"That's great to hear." Lith nodded. "Aran and Leria went through much less yet they have only recently recovered. I doubt they would have made it without Grandma so what's your secret?" "It's all thanks to Zogar." Zinya puffed her chest out with pride. "His 'children' spent a lot of time with Filia and Frey, never leaving them alone. In their human form, they made the kids feel protected and part of the family. "Whenever they had to shapeshift, Zoreth and the others always assumed an adorable-looking form that seemed out of a children's book. Having powerful creatures that looked like giant fluffy pets made wonders for their nerves, especially Tezka. "He never leaves their side, even when they go to school. It's only thanks to him that I can sit here comfortably, knowing that wherever they are, my little ones are safe." *** Ernas Arch Duchy, at the same time. Phloria Ernas had just finished dining at the Phoenix's Nest with her date and they were taking a digestive walk in the gardens of Assar, the capital of the Ernas region. It wasn't exotic, but being so close to home made her feel safe. Since the War of the Griffon had resumed, her dating schedule had only gotten worse. On the one hand, her parents were eager to find a suitable mate for her. On the other, Phloria had grown sick and tired of being alone. She would spend her days going from the battlefield to the tower or Faluel's lair to train. Whenever she was on leave and Invigoration had lost most of its effectiveness, Phloria liked to go out and have some company. No matter how much her sisters complained about their respective partners, she could see how happy they were. The picnic on the moon had been the final straw that had broken the camel's back. Phloria had found the strength to let go of her feelings and search for someone who could make her laugh like Morok did to Quylla, someone who could understand her struggles like Nalrond did for Friya, or maybe someone whose kindness would warm her heart like Kamila did for Lith. Phloria loved her magical powers just like she loved her work as a military officer. Yet the more time passed, the more she realized they weren't enough for her anymore. 'I don't want to spend the rest of my life working my ass just to be forgotten the moment I die like it happened to Menadion or Manohar. I watched many people die in this war and none of them in their final moments regretted not having trained or worked one more hour.' She thought. 'They all regretted the things they didn't do and having ignored the people in their lives, always thinking they could make up for it later. I want more in my life than work, train, sleep, rinse and repeat.' She thought. "A copper coin for your thoughts." Celbas the Griffon said after the silence lasted long enough to become awkward. He looked like a handsome man in his mid-twenties, about 1.84 meters (6') tall with short blond hair and silver eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to space out." Phloria replied with a sigh. "I'm just really tired." "I can see that." Life Vision showed Celbas how mana abuse would make it pointless to use his breathing technique on her. "Do you want to take a rain check and get some rest?" "And spent the rest of the day staring at the ceiling while my damn brain keeps me hostage? Thanks, but no thanks." She said. "By the way, I'm curious. Isn't a 23 years old woman a little too young for a Divine Beast like you?" "She would, if I wasn't 25 years old and a hybrid at that." He replied. "Really? Are you still a hybrid at your age?" Phloria was amazed. Usually the conflicting life forces of a hybrid forced them to pick one around the time the natural growth of their mana core stopped. If Celbas was an exception, it meant that maybe he could become a new species like Shargein or Lith. "I wish." He exhaled sharply. "I meant that until a few years ago I was half-human. My body and mind developed no differently from yours. I'm still used to measuring time in days and weeks, not decades or centuries. "To me dating a woman over one hundred years old would be like dating my grandmother." "I hear you." Phloria chuckled. "Elder Awakened consider me an ignorant runt just like I find them to be boring old coots." "You and me both." Celbas said. "By the way, I hope you don't mind me giving up on my human half. I don't consider humans inferior or bad, it's just that forfeiting the Griffon's bloodline abilities felt pointless and stupid. "Even if my mother Awakens my father, he'd still die way before me and if I stayed a human, I would have needed to join the Council. As a Griffon, instead, I can be independent and avoid all that politics crap." "Don't worry, I don't mind dating a Griffon. I've met enough assholes like Kallion to know that race doesn't make a man good or bad, just different." She replied. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖 "Glad to hear. What do you say if-" A Warping array that had been inactive and invisible to Life Vision until a second before moved the couple hundreds of kilometers away from the safety of Assar's magical formations and city guards. The dimensional sealing arrays enveloping the city couldn't stop a Spirit Array. "Shit!" Phloria said as she tried to use her communication amulet but found herself inside the tier five Sealed Space spell. The assailants were arranged in a square formation, keeping themselves right outside the Sealed Space until their prey were in position. Each one of them was armed to the teeth, covered in Adamant, and infused with Life Maelstrom. "Stay behind me!" Celbas shapeshifted into his real form while boosting himself and Phloria with Life Maelstrom to even the field. Unlike most bloodline abilities, the silver lightning was stored inside his body and was unaffected by the dimensional spell. The Griffon used his sheer size to escape the Sealed Space and clawed with his forelegs at the two assassins coming from the front. Celbas was his mother's heir and had learned from her both the secret of Awakening and the violet core. He had already access to body casting so as he changed form, he had also weaved several spells along with several hard-light constructs. A golden armor infused with silver lightning covered both him and Phloria while also coating their weapons. 'Good thinking.' She said via a mind link she had established to coordinate their attacks without wasting time. 'My weapon is a masterpiece but right now it's just a piece of sharp metal. I need time to weave spells and-' Her train of thought derailed when the two assailants from the front blocked Celbas' attack with ease while those from the back moved so fast that even with Full Guard warning her, Phloria failed to react in time. She was still stuck at the bright blue core whereas their enemies released a violet aura.