20 Edict of a Magi

Count Halcyon leisurely sipped his tea as he sat on the newly constructed pavilion and gazed at the renovated garden. That wayward granddaughter of his left a renovation plan after seeing, in her words, the dismal state of his garden. He must say though, it was indeed an improvement by a large magnitude. He especially liked how it had an Eashen flavor to it.

It could be seen from the rockeries, to the pavements and bridge leading to the pavilion, the pond and the koi fishes. The view gave off a soothing and refreshing air, relaxing his mind. Halcyon was certain it would do wonders on his calligraphy.

However, his peace was interrupted by hurried steps and the flurry of worried voices.

"Father, where is she?" Madame Carissa von Trier's usually calm and collected mien was wrought with anxiety that even distorted her mellifluous voice.

Count Halcyon put down his tea and peered at them with a neutral expression in his face.

"Where is who?" He asked slowly. His gaze flitted from the people who had arrived. Everyone was present. From the father to the mother to the two other siblings. He raised a raised brow at this spectacle.

Halcyon would be lying if he says that he does not hold resentment against these people. Yes, he was aware of their reasons. That was why he tried not to meddle with their affairs as much. Now he was regretting it. He had almost lost his beloved granddaughter Celestine. The child who did not fear him and followed him around like a cute chick asking him to teach her things.

After he found out about Celestine's situation, he often wondered the kind of future she saw from that prophetic dream. He could not comprehend the desperation that drove her into prying heaven's secrets and attempting to change her fate. An attempt that led to having the Equinox Flower disease and choosing to swap her soul out with another.

It was not that Halcyon was unable to accept the new Celestine. On the contrary, he found her quite interesting and just as endearing as the old her. It was only that the curiosity ate at him. And so Halcyon asked about it. He could remember how Celestine paused and looked sullen away from him. She might have been unaware of it but there was undisguised anguish and ridicule in her eyes. He vividly recalled her answer that cleared his doubts.

"It was the kind of future where I died alone and in a frustratingly pathetic way. It was the kind of future where my corpse wouldn't have been found if it weren't for you paying me a visit. That's why I thought to hell with it and tried to divine a way out. I found it. The way out."

The answer enraged Halcyon and at the same time he felt sorrowful for the child. That was why he did not push through with his plan to convince her not to leave even if the very purpose of him telling her to stop by Liszt County was exactly that. Preventing her to leave. Instead, he wholeheartedly made arrangements for her departure even giving her ancient artifacts useful for her situation.

At some point, it was to lessen his guilt. But also it was to give her the full opportunity to grasp the fate she so determinedly tried to alter. Halcyon was prepared to support her to the end even if it means hiding her from her own family. They deserved it, the misery of losing her.

"Grandpa, do not be like this. If Celestine is here please do not hide her from us. If she is not, could you tell us where she is?" Halcyon's ears rang when he heard those words. The nerve of this bunch. He was so enraged he slammed his hand so hard on the table unconsciously letting out natural laws that turned the table into dust. Ah. Celestine chose that table personally. Halcyon felt regretful that he held himself back a little too late. So he directed his frustration at the readily available people to vent on.

The people found it hard to breathe under the pressure of the natural laws. Such a feeling was natural when one encountered a Magi. More so a furious one. They were only unaffected a while ago for he had his aura retracted. But Halcyon was indiscriminate about it now.

"Impudent! You are Celestine's immediate family. Why is it that I am the one you are asking for her whereabouts?" Halcyon responded in a stern, inviolable tone.

"Calm down, Father. We do not mean to be rude. It is just that Celestine has been missing for a few days now. And we thought she might have been staying here." Count Claude tried to pacify the Old Count. They all collectively sighed in relief when he retracted his aura once again. Only to be met by his cold, penetrating stare which felt as if there were swords drawn about to cut off their necks if they so much as blink. They felt that the previous pressure was better than such as a stare, albeit suffocating.

"Aside from the fact that you seem to have only just realized that your only daughter is missing. The first thing you do is actually come all the way from the capital to my Liszt county and check if Celestine was here or not, instead of immediately launching a search and rescue party! What kind of absurdity is this? What kind of family are you? Hah! You certainly have broadened my horizons." Halcyon furiously said, emphasizing each and every word. The four of them hung their heads in shame, unable to utter any word of defense.

Halcyon turned his back on them and faced the pond to calm his emotions lest he could not refrain from beating them all up. Celestine disliked this family of hers but she will not go to the extent of having them beat up. That much is evident from the fact that she chose to leave quietly.

"Celestine is close to me and has often spent time accompanying these old bones. I mentored her and guided her when all of you could not be bothered. Yet despite that, she always sees to it that she returns to your home. It is a shame that the family she treasures so covers up their neglect with a half hearted and unjustified reason. Even now, you still think of what the others will think and do if news of her being gone is known. How pathetic." Halcyon paused briefly. The hand resting at his back clenching tightly.

"Do not give me the excuse that you are merely protecting her from the vicious hands of nobility. You were not. She is a part of it and will never be able to escape it for all her life. What you did was push her closer to her death. And if you really were, I wonder what kind of idiotic protection is it that led a someone into suffering from a neverending loneliness. You were all so deluded by your so-called duties you have forgotten that she was merely a child. Celestine is not here. She has not been here. And even if she were, I will not let you take her. Leave. Never show your faces here ever again unless you find my granddaughter!"

Halcyon declared loudly, his voice infused with natural laws. A bright light shone through the entire Liszt estate. This was the edict of a Magi in his domain. A law that orders absolute obedience.