Adam focused upon his son’s nails, brushing the bto them slowly, as though painting the most magnifit portrait. The boy remaiill, frozen like a finely carved statue, his red face as typical as always, though filled with the deep, unwavering annoyance of an a being forced into a rebirth as the son of a foolish father who had let him die. Now, however, his nails were bck, all thanks to the whims of his siblings.

  “Look!” Jirot called out trandmother, revealing the nails her father had painted. “Nana, is bd red and blue.”

  “Yes?” Sonarot asked, noting the bess against her granddaughter’s nails. “Have you allowed them to dry?”

  “Yes, I did it.” The girl held out her hands in front of her, staring at her nails.

  Little Jarot also remained mesmerised by his nails, noting all the colours which swirled against the bess, like a storm of light. Konarot’s fingers had each been painted silver, but her mother added in small circles within the tre of her nails, each bck, like her sister’s. Kirot and Karot also wore simir styles, except Kirot’s were small flowers, and Karot’s were tiny diamonds.

  “You have to let them dry,” Adam said to his now sed you son, uanding he didn’t o, though he held the boy within his p anyway. Larot had almost made to move, but uood his father wasn’t going to allow the boy to leave his p just yet, so sat with his father.

  Adam held his son’s hands within his palms, staring at the bails. The half elf brushed his thumbs along the back of the boy’s small hands, which were now so much bigger than when he was a babe. ‘It’s going to be okay.’

  The shared estate go the side, as an Iyrman in grey appeared. She was older, and stood with a dignity one might have expected from her station as an aide. A bow remained hung upon her back, a quiver with ten arrowed at her side, above her short bde, another quiver hung at her thigh, with alongside a dagger. Her forehead was tattooed with a red eight poiar fnked by purple ovals. The woman’s eyes met Mirot’s, and the pair of women bowed their heads.

  “I will escort you,” the old woman said, her voice clear and anding.

  Adam and Vonda followed the old woman to the Chief’s estate, the Great Elder finishing up with a fra of his work, The Iyrman’s eyes then fell upon the pair as they sat opposite him within his gazebo. Iromin pushed forward the fried dough snacks, along with the dried fruit. He held up a fihen the rest of his hand, pausing for a beat.

  Vonda gnced between the pair of men, each of them wallowing in the silence. From uhe table, she could feel Adam’s pinky hooking with hers.

  “It is time to discuss the matter,” Iromin said, p the pair a cup of tea.

  Vonda remained silent, turning her head to meet her husband’s gaze, only to find his eyes glued to the cup of water.

  “The Iyr… saved our boys,” Adam said, trolling his voiairal, though his tone was tinged with sadness. “I owe them a lot, but… I ’t make this decision without you. They’re… you’re their mother too.”

  “When we married, I had a thought that the children may e to be raised as Iyrmen,” Vonda admitted, her eyes glued to the steam rising from her tea. “When it happehe Iyr took great care of myself, of our children, and of Xarot. I owe much to the Iyr, Chief Iromin, but...”

  Vonda closed her eyes. She didn’t want to accept or refuse, she wao leave it to her childre, each of them held the . Already, the children had been told they were Iyrmen. Tears fell down the woman’s cheeks, recalling what Sonarot had repeated to her, when the children had inally visited Red Oak the previous year.

  ‘Nana. They do not like me because I am goblin?’

  ‘That is right.’

  ‘Is okay, I am daddy’s dohta.’

  If only she had taken it more seriously.

  “There…” Vonda begaing the Chief’s eyes, tears streaming down her face, but she held the noble dignity which she had been raised with, first as ake, and sed as a Sister of Life’s Rose. “There is o fuse the children. They have been informed they are Iyrmen, and I will not take it from them. I know that the Iyr will not break its rules for my children, and I know that the children may choose to give up their heritage when they are of age.”

  “As are the rights of all Iyrmen,” Chief Iromin firmed.

  “We should ask them anyway,” Adam said. “I feel guilty not at least telling them.”

  Iromin had only half expected Adam to say something like that, but he releo the half elf, retrieving his children, save for his you babies. Iromin waited patiently as Adam embraced his children, three by two by one, holding Larot upon his p.

  Adam felt the plex whirlwind of emotions stir deep within his chest and gut. “Do you know why you were called here?”

  “Daddy is in trouble?” Konarot asked, her ears falling, her tail slumping, Kirot and Karot mimig her.

  “Just how undependable do you think your father is?” Adam joked, feeling the strain against his shoulders, neck, and forehead as he tried not to ugh. “No, no. You’re here because…” Adam had already told them they were Iyrmen, but did they uand what that meant? “I want you all to be Iyrmen.”

  “…” Konarot looked to the Chief, narrowing her eyes slightly, tilting her head.

  “I am Iyrman?” Jirot asked, the girl holding her brother’s hand. “Jarot is too?”

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  “I be Demon Lord?”

  “If you want to be the Demon Lord, you be the Demon Lord too.”

  “I want to be like daddy,” Konarot admitted.

  Jirot blinked, her eyes dang towards her eldest sister. She looked up towards her father too, the fusion upon her face fusing her father. The girl blinked again. ‘I be like daddy?’

  “Well, daddy isn’t an Iyrman, but daddy is the brother of an Iyrman, and…” Adam fell quiet, unsure of how to expin to his children why he didn’t want to be an Iyrman. It was mostly due to the fact he didn’t want to be so restrained, but also, so that the Iyr could cut him loose with ease.

  “I want to be like mummy and daddy,” Jirot said. “Mummy and daddy are not Iyrmen?”

  “Yes, but, mummy and daddy, we have our special circumstances,” Adam said, dropping to his knees, letting Larot go. He pulled both Jirot and Jarot in close, feeling how small they each were still in parison to their elder siblings. “Daddy wants you to be Iyrmen, just like nana and babo, and like papo and your cousins.”

  “I be like nana?” Jirot asked, even more shocked, only to then realise her brother wao be like babo. No, nana was different. To be like nana, was it even possible?

  “I want you to all be Iyrmen, even though daddy is not. It doesn’t matter if you are Iyrmen or not, all of you are still my children, and not even the Iyr take you from me!”

  “I am Iyrman, daddy,” Jirot said, brushing her father’s cheek, noting how tense and stiff her father had bee. “Silly daddy, how I be Iyrman if I am Iyrman?”

  “You’re right, how silly,” Adam whispered, feeling the girl’s kiss against his cheek, hugging his head to her chest, brushing through his hair. “That’s right, you’re all Iyrmen already, so why am I even w?”

  “…” Konarot pouted slightly, fused by all this talk, frustrated that she didn’t uand.

  “You do not have to worry,” Vonda said, brushing her eldest daughter’s hair. “The gem will belong to you, even if you are an Iyrman.”

  “As romised,” Iromin assured.

  “Daddy also has a special surprise for you all,” Adam said, rubbing his cheeks against theirs. “Daddy won’t be w any more, but before he goes to finish up some work ter, daddy is going to teach you how to use magid how to ent. Since you’re all Iyrmen, it means you won’t abuse this power, daddy will make sure you be the best enters ever!”

  “Enting?” Jirot asked. “With the magic?”

  “With the magic!” Adam smiled wide, kissing each of his children’s cheeks one by one. “When you grow up, you’ll be able to ent anything you want. I’ll start with Konarot first, but the rest of you, I’ll make sure to Awaken you all!”

  “Silly daddy, I’m already woke!”

  Adam burst out into ughter, causing the girl to ugh, and to close her eyes as her father kissed her face all over.

  Iromin remained silent, trying to catch Vonda’s eyes. The young woman noted his gaze upon her, but she remained focused upon Adam. She gnced down at her children, each of whom who smiled at Adam, not uanding that their father assing on their iance. She met Iromin’s eyes, before a small smile encroached upon her lips.

  “Since you have stolen away my children, you should allow at least that much,” Vonda dared to say to the Chief.

  “…”

  “I’ll start a little ter, I still o speak with the Chief. Do you all want mummy to take you to go see babo Malfev?”

  “Mummy! We see babo?” Jirot asked, her amber eyes sparkling up with excitement towards her mother.

  Vonda smiled warmly, reag out to brush the girl’s cheeks. “Okay, I will take you.”

  “Yay!”

  Larot gnced aside to his mother and father, noting the awkwardness between them, before he followed the rest of the children out.

  Adam’s smile remained on his face as they left, the half elf wiggling his fingers at his children as they left. He had taken advantage of the situation to push through the st of his wishes into the world, and his chest swelled, uanding that he was no doubt the luckiest husband alive. He had no idea how he had met someone who allowed him to cause so much trouble, nor how she also mao be a Ray of Life’s Rose, with enough power to let him get away with so much.

  “I know that I’m causing you trouble Chief, and I hope that you’ll five me, but would you mind discussing the most important matter first?”

  “What is it?”

  The smile remained on the half elf’s face, but his forehead strained, his face beginning to turn red. “Which bastard was it?”

  So it begins?