Chương 1116: [1048] - Y05.048 - Small Hopes

When the first rays fell across the Iyr, Elder Zijin made his rounds. He made a detour that day, as he had done the previous morning, making his way to the watermills of the Iyr. There were many which were worked this morning, in the early shift of Iyrmen. He stepped up to one he had requisitioned, for this mill did not work paper or grain, but berries.

Zijin noted the eyes of the nearby Iyrmen, the Elder pouring the milk into the pot, his eyes glancing aside to see the Iyrmen within the other mills glancing his way. Once the pot was full of milk, the Elder tied the skin over the lid, taking a moment to judge their gazes.

"The boy drinks," Zijin said, turning as the Iyrmen each puffed out their chests, in the way only Iyrmen could.

"Of course he drinks, since I cleaned the mill well," an Iyrman said.

"Of course he drinks, since I checked the wheel," another stated.

"Of course he drinks, since I drain the milk," a third said. The Iyrmen nearby, spurred by the news of the child drinking well, worked with their heart that morning. Though the Iyrmen's joy was quiet, it was focused, and though they had been tasked with providing only a certain amount of pulp, paper, and wheat, the Iyrmen annoyed the Elders and their aides by filling more crates and sacks than expected. Thankfully, they were assisting in plugging the hole created by the lack of one of their mills.

Once that particular mill was used, it was cleaned, and the Iyrmen, tasked with grinding the berries into milk, were sent home. The other Iyrmen nearby kept an eye on the mill, making sure no one else used it, or even approached it without permission. It had been used to mill wheat, but had been quickly cleaned out to grind the magical berries, and only the magical berries, until the crisis was averted.

Zijin brought the pot to the shared estate, ruffling little Jarot's hair gently, feeling how thick it was within his hand. He then ran his fingers through Konarot's hair, feeling the difference against his skin, the girl's hair so thin in comparison, but also a touch heavier.

"I will request for a pot of shampoo for little Jirot and Jarot, since their hair is similar to my own."

"Thank you," Adam replied.

"Jirot, Jarot, what do we say?"

"Thank you," the twins said, hiding themselves against their father's chest. Zijin smiled warmly, stepped out of the Iyr, allowing the rage to flash through him for a moment, before he returned back to the central estate to deal with his typical matters.

"How about we all go on a little picnic today at the park?" Adam asked, reaching over to pinch his son's nose, smiling down at the boy.

"Picnic?" Little Jarot asked.

"It'll be mummy, daddy, and all of our adorable little babies, except Virot."

"Why not Virot?" Jirot asked, tilting her head, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Daddy wants to tell you all secrets, and Virot, she's always babbling away about this and that, and she's a little young to understand what I want to tell you."

"Virot is so smart," Jirot stated, raising her brows expectantly to her father, though not in the way she used to, when she dared him to deny her words.

"I know, I know, but she's still a baby." Adam leaned down to nuzzle against his daughter's cheek. Adam smiled slightly.

"Of course she's so smart, since she's your sister." Jirot hid her face into her father's chest, the girl giggling against it, and her father pulled her even closer. Adam felt the warmth of her body against his own, but the chill seeped further into his heart. As they finished their breakfast, Adam sat to one side, holding onto Virot. Vonda sat beside him, the side of her boot pressed against his.

"Boobooboo," Virot babbled.

"Yeah," Adam replied.

"Kekeke!" Virot squealed with delight, before reaching up to explore her father's jaw with her fingers, poking and prodding at his face.

"Are you certain you wish to tell them?" Vonda asked, reaching out to hold her daughter's hand, distracting her for a moment. The girl smiled and squealed with greater delight, reaching out for her mother, though Adam lifted her up and blew raspberries into her neck, the girl squealing even louder.

"I think it's time to tell them. It might help them sleep better." Adam swallowed. It had taken a toll on the twins, Jirot, with her nightmares, and Jarot, who did not wish to eat. If he could soothe them even slightly, though perhaps he'd regret telling them, it would have been difficult for them to fall even deeper into despair. Adam swallowed again, feeling how tight his throat had become. He had already understood why Jirot was having such nightmares. He still wasn't sure what had happened exactly.

How was it that his children had been killed? What was the situation that led to their deaths? Adam glanced aside, a sickness filling his body, and he pushed away the thought. A wetness fell against his neck as his daughter blew a raspberry against his neck, the girl staring up at him, before grinning wide and squealing.

"You really are your sister's sister."

"Aboo!" Virot confirmed, clasping her hands together as she giggled with delight. When noon came to the Iyr, Adam held his twins against his chest, much to their greatfather's annoyance, but he surrendered the children to their father. The triplets followed their father and mother to the park, which lay in the centre of the superblock of the superblocks. Larot also followed, holding his grandmother's hand, the boy's annoyance evident upon his face, but he was glad the woman had allowed him to walk.

The park was full of life already, with dozens of families enjoying the greenery, eating with their children, while other Iyrmen took their noon breaks upon the benches. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Adam led his family, sans Virot, to a section of plush grass. He tossed up the blanket, a large blanket his Aunt had knit for him years ago, and placed the basket within the centre, while Vonda helped the children take off their boots.

Adam brought out the small water basin, using his magic to help wash his children's hands, before he began to lay out the sandwiches for them all.

"We really should be thanking Baktu that jam was discovered so early," Adam said, hoisting his twins up onto his lap, before planting firm kisses on their foreheads.

"Jarot," Jirot called, holding up the sandwich to her brother's lips, but the boy pulled away from it.

"Is so yummy."

"Thank you for offering him first," Adam said, kissing the side of his daughter's forehead.

"I can do it, daddy," the girl said, smiling bashfully, not understanding just how dangerous it was for her brother. Adam smiled, allowing the children to begin eating first. He exchanged a look with Vonda, who was feeding Larot the sandwich, the boy allowing his mother to do so without complaint. He had already long given in to her, wanting to live a life without much bother.

"I brought you here, because daddy wanted to tell you about his home," Adam said, gathering their attention.

"Do you know what daddy's name is?"

"Adam!" Jirot declared, her eyes beaming with mischief, before she smiled shyly and hid her head against her father's chest.

"Yes. Do you know who named me?"

"I did?" Jirot asked.

"No, no, you silly girl. This was… a very long time ago. My…" Adam paused, unsure if he should explain his family dynamics to the girl when it was already so complicated.

"Daddy was born a very long time ago in another land. I come from a place where there's no magic."

"No magic?" Jirot asked.

"No magic," Adam confirmed, causing the girl to gasp, her eyes darting to her mother, as if to ask for support.

"It was… one of the nicer places in the world without magic. I mean, you know, it was one of the strongest empires to exist, and it… well, anyway." Adam cleared his throat.

"It had a lot of nice things. It was easy to live there, compared to all the other countries in the world. It had my family, my old family, but now I have you all, my precious family." Adam pulled his twins closer, closing his eyes tightly, inhaling the scent of the food, and the lotions of the Iyr he had applied onto his children, feeling their warmth against his cheeks.

"You know…" Adam began, only to pause, trying to understand how to say it tactfully.

"Daddy lived a very different life many years ago. Then, daddy died." The children all shook or gasped, Karot dropped his sandwich, and looked to his mother, his tiny mouth open in a small circle.

"Thankfully, magic brought daddy back alive to a world, and then daddy died again, and then daddy came here. Daddy died, and was brought back by magic, just like you, my Jarot." Adam planted kisses all over his son's cheek, rocking gently.

"You and I have so much in common, don't we? We came back, yeah? Daddy died and came back, just like you." The boy embraced his father close, smiling slightly, not truly understanding the weight of Adam's words, but he did understand his father's affection, which blanketed the boy.

"If daddy didn't die, then daddy wouldn't have been here. He never would have had such adorable children like you. That's why, that's why it's going to be okay. Daddy, he's going to make sure everything's going to be okay. The Iyr, they're going to make sure everything's going to be okay. Yeah?" Adam sniffled, distracting his twins with kisses, before noting how distraught his triplets had become.

Thankfully, Adam was a fool, and he brought his children in close, for if Adam knew anything at all, it was how to adore his children.

"Daddy, don't die," Karot whined, pouting up to his father.

"I think two times is good enough," Adam assured, wrapping an arm around his eldest son, kissing his ear gently.

"Daddy won't die." Adam spoke to them of his tale, from his first life, to his second life, and finally his third life. He spoke of his love for prawn cocktail crisps, to various different drinks, mostly fizzy, but also the mango juice he would often flavour their water to taste like. He spoke of many innocuous things, many of which did not exist in this world. He even spoke of showers, which he vastly preferred over baths, much to Vonda's surprise.

"I really wish mobile phones existed in this world," Adam said, holding up an imaginary phone, tapping at the screen with his thumb, snapping an imaginary picture of his children, having not yet gained the habit of snapping a selfie, which would have made more sense.

"Although, we can do without social media." As Adam continued to speak of his tale, and made jokes only he understood, the loneliness returned, only to be pushed away by the warmth of his children. He was a man of three worlds, and though his time in the second had been short, and alarming, it had shaped him to who he was. Adam's heart continued to ache, but the weight upon his shoulders lightened by a feather. Vonda reached out to hold his hand at some point, and the half elf smiled at her.

Vonda rested her head against her husband's shoulders, tears slipping against his clothing, before she quickly wiped them clean, blowing her nose into a handkerchief. She would cry later, when they were alone, or perhaps, when she was alone. She understood what Adam was doing. The half elf, who perhaps was often a fool, was someone who liked to lay down the foundations slowly, and it had begun today.

Even as evening came, she watched her husband from the opposite end of the shared estate, the half elf sitting beside his brother.

"Jurot?" Adam called, finally breaking the silence.

"Adam?"

"I need you to, uh…" Adam blinked rapidly for a moment.

"If you could, please find out what happened. I want you to.. make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Okay."

"I mean… I don't want you to blame any of them. It was my fault. I shouldn't have…" Adam sniffled.

"Just, you know, train them, and make sure they're…" Adam shook his head again.

"Just, find out what happened, and deal with it as you see fit. It was all my fault, but just, you know."

"Okay," Jurot said, closing his eyes to calm himself. He was certain he understood what Adam was asking of him.

"I… would do it, but… I don't want to know. Larot pushed Jirot out the way, that's all I know, it's all I need to know." Adam's eyes burned as they glistened.

"…"

"I'm sorry, Jurot." Jurot swallowed. It was in times like this he wished Jaygak and Kitool were here. The only way they wouldn't be here was if they didn't know, so such a burden fell upon his shoulders. Even if he was a member of the Rot family, he wasn't sure he was strong enough to carry it.

"You can go after Damrot begins to crawl, but you should come back for the festival." Jurot closed his eyes again. He was glad that Adam was still Adam, even after all that happened. While Vonda watched the pair, seeing the way Jurot tried to calm himself, she understood Adam had already begun to settle things. She glanced away, only to find a tiny, warm hand against hers. She glanced aside to see Larot, the tiny demon boy staring up at his mother. He rubbed the back of her hand gently.

Vonda, certain the boy was not just a boy, still pulled him to her bosom, holding the back of his head.

"Larot." The boy could hear the pain within her voice. He reached up to brush along her cheek.

'You damn fool! How can you worry your wife like this?'