"Howdy, kids?" Tezka said with the bearing of someone too old to care about etiquette.
"Guys, this is my family. I assume that you already know every one of them so I won't bother you with long introductions." Lith said.
"Are you really a Phoenix?" Aran looked at Crevan and under his mantle, finding him underwhelming. "You got no plumes nor fire."
"Yeah." Leria nodded while caressing the soft and pleasantly cold fur on Tezka's long tails. "Uncle Lith and uncle doggie here are much cooler. You guys are plain."
The Fylgja chuckled at the Phoenixes' expense while Lith massaged his temples in annoyance and the parents apologized on behalf of their respective kids.
Tezka was too ancient and wise to be angered by children's quips. His response to being called a "doggie" was to lift the kids on his tails that he rolled up in makeshift but fluffy seats.
Aran and Leria screamed in excitement while looking at the room from a height that allowed them to look down on everyone in the room. They were akin to mice riding atop of a Dragon and they acted just as cocky.
"Lighten up, brother. We've all been hatchlings at some point in time." Lenanna chuckled as well and unfolded a pair of emerald wings engulfed by green flames.
"Awesome!" The children screamed in unison as they grabbed at her feathers and discovered that the flames didn't burn, they just tickled their skin.
"Why did you call us here, brother?" Crevan could hear both his siblings and his mother telling him to take the stick out of his ass via their mind link, yet he kept his usual stern look.
"I want you to tell Grandma that I've reached the deep violet." Lith shapeshifted into his Tiamat form, noticing how the Phoenixes' attention was entirely focused on his only feathered wing.
"I remember her being interested in my final form and this is it."
"How tall?" Crevan said while touching both a membranous and the feathered wings while examining them with Bloodburn, his breathing technique.
"About 20 meters (66'), I think." Lith replied. "Also, please tell her that I plan on visiting her as soon as I can. My family and I need to get away from here for a while and live without an ax constantly hanging over our heads."
"That's a regular height for someone your age." Crevan nodded. "As for your visit, Mother says that you are welcome whenever you want. Just send her the word and she will link the Gate in your barn to that in her tent."
"How do I do that?" Lith asked.
"You tell us and we'll relay the message to her." Lenanna said, taking Leria off Tezka's tail and putting the child on her shoulders.
"Can I become as beautiful as you are when I grow up, Auntie?" At Leria's age, beauty and power were almost the same. Lenanna had chosen a plain appearance, but in the eyes of the young girl, she was more stunning than Tista.
"Sure. As long as you work hard and don't slack off, everything is possible."
"What about me?" Tezka asked.
"I've been trying and failing to contact Xenagrosh for a long while now. Could you please thank her on my behalf and tell her that I'd like to meet her in person again?" Lith said.
"I will be my pleasure." Tezka ruffled Aran's hair and handed him to Lith before taking his leave.
"Wait, before you go, there's something you all need to know." Lith had Rena take the kids away before calling Orion.
With Mirim dead, he was the highest-ranked official Lith knew that could relay his report to the Royals. Once everyone was assembled, Lith projected a hologram that showed the events in Lightkeep.
He depicted himself solely as a human, to not give away either his Tiamat nature or his abilities as an Awakened. He gave Vladion most of the credit of the fight against Jakra, keeping the rest as it had happened.
At the mention of Thrud's name, the Royals joined the call despite the late hour.
"Interesting." Tezka said once the story was over.
"This sure explains a lot." Crevan spoke with Salaark's voice as he acted as her herald.
"Archmage Verhen, are you telling me that the Mad Queen has now access to the powers of the Guardians' bloodlines?" King Meron asked while pondering what move he would do next in Thrud's shoes.
He couldn't hear or see the others in the room thanks to the amulet's settings, thinking he was alone with Lith.
"Xedros turned into a Dragon, that's all I know for sure. Yet judging from her silver eyes, Thrud shares the blood of the First Queen just like Your Majesty. It would be foolish of her not to attempt to gain such power." Lith replied.
"I agree." Meron nodded. "This will postpone the gala even further than Mirim's death did. Not that anyone cares at this point, but I'd suggest you to stay in a safe place and take some rest. We all need it. Meron out."
"Why did you show it to us?" Tezka asked while also pointing at the Phoenixes.
"Nandi was there as well and I'm sure that you'd have learned about it anyway from Vladion." Unbeknownst to Lith, the Minotaur had already sent a full report to the Organization.
Yet seeing the battle with his own eyes allowed the ancient Abomination to grasp more than what words could express.
"As for you…" Lith nodded at his siblings from the Desert. "…it's only a matter of time before Thrud pulls something in Grandma's turf. At this point, sending Feathers against her would be plain suicide."
"You have my thanks." Salaark replied. "Yet now I have to tell the old lizard that another of his descendants went rogue. This will surely ruin our date."
"Your what?" The room exploded in unison, Crevan included.
"I'm ancient, not dead. Salaark out." She said with a sneer, uncaring for their opinion.
After the guest left, Lith went to his room. His tired body didn't worry as much as his mind that bordered on a nervous breakdown.
Too many things had happened too fast.
Mirim's death, Scarlett's disappearance, and the loss of his humanity. Those events overloaded his brain respectively with grief, worry, and uneasiness. Luckily for him, he fell asleep the moment his head touched the pillow.
The gravity array Lith had set up protected the furniture and no one disturbed his sleep, letting him rest as long as he needed. Only once Kamila arrived for dinner did they wake Lith up.
They found him back in his Tiamat form. Lith had shapeshifted in his sleep to be more comfortable, retaining only his reduced height.
"Seven eyes open and one feathered wing? Congratulations, babe. You finally did it!" Kamila did her best to smile despite all of her worries and kissed him on the mouth before he could fully turn back into a human.
No matter how much Lith changed on the outside, he was always the same person to her.
"Thanks." He replied with a sadness that worried yet didn't surprise her.
Kamila knew that, due to the mission, Lith didn't have the luxury of time to grieve the loss of his friend and that the metamorphosis was bound to have taken away another bit of his humanity.
In the past, they had talked several times about how worried he was about what would happen in the case his life forces merged into one.
