The next morning, not long after dawn, Alex came downstairs for breakfast and noticed his father asleep on the couch. He tiptoed past him, shaking his head and grinning to himself, deciding to make breakfast himself.

After thirty minutes, he'd concocted and consumed a stack of fluffy, chocolate chip pancakes complete with a mug of hot chocolate, and placed another stack in the microwave for Grayson to find later. He rushed back upstairs and grabbed his blue duffel bag that he had already packed last night, as well as his bow case with Aetherius neatly place inside.

When he returned downstairs, he went to stand in front of Grayson's sleeping figure and flung one of the pillows he hadn't packed, at his face.

Grayson stumbled awake, almost falling off the couch. "Ow! What? What? Alex? Oh...What time is it?"

Alex shook his head. "I didn't hear you come home last night. This is the first time you've stayed out so long. Should I be expecting a late night call from the police?"

"Stop being ridiculous," Grayson yawned. "I maybe had one too many bottles of that soju stuff. It was my first time trying it. I swear, this is the last time you'll see me like this, all teenager- y."

"Mhm. Take a shower, you stink. I'm heading out now, back tomorrow morning. There's a plate of choco-cakes in the microwave. And do me a favor since I cooked for you. Put my pillow back on my bed. Thanks, bye." He bounded for the front door, and accidentally slammed it on his way out.

The harsh sound stunned Grayson for a long moment before picking up the pillow that fell to the floor. "I've been cooking for him for seventeen years, and he's never done me a favor..." He pressed his fingers against his temples and groaned at the surging pain pulsing in his head. "... maybe some hot chocolate will make it go away..." He stood slowly, tightly embracing the pillow, and shuffled himself towards the kitchen.

When Alex arrived at the open field in Riviam Point, he saw someone standing there, hands buried inside their pockets, facing the waterfall's peak. As he strode closer he stepped on a fallen branch, unintentionally announcing his presence. Lev turned around and immediately started towards Alex, who froze at the sight of the advance.

He stopped mere inches away from Alex, then took out his phone to see the time. He held the screen up for Alex see too. "You're early." The time on his phone read 9:28.

"Sorry. I tried to be late," Alex lied.

Lev stared at him, seemingly curious about Alex's entire existence, then he circled around him to a look at all the baggage he had brought. "Let's go." He swiftly maneuvered around Alex and headed for the field's exit. Alex turned and followed.

Fifthteen minutes and they had arrived at a broad house in the most northwestern part of the town. The majority of it was beige and pearl-shaded. It lacked any fencing, but there was a massive menacing stone dragon perched on the roof above the front door. Its very aura emanated something daunting, and Alex couldn't help but shudder upon its view. A short, zigzagging concrete path led up to the door.

"This," Lev said, flicking Alex on his forehead so he'd pay him attention, "is the Whitevole Estate." Alex silently gazed at the whole of it. Lev grabbed the duffel bag from Alex's shoulder and attached it to his own. "Come on." He started for the front door, Alex on his heels again, and pulled out a gold key from his back jeans pocket, using it to let himself inside the house.

"Lev, is that you?" called a female voice from somewhere in the several rooms of house.

"No! It's two deranged, city dwellers here to rob you, and then dismember you!" Lev yelled back.

"Alright then! But if you're not too busy robbing me at the moment, could I meet your accomplice? I'm in the living room!" yelled the woman once more.

Lev chuckled to himself and sighed. "Follow me."

"Of course," Alex said, and followed him.

The living room was quite spacious. The walls were made of onyx, but colored beige. Most of the room and its walls were occupied by a variety of musical instruments: saxophone, electric guitar, trumpet. The entire floor was covered in a grayish-blue carpeting, while a wide navy couch sat across from a grey flat screen. In between was a charcoal-coloured coffee table, and on either side were armchairs that matched the couch. At the very back of the room, an enormous, creamy-white grand piano rested.

Perched by it on a matching colour bench, was a woman with chestnut strands tied into a ponytail. "Oh, you must be the strange boy from the magical place. Alex, yes? Kaia Novas," she held out her hand, and Alex scooped it up in a pleasant grip. "Oh, what a grip you have here. Perhaps you'll be a formidable opponent for my son."

"Opponent?" Alex was confused. Lev shot his mother a vexed stare.

"Well, yes. Is that not why he's here?" she said to her son. Lev continued to stare at her. "Y-you, you mean to tell me that you two are actually going to have a 'sleepover'? What, with ghostly tales, junk food, and gossip and all that? Are you serious?"

"Are you seriously a musician?" Alex asked. "Because if you are, that'd be really cool. I've never met one before — a professional."

Kaia blushed. "Oh, well, I do own a few music stores, and I do teach some classes here and there on various instruments every week, but I'd hardly call myself a 'professional'." Lev rolled his eyes, but couldn't stifle his grin. "Leven! What are you doing just standing around over there? Your guest must be starving! Help him to fix a little something in the kitchen now."

"Well, I already ate this morning, but I could still eat now," Alex said. He glanced innocently at Lev, who growled lowly and stomped off to the kitchen.

Kaia got up from her bench, taking Alex by the arm and leading him to the kitchen as well.

When they got there, they saw Lev leaning against a marble top counter, sipping a glass of bourbon whiskey. He glanced over tauntingly, particularly at Alex. "Want some?"

Alex didn't drink alcohol, nor did he have any interest in starting any time soon, but the sight of Lev acting like a bartender sampling the merchandise was entertaining enough.

"Absolutely not," Kaia interrupted. "Just because I sometimes tolerate your under-aged drinking, doesn't mean Alex's parents will."

"It's fine, I don't drink anyway," Alex admitted.

Lev pushed off the counter and came a little closer to Alex. "Then what the hell do you do after a long day?"

"Hey now..." Kaia warned.

Alex just smiled. "I eat. Food to be exact. Especially with meat and or cheese. Sometimes sweets, like baked stuff or candy, but not really anything minty or anything sour."

"Well that sounds like a better alternative, don't you think Lev?" Kaia said.

Lev stared at Alex for perhaps a century, without blinking, while Alex continued to grin at him. "Yeah, whatever... So, before I feed you, I gotta feed Skelkin first."

"Skelkin?" Alex repeated.

"He's the only other life-form my son speaks to nowadays," Kaia explained. "Why don't you go up with Lev and meet him? I'm sure Skelkin is getting tired of seeing the same old angsty face anyway."

Lev growled again and stomped away towards the stairs. Alex chuckled and followed after him, yet again.

When they were gone, Kaia picked up the glass Lev had set down, and took a sip. "What a jubilant young man..."

Upstairs, Lev's bedroom walls were a midnight blue and swarmed with printed out pictures of a variety of amphibians and reptiles. The floor was crowded with items of clothing, a couple of sports balls, several jars of insects. And by the foot of the beds, was a lofty golden chest locked with a heavy silver padlock. On the opposite side of the bunks, was a terrarium.

Alex came face to face with a fire salamander, its black and yellow skin appeared perpetually slimy, but also the yellow streaks seemed to be of strange patterns. The amphibian laid unmoving on a begrimed rock, inside of the prodigious terrarium that resembled something of a mossy forest.

"So this is Skelkin? Cool..." Alex looked up and noticed a framed photo of a fire salamander hanging above the terrarium. "And this must be a photo of Skelkin. Hm, if a picture's worth a thousand words, the real thing must've been worth a small fortune."

Lev shook his head, actually amused, Alex noticed. "He didn't cost a thing. I found him two years ago at Riviam Point, barely hanging on the edge of a branch of some tree. I caught him just in time and decided to keep him with me."

Alex nodded, "how heroic." Lev growled a bit louder this time, but Alex ignored it. "So, how do you know it's a male?"

Lev's vexing look returned. "I have my ways. And the internet."

Alex nodded again. "Mhm, I see, I see. So, does the name Skelkin mean anything special?"

"Eventually I realized that the yellow patterns on his body really resembled skeleton bones, and after a month of having him in my life, he felt like family — like kin. The name just kinda happened then." Alex gazed between the boy and his salamander, a heartwarming sight. "You've never seen a salamander before, have you?" Lev guessed.

"Nope... I guess the world isn't as small as everyone thinks."

"It'd be pretty boring if it was."

Alex smiled, "it would. Come on then, I'm hungry all over again. But don't worry, I can do the cooking if you want. I'm fairly good at it." Alex wandered out of the room and back downstairs.

Lev watched him, looking both halves unnerved and amused. He closed the top of the terrarium, and followed after Alex.