WIEDERGEBURT Act VII: Chapter 19

Lin couldn’t sleep. She tried. But she just couldn’t. Even the comforting embrace of her husband and being in the presence of her big sister could not help her fall asleep. She just had so many questions. Who were Chloe and Tora? What were they to Darling? He said Chloe was his maid when he was on Gudeverdenen, but Tora was apparently something more than that.

It bothered Lin that she didn’t know everything about her husband’s time in that other realm.

Upon realizing that she would not be going to sleep any time soon, Lin sighed and sat up. She stared down at her husband, eyes closed as he slept on, and wondered if he was dreaming about her before she crawled out of bed.

Lin took a look at herself before wandering over to the dresser and grabbing the first article of clothing she could find. It was a simple button up shirt—one of Darling’s—and she put it on to cover her naked body. The shirt was just big enough to hide her naughty bits from view. Now somewhat decent, Lin left the room and wandered into the kitchen, where she got herself a glass of water.

“Ahhhh.”

Lin sighed after taking a long drink from her cup. These faucets that spouted water were such a marvel invention. Before coming to the Northern Plain, she had never known such wondrous technology existed. The thought occurred to her more than once that this technology would be incredibly useful to the Lamia of the Endless Desert.

Not that it would help anymore.

A frown creased her brow as she set the cup down and lamented their situation—one that was grave enough to threaten all nine realms, according to Darling and Big Sister. That such threats could exist was shocking. However, now that she had fought against a Sekbeist Lord for herself, Lin understood that everything they had told her was true.

The door suddenly opened and someone walked into the kitchen, causing Lin to turn around. Lin and Tora stared at each other for several seconds. Then Lin turned away.

“Oh, it’s just you.”

“The fuck do you mean it’s ‘just me?’ You picking a fight?!”

“The only one picking a fight here is you. This princess is above such things.”

“The fuck you are!”

Lin really did not like Tora. Not one bit. This woman was rude, crass, and wanted to steal Darling away from her. The first thing Tora did when they met was to call her “creepy.” That really stung. It had been a long time since Lin had actually felt hurt by someone else’s words.

“Whatever. This princess has nothing to say to you. Good night.”

Because she didn’t want to remain in this woman’s presence any longer, Lin made to leave, but Tora stopped her before she could go far.

“Ah! H-hold on a second!”

“What?”

Lin turned back around to glare at Tora, who suddenly didn’t look so sure of herself. She furrowed her brow as the woman looked away. Just what did she want? Lin thumped her tail against the ground and crossed her arms as she impatiently waited for the woman to say something, but the woman said nothing.

“If you’ve got nothing to say, then this princess is going to bed.”

“J-just hold the fuck on for a second! I do have something to say! Just… give me a moment to say it!”

“Then hurry it up. This princess would like to get some sleep.”

“Grrrr!” Tora clenched her hands into fists before, reluctantly, lowering her head toward Lin. “I… that is… I would like your blessing to marry Eryk!”

Lin actually needed a moment to respond. She wondered if maybe she heard wrong, but no. Lin’s hearing was not so bad that she would mishear what someone said. She just wished she had.

“Ha! In your dreams,” Lin said with a hiss, her fists shaking as she curled them into firsts. “After all the rude things you said to this princess, there’s no way she will ever let you marry Darling.”

“Oh, get off your fucking—” The woman began, only to pause. Her face scrunched up before she took a deep breath, sighed, and began again. “Look, I apologize for fuc—um, for saying all that stuff. I was just surprised. We don’t have Lamia where I live. Will you please give me your blessing to marry Eryk?”

Lin was in a conundrum. If she was being honest, she had no real desire to let this woman get anywhere near her husband. She wasn’t quite sure why. Lin would not be against it if Alexis, Erica, or any one of the Battling Valkyrie girls married Darling, but the idea of this woman marrying him rubbed her the wrong way. At the same time, it was easy to see how difficult saying all that was for Tora. She must have worked up all her self-restraint to say all that without saying “fuck” even once.

“This princess… she will think about it,” Lin said at last. Tora opened her mouth, but Lin cut her off. “This princess can’t promise anything more. She doesn’t know anything about you. What’s more, you just barged in here and began swearing at this princess and calling her ‘creepy.’ You can’t expect this princes to accept you just like that.”

“Urk. Yeah. I guess not…”

Tora looked away and grabbed her left arm in a gesture that was very familiar to Lin. It was something she herself did when she felt self-conscious. Ugh. Perhaps the reason she didn’t like this woman was because she vaguely reminded Lin of herself—a version of herself who swore way too much. Yeah. That might be it.

Lin left the woman in the kitchen and made her way back up to her bedroom, though she didn’t crawl back into bed. She was too wired after that conversation. Instead, Lin made her way onto the balcony, placed her hands against the railing, and looked at the stars and two moons. The dark red of the left moon contrasted with the blue of the right, creating a clash of colors that was quite pretty if not a bit ominous.

She felt the presence of someone else but didn’t turn around. Big Sister soon walked up to her side.

“Can’t sleep?” she asked.

Lin shook her head. “This princess… has too much on her mind.”

“Is it because of the argument you had downstairs?” Big Sister asked.

“You heard that?” asked Lin, shocked.

Big Sister wore a mischievous smile. “I woke up when you got out of bed, so of course I followed you and heard the argument you two had.” Lin felt a little embarrassed, but wrapped Big Sister wrapped an arm around Lin’s shoulder. “I’m very proud of how you handled yourself. Even though Tora rubs you the wrong way, you were able to calm down and consider her request rationally.”

“This princess wishes she could just be petulant. She doesn’t like Tora,” Lin muttered.

“Because she reminds you of yourself?” asked Big Sister.

“A little,” Lin admitted, then sighed. “But also, it’s because she doesn’t have a bond with us. You, Fay, and Siv all share a powerful bond with this princess. We overcame so many hardships together. This princess isn’t just talking about the many battles we fought side by side. She’s talking about how we lived together as a family, how we shared a house, how we laughed, cried, and argued together. Sometimes we would disagree, but those disagreements made our bonds stronger. This princess doesn’t have any of that with Tora.”

“And now you feel threatened,” Kari said.

Lin huffed. “This princess would prefer it if you called it territorial.”

Lin understood that she was the “youngest” of their family. Even Siv, who was the smallest among them, was not considered the younger sister because she didn’t act like one. Lin was petulant, haughty, indulgent, and naive. She knew that about herself, but she didn’t mind because Big Sister, Siv, Fay, and Darling all accepted and loved that about her. Tora was like her in some ways. That made her feel threatened. What if, upon marrying Darling, Tora became the new little sister of their family? She didn’t want that.

“No matter who else marries Eryk, you will always be my younger sister and Eryk’s princess. You know that, right?” asked Big Sister.

Lin’s tail thumped against the ground and her ears began wiggling. They were completely involuntary actions.

“This princess did know that… but she forgot.” Lin leaned into Kari so the woman could embrace her better. “Thank you, Big Sister.”

“Mmhmm. You’re welcome,” Kari said.

They remained outside for a few moments longer before Kari led Lin back to bed.

***

Dawn was still breaking when I woke up early the next morning with Lin, Siv, and Kari. Fay was still out gathering alchemy ingredients, which disappointed me a little. We were going to see my aunt today. I would have liked it if she could come, but Chloe and Tora showing up hadn’t been in my plans.

“Big Sister, can you help this princess put on her jewelry?”

“Sure, but can I ask why you are wearing jewelry? You don’t usually do so.”

“We’re going to see Darling’s aunt, right? This princess has to look her best!”

“Mmm. That’s a good idea. Maybe I should wear some jewelry too.”

“This princess will pick out something that will suit you perfectly!”

We were in the middle of getting dressed. Lin was already decked out in her sarong and crosscrossing red shirt. The way her shirt revealed her stomach and breasts as the fabric went over her back and front to form an X-pattern never failed to attract my attention. At the moment, Kari, who was only dressed in stockings and panties, was helping Lin put on a golden hand bracelet. It went around her wrist, but there was an extra gold cord that traveled up and hooked around her middle finger. Jewels studded the chains.

“Eryk, can you help me?” Siv asked as she struggled to put on her armor.

I smiled and walked over to the petite woman. “Of course.”

Siv was already wearing her basic clothes—a white dress that matched her pure white skin and black stockings that created an incredible contrast to both. The dress was backless to give her wings freedom. Her tail was sticking out from the bottom of the dress. It looked like she was having trouble putting on the greaves, chestplate, and pleats.

“Sit down,” I said.

Siv sat on the bed, and I asked her to extend a foot. The stockings Siv wore did not have covering for the toes or heel, meaning her tiny toes and sole were visible. I took her delicate foot in my hand, then placed the greaves against her stocking-clad shin, latched it using the buckles on the back, and pulled them tight until her greaves conformed snugly to her small calf. I did the same with both feet.

“Stand up,” I said.

I grabbed the pleats as she stood up. They would more accurately be called an armored skirt. Made from numerous small but durable segments of prismatic dragon scales, the pleats were both durable and flexible. I wrapped them around her waist, clasped them with the buckle at the front, and then helped Siv put on her chestplate.

The chestplate was something the Valkyries used, but it had been heavily modified to accommodate for Siv’s wings. I had to loop the leather cords keeping the plate armor together around her back and connect it to the back plate, which was much smaller than the front one. Saying that, it wasn’t like the chestplate was very large to begin with. It only covered her small chest.

“All right. You’re all set,” I said.

“Thank you.” Siv leaned up on her toes, placed her hands against my chest, and pressed our lips together in a short kiss.

“You’re welcome,” I said.

“How envious.”

“Do you want a kiss too, Lin?”

“Not with you, Big Sister! Hey! Wait! Get your face away from this princess’s lips!”

“Stop teasing Lin, Kari,” I said.

“Okay. I’ll stop… for now,” Kari said with a giggle.

Lin shuddered from her head to her tail as she slithered over to me like I would protect her from Kari’s merciless teasing, but Kari didn’t bother her anymore and instead finished getting dressed. She had me help with her breast bindings, then put on her blue and white blouse, chestplate, boots, and greaves. Her armor was very similar to Siv’s, though it lacked the heavy modifications.

Like that, we were ready to go.

“Master? Are you and your wives ready?” And it looked like we were right on time too.

“We’re ready,” I called.

The door opened to reveal Chloe standing on the other side. She looked at all of us and smiling, she clasped her hands and bowed her head.

“Since all of you are ready, let us please be off.”

“Right. We need to speak with Queen Medusa and King Menes before leaving though.”

“Of course, Master.”

Our group was joined near the entrance by Tora, who barely said two words in greeting. I wondered at her grunting responses. However, I didn’t focus on it for long. Whatever her problem was, she would have to figure it out for herself.

We left the mayor’s residence and made our way to where Queen Medusa was staying. The queen of the Lamia had chosen a building that was eerily reminiscent to a temple. I think I remember it was a hotel at one point. It still possessed the same flat roof as all the other buildings, but there was an overhang with serpentine statues situated at the four corners. Stones had been used to build most of the building. A pair of columns stood situated on either side of the entrance.

“Momma! We’re here!” Lin called out.

Queen Medusa was lounging on a bed of pillows when we arrived. I felt sweat trickle down my scalp when I noticed she was being fed grapes by an enamored human male. He had fair skin and brown hair, so I assumed he was from the Northern Plains or maybe Nevaria. I would have said something about such a gratuitous display, but I didn’t think I had the right, and the man seemed to be enjoying his task.

“Daughter. Eryk. Kari. Siv. And… this queen does not believe she knows you two.” Queen Medusa narrowed her eyes at Chloe and Tora.

While Tora gulped under this woman’s impressive stare, Chloe merely smiled as she stepped forward, grabbed the hem of her pleated skirt, and offered the Lamia queen a textbook curtsy.

“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Queen Medusa. My name is Chloe. I am Master Eryk’s servant and a member of the God Race. I came here with Lady Fray and Master Eryk to aid you in battling against the Sekbeist.”

Queen Medusa straightened at this news and peered at both Chloe and Tora much more closely. Her tail rattled a little. I guessed she had finally realized these two women were much stronger than she was.

“So this queen sees. It is a pleasure to meet you both.” She offered them respect I didn’t think she’d offer anyone else, but then she immediately turned to me. “This queen assumes you are here for a reason, and that reason has something to do with this two.”

“Yes.” I nodded. “My aunt has stationed herself in the Misty Mountain Range with the dragons. She cannot leave there for reasons, so we have decided to take a quick trip there ourselves. We should be back within a day. However, I’m leaving you and King Menes in charge while we’re gone.”

Queen Medusa made a sour face. “This queen does not like that man very much.”

“King Menes? Why?” I asked.

The frown that appeared on Queen Medusa’s face was deep. “This queen did not notice it when our lives were in danger… but she has recently gotten the sense that he is discontent with his position. He has seen frequenting a bar lately and there have been rumors that he has been drunkenly raving about his fall from power.”

I had heard similar rumors before, but I always dismissed them because I didn’t have time for it.

“Even if he is getting drunk and complaining, I’m not sure it matters. He can’t do anything,” I said. “Besides, he is good at upholding and implementing new policies, so you can use him to do all the heavy lifting and just supervise. I need you two to watch after things while we’re gone.”

“Very well,” Queen Medusa sighed, then waved her hand. “This queen shall do as you ask.”

“Thank you.”

“Goodbye, Momma!”

Queen Medusa waved at her daughter as we left. Our next task after speaking with our resident queen was talking to King Menes. We informed him of the same thing we did Queen Medusa. While Lin’s mother had said that King Menes was discontent with the position and getting drunk, I did not get that sense when I spoke to him. He nodded several times, then smiled and informed us that he would do as asked. It was possible that he was hiding his discontent. But if that was the case, then one of us would have been able to tell.

In either event, we had finished speaking to the pair, and they would inform Alexis and Ashten of what was happening should those two arrive back in Vahn before we returned. It was time to leave.

We traveled outside of the city limits and walked until we reached a large clearing. The knee-high grass swayed around us. I turned to Chloe, who was looking at the place and nodding with a satisfied expression.

“How are we getting to the Misty Mountain Range?” I asked.

“By creating a gate. How else?”

Chloe waved her hand, and I could sense the way space distorted in front of her. White cracks began appearing in the air before they all coalesced together and took the shape of an archway. On the other side of the archway was the image of a forest with a few sparse trees, scorched ground, and what looked like battle damage. This gate was a lot more sophisticated than what Siv could currently do with the Concept of Space.

“Okay, everyone. Please follow me through the gate. Master, you stay right behind me,” Chloe said as she stepped into the air.

We followed Chloe through the gate. I was shocked to realize that I couldn’t feel anything as we passed the gate, which perhaps stood as testament to her mastery over the Concept of Space. The moment we walked through to the other side, the air became chilly and brisk, far different from the warm climate around Vahn. There was also a change in the atmosphere. I could no longer hear any sounds like those of the birds or the swaying of grass. The complete and utter difference between Vahn and this new location caused my wives to release shocked exclamations.

“Is this what someone can do when they’ve attained mastery over space?” asked Siv.

“Indeed it is,” Chloe said with a fond smile. “Do not worry, Lady Siv. I am sure you will be able to do this soon.”

Siv smiled and nodded but didn’t say anything. A quiet confidence exuded from her.

“Let’s hurry the fuck up,” Tora complained.

“Yes. Let’s get going. Lady Fray is eagerly awaiting you all,” Chloe agreed. “We are outside the barrier right now, so please be careful.”

It had been a long time since I visited the Misty Mountain Range, and it looked a lot different than I remember, though I would say the biggest difference was the destruction wrought upon the environment. Several large craters dotted the landscape. Massive swaths of trees had been destroyed. While some sections of the forest looked untouched, others looked like they had been demolished by fire.

We didn’t run into any enemies, which shocked me enough to ask about it.

“We recently had a battle against the Sekbeist,” Chloe admitted. “Three Lords attacked us, but they were unable to penetrate Lady Fray’s barrier and lost too many of their forces to sustain an assault. They’ve currently relocated fifty kilometers away. I imagine they are watching us even now, but they won’t do anything yet because they cannot afford to renew hostilities.”

It took a little less than half an hour to reach a section of the forest that appeared completely pristine. I blinked as something surrounded me. It felt like an electric field, like something was sending static over my hair and clothes. Chloe must have noticed our expressions because she explained what we just experienced.

“That was the barrier. It allows any of the races born from our world to pass through, but it doesn’t allow Sekbeist. What you felt was the barrier.”

“Ah. Okay,” I muttered.

Now that we had passed the barrier, the world around us became the forest I remembered from the last time I visited. There was no destruction here. I looked at the canopy, which contained a mixture of red and orange leaves. Bird song rang through the air.

“We are just about there,” Chloe informed us.

We all looked toward the front as we emerged from a clearing and discovered a village. I blinked several times in surprise. It was indeed a village. There were a large number of buildings interspersed throughout the clearing and surrounding mountains. People walked between buildings or returned from the forest. Some of them I recognized as the Valkyries, but there were also a lot of humans.

This had not been around the last time I was here.

Humans and Guddomelig were not the only beings present. A shadow passed over my head, and I looked up to see a giant dragon with glistening green scales fly past us. Several other dragons were located around the village. That did not surprise me since this was the dragons home, but I was surprised to see some dragons and humans conversing with ease.

“Hey,” Kari muttered after a moment. “Is that… Erica?!”

I looked at where she was pointing and found a woman with long locks of raven hair and purple eyes. She was wearing a simple dress of all things. The dress went down to her ankles and was a deep purple color. It was a very modest outfit that didn’t show off her most powerful assets—her chest—but while her clothing was different, I definitely recognized her.

I wasn’t sure what shocked me more: That she wasn’t wearing her Battling Valkyrie attire, or the presence of the little girl whose hand she was holding.

“Erica! Erica!” Kari shouted as she waved an arm through the air.

Erica looked up when she heard her name called, turned, and locked eyes with us. Her own eyes widened before a broad smile appeared on her face. She looked down at the little girl, smiled, said something, and then led the little girl over to our group.

“Kari! Eryk! Siv! I’m so glad to see you’re all safe!” Erica said as she stopped in front of us. I had been expecting a hug, but instead she kept a firm grip on the little girl’s hand. “You two had me worried to death. If it wasn’t for Lady Fray telling me that you two were alive and well… I might still think you were dead. You will have to tell me what you have been up to since disappearing some time.”

“Of course we will,” Kari said with a bright smile. “By the way, who is that girl? Is she your daughter?”

“That’s right.” Erica gained a soft smile as she looked at the little girl, who was simply staring at our group like we were curiosities.

She really did look a lot like her mom. Her hair was a dark black like raven’s feathers and her eyes were a deep purple. Some of her features were not the same as Erica’s, which I thought might come from her father’s side, but it was easy to see the family resemblance between them.

“Mommy? Who are these people?” asked the girl before her eyes landed on Lin. “Ah! Aunt Lin!”

All of watched in shock as the girl let go of Erica and raced toward Lin, who was grinning as she scooped the girl into her arms.

“How have you been, little Gizzel? Have you been good for your mom?”

“Of course,” the little girl said as she proudly puffed out her chest. “I’m always good for Mommy. Right, Mommy?”

“Of course you are,” Erica said with a soft smile.

I had no idea what was going on here, but I would confess that I was very shocked. Erica had a child. A daughter even. In my previous life, Erica also had a child with someone, but she’d had a son back then. Now it was a daugher, and I couldn’t help but wonder who she had this child with.

“You can all catch up with Erica soon enough,” Chloe said to us before we could really begin speaking. “Lady Fray is waiting. I believe you should see her first before doing anything else.”

“Yes. You’re right.” Kari smiled apologetically at Erica. “We’ll talk later. I’ll tell you all about what happened to us.”

“I’ll be waiting,” Erica said with her own smile before she held out her hand. “Gizzel, let’s go. Daddy will be back soon. We should be home to greet him.”

“Okay!” Gizzel hopped out of Lin’s arms, raced back over to her mother, and took Erica’s hand. She looked back at us as the two began walking off. “Bye, bye, Aunt Lin!”

“Bye!” Lin waved back.

We watched as Erica disappeared within the crowd surrounding the village.

“I’m so glad to see that Erica is safe,” Kari said.

“Me too,” I said.

“I wonder who she had her daughter with?” Kari questioned.

“Probably Tungsten,” I guessed.

Since we were still here for a reason—to meet with my aunt—Chloe and Tora led us into the village. Several people glanced our way. A few of the Valkyries I recognized gasped in recognition and waved at me. I waved back, but I mostly focused on following Chloe as she lead us toward a building in the far back of the village.

This building was set against Westfang Mountain. At two-stories in height, it looked like a very simple domicile. There were no embellishments, and I got the sense that it had been built very recently. The gabled roof was made with light beige shingles. Next to the house was the large cavern entrance where Feuer and I had our first real conversation.

Chloe knocked on the door to announce herself before opening it.

“Lady Fray? I am home.”

“Welcome home. I hope your mission bore fruit—oh my.”

We filed in behind Chloe, myself, Kari, Siv, Lin, and Tora. Fray’s eyes watered when she caught sight of me. She raised a trembling hand to her mouth. Then she took a single stumbling step forward before closing the distance between us in a split second. If I didn’t know any better, I would have said she’d manipulated time to do so. The woman was hugging me before I could even say hello. I only felt a little awkward as she buried her face into my chest.

“Eryk… I am so glad you’re safe and sound,” she said with a shuddering breath. “You don’t know… how worried I was when I realized you hadn’t made it safely through the gate with us. I was worried you might have been ripped apart by the barrier.”

I got over my own awkwardness and rubbed Fray’s back. “Sorry for worrying you. As you can see, I’m in perfectly good health.”

I let the woman cry against me for a moment. I think she needed it. This woman had traveled to a closed off realm with nothing but her Valkyries, me, and my wives. She had us use a dangerous method, and when she arrived at our destination, I had not been there. If our positions had been reversed, I might have felt the same way she did.

“Ahem,” Lin coughed into her hand.

With a sheepish grin, I broke away from Fray, holding her at shoulders length. She stared at me with a dissatisfied pout. It was odd seeing a woman as old as Fray pout like this, but I couldn’t lie and say it wasn’t cute either.

“Fray, I would like to introduce you to another of my wives.” I gestured toward Lin as she slithered forward. “This is Lin. She is a Lamia from the Endless Desert.”

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance!” Lin said with a bow. “This princess is very pleased to meet you!”

“Oh, how polite. It’s nice to meet you too, Lin. I am happy to finally meet… you…?” Everyone became concerned when Fray trailed off and stared hard at Lin, who must have believed she’d done or said something wrong. She shivered under the woman’s gaze. I was about to say something, but Fray spoke before I could. “You… have you touched the Concept of Negation?”

Chloe and Tora both snapped their heads toward Lin, who now looked very self-conscious. She normally would have proudly proclaimed that she had. I think she understood that saying she knew how to use the Concept of Negation might not be a good thing.

“I hope that isn’t a problem.” I stepped forward and grabbed Lin’s hand. The Lamia princess looked at me, then gripped my hand tighter.

“I do not have a problem with it… but I cannot say the same for everyone else,” Fray said with a sigh. She tugged on her bangs for a second, then smiled in resignation. “I’ll have to ask that you keep this a secret if you can. Don’t let anyone know you can use the Concept of Negation. The results of what would happen if anyone else found out could be… dire.”

Lin gulped. “This princess… will keep that in mind.”

“Good.” The serious expression shifted back into a gentle smile. “That said, I am very happy to finally meet you. Eryk has told me so much about you.”

“He has?”

“Oh, yes.” Fray’s smile broadened. “He’s told me all kinds of stories about you. But mostly, he talked about how much he missed you.” While Lin’s face became beet red with embarrassment, Fray looked around for a second before turning to me once more. “Where is your fourth wife? Fay, wasn’t it?”

“Fay is currently gathering alchemy ingredients. I don’t know when she will be back. Howver, I will make sure to bring her for a visit once she returns to Vahn,” I assured my aunt.

“That will work, I guess,” Fray said, then she clapped her hands. “Anyway, all of you, please come in. Sit down with me and let us share stories of what we have been doing since arriving on Miðgarðr.”

***

We spent several hours sitting on several couches and discussing what we had been up to. Kari, Lin, Siv, and I traded off telling her about all the things we had been doing. During this time, Chloe went into the kitchen and prepared us some tea while Tora sat in stony silence on a chair. She looked conflicted somehow.

“It sounds like you have all been through a lot,” Fray said as she brought the teacup in her hands to her lips. She took a delicate sip, sighed, and set the cup back on the coffee table that our couches were surrounding. “That said, I am impressed by everything you have managed to accomplish since coming here. Killing one of the Zehn Todesharr is a difficult feat. Only Tor has been able to accomplish it. He killed the previous tenth member in single combat, but he almost died doing so.”

“And what about you?” I asked. “What happened with you and the others after arriving on Miðgarðr?”

I was sitting on a couch between Kari and Lin. While Kari was partaking in a danish, Lin was just sitting with her head on my shoulder. She would occasionally pluck a danish from the table and eat it, but she seemed to be mostly listening now. Siv was sitting beside Kari, her wings folded, tail trailing off the edge.

“We managed to make it to our destination… but the city we found ourselves in was already in ruins,” Fray began, brow furrowing. “We discovered the Sekbeist were chasing the humans, so we knew we had to move quickly. Our group was able to catch up with an army of Sekbeists led by Leblos, Gorrick, and Wutend. We pushed back the Sekbeists and saved the fleeing humans, then brought them here. The dragons were already under attack by Macht and were on the verge of their temple being overtaken. After we forced Macht to retreat, I created this barrier to keep them out. Sadly, now I cannot leave the barrier or it will deactivate.”

One thing I noticed during Fray’s retelling was how Tora stiffened when she mentioned Gorrick. The normally crass woman clenched her hands into fists and gritted her teeth hard. I would have to ask her about this soon, though now was not the time.

I lifted the tea to my lips and took a sip, enjoying the warm fragrance and mild taste. This tea was very familiar to me. I didn’t know why though.

“I’m just glad all of you survived and were able to save the people of Midgard,” I admitted.

Meanwhile, Kari was frowning at her teacup. “Excuse me.” She finally looked up. “May I ask where your tea leaves came from?”

Fray held a hand to her lips, hiding her smile. “I was wondering when you would ask me about that. They came from the personal garden of a man you should know quite well. His name is Valence.”

“My father is here?!” Kari lost her composure and leapt to her feet. “Where?! Where is he now?!”

Fray held up a hand to calm the girl down. “Please relax. Your father is safe. He is on patrol right now with the rest of your family.”

“T-the rest of my family? Then… you mean…” Kari trailed off like she couldn’t finish her sentence for fear that it would become untrue.

“Yes.” Fray slowly nodded. “Hilda, Dante, Reiner, Mykkel, and Geirfolf are all here. Aside from Geirolf and Mykkel, the rest of your family is living with me. Like I said, they are currently on patrol with some of the others. We have to send out scouts regularly to make sure we are aware of the Sekbeist’s movements at all times. They should return by tonight, so you can wait here to greet them if you’d like.” She paused, her eyes lighting up. “Feinrea and Stelys Valstine are also here. When your last wife comes to visit, please be sure to see them.”

“Will do,” I said.

“Eryk?” Kari turned to me.

I scratched the back of my head and smiled. “I won’t be able to stay that long, but feel free to stay here for the day. You can return to Vahn tomorrow if you want. Or you can even stay for a few days.”

“Tha-thank you,” Kari said in a choked voice.

As Kari trembled with emotion at learning her family was alive, I did the only thing I could do and reassuringly placed my hand over Kari’s.