Chapter 3438 Dragon's Heart (Part 1) Aran looked around the room and swallowed hard. Most people were looking daggers at him with a deep frown on their faces. Even Solus and Menadion. 'Reckless brat!' The First Ruler of the Flames had walked more than one mile in Elina's shoes. 'How could he Awaken without his parents' permission and presence? What if something went wrong? Raaz and Elina would be scarred for life! "I don't know if I can make this festive, but I know how to cheer everyone up. Kami?" Lith offered her his hand and she put it on her stomach. Suddenly, the awkward silence in the room was replaced by a quick, small heartbeat. "Is this the baby?" Elina sniffled again, but this time there was no trace of worry in her voice. "Yes." Lith nodded. "The little one is now big enough to make himself heard. Please, welcome him to our family!" Cheers exploded through the room to the point of almost bringing down the roof. Even Aran found the strength to jump up from his seat and rush to hug his sister-in-law. Those who waited their turn to hug Kamila and touch her womb shook Lith's hand and congratulated him. "I know this is stupid, but now the baby feels more real." Raaz said. "You are really having a son, son." "I know, Dad." "About that." Rena chimed in. "What about finding a name for the baby? Doesn't he deserve one to this point?" "Of course he does." Kamila replied. "After much research and discussion, we have decided to name him Raldarak. It contains Raaz's initials and means Dragon's Heart in Dragontongue. It honors Leegaain as much as Elysia honors Salaark." Raaz and the Guardian stared at each other for a moment, pondering whether it was better to claim superiority or undermine the competition. Then, they decided it was no time for measuring contests and clasped wrists in grandfatherhood. "The heart may be yours, but the rest is all mine, old lizard." Raaz quipped. "Just wait until he reaches the deep blue, farm boy." Leegaain quipped back. "Then the little Ral is all mine." They kept mocking each other until Salaark raised a toast. "To the new member of the family and the new Awakened one!" Aran didn't mind sharing the spotlight. Especially because he could tell how big of an earful awaited him the moment he recovered. "Thank you for the rescue, Raldarak.' He thought. 'Let's hope everyone is happy enough about you to forget how angry they are at me! *** Aran went to bed straight after lunch and didn't wake up until a few minutes before the party. Even though he slept in Solus' tower, he still felt beat. The celebration went without a hitch and the only sour note was that Aran had to wait until he was alone with Lith to talk about his future. "When can you teach me fusion and Spirit Magic?" He asked. "As soon as you recover." Lith replied. "Fusion magic won't take much. Our priority is Spirit Magic, lil bro. Until you learn the basics, I forbid you even to go to the bathroom without Onyx." "Why?" He asked in outrage, making his and Lith's glasses crack. "That's why." Lith used a quick Forgemastery spell to repair the glasses before someone noticed. "Spirit Magic doesn't need elements. Only mana and willpower. Without supervision, you could hurt or steal from people without even noticing" "What do you m-" Aran noticed a half-eaten bowl of ice cream floating in front of his face. "How is this possible?" "You saw it, you wanted it, and your mana did the rest." Lith handed the bowl back to its rightful owner. Still, congratulations, lil bro, I'm impressed." "Thank you, big bro." Aran smiled from ear to ear. "It's all thanks to your teachings. I-" "Shush! Not so loud and no mention of this with Mom or I'll be in trouble just like you. I'm supposed to be angry with you." Lith said, making Aran chuckle. "That said, I'm proud of you, lil bro. I didn't expect you would Awaken on your own so soon." *** "I didn't expect he would Awaken on his own." After the party, Leria bawled her eyes out in a pillow. "At least before me. I was supposed to be the first to Awaken!" Abominus stood in front of the bed in his Pyrmir form, waiting for her to calm down. It wasn't as bad as the first fit of crying right after lunch but it was still bad. The words were always the same but the feeling behind them had not waned one bit. "What's wrong with me, Abominus?" She sniffled. "I've worked so hard ever since Uncle Lith gave us our first lesson. I've never slacked off. I've always studied and respected magic. Why can't I do it? Why?" She rushed to him, hiding her face in his fur while she cried in desperation. "I'm smarter than Aran. I have two streaks in my hair while he has only one. Answer me, Abominus. What's wrong with me?" "I don't know." He replied calmly. "What. I know is that in all these years I haven't noticed a gap in talent between you two. The streaks are not the issue." "Can it be all my blood's fault?" Leria asked, her expression filled with fear and self-doubt. "Your blood?" The Pyrmir tilted his head in confusion. "It's like Aran says." Leria sighed. "I'm just a half-blood whereas he's a full Verhen. It must be the reason he could resonate with the Dragons at Grampa Valtak's funeral and figured out the 'water and the river' lesson before me. "No matter how much effort I put in, I can never compare to him." She started sobbing again. "I agree on the comparing" Abominus nodded. "Everything else is nonsense. This is not a matter of blood or your mother would have Awakened years ago." "Then what do you think is my issue?" She wiped her tears. "That you are comparing yourself to him." The Pyrmir replied. "It's stupid and pointless. What would you say to me if I whined because I'm not a Divine Beast? After all, I don't carry the blood of the Guardians and compared to a Divine Beast, I'll always be 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶 insignificant." "You are not insignificant!" Leria said in outrage. "You are barely a year older than me and have already evolved from a Ry into a new species. You stand here in front of me, Awakened, while many children of the Guardians are still true mages even after living for centuries or millennia!" "I agree with you but I still don't understand why you can't extend such reasoning to yourself." Abominus said. "You are just seven years old, Leria. Solus was stronger and already Awakened at your age, but Ripha Awakened her. "You can't take Lith as a reference more than you can take Elysia. They are one of a kind, just like Aran and you." "What do you mean?" Leria blew her nose in a handkerchief. "Leria, you use chore magic like a true mage. You learned Light Mastery on your own and your uncle will likely teach you Void and Creation Magic in the future. Do you realize how infuriated most mages on Mogar, even Awakened, would be if they heard you cry 'woe is me"?"