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Lena, Elio's mother, pushed through the crowd, her salamander holding tight to her shoulder.

Behind her, Tarec and his family followed, his rabbit hopping from shoulder to shoulder.

Last came the four young women who'd caused such a stir days ago: Aria, Mei, Lila, and Valeria, each with their own salamander.

"Elio!" Lena called out, scanning the distribution stands for her son. "Where are you, son?"

Kriz, closing up his stand, looked up at Elio's name. A mischievous smile spread across his face as he saw the group approach.

"Well, look who it is!" he called out, his rabbit, Mirror Shot, copying his dramatic pose. "The boss's mom! What brings you to our humble stand, oh noble visitor?"

Lena frowned, unsure how to take Kriz's joking tone. "I'm looking for my son. Have you seen him?"

"Ah, the big boss," Kriz scratched his chin theatrically. "I'm afraid he's off on a secret mission to far-off lands."

"What?" Tarec stepped forward, worry on his face. "Where did he go?"

Kriz laughed. "Relax, man! He's just at the central building. Official business and all that."

Micah, who'd been listening while finishing with his last new summoner, joined the group.

"What Kriz means," he said, giving his friend a disapproving look, "is that Elio and Lucien went to the central building to deal with some matters with the residents."

"Yeah, yeah," Kriz waved his hand carelessly. "They're evicting people out. You know, leader stuff."

"Kriz!" Zara, who'd just joined them, elbowed him. "Don't talk nonsense. Elio's not evicting anyone out."

"Ow, Zara," Kriz pretended to be hurt, rubbing his side. "Why do you always have to ruin my fun?"

Lena looked from one young person to another, clearly confused. "So, my son is okay?"

"Of course, Mrs. Elian," Ren assured her, joining the conversation. "Elio's fine. He's just busy with city matters."

Aria, the redhead of the four young women, stepped forward. "And when will he be back? We have... important things to discuss with him."

Zara narrowed her eyes, her salamander, Flare, hissing slightly. "Oh really? What kind of things?"

Mei, the amber-eyed one, stepped in smoothly. "Nothing to worry about. We just wanted to thank him personally for the summons and... ask about the announcement of the new level 2 challenge."

"Yeah, right, I'll give you an expl…" Zara muttered, but before she could say more, Kriz jumped between them.

"Ladies, ladies!" he exclaimed, spreading his arms dramatically. "No need to fight, I can explain everything. There's enough Kriz to go around."

Lila, the shy blonde, stepped back and giggled, while Valeria rolled her eyes. "We're not here for you, jokester," the brunette said.

"You wound me!" Kriz clutched his heart, his rabbit copying the gesture. "How did you resist my charms?"

"Easily," Zara replied dryly.

Tarec, who'd been watching the exchange with amusement and exasperation, cleared his throat. "Excuse me, but could you tell us when Elio will be back? We have important matters to discuss with him."

"Oh, another one with 'important matters'," Kriz joked. "What's next? Is Elio the new city leader or something?"

Micah smacked Kriz on the back of the head. "Ignore him, please. Elio should be back sometime soon. You can wait here if you want."

Lena nodded gratefully. "Thank you, we'll do that."

♢♢♢♢

As the group settled in to wait, Ren approached his friends.

"Hey," he said quietly, "do you realize what we've achieved? Over 650,000 salamanders, 150,000 frogs, and 10,000 rabbits distributed. It's... incredible."

Zara smiled, stroking Flare. "It is. We've changed the city forever."

"And spent a fortune in the process," Ren added. "Over 300 million cores... it's insane."

"Bah, they're just numbers, Elio still has 1.5 billion cores," Kriz said, making a careless gesture. "The important thing is that we all have cool pets now. Right, Mirror Shot?" His rabbit struck a funny pose in response.

"They're not pets, Kriz," Micah reminded him. "They're powerful invocations that-"

"Yeah, yeah," Kriz interrupted. "Powerful, dangerous, blah, blah, blah. But admit it, they're adorable."

As they talked, they didn't notice Lena approaching. "Excuse me," she said softly, "but can I ask you something?"

The young people turned to her, surprised. "Of course, Mrs. Elian," Zara replied.

"How... How is my son?" Lena asked, her voice full of motherly concern. "I've barely seen him since all this distribution thing started. Is he eating well? Is he getting enough rest?"

The friends exchanged glances, unsure how to answer. Finally, Micah spoke: "Elio is... busy. He has a lot on his shoulders now... But he's handling it well."

"Yes," Zara added, her voice softening. "He cares a lot about the city and its people. He wants to do it right..."

Lena nodded, pride and worry on her face. "Sounds like my Elio. Always thinking of others."

"Oh, don't worry, Mrs. E," Kriz chimed in, putting an arm around Lena's shoulders. "We make sure he has fun sometimes. Did you know your son has a hidden talent for exploiting employees?"

"Kriz!" Zara and Micah exclaimed in unison.

"What?" Kriz feigned innocence. "I'm just sharing important information with a concerned mother."

Lena couldn't help but laugh. "Thank you... I'm glad to know Elio has friends like you."

Meanwhile, the four young women watched the scene from the side. "They're an interesting group, aren't they?" Lila murmured.

Aria nodded, her eyes fixed on the interaction. "They are. They seem very close."

"And protective," Mei added, her gaze calculating.

Lila sighed softly. "I wonder what it's like to have friends like that."

Valeria snorted. "We're not here to make friends, we won't have those 10,000 mana points anymore, remember? We have a job to do."

The others nodded, but for a moment, they all seemed to hesitate.

The camaraderie and joy they saw among Elio's friends was something none of them had experienced in their complicated lives.

As the sun began to set, the plaza was still bustling with activity. New summoners practiced with their salamanders, frogs, and rabbits, filling the air with small flames, water jets, and snowflakes.

The city was changing, evolving before their eyes.