As soon as the kids believed to have gained a solid understanding of their respective self-taught techniques, Aran shared his with Onyx and Leria did the same with Abominus. After that, the Emperor Beasts joined them. ’This is amazing.’ Menadion said via a mind link. ’I’ve spectated all of Lith’s lessons but until today I had never understood their true value. Nothing of what he says is groundbreaking and he’s teaching the same basic principles Awakened has passed on to their disciples since the dawn of magic. ’How he does it, however, it’s completely different. Lith doesn’t act like a senior teaching chore magic to a junior for the sake of setting the foundations for the upper tier spells. ’He’s a teacher who is sharing the marvel of practicing magic with his students, transmitting his passion to them in the process. ’Raaz’s talent for magic is negligible yet he’s actually having fun. Learning magic isn’t a chore like it was for Threin and most of my disciples. Raaz jumped at the occasion of continuing the lesson because even though it’s tiring, he’s enjoying it. ’The kids, instead, have outstanding talent but thanks to Lith’s methods, their technique progresses faster than most Awakened I’ve ever met. Even as non-Awakened, they experience magic like we do. ’The most impressive thing, though, is how easily Lith’s teachings spread. His lesson was meant for Raaz yet in the blink of an eye four more people listened carefully to his every word and applied it their own way. ’Gods, I wish I was that good of a mentor. Threin wouldn’t have struggled so much and maybe things would be different today.’ ’See, Mom? I told you so.’ Solus replied from inside the stone ring, puffing telepathically her chest out with pride. ’That’s the man I’ve met many years ago in the Trawn woods. ’This is the Lith you never saw because blinded by your own grief and, albeit reasonably, misled by his cynical character and lies. Yes, Lith is flawed and from the outside, he may appear cruel, but inside he’s the most caring man I know. ’If you stop second-guessing everything he says and thinks and instead focus on how he acts toward those close to him, you’ll learn to love him just like I do.’ ’When you say love, do you mean-’ ’Don’t change the topic!’ Solus cut Ripha short. ’This is not about me.’ ’Fine.’ Menadion sighed. ’You were right and I was wrong. I’m changing my mind about Lith. Yet I hope I’ll never come to love him like you do, dear. For both our sakes.’ *** The rest of the vacation went without a hitch. After a few days, the kids and Raaz asked to camp in the Stornash woods for a while. Not because they had gotten sick of the Baron’s hospitality but because Raaz wanted to learn other elements and the kids too wanted more lessons. Lith agreed and three days later the group returned to Jambel. Lith went back on his own from time to time to reassure the babies, going back to the camp as soon as they allowed him. During their stay, the kids ate lots of meat, ice cream, and French fries. Baroness Mirias was delighted both because she loved fries as well and because rumors of Lith’s new delicacy spread to the nearby cities like wildfire. The upper echelons of the Kellar region who had ignored Mirias her whole life and turned down her every request for an audience now fawned over her and competed to gain her favor. According to the rumors, fries were a specialty exclusive to Jambel. Mirias exploited the opportunity to ignore all those she no longer needed and establish relationships with nobles who could support her cause. The Baroness was the one spreading the rumors and squeezed everything she could for Jambel from her temporary privileged position. Being able to throw a Magus’ name around gave her an edge she didn’t hesitate to use. The fact that the Wyalons were the only nobles to have met Menadion aside from the Royals also gave them tremendous bargaining power. The Baroness always kept vague about her interactions with Ripha so no one dared offend her. For all the nobles knew, the Wyalons could have been best friends. Baroness Mirias was the nobles’ best bet to be introduced to the Forge Magus and maybe be accepted as her clients. "You should visit more often, Lith. These have been the two most relaxing weeks of my life." Baron Wyalon said while driving half the group back to the Warp Gate. "Absolutely nothing bad happened and no pompous noble bothered me. "And all because everyone was too scared of your presence to even get close to Jambel. Also, I must thank you for those fries thingies. Mirias loves them and she benefitted from the extra kilos, if you catch my drift." He winked. "She’s always been so damn thin!" "I understand." Lith nodded, inwardly praying to be spared any intimate detail. "I don’t." Aran said, making Eiros bite his tongue when she remembered about the presence of kids. "I’ll explain it to you when you are older." Raaz said with a stern voice. "But I want to know it now!" Aran complained. "No, you don’t." Raaz shook his head. "Believe me, son, and enjoy the years you have left without this kind of nonsense." "Word." Lith and Eiros said in unison, leaving Aran even more confused. ’It’s okay. I’ll explain it to you later.’ Onyx said with a mind link. Of course, Raaz was right. Aran regretted asking, but that’s a story for another day. When they walked through the Gate in the barn, they found the rest of the family waiting for them. "Mom!" Aran jumped into Elina’s arms. "I’ve missed you so much." "My baby!" Elina hugged him tight. "I’ve missed you too. I’ve missed you all very, very much." She cupped his face for signs of malnutrition, as usual. "Someone looks very fit." She patted his arms and chest, discovering that Aran had gained a bit of weight and muscles. "I thought it was a vacation." "It was." Aran nodded. "We went fishing, hunting, and camping! Dad taught me a lot about plants and big bro about magic." "I see." Elina then went to Raaz, Lith, Trion, Solus, Kamila, Ripha, and Leria in this order. Leria came last simply because she was too busy with her own mother and Zekell. "Mom, why did you never tell me Dad is a great hunter?" Leria released Rena from the embrace and pouted. "We could have had a lot of fun together." "Sharp metal objects are not good for a small child, sweetie." Rena replied. "Besides, would you have enjoyed hunting a few years ago?" Leria thought about the blood, viscera, and the look in the eyes of small animals and shuddered. "No, I would have not. Thank you, Mom." Leria resumed the hug. "You’re welcome, dear." Rena caressed her daughter’s back and sniffed her hair. "Did you have fun?" "Yes! Dad and I…" Leria started to drown her mother in chatter. She recounted anecdotes from different events that had taken places in different places and times, confusing Rena who could only nod and smile on cue.