Chương 1245: [1162] - Y06.062 - Dawnval Festival V

'Everything feels like a blur.' The half elf stood outside of the shared estate, his eyes taking in the sight of the countless stars up ahead, the night sky painted with a now strangely familiar sight, a sight so different than his first life. The sky up above was, almost, comforting.

'I should spend more quality time with each of the children,' Adam thought, having spent almost all his time with groups of the children, or with them as pairs.

'Gurot and Murot are my chonky boys, but aren't they chonky in their own ways?' The thoughts filled Adam's heart. As the end of the month drew closer to the end, the regret bloomed within his heart, the thorns within his heart weighing him down.

'Damn it! I should have spent more quality time with them! I should have taken Vonda out for more dates! We should have walked under the stars! We should have painted something, anything, together! I should have spoiled her properly!' Adam continued to curse himself within his heart, the half elf's entire body tensing up with rising annoyance, and the anger which he bludgeoned against himself like a hammer.

'Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! You stupid idiot! How many times are you going to joke about being an idiot? How many times are you going to be serious about how you're an idiot? What are you doing?' The half elf stepped back into the inner courtyard, catching the Iyrman pacing outside. He nodded towards his brother, who nodded in return, and the pair, speaking a thousand words within their nods, returned back home to sleep. The next day it was time for that.

It was something which the Iyrmen passively completed as weeks passed, and often times Iyrmen did complete the task during the festivals, but this time Elder Teacher and Elder Forest recommended the task as part of the festival. Rajin stared at the various barrels and casks he had kept within the underground storage. There was a particular cask he was staring at, the same cask each of the Great Elders had requested. How could they ask for such a cask?

Even if the Iyrman only had a hundred casks of such a wine, those he was saving for generations to come, how could they ask for it?

'An important festival?' Rajin grumbled within his mind, keeping his hands clasped behind his back, trying to stop his body from giving in to the Great Elder's request. Even though they were right and he would give in, he would not give in immediately, for some times an Iyrman's efficiency should be placed aside when it came to handing over such treasures.

Little Majin reached up to rub his eyes, but Timojin stopped the boy from scratching at his eye, instead bringing a cloth for the boy, rubbing it around his eye, allowing the cloth to brush against the boy's eyelids and lashes to draw away the dust.

"Careful," Timojin said, placing the boy down, checking upon his eye to see if there was more dust.

"I will dust the top shelves, you may clean the others."

"Okeh, papa," the boy replied, dropping down to his knees with an exaggerated grunt, the same his grandfather and grandmother would often display, before he brushed the cloth along the bottom shelf which Timojin had already cleaned.

"Papa!" Tinajin called, reaching up a cloth for the Iyrman, revealing all the grey and brown which had gathered upon it.

"You clean well," Timojin praised, the Iyrman reaching to brush the girl's head gently.

"Yes!" Tinajin's eyes sparkled with pride, the girl darting off to continue to clean up, swapping out cloths.

"Papa!" Majin held up his arms. Timojin instantly caved as he helped his brother clean up the upper shelves and cabinets. Tinajin brushed along the floor and looked up towards Timojin and Majin.

"Papa! I am faster than Majin, I will do it!"

"There are some things which are more important than speed," Timojin replied. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

"Why?" Timojin placed down Majin beside the girl, dropping to his knees before them. He gazed deeply into his sister's eyes and then to his brother's.

"I am faster than you and Majin at cleaning, but I wish for you to clean with me. Do you know why?"

"Why?" Tinajin asked, her brows furrowed, wanting to complain since she was obviously so much faster than her elder brother at cleaning. Their mother and father always praised her with such.

"How will you gain the experience if you do not clean? How will you clean properly without my oversight? How will you remain safe if I do not watch?" Timojin placed a hand on their heads, rubbing their foreheads with his thumbs.

"You need not worry, Majin, Tinajin. You may clean slowly. You may fail to clean. I am your elder brother, so I must watch you. Tinajin, you are Majin's older sister, so you must watch him. Do you understand?"

"Yes!" Tinajin affirmed, the girl hugging her brother, kissing his forehead.

"Majin, did you hear? I am your kaka! You must listen!"

"Yes, kaka," Majin replied, wincing slightly as his sister kissed him again, and the pair hugged once more.

'They are so affectionate too…' Eventually Tinajin relented the boy, going back to brushing the floor. Majin returned back to his brother's arms, hugging the larger Iyrman.

"Majin," the approaching Iyrman called. He looked nothing like Timojin, who took after his mother, but was far more muscular.

"Come." Majin held out his arms and Timojin relinquished the boy to his father. Then, a moment passed, and Timojin could see the sparkle within his father's eyes, the Iyrman returning the boy back to him. However, before the pair could start arguing, a storm appeared within the shared family estate of the Jin, Zel, Ruk, and Baj families.

"Baba!" the tiny green skinned girl called out, glaring towards the grey skinned Iyrman.

"Daddy said we are too loud so we must annoy you today!" Tijin glanced between the pair, before his eyes darted up towards their uncles, who had escorted them to the shared estate and were tasked with watching over them. Laygak smiled innocently, while Faool bowed his head respectfully.

"Good! I was getting bored without you, my Jijin, my Jajin!" Tijin let out a wild laugh, causing the children to laugh too. Jirot and Jarot both greeted Majin and Tinajin, who each hugged them tight and planted kisses on their heads, since the two Jins were considered the elders.

"Baba, I help you cleaning, okay?"

"Okay."

"I am the best at cleaning," Jirot said, following the Iyrman to the side, pulling along her brother.

"You are?"

"Yes! Mummy says I am best at cleaning! My papa is the best too!"

"How can you both be the best?"

"We are the best because we are the best."

"Ah. I see." The old Iyrman smiled, helping the children clean up, while Laygak and Faool cleaned the harder to reach spots.

"Baba?" Jirot called as she wiped her brow, panting for air, though she had barely cleaned a single counter.

"Yes?"

"Why are you so loud but your daddy is so quiet?" Jirot asked.

"It is because I am too strong," Tijin replied, flexing his muscles towards the children, letting his pecs dance to his chuckles.

"Babo is stronger."

"Is he?"

"Yes," Jirot replied with firm conviction, her innocent eyes unable to doubt those words. Tijin stared down at those amber eyes which had seen the Bearded Dragon fight. It had been a couple of months ago when she had seen the Bearded Dragon slaughter Hammer Hand, but she had also seen the old man fight a couple of years ago in Red Oak, protecting the girl and her brother.

"Hmph! If father had allowed me to fight when the Aldish had come, you would have seen me slaughter them too!"

"Why you did not come, baba?"

"Father beat me so I could not come."

"Why?" Jirot pouted.

"I wished to fight for you and to tease Shikan, but I was not allowed."

"That is your own fault, baba! How you can tease baba Shikan who is always so nice?"

"Always so nice? You do not know how vicious he can be with his words! You do not know it because he is so gentle to you, but he is rough with me!"

"You cannot handle it?" The girl replied with a smirk and raise of a brow that reminded the Iyrman of her red skinned aunt.

"You are so vicious to me too!" Tijin lifted the girl up and tossed her into the air, causing her to squeal and cry out in joy. He caught the girl and placed her down, his large arms quickly snatching Jarot up to his chest.

"My Jajin, you are always so sweet to me! Come, you can be my twin brother!"

"Baba…" Jarot flushed slightly but his wide smile brimmed from leaf shaped ear to leaf shaped ear.

"What! Baba! How you can say that?" Jirot gasped.

"My brother is so handsome and you are…" The girl held out her hand towards the old man, as though ready to cut the mountain known as Tijin in half from shoulder to hip. However, the girl froze up as her father's words came to her. It was one of the few times she had seen her father so serious, almost a different person.

'Hmm?' Tijin thought, noting the way the girl froze in place. Jirot blinked. She tied her hands behind her back like her other babo.

"If you can steal my Jarot from me, we will see." Laygak punched his thigh to stop himself from bursting into laughter, the Iyrman's facing turning redder as the tears welled in his eyes.

"Jirot, are you really your father's daughter?" Faool asked.

"Papo!" Jirot gasped, this time her mouth forming a tiny circle in shock, the most genuine she had been all day.

"How you can say that?"

"How can you be his daughter when you are so funny?" Timojin, Majin, and Tinajin each paused for a moment, the younger two wincing, as the howling laughter distracted them from their task.