Omen: 1, 7

  The m came too quickly for Adam’s liking. He stared up at the ceiling, feeling the weight of his triplets up against him. They were all g to him, grabbing at his clothing as they slept peacefully.

  ‘Bell?’

  [Yes?]

  ‘Do you have children?’

  [I am a system.]

  ‘So are they a bunch of viruses?’

  […]

  ‘e on, even you know that was funny.’

  [No.]

  Adam sighed, thinking about whether he should Level Up now, or ter when he leaves the Iyr. ‘Leave the Iyr?’ Adam’s heart pounded wildly, and his body grew cold. He ched his sms and wi the thought of leaving the safety of the Iyr. ‘No.’

  Konarot’s face blocked off his sight as the girl stared down at him curiously, rubbing her eyes.

  “Good m,” Adam whispered.

  The girl replied with a gentle grunt before she hugged her father. The other children awoke and cuddled with their father. He assisted with washing them up, before he ged them into their attire for the day, which was simir to his own.

  As they prepared themselves, other Iyrmen appeared within the shared family estate. A gaze caused him to shudder, aurned, seeing Cirot and Sirot, who were eyeing him up.

  ‘Oh no.’

  “You two o behave,” Jarot said to his grandnieces.

  They narrowed their eyes up at their granduncle, w why he was trying to form a rift between them and Adam. Jarot shot them with a look, causing them to remain silent.

  ‘Do not ruin this for us.’

  The twins looked at Adam, before their eyes fell to the Dragons, and then the Goblin twins. There was still an awkwardness betweeended Rot family and Adam after what had happehough they had nothing to do with it.

  ‘How could grandaunt not accept them?’

  ‘How are we going to marry him now?’

  Adam shuddered, causing his triplets to clutch at his clothing, wanting to feel the ess against them too.

  An older Iyrman had also arrived with them. She was tall and strong, and would have been a beautiful woman if it wasn’t for the huge scar across her left eye, which travelled down the side of her neck.

  “Good m, Otkan,” Adam said.

  “Grandaunt,” Sonarot and Shikan corrected together.

  “Ah,” Adam replied, flushing with embarrassment. “Grandaunt.”

  “Have you been well, Adam?” Otkan asked.

  “Yeah,” he replied, awkwardly. “Have you been well, grandaunt?”

  “Yes.” The ced a hand on his head, rubbing it gently. She had heard what Adam had gohrough with Lord Shama. “Are these your children?”

  “Yeah,” Adam said, reag back to his hiding triplets, rubbing their heads. “e out and say hello to yreataunt.”

  The triplets remained behind their father, but peered up towards the older woman.

  “What are their names?”

  “Konarot, Kirot, and Karot,” Adam replied.

  The old woman’s eyes fell to the Goblins, who were ying down in a shared basket, squirming and twitg as they stared up at the sky. They gasped, seeing the old woman’s face.

  “They’re Jirot and Jarot.”

  Otkan remaiaring down at them, watg as the Goblins stared up at her, still shocked to see her.

  “We should go,” Sonarot said.

  “You three should enjoy the festival with yreatfather,” Adam said, embrag his children. He nuzzled them, making small noises. “Don’t worry, you’ll be safe. If he bullies you, tell me, and I’ll sort him out.”

  “Do you think you have grown powerful enough to sort me out?” Jarot asked.

  “The me of back then and the me of now are different,” Adam said, rubbing his children’s heads gently. “You had something that I didn’t possess, but now I have it too.”

  “What is it?”

  “Dad strength.”

  “What is that?” Jarot asked.

  The other Iyrmen stared at Adam, w what he was talking about. He was queer, and he had introduced many cepts into the Iyr, mostly for the better, but they hadn’t heard of this before.

  “It’s a buff I received once I had children,” Adam said. “If they’re watg, then I’ll have another buff too, of not wanting to lose in front of my children.”

  Jarot spped Adam’s shoulder and ughed heartily, causing the nearby babies to twitd shudder, a couple of them even awakening from his ughter. With the looks he received from the extended families, Jarot quickly ushered the triplets away.

  “Be good for your babo and nana, okay?” Adam called after them, watg them go. He sighed, hoping that they wouldn’t be too lonely without him.

  Adam remained with the members of the various extended families, taking a seat near his Goblin children, with Otkan sitting nearby. His attention was entirely focused on the children, while the others chatted quietly between one another, some of them knitting and sewing, others drawing and writing.

  “You have grown stronger,” Otkan said.

  “Not strong enough.”

  Otkan slowly bowed her head. “There are always those who are strohan us. From Emperors of other Realms, to the Gods above. Such a terrifying foe is rare.”

  “Rare for others, but I came across three of them already,” Adam said. “Lord Stokmar, Strom, and that guy.” He wondered why everyone who was so monstrously powerful had a name beginning with the same letter, only to recall Strom’s real name was Hadda.

  “I am certain you will grow strong enough to rival them,” Otkan said, causing the nearby Iyrmen to pause what they were doing from the sheer shock of the statement.

  “Yeah?”

  “Jarot seems to believe so,” Otkan stated. “He has spent much time telling me how you are such a great grandson who will bring much glory to the Iyr and the Rot family.”

  “I’m not sure if he’s right, but I hope he isn’t wrong.”

  “Do you believe his words?”

  “Well…” Adam wondered how he should respond. He smiled. “I haven’t heard of an Iyrman lie before.”

  Otkan smiled at his response. “I believe you will bring glory to the Iyr and the Rot family too.”

  “Why is that?” Adam wondered if the reason was because he had beaten her once before, when he wasn’t even an Expert yet.

  “You itted yourself to these children of yours,” Otkan said, looking down to the Goblins. They were tiny, and would grow up with a far more difficult life than any Iyrman. It would be difficult for Adam to take care of them, even with the limited support the Iyr would provide them. “You, ted both Half Dragons and Goblins.”

  “I adopted Goblins and Half Dragons,” Adam corrected, wanting to make sure the order of the adoption was known. It was a statement which held great importance, and was something Adam felt great pride in, though he wished he didn’t.

  “What do you think of my little Naqokan?” Otkan asked, her eyes falling onto Adam’s once more.

  “I am sure she will grow up to be a great warrior,” Adam replied, carefully. He could see the question in the old woman’s eyes, and the pressure he felt was the same pressure of when his Aunt would mention marriage to him.

  “Would she not make a good wife?” Otkan asked, pressing forward, as though she were a marg soldier.

  “I’m sure whoever she marries will be happy,” Adam deflected, trying not to offend the old woman.

  “We, toood,” Cirot interrupted.

  “I sew well,” Sirot said.

  “I knit well,” her twin added.

  The pair had tried to get Adam to marry them first, but they had been unsuccessful this eime. They would not give in so easily to Naqokan, even if she was a great warrior from the main Kan family.

  Cirot and Sirot knew of the best way to a man’s heart, it was through his ribs. However, if they wanted him to live, then it would be through his stomach. However, there was a mountain which they o surpass, and that mountain was Adam himself.

  He was someone who had brought pizza to the Iyr, and it was already such a rge hit within the Iyr. There was also the mythical beans on toast, which they did not pletely uand, for Adam spoke of it with a great longing, ahey had eaten beans on toast before, but it did not taste that good. They tried it with pin bread and it was muicer.

  ‘How problematic,’ Adam thought. ‘Why do I have so many women who want to marry me? Isn’t it weird they’re both good at sewing and knitting too? Will I get celled? No, what am I talking about, aren’t they still too young?’ He shuddered at the thought.

  “I have children which I o look after, and I know how difficult it is for people to accept them,” Adam said, looking at his tiny children, who were staring up at the sky, twitg every so often. “I’m not so o think that they’ll wely children equally, si even my family does so.”

  Adam’s words hit Cirot and Sirot like a hammer, and they looked to their aunt from the shared family estate, who was looking after Gurot. There was a collective wave of shame which fell through the air.

  Duopped at the archway, noting the silence which had taken to the courtyard. ‘I feel as though I’ve e at the wrong time.’

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  Dunes does the awkward walk inside like grandpa from the Simpsons when Bart is at the front desk.

  I'm going to post up a few times a day for the festival for a bit so I take a week off once Beyond Chaos Year 2 is done.

  Also because there are some wonderful chapters iure.