The Helsteas and my family held a small party, which resulted in Vincent drinking a bit too much and getting wasted.
Zeke had comeback during the party, and now was chilling in my shadow.
Tessia, meanwhile, had slipped away with Mother to 'get some fresh air' as they put it.
"If you keep getting drunk every time I come home, I'm just going to stay at school." Lilia whines at her fathers intoxicated state.
"Nooo, you're being a meaniepoo~" He weakly replies.
"Meaniepoo? What are you, five?" I mutter.
'Well he is drunk.'
'Being drunk doesn't make one a child you know.'
'Apparently it does for him.'
'Guess so.'
"Your Father might actually cry if you stop visiting. He's already half regretting sending you to Xyrus Academy." Tabitha said as she and Arthur set Vincent down on the couch.
Steam comes out of Lilia's ears as she turns bright red, "Do you know how embarrassed I was while he told all of those stories?"
"In front of the student council president no less!" She said as she smashed his face with the pillow he was resting on.
Before she looked up, "Where did she go anyways?"
"She went out with Mom to 'get some fresh air' " I reply.
"Oh, I see." She replies.
Meanwhile Father comes to us with a sleeping, and drooling, Ellie in his arms.
"Are you going to take her up to her room?" Arthur asks.
"I think the big brother should do it." He said, placing Ellie on Arthurs arms.
"That reminds me, which one of us was born before?" I pointed towards me and Arthur.
"It was Art, by a few minutes." He replied.
"Aw man, and here I thought I was the older one." I whine.
"We're twins Fayden, it doesn't matter who was born first." Arthur said.
"Fair enough." I move towards him, placing an arm over his shoulder.
Before entering first phase and Void stepping into her room.
Leaving Dad stupefied, with his jaw hung open.
"Right, so my son can apparently teleport now." He mutters.
Setting Ellie down on the bed, Arthur was about to cover her with the blanket when she stirred.
"Oh, you're awake?" Arthur spoke.
"What time is it?" Ellie asked as she rubbed her eyes.
"It's still night," I reply for Arthur.
"When are you two leaving?" She asks.
"Tomorrow morning." Arthur replied.
"Why can't you stay any longer." She pleads.
"Sorry Ellie, we can't. We'll be back for a week after the trip though, so we can spend time together then...er most of it since I promised to meet up with Kathyln after the trip." I said.
"So you're going on a date?"
I feel my face heat up slightly as blood tries to rush there, "Not really but I guess you could say that."
"Hehe, you're both dating princesses." She giggles, succeeding in making both of us blush.
Before I pinch her nose, "Oi, you're eight. You aren't even supposed to be knowing about such things."
"My school taught me about such things." She breathed out.
She looked sad for a moment.
Its to be expected, we didn't really spend much time with her.
I glance at Arthur, who glances back, and send a silent message.
"Say Ellie, why don't we tell you our stories from Xyrus Academy?" I spoke.
"Really? But don't you have to get up like super early tomorrow?" She brightens up.
"Sleep can come later, now what do you want to know?"
"I want to know how big brother Art became a professor."
"Ah, so what happened was, I tried an experimental spell mid battle and it failed, resulting in me getting injured. Then Arthur lost his cool and pummeled the professor, replacing him in the process." I relay the shortened version to her.
"You make it sound like I wanted the position."
"You didn't?" Ellie spoke.
"I only accepted till I got access to the part of the library restricted to only a few professors."
"Hey you never told me about anything like that!" I protest.
Arthur halts, likely remembering the fact he forgot to mention it, before scratching his cheek sheepishly, "Oops?"
"You'll have to show it to me after our trip." I demand.
"Yeah, I will." He replied.
"So, are you a good teacher?" Ellie asked.
"Of course!"
"No."
Arthur ignored me and kept going, "Some students from other classes also come to watch."
"Really? I wouldn't." Ellie responded.
"Right?"
"What is it, pick on Arthur day?"
""Yes!"" We both reply, before snickering and hi-fiving.
"So what next?" I ask.
"Did you make any new friends?" She asked.
"Oh yeah, I met this guy, Nathan Ambers in your birthday party and we're roommates. He is crazy strong, to the extent that he almost beat me."
"He defeated you?"
"Almost, besides I was only using two elements then. Apparently he has a crush on Lilia but is too afraid to ask her out."
"What's a crush?"
"You know what dating is, yet you don't know what a crush is?" Arthur spoke.
Ellie shook her head.
"You see Ellie, a crush is something..." I begin.
________________________________________________________________________________
That night I had another dream vision.
This time instead of a battlefield it was a forest.
I saw the soldiers, the same ones who were on the side of the canine beast in my last vision.
This time on closer look I see what they looked like, each wore obsidian black armor, with red or blue runes adorning them.
Their number had decreased to a hundred. A few of the soldiers were carrying a stretcher like object, on which a figure was shown sleeping, or was he unconscious?
He had spiky jet black hair and a pale complexion.
And a wound on his chest, over his left lung, and from what I coud see it looked like something, likely a sword, pierced right through him.
Seconds later he woke up abruptly.
Now in an upright position I saw two swords sheathed in an X across his back.
One was a pure white blade, with black marking its grooves and its handle.
The other was the reverse with a pitch black blade and white grooves and handle.
The very same swords I now held.
So that's shroud's true form.
Without warning he turns towards me, revealing his glowing crimson eyes, and even though it was a vision I was certain he was looking straight at me, not at all concerned, or bothered by his wound.
"Brace yourself."
And those two words were enough to send chills down my spine, as I woke up abrubtly.
Opening my eyes I notice that Arthur and I have fallen asleep in Ellie's room.
I set Arthur down from the wooden frame of the bed he has leaning on to the pillow on the bed where Ellie's head lay.
Patting her head one last time, I leave the room, void stepping to my own as I try to fall back asleep.
But I can't suppress the feeling that something bad is going to happen.
________________________________________________________________________________
Authors note :
So it begins.
Any guesses on who that man was?
I'll give you this, that wasn't Noctis.
And from the look of things, he lost the war against whoever he was fighting against.
Widows Crypt begins next chapter.
And I'd give it 3, maybe 4 chapters till book 3 ends.
This week, we enter darker times.
See you next time.