‘Do I tell him?’ Zijin thought, sitting opposite the half elf who had spent the st couple of weeks Awakening an Iyrman aing.

  “I know, I know, but look, it’s not as insane as some other ons I’ve used,” Adam offered. “If that’s too much, then we could do something where it holds one charge, and I deal more damage, and each charge is recharged daily, or through a Sed or Third Gate spell?”

  “I allow the sed,” Zijin said, noting the numbers Adam had id out before him. ‘It is strohan Wraith in some ways, weaker in others.’

  “I was also pnning on finishing the formu for the fire swords too, I should have that done by the end of the year. I’ll hand it over to the Iyr, as promised.”

  “Okay.”

  “Hoo! Mummy is w! Daddy is w! Always w!” Jirot pined finally, sobbing against her greatfather’s chest. She held out a fist, growling, before returning back to his chest. “How they do this.”

  “I will speak with your father and mother,” Jarot assured, brushing her hair gently. “Little Jarot, do you miss your father and mother too?”

  Little Jarot nodded his head, sug against his thumb lightly as he led against his greatfather’s shoulder.

  “Your father and your mother, they work so hard. Your mother alys with you, and as a mother, she watches over your younger siblings, yes?”

  “Mummy does not! She is w now!”

  “She used to watch over them, but she wishes to work for a short while for…” Jarot paused, before leaning down to pnt a kiss on the girl’s head. “Your mother always works so hard for you and your siblings. Your father, he works hard for you all too, but he must watch over the busioo.”

  “I do not like business!”

  “The business, you will one day bee its Executives, so you must care.”

  “Zecutives?” Jirot asked.

  “You are the Little Boss, yes?”

  “I am not little!”

  Jarot cackled lightly, before nuzzling against her cheek. “Your father is w hard now so that you all py ter. When you are aive, you will work hard too, and then you will py with your father so much, yes?”

  “I py with you, babo, not silly daddy!” Jirot huffed, returning back to his chest, grabbing the old man’s shirt tight in hand, sug ohumb as she snuggled up angrily with him.

  Thankfully, Vonda did not o work for long, and the children stuck to her like glue when she remained rather than going off to work.

  “I love you mummy!” Jired, holding her mother’s ightly, the woman wearing the twins sihey refused to let go. Everiplets remained with her, for when had their mother left them for this long to work since she had bee their mother?

  Though Adam tio work, he spent plenty of time spoiling the children in the evenings. He pyed with them as it began to snow lightly in the Iyr, with the triplets snoozing in the cold, while Jirot and Jarot waddled ihick clothing, each ed like green burritos.

  “Kaza!” Inakan called, holding up the snowball between her hands, staring at the half elf. She blinked, realising she was meant to throw the snowball first. She dropped it and fled, squealing with joy, leaving Adam fused.

  “You ot eat the snow,” Gurot expio Murot, though it pained him to say such words.

  “No?”

  “No!” Gured, though he pouted. He hugged his brother close. “y, , okay?”

  “Okay…” Murot gnced down at the snow. If he could he snow, why did Nahtu make it look so yummy?

  As Adam tio ent the fire swords, he spent his breaks with his family, as well as the rest of the children.

  “Oho! What’s this? Majin, Tinajin, what are you two doing here?” Adam asked, pg his hands on his hips, as though he were pletely surprised to see the pair. Except, it wasn’t the pair he was surprised by, but the Iyrman whose beard was full of beads.

  “Pying,” Majin replied, staring up at the half elf.

  “Are you happy that your brother is back?” Adam asked.

  Majin’s eyes darted to Timojin, and the boy smiled shyly. “Yes…”

  “Kaza…” Tinajin called, her eyes peering up at the half elf, her nose and cheeks red from the chilly air.

  “Yes, my Tinajin?”

  “Hello.”

  “Hello, Tinajin. Ah, let me introduce you to my cousins! Samfev, Ramfev, Shofev, Kifev, e.” Adam revealed the trio of boys, while Mulrot held the you, a girl, within her arms.

  Amokan should have expected Adam there, while watg the young children run around and py together.

  “Ah! You’ve finally e?” Adam asked, holding out his arms as Inakan and Mokan rushed towards him, allowing the half elf to scoop them up.

  “I had some matters to deal with,” Amokan admitted, exging a knowing look with Timojin, who had dealt with it already. “Adam…”

  Adam smirked. “Yes?”

  “…”

  “…”

  Amokan had realised, upon seeing the smirk, the half elf had already won. “Thank you.”

  “…” Adam smirked wider. “It’s just a Basihanced on, what’s there to thank me about?”

  Amokan wao ask why Adam had secretly gifted it to the parents, rather than allowing the children to py with them first, like he usually did. However, apparently, Adam had been forced to promise, not only redug the number he could gift, but also the way he could gift them.

  ‘What is the Iyr doing?’ Amokan thought. ‘Are they finding his limits or is it something else?’

  Timojin shook his head as Amokan caught his eyes. Timojin had pio Elder Zijin, and though he had to receive an ahe Elder had asked for his faith. Since he had gohat far, Timojin had to let the matter drop. If Elder Zijin said it was okay, then it was okay.

  Since Jaygak had left, and Raygak and Saygak had gone, Adam spent much of his time spoiling Kavgak, Maygak, Tavgak, and Faygak. He releo Taygak, or rather, assigaygak to py with them each day. Taygak wasn’t sure what this had to do with training.

  “Taygak. This is the most important part of your training. If you sck off here, then I won’t train you.”

  “Cousin Adam, are you joking?” Taygak asked, having fronted Adam about training her properly.

  “Taygak. Do you know why Jaygak retired?” Adam asked.

  “Cousin wished to retire.”

  “Why?”

  “…” Taygak narrowed her eyes. “She made the choice.”

  “Why did she make that choistead of being a Paragon?”

  “She could not bee a Paragon.”

  “She could. Why didn’t she?”

  ‘Cousin could bee a Paragon?’ Taygak thought. “I do not know.”

  “Taygak, I have no doubt you swing a sword. One day, we’ll adveogether, and I know you’ll be able to swing your sword well, since you are a Gak. However, if you ’t even py with your little sisters or cousins, then you won’t be able to keep up.”

  “It is stamina training.”

  “Partly, but there’s something more important.”

  “What is it?”

  “If you have to ask…” Adam paused. “No. One day, when we go out, you’ll uand. Until then, you o keep pying with them, because the more you py with them, the more you’ll uand. You’ll have to py with the other children too, that will help too.”

  “…”

  “You see how much I py with them, don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Am I strong?”

  “Yes.”

  “…” Adam raised his brows.

  “You are strong because you py with them?” Taygak asked.

  “That is one of the reasons why I am s,” Adam firmed.

  “…”

  “Do you trust me?” Adam asked.

  “I trust you, cousin Adam.”

  “Good.” Adam smiled. “One day, you’ll see it. When you bee a Paragon, you won’t regret it.”

  “Okay.”

  It was one particur evening, when Jirot crossed her arms and turned away from her father. It was the day when Adam was meant to take a break, but he had spent so much time with the other childrely, he wasn’t sure if Jirot could five him.

  “Jirot. Jarot. e. We’re going for a walk, just us three.”

  “I will not go.”

  “Then I will only take Jarot,” Adam said.

  Jirot gasped, her head snapping to her father, before her eyes darted to her mother, the girl’s entire being filled with shock. “How you say that, daddy! You ot!”

  “This walk is very important,” Adam said.

  Jirot’s brows remained raised in arm, but seeing how tall and sturdy her father remained, she rushed up to his side. “I walk with you, daddy.”

  Adam held their hands, their gloved hands ed around three of his fingers, the pair shuffling slowly beside him, kig the snow around as they walked.

  Adam stopped, before dropping down to his knees, pulling the pair in for a deep hug. The children giggled and hugged their father back.

  “Daddy!” the pair cried together in delight, while Adam peppered them both with kisses.

  “I know I’m w too much,” Adam whispered into their ears, holding them close. “I just want to make sure you’re all okay.”

  “I am okay!” Jirot said, pnting a quick kiss on her father’s cheek. “I am okay so no more w!”

  Adam smiled slightly, before he peeked at Jarot, whose amber eyes remained focused upon his father’s face. Adam scratched at his cheek, havi a small beard grow during nightval. “Daddy wants to work hard today so that tomorrow… I want you to succeed in life, even without me.”

  “Yoing?” Jirot asked, narrowing her eyes, gring at her father.

  “I’m not going anywhere for now, my dear.” Adam pnted a firm kiss on her forehead. “Even if I go, mummy will take good care of you, and so will your nanas, babas, nanos, and babos, yeah?”

  “Yes!”

  “That’s why you o give mummy lots of love!”

  “Every day!” Jirot said. “I give mummy all my love every day!”

  “I know,” Adam pulled up the pair, holding them close for a long while. “Daddy is w hard, but… I will always make time to py with you all. There are so many children, but only one daddy, you o be o him!”

  “I always o you!” Jirot excimed, holding up her fist, threatening her father.

  “Ah, yes, of course,” Adam said, leaning in to kiss her fist.

  The girl smiled bashfully, and ed her arms around his neck, her cheek glued to his. “Oh my gosh, daddy. I love you so much!”

  “I love you too.”

  “Daddy…” Jarot called, before Adam nuzzled his nose.

  Adam carried the pair back to the estate, pying with all the children that day, over the course of several games of Warriors and Wanderers.

  “Wow! Jitool! You did so well!” Katool gasped, hugging her sister from behind.

  “Good job!” Jirot said, holding up a thumbs up, while Jarot beamed.

  Jitool smiled from all the attention, and she marked off the spells on her sheet, with her elder sister’s help. “Is my sword now?”

  “It is your sword now,” Adam said, handing out the little card with the sword’s details, though the name of the bde was bnk.

  (Longsword) [+2]Deals 2D6 sshOn hit, expend 1 charge to deal +2D6 fireOn crit, regain 1 charge

  “What do you want to ?” Adam asked.

  “Fire Sword!” Jitool decred proudly, before writing down an F, followed by a picture of fmes, and then a long arrow, that was no doubt a sword.

  “Who but our Jitool could think of a perfectly appropriate name?” Adam asked. “How amazing!”

  Elder Zijin watched from the doorway, his arms crossed behind his back. He closed his eyes, and saw the days of his youth, when he was a boy, and he would py with his cousins. They were all older now, and though they still met now and again, it was nothing like this.

  Yet, how often did the eldest siblings py with their younger siblings like this?

  This game of Warriors and Wanderers, it not only brought the children together to form their own stories, but it taught them what they would learime, not just their numbers aers, but their abilities, and the differeween someoh a magical on and without, and of course, the most important subject of all, Fate.

  ‘It is too dangerous for you to covet those children from Adam, Elder Teacher.’

  Elder Teacher better back up.