Chapter 3977: Jerak (Part 2) "Don’t worry, Erwald." Cidra, Locrias’ wife, said. "Every day we get to spend with you is a blessing. All that matters is that we can be together." "Well said, Mom." Gilly nodded. "Also, once you guys become strong enough to stop Meln, Lith won’t have to travel around so much, and we’ll have all the time we want." "I’m sorry, babe." Tista sighed. "I hate interrupting our date, but this is my opportunity to train without Zor, Morok, and Garrik. With a bit of luck, I won’t be at the bottom of the class anymore. "Also, it pains my heart to see the poor Garrik alone while everyone else plays in the ocean." "I’d have preferred you had your priorities inverted, but don’t worry." Bodya replied. "Your heart is in the right place, and I’m sure one day you’ll make a wonderful mother." "Not you too!" Tista blushed wildly. "Yes, me too." He shrugged. "I mean, with Elysia, Valeron, Surin, and your friends already pregnant, this would be the perfect moment for-" "I’m too far! I can’t hear you!" She bolted towards Lith like a bullet. "Bite me." Menadion replied. "I’m spending quality time with Solus and the babies. This is too nice a day to waste it training with you." ’Epphy always wanted to go on a beach holiday and see the sea, but we never found the time because of my work.’ She actually thought. ’Solus has already had that experience without me, but this still counts as making up for the lost time.’ "Mo-enadion!" Solus had to correct herself mid-word after noticing Ryla standing right next to Lith. "Language! What if the children learn those words?" "Those are innocent words, sweetie." Menadion replied. "They mean nothing without the right tone." "Bite?" Valeron asked. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮 "Yes, dear. Like, do you want a bite?" She offered him a soft piece of apple that he happily ate. "Me bibe!" Elysia extended her hands after sniffing the sweet scent of the apple. "I’m sorry, pumpkin. No teeth, no bite." Ripha said. "Teeh!" Elysia shapeshifted her mouth into a Tiamat’s, filling it with small yet sharp fangs. "Teeh, indeed." Menadion handed the baby girl the slice, and she munched it to pieces. "See? Now they’ll associate the word ’bite’ with apples. Kids are simple creatures." "Mo-enadion!" Solus said in outrage. "How can you manipulate babies? Not even Lith does that!" "I’m still here." Lith said, and Ryla chuckled. "Also, if you learn how to use Swirling Wind, you can lead the feral Demons into battle by example." Solus gave him an apologetic nod. "Not interested. Sorry." Menadion shrugged. "And if you also learn how to absorb the collected world energy with Abomination Touch, you’ll become capable of regaining your strength without Lith’s help." Solus pointed out. "It would increase your autonomy on the battlefield and independence in everyday life." "That’s an excellent point, Solus." Menadion kissed her daughter’s head as though she were looking out for Ripha instead of scolding her. "Coming right up." Luckily for Lith, the other Demons had Locrias’ attitude and joined him without making a fuss like Menadion. "Thank you, Uncle Lith. Thank you, Auntie Tista!" Once the formation was ready, and Ryla walked up to its borders without ever reverting into her Fallen form, Garrik rushed into the water, taking the first dive of his life. He felt cold, gulped a mouthful of saltwater, and his drenched wings weighed him down like a bag of sand strapped to his back, but he had never been so happy. "Slow down, young man." Ryman pulled the Fomor out of the water and held him until Garrik finished coughing. "Take your time and don’t forget about your powers. You’ll learn how to swim in a snap. Isn’t that right, kids?" The smaller Skolls barked and howled in approval, showing off their perfect dog paddle style. ’It’s too bad, but Mom can use the training, and Garrik needs a break.’ Solus followed Menadion but remained on the beach to keep an eye on the toddlers. ’Thank the gods Jirni is not in sig-’ "Bibe!" Elysia said while writing the word "bite" on the sand. "Bibe! Bibe!" "Who taught the babies how to write?" Solus watched in horror as Valeron wrote "bite" as well and extended his hand, expecting another piece of apple in reward. "I did, sweetie. Why? Is there a problem?" Elina arrived while Solus was feeding the babies in the hope the word "me" wouldn’t follow the "bite". "Yes, Mom. A big problem." Solus sighed while Hushing Valeron and Elysia. "Magic is about runes and words. Now that they know how to read and write, the babies might associate a hand sign with a magic word. "They are small, but they are still Awakened. They might be dangerous to themselves and others." "I’m sorry, Solus. I didn’t think of that." Elina felt terrible, and Elysia writing more words to show her grandmother how good she was made Elina feel even worse. "Still, it’s a huge leap, isn’t it? They might not understand the correlation for years." "Jorun!" Valeron said, conjuring a water dragon the size of a pencil. "Jo-un!" Elysia followed suit, the two small dragons engaging in a deadly battle. "Or maybe minutes." Solus exhaled sharply. "Thank the gods they still have a bright orange core. There’s not much damage they can do with that." Elysia’s dragon lost the battle, and she started crying. "Jo-un ba! Ba!" "Shush, baby girl. It’s just a game." Solus hugged Elysia, calming her down. "What’s happening?" Kamila rushed to their side. "Who taught the babies to read?" Elina looked around like a cornered rat, silently answering the question. "How long, Elina?" Kamla asked. "How long ago did you teach them?" "Less than a month ago, back when Zoreth was ill. Why?" "Because they’ve been playing with magic ever since." Kamila used the Dragon Scales to learn the rest of the story from the babies. "I’m sorry. I really am." Elina lowered her gaze. "Mama!" Elysia said and wrote "Mom" on the sand. "Oh, sweetie, that’s so kind!" Kamila beamed with joy. "What else can you write? Can you write Dad?" "Je-a" Elysia wrote the word "Jerak" on the sand. "What does Jerak mean?" Kamila asked, and Elina shrugged. "I’ve never heard that word. I didn’t teach them that." "Je-a!" Elysia’s chubby fingers drew a few jagged lines in the air, and a small bullet of Zero struck the shore, creating a thick layer of ice the size of an ice rink. "Je-a! Je-a!" The baby girl conjured more Zero bullets and froze waves on the spot, thinking she was just showing off. "Who in Mogar’s name taught the kids how to read?" Salaark appeared out of thin air and stopped Elysia before she could hit someone. "I did." Elina whimpered. *** The Guardians cloaked the crime scene with an illusion to avoid scaring everyone else and brought the culprits and their parents to a secluded place. "Do you have any idea how serious this is, young lady?" Salaark asked with a stern tone, pointing her finger at Elysia. "Gama!" Elysia grabbed the finger and expressed all her love and joy. "Lo yah!" "I love you too, sweetie." Salaark’s heart melted like ice in the Desert, at least until she turned towards Elina. "Do you have any idea how serious this is, young lady?"