Alibert entered the kitchen to see his sons stretched out over the counter with Adamai on the floor; each of them held a few bowls. Confused, he asked, "Okay, what did I miss?"

Chibi spoke up with a mouth full of fruit. His words too muffled to comprehend.

"Adamai is helping me. I just tripped reaching for the bowls. Nothing broke," Yugo said smiling.

Alibert nodded and continued with preparing for lunch, fetching a few pots and filling them at the sink. "Yugo, after you're done eating, I could use some help chopping more wood for the ovens. Do you think you could help?"

"Yeah, sure. I can do that," Yugo nodded, trying to shake off the adrenaline of the bowls falling.

Adamai stood up and carried the bowls to the table. He also reached into the pantry and placed a container of grain and dried fruit next to the younger kids' spot. Yugo took a deep breath, and walked over to the fridge, pulling out some milk and yoghurt.

The kids ate and talked about what they had planned to do for today, except for Yugo, who remained lost in his thoughts.

"No Yugo," Adamai said in between mouthfuls of his oats.

Yugo snapped out of his daze when he heard his name. "No to what?"

"You are not going back to the ruins again today."

Yugo faked a look of shock. "But I wasn't even- "

Adamai cut him off and said "I know that look. You were thinking about it. You agreed that we'd take it slowly. There is no need to rush back out there. They've been there for hundreds of years, so a few more days won't hurt them."

Yugo opened his mouth to argue, but his brother was right. He didn't like the idea of waiting around, especially when it involved something important as this.

Adamai noticed how Yugo's thoughts were put to a screeching halt leaving the eliatrope at a loss for words. Adamai sighed, then said "How about this? We will help Dad get some things stocked and cleaned around here, then we can start going over what you saw."

Yugo smiled and nodded. Doing some chores would help get his mind off the ever-growing urge to return and learn more about that place.

Alibert was working around the kitchen cutting some vegetables, greasing pans, and filling the ovens with some wood. He turned partially towards the table and asked, "What was so special about some old ruins?"

Yugo turned in his chair while swallowing some breakfast. "That's what I'm trying to find out. There is so little known about it or the Wakfu drawings on the walls. I'd wager that we were the first ones in hundreds of years to be down there; not counting the few grave robbers we passed on the way in."

"Woah, hold on," Alibert placed down his knife and turned fully to look at his son. "There were grave robbers?!" His voice raised nearly as much as his blood pressure. Hearing about dangers did almost nothing good for the old innkeeper.

Yugo held up his hands to try and calm his father down. "It's okay Papa. They were dead when we got there. I guess they didn't see the giant boulder in time."

"THERE WAS-," Alibert paused and pinched the bridge of his nose, breathing deeply.

"My exact reaction Dad," Adamai spoke up, clearing the tables of dishes.

After a few moments of breathing, Alibert looked back at his little pair of tomb raiders. "I think Adamai is right. It would be better taking a few days away from that death trap."

Chibi and Grougal's eyes widened with the mention of something dangerous. "We wanna go too," they both cried out.

"Out of the question," Alibert stated plainly. "I need to keep you boys safe and innocent, just the way I like you." Alibert wrapped the two younger boys in a hug and kissed them on their heads.

The pair of boys giggled. Alibert loved to baby Chibi and Grougal, even though the latter tried being as big and mighty as his older dragon brother. Chibi didn't mind the attention. In fact, he needed a lot ever since he was an infant. Chibi would cry nearly every night until Alibert came and held him. The noise had bothered his older sons so much, that Alibert moved Chibi's crib into his room. When Chibi grew out of the crib, Alibert let Chibi sleep with him in his big bed for another year before making Chibi sleep with Grougal in the boys' room. Some nights Alibert missed having someone to cuddle.

"Now you boys go play outside. It is going to rain for the next few days, so enjoy the sun while it's here. And you two," Alibert pointed to the two older boys. "Thank you for helping. The axe is hanging in the shed next to the wood pile. Please don't hurt yourselves."

Both Chibi and Grougal jumped from the table, ran to their shoes by the back door, and burst outside without a second thought.

"Actually," Adamai spoke up. "I was going to get a head start on the dining room if that's okay. I'll let Yugo grow some muscles."

"You two are acting like I'm going off to a major battle. It's just some firewood," Yugo half laughed.

"No thank you Adamai. I've already cleaned most of the dining room off last night. You go help Yugo." Alibert returned to his pots which had started boiling. "Plus, I will need that wood before lunchtime so I can do dinner."

The boys nodded and made their way out the back door, which had been left open by their younger brothers.

The sun had already made quick work of warming up the town. On days like these, the sun started its work by half past five in the morning. Days were much longer, which meant plenty of time for the crops to grow. Farm life was a little more demanding than city life. Nine months out of the year there was plenty of work to be done every day. The heat was enjoyed by much more than just the crops. The trees, grassy hills, and wildlife all made the most out of their days before having to settle down for the long three-month sleep of winter.

Yugo and Adamai sauntered through the back yard towards the wood shed. To the left, there was a large barn, left here by the previous owners of the land. However, it didn't house any animals. There was simply no time to take care of them. Alibert kept it up for looks, and intended on turning it into a smaller living quarters so he could rent it out, but never got around to it; Just one of the many projects he wanted to start. The wood shed was much smaller in comparison. It was used to house Alibert's outdoor tools and had a pile of logs stacked against it ready for chopping.

Yugo opened the wooden door and grabbed the greyish axe while Adamai tossed a few of the logs next to the chopping block. Adamai held out his arm towards the wood, letting Yugo take the first swing.

"I bet I can chop more than you before you get tired," Yugo said preparing his first target.

Adamai huffed, crossing his arms and standing a safe distance away. "You're on, but you know I win every time."

Yugo grabbed the axe with both hands, focused on the single standing log, and swing for the mark; or at least, it looked like he tried. The axe missed completely and the blade grazed the side of the chopping block. Yugo nearly fell over but corrected his footing. He laughed lightly and claimed it was a joke.

"Yeah, sure. We'll call that a practice swing," Adamai retorted.

Yugo took a second to readjust himself. He never had problems with this before. Yugo had chopped wood once a week for a long time. For some reason, the axe felt heavier than normal today. He shook his head, gripped the axe tight and swung for the wood. The axe had fallen onto its target but only made it halfway through instead of chopping it right down the middle. He tried raising the axe and slamming it down a few times on the now stuck log.

Adamai started laughing at his brother's attempt. "Do you want me to take over?"

Yugo kept trying to break the log, only getting slightly closer to cutting it in half. After five more swings, the log finally snapped, and both of its pieces fell on either side of the block. Yugo triumphantly turned to his brother and handed him the axe. "There, I'd like to see you do better."

Adamai smiled as he set another log up, gripped the axe, and chopped it in two with one swing. He turned to Yugo and raised one eyebrow.

Yugo took the axe forcefully with an "Oh yeah?" He set up the next one and swung as hard as he could, this time only making it a quarter of the way through the log. He let go of the axe, which fell on its side still stuck in the log and he stepped back. "I'll be right back. I have to go to the bathroom." Yugo ran past his brother and back towards the house.

Adamai was confused on whether Yugo was acting, or if something was wrong. He felt how he'd push the question later, and returned to chopping the rest of the wood.

Yugo quickly opened the back door, took his shoes off on the mat, and rounded the corner up the stairs to their bathroom. Slightly worried about what was going on, he splashed cold water onto his face. Grabbing a towel to dry himself, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. Holding open his eye lid, sticking out his tongue, and feeling his forehead, he couldn't see anything wrong other than how he seemed to have grown shorter; even by just a few inches. Yugo rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath. Breathing deeply for a couple minutes helped calm him down. It was a tactic Alibert taught him when he was very little. Before Adamai, Yugo would get scared of the dark, or of thunderstorms often. Alibert tried his best to tell the crying child how there was nothing to be afraid of. Now that Yugo was grown up, he rarely needed calming down.

"It's fine. You're fine. You just haven't woken up yet. There is nothing to worry about," he tried to tell himself.

"Everything okay up there?" The sound of his father echoed up from the kitchen.

Yugo turned and ran back down the stairs. "Just had to use the bathroom," Yugo said with a smile before grabbing his shoes and going right back out the door. By the time he got back to Adamai, the wood had been chopped and he was putting the axe back into the shed.

"Too slow," Adamai said smiling. "You can help me carry these back in though." He offered only three pieces to Yugo while he carried the rest of the pile. "Think you can handle this much?"

Yugo grabbed the wood and cradled them in both arms. It wasn't too heavy and he didn't want Adamai to think something was up, so he asked for a few more.

Adamai swatted his hand in the air saying "Naa, I got this." Adamai kept eyeing Yugo to see if he could tell what was wrong. He didn't want to call his brother out, so he bit his tongue for now.

Yugo was usually good about opening to Adamai whenever something bothered him. With their personal bond, Adamai could feel if something was major enough, but had trouble picking up on the little things. So, he learned Yugo's mannerisms and could read Yugo's face whenever something was up. Now was one of those times.

The boys went back inside and placed the wood in a square metal box near the oven. They noticed how Alibert was only halfway ready for today's meals, so they offered to help. Weekdays at the Inn were steady, but not too crowded. The most of their business was on the weekends when adventurers would travel around, or city 9-to-5ers take their weekend getaway.

Alibert held a very high standard and made every single guest feel like they were truly being taken care of, no matter what day they showed up or how many customers there were.

The boys also went around the guest rooms in the inn making the beds, replacing the towels, and taking out the garbage. They had worked up an appetite, and it was near lunchtime too. The two older boys made some sandwiches for them and their brothers. Chibi and Grougal knew to come home when they were hungry.

Yugo had finished his lunch and set up some paper and ink on the table to start drawing the symbols from the ruins. When the door opened Chibi and Grougal were out of breath, probably from a race home as per usual. The door being left open made some of Yugo's papers fly off the table. He grabbed them looking frustrated and placed a weight on them.

Alibert could see Yugo scrambling for his papers and scolded the boys. "I told you to close the door when you use it. You boys weren't raised in a barn. You left it open this morning too, didn't you?"

Chibi and Grougal frowned, and muttered, "we're sorry Papa."

Alibert patted them on their heads and said "just don't do it again. There's lunch on the table for you. Your brothers made some sandwiches."

The two boys ran to the table, thanked their brothers, and excitedly took a big bite of their lunch. Chibi watched Yugo as he tried to draw some odd-looking symbols. They most represented old runes, or weird letters doing yoga. Chibi asked through a mouthful of bread what Yugo was drawing, and why was he doing it wrong.

Trying to concentrate, Yugo sternly said, "It's not wrong, they're what I saw in the ruins."

Chibi laughed at it and said "I've seen that before. It looks like the letter H trying to be a J."

Grougal elbowed his brother and corrected him. "Nu-uh. He's drawing a boat without a sail. And that one looks like the playground that you're too scared to play on."

"Not true! I'm not scared, I just like the way it creaks… What about that one that looks like your hood that you think looks cool to wear?"

Grougal scoffed. "One, it does look cool, but only on me. You're just jealous. Two, which one looks like that? I don't see it."

"That one right there," Chibi exclaimed, grabbed a sheet of paper, pulled it towards Grougal and pointed. When he pulled it out from under Yugo's arm, it also pulled the ink bottle, which spilt it over the three pages he had drawn on.

Yugo grabbed the ink bottle and quickly stood up to make sure it didn't splash on him. The noise caught the attention of everyone in the kitchen.

Yugo slammed the bottle back on the table and pointed at Chibi and Grougal. "Why do you two babies have to ruin what I'm doing? This is important, and now you've soiled it," he yelled at his younger brothers.

Adamai stepped in and put his hand on Yugo's outstretched arm, and lowered it. "Bro, no need to be harsh. They didn't mean to do it."

Alibert came over to the two younger boys, who were near to tears, and hugged them. "Yugo, you know they didn't mean it. Why don't you go take this up to your room and relax for a while? You've been working hard all day; maybe you should take a nap."

Yugo huffed, while he tried to separate his papers from the soiled ones, avoiding eye contact with his dad. "I don't want to take a nap."

Alibert put his hands down on the papers that Yugo shuffled together and stared at his son. "I wasn't asking. Please go upstairs," he stated firmly.

Yugo looked up and saw that Alibert meant business. Yugo grabbed his things and went up to their room. Chibi and Grougal looked up at Alibert who comforted them and said "He's just a bit cranky. I know you boys didn't mean it. Thank you Adamai for helping."

"No problem Dad. I'll go ask him what's wrong when he cools down a bit." Adamai grabbed the ruined papers and tossed them in the trash. The ink had ruined whatever pictures Yugo had drawn on them anyway.

The Inn had a larger than usual influx of customers, so Adamai helped Alibert cook all the way until dinner. When the crowd had become a bit more manageable, Adamai washed his hands and made his way up to their room to check on Yugo.

When Adamai opened the door, he could see Yugo sleeping on top of the covers with his thumb in his mouth. Adamai was slightly confused about it, being told how Yugo used to do that while he was frustrated back when he was nine years old. Something hadn't been right with Yugo today, and it grew more and more obvious to his dragon brother.

Adamai sat on the side of Yugo's bed and lightly shook him awake. Yugo rolled over with a light grunt. Adamai rolled his eyes before trying again. "Bro, it's time to wake up. We need to talk before dinner"

Yugo slowly sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. His thumb was still in his mouth and he was actively sucking it. After a moment, he yawned and his hand dropped to his side. "What? What do you wanna talk about?"

Adamai lowered his eyes halfway and gave Yugo an unimpressed look. "Bro, you were just sucking your thumb. That isn't a big enough giveaway that something up?"

Yugo finally realised, blushed slightly and denied it. "What do you mean? No, I wasn't."

Adamai shifted slightly on the bed to be able to put his hand on Yugo's shoulder. "Dude, talk to me. First, you have trouble with chopping wood, then you completely flip tail over some spilt ink. What is going on? And don't lie. You know that I can tell when you lie to me."

Yugo shifts a little unsettled and takes a moment to think. "I am not sure Ad. This may sound crazy, but I think I may have grown shorter. Like this morning with the bathroom door, the plates for breakfast… Something is off and I don't know what it is, or how to fix it. I kind of hoped it would go away after a nap, but I still feel weird inside, like… Like my brain is starting to become mashed potatoes."

"Well, when did it start?" Adamai was equally confused, but he had to appear like the level headed one to avoid Yugo panicking.

Yugo crossed his feet and looked slightly concerned. "I know what you're going to say, but I think it started when we went to the ruin. Now I know you said be careful, and I was. But I don't know where I went wrong."

Adamai rubbed his chin for a second. "What did we do differently? Whatever it is, it has not affected me. So, if we find the difference, then we find the problem, and we can figure out the solution. That's what 'The Great Feca Detective' taught us when Dad reads it."

Yugo nodded and thought for a moment. They both went there. They both saw the triggered traps. Adamai broke the door, so it couldn't have been that. Yugo's train of thought was cut off when he felt a hand on his chest. He looked up at Adamai, confused.

"This thing. You haven't taken off the oculus from around your neck since we left the ruins. I knew that chest was too easy to open!" Adamai was smiling in how he figured it out. "All we have to do is- "

Yugo cut him off immediately. "NO! We are NOT destroying it," Yugo sounded worried and he held the necklace though his shirt and backed up against the headboard.

"I was going to say we take it off and put it in a safe spot," Adamai comforted his brother and put his hand on Yugo's. "But I bet you that this thing was cursed to stop any non-eliatrope from taking it."

"But then why am I cursed? Shouldn't it not work on eliatropes?" Yugo was unsure about it, but he didn't want to part from the necklace. It was the only way to read those glyphs in the ruins.

"Maybe the only way to stop the curse, if that is what's wrong, is for an eliatrope to read the reverse spell on the wall. We should go back and try to find it. But it's already dinner time. Dad wouldn't want us out late."

Yugo gasped. "We can't tell dad! If he finds out that we went somewhere dangerous, didn't tell him about it, and got hurt, he'd never let us leave his sight for a whole year!"

Adamai shushed his brother and tried to bargain. "How about we go tomorrow? You take the necklace off tonight, and if it is still affecting you, then we'll go and find a cure. If not, then you'll be fine. No need to tell Dad. Deal?" Adamai held out his hand.

Yugo smiled, nodded, and shook his brother's hand. He took off the necklace and placed it on the window sill next to his bed. They both got up from the bed and headed towards the kitchen. The smells of delicious stew wafted through the halls and could be smelled all throughout the Inn. Yugo seemingly subconsciously reached up and grabbed Adamai's hand as they walked down the stairs. The young dragon didn't want to point it out but made a mental note to add it to the list of weird things Yugo did today.

When they got downstairs, the table had been set, and Chibi and Grougal were sitting in their chairs talking about their day. As soon as they saw Yugo enter the room they got quiet and stared at him. No one seemed to notice Yugo holding Adamai's hand. When Alibert entered back into the room, Yugo walked right up to him and hugged him.

"I'm so sorry Papa." Yugo's apology was slightly muffled. Alibert hugged him tightly and rubbed his back.

"It's okay Yugo. But there are still two people you should apologise to."

Yugo walked over to the table and sat down. "I'm sorry Grougal and Chibi, you two aren't babies." They both smiled and thanked their brother.

Alibert grabbed a pot from the stovetop and placed it on the table in front of the four boys. He grabbed their bowls and filled it to the top. "You boys need some more vegetables in your guys' diets. So, I put in some cabbage, carrots, potatoes, celery… It's good; and good for you. I expect you boys to eat everything from your bowl. I'm looking at you, Chibi. You can't just eat meat." Alibert broke off some bread and placed a piece next to each of their bowls.

Chibi took a chomp of bread and spew crumbs halfway across the table when he spoke. "But meat is good. I love meat."

Yugo laughed lightly seeing his brother had made a mess. He too chomped down on his bread and copied the younger eliatrope. "Vegetables are good too. You need them to grow big like me."

Grougal followed suit with his baguette. "You're not that big. I wanna grow really big, like Ad!"

All three of the boys looked over to Adamai who had yet to touch his food. "I am bigger than you, bro. Tough break I guess," Adamai shrugged smugly. He refused to go down to their level in immaturity.

Alibert rolled his eyes watching his sons playing with their food. "You three are being silly. Come on, eat up before it gets cold."

The family made it a mandatory thing to eat together at least once a day. With the guests, sometimes Alibert would be so busy making orders or prepping meals that he couldn't join the boys for Breakfast or Lunch, so he made time for them around Supper. They would all talk about their day, the best and worst thing from their activities, and joke back and forth amongst each other. It was nice to be able to collect as a family for however, longer Alibert had before his eldest two sons grew up and moved out. He secretly hoped it would never happen, but knew that eventually, they would.

When they were all done, the boys helped clear their own dishes from the table and put them in the sink. Chibi and Grougal were growing tall enough to reach the bottom of the sink without the help of the stool. When Chibi finished with his dishes, he pointed at Yugo and laughed. Yugo looked completely confused as to why before he realised how low Chibi was pointing.

"You spilt water on yourself! It looks like you had an accident," Chibi giggled.

Yugo looked down to his crotch and noticed a wet spot. His entire face became red before realising how Chibi gave him an out. "Y-yeah, thank goddess it's just water," he lied.

Grougal spoke up looking confused. "But we had milk with- "

"I better go change into my pyjamas. It's about bedtime anyway," Yugo cut him off, and swiftly ran upstairs; his face still burning bright red.

Alibert, who hadn't picked up on Yugo's behaviour, turned to the rest of the boys. "And I think it's about bedtime for three other boys too. Don't worry about the dishes, I'll finish them after story time. Now march your little butts upstairs and get ready for bed."

Adamai herded the two boys to the bathroom. "Brush your teeth first. You guys forgot this morning," he said closing the door behind them. While the boys were in the bathroom, he went to their bedroom to check on Yugo who was in the middle of changing. "Bro," he sounded concerned, covering his eyes.

Yugo was a bit flustered trying to hide his soiled clothes in the hamper. "Tomorrow, Ad. We need to find that cure first thing tomorrow." He put on his pyjamas but had to tighten his pant strings all the way. His shirt looked like it was two sizes too big.

Adamai walked over to his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. We will get this all worked out in no time," Adamai said smiling.

When the kids were all in bed and ready, Alibert read them to sleep using one of the books he's read multiple times. Almost on cue, they were all asleep before chapter three. He quietly kissed the four of them, turned out the lights, and closed their door.