“I will sleep here tonight,” Jarot said, having fihe tale. He o Gangak and Otkan, who had decided to head back to the extended family estate. Jarot stood, holding the wi bay as he banced himself on his wooden leg, before he slowly shambled his way to a spare room to sleep in.

  Adam watched him as he stepped away, noting how slow the old man had bee after losing his leg. Usually he was as swift as Jurot, even in his e, but now he was about as slow as the children. ‘Damn.’

  “Adam,” Jurot called, also ready to turn in for the night.

  “I think I’m going to take a walk first,” Adam said, who could not bare to look at Jurot, staring at the building for a while.

  “Okay.”

  Once Adam was left alone, he started walking through the Iyr, which glistened uhe stars, the rain still gently falling from the dark sky, though it was barely a drizzle. He walked through the Iyr, not noting the eyes glued to him from the shadows, but he had o look out for them this day. Adam finally stopped, staring at the walls around him, and then the s to one side, the same s which held the you children.

  ‘How is it that all of a sudden Asa decided to attack, and the Blood Knight, or the Blood Demon, whatever his name was, cimed his leg? Did I spend ahen? No, didn’t I spend the Omen the day after, so…’ Adam ched his fists tight behind his back, gring down at the floor before him.

  ‘Blood Knight, Blood Demon, whatever they call you, you bastard! You better watch out!’

  The rain tio fall within the Iyr, and atop a roof top, a beautiful woman sipped at the wihe Iyr had given to her. She had been enjoying the festival by her lonesome, rexing as she heard the distant music, the g of bdes, and the noisy chatter of people during the day, and the quiet, near ominous silence of the night.

  ‘Is this what you did st year?’ Umbra thought, thinking of her father. ‘What were you thinking when you drank away your sadness?’ She pced the bottle to one side and y down against the roof, staring at the sky for a long while, seeing the stars of this nd, so different thaars of her previous world. She closed her eyes, and the geter patter of rain lulled her to sleep.

  Omen: 5, 20

  Little Jarot stared up at the older one armed Jarot fused, but happily accepted the food from the spoon his babo was feeding him with.

  “Have they not been feeding you?” Jarot asked, bringing another spoonful of pe up to the boy’s lips. “You are too thin, my greatson.”

  “What are you talking about, Jababy is…” Adam looked to his young, who was shout and round, still a little chubby. “No, you’re right, he o be eating more. He should be a ky boy like little Gurot.”

  “Jirot, e, I will feed you too,” Jarot offered, the girl looking up at him shyly from beside her twin brother, before she leaowards her father, smiling awkwardly.

  “Why are you running away from your babo?” Adam asked, ruffling her hair. “Let him feed you, it’s the least you do after all he’s done for you, you little punk.” Adam couldn’t help but rub her head, smiling slightly as she tio fall ba.

  “Then I will feed my little Jarot,” Jarot said, pig up the sliced fruit, feeing his greatson from his fingers. “Eat as much as you like, my greatson, no one stop you while I am here!”

  Little Jarot smiled up at the old man, before finally retreating away from him, hiding beside his father.

  The older Iyrman smiled, gd to see how active the pair had bee. “When I left, you were both so small. It was I who would hold you so you could sit, but now you run from me? They are already s, but it is only right, sihey are my greatchildren.” The old man surged with pride, his eyes almost sparkling as he stared down at them.

  “What of yrandson?” Mirot asked, rubbing Gurot’s hair gently. “Will you not feed him?”

  “If I feed him, he will burst,” Jarot replied to his daughter, almost growling at her. “Gurot, e, I will feed you. Let no one say I will not fatten my grandchildren or my greatchildren.”

  “Baba,” Gurot said, before looking up at his mother, and hiding into her bosom.

  Jarot smiled warmly, auro eating himself, having ed his own food for the sake of the children. “I will remain here with the you children, they should not fet who I am as they grow.”

  “You do not wish to explore the festival?” Mirot asked.

  “With this leg of mine?” Jarot asked, rubbing his knee. “No. I will not.”

  “…” Mirot wasn’t sure what to say to her old man, who was as stubborn as an aurobsp;

  “I’ll stay too,” Adam said, trying not to frown. “I ’t let him steal away the you from me, not when I only just mao cim my twins back from him.”

  “I will not steal them,” Jarot stated. “I will share them with you, but not Murot, for he is mine.”

  “He’s my Cousin too.”

  “Then I will have Maygak, since she is Gangak’s granddaughter, she is mioo,” Jarot said.

  “Hold on, you ’t take Maygak from me,” Adam replied. “Are y to cim all the ky children for yourself?”

  “She will grow big and strong,” Jarot firmed. “I see it.”

  “No, no, Maygak’s mioo.”

  “Then I will take Inakan.”

  “No,” Adam said, far more seriously. “You ’t have Inakan. She o be protected from your corruption.”

  “Then who will you give up?”

  Adam thought about all the children, remaining silent as he wondered who he would allow the old man to steal from him. “No one.”

  “Do you think you are s?”

  “Even if you are an Iyrman, there are limits to what I will allow you to take from me,” Adam stated.

  “Even if I am yrandfather?” Jarot asked, smirking slightly.

  ‘I’ll let it slide this time, old man, but don’t expect me to give up easily when I’m used to you having one leg.’ Adam go the side. “Jirot, Jarot, e, give daddy a kiss.”

  Jarot tried to force his body into a he as a joke, but he was uo call for it. Sonarot stared at the old maing slip her sholy for a moment, but it passed as quickly as it had e. The old man just smiled.

  Ohe children were finished with their light meal, they were ed up and dressed. Jarot couldn’t help but dote on each of the children, kissing their foreheads, before allowing them to go.

  “You have to hug your babo before you go,” Adam stated.

  “No,” Jirot replied.

  “I don’t want to hear that,” Adam said, lifting the girl up. “That’s your babo, and you o be nice. You know your nano?”

  “Nano?” Jirot asked, looking around to try and find her.

  “Yes, nano, this is babo, and he and nano are married,” Adam said. “It’s like…” Adam wasn’t sure how to describe it to the girl. Her grandmother had no one, since Surot was missing, and he didn’t have aher. “You know nano Mirot? Baba Gorot? It’s like that.”

  Jirot stared up at him and bliilting her head.

  “Babo is nano’s daddy,” Adam said, though the girl remaiaring up at him with fusion. “Jirot.” Adam said, pointing to her. “Jirot daddy.” Adam poio himself. “Nana. Nana’s daddy.” Adam pointed from Sonarot to the older Iyrman.

  Jirot stared up at the older Iyrmen, fused. “Nana?” the girl asked, pointing trandmother.

  “Yes.”

  Jirot poio the older Jarot. “Nana daddy?”

  “Yes.”

  Jirot stared up at Adam in shock, before staring at both her grandmother and her greatfather. The fact that other children had daddy’s didn’t surprise her, she knew of Inakan and her father, and so on, but the fact that even her nana had a father, shook the girl to her core.

  “No!” the girl said, as though it couldn’t possibly be true. “No!” She shook her head with passion, her eyes staring up at Adam in utter bewilderment. She babbled noisily towards her father, as though trying to present evide couldn’t be true, but eventually she hugged her father and then gnced back towards her greatfather.

  Little Jarot blinked, gng between his grandmother and greatfather. “Nana?” Jarot asked, pointing to his grandmother.

  “Yes.”

  “Babo?” Little Jarot poio old Jarot.

  “Yes.”

  “Oo,” the boy said, as though he uood.

  Finally, the children made their way out, with the triplets looking back to their father. Konarot stopped, and Sonarot called for her. Konarot looked back towards her grandmother, before pointing to her father. “Daddy?”

  “He’s staying with your babo,” Sonarot said.

  “…” Konarot looked back to the pair. “Staying?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay,” the girl said, before walking back to her father. Kirot and Karot followed after her.

  Sonarot waited, watg as Adam embraced them, w what they were doing.

  “Staying,” Konarot said, hugging her father, before reag out her arms treatfather to let him hug her too. She uood her father wahem to be close with the old man, so she did as he wanted.

  “Look at how you have grown, Konarot,” Jarot said, holding the girl on his p. “Was it you who taught my Jirot to be so defiant?”

  Konarot shook her head, while the older Iyrman brushed her hair. They embraced lightly together while Adam held Kirot and Karot.

  “I still remember how you growled at me, Konarot,” Jarot said. “You are such a good elder sister.”

  Konarot flushed slightly and squirmed, before resting her head on his chest. Jarot held the girl close to him, smiling slightly. Whatever darkness which had overe him was kept at bay by the girl.

  These kids are too cute.

  Oh no.

  Whose going to die?