Chapter 2365 Paternal Pride (Part 1)

"No offense to Kelia but I want friends my age. Also, I already met Dusk and he looks nice, but I don't trust him more than I trust you, Dawn. On top of that, if I was interested in babysitting, I wouldn't be taking this trip." Solus replied.

"Fair enough." The light of Dawn disappeared from Nyka's eyes as she spoke with her own voice again. "How long until we leave?"

"Just long enough to make sure that everything is alright and Lutia is safe. I'm not going to waste a single second more than necessary." Solus said.

The four women continued to talk until Solus was too tired to continue. Yet after ending the call, sleep eluded her. Solus was still haunted by Phloria's death, happy for the end of the war, and terrified at the idea of moving on with her life.

***

When Lith woke up, it was the middle of the night in the Desert. He slept until the tower returned his body to its peak condition and rest eased the burden that still weighed on his mind.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." Kamila kissed him as soon as he stirred up. "Are you ready to go back to Lutia?"

"Good morning, Kami. Good morning, Elysia." He chuckled, kissing her on the lips first and then on the stomach. "As for your question, I'm not ready. Yet if I don't go now, it makes things harder for everyone."

Lith took his time dressing, wearing his clothes normally instead of just making the Voidwalker armor cover him up. He also went to check the Dragon Maiden dress in Kamila's wardrobe.

"What are you doing?" She asked while he tested whether the toga was see-through or not and how to take it off in the heat of passion without damaging the expensive silk.

"Collecting information." He replied with an expression deep in thought that Kamila knew was actually his perverted face. "Knowledge is power in every world I've lived."

"Stop it!" She chuckled, giving him a slap on the forehead. "There's no time for whatever kinky stuff you are thinking about. Everyone is getting up for breakfast and we can't make them wait."

"I was planning no such thing. It's not my fault if you have a dirty mind and think everyone is like you." Lith blatantly lied, making her laugh harder.

Once they reached the dining room, Elina and Raaz were already there and so were Solus and Tista. Protector, Selia, Rena, Senton, and the kids came fashionably late. The mood during breakfast was better than the previous day but there was still too much silence.

"I'd like to go back to Lutia, now." Lith said once he was done eating. "Until we start living as we did before the War of the Griffons, peace will never feel real. I want everyone to go back to their old lives without having to worry anymore about Thrud or Meln."

"Thank you, dear." Elina nodded. "There's nothing I'd like more than seeing your father work in the fields with his friends again. I can't wait to go back to taking care of the animals and managing our finances, yet as I said yesterday, it will have to wait."

"Why? What's wrong?" Lith furrowed his brows in confusion.

"Nothing." Raaz shook his head. "It's just that the war ended yesterday and you are already putting us first. Your mother and I discussed this and we've decided that it's time that you let us be your parents for once.

"Let us worry and take care of you, son."

"But, Dad-"

"No buts." Raaz cut Lith short with a wave of his hand. "Your mother is right. This is the only place where nothing bad can happen. I want you to take your time to recover from Phloria's death and the atrocities of war without having to worry about us.

"If I have to take care of my fields, I can't take care of my son. You are my priority, Lith, and my decision is final."

Raaz stood up and walked to Lith's side of the table, full of paternal pride as he squeezed Lith's shoulder.

"Thank you, Dad." Lith nodded, understanding how important it was to Raaz and glad to be loved so much. "Thank you, Mom. Grandma, if you are done eating as well, there's something I would like to share with you all. Can you please call Leegaain?"

"You mean Grandfather?" The Overlord frowned in a glare.

"No, I mean-"

"You mean Grandfather, right?"

"Yes. Can you please call Grandfather?" Lith recognized Salaark's "there's only one right answer, young man" tone and gave up.

'That's one skill I'd better have picked up by the time the baby is born.' He thought.

"Is everything alright?" Leegaain appeared from a Warp Gate, a bit annoyed for being disturbed during the playdate between Shargein and Valeron the Second.

"Better than alright." Lith nodded. "Please, sit down."

He gestured for Kamila to expose her womb and he used the spell that Solus had created to let everyone hear the baby's heartbeat.

"Is this what I think it is?" Elina's eyes became veiled with tears.

"Elysia's heartbeat, yes." Kamila nodded.

"Oh, gods." Raaz was glad to be already sitting because his knees had suddenly given out.

He already knew that Kamila was pregnant, but hearing that rhythmic thump turned a mere notion into reality. There was life inside of her. Even though Raaz couldn't see Elysia, his granddaughter was actually sitting just a few meters from him.

"This is as wonderful as it is upsetting!" Salaark said, leaving the rest of the table flabbergasted.

At least until Elina and Selia nodded with an equally stern frown on their faces.

"All this time you had this wonderful spell and you never bothered sharing it with us?" The Overlord sounded upset. "I was pregnant until a while ago, yet the thought of using it on me never crossed your mind."

"You are in good company, Grandma." Elina grunted.

"Way to make me feel part of the family." Selia snorted.

"I didn't know it even existed until a few days ago. Solus created it." Lith had no qualms about throwing her under the bus to save himself.

"Ah, really?" The three women turned in unison toward Solus, glaring at her with the harshness of a perennial winter.

"Well, yes." Solus inwardly cursed Lith and herself for not having shifted the blame first. "I kept it a secret to surprise Lith in case anything bad happened. He was always on the frontlines and I thought he might need to be cheered up.

"I wish I was wrong." She sighed and lowered her gaze, making the memory of Phloria's death resurface.

"I could argue that you could have shared the secret with us and kept Lith in the dark, but there's no point crying over spilled milk." Elina said. "Thank you for taking good care of my son, Solus, but if you want me to forgive you, you'd better use that spell on me too. And fast."

Solus bolted to Elina's side, using her magic to let a second thumping fill the air of the dining room.

"Can you hear it? This is our baby girl." Elina said amid sniffles.