56 The dark side of rumors

The morning came soon and a weak and scarce ray of light entered through the curtain on the window, hitting Extimum's face directly.

An insignificant factor, but it immediately disturbed the calm of his closed eyelids, until they finally opened.

Two purple nebulae with a sharp black hole in the center wandered briefly in bewilderment looking at the surroundings, before suddenly clearing up with a feeling of calm and reminiscence.

Moving aside the sheet that covered him, Extimum almost jumped out of bed and with a smooth, practiced twist of his wrist, an ephemeral cloud covered him before disappearing and appearing suddenly cooler.

He stretched briefly and then picked up the wand that was resting on the nightstand next to his bed followed by waving it in the direction of his voluminous suitcase, from which clothes immediately flew and danced around him.

Stretching a hand here and there, his nightclothes fell off in a short moment and a new, clean suit quickly took its place in a few seconds.

Seeing that his suit had been properly organized as far as he could see, he waved his wand to pack his scattered belongings into his briefcase.

Taking one last look to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, he pulled Bloom, which until now he had held with one of his tails, to his coat pocket where she could continue sleeping.

Turning, he stepped forward to enter the bathroom to look in the mirror, except that he noticed...that there was nothing but a wall in that direction...

'Oh, that's right, there is no indoor bathroom here... How can ordinary people just leave their rooms without having first seen themselves in a mirror? Do they really leave their rooms untidy? Should I then investigate if there is a spell to create a mirror for situations like this? Hmm...Although it would seem a bit narcissistic to spend study time on magic to learn something like that...'

Reaching out his hand, he rubbed his temples a little, feeling some discomfort due to lack of sleep. Normally when he slept little, he tended to sleep for a long time or just put up with it, but today he felt particularly unwell.

'It must be because of the lasagna...'.

Clearing his thoughts, he stepped forward and opened the bedroom door to step out into the hallway.

More than having gone to bed late, the problem was that he had hardly slept.

After dinner and "cleaning up" the traces of dinner, the rest of the night had been like slumber party. Talking about different things with Hermione and looking through several of the non-magical gadgets that she excitedly showed him. Some gave him a certain familiarity and he even knew how to handle them much to Hermione's surprise.

But others had left him completely blank, ignorant of how to even hold them, alleviating the strange look Hermione had been giving him.

The feeling of knowing something without really knowing it was truly mysterious beyond words. As if a patient with amnesia were interacting with something they had used in the past.

He had to say that such a feeling was interesting rather than terrifying, after all, in the magical world something almost never caused him such a sensation and although in the non-magical world such a feeling was not very common either, at least it existed.

A glimpse into a past, into a world that once and never knew.

That was why he found such an experience intriguing.

After that, they had watched a movie on the living room TV. Mrs. Granger had complained a little about how late it was, but in the end Mr. Granger convinced her and they even joined in to watch the movie.

It had been an action movie, although he hadn't paid attention to the name. More than the content of the film, he found the television itself more interesting. It was his first time seeing one or at least paying enough attention to it.

Vague memories of something similar flowed into his mind, but much flatter and thinner ones in comparison.

It filled his mind with ideas that distracted him almost completely from the movie, however, in the end he didn't get much, since he didn't quite know how to take full advantage of it with his current knowledge.

The only bad thing about the night was, perhaps, that Mrs. Granger had brought some late-night snacks afterwards, which in any other situation would have been fine, but in this one it was no different from torture. He had had to excuse himself that he was full from dinner and that he didn't want to eat anything so late, until finally they stopped insisting.

If he did nothing, the nauseating smell made him sick, and if he limited his senses to that of a human, then instead, the fragrance made his empty stomach growl weakly.

Even with that, his palate even at this moment held a bitter and unpleasant aftertaste in the back of his throat.

The lasagna had been incomparable to the hot dog he had eaten the other time. Such a sensation reminded him of when he made his first potion at home and drank it to test its effect.

The potion had worked, but it had gone a bit too far when he added the acacia leaves, causing a slight reaction that made the taste incredibly bitter, so much so that he couldn't eat anything all day without feeling a terrible bitterness in his mouth.

Comparatively, this had been a few levels worse. Forcing himself to eat had not been a good idea and he didn't want to wait for breakfast.

That's why he planned to leave early while the others were still sleeping, he would just say goodbye to Hermione and then say that his parents came for him.

As for formality, although it was not very etiquette to simply go off, at this moment it took a backseat. Later he might as well arrange for his parents to send a thank you for their care, no, scratch that, that would probably be a bad idea, however, he could still send it on their behalf or create an illusion of them coming here briefly.

The important thing was to get out of here. Although he could pretend to eat with an illusion, he didn't have that kind of masochistic taste.

As he walked, he quickly passed the bathroom, where he stopped for a brief moment to check his appearance before continuing. After passing through a room that served as Mr. Granger's office, he finally arrived in front of the door to Hermione's room.

His suitcase had been floating behind him all this time to avoid making noise as it dragged across the floor.

The entire hallway was completely silent, it being around 5:45 am according to the last time he looked at his watch in the room and he had gone to sleep around 1:20 am.

His hand unconsciously went to knock on the door, but he stopped at the last second, thinking about how noisy that would be in this environment, so instead he grabbed the doorknob and walked inside.

The interior of the room was as you would expect from a girl's room, with only perhaps the addition of a greater prominence of books rather than toys or dolls, and contrary to usual, everything was quite organized.

In the center of the room was a large, pink bed with a castle design.

Ignoring the peculiar appearance of the bed and the room that he had already seen last night, Extimum approached the bed where Hermione was sleeping.

Hermione was hugging a large teddy bear and wearing a blue pajama dress.

Extimum shook her shoulder lightly to wake her up.

Hermione: "Hmm, no... it's the weekend... let me sleep..." Hermione said in almost an incoherent babble.

Extimum: "Hermione."

Hermione: "Hmm? Extimum? Is that you?" Only vaguely opening her eyes, Hermione spoke in a voice that clearly denoted her sleepy state.

Extimum: "Yes, you don't have to wake up. I came to say goodbye, my parents came for me, but it's still very early, so I don't want to wake up your parents. Say goodbye to them in my place and tell them I appreciate their hospitality, then we'll return to give proper thanks."

Hermione: "What?... Are you leaving now? Can't you stay later?" Sleep still dominated, but upon hearing that Extimum was leaving, Hermione became much more lucid, however, there wasn't much light in the room to begin with, so she couldn't really see Extimum properly, other than a simple dark figure and few features.

If she didn't follow the sound of the voice she could almost be talking to nothing. She even doubted whether the Extimum in front of her was real or just a dream, so she subconsciously reached out to touch it.

Extimum: "I'm afraid not, but I'll visit you again this holiday if I have time. I won't let you miss me too much."

Stopping Hermione's hand that was about to touch his face, Extimum held her hand in a gentle grasp with his own hand.

Hermione: "Yes... do that..." With limited vision and sleep, her eyes were beginning to close again.

Blinking slightly, Extimum smiled softly when he saw that she did not deny his statement, although he did not take it too seriously because he knew that she was still somewhat asleep.

Seeing her close her eyes and feeling her breathing return to a much lower rate, he looked at the hand he was still holding briefly, before bringing her closer and giving her a light, chaste kiss.

Extimum: "I will do that."

Without further ado, he gently placed his hand on the quilt of the bed and hurried out of the room and closed the door behind him, then left the house in complete silence.

The streets outside were still dark, but the sky was already beginning to lighten. In fact the current amount of light was normally not enough to wake people up, however, it was different for Extimum who used to sleep in a completely dark room and his habit of getting up early almost daily.

Extimum: "Bob."

**Pop Jumble**

Bob: "Did you call, young master?"

Extimum: "Take me home"

Bob: "Right away." Approaching, he grabbed Extimum's sleeve and they both disappeared in an instant.

**Pop Jumble**

…

**Pop Jumble**

After emerging from the jumble, a large and imposing mansion appeared in front of Extimum's gaze.

This time Bob had transported him directly to the front yard, saving him the time of going through the gate.

Taking a few steps, he walked towards the door of the mansion.

Bob: "*Ahem* Young Master"

Stopping in his steps at the sudden call, Extimum turned his gaze to look at Bob. His personality seemed to have gained a few more shades of coldness in just a few seconds.

"Something wrong?"

Bob: "Yes, the lady, she, is a little upset again..."

Extimum: "I remember sending a letter last night"

Bob: "Yes, she received it, even so, she was not happy at all, since even if the young master notified her absence, the young master did not ask for the respective permission and waited for her approval..."

Extimum frowned slightly upon hearing Bob's words. Since when did they care so much? Since the last time, he had always taken into account notifying them of their location and the time it would take to return, even so, they had never told him anything, he thought that the letter should have been enough, but now it seemed that it was not.

If it were any other family I would understand, but when it came to his own, so much concern or rather, desire to keep him under control was unusual.

Extimum: "Okay, thanks for telling me."

Bob: "Bob is happy to serve you, young master."

Extimum: "Hmm." Humming lightly, he took a step forward to approach the mansion, when the sound of voices nearby made him stop again.

?:"Mick, what are you doing?"

?:"Shh, be quiet, don't worry, I'll just paint one of the walls"

?: "But I thought the challenge was just to come spend the night..."

?: "Of course not, how could it be so simple? The boys said that only if I painted one of the walls of the NorthHollow mansion would I pass the test"

?: "But you know that NorthHollow is cultural heritage, the police could arrest us, plus... you know from the stories, all those who have attacked the NorthHollow mansion have disappeared or become insane"

?: "Bah! Those are stories that grandparents told to scare children, do you really believe in those things?"

?: "But everyone in the town knows it, it can't be just a story, plus you know that this place is still occupied, what if the family here discovers us? They will surely call the police or maybe even..."

?: "Shut up! If you're afraid, then just go, I'll do it alone, but I won't share the credit with you."

Turning his head, Extimum's eyes fell on one of the high walls that protected the outside of the mansion and where the voices had come from.

The high stone walls blocked his view, however, the distinct sound of a can shaking along with the small conversation he had heard, gave him an idea of what was happening on the other side.

Extimum: "I didn't think that even in this day and age someone would dare to try to desecrate our mansion". Extimum's almost imperturbable face twisted slightly, as the pupils of his eyes sharpened and his eyes took on an almost luminescent glow on this dark morning.

The temperature even seemed to mysteriously drop a few degrees for a few seconds, before returning to normal.

For the world and especially for the people who lived in the nearby town, the NorthHollow mansion was a very special place, since it was an important place in the history of this place, as well as a private and tourist cultural heritage on certain occasions of the year.

The number of stories from the past that were related to this mansion was not small. The mansion was said to have existed even before many of the castles in the region were built and was even older than the town itself, which existed even before the time of castles.

Although the town had changed over the years and modernized and some castles had even collapsed, only the mansion on the small hill in the valley still remained almost exactly the same as in those times.

Which in itself demonstrated how well built it was and the unique and majestic design that even thousands of years later still made it have great charm and appeal.

On the other hand, the relationship between the people of the town and the family of the mansion had always been somewhat lukewarm and in some times even bad, but with the arrival of modern times and the standardization of multiple things, the relationship became much more better and pleasant, so in general there was no problem between both parties.

Furthermore, the ancient stories told from generation to generation by the natives of the town had always made the people there not dare to treat the family of said mansion lightly, so much so that at some point in time it was treated as a taboo.

With the modernization, there had been no problems between both parties for more than a century, however, unexpectedly, today someone arrived at the mansion and wanted to vandalize the exterior walls that enclosed and isolated the mansion from the outside.

Although Extimum had several conflicts with his family, he would never allow anyone to tarnish Shadowless's name, which included his family property. It was a pride and sense of belonging that went beyond brainwashing, it was a belonging through blood.

Every stone and even blade of grass in this place had been built and placed by the hands and wands of the Shadowless family.

Extimum: "Take care of it"

Bob: "Right away, young master." Bob's expression was even uglier, if Extimum had still held back, Bob was almost bursting into fury at this point and only his years of training as a family servant barely kept him from completely losing his composure.

Extimum: "Hmp." Giving an annoyed huff, Extimum entered the mansion without further interruptions. Although it hurt his mood somewhat, he didn't want to bother solving this matter and it wasn't necessary either, otherwise there would be no need to have servants in the mansion.

Even if it was just Bob and a few other house elves.

.-.

As Wilson watched his friend draw graffiti on the walls, he couldn't help but feel an uneasiness in his heart the more he watched his friend spill the spray paint on the walls.

Unlike Mick, whose family had moved to the town only a few years ago, his family, although not completely native, had been living here for several generations.

And I had grown up listening to the stories of this place. Many sounded somewhat fanciful and others quite chilling, although generally unreliable, so they were more bedtime stories, however, Wilson had never forgotten the answer his father had given him when he asked him if those stories were real.

"There is no smoke without fire."

That phrase, however little it was, had marked him since he was little and he had even applied it to other areas of his life, so even if many of the stories were false or very exaggerated, it did not take away from the fact that there must be something really, in another way, why did all the natives believe it and were so cautious?

Furthermore, it was not as simple as believing, the mansion itself and its inhabitants had always been somewhat mysterious and secluded, but their presence was almost always difficult to ignore when they appeared, since they were very...particular.

So Wilson usually always chose to be cautious rather than sin.

In fact, he had only accompanied his friend Mick here because he thought the challenge was just to come here late at night and spend the night near the mansion. There was nothing wrong with that, at least until Mick woke him up very early in the morning and made him follow him here.

Now he was conflicted about what to do. The uneasiness in his heart didn't go away, but it only grew bigger the longer he stood there watching Mick.

Finally, unable to contain himself, he gathered his things and spoke.

"I'm leaving, I won't accompany you anymore, I don't care if you don't give me credit later, I don't want it." Finishing there, he turned around and walked away at a fast pace, almost running, for some reason, his heart was hammering loudly in his chest like a drum the longer he stayed there, furthermore, now that he was running, he noticed that the further he got from the place, the calmer he felt.

'Something is very wrong here'

"Tch, do whatever you want." Mick only paused for a moment to look at Wilson's back, before continuing to paint. He was already close to finishing, besides, in this area the sun was about to rise so he had to hurry up and leave.

After all, there was some reason in his friend's words, if the police discovered that it was him, the consequences for damaging cultural and historical heritage were not small, added to the fact that he had heard that the family that lived here was quite wealthy and even influential in certain sectors.

**Piti piti piti piti**

Just as he was about to finish, a sound on his wrist startled him. Looking, it was the alarm on his watch that he had set for exactly 6 am, since at precisely this time the sun was peeking over the hill so he had to leave immediately.

Looking at his graffiti, he noticed that he still had a little left to finish, but he had no time left. He had drunk a lot last night so he had ended up ignoring the alarm and getting up later than expected and now he had to race with time.

He packed the cans of paint into his suitcase and hurriedly slung it over his shoulder before looking up at the sky.

"How strange, it's still quite dark, I had looked before and almost always at this time it was already bright here. Maybe today will be a cloudy day." Naturally he had done his research before daring to come.

Without paying more attention to the still dark sky, he ran towards the place where his camp was.

…

**Haa haa haa**

"*pant* What's wrong? I don't remember it being that far away, I should have arrived by now, couldn't that coward Wilson take my tent or did he? *Gasp* no, even if it was like that, I should have seen the trails from the camp as you pass"

Taking a deep breath and wiping the sweat from his forehead, Mick looked around, however, he didn't see anything familiar.

They had set up camp in a small grove behind the mansion, however, he saw no trace of the area he had chosen before, as if he had never been here.

"Speaking of which...shouldn't it be dawn already? Why is everything still so dark? In fact, it seems even darker now than before..."

**whisper**

"Huh?" . A distant, low sound reached Wilson's ears from behind a tree.

**whisper** **whisper**

"What? Who? Wilson? Is that you?"

The sound was similar to a faint whisper, as if people were secreting to each other behind the tree.

**whisper** **whisper** **whisper**

"Hey, this isn't fun, if you already packed our things, just get out of wherever you are and let's go back to town."

**whisper** **whisper** **whisper** **whisper**

Walking towards the tree where the sound was coming from, Mick stopped when he felt the sound behind the tree quiet down and then sound again from another tree where it had come from, furthermore, the number of voices had increased.

Swallowing weakly, Mick turned away from the tree he had been walking toward and looked back. The sound of voices still seemed to come from behind the trees, but no matter how hard he paid attention, he wasn't able to pick up on anything they were saying.

They seemed to be saying words, but at the same time not saying anything, no… it was more like he just couldn't understand it even if he heard it.

Mick's back began to break out in a cold sweat, at first the whispers had been weak, but now they seemed to be closer to him. He no longer believed this was a joke on Wilson's part.

Without hesitation, he turned around and ran back the way he had come. He didn't care even if he was later caught by the police or the mansion's owners, but he had to get away from this place.

This time he ran even faster than when he was fleeing the mansion, although he tried to hide it well, it was obvious that nervousness was now affecting his mind.

"This place...No, it can't be..."

After running for a few minutes, he found no trace of the mansion, he didn't even seem to have completely left the small grove, making the whole place a little darker, however, he clearly noticed that the place he had arrived at was very similar to where it had been before.

The grove wasn't even that big.

???: "Why couldn't it be?"

"Ahhhh, who are you?" Mick jumped in surprise when he heard a voice right in his ear. Quickly turning around.

"Thank goodness there is someone, sir, who could tell me how to get out..." Wilson's voice died in his throat as he saw the sight in front of him.

"W-what?"

The grove had become incredibly dark at some point, almost as if it were deep in the night, but the most disturbing thing was the person who was standing just a few meters behind him, because that person...looked just like himself.

"Am I hallucinating? But-"

???: "You're not hallucinating, this is real...Very real...". His other self responded slowly with a somewhat disturbing voice and finally smiled, a big smile, showing all his teeth.

**Hyk**

Mick felt like every hair stood on end seeing that smile, even if the person looked like him, in fact, that only made it more chilling.

Taking a step back Mick tried to stay calm and walk away.

"I-I, I have to go..." Taking another step back to have more distance, Mick was about to run away.

The smile of his other self slowly faded…

???: "I'm afraid that's no longer possible...not for a while."

Feeling a chill run through his body, Mick didn't wait for his other self to finish speaking and turned around to run.

He felt as if a surge of energy like none other ran through his body, while adrenaline coursed through his veins propelling his body beyond what he thought possible. He didn't even worry about his briefcase full of paint cans as he discarded it to run faster.

But the excitement did not last more than a few seconds when to his horror he discovered that no matter how hard he ran, the distance in front of him did not seem to change, as if it were anchored in the same place, no, in fact, it was moving, It's just that...not forward... but backward...

The more he tried to run, the more he noticed how his surroundings became darker and darker until the only light was from the horizon in front of him.

Then something seemed to wrap itself around his foot and drag him backwards. His body hit the ground hard, almost swallowing some of the dirt that entered his mouth as he landed face down on the ground, however, he couldn't care less about that when he felt himself being pulled.

The light was getting dimmer and the horizon was getting smaller and smaller. He dug his hands and nails into the ground, trying to gain leverage and resist what was dragging him.

"No! No! Let go of me! Let me go, I'll call the police." Clinging with all his strength to the dirt and grass on the ground, Mick threatened as much as he could before turning to face his attacker, but instantly the little color he had left drained from his face.

Behind him there was nothing, only a complete darkness that seemed to be dragging him, however, this was not simple darkness, just seeing it made him feel terrible terror from the depths of his being.

"L-let me go! Let me go! Ahhhh, noo, I don't want to, I don't want to die, let go of me, no, no, no, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-"

An abrupt silence descended over the entire place, as the marks on the floor that Mick had made disappeared. Shortly after, the sun's rays finally came out quickly, illuminating the small grove.

And on a bush not far away, only a quiet can of paint remained.

.-.

Ava: "Where were you?" Ava's apathetic and neutral voice sounded in the mansion's living room.

Extimum: 'I thought I said it in the letter.' "I was at a friend's house, mother"

Ava: "And why were you there?"

Extimum: "I was invited to dinner-".

Ava: "I don't remember giving you permission to do that."

Extimum: "..."

Ava: "You're only 13, even if we give you some freedom, you can't just go wherever you want, especially with strangers."

Extimum blinked slightly, feeling strange and unfamiliar, he never thought he would hear such common words coming out of his mother's mouth.

Ava: "There is proper etiquette and preparation that must be done before visiting another magical family's compound, not to mention that you should wait for my or your father's approval."

Extimum: 'Indeed... on the other hand, I didn't go to another magical family's compound... but it would be better not to say that...'

"I understand, mother."

Ava: "What do you understand?"

Extimum: "That I should not neglect etiquette and... that I should wait for your consent for those types of situations."

Ava: "Hmm, okay, you can go on your way."

Without another word, Extimum bowed slightly to his mother and then left the room.

Upon entering the mansion he had gone directly to the kitchen to look for something to eat, although it was mainly some fruits, since he was not used to saving leftovers and he did not want to bother the house elves at this time, he just wanted to satisfy his hunger a little before breakfast.

As he left the kitchen, he passed through the living room and was stopped by the call of his mother, who after sharing a few words went directly to this moment.

Bloom: 'That was kind of suffocating...'

Extimum: 'Are you awake? Did you hear all that?'

Bloom: 'Yes, I woke up when you were leaving the kitchen.'

Extimum: '*sigh* I can't help but feel that a lot of what she said was just empty words, but her intention was still within what she said. It's annoying that I can feel all the emotions of others without wanting to, but from whom I'm most interested in knowing, I can't get almost any response.' 'And I still have a headache... I should sleep a little more'

Bloom remained silent at that. The situation in this mansion and family was simply too complicated for her to understand with the little information she knew and could gather in this short time. She preferred to remain silent for now.

Entering his room, Extimum slowly unbuttoned his shirt, while extending his hands so that his coat flew to his coat rack.

His room was completely dark and he didn't bother to even turn on the light. Thinking about it now, it was perhaps a little unnecessary to have gotten all dressed up to go straight to his house when it would arrive in just a snap, he had simply done it out of habit and presentation.

As he walked towards his bed, a fleeting feeling along with a thought passed through his mind. 'This is more like that, space is definitely not the same...'.

It seemed that an inexplicable discomfort had disappeared from his body and even his nine tails were freed from his waist, beginning to move freely with a vigor and activity that he did not share at this moment.

Bloom from Extimum's shoulder couldn't help but give them a few more fleeting glances. She liked to play with them, but Extimum used to be very suspicious of them except at bedtime.

Before Bloom's gaze could focus on one of the tails again, one of them reached behind her and wrapped around her, lifting her from Extimum's shoulder and the next second placing her on Extimum's chest who had already lying down.

Bloom: "Oh!" Somewhat surprised, Bloom let out a small scream that she quickly drowned out when she realized. Although her eyesight was much better than average, she couldn't see as well in this darkness as Extimum so the approach had taken her by surprise.

Extimum: "Let's go to sleep for now."

.-.

On the bedside table, the minute hand of the pocket watch moved rapidly and at some point, the sun was already hanging high in the sky.

In a small cobblestone house in the village near the Shadowless mansion.

The sound of whistling pots and music from the radio sounded from the kitchen.

?:"Wilson, go to the store and bring me the ingredients on this list for your grandfather's cake and don't forget to choose only what is freshest, you know what if you don't know-".

A beautiful middle-aged woman wearing simple clothes with an apron shouted from the kitchen as she read the newspaper in her hand and left a sheet of paper on the table where she had just written a list of ingredients.

Wilson: "I know, I know, mom, don't worry, I've already done this several times, worst case scenario I'll just ask Mr Ashkot for help. *sigh* you know I'm already 18, right? I can go to the store and bring the ingredients correctly without you reminding me...".

Coming down from the second floor and entering the kitchen, Wilson couldn't help but complain. He was no longer a child and even children could do something well like go to the store.

?: "Oh really? And what happened then last week when I asked you to shop for lunch?" Lowering the newspaper in her hand, the woman commented with some viciousness.

Wilson: "that... well, that was different, you know..." Feeling somewhat uncomfortable, Wilson lowered the tone of his voice, while avoiding his mother's gaze.

?: "How was it different?" Not being convinced in the slightest, the woman asked, hoping what excuse her son would come up with.

Wilson: "It's just that I got distracted while shopping... But it was just a small mistake..." Wilson couldn't help but remember with some shyness how just that day he had met the girl he liked also doing the shopping, so he couldn't help but look at her several times while he was choosing the products.

?: "I asked you for cabbage! Cabbage! And what did you bring me? Lettuce! Even if you can't tell them apart, there is clearly a big sign labeling it, plus why would I use lettuce?" The woman's annoyance increased just by remembering it, after all, that small mistake had cost her having to leave that day's dinner half-cooked since she had to go buy it herself.

Wilson: "To make a sandwich?"

?: "You! Very funny, huh?" Grabbing the newspaper from the table tightly, she rolled it up while hitting his son.

Wilson: "Oh, no, mom, don't hit me! I'm leaving, I'm leaving, if you keep me any longer the cake won't be ready on time…" Running quickly to the side of the kitchen, he opened the door to the yard and quickly left the house, barely receiving two blows to the head.

?: "Huh, that boy, why can't he be more serious like his father? *sigh*"

Just as the woman sighed, the door leading to the yard opened again.

Wilson: "Ah, mom, but you didn't give me money for shopping."

?: "Are you still here?" The woman grabbed the newspaper on the table again.

Wilson: "Ah, I'm leaving, I'm leaving, I'll buy it with my money". Seeing her grab the newspaper again, he closed the kitchen door again.

…

Wilson: "*sigh* and there goes my money that I had saved to invite Madison to lunch...". Feeling sad to see his little pocket money disappearing as he left the store, Wilson walked somewhat crestfallen toward his house. This time he made sure to buy what it said on the list.

"I shouldn't have said that last thing or I should have done it at least after asking for the money for the purchases..."

?: "Hey, Wilson, is it you, I finally found you"

Wilson: "Matt? Were you looking for me for something?"

Matt: "Of course we do, or do you think the boys forgot about the challenge? Mick was supposed to meet us in the morning as soon as it was over, but he hasn't come with us yet and he had gone with you."

Wilson: "Isn't Mick back yet?" Wilson frowned.

Matt:"*Dahh* Obvious. If not then why do you think I'm asking you?"

Still frowning, Wilson answered. "That's weird, even though I left earlier, Mick was already about to finish, it shouldn't have taken him so long to finish and come back."

Matt: "Did Mick really paint the walls of the NorthHollow mansion?" Surprise was evident in Matt's tone when he asked the question.

Wilson: "Well, of course, wasn't that the challenge?" Remembering it made Wilson feel upset, after all, Mick had kept it from him until the last moment.

Matt: "Well, yeah, that was the challenge, but... I didn't think he'd actually dare do it. I at least wouldn't have done it."

Wilson: "Didn't you suggest it?"

Matt: "Of course not, it was the other kids. Besides, you know how my father is, if he found out that I did something like that, he would kill me, no, even worse, if he found out that I did it to the NorthHollow mansion, It's probably going to leave me sleeping outside the house... Honestly, I was prepared for Mick to come back later and say he'd given up so I'd persuade the others to put up a different challenge..."

Wilson: "Hmm, well, I don't know, maybe he was really sleepy and went straight home to sleep, have you looked for him at his house yet?"

Matt: "No, he was just heading there, after all he was supposed to meet us in the morning, but it's almost time for lunch and there's still no sign of him"

Wilson: "In that case I won't bother you anymore, I have to take this to my mom, see you later." Lightly shaking the bags he was carrying in one of his hands, Wilson said goodbye and headed home.

Seeing Wilson leave, Matt didn't delay either and continued walking towards Mick's house, for some reason he felt a little uncomfortable about the subject.

Matt had not liked the challenge of painting the walls of the NorthHollow mansion at all and not because he was a coward, but simply because his father was the town sheriff.

Some might think that this would give him some kind of advantage, like in the movies and that he could even act as some kind of mini boss in the town, but the reality was very different. His father was very strict and was even stricter with him.

If he even tried anything like acting like a mini-boss or a thug, his father would beat him home and make him kneel in the yard for half a day.

His family was something of a law and order family for generations and although they had not always held high positions, they had always been involved with the management of security and law in the town.

So his father also expected him to become a police officer or a mayoral official.

Matt: "*sigh* Well, let's get this over with."

After walking for a few minutes, he arrived in front of Mick's house, so going up a small step, he raised his hand to ring the doorbell.

*Ding dong*

?: "One moment"

*Click*

The door opened showing a woman housewife, somewhat young and thin for having been a woman who had given birth.

?: "Oh, but if it's not little Matthew, look at you, how much you've grown, you're almost as beefy as your father, speaking of which, did your father send a reply about the letter I sent him?" The young housewife spoke quickly and forcefully, while denoting a great warm feeling like a mother, along with something else that Matt just wasn't able to put his finger on.

Matt: "*cough* I'm sorry to bother you at this hour, Ms. Elizabeth. I don't know anything about the letter, if it's something personal you'll have to wait until my father responds or if it's something official, most likely some official come back later with the answer. Actually what I was trying to do was ask you about your son, Mick, is he at home? "

Elizabeth: "Is that so..."—A sad smile was briefly seen on Elizabeth's face before she regained her warm smile—"So you're a friend of Mick's? I didn't know, but I'm glad to hear that, after all, you're a good guy Matthew, Mick on the other hand, is a somewhat difficult child and doesn't usually tell me much about himself. Speaking of him, he hasn't returned yet. He had told me that he had gone with Mrs. Rosewall's son to camp in the hill, but he didn't tell me anything else, in fact, I thought he would be back for lunch, but he hasn't shown up yet".

Matt frowned, He just ran into Wilson and according to him, Mick had already almost completed the challenge when they separated, so it didn't make sense that he hadn't returned home or gone to meet up with the other guys.

'Perhaps I have eluded him while going from one place to another?'

Elizabeth: "Did you need it for something?"

Returning from his thoughts, Matt responded. "No, it wasn't anything important, it's just that he had promised to meet us when he returned from his camp, but maybe he hasn't returned yet."

Matt had some doubts, but he didn't comment on them. Wilson had separated early, so he couldn't tell if Mick for some reason chose to stay on the hill or if he had gone somewhere else before.

He didn't particularly like Mick, so he didn't know as much about him as the others, yet for some reason, the uncomfortable feeling he had thinking about it only deepened more.

"Anyway, if he comes back, please mention that we were looking for him."

Elizabeth: "Of course, I'll be happy to tell him."

Matt: "In that case, I won't interrupt your lunch time anymore."

Elizabeth: "It's okay, you're not a bother. I still haven't sat down to eat yet."

Matt nodded and turned to leave.

Elizabeth: "Oh and Matthew."

Matt: "Yes, Mrs. Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth: "...if you see...if you see your father later, could you remind him about my letter?"

Matt: "Sure, if I see him later I'll tell him"

Elizabeth: "Thank you Matthew."

Matt walked away, now feeling somewhat curious about Mrs. Elizabeth's letter to his father.

.-.

--Pov Bloom--.

Opening her eyes, Bloom stretched lazily while hugging a large, soft, furry blanket.

The room was still dark and only some very weak rays of light entered the room behind the heavy curtains.

Blinking her long eyelashes rapidly, Bloom felt strange, usually when she woke up the curtains were already drawn and the morning light illuminated the entire room, she was almost always the last to get up, so the contrast was strange.

Tilting his head slightly, he looked up at Extimum's face. His eyes were closed, clearly still sleeping.

His face seemed much more peaceful and although that expressionlessness still remained, it seemed softer somehow. His hair had grown a little in recent months and he hadn't cut it yet, so there was a certain messy touch strange to see about it.

Seeing him like this instinctively brought a smile to her face, growing a little larger when she noticed the extra pair of furry ears on his head, but she quickly looked away from them. Extimum was always quite sensitive about them, so much so that even just looking at them for a while would alert him.

Today was one of those rare occasions when she woke up before him.

While she thought about it, she began to play with the large blanket that covered her, or rather, Extimum's tail that she always used to sleep.

Moving it from one side to another and combing it on other occasions. Even if it was dark, the fur seemed to have a faint silver glow of its own when she brushed against it. The glow was faint, enough to be noticeable, but not enough to bother the eyes.

Occasionally symbols like runes even seemed to appear faintly on the fur, causing an unreal feeling, unlike magic.

In fact, that was a fact that made her curious. Although in mythology there were some legends of nine-tailed foxes, that was only theoretical and in the magical world in its long history only three-tailed foxes had been seen even in the distant past.

But now there was one in front of her. Stranger still, although she had not dared to ask it, but the question was always on her mind, Why did Extimum possess such a lineage in him? And one so pure?

Such a pure lineage was for at least their mother or father to be a nine-tailed fox themselves, but having seen them, it was clear that while there were some quirks to them, they were essentially completely magical humans.

She couldn't detect the slightest hint or connection between such a lineage on their part, but how could it just come out of nowhere? It was incomprehensible. The idea that they were not his parents was not viable either, because at least the resemblance could be noted and the other side of Extimum's lineage was clearly that of Shadowless.

Then how? There didn't seem to be an answer to that, at least not without asking Extimum directly, however, she also didn't want to intrude too much into his secrets if he wasn't willing to share them even with her.

The connection between the two was strong and even closer because of the contract, so she was in no hurry, time was what they had the most at the moment.

But even with that aside, what bothered her the most was because even now, she couldn't feel the presence of the nine-tailed fox bloodline, as it simply didn't exist unless Extimum intentionally stimulated it.

Staring at the tail he held in his hands, it was clear that it existed, she was seeing and touching it, but in her senses it was as if it simply wasn't there.

The only thing she could sense in Extimum was his Shadowless lineage and...something else, something difficult to describe, she could also sense it in Extimum's parents, but weaker, dirtier...incomparable to what he felt in Extimum, but that, it couldn't being the nine-tailed fox bloodline, it was of a completely different nature.

The feeling was dark, hard to see, hard to feel, and even harder to differentiate from the Shadowless lineage, as if the natures themselves were similar, but different in essence.

Frowning slightly, Bloom remembered when she was with Leonardo or Lin Hua. The purity of their lineages was evident, however, they did not possess that other feeling that Extimum and his parents had.

Comparatively, they felt more… free, pure. This something else was clearly not related to the Shadowless lineage, but at the moment her mind was too confused to pay attention to that detail.

Deep thoughts ran through Bloom's mind as they continued to look at the tail in their hands.

"Are you done playing?"

Almost jumping, Bloom let go of the tail she was holding as she quickly turned to look at Extimum.

--End Pov--.

Extimum observed Bloom's reaction somewhat differently, similar to a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Bloom: "How long have you been awake?"

Extimum: "Long before you even woke up, I was just thinking about various things with my eyes closed"

Bloom: "You...you did it on purpose, didn't you?" A light blush appeared on Bloom's cheeks.

Extimum: "I don't know what you're talking about, it was just a coincidence"

Bloom: "*Cough*"—Coughing lightly to hide her embarrassment at her actions, Bloom changed the subject—"And what were you thinking so much about? You haven't even gotten up? I think we already missed breakfast..."

Extimum: "Breakfast? Do you mean lunch?"

Bloom: "What? No, it can't be that late." Rising from Extimum's chest, Bloom flapped her wings and flew towards the pocket watch that she knew Extimum left on the nightstand next to the bed before going to sleep.

Bloom: "See, it's only 2... in the afternoon..."

Extimum: "I told you, it's already quite late"

**Gourrgg**

Extimum: "And it seems that someone else also noticed..."

Bloom: "Why didn't you wake me up sooner?"

Extimum: "Well, I was also a little tired and...I didn't want to destroy such a sweet sight so soon"

A deep blush rose to Bloom's face upon hearing his words and tone, causing her to quickly turn her head to the side.

'Come on, get a grip Bloom, you can't blush for just a few words, you're the oldest here...'

"I'll go get ready." Without turning around again, Bloom flew towards the room's bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Extimum smiled slightly even without intending to get out of bed, Bloom always managed to improve his mood with things as small as her simple reactions, perhaps that was why he liked to bother her occasionally, although his words were always very serious and that was why he managed to affect Bloom so easily.

Looking towards the window, he waved his hand and the curtains immediately drew back to let light into the room.

His eyes quickly adjusted to the abrupt change from almost complete darkness to light. The windows in his room were large, so his room was completely illuminated immediately.

He felt a little hungry, but he was in no hurry to get out of bed. When he woke up he had thought again about the images and information about large thin televisions that had come to his mind when he watched television at Hermione's house, so he tried to follow that line of thought by trying to obtain other memories.

However, just like previous times, the attempt had been mostly fruitless, his memories of the past were only vestiges and nothing more, yet, there was something else that he had remembered.

An invention, a technology from many years in the future that had become an almost indispensable tool in common human life and as strange as it seemed although he could remember a lot about it, he could not remember its name.

Even so, it was not difficult to link it with the technology he currently knew from the Muggle world. Such a memory gave him great inspiration as well as things to think about and although again there were big gaps in the process and certain details, he felt that he had found a great idea that could innovate certain aspects of the magical world.

That said, he felt that both on the magical side and on the non-magical side he lacked a lot of information to develop such an ambitious idea and make it real. He also found that he would need to learn and explore many other topics just to even dream of developing a prototype, however. Leaving aside whether he could do it, he just didn't have that much time and energy.

He already had too much on his plate, yet he wasn't willing to give it up either, so he was thinking of ways to solve that problem.