Phloria was a very tall woman by Mogar's standards, 1.8 meters (5'11") tall. She had the lean yet muscular build of a professional swimmer, olive-colored skin, and hazel eyes.
After Awakening, her waist-long unruly hair had become naturally straight, silky, and so black that they almost looked blue under the sunlight. Body refining had also perfectly harmonized her muscles with her physique, giving her gentler features and a more feminine appearance.
"Dad, you look terrible. You need to sit down, enjoy some good food, and rest a bit. When was the last time that you slept in your bed?"
Orion Ernas was a man in his mid-forties, over 1.96 meters (6'5") tall with black hair and brown eyes. The military training and the constant use of powerful spells as a Forgemaster had tempered his body, giving him toned muscles that made his uniform fit like a glove.
Even though Lith rejuvenated his body regularly, Orion had now some wrinkles around temples and bags under his eyes. He had yet to shave for the day and his stubble made him look even more tired than he actually was.
"I don't have time to-" Orion's words died in his throat when he looked into Phloria's eyes and saw how worried she was. "A few weeks ago."
"And I bet that you worked non-stop since you left the house. Dad, you need to take care of yourself."
Orion was an adult man and one of the most influential people of the Kingdom, yet it would always take his daughter just a few words to make him feel like a dumb kid. Ever since he had got three of them, every time he looked at himself through their eyes he felt as if he was facing a court martial.
"Fine. Let me treat you to something better than the army canteen." Orion said while offering her his arm.
"Really? Then maybe I can tempt you with a nap." She replied while walking arm in arm.
"Maybe."
Orion brought her to the Phoenix's Nest, one of the best restaurants of the capitol where the Ernas couple had a table always reserved. It was located in front of a panoramic window with a view into the inner garden of the establishment.
It allowed the customers to dine while enjoying the songs of the many birds that inhabited the place and the smell of the freshly watered flowers. Their table was also more spaced from the others, giving them privacy.
During the day, when most of the customers would be high officials of the Kingdom instead of couples, the Phoenix's Nest used enchanted tables that kept the conversations from being overheard.
Orion ordered a pint of dark beer, a fillet steak with green pepper sauce, spiced potatoes, and a vegetable cream for fibers. Phloria ordered the same and forbade the waiter to bring any alcohol to the table.
House Ernas had spent a small fortune to repair all the damage caused by Orion's drunken outbursts and throwing another in a public place would have destroyed more than furniture, it would have ruined Orion's career.
He grunted, steeling his gaze and preparing to give her a piece of his mind.
Then their eyes met and he was back on the stand of the court martial, reading a long list of charges of his own making.
They ate slowly, chatting only about the most insignificant details of their lives. Yet that moment of respite spent not worrying about what had happened but appreciating what he had, reminded Orion of how much he missed dining with his family.
Of how much he missed Jirni's nagging at him to be back home for every meal so that they could always spend some time together, no matter how heavy their workload was.
He pushed that painful memory away and kept only the warmth that his daughter had gifted him with.
"Thanks for being here with me, little Flower." Orion extended his hand and held Phloria's who was thankful for the table's Hush zone.
"Don't mention it, Dad. Also please stop calling me like that in public. It's embarrassing."
"I'm a lonely old man without a single grandchild. How can you be so cruel to take away from me the little joy I have left in life?" He said, trying to make her feel guilty for being still unmarried despite being already 22 years old.
"Gunyin gave you three already, Tulion-"
"Don't mention that name!" Orion snarled.
His philanderer second born was unmarried as well, yet he had quite the number of children from several different women. It caused the Ernas household great embarrassment and the need to give each one of them a minor noble title.
The children still carried the blood and the magical potential of the Ernas. Even though their father didn't feel responsible for them, Orion did. He made sure that they would grow up to a far cry better than Tulion.
"Fine. As for my sisters and I, it's hard to find a date when your father first locks you up for months and then he complains the moment you start to date. Let Quylla go out more often and maybe she could give you a cute little grandchild." Phloria said.
"My little girl with that long-haired hobo?" Orion turned pale at the mention of Morok Eari, the creepy ex-Ranger that courted his youngest daughter. "With that haircut and his poor manners, he's a disgrace for the army. Quylla cand do better than him!"
"Yeah, right. Because Great Mages that don't just aim to exploit the Ernas household grow on trees. I know something about it." Phloria said with a sigh.
"I'm sorry, little Flower. I didn't mean to remind you of that Kallion asshole."
"It's in the past, Dad." Phloria shook her head. "I've gotten more pressing problems in the present to worry about him."
"Is it something wrong with Lith? With your apprenticeship with the Hydra? Do you have a new boyfriend?" Orion asked, his voice increasing in intensity the uglier his hypotheses became.
"Wow, that escalated quickly." She chuckled. "At least you didn't ask me if I'm pregnant."
'Nah, you would have mentioned that earlier instead of defending that Morok.' Orion thought.
"I think you heard about what's happening with the Royal Court." Phloria said.
"You have to be a little more specific than that. Thrud? Undead? Famine? Political plays?" Orion sighed.
"A little bit of everything. The Kingdom is in dire straits to the point that the Royals have recalled in service every single Archmage, even Onia, the former Headmistress of the Black Griffon academy.
"I want to help, but after everything that Deirus and his accomplices did to me with the complicity of the army, I don't trust anyone anymore." Phloria said.
"Your sentiment is noble and your caution most sound." Orion nodded for her to continue.
"The Royal Court has already forced Lith back in the field claiming that he has done nothing for the Kingdom after his retirement from the army. It's only a matter of time before they turn against me as well.
"I'm going to beat them to the punch and volunteer for a mission.. This way the reputation of the Ernas will be safe and none of our opponents will be able to use me against Gunyin in the Court."
All the members of the family were happy to see Lith and Solus again and asked them the details of the mission.
"I'm so glad nothing bad happened." Elina checked them both for injuries before hugging them. "Take the uniform off, dear. You are upsetting the guards."
Salaark's servants were used to seeing Lith in his Tiamat form while he wore desert clothes. Seeing a pale man dressed in the colors of the Kingdom made them nervous.
During dinner, Lith told them everything that had happened in Zeska. When he arrived at Solus's brilliant ruse to reach the City Hall, she kindly stomped his foot as a friendly reminder to not mention the fake pregnancy.
"What was that?" Rena asked after seeing a ripple in her wine and the chandeliers swinging.
"I don't know. There are no quakes in this part of the desert." Salaark had a hard time repressing a chuckle. "Please, go on."
At the part of the fight, Lith took a pause, asking the Guardian to send the servants away.
"You don't have to worry. They are all loyal and trustworthy." She said.
"Not to me." Lith replied "I want to keep this conversation as private as possible, Grandma."
"Fine. Everyone out." Lith had used the magic word, making Salaark's heart and feathers flutter.
A pair of wings popped out of her back, flapping with enthusiasm.
"Do you want me to leave as well?" Friya asked while putting her cutlery on the plate.
"You can stay." Lith shook his head. "I trust both you and Faluel. On top of that, if you really want to become her Harbinger, you need to hear the rest of the story."
Only once Salaark sealed every entrance with her magic did he tell them about the Void Flames, Captain Locrias, and about Quaron's abilities.
"I knew it!" The Overlord jumped from her seat and hugged him tight while kissing his head repeatedly. "You are not a lesser anything and this proves it."
The rest of the family didn't share her enthusiasm.
Based on what they knew, everything related to Chaos magic was bad news and they found the idea of Locrias' restless soul to be still with them beyond creepy.
"Can you show me?" Salaark had noticed that her feelings about his newfound powers didn't match Lith's family's, she just didn't care.
"Right here and now?" Lith was flabbergasted.
"Don't play coy with me, kid. You told me only because you have no idea how your bloodline abilities work and you want my advice." She replied with a sneer.
"Guilty as charged." Lith said under the reproachful looks of his family. "But I won't call upon Locrias. Disturbing his slumber for no reason would be plain cruel. Dead or not, he's still a person, not a tool."
"Fine." While the others softened their gazes, finding Lith's care noble, Salaark deemed it annoying.
She placed her hand on Lith's shoulder and activated her breathing technique, Mother Sun, to study the phenomenon to the best of her abilities.
Lith turned into his Tiamat form while retaining his human height, yet when he tried to breathe Void Flames, nothing happened. Moving the blackness that surrounded his life force into the stars that comprised it turned out to be quite difficult.
To make matters worse, he had never practiced shrinking his Voidfeather Dragon form so Salaark had to enlarge the tent. The kids loved Lith's new body, tugging at his feathers and scales while begging for a ride.
The rest of the family, not so much.
Ever since Lith had become a Tiamat, they had felt him becoming more distant as if he hadn't only lost his human body but part of his humanity as well. The Voidfeather Dragon had nothing human about it, making his family worry if the transformation would affect his mind even more.
"I'll try and keep it small, but I can't make any promise." His voice was now more guttural and deep, sounding like he was speaking from deep within a cave and the echo carried the words outside.
Salaark used Spirit Magic to move everyone on his back.
"The safest place from a Dragon's flames is not behind them but on them." She replied to their silent question.
Lith breathed a small burst of Void Flames on the ground that hit the protection of the palace, sizzling for a few seconds before disappearing.
"Interesting." Salaark said. "They work similarly to Origin Flames yet they are completely different."
"What do you mean?" Lith turned his long neck behind, allowing the kids to pat his snout, to play with his fangs, and then teaching them Simon says by having Aran and Leria remember the order with which he lit his seven eyes.
"Void Flames have no other ability aside from destruction. They are faster but they can't purify anything." She replied.
"I've seen Sinmara and Xenagrosh produce Origin Flames, but never something like this. Yet they have mastered respectively Darkness and Chaos. Why am I different?" Lith asked.
"Because Sinmara is still a Phoenix. We can use darkness magic like nobody else but it's not part of our life force. As for Xenagrosh, she's an Abomination and her life force is flawed.
"Every time she uses Origin Flames, she has to purge the Chaos out of her life force or it would destroy the balance in the world energy. You, instead, can keep it stable by coating the spark of Chaos with your human life force." Salaark said.
"I what?" Lith turned toward her, focusing his full attention.
"You heard me. The trick isn't injecting Chaos. It would suck the light element out of the world energy and corrupt the darkness, making it turn against the remaining elements instead of the enemy." Salaark caressed her womb, now certain that the baby would never be a Demon.
It didn't lack only the Abomination side, but also the human.
"To produce Void Flames, you have your human side coat all the elemental aspects that comprise the world energy. This way, the beast side lights the world energy, the Abomination turns the darkness component into Chaos while the human keeps the Chaos from affecting the other elements."
"That's why I failed before." Lith pondered. "In my Tiamat form I solely called upon the void of my life force while I should have also used the red threads."
"Correct." She nodded. "Now turn back and let me study your feathered wing."
Salaark studied the runed feather with her breathing technique, but there was little she could understand without Lith activating his ability.
"I'm sorry, I have no clue." She said after a while. "You can try and ask your grandfather. The Empire is beautiful this time of the year."
Aran and Leria approved the idea, suggesting they could all go there riding Lith's back. They were eager to meet Leegaain again and demand all the gifts they had missed during the years.
Despite the distance, a cold shiver ran down the Father of all Dragon's spine and one of his tools suddenly cracked for no reason.
'If I were a lesser and superstitious man, I'd think this is a bad omen.' He shrugged and resumed his experiment.
After dinner, the family split.
Solus asked Elina to teach her how to cook, while the others went back to Lutia.. Friya would just stop by Faluel's lair before going back to her house.
