PREVIOUSLY-
His gaze met Edward's, "I look forward to learning from you, Uncle Edward."
"But," Vincent leaned closer to the carriage, eyes searching for something, "Where are my little chipmunks?"
Two pairs of black eyes blinked in the carriage.
"Vayren!"
--x—
Vincent spread his arms wide as two small girls with white hair lunged at him.
"Delphine! Evangeline!" Vincent hugged the girls tight.
On his right was Delphine, a tiny figure with a shock of long white hair that tumbled past her waist, giving her an almost otherworldly look.
Her face was still plump with baby fat, creating soft, rounded cheeks beneath a small, delicate nose. She had the look of a child who preferred observation to noise, slightly shy as she clung to Vincent's side.
"How are you, Delphine?" Vincent glanced at her.
The little girl lifted her head, her green eyes sparkling with the joy of seeing her favourite brother. "I am fine Vayren!" she grinned.
Vincent turned to the other twin. "How are you, Evangeline?"
Evangeline barely waited for the question to finish before she bounced back from the hug. Her short, choppy white hair—a riot of wispy strands—looked permanently mussed, suggesting she'd recently been doing something adventurous.
Her face shared the same soft cheeks and striking green eyes as her twin sister, but her energy was completely different: where Delphine was quiet, Evangeline was a small dynamo. Her small hands were already reaching for the satchel at his waist.
"I'm great! Did you bring me something cool?" she demanded, her voice a little higher and louder than Delphine's, bubbling with extroverted impatience.
She didn't wait for permission, already tugging his sleeve, her eyes alight with bold curiosity.
Vincent's hands couldn't help but stretch towards the twins, fingers pinching their soft and plump cheeks.
"Vaywen." Both twins smiled in unison.
At that moment, Vincent literally suffered from a heart attack.
WHAM!
He slammed his fist hard against his chest, coughing up a few drops of blood.
"Vincent!" Amelia rushed to him, worry etched over her features.
Vincent only smiled, "Sorry for making you worry Auntie Amelia, the strawberry pie I had in the evening was stuck in my throat."
Amelia's expression softened, "Cupcake, you must always chew your food properly."
"Yeah," Edward smirked, "Don't be like your aunt who wolfs down food in her office."
Amelia stabbed his ribs with her elbow, leaning closer, "Ed?!" However, this only made the duke's smirk wider.
"What?" he whispered back, "I have told you many times to take time for your meals, yet you continue to make me worry."
"Duke Tigranclaw. Duchess Tigranclaw," A guard in white uniform, with a brown embroidery and proper armour stepped towards the couple.
The Leonhart crest- two swords crossing behind a lion head as chains wrapped under the mane and blades – reflected moonlight with golden lustre.
The smiles vanished, replaced by a straight line as the duke and duchess turned to Vincent. Vincent, understanding the request stretched a thumb,
"I will take care of them!"
As the adults turned towards the Rugard Palace, Vincent watched from afar, the twins sitting on a flowered swing in the garden.
"Vayren!" Evangeline chimed, swinging Vincent's hand as her little fingers wrapped around his pinky.
"Where is Elise?" Vincent looked down at her, his smile widening, "We are going to meet her right now."
At a distance both Raphael and Leon watched them like old men tired and bored from the world's ways.
"He really loves them more." Leon shrugged, looking at the shining moon above him.
"I don't think so," Raphael lay beside him, "I think, he just shows his love more towards them."
Leon turned his head towards him, "And what makes you say that?"
"Skyvolt and Basil." Raphael's lips stretched into a small smile.
Leon's expression brightened, "Ralph!" he sat upright, "Tell it again, how we got our familiars? How did we choose them?"
Raphael rose up, eyes taking in the moonlit palace before him,
"So, what happened was—"
FIVE YEARS AGO-
Location- Duskrane Castle, Duskrane County
Date- 26th, Month of Zephyris, 2007 A.G.
All the eyes turned to Vincent.
"He said he wanted to give them a gift too," Orianne translated with a bright smile.
"Very good, son of mine!" Henry clapped Vincent's back proudly.
"Go on, grandson!" Thomas beamed like a proud grandpa at a talent show.
Amelia crouched with a warm grin. "Little cupcake, you're already becoming such a good big brother."
Sophie leaned in dramatically, "Cinnamon roll, you're all grown up now. Auntie is so proud of you!"
Vincent gave a solemn little nod and marched forward like a wizard about to perform a great ritual.
As he neared the boys, he reached into his purple coat with theatrical flair. A deck of cards emerged, the leather glinting with a gem in its center.
Alexander squinted. "Is that… a game?"
Edward frowned. "He's giving them Uno?"
TAP!
Vincent lightly tapped the gem.
WHOOSH!
The deck flared to life, cards whooshing out and circling the room in a blur of magical energy, before assembling neatly in front of him.
"Okay, definitely not Uno," Edward whispered.
FLICK!
With a flick of his hand, the cards were divided into two swirling groups, which stopped midair in front of each baby. The backs bore the Duskrane County crest—crossed swords and hammers.
TAP! TAP!
The boys, now gleefully giggling, each smacked a card at random.
GLOW!
The cards shimmered and grew, enlarging until they were the size of slim books. All other cards zipped back into the deck, leaving just the chosen two.
"Vincent, what are those?" Sophie asked, peeking nervously.
"Are they enchanted?" Amelia added.
"Please wait, Auntie." Vincent gave a mysterious smile, hands behind his back like a magician about to say abracadabra.
Thomas nodded seriously. "Just trust the boy."
"Since when were you this supportive of magic tricks?" Alexander asked him.
"Since they didn't come with a fireball explosion," Thomas muttered, crossing his arms.
The cards glowed once more, then with a gentle POP!, two eggs emerged, floating softly in midair.
One was blue with purple spots, the other purple with black streaks.
A collective gasp filled the room.
"Are those—?" Orianne whispered.
The blue egg gently descended toward Raphaeldor. As it neared, it shimmered and changed colors—turning midnight black with glowing green spots.
The purple one drifted toward Leonatus, its shell shifting to a deep brown with mossy green stripes.
Henry pointed. "Are those… beast eggs?"
Alexander blinked rapidly. "That better not be what I think it is."
"Well…" Vincent cleared his throat and puffed his chest slightly. "The black one—" he nodded toward Raphaeldor, "is a Thunderbird."
A pin could've dropped.
"Thunderbird?" Amelia squeaked. "As in the storm-bringer? The one that flattened Skywatch Peak during nesting season?"
Vincent nodded innocently. "That's the one."
"And the other?" Sophie gulped.
"Ah, that one?" Vincent said casually, like pointing to a loaf of bread. "That's a Basilisk."
Alexander nearly choked. "What the—OW!" Sophie jabbed him in the ribs before he could finish.
"Language!" she hissed. "There are babies!"
"Don't worry," Vincent reassured, as if giving a weather update. "Now that the eggs have synced with their masters, they'll be totally obedient once they hatch."
"When will they hatch exactly?" Orianne asked, eyeing the eggs nervously.
Vincent tilted his head. "Any minute now."
Right on cue—
CRACK.
A small line formed across the Thunderbird's egg, followed by a delicate rumble — like thunder grumbling in the distance.
Everyone leaned in.
Then —
CRACK-CRACK!
A small black beak poked through, followed by a head adorned with tiny, wind-swept feathers. The baby Thunderbird emerged — its feathers a smoky grey-black, lightly streaked with silvery-blue that shimmered like rain on stone. Wisps of static buzzed playfully around its crown, and its round eyes sparked with faint green light.
It flapped its stubby wings.
ZZZT!
A bolt of electricity zapped Henry's tea cup, which exploded with a pop.
"Mother of—!" Henry jumped.
The Thunderbird blinked innocently and chirped — its voice like a static-filled whistle.
"Aww! Look at him!" Amelia cooed. "He's like a flying puff of thundercloud!"
"Puff?" Thomas narrowed his eyes. "That 'puff' once nearly lit my hair on fire!"
The baby waddled toward Raphaeldor's crib and hopped in, curling beside him, wings buzzing like a sleepy lightning bug.
"He's bonding…" Vincent said proudly.
Then the second egg began to shake.
The Basilisk's egg cracked more slowly, with a hiss that rolled like wind through leaves. Bits of the shell crumbled, revealing a smooth, earthy-scaled head. The creature slithered out — small, elegant, with a soft green-brown sheen across its back and a mossy fringe around its tiny horns. Its eyes were golden slits, curious and calm. It flicked its tongue.
Sophie stepped back. "It looks like it's judging me."
"Don't worry," Vincent said, "He's just thinking."
"Thinking what? Whether or not to poison us?" Alexander said, inching behind Sophie.
The Basilisk baby gave a slow, unbothered blink… then climbed up into Leonatus's lap like a coiled rope, flicked his nose gently with its tongue, and settled there, its tail wrapping around like a living scarf.
"...Alright, that's adorable," Edward admitted, arms crossed.
"I hate how majestic it looks," Thomas said. "Even the babies have style now."
The Thunderbird sneezed — BZZZT! — a stray bolt shot up and fried a chandelier.
"...Son, did you at least read the manual before giving them a living lightning bolt and a venom noodle?" Henry asked.
"Manual?" Vincent tilted his head. "They are imprinted. That's better than a manual."
"Any more of those cards?" Edward asked, half hopeful, half terrified.
Vincent gave a dramatic sigh, "Yes, and they had dragons, yes… but nooo, of course they pulled the thunderstorm bird and death serpent. Absolute luck."
The babies giggled.
"They like them!" Orianne laughed.
"Of course they do," Sophie said. "Chaos clearly runs in the blood."
"Vincent-" Olivia motioned with her hands- " to the drawing room."
The drawing room had been swiftly transformed into a courtroom. Rows of chairs lined up in dramatic fashion. The babies were placed in the witness box (aka the comfiest blanket pile). Everyone had a role. Everyone, that is… until—
THUD.
The door opened. Silence fell like snow.
Lady Olivia Duskrane stepped in.
Long coat. Gloved hands. A single eyebrow raised to the heavens.
"...Ready for the trial?"
Her voice was smooth like silk over steel. Deadly polite.
Everyone shuffled aside. Thomas quickly removed the ridiculous wig. Henry stood up like a schoolboy caught cheating. Sophie dropped her notepad.
"Yes! Yes, of course, your honour," Thomas said, bowing too low for someone with a bad back.
Olivia took her seat at the head of the room—a high-backed armchair, now unofficially The Seat of Judgement. Her presence changed the mood instantly. This wasn't just a playful mock trial anymore.
This was a reckoning.
She folded her hands. "Begin."
Sophie cleared her throat.
"Vincent Duskrane is accused of summoning two mythical beasts from a magical deck, failing to disclose his arcane abilities, and exhibiting a level of composure not found in most world leaders."
Vincent stood in the centre, hands behind his back. "I plead adorable."
"Overruled," Olivia replied without blinking.
Raphaeldor giggled.
Leonatus clapped.
Thomas chimed in, "Your Honour, I'd like to submit Exhibit A—this child's casual summoning of a Basilisk and Thunderbird."
Olivia didn't even glance at the creatures—both now curled up near the babies like loyal puppies. The Basilisk had grown leafy vines down its spine. The Thunderbird was now perched on a cushion, trying to electrocute a cookie crumb.
"So noted," Olivia said.
Henry stepped up. "Young Vincent, tell the court how you came to possess such… rare creatures."
"I participated in the Magi Auction, VVIP-section," Vincent said, completely serious. "I gave them money and my ability to mispronounce 'hippopotamus.' "
"...You could pronounce hippopotamus wrong?" Thomas asked.
"I used to say hippopottamissle," Vincent said solemnly.
"Tragic," Henry whispered. "So young."
Olivia nodded slowly. "That does not explain the why a five-year-old would get access to a section reserved strictly for royalty and Archmagi."
"I was given entry because of grandfather," Vincent said. "The money was something I saved up and grandfather also helped me a little."
Olivia exhaled through her nose. "Of course," her gaze went to Thomas who was equally as shocked as her, "I will speak with your grandfather later."
The room waited.
A pause.
She tapped her gloved finger on the armrest. "You are five, Vincent."
"Almost five," he corrected.
"That does not strengthen your case," she replied.
"Fair."
Henry nudged Edward. "She's giving me flashbacks to when I got caught breaking a ceremonial sword at age ten."
The baby Thunderbird sneezed again—BZZZZT!—and a cushion burst into harmless sparks. The Basilisk quickly coiled around it and hissed it out like a water hose.
Vincent pointed proudly. "See? They're already house-trained."
Olivia raised one brow again. "Vincent Duskrane, the court acknowledges your resourcefulness, your courage, and your... disobedient genius."
Vincent braced himself.
"But your actions were reckless. Dangerous. And worst of all…"
Her voice dropped to a deadly hush.
"...you hid that from the family."
Gasps. Real ones this time.
"That is the gravest offense of all," she said. "You are a Duskrane. We do not hide."
Vincent shrugged. "Because if I told you I had a deck of mythical beasts and Magi Auction privileges… you'd take it away."
Everyone exchanged glances.
"...He's not wrong," Sophie muttered.
Everyone was silent. Even the Thunderbird chirped solemnly.
"Your punishment," Olivia said at last, standing with regal command, "is thus:"