"ALWAYS HOPE!" Crisaius bellowed again, spinning in a circle like a drunk ballerina. His staff glowed, and—out of nowhere—half the courtyard floor turned into a red velvet carpet embroidered with hearts.
The soldiers didn’t know whether to salute or flee. One squirrel fainted from sheer secondhand embarrassnt.
Raven pinched the bridge of his nose, whispering under his breath, "...why ?"
But Crisaius wasn’t done. He clapped his hands, and BOOM!
Confetti rained from the sky—actual confetti—sparkling like rainbow snow. The palace guards froze in horror as so of the prisoners in chains, being led to the prison, started... sneezing glitter.
Selena blinked. "...Is that holy confetti?"
Crisaius whipped around, finger raised, eyes wide. "Not holy but wholly fabulous!"
He struck a pose so flamboyant that even Graye forgot how to breathe montarily.
Omni’s muffled laughter rattled inside Raven’s arm. "Yo, sobody get popcorn. This geezer’s got more flair than a Vegas magician on steroids."
Clara was already clutching her stomach, tears in her eyes. "Oh gods, he’s actually serious."
"Serious?" Crisaius gasped, as if mortally offended. He planted his staff into the ground again, leaned in toward Clara, and hissed, "Darling child, the only thing I have ever been serious about... is LOVE!"
The courtyard shook—not from magic, but from the sheer volu of his declaration.
A squirrel dropped its war drum and saluted with both hands, trembling. Another one painted a heart on its chest and fainted dramatically.
Jessy groaned. "We don’t have ti for this circus."
"CIRCUS?!" Crisaius gasped, turning toward her with a dramatic spin. "My dear tallic maiden, this is no circus. This... is a revival!"
He raised his arms to the heavens, and a heavenly choir actually began singing in the background. Nobody could figure out where it was coming from. Possibly squirrels.
Siris tilted her head, knives twirling in her fingers. "...can I stab him?"
"No," Raven muttered flatly.
"Please?"
"No."
"Just a little bit?"
"No."
"Fine," she sulked, daggers disappearing—but her eyes followed Crisaius with a bloodthirsty gleam.
anwhile, Crisaius had conjured a giant, glowing heart above the courtyard.
It pulsed dramatically before exploding in showers of pink sparks. Soldiers ducked, only to realize the sparks were harmless... and oddly slled like cinnamon rolls.
Graye, still red-faced from Raven’s earlier hug, squeaked out, "W-Why does it sll like dessert?!"
"Because, my voluptuous warrior!" Crisaius pointed at her dramatically, robes flaring as though an invisible wind adored him, "Love is sweet, dangerous, and always leaves you wanting more!"
Graye promptly choked on her own breath. "V-Volup—what?! Who even says that?!"
Selena calmly folded her arms, but her lips twitched despite herself. "He’s... insufferable."
"Insufferable?" Crisaius slapped a hand to his chest in mock agony.
"Madam Necrosis, you wound !" He turned to the others. "Did you hear that? She thinks I’m insufferable! Ha! If only she knew that insufferable n make the best lovers, she would wish for Raven to beco the sa!"
At that exact mont, the squirrels in war paint began to slow clap. Nobody had taught them this. They just... knew.
Raven finally raised his head, crimson eyes narrowing. His voice was sharp enough to cut through the chaos. "Why are you here?"
Crisaius froze mid-spin, then leaned toward Raven, his grin wide enough to rival the sunrise.
"Why? Because, my boy... Your people are drowning in sorrow. You’ve lost lives. You’ve buried hope. And I..." He twirled, his robes glowing faintly as the choir hit a dramatic note. "...I refuse to let despair be the only song sung in this kingdom!"
The courtyard quieted, just for a heartbeat. Even the squirrels held their breath.
Then Crisaius stomped his staff, and all the chained demons suddenly had giant pink bows tied to their horns.
One snarled viciously—only for a glittery balloon to pop out of its mouth.
Graye collapsed laughing. Clara doubled over beside her. Even Alex cracked a grin despite himself.
Crisaius threw his head back and roared, "BEHOLD! The ssiah of Laughter!"
The palace guards, who had been trembling from tension minutes ago, now found themselves laughing nervously, shaking their heads in disbelief.
The suffocating heaviness that had lingered since last night finally cracked.
The grief wasn’t gone. The pain wasn’t erased.
But sohow, through sheer insanity and glitter, Crisaius had given them sothing they hadn’t felt since the raids began.
Relief.
Hope.
As for Raven... he found himself sighing, a faint smile threatening his lips.
Omni cackled in his arm. "Yo, admit it, boss. This lunatic just did more for morale in five minutes than you’ve done in a week."
Raven didn’t answer. But he didn’t stop the smile either.
No one could tell before whether Crisaius was being crazy like always or if he had so motive, but now they realized what he was doing.
He was helping them get over the tense atmosphere.
He was making sure that no one stayed sad, and he was succeeding, even though he seed like an insane person while doing all that.
’I guess we needed that,’ Raven muttered inwardly, seeing how everyone else in the group was relaxing, their expressions now eased.
Raven finally let the laughter die around him, his smile fading back into its usual guarded line.
His crimson eyes shifted to Crisaius, sharp as blades.
"...Enough theatrics, old man," he said, his voice low but cutting. "Why are you here? You were supposed to be in seclusion."
The question snapped the courtyard back to a hush. Even the squirrels froze mid-dramatic pose, their tiny war paint streaks glistening with glitter.
Raven narrowed his eyes further, sothing clicking in his head. "...Don’t tell . You failed, didn’t you? I guess a month isn’t enough to reach that level."
For the first ti that evening, Crisaius didn’t move. He didn’t twirl. He didn’t sing. He rely tilted his head, a smile tugging at his lips. Then he raised one finger and wagged it.
"Failed?" His voice was soft and calm—eerily calm when compared to his earlier flamboyance. Then his grin widened, wild as fire. "Who said I failed?"
Raven’s eyes widened, his breath catching.
"...Don’t tell ... You passed?" He leaned forward, almost disbelieving. "You’ve gone beyond tenth?"
Crisaius’s grin turned blinding. He stretched his arms wide as though embracing the night sky. "How else do you think I conjured confetti, painted squirrels, and cinnamon-scented fireworks, hmm? That, my boy, is not re parlor tricks. That is mana control."
The squirrels gasped in unison, one fainting dramatically. Clara slapped her forehead while Graye’s jaw dropped.
Selena’s eyes narrowed, studying Crisaius with new wariness. Siris muttered, "So stabbing him just got even harder..."
Crisaius twirled his staff, sparks of pink light trailing off like falling stars. "It isn’t flashy in battle—at least not yet. But mana control at this level can reshape the air itself. A higher art, Raven. Proof that I’ve ascended."
Raven just stared at him for a long mont, then chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Figures. Just when I was finally starting to believe I’d caught up enough to challenge you, you go and widen the gap again."
The old mage burst out laughing, deep and rich this ti, not flamboyant. "Hah! And what kind of master would I be if I let my own disciple surpass so easily?"
The squirrels imdiately began chanting, "MASTER! MASTER! MASTER!" while one tiny drumr rolled out a triumphant beat with sticks.
Clara groaned. "You’ve trained them too well."
Omni’s muffled snicker rattled in Raven’s arm. "Nah, let ’em cook. Best hype squad I’ve ever seen."
For a while, the courtyard was filled only with laughter and murmurs, the kind of quiet joy that ca after a storm. But slowly, as the smiles dimd and the mood settled, Crisaius’s expression softened.
He lowered his staff and looked Raven squarely in the eye.
"Go," he said with a smile. "Take them all with you. Wherever you were heading, it’s ti."
No one argued. Even Selena, sharp as ever, didn’t contest it.
They all felt the sa thing Raven did—that Crisaius was not soone who needed guarding.
He was now soone who could guard nations.
Even if they couldn’t sense his powers, they could all tell that the chances of them defeating him were close to none, so even if the demons sent an army of generals, Crisaius might still win.
Raven, on the other hand, stared at the old man for a second longer before he gave a short nod. "Fine. Then we’ll head to the Ashen Expanse."
Selena, Clara, Siris, Jessy, Graye, Jake, Alex, Rufus, and Nibbles stirred with anticipation.
Of course, not all of them could go.
Cluckles, who was still injured, couldn’t follow them, and neither could Lia, who had to heal the chicken.
It was then that Crisaius tapped his staff, conjuring a shower of harmless sparks that rained over the group like blessings. "Then go, children of chaos. The world awaits your fire."
Raven turned, cloak flicking behind him, his team gathering close.
The squirrels in the background gave a last dramatic salute, one even blowing a trumpet note that cracked halfway.
The group’s laughter echoed faintly as they left the courtyard, the shadows of the Ashen Expanse already calling them forward.
No one talked about the demons in the prison, as they could be left alive for now.
With Crisaius present, there was no need for them to worry about any of them escaping.
Above all, they were all Alex’s prey, so they were left for him to take care of once they returned.
As for Crisaius... He stood alone in the square, staff planted, confetti still glittering faintly on the stone.
For once, he did not laugh. He only smiled—soft, steady, and unshakable—as if waiting for the demons to attack.
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