"It wasn't that fast either!" Miri protested at once, her hands tightening in his coat.
Lumi nodded quickly. Her grip was no less firm. "We got used to your blinding rate of growth…"
"Well," Quinlan said, tone easing, "I faced some hard enemies-"
"Who dares hurt our Quinnie?" they growled together, posture shifting instantly. The softness vanished, replaced by something sharp and ready, eyes narrowing as if searching the horizon for a target.
"Just some unhinged ladies here and there… And then there was 'her,' too. Are you aware of it?"
"Yes…" The two women nodded, much more concerned than before. Their delicate hands formed trembling fists. "Sel'Ashra, The Withered Flame…" Indeed. The corrupted Goddess has been harassing Quinlan, having invaded his mind twice. The first time, he was sidelined, needing to reinforce his damaged soul.
"And there was more."
Their attention snapped back to him immediately.
"The biggest gap," he continued, more carefully now, "came from the months I spent in a rather similar a."
The change was immediate.
"C-a?" Miri's voice caught, fingers digging into his sleeve as she leaned closer. "What happened, Quinnie?"
Lumi's jaw tightened, eyes scanning him from head to toe as if searching for hidden damage. "Tell us," she demanded.
They pressed in closer, bodies bracketing him from both sides, feeling significantly more like shields than needy burdens. Motherly fury mixed with unmistakable worry, the kind that had nothing to do with pride and everything to do with instinct.
Quinlan let out a slow breath, then shifted his shoulders slightly.
"Synchra. Introduce yourself."
The reaction was instant.
The coat both women were gripping rippled beneath their fingers, with the fabric beginning to flow before locking into defined lines. Red flames bloomed along its surface, controlled and steady, tracing seams and plates as the garment reshaped itself into living armor. The fire gave off no heat. Miri's hand remained pressed to it, unharmed. Lumi's fingers curled reflexively, surprised but not burned.
The flames pulsed once.
A presence settled into the space between them.
Both women gasped.
The understanding hit them at the same time.
Miri turned on him at once. "You… you did something inexplicable again, didn't you?!"
Quinlan winced, just a little.
"This armor," Miri continued, hands pressing into the plating, confirming that it was actually real, "this is very, very unique."
"I crafted it myself," Quinlan said. "With Kaelira's help. I told you about her already, right?"
"Yes, the girl with unique goals…" Luminara nodded, then yelped, "You crafted it yourself?!" Disbelief was plain on her face. "You don't even have a crafter-based primordial class. Quinnie, you didn't get a third one, did you?"
"No, I didn't. Something else occurred." A sly smirk formed on his lips. "Mothers, I'm curious if you can guess. The clues are already before you."
They stared at him.
Then at each other.
Miri scowled. "Your mothers disapprove of your attitude."
Lumi crossed her arms. "Strongly."
A beat passed.
Miri sighed. "But fine. We'll play along."
They began muttering under their breath, voices overlapping as they picked apart details. Fire. Presence. Craft beyond limitations.
Lumi's crystal-blue eyes suddenly lit up.
She gasped softly. "Wait. I remember. When you returned from Zhenwu, you introduced us to Serika and Feng. However, there was Serika's father too, but he was deep in meditation, grieving the loss of his second daughter."
"A fire cultivator," Lumi continued quickly, excitement creeping in. "And a brilliant artificer."
Miri made a sound of realization, then pouted and shot Lumi a glare. "I was just about to say that."
Lumi smirked. "But you didn't. I was first."
"…" Miri narrowed her eyes, then looked back down at the armor, fingers tracing a glowing seam. "Rykar," she said. "That was his name. Considering how unique this piece is, you didn't craft it through a mundane method, that much I can say for certain."
She squeezed the plating lightly. "You didn't gain access to a crafter class."
Lumi nodded. "Exactly. Was it Rykar who helped you?"
Quinlan smiled, genuine and proud. "I'm impressed, Mothers. You didn't live for millions of years for nothing. An excellent guess."
He continued evenly. "When Serika, Feng, and Rykar left Zhenwu and entered Thalorind, they were assigned classes that would fit the rules of the broader universe, as opposed to the rules of their closed-off world. Rykar's allowed him to bestow his knowledge on an heir. He chose me. And Kaelira. We split the inheritance."
His hand brushed the armor at his chest. The flames leaned into the touch.
"We used that knowledge and unique power to craft Synchra. Somehow. I still don't understand the process. I wasn't even thinking much while crafting, my head was elsewhere."
His expression tightened.
"But it took a heavy toll. I needed months to recover, while Kaelira wasn't making progress until I stepped in. Because of that, I'm reluctant to craft again. If we attempt another gear and it turns out to be Anima as well… Kaelira might suffer far more a second time."
Silence followed.
Miri and Lumi exchanged a look.
They nodded.
"That explains everything," Miri said quietly.
Both of them turned their attention back to Synchra.
Instead of anger for sidelining their son for months and pushing the reunion with their son back to a later date, their expressions softened.
Miri rested her palm fully against the armor. "In our current state, all we can do for our son is worry endlessly."
Lumi nodded, and her hand joined Miri's. "But knowing that such a devoted entity shields him at all times… it eases our hearts."
The flames flared instantly. They burned brighter, fuller, pulsing with unmistakable emotion. Shock. Pride. Joy.
Synchra's presence swelled, wrapping around Quinlan and his mothers with renewed resolve.
And for the first time since arriving, his mothers' shoulders finally relaxed.
Miri and Lumi did not give him time to say anything else.
Each of them seized one of Quinlan's hands at the same moment, fingers warm and firm, and began pulling him forward. The pair of world-old women were not walking gracefully… No. They were skipping. Like schoolgirls. Their steps fell into perfect rhythm, light and eager.
"e, Quinnie," Miri said brightly, already tugging him along. "We prepared a gift for you! You also have a meeting with Lilyanna scheduled!"
"And then," Lumi added with unmistakable enthusiasm, "it will finally be time for me to meet my many daughters-in-law!"
"And…" Miri leaned closer, eyes alight.
"Rosie, too!" they cheered together, voices rising in unrestrained delight. Quinlan had already told them of Rosie's existence, but they just couldn't meet the girl before.
Quinlan laughed, caught off guard by the sudden shift in momentum as he was dragged along between them. "You two haven't changed at all."
"Of course not, son," Lumi replied without slowing. "Who changes after living for such a long time as we have?"
Miri tilted her head toward him as they skipped. "So," she asked casually, as if inquiring about the weather, "how many new daughters-in-law did we receive since we last met?"
Quinlan scratched the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. "I've been… a bit active, mothers. I tied the knot with a few amazing existences since we last met. And I also brought more people with me."
Both women froze mid-step.
Then their eyes sparkled.
Miri clasped his hand tighter. "More women to get to know."
Lumi nodded sharply. "To evaluate."
"And to decide," Miri added with absolute seriousness, "if they're good enough for our son."
They exchanged a look filled with shared purpose.
"As dedicated mothers," Lumi said, resuming their skipping pace, "this responsibility clearly falls to us."
"And we take it very seriously," Miri agreed.
Quinlan could only laugh as he was pulled along with Synchra's flames trailing softly behind him while the floating island stretched ahead.
Just like that, the small primordial family moved toward the center of the dimension.
And whatever awaited them there.
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