Chapter 4527: Not Toys nor Tools (Part 1)
Chapter 4527: Not Toys nor Tools (Part 1)
"I wanted to congratulate you for rescuing Me-"
"Trion’s son, yes." Lith cut Zoreth short and nodded at the babies. "And it was nothing much. Anything for my beloved little ones."
The Arke understood the minefield she stood upon and nodded, while the children cheered with joy at the idea of having a new friend. Raldarak in particular couldn’t wait to be the youngest no longer.
"Trion’s child." Zoreth cleared her throat. "I’d like to know more about him and maybe meet him. Are the Dryad and the baby here?"
"Her name is Althika, and she’s a Titania now, just like Erkin’s plant side." Solus shook her head. "Also, no. They are not here but in the Desert for security reasons. If you want to visit them, we have to ask Grandma’s permission first."
"A Titania?" Bytra asked in confusion. "Also, where’s Ripha? Can I meet her, please?"
"I’m right here." The First Ruler of the Flames jumped out of Lith’s shadow. "I was busy doing a little maintenance on the golems, but I always make time for guests."
"Is there something wrong with Trouble and Raptor?" The Raiju furrowed her brows. "I remember them as minor masterpieces."
"And they are." Menadion nodded. "Just because we’re home, it doesn’t mean we’re goofing around. Golems and Sigil Demons were all busy with teamwork training. If Lith allows it, we can give you a demonstration later."
She looked at Lith, who answered with a noncommittal shrug.
"Let’s start with... Trion’s son, then." Zoreth said. "How did you find Althika, and what happened? I’ve heard a lot of rumors, but some are vague while others are just outrageous."
"I’ll let you judge for yourself." Lith took Bytra’s and Zoreth’s hands, sharing everything with them via a mind link.
The two hybrids were still frozen solid in shock and awe at the power the Life and Dread Flames had demonstrated when Lith Warped them to the living room, where the rest of the family was assembled for tea.
"Auntie Zor!" Aran and Leria rushed to hug the Arke, snapping her out of her daze. "You’re finally back. Did you hear the latest news?"
"Good gods!" It was the first time Orion and Nalrond saw Zoreth in her humanoid form, and she made quite an impression.
They almost spilled their tea and received a stern look from their wives.
"You mean the... Trion’s baby?" Zoreth asked. "Of course, I did. I came to congratulate the father and the rest of the family."
"Yes, but also no." Leria snickered. "Aran was talking about the fact that even Uncle ’Trion’ managed to give Grandma Elina a grandchild before Auntie Tista."
"Please, stop!" Tista whined, hiding her face behind her hands as she became beet red. "I’m sick and tired of this story. Can’t you give it a rest for one day?"
After listening to Lith’s recount of the events, nobody had noticed such a detail in the heat of the moment. The idea of having a new member of the family carrying Orpal’s blood was hard to accept.
Once they had overcome that hurdle, however, Tista had become the target of many unflattering comments.
"Of course we can." Elina replied with a warm smile that didn’t extend to her eyes. "As soon as you give me a grandchild! Do you realize that even your... Demon brother beat you to it?"
"Mom! I- I mean, Trion is older than me. He had a two-year advantage over me." Tista tried to defend herself the best she could.
"And you had how many hundreds of suitors advantage over him?" Elina snarled. "I remember him courting one girl at a time like the gentleman he is, and you repelling swarms of decent young men with sticks, swords, and maces!
"You had your pick of the litter, yet here we are. Lith beats you three to zero, Rena four to zero, and Trion one to zero!"
"Please, Mom. Have mercy." Tista whined.
She knew that Lith only had two biological children, but pointing it out would have broken Valeron’s heart and made her feel like a monster.
"Congratulations, Trion." Zoreth said with all the sincerity she could muster, quickly followed by Bytra.
"Thanks. It was a surprise for me as well." The thing on Trion’s face was no smile.
It was a taut expression of sadness and regret. Everybody knew the Sigil Demon would have given everything to make that lie reality, but pretended not to notice.
"Where are the rest of the cuties? Where is Surin?" Zoreth asked, looking around for the crib.
Elina was glad the Shadow Dragon hadn’t forgotten about her daughter, while Quylla that someone called her children cuties.
’Orikan and Jirya are adorable, but only until they don’t pull one of their Tyrant stunts.’ She inwardly sighed. ’They seem to love to scare people senseless.’
Much to her surprise, the twins acted all cute and polite, behaving no differently from normal toddlers.
’How is this possible?’ Quylla asked her husband via a mind link.
’Orikan likes beautiful women like me, while Jirya doesn’t want to look bad compared to her brother.’ Morok replied.
’We’re going to talk about this later.’ Her thoughts carried the coldness of an ice age.
Zoreth and Bytra accepted the tea and biscuits Elina offered them and made a bit of chit-chat, listening to the Verhens’ latest news before sharing their own. They only spoke about topics suitable for the children and the guests, never mentioning the Master or the Organization.
"I can see you’ve made quite a bit of progress, Zoreth." Ryla said while Garrik examined his aunt’s hands and eyes with curiosity. "Your Arke form has a stronger aura and a more domineering presence than I remember."
Zoreth and the Fomors weren’t truly related, but as part of the Verhen family and of the few stable evolved humans on Mogar, they considered each other as more than friends.
"You’re right, Ryla. It’s one of the reasons I came here. I wanted Lith to- What’s that?" Dripha had run out of strength and mana, dropping the Rune Stores she was training with while in her father’s arms.
Orion and Jirni had tried to convince the baby girl they would never abandon her and to quit, or at least take it easier with magic, but Dripha cried whenever the Rune Stores were taken away from her.
"They are a tool to help children learn magic." Lith replied. "They are called Rune Stores."
"Are you sure about that?" Zoreth picked the Fire and Water Store for herself and handed the Darkness Store to Bytra. "They give me a weird feeling."
"Lith is not wrong, though." Bytra replied. "They are not the product of Alchemy or Forgemastering. The Rune Stores have no mana flow or any kind of magical aura. They are just toys."
She squeezed the Darkness Store, and the resulting squeaky noise made Zoreth furrow her brows.
"Toys?" The Arke echoed. "Then how do you explain this?"
She held the Water and Fire Stores in her respective elemental arms, conjuring two blades out of brilliant fire and pure ice. The two weapons were not only comprised of a dense mass of elemental energy despite being summoned on a whim, but were also wreathed in their corresponding bloodline abilities.