2084 Awakened Problems (Part 2)

Yet he only mixed the worst parts of them both. The cold and the hunger from Mogar along with the fear and the pain from Earth made the simple thought of putting another living being through all that unbearable.

"I know that during the honeymoon we said that it was better to wait. That having a baby now would have been reckless. But now that they're here, I want to keep them." Kamila took a step back while holding her womb, having misunderstood his words.

"What?" The shock turned the Abomination into a Voidfeather Dragon. "That's not what I meant at all. It's just…"

Lith tried to find a way to express his concerns without mentioning his past lives and failed miserably. He could see how the prolonged silence was only scaring Kamila, making her fear that she had to choose between her life with him and that growing inside of her.

"It's just that I'm afraid of not being the father that this child deserves." Lith finally managed to say, lowering his gaze. "Look at me. I'm a monster, a murderer, and an oath breaker.

"All the nice titles and cool names on Mogar won't ever change that. What if I end up poisoning the baby with all the rage and hate that I carry inside of me? I'm an amazing warrior and an incredible mage, but I'm also a shitty human being.

"What if I turn out to also be a shitty father?"

"That's it?" Kamila chuckled in relief. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"This is no laughing matter. I'm serious. Look at me!" He started shapeshifting again, turning the Dragon into a human and then into the Tiamat form.

"I'm a grown-up man whereas our baby will have to deal with this since birth. Not to mention how people will react to their appearance or even just to their name. How can you not be scared?"

"I'm not scared, I'm terrified." Kamila replied, standing on the bed on her knees over Lith's lap so that his face was at the level of her abdomen. "The only reason I'm not freaking out is that now I know that you are with me on this.

"That our baby will have a father who loves them so much that he worries about their happiness before even holding them in his arms. A father who will always stand by their side even if the whole Mogar were to reject them.

"A father who'll never make them feel alone, even once they realize that there's no one else like them. A father who'll make them feel safe and loved until they are able to face life on their own." She pushed his head against her womb, bringing father and child as close as she could.

"Do you really think I can do that?" Lith asked, his seven eyes streaming with tears.

"I don't think, I know it." She kissed his tears away one eye at a time. "I'll carry this baby for nine months, but once they are born, your burden will be greater than mine. It will be up to you to teach them everything I can't and protect them from everything, even from themselves."

"What if by then the war isn't over yet and I'm stuck on the battlefront? What if I simply don't make it out alive?" Lith asked while holding her tight.

"As a woman and a Constable, I would really like you to be less ruthless and to care about the laws of our country." She replied while gently caressing his face with her thumbs. "As your wife and the future mother of your child, however, I don't give a damn about it.

"Do everything you have to in order to survive, even use Forbidden Magic. Anything as long as you come back to me. To us."

"I will." Lith lay back on the bed, dragging her with him while wrapping her with his wings.

Amid his warmth and the feeling of safety that being embraced like that gave to her, Kamila started to fall apart. The idea of the danger she had gone through just a few minutes ago hit her like a truck.

Life had never felt so beautiful yet so frail and the idea of how high the stakes had become made her finally burst into tears.

***

It took the couple hours just to calm down and for their brains to start working properly again. By the time they came out from their living quarters, it was almost dinnertime and the Overlord's living room had never been so crowded.

Lith's friends and family were just a drop in the ocean of guests surrounding them. The descendants of the Guardians had taken human form to save space and kept their wings wrapped around their shoulders like mantles to allow the humans to distinguish between Phoenixes and Dragons.

"Thank the gods you are here!" Solus was the first to welcome them, squeezing them in a hug that was as violent for Lith as it was delicate with Kamila. "What took you so long? I almost died with worry."

"Thanks, Solus." Kamila returned the embrace, sighing in relief.

She had been worried about how Lith's other important half might take the news and that the baby might break the delicate balance between the three of them. Seeing that Solus was as scared as they were, moved Kamila's heart.

"What were you worried about?" Lith whined while struggling to breathe. "That we would pick the name without you?"

"No, I mean, now that you mention it, it would've been really rude of you, but that's not the issue, yet." Solus was still struggling with the events of that day, but she couldn't allow herself to freak out until she solved the crisis at hand.

"What are we going to do to protect the baby? Staying here is dangerous, yet Grandma refused to both listen to me and warn the two of you."

"Dangerous?" Kamila echoed in disbelief. Usually, Salaark's palace was one of the safest places on Mogar, but with three Guardians and a few brigades of Divine Beasts there, it would have taken a planet extinction event to put a dent in its defenses.

Maybe.

"Protect them from what?" Lith asked.

"Are you telling me that you still don't know?" Solus looked at him like an idiot. "The baby is Awakened and so is Kami! Having them over such a powerful mana geyser might harm them."

"I'm what?" Kamila blurted out.

"Nonsense." Lith said. "I missed the embryo because it's the size of a small bean, but I check on Kami regularly and until yesterday she was a regular human."

He activated Demon Grasp to prove Solus she was wrong yet found that Kamila's core had gone from deep to orange and had an amazing mana flow.

"I'll be right back." He turned toward the liquor table and then fainted head first on the ground.

When he returned to his senses, Lith was laying on a couch with a wet towel on his forehead. He was surrounded by several male Phoenixes and Dragons who patted his shoulders and expressed their sympathy.

"No need to feel embarrassed. The first time is always the hardest. If it's of any consolation, it gets easier with time." A silver-winged Dragon said.