When Serafim came out of the basement, leaving the members of the Magic Tower to do their work, he found Calogero in front of the house, who stared at him with surprise before taking on a more neutral expression. Immediately, the cat-like creature, which had wrapped itself around his neck like a scarf, pulled away from him and threw itself at the butler.

"So that's where you were."

The creature began to vibrate again, as Calogero scratched behind its ears.

"You know this... cat?"

"Indeed I do. I found it at a black market. The... seller didn't know what kind of creature it was either and was going to sell it to an unscrupulous mage. Naturally, I rescued him and since then he's been following me around but rarely shows itself. Especially to mages." The butler explained as he directed Serafim to the carriage that was waiting for them at the end of the street.

"Anastasiy must have taken care of him then, considering he came to my aid."

"I doubt that's the real reason..."

But Serafim didn't hear Calogero's answer, as he was already in the carriage. Nor did he see the outraged face of the creature who glared at the old man. Calogero closed the door, took his place on the driver's seat, and, with a flick of the reins, put the horses in motion. The hour of travel passed quickly for the young man, who had fallen asleep. The carriage stopped in front of the castle steps. Serafim was greeted by a young man with brown hair and a large part of his face disfigured by numerous claw marks. Respectfully, he bowed as Serafim got out of the carriage.

"Welcome back, Your Excellency. I will take you to His Grace."

"Thank you, Kasey."

Following Ewald's valet, Serafim let himself be led through the corridors of the residence. He wasn't surprised to see Kasey taking the hallway to the family wing rather than the one to the administration. Soon enough, they arrived at the doors leading to Anastasiy's room. The valet bowed and let Serafim knock on the door. After receiving the permission, he entered the room, where he saw their father sitting in an armchair, a tray on his lap as he signed some documents. As he approached, he saw Ewald leaning against the headboard of the bed, a book in his hands. Pulling aside the curtains of the bed, he discovered Anastasiy, his face pressed against one side of their brother and his hands clutching forcefully at Ewald's clothes. With his eyebrows furrowed, tears strayed into his lashes and plaintive moans, there was nothing peaceful about Anastasiy's sleep.

Feeling the fire roar within him and escape his control, Serafim dropped the curtain, one of Raz's last gifts before her death. He watched as the fallen purple cloth fell back into place, watching the golden threads that ran through the cloth, letting it hide his brothers in the darkness once again. He didn't try to escape Ewald's hand, the latter could be as stubborn as he was. He felt the ice delicately envelop his hand, extinguishing without hurting him the flames that were struggling to escape his control. Unconsciously, he aligned his breathing with the movements of his brother's fingers, slowly regaining control of his emotions and chasing away the spectral shadows that laughed before him.

"It's all right, Sera. We're all fine," Ewald murmured.

""Fine" might not be the word I would have chosen..."

"Anastasiy?!" The twins exclaimed.

"How are you feeling?!"

" Are you hurt anywhere?!"

"We need to call Jason!"

"Calm down, boys. You're scaring your younger brother."

Immediately, the two young men stopped, turning to Anastasiy who was trembling. Both brothers apologized at the same time, embarrassed to have let their emotions speak. However, instead of calming their little brother, his tremors increased as he burrowed under his blanket.

"Sta-Stacie?" Serafim questioned, definitely distraught.

"Pff! Hihi! Hahahaha!"

Great bursts of laughter resounded in the room, surprising the three men. Sometimes audible, sometimes muffled, Anastasiy's laughter filled the room, causing Ewald to lift the sheet.

The pale face of a few minutes ago was now scarlet, half-buried in the mattress. The tears that slipped away were no longer those of fear, while the cut-off breathing no longer sounded like pain.

"What's going on? Why is it that Anastasiy is choking and you're not doing anything?" Questioned, puzzled, Serenity as she came into the room.

"Mo-mother... You should have seen... haha... the lo-look on Ewa's and ... hahaha... Sera's faces..." explained Anastasiy between laughs.

"Was it that funny?" She asked, a smile on her face as she walked over to the bed, pushing aside Serafim and Ewald whose scarlet faces had taken on a new shade of red.

For only answer, Anastasiy started to laugh again, embarrassing, even more, his brothers, under the amused glance of their parents.