"That's great to hear." Lith nodded. "Aran and Leria went through much less yet they have only recently recovered. I doubt they would have made it without Grandma so what's your secret?"
"It's all thanks to Zogar." Zinya puffed her chest out with pride. "His 'children' spent a lot of ti with Filia and Frey, never leaving them alone. In their human form, they made the kids feel protected and part of the family.
"Whenever they had to shapeshift, Zoreth and the others always assud an adorable-looking form that seed out of a children's book. Having powerful creatures that looked like giant fluffy pets made wonders for their nerves, especially Tezka.
"He never leaves their side, even when they go to school. It's only thanks to him that I can sit here comfortably, knowing that wherever they are, my little ones are safe."
***
Ernas Arch Duchy, at the sa ti.
Phloria Ernas had just finished dining at the Phoenix's Nest with her date and they were taking a digestive walk in the gardens of Assar, the capital of the Ernas region. It wasn't exotic, but being so close to ho made her feel safe.
Since the War of the Griffon had resud, her dating schedule had only gotten worse. On the one hand, her parents were eager to find a suitable mate for her. On the other, Phloria had grown sick and tired of being alone.
She would spend her days going from the battlefield to the tower or Faluel's lair to train. Whenever she was on leave and Invigoration had lost most of its effectiveness, Phloria liked to go out and have so company.
No matter how much her sisters complained about their respective partners, she could see how happy they were. The picnic on the moon had been the final straw that had broken the cal's back.
Phloria had found the strength to let go of her feelings and search for soone who could make her laugh like Morok did to Quylla, soone who could understand her struggles like Nalrond did for Friya, or maybe soone whose kindness would warm her heart like Kamila did for Lith.
Phloria loved her magical powers just like she loved her work as a military officer. Yet the more ti passed, the more she realized they weren't enough for her anymore.
'I don't want to spend the rest of my life working my ass just to be forgotten the mont I die like it happened to nadion or Manohar. I watched many people die in this war and none of them in their final monts regretted not having trained or worked one more hour.' She thought.
'They all regretted the things they didn't do and having ignored the people in their lives, always thinking they could make up for it later. I want more in my life than work, train, sleep, rinse and repeat.' She thought.
"A copper coin for your thoughts." Celbas the Griffon said after the silence lasted long enough to beco awkward.
He looked like a handso man in his mid-twenties, about 1.84 ters (6') tall with short blond hair and silver eyes.
"I'm sorry, I didn't an to space out." Phloria replied with a sigh. "I'm just really tired."
"I can see that." Life Vision showed Celbas how mana abuse would make it pointless to use his breathing technique on her. "Do you want to take a rain check and get so rest?"
"And spent the rest of the day staring at the ceiling while my damn brain keeps hostage? Thanks, but no thanks." She said. "By the way, I'm curious. Isn't a 23 years old woman a little too young for a Divine Beast like you?"
"She would, if I wasn't 25 years old and a hybrid at that." He replied.
"Really? Are you still a hybrid at your age?" Phloria was amazed. Usually the conflicting life forces of a hybrid forced them to pick one around the ti the natural growth of their mana core stopped.
If Celbas was an exception, it ant that maybe he could beco a new species like Shargein or Lith.
"I wish." He exhaled sharply. "I ant that until a few years ago I was half-human. My body and mind developed no differently from yours. I'm still used to asuring ti in days and weeks, not decades or centuries.
"To dating a woman over one hundred years old would be like dating my grandmother."
"I hear you." Phloria chuckled. "Elder Awakened consider an ignorant runt just like I find them to be boring old coots."
"You and both." Celbas said. "By the way, I hope you don't mind giving up on my human half. I don't consider humans inferior or bad, it's just that forfeiting the Griffon's bloodline abilities felt pointless and stupid.
"Even if my mother Awakens my father, he'd still die way before and if I stayed a human, I would have needed to join the Council. As a Griffon, instead, I can be independent and avoid all that politics crap."
"Don't worry, I don't mind dating a Griffon. I've t enough assholes like Kallion to know that race doesn't make a man good or bad, just different." She replied.
"Glad to hear. What do you say if-" A Warping array that had been inactive and invisible to Life Vision until a second before moved the couple hundreds of kiloters away from the safety of Assar's magical formations and city guards.
The dinsional sealing arrays enveloping the city couldn't stop a Spirit Array.
"Shit!" Phloria said as she tried to use her communication amulet but found herself inside the tier five Sealed Space spell.
The assailants were arranged in a square formation, keeping themselves right outside the Sealed Space until their prey were in position.
Each one of them was ard to the teeth, covered in Adamant, and infused with Life Maelstrom.
"Stay behind !" Celbas shapeshifted into his real form while boosting himself and Phloria with Life Maelstrom to even the field.
Unlike most bloodline abilities, the silver lightning was stored inside his body and was unaffected by the dinsional spell.
The Griffon used his sheer size to escape the Sealed Space and clawed with his forelegs at the two assassins coming from the front. Celbas was his mother's heir and had learned from her both the secret of Awakening and the violet core.
He had already access to body casting so as he changed form, he had also weaved several spells along with several hard-light constructs. A golden armor infused with silver lightning covered both him and Phloria while also coating their weapons.
'Good thinking.' She said via a mind link she had established to coordinate their attacks without wasting ti. 'My weapon is a masterpiece but right now it's just a piece of sharp tal. I need ti to weave spells and-'
Her train of thought derailed when the two assailants from the front blocked Celbas' attack with ease while those from the back moved so fast that even with Full Guard warning her, Phloria failed to react in ti.
She was still stuck at the bright blue core whereas their enemies released a violet aura.
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