'Laugh all you want, but I don't remember children their age having a bright yellow mana core. I'd better teach them some magic before someone gets hurt.'
The only sour note was Zinya acting distant and awkward with him as if she was depressed about something.
Kamila had spent the morning in the Trawn woods with Selia, hunting. Even though she had no previous experience, all the magical training with Jirni allowed her to move even more stealthily than the huntress, who promised herself for the umpteenth time to learn magic.
"Thanks a lot. I'm a bit disappointed we didn't get to talk much, but hunting helped me vent a lot of stress."
"Don't be silly, I should be the one to thank you. I finally got some me time, great company, and all the prey we got. On the other hand, I'm going to kill Ryman for not crafting me any of your trinkets."
The fact that a complete beginner had caught more game than her thanks to the gap in their equipment mildly pissed Selia off. The silver lining was that Kamila already had a day job and had gifted Selia everything she had shot down with her wands.
Before lunch, while the kids were taking a bath to get rid of the mud and sweat acc.u.mulated during their games, Lith showed the rest of the family the images of his latest world tribulation, glossing over the conversation with Mogar entirely.
He needed to tell them something to explain why he had been so dejected the previous day, but he decided to follow Protector's advice and take his time instead of ruining their happiness and his own.
"I understand that sharing the pain of those wretched souls must have been hard on you, but this is actually good news." Raaz said. "If you are right, then you're just one tribulation away from becoming a Guardian.
"Cracked life force or not, you won't have to die unless you decide otherwise."
"First, there's no telling when or if a tribulation will take place. I didn't have one in years and wouldn't have undergone this tribulation either if not for Leegaain's setting me up." Lith said.
"Farming lizard. Should've minded his own farming business." Elina swore in a family-friendly language because of the kids.
"Second, the idea of outliving everyone, Tista included, is depressing." Lith said.
"Nonsense. Becoming a Guardian seems like a job like any other. When you get tired of it, you can always quit, but I forbid you to die before I do." Elina sniffled.
"Okay, that's enough." Lith said at his family's odd reaction to the retelling of the tribulation.
'Without the part about Solus, Carl, and Mogar, my story is more epic than sad. On top of that, neither Mom nor Dad ever wanted me to become a Guardian. They should be worried as always, not relieved.' He thought.
"First, Zinya gave me the cold shoulder this morning, and now Mom cries for a mission that's comical if compared to Kulah or Balkor. What's going on here?" Lith looked around the room, noticing embarrassed gazes.
Tista and Solus didn't miss how no one dared meet the eyes of the just returned siblings.
"Either you tell him or I will." Kamila's voice, while she talked to Elina, sounded livid like Lith had never heard her before. "You wanted time and I gave you time, but I'm not going to keep this any longer."
"You heard how much they've gone through during those last few days. You have seen how badly hurt they returned from those horrors. We agreed on taking things slowly." Elina became pale now that Lith and Tista stared at her with suspicion.
"No, we didn't agree on anything. You decided and I went along with it only because I didn't want them to rush home and ruin their mission. Now they are here and deserve to know." Kamila didn't like meddling with the family business, but she liked keeping secrets from Lith even less.
Especially after all the lengths he had gone to be honest with her, like during the previous night. To add insult to injury, it was partly her business as well.
"Is this about your parents?" Lith asked.
'It would explain why Kamila is so angry and why Zinya is so embarrassed, but not why Mom acts so weird.' He thought.
"No." Elina said.
"Yes!" Kamila stood up in outrage at the blatant lie. "Your parents didn't kick mine out of Lutia even after knowing the truth. Even worse, Elina invited them here to meet you!"
"What?" Lith almost choked on his food. "How could you do that? They are farming gold diggers that are clearly after our money!"
"How could you say that in front of Kamila? They are her family!" Elina stood up as well, incapable to believe that her son could be so rude to his girlfriend.
"He can say it anytime he wants because it's the truth. They are f- farming gold diggers that are clearly after your money!" Kamila had still some trouble adapting her speech in front of children.
'What the heck are they talking about?' Tista had never heard anything about Kamila's parents so the matter confused her quite a bit.
'Based on lil bro's and Kamila's reaction, those guys must be bad news. Yet I don't know enough about them to take my stand without hurting Mom's feelings too much. She and Zinya have become very close so I can understand them taking the same side.'
"They have apologized so many times to both you and Zinya, what could you ask more of them?" Elina spoke with so much fervor and seemed to be willing to put on the line for a pair of strangers so much that it made Lith doubt her sanity.
"I could ask them to keep ignoring me and Zinya, as they did during the last ten years, instead of barging in the moment money is involved!" Kamila replied.
"Mom, Kami is right. They are no different from our own relatives that remembered about our existence only after the news of my silver mines came out. What makes Kamila's parents deserve a different treatment from them?" Lith asked.
"A lot of things." Elina sniffled again and Raaz rushed to her side, holding her tight in the attempt to calm her down. "They are just concerned parents trying to make up for the mistakes of the past before it's too late. Everyone deserves a second chance."
"No, they don't and your argument doesn't make sense." The strain from remaining calm to not further upset his mother gave Lith a headache, but not one strong enough to make him fail to notice that there was more to it.
"What are you still hiding from me?" His eyes moved around the room, finally able to notice the grief in everyone's face that the pain from his own problems had clouded until that moment.
Raaz, Elina, and even Rena had the same sad light in their eyes they had back when Tista was very ill.
"Trion is dead." Elina said after a long moment of silence.
Kamila looked down with sadness while Tista became pale and Lith had a hard time not saying "Trion who?" with a shrug.
