The pixies are much older than one might have believed, it was estimated that they were present on the day the mothertree was planted. The willows around their grove should be just as old, Ninor even took some samples of the dead bark, and the dirt the willow trees are rooted in. The test came back the same, the bark was dead on the surface but it seemed that something magical inside the dirt and the bark was keeping those trees alive. Ninor thought it might be the magic of the pixies themselves, but that theory was shot down soon enough. She found that those trees stop the pixie magic, it can not go beyond the willow tree circle if the pixies don't will it. They have to guide their magic beyond those trees actively. Ninor had the idea to somehow bring those trees back from the dead. Let them be alive again, but she hadn't yet found anything powerful enough with earth magic to do that.

She told Wilwarin that she had the idea to "borrow" the staff of the eldest, as it is embued with magical properties. Wilwarin nodded, it seemed plausible, but he had a few concerns.

"Wouldn't a mass hysteria break out if the eldest elf knew?"

"Yes, that is why this plan of mine was no good either..." She looked around in thought, her eyes looked at the books around them. "I looked for powerful magic spells in other books, but none of them come close to how much magic we would need to revive the willow trees."

Wilwarin nodded, "Well, maybe me and Ardon can find something more out tomorrow. Merpeople do have more knowledge of the world and access to other races and their merchandise. Maybe they also have something old, of the elves. You all lived here together for eons after all, right?"

Ninor was confused by the questioning tone at the end, after all, Wilwarin was an elf just like her. He was in the same school, even if not in the same class. The school of the forest teaches the same things.

"Yes, if you paid enough attention in history that wouldn't be a question..." Ninor said her brow rising, then shrugged her shoulders and looked around the books again.

It seemed like long eye contact with Wilwarin made her uncomfortable, he didn't remember this that she had this trait with others. He just nodded as if in thought himself, he watched secretly as Ninor stood up and walked to a book.

"I met them when I was a child, it has been fifteen years since then. I need to fulfill that, they have waited long enough. They are beings of the forest and a part of all the mothertree protects, I need to fulfill their wish first. I need to do this for myself, so I can be sure too that I will be ready to have responsibility for all elves."

Wilwarin saw her eyes soften, then harden and finally, she looked at him with compassion.

"These will be my people, my responsibility. I will stand behind them, in good, bad, and losing times," her eyes glistened with compassion, as if she truly cared about everyone she would in the near future be ruling or working with.

Wilarin nodded and he felt appreciation deep in his heart, to think that such people exist. People or in this case elves, that care more about their own than themselves, a flash of memory of Zenix standing in front of him sacrificing himself went through his mind. His old friend too, was one of these people.

Wilwarin looked at Ninor with a kindness in his eyes that he, himself, wasn't even aware of, "The way you speak princess, lets me hope for a better world. It makes me want to help you achieve that goal."

Ninor just smiled, as she looked at Wilarin she felt sentiment and a connection, "How about you help me with the pixies? You go to that merchant tomorrow and I will go to the eldes elf in around here. She has a staff, a staff of healing. Maybe that staff has enough magic to help the willow trees. If it doesn't it can very well be that we would need something to enhance it, that's where you come in."

He nodded, "I handle a deal with a merchant, try to get something that enhances the magic of plants and earth."

"Wonderful, I will get going then. The old lady is awake now, I can't go tomorrow she sleeps until the evening," princess Ninor took her leave, before she was truly out of sight she turned around again. "If you see Cyrene, don't tell her anything, please. She is brazen and would definitely get me out of those," she made a motion with her pointing finger and middle finger, "miscellaneous things unfit for a princess."

Wilwarin nodded, and she walked away for good, he let out a long sigh and leaned into the chair. He was now working with the princess, surely not anything Void wanted, as the princess probably is part of the world plot.

While he was in the library, Wilwarin wanted to read up on some historical things. This could give him a hint about the world plot he assumed.

He looked through various history books, but none of them had the incident with the Immoralies Void talked about. As if it was not too long ago or as if it was erased from history. He even got the courage to walk back to the front to ask Leathne if there was a significant war or anything during the last few years or decades. Nothing, thus he decided to ask another question. He didn't want to seem outright suspicious so he asked, "Where can I find books about other races? Like a dictionary of every race that was ever recorded?"

Leathne pondered, "We have the species and races sorted, but if you want a collection maybe the children's corner can help you. Don't know if we have any of those books here right now, since you know. It's exam season for those little ones."

Wilwarin nodded and looked at the elf full of energy, "Where may I find it? Oh, and another question are there any species or races that have reduced significantly in the last few years, decades?"

"Mhm, there are the Imoralies. Haven't seen one of those around for around twenty or so years. It seemed that they just vanished one or two decades ago. We don't have many of them, but if you want just ask me. The children's corner is right around that big clock over there, the teachers put it there to help the children find it. No time is better spent than for learning and reading."

Wilwarin thanked him, but instead of going there he looked at him again, "Where do I find the information about the Imoralies?"

Leathne was a bit surprised, "Changing your destination that quick ey? No worries, follow me. It is very hard to find."

He followed Leathne and was unsure where they went as the library soon looked more and more dusty. Leathne smiled as he showed him to a little bookshelf, which was about half the size of all the others, "We don't have much as the Immoralies loved to keep things about their abilities and their race secret. It is these few books we have bought expensively or acquired through a trade with them a long long time ago."

Wilwarin nodded and thanked Leathne again, he felt a bit unnecessary after going through so many questions the elf surely wouldn't have thought anything if he had just directly asked, but then again he was pushed off a cliff. Someone can never be too safe.

He read a few books, and though their abilities were very confusing he found a journal that explained them thoroughly. Apparently, those Imoralies have a very unique way of staying young and old. He had never heard of something like that before.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

To switch between ages they seem to go through inner trials, Wilwarin read it like the principle of Chinese meditation and still, it was very different. In their first life cycle, when they turn age eleven to twelve, they begin to meditate for one to two hours every day. They repeat the process until they see an inner vision. It is different from child to child as it's an individual experience. The Immoralie who wrote the journal described their own experience with their friends, he saw one of his close friends crying. It was a friend that always was more sensitive than others so he knew the method of comforting them. When he did so in his inner mind, he could feel the change of energy within them, the first stage was unlocked. They could now control to switch between the ages from zero to six years.

They talked about their friend, their friend was seeing crystals, and that friend she had to make them glow. That's how she unlocked the first stage. There were six stages in total, and they are all achieved when they overcome the obstacle with something that they are comfortable with.

Then they got into other details, like when an Imoralie lost a limb or if they caught an uncurable sickness, they can't switch ages anymore and have to go through a full life circle. When they are old age, they fall over and turn back into an infant.

They have written that there were some instances of an Immoralie who lost a leg, that switched to a child but the leg was still gone. But those were rare occurrences. They undertoned that if this meditation is not learned, Immoralies can not switch between ages.

Wilwarin closed the book, his head was hurting from the information. He put the book back and walked to the entrance of the library, he felt like it would have been cool to be an Immoralie. Freely switching between ages. The only thing he didn't come to know is how they died, like the final death. They seem pretty immortal, else they wouldn't be called that.

But everything that bleeds can die, so they can lose a leg or something else and as soon as they die it is back. So how to finally kill them, he walked home to his mothers with that thought.

As he walked in he seemed to have disturbed some alone time, as he saw them kissing on the couch, very close to pulling their clothes off. He immediately took a step back and shut the front door. His ears were so red they seemed to be bleeding. He tried to expel the images in his head, but they were flowing back.

He had never been in such a situation before, his father had some female guests over, sure. But he was never actively kissing them or showing them any affection. Wilwarin doesn't remember his mother even having such a close relationship with his father. Maybe being physical wasn't their thing.

Elanor opened the door, her hair still in a mess, Wilwarin looked at the ground. He couldn't really look his mama in the eye.

"You're home, we were wondering where you were. No need to be shy, isn't this the 8th time you've seen us. You haven't had such a reaction since well, actually, you never reacted like this," she looked him up and down confused.

Hwarwa came up behind Elanor and laid an arm around her wife's shoulder, "I remember the only thing he said to this was 'eww', what is this reaction?"

Wilwarin looked up at them and then got embarrassed again and looked to the ground, "Well, I, ehm. I should, ehm, go to my room. YES, I should go there and sleep." He was a stuttering mess, Wilwarin looked up at them hoping they'd move out of the way so he could forget this situation.

He saw a gap and rushed through his parents, not even listening to what they would say. The door opened the door closed, and he fled under the covers of his bed.

He could never unsee that, he watched porn, yes, did he imagine many scenes with his teacher and other guys, very much so. The only thing he lacked was the real experience of this, he saw a few kids almost gobble themselves up at school. It wasn't like he just watched though, at school it was like feral beasts, and with his mother it seemed intimate and loving. Just different, and maybe that they were his parents in this life was also a big part of uncomfortable.

Wilarin put the pillow on top of his head and hoped he wouldn't hear any noises that would scar him for life.

...

He was outside the shop waiting for Ardon, after the encounter with his mothers he woke up earlier than them to ensure that he wouldn't see them. Now he was waiting and it has been an hour. No Ardon in sight, some of the merpeople looked at him like he was going to rob Ardon's store the minute they looked away.

It has been almost an hour, he has knocked on the door, he has thrown little pebbles on the window, and nothing. Like he wasn't even there.

With a deep sigh, he asked around the area to find out if he even came home last night, after all the last words were that he was going to find the area they were going to today. Something could have happened.

He walked a bit further up to a nice bakery, the bakery had a wonderful sight of Ardon's shop.

"Excuse me? Do you per chance know if a handsome young man with icy-blue eyes came back to his shop yesterday evening? We were supposed to meet today, I am a little afraid something could've happened to him after we parted..." He looked away with deep concern in his eyes, his voice was dripping with slight worry.

The old merlady sighed heavily, "Ohh, deary. I am sorry, it seems like you got stood up. I wasn't even at the shop yesterday, I'll go get my sister. One moment please!"

She hurried away, her dress made out of rags fluttered with her. Wilwarin just stood there and looked around for more shops or houses that could have a nice view of the shop of Ardon.

There weren't many most of the buildings around were houses where people lived, there were one or two more bakeries, but the others seemed like family homes.

The old merlady came back with another merlady, they could even be differentiated well. The first merlady had slight purplish scales around her face and her hands, the merlady who was on duty yesterday had slight bluish scales around her eyes and nose.

The one with the purple scales spoke first, "This young elf wants to know if the handsome new merchant came home yesterday. He is afraid that he was stood up but masks it with being afraid that something happened to him. What young love."

Wilwarin frowned as he really was a bit concerned, "I really am a bit scared though. He wanted to go check out the richer area of the merpeople yesterday, since we wanted to buy something special today..." He left plenty of room for interpretation as he slowed his voice and spoke more meekly by the end of his sentence.

The merlady with the blue scales nodded absentmindedly, "Indeed the area around there is pretty prone to illegal activities... I haven't seen the merchant, and there was no light yesterday evening either. So he probably didn't return to his shop. I am sorry we can't help you more elf. You seem pretty, wait now that I get a good look aren't you the son of Elanor? The fairy dancer?"

Wilwarin bit his lip and blushed a bit, "No, you must be mistaken. Anyway, thank you very much for the information. You've helped me a lot."

The merlady with the purple scales laughed out loud, her laugh was throaty, "Hahahaha, no if we helped you we would have found you a new boyfriend. Good luck deary!"

Wilwarin gave a short bow and walked to the inner part of the port city, he now had to find the rich area and the address of the guy they wanted to meet. As soon as he had that, the more likely it was to find Ardon as well.