[04.00 PM - The backyard of Arbona's house]

  “I will channel a fraction of my anima into your left hand. Learn to feel it, and then let it out through your right hand,” Randia and Viena are holding hands.

  Since Randia has an extraordinary magical energy capacity as one of his blessings as the great hero, he needs to be careful not to damage Viena's magical vein that has been busted by the wrongful use of yarna even further. It's as hard as if he is trying to put a mb on top of a pair of chopsticks while trying not to make even a single crack on them. One mistake and it could end up ugly.

  Little by little, Viena could feel something entering her body. She felt another beat that was in rhythm with her heartbeat. Something very subtle and mystical that was difficult to interpret with words.

  A few moments ter, Viena felt her body become heavy and her head felt dizzy. She also felt something sticky under her skin that was difficult to flow like a pipe filled with mud. It's gunky and sticky and the strange feeling makes her feel hesitant.

  “Don’t fight it. The first flow is always difficult. It’s like moving a tree that has its roots firmly in the ground. It’s better to focus your mind on breathing and try to rex your right hand. Let what goes in come back out.”

  A few try after Randia gave the instruction, Viena is already able to perfectly do what he told her to do. Slowly, Viena's magical energy flow began to circute well. The circution of energy that was initially only from hand to hand, can now be channeled throughout the body and released through the proper door.

  They practiced controlling the circution of energy for almost two hours without stopping. Starting from changing the direction of the current to increasing the intensity, so that Viena could truly master the flow and movement of magic energy in her body.

  At one point, Randia can finally see Viena producing her own magical energy in her palms that was marked by swirls and vibrating of meta, although its use was still unstable and explosive.

  "I-I did it!"

  "Let us end it for today. Now, tell me what you have learned."

  "You taught me how to circute anima. I received some from you, and then I let it out, and it turns into meta."

  Randia nodded.

  "Also, you taught me how to wake up my core to generate my own anima by gathering the meta on my own through breathing."

  Randia nodded again.

  "Finally, I learned to have better control by absorbing and releasing through specific fingers, either one by one, in group, alternately, or simultaneously! Like pying the church piano!"

  ". . . That's right, remember it well and you can only rehearse what you have learned, nothing more. Now go take a bath, it's getting te."

  "Why can't we just continue for a little bit - Eh . . . .? Huh . . .?"

  When Viena wanted to stand up from the grass, she suddenly loses bance and fell back on the ground. Randia just watched her lying nguid and helpless. At first, she was fine and rexing, but she grows gradually anxious when Randia is standing up and is about to leave her.

  Finally, she went hysterical when Randia is leaving her for real. She wanted to call for help, but she couldn't even talk let alone scream. All of her body feels palsied and she the best she can do is humming hard. Viena was about to cry until Randia finally had his fun and makes her body float and slowly pced right into his arm, like how he usually carries her during their travel.

  "Extra lesson for today; Never takes magic lightly."

  Days gone by for everyone in the House of Arbona, until finally Viena's birthday comes.

  [Junda, 27th of High Tide, 10th Year of the Fourth Age]

  Today, Viena is overslept. It's already eight in the morning and she is still in her room. The reason for that is because she was learning how to sew the rip on Randia's robe with Lisabelle. She finished patching up the hole with cat pattern at midnight, and it messed up her sleeping schedule since she usually sleeps at ten or even earlier every day.

  "Vivi."

  ". . . ."

  "Vivi, wake up."

  ". . . Nngh."

  "Wake up now or I'll put two spoons of salt in your mouth."

  Viena is now half-awake. She is slowly dragging herself to the edge of her bed. It's clear to see that she is still swimming in the clouds of her dream. Seeing this, Lisabelle takes her by the hand and guide her to the bathroom. She helps Viena wash her face and brush her teeth. Then, after she is refreshed, they went downstair where everyone has been waiting, including An and Gwen.

  "Wow! A whole turkey?! Isn't this a little too much for breakfast?" Viena jumps giddily.

  "Hahaha. Of course! It's for our birthday girl!" said Eleanor.

  At that moment, Viena looked at everyone faces and realized that it was her day. She smiles so wide and looked so blessed and joyful until she eventually bursts out into tears. She buries herself in Lisabelle's chest as Eleanor stands up from her chair to gives her a hug. It has been years since the st time her birthday was celebrated.

  After she calmed down a little, Randia called for her.

  "Are you going to keep crying until noon and let us starve?"

  Viena ughs in her tears and walk up to her dad, hugging him.

  "Let's eat!"

  After the big feast, they all gathered in the living room. Each has a present for Viena, and it started with Lisabelle.

  Lisabelle gives Viena a lovely seafoam green hooded cloak with complex native Surnaban (a city in Zarim) embroidery pattern colored in beige. It took no less than four months for her to make it by her own hands, using all the most exquisite supplies that Vincent gave her as present. She intended to wear it for herself for the Blossom Ceremony, but she abandoned the idea and make adjustment to it as soon as she overheard the talk about Viena's birthday.

  "I think it's a little bit big for you. But I guess that just mean you can keep it with you for longer."

  "T-This is too pretty! Are you sure I can have this, Lily? It's okay to have second thought, you know?"

  "Ha. Don't underestimate me. I can make thousands like that if I want to."

  "Then . . . can you lean down a little?"

  "Huh?"

  When Lisabelle bends her body forward, Viena put her arms around her neck and kissed her left cheek. In instant, Lisabelle bashfully jumped back while holding her cheek.

  "W-W-What are you doing?! Y-You can't do that! Kuh . . . ! You! Did you teach her to k-kiss people so casually?!" Lisabelle pointed at Randia.

  "Uh, no. I was as startled as you when she did that the first time," Randia replied.

  "ANYWAY! You mustn't do that out of nowhere! This is so crazy! Unbelievable!"

  "(She loves it)," Gwen whispered to An.

  "(Yeah, that couldn't be clearer)," An whispered to Glen.

  When Lisabelle is blurting her heart out, Viena tilted her head.

  "Do you really hate it that much?"

  "Nha-! I-It's not about that, I mean-! How could you . . . ?! You know that is too-!"

  "Hm? Too what?"

  At this point, Lisabelle is already turned into a strawberry. In her lost for words, she turns his back towards Viena and walk away.

  "Tsk! TOILET!"

  Eleanor who is watching all the time, cracks a chuckle.

  "This is the first time I saw her bumbling that hard. It's definitely not an everyday thing."

  They ended up riding on that merriment and continue to present their gifts to Viena. An and Gwen give her a wooden recorder. Her first blow startled everyone including herself since she blows it with all her might, in which Randia immediately plug the hole at the end of the recorder with his finger.

  Next one is a gift from Eleanor. She puts a pure gold curb bracelet in Viena's left hand. This time also, Randia stopped her by holding the little girl's hand.

  "Madam. I cannot thank you enough for what you have done for us, but this . . . This is simply too much."

  Eleanor tapped Randia's hand, telling her to let go before showing what is etched at the inner side of the bracelet. It shows the word 'Arbon' along with the sunflower emblem Viena saw on the mansion's gate back in Uncle Liam's pce.

  "We have allies and partners, as well as people who owes gratitude scattered not only in this country but also across the nd. I hope nothing bad would ever befall any of us, but should it happen, I wish this will be helpful."

  Then, Eleanor kissed Viena on the head.

  "Both of you are a part of our family."