PREVIOUSLY
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:"
--X—
PRESENT DAY-
"So," Leon turned to Raphael,
"What was his punishment?"
Raphael only snorted, "I don't know."
Inside one of the rooms-
"VAYREN!" Evangeline shrieked,
"See this!"
Vincent ran to the other side of the room,
"What happened, chipmunk?"
However, Evangeline only pointed to a book that was painted with the illustration of a child washing his hands with soap,
"How does soap know the difference between the dirt on my hands and my actual skin?" she asked innocently.
Vincent glanced at the book, at the inscription etched on its cover.
-Fun things in chemistry for kids-
-Published by, Dusk Publishing Corp-
'Ah, my little genius! Reading such books at two?!'
"Little Evangeline," Vincent sat beside her, "Soap doesn't "know" the difference, but it has a special shape that loves both water and oil."
"Special shape?" Evangeline tilted her head.
PINCH!
Vincent, unable to handle the cuteness, felt another smile curl up his lips.
"Yes, the soap is like a…a spear!" Vincent raised his finger to the ceiling, "The head of the spear becomes stuck to the water and the rear part hates water. So, it clings to the oil or grease."
He looked down at the little girl with starry eyes before him,
"You know what cookie? I will just show you."
A small crack splintered across the space as Vincent calmly slid his hand through the void. A metallic tube emerged, a glass slide between the tube's end and what seemed like a base.
"This is a microscope!" Vincent beamed enthusiastically.
"Micwoscop?" Evangeline repeated, though more imperfect and childish. But that was enough to broaden Vincent's smile.
"Yes, a micwoscop!" He continued, dipping his finger in the lantern's oil before streaming down water from a jug nearby.
Then, he calmly scraped the oil-water combination on the slide. A drop falling perfectly in the middle.
"Now, for the soap." Vincent vanished into the hallway, appearing seconds later with soapy hands as he dropped another small drop of soapy water before sealing the glass slip with another.
"See from that lens," Vincent gestured to the eyepiece while meticulously positioning the slides.
Curious, Evangeline peeked from the eyepiece, one eye closed.
"VAYWEN!" she shrieked, "There is yellow thing breaking!"
Vincent crossed his arms. Satisfied.
"Now, now," he continued, "The yellow circle you see is oil. Can you see it breaking into tiny circles?"
Evangeline nodded, "But the area is becoming cloudy."
Vincent calmly picked her up from the chair, holding her in his arms,
"Like you saw, soap likes both water and oil, so soap will surround the oil and stay in the water. So, when you wash off the soap…"
"It takes the oil with it!" Evangeline replied.
"That's my girl!" Vincent cried, tossing Evangeline into the air like a trophy.
"VAYREN!" Another high-pitched sound emerged from the door. Elise and Delphine stood at the entrance; their tiny hands crossed in cute annoyance with a pout that suggested some cosmic mistake.
"Its time for you to play with me!" Elise shrieked.
"No, Vayren play with me!" Delphine protested.
'That's quite the dilemma. I can't have any of my sisters sad… what if—!'
"What do you want to play?" Vincent crouched in front of them.
"I want to practice magic!" Elise tugged at Vincent's right arm.
"Vayren, can we read about animals?" Delphine wrapped her tiny arms around his other arm.
"Hmm…" Vincent tapped a finger to his forehead, "What a hard decision."
A FEW MOMENTS LATER-
Two Vincents stood in the room, their images glitching faintly before stabilizing.
'Okay, this is perfect, with this much vibration I can even slid through walls'
'Can't believe reading DG Comics helped me!'
"Okay ladies!" Both Vincents pointed to the doors, "Let's go play!"
"Huh?!" The three spoke in unison, another cardiac arrest halting Vincent's plan.
"You know what, lets just play in the same room."
And so, Vincent zoomed from one corner to other, he corrected mana flow for one moment, then explained how a gnoll lives the second.
Inside the Duke's office-
"This is an obvious trap, Ed." Alexander glanced at Edward, who nodded in response.
"They want us both to be alone while they strike Duskrane." Edward continued, his gaze turned to Amelia,
"Is there something we don't know about in Duskrane?"
Amelia shook her head, "I don't think so."
"Yeah," Sophie intervened, "There is no reason for the church to go to such lengths."
At the table, a newspaper lay folded.
'[DUSKRANE SOLDIERS STRIKE PILGRIMS OF ASHEN CHURCH]' written in huge and bold font.
"We need to warn Henry," Amelia tapped the paper, "No, we need to inform sister Orianne first."
Sophie took a step towards the window, glancing at the flower beds stretched across the palace gardens,
"Alex, Ed, leave the territories to us."
"Sophie!" Alexander gripped her shoulders, "There is no way in hell that I am leaving you alone!"
Sophie calmly placed her hand above his,
"Darling, trust me."
"NO!" Alexander shrieked, "You are pregnant, I won't let you do all this."
Amelia calmly looked at Edward who too shook his head,
"Honey," He caressed her cheek, "Henry is strong, if needed, I will send Theodore. But,"
His voice stopped,
"Ed," Amelia kissed his palm gently, "Trust me."
KNOCK!
"Duke." A voice appeared from behind the door.
"Oh, Seradin," Alexander turned towards the door, "Enter."
A tall and lean man with long brown hair and hazel eyes entered, his sharp features glancing at the figures around.
"I greet the Dukes and the Duchesses."
Seradin bowed before straightening his posture,
"Leave the formalities, tell me what happened." Alexander looked at the envelop in his hand.
"A letter from Count Duskrane." Seradin stretched the letter towards him Alexander.
'Henry…' Edward glanced at the envelop, 'What are you planning this time?'
The playroom-
A maid gently knocked on the door.
"Young Lady Elise!"
"Come in," Vincent responded.
The maid walked inside the room, shock and surprise painting her face.
"Master Duskrane! You—!"
"Hush…" Vincent smiled, slowly sliding the blanket over the girls who had fallen asleep from playing.
The maid covered her mouth as she looked over Vincent. The latter dressed in a makeshift frock that suggested they had been curtains minutes before.
White hair tied in two pig tails as a small table filled with deserts, crumbs and spilled drops of milk sat in the centre of the room.
"You seem to adore the Young Ladies, Master Vincent." The maid shyly remarked, keeping the unfinished dishes in the tray behind.
Vincent turned with a warm smile spread across his face,
"How can I not? They just are… lovely." Tears welled at the corners of his eyes,
'I don't know what emotion I feel. Whenever I see them…'
"I just want them to smile…" A mutter escaped his lips.
"Pardon?" the maid turned to Vincent.
"Ah," Vincent removed the pig tails, "Forgive me, I will just go to my room. Goodnight."
The maid bowed cleaning the room and meticulously turning off the lamps before exiting the room.
Inside his own room Vincent calmly watched the skies,
"Has my power and trauma complicated my humanity so much that children are the only thing that pull a response from my heart?"
"Interesting."
His gaze shifted to Leon and Raphael who were walking towards the palace. The two little boys. The protagonists of the prophecy. The heroes.
"They are just boys," Vincent whispered,
"And they will remain so."
His silhouette disappeared from the window leaving only air in his woke.
SOMEWHERE ELSE-
"AAARGH!"