“It’s not fair if you hug her!” Adam pined, marg his way to the muscur young man. He was tall and strongly built, wearing thick attire. He had dark eyes and dark hair, which fell down to his shoulders. At his side was an axe, one which held great magics within it. On his forehead was a tattoo, at the tre was a single blue circle, with three blue diamonds on each side of it.

  Jurot ed his arms around Lanarot, causio grow limp as she snuggled up with her brother.

  “I ’t believe you would do this to me,” Adam grumbled, reag out a hand.

  “It is good to see you, Adam,” Jurot said, g Adam’s forearm.

  “You too,” Adam said, before noting the new scars across Jurot’s body, though none of them seemed fresh. ‘It hasn’t been that long, but it looks like you’ve been busy. Were you the Vanguard again?’ Adam furrowed his brows. ‘No. Didn’t he say he couldn’t do that any more?’

  Jurot’s eyes were glued to Adam’s axe. It was made of a grey wood and stormsteel. It was unmistakably that axe. “Mave you that axe.”

  “Yeah,” Adam replied, lifting up the axe. “I started enting it retly. Won’t be quite as good as ol’ Phantom, but it won’t be too bad.”

  “It is a good axe,” Jurot said, bowing his head slowly. It hadn’t been used in a long while, not since he was a boy. ‘If it is within your hands…’

  “I would assume so, sidering how is.” Adam thought it beloo Jarot, si was well built aiful.

  Jurot pced a hand on Adam’s shoulder, squeezing it gently. “It is worthy of you, Adam.”

  “That’s what Aunt said.”

  Jurot nodded. Si had e to this, then he would o accept it. His heart sank, but he flexed his muscles, and fought away the thoughts.

  “Did you have fun?” Adam asked, a ile on his face.

  “Yes.” Jurot’s lips almost twitched into a smile. “I have grown stronger.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  “Nice.” Adam pat Jurot’s shoulder. “Then I guess I o get strooo?” ‘I could Level Up, I suppose…’

  As Jurot settled within the shared family estate, Adam went to greet Jaygak and Kitool too, the pair haviurned with Jurot.

  “Did you guys enjoy yourselves?” Adam asked, approag the Devilkin and the Human Iyrmen.

  “I did,” Jaygak said, a wide smirk across her face. She was red skinned, like most other Devilkin Adam had met. She was short, but well built, though that was no surprise since she was born within the walls of the Iyr. At her side was a bde, a bde which would make Phantom look like a toy once she was stronger.

  Adam shook her forearm, raising his brow. “Not too much, I hope?”

  “I ’t promise that,” Jaygak replied, ily.

  “You’ve gottey cocky in front of me,” Adam said, squeezing her forearm slightly. “Have you gotten strooo?”

  “I may have bee stronger?” Jaygak replied, her voice full of vaguery. Vaguery, a word used to describe her perfectly.

  “Did you have fun too, Kitool?” Adam asked, shaking her forearm.

  Kitool was an Iyrman who was deceptively pretty. Her head was shaved at the sides, towards the top, which was also cut fairly short. She carried at her back a quarterstaff, one which had been ented retly, and had seen its fair share of blood.

  “Yes,” Kitool replied simply. “Have you been well, Adam?”

  “Not bad, not bad.” Adam smiled. “I’ve missed you all so much. It’s been a little b.”

  “B?” Jaygak asked, gng around. She, like Jurot and Kitool, could feel it. The Iyr had felt so different. It had ged sihey had left, but they couldn’t quite put their finger on why.

  The trio settled down as the food was made. It was the st day of cooking for the Kan family, who had made piles of ft breads, as well as plenty of fried meat aables for them.

  Damokan and Kalokan had both mao cim some milk for themselves, as was their right for assisting in cooking. They had carried some vegetables around for their family, and though it hadn’t helped much, they were rewarded well for their tribution.

  ‘Now that I think about it, I haven’t seeeens around much…’ Adam gnced around, noting they weren’t here this evening. He had seen them only a handful of times, though he supposed they were probably w for the Iyr.

  “You have returned!” called Tarot. He stepped into the shared estate carrying a of gourds.

  ‘It’s not Rajin this time?’ Adam thought.

  The old mahe of gourds to one side, before g his grandnephew on the shoulder. “I see you have more scars on you, little Jurot.”

  “Yes,” Jurot replied. “You as well.”

  “I’m sure you have grown more than I.” Tarot grinned wide, squeezing his grandnephew’s shoulder. “ you carry me now?”

  “Yes.”

  Tarot spped the young Iyrman’s shoulder. “Good! When brother returns, he will be overjoyed.”

  “Grandfather is gone?” Jurot asked. He, like the other Iyrmen, hadn’t been briefed about the Iyr sihey had returhough that was normal.

  “Jarot has goh the one hundred,” Tarot expined.

  ‘To war?’ Jurot furrowed his brows. “He will bring much glory.”

  “That is right,” Tarot said. The smile on his lips almost wavered. “Sarot has also gone.” He he boy furrowing his brows in thought, si was highly uhat Sarot had goo war too. “He is dead. For the honour and glory of the Iyr.”

  “He did not die a coward,” Jurot said, bowing his head slightly. It had struck him by surprise to hear that his granduncle, and the stro member of the family, had died. He uood why Tarot was heavily scarred now, si would be up to one of the older members of the family to take pce as one of the Grandmasters.

  “I will bee strong,” Jurot said. “I will bee a pilr of our Rot family.”

  “I know,” Tarot embraced the young man for a moment, befoing off to greet the other two who had returned.

  ‘Stronger,’ Jurot thought. He had only just gained rength, but it wasn’t enough.

  “Papa Juju,” Lanarot called, reag up with her arms.

  Jurot lifted her up again, a her cuddle up against his neck. He approached Adam and his triplets, who were rexing in the shade behind their father.

  “Konarot, Kirot, Karot, did you greet your uncle?” Adam asked.

  The triplets looked up at him, a shadow of guilt across their face. Adam raised his brows at them expetly, before the trio quickly hugged their uncle’s leg, aurned back to the shade.

  “Well, I suppose that’s good enough?” Adam sighed. ‘You little punks! How you treat him like that? Even if you are this cute, do you think I’ll five you?’

  “The Iyr is different,” Jurot stated, sitting beside his brother. Lanarot rubbed her head against his neck, before sug against her thumb. Jurot wondered if Adam had anything to do with that feeling, but there was no way Adam could be responsible for something this big.

  “Yeah, I think it’s because Elder Story is gone.”

  Jurot blinked. “What?”

  “Yeah.” Adam shrugged his shoulders.

  Jurot stared at Adam, still unsure if he had heard the Half Elf correctly. Adam had expined his story to him, about how he had already died twice to a God who no longer existed within this time line, a even that wasn’t as unbelievable as this.

  “What?” Adam asked.

  “Elder Story does not go,” Jurot replied. Adam wouldn’t lie to him, but evehis was too much.

  “It is true,” Sonarot said, p her son some wine from a gourd Tarot had brought them. It ink, the peach wihat the Rot family loved most.

  “Elder Story is gone?” Jurot whispered, sipping the wine from his cup. He couldn’t taste it, not while he was deep in thought about what he had learned. His eyes met Jaygak’s and Kitool’s, and the pair were equally as shocked.

  “We have closed ates,” Sonarot said, p Adam some wioo.

  “Then we will be uo return if we leave,” Jurot said. “Will we set out?” Jurot’s eyes met Adam’s.

  “I think we should. I mean, after Lanarot’s birthday, of course.”

  Jurot nodded. “Of course.” Something like that was exactly what Adam would say. The knowledge that Elder Story had left remained in Jurot’s mind. Elder Story had never left the Iyr, not si had formed. The reat Elders could leave the Iyr, sihat was within their role, but Elder Story?

  “Papa, bwead.” Lanarot poio the ft bread opposite them, before returning back to sug her thumb.

  Jurot broke a piece of the bread and scooped up some of the meat, before bringing it up to Lanarot’s lips. She accepted the food her brother brought, chewing it slowly as she remained against his powerful chest. Her hand reached up to grab his pec, feeling how hard it was.

  “Lord Strom is dead?” Jurot had only guess as to why Elder Story would have left the Iyr.

  “Yeah,” Adam replied. “He’s dead.”

  Jurot remained silent. “Did Elder Story leave on the day he died.”

  “I’m not sure,” Adam admitted. “No, hold on.” Adam thought back to when Sarot had spoken with him. It was raining then, and he had very little time to speak with the family. “Your… randuncle, he wao speak with me. He said he gave his life for the Rot family. Baktu called for him, and he answered the call.”

  “He will not shame us,” Jurot said, “and we will not shame him.”

  “He asked if I could name one of the twins’ children after him,” Adam said, clearing his throat.

  Jurot remained silent, feeding his sister. Elder Story had taken his granduncle, along with many of the Iyr’s stro, to plete a task due to Lord Strom, Emperor Hadda’s, death. The Iyr was at its most vulnerable, and his grandfather had also goo war, to assist the Aldish in their war. He wasn’t sure if the Iyr had ever been in such a state, not siheir near genocide. He pushed away the thoughts again, finding his brow pulsing with how many times he tried to think.

  “It is a good name,” Jurot said.

  “Yeah,” Adam replied, quietly.

  Of course it was him! The only oh the power to destroy the world!