"Ral can't say the word mama in one breath, so he splits it into two." Lith explained to calm them down.
"What did you say?" Kamila asked both her husband and son.
"Ma… ma?" Raldarak's little hand brushed against her exposed skin to get her attention. "Ma… ma."
"Ask him if he's saying, mama. Do it!" Kamila refused to believe her own ears.
Lith didn't argue and did as bidden.
"Yes, he is." Lith replied after another contact with the Dragon Scales. "Ral is also getting worried because you're ignoring him."
"I'm sorry, sweetie. I was just confused." Kamila held the baby boy tight, giving him her undivided attention. "Say that again, please. Call mama."
"Ma… ma!" Raldarak said, giggling.
"Yes, my little boy." Kamila started to sob as she peppered Raldarak's head with kisses. "I'm your mom."
"Ma… ma?"
"He's-" Lith tried to say.
"I know, and I'm sorry." Kamila broke down crying while lulling the baby boy. "You don't need to worry, my love. Mommy is just happy."
"You can thank Grandpa and for this." Lith knelt to her side, embracing both his wife and son.
"What do you an?" She asked amid wails that would have worried the rest of the family sick if not for the Guardians Hushing them.
"Well, after Grandpa taught Ely how to say dad in draconic, we often repeated the word mama to Ral." Lith replied.
"We did the sa with Elysia, but it didn't work." She sniffled, trying to calm down.
"Yeah, but I didn't tell her to say mama because the fate of the world depends on it." Lith cleared his throat. "It seems I've repeated that to Ral enough tis for him to rember and believe it. He thinks he has just saved our lives."
"Gods, the n in our family are so silly!" Kamila bawled her eyes out again, but they were still tears of joy.
All the pain and the fatigue from childbirth washed away. The fear of being cut out of her family now that she had lost access to the baby's Tiamat powers faded into nothing.
It wasn't just because of her son's first word or the reassurance that he wasn't a reincarnator, even though that certainly helped.
It was because Raldarak already trusted his father so much that the baby boy believed such a preposterous lie. More importantly, even though he was just born, the baby boy loved his mother so much that he had struggled his own way to protect her.
It was a feeling that filled Kamila with warmth and reassured her no less than Dragon Scales could. A feeling no one could ever take away from her, and to which she could cling to find strength in her darkest hour.
***
When Kamila stopped crying, she discovered that Ral had gotten back on schedule and was enjoying his first al.
"I guess saving the world worked him quite an appetite if he couldn't wait a few more minutes." She chuckled, wiping her tears with a handkerchief.
"Is everything alright?" Raaz asked from the other side of the door. "We've heard Kami yell earlier, and the other grandparents refuse to tell us what happened."
"Oh, right." Lith had been so shocked by the sudden turn of events that he had completely forgotten about the rest of the family. "I'll go outside for a minute. Don't you dare do anything while I'm not here. I'm talking to you, young man."
Raldarak had no idea what his father ant and kept eating.
Lith recounted the circumstances regarding Raldarak's first word, prompting almost everyone to cheer.
"I can't believe I missed it." Solus grumbled. "This is not fair!"
"Everyone missed it." Raaz patted her head. "I know it's disappointing, but let's put it this way. Once Kami finishes feeding him, we can hear Ral say mama all the tis we want."
"And soon it will be dya ti!" Leegaain puffed his chest out as if there was sothing to be proud of. "Don't worry, Lith. The second word will be dad, and it will take no more than a couple of weeks for Ral to learn it."
That piece of news brought a smile on Lith's face and a snarl on everyone else's. They had just lost the battle for second place and were forced to compete for bronze.
anwhile, the mbers of the Organization right outside Lutia's borders retreated, favoring stealth over speed.
The Master was still in a deep focus, trying to contain the lingering energy of the Demon Dirge in his body. It was akin to holding sand with a clenched fist, but at least Vastor managed to slow down the process.
He examined how his life force reverted to its original state, taking the utmost care to observe not only the differences between before and after, but also the steps with which the changes happened.
No one said a word, even enveloping the Master in a Hush spell to prevent any external noise from disturbing his focus.
For the rest of Mogar, things were much simpler. The radiance enveloping the Phoenixes and Dragons faded, while the humans stopped perceiving the elents, and the Balors reverted to their Fallen state.
"By the gods, I may not be the one who has just given birth, but this was almost as exhausting." Quylla panted like a bellows.
Even with the tower's help and the boost from the Demon Dirge, examining the condition of her children, husband, Garrik, and Ryla at the sa ti had drained her energy.
The Eyes and the Ears of nadion could only register so much in such a short ti and while scanning so many subjects at once. Moreover, Quylla trusted her own instincts above all.
Even the Infirmary's display could only show her cold images.
When Quylla used her spells to examine a patient, instead, all her senses were engaged and capable of spotting small details that she might notice only after weeks of study, if at all.
"Thank you, dear." Morok gave her a chair and a cup of honeyed tea. "It's too bad that I didn't get my turn, but honestly, I don't care. Our children and Garrik take priority. I'm old, and my life force is stable, whereas you can make a difference for them."
"I agree." Ryla was dying to know how much she had learned by examining her son and if she had discovered anything that might ensure the rging of his life forces, but she didn't want to rush Quylla.
"Well, I do care about you, silly." Quylla drank her tea slowly as if it were a dicine. "I also care about you, Ryla. I'm a wreck for it, but I took a good look at all of us. I admit that I gave priority to the kids, but I didn't forget about you."
"Please, tell you didn't-" Ryla tried to add sothing, but Garrik's cheers cut her short.
"Thank you, Auntie. You're the best!" The young Tyrant-Fomor hybrid hugged her.
"You're welco, sweetie." She sighed. "Gods, this is going to be a long day."
While everyone still rejoiced, Quylla organized her notes through the Library and jotted down every detail she had noticed before they could fade from her mory.
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