MIDNIGHT PRINCE: Empire of Sin

⟦28th November 2030 — Day of Thanksgiving — 6 pm⟧

The sky was reddening with the evening glow, the aura of twilight permeating the atmosphere, as the sun slowly set behind the Beverly Hills of Los Angeles.

It was a sight for sore eyes. A sight filled with wonderland that gave one a desire to admire the power of mother nature. Everywhere, people were going at home or visiting friends and family in order to share the beautiful day that was Thanksgiving.

Some would simply spend the day alone while others would do so as a couple or family.

Inside Adam's house, the place was preparing for the day of festivity between loved and close ones which was called Thanksgiving. It was nothing impressive really, but Cecilia had worked hard on the backyard and a grill stood proudly among the grassy plane while Makarov worked on the fire.

His white hair was slightly charred around the tips and there was even soot on his clothes. It was hard to imagine that a blacksmith like him could be affected by the fire in such a clear and clumsy way, even more so because he was not just any blacksmith but the greatest blacksmith of the supernatural world, but there was a clear reason for something like this happening.

"Don't approach me. Don't even think of touching the fire. Just don't even move."

Makarov growled under his breath while shooting a threatening look toward Cecilia as he opened his arms wide and made a barrier take place around the grill.

It looked like he would stop Cecilia from approaching the meat even if it was the last thing he would do in this world at this point.

"But…" Cecilia gave an awkward smile but she knew that she could not blame Makarov after what had transpired a few moments ago in the kitchen. This had certainly not been one of her proudest moments.

"No buts. No ifs. Go to your room and change your clothes and just play the hostess for today. I will take care of the food otherwise we will only have pizza or charcoal to eat."

In the end, Cecilia could only give a bitter smile while she ignored the loud chortle coming from Adam and Viktor who were working on setting out the tables.

During the Day of Thanksgiving, eating turkey with the family was quite a common sight among the households and while Makarov was not a great chef, he knew more than enough to prepare a great meal worthy of Thanksgiving.

His mistake had been in asking Cecilia for some help in the process.

Truthfully speaking, while Cecilia was a bad cook, she was not so horrible that she could not at least do some simple task while being guided by someone else.

The problem was that she had a horrible control of fire or rather, whenever she handled fire, it changed property even without her direct will.

Cecilia could, in a way, be said to be one of the humans who were closest to the absolute destructive nature of fire. At her peak, one could have even called her a fire Elemental due to the pure destruction that she was able to bring out from any and all forms of fire.

Usually, she had a certain control over this aspect and she would have never been able to reach the level she had once reached with poor control. However, since she regained her lost powers over fire not long ago and she had once again gotten access to her Truth, it was inevitable that some form of mishap was about to happen one way or another once she came into the vicinity of any fire.

All the food was burned beyond any possible form of salvation. Charred to the point of becoming charcoal and if they had not acted fast enough then the house itself would have burnt and they would have to call the firefighter by now instead of preparing for the Thanksgiving Dinner.

To say that Makarov was pissed would be an understatement. Furthermore, having a Turkey for the Thanksgiving meal now was utterly impossible. But thankfully, while hours of work went down the drain, hope was not lost as Viktor proposed a simple improvise…

Seeing the dejected Cecilia wallowing about here and there, Makarov's tone and heart both became softer. He knew very well that Cecilia was more excited than anyone else about the current event. After all, this would be her first Thanksgiving with her sister in almost twenty years.

This would also be the first time in twenty whole years that she celebrated without feeling innately weakened by the constraints of the curse…

In more ways than one, this was truly a happy day for her and he understood the desperation Cecilia must be feeling in wishing to make this day as perfect and memorable as possible.

"Look. Relax, okay. Leave everything to us. The boys will soon finish with the tables. You can help them with the drinks and some other miscellaneous chores and then you should doll yourself up. You don't want your sister to one up you in that department, right?

Cecilia smiled, feeling her spirit lift up greatly with those words, "I really feel like you are treating me like a kid right now, old man."

"Heh. I see all of you guys as children. Come talk again when you reach my age, lass…"

"Even when I reach your age I will still be young looking, you know…"

She laughed and avoided the rock Makarov threw at her before scampering toward the living room.

It was indeed time for her to change her clothes even if he didn't remind her about it. After all, they had also gotten slightly burned due to the mishap.

Once she finally entered the living room, the smile on Cecilia's face slipped slightly as she looked at her hands.

While the fire had indeed gone wild, something had felt different amidst that mishap. It was different from everything she remembered as if her fire had somehow gained a new property. One that needed further exploration…

'Should I give it a try?'

She clenched her fists before relaxing them. Now was not the time for something like this. She could not squander the life force that she received from the potion Medusa had so generously given her…

Something big would happen soon. She was sure of it and they might have need for her powers then. While she could not be at her maximum capacity, she was sure that she could bring some much-needed help to the table.

'Sigh. Why are things becoming so complicated?'

She looked at Adam as he smiled while working and placing the chairs and suddenly the despondence that had been filling her heart vanished like a lie and a smile lit her face.

This was how life had always been. Nothing was ever easy and you needed to fight teeth and nail to get a hold of what you really wished for.

Crying was useless.

Whining was a waste of time.

Hesitation only made failure to be the most likely outcome.

All you could do in the face of adversity was fight, fight, and fight. You had to hold on with your teeth gritted even as the blood left your body endlessly, even as death approached your doorsteps.

The only hope that existed was the hope that once you passed the moment of great turbulence, a sky full of light would welcome you with open arms.

For her, this blue sky was the happiness of Adam.

She had been trudging alone all this while for the sole goal of accomplishing this reality.

She could feel that they were reaching new milestones and soon Adam would need her protection no more.

Like a proud eagle, he would soar in the skies and reign as a true 'King.'

'Just a little more.'

As long as Hope existed then she had to fight.

Even when Hope was extinguished, she still had to fight.

She had to fight on to her last breath to ensure the happiness of her child.

It was only after no more life was left in her body that she would be allowed to seek eternal rest.

"Well… Let's have some fun now shall we?"

She smiled as the bell rang.

It was finally time to start the party in full swing.

(AN: I am on fire. Another chapter incoming.)