Trevor sat in the hallway outside of the mayor’s office, which Adabelle requested when she fully woke up. Mr. Tiggles had decided that this was a day to run around with the young man, and was doing his usual impersonation of a scarf around Trevor’s neck.

The cat’s presence was a soothing one as the wait made Trevor feel like he was being called to the principal’s office. He stroked the purring cat’s fur from his neck to the end of his overly long, fluffy tail. While the weather continued to get warmer and the animal’s hot fur was becoming more of a nuisance, it wasn’t a problem yet.

Nearly half an hour went by before the door to the mayor’s office opened, and the young man stood up. What came out wasn’t Jackson or Adabelle, but a woman the likes of which Trevor had never seen before.

She was green all over and wore a stunning dress made of leaves rolled and molded to fit her. Her eyes were a shade darker than her skin tone with no iris, and the black hair on her head tumbled upwards in an intricate series of gravity-defying braids. Upon seeing Trevor, her thin black lips curled into a smile before falling into a frown.

“Hello,” Trevor greeted nervously, bowing in the presence of the strange woman. “I’m Trevor.”

“You have been touched by one of my children,” the woman said, her voice melodic and light.

“I… don’t know what that means,” he admitted. Noting that she didn’t bow in return, Trevor straightened to see Adabelle standing in the doorway.

His attention was pulled back to the woman as she waved her hand around the young man’s body. She didn’t touch him, moving her hand as if following a long, floating string. “The curse was incomplete, pulled back, as if the one casting it realized that it was a bad idea. That was dangerous in its own right, as an incomplete curse can cause just as much trouble as one that has finished.”

Trevor immediately thought back to the night he met Denden and Merckle. “What?”

“Denden,” the woman said decisively before yanking her hand back. Trevor gasped as he felt like something was pulled out of his body, leaving him. “I have seen traces of his magic all around town, and that of a young dragon. Those traces have now been removed from you. Tell me, Human Trevor, have you been ill lately?”

Opening his mouth, Trevor was about to tell her that he didn’t really get sick when he remembered that Adabelle had to give him medicine, and closed it.

“He was, a few weeks ago,” the demonkin said, approaching to stand next to Trevor. “Your majesty, this is Trevor Anderson. Trevor, this is the Queen of the Feywood.”

“I’m much better now,” Trevor said, suddenly tense from being in the presence of royalty that he hadn’t been schooled on previously.

“I see,” the queen said. “I will have a talk with Denden about this. Until such a time, you have my sincerest apologies for how my children have been acting. They are a chaotic bunch, sometimes, but that is no excuse.”

Adabelle’s tail rubbed up and down on his back, just as it had when she wanted Trevor to give a certain answer before, and the young man bowed. “Yes, your majesty.”

It seemed the queen was fine with this answer, because without another word she turned and began walking away. She only took a few steps before disappearing into a pile of leaves that soon faded from sight.

“What?” Trevor asked.

“Meow,” Mr. Tiggles responded.

“You know that’s not helpful,” Trevor said, reaching up to scratch behind the cat’s ears.

“Are you okay?” Adabelle asked, looking Trevor over. “You were cursed?”

“I may have met the two that were messing up the town…”

“And you didn’t tell anyone?”

“I told them I wouldn’t if they left,” Trevor defended, shrugging. “And then they left because Rashie was coming back, and I hadn’t heard anyone else having trouble, so I just kind of kept forgetting about it.”

“While you were cursed.”

“Partially cursed,” Trevor said, which earned him a glare. “I barely felt a thing.”

“Except for the time you became very sick and needed medicine.”

“Yes, but that could have happened to anyone,” he stated. Seeing Adabelle’s frown, he smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry. I should have told you. Though, it did lead to the whole soup incident, which is what made me want to ask you out in the first place.”

Adabelle crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow. “Really?” she asked. “Soup is what did it?”

“Yeah,” Trevor grinned, embarrassed. “Sorry that it’s not a better story.” The Demonkin looked ready to say something when they were interrupted.

“Welcome, Trevor,” Jackson said, appearing in the doorway. “I apologize for taking so long; meeting with the queen about Adabelle taking over as mayor took longer than I expected. Why don’t you two come inside, and I’ll tell you why I requested your presence here.”

“This isn’t over,” Adabelle quietly warned him before taking his hand and leading him inside.

Trevor wisely didn’t say anything as he sat down in a chair next to Adabelle in front of Jackson’s desk. The elf walked around and sat down. This was the first time the young man had seen the office, and found that it was surprisingly plain compared to the opulence of the rest of the building. It seemed as though both the mayor and his apprentice had the same spartan decoration policy for their personal work spaces.

“Now, young man,” Jackson started. “I know we haven’t had a lot of time to speak, what with my disappearance and your quest to Eskretet. Tell me, how are you finding my town?”The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“It’s amazing, sir,” he said honestly, noting that Adabelle had not let go of his hand. She felt tense, and he made a note to ask her about it later. “It’s one of the best places I’ve ever been in.”

“That’s great to hear,” the elf replied with a grandfatherly smile. “I’ve heard that you have been helping out a lot around here. Thimbleden gushes about your work ethic, Drelik spoke at great length about your patience, and Laric mentioned you went through a lot of trouble for him. I even received a letter from the merchant prince Klarkartar stating in no uncertain terms that I need to summon more people like you.”

The praise made Trevor go red as he looked at Adabelle. She gave him a comforting smile, and he smiled back. “Thank you, sir.”

“I said this the first time we met, but I’m glad that you were the one summoned during that ritual.”

“So am I.”

“That said, do you remember what I told you in regards to why I summoned you?” Jackson asked.

Adabelle’s hand squeezed his, and Trevor frowned. “Selfless and selfish, and something about five other Summoned, right?” Trevor asked. “It’s a little hazy now, but that last part couldn’t be right because there’s only four of us in town.”

A mischievous glint formed in Jackson’s eye. “You are not misremembering. There’s actually been a fifth Summoned all along,” the elf said, pointing to the creature hanging around Trevor’s neck. “Mr. Tiggles.”

“Meow.” The black cat blinked, lifting up his head to regard the elf. Mr. Tiggles stretched before jumping off of Trevor, padding over the paperwork on the mayor’s desk, and situated himself in the elf’s lap.

“Mr. Tiggles is Summoned?” Trevor asked, bemused.

“Surprised us all,” Adabelle said. “Well, everyone except Rashie, and that’s only because we’re saving her for last.”

“Is he, like, a person who decided to become a cat? Or is he a cat that got summoned?”

“Mr. Tiggles is very much a cat,” Jackson said, stroking the animal. “From what I understand, the Quest Master gave him the ability to understand what was going on, and he decided to stay a cat. He didn’t need anything else, so long as he was still able to be himself.”

“Does he have a Power, then?” Trevor asked.

“Yes, that part of the summoning ritual is non-negotiable. From what I understand, his Power is based off of a famous conundrum from Earth, about whether an unobserved feline in a box is either alive or dead.”

“Schrödinger's cat…”

“Yes, but nothing so nefarious,” Jackson said soothingly. “Apparently, he can cease to have a physical body when he’s unobserved, though he’s completely normal when being watched.”

“Like, becoming a ghost or something?” Trevor asked, tilting his head in confusion.

“Essentially, and apparently only when he feels like it.”

“That’s how he’s always able to get into people’s homes,” Adabelle explained. “If we’re not watching him, he just phases right through the walls in order to get attention. Since it never happens when we can see him, we’ve never seen him do it, so he’s been getting away with it for years.”

“Meow,” Mr. Tiggles said.

“And the weird way he meows?” Trevor asked.

They both shook their heads at that. “Couldn’t tell you the answer to that one,” Jackson admitted. “He’s always said meow, purr, growl, hiss for as long as he’s been here. Probably something to do with being Summoned, but for now all I can say is that it's strange.”

“How did you even manage to summon a cat, anyway?”

“And that’s another answer I don’t have,” the elf said with a sheepish smile. “But, we’re straying from the point, and the point is, I would still like you to take part in a ritual sending me to the next world.”

“I… don’t know what to say to that,” Trevor admitted.

“Adabelle was the first to know about it and, after some explaining, she agreed. Wayne was the second, and I explained to him, and he agreed. Mr. Tiggles requires no explanation, though I know he’s in good hands once I’m gone,” Jackson stated before frowning. “I am… not looking forward to explaining this to Rashie, and I expect her to give me the most trouble. She is the youngest of all of you, and I’m not sure how that will go.”

Trevor frowned as well, thinking of Rashie. She was just a child, and he worried about how she would react just like Jackson clearly did. As he tilted his head towards Adabelle, he could see the mask on her face, and his heart dropped. This time he squeezed her hand before looking back at Jackson.

“Why now?” he asked.

“There are a plethora of reasons,” the elf responded. “I have summoned a group of fantastic people to safeguard Tosa while I am gone. Some of you, those who are not in this room, are troublemakers, though they are on the side of good. Adabelle is one of the most capable people I have brought into this world, and she will do a fantastic job. You, Trevor, have done nothing but help people since you came here, and you’ve done a lot of growing up as well. But, I suppose it’s also because it is time.”

Looking down at Mr. Tiggles, Jackson took on a pensive look. “I have been here in this world for over seven centuries,” he continued. “In a week, it’ll be my 717th year, to be exact. It’s a date that has great sentimental value to me, which is why I chose it, but that is a long time for anyone to be in one place. Doubly so for an originally human mind, but back then a Summoned didn't get to choose what they appeared as. Not that I minded, of course, being an elf. I would like to tell you all my story while the ritual is being conducted. Not everything that I’ve done has been as great as Tosa, but I feel like I’ll be in a nostalgic mood, then.”

Trevor released a sad sigh before nodding. “If that’s what you really want, then I accept.”

Jackson blinked. “Just like that?”

Hesitating, Trevor glanced away from him to check on Adabelle. “Yes?” he asked. “It’s not like you’re dying or something. You’re being sent to another world, and without all the trauma of dying first. Everyone will miss you, but if it’s time then it’s time. You’ve done enough for Tosa, and we’ll keep thriving when you’re gone thanks to the new mayor.”

“It seems it really is just like that.”

“Well, you want to go, right?” Trevor asked. “You said you had everything you needed, which meant you had to actively go out and search for things. The people think the weather changing when you’re gone is because of Adabelle, by the way.”

“They do?” she asked.

“Ah, that’s unfortunate, though I can see why they would think that,” Jackson winced. “I had to leave town so that I could safely conduct summoning rituals for various materials, which is often less intensive than summoning people but can cause the world to react in strange ways. It was never my intention to cause any rumors to get started, and for that, I sincerely apologize to you, Lady Adabelle.”

“I didn’t even know there were rumors, so you are forgiven,” she replied stiffly.

"Nor did I, though there are only a few who complain directly to me. I imagine they'd hold their tongue if it was about my apprentice, too," the elf said with a frown before turning back to Trevor. “To answer your question, yes, I do want to go. I want to explore new worlds for as long as I am able.”

“Then that’s as much as you need to say,” Trevor said. “Everyone will miss you, of course. You’ve done more than anyone could have expected, but you have to take care of yourself, too. If this is how you chose to do it, then I’m all for it.”

Jackson looked taken aback before laughing loudly. “You have to take care of yourself, too?” he asked, slapping his desk. Mr. Tiggles looked up disapprovingly, but settled back down. “This place really has been good for you, hasn’t it?”

“I've had a lot of help along the way,” Trevor said, glancing at Adabelle with a smile. “I wouldn’t be where I am without everyone, and I’m happy to extend that back to you, Mr. Jackson.”

“Then I suppose that settles things,” Jackson replied. “Thank you very much, Trevor. I’ll let you know more details when the time comes in about a week. Lady Adabelle, you may have the rest of the day off, as well.”

Adabelle blinked as she slowly stood up, and Trevor joined her. “Are you sure, Jackson?” she asked.

“Yes. Seeing you two together brings me back to memories I had long forgotten, and soon you’ll be mayor with all that it entails. An afternoon off won’t be a bother to anyone.”

“So long as you’re sure,” Adabelle said, though clearly hesitating.

“Can you show me your magic?” Trevor asked her, smiling. “We got interrupted last time.”

“I… suppose I can.”

“Then have fun, and be careful,” Jackson said. “And, once again, thank you.”

They bowed before heading out, Trevor helping to guide his girlfriend, and started for the Danger Zone.