Leo slowly turned away because he thought he was sounding ridiculous. Complaining about how his birthdays hadn’t been what he wanted like some overgrown brat. Next thing he knew, his feet started moving on their own toward the apple tree. Kazu and Celine hurried after him and all three were walking beside one another.

“How come you’ve never told us this?” Questioned the witch.

“I guess I was embarrassed of coming off as selfish about it,” Leo sighed.

“Leo, you have nothing to be embarrassed over,” Kazu consoled. “And we don’t need the festival to have fun on your birthday.”

Hearing his best friend say something so genuine almost surprised him. Leo usually saw him as the carefree cousin who enjoyed causing trouble for others. The perfect example would be he tried stealing some sweets from the village bakery. That memory always made Leo laugh because Kazu was caught once by his own mother. Before he could crack a smile, the sorcerer felt a presence give him a nudge on the shoulder. When he looked, he saw that it was his horse in need of attention.

“See, even Ariel has your back,” joked the Kagemusha.

The three all laughed before the white stallion gave Leo another push. He provided Ariel a pet on the nose and continued talking with his friends.

“You know what I want as my birthday gift?” Asked the sorcerer rhetorically. “To explore all areas of Savína.”

Leo kept on petting Ariel and imagined the first thing he would do. He remembered at ime his father was tasked in delivering resources for the village chief. When he came back, he told him of the town that was located just west of Sanctum. Houses built from stone, stores that sell weapons, and people from other lands beyond reach. And those were only a few things that intrigued the sorcerer.

“You think our parents will be okay with that?” Celine questioned, gaining Leo’s attention.

“I doubt it,” debated Kazu and muttered, “Especially with your crazy mother against everything you do.”

Once again, Kazu succeeded with bringing out Celine’s abrasive side. The witch was staring daggers at the Kagemusha, then fired a quick blast at him. Sadly, she missed and was later apprehended by two men who both appeared from nowhere.

“Oh Celine, you know better than to get provoked so easily,” voiced one of the men.

Leo immediately froze when he recognized who’s voice that was. He pulled away from petting Ariel and turned his gaze over at Celine’s direction. Both men stood taller and older compared to the three, grinning proudly from ear to ear.

“What’re you doing here, Dad?” Questioned Leo.

“Well, good morning to you too, Cub!” he replied, letting go of Celine.

Fredrick Cayden, Leo’s father, a powerful sorcerer, and helper to those in Sanctum. Whatever jobs that’re needed to be dealt with; he would always lend a hand. Especially when it came to importing and exporting resources for the chief. Its surprised villagers that a magic wielder like Fredrick take an interest inmanual labor. But what still managed to amaze them were how much he and Leo shared appearances. Down to the smile he was giving his son, aside from shorter hair, beard, and height of course. Not to forget the accent in his voice that indicated his Avinerian heritage.

“Do you plan on standing there all day?” Fredrick inquired. “Or are you going to give your father a hug?”

Leo rolled his eyes and gave a half grin as he walked to his father. The two embraced like any loving parent would express affection toward their own child. Then, Fredrick started ruffling Leo’s hair, receiving a playful shove from his son. Watching them act that way caused the other man to release Celine and move over to Kazu.

“W-What?” He asked cautiously.

“Don’t think you’re getting out of a hug from me, Kazuya,” smirked the man.

“Ugh, Dad!” the Kagemusha whined. “Do I have to?”

Kazu’s father, Akira Nishimura, was a former member of the Kagemusha. He and his wife helped Leo’s parents escape to Sanctum before their sons were born. And like Fredrick and Leo, Akira and his son shared a lot of similarities in appearance. Since living in the village, Akira’s worked as a repairman, fixing whatever seemed broken. But occasionally, he would assist Fredrick in exporting resources to neighboring towns. He moved closer toward his son, holding his arms out awaiting for the hug to commence. Kazu, however, was backing away from him, keeping his guard up against the man.

“Oh, come now son,” Akira complained. “You act as if I’m going to hurt you.”

“Well, you can’t really blame me,” asserted Kazu. “You’re always squeezing the life out of me with those hugs of yours.”

While it sounded like an exaggeration, Leo would have to agree on that. He received them all the times Kazu invited him to his house when Akira was home. Its’ no secret his physical strength came from years and years of his work in hard labor. In the sorcerer’s perspective, it was like a large snake crushing the life out of its prey. Kazu continued to back away from his father, trying not to get himself caught in the trap. The others watched with amusement till the former Kagemusha raised his arms in defeat.

“Alright fine,” Akira said, walking away, “If this is how you want it…”

Before finishing his sentence, he turned away and walked back to the group. Kazu was confused seeing his father just give up on the topic that easily. But as the younger Kagemusha let his guard down, Leo saw a sly grin forming on Akira’s face. He figured the man was planning to get a hug from his son at any possible way.

“…I’ll just get my hug the old-fashioned way.”

Akira stated, while bringing two fingers up in front of his face. Then suddenly, four more men, who looked exactly like him, appeared out of thin air. They were standing together one by one, facing Kazu as his body tensed in fear.

“Replication technique,” Leo plainly recognized. “I haven’t seen that in a while.”

“That’s because after learning it, Cub, you move right onto the next spell,” jokedFredrick.

Leo rolled his eyes before watching a replicate Akira launch himself at Kazu. Fortunately, the younger Kagemusha reacted quick and threw a swift jab at its face. The failed replicate disappeared like a cloud of smoke, making the others leap all at once. But Kazu managed to keep his focus in check and teleported away just in time. The real Akira’s eyes shot wide with astonishment and cursed under his breath. Then, he turned back to the group and noticed his nephew smiling wide.

“I forgot you three learned the teleportation spell today,” The former Kagemusha smirked back.

“You’ll have to thank Celine for suggesting it,” Leo informed, earning a glare from the witch.

“It does explain how you snuck out of the house this morning,” speculated Fredrick. 

To be continued...