3 Chapter 3: War Tactics

As the night slowly fell upon the world, the stars in the sky burned brighter and brighter. As she looked at the sky, stars felt like a bonfire, while the moon felt like a calm lake next to the bonfire. It was peaceful, pleasing to the eye. After taking a deep breath, Iris, who was currently in front of the door, slowly opened the door. She was a little anxious, it would be okay if this was a family-only party, but it wasn't. Sure, Isaac and the others were already like a part of the family, but she couldn't help but get anxious around them, to be precise, around Isaac. They grew up together as a trio, Edward, Isaac and Iris, they were pretty close, doing everything together for years. It was because of this that Iris knew Isaac pretty well, and she kind of… liked him?

"I don't know… I don't know anymore. Ugh! Why is it always like this?"

She asked herself, frustrated. This happened every time, without an exception. She knew there was something, but didn't know what exactly it was. It was like looking through a blurred glass. But in this situation, the glass was her mind while the things behind it were her feelings. After a while, she shook her head a few times and stepped through the now open door. As her steps closed in to the living room, where she could sense a bunch of people, the door closed behind her, as if it was the curtain that closed after the end of the show. As she closed into the living room, Amaya's unhappy pleas rang out in her ears.

"Mom, can't I just… you know, take a piece or something…"

Her voice was desperate, as if she was hungry for weeks and when she finally got a chance to eat, her food was taken away.

"But… but… Don't make that face my little furball…"

The voice belonged to Adam, their father. His voice was like he wanted to do something but couldn't do a thing at all, and in a way, he couldn't. All he could was support her little girl in her journey to the sweet lands while trying to persuade the guardian who was protecting the sweet lands.

"Honey, it's just a cupcake, it should be okay."

Adam's voice was heard again, but Vanessa didn't answer. Her eyes landed on the door, leading to the hallway, and after a few seconds, Iris could be seen, walking towards the room. She was tall, about 1.87 meters tall. Her hair was pitch black, like the night that was illuminated by the stars. Her curves were smooth, giving her a perfect appearance that matched with her elegant face. She was wearing a black hoodie and trousers of the same color. Her eyes were hazel, just like Edward. She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by something flying towards her. She quickly catched the flying object, it was chocolate, to be precise, it was white chocolate.

"Nice catch."

Isaac said with a double thumbs up while sitting at the couch. His voice was warm, as if meeting someone important after some time. When she saw him, a warm smile appeared on her face without her knowing. Caitlyn and Vanessa, who were sitting next to each other, chuckled a little, resembling two masterminds laughing as the preparations they made for years succeeded. Meanwhile, Amaya winked as he looked at Isaac. This was a part of the plan! The plan for the great cupcake heist! She quickly moved her hands, Adam assisting her in the process by nearing the cupcake filled tray to her. As her hands moved at high speeds, they resembled two snakes coiling around. Sneakily, but fast. Unfortunately, she couldn't escape from Vanessa's gaze. It was as if she saw everything that happened around her.

"Nope."

Said Vanessa, who was currently holding the tray in her hands, away from Amaya.

"You won't stop once you strat to eat them. Everyone here knows of your sweet tooth situation honey. You already ate all those cookies, as if taking revenge for them being still hot."

Said Vanessa, the ray was now on the other end of the table, further away from Amaya. Adam was receiving judging gazes while Saria was trying to consolate Amaya, who had a defeated expression on her face while her eyes were glimmering with the enthusiasm of knowing that she would eventually be able to eat to her heart's content. Meanwhile, a little away from them, on the couch that Isaac was sitting on, Edward was looking towards his sister, who had a little anxious expression on her face that never went away regardless of what she tried. He was somewhat amused, knowing that he had one more card to play to mess with her sister. But as he was delving into the depths of his now laughing mind, a hand that he wasn't able to sense because of getting lost in his own thoughts landed directly on the back of his head, making him look around with questioning eyes.

"You're being too childish dude."

Said Isaac, his head was bent to the side to see Edward clearly. Edward, seeing this as an opportunity, quickly threw his hand forward, directly hitting the middle of Isaac's forehead.

"You want to start a War? Then so be it."

Said Isaac, his right hand moving towards Edward's stomach while the left one was aiming at the back of his head. Seeing this, Edward quickly tried to block the strikes but a sudden twist of Isaac's hand made the attempt futile. Meanwhile, Iris, who was between the two boys, was having a hard time trying to survive the childish fight of the two. Edward's hand that was directed at Isaac's shoulder was hit and in the aftermath, directly traveled towards Iris' chin. As the hand traveled through the air, Iris quickly tried to lower head, succeeding by a hair's breadth. But the boys were too immersed in their battle that they didn't even pay attention to Iris trying to dodge their attacks. But alas, neither life nor luck was fair, as everyone eventually got their fair share of troubles. After a few cycles of attempts of attacks and dodging, a hand that was in a chopping stance eventually hit her head, precisely the ornament that was shaped like a black lily, directly breaking it.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD!!"

And with that, Iris' battle cry echoed through the whole house, her fists advancing towards Edward at a fast phase.

"Shit! Mom! MOMM!!"

And with that, Edward's pleas for help were heard. The one who was more terrifying than the devil itself in the eyes of its prey was hunting the helpless little creature while the mastermind behind the whole thing had a broad, sinister smile on his face.

"Hehehehe."

Isaac, who was currently behind the two, was watching the events unravel with an amused expression on his face.

"You wanted a war my dear friend, but you forgot that a war happens between factions, regardless of the number."

Said the mastermind, the sinister smile still on his face, as if a trophy won from a war of myths.