The decorations. The music. The cake.

Jered couldn't honestly say he was a fan of it. Maybe being the center of it was what bothered him. And that was probably normal considering the longevity of Magicians. A birthday, in the end, was nothing but the celebration of another year gone by. Jane was absolutely enthusiastic about it—as she had always been. She moved from one place to the other so fast, that he humoristically thought she might have been using some sort of teleportation spell.

"Come on, honey! Smile more! It's your birthday ~"

She aimed her phone at him, angling it so the best possible picture could be taken. With an internal sigh, Jered forced a smile. The less he complained, the faster it would be over.

"Very handsome ~" Jane gushed as she proceeded to take a couple more pictures, "Hmhm ~ just like your father."

Jasmine was uncharaterstically silent, tucked away in a corner of the couch. There was a thoughtful frown on her face, and Jered didn't know what happened in the last 15 minutes that turned her so... distant. She had been threatening to rape him with a silly smile on her face not long ago, and now he could descry something akin to pain in those soulful eyes of hers. Was it his fault, somehow? He didn't recall saying anything that might have put her in a bad mood.

Therefore, he quietly disentangled himself from Jane's endless photo session and joined Jasmine on the couch.

"Spill the beans, sis, what happened?"

She looked at him, tilting her head in a way that signaled she was considering how much to tell him, "Nothing, brother," she smiled; a dangerous smile, because her eyes were as cold as a winter night.

Jered shook his head, amused at her weak attempts at lying, "You need to practice that smile a bit more, Jaz. If you don't tell me what's going on, I'll tickle it out of you, in a way or another."

"I'm serious," she didn't budge, and he frowned, "I'm fine... just... thinking about something."

Not entirely the truth, but not entirely a lie either.

"Hmm... thinking about what?"

She puckered her lips in thought, her finger tapping against her chin, "Jered... would you do anything for the people you love?"

"Of course," he replied, no hesitation in his tone.

"So, it's fine if I do the same, right?"

Jered knew that there was an underlying, hidden meaning behind what she said. But for the love of God, he couldn't tell what it was.

"You're so complicated..."

She chuckled with a twinge of guilt, "Sorry ~"

He stared at her from the corner of his eyes, "Yes, it's fine," he said slowly, "As long as you don't get caught. Jasmine, if you need help with any—"

"No, not at all," she raised a hand, interrupting him, "I don't need help."

Jered was not convinced, but he nodded nonetheless.

"I hate to say this, but if you keep sulking like that, mom's bound to notice and ask questions," he sprung up to his feet and extended a hand, "Come on now, don't be a lazy potato and let's take a few pictures together."

She smiled brightly and accepted his hand.

Jane sneaked a glimpse at them. She struggled to hear their conversation, but due to the darned music, she could barely make out a few words—not nearly enough to understand what they were talking about. She saw him lift his phone overhead and take a few selfies with Jasmine. It was supposed to be a completely normal, harmless act, but she couldn't help but see... things. Like how Jasmine was hugging him a bit too intimately, her lips brushing against his cheek.

And that smile on her face? It was definitely not one of familial love.

Jane was so distracted that the glass in her hand slipped down and shattered against the floor.

The noise broke her out of her stupor.

Jered and Jasmine were also startled, "Are you okay?" he asked, squashing back the urge to pick up the sharp pieces with his 'Telekinesis'.

"Uhh... yes, yes... I'm okay, haha," she laughed it off, "How clumsy of me!"

He stopped her hand before she could cut herself, "No, wait. Let me do it."

"No, Jered. I'm fine ~"

"It doesn't matter, let me do it," he insisted with an appeasing smile.

The intensity of his eyes threw her off, and whatever smidgen of resistance she had died down in her throat as she nodded absently.

His smile widened, and he proceeded to coat his hands with 'Physical Enhancement'.

Jane nearly screamed when she saw him gather all the fragments and pick them up as if they were made of paper.

"You..."

After he threw them in the trash bin, he showed her his hands, "See? No cuts."

"..."

---

Jered's birthday was pretty tame compared to previous years. And once it was over, he went back to his room. The window was open, the curtains fluttering in the breeze. Outside, the streetlight eerily flickered on and off. A familiar scent seeped into his nose. The light went off, and a pair of soft, slender hands covered his eyes from behind, "Guess who?" the feminine, husky, warm whisper bathed his ear.

He smiled, "Oh, is it you, Luigi?"

His joke was unappreciated, for the 'mysterious' guest bit his ear in retaliation, "It's Lucy! Luuuuu-cyyyyy!"

"Ow! Calm down!"

After he managed to pry her off his ear, she huffed and crossed her arms, "I should have bitten it off."

"You're so aggressive..."

"That's because you hurt my feelings."

"Woah, I made the Devil cry."

She bared her teeth at him, "That's no way of welcoming your lovely aunt."

"You're right," Jered spread his arms dramatically, "Welcome to my humble abode. It might not be a pit full of fire and pitchforks, but it's home," he flopped on the bed, patting the spot next to him encouragingly.

Lucy rolled her eyes as she proceeded to sit down. The feeling under her butt was very bouncy and comfortable. She groaned, her wings twitching, "What is this... it's heavenly..." she couldn't help the urge of laying down, and rolling around the bed like an excited dog in a field of grass. Jered watched as her body arched, contorted, and twisted into some inappropriate poses while she giggled like a little girl, "Jered. You must do this! It feels very good!"

"I know..." he deadpanned, "I sleep here."

"You sleep here?!" Lucy was befuddled, "How can you? How many people did you kill to come into possession of this treasure? Tell me!"

"None. I bought this..."

"B-Bought?" she sputtered in disbelief, "This bed must have cost a fortune. It's like sleeping on a cloud. Oh gosh, the dirty things you could do on it... and you use it only to sleep? "

"Yeah..." he scrunched his eyebrows, "This is a pretty common bed, though..."

"You're telling me that there are better beds than this one?!"

"Yes..." seeing the volatile expression on her face, he ventured his next question carefully, "Why? Where do you usually sleep?"

"... on the hard ground... and in a frozen lake whenever I go into hibernation..." she gnashed her teeth, "That bastard... he made me sleep in such harsh conditions when he clearly could afford a bed like this!"

He blinked, "Who are you talking about again?"

"Your grandfather..." with a deep sigh, she calmed down, though it was most likely the comfort of the bed that took her mind off of it, "Anyway! We'll talk about our ancestry some other time. I'm here to deliver you your gift!" her crimson eyes glowed in the darkness of his room.

"Oh, looking forward to it!"

Jered wondered what kind of powerful artifacts she hoarded throughout her life. Surely, she was going to give him something extra powerful if she told him he was going to like it.

Lucy snapped her fingers, and a pair of emerald orbs came to life within crimson, mana particles. She smiled mischievously, "This will hurt just a bit, but I promise you'll go down on your knees and thank me later!"

He didn't have time to react that his vision was robbed by the sudden spike of pain in his eyes.

Blood poured down from his now empty eye sockets. Jered unconsciously brought his hands up to estimate the extent of the damage, but he was locked in place.

"Shh... shh... it's almost over, nephew. Don't resist."

He was not allowed to even blink. And before he could protest, Lucy embedded the crystals in his eye sockets, whereupon she reconstructed his tear glands, cranial nerves, blood vessels, and the ligaments all around the magical emeralds. Just as she had said, the pain didn't last long. A soothing, hot rush of energy leaked out of his eyes. The darkness of vision receded, followed by a blinding light that petered off into a haze of colors.

Slowly, but surely, he started to see again.

And the first thing he saw was the notifications of his system.

[You have received the Ethereal Shadow Eyes.]

[Eyes of the first-born, Apocalypse Shadow. When they awaken, all creation shall be at the mercy of the ultimate power.]

[Your mana pool attribute has risen by 100 points.]

[Your mana regeneration has been enhanced by 100%]

[State: Locked]

[Effects: Vision Enhancement | Superior Fire Manipulation | Mana Flow Understanding]

[Your Ethereal Shadow Eyes resonate with your blood.]

[15% of your Shadow's blood has been unlocked.]

[Your mana regeneration has been enhanced by 30%]

[Your mana pool attribute has risen by 40 points.]

"Those eyes used to belong to your father," Lucy said, her tone wistful, "He inherited them from your grandfather, who inherited them from the first-born. And now you have them. "

Jered regained his footing, his breathing shaky, "I wish... you would have given me the time to prepare," he hissed.

She laughed, "Where's the fun in that?"

"..."

"Well? Are you happy? Those eyes saw so much destruction and death... they empowered John... they pushed him close to divinity, Jered."

"How strong was he?" Jered couldn't help the question. At the same time, he also felt a bit of competition bubbling inside him.

"John?" Lucy smiled, "The last time I saw him he was a Starlight Emperor. That's the title for Magicians who unlock their 8th vein. You probably can't conceive how powerful your father was, and that's normal. You have yet to experience true power. But don't worry. If you manage to keep up the pace, one day you'll stand where he stood."

"I see..."

She saw the thoughtful frown on his face and hugged him, "There there," she chuckled when his frown deepened, "I have to go now, Jered. I'm glad I got to drop by though. I'm not sure I'll be able to do that again anytime soon, I'm afraid."

He tilted one eyebrow up when she pulled back, "How so?"

"You're not the only one who has to get ready to avenge John. I'm strong, but not enough. Besides, we can't do this alone. We need allies. People who have a bone to pick with the Anti-Pandemonium Alliance. Remember... this revenge we're seeking is going to involve a lot of people. The moment we take the first step, war will be waged, and no one will be able to stay out of it."

"..."

"That's why... let's make a promise," she held her pinky up, "Next time we meet, you must be, at the very least, an Arch-Magus."

He intertwined his pinky around hers, "This is stupid..."

Lucy's mouth twisted between a smile and a pout, "This is not stupid."

"Whatever you say," he smiled.

She returned the smile with one of her own, "You better not let me down... or else..."

And then she disappeared in a burst of smoke, her scent still lingering behind.

Jered blinked as he looked down, exactly where she was a few seconds earlier. And in her place, a whip with a note attached on it, was there.

'Since you liked it so much, I decided to give it to you :3'

He unconsciously picked it up, but immediately released it, "Fuck... it's wet."