2908 The Outsider (Part 2)
'I Awakened by myself so everything that came from that counts as the fruit of my hard work.'
They walked slowly to the Palace, with Lith describing the family-
friendly parts of the trip to Jiera and showing holograms of the majestic sea creatures. Aran and Leria gaped when he put a scaled-
down version of Raaz near the magical beasts, emphasizing their size compared to an adult human.
Aside from that and the welcoming party of the merfolk, there wasn't much that could interest them.
Aran and Leria had already met elves at the Gala for Lith's birthday and they often played with the reverted orc, Br'ey the Svartalf, every time Rena invited her to the Verhen Manor.
"Give these little rascals to me. You can use some rest." Once they arrived home, Elina took Valeron and Elysia out of the children's arms and put them in the same playpen as Surin and Shargein.
The Wyrmling had already reached the size of a magical beast but he was less than a year old and eager to play. Elysia greeted her aunt with joyous chirping but sadly, Surin had already forgotten about her and Valeron.
"Ba!" Elysia said in outrage while Valeron just crawled to Surin and grabbed her hand.
She was still alive and well and that was enough for him.
Shargein stood in the middle of the conflict, licking Elysia to calm her down.
"Ba! Ba!" She shapeshifted into her Tiamat form, touching the Wyrmling to express how hurt and offended she felt.
Shargein was warm and his small scales soft to the touch. Elysia fell asleep without even noticing and the others soon followed suit.
The real conversation had to wait until after dinner, when fatigue and a full belly knocked Aran and Leria cold. Tista asked Bodya's permission to share his part of the story and he agreed.
'If we break up, her parents deserve to know why. If we don't, I would still need to explain to them the reason I cut my family from my life.' He sighed.
Everyone was shocked at the sight of how Jiera had become and how even powerful creatures like the Nidhoggs had been driven into a corner. When people heard about establishing colonies across the ocean, they always pictured Jiera as a fertile but abandoned land.
What the Verhens witnessed, instead, was a death trap.
"I'm sorry for you, Bodya." Raaz said. "That Forrn is unworthy of the title of patriarch. They should have welcomed you with open arms and supported you while you grieved your friend. Not exploit his death for their agenda."
The part with Thaymos and the Black Tide was even worse. Not only did Lith's parents realize what their children had fought against but they were also scared that the Royals might send them to Jiera again.
"If Vothal contacts you again, please thank him for me." Elina said. "I know that your stepfather put himself at risk solely for you, but his actions saved my children as well. Your father is a good... Nidhogg, Bodya. You can be proud of him."
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