Omen: 3, 9

  Adam tie axes, keeping his mind busy as the days passed by. He would che his daughter every m, and hat baby Jarot was growing well. The boy would crawl to his father whenever he came in the m. The tiny baby’s teeth were ing in ever so quickly. The boy was grabbing soft vegetables, eating everything the Rot family put in front of him. When Adam would leave, the boy would wave his tiny arm.

  Adam sighed, staring up towards the sky. Jirot was not getting aer, but she wasn’t getting any worse either. Seeing his daughter stantly on the verge, it struck Adam’s heart deeply.

  One evening, Adam whispered to the air ahead of him. “Baktu.” He waited to make sure the God of Death aying attention. “I’m just letting you know, politely, that you ’t take her.” He said no more, leaving the threat to linger in the air. Whatever sequences would e from calling out to the God of Death would e, but that didn’t matter to Adam, as long as Jirot was safe.

  One m, in the middle of the Twilight Month, Elder Zijin called for Adam. Hot tea weled Adam, along with a rge number of cut fruit all across a wooden ptter.

  “My st meal?” Adam joked, taking the seat opposite the Elder.

  “I would bring you more for your st meal,” the Elder retorted, smiling slightly. If Adam didn’t joke, then he would have been in the depths of despair. “Pizza, at least.”

  Adam nodded. “I appreciate that, Elder Zijin.”

  Zijin motioo the fruit, and once Adam had taken a piece, he slipped a piece between his lips, chewing slowly. “Do you still wish to gain more strength?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Even if you would be uo see your sister and your children for a year?” Zijin asked, sipping the tea which had cooled down.

  Adam stared down at his cup of tea, falling into thought. He hadn’t heard that he’d be out for a year. One year. It was ohing to say that if they were ieens, but a year when they were babies was a lifetime. “You know, Jarot’s teething now. Baby Jarot, obviously. He’s able to pick up food a it. He’s crawling everywhere, and I just saw him stand for the first time, using the nearby chair to help him. It was just yesterday I helped him in my arms, covered in mud.”

  Zijin looked up towards the sky, looking to the past. “I uand your feelings, Adam. You are a father now. Such a responsibility is heavy and deep.”

  “I… I don’t want to miss out on their early years, but I o be strooo…” Adam sipped the tea. It was the fvour of one of the Iyr’s fruits, simir to that of a melon, which caused Adam to tilt his head. “What advice would you have for me?”

  “I will not pretend to uand your mind, even if you are predictable in some ways. However, I would accept whatever fortuhe Iyr bestows upon me, for they are rare and great.”

  Adam sighed. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Elder. Is this about the petitioning stuff that Nirot mentioned before?”

  “To petition for someo is to sacrifice your future for the present. To give up yhts to something you may not even know you have the rights to, to break the rules of the Iyr, for someone else’s be.”

  Adam whistled. “Damn. That sounds pretty heavy.” Adam frowned. He didn’t like the fact that his cousins had decided to give up their future for him. “Is it worth it?”

  Zijin paused. “No. It is never worth it. To the person who has given up their rights? Yes. I have never heard of anyretting it.”

  “What adorable Cousins I have.” Adam smiled, sipping his head.

  Zijin remained silent. The tea turned lukewarm. “The Iyr is ging, Adam. Somehow, it is not because of you.”

  “Strom?”

  “I do not know the exact details, for those are left to the wisdom of the Great Elders, but yes,” Zijin admitted, w how much more he should say. “I have heard the King is marg an army of tens of thousands tates.”

  “The King’s trying to take over the Iyr with such a small army?” Adam joked.

  “No. He has brought the army to begin his campaign against the King of the South.”

  “Ah, that guy. What do you call him? The Shan?”

  “It is not against the Shen.”

  “Not the Shen? Then, the Duke guy who is fighting the Shen?” Adam thought, trying to recall the title.

  “No.”

  “Then who?”

  Zijin smiled. “You have met him before.”

  Adam tilted his head, trying to uand who could possibly be the King of the South.

  “We once called him Sir Merry.”

  “Excuse me?” Adam blinked rapidly, processing what he was hearing. “What? Are you tellihat the King of the South was the previous King’s Sword?”

  “Yes.”

  “How? What?”

  Zijin smiled. “You need not worry about such matters.” The Elder leaned ba his chair, closing his eyes as he inhaled deeply. “I ot tell you the details, but soon you’ll uand why the Iyr does what is has to.”

  “I’m not sure what you mean, but I probably don’t o know, sidering I’m an outsider.”

  “You are a Nephew of the Rot family,” Zijin stated. “You are no outsider, Adam.”

  “Right, right.” Adam sighed. “So the Iyr’s ging and something big is going down. I mean, I khat much, but if you’re telling me like this, it means it’s probably bigger than I thought.”

  “Even for the Iyr, this ge will usher in something never before seen within the Iyr’s history.”

  Adam wasn’t sure he should be listening to this. “Even if the Iyr ges, I hope the Iyr will keep it’s word with me, whatever word it may be.”

  “Always.”

  “Good.”

  Zijin bowed his head. He had wao speak with Adam, a way to clear his mind. Adam, who was always a fool, a always spoke the truth. “In a few days, Lord Strom will die.”

  “Right.” Adam frowned. “I should go see him.”

  “He has already left.”

  Adam’s heart fell. The st time they had spoken, the old man had advised Adam. He should have told the old man more stories. His eyes burned slightly for a moment. “I hope he dies with joy.”

  Zijin finished his tea. “You should spend the few days with your family. You have worked so hard already, and I have heard you have spent almost the entire month smithing.”

  “Just, you know. I’m trying to keep my mind busy. My daughter is sid I ’t do anything. No magic this month. Couldn’t leave to go find a herb.” Adam shrugged his shoulders. “Even if I was strong, what could I do in times like this?”

  “You do not o do anything to help her. She is a Niece of the Rot family, and she will be taken care of.”

  “I still don’t quite uand what that means, Elder,” Adam admitted, frowning. “It sounds like it’s a big thing.”

  Zijin smiled. “It means more than you realise in some ways, and less in other ways.”

  After the versation with the Elder, Adam took his advice, aurned back to the shared family estate. He pyed with the triplets, before deg to take the triplets, and his sister, to the Rot family estate. His Aunt followed him, having heard news earlier in the day.

  Jirot and Jarot crawled along the py area, which was restrained by a fence. Adam let out a gasp, before he lifted the girl up into his arms, holding her head to his chest. “Oh my little girl. You silly girl. How you worry me so mud then go around crawling so happily? Why do you bully your daddy so much?”

  Jirot cooed happily and smiled up at her father, showing her cheeky smile full of teeth.

  “You silly girl.” Adam covered her in kisses, refusing to let her go, even to the old, one armed Iyrman nearby. His tears fell down his cheeks, the relief setting in, his shoulders still heavy and tehough they were slowly rexing.

  “What are you doing?” Jarot asked. “At times like this, you should pretend not to see a father’s tears.” He ruffled the triplets’ hair, the gre from his eyes causing the others to gnce away from Adam.

  “You! Do you think because you’re so cute that I’ll five you?” Adam asked, brushing her hair repeatedly.

  Jirot giggled up at her father, reag up to his face, her tiny hand warm, but it was not as hot when she was ill.

  “We returned as quickly as we could,” Tarot said. “Since you have named a child after Jarot, you should name oer me.”

  Zirot sighed at her husband’s words and that stupid smile on his face. “You have done what was expected of you.”

  Tarot chuckled at his wife reprimanding him.

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  These Iyrmen sure are being too o Adam...