"I don't nag!" She pulled away to glare at him, just to meet Lith's stern gaze. "Too much." "Nice save, woman." Lith chuckled. "Also, I warned you that I kept that line for special occasions. You are the one who asked me to use it, so it's the consequence of your decisions." "And you say I'm the nagging one." She chuckled as well, kissing him. "Still, thanks. I needed to hear that. Also, I need another shower. I'm covered in tears and snot." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮 "What about darkness magic?" Lith said. "Care to join me?" She asked, pretending not to hear him. "Of course." He jumped to his feet while keeping her in his arms. "It's my duty as your healer to make sure that every inch of your body is clean." *** After another shower to get clean from the results of the previous one, Lith and Kamila returned to the Verhen Mansion to pick up the babies. "For today, I planned to keep visiting the Kingdom." Lith said. "Safe areas, no trouble, just sightseeing." "It's a great idea, but can I suggest a change of plans?" Kamila asked, and he nodded for her to continue. "I've heard a lot about the Garden of Mogar, but I've never visited it. Can we go there today?" "I don't see why not." Lith shrugged. "Also, why don't we bring the others as well?" Kamila said. "The Gardens are wide. We can have our privacy while Solus can enjoy the company of her mother, and your Demons spend time with their families. "I don't want to keep Solus away from Ripha. Also, she can babysit and chase after the babies while we sit back and enjoy the Garden. "Kind, thoughtful, and ruthlessly opportunistic. That's my kind of plan." Lith nodded. "I'm in." *** Reaching Mogar's Garden didn't take long. In the past, Tower Warping there had been impossible due to the violent currents of world energy coursing throughout the ground. The Ears of Menadion, however, solved the issue. Once the artifact was connected to the Watchtower, reading and navigating the flow of world energy was almost a trivial task. Before emerging on the other side, Lith scanned the area to ensure no member of the Awakened Council was there. After defeating Maergron the Redcap, the location of the Garden had been revealed to the Awakened community, but aside from sightseeing, there was no reason to be there, and it was empty most of the time. "The coast is clear. Explore to your heart's content." Lith dropped the cloaking field of the tower and opened the door. "Thanks for the invite, Lith." Solus held Elysia with one hand and Menadion's hand with the other. "I've been missing you guys and Mom like crazy." "Don't mention it, Solus." He replied. "More importantly, are you sure you're fine? Bad things happened the last time we were here. If you feel uncomfortable, just say the word." He remembered all too well how the Chroniclers of the World Tree had stabbed her from behind on the verge of getting the Ears, puncturing her heart, and reinforcing her trauma. The original Bytra had killed Solus the same way, and relieving the experience had torn closed wounds open. "I'm fine, don't worry." Solus clenched her teeth and Menadion's hand. "Mom is with me, and I have Elysia to protect me. Isn't that right, sweetie?" "Masa!" Elysia shapeshifted into her Tiamat form, emitting the closest thing to a roar she could. It was actually a high-pitched squeal, more cute than intimidating, but it was exactly what Solus' heart needed. "Thank you, baby girl." Solus peppered Elysia's scaly snout with kisses, making her giggle. "See you in a while!" "Gods, this place is amazing." Raaz whistled in admiration as he took in the spectacle of the Garden. "I could live here all my life and still not have enough time to catalogue everything." "Because I would kill you first." Elina said with a warm smile. "We are here for a stroll and a picnic, not work. Remember?" "Of course." Raaz swallowed awkwardly. "Let's go, son." "Coming, Dad." Trion came after them, carrying a crying Surin. The baby girl wasn't much of an adventurer. She loved her house and complained every time they brought her away. "See you later, Lith." Rena, Senton, the Demons, and their families left one after the other. "The last one to the pond is a rotten egg!" Aran galloped away on top of Onyx. "Wait, which pond?" Leria asked, not knowing where she was supposed to go. "Any pond, sucker!" He replied with a laugh. "This doesn't bode well." Selia checked the arrows in her quiver and the enchanted knife in her belt. "I think my time has come." "What do you mean? I can guarantee you this place is safe." Lith furrowed his brow in confusion. "Safe?" The huntress scoffed. "This oaf bringing me to a romantic place instead of a barbecue is the sign of the end of times! Thank you for everything, Lith, and remember that I loved you like a son." "You're not funny." Protector snorted. "I'm not trying to." She grabbed his face and checked that it was really him and not someone wearing a mask. Then, she approached the nearest flower bush like it was a deadly predator, sniffing at it with caution. "Gods, these are real flowers!" Selia said in amazement. "Are they poisonous?" "One second." Lith added her name to the apprentice list of the tower's mainframe, giving the huntress access to the knowledge stored inside the Library. Selia faltered when notions regarding all kinds of flora from every corner of Mogar flooded her mind. "No, they are not." She said. "The Blood Aurelia is a medicinal plant used for decoctions- How do I know this?" "Because I moved all the botany books I possess to the tower before coming here." Lith replied. "You damn cheater! I love you so much!" Selia said. "Hey!" Protector and Kamila said in unison. "As a son, remember?" Selia shrugged. "Come on, kids. Get out, have fun, and feel free to pester anyone but Mommy." "Yay!" Lilia, Leran, Fenrir, and Solkar shapeshifted into their Skoll form and rushed forward, followed by Slash and Crash, their Emperor Beast steeds. "Not you, young man!" Selia caught the baby boy by the scruff of his neck with a snake-like jolt of her arm. "You are too young and reckless. You're staying with us." Solkar howled, whined, and yelped, struggling with all his might to break free, but to no avail. He even tried his puppy eyes stare, but after three hybrid children, Selia had become immune to all sorts of cuteness. "You deal with him." Selia handed the yelping baby to Protector. "Use your pack leader authority or something." "Quiet." He said, and Solkar complied. "Follow." Protector put the pup down, and Solkar never strayed from his parents while they walked around. "I was joking about the pack leader stuff!" Selia was flabbergasted and impressed. "Why did you never do this before?" "Because you told me 'We are raising children, not wolves' when Lilia was born." Protector said, making an amazing impression of Selia's nagging tone. "You forbid me to train them like members of my pack, remember?"