1990 once More with Guests (Part 2)

If it wasn't just another attempt of his mind to create a fake reality to escape from the pain of the torture.

It was the reason Raaz liked the Greenhouse so much. The smell of the earth was so familiar to him that it washed away the illusion of blood. The weight of the farming tools allowed him to make sure he wore no chains.

Now, however, he felt like he had taken a step out of the invisible cage he had been trapped in for so long. The marriage was real. The pain of the young woman between his arms was real. The child growing in Elina's womb was real.

His offer to fill in for Kamila's father was but a small gesture, but to him, it meant to stop watching life from the sidelines and be more than a cracked vase everyone was afraid to touch.

It meant having finally found the strength to face his demons in order to help the people he loved.

"I guess I'll need to clean myself up." Raaz suddenly realized the pungent smell of his sweat to which his nose had been dumb to until that moment.

"Oh, that's for sure." Elina wiped a tear from her own cheek. "Also, you need a good shave."

"What's wrong with my beard? It's manly."

"A groomed beard is manly." She replied. "A one-month wild beard makes you look like a bear."

"Also, it tickles like crazy and makes you look like my grandfather." Kamila said, giggling every time Raaz's facial hair brushed against her skin.

"That's not tru- Great Mother almighty!" Raaz conjured a water mirror and stared at his reflection, refusing to believe his own eyes.

He did the same time every morning but this time he actually saw what he had become. The skin around his eyes was weathered, full of deep age lines. His unkempt beard along with the dirt covering his face and hands made him look like a war refugee.

Even back when he had almost fallen into poverty to pay for Tista's medical treatments, he had never let himself go so much.

"Why didn't you tell me to shave?" Raaz looked at Elina in shock. "How could you stay by my side for so long and endure this without saying a word?"

He waved at his sorry figure.

"I told you to shave more than once, it's just that you didn't listen." She replied. "There was nothing to endure, dear. You needed me and that was all that it mattered. Welcome back."

Those last two words struck at Raaz so hard that he had to take a step back. He looked at his wife, noticing all the pain and worry she had carried from the day their children had rescued him.

It was the second time that day that Raaz managed to look past his own suffering and empathize with that of someone else. It opened another crack in the fortress of fear and self-pity that he had built to protect himself from the outside world.

The crack was small, but it let the light in.

"I hope that Salaark accepts male customers as well because I need a heck of makeover." He said.

***

On the day of the ceremony, Lith and Kamila stood near the main Warp Gate of Salaark's palace, greeting their guests the moment they arrived. On Mogar there was no superstition about the groom seeing the bride before the ceremony.

By welcoming their guests in person, the spouses thanked them for their participation and gifts. The tradition required just a quick handshake and a few words to keep a long line from forming.

"Good gods, Lith. It's so good to see you guys again." Zinya said while hugging them both. "I don't care what the rest of Mogar says, Lith, you are my hero. You only brought happiness to me and my sister."

"Thanks, Zinya. Your words mean the world to me." He took a deep breath before asking a question he had been pondering for a while. "It really surprised me that you gave Kami your blessing. Didn't my other form scare you even one bit?"

"No." She shook her head. "Maybe it's because I've been blind for most of my life, but to me physical appearance is of little importance. Once Kami told me that you blew your cover to save her life, I knew she couldn't ask for a better man, demon, or whatever you are.

"Gods, I wish Zogar was here to see you. It would make this moment perfect."

"Is the Professor all right?" Lith asked.

"He was until this morning, when the Royals summoned him to protect Belius again." She replied with a deep sigh. "He sends you his apologies for missing your wedding and a gift."

Zinya handed Lith a package the size of a thick book and a small envelope.

"He expressed that you are to open them both immediately and keep them away from prying eyes."

Lith opened the package first, discovering that it was just a copy of Lochra Silverwing's book, The Basics of Magic.

'This is weird. Vastor knows I have it alr-' His train of thought derailed when he flipped the first page and the rest followed along, revealing the book to be a sealed container holding the Mouth of Menadion.

Lith closed the book before someone could notice and opened the envelope.

"Dear Lith,

"I'm very sorry for how my children behaved when you met them in Verendi. They did the wrong thing for the right reason by taking the Mouth away from you but I hope you will forgive them.

"I've thoroughly studied it and once I manage to craft a modern version of the Mouth, it will become part of the legacy that one day will become yours. I didn't imprint the original so that you could do with it what you think is best.

"You can study it yourself, give it back to Elphyn Menadion, or gift it to Salaark. I wish I was there for your wedding.

"In faith, Zogar Vastor."

Lith quickly stored everything in his pocket dimension and went back to greet his guests. He would have loved to share the news with Solus, but during the short talk with Zinya, a long line had formed and discussing the matter would have taken more time than he had.

Once everyone got to their respective seat, both sides of the throne room were filled to the brim.

While Elina walked Lith to the dais, he looked around and recognized several faces. There were a lot of Dragons and Phoenixes that had taken part in the honor guard back when the Awakened Council had recognized him as the offspring of two Guardians.

'Who the heck are these people?' He thought. 'I get Crevan and the others who protected my house wanting to attend the wedding. I get Sinmara, Surtr, and a few others who I invited personally.

'What I don't understand is why there are so many Divine Beasts and why they took seats on Kamila's side.'

Due to Salaark's dimensional magic, there was no limit to how much the room could stretch. If they wanted to, the guests could all seat on the groom's side. To make matters weirder, he could hear the usually reserved and stuck-up Dragons talking to Zinya like she was their peer.