Grey, carried on Grace's back, came to his senses surprisingly quickly. Within five minutes, he could already stand on his own, though his entire body ached as if it were burning. As his sister struggled to carry him toward the inn, a dark figure suddenly appeared in front of them.
Before Grace could react, the figure doused them both with cold water and grumbled,"Stop right there, you little brats! So this is where you've been hiding. Do you realize what would've happened if you'd shown up to your mother in this state? That crazy woman could destroy the entire city after something like this! Do you even comprehend what you've done? Sneaking off on your own, like that? If anything had happened to you two, she wouldn't have stopped until she burned this whole continent to ash!"
The figure quickly washed the blood from the children and dressed them in clean clothes.
"Now listen up. Tell your mother that some teenage thug attacked you, but he ran off the moment Grey started glowing with rage. Got it? Don't mix up the story. And if she asks what the boy looked like, describe that bastard with his pants down. Stick to the story and maybe—just maybe—she won't punish you too harshly. Otherwise..." The figure shuddered dramatically. "No, no, no—I don't even want to think about it. But trust me, little Grace, compared to what your mother would do, her sandal would feel like a vacation in paradise."
With that, the shadowy figure vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving the children thoroughly bewildered. Grey's skin still glowed faintly, but the bruises and scrapes on both twins had completely disappeared. Their clothes were pristine, although their black cloaks had mysteriously vanished.
Exchanging a silent nod—as if agreeing to think about this bizarre encounter later—the twins resumed their dash back to the inn. Grace had to support Grey, who could only walk slowly.
As they burst through the inn's doors, they collided face-first into a tall figure in a white dress. Looking up, they saw their mother's stern gaze fixed on them, her blue eyes as sharp as a hawk watching a mouse before pouncing.
"Mama, it was my idea!" Grace blurted out before Katarina could speak. "I asked Brother to come with me. He said it was dangerous and wouldn't let me go alone, so he came along to protect me. A teenage boy stopped us and said he wanted to marry me. Grey got so mad he started glowing, and the boy ran away. It's my fault! Don't punish Brother!"
"To your room," Katarina ordered sharply. "After I examine your brother, you will be punished, young lady."
"Yes, Mama."
Katarina narrowed her eyes. "You're hiding something, aren't you?" She was suspicious—Grace never agreed to punishment so willingly. But seeing her son's condition, she decided to investigate later.
She led Grey to an adjoining room and began her inspection. She didn't like at all that his skin glowed with the same light Apollo had once used. She stripped the boy completely, though he didn't resist, and carefully checked every part of his body—even pulling back his eyelids to examine his eyes.
"Damn it... This is going to be a problem," she muttered under her breath.
"Kassia, I'll need your help," Katarina called out.
"Yes, ma'am? What should I do?" the maid answered, emerging from the shadows.
"Channel shadow energy into me. Compress it as tightly as you can. From now on, we'll do this every two days to avoid overloading Grey's body. Even though this Light energy belongs to Apollo and is of incredibly high quality, it has no source. If we work together, we should be able to suppress it in three months. But something tells me this energy is only a fragment of something much larger."
"Understood."
What followed was a painful ten-minute procedure. Katarina directed the shadow energy into her son's body, trying to quench the fire with water. Grey's body shook violently from the pain. His cries tore at Katarina's heart, and tears streamed from her eyes. Even Kassia struggled to contain her emotions.
Time and again, they had examined the boy's body, hoping to find the root of the problem—but whatever it was always eluded their sharp senses. All this time, Grey had been unable to sense his own magical core. It seemed he was a cripple. But the appearance of the light had given the two women a clue. They hoped that by suppressing it, they might find a solution.
After ten agonizing minutes, Katarina, emotionally drained, collapsed onto the bed beside her son and wrapped him in her arms. Her body shook with silent sobs, matching Grey's convulsions.
At that moment, punishing Grace was the last thing on her mind. She simply had no strength left for it—or the desire.
When Grey awoke early the next morning, he found himself in his mother's familiar embrace. Nearby, his sister slept with her face nestled against his shoulder.
He didn't remember much of the previous day. Everything felt like a fog. His memories were jumbled, as though he had learned something important but couldn't recall what.
Katarina stirred as soon as he moved, but she remained still, silently watching him to gauge his condition. When she was satisfied that he was alright—aside from looking a bit confused—she finally spoke.
"Good morning, my dears. It's time to get moving. Today, we depart from Stormdale and set sail for the continent of Nightingale. You need to say your goodbyes."
Her words hit the children like a jolt of adrenaline. They sprang from the bed and hurried to dress for their final breakfast with Kaguya, Chris, and Aika.
When they entered the dining area, they found the table already set, and everyone waiting for them.
"You certainly took your time," Chris teased. "Were we such bad company?"
"Forgive us," Katarina replied as she took her seat. "We had planned to hold a farewell dinner, but something came up, and I had to take care of the children's health. I hope you'll understand."
"No worries. Honestly, we don't want to part ways either. But we realize we'd only be a burden on your journey, so we won't insist," Aika said with a touch of sarcasm, glancing at Kassia.
"Unfortunately... that's true," Katarina admitted.
"Well, then! Let's toast to our shared adventure! I don't know about you, but I'm having the strongest wine this inn has," Chris declared to lighten the somber mood. Despite his disappointment, he still wanted to remain friends.
"To us! To friendship!" voices chimed in unison.
They began to eat, the clinking of silverware filling the silence. Conversation was sparse; it seemed everyone had silently agreed to enjoy their last meal together in quiet reflection. The silence was occasionally broken by toasts or the children's whispers.
"Luvia, may I speak with the children alone?" Kaguya asked. These were her first words that morning.
"Of course. Take them to our room," Katarina agreed, not even considering eavesdropping. She trusted Kaguya enough to grant her this private moment.
The three entered the room and closed the door behind them.
Grey couldn't hold back any longer. He rushed into Kaguya's arms, and she embraced him tightly in return. She felt the dampness of his tears but said nothing. Grace joined in, hugging Kaguya from behind and burying her face in the woman's silky ash-grey hair.
They stood that way for five minutes before finally pulling apart.
"I have small gifts for you, to remember me and our adventure together," Kaguya said, pulling out two items from her pocket.
"This is for Anna. I know you miss the little donkey, so I had a toy made for you yesterday. It's soft and can keep you company at night. I hope you'll take good care of it."
"I will! I'll take care of it and sleep with it every night. I'll never forget you, Kaguya!"
"Now, now. Why are you crying? Where's the little devil who always beat me at our games?"
"If you want, next time we meet, I'll let you win. But never play for money—you're terrible at it," Grace whispered through her tears.
Kaguya just smiled at the girl's sharp remark.
"Alex, this is for you." She held out a bracelet. "I know you're afraid of losing the people you love. So I made this just for you. It has four beads. One with my name, and the others for Luvia, Anna, and Kassia. It's so you'll always remember that there are people who care for, love, and wait for you. We'll never fear you—even if you become a terrible monster. Remember, even when we're far away, as long as you wear this, you'll never be alone. Look at the ash-grey bead and think of me. I hope that next time we meet, you'll pet my ears again," she added with a soft laugh, trying to hide the tears that once more threatened to fall.
"I... I... okay. We have... we also have a gift. We bought it yesterday," Grey said through sobs, pulling out a pendant with a blue stone.
"Yes, we bought it yesterday when we snuck out, and that's why Grey—um, Alex—got hurt, and we missed dinner," Grace explained, handing over the pendant.
"It's the legendary Blue Pearl! It'll help you stay young. It's blue, like our eyes, so you'll always remember us. We worked really hard to buy it," Grey added, his voice trembling.
"Thank you... thank you, my dears. We will definitely meet again," Kaguya replied, finally unable to hold back her tears.
Large drops streamed down her face in a steady flow. She realized immediately that the pearl was a fake and the children had been swindled—but even if someone offered to exchange it for a real one, she would refuse without a second thought. The fact that the twins valued her enough to sneak out and buy her a gift made her heart skip a beat.
"It's time. Be strong," she said, hugging the children one last time.
She escorted the red-eyed children to the inn's exit and watched as their wagon disappeared into the crowd.