The next morning, as promised, Orth accompanied Mor on his run for a while, which started many conflicting rumors, ranging from Orth just wanting to understand commoners to Mor having put an illusion on Orth to control the nobility.

Still, as Orth was just starting out, he couldn't keep up with Mor for long. Instead, wanting to lie down a bit before breakfast. Mor sent him off with a wave and a reminder to use only pain-reducing healing magic.

Orth slogged back to his room to lie down and take a nap. He was spent. This running thing was more exhausting than he believed, but he also didn't want to lose to Mor. Of course, before he could envelop himself in the soft mattress and fluffy pillow, someone got in his way.

"And what do you think you are doing?" Asked the obstacle, and Orth sighed.

"Going to bed, Saphine. I had an exhausting early morning and want to get a nap in before breakfast." Orth said coldly.

"No! You will explain yourself to me! I heard the rumors that you took up running because the commoner forced you into it, but I don't think that's what happened. I know you just feel bad for the commoner because he is not as privileged as we are, but you don't need to do this. It's just a commoner." Saphine huffed.

Orth let out a deep sigh. He was too tired for this shit. "Don't talk about him like that. He is my friend. Also, I'm doing this because I want to. Now get out of my way before I get angry with you."

Saphine flinched back as if he had struck her. "I'm your friend too! I have known you much longer than this muscleheaded commoner! And it seems you need me to protect you from your own stupidity!"

"If you are my friend, then you should support my decisions and not try to patronize me. Also, even if I explained my reasoning to you, you wouldn't understand", Orth growled.

"How could I if you don't explain?" Shouted Saphine.

"I need to be better if I want to achieve anything with my life. I can't just lay back and get handed everything like my brother... I'm the third, the spare. No one expects anything from me, but it's also frustrating because nothing I do means anything to my family. So, I only have two options if I want to change anything. Option one, become the next head of the Obsidians and dethrone my brother for it, or option two, gather enough power and influence to do it without that." Orth grumbled.

Saphine looked shocked at this declaration. She had never known such thoughts would go on in Orth's head. She slowly reached out to him to give him a friendly touch, but Orth shook her off and stomped to his room.

Leaving her feeling like an ass.

After Orth's less-than-satisfying nap and a short freshen-up, he at least felt a bit better. The brief interaction with Saphine went through his mind again, and he had to blame his exhaustion for being that mean to her, but on the other hand, it helped him express himself the first time.

"So it's a double-edged sword." He thought to himself while leaving with a grumbling stomach to get breakfast.

In the mess hall, he linked up with Mor, who had just come back from freshening up himself, an already waiting Clare, and, to his big surprise, Saphine.

Clare waved both boys over. "Mor, you need to help me choose my breakfast!" she said excitedly, and Mor tilted his head questioningly.

"Why? I explained it to you yesterday," he asked.

"Indeed, you did, but I might as well get your advice if you are here already." Said Clare, with Mor just shrugging and then nodding in agreement.

"Why are you here?" Orth asked the silent Saphine, and Clare interceeded.

"I invited her. She also wanted to know the secret and just missed it yesterday." She answered Orth's question.

Saphine laid a hand on Clare's shoulder. "It's fine, Clare. I'm really here to apologize to you. I wasn't behaving like a friend earlier, and you showed me I need to do better myself. So I thought if you and Clare are friends with the com..." She let out a bashful cough. "... with Mor Agaton, I should accept that and try to at least get along with him."

Orth's slowly rising temper softened substantially. "Thank you for that. I'm also sorry for snapping at you like that. It just came out."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Saphine asked.

"I don't know, maybe I just didn't want to look weak, spiteful, or thankless even with all the privileges shoved down my ass," Orth said with a light chuckle, and Saphine smiled at that.

"Well, next time, just tell me. I won't think less of you for having feelings. Were childhood friends aren't we?" Saphine said, and Orth agreed.

°What do you think happened?° Mor asked the human.

°Don't know, but it's something between them, so there's no sense in prying into it. It seems they cleared it anyway,° said the human.

°True enough.° Agreed Mor.

"I would be happy to get along with you, Lady Sapphire," Mor said honestly, getting an uncomfortable smile from the girl, extending in an awkward silence.

Luckily, with perfect timing, Orth's stomach grumbled, demanding food and Orth's surprised expression got the other three to laugh out loud.

"I think Orth is right." Wheezed Mor. "Time for breakfast!"

"Can you help me choose to?" Asked Sapphine surprisingly.

"Sure, but why?" Mor asked back.

"If Clare wants to do this, I want to do it with her. Like Orth joined up with you." Saphine said, a bit mumbling.

Mor looked at Clare, who just gave him an innocent smile.

"I told her about it, but we won't tattle any further. This is our group's little secret," she whispered, and Mor sighed.

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"Please, do that." He said. "It might have dire consequences if this gets out like that. First, we must produce real results and then spread it to the other soul-kin."

"But why do we need to be that careful?" Clare asked. "Isn't this something good?"

Orth thought for a heartbeat and answered in place of Mor.

"Yes, we need to be. Because we are disproving a known fact: "It is impossible to change your body". But we are doing exactly that. Now, think about the implications. Which rules are also false? Are the nobles really the only ones fit to rule? It could end in a war among soul-kin, and with the world being in turmoil, with what happened to the stone kin, we can't let that happen." explained the boy.

"Yes, Orth understands. We are changing something like a natural law. This will not be a silent thing", Mor whispered, and Clare looked uncomfortable at Saphine.

"Don't worry, Clare, I will keep silent. I know when to use "politics"." Saphine calmed her friend.

With the ground rules now firmly in place, Mor helped his friends choose a more balanced and "healthy" breakfast. The one most surprised was Orth, as Mor explained what he needed for this strength and muscles to grow and, most of that, the amount he was expected to eat.

It then finally dawned on Orth that this would be something unheard of, more so as he compared his portion to the girls, who just took what they liked, and Mor adding a few "fattier" bits and bobs to their plates to make it more balanced. With the help of the human, of course.

After everyone had finished their breakfast, Orth felt somehow very satisfied. He had eaten the first time for another reason than not dying. He could almost feel the "energy" Mor had described flow into his arms and legs, which was, of course, only his imagination.

He now just wished he could take another nap as a bit of tiredness set into his mind, but he was not at all uncomfortable.

Then, after they finished the lessons for the day, Orth retreated to his room for the much-anticipated nap while the girls told Mor they were somehow fitter than most days and just went off to do whatever.

Mor went to the training room, meeting with an already waiting Snow, almost evading the incoming embrace but getting caught anyway. After this familiar greeting, they sat down again, and Snow waited for Mor to start with his questions.

°We need two things. First, we need to know where we can get those crystals from and if she can spare us some. Second, I want you to try shooting her bow. This will probably enhance our "throw stone" spell.° The human instructed Mor, and he went to ask Snow.

"My first question would be, where can I get those crystals you are using?" He asked Snow.

"That's easy. We call them crystals because of how they look, but they are "grown" in and on the body of the monstrosities. So just kill one, and you get more than enough for anything you have in mind. We trade those for the metals of the stone kin." She explained, and Mor groaned.

"So they are not stones?" He wanted to clarify, so Snow shook her head.

"No, they are some kind of bone?" She told him.

°Fuck! Why is never anything easy with your stupid world!° The human complained.

°Maybe we can still do something with it?° Mor put forward.

°Yeah, no harm in having them on hand.° The human said, dejectedly.

"Then my second question would be, can you spare some more of those "crystals" for me?" Mor asked Snow, who just nodded.

"I think I can spare some, but not more than two dozen," Snow answered truthfully.

"Thank you. I appreciate each." Mor said, and Snow gathered a bunch from her sack.

She handed them over to a thankful Mor.

"And I have a last request." Mor started. "May I try out your weapons?" He asked.

"No!" Snow instantly shut him down. "The weapons of an ice-kin are their lives. We build them, and we maintain them. They never leave our side." She almost seemed offended at the request.

°Then ask her, if she would demonstrate how she uses them.° The human offered, Mor forewarding the compromise and Snow nodding at that.

"Yes, this is acceptable." She said.

With this, Snow demonstrated her weapons, especially the power of her war-bow, to a very attentive Mor. The human told Mor to imagine the arrowhead as a stone. Mor then tried to replicate the speed and power of the arrowhead, with his stones mirroring every shot Snow unleashed.

He slowly grasped the power and impact this weapon could produce, and the energy requirement for his spell reflected this. It didn't push his "signature spell" entirely to group-class, but just barely.

Still, their time came to an end. The send-off was a small and somber affair. Mor, Orth, Clare, Saphine, and the headmaster were the only ones to say goodbye. But in truth, the headmaster was only there because it was required of him, and Saphine only tagged along with everyone else.

The only one truly invested in Snow's departure was Mor. To Snow's surprise, he sent her off with an ice-kin embrace, which she happily reciprocated.

Mor was earnestly sad to see the woman go. He saw her as a kind of funny aunt, someone you could confide in, but at the same time, she would support you. Even though they only had a bit of over a week together.

In the end, Mor promised Snow he would visit after he was finished with the academy. At that she confided in him that it would be the perfect timing for her daughter's coming-of-age ceremony.

Finally, after everything was said, the soul-kin teacher standing by to provide transport helped Snow return to her people. And just like that, like a late winter breeze, Snow was gone.