Mor left Mirage in the room after trying to explain to the fox that it was safest like this. To his delight, Mirage seemed to understand or was simply still tired because the little fox just looked at Mor for a second and then went back to snoozing. Mor carefully closed and locked the door and made his way to get his mother so the two of them could meet with Elly's family for their goodbyes.

°I can get behind its way of life.° The human said.

°How so?° Mor asked.

°Lazing around is fun.° The human stated. °Anyway, did you give it some thought?°

°What, thoughts?° Mor asked.

°How to tell your mother you will be gone for a long time again while visiting the other kin?° The human said, and Mor stopped walking with a frown.

°Shit. I didn't think of that. I mean, she would probably come along. However, I don't think it would be a good idea.° Mor said.

°Hence my question.° The human said.

°I mean, we can only tell her the truth, right?° Mor asked.

°Well, it might be your only choice if you want to worry her only a bit.° The human agreed.

°I hope Lorelai didn't trick us. Otherwise, the aftermath with my mom will be gruesome.° Mor complained.

°We can't trust her fully. However, no matter how little I like it, reality is often stranger than fiction, so I believe there might be a kernel of truth. And as you said, if we verify that your reservoir grows even faster after doing that Shadow-kin tradition, then we know for sure.° The human stated. °Shit! I forgot to ask her about that other human.°

°Right, she glossed a bit over it and then made her quick escape. Still, we have a clue, and if she doesn't want to be forward with those informations, we will investigate on our own.° Mor said.

However, their discussion stopped when they arrived at Mor's mother's room, entered, and told her what he needed to do to save the world.

"Just to make sure," Sophie grumbled. "I didn't raise an idiot, right?"

°Debatable.° The human gleefully commented.

°Shut up. You're not helping. Also, I did not forget to ask about the information I'm most interested in, so who's the idiot? ° Mor replied.

°I was not the one who went to your overly protective mother and simply said, "Mom, I need to save the world and, therefore, will be gone regularly to visit other kin because an ancient kin told me to".° The human countered.

°But it's the truth!° Mor defended himself.

°Yeah, but often, people don't want to hear the pure truth. Couldn't you have started with something like, "I know why the monstrosities are changing and also into what"? Then, you could use the flow of the explanation to get your point across.° The human sighed.

"Stop speaking with your human and answer me," Sophie demanded.

"I am no idiot, Mom," Mor said. "And I'm not simply trusting some random person who appeared before me, but what if she's right? I have a simple way to verify it, and Dino can help me. It's like with Mirage: You believed that it's not a monstrosity but something else. So Mirage, being a magical beast of legends, might be true." Mor said.

°That reminds me, we never checked if Mirage is male or female.° The human pondered.

"I guess," Sophie sighed. But what if it's a trap? What if you vanish again?"

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"That's why I will get Dino's help. If what she said is true, I can probably verify that at home," Mor stated.

"You're no longer my little boy, aren't you? In the short time I didn't see you, you have grown quite a bit." Sophie lamented.

"Yes, Mom. With the Ice-kin, I needed to make myself useful to be accepted. Sure, Lize and Gorn offered me a place to sleep, but I had to forge my place in that village on my own." Mor said calmly.

"I know all of that. You are your own man now, but letting you go is hard for me." Sophie said dejectedly. "I can't bear it if you die again."

Mor chuckled lightly, "Don't worry, I got better and came back, right? And I will do so every time." He embraced his mother in a big hug, noticing for the first time how small and frail she was compared to his current self. It was a slight shock for him, as his mother had always been the Ice-empress and somebody he had looked up to his whole life, even if he had found her overbearing attachments annoying. But after their time apart, he appreciated it, as it was an unmistakable sign that she cared about him.

"Don't joke about that." She scolded him but still smiled. "Ok, I will trust you on this. But you must promise to come right to me if you get into trouble. You might be bigger than me now, but I'm still the stronger mage."

"Thank you, Mom," Mor whispered. "I love you."

Sophie looked at him, surprised for a heartbeat, before trying to crush Mor within her hug. "Stay safe, Mor," she said.

"You're talking like you will never see me again," Mor chuckled. However, the next thing I need to do is come home with you, and then we will see how to proceed. If that woman lied to me, then the deal is off the table anyway."

"You're right," Sophie said. "Let's say goodbye to your friends."

°Well done, buddy.° The human said as they went to find Elly and her parents.

Which didn't take long, as when Mor and Sophie left the lodging, Elly and her parents entered the gate with Jorgen in tow. However, something about the looks on Lize and Gorn's faces made Mor uneasy.

°Uh oh.° The human said. °That can only mean one thing.°

°Trouble.° Mor agreed. °Think it might be because of Mirage?°

°Why else? I'm one hundred percent sure Thor ratted Mirage out.° The human grumbled.

°Using even the last chance to get to me.° Mor sighed. °Why can't such guys just let it go and leave me be?°

Mor and the human's guess were right on the money, as Gorn got into Mor's face without a preamble. "Mor, did you bring a monstrosity inside the city?" he asked with a stern voice.

"No," Mor answered without missing a beat. "Thor told you that, right?"

"Yes." Gorn stated, "But Elly and Jorgen confirmed that you befriended one on your hunt."

Mor looked accusingly at the two young Ice-kin, and while Elly shrugged apologeticly, Jorgen didn't meet Mor's eyes. He let out a sigh. "Then you know I didn't bring it into the city. I left it to its own devices."

°Smooth, lying with the truth. I'm proud of you.° The human chuckled.

"I told you, father," Elly added. "One morning, it was simply gone."

Gorn let out a breath of relief. "Then it's fine. I mean, befriending a monstrosity is quite strange, but for you, it tracks. However, you understand I needed to make sure, right?"

"Yes, I know," Mor said.

"Good, then I will just remember it as another failed try of Thor, though, to incriminate you. Honestly, I don't know where the chief went wrong with that kid," Gorn stated.

With that predicament averted, the little group got together for a nice long chat, and Mor only felt a little bad about lying. However, he knew that it wouldn't have made a difference if he told them Mirage was no monstrosity but a magical beast. That his mother kept quiet was also a relief and made Mor even more appreciative of her. Still, even with all the secrets between them, it was a good farewell, with much laughter and smiles, reminiscing about the time Mor spent with the Ice-kin. To nobody's surprise, Elly declared that she wanted to see the Soul-kin's floating islands sometimes, and Mor promised to take her.

However, he also told her she had to wait because he had things he needed to do and urged her to take care of her health, which Elly found odd. Prodding Mor for more information did not work, meaning she had to give up in the end.

°Don't you want to tell her?° The human asked.

°No. It is something special, and she should find out for herself and be able to tell her boyfriend and parents. And once her kid is old enough, we'll show off our home to the two of them, ° Mor stated.

°I see.° The human stated.

Ultimately, the little party continued until late at night, and the two Soul-kin decided to stay until the first light. However, it was still the final farewell. Mor had to endure some more of Elly's teasing, but uncharacteristically for her, when the time came to leave, she got very emotional and hugged Mor for a long time. She would miss having a brother to tease and spend time with, to which Mor only said that it is something she doesn't need to concern herself with as she would be pretty busy soon.

As the little group of Sophie, Mor, and Mirage left with the glider at first light, Mor took in the last view of the glacial fortress, smiling at the memories and friends he made but also glad to get back home. There would be a little time to rest before he would face the next step. Something he dreaded quite a bit, as his experiences with the Shadow-kin were not positive until now. Still, with the human as a mental brace and an interest in the Shadow-kin fighting style, it was not all bad. As the human had said, for Mor to get stronger, he should take a page from their book and incorporate his magic better with his fighting style.