The boy panted for air as the heavy noonval su upon his skin. He opened his mouth as the cup pressed against his lips, slurping the water down, some of it slipping down the ers of his mouth, down his , seeping against his clothing.

  “Is noonval still too hot for you, my Karot?” Gangak asked, brushing the boy’s long hair silver, before flig some water upon his head, wiping the boy’s face with more.

  “Hot,” the boy agreed, panting again, though he gave in to his nano, who wiped his face with a damp cloth tenderly.

  “Let us rest in the shade,” Gangak said, pig the boy up, not even looking back to see if his sisters were following, leading them out to the side, dropping down with Karot upon her p, the boy leaning against her bosom as his sisters eaestled against her side, their tails curling up around their feet.

  The four basked in the shade provided by the sturdy walls of the fort. The triplets rexed against their nano, their tails gently swaying from side to side.

  “This fort was made by the hands of Iyrmen,” Gangak said, brushing her hand through Kirot’s hair, rubbing her cheek. The girl pulled her head up, her i eyes staring intreataunt’s eyes. Gangak leaned in to nuzzle against her nose, before she pnted a kiss on her forehead. “It is not like the forts of the Aldish, which will fall away when the wind blows toly. Here, as within the Iyr, you will be safe.”

  “Daddy?”

  “Your father will be safe too, and so will your mother, within the walls of the Iyr. Even if the Great Elders… no matter who may threaten your father, we will tio protect him.”

  “Potec,” the girl firmed, reag up to clutch her nano’s colr, brushing it with a thumb.

  “Your father is a Nephew of the Rot family. Even if the Great Elders wished to deal with your father, they must ask the permission of the Family Head and Family Elder, your nana and nano. If they wished to deal with you… they ot.”

  “ot?”

  “ot,” Gangak assured, before reag over to pull Konarot closer, embrag her tight, allowing the girl to herself around her, like a piece of ft bread. Gangak held the back of the girl’s head, tig the girl’s skull. “Even if he wishes to keep you to himself, you are my greatchildren too.”

  “Nano?” Konarot asked.

  “Yes?”

  Konarot reached up to her horns with both hands. “Horns.”

  Gangak reached up to her own horn, rubbing along it. “Yes?”

  Konarot reached over to grab her greataunt’s horns. “Horns.”

  “Yes.”

  “You are red.”

  “Yes.”

  “I am not.”

  “You are not.”

  Konarot remained silent for a long while, holding the woman’s horns, though her eyes were glued to the woman’s tattoos. The scarlet x, the yellow tilted kites that emanated from them. The same tattoos that her grandaunts and granduncles wore, the same tattoo her aunt wore, the same aunt who remihe girl of her own hornless sister.

  “I like red,” Konarot said.

  Gangak inhaled deeply, before leaning in to blow against the girl’s stomach, causio squeal aloud, the girl dropping down, allowing her greataunt to pull her in closer. “My dear greatchildren, I ot love you more than I already do.”

  She allowed the triplets to pin her down so they could nap atop her, the old womaing out a gentle, satisfied sigh.

  There was another who was already starved of their attention, though he was focused on something else.

  Adam gasped for air, having held his breath wheepped through the portal. His entire body shuddered, a spsh of warm air striking him, and he gnced around towards the walls around him, which rose up and tilted inward, though the walls did not join together, allowing some of the sun light to beat down and spread the light throughout.

  “I feel like I shouldn’t know about this pce,” Adam said, his eyes falling onto the enting shrihis one slightly different than the shrines he was used to. Across one wall y a myriad of ons, of all manner of designs, in front of another wall y a mass of raw resources, in front of another a colle of various gems, each different type of gem cut in a particur way, though the same as its own kind, and finally, the st wall held a shut door.

  “If we did not wish for you to know, you would not know,” Sonarot assured, reag out to rub his arm gently. “The Iyr will leave any messages they have on the shrine, make sure you read them before you begin enting. Once you are done enting, ring the bell, wait a few moments, and thehe door to leave. Pce the mirror back where it inally was.”

  “Right…” ‘Bell?’ Adam gnced around trying to find the bell, only to find it right beside the door, exactly where it made logical sense, except he had somehow missed it the first time.

  “The Iyr will keep track of the debts you owe upon using the gems, and they will be repaid ohe on are sold, or through the business’ finances.”

  “Right, sure.”

  Sonarot smiled, bowing her head lightly. “Do you have any questions?”

  “Not really,” Adam said, staring at the raw materials and the ingots to one side. ‘These guys are really good at figuring out my abilities and how to use them best.’ “Do you have a moment?”

  “Yes.”

  “I just wao say…” Adam’s heart began to beat quicker. “ anyone else hear us?”

  “No.”

  “I had no idea I’d live this long in this life. When I was inally reinated, or reborn, or transmigrated, whatever, I… I sted about a year, I think. Less than a year? Now it’s been… almost five. I’ve done so mud so little. I still ’t progress too quickly, because of the… thing.” Adam raised his brows, and Sonarot bowed her head knowingly.

  “This life, though… it’s been the best. It’s all thanks to you, and Jurot, and everyone else. My children… I mean, I have children. In my first life, I…” Adam shrugged his shoulders. “Children? In that ey?” Adam’s ughter shook, not due to joy, but due to his nerves. “Truly, I’m filled with joy daily, and… I just wao say, thank you. For everything.”

  Sonarot reached up to hold Adam’s cheek, rubbing it tenderly. “You are the brother of my son and daughter, and the father of my grandchildren. You do not o thank me for taking the role I should.”

  “Yeah, well… like you said, you’re the grandmother of my children, so I’ve got to treat you this well at least.” Adam wondered if he should increase the President’s pay, havio realise he teically wasn’t paying her.

  Sonarot pulled the young man in for a tight hug, the young man taller than her, a, sometimes he was so much smaller. She rubbed the back of his head, brushing his hair tenderly.

  Adam’s heart beat harder, feeling the warmth of his Aunt’s body against his, her hands, soft and rough, like his wife’s, against the back of his head.

  “It fills me with joy, too,” the woman assured, whispering into Adam’s ear.

  Adam slowly nodded his head, allowio withdraw, a warm smile across her lips, before she finally turned a. She rang the bell, waited for a few seds, before she opehe door into what seemed to be sheer bess, and stepped into it, disappearing into the darkness.

  Adam remaianding for a long moment, allowing the warmth of his Aunt’s love fill him first, before he resolved himself. ‘I o work hard.’

  It was evening when Adam appeared ba the fort, his triplets rushing up to him as he stepped through the inner gate, the half elf embrag each child, before allowing them to climb atop him as he carried them to the rest of the figures. The smell of the evening’s meal filled his nostrils, though it was Jirot’s pints which filled his ears.

  “Daddy!”

  “Yes?” Adam replied, pg down his triplets.

  “Mummy is ing!”

  “What’s wrong, mummy?” Adam asked, before his brows furrowed. ‘It’s kinda weird calling her mummy. I’m not sure if I like it… or if I don’t?’

  Vonda smiled curiously towards her husband. “I have eaten so much already.”

  “Ah, well, if mummy has eaten too much, then you o make sure mummy is fortable?”

  “fable?”

  “Yeah, she o be rexed.”

  “Mummy, you are rexed?”

  “I am.”

  “Good,” Jirot said, reag out to pat her mother’s thigh gently. “Mummy, if you are hungry, you must say, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  Jirot raised her brows towards her mother, as though threatenio try and keep it to herself. “You undastand?”

  “I uand.”

  “Mummy, I tell you story,” little Jarot said, beaming up towards his mother. “Is daddy’s story. Daddy kill the dragon.”

  “Let’s not tell mummy about killing, shall we?” Adam replied, filling with a sudden rush of awkwardness.

  “No?” Jarot pouted. “I ot tell mummy?”

  ‘This kid! He’s too cute!’ “How about…” Adam gnced away, uo face his son when he outing so adorable. “Why don’t we make our own story? Let’s py Warriors and Wanderers!”

  Jarot gasped, smiling wide. “I py!”

  “I py too, daddy!” Jirot said.

  “Daddy…” Konarot stared up at her father expetly.

  “Of course, we all py!” Adam embraced his children, peppering them with kisses. “Let’s wait until daddy finishes eating.”

  “Daddy is pegnant?” Jirot asked.

  “No?”

  “Daddy, you do iing is for mummy.”

  “Jirot, even your father o eat.”

  Jirot blinked. “I feed you?”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay,” Jirot said, allowing her father to eat, assisting his father by telling him the names of the food, aing distracted by him feeding her parts of his own meal. “I ot, I ot, so much.” Jirot said, turning her head as she shook her hand to refuse the food, before she opened her mouth for more food.

  “Look at you! Such a character.” Adam pnted a firm kiss on her cheek, before allowio retreat to her mother.

  As Adam prepared for Warriors and Wanderers, he he looks he was getting from the other children. He spotted a particur child gng their way, and Adam motioned a hand. The girl gnced around, and upon spotting the ck of others around her, she rushed up towards him, standing awkwardly before the half elf.

  “Do you know who this is?” Adam asked.

  “Is Anne!” Jirot said, pointing at the girl accusatory.

  “That’s right. Whose kaka is she?”

  “Mister Nobby is kaka.”

  “Mister Nobby is her papa, that’s right,” Adam said, reag over to brush his daughter’s hair. “How do you know?”

  “I know, I know,” Jirot said, nodding her head.

  “Who told you?”

  “Um, I hear…” She looked around. “Is nano, nano tell me.”

  “Nano told you?”

  “Nano, and babo, and nana, and daddy, and mummy, and papo, and kako, and I tell it.”

  “Right, right, of course. I want you to treat her oo, okay?”

  “I always nice.”

  “That’s right.”

  “Mister Nobby is s, daddy, he first pce,” the girl said, holding up a finger.

  “Yeah, he is s, isn’t he?”

  “Daddy, you are not strong, you are third pce,” Jirot said, as though expining a fact. “Papo is strong, papo is first pce.”

  Adam blinked. He gnced aside towards Vonda, who held her smile behind her hand, her mischievous eyes staring into Adam’s with a curiosity. “Well, you know, daddy is strohan Nobby.”

  “Daddy is strong?” Jirot asked, turning her head, her eyes incredulous.

  “You! How you look at daddy like that! Isn’t daddy s?” Adam lifted her head, causing the girl to squeal and giggle.

  “My brother is strong…” Anne said, her voice low, the girl clutg at her dress, pouting.

  “That’s right, Nobby is strong too. After all, papo Jurot taught him a lot, didn’t he?” Adam blew a raspberry against his daughter’s neck, the girl squealing and cag, before Adam let her go, allowio retreat to her mother, climbing up her front. The girl moved roughly, but Vonda lifted her daughter up with one arm, shieldiomach with the other. “Carefully, dear, carefully, you smelly girl.”

  Adam let out a soft sigh, meeting Anne’s eyes for a moment. “Do you want to py Warriors and Waoo?”

  Anne nodded her head, her long hair boung as she did.

  Adam smiled, while the memories of her brother fshed in his mind. ‘Right, Nobby’s pretty scary too. He might not be an Iyrman, but he’s naturally strohan even Jurot. How a family have someone as monstrous as Nobby, but someone as adorable as Anne? I guess they’re both cute…’ Adam let out a near silent snort, doing his best not to ugh.

  “Anne,” Adam called.

  “Yes?”

  “If anyone bullies you, make sure you tell me, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “You’re Nobby’s sister, and that gives you special privileges in the business. Nobby was one of our first workers, and he works more for me than the business, so if you need anything, let me knht, weren’t you… I’ll ask after we py the game.”

  “Okay?” Anne replied, unsure of what Adam was talking about, but that retty normal.

  Adam reached into his poud slipped it into the girl’s hand, winking at her. “Whose gold is this?”

  “Mine?”

  “ your parents take it?”

  The girl shook her head. “It’s mine.”

  “That’s right.” Adam chuckled lightly.

  “Daddy! I want gold too!” Jirot called out, holding out her hand. “Give!”

  “Give, what?”

  “Gold!”

  “What’s the magic word?”

  “Fyahball!”

  I'm so gd that everyone is so safe and sound and that it's all so wholesome. They are my favourite chapters to write.

  Quiote! Once Y04 ends, I'll be taking a week off, and I'll be taking a week off every 50 chapters too, but for this year I won't.

  Also, because my chapters will be ~100 chapters from now on, I might o post up every few days instead of every single day if a year is particurly long. I see a case when chapters may bee 5000 - 10000 words if a year is particurly crazy with tons of different plot points verging together. Hopefully they don't, because that's a lot of writing...