It was normal for Gwenda to sleep in, so he didn't mind waving a heating spell to keep the coffee warm for her. He had returned to the kitchen, but not the same as when he'd approached the door. He dropped everything on the kitchen countertop except for the strange letter, which he held tightly in his grip.

    Calcifer felt a strange urge to rip it to pieces, pretend it hadn't even shown up, and just banish it from his sight. He'd kiss Gwenda good morning, they'd go about their day, and eventually, he'd forget that it existed. He'd forget the unnamed sender who somehow knew Calcifer down to his surname - an enemy, a friend, or even a stranger whom he'd never met.

    Calcifer Maguire. He wasn't born into this world with a last name, so it only seemed fitting that he would acquire Gwenda's upon their marriage. He liked the sound of it, the way the words rolled off the tongue whenever he'd introduce himself. Like a part of him was missing, and she filled in the final piece. Sharing a name helped him feel more connected to her, like they were two separate beings now brought together to be one.

    But this letter, this heinous and torturous letter mocked him. It tarnished the very beauty of their name. It could only mean something terrible. And Calcifer wasn't prepared to discover what that was.

Who sent this? Calcifer thought. Who are you? And why?

What frightened him the most was the not knowing.

    His hands trembled as they clenched harder and harder onto the letter. His knuckles turned white as he unsuccessfully attempted to tear it apart. He wanted to believe this was simply a letter and nothing more. He wanted to believe that his grip was strong enough to lacerate it, yet the envelope was barely even wrinkled. There was only one way to open this sort of letter, and not the traditional way.

Scorch marks and a magic seal, he thought. This person was no amateur.

His curiosity ran wild as he conjured up question after question about the meaning of this. His desperation to relieve himself of this new burden heightened, and he felt beads of sweat slowly start to drip down his forehead. He swallowed hard as he rubbed his forehead, though that only spread it farther.

At the sound of a creaking door at the end of the hallway, Calcifer sucked in a quiet breath. He couldn't worry her with this. She had enough on her mind as it was; he didn't need to involve her in his own problems.

Again.

The floorboards creaked with each step and he opened the first drawer next to him. Calcifer crammed the letter underneath mini potion bottles, measuring cups, scratch paper with scribbled notes, and other miscellaneous items. If he couldn't force the letter to disappear, he could at least hide it well enough for Gwenda not to find.

"Good morning." His muscles tensed as two soft arms wrapped around his center, embracing him. She rested her head on his shoulder, her short hair brushing against his straggling strands. Her voice was lovelier than the birds singing in the morning. "How did you sleep this time?"

Calcifer relaxed his heart rate. Slow breath in, slow breath out. Then, he sported a casual smile. "Just fine. Couldn't feel better."

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Normally, it would take a couple of hours to get from Porthaven to the countryside near the Wastes, but Calcifer's magic allowed for speedy travel. A quick transportation spell and they landed directly at the front door of the Lee residence. Family was a wonderful distraction, especially with so many children now. Gwenda's sister, Lona, and her husband Kenta had four children, and they all came with their own challenges.

"Ryo, stop fighting with your brother." Lona pulled young Ryo off even younger Griff. The older boy stretched his arms toward Griff, attempting to claw his brother with his fingernails. Lona held tightly onto her son, knowing very well the extent of Ryo's premature aggression. Little Griff stood with a straight back, a single tear shedding from his eyes.

Calcifer looked over from his spot in the kitchen, and he noticed the faintest smile on Griff's face. The little boy was clever and had a knack for creating false appearances. Lona spent more time separating Griff from his older brother and disciplining Ryo than wondering who the true culprit was. Calcifer saw, but that was also because he saw a lot of himself in Griff.

When Griff saw his uncle's stare, he quickly resumed his helpless whimper and innocent gaze. Calcifer shook his head, concealing a sly grin. They were two in the same.

    "Now apologize." Lona said softly to Ryo. She hardly yelled at her kids. In fact, Calcifer couldn't remember the last time she'd spoken a harsh word to anyone. He always saw her as too pure to hurt the smallest of creatures. Even the way she disciplined her children was of a kind spirit.

    Ryo crossed his arms and huffed. "Sorry."

    Griff sniffled as he continued the act. "I forgive you."

    Lona dropped onto the couch with a heavy fall, immediately resting her eyes. Gwenda sat close by, holding her baby niece with a gentle grip. Young Sora slept soundly in her arms as if her brothers' antics couldn't wake her.

Lona raised her hands to cover her face - the face of a tired mother. "You have no idea the chaos I see on a daily basis."

Gwenda chuckled as she held Sora closer. "At least your girls don't cause as much trouble as Griff and Ryo do." Sora was the most serene, even as a baby. She hardly ever cried and surprisingly slept well throughout the night. Lona was always convinced that having children when they were young was far more complicated than when they got older. That was before she had two adolescent boys.

The oldest of their children, Wynne, sat calmly by the front window. She waved her hands with steady and precise motions, whispering simple spells with the fireflies that danced in the early sunset. Already quite a novice magician at her young age, Wynne had a curiosity that reminded Gwenda far too much of herself.

    Lona sighed a breath of relief. "I don't know what I would do without Wynne. She's such a big helper, but I can't keep up with all these moving pieces. I'm always home with them and I still feel helpless sometimes."

    "I can only imagine," Gwenda said. "Four kids under six years old is a lot to handle."

    "You'll understand when you and Calcifer have one or two of your own." Gwenda tensed, but Lona simply rested her head on the back of the couch. "Then, all of our kids will be unstoppable against us."

    Gwenda looked up to Calcifer, who was helping Kenta in the kitchen. She watched as he so eloquently tossed the skillet and sprinkled tasteful seasoning to their meal. He and Kenta shared a few words inaudible to Gwenda, but she could hear their laugh followed right after and he smiled like he was dancing in the sun. He still had the same spark in him as the day they met.

This. Everything about this was perfect. They had spent so long trying to find out what normal life was like and now - now they finally had it. It wasn't that she hadn't thought about bringing children into their lives; she most certainly had. Yet, she had never talked to Calcifer about the idea. After seven years, it seemed like they would have had that conversation already if either of them were interested. She just assumed it hadn't crossed his mind.

And truthfully, she was afraid he would say yes.

Kenta was tossing the salad when he noticed a series of yawns escape from Calcifer. At first, it seemed to be natural since the day was nearing the end, but then he noticed a rather repetition of these yawns. He watched as Calcifer stirred the contents of the sukiyaki, the green onions and mushrooms sizzling under the boiling oil. Their dinner was nearly complete, thanks to his brother-in-law's superior cooking skills. Calcifer's movements were habitual, consistent - like he was in a strange trance and didn't know how to break free. Naturally, Kenta became concerned.

"So," Kenta began. "How've you been feeling lately?"

Calcifer lowered the heat on the stove, making sure the sukiyaki wasn't overcooked.  "What do you mean?"

"You just seemed a little more... tired than usual."

Calcifer shrugged. "I feel fine." As if on cue, he covered his mouth for an oncoming yawn in a failed attempt to conceal what Kenta had already noticed. There was no point in hiding his exhaustion - he was caught.

He sighed. "I haven't had a full night's rest in over a month."

"A month?" Kenta raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You seemed fine when we visited you and Gwenda last week."

"I've been using a reverse slumber spell most days to appear more awake." Calcifer transferred the sukiyaki to the serving dish. The onions and mushrooms were a delectable accessory to the beef and noodles that were central to the traditional meal. It was one of Kenta's family recipes, so Calcifer hoped he was successful. He was a wonderful cook, but lately, he noticed his skills were not as sharp as they had been. Most things hadn't been lately.

As Calcifer busied himself with the dinner preparations, Kenta refused to ignore him. "Have you talked to Gwenda about it?"

Calcifer nodded. "When it first started, I told her. She wanted to do everything she could to help, even stay up with me until I fell asleep if that's what it took." He naturally looked over to her. Any time he spoke of Gwenda, the vision he created in his mind was nothing compared to seeing her in reality. She held their niece with the strength of an anchor and the delicacy of a rose. He couldn't help but laugh when she made obscure faces for Sora's amusement.

There was always something for her to smile about, something brighter to light her spirit. The doubts and fears she clung to for so many years had vanished over time, and eventually, she found some semblance of peace. All of those nights she awoke with terror etched into her visage slowly turned into distant recollections - and those agonizing memories she desperately wanted to lock away had finally faded.

Gwenda bore a strength that concealed years of constant suspicion and anxious thoughts, and yet she still found beauty in this world that, to her, had only ever been cruel. She prevailed, struggled for so long, and suffered at the hands of the most heinous of humankind and magician alike. Life was finally kind to her. And she was, by every meaning of the word, extraordinary.

Calcifer knew when her nightmares began again that his problems were resurfacing her pain. That was the last thing he wanted - Gwenda didn't deserve the plight that followed him. It had been so long since those mornings when they would awake in fear that it would be their last day. His lack of sleep, her nightmares, and now this strange letter - he didn't want any of it.

"What seems to be keeping you up at night?" Kenta said. Calcifer nearly waved a levitation spell for the plates and silverware, expecting them to gently place themselves along the table for dinner. However, upon his recent fear of spells going haywire or not working at all, he simply decided to set the table himself. He rounded the table with the proper tableware for each place setting - by hand. However, this did not go unnoticed by Kenta.

"Is it affecting your magic?" Kenta whispered, his tone serious and agitated. His eyes bulged as if he had cracked the code, solved the issue, yet with no true remedy for Calcifer's struggles. Kenta hadn't known many stars who were given a second chance at life, let alone a third. He knew it could only be a theory, but with the idea planted into his mind, there was no turning it off.

Calcifer knew what it was that kept him up - and he, too, questioned its effect on his magician's abilities - but to say it aloud would make it too real.

He controlled his heart rate to a normal rhythm and forced an animated smile. "It's fine. Really. I'll be back to normal soon enough."

Kenta narrowed his eyes, not quite believing the former fire demon, but recognizing his desire to end the conversation. He nodded and they continued preparing the dinner table.

After dinner had finished, the older kids immediately went outside to play with their neighbors. Lona held baby Sora in her arms, soothing her and waiting for the young child to slowly fall into a deep sleep. Kenta prepared dessert, to which Calcifer was more than happy to indulge.

"Why didn't Howl and Sophie come?" Gwenda asked as she sliced a sliver of peach pie. "I was so excited to see Morgan. He's getting so tall."

Kenta tensed his muscles. "I haven't heard from them in a while. Things haven't been the best for them lately, I presume."

"How so?"

Kenta's eyes wandered around the room as if he were searching for the proper way to explain what he knew. Or rather, how much he was willing to confide in Gwenda and Calcifer. Calcifer hated secrets, though, and Howl was one of his closest friends. If something was wrong with the Pendragon family, he deserved to know.

Calcifer leaned forward. "What kind of trouble has Howl gotten himself into this time?"

Kenta immediately looked up. "Oh, it's not Howl who's having trouble. In fact, I think he's finally calmed down from his mad adventures, what with raising a kid at home."

"Having a kid never stopped Howl from taking risks." Calcifer said. He knew all too well. The days Howl went on extravagant and dangerous missions, sometimes gone for weeks or months at a time, leaving young Markl alone with a fire demon for company. Calcifer had no experience raising children, let alone one who was beginning to learn certain magical abilities with no control over them.

Markl noticed his absence fairly quickly. And while he still glorified Howl for all that he appeared to be, Calcifer saw the boy when the great wizard Howl was off holding his various titles. Calcifer saw the pain in his eyes, the parental abandonment happening over and over again.

Kenta nodded. "Yes, and I guess that's where the trouble now lies. Markl has become somewhat... stubborn and headstrong. A little too much for his own good."

"Markl?" Gwenda said. "He's the nicest kid you'll ever meet. He never talks back or even says the slightest ill will against anyone."

"Tell that to Xarx." Kenta said. "Howl mentioned they've been arguing like crazy during every training session. The boy is getting out of hand."

Calcifer narrowed his eyes. Xarx had been his teacher ever since the Magicians' War had ended. For years, he trained Markl in the ways of the light. He taught him how to control such a fierce ability, one that very few were capable of wielding. It was a miracle Markl found someone who shared his source, or else he may not have realized his full potential.

If he had gotten there. If Markl was acting up now, something was out of order. Something else was disturbing the pattern.

The front door swung open in a heavy fury and Wynne stood shellshocked in the doorway. "Mom! Dad! You have to come outside."

Kenta immediately stood up and approached his daughter. "What is it? Are you and your brothers safe?"

"We're fine, but you have to come look." She pulled on her father's arm, ushering him outside in desperation. "The stars are falling out of the sky!"