Chapter 201 - Lucy, Birthday — Heartbreak
Lucy's Perspective:
Today is my birthday.
I always used to celebrate with Lara Greyrat, because our birthdays are really close together. But this time — my fifth birthday — Papa and Mama said we'd celebrate separately.
-----
The morning ran about the same as Lara Greyrat's birthday.
Windsor came to wake us up. Papa got us ready. We all had breakfast together.
At noon, though, Papa didn't come out to the courtyard for magic practice with me. He must have been getting my birthday ready. So it was Lara Greyrat teaching me magic while Windsor paced back and forth beside us for no reason I could figure out.
"Lucy, you just need to understand magic. Once you understand it, you'll be able to do Voiceless Casting."
"Understand it..."
"Like Water Magic, for example. At its core, it's just water, you know."
"..."
I couldn't understand a word of what Lara Greyrat was teaching me.
She kept saying things that were completely obvious and acting like that was the lesson.
Of course I know Water Magic is basically water!
Windsor spoke up from beside us.
"Lara, how is Lucy supposed to understand anything when you explain it like that?"
"Eh~ then you explain it, Windsor."
"I don't know magic."
"Then don't argue with me!"
"But you teach exactly like Red Mama and Grandpa. Lucy could be the smartest person alive and still not get it."
"Is... is it really that bad...?"
"Mm. Red Mama says a bunch of things I can hear just fine but can't actually understand. Grandpa is worse — his teaching is basically just sounds. Like [Waah] and [Boom] and [Hah]. Though Red Mama is actually great when she's teaching in a real fight."
"Practical combat, huh. Mm..."
Lara Greyrat nodded, lifted her little staff, and came over to stand beside me.
"Lucy, let me try chanting it once too. Let's see where the difference is."
"Okay."
Lara Greyrat cast her spell, chanting it out loud. Just an advanced-level combination of Fire and Wind Magic, nothing remarkable on its own. But after she sent it into the sky, the clouds that had been hanging overhead all morning broke apart.
The sky cleared.
"Lucy, your turn!"
"Okay."
I copied what Lara Greyrat had done and sent my magic up into the sky. She watched, then nodded.
"Pretty much the same as mine! So what exactly don't you understand? Why can't you do Voiceless Casting?"
"I don't know..."
And what do you mean, pretty much the same.
My magic absolutely cannot change the weather.
We were both stuck, not sure what to try next, when Papa stepped out from the house. He spotted us in the courtyard and walked over with a smile.
"Practicing?"
"Mm. Lara Greyrat is teaching me Voiceless Casting."
Papa patted my head, then Lara Greyrat's. He glanced over at Windsor, and she immediately drifted closer to get her head patted too.
"Voiceless Casting, huh~ no rush. Papa wrote Lucy a new magic theory book."
"A new one?"
"Mm, a new one. Now let's have lunch first."
"Okay."
We reached the front door and Papa held out his hand, stopping me. He smiled.
"Lucy, wait out here a moment."
"...You already have a surprise ready at noon?"
"Doesn't Lucy dislike big crowds? Tonight it'll just be Grandpa and Grandma, so we set it up now instead."
"Mm!"
Papa headed inside with my sisters.
Through the door I could hear my mamas moving around, voices overlapping, a little frantic.
A few minutes later, Green Mama's voice came from inside.
"Lucy~ come on in."
And right after she said it, I heard the quick patter of someone running.
What in the world are they doing in there.
I pushed the door open.
Inside, I couldn't see anything. The house was completely dark.
Then, one by one, little points of light appeared in the air. Soft glowing orbs, lit by magic, rising and floating like stars scattered overhead.
I was still trying to make sense of it when tiny water droplets formed around me, drifting and spinning, slowly drawing together into the shape of a small bird. A water bird, delicate and transparent, its wings fanning gently as it hovered in front of me.
"It's beautiful..."
Then the bird turned and flew deeper into the house, like it was leading me somewhere. With each step I took, more stars blinked on around it, one after another.
I followed.
Near the end of the room the bird slowed to a stop. It glowed softly in front of me, then dissolved into nothing.
All the stars blazed bright at once.
And there they were.
Papa. My mamas. My sisters. Together.
"Happy birthday, Lucy!"
------
Lunch that day left me with a full, warm feeling I couldn't quite put into words.
When evening came, Grandpa and Grandma arrived to celebrate too. It wasn't as lively as Lara Greyrat's birthday had been, but I was happy. Really happy.
Papa gave me his gift: a brand-new magic theory book. Grandpa and Grandma had also brought books, which earned Grandpa a scolding from Grandma Zenith right then and there. My mamas gave me things I'd actually use, pretty new clothes, new shoes. Green Mama's gift was different. She handed me a small staff, a little worn with age.
Papa had given it to her when she was little, apparently.
I held it and didn't know what to think. The only thing I was sure of was that I would keep it safe. Always.
------
Before bed, I sat with the magic book Papa had given me.
Lara Greyrat and Windsor had worn themselves out and were already asleep.
Two or three pages in, and you already knew how much thought Papa had put into it. Magic principles, step-by-step instructions, how to channel magic power, all of it written out clearly. And alongside all of that, tucked in beside the theory, were notes in Papa's handwriting.
Like this one:
[Papa once failed at this magic too. That was when I was seven years old...]
And this one:
[I spent a very long time teaching this magic to your Green Mama, so there's really no need to rush.]
And this:
[Ahh~ this one's a little tricky, but if it's Lucy, I know you can do it. And if you can't, Papa is right here, just come ask me!]
And this:
[Mm-hmm, your Blue Mama is the one who taught this magic to me. It's not difficult, but getting truly comfortable with it takes a little time.]
Just reading through them, I could feel how much care he'd put into every page.
I turned pages one by one in the quiet. I wasn't reading the theory or the principles. I was only reading the notes.
Some were little stories. Some were words of encouragement. And through the stories, my mamas kept appearing, one after another.
In the Fire Magic section, Papa wrote:
[The first time I became your Red Mama's teacher, the first thing she ever saw was Papa's Fire Magic. She was completely taken in. After that, she became my student without a second thought. Hahaha.]
In the Water Magic section:
[Ahh~ the first time your Blue Mama and I met, the magic she showed me was Water Magic. She also knocked over a little tree that your grandma treasured dearly. To this day, your grandma has no idea that tree was ever damaged...]
In the Wind Magic section:
[Wind, actually, I haven't used it in a long time. Papa invented Gravity Magic, after all! Much more useful. But Wind Magic has a good memory attached to it. Back when Papa was traveling the Demon Continent, your Natsu Mama was still small, and I carried her the whole way with Wind Magic~]
In the Ice Magic section:
[Ice Magic... this is probably your Green Mama's best offensive magic. The first time I taught her, it was Ice Magic too, and she learned it in a single afternoon. I was genuinely shocked. Lucy is Green Mama's daughter, so I know you can do it. But even if you struggle, don't keep it to yourself, okay? Tell me. Tell your mamas. We'll work it out together. That's what family does.]
I read through every story, every note, all the way to the final page.
I'm not sure how long it took. Maybe 2 hours.
On the last page, written in different handwriting, Papa's, each of my mamas', Grandpa's, Grandma's, my sisters', were the same words.
[Happy birthday, Lucy!]
➤ Next: Windsor and Spring