"No sweetie, he's gone." Lith shook his head. "Valtak had a long and happy life. Before dying, he asked me to send you his love and tell you he was happy meeting you."
It was a white lie and something the Father of Fire would have said, had he had the time and opportunity to give his final farewells.
Aran and Leria burst into tears, their mothers quickly wrapped them in an embrace and whispered reassuring words in their ears.
"It's okay, baby." Elina gently caressed Aran's hair. "It's nobody's fault. Valtak was just old."
"Don't cry, sweetie." Rena rocked Leria in her arms. "I explained to you why these things happen. Remember the old horse you liked so much? It's the same thing. He didn't suffer, it was just his time"
Of course, Rena omitted the part where the horse had been butchered and eaten for dinner. That was a story for an older and less impressionable Leria.
"You are young so you can't die, right Mom?" Leria asked amid sobs.
"Correct." Rena lied as sweetly as she could.
"Dad and Grandpa Zekell are young as well, right?"
"Of course." Rena nodded.
"Mom? Dad?" Aran asked. Suddenly being the youngest son of many older siblings sounded terrifying, "What about you?" freewebnøvel.com
"We are still in our prime, young man." Raaz patted his head. "As your mother said, it happens only to very old people."
Much to everyone surprise, Aran and Leria started crying harder. To the point that Elysia and the other babies in the crib joined them.
"Please, don't die, Grampa Leegaain!" They tackled the Guardian's legs, leaving him flabbergasted.
"I'm not going anywhere, your runts." At first, Leegaain was moved by their concern but soon he found it mighty annoying.
'Why are they tagging only me as an old coot?' He thought. 'Salaark is not that much younger than me and Tyris is even older!"
'Because I look as old as their mothers and act like their aunt, old lizard.' Salaark replied. 'You instead look as young as their fathers but act like a fossil. It's not the kids' fault if they fell for your grumpy old man act.'
"The next person who calls me old and is not a kid is going to get the beating of a lifetime! Tyris' telepathic roar brooked no doubt about how serious her threat was.
"Don't worry, Hatchlings, I have still a very long life ahead of me." Leegaain grabbed the
babies who were crawling and grabbing at his face. "Can't you see how healthy and vigorous I am?"
"But Grampa Valtak was your grandson too so you are even older than him! You are actually our ultra-super-grandfather." Aran pointed out.
"Great-great-grandfather." Leria corrected him. "And your hair is all white, Grampa Leegaain. Grampa Zekell only has a few white streaks so you must be also much older than him."
'I see.' The Father of All Dragons thought. 'Valtak is the only Divine Beast they know who died of old age so they assume I'm the oldest of the bunch. My silver hair makes it even worse, painting me as a decrepit elder in their eyes.'
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