After wishing him a happy birthday, many members of the Council wanted to know how he had reached the violet core so quickly, the secret behind his silver pillar, and what powers his Tiamat bloodline possessed.
Unfortunately for them, Lith considered such topics as his cue to hung up the call.
Between his apprenticeship under Faluel and how casually he called Salaark Grandma, no one dared to question him twice.
The Fastarrow family was the first to arrive. Ever since Lith had revealed his Tiamat form to the kids, Protector's children had done the same. Lilia and Leran showed off their Skoll skills, making Aran and Leria green with envy.
The Ernas sisters and Faluel arrived together since Jirni was busy, leaving the Hydra to take care of her daughters.
"Happy birthday, Lith." They said while taking turns hugging him and giving him their respective gifts.
The Ernas had bought plenty of raw mana crystals and magical metals respectively for the mine the tower had and the one they hoped it would develop. Solus was close to completing the third floor and with it was likely to come another underground level.
"This is to celebrate both of your birthdays." Faluel handed two Davross ingots to him. "Nineteen years ago you've been born a human, but not long ago you've been reborn. Your new body is a gift, not a curse. Never forget that."
"Don't worry, Professor, I won't. Just like I won't forget that a couple of ingots aren't much compared to the over 1,000,000 gold coins you saved thanks to my Origin Flames." Lith said with a sneer.
His "Domination" lessons now consisted in purifying as many batches of enchanted metals as he could without compromising his already crippled life force.
After mastering the Hands of Menadion, Faluel would need a lot of materials to craft a superior version of her best equipment. Thanks to Lith, she could invest her resources into buying raw metal that they purified together.
"It's not a trade, ingrateful runt, it's a gift. My lessons saved your life countless times and I consider your services a small price compared to what you learned under my guidance." Faluel said.
At that point, Lith had to admit that she was right and gave her a deep bow of gratitude as he stored the ingots inside his pocket dimension and doubled the amount of Davross in his possession.
The house wasn't built to host so many people so Elina had to bring more tables and chairs for the occasion. The dining room was a bit cramped but everyone was happy. The kids played in the snow together with their magical beasts and Zinya's children until lunch.
"I can't believe I finally get to catch my breath for a full day." Friya closed her eyes as she enjoyed the soft comfort of the sofa in front of the fireplace.
"No one is forcing you. You can take a few days off whenever you want." Quylla said while juggling one silver coin with each one of her hands.
"And fall behind you workaholics? No thanks."
"How do you do that?" Lith could make a coin move back and forth in-between his fingers with ease whereas Quylla had never been so nimble.
"Water fusion. I finally learned the necessary rune and I'm getting used to employing it without my wand."
"Training during Lith's birthday? You're asking for a spanking, young lady." Elina took both coins away faster than Quylla could say:
"But, Elina, I don't have an Awakened body. Using water fusion is the only way I have to stretch my body and keep it as flexible as Tista's."
"Either you rest or I'll make you." Elina put a cup of hot chocolate and a plate of biscuits in her hands, ending the discussion.
"Wow. At this rate, soon you'll be the first human true mage in the history of Mogar." Solus said while taking a cup for herself.
"Yeah, but Quylla is also courting disaster. The more she gets close to true magic, the more danger her own violet core poses to her life." Lith said.
"Since we're already talking about depressing stuff, I can't believe that Kamila will not be here today." Selia's words made an awkward silence fill the room, ending the argument before it could even start.
"Today you're allowed to have only happy thoughts, Lith. Otherwise I'll kick your ass. I'm nowhere as gentle as Elina." Selia went to help Rena and Nalrond with the triplets.
Like most kids, the trouble they caused grow bigger along with their healthy bodies, requiring all hands on deck to handle them.
When lunchtime arrived, Lith was already bored out of his skull. The others, instead, loved having so many Light Masters at their service to provide them with an experience that not even movie theatres could compare with.
'Fuck me sideways. I always thought that dying of boredom was just an expression yet unless something happens soon, I'm going to go to sleep early to make this day end as soon as I can!' He thought after putting the kids to sleep for their afternoon nap, jinxing the day.
A couple of hours later, when the sun had started to set and the kids woke up for their afternoon snack, someone burst open the door of the Verhen household.
"Has the party started yet? Because from the outside this looks like a graveyard." Salaark, Overlord of the Blood Desert and Lord of War waltzed in like she owned the place.
She had the appearance of a stunning woman in her mid-twenties about 1.76 meters (5'9") tall. Salaark had silky black waist-long hair, emerald eyes, and a bronze tinge of skin so clear that it seemed to emit a gentle radiance.
She wore a blood-red robe, the Blood Desert equivalent of a gala dress, that left exposed her fair shoulders and arms. The robe was loose enough to give her freedom of movement but also tight enough to emphasize her figure.
"Happy birthday, my grandchild!" She lifted Lith from his chair with the same ease as if he was a baby, kissing him on the forehead and cheeks before anyone could snap out of their respective shock.
"Congratulations, my son!" She dropped Lith and lifted Raaz, delivering a new set of kisses that turned him to a bright shade of purple as abundant blood rushed to his head above as well as to that below.
"Get your hands off my husband, lady!" Elina jumped up in outrage.
A stunner acting all familiar with her son was hardly a novelty, but seeing her husband receiving the same treatment was beyond outrageous.
"Elina!" Salaark spoke with confidence as if the two women had known each other their whole life. "Don't tell me that after being married for so long you trust the poor Raaz only so much."
"Oh, I do trust my husband. Grabby unknown women that barge into my house, not so much." She crossed her arms while furiously tapping her left foot on the ground, waiting for an explanation why anyone had yet to blow the intruder's ass.
"You really are your father's daughter, Elina. You should think less and feel more." Salaark said, placing a hand above her heart. "As for you, Lith, I'm so disappointed in you for never mentioning me to your family that I'm considering not gifting you anything anymore."
