2133 Honored Guest (Part 1)

"Getting rid of a cursed artifact is easier said than done. The Council failed to get rid of the Golden Griffon for centuries. Even if we trap it again, it's only a matter of time before Thrud escapes." Lith said.

"By the way, is it me, or is your cave filled with a lot more riches than I remember from my last visit? Where did the Royals find the money to pay you with the war still ongoing?"

"Haven't you been to Lutia, yet?" Faluel giggled, her rainbow-colored eyes throwing him a mischievous look.

"No, why?"

"No reason." She suppressed a peal of laughter, making it sound like a snort.

"Why are you- Fuck me sideways!" Lith looked at his clock and discovered how late it was. "Dammit, time flies while training. Why didn't Mom call me? I asked her to notify me the moment-"

Only after patting all of his pockets did he remember to have left the communication amulet in the pocket dimension to not be disturbed while practicing Accumulation and Blade Spells.

"Ladies, it was an honor serving with you." Several runes of the amulet blinked in a frenzy due to the number of missed calls and messages left. "I'm a dead man."

"How could you be so insensitive?" Solus said in outrage, her waist-long hair whipping furiously through the air as if she was amid a storm. "What if something happened to Kami? Or to the baby?"

"Please, today was Tyris' turn." Lith said after quickly consulting his notes. "The last time someone pissed her off, she sent the whole planet in a full solar eclipse. I think I'd noticed if something happened and so would have the rest of Mogar.

"That said, where's your amulet?"

"A dress has no pockets. Where do you expect me to keep it?" Solus said in embarrassment.

"Hello, pot. My name is kettle and I called you to tell you that we're black." Lith said with a sneer. "If I have to go down, I'll bring you all with me."

"No fair! I'm on the verge of a breakthrough that will literally change my life. Who cares about skipping dinner?" Tista said.

"Oh, boy. Say that again in front of Mom, please. This way, I'll have to deal solely with Kami because everyone else will be too busy kicking your ass to remember about mine."

"They'll have to get in line because I call dibs!" She replied with a snarl.

"Solus?" Faluel tapped her shoulder to get her attention. "I noticed that you keep spacing out and that are much less lively than usual. It's not like you to forget about your family."

"It's complicated." Solus sighed deeply.

"If you ever want to talk, remember that I'm here for you and so are Tista, Rena, and all the people who love you." The Hydra gently caressed her head. "You are not alone unless you choose to shut us out of your life."

"Thanks, I'll remember your words." Solus forced herself to smile.

"If you need a quick laugh, don't shapeshift your hair when you go to Lutia." Faluel whispered to her with a wink while Lith was still bickering with Tista.

"What do you-"

"Bye!" A clap of the Hydra's hands activated her Warping array, moving her guests in the living room of the Verhen house.

"Look who's decided to honor us with his presence." Kamila's voice held the coldness of an ice age. "Did you guys at least have fun at Faluel's?"

Only a few people had the authorization to Warp inside the arrays protecting Lith's house and they were each associated with a colored light that would identify them.

"I'm really sorry, Kami. I've no excuse for being late." Lith gave her a deep bow. "I'm a jerk."

"That's a good start, but you're still missing something." She kept her arms crossed while her foot tapped the floor.

"Welcome home, Kami. Is everything fine with you and the baby?" He asked.

"Now it is." She wrapped her arms around Lith's neck and gave him a sweet kiss. "Is Faluel okay?"

"Just worried because there's still no solution to the Golden Griffon. How was your day?" He replied.

"Wow, you really got him under your thumb, Kamila." Tista laughed her ass off at Lith's expense. "Maybe you should be the Supreme Magus."

"Ha, ha. Very funny, Tista." Kamila glared at her in a way that made the Red Demon realize she had fucked up. "Would you have liked Lith to be an ass to both his wife and child? What's your excuse for being late, young lady?"

"I was busy with my research." Pride made Tista's mouth move faster than her brain, sealing her fate.

"Oh, gods!" Elina turned around pointing a wooden spoon dripping with stew at her daughter. "I would like to say that you're becoming like your brother, but that would be unfair to him.

"At least Lith is married, is about to give me a grandchild, and he knows to be in the wrong. I'm greatly disappointed in you Tista. You knew how important today was for your family yet you chose to put us second anyway."

Only then did Tista notice the kids standing watch at the windows instead of playing and laughing. As she looked around the room, she saw Raaz so lost in his thoughts that he had yet to notice their arrival.

Even the magical beasts were quiet, trying to cheer Aran and Leria up with gentle bumps of their muzzles instead of begging for food as usual. The sound of Elina's voice was the only thing breaking the silence that shrouded the house.

"We're here for less than an hour and we are already at each other's throat. Maybe coming back has been a mistake." Raaz said once the quarreling woke him up from his trance. "Maybe we should have stayed in Salaark's palace. There's nothing left for us here."

"Don't let sadness get the best of you, my child.

"Change is painful only if you fight it. You've lived in the Desert for so long that the Kingdom now looks dark to you. Yet this is still your home, each one of its stones a part of you like the blood that flows inside your veins.

"You just have to give your heart the time to see through the recent tragedies that still cloud your memory. Then, you'll realize that everything you think is lost is exactly where you left it." Tyris appeared out of thin hair, holding Raaz tight like he was a small boy who had just woken up from a nightmare.

"I'm sorry for intruding in your home uninvited, but I couldn't stand seeing you suffer any longer."

"Wait, you were here the whole time?" Lith asked.

"Of course." The Guardian nodded. "I promised to protect your child and the woman who carries them at all times and that's what I've been doing. I haven't left Kamila's side since she arrived in the Kingdom this morning."

"Well, that's reassuring." Lith sighed in relief, but Elina and Rena not so much.

The First Queen was a woman of otherworldly beauty and despite the soothing aura she exuded, she wasn't a motherly figure for the Verhens like Salaark.

Raaz was frozen in her arms, his mind completely blank.