2083 Awakened Problems (Part 1)

"Ileza is a nice kid and a good Guardian. That's why after beating her within an inch of her life, I let her choose between dying along with her Council or grovel at my feet and get the fuck out of my way."

Tyris' radiant smile didn't match the cold light of her silver eyes nor the bursts of raw power that with each of her heartbeats made her muscles bulge and her bones pop. Tyris's fury was different from Salaark's, but in no way inferior.

Just like the Phoenix Guardian had darkened the sun, it had been the Griffon Guardian's light to temporarily return the undead to life and put the  Abominations on the run.

"Are the representatives of Verendi's Council dead?" Lith asked.

"Not just them. I killed anyone remotely involved and burned their houses to the ground." Tyris replied with a crazed giggle.

"Doesn't that mean that Verendi will undergo a turbulent time until the power vacuum is filled?" Jirni said.

"Probably, but I fail to see how that's my problem." The Mother of all Griffons threw Jirni a glare that made her respectfully step behind Lith.

The gaze of an enraged Guardian was enough to make a human feel like their bones were melting.

The rest of the Knight's Guard had either fainted or bent down in prayer to appease the angry gods in the room.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you all." Tyris cleansed her dress from the bits of body parts before handing Jirni a thick folder. "This is everything you were looking for, complete with dates, names, and addresses of everyone involved.

"Consider it my apology. Also, I'd really appreciate if you let Constable Yehval go home early today. She has gone through a lot today and probably she'd want to share the good news with the rest of her family.

"It would sadden me greatly if they were to learn about the baby from the interlink."

"Of course." Jirni's survival instinct told her that any answer besides "yes" might trigger the extinction level events Leegaain had worked so hard to prevent. "I'll stay here and make sure to maintain an information blackout for a least a couple of hours."

"That would be lovely. Bye." Tyris Warped everyone to the Desert, leaving only Jirni, the Guard, and the suspects behind.

The three Guardians brought the couple to Salaark's dining room, where they assembled the entire Verhen family to avoid repeating the news more than once.

Tista was on the battlefield as well, fighting for control over another portion of the Nestrar region alongside Bodya, Phloria, and the corps of Awakened that she had trained.

The dimensional spell Switched the young bright-blue cored Demon with an ancient Golden Dragon. Leegaain had randomly selected one of his firstborns to take her place and make sure that Tista's absence didn't affect the war.

The Divine Beast was immensely pissed off for getting the short end of the stick and missing the family meeting. He took his fury out on Thrud's troops, killing hundreds before a few of her generals arrived to even the field yet they died one minute later.

But that's a story for another day.

In Salaark's palace, everyone was either rejoicing at the news of the baby or was simply too shocked to have any kind of reaction.

"This is wonderful news! When did it happen?" Elina was among the former, half-smiling and half-crying in joy non-stop.

"During the very first night Kamila got here." Salaark replied.

"That fast?"

"Yeah, that's why I gave her the Voidfeather armor and I made sure to take good care of her during her stay in the Desert. The moment I felt one drop of my blood resonating through her body, she was already part of my family." The Guardian said.

"Is that the reason there were so many Phoenixes on my side of the room during the second wedding?" Kamila asked, receiving a nod in reply.

"That's an even more wonderful news." Elina first hugged Salaark, thanking her amid tears, and then moved to Kamila who was still frozen in place. "It means that we'll give birth around the same time.

"I can help you along the way and we'll muddle through the hardest parts together."

"Thanks, I guess." Kamila sounded more scared than happy now.

After the initial enthusiasm had faded, she had been burdened by her own fears and Lith's who was still embracing her but had stopped saying a word ever since they had left the Griffon Kingdom.

"Congratulations, son. Being a father is the most terrifying and amazing experience a man can ever wish for." Raaz grabbed Lith's shoulders, forcing him to turn around and let Kamila go before embracing him. "Why so quiet?"

"I think I need to sit down." Lith felt weak, needing sheer willpower to not collapse to the ground.

"I'm sorry, Featherling, this is all my fault." Salaark said. "Between my anger for the attack on the baby's life and the joy of being able to finally share the news with you, I didn't consider that you might need a bit of time alone with your wife to process this.

"You two take your time and discuss anything that comes to your mind. We'll be here in case you need anything. Also, I'm going to throw a party with all your friends, my children, and Leegaain's to celebrate."

"Wait, what?" Kamila said, snapping out of her reverie at those words.

Yet Salaark was faster and warped Lith and Kamila in their room, leaving a distraught Solus behind. She also was among the frozen ones and it would take her several minutes before getting back to her senses and out of her ring.

"Isn't it a bit too soon for a party?" Elina said the moment the room was clear. "The first pregnancy is the most dangerous. I don't mean to jinx it, but what if after all this Kamila loses the baby?

"Wouldn't it better to wait at least three months to not give her false hope?"

"That would be a valid concern if we were talking about a human baby." Tyris said. "A Divine Beast is different. There's no such thing as miscarriage for those of our blood."

"That's a huge relief." Raaz felt a heavy burden lifted from his chest. "By the way, since you knew everything about our baby, can you also tell us already if Lith's child will be a boy or a girl?"

"It's a…"

Meanwhile, in their living quarters, the couple was struggling to wrap their head around the latest revelation.

Lith couldn't stop staring at Kamila as if she was some kind of unknown monster so he had to walk back blindly to search for the bed where he plunged.

"We're safe now. There's no threat here." He said while appreciating the softness of the mattress and the powerful arrays surrounding the palace that together soothed his nerves.

Then, he started hyperventilating and shifting between his four bodies without control.

"I know that this is scary, babe, but I need you to talk to me." Kamila took his face in her hands, freezing him in the features of Derek McCoy. "I can't do this alone."

"I never said I'm not going to help you. It's just that the timing couldn't be any worse." Between the war and hearing his old Earth voice, Lith kept seeing flashes of his life as a child on both planets.