A nice, idyllic day is what greeted the citizens of Kinkan on this early summer day. The students of the academy were nearing their last days of their semester before summer break, and the mayor of the small town was preparing for the 17th annual royal festival, celebrating the liberation of the town and the defeat of the Raven.

Ever since then, the town has brightened significantly. The rundown buildings in the town center had been fixed up and now housed new families and new businesses. The town itself had expanded, welcoming more citizens.

Things were finally returning to balance.

In the school, a new generation of talented students were being taught the fine arts by the many teachers on their staff, teachers of whom were currently becoming very irritated with the lack of motivation in their students as the break approached.

"...Students, if you are not going to take this class seriously, why bother showing up?" An upright teacher with greying mauve hair, a wiry mustache, and odd mannerisms admonished.

A girl with hair which matched his raised her hand with a smirk on her face.

The teacher sighed. "...Yes, Chiyo?"

"'Cause you make us?" She replied, and a couple of her fellow ballet classmates snickered.

"A very interesting take, Miss Katze. I'd appreciate it if you continued thinking it over while in de-e-etention!" He tapped his foot, twisting his mustache between his fingers.

The girl, Chiyo, rolled her pink-hued eyes. "Yeah whatever you say, Mister Katze."

With that interaction past, the class continued somewhat smoother. The students all still chatted amiably while stretching, and while practicing, despite Mr. Kazte insisting that they shut their mouths and focus on class.

Not too long after, class ended, with only one of the pupils having to stay behind with the teacher, her bag slung over her shoulder.

"Chiyo, I'd like for you to stay behind and clean up the room. When you finish, you can come home," the man said curtly, twisting his mustache between his fingers.

Chiyo looked around the room with an eyebrow cocked in irritation. Her cat-like eyes narrowed on the man in front of her. "But, Father, that'll-"

"Not ny-o-ow, Chiyo. If you didn't want detention, you shouldn't have acted up in class. You're lu-u-ucky I'm not grounding you," Mr. Katze replied, turning towards the door. "I want this classroom to be spotless when I return, you know where the cleaning supplies are."

"Father, I'm gonna miss the-" Chiyo started, but the man had already shut the door behind him, leaving her alone in the classroom. "-festival. Oh well, it's only the first day. Nothing interesting ever happens on the first day." She muttered bitterly, and gave herself a shrug and got to work cleaning the classroom, eyes occasionally darting out the window to watch the beginnings of the festival as the sun began to set.

Meanwhile, the royal procession was passing through the town, with King Siegfried and Queen Rue in the center of it all, sticking out easily in their ornate carriage pulled along by beautiful white horses. They were surrounded by their royal court, a few kingdom citizens, and in the streets were the citizens of Kinkan, cheering them on.

Slowly, their carriage arrived in the town center, pulling close to a raised platform which held a podium, an unlit paper lantern with the King's coat of arms painted on the front sitting atop it. Towards the back of the platform were two thrones, both of which were also decorated with the King's coat of arms. The platform itself was surrounded by strung up lanterns, all depicting scenes of the battle that took place 17 years ago. A Raven being slain, the dancing duck, a quill to paper, a crow rising up, and the swan wielding a sword.

The citizens gathered around as the King stepped up onto the platform, approaching the podium. His messy white tresses had been tamed and sat beneath an ornate gold and deep purple colored crown. Subtle lines under his eyes and creasing his forehead were the only tellings of his older age, as his body was still thin and strong, from the looks of it anyway.

Beside him walked the Queen, who had also matured since the battle. Small streaks of white already littered her fluffy brown hair, which rested under a crown similar to the King's. She smiled gently at the crowd of people as Siegfried took his place in front of the podium, his hands resting on each side of its wooden structure while he cleared his throat to address the crowd.

"Welcome, to the 17th annual celebration of peace!" He started with a smile towards the crowd who cheered, and he waited for them to settle down before continuing. "It was on this day, 17 years ago, that a brave group of friends aided in my long quest to defeat the Raven. A hope-filled duck, an ambitious writer, and a brave ballerina," he paused, one hand falling to Rue's waist as he pulled her closer, "and without them… I would not have had the strength to end the Raven's reign. Without the bravery of Kinkan, I would not have accomplished the things that I have," he continued, lighting a match as he spoke as Rue held up the lantern. "With this lantern, I hope to light our way into another peaceful year." He finished, holding the match under the lantern, and watching as it slowly lifted into the air. Other uniquely decorated lanterns followed it into the sky, lighting up the town with their soft glow. The King's head turned again to address the crowd. "I'd also like to thank Mayor Charlotte Katze for putting the festival together, I hope you all enjoy yourselves."

Amidst the crowd, a man clad in all black rolled his crimson colored eyes, stalking out of the crowded square with an irritated expression. He hadn't wanted to stick around for the man's speech, but he had been somewhat curious as to what Siegfried had to say.

Now, he figured he was wasting time just standing around. He had a woman to find, and a deal to finally fulfill. It'd been quite awhile since he had last seen that woman, but he was sure she was still willing to pay her half of the deal they had made many years ago. If not… well, he had his ways of making her pay up.

He glided through the town, barely glancing around at the modern buildings that surrounded him. Just how long had it been since he'd last walked its streets? He soon approached the forest on the far side of the town, passing the familiar landmarks to get to his destination. The tree split down the middle, the rock shaped like an eye, a ring of mushrooms-the man was careful to not step in that, though-and he soon arrived at a small hut beside a pond. It was rundown as all get-out, the shutter's barely holding on by screw, all but one of the windows was shattered, the door sat slightly ajar. His eyes narrowed as he approached.

"Nona," he called, gravelly voice sounding out of place in the silent clearing. "It's the Raven, and you should know that putting a charm on your residence to look abandoned cannot stop me from coming to collect-" He stepped into the house, and found it to be actually abandoned. "-Oh." It looked like the house really hadn't been lived in for decades, with the thick layer of dust that coated everything.

Deciding that it was possible that she might have moved residences, the black-haired man turned on his heel and headed back towards the town.

When he arrived, most of the streets were empty save for the celebration that was occuring in the town square. Knowing the woman in question, the Raven man knew that she wouldn't want any part of the festivities. So, instead he searched for activity outside of the town center, zeroing in on the lit up window inside a larger building close to the center of town. He passed through the gates of the entrance easily, as well as through the front doors. It really did seem as though everyone in town was off celebrating.

Keeping a mental picture of where the burning light was, he ascended a flight of stairs to arrive outside of the room. It appeared to be a classroom of some sort, and inside a girl was standing with a broom in her hand as she stared out the large bay window.

The girl turned back to cleaning with a sigh, and in the low lights of the room, he barely caught her profile. His eyes narrowed. Of course, here she was hiding in plain sight. The Raven started to open the door, her name on his lips, as two girls approached her before he could, arriving in the room from a separate entrance.

"Chiyo! What're you doing here still?" One of the girls asked, grabbing the broom from her hands and leaning on it.

"My dad gave me detention again, said I couldn't leave until the classroom was spotless," She rolled her pink-hued eyes, reaching to take the broom from her friend's hands.

"That's lame, just ditch. What's he gonna do? Tell your mom?" The other girl chuckled, and neither noticed when Chiyo gulped at the comment, before she nodded.

"Yeah, might as well. I'd say I cleaned up enough," Chiyo set aside the broom, walking with her friends toward the door.

The Raven quickly pressed himself against the far wall. The door swung open and the trio walked out, still chatting.

"If we get there now, the vendors will probably be drunk enough to sell us alcohol~" One of the girls Chiyo chimed, and the other two laughed and agreed, their voices fading as they continued down the hall, and out the building.

The black-clad man walked into the classroom, stepping up towards the bay window that the girl named 'Chiyo' had been standing in front of previously. His eyes followed the girls as they headed toward the square, his hands clasped behind his back. Now that she was illuminated by the streetlamps, he saw that while the girl-Chiyo, he'd have to remember that name-looked a lot like the Nona Clotho he had been searching for, with her rounded pink eyes, heart-shaped face, button nose, and short stature, but there was something clearly different about the two. For one, Chiyo's eyes weren't completely rounded, they pointed a little, and her long locks of hair were purple, not black. They must be related, he decided, and if he could catch that girl alone again he'd have to ask her.

In the meantime, he decided to sequester himself in Nona's abandoned hut, and wait for the perfect moment to seek out that purple-haired girl.

The Raven was back, and hiding in plain sight.