he made it to Homieo, and into one of the seven inns, meeting the Luffios in the lobby.

"Things should get pretty in the next few days!" Eryk sounded, with a large smile, now handling the crutch like a professional, even outspeeding the couple a few times through the long halls. "Unfortunately, it will take a while to get you accommodated, you know how Magna works in Gorro." he bit his lip, and Pagonia giggled. "So we're transporting you to a different inn for the week. A few people were selling their abodes in Magna, since, I'm not one to do that, and they said there were a few options in Homieo and one apartment above the main street in Handulia."

Eryk made the turn, struggling to walk up the stairs while the Luffios waited at the bottom.

"Ooh, Handulia?" Ingenius scratched the back of his head. "We wouldn't like that one. We prefer the peace of Homieo."

"Especially somewhere by the rivers!" Pagonia raised a finger.

Eryk signalled for them to wait for a few seconds, as he took deep breaths, waiting on one stair. "Homieo costs a pretty penny. Sure, you'll get the house or apartment itself for free, but that doesn't mean you won't be paying the taxes. They went up a little after everything that happened last year."

"That's fine." Ingenius nodded. "We have the money."

"Mhm. Okay, come on, follow me." Eryk signalled, and the three made it upstairs, walking through another long hall.

The Nuil finally stopped at the end, taking a few seconds to catch his breath, and then pointed to the room on his left. "There it is. As I mentioned, you don't need to spend a single penny!" Eryk scratched his hands, and the two used a key to open the wooden entrance, turning the orange doorknob. They peeked inside, spotting two big, comfortable beds, a big window, a desk, and a small kitchen. "Phew."

"Two beds only," Pagonia muttered.

"There's only the two of you." Eryk blinked.

"Well, y-yes, but what if Jeffy suddenly came back? Would he have a place to sleep in for the night?" Ingenius asked.

Eryk sighed, scratching his palm. "If he does come back in the time you don't have your own house, then we'll bring another bed in." he nodded. "I mean, they will. I won't. Too busy." he put his hands together, grinning. "You know how hard it is being Nuil. Actually, you don't."

Ingenius seemed a little jarred by Eryk's choice of words.

"...and we don't need to ask if our house will have enough shucklenutting rooms for our son, right?" Pagonia asked, walking in, dragging a big bag on the ground. "He's always welcome."

"O-Obviously," Eryk answered. Ingenius gave him a nice smile, before following his wife inside. The door closed itself behind them, and the Nuil immediately leaned against the wall with a thud. He slid down to the floor and breathed in and out, closing both eyes from time to time.

He put his hand over his eyes for a few seconds, before sighing. "Damn it," he muttered, pushing his palm into his forehead. "I hate when things aren't easy." he finally stood up. "They don't have to know."

***

"There." Elena reached her hand towards Morio's hair, pulling a strand and coating it in a weird sticky substance. Morio furrowed his eyebrows but didn't say anything.

"Huh!" Hexia uttered, with a large smile. "We don't even need to create a wick!" she pulled on the one strand of Ambrosia's hair that stood still. "It's like you were made for this all along."

"No one..." Ambrosia uttered, struggling to speak with their slowed and stubborn mouth. "Is made... to be..."

"Burned?" Supra jumped in. "Sorry, spoiled the excitement!" Rongie and Sneak giggled, putting their hands over their mouths while Elena and Hexia stood close, their sharp teeth making sinister grins.

"Damn it...!" Morio yelled out, although his words were slumped and slow. "Let us... go!" he tried yelling, but his voice wasn't enough. "You... fairies!" he uttered.

The fairies, which up until now only foolishly pretended to be witches looked at each other again, before joining in a big laugh. "Oh, honey, my dear Morian. You don't come to a party without a present, and that's what you offered! Yourself! Your fate was sealed the second you longed for this prize!"

"No!" Morio yelled, his fists clenched on his side, barely moving, the lower part of his body, turning a thick white. The same thing happened to Ambrosia, but the candle wax seemed to absorb their body much more slowly.

Their legs were completely frozen, their torso, unresponsive, and their arms and head, barely moving.

Time was running out.

"In all honesty," Elena whispered, her voice turning from a dangerous softness to a stinging whisper. "Did you believe in any of this, even for a second?" she asked, rubbing the part of the crystal, and lighting a fire atop. She took a few steps towards Ambrosia and smiled right in their face.

"I never believed you." Ambrosia struggled.

"And you were so right to do so, but humans... they're foolish. They'll eat whatever's on their plate and they won't think it's poison. I mean, seriously, doesn't this sound ridiculous? Why would a witch ever come to the caves to celebrate a birthday?" she asked the other sisters, who laughed maniacally. "You have to be REALLY dumb to believe that."

Morio rolled his eyes.

"...and now this." Elena put her hand on the standing strand of hair on Ambrosia's hand. "Will be a beautiful gift." her grin grew wider and wider, and the other fairies chanted something in the back. At first, it was a song, which swiftly turned into strange sentences resembling a summoning. In the middle of the four, stood a shape, which Morio tried eyeing, yet, was unsuccessful.

Elena moved the crystal towards Ambrosia's hair, lighting it on fire, and quickly jumped towards Morio.

"You can't... do this," Ambrosia uttered, the smile gone from their face, as they ground their teeth.

"Oh yes, my dear Tributal, I can. Why won't you let me celebrate, huh?!" she raised her voice, before lighting Morio's hair on fire. "It's my birthday, after all."

Ambrosia didn't say anything, their mouth was now completely frozen, matching Morio's.

"Oh?" Supra made a noise.

"Oh?" Rongie and Sneak sounded, before finding themselves on the edge of the island, eyeing something that stood below. Hexia leaned in, folding her arms.

"Hmm..?" Elena smiled, turning to the side. "Oh, I just can't believe it!" she put her hands together. "We have yet another guest, eager to celebrate!"

Anna-Pom stood below, furrowing her eyebrows with the Rhapsody Rope in her hands.

"Sisters, why won't you lift her up? We've been waiting for you for so, so long!"

"Fucking fairies," Anna uttered, putting her rope in both hands. "...and I thought nothing would surprise me today." she took a stance. "Come on, then. Take a bite!" Anna uttered.