The familiar sight of Rivermoor's gates came into view as the sun began its descent toward the horizon, painting the sky in shades of amber and gold. After days of treacherous mountain terrain and navigating through the dense, unmarked paths of Greenhaven Forest, the hidden orphanage felt like the most beautiful sanctuary in the world.
Ethan adjusted his pack, feeling the weight of the Frost Wyrm's ice core secured within. The crystalline structure pulsed with a faint inner light, a tangible reminder of what they had accomplished on the mountain's deadly summit. Beside him, Grey walked with his characteristic confident stride, though Ethan noticed Grey's eyes scanning the approaching buildings with something that might have been guilt—perhaps finally realizing the full weight of what he'd done by running away.
"Home," Ethan said simply, the word carrying more weight than usual after their harrowing journey.
Grey grunted in response, but there was something in his expression that suggested he was feeling the same mixture of relief and dread that Ethan felt.
As they approached the main courtyard, excited voices could be heard from within the orphanage walls. The sound of running feet, laughter, and Grace's unmistakable squeal of delight grew louder with each step.
"UNCLE ETHAN!"
Grace burst through the front door like a small hurricane, her arms spread wide as she launched herself across the courtyard. Behind her came the rest of the children in a chaotic parade of excitement—Aiden whooping with joy, Anna clasping her hands together with tears of relief in her eyes, and Lily already preparing what appeared to be a dramatic retelling of some imagined adventure.
Ethan dropped to one knee just in time to catch Grace's flying tackle, sweeping her up in a warm embrace as the other children swarmed around them. The simple joy of their reunion felt like a balm to his soul after the mountain's harsh trials.
"I knew you'd come back!" Grace declared, her small arms wrapped tightly around his neck. "I told everyone you were too stubborn to let some silly ice monster eat you!"
"Did you now?" Ethan chuckled, looking over her head to smile at the other children. "And what gave you that idea?"
"Because you promised," Grace said matter-of-factly, as if promises were magical contracts that couldn't be broken. "And you always keep your promises."
Ling approached with his characteristic analytical expression, though his eyes betrayed his relief. "The mission was successful, I assume? You look... surprisingly intact for someone who fought a legendary creature."
"Surprisingly intact is one way to put it," Ethan replied, gently setting Grace down so he could properly greet the others.
Anna stepped forward shyly, her cheeks flushed with happiness. "Welcome home," she said softly, and the simple words carried more warmth than any grand celebration.
Aiden was practically bouncing on his toes with excitement. "Did you really fight the Frost Wyrm? Was it huge? Did it breathe ice? Did you use your magic knives? Did—"
"Aiden," Ethan interrupted gently, "how about I tell you all about it over dinner? I'm sure you've all been eating Lily's cooking while I was away."
The children's collective sigh of relief was answer enough—at least they hadn't been subjected to Garrick's attempts at cuisine.
It was only then that Grey seemed to realize something was wrong. The children's attention had been completely focused on Ethan, greeting him with the warmth of a family welcoming home a beloved member. But their reaction to Grey's presence was... different.
Lily stood with her hands behind her back, rocking slightly on her heels with an expression of exaggerated innocence that immediately raised Grey's suspicions. Beside her, Ling was also concealing something behind his back, his usual composed demeanor cracking slightly around the edges.
"What's going on?" Grey asked warily, his instincts finally catching up to the situation.
"Nothing!" Lily said brightly, her smile so wide it was practically radioactive. "We're just so happy to see you back safe and sound! Aren't we, Ling?"
"Absolutely," Ling agreed, though his eyes were fixed on a point somewhere over Grey's left shoulder. "So very happy. No concerns whatsoever."
Grey's eyes narrowed. In all his time at the orphanage, he had never seen Lily and Ling work together on anything. The fact that they were now presenting a united front was deeply suspicious.
"Lily," Grey said slowly, "what's behind your back?"
"My back?" Lily's voice climbed an octave. "What makes you think there's anything behind my back? I'm just standing here with my hands in a completely normal position!"
"Ling," Grey continued, his voice taking on a dangerous edge, "what are you hiding?"
"I'm not hiding anything," Ling replied, which would have been more convincing if he hadn't immediately taken a step backward.
Grey's combat instincts, honed by years of training and recently sharpened by their mountain ordeal, began to activate. Something was very wrong here, and his body was preparing for—
"Oh," Grey said suddenly, his voice very quiet. "Oh no."
The realization hit him like a physical blow. In his determination to follow Ethan to Tundra Mountain, in his burning need to prove himself against the same challenges that would elevate Ethan to S-rank, he had done something unthinkable.
He had run away.
Without permission. Without telling anyone where he was going. Without considering how the others might react to his disappearance.
Grey's face went pale as the full implications crashed over him. "I... I didn't..."
"Didn't what?" Lily asked sweetly, though her grip on whatever was behind her back tightened visibly.
"I didn't tell anyone I was leaving," Grey whispered, the words feeling like a death sentence.
"No," Ling said calmly, "you didn't."
"I just... I wanted to..."
"You wanted to prove yourself," Lily finished, her voice taking on an uncharacteristically serious tone. "We know. We figured it out pretty quickly when you disappeared the same morning Uncle Ethan left."
Grey looked around at the assembled children, seeing their expressions with new clarity. Beneath the joy of the reunion, beneath the relief at their safe return, there was something else. Something that made his blood run cold.
"How angry is Grandpa?" Grey asked, though he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.
"On a scale of one to ten?" Lily mused thoughtfully. "I'd say about a fifteen."
Grey closed his eyes, accepting his fate. "What's behind your back, Lily?"
"This," she said, producing a large iron pan with a cheerful flourish. The afternoon sun glinted off its well-seasoned surface, and Grey could swear he saw his reflection in its perfectly smooth bottom.
"And you, Ling?"
"This," Ling replied, bringing forth a thick wooden spoon that looked suspiciously like it had been specially selected for maximum impact.
"Both of you?" Grey asked weakly.
"Oh no," Lily said, her grin returning in full force. "We're just the advance scouts. There's a whole queue."
As if summoned by her words, the other children began to reveal their own concealed weapons of domestic discipline. Aiden proudly displayed a wooden ladle, Anna held up a mixing bowl that could double as a helmet, and even little Grace clutched a wooden spatula with the determination of a warrior preparing for battle.
"A queue?" Grey's voice cracked slightly.
"Well, you did worry us all terribly," Ling explained with academic precision. "Grace cried for three hours when she realized you were gone. Anna stress-baked enough bread to feed a small army. Aiden kept insisting we should send out a search party. And Lily..."
"I planned your funeral," Lily announced cheerfully. "It was going to be very moving. Lots of dramatic speeches about how you were too stubborn to live."
Grey stared at the array of kitchen implements now pointed in his direction and felt a hysterical laugh building in his chest. After facing down Yetis and surviving the Frost Wyrm's supernatural cold, he was going to be defeated by a collection of cooking utensils wielded by children who barely reached his chest.
"This is ridiculous," he muttered, but there was no real resistance in his voice.
"Is it?" Lily asked, stepping forward with her pan held at the ready. "You disappear in the early morning, chase after Uncle Ethan into one of the most dangerous places in the world, and nearly get yourself killed proving some point about being strong enough to handle anything. And you think our response is ridiculous?"
Grey opened his mouth to argue, then closed it again. When she put it like that...
"I suppose I deserve this," he said finally.
"Oh, you absolutely do," Lily confirmed, then grinned wickedly. "And we're going to make sure you remember this lesson."
Grey blinked. "You're going to hit me with kitchen utensils?"
"Oh, much worse than that," Lily said with obvious relish. "You're going to be our official taste-tester."
"Taste-tester?" Grey repeated slowly, not liking where this was going.
"For the next month," Ling added helpfully, "you'll be testing all of Lily's new recipes before anyone else gets to try them."
The color drained from Grey's face as the full horror of his punishment became clear. Lily was an enthusiastic cook, but her enthusiasm far exceeded her skill. Her experimental dishes were legendary among the children—and not in a good way.
"Remember her garlic-chocolate soup?" Aiden whispered helpfully.
"Or the fish-flavored cookies?" Anna added with barely suppressed laughter.
"The spicy porridge that made Ling cry?" Grace chimed in.
"I did not cry," Ling protested. "My eyes were merely... reacting to the excessive capsaicin content."
"You're going to poison me," Grey said flatly.
"Nonsense!" Lily declared. "I'm going to expand your culinary horizons! Besides, someone needs to make sure my cooking is safe for the others."
"That's what we used to use stray cats for," Aiden muttered, earning himself a swat from Anna.
"One month of being my official taste-tester," Lily continued, clearly enjoying herself. "And you have to give detailed feedback on every single dish. No just saying 'it's fine' or 'it's terrible.' I want constructive criticism."
Grey looked around desperately for support, but found none. Even Ethan was trying to hide a smile behind his hand.
"This is cruel and unusual punishment," Grey protested weakly.
"This is getting off easy," Lily corrected. "I was originally going to make you help me cook the experimental dishes too, but I decided that might actually kill you."
"Can I just take the month of extra chores instead?" Grey asked hopefully.
"Oh, you're getting those too," Ling informed him cheerfully. "This is in addition to apologizing to Grandpa and helping with evening chores."
"But first," Lily said, producing a spoon from somewhere, "I made a special welcome-home soup just for you. It's got turnips, pickled fish, honey, and some interesting spices I found in the back of the pantry."
Grey's face went green. "Please tell me you're joking."
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Lily asked, ladling something that looked suspiciously lumpy into a bowl. "Come on, Grey. You wanted to prove you were brave enough to face any challenge, right?"
The other children watched with barely contained glee as Grey accepted the bowl with the same expression one might wear when accepting a death sentence. He stared down at the murky contents, which seemed to bubble slightly despite not being hot.
"Is it supposed to move like that?" he asked weakly.
"That's just the fermentation process," Lily said airily. "It's perfectly normal. Probably."
Grey took a tiny sip and immediately regretted every life choice that had led him to this moment. His eyes watered, his face contorted, and he made a sound that was somewhere between a cough and a whimper.
"Well?" Lily asked expectantly. "How is it?"
Grey opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. He tried once more, then gave up and just held up a shaking thumb.
"Wonderful!" Lily clapped her hands together. "I knew you'd appreciate the complexity of the flavor profile."
The other children burst into laughter at Grey's expression, and even Ethan couldn't keep a straight face anymore. Grey looked around at all of them, realized that he was going to be subjected to a month of Lily's culinary experiments, and started laughing too—though whether it was from amusement or hysteria was anyone's guess.
"Come on," Grace said, tugging on both Ethan's and Grey's hands. "Lily is making dinner for everyone tonight to celebrate your return!"
As they walked toward the main building, Ethan leaned over to Grey. "You'll survive this," he said quietly, trying not to laugh.
"Who are these people?" Grey muttered, still tasting whatever that soup had been. "I thought I knew them, but apparently I've been living with a group of tiny sadists this whole time."
"They're family," Ethan replied, and somehow that explained everything.
"Next time I want to prove myself," Grey continued, "remind me to just fight another Frost Wyrm instead. At least the Frost Wyrm was straightforward about wanting to kill me."