Grey, who had been frantically carried on his sister's shoulders, came to surprisingly quickly. Within five minutes, he could stand on his own, though his entire body ached as if he were on fire.
As the twins, panting, dragged themselves back toward the inn, a figure in a black cloak appeared before them. They didn't have time to react or be scared before they were grabbed by the collars and pulled into an empty alley.
But the kidnapper bore no ill intent. He kept grumbling:
"Stop it, you little brats. I've found you! What, do you want me dead? Are you planning to go back like this? Covered in blood and beaten… Do you realize that crazy woman could destroy the whole city after this?"
The cloaked figure didn't even bother listening to their excuses. All that mattered was getting them cleaned up as quickly as possible.
With a wet cloth, he began wiping the blood from their bodies. At the same time, he deftly used water magic to remove stains from their clothes and wind magic to dry them.
"What do you know? All you can do is run off alone! And what if something had happened to you? She wouldn't have calmed down until she destroyed the entire continent," he continued grumbling, pouring healing potions worth several gold coins into their mouths and treating their wounds with the best salves.
"Listen up! Tell your mother some teenager attacked you. He ran away as soon as Grey drew his sword. You got scared and ran back…
What the hell is that glow?" the figure exclaimed, staring at Grey's skin.
"Wait. Don't answer me. I don't want to know. Just make something up. And most importantly—you didn't see me. Got it?! Don't mix anything up!
Ah, and if your mother asks what the teenager looked like, describe that bastard with his pants down.
Do it just like I said, and she won't punish you too harshly. Otherwise…
Brrr, no-no-no, I don't want to think about that. But believe me, that sandal will seem like paradise to you, little Grace."
Having finished his work, the dark figure vanished as quickly as he had appeared.
Grey and Grace were completely bewildered.
The boy's skin still glowed, yet all the bruises and contusions on their bodies had vanished. Their clothes were perfectly intact, as if they had never gone anywhere.
They exchanged a synchronous nod, silently agreeing to think about this strange encounter later, and continued running back. Grace had to support Grey, who could only walk slowly.
When they burst through the inn's doors, they stumbled face-first into the soft legs of a slender figure in a white dress.
Looking up, the children met their mother's stern gaze. She said nothing. She simply watched them with the kind of look a hawk gives a mouse it intends to devour.
"Mother, it's my fault! I just wanted to go for a walk. Brother said it was dangerous and wouldn't let me go alone. So he came with me. Then… then… some teenager stopped us and said he would take me as his wife. Brother got so angry that he started glowing and scared the teenager away. It's my fault, don't punish my brother," Grace began to babble, as if afraid she wouldn't have time to tell the whole story.
"Sis!" Grey tried to protest, but was immediately cut off.
"Silence. Young lady, you… you!.. Come to the room at once! You will be punished."
"Yes!" Grace obeyed.
"Are you hiding something?" their mother began to suspect, since Grace had never accepted punishment willingly. But seeing the state of her son, she decided to deal with that later.
"And you…" — she had been about to scold him, but immediately faltered.
Grey looked at her with wide, puppy-like eyes, on the verge of tears. He held his breath as if waiting for a death sentence. The longer she stayed silent, the worse he appeared to feel.
'Has it really happened? I—I've disappointed Mother. She's so angry. W-what will she do? Will she just ask me to leave? Blame me? Throw me out? Or maybe hand me over?' — Grey's thoughts spiraled deeper and deeper.
Before Catherine could even speak, the boy dropped to his knees and began begging her:
"MOTHER! I was wrong… sniff… Please, don't leave me! I—I'll be good. I'll listen to everything you say! Please don't abandon me!" — Grey clung to her leg, trembling all over.
Catherine couldn't take it.
She slapped him.
Grey froze, as if his soul had been ripped away.
Catherine cried. Her shoulders shook uncontrollably.
"How dare you, Grey?! Who do you think you are? A servant? Thrown out for a mistake? Who do you think I am?" — her voice cracked.
She had never struck Grey before, yet now he had crossed every boundary.
While the two had run off from the house, she had been beside herself, unable to act, panicked, yet unwilling to use her powers. And now, seeing her son humiliate himself like this after finally calming down, seeing him alive and unharmed… Does he even think of me as his mother? Has she ever failed him? What did she do to deserve this treatment?
"Y-you really won't leave me?" — Grey smiled a happiness so insane it was almost frightening. Tear-streaked, snot-covered, his cheek marked red from her slap, glowing faintly.
She felt shame. She understood the worries in her son's heart, yet she still couldn't restrain herself.
"Forgive me, my sweet! You know how much Mommy loves you! It hurts so much that you could think of me that way." — she said, holding Grey's face in her hands, covering him in kisses.
"Now, off to your room. I need to examine you. This glowing isn't normal! And we've already wasted far too much time."
The boy nodded mechanically.
In the next room, Catherine stripped the child completely and began examining every part of his body. She even pulled his eyelids back, peering into his eyes. She was deeply unsettled by the glow of his skin—the same light Apollo had used.
"Damn it," she whispered, nearly shouting. "This isn't just leftover energy from the destruction of the magical core. This light is gradually affecting his body."
The energy was slowly penetrating deeper, threatening to burn through flesh and destroy all his organs. The faint glimmers on his skin were merely a side effect. The consequences of the injury he had sustained during the ceremony were finally manifesting.
Catherine had long expected that complications might arise. Time and again during their journey, she had examined the child's body, hoping each time that no relapse would occur.
But Apollo's energy had been hidden too carefully. Even her instincts could not detect this concealed wound. Now, she would have to act forcefully, or he simply would not survive.
"Cassia, come here," she said sharply.
The maid emerged from the shadows, sensing a faint panic in her mistress's voice.
"Damn, this is going to be a problem… Cassia, I'm going to need your help," Catherine called.
"Yes, ma'am. What would you have me do?"
"Channel shadow energy into me. Compress it as tightly as possible, squeeze it to the limit. From now on, we'll repeat this procedure every two days, or his body won't withstand it. This Light energy—it's Apollo's power. High-quality, but without a source. In three months, if we work together, we can suppress it.
I just hope this doesn't turn into something far worse…"
"Yes, ma'am."
Catherine exhaled and closed her eyes.
Thus began Grey's suffering.
The shadow energy flowed through Catherine like cold water, colliding with the divine light within the boy. A quiet but terrible conflict erupted—like two oceans meeting in a single drop.
Grey arched his back, his body convulsing violently. The small gag muffled his cries, reducing them to hoarse, pitiful whimpers.
Catherine felt every movement as if she herself were enduring the same agony. But she could not stop. Cassia gritted her teeth.
Minutes stretched on like an eternity.
When it was finally over, Catherine collapsed beside the boy, gasping for breath. Her hands trembled, her eyes vacant. She held her son close, pressing him to herself as if trying to transfer the last of her warmth to him.
In that moment, any thoughts of punishing Grace seemed meaningless. The children had suffered enough.
Night fell over the city. Catherine did not even notice when she fell asleep, holding both children close to her.
Morning came quietly.
Pale light filtered through the curtains, and the air in the room hung still, as if afraid to disturb the peace.
Grey opened his eyes first. For a while, he simply lay there, feeling the warmth of his mother's hands. Beside him, Grace slept, her nose pressed into his shoulder.
His head felt heavy, and his thoughts were muddled. Yesterday seemed blurred, as if it had been a dream—painful and hazy. He had no clear memory of how he had ended up in the inn or what had happened to him.
The last thing he remembered was being surrounded by thugs. Then… nothing.
And now, he had woken. Carefully, he turned his head and looked at his mother. Catherine slept, though the lines on her face revealed the night had not been easy.
"Maybe Grace managed on her own?" a thought flickered through his mind. "Or… did Mother save us again?"
He wanted to ask, but didn't dare. Something inside warned him it was better to stay silent. So he simply lay back down and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.
Catherine stirred as soon as Grey moved. For a while, she stayed still, watching him through half-closed eyelids. The boy looked tired, but calm. His breathing was even, and his skin clean, free of the painful glow from before.
Only in his eyes flickered a faint confusion—as if he didn't fully understand where he was.
"This is better," she whispered, letting out a soft sigh.
She allowed herself a gentle smile and spoke softly:
"It's time to get up, my dears. Today we leave Stormdale and set off for the Nightingale Continent. We must say our goodbyes."
Her voice was calm, but carried a subtle weariness, noticeable only to those who knew her well.
Her words hit the children like a shot of adrenaline—they sprang from the bed in an instant, as if stung.
They completely forgot about what had happened yesterday.
Grey and Grace hurriedly dressed, whispering to each other, and ran out of the room—toward the table already set and the final moments with Kaguya, Chris, and Aika.
"You weren't in a hurry. Are we really that bad of a company?" Chris asked half-jokingly.
"Forgive us. We were supposed to have a farewell dinner, but something happened, and I had to attend to the children's health urgently. I hope you don't mind," Catherine replied, not going into details.
"It's nothing. Honestly, we don't want to part ways with you at all. But we understand that we would only be a burden on your journey, so we won't insist," Aika said with a hint of sarcasm, glancing at Cassia.
"Yes, unfortunately, that is true," Catherine admitted honestly.
"Well then, let's drink to our shared journey! I don't know about you, but I'll be having the strongest wine they've got in this inn."
Chris raised his glass, trying to lift the somber mood. Though the blond young man still felt a sting of hurt, he wanted to remain friends with his companions.
"To you! To friendship!" a chorus of voices replied in unison.
Everyone began to eat, and the clatter of cutlery filled the room.
Breakfast was quiet. No one hurried to start a conversation, as if afraid to disturb the fragile balance of the morning. It seemed everyone silently agreed to simply enjoy the last meal together.
Occasionally, someone would raise a glass, and a brief, hesitant toast would be offered—more out of politeness than joy.
When the plates were empty, Kaguya glanced nervously at Catherine. "Luvia, may I speak with the children alone?"
"Of course," Catherine replied, nodding slightly. "Go to our room."
She made no attempt to eavesdrop on their conversation—neither with her ears nor with her senses. This moment belonged solely to Kaguya and the twins. Catherine knew the girl well enough to grant her this small measure of trust.
No sooner had the door closed than Grey threw himself into the arms of his first friend.
The girl held him close, saying nothing. She felt moisture dampen her chest but didn't wipe it away—she simply stroked the boy's back, trying to memorize the warmth of his body.
Grace stepped up beside him, pressing herself against the other side, burying her face in Kaguya's silky ash-colored hair.
It was five minutes before anyone dared to speak.
Kaguya smiled, though her trembling voice betrayed her emotions.
"I want to give you a few small gifts. As a keepsake… so you'll remember me and our adventure," she said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out two parcels.
She handed the first to Grace.
"This is for you, Anna. I know how much you miss your little donkey, so I had a toy made yesterday. It's soft and very obedient—it will watch over your dreams. I hope you take good care of it."
"Si… si… thank you! I'll take care of it, I'll sleep with it and remember our journey together!" Grace hugged the toy tightly.
"Well, well, why are you crying? Where's the little devil who always beat me at games?"
"Si… if you want, I'll let you win next time we meet," Grace sobbed, "…but never play for money—you're terrible at it."
Kaguya laughed softly and gently touched the girl's forehead. Then she turned to Grey.
"And this is for you, Alex. I know you're afraid of losing the people close to you, so I made this bracelet. There are four beads: one with my name, and the other three for Luvia, Anna, and Cassia. Let it remind you that there are people who love you, people who will always be by your side… Even if one day you become a terrible monster, haha… sigh." She laughed, trying to hide her tears.
"When you look at the ash-colored bead, remember me. And… I hope that next time we meet, you'll pet my ears again."
Grey shook his head, wiping his eyes.
"I… I… sigh, sigh. Okay, I will. I… sigh, sigh… we… sigh… also have a gift, we bought it yesterday."
The boy wanted to say so much, but he realized with regret that he simply couldn't find the right words.
Grace understood him. She pulled from her bosom a pendant with a blue stone they had bought yesterday, and tried to present the gift.
"We ran off for this yesterday. Because of that, Grey… I mean, Alex… got hurt, and we missed dinner."
"This is the legendary Blue Pearl. It will preserve your youth. And it's as blue as our eyes, so you won't forget us either. We worked very hard to get it," Grey explained with effort.
"Thank you, thank you, sigh, sigh… We'll definitely meet again. Sigh, sigh," Kaguya said, taking their gift gently, as if afraid to lose it.
Her shoulders trembled uncontrollably.
She held the twins close, unable to let them go.
At a glance, Kaguya realized that the pearl was just a replica. Naive children were easy to fool. But even if she were offered the chance to trade it for a real one, she would have refused without a second thought.
The realization that the twins had risked so much for her—they had run off, spent their last coins, and even gotten into trouble—made Kaguya's heart skip a beat.
"It's time for you to go," she finally said, gently letting their hands slip from hers. "Go. And be strong, sigh."
Seeing the red-eyed children off at the inn's entrance, Kaguya watched as the carriage slowly disappeared into the crowd.