"Papa..." Konarot pced her hand onto little Jarot's leg, gng up treatfather her brother was named after. “It is time to eat.”

  “Mnn,” little Jarot shook his head, burying his head within his greatfather’s chest once more.

  “No?” Konarot asked, furrowing her brows. “Jarot, we must eat.”

  Little Jarot whined, and his greatfather brushed his hair, holding the boy against his chest. The warmth of his greatfather soothed the boy, who could feel a tightness within his gut, the boy sug against his thumb.

  “Jarot will eat ter,” Adam said, returning from the Elder’s estate, brushing Konarot’s head as the girl hugged his leg. “How about we drink some milk first?”

  Adam’s heart tio ache, and the chill of worry slipped through into his heart. His son refused to eat, and when he did, he threw up moments ter. Other than water, the boy refused to e anything.

  ‘Milk’s basically water, isn’t it? If he drink that, it should be okay.’ Adam stared down at the ilk for a moment, brag himself, before lifting it up. He sipped the milk lightly, tasting the the slight tang. “Mmm. I love milk so much.”

  Jarot bliowards his father.

  “This milk is a special milk, because it’s only mine and my Jarot’s milk.” Adam beed the boy with a finger. “It’s our special milk, no one else drink it.”

  “I ot?” Jirot asked.

  “Jarot, what do you think?”

  “Kaka drink.” Jarot returned his head against his babo’s chest, who brushed his head once more.

  Adam pced down the cup to one side, reag down to the baked potatoes, cutting into it. ‘Slowly.’ “Jarot, e to daddy’s p, babo o eat.”

  “I eat without-,” Jarot began, stopping wheed Adam’s dark gre. “Jarot, go and sit upon your father’s p.”

  “I want to cuddle you too, Jarot,” Adam called, patting his p, reag out for his son. Little Jarot reached out his arms and Adam lifted the boy up onto his p, while Jirot climbed up beside her father, cuddling against side. Adam sipped the milk, bringing it up to his daughter’s lips, before handing the cup to her. “Make sure Jarot drinks, okay? I’ll cut up your potato.”

  “I do not want cut potato.”

  “Then I’ll put salt on it.”

  “Okay!” The girl smiled, sipping some of the milk, before it to her brother’s lips. “Jarot, milk.”

  Jarot reached over to the bottom of the cup, sipping the milk lightly, before pulling away from it.

  “Make sure you lick your lip,” Adam said, ready to wipe his son’s lips dry, but first making sure his son ed the tiny fra of a calorie that remained upon his lip before doing so.

  The others watched Adam as he ate his meal, assisting Jirot with her own, waiting, and waiting, and waiting. The boy tio sip the milk whe was offered, only tiny amounts, but Adam didn’t offer him any other food.

  “If you want to eat, you tell daddy, okay?” Adam said, ruffling his hair.

  “Okay,” the boy’s shy voice replied, as the boy cuddled up against his father’s chest.

  It was ter in the evening when the childre, the twins elsewhere with their babo, they approached Adam. The half elf tio write within his book, mostly oblivious to their presence.

  “Adam,” Sonarot called, sitting opposite the half elf. “Jarot has en all day.”

  “He ate in the m, spat it out, but mao sip some milk,” Adam stated, cheg his notes.

  Sonarot threw a look to Zijin, who took his pce beside the pair. Adam had been too focused on his notes, he hadn’t even realised the Elder had arrived.

  “Adam,” Zijin called, having braced himself to tell the father the bad news.

  “Elder Zijin,” Adam replied. “I was just about to e visit you.”

  “For what matter?”

  “My son, he drank milk so well this evening,” Adam said, swallowing slightly. He cleared his throat, fending off the sudden bout of tension running through him. “I was a little worried, because if he didn’t drink milk, I didn’t know how to help him. If he ’t even stomach pe, it retty bad. Milk? Okay, sure, I work with that. He didn’t throw up even a single drop, so milk works, and that means there’s a little bit of hope.”

  “Yes?” Zijin replied, before his eyes fell down to Adam’s notes. ‘What is this?’

  “From what I know, there aren’t any tubes. Imagine hollow wire made of, uh, kind of like cloth, but not cloth, more like… rubber?”

  “Rubber?”

  “Damn. Alright, but, so…” Adam thought for a moment. “Don’t worry about it. It’s like, imagihe texture of a pnt, hollowed wire made of something simir to a pnt. If we had that, we could drip food into his stomach, through the nose, but I don’t know how that works, and I’m not going to use my son as a test subject for that in case we hurt him. Thankfully, though the level of teology isn’t there, there’s something we could only pray for bae, and that’s…” Adam tapped his amulet of Baktu.

  “Okay?” Zijin replied, noting the word Adam had circled around within his book, the strokes holding great excitement.

  “We’ve been using this spell to prolong our food, but it’s still a berry, and he probably wo it. Now, I’m not sure if it’ll work, but if we’re able to reduce the berry into the milk, and somehow make sure it’s still the same sistency, texture, and fvour, I’m hoping that the magical bes keep my son from starving to-,” Adam cleared his throat, his eyes glistening. “Unfortunately, I don’t think a blender exists, but, if you grind the berry, deal with the pulp, and then if I cast my spell to make sure the milk tastes the same, it should be okay. We use a few berries, just in case, and water down the mixture to deal with the texture. If we’re able to do that, then, because of the spell’s magic, which for some reason allows someoo live with the nutrition someone needs, and I’m hoping that includes calories, we should be able to deal with Jarot’s dietary needs.”

  Zijin wasn’t sure exactly what Adam meant by some of the words he used. “You wish for us to grind the berries into the milk?”

  “Yeah.”

  ‘The magic within the berries?’ Zijin narrowed his eyes. They hadn’t thought of using the berries this way, and he was unsure if the magic would work if the berries were destroyed, but if one could chew the berry and then swallow it, then if they ground it into the milk, wouldn’t that still work? “I will requisition a mill.”

  “I prepare the spell tomorrow,” Adam said.

  “repare it,” Zijin said, rereading Adam’s notes. “May I take your notes?”

  “Alright, but some of the words are probably not something you’ve e across before,” Adam said, before expining the cept of the various dietary cepts. He had already expined calorie ting vaguely to the Iyrmen before, telling them how to gain and lose weight, and which foods could assist iher task.

  “Even if it works, I’m not sure if the magic will be enough, so I’ll try and introduce more foods to him over time. He might be able to eat a spoonful of solids now and again, but we’ll do it slowly, very slowly, over time. Just a little bit, I’m talking bits of food. I’ll think of any foods from my previous life which could help.”

  “He will o eat thick food to grow,” Zijin said, writing within his own o prepare the appropriate food.

  “irely,” Adam replied, presuming he meant solid food. “Thick food is for the teeth, and my son has amazih. Right now oal is to make sure he gai properly as he grows, and, I’m not really sure how quickly he’ll keep growing, but he’ll need more calories, even if he is just sitting around all day. The secret to gaini is to do the opposite of losi, so that means it’ll be easier for Jarot to drink his calories. If solid food doesn’t work, we might have to lean on drinks to keep him fed, though it’s not the best, it’s better thaernative.”

  “Will you teach this to us?”

  “I’m no expert, but I’ll try.” Adam reached up to his head, rubbing his pulsing forehead. ‘I should be w about dragons and monsters, not if my son is able to eat food.’

  Zijin looked down at the notes. His heart ached, hoping more than anything else in the world, that Adam was right. “Adam, e with me.”

  Adam followed Zijin to his estate, where he motioned with his hand, and after a moment, he leaned back, staring down at the half elf’s notes. Adam remained silent, allowing the Elder to ponder his thoughts.

  “It is rare for one of our children to die by a bde,” Zijin said. “It is less rare for a child to die from other madies. There are many which take our children, for some childre born living, some children, they are born seemingly healthy, but gain madies as they grow. Sometimes, there are children who grow well for a year, two, but they stop eating. They will sip water, they may sip water, but they will refuse other food, and they will spit it out if they are forced to eat. If your thoughts are correct, you will have brought us a boon we ot repay.”

  “sider us even.”

  “No,” Zijin said, catg the half elf’s eyes. “The Iyr alays its debts.”

  “You could have kept that to yourself,” Adam teased.

  “I could have, but I will tio bet upon you, Adam.”

  Adam smiled slightly. “Well, then, I hope that you’ll take good care of my wife and my children.”

  Zijin smiled lightly iurn, slowly nodding his head, having expected Adam’s request.

  This particur chapter was the most difficult for me to write.