"It's almost time for the ceremony," Auntie Katherine had announced, "You boys better hurry up and finish getting ready, or you'll miss it." She was now dressed in a pitch-black evening gown with glitter spread across it making it look like the night sky. Her head held a black hat one might wear to the beach, a black veil came in front of her face and covered a black mask that would make one think of a vampire. She looked like a bride of death, it was honestly quite impressive, especially when you learned that she had made all the outfits they'd be wearing tonight.

Patton and Roman were already dressed and ready, standing at the bottom of the stairs and waiting for the two wizards to finish. Both of them wore clothes resembling a nightgown, they had been colored a solid white, the most amount of color came from the fake pearl-like beads at the cuffs, hem, and collar. Roman honestly thought it was a ridiculous outfit but Virgil and Katherine had both said it was part of the ceremony and if he was going to participate he'd have to wear it. So he, begrudgingly, put on the nightgown and now stood beside Patton who along with his nightgown was also sporting their butterfly mask. His hair had been tied back with a white lace ribbon in a short braid.

Roman sighed dramatically, "Are you nearly done? Auntie Katherine already left!" He called up the stairs.

"Just give us a minute more, Virgil's looking for something," Logan called back, his voice sounding just as annoyed as Roman's. Roman gave another dramatic sigh, before leaning back against the wall and continuing to wait impatiently.

Less than five minutes later a door creaked open and the sounds of footsteps echoed from down the upstairs hall. "Finally!" Roman said with impatience as he kicked back off the wall and looked towards the stairs, "You two took forever- oh. Wow." Roman was silenced as soon as his eyes landed on the two young boys standing at the top of the staircase. Both Roman and Patton's faces showed that they were surprised and had not been expecting them to look so amazing or dressed up, but there the boys stood, both appearing like fairy tale characters rather than their true selves.

At the top of the stairs stood two young men, dressed to perfection. Virgil stood in front of Logan and smirked at the impressed looks Patton and Roman were giving them. The Dark Realm Prince was dressed in a stunning black suit. The pants were simple and dark with not a wrinkle in sight, black boots came up to his knees. His hair had been neatly combed and washed, what normally came down in front of his eyes had been pushed and held behind his ears with an almost invisible purple pin that blended into his colored hair. The jacket he wore was black with silver accents and buttons that came to the neck of the collar. There was a coattail that came down behind him, and across his chest was a purple sash that attracted attention to the prince. Beneath the jacket, you could see a purple shirt and a black vest. A black sword sheath was at his side, decorated just like his mask and suit with silver colors making beautiful designs on it. His mask was black, with purple and silver glitter dusting it. The cheekbones on the mask were narrow and sharp, the eyes were made to look more sunken in. The features of the mask were all exaggerated to give the wearer a dead-like and spooky appearance. He looked stunning

Next to him stood Logan, who had never once worn anything nearly this regal and seemed to still be getting used to it. His suit, much like Roman and Patton's gowns, was white. It had silver accents along with the cuffs, collar, and dancing across on one shoulder in a swirl like pattern. A pair of white gloves covered his hands, and a single white rose with a few drops of black coloring stuck out of his jacket pocket. Beneath his jacket was a navy blue shirt and, just like Virgil, a black vest. The suit fit his frame well, accentuating his tall build and making him look taller than he already was. It showed off his lack of fat, slightly fit frame, and a small amount of muscle. His mask was most impressive, resembling the face of an owl. Black, silver, and grey feathers took up a majority of the mask however there was also the occasional white one among the group as well. The beak was made of bone painted black and pointed slightly downward in angle to cover his nose. His glasses made it look a little awkward as they had been positioned in a way so that he could still see but it still all came together very nicely and made him look absolutely gorgeous.

Roman watched as Virgil climbed down the steps, Logan following behind him, the Light Realm prince stared at the other two with amazement, mouth hanging open in awe. 'Close your mouth princey, you'll catch flies' Virgil signed to him with a smirk.

Roman blushed slightly as he closed his mouth and looked away hurriedly. "You guys look... good," Roman said, his ears turning pink slightly. They looked really good. He had been attending dances and balls his whole life and he's never seen anybody so good-looking. He managed to look up again and gave a small smile, "Uhm, Ann, you said you already had a mask for me?"

Virgil nodded before holding up a finger to tell Roman to wait a moment, excitement showing on his face as he turned away to run up the steps and disappear down the hall. They could hear him searching for something in one of the rooms before he came running back out with something wrapped in dark tissue paper. He was careful, holding it with two hands as he came down the steps and handed the small package to Roman.

Having seen Virgil be so cautious with the wrapped item he was careful to peel back the paper. There were several layers of tissue paper and it took a moment to get them all off but as soon as he saw the mask beneath it all his breath left him, his mouth hung open once again, and his eyes were wide with surprise. Sitting in the paper was not one, but two, beautiful shiny masks. Both masks came together like puzzle pieces between the eyes, and when put together would cover about half the wearer's face. The mask that covered the left side of the face was a stunning emerald green, his brother's insignia was imprinted with a different type of material next to the eye. There was black sequence going around the perimeter of the mask, making the green stand out even more. The mask that went over the right eye was a beautiful red, just like the green one an insignia had been put next to the eye except this insignia was his. The perimeter of the mask was boarded by gold sequence. When the masks were paired together they fit together perfectly, they locked together and the black next to the gold only made it look better. The red and green were made up of shiny papers that felt as soft as feathers. The light bounced off them gently and made the walls around the house look decorated in odd shapes of reds, greens, blacks, and gold. It was absolutely fabulous.

"In the Dark Realm," Patton translated for Virgil seeing as Roman was still staring down in absolute amazement, "Twins will wear half a mask instead of a single one. And it can be any color they choose. Remus made these when he got his trait name, he spent weeks on them. He wanted to bring them home and find a way to send you yours, but he left them here by accident and we didn't want them to get ruined through the mail."

Roman looked up at Virgil, small tears making their way down his cheeks, 'I think if he were here he'd want you to wear it.' Virgil signed with a small smile. Roman could only stare at the younger prince before he suddenly threw his arms out at Virgil and pulled him into a hug, squeezing him tightly.

"I'm sorry," Roman said when he felt Virgil shift slightly in surprise, "I just- I miss him so much. And every time you talk about him it makes me so happy. And this is just so amazing. You're amazing." Roman hugged Virgil a little tighter, burying his face in Virgil's neck "Thank you for being there for him, Ann. Thank you so, so, much. And thanks for giving this to me. You were right, it's perfect"

Virgil stood stiffly in Roman's embrace as he forced himself to relax. He ran his hand down Roman's back in a reassuring way and gave him a small nod. Roman pulled away from Virgil after a moment before turning to the two others and showing them the masks. They smiled lightly at Roman as he carefully picked up the red mask and, with even more precaution, set the other mask down on a nearby table. With Roman now wearing his mask, the group was ready to go.

Patton excitedly took Virgil's hands and skipped out the door. Roman and Logan walked behind them, Roman's fingers ghosting the mask with a small smile as if it was the greatest treasure he had. Next to him, Logan was pulling at the corvat, he's never worn one before and found it greatly uncomfortable. He wondered aloud why someone would ever subject themselves to wearing such awful clothing before mumbling about how he was grateful he wasn't wearing traditional woman's attire.

"You're gonna mess it up if you keep doing that," Roman said, still brushing his fingers across his mask.

"It's uncomfortable," Logan mumbled, "I don't understand how you enjoy wearing this thing."

Roman rolled his eyes, "I enjoy it because it makes me happy"

"Happiness is an illusion"

"You're spending too much time with Ann," Roman told him with a laugh, Logan simply shrugged, "You look nice, you don't normally look like this when you dress up."

Logan paused before continuing slowly, "My family doesn't have the name to dress this nice," he pulled his hands away from the tie, "I don't know how to feel of how the Dark Realm presents its hierarchy, it doesn't seem as present or important here as it does at home."

Roman shrugged, "I like it, it's nice being seen as equal to you and Patton," the prince smiled, "I never really liked that about us. I'm just as human as you and Patton are."

"Actually you're more human than I am, I'm a wizard"

Roman rolled his eyes, "You know what I mean, I like how nobody thinks it's odd for us to be friends like they do at home. Virgil can be best friends with a fairy whose family title is nothing higher than business owner and nobody even bats an eye. At home when someone asks about my closest friends I have to substitute your father's name for your uncles for them to respect you."

"You shouldn't do that," Logan pouted, "I do not share my uncle's name. I will earn their respect in time. I will work hard for it, I do not need my uncle's assistance for any of that"

"My advice, Logan," Roman began as he pulled Logan to a stop and fixed the corvat, "take help where you can get it. Even a genius like you needs a hand every once in a while. Now come on, we're almost there." Roman smiled and turned to continue, but before he did, he carefully picked the white rose out of Logan's pocket and placed it in his own hair.

It was almost time.

Logan, Patton, and Roman were standing in a line leading up to the stage and going down to the left of the benches. Most of the people in the line were the traditional age for the ceremony, thirteen, but there was a handful of people who were older than that, the oldest in the line was a seventy-year-old man standing behind his grandchild.

Everyone in the line, as well as those to young to participate, wore white clothing. For the most part, those in line wore outfits matching Roman and Patton, however, there were a small group of people who wore suits or dresses standing in line, and when paired with a black mask they could all tell it meant that person was the leader in the household, like Logan. Everyone outside the line, who had already participated in the ceremony wore black outfits and looked as if they were going to the biggest party of the year.

This town had been one of the lucky ones, they had not been targetted during the attack and so all it's residents had been able to come if they so chose. Despite not having been hit, though, the town had still set up a small platform filled with candles, small gifts, and foods in honor of those that had either been taken, injured, or died in the attack.

The line moved forward slowly but at a constant pace, never stopping for to long. On the stage stood a man dressed in a grey robe, the only person whose outfit didn't quite fit among the blacks and whites, he stood between two large candlesticks that had been lit at the top. The man would beckon the first person in line to climb up the stage and approach him, the person would stop in front of him and the man would touch a part of the mask. He'd close his eyes, and after a few moments he would announce their trait name. The crowd would chear, but never for long, and the person would walk off the other end of the stage to go stand in a second line leading away from the stage and going down the right of the benches. The ceremony had followed this pattern flawlessly, and soon it would be their turn to walk across the stage.

Roman was still gently touching his mask. It was the only thing of his brother he had, the closest he could get to him at the moment. Patton was bouncing on their toes excitedly as he spoke to a girl in front of them in a hushed whisper. Logan was very focused on the ceremony, trying to to find out how the fere was able to decide which trait to give someone just by observing. Virgil had already explained that it was an ancient type of magic taught to a select few in the Dark Realm, he had also mentioned how not everyone had this gift and now Logan was determined to learn this magic despite having no teacher available to him. Virgil sat with his aunt in the audience, politely clapping and celebrating with each person that crossed the stage.

The man motioned for the girl in front of Patton to approach him. The girl smiled brightly as she crossed the platform, nearly tripping in her excitement, and stopped in front of the crowd. There was silence for a moment before the man smiled, "Kindness," he declared loud enough for all to hear but softly enough so he gave out a feeling of professionalism and maturity.

The crowd cheered as the girl jumped up and down before running to the other line and embracing the first, or last depending on how you looked at it, person in the line. The girl she hugged hugged back with a small smile before Kindness stood on her tiptoes and lightly pressed her lips to the others. The second girl looked shocked and the crowd cheered for a second time as the two girls kissed one more time.

The man laughed slightly as he beckoned for Patton now and the crowd quieted down as they walked across the stage. Patton smiled as he stopped in front of the man and waited. The fere placed a hand on the butterfly antennas their mask had and closed his eyes for a moment. "Morality," he declared a few seconds later. Patton smiled and thanked the man before walking off the stage.

Roman was next, slowly lowering his hand away from his mask and walking forward towards the center of the stage. "Hi," Roman said to the man.

"Hello," the man replied quietly, so the crowd couldn't hear. He gently pressed a finger to the insignia on Roman's mask, "I remember your brother,"

"You do?"

The man nodded, "I do, he's the only person I've ever given the name Intrusivity too. And the only person I've ever met who was happy to get such a name. He's a very... unique young man" The fere paused, "I can sense that within you too," and with that he pulled his hand away from Roman's mask and declared to the crowd, "Creativity!" The crowd cheered as Roman stared at the man for a moment, slightly awed by him, before he hurried off the stage to stand by Patton.

Logan was next, walking up the steps with a calm demeanor and stepping across the stage until he was standing in the proper spot. The man touched the beak of Logan's mask, and paused. He looked confused for a moment, which only served to tighten the anticipation the crowd and Logan himself. The man moved his hand away from the beak and towards Logan's temple and pulled away almost immediately, "Logic," he declared after a second of hesitation. The crowd hadn't seemed to notice and cheered as normal but Logan had noticed and he himself hesitated until walking off the stage to stand with everyone else as they waited for the last few people to be assigned their trait name.

It wasn't much longer until the last person walked off the stage and joined the rest of the line. It was getting a little late, the sun had almost completely set behind the distant mountains. The fere him the man began to speak. He carefully began to recite a speech of the meaning of the trait name ceremony and traditions as well as what it meant to be given on. It took no more then two minutes and was followed by a brief recognition of the attack and a moment of silence. Finally the man finished his speech and the ceremony as he looked at the line of white-wearing people with respect in his eyes.

"-And so, as the sun sets behind the mountains and valley's the children and people of the Dark Realm enter the next moment of their lives. They have reached the age where they are grown enough, or have reached the part of their lives where they are ready to take the last step of accepting the Dark Realm as a part of them. With the power vested in me by the people and leaders of the Dark Realm, I now hand you your trait names. Wear them with pride, for they are yours" With a wave of his hand the sun had finally finished it's journey behind the mountains and as the last of it's light disappeared something began to happen.

The clothes those in the line wore began to change, as did most of the masks, and any other white item that was worn on the body. The crowd ooed and awed as the transformation went, and cheered when they saw a relative or friend now completely dressed in black clothing. It wasn't just the colors that changed though, those who wore the odd nightgown like clothes found that changing as well into clothing much like those in the crowd wore. The line was now made up of people wearing black clothing fit to wear to a palace ball. With the line now completely changed, this only left those who had not yet gone through the ceremony wearing white.

And when you looked around you would find it wasn't just the clothing that had changed, but the decorations as well. The parts of the town that had been decorated in honor of the ceremony had been dressed in white as well, but now all those streamers, paper lanterns, and other decorative trinkets had turned as black as a ravens feather. Candles had been lit seemingly by themselves chairs and benches that the crowd had been sitting on moved themselves to scattered tables and places so people had other places to sit if they wanted. It didn't take many more clues to know that the party had officially begun.