“Ryo, it’s lovely to see you,” Lady Adelle says, a glowing smile upon her face.

Ryo puts down Edward’s toy train he was playing with.

“Hi,” he replies.

Lady Adelle sits down beside him. She points to the tracks laid out on the floor overtop a map. “Are you curious about London?”

Ryo nods. Well, I was trying to find Dejima.

“There’s our estate,” Adelle tells him, pointing at the center of where he laid the tracks in a loop. “And that’s the Thames.” Her finger trails along a stream of blue.

 Ryo frowns, tilting his head to try and make sense of it. “Oh.”

He’s never had the chance to learn how to read a map, so he thought he’d found the port of Shanghai. But she doesn’t need to know that. 

“Are you looking for someplace particular?” Adelle inquires.

Heat rises to his cheeks. “Where’s Japan?”

Adelle laughs. “You’ll need a different map for that. This one is just for London.” Adelle walks over to the shelves in the study and takes out a yellowing scroll. Bringing it over, she opens it up and he helps her hold the edges down.

This map looks rather unusual. It features two round circles with a bunch of land squished together in each.

Adelle points to the circle on the right, all the way near the edge of the map. There’s a small series of islands. “There’s Japan.”

“Why is it so small?”

Adelle bursts out in bright peals of laughter. “Ryo, you’ve never seen a world map?”

He shakes his head.

”Well, Japan is an island country,” Adelle explains. “That’s why it’s small compared to whole continents.”

I’m not going to get anywhere with this, am I? Ryo sighs. 

He’d wanted to see if he could find another route to Shanghai so Satori wouldn’t have to travel so far by herself. If by some miracle, his father decides they need to visit the Blackwoods again during that same timeframe, that would be the best. He’d somehow get Satori to stowaway on the ship with them. But that’s not guaranteed.

“Say, Ryo,” Adelle begins, “have you noticed anything off about Edward recently?”

Ryo blinks. Everything about Edward is off, lady.

“He might talk to you more than he does with me, so I’d appreciate your honesty. I’m concerned for him as his stepmom. Edward keeps spacing out these days, as if he’s not really here.”

Ryo’s noticed that too. Edward keeps talking to his imaginary friend these days, more so than even him. Ryo’s tried to get his attention whenever he notices the boy’s eyes glowing a startling gold. Edward had told him to keep it a secret and that there’s nothing to worry about.

Which only makes him worry more. It’s like Edward gets…possessed or something. The brunette even talks more like a grown up when his eyes are glowing. So far, they’ve managed to avoid anybody else seeing because Ryo would pinch Edward’s cheeks to snap him out of it just in time. Sometimes, Ryo thinks he’s dealing with two people here, and if Edward’s invisible glowing friend is Lucifer — well, Ryo wants no deal with them.

“Ryo? Do you know anything about Edward’s behaviour?”

“Well…he’s probably talking to his friend.”

“Friend?”

Am I really going to do this? Edward will kill me if he finds out…

“Y-Yeah,” Ryo says. His mind reasons that if this keeps up, pinching Edward’s cheeks might not work eventually. Plus, his own father was pretty adamant about Edward not knowing about Esse or anything related to it. Everything’s been…wrong since the start of this visit.

“Who is this friend?” Adelle frowns, leaning forward as she asks.

“I don’t know, but I can’t see them.”

“So…is it an imaginary friend?” 

“Sort of? He thinks they’re imaginary.”

“And you don’t?”

Ryo gulps. He meets Adelle’s bright green eyes. He swears they’re glowing too, just like Edward’s when he uses Aeon or talks to his invisible friend.

“Ryo! Class is over!” Edward’s voice calls, his footsteps pattering in a run towards the study. “Let’s go play!”

The door opens and Edward barges in. He freezes at the sight of Ryo and Adelle in the same room. Then, as if the moment never happened, Edward grabs his arm and drags him out of the room.

“Ow!” Ryo cries, trying to unlatch Edward’s fingers from his arm. “You’re hurting me, Edward! Let go!”

Edward is silent, his grip tightening even further. Ryo hisses, but quiets, brows furrowed and teeth clenched. Edward’s mood must’ve been obvious because the servants of Blackwood manor surry out of the way.

Only when they’re outside in the rose garden does Edward let go. “What did she ask you?”

Ryo rubs at his sore arm. “Nothing.”

“I’m going to ask you nicely again. What did she ask you and what did you say?”

Ryo keeps his gaze averted from the brunette. “And what if I don’t want to tell you?”

“I can make you.”

Again, fear. It laces up Ryo’s spine. He has to remind himself it’s Edward and not his father. “Apologize first.”

“What for?”

Ryo turns to him angrily. “For hurting me just now. Were you trying to break my arm? And for being rude. And for ignoring me half the time while you…I don’t know, talk? To your invisible friend? You look like a crazy person!”

Edward blinks. “S-Sorry… Geez, I didn’t know you were upset. You could’ve just told me earlier.”

Ryo sighs, long and deep. “Adelle was asking me who you’re talking to.” At Edward’s alarm, he continues. “I just told her you talk to your friend. Implied imaginary friend.”

Edward bites his nail. “That was close. Any more and she’d have found out.” Suddenly, Edward grabs his shoulders. “Listen, Ryo. I’d rather my Father find out about this than Adelle.”

Ryo frowns. “Why? Adelle’s nice.”

“Because Adelle’s the enemy.” Edward’s wide grey eyes are nothing but serious.

“Who told you that?”

Edward opens his mouth to answer but Ryo cuts him off. “No, let me guess. Your invisible friend did. Seriously, why do you trust them so much? Adelle’s your stepmom, not your enemy.”

Edward groans. “No, I mean yes. But also no. She’s my stepmom, but she’s also our enemy. Don’t you see?” Edward’s eyes glow gold again. “Normal people don’t have those kinds of squiggles on them!”

Ryo purses his lips. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Edward groans again. “I wish you could see what I see. It’s hard for me to explain but my friend probably could if they were here right now.” The boy slumps forward. A moment later, he throws his head back and takes a deep breath. “Nevermind. I found this under your pillow, by the way.”

Edward produces the slip of parchment where Ryo had copied down his father’s recipe notes. Ryo’s eyes widen and he leaps forward to snatch it back.

The brunette gleefully moves it out of his reach.

“Give it back!”

“Nope,” Edward singsongs. “Not until you tell me what it says.”

“You wouldn’t understand anyways!” He makes another grab for it.

Edward dodges. “Maybe I would!”

“Boys, what’s going on here?” A booming voice echoes in their direction.

“No, you really wouldn’t!” Ryo growls.

“Hey, hey, hey!” The man— Edward’s father, Ryo vaguely registers in the corner of his vision —steps in between them, wrestling them away from each other. “Stop, both of you!”

They quiet.

“What’s gotten into you two?” Richard asks, frown set firmly upon his face. “You two have been fighting the whole week.” At Edward’s protest, Richard lifts an eyebrow and continues, “I’ve noticed and so have others. Now, why don’t we talk it out first, all right? I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding. You two are best friends, no?”

Ryo glances at Edward, who happens to be glancing at him.

“I can’t hear you, boys,” Richard says. “Are you going to talk it out with each other? No more fighting?”

Edward grumbles something and Ryo just nods. Richard eyes them both again before letting go of their wrists. He opens his hand, palm facing upwards. When Edward makes no movement, he clears his throat and gestures to his son. Edward reluctantly gives the parchment up. Richard plucks it from Edward’s grip and gives it back to Ryo.

“Thank you, Mr. Blackwood.” Ryo slips the paper back into his pocket.

“Now, let’s talk.”

Edward gapes. “In front of you?”

“Well, seeing as you needed me to intervene, yes. You better talk, son.”

Ryo gulps.

The two of them share a glance under Richard’s watchful eyes.

Surprisingly, Edward is the first to say something. “I’m sorry for being a dick to you.”

Richard looks half proud and half scandalized. “That’s a good apology son, but maybe try it again.”

Edward rolls his eyes. “I’m…sorry for being mean to you.”

“And I’m sorry for breaking my promise.”

Richard beams. “Now, hug it out.”

Edward’s face scrunches up like a puckered lemon.

Ryo snickers and hugs the younger boy, much to the latter’s dissatisfaction. Edward eventually reluctantly hugs him back.

***

“Edward and Ryo had their first spat today.”

Akio looks away from his flask containing a faint pinkish liquid. “About time.”

Richard snorts, leaning against the wall by the lab’s entrance. “They’re a little like us when we were younger, aren’t they?”

Akio raises an eyebrow. “You were way more obnoxious than Edward.”

“Sometimes I wonder why I’m still friends with you.”

Akio turns back to the flask. He turns on the burner, the thin flame heating the bottom of the flask as he rotates it evenly. “You didn’t just come to tell me about their little fight, did you?”

“Yeah, that’s all.”

“Get serious, Richard.”

“Can’t a man reminisce the past?” Richard shakes his head. From his breast pocket, he produces a small rectangular wooden box and makes his way over to Akio’s table.

“What’s inside?”

“An ingredient from Astrum Academy, thanks to Father Thomas.” Richard opens the box and places it on the table. “It’s flesh straight from the Tree of Knowledge itself.”

Akio peers into the box. Sure enough, the white bark pulses faintly with a heartbeat of life.

“Use it sparingly. It’s never easy to get anything from the Tree.”

“Thank you. I know, it’s why I’ve been preparing the bases first.” Akio places the flask down on the rack alongside all the other ones. “With that, I’ll know if the missing ingredient lies in Astrum Academy.”

“I don’t think I can get anything from Eden. It’s far too dangerous for Father Thomas to go alone. Especially when he doesn’t know what this is for.”

“You are the one who bound us to secrecy, Richard.” Akio closes the box containing the precious ingredient. “I brought it up when you first confided in us that maybe we should tell the faculty about your situation. If we did, maybe they could help now.”

Richard averts his gaze. “It’s a good thing I refused. I wasn’t supposed to tell you guys either. Because I chose to confide in my friends…”

Both of them are silent for some time.

“God has two hands. One saves, the other destroys,” Richard whispers. “I was foolish. Retribution will always come in due time.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.” It’s the only reply Akio can give to a man who once lost his father, his wife, his estate, and his people because of his arrogance.

“Don’t be,” Richard says. “I’ve learned from my mistakes. Our circle will be the only ones to know. I won’t reveal the truth to Father Thomas or any other faculty member. We don’t want any repeats.”

“Have you ever thought about the possibility that Edward could be cursed too?”

Richard tenses. “Don’t.”

“It’s important to think about it, Richard. Aeon is a cursed power from the First World. If you don’t consider this possibility, Edward may also suffer.”

Richard rises, takes a step and then two until he stands at full height bearing down on Akio’s frame. The taller man searches his eyes. “That’s why I’m grateful that you’re going to perfect Enoia, Akio.”

Then, Richard steps back, smiles with a tinge of sorrow, and says, “I’ve modified your bag so it can hold a lot more. I imagine you’ll need to continue testing even in Japan, right? I know things are difficult for you at home, so feel free to take the equipment with you.”

“I’m touched. Thank you.”

“I’ll see you at dinner.”

Akio stamps down the embers of guilt echoing in his heart. It’s not his fault that Richard trusts him so.

But he has his own circumstances too.