Having stepped away from the edge, Gray descended the slope. He found a small cave and headed toward it, accompanied by a small white fox who never took her curious eyes off him.
"What do you want in exchange for saving me?" the boy asked as he sat down.
He extended a hand to pet the fox but then hesitated. The fox looked at his hand with confusion, trying to figure out what he was trying to do. After a minute of standing still, she lost patience, nudged her head into his open palm, and began licking it.
"Hehehe, that tickles. You must be hungry, huh? Here, take this," said Gray, pulling a small honey-filled chocolate muffin from his pocket and offering it to the animal.
It was his favorite treat—baked that morning by Katarina to celebrate what they had hoped would be his recovery. But now, the boy decided to share it with the fox, who had "saved his life" and reminded him of the truth.
As soon as she caught the scent of food, the fox shamelessly swallowed the entire muffin in one bite. Seeing that nothing was left for himself, Gray only smiled. Perhaps it was for the best. They had planned to enjoy it together, after all.
"You greedy little thing," he chuckled, scooping the snow-white, though dirty, creature into his arms.
At first, surprised by the boy's warmth, the fox hesitated. But finding it pleasant, she relaxed and closed her eyes, burying her nose into his shirt, picking up the scent of something edible.
As her dry, rough nose pressed against his skin, Gray giggled again. He gently stroked her tangled fur. In the company of this worn little fox, he felt an incredible sense of peace. She reminded him a bit of Grace on the outside—but inwardly, she felt more like a reflection of himself.
"Little one, do you want to come with me? I'll take care of you. I'm not strong, but I'll feed you, and I'll never skip a meal like Grace does with Lucky," he said earnestly, looking into her eyes.
All he got in return was a puzzled expression. [Why did you stop? I was enjoying that,] thought the fox.
"Lucky is Grace's pet. He's a legendary cerberus and will become really powerful. Don't worry about him—I won't let him bully you," Gray continued, misunderstanding the fox's gaze.
The fox didn't understand a word he said. She just buried her nose deeper into his chest, urging him to continue stroking her. Gray took this as a yes.
"If you're going to stay with me, you need a name. How about Kara?"
The fox let out a displeased growl, clearly rejecting it.
"Molly?"
"Ryuu-ryuu," she grumbled again, clearly irritated by the pause in her petting.
"Okay, okay, relax. How about… Alice?" he offered, resuming the stroking.
Feeling the affection return, the fox yipped softly in approval. And just like that, the name was settled. Their strange bond was surprisingly in sync.
Watching this scene from the shadows, Cassia nearly did a facepalm. She couldn't understand how her clever young master had seemingly lost all sense in a single afternoon. She even considered asking Selene to run another medical checkup.
Soon, Gray was walking home with his new companion nestled comfortably in his arms. The little fox lay curled up peacefully while he strolled along the path, humming a tune. His steps were light, and a genuine smile of joy brightened his face.
The villagers raised their brows in surprise as they noticed the boy approaching. They had expected him to be broken and mourning, not returning before sunset—certainly not with a radiant smile.
[Children are so emotionally unpredictable,] they thought, but seeing him so cheerful, the old folks visibly relaxed.
When Gray entered the house, he stumbled upon a scene he would never forget. His beautiful mother and Grace were laughing maniacally as they wrecked everything around them. Teacups, plates, furniture—it looked like a hippo had stormed through the kitchen. The two white-haired women, one tall and graceful, the other small and adorable, were drawing a hexagram on the floor with wild expressions.
At the creak of the door, both women froze. It was as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water over them. They turned their heads in perfect unison to see the smiling dark-haired boy holding a small white puffball to his chest.
The boy's joyful appearance was so unbelievable that they briefly thought it must be someone else. The three of them stared at each other in stunned silence, each for their own reasons.
From the outside, the scene looked ridiculous, almost cartoonish. The fox looked around curiously, blissfully unaware of the emotional drama playing out before her.
"Umm… darling, you're back so soon?" Katarina asked, snapping out of her trance.
"Yeah… Mom, Sis… what's going on here?" the boy asked with clear confusion.
"Ehh… well, Mom and I were just studying… umm… witch curses! Yeah, Grandma Albedo gave me a big homework assignment… and I asked Mom for help. Right, Mom?" Grace blurted.
"Ahem… yes, that's exactly what we were doing," Katarina added, visibly embarrassed to be caught in such a state.
"Umm… Brother, why do you look so happy? And who's the little cutie with you?" Grace asked, unable to resist.
"Well, I met Alice. She looked so sad and hungry, all alone in the snowy forest. Mom, can Alice stay with us? I'll take care of her. She can play with Lucky," Gray asked, eyes pleading.
Those big blue eyes, so full of emotion, struck Katarina like lightning. Her son rarely asked for anything. He usually kept everything bottled inside, always trying to handle his problems alone—unlike Grace.
And now here he was, returning from a failed operation, humbly asking to keep a tiny fox. How could she possibly refuse?
"Of course you can, sweetheart," she said gently.
"You're the best mom in the world! I love you so much," Gray beamed.
"Just don't overfeed her right away. Increase her portions slowly, so she recovers without getting sick," Katarina advised, slipping naturally into her nurturing role.
"Mom, you said the same thing when we took in Lucky."
"Fufufu. You two were so small and adorable back then, not like now. You've completely forgotten your poor mother."
"Mom, we've never forgotten you! You're the best mom ever!" the twins shouted together as they ran over to hug her.
Katarina's heart swelled with warmth. Her fury had melted away completely. Right now, she felt deeply fulfilled. Her children's simple, sincere words meant more than the opinions of gods or the world.
Despite the failed healing, Gray had returned in high spirits. He was doing far better than anyone could have expected. What more could Katarina possibly wish for?
She didn't yet realize that her relentless efforts to heal him had become a heavy burden in her son's eyes. Gray didn't want everyone to suffer because of him.
Did he think about the future? No—he was forced to because of everyone else's expectations. Was he afraid of dying young? Maybe. But it didn't haunt him the way others thought. He just wanted to live in the moment and enjoy every breath. Thoughts of the future only weighed him down.
He hadn't fully understood this himself, but his desire to be healed had always been more about keeping up with his sister and meeting adult expectations than fear of death. When healing became impossible, all the pressure evaporated—and with it, came peace.
The realization that he could change nothing brought him emotional clarity. Death from halted development? Maybe, in 60–80 years. He hadn't even lived a tenth of that yet. To a child, 60 years was forever. That's the difference between a child and an adult.
Only Cassia, who had watched him at his lowest point, could understand what had truly changed in him. For the rest, his transformation would remain an eternal mystery.
Katarina wouldn't see it either—not completely. Just as her son couldn't see things from her perspective. She couldn't imagine living for a thousand years like the elders. She couldn't think the way they did.
Mortals cannot comprehend the gods. And even though Katarina's strength placed her closer to divinity than to humanity, her soul still processed the world like a mortal's.
Time is a terrible force. It heals and it destroys. Only time will reveal what fate has in store for them.