"I've lost contact with your family for a long time, but now I'm here." She had each kid sit on one of her arms as if they weighed nothing. "Grandad is fine, he's just grumpy, like Lith."
"Can we meet him? Pretty please?" The kids used the double puppy stare which turned out to be super effective on the Mother of all Phoenixes.
"How could I say no to these pretty faces? I'll be right back." Salaark put them down before opening a long-distance Warp Gate that shrunk to the size of a pinhole after her passage, to not let anyone see anything.
"Move your ass, old lizard. There are people waiting for you." Her voice sounded sweet, but her words had no warmth in them.
"I don't give a damn about birthday parties! I'm in the middle of an important exp-" Leegaain's voice was cut short and replaced by the sounds of a ferocious tussling.
The noise of shattered glass and cracked stone alternated with furious roars for a few seconds until the Gate opened again. The two Guardians walked through it arm in arm like a real couple.
Salaark looked the same as when she had arrived first. There was no trace of stains on her dress anymore. Leegaain, instead, looked like a true gentleman.
He had the appearance of a lean albino man in his mid-thirties, 1,75 meters (5'9") tall, with snow-white hair and skin. His eyes were purple and had a vertical pupil. The Father of all Dragons wore a black gala suit and gold-rimmed round glasses.
Multiple spots of his skin were halfway turned into scales, making Leegaain look like he had tattoos.
"Cool!" All the kids said in unison, intrigued rather than intimidated by the inhuman features of their guest.
They tried to touch his scales and examine his glasses, things that Leegaain allowed them to do. He even knelt down to let them observe him closely.
After Salaark introduced him to Lith's family, Leegaain stared at Elina with annoyance.
"Nice to see you again, violent woman who took my bl-" Salaark nudged him with enough strength to crack his ribs and cut him short. "I mean, who inherited my blood."
"Yes, but luckily she got her mother's looks." Salaark chuckled.
After a while, Lith managed to have some alone time with his "Grandfather".
"What about my gifts?" He asked.
"Don't push it, boy. I didn't even want to be here. Besides, Salaark has already given you more than enough." Leegaain replied.
"Do you know the full story of what happened to Solus?"
"I know everything about Menadion and her daughter." Leegaain picked another serving of ice cream. It was the only good thing that had come out from his forced visit so far.
"But are you going to share it with me?" Lith asked.
"No. You're broken. Your partner is broken. What both of you need now is some relief from your pain, not to be burdened by a cruel past."
"Is it me or when Awakened get older they either turn into insensitive jerks or into suckers for everything they consider cute?" Lith pointed respectively at Leegaain and Salaark who was playing with the kids.
"It's the natural order of things. To survive endless losses and solitude you can only close your heart or open it up as much as you can." Leegaain replied. "I chose to love things over people because they never disappoint me.
"Salaark, instead, chose to put people over things because they fill her life with feelings. She doesn't care if they are good or bad. As long as her heart isn't empty, she's happy."
Leegaain took a long pause, thinking back to all the disciples he had high hopes for before they betrayed his trust and turned into power-hungry warmongers.
"I bet that the bird dared to show off her singing skills. Let me show you how a real pro works." He went up the stage, showing off the several talents that Salaark had mentioned earlier.
Salaark had just started a duet with him when someone knocked at the door.
'What the heck? Is it sundown already?' Lith thought while looking at the darkness outside the window. 'Time sure flies during a home invasion. I wonder if this is Tyris or-'
"Happy birthday, little brother. Sorry for not answering your calls for so long, but I've been busy. I hope you don't mind us crashing your party." Xenagrosh hugged Lith, giving him a kiss on either cheek.
In her human form, she looked like a woman in her early thirties, about 1.6 meters (5'3") tall, with black-shaded brown hair and youthful chestnut eyes that contrasted with the ancient wisdom of her gaze.
Her skin was naturally so pale that it almost looked sickly, and was full of freckles. She had sharp features, a squared jaw, and a nose a tad too long. She wore a light blue evening dress that was just stylish enough for a family party without being ostentatious.
"Well, I'm glad to see you here and I've got no problems with your surprise visit, but I don't know how the other guests will react." Lith pointed at the two singing Guardians who stared at the newcomers for a second longer than it was polite.
'Don't worry. Tonight this home is a neutral zone. As long as no one looks for trouble, we can graciously coexist.' Salaark's voice resounded in the minds of the concerned parties, making Leegaain sigh in relief.
He didn't want to turn his first reunion in centuries with his daughter Zoreth into a battle to the death. Quite the contrary, now that Mogar had banned the Guardians from hunting down the Master he was eager to study her condition and find a cure.
"Lith, this is Bytra, my best friend and my girlfriend. Bytra, this is my little brother, Lith." Xenagrosh introduced him to her plus one.
Bytra looked like a lovely woman in her mid-twenties about 1.75 meters (5'9") tall, with golden eyes and silver hair. She had a pixie cut that emphasized her oval-shaped face and delicate features. She wore a light red evening dress that complemented that of her date.
Lith shook her hand, having no idea he was in front of Menadion's killer.
"Mom, Dad, this is Xenagrosh. She's the Shadow Dragon that saved us when Night and her army attacked our home. This is Bytra, her date."
"Thank you so much for helping Lith so many times." Elina hugged both women. "I wish I discovered being a Dragon years ago. It would have made things so much easier. By the way, is Leegaain your grandfather as well or…"
"He is my Dad." Xenagrosh chuckled.
Elina proceeded to introduce them to the rest of the family which led to more gifts and more entertainment for the kids.
"I could really use a few lessons about Origin Flames. I suck hard." Lith sighed while offering Xenagrosh some ice cream.
"Wow, so subtle. You're lucky this is delicious or I would kick your ass for being so blunt. Birthday or not. Bytra, you have to try this!" She said to her companion who was exchanging pointers with the Forgemasters among the Phoenixes, Salaark and Solus included.
Menadion's heir had introduced herself as part of the Overlord's Court and both of them were eager to learn about the latest breakthroughs of the legendary Fourth Ruler of the Flames.
