The festivities were more colorful than ever.
The entire Suniva was abuzz with celebratory spirit, decorating their houses with the two angel wings as a sign of good luck.
This sudden tradition had started after Xion’s ’Saint-form’, as people liked to call it.
Since then, on every anniversary, they would hold the grandest party of the year in honor of Saint Xion and the goddess who protected them from evil.
Governor Oswin Suniva would personally come and donate to the poor in the name of Saint Xion.
Lanterns glowed overhead in bright, colored hues, reflecting in the blue eyes of Aurilius, who had grown a lot taller in the last five years.
Most of the credit went to his grandmother and His Grace Xion, who would always feed him with new dishes.
Graceful, gentle, and with silver hair framing his pretty face, the sixteen-year-old Aurilius was the very picture of what others like to call a winter fairy.
Though he didn’t like that title, as it was given to him by the Prince Noxian.
That reminded him of the snacks His Grace Xion insisted on packing for him.
He looked at the biscuits on the table, and his entire face glowed brighter with a smile.
The night was chilly, but his clothes kept him perfectly warm.
He sat on the chair, resting his chin on his palm.
The balcony of the tallest inn gave him the perfect view of the entire market.
Music echoed around him as the crowd thronged through the busy streets.
This was where it all began for him.
Life as the son of a drunk and a hunter was never easy for him. Others might have envied him for at least having food to eat.
But was it worth it when his own mother hated to eat in the same room as him?
His father had kidnapped the pretty lady while on a hunt and then married her. Thus, he was born.
He had inherited her looks, and seeing him was like looking into a mirror. A broken piece of glass that always made her heart bleed.
More than once, she tried to scratch his face, calling him ugly.
"You are nothing but a curse! Why don’t you die! No one will ever love a monster like you!"
Although he was a child, he was smart enough to understand his mother hated his face.
So, he would keep it covered under the mud, the uglier, the better.
That was until he managed to buy the color-changing mana crystals that hid his hair.
As for his eyes, it was easy to cover them with his bangs.
Things went better after that, even if only a little.
However, the famine struck, and his father was quick to sell him to the drunken neighbour.
Aurilius took his chance and ran away.
As for his real mother and father, he had no idea what happened to them. He lied to Allen that they died, or maybe that was what he was hoping for.
However, he saw them again in the capital.
He still recalled how terrified he was when his father looked at him.
Perhaps his scrawny figure and long hair kept the old man from recognizing him.
It was then that he met Allen, the great Alchemist.
Fate had a different plan for him after all.
Not only did he survive the plague, but he also managed to get the loveliest family in the world.
His favorite was his Dad Allen, of course.
Like a ritual, he would return to Suniva during the winters and enjoy the festive nights.
It was a reminder that all those bleak days had transformed into these lovely, cheerful times.
His once long hair was shorter now, barely reaching his shoulders. There was no need to hide anymore.
Every time he looked in the mirror or someone praised him for having the same eyes as the saint, he would feel the happiness bubble in his chest.
Because it made his papa Ray jealous. "They are like me, right, Allen?"
No matter how many times it happened, it always made him and Dad laugh.
Both of his dads were the nicest people, though Dad Allen was scary sometimes. Even his papa was afraid of him.
As he gazed up, the snowflakes started to drift down, and one landed on the tip of his nose.
Aurilius smiled, his blue eyes shimmering with the reflection of the moon.
It was so nice, he thought, until he heard that voice. The scary voice of Prince Noxian.
"This is where you were hiding?"
Aurilius hastily stood up, his lips parted in shock.
"If you dare to say anything to my brother, I’ll forget you are the son of my teacher."
"Nights aren’t for little fairies to stroll around, Aurilius. What if a bad person catches you and..."
"Noxian, baby. Call me by my name."
"Good boy," Noxian grinned. "See? That wasn’t so hard."
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