"Also, since you're supposed to take Morok's role if the worst happens, just tell sothing about him. Sothing nice!" Quylla saw her father's smug expression and shut him down. "Heck, just tell his favorite color. I dare you."
"Plaid?" Orion knew about Morok only what was written in his background check and the things her daughter had told him.
"Nice try, Grandpa. Here's your scorecard." She handed him a piece of paper with a single, giant F on it. "Either you study a bit, or I'll have to restrict your grandparent privileges. Starting with babysitting ti."
"You can't be serious!" Orion blurted out in horror.
"I have been nothing but crystal clear." Quylla crossed her arms. "I won't let your bad attitude about Morok rub off on the twins. Either you learn to love him, or you leave us alone."
Orion stared at the F and sighed. He wasn't afraid of Jiza, the Gernoffs, or the Dead King. Yet the idea of spending quality ti with the Tyrant terrified him.
***
anwhile, in the living room, the many families were assembled in front of the fireplace, discussing their future.
"Are the twins big enough to boost my magic?" Friya asked. "Because I could use their help with my research on dinsional crystals."
"What are you, a Lith?" Rena scoffed. "That can wait. You should be planning your honeymoon."
"Hey, I resent that!" Kamila said. "We had our honeymoon, and Lith didn't spend one minute in his lab. We had a wonderful ti."
"Fine." Rena raised her hands in surrender. "A Lich, then."
"Rena is right, dear." Jirni nodded. "You should have already left. There's no telling when the frenzy from the Indech and the Sapphire Dragon will fade, and sothing bad will happen.
"Just go. Don't even pack your bags. You can buy anything you want at your destination."
"Are you sure, Mom?" Friya wrung her hands. "What about you?"
"I'll have more space and a bigger room." Jirni chuckled. "The Verhen House is a bit cramped for my taste, but it's safe. Don't worry about and go."
'I can't wait to start my research instead.' Solus trembled in excitent. 'Inviting Vorgh for the Indech reveal was genius. Now we finally have sothing to do while everyone else experints on their evolved human form. Isn't that right, Mom?'
'Yes, Epphy.' nadion replied via the mind link. 'I can't believe how good his staff is, and I'm not talking about the Yggdrasill wood. The design is brilliant, and the power core is a masterpiece.
'I'm proud the Royal Forgemasters I trained back in the day have progressed this much after my demise. Too bad the readings of the Eyes are incomplete.' She inwardly sighed.
'Still, it's enough to understand the staff's underlying principles and replicate it. Is it not?' Solus asked.
'Most likely.' nadion inwardly nodded. 'If you, Lith, and I put our heads together, it should be possible. If you want certainties, however, we need to share this with Malyshka and Lochra.'
'Thanks, but I'd rather not.' Solus shook her head. 'Aunt Loka is royally pissed off about the Indech, and would probably ask for help with her evolved human form. As for Malyshka, I trust her, but if we let her in, you and she will do most of the work.
'The Sage Staff is the weapon Lith crafted for , and I treasure it no less than the Fury. I won't share its secrets with anyone outside of our family.'
'Fair enough. Have you considered adding a Spirit Crystal? This way, you could cast Spirit Spells and arrays via the staff. Also, we don't have more Balor eyes for the second set that will orbit over the staff. I was thinking-'
'I said I can't wait to start my research, Mom.' Solus cut her short. 'Not that I want to start it now. Be quiet and enjoy the family ti, or I'll have Aunt Loka reforge the Chains of nadion.'
***
Essagor Region, city of Verlam, Vastor Household, at the sa ti.
No region had fared better against the Upyr attack, and the Master had been showered with praises from every side. His subjects, the army, the Association, and even the Royals celebrated Vastor's na and his achievent.
Yet everything felt hollow to him.
Ever since witnessing the Indech, all the Master could think about was Lith going so far while he was still stumped with two eyes and wings.
'I shouldn't be envious of Lith, and I have no reason to be frustrated by his success.' Vastor thought. 'He is a self-Awakened and beca a hybrid long before I did. It's only natural that his life force stabilized and reached full maturity before mine.
'The fact that Lith is also an evolved human just confirms I was right in my decision to make him my heir. His life force contains all the aspects needed to complete my research, and with his talent, he'll have no problem bringing my children fully back to life.'
Alas, no matter how much the Master wanted to believe his own words, they sounded empty to him.
In the past, Vastor had considered Lith like a young version of himself. A mage of great talent, who overca his natural limits through hard work and effort.
Now, however, Lith looked more like a Manohar to Vastor. Not because he had beco a genius, since his Indech form didn't affect Lith's brain, but because his perfect life force was a natural gift.
The Master believed that, just like Manohar's unparalleled intellect, Lith had done nothing to deserve his Indech form. It was sothing that life had served him on a silver platter, whereas Vastor had to shed sweat, blood, and tears to beco an Arisen.
And while the Master had made no progress since taking his first step as an evolved human, Lith had already crossed the finishing line without even trying. It was an infuriating, unacceptable thought.
Vastor had no idea how long and hard Lith had struggled to stabilize his life force and master his powers. It was one of the many things they hid from each other.
If Vastor had known about it, he would have been prouder of his heir than he already was.
Instead, the venomous worm of envy had stirred again in his chest, taking the colors away from Mogar and the joy from Vastor's heart.
"I'm so happy for Kami, Zogar." Zinya said, unaware she was stabbing the deep wound in her husband's pride. "She looked so beautiful in her Indech form. Do you think I would get wings too if I were pregnant with a little Arisen?"
"Absolutely." Vastor gave her a warm smile, kicking the bitterness in the farthest corner of his mind. "Unlike her, however, you can't expect to beco more beautiful with your transformation. It's impossible to improve on perfection."
"What a smooth talker." She chuckled and gave him a sweet kiss. "I'm so happy to have you ho so often. Winter is definitely my favorite ti of the year. The academy is closed, and I can have you all to myself."
"Dad, we're back!" Filia and Frey charged through the door while still covered in snow. "We won, Dad. Thanks to your teachings, our snow fort was the sturdiest!"
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