It was a moment before he began to speak, his tone lacking any life.

“My mother has been sick for over a year,” the boy said, “her body was slowly becoming paralysed. Even the smallest of things was becoming difficult for her to do on her own. Recently, her health was deteriorating even more. One day I decided that she had faced enough difficulties. Everyone knows about the existence of the moonstone and that the succubus keeps it in her castle and that the moonstone is very powerful and has healing powers.

“So one night, a few days ago, I set out towards the north pole, deciding that I would either beg the succubus to give me her moonstone or steal it from her. I had only gone a short distance from the village when I heard some sounds behind and saw that it was my brother following me. I was infuriated at him and demanded him to return home, but he didn’t and began to cry. I decided to give up on my quest and return home because I did not want to risk the life of my brother.

“However, my brother began to march towards the North Pole on his own. When I ran up to him and stopped him he begged me to continue on the quest to get the moonstone as he wanted to make mother normal once again. I was at odds regarding what to do. I finally decided to go for the moonstone. When we reached the forest of the ice trees we heard the sounds of people repeating strange incantations over and over, and soon I realised that the succubus and her demons were performing some strange ritual outside the ice castle.

“I doubted that the succubus would just give me her precious moonstone if I just asked it to her. So my brother and I stole into the castle and got the moonstone. The succubus and her demons were so busy in their ritual that they didn’t take any notice of us.

“As we were making our way back towards our home barely in grasps over out luck when my brother suddenly told me that the toy that he couldn’t find a toy that he always kept with himself. He told me he might have lost it in the castle, but there was nothing either of us could do as the succubus had probably ended her ritual by then and it would be dangerous to go back to the castle.

“The moonstone healed mother’s disease and she is recovering very fast. I want to return the moonstone, but I do not know how to without angering the succubus.”

Done, the boy hung his head.

I exhaled.

“So where is the moonstone?” I asked him.

“Here,” the mother said from her bed. She held up something wrapped in rags, her face moist with tears. “But please let my son go. He just did this to save me.”

***

“Where did you find it?” the succubus said. There was a lot of thankfulness in her white eyes, but there was also a lot of disbelief in her voice.

“Does it matter?” I asked her. “You have it now. Do not get so lost in your ritual like the last time again, all right?”

Just then a notification popped up in my vision.

New Quest Completed!

Congratulations! You have completed a new quest!

You receive 200 youth!

The wrinkles in my body began to disappear as my skin became taut. Euphoria took over me.

Ah, the cycle of old age and youth!